Quote from: David L on March 22, 2023, 08:27:49 PMTruly dystopian

https://nypost.com/2023/03/17/private-federal-censorship-machine-targeted-true-misinformation/

Quote from: Slim on February 22, 2023, 11:44:11 PM

So - my takeaway from that link is that federal agencies attempted, quite properly and unambiguously in their own national interest, to suppress disinformation about the vaccines.

If you're not keen on the tin foil hat, be less keen to make it fit.

Well you aren't exactly making a case for that by posting videos published an infamous disinformation source. In any case the cause of excess deaths is not actually a mystery; it's what you get following a pandemic.

Here's a video made by an actual medical doctor, and scientist.

Wordle 641 3/6

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About 90 seconds. Fortunate second word.

080: Cherokee Ernie

The motor platoon men are going on furlough. But when they come to collect the money they've saved for the trip from the welfare fund, Bilko is somewhat reluctant to hand it over. It transpires, eventually, that he's lost it on the horses again.

Quite why Bilko's men are still willing to trust him to look after their cash is a bit of a mystery, but as with all Phil Silvers Show episodes - you've got to cut it a bit of slack.

A young corporal named White Eagle who's a Native American tells Bilko about a lucrative poker game. "For a guy who's got a pack of cards, it's a paradise", he says.

There's some entertaining dialogue here about "the bond between the red man and the white man", and the young Native American uses the term "honest injun" to reinforce the veracity of one of his remarks.

I wonder if perhaps those are the sort of script touches we wouldn't see in a 21st century sitcom. Bilko even does an impromptu Red Indian dance, complete with the whoop with hand over mouth. It must be said though that the Native American characters are all shown in a positive light, as normal, modern Americans - apart from the elderly members of the family, who look like rejects out of a Western.

Bilko manages to demonstrate that Oklahoma is still legally owned by the Cherokees and becomes the central figure in a national news story. You could argue that this is one of those episodes that goes a little too far.

The term "Native American" is not actually used in this episode; the term "Indian" is used very freely.

David White, who played Darren's boss in Bewitched is back in this one. Interesting how the same bit part players often keep coming back as different characters.

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Well that wasn't too, er, hard. Three minutes. Don't think I've ever had a row of five yellows before.

079 Bilko Talks In His Sleep

Bilko smooth-talks one of the waitresses at the local diner into a date at the most expensive restaurant in town (poor Joanie, eh?) but he's broke.

How to raise the necessary cash? Clearly there's a way to con it out of the men of the motor pool. But it turns out that Bilko talks in his sleep, which - unfortunately - allows Grover and Ritzik to cash in on his devious little secrets.

The manner in which he gets his own back stretches credulity way past breaking point, but it's pretty funny, especially with the wry little twist at the end.

I liked this one a lot.

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Five minute one.

078: Papa Bilko

Opens with a charming flashback to Normandy in 1944, showing Bilko being generous and friendly to a French family there. On occasion, for flashbacks to the war in previous episodes we've seen Bilko sporing a full head of hair, but here he's shown, more realistically, with thinning and receding hairline.

Actually I googled images of Phil Silvers from the '40s, and I think he may have been wearing a hairpiece in real life.

Anyway .. back in the present-day late '50s, a handsome young private by the name of Pearly is very popular at Fort Baxter due to his natural winning way with women. Bilko is anxious to have him transferred to the motor pool platoon, in the hope of gaining access to the same social circles, or at the very least having a crack at some of the cast-offs.

And when Bilko manages this, he has Pearly provide lessons in attracting the fairer sex.

Meanwhile, the little girl from the French family turns up to see "Papa Bilko" at Fort Baxter and she's a rather attractive young woman now. The master sergeant becomes hilariously over-protective.

An unusually original idea, for once not revolving around a money-making scheme. Pretty good one. I think you could even call it a rom-com. Of sorts.

I recognised Pearly immediately - not someone I could have put a name to, or even another film or TV part, but Google tells me he's Robert Webber, who appeared with Henry Fonda in Twelve Angry Men the same year. Later, he was in The Dirty Dozen and Private Benjamin.

A rain-free day was promised, not too cold and not overly windy. Clearly I had an opportunity to do the March fondo on my hands.

I'd intended to set off at about 1000 this morning but slept in until 0950. But I was off on the Roubaix by about 1040.

I did the Upper Westbound route, which has now been modified so that it doesn't take a left turn to Marston Montgomery at the north-western end, because that turned out to be a bit rubbish last time - gravelly and twisty. So I pushed up Ashbourne Road and turned back after about 31.5 miles.



On the way back, after Melbourne, I decided on a whim to take a left turn to Wilson instead of coming back the usual way. Partly because I couldn't be bothered with Rotter's Rise, but partly because I thought it would squeeze a bit of adventure out of the ride. I don't actually know the best way home from Wilson so I thought it would be fun to navigate my own way back. As it happens I took two really stupid turns that elongated my ride significantly, in both cases because I thought it would be the quickest way back.

I did come to regret my impromptu orienteering because I had to negotiate quite a lot of sharp climbs. Still - nice run out overall. Back on 66.06 miles.

Listened to the rest of the Reacher novel, The Hard Way. Very good. The story moves from downtown Manhattan to rural Norfolk, and I must say the voice actor who reads the audiobook doesn't come anywhere near getting the Norfolk accent right for the locals who speak in the book. They sound something like a cross between a slow-witted Irishman and an Eastern European.

I enjoyed being out on the Roubaix again for the first time since August but I think the saddle is set a bit lower than my other bikes. But I may acquire a carbon seat post for it soon.

https://www.strava.com/activities/8743139081

I wonder if Arteta was a bit naive risking such a strong side in the Europa League? He may never have a better chance to win the Premier League.

Wordle 638 3/6

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40 seconds today. Lucky with the first word.

My confidence in Man City's likelihood to win the league has diminished a bit now, with only 11 games remaining and a 5 point gap to Arsenal. If pushed I still make them slight favourites, though.

Quote from: Slim on March 15, 2023, 08:09:16 PMMaybe I could sort out a YouTube playlist with the various Opener tunes in the appropriate sequence - that'd be a great place to start.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtQoLzWkVKErCqyXKlS2lcqjsyQdN_uGE

077: Sgt Bilko Presents

The motor pool platoon has a new recruit who's written a play that's opening in Roseville. Bilko scents an opportunity to exploit the lad's talent to make a bit of money as a theatrical producer.

It's not a great one, but it's not bad.

I googled the actor who played the young playwright, Gordon Polk. Sadly he died three years later at the age of 37, during heart surgery. He appeared with Steve McQueen in a film called Wanted: Dead or Alive about a year after this Phil Silvers Show episode was made.

So ashamed of that utter clown. Pleased to see that other MPs walked out as soon as the fool started talking. Looking forward to flushing a turd come next polling day.