Intro
Week 8. I finally feel like I've started my course proper. I've even done some reporting, which was kind of fun, when it wasn't terrifying. It'll probably get easier, but still, accosting random people for their opinion on Oktoberfest is interesting to say the least.
Politics
The robot that currently holds the position of Prime Minister, Theresa May, made news for two different reasons this week.
First and foremost is the conservative party conference happened, but if you've read any of my other posts, you will know that I don't really talk about anything important because my aim here is to make you smile, and the word Brexit brings about as much joy as, say, 'lamprey eel', 'Monday hangover' or 'Jacob Rees Mogg'. *bud-dum tish* politics humor (I hope).
The reason I am talking about the conference is it's opener where the PM awkwadly saunters onto stage, haltingly her moving her arms and hips to the tune of ABBA's Dancing Queen, possibly in an attempt to find Sarah Connor.
This harks back to May's previous attempt at cutting shapes during her trade trip to Africa, where she tried her hand at boogieing her way into a trade deal. However, many who viewed the footage ridiculed her for her 'routine', and so this weeks jig was likely an attempt to take back ownership of the joke and while this might have worked for some, I have common sense and believe she simply looked more like a fool.
(Source: The Guardian)
Art
The elusive street artist, Banksy, has made waves again this week, when one of his pieces, 'Girl With Red Balloon', was due to be sold at auction. It depicts a little monochrome girl reaching for a bright red heart-shaped balloon, in a brilliant contrast of colours.
On auction at Sotheby's on Friday, the famous piece is iconic and was set to rack up a high bidding value, but no-one expected that as the hammer went down on the winning bid of $1.37 million, the painting began to shred itself in front of all present.
It turns out that a remote controlled shredder was hidden in the bottom of the frame and when the sale was over, it is thought Banksy himself triggered the shredding, with a tweet from his account that read 'Going, going, gone...'. In a statement on Sotheby's website Alex Branczik, the senior director and head of contemporary art said, 'it appears we have been banksy'ed'.
It seems much like the balloon in the painting, any dreams of owning the piece have floated away.
(Source: Fortune, Sky News)
Economy
On the subject of things getting shredded, this is likely to be the nightmare of man a sane person: finding your savings in the shredder.
For Utah couple, Ben and Jackee Belnap, this nightmare became very much reality. The pair had borrowed around $1,000 from Ben's parents to pay for season tickets for the University of Utah American Football team, and saved up to pay them back.
However, when the time came, the money was nowhere to be found, until, that is, they looked into the shredder, where, much to their horror, the cash was now in pieces via the handiwork of their son 2 year old son, Leo. Jackee told news station, KSL TV, 'Leo helps me shred junk mail and just things with our name on it, or important documents we want to get rid of'.
All is not lost, though, as the US Treasury Department of Mutilated Currency Division stated that the couple would be entitled to 'a redemption at full value' if the pair sent all the pieces and if they could be pieced back together.
Still, it makes me wonder, if a department already exists for this sort of thing, how often does it occur.
(Source: BBC News)
Nature
Now for a different nightmare scenario, one that I find arguably worse, or better depending on how you look at it.
4 schools in London, Ellen Wilkinson Primary School, Star Primary School, Lister Community School and Rokeby School, have been closed due to infestations of False Widow Spiders. The critters are the UK's most dangerous species of spider and although their bites aren't lethal, they can cause unpleasent swellings.
According to Star Primary, in a routine check, Newham council discovered the infestation and stated they "believe [it] is contained to the outside of the building and that this needs to be treated immediately before the eggs start hatching". While the schools are closed however, pupils are still being sent work and will remain in contact.
Still, thinking of school and spiders put together is a pretty horrible prospect to behold.
(Source: BBC News)
Film
Jumping from one spider themed story to another, I have just returned from seeing the Spider-Man anti-hero flick, Venom. You've probably heard most of what i'm about to say already from other critics but maybe I'll surprise you.
The universal consensus is that the film itself is, in a generous sense of the word, lukewarm, and I would agree with this. The plot largely falls flat and feels unimportant when the stakes it sets are pretty astronomical, and the first hour is simply exposition which, while I hesitate to say boring, is largely unnecessary. The characters besides Venom and Brock seem 2-dimensional, with little building, development or arc for that matter.
However, Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock and Venom combo is truly extraordinary. If you saw Eddie in the street, he would look visibly psychotic, talking to himself and making unexpected movements. Even when fighting, Eddie moves like a puppet, dancing to Venom's viscous, black strings. But in Brock's head, the rapport between man and monster takes on an effortlessly hilarious tone. Venom's dark deadpan humor sparks brilliantly with Brock's moral compass, and the line 'it is not OK to bite people's heads off', has never found a more perfect match in a film.
There are thousands of other little things I want to discuss about the duo's relationship, but then I'd be here all night, so I want to start my final point by linking back to the film's other characters. Yes, they are done without much depth to them but maybe that's the idea. In Eddie's situation I doubt your focus would rest on anything other than the creature that's sharing your skin and this seems to be reflected in everything bar Hardy and his pet (make of that what you will), and intended or not, to give a genuinely good representation of psychosis in a film is rather rare, and that alone makes it an interesting watch, even disregarding Hardy's talent.
In short, imagine Deadpool crossed with Aliens in the Attic, with a smidge of Split, I assume (I never saw that one).
On auction at Sotheby's on Friday, the famous piece is iconic and was set to rack up a high bidding value, but no-one expected that as the hammer went down on the winning bid of $1.37 million, the painting began to shred itself in front of all present.
It turns out that a remote controlled shredder was hidden in the bottom of the frame and when the sale was over, it is thought Banksy himself triggered the shredding, with a tweet from his account that read 'Going, going, gone...'. In a statement on Sotheby's website Alex Branczik, the senior director and head of contemporary art said, 'it appears we have been banksy'ed'.
It seems much like the balloon in the painting, any dreams of owning the piece have floated away.
(Source: Fortune, Sky News)
Economy
On the subject of things getting shredded, this is likely to be the nightmare of man a sane person: finding your savings in the shredder.
For Utah couple, Ben and Jackee Belnap, this nightmare became very much reality. The pair had borrowed around $1,000 from Ben's parents to pay for season tickets for the University of Utah American Football team, and saved up to pay them back.
However, when the time came, the money was nowhere to be found, until, that is, they looked into the shredder, where, much to their horror, the cash was now in pieces via the handiwork of their son 2 year old son, Leo. Jackee told news station, KSL TV, 'Leo helps me shred junk mail and just things with our name on it, or important documents we want to get rid of'.
All is not lost, though, as the US Treasury Department of Mutilated Currency Division stated that the couple would be entitled to 'a redemption at full value' if the pair sent all the pieces and if they could be pieced back together.
Still, it makes me wonder, if a department already exists for this sort of thing, how often does it occur.
(Source: BBC News)
Nature
Now for a different nightmare scenario, one that I find arguably worse, or better depending on how you look at it.
4 schools in London, Ellen Wilkinson Primary School, Star Primary School, Lister Community School and Rokeby School, have been closed due to infestations of False Widow Spiders. The critters are the UK's most dangerous species of spider and although their bites aren't lethal, they can cause unpleasent swellings.
According to Star Primary, in a routine check, Newham council discovered the infestation and stated they "believe [it] is contained to the outside of the building and that this needs to be treated immediately before the eggs start hatching". While the schools are closed however, pupils are still being sent work and will remain in contact.
Still, thinking of school and spiders put together is a pretty horrible prospect to behold.
(Source: BBC News)
Film
Jumping from one spider themed story to another, I have just returned from seeing the Spider-Man anti-hero flick, Venom. You've probably heard most of what i'm about to say already from other critics but maybe I'll surprise you.
The universal consensus is that the film itself is, in a generous sense of the word, lukewarm, and I would agree with this. The plot largely falls flat and feels unimportant when the stakes it sets are pretty astronomical, and the first hour is simply exposition which, while I hesitate to say boring, is largely unnecessary. The characters besides Venom and Brock seem 2-dimensional, with little building, development or arc for that matter.
However, Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock and Venom combo is truly extraordinary. If you saw Eddie in the street, he would look visibly psychotic, talking to himself and making unexpected movements. Even when fighting, Eddie moves like a puppet, dancing to Venom's viscous, black strings. But in Brock's head, the rapport between man and monster takes on an effortlessly hilarious tone. Venom's dark deadpan humor sparks brilliantly with Brock's moral compass, and the line 'it is not OK to bite people's heads off', has never found a more perfect match in a film.
There are thousands of other little things I want to discuss about the duo's relationship, but then I'd be here all night, so I want to start my final point by linking back to the film's other characters. Yes, they are done without much depth to them but maybe that's the idea. In Eddie's situation I doubt your focus would rest on anything other than the creature that's sharing your skin and this seems to be reflected in everything bar Hardy and his pet (make of that what you will), and intended or not, to give a genuinely good representation of psychosis in a film is rather rare, and that alone makes it an interesting watch, even disregarding Hardy's talent.
In short, imagine Deadpool crossed with Aliens in the Attic, with a smidge of Split, I assume (I never saw that one).
Really enjoying your block Alex. Keep it up. It defo brought a smile to my face this morning.
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