Month: March 2015

Family visit to see Selma

A very early(midday) trip to the cinema for family (including Swen) fun and apparently an education session for Isaac. He is studying the American civil rights  in history currently. Off to the Lighthouse in Petone into the cinema not much bigger than our lounge.

A good film, fine performances and instructive to have  the violence depicted to convey the reality that people fighting for their rights does not just involve talking and verbal discussion. Fear and physical risk is involved as well as the psychological humiliation that pervades racist attitudes.

Everyone enjoyed the film; the usual suspects cried.

As commented afterwards, is there racist irony in the fact that the lead did not get at least a nomination for the best actor at the Oscars?images imgres

 

Ace driver

Congratulations to Joe as he passed his full driving test today.
Wonderful news and good for him to have his success.
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Driving Instructor

Back on the the teaching trail for dad.

 

Eleanor has decided that learning to drive is actually necessary and that the restricted license needs to be had by the end of the year. Swen is smiling at the reality that he does not have to be the teacher.

 

So today was day 2 of the regimen, our first trip to Ian Galloway Park.

 

A day of clutch control and getting into second gear in the racy Fiat Punto.

 

 

Trip to the Cinema

The French film festival has hit Wellington. We booked to see two films, the first of which was last night. Une Nouvelle Amie came with a good intro and appeared to have potential. However, it fell extremely flat with me and Shaz.

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The premise is that a newly widowed man is a transvestite and his behaviour is re-ignited by the death of his wife and his wife’s best friend becomes part of this world. The film did not really seem to know what it was portraying and came over as ridiculous and farcical with the twists and turns of what was happening. So 0/5 for that one.

Before that we had been to see Salt of the Earth a documentary of a Brazilian photographer , Sebastião Salgado, who is a renowned for his social documentary work and later natural work. It was very good but unlike EQ and Swen we did not cry at the images of human misery that he documented around the world: Rwanda, Ethiopia and the former Yugoslavia.

We are maybe just too hardened by history and work to be affected in the same way now. The beauty of youth and the progression of aging?

 

 

Don Quixote in Wellington

EQ and I continued our interest in the ballet.
She has recently returned to the dancing world after a couple years off; both for the activity, the enjoyment and the completion of her exam sequence as she has one  more to complete.

Anyway- St. James theatre. The New Zealand ballet put on a ballet that(as usual) we had not seen. In fact we went in knowing nothing of the story but it it was simple to follow and enjoyable to watch. The music was a simple accompaniment rather than a real treat in itself as with some ballets. The costumes were bright, the set good and a simple humour about it. The delivery was slapstick in parts and quite camp in others.

The group dancing was well done. The individual performances were good even if a little formulaic in the way they were squeezed into the story line at time.

A positive review too.

Overall a good experience and a lovely evening with one’s daughter.

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Cricket Part II

Yesterday was another trip to the Cake Tin in the beautiful Wellington weather, this time to watch England take on Sri Lanka. I went with Joe and Eleanor and Swen came along too-thanks to the free tickers supplied by Mark Wotherspoon.

 

The match did not go England’s way. Soundly beaten as their bowels did not at all limit the Sri Lankan batmen who reached the target of 310 with 1 wicket down.

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Nobody cares about their online privacy… until it’s gone | Comment is free | The Guardian

Nobody cares about their online privacy… until it’s gone | Comment is free | The Guardian.

 

I read John Naughton’s blog and column regularly and always enjoy his thoughts and his links to other writers.

Regarding the whole provicy issue and the mantra of the powerful “if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to worry about”. I like the following:

In that sense, they (Rifkind and Straw) are in the same boat as most citizens. We all do harmless or foolish things that we nevertheless regard as private matters that are none of the government’s (or anybody else’s) business. That’s what privacy is all about.