Mat Bowles

Dear BBC.

You've just assaulted my eardrums with some music—in a news report on Radio 4, a radio station which has as a selling point a lack of music.

In it, the reporter revealed, once again, a complete lack of basic understanding. Chimpanzees are APES, not MONKEYS. Please send your reporters on a refresher course. I'm sure this little guy is upset enough, you don't need to insult him as well.

Woo Hoo!:

BBC radio is to launch a major cross-station drama season based around the science fiction genre, which will see BBC 7 broadcast its biggest original series commission to date.

The season will be spread over two weeks in February and March and will see BBC Radio 4, Radio 3 and BBC 7 play host to a number of science fiction-themed plays, featuring both original works and adaptations, including Arthur C Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama and Iain M Banks’ The State of the Art.

I loved Rama when I was a kid, but haven't read it since, so that'll be cool. State of the Art definitely makes sense as a Culture adaptation, and the rest of the stuff they talk about sounds very cool indeed. 5 months to wait though :-(

ETA: Paul Cornell is writing the SOTA adaptation, and gave details in an interview on IO9 awhileback:

The other great fun thing is the radio play, an adaptation of Iain Banks' "The State of the Art" for BBC Radio 4, which should go out early next year. We've recorded it, with Sir Antony Sher as the Ship (he's exactly what you expect one of Banks' ships to sound like), Patterson Joseph (who's probably best known for Neverwhere) as Linter, and Nina Sosanya as Sma, and the BBC production job is terrific. I can write 'we feel the presence of the Ship floating beside the car' and they can actually do that! Iain's approved the script. I really want to do some more SF for this lot. Good people.

Woo Hoo! That's the The Marquis De Carabas and the sexy one from Teachers. OK, it's just a radio play, but even so...

Right then, last year, you lot voted that Best Xmas song lyric ever is:

You scumbag, you maggot You cheap lousy faggot

Well, this morning, BBC Radio 1 decided this was offensive to some listeners but then later on in the day saw sense and backed down. I agree with pickwick, it's a damn shame that the BBC manages to tie itself into hoops as often as it does. Naturally, someone disagrees, and bagrec doesn't like the song and suggests alternatives. But he's a freaky morris dancing types so you don't want to listen to him ;-)

Elsewhere, it's the Arsehole of the year grand final over at publicansdecoy's place, and hullfire already covered the other main stories of the day:

So, Nick Clegg is the new Lib Dem leader and in a monstrous piece of stupidity the Government has lost more of our stuff, but in really important news, RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE ACTUALLY EXIST!

I do have to say I do share some of Jennie's concerns about the potential of Clegg's leadership but I'm nowhere near as cynical about it. He has at least hit the ground running, complete with YouTube appearance filmed on cheapskate handheld already. Although the town meeting idea does sound like it might have some legs.

What, you expected analysis? Don't be silly, I've been reading stuff about it all day, besides, I didn't end up voting, I couldn't make a decision between the two of them, they're both nice blokes. We'll be fine. Right? Someone tell me we'll be fine. Damnit, they need to do better, else the damn country's doomed FFS, that's why I joined them...

Calm. Now I tag this entry. Um, is there a limit to how many you can use? Appears not. Oh, wait, I forgot a link. Be very glad she's going to be a Doctor of paleontology not medical stuff, medical doctors play with gadgets much more scary than microwaves.

BBC NEWS | Politics | MPs get four more days of holiday:

MPs will have an additional four days of holiday in 2008 compared with this year, it has been announced.

Right. Because they're not in Westminster at their offices or putting their bums on the green leather, they're "on holiday"?

( Lies, damn lies, and media misrepresentations ) Last two paragraphs:

Variations in the number of Fridays when the Commons is open for business mean it is likely that MPs will sit for a greater number of days in 2007-8 than in the previous 12-month period.

MPs often respond to criticism of their lengthy spells away from Westminster by saying that they devote much of these periods to constituency work.

So what the story actually says is MPs will be at Wetminster more next year than this, and they say they do work elsewhere but we can't be arsed to actually check this so will write it up as if they're lying.

Is it any wonder people get disillusioned when even the BBC puts up this sort of half-baked sorry excuse for coverage?

Bah, stuff this, I'm off to the pub.

ETA: Nich already covered this and said roughly the same as me. Why do the press tell such lies about MP's salaries and holidays ?

Feeling fairly powerless about the whole Burma thing. Of course, anyone that studied at Exeter at the same time I did is already aware of the issues, I've long been of the opinion that if the point of Iraq was to do good and acheive 'regime change' then a much better target would've been the evil bastards in self-styled Myanmar. But the only effective thing we can really do is show solidarity and apply pressure on those companies that invest and/or exploit the Burmese people. Especially alleged forced labour using Total Elf Fina (what the Exeter problems were centralled around). Fortunately, the Burma Campaign has a dirty list, which while a little heavy on the rhetoric is fairly exhaustive. Included in this list:

Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet is an Australian multinational publishing company specialising in travel guides. Lonely Planet publishes a guide to Burma which encourages tourists to visit the country. Lonely Planet also vigorously defends tourism to Burma, attempting to undermine calls by Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma’s democracy movement for tourists to stay away.

Fair enough, avoid buying their products, across the board, and tell them what you think. Hmm, problem. BBC Worldwide buys Lonely Planet. Boycott the BBC? Um...

I guess an email to be sent after I finish work won't be too bad, possibly copy in Feedback--they could easily change their policies in light of current events, especially if the above quoted is Suu Kyi's stated position. Ah, the travails of ethical consumerism, there never is an easy answer.

So cool. (via)

doctorvee has a collection of YouTube clips of the BBC2 idents, and pretty much agree with him on Silk being the best.

In the meantime, what do you do when a sports star declares he hates gay people? Well, George Takei has a pretty good way to deal, because, y'know, that's really what it's all about, right?

Anyway, driving to Devon tomorrow, finishing off emptying the flat, no idea how long it'll take. And confirmed today, will be in Harrogate Thursday through Sunday, that could end up interesting...

From this weeks PopBitch which just hit my inbox:

A South African gold miner lost his leg in an
accident. Choking back the tears later he cried,
"It's over! who's gonna want a one legged gold
digger?" Then his phone rang. "It's Paul McCartney."

I'm currently listening to "Daunt and Dervish: In Questionable Shape" ( Frances Barber and Anna Massey )

( More TaKtiX stuff )
I'm off work until next Wednesday. The living room is tidy (ish), and I've hoovered. The kitchen isn't filthy, the hall is reasonably tidy. The flat now looks like a bomb site, not a pigsty. The bedroom still has clothes everywhere and is in serious need of sorting, but overall, I won't die of embarrasment if someone visits now. I'll just merely apologise for the mess.

Today? I relax. My copy of Serenity arrived in the post (blame tyrell, he has a habit of linking to DVD online sales) — for 6 quid, not to be sniffed at. Of course, that was before I checked the bank balance and remembered the phone bill was due. Oops. Car is fully fueled, but I've not much cash, so cheap things to do for the next few days sought; probably come up to Exeter tomorrow.