tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76332662362814551632012-01-13T18:37:25.753ZTomnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1041100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-82102972115675682002012-01-05T01:48:00.000Z2012-01-05T01:48:57.145Z

Should a film detailing Margaret Thatcher's dementia be released while she is still alive? "The Iron Lady" seems, as a piece, to be making the point that the greatest minds succumb to the ravages of time. I can think of no worthier subject. By differentiating those points in her life so distinctly it becomes a portrayal that both strengthens her stature as a political icon and humanises her

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-4345859338522838412011-11-15T11:29:00.001Z2011-11-15T12:06:00.448Z

Is this a spoof? Regarding your four reasons for trusting Cameron, Osborne and Hague: I will concede that the first reason, that they have sound judgement. (Albeit, as Iain Martin reminded us yesterday, this sound judgement usually arises only after a three year delay.) I suppose I cannot deny your second reason, that they are courageous. (The most feeble election campaign in history, the

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-45057525284684098542011-11-14T15:08:00.001Z2011-11-14T15:10:31.446Z

Bruce Anderson: "In response to such an account of Mr Cameron's electoral difficulties, some of the belly-achers become positively Bennite. David Cameron lost because he was not offering proper Toryism. He should have campaigned on scrapping the 50p rate and no ring-fencing for the NHS. If that had been the Tory platform, it is just possible that Gordon Brown might still be Prime Minister."

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-26561205841321481882011-10-09T23:45:00.000+01:002011-10-28T12:52:50.518+01:00

Don’t read this article unless you’ve seen the last three minutes of Doctor Who series 6 as reading this article would otherwise completely ruin all of it. And indeed be sure to watch it first as nothing in this will otherwise make a lick of sense to you. (Continued in full at Bleeding Cool.)

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-10849036835571513442011-10-06T23:16:00.002+01:002011-10-06T23:19:24.468+01:00

Why do politicians, journalists, lobbyists, activists and just about everyone talk about every kind of public spending alteration in the terms of "cuts" and "increases"? Totally in relativistic terms? I'm not even going to go into the debate about why these groups are relentlessly focussed on these inputs over what really matters, the outcomes. Why can't anyone in Britain have a genuine,

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-78970452696282771012011-10-06T09:26:00.000+01:002011-10-06T09:26:38.925+01:00

Photo by Nick Pickles I think there's scope for saying that Cameron's speech as a whole, while not containing many passages about growth specifically, encapsulated what it actually takes for Britain's economy to grow. This was very much more a speech about the British public than it was the British government. And ultimately, it is the public that makes the economy run at all, not the

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-27420722550842134232011-09-30T14:00:00.003+01:002011-10-01T14:03:01.371+01:00

It's my birthday today. And almost like a new year's resolution, I've decided to make a point of making resolutions for my birthday and then sticking to them. So this, for example, would be one of them - writing 750 words every day. Of course as of writing this I have only written 54 words and am concerned I may not be able to persist with it for a very long as the well runs dry. Still, it is

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-48708511245292199682011-09-23T14:11:00.005+01:002011-10-01T14:51:01.035+01:00

My bit is midway through part 2, where I call Harriet Harman on something she said toward the end of part 1. I remember seeing her physically recoil like a jack-in-the-box! (The camera doesn't quite capture this.) Watch the whole thing through if you'd like to see it in context. You can see me gurning throughout. Choice twitter comments (using the #bbcqt hashtag): [<a href="http://

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-52242724842043820252011-09-14T01:21:00.002+01:002011-09-14T01:21:51.927+01:00

Westminster needs to stop looking at any 50p tax abolition as a tax cut and start looking at it as the end of a tax hike. At 40% high earners would still be paying a higher proportion of their income than everyone else and it is to Osborne's shame that he's never put it in these terms. George Osborne is extremely wealthy and yet does not suffer from the 50% rate as his wealth is derived from

Tomnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-10155656746495696372011-05-25T00:01:00.004+01:002011-06-06T13:54:03.994+01:00

My semi-coherent advance review with Rich Johnston for Bleeding Cool. Film out on 1 June 2011!

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-32752648736182063542011-02-07T00:55:00.003Z2011-02-07T01:25:58.768Z

Just out of mindless curiosity I filled in a survey about Channel 4's new satirical offering, 10 O'Clock Live. (The survey at one point includes a revealing list of the show's regular contents, evidently cribbed from the run-sheet.) Unsurprisingly I got a bit carried away with the "additional feedback" form, which apparently is shared with Channel 4 executives. Given they are likely to balk at

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-37552882403620746602010-12-29T10:00:00.000Z2010-12-30T21:13:14.835Z

The Coalition government has appointed Simon Hughes to be its "Advocate for Access to Higher Education". This entails selling the recent tuition fees reforms to young people in order to encourage them to attend university. Simon Hughes is, of course, a man who couldn't even persuade himself that these reforms are worthwhile enough to vote for them. He abstained. This is surely the coalition's

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-39704551807582292612010-12-13T10:50:00.000Z2010-12-13T10:50:13.093Z

Good grief. Educational Maintenance Allowance was only introduced a couple of years ago. And now it's seemingly introduced teenagers to welfare dependency. These protesters need to get a grip. Bribing these youngsters won't educate them, if they had any interest in further study they would just go anyway. Anyone who's attending college purely to receive EMA is just having their time wasted by the

Tomnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-25793814818202001622010-11-10T21:30:00.002Z2010-11-10T22:10:43.636Z

It's been fascinating to watch the news all day. We saw people smashing up windows and the reception area to the 30 Millbank building (or was it Millbank Tower, the journalists couldn't quite make their minds up) - all in the name of protesting against increased student fees (although oddly I don't recall anyone doing anything like this when Labour introduced them in the first place, nor when

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-91541051713393269222010-08-24T19:58:00.002+01:002010-08-24T20:02:10.942+01:00

I have 525 comics I want to sell. But I can't be arsed with eBay, as it won't let me do what I want it to, and charges me for the privilege. If you want the lot, you can have it for three hundred quid. If you want a particular comic, or some of them, make me an offer and I'll consider it (and probably take you up on it). Contact me in the comments, which are completely open, or on Twitter.

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-62165288570827784192010-07-30T19:50:00.005+01:002010-07-30T22:35:36.342+01:00

Looking at how the BBC has reported reaction to Iain Duncan Smith's welfare initiative: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-10807098We're given reactions (both positive and negative) from only the following:Will Hutton (left-wing) Yvette Cooper (left-wing), speaking on behalf of Labour (left-wing) SNP (left-wing) Plaid Cymru (left-wing) Brendan Barber (left-wing) speaking for the TUC (left-wing

Tomnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-52755191591512912332010-07-24T00:41:00.004+01:002010-07-24T00:46:24.918+01:00

Facebook has been making this recommendation for a week or two now, which suggests to me that at this point any real distinction between the two main parties in British politics has become utterly superficial:

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-62197141138438393232010-07-02T14:58:00.009+01:002010-07-23T16:56:02.648+01:00

Burnham's turn on "This Week" last night was an absolute disaster from start to finish. He completely misjudged the pace of the show in such a way that suggests he'd never watched the programme before. Right from the outset (not seen in the above video), when Andrew Neil asked him for his "moment of the week" and he read out three carefully prepared lines of anti-Tory rhetoric - lines designed to

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-87742887442064309132010-04-24T17:26:00.002+01:002010-04-24T17:28:19.499+01:00

(In response to this riposte.)Why am I disturbed by Nick Clegg's spurious popularity - because of his plans to obliterate our democratic system and lock us into a ghastly alternative that protects, above all else, the vested interests - which at that point would include the Lib Dems.Which "accusation" against Clegg is untrue? That government contractors paid money directly into his personal

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-14240428611948161882010-04-23T23:20:00.003+01:002010-04-24T00:08:44.212+01:00

I find it bizarre that lefty news organisations such as the Independent, the Guardian and the BBC came out yesterday against the "attacks" of "right-wing press" (I wasn't aware the Telegraph was right-wing any more, but never mind) against Nick Clegg. In fact pretty much all the reports were keen to present these attacks as "smears".Firstly, this must be seen in the context of what the media also

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-69647269016432436302009-12-01T23:37:00.003Z2009-12-01T23:41:33.513Z

Apparently the Liberal Democrats have a policy handbook which states they are“...the only party who would use Gordon Brown’s wasted billions to create thousands of jobs today by investing in homes, hospitals, schools and public transport...”How can you use money that’s been wasted? Surely if it’s been wasted then it’s not and never will be available to use again?I am increasingly convinced that

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-81825031937187972822009-11-11T22:05:00.002Z2009-11-11T22:06:09.256Z

Hmm. Apparently my news is not news.I don't have a lot to say. I'm extremely proud of the people I've worked with: my star, my staff, my cast, my crew. I feel the show is getting better pretty much every week, and I think you'll agree in the coming months. I'm grateful that we got to put it on, and then come back and put it on again.I'm off to pursue internet ventures/binge drinking. Possibly

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-22072475104045458412009-11-03T19:12:00.004Z2009-11-03T19:21:28.033Z

UKIP's poster on the Lisbon debate:This is hardly constructive on UKIP's part. The two David Cameron “quotes” (I don’t think he’s said “no referendum” yet, but whatever) do not actually contradict one another. It is clear enough from the first that he was promising a pre-ratification referendum.Cameron can’t turn back the clock once he takes office; whatever EU policy he takes will have to work

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-36164561544011827382009-08-20T18:47:00.002+01:002009-08-20T19:23:07.721+01:00

It starts at about 30 minutes into this rather excellent podcast. Here's a little excerpt where Ross starts talking about Steve Ditko's interpretation of a Spider-Man that thrives as a teenage boy, and diverging into his own opinion about a certain controversial topic:Jonathan Ross: "If you look at what Marvel's doing with Spider-Man now of course, in the long run, he was proved right, because as

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-34547758416530499982009-08-15T21:02:00.001+01:002009-08-15T21:04:36.325+01:00

Just to dispel a myth: this isn't a Labour initiative, this was started by Graham Linehan, an Irish-born comedy writer who is fed up with all three parties over here and felt that the British public's view of the NHS was being misrepresented by people who should know better over there. (the hilarious Stephen Hawking gaffe, for example) It's disappointing that most of the right-of-centre blogs

Tomnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-75138215957751313612009-08-10T14:17:00.003+01:002009-08-10T14:20:09.366+01:00

The original article, published on the 27th of January 2005 (now removed from their web site): Gollum Joker Rail Horror By JAMIE PYATT LORD Of The Rings fan Julian Brooker was electrocuted on a rail line while imitating his favourite character Gollum. The 23-year-old scampered about on all fours like the 4ft hobbit and then pretended to touch a live track to impress his boozy friends.

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-33399565526316668112009-08-10T01:09:00.003+01:002009-08-10T01:10:32.114+01:00

PÓM: OK. The only other thing about your previous work is, do you keep up with what’s going on with the Marvelman Miracleman debacle?AM: Nah. I mean, other than the fact that I was happy to do everything that I could to help Mick Anglo, who is the person who has always owned all of the rights to Marvelman, as far as I now understand it, that we never had the rights to do those stories, even

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-87600864294692242282009-07-08T18:36:00.006+01:002009-07-08T19:06:44.051+01:00

The above panels are from Amazing Spider-Man #238, dated March 1983, written by Roger Stern and drawn by John Romita Jr, introducing an aspect of Aunt May's backstory that was quite literally NEVER AGAIN referred to......until last month's Amazing Spider-Man Family #7, written by Roger Stern and drawn by Val Semeiks:Which not only explains that 26-year-old throwaway line, but also Aunt May's

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-79440396591015274332009-07-05T14:03:00.003+01:002009-07-05T14:06:41.815+01:00

"If the people of Lesbos are so short-sighted as to turn their backs on Sappho, of what is greatest in their inheritance, then I can think of a country that is proud to take up that legacy. Just as we're proud of course to be temporary custodians, if not permanent custodians, of the Elgin Marbles."

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-46820486834220221712009-06-29T15:13:00.002+01:002009-06-29T15:16:23.297+01:00

Phone rings. "Have you ever had any accidents or injuries?", he asks. Gah..."I did once have an elevator fall on me. weighing about 80 tons. I was just walking along, when someone cut the cable and it fell on me.""Where was this?" he asks."Swansea." "So, was that quite a serious injury?" "It put me in a coma for two months. but then I got up and walked away.""So... er... you must be a pretty

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-72119612617090550862009-06-08T13:10:00.002+01:002009-07-05T14:07:03.947+01:00

All my predictions were wrong!!!

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-38157801356812253182009-06-03T23:01:00.003+01:002009-06-03T23:17:04.297+01:00

Tories will get over 30% of the vote. Everyone else under 20% - the small parties will have their vote split unevenly between them.UKIP will, disappointingly for them, get fewer seats than last time - their attempt to capitalise on expenses-gate was only a short-lived success, partly undermined by their own expenses scandals on historical record.The Greens will gain a seat or two because their

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-82848190980260209142009-05-30T03:30:00.003+01:002009-05-30T03:41:44.261+01:00

Professor David Wilson writes about why he thinks Susan Boyle should pull out of the final of Britain's Got Talent.Prof Wilson should shut his mouth, it's deeply unprofessional for him to be offering his self-declared "expert" opinion on a subject he is not familiar with (and he's clearly not familiar with her given that she gave the exact same "childish wiggle" when she came on for her first

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-23438324275585480902009-05-29T16:15:00.002+01:002009-05-29T16:18:25.095+01:00

BBC: "Seven million use illegal files."The Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property (SABIP) warned it may be hard to change attitudes.The government says work must be done internationally to tackle the problem.Intellectual Property Minister David Lammy said the report put into context the impact illegal downloads had on copyright industries and the UK economy as a whole.But he added: "

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-39967543222988942262009-05-05T21:34:00.002+01:002009-05-05T21:45:14.273+01:00

Via JibJab I assembled this video on Saturday and tweeted it at Rich Johnston, writer of "Lying in the Gutters", the premier rumour column for the comic book industry.By Sunday he'd retweeted it, leading to Heidi McDonald highlighting it on The Beat (and then bumping it the next day so everyone got a chance to see it), Joe Quesada boasting of his new physique, and Blog@Newsarama declaring this as

Tomnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-8767094565439155782009-04-14T12:05:00.005+01:002009-04-14T12:31:11.522+01:00

In response to Steve Ditko's fisking of Joe Quesada, one of the commenters, BobH, disputes the urban myth that Ditko left Marvel because of a dispute he had with Stan Lee over the identity of the Green Goblin. This isn't news to me; by all accounts the working relationship between the two creators had completely deteriorated, Ditko was unhappy at the lack of credit and renumeration he was getting

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-88299955061346558512009-03-06T18:01:00.001Z2009-03-06T18:03:21.197Z

Hattip to Guido.

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-57445792443365980722009-03-06T17:34:00.000Z2009-03-06T17:35:07.034Z

Compare it not to the best episodes of Buffy, Angel and Firefly. Compare it to the first few episodes of Buffy or Angel. Are they about on par? I think they are.It took me until episode seven before I really got hooked on Buffy. It took an entire season of Angel before I felt that got going at all smoothly. Firefly is the exception but Firefly was an exceptional programme to begin with (and who's

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-16485227359678695782009-02-19T19:54:00.003Z2009-02-19T20:02:50.936Z

If that's racist (because the monkey supposedly depicts President Obama - it's actually just a combination of the idiotic stimulus bill, which could really be described as "borrowing your way out of indebtedness", and the intelligent chimpanzee that went on a rampage and got shot) then what were all those depictions of George W. Bush as a chimp?If Democrats are going to wheel out the "racist"

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-80207572153041115032009-02-18T23:33:00.002Z2009-02-18T23:41:32.636Z

The Political CompassEconomic Left/Right: 0.25Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.59This one doesn't surprise me at all. The questions I found a lot more relevant to me and therefore easier to answer decisively; hardly surprising given that this was the British test. I am pleased to find myself firmly in the libertarian axis (especially given how conservative some of my answers were) but I'm a

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-2821804055227056372009-02-12T14:14:00.001Z2009-02-12T14:17:24.158Z

My Political ViewsI am a center-right social moderateRight: 2.56, Authoritarian: 0.22Political Spectrum QuizMy Foreign Policy ViewsScore: 2.43My Culture War StanceScore: 0.08It says "Your political spectrum result is a great conversation starter on forums, on your blog or your social network of choice." What a load of rubbish!

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-46264991555962685692009-02-10T22:03:00.004Z2009-02-10T22:15:48.628Z

I enjoyed watching the film A Few Good Men (written by Aaron Sorkin, starring Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Jack Bauer) for the first time last night. Quite an excellent film. The crucial juncture comes towards the end where Cruise's lawyer character cross-examines the Colonel (Nicholson) in charge at Guantanamo Bay at the time when a timid soldier was killed in his room by two other soldiers (

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-90084303577833133902009-01-28T22:44:00.003Z2009-01-28T22:47:44.233Z

Newsarama has an interesting article on the rights and wrongs of comic book publishers (such as Marvel) putting out material involving a public figure (in this case, Barack Obama).My question to Marvel would be why they permitted an sequence involving Gordon Brown to appear in Captain Britain and MI13 #1 (which generated a lot of positive coverage for him over here) and blocked a similar sequence

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-38770271410679221282009-01-17T00:52:00.001Z2009-01-17T00:52:40.481Z

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-4878111657745664182009-01-04T17:24:00.002Z2009-01-04T17:27:40.184Z

"My stint on Runaways is 9 issues. I’m on issue 7 now."Why did they relaunch it if he's not in it for the long haul? I don't like this - Brian K. Vaughan did a solid 42-issue run, the book needs someone who can stick around for a while, preferably an up-and-comer who's young enough to remember what it means to be a teenager and imaginative enough to create a dynamic take on the characters and

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-50606364767624447942009-01-03T20:16:00.003Z2009-01-03T20:18:40.270Z

I was quite appalled to see some moron on BBC's "Most Annoying People of 2008" describe Boris' ping pong remarks at the Olympic Games as "racist" - as though taking pride in the British origins of something is a fundamentally racist thing to do.Now as for him being ranked 17, I can fully understand why many (particularly on the left) get frustrated with him. But I love him dearly. He is one of

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-76870396249886878972008-12-21T15:08:00.003Z2008-12-21T15:12:36.105Z

Dunno when this starts but information for the episodes has been released. Unfortunately it's absolutely riddled with spoilers (really awful ones like the development of Peter's love life in lengthy detail) - so I'm reproducing them here with the really bad spoilers cut out. Word of warning though, it still includes spoilers for the end of season one, so if you haven't seen that yet, stop reading

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-87484213093169293112008-12-19T21:01:00.002Z2008-12-19T21:02:17.454Z

Anyone else think that Labour is deliberately wasting the Tories' time by winding them up on matters like this which vitally matter but which they know the majority of the public doesn't understand or think affects them (and therefore don't particularly care about)? Which they then use as an excuse to attack the Tories for not caring about the economy.I despair. I saw Andy Burnham say on TV that

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-78159315842138972612008-12-19T17:14:00.002Z2008-12-19T17:16:54.144Z

Iain Dale reports that Bridget Prentice is planning on abusing her power to come down heavy on bloggers. Well, she is a mendacious conniving bitch.

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-58059151882039867352008-12-19T11:30:00.003Z2008-12-19T11:32:29.272Z

Dizzee Rascal thinks Jeremy Paxman treated him "like an idiot" on Newsnight, and the insinuation is that he was therefore being racist.Actually no Dizzee, if you'd ever watched Newsnight before you'd know that Paxman treats every guest on the show like that, and the audience too. It's not just you.

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-83537623773789650302008-12-19T00:00:00.000Z2008-12-19T00:00:01.904Z

Guido Fawkes reports that high-ranking Labour people are navel-gazing again on the subject of creating a successful blogosphere that rivals its Conservative equivalent. Labour is never going to find an equivalent to ConHome or Iain Dale in this top-down fashion, simply because that's not how either of those sites were started. These sites have found success in Britain because they are

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-525045362479173732008-12-18T00:39:00.005Z2008-12-18T01:04:40.107Z

This may seem like the most schizophrenic blog ever at times. Please bear with me...Diamond releases a list of product updates for comic books every week, detailing the most recent changes from the comic books' original solicitations. I give them a look every week, there's usually a few useful pieces of information, but this week's contains the most updates I've ever seen, all from Marvel.Among

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-16970218702244097302008-12-17T20:27:00.004Z2008-12-17T21:18:15.278Z

Mike Smithson off the telly has posted at his site Political Betting that he thinks Gordon is cutting down on his PMQs sittings (both by reducing parliamentary sitting time and by avoiding it by visiting other countries) and that he thinks this is constitutionally dangerous because PMQs are a key instrument in the PM's accountability.I'm not entirely convinced this is the case - he missed, I

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-26494961910129246082008-12-12T12:31:00.004Z2008-12-12T12:33:03.672Z

Manchester has voted resoundingly against the congestion charge.Sensible enough given that c-charges don't actually combat congestion (usually making it worse), the scheme was wholly impractical for that city (40 mile wide radius or something bonkers like that) and Manchester doesn't even have congestion! Manchester does have a crap road system though, not fit for purpose, they don't even have

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-81449152527254031192008-12-10T23:42:00.003Z2008-12-10T23:45:46.031Z

At Paul Waugh's blog, I am reminded of the assassination of Thomas Becket:It turns out that the Secretary of State had jokingly told aides that the launch of this week's new Government Play Strategy would be a good excuse to get a Scalextric into the Christmas party.Unfortunately, or fortunately for us, by the time this was passed down the line, some civil servants took the joke literally - and

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-28260071950391476362008-12-10T17:28:00.002Z2008-12-10T17:35:56.407Z

He has delusions of grandeur. He plays the worst sort of politics. He believes that only he can save the world. He is incapable of thinking on his feet.He is Nixon.

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-75925247129336856072008-12-09T14:04:00.000Z2008-12-09T14:05:52.496Z

We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory. If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn't know who to call. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? Hence this 'ICE' (In Case of Emergency) Campaign. The concept of 'ICE'

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-17481158364755748502008-12-09T11:32:00.000Z2008-12-09T11:34:25.859Z

Diamond UK is raising comic prices by roughly 15% this week due to the collapse in the value of the pound.Here's why. Thanks for nothing, Gordon.

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-73305173238571709362008-12-02T18:12:00.002Z2008-12-02T18:15:17.789Z

And more to the point, who's been photoshopped out of it? (A friend of Mandelson's?)Original article. Hat tip to Photoshop Disasters.

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-59491816457401371252008-12-01T23:49:00.002Z2008-12-01T23:56:46.498Z

She seems to believe that there's one rule law for ministers like her and a different one for everyone else. If she didn't, she would be asking the police why they've arrested Damian Green and why they haven't arrested her own boss for the same supposed offence. If she didn't, she wouldn't have gone publicly on television to tell everyone how wonderfully straightforward and honest she is for

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-80383170693163161832008-11-28T17:11:00.002Z2008-11-28T18:17:46.874Z

I find it utterly astonishing that, beyond denying all involvement (yeah right!), the government has not made any comment on this.Meanwhile, it's been confirmed that counter-terrorism police have confiscated documents and computers from Green's Commons offices. There goes the confidentiality of all his constituents then, along with perhaps the confidentiality the rest of us entrust in our MPs,

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-51867813872297401812008-11-25T00:54:00.004Z2008-11-25T19:51:22.127Z

Osborne's response to the PBR was brilliant, a defining moment for him (and this along with Harman's first turn at PMQs proves that a good parliamentary performance can change everything). He is the shining beacon of hope in a valley of economic gloom and despair - the likelihood that someone as intelligent and sensible as him will be Chancellor in just over a year's time provides me with the

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-73824480483424399452008-11-24T01:20:00.000Z2008-11-24T01:21:14.268Z

Anyone who knows anything about economics knows this is an unworkable policy from a man who knows he can't win the next election, so he's putting Labour on full-on damage limitation mode by appealing directly to the left and the "class war" types in the strongest possible terms. Tomorrow, David Cameron must clearly point out that the man who doth protest so loudly at his opponent's supposed "

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-62466630471196658342008-11-21T20:18:00.005Z2008-11-21T20:24:48.263Z

Oh my god! Will people please stop going on about Boris Johnson using the word "piccaninnies" in an article. The fact is, he used it in the exact same context the critics are using it: to describe someone else as being vaguely racist. In his case, it was Tony Blair. However, the difference between he and the critics is that instead of repeatedly bashing Blair over the head with it, he focused on

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-79599291154345769572008-11-21T20:15:00.002Z2008-11-21T20:16:16.134Z

Today, Gordon Brown said he was "not thinking about anything related to internal politics".LOL! He never thinks about anything ELSE. He frames every political decision he makes around how best to boost himself and damage the Tories.

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-30495706138690095932008-11-19T23:30:00.003Z2008-11-19T23:36:45.729Z

The regular 60 watt light bulb is being phased out in lieu of the newer "environmentally friendly" low-energy bulbs, purely at the insistence of the European parliament (not for any commercial reasons, just because they like interfering in people's lives). But my mum says the new things flicker and give her migraines. So, fearful that she soon won't be able to get them any more, she has stocked

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-46285160313529060992008-11-18T23:12:00.004Z2008-11-18T23:19:16.977Z

Oh man... that was the worst Screenwipe ever. I wondered if the show might have a shelf life, has it run out? The Brand/Ross item was the most imbalanced one-sided diatribe I've seen on the subject (the BBC should be ashamed really), it ignored the three most pertinent facts: it was an abusive personal attack on a private individual (so much for it being 'edgy comedy'), if anyone in any other

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-30776990691995323842008-11-18T17:09:00.002Z2008-11-18T17:15:03.821Z

Gordon Brown's latest line of attack is that the Tories are being "partisan" on matters supposedly too important, which is not only rubbish (as if to question his policies is a partisan matter? Isn't that the entire point of having an opposition?) but also utterly hypocritical - is Gordon Brown physically capable of giving an interview in which he doesn't veer off on a bizarre tangent

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-84198812196689040702008-11-16T21:12:00.005Z2008-11-16T21:16:57.034Z

Judging by the first ten minutes of I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, those MEPs who raised their concerns about Robert Kilroy-Silk using the show to canvass support, to their own detriment... should forget it. The idiot won't shut up.(Although their complaints of him abusing office seems unfair - according to Kilroy, these three weeks of leave are his first holiday in the whole year.)

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-64903303622521063692008-11-14T20:16:00.002Z2008-11-14T20:22:58.532Z

I was just reading Cramner on how Prince Charles wants to be known as "Defender of Faith" (ungh) when he becomes King, and the phrasing of one of his questions struck me. "And does he not also feel obliged to be King to those of an atheist persuasion?", Cramner asks.But why are atheists considered to have no faith? Most of them adamantly believe that there is no god, no afterlife, etc.While it's

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-22193108595950517422008-11-14T15:17:00.004Z2008-11-14T19:42:56.903Z

For the benefit of non-US readers (and that includes me!):

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-3680884517727589032008-11-13T01:32:00.004Z2008-11-13T01:37:53.756Z

Marvel collected editions decidey people (like you're even reading), listen up. You're missing out on a golden opportunity here. You have a nice little back catalogue of Brian K Vaughan X-Men comics that you haven't collected into TPBs because sales sucked the first time round.So. Now that he's big and famous and all. How about making one sensible-sized volume out of the lot of them? X-MEN

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-66294644992250347942008-11-13T01:27:00.001Z2008-11-13T01:30:38.502Z

"...thinking as a conservative that gay marriage is wrong..."That's not a conservative opinion. That's an authoritarian opinion. Banning gay marriage actually undermines the entire concept of marriage. Denial of reality is not what conservatism is about (although obviously some "conservatives" seem to feel otherwise) and reality is that some men like other men, and some women like other women,

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-5356503543678971142008-11-09T23:24:00.000Z2008-11-09T23:25:20.200Z

He's started being funny again.Most peculiar.

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-91231430983228252042008-11-07T00:52:00.007Z2008-11-07T01:16:36.656Z

Clarence B Jones, of all people, put into words what has bugged me most about the US Presidential Campaign. Now I do like Obama, but I think McCain was an equally good candidate (and in some ways better) and I feel like he never got a fair crack at the whip in this election, that he restrained himself against his Democrat opponent because of the racial divide (and of course, even worse, he got

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-16427143985893380372008-11-06T00:24:00.001Z2008-11-06T00:24:58.057Z

Sarah Palin will not run for President in 2012.

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-81301169005163604932008-11-05T17:04:00.008Z2008-11-07T01:19:15.913Z

Really?You couldn't find a single Republican celebrity who'd talk to you? And yet you quoted all these Obama supporters, four of whom I'd never heard of?I'm pretty sure Kelsey Grammer is still a McCain supporter... and that he's more famous than at least four of these so-called celebrities...Speaking of media weirdness, why is ITV2 showing episodes of the talk show "Sally Jessy Raphael" that were

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-73882636797785591592008-11-03T22:58:00.006Z2008-11-03T23:09:43.796Z

On their official site!And for good measure, also from the same site: Tom Brevoort berates Jonathan Ross for invading an old man's privacy.

Tomnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-32765454651869005002008-11-01T19:38:00.003Z2008-11-01T19:46:50.081Z

I just saw the X Factor start with Gordon Brown praising its charity single in aid of Help For Heroes, and the hosts thanking him for dropping VAT on sales of the CD.The charity Help For Heroes would not be remotely necessary though, if Gordon had not worked completely against the military covenant during his eleven years in Downing Street, failing soldiers by cutting funding for their healthcare

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-49986969095710749452008-10-31T23:32:00.004Z2008-11-03T23:21:30.441Z

Thirteen cabin crew staff have been sacked by Virgin Atlantic over their use of a social networking website, it has emerged.It launched disciplinary action last week following claims staff had used Facebook to criticise its safety standards and call passengers "chavs". It's a shame such standards aren't applied to the BBC, where complainers are routinely dismissed as "old", "kneejerk", "Daily

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-64567774466906952672008-10-31T18:07:00.005Z2008-11-03T23:21:51.396Z

George Lamb.You couldn't make it up.Edit - this doesn't seem to be the case any more... it was reported on last night's BBC News at Ten, but it doesn't seem to have been reported anywhere else. This morning's edition appears to be fronted by someone called Richard Allinson. Maybe someone realised what they were doing...

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-41644328711255136892008-10-30T01:42:00.002Z2008-10-30T01:43:49.020Z

The US campaign is very frustrating to me.Eight years ago, McCain hobbled out of the GOP primaries utterly disspirited with politics after one of the most savage and shameful campaigns in modern history -- you know, the one where the bully-boys bankrolled by Bush 41 spread it about that McCain had a 'black baby' (the kid he adopted) and that he was mentally unstable after his incarceration. I

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-36764385296483229982008-10-29T20:32:00.001Z2008-10-29T20:32:43.230Z

Gordon Brown has declared that he must act with "vision and courage" (no really) to end "The Age of Irresponsibility".But Gord, who was it who:- Put taxes up to record levels.- Borrowed at record amounts (10-figures).- Presided over a boom built on debt (10-figures).- Has the biggest budget deficit in the G8 and almost all the developed world.- Sold our gold reserves at the bottom of the market.-

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-67086148826764931742008-10-24T14:40:00.002+01:002008-10-24T14:43:00.894+01:00

From Yahoo:SANTA ANA, Calif. – There were no burgers, car washes or lattes at this Orange County drive-through — just democracy.Eager voters pulled their vehicles into the county registrar's parking lot on Monday to either register or cast ballots at an electronic drive-through poll station.The one-day-only offer came on the last day of voter registration for Californians. Only Orange County was

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-37547091326920622392008-10-24T00:44:00.006+01:002008-10-24T00:50:13.909+01:00

Gordon Brown, so they tell us, is the man to steer us through a crisis. But he was absolutely hopeless when we weren't in a crisis, and when we were simply on the verge of one. It's therefore in Gordon's interest for Britain to constantly be in crisis. (In fact during the YEAR between the collapse of Northern Rock and this current financial crisis he failed to legislate ANY financial regulatory

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-19937841560572418092008-10-22T15:26:00.002+01:002008-10-24T00:50:31.180+01:00

Who says this blog isn't diverse?

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-19319735339721000132008-10-21T19:59:00.004+01:002008-10-21T20:23:53.185+01:00

See this interview with Brian K. Vaughan. (File size approximately 60MB.)Midway through the interview, artist Pia Guerra appears and Vaughan pushes the microphone in her direction so she can answer some of the questions. However the interviewer virtually ignores her throughout the rest of his interview with Vaughan, pretty much shutting her out. He doesn't ask her a single direct question, and

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-90397396006393734342008-10-17T20:39:00.003+01:002008-10-17T20:41:48.980+01:00

When Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were devolved, in each case the referendum was put to each individual country, rather than the United Kingdom as a whole. Yet, as we have since seen, this is a matter that affects the whole of the UK rather than just each individual country - so why was it never put to the people of England? Particularly given the wafer-thin majority it won by in Wales...

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-39679259671598727052008-10-15T19:16:00.004+01:002008-10-15T19:20:22.145+01:00

hint: he's the only one facing the camera, wondering if he's ruined that guy's shot... (click for bigger)Courtesy of the wonderful D'Israeli.

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-2893898047225703202008-10-15T15:48:00.003+01:002008-10-15T16:49:13.569+01:00

I finally caught up with the first two issues of this.I can't figure out whether Terry Moore is a bit of a mismatch for this series; despite his credentials as an artist these issues are suspiciously verbose. Most of issue 2 is just an interrogation. Still, he does deliver a strong degree of intimacy with the characters, and he's plentiful with the cultural gags the series is reknowned for.Anyway

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-69679348105534456702008-10-13T23:53:00.002+01:002008-10-13T23:59:51.463+01:00

First, from the agent of the very well-known Stan Lee to the less well-known Spiderfan.org web site: So I once more politely declined Stan's request for money (via his agent, Roger). "We" are a bunch of guys who love Spidey. The site is 100% non-commercial and generates zero revenue. Look, don't take this the wrong way. But much as I love Stan, I don't love him enough to give him money

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-43969762797038218702008-10-13T11:41:00.007+01:002008-10-14T00:00:24.907+01:00

I'm getting nostalgic. We haven't had one of these for a while! From Tom DeFalco...All good things come to an end and that includes AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL.I was informed earlier this week that our last issue will be AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL #30.On the good news front, there is talk that Spider-Girl will become a regular 16-paged feature in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN FAMILY. (I've been told conflicting things

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-24396401036829893112008-10-10T13:29:00.001+01:002008-10-10T13:31:44.076+01:00

Nailing Your Wife | Girls | SPIKE.com

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-21585792066855600882008-10-09T22:12:00.001+01:002008-10-09T22:12:25.634+01:00

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-41017351753538734772008-10-09T16:23:00.003+01:002008-10-09T22:13:19.802+01:00

That went by a lot more quickly than I expected - I needn't have bothered turning up half an hour early, I could have popped along at 1pm and been in and out in half an hour. (I suspect that the requirement to buy the £25 book put a lot of people off - lucky I got it as a birthday present last week!) Still I met a nice young lady in the queue, we chatted about RTD's various works, the book, and

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-72493796346542879532008-10-07T20:32:00.002+01:002008-10-07T20:36:24.409+01:00

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-59133512204631238662008-10-06T19:34:00.009+01:002008-10-12T14:33:45.284+01:00

I meant to do other stuff today but spent all the daylight hours devouring this gorgeous book. And then holding myself back because I don't want to run out of fresh stuff to read in it. It's simply magnificent, far from the fluffy vanity project you might expect for this kind of thing, it's a proper 500-page tome that gives you a genuine insight into the writing process (a little pet hobby of

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-19448730258945648492008-10-04T23:56:00.002+01:002008-10-04T23:59:15.293+01:00

Tomnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-55926260528430667592008-10-03T15:32:00.006+01:002008-10-14T19:47:17.446+01:00

Has the world gone mad? Brown hates that guy. In fact, everybody does. Still he was, we are told, instrumental in Labour's 1997 victory. Doesn't this just smack of desperation?And who's going to replace him as EU Commissioner? Gordon surely doesn't want to risk a by-election given his state in the polls? But who else is there he could appoint? Blair is surely out of the question. I hear Tamsin

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633266236281455163.post-87049320612474371812008-10-02T11:15:00.002+01:002008-10-02T11:21:39.205+01:00

I've got to say the BBC's local regional TV news coverage (Midlands Today) has been absolutely glowing for the Tory conference, they are absolutely bursting with pride (rightly) that it's being held in Birmingham (just up the canal from their studio), it contrasts well with their national news coverage - what a pity Midlands Today is not broadcast nationwide!ITV's Central News was similarly

Tomnoreply@blogger.com0