My 100th Post

This marks my 100th post. I'm sorry if this feels like a long time in coming; I have, it has been noted, reluctantly overseen my blog from time to time. I started almost exactly four months ago, and it has been a very interesting experiment. The key to a successful blog is frequent updates, as exemplified by the workaholics, Amanda and Bryan. However, I have thoroughly enjoyed my journey into the blogosphere, enough so to make me continue in the new year, perhaps donning a new look and possibly a pretentious wikipedia page too. From here until the end of 2007, I wish you all the best, for I must leave you now as I have arrangements to undertake and relationships to nurture, particularly that of my neglected girlfriend. And so, I hope you have enjoyed my forays with music, film, literature, and the quasi-intellectual, politically redundant rants that, if I may say so myself, have defined this blog. Perhaps I will branch out and let others hold the all-important password to update this site, who knows what the new year will bring. Thank you.

More on music...

More relevant music news for us to devour. Led Zep have done the Othello thing and decided to play a stupidly small venue for one night only. That does remind me of a certain band...a band which, coincidentally, were cleverly interviewed by the Observer/fans about their latest, In Rainbows; I'm sure you remember my repeated dedications.

Declan de Barra

You heard it here first, Declan de Barra is the new Damien Rice. This may sound like a fawning testament of sequestrial awe, but, as my friends and family would testify, I do not say this lightly. Dealing with issues like relationships, travel, long-distance love, immigration, unwanted pregnancy, and general discontent, he's playing right into my hands. What's more, this isn't off-the-cuff lyricism, this is poetry. Supported by a harmonic voice and simple melodies this guy will go places. If you needed proof, this video speaks for itself.

BBC in Deep Holy Water

The BBC have found themselves once again at the centre of controversy. This time, however it's not for misleading the masses, but rather, for supposedly impressing upon the masses. Firstly, they've been cleared for airing Jerry Springer The Opera on television, and secondly, they've been forced to apologise for 'insulting Islam' on the radio. this is all very interesting because it highlights a point that needs contention. One wonders what would have happened had the Jerry Springer Opera centered around Mohammed rather than Jesus, and the radio broadcaster called a dog Jesus rather than Mohammed. Is this showing respect for religion or is it showing fear of Islam? Islamophobia? Ask yourself that question.

The Atrocity Ends

It appears the Gillian Gibbons case has come to a somewhat successful conclusion; we've been reminded of the religious recidivation of Islam and the infuriatingly passive stance of our laissez-faire, 'respectful' government. At least reason, logic, sense, and discussion prevailed over atavism. As I initially noted, it did become an 'us against them' scenario where the turmoils of a dilapidated country were seen in the true light of day behind a thinning veil of oppressive superstition. Unsurprisingly, Gordon Brown had little to say on the matter, whilst my arch-nemesis, David Milliband, seems to have come up trumps. Funnily enough, Bryan has grown ever vocal over Gordon Brown's reign and made it very clear that he doesn't like the man; "the more he does", he says, "the worse he gets". This may be the first time that I've covered a news story that has grown to dominate our news agenda (it even featured on the US news networks for a brief period of time), but don't worry, I'll revert back to the insignificant cusps of intrigue in no time.

I'm Back

My tiny excursion to Austin, Texas has come to an end, and I'm pleased to report that my endeavors went well and I'm all too glad to expand my American experience; Austin is equivocal to towns like Loughborough or Bath, centered around a university campus where the only ulterior high-rise buildings mainly crop up as hotels. I was pleased to note that Texas isn't necessarily the detached quasi-nation that other Americans have come to view it as. Granted, the architecture is decades old and visibly stagnant, but the culture is far from regressive. I was disappointed not to have more opportunity to explore and search, but such is the life of a student.

Childish Religion

One point I forgot to mention earlier in my post regarding the Gillian Gibbons incarceration was that the blogger stated: "All but one of the children in her class are Muslims." As the frequent readers of this blog will know, no child of 6 or 7 years-old is a Muslim. They simply do not have the educational grounding or the experienced learning capable enough of identifying themselves as Muslims. Consciousness needs to be raised on this matter. This is just as absurd as stating 'All but one of the children in her class are postmodernists and Marxists'. These are self-conscious decisions that can be made when the facts and opinions are explicitly presented. As I write this I find that one of the children has spoken out and told the press that the teddy bear was named after himself. Typically with issues surrounding religion, children pose the most pertinent questions. Moreover, Mosques have today been issued with a code of practice; basically outlining how Muslims should follow their own religion. Is it not telling that the British government feels the need to condescendingly prescribe recommendations that bemoan arranged marriages and extremism? I must take this opportunity to tell you all that I won't be posting again until Monday because I'm away in Austin, Texas and I will be without an internet connection for the duration. I do apologize, but I will make it up to you somehow...

Very Bad Sex

A survey conducted on behalf of the book, Sex in America, revealed that only 61% of 18-24 year-old women regularly, or usually, achieve orgasm during sex. C'mon guys, sort it out. On a much more humorous note, or shall I say posthumous, Norman Mailer has been awarded the literary Bad Sex Award for 2007. Apparently, the likening of male genitalia to "a coil of excrement" swung it for the judges. Coincidentally, the Vagina Monologues are set to play throughout February at my university, and given my student-induced open-mindedness I shall look forward to it with interest. If the judges were influenced by the reduction of male piety to faeces, then I'm sure they would have enjoyed Ian McEwan's wonderful On Chesil Beach where the male protagonist was reduced to a quivering premature ejaculation sufferer. It's book-ended a disappointing year for McEwan, but I'm sure he'll come back with another resounding comment on love and relationships to sweep the annual awards.

The Atrocity Continues

Here's the latest from the Guardian Unlimited website where an ex-colleague and friend of Gillian Gibbons, the woman incarcerated for using Muhammed as the name of a teddy bear, speaks up about the growing insanity of this case. In the comment section someone writes: "May I urge posters to show restraint until this case is resolved? Anyone in Sudan with a computer, such as a government official, can read CiF." Interestingly, the moderator has gone to town over deleting people's comments here. For whatever cause the above poster reports to, I am not going to violate our right to free speech just so a bigoted, infantile individual in Sudan can have his twisted way with a respectable Western woman. People are going to look upon this case as 'us against them', which, even if we don't want it, has already been established by the Sudanese. "The police station had been surrounded by a mob baying for Gillian's blood." - All this does is confirm the observation that religion provides a canon for people's debauched blood lust. Peaceful Muslims will decry this as a misinterpretation of Islamic teachings, which, frankly, is no excuse what-so-ever. As is the case with militant Islam, they're no stranger to self-hatred, self'-pity, and self-righteousness. They're besotted with poisoning our society with their own cultish teachings, rather than keeping their beliefs to themselves. If someone wants to call the hate-speech police upon reading this, feel free, but I'm sure there's another delusional martyr willing to strap an explosive vest to themselves for your cause. This is really serious. Where do you stand, comrades? Ask yourself what you believe in, today where a white, western woman is potentially flogged and imprisoned for allowing her pupils to name a teddy bear Muhammed in the name of a transparently plagiarised religion.

An Atrocity

Readers of this blog I hope would be alert enough to have come across this story (with interest) already - a British teacher has been arrested in Sudan after "offending" the Muslim faith. Strangely, the articles I can find make no statement as to her ethnicity, however, either way, this is a modern day travesty, equatable to the barbaric, primal, atavistic, and down-right appalling backlash to the Danish cartoons. We live in a world of perpetuated fear, by fanatics who insist, not only on vehemently following their religion, but by forcing it upon others also. This action is regressive, provocative, and absurd. After all, the children of her class named the bear, should they be scoured, flagellated, and abused likewise? Adopting my Dawkinsian guise, I must remind everyone that these children are no more Islamic themselves than the British teacher - they're simply too young to understand the fundamental prejudices of their force-fed faith. This categorically violates freedom of speech, conveniently tying into my post yesterday. I hope the British government grow some balls fast enough to step in and react to this international scandal. I shall be following this one with you.

Free Speech

I can't be bothered to comment on this article. Anyone who has to guess my opinion of this would be insulting me. Irving was imprisoned in Austria for something he had the potential to say - we're drawing closer to Orwellian thought-crime for goodness sake. Well done Oxford: this is the opposite of regression.

Natalie Portman

You may have presumed from the title that I would fall into the trap of endearment and indulgent veneration, but I won't. Am I the only one who finds Natalie Portman discernibly unattractive? It seems she's reached a monolithic state of absolute beauty of which no one can match. In fact, all expressions of beauty are related to, and categorized by, their relationship to Portman's. There's a rather lengthy, highly venerating (venereal?) article in The Observer today devoted to her cultural anonymity and devout (assumed) intellectualism; an article that falls firmly into the aforementioned trap. Read it at your peril.

Sleuth 2

After bringing you news of Sleuth a couple of days ago, I said that I wouldn't pass judgement until I heard the gospel of the good doctor Kermode. Well, today, his weekly interview on BBC Radio 5 featured Sleuth, and he analysed the too-good-to-be-true build up, just as I did. However, as I expected, he didn't like it. Once he'd identified himself as "pompous but brilliant", Kermode admits he's even starting to warm to Jude Law, yet he has "serious problems with this film". He takes issue with the "re-imagining" by Harold Pinter of the original script, which adds a clunky third act that doesn't fit with the previous thematic metaphors. All in all, he reasoned why the film "just didn't gel", so it's fair to say that I won't be rushing to my nearest cinema when I return from the US. If you don't believe me, you can listen for yourself here.

Charge your iPod with an Onion

I feel compelled to try this...

Happy Thanksgiving

Today brings another in the series of American holidays that I've brought you since I begun here in August. Thanksgiving is the staple celebration of American lifestyle every year; it brings unity to scattered families, and provides a valued excuse to eat until you burst. Similar to 'Labour Day', no one seemed to know the true origins of the Thanksgiving tradition: but, it seems obvious now, the truth is in the name. I was invited to my coach's house for a large gathering of friends and teammates, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. And I was glad to note that no Christian rhetoric was brought to the fore to taint the proceedings. This was simply an occasion of celebration - to appreciate the riches of our situation and how fortunate we really are. Today has been my favorite of the recent national holidays. Happy Thanksgiving.

Football

England have proven, once again, their lack of professionalism. Was I the only viewer who was slightly glad England didn't go through to the latter stages of the European Cup? No. Well, not according to the response to the 606 Football Phone-in at least. We were an embarrassment. The blame can be heaped wherever we please; the ineptitude of our manager (subject to change?), the poor tactical decisions (4-5-1?), the lacklustre performance of some of our players (Lampard got man of the match?), the burden of key injuries, and most importantly, the shambles of our Football Association. Not only did they appoint their second choice, McClaren, they also had the bravado to tell the media that they'd always wanted McClaren. Furthermore, they're the ones who sanctioned a friendly against Austria where Owen gets injured, they're the ones who sanctioned a stadium without a roof so the pitch is waterlogged, they're the ones who sanctioned an American Football game at Wembley a week before. And what followed was a continued succession of transparent mistakes from McClaren - dropping Beckham and bringing him back; backing Paul Robinson then not; unveiling Gareth Barry and quashing him in midfield alongside Lampard and Gerard; playing a lone striker whose strength is latching onto crosses yet supporting him with proven non-deliverers. He must go. These are basic mistakes that any halfwit in your local pub would have avoided. People will argue that we were outplayed tonight and the pitch was appalling, but the damage was done long before this game. Well, at least we won't have fantasy media commentary running all the way up to next Summer. We don't deserve to be there, nor do we want to be there with the team as it stands. I've heard it suggested, why not have a home nations competition next year? Probably because Scotland and Northern Ireland would walk all over us.

Sleuth

More from the film canon today as I bring further attention to Sleuth, a British film starring Jude Law and Michael Caine, based on the play by Anthony Shaffer, and adapted by the brilliant Harold Pinter. Everything seems ripe for a classic. Unfortunately, however, it appears that isn't the case, as this reviewer describes: not bad, but not very good either. As yet, I haven't heard from the gospel, Mark Kermode, but I'll relay the news as it happens. Also, I'm an avid reader of Jeffrey Archer's blog (even if it is sporadically updated), and he saw a special screening recently only to be disappointed in the same way. Oh well - I could always just watch these again. Whilst I'm here though, Jeffrey's new book, A Prisoner of Birth, has undergone it's final drafting before being sent to the publishers. I repeatedly curse myself for never taking the time to read his epic novels, but maybe now's the time.

North Korea and Religion

It seems as though my recent posts have been dominated by ponderous reviews of contemporary revolutionists such as Dawkins or Hitchens. I feel as though it is, however, my duty to bring to the fore further information regarding the previously mentioned Atheist Allegiance International, and Christopher Hitchens' speech thereon (the video is accessible here). To conclude his orating he took questions from the audience; it is here where Hitchens produced his most resounding comment on the deciduous state of theocratic belief and lifestyle. Hitchens has visited North Korea, the ultimate example of national secularism, where he reportedly experienced the most base level of impoverished conditions imaginable: a state of endless praise-giving directed at the figurehead, Kim Jong-il, who deserves no such thing based on the meager handouts he provides his citizens. But is it endless? In fact, no, it isn't. As Hitchens puts it: "at least you can fucking die and leave North Korea". However, as is the case with theistic hegemony, the believer has bought into an existence of constant scrutiny and constant servitude under God. Yet, it does not end with existence, this implacable servitude to one's deity is everlasting, beyond death. This is not a choice Hitchens, nor myself, has any sympathy or respect for.

The Law of Evolution

After I questioned my lecturer about the appropriateness of the Law of Evolution he backed down somewhat "reminding" me that we must protect the sensitivities of those around us on a global scale. He makes a point of acknowledging the differing beliefs and sensibilities during his class, so what should I expect. Today, in fact, we were given an unique treat of experiencing the Kuiper Space Sciences Presentation - I light display very similar to the London Planetarium's centrepiece. I visited the Planetarium when I was eight or nine years old but the profound visuals were lost on me. Here though, I was reminded of the nature of our place amongst the galaxies and universes (plural). If I wanted to, I could now adopt my Joycean prose technique and dissect the collective insignificance of our existence, but I won't. Overall, I was touched by the sensual dichotomy of light versus dark, the stars versus space, moon versus crater, etc. As the professor takes pains to point out, evolution is not experienced only in the organic world; we see the mutation of hydrogen atoms to helium atoms, the death of stars, the formation of galaxies from inter-galactic dust. If anything, this all supports the definition: the Law of Evolution.

More on Dawkins etc.

Glancing at Richard Dawkins' website, I discovered this - of which I knew nothing. The Atheist Alliance International (AAI) was set up by Dawkins to accumulate the leading thinkers of atheist thought, including Dan Dennet and Christopher Hitchens, of whom I spoke briefly with regard to his book, god is not Great. Although the videos posted there are lengthy and visually cumbersome, it's certainly worth hearing the speeches in their entirety as they present their philosophies in conjunction with one another - something we wouldn't appreciate by reading the books individually. Note that this is a piece from Dawkins' US mission, so naturally, we're prone to the emphatic applause of the easily entertained Americans.

Politics and Religion

I've consistently stated that religion has no place in politics, let alone in the American presidential campaign. Unfortunately, more and more people steadfastly adopt their candidate representatives on the basis of their religious affinities. It's been well documented how Bush cited Christian experience when justifying the 'War on Terror'. And maybe, just maybe, this piece of information is a turning point in American mindset - if it's OK to bash the Mormons, surely their beliefs are no less absurd than the well-established Christian mainstream. Last month Richard Dawkins embarked on his US mission to preach his atheist manifesto, and although he'll face stronger opposition than perhaps he did in England, he would have experienced the beginnings of a monumental cultural shift, similar to what was witnessed in England. What's more, Bryan anointed Dawkins' The Selfish Gene as one of the books that has defined Britain, and he's been one of the many to call for the Theory of Evolution to be reclassified as the Law of Evolution. I'm not up to scratch on my dictionary definitions, but it is a poignant question, one which I posed to my evolutionist lecturer earlier today (I'll post his answer later).

Super Bad

News surfaced yesterday that the University of Arizona, within which I'm posting from now, enrolls roughly a thousand fewer international students today than it did prior to the September 11th attacks; down from 3011 in the autumn semester of 2002, to 2164 for this semester. Less surprisingly, the Middle-Eastern undergraduate enrollment has fallen by 64%. So the question arises, is it really due to 9/11 or is there more to it? Well, I have a feeling there is an element of 'isolationism' to American Zeitgeist that somewhat denies foreign prospective students the appeal that the culture provides. Obviously, interest in the Ivy League Schools is unlikely to diminish, and I speak as an exception to this trend, but my case was only bolstered by the film I foolishly watched yesterday: Superbad. In the timeless words of the good Doctor Kermode, "the review is in the title". Why didn't I listen? Good question. After watching two quiet classics, A History of Violence and This is England, this film stood out like a sore thumb as a banal attempt at holding a mirror to US High School psychology: everyone has to get drunk and get laid. It was misogynistic, infantile, vindictive, and depressing - not only did this film hold the US Box Office No.1 for 4 weeks, but the audience were doubling over in fits of laughter at every childish line of crass dialogue. I was left distinctly saddened by the state of American pop-culture at present. What society have I immersed myself in where people laugh at period blood. From yesterday onward, I've concluded that these are the reasons deterring international students; the poisonous sub-art that has infected our mainstream consciousness. Yesterday, I was repulsed. More tomorrow.

More Suicides

As the commentators to this article point out, statistics displaying Vietnam War Veterans as suicide-prone individuals were found to be not only exaggerated and contorted, but wholly false in some cases. So let's hope these figures about modern war returnees are further propaganda from the American left. If not however, maybe it's due in part to the desensitization toward death as a result of first-hand experience of its consequences. In the words of Beckett: "the gravedigger lingeringly puts on the forceps"; yet I'm always saddened when people foreshorten their blink of eternity. Though, as I mentioned before - it could be worse, they could be Japanese.

Olympics 2012

Recently, with the unveiling of the non-armadillo-like stadium for the London Olympics, speculation rages on about the true cost of holding the Games. The new, very boring stadium is estimated to cost 500,000 quid. This blogger's expected real cost: more like 800,000. Lest we forget the absolutely ridiculous logo to boot. It makes everyone wonder how they can get away with it all. At least some politicians are standing up and being counted in opposition to the means with which the whole accomplishment will be realised, if it even gets that far. At the time when our bid was victorious, I was staying in a hotel near Venice, Italy; we all remember what happened the day after the announcement, but that's another story. Anyway, before the reasons behind the 7/7 bombings were uncovered, myself and my British teammates were strongly advised not to hang our British flags over our balcony rails, in fear of being targeted by the non-entity embodiment of international terrorism. But I predict a new reason for withholding our national identity: embarrassment.

Japanese Suicides

The only thing that doesn't make sense regarding this report is why nothing was done sooner.

Veteran's Day

Today America celebrates Veteran's Day - the trans-Atlantic translation of Remembrance Day. Although, it appears more as a recognition of war veterans rather than the mourning of lost soldiers, the focus of the British equivalent. There's an article on the Times' website calling for submissions for potential national mottoes for Great Britain. As one would expect, there's the usual blend of sublime and ridiculous, but it provides amusing reading nonetheless. It's good though to see a relatively small number of angst-ridden propositions, indicating a climb in national pride - perhaps succeeding our remembrance.

More on the Finnish Gunman

Following on from my little remonstration concerning the Finland shooting, the Guardian has a couple of articles that interested me this morning. Firstly, this links the event (inevitably) back to America and to the Collumbine Massacre - I am always one step ahead of these guys. Secondly, this article appears to contradict the claim that "Auvinen was a bullied teenage outcast consumed with anger against society", stating that "no-one detected he had problems before he walked into school [...] with a handgun". It's make your mind up time. I feel as though I should refer them back to my earlier post. Anyway, what the second article makes clear is that the Finnish government is taking this very seriously, unlike the US. But let's see how things progress, and whether their firearm legislation is changed.

Movies

I've watched two films in the past two days which are both contenders for my personal favorite. The better, however, was David Cronenberg's A History of Violence. Although the IMDB site gives it 8 stars, it is a favorite of the good doctor Kermode, who sings its praises at every available opportunity - especially recently with the release of Cronenberg's latest, Eastern Promises, starring the same fantastic actor, Viggo Mortensen (better known for his role as Aragorn in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings). Incidentally, it was Cronenberg who wrote and directed the horrific cult-classic, The Fly. The second film was This is England, giving a bleak portrayal of Liverpool, and Britain in general, during the early eighties. It focuses on the story of a stunted pre-teen caught up in skinhead culture before it turned nasty. That's exactly what this film depicts, the turning of likable teenagers into ruthless racists, employing the nationalist unity of the Falklands War as its backdrop. Both were emotionally gripping and they've resonated with me for the last couple of days, enough for me to feel compelled and preach them to you. While we're on the subject of movies; the topic of film classification has come up recently alongside the ebb and flow of children's animated films, such as Bee Movie or Ratatouille. Although the internet movie database (imdb.com) is good for overall trivia, the British Board of Film Classification (bbfc.co.uk) often gives a clear plot summary and includes relevant information about a film's content. For example, if you wanted to know whether a film contained extreme violence of fantasy violence, this site will lay it out for you: so it's good for uncertain parents. What's more, if you're still having doubts, visit the Parent's BBFC (pbbfc.co.uk) for in-depth discussions about film content, for parents, by parents.

Stamp Duty

A rugby player has been jailed for 15 moths after stamping on his opponent during a match, presumably deliberately. Whilst this act is highly contemptible, why is the same ruling not implemented in other sporting circles? Water Polo? Football? How about a vicious 50/50 tackle in the midst of a Premiership derby - is that illegal? I presume so, if harm was intended. And, in that case, why was Roy Keane not brought to justice after his self-confessed, pre-empted stamp? Not only did he never face court ruling for this loathsome action, he made profit from the publicity he gained as a biographer. Or am I falling into the non-contact debate?
Edit: Perhaps they all just need to calm down.

An Experiment

A couple of days ago I installed a new site monitor to track the hits on this site. It's a clever little thing: identifying where my visitors come from and how long they're staying, plus any other detail I could possible wish for. Anyway, since my "Humanity is Overrated" post yesterday, I've had a sudden surge in visitors from Finland. I find this fascinating. According to Bryan, his most 'hit' post has been his ponder about tattoos. Perhaps just mentioning the word here will incur a swathe of fanatical body artists. My posts on Yann Martel's book, The Life of Pi get a fair amount of interest too. One can't be blamed for a little self-promotion.

"Humanity is Overrated"

Pekka-Eric Auvinen has died in hospital after turning the gun on himself. He has become the latest suicidal, isolated, solipsistic little shit that has found a means of taking people down with him. Following the Columbine Massacre of 1999, made famous by Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine, and The Virginia Tech Massacre last year, perpetrated by wannabe cult star, Question Mark, Pekka-Eric took inspiration and brought a handgun into school with one thing on his mind. We all know the details. One thing strikes me from the aforementioned; they all broadcast tapes of themselves prior to their respective killing-sprees. Now, with this in mind, isn't it somehow plausible that they wanted to be stopped; they wanted to be discovered and revealed in some way. Surely, if Cho Seung Hui (aka. Question Mark) wished to remain untraceable, he wouldn't have gone to the local television station with his homemade VCRs. Surely, if Pekka-Eric Auvinen wished to remain untraceable, he wouldn't have posted a video of himself brandishing a gun on YouTube one hour before letting loose. Stop me if I'm wrong. Granted, some will label these simply as the glorified suicide notes of disturbed adolescents, or maybe just trivialities - kids looking for their fifteen minutes; but, like the man who puts his head in an oven with a window open, or the man who jumps from a three story building, did they really want to go through with it? Due to the inaction of cathartic YouTube generation, they were all left with no choice, once again, they were forced to carry out their twisted ideas because no-one put up a their hand to stop them. It isn't uncommon for gentlemen at that age to pick up a copy of The Catcher in the Rye or Beyond Good and Evil and think they're the only ones who 'get it'. Doubtless, intelligent discussion will stir for a few days and then the whole incident will be forgotten and have little impact on any other potential psychopaths. Having said that, I did just sign up to 'UAlert' here at the University: a convenient little text message alert system for all students in case of emergencies. Safe and sound? Not yet.

A ReSounding Success

Two pieces of music news for you. Firstly, the results of Radiohead's distribution experiment seem to have paid off, regardless of what the print media has to say. (I'd be surprised if 40% of people paid for their newspaper if it was offered up gratis.) Still, Edward Hunter, an analyst from comScore, called it "a resounding success for Radiohead and music fans everywhere". I feel inclined to agree. All the details are here. Incidentally, if you're interested, Radiohead are broadcasting a live webcast on Friday, similar to those shown back in 2003. When it was initially announced that Radiohead would employ the "honesty box" method of distribution, people compared it to Prince's adopted technique back in 2006, when he handed his album out for free along with everyone's copy of The Mail on Sunday. Ironic so it seems that, today, news has surfaced of the contempt Prince has shown towards his hardcore, veteran fans who use his image and present his music as part of their fansites. It seems strange that Prince wishes to alienate those who have simply widened his audience by making his music more accessible. That's not to say they uploaded his music for free - they merely used his image and artwork, as any fansite would feel inclined to do. The prosecuted fansites have since formed a coalition to fight the threats of Prince and his record label. This somewhat makes me question their future longevity as fans. Well there we have it; the full spectrum of band-to-fan loyalty, and vice-versa.

Ganesha?

Not no more it seems...

'More Racist' as a result of Spite

Just as a brief side note; an anonymous survey of my race and ethnicity class today produced the statistic that 24% of my classmates had, in fact, become "more racist" as a result of the class. What's more, 40% claimed they had become "less colourblind" in terms of racial identity. That left only 36% who said they'd become "more anti-racist", among which I counted myself after being irritated by the James Watson debacle a couple of weeks ago. Although, it just goes to show, jaunty statistics and skewed, generalised trends won't positively resonate with someone's outlook, but rather, it can have the opposite, highly detrimental effect of agitating racial prejudice. This highlights the intimacy of people's prejudices. Statistics won't gain any ground on revolutionising contemporary thought, but closer-to-home experiences will.

Writer's Guild on Strike

This little strike all seems very jovial. The last time the Writer's Guild of America went on strike was in 1988, which lasted for 5 months and had the very predictable effect of causing TV stations to rerun archive episodes of classic programming. Personally, I don't see much wrong with that, however, I have a feeling, the American's aren't used to waiting, and they're certainly not used to anyone going on strike, so this will be cleared up quicker than expected. It seems as though the script writers believe themselves to hold a divine right to the exuberant profits of their shows, and I don't disagree. I'm going to watch this one with keen interest.

A Sad Event

As the news recounts this morning, a woman refused blood following childbirth on the grounds that her religion forbids it, and, consequently, she died. Now, I don't know the ins-and-outs of witnessing Jehovah, but I presume her steadfastness was grounded on sacred texts, and her wish not to sin. If only one of the nurses had the presence of mind to ignore her beliefs and give her the blood anyway; that way, her motherless twins would grow up with the integral maternal bonds we all cherish. I couldn't help guffawing at the statements of her friend: "we can't believe [it] happening in this day and age". Perhaps her unfounded psychological delusion has no place in this day and age too. In today's Western society, on the back of a technological evolution, this event is a travesty. If she would rather have died than be administered with blood, that's her choice, but the innocent individuals here without a choice are her children. Needless to say, they would doubtless have been brought up to be Jehovah's Witnesses also, which, if I were to adopt my pseudo-Dawkinsian guise, is worse than having no mother at all.

Eat Your Greens

I am a self-confessed global-warming agnostic, one of those irritating fence-sitters with hardly any consequential opinions about one of the world's most pressing issues. Having said that, Bryan brings us food-for-thought in this morning's Sunday Times. He himself has admitted to being an agnostic also; but with the true facts at hand, he presents us with the fundamental information we ought to know. He explains why we, as the general population, pinpoint green rhetoric in politics as a good thing, yet we're reluctant to make changes within our daily lives, and similarly explains why the green movement has lost political credibility by arguing amongst itself. What struck me in this highly informed article was the amount of plausible, CO2 reducing solutions being tried and tested right now. So it's strange we never get to hear about them in the public forum. Perhaps activists, such as George Monbiot and Al Gore, enjoy scare-mongering - whipping us into a frenzy of fear for their own, self-aggrandizing, self-promoting, I-told-you-so means.

Gender and Paedophilia

The news arrived today of Claire Lyte's light sentence - she was found guilty of four accounts of sexual child-abuse, and of lying to a court. How long did she get in the slammer? Three years. Now, by no means do I wish to advocate the acts committed by pederasts worldwide, quite the opposite, in fact. Why is it that this woman receives a three year sentence, when a similar case involving a man and a thirteen year-old boy would receive a much more stringent sentence? Is this an attempt to appease the overall public discontent? Surely theses examples should be brought into line. You may recall some time ago the story of a schoolteacher, aged 37, having sexual relations with a boy in her class, aged 15. Whether or not the boy was quoted as saying, "I was a bit of a legend", does not detract from the worrying conclusion: she got a 14 month suspended jail sentence. Statistics have shown that, more often than not, paedophiles will re-offend. Statistics have also shown that re-offence seldom occurs after a four year stint in jail. And so, I propose a minimum sentence of four years for acts of child-molestation et al. Of course, this may impose even greater pressure on her majesty's bulging prison service as it stands, but my case remains.

A Racist Comment

This supposed racial slur from ex-footballer, come cult-pundit, Ian Wright, reminds us all that it is not only the white population who perpetrate active racism: a fact that my race lecturer is all too happy to ignore. And that's the reason I felt justified in applauding a self-professed, Canadian, conservative heckeler who berated her single-minded, self-righteous preachings yesterday. I was glad to hear that I was by no means the only individual in agreement; a fact that filled me with renewed hope regarding American intelligence.

Did I mention about posting more often?

Whilst thinking of something to post about today, I trawled through the usual links and found nothing but talking point after talking point after talking point to do with sport. So I did what all great thinkers do and go for a walk, gathering my thoughts and opinions as I went. It seems that my inflated ego and general assumptions led me to a point where I realised the inconsequence of other people's outlook and the importance of my own. Therefore, the post today comes courtesy of my self-indulgent musings while wandering the symmetrical streets of Tucson. Since I've been at this university, I've made it my duty to ingratiate myself with the local culture and, in doing so, try and read the campus newspaper every day. It has a fairly decent circulation amongst the 38,000 students, and it's very well-rounded, with articles and viewpoints ranging from the obscene to the obtrusive, but all arranged in a pithy, friendly, top-and-tail kind of way. So far I haven't been compelled to right into the paper myself, even when I was bombarded by creationist drivel one day, and anti-Semitic cartoons the next - my surprisingly articulate and well-educated classmates have done that for me. What has struck me though, is the emphasis toward free-speech (a well known American value, as the internet paedophile absurdity will reveal), yet when the Danish cartoon uproar began, or the publication of Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses was again reviled as blasphemy, both in 2006, the emphasis remained on religious tolerance and respect, or, as the case may be, intolerance. We must tread carefully...

Nash Army! Nash Army!

It's come as quite a coincidence; the NBA's all-star pin-up, Steve Nash, has expressed a potential interest in buying Spurs. (I can't help thinking he'll be put off by the abominable action of their board of directors in recent weeks.) Only a fortnight ago I met Mr Nash in the corridor of the athletics department at my university. Apparently, the team he plays for, the Phoenix Suns, have identified the University of Arizona as their official off-site headquarters. He was a much smaller man than you'd imagine, considering he's a basketball player (an inch or so shorter than myself at 6'2"), but he can supposedly jump like a jack, so who am I to comment? Perhaps, given the new information about the value of sterling versus the falling dollar, he's a wise man to look at Britain, rebelling against all-too secular America. This serves as a kind reminder that, although he doesn't have the dough to buy the club outright, it's not only Premiership footballers who live the high-life amid a highly consumerised sport.

The Office - A Revival

This comes courtesy of the emergent American sub-cult who have abandoned their love for the American Office and reverted to the original, and best, British Office. I am eternally grateful. This piece is a true gem; another snippet of brilliance from the cultural heroes and pioneers, Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant.

Abortion 2

As if you weren't convinced enough by yesterday's rant, here is another brilliant article by Polly Tonybee denouncing the succession of revolting protests against abortion, often headed by the Christian right.

Abortion etc.

The Times comments on the recent plans to "relax" laws on abortion in the UK. Now, in my opinion, anything we can do to support the sensibilities of women is fundamental to our societal success when tackling abortion. As if abortion is not traumatic enough for women anyway, why do the commentors to this article (all men) see this as a keystone in our cultural demise? Making abortion limitations stricter is not going to help tackle rising rates of demand. This, to me, is obvious. Better awareness and education, augmented through a psychological, cultural shift, however, will. We should not, also, forget the preachings of our favorite feminist friend, Amanda, intent on keeping her place within this world firmly four inches higher than males everywhere, who reminds us of the all-too-common hypothetical scenarios involving a drug-addicted, impoverished teenager who is brutally raped by an HIV infected mutant, and, therefore, impregnated. If we all were to listen to the pro-life Christian, fundamentalist bigots, this girl's life would be forever ruined as a result. Interestingly enough, off the topic of abortion, Amanda elaborates on the Californian blaze; not on the tragedy, surprisingly, but on the right-wing reaction calling this God's punishment for San Diego's homosexual community. Repellent.

Weirdo

Micheal Moore's latest documentary, Sicko, has come under fire for perpetuating transparent propaganda, just like last time in Farenheit 9/11. He does, however, comment and make comparisons with the British NHS, which any Brit is hard-pressed to defend, yet we look pretty good by comparison. Moore makes clear how the private health care system in the US is failing an impoverished 50 million citizens, too poor to pay the basic insurance premium. From this kind of statistic, I can't help but feel a small sense of national pride in something we do better than the Americans, which (statistically) doesn't come around too often. Two days ago I spent the evening in the local American hospital, waiting in the Emergency section for treatment on a suspected broken wrist - I spectacularly fell off my bike. The wait was no less than four hours. Also, when I came to be seen, my diagnosis turned out to be wrong, thanks to the more accurate information of my resident orthopaedic surgeon. Glad to see the Americans aren't any better in this instance than we are; amazing, seeing as I'm expected to produce my insurance details every step of the way. I'm fine by the way: just a sprain.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

I'm sure regular updates are integral to a blog's success, which only infuriates my inner conscience more in acknowledging my recent lacking. I apologise irrefutably, only to douse you in the latest news of minimal world importance - the kind we all love. I shan't add anything to the South African's deserved victory on Saturday; although, they should be made aware of the fact that they beat a side who merely represent a shadowy outline of their former selves. You may recall the raging dispute surrounding classic novels being edited and shortened for the word-processing generation - it was only a matter of time before Tolstoy's War and Peace got a face-lift. As the bruising gradually recedes, the book won't lose any of its charm or philosophy, but it will lose its detail and depth: a travesty. I was glad to see at least one newspaper staying sane with regard to "revolutionary" drinking discoveries; healthy drinking limits should be encouraged, but it is not the middle-class, weekend drinkers the government should be targeting, as we all know. Also in the news, is the ongoing race debate, started by the aging scientist, James Watson - blacks have lower IQ scores on average. So what? When it comes to culturally based intelligence tests, blacks do just as well as everyone else. As recent "ground-breaking" scientific literature will tell you, 99.9% of human gene sequences are exactly the same, it's that 0.1% that codes for skin tone etc. As the omniscient Appleyard will have you know: James Watson is an awful man anyway. It is, however, a shame that this row will reignite the flames of political correctness whilst matter-of-fact issues are at hand concerning our national safety - subcultures are breaching our moral boundaries, perpetuating casual violence in our streets. If these subcults are statistically grounded in the roots of black teenage individuals, it reports to higher ground beyond PC rhetoric. This has nothing to do with genetics, this has to do with security.

Silly People

Two silly stories for you. Both items are articles worth scrutinizing and questioning. Here is an article about a racist scientist, and here is an article about hellfire. Oh dear Oh dear Oh dear.

The Man Booker Prize - Result

Anne Enright has taken this year's prestigious award for her "exhilarating bleak" family epic, The Gathering. As you recall, I was strongly backing Ian McEwan to win for the wondrous On Chesil Beach, whilst The Gathering was merely a long-shot outsider. Well, at least this announcement doesn't fall into the hands of predictability, whilst simultaneously fuelling the conspiracy about the award and the sea. Interesting. That reminds me; here's a lovely story about the illustrated edition of the 2002 winner, The Life of Pi by Yann Martel, which I mentioned some time ago.

The Top Gear Smear

Top Gear have once again found themselves to be the victim of humourless viewers who don't really have any idea why they're watching the show in the first place. This, following the minute web of complaints launched after they sparked up a pipe on set. All the anger appears to be targeted at their supposed disregard for law and order: smoking in an enclosed public space. Now, as far as I'm concerned, they are an entertainment form and should be allowed free reign rather than censorship. Likewise in the theatre. What I would say, however, is that these middle-aged presenters embody modern day icons - they have an almost cult fanbase, not just amongst their middle-aged counterparts. And so, a lot of teenagers interested in stunts, fast cars, or just good television, look up to these guys like I do, and I abhor smoking, it revolts me. In my opinion, these individuals should acknowledge their responsibility as cultural leaders and swap the fags for better gags.

Le God

Being an avid 'Saints' fan myself, it only seems appropriate that I utilise my newly discovered voice to preach the skill and brilliance of Matt Le Tissier, one of the best and most gifted English footballers of all time. He took 49 penalties throughout his career with Southampton, scoring 48, and hitting the post just once. This ability to beat the keeper every time has earned him national recognition - only Alan Shearer has come anywhere close to equalling this record, yet his place in Southampton's history will always remain, earning him the nickname of "Le God" on the terraces (later emulated by Thierry Henry at Arsenal). Originally coming over from the Channel Islands, he played for his country sporadically yet with dedication - often being brought on in the final minutes of extra time to garuntee at least one good penalty taker. Here are some highlights from his career that encapsulate his fantastic ability:
Le Tis' top ten goals (highlights include his cheeky free-kick, his lob over Peter Schmeickel, and the much repeated piece of individual talent that would bring tears to the eyes of Eric Cantona).
Round-up of Le God(demonstrating his spot-kick taking ability and confirming his place as the best ever striker of a ball).

The Booker Prize

This years Booker Prize is announced tomorrow, disquieting the camps amongst bookmakers across Britain - this year has seen unprecedented speculation about the winner, with bookies recording more than double the amount of bets placed in comparison to last year. Ladbrokes said they were waiting in trepidation; if one of the front-runners does take the prize, they're looking at a six figure payout. Ian McEwan's wonderful On Chesil Beach is favorite to take the 50,000 pound reward, whilst Lloyd Jones' Mister Pip has gone from being a ranked outsider to a firm second-place in the odds. I've only managed to read one of the shortlisted books this year, Ian McEwan resonating comment on love, and a masterpiece in characterisation, yet I feel quite optimistic my ignorance will pay off when he walks away with the award tomorrow for the second time (McEwan also won in 2002 for his post-9/11 novel, Saturday) - compounding his position at the forefront of contemporary British literature.

In Rainbows - Media Reaction - Links

Yesterday's headlines blown by the wind. What follows is a list of some (impossible to list all) articles that have commented on, or reviewed In Rainbows. There's a lot of reading material here, I admit, but some of the more respected publications are listed nearer the top. Note: this list is subject to update. Considering the worldwide expectations for In Rainbows, it's been received remarkably well. Obviously, there are the odd critics who like to make a name for themselves, but barring those, the album is in strong contention for one of the best albums of the decade, and that's no exaggeration. My full review will be posted tomorrow. In the mean time, lesser critics have the floor to themselves.
=====
The BBC push the boat out and give an opinion - a good one too.
The Times hastily added their review the morning of the release.
The Observer made In Rainbows their CD of the week, very affectionately I might add.
Paul Morley comments on his blog on the morning of the release.
Elsewhere in The Guardian, they managed to post a proper review.
The Daily Telegraph reviews the reviews.
Rolling Stone give 4.5 stars - fairly accurate.
The New York Sun asks a very good question; how are the songs?
Gigwise reports on their unprecedented market dominance.
Someone from the NY Times thinks he's cracked it.
NPR liked the album after first listen.
Wired describes the pots of gold hidden throughout the album.
Billboard are another collaborative website who commend the album.
The Sun claims In Rainbows is "priceless" - a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Drowned in Sound pay homage to Radiohead with an extensive review that strongly praises the album.
Pitchfork live up to expectations and heap praise on the album - 9.3

god is not Great

The Vatican has its latest scandal to answer for, again involving homosexuality that will be categorically denied as usual. My latest read has been Christopher Hitchen's god is not Great, which ties in nicely with this story as it often reflects on the historical debauchery of the Catholic headquarters, whilst it simultaneously criticises its continued refusal to refute the lecherous acts of others. The Danish cartoon crisis last year, for example, is an instance where the Vatican perpetuated inter-religious conflict by calling for greater understanding of one another's sensitivities, rather than condemning the threats made by the Islamic everyman who called for the heads of those cartoonists, and carried out threats of arson and vandalism to Christian places of worship. A similar situation arose with the knighthood of Salman Rushdie as you well recall. These instances are discussed at length by Hitchens in a book full of opinion and subjective analysis. Hitchens is a journalist, so, naturally, his way with words proves highly persuasive, and the book is written with a more 'matter-of-fact' stance than The God Delusion perhaps, which grapples with the contradicting philosophies and logic of biology versus scripture. Hitchens is highly trained with the teachings of all modern religious texts and has experienced first hand the cultures of each. His constant attacks on immoral traditions, such as the "circumcision" of females at a very early age, or the paternal rights of a father to pull his son's mutilated foreskin away with his mouth, are designed to make the reader feel uncomfortable, yet his statement is clear: "religion poisons everything" - his brilliantly potent subtitle which is sadly lost in translation for the British publication. It is another persuasive book about the case against religion, taking lead from Dawkins' success. Whereas Dawkins ascribes merely one chapter to the damage religion has done to our international wellbeing, Hitchens dedicates an entire book.

Apart from that...

Apart from...that, as the repeatedly overused idiom entails (as well as a scathing sketch by Harold Pinter), this weekend's news has been spun between the fixtures of international sport, most notably, England's brilliant win over France. Oh, they also beat them at rugby on Saturday too - catapulting them into their toughest challenge yet, but rightly so, against the indefatigable Springboks for the re-attainment of the World Cup. Meanwhile, touching on my previous, ponderous post concerning Jamie Oliver's flawed initiative, and schools' wish to keep children trim, it appears we're all getting fatter and should stop eating to save the planet. It seems absurd to think that people consider preying on the sympathies of someone's global affinities overrides their desire to live healthily. Maybe its just me. Abortion laws in Britain are being questioned again, reminding nu-feminists like Amanda to stand up for their beliefs and, in turn, remind us that some individuals conceive during heavy drug use, bouts of extreme poverty, and chronic depression. All in all, one feels the abortion law is somewhat subsidiary to the anguish of terminating a birth as it stands, so why exacerbate that feeling. But apart from all that...

In Rainbows - A Response

I, like most of musical journalism, went quiet yesterday. We took our shoes off at the door and transcended into silence, like the hush before the storm. We bowed our heads and reflected on the immense impact Radiohead have had on our lives, from the day we listened to OK Computer, to the day we heard the opening chords to Everything In Its Right Place, to the present. Not only have Radiohead inspired other musicians, there effect has spread throughout the world, reaching our hearts and minds through our well-tuned ears. It seemed appropriate then, as it does now, to await the magisterial day to follow in a state akin to reverence and anticipation. What an affirming delight it was was to open my inbox this morning and be faced with a download link to Radiohead's latest work. As we all know, Radiohead's refute with iTunes has led to a bitter exchange, whereby Radiohead do not allow iTunes to publish their music, for the simple reason that Radiohead's albums should be treated as items themselves, not as a collection of individual, 79 pence, songs. So then, here it was, the album as the band intended - 10 tracks in sequence; 43 minutes of playing time. As Paul Morley comments in his self-aggrandising prose, it would be wrong to post a critical reaction to the music itself; this would seem particularly naive. As fans of Radiohead, we appreciate the often inaccessible nature of their music. Therefore, may I suggest we leave complete musical analysis for another few wholistic listens. What I would say, however, is that it would be unforgivable not to access the album in some way, for it takes the listener on a journey through the tangents of Yorke's artistic genius, from the abrasive opening tracks to the soul-rendering conclusion. One finds themselves surrounded, encompassed by sound. This is a devastatingly astute collection of songs, whilst, simultaneously, a triumph as an entity in itself. There are many comments one could easily make to advertise the expertise of this album; Yorke appears to have overcome some of his confidence issues and allowed his voice to be prevalent in the songs, and yet he by no means dominates the ever-powerful rhythm section. And what more could be said that hasn't already about the sequestrial awe of Radiohead's guitar combinations. This album represents plenty of new additions to the Radiohead catalogue, each with an individual identity that somehow fits perfectly with the overall emotional spine of the piece. In years to come, this album could be heralded a classic, a masterpiece, a definition. This blogger was rendered speechless this morning. I hope you too respond with all the resounding intensity that this album demands.

A Gaming Manhunt

It's come to my far away attention that the government is organising a study on violent computer games and their interaction with children. From what most of us have experienced growing up, computer games feature violence heavily, and has increasingly done so through the years. Now, in my opinion, it takes a certain type of moron to confuse in-game violence with the strikingly in-your-face violence of real-life. Moreover, should it really be the gaming industry being targeted here in place of the monotonously violent film industry. Is it not also true that "fantasy violence" in a movie can help reduce its certificate rating in place of, simply, "violence"? Is it not also true that all in-game violence is "fantasy"? I remember the media hype surrounding the game Grand Theft Auto 3 before its release in 2001 - the 18 certificate was blatant, the violence was blatant, but so was the highly unrealistic nature of the discourse. Three years later came Manhunt, by the same software company, 'Rockstar'. Again, I remember the media hype surrounding this game, and I remember going to the shop on the day of its release. The game was great, but more of an experience than a game; tight, fractured, tense gameplay (you were instructed to play the game in pitch black). Yet we all remember the game for being pulled from the shelves after a 14 year-old boy supposedly overlapped gameplay with reality and lured his friend to death. The overreaction to this anomaly was shocking. I worry that this inquest will set out with a clear agenda. A reflection on the imbalance of the 'Bobo Doll experiment' is needed to ensure a fair and thorough study of a worthwhile topic. I'm well in favour of broadening the research to incorporate other aspects of the visual media, but simultaneously, the scapegoat status of gaming should be reassessed.

Trampoline Basketball

This post was a direct response to BBC Radio 5 Live's Fighting Talk this morning. It's a reliably amusing show about sport and the week's news. One of the regular pundits on the show, John Oliver, when asked what YouTube sporting videos he recommends we view, replied: "Trampoline Basketball". Here are the results. Oh dear.

Asia and all its quirks

This article in the Guardian about a ten-year old girl who wants to swim the Channel...with her limbs tied isn't the first case of utter stupidity to come spewing out of China preceding their monumental staging of the Olympics next year. It reminded me of the four year-old Indian boy, touched upon in the article who runs 45km a day, followed (and presumably flogged) by his father/coach on a motorbike. Sick.
In related sports, and I use the word liberally, news - Dida shot down by crowd sniper.

In Rainbows 2

Here's the latest update on the explosive media response to Radiohead's forthcoming new album. CNN has reported on the inventiveness of the release technique; this is nothing new, just good to see the arousal of interest. American podcast, SoundOpinions, broadcasts a piece on the revolution; a previously unheard interview with Thom Yorke is included on here too. This thread on the AtEase messageboard is strangely concise and provides transcripts for all the news articles circulating in the moment's papers (what fan other than a Radiohead fan would type up every Radiohead article they find?). Word has it that the LA Times published its Radiohead article on the front page. BBC Radio 4 had an intelligent conversation with Radiohead's management and posted there interview here. It's also worth pointing out that Radiohead are going to sign a conventional record deal and have the album in shops for January. Billboard has the latest, up-to-date info on the contract proceedings. Beyond all of the above, keep checking back with Atease - they'll sort you out the goss.

Jamie Oliver and School Dinners

I witnessed the decline of food popularity in my school, so it doesn't surprise me that Jamie Oliver's School Dinners campaign is failing. I'm glad its failing. He single-handedly orchestrated the demise of quality food provided in schools. Seven years ago I could get three sausages, a plate of chips and beans for a pound-fifty. It was tasty as you like and it went down perfectly at lunch time before the afternoon's lessons. By the end of my secondary school career I couldn't get anything resembling a plate of food for less than three quid. It was an outrage, certainly not in line with the rising cost of produce or inflation. So what went wrong? Jamie Oliver - that's what went wrong. People are aware, intelligent, and told, enough to know what is good for you and what is bad. No-one in Britain is making uninformed choices about food. OK, if there was no alternative to the less-healthy foods, provide one. However, by limiting pupils' choice to one or two tasteless meals, you are withdrawing all responsibility, frustrating the pupils, and discouraging everyone from eating a hearty lunch. As the recent Ofsted report has shown, kids are finding ways to overcome their schools' lack of provision which, in turn, means that cafeterias nationwide are being forced to raise their prices to break even. And so the multiplier effect begins: less kids want lunch, the price goes up, less kids want lunch, etc. etc. This article in the Guardian points out that "even Jamie Oliver's menus has failed to make it cool to eat in school". Well, in case this reporter hasn't realised, Jamie Oliver is in no way "cool", nor does he possess the persuasion skills he needs to convince the conscious among us that he has succeeded with his silly little campaign. I'm sure however, the truism of failure has never, or will ever, cross his mind.

In Rainbows

For over three years I've waited for the Radiohead media bombshell to explode once again following their 2003 release of Hail to the Thief, their sixth album. Only last night, at one minute past midnight GMT did they underhandedly announce the release of their eagerly awaited seventh album, In Rainbows, and, already, the music business is fidgeting with discussion. Yahoo have commented on the way Radiohead seem to have bypassed the phenomenon of illegal internet downloading by allowing the consumer to pay whatever they want for the album (nothing, if they like, but what kind of tosser would do that?). This has kicked up quite a fuss amongst record labels, particularly those who thought they had a shot at signing the band. This article from Time magazine acknowledges a fact that many fans have known for years: Radiohead's fan base is vast enough that they no longer need promotional marketing, tactical single releases, or even a distributor - effectively, they can sell the record any way they like. The Guardian Unlimited has posted a rather flattering article (clearly by a fan) which, I believe, has established a new record for the amount of comments posted in response to a blog item. Even this not-so coy blogger identifies the difference that separates Radiohead from the lagging music conglomerate which follows pathetically behind. Radiohead have been, and will always continue to be the most innovative band in the world, forcing themselves in new directions and exploring new horizons, or simply making inaccessible songs. The media bombshell is cracking. Days, rather than weeks, will see the print media scrounging for archive photos of the band to support their headlines. Let the apologists apologise, the Coldplay fans bow out in defeat, the journalists document, the ignorant be enlightened, and the sane appreciate the wonder that is Radiohead's seventh masterpiece.

Philosophy, Logic, Science v. Religion

After the alleged journalistic attack on Richard Dawkins by the makers of Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (formerly, Crossroads), he's riled himself up and he's ready to go...to America. Now, I can sympathise; I'm a self-confessed atheist after reading his latest book, and I've come to the US to study, meaning I'm surrounded by Mormons, evangelicals, catholics, creationists - you name it; Arizona has it. Not only have my surroundings made me grow to appreciate the religious diversity we have in Britain, but I'm struggling to effectively find voice and convert the believers. And so, to Professor Dawkins: America needs you.

Sex and Breasts 2

It seems that the media hype surrounding upper tier debauchery has affected the African-American community too. All hope is lost.

New Radiohead Album

Radiohead are the best band in the world, ever, and have formally announced the release of their new album, In Rainbows. They've decided to go it alone and not sign a to a record label, instead, they're going to package the music themselves. Go to their website now if you haven't already done so and order whatever you can immediately. More info tomorrow as it happens. Let the Radiohead subcult emerge once again...

Sex and Breasts

It's probably quite telling that the two most read articles in today's Times Online are to do with sex and sexual desire. Perhaps it's our increasingly fetishised society that motivates us to read up on the topic itself. Perhaps it's our conscious feeling of sexual inadequacy that forces us into learning more about what we supposedly don't understand. It could be a number of things. This article about breasts realises the mundane side to our cultural obsession with the dimensions of the opposite sex. While this article provides a voice for all those who refrain from attending all night gangbangs and have no apparent need to fulfil expectations of debauchery and alpha-sexuality. The articles speak for themselves; they even go someway to explaining why they're the two most read articles today.

The time has come

Ok, enough's enough. The time has come for me to post about Radiohead. Since their tour in 2006, mainly to test new songs and attain cohesion as a band again, they have remained relatively dormant. However, they did revamp there website design, and started posting regularly to their blog, Dead Air Space, roughly six months ago. That stopped in July. This week, regular updates have returned, and speculation about their upcoming seventh album is commonplace on fansites and message boards. Today for instance they posted a coded message that, when translated, read "MARCH WA X". (Decode messages with this). Needless to say, every fan, myself included, jumped on March as a possible release date. Then, by decoding the "WA X" (speculatively, of course; they could represent numbers correspondng to their position in the alphabet), March 23rd appears general consensus. I, like many others, are drooling at the prospect of finally having a definite release date to look forward to. If you, like many others, are not drooling, you damn well shoud be. Let's hope the time has come.

African American Experience

The US is notorious for its spurious conspiracies which leads the neutral bystander to automatically call into question any shifty news articles that crop up. The "Jena 6" incident is one of those news items. The Jena 6 is the local name of a group of 6 individuals who were prosecuted to the full power of the law after supposedly attempting to murder a fellow, white, schoolmate. The case is documented in this video (take this with a pinch of salt - the hard facts are found here). With regard to this case, alongside my week's readings from African American authors, such as Lisa Delpit, Nathan McCall, and Shani Damila, I commented on the class discussion board: "[concerning airport security] Whether a white person or black person was wearing clothing commonly attributed to crime and violence, it would not make any difference (there is no suggestion of racial discrimination here - the girl who put her hand up in class today should have thought about this possibility). As we know, stereotypes are founded on fact, however absurd and extremetised. It is natural for people to make subconscious assumptions concerning people's dress for their own safety; if we associate a thick gold necklace with violence, we'll be afraid around that person. [...] With regard to this weeks readings, I felt the personal accounts were more concerned with endearing themselves to the sympathies of the reader, employing deliberately evocative examples, than portraying faithful accounts of their past experiences. Delpit encapsulated this feeling with her self-pitying, almost tearful, repetition of unique anomalies that were unidentifiable to the reader. I felt that this sense was further undercut by the suggestion that her experiences were exasperated and partially fabricated." I am continually being force-fed overblown, fantasised, exaggerated perspectives; so much so that I can no longer pick the relevant from the stupid. This is wholly depressing. I seem to use this blog as a vehicle for my angst. In related news, the Guardian online has some stereotype-dispelling facts for us.

HaHaHaHa

Say that again President Anagram...

The Informers again

Following on from my previous post regarding various celebrities signing up to this film, rumour has it that Winona Ryder has commited. I've liked Ryder as an actress after her poignant performance in Hollywood's adaptation of Arthur Miller's superb The Crucible alongside Daniel Day Lewis. The potential grows...

YouTube Thursday

My YouTube post this week comes inevitably from the comic cleverness (I'm very reluctant to use 'genius' at this moment in time), Limmy. This video is called Requiem, and this video is called Right-ta. That's all that need be said about these videos. Enjoy.

Round-update

Just as I thought there was nothing going on in the news this week (the McCann case has gone full circle), a few things have happened at once. Firstly, our beloved Mourinho has quit. It is a great loss to the eccentricities and humorous nuances of British Football. Having said that, no-one minds watching Chelsea lose, which seems a likely occurrence now that a joker has been appointed as full replacement. Another of my passions is music, specifically Radiohead - Thom Yorke has been nominated for an mtvU award for being a good guy with his climate opinions and stuff; their blog has restarted its daily updates, "Houdiau Direkton"; and council workers have been sacked for trawling eBay more frequently than not. Although this seems unrelated to Radiohead, it reminded me of the leagues of people who collect Radiohead releases. I got suckered in at one point and spent a healthy amount of time browsing eBay, with all its greatness, for mispressed CDs, Japanese releases, promo editions, etc. It is addictive, and there are websites dedicated to it. This is another example of the internet creating sub-communities and bringing people together in a way that disregards anonymous identities and faceless profiles. Hats off to it.

Race and Racism 3 - Native Americans

My race class this week pointed me towards stereotypes, false depictions, and misrepresentations throughout America regarding the Native American culture and history. Due to my education, I feel that I have developed an ability to analyse and criticize information laid before me. In the case of Native American representation, I believe we have a collective responsibility to teach and respect the history of the USA as it happened, rather than as we would want it to have happened. "As an author I try to correct the misconceptions and tell the truth about American Indians" - Marijo Moore. This statement encapsulates the psyche we should promote and support. We must appreciate that our levels of consciousness have risen and we no longer accept the history that was taught in schools; historians, philosophers and opinion leaders should hereby feel obliged to combat the archetypes wrongly instilled in our accumulative mindset. As Ralph and Natasha Friar claimed in ‘The Only Good Indian’: "Hollywood has continued to be a co-conspirator in committing cultural genocide by subverting the Native Americans' various ethnic identities". In my opinion, this claim cannot be wholly supported; rather, it is grounded on unique movie genres that portray Native Americans in a particular light, Western films, for example. (Your thoughts?) However, the overall presentation of Native Americans is unacceptable. We owe it not to the Native American people, but we owe it to ourselves to teach, and be taught, the accurate history of the United States.

Limmy

Taking inspiration from the highly successful Podcasts distributed by Ricky Gervais and co., Limmy (Brian Limond) has spawned an internet phenomenon. No-one thought it possible, but YouTube has finally brought us a genuinely funny nobody-come-icon. Shamelessly, it took a Guardian Unlimited article for me to come across this guy, but I'm sure glad I delved a little deeper. Browse his website yourself, particularly his video and blog sections. It does take a certain sense of humour, but it's not too much of a far cry to declare this man very funny indeed.

The Life of Pi - Yann Martel

I read this book over a year ago. For me, it didn't really live up to the expectations I had for it. After winning the Man Booker Prize in 2004, as well as my friends telling me "I had to read it", I thought it was going to be the next novel to influence my life. It wasn't. The conclusion was an anti-climax, it was confusing, and it was unbelievable. However, and this is a big however, news has just surfaced of a competition that was held for illustrators to interpret the text, and here is the winner. I thought at the time of reading this novel that it would benefit from pictoral support as it's a very vivid story. Not only does this add a much-needed dimension to the book, it also harnesses the images we, as readers, create in our head. The novel now becomes a coming together of the author's creativity, the reader's imagination, and the illustrator's interpretation. In my opinion, this makes the book worth reading.

Abercrombie and Racists

Now, firstly I should apologise for not posting for a few days; training has built up and, since I post mainly at night, I'm going to bed earlier (shock horror) and missing my opportunities. Having said that, a have been working periodically on a side project highlighting racial prejudice in today's society, particularly 'white privilege'. This post somewhat leads on from my previous ponderings on race. Abercrombie and Fitch have been the subject of suspicion and supposed subjugation. Rumours of racial discrimination on the shop floor and in their marketing campaigns are rife on the web. It didn't take much more than one Google search to find this site, dedicated to the prejudices they apparently harbour. And it doesn't take a doctorate to scratch your chin with reverence when you check the profiles of their new modelling recruits. OK, so you say they're a profit orientated company, they want to appeal to the largest possible target market (70% of the US population is white). However, because their influence stretches so far to the point of being able to orchestrate fashion, and because no direct competition exists for Abercrombie and Fitch (competition who employ ethnically diverse models), this demonstrates a perfect example of white privilege. Your thoughts, please.

EDIT: In related news ... this story links in quite nicely - anything to raise awareness.

9/11

So, on the 9th November 2001, all hell broke loose, and I am not going to add to the millions of column inches that have already been devoted to this tragic event. However, to mark its anniversary (strange word to use given its celebratory connotations), journalists have gone to town on terrorist philosophy. This one in particular caught my eye; Daniel Finkelstein uses the analogy of bribery (very Zeitgeist) to cleverly denote the very philosophy promoted by ally forces with regard to our "war on terror", as if terror were some identifiable nation.

The McCanns

Following on from my earlier post concerning the McCanns, has anyone else noticed the rift that appears to have developed between the couple - no longer taking photographs together, no longer addressing the media together. It wouldn't surprise me if this whole event has had a very negative effect on their relationship. What's more, Gerry McCann wrote on the findmadeleine.com blog that he has every confidence in his wife's innocence. That seems to me like a very strange thing to say, let alone contemplate. The file goes to a judge today who has ten days to come up with an appropriate ruling. Blind hypothesis #1: unbeknownst to Gerry, Kate accidentally killed their daughter and has attempted to cover it up. (Let's see how long it takes for someone to comment on that.) It all seems a tad coincidental; returning to England at the same time as they're declared suspects; a marital rift occurs just when the couple should be at their strongest - just as they "step down" their media campaign. As I said yesterday, time will tell. What a highly sceptical post this has turned out to be. Your thoughts, please.

Tea and snippets

As I sit with a thoroughly deserved cup of Tetley tea (a rarity in the US) I see the McCanns are in deep doo-doo; previously, the thought of that investigation coming to an end was laughable, now though, perhaps time will tell for the family. Also, Richard Dawkins reviews (at some length) Christopher Hitchens' God is not Great. As Dawkins quickly points out in this review, Christopher Hitchens presents any opponent with the daunting task of trying to counter whatever he says, and I've liked him for it. I've been quite forward with my atheism after reading The God Delusion, discovering arrows for my bow, so now I can see my next purchase formulating on the horizon.

Sweetenham departs at last

British Swimming's laborious figurehead, Bill Sweetenham, has resigned with immediate effect following a series of events in his private life. I have to say, I am neither saddened, nor contented by the Aussie's departure. He was the subject of misdirected accusations of bullying, and he came under some harsh criticism over the years, not only from Mark Foster, Britain's veteran sprinter, but from many senior ranks of British swimming. I've had long discussions with Mark about his life in and out of the sport, but I've also had long talks with Bill about his beliefs and ambitions for swimming in Britain; I can see both points of view. Both present philosophies. Both never contradicted one another. However, where they came to blows was on the issue of respect. Bill once told me: "reputation is what people think you are, character is what you know you are". I can't help but feel like he was talking to the wrong person. Mark needed support, belief, and respect from the sport's governing body. This is where Sweetenham falls short; by surrounding himself with yes-men and coaches who presented the stick in favour of the carrot, the limelight focussed on his alternative methods. See ya' later, Bill. An acquaintance of mine, Craig Lord, The Times' swimming correspondant has covered every matter in depth and I value his words; anything to boost the profile of this elite sport.