Half a percent

"And tonight I will be playing the part of a Quaker Buddhist Anglo-Catholic Agnostic . . ."

". . . and I will be playing an evolutionary biologist with laryngitis."

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In other news, the plan for the Cowgate fire site has finally been revealed. I don't know yet if it's shite, but it wouldn't be unprecedented. At least they won't be levelling existing stuff to build on top of this time.

1: And he wasn't the only one - an atheist in the audience pointed out during questions that she could agree with everything Holloway had said - "join us" he replied.

1. I saw a deer on the verge of the M8 on Friday, only a few hundred yards from the Edinburgh bypass. And there was one in Glasgow yesterday, west of the Easterhouse exit. I'm told they hang around Colinton, but I've never seen wild deer so close to the city before.

2. No Crimea today. Apparently they couldn't get permission, but still hope to at some point. No Tyninghame picnic yesterday, either - my own bed is too precious to me at the moment.

3. So what do you get when you take archive footage of 80s teleevangelist Robert Tilton (he of the odd tics and already the star, let us not forget, of CopShootCop's excellent "Robert Tilton Handjob") and dub in extraneous noises at inopportune moments? Well, you get the Farting Preacher, of course - now available in five juicy courses.

4. While we're on the subject of streamed video, apparently not all of my friends have seen the film of Hurrah Torpedo's astounding epic performance of "Total Eclipse of the Heart". I can only suggest that if this includes you, then you should go and correct this forthwith.

5. The BBC had an interesting time making a documentary about everyone's favourite nut cult. It's on on Monday, and may very well be worth watching.

Karen Armstrong's back in the Grauniad today :

During the 20th century, a militant piety erupted in almost every major world faith( Read more... )

In other news, I went to see a film last night with assorted friends - RLex, Lara, Seth, Crash & Judith - with thanks to the last (two?) for dinner. It was a film with boats in, which I rather enjoyed. Turner senior and Jones were both excellent, and it definitely has the silliest swordfight ever committed to celluloid. The Errol Flynn references in the fights scenes generally were rather fun too, but not as good as the Jules Verne joke, which is a hoot. Considerable liberties are also taken with the Flying Dutchman story and the "dead man's chest" itself. It started off a bit lumpenly, but warmed up a enough before long. Depp didn't seem to be playing things as remorselessly for laughs. Maybe this reflects him having the studio (Oh God, I went to see a Disney film . . . ) on his side after the success of the first. Not going to hit my top ten, but a good laugh. I'm looking forward to seeing Keef in the third.

I did, as predicted, start sniggering when Port Royal came into shot. There's a view here illustrating the lack of hills for at least ten miles, as well as some history and information on recent submarine archaeology of the site. Worth a look regardless, in fact.