The Sunday Rumble: 14.1.18

I have this deal, you see:   With a friend and neighbour.  I give him my copy of 'The Speccie' after I have read it and he gives me the Saturday Review section of The Times.  The fact that no money passes between me and my ex-best friend, 'Rupe', adds to the pleasure!  The January 6th edition was a corker and I confess here and now that most of my 'rumbles' today stemmed from there - well, waddya expect here - original thinking?!

 

A very secret loony:   What is it about secret intelligence services that attract so many nutters?  I am provoked to this question by the review of a biography of the late James Jesus Angleton.  He it was who, whilst maintaining a ferocious campaign within the CIA to clear it of Russian spies, 'fell in love' with a frightfully smooth, posh, MI6 agent called, er, Kim Philby who was, 'as any fule do no now', a Russian agent!  I hasten to add that when I use the expression "fell in love" I do not imply any sexual attraction but the fact is that Angleton, the brilliant spy-catcher, was totally besotted with Philby who spent years feeding him false intelligence and passing on American secrets to the Russians.  Not even 'John le Carré ' could have made that one up!

 

I may, just 'may', be about to change my mind:   Who said, "What mind?"  Look, a few years back I gave up on theatre, not just my own amateurish efforts but professional theatre as well.  I also gave up on cinema.  No doubt I could whistle up some fancy excuses but the truth is that old age and idleness played their parts.  However, recently and suddenly I have felt a flicker of interest - I wonder if the same could happen to my sex drive?  Yesterday, I reported that Shakespeare's Globe Theatre was, at last, under new management and already I am trying to work out how I can get there.  Then there is this film about Churchill, Darkest Hour,  which is receiving rave reviews from people whose opinions I trust.  To clinch the argument there was an interview with the actress Kristin Scott Thomas who, apart from her failure to reply to my letters, is a very intelligent woman and who plays the important role of Winston's wife, 'Clemmie'.  Then there is the release of a new film with the very intriguing title of "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" which has also received 'rave reviews' which does not surprise me since it stars Frances McDormand and Woody Harrelson - so what's not to like?!

 

Every little helps:   According to Anthony Watts, who is, of course, 'a very, very naughty boy', there were 485 scientific papers published last year, all of which in their different ways, cast doubts on the supposed (very 'supposed') "97% consensus on Anthropological Global Warming".  Why am I not surprised?

 

What I think about Meghan Markle:  Well ... er ... that is ... on the one hand ... but there again on the other ... and sort of ... well, you know ... perhaps ... but maybe not ... and taken in the round, so to speak ... oh bugger it!  The fact is that I do not think anything about Ms. Markle one way or t'other, any more than she thinks about me!  She is obviously an exceedingly attractive lady and I really do hope that she and Harry enjoy a good life but I do just wish that the bloody newspapers and sundry publicity seeking 'slebs' would just s.t.f.u. about her!  Harrumph!

 

Snigger factor AAA+:   The grumpy, old git who runs the 'I Hate The Media' site needs to be preserved in aspic after receiving a Congressional Medal.  Today he reports that a Democrat lawyer candidate for the role of Attorney General in Illinois, was robbed at gun point in Chicago - where else?:

A candidate running for Illinois attorney general was robbed at gunpoint while he was taking promotional photos for his campaign Thursday afternoon in the Northwest Side ward where he’s also the Democratic committeeman, according to his campaign manager and authorities.

Aaron Goldstein, 42, and several members of his campaign team were in the middle of taking publicity shots when the robbery happened, according to Goldstein’s campaign manager. [...] One of the men flashed a handgun and demanded the camera equipment and other personal belongings from the team, according to police.

Needless to say, none of these 'peace 'n' love' Dems had a legal concealed weapon, oh dear me, no, that wouldn't do at all!  Even if robberies have gone up 132% in three years and the murder rate has gone up 41% in four years, it just goes to show that there is no fool like a Dem fool!

 

No more rumbles today 

 

 

Comments

[Whitewall]

"I wonder if the same could happen to my sex drive?"
If it does, don't let it show up at the same time with a trip to the Globe Theatre!

[Bob]

Old stuff from the journalists at Watts Up With That?, Breitbart and No Tricks Zone:

https://www.snopes.com/400-papers-published-in-2017-prove-that-global-warming-is-myth/

[David Duff]

Bob, I'm beginning to worry about you! You really must try and read more carefully, might I suggest a visit to Specsavers? The article can hardly be called "old stuff" given that it only refers to last year! Equally, it did not "prove that global warming is a myth", it only cast doubt on the decades old claim of the 'Warmers' that there existed a 97% consensus in 'scientific circles' that AGW was true. Well, last year 485 scientific papers disagreed!

[JK]

Bob,

https://foodbabe.com/2017/02/24/do-you-trust-snopes-you-wont-after-reading-how-they-work-with-monsanto-operatives/

https://www.agweb.com/article/more-states-restricting-dicamba-as-monsanto-swings-at-arkansas-naa-ashley-davenport/

Around here that'd be what is called "a twofer."

[Up2L8]

Politicians in this day and age are certainly a mixed breed.

[JK]

Bob, Ups,

http://coolmaterial.com/food-drink/health-benefits-whiskey/

Now that is Science!

[Bob]

David, you obviously didn't read the link:

"The first time that Breitbart ran a NTZ based-story [the same picked up by WUWT?], numerous scientists listed in the report pointed out their their graphs had been digitally altered by NTZ to omit data, and that NTZ had either misinterpreted their papers or read them so superficially that the author of the post did not realize he was sometimes quoting from general background material and not the actual findings of the papers themselves."

You're just messing with me aren't you, you old rascal?

JK,

Well shut my mouth, are you an anti-corporate environmentalist? My advice is to roll with the punches. Another great thing about whiskey is we can use it to become one with nature: Polluted.

[Up2L8]

Ah yes, JK. Agree about the wishkee whiskey.

[JK]

Bob?

https://www.c-span.org/video/?434168-1/qa-wil-hylton

You might find that interesting/illuminating. Maybe both.

[Andra]

Wait till you hear about milkshake ducks!

[Bob]

JK,

The most interesting thing in the interview was the explanation of how the NY Times positioned itself on the news spectrum. I always thought it was too calculated. That's why I don't read it.

[JK]

Bob,

As 'just an aside' Bob, I've sometimes found myself wondering how it came to pass that, CNN's past host of Reliable Sources (a Sunday show) Howard Kurtz, formerly lauded "a fearless, unimpeachably honest investigator of journalistic practices" came into such disrepute seemingly instantaneously upon David's "former best friend Rupe" hiring Mr Kurtz away from CNN and putting him to host Fox' Media Matters.

Looks to me now that, it's CNN's Brian Seltzer swiveling his eyes, hair afire in self righteous indignation at everything.

Hell, ol' Howie's even gone so far as to put across his desk (figuratively of course) Hillary's former State Department Spokesperson Marie Harf.

Makes me need to barf!

[Bob]

JK,

You have higher expectations of the newz biz than I do. The wires are the closest thing to unbiased information. Newspapers all have a style and editorial position. Almost all news on TV is sensationalized in one way or another, just like everything else on TV. CSPAN is an exception, but a little goes a long way.