Zimmer Down

Plenty of time for musings on the USA, so for the time being let's have a little picture of one of it's favourite sons (there's one or two other people talking about him this month too):

Back In (From) The (US)SR

Has a trip across the pond tapped a well of creativity hitherto hidden in mediocrity? How long can I get away with saying "I'm having a bit of a career change" without looking like a prick? Can American television news cover any story without a 'human-interest' angle? Is it ok to be only tanned from the elbow down, on the neck and have a red nose? Is America (or at least the East Coast) 'better' than the UK? Did a rat take a shit in my toilet while I was away?

These questions and more (some you'd never think of, most you'd never ask and all you couldn't care less about) will be answered here soon.

Yep.

Somebody Call Somebody

I was relatively intent on getting off my arse and doing something productive today.

Instead so far I've watched 'One Day In September', a little bit of Quincy, quite a bit of news and eaten some beans on toast.

And I'm now totally bogged down in watching the re-run of the 1987 General Election on BBC Parliament.

Fascinating stuff to watch in real time. A certain Mr Galloway beating Roy Jenkins, Bernie Grant calling the Mayor of Tottenham 'Comrade Mayor', Clement Freud losing his seat, Thatcher having 'Fascist' chanted at her count and Boetang doing his 'Brent East today, Soweto tomorrow!'

Interesting to see the obvious left-wing turncoats and that this was the election that left virtually no Tories in Scotland or the north, but no Labour seats in East Anglia or the South East other than London.

The counts were a damn site more noisy too. And other than Robin Day, the BBC has the same presenters, and almost the exact same way of covering it. Got to be Sky News next time, god help us...

So far today then, that's what I'm doing. And my little PDA means I can tell you about it as I sit here. Which I'm sure you're very pleased about.

And also if anyone asks I can say 'I've been writing'.

No Grey Areas

If I had a pound for every white face in the footage of downtown New Orleans, you wouldn't be banking on getting a round out of me tonight. And if we don't include people in uniform, I ain't buying one for months.

What's happening down there is beyond a disgrace. And the utter arrogance and transparent indifference of the Federal Government is almost beyond belief.

And why? Well take a look at the faces of the thousands in the Superdome, on the rooftops and in the flooded streets. A sea of dispossessed, scared and dying black people. Most of the white folks fucked-off to the hills a week ago. And no one can blame them. But meanwhile those without money are left literally rotting as the revving of SUVs disappears in the distance.

And the administration, that across the world can do whatever it damn well likes, has left an entire community in it's own land to fend for itself in the very worst of conditions. It's like going back 200 years.

And now the fascination with the 'anarchy' of the situation and the shoot-to-kill troop deployment is starting to reek. An ugly bigotry that crops up everytime the most oppressed folk start to eat themselves alive under tremendous pressure.

And the hypocrisy of a government that can wage the most obscene destruction on one hand but can't get off their fat fucking backsides to save a community that gave birth to the cultural traditions that make what's most exciting and worthy about the United States.

United? I'm not seeing much unity from here.

(An interesting blog is here)

Easy Does It Brad

Another picture for the Harbour walls:


Whispering organ indeed.

Siddee Biddee Boww...

I think I may be seriously considering a full-time career as an alcoholic. Or at least a part-time heavy drinker.

A serious drinking problem carries a hefty price-tag though, which is why aristocrats and thieves are very good at it. Maybe a little classified ad in Private Eye:

ASPIRING DRUNK! 29 yr old shyster desperately seeking funding to drown self-loathing. Please help.

Oil Well, Well, Well

Just retrieved some Iron Maiden albums from the icy North and now listening to 'Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son'.

'Tis very enjoyable. And I pretty much remember all the lyrics.

In other news apparently Olive Oil is a painkiller. 50g of the foreign lard is the same as a tenth of an Ibuprofen dose.

Not sure who pays for this research but as the outcome is "If you've got a headache, we've discovered that you can either swallow a tablet or drink a bottle of olive oil" I'm sure as hell glad it's not me...