Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Come on, people: why was I not informed of this? I had to be told by a friend who doesn't even have a blog. Get it together.
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Tuesday, January 30, 2007
How would you respond to strong suggestions that a man was murdered in your restaurant?
If you didn't answer, "by boarding up the windows, painting on a James Bond bullet-hole background and leaving a self-serving message," then don't go applying to Itsu*.
Thankfully someone is taking the whole thing seriously.
* I didn't know it was founded by the Pret-a-Manger guy. That explains a lot.
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If you didn't answer, "by boarding up the windows, painting on a James Bond bullet-hole background and leaving a self-serving message," then don't go applying to Itsu*.
Thankfully someone is taking the whole thing seriously.
They were the best of the best of Russia’s special forces — and they were shooting at Alexander Litvinenko.
Images of elite Spetsnaz troops using pictures of the murdered former Russian spy for target practice prompted fresh accusations yesterday that the Kremlin was behind his killing.
* I didn't know it was founded by the Pret-a-Manger guy. That explains a lot.
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Monday, January 29, 2007
From this:
"LONDON (Reuters) - For Anglicans who still haven't found what they're looking for, the Church of England is staging its first "U2-charist" communion service -- replacing hymns with hit songs by the Irish supergroup."
Well, points for "U2-charist", but come now. When a church starts to stive for relevance it may as well throw in the chasuble. It is strongest outside of rationality or accessibility. Who wants a modern church? What's the point? King James bible and hymns, please.
A serious house on serious earth it is,
In whose blent air all our compulsions meet,
Are recognized, and robed as destinies.
And that much never can be obsolete,
Since someone will forever be surprising
A hunger in himself to be more serious,
And gravitating with it to this ground,
Which, he once heard, was proper to grow wise in,
If only that so many dead lie round.
Or go with Bono, if you prefer. It's not my church - do what you like.
You can push
But you can't direct it
Circulate, regulate, oh no
You cannot connect it
You know you're chewing bubblegum
You know what it is
But you still want some
'Cause you just can't get enough
Of that lovie dovie stuff
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"LONDON (Reuters) - For Anglicans who still haven't found what they're looking for, the Church of England is staging its first "U2-charist" communion service -- replacing hymns with hit songs by the Irish supergroup."
Well, points for "U2-charist", but come now. When a church starts to stive for relevance it may as well throw in the chasuble. It is strongest outside of rationality or accessibility. Who wants a modern church? What's the point? King James bible and hymns, please.
A serious house on serious earth it is,
In whose blent air all our compulsions meet,
Are recognized, and robed as destinies.
And that much never can be obsolete,
Since someone will forever be surprising
A hunger in himself to be more serious,
And gravitating with it to this ground,
Which, he once heard, was proper to grow wise in,
If only that so many dead lie round.
Or go with Bono, if you prefer. It's not my church - do what you like.
You can push
But you can't direct it
Circulate, regulate, oh no
You cannot connect it
You know you're chewing bubblegum
You know what it is
But you still want some
'Cause you just can't get enough
Of that lovie dovie stuff
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Friday, January 26, 2007
The nominees for 2007's "Most Inspiring Political Figure":
Aishah Azmi
Tony Blair
David Cameron
General Sir Richard Dannatt
Brian Haw
Archbishop of York
There's only one winner among this depressing jumble of the reactionary, religous and unhinged: I speak, of course, of our Prime Minister.
Imagine Jon Snow's face as he read out that result.
Brilliant.
Get voting.
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Aishah Azmi
Tony Blair
David Cameron
General Sir Richard Dannatt
Brian Haw
Archbishop of York
There's only one winner among this depressing jumble of the reactionary, religous and unhinged: I speak, of course, of our Prime Minister.
Imagine Jon Snow's face as he read out that result.
Brilliant.
Get voting.
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Thursday, January 25, 2007
Sunday, January 21, 2007
I was a little concerned that this year wouldn't turn out to be the year of go, so I've kept quiet about it. But TUPNews and I played this afternoon.
So there we are: 2007, the year of go.
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So there we are: 2007, the year of go.
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Thursday, January 18, 2007
Crow
Thinking about buying a stuffed crow.
We could sit around in a darkened room, the crow lit by flickering candles, and take turns to read bits from Ted Hughes's Crow.
And Crow retched again, before God could stop him.
And woman's vulva dropped over man's neck and tightened.
The two struggled together on the grass.
God struggled to part them, cursed, wept --
You in?
It'd be a laugh.
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Thinking about buying a stuffed crow.
We could sit around in a darkened room, the crow lit by flickering candles, and take turns to read bits from Ted Hughes's Crow.
And Crow retched again, before God could stop him.
And woman's vulva dropped over man's neck and tightened.
The two struggled together on the grass.
God struggled to part them, cursed, wept --
You in?
It'd be a laugh.
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Wednesday, January 17, 2007
A Preponderance of Bs
To save space I'm sticking all my CDs on my computer then shoving them in the cellar.
So many of them I never listen to, yet feel I should rip just in case e.g. four Velvet Underground albums. Four! Unbelievable.
One thing is becoming increasingly obvious - the number of bands which start with a B. Beatles, Beach Boys, Beastie Boys, Beta Band (!).
And it's not just bands.
Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Berlioz.
Bradman, Botham; Bobbys Charlton and Moore.
Blair, Bush and Brown.
Berlin and Barcelona.
Baltimore and Baton Rouge (if there's a better name for a city than that I haven't heard it).
The other Romantic poets get a bit of a kicking nowadays - Blake and Byron largely escape censure.
But one should beware the double B, too many plosives can be exhausting. Combined with the whipcrack "ck", Beckham was always going to be a star, but he needed the softening "David" for universal appeal. Bill Beckham would be king of the football pitch, but too masculine for his appeal to crossover. A double B is too powerful for most to bear: who but a Brian Blessed would have the vigour in his 60s to attempt an ascent of Everest? And wonderful as he is, Brian Blessed is better in small doses. Peter Parker is sinuous and will escape from danger. Bruce Banner will tear your bloody head off.
Also: Bobby Ball.
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To save space I'm sticking all my CDs on my computer then shoving them in the cellar.
So many of them I never listen to, yet feel I should rip just in case e.g. four Velvet Underground albums. Four! Unbelievable.
One thing is becoming increasingly obvious - the number of bands which start with a B. Beatles, Beach Boys, Beastie Boys, Beta Band (!).
And it's not just bands.
Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Berlioz.
Bradman, Botham; Bobbys Charlton and Moore.
Blair, Bush and Brown.
Berlin and Barcelona.
Baltimore and Baton Rouge (if there's a better name for a city than that I haven't heard it).
The other Romantic poets get a bit of a kicking nowadays - Blake and Byron largely escape censure.
But one should beware the double B, too many plosives can be exhausting. Combined with the whipcrack "ck", Beckham was always going to be a star, but he needed the softening "David" for universal appeal. Bill Beckham would be king of the football pitch, but too masculine for his appeal to crossover. A double B is too powerful for most to bear: who but a Brian Blessed would have the vigour in his 60s to attempt an ascent of Everest? And wonderful as he is, Brian Blessed is better in small doses. Peter Parker is sinuous and will escape from danger. Bruce Banner will tear your bloody head off.
Also: Bobby Ball.
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Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Man of the Year: Rip Torn
For being awesome; and for Larry Sanders - late, I know, but credit where it's due.
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For being awesome; and for Larry Sanders - late, I know, but credit where it's due.
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Monday, January 15, 2007
I've been invited to Facebook. Help me out here, people, what's it for?
Apart from to make me feel old, of course.
I looked at the wikipedia page, but I can't read more than a couple of lines of it before I zone out.
I deleted my myspace page the other week. I was suddenly disgusted with myself for having one: I'm more or less a grown man.
My life hasn't become noticeably less social.
"Social Networking sites" - any more useful than the Wild About Animals penpal pages?
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Apart from to make me feel old, of course.
I looked at the wikipedia page, but I can't read more than a couple of lines of it before I zone out.
I deleted my myspace page the other week. I was suddenly disgusted with myself for having one: I'm more or less a grown man.
My life hasn't become noticeably less social.
"Social Networking sites" - any more useful than the Wild About Animals penpal pages?
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News story of the year?
Now you tell me! This would have been a perfect thing to bring up with the Dupont family (really) in Nantes, in '93.
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On September 10 1956, Guy Mollet, the then French prime minister, came to London to discuss the possibility of a merger between the two countries with his British counterpart, Sir Anthony Eden, according to declassified papers from the National Archives, uncovered by the BBC.
Now you tell me! This would have been a perfect thing to bring up with the Dupont family (really) in Nantes, in '93.
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This is nauseating, right?
I don't know why I'm questioning myself. Of course it is.
Of course Hedgestock.
UPDATE! Actually, you know what? It's fine. Knock yourselves out, businessmen!
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I don't know why I'm questioning myself. Of course it is.
According to the organisers, those who took a week off Wall Street to reclaim youthful dreams said the experience had changed their lives. There is no record, however, of their families’ reactions as they watched the free DVD of their husbands and fathers rocking out. The corporatisation of rock has advanced in Britain with Hedgestock, a summer networking festival attended by 4,000 financiers at Knebworth House, headlined by The Who.
Of course Hedgestock.
UPDATE! Actually, you know what? It's fine. Knock yourselves out, businessmen!
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Friday, January 12, 2007
So soon after the iPhone, another news story for me to get excited about: Beckham to LA.
Beckham to LA!
Amazing. And mounting evidence that LA may be America's best city.
He always does this - for all the disappointments of the last few years, there's still that potential for the extraordinary and unexpected. I am entirely uncynical about Beckham: I love him. He's brilliant.
Chin chin, David!
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Beckham to LA!
Amazing. And mounting evidence that LA may be America's best city.
He always does this - for all the disappointments of the last few years, there's still that potential for the extraordinary and unexpected. I am entirely uncynical about Beckham: I love him. He's brilliant.
Chin chin, David!
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Thursday, January 11, 2007
Logos: Oil company special
Perhaps providing that most essential of products makes the logo-gods smile on the oil companies.
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Perhaps providing that most essential of products makes the logo-gods smile on the oil companies.
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Keeping it corporate, some logos I like, as mentioned in the comments. Feel free to suggest your own. Eventually I hope to make a Jah Jah Dub logo patchwork quilt.
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Wednesday, January 10, 2007
In the same way as one may (so I'm told) support a football team, among corporations I support Apple and Nintendo. Who do you support?
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Tuesday, January 09, 2007
You may have had this hyped to you already, but if not, I'm happy to be the first. Now you know I hate phones. You know I hate talking about phones... But have you seen the iPhone? Check out the demos.
Fuck me.
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Fuck me.
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Monday, January 08, 2007
2006 Disappointment of the Year: Marseille
I was really up for liking Marseille; I've planned to for years. Oh, such vibrancy! Ports are always the most exciting of towns!
But it was rainy, hassly, and a bank holiday, so everything was closed. And we had to wait for so long for bouillabaisse we only had five minutes to eat it.
Marseille: a dump, frankly
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I was really up for liking Marseille; I've planned to for years. Oh, such vibrancy! Ports are always the most exciting of towns!
But it was rainy, hassly, and a bank holiday, so everything was closed. And we had to wait for so long for bouillabaisse we only had five minutes to eat it.
Marseille: a dump, frankly
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Friday, January 05, 2007
Woman of the year 2006: Michelle Gomez
In Green Wing she gave the best comedy performance of the year. Yeah, I thought GW looked rubbish too, but it's actually pretty good*. Mark Heap was also excellent**.
* Yesterday's special was unwatchable. Don't watch it.
** This morning I found a file on my computer entitled, "podcast". It mainly consisted of me watching TV and talking about it. I don't remember doing it.
I say, "stop Mark Heap. Stop him!" a lot. Also, for some reason (an impression? a "character"?) I put on an Australian accent and say, "My favourite poet is Gerald Manley Hopkins".
Pretty sure I was drunk.
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In Green Wing she gave the best comedy performance of the year. Yeah, I thought GW looked rubbish too, but it's actually pretty good*. Mark Heap was also excellent**.
* Yesterday's special was unwatchable. Don't watch it.
** This morning I found a file on my computer entitled, "podcast". It mainly consisted of me watching TV and talking about it. I don't remember doing it.
I say, "stop Mark Heap. Stop him!" a lot. Also, for some reason (an impression? a "character"?) I put on an Australian accent and say, "My favourite poet is Gerald Manley Hopkins".
Pretty sure I was drunk.
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Thursday, January 04, 2007
London was nice a few days ago, before all the babies came back from their "parents". Solution to London-frustrations: half of y'all have to go live somewhere else.
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Celebrity Big Brother
Good to see the Times Big Brother blog is back up and running - the cognescenti's choice for news and opinion.
Obviously Ken Russell to win. If not, then Ian "H" H.
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Good to see the Times Big Brother blog is back up and running - the cognescenti's choice for news and opinion.
Obviously Ken Russell to win. If not, then Ian "H" H.
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Monday, January 01, 2007
A band has just marched past my office: they were playing "Play that funky music, whiteboy".
UPDATE! A "soundsystem" is now shaking our windows in their frames.
UPDATE! One is now playing "Ain't Seen Nothing Yet".
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UPDATE! A "soundsystem" is now shaking our windows in their frames.
UPDATE! One is now playing "Ain't Seen Nothing Yet".
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Man of the year 2006 - Sven Goran Erikson
Establishing trust and confidence between his players, Erikson managed to forge a team from a mediocre and individualistic bunch, taking them into the last 8 of the World Cup. This achievement looks even more impressive when you consider that this was the second successive time he accomplished the feat - with a quarter-final place in the European cup in between, just for good measure.
So here we are, the 22nd biggest country in the world, but the 8th best at football. Congratulations, Sven.
China, India, USA, Indonesia - must try harder.
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Establishing trust and confidence between his players, Erikson managed to forge a team from a mediocre and individualistic bunch, taking them into the last 8 of the World Cup. This achievement looks even more impressive when you consider that this was the second successive time he accomplished the feat - with a quarter-final place in the European cup in between, just for good measure.
So here we are, the 22nd biggest country in the world, but the 8th best at football. Congratulations, Sven.
China, India, USA, Indonesia - must try harder.
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