Thursday, January 31, 2008
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
The Declaration of Independence of what would come to be known as the United States of America read by Debra Jean Dean. [via BoingBoing]
If you're really hardcore, you might like to try the entire US Constitution but I think that would be too much for me.
The Declaration of Independence of what would come to be known as the United States of America read by Debra Jean Dean. [via BoingBoing]
If you're really hardcore, you might like to try the entire US Constitution but I think that would be too much for me.
Labels: history, politics, United Kingdom, United States
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Currently Reading: Jonathan Sacks 'The Home We Build Together'.
I'm only halfway through this and finding it hard going. Sacks is basically arguing multiculturalism is a bad idea that encourages separatism that leads to activities such as the 7/7 bombers. We should all force everyone into one homogeneous mass as that would make us all get along. The middle 89-90ths of the book seem to be a history lesson, stretching from his childhood back to biblical times to prove his point, hopefully at some point he'll address what we do with those sections of the community that have quite strict notions about how much they want to be part of the larger community, such as say the Orthodox Jewish community of Hendon and Golders Green. At the moment I'm unconvinced that breaking down ghetto walls will do any more than inflame passions and break down society even more.
Currently Listening: 'This Fool Can Die Now' by Scout Niblett. Inspired by her guest appearance as a goddess in 'Phonogram' I found out what her latest album was, downloaded it, liked it and bought it properly. There's a bruised beauty to the songs, sometimes suggesting that the main character can only just keep it together even if she's deliriously in happy. 'Kiss', a duet with Bonny Prince Billy is probably my favourite song, if only because she sounds like she's going to burst at some point. I may be missing a subtext but 'Dinosaur Egg' sounds like it's a genuine deadpan plea to a stolen dinosaur egg to hatch in time for a party she's holding so her guests will be extra impressed. Either that or it's about the internal politics of Bolivian opposition groups in the early 80s.
Currently Watching: 'Firefly'. The thing that puzzles me is the short memories of TV execs. Look at Chris 'X-Files' Carter. Alright, so he got three series of 'Millennium' made, but his other shows got cancelled when they were barely out of the gate and, the last I heard, he was in Production Hell on 'X-Files 2' which he surely doesn't want to do and which few people can be interested in. Then there's J. Michael Straczynski, and the mess that was 'Babylon 5: Crusade', not to mention that awful 'Legends of the Rangers' TV movie he did a few years ago and of which we do not speak except after much alcohol. And Joss Whedon, he gave us 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' (which went on too long but seemed to be still mostly popular when it did finish and has a fairly successful new series of comics coming out right now) and 'Angel', so I don't understand why TV executives, so determinedly made of FAIL as they are, killed this so quickly. For the three of you who don't know, it's a space western, only good. Watching the half a series that has been released on DVD I can't think of anything that ever came out of the gates as quick as this (not B5, not BSG and definitely nothing with 'Trek' or 'Wars' in the title) except possibly in a different genre with 'The West Wing'. Russell T Davies talked recently in an interview about how he felt he became a good writer when he was able to write a scene for a show in which two characters discuss getting divorced from one another without ever having to use the word once. All of 'Firefly' is like that, scenes where people don't necessarily explain the plot to you but at the end of which you know what's going on. It's indecently funny too.
Yes, I have crushes on all the cast too. So? You want to start something?
I went for a walk around Hampstead this afternoon. I admire the way that famous people like Edith Sitwell and Gerald Du Maurier get blue plaques. There are also brown plaques for people who's fame doesn't extend outside the postcode, people who edited the parish magazine a hundred years ago and many similar people. The weather was again mild as it has been for most of January. It makes me wonder if we're going to have a dry 2008 or whether we'll have a damp Spring.
I'm only halfway through this and finding it hard going. Sacks is basically arguing multiculturalism is a bad idea that encourages separatism that leads to activities such as the 7/7 bombers. We should all force everyone into one homogeneous mass as that would make us all get along. The middle 89-90ths of the book seem to be a history lesson, stretching from his childhood back to biblical times to prove his point, hopefully at some point he'll address what we do with those sections of the community that have quite strict notions about how much they want to be part of the larger community, such as say the Orthodox Jewish community of Hendon and Golders Green. At the moment I'm unconvinced that breaking down ghetto walls will do any more than inflame passions and break down society even more.
Currently Listening: 'This Fool Can Die Now' by Scout Niblett. Inspired by her guest appearance as a goddess in 'Phonogram' I found out what her latest album was, downloaded it, liked it and bought it properly. There's a bruised beauty to the songs, sometimes suggesting that the main character can only just keep it together even if she's deliriously in happy. 'Kiss', a duet with Bonny Prince Billy is probably my favourite song, if only because she sounds like she's going to burst at some point. I may be missing a subtext but 'Dinosaur Egg' sounds like it's a genuine deadpan plea to a stolen dinosaur egg to hatch in time for a party she's holding so her guests will be extra impressed. Either that or it's about the internal politics of Bolivian opposition groups in the early 80s.
Currently Watching: 'Firefly'. The thing that puzzles me is the short memories of TV execs. Look at Chris 'X-Files' Carter. Alright, so he got three series of 'Millennium' made, but his other shows got cancelled when they were barely out of the gate and, the last I heard, he was in Production Hell on 'X-Files 2' which he surely doesn't want to do and which few people can be interested in. Then there's J. Michael Straczynski, and the mess that was 'Babylon 5: Crusade', not to mention that awful 'Legends of the Rangers' TV movie he did a few years ago and of which we do not speak except after much alcohol. And Joss Whedon, he gave us 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' (which went on too long but seemed to be still mostly popular when it did finish and has a fairly successful new series of comics coming out right now) and 'Angel', so I don't understand why TV executives, so determinedly made of FAIL as they are, killed this so quickly. For the three of you who don't know, it's a space western, only good. Watching the half a series that has been released on DVD I can't think of anything that ever came out of the gates as quick as this (not B5, not BSG and definitely nothing with 'Trek' or 'Wars' in the title) except possibly in a different genre with 'The West Wing'. Russell T Davies talked recently in an interview about how he felt he became a good writer when he was able to write a scene for a show in which two characters discuss getting divorced from one another without ever having to use the word once. All of 'Firefly' is like that, scenes where people don't necessarily explain the plot to you but at the end of which you know what's going on. It's indecently funny too.
Yes, I have crushes on all the cast too. So? You want to start something?
I went for a walk around Hampstead this afternoon. I admire the way that famous people like Edith Sitwell and Gerald Du Maurier get blue plaques. There are also brown plaques for people who's fame doesn't extend outside the postcode, people who edited the parish magazine a hundred years ago and many similar people. The weather was again mild as it has been for most of January. It makes me wonder if we're going to have a dry 2008 or whether we'll have a damp Spring.
Labels: Flickr, Joss Whedon, multiculturalism, music, science fiction
Saturday, January 26, 2008
The different types of Creationism. I think there's more schisms than in proper Christianity.
Last week's Thinking Allowed looks at the other end of things and Christian Apocalypsoids.
Last week's Thinking Allowed looks at the other end of things and Christian Apocalypsoids.
Labels: Christianity, Creationism, Fundamentalists- Christian
Friday, January 25, 2008
While I generally like Andrew Sullivan and generally dislike Hillary Clinton, when the former, talking about the latter, approvingly publishes quotes like If Hillary Clinton wins, her success will become a lesson in how women should achieve power: marry well; put up with any humiliations your husband throws at you, and then, maybe, if you fight dirty, and ask your husband to run your campaign, you might be able to ride his coattails to your 'own' political success. and then says The damage she has done to feminism endures it makes me start to question my opinions on both.
Labels: American Presidency, Andrew Sullivan, Clinton- Bill or Hillary, misogyny
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Acebest
IndestructoTank! In a grim and gritty nightmare future where ruthless AI controlled robotic planes of DEATH!!1! have reduced the Earth to a barren terrain where, no matter how far you drive, you always see THE SAME line of hills in the background, only one human has the courage to stand against our would be conquerors. Armed with an indestructable tank that can withstand anything except running out of gas, can you save us from the robotic hoards? Without any kind of bullets or missiles, you, YES YOU, must allow their rockets to blast you in to the air, where using you manoueverability, you can smash from one plane to another, building up a combo chain of carnage as you go.
This is basically more fun than is surely legal in a game like this. It takes about 3.65 seconds to pick up, and then is IndestructoFun all the way!
This is basically more fun than is surely legal in a game like this. It takes about 3.65 seconds to pick up, and then is IndestructoFun all the way!
Labels: games
Bush's Last Day. Although, seeing some of the candidates up for the Republican nomination this time round this might turn into a mourning rather than celebratory experience.
Labels: American Presidency, George 'Shrubya' Bush
Deja Vu All Over Again...
Deadly new form of MRSA, currently more prevalent in the gay community in San Francisco. This news came out at the start of the week, have any Christian leaders trotted out the 'God's curse on the queers!' line yet?
Labels: gay, health, homophobia
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Torchwood - Season Two.
So one of the inadvertently funniest moments from the last series of Doctor Who was in the penultimate episode where The Master tells Captain Jack that he's got the rest of the Torchwood team out of the way by sending them to another part of the world on a wild goose chase. Considering that under the control of Chris Chibnall this team of rapists, emotional cripples and closeted lesbians had almost all managed to kill Captain Jack at least once and were treated with absolute contempt by the Welsh constabulary, why sending them out of the country was supposed to be a blow to Jack wasn't entirely clear.
Ahhh, Chris Chibnall. The Anti-Matter RTD. The RTD of Earth-2. In the 'Mirror, Mirror' alternate universe of Star Trek: DS9, where the evil Kira does nothing except wear bondage gear and suck the face off of every female that comes near her, RTD looks like Chris Chibnall. Are we clear? This man has a talent for writing. Unfortunately, he has elected to use his powers for evil. Rich Johnston has reported that Chris has got the job of showrunner for the preposterous sounding 'Law and Order: London'. We have to hope that Rich is on the money about this one, because if he isn't then Chris would be replacing RTD on 'Doctor Who' when he leaves at the end of the next series, and that is too terrifying to contemplate.
And so, Torchwood series two. I believe that series two was offered before series one aired. I never bothered to look up the viewing figures but as it was on BBC3 I don't think they'd tell us much to judge whether it was a hit with fans. I remember there was a comedy show about teachers in the mid-nineties called something like 'Chalk' where they commissioned two series straight away saying comedy needed time to develop characters for the public to like. Result= Two series of a show that was consistently derided as awful, then it disappeared, never to be seen again.
But I start watching and, blow me, it's good. It's as though Chibnall has actually read all the criticism on the net, or maybe it's just that the show is going out at 9:00 pm on BBC 2 rather than 10:00 pm on BBC 3. The team act intelligently and, in Owen's case, aren't trying to shag Gwen and kill not-Gwen all the time. They work as a team, whereas in season one they all hated each others guts and seemed locked in a vicious spiral of self-loathing and abuse. They don't fly off the handle about Jack's reticence to speak about his past (which I still don't really understand) and the scene with Ianto and Jack in the office is genuinely sweet, whereas all the same-sex snogging in the first series was as erotic as Big Daddy fighting Giant Haystacks. The script is also very funny. The much ridiculed notion of a super secret team that drives around in it's own monogrammed cars seems to have been quietly forgotten, everyone knows of Torchwood and I'm fine with that.
I remain to be convinced as to whether they can sustain this throughout the series but if tonight's episode had been banned I would have jumped out straight away. This has at least made me want to come back for more.
Ahhh, Chris Chibnall. The Anti-Matter RTD. The RTD of Earth-2. In the 'Mirror, Mirror' alternate universe of Star Trek: DS9, where the evil Kira does nothing except wear bondage gear and suck the face off of every female that comes near her, RTD looks like Chris Chibnall. Are we clear? This man has a talent for writing. Unfortunately, he has elected to use his powers for evil. Rich Johnston has reported that Chris has got the job of showrunner for the preposterous sounding 'Law and Order: London'. We have to hope that Rich is on the money about this one, because if he isn't then Chris would be replacing RTD on 'Doctor Who' when he leaves at the end of the next series, and that is too terrifying to contemplate.
And so, Torchwood series two. I believe that series two was offered before series one aired. I never bothered to look up the viewing figures but as it was on BBC3 I don't think they'd tell us much to judge whether it was a hit with fans. I remember there was a comedy show about teachers in the mid-nineties called something like 'Chalk' where they commissioned two series straight away saying comedy needed time to develop characters for the public to like. Result= Two series of a show that was consistently derided as awful, then it disappeared, never to be seen again.
But I start watching and, blow me, it's good. It's as though Chibnall has actually read all the criticism on the net, or maybe it's just that the show is going out at 9:00 pm on BBC 2 rather than 10:00 pm on BBC 3. The team act intelligently and, in Owen's case, aren't trying to shag Gwen and kill not-Gwen all the time. They work as a team, whereas in season one they all hated each others guts and seemed locked in a vicious spiral of self-loathing and abuse. They don't fly off the handle about Jack's reticence to speak about his past (which I still don't really understand) and the scene with Ianto and Jack in the office is genuinely sweet, whereas all the same-sex snogging in the first series was as erotic as Big Daddy fighting Giant Haystacks. The script is also very funny. The much ridiculed notion of a super secret team that drives around in it's own monogrammed cars seems to have been quietly forgotten, everyone knows of Torchwood and I'm fine with that.
I remain to be convinced as to whether they can sustain this throughout the series but if tonight's episode had been banned I would have jumped out straight away. This has at least made me want to come back for more.
Labels: Doctor Who, Torchwood
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Mitt Romney's candidacy took a major hit following the discovery of statements he made a decade ago that imply he isn’t sickened by gays.
Labels: humour
Monday, January 14, 2008
Gordon Brown wants yer vitals! While making organ donation opt-out rather than opt-in is a good idea, last time I checked the Government supported the National Blood Service's prejudice against men who have oral or anal sex. So, either this proposal of Brown's will be quietly dropped, or the Blood Service will be made to see sense, or gay mens organs will be taken but only if they're scrubbed clean after death.
Labels: gay, Gordon Brown, Government, health, homophobia
Sunday, January 13, 2008
EvidencE's amazing Wasteland Warriors Tour 2007 photo set of unused and decaying factories and buildings.
Labels: disused spaces, Flickr, liminal spaces, urban
Saturday, January 12, 2008
The Church of the Good Shepherd, Paddington Street
Various Robert Anton Wilson-related videos, including Ken Campbell, Alan Moore and Bill Drummond at the memorial concert last year.
Labels: Alan Moore, authors, conspiracies, KLF/JAMMs
Friday, January 11, 2008
When Liz Jones met Tad Safran, it was moider! (Sadly, not in the literal sense.
Labels: journalists, Liz Jones, misogyny, Tad Safran
Thursday, January 10, 2008
There's a very interesting interview with the Reverend Richard Kirker, stepping down as head of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement in the New Statesman. Kirker is very bitter at Anglican liberals, like Robert Runcie and Rowan Williams, who have proven unwilling to stand up to the militant anti-gay tendencies in Anglicanism.
Labels: Christianity, Fundamentalists- Christian, gay, homophobia, lesbian
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
I went to the National Gallery to check out the mock-ups of the short-list of entrants for the next round of exhibitions for the Fourth Plinth. It is somewhat of a mixed bag.
Yinka Shonibare's 'Nelson's Ship in a Bottle' is probably my least favourite of the offerings, though I can't say exactly what it is I dislike about it, possibly it's kitschness. If it were made I'd be interested to see how they construct such a large ship in a bottle.
Tracey Emin's 'Something for the Future' has been getting some "OMG! Meerkats! Am Ded From Cyute!" reactions from people who have seen pictures but I find that while I like it I wouldn't want it as a Fourth Plinth, not least for it not addressing the space in any way, the rest of it being kept empty and the Meerkats themselves being quite small.
Jeremy Deller's 'The Spoils of War' bores me with it's crushing obviousness and is in with a chance if the judge's for the Fourth Plinth react to mentions of the Iraq War in the same way that Oscars judges do to an actor playing someone dying of a terminal disease.
I do like the idea of Antony Gormley's 'One And Another', where the exhibit is the people of London standing up there for an hour. I suspect H&S concerns will scupper this one though. It is quite high.
My favourite two though are 'Faîtes L’Art, pas La Guerre (Make Art, Not War)' by Bob and Roberta Smith, a solar/wind powered electric light display (though I must admit, it does feel, looking at the model, as though it should do something else, one side and the back are bare of activity),
and Anish Kapoor's 'Sky Plinth', with it's large reflective dishes.
There are cards at the National Gallery for people to express their opinions as to which are their favourite, or they can use the website. Regardless of which gets picked the Evening Standard will complain so the job is half-done.
Yinka Shonibare's 'Nelson's Ship in a Bottle' is probably my least favourite of the offerings, though I can't say exactly what it is I dislike about it, possibly it's kitschness. If it were made I'd be interested to see how they construct such a large ship in a bottle.Tracey Emin's 'Something for the Future' has been getting some "OMG! Meerkats! Am Ded From Cyute!" reactions from people who have seen pictures but I find that while I like it I wouldn't want it as a Fourth Plinth, not least for it not addressing the space in any way, the rest of it being kept empty and the Meerkats themselves being quite small.
Jeremy Deller's 'The Spoils of War' bores me with it's crushing obviousness and is in with a chance if the judge's for the Fourth Plinth react to mentions of the Iraq War in the same way that Oscars judges do to an actor playing someone dying of a terminal disease.I do like the idea of Antony Gormley's 'One And Another', where the exhibit is the people of London standing up there for an hour. I suspect H&S concerns will scupper this one though. It is quite high.
My favourite two though are 'Faîtes L’Art, pas La Guerre (Make Art, Not War)' by Bob and Roberta Smith, a solar/wind powered electric light display (though I must admit, it does feel, looking at the model, as though it should do something else, one side and the back are bare of activity),
and Anish Kapoor's 'Sky Plinth', with it's large reflective dishes.There are cards at the National Gallery for people to express their opinions as to which are their favourite, or they can use the website. Regardless of which gets picked the Evening Standard will complain so the job is half-done.
Labels: art, artists, Flickr, Fourth Plinth, London, Trafalgar Square
So Iorek and Aslan are standing at the bus-stop...
Labels: atheism, cartoons, Christianity, humour, Narnia, Philip Pullman
Monday, January 07, 2008
Jeremy Clarkson You Silly Boy
Jeremy Clarkson published his full bank details in his column for The Sun last year to 'prove' that people were making a fuss about nothing about their bank details being on the disks that the Government lost. He didn't believe the information was sufficient enough to allow anyone to do anything. Then he checked his account details...
Labels: identity theft, stupidity
"Bruce Campbell is the greatest actor of his generation!"
I don't think I've looked forward to a movie so hard for I don't know how long.
My Name is Bruce.
Labels: movies, The Bruce Campbell, YouTube
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Saturday, January 05, 2008
I was depressed this morning because I currently leave for work before sunrise and typically arrive back at home after sunset. Unfortunately I found this website that tells me I've got a good month or so to go before I'm at least travelling to work in daylight, even if it's another couple of months before I'm returning home before the sun goes down. Maybe I do need to move closer to my place of work...
Labels: weather
Friday, January 04, 2008
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Comparing the Republican nominees for the Presidency to Buffy the Vampire Slayer villains. [via Pandagon]
Labels: POTUS, United States
Nanotechnology will kill us all! Though only if you write articles for the Daily Mail and so don't understand science.
Labels: Daily Mail, science, stupidity
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
'The Four Horsemen', a discussion with Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens. Admittedly there are two good reasons not to watch this, and I say this only because I don't know what Daniel Dennett and Sam Harris are like, but I'll watch it anyway.
Labels: atheism, atheists, Christopher Hitchens, Fundamentalists- Secular, Richard Dawkins
First tune played on my iTunes of 2008: 'Let Thine Heart be Warmed' by Scout Niblett.
Labels: music
