He did a splendid English accent in 'sleepy hollow,' so if he just got his hair cut he'd be a different type of Bond. we've never had an Englishman as James Bond.
Sean Connery is a Scot
George Lazenby is an Aussie
Pierce Brosnan is Irish
Timothy Dalton is Welsh
Roger Moore is Wooden
David Niven was English but you can't count 'Casino Royale,' as part of the Bond Series.
Eric Bana the actor who played Hector in 'Troy,' has been touted for the role.
This hasn't got a lot to do with the Sudan has it?
Liana,
It's a discussion and people are giving their opinions. Nobody's threatened anyone. Educated people can disagree on subjects in heated debate without hating one another. It's far more interesting than women farting if you ask me.
There's no more aggression here than with the apostrophe police. Can men ever talk about anything without women complaining about our testosterone?
We're manly men, we do manly things.
Neil, seriously, I respect your opinions, even if I think you're full of shit.
You think Neil is full of shit too, Pi?
RIGHT, I've had enough of this.
Neil is a well-mannered nice guy, if a little overweight and naive.
I DEMAND he is shown the respect he's entitled to.
Denver - we don't work that way, if at all possible here. However, if you wish to continue, please do so, and suffer the consequences of people mistakenly believing that you are overbearing and bullish. Comments directed at politicians, world leaders, pop stars, actors etc are fine... personal jibes at abc members don't end up much fun really. If I insult someone, I always strive to take any sting out, and usually apologise.
You must please yourself.
Liana,
Thank you for your lecture on manners.
Our humor is different. Over here, we tell someone they are full of shit, they understand what it means. Personal jibes are the order of the day. I take them, I give them out. It's one of our bonding things. I'm learning about the English persona by being here. I'm learning that you think I'm overbearing and bullish. You also get a little first hand knowledge of our (my) persona. I'm not going to pretend I'm not American in order to please your sensibilities nor anyone else for that matter.
I please myself when I can (just as you do), it's not my first priority. Honestly, I believe that I'm making a much more concerted effort to understand you than you me. Doesn't add up to much though, I knew what I was in for when I got on, and there's been no surprise in that regard.
In America, we don't correct everything others say or do, we consider it pompous, rude and insulting. I'm not trying to convince you nor anybody else to be like me nor even like me, please allow me the same respect.
If you knew me, and you don't, you'd know me to be a kind, gentle, loving, generous, likeable grandfather. (did I leave anything out?) I do, however, from time to time speak my mind, and all the lectures you care to deliver will never change that. I consider it a birth-right.
To call others full of shit, is bad mannered. You can dress it up as being in your culture however you please... however do expect that it colours others views of you.
*holds up a big bunch of white roses * we don't growl at other females
we Lancastrian Women wait for certain males to buy us big bunches of white roses then we say thank you sweetly - that is after we've looked at them and said 'What you been up to then?' - cos we only get given flowers after they've been up to some mischief that they think we shouldn't know about and have only brought us the flowers because they feel guilty - so we throw them back at said male or hit them one in the face with them - making sure that the thorns catch their nose and draw blood
I can't understand why any women would want to do that - what a waste of flowers ....
er, it was the ballroom dancing sort of growl I intended to imply, Pi..., you know the sexy growl...the sort that Angela Ripon attempts for Comic Relief...or that Dawn French does to perfection.
In a recent survey of favourite flowers of the UK - wild plant lovers were asked to choose a favourite flower for their city or county - Yorkshire chose the Harebell, relegating the White Rose to second place.
I know Emma but we are hard stuff we lancastrians you know *am attempting to play the hard lancastrain lass here* men were men and women were women kind of thing
battle of the roses - HINT
we see you yorkshire folk with your soft red roses and feminate ways as well You know - just not right
*I can't keep this up - I couldn't be tough even if I tried not without laughing*
you know I can never remember which way around it was - red for lancaster white for York - white for lancaster - red for york - I've always loved white roses and never the red - even though I've had many given to me - Red ones that is
Flash what you been up to and do I really want to know?
Great,
Eric Bana??? Can't say I'm familiar with this guy. Is he good?
David Niven is dead dude, can't use him.
In what part of Great Britain can one find "wooden".
You're all right... to some extent, but I don't think the insults help much.
Cuba has good points and bad points. It does have pretty good life expectancy, and, given the fact of US sanctions, has good healthcare and education. The US, to put it delicately, doesn't appear to be particularly good at looking after its own poorest. The gap between the rich and poor in the US is vast and an indictment of the "American way of life". To stay in power the US plutocracy must constantly find and make enemies abroad a la Orwell's "1984", and they're certainly extremely good at promoting Al Qaeda and doing nothing to sort out the likes of Saudi Arabia and Israel whence the "problem" of terrorism originates. (I put "problem" in quotation marks because it's not a problem for the ruling military/oil elite - it's an asset to be fostered and milked.) As for the lack of press freedom in Cuba, I have several friends who live in the US and they all tell me the media bias there is virtually insufferable and they plan to move to Europe soon. (Murdoch, Fox News...)
On this last point (media bias/control) it appears that if I refer you to my own writing or website I'll be accused of shallow advertising (Mississippi!) but the fact is I get tired of re-writing these things, sigh! ;-) OK, don't look at any of my stuff if you don't want to, just read Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize winner (economics)!
No, I would not like to live in Cuba. Castro is a dictator and an abuser of human rights. Having said that, I'd rather live anywhere else in Cuba than be a detainee in Guantanamo Bay!
Eric
Eric....
The difference between the USA and Cuba is thus...
In USA your are free to be as rich as you can or as poor as you are wont... of course most people are middling.
In Cuba you are all poor irrespective of any effort you try and make... unless you are given special dispensation by the State for particular loyalties to it.
This is all academic, what those of your political ilk fail to realise... if the borders were opened today... there would be a one way tide of human traffic... would you like to guess which way?
Perhaps you think that YOU know better than the MILLIONS in Cuba and elsewhere who would vote with their feet... towards 'evil' America...
The other thing is... and it would it be comical if you only paused to think it through.... you deign to compare '1984' with North America... America with its constitution safeguarding the rights of every citizen... America that came to the rescue of Eorope-twice, America that defeated the tyranny of the Soviet Bloc... America the economic powerhouse of the world, America which has given us the internet....
The internet is the very antithesis of the heart of '1984'.... which is another way of saying that '1984' was as wrong as you could possibly get about the future of the world...
If I am honest, I will say that your book sounds like not the sort of thing I would accord with at all... but that makes me want to read it all the more...
Since earlier (on this thread) the BBC was accused of bias - it’s worth bearing in mind that though the Hutton report heavily criticised the BBC the, later, Butler Report actually went a long way toward vindicating it and sustaining the Beeb’s allegations.
It cost almost £2,000,000 for Hutton to whitewash the government and censure the BBC. The government essentially ’smacked’ the BBC for doing it’s job and you can be certain that the News is now much more likely to be biased (for fear of another smack): now only Channel Four dares to challenge the ‘official’ news - and that may well change if Four is bought by Five.
Lucky you... so you live in a democracy... you have two in depth 'conflicting' reports, coming from different perspectives... so read both than make up your mind what you want to believe in... there is no conspiracy... you live in a democracy.... Rejoice.
Spider, I do rejoice! I know exactly where you were coming from in your diet and exercise advice on the 'fat' thread and I agree that the natural high from exercise is something worth rejoicing in. Still, that does not blind me from seeing what a devious, self-serving, meglomaniac Tony has become and what a cowardly bunch of careerist‘ yes men’ this New Labour lot really are!
Spider,
Then you have the likes of me, going about places I shouldn't be and stirring up trouble, making people all emotional and such, with thiings like..... opinions.......... and ..........punctuation marks......... and what's even worse.........WORDS!
On a writers web-site no less.
This is absolutely the most interesting and bizarre place on the internet.
This is Radio Denver, coming to you live from the Havana center for human development. (as soon as we open)
>> On this last point (media bias/control) it appears that if I refer you to my own writing or website I'll be accused of shallow advertising (Mississippi!) but the fact is I get tired of re-writing these things, sigh! ;-) OK, don't look at any of my stuff if you don't want to, just read Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize winner (economics)! <<
This may surprise you Eric, but I don't give a toss whether you 'advertise' your writing or your site here or anywhere else, (although the PROPER place on THIS site would be the 'Writing from ABC' forum). I was merely pointing out that 'I' don't follow self-serving links from anybody. That doesn't mean I don't/won't read ANY of your stuff, just that I find my own way and don't respond to prodding. If you wish to use terms such as 'shallow advertising' and attach my name to it in an attempt to garner sympathy and understanding from other users, that's up to you. If you're tired of re-writing these things, I suggest you stop. You also make the mistake of thinking that an insult can't be couched in polite words. I find YOUR jibe mildly insulting but in my case it goes with the territory. Carry on.
Your contention that to stay in power American 'plutocracy' has to constantly generate enemies, is the kind of crap that usually emanates from Mykle, in fact he's posted some here a few posts up. How strange that weak leadership has the proletariat screaming for a saviour and yet strong leadership has them screaming 'megalomania'!
radio denver your full of shit !!!
regards
the Jock
why dont you go and play tig with cars and trucks on the highway. You always go on about how your so great with your little dow jones index thinking your some kind of big man american talking about lying about in texan sunsets *or whatever* you think you know everything when you know fuck all. America will be lucky if its still on the earth in ten years why dont you tell that to your grandchildren and explain why. Your a muppet radio denver.
regards
stephen d ;)
Mississippi and 1legspider, woah!
I think we're arguing at cross-purposes.
There are many good things about the US. I am free to express opinions there (and here in the UK) that are critical of the US and UK governments. I applaud and acknowledge this. I certainly wouldn't be free to criticise many of the countries I mentioned above in those countries! However, the US is also the world's most powerful country, and, as such, like it or not, what it does is hugely significant for the rest of the world. I'm not one who would ever say "My country, right or wrong!" Putting it differently, I would say that the highest form of patriotism, the best way to promote the interests of one's country, is to constructively criticise it and offer some ideas as to how it might be improved. That's what I've done elsewhere. That doesn't make me "anti-American" or "anti-British", in fact I would say that makes me pro the British and American people. (Never confuse supporting the leadership with supporting the country or people.)
Mississippi, you said: "Your contention that to stay in power American 'plutocracy' has to constantly generate enemies, is the kind of crap that usually emanates from Mykle..."
I'lll breathe deeply and attempt a constructive response! There is, at the very least, substantial circumstantial support for the following contentions:
(1) Bush's constant harping on about the terrorist threat has strengthened his hold on power. (And his recent heightening of the state of alert based on old evidence coincides with his electoral needs.)
(2) His attack on Iraq was not based on any evidence that Al Qaeda had any significant support or a base there.
(3) Al Qaeda now does have support in Iraq.
(4) The US and UK have left Afghanistan festering, thus (arguably) generating more terrorists. What's happened to the promised reconstruction?
(5) The oil and armaments industries benefit substantially from the "war on terror" and therefore so does Bush. Who contributes to his campaign funds?
(6) What hope do the poorest in the US have of getting themselves on the political agenda at a time like this? In other words, the "war on terror" serves to entrench/maintain the socio-economic divide.
No the US isn't as bad as Oceania, but the parallels with "1984" are obvious.
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