Showing posts with label Calvin and Hobbes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Calvin and Hobbes. Show all posts
Monday, 18 October 2021
Thursday, 31 January 2013
Saturday, 26 January 2013
Sunday, 25 November 2012
Thursday, 12 January 2012
Busy Thursday
Most of this morning was divided between disputing with racist unthinking Englishmen on online papers website. The fact that Scotland is close to Independence causes fear to run through their soul! Most appear to have little historical knowledge, many claiming that Culloden defeated the Scots, although this was in fact the last battle in a British Civil War and at least one third of the Redcoat Troops were from various parts of Scotland. Others insist with great humour, they think, that Hadrians Wall ought to be rebuilt. Sadly the wall is quite deep into England but if they wish to return Northumbria to us, minus Newcastle's poverty problems, we would accept. Many wrongly believe that England is paying large sums of their tax money to Scotland to keep it afloat. This erroneous information is believed by many followers of the 'Daily Mail' and 'Daily Telegraph.' In fact depending on how you read the figures it could be that Scotland gets back less than she puts in, but that does not suit the readership of the right wing nutjob press. So I gently, usually, indicated their mistakes, and now I have a price on my head as thanks! I note the cartoonist Mac has twice refused to print my comments, I suppose the word 'racist' is disliked. It is interesting how Alex Salmond has managed to run rings around the London elite regarding this. His political superiority cuts through the 'insider dealing' that is Westminster and 'Dave' causes thousands to rush to the SNP's support every time he opens his mouth. Keep going Cameron, by 2014 every Scot will be against you at this rate. It is a strange thing that a nation so ignored in England should cause such consternation when it justly seeks to claim independence, could it be Scotland is needed by England much more than Westminster will ever willingly admit?
As I write I notice the Dominic Letts item in the 'Daily Mail' has disappeared but yet another attack on Salmond has been published, this time from a Labour Party perspective. 'Daily Mail Bias'
I had time to debate with racists and morons this morning as I awaited John bringing my new oven. The old one died a while ago and the landlord suggested I obtained a new one as their man was busy. I had begun to look (my ManFlu had hindered this) but had got nowhere so far. However John and I humped the old one downstairs and the new one up, and then sat awaiting the ambulance! Both of us in times past used to hump furniture up and down stairs for a living and both have decided this is not for us now! However the expert fixed it up and now I have a warm, clean oven. It is the clean bit that shocks me, I have never seen one like that before! At last those ageing frozen foodstuffs at the back of the freezer compartment can be brought back into the light, if I can get them out of all that embedded ice! Aint life strange? There was a time a new oven would not have seemed that important to me, and now I keep going over to it and admiring the thing. Funny how new objects get this attention, and suddenly one day they are no longer new, just bashed about, run of the mill, and requiring cleaning. Still, like the oven cleaning, that can wait!
.Monday, 13 September 2010
Long Lie?
.
As the gray ex-army blankets fell to the ground at seven this morning, and my mind followed a long way behind the rest of me as I fumbled along to the coffee, I noticed this chap through the filth on the window. The poor lad was enduring the early morning in similar fashion to myself. He of course was not looking for coffee to waken him he was looking for sunshine to warm him up after his early morning breakfast search. Normally these guys wake early, around half five just now, sing or 'coo' for a while, and then eat whatever is available at the 'Greasy Spoon Cafe.' Afterwards they will play with the wife and sit in the sun warming themselves. Maybe she was not playing this morning, females are not known for obedience, and the sun, rising behind him, has failed to penetrate the thick layer of cloud. They often sit on that rooftop, usually with one eye on the world around them, but this morning he was too busy puffing himself up for warmth to care I reckon. He will be more miserable tomorrow as it will be colder, with rain. No chance with her indoors, or should that be, her outdoors, then!
My antipathy towards the selfishness of our parliamentary leaders knows few boundaries, and those who oppose the heartless cutting of jobs require to be opposed, no matter how bad the nations finances happen to be. Changes and cuts are inevitable, however they manner in which they are made is important, and the Con-Dem hypocrites show no regard for people in their public announcements. However this means the Unions will start to talk about taking action, and this leaves me in a dilemma. For to be honest I have less admiration for the leaders, and many of the representatives of trade unions than I have for politicians and tabloid journalists. Bob Crow of the RMT Union is one who really is a disgrace to the working class! So today General Secretary Brendan Barber, at the TUC Conference, led calls for opposition to the government approach.
What a dilemma. We now know that during the 'Beer and Sandwiches' discussions of the Harold Wilson era the union leaders who earnestly talked of 'A fair days work for a fair days wage,' were in fact fighting for position amongst themselves as they looked for percentage increases. The workers and the nation were the last thing on their mind, and it has always been like this! During the Genera Strike of 1926 all the unions decided to back the miners until the end! Within seven days the miners were on their own! They remained on their own for six long months! During the late seventies Rodney Bickerstaff asked the TUC to support the workers in the NHS (and we were very badly paid in those days) by putting aside their private health policies. Not one union agreed! Now we notice these leaders talking tough and playing to the crowds. How many jobs will be saved by these men? Few, and the situation will not be helped by their play acting. We must rely on the hope that the government are exaggerating the cuts so that when they arrive amendments will mean they are less harmful than they now claim. However this is a Conservative led government we speak off, and consideration for others is low on their agenda.
.
As the gray ex-army blankets fell to the ground at seven this morning, and my mind followed a long way behind the rest of me as I fumbled along to the coffee, I noticed this chap through the filth on the window. The poor lad was enduring the early morning in similar fashion to myself. He of course was not looking for coffee to waken him he was looking for sunshine to warm him up after his early morning breakfast search. Normally these guys wake early, around half five just now, sing or 'coo' for a while, and then eat whatever is available at the 'Greasy Spoon Cafe.' Afterwards they will play with the wife and sit in the sun warming themselves. Maybe she was not playing this morning, females are not known for obedience, and the sun, rising behind him, has failed to penetrate the thick layer of cloud. They often sit on that rooftop, usually with one eye on the world around them, but this morning he was too busy puffing himself up for warmth to care I reckon. He will be more miserable tomorrow as it will be colder, with rain. No chance with her indoors, or should that be, her outdoors, then!
My antipathy towards the selfishness of our parliamentary leaders knows few boundaries, and those who oppose the heartless cutting of jobs require to be opposed, no matter how bad the nations finances happen to be. Changes and cuts are inevitable, however they manner in which they are made is important, and the Con-Dem hypocrites show no regard for people in their public announcements. However this means the Unions will start to talk about taking action, and this leaves me in a dilemma. For to be honest I have less admiration for the leaders, and many of the representatives of trade unions than I have for politicians and tabloid journalists. Bob Crow of the RMT Union is one who really is a disgrace to the working class! So today General Secretary Brendan Barber, at the TUC Conference, led calls for opposition to the government approach.
What a dilemma. We now know that during the 'Beer and Sandwiches' discussions of the Harold Wilson era the union leaders who earnestly talked of 'A fair days work for a fair days wage,' were in fact fighting for position amongst themselves as they looked for percentage increases. The workers and the nation were the last thing on their mind, and it has always been like this! During the Genera Strike of 1926 all the unions decided to back the miners until the end! Within seven days the miners were on their own! They remained on their own for six long months! During the late seventies Rodney Bickerstaff asked the TUC to support the workers in the NHS (and we were very badly paid in those days) by putting aside their private health policies. Not one union agreed! Now we notice these leaders talking tough and playing to the crowds. How many jobs will be saved by these men? Few, and the situation will not be helped by their play acting. We must rely on the hope that the government are exaggerating the cuts so that when they arrive amendments will mean they are less harmful than they now claim. However this is a Conservative led government we speak off, and consideration for others is low on their agenda.
.
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
Calvin and Hobbes
Last night I opened the 'Calvin and Hobbes' book that was gathering dust and laughed out loud very loudly! Today I found this 'Comic' website which features the wee chaps as well as many other cartoon strips! There is something about Calvin that only adults can appreciate. He is not aimed at kids, as they do not understand him, yet adult males and their wives comprehend him easily. The one has been there and the other cleans up the mess, usually complaining her other half is still back there as a six year old. The character is so real, especially when fantasising as 'Biff' the space hero chased by monsters,usually his teacher or his parents! Children's fears about the monster hiding under the bed are well covered, and we all had such fears, I still do! I am convinced there is something creeping around down there, but I am too scared to look. Many readers will identify with the behaviour of Calvin's Mum & Dad. I love the scenes where she is angry, and that is often, naturally the blame lies with the father! His explanations to his son regarding life are a lesson to all dad's everywhere.
Calvin, named after John Calvin, and his highly intuitive stuffed tiger Hobbes, named after the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes, ran for eleven years and was a comic strip published in hundreds of papers world wide. Millions of the books have been sold, and I only have one 'The Essential Calvin and Hobbes,' and yes that was a hint. One of the attractions was the way the strip uses the mind of a six year old to occasionally explore major political, environmental or philosophical questions. This simplifies things and often gives a clearer understanding than many heavy tomes.
The creator of the strip, Bill Watterson, refused to become involved in commercialisation of the strip, declaring that this took away from the art form. He also refused to allow the strip to be animated, being 'scared' to hear Calvin's voice. I must say I agree, 'Dennis the Menace' did not speak with an English accent as he was created in Dundee, yet he does on the animation! The Peanuts characters voices grate, and not just because they are American (Imagine if this had been based in the Ozarks!) but because the voice in your head is better than the animators voice always.
I love this cartoon, it is witty, satirical, engages the life around us in a simple yet profound manner. 'Calvin and Hobbes' appear to be a cartoon strip to make us laugh, but they manage to make us think also. Such a shame
Bill Watterson moved on to other things!
Calvin and Hobbes Story
Calvin and Hobbes on Go Comics
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