No Low

Perhaps That Should Have Quotation Marks Around It
As in "Low", that post-apocalyptic sci-fi comic book I was talking about on yesterday, whilst typing up BOOJUM! at work.  In my lunchtime, I hasten to add - Conrad no idle skiver he.
     It had been my intention to pop into Travelling Man on my way to the bus stop; however, Jason, head cook and bottlewasher for Saturday's session, offered to go buy a beer for us stalwarts who had been working that day.  This is because there ought to be at least 8 staff present on a Saturday, and we were down to four.  It was a nice gesture, and since Conrad is perpetually thirsty for beer, I took him up on it.

It was a lot busier than this!

     The place was pretty busy and noisy, which never stops your humble scribe from downing beers, so it was well after 6 post meridian when I left.  By which time, of course, Travelling Man had very inconsiderately closed.
     Thus - no "Low".  Hopefully I will be able to venture inside tomorrow and see if they have it in stock, and, if not, whether it can be ordered.

Conrad still insists that Sharks Are Our Friends!

     Well now, there you had a slice of life, with a bit of butter spread upon it.
     Now, after seeing how well the motley copes with being pushed from the back of a 4x4 whilst wearing clown shoes and water-wings, let us proceed!

The BTR 60
For yes!  We are back on the subject of Armoured Personnel Carriers, and specifically the Bronetransporter 60, which is Ruffian for "Armoured Transporter 60".  Which it was.  Art?

The view from above

     There's no likelihood of confusing this thing with a tank: no tracks, you see.  It was designed and intended to be used by the infantry in infantry divisions, rather than in an armoured division, so the cheaper and less complex - normally! - option of using wheels was chosen.
     One of the problems of Sinister/Ruffian military design is that they tend to have a brilliant concept, which is then thoroughly botched in production.  The first BTR 60s had no roof, which probably saved a mint, at the expense of the Poor Bloody Infantry carried inside.  Airburst shrapnel, spall or anyone - as above - able to look down on these vehicles would create havoc.

Sinister ingenuity at work

     That above illustrates my crack about brilliant ideas - that circular vent is the water jet which allows the BTR 60 to imitate a boat and cross water obstacles (when it works; it is rather prone to breakdown).  Still, it means that the Sinister hordes intent on conquering/liberating/touring (delete where applicable) Western Europe didn't need to wait for a bridging train and pontoons.
     Then there is the engine - but we shall leave that for another day.  Don't want to be too <ahem> aBTRuse today.*

Roofless version.  Great for parades.  Real life - not so much

     Here an aside - although Conrad your humble scribe pokes modest fun at the Ruffian military, and more than pokes Tsar Putin, he maintains a fond regard for the average Ruffian, who after all invented vodka and Tchaikovsky.  That conventional stereotype of yer average Russky as a mighty muscled miserable miscreant (male and female) falls apart a bit when you witness this -

Ruffians!  Smiling!

     Also notice those peaked hats.  Every Sinister or Ruffian soldier looks like an officer because of that hat.  It's impossible to quantify how enormously this boosts their morale, but it definitely can't hurt, can it?

     Okay, having hopefully boosted Ruffian traffic to BOOJUM!, let us move swiftly on to LITHIUM WAFER BATT -
     Or not.
     How about reviewing some films?  It's been a while since we did that <brain engages anti-Mark Kermode mode>

Mark, musing on The Comsat Angels

BOOJUM! Reviews Films**
I ought to bring you up to speed on how we do this here.  It's quite simple: 1) We take the title literally 2) We proceed from there  3) We throw the rules about slander, libel, impartiality and reason where they belong, out of the window and 4) We frequently either lie through our teeth or make stuff up.   That being so -
"Green Book": Conrad is already unimpressed.  He does not find films with the colour "Green" in the title to have an evocative pedigree.  Case in point - "Green Lantern".  Also "Soylent Green".  And "Green Street".  "How Green Was My Valley?" I'm not so sure on, but I'll include it here for completeness.

Conrad torn on this one -

"Alita: Battle Angel": What the actual flip?  How can anyone watch this and not think for every freaking second "WHAT'S UP WITH HER EYES!"  I mean, man, THE EYES! And it apparently cost £250 billion to ham it up with THE EYES!

What are they emphasising here?
THE EYES!

     Conrad firmly on the side of the "Nays" rather then the "EYES!"
"How To Train Your Dragon": In fireproof clothing, I would venture.  Conrad is of the opinion that this is one of those films that got made because the pitch was done down a very bad phone connection.  You can picture it now - Trent Birkenbaum is trying to sell a C&B*** teen college drinking comedy to the suits, called "How To Drain Your Flagon", and discovers to his horror that he's producing an animated kids flick.

Less like dragons and more like axolotl, one feels.

     The hero seems to be based on Jake Gyllenhal, at least to these optics.

Sir, your dragon is cross-eyed.

An axolotl

     I think with that, we are done.  Pip pip!

*  Do you see what - O you do.
**  Kind of.  In the same way That Kardassian Girl is a brain surgeon.
***  BOOJUM!'s "Chest & Bottom" substitute for the shockingly NSFW "T&A"