Friday, September 25, 2009
Down But Not Out
I am fucking gutted that both the bands I am in have split, due to El needing to keep college and his new job in balance with his marriage and Rich having an attendant loss of confidence. I feel shit about it, because I wanted to have something that was mine, somewhere I could shine and that hasnt happened. Not sure how I feel right now, sort of abandoned but in one sense determined to carry on.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Something I Wondered
Would Fox News and the Republicans be so angry about Obama if he were white? There seems to be this undertone that, being english and possessed of an understanding of irony and subtext, I see as having the idea that he should know his place. He is, in the end, mortal and failing on some issues, but then those of us who armchair quarterback his decisions have no real idea of what is involved in the running of America, and much the same applies to Gordon Brown, because when we look at George Osbourne and David Cameron, I dont feel that the country should be run by the likes of them.
Brown fucked up, but he is trying and personally I would welcome a return to Old Labour values and the financial industry getting smacked down, with some hard tax legislative statues being applied to the oligarchs and tax exiles who work and live here, but are virtually registered in a PO box in Jersey or Bermuda.
But with Obama, it seems intensely personal, and to be honest, although the left in the US criticised Bush et al, it was still with the innate deference for the office, but Hannity, Beck, O'Reilly, Coulter, Malkin and the whole sick crew seem to steam in with the insults.
So here are some of mine:
Sean Hannity
Looks like he still lives with his mother, and struggles with overpowering sexual feelings towards her which he suppresses by combing his hair really hard and polishing his shoes until he can see his acromegalic, doughy face in it and hopes that the tears blur the reflection enough so he can look at it.
Glenn Beck -
Looks like he would be aroused by sideboob and upskirt shots on gossip websites, and upclose I imagine he smells of babysick and wet bread. Has joyless awkward sex with transexual prostitutes who then cradle him in their arms as he weeps for what might have been.
Bill O'Reilly
Has the expression of someone who is never happier than when a dominatrix has him sobbing into a pair of her used underwear and would probably fake being a haemophiliac to get out of an honest fight.
Michelle Malkin -
Knows that her attractiveness is a cage and a label, and ultimately when the Republican Apocalypse happens, will sit in a metal bikini on a chain as Dick Cheney has eurasian orphans fight each other with shards of glass for his amusement. Republican valley Girl with the depth and candour of a council estate slag.
Ann Coulter - If the Angel of Death did meth for four years whilst stalking a Concentration Camp, most men would still fuck it rather than her. Speaks with a sullen drawl that attempts to convey ennui and learned cynicism but ultimately shows her to be detached and devoid.
No one on Fox News is as clever or witty as they think they are, and the insecurity comes off the screen in waves. I watch it because of schadenfreude.
Brown fucked up, but he is trying and personally I would welcome a return to Old Labour values and the financial industry getting smacked down, with some hard tax legislative statues being applied to the oligarchs and tax exiles who work and live here, but are virtually registered in a PO box in Jersey or Bermuda.
But with Obama, it seems intensely personal, and to be honest, although the left in the US criticised Bush et al, it was still with the innate deference for the office, but Hannity, Beck, O'Reilly, Coulter, Malkin and the whole sick crew seem to steam in with the insults.
So here are some of mine:
Sean Hannity
Looks like he still lives with his mother, and struggles with overpowering sexual feelings towards her which he suppresses by combing his hair really hard and polishing his shoes until he can see his acromegalic, doughy face in it and hopes that the tears blur the reflection enough so he can look at it.
Glenn Beck -
Looks like he would be aroused by sideboob and upskirt shots on gossip websites, and upclose I imagine he smells of babysick and wet bread. Has joyless awkward sex with transexual prostitutes who then cradle him in their arms as he weeps for what might have been.
Bill O'Reilly
Has the expression of someone who is never happier than when a dominatrix has him sobbing into a pair of her used underwear and would probably fake being a haemophiliac to get out of an honest fight.
Michelle Malkin -
Knows that her attractiveness is a cage and a label, and ultimately when the Republican Apocalypse happens, will sit in a metal bikini on a chain as Dick Cheney has eurasian orphans fight each other with shards of glass for his amusement. Republican valley Girl with the depth and candour of a council estate slag.
Ann Coulter - If the Angel of Death did meth for four years whilst stalking a Concentration Camp, most men would still fuck it rather than her. Speaks with a sullen drawl that attempts to convey ennui and learned cynicism but ultimately shows her to be detached and devoid.
No one on Fox News is as clever or witty as they think they are, and the insecurity comes off the screen in waves. I watch it because of schadenfreude.
Celebrity
Lily Allen recently posted her feelings on piracy, it was heartfelt and based on her experiences, but perhaps a tad uninformed about how, in the death of it, copyright is complicated for everyone, beit consumer or artist.
Personally, i think that were the record industry to die, music would still exist, maybe not Lily VV Lott LaRoux, JLS et al and the vast army of backroom producers would have to be a little less arrogant but if you worked hard and produced good stuff, then you would have a career. There are means around it, but the industry would rather maintain salaries, cut back on artist development and take legal action than invest in such, so it is, in my mind, entirely their fault.
Katie Price - she makes me feel ill when i look at her, there is nothing to her but raw need, and she believes she is somehow being provocative and interesting when all she does is undermine women by her example. That she alleges rape, and will not seek prosecution nor allow her accuser the right to seek redress, because people know, its just that it has not reached a wider platform within the media, is sickening. I could not care less about her, personally, she angers me because she is everywhere and therefore I feel I cannot ignore her, especially when she is being promoted so vigorously. I believe that any liberation and any change within society will come only when women and men work together, and this sort of thing feeds the misogynistic elements of the media. If she has been raped, and this is how she deals with it, I do not see how it can help her or anyone else who looks to popular culture for guidance on dealing with such a violation. There still exists a lack of will within law enforcement and culture to deal with rape with the same seriousness as murder or, if we are being honest, property crimes.
Personally, i think that were the record industry to die, music would still exist, maybe not Lily VV Lott LaRoux, JLS et al and the vast army of backroom producers would have to be a little less arrogant but if you worked hard and produced good stuff, then you would have a career. There are means around it, but the industry would rather maintain salaries, cut back on artist development and take legal action than invest in such, so it is, in my mind, entirely their fault.
Katie Price - she makes me feel ill when i look at her, there is nothing to her but raw need, and she believes she is somehow being provocative and interesting when all she does is undermine women by her example. That she alleges rape, and will not seek prosecution nor allow her accuser the right to seek redress, because people know, its just that it has not reached a wider platform within the media, is sickening. I could not care less about her, personally, she angers me because she is everywhere and therefore I feel I cannot ignore her, especially when she is being promoted so vigorously. I believe that any liberation and any change within society will come only when women and men work together, and this sort of thing feeds the misogynistic elements of the media. If she has been raped, and this is how she deals with it, I do not see how it can help her or anyone else who looks to popular culture for guidance on dealing with such a violation. There still exists a lack of will within law enforcement and culture to deal with rape with the same seriousness as murder or, if we are being honest, property crimes.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Daily Mail
I am not going to post at length all the things wrong with this paper, on every level it disturbs me but there are those who blog relentlessly about it and its reasoning.
http://www.angrymob.uponnothing.co.uk/
Genuinely funny and thoughtful, I wish that these were the mainstream opinions - the mercurial reaction time, the surgically precise humour and the sheer power of the truth. Instead we get well-meaning apologies and partisanship towards those who are too afraid to compromise on their ignorance.
http://www.angrymob.uponnothing.co.uk/
Genuinely funny and thoughtful, I wish that these were the mainstream opinions - the mercurial reaction time, the surgically precise humour and the sheer power of the truth. Instead we get well-meaning apologies and partisanship towards those who are too afraid to compromise on their ignorance.
Psychopathology
http://tinyurl.com/rd9hdw
Israel - a complicated situation, almost indistinct in the storm of potential accusations of anti-semitism and the counter accusations that it has co-opted the memory of the Holocaust for propaganda purposes. Its right to exist, and to defend itself is the stuff that degrees and bibliographies are built upon.
Yet it waged war upon the people of Gaza, as the above link reports. The Israeli army bombed factories from the air, and then sent in mines and soldiers to ensure it was destroyed to the foundations, they bombed hospitals and mosques. Some of the testimonies are damning and uncomfortable, but you should read them.
It is important to seperate Israel from Judaism, in as much as we should seperate Islam from Al-Qaeda and KKK from christianity, because Israel, it is reasonable to conclude, is a state turned to terrorism. Al-Qaeda with a Michael Bay budget and the US onside. If there is justification for this, I long to hear it.
Israel - a complicated situation, almost indistinct in the storm of potential accusations of anti-semitism and the counter accusations that it has co-opted the memory of the Holocaust for propaganda purposes. Its right to exist, and to defend itself is the stuff that degrees and bibliographies are built upon.
Yet it waged war upon the people of Gaza, as the above link reports. The Israeli army bombed factories from the air, and then sent in mines and soldiers to ensure it was destroyed to the foundations, they bombed hospitals and mosques. Some of the testimonies are damning and uncomfortable, but you should read them.
It is important to seperate Israel from Judaism, in as much as we should seperate Islam from Al-Qaeda and KKK from christianity, because Israel, it is reasonable to conclude, is a state turned to terrorism. Al-Qaeda with a Michael Bay budget and the US onside. If there is justification for this, I long to hear it.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Politics
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_ID=10&article_ID=106355&categ_id=5
Interesting article, and I am always prepared to be wrong on whatever opinion I have held regarding terrorism.
Interesting article, and I am always prepared to be wrong on whatever opinion I have held regarding terrorism.
Suicides Will Continue Until Morale Improves
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8252547.stm
23 people killing themselves, working at one location, is very disturbing. That it could be down to management actions and drives designed to undermine and reduce the human element to nothing is not in the least surprising. The drive to maximise profits at the expense of all else kills, either immediately or eventually.
23 people killing themselves, working at one location, is very disturbing. That it could be down to management actions and drives designed to undermine and reduce the human element to nothing is not in the least surprising. The drive to maximise profits at the expense of all else kills, either immediately or eventually.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Bass Post
Not doing much bandwise at the moment, trying to transition from surge lounge to the new thing with Ben, Laura and Sean and champing at the bit to get Floating Leaf going again, and this post is about some of the things I consider when I play.
I view my playing as part of the rhythm section, working almost as one instrument with El, and part of that comes from having spent lots of time locking in with him, and generally jamming with him. Sonically, I prefer to play flatwound strings because I tend to prefer that the guitar and vocals stay in the mids, whilst I like to work in with the drums sonically. If I can get that rumble, it sounds huge.
I view my playing as part of the rhythm section, working almost as one instrument with El, and part of that comes from having spent lots of time locking in with him, and generally jamming with him. Sonically, I prefer to play flatwound strings because I tend to prefer that the guitar and vocals stay in the mids, whilst I like to work in with the drums sonically. If I can get that rumble, it sounds huge.
True Blood
It is artfully camp, but thoroughly entertaining, the Deep South setting and the absolutely gorgeous cast(who deliver some great performances) all combine into a rich, thick stew of decadent, white trash opera. The interpretation of vampirism would, in any other setting, be awfully antiquated, but here it is somehow beautifully baroque.
That, and Anna Paquin is mesmerising. Genuinely gorgeous and sweet.
Watch it, or download it, it is fun
That, and Anna Paquin is mesmerising. Genuinely gorgeous and sweet.
Watch it, or download it, it is fun
Sick, Sick Sick
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/8251370.stm
I try to think well of people, but this sort of thing makes me wonder why we are still on the planet.
I try to think well of people, but this sort of thing makes me wonder why we are still on the planet.
Racism and Religion
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8251958.stm
We live in a complicated world, and I try to be careful with my opinions, because my feelings are, well, complicated.
Racism is not rational, although there are those who try to define it in terms of logic and reason, but it is irrational and stinks of fear and ignorance. Racism is not innate nor is it natural, children aren't born with it, it has to be learned and taught, or it thrives in the damp and dark places of society, it is not a matter of class because to be honest, on most council estates, they are neighbours, someone to borrow a cup of sugar or share a spliff with, it is the middle class enclaves where the daily mail is delivered that it lives and gains respectability. Patriotism is not racism, but it is easy to confuse it in these times. And in the above report, the right action is being taken, which is that of opening a dialogue with people on why they feel this way.
Islam is one of many religions, and I do not begrudge anyone their beliefs as long as they are not forced upon me, nor should they be subject to abuse for their beliefs. However the extremist elements of religions continue to cause me discomfort, because no matter how many concessions they receive, it will never be enough. Sharia Law is abhorrent, I find censorship in any form discomforting and I resent moral judgements from anyone but my own conscience, I also resent any attempts to limit what we do with our bodies. I also on the other hand understand why someone would enter into such a belief, the incursion of western military into their countries, the support for the House of Saud and the continued support of Israel, the glorification of vulgar wealth and the cheapening of human interaction and sexuality into talking points and sales pitches, I do get that.
In one sense it is an artificial conflict, rendered so by history and political decisions rendered in the spirit of pragmatism and expediency, but in another, it is entirely real and volatile. It does disturb me, the casual racism as much as the overt hate, the text message length jokes and the snarling comments about immigrants all make me uncomfortable, but I just try to live my life and be able to look at myself in the mirror.
We live in a complicated world, and I try to be careful with my opinions, because my feelings are, well, complicated.
Racism is not rational, although there are those who try to define it in terms of logic and reason, but it is irrational and stinks of fear and ignorance. Racism is not innate nor is it natural, children aren't born with it, it has to be learned and taught, or it thrives in the damp and dark places of society, it is not a matter of class because to be honest, on most council estates, they are neighbours, someone to borrow a cup of sugar or share a spliff with, it is the middle class enclaves where the daily mail is delivered that it lives and gains respectability. Patriotism is not racism, but it is easy to confuse it in these times. And in the above report, the right action is being taken, which is that of opening a dialogue with people on why they feel this way.
Islam is one of many religions, and I do not begrudge anyone their beliefs as long as they are not forced upon me, nor should they be subject to abuse for their beliefs. However the extremist elements of religions continue to cause me discomfort, because no matter how many concessions they receive, it will never be enough. Sharia Law is abhorrent, I find censorship in any form discomforting and I resent moral judgements from anyone but my own conscience, I also resent any attempts to limit what we do with our bodies. I also on the other hand understand why someone would enter into such a belief, the incursion of western military into their countries, the support for the House of Saud and the continued support of Israel, the glorification of vulgar wealth and the cheapening of human interaction and sexuality into talking points and sales pitches, I do get that.
In one sense it is an artificial conflict, rendered so by history and political decisions rendered in the spirit of pragmatism and expediency, but in another, it is entirely real and volatile. It does disturb me, the casual racism as much as the overt hate, the text message length jokes and the snarling comments about immigrants all make me uncomfortable, but I just try to live my life and be able to look at myself in the mirror.
observation
Today I got more done at work without a manager present, than I otherwise would. Which to me, is a pretty apt metaphor for how the world should be run, by us, for us. because my version of what Labour should be is not wholly in government. Someone traded the soul of the party in return for appeasing the middle and upper class bloc vote, and promised that the resulting trade off would not corrupt them too much. It is the lay workers and activists who should be running the country, I have the honour of knowing some of them and they give me reason to look at that membership card and NOT REGRET IT.
They lied about the war, our country is now a haven for tax exiles and billionaires, the continuation of Conservative spending plans and the appeasement of business has made things worse not better, and the good things(Tax Credits!) are themselves threatened by the cack handed bureaucracy that smothers them. The unions need more powers and TO BE LISTENED TO, because although the government chose business over people, it has forgotten one essential truth:
PEOPLE ARE ITS BUSINESS
They lied about the war, our country is now a haven for tax exiles and billionaires, the continuation of Conservative spending plans and the appeasement of business has made things worse not better, and the good things(Tax Credits!) are themselves threatened by the cack handed bureaucracy that smothers them. The unions need more powers and TO BE LISTENED TO, because although the government chose business over people, it has forgotten one essential truth:
PEOPLE ARE ITS BUSINESS
Friday, September 11, 2009
Rover
What they did was what I would call economic terrorism, as destructive and malign as planting a bomb in a community. That they got rich off it, and that the government let it happen, and that it is seen as good business practice.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
sorry
its been months since i have been on here, but i make it difficult to blog, mainly because i somehow lose the will to keep writing and avoiding anything too overtly personal. But I aim to get some pieces up and get people reading.
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