2022 is slowly becoming a crappy year for the comics industry, because another legendary artist has died. On 16th June, Tim Sale passed away in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. He was 66 years old.
I can’t tell you what the first Tim Sale art I ever saw was, but I can sure as hell tell you that I liked it. I loved his work, because it was moody and edgy, but at the same time, it was classical and mythical.
To me, the way Tim used shadows on characters and the background, was an art form on its own. His art kicked so many different types of arse. From Marvel, there was Daredevil: Yellow, Hulk: Gray, Captain America: White and Spider-Man: Blue; which is regarded as one of the best Peter Parker stories ever.
And from DC, there was Superman for all Seasons, Catwoman: When in Rome, and…Batman. The way that Tim drew Batman’s cape, you would think the cape was actually alive and sentient, because of the way it moved.
His work on the various Batman projects was so powerful and mind crunching, that I can only offer this compliment: for me, Batman is synonymous with Tim Sale, like Tim Sale is synonymous with Batman.1
His work has had an impact on me, and it still does to this day. Thank you, Tim.
Thanks for reading, avoid Sour Cream and Chives, and I’ll see you next Monday.
1 I’m really sorry if I have forgotten to mention any of Tim’s other work.
This is a quick follow up from yesterday’s post. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson (It’s been nearly 3 years, but I still have trouble with that statement), faced a no-confidence vote against his own Conservative Party, know as the Tories.
To remove Boris as leader and Prime Minister, over 180 Tory MPs needed to vote against him. I hate to break it to you, but the Tories failed. What a surprise.
211 Tory MPs voted for Boris, while 148 Tory MPs voted against him. The result is that he gets to stay at 10 Downing St; for at least the time being.
Even though Boris and the government have stated that this result has given them a victory, so they can continue to level up the UK, it’s just a victory on paper; it’s very thin.
59% of Tory MPs have supported Boris, but 41% don’t. To put it another way, 2 out of every 5 Tory MPs, do not support their own leader. That’s insane.
If this result is truly a victory for Boris, it’s a pyrrhic victory; like the Battle of the Alamo, the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Battle of Hoth, or recently, the Siege of Mariupol. You’ve won the battle, but just so you can lose the war.
This vote is actually the beginning of the end for Boris Johnson and the Tories. They may have survived this round, but the British public will not forget this; especially at the next election.
Thanks for reading Some Geek Told Me. It actually means a lot to me. Look afterwards yourselves, and I’ll see you next Monday.
Kia ora and welcome to the third part of my tiny blog, looking at the 10 Downing St shenanigans, covered in the Sue Gray report. Today is the final chapter in a trilogy that nobody asked for, because nobody realised how incompetent Boris Johnson’s government truly were.
Actually, I feel that’s a falsehood. I think millions of people realised that, before the report.
This final nugget of haughtiness is quite special, because it’s a 2-for-1 deal; or maybe it’s buy 1, get 1 free. Take your pick of egotism, narcissism, and irresponsible behaviour, from the Tories finest.
Part Three: Double Trouble
On 16th April 2021, 10 Downing St did not just have one gathering, but two! The United Kingdom had moved to Step 2, of lifting restrictions of the second national lockdown. There was still to be no indoor social gathering at people’s homes, but also social distancing needed to be maintained at the work place.
For the third time, I’ll let the report explain the situation:
Two leaving events took place on 16 April 2021. One, the event for James Slack and the other, an event to mark the departure of a No 10 official. This latter event was organised on the day, by email which sent at 16.26 by a No 10 official to the No 10 Digital team, No 10 Press Office, Events & Visits and others.
There was no scheduled time for the event on the invitation. This email invitation included a Microsoft Teams link so that individuals could attend virtually and was called ‘[No 10 official] Leaving Presentation’. The location was the No 10 Digital Team office which is situated in the basement of No 10.
The Digital team is part of the No 10 Press Office team and there was considerable overlap in attendance at the two events. The first, for James Slack, began at approximately 18.30, with speeches in the Press Office. He wished to thank his team members individually and to set out future direction for the team. It lasted for around an hour and there were approximately 45 people in total in attendance both in the office and with a small number online.
Those present in person came from across No 10, including senior officials. Some joined the event virtually. Wine and beer had been bought by staff and was consumed by some during the speeches. Following the speeches, some staff returned to work but others continued chatting and drinking. They remained for some time and were present when the building 35 was being locked down for the evening. Those still present were asked to leavethe building by a No 10 custodian.
The group then moved into the No 10 garden. The second event, for the other No 10 official, was held in the offices of the Digital Team in the basement of No 10. It began at approximately the same time as the event for the Director of Communications, at around 18.00, but was smaller in scale, with 15-20 people present, including a special adviser and more junior officials. There were leaving speeches and a presentation.
Wine was available and music was played from a laptop on top of a printer. A number of those present drank excessively. There was mingling between the two events, with some staff moving up and down the stairs in between the basement and the Press Office.
The two groupseventually joined together in the Downing Street garden. Shortly before 21.30, there were over 20 people present in the garden, with a number of bottles of alcohol.
A number of individuals gathered near a child’s swing/slide in the garden, damaging it by leaning on and playing with it. This was noticed the next morning and reported to No 10 staff.
At this time, the custodian staff at No 10 continued to lock down the building. They noted that groups of individuals had gone into the garden. The group began to break up and return into the main building at around 21.30.
The No 10 entry logs show that a number of people left No 10 at this point. They were encouraged by the custodian to use the rear exit of No 10. Some individuals remained in the building and carried on drinking alcohol until the early hours. Exit logs indicate that some left after midnight and others between 01.45-02.45. Two members of staff stayed later still, with one leaving at 03.11 and the last leaving at 04:20.
Wow. Utter madness. Two leaving parties occurred on the same day at 10 Downing St, with alcohol and speeches, which left a child’s playground equipment damaged. My questions about these amateurish and botched social events are as follows:
Did Jacob Rees-Mogg attend any of the gatherings? Was he emailed an invitation by accident?
How bad were the speeches that alcohol was needed to help people survive them?
Did any of the speeches mention that The Batman, was pushed back to October 2021? What were people’s thoughts about this?
How many arses did the custodian(s) have to kick that night?
How many £3 bottles of wine were consumed from the local off license?
Who played DJ for the evening or was it a team effort?
What was the most popular song of the evening? Was it The Gambler, by Kenny Rogers?
When the two groups joined together, was it a turf war, like the Sharks and the Jets, in West Side Story?
Has the person that damaged the swing/slide in the garden, ever been identified? Has Scotland Yard, MI5, James Bond, or Sherlock Holmes opened an investigation yet?
Who were the two staff members that stayed until 3.11 am and 4.20 am? Was Tinder involved?
When thousands of children across the country were unable to attend birthday parties, or invite their friends to their own parties; because they were following the rules, the Tories threw two parties on the same night, at 10 Downing St!
I would say this would be disgraceful behaviour, but that’s an understatement about this shameful mess.
Boris Johnson and the Tories have only apologised to the public, because they were caught. They did not apologise straight after the events. Please remember that at the next general election.
Two things to close with:
1.) Thank you to the photographer(s) for taking the photos on 19th June 2020, and 13th November 2020, during those social events. The Tories look dishonest and hilarious at the same time. The photos are priceless and beautiful.
2.) Boris Johnson will be facing a no-confidence vote by Tory MPs, on 6th June, between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. (UK time). To remove him as leader, over 180 Tory MPs have to vote against him. Here’s hoping those Tory MPs will sack him. We’ll have to wait for the result, but whatever happens, I’ll let you know, because, like I have nothing else to do.
Stay tuned for the result. Until then, thanks for reading, wash your hands, and I’ll see you soon.
PS: I couldn’t resist adding this. I’m very childish.
Welcome back to Part Two of the 10 Downing St shenanigans, as mentioned in the Sue Gray Report. If you’re not sure what you’re reading, don’t panic; it happens to me all the time. I really mean that.
Just read my previous blog about Part One, and hopefully you’ll be brought up to speed on Boris Johnson’s government, causing calamity, carnage and catastrophes, during the United Kingdom COVID-19 lockdowns and restictions.
So, let’s move onto the second part:
Part Two: Secret Santa
This 10 Downing St apocalyptic event, was held on the 18th December 2020, three days after the quiz event. Before we go on, please remember that the United Kingdom was still under a second national lockdown, which required people to stay at home, with no more than two people from other households for indoor gatherings, leading up to and around Christmas. Remember that.
Once again, I’ll let the report explain the situation:
The 18 December 2020 was a Friday, when the weekly Press Office meeting and “Wine Time Friday” would have normally taken place. It was also the last working Friday of 2020 and there was a desire to mark the occasion.
Some work did take place in the Press Office and No 10 whilst this event was underway, in relation to the ongoing negotiations on a trade deal ahead of the UK’s exit from the EU scheduled for 31 December 2020; and on the emergence of the Delta variant of Covid 19, raising issues of what Covid restrictions would be necessary over the Christmas period with announcements being made the next day.
A number of senior members of the Press Office attended or observed relevant meetings and discussed follow up action. The event started by about 18.00 which was later than scheduled. It took place in the same space as the leaving event on 27 November 2020, in the area just outside the No 10 Press Office.
A Secret Santa gift exchange took place. There was also a quiz. An awards ceremony took place, at around 19.45. A No 10 official sent a message to one of the WhatsApp groups at 19.49 stating “prize giving now guys, return”. The investigation was informed that this was an extension of the type of awards ceremony which might take place on “Wine Time Friday”.
Those present gathered together at the meeting table in the small area outside the main Press Office. Awards certificates were handed out to staff by Jack Doyle, a senior special adviser. There were about 30 certificates prepared, although not all those awarded certificates were present. The ceremony lasted between 10-25 minutes and between 15 and 45 people were in the room during that time.
At approximately 19.45 that evening, a panic alarm button was accidentally triggered by a member of staff. The custodians on duty responded, as did one of the police officers on No 10 door duty. They observed a large number of people in the area outside of the main Press Office and one individual giving a speech. Inside the Press Office a further 15-20 people were present.
There was food and alcohol available which had been bought and brought in by staff. Some members of staff drank excessively. The event was crowded and noisy such that some people working elsewhere in the No 10 building that evening heard significant levels of noise coming from what they characterised as a “party” in the Press Office. A cleaner who attended the room the next morning noted that there had been red wine spilled on one wall and on a number of boxes of photocopier paper.
The event lasted for several hours, with varying levels of attendance throughout, including because officials left to attend official meetings. Attendance peaked during the awards ceremony. No 10 exit logs show a number of members of staff remaining in the office until after midnight.
So, to recap the sequence of absurd events: A party was held at 10 Downing St, with 15-45 people attending. Food and alcohol were served, along with playing another quiz, with Secret Santa presents and awards were given out.
Let’s also remember, that some person; drunk no doubt, set off the panic alarm button and red wine was spilled on the wall, and on some boxes. My questions about this idiotic debauchery are as follows:
Did Jacob Rees-Mogg compete in the quiz? What was his score? (Same question as last time)
Did Boris Johnson receive a Secret Santa gift? If so, what was it?
Did Boris Johnson give a Secret Santa gift? Is it possible to return it to the discount bin at ASDA?
Are “Wine Time Fridays” still going on at 10 Downing St?
Has Nigel Farage ever turned up to whine about the EU and immigrants?
Was anybody unhappy with their Secret Santa gift?
Can we return Boris Johnson back to Henley?
Has WhatsApp come out and said, “Don’t you dare drag us into this mess!”
Did Jack Doyle have a good night? Did he give himself a certificate?
What were the certificates for? ie Most affairs in the year, Highest number of sex scandals in a year, Lowest IQ (who could tell?), The highest number of laws broken in a year, The greatest amount of lies told to the British people in a single day.
Who was the imbecile that set off the panic alarm? No really, who was it?
Was the cleaner given a bonus, for cleaning up Tory left overs?
While the British public were saying their final goodbyes to their loved ones, via Zoom, the Tories were having a Friday night bender at 10 Downing St. Disgraceful does not even scratch the surface of this insult. They made the rules. They enforced the rules. They just didn’t follow them. I wonder if their parents or children are proud of them?
I’m actually doing this without swearing, so I think I’m doing alright. That’s all from me tonight, because my dog is asleep on my pillow again, so I need to set up the couch. I’ll see you on Monday for the third and final part of the Sue Gray report. Until then, thanks for reading, wash your hands and remember to breathe.
I want to talk about the Sue Gray report. Why? Because the findings are worse that you can imagine. Like can’t organise a piss up at a brewery, worse.
I think the official title of the report is : FINDINGS OF SECOND PERMANENT SECRETARY’S INVESTIGATION INTO ALLEGED GATHERINGS ON GOVERNMENT PREMISES DURING COVID RESTRICTIONS
So for the people that no idea about what I’m talking about; 1.) You are very blessed, 2.) I’ll explain this clown car of a document.
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, aka Boris Johnson, is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Covering from March 2020 to December 2021, the United Kingdom entered several national lockdowns and restrictions, in response to fighting COVID-19; under Johnson’s Conservative (Tory) government.
The report is written by Sue Gray, the Second Permanent Secretary in the Cabinet Office.
The report details some of the alleged behaviour, of government workers in government buildings like 10 Downing St, during COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions.
Basically, this report is about how some government officials broke the COVID-19 rules, that they actually made, while the British public followed the rules.
Sweet? Hopefully that’s clear. So….I have read the report. It’s…pretty damning, but I think it was always going to be. I’ve selected three events from the report that defy explanations, which will cover three different blogs, because…you know…I have to sleep and feed my kids.
I usually don’t talk or write about politics on my blog, but I couldn’t let this report pass, without commenting about it. In my defence, it’s the Tories.
I want to highlight just three gems of utter insanity that the Sue Gray report has revealed. This is the first one.
Part One: The Quiz
The UK second national lockdown was introduced in November 2020, with heavy restrictions concerning social distancing and Christmas parties. Basically the country was told to stay at home, with no more than two people from other households for indoor gatherings, leading up to and around Christmas.
Let’s move to 15th December 2020, because we are now boarding the hypocrisy train. I’ll let the report explain the event:
On 15 December 2020, a virtual quiz took place for No 10 staff. This was attended by No 10 staff who were present in Downing Street and 70 Whitehall and by some who joined from home. Alcohol and food was available in Downing Street and at 70 Whitehall, supplied and paid for by staff attending. The quiz and prize-giving lasted approximately three and a half hours.
On 15 December 2020, the planned quiz began at around 18.00. Approximately 120-150 staff joined, some from home and others based in rooms across No 10 Downing Street and 70 Whitehall. At least 18 members of No 10 staff joined from a large room in 70 Whitehall.
The Prime Minister joined the quiz at approximately 19.50 to read out the questions to one of the rounds. This had been agreed in principle in advance and was confirmed on the day. This is not unusual, he was frequently called upon by his office to attend staff events. He remained at the event for 12 minutes before returning to his office. There are published photographs of his participation in the event.
Food and alcohol was available during the quiz which was purchased by individuals on behalf of their teams. Some teams in the office gathered close together around laptop screens.
Some staff drank alcohol. A No 10 official sent a message on internal No 10 systems referring to drunkenness and advising staff to leave No 10 via the back exit. The No 10 official informed the investigation team that they did this in order to avoid staff being photographed by the press outside.
The quiz finished at approximately 21.30. Most of those in the office in No 10 either left or returned to work after the quiz with some remaining continuing to chat and some drank alcohol.
So while the United Kingdom was under lockdown, and the NHS (National Health Service) was hemorrhaging because of the work load, 10 Downing St had a quiz night. My questions about this ludicrous work event are as follows:
Did Jacob Rees-Mogg compete in the quiz? What was his score?
What round of questions did Boris Johnson ask? ie professional ethnics or some other make believe topic?
What were the team names? Seriously, I would love to know, because I hope they were funny.
When competing against at least 120 other Tories, what idiot(s) achieved the lowest score?
If you attended this quiz, wouldn’t that make YOU the loser?
Imagine receiving a message from a work colleague, explaining about an upcoming social event; where if you get drunk, you need to leave via the back exit. The reason is because the media would be waiting at the front door. To me, that’s a damn big red flag, telling you to stay away. Just like a man that brings his mother on a Tinder date to meet you.
I love quiz nights, so there’s no shame in losing one; except actually attending this one.
While the British public were at home, doing the right thing in the Christmas season, by social distancing; the Tories were having a quiz night at 10 Downing St. Elitism, arrogance, conceited or law breakers; the choice is yours for the best way to describe this detestable behaviour.
If you haven’t read the report for yourself, the link for it is below.
Anybody that knows me or follows my blog, will understand that I’m a comic book fan. I’ve been reading and collecting comics for decades, so over that time, I’ve learnt a few things, which have included Neal Adams and George Perez.
Growing up and teaching myself about comics, I discovered and identified Neal’s and George’s art, before I could recognise their names. As a kid, the names of artists were not important to me, only if I liked their artwork. And for the record, I liked them both.
To me, and thousands; if not millions of people around the world, these two men were amazing storytellers. Their passion for their medium, shone through in their art, but also through interviews, attending conventions, and their community work. Neal and George also worked for different publishers, not just DC and Marvel.
Both men challenged what a comic book could be, by drawing strong, but flawed characters; introducing new and exciting characters that would push social boundaries; incorporate more mature themes to comics; redefining the way the body and muscles were drawn; but also being top quality storytellers.
Neal and George helped to build worlds, where a small boy, from a small town, from a small country, could escape to and dream that all things were possible. From intimate and personal stories; to race against time, globe trotting stories; to reality-crushing and cosmic stories, they could do it all.
Neal Adams cover for Avengers Vol 1 #92/George Perez cover for Crisis on Infinite Earths #1
Sadly, Neal passed away on 28th April, aged 80; while George passed away on 6th May, aged 67. My condolences to their families and friends.
Just like many other people I admired and respected; like Stephen Hawking and Stan Lee, I always thought I would meet Neal and/or George. It would have been at some sort of comic convention, where I would shake their hand, thank them for all of their amazing work, and then apologise for saying something they would have heard thousands of times before.
That can never happen now.
In New Zealand, we have some mighty trees called tōtaras. They are symbolically important, because they are massive, straight, quite light, and resistant to rot. Basically, they’re forest giants. Māori would use them to make large wakas (canoes), but also carve the tōtara to decorate maraes.
These are not my words, but they convey my thoughts and feelings:
KUA HINGA TE TOTARA I TE WAO NUI A TANE
THE TOTARA HAS FALLEN IN THE FOREST OF TANE
THE TOTARA IS A HUGE TREE THAT GROWS FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS. THE GREATNESS OF THE TOTARA IS A METAPHOR FOR WHEN SOMEONE OF IMPORTANCE PASSES AWAY.
Simply put, Neal and George were tōtaras.
Whenever I see their artwork, until the end of my days, I’ll push away the thoughts of sadness and anger; and just be grateful that I’ll be looking at 2-D representations of what love looks like: the evidence of someone doing a job that they love.
Neal Adams cover for Green Lantern/Green Arrow #6/George Perez cover for The Infinity Gauntlet #1
Thank you Neal. Thank you George. Thank you for your art, stories, imagination, and passion. You are both immortal now.
I want to talk about 9.5 years. Why? This is the age gap between my wife and myself. Now I’m sure you have heard of the phrases, “Age is just a number” or “You are only as old as you feel.” To me, it’s a way for an older person to be in a relationship with an much younger person, like Arwen and Aragorn.
So let’s put my marriage under the microscope and explain what’s like to be married to someone 9.5 years younger than myself. Let’s begin with some positive things, shall we?
It’s great when I hear something first or second hand, when someone assumes I’m the same age as my wife. Externally I would smile and politely correct the assumption. However internally, I’m fist pumping myself and doing my happy geek dance. It’s one of these times where I’m glad someone gets something wrong about me, and it’s awesome!
Though with my wife, it’s a little bit different because I spend a lot of the time just trying to impress her. Being 9.5 years older than her, can come in extremely handy, when discussing historical events; whether it’s politics, sports, or some type of geek reference.
My wife will ask me a random question and if I can actually answer it; it’s because of two reasons: I’m old enough to have remembered it actually happening, or I’m old enough to have read about it. I can suddenly impress her with my vast knowledge of things that don’t actually mean anything or matter in any way.
So you might be thinking about the many advantages I have. Yes, that’s true, you could be thinking that, but there is the other side of the coin. For every positive, there is a negative; for every bag of Salt and Vinegar chips, there is a bag of Sour Cream and Chives.
Take music for example. I might be listening to a song, and for whatever reason, it’s the first time I’ve heard it, or it could be a song, I’ve just started to take notice of. I’ll tell my wife about this new song, and ask if she has heard it.
My wife will then explain that said song, has been out for 5 or 10 years! She’ll follow this up with a remark about how I only listened to music until 2000, so anything past that, and I have no knowledge of it. I laugh it off, but sometimes I worry she could actually be correct. It’s about as scary as discovering that Hannibal Lecter is your Tinder date.
Another thing that shows the age gap are computers and social media. My wife will be laughing at a meme, and I’ll make the mistake of asking about what’s funny. She will slowly turn and show me the meme, laughing her head off as she does it.
Of course I’m staring at it, with a big dumb look at my face; in which in turn, I have to confess that I don’t get it. My wife will then explain why the meme is funny, then continue to laugh about how funny the meme is, but also about how old I am because I didn’t understand it.
An extension of this is the Floss dance, also known as Flossing. Whenever the discussion of Flossing comes up my wife or boys, I will start Flossing, whether it’s at the supermarket, or the kitchen, or waiting in a line.
My wife will be extremely quick to point out, that every time that I Floss, it’s wrong. She would then demonstrate the correct way to do it. My automatic response to this, “Well, isn’t that exactly what I just did?” Trust me, it never is. She will then proceed to teach me again, on how to Floss. I like my way better because I can actually do it.
Asking my wife to explain a treading acronym I have never heard of, is sometimes humiliating as in, “Why are you asking me that? Have you only just discovered that word?” Yes, yes I have. The word has been travelling backwards through time, and it’s only just reached me now! Obviously I’m not cool enough to know the word or use it.
Because we grew up in different decades, and in different parts of the country, we often discuss what movies, tv shows, or books, we had growing up. Sometimes I’ll mention something, only to learn that she’s never seen, read, or heard about it before. In contrast, she would name some tv shows that she watched as a kid that I had heard of, but never had watched, because I was too old for them. Good times.
I think it all balances out somehow, because we’ll probably at the same maturity level. Anyway, life is certainly interesting because of the age difference; but also it gives UMC1 and UMC2, material to make fun of how old their Dad is.
Thanks for reading, stay safe and I’ll see you next week.
I want to talk about war, in particular, some of the ongoing conflicts that are raging across this planet. Why? The Temptations and Edwin Starr had similar feelings towards it, as I do.
The thing is, I’ve been rattling this blog around in my antique head for awhile now, trying to decide whether I should write it or not. It’s not like I’m trying to glorify war, or celebrate it. It’s quite the opposite.
Because of this, I feel it’s important to highlight seven of the longest ongoing wars, currently being fought. Maybe you have never heard of them, or maybe you have. However, I think it’s extremely relevant to know about these things, because to quote Scarlet Johansson’s character in Lucy, “Ignorance brings chaos, not knowledge.” Being informed about something, equips you to make better choices.
This can certainly relate to nations or factions waging war against each other, whether you’re directly or indirectly supporting them. I’ve chosen one war from each continent, just to demonstrate that war is not trade marked; because as Billy Joel said, “It was always burning, since the world’s been turning.”
I’d like to point out, there are many wars currently being fought across the world, that have become humanitarian disasters, like the Yemeni crisis; the Tigray war; Chad; Syria; and Ethiopia. The only reason these conflicts are not on the list, is because they are quite recent, compared to the others. Sadly, these conflicts will be on a future blog.
The former nation known as Burma, Myanmar has been at war with itself since 1948. The whole situation is quite difficult to unravel, but there have been many different players and events in this debacle, ranging from the Empire of Japan; the British Empire; the Communist Party of Burma; Karen National Union; the Panglong Agreement; Aung San; the Chin, Kachin and Sha people; Military juntas; Burma Socialist Programme Party; Aung San Suu Kyi; the Rohingya people; the Tatmadaw; the People’s Defence Force; genocide; and one or two Coup d’états; among others.
The brutality of this conflict, has cost an estimated 150,000 lives from 1948-2011, with millions of people being dispossessed. This does not even include the Rohingya genocide, or the current military junta’s killings. Myanmar has a rich and proud history, but in the eyes of the world, the civil war is a problem that nobody quite knows how to solve or permanently end.
Europe: The Georgian conflicts with Abkhazia and South Ossetia (33 years: 1989-Present)
Since 10th November 1989, Georgia was been fighting on two fronts: to the west against Abkhazia; and the other to the centre, against South Ossetia. Abkhazia and South Ossetia, are both former autonomous regions of Georgia.
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the region has been rocked with various ethnic conflicts. This has led to various factions to declare independence, which has divided not just countries, by also ethnic boundaries; the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Georgia in 2014 and 2008, are perfect examples of this.
Over the years, Georgia’s conflicts with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, have killed over 30,000 people, with tensions still running high between the neighbouring nations.
Africa: Lord’s Resistance Army Insugency (35 years: 1987-Present)
This is a brutal one to discuss. The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) is a terrorist army that mainly operates in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Northern Uganda.
Some of their crimes include abduction, murder, war crimes, child-sex slavery, mutilation, and recruitment of child soldiers. Their fight against the Ugandan government has spilled over to neighbouring countries, which in turn has brought in the United States military, the United Nations, and other international watchdog organisations.
Because of the actions of the LRA, over 100,000 people have been killed, over 20,000 children had been abducted, and over 1.5 million people have been displaced. The LRA have been reduced in size over the years, however their leader Joseph Kony, is still evading capture.
North America: Mexican Drug War (15 years: 2006-Present)
This entry is not a traditional war between two nations, over religious, political or ethnic issues. It’s about the flow of drugs; namely cocaine, through Mexico, via the drug cartels.
On one side, you have the Mexican drug cartels, which covers all of Mexico. They control a huge amount of illegal drugs for drug trafficking, and they are heavily resourced and organised.
And on the other side of the conflict, you can find the Mexican government; which consists of the Mexican Armed Forces, The National Guard, and Federal Police, and other police forces. They also an ally/ enemy in the Popular Revolutionary Army, whom hate the government, just as much as the drug cartels.
The United States government, and the Australian and Colombian Police, also provide training and support against the drug cartels. All of these groups are trying to stop the flow of the illegal drugs.
Since 2006, this unorthodox war has claimed between 40,000-400,000 lives, depending if you are counting homicides from organised crime or not. In 2018, the Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, stated that the war was over, but boots on the ground tell a different story.
South America: Colombian conflict (57 years: 1964-Present)
Just like the Myanmar Civil War, the Colombian conflict is complicated, because there have been several factions and groups involved over the years. The major players are the Colombian government, army and police, right-wing paramilitary groups, drug cartels, crime syndicates, and left-wing guerrilla groups.
These groups have changed and evolved over the years, but the constant theme is that they are still fighting each other. Each group has their own reason for fighting, with each one believing they are justified in waging war.
The problem is that Colombia is still suffering because of this. 220,000 men, women and children have been killed during the conflict, with 7 million people have been displaced, because of the fighting. An estimated 16.9% of the Colombian population has been identified as a victim of the war.
When will it stop? You tell me.
Oceania: Papua conflict (59 years: 1962-Present)
Even my beautiful continent of Oceania,1 has not been spared. The Papua conflict is about the island, Western New Guinea, also known as Papua; which belongs to Indonesia, and shares a border with the nation of Papua New Guinea. The disputed region is a province called Papua, because the Free Papua Movement, which is a group, trying to gain independence from Indonesia.
Indonesia has branded the Free Papua Movement, a terrorist organisation; because of its use of guerrilla warfare, against Indonesian civilians, police, and military. However the Free Papua Movement has accused the Indonesian government of conducting a campaign of genocide, against the people of Papua.
Overall, an estimated death toll is between 100,000-500,000 victims. And just like many of the entries on this list, there seems no end in sight for the violence.
Antarctica: Aquatic Mammal War (Orcas vs Leopard Seals)
The origins of this conflict has been lost to the mists of time. This is because either nobody knows how or when it started, or all human evidence has been removed or destroyed by special agents.
The Antarctica Aquatic Mammal War, or as I call it, AAMW; has been waged between two of the top predators in Antarctica; orcas and leopard seals. To my understanding, the Cold War between the USA and the USSR, was modelled and named after this conflict.
From what humans can understand, orcas and leopard seals have been known to engage in some minor fighting, but it’s really a war of attrition. Hunting in each other’s territories, tagging logos on ice sheets, and recruiting proxy allies, like dolphins and seals; have made this conflict very dangerous.
Each side is not above insulting each other. The orcas call the leopard seals, “otters,” while the leopard seals, insult the orcas, by calling them “sharks.” All it takes, is one drunk orca, or a cocky young leopard seal, to start insulting the other group at a sit down, and all hell breaks loose.
The orca’s current leader is called Dolores P. Switchblade, and the leopard seals are led by ‘Arry “the Janitor” McClane, because he always takes out the trash. Not even the world’s greatest natural science communicator, Sir David Attenborough, knows how to solve this problem.
Well that’s it. Hopefully there’s something in this rambles of a blog, that you might have discovered. Thanks again for reading, it’s appreciated as much as quarks appreciate the strong nuclear force.2
1 Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia; except that time it had always been at war with Eastasia.
I want to talk about Christmas, in particular, experiencing Christmas with a three year old. Why? Because experiencing anything with a three year old, let alone Christmas, can be extremely hazardous.
So what am I actually talking about? Have you ever laid the ground work for Christmas, by preparing a three year old for the event? As a parent, you discuss what Christmas means, why we celebrate it, what’s going to happen, but also the fact that other people will be receiving presents; not just them. It’s more difficult than a Rebel character surviving Rogue One.
I say this because this is UMC2’s first Christmas, where he’s old enough to help us prepare for it. This of course had led to some interesting conversations, that can be broken down into three sections.
UMC2 has been hilarious leading up to Christmas. My wife and I have sat down with him, and tried to list things that his family members like to do, over a few separate occasions. For myself, he said I liked eating and sleeping; which is very true.
The next step was to look at that list, and to think of some gifts that person would like. An example would be UMC1; he likes books and turtles, so a turtle book would be a clever idea for gift.
In theory, this worked on paper, however not so much in reality. When we were discussing these lists, UMC2 wanted to create one about himself, because he was concerned, everybody had forgotten about him.
We promised him that wasn’t the case, and we already had a list for him. That was a really dumb thing to say, because he wanted to see the list and for us to read it out. UMC2’s reasoning was that he wanted to make sure that his gifts would actually be things that he actually liked.
We tried in vain to explain to him, that if we told him what the gifts would be, then they would not be a surprise for him anymore; so on Christmas Day, there would be no surprises for him, because he would know the contents of all of my gifts. UMC2 was completely fine with that, and proceeded once again to campaign to see the list.
2.) Shopping
After we had made our lists, UMC2 and I went Christmas shopping on a budget, which is always interesting. I invited UMC2 to help with me this, because I wanted him to understand what was happening, and to be involved. You may have already guessed where this is headed.
UMC2 was amazing at some gift suggestions for other people, he really was. Only one of his suggestions was Spider-Man related, which to be honest, was a miracle in itself, because he loves Spider-Man and the Flash.
As we had finished the shopping, I told UMC2 that we would be going home. This puzzled UMC2, because he was under the impression, that I was also going to be buying him some Christmas presents, under his supervision.
We had already purchased his gifts, but they were safely hidden away, but UMC2 did not know this. He started explaining that while we were out Christmas shopping, I could purchase some gifts for him.
I responded by explaining, that if I took him to a store to buy something for him, it would not be a surprise. UMC2’s solution to this problem was that he would close his eyes, so he wouldn’t be able to see the gift.
3.) Negotiating
For the last part, this only happened in the last week of Christmas. UMC2 came up to me and asked if he could please open some of his gifts, that were under the Christmas tree. I asked him if there was a special reason why this needed to happen.
UMC2 replied that he knew the contents of several gifts, that were for different people. He goes on to say that he hadn’t told anybody what their gifts were; so because of this fact, was it possible for him to be rewarded for this, by opening some of his own gifts.
I told him that he’s made some really good choices, but that was not going to happen. UMC2 tried to renegotiate by saying, that he hadn’t broken or ripped anybody’s gifts, so was it still possible for him to be rewarded for this, by opening some of his own gifts.
I smiled, because I thought that was quite clever. Anyway, UMC2 did not get to open any gifts early, but not though the lack of trying. On Christmas Day, he was amazing. He handed out gifts to everybody, before opening his own gifts. I thought for a three year old, that had tried several different ways to learn the contents of his gifts, he showed a lot of patience.
A side note to Christmas morning; both UMC1 and UMC2 had slept in. It was at 7.45am, when I started playing AC/DC’s Thunderstruck, when they both rolled out of bed, because we had family coming over at 8.00am. They soon got over being woken up, at the realisation that it was Christmas!
Sorry if this blog was a strange one, but I’m trying to spend as much time with my family as I can over the holidays, so I can go back to playing cricket, building Lego, and flying X-wings round the house, with my boys.
Anyway, I hope everybody had a great Christmas, look after yourselves, and I’ll see you in 2022.
This is just a short message today, but on behalf of UMC1, UMC2, my wife, and all of the staff at Some Geek Told Me1, we hope everybody has a Merry Christmas and a COVID-19 free New Year!
By the way, this is what happens when you let your children decorate the Christmas tree.
Thanks for reading and I’ll see you on Monday!
Every Christmas Tree needs Superman, Batman, and a Gingerbread Man
1 The entire staff of Some Geek Told Me, consists of only one guy, that eats too much pizza, needs more sleep, and subconsciously hums Baby Shark.
SOME GEEK TOLD ME 
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