November, 2005

I’m not sure how you guys feel about the demise of George Best.

Football and I don’t mix well. (Exercise and I don’t mix well, but that’s a different matter.)

Anyway, I just don’t understand the media frenzy over Best. According to this biography of George Best, his football career effectively ended in 1984 and he seems to have cruised through the past twenty-odd years on his reputation as a hardened boozer. Many a lesser celeb would have faded to obscurity by this stage.

An art teacher I once had frequently told me “You’re only as good as your last performance”. And for me, Best’s last few performances included domestic violence and continued drunkenness (despite a life-saving liver transplant in 2002).

Don’t get me wrong, I can see the tragedy in this story, and the all-too-familiar tale of fame, fortune and excess. However, what others see as the demise of a legend, I see as the demise of a sad alcoholic. The irony is that, as George Best lies dying from alcohol abuse in a London hospital, 70,000 pubs in England and Wales are preparing to extend their opening hours to invite a new generation of binge drinkers. Hmmmm….

Thursday, November 24th, 2005 // News & Media

I’ve been having a hard time keeping up to date with other blogs recently, but I came across a noble crusade over on A Tangled Web today. David Vance is asking his readers to email their local MPs and urge them to vote against this legislation.

I’ve done it. Not because I want to explicitly stick one to the IRA, but because I believe the early release of all prisoners was a moment of madness Northern Ireland should never have to see repeated. “Murder is murder”, as the (wo)man said, and I won’t support legislation that hands known killers a Get Out Of Jail Free card.

Perhaps if the peace process had yielded results my views would be different. Let bygones be bygones and all that. But year on year the peace process is disappearing up it’s own backside with misguided policies that cosy up to terrorists while completely ignoring the ordinary people of Northern Ireland.

On a lighter note, I would support legislation to erect a “Terrorists Not Welcome Here” sign at all the major ports and airports. And I’d be more than happy for it to be bi/multi-lingual on this occasion!

If you have strong feelings about this issue, I’d urge you to fire across to ATW and read David’s article.

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2005 // Northern Ireland: Politics

Good as our word, we took the kids out for the afternoon today. First stop was the Dublin Road on a bit of business. While there, the Ray and Jay saw a commotion outside the BBC on Bedford Street and we headed over to investigate.

Children In Need

It had totally escaped me that Children In Need was on this weekend. Whoops.

We got there way too early, so there wasn’t much going on - just a bit of face painting, balloon twisting and stuff. Pudsey was there - hooray! And so was the Elvis impersonator. Every single charity event I’ve seen, an Elvis impersonator turns up. Why? There was also a truly deafening metal band playing in the foyer of the BBC building. We had gone in to snaffle some of the free food, but ended up being driven out by Death Metal!

Christmas Lights In Lisburn

The Christmas Tree switch on in Lisburn was great fun for the kids. We went to the Bow Street Mall for a bite to eat before heading out into the street for the parade. Lisburn always seem to put on a good show at public events like this, and we weren’t disappointed.

Thousands (*apparently) of people lined Bow Street to wait for the arrival of Santa and the parade. Not sure who the MC was, but he did a good job. While we were there, the PSNI Women’s Choir ran through a couple of carols and then there was a short speech/sermon from a Lisburn minister - I didn’t catch the name - which was marginally more interesting than the speech from Lisburn’s Mayor, Jonathan Craig. Anyway, once the formalities were over, it was down to the wait for Santa to arrive.

In true local council fashion, the thing didn’t flow well at all, and the MC repeatedly assured us that Santa was en route. Didn’t matter, most of us were frozen to the spot anyway. After an excruciating wait - where we deliberated whether to hang around - eventually the parade began.

It was a beautiful, but brief affair, with children from local schools walking down Bow Street with lanterns, interspersed with costumed dancers and the usual array of cartoon animals! Not a bad night, but the organisers need to get the timing better. As always, Lisburn was well turned. The tree and the street were tastefully and beautifully decorated.

Saturday, November 19th, 2005 // Family Life

Oh, lucky us - we got to see a preview showing of the new Harry Potter movie, Goblet of Fire this evening!

We’ve all big fans of the Harry Potter movies, so were looking forward to the latest (movie) episode in the saga.

Basically, the movie starts off at the Quidditch World Cup where Voldemort’s followers - the Death Eaters - put in an appearance and show that ol’ Snake Face is still alive but not quite kicking….yet. On the return to Hogwarts, Dumbledore announces the Tri-Wizard Tournament to be held in the school. Inexplicably, after the third (and final) name is called, the Goblet of Fire shoots out a fourth piece of paper - with Harry’s name on it.

And so begins Harry’s participation in the Tri-Wizard Tournament: battling dragons, evading mermaids and finally seeking out the trophy from inside a massive deadly maze, culminating in a terrifying encounter with Voldemort and his minions in a cemetery.

Now, I just came out of the movie about an hour ago, so most of this is fresh. The movie is possibly the strongest in the series so far. There is better transition between the huge set pieces and a lot more detail in the telling. With the earlier movies, you sometimes felt that you were waiting for the next big stunt or special effect. Not GOF. The story flows effortlessly and both I and Mrs Levee were absorbed from start to finish.

Thoughts About The Cast

The romantic sub-plot between Ron and Hermione is really starting to develop. Rupert Grint and Emma Watson play the lovestruck teenagers to perfection - they make a few great snipey comments to each other in between bouts of jealousy and frustration.

The Weasley brothers, Fred and George, are top notch in the movie. Along with the likes of Neville Longbottom, Ron and the randy ghost Moaning Myrtle (what do you expect from a girl who hangs around the boys toilets?), they provide some priceless comic moments to break up some of the more serious scenes. The interplay between the twins is hilarious in places, particularly as they try to artificially age themselves to enter the Tournament.

The new Dumbledore still doesn’t sit well with me, I’m afraid. I always imagined Dumbledore to be a sort of sleepy but really switched on kind of dude. Michael Gambon plays Dumbledore too alert for my liking, speech slightly too clear and that accent! He certainly looks the part, but after the first two movies, Richard Harris had kind of cemented my view of what Dumbledore should be. I think I’m just going to have to get used to it.

Daniel Radcliffe does a great job playing the boy wizard. Coming out of the cinema, Mrs L suggested he was a bit gormless, like a wizard Frodo. But isn’t that how he’s supposed to be? Thrown in at the deep end, discovering a magical heritage and a faceless villain who wants to end him? We’re reminded of Harry’s vulnerability a few times throughout the movie, especially in his overtures toward Cho Chang. There’s a scene in the Hogwarts great hall where Harry makes an ass of himself in front of Cho - watch out for that bit!

Conclusion

The Potter franchise is really starting to heat up. As someone else commented, you leave the movie wanting more. When I finished reading Half-Blood Prince in the summer, I was dying for the next installment. This is the mark of greatness - I felt the same thing each time a Lord Of The Rings movie was released - damn, I have to wait another year to find out what happens. J.K. Rowling is keeping us all on a knife-edge waiting to find out how this series ends.

The frustrating thing is, she claims she already knows, the idea came to her “fully formed”!

So to summarize, the Goblet Of Fire is an amazing movie, beautifully told and executed. The special effects are much less obvious this time around, much slicker than earlier movies. Ralph Feinnes makes a terrifying Voldemort, and on that note I’ll leave it - Goblet Of Fire is not one for really young kids. Best movie I’ve seen in ages.

Friday, November 18th, 2005 // Movie Reviews

Christmas is approaching and it seems like the first thing anyone asks the kids these days is what santa is bringing them for Christmas!

Both Ray and Jay were faced with this question at mother and toddler group last week from a fellow playmates mother. Ray wanted an inflatable ball pool like the one at Caveman Capers and Jay wanted some new play dough. I felt we got off pretty lightly!

The other children then started telling us what they were getting and my jaw must have hit the ground at least 5 times! One little girl is getting ‘Baby Annabell’ with her pram, car seat, clothes and bottle, the other wanted Princess Alexa with all her paraphenalia threw in. The first girls mother told me when the children went off to play that she had spent ?40 on the doll ?20 per outfit (of which she bought 4), ?15 for the changing bag, ?15 for the sleeping bag and ?60 for Baby Annabell’s pram.

I was amazed! How can anybody justify spending ?60 on a pram FOR A DOLL! When Jay was born I got a double buggy for my two real life children for that! For ?20 I would be looking for two outfits for our baby, which he could wear many times before it was passed on to a friends child or a charity shop.

This whole concept riles me. I know it sounds cliched but people are starving in the world. There are children who do not have enough to eat or drink. Surely if people have the money to spare they would be better placed donating the ?200 to charity and buying their daughter a nice ?10 doll from argos that comes complete with 4 outfits!

Children at 3 or 4 are easily pleased. What they most want is your time. Buy them a cheaper toy and play with it with them and I guarantee they will appreciate it more than a ?40 doll that they are left to watch TV with. Over indulging children is not only wrong, it is detrimental to the child. It makes them materialistic and greedy and sets a pattern for life that is very hard to change.

I urge people out there to think twice this christmas when buying presents. Don’t over spend on your loved ones. If you have a bit of extra cash, or you have to buy a gift for the person who has everything, consider buying a Gift Of Hope. Wouldn’t they rather change a life and make a real difference to the world then receive another soap set!

Thursday, November 17th, 2005 // Family Life, Observations

I was passing through Andersonstown at the weekend when I came across the proud banner announcing the circulation of the Daily Ireland / Andersonstown News Group publications.

The hoarding it is on is sited just up the road a bit from where an earlier monument stood commemorating 10 men who were literally starved for attention.

As I’ve said before, I lived in West Belfast for about 5 years. I’ve read the Andersonstown News. I know what it’s about.

This billboard doesn’t tell me that the Andersonstown News Group has a thriving circulation. No. What it tells me is that 46,000 Nationalists prefer their publications as a way of being told exactly what they want to hear.

It is little wonder the people of those areas where the publications thrive have such a dim and warped view of the world when they have to rely on one-sided reporting that panders to Republican sympathies.

Now…I wonder how the Shankill Mirror is selling these days?

Monday, November 14th, 2005 // Northern Ireland: Politics

Paul has blogged today about looking for appropriate literature for Rememberance Sunday, and coming across a live performance of Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2.

As I read the excerpt he printed, I remembered hearing or seeing this performance somewhere before: the descending guitar arpeggios, the militaristic snare drum and above it all Bono taking to task the misguided fools who believed that it was alright to kill for some romantic notion of Irish unity.

I’ve had enough of Irish Americans who haven’t been back to their country in 20 or 30 years come up to me and talk about the resistance, the revolution back home.
And the glory of the revolution.
And the glory of dying for the revolution.
FUCK THE REVOLUTION!

Even in retrospect, that speech gave me the chills. More than any national anthem, more than any hymn or prayer or statement, it sums up for me the stupidity of people whose national identity and politics define them, and excuses all sorts of attrocities against other human beings.

Read the rest of the excerpt at the Northern Irish Magyar.

Friday, November 11th, 2005 // Northern Ireland: Politics

For once Parliament has done the job it was established to do, it has acted as a check on the executive. The British legal system was created with inbuilt checks and balances to, among other things, prevent the arbitrary exercise of power by the executive. In reality with the party whip system, if a government has a strong majority they can ordinarily get their laws passed, but not this time. This is the beginning of the end for Mr Blair in my opinion.

It is refreshing to see MPs voting according to their own beliefs and defying populist opinion. The readers of the Sun do not always know best, and fortunately we are part of a system that does not always revere mob rule.

The proposed new terrorist measures are abhorrent to anyone who values their freedom and can look at the facts in a measured way. All of the people detained under the current legislation for the extended period of 14 days have been successfully charged, so why increase the detention period? Terrorism is an emotive subject but laws should not be passed in the heat of the moment to satisfy a section of the public who are baying for blood and need a quick fix to make them feel secure, particularly when they do not seem to work.

I heard it said this morning that if these 90 day detention powers prevented one death they would be worth it, this is a fallacy. Introducing and intensifying draconian anti-terrorism measures which marginalise a section of the community will, in the long-term, increase the number of deaths. Imagine it you were detained for 3 months when you are innocent, what about your job, would you still have it when you were released? What about your family, how would they feel? Would you forgive the authorities easily? Probably not and if you were already disillusioned with the world you would become even more susceptible to extremism.

Severe anti-terrorist laws are breeding a new generation of terrorists and thank God for Parliamentary supremacy. It was famously said that parliament can do anything that is not naturally impossible; protecting democracy, freedom and rights in times of challenge is not only possible, it is essential.

Thursday, November 10th, 2005 // News & Media

I hated it the first time and now we find ourselves at that stage again. Jay has been showing signs of being ready for toilet training for a while now, I however have been doing my ostrich act and tried to ignore them. But over the last few days we decided to brave it and let Jake go bare back!

In some ways its been a good experience. Its lovely to see the wee man growing up and gaining his independance. Its nice not to have to clean poo from all his cracks and crevices (too much information I know!). And to be fair to Jay he is doing quite well. He has moved from peeing in every corner of the room every five minutes to holding it for up to an hour. Sometimes he makes it to the potty and sometimes he doesn’t.

The big downside (apart from the constant smell of bleach that eminates from our living room) is the fact that we can’t really leave the house. I don’t want to start putting him in a nappy again and undo all the hard work of this week, but if Jay does give us any warning that he’s about to go its a 5 second one at most, which would not be long enough to locate a toilet in a strange place.

The best thing about potty training Jay is the knowledge that in the near future I will only be changing one set of nappies each day instead of two. the worst thing is the knowledge that I will have to go through all this again in approximately two years time!

Tuesday, November 8th, 2005 // Family Life

Paul has a post about the reaction to the recent arrests of Northern Bank Robbery suspects.

This is something I really don’t understand about Nationalist politicians in particular. When it is suggested that Republicans are involved in criminal activity, why do Nationalists jump to their defense and claim harrassment and victimisation and that ‘their consitiuent is entirely innocent’?

Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy - just a simple farmer? And now we have a series of arrests of possible bank robbers condemned with the inevitable protests at police searches.

Nationalist MPs must have that precognition stuff that Tom Cruise had in Minority Report, that allows them to tell whether ‘their constituents’ are innocent or guilty without the need for fuddy-duddy justice systems.

How efficient. Still prefer old-skool policing, I’m afraid.

Friday, November 4th, 2005 // Northern Ireland: Politics