some old silent movie posters

I just love the colouring and layout in these old posters. They certainly don't make them like that anymore.

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the basketball diaries (1995) - scott kalvert

Based on the book/autobiography by Jim Carroll, a promising basketball player who became addicted to drugs (mainly heroin). The Basketball Diaries was sadly lacking something or other, as it just didn't ring true, sometimes feeling too staged and over the top (although it did feature Carroll himself, who makes a short appearance as a junkie). Carroll (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), loses interest in basketball as he descends into addiction, and all the fun that brings (homelessness, lawlessness, prostitution) until, after a spell in the old chokey (Rikers), he cleans up and gets on with being a writer/artist. It deals with growing up and loyalty amongst friends and family, and also the hatred one can have towards classmates, teachers and society. There is an often copied fantasy sequence when Carroll shoots up a classroom (and the inhabitants) while wearing a long black coat, but most of the time his acting couldn't hold a bubbling spoon up to the cast of Trainspoting, which was sooooooooooooooo much better and realistic. I suppose these sort of films and tales are meant to put you off drugs, but l always want to have a bash and start cooking up the minute they have finished (or during them). I need help, as l am a very sad (and old) man.

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suzi lelievre artwork

I like this artwork by the designer Suzy Lelievre, especially the dice, which is such a simple idea but looks so new and original. More of her stuff can be found here.

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more old celebrity mug shots

"One day l'll be a rock star!" - Steven Tyler

Mr Happy - Kurt Cobain

The man in black - Mr Johnny Cash

The axeman himself - Jimi Hendrix

The right on and Power to the People Jane Fonda

Steven Tyler certainly does not look at his best.

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another new spider found!

Great news! Another disgusting looking spider (an Albino Trapdoor Spider) has been discovered in Australia. Another reason why l am staying well away from the bite-your-bum arachnoid infested so-called paradise.

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the greatest thing on the internet

This is probably the biggest waste of time and yet the greatest thing anyone has ever uploaded to t'internet (and it is right). Instantly transported back to the old days (1972).

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new amy winehouse album - lioness : hidden treasures

This will certainly be plugged a lot pretty damn soon (and will probably sell bucketloads). I bet as soon as she died the record company were thinking about how to get their moneys worth out of the Christmas market and their newly deceased star.

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the paris flood of 1910

Here's some pictures from 1910 in Paris of when the Seine burst it's banks.

And no, l didn't take them myself. Even l'm not that old.

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toast sandwiches versus dead birds and mice in tesco food

The bird in the salad

The mouse (minus tail) in the bread

There is an investigation being conducted at the moment after a Somerset man found a dead bird in his Tesco salad. I think that is pretty disgusting, in fact, so pretty disgusting, that it is probably worse than finding a dead mouse in your bread, which was discovered by an Oxfordshire man - 'minus the tail' last year (let's face it, that's bad enough).

Yum yum - can't wait for tea tonight, all this food and dead stuff talk is making me feel peckish.

Whatever it is, l'll certainly be checking it thoroughly (especially if it involves a salad sandwich).

Maybe l should just stick to eating toast sandwiches. After all, times are hard.

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holy flying circus (2011) - owen harris

This is a drama based on Monty Python and their real life struggles with censorship when they released Life Of Brian. The drama is done in a Pythonesque fashion, featuring men dressed as women, cartoons, surreal humour, and the cast members playing characteristics of their screen persona's (John Cleese as he is in Fawlty Towers etc). Pretty well done in my eyes, and the people who played Cleese and Michael Palin were especially good (Darren Boyd and Charles Edwards). It's a shame there isn't more of this kind of thing on the TV, l would spend less time on the computer.

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cartoon skeletons by michael paulus

A clever idea, and if you want to buy them (or see more), look here.

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silvio, the euro and capitalism

So, Silvio Berlusconi has resigned, the Euro is in crisis (along with Italy and Greece), and everyone (apart from Germany) seem to be worried about the future. A fitting time to re up this old capitalism poster. Viva le Revolution brothers and sisters!!

Nearly forgot. I don't really think the billionaire Berlusconi, nor the millionaire Cameron will be that worried about the crisis, l sure they can rough it out and ride it through, poor little things.

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hope and glory (1987) - john boorman

Hope and Glory shows a young boy (Bill Rowan, played by Sebastian Rice-Edwards) growing up at the start of the Second World War, and looking for adventures at the same time as the bombs start to fall. Nothing special about it really, (apart from some good backdrops). l would have stopped watching it if l had other pressing engagements, but luckily for me, due to being off work, l had loads of time on my hands (but not any longer, as l am back in today - DAAAAMMNNNNN!!!!!!!!!). A whimsical comedy/drama (Urghh!), which also explains how to bowl a googly (not interested).

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mercy brown and the undead

I was listening to a Halloween podcast (The Memory Palace) that told the true story of Mercy Brown in 1892. Because of various deaths in the family, George Brown (the father), who lived in Exeter, Rhode Island, was told by his neighbours that the deaths were due to undead activity, and one of the recently deceased from his family must still be visiting the house and draining the life away from other members of the household. He exhumed the bodies of his wife and two daughters (which included Mercy), and because Mercy's body was still in excellent shape (being dead for only two months in freezing conditions), he was convinced it was her doing the visiting, so he took out her heart, burnt it, mixed it with water, and gave it to his son Edwin to drink, as he was unwell at the time. It (obviously) didn't work, as Edwin died two months later. When all of this happened, Manchester United had been going for 14 years, it was only 22 years before the start of the First World War, cars had just been invented and it just shows how mad, superstitious and gullible people could be, even at that time. Amazing, but then again, l am sure there will be people alive in the present time who believe in this undead/afterlife nonsense.

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