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Post by 3piggles on Mar 19, 2017 20:51:32 GMT
I think different story lines work better in American or British, and just don't translate very well. Murder, She Wrote, was a take off on the Miss Marple stories. Angela Landsbury was good, but the story lines were ridiculous. Loved the show anyway, but couldn't get away from the mistakes in the storylines.
Script writers seem to think it's the actions that are required to make the show work, but it's the personalities of the people involved that make the story work.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Mar 20, 2017 9:22:38 GMT
Now Murder She Wrote I really loathe, it was so twee and that signature tune drove me mad!! That is very true, Piggles love, if I like the characters it goes a long way towards my liking whatever the programme is. It is the people who make it.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Mar 20, 2017 20:56:52 GMT
I liked Murder, She Wrote, but I think it was mostly because I like Who Dunnits. I like to see if I can find the clues, and figure out who dunnit before the end of the show. However, I greatly prefer Miss Marple. Again, the characters were well developed. The clues weren't obvious, and Miss Marple didn't get into all sorts of situations she really wouldn't have gotten into. Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote, finally had to move to NYC to have excuses to find endless dead bodies, as more people died in her home town of Cabot Cove, Maine, than have in Midsommer, lol The other thing I don't really like about the whole cozy mystery genre is making the police out to be idiots. The era of Miss Marple was before the police were really trained well, before there were laws on what they could and couldn't do, etc. There were a lot of police who were just doing it for a paycheck. Now, at least in the US, they have to graduate from the police academy in their state, do a year with a training officer, and finally get out on their own. The likelihood of that many police detectives or chiefs not being able to figure out the most simple clues, and needing Jessica Fletcher, who was a mystery novelist and teacher to tell them what they should have figured out.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Mar 21, 2017 9:09:49 GMT
I think that is true Piggles love, they do make the police out to be stupid and as you say they were set in a time where the police force were still learning themselves. I do like Marple although like Murder She Wrote it is annoying how it is always about the rich/aristocracy.
Hyugs Jo xx
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Post by Bean on Mar 21, 2017 10:18:30 GMT
We watched something quite interesting last night - a vegan comedy called Carnage. It's a mockumentary set in the future where using animals for food in any way has been outlawed, and people look back on current times with horror at how we treated animals and the impact of farming on the environment/ climate. The vision of the future is very tongue in cheek - a utopian vision of us all sitting around being lovely and kind to each other - it's not intended to be a realistic prediction of what could come, but a tongue in cheek vision.
The guy who made it (a comedian called Simon Amstell, who I really like) is vegan and hats off to him as it was really cleverly done - not at all preachy. It did of course make unarguable points about the cruelty in the meat, egg and dairy industries, and it made them well. But it was really funny and also poked a lot of fun at how vegans and veganism are currently seen, and their failed attempts to get other people to see their view. It also played with the dynamic between vegans and 'carnists' which was funny, but also very insightful.
Here's the trailer - the full thing is on iPlayer and also currently on YouTube but that'll probably get taken down. It was uncomfortable to watch in places, and definitely made me think about the topic as a whole, but in a more intelligent way than the emotional reactions you can have when you just see footage of the cruelty. I know the style of humour won't be to everyone's taste but it's definitely on my wavelength!
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Post by 3piggles on Mar 21, 2017 20:37:00 GMT
Interesting, and fun, Bean. I think many people relate to a different idea, if it's presented in a way that's fun, or funny. It's easier to laugh at a difficult topic, than to face it head on.
The new season of Origins started last night, on NatGeo channel. The first episode was all about money/currency. Basically, currency, whatever we used at whateer time, started a level of trade that pure bartering never had. Humans started looking for things, anything, to use as a commodity to earn money. We made items that never would have been considered worth buying, and learned how to market everything and anything. We used every natural commodity, including other humans, just to earn money.
Animals have always been commodities. For centuries humans have been eating animals, either through hunting, farming or buying at a store. We've moved away from any direct contact with the food we eat, and now consider it a steak, a roast, etc. Trying to convince humans who have eaten animals for a hundred thousand years, to suddenly stop and treat those animals as sentient beings, isn't likely to happen.
However, there are cultures that eat very little meat, so omitting the meat wouldn't be a problem. If we all ate more of those dishes, and got used to that idea, I think it would be a lot easier to go vegan.
Another big however, though, is what happens to all the livestock, when they're no longer commodities? Do all of those ranchers and farmers just set the animals free? Not a great idea. We'd have animals all over our yards, in our gardens, in the streets, and the smormgasbord they created would bring large predators right into a living spaces. So going vegan isn't likely to take hold in a huge way, easily. I think it's going to take time and a lot of planning.
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Post by Bean on Mar 22, 2017 9:54:40 GMT
I think if attitudes to diet did change significantly, it would be a slow change, so factory farms would gradually reduce their stock in response to dwindling demand. I don't think being overrun by animals bred for meat is a serious concern, especially as many have pretty short lifespans on account of the way they're bred.
I'd definitely like to see an end to factory farming, as if you are rearing something for meat etc, there's no need not to provide a decent quality of life. But although there are some positive changes around diet etc in this country, we've still got 1/3 of kids overweight and more dental extractions on really young kids than ever before. People are choosing cheap meat and ignoring why it's so cheap rather than wanting to pay more (and maybe eat it less frequently) so the animals can be treated decently. I think too many people are totally switched off to what they're eating or how it got on their plates that we'll have to get ourselves into even more of a mess before anything changes significantly.
I just thought it was interestingly done, and am curious to know how people who do generally get defensive about eating meat react to it as the tongue in cheek humour really does engage you in a way that a more serious program wouldn't - my guess is they wouldn't watch it though!
We watched the first episode of Hand of God yesterday - about a previously law-abiding judge suffering a mental breakdown and then believing he is being spoken to by God - he turns vigilante based on the messages he's receiving. By golly, it was grim - just really dark and uncomfortable watching with very few redeeming features. We won't be watching another episode!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Mar 22, 2017 10:07:40 GMT
Wow that looks really entertaining, I found myself engrossed and disappointed when it stopped. Thanks for sharing hunni. Haven't heard of Hand of God love but in the light of what you say I think I will give it a miss. Harlots has been advertised a lot and I would love to see it, I don't know how I missed it when it was on before as I love period dramas
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by Bean on Mar 22, 2017 12:49:46 GMT
I don't think this link will work for those in the US, but it's on iPlayer so you could watch it on your computer. One of the ways the vegan message reached people in this program was that naked vegans would dance in front of the meat and dairy cabinets in supermarkets, stopping people from reaching the products, but also arousing them into joining in with the vegan message! There's some good silliness with a machine that's invented which can read the thoughts of animals - the sofware uses Joanna Lumley's voice to verbalise their thoughts.
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Post by 3piggles on Mar 22, 2017 20:39:21 GMT
I don't seriously think we'd have livestock rampaging through our yards. I actually think the factory farms would simply find new markets. They have invested heavily in the meat processing industry, and they won't phase out without a fight. My vegan friends are all about saving the livestock, and I don't think that will happen.
I agree that many people simply buy meat without thinking, but I also don't think many, if any will be willing to pay more. The UK is going into Brexit. We're going into Trumpsit. We are two of the leading economic powers in the world, and we're facing extremely uncertain economic times, which could take the whole world down with us, again. I anticipate the stock market to be fluxuating like an earthquake monitor in Japan, which means no real money spent on futures or invested in anything that can't be cashed out quickly.
That could lead to a lack of jobs, to a lot of redundancy in the job market, to higher prices for just about everything, and a lot less concern for where any products originated. While I totally agree to just cutting back on meat consumption, which we have done, it wasn't easy for hubby, as he wanted his meat to be visible on the plate. We're doing a lot better with that, but it took a good five years of slowly reducing the size of the meat serving, to get him to accept that he didn't need all that meat. Doing it that way is one thing. Having to give up meat because it's priced too high is another. It's like dieting. As soon as you can't have some thing, that's exactly what you really want to have.
I think tobacco is a prime example of what I mean by just taking the product to other markets. Smoking came under fire here, so our tobacco companies started selling to European and Asian markets. Places where most people didn't smoke now have people dying of lung cancer thanks to US tobacco products. Yes, the tobacco crops have lessened over the years, but the rulings against the tobacco companies didn't stop those companies from selling tobacco. They just found other markets.
The premise in Hand of God isn't knew. Wasn't there a movie about a group of judges who meeted out sentences to criminals who weren't convicted because of technicalities? The Star Chamber, I think it was. It does sound dark, and if there are no redeming features, I'll skip it.
No, we can't get iPlayer in the US.
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Post by Bean on Mar 23, 2017 21:29:10 GMT
I agree that companies will often just look for another market, but I still think it's about being considerate about and happy with the choices you're making rather than seeing everything as a bigger or unsolvable issue. That proactive sort of attitude ('this is what I'm doing and I feel good about it') just makes the world a nicer place, even if it's only within your own four walls - or even your head!
I know I'm often guilty of letting the chaotic nature of life distract me from what my pound power contributes to. But while what I do won't affect any big changes, you never know where that point is, where there are enough people doing the same to change things for the better! Might as well live in hope!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Mar 24, 2017 9:40:51 GMT
Is anyone watching the new Lethal Weapon and Prime Suspect 1973, both are brilliant and I highly recommend them?
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by Bean on Mar 24, 2017 12:23:02 GMT
I haven't heard of either but will keep an eye out. We never get a tv guide so I never really find out what's on and I'm sure I miss lots of good stuff!
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Post by 3piggles on Mar 24, 2017 19:17:50 GMT
We greatly enjoy the new Lethal Weapon. Of all the remakes, we think that one is the best. The new Prime Suspect isn't available in the US yet, so we have to wait for that.
I agree, Bean, and I wish the vegans would stop making everyone who eats meat sound like butchers and murderers. I agree with boycotting the fur industry. No one needs fur to survive. The meat industry contributes to so many other industries, from bone meal to gelatin, that an incredible shift would be needed in so many other products, if the meat industry went away.
I do think, though, that we need to reevaluate why we have some industries. We have a tendency to want what we want first, and think about the consequences second if at all. Do we need a leather industry? I can see having a leather industry as long as there is a meat industry, but if a lot of people stop eating meat, so we slaughter animals just to feed the leather industry? We did that with the buffalo, just slaughtered hundreds of thousands at a time to take the pelts. The native Americans needed the meat to survive, but rotting meat left in the sun is no good, and they had no refridgeration. The buffalo population in the US was almost decimated for the buffalo robe and rug industry in Europe. If we're going to have stricter regulations on anything, I really think it should be keeping a balance between need and want, and improving on the conditions in the farms and slaughter houses. One step at a time, but make them the right steps.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Mar 25, 2017 16:06:35 GMT
They are worth watching Bean love. I agree with you Piggles hun, I am sick of feeling bad about not being a vegan, I get all the usual gilt trip emails too.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Mar 26, 2017 18:26:13 GMT
That's the problem I have with veganism, the attempts to guilt trip everyone who isn't one. I totally agree with better conditions at the factory farms and slaughter houses. There's not need to hurt animals just because they're going to be food. We have people who hunt for sport, who abuse animals for sport, and worse. I think we really need to work on that aspect long before we start eating vegan to not feel guilty. Tried watching a show called Rake, last night. It's set in Australia, with a loser barrister, and is supposed to be a comedy drama. We tried. We really did. Couldn't feel anything but pity for the loser barrister, and found no comedy at all. We watched another episode of Midsommer Murders. We always like that. We have some information on hooking up a DVR to the antenna signal. That's been our main reason for not dropping the cable. We'd lose the DVR, and we go to be early enough most nights that we record shows after 9 p.m. We're not at all pleased with the cable company. The first F1 race of the season was on at midnight. I recorded it. Only have of it recorded, because we got a message saying the signal was interrupted. Can't get through to them to tell them some of our channels are breaking up, or that one channel was gone for a day, as we keep getting put on hold, then disconnected so we can call back and go through it all again I'd really like to get rid of cable altogether. Hubby and I think that will be the case for most people, within the next 10 years. Instead of having cable or satellite be the only options, we'll have a lot of really good options. I certainly hope so. Cable was just as bad at our last place.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Mar 27, 2017 8:08:35 GMT
We watched "Vera" last night Piggles love, I don't know if you have that over there but it is about an off beat lady detective in her 50's. It is set in the Newcastle area which is about as north as you can get before being in Scotland. I am sorry you are having trouble with the cable company hun, I hope they put it right for you and soon.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Mar 27, 2017 20:16:53 GMT
I've seen Vera on both PBS and Acorn, but haven't watched it. Was it good? A female detective in the 1950s anyplace is extremely rare. Were there really female detectives in Newcastle back then?
We're finishing the run for Bones, tomorrow. The series finale doesn't seem to wrap up many outstanding issues, but we'll see. I really hope they're not leaving story lines open to try a newer version of the show, at a later date. That's a show that was about those particular characters. Either we loved them or hated them, and enough viewers loved them to keep the show on the air for years. It had a good run.
We watched a new show on FOX(I think), called Shots Fired. If you remember the riots in Ferguson, Missouri when a white cop shot an unarmed black man, this is the opposite. A black cop shoots an allegedly unarmed white man, and the federal department of justice sends it's people in to investigate. The first episode was very well done. Nothing sensational, just a lot of good acting, believable characters, good writing and good plotting. We have hopes for it.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Mar 28, 2017 8:24:11 GMT
Vera isn't set in the 1950's hunni, it is present day and no, there were very few if any female detectives there then. I haven't seen Shots Fired advertised here but I may have just missed it. Watched the first episode of "Harlots" last night, it was brilliant.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Mar 28, 2017 19:17:44 GMT
Sorry, Jo. By the time I got to posting my reply, the 50 years old had turned into 1950s in my brain. Lucky it was even still in there, in any form, but I reread your post, and you did say Vera was in her 50s. Nothing to do with 1950s No female police officers of any kind here in the 50s, either. The TV show Dragnet aired from 1951-59. During one of the episodes, Sgt. Friday(Jack Webb) explained to the officers that the department was starting to hire women to do the clerical work, freeing up the men to do the real work. Chips, with Eric Estrada and Larry Wilcox aired in 1998. By then there were women in the patrol cars, in the motorcycle units, etc. So a whole lot changed for women in police work between the 50s and the 90s, that's for sure. There was a show called Real NCIS, which hubby and I watched and found quite interesting. Not only were the real NCIS people not beautiful, shapely or buff, they were older, wore sensible shoes and clothes, were running to fat if not already there, and generally a whole lot more like we are than they were like the people portraying them on TV. Sort of like those totally buff construction workers on TV commercials, that I've never seen in real life
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