@missy

As @whisht and @pedant have already noted, you appear to derive most of your opinions on scientific matters and your distrust of scientists from the inconsistencies in newspaper headlines and articles compiled by sub editors and non-specialist reporters who have at best a limited grasp of the scientific matters on which they are…[Read more]

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Whoa, “How’s everybody doin?”  We need to be aware, constantly, of colour-blind casting issues &, as Thane would point out, in both History & English, sources must be combed, fine tooth ‘n’ all for “representativeness” which I think is interesting for him (they started this in year 6 -so at age 11) considering all our points @pedant @Bluesqueakpip…[Read more]

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@pedant

more courteous language

Where is pedant and what have you done with him?? 😯

@JimTheFish
I certainly think the casting director was making a better decision than Gattis. But I’d argue that he’s making the point that what he thought he knew about the past was wrong; the argument for race-blind casting is not just representation,…[Read more]

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@bluesqueakpip @missy @pedant

Interesting convo

Mark Gattis, writer of Empress of Mars, has said in interview how his first instinct was to object to the casting of Bayo Gbadamosi – on the pretty much the exact same grounds as @missy objecting to David Copperfield; there were no black soldiers at that time and in that place.

Fortunately, bef…

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@pedant If you want to see some small minded racism, try following Tracy Ann Oberman on Twitter. She was Yvonne Hartman in both Torchwood and Doctor Who.

I don’t mean TracyAnnO is racist. I’m talking about far too many of the people currently attacking her – for speaking her mind on a subject that personally concerns her. THAT is small minded…[Read more]

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@pedant

Obviously the solution is to cast Idris Elba and get him to do it in whiteface.

Certainly. I would applaud this, via flapping,  from the cheep-seats.

Kindest,

Heron.

@Missy  @thane16 @Bluesqueakpip

It isn’t all that long ago, and well within my lifetime, that it was still more usual for white actors to be cast in the role of Othello. In Edinburgh in 1965 I saw the acclaimed National Theatre production of Othello with Olivier in the title role and Frank Finlay as Iago*.  Olivier was blacked up – face, arms a…[Read more]

@pedant

Thane & I are appropriately pissed! It’s not a good diagnosis.

At this point ALL the “advice” givers in my life would say “eat this, drink this, do this, exercise, don’t eat that” to which I’d say “go hang.” You have to ‘sit with’*  the diagnosis for awhile before, I suppose, working out all the ins & outs 0f what to eat &…[Read more]

@pedant

I wasn’t far behind you. 22-30 for the modern

12 – 25 for the classic! Brutal is the right word.

Missy

@pedant

Crikey! The classic quiz was brutal!

@pedant

Also sorry to hear about the diabetes.

And those quizzes were bloody difficult. (25/30 & 23/25) Looks like that Twitch Marathon paid off after all….

@pedant – ah, sorry to hear about the diabetes diagnosis.
I think I have that coming (my dad had type 2 and my age/lifestyle would suggest I’m making it more likely).

So yeah – sugar is (and will be) an important part of my tea drinking (both in too much to the gulp of reduction!).

@pedant

Sorry to hear about the diabetes. Life, as the years accumulate, tends to be increasingly unfair when it comes to matters of health so, although that particular condition isn’t one of my problems, you have my sympathy and good wishes.

@pedant

Yup! nit-picking grammatical pedantry go hang. I must consign my largely unused 3rd edition of Fowler to a charity shop  and hie me to the nearest book shop forthwith to purchase the 4th edition.

When it comes down to it, all that matters is that grammatical structure, syntax and punctuation should convey the intended meaning in clearly…[Read more]

@pedant

I have just checked my copy of Fowler and realised that it is the Burchfield edition. Bugger! that probably explains why I have found it of so little use, and consult it so rarely that the dust cover appears pristine.

@thane16

There is a great deal of unnecessary fuss about making and serving tea, and the milk-in-first/milk-in-last…[Read more]