Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Elle King - Pretty Awesome

Spotify has not only made music much more accessible, it has made it infinitely easier to find new music that you are going to like.

In the past I've raved about OKGO and Pomplamoose, and now there is a new queen of my musical heart - Elle King.



I think it's the mix of bluegrass banjo(?) int he background that really gets the toes a-tapping!

And yes, I'm not the first to like this video that was posted in August 2016. Nor am I one of the first 7,000,000 to watch it, but you know what? It's good music and I like it.



kthanxbai!

Jumblerant

Monday, July 23, 2018

Bohemian Rhapsody

Let us all get ready for a bit of Freddy.



The subject matter is such a classic and yet also controversial figure that this film will really need to walk on a tightrope to get the audience behind it.

Whats not to love? Freddie Mercury's life story. A great man, a great singer and a great band. But that is just it, he means so much to so many people that just portraying him will cause many die-hard fans to have a conniption!



It's going to be interesting, that's for sure.



kthanxbai!

Jumblerant

Friday, July 20, 2018

How Did I Not Know About This Film

The Tour de France is an iconic bike race. Usually won by Lance Armstrong, the race winds up and down France on main roads and side roads, over bridges, under bridges to their destination.

Map of France and the Tour de France

Officially the total race, running from Saturday July 7th to Sunday July 29th 2018, the 105th Tour de France will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,351 kilometres.

That's one heck of a sporting achievement - to be the first one through the finish line, at the end of all that!

Lance Armstrong is renowned as being a drug cheating scumbucket for this event, so I was surprised to see that he was in a mockumentary about the race.

Tour de Pharmacy, as the name suggests, is about a group of competitors in the Tour de France in the 1980's and their challenges through the different pitfalls of being a rider.



I was surprised i hadn't heard of it because it has some HUGE names appearing in it;

Andy Samberg
Orlando Bloom
John Cena
Danny Glover   
Mike Tyson   
Jeff Goldblum   
Lance Armstrong
Dolph Lundgren
Kevin Bacon
J.J. Abrams
Edgar Wright

I look forward to watching it soon.

kthanxbai!

Jumblerant

Thursday, July 5, 2018

Thai Cave Rescue

I've been caving, a lifetime ago, when all the equipment we had was a helmet and a flashlight and a sense of adventure.

I remember wriggling and squeezing through small crevices to get through passages, where the walls seemed to be closing in on us and even points where the adults amongst us were told to turn back as the going ahead was only suitable for smaller people.






There are some caves that have their own ecosystem, including vegetation, streams and even unique insects that look exceptionally adapted to their dark, moist environments.


We weren't the first people to inquire as to where caves lead to as this article in LiveScience.com shows Remains of 'Maya Underworld' Found in World's Longest Submerged Cave






So far we can confirm that caves exist and humans are curious about them. Now we have the final piece in the puzzle. Caves are dangerous;




From what information I can gather, cave disasters occur when the rains begin. My research led me to this article, which is definitely not for the faint of heart. 10 True Horror Stories Of People Trapped In Caves

Today's astonishing news, that the Thai cave rescue has proven, so far only partially, succesful really surprised me. That 13 people could walk 4km into a cave complex and survive for 10 days with no food, just amazed me.


This map is from CNN's explanation of the partial resuce, and whilst I dislike their sensationalising in their normal coverage, they do present most of the facts as we kinow them, in this case.



 The missing boys, with their coach, are seen here in a photo taken from the coach's Facebook page

Who are the crazy people who  went to rescue these kids? The Thai Navy SEALs were created in the 1950's as the wars on the Asian continent were beginning to blossom. Unlike US Navy SEALS or the British equivalent, the SBS, the Thai Neavy SEALs are not secretive about their personnel or their operations.

++UPDATE++

Thailand cave rescue underway: authorities evacuate site and send in 18 divers

“We’ve been waiting for this exact moment to begin the evacuation, when we’re all prepared and the survivors’ safety can be 100 per cent guaranteed,” Narongsak told reporters at the Phong Pha sub-district administration office, where the media had relocated after the Tham Luang cave area was cordoned off by authorities on Thursday night. 

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/thailand-cave-rescue-as-operation-tham-luang-10509950


Good luck!

Jumblerant