No, Not What You're Thinking
Because 1) You are predictable and 2) when does the blog ever follow a sensible route on it's way to a topic? Very rarely, is the answer. Yes yes yes, there is a new series of some police procedural drama featuring Sarah Lancashire - I bet she goes down well in Leeds - which Conrad has seen scant seconds of, and which would be better described as 'Misery Valley' or "The Trough Of Despond". Art!
Neither of them look pleased to be there, do they? O and it's filmed in Yorkshire, which only heightens the irony.
ANYWAY none of that has anything to do with Shangri-La, which title popped into Conrad's head this afternoon when he was gloomily pondering what this Intro could be about, since mention of the Tin of Pu seems to put people off.
It's the title of a novel and a film, the former written by James Hilton and the latter starring Robert Donat if I recall correctly. It was filmed under the moniker "Lost Horizon" and I was right about Robert Donat. Art!
The films premise is that Shangri-La is a valley - see the connection with today's titular geographic feature - cut off from the outside world by a ring of unscalable mountains. Into this paradise arrive a party of Westerners, whose plane crashes in the valley. They learn that the inhabitants are governed, in a mild way, by the monks in a lamasery, that they are profoundly content, and also practically immortal. RD's character, a seasoned and jaded diplomat, is very taken by the locale.
Hmmmm Conrad, being the cynic that he is, wonders about the genetic makeup of these pacific folks. Art!
Vintage of 1937
It's an acknowledge classic, which Your Humble Scribe blushes to admit not having seen. In fact I've seen more of "Happy Valley" than "Lost Horizon". Wonder Wifey has seen it and was highly delighted to have done so.
Because we must face unpalatable truths, Conrad also has to admit that there was one of the most ill-advised remakes ever to infest celluloid: a musical remake of LH. Quite why the producers or studio thought a remake was a burning necessity in the minds of the public is open to question, and why they chose to labour under the nature of a musical is also one of those mysteries we shall never know the answer to. Art!
ANYWAY there is considerable competition amongst locales in Asia to claim the title of the valley and mountain range that Hilton was inspired by. There are aspirants in Pakistan and China, and Hilton actually visited one site in Pakistan close to the Chinese border: the Hunza Valley. This is an isolated verdant valley at the western end of the Himalayas in Pakistan and so may well have been the inspiration for Ol' Jim. Rather than living a lifespan of aeons, however, the locals have skin like corrugated cardboard due to their exposure to the elements. Art!
A couple of awkward Hunza teenagers
Well, they live in a valley and they seem happy enough.
More Of Manglement
Usually in these tales Company One gets acquired by Company Two, and things go down the pan as swingeing cuts take place, morale plummets and the workforce deserts in droves.
Not in this story. Original Poster said that the tech company he worked at was haemhorraging money thanks to stupid management and HR policies. To cut costs the company did away with free, high-quality coffee and installed expensive machines that served brown dishwater. Ooops. Art!
HR and the execs <hack spit> had their own, expensive coffee machines, so the working peons would leave the building to get their brew from Starbucks, not bothering to clock out. Productivity dropped.
In comes Company 2. The execs and HR were abruptly kicked out of their private offices, which became breakrooms with free, high-quality espresso and snacks for the peons. HR were mostly fired and the execs, seeing the writing on the wall, 'Left to pursue new challenges elsewhere'. Productivity soared. Art!
Dispensing liquid work ethic
OP also said that within a quarter the company was back in profit.
Nice to have one of these 'acquisition' stories end up well.
That Dog Buns! Crossword Again
Don't frown like that, it destroys the natural beauty of your face. After all, we've gone through over half this wretched invention of Dot Sayers, we may as well continue and finish it off. Okay, here's today's 'clue': "Bring me skin and a needle or a stick; A needle does it slowly, a stick does it quick"
And the answer? Actually this one is solvable.
"TATTOO" as in 'To beat a tattoo' or even 'Beating the Edinburgh Tattoo", which is a good image to go out on. Art!
BECAUSE YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MUCH BAGPIPE!
"The Sea Of Sand"
The Doctor is plotting to get into the depot at Mersa Martubah, which is a very bad idea since it's full of killer aliens with terrifying technology. Not that same would ever deter the Doctor!
‘Splendid!’ chortled the Doctor,
rubbing his hands in satisfaction, making Roger look at him with alarm.
‘Hold
hard, you’re surely not planning on going back in there! It’s swarming with those bi-vores.’
‘Bio-vores. Yes it is, which is why I shall create a diversion.’
Sarah couldn’t catch what they
said next, as all three moved off the truck.
So!
He’s planning on swanning-about on his own, without anyone to watch his
back. Typical! she grumbled
silently. And not if I can help it! she
added.
The
Doctor looked across the gravel plain to the depot, where a black tank stood
guard, and occasional bio-vores could be seen patrolling. They were safe in the wadi, perhaps even
protected against the bio-vore’s equivalent of radar.
‘You
can’t cross that. They’d spot you and
knock you flat with their ray guns before you got half-way there.’
‘They
are more correctly described as “neural-inhibitors” rather than ray guns, at
least from the description Sergente Capriccio gave. I’ve no intention of crossing it before the
diversion is in place. Now, Lieutenant,
do you think you can find me rope or cable, a few empty bottles and a pint or
two of petrol?’
Devious Doctor Is - Devious
Speak Now ....
Conrad is unsure if this counts as Politics, Farce or Just Plain Bonkers. You may be vaguely aware that one of the South Canadian Wizard Lizard Gizzard party is trying to get elected as Speaker Of The House, because of the power and privileges it brings. Art!
"Ow!"
This is Kev. He's trying to get into the position, and about 20 of his own party consistently vote 'No' at each voting attempt. So far this dog and pony show has gone round 6 times, as concessions keep being offered, to no avail. The Ice Cream Bandits party, on the other hand, have brought along buckets of popcorn and boxes of doughnuts, as they find the whole process vastly entertaining.
One wonders what Jon Sopel, former BBC South Canadian chief correspondent, would have made of it. Art!
Well there you are. Note the wry grin.
And with that, Vulnavia, we are well and truly done.
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