The Sunday Rumble: 8.12.19

Art criticism at its very best:   As y'all do know, I am in a quiet way a bit of an old 'arty-farty'.  I rarely pay attention to art critics because I know what I like even if, sometimes, I don't exactly know why!  But here is a man whose, er, 'taste' I would trust implicitly.  Recently an 'artwork' was unveiled which consisted of a banana duct-taped to a wall with a price tag of $120,000 attached.

On Saturday, the man, Mr. David Datuna, who is obviously of impeccable, er, taste, ate the banana!

 

Are you as confused as me over the forthcoming election?   Well, neither of us can be blamed given, as an example, two headlines in the same edition of the Sunday Mail:

"Tories scent victory with fresh poll showing late Labour surge has not materialised"

"Boris Johnson refuses THREE times to say if he would quit, should the Tories fail to win the election, as polls tighten with just days to go" 

I think I'll just stick to the pattern of the tea leaves at the bottom of my morning cup of tea!

From The Telegraph

 

Classic Peter Hitchens:   He is always a 'Must Read' on a Sunday but today he covers a range of topics all of which make you think.  I never followed his late brother and I wonder if he was a patch on Peter?

 

Hoot of the Year:   I am indebted to the Red State site for providing the hoot of the year from the lips of that well-known American comedienne, Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton.  She was re-acting to that mummified creature who calls herself Nancy Pelosi who has inveighed against Trump's evil ways and threatened dire legal counter-measures.  'HillBilly' responded with these immortal words: “no one is above the law”.

 

If only!   Apparently that irritating little girl, Greta Thunberg, is complaining that 'they' are trying to silence her!

Well, 'they' are obviously not very good at it because she never shuts up talking total 'tosh'!  Good job she's not my daughter!

 

Why I no longer go the theatre:  Particularly if it is a play by William Shakespeare.  The pig-ignorant dolts who rule 'theatre-land' these days are an insult to my intelligence but not to theirs because they do not have any!  This from a review of Richard III in this week's 'Speccie':

This modern-dress production (co-directed by Sean Holmes and Ilinca Radulian) has been cast without regard to race, gender or age. Anyone who doesn’t hold a professorship in Plantagenet genealogy will struggle to comprehend the sinuous plot. Richard (Sophie Russell) enters wearing a white footballer’s shirt inscribed RICHARD 03. Clear enough. Margaret, played by a man, also appears with her name embroidered on her football kit but with the letters covered by a coat. An easy blunder to correct. Harder to fix is the sparse company which isn’t populous enough to serve the text. Matti Houghton plays Anne and two other large-ish roles. Colin Hurley begins as Hastings and morphs into Tyrrell, the Mayor and Oxford. Steffan Donnelly opens as Margaret and ends as Richmond.

Need I say more?

 

No more Rumbles

 

 

 

Comments

[Whitewall]

Well, the frame is nice and the duct tape is up to the job...

[JK]

Perhaps that's simply a paean to duct tape's making engineers of hillbillies since 1942?

Without I'd aver, having to take on such enormous student debt as to add to our nation's inevitable default. The banana serving as a relatively new discovery toward the science of hangover prevention (providing one remembers to consume it [and much water] before bedtime).

Most times David I question your tastefulness where art's concerned here not!

[Whitewall]

Hillary and Nancy et al live in an alternative world surrounded by four high walls which they crawl up and down every day.

[Essex Man]

Eating the banana is a work of art. I think he should get the Turner Prize.

[David Duff]

No, no, no, 'Essex Man', it's the 'Turnip Prize' he should get!

[Bob]

Mr. Datuna has created a synthesis of visual and performance art that explores the boundaries of mediocrity.

Along the same lines, Peter Hitchens has gone 1930's retro melodrama. Marijuana as Devil Weed? How incredibly dull can a person be?:

"A study analyzing crime rates in Colorado and Washington suggests legalizing recreational marijuana has a minimal effect on crime rates, if any."

https://www.newsweek.com/legalizing-pot-increase-crime-rates-colorado-washington-1463622

The study is consistent with those conducted in several other states that have legalized weed. Maybe next time Hitchens will blame crime on witchcraft.

[David Duff]

You should try reading to the end of your quoted links, Bob:

"However, the study's authors do point out some limitations to their findings. One is that the results highlight broad, cross-state trends but may exclude changes that take place on a smaller scale. They say that they cannot rule out the possibility that legalization may have different effects within the state depending on the area and community. The analysis is also limited in the types of crime it considers—namely, serious crime. Rates of those driving while under the influence, for example, would not have been counted."

I, on the other hand, rely on my common-sense, anything that, er, 'blows your mind' will have unexpected results for the Zombies who indulge.

[Bob]

David?

"The analysis is also limited in the types of crime it considers—namely, serious crime."

So what remains are not considered serious crimes and would certainly not include terrorism, as Hitchens stupidly argues.

This act of terrorism also had nothing to do with marijuana so far as we know, but guns and ideology were definitely involved:

https://patch.com/florida/pensacola/active-shooting-pensacola-military-base-gunman-dead-police

[JK]

Bob's actually correct on this stuff David. As a matter of fact with the exception of, oddly enough rape, crimes across the board in the states legalizing for recreational use have gone up.

[Bob]

JK,

If I'm correct then serious crimes have stayed about the same and haven't gone up. That's what the article says. However, there's evidence opioid misuse has gone down in states where pot is legal:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/access-to-medical-marijuana-reduces-opioid-prescriptions-2018050914509

Arkansas has legal medical marijuana. Now all those grannies in rockers puffing away on corncob pipes to help their lumbago don't have to worry about getting busted - as long as they get a prescription first. How's Barney going to handle the competition?

[JK]

Bob,

I'll have to search around in the open-source side of things as the bureau's in-house communications to LEOs has only recently begun to be disseminated. You'll recall my mentioning a nephew heading an SRT and, I'm pretty sure as I've allowed the elected Sheriff of the county I reside in we attended the same from first grade through high school? That our current governor in earlier lives served as the 'head honcho' of both DEA and ATF?

That's a roundabout way of suggesting yes I indeed am aware but as I've been made aware by yourself you got a retired guy very nearby whose most likely made you aware of stuff that he'd be very chary about coming on this here D&N and posting hisself? Know what I mean Vern?

Far as "our medical marijuana" is concerned the implementation has run into some obstacles. Lemme see ...

https://portal.arkansas.gov/agency/department-of-finance-and-administration/medical-marijuana-commission/

That state government portal appear to be very busy to you Bob?

Barney I know ain't mentioned anything about being out-competed against.

[JK]

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/marijuana-responsible-colorado-crime-increase/

That there's from a site Bob I know you know and trust. It would appear the 'stator of fact' got a "judgement of unproven" which I think you'd allow cuts both ways?

Problem for me with the bureau's Uniform Reporting on these newfangled sorts of thing is, it does appear to be, such correlations are only made in five year chunks which means we'll just have to wait until about this time next year to hear it outta the horse's mouth.

I will allow as to how I view such as I've read and that would comport with what Snopes awarded Denver's DA. I await definitive information.

Ain't got no dog at all in this stuff myself Bob so your prospects for an extended argufying with me are plumb slim.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/did-russia-kill-white-helmets-founder-james-le-mesurier

On that above Bob, you noticed how ... oh, "unexcited" the media is over that Istanbul murder? Heck not even Erdogan's issued a peep.

Odd ain't it Bob?

[Loz]

Tim Stanley explains that voting for the Tories is the true socialist's choice ...

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/12/08/todays-labour-party-nothing-like-clement-attlee-soft-socialists/

The truth is that if you put regular socialists and Tories together in a room, you’d find ample agreement.

If he [BoJo] wins on Thursday, the government you’ll end up with isn’t hard-Right – Boris is just Blair Mark II

So there's your choice after 3 1/2 years of "Take back control" Blighty: Corbyn or Corbyn-lite.

Did Margaret Thatcher actually exist or did I hallucinate her?

SoD

[Mayfly]

There is very little choice in the election, one has to go with the poor man's alt-right since voting for "Reverse Brexit" or "We're all going to die cos CO2" or "Get the rich to become poor so some people don't have to work" are not choices either. I read an FB post by someone who lives on benefits who claimed that all fat cats are like dragons sleeping on their hoard of gold and jewels. Yet another person who doesn't seem to understand taxation and the need for some rich people in the country. I have no illusions about the Tory Party and The Iconoclast's latest YouTube video simply cements those doubts. I just don't see any options now however.

I don't have a lot of time for Peter Hitchins, because anyone who can't espouse a case for religion except by dumbing down the atheists, and who won't accept that religion has bad points about it is not worth listening to. I see his review of "His Dark Materials" is as moronic as ever - people didn't like the books because of their atheist overtones, they liked them because of the animals and the magic, although I have to say the books went downhill for me after the first one. His constant harping on about soft drugs may have a point except he has been shouting into the wind for years now and we are at a point were kids these days smoke the stuff relentlessly. This is not based on studies but my own experience of not being able to cycle to work now without being assailed by the smell of dog sh*t....oh, sorry, weed. Surely I should have been stabbed several times over by english yobs shouting about their suicide vests if that is what this comes down to? I'll stick to listening to Sargon of Akkad rather than him. I just feel sad for the Youff of Today - I read once about a government plot to drug the population to keep it compliant and it seems as though they have saved themselves the expense by getting youngsters to do it on their own time and their own money.

[Whitewall]

Mayfly, nice to see you out and about!

[Bob]

JK,

My point about grannies was that people have been using marijuana as a home remedy since pioneer days and it ain't nothing new. Central Indiana has lots of the stuff still growing where it was planted before WWI to manufacture rope. I personally don't care one way or the other about it myself, but claiming it causes serious crime is beyond ignorant.

There's a lot of defense of the Rooskies and Putin that's uncomfortable. Some politicians have gotten themselves into a spot where they have to defend Russian talking points about Ukraine on Sunday morning shows to defend Trump. They'll regret it eventually.

[David Duff]

Dammit, Whiters, you beat me to it! Yes, welcome back, Miss Mayfly, and as before, you are a proper 'edukashun'! I mean, "Sargon of Akkad" - ah yes, I remember him well! And I am glad you have stopped cycling to work every day, all that exercise is bad for you - and us because you are obviously too tired to comment here!

[JK]

Yes Bob as they say, correlation is not causation.

As to that spot a trial may remove it from under a some and put it under another some. Like taking it to the dry cleaners if you will?

[Glesga]

Loz, the difference between Boris and Corbyn is Boris will represent the UK. Not Sinn Fein IRA and various mass murderous Middle East factions.

[Mayfly]

Hello all, I do still read the writings here, it's just that when I find something I want to comment on, it's usually 5 or 6 days late and Mr Duff then doesn't seem to want to join the conversation.

I'm afriad I am still cycling to work David, it's just that cycling gives one an opportunity to come across the Dope heads going to work, high off their face or smoking their t*ts off or whatever the phrase is. I don't get why people want to injest something which smells SO bad but many like doing it, and even Count Dankula speaks in its favour - perhaps some reasearch is needed :-)

I think Sargon has come on in his channel, he at least had the fortitude to speak to people directly about Brexit rather than screaming on Twitter and then blocking anyone with an opposing viewpoint. Refreshing.

Should I bring in an Epstein meme now, lol?

[Whitewall]

Mayfly,
Yes!

[Whitewall]

https://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/visual-arts/art-basel/article238176479.html

"Banana Art" wall vandalized with red lip stick. Art doesn't hang itself either.

[Mayfly]

Whitewall, I did read a typo yesterday which made me laugh, apparently Einstein didn't kill himself either!

[Loz]

Did you know you can grow potatoes in the air?

I found that out while working for Blighty's biggest marijuana-growing equipment manufacturer a while back - and no it wasn't from over consumption of their client's products!

You rest the spud plants on chicken wire in a cupboard with the roots hanging below and the plant upright. Then apply the UV from above and the nutrients via a mistifier, a sort of fog of yummy stuff the spuds can't get enough of. Open the cupboard door a month later and reach in and pluck your spuds off the roots like fruit from a tree. Saves a fortune in digging them out of the ground. (Sadly the energy required to mistify the nutrients outweighs the reduced labour costs. But some genetic jiggery-pokery might sort that if the roots can be made super-absorbers by the method).

See, even the whacky-backy industry has some positive benefits for society.

And made in Blighty too - I say, well done Caruthers!

SoD