Recommended Television Programmes

[jayne lee wilson]

Remarkable story yes, and terribly moving to see him meet a similar survivor and great champion, Alex Zanardi - who I once followed closely on the US IndyCars series.... until his own terrifying crash.

But it is easy to assume motor racing is safe these days - it is safer but this happened in F3 just a few days ago...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaUdY8clZsw

I watch motor racing a lot, but I've not seen many quite that shocking.

Yet somehow she survived. 17-year old Sophia Florsch has a spinal fracture, but doesn't appear to be at risk of paralysis, and intends to return....

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I cannot even begin to understand the attraction of Motor Racing, but I do recognise and relish dedication and determination. With over thirty years experience as a teacher, I'm continually reminded how astonishing the current generation of teen - and twenties - agers are.

[Stanfordian]

'Blood' - Channel 5

[Bryn]

I cannot even begin to understand the attraction of Motor Racing, but I do recognise and relish dedication and determination. With over thirty years experience as a teacher, I'm continually reminded how astonishing the current generation of teen - and twenties - agers are.

Not much taken with it these days, but in my childhood (around 6 or7) I used to enjoy being taken to watch the car racing at Crystal Palace.

[Bryn]

Must set the recorder to save Grand Designs: House of the Year on Channel 4+1. Fascinating candidate called "Vex" based on Satie's Vexations.

[oddoneout]

The repeat of Simon Reeve's two-parter on Ireland was timely in view of the Brexit complications, especially the second programme which focused on Northern Ireland.

[johncorrigan]

They're re-running a recent series of 'Still Game' up here...not sure if it gets down South or beyond, but I think that 'Jack and Victor' portayed by Greg Hemphill and Ford Kiernan is one of the great double acts of British comedy...maybe it's a Scottish thing, but I thought this was a great episode where hooch finds its way onto the streets of Craiglang.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b07zfcc0/still-game-series-7-2-the-undrinkables

[jayne lee wilson]

Just watched those penguins....
God. No wonder even the cameramen were crying at the end....

Dare I put myself through it with the lions next?

[LMcD]

They're re-running a recent series of 'Still Game' up here...not sure if it gets down South or beyond, but I think that 'Jack and Victor' portayed by Greg Hemphill and Ford Kiernan is one of the great double acts of British comedy...maybe it's a Scottish thing, but I thought this was a great episode where hooch finds its way onto the streets of Craiglang.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod...e-undrinkables

'Still Game' has been shown throughout the UK, initially on BBC2 then on BBC1. The 9th (and last) series will debut next Spring on the new BBC Scotland channel. I must have a look some time!

[Richard Tarleton]

Just watched those penguins....
God. No wonder even the cameramen were crying at the end....

Dare I put myself through it with the lions next?

Interview with David Attenborough in yesterday's Times. He makes the point that doing something "inorganic" to help the prenguins escape from their crevasse (cutting a ramp in snow) quite different from, say, interfering to save a fawn from a leopard - nobody is being deprived of lunch. He also issues a mild put-down to George Monbiot, who has attacked his wildlife programmes as presenting a pristine, Eden-like view of the natural world.

[Serial_Apologist]

Interview with David Attenborough in yesterday's Times. He makes the point that doing something "inorganic" to help the prenguins escape from their crevasse (cutting a ramp in snow) quite different from, say, interfering to save a fawn from a leopard - nobody is being deprived of lunch. He also issues a mild put-down to George Monbiot, who has attacked his wildlife programmes as presenting a pristine, Eden-like view of the natural world.

Attenborough seldom flinches from the horrors, it has to be said. The usual argument I suppose (not having seen Montbiot's article) being that "nature" is only red in tooth 'n' claw by necessity, only humans killing for pleasure. But one has to wonder, sometimes... cats...?

[oddoneout]

Attenborough seldom flinches from the horrors, it has to be said. The usual argument I suppose (not having seen Montbiot's article) being that "nature" is only red in tooth 'n' claw by necessity, only humans killing for pleasure. But one has to wonder, sometimes... cats...?

But the behaviour of domesticated animals isn't the same as their wild equivalents. I seem to remember reading that both cats and dogs retain certain juvenile behaviours as a result of their domestication, in particular play. So domestic cats will continue to play with prey as an adult whereas in the wild that stage - which is a learning process - will be discarded once catching prey becomes a matter of survival.
Foxes seem something of an anomaly but I don't know if they have been shown to display the mass murder tendencies when in a truly wild setting, ie our domestication of other species such as poultry leads to their behaviour?
The debate that has come about with the latest Attenborough series is interesting. I think he is probably far more clued up about his audience and how to engage, educate and activate it usefully than someone like Monbiot, who may very well be right in what he says but I'm not sure that he has quite the same appeal to Jo Public watching of an evening. Getting people to care is surely the first step, the issue of plastic shows that; the warnings have been around for years but it was seeing a dead baby bird with a stomach full of rubbish that engaged the public to demand action. Many scientists and hard-core environmental activists have little time for emotional responses from the public and thereby risk not only not getting the support they want but also turning people away rather than engaging them.

[Richard Tarleton]

Attenborough seldom flinches from the horrors, it has to be said. The usual argument I suppose (not having seen Montbiot's article) being that "nature" is only red in tooth 'n' claw by necessity, only humans killing for pleasure. But one has to wonder, sometimes... cats...?

No that wasn't it - see here https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...ment-bbc-films

Attenborough responds that Monbiot is preaching to the converted (Guardian readers). I like him when he's sticking it to the NFU over sheep and re-wilding, and he's dead right about us having the most ecologically impoversihed uplands in Europe (for example) but he's far too confrontational ever to actually convert anybody, or make them reconsider, and, really, attacking Attenborough isn't helpful or clever. He really is the Savonarola of environment writers.

[Serial_Apologist]

But the behaviour of domesticated animals isn't the same as their wild equivalents. I seem to remember reading that both cats and dogs retain certain juvenile behaviours as a result of their domestication, in particular play. So domestic cats will continue to play with prey as an adult whereas in the wild that stage - which is a learning process - will be discarded once catching prey becomes a matter of survival.
Foxes seem something of an anomaly but I don't know if they have been shown to display the mass murder tendencies when in a truly wild setting, ie our domestication of other species such as poultry leads to their behaviour?
The debate that has come about with the latest Attenborough series is interesting. I think he is probably far more clued up about his audience and how to engage, educate and activate it usefully than someone like Monbiot, who may very well be right in what he says but I'm not sure that he has quite the same appeal to Jo Public watching of an evening. Getting people to care is surely the first step, the issue of plastic shows that; the warnings have been around for years but it was seeing a dead baby bird with a stomach full of rubbish that engaged the public to demand action. Many scientists and hard-core environmental activists have little time for emotional responses from the public and thereby risk not only not getting the support they want but also turning people away rather than engaging them.

A most interesting reply, for which many thanks. One wonders what it was that motivated some people to become scientists and hard-core environmentalists in the first place!

[jayne lee wilson]

Attenborough seldom flinches from the horrors, it has to be said. The usual argument I suppose (not having seen Montbiot's article) being that "nature" is only red in tooth 'n' claw by necessity, only humans killing for pleasure. But one has to wonder, sometimes... cats...?

I've lived with Cats for many years without ever being convinced that they kill for pleasure. PLAY as such is surely practice anyway, the sharpening of chase-and-catch for when they need to kill and eat to survive. Think how often a big cat fails in its hunt...

My present kitty was taken in from city centre streets, spent a year in a rescue centre, and she is a very proficient mouser, skilful to the point of rarely killing them. If they play dead she loses interest. Did she eat them when was a stray? Who knows, it might have been takeaway leftovers...
When she a brings a mouse to show me, she rushes back to the door, to take the mouse to the lower skirts of a cedrus tree, deliberately dropping it through them, to lose it and start the hunt-and-chase again. But the mouse soon disappears...

If she drops one at my feet, I thank her, grab it and take it back out to the bushes...VA-MOOSE!
They really look like they're on wheels....