Sunday, December 21, 2008
The 50 most ludicrous Britons (Melanie Philips is at #5)
The results are in for an Independent poll to find the most ludicrous Briton. Their largely left-wing readership put something called "Rap–rapping, pose–striking, knife–wielding, gun–toting, homophobic urban yoof" at number 1. But at number 5, with 268 votes (not exactly Strictly Come Dancing figures) was good old Melanie Philips. All good natured fun, I'm sure.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
The indefatigability of Juan Cole: Facing up to George W.Bush, one last time
I won't celebrate so-called change in America until this creep is history. On Friday George W.Bush gave a speech at the 2008 Saban Forum on the subject of American policy in the Middle East. It took place in that most influential of cities in the Middle East, Washington DC. Even now, after all the damage done, lives lost and chaos and carnage wrought by greed and self-interest, and with Bush so close to the exit, this speech is chilling and sickening reading, right down to its idiotic and borderline irrelevant conclusion:
[T]he Middle East in 2008 is a freer, more hopeful, and more promising place than it was in 2001
Sure. The reason that nobody is buying this crap anymore is that real analysts that have background knowledge and can process facts untainted by ridiculous ideologies are continuing to work diligently. For over six years Professor Juan Cole has been as good an example as any of this. While his expertise on the Middle East is hard to match, many of the methods he uses are simple enough, such as reading and translating stories from media sources across the region to show what people living outside Baghdad's Green Zone really think of foreign intervention, or taking statements that Western leaders make and pointing out the inconsistencies that would be so blindingly obvious to anyone familiar with the politics, people and culture over there. Sometimes he can disseminate the truth by carrying out competent and functional activities such as translating a speech accurately, though judging by some of the hysterical reactions he has borne the brunt of, one would think it were a calumny to do so. Now he takes Bush's rotten husk of a speech and tears it to shreds with all the fury and conviction one would have felt years back when our leaders were trying to sell us the invasion and occupation of Iraq, no doubt convinced that even after so much loss, history is still being written and the lies about the victims cannot be allowed to congeal. Bush and (almost) all of his henchmen may be gradually filing out of our collective consciousness, but there is no complacency in his post. It's a stirring example for us all, especially those in academia who would choose a cosier life in the face of so much wrong.
[T]he Middle East in 2008 is a freer, more hopeful, and more promising place than it was in 2001
Sure. The reason that nobody is buying this crap anymore is that real analysts that have background knowledge and can process facts untainted by ridiculous ideologies are continuing to work diligently. For over six years Professor Juan Cole has been as good an example as any of this. While his expertise on the Middle East is hard to match, many of the methods he uses are simple enough, such as reading and translating stories from media sources across the region to show what people living outside Baghdad's Green Zone really think of foreign intervention, or taking statements that Western leaders make and pointing out the inconsistencies that would be so blindingly obvious to anyone familiar with the politics, people and culture over there. Sometimes he can disseminate the truth by carrying out competent and functional activities such as translating a speech accurately, though judging by some of the hysterical reactions he has borne the brunt of, one would think it were a calumny to do so. Now he takes Bush's rotten husk of a speech and tears it to shreds with all the fury and conviction one would have felt years back when our leaders were trying to sell us the invasion and occupation of Iraq, no doubt convinced that even after so much loss, history is still being written and the lies about the victims cannot be allowed to congeal. Bush and (almost) all of his henchmen may be gradually filing out of our collective consciousness, but there is no complacency in his post. It's a stirring example for us all, especially those in academia who would choose a cosier life in the face of so much wrong. Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Leeches need to be loved too
Sob. Nobody reads us. All those war references and sarcastic banter isn't generating an audience. And we're creepy. Which reminds me, must have more blood. But seriously, we need to get commercial to draw in the punters. What do people search for on Google these days? Aha, I know just what to do to snare some readers:
Madonna...
Beyonce
Girls Aloud...
Timbaland...
OH COME ON. SOMEBODY
X Factor. Britney Spears. 50 Cent...
Justin Timberlake. Rihanna. Strictly Come Dancing. Avril Lavigne... Sigh. Pinkchristinaaguilleratakethatbluewestlifepussycatdollschrisrockmychemicalromance...
...sk8terboikylieminoquegeorgeclooneyjamesbondquantumofsolaceleonalewisprettythings...
...christmasshoppingshoesfluffybunniesfunnypicturesofctasbigbrother...
Umm, hello??
FINALLY. Hello precious reader, who are you?
Oh, I was looking for Smash Hits magazine. I'll just be goin...
NOOO. STAY. Please stay.
"Gee, your blog has a scary word in the title. Are you, like, satanists?"
"No. It's, umm, ironic. I think."
"Oh. But you post about misery and death a lot. Are you guys misanthropes?"
"Maybe. But if anything, I'd like to think that we have too much love."
"Sure, whatever. You seem to hate George Bush. Are you communists?"
"Jeez. If I post something happy and sweet will you get off my f--king back?"
"Is it the new Britney Spears video? She's totally back you know."
"Dear God, NO. Anyway, she's more of a deluded wretch than ever. If you must know, it's a love song about Mario Kart. Not only is it clever but it is beautiful in a way manufactured pop will never be. I like it and so will you"
"Err...thanks. I'm, like, going now. I need to find pictures of shoes so I can stick them on my wall. You're creeping me out too."
"Hope we didn't scare you too much. Hail Satan, Kill all humans, Viva Lenin."
Maybe I think I prefer having a select group of readers. But you've gotta love that Mario Kart song.
Madonna...
Beyonce
Girls Aloud...
Timbaland...
OH COME ON. SOMEBODY
X Factor. Britney Spears. 50 Cent...
Justin Timberlake. Rihanna. Strictly Come Dancing. Avril Lavigne... Sigh. Pinkchristinaaguilleratakethatbluewestlifepussycatdollschrisrockmychemicalromance...
...sk8terboikylieminoquegeorgeclooneyjamesbondquantumofsolaceleonalewisprettythings...
...christmasshoppingshoesfluffybunniesfunnypicturesofctasbigbrother...
Umm, hello??
FINALLY. Hello precious reader, who are you?
Oh, I was looking for Smash Hits magazine. I'll just be goin...
NOOO. STAY. Please stay.
"Gee, your blog has a scary word in the title. Are you, like, satanists?"
"No. It's, umm, ironic. I think."
"Oh. But you post about misery and death a lot. Are you guys misanthropes?"
"Maybe. But if anything, I'd like to think that we have too much love."
"Sure, whatever. You seem to hate George Bush. Are you communists?"
"Jeez. If I post something happy and sweet will you get off my f--king back?"
"Is it the new Britney Spears video? She's totally back you know."
"Dear God, NO. Anyway, she's more of a deluded wretch than ever. If you must know, it's a love song about Mario Kart. Not only is it clever but it is beautiful in a way manufactured pop will never be. I like it and so will you"
"Err...thanks. I'm, like, going now. I need to find pictures of shoes so I can stick them on my wall. You're creeping me out too."
"Hope we didn't scare you too much. Hail Satan, Kill all humans, Viva Lenin."
Maybe I think I prefer having a select group of readers. But you've gotta love that Mario Kart song.
Monday, December 01, 2008
If I achieved this much in 60 years...
Great article by John Pilger on some of the disasters wrought by modern British imperialism and aggression. It is strange how many Brits are familiar with American war crimes yet unaware of the havoc our own government has created in lands as distant as Kenya, Guyana, the Middle East, the Chagos Islands and Indonesia. Today the British Foreign Office records this legacy by holding an open day to celebrate 60 years since the creation of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights, an occasion which will "highlight the importance of Human Rights in our work." Lord help us.
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