So, to summarize:

A man who, before he was Pope, was head of an organization that used to be the Spanish Inquisition has said that Islam is a violent religion. Muslim groups, outraged by the idea that they might be violent, have responded by burning churches and shooting people. So the Grand Inquisitor was forced to apologize.

So now, in his ( Read more... )

It's funny - I did actually have a good weekend, despite watching this, this, this, this, this and this. I think the solution was lots and lots of drunk talk, interspersed with the odd episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm or Futurama as a palate cleanser.

But if you couldn't make it, you needn't worry! You can envisage what such a joyous event ( Read more... )

There's a really disquieting article in today's Independent on Sunday which starts off being a sort of anthropological deal on why men apparently don't fancy funny women. You get part of the way through it and you realize that it's actually a dating service for female comedians, cleverly disguised as an article. Seriously. They start talking ( Read more... )

Peculiar article from Washington Jewish Week (I know, I know, you really get a broad range of reading material on this LJ) suggesting that Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm is, if not actually anti-Semitic, then at least bearer of a prejudice against more orthodox, observant communities. I can't talk about the Season Five episodes Mr. Dworken ( Read more... )

Time, I feel, for another grab-bag of cultural obsessions. According to the good folk over at RottenTomatoes.com, The New World is indeed pretty bad. 53% from people who bent over backwards to excuse Terrence Malick's deployment, on TheThin Red Line, of his exciting new "ooh look! A flower!" directorial technique isn't too hot a result. Worse, ( Read more... )

Most curious thing - I met my old history teacher in Waterstone's the other day. (Mr. Edwards, for the small but dedicated band of Yarm alumni who read this journal) We had a very enjoyable gab, and he left me with a phone number and a standing invitation to come up and see him if I'm ever in Yarm - which I might well be, thanks to recent ( Read more... )