Farewell: Jack Brabham

Back in Jack's time I was very keen on Motor Racing 

Jack Brabham obituary | Sport | theguardian.com



For me it was all Jack, Stirling Moss, Jim Clark and Graham Hill.
Jack was high on my list at the time for his determination
Jack Brabham pushes his car to world title, Florida 1959
He was also obviously a very great gentleman


The photos are of Brands Hatch in March 1965 in the pits and at Druid's corner a severe test for the drivers

Movie: The Great Beauty "La grande bellezza" (original title)

The Great Beauty (2013) - IMDb





Won an academy award as best foreign language but is it that worthy?  We saw it on vacation in Narooma as our friends had heard it was a great travel film on Roma and we've all enjoyed visits to Roma.



Well did it have great shots of Roma - but only some. Such as the opening is good a classical choir and an old building and an Asian tourist with DSLR taking shots of the City from the Hill. With a smile on his face he drops dead - "see Rome and die" yes it must have been what was meant. The the long Closing credits with a slow boat down the Tiber. That was good. The hero Jep has an penthouse overlooking the Coliseum but no new insights except he is rich. A mysterious character has a briefcase full of keys to palaces staked with antique works of art. Some excellent pans of statues etc....

We see a lot of strange goings on. It is a 21st century version of 1960 "La Dolce Vita ". decadent high society life. Often there are sex scenes. A performance event out of town at the aqueducts. A naked girl runs head on into an aqueduct. Blood appears. Jep who works for a magazine interviews with sarcasm the organiser. Several parties at which they dance in lines to loud rhythmical drum music - called Ethiopian Jazz. Jep says how well they perform "the Train". These loud scenes go on and on - much too long.



Jep now knows his first love has died and wonders about life. A crazy cardinal who recites food recipes and won't talk to Jep of spiritual matters (symbolic of a sidetracked Church).  A 100 year old nun/saint appears...who then struggles on her knees up the stairs at which Martin Luther realised that self imposed suffering was not the way to heaven. Yes it has interesting stuff and like a lot of such films people will use it to discuss life etc...

But its long and I just wish someone had learned about film editing and continuity of script.  You will hear discussion of what happened to Ramona - because it is just not clear. Jep pontificates on how to perform at funerals and you have to work out who died. So was the journey worth it. Reading around some walked out. Our friends thought it was awful - well more did not live up to the promise of lovely Roma. Other reviews rave about the film.  Jep is a sad sarcastic character but played very well by Toni Servillo and he has a lot of laughs amongst his disillusionment .....

See it or not well as its Roman -  Caveat Emptor

Movie: About Time - Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams and Bill Nighy

for my birthday we saw About Time (2013) - IMDb

It is really good. I like the first review by a Roger About Time Reviews & Ratings - IMDb
I am always interested in the Time Travel theme - however this is not really a scifi film. It is more a romance by the Notting Hill (1999) team. Domhnall really has a Hugh Grant voice style. Rachel is so Julia Roberts in eye flashes etc. BUT they both very good - indeed all the actors are. Bill played a very loving father. Tremendous movie. Its very funny and you will be looking for time travel solutions to the hero's problems. Note the Sun screen scene with the Aussie actress Maggie Robbie. And yet the film does get profound about the human condition which I would sum it up as Carpe diem


Many thanks to Event Cinemas - I'd lost my cinema senior membership cards and Event cinema were so quick giving me new ones on the spot....


Trailers we saw of coming soon that looked were
Captain Phillips (2013) - IMDb Somali pirates with Tom Hanks
The Book Thief (2013) - IMDb Jewish suffering in WW2



and some top actors in what looks to be rubbish - Last Vegas (2013) - IMDb

Gillard to announce referendum on local government - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Gillard to announce referendum on local government - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Amazing 4 months from a foregone general election and the PM wants to waste money on a referendum which will also fail. I've no idea what the issue is and it is not exactly grasping anyone's attention that perhaps Local Government is not recognised - could I ask actually go to High Court and not pay my council rates.

Drop it please

Shroud of Turin new research disputing it's a fake

First the news that it is being shown 
Shroud of Turin shown amid new research disputing it's a fake | News.com.au


Then some of the new research
Latest Developments on the Shroud of Turin: Part I - there are link on bottom of page to Part II and then III

What I understand is that those talking fake allude to a C14 dating to middle ages and the idea that Da Vinci used some kind of photographic process to produce the image.

The C14 seems to be very much in doubt

The Da Vinci idea is just an invention and is all based on the shroud first appearing around his time.

Now the new latest is that there was a shroud in Constantinople around 1000 AD  and it had an image. This image appears in paintings from that time and looks like the image on the Turin Shroud. The Constantinople one looks like it came from Edessa see also Image of Edessa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Early paintings even show Jesus body on  a shroud like the Turin one......

So looks like the Turin Shroud has been around for a very long time 

What is a good RSS reader now that Google RSS is closing?

My son asked on Facebook and this is copy/paste/edit of my comment to Dave
What is a good RSS reader now that Google RSS is closing?

• My current reader
• 
  FeedDemon but its a download for Windows -
  http://bradsoft.com/
  BUT read Nick's comments on google closing http://nick.typepad.com/
  
• Nick is going to make it Free and no sync to google but of course its Windows desktop
  
  FeedDemon - Free Windows RSS Reader
  
• What I like is quick to load feeds
  
• And I like to scan feeds – open ones I want and pass to next feed with a All READ for previous feeds – which FeedDemon does Plus an option only show the Unread ie new feeds- another recommended download Sharpreader shows all the feeds even those without current posts so boring and unproductive
  
•  
  
  Web based ones - Lifehacker suggested some but methinks some are impacted by volume of new users esp oldreader
  
• Now I have managed to load it Feedly http://www.feedly.com looks very possible
  Lots of features and a quick way to mark all read – click the number on right and arrow to move to next bunch and it handles a folder of feeds as one 
  So I agree this overview
  Feedly. A fast and stylish way to read and share the content of your favorite sites.

 
http://theoldreader.com/ but I waiting for my imports to happen - was queue of 27000 Monday now 3300 - outline sounded good so I am monitoring
http://www.netvibes.com/ I had already but have loaded my feeds and its a maybe
Looks like I have to select READ for each bunch of feeds
Will post more when Oldreader comes up but it is looking like Feedly as its web based

I've now seen OldReader and Feedly but whilst FeedDemon is still around I like it ......

Missions at Epping: Cornerstone at Silverwater

Missions at Epping: Cornerstone at Silverwater

Our church has been given an opportunity to purchase a property at 2 Clyde Rd Silverwater which will enable us to expand our ministry to the community. This is a short video explaining who we are as a Church and the reasons why we want to move to this site and how people can donate to the purchase of this property. Link to above for more detail.  Enjoy...........
 

Film: The Band's Visit (2007) - Egypt and Israel - nothing about the tension

A very human film and very funny
The Band's Visit (2007) - IMDb
An Egyptian Police band visits Israel for a concert and go to the wrong town. You would think it would be all  the Middle East's tensions but it is simply human interaction. As my wife said it is like a bad dream - all the things that can wrong when you travel to foreign places. Where do we eat? Where do we sleep? How do we get there? Will the people like me?
There are moments of nothing happening that I just found so funny. And a great deal of humour in how human everyone is. the ice rink scene is just so good.......

I caught it on our TV ethnic station SBS -

Bombs hit Indian city of Hyderabad

Bombs hit Indian city of Hyderabad - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Very sad to read that this morning. A City I visited in early 1990s. Full of vibrant people always on the move. The traffic noise. And all brought to a stop by an insane bomb attack. Main language there are Telegu and Urdu as a large Muslim population with a good looking mosque. We had a lovely dinner with a Muslim family just near it. Great that a they welcomed a Christian group like that.
So who did this - vague at moment. Allusions to foreign involvement. There are Naxal or Naxalites ie Maoist in Andra. I remember a bus full of armed police charging past us and next door paper had photos of dead Naxals. Some our pastors recognised as having told them to stay away from certain areas. Police stations are often attacked by Naxalites.

I do pray that the people I met over there are safe and well.  

Windows 8: Windows Live Writer

As I’ve managed to install Windows 8 I am now using Live Writer as test of Blog update

Well it Published this test blog easily

So I will try it for now

Joshua and the Conquest

It is clear that Joshua and the Israelites conquered Canaan. Some archaeologists want to minimise it
Here is an article discussing some aspects
Conquest Confusion at Yale

Wow Emlyn Leisure Gardens Association

From 1940 until 1960 I lived at Emlyn Gardens Shepherds Bush - these were Council flats and hence I wondered what on earth these were
Emlyn Leisure Gardens Association
when it came up in a Google alert

Behind the flats there used to be a railway on an embankment. It closed in 1965 and the land is now allotments.
Click to see map it ran between Emlyn Rd and Abinger 
and a lovely web on these old railways Hammersmith & Chiswick 

Really great to see what would have been a derelict turned into something useful for the community

Remembering September 2001

Well 11 September already here in Sydney. 11 years ago our family was celebrating the birth of dear Jarvis. I had just spent a month in hospital after massive DVT attack.
And Emma rang in early morning and said turn on the television. Whilst we slept a disaster had happened in USA. I just could not believe what I saw on the news. I'd been in New York just a couple of years before and have friends over there and they were all touched by what was happening.
It still shakes me to see the videos of 9/11.

Today a friend sent me an email on The Search Dogs of 9/11 Today
Here are the photos on line
The Search-and-Rescue Dogs of 9/11 - Slide Show - NYTimes.com

I do not know if those wonderful dogs are still around as this from Sep 2011 says Abby is The Last Remaining Search Dog | Dogster
"I love owner and handler Debra Tosch's description of how the dogs didn't realize they were being heroes. They were just having fun doing the job they knew made people happy."

It is a heart touching story and I had not heard of these dogs before. But what lovely servants to people.

Another aspect of that awful day

King David - what has been found mentioning him

The question was which is the earliest proven Biblical person meaning an archaeologist has found a text that shows the Biblical person lived.

The Tel Dan Stele has

"7. riots and thousands of horsemen (or: horses). [I killed Jeho]ram son of [Ahab]

8. king of Israel, and [I] killed [Ahaz]iahu son of [Jehoram kin-]
9. g of the House of David. And I set [their towns into ruins and turned]"

So Ahab etc are given existence whereas it is argued that House of David does not mean there was real David. I think House of David is pretty clear evidence that these kings saw themselves descended from King David and we are talking some 150 years so that sounds like they would know what they were talking about.

Click for an excellent article on the Tel Dan, Mesha and Shoshenq inscriptions and the relationship to King David:

Of course without Ahab etc being mentioned then they would still be considered fictional characters.



So I will be following the Eilat Mazar work with interest on what she says is King David's palace http://www.bib-arch.org/Mazar.pdf

As of Oct 2007 no sign of any updates as above is from end 2005

Eilat Mazar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2012 Did I Find King David’s Palace? – Biblical Archaeology Society

see also David Rohl - books and websites on his NEW Chronology

and some stuff on the Temple Mount as of October 2007

'Western Wall was never part of temple' The very extreme Muslim claim by Mufti and also said to have been held by Arafat| Jerusalem Post

And then actual traces of First Temple found

WorldNetDaily: Claim: Israel covering up Temple Mount destruction

Finds on Temple Mount from First Temple - Jewish World - Israel News - Arutz Sheva
including a contrary to the Mufti's claim

Moslem claims to the Temple Mount, on the other hand, have been debunked even by other Moslems. A commentator for the official Egyptian government weekly, of all places, has written that the entire Moslem claim on Jerusalem and the El-Aksa mosque is based on a mistaken reading of one chapter of the Quran. Ahmed Mahmad Oufa wrote that the verse that mentions a night journey by Muhammed to a mosque has nothing to do with Jerusalem, as is generally claimed, but with a mosque near the holy Moslem city of Medina.

November 2007 The Thinkers: The Bible and history of Israel shape a life
They have a Hebrew stone wall back to Solomon time.

October 2008
Find of Ancient City Could Alter Notions of Biblical David - NYTimes.com

KHIRBET QEIYAFA, Israel — Overlooking the verdant Valley of Elah, where the Bible says David toppled Goliath, archaeologists are unearthing a 3,000-year-old fortified city that could reshape views of the period when David ruled over the Israelites. Five lines on pottery uncovered here appear to be the oldest Hebrew text ever found and are likely to have a major impact on knowledge about the history of literacy and alphabet development.
..............But the archaeological record of that kingdom (David and Solomon) is exceedingly sparse — in fact almost nonexistent — and a number of scholars today argue that the kingdom was largely a myth created some centuries later. A great power, they note, would have left traces of cities and activity, and been mentioned by those around it. Yet in this area nothing like that has turned up — at least until now.

A good article on the site Bloomberg.com: Middle East

Did David and Solomon Exist? - very good analysis of current knowledge and comments of recent archaeology

Farewell: Max Bygraves dies aged 89

British entertainer Max Bygraves dies aged 89 - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Max was indeed one of the greats of British show business. Always there at big events. And a truly lovely man. Good to know he found Australia a good place to live

Video Software and Windows 7

With Windows 7 I have installed Windows Essentials - Download Windows Live Essentials
This includes Windows DVD Maker - which sort of does a job of burning a DVD from a limited range of video formats.
Like it will not do handle MP4 - so essentially its Microsoft formats avi and wmv.
Also it only burns direct to DVD - I could not see how to create an ISO so I could burn extra copies later

So I've installed  DVD Flick | Free Audio & Video software downloads at SourceForge.net
Similar features to Windows DVD Maker but you can set to burn ISO and it handles a range of formats including MP4

ISO files I would then burn with IMGBURN - which I really like for many uses - verify disks - create Music CD by setting up a CUE file and then ISO if you want several

I will keep documenting how I find Windows 7

I did try to convert MP4 to AVI using Format Factory - Download
but then realised I still could not create an ISO
and I want to do several of my video collection disk

Iran - Ahmadinejad - Nukes

I wrote this in 2007 and I am just updating today  18 Aug 2012 with his diatribe Israel a cancerous tumour: Ahmadinejad | SBS World News

Why Ahmadinejad wanted to speak at Columbia. - By Anne Applebaum - Slate Magazine

This morning Bill O’Reilly | The O’Reilly Factor - FOXNews.com
was complaining about Columbia having Ahmadinejad there and even had a Body Language expert saying Ahmadinejad was licking his lips to look dominant and O'Reilly raved about him sneering.

I like the Slate comments and their closing has it right:-
"Instead of debating freedom of speech in Iran, here we are once again talking about freedom of speech in America, a subject we know a lot more about. Which is exactly what Ahmadinejad wanted."

Next Day Iran's President upsets New York - World - smh.com.au

Bloggers debate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to Columbia University. - By Morgan Smith - Slate Magazine
starts with what I saw on the news and when the audience laughed at him:
"The Iranian president got chuckles for remarking that, "in Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country. In Iran we do not have this phenomenon. I do not know who has told you we have it." He also said that "we are friends of the Jews.""

I heard him also retract on his denial of the holocaust with some remarks like "well if it did happen then what is important is that it is does not give an excuse to treat Palestinians the way they do". So we are back to the "who started the violence" question. I still find Palestinian behaviour bordering on insanity. Why when peace negotiations are happening start an intifada?

and more on Iran and what Ahmadinejad being confused Transsexuals tolerated - smh

If he comes out with such obvious nonsense can we believe his 60 minutes comments re no nukes no war etc.
and more on that - BTW only Admadinejad thinks it is over
Issue of nuclear Iran over, leader tells UN - World - smh.com.au

See also Ron's "reviews" The Apocalypse of Ahmadinejad

News: Scary and a change needed - Colorado gun sales soar after shooting

Colorado gun sales 'soar after shooting' | SBS World News

The shotgun I saw on TV looked like this one and as far as I am concerned no way  private citizens need weapons like that.
or AR15 rifles
or Glock pistols
all of which the shooter bought legally.
and how did he get the tear gas?

Personally I have used various weapons I served in  Cadet force at school and then National service in RAF. See Ron's Blog: Guns and Rifles for comments on some weapons.

This Australian view mentions our Port Arthur massacre and how our PM John Howard changed our gun laws. Having the courage to defeat law of the gun | Daily Telegraph Miranda Devine Blog
We still have shootings - but the amount of people killed reduced considerably following the new laws in 1996. Worst nowadays we have driveby shootings in Sydney. Our police and Customs are trying to find out how the weapons were imported and a lot have been seized.

Frankly America you need to change your gun laws Charlton Heston when leading the NRA was wrong .

I know USA history is different to UK and Australia. UK had the civil war in 1600s but it took a lot of training for the Parliament side to develop a professional army. And in the end the Cromwell government failed and the real revolution happened in 1688 but without violent action.
Whereas USA had violent frontiers and weapons were needed to defend homes. Also your citizens were able to arm when political events brought war with George III. Your civil war was about soldiers taking sides and not really private people taking up arms.But all these needs are historic.
Nowadays why are such ghastly weapons required by citizens? Why should a private person have a licence for a concealed weapon.
Armies have such powerful weapons that it is really impossible for the people to stage a violent revolt. Such things are achieved by politics. Tunisia is a good example of how to have a revolt. Libya and Syria had violent ones and are a mess.

Have you read The Weapon Shops of Isher - by AE Voigt 
I never saw this book as in praise of guns - after all weapons that are only for self defence are pure science fiction - guns kill.  

However I understand a change is difficult as an enormous retail and production industry is involved.  BUT something has to be done else this kind of killings will continue.

Update: Obama vows gun checks after Colorado shootings | SBS World News
I have to agree with him but of course he doesn't mean just AK47s
"But I also believe that a lot of gun owners would agree that AK-47s belong in the hands of soldiers, not in the hands of criminals -- that they belong on the battlefield of war, not on the streets of our cities," Obama  said.
  

Farewell: Ray Bradbury

Author Ray Bradbury dead at 91 - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
To me the Science Fiction writer par excellence.
I utterly agree with his grandson
 "The world has lost one of the best writers it's ever known, and one of the dearest men to my heart. RIP Ray Bradbury (Ol' Gramps)," his grandson Danny Karapetian said on Twitter.

A tribute Ray Bradbury: A Legacy Remembered  and reminded of Ray's story "The Veldt" a frightening story of Television and how it could become too realistic


Just 3 years I started this blog post on his 88th birthday
Happy birthday Ray Bradbury! | Jacket Copy | Los Angeles Times

and I posted on the LA Times
Dear Ray, I sure pray that you had a blessed day. Your books have meant so much to me over what is it 55 something years. I found them when I lived in London and you are always the SF writer that comes first. Thank you.. Ron

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. BRADBURY!!! - Topic Powered by eve community

It was a pain to register using a strange Groupee system - would have good if they had OpenID
BUT I persevered as I wanted to Thank Ray for his great books

I suppose "Fahrenheit 451" is the famous one - just so true about the modern politically correct world - see Ray Bradbury
but his stories always had a human side - read Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
- life in a small town in 1920s.
Now I love wearing sneakers and back when I was started with Ray it was Dunlop Tennis shoes and One story is about Royal Crown Cream-Sponge Para Litefoot Tennis Shoes.
"How do they feel?"
The boy looked down at his feet deep in the rivers, in the fields of wheat, in the wind that already was rushing him out of town. He looked up at the old man, his eyes burning, his mouth moving, but no sound came out.
"Antelopes?" said the old man, looking from the boy's face to his shoes. "Gazelles?"

Every time I look for new sneakers Ray's story comes to mind. Just so funny the hype that certain brands have.....  

Farewell: Patricia Medina dies at 92; born in Briton

An actress that was in so many Hollywood movies especially swashbuckling ones and if you are my vintage you would know her well. Patricia had a good touch for comedy.

Patricia Medina dies at 92; Briton was '50s Hollywood leading lady - latimes.com

Married to Richard Greene the TV Robin Hood and then to the great Joseph Cotton.