pacman

Stalin was a short man with a withered arm & small pox ravaged face who was a complete psychopath. Churchill knew he was trouble but Franklin Roosevelt thought he was fine & would present no threat. He refused to consider Churchill's request to take out Stalin, he just wanted the war to be over. Three weeks after the meeting at Yalta, FDR was dead. He should never have been there negotiating when he was a dying man, he sided with Stalin against Churchill giving rise to the Cold War which made the world unstable for the next 40 years. Another weak President has met his match against a strong Russian leader with Obama's weakness giving Putin the green light to start throwing his weight around. Another Cold War has started with the potential to end badly. Anyway, here's my question - what type of movies did Stalin like to watch? And the answer is ironic.

I've only seen Titanic on Broadway & I didn't rate it as a great musical. The prop of the ship sinking was pretty good but I couldn't hum a bar of the music today, that's how much of an impression it left. I have seen a few musicals over the years & I am always up for a good one. Good music that is. I loved Fiddler on the Roof which I saw as a youngster, I remember not wanting to see it but got caught up in the music which won me over completely. I did see Les Miserables & I don't get the fuss. The music didn't inspire me at all & had no desire to see the movie version despite Hugh Jackman getting rave reviews for his performance. I'm sure all the people who banged on & on at me about how great the music was had a point but somehow the music for Les Mis fell into a black hole in my musical appreciation. I half expect to hear it under different circumstances one day & finally "getting it". The two musicals I admire most are 42nd Street & Cabaret. The first one I saw on opening night in the best seats in the house. I was escorting a journalist friend of mine who had seats 5 rows from the front. The show was fabulous & the after show party was even better. All those beautiful dancers getting up on the dance floor to dance with themselves when I was standing there unable to join them because it would have been humiliating for my partner. Oh the pain of watching these long limbed goddesses clowning around with each other while all the attached males stood helplessly by thinking of the possibilities. I remember about 10 of us standing there with our tongues out. And the knowing look we all gave each other, it was an exclusive club none of us wished to be in. But the motivation to write this post came from Hefe's comment about Cabaret's music being "edgy". I have never seen the show live but I have friends who would play the movie version with a room full of people after a good meal & lots of wine. The first time I was invited to watch it I didn't know what to make of it, I didn't know the music, I'm not a fan of Liza Minnelli, I wanted to leave. I was glad I stayed. From the opening song sung by Joel Grey I was intrigued. I soon got into the swing of it when the whole room burst into song to sing along with every number. Despite not knowing any of it I "got it". There's a dark undertone to the whole thing with the Nazi influence but the songs are excellent. I saw it on several more occasions with the same group of friends & found it to be a sensory experience when viewed (and sung) under the influence of several glasses of wine. We finished up fast forwarding to the next song when we weren't in the mood to sit through the whole thing. Not all musicals are good but the good ones can fill an important gap in our lives.

And I like you too, ya ladies front bum...

These jerks are uplifted at this chance to behave badly with impunity & the more dangerous their actions are the greater the thrill they experience. Every time they cause a motorbike to lose control they would feel more power than they have ever felt in their lives. I imagine it would be quite addictive for someone with no self esteem. Add alcohol or drugs to the mix & Songkran is probably the happiest time of their lives.

It's frightening to realise that many of these morons are acting out their psychopathic urges. To throw a cup of water at someone in the spirit of Songkran is one thing, to use a lawful opportunity to inflict pain & discomfort on a stranger is another thing entirely. Filled with hatred & self loathing these idiots see a green light to throw some water around as an excuse to pay back society for all their perceived wrongs. OK, some of them are just getting their own back on whoever doused them with ice water but if they were rational they might consider the comfort of others. The one defining mark of psychopaths & idiots is they are incapable of empathy. Some of them are are filled with rage in their desire to inflict pain on others & Songkran gives them a perfect excuse. Others are filled with booze & meekly go along with the whole thing because "it's fun". I think the police should make it clear it's a Thai celebration & farangs who abuse the tradition are not welcome.

I have no idea of the policy regarding public phone boxes in Ireland. My guess is they have disappeared because their maintenance costs the phone companies a lot of money. There is no conspiracy by the phone companies acting in concert with the major mobile phone manufacturers, the arrival of mobile phones is a handy convenience that provides an alternative service. One that doesn't cost the state money. In fact they profit from it, a win-win situation. The same thing has happened here. There are no phone boxes & you never hear a complaint about it. I remember being on the road & knowing the location of every phone box in town because I used them if I had to ring the office. That seems so last century along with writing letters & using a cheque book. I hope I have addressed your question.

Well that's a relief! I have been trying to figure out what's wrong with my life the forum & I think this is it. I'll be able to sleep much better knowing that arse-wipe is off the scene.... Another great move. I refer to SiamSam as a ladies front bum all the time but to think I can get credit for it, well that just makes my life complete. Good work men, things can only look up from here...

Oh lovely! Now we have a conspiracy theory explaining the crash of MH370. It all revolves around the US base at Diego Garcia which surely must have picked up the plane on their radar. The theory postulates that the pilot was planning on flying the 777 into the US aircraft carrier based there. This would account for there being no word from Diego Garcia confirming or denying they ever spotted the plane. Once it breached their air space with no transmission of its identity they would have shot it down. Who knows, it might have happened. I don't believe it one way or the other, what does excite me is the thought of JaiDee's head exploding at the idea of another conspiracy theory concerning the US government....

I haven't worn flip flops in 30 years. As for the other thong I live 10 minutes drive away from one of the world's great nude beaches where I once spent many happy days. No need for a thong there, wearing anything at all is frowned upon. I opened our daily newspaper yesterday to be confronted by the sight of 10 nudists throwing clothes in the air. They were completely visible from the rear with some old wrinkly butts among them. God knows what our newly arrived Muslim refugees made of it....

"Your knowledge" ? Is that the name of a new beer you are drinking? Must be, I'm not that smart...

Sea of Tranquillity?

Thanks S2F. It's not everyday you get insight into such a man's life. Arthur was more than just a famous author. I will look at the story of the "Fireball". It's not something I have any knowledge of but it's very topical given the gossip surrounding MH370.

Wakey wakey BB, try reading your own forum, you'll be able to follow things much better.....

I couldn't agree more Sam. Why should anyone care what someone does on their holidays providing they aren't hurting anybody. On the other hand BB has hurt my eyes by posting that picture. I thought this thread was about old guys wearing flip flops. Or thongs as we call them in Oz.

I was just thinking, I haven't actually answered the question so keep trying. I'm sure Hefe will reward whoever gets it with a free bar fine & a week's worth of beer...

Thanks for telling us it was Hedy Lamarr. If you had asked who it was who developed some technology used in cell phones I could not have remembered. But when you mention Hollywood actress & today's mobiles, I was as surprised as anyone that an "actress" dreamt up something technical. I have no idea what it was, it was a long time ago I came across that bit of trivia but it was fairly important from memory.

Shan Hai Guan? Hmmm, I presume you mean where the Great Wall meets the sea. I can't let it drag on so between you & Hefe you have it. The picture shows the end of the Great Wall, not the usual viewpoint of the wall but an interesting one nevertheless. At least IMO. Skin2fan, there's an unanswered post for you in the Claim to Fame thread. Feel free to respond. Cheers.

Not Hong Kong. Your first comment is wrong. Re-word your second comment & you'll be on the money.

My Cyrillic is a bit rusty these days. I was going to say Astana (yes, I googled it) but you want the previous capital. Good luck with finding someone who knows that. Here's a question of my own: Where's this place? And a hint - you will kick yourself when you learn the answer.

Upstairs at Pook Bar, Soi Six wasn't it?

They are mentally ill & when they recover & want to resume their life, they will pay a fortune to have them removed. Or some of them will, others will continue thinking they look cool. But they are anything but cool. They have placed themselves outside the boundaries of regular society. They don't realise they have because they were never in it, they will swear they never want to be in it but as the years pass & they can't find work & they get shunned by those who look down on them, some of them will wish they could at least be treated with something other than scorn & contempt.

Rumour has it that Putin isn't finished yet. Emboldened by a lack of response from Obama he is alleged to be eyeing off Ukraine itself plus Estonia & Moldova. If he makes a move on any of them the west will have to retaliate. Wasn't this how WWII started?

Correction to my previous post. Crimea wasn't lost following the break-up of the USSR. It happened in 1954 during Khrushchev's time & it was he who fucked up. Official reports mention nothing of his judgement being affected by drink, the real story goes that he was pissed as a newt & signed over Crimea during late night negotiations. I blamed it on Yeltsin when I couldn't find the specific reference & I will always remember Boris for being a world class drunk. Plus Nikita wasn't around when the USSR broke up & Boris was. My bad.

Now we're starting to get somewhere, it seems the pilot's marriage was in trouble & the wife moved out taking the children. And the pilot was seeing another woman & that was ending too. He's reported by a friend to have been in no fit state to be taking the controls of an aeroplane. Any plane, not just a 777 full of passengers. The Malaysian government will naturally deny there was any such problem. They've just lost a plane & all the passengers, now it's a case of saving the airline's reputation.

I'm curious to know more about Arthur C Clarke if you care to elaborate Skin2fan. I heard his home on Sri Lanka was a real den of iniquity. Lots of young houseboys hanging around apparently.