Australian Television: City Homicide, Episode 4.5 "Ratters"

City Homicide
Season Four, Episode Five, Ratters
Original Air Date:  August 4, 2010

A young man who works for the coroners office is murdered while he and his partner stop for a coffee on the way back to the morgue with a body and the body is stolen.  Things go from strange to chilling when the detectives delve deeper into the murdered man and the goings on at the coroners office.  While Jennifer and Nick focus on the coroner's office, Ally and Duncan do the legwork on the victim and his extracurricular activities.


Episodes like this is why I love City Homicide so much.  The stories are always so unique and driven by strong and interesting characters and this one is no exception.

Hic locus est ubi mors gaudet succurrere vitae:  This is the place where death rejoices to help the living.

While most everyone in the coroners office respects the solemn task they are entrusted with on a daily basis, some do not.  This episode focuses on those who, for whatever reasons known to them, have chosen to not extend that respect.

I found this episode to be a bit sad.  Every single one of the secondary characters was deeply flawed or tormented by something.  Call it desperation, insanity, depravity...whatever you want.  I think I felt the worst about was James Boyd, the morgue director.  I genuinely felt sorry for him.  He had suffered the greatest loss a parent can suffer and he felt that what he was doing was right even though it definitely wasn't.  I can't rationalize what he did but I did feel for him with the loss he'd suffered.

Ally Kingston keeps proving herself as a tough, no-nonsense kind of gal.  She clearly doesn't like or trust the money advance guy in this episode.  I find it more than a bit amusing when she sets her sights on someone.  She refuses to give up and keeps going until she gets her man.  She sugar coats nothing and calls it like she sees it.  I like her style.

Next weeks episode looks set to deliver some fireworks.  Who is the turncoat amongst the team? 

Australian Television: City Homicide, Episode 4.5 "Ratters"

City Homicide
Season Four, Episode Five, Ratters
Original Air Date:  August 4, 2010

A young man who works for the coroners office is murdered while he and his partner stop for a coffee on the way back to the morgue with a body and the body is stolen.  Things go from strange to chilling when the detectives delve deeper into the murdered man and the goings on at the coroners office.  While Jennifer and Nick focus on the coroner's office, Ally and Duncan do the legwork on the victim and his extracurricular activities.


Episodes like this is why I love City Homicide so much.  The stories are always so unique and driven by strong and interesting characters and this one is no exception.

Hic locus est ubi mors gaudet succurrere vitae:  This is the place where death rejoices to help the living.

While most everyone in the coroners office respects the solemn task they are entrusted with on a daily basis, some do not.  This episode focuses on those who, for whatever reasons known to them, have chosen to not extend that respect.

I found this episode to be a bit sad.  Every single one of the secondary characters was deeply flawed or tormented by something.  Call it desperation, insanity, depravity...whatever you want.  I think I felt the worst about was James Boyd, the morgue director.  I genuinely felt sorry for him.  He had suffered the greatest loss a parent can suffer and he felt that what he was doing was right even though it definitely wasn't.  I can't rationalize what he did but I did feel for him with the loss he'd suffered.

Ally Kingston keeps proving herself as a tough, no-nonsense kind of gal.  She clearly doesn't like or trust the money advance guy in this episode.  I find it more than a bit amusing when she sets her sights on someone.  She refuses to give up and keeps going until she gets her man.  She sugar coats nothing and calls it like she sees it.  I like her style.

Next weeks episode looks set to deliver some fireworks.  Who is the turncoat amongst the team? 

British Documents Reveal Secret UFO Study

On Thursday, August 5, 2010, Britain released hundreds of secret "UFO files".  Included in the documents was a letter detailing a 50-year cover-up of a wartime encounter between a British military pilot and a UFO.

The documents contain various witness accounts, briefing notes and sketches regarding sightings of unidentified flying objects.

One of the most interesting documents is a Military of Defense note referring to a 1999 letter by an unidentified author regarding a Royal Air Force plane that was "approached by a metallic UFO" while returning from a European mission during World War II.  The author of the letter claims his grandfather was in attendance during a meeting between Winston Churchill and United States president Dwight D. Eisenhower when both leaders "decided to keep it secret", referring to the UFO incident. 

This isn't the first release of classified documents detailing unidentified flying objects that by Britain.  Other documents have slowly been released to the public and are accessible on the Internet for anyone who wishes to read them.

While some of the cases have explanations such as meteors burning up in the atmosphere, many of the cases remain unsolved.  The incidents span decades and cover all areas of Britain from Kent to Manchester to northern England.  Also included in this release is information about the infamous Rendelsham Forest Incident at Suffolk in December of 1980.

For more information and to download and read the newly released documents as well as previously released British UFO files, visit the United Kingdom National Archives.  The documents are in PDF format and the size ranges from 3 to 54 MB in size so you may wish to download them before viewing.

British Documents Reveal Secret UFO Study

On Thursday, August 5, 2010, Britain released hundreds of secret "UFO files".  Included in the documents was a letter detailing a 50-year cover-up of a wartime encounter between a British military pilot and a UFO.

The documents contain various witness accounts, briefing notes and sketches regarding sightings of unidentified flying objects.

One of the most interesting documents is a Military of Defense note referring to a 1999 letter by an unidentified author regarding a Royal Air Force plane that was "approached by a metallic UFO" while returning from a European mission during World War II.  The author of the letter claims his grandfather was in attendance during a meeting between Winston Churchill and United States president Dwight D. Eisenhower when both leaders "decided to keep it secret", referring to the UFO incident. 

This isn't the first release of classified documents detailing unidentified flying objects that by Britain.  Other documents have slowly been released to the public and are accessible on the Internet for anyone who wishes to read them.

While some of the cases have explanations such as meteors burning up in the atmosphere, many of the cases remain unsolved.  The incidents span decades and cover all areas of Britain from Kent to Manchester to northern England.  Also included in this release is information about the infamous Rendelsham Forest Incident at Suffolk in December of 1980.

For more information and to download and read the newly released documents as well as previously released British UFO files, visit the United Kingdom National Archives.  The documents are in PDF format and the size ranges from 3 to 54 MB in size so you may wish to download them before viewing.

Australian Television: Tangle, Episode 2.3

Tangle
Season Two, Episode Three
Original Air Date:  August 3, 2010

Ally finds a second will that is signed and names Gabriel as executor.  Romeo finds and takes one of Vince's guns from a packing box and later wants to join a gun club.  Ally and Nat go out together for a night on the town.  Gigi spends the evening playing cards with a guy she met that she thought was following her on her way home from school.  Gabriel has dinner at the home of a patient and her teenage son while Ally meets a guy at the party she went to with Nat and goes home with him.  Romeo and Max continue smoking weed on a regular basis, especially Max.  Nat goes to Gabriel to work out some kind of peace between he and Ally.  Nat goes out with Mel and her boyfriend Conrad for a drink.  Something starts to happen between Christine and Spiros.


Poor Ally.  She's carrying so much baggage around with her.  She feels guilty about Vince having affairs on her.  Like it was her fault he was a dog.  The tension between she and Gabriel is still pretty strong even though it appears it's starting to loosen up a bit.  I hope they get back on good terms with one another because I really like both characters.  Ally deserves something good in her life and she needs to reach out and grab it. 

We learn a little bit more about Joe in this episode.  He has a criminal record but is unwilling to elaborate on it when asked by Romeo what he did.  He comes to stay a week with Ally and the kids instead of returning to Broom because he is rethinking his career path.

I have a really hard time NOT liking Nat.  She's wild, unpredictable, funny and she cares a great deal about the people she loves.  While she has her problems, she's always so likable.

The beginning of some great fireworks has quite possibly started in this episode.  Christine and Spiros are "playing a very dangerous game with a lot to lose".  I know there is more to Spiros than meets the eye and can't wait to find out more about him.  He obviously wants to begin an affair with Christine and I think she wants to as well but she's afraid of what will happen.

I can only imagine that the next three weeks are going to be packed full of tension, fireworks and bombshells because the scene is most certainly being set for it!

Australian Television: Tangle, Episode 2.3

Tangle
Season Two, Episode Three
Original Air Date:  August 3, 2010

Ally finds a second will that is signed and names Gabriel as executor.  Romeo finds and takes one of Vince's guns from a packing box and later wants to join a gun club.  Ally and Nat go out together for a night on the town.  Gigi spends the evening playing cards with a guy she met that she thought was following her on her way home from school.  Gabriel has dinner at the home of a patient and her teenage son while Ally meets a guy at the party she went to with Nat and goes home with him.  Romeo and Max continue smoking weed on a regular basis, especially Max.  Nat goes to Gabriel to work out some kind of peace between he and Ally.  Nat goes out with Mel and her boyfriend Conrad for a drink.  Something starts to happen between Christine and Spiros.


Poor Ally.  She's carrying so much baggage around with her.  She feels guilty about Vince having affairs on her.  Like it was her fault he was a dog.  The tension between she and Gabriel is still pretty strong even though it appears it's starting to loosen up a bit.  I hope they get back on good terms with one another because I really like both characters.  Ally deserves something good in her life and she needs to reach out and grab it. 

We learn a little bit more about Joe in this episode.  He has a criminal record but is unwilling to elaborate on it when asked by Romeo what he did.  He comes to stay a week with Ally and the kids instead of returning to Broom because he is rethinking his career path.

I have a really hard time NOT liking Nat.  She's wild, unpredictable, funny and she cares a great deal about the people she loves.  While she has her problems, she's always so likable.

The beginning of some great fireworks has quite possibly started in this episode.  Christine and Spiros are "playing a very dangerous game with a lot to lose".  I know there is more to Spiros than meets the eye and can't wait to find out more about him.  He obviously wants to begin an affair with Christine and I think she wants to as well but she's afraid of what will happen.

I can only imagine that the next three weeks are going to be packed full of tension, fireworks and bombshells because the scene is most certainly being set for it!

Sunday Funnies: Advice for Northerners Moving to the South

Save all manner of bacon grease. You will be instructed on how to use it shortly.

Just because you can drive on snow and ice does not mean Southerners can. Stay home the two days of the year it snows.

If you DO run your car into a ditch, don't panic. Four men in the cab of a four-wheel pick-up with a 12-pack of beer and a tow chain will be along shortly. Don't try to help them. Just stay out of their way. This is what they live for.

You can ask Southerners for directions, but unless you already know the positions of key hills, trees and rocks, you're better off trying to find it yourself.

Remember: "Y'all" is singular.  "All y'all" is plural.  "All y'all's" is plural possessive.

Get used to hearing, "You ain't from around here, are you?"

Don't be worried that you don't understand anyone. They don't understand you either.

The first Southern expression to creep into a transplanted Northerner's vocabulary is the adjective "big 'ol", as in "big 'ol truck", or "big 'ol boy". "Fixin'" (as in "I'm fixin' to go to the store") is 2nd, and "Y'all" is 3rd.

As you are cursing the person driving 15 mph in a 55 mph zone directly in the middle of the road, remember: ALL Southern folks learned to drive on a John Deere, and this is the proper speed and lane position for that vehicle.

If you hear a Southerner exclaim, "Hey, y'all, watch this!", get out of his way. These are likely the last words he will ever say, or worse still, that you will ever hear.

Most Southerners do not use turn signals; they ignore those who do. In fact, if you see a signal blinking on a car with a Southern license plate, you may rest assured that it was already turned on when the car was purchased.

If it can't be fried in bacon grease, it ain't worth cookin', let alone eatin'.

If there is the prediction of the slightest chance of even the most minuscule accumulation of snow, your presence is required at the local grocery store. It does not matter if you need anything from the store. It is just something you're supposed to do.

Satellite dishes are very popular in the South. When you purchase one, it is positioned directly in front of the house. This is logical, bearing in mind that the dish cost considerably more than the house and should, therefore, be prominently displayed.

One last warning but probably the most important one to remember: Be advised that in the South, "He needed killin'" is a valid defense.