A Conversation for Ask h2g2

What news story has caught your attention today.

Post 17281

hammondorgan

Yep Pink, that's two of us absolutely fascinated! Did you know Boris Johnson used to be the MP for Henley? Oh and Michael Hesletine, oh yes, political hotbed is Henley.


What news story has caught your attention today.

Post 17282

Icy North

A candidate for next year's Ignobel awards.

Footballers have poor teeth:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34699583


What news story has caught your attention today.

Post 17283

hammondorgan

I'll tell you what, you could never say that about Luis Suarez, and he can score lots of goals as well! Come to think of it, Barcelona came for him and Liverpool bit their hand off, ironic that! http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jun/26/world-cup-luis-suarez-ban-biting-uruguay


What news story has caught your attention today.

Post 17284

Icy North

Google Translate triumphs again:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/03/google-translate-error-as-pontes-spain-clitoris-food-festival-grelo-galicia


What news story has caught your attention today.

Post 17285

Baron Grim

No wonder turnout was low. No one could find it.


What news story has caught your attention today.

Post 17286

hammondorgan

The tasting festival would be a big hit on YouTube I'm sure.


What news story has caught your attention today.

Post 17287

Icy North

It’s tapeworm day at the BBC!


Man has live tapeworm removed from his brain:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-34732010


Man dies after his tapeworm gets cancer:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34721419


What news story has caught your attention today.

Post 17288

hammondorgan

These threads seem to be in the doldrums at the moment. Anyways I see that Giles Martin, son of George is remixing some Beatles albums, on pretty spurious grounds it seems to me, his dad made his fortune off the Liverpool Mop Tops, at the same time he was quite cynically creaming off a lot of credit for himself on the back of the Beatles' incredible genius. It seems to me as if his boy is trying to extract the last possible ounce of lucre from the golden egg that plopped into his dad's lap. George was a little known producer of novelty records, including the Goons Ying Tong song I believe, till he got so lucky with the Beatles. I'm not sure if his boy has done a lot other than exploit his dad's connection with the Beatles. I've seen it written many times that Sir George was the Beatles' mentor, more the opposite I reckon, the musical establishment, in fact the whole art establishment generally are scared stiff when untutored talent comes on the scene. Come on someone, lets have a heated debate!


What news story has caught your attention today.

Post 17289

Cheerful Dragon

Yesterday people in Europe marked Armistice Day. No Google Doodle for us. In the USA, however, they had a Doodle celebrating Veterans' Day, something Google does every year. This year's Doodle provoked controversy because it contained more coloured people than white people. Some complained it was 'too diverse' - most veterans are white. This statistic is accurate, but whether it's a valid point depends on your attitude. Others complained it wasn't diverse enough, but from a gender perspective. Women are under-represented in Google Doodles generally - a figure of 17% of Doodles featuring women was quoted, with only 4% featuring coloured women.

The controversial doodle is here: http://www.google.com/doodles/veterans-day-2015

I couldn't find a link to a newspaper covering this story, so here's a link to a website that covered it:
http://www.rt.com/usa/321644-too-diverse-google-veterans-day/


What news story has caught your attention today.

Post 17290

Tavaron da Quirm - Arts Editor

Well, Armistice day is only celebrated in a few countries, isn't it? Because some were on the side of the 'losers'. smiley - winkeye Nevertheless they could have had a doodle where it is celebrated, I agree.
I can't really understand people complaining about the gender stuff in case of this specific picture. There are 3 women and 4 men, my guess is that there is a much smaller percentage of women in the army in reality.


What news story has caught your attention today.

Post 17291

Icy North

I'd be a lot happier with Remembrance in general if it promoted the message that war is thoroughly pointless and destroys lives. Instead, it seems to celebrate the cult of the martyr.


What news story has caught your attention today.

Post 17292

Cheerful Dragon

I wouldn't describe any of the people who died in any war as 'martyrs'. Some were there because they felt they should fight, others were there because their government told them to fight. Remembrance Day and Armistice Day are there for us to remember the fallen, whether we agree with war or not. I don't, but I wear a poppy in recognition of those who died, and also for those who made it back but had their lives spoiled, if not ruined, by war. (My maternal grandfather was one of them.)

I agree that the gender issue doesn't apply with this particular Doodle, but I also feel that there are more Doodles celebrating men than women. Some of that may be because it's only comparatively recently that women's achievements have been seen as having equal merit to men's.


What news story has caught your attention today.

Post 17293

Icy North

The thing is to ask why you remember them. Were they brave or misguided? Traditional readings at the remembrance service are certainly in the former camp:

“When you go home tell them of us and say: for your tomorrow we gave our today.”

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.”

"If I should die, think only this of me;
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;"


What news story has caught your attention today.

Post 17294

Baron Grim

http://youtu.be/Cy0ABjAP0TI


What news story has caught your attention today.

Post 17295

Recumbentman

In defence of George Martin.

George was a brilliant producer, more than a 'novelty producer'. His recordings for the Goons were unprecedented and unemulated. As a child I admired their sound wizardry and was mildly surprised that no-one else was doing anything within a mile of that.

When the Beatles were introduced to George Martin, things were a little tense at first, till George Harrison defused the situation. Martin produced a mix, and asked "Is there anything you don't like?" Harrison said "I don't like your tie."

When the Beatles heard that Martin had done the Goons records, he was more than OK. They also appreciated the brilliance of those creations.

If there was anything that differentiated the Beatles from the crowd, it was their determination and ability to saturate audio tape. They covered all registers, from a lively bass line to the high backing vocals, with no pedestrian rubbish in the middle. John called himself "rhythm guitar" but he did a lot more than strumming.

George Martin added a lot to the mix too, most noticeably the Bachish keyboard solo in "In My Life". Worked perfectly, and didn't upstage or contradict the boys' style. But mainly his contribution was getting the balance right, which he did unfailingly. Every single Beatles recording has its own atmosphere, and could be identified by the sound of one or two seconds taken from any part of the song. He was also (I am guessing) probably deeply involved in the choice of which song should follow which on the albums; always flawless.

In 2006 George & Giles Martin collaborated on the Beatles "Love" Album, for the Cirque du Soleil show of that name. This was more than a compilation: they mixed songs from different years seamlessly to create a kaleidoscope of the essence of the Beatles' work. It amounted to an essay showing their matching and recurring images, and deserves a doctorate.

It also includes a string setting by George Martin for "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" that shows his complete understanding of and respect for the original. In recent years George has toured conducting orchestral Beatles concerts, but Giles has been the one who was more in charge, since George has become very deaf.

They deserve every penny they have earned from their work. Their collaboration was based on mutual respect and affection. George Martin said very early on that the reason he first took on the Beatles was not primarily their musical talent, but that they were great company to be around.

Heated enough? smiley - ok


What news story has caught your attention today.

Post 17296

quotes

While what's happened in Paris is truly horrible, another thing which I find very depressing is that the news will now be full of this for the foreseeable future. Clearly the terrorists commit atrocities for attention, so why give so much of it to them?


What news story has caught your attention today.

Post 17297

Superfrenchie

Because it sells.
Because a times like this, people are eager for information, so they'll publish everything and anything with or without verifying, so they'll be the ones getting all the clicks.

Just to be sure, here's a little reminder of what not to do :
http://www.onthemedia.org/story/breaking-news-consumers-handbook-pdf/


What news story has caught your attention today.

Post 17298

Tavaron da Quirm - Arts Editor

A more cheerful news at the bottom of the page: the German leader of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster was not allowed to wear a pirate hat on his passport photo. He went to court but they didn't let him. On the other hand an Austrian politician who sits in parliament was allowed to wear a pasta sieve on his passport photo.


What news story has caught your attention today.

Post 17299

Pastey

Lots of countries have a "no hats" rule for their passports, so I'm guessing it's down to how seriously different countries take particular religions.

As far as I'm concerned, as long as you can tell who it is from the photo it shouldn't matter what they're wearing.

I also hate the "no smiling" rule, makes everyone look miserable smiley - biggrin


What news story has caught your attention today.

Post 17300

You can call me TC

On British passports, it's even "no glasses".


Key: Complain about this post