i don't know if this is breaking free

It appears as if there will be a succession of burka-and-its-derivations bans. This is a historically/culturally/religiously/politically charged issue that begs the question: what kind of precedent will be set? I believe that the following talk- from a philosophical stand point- effectively moves discussion beyond the paralysis of moral relativistic non-accountability.

I really do not know. What do you think?

 SAM HARRIS TED TALK

Some researchers are analyzing various cultures in search of a Universal Moral Grammar. This same technique was used to discover an underlying universal linguistic grammar. Will this settle the score on what is 'right' and 'wrong'?


Lykke Li & Robyn @ Way Out West (fantastic summer festival in Gotenburg).


In somewhat related non-news, I love ROBYN. This Swedish songstress embodies strength, class, brains and perspective (she is also a UNICEF ambasssador). Her songs run the gamut from Konichiwa Bitches! to the spot-on Euro-beats banger With Every Heartbeat to honest ballads like the following terribly truthful Hang With Me. And all of this is done with the utmost integrity and most stylish front teeth ever.



She not like some of dem' others....

i don't fully agree with eugenics but these parents are making a case...

Favourite Names:

-SARS Bin Laden
-Kal-El
-Orange-jello and Lemon-jello pronounced Or-AHN-gello and Lem-AHN-gello (twins, naturally!)
-Ivan Ho
-Warwock

Allowed/Disallowed names in New Zealand (and here I thought they were progressive...)

*Allowed: Violence; Number 16 Bus Shelter; Midnight Chardonnay; Benson and Hedges (twins)

*Blocked: Yeah Detroit; Stallion; Twisty Poi; Keenan Got Lucy; SexFruit; Fat Boy;
Cinderella Beauty Blossom; Fish and Chips (twins), Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii

I suppose some will make the case that it is just a name and that all differences should be appreciated and uniqueness allowed. But if my name was a FULL SENTENCE, that would just get confusing for  school teachers:

"Now is it First Name: Talula-Does-The, Middle Name: Hula, Family Name: From-Hawaii? Shall we just acronym-you, TDTHFH?"

i don't mean to sound bossy but...

I reward myself for writing 'x' amount of the 'd-word' (dissertation) by writing this blog. * Insert statement of self-pity with utter lack of perspective here*

Please do yourself a favour and open this in full screen. The drummer and I have much in common, above all: a love for LIFE.

Some of my pals could use a little SGF in their lives. As my friend K says, girls shouldn't be reading, He's Just Not That Into You but rather writing, I'm Just That Into Me ©.

CD, this is for you. I see your Phantom of the Opera and raise you one Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Please watch in aggravatingly wide wide screen. 

 Secret Movie Confessions

Sobbin Women

Lonesome Polecat

Nice Words:

There is one word which may serve as a rule of practice for all one's life - reciprocity.
~Confucius

Yeah, Wacko Jacko, where did that come from? Some English tabloid. I have a heart and I have feelings. I feel that when you do that to me. It's not nice.
~Michael Jackson

Progress is a nice word. But change is its motivator. And change has its enemies.
~Robert Kennedy

i don't do populations above ten million

Woah. So I forgot just how desolate Canada can be. Vancouver, the third most populous city, literally feels like a scene out of 28 Days Later at all hours. A testament to claiming one of the top spots on most sparsely populated nation, I reckon. At least it is a smoother transition coming back to peaceful abandonment as compared to the wonderful shock of wandering up from the London Tube exactly one year ago and up into the arms of some 12-14 million individuals. That was fun with my life on my back and in my sweaty grip. I was all like:

I almost lost it on said subway a number of times. But lo and behold, claustrophobia was conquered on one particularly rainy day at rush hour on the central line (busiest). I do believe I did not have to hold on at all as six Suits were keeping me upright just fine with their bodies' invasive presence. After about ten minutes on there with my face pressed against the steamy window, the train stopped in between stations, leaving the sea of us in darkness...a person had been caught under the tracks they ever so kindly mentioned. Well, I could either have gotten all hot and bothered but really, I was not the one under the tracks so I plugged in the pod and decided to get over it. When I did eventually exit that train, I was so proud of not going hooligan-after-local-team's-loss on Sir Stuck-Up-A-Lot and co. that I no longer bristled whenever a fellow commuter stepped on my foot. They must just be rushing to get home to read a bedtime story to their children, right?
 
There is nothing like walking in complete anonymity in amongst a wall of humanity, bouncing off of one another like agitated atoms, to make one feel small. That smallness can be quite comforting.

i don't know about Portugal and persons who are gerontologically advanced

The following bit was written on a lovely ambulatory sauna (Portugese train) whilst listening to Harlem Shakes. The prospect of the ability to get sun burnt if one so chose was quite exciting and necessitated much knee shaking to this song.



'As we make moves out of the sweltering Algarve region, past Lisboa and up to the arid north, I am struck by the ubiquity of the homes, demeanor and general languor of the place. People of all ages carry themselves with a stately ease, immediately commanding respect and exuding confidence in their simple purpose. Stepping with swagger, bronzey leather-skinned octogenarians weave in and out of rudimentary cobble stone streets bordered by white washed walls that stretch up to red tiled roofs. Perhaps they are on their way to the talho (butcher's) or pasteleria (cafe/bakery) as the concept of a supermarket or supermercado is a bit too offensive for those who relish days past. In fact they have a word for this special brand of nostalgia, saudade, which is reflected in the melancholic art of singing fado. Saudade has been described as a "vague and constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist ... a turning towards the past." (thanks Wiki!). My cultural psychology text also states that Portugal ranks relatively highly on past vs. future orientation.



Potentially lending to this overall orientation to a bygone era is the sheer number of older folk out and about. The history-major tells me that during Salazar’s repressive regime, women were seen as mere reproduction machines (important for the purpose of providing more workers) explicating the vast numbers of seniors wherever one looks. Although the origins of this particular demographic boom might be more than questionable, the warm acceptance of an oft-forgotten age-group is refreshing to say the least. We saw a great number of hot-piece pee-paws, what with their straw Panamas and suspenders, no word of a lie.'

!Yay to ageing!

i don't know how clocks work but stick this on your radio

Clockwork Radio's new EP was just released. These Mancunian boys- along with a foreign Middle Eastern addition- showcased their prog rock sound at the Hungry Pigeon Festival back in May.  Youthful exuberance melded with shoe-gazey tactics rendered the crowd helpless to the pull of their synchronous sway. As a testament to the group's diversity, the band effortlessly brought out the big guns and set the crowd alight with tunes like Foxtrot Bravado and Zeppy. 

Whether you're into orchestral emo rock or not, lend an ear and take a gander at their recently released EP and page.  This summer the guys are trekking it across the channel to a little place I like to call Germany for the Taubertal Festival with headliners the Prodigy. Then it is on to Egypt for a tour before bouncing back to good ol' Manc in the fall.

.Clockwork Radio myspace page.

 
The broski and I recently bypassed Berlin for a much too short period of time. The city is 9.5 times the size of Paris so clearly two trips to the kapital are not nearly sufficient. I might just have to move there and become a permanent sight-seer. Anyway, we were lucky enough to catch the first leg of Elephant Stone's European tour. Highlights included lead singer/sitar player Rishi Dihr expounding the oddities of having a German teach an ethnic Indian sitar, watching motionless east Berliners gradually grow a grin from ear to ear with each build-up, plus, of course, the display of ingenuity from the band itself. Did I mention they were Canadian? Quelle Coincidence(s).

.Elephant Stone.

Philosophers / must ultimately find / their true perfection / in knowing all / the follies of mankind / by introspection. 

-Piet Hein, poet and scientist (1905-1996)