Short Book Review

THE BOUNTY

(THE TRUE STORY OF THE MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY)

BY

CAROLINE ALEXANDER

'You'll not put your feet on me, you bloody bastard'. Those immortal words spoken by the dashing Fletcher Christian to the tyrannical Captain Blyth in the Marlon Brando/Trevor Howard movie version of the tale left a great impression on me as a young man.

Utter nonsense, off course. However, there are, i think historical events and characters that hold the public imagination in ways that will last forever. The infamous Mutiny on the Bounty is one such event.

I've read a few books on the subject and therefore approached this one with a certain amount of caution.

Firstly, the title. 'The True Story of The Mutiny on the Bounty'. This is the first major 'untruth'.

This isn't the author's fault. The fact is that nobody actually knows the whole truth surrounding the events. The only surviving mutineer, John Adams, changed his story so many times when he was discovered on Pitcairn Island that the truth is simply not known.

There are also two main viewpoints. Those who support Fletcher Christian and those who support Captain Blyth. The author is firmly in the latter camp. An opinion that i share. However, she finds no fault at all with the good Captain and this is something that i can't agree with.

The Captain Blyth portrayed in the movies is nothing like the man actually was (although the Mel Gibson/Anthony Hopkins version of the mutiny comes close). He was not a tyrannical bully. In fact as most ship Captains of the time went he was actually quite lenient. The mutiny took place simply because Christian fell in love on Tahiti and didn't want to go home. Understandable enough i suppose for a young man of his age and experience. The minority of the crew followed him for other simple reasons. They were common seamen. If you had the choice of living on a tropical paradise or starving on the streets of Bristol which would you have chosen? Blyth's mistake was giving the crew too much freedom whilst off shore and then leaving it much too late in his attempts to reinstate discipline once back at sea. He did not and does not, however, deserve the reputation he carries to this day.

The author has very little, if anything, good to say about any of the mutineers. This is again an opinion i share as they to a man tried to lie and cheat their way out of accepting any blame for the events that occurred.

The book is reasonably well written but i found it a bit 'dry'. It is meticiously researched, with the passages relating to the Court Martials particularly well done.

In the end, though, it is just one in a series of books about the Mutiny that offers very little new information.

I would still recommend for anyone who has an interest in the subject.

Friday Night Video

OK then. If anyone else introduces me to any more French pop stars i won't be responsible for my actions. My wallet just can't take any more.
This is Lorie with Weekend. Avril Lavigne eat your heart out.

Not Friday night Video

Ok Ok, so i know it's not Friday night. Can't remember what i was doing last Friday night but better late than never.
This is Client:Can you feel, from their new album Command (which arrived with me today).
Loved Dubstar and love Client. Sarah Blackwood has an amazing voice although she doesn't use it as well with Client as she did with Dubstar.

S.O.S. (Part 2)

At long last the world is beginning to take off it's collective blinkers and is starting to recognise the mockery that is 'Kosovo'.
As i have stated before, a nation built on terrorism and governed by terrorists.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7990984.stm

Eastenders? Oscars?

I must confess that i am proud to say that i have never ever watched an episode of either Coronation Street or Emmerdale.
I do, however, watch Eastenders. Sometimes i dip in and out of it and i don't loose any sleep if i miss the odd episode.
Recently the storyline involving Ronny Mitchell and her daughter Danielle has had me hooked.
People are too quick to dismiss soap actors as not good enough for some reason.
I have to say that during these episodes Samantha Janus has been fantastic.
Her performance is deserving of some sort of an award and when the awards season does come around i hope she will be recognised.
Now, if only they could get rid of Patrick Trueman i would be very very happy.

Friday night video.

Now that i've finally discovered how to do the whole add a Youtube video to your Blog thing, i'm going to add the odd video that means something to me.
This one is dedicated to the late, great Stuart Adamson. What a waste of talent. Enjoy.

True Brit.

This is Victoria Pendleton who has added another World Championship Gold Medal to her already impressive Medal collection.

What a superb athlete she is and what an inspiration to others who will follow in her footsteps.

If i wore a hat, i would take it off to Victoria.

Well done Vicky and thanks for all the joy you have given me throughout the years and with any luck many years to come.

A True Brit!!

It shoudn't be allowed!

I've just read that TV Adventurer and 'Survivor' man 'Bear' Grylis has become a father for the 3rd time.

The name of the new baby boy? Huckleberry...yep Huckleberry.

He has 2 other children. Jesse and Marmaduke.....yep Marmaduke.

Who in the name of all that's Holy would call their children Huckleberry and Marmaduke! WTF!

Just imagine the years of playground abuse that these poor unfortunates will be subjected to. It beggars belief. Scorn and ridicule await them at every point in their lives.

How can 2 grown adults seriously discuss naming their new baby and come up with Marmaduke?

I just don't know........

IMHO

I'm not afraid to say that when it comes to Politics, i lean, fairly heavily towards the right.

I'm not ashamed of it, it's the position i take and I'm proud to stand up to it.

When my Dad was alive we used to have long (and sometimes heated) discussions about it.

It nearly always ended up with him calling me a Nazi and an apologist for genocide.

I'm neither actually but you should never let facts get in the way of a good argument.

I was asked a few days ago what my opinion was of the current trouble in the Middle East i.e. the Israeli/Gaza conflict.

The banner above this post outlines my position 100%.

Curious isn't it? What with me being a Jew hating Nazi and what not?

ALLEZ......ALIZEE!!!

This is Alizee. She is French and she rocks.

More to come later.

Classic Quotes of our Time.

'No disrespect to him, man, but I'd be on the piss too if i was that ugly'

Liam Gallagher on Shane McGowan.

Famiclone Update #10

Here we have the Atlantis Video CD Player.

VCD players that have inbuilt NES emulation were 10-a-penny a few years back but they appear to have been superseded by portable DVD players that have emulation built in.

This one also doubles up as a FM radio receiver and can play MP3 discs.

It came with a CD containing 300 NES Games, mains lead, AV cables and 2 fairly cheap looking game controllers. The games themselves are not the usual .nes variety but seem encoded in some bizarre VCD format.

Don't know where it was made but i would presume China.

It's a heavy unit with an back lit LCD display on the front panel. It also has 2 integrated speakers and a cooling fan. According to the box the CD drive is manufactured by Sony (which i doubt very much).

Now the bad news. The one i got doesn't work so i am unable to comment on the emulation side of things.

When it arrived the CD tray wouldn't open. I took it apart and after eventually getting the tray to eject and putting it back together again the disc mechanism refuses to function.

According to the eBay seller i bought it from it was 'working perfectly when it was shipped'......um. Paypal decided that i would have to pay to send it back for a refund which defeats the purpose somewhat?

Wasn't that expensive at around £10 but will now form an nonworking part of my collection as it's probably not worth the expense to have it fixed.

Short Book Review

RING

BY

KOJI SUZUKI

The book of the film of the book if you catch my drift?

The Ring Trilogy of Japanese Horror movies are some of my favourite films. That scene with Sadako and the TV is up there with Danny Glick at the window in Salem's Lot. It never ceases to creep me out.

This is the original book which inspired the films and it's very very different.

The book takes in aspects of all the films and not just the first one. All similarities end there.

Our hero is male instead of female for a start.

It relies way to much on coincidence as Asakawa and Ryugi seek to solve the riddle of the cursed video tape before the week runs out.

It just doesn't work for me and perhaps this is a fault of the English translation?

At one point Asakawa finds out that Ryugi is a rapist but it doesn't seem to bother him at all?

Unlike the movies there is very little sense of urgency and the 2 leads are uninteresting and not very likable characters.

Perhaps if i had read the book before seeing the films i would have been more impressed but as it is i was pretty disappointed in this one.

Making plans for Nigel?

As a new round of International fixtures looms, here's a short message to Mr.Worthington.

THIS IS DAVID RAINEY......

In other world news the financial crisis deepens. In the USA the Government has stepped in with a multi billion dollar rescue package and closer to home my Government has nationalised the Bradford & Bingley. I'm not a financial expert but it seems to me that Banks are businesses like any other? If they are failing due to mis-management or whatever that is their problem? I don't see why my taxes should be used to bail out a failing company just because the Government says so. When my Dad was alive and ran a Petrol Station nobody gave him any tax payers money when he had a 'bad week', why should it be any different for anyone else? If i was American i would be very very unhappy.

Nice to see that the Conservative Party have stated at their annual Conference that will field candidates at every Constituency in Northern Ireland. And about time too.

In theory anyway this could mean the beginning of the end of the 'tribal' politics we have had here since partition. I'm not a particular supporter of the Tories but given a choice between the local Parties and the Conservatives, i know where my votes going. Lets hope they live up to their promises and that Labour and the Liberal Democrats follow suit.

Famiclone Update #9

I think the Sony Solicitors will love this one?

This is the Double Match Game handheld and it's made by somebody or other in China.

As you can see it's remarkably like the PSP. Right down to the box artwork.

It's a very impressive piece of kit. Comes with 5 built in games and mine arrived with a Multi-Cart containing 112 extra. All games are the usual NES/Famicom ones or hacks of the same. There is a pretty good selection and the Multi-Cart doesn't appear to have the usual set of games repeated over and over. I've only checked about 30 but so far so good. Carts are the same size and shape of GBA cartridges and One Station Carts also work fine.

It takes 4 AAA batteries but 9v mains adaptors are also supported.

Comes with English Manual, AV cables and a second handset. TV out and two player games are supported. TV out is fine.

Buttons are laid out exactly like those of the PSP and are acceptably responsive. The screen is smaller but is bright and clear. It is , as you would expect, a lot lighter than the PSP.

The only problem I've had is that one of the battery covers won't stay on when batteries are in place but that's a minor quibble.

Excellent stuff from those good people over at http://www.dealextreme.com/. Cost was about £20.

Short Book Review

MAGGIE O'FARRELL

THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENNOX

I have a story about Maggie O'Farrell.

You know how it is when you start a new job. You always spend the first few days dandering about with that 'Please give me some work to do' look on your face. Well i started a new job a while ago and deep within the depths of my new and almost empty desk i found a battered copy of Ms O'Farrell's 'After You'd Gone'. I dismissed it as a 'Woman's book' but was really bored one lunchtime and started to read it. It was fantastic.

This one is fantastic too.

It concerns a girl who discovers that she has a previously unknown Great Aunt who is to be released from a Psychiatric Unit. The girl befriends the Great Aunt and slowly but surely the events of her tragic life are exposed.

Ms O'Farrell has a wonderful imagination and perfectly tells the story of Esme Lennox. It's without a doubt one of the best novels i have ever read with each chapter containing a different and unexpected twist in this poor woman's life.

The only downside is that it ends too soon and the ending is a little bit ambiguous leaving this reader wanting more and wondering what actually happened in those last few chapters.

Very highly recommended!!

Famiclone Update #8

Here we have the Play & Game Cassette Vision by YSN.

A fairly standard Famiclone from China.

110V and plays Japanese Famicom Cartridges. No built in Games.

2 Controllers, power supply and AV cables are provided but no instruction manual.

YSN seem to producing a lot of Clones and I've a few more of their efforts to list soon.

It's fine. Well built and the controllers are responsive.

Nothing much more to say really. It's standard, it works and the box is nice.

Famiclone Update #7

Got 4 new systems this week but haven't had time to test them all yet so i thought i would start listing some Pirate Famicom Cartridges. I've got dozens of these things and there are probably hundreds, if not thousands of different examples available. It's another of the things i love about collecting Clones.

This one is a single game pirate called NBA Basketball.

It's 60 pin and for the Japanese Famicom. Not 100% sure that this is a pirate but i can't find it listed on any Famicom cartridge sites so i presume it is? If anyone knows any more info feel free to let me know.

It's a sh*t basketball game. I hate most sports games with a passion anyway and don't even know the rules of basketball so was bound to hate it.

Foot in Mouth disease....

As the competition hots up for this years 'Stupid Bitch of the year' awards, a surprise new entrant is none other than Hollywood 'starlet' and ex squeeze of Marilyn Manson, Rose McGowan.

Ms. McGowan has just finished filming some movie about those brave 'soldiers' and erstwhile 'freedom fighters' of the IRA.

Commenting on the film McGowan said that she would have been happy to have joined the IRA and that 'my heart just broke for the cause'.

Oh dear dear me.

Perhaps, as one of many many examples, McGowan would have liked to have planted the bomb at La Mon House? Or blown the legs off a few soldiers and Policemen? Or kidnapped, tortured and murdered Jean McConville?

Or, considering that this is the anniversary of the 9/11 New York bombings her heart might also have 'broke' for those poor downtrodden jihad martyrs?

At worst this is naivety beyond contempt. There is no at best.

Why 'C' list celebrities have to keep opening their stupid mouths about things they know f*ck all about is beyond me. (I'm sighing loudly now).

Short Video Game Review.

My latest completed game is this one.

Sacred Plus for PC CDROM. An RPG by Ascaron.

It's easily reviewed in three short words - Generic, Boring and Repetitive.

First of all it looks OK. A Diablo style 2.5D world with none of those horrible third person 3D shenanigans that are impossible to control and make me feel ill.

The storyline is the usual type of nonsense for this type of thing. A world in danger when an ancient magic is released etc etc. I lost interest in the plot very very quickly.

It's easy enough to get into and all though it initially looks complicated it's not really. The interface is fine with quick select buttons in all the proper places.

The bad points are numerous i'm afraid. 'A massive world' it says on the box. It's not. Considering i completed the game with only 39% discovered is testament to that. A big proportion of the map is covered by inaccessible forest which limits your movement somewhat.

There are numerous side quests but they do quickly become very boring. 'Save my daughter who has been kidnapped by Orcs' type affairs. Problem is that they are far too easy. After levelling up a bit they are all the same. Kill a lot of random characters, nick the weapons etc they drop move on to the next similar quest....ho..hum.

There are also numerous glitches in the game. Quests that don't register as completed (even though they are) is a particular irritant.

AI is also hit and miss. Some enemies will just stand idly by whilst you pick them off from a distance, not moving even with 5 arrows stuck in them.

Another problem is that by about half way through you have the best weapon and it can't be upgraded any more and end up having to pick up 100's of inferior items just in case something worth buying might eventually appear in one of the shops.

The magic system seems to be tacked on with very little thought or imagination. You don't have to use it anyway as by the time you actually need it you have a strong enough weapon to cope with anything the game throws at you.

It ends with a wimper. The legend 'To be continued' is displayed. Somebody kill me...please!!!!

In all, very disappointing. And to think i wasted almost 40 hours on this. That BTW is not because the game is challenging, just that i'm shit at games.