Catch-up

Been very busy recently with uni assignment deadlines, not to mention the baby and catching up on sleep that both have deprived of me.  Interesting news stories have come and gone.  There was the Lance Armstrong case, with news that JJ Abhrams wants to make a movie of his rise and fall.  First of all, Lance should apologise to Chuck Norris (when the latter isn't busy involved in Israeli electioneering) for ruining arguably the best film of the Norris oeuvre - Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.  Admittedly, Norris said nothing but as Vinnie Jones, that latter-day Laurence Olivier, said ahead of Swordfish's release, "acting without speaking is the hardest acting of all."  No doubt in a scene that ended up on the cutting room floor, Stretch (truth) Armstrong will have given Vince Vaughan's character steroid-filled blood transfusions to help to help the plucky underdog give his team the extra edge to win the tournament (no wonder he was so confident in placing that bet).
Then there has been the US presidential inauguration.  Despite what turned out to be quite a comprehensive election win, Obama has been one of the few presidents whose both share of the vote and electoral college votes shrank on re-election.  This is understandable though given that the Democrats reached their zenith in 2008, winning unexpectedly in Indiana, Virginia and North Carolina and inevitably the tide went out partially, plus there were mega-problems inherited and four years is just not long enough to fully turn the ship of state around, especially when for the last two years there have been wilful obstructionist blocking every piece of legislation proposed by the White House.  Though Indiana was 'lost' (thereby depriving a blue swathe over the entire US littoral of the Great Lakes as in 2008) and North Carolina (taken by just a few thousand votes in 2008) as well, astonishly Virginia, which before 2008, had always voted Republican in presidential elections since 1968, was held.  There were no questions about 'pregnant chads' (unless one counts Katy Perry's ballot dress at a Las Vegas election event).  There was much derision over Beyoncé's miming but at least in 2013, as opposed to 2009, the Chief Justice didn't muck it up.
There was David Cameron's speech that finally got an airing after the scheudle kept changing.  He said he would campaign for a 'yes' vote (though half his party probably won't, so Europhobic are they) if he got his demands, but he didn't say if that would still be his position if his gains were meagre or non-existent.  It all brings to mind Kenneth Wlatz's observation about British prime ministers compared to US presidents (of all hues in either case).  He said that British PMs often fail to lead the country as they have to be party managers first and foremost, though it does mean they are adept at getting legislation passed.  US presidents can lead their country but can find it difficult to get legislation passed in Congress.  Cameron has put the interests of his party, as well as safeguarding his own position, above the national interest (most polls find the issue of 'Europe' is low among priorities).
Today, we have a hilarious tale.  After torpedoing Lords reform, Tory MPs are getting arsey about 'unelected' Lords, after the upper house decreed that any legislation on boundary change should come after the next election (around 2018).  Can people be so unconsciously hypocritical or are they just shameless?  Silly question - they are Tory MPs after all!