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.

Tonight I have nothing to say. This is my cannon, my means of expression. How can you miss this? Like a friend underground. Cut loose. A mother mourning a termination. A fun-size coffin. All her love goes with it, so lonely, asleep on a mound of earth, above the ground. Oh God I miss you. Dad, Dad. Rattling his keys. Mother, Mother. Stood facing the corner. Nobody hears them. Neighbour, Neighbour. Farewell. Oh God I miss you.

Race and Racism 2

In my "American Dream[sic]" class today we demonstrated classic American secularism. We shunned all other nations and the racial boundaries they have created. If this class were to develop a greater understanding of other peoples’ cultures, we would at least gain a sense of perspective with our own supposed racial boundaries. On the class message board I posted an example of Sunni and Shi’a Muslims at war in the Middle East over different interpretations of the Kuran, and how their prejudice towards each other has led to plotted suicide bombings and continued murder, etc. Imagine for one second, our prejudices in comparison to theirs – we may as well have none. Nevertheless, it would have been wrong of me to suggest that racism in America does not exist. Obviously, racism does not “help” anyone (as the professor was quick to sarcasticly point out in class) yet it exists for a number of reasons, one being, that it lends people a vehicle to carry their prejudices. Secondly, religious prejudice causes friction between cultures, as I have highlighted above (post-colonial thinking illuminates the progress that has been made in Western society). Moreover, cultures clash due to differences in commonly held beliefs and values. These factors dictate our racial prejudice, and they will go on dictating our racial prejudice no matter how dignified we are in suppressing our views.

Let's see what they make of that. Updates on the way.

YouTube Wednesday

What follows is a series of video clips to make you laugh whilst infusing you with a deep-seeded sense of depression, because, deep down, you know they shouldn't be laughed at; much like Johnny Vegas' stand-up act. First, I link to a video that caught my eye a while ago, and I'll say no more. Secondly, following the news of another health and safety palaver (depressing in itself), it didn't take me long to find this clip of a women tearing some shoes apart. Lastly, Bryan wants to refrain from posting this, and I'm always reluctant to reproduce other people's findings, yet this video deserves any accolade it receives. Watch with gaping mouths...

Cultural Contenders

Just a brief post today as I've got life to attend to, but while I do, the newspapers have gone on its routinely weekend culture binge and followed on from my earlier shout-out to Amy Winehouse with this (I seem to be very influential at the moment). Also, this somehow annoying article asks whether Britain can do epic films - well here is the next contender, based on the novel by the wonderful Ian McEwan; and guess what, they've dedicated a whole webpage to him too.

In the news today...

Britain's opportunistic government have placed as much emphasis on this as they can. The ever-eyebrow-raising Mr Portillo has this to say about immigration and the tories. It turns out that Arthur Miller wrote his best works after abandoning his son with Down's syndrome; notably, Death of a Salesman, with that curious father-son faith/guilt centerpiece. And, lastly, Bryan picks up where I left off with Diana's decade.

Typical Ignorance

Continuing my ongoing comment on the United States, today (Monday) marks the first holiday of the semester - Labour Day: celebrated annually on the first Monday of September. When I asked my peers what the occasion, or historical significance, was, they responded with a shrug. "You know, Labour day...no labour." After checking the phone lines, I found that it represents the Labour Union's wish to have a day of respite for the working man, originating from 1882. In related news; Americans' don't understand the words 'wanker', 'bollocks', and 'prick'. Use them to your advantage.