Comments for Wis[s]e Words

Comment on Broken Angels – Richard Morgan by Martin Wisse

Martin Wisse — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:49:11 +0000

True. Your descriptions are like a gutshot wound, while Morgan seems to go for the clean, sharp pain of a leg being broken…

Comment on Metal Monday by Martin Wisse

Martin Wisse — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:43:30 +0000

When I got into metal, back in ‘86, ‘87 or so it was via Anthrax and ‘Maiden and Deep Purple was for old fogeys, so…

They’re metal, but much more towards the rock side of things than later bands were, much more approachable for a BBC Four audience?

Comment on Metal Monday by kev mcveigh

kev mcveigh — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:17:39 +0000

I have to disagree about the metalness of Deep Purple etc. They were certainly a part of what we considered heavy metal in 1980. After all for there to be a New Wave does there not have to be an old wave?
I agree though that the cut off around 1980ish was disappointing. I’d have liked something on the Neat records bands, and other NWOBHM bands. But I suppose its after that that metal splinters with Goth elements and hardcore elements becoming more significant than bluesy riff based rock.
I was pleased to see the neglected and underrated Budgie on there though. I loved them when I saw them first in 81, and still great a couple of years back.

Comment on Broken Angels – Richard Morgan by Neal Asher

Neal Asher — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:41:07 +0000

“dripping with ichor and blood and bodily fluids” Ah, but we’re just bags of that sort of stuff — make a large enough hole and it all tends to come running out.

Comment on Books read February by Martin Wisse

Martin Wisse — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:30:07 +0000

Or worse: some of the more …emotional… liberal blogs of the time.

Comment on Books read February by Edmund Schluessel

Edmund Schluessel — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:45:47 +0000

Black Man felt dated when it came out. A caricature of the future of the US sketched by someone who seems to only have heard about it from the news.

Comment on Nicotine-Use Disorder .. Wait, what? by Martin Wisse

Martin Wisse — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:10:34 +0000

Might be…

Comment on Nicotine-Use Disorder .. Wait, what? by palau

palau — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 10:19:36 +0000

My mother always used to say it was smoking kept me alive, as it was my motivation to get out of bed and walk. I agree.

But a few weeks ago the CEO of the hospital I’m still (unfortunately) in decided he didn’t want the remaining two smoking rooms (which had specialised smoke removal equipment fitted only a couple of months ago at who knows what cost) or those disgusting mentally disordered smokers in *his* hospital, so he shut them down with no notice and no explanation to patients or staff in the middle of winter with subzero temps and snow on the ground.

All that’s left now are two open shelters, one about 20 square feet with one small hard wooden bench, in front of the hospital and accessible only till 9pm, and one even smaller at the back, accessible only through two very heavy doors, which are locked at 6pm have no seats and need a staff pass.

All other open areas are banned to smokers and the staff are no longer allowed to take you to the smoking area, so if you can’t manoeuvre a wheelchair you’re shit out of luck. Even if you can you risk pneumonia, because there’s no room and you have to stand (if you can) in the cold.

Staff and patients alike are fuming (or would be if they could).

But whether or not I smoke’s my decision though of course I’m willing to observe limits. But how dare some non-medical overpaid bureaucrat make that decision for me, based on his personal whim?

Now there’s this attempt to mentally disorderize smoking, which is hilarious when you see how many nurses and doctors are out there in the cold sneaking a quick one. Maybe we can do the same for the staff addiction to hospital coffee or to whisky, or to driving a car, all of which smells I find offensive and the latter two of which are as dangerous as smoking if not more.

The really annoying thing is that the hospital shop sells bottles of wine and cans of beer, so you can get drunk as as a skunk no matter what medication you’re on or what illness you have; but you can’t have a cigarette indoors in a specialised smoking room, because the boss doesn’t like it. Prick.

(PS Martin, was this bait for me to start commenting again? I think so…)

Comment on William Tenn (1910 – 2010) by Adina Klass

Adina Klass — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:49:41 +0000

Thank you for the sweet words about my father and his writing…they are appreciated.
~Adina Klass-Lamana

Comment on Nicotine-Use Disorder .. Wait, what? by Branko Collin

Branko Collin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:22:13 +0000

I am guessing a psychiatric disorder is one that not many people suffer from. Once nicotine addiction, believing in Yahweh, cognitive dissonance or stereoscopic vision become mainstream enough, they stop being disorders.

Having said that, I doubt scientists think that way (or not much at least), and to me this paper sounds more like an attempt to declassify nicotine as a drug. After all, drugs are icky and their users criminals.