This is a road sign in Swansea (isnet boyo). Non-Welsh speakers will see nothing wrong with this sign, which appears to bilingually direct lorry drivers to, quite frankly, bugger off.
The real kicker is that the Welsh translation, or what appears to be the Welsh translation, actually reads: "I am not in the office at the moment. Send any work to be translated".
...like this sign, for example?
Radio Six International has existed in many forms for more than forty four years, and this Friday night, Paul and Spike kick off their special day-long celebration of ten years streaming online with an unprecedented live EVENT! Yes! "Event" in upper case letters, that's how important it is!
For two hours, The Boys will be inviting your live comments and input as they broadcast from the mountain state directly to Radio Six's Glasgow studios. It's your chance to be in instant live guest, commentator or general pest via email, Skype or the TPASS Google Wave.
Drop by starting at 7pm US/e and midnight Saturday morning UK time, live via www.radiosix.com, and 1pm Saturday morning New Zealand time via 88.5 World FM in Wellington NZ.
Hop on and talk about what-the-hell ever you want to... Share your week in stuff, rebut a point, introduce a new one. It's all open. The email address is: theusualaddress@gmail.com - Skype ID is "Taskerlands" - and the most recent TPASS Google Wave is always at wave.paulandspike.com
Join us? Just for a bit?
...reminded me of this story from "This American Life":
part three!
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0004 - and boom goes the dynamite. G'night everybody!
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2359 - Picture: The Hurt Locker.
I said: Bloody Avatar. Holy crap!
Speech: They seem as shocked as I am! 8 out of 10!
@ElwoodJBlues BOOOOOOOOOOM! Suck on that, Avatar.
@ebertchicago Guys half drunk, watching at home: "That Kathryn Bigelow is a fine woman."
@BillCorbett Also, Kathryn Bigelow: please love me? Even though you directed POINT BLANK, I think we could work it out.
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2355 - Director: Katherine Bigelow (Male Gigo... wait, no.) for "The Hurt Locker"
I said: James Cameron (Avatar). Dude. It didn't win.
Speech: She seemed genuinely surprised. 7 out of 10.
@ElwoodJBlues Kathryn. *stompstomp* Bigelow. *stompstomp* Kathryn. *stompstomp* Bigelow. *stompstomp* Kathryn. *stompstomp* Bigelow. *stompstomp*
@elverbo James Cameron, suck on that!
@ebertchicago "Well, the time has come," said Barbra Steisand, before naming BIgelow. We'll see that moment replayed for years.
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2245 - Best Actress: Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
I said: "Meryl Streep (Julie and Julia)" Although, on reflection, it was stupid on my part not to say Gabourey Sidibe. Still... shocking.
Speech: Feh. It may have been honest, but it felt insidery. But she thanked her mum, so that gets a point. 4 out of 10.
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2335 - Best Actor: Jeff Bridges.
I said: "I'll be honest... I couldn't give a toss about anything in this category."
Speech: Excited. Thanked his parents, his wife (of 33 years) and his kids. Bless. 7 out of 10.
I have to admit, it's a little disappointing that, once more, Easy Reader gets jipped on an Oscar.
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2320 - Kathy Bates! Never before and never since has a best actress award been given to a more deserving artist. "Misery" is what happens when two great actors meet a great director, directing a great script.
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2319 - Best Foreign Language Film: El Secreto de Sus Ojos - The Secret of Their Eyes (Argentina)
I said: Un Prophete - A Prophet (France) Merde!
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2311 - @AIannucci I'm sitting in front of Rupert Murdoch. What should I do to him?
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2307 - Tyler Perry in Tyler Perry's "Tyler Perry Fails To Be Funny". By Tyler Perry.
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2301 - Did Matt Damon just come out to the "just one cornetto" tune?
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Because... why not?
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2050: Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds). I was right.
Speech: Grateful and short. 8 outta 10.
@ebertchicago Lip-reading Stanley Tucci: "No hope."
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2040: If your personal Oscar drinking game included pounding one back every time the hosts made a cheap "hey! There's [actor]! Glad to see you here! [insert pish movie-related joke here]!!" then you might want to call for an ambulance now. If you're lucky, you won't be dead by the time the paramedics get there. This is the best they've got for an international broadcast, supposedly celebrating the movie industry's best of the best? Really?
@JElvisWeinstein Kind of a "Company Christmas Party" approach Steve and Alec bring to the proceedings.
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2037: My brother in law just described steve martin and alec baldwin's entrance onstage as "the most lavish civil ceremony you're ever likely to see".
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2035: Aha! So "what promises to be the greatest opening to an academy awards ceremony in decades" turned out to be Dougie Howser singing a barely smile-raising song slightly off-key. Good start then, eh?
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2032: Prediuctons, round 5.
Should Be: Up or District 9 - Will Be: Bloody Avatar
Will Be: James Cameron (Avatar) - Should Be: Any bloody other film than bloody Avatar.
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2030: I would love to one day walk down the red carpet at the Oscars. I'd look awesome in my new suit, waving to people, taking in the atmosphere. And when one of these vacuous nobodies jams a microphone in my fizzog and says "ooh! Squeal! Spike Nesmith! eeee! Who are you wearing tonight?" I can smile, take a deep breath, and say, "I bought it at JC Penny. It cost less than fifty bucks, because I have PRINCIPLES and I don't spend a stupid amount of money on stupid things when people are starving in the world, and there are people less than a hundred miles away who can't pay for their medical care."
Them I'll flick the Vs at her, walk off muttering and be a You Tube legend.
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2020: Predictions, round 4.
I'll be honest... I couldn't give a toss about anything in this category.
Probably Should Be: Helen Mirren (The Last Station) - Probably Will Be: Meryl Streep (Julie and Julia)
Should Be: Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones) - Will Be: Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)
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2017: @higginbothamp OK. Gonna have to turn off my PC until the Oscars are over. I view the Oscars the same way Sarah Palin views book learnin'.
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2013: You have GOT to be shitting me. They're going to refer to "Precious: Based On The Novel 'Push' By Sapphire" as the title ALL NIGHT? Give me a friggin' break. Everyone knows what you're talking about, nobody gives a toss what it's based on.
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2010: Predictions, round 3.
Will Be: Mo'Nique (Precious)
Should Be: Un Prophete - A Prophet (France)
(not seen the others, or experienced any hype)
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2005: Roger Ebert dry-humps the Oscar: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=EB&Date=20100307...
Any why not? I paid $20 to see "Knowing". That's sort of what I feel Hollywood did to me.
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2003: Watching the Oscars via The Pittsburgh Channel. Even though I hate Pittsburgh with a burning white-hot passion, because their airport cops are a bunch of wankers who don't get shot at enough, I'm hoping they'll be less incompetent than my local ABC affiliate, who run their TV station in the same way a gang of nuns would run a piss-up.
The broadcast has started, which means we've got at least another 45 minutes before anything happens. Coming next, on ABC's coverage of the academy awards: look how much work it takes to bore me.
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1958: Predictions, round 2.
Should Be: Up - Will Be: Up
Should Be: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus - Will Be: Avatar
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1954: @BlackCanseco If Mo'nique loses tonight she's gonna throw dishes and furniture at the winner. #basedonatruestory #oscars
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1951: @weecuppatea ffs they're letting Gerard Butler present an award at the #oscars. Stop validating his ludcrous career!
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1948: Predictions, round 1.
Should Be: District 9 - Will Be: Avatar
Should be: Up (Michael Giacchino) - Will Be: Avatar (James Horner)
Should Be: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus - Will Be: something that's not The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
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1944: From Mystery Science Theatre/RiffTrax genius Bill Corbett:
@BillCorbett I've opted to watch the OSKARS instead -- a celebration of creepy little German kids with drums.
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1943: ABC are showing a trailer for this season of "Dancing With The Stars". The term "stars" may contravene the trades descriptions act.
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1941: Tweets from Dr Who/Torchwood writer James Moran:
@jamesmoran Interviewer to George Clooney: Hi George! We chatted at the Golden Globes! (like he'll remember) In fairness, he may well remember her unique brand of incompetence and shrieking
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1936: This is why it would be awesome to see "In The Loop" win tonight. Apart from the obvious reasons, natch:
http://carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/a-tame-night-for-the-in-the-...
There’s not much that can be reprinted from our dinner with the cast and writers of “In the Loop,” mainly because we were laughing too much to write stuff down. A British satire about a certain war in the Middle East, nominated for a screenplay Oscar, “In the Loop” is known for its bawdiness. The dinner, on Saturday night, was more tame – just a few jokes about Hitler as a motivational speaker and Jeff Bridges’s mustache being the best part of “Crazy Heart” – you know, the usual. And Armando Iannucci, a screenwriter and the director, did note that when Miramax executives wanted to buy “In the Loop” after its Sundance premiere last year on the condition that the filmmakers re-edit it, he told them to go expletive themselves.
“In the Loop” was eventually picked up by IFC, which changed nothing. “It’s the biggest film we’ve ever released,” said Jonathan Sehring, president of IFC Entertainment. “It’s really given me great faith in the system that the Academy would recognize it.”
The movie has almost no chance of winning. “I’d rather lose to ‘An Education,’ ‘District 9’ or ‘Precious,’’” than “Up in the Air,” one of the four screenwriters said (he begged not to be named). Another, Tony Roche, worried that he would embarrass himself on the press line. “To paraphrase a character in the movie, I worry that I will soil myself, give out my PIN number or be outwardly racist,” he said. He thought a minute and added that the PIN number was the least of his worries, “because I’ve spent all my money to come over here and buy a suit.”
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1932: message on chat from my sister:
1930: Some perspective on the important things in life, via back to back tweets from competing news organisations:
@msnbc The 82nd Academy Awards kick off at 8pm ET. We’ll tweet the biggest prizes. Full Oscars coverage: http://bit.ly/97n6bi
@cnnbrk The remains of Amber DuBois, 14, have been found in East County, California http://on.cnn.com/bcMamy
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1929: @ebertchicago Don't know why Clooney was walking behind the press stand, but he was friendly to fans behind the chain link. They NEVER see anything.
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1924: As you might be aware, I'm not paying any attention to the red carpet nonsense. I mean, really. I'm having enough financial problems at the moment, I really don't care to watch a bunch of pampered arseholes talk about the four million dollar dress they're wearing, or what's in their opulent free gift bags. Besides, I don't think Armano Iannucci will be asked anything, and he's the only person I really care about tonight.
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1919: ABC showing some sort of retrospective Barbara Walters Interviews type show. She just had Mo'nique on a few minutes ago. As you might expect, softballs a-plenty and nothing challenging, like "how de ye no' have a proper bloody name?" Oh, they jsut ran footage of Jimmy Kimmel walking down a staircase BACKWARDS! Bwhahahaha!! COM-ED-DEE! It, like the man himself, was hilarious. </sarcasm>
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1913: Here's a good start, via @SquidyUK, who says "Once again, ladies and gentlemen, the Oscars' worst ever moment: the opening number of The 55th Academy Awards in 1983"
Aw yeah. Check back often this evening. It's only going to get better.
Michael Foot - A Politician of our Time
Posted by Tracey Cheetham (@tchee)
Wednesday, 3rd March 2010Michael Foot has today been described by the leaders of the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties as principled, idealistic and of great integrity. Tributes have come from across the political spectrum to a man, who during his time in parliament was considered to be a radical, yet all acknowledge the commitment of a great man to campaigning for social justice at a time when some parts of the world were just not ready for it.
He gained respect for his determination and stood by his beliefs, no matter whether they were popular or not, at times even being at odds with the party whip. He was there are the very beginning of the CND movement and remained committed to nuclear disarmament during the cold war years and continued to support CND throughout his life.
It is widely accepted within the Labour movement that it was Michael Foot who kept the Labour party together during its most difficult and demanding times. Even during the birth of New Labour he worked to keep the party united and though an 'Old Labour' stalwart, he believed in the 'broad church' and continued to work for unification of the party factions. In 1995, he said of Tony Blair: "No rising hope on the political scene who offered his service to Labour when I happened to be leader, can be dismissed as an opportunist." Ultimately, he was a Labour man and the election of a Labour government and the achievements of that government would have been an immense source of pride to him.
As a politician, Michael Foot trod the path he chose, stuck to his principles, made sure that he was true to the spirit of socialism and used his platform to campaign for peace, justice and liberty. As a person, those who knew him best describe him as an intellectual man of good humour and excellent company.
The spotlight of the media is even more intense today than it was in the days of Michael Foot's Labour leadership, but the attacks on him for his choice of jacket at the cenotaph are comparable to the attacks on Gordon Brown for his handwriting, when sending condolences to the family of a fallen soldier. Public opinion of politicians is at an all-time-low and the parties today increasingly control the public message and stage-manage every detail of even the most minor event or public appearance. Michael Foot would have had no time for that.
Today, we want substance, not spin, we want authenticity and we demand truth over populism. In his time, Michael Foot was pilloried for giving us all of these things. He gave us policies that he believed were right, even when they were unpopular, he gave us brilliant intellect and always presented himself exactly as he was, duffel coat and all.
Today, we have lost a great man and inspirational politician.
