So, what’s been happening? Like millions of people around the world, I am just astonished at what America is doing to itself and the rest of the world in the porcine shape of DJT and his band of idiots.

I’m similarly stunned by the free hand given to the Zionist government in Israel by the majority of the governments around the world to continue the genocide in Palestine with apparent impunity and then go to the next level of kicking off with Iran.

I’m old enough to remember times when the world has seemed to be on the brink (Cuba, CND, Greenham Common, Jedward, the list is endless) but every time there seemed to be calmer heads taking command. Kennedy, Gorbachev, the great British record buying public, to keep us from the edge.

I see no such types in the two countries that have the greatest potential influence. (USA & Russia). Hold tight, it may get bumpy.

For a long time now, I have found it increasingly difficult to motivate myself to engage with anything much by the way of culture. Even finding the will to sit down and write here is intermittent at best. I write elsewhere about the isolation I am building around me but having reached a point where I have time, I have slowly started to become more interested.

I have been watching a few films and series so let’s run through those…

I have long enjoyed the writing of Carl Hiaasen. Anyone who can write characters that you remember for a long time after reading has a great skill. It’s a shame no-one has seen the potential to create a show around Chemo and his weed-whacker or the mighty Skink. People have tried to put his work on screen before of course, ‘Striptease’ with Demi Moore, ‘Hoot’ and surprisingly few others.

AppleTV+ have put out a series based on his book ‘Bad Monkey’ and it is brilliant. The best thing in it is… Vince Vaughn. I know, right? He is back to the days when he was funny, engaging and hip. I urge you to have a watch.

I am very much looking forward to the new season of Wednesday.

Other series I watched: Tracker, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracker_(American_TV_series) (7/10) Big Sky https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Sky_(American_TV_series) (1st Series 9/10) Will Trent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Trent (7/10) High Potential https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Potential (Could have been terrific, started promisingly, lead ‘actress’ became incredibly aggravating 2/10) Only Murders In the Building https://tv.apple.com/gb/show/only-murders-in-the-building/umc.cmc.7kd9yvyu5ecz1snkt4a35o12g (9/10) Last but not least, The Residence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Residence_(TV_series) (10/10)

Films: Captain America: Brave New World https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_America:_Brave_New_World (4/10). Looked great as always, story seemed incomplete somehow, feels overdone now. Captain Marvel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Marvel_(film) (7.5 / 10) The Marvels https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marvels (8/10)

More next time…