Tuesday 23 February 2016

The Superfluous 'Sshhh'.

Would you like to know about something minor that really gets on my nerves? I'm going to tell you. It may seem trivial but once I noticed it, I couldn't ignore it and now it has the ability to ruin TV shows, radio interviews and general conversations. I spend more time than is healthy listening out for it and now I am going to pass on this annoying ear-worm to you.

I call it "THE SUPERFLUOUS 'SSHHH'".

I hear it on TV and radio in the UK all the time now and I have no idea where it comes from or who is responsible for driving its insidious rise, but I hate it. It appears in words like 'Extreme', 'straight', 'Strange' and 'Street', turning them in to 'Exsshhtreme', 'Sshhtraight', 'Sshhtrange' and 'Sshhtreet'. Even words like 'construction', 'instruction' 'instructor', 'destroy' and 'constraint' are effected. These people must be idiots. They can't even shpeak proper. Sshhtupid morons. Rant over.

Other examples heard so far: Consumer = Conshumer. Restricting = Reshtricting. Frustrating = Frushshtrating.

Time for Change. 'P.E' instead of 'BC' & 'AD

'2016 A.D' Why is it that this solar year is called '2016'? The answer is that it is an arbitrary number, it actually has very little meaning. The very idea of '2016' is a human creation, forced on us by power struggles, religious bigots and wars. It is merely an expression

Is a TV license still relevant? Does the BBC need to evolve?

UK TV channel BBC3 has recently 'Moved online' Some would say 'closed down', others 'streamlined' or 'future-proofed'. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35578867 The end of the road for the License Fee?

Here's my opinion. The BBC is going to have to change the 'Television License' beyond recognition. They are going to have to move towards MICRO PAYMENTS for streamed or downloaded content. In the Digital age, the TV License is outdated. In the future, they will have to resemble the services provided by subscriber service competitors like YOUTUBE, NETFLIX and AMAZON - all of whom will probably end up charging for content too. All of whom are increasing their market share. Consumers paying for the things they watch - not all TV owners paying regardless of how much they watch. A multi-platform world market.

People are streaming more content than ever before. The BBC Trust itself has acknowledged that:

"..independent evidence shows younger audiences are watching more online and watching less linear TV".

Tuesday 9 February 2016

A day for eating flatbread or cakes from a pan. #PancakeDay. Spring celebrated.

Pancake Day Some people call it #ShroveTuesday. Another hijacked, residual 'celebration'. Originally a pagan activity, it became part of the Christian spring celebration before loosing all religious meaning to become the bland, over-commercialised, greedy, modern leftover that we have today.

The word SHROVE comes from the old, English word 'shrive', which means to obtain absolution for "sins" by confessing. Thereby being "shriven" before the start of 'Lent'. Pancakes were 'traditionally' eaten on this day to use up perishable goods like eggs and milk before the 40-day fasting of 'Lent'. 'Lent' being invented to give religious control over the uneducated masses.

Before this Christian 'tradition' was invented and tacked on to their 'Oestre/ Easter' hijacking, it is thought that the event might have originated from a pagan observation, when eating warm, round, flour & water flatbreads - symbolising the sun - was a way of celebrating the arrival of spring and the new growing season. Full moon, Spring Equinox - same as Easter. Things happen, change & evolve over time and we have many residual celebrations in modern calendars.