Posts by andrew llewellyn

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  • Island Life: Bye, bye, you peculiar guy.,

    I've had a soft spot for Yes since I saw Rick Wakeman on some Channel 4 quiz show about music.

    The panel of ex musos & music writers were presented with a video of a one hit wonder from years past, and in this case it was Picketywitch, featuring the fetching Polly Brown.

    They then got a bunch of fetching slightly older women who all resembled Polly Brown out on stage. One of them actually was the one hit wonder lead singer of Picketywitch, a decade or two older than she was in the video.

    Wakeman awoke from his apparent torpor, yelled somehing along the lines of "I know Picketywitch! In fact I remember this gig in (insert UK town name here), and back in the hotel room after. I never forget an ARSE!"

    At this stage I guessed that the real Polly Brown was the fetching blonde on stage who had just turned the colout of beetroot.

    Another panellist remarked to Wakemen "You know your kids are so embarrassed by this they're leaving home right about now?"

    Rick was up on stage by now fondling a familiar arse.

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report

  • Michael Jackson: A Life?,

    I'm thinking about his kids. Helluva young age to lose your only parent, no matter how weird they are.

    Lucky they've got a warm, stable, normal, extended family to assist in their upbringing.

    Oh wait...

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report

  • Hard News: Another entry in the Public…,

    I got up: "I think this is ambulance-grade," I said to Fiona. She was sceptical. ("I was thinking, y'know, man flu," she explained later, by way of apology.)

    Priceless, the rest had me biting my lip in discomfort..

    (And, shamefully in my head, this is like House, I thought.)

    Been there, it's hard not to.

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report

  • Hard News: Footnotes,

    But once you've got all that time, then what?

    Ask Gareth Morgan. Personally, I don't like motorbikes, but there are endless varations on a theme.

    I laughed that the mother in this instance is buying a new ambulance for the town, since she hashad to use the service in the past & their existing ones are "dungers".

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report

  • Hard News: Footnotes,

    After a frustrating few hours in that tiny airless room the rest of us decided to stand around the table with our backs to them and our faces an inch from the wall while the defendent's admirers sorted themselves out.

    I'm concerned that this is how 'justice' is decided.

    you think that's bad, you should see how some of the lawyers behave. One of the trials I mentioned was defended by the brother of a famous tennis player (in case you may have come across him), he was congratulated afterwards by the judge for turning a straightfoward case (the jury had the "what if" lady to assist) into a two day confusion fest. Hugely amusing though, the guy could front his own TV show.

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report

  • Hard News: Footnotes,

    jersey's

    D'oh. I swear there's some auto-uncorrecting going on.

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report

  • Hard News: Footnotes,

    We could fund, for example, the independent journalism venture we have talked about in the past.

    A natural habitat refuge for rescued sow crate pigs!

    'sokay, I didn't win.

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report

  • Hard News: Footnotes,

    We had a relatively complex case of kidnapping, extortion and assault with four defendants. After the initial address from the judge, and a few minutes of the prosecution's case outline we were sent to the jury room while a point of law was discussed. In that break, one of the more outspoken jurors had already established guilt and was detailing the case for the prosecution (before they had). This was a common pattern throughout the trial and it was down to no more than two of us to keep people aware of the fact that we needed to listen to both cases and sets of evidence before making judgements.

    I was on 3 juries in one week (a very small pool to choose from, a core of us served on all trials that week).

    On one trial, a jury member could not be persuaded from making things up (what if...) rather than focussing on the evidence.

    In another, a large retired british prison officer refused to believe the police would arrest anyone who wasn't guilty. The jury foreman in this one slept through one afternoon - the prison office obscured him from everyone else & it wasn't his problem to wake him up.

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report

  • Hard News: Footnotes,

    As for Bain, I decided he was guilty on the day of his arrest.

    That's kind of scary, Robert. Based on what?

    He wore loud jersey's in built up areas, he was obviously dodgy.

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report

  • Island Life: Driving around Mt Eden,…,

    Was it as clever sounding as it looks in print?

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report

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