Monthly Archives: January 2016

Coming Soon: The Stationery Supplies Movie (2019)

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Sony Pictures Animation have announced that they have begun work on their latest motion picture themed around the exciting world of stationery supplies. Details of the plot at this stage are sketchy, but early drafts of the script involve a civil war within the International Standard “A” paper sizes based around two factions led by A3 and A4. The “B” and “C” sizes are too cowardly to piece the “A” family back together, so old retired hero Foolscap is tempted out of retirement for one last action packed adventure.

Just when you thought the studios had taken as much piss as possible with efforts like Pixels, now there is THE STATIONERY SUPPLIES MOVIE: COMING TO THEATERS CINEMAS IN 2019.

© 2015 Bryan A. J. Parry

featured image from https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/post/135840211056/emoji-movie-set-for-2017-release

Fashion Hijabs?

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This has always confused me. Muslim women are apparently supposed to cover their hair to show humility and, as some Imams I know tell me, to not excite the sexual passions of men (for hair is the sexiest part of the female, apparently). Yet, women who wear the hijab often have the most elaborate make-up — and the most beautiful, luxurious hijabs! Indeed, the more covered up, the more tarted up; I commonly see women in Niqab with the most outrageous eye make-up.

Now I love a beautiful hijab as much as the next guy. Seriously: the hijabs above are a joy to behold. But surely it defeats the object of the humility exercise. Let’s cover our plume up with an even more beautiful plume cover(!)

Anyway, Dolce & Gabbana have got on board with their luxurious hijabs. So all Muslims (just the women, though; men don’t have to cover their hair for some reason) can now be extra pretty whilst being extra holy and modest.

Fashion Hijabs

© 2016 Bryan A. J. Parry

featured image from https://uk.style.yahoo.com/post/136736611229/dolce-gabbana-launches-first-line-of-hijabs-and

Project Polyglot Parry III: January 2016 Update @irishpolyglot

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Project Polyglot Parry is me turning myself into a multilingual maestro. Unfortunately, despite being pretty regular on Duolingo, the graphic below(PROJECT Polyglot Parry March 2014) is still an accurate reflection of my language levels. How can that be possible? I’m where I was 22 months ago! Ah yes; a combo of not enough practice and not pushing myself enough when I do practice. Well, learning languages is on my 2016 New Year’s Resolutions, so I’ve got to get a grip. Enrolling on a class might be the way to force myself forward.

I don’t want to make excuses or put things off, but I am actually in the middle of several really important life things right now. I physically don’t have that much time. But I’m going to force myself to Duolingo again, effective immediate; I can do it on the bog (half an hour per language per day). Then I reckon in a couple of weeks or so, I can think about enrolling on classes and so on.

My ultimate goals for 2016 are to get myself the certificates and/or level of:

  • B1 TISUS level in Swedish,
  • B1 DELE in Spanish,
  • refresh my ancient Greek by successfully re-finishing Duff and then starting on Taylor’s GCSE to Greek I again,
  • Doing Portuguese Duolingo half an hour / two “disks” per day for the whole year.

As much as I’m keen on Basque — I’ve always loved the language, my wife is Basque, we have a house in the Basque Country –, I decided to only focus on learning that when I am certified C1 in Spanish.

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Polyglot Parry I
Polyglot Parry II

© 2015 – 2016 Bryan A. J. Parry

 

Fear the Beard! #FearTheBeard @guardian @Independent @libertyhq @realDonaldTrump

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I’m getting really angry now. Half the people I know didn’t go to one of London’s festive highlights this year: Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. Why? ISIS… No joke. I have friends who’ve lost a lot of money from cancelled clients due to… the terror threat.

Sorry, but what the f*ck!? Is everyone a coward? Has everyone lost their minds? There’s very little chance of getting bombed or attacked. Yes, it is a possibility, and that is why the security services and police work hard to keep the public safe. But we can’t lose our heads and become fearful. We’re more likely to get glassed by a random twat down the local. That is a fact.

So why is terrorism so scary now? We’ve always been a target for terrorism in London going back hundreds of years. Guy Fawkes, anyone? The IRA?

Disturbingly, there is a racist undertone to this current panic, a racism which is helping fuel the fear. Hundreds of years being bombed, but now ‘cos these guys are brown, got beards, and speak a guttural language (y’know, like the Black Speech of Mordor Orcs in LOTR!), all of a sudden we need to lose our heads.

And the media don’t help. The portrayed otherness of Muslims, combined with a pod people-esque enemy next door slant to the story, is helping to fan the flames in a bid to have juicier sexed up news. It is disgraceful. But as the Roman philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius said, ‘We are in control of our reactions, and our reactions makes something good or bad’. If we let the terrorists, and the media, make us fearful and consequently change our routines — for example, by not going to Winter Wonderland type events –, then we are not being prudent and sensible. Rather, we are letting fear and cowardliness win. We are letting the terrorists win.

Democracy and our free way of life are based on a fearless, quiet, going about of our own business in confidence. We have nothing to fear but fear itself — for fear has always been the enemy of democracy and freedom. Nero and the fire in Rome, to the burning of the Reichstag in 1933, to 9/11 and the Patriot Act, fear has always led to an erosion of our freedoms and our free way of life. Back in 1859, John Stewart Mill warned us in On Liberty that totalitarianism doesn’t just come from the state and state agencies — society can itself be the tyrannical agent.

Don’t let the terrorists win. Don’t fear the beard. Go about your normal business; our democracy is at stake. Save democracy; go the Winter Wonderland. And use my ironic hashtag: #FearTheBeard.

© 2015 – 2016 Bryan A. J. Parry

featured image from http://img.wonkette.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/osama-bin-zombie.jpg