Nice people thread part 6 - thrice by twice as nice :)

CKhalvashi

Nikkster wrote: »

I think hers would be the whole body (or at least torso). I'm sure she would like to have some music - I doubt there will be a pianist in the lobby if she does get a scan

I didn't get music when I had mine done

PasturesNew

When I was at school, end of summer term meant that you could just draw things for the day. Then you left and went home

I do remember my last day at primary school ... it was a sunny/dry day and once we were let out a handful of us went on the swings and sang Alice Cooper's new single School's Out. Then we went home.

How times have changed.... we didn't have special assemblies, or concerts, or events, or stuff... we just left.

LydiaJ

Thanks people, and especially lir for reminding me that safe can preclude exciting. Yes, I do agree that the world isn't safe, and that sooner or later children have to know that. But there's a difference between knowing that the world isn't always safe, and feeling that the world is fundamentally scary, and I think he's been on the wrong side of that line for a long time, which saddens me.

He asked me last week how I felt when I left primary school, and I had to say I didn't have to leave my primary school. It was the junior bit attached to a senior school, and the top year of the juniors didn't fit in the junior building so we were in a couple of rooms in the senior building and went to the senior assemblies. So there wasn't really any leaving to do when we moved up.

Anyway, it's over now. My "hardly needs any sleep" child slept for more than 12 hours and is now playing quietly on the computer by himself. He is still pretty subdued, but says he is mostly "sad about leaving", and only a little "upset about the limo thing". The other children enjoyed the experience, and DS wasn't made to do anything he didn't want to do. When he's ready, he'll start work on the video editing of the Leavers' Assembly, which is his thing, and will focus on him on something that was positive for him about it all.

Davesnave

PasturesNew wrote: »

When I was at school, end of summer term meant that you could just draw things for the day. Then you left and went home

How times have changed.... we didn't have special assemblies, or concerts, or events, or stuff... we just left.

Yes, but you didn't have SATS either and that 'meaningless' period after them.

I admit that before SATS we used to take the kids away for a week, so follow-up work to that used to fill some of the void before the summer hols. However, the summer Concert was an absolute gift when testing became established procedure, because the exam culture thing destroyed a real desire to push- on academically after May. Even induction days failed to fire-up the kids for any length of time.

Never a big fan of SATS, I always liked the last 2 months, as there's so much more to learning than the usual classroom routine.

Of course, it wasn't long before bridging units were invented, allegedly to take pupils forward into their secondary schools with an increased sense of academic purpose, but these totally failed to deliver while I was at the chalk face.

I still remember my induction to the grammar school. It was my parents driving me the 12 miles to look over the locked gate at the end of a very long drive. I could just make out the roof and part of the buildings that were to be my base for the next seven years.

And yes, it was every bit as intimidating and weird as my imagination made it, when I finally arrived there in September! :rotfl:

lostinrates

Stuck up a picture of the wreck progress elsewhere.

lostinrates

'my' little boy i take care of sometimes for his mother visited to day, he loves diggers and we took him round to see the digger. Nice builder was just LOVELY and let him sit on it and even move the bucket. Little boy was quiet, he always is, but as he left he waved to the house ' bye bye dig dig'. He sts in the dead car and the lawn mower so i think he was surprised that something works.

PasturesNew

lostinrates wrote: »

He sts in the dead car and the lawn mower so i think he was surprised that something works.

He probably tells his mates ... "mummy took me to the gypsy's scrap yard ..."

lemonjelly

Doozergirl wrote: »

You'd not have enjoyed the experience I had at Madame Tussauds involving an actor pretending to be a waxwork at very close proximity, then. I wish I'd kicked that man where it hurt. If I had an the Police had been called, I'm sure I'd have been able to plead self-defence.

Where is NDG? Has she checked in at all this year?

The same happened to the person in front of me at the london dungeons. Funny (except for them!):D

lemonjelly

vivatifosi wrote: »

I am a total scaredycat. I don't know why I did it, but I once went to the Halloween party at Universal Studios. First you smelled the petrol, then you heard the chainsaw. Then some nutter chased you round the garden wearing a mask. I still have petrol-smell related nightmares several years later. Never again!

That is both hilarious & brilliant. Again, with the proviso it happened to someone else...;)

lemonjelly

Finally got round to reviewing what I've read over the past 6-8 months, so here you go (in chronological order), lucky people:

[URL="[URL]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Executioner-Chronicles-James-Victorian-Hangman/dp/0750934085/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342725276&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Executioner-Chronicles-James-Victorian-Hangman/dp/0750934085/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342725276&sr=1-1[/URL[/URL]]
Biography of James Berry, hangman in Victorian times. Decent read. Berry is famous for hanging the man they couldn't hang (or not, as the case may be). Berry also claimed to have been the person who hung Jack the Ripper - believing wife killer William Bury to have been JtR.
Which lead me nicely on to:

[URL="[URL]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jack-Ripper-Unmasked-William-Beadle/dp/1844549658/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342725504&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jack-Ripper-Unmasked-William-Beadle/dp/1844549658/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342725504&sr=1-1[/URL[/URL]]
William Beadles 2nd book putting forward his case for William Bury as being Jack the Ripper. A good read (Bury is a decent suspect imo) & this book, like E Macpherson's book on Bury makes a few links between Bury & Wolverhampton too. Overall, preferred Macphersons' book though.

[URL="[URL]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bad-Science-Ben-Goldacre/dp/000728487X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342725680&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bad-Science-Ben-Goldacre/dp/000728487X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342725680&sr=1-1[/URL[/URL]]
Goldacre's lambasting about poor science (or more, poor journalism of science) & the implications of peoples misunderstandings/misconceptions of science, & associated moral panics. Goldacre goes to some length to demolish suggestions around the MMR scare, & other associated health scares. His passion for the subject comes across!
I then read a 10 book series of mini books (actually, in a way they are glorified magazines with ISBN numbers) of Ripper Notes, a specialist publication for those with an interest in the Jack the Ripper case. These were'nt as good as I hoped they could be. Some interesting facts in amongst them, however all too often I felt the essays contained had little, or at best a tenuous connection with the Ripper crimes.
Then, in line with the economy I read:

[URL="[URL]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Whoops-Why-everyone-owes-one/dp/014104571X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342726016&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Whoops-Why-everyone-owes-one/dp/014104571X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342726016&sr=1-1[/URL[/URL]]
Great book this. Readily accessible discussion & examination of the financial world, & how it developed culminating in the GFC occurring in 2008. Very readable. Very informative. Very enlightening.

[URL="[URL]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Bad-Multiplex-Mark-Kermode/dp/1847946038/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342726199&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Bad-Multiplex-Mark-Kermode/dp/1847946038/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342726199&sr=1-1[/URL[/URL]]
Kermodes' second book, & in my view, vastly superior to his first (the very enjoyable It's Only A Movie). In this book, Kermode lets loose to explain this issues facing modern cinema's & the film industry. Anyone who loves film should read this book. It talks about 3D films, abominations such as transformers, digitalisation, poor focus & alignment of projectors, why popcorn should be banned, and so much more.

[URL="[URL]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Patrick-Hughes-Perverspective-John-Slyce/dp/1873362862/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342726479&sr=1-2"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Patrick-Hughes-Perverspective-John-Slyce/dp/1873362862/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342726479&sr=1-2[/URL[/URL]]
John Slyce's review of Patrick Hughes' artistic output & life.

[URL="[URL]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Predictably-Irrational-Hidden-Forces-Decisions/dp/0007256531/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342726601&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Predictably-Irrational-Hidden-Forces-Decisions/dp/0007256531/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342726601&sr=1-1[/URL[/URL]]
Dan Arieley's first book. Admittedly I read this after reading The Upside of Irrationality a year or so ago, which imo was a better & more informative book. Arieley's brand of behavioural economics, & how this affects our decision making is enlightening & on occasion very suprising - yet bizzarrely logical at times...

[URL="[URL]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Atheists-Guide-Christmas-Various/dp/0007389825/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342726797&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Atheists-Guide-Christmas-Various/dp/0007389825/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342726797&sr=1-1[/URL[/URL]]
Bought & read around christmas - logically enough. A fun book. Not exactly atheistical, but looks greatly at christmas memories, things that make christmas, other relgions views on christmas & how to celebrate/not celebrate it. Derren Brown's "On Kindness" in this book is simply an awesome piece of work.

[URL="[URL]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Flat-Earth-News-Award-winning-Distortion/dp/0099512688/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342727058&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Flat-Earth-News-Award-winning-Distortion/dp/0099512688/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342727058&sr=1-1[/URL[/URL]]
Anyone who has been watching events in the Levenson enquiry, or who has an interest in reading accurate journalism should read this book. A fascinating examination of how the journalistic world has been drastically altered for the worse ever since the 70's (or even earlier). Whilst the E&S hasn't a great deal of kudos on here from posters, reading this did give me cause to pause & have some consideration as to why certain reporters are percieved how they are nowadys.

[URL="[URL]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Patrick-Hughes-Write-Collected-Writings/dp/1906412154/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342727350&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Patrick-Hughes-Write-Collected-Writings/dp/1906412154/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342727350&sr=1-1[/URL[/URL]]
Though Patrick Hughes is an awesome artist, he is also a greta writer. This book is a collection of almost all his published writings, essays and so on. Included is a section of interviews, and also the collected works of Murray MacDonald (Hughes' pseudonym which he used when writing usually about his own work). Awesome stuff for a Hughes fan. Have to say the Murray MacDonald section was my favourite.

[URL="[URL]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ripper-Scotland-Yards-Prime-Suspect/dp/0470938994/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342727554&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ripper-Scotland-Yards-Prime-Suspect/dp/0470938994/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342727554&sr=1-1[/URL[/URL]]
Rob House's book on Aaron Kosminski - one of Macnaughten's famous 3 suspects, and also allegedly Sir Robert Anderson's favoured suspect (according to Donald Swanson). I knew very little of Kosminski prior to reading this new book - mainly of very new & previously unpublished research which highlighted much of Kosminski's life, potential occupation(s) & addresses around 1888, & examines his viability as a suspect. In the field of which this book belongs, essential reading.

[URL="[URL]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Physics-Star-Trek-Lawrence-Krauss/dp/0006550428/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342727821&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Physics-Star-Trek-Lawrence-Krauss/dp/0006550428/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342727821&sr=1-1[/URL[/URL]]
Nerd !!!!!! - almost. Not quite in a Higgs Boson linda way, but interesting to look at the actual physics wise possibilities of transporters, warp speed, dilithium crystals & what not. Not the most exciting read though - very dry.

[URL="[URL]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Business-Iain-Banks/dp/0349112452/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342727984&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Business-Iain-Banks/dp/0349112452/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342727984&sr=1-1[/URL[/URL]]
As may be clear from previous postings, I don't read anywhere near enough fiction. I've never been the hugest fantasy/sci-fi fan, but I have enjoyed dipping into Banks' non sci-fi books. This one about a huge nameless faceless multi national style organisation which is esentially manipulating its way towards buying & owning its own country, & the role(s) of specific individuals on this route, & how they are affected/torn in different directions. An interesting moralistic tale.

[URL="[URL]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultimate-Book-Heroic-Failures/dp/0571277284/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342728210&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultimate-Book-Heroic-Failures/dp/0571277284/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342728210&sr=1-1[/URL[/URL]]
I had The Book of Heroic Failures as a kid. Loved it. This timely update by Mr Pile reminds us being a complete failure can still mean you're a success...Hilarious