jamiebowen0306

09:33 pm: It's not often I get embarassed by people.
It's not often I get embarrassed by people. I was watching this show about traffic wardens. If anyone an explain why it's ok to verbally abuse them I'd be much obliged.

Tags: life

09:10 pm: Grrrr, I got a tax bill today/
Grrrr, I got my tax bill for my English tax returns today. Ouch! I knew it'd be a bit, but it still brings tears to by eyes!

Tags: life, tax, tax returns

02:25 am: I finished "The Last King of Scotland" today.
This book sees a young Scottish doctor, Nicholas Garrigan, go to Uganda after Idi Amin's rise to power. He starts off as a somewhat naive do-gooder type, but is slowly guided away from his principles by the system after he accidentally becomes Amin's personal doctor (Amin believes that the Scots feel as suppressed by the English as the Ugandans did pre-independence).

As the book progress, we see Garrigan changed by Amin, whose character is as overwhelming as it is in the film. Where the book differs from the film is in the area of Garrigan's culpability. In the film of the same name, you are left in less doubt of Garrigan's general innocence. In the book, you get the sense that Garrigan is more aware of Amin's wrong doings at an earlier stage, and so might be more culpable in the activities that Amin got up to.

The issue of Garrigan's culpability is the one thing that irritates me about the book. You learn earlier that he knows of Amin's activities early on, so why doesn't he do something about it (or just walk away if he can't do anything)? The book talks about fear (or reprisals from Amin) and the fact that he's Amin's thrall, but I found that less than satisfying (or believable), and is a reason why I rave about this book.

Tags: book, book review, review

02:21 pm: I went to see "Saw VI" today.
I went to see "Saw VI" today. It's the 6th film in a series where the serial killer tries to teach the victims a life lesson in which they can either let themselves be killed or become a "better person" in the killers eyes.

In this film, the killer asks the question of a health insurance executive who (he feels) doesn't understand the real value of life.

It's a really silly film and the series is getting far too predictable. Anyone who has seen any of the previous films knew exactly what was going to happen in the "twist in the tail".

Tags: film, film review, review

01:29 am: I just "finished "Freakonomics" today.
This book is a dual effort. An economics lecturer has joined forces with a New York Times lecturer to write a book that tries to answer questions like "Why do drug dealers live with their Mum?"

It is an interesting book, but I'm not sure that it's a book that you read in one sitting. I say this because there's no real flow to the book. The authors might address drug dealers in one chapter, and African-American names in the next. The result is that you don't necessarily build up any momentum as you move from one chapter to the next.

Don't get me wrong, this is an interesting book, and you will find the mental gymnastics that the authors have produced stimulating (because it is cleverly written). However, I don't think it's written in the most fluid way possible, and that's why I'm not raving about this book.

Tags: book, book review, review

08:36 am: I just finished "The Complaints" by Ian Rankin
The Complaints, like most Rankin books, is set in Edinburgh's police force. Instead of watching John Rebus, his usual character, he watches Malcolm Fox, a policeman who investigates other policemen and the serious crimes they commit. Fox is an alcoholic, but in most other ways he isn't Rebus. He's an inspector, so he's a shrewd operator, but he's a more straight forward cop who cherishes his career more than I suspect Rebus does.

In this book Fox starts to investigate a cop, only to discover that his sister's abusive boyfriend has been murdered. Like most people, he can't help himself, and starts to investigate the crime himself. This bring him face to face with the complaints department himself and for the rest of the book he has to deal with them and their threat to his career, while still investigating the crime himself.

It's also worth noting that Edinburgh feels different to Rebus' Edinburgh. Fox's investigation leeds him to the "new shiny" Edinburgh that was built off borrowed money. Rebus's Edinburgh has always felt slightly grimier than this does.

In short, this book is a good read, but don't expect it to be like a Rebus read, or even recognise the Edinburgh it occupies.

Tags: book, book review, review

09:20 pm: Why Are Some Students So Grumpy?
Why on Earth are some students so grumpy? I helped all my students get good grades in the Physics exam. They did better than they did in Biology and Chemistry, and I'm having the students come back to me, asking why the didn't do better.

Well excuuuuuse me (to quote Steve Martin). Physics is the only subject that got all their students to pass their exams, and I'm not even a Physics teacher! I'd like some respect please!

Tags: life, school, teaching

08:13 am: I finished "The Tallented Mr Ripley" by Patricia Highsmith.
I'm not quite sure what to make of this book. In it, an American chancer (Tom Ripley) is asked to travel to Italy to try and convince an acquaintance (Richard Greenleaf, who is presented as a sort of sponger who lives off his trust fund by his father) to return to the US and live the life expected of the American working middle class in the 1950s, which is when this book is set.

The problem is that once he's there Ripley falls in love with Greenleaf's life himself. Ripley is superficially charming but isn't the sort of person you like if you know him in a profound way, so he decides to kill Greenleaf and assume his life because they look so similar physically.

From there Ripley has to use his skills as a chancer to convince:

1) People he's Greenleaf, so he can have Greenleaf's money.

2) The police that Greenleaf is safe (and then up to no good when he can't live as Greenleaf any more).

3) Greenleaf's family and former love interest that he really cares about Greenleaf.

So why do I feel this book is so dated? Ignoring the fact that there is no forensic trail for the Italians to follow, or the fact that there are no computers, what is it first thing that the police do these days when someone goes missing? They investigate the last person to see him. That doesn't happen here. Ripley is taken at his word all the time, when even the simplest investigation of him would have shown him to be a liar. That irritates me no end. To my mind the book might be better described as The Fortunate Mr Ripley because he certainly road his luck in this book.

If you can live with this issue read this book, you'll like it. If you can't, I probably wouldn't bother with this book. It might irritate you.

Tags: book, book review, review

08:19 pm: I went to see "District Nine" today.
District Nine is a Peter Jackson produced film that is an examination of the treatment of the inhabitant of squatter camps, coupled with an alien horror story. It's set in South Africa.

In the film a UFO appears above Johannesburg, and stays there. There are 1.8million aliens on board, and they decide to put the aliens in a squatter camp nearby. As they breed and grow, they need a bigger camp. They go in to try and move them. One of the movers gets infected, and starts to turn into an alien. The film the follow what happens to the guy next.

I'm not sure what to think of the film. I thought it was a clever statement about "squatter camp" culture in South Africa. Some of the "teenage boy" element seemed to enjoy the guns and explosions in the film. I don't think I've ever heard that element cheer in cinemas before, yet they were in this film. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, it's just I wonder what they got out of the film.

Incidentally, the film is set in South Africa. South Africans have a fairly strong accent. Some Americans tell me I have a strong accent. I'm not entirely sure, therefore, what they'll think of the accents in this film.

Tags: film, film review, review

08:31 pm: I finished "Einstein" by Walter Isaacson today.
I finished "Einstein" by Walter Isaacson today, and I'm not altogether sure about it. Despite the fact that I wanted to like Einstein and I've a Chemistry degree, I found the book a hard read. I'm not altogether sure what most non-scientists would think about the science involved, and nearly everyone will think he was a nightmare to his first wife and kids, by the end of this book.

If you can cope with the sensation that your ideals about a hero have been shattered, read this book. If you can't don't.

Tags: book, book review, review

08:58 am: Do you know what I don't get about this health insurance argument?
The thing I don't get about this health insurance argument is what people will believe. I mean people think that the government is going to let people die so they don't have to pay benefits. Does that sound like the action of any sane individual, let alone one who has to be re-elected ever 2 to 7 years? The day that an elderly person dies because they were "let die," there would be such a brouhaha that anyone associated with that decision would be hounded out of office.

Another thing I find incomprehensible is the fact that Fox News seems to be saying that shouting and screaming is acceptable behavior. I mean I know there are two sides to every argument, but is it appropriate to be yelling at someone because you disagree with them? Well Fox seems to think so.

While I'm on this, I come from a country that (according to Sean Hannity) has the "most socialized medicine" in the world (the UK). I'm also told that about 12% of the population are dissatisfied with the service they get over there.

Ignoring the fact that that means 88% of people are satisfied with the service, I have to argue that the number dissatisfied with health-care is higher here. 47 million people, out of 300 million people in the US, can't get health-care in the US. That means that 15.7% of the population (at least) are dissatisfied with health-care if EVERY OTHER PERSON IN THE US IS HAPPY WITH HEALTH-CARE. However, I'm willing to bet that the uninsured aren't the only people who are dissatisfied with health-care in the US.

We all know that there are more than the uninsured who are unhappy with the health-care system, so I have to argue folks that we really ought to suck it up and take a step in that direction.

Tags: health, health care, health insurance, inurance

08:14 am: I went to see "A Perfect Getaway" yesterday.
I went to see "A Perfect Getaway" yesterday. It was pretty standard fair (a recently married couple go on honeymoon, only to get stalked by a murderer), but was a pretty good film despite that.

The best part was a clever little twist in the middle, which means I must be losing my touch, as I can usually see those coming.

Tags: film, film review, review

07:34 pm: I was watching this advert.
I was watching this advert about a child starting at school. The Mum says that kids are always nervous when a new year starts. I'm sorry, but I wasn't. I'm told that when I was first taken to school I burst into tears because I didn't want to go home at the end of the day.

There were a couple of times when I didn't want to go, but that was because I'd screwed up an exam or something, not as a general rule at the start of the year.

My kids are the same. Iona, my youngest, is crazy about school. We just went up to Staples today to get her goodies for the new school year, and I don't think I've ever seen her so excited. Hopefully I can keep it up with her as she gets older. It'd make my life a lot easier I think.

Tags: life, school

08:57 am: I went to see "Orphan" last night.
I went to see Orphan yesterday. It's a fairly predictable horror movie (a little Russian girl is adopted by an American family, only to upset the balance of what goes on there), but it had a creepy ending (which I didn't see coming, and I usually do these days). It was helped by the girl who played the orphan. She was an extremely strange young lady (in the film).

What I don't understand is why people take their kids to see films like that. It was pretty explicit in places (it's rated R) and one family took their 5 or 6 year old to see it. I'm sorry, but if you can't find a sitter, you don't take your kid to see that film. It's rated R for a reason folks.

Incidentally, I know that R means you can take a child so long as you go along too, but to my eyes, just because you could, doesn't mean you should as far as I'm concerned. Kids are exposed to enough stuff that forces them to grow up quickly, and don't need any extra help as far as I'm concerned.

Oh by the way, I'm a little surprised that one particular group didn't complain about the film. I won't give the group's "area of experience" away (it'd give the film's twist in the tail away), but that shouldn't stop them from complaining.

Tags: film, film review, review

07:41 am: I went to see "Public Enemies" last night.
I went to see "Public Enemies" last night. Its stars Johnny Depp (as John Dillinger) and Christian Bale (as the FBI agent who tracked him down). It wasn't a bad film, but was somewhat long.

The film tracks the last few months of John Dillinger's life. We see him as an iconic figure at first, how he was nearly caught a number of times, how local crime bosses helped get him caught, and his eventual death at a movie theatre.

Like I said, the film wasn't bad. It looked like it caught the period correctly, but it was too long. At 139 minutes, there were times when scenes dragged, and those scene made me think that the film could have done with some judicious pruning.

Tags: film, film review, review

09:08 pm: I finished "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life" today.
I finished "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life" today. Since I became interested in America history, I have read biographies of Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton and, now, Franklin. None really entered my heart, though Adams is the one I have most affection for. I think I'm not too fond of them because they spent a while kick British butt while they were alive.

This book is a thorough biography of Ben Franklin. It starts with his early life, covers his escapades in printing, his literary and scientific pretensions (though I'm more inclined to argue he was an inventor rather than a scientist), his slow conversion to being an advocate for American nationhood and his post war ambassadorship roles.

In each period in his life,Franklin is presented as a dedicated, hard working humourous man, who was committed to what he believed in. You get a good sense of what he is like and why he's important. If you're interested in him and his impact on American history, you can do a lot much worse than this book.

So why am I so ho-hum about the guy? Well it's the way that he treats his family I have concerns about. He never formally "made an honest women" out of his wife by marrying her. He had illegitimate children (who he really screwed after the War of Independence), and flirted heavily with anything in a skirt.

Given how I view family, I'm sorry to say that he was lessened in my eyes by this book. I wanted a little bit of hero worship. When I didn't get it, I found myself getting more and more disconcerted by the book. If you can overlook how he treated his family, you'll enjoy this book. If you can't get round his attitudes to family, don't read it because his family issues will only get in the way.

Tags: book, book review

07:55 pm: I went to see "The Ugly Truth" today
I went to see "The Ugly Truth" today. It stars Katerine Heigl as a driven, anally retentive, television producer (the second film in a row I've seen her play that role) and Gerard Butler as the slobby "public access tv 'shock jock'" she falls for (he played the king in 300).

It's very similar to "Knocked Up," the other Katerine Heigl I've seen, but I would say it was better. It's better for a couple of reasons. Firstly I suspect it was funnier (though some people might argue there's a bit of "potty mouth" humour about it). Secondly, and with the greatest respect to Seth Rogan, I could actually see her falling for Gerard Butler. Both were slobby, sure, but Butler's character had more about him than Rogan's character did.

So all in all it's a pretty good film. It'll never win any Oscars, but it was still pretty good.

Tags: film, film review, review

08:49 am: I went to see "Beth Cooper" today.
I went to see "Beth Cooper" today, and that was one of the dumbest films I have ever seen. It sees the class valedictorian announce to the world that he loves the school cheer leading captain. He then goes on to "speak truth to power" before formally graduating. The film then goes on to look at what happens the night after graduating.

There are two major problems with the book. First the two lead male characters are far too old for the role. They have to be nearly 30 if they are anything, and that got in the way of the film. They didn't look young and their roles needed a young actor.

The second thing is that it's beyond predictable. We've seen this this a thousand times before, and this film bring nothing new to the scenario. So, in short, a really bad film. I think that Hayden Pannetierre was in it for they paycheck.

Tags: film, review

08:22 am: I finished "Audacity of Hope" by Barack Obama.
This book isn't a bad book, but I rather feel that the title is misleading and slightly out of date now.

The book is a mixture of biography (he gives snapshots from his own life to support his thinking) and political manifesto in which he explains his ideas about education, health insurance, religion and the like.

I live in America, and reading this book would have helped me understand Obama as he ran for the Presidency. Now, however, it feels slightly out of date. The economic tsunami of 2007-09 isn't mentioned (the book was before it), and that impacts how you're going to read this book. You'll sit there thinking "have you really thought how much this is going to cost?"

You might argue that this book might help you understand his Presidency, and you're right I guess, but I'm in two minds about that. I have a nagging sense that this book might have been overtaken by events.

Tags: biography, book review, manifesto, review

03:32 am: I finished "Scarpetta" by Patricia Cornwall today.
Kay Scarpetta is Patricia Cornwall's main character. She's a forensic pathologist (who's bit of a smarty pants) who, in this series of books has been based in Richmond VA, Charleston NC and now Watertown MA.

In this book she's brought into a case in New York where it looks like a "little person" with OCD has been killed by her boyfriend (who is little too). The question is did he do it or was someone else involved?

The criticisms I've had of Cornwall's recent books tend to focus on the fact that Scarpetta and her team are beyond "brilliantly intelligent" and have morals so impeccable that the characters become irritating to know.

There is less of this now. Sure they're still a little to moral (they've never said anything unkind to anyone, despite being investigators of some of the most horrific things) but you're a lot less inclined to want to slap them for their moral certainty by the end of the book.

The book probably shouldn't attract any new readers to Cornwall, but is good enough to suggest that Cornwall's readers, who I suspect have been leaving her of late, return for at least this book and the book that follows this one in the series.

Tags: book, review