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I think the idea that people would choose to disbelieve in a divine order despite evidence to the contrary is rather consistent with human behaviour. People are quite adept at framing an abundance of refutatory data in order to support their existing worldview. And that's assuming that the...

I've had some success with B/X, scaling it to 1 miniature = 20 troops and using Phil Barker's rules as the template for troop types, flanking, reaction etc. - the morale system and speed of resolution in B/X lends itself to easy adaptation. Heroes and big monsters can be represented in the main...

I regard science fiction as a pretty broad church, which can accommodate a wide variety of styles and emphases. To me, the best science fiction is that which tells a human story - together with its psychological, political, relational, moral and philosophical/religious concerns. Which is to...

Dune is up there: I've revisited a few times over the last 40 years and I can't say I've ever been disappointed with it. But my vote goes to The Dispossessed by Le Guin.

Gin is effective against scurvy and malaria.

I have heard a variation - these myths… Churchill, when asked how to make a dry martini, replied “I just show the vermouth to the gin.” “Can you demonstrate?” Churchill proceeded to retrieve the vermouth and gin from his cabinet. “Gin, this is vermouth; vermouth, meet gin.” He replaced the...

Looks a little watery. Best to keep the gin in the freezer, the vermouth and Campari in the fridge. Stir over ice and strain into a chilled glass with a large cocktail ice cube, so it doesn't melt too quickly. You don't want the pith from the orange; just the zest. Or candied orange - that...

Stirred over ice and strained, The aromatics from the gin are released - in much the same way that a drop or two of distilled water can make a single malt sing. Two olives then finish the flavour perfectly. I don't favor dirty martinis as the brine can mess up the drink, and I find that the...

Making a cocktail out of 18-year old Suntory Hakushu is sufficient to consign your soul to the 9th Circle of Hell. I agree that the negroni is a classic, but I found it a little sweet for my tastes so I replaced the vermouth with more gin. Since I first posted in this thread, I've actually come...

Alien. The movie, not the rest of the franchise. It was a steady downhill turn since the first movie, with a quick plummet with Joss Whedon's effort. Prometheus clawed a little of the dignity back - but not much, IMO. Covenant was dreadful.

I think that Part 3 is actually pretty solid, but I agree it's eclipsed by the first two. It's a great movie. And McConaughey as a pathetic sexual predator in his 20s deconstructs the Fonz perfectly.

The Godfather.

Intelligent life in our galaxy, other than us, which is also capable of interstellar travel? Probably not. This is evident from the fact that we haven't already been colonized by a machine intelligence which replaced its original creators. Elsewhere in the Universe - yes. Lots of other galaxies...

Yeah. Maybe they should have a tax fight instead.

French toast, but specifically at Rosh Hashanah, when raisin challah is available. With clotted cream and whiskey maple syrup.

Historically - at least through the 16th century - a change in a monarch's preferred successor (for whatever reason) didn't mean an awful lot upon the monarch's death if the disinherited child: 1) Was popular 2) Had the support of other nobles 3) Had the support of the church 4) Had an army...

There used to be a restaurant in Cardiff called The Armless Dragon but unfortunately it is now closed. Its location? Wyeverne Road.

In 1350, the total monastic population in England was around 22,000 - between 0.7% and 1% of the total population. Today, there are fewer than 3000 monks and nuns in a population of 67 million - 0.005%. Is it a job? Well, it's a vocation, so there's some overlap. The population of the US in...

This seems highly conjectural - do you have any evidence to suggest that highly-advertised series suffer from poorer completion rates? Parsimony would suggest to me that people stopped watching it because they didn't like it. Reasons for not liking it might include the writing, acting...

From what I can gather, less than 50% season completion typically brings the show into the "risks cancellation" category. For comparison (Netflix shows): Squid Game S1: 87% Arcane S1: 60% The Lincoln Lawyer S1: 56% Resident Evil: 45%. Cancelled. First Kill: 44%. Cancelled. The Irregulars: 41%...