redfiona99

Healthcare:

The woman helping Mongolians die with dignity - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-40262012

Miscellaneous:

Yoga: How did it conquer the world and what's changed? - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-40354525

Pesto excluded from liquid ban by Italian airport - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-40365686 This makes sense. From personal experience, do not get between the Genoese and their pesto.

Honorary degree for M*A*S*H actor Alan Alda - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-40353978 From 2017

Australia's obsession with 'big things' - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-39299855

Missing babies: Israel's Yemenite children affair - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-40342143

Queen's Speech 2017: Lettings fees to be banned - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40354019 As expected, this has just been passed on to the tenants.

Daughter of first baby born on Loganair plane now cabin crew - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-40342666

Music industry:

Festivals dominated by male acts, study shows, as Glastonbury begins - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-40273193

News:

Single parents win benefits cap High Court challenge - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40367686 From 2017

'I thought I was going to die': Jailed and ransomed in Libya - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-40353265

Politics:

The triumph that wasn't - Theresa May and the general election gamble that failed - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/General_election From the 2017 election

Science:

Why suitcases rock and fall over - puzzle solved - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-40346519

Sport:

Floyd Mayweather v Conor McGregor: Can Crumlin ABC spirit claim Las Vegas bout? - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/40361031

Football:

Bayern Munich replace English fan's 21-year-old mug - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40348557 They're only evil most of the time.

Wrestling:

Injured off-duty London Bridge police officer gets WWE belt from wrestler Triple H - http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/40352290/injured-off-duty-london-bridge-police-officer-gets-wwe-belt-from-wrestler-triple-h From 2017. Other people who are only evil most of the time.

Data Journalism Type Stuff:

Hacking the world’s most complex election system: part 1 - http://schoolofdata.org/2014/08/22/hacking-the-worlds-most-complex-election-system-part-1/
I suspect this might be of interest to nwhyte as it's about the Bosnian election system.

Seven Ways To Create A Storymap - http://schoolofdata.org/2014/08/25/seven-ways-to-create-a-storymap/

Miscellaneous:

A map of every death on every road in Great Britain 1999-2010http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15975720
Morbid but interesting.

Disability and the Japanese art of mastering chopsticks - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-ouch-28646082

Artist attempts to create most frustrating products imaginable - http://imgur.com/gallery/rCcU6

Some French Parkourists recreating Assassin's Creed around Paris - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8b1zWOgOKA
Unfeasably awesome.

Science:
The man who helped save 50 million lives - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-28564607
A brief history of the oral re-hydration therapy that saves millions.

Silicon: After the chip, another revolution? - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28600802 Actually a history of the human uses of silicon.

Death By Cardio - http://www.fitocracy.com/knowledge/death-by-cardio-and-the-fortress-of-solitude/?utm_source=Fitocracy+Users&utm_campaign=f133a25ff8-Content_Death_by_cardio_08_16_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c1f25ec28f-f133a25ff8-242428009

Ignore the title and the bit about cardio and read the bit about the frustrations scientists feel when they come up against pseudo-science. Never have truer words been written.

Sports:

Rwandan teenagers cycling out of poverty - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/28826059

What different methods have managers adopted to get their players up to speed for the new season? BBC Sport consulted five seasoned pros, past and present, to discover some of the more unorthodox ones, and also what constituted their 'nightmare' pre-season routine. - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28589313

Wrestling:

Diva Dish With Celeste – How The Life Of A WWE Diva Is Truly The Definition Of Glamour - http://www.pwmania.com/diva-dish-with-celeste-how-the-life-of-a-wwe-diva-is-truly-the-definition-of-glamour#ixzz3BX67OSLL
As written by the diva formerly known as Kaitlyn, who writes well. Please can we keep her :)

LJ ate this the last time I tried to post it.

I didn't catch much wrestling over the Christmas break, and most of what I did see was NXT. However a few things did come over.

1 - When did Heath Slater morph into Tim Minchin? ( Evidence below )

2 - The WWE have finally found a foreign heel I will willingly boo just because he's foreign. Antonio Cesaro being Swiss aids him enormously in this :)

3 - Several of the NXTies looked familiar, and thanks to googling (all hail Google), I realise it's because they were the indie darlings of my youth. I have no idea who the indie darlings of now are, but it's nice to see the last batch doing well. Now if only several of them didn't have forgettable gimmicks and or forgettable names. The commentator also sounds vaguely familiar :)

4 - The joke about them only doing stuff with Kane when I'm not watching still holds true.

5 - I love the Rhodes Scholars more than should be possible. See also Dolph Ziggler.

6 - I would like to see more of Tamina Snuka murderising everyone. I have simple tastes.

In other news that will amuse only a few people, ( TNA spoilers )

On to WWE, where what I have to say is not spoilery.

Mason Ryan needs to check his roots. It become readily apparent that if he isn't dyed to look like Batista v2, he would look like a bigger Heath Slater.

Why is Yoshi Tatsu not master of all that he surveys?
~~~~

Not directly related, but one of the darts players comes out to HHH's music. Most bizarre sporting cross over ever (unless one of the figure skaters decides to skate to the Undertaker's entrance music).

The links are mostly for Opera but if anyone else is interested:

http://lj-toys.com/?auth_token=sessionless%3A1299960000%3Aembedcontent%3A5331664%2650%26%3Afba583eac4e0206bc6581ec318e58d14901db7e4&moduleid=50&preview=&journalid=5331664

Game of Thrones trailer.

It ate another of those actors I like far, far too much, Nikolas Coster-Waldau.

The whole things looks like someone went, 'What does Red want out of a cod-medieval fantasy?' and then made it. Sean Bean, Aiden Gillen, Nikolas Coster-Waldau and Harry Lloyd!!!

Wade Barrett being adorable on UK TV which I somehow missed despite it being my local news area - http://lj-toys.com/?auth_token=sessionless%3A1299960000%3Aembedcontent%3A1121995%2660%26%3Afe8274e235b37048edb21c8851d27475c3f87999&moduleid=60&preview=&journalid=1121995

~~~~

As for the wrestling, I saw the last hour of Smackdown last night. No spoilers, but Drew McIntyre vs Rey Mysterio was good fun, and I have no idea when Cody Rhodes started being interesting, but he did. I am far, far too psyched for Sin Cara's debut.

Brodus Clay reminds me of someone but I can't think who. The tiny black singlet does not work on him.

They also need to change the graphic for the HHH vs Undertaker 'Mania match. HHH is doing his best 'I am glowering and angry' while 'Taker's look is less terrifying and more 'boy, you have done something so stupid that I am not angry, I am confused'. It's not a good look.

Wrestling

I was in the middle of writing something about how the only wrestling matches that I seem to able to enjoy at the minute seem to feature William Regal or Doug Williams, and then Superstars gave me Regal v David Hart-Smith, which was deeply pleasing and actually quite beautiful.

BTW, am I supposed to be scared of Tyler Rex's terrible dreads?

Meme Answers

saruwatari asked for my thoughts on ( Elrond )

Film Meme - Day 12 - A film that permanently altered your point-of-view

This one's a difficult one because I can't think of one. The nearest I can think of is 'My Fair Lady', not because it changed the way I think, but it phrased it rather nicely, because I do think you should treat people equally, and I would far rather treat everyone like a duchess rather than as flower-girls.

This is not an excuse to show clips from this, I swear. The section of interest is from about 3.20 to 5.40.



( The Other Days )

Which means I got to watch wrestling, which I enjoyed greatly. I don't know if it's because I don't get to see it that often that I appreciate it more or what, but it was such fun. All the wrestling was from before No Mercy. I got to watch ( ECW ) and ( Smackdown. )

Then I went fencing on Sunday.

A particular female fencer who can't stand my reffing once again denuded me of the responsibility. Can't say I minded. She minded when I then beat her 5-3 in the pool. Which was deeply unexpected, and deeply enjoyable particularly when she looked so confused and frantic at this nobody beating her. My joys, they are small. She even asked the ref to test her foil because she had to have hit me on one occasion (She did, btw, just not with any force or penetration). Sadly didn't get her again in my knock out, and ended up 6th. Bah!

SD

- Some of the suplexes the Benoit did in his match were beautiful.
- Sylvain. Maybe not for long, but Sylvain.

ECW

- It disturbs me that when Dupree comes out and does his blatently heel spiel, that I know I'm supposed to boo and hiss at, I find myself nodding and agreeing. And that this nodding has nothing to do with it being Rene, heck even Cena could say it and I'd be nodding and agreeing.

- Long hair suits Dupree though, it makes him look slightly older and less fresh-faced.

- In following to that previous thought, damn me if Dupree isn't the only guy on any show that comes close to being as attractive as Sylvain.

- Interestingly, I think ECW had the best wrestling of the shows I've seen.

RAW

- Mickie James's punches are actually possibly worse than Lita's. This depresses me. Victoria getting a push, on the other hand, makes me very happy.

Sorry to anyone I have annoyed recently, I've only just realised, and apologies for the TMI, I was all pre-menstrual and therefore more than slightly tetchy.

However since WWE wrestling seems to be determined to make me more techy I thought I might as well rant.

There are three things I like above all others in wrestling. They are cruiserweight/X-division/light-heavyweight wrestling, women's wrestling and tag team wrestling.

WWE right now provides one of those, and that's only when it feels like showing the cruiserweights. I can't get SD at the moment (no fault of the WWE's it's due to bloody Colin) so I have to rely on TNA for my fix.

Someone needs to tell them that La Resistance, the Bashams and whatever made up tag teams they've got to face them this week do not two tag team divisions make. Where have all the tag teams gone? I seem to recall that WWE used to be almost drowning in tag teams. Once again, I am forced to rely on TNA for that fix.

And now that WWE seems to have decided that its womens wrestling division, as opposed to it's womens t 'n' a division, is surplus to requirements. I can't fall back on TNA because TNA doesn't have a women's division either. So where the hell am I supposed to go for my women's wrestling fix?! I can't really watch Japanese women's wrestling, unless it's been subbed or dubbed because my Japanese extends to the numbers 1-10, hello and goodbye and weapon names. And before someone says sit back enjoy the wrestling don't worry about the noise, I quite like the noise, or at least I like to know why woman 1 is wrestling woman 2.

Anyway that all made sense, kind of, so now on to the random bitchiness, catty and petty though it be
- I am not one for being mean about the looks of other women, it's a solidarity thing, but two of the new t'n'a blondes on Smackdown are fugly. And I mean fugly, painful to look at, dogs, mingers, should audition for the ugly step-sisters in Cinderella. Since they are there merely too look good, I feel I have a right to complain.

- on a similar but unrelated tip - Jake Gyllenhall is not attractive or good looking. He has a weird chin.
Also unspeakably unattractive is Dominic Monaghan. Look at him, he has sticky out ears, a pushed in nose and bad teeth - he is a terrier-pug cross in human form. 9/10ths of these girls that are ga-ga over him would ignore his veritable double if they met him in the streets.

Things that confuse me-
Chris Candido in the X-division. I realise it's not about weight limits, it's about no limits but he's always stuck me as being a heavyweight rather than a cruiserweight.

Actually about that, how did the alliance with the Naturals come about?

May I say how glad I am to see the Naturals back. I really do like them for all that I merrily boo the heck out of them. And as an AMW fan I'm worried because they're the one tag team that I don't think my boys can beat.

Pick five fandoms. List for each of them:

1. The first character you first fell in love with
2. The character you never expected to love as much as you do now
3. The character everyone else loves that you don't
4. The character you love that everyone else hates
5. The character you used to love but don't any longer

Don't have time to do all five right now so I shall start with WWE wrestling.

>>1. The first character you first fell in love with<<

Kane. I blame the big red machine for the whole wrestling love. (Well, him, Lita, Chyna and Essa Rios) Basically cousin Phil was watching it and I became intrigued by who the tall red person was because he always looked so sad, even with the mask on. So I found myself cheering for him 'cause I just wanted him to feel better and be happy.

>>2. The character you never expected to love as much as you do now<<

Chris Benoit. I mean I always liked him because when I first watched he put the Rock in the Crippler Crossface and that made me very happy. So I liked him but I never expected it to grow into the full blown 'I don't care what else happens at WM as long as Benoit wins' kind of adoration.

>>3. The character everyone else loves that you don't<<

Austin. I mean I dig that he's cool and whatnot, I just don't like him. I have the same problem with the Rock.

>>4. The character you love that everyone else hates<<

Um Kane. Really, I mean the present storyline is sucktacular beyond belief but I don't see why people hate him.

>>5. The character you used to love but don't any longer<<

No one really. It is unfortunate that the longer I watch WWE wrestling the more I like everyone.