+A brief visit to Edinburgh gave me the opportunity to see the seven Oscar winning film Oppenheimer. I'm not sure I would have given it so many. It was far too long at three hours for a start, and consequently seemed to travel down a lot of avenues which whilst relevant no doubt in the director's mind occasionally seemed too tangential for this member of the audience. Well, at least one got a fairly complete picture of Oppenheimer's activities in and out of bed (an opportunity for a bit of naked flesh to creep in). I also found the direction somewhat frenetic at times, as if quantum physics could be illustrated with brief explosive moments of galactic, primordial chaos. There were so many of these visual-sonic interjections they rather dimmed the impact of the big bang when it finally came - it didn't look nearly as impressive as the real thing. At the very local level I guessed right that most people who wanted to see it will have already done so, and thus the cinema was virtually empty. One reason I don't bother much going to the flicks anymore is having to share the space with gabbling, mobile phone wielding numpties. Despite the place being near empty, three of said types just had to sit near me, and I just had to tell them to shut up. Their behaviour is surely as irritating as a concert audience clapping between a symphony's movements. Another issue I have (you've got this far after all) is the deafening volume of the sound system. It was so loud it was at times impossible to discern what was being said. This seems to be a common feature of the contemporary cinema experience. It's like every time someone shuts a door it must sound like the apocalypse has arrived. Idiotic.
+Having a wee trip to Edinburgh can have its downsides. My booked train I was informed became 'cancelled' so I had to rebook at extra expense. Then I got an email saying it was not cancelled after all, but by then it was too late to change back. I think I will get a refund. On return, my connecting train from York was half an hour late (another refund) - the reason for its lateness was 'it was late leaving the depot.' Which is like saying the train's late because it’s late, hardly an explanation. I think the time has come to compile a book of non-explanation explanations. Of course, the reason my original Edinburgh train was shown as cancelled was due to the best non-explanation ever, viz 'technical issues.' Such a publication could also have a big section on non-apology apologies. +The sad saga of Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle continues, as he failed to call Diane Abbott at this week’s PMQs, even though she was the subject of discussion. Hoyle has clearly lost his grip. In a bid to protect him (and Starmer) over his SNP Gaza amendment debacle, his three deputies have now rejected a request from MPs for an inquiry into what he and Starmer discussed. They concluded such discussions should be kept private, and it would set a precedent to reveal the content. Ironic, given Hoyle’s disregard for precedent.
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