Making me happy.
I heard this on NPR, and it made me happy.
Nigeria is a huge and massively fertile country that still spends billions on food imports. The reason for this is not that Nigerian farmers don't want to grow food; it's that they typically lack the expertise and equipment necessary to maximize production. The solution? Take the immensely pragmatic step of actively inviting over the now displaced white farmers that nut-job Robert Mugabe chased out of Zimbabwe.
So while Zimbabwe is going down the pan thanks to the ago-old formula of "crazed dictator + institutionalized paranoia = screwed country," neighboring Nigeria is actually benefiting.
The farmers are being offered land and attractive financing to jump start their production. And while some of the locals are being displaced, no one seems overly offended. In fact, local farmers are already benefiting by having access to better training in modern farming techniques.
Is it some long term solution to all of Africa’s woes? Hardly. But at the same time it makes me smile to think that there really are people with enough good sense to put aside what could be a very touchy racial issue, and get down to working together.
If Space-cadet Mugabe wants the farming expertise out of his country, well Nigeria is only too happy to find a home for them. Good for them.
Making me sad.
I hear that the movie version of V for Vendetta is a bag o' crap. This annoys me. It annoys me because it shouldn't be, because it's a good story that is highly relevant. It annoys me that the *reason* I hear it's a bag-o-crap is that it's been stuffed full of allusions to certain current governments and well known public figures, none of which was needed or would be welcomed by yours truly. I'll go and see it, but instead of expecting to enjoy a fine movie based on a great story about the rights of the individual pitted against the desires of the state, I'll go expecting to be irritated. Oh well. So far, on movies based on comics, I'm doing rather poorly. I did like Batman Begins. I can't think of anything else that has really set my hair alight. I guess From Hell wasn't too bad. It just makes me sad, that's all. Like Hollywood has an over-abundance of good scripts, so they need to pee on this one.
Making me ponder.
Try having sex to the theme to The Magnificent Seven. Go on. DO it. YOU CAN'T, CAN YOU? No one can. I don't care how much of a pervert you are. I don't care if you enjoy being hung upside down dressed in a squirrel costume while a Lithuanian Octogenarian throws stale pretzels at you, you won't be able to do it while images of Yule Brenner and a small Mexican town play through your head. And they will. Oh yes, they will.
I'm not entirely sure what causes this effect. However, I may apply for a grant and see if I can narrow down the variables. I think it applies to most cowboy movies, although The Magnificent Seven is certainly the most extreme example of what we'll call "The Empty Holster" effect.
Ironically musicals don't seem to cause this. Even such wholesome affairs as The Sound of Music don't pack the neutering punch of a good Cowboy flick. (My personal theory on this is that there's some strange alchemical effect going on between the whole Nun and Governess thing, but that might be personal bias based on a Catholic upbringing.) Anyway, watch this space for more information. Oh, and don't try this at home. I'm a professional, and chucking in any old movie theme tune and then donning your "weekend accessories" can be dangerous.