What is the point of the Masked Singer?

What is the point of the Masked Singer?  The identities are obvious to anyone with simplest grasp of frequency estimation, Markov and Gaussian models, pattern matching algorithms, neural networks, matrix representation, vector quantization and decision trees.
 

Being a Lord is Not a Job

Apparently being a member of the House of Lords (despite being paid) is not a job... which is just as well as if Gavin Barwell (ex MP for Croydon) had to register all his other roles in the register of interests there probably wouldn't be room for them all... I mean talk about pimping yourself out on twitter....

A lot of people say social media is a waste of time ...

 

...but today I won an award!

A N Wilson recycles old porkies about Monarchy and Stability

Reading my dad's Daily Mail yesterday I find establishment toady A N Wilson pushing the same old porkies about Monarchy saving us from the tyranny suffered by other European countries.  The biggest whopper is that Italy somehow went fascist because it had no King when Victor Emmanuel II was in position for the whole of the Mussolini regime - only being given his cards in 1946.

Neither was Spain without a Monarchy when Franco booted them out in the Civil War although it could be argued they became a symbol of resistance until they returned as constitutional heads of state during the transition to democracy but that was one long interregnum.  Anyway prevent the rise of Fascism in Spain they did not. 

As to Russia it was hardly going to remain a democracy under the Tsar when it was never one in the first place.  Their usefulness in resisting Bolshevism wasn't that great.  Lenin shot them.  And Stalin came to power because someone shot Lenin. 

The only country one could argue that didn't have a King during the rise of a 30s dictatorship is Germany and the restoration of the Keiser would hardly have helped things as he was almost as unpleasant as Hitler.  There's a reason Lloyd George's rallying cry was "hang the Keiser" and the Royal Family changed their name to Windsor. 

Wilson's solution to the Monarchy's problems is sack some of the minor Royals.  There are, of course, too many of them.  This is largely the fault of the Queen living so long and lifespans being longer.  The Queen, Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward are all outliving George VI.  But of course the wide family tree which intermingles with the aristocracy is the entire point of them.  A lot of people profit indirectly from their contacts and relations with Britain's Nationalised Family.  Prune the branches of the Sussexes and the Yorks and a lot of establishment support will fall away with them.  There is a reason Andrew is supported to the last possible moment, Fergie being so in debt they have to grovel to Epstein is tolerated and the Sussexes are still Royal despite being more critical of his stepmum and dad and bro than most Republicans... 

Politically they've never made any sense to me.  From a socialist perspective they're the embodiment of unearned privilege and from a capitalist perspective shouldn't we let Adam Smith's invisible hand decide who is at the apex of society rather than have a Nationalised Family?  I admit there's something interesting about watching people from birth to death... But is it really healthy...? 

Mr Pierre Regnault

 

Hello Anthony,

Thanks for accepting my request. May the almighty God be with you as you read this mail. My name is Mr. Pierre Regnault, I am a merchant of French nationality. I have been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. It has defiled all forms of medical treatment, and right now I have only about a few months to live according to medical experts.

I have not particularly lived my life so well, as I never really cared for anyone (not even myself) but my business. Though I was very rich, I was never generous, I was always hostile to people and only focused on my business as that was the only thing I cared for. But now I regret all this as I now know that there is more to life than just wanting to have or make all the money in the world. I believe when God gives me a second chance to come to this world, I would live my life a different way from how I have lived it.

Now that God has called me, I have willed and given most of my property and assets to my immediate and extended family members as well as a few close friends. I want God to be merciful to me and accept my soul, so I have decided to give alms to charity organisations, as I want this to be one of the last good deeds I do on earth.

So far, I have distributed money to some charity organisations in Lebanon, Algeria, Haiti and India. Now that my health has deteriorated so badly, I cannot do this myself anymore. I once asked members of my family to close one of my accounts and distribute the money which I have there to charity organisations in Bulgaria and Pakistan, they refused and kept the money to themselves. Hence, I do not trust them anymore, as they seem not to be content with what I have left for them.

The last of my money which no one knows about is the huge cash deposit of 7 million Euros which I deposited with Societe Generale Bank here in France. I want you to help me collect this deposit and dispatch it to charity organizations in your country.

May God be with you as you help me achieve this last wish for humanity. Please get back to me as soon as possible on my email: pierre4k5@gmail.com

I have set aside 20% for you and for your time.

Yours truly,

Mr. Pierre Regnault

Dear Mr Pierre Regnault

Sorry I live in Croydon

Have you tried telephone banking?

Yours sincerely

Anthony Miller

It's that man again....

https://www.change.org/p/the-prime-minister-tony-blair-to-have-his-knight-companion-of-the-most-noble-order-of-the-garter-rescinded?recruiter=false&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=psf_combo_share_initial&recruited_by_id=8f6f60e0-6b11-11ec-b5c3-859555617f1b&share_bandit_exp=initial-31890838-en-US 

Tony it seems has been clogging up the honours system.  Since he hasn't got Knight of the Garter neither can any PM after have it so the Queen has given it to him.  

Rumours suggest that it's more to do with his behaviour over the death of Diana than the Iraq War but who really knows...?  The 7 year wait for the Chilcot Report to come out may have delayed things... it concluded...

Intervention might have become necessary later, but at the time of the invasion of Iraq in 2003, Saddam Hussein did not pose an immediate threat and the majority of the UN Security Council supported the continuation of UN weapons inspections and monitoring

...which puts Mr Blair at odds with violation of Nurenberg Principle VI i

The crimes hereinafter set out are punishable as crimes under international law:

(a) Crimes against peace:

(i) Planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances;

(ii) Participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the acts mentioned under (i)

Fortunately this principle is not enshrined in domestic law so Mr Blair couldn't be prosecuted in the UK.  Neither could the ICC prosecute him as it didn't have a definition of "waging of a war of aggression" at the time of the Iraq War and now it has one it cannot apply it retroactively.  So Mr Blair slithered through all the legislative loopholes to be knighted another day...

Sir Keir Starmer assures us that Mr Blair deserves a knighthood and Sir Lindsay Hoyle said: “Whatever people might think, it is one of the toughest jobs in the world, and I think it is respectful and it is the right thing to do, whether it is to Tony Blair or to David Cameron.  They should all be offered that knighthood when they finish as prime minister.  If you have been prime minister of this country, I do believe the country should recognise the service given."

So the "establishment" thinks.  No matter what you do you deserve a knighthood just for turning up.  Or as Norman Baker once observed such things just "come up with the rations"...

As of this evening the petition is heading towards 300,000...

This is a change.org petition as the pre-emptive petitions to stave off Blair's knighthood have all been struck off the government website as this is an issue involving the Crown and so not worthy of debate by mere Members of Parliament.  If MPs started deciding who should have gongs and go in the Lords...

Addiscombe Post Office...

The other day I went to the Post Office in Addiscombe to try and post a parcel.  Ava Alexis had printed the label on the printer at home using the Royal Mail website to create one of those bar code things they scan.... but when I got to the front of the queue it would not scan.  The lady behind the glass could not scan it however and could not explain how to solve the problem ...she just stared at me with dead eyes. 

 "Can't you put it in the computer manually?" I asked.

"No," she replied.

I asked how to solve the problem.  She did not know.  But it's your barcode? I asked.  She said it was not and proceeded to tell me how the Royal Mail and the Post Office were separate organisations - presumably separated by some kind of Chinese wall so that it would be a breach of ethics to reveal their inner workings.

She then started asking me to move aside.  "But you haven't resolved the problem?" I protested and didn't.  Eventually we compromised .... or rather I gave in and bought stamps instead and later Ava managed to claim the postage back online...

... anyway the point is you think it's just you but then the wonder of the internet reveals that it isn't.  This is indeed just the worst Post Office in Britain.  So bad people slag it off online (often under their own real name) with reviews like this... (see here)

There's like 4 desks and only ever maximum of 2 staff… 

Then add to the fact that they work at the speed of the indegenious North American banana slug which is the slowest slug in the world. 

The staff also have the manners of a fed up angry black rain frog which has been awarded the world's grumpiest animal…

So yeh enjoy your wait to be served by staff with 0 customer service....

This is the worst post office ever- the rudest staff I’ve ever come across. In fairness the two gentlemen that works there are very helpful BUT THE LADIES ARE SO VERY RUDE!

I know Post Offices often resemble something left over from the USSR but when your users are leaving you comments like...

...something's just ... normal?

CAS-6972112-K2J5L3

Thank you for contacting us about BBC Two’s “Blair & Brown: The New Labour Revolution”.

Episode four explored the War of Terror and former prime minister Tony Blair’s involvement with the response to the attacks on 11 September 2001.

We included Tony Blair’s own views around both the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. While I appreciate the strength of your views regarding Tony Blair, the programme was extremely clear that many doubt Mr Blair’s sincerity, showing for instance clips of protestors outright accusing him of lying and causing deaths.

Similarly, Gordon Brown was included arguing that the Iraq war occurred during a time of “national difficulty”. He argued that without evidence to refute the prime minister, he had to support him.

This is Mr Brown’s own subjective view on his time in Cabinet. Our viewers are free to draw their own conclusions about the viability of this stance, and, again, by its nature the programme is unambiguous that many refute both Blair and Brown’s versions of events.

Tony Blair and Gordon Brown between them were in office for 13 years. Ultimately this programme between all its broadcasts represents a five-hour distillation of this period, and, indeed, also explores the formation of New Labour in the years preceding the 1997 election. It cannot realistically include every detail.

Please be assured, however, of our commitment to impartiality. The dossiers you describe and the Chilcot Inquiry have of course been covered extensively across our broader coverage.

Nevertheless, I appreciate you might continue to have reservations.

We do value your feedback about this. All complaints are sent to senior management and we’ve included your points in our overnight report.

These reports are among the most widely read sources of feedback in the company and ensures that your concerns have been seen by the right people quickly.

This helps inform their decisions about current and future content.

Thanks again for sharing your views.

Kind regards,

Joshua W

The Royal Family is Ageist - Let's move Princess Anne from 17 to 9! and Andrew from 9 to 13!

 

Back in 2011 the Government decided that the Royal Succession rules that put men further up in line to the throne than women were sexist and moreover pointless in a world where men can now identify as women and women as men and both as anywhere inbetween...

As a result the rules were changed so that Prince Louis of Cambridge can no longer displace an Princess Charlotte of Cambridge in the line of succession. 

However, I've only just realised that the Succession to the Crown Act (2013) applies only to those born after 28 October 2011. Therefore it is completely ageist as it perversely keeps perhaps one of the brightest Royals, Princess Anne, at number 17.  

The line of Succession at the moment is thus

SOVEREIGN

1. The Prince of Wales

2. The Duke of Cambridge

3. Prince George of Cambridge

4. Princess Charlotte of Cambridge

5. Prince Louis of Cambridge

6. The Duke of Sussex

7. Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor

8. Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor

9. The Duke of York

10. Princess Beatrice, Mrs. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi

11. Miss Sienna Mapelli Mozzi

12. Princess Eugenie, Mrs. Jack Brooksbank

13. Master August Brooksbank

14. The Earl of Wessex

15. Viscount Severn

16. The Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor

17. The Princess Royal

18. Mr. Peter Phillips

19. Miss Savannah Phillips

20. Miss Isla Phillips

To correct this I am starting a campaign to make the act retrospective so that Anne can move up the line of succession and displace more controversial members of the Royal Family like the Duke of York.  If this campaign is successful then the new line of succession will be like this...

SOVEREIGN

1. The Prince of Wales

2. The Duke of Cambridge

3. Prince George of Cambridge

4. Princess Charlotte of Cambridge

5. Prince Louis of Cambridge

6. The Duke of Sussex

7. Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor

8. Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor

9. The Princess Royal

10. Mr. Peter Phillips

11. Miss Savannah Phillips

12. Miss Isla Phillips

13. The Duke of York

14. Princess Beatrice, Mrs. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi

15. Miss Sienna Mapelli Mozzi

16. Princess Eugenie, Mrs. Jack Brooksbank

17. Master August Brooksbank

18. The Earl of Wessex

19. Viscount Severn

20. The Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor

Please, in the interests of sexual and age equality, join my campaign to move the Princess Royal from Number 17 to Number 9.  This is after all the burning issue of 2021.

Cancellations

Apparently Dame Maureen Diane Lipman DBE says there's so much cancel culture everybody is too afraid to criticise the establishment anymore. 
 

Fairfield Car Park Reopens

 

I often wonder about the point of blogging or public complaining but sometimes someone seems to listen and do something.  The Council seems now to have given up on its plan to flog off College Green in its bankruptcy firesale and has reopened Fairfield car park.  Perhaps realising at last that a several thousand capacity two auditorium venue might be struggling with a bit of a parking problem otherwise...? 

Doctor Who Flux - It makes no sense yet here we are...

Having negatively-at-worst-tepidly-at-best reviewed the first two series of Mr Chibnall’s Dr Who reign I feel that it is only fair that I now review his third and final series “Flux” thusly – What fun!  I must start by stating that I have absolutely no idea what is really going on … but it doesn’t seem to matter.  The frenetic pace of cutting between locations seems to have increased even further across this series than the last two and yet all seems to make more sense.  Perhaps because it doesn't...?

The villains in this series are stand-out.  Some of the best we’ve had in years.  The Ravagers - a triumph of make-up and costume design that deserve some kind of industry award.  The “Grand Serpant” – a villain so narcissistic that he berates his minions for agreeing with him.  And Tecteun – the Doctor’s evil stepmother who has all the authority of Peggy Ashcroft as Mrs Moore while exuding all the evil of Rosa Klebb.  

All the Timeless Child plot holes seem so long ago now that I’ve forgotten what all the fuss was about.  I’d wondered how Dr Who was going to survive with the Doctor now seemingly immortal but the issue of the Timeless Child actually brings up a lot of interesting questions about the nature of identity.  While we don’t all have past lives that have been erased we all have memories that we bury, sides of ourselves that we do our best no to confront and family histories that we are curious about but do we want to know really…?  And our memories are often false anyway… The Doctor hiding the fob watch from herself inside the Tardis console seems an interesting comment on such themes.  I think I see now where they are trying to go with this…  Of course, there will be those who will question whether the Ruth Doctor is a ret-con too far but then again we can’t get William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton or Jon Pertwee to reprise their roles without prising their coffins open or using digital trickery, body doubles and archive footage and they’ve done almost all of that before during the Matt Smith era so inventing past Doctors that we know nothing about is perhaps the only way to go here.  We could bring back Tom Baker but he is an octogenarian and they’ve already done that too so … 

The supporting cast got a lot more to do this time around too with Yaz no longer a stick-in-the-mud, Dan/John Bishop getting to wave a wok around and the companions sent off on their own adventure in the way that used to happen in this old episodes where William Hartnell had to have a holiday scheduled in…  Jerico looking suitably scientific … And I liked Vinder.  And bringing in Mary Secole as the historical cameo was inspired… Whittaker herself also gets more substantial dialogue and triple dilemmas…  There’s a lot of things I still don’t understand – what was the Traveller?  But the preposterousness of the over-arching Flux storyline is in many ways the genius of the piece producing fantastic lines of dialogue like:

“There is no planet called Time?”

“Yet here we are, Doctor.”

Stand off at the Oscars...

My friends, you know me to be neither rash nor impulsive. I'm not given to wild, unsupported statements but one learns something new every day.  The other day I was by accident watching a documentary about Marlon Brando and I learnt about his activism on behalf of  Native American "Indians".  

This did not go down well with the studios as one can imagine... and he became a bit of a loner ... at the same time however, he was still too good an actor for people not to use.  So he became the subject of ridicule.  But Marlon didn't seem to care about that ...only that he was getting his points across...

Matters it seems came to a bit of a head when he claimed he was so fed up with the portrayal of native Americans in film that he sent an Apache lady to not collect his Oscan for him...

...but nothing really came of that either except perhaps he put on a bit of weight...  

Interestingly the video of Sacheen Littlefeather not accepting the award still exists and is worth watching for the look on Roger Moore's face.  The horror... the horror... The documentary interviewees said that in later years Brando's work was overshadowed by his activism and the trial of his son (see here) but I at least knew nothing of all this... and no one else seems to remember it either.  Only his performances... but once upon a time there was a stand off at Wounded Knee....

The Great Escape II - The Untold Story

Many people think Superman IV was Christopher Reeve's worst sequal but I've just discovered this gem. 

It's a previously untold story because most of it is made up... There not being enough material to dramatise after the original Great Escape because the Nazis didn't let it happen twice most of the second part of the film revolves around a hunt for the Nazis who shot 50 of the prisoners... But fictionalised somewhat. 

It was originally a mini series but an hour was later cut out of the two episodes and it was truncated into one film making it make even less sense. 

A great cast - Reeve, Donald Pleasance, Bill Wallis and Lovejoy do a lot of serious acting but the more seriously they play it the sillier it becomes. 

People who complain Allo Allo was in bad taste may have had a point but I think if they were all to watch this film then maybe they'd consider that perhaps some serious worthy drama just lends itself so perfectly to...

 

Doctor Who Flux

 

Well, I watched episode 1.  Hard to judge it really given the problems that the production team have obviously had with Covid-19.  One notices lots of people standing at a distance from each other.  The people with the crystals sticking out their heads look good.  Nice to see the Sontarans given some proper villiany to be involved in again after many years being reduced to the role of comic relief in the "Paternoster Gang".  There's someone from "the Division" who seems very interested in John Bishop.  John/Dan spends a lot of time wandering around giving free historical lectures and being overly generous.  I wonder if he'll discover he has an old fob watch somewhere that he's forgotten about?  There's a weeping angel.  Yaz has finally given up being a police... And some Victorians building something.  What it all means ...who can tell?  I was re-watching Ed Wood the other day and there's the same feeling of things being thrown together because they might work.  With a bit more money.  That's a compliment.  I think.  All they need now is Orson Wells to turn up and say "Visions are worth fighting for".