Hang down your head, Tom Dooley...
Okay, a link in some questionable taste since it involves and Asian-Australian who if facing being hung by the shiny little techno-dictatorship of Singapore. There hasn't been much coverage of this case in the British press - I only found out about it via my mate Adrock's delightfully outspoken blog. According to Amnesty the Singapore dictatorship has executed more than 400 people since 1991 (wow, it really must be a deterrent, eh?); given they has a tiny population of only 4.2 million this puts them into the shameful position of the highest execution rate per head of population in the world. I'm not making any excuses for Nguyen - he tried to smuggle heroin after all - but execution is wrong and it rarely stops crime (or they wouldn't need to keep executing so many people, would they?); as long as there are folk in vulnerable or desperate position there will always be folks who attempt stupid acts like being a drugs mule. Meantime the scumbags who run the drugs businesses sit in their mansions, utterly untouched by law enforcement; what do they care? Plenty more desperate folk to act as mules for them, while they stay safely out of harm's way... Adrock, himself a Singaporean living in Australia, has an interesting post over on Outrageous, Beautiful Misfit (Parental Advisory Warning!).
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Happy Saint Andrew's Day
Patron saint of Scotland, depiste never actually having been in Caledonia in his lifetime. Home-grown talent from these islands, such as Columba, must have thought they were a shoe-in for the top job but lost out to Andy - today politicians looking for easy popularity with the unthinking masses would no doubt make a song and dance about bloody immigrants taking our jobs...
Saint Andrew's Day is now marked by the First Minister of the Scottish parliament who rides a giant haggis down the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, throwing greasy Scotch pies and bottles of Irn Bru to the crowds. Tradition has it that if you are fortunate enough to catch some of this largesse you should take it home and, in the ancient Scottish manner, deep fry them and eat them. You should then experience a vision of Saint Coronary, another important Scots saint. The former head of the Scottish Conservatives was supposed to follow on another haggis, but he was forced to resign after attempting to claim travel by haggis as parliamentary expenses when using it for his own purposes (sorry, that won't mean a thing to anyone who hasn't been following Scottish politics).
And to mark Saint Andrew's Day I visited the very nifty Poetry Archive and had a listen to my favourite living Scottish poet, the wonderful Edwin Morgan (the first National Makar - that's Poet Laureate to non Scots). It's a lovely site with a very good range of wordspinners on it. I like good poetry; I love prose but there are some ideas, feelings and events which poetry can suggest in a way prose cannot (although sometimes very moving prose becomes almost like poetry). Poetry is to literature as jazz is to music; it can be fast or slow, playful or mournful, reflective or full of light but always different. And the best way to hear it is from the lips of the bard - as you can do on the Poetry Archive.
Patron saint of Scotland, depiste never actually having been in Caledonia in his lifetime. Home-grown talent from these islands, such as Columba, must have thought they were a shoe-in for the top job but lost out to Andy - today politicians looking for easy popularity with the unthinking masses would no doubt make a song and dance about bloody immigrants taking our jobs...
Saint Andrew's Day is now marked by the First Minister of the Scottish parliament who rides a giant haggis down the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, throwing greasy Scotch pies and bottles of Irn Bru to the crowds. Tradition has it that if you are fortunate enough to catch some of this largesse you should take it home and, in the ancient Scottish manner, deep fry them and eat them. You should then experience a vision of Saint Coronary, another important Scots saint. The former head of the Scottish Conservatives was supposed to follow on another haggis, but he was forced to resign after attempting to claim travel by haggis as parliamentary expenses when using it for his own purposes (sorry, that won't mean a thing to anyone who hasn't been following Scottish politics).
And to mark Saint Andrew's Day I visited the very nifty Poetry Archive and had a listen to my favourite living Scottish poet, the wonderful Edwin Morgan (the first National Makar - that's Poet Laureate to non Scots). It's a lovely site with a very good range of wordspinners on it. I like good poetry; I love prose but there are some ideas, feelings and events which poetry can suggest in a way prose cannot (although sometimes very moving prose becomes almost like poetry). Poetry is to literature as jazz is to music; it can be fast or slow, playful or mournful, reflective or full of light but always different. And the best way to hear it is from the lips of the bard - as you can do on the Poetry Archive.
Monday, November 28, 2005
Cycle dog
Coming out of the dark winter night I saw something a bit unusual on the road. I could see two small headlamps, but not far enough apart to be on a car but too far apart to be on a motorbike. As I get closer I can see a figure behind the lights - looks like a cyclist... Gets a little closer and passes under a streetlight and I see what it actually was: a cyclist and his dog out for an evening ride! The bicycle had some sort of metal cage for the dog mounted over two wheels at the front of the bike, complete with headlamps. The dog looked quite content; mind you he wasn't the one who was having to pedal them both uphill. The nearest I ever got was back in my student days when Zag used to wait for me to cycle home and run alongside my bike; a few times he bounded over and leapt on the pannier with a mighty mieow to ride down the street with me.
Coming out of the dark winter night I saw something a bit unusual on the road. I could see two small headlamps, but not far enough apart to be on a car but too far apart to be on a motorbike. As I get closer I can see a figure behind the lights - looks like a cyclist... Gets a little closer and passes under a streetlight and I see what it actually was: a cyclist and his dog out for an evening ride! The bicycle had some sort of metal cage for the dog mounted over two wheels at the front of the bike, complete with headlamps. The dog looked quite content; mind you he wasn't the one who was having to pedal them both uphill. The nearest I ever got was back in my student days when Zag used to wait for me to cycle home and run alongside my bike; a few times he bounded over and leapt on the pannier with a mighty mieow to ride down the street with me.
Wottakers
The Observer has an interesting bit on the attempted anschluss by my former employers on Ottakar's as it enters the final week: the OFT should make a decision by the end of this week according to this article. It has been pretty hard to hear anyone defend this move outside of LiquidBricks - publishers large and small, authors new and bestselling, wholesalers, literary critics, reviewers and readers have all objected in the strongest terms. Personally I think it would be a very bad move for readers, authors and publishers in the UK and potentially disastrous in Scotland where any merged group would have a strangehold.
In the article my old employer protests that they are "not a one-size-fits-all retailer,Each of our bookshops has its own unique range profile and each branch also has space at the front of store to promote a choice of books picked by that branch." Well, that is not the way I saw the company latterly - it is the way I saw it when first started there, but in my opinion range has suffered enormously at the hands of centralised buying and planning while the section management at local level by expert booksellers is something which has been almost extinguished. And no, that's not just sour grapes, it is something I felt for a good long while and remarked upon many times. I've also had first hand knowledge from some smaller publishers who I always supported who have told me how much harder the company has made it for them.
I understand some centralisation for national promotions and buying strategies but over-centralisation turns a bookstore into a supermarket and destroys the idea of specialist, expert booksellers (which doesn't exactly boost staff morale either) and makes the bookstore less attractive to heaby readers. Since those smaller publishers (some Scottish and some from elsewhere) all sold very well in the branch I worked in it is also short-sighted not to support them; it is a relatively small investment in time and resources at local level and it can pay dividends in both sales and enhancing the reputation of the business locally; not doing so can harm your reputation (you don't want to see papers running stories saying you don't support local writers). Ditto on the author events programmes - something Ottakars does very well but at LiquidBricks is a shadow of the programme it used to be.
A friend who no longer works for the company once told me she attended a meeting at head office to discuss children's books for Book of the Month and other campaigns. She endured half an hour of talk of 'units' and 'turnover' and 'market placement' before commenting she thought she was there to talk about choosing the next lot of Children's Books of the Month and to her horror they said 'we are'. This is when she suspected that perhaps the love of good books was no longer central to the bookselling strategy... Personally it still makes me shiver to realise that to some professional marketing person a book is simply a 'unit' to be merchandised... However I also have to say the head buyer they singled out in the article, Scott Pack, I always found to be open to suggestions whenever I emailed any to him or his his team, so maybe not fair for them to try and pin so much blame on him in the article. Still, all said, I still think this takeover would be a very bad deal all round.
The Observer has an interesting bit on the attempted anschluss by my former employers on Ottakar's as it enters the final week: the OFT should make a decision by the end of this week according to this article. It has been pretty hard to hear anyone defend this move outside of LiquidBricks - publishers large and small, authors new and bestselling, wholesalers, literary critics, reviewers and readers have all objected in the strongest terms. Personally I think it would be a very bad move for readers, authors and publishers in the UK and potentially disastrous in Scotland where any merged group would have a strangehold.
In the article my old employer protests that they are "not a one-size-fits-all retailer,Each of our bookshops has its own unique range profile and each branch also has space at the front of store to promote a choice of books picked by that branch." Well, that is not the way I saw the company latterly - it is the way I saw it when first started there, but in my opinion range has suffered enormously at the hands of centralised buying and planning while the section management at local level by expert booksellers is something which has been almost extinguished. And no, that's not just sour grapes, it is something I felt for a good long while and remarked upon many times. I've also had first hand knowledge from some smaller publishers who I always supported who have told me how much harder the company has made it for them.
I understand some centralisation for national promotions and buying strategies but over-centralisation turns a bookstore into a supermarket and destroys the idea of specialist, expert booksellers (which doesn't exactly boost staff morale either) and makes the bookstore less attractive to heaby readers. Since those smaller publishers (some Scottish and some from elsewhere) all sold very well in the branch I worked in it is also short-sighted not to support them; it is a relatively small investment in time and resources at local level and it can pay dividends in both sales and enhancing the reputation of the business locally; not doing so can harm your reputation (you don't want to see papers running stories saying you don't support local writers). Ditto on the author events programmes - something Ottakars does very well but at LiquidBricks is a shadow of the programme it used to be.
A friend who no longer works for the company once told me she attended a meeting at head office to discuss children's books for Book of the Month and other campaigns. She endured half an hour of talk of 'units' and 'turnover' and 'market placement' before commenting she thought she was there to talk about choosing the next lot of Children's Books of the Month and to her horror they said 'we are'. This is when she suspected that perhaps the love of good books was no longer central to the bookselling strategy... Personally it still makes me shiver to realise that to some professional marketing person a book is simply a 'unit' to be merchandised... However I also have to say the head buyer they singled out in the article, Scott Pack, I always found to be open to suggestions whenever I emailed any to him or his his team, so maybe not fair for them to try and pin so much blame on him in the article. Still, all said, I still think this takeover would be a very bad deal all round.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Mad, bad...
... And dangerous to know. Nope, not my fellow clansman Byron, but an earlier bard who enjoy more than his share of drink and women, the Restoration Rake, John Wilmot, better known as the second Earl Rochester. Caught the Libertine the other night, with Johnny Depp and his cheekbones as Rochester, Rosamunde Pike as his wife and the wonderfully pixie-like beauty of Samantha Morton. It was a very odd film, detailing a chunk of Rochester's brief life (ending with a painful, syphilitic condition at the age of 33) and the Restoration court of Charles II (played by the always wonderful John Malkovich in a clear nod to his earlier film Dangerous Liasons). I've always found Rochester to be a fascinating character, so although the film wasn't brilliant I enjoyed it.
He's one of those figures who can be both inspiring and damned annoying, moving from elegant poetry showcasing his wit and intellect to a vulgar pornographic (but fun) output and a love of self-destruction. All in all he'd have made a fabulous rock star; goes to show there really isn't anything new under the sun and the excess of Ozzy or Motley Crue on the road has all be done before. Mel hated the film though - even Johnny's cheekbones weren't enough to rescue it for her. There's a good website on Rochester here.
... And dangerous to know. Nope, not my fellow clansman Byron, but an earlier bard who enjoy more than his share of drink and women, the Restoration Rake, John Wilmot, better known as the second Earl Rochester. Caught the Libertine the other night, with Johnny Depp and his cheekbones as Rochester, Rosamunde Pike as his wife and the wonderfully pixie-like beauty of Samantha Morton. It was a very odd film, detailing a chunk of Rochester's brief life (ending with a painful, syphilitic condition at the age of 33) and the Restoration court of Charles II (played by the always wonderful John Malkovich in a clear nod to his earlier film Dangerous Liasons). I've always found Rochester to be a fascinating character, so although the film wasn't brilliant I enjoyed it.
He's one of those figures who can be both inspiring and damned annoying, moving from elegant poetry showcasing his wit and intellect to a vulgar pornographic (but fun) output and a love of self-destruction. All in all he'd have made a fabulous rock star; goes to show there really isn't anything new under the sun and the excess of Ozzy or Motley Crue on the road has all be done before. Mel hated the film though - even Johnny's cheekbones weren't enough to rescue it for her. There's a good website on Rochester here.
All my past life is mine no more,
The flying hours are gone,
Like transitory dreams given o'er,
Whose images are kept in store
By memory alone.
What ever is to come is not,
How can it then be mine?
The present moment's all my lot,
And that as fast as it is got,
Phyllis, is wholly thine.
Then talk not of inconstancy,
False hearts, and broken vows,
Ii, by miracle, can be,
This live-long minute true to thee,
'Tis all that heaven allows.
All My Past Life, Lord Rochester.
Top Secret
The latest story to emerge in the sorry tale of the White House and Downing Street's joint cover-up of an (alleged) is that the document covering Blair talking Bush out of bombing Arabic broadcaster al-Jazeera is that there is no such document. And there aren't two men facing court charges under the Official Secrets Act because, of course, the secret document they leaked doesn't exist. And it isn't just an attempt by Downing Street to protect the reputation of George Bush according to Attorney General Goldsmith, it's about the rule of law. And obviously we can completely trust Goldmsith's word on this because as we know from his rulings on the legality of the war he is completely above and beyond political pressure and interference in his legal interpretations.
Then again, cynics may say the janitor as Goldsmith's College has a more reliable opinion on legal matters... Besides the latest rumour of this non-existent document is that Bush didn't try to bomb al-Jazeera only to be persuaded by Tony that it wasn't the best idea. Actually, with his less than comprehensive grasp of world events Bush apparently called for the bombing of Al Bundy because he saw Married With Children as undermining the sacred values of the all-American Christian family lifestyle. However, Blair's son Euan is a big fan of the show and begged his father to persuade his chum George to desist.
Some right-wing talk radio pundits in the US have said that bombing media centres would not violate the US constitution since they would not attempt to censor any broadcast or freedom of speech and the Constitution says nothing about bombing buggery out of journalists. Impeding their freedom of speech would be illegal, one commentator said, but blowing the crap outta them is perfectly legal.
On a more serious note, how the hell can you legally take people to court for breaching the Official Secrets Act over a document that yu say doesn't exist? And how scary is it that the events we have seen in the last few years have been Bush with whatever small restraint Blair can bring to bear on him? What the hell would he be like without Tony's influence???
The latest story to emerge in the sorry tale of the White House and Downing Street's joint cover-up of an (alleged) is that the document covering Blair talking Bush out of bombing Arabic broadcaster al-Jazeera is that there is no such document. And there aren't two men facing court charges under the Official Secrets Act because, of course, the secret document they leaked doesn't exist. And it isn't just an attempt by Downing Street to protect the reputation of George Bush according to Attorney General Goldsmith, it's about the rule of law. And obviously we can completely trust Goldmsith's word on this because as we know from his rulings on the legality of the war he is completely above and beyond political pressure and interference in his legal interpretations.
Then again, cynics may say the janitor as Goldsmith's College has a more reliable opinion on legal matters... Besides the latest rumour of this non-existent document is that Bush didn't try to bomb al-Jazeera only to be persuaded by Tony that it wasn't the best idea. Actually, with his less than comprehensive grasp of world events Bush apparently called for the bombing of Al Bundy because he saw Married With Children as undermining the sacred values of the all-American Christian family lifestyle. However, Blair's son Euan is a big fan of the show and begged his father to persuade his chum George to desist.
Some right-wing talk radio pundits in the US have said that bombing media centres would not violate the US constitution since they would not attempt to censor any broadcast or freedom of speech and the Constitution says nothing about bombing buggery out of journalists. Impeding their freedom of speech would be illegal, one commentator said, but blowing the crap outta them is perfectly legal.
On a more serious note, how the hell can you legally take people to court for breaching the Official Secrets Act over a document that yu say doesn't exist? And how scary is it that the events we have seen in the last few years have been Bush with whatever small restraint Blair can bring to bear on him? What the hell would he be like without Tony's influence???
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Belle & Sebastian comics!
Glasgow Indy band, Belle & Sebastian, have their own graphic novel anthology coming out from Image Comics in February 2006 (Put the Book Back on the Shelf), just as their new album and UK tour happen. Groovy! Certainly one of the more unusual graphic novels I've added to the FPI site this week, but hey, if Kiss, Alice Cooper and 50 Cent can have their own comics, why not Glasgow's cool indy princes?
Glasgow Indy band, Belle & Sebastian, have their own graphic novel anthology coming out from Image Comics in February 2006 (Put the Book Back on the Shelf), just as their new album and UK tour happen. Groovy! Certainly one of the more unusual graphic novels I've added to the FPI site this week, but hey, if Kiss, Alice Cooper and 50 Cent can have their own comics, why not Glasgow's cool indy princes?
Monday, November 21, 2005
Sharon parties on down
Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister, shocked Israel by quitting his right-wing Likud Party to form his very own party. What brought on this sudden change? "I have been in the party political system for many years," explained the roly-poly politico, "And as I was down on the coast recently with my family, watching my nephews and nieces dancing on the beach it struck me: in all those decades I had adhered to the political side but not the party side." He shook his large head, his jowls wobbling sadly as he did. "I just never partied - no-one on Likud ever did, they are a bunch of miserable old bastards. Well, its never too late and you're never too old, so from now on I will be Ariel Sharon, Party Animal! Part on, dudes!"
Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister, shocked Israel by quitting his right-wing Likud Party to form his very own party. What brought on this sudden change? "I have been in the party political system for many years," explained the roly-poly politico, "And as I was down on the coast recently with my family, watching my nephews and nieces dancing on the beach it struck me: in all those decades I had adhered to the political side but not the party side." He shook his large head, his jowls wobbling sadly as he did. "I just never partied - no-one on Likud ever did, they are a bunch of miserable old bastards. Well, its never too late and you're never too old, so from now on I will be Ariel Sharon, Party Animal! Part on, dudes!"
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Cameo role
I've been seriously worried by some local news stories here in sunny Edinburgh recently about the wonderful Cameo cinema, which the current owners are considering selling parts of - notably the main auditorium. There have been stories about a proposed 'superbar' in Cameo 1's graceful environs (like Edinburgh city centre really needs another bar) and counter stories that some films will still be projected there but with only a few seats.
The Cameo is an Edinburgh institution; a beautiful, friendly cinema showing a good mix of alternative, cult and world cinema with a terrific bar (and a licensed auditorium so you can take your drink in with you to the screening!) and a major component of the Edinburgh International Film Festival (Tarantino claims it as one of his favourite cinemas in the world and I seem to recall it is where a small, relatively unknown film called Reservoir Dogs was shown to packed Film Fest goers).
I've spent many a happy time in the Cameo; I've danced in the aisle at midnight showings of the Rocky Horror Show, laughed as fans turned up for a double-screening of surf movies Big Wednesday and Point Break in wetsuits, blond wigs and carrying ironing boards (the Cameo crew rewarded them with lots of free popcorn). I've watched big international hits like Pulp Fiction there and tiny independents like Primer; I've watched films in lord knows how many languages there and chatted with first-time directors in the lovely bar after Film Fest screenings. With good student discounts and the club card the Cameo, along with the nearby Filmhouse, was one of my second homes during my college days.
It is one of the most comfortable and welcoming cinemas I've ever been into and Cameo 1, the main screen, is gorgeous and a venue beloved not only by our city's many film fans but by the thousands who come for the Festival too, so this is not just a local story. I really can't undesrstand why the current owners are being so damned stupid. My chum Claudia pointed me to a site set up to campaign for the Cameo - it has the full story and also a petition you can sign to help save this wonderful emporium of the moving image. For those of you who have loved the Cameo I'd urge you to visit the site and sign the petition - December 9th is the deadline for objections, so act now.
I've been seriously worried by some local news stories here in sunny Edinburgh recently about the wonderful Cameo cinema, which the current owners are considering selling parts of - notably the main auditorium. There have been stories about a proposed 'superbar' in Cameo 1's graceful environs (like Edinburgh city centre really needs another bar) and counter stories that some films will still be projected there but with only a few seats.
The Cameo is an Edinburgh institution; a beautiful, friendly cinema showing a good mix of alternative, cult and world cinema with a terrific bar (and a licensed auditorium so you can take your drink in with you to the screening!) and a major component of the Edinburgh International Film Festival (Tarantino claims it as one of his favourite cinemas in the world and I seem to recall it is where a small, relatively unknown film called Reservoir Dogs was shown to packed Film Fest goers).
I've spent many a happy time in the Cameo; I've danced in the aisle at midnight showings of the Rocky Horror Show, laughed as fans turned up for a double-screening of surf movies Big Wednesday and Point Break in wetsuits, blond wigs and carrying ironing boards (the Cameo crew rewarded them with lots of free popcorn). I've watched big international hits like Pulp Fiction there and tiny independents like Primer; I've watched films in lord knows how many languages there and chatted with first-time directors in the lovely bar after Film Fest screenings. With good student discounts and the club card the Cameo, along with the nearby Filmhouse, was one of my second homes during my college days.
It is one of the most comfortable and welcoming cinemas I've ever been into and Cameo 1, the main screen, is gorgeous and a venue beloved not only by our city's many film fans but by the thousands who come for the Festival too, so this is not just a local story. I really can't undesrstand why the current owners are being so damned stupid. My chum Claudia pointed me to a site set up to campaign for the Cameo - it has the full story and also a petition you can sign to help save this wonderful emporium of the moving image. For those of you who have loved the Cameo I'd urge you to visit the site and sign the petition - December 9th is the deadline for objections, so act now.
Prescott
This spat between senior ministers and the former British ambassador to the US, Sir Christopher Meyer, continues to be highly amusing. Deputy PM (let's be honest, a title utterly meaningless in British politics) John 'Two Jags' Prescott has a go at him in the press and joins his colleague Jack 'Used to be a Marxist now wear Jackboots' Straw in demanding he resign from his position on the Press Complaints Commission. Has Meyer done anything in his position at the PCC? Nope - but his new tell-all book about his time as ambassador to the US during the run up to the Iraq war has been rubbing Blair's team up the wrong way.
Prescott comes off especially badly - portrayed as an ignorant fool, full of his own self importance and determined to be involved (to show being deputy PM really means something, honest). Alas he ends up talking to senior Washington figures about the war in the Balklands... As thick mentally as his waist is physically... Of course, this isn't a personal issue for Prescott... Heaven forbid anyone should tell the public what our esteemed representatives get up to behind closed doors... Blair's cronies seem to be remarkably sensitive to any criticism, which is odd because life in public such as that of a senior politician should require a thick skin and the common sense to be able to ignore or laugh off some attacks instead of fuelling media coverage by vindictive counter-attacks.
Prescott, the great Brontosaurus of the Labour Party (but without the charm, grace or intellect of that creature) seems especially sensitive - witness not just his fisticuffs (great example for a government committed to stamping out violent yobbish behaviour!) but his virulent attacks on journalists over the two Jaguars story.
This spat between senior ministers and the former British ambassador to the US, Sir Christopher Meyer, continues to be highly amusing. Deputy PM (let's be honest, a title utterly meaningless in British politics) John 'Two Jags' Prescott has a go at him in the press and joins his colleague Jack 'Used to be a Marxist now wear Jackboots' Straw in demanding he resign from his position on the Press Complaints Commission. Has Meyer done anything in his position at the PCC? Nope - but his new tell-all book about his time as ambassador to the US during the run up to the Iraq war has been rubbing Blair's team up the wrong way.
Prescott comes off especially badly - portrayed as an ignorant fool, full of his own self importance and determined to be involved (to show being deputy PM really means something, honest). Alas he ends up talking to senior Washington figures about the war in the Balklands... As thick mentally as his waist is physically... Of course, this isn't a personal issue for Prescott... Heaven forbid anyone should tell the public what our esteemed representatives get up to behind closed doors... Blair's cronies seem to be remarkably sensitive to any criticism, which is odd because life in public such as that of a senior politician should require a thick skin and the common sense to be able to ignore or laugh off some attacks instead of fuelling media coverage by vindictive counter-attacks.
Prescott, the great Brontosaurus of the Labour Party (but without the charm, grace or intellect of that creature) seems especially sensitive - witness not just his fisticuffs (great example for a government committed to stamping out violent yobbish behaviour!) but his virulent attacks on journalists over the two Jaguars story.
Nuremberg
Today marks the 60th anniversary of the commencement of the Nuremberg trials, where the surviving leaders of Nazi Germany were brought before a court which gave the world a new term: crimes against humanity. Just another historical anniversary? Far from it; all of our collective history is relevant - events from 60 years ago influence and shape our present just as events 600 years ago. History is far from a purely academic interest, it is the mould of our current world and a lack of awareness of our history denies us the means to understand and thus alter that mould to a new and better design.
The Nuremberg trials set the basis for later international law and set leaders on notice that they could be held to account for their actions in a world court - as old Slobby is at the moment ('ethnic cleansing' - a hideous case of history repeating itself if ever there was). Unfortunately it is unlikely we will see all of those who use their power and position unwisely - will we see Mugabe in the Hague? Blair? Bush? The leaders of the insurgency in Iraq who murdered dozens of Muslims at prayer on Friday? As with the supposedly impartial law of our own land those with influence and connections can and often do manage to circumvent the legal consequences to their actions. Nonetheless, the principal is a good one and we ignore it and the lessons of history at our peril.
On which subject I was watching the documentary series The West (from the producers of the excellent Civil War series, which drew largely on the work of the wonderful Shelby Foote) and once again was struck with how patterns repeat in history, usually to our shame. This episode dealt with Custer's arrogant downfall at the Little Bighorn, the forcible taking of the sacred Black Hills by the US government after promises not to and the flight of the Lakota and the Nez Perce. Legendary names abound in this episode - Sherman, Custer, Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull - but the one thing which stared me in the face from over a century ago was the blind arrogance and greed of a larger power which would make many indications of friendship and peace then break their word and commit any and all forms of brutal act on warriors and civilians alike when they saw land and resources they coveted. Be it minerals in the Black Hills or the black gold of oil in the deserts of Iraq, it seems we are doomed to repeat some patterns as long as those with weak morals and no grasp of history are allowed to rule.
All the more important then, I think, that the rest of us learn and debate these events, historical and contemporary. Perhaps it will only be some of us talking online, but as long as some think about it and discuss it we serve notice that we refuse to be comlicit in these events and that we are watching what they do. And who knows, perhaps one day the people who commit such atrocities, dressing them up in lies and broken promises, will have to answer to us. Last week we commemerated the fallen of previous wars and the phrase 'lest we forget' was repeated, almost as a litany; this is a good phrase and one we should and must apply not only to those who fell to protect us but to those who would abuse that sacrifice to further their own selfish ends, dressing it in a rhetoric of lies.
"Good words do not last long unless they amount to something. Words do not pay for my dead people. They do not pay for my country, now overrun by white men. They do not protect my father’s grave. They do not pay for all my horses and cattle.
Today marks the 60th anniversary of the commencement of the Nuremberg trials, where the surviving leaders of Nazi Germany were brought before a court which gave the world a new term: crimes against humanity. Just another historical anniversary? Far from it; all of our collective history is relevant - events from 60 years ago influence and shape our present just as events 600 years ago. History is far from a purely academic interest, it is the mould of our current world and a lack of awareness of our history denies us the means to understand and thus alter that mould to a new and better design.
The Nuremberg trials set the basis for later international law and set leaders on notice that they could be held to account for their actions in a world court - as old Slobby is at the moment ('ethnic cleansing' - a hideous case of history repeating itself if ever there was). Unfortunately it is unlikely we will see all of those who use their power and position unwisely - will we see Mugabe in the Hague? Blair? Bush? The leaders of the insurgency in Iraq who murdered dozens of Muslims at prayer on Friday? As with the supposedly impartial law of our own land those with influence and connections can and often do manage to circumvent the legal consequences to their actions. Nonetheless, the principal is a good one and we ignore it and the lessons of history at our peril.
On which subject I was watching the documentary series The West (from the producers of the excellent Civil War series, which drew largely on the work of the wonderful Shelby Foote) and once again was struck with how patterns repeat in history, usually to our shame. This episode dealt with Custer's arrogant downfall at the Little Bighorn, the forcible taking of the sacred Black Hills by the US government after promises not to and the flight of the Lakota and the Nez Perce. Legendary names abound in this episode - Sherman, Custer, Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull - but the one thing which stared me in the face from over a century ago was the blind arrogance and greed of a larger power which would make many indications of friendship and peace then break their word and commit any and all forms of brutal act on warriors and civilians alike when they saw land and resources they coveted. Be it minerals in the Black Hills or the black gold of oil in the deserts of Iraq, it seems we are doomed to repeat some patterns as long as those with weak morals and no grasp of history are allowed to rule.
All the more important then, I think, that the rest of us learn and debate these events, historical and contemporary. Perhaps it will only be some of us talking online, but as long as some think about it and discuss it we serve notice that we refuse to be comlicit in these events and that we are watching what they do. And who knows, perhaps one day the people who commit such atrocities, dressing them up in lies and broken promises, will have to answer to us. Last week we commemerated the fallen of previous wars and the phrase 'lest we forget' was repeated, almost as a litany; this is a good phrase and one we should and must apply not only to those who fell to protect us but to those who would abuse that sacrifice to further their own selfish ends, dressing it in a rhetoric of lies.
"Good words do not last long unless they amount to something. Words do not pay for my dead people. They do not pay for my country, now overrun by white men. They do not protect my father’s grave. They do not pay for all my horses and cattle.
Good words cannot give me back my children. Good words will not give my people good health and stop them from dying. Good words will not get my people a home where they can live in peace and take care of themselves."
In-mut-too-yah-lat-lat (Thunder coming up over the land from the water), better known to us as Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce, talking of the plight of his people, but it can all to easily be applied to current events. There is a commendable and concise overview of the chief by Jennifer Beck on this site.
Ticonderoga
Is it strange to dream about the battle of Ticonderoga (the 1777 battle; there were numerous fights at this fort)? Is it strange to dream about that battle enacted entirely with penguins? Emperor penguins in red coats playing the Imperial British forces and Rockhopper penguins standing in for the American revolutionaries? Ah well, who wants boring dreams?
Is it strange to dream about the battle of Ticonderoga (the 1777 battle; there were numerous fights at this fort)? Is it strange to dream about that battle enacted entirely with penguins? Emperor penguins in red coats playing the Imperial British forces and Rockhopper penguins standing in for the American revolutionaries? Ah well, who wants boring dreams?
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Behind the scenes at the museum
There must have been something on at the Museum of Scotland this evening - it was all floodlit like this on the way home from work and a gaggle of outside broadcast vehicles were parked outside. Incidentally, these snaps were taken around the same time of evening as I finished work as those rosy sunset photos of the Castle I posted a few weeks ago. What a difference a couple of weeks and the return to GMT make; it's now pretty dark here by 4 in the afternoon and very chilly. You can feel the sharp, cold air tightening your cheeks as you step outside (who needs plastic surgery for a lift? Stand out in the Scottish winter air for ten minutes!); by the time you get home your cheeks are as rosy as a basket of fresh apples.
In the morning the sun is very low in the sky and seems to rise from behind Castle Ridge; very dramatic - the ever-changing play of sun and shadow every morning is like a combination of a Turner landscape and a Colourist painting. Tonight the sky was very clear and a huge full moon hung over the city; even Mars was clearly visible, twinkling a pinkish-red. I thought for a moment I saw a green flare from Mars; it may be an invasion of tripods or it may have been the green man on the pelican crossing on the edge of my peripheral vision. With nice timing I'm just finishing off Fool Moon by Jim Butcher in which Chicago PI/wizard Harry Dresden is investigating, yup, you guessed it, werewolves. "Werewolf? There wolf; there castle." (name that film!).
You need the fire on now, you need to swap to your chunky boots and try and recall where you put your gloves several months ago, air out your big, heavy coat - yes, it is winter in Scotland. Tonight the full moon reflected in broken ice sheets on puddles and oh, how warm and welcoming every pub looks in the cold, dark night (which is of course why we have so many of them, it's not just because we're boozehounds).
There must have been something on at the Museum of Scotland this evening - it was all floodlit like this on the way home from work and a gaggle of outside broadcast vehicles were parked outside. Incidentally, these snaps were taken around the same time of evening as I finished work as those rosy sunset photos of the Castle I posted a few weeks ago. What a difference a couple of weeks and the return to GMT make; it's now pretty dark here by 4 in the afternoon and very chilly. You can feel the sharp, cold air tightening your cheeks as you step outside (who needs plastic surgery for a lift? Stand out in the Scottish winter air for ten minutes!); by the time you get home your cheeks are as rosy as a basket of fresh apples.
In the morning the sun is very low in the sky and seems to rise from behind Castle Ridge; very dramatic - the ever-changing play of sun and shadow every morning is like a combination of a Turner landscape and a Colourist painting. Tonight the sky was very clear and a huge full moon hung over the city; even Mars was clearly visible, twinkling a pinkish-red. I thought for a moment I saw a green flare from Mars; it may be an invasion of tripods or it may have been the green man on the pelican crossing on the edge of my peripheral vision. With nice timing I'm just finishing off Fool Moon by Jim Butcher in which Chicago PI/wizard Harry Dresden is investigating, yup, you guessed it, werewolves. "Werewolf? There wolf; there castle." (name that film!).
You need the fire on now, you need to swap to your chunky boots and try and recall where you put your gloves several months ago, air out your big, heavy coat - yes, it is winter in Scotland. Tonight the full moon reflected in broken ice sheets on puddles and oh, how warm and welcoming every pub looks in the cold, dark night (which is of course why we have so many of them, it's not just because we're boozehounds).
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Scary pics
You want to see something truly scary? This is an image from the 1984 yearbook at my school showcasing the leading lights - should that be LEDs perhaps? - of the (then new) Computer Club. The bright-eyed young chap on the left rear has recently captained the Academy's first ever team in an inter-school computer quiz and beat the opposing team captain in a sudden death playoff, so you see it wasn't just playing Manic Miner and Elite, although I bet I could have kicked hs butt at those too. Yes, that gurning grin belongs to me. Bloody scary isn't it? Go on, you all have a good laugh, I don't mind; just remember you all have scary images like this from your past hidden away too!
My mate Gordon is right next to me (these days we still prop up bars together) and there are my mates Malcolm and Bobby - we all still hang out together to this day and have contributed to the wealth of many of Scotland's finest curry house owners over the years.
The Evil Herr Thatchler was in Downing Street and a mentally challenged warmonger was in the Oval Office, while we worried about terrorist attacks and anyone with a certain ethnic accent was suspected by the police who were always looking for more powers to deal with them.
I think at that point in time I had my Sinclair Spectrum with its mighty 48K memory; before that was my Texas Instruments 99/4a - 16K in 1981, very impressive! My mobile phone has many times this memory today... 6 years after this pic I would have moved on through my old Atari ST (wow, a built in floppy drive!!!! Hi-tech!) to a PC (30MB of real hard drive - astonishing... Now my portable USB drive has 512MB and I gave up counting the gigabytes in my laptop's system, it is just silly). It's the mid 80s and I'm reading something new called cyberpunk by a guy called William Gibson - he talks of a digital, networked future...
And on PC 6 years after this picture I would be introduced to the very basic internet and email (no web yet, pretty much all text based) of 1991. And one day I write a pastiche of a news item for a laugh and to let off steam and I email it to some friends around the world under the banner The Woolamaloo Gazette, born of sarcasm... It is later in the 90s and I'm hosting an author event with Bill Gibson, listening to his wonderful slow drawl and I'm plugging into that digital web myself.
2005; my long hair is long gone but the Woolamaloo Gazette is still there, now written on a dinky little laptop smaller than they keyboard of my old TI from 1981; I've lost a job because of my sarcasm and web access and got a much better one; now I'm being interviewed on freedom of expression on the web for CNN. It is indeed a funny old world...
An increasingly right wing nutter is in 10 Downing Street and a mentally challenged monkey is in the Oval Office and we are worried about terrorist outrages and the police are demanding more powers to deal with them while anyone from a certain ethnic background was suspected... Guess some things don't change much... I'm still reading Bill Gibson.
You want to see something truly scary? This is an image from the 1984 yearbook at my school showcasing the leading lights - should that be LEDs perhaps? - of the (then new) Computer Club. The bright-eyed young chap on the left rear has recently captained the Academy's first ever team in an inter-school computer quiz and beat the opposing team captain in a sudden death playoff, so you see it wasn't just playing Manic Miner and Elite, although I bet I could have kicked hs butt at those too. Yes, that gurning grin belongs to me. Bloody scary isn't it? Go on, you all have a good laugh, I don't mind; just remember you all have scary images like this from your past hidden away too!
My mate Gordon is right next to me (these days we still prop up bars together) and there are my mates Malcolm and Bobby - we all still hang out together to this day and have contributed to the wealth of many of Scotland's finest curry house owners over the years.
The Evil Herr Thatchler was in Downing Street and a mentally challenged warmonger was in the Oval Office, while we worried about terrorist attacks and anyone with a certain ethnic accent was suspected by the police who were always looking for more powers to deal with them.
I think at that point in time I had my Sinclair Spectrum with its mighty 48K memory; before that was my Texas Instruments 99/4a - 16K in 1981, very impressive! My mobile phone has many times this memory today... 6 years after this pic I would have moved on through my old Atari ST (wow, a built in floppy drive!!!! Hi-tech!) to a PC (30MB of real hard drive - astonishing... Now my portable USB drive has 512MB and I gave up counting the gigabytes in my laptop's system, it is just silly). It's the mid 80s and I'm reading something new called cyberpunk by a guy called William Gibson - he talks of a digital, networked future...
And on PC 6 years after this picture I would be introduced to the very basic internet and email (no web yet, pretty much all text based) of 1991. And one day I write a pastiche of a news item for a laugh and to let off steam and I email it to some friends around the world under the banner The Woolamaloo Gazette, born of sarcasm... It is later in the 90s and I'm hosting an author event with Bill Gibson, listening to his wonderful slow drawl and I'm plugging into that digital web myself.
2005; my long hair is long gone but the Woolamaloo Gazette is still there, now written on a dinky little laptop smaller than they keyboard of my old TI from 1981; I've lost a job because of my sarcasm and web access and got a much better one; now I'm being interviewed on freedom of expression on the web for CNN. It is indeed a funny old world...
An increasingly right wing nutter is in 10 Downing Street and a mentally challenged monkey is in the Oval Office and we are worried about terrorist outrages and the police are demanding more powers to deal with them while anyone from a certain ethnic background was suspected... Guess some things don't change much... I'm still reading Bill Gibson.
Gaiman in Scotsman
Scotland on Sunday - the Sabbath's version of the Scotsman - has a very nice write up on Neil Gaiman following his visit to Glasgow and Edinburgh last week on the UK leg of his Anansi Boys tour (the book is, as ever, wonderful - it's also Neil's first humour novel since Good Omens with Terry Pratchett - if you haven't read it yet then start dropping hints to family and friends in the run up to Christmas). It also mentions something I covered in the FPI blog a while back, that the new National Theatre of Scotland is adapting the children's picture book Wolves in the Wall by Neil and Dave McKean for one of their first touring productions.
Scotland on Sunday - the Sabbath's version of the Scotsman - has a very nice write up on Neil Gaiman following his visit to Glasgow and Edinburgh last week on the UK leg of his Anansi Boys tour (the book is, as ever, wonderful - it's also Neil's first humour novel since Good Omens with Terry Pratchett - if you haven't read it yet then start dropping hints to family and friends in the run up to Christmas). It also mentions something I covered in the FPI blog a while back, that the new National Theatre of Scotland is adapting the children's picture book Wolves in the Wall by Neil and Dave McKean for one of their first touring productions.
Animated
I spotted this link via the good offices of Boingboing today - it's a fantastic use of Flash animation and well worth a visit.
Metropolis
A report on the BBC notes that a pristine condition movie poster for the silent classic Metropolis has set a record at auction - selling for £397, 762. Wow, I wonder how much my original Trainspotting movie poster is worth? Would the Blue-tack marks enhance the value? I like the way this happened right after the new design for the Cybermen was revealed for the next series of Doctor Who - is it just me or does it look like Maria from Metropolis and Robocop had a baby? Judging by the hips I have to assume the new Cybermen have the silicon version of cellulite and, I assume, huge cyber-bums. I'm picturing paranpoid Cybermen asking the Doctor if their bums look big in their new outfits...
I spotted this link via the good offices of Boingboing today - it's a fantastic use of Flash animation and well worth a visit.
Metropolis
A report on the BBC notes that a pristine condition movie poster for the silent classic Metropolis has set a record at auction - selling for £397, 762. Wow, I wonder how much my original Trainspotting movie poster is worth? Would the Blue-tack marks enhance the value? I like the way this happened right after the new design for the Cybermen was revealed for the next series of Doctor Who - is it just me or does it look like Maria from Metropolis and Robocop had a baby? Judging by the hips I have to assume the new Cybermen have the silicon version of cellulite and, I assume, huge cyber-bums. I'm picturing paranpoid Cybermen asking the Doctor if their bums look big in their new outfits...
Monday, November 14, 2005
Podcast
I had an email from Ian Hocking at work today - Ian's debut novel from a small press, Deja Vu, was one of the first books featured on the FPI blog. Inspired by the likes of Charlie Stross and Cory Doctorow's use of creative commons licensing (which Cory and others have covered a lot on Boingboing) he has created a spoken word version of his cyberthriller and is making it available free in weekly segments. I had a listen to chapter one while working away on the graphic novel site htis afternoon and recommend it - details of it and a link to an interview with Ian over on the FPI blog.
Freedom of expression
A slightly unusual evening for me after work as I detoured to the posh environs of the Balmoral (right across from my former workplace) to record an interview about the freedom of speech (or sometimes lack thereof) on the web for CNN. A fun and interesting experience (most of my media interviews have been for radio or newspapers or online, rarely TV, which is fine since I think I have the right body for radio) - the crew have some other segments to record around the UK and I will post up the broadcast schedule once I know them.
I had an email from Ian Hocking at work today - Ian's debut novel from a small press, Deja Vu, was one of the first books featured on the FPI blog. Inspired by the likes of Charlie Stross and Cory Doctorow's use of creative commons licensing (which Cory and others have covered a lot on Boingboing) he has created a spoken word version of his cyberthriller and is making it available free in weekly segments. I had a listen to chapter one while working away on the graphic novel site htis afternoon and recommend it - details of it and a link to an interview with Ian over on the FPI blog.
Freedom of expression
A slightly unusual evening for me after work as I detoured to the posh environs of the Balmoral (right across from my former workplace) to record an interview about the freedom of speech (or sometimes lack thereof) on the web for CNN. A fun and interesting experience (most of my media interviews have been for radio or newspapers or online, rarely TV, which is fine since I think I have the right body for radio) - the crew have some other segments to record around the UK and I will post up the broadcast schedule once I know them.
The Restless Dead
My mate Lin in the States sent me a link to this story which shows that the wandering dead aren't confined to George Romero's latest flick and a slew of zombie comics (and there are a lot of those right now, horror comics, especially zombie ones, are quite hot at the moment) but also in the Deep South where Hurrican Katrina has taken some of the deceased on a little trip.
This somewhat ghoulish tale reminds me of a story I read in a book years ago on vampire mythology and burial rituals which talked about a a torrential rain storm (again in the States I think, I can't recall exactly, perhaps someone recognises it) where the caskets were washed out of the soil and one coffin ended up sliding down the hill along the road, onto the pavement and into the sliding doors of a nearby store. Many stores have signs reading 'no dogs except for guide dogs' (and how do blind people read those exactly?) but few have a 'no coffins' or 'no wandering dead' signs.
Online CV
My good mate Ariel - book reviewer, star editor of the Alien Online, purveyor of fine malts and web designer to many of the UK's best SF writers - is on the market for new work. He's created a very snazzy online CV which illustrates not only the normal CV details but the work he has created, like a virtual portfolio, so anyone looking for a damned fine web designer, feel free to have a look.
My mate Lin in the States sent me a link to this story which shows that the wandering dead aren't confined to George Romero's latest flick and a slew of zombie comics (and there are a lot of those right now, horror comics, especially zombie ones, are quite hot at the moment) but also in the Deep South where Hurrican Katrina has taken some of the deceased on a little trip.
This somewhat ghoulish tale reminds me of a story I read in a book years ago on vampire mythology and burial rituals which talked about a a torrential rain storm (again in the States I think, I can't recall exactly, perhaps someone recognises it) where the caskets were washed out of the soil and one coffin ended up sliding down the hill along the road, onto the pavement and into the sliding doors of a nearby store. Many stores have signs reading 'no dogs except for guide dogs' (and how do blind people read those exactly?) but few have a 'no coffins' or 'no wandering dead' signs.
Online CV
My good mate Ariel - book reviewer, star editor of the Alien Online, purveyor of fine malts and web designer to many of the UK's best SF writers - is on the market for new work. He's created a very snazzy online CV which illustrates not only the normal CV details but the work he has created, like a virtual portfolio, so anyone looking for a damned fine web designer, feel free to have a look.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Dulce est decorum est...
You'd have to be a stone not to be moved by Mr Allingham, at 109 years of age (and not really looking it) the UK's oldest war veteran. Not only one of the very few left now from World War I, Mr Allingham he is a survivor of the battle of Jutland (one of the few major surface engagements - the Kaiser's navy claimed victory because they inflicted more damage, the Royal Navy claimed victory because the Germans sailed home and didn't come out to play again) and also the last remaining founding member of the youngest of our armed forces, the Royal Air Force (which only 20 years later would be tested in fire as no service ever had been, not only protecting the nation but by winning a pivotal moment changing the fate of the free world).
I thought about marking Rememberance Day with a piece of war poetry as I did last year. But then as I was going through some of my digital photographs I came across this one I took in the old graveyard a few minutes from my home in Edinburgh. It marks the resting place of two members of the Royal Scots, one of the elite regiments of the British army. More specifically James Allan who fell in the Great War - the War to End All Wars. He is joined by his son, also James Allan who fell in the war after that. And I realised this unassuming little tombstone in my local graveyard expresses the pity of war more than anything else I can say, so I shall leave you with it and leave the blog in silence for the remainder of the day.
You'd have to be a stone not to be moved by Mr Allingham, at 109 years of age (and not really looking it) the UK's oldest war veteran. Not only one of the very few left now from World War I, Mr Allingham he is a survivor of the battle of Jutland (one of the few major surface engagements - the Kaiser's navy claimed victory because they inflicted more damage, the Royal Navy claimed victory because the Germans sailed home and didn't come out to play again) and also the last remaining founding member of the youngest of our armed forces, the Royal Air Force (which only 20 years later would be tested in fire as no service ever had been, not only protecting the nation but by winning a pivotal moment changing the fate of the free world).
I thought about marking Rememberance Day with a piece of war poetry as I did last year. But then as I was going through some of my digital photographs I came across this one I took in the old graveyard a few minutes from my home in Edinburgh. It marks the resting place of two members of the Royal Scots, one of the elite regiments of the British army. More specifically James Allan who fell in the Great War - the War to End All Wars. He is joined by his son, also James Allan who fell in the war after that. And I realised this unassuming little tombstone in my local graveyard expresses the pity of war more than anything else I can say, so I shall leave you with it and leave the blog in silence for the remainder of the day.
Tuesday, November 8, 2005
I think, therefore I am, I read therefore I blog
For anyone interested in some fascinating intellectual and philosophical stimulation, Yvonne has an absorbing post on her blog on the nature of consciousness (and no Descartes ‘I think therefore I am’ cop-out, thank you, Yvonne).
Fear of hunger?
Not at all.
I will not prostitute my soul
For a piece of bread
In your control.
Feed me for my value
To the human race.
Not for making trinkets
To fill your empty space.
Control, from In Your Face Poetry, Hazel B. Cameron
Monday, November 7, 2005
Scooter’s Disgrace – Kermit Speaks
In the wake of the resignation and disgrace of presidential aide Scooter there has been much debate in the
“We’re all devastated with the course Scooter’s life has taken,” confessed a clearly upset Kermit, looking distinctly off-colour. “But looking back it is easier to see that he has been going off the rails for some time.”
Kermit went on to explain that when Scooter first started as his aide on the Muppet show he was a delightful young chap, friednly, open, eager to please and impress his boss. However, as time went on he started to change, especially after he was converted to Republicanism by some evangelical GOPper missionaries.
He became increasingly estranged from his liberal friends on the Muppet show, culminating in a tirade against the alternative lifestyle of Bert and Ernie as ‘un-natural’. In fact, many among the Muppets and
“As soon as he fell under the spell of this evil cult and began to believe in GOP, Scooter was lost to us,” commented Kermit sadly. “It’s the worst thing to happen to one of our former cast members since the Great Gonzo was caught in an adult theatre with Pewee Herman.”
Seriously though, what sort of dumb-ass name is 'Scooter'??? How the hell did this numpty get a name like that? Was he a fan of the aforementioned Muppets character? Perhaps he was a serious Mod in his youth, tooling around Washington on his Vespa while singing to the Who? If that was the case it is unfortunate for Scooter Libby that Americans have looked at his lame story and declared they "won't get fooled again."
Sunday, November 6, 2005
The Devil You Know
If, like me, you are a fan of the work of Mike Carey - best known to comic and graphic novel readers for his fantastic Lucifer series (which follows the Lightbringer's life after he quit Hell back in Neil's Season of Mists chapter of the Sandman) - then you may want to have a look at a piece I posted on the FPI blog the other day. Mike has his first prose novel - The Devil You Know - coming out in April of 2006 from the excellent UK SF publisher Orbit.
The Devil You Know centres around Felix Castor, a down-at-heels gumshoe-like exorcist and sounds excellent (can't wait to get a proof copy!). If you haven't read any of Mike's comics work you should know that another of my favourite writers, Richard Morgan, picked no less than two of Mike's Lucifer books for his personal top ten graphic novels and is impressed by early glimpses of Devil You Know. My mate George who is now at Orbit kindly got some soundbites from both Mike and his editor Darren (who also edits Ken MacLeod) which you can find on the FPI blog.
If, like me, you are a fan of the work of Mike Carey - best known to comic and graphic novel readers for his fantastic Lucifer series (which follows the Lightbringer's life after he quit Hell back in Neil's Season of Mists chapter of the Sandman) - then you may want to have a look at a piece I posted on the FPI blog the other day. Mike has his first prose novel - The Devil You Know - coming out in April of 2006 from the excellent UK SF publisher Orbit.
The Devil You Know centres around Felix Castor, a down-at-heels gumshoe-like exorcist and sounds excellent (can't wait to get a proof copy!). If you haven't read any of Mike's comics work you should know that another of my favourite writers, Richard Morgan, picked no less than two of Mike's Lucifer books for his personal top ten graphic novels and is impressed by early glimpses of Devil You Know. My mate George who is now at Orbit kindly got some soundbites from both Mike and his editor Darren (who also edits Ken MacLeod) which you can find on the FPI blog.
Saturday, November 5, 2005
Remember, remember the fifth of November
The gunpowder treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot.
Politicians are now looking more likely to impose far tougher restrictions on the sale of fireworks. It's a shame that if they go the whole hog families won't be able to enjoyGuy Fawkes Night bashes in their own gardens anymore like they did when I was a kid (although we had to hold it on a different night since my uncle was a firefighter and it is their busiest night of the year!). On the other hand I am sick of wee hooligans getting hold of fireworks from disreputable stores and then throwing them at cyclists, vehicles, people and animals so maybe it is time to effectively end public sale of them. That or take each wee ned who throws fireworks at people or animals, tie them to a post at Bonfire Night celebrations and stuff lit fireworks down their pants. The Ned stood by the burning pyre, his pants full of bangers; five of them went off at once and blew off both his knackers...
I do find it endlessly amusing that in most parts of the USA there are quite serious restrictions on the sale of fireworks, especially compared to our more liberal laws - they treat them (rightly) as quite dangerous in the wrong hands. Of course, you can walk into Walmart and buy a fine array of high velocity guns, but at least the fireworks are kept out of unsafe hands!
On a more-or-less unrelated note I was thinkong on the multi-buy offers so beloved of big chain stores - Buy One Get One Free (or BOGOF as it is known in retail) and the 3 for 2 which seems more central to some booksellers than range and I wondered about certain items you don't normally see on multi buys.
For example, do the likes of Walmart ever do a 3 for 2 on armour piercing ammunition? Buy One Smith &Wesson, Get One Free! You don't normally see a 3 for 2 deal on wheel spinners for the tasteless (be handy if you owned an old Robin Reliant or Bubble Car though) and plastic surgeons rarely offer 3 for 2 on breast augmentation (with the possible expection of the prostitute with three boobs in Total Recall). When was the last time you saw 'Buy One Bathroom Suite, Get One Free'? Buy One Football Club, Get One Free (offer applies only to Eastern European Businesspersons, terms and conditions apply). Hysterectomy - 3 for 2 this month only. Ear piecing, 3 for 2.
There's a whole range of consumables out there that seem to have avoided the multi-buy mentality for some reason. Anything you think should be multi-buy? And in the case of books, does anyone else feel that perhaps they should just be honest and start selling potboiler 'bestsellers' (which often aren't bestsellers in the traditional sense but have been made to seem this way by market manipulation) books by weight instead of 3 for 2? Special reduction if you buy 5 kilos of Tom Clancy this week; treat yourself to a couple of kilos of Chick Lit for the weekend (low in fat and utterly disposable); oh shopkeeper, may I trouble you for a gross of Harry Potter and a couple of slices of poetry on the side?
Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting...
Possibly even funnier than the video that went with that awful old pop song (which saw a rather tubby coloured guy in pyjamas trying to do chop-sockey to the above title tune) is this groovy vid from the Ministry of Unknown Science.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)