Retail Therapy and "The Lives of Others"

Yes, I know.
But I got word from my accountant that I was due a tax refund, and ASDA had the Wii Fit in, and I did say I was going to buy a console...
This is the reason why I'm not in bed at the cottage just now, but instead watching unblinkered  look set fair to shatter my hoola hoop record at the very first attempt - yup, she managed it.

To be fair, that's not entirely the reason we're staying home - there's a lot of general housekeeping to be done, and I really am pretty knackered, so much that the 2 hour drive in the dark (with the potential for snow on Sunday) didn't really appeal. So, quiet weekend called for.

We watched "The Lives of Others" on DVD tonight - a really earnest, but strangely unengaging German movie about the Stasi, and the warping affect the constant surveillance had on everyone. As I say, a worthy, well acted movie, but very stagey, almost Brechtian, and to me the objectification (or idealisation) of the single female character as an obvious surrogate for the nation left me annoyed - I think Brecht had an excuse for it, but it's pretty unforgiveable today. The movie also had little to say about human relationships under that sort of culture that Orwell hasn't said in 1984. I feel slightly churlish criticising what was obviously an attempt at honest film-making, but it demands to be taken seriously, so seriously is how I took it.

Oh, I forgot, there was another female character - a prostitute appears long enough to get topless. The personification of Germany gets naked a few times too. All of the men get to keep their kit on.

66.6% smart.

Today's Guardian Quiz has been moved back a page, but the answers are now clearly pointed at - and they have a Scrabble puzzle now, which was quite easy but fun.

One of the "What Links" questions today was: "Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Sue and Johnny Storm", and another was "Who's brother was a member of the Diogenes Club" - I wonder if I'm writing the questions? (Though if I were, it would more likely be "What links Jakita Wagner, The Drummer and Elijah Snow?", and "Who was a member of The Drones?"

Wii

Ok, nominations are now open for what game I should buy next (Mario and Sonic Olympics came with the console, and I have Wii Fit).
I'll probably buy a Tomb Raider game, but haven't decided which one.

Now, back to Wii Fit Plaza, and an attempt to get my Wii Fit Age down near my real age :)

The Day They Drove Old Glasgow Down

I know, I'm in posting overdrive, but I couldn't let the 90th anniversary of the last reading of the Riot Act in Britain pass unmentioned. Note that the government sent in troops from England when they already had a sizeable (Scottish) garrison at the Maryhill Barracks.

This was an event that shaped the city I grew up in. My grandfather was in the square, or at least said he was, and many of my father's political mentors learnt their socialism at the feet of Jimmy Maxton or Manny Shinwell. It was an international socialism that reached out to Spain and Russia (probably for too long, to Russia) and drew its strength from the shipyards and coal mines.

The Red Flag has flown over the City Chambers many times since then, and Glasgow's Council had links to Palestine and the ANC in the 70's and 80's which I'm still proud of.

Ninety years is all that separates us from a London government sending troops to Glasgow. And people wonder why I want independence.