It’s Spring….

I detect it’s Spring. Mainly due to the park being open when I get off the train after work. And it’s lighter.

So I had a wander around the park to say hello to the Victorian dinos on the banks of the lake (imagining Doug McClure and Rod Taylor still fighting the pesky monsters invigorated by the start of Spring with the special effects by Harryhausen).

Anyway, just to wish bon voyage to Pete and Terry who are off on some intrepid journeys for 3 months, which includes Mexico, Peru, Chile, Galapagos, Easter Island..and more.

 By the time they get back the revolution may have happened… Then again, I heavily predict, it won’t have…

I predict a riot….?

Well, UEL have capitulated and therefore caved in by calling off their ‘alternative’ G20 summit. The reason being the event was linked to possible direct action protests against the G20 summit, which have been widely publicised in the media.

Furthermore

 As a university, we have a duty of care, and our primary responsibility is to maintain a safe and secure campus environment for staff, students and visitors. Following discussions on Friday with UCU representatives, it was agreed that the potential scale of the event and associated risks had become unmanageable, and we would be unable to accommodate safely an event of this nature.

And this is the University that suspended Chris Knight. I have heard Chris speak a number of times and been involved in campaigns he has been involved in. He has never struck me as some street fighting bloke!

And the fact the right-wing media has attacked him over his remarks hence his suspension is bizarre indeed.  Just smacks of a rather spineless institution.

It seems like fever pitch at the moment with sensationalist headlines and expectations that the City will burn tomorrow. The anticipation of a riot. I can predict that the cops will be heavy handed, brutal and violent…what’s new there!

I probably will try to go on the demos tomorrow and Thursday with me camera. I must admit I am nervous about the cops tactics tomorrow and Thursday.

Oh, well, I will see what happens….

The Wire: at bleedin’ last..!!

It is apparently Barack Obama’s favourite television show. It had a massive cult following in the States yet it has taken British terrestrial a snail pace of 6 years to be finally shown on BBC2. But at some stupid hour, mind you! It is reminiscent of the Sopranos being shown late on Channel 4. The Wire is here……..finally!

Five nights a week for the next twelve weeks.

It pulled in 600,000 viewers last night according to reports. So why did it take terrestrial telly so long? It was available on cable etc. Anyway, another impressive drama from the HBO stable.

Unfortunately, I only got to see about half of it (but I did hear Tom Waits wonderful music at the start of the opening credits) as I was tuning my new television. And whatta a programme to be finally tuned into..!!

Mine eyes dazzled at the quality of the picture as opposed to watching something in a snow storm..

The Wire has been described as a gritty and bleak piece of uncompromising drama. Last night we were introduced to the various characters, Baltimore cops, Detective McNulty (Dominic West who has starred in enough Brit costume dramas over the years though he was impressive in McKellen’s Richard III as Henry, Earl of Richmond) along with the city bureaucrats, drug dealers, crime bosses, gangs.

Many other cop dramas (including ones over here) flesh out the law enforcers with more developed characterisation though that can be utterly stereotypical (good v bad) but the criminals are usually reduced to 1-dimensions.

The Wire, though this was my first viewing, seemed to buck that convention. I have heard so much about The Wire, I will be watching in anticipation especially regarding plot, storylines, dialogue and cinematography.

In my opinion, there does seem to be a more documentary feel about the drama, which gives it more powerful and realistism. Comparsions have been made with the procedural cop 1990s show, Homicide: Life on the Street.

I am sticking with it…. Though will probably get the DVDs… as at the time it is being televisied I should be asleep… (indeed, sign of my age).