It's Mr Lava Lava (Review: 'Star Trek' 3.22, "The Savage Curtain")

I'd make a "four score" joke, but this is actually episode 77 of 79; TOS not quite reaching the 80 episode mark.

In any event, I got a feeling this was going to be a weird one just from the description on Netflix... 

Israel vs. Iran

It's been rather a long-time coming. I blogged out a playthrough of a game on this scenario that came out in 2010 and I ran an award-winning RP that had it happen in 2015.

In any event, the Israelis have decided that the best way to deal with someone you feel wants to kill you is to kill them first, hence they have launched this massive attack on Iran.

Things though are very different than they were in 2015. Syria is no longer under the reign of Assad. Saudi Arabia was on the brink of normalising relations with Israel before October 7 happened. Hezbollah and Hamas are a shadow of their former selves. While Israel's missile defence system is blunting Houthi attacks. They already damaged a lot of the Iranian air defence capability last year during their previous round.

Iran's options are now limited to trying to wreak havoc on the Straits of Hormuz, something the US and GCC will not stand for, even if Donald Trump is not really keen on major foreign wars - he's more a fan of beating on brown-skinned immigrants who aren't actually doing any real harm.

I feel sorry for the Iranian civilians who are likely to get caught this by virtue of being in the wrong place at the wrong time - or related to the wrong people. Also the conscripts who will be killed as a result of this.

Perhaps this could have been avoided, but Netanyahu wants his grand victory. 

Let's hope something better emerges out of all this.

Massive Dynamic Risk Assessment, or a lack thereof (Review: 'Fringe' 1.15, "Inner Child")

Stop me if you've heard this one before...

Frederick Forsyth 1938-2025

Frederick Forsyth is one of the authors that has definitely influenced me in my own writing, with a strong eye for technical detail and the sort of knowledge only gained from actual experience; he did stuff that quite literally risked his life in the name of research. Also, his stuff is a cracking good read; I re-read The Day of the Jackal when the TV series came out and it holds up very well.

(I have strong memories of following the Jackal's journey through a 1982 European road atlas I happen to have access to)

Definitely a legend in his profession - we will not see his like again, I'd say, at least not for a while.

Israel is seeking to ethnically cleanse Gaza

They may not want to kill all the Palestinians there, but they certainly want them to go somewhere else. That is a crime regardless of how many of them supported or support Hamas.

It is past time for targeted economic sanctions and a suspension of arms sales.

Cloud District Nine (Review: 'Star Trek' 3.21, "The Cloud Minders")

Only four episodes left of this to go. I'll likely move to a whole season review system for the other Trek shows once this is done - a paragraph for each episode, basically.

There has been some comments on science fiction being "woke" recently, with counterpoints that it has always been "woke", especially Star Trek. This is true, but sometimes the political element is more obvious than in other episodes. This one is a particular example.

Shave and a haircut, two naira! (Review: 'Doctor Who', "The Story & the Engine")

That would be a spectacularly cheap haircut considering the current exchange rate.

80 years since VE Day

I found myself wondering earlier this week if the people who fought Hitler should even have bothered, looking at the state of the world. Some people with distinctly fascist inclinations will celebrating the triumph over fascism, devoid of any sense of irony at their actions. It also definitely feels that we are seeing a return of beliefs we'd hoped were on the way out, especially among the young, where Holocaust denial and antisemitism are becoming unpleasantly common. 

We are seeing Israel now very much the abuser; they may not be the modern Nazis, but they are definitely not a beacon for good in this world and I would support their banning from Eurovision. Russia - well, there is something deeply rotten there - and I hope their war machine collapses first to avoid Ukraine having to make some deeply unpleasant choices. Then there is the electoral success of Reform in the UK.

It's not like we even saved Poland by declaring war in 1939 - it still ended up losing a sixth of its population and became a communist state for over forty years; countries that appeased Hitler or quickly acquiesced actually fared better in many regards.

Yet, what would have happened if we had left Hitler to carry in 1939? He would have probably gone after the Soviet Union eventually, with a plan to basically destroy the Slavic peoples in the name of living space. Perhaps the Soviet Union would have stopped him, but it would have been at an even bigger price and then likely left Europe in an even worse state than it was in 1945.

Resistance against evil is not an easy choice. Sometimes you have to take difficult decisions and pick your battles carefully to avoid hurting the people you are trying to protect. Bullies don't always run away when someone stands up against them, sometimes they will go after you or others as a gesture to keep people afraid and protect their fragile egos. It will definitely not be stress-free either.

Even defeating Hitler required the deaths of millions of Allied soldiers and the destruction of many of Germany's urban areas, with the survivors on all sides carrying the horror to the end of their days.

What gives me hope is that we are not going gently into the good night with democracy; there is considerable pushback against Trump, whose popularity has slumped. Poland chucked out its authoritarian-inclined government and Hungary might well do the same. Canada and Australia have definitely rejected Trumpism. Reform will hopefully prove themselves an utter clown show in local government and hurt their general election chances.

However, the fight will not be easy and it may well get bloody. I just hope the fight is short and as painless as possible, because while war might be necessary, it should be a last resort. 

We can also not defeat these people by stooping to their level, be it by fake news or outright murder. We can and must offer a better way, because otherwise we're just replacing one bad system with another. Let us persuade with love, not hate, as Jesus did.

To those who have gone on and those who are left, thank you for your sacrifice. Hopefully we can still honour you.

Woke? Most definitely. That's a good thing too. (Review: 'Doctor Who', "Lucky Day")

I was tempted to call Ruby Sunday a Wish.com Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but that's really not fair.

Not quite a damp Squid (Review: 'Genius Game' 1.1)

Don't mind me, I'm just here for David Tennant...

Well? That was rather good (Review: 'Doctor Who', "The Well")

In case you're wondering, which you probably aren't, I do these posts after I've watched the show, but before I've had the time to go on the forums and discuss the show in further depth.

I get the feeling this one will be quite popular though.

Pope Francis 1936-2025

I think the main thing that will stand out for me about the late Pope, who died this morning, is his humility. He lived in the papal guest house, not the palace. His coffin will be a simple one, not the three-layered one of his predecessors. He very much shunned the grandeur that many of his predecessors had, continuing the practice of John Paul II.

He was a passionate advocate for the poor and downtrodden. I imagine he would have dressed down the US Vice-President himself about the treatment of undocumented migrants if he had been able to do so.

He could have gone further on some issues like contraception, but he has very much changed the Catholic Church for the better.

I hope that one day he will be known as Pope Francis I, with others taking the Francis regnal name.

Rest in Peace.

Easter 2025

I was thinking about Pontius Pilate when doing my nightly Bible reading a couple of days. How he was basically a morally corrupt politician, willing to murder an innocent man to maintain his popularity and prevent problems that could bring down the wrath of his superiors on him.

Unfortunately, we have plenty of Pilates in the modern world. I can think of one leader of a major state in the Western Hemisphere that I could arguably apply that label to, not to mention one in the Eastern Hemisphere. I think it will be obvious which ones I am talking about.

Jesus was crucified as it was politically convenient to remove someone who challenged the wealth and power of those at the top of society. But that was not the end of the story and he rose again to clear the way for us to go to heaven.

One day he will return and all the Pilates will be held to account. Presidents and Kings should be warned of this, because one day there will be justice for all.

Happy Easter!

Getting a bit cartoonish (Review: 'Doctor Who', "Lux")

 Keeping this one short and sweet. Partly like a certain character in this. Partly.

Well, at least she's not LINDA (Review: 'Doctor Who', "The Robot Revolution")

I realised that I didn't actually do a review for "Joy to the World". Not that it really matters.

This may well be the last season of Doctor Who we get for a good while; Disney has yet to make a decision on funding further seasons and even if they greenlight more episodes, it will be unlikely we'll get anything before 2027.

Spoilers after the cut.

It's all Greco-Roman to me (Review: 'O'Dessa', 2025)

I would like to apologise to the people on the District Line at my out-loud reaction to one particular moment in this movie. Sorry for the audible reaction. I will try not to do it again.

20 years since the return of Doctor Who

I am pretty sure that I did not imagine, when I sat down to watch "Rose" a few days after it aired (I was on holiday at the time) that the show would still be going 20 years later, with I believe 188 episodes having aired since then, not counting Children in Need stuff.

It's been through some good times, it's been through some bad times. We've got a critical new season ahead of us that will probably make the difference between the show carrying on for a few more years and a quick end; Disney will want some good ratings for their money.

But at least we have it. At the moment, many of us really need some form of distraction from the darkness seemingly coming back in much of the world.

Happy anniversary!

Capital Ring Section 1

 

Having completed the London Loop last year (see my previous posts), I am now moving onto the Capital Ring, another "circular" footpath that covers inner London.

This has a lot more tower blocks and a lot fewer cows, but the views can still be very good on a clear day - I did this on Thursday 20 March, the first warm day we've had all year.

I've also made an investment in my walking; as easy access to various bits of equipment is handy in this, I acquired an old crime scene investigator vest from a military surplus place near where I live. It also has an inbuilt hood, although I didn't need it.

Section 1 starts from the southern end of the Woolwich foot tunnel, then after a while beside the Thames, heads south/south-east, going through three parks, Woolwich Common and four woods stopping just over the A2.

Counting the station links, it's about 7.2 miles, although I might have done a bit more due to wrong turnings.

Much of the route is on pavement or properly surfaced paths, although it gets bit more unsurfaced near the end. Even for a Thursday, there were plenty of people about, including dog walkers; you're definitely not in the sticks like with much of the London Loop. There's even a somewhat pongy industrial estate once you come off the river; I don't know how many of those I'll encounter on my way.

One notable area on the walk is Severndroog Castle, a Gothic "folly" on Shooter's Hill, built in memory of a British admiral of the East India Company who won a victory for them against the Maratha Navy in 1756. There is a viewing platform, but it's only open on Sundays.

It took 3 hours and 21 minutes to do the lot, including a break for lunch at a small café in Charlton Park. Pretty easy going, the good weather helping even if it meant I got a bit sweaty... which is kind of the point, as I am doing this to help keep myself in trim.

I might do Section 2 on Good Friday or Easter Monday; other things depending. But I will definitely be doing it.

Don't mind me, I'm just here for Jemma Simmons (Review: 'Mystery Island', 2023)

Well, there are worse ways to keep your SAG-AFTRA health insurance.

Gaza: Here we go again

There are sensible solutions to the Israel-Palestine situation. Unfortunately, there are few sensible people on any position of political power in the region.

It is clear that Israel never intended to proceed to stage two of the ceasefire; withdrawing from Gaza is a security gamble for them and in any event, Netanyahu is completely opposed to any Palestinian state. So is the US, with Donald Trump's crime against humanity that would be the Gaza Plan being seemingly official policy for both that country and Israel. Israel has also blocked all aid to Gaza, itself a war crime. Soon hunger is going to become a serious problem for that territory and you can hardly put bread in a rocket, can you? Israel cannot ultimately defeat the Palestinians without a huge number of deaths, some of which will be on its own side and becoming a pariah state.

Hamas is refusing to release the hostages because it is using them as leverage to prevent further Israeli attacks... which is causing further Israeli attacks. They seem to bent on fighting a war that is frankly unwinnable and they should never have started in the first place. They're not firing rockets at this stage - one wonders how many they actually have left.

The Palestinian Authority is worse than useless - not trusted by either Hamas or Israel.

So, the hostages remain in place. Possibly only 24 are alive. How many will survive this next stage? Indeed, how many Gazans will be alive?