So, long, Ray

Well, it had to happen sometime, of course. He couldn't last forever. But now, at the age of 92, Ray Harryhausen has left us, and it seems as though a special type of magic has left the cinema for ever.
He certainly changed my life. I saw the Seventh Voyage of Sinbad at the age of 10, and my imagination has never really recovered. The film that follows was produced for Ray's 90th birthday, and it serves to remind us of the wonderful breadth of his imagination.

Ed Milliband - Michael Foot Two?

Why has Ed Milliband's lead over the Conservatives halved in just seven days?
If you read the political commentators, it's because various political big beasts have reminded
him that he should be presenting alternative policies, rather than simply relying on his poll lead to float him into power in 2015.
Well, perhaps they're right. But I don't think the man in the street cares much for the opinions of politicians. We've got opinions of our own. If the critics have done any harm to Ed, it will be by reminding the public that he still exists - and that his policies are deeply unpopular. More tax and spend, closer union with Europe, more immigration - and nothing concrete at all about reducing the deficit.
The main problem for Ed - and it is a problem which will bulk larger as 2015 approaches - will come from within his own ranks. I suspect that many prospective voters will have been turned off by the chorus of spite over Mrs Thatcher's death. The news that some leftists have been planning their campaign of abuse for years will make many people wonder what kind of people these are.
The last nail in Ed's coffin will probably be knocked in by the unions, who now have far more power over the Labour Party than ever before, due to the party's rocky finances. Already they are campaigning for more strikes. The blame for any disruption will be laid fairly and squarely at Ed's doorstep.
No, 2015 certainly won't be a shoo-in.

Another spelling blooper.

Ah, the joys of remaining absolutely still! This one's from an article in the Express on National Stationery Week.

Huh?

An enigmatic caption to an enigmatic photograph. The Article, in Sky News, deals with the death of a young partygoer.

Nul Points for spelling

If you're planning to hop on an aeroplane and fly to the Dordogne, don't get The Sun to write up your excursion. They might get into the sort of spelling difficulties exhibited on the website of today's issue:

Nul Points for spelling, chaps.

Le Style, C'est L'homme.

The old year fizzled out to the accompaniment of sleazy revelations about our 'best-loved' showbiz personalities. Dominating all was the case of Jimmy Savile, revealed as a multiple rapist. More recently TV's 'Mr Magic'  Paul Daniels chipped in with his own tasteless recollections, staggering those of us who could hardly believe that he could ever have been considered sexually attractive by anyone other than his missus, 'The Beautiful Debbie McGee'.

Now - on the old principle that There's No Show Without Punch - up pops Jim Davidson. In The Star he reveals:

... Davidson has a big secret up his sleeve which he plans to reveal to silence any claims (…) that he is homophobic.

He once had sex with a Thai ladyboy whom he thought was a girl.

The comedian, 59, recalled: “I was in Berlin with my bodyguard and we pulled a couple of girls in a bar.

“I sneaked out the back of this bar and she gave me oral sex.

“Afterwards my minder asked me if I’d noticed anything funny about her.

“I said: ‘Big feet.’ And he said: ‘Adam’s apple, too.’ It was a fella!”

Davidson, who has battled booze addiction, admitted to being a wife-beater and been wed five times, says he hopes people will see “the real Jim” in the Big Brother house.

He added: “People who know me know I am not homophobic.

Thanks for sharing, Jim.

MORE ON THE ABOVE: It has just been announced that Mr Davidson has been arrested by police working on the Jimmy Savile case. 

Stop the Greeks Escaping!

Something odd is afoot.
Theresa May has announced that contingency plans are being drawn up to forestall an influx of Greek and other immigrants from the poorer Mediterranean countries in the event of the crash of the euro.
But why? These would be educated folk, desperate to invest their rescued savings in business and property. Just the boost the country needs - from the Huguenots to Ugandan Asians, Britain has always benefited from escapees from corrupt institutions elsewhere.
So where is the problem? I suspect that Mrs May is merely a pawn in the EU game, and the the men in Brussels are attempting to tighten the screws on the beleaguered Greeks still further. Perhaps they see the potential for an enormous rift between the Euro and the non-Euro countries. We shall see. At the moment the Greeks have the right  to go anywhere in the EC - a right given to them, of course, by the EU.