Context

I Think I'm Being Really Clever Here
(Your view may vary)
     Let me get on with being snarkily clevah.
     Okay, say you see the acronym "CID", what would you take it to mean?
     If you worked in a confectioners or the bakery part of a supermarket, "Custard Injected Doughnut", because Doughnut Injectors are very real indeed, and here's the proof:

     Obviously this only applies to Custard, as a jam-injected doughnut would be a JID, an apple-injected one would be an AID and one with sweet quince would be a SQUID, and you might find customers reluctant to eat those.
     Otherwise, "CID" might bring up "Criminal Investigation Department", which is a plain-clothes detective unit within British and Commonwealth police forces.  Here's the inventor, Charles Vincent:

A man with a mission.  And a moustache.

     As you can see, Charles firmly believed that nothing terrified the criminal community more than a man with a rug attached to his upper lip.
     "Where are you going with this, Conrad?" I hear you asking.  "For we have places to go and things to do, and you are waffling a fair bit."
     Patience!

Possibly poker, but it still has cards.
And whisky.  Don't forget the whisky.

     Cast your mind back to the title - "Context", because neither dough nor coppers is involved with the CID I refer to, because it's the "Committee of Imperial Defence", as mentioned in Spencer Jones "Stemming the Tide", about officers and leadership in the British Expeditionary Force of the early First Unpleasantness.  The CID was one of the top bodies that ran the British Empire, back in the days when we had an empire and people used to get out of our way or do as they were told - yes, Sanjak of Novi Pazar, we're looking at you!

Justice League of America: Crisis On Two Earths
Ah, this is still me being clever, see?  If you were to see Lex Luthor and the Joker breaking into a secured vault - Art?

Joker never really gets "blend in", does he?

     - you'd expect them to be up to no good.  Context, see?  Except this version of Lex and Joker are actually the good guys, trying to overthrow the evil superhero Crime Syndicate.  Art?  Put that coal down!

Owlman and Princess Psychopath.  

     That's two of the baddies.

Supes about to give the Evil Emerald Torch* a good shoeing

     This is an intriguing and entertaining skewing and skewering of what we the audience have come to expect from context*.
     There is one serious omission, which your humble scribe noticed - no blood.  Knock-down, drag-out, property-smashing, city-destroying fist fights, yes, but - NO BLOOD!  Even when Joker gets skewered* - no blood.

You What?
This turned up on Facebook as supposedly terrifying:

     To Conrad, this looks as if the set decorators on "The Wizard of Oz" got drunk at lunch before setting-to on the Brick Road, turning it yellow.  Mostly yellow.
     Let me show you spine-tingling terror - 

 - Well, Moderate Annoyance Anyway
Conrad had a foil tray of Sweet Potato Wedges with Cajun Rub as a Taste Team Test yesterday.

     They were inedible.  Undercooked despite getting 10 minutes longer than they should have.  Luckily I had a remaindered pizza and a remaindered pie to have with them, so I did not starve last night.

"Christmas Coopers"
Having seen this on a passing bus, Conrad began to ponder as he trudged towards the hundred-man heaving scrum that is his bus stop.
     'How splendid that traditional crafts and artisans are getting their own films,' he mused, for he can be whimsical at times.  Besides, it helps the time pass waiting for the 24 to be late.  "Coopers" as you may already know, make barrels.   Using my predictive ability I shall foresee what similar films are due in 2016:

"Christmas Apothecaries" - Their leeches are peaches!

"Christmas Wagonwrights" - for wheely good fun ...

"Christmas Wattle-and-Daubers" - building up to a big finish

"Christmas Adze-wielders" - Wooden it be lovely!

"Christmas Cannibals" - Meat the neighbours!

     All wonderful family fare.  Except possibly that last one.  Might be a PG.

                                                 Christmas Coopers!

This Just In -
In fact this popped into my head yesterday.  Typically, Matt, our resident Classics man, has left the business, and neither Anna (Greek heritage) nor Dave (intellectual) could answer me.
     "Can you see us tapping our watches, Conrad?" I hear you protesting.
     Patience!
     Okay, Greek statuary.  This was as realistic as possible, n'est pas?

This, you might say, is a bust bust bust*.

     If one of these came to life they could pass you in the street and you'd not give them a second look.  Being marble they might break the flagstones, however.
     Anyway, take a look at Greek pottery art:

Nudity: punishable by DEATH! in Ancient Greece**.

     This is plainly not photo-realistic.
     Why not!




* Just letting you know how clever I'm being
** Perhaps.  Perhaps not.