july and august have been disappointing months for me – i have not done much or achieved much.
well aside the disastrous stuff (oh ok i know it is not really disastrous, but it is all relative) of breaking a camera, losing a debit card, getting an ear infection, starting round two of the clear up, breaking the texting function on my mobile, not winning the lottery, discovering the old fellah is having trouble standing to attention these days (please let it be summer rather than old age creeping on…)
so what does september offer? not much better to be fair. except spurred on by cliff’s hemingway month i am planning a month of reviews. can you wait? a month of me going on about what i have seen, watch, read, visited or listened to…..
yup you are right it already sounds like you have been condemned to one of dante’s rings of hell.
look at it this way, i am not as young as cliff (or as funny) so i will loose steam after about 3 or 4 “reviews”.
i know what should be first up will be music – trust me to have an ear infection…. and then the days where i don’t get a chance to go somewhere to suck up the culture i have a stack of dodgy dvds that need to be watched.
one of us in for a treat!
Thursday, September 01, 2005
magic
for the first time in ages i have had to throw myself on the mercy of the nhs. i woke up the other day with a blocked ear, i could hear but it was all fuzzy and odd. the ear felt like someone had hidden a small balloon in there. it wasn’t painful just annoying.
towards the evening i realised that i also had a pain in my jaw and that this was connected to the ear. this made eating painful and a chore – which is plain wrong eating is a pleasure and one i enjoy, even if i could stand to loose several pounds (well more like 20-30 pounds).
so with a quick check on the internet i discovered that my local hospital, the royal london, has a walk in centre. even better it was still open, but only just. so with a bit of a shimmy and a bit of a shake i was there. blimey only three people there, i am in. oh no i am not the rather attractive muslim receptionist said nope too late, come back tomorrow, we open at 7am. well she has such a nice smile i could hardly be upset.
off home i go. i get some optex to see if it will budge the wax that is blocking my ear. it fizzles, it tickles but the block is still there. i fall asleep. i wake up (1.15am) go to the toilet come back (3.30am) what? where did that time go to? had i been abducted by aliens (please no anal probes…). bit more fitful sleep, keep waking up until i say that’s it might as well get up and get ready, which is the sign for the body to crash out and for me to sleep like a baby.
finally wake up. not going to be there in time for the doors to open. shit there will be hoards of people and i am going to be there hours. better get a paper.
on my way, going at less than a speed walk but more than an amble. a drunk in the park asks for some change. i am broke, but i can spare a few pennies. he repays me by doing some street magic on me. which was impressive even if it was not a david blaine levitation trick. no idea how he did it, but it made me smile and for a moment there was a sense of awe and wonder.
in the walk in centre, phew only a couple of people in front of me. should be in and out quickly. hold on i was in before them, how come they are being seen before me. no don’t cause a fuss yet.
mmm she is a nice nurse, i hope she is the one who sees me (what happened to the uniforms).
there’s me name. not the pretty petite nurse, it’s the bluff northern bloke nurse. oh well.
“what’s wrong?” he asks. blocked ear i say, lets have a look says he. mmm some wax in that one, ooh lots of pus in that one. bugger not going to be an easy syringe and then off out dealt with. nope i am on a course of antibiotic drops, feel odd going in, have to keep a tilt on the head for a bit and nothing seems to happen, but hopefully it will work.
even managed to get into work on time.
funny how it is the little things that bring you down.
towards the evening i realised that i also had a pain in my jaw and that this was connected to the ear. this made eating painful and a chore – which is plain wrong eating is a pleasure and one i enjoy, even if i could stand to loose several pounds (well more like 20-30 pounds).
so with a quick check on the internet i discovered that my local hospital, the royal london, has a walk in centre. even better it was still open, but only just. so with a bit of a shimmy and a bit of a shake i was there. blimey only three people there, i am in. oh no i am not the rather attractive muslim receptionist said nope too late, come back tomorrow, we open at 7am. well she has such a nice smile i could hardly be upset.
off home i go. i get some optex to see if it will budge the wax that is blocking my ear. it fizzles, it tickles but the block is still there. i fall asleep. i wake up (1.15am) go to the toilet come back (3.30am) what? where did that time go to? had i been abducted by aliens (please no anal probes…). bit more fitful sleep, keep waking up until i say that’s it might as well get up and get ready, which is the sign for the body to crash out and for me to sleep like a baby.
finally wake up. not going to be there in time for the doors to open. shit there will be hoards of people and i am going to be there hours. better get a paper.
on my way, going at less than a speed walk but more than an amble. a drunk in the park asks for some change. i am broke, but i can spare a few pennies. he repays me by doing some street magic on me. which was impressive even if it was not a david blaine levitation trick. no idea how he did it, but it made me smile and for a moment there was a sense of awe and wonder.
in the walk in centre, phew only a couple of people in front of me. should be in and out quickly. hold on i was in before them, how come they are being seen before me. no don’t cause a fuss yet.
mmm she is a nice nurse, i hope she is the one who sees me (what happened to the uniforms).
there’s me name. not the pretty petite nurse, it’s the bluff northern bloke nurse. oh well.
“what’s wrong?” he asks. blocked ear i say, lets have a look says he. mmm some wax in that one, ooh lots of pus in that one. bugger not going to be an easy syringe and then off out dealt with. nope i am on a course of antibiotic drops, feel odd going in, have to keep a tilt on the head for a bit and nothing seems to happen, but hopefully it will work.
even managed to get into work on time.
funny how it is the little things that bring you down.
Monday, August 29, 2005
cerebus
*** edited version as i spelt dave sim's name as sims. and in dave's world this is a major sin. ***
for the vast majority of my working life dave sim's cerebus has been a constant.
for 300 issues he published his comic, it is a singular vision and an amazing piece of sustained work and endeavour.
for about 100 issues or so i counted out the majority of the comics that came into the uk and then went out to the uk retailers. somewhere during that period i stopped reading the comic.
i was always going to sit down and read the whole epic from start to finish when all the trade paperbacks were available.
well they are now and soon i think i will try to make the effort to read them all. it is a daunting task.
the reason i mention this now is that currently i am reading the collected letters of dave sim 2004. and it reminds me of some of the controversy that has grown up over sim's work.
there is the story about how he wanted to have a fight with jeff smith (creator of bone) over smith's wife. no sim didn't want to shag her, he just thought she had turned smith into a bit of a pussy.
but most of it all came about his anti-feminism (don't read it emma... don't do it) and his conversion to christianity (and a very hardcore (and unique) version of it).
anyway i have a major admiration for sim because he set out to do his comic his way. and he did. he went the self publishing route and never sold out (unlike so many of the voices of artistic integrity in the comic field - and yeah frank miller i mean you). however it seems that it came at a cost - the man is mad.
for me he has now crossed a line that makes me put him in the same category as david icke. i will enjoy reading his work but i will have to take it all with a huge amount of salt.
to see the tangent essay go here (but not you emma). but when you start be sure to be prepared to scratch your head, to pick your jaw off the floor and to shake your head a few times in disbelief.
and to think cerebus started life as a conan parody.
for the vast majority of my working life dave sim's cerebus has been a constant.
for 300 issues he published his comic, it is a singular vision and an amazing piece of sustained work and endeavour.
for about 100 issues or so i counted out the majority of the comics that came into the uk and then went out to the uk retailers. somewhere during that period i stopped reading the comic.
i was always going to sit down and read the whole epic from start to finish when all the trade paperbacks were available.
well they are now and soon i think i will try to make the effort to read them all. it is a daunting task.
the reason i mention this now is that currently i am reading the collected letters of dave sim 2004. and it reminds me of some of the controversy that has grown up over sim's work.
there is the story about how he wanted to have a fight with jeff smith (creator of bone) over smith's wife. no sim didn't want to shag her, he just thought she had turned smith into a bit of a pussy.
but most of it all came about his anti-feminism (don't read it emma... don't do it) and his conversion to christianity (and a very hardcore (and unique) version of it).
anyway i have a major admiration for sim because he set out to do his comic his way. and he did. he went the self publishing route and never sold out (unlike so many of the voices of artistic integrity in the comic field - and yeah frank miller i mean you). however it seems that it came at a cost - the man is mad.
for me he has now crossed a line that makes me put him in the same category as david icke. i will enjoy reading his work but i will have to take it all with a huge amount of salt.
to see the tangent essay go here (but not you emma). but when you start be sure to be prepared to scratch your head, to pick your jaw off the floor and to shake your head a few times in disbelief.
and to think cerebus started life as a conan parody.
leadership
with great sadness i must decline to put my name forward for the conservative party leadership contest.
i do this not because i want to spend more time with my family (which currently consists of a very frayed teddy bear), and it is not because i want to pursue other activities (i know i am stuck in my job for as long as they have me...)
i decline for the simple reason that i might make them more electable than any of the people they are likely to elect.
as i understand it they will not have a new elected leader until the start of 2006.
tony blair must be happy to see this mess in the opposition.
gordon brown must be rubbing his hands with the thought that he will be able to lead labour to a 4th term.
so out of respect for both tony and gordon i am not running. i do not want to piss on their parade.
i do this not because i want to spend more time with my family (which currently consists of a very frayed teddy bear), and it is not because i want to pursue other activities (i know i am stuck in my job for as long as they have me...)
i decline for the simple reason that i might make them more electable than any of the people they are likely to elect.
as i understand it they will not have a new elected leader until the start of 2006.
tony blair must be happy to see this mess in the opposition.
gordon brown must be rubbing his hands with the thought that he will be able to lead labour to a 4th term.
so out of respect for both tony and gordon i am not running. i do not want to piss on their parade.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
soaked
had an important meeting at work today - it went well(ish). still the office i inhabit is much tidier than it has been for a looooong time. the question is how long will i keep it that way? (answer not long at all.)
the tidying up of the office has meant that i am not fully up on many things so i am not making the usual well thought out, skillfully argued and of course just plain right (in the correct sense rather than the political conservative party of maggie and new labour of tony way....)
in fact i am knackered.
i am also a tad disappointed as i was planning on buying my new digital camera today. can't find my credit card so will not be getting it today. bummer, that has taking a shine off of the day.
so i have been out and about in london, although the city is busy you can see it still has not completely recovered from the bombs. still one thing that does seem to have stopped in the mass of police making an appearance on thursday - but i will be able to check tomorrow.
in going out i am now soaked - looking very much like a drowned fat bear.
so i am going to go have another coffee (all praise coffee, all praise coffee@ the best coffee shop in the whole wide world...) and then i am going to go home, hunt for the card, maybe watch a dvd or listen to some music.
i am knackered so i suspect i will be asleep before long.
normal service here will be resumed sooner than you think, (well it will be tomorrow.....)
the tidying up of the office has meant that i am not fully up on many things so i am not making the usual well thought out, skillfully argued and of course just plain right (in the correct sense rather than the political conservative party of maggie and new labour of tony way....)
in fact i am knackered.
i am also a tad disappointed as i was planning on buying my new digital camera today. can't find my credit card so will not be getting it today. bummer, that has taking a shine off of the day.
so i have been out and about in london, although the city is busy you can see it still has not completely recovered from the bombs. still one thing that does seem to have stopped in the mass of police making an appearance on thursday - but i will be able to check tomorrow.
in going out i am now soaked - looking very much like a drowned fat bear.
so i am going to go have another coffee (all praise coffee, all praise coffee@ the best coffee shop in the whole wide world...) and then i am going to go home, hunt for the card, maybe watch a dvd or listen to some music.
i am knackered so i suspect i will be asleep before long.
normal service here will be resumed sooner than you think, (well it will be tomorrow.....)
Monday, August 22, 2005
libertarianism
was listening to the radio the other day and they were discussing the change in the licensing laws which will allow pubs and clubs to serve booze 24 hours a day.
there was the usual hand wringing about binge drinking. the usual debates about work related issues and general questions about health and safety.
i have to declare a certain bias here: i don't drink. i grew up in pubs, i have seen what booze can do, both my parents were alcoholics. i also know sensible drinkers who know how to enjoy themselves and not cause problems for anyone around them (ok richard you don't count in this case as you are a sloppy drinker). the issue of booze, like so many things, is that on it's own it's fine, but once you add people you have a whole world of problems.....
anyway one of the participants in this debate was the head spokesman for the libertarian movement in the uk.
he was arguing that the state shouldn't interfere with licensing laws and in fact anyone, anywhere should be able to sell booze if they choose to. (this particular argument was countered by saying that the requirement to have a license meant that troublesome establishments could be closed down easily..)
when the libertarian chap was confronted with the medical issue he pointed out that tax on booze meant that drinkers more than paid their way.
now i have to say i didn't like the bloke - he had one of those voices that meant you knew he was just talking down to everyone who was involved in the debate. you could imagine his pinched cheeks and thin bloodless lips. one of the commentators on the show did point out that the libertarian guy didn't sound like the sort of person you would want to leave you kids with (while this might be true it was such a cheap debating point that the commentator lost so much ground it was not true).
anyway libertarian guy was so certain in his views, there was no wavering, no sense that there was grey in the world.
for libertarians: "every individual should have the right to do as he pleases with his property (which includes his own body), to the extent that doing so does not infringe on the same rights of others to dispense with their property as they please" (go here for more). where they see a role for government and the state it is in a minimal sense and then only in so far as it protects individuals liberty.
in many ways this is a utopian view, and as such it allows it's adherents to pontificate to a great degree about all sorts of things because they know that no one is going to vote them in, and because of the nature of what they are arguing they do not have to take responsibility for what they are saying. (the socialist workers party is in a similar position, it can bang on about not doing this, or not doing that because it will never have to worry about the practicalities of what they argue for).
the libertarians are philosophers who know their hands will never get dirty by what goes in the real world so they can argue that the ills of society are down to the fact we are not "free".
like anarchists and revolutionary socialists the libertarians are just people who are keen to hear their own voices, their own theories and are all keen to forget that the world is more complex than their theories.
i am not advocating a fully pragmatic politics that moves any which way the wind blows, but even the most attractive theory has to be tempered with a good old dose of reality.
there was the usual hand wringing about binge drinking. the usual debates about work related issues and general questions about health and safety.
i have to declare a certain bias here: i don't drink. i grew up in pubs, i have seen what booze can do, both my parents were alcoholics. i also know sensible drinkers who know how to enjoy themselves and not cause problems for anyone around them (ok richard you don't count in this case as you are a sloppy drinker). the issue of booze, like so many things, is that on it's own it's fine, but once you add people you have a whole world of problems.....
anyway one of the participants in this debate was the head spokesman for the libertarian movement in the uk.
he was arguing that the state shouldn't interfere with licensing laws and in fact anyone, anywhere should be able to sell booze if they choose to. (this particular argument was countered by saying that the requirement to have a license meant that troublesome establishments could be closed down easily..)
when the libertarian chap was confronted with the medical issue he pointed out that tax on booze meant that drinkers more than paid their way.
now i have to say i didn't like the bloke - he had one of those voices that meant you knew he was just talking down to everyone who was involved in the debate. you could imagine his pinched cheeks and thin bloodless lips. one of the commentators on the show did point out that the libertarian guy didn't sound like the sort of person you would want to leave you kids with (while this might be true it was such a cheap debating point that the commentator lost so much ground it was not true).
anyway libertarian guy was so certain in his views, there was no wavering, no sense that there was grey in the world.
for libertarians: "every individual should have the right to do as he pleases with his property (which includes his own body), to the extent that doing so does not infringe on the same rights of others to dispense with their property as they please" (go here for more). where they see a role for government and the state it is in a minimal sense and then only in so far as it protects individuals liberty.
in many ways this is a utopian view, and as such it allows it's adherents to pontificate to a great degree about all sorts of things because they know that no one is going to vote them in, and because of the nature of what they are arguing they do not have to take responsibility for what they are saying. (the socialist workers party is in a similar position, it can bang on about not doing this, or not doing that because it will never have to worry about the practicalities of what they argue for).
the libertarians are philosophers who know their hands will never get dirty by what goes in the real world so they can argue that the ills of society are down to the fact we are not "free".
like anarchists and revolutionary socialists the libertarians are just people who are keen to hear their own voices, their own theories and are all keen to forget that the world is more complex than their theories.
i am not advocating a fully pragmatic politics that moves any which way the wind blows, but even the most attractive theory has to be tempered with a good old dose of reality.
update
weather mild and sticky.
so far 3 cups of coffee and morning is just about to finish.
canary wharf on a monday morning is a joy to behold. women of every shape size and colour there. a paradise for a man such as myself who likes to lech, albeit in a grown up non threaterning non drooling kinda way.
but tescos still have let me down.
no cheese and pickle to be seen. the pickle shortage continues. the world is a lesser place without the cheese and pickle sarnie.
(ooh got the tickets to go and see ronnie james dio at the astoria in october - he is a small many with a mighty voice and i am dribbling with excitement....)
so far 3 cups of coffee and morning is just about to finish.
canary wharf on a monday morning is a joy to behold. women of every shape size and colour there. a paradise for a man such as myself who likes to lech, albeit in a grown up non threaterning non drooling kinda way.
but tescos still have let me down.
no cheese and pickle to be seen. the pickle shortage continues. the world is a lesser place without the cheese and pickle sarnie.
(ooh got the tickets to go and see ronnie james dio at the astoria in october - he is a small many with a mighty voice and i am dribbling with excitement....)
Sunday, August 21, 2005
sunday
been a bland day - had to escort one of my american bosses around town. was more interesting than i thought it would be. he was good company (or else i have mellowed and no one sent me the memo).
it has meant i have done little with the day.
but i am knackered.
i am at coffee@ enjoying a brief coffee before i go home to crash.
this forthcoming week i should finally be buying the digital camera i have been banging on about. though it may not be the d100 but the d70s. i am sure it will go all wrong on me.
this week i shall also be going to wired women (first gig of the month - unless i go to something else before then) very excited.
other than that it will be a week as normal. lots of coffee, lots of spreadsheets and lots of things planned and not actually achieved.
ah the working week. bring it on.
it has meant i have done little with the day.
but i am knackered.
i am at coffee@ enjoying a brief coffee before i go home to crash.
this forthcoming week i should finally be buying the digital camera i have been banging on about. though it may not be the d100 but the d70s. i am sure it will go all wrong on me.
this week i shall also be going to wired women (first gig of the month - unless i go to something else before then) very excited.
other than that it will be a week as normal. lots of coffee, lots of spreadsheets and lots of things planned and not actually achieved.
ah the working week. bring it on.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
gmail
thanks to adam i now have a gmail account.
i already have several web based email accounts and use my work email for a lot of personal stuff as well.
so not sure why i have the gmail one - other than the fact i can.
technology you just have to love it.
i already have several web based email accounts and use my work email for a lot of personal stuff as well.
so not sure why i have the gmail one - other than the fact i can.
technology you just have to love it.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
pickle
i love to eat (its one of the reasons i am portly) but i am not a great lover of food, i am not an experimenter with grub, i am not out searching for my next taste sensation. i know what i like and i tend to stick to it, then i will eat it in quantity – sometimes vast quantity.
this is not the full rant i have planned on this (oh dear reader you have that coming another time….) this is just a taster.
there i am in canary wharf this morning. i have had a letch at the office women (i am sorry emma i know i should be enlightened enough not to so this but it is a good way to start the day and it perks me up) i have armed myself with a coffee republic tall latte with extra shot and i wander into tescos metro.
i know what i want: some sarnies, some fruit, some pop and because i had a very loooooong day at work yesterday i want some doughnuts (custard) to give me that sugar filled rush that takes the perk of the letching and the coffee to a new level of perkiness.
it’s a simple plan. pop? check got it. fruit? check got it. doughnuts? mmm no there has been a problem with the bakery – no fresh cakes. what none? nope not a one…. from the gates of heaven i have been cast into purgatory. ok ok – probably best if i don’t have cream cakes i mean look at my arse it would look big in a zeppelin hanger. get the sandwiches and get on the dlr and go to work.
now tescos metro at canary wharf have an impressive sandwich display. and i look and look for the one i want. although it is a humble sounding sarnie – it is in fact the king of sandwiches i am talking about the great (drum roll *ahem cough geddit ahem* please) cheese and branston pickle sarnie. it is easy to make bread, butter, cheese and branston pickle. nothing could be simpler and nothing could be finer (well except maybe a day in carolina).
so tell me why can’t i find the darned thing on the shelves? not seen a cheese and branston pickle sarnie there in an age. i can get cheese and onion, i can get red leicester and tomato, i can get ploughman’s, cheese and ham, cheese and picalilly (what why – it looks disgusting tastes worse) but not cheese and bloody branston pickle.
then it struck me that there was a pickle shortage. george dubya bush had been banging on about using technology to cut down on climate change by using technology. so it was obvious the cia and mit skunkworks had either 1] found a way to make pickle a carbon dioxide absorber 2] found a way to replace fossil fuel with pickle or 3] had used pickle to cover the shuttle to prevent it burning on re-entry.
they are good reasons for me not to have pickle – so i can sacrifice based on that.
then a darker thought hit me – perhaps the lack of pickle was an ickian type conspiracy. the babyloninan brotherhood had taken over pickle production and were using to brainwash slaves to turn them into pliable drones for the new society. icke, the famous fighter for truth, had countered this by making picalilly more available. by eating the picalilly we would be able to resist the babylonians mind control and be able to take control of our lives, cast of the blinkers and see the world for what it is. not so much the red pill but the yellow pickle.
one was a bright future one was a gloomy future – both with out branston pickle and cheese sandwiches.
and then my eye caught it – there was no pickle shortage, they were putting it on corned beef sandwiches. what the fuck, was the thought that went through my mind. why why why. branston goes on cheese, not on corned beef.
the day was off to a terrible start. a simple sandwich is unavailable because some satanist working at tescos is putting the branston pickle on corned beef and not on cheese.
something foul and hideous is being planned.
be warned.
oh how i will dream of cheese and branston pickle sarnies….
this is not the full rant i have planned on this (oh dear reader you have that coming another time….) this is just a taster.
there i am in canary wharf this morning. i have had a letch at the office women (i am sorry emma i know i should be enlightened enough not to so this but it is a good way to start the day and it perks me up) i have armed myself with a coffee republic tall latte with extra shot and i wander into tescos metro.
i know what i want: some sarnies, some fruit, some pop and because i had a very loooooong day at work yesterday i want some doughnuts (custard) to give me that sugar filled rush that takes the perk of the letching and the coffee to a new level of perkiness.
it’s a simple plan. pop? check got it. fruit? check got it. doughnuts? mmm no there has been a problem with the bakery – no fresh cakes. what none? nope not a one…. from the gates of heaven i have been cast into purgatory. ok ok – probably best if i don’t have cream cakes i mean look at my arse it would look big in a zeppelin hanger. get the sandwiches and get on the dlr and go to work.
now tescos metro at canary wharf have an impressive sandwich display. and i look and look for the one i want. although it is a humble sounding sarnie – it is in fact the king of sandwiches i am talking about the great (drum roll *ahem cough geddit ahem* please) cheese and branston pickle sarnie. it is easy to make bread, butter, cheese and branston pickle. nothing could be simpler and nothing could be finer (well except maybe a day in carolina).
so tell me why can’t i find the darned thing on the shelves? not seen a cheese and branston pickle sarnie there in an age. i can get cheese and onion, i can get red leicester and tomato, i can get ploughman’s, cheese and ham, cheese and picalilly (what why – it looks disgusting tastes worse) but not cheese and bloody branston pickle.
then it struck me that there was a pickle shortage. george dubya bush had been banging on about using technology to cut down on climate change by using technology. so it was obvious the cia and mit skunkworks had either 1] found a way to make pickle a carbon dioxide absorber 2] found a way to replace fossil fuel with pickle or 3] had used pickle to cover the shuttle to prevent it burning on re-entry.
they are good reasons for me not to have pickle – so i can sacrifice based on that.
then a darker thought hit me – perhaps the lack of pickle was an ickian type conspiracy. the babyloninan brotherhood had taken over pickle production and were using to brainwash slaves to turn them into pliable drones for the new society. icke, the famous fighter for truth, had countered this by making picalilly more available. by eating the picalilly we would be able to resist the babylonians mind control and be able to take control of our lives, cast of the blinkers and see the world for what it is. not so much the red pill but the yellow pickle.
one was a bright future one was a gloomy future – both with out branston pickle and cheese sandwiches.
and then my eye caught it – there was no pickle shortage, they were putting it on corned beef sandwiches. what the fuck, was the thought that went through my mind. why why why. branston goes on cheese, not on corned beef.
the day was off to a terrible start. a simple sandwich is unavailable because some satanist working at tescos is putting the branston pickle on corned beef and not on cheese.
something foul and hideous is being planned.
be warned.
oh how i will dream of cheese and branston pickle sarnies….
hotmail
for various reasons i do not have a "home" email (ok the main reasons being i have crashed so many computers it seems pointless to have one, and when i am not crashing computers i seem to be messing up settings.....) i have found it easier to use hotmail and freeserve.
both have served me well (not that i get many emails it has to be said).
the other day i was hotmail and i had received a rare piece of junk mail. when i deleted it hotmail gave me the option to report this as being junk. what a good idea i thought that will help the boys at microsoft close down the loop that is letting that lot of spam emails in.
wrong wrong wrong wrong.
stupid stupid stupid stupid.
what it seems to do is let every tom dick and spammer know i am there.....
oh sure they all go into the junk box, but where there were the occasional one or two a week, now there is 5 or 6 a day.
i thank you hotmail, i thank you msn i thank you both for going out of your way to provide me with a shit service.
both have served me well (not that i get many emails it has to be said).
the other day i was hotmail and i had received a rare piece of junk mail. when i deleted it hotmail gave me the option to report this as being junk. what a good idea i thought that will help the boys at microsoft close down the loop that is letting that lot of spam emails in.
wrong wrong wrong wrong.
stupid stupid stupid stupid.
what it seems to do is let every tom dick and spammer know i am there.....
oh sure they all go into the junk box, but where there were the occasional one or two a week, now there is 5 or 6 a day.
i thank you hotmail, i thank you msn i thank you both for going out of your way to provide me with a shit service.
worried
i have never warmed to charles clark – but now i have to say i doff my cap to him. mr clark as he is the epitome of the british stiff upper lip.
on a day when many of us were biting our nails in the hope of a second english victory in the cricket (it didn’t happen), mr. clark admitted to being “worried” that there might be another terrorist attack. most of us are shitting ourselves because we think there is a great chance that there will be another terrorist outrage and that we have to use public transport to get to and from the places we need to be.
once he raised the possibility of further attacks he did mention that there was no intelligence to suggest that there was going to be an attack, just that he and the police commissioner thought it highly likely that there would be (i agree with them both – there will be another attack).
now the cynic in me kicks in and says this is just clark’s way of making sure that the id cards go through parliament without a hitch as we are all going to be so happy that the cards will protect from this terrorist threat (assuming we are not all dead before hey have the technology working properly….)
and then i think perhaps this is all because they know an attack is coming and they are preparing us for the worst and letting us know – well sometimes people get through, bombs go off and people will die. but look they can say we told this might happen, so don’t blame us.
either way they are covered and clark and co get the id cards they want passed through parliament.
me i am going back to worrying about the important stuff: am i getting piles?
on a day when many of us were biting our nails in the hope of a second english victory in the cricket (it didn’t happen), mr. clark admitted to being “worried” that there might be another terrorist attack. most of us are shitting ourselves because we think there is a great chance that there will be another terrorist outrage and that we have to use public transport to get to and from the places we need to be.
once he raised the possibility of further attacks he did mention that there was no intelligence to suggest that there was going to be an attack, just that he and the police commissioner thought it highly likely that there would be (i agree with them both – there will be another attack).
now the cynic in me kicks in and says this is just clark’s way of making sure that the id cards go through parliament without a hitch as we are all going to be so happy that the cards will protect from this terrorist threat (assuming we are not all dead before hey have the technology working properly….)
and then i think perhaps this is all because they know an attack is coming and they are preparing us for the worst and letting us know – well sometimes people get through, bombs go off and people will die. but look they can say we told this might happen, so don’t blame us.
either way they are covered and clark and co get the id cards they want passed through parliament.
me i am going back to worrying about the important stuff: am i getting piles?
Friday, August 12, 2005
deportation
tony blair and his government is planning on deporting several trouble makers back to their countries of origin. they can do this now because they have struck a deal with the governments of these countries that nothing untoward will happen to these trouble makers once they arrive.
now i have to admit up front that some of these deportees strike me as being nasty pieces of work and the world might be a better place without them. they are the sort of people who are happy to see others suffer for their beliefs. So, although it is wrong, i have no qualms with them suffering a little while they still cling to this mortal coil.
but lets be fair here the government is agreeing to send these trouble makers back to these countries and once they are there breathe a big sigh of relief, sort of an out of sight out of mind policy.
at the end of the day how can you trust a state that is happy to torture people as part and parcel of the way it governs? yeah like they care if they break an agreement, after all they care so much about human life so it’s not like breaking a promise is going to bother them. besides what are new labour going to do? stop sending them trouble makers? stop selling them arms? doubt it very much.
sometimes new labour is orwellian in it’s ability to say, do and believe contradictory things at the same time.
now i have to admit up front that some of these deportees strike me as being nasty pieces of work and the world might be a better place without them. they are the sort of people who are happy to see others suffer for their beliefs. So, although it is wrong, i have no qualms with them suffering a little while they still cling to this mortal coil.
but lets be fair here the government is agreeing to send these trouble makers back to these countries and once they are there breathe a big sigh of relief, sort of an out of sight out of mind policy.
at the end of the day how can you trust a state that is happy to torture people as part and parcel of the way it governs? yeah like they care if they break an agreement, after all they care so much about human life so it’s not like breaking a promise is going to bother them. besides what are new labour going to do? stop sending them trouble makers? stop selling them arms? doubt it very much.
sometimes new labour is orwellian in it’s ability to say, do and believe contradictory things at the same time.
joke
dead duck
a woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary surgery. as she
lay her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and
listened to the bird's chest. after a moment or two, the vet shook
his head sadly and said, "i'm so sorry, cuddles has passed away." the
distressed owner wailed, "are you sure? "yes, i am sure. the duck is
dead," he replied. "how can you be so sure," she protested. "i mean,
you haven't done any testing on him or anything. he might just be in
a coma or something." the vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left
the room, and returned a few moments later with a black labrador
retriever. as the duck's owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood
on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and
sniffed the duck from top to bottom. he then looked at the vet with
sad eyes and shook his head. the vet patted the dog and took it out,
and returned a few moments later with a beautiful cat. the cat
jumped up on the table and also sniffed delicately at the bird. the
cat sat back on its haunches, shook its head, meowed softly and
strolled out of the room.
the vet looked at the woman and said, "i'm sorry, but as i said, this
is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck." then the vet
turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill
which he handed to the woman. the duck's owner, still in shock, took
the bill. "$150!", she cried, "$150 just to tell me my duck is
dead?!!" the vet shrugged. "i'm sorry. if you'd taken my word for it,
the bill would have been $20, but what with the lab report and the
cat scan ....."
a woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary surgery. as she
lay her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and
listened to the bird's chest. after a moment or two, the vet shook
his head sadly and said, "i'm so sorry, cuddles has passed away." the
distressed owner wailed, "are you sure? "yes, i am sure. the duck is
dead," he replied. "how can you be so sure," she protested. "i mean,
you haven't done any testing on him or anything. he might just be in
a coma or something." the vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left
the room, and returned a few moments later with a black labrador
retriever. as the duck's owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood
on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and
sniffed the duck from top to bottom. he then looked at the vet with
sad eyes and shook his head. the vet patted the dog and took it out,
and returned a few moments later with a beautiful cat. the cat
jumped up on the table and also sniffed delicately at the bird. the
cat sat back on its haunches, shook its head, meowed softly and
strolled out of the room.
the vet looked at the woman and said, "i'm sorry, but as i said, this
is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck." then the vet
turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill
which he handed to the woman. the duck's owner, still in shock, took
the bill. "$150!", she cried, "$150 just to tell me my duck is
dead?!!" the vet shrugged. "i'm sorry. if you'd taken my word for it,
the bill would have been $20, but what with the lab report and the
cat scan ....."
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
branding
in marketing terms branding is seen as being one of the most important elements of your strategy to sell to people. it gives you identity, it gives you visibility, it conveys all the elements of the message(s) you want to send to your customers (or stakeholders - a wanking means nothing word if ever there was....) so getting the brand right is seen by some as crucial. some are classic (the nike swoosh for instance) some are ubiquitous (such as the microsoft flag) some are plain dumb and pointless (most of them).
but they are seen as being all important – especially by the consultants who insist on “finding” the look that sells the message you as business want to sell. they will tell you about the colours you should use to express dynamism, trust, expertise, caring and sharing. they will want to rebrand, reinvigorate by getting a new logo, a new mission statement and probably a new (almost guaranteed to be nonsensical name – they have computer programmes that make up words that sound good that they can pick from).
we can all point to the post consignia office or the british airways tail fins and giggle.
so it comes as no surprise that new (re-branded) labour should use it in their recent discussions on multi-culturalism.
not only are they using consultant wank speak, but they have decided also to steal the idea from america (yet more proof, if any were needed, that just because it comes from america it isn’t necessarily good).
from now on asians are not supposed to think of themselves as asian, but asian british , or indian british or i guess if you want to english british. this echoes american’s referencing themselves as irish american or italian american or slightly brainy americans (not many of those about …)
i am not going to get into an argument about the rights and wrongs of multiculturalism as a theory or as a practice. we all know we live in an ethnically diverse society, as mentioned in a previous entry i live in an area that has many ethnicities walking it’s streets.
the question we are all faced with is not one of definition and rebranding – just by changing the name of something doesn’t mean it is going to go away, the problems are still there and they have to be dealt with.
further more on the question of rebranding as
but they are seen as being all important – especially by the consultants who insist on “finding” the look that sells the message you as business want to sell. they will tell you about the colours you should use to express dynamism, trust, expertise, caring and sharing. they will want to rebrand, reinvigorate by getting a new logo, a new mission statement and probably a new (almost guaranteed to be nonsensical name – they have computer programmes that make up words that sound good that they can pick from).
we can all point to the post consignia office or the british airways tail fins and giggle.
so it comes as no surprise that new (re-branded) labour should use it in their recent discussions on multi-culturalism.
not only are they using consultant wank speak, but they have decided also to steal the idea from america (yet more proof, if any were needed, that just because it comes from america it isn’t necessarily good).
from now on asians are not supposed to think of themselves as asian, but asian british , or indian british or i guess if you want to english british. this echoes american’s referencing themselves as irish american or italian american or slightly brainy americans (not many of those about …)
i am not going to get into an argument about the rights and wrongs of multiculturalism as a theory or as a practice. we all know we live in an ethnically diverse society, as mentioned in a previous entry i live in an area that has many ethnicities walking it’s streets.
the question we are all faced with is not one of definition and rebranding – just by changing the name of something doesn’t mean it is going to go away, the problems are still there and they have to be dealt with.
further more on the question of rebranding as
Sunday, August 07, 2005
totty
i may have mentioned in the past that i have a top tory totty (the ttt) list. this isn't about that.
it struck me the other day as i wandered along the whitechapel high street that i might live in one of the most ethnically diverse places in the country, hell maybe the world (i can do hyperbole).
it might be because this part of the east end is a traditional placed for immigrants to come, it might because there are several colleges and universities in the area, it might be because there are a couple of hospitals in the area, it might be because it is an area that allows people to travel to the central london or to canary wharf for their exciting jobs.
whatever the reason there are a lot of different nationalities living in the whitechapel area. and i love it.
there are so many pretty women from so many nations it is a letchers paradise... (sorry emma!) to be able to wait for the 25 bus in the morning and to see lovely ladies from east europe, africa, asia and the far east is just about all i need to perk me up and make me think that the day ahead is going to be a good one.
then i had an interesting thought (ok interesting is perhaps too strong a word for it). if no countries with a macdonalds in them have attacked each other (i think this is no longer true but you know what i mean...) perhaps many of the worlds problems could be solved if we just stood back a little and looked at all the very pretty people that other nations have.
(ok ok ok i know i am trying to justify the fact i am a very letcherous person here - but it's no more far fetched a concept than some of the stuff spouted by the respect party and people of that ilk...)
so perhaps we need to have a international big brother - but fill it with pretty people from all nations. i am not sure how you would go about voting people on and off, and what the consequences should be when they are voted off but...
i suppose part of this is in reaction to the feelings in the local area where the youth are in someways buying into the radical islamic ideals but at the same time spend a lot of time preening themselves to look attractive (and thats just the blokes).
perhaps i am stretching the imagination too far by saying that by showing that violence against one group of people might mean that they are going to leave, hide or disappear and their slice of beauty goes with them.....
fuck i have read too much david icke.
i need another coffee.
normal service will resume tomorrow.
it struck me the other day as i wandered along the whitechapel high street that i might live in one of the most ethnically diverse places in the country, hell maybe the world (i can do hyperbole).
it might be because this part of the east end is a traditional placed for immigrants to come, it might because there are several colleges and universities in the area, it might be because there are a couple of hospitals in the area, it might be because it is an area that allows people to travel to the central london or to canary wharf for their exciting jobs.
whatever the reason there are a lot of different nationalities living in the whitechapel area. and i love it.
there are so many pretty women from so many nations it is a letchers paradise... (sorry emma!) to be able to wait for the 25 bus in the morning and to see lovely ladies from east europe, africa, asia and the far east is just about all i need to perk me up and make me think that the day ahead is going to be a good one.
then i had an interesting thought (ok interesting is perhaps too strong a word for it). if no countries with a macdonalds in them have attacked each other (i think this is no longer true but you know what i mean...) perhaps many of the worlds problems could be solved if we just stood back a little and looked at all the very pretty people that other nations have.
(ok ok ok i know i am trying to justify the fact i am a very letcherous person here - but it's no more far fetched a concept than some of the stuff spouted by the respect party and people of that ilk...)
so perhaps we need to have a international big brother - but fill it with pretty people from all nations. i am not sure how you would go about voting people on and off, and what the consequences should be when they are voted off but...
i suppose part of this is in reaction to the feelings in the local area where the youth are in someways buying into the radical islamic ideals but at the same time spend a lot of time preening themselves to look attractive (and thats just the blokes).
perhaps i am stretching the imagination too far by saying that by showing that violence against one group of people might mean that they are going to leave, hide or disappear and their slice of beauty goes with them.....
fuck i have read too much david icke.
i need another coffee.
normal service will resume tomorrow.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
phones
i may have mentioned i do not like mobile phones.
well currently i do not like my landline - there is something wrong with it. this means i can't get onto the internet at home at the moment. bugger it.
so having to do these things from coffee shops (which is not a bad thing).
posts will be patchy for a bit.....
i know i know you will survive.... just.
well currently i do not like my landline - there is something wrong with it. this means i can't get onto the internet at home at the moment. bugger it.
so having to do these things from coffee shops (which is not a bad thing).
posts will be patchy for a bit.....
i know i know you will survive.... just.
joke
a bloke is in the supermarket queue when he notices a rather dishy blonde across from him raise her hand and smile hello. he is rather taken aback that such a looker would be waving to him, and although familiar he can't place where he might know her from, so he says 'sorry, do you know me?' she replies 'i maybe mistaken, but i thought you might be the father of one of my children!' his mind shoots back to the one and only time he has been unfaithful... 'christ!' he says 'are you that stripper on my stag night that i shagged on the pool table in front of all my mates whilst your mate tied my hands together, whipped me with some rope and stuck a cucumber up my arse?' 'no' she replies, 'i'm your son's english teacher'
Sunday, July 31, 2005
IRA
we are all pleased to hear that the ira have called an end to it's armed struggle, preferring to use the ballot box rather than the bullet.
i remember back in the 70s/80s when their bombing campaign was going on, there were times when my mum (irish) was scared to go to work in case she was attacked for being irish. so i have sympathy for many asians who are likely to be target just because of the colour of their skin.
oddly the declaration of the ira does raises a whole heap of questions. tony blair has said that we cannot negotiate with terrorists - even though in the case of the ira we plainly have, and the result has been one we all want. peace, albeit an uneasy one. so can we sit down at a table with the current wave of radical fundamentalist terrorists?
personally i don't think we can. where the ira (and others like them) are fighting for a defined cause that can be resolved by talking, by compromise and negotiation. the radical fundamentalists are after wholesale change they do not want to compromise they want us to give up the freedoms we have (however much you may think that are not much they are more than we would have if the fundamentalists have their way...) and they want us to accept a way of life that does not exist, but is for them a utopia (a dystopia for the rest of us). for that reason alone we cannot negotiate a way out of this, at least not in the traditional sense.
perhaps the only way to do it is to isolate those who follow those beliefs, and hold those desires.
but in a cynical turn of mind, does anyone else think that the timing of the ira's announcement is one that is designed to distance themselves from the recent actions? have these radical fundamentalists done what no one else has done - given terrorism a bad name and so that the ira have had to give up the bullet for fear of losing any legitimacy?
i remember back in the 70s/80s when their bombing campaign was going on, there were times when my mum (irish) was scared to go to work in case she was attacked for being irish. so i have sympathy for many asians who are likely to be target just because of the colour of their skin.
oddly the declaration of the ira does raises a whole heap of questions. tony blair has said that we cannot negotiate with terrorists - even though in the case of the ira we plainly have, and the result has been one we all want. peace, albeit an uneasy one. so can we sit down at a table with the current wave of radical fundamentalist terrorists?
personally i don't think we can. where the ira (and others like them) are fighting for a defined cause that can be resolved by talking, by compromise and negotiation. the radical fundamentalists are after wholesale change they do not want to compromise they want us to give up the freedoms we have (however much you may think that are not much they are more than we would have if the fundamentalists have their way...) and they want us to accept a way of life that does not exist, but is for them a utopia (a dystopia for the rest of us). for that reason alone we cannot negotiate a way out of this, at least not in the traditional sense.
perhaps the only way to do it is to isolate those who follow those beliefs, and hold those desires.
but in a cynical turn of mind, does anyone else think that the timing of the ira's announcement is one that is designed to distance themselves from the recent actions? have these radical fundamentalists done what no one else has done - given terrorism a bad name and so that the ira have had to give up the bullet for fear of losing any legitimacy?
5000
even more self-puffery from me.
5000 plus hits. wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo as the nature boy would say.
ok most of them are me, but still that is 5000 hits.
not sure if my excitement at this is a good thing or a bad thing.
or is it just a sign that i really do need to get a life.
5000 plus hits. wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo as the nature boy would say.
ok most of them are me, but still that is 5000 hits.
not sure if my excitement at this is a good thing or a bad thing.
or is it just a sign that i really do need to get a life.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
silent
was going to wax lyrical about this and that.
was going to pontificate on the mood of the world.
was going to debate the rights and wrongs.
was going to discuss the ins and outs.
but now that i am here i can't be arsed.
so i am going to go to a gig instead.
was going to pontificate on the mood of the world.
was going to debate the rights and wrongs.
was going to discuss the ins and outs.
but now that i am here i can't be arsed.
so i am going to go to a gig instead.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
last
picture it (well actually don’t). just cast your own minds back to when you were last in the toilet to do a big job.
there i was this morning – there has been the sound of a solid splash followed by the contented smile of a man who has had the weight of the world lifted from him.
from this nirvana like state i was quickly brought back to the terrible reality that is the western world. i had run out of bog paper. there was paper there last night, i distinctly remember it being there. the clock is ticking and i know i am going to be late for work. frantic looking around. i know there was paper last night, surely i didn’t sleep wipe?
what am i going to do.
then salvation – a copy of the evening standard. i can’t do crossword, can’t do sudoko and i disagree with it’s politics what better way to use it than to wipe my arse on it .
job down.
off to work. (of course there is always the worry that if i am knocked down not only may i have skidders, but now i may have a headline on my arse as well…..)
(and yes i have noticed a scatological element creeping into recent posts - it's growing up watching carry on films that is the cause of it all you. )
there i was this morning – there has been the sound of a solid splash followed by the contented smile of a man who has had the weight of the world lifted from him.
from this nirvana like state i was quickly brought back to the terrible reality that is the western world. i had run out of bog paper. there was paper there last night, i distinctly remember it being there. the clock is ticking and i know i am going to be late for work. frantic looking around. i know there was paper last night, surely i didn’t sleep wipe?
what am i going to do.
then salvation – a copy of the evening standard. i can’t do crossword, can’t do sudoko and i disagree with it’s politics what better way to use it than to wipe my arse on it .
job down.
off to work. (of course there is always the worry that if i am knocked down not only may i have skidders, but now i may have a headline on my arse as well…..)
(and yes i have noticed a scatological element creeping into recent posts - it's growing up watching carry on films that is the cause of it all you. )
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
empty
i was out and about last night.
first off to a free gig, and it was lucky it was free as it was pants. the joy of free gigs is twofold. firstly they are free, no money spent and you have a night out. secondly there is always the chance you are going to stumble on a good band who you are going to want to see again (and even pay to see). the nightmare of free gigs is that sometimes you just don’t know what you are going to get and last night it was one of those “oh why did i bother” events.
currently my favourite places to see free music are the spitz , on commercial street; the foundry on old street and the whatever night at underbelly in hoxton square.
oddly this post has nothing to do with free music or gigs. i had met up with joel for the gig and he had mentioned that traffic had been light on the roads when he was travelling to the spitz. i hadn’t noticed as i was annoyed that i had managed to miss two 25 buses so as far as i was concerned i was always behind on time.
it was only when we left the spitz to go and get some bagels on brick lane that we both noticed that the area was almost empty.
we had been down there on the friday night and the area was throbbing, the vibe bar pounding out its trendy sounds, people queuing to get into 93 feet east, the bars and food shops in truman’s brewery packed, cars, bikes and people milling and filling the lane.
monday night and the place was like a ghost town. even the bagel bar was devoid of it’s usual waiting throng of hungry people.
the only times i have seen brick lane that empty have been on a christmas night or when i have been coming back from a club and everyone with a bit of sense were enjoying that last hour or so before they had to wake up.
admittedly it was a work night so that might explain the lack of people. the college art shows have ended so those students have all gone. but you can’t help wondering if people are just not venturing out at the moment, worried at what might happen to them.
it was an eerie seeing brick lane that empty, it felt wrong and it was somewhat depressing.
first off to a free gig, and it was lucky it was free as it was pants. the joy of free gigs is twofold. firstly they are free, no money spent and you have a night out. secondly there is always the chance you are going to stumble on a good band who you are going to want to see again (and even pay to see). the nightmare of free gigs is that sometimes you just don’t know what you are going to get and last night it was one of those “oh why did i bother” events.
currently my favourite places to see free music are the spitz , on commercial street; the foundry on old street and the whatever night at underbelly in hoxton square.
oddly this post has nothing to do with free music or gigs. i had met up with joel for the gig and he had mentioned that traffic had been light on the roads when he was travelling to the spitz. i hadn’t noticed as i was annoyed that i had managed to miss two 25 buses so as far as i was concerned i was always behind on time.
it was only when we left the spitz to go and get some bagels on brick lane that we both noticed that the area was almost empty.
we had been down there on the friday night and the area was throbbing, the vibe bar pounding out its trendy sounds, people queuing to get into 93 feet east, the bars and food shops in truman’s brewery packed, cars, bikes and people milling and filling the lane.
monday night and the place was like a ghost town. even the bagel bar was devoid of it’s usual waiting throng of hungry people.
the only times i have seen brick lane that empty have been on a christmas night or when i have been coming back from a club and everyone with a bit of sense were enjoying that last hour or so before they had to wake up.
admittedly it was a work night so that might explain the lack of people. the college art shows have ended so those students have all gone. but you can’t help wondering if people are just not venturing out at the moment, worried at what might happen to them.
it was an eerie seeing brick lane that empty, it felt wrong and it was somewhat depressing.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
shootings
back in the day i wanted to be a policeman. i wanted to do it for the right reasons: to care for and protect my fellow citizens (this was a time when i was not only a sociable person, but i was also a witty person - it's amazing what a failed relationship will do to you...) i had grown up on a diet of dixon of dock green and z cars, and to me being a policeman was all i wanted to do. so why am i not a policeman. i am colour blind - it sort of makes for a bad policeman as i couldn't be sure i would have caught the guy in the red car (or was it green?) (a number of side points here - when i went for my first interview with the police on my way home i stopped at one of my favourite porn shops to have a look at the magazines - it was always a big thing when i would go into porn shops as i was underage, it was my rite of passage - on exiting the store a pigeon managed to land a load of droppings on my shoulder. the colour-blindness was used a "joke" when i was introducing myself in one of my classes at poly, that along with the peter sutcliffe joke bombed and i was forever seen as an odd one by the rest of my class....)
i have never really lost my respect of the police and i still wish i could have been a policeman. yes i know that there are bad policeman, but i know that there are bad teachers, bad doctors, bad accountants. there are bad people everywhere - and some are badder than others.
so i am a little ambivalent about the recent shooting incident at stockwell station.
this is from a mate of mine. i have to say i don't know nevs all that well, we have shared some good conversations about comics, porn and wrestling. i have found him to be funny, intelligent and passionate.
"So, as we all should know, An innocent man was killed at Stockwell situation for essentially wearing a rucksuck, being dark skinned and having the good sense to run when armed policemen come running towards him. Having cornered Jean Charles de Meneze. The police pinned the terrified man and shot him in the head, Later admitting that they had made a 'mistake' Perhaps the defintion of the word 'mistake' ought to be a bit more clear. I read Judge Dredd as a kid. I had no idea it would be a prophecy. I was ready to riot as I stayed up watching the BBC News 24 service on Friday. By 7 in the morning, I was getting in contact with everyone I could think, asking tdid anyone want to provide a non violent stand against a police force that is now apparently allowed to murder people on the street given the correct pretext. I was honestly shocked to find I was alone on this. I really thought that killing a man in broad daylight might shake people up from the apathy that allows this kind of behaviour to run unchecked. I've been wrong before, I suppose. That was that. This morning, I was asked to a staff meeting along with my workmates to discuss general points of duty. Our meeting ran over by perhaps five minutes. A fellow member began setting up the shop. Five past Eleven on a Sunday Morning. We turned to see an angry mob gathered at the door, demanding to know why we hadn't opened yet. In all honesty, I really, truly thought it was a joke. We carried on setting up and they actually rang up the shop, angrily demanding to know why a video shop was opening five minutes late on a sunday morning. Being a reasonsbly pratical person, If iI walk up to a shop and see it isn't open, I'd go do something else and come back later. But then I'm crazy, right? When we opened, they were genuinely angry. As if we had insulted their mother or something. People will carry on regardless while innocent people are murdered in front of their eyes, but will quickly form a mob because they have to wait for ten minutes to pay for the priviledge of renting out Miss Congeality 2. This isn't funny anymore. "
i have to say i wish it was as simple as the above.
i am not in agreement with him. what happened was tragic, and we can only hope it never happens again. in the act that took place in stockwell tube the terrorists have succeeded in part of their aim - they have changed the way we live, they have changed the way we think and act.
the police are in a no win situation here - if they had not acted and a bomb had gone off we would have wanted them to explain themselves for the multiple deaths that there would have been. they can't afford to wound a suicide bomber - who by their very nature is not interested in surviving - they have to shoot to kill.
as my sainted mum was fond of saying "if ifs and ands were pots and pans there would be no need for tinkers" so we can all play the game of - if they had waited a little longer, if only the bloke had not run, if if if ....
but we are now in different times and perhaps we no longer have the luxury of such hand wringing.
the solution to current situation is not going to be a simple one, and maybe a long time in coming it is not going to happen at the end of a gun or by the explosion of the bombs. it is a solution that will have to be political and long lasting.
do we have the leaders who can find that solution?
lets hope so.
i have never really lost my respect of the police and i still wish i could have been a policeman. yes i know that there are bad policeman, but i know that there are bad teachers, bad doctors, bad accountants. there are bad people everywhere - and some are badder than others.
so i am a little ambivalent about the recent shooting incident at stockwell station.
this is from a mate of mine. i have to say i don't know nevs all that well, we have shared some good conversations about comics, porn and wrestling. i have found him to be funny, intelligent and passionate.
"So, as we all should know, An innocent man was killed at Stockwell situation for essentially wearing a rucksuck, being dark skinned and having the good sense to run when armed policemen come running towards him. Having cornered Jean Charles de Meneze. The police pinned the terrified man and shot him in the head, Later admitting that they had made a 'mistake' Perhaps the defintion of the word 'mistake' ought to be a bit more clear. I read Judge Dredd as a kid. I had no idea it would be a prophecy. I was ready to riot as I stayed up watching the BBC News 24 service on Friday. By 7 in the morning, I was getting in contact with everyone I could think, asking tdid anyone want to provide a non violent stand against a police force that is now apparently allowed to murder people on the street given the correct pretext. I was honestly shocked to find I was alone on this. I really thought that killing a man in broad daylight might shake people up from the apathy that allows this kind of behaviour to run unchecked. I've been wrong before, I suppose. That was that. This morning, I was asked to a staff meeting along with my workmates to discuss general points of duty. Our meeting ran over by perhaps five minutes. A fellow member began setting up the shop. Five past Eleven on a Sunday Morning. We turned to see an angry mob gathered at the door, demanding to know why we hadn't opened yet. In all honesty, I really, truly thought it was a joke. We carried on setting up and they actually rang up the shop, angrily demanding to know why a video shop was opening five minutes late on a sunday morning. Being a reasonsbly pratical person, If iI walk up to a shop and see it isn't open, I'd go do something else and come back later. But then I'm crazy, right? When we opened, they were genuinely angry. As if we had insulted their mother or something. People will carry on regardless while innocent people are murdered in front of their eyes, but will quickly form a mob because they have to wait for ten minutes to pay for the priviledge of renting out Miss Congeality 2. This isn't funny anymore. "
i have to say i wish it was as simple as the above.
i am not in agreement with him. what happened was tragic, and we can only hope it never happens again. in the act that took place in stockwell tube the terrorists have succeeded in part of their aim - they have changed the way we live, they have changed the way we think and act.
the police are in a no win situation here - if they had not acted and a bomb had gone off we would have wanted them to explain themselves for the multiple deaths that there would have been. they can't afford to wound a suicide bomber - who by their very nature is not interested in surviving - they have to shoot to kill.
as my sainted mum was fond of saying "if ifs and ands were pots and pans there would be no need for tinkers" so we can all play the game of - if they had waited a little longer, if only the bloke had not run, if if if ....
but we are now in different times and perhaps we no longer have the luxury of such hand wringing.
the solution to current situation is not going to be a simple one, and maybe a long time in coming it is not going to happen at the end of a gun or by the explosion of the bombs. it is a solution that will have to be political and long lasting.
do we have the leaders who can find that solution?
lets hope so.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
floaters
every now and then you are confronted with the terrible image of the floater, normally it is in the morning, you are bleary eyed still a little fogged with sleep, you are staggering into the toilet for the morning ablutions and there it is sitting in the bowl of the toilet smiling up at you: the turd from hell. due to mutant power the turd that exited your body the night before has now become so big it will not go down the u-bend, instead it floats serenely in the toilet. it mocks you, reminding you that your flush was inadequate. still dream addled you do the morning business, wash, douse the loo in bleach, flush and escape to work.
all is forgotten – the day might have been stressful (normally is), it might have been filled with people conversing in english but not making any sense (you can recognise the words – but you have never heard them used in quite that way), there may have been a laugh or two a long the way (occasionally happens).
when you get back home there is that trip to the smallest room in the house only to be confronted by the floater.
the morning flush has left it unharmed. the bleach has done nothing. the turd continues to mock you.
another flush as you leave the toilet.
listen to some music, drink some coffee, the night ends, time for bed and that one last trip to empty the bladder before sleeping.
it’s still there big, brown and ugly: the turd silently laughs at you. this time you flush in anger. the swirl of water obscures your view for a brief moment, but no no no no no it’s still there. the turd will not flush, it will not go gently into the dark night. the cistern fills up and when you flush this time there is a sense of certainty in your heart. but no the joy is short lived it’s still there. wait, hold on, is that a chink of light at the end of the tunnel, can my eyes be deceiving me or is it smaller…. yes yes yes it’s smaller than before.
more bleach. one last defiant flush and then to sleep.
in the morning you just know there will be victory.
a sense of dread fills you in the morning – will it still be there? gingerly you enter the toilet, there in the pan it is still there. the turd is defiant, but you can see the bleach has done it’s job, the last flush was fatal and the water has done it’s job. this turd is on it’s last legs.
one more flush.
the water churns.
the water clears.
the turd is gone.
a whoop of joy and the journey to work is done with a twinkle in the eye and a lightness of heart.
deep down though, you know that the floater will reappear in the future for battle to commence once more. for now just enjoy this victory.
all is forgotten – the day might have been stressful (normally is), it might have been filled with people conversing in english but not making any sense (you can recognise the words – but you have never heard them used in quite that way), there may have been a laugh or two a long the way (occasionally happens).
when you get back home there is that trip to the smallest room in the house only to be confronted by the floater.
the morning flush has left it unharmed. the bleach has done nothing. the turd continues to mock you.
another flush as you leave the toilet.
listen to some music, drink some coffee, the night ends, time for bed and that one last trip to empty the bladder before sleeping.
it’s still there big, brown and ugly: the turd silently laughs at you. this time you flush in anger. the swirl of water obscures your view for a brief moment, but no no no no no it’s still there. the turd will not flush, it will not go gently into the dark night. the cistern fills up and when you flush this time there is a sense of certainty in your heart. but no the joy is short lived it’s still there. wait, hold on, is that a chink of light at the end of the tunnel, can my eyes be deceiving me or is it smaller…. yes yes yes it’s smaller than before.
more bleach. one last defiant flush and then to sleep.
in the morning you just know there will be victory.
a sense of dread fills you in the morning – will it still be there? gingerly you enter the toilet, there in the pan it is still there. the turd is defiant, but you can see the bleach has done it’s job, the last flush was fatal and the water has done it’s job. this turd is on it’s last legs.
one more flush.
the water churns.
the water clears.
the turd is gone.
a whoop of joy and the journey to work is done with a twinkle in the eye and a lightness of heart.
deep down though, you know that the floater will reappear in the future for battle to commence once more. for now just enjoy this victory.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Cows
I have had a fascination with cows (no not in a welsh way...) ever since the movie twister. There is a scene in the movie where jan de bont (the director, who also worked on die hard – perhaps the greatest action movie ever) demonstrated that he was a fan of the “far side” cartoons (and lets be serious here – who isn’t a fan of the work of mr. larson?). anyway the scene is a twister er... twisting across the countryside and in it wake it has managed to pick up a cow and as the cow goes up the spout of the twister there is a plaintive mooooo (ok I might be adding the moo in) but the cow has this look on it’s face as if to say “what has my agent gotten me into this time!” Not to mention the great neal adams portrayal of cows in avengers during the skrull kree war. (learn more about the skrulls & kree here and this is neal's cover
So this and far side means I always see cows in a funny light.
And now the rail companies have a new excuse as to why their trains run late “
They also said that the rural location made the task of repairs that much more difficult. Now as they also stated this happened just outside of oxford you have to figure that it wasn’t too far from civilisation that they couldn’t 1] send coaches to pick up the passengers 2] reverse a train along the track to pick them up.
The fact that the rail service seems to be able to increase prices almost at will and still not provide a decent service (but hey if you increase prices to a captive market – profits grow, shareholders and the stock market are happy, who cares about the ideal of competition?) is almost irrelevant. But the wrong cow on the track leaves a sour taste in the mouth on a day when those responsible for the hatfield disaster are set to
So this and far side means I always see cows in a funny light.
And now the rail companies have a new excuse as to why their trains run late “
They also said that the rural location made the task of repairs that much more difficult. Now as they also stated this happened just outside of oxford you have to figure that it wasn’t too far from civilisation that they couldn’t 1] send coaches to pick up the passengers 2] reverse a train along the track to pick them up.
The fact that the rail service seems to be able to increase prices almost at will and still not provide a decent service (but hey if you increase prices to a captive market – profits grow, shareholders and the stock market are happy, who cares about the ideal of competition?) is almost irrelevant. But the wrong cow on the track leaves a sour taste in the mouth on a day when those responsible for the hatfield disaster are set to
Saturday, July 16, 2005
desire
want, need, desire are all strong words and all strong states of being. at some point or another we have all been struck by desire - it might have been for a thing or for a person, but we have all suffered under the yoke of desire.
that heartwrenching mind numbing feeling that you just must have that "thing", it goes beyond a mere wanting, it becomes an all important, all invasive necessity. without it you just know your life will not be complete, that there is something missing from your life, you have an empty void that is just waiting to be filled with the "thing" you desire.
it doesn't matter if the "thing" is big or small, if it is material, practical or is emphemeral the strength of the desire will be the same.
for a short time the desire will burn with the ferocity of the sun, the must have item will consume your thoughts, you will look at the item in books, magazines, websites, tv shows etc - all in the name of research (but lets be honest it is just porn by a different name. this is something that the collectors amongst us will truly understand eh jim, kenny, paul and richard.... oh yeah and me).
fortunately desire is not a permanent thing and for most of us it dies out and we soon realise that without the lottery win we are unlikely to be able to have that particular object of desire and it may forever remain out of reach.
oh what happens to the void you spoke of pat? (curses you are a clever bunch!)
well as we all know nature abhors a vacuum and desire detests a void so it is soon filled with a new object of desire.
(marxists might see this as being commodity fetishism while the capitalists might see this as the working of supply and demand. me i think is a part of human nature and it is there to keep life interesting.)
although i have admitted to myself i will never have a complete collection of marvel comics, and have settled for owning every essential trade paperback that marvel publishes. i still look longingly at bagged and boarded back issues that i don't own. while i know that i can't afford that plasma screen tv it doesn't mean i won't look at them when i am in an electrical goods shop, or the penthouse overlooking the tate modern (which is all well and good for the tourists as i know that if i could afford one of them i would just walk around my loft apartment naked, it is not a pretty sight i can tell you and i am sure that the tourists would be mentally scarred for seeing it - but then it is there own fault for looking in).
why do i even think about these things? well i have to know what i am going to do with the lottery win when it comes in!)
so my current desires are
1] nikon digital slr. the d100 is in my reach but while i am dreaming about it the d2x looks pretty sweet.
2] apple laptop the 14-inch ibook but i wouldn't say no to the 17-inch powerbook.
3] complete set of bootlegs from the bands led zeppelin, pink floyd, rush, frank zappa and king crimson.
4] a young lady who will.... (lets not go there shall we).
the sad thing is i know that even as i write this that not all of the above are attainable, and that even once i have gotten one of them it will be replaced with something else.
perhaps it is time to stop chasing the desires and learn to live the simple life?
nah
that heartwrenching mind numbing feeling that you just must have that "thing", it goes beyond a mere wanting, it becomes an all important, all invasive necessity. without it you just know your life will not be complete, that there is something missing from your life, you have an empty void that is just waiting to be filled with the "thing" you desire.
it doesn't matter if the "thing" is big or small, if it is material, practical or is emphemeral the strength of the desire will be the same.
for a short time the desire will burn with the ferocity of the sun, the must have item will consume your thoughts, you will look at the item in books, magazines, websites, tv shows etc - all in the name of research (but lets be honest it is just porn by a different name. this is something that the collectors amongst us will truly understand eh jim, kenny, paul and richard.... oh yeah and me).
fortunately desire is not a permanent thing and for most of us it dies out and we soon realise that without the lottery win we are unlikely to be able to have that particular object of desire and it may forever remain out of reach.
oh what happens to the void you spoke of pat? (curses you are a clever bunch!)
well as we all know nature abhors a vacuum and desire detests a void so it is soon filled with a new object of desire.
(marxists might see this as being commodity fetishism while the capitalists might see this as the working of supply and demand. me i think is a part of human nature and it is there to keep life interesting.)
although i have admitted to myself i will never have a complete collection of marvel comics, and have settled for owning every essential trade paperback that marvel publishes. i still look longingly at bagged and boarded back issues that i don't own. while i know that i can't afford that plasma screen tv it doesn't mean i won't look at them when i am in an electrical goods shop, or the penthouse overlooking the tate modern (which is all well and good for the tourists as i know that if i could afford one of them i would just walk around my loft apartment naked, it is not a pretty sight i can tell you and i am sure that the tourists would be mentally scarred for seeing it - but then it is there own fault for looking in).
why do i even think about these things? well i have to know what i am going to do with the lottery win when it comes in!)
so my current desires are
1] nikon digital slr. the d100 is in my reach but while i am dreaming about it the d2x looks pretty sweet.
2] apple laptop the 14-inch ibook but i wouldn't say no to the 17-inch powerbook.
3] complete set of bootlegs from the bands led zeppelin, pink floyd, rush, frank zappa and king crimson.
4] a young lady who will.... (lets not go there shall we).
the sad thing is i know that even as i write this that not all of the above are attainable, and that even once i have gotten one of them it will be replaced with something else.
perhaps it is time to stop chasing the desires and learn to live the simple life?
nah
Thursday, July 14, 2005
joke
Q: What's brown and hides in the attic?
A: The diarrhoea of Anne Frank.
brought a smile to my face while suffering in the sweltering heat.
A: The diarrhoea of Anne Frank.
brought a smile to my face while suffering in the sweltering heat.
Monday, July 11, 2005
205
in a remarkable piece of self-puffery i have just discovered that i have gone over the 200 posts mark.
i am so pleased. though i think it means i should get out more.
i am so pleased. though i think it means i should get out more.
london2
continuing on from the other day.
now there is the seeming ubiquity of sirens, they have always been there but now their sound takes on a whole new meaning. you start to think are you safe, is there danger ahead? the old joke of “won’t sell many ice creams at that speed” stays unspoken. you find yourself listening out for them.
politicians praising all the blue top (as they seem to have become) workers. lets hope they remember this when they are planning their next round of cuts of such services or are being tight fisted with the pay rises.
walking passed an empty fire station near bethanl green, somehow the fact that the place was empty brought home how bad the situation was.
being on a bus (205) that went near tavistock square and you can see the cordon to prevent the crime scene being disturbed or ogled. at the same time a hushed tone came over the people on the 205.
seeing the missing fliers up and around the place – this time not asking “have you seen tiddles?” but putting faces to the missing.
people quick to blame blair and bush for this atrocity, stopping short of saying it is deserved. while seemingly choking on the fact that they have to condemn the bombers (and i am thinking of you george galloway).
tony blair and charles clarke appearing to be moderate and calm in a time of high crisis.
realising that although our worst fears have happened that there is a good chance that it will happen again.
now there is the seeming ubiquity of sirens, they have always been there but now their sound takes on a whole new meaning. you start to think are you safe, is there danger ahead? the old joke of “won’t sell many ice creams at that speed” stays unspoken. you find yourself listening out for them.
politicians praising all the blue top (as they seem to have become) workers. lets hope they remember this when they are planning their next round of cuts of such services or are being tight fisted with the pay rises.
walking passed an empty fire station near bethanl green, somehow the fact that the place was empty brought home how bad the situation was.
being on a bus (205) that went near tavistock square and you can see the cordon to prevent the crime scene being disturbed or ogled. at the same time a hushed tone came over the people on the 205.
seeing the missing fliers up and around the place – this time not asking “have you seen tiddles?” but putting faces to the missing.
people quick to blame blair and bush for this atrocity, stopping short of saying it is deserved. while seemingly choking on the fact that they have to condemn the bombers (and i am thinking of you george galloway).
tony blair and charles clarke appearing to be moderate and calm in a time of high crisis.
realising that although our worst fears have happened that there is a good chance that it will happen again.
Saturday, July 09, 2005
london
one day there is joyous celebrations, the next stunned condemnation. from rejoicing to mourning.
although i live close to where one of the bombs went off the worst that happened to me was it meant getting to and from work was a little harder than normal. though to hear one of my work colleagues talk he was lucky not to get caught in the the blasts as he drove into work that morning (the fact that his route into work is no where near where any of the bombs went off, nor does he use one of the lines that were affected didn't seem to enter into it - hell why let the truth spoil a great story...)
so some thoughts about the last few days.
brick lane (near one of the bombs) has been very subdued on the two occasions i have been into it.
the words surreal and reality have been very overused by broadcasters the last few days, they have become the equivalent of "innit", losing all meaning they have and just being put into sentances to fill up gaps.
for at least 24 hours radio 5 could talk about nothing else even though it had long since said all it could say about the event. (i am sure this is true of all the broadcasters - just that i tuned to r5).
although there was almost universal condemnation of the bombings (though it's not like anyone was going to broadcast people who were going to praise the bombers) there were awkward moments where people tied themselves up in knots over the question of muslims some would use the word in conjunction with al-qaida and then have to back pedal and say of course not all muslims are like this, while others would try to ignore the fact that al-qaida is muslim.
politicians telling us that the best way to defeat the terrorists was to continue to live our lives normally. like most of us have any other option. i still have to use public transport to get to and from work. i have to go to work each day. it's not like i can have an armed guard to protect me like tony b or queen e have. (though the queen must be very happy at the moment as it means that no more father's for justice skulking about her palaces and no fake bombs from the sun to worry about as it will be a shoot to kill policy for the next few months... on second thoughts lets get the sun to try out the fake bombs again and see if they can get shot).
experts talking about how much planning and organising has had to go into this attack.
i can tell you how much has gone into it - not a great deal. the hardest part would have been getting the bombs sorted out. after that it was just a case of finding the people to do it and deciding the times when to do it.
there would have been no need to do rehearsals, there would have been no need to have scoped out security cameras or anything like that.
just use the tube or the buses and you will see there are loads of people carrying packages, big and small. no one checks them, no one stops them. it is an open system.
if they really wanted to cause maximum damage, maximum outrage and stop the g8 they would have bombed live 8 - but that would have involved a lot of planning and it might have got them caught. (it may have also saved pete docherty's career).
the bombs coming the day after the olympic victory for london smacks of oppurtunism of the highest order, rather than cunning planning.
at least with the thought of them planning it there is a chance that the security services can stop the next one, the opportunism bomber not so easy...
(and no identity cards would not have stopped all from happening either).
hotels making extra money off of all of this.
financial advisers talking about the resiliance of the market, as if it had a soul and a conscience. it doesn't and we all know it.
more on this later - being kicked out of the coffee shop and home internet connection is down.
although i live close to where one of the bombs went off the worst that happened to me was it meant getting to and from work was a little harder than normal. though to hear one of my work colleagues talk he was lucky not to get caught in the the blasts as he drove into work that morning (the fact that his route into work is no where near where any of the bombs went off, nor does he use one of the lines that were affected didn't seem to enter into it - hell why let the truth spoil a great story...)
so some thoughts about the last few days.
brick lane (near one of the bombs) has been very subdued on the two occasions i have been into it.
the words surreal and reality have been very overused by broadcasters the last few days, they have become the equivalent of "innit", losing all meaning they have and just being put into sentances to fill up gaps.
for at least 24 hours radio 5 could talk about nothing else even though it had long since said all it could say about the event. (i am sure this is true of all the broadcasters - just that i tuned to r5).
although there was almost universal condemnation of the bombings (though it's not like anyone was going to broadcast people who were going to praise the bombers) there were awkward moments where people tied themselves up in knots over the question of muslims some would use the word in conjunction with al-qaida and then have to back pedal and say of course not all muslims are like this, while others would try to ignore the fact that al-qaida is muslim.
politicians telling us that the best way to defeat the terrorists was to continue to live our lives normally. like most of us have any other option. i still have to use public transport to get to and from work. i have to go to work each day. it's not like i can have an armed guard to protect me like tony b or queen e have. (though the queen must be very happy at the moment as it means that no more father's for justice skulking about her palaces and no fake bombs from the sun to worry about as it will be a shoot to kill policy for the next few months... on second thoughts lets get the sun to try out the fake bombs again and see if they can get shot).
experts talking about how much planning and organising has had to go into this attack.
i can tell you how much has gone into it - not a great deal. the hardest part would have been getting the bombs sorted out. after that it was just a case of finding the people to do it and deciding the times when to do it.
there would have been no need to do rehearsals, there would have been no need to have scoped out security cameras or anything like that.
just use the tube or the buses and you will see there are loads of people carrying packages, big and small. no one checks them, no one stops them. it is an open system.
if they really wanted to cause maximum damage, maximum outrage and stop the g8 they would have bombed live 8 - but that would have involved a lot of planning and it might have got them caught. (it may have also saved pete docherty's career).
the bombs coming the day after the olympic victory for london smacks of oppurtunism of the highest order, rather than cunning planning.
at least with the thought of them planning it there is a chance that the security services can stop the next one, the opportunism bomber not so easy...
(and no identity cards would not have stopped all from happening either).
hotels making extra money off of all of this.
financial advisers talking about the resiliance of the market, as if it had a soul and a conscience. it doesn't and we all know it.
more on this later - being kicked out of the coffee shop and home internet connection is down.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
2012
just in case it is not too late to register my vote for the london olympics.
no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no nein no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no non no no no no no no no no nein no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no non no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no nein no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no
and thrice no.
and for all of you who say but it will mean regeneration for the east end, it will mean better transport and it will mean there are sporting facilities in the east end that can be used by all - the so called legacy factor.
to all of you i say:
if the east end needs regenerating (and it does) then do it - don't worry about having an olympics there.
if london needs to sort out it's transport facilities (and it does) then do it - don't hang about hoping for the olympics to kick start it.
if the east end needs sporting facilities (it does) then build them - why wait for there to be an olympics.
if the bid fails (fingers crossed) does it mean that all of the above will be forgotten?
or is it that politicians such as ken and tony just want to get their names attached to the hosting of the olympics?
here's hoping that chirac and his boys get the nod (not often that i will say that about the french!)
no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no nein no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no non no no no no no no no no nein no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no non no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no nein no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no
and thrice no.
and for all of you who say but it will mean regeneration for the east end, it will mean better transport and it will mean there are sporting facilities in the east end that can be used by all - the so called legacy factor.
to all of you i say:
if the east end needs regenerating (and it does) then do it - don't worry about having an olympics there.
if london needs to sort out it's transport facilities (and it does) then do it - don't hang about hoping for the olympics to kick start it.
if the east end needs sporting facilities (it does) then build them - why wait for there to be an olympics.
if the bid fails (fingers crossed) does it mean that all of the above will be forgotten?
or is it that politicians such as ken and tony just want to get their names attached to the hosting of the olympics?
here's hoping that chirac and his boys get the nod (not often that i will say that about the french!)
Thursday, June 30, 2005
colonic
well i have to admit i wasn't expecting it, and i have to thank paul for finding it.
there seems to be a website that has my name on it.
http://www.patsullivan.com/
there you go - but be warned it deals with subjects of a personal nature, as well as selling you necessary products.
there seems to be a website that has my name on it.
http://www.patsullivan.com/
there you go - but be warned it deals with subjects of a personal nature, as well as selling you necessary products.
grumpy
some things that have annoyed me recently (the full list is looong so i shan’t bother you with it),
bus drivers: this is aimed especially those who drive the 25 bus, sometimes they drive as if they are at brands hatch, other time they are going so slow granny mobiles are passing them by. sometimes they hang about at all the stops, sometimes they barely give people time to get on or get off. look lads just make your minds up!
people who wear their sunglasses: there are two sources of annoyance here, the ones who wear them on the top of their head. why? what is the point? i know it is a fashion statement but it is stupid. then there are those people who wear them inside buildings and who are forever peering over them or lifting them up. if you can’t see with them on take them off.
buskers: it’s no longer funny for someone to be sitting down playing a traffic cone, especially if you can’t even remember the tune you are supposed to be doing. move on from that corner and find something else to do to annoy the tourists.
same goes for “world music” buskers just because you are using an ethnic instrument it doesn’t mean you don’t have to have the ability to play it. nothing excuses bad music.
look if i want noise pollution i’ll search out someone playing “let me take you through the streets of london” with a guitar and harmonica.
sportsmen: generally the ones who are always going on about how they should get grants to help them become better at their chosen endeavour. why? you want it you pay for it. apply for a student loan and pay it back when you start earning. trust me some bloke winning wimbledon and earning a fortune isn’t going to change my day unless he is going to give me half of his winnings.
amblers: yes all those people who walk as slow as it is physically possible in busy places and so adding to the congestion of the city. get a move on!
a sub-species of this annoyance are the people who congregate by doors, steps or anywhere that you have to move in to get somewhere else, thus making a busy area even worse to navigate through. i am sure there is a ring in dante’s hell just for them.
litterbugs: now i am not the tidiest person in the world – in fact i suspect i am in the bottom 500. but there is nothing i hate more (well that is not true but using exaggeration here to make a point) than people who drop litter. all the medieval tortures that i might use on these litterbugs pale compared to what i would do to fly tippers!
tories: just goes without saying really.
cyclists: use the road the pavement is for those of us who are using our feet to get from here to there.
mobile phones: look if you have to shout into your phone it either means your mate is deaf (or really couldn’t give a toss about what you are saying) or your phone is crap. either way shut up, your very dull conversation is of no interest to me.
drinks coolers: if you are going to have them in a shop makes sense that you have them so they work, no worries i wanted that can of coke warm anyway.
enough of that.
this rant has a soundtrack of the blue oyster cult.
bus drivers: this is aimed especially those who drive the 25 bus, sometimes they drive as if they are at brands hatch, other time they are going so slow granny mobiles are passing them by. sometimes they hang about at all the stops, sometimes they barely give people time to get on or get off. look lads just make your minds up!
people who wear their sunglasses: there are two sources of annoyance here, the ones who wear them on the top of their head. why? what is the point? i know it is a fashion statement but it is stupid. then there are those people who wear them inside buildings and who are forever peering over them or lifting them up. if you can’t see with them on take them off.
buskers: it’s no longer funny for someone to be sitting down playing a traffic cone, especially if you can’t even remember the tune you are supposed to be doing. move on from that corner and find something else to do to annoy the tourists.
same goes for “world music” buskers just because you are using an ethnic instrument it doesn’t mean you don’t have to have the ability to play it. nothing excuses bad music.
look if i want noise pollution i’ll search out someone playing “let me take you through the streets of london” with a guitar and harmonica.
sportsmen: generally the ones who are always going on about how they should get grants to help them become better at their chosen endeavour. why? you want it you pay for it. apply for a student loan and pay it back when you start earning. trust me some bloke winning wimbledon and earning a fortune isn’t going to change my day unless he is going to give me half of his winnings.
amblers: yes all those people who walk as slow as it is physically possible in busy places and so adding to the congestion of the city. get a move on!
a sub-species of this annoyance are the people who congregate by doors, steps or anywhere that you have to move in to get somewhere else, thus making a busy area even worse to navigate through. i am sure there is a ring in dante’s hell just for them.
litterbugs: now i am not the tidiest person in the world – in fact i suspect i am in the bottom 500. but there is nothing i hate more (well that is not true but using exaggeration here to make a point) than people who drop litter. all the medieval tortures that i might use on these litterbugs pale compared to what i would do to fly tippers!
tories: just goes without saying really.
cyclists: use the road the pavement is for those of us who are using our feet to get from here to there.
mobile phones: look if you have to shout into your phone it either means your mate is deaf (or really couldn’t give a toss about what you are saying) or your phone is crap. either way shut up, your very dull conversation is of no interest to me.
drinks coolers: if you are going to have them in a shop makes sense that you have them so they work, no worries i wanted that can of coke warm anyway.
enough of that.
this rant has a soundtrack of the blue oyster cult.
Monday, June 27, 2005
widdecombe
look i am the first to admit i enjoy the occasional telling off by a stern woman (the pictures of supernanny have almost made me think about getting my tv fixed...).
and i have often spoken of my top tory totty list (which also includes the occasional american neo-con female).
but enough is enough i cry.
what on earth are people thinking: they are going to let ann widdecombe lose on the public, and she is going to go around as an agony aunt.
though she isn't going to tell them what to do she is going:
to "... approach their problems with common sense. I'm not an expert; I just tell people this is what I would do in your circumstances."
(shame she didn't tell any of her colleagues that they were screwing the country up when they were in power!)
furthermore:
"It is this give and take, each party making a compromise, that Miss Widdecombe says she generally recommends."
(again a trait that was never shown when the conservatives were in power - except in the cases where the workers gave up rights and the employers took the piss.)
laura marcus praises ann and says she is a good agony aunt. saying of her:
"She has more warmth and empathy than most politicians - and I say that as someone who is not a Tory".
perhaps the not being tory means that laura is slight further right of the tories?
to be fair ann widdecombe is one of those politicians who has always got an opinion that is distinctly her own. she has not become part of the party machine just to be in power. and she has also proved to be good watching/listening when she is involved in debates. there are few like ann widdecombe - long may she continue.
but i must stress this admiration for her and her recent (very scary dye job) do not put her on the pat's top tory totty list. i may be odd but i am just not that odd.
and i have often spoken of my top tory totty list (which also includes the occasional american neo-con female).
but enough is enough i cry.
what on earth are people thinking: they are going to let ann widdecombe lose on the public, and she is going to go around as an agony aunt.
though she isn't going to tell them what to do she is going:
to "... approach their problems with common sense. I'm not an expert; I just tell people this is what I would do in your circumstances."
(shame she didn't tell any of her colleagues that they were screwing the country up when they were in power!)
furthermore:
"It is this give and take, each party making a compromise, that Miss Widdecombe says she generally recommends."
(again a trait that was never shown when the conservatives were in power - except in the cases where the workers gave up rights and the employers took the piss.)
laura marcus praises ann and says she is a good agony aunt. saying of her:
"She has more warmth and empathy than most politicians - and I say that as someone who is not a Tory".
perhaps the not being tory means that laura is slight further right of the tories?
to be fair ann widdecombe is one of those politicians who has always got an opinion that is distinctly her own. she has not become part of the party machine just to be in power. and she has also proved to be good watching/listening when she is involved in debates. there are few like ann widdecombe - long may she continue.
but i must stress this admiration for her and her recent (very scary dye job) do not put her on the pat's top tory totty list. i may be odd but i am just not that odd.
Saturday, June 25, 2005
monarchy
(title corrected because i was a tit and didn't spell check it - thanks jay for pointing it out.)
£0.61 just 61 new pence. when you put it like that then i am all for keeping the monarchy.
what’s this you are thinking has pinko pat given up the class war. hell no. if there is one thing i admire america for it is because they are a republic and they kicked the monarchy out (though there could be a strong argument that there are a number of political “royal” families who now inhabit american politics). (other things i like about america – its basketball, the fact the best comic books come from there and of course the wwe….)
but let’s look at that 61 pence – with that i can almost get a copy of the independent, i can get a can of coke from my local newsagent and get some change (however if i was try to buy it from wh smiths i would be paying extra – obviously they have no idea how to buy in bulk so that they can sell cheap. what you think that they use their buying power to get a really good deal and then rather than passing that on to the consumers they actually bump the price up to get extra profit. gotta love how capitalism works – adam smith he got it right (blimey second time i have mentioned mr smith recently). perhaps such cavalier attitude is why smith’s has gone through some financial difficulties recently; perhaps i should put them in touch with my newsagent…)
pat pat pat – stick to your point ya hairy lummox!
so with that 61p i can pay for about a third of my medium latte with an extra shot, i am a tenth of the way to buying a paperback….
what i am saying is 61p isn’t much. even if you gather all the 61ps that are available in the country it only comes to £36 million pound (yeah ok it’s a relative only – to me it’s a very big amount but in terms of the country’s gross domestic product it’s not much at all).
according to a recent report the monarchy costs us £36 million pound a year, all things considered not that much.
sure that £36 million (all those 61 pences) could be given to charity, but it could be argued that the work the royal family does with various charities around the place is probably worth the £36 million.
besides the £36 million pales into insignificance when compared with the amounts of monies being withheld from the national treasury buy the various tax avoidance, evasion and haven schemes that many (oh ok all of) the rich subscribe to. according to a recent report “the world's richest individuals have placed $11.5 trillion of assets in offshore havens, mainly as a tax avoidance measure.” that’s something like $255 billion that each exchequer is losing. what’s worse this amount is only based on rich individuals and does not take into account what is in tax havens that belong to multinational companies.
(of course the fact that some of the people who are involved in such avoidance will use their positions to make sure that the poor on social security benefits are vilified a being scroungers – yeah i am talking about you mr. murdoch and you the barclay brothers. but then as the old song says “it’s the rich wot gets the pleasure and the poor wot gets the blame.”
other very rich individuals who evade taxes are philip green, lakshmi mittal (according to forbes he is worth $25 billion), hans rausing ($7.7 billion) and philip green ($1.4 billion).
here for the story http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,,1446120,00.html
use forbes http://www.forbes.com/ to get the worth of the individuals.
so before we worry about the £36 million we throw at the royal family i think we owe it to ourselves to insist that tax evaders are brought to book first.
but aside from this there has to be another reason for the keeping the royal family, surely you have another reason pat, i can hear you mumble under your breath. yes i do i have several.
1] there is the bog standard one – it is tradition. call me a small c conservative, but i have come to the conclusion that the monarchy is a tradition we need to keep. it grants us a pomp and circumstance unavailable elsewhere.
2] there is the practical reason – a royal family prevents us from having the nonsense of a political first family, or the dubious pleasure of having an “elected” head of state.
(and while i may have had a pop at the political dynasties of american politics it is not like we don’t have our own “problem” over here of something similar talking place – they may not all go into politics but some of these families (lawsons, rifkinds) have members of their families in politics and in the media…
3] the entertainment factor. which comes in two parts: there is the moment when someone like prince charles says something that needs to be said but no one else does say it (his comment about some people expecting something for nothing – was recontextualised as being a longing for the return of a rigid class structure, when what he appeared to be saying was just because you say you can do something, just because you say you want to do something doesn’t mean you can.
the second strand of the entertainment side of it all is the soap opera of the royal family itself (better than the osbournes, better than big brother). who hasn’t thrilled to revelations that prince charles has someone to squeeze out his toothpaste? the hijacks of the two princes, the foot in mouth syndrome that infects prince philip, the oddness that is edward… it is never ending.
4] they sell papers – where would so many of the tabloids be without being able to use the royals in one way or another to shift copies?
5] who else would the sun’s pretend bombers stalk? chances are it would be ordinary folk.
6] where else would fathers for justice go and protest while dressed as batman (well actually anywhere that was high, inconvenient and dangerous).
7] they remind us why we hate class privilege. geez they have all the advantages that money and status can confer and william is the first one to get a 2:1 degree. (in all honesty i can’t really hate the monarchy it’s not their fault they were born into, but those upper middle class bertie types out there – oh i can work up a nice ire over them i can tell you, and that includes the bertie i have to occasionally deal with at work).
essentially in my eyes the royal family has become a nice tourist attraction and as such needs to be maintained and they are worth my £0.61 to make sure they keep going. besides all the anger i know i should have for them is displaced by the dislike (and distrust) of those who go out of their way to avoid taxes..
(the soundtrack to this rant was the moody blues anthology disc 1)
£0.61 just 61 new pence. when you put it like that then i am all for keeping the monarchy.
what’s this you are thinking has pinko pat given up the class war. hell no. if there is one thing i admire america for it is because they are a republic and they kicked the monarchy out (though there could be a strong argument that there are a number of political “royal” families who now inhabit american politics). (other things i like about america – its basketball, the fact the best comic books come from there and of course the wwe….)
but let’s look at that 61 pence – with that i can almost get a copy of the independent, i can get a can of coke from my local newsagent and get some change (however if i was try to buy it from wh smiths i would be paying extra – obviously they have no idea how to buy in bulk so that they can sell cheap. what you think that they use their buying power to get a really good deal and then rather than passing that on to the consumers they actually bump the price up to get extra profit. gotta love how capitalism works – adam smith he got it right (blimey second time i have mentioned mr smith recently). perhaps such cavalier attitude is why smith’s has gone through some financial difficulties recently; perhaps i should put them in touch with my newsagent…)
pat pat pat – stick to your point ya hairy lummox!
so with that 61p i can pay for about a third of my medium latte with an extra shot, i am a tenth of the way to buying a paperback….
what i am saying is 61p isn’t much. even if you gather all the 61ps that are available in the country it only comes to £36 million pound (yeah ok it’s a relative only – to me it’s a very big amount but in terms of the country’s gross domestic product it’s not much at all).
according to a recent report the monarchy costs us £36 million pound a year, all things considered not that much.
sure that £36 million (all those 61 pences) could be given to charity, but it could be argued that the work the royal family does with various charities around the place is probably worth the £36 million.
besides the £36 million pales into insignificance when compared with the amounts of monies being withheld from the national treasury buy the various tax avoidance, evasion and haven schemes that many (oh ok all of) the rich subscribe to. according to a recent report “the world's richest individuals have placed $11.5 trillion of assets in offshore havens, mainly as a tax avoidance measure.” that’s something like $255 billion that each exchequer is losing. what’s worse this amount is only based on rich individuals and does not take into account what is in tax havens that belong to multinational companies.
(of course the fact that some of the people who are involved in such avoidance will use their positions to make sure that the poor on social security benefits are vilified a being scroungers – yeah i am talking about you mr. murdoch and you the barclay brothers. but then as the old song says “it’s the rich wot gets the pleasure and the poor wot gets the blame.”
other very rich individuals who evade taxes are philip green, lakshmi mittal (according to forbes he is worth $25 billion), hans rausing ($7.7 billion) and philip green ($1.4 billion).
here for the story http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,,1446120,00.html
use forbes http://www.forbes.com/ to get the worth of the individuals.
so before we worry about the £36 million we throw at the royal family i think we owe it to ourselves to insist that tax evaders are brought to book first.
but aside from this there has to be another reason for the keeping the royal family, surely you have another reason pat, i can hear you mumble under your breath. yes i do i have several.
1] there is the bog standard one – it is tradition. call me a small c conservative, but i have come to the conclusion that the monarchy is a tradition we need to keep. it grants us a pomp and circumstance unavailable elsewhere.
2] there is the practical reason – a royal family prevents us from having the nonsense of a political first family, or the dubious pleasure of having an “elected” head of state.
(and while i may have had a pop at the political dynasties of american politics it is not like we don’t have our own “problem” over here of something similar talking place – they may not all go into politics but some of these families (lawsons, rifkinds) have members of their families in politics and in the media…
3] the entertainment factor. which comes in two parts: there is the moment when someone like prince charles says something that needs to be said but no one else does say it (his comment about some people expecting something for nothing – was recontextualised as being a longing for the return of a rigid class structure, when what he appeared to be saying was just because you say you can do something, just because you say you want to do something doesn’t mean you can.
the second strand of the entertainment side of it all is the soap opera of the royal family itself (better than the osbournes, better than big brother). who hasn’t thrilled to revelations that prince charles has someone to squeeze out his toothpaste? the hijacks of the two princes, the foot in mouth syndrome that infects prince philip, the oddness that is edward… it is never ending.
4] they sell papers – where would so many of the tabloids be without being able to use the royals in one way or another to shift copies?
5] who else would the sun’s pretend bombers stalk? chances are it would be ordinary folk.
6] where else would fathers for justice go and protest while dressed as batman (well actually anywhere that was high, inconvenient and dangerous).
7] they remind us why we hate class privilege. geez they have all the advantages that money and status can confer and william is the first one to get a 2:1 degree. (in all honesty i can’t really hate the monarchy it’s not their fault they were born into, but those upper middle class bertie types out there – oh i can work up a nice ire over them i can tell you, and that includes the bertie i have to occasionally deal with at work).
essentially in my eyes the royal family has become a nice tourist attraction and as such needs to be maintained and they are worth my £0.61 to make sure they keep going. besides all the anger i know i should have for them is displaced by the dislike (and distrust) of those who go out of their way to avoid taxes..
(the soundtrack to this rant was the moody blues anthology disc 1)
Friday, June 24, 2005
sweat
too hot, too hot far too hot. where is the rain? where is the wind? where is the snow?
no air con in the office, flat is like an oven and not a breeze outside.
hay fever is playing up. feeling like i am being boiled and baked at the same time. worst of all i just seem to feel moist all the time. ugh ugh.
this is all wrong you know there is tennis on at wimbledon and there is cricket one day internationals between australia, bangladesh and england, if all was right with the world the heavens would be opening up and the rain would be pouring.
but no climate change (despite what david bellamy and tammi say) has screwed up one of the few pleasure i have over the summer and that is the sight of seeing dull dumb sporting events being rained off and in the process getting a respite from the summer sun.
yes i know i am a miserable git.
no air con in the office, flat is like an oven and not a breeze outside.
hay fever is playing up. feeling like i am being boiled and baked at the same time. worst of all i just seem to feel moist all the time. ugh ugh.
this is all wrong you know there is tennis on at wimbledon and there is cricket one day internationals between australia, bangladesh and england, if all was right with the world the heavens would be opening up and the rain would be pouring.
but no climate change (despite what david bellamy and tammi say) has screwed up one of the few pleasure i have over the summer and that is the sight of seeing dull dumb sporting events being rained off and in the process getting a respite from the summer sun.
yes i know i am a miserable git.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
taxi
there is a report on the bbc news website about the possibility of there being air taxis in the very near future. this is partly due to the fact that there is soon to be what is called very light jets and this combined with improvements in aeronautical technology means that these new small planes can take off from smaller runaways and from locations that do not have air control towers.
apparently we can thank nasa for this.
to the science fiction fan in me it’s an appealing idea the world of blade runner, fifth element or minority report coming true before my eyes (oh hold on none of those were particularly nice world…..)
so just as everyone is bleating about the lack of investment in the transport infrastructure (recently the train companies have mentioned that fares will be going up even as they talk about cutting the services – they were talking about premium prices. bit of a surprise there for those who travel at peak time, paying peak time prices to discover that they might be paying more for a worse service. it is good to see that the free market works in such a way – there is a demand, so don’t fill it, reduce the service, put up prices and make more profit. not quite the way adam smith saw it working but as long as someone is getting rich...)
but i digress (no shit sherlock!)
anyway as i was saying just as everyone is bleating about the failing transport infrastructure – no investment, more cars on the roads, build more roads etc etc and just as climate scientist have been telling us that air travel is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect (it is there tammi no matter what dubya tells you….) we get this.
already i can see the headlines about air taxi congestion in the skies, the endless conversations about fuel prices, how this is a service for the wealthy and not for the ordinary person, the hue and cry when the first crash happens.
but most of all regardless of the new technology that makes these new generation of planes lighter and very economical to fly, no matter what types of electronics that nasa has placed into them to ensure that they can get from a to be safely and easily, regardless of all of that i am betting that you will not be able to get an air taxi to go south of the river.
apparently we can thank nasa for this.
to the science fiction fan in me it’s an appealing idea the world of blade runner, fifth element or minority report coming true before my eyes (oh hold on none of those were particularly nice world…..)
so just as everyone is bleating about the lack of investment in the transport infrastructure (recently the train companies have mentioned that fares will be going up even as they talk about cutting the services – they were talking about premium prices. bit of a surprise there for those who travel at peak time, paying peak time prices to discover that they might be paying more for a worse service. it is good to see that the free market works in such a way – there is a demand, so don’t fill it, reduce the service, put up prices and make more profit. not quite the way adam smith saw it working but as long as someone is getting rich...)
but i digress (no shit sherlock!)
anyway as i was saying just as everyone is bleating about the failing transport infrastructure – no investment, more cars on the roads, build more roads etc etc and just as climate scientist have been telling us that air travel is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect (it is there tammi no matter what dubya tells you….) we get this.
already i can see the headlines about air taxi congestion in the skies, the endless conversations about fuel prices, how this is a service for the wealthy and not for the ordinary person, the hue and cry when the first crash happens.
but most of all regardless of the new technology that makes these new generation of planes lighter and very economical to fly, no matter what types of electronics that nasa has placed into them to ensure that they can get from a to be safely and easily, regardless of all of that i am betting that you will not be able to get an air taxi to go south of the river.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
24
wow wow oh wow and double wow.
just finished watching the last couple of episodes of 24 and frankly it just has me gagging for day 5 of 24.
the basic premise for 24 is that jack bauer (played masterfully by kiefer sutherland) and the counter terrorist unit (ctu) of los angeles have to save the day in the space of 24 hours. each episode is played out in hour “real time” segments, actually to allow for ad breaks there is only 45 minutes of action but who is counting. so for 24 episodes you are on the edge of your seats and jack and co do what they have to do to make sure that the day is saved.
as i know at least one person who reads this has not seen the last two episodes (hi paul) i won’t say anything about how the show resolves itself this time.
there are many things that come together in 24 to make it a televisual experience. firstly there is the action packed serial nature of the show – it is not enough that they have a tense and dangerous situation to resolve, oh no there is also time enough to get in all sorts of personal issues. which of course means you end up caring about the characters and you want to see them make it to the end of the day.
this works because the casting has been spot on and the ensemble nature of the show works well (ok it is true that kiefer does seem to make sure he gets all the best lines…)
the serial nature also makes it a must watch event as every episode ends on a cliff hanger, and each episode has the ever present clock ticking away letting you know how much “time” is left in the hour. you want to see what is going to happen next but you don’t want the episode to end, but as the time hits 50 minutes of the hour you are just perched on the edge of the seat waiting for the next revelation.
the stories themselves are top-notch and for the duration of each show totally absorbing and believable it is only as the final seconds have ticked off that you can indulge in the game of “what did that mean?” “that was wrong” “that couldn’t have happened like that” etc. the joy is that no matter how farfetched some if it seems it works within the framework of what 24 is trying to do.
so i have seen the end of series 4 (or day 4) and have to say it is the best yet. though my own personal favourite series was day 2, why you ask? well first series was great and set us up for how the premise worked., so by the time day 2 was on i was rushing home on a sunday night not only to see the new episode on bbc3, but also to catch the repeat that was being shown in bbc2. once the show itself had finished then there was pure 24 with the lovely tamzin sylvester (whose mastery of clothes is only matched by one other…) it was a blissful 24 weeks of excitement. the next two series have been better but have been marred by the fact i couldn’t watch them in weekly instalments but instead got them in blocks (thanks jim). even though i have not been able to recapture the thrill of giving up sunday evenings to watch jack and ctu do what is necessary i have still managed to sit agog at the adventures, i have still
punched the air and whooped with delight at the entrance of a character or an event taking place on the screen.
look if you have not already seen 24 – get over to your local video store and see if they have one of them for rent – its worth it trust me….
what is interesting about 24 is how they now play it in the post 9/11 world – it has become a much harsher, more cynical and more willing to portray the good guys as people who are willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done, no matter what the cost.
the special agent has replaced the cowboy as the rugged individual who will step outside the lines to do what is right. in many ways jack bauer’s character is similar to john wayne’s ethan edwards in “the searchers” - ethan is relentless in his pursuit of what he sees as the right course but he know in his heart he is not part of civil society even though he will do his best to protect it.
oooh that was deep.
look stop reading this and get out there and see it for yourself: it’s the dog’s bollocks.
for the record my other favourite tv shows include
alias, angel, csi, nypd blue, hill street blues, babylon 5, sunset beach, star trek, prisoner, hr puff’n’stuff., bob mills in bedwithmedinner, game on, between the lines. i suspect that although i have fond memories of follyfoot, timeslip and blake’s seven they will not match up to them if i saw them again.
just finished watching the last couple of episodes of 24 and frankly it just has me gagging for day 5 of 24.
the basic premise for 24 is that jack bauer (played masterfully by kiefer sutherland) and the counter terrorist unit (ctu) of los angeles have to save the day in the space of 24 hours. each episode is played out in hour “real time” segments, actually to allow for ad breaks there is only 45 minutes of action but who is counting. so for 24 episodes you are on the edge of your seats and jack and co do what they have to do to make sure that the day is saved.
as i know at least one person who reads this has not seen the last two episodes (hi paul) i won’t say anything about how the show resolves itself this time.
there are many things that come together in 24 to make it a televisual experience. firstly there is the action packed serial nature of the show – it is not enough that they have a tense and dangerous situation to resolve, oh no there is also time enough to get in all sorts of personal issues. which of course means you end up caring about the characters and you want to see them make it to the end of the day.
this works because the casting has been spot on and the ensemble nature of the show works well (ok it is true that kiefer does seem to make sure he gets all the best lines…)
the serial nature also makes it a must watch event as every episode ends on a cliff hanger, and each episode has the ever present clock ticking away letting you know how much “time” is left in the hour. you want to see what is going to happen next but you don’t want the episode to end, but as the time hits 50 minutes of the hour you are just perched on the edge of the seat waiting for the next revelation.
the stories themselves are top-notch and for the duration of each show totally absorbing and believable it is only as the final seconds have ticked off that you can indulge in the game of “what did that mean?” “that was wrong” “that couldn’t have happened like that” etc. the joy is that no matter how farfetched some if it seems it works within the framework of what 24 is trying to do.
so i have seen the end of series 4 (or day 4) and have to say it is the best yet. though my own personal favourite series was day 2, why you ask? well first series was great and set us up for how the premise worked., so by the time day 2 was on i was rushing home on a sunday night not only to see the new episode on bbc3, but also to catch the repeat that was being shown in bbc2. once the show itself had finished then there was pure 24 with the lovely tamzin sylvester (whose mastery of clothes is only matched by one other…) it was a blissful 24 weeks of excitement. the next two series have been better but have been marred by the fact i couldn’t watch them in weekly instalments but instead got them in blocks (thanks jim). even though i have not been able to recapture the thrill of giving up sunday evenings to watch jack and ctu do what is necessary i have still managed to sit agog at the adventures, i have still
punched the air and whooped with delight at the entrance of a character or an event taking place on the screen.
look if you have not already seen 24 – get over to your local video store and see if they have one of them for rent – its worth it trust me….
what is interesting about 24 is how they now play it in the post 9/11 world – it has become a much harsher, more cynical and more willing to portray the good guys as people who are willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done, no matter what the cost.
the special agent has replaced the cowboy as the rugged individual who will step outside the lines to do what is right. in many ways jack bauer’s character is similar to john wayne’s ethan edwards in “the searchers” - ethan is relentless in his pursuit of what he sees as the right course but he know in his heart he is not part of civil society even though he will do his best to protect it.
oooh that was deep.
look stop reading this and get out there and see it for yourself: it’s the dog’s bollocks.
for the record my other favourite tv shows include
alias, angel, csi, nypd blue, hill street blues, babylon 5, sunset beach, star trek, prisoner, hr puff’n’stuff., bob mills in bedwithmedinner, game on, between the lines. i suspect that although i have fond memories of follyfoot, timeslip and blake’s seven they will not match up to them if i saw them again.
Monday, June 20, 2005
people
i am not a people person (those who know me will think that a bit of an understatement – more a misanthrope they will cry) and this is somewhat odd given my mix of christian and socialist beliefs, perhaps i would be better being a conservative?
anyway why am i making this confession now? well part of it is that recently i have been going to lots of events, how i love free music events and venues. and the more of these i go to more i end up people watching and being amazed and stunned by those around me.
and before i go any further let me point out that i realise that i am socially dysfunctional, that most of the time i am less than civil and often like the sound of my own voice but have little to say. with that confession made i am also happy to admit that often i prefer my own company.
so there i have been recently sitting down chin stroking away to a mix of laptop and lo-fi avant-garde guitar music at places such as the foundry. around me people just do things that seem to me to be odd (and i fully admit it is all subjective and more than likely i am the one who is behaving oddly).
while i am supping my orange juice and listening i notice a very cute blonde (oh ok emma i know i shouldn’t letch – but at my age it’s the only pleasure i have…) she seems to be waiting for someone or isn’t quite sure what she is doing in the bar (and it’s not like the music wasn’t very good – it was), so she walked in and out a couple of times and then eventually sat down. shortly after she had sat down she was approached by an older bloke, blonde, goatee beard and baggy white shirt. when he sat down beside her i thought lucky bloke to have such a pretty friend. it was only later that i realised that actually he had just gone over to her in order to chat her up. a part of me was impressed as i just don’t have that much front to just plonk myself down next to a total stranger and start chatting to them.
to her credit she humoured him for awhile but the first opportunity she did do a runner on him.
he didn’t seem to upset or surprised by that.
shortly afterwards he was on the phone to his ex missus in the midst of what sounded like a huge barney about all manner of things from her kicking him out of the house, to her taking their child away, to her wanting money, various cuss words were uttered. this took place over several phones calls as they each hung up on the other one. to be honest it sounded like a totally shitty situation that they both found themselves in.
it’s another joy of the mobile phone – it brings your arguments to the rest of the world. me i think there are some things that should be done privately, that is one of them.
mind you there are times when an argument kicks off in a public space – as it did that night between a gay couple. they were sitting behind me and one of them spent the best part of 30 minutes berating and belittling the other one. it would have been so bad if it wasn’t for the fact his voice carried so pretty much everyone in the bar was aware of his opinion of his partner.
that particular night was topped off by me ending up being chatted to by a rather attractive blonde. she approached me because i was writing in my journal and wanted to know what i was writing (it was a marketing plan – how dull) as she wanted to encourage her girlfriend to write. we chatted for a bit, i gave her some advice (yeah yeah those who can do those who can’t teach…) and i hope her girlfriend is writing now.
now i would never be able to approach someone like that – partly it’s an innate shyness and partly it’s because i just think after the first few words what would i have to say? but when it happens like that it is fun we had a pleasant chat, made my night and i even got a death stare from one of her female friends.
another night in the foundry i had to listen to a women talking utter drivel, because her voice was a slow down version of foghorn leghorns – so it didn’t matter where you were in the bar you couldn’t help but hear her, yet from her point of view she was just talking normally to her mates. she also had an unfortunately delivery where she repeated, i say she repeated some of her conversation over and over again as if repetition made it more impressive – it didn’t.
(i won’t mention the two late 20s blokes who were talking about bands like oasis, blur and suede as if they were still cutting edge… no i just wanted to slap them…)
recently i even got stopped on the tube by a drunken lady (who facially looked like a very very haggard tracey emin, physically though she looked like she was in need of a good meal, well several) she proceeded to tell me her story. how she had signed herself out of hospital to go and feed a mates dog, how the mate hadn’t told her he had taken the dog, how this was bad because she had travelling dvds and this was going to kill her (nope i don’t know what she was talking about and decided not to ask) she told me she had used up all her giro in dog food, she didn’t drink (it’s a given about alcoholics is that they think if they say they don’t drink or haven’t had one that day it makes it true and you can’t smell the booze on them – i remember my mum saying (often) she hadn’t had a drink when she clearly had a mug (yes a mug) of scotch in the table ..) again i didn’t point out to her she was sizzled. then i heard about her husband leaving her for another woman, she didn’t mind that as she couldn’t have sex with him (those travelling dvds again) but she hated him because he didn’t just tell her he was sleeping around he lied to her, so she had broken his walkman and some other stuff and was waiting in his flat for him. she didn’t mind lying to police of judges as they can take away your life, but was straight with other people, she swore a few times and then said pardon her language (after which it was exaggerated whispered swearing behind her hand). frankly i am not sure what the rest of the people on the tube thought of her but i was happy i had a chance to chat and laugh with her. i have no idea if she appreciated it, but i hope it made her smile a little bit.
i was also impressed by the fact she didn’t try to tap me up. classy woman.
i suppose the most radical approach i have had was while i was listening to laptoppy music at a club run by a friend of a friend. again there i was chin stroking and admiring the return key solo followed by the space bar crescendo when i was approached by an elfin blonde, she strode the length of the club made a beeline for me to ask, well almost demand: “who are you?” the answer was “no one, but my name is pat. what’s your name?” “vika” was the reply and then she left. now i must confess i was a little shocked by the whole event but just chalked it up as “oh the world is full of strange people). my pal joel on the other hand decided to run after her and get me her phone number. (thanks joel).
there is no relationship with vika, we occasionally bump into each at gigs, clubs or record stores and exchange a few words. she is very pretty, slightly odd and from east europe – i have to say it’s a winning combination. however vika is not someone who returns calls or emails seemingly preferring to let chance rule when we next see each other.
so sad to say when she walked passed me in tescos this evening i didn’t say hello. now partly this was down to shock at seeing her in my local tescos on a sunday evening and partly i thought well if you didn’t spot me then i will let you get on with your doings undisturbed by me.
yeah i know – dumb and stupid and yes i did regret it. but that brings me back to where this all started i am not a people person.
i enjoy the chance interaction when they occur but i am not going out of my way to start one up. so long may free gigs continue as they seem to be places where people will talk to people like me.
anyway why am i making this confession now? well part of it is that recently i have been going to lots of events, how i love free music events and venues. and the more of these i go to more i end up people watching and being amazed and stunned by those around me.
and before i go any further let me point out that i realise that i am socially dysfunctional, that most of the time i am less than civil and often like the sound of my own voice but have little to say. with that confession made i am also happy to admit that often i prefer my own company.
so there i have been recently sitting down chin stroking away to a mix of laptop and lo-fi avant-garde guitar music at places such as the foundry. around me people just do things that seem to me to be odd (and i fully admit it is all subjective and more than likely i am the one who is behaving oddly).
while i am supping my orange juice and listening i notice a very cute blonde (oh ok emma i know i shouldn’t letch – but at my age it’s the only pleasure i have…) she seems to be waiting for someone or isn’t quite sure what she is doing in the bar (and it’s not like the music wasn’t very good – it was), so she walked in and out a couple of times and then eventually sat down. shortly after she had sat down she was approached by an older bloke, blonde, goatee beard and baggy white shirt. when he sat down beside her i thought lucky bloke to have such a pretty friend. it was only later that i realised that actually he had just gone over to her in order to chat her up. a part of me was impressed as i just don’t have that much front to just plonk myself down next to a total stranger and start chatting to them.
to her credit she humoured him for awhile but the first opportunity she did do a runner on him.
he didn’t seem to upset or surprised by that.
shortly afterwards he was on the phone to his ex missus in the midst of what sounded like a huge barney about all manner of things from her kicking him out of the house, to her taking their child away, to her wanting money, various cuss words were uttered. this took place over several phones calls as they each hung up on the other one. to be honest it sounded like a totally shitty situation that they both found themselves in.
it’s another joy of the mobile phone – it brings your arguments to the rest of the world. me i think there are some things that should be done privately, that is one of them.
mind you there are times when an argument kicks off in a public space – as it did that night between a gay couple. they were sitting behind me and one of them spent the best part of 30 minutes berating and belittling the other one. it would have been so bad if it wasn’t for the fact his voice carried so pretty much everyone in the bar was aware of his opinion of his partner.
that particular night was topped off by me ending up being chatted to by a rather attractive blonde. she approached me because i was writing in my journal and wanted to know what i was writing (it was a marketing plan – how dull) as she wanted to encourage her girlfriend to write. we chatted for a bit, i gave her some advice (yeah yeah those who can do those who can’t teach…) and i hope her girlfriend is writing now.
now i would never be able to approach someone like that – partly it’s an innate shyness and partly it’s because i just think after the first few words what would i have to say? but when it happens like that it is fun we had a pleasant chat, made my night and i even got a death stare from one of her female friends.
another night in the foundry i had to listen to a women talking utter drivel, because her voice was a slow down version of foghorn leghorns – so it didn’t matter where you were in the bar you couldn’t help but hear her, yet from her point of view she was just talking normally to her mates. she also had an unfortunately delivery where she repeated, i say she repeated some of her conversation over and over again as if repetition made it more impressive – it didn’t.
(i won’t mention the two late 20s blokes who were talking about bands like oasis, blur and suede as if they were still cutting edge… no i just wanted to slap them…)
recently i even got stopped on the tube by a drunken lady (who facially looked like a very very haggard tracey emin, physically though she looked like she was in need of a good meal, well several) she proceeded to tell me her story. how she had signed herself out of hospital to go and feed a mates dog, how the mate hadn’t told her he had taken the dog, how this was bad because she had travelling dvds and this was going to kill her (nope i don’t know what she was talking about and decided not to ask) she told me she had used up all her giro in dog food, she didn’t drink (it’s a given about alcoholics is that they think if they say they don’t drink or haven’t had one that day it makes it true and you can’t smell the booze on them – i remember my mum saying (often) she hadn’t had a drink when she clearly had a mug (yes a mug) of scotch in the table ..) again i didn’t point out to her she was sizzled. then i heard about her husband leaving her for another woman, she didn’t mind that as she couldn’t have sex with him (those travelling dvds again) but she hated him because he didn’t just tell her he was sleeping around he lied to her, so she had broken his walkman and some other stuff and was waiting in his flat for him. she didn’t mind lying to police of judges as they can take away your life, but was straight with other people, she swore a few times and then said pardon her language (after which it was exaggerated whispered swearing behind her hand). frankly i am not sure what the rest of the people on the tube thought of her but i was happy i had a chance to chat and laugh with her. i have no idea if she appreciated it, but i hope it made her smile a little bit.
i was also impressed by the fact she didn’t try to tap me up. classy woman.
i suppose the most radical approach i have had was while i was listening to laptoppy music at a club run by a friend of a friend. again there i was chin stroking and admiring the return key solo followed by the space bar crescendo when i was approached by an elfin blonde, she strode the length of the club made a beeline for me to ask, well almost demand: “who are you?” the answer was “no one, but my name is pat. what’s your name?” “vika” was the reply and then she left. now i must confess i was a little shocked by the whole event but just chalked it up as “oh the world is full of strange people). my pal joel on the other hand decided to run after her and get me her phone number. (thanks joel).
there is no relationship with vika, we occasionally bump into each at gigs, clubs or record stores and exchange a few words. she is very pretty, slightly odd and from east europe – i have to say it’s a winning combination. however vika is not someone who returns calls or emails seemingly preferring to let chance rule when we next see each other.
so sad to say when she walked passed me in tescos this evening i didn’t say hello. now partly this was down to shock at seeing her in my local tescos on a sunday evening and partly i thought well if you didn’t spot me then i will let you get on with your doings undisturbed by me.
yeah i know – dumb and stupid and yes i did regret it. but that brings me back to where this all started i am not a people person.
i enjoy the chance interaction when they occur but i am not going out of my way to start one up. so long may free gigs continue as they seem to be places where people will talk to people like me.
Friday, June 17, 2005
jackson
so whacko got off. being billed as the best justice money can buy, which seems a little odd as jackson reportedly has so much debt that even african countries are trying to help him out... (ooh topical humour).
if it wasn’t bad enough that you were flat stone broke, that pretty much everyone in the world (aside from a number of deluded dedicated and devoted fans) think you are a kiddie fiddler, that your career is in the toilet and there is a chance that pictures of your willy will soon be floating around on the internet. now michael jackson has suffered a further indignity, perhaps the worst he could have suffered: he has been turned down by pr guru max collins.
it gets no worse than that.
collins is a big of an enigma to me – on the one hand he seems to be an alright bloke on the other he makes money out of other people’s misery (true he also makes sure that some people get what could be seen as their just deserts). i know i should like him, but i don’t. but in this instance i give him the benefit of the doubt and that he turned whacko jacko down not because the singer has no money or because the guaranteed failure to perform a pr miracle for mike would taint max. i believe max walked away because he like the rest of us just think that perhaps mike shouldn’t be allowed to have a come back.
(and no i haven’t relented against the rest of the adults who have been involved in this – all the adults who have now come forward to say we saw this and we saw that but at no time stepped in to either stop the shenanigans or alerted the authorities. all of them carry a bit of guilt for what they say went on…)
so hats off to max.
i expect bob “middle-of-a-shit-storm” geldof will soon be calling on max to help save live8.
if it wasn’t bad enough that you were flat stone broke, that pretty much everyone in the world (aside from a number of deluded dedicated and devoted fans) think you are a kiddie fiddler, that your career is in the toilet and there is a chance that pictures of your willy will soon be floating around on the internet. now michael jackson has suffered a further indignity, perhaps the worst he could have suffered: he has been turned down by pr guru max collins.
it gets no worse than that.
collins is a big of an enigma to me – on the one hand he seems to be an alright bloke on the other he makes money out of other people’s misery (true he also makes sure that some people get what could be seen as their just deserts). i know i should like him, but i don’t. but in this instance i give him the benefit of the doubt and that he turned whacko jacko down not because the singer has no money or because the guaranteed failure to perform a pr miracle for mike would taint max. i believe max walked away because he like the rest of us just think that perhaps mike shouldn’t be allowed to have a come back.
(and no i haven’t relented against the rest of the adults who have been involved in this – all the adults who have now come forward to say we saw this and we saw that but at no time stepped in to either stop the shenanigans or alerted the authorities. all of them carry a bit of guilt for what they say went on…)
so hats off to max.
i expect bob “middle-of-a-shit-storm” geldof will soon be calling on max to help save live8.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
jokes
some jokes i have read recently that have made me laugh.
why did the pervert cross the road?
because he couldn't get his knob out of the chicken.
what did the cannibal do when she dumped her boyfriend?
wiped her arse.
where do you find a dog with no legs?
where you left it.
what's worse than a male chauvinist pig?
a woman that won't do as she is told.
how do you make four old ladies swear?
get a fifth one to shout bingo.
as basil brush used to say boom boom!
normal service will be resumed shortly.
why did the pervert cross the road?
because he couldn't get his knob out of the chicken.
what did the cannibal do when she dumped her boyfriend?
wiped her arse.
where do you find a dog with no legs?
where you left it.
what's worse than a male chauvinist pig?
a woman that won't do as she is told.
how do you make four old ladies swear?
get a fifth one to shout bingo.
as basil brush used to say boom boom!
normal service will be resumed shortly.
Monday, June 13, 2005
mondays
start of the working week – check.
miserable weekend – check.
hay fever – check.
first coffee of the day – check.
too much work to do – check.
dash of self pity – check.
do i like mondays? about as much as i enjoy every other day.
(keep on like this and i will be writing lyrics for the next nine inch nails album)
miserable weekend – check.
hay fever – check.
first coffee of the day – check.
too much work to do – check.
dash of self pity – check.
do i like mondays? about as much as i enjoy every other day.
(keep on like this and i will be writing lyrics for the next nine inch nails album)
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
bono
the president of the usa and the prime minister of great britain held a press conference in washington today. in part it was about the forthcoming g8 meeting, in part it was about africa, it was about iraq and the war on terror. mainly i think it was about two allies just hanging out with each other while the rest of the world looked on.
after both had given speeches and both had thanked the other, there was a short q&a session.
andrew marr of the bbc chirped up and asked about africa, live8 and rock stars asking if it was just people like geldof et al mouthing rhetoric and nothing more.
president bush stepped in to partly answer the question.
he commented on how he had met bono and that how bono was a man of depth.
well there you go. high praise indeed mr bono. i am sure bono is all made up about that.
after both had given speeches and both had thanked the other, there was a short q&a session.
andrew marr of the bbc chirped up and asked about africa, live8 and rock stars asking if it was just people like geldof et al mouthing rhetoric and nothing more.
president bush stepped in to partly answer the question.
he commented on how he had met bono and that how bono was a man of depth.
well there you go. high praise indeed mr bono. i am sure bono is all made up about that.
batman
i am a comic fan, i admit it. i read comics, i read lots of them and i am proud of it. i collect comics and have quite a few of them (alight several thousands of the blighters) and i still get excited when i add to the collection. in short i am a comic geek.
for the comics industry the battle over the last 20 years or so has been to bring comics to a wider market, we fanboys maybe dedicated and devoted, but we are a dwindling bunch. at first it was thought that the more adult orientated comics of the indie scene might crack the market open as hip, trendy book reading type people flocked to read crumb, hernandez brothers, bode, pekar, speigelman et al. then it was the turn of creators (some would say visionaries) who took comic cliché and turned them on their heads and created works of enduring art – this was the time when comics weren’t just for kids. it was the time of creators such as alan moore and frank miller. recently the focus has been on manga and using the excitement and buzz that the recent interest in manga has caused to bring kids and women into comic stores and bookshops. to a large extent it has worked, with manga being one of the fastest growing categories in publishing in 2004.
but the perennial way of getting the outside world interested in comics has been to get the characters that appear on the printed page and put them somewhere else such as radio, tv, computer games and on the big screen. there have been some notable successes and failures in all these attempts.
the most recent two attempts to get comics and put them on the big screen have been wonderful events.
sin city (which i might write about at a later time) is a visual treat – both homage and a pastiche of film noir and pulp novels of mickey spillane. not only does it feature a bevy of babes but also has bruce willis. winner is what i say.
batman begins is frankly one of the best movies that has been made form a comic. i confess i was not looking forward to it. the trailers seemed all wrong being more like an ad for a horror movie than a superhero film. all the information i had seen about the movie made me think that they were about to make the same mistakes with the film that they had made on the previous movies. well all i can say is i was wrong they were right.
from start to finish the movie hits the right notes, christian bale is convincing both as batman and as bruce wayne (though his “batman” voice is not as good as michael keaton’s). the origin is handled very well as is the development of the batman. the rest of the cast is just as good. liam neeson is especially good being as he has to be as hard as nails and twice as mean (though why i am surprised by this i don’t know as liam has done a number of action roles in the past). even michael caine gives a fine performance as alfred. the action scenes are good, the fx are good, the soundtrack is good, the humour works well and comes at the right times. it is a well paced film that establishes the character and leaves us, not only wanting more, but knowing what might be coming up next.
sure there are some quibbles, but all these types of films are filled with plot holes and head scratching huh moments.
but this is a great film, well worth seeing. i know i will be off to see it again.
as to whether or not it will make people go and buy comics and start reading them again, i doubt it, but at least with this movie they get an idea of the magic that is in a comic and why people like me keep reading them month after month after month.
for the comics industry the battle over the last 20 years or so has been to bring comics to a wider market, we fanboys maybe dedicated and devoted, but we are a dwindling bunch. at first it was thought that the more adult orientated comics of the indie scene might crack the market open as hip, trendy book reading type people flocked to read crumb, hernandez brothers, bode, pekar, speigelman et al. then it was the turn of creators (some would say visionaries) who took comic cliché and turned them on their heads and created works of enduring art – this was the time when comics weren’t just for kids. it was the time of creators such as alan moore and frank miller. recently the focus has been on manga and using the excitement and buzz that the recent interest in manga has caused to bring kids and women into comic stores and bookshops. to a large extent it has worked, with manga being one of the fastest growing categories in publishing in 2004.
but the perennial way of getting the outside world interested in comics has been to get the characters that appear on the printed page and put them somewhere else such as radio, tv, computer games and on the big screen. there have been some notable successes and failures in all these attempts.
the most recent two attempts to get comics and put them on the big screen have been wonderful events.
sin city (which i might write about at a later time) is a visual treat – both homage and a pastiche of film noir and pulp novels of mickey spillane. not only does it feature a bevy of babes but also has bruce willis. winner is what i say.
batman begins is frankly one of the best movies that has been made form a comic. i confess i was not looking forward to it. the trailers seemed all wrong being more like an ad for a horror movie than a superhero film. all the information i had seen about the movie made me think that they were about to make the same mistakes with the film that they had made on the previous movies. well all i can say is i was wrong they were right.
from start to finish the movie hits the right notes, christian bale is convincing both as batman and as bruce wayne (though his “batman” voice is not as good as michael keaton’s). the origin is handled very well as is the development of the batman. the rest of the cast is just as good. liam neeson is especially good being as he has to be as hard as nails and twice as mean (though why i am surprised by this i don’t know as liam has done a number of action roles in the past). even michael caine gives a fine performance as alfred. the action scenes are good, the fx are good, the soundtrack is good, the humour works well and comes at the right times. it is a well paced film that establishes the character and leaves us, not only wanting more, but knowing what might be coming up next.
sure there are some quibbles, but all these types of films are filled with plot holes and head scratching huh moments.
but this is a great film, well worth seeing. i know i will be off to see it again.
as to whether or not it will make people go and buy comics and start reading them again, i doubt it, but at least with this movie they get an idea of the magic that is in a comic and why people like me keep reading them month after month after month.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
pepsi
normally i am a drinker of diet coke. i consume quite a lot of it, i don’t do it because i am on a diet (though shedding several pound wouldn’t go amiss) , i do it because i enjoy the taste of it. for some odd reason i think diet coke tastes better than regular coke.
recently the coke family has been added to by the arrival of diet lemon coke (lovely) and diet lime coke (mmm very nice) and unsurprisingly i have drunk a lot of both of them.
the other night, while on the way home from a club/gig where i had listened to some laptop music that had me doing a jazz chin stroke in appreciation (delectronica) i happened to pop (geddit!) into my local budgen’s express (it used to be a 7-11) and decided that i wanted a change in drink and headed over to where they keep the pepsi, i picked out a pepsi max from the less than cool fridge (why do they bother to have these fridges there is they are not even going to be cool?) paid and left. it was only when i got home that i noticed that what i had gotten hold of wasn’t a plain old regular pepsi max. no siree it was in fact a pepsi max lemon and lime twist. and let me tell you something it was a darned fine drink.
needless to say i have been back for more, several more in fact.
it reminded me of an article i once read in one of the marketing magazines that banged on about new product development (or npd in the lingo) and how it was very important, but also very difficult, for mature brands such as coke or pepsi to keep reinventing themselves not only as a brand image but also as a product (or brand extension – think kitkat cubes, or king-size twix (yummy) and you will know what i mean). the article went on and on about how much thought and consideration has to go into these things (think new coke and see how it can come a cropper… mmm should we think of the labour party before tony blair as classic labour ?) that development can take years. now i can see that with new cars or ovens or hoovers but fizzy drinks? come on how hard can it be?
apparently very. which might explain why there is only a limited range of new coke flavours on the market (lemon, lime, vanilla, cheery and for awhile there was a blueberry one). it got me to thinking what other flavours could you have? banana, orange, grape or peach ? peanut or maybe raisin ? perhaps go really healthy and add vegetable to mix diet cauliflower coke? mushy peas or sprouts? cabbage coke (mm not strike that too much foul gas coming off of that one to make it popular…) and then of course there is the perfect match of diet coke flavouring in such things as doughnuts, éclairs and cream cakes.
i am sure there are lots of other great tastes out there that can be merged with the tasted of coke and pepsi.
i do recommend the pepsi lemon and lime drink though. it’s very very tasty.
pepsi
coke
recently the coke family has been added to by the arrival of diet lemon coke (lovely) and diet lime coke (mmm very nice) and unsurprisingly i have drunk a lot of both of them.
the other night, while on the way home from a club/gig where i had listened to some laptop music that had me doing a jazz chin stroke in appreciation (delectronica) i happened to pop (geddit!) into my local budgen’s express (it used to be a 7-11) and decided that i wanted a change in drink and headed over to where they keep the pepsi, i picked out a pepsi max from the less than cool fridge (why do they bother to have these fridges there is they are not even going to be cool?) paid and left. it was only when i got home that i noticed that what i had gotten hold of wasn’t a plain old regular pepsi max. no siree it was in fact a pepsi max lemon and lime twist. and let me tell you something it was a darned fine drink.
needless to say i have been back for more, several more in fact.
it reminded me of an article i once read in one of the marketing magazines that banged on about new product development (or npd in the lingo) and how it was very important, but also very difficult, for mature brands such as coke or pepsi to keep reinventing themselves not only as a brand image but also as a product (or brand extension – think kitkat cubes, or king-size twix (yummy) and you will know what i mean). the article went on and on about how much thought and consideration has to go into these things (think new coke and see how it can come a cropper… mmm should we think of the labour party before tony blair as classic labour ?) that development can take years. now i can see that with new cars or ovens or hoovers but fizzy drinks? come on how hard can it be?
apparently very. which might explain why there is only a limited range of new coke flavours on the market (lemon, lime, vanilla, cheery and for awhile there was a blueberry one). it got me to thinking what other flavours could you have? banana, orange, grape or peach ? peanut or maybe raisin ? perhaps go really healthy and add vegetable to mix diet cauliflower coke? mushy peas or sprouts? cabbage coke (mm not strike that too much foul gas coming off of that one to make it popular…) and then of course there is the perfect match of diet coke flavouring in such things as doughnuts, éclairs and cream cakes.
i am sure there are lots of other great tastes out there that can be merged with the tasted of coke and pepsi.
i do recommend the pepsi lemon and lime drink though. it’s very very tasty.
pepsi
coke
Monday, June 06, 2005
sneeze
had my first attack of the hay fever last night. ugh.
expect me to be even more miserable and irritable then i have been.
yeah i know some of you might think that is a state of affairs that is not possible: trust me it is.
oh the joys of summer - hate it as much as i hate christmas.
expect me to be even more miserable and irritable then i have been.
yeah i know some of you might think that is a state of affairs that is not possible: trust me it is.
oh the joys of summer - hate it as much as i hate christmas.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
live8
oh how i hate this.
there is the music lover in me (yes i know i have just written about prog - but it is great stuff) who just looks at the line ups for the live8 events and goes ho hum, dull, dull, dull, dull and at best very best just plain old boring.
yes i realise that in many ways it is not about the music – it is about raising the issue and making everyone aware of it.
yes i realise that the performers who are giving their time and effort for the event deserve praise (well maybe not coldplay).
but already the posing and the posturing is growing to a level that will overshadow any good that comes from it.
unlike live aid this is not about raising money, this is about awareness and getting the g8 countries to help africa out of the terrible state it is in. this can be achieved by debt relief, fair and equal trade policies etc. in order to do it geldof and team want to show the leaders of the g8 that the people in the developed world are concerned about the situation in africa and want to see something done about it.
for some the fact this is coming from the developed countries of the west is seeing as being a replay of colonialism, and for some in this camp the live8 event is addressing the right issues of empowering africans to make the changes they need, but instead it is just another patronising pat on the head of africa.
for others it is just going to be a fashion accessory like the coloured bands they wear, feeling good that they have done a little for a cause, but not quite knowing what it is they have supported. there will that ironic moment when ebay will have tickets being offered for sale at over the odds prices, and naturally the good souls who are selling them there will give the profits to the make poverty history campaign (yeah right !)
for others (maybe the daily mail and such) live8 is potentially seen as being a jolly nice way of criticising the g8 without being anti-globalisation or anti-capitalist.
meanwhile you have bob geldof, bono and midge ure (who? remember him used to be in ultravox and was one of the key members of live aid, except that bob geldof seems to have become the only person associated with it, so poor old midge gets to speak only when the others are too busy or it’s to deal with the local press….) are beginning to shout out their sideshow patter to get people excited about the event, to get people involved in it.
midge has been speaking about the “million” march on edinburgh. the g8 is meeting there and bob and co want a million people to march to it and protest.
of course everyone is asking for the protests to be peaceful. the local police and local council have said mmm a million people might be hard to do, there might be problems, lets think this through properly.
to help accommodate the people descending on edinburgh (coming by foot, car, bus, boat, plane and train!) midge has “ urged every householder and religious institution in edinburgh to offer hospitality to the protesters.
"we want every church, chapel, synagogue and mosque to open their doors and let them in," “ (bbc)
the only question i have is are you opening up your pad to let these people in? well are you midge?
yeah i know i am being cynical – i hope it is a success, i hope it does make a difference. already i am praying that ronnine james dio isn’t looking to do a heavy metal version of this one……
either way i shan't be listening to it - the line up sucks.
there is the music lover in me (yes i know i have just written about prog - but it is great stuff) who just looks at the line ups for the live8 events and goes ho hum, dull, dull, dull, dull and at best very best just plain old boring.
yes i realise that in many ways it is not about the music – it is about raising the issue and making everyone aware of it.
yes i realise that the performers who are giving their time and effort for the event deserve praise (well maybe not coldplay).
but already the posing and the posturing is growing to a level that will overshadow any good that comes from it.
unlike live aid this is not about raising money, this is about awareness and getting the g8 countries to help africa out of the terrible state it is in. this can be achieved by debt relief, fair and equal trade policies etc. in order to do it geldof and team want to show the leaders of the g8 that the people in the developed world are concerned about the situation in africa and want to see something done about it.
for some the fact this is coming from the developed countries of the west is seeing as being a replay of colonialism, and for some in this camp the live8 event is addressing the right issues of empowering africans to make the changes they need, but instead it is just another patronising pat on the head of africa.
for others it is just going to be a fashion accessory like the coloured bands they wear, feeling good that they have done a little for a cause, but not quite knowing what it is they have supported. there will that ironic moment when ebay will have tickets being offered for sale at over the odds prices, and naturally the good souls who are selling them there will give the profits to the make poverty history campaign (yeah right !)
for others (maybe the daily mail and such) live8 is potentially seen as being a jolly nice way of criticising the g8 without being anti-globalisation or anti-capitalist.
meanwhile you have bob geldof, bono and midge ure (who? remember him used to be in ultravox and was one of the key members of live aid, except that bob geldof seems to have become the only person associated with it, so poor old midge gets to speak only when the others are too busy or it’s to deal with the local press….) are beginning to shout out their sideshow patter to get people excited about the event, to get people involved in it.
midge has been speaking about the “million” march on edinburgh. the g8 is meeting there and bob and co want a million people to march to it and protest.
of course everyone is asking for the protests to be peaceful. the local police and local council have said mmm a million people might be hard to do, there might be problems, lets think this through properly.
to help accommodate the people descending on edinburgh (coming by foot, car, bus, boat, plane and train!) midge has “ urged every householder and religious institution in edinburgh to offer hospitality to the protesters.
"we want every church, chapel, synagogue and mosque to open their doors and let them in," “ (bbc)
the only question i have is are you opening up your pad to let these people in? well are you midge?
yeah i know i am being cynical – i hope it is a success, i hope it does make a difference. already i am praying that ronnine james dio isn’t looking to do a heavy metal version of this one……
either way i shan't be listening to it - the line up sucks.
prog
for various reasons i am revisiting my prog rock collection. listening to old favourites (yes, elp, king crimson, styx, kansas, genesis, the nice etc etc) and discovering new bands of the prog pantheon.
when you mention prog in polite society you can almost hear the brain of the other person seize up, you can see their eyes glaze over and their silent prayer that the ground opens up and swallows them. it's at moments like these i realise two things:
1] that people who don't like prog are probably fans of crazy frog.
2] that prog is like faith you either understand it or you don't.
for those of you who want to know more about the wonders of prog go here.
time for me to go and listen to a long wig out between guitars, keyboards and epic vocals.
when you mention prog in polite society you can almost hear the brain of the other person seize up, you can see their eyes glaze over and their silent prayer that the ground opens up and swallows them. it's at moments like these i realise two things:
1] that people who don't like prog are probably fans of crazy frog.
2] that prog is like faith you either understand it or you don't.
for those of you who want to know more about the wonders of prog go here.
time for me to go and listen to a long wig out between guitars, keyboards and epic vocals.
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