Just turned on the news,
Government is kicking out retired Gurkhas (obviously 25 years service in the army is no proof of good citizenship).
Arthur C Clarke is dead, denied a knighthood over false accusations of being a peadophile.
Don't you hate it when the news is crap?
Quote: sootyj @ March 19, 2008, 9:22 AMArthur C Clarke is dead, denied a knighthood over false accusations of being a peadophile.
Really? What a strange world he lived in.
Arthur C Clarke was a great writer. I even liked reading his interviews. The guy was just so interesting.
I'm getting annoyed of hearing there will be an election soon when they have been saying it for over two years now and they just said it again! Gah! Have your election already would'ja?!
Oh yea and Canada finally recognized Kosovo yesterday which I still don't totally agree with.
Arthur C. Clarke was 90 so I don't think we should feel to sorry at his passing. And, as a huge sci-fi fan, I never thought he was that good a writer. Yes, he had some great conceits and ideas, but I thought his prose were pretty bog-standard. Give me JG Ballard or Brian Aldiss any day.
Captain Birdseye died 
Looks like natural causes, so nothing fishy's gone on. There'll be no stopping these guys now though 
And Anthony Minghella died and he was only 54 for crying out loud!
Quote: ajp29 @ March 19, 2008, 2:22 PMAnd Anthony Minghella died and he was only 54 for crying out loud!
Huge huge loss!!!
Bit ironic that he died in Charing Cross hospital as an English Patient
Quote: sootyj @ March 19, 2008, 9:22 AMArthur C Clarke is dead, denied a knighthood over false accusations of being a peadophile.
The Knighthood, awarded in 1998, was postponed until he was found not guilty. He got 'Knighted' in 2000 2 years after the claims.
He was too ill to travel to UK so got a Knights Bachelor award (which is effectivley the same thing ).
He could have called himself 'Sir' but chose not to. ( The title is the same as the ones given to Paul McCartney & Alex Ferguson who do choose to call themselves 'Sir')
Arthur C Clarke also 'invented' the concept of geo-stationary satellites, which we now use for satellite TV.
Due to his publication in 1945, it was never possible for anyone else to Patent the idea, which may have helped its adoption when it became technically possible.
Quote: billwill @ March 19, 2008, 3:45 PMArthur C Clarke also 'invented' the concept of geo-stationary satellites, which we now use for satellite TV.
So it's his fault we've got 900 channels and nowt on!
Yes I only just heard about Birds Eye, and Minghella, what a shocking day. Well I never knew Clarky was knighted, good for him, and his satellites.
As for Birds Eye. I'd like to know what Harry Ramsden was upto when he was killed.
Quote: Writer2K @ March 19, 2008, 3:23 PMHe could have called himself 'Sir' but chose not to. ( The title is the same as the ones given to Paul McCartney & Alex Ferguson who do choose to call themselves 'Sir')
Why the f**k did Ferguson get a Knighthood? So he won the European Cup once.
So did Tony Barton ( I think) at the Villa and Brian Clough - the greatest ever English football manager, won it twice and got nothing.
(F**king Manchester United again!)
Quote: Curt @ March 19, 2008, 10:24 AMOh yea and Canada finally recognized Kosovo yesterday which I still don't totally agree with.
Whyyy? You think it'll open up the path to Quebec proclaiming independence?
Quote: sootyj @ March 19, 2008, 4:07 PMAs for Birds Eye. I'd like to know what Harry Ramsden was upto when he was killed.
Although vaguely off topic, I feel sorry for people who have the misfortune to die at the same time as somebody more famous. For example, when Warren Zevon died at a tragically young age of cancer, his death was almost immediately blown away by the death of the mighty Johnny Cash.
Has Kosovo recognised Canada yet?