Will Trump get to sidle up to Russia and
quell the beating of the war drums? Not
so sure.
I think what we have here, for various
reasons, is an attempt by a Deep state
apparatus to derail president Trump.
It's no surprise that Trump vs CIA
and Trump looking like Kennedy have
been themes recently.
We all know now that Kennedy was
iced by the secret service guys for similar
skulduggery.
So what is Russia selling to the US? Is it
the culmination of so many years of hard
work by Putin, against sanctions and
rhetoric and warmongering on Russia's
doorstep? Or is it a dark train ride to
nowhere?
It certainly is Risky Business
Who is Guido the Killer Pimp in this story?
Chuck Schumer?
John McCain?
Bill Kristol
Do they have links to the Dark side?
They have all insinuated that they do.
It's not wise to encourage the Deep State:
Monday, 20 February 2017
Sunday, 29 January 2017
Joggerfy 101: Archipelago
definition:
1 an expanse of water with many scattered islands
2 a group of islands
3 something resembling an archipelago; especially : a group or scattering of similar things an archipelago of small parks within the city
(Merriam Webster)
This is what HRC's fans are faced with.
Thanks to geography and technology, we
can now see which parts of the US voted for
Clinton.
Do you recognise this land mass?
It includes most of the urban areas in Cali and New England
(where Trump is known too well)
This happened despite there being
network coverage of HRC's campaign
Now, you would think that a philanthropist
with time on her hands would use her Foundation
to do good around the world. However, if your
Foundation is a political slush fund where
pay for play rules, you might be dumped by
all the oily kings who wanted to buy your
influence.
Maybe if they're lucky, the family Clinton
can still rule over Haiti as their last
fiefdom.
links:
https://polination.wordpress.com/2016/12/19/trumpland-vs-clinton-archipelago/
1 an expanse of water with many scattered islands
2 a group of islands
3 something resembling an archipelago; especially : a group or scattering of similar things an archipelago of small parks within the city
(Merriam Webster)
This is what HRC's fans are faced with.
Thanks to geography and technology, we
can now see which parts of the US voted for
Clinton.
Do you recognise this land mass?
It includes most of the urban areas in Cali and New England
(where Trump is known too well)
This happened despite there being
network coverage of HRC's campaign
Now, you would think that a philanthropist
with time on her hands would use her Foundation
to do good around the world. However, if your
Foundation is a political slush fund where
pay for play rules, you might be dumped by
all the oily kings who wanted to buy your
influence.
Maybe if they're lucky, the family Clinton
can still rule over Haiti as their last
fiefdom.
links:
https://polination.wordpress.com/2016/12/19/trumpland-vs-clinton-archipelago/
Saturday, 28 January 2017
We don need no steenkin feckan wall
There's a duel coming soon to the
I like this, but it seems strange that a guy
who wouldn't have been President of
Mexico if he wasn't a puppet, actually
let loose on the US, goading the present
Prez of Mex to get a spine and refuse to
talk to Trump.
In another , earlier tweet, he called it
a FACKEN wall. I'll find it later.
Thin-skinned Von Clownstick Trump
took offence, and also got all moral
on the use of bad language.
Siera Madre
or
Mother's Bush
between the US and Mexico. When
countries should be building bridges,
it seems Trump wants to build a wall.
This has caused more than one Mexican
president to get very upset, since he is
said to be picking up the bill for the
wall.
Even Vincente Fox, a previous prez
has been getting upset, on twitter.
who wouldn't have been President of
Mexico if he wasn't a puppet, actually
let loose on the US, goading the present
Prez of Mex to get a spine and refuse to
talk to Trump.
In another , earlier tweet, he called it
a FACKEN wall. I'll find it later.
Thin-skinned Von Clownstick Trump
took offence, and also got all moral
on the use of bad language.
I'm guessing that Clownstick thinks that
the Mexicans are to blame for the porous
border, and not lazy US administrations.
I can now safely say this because, on twitter,
as always, there are videos circulating that
show both Obama and Clinton HRC singing
the praises of a wall. But, these folks were
just showboating, perhaps intimidating
some of the uppity Hispanic congresspeople
like Rubio and Cruz.
What else could it be?
Last point is the personal nature with which
Trump acts. It's not personality politics, it's
up in your face, grabbing your shit politics.
links:
the Mexicans are to blame for the porous
border, and not lazy US administrations.
I can now safely say this because, on twitter,
as always, there are videos circulating that
show both Obama and Clinton HRC singing
the praises of a wall. But, these folks were
just showboating, perhaps intimidating
some of the uppity Hispanic congresspeople
like Rubio and Cruz.
What else could it be?
Last point is the personal nature with which
Trump acts. It's not personality politics, it's
up in your face, grabbing your shit politics.
links:
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2017/01/former-mexican-president-vicente-fox-goes-off-trump-hashtags-fcking-wall-video/
Ra Ra Ras-Putin
Here we are in the 21st century,
faced with another wildly charismatic
Russian, just like Rasputin, the priest
who charmed the Romanov women,
i.e. the Russian royals.
Putin seems to have a way with words,
and with hacking, and undermining the
"shining democracy that is the EU"
at 3:10, the oft-repeated Putin-Trump Christmas exchange:
Wow, Baldwin is good, but doesn't he have anything better to do?
--
Things were not quite this way, before Putin arrived.
Here's Mark Ames and Abby Martin to tell the rancid way in which
the US used to run Russia, as a vassal state.
It was disgusting.
You could even say that Russia would want to
get revenge on the US. WATCH the video.
It was amazing to hear, from another angle, Putin's rise.
As usually happens, the US and Soros have civil
society groups that chatter all day, and then undermine
your government, if you don't play along.
One such lady, I'll find her in my files, said about
Vlad the Impresser, that he was such a polite, mild
man, and how she feared for him in politics, about
him being eaten alive.
Well, that speaks to KGB training. He had everybody
fooled, on the American side. On the Russian side,
he had to prove himself to the Yeltsin Mafia, who
feared going to jail. Oddly, Vlad had made it to
KGB boss.
Case in point. One judge tried to work up a case
against the Mafia and lo and behold, his fat
butt was shown on national tv cavorting with
2 hookers.
Vlad was in like Flynn. One day, he was called in
to Boris' office and given the reigns to what was
left of Russia.
[UPDATE 13 Feb]
If you want to see an Alternative Reality version
of events of the 1990s in Russia, check the BBC.
I won't call it fake news, cuz it's now Fake History.
The statute of limitations on Fake News has to
be somewhere around 6 months, doesn't it?
I actually saw this on the BBC today!
"My husband loved his people. He did what he could
for them" oh, fuck me silly. this is bullshit.
"Yeltsin handed over to Putin a normal country." ftooie.
[you could see how much skin Mrs Yeltsina gave off
her butt for the starving poor that her dead husband
had essentially slow-mo murdered. i.e. none]
Ya. I can see the likeness in the eyes. Many of the qualities
are being equated with Rasputin. Of course, Anglo people
thinking everybody from the Continent are all cavorting pigs,
without the slightest irony. Check SNL above.
This guy takes me way back to the age of 10 when there
was a popular song about him, Rasputin. I wonder when
Pussy Riot will do a song about their lover boy, Vlad.
Musical detente during the late 70s
and to the Wiki:
Grigori Rasputin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This name uses Eastern Slavic naming customs; the patronymic is Yefimovich and the family name is Rasputin.
Born 21 January 1869
Pokrovskoe, Siberia, Russian Empire
Died 30 December 1916 (aged 47)
Petrograd, Russian Empire
Cause of death Assassination
Occupation Peasant, pilgrim, healer, adviser
Spouse(s) Praskovia Fedorovna Dubrovina
Children Mikhail, Anna, Grigori, Dmitri, Matryona, Varvara, Paraskeva
Parent(s) Efim Vilkin Rasputin &; Anna Parshukova
Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (Russian: Григорий Ефимович Распутин; IPA: [ɡrʲɪˈɡorʲɪj (j)ɪˈfʲiməvʲɪtɕ rɐˈsputʲɪn];[1] 21 January [O.S. 9 January] 1869 – 30 December [O.S. 17 December] 1916[2]) was a Russian peasant, an experienced traveler,[3] a mystical faith healer, and trusted friend of the family of Nicholas II, the last Tsar of the Russian Empire. He became an influential figure in Saint Petersburg, especially after August 1915 when Nicholas took command of the army fighting in World War I. Advising his wife, Alexandra Feodorovna, in countless spiritual and political issues, Rasputin became an easy scapegoat for Russian nationalists, liberals and aristocrats.
There is uncertainty over much of Rasputin's life and the degree of influence that he exerted over the extremely shy Tsar and the strong-willed Tsarina.[4] Accounts are often based on dubious memoirs, hearsay, and legend.[note 1] While his influence and position may have been exaggerated by society gossip and his own drunken boasting[8] his presence played a significant role in the increasing unpopularity of the Imperial couple.[9] Rasputin was murdered by monarchists who hoped to save Tsarism by ending his sway over the royal family.
more soon
links: http://roadstothegreatwar-ww1.blogspot.com/2013/08/grigorii-rasputin-and-fall-of-romanovs.html
faced with another wildly charismatic
Russian, just like Rasputin, the priest
who charmed the Romanov women,
i.e. the Russian royals.
Putin seems to have a way with words,
and with hacking, and undermining the
"shining democracy that is the EU"
Well, Putin certainly has
the MSM
the Democrats
the US security matrix
that's 17 organisations
the EU with its
new anti-propaganda law
Merkel, Hollande
ALL
the EU with its
new anti-propaganda law
Merkel, Hollande
ALL
shitting their pants
over his influence in politics
directly or through the RT channel
(one of my favs).
[ That's without mentioning
their fear of Trump and his
choice for EU ambassador,
one Malloch. see next story]
over his influence in politics
directly or through the RT channel
(one of my favs).
[ That's without mentioning
their fear of Trump and his
choice for EU ambassador,
one Malloch. see next story]
at 3:10, the oft-repeated Putin-Trump Christmas exchange:
Wow, Baldwin is good, but doesn't he have anything better to do?
--
Things were not quite this way, before Putin arrived.
Here's Mark Ames and Abby Martin to tell the rancid way in which
the US used to run Russia, as a vassal state.
It was disgusting.
You could even say that Russia would want to
get revenge on the US. WATCH the video.
Male life expectancy dropped from 68 to 57
in ONE decade!
It was amazing to hear, from another angle, Putin's rise.
As usually happens, the US and Soros have civil
society groups that chatter all day, and then undermine
your government, if you don't play along.
One such lady, I'll find her in my files, said about
Vlad the Impresser, that he was such a polite, mild
man, and how she feared for him in politics, about
him being eaten alive.
Well, that speaks to KGB training. He had everybody
fooled, on the American side. On the Russian side,
he had to prove himself to the Yeltsin Mafia, who
feared going to jail. Oddly, Vlad had made it to
KGB boss.
Case in point. One judge tried to work up a case
against the Mafia and lo and behold, his fat
butt was shown on national tv cavorting with
2 hookers.
Vlad was in like Flynn. One day, he was called in
to Boris' office and given the reigns to what was
left of Russia.
[UPDATE 13 Feb]
If you want to see an Alternative Reality version
of events of the 1990s in Russia, check the BBC.
I won't call it fake news, cuz it's now Fake History.
The statute of limitations on Fake News has to
be somewhere around 6 months, doesn't it?
I actually saw this on the BBC today!
"My husband loved his people. He did what he could
for them" oh, fuck me silly. this is bullshit.
"Yeltsin handed over to Putin a normal country." ftooie.
[you could see how much skin Mrs Yeltsina gave off
her butt for the starving poor that her dead husband
had essentially slow-mo murdered. i.e. none]
Ya. I can see the likeness in the eyes. Many of the qualities
are being equated with Rasputin. Of course, Anglo people
thinking everybody from the Continent are all cavorting pigs,
without the slightest irony. Check SNL above.
This guy takes me way back to the age of 10 when there
was a popular song about him, Rasputin. I wonder when
Pussy Riot will do a song about their lover boy, Vlad.
Musical detente during the late 70s
and to the Wiki:
Grigori Rasputin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This name uses Eastern Slavic naming customs; the patronymic is Yefimovich and the family name is Rasputin.
Born 21 January 1869
Pokrovskoe, Siberia, Russian Empire
Died 30 December 1916 (aged 47)
Petrograd, Russian Empire
Cause of death Assassination
Occupation Peasant, pilgrim, healer, adviser
Spouse(s) Praskovia Fedorovna Dubrovina
Children Mikhail, Anna, Grigori, Dmitri, Matryona, Varvara, Paraskeva
Parent(s) Efim Vilkin Rasputin &; Anna Parshukova
Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (Russian: Григорий Ефимович Распутин; IPA: [ɡrʲɪˈɡorʲɪj (j)ɪˈfʲiməvʲɪtɕ rɐˈsputʲɪn];[1] 21 January [O.S. 9 January] 1869 – 30 December [O.S. 17 December] 1916[2]) was a Russian peasant, an experienced traveler,[3] a mystical faith healer, and trusted friend of the family of Nicholas II, the last Tsar of the Russian Empire. He became an influential figure in Saint Petersburg, especially after August 1915 when Nicholas took command of the army fighting in World War I. Advising his wife, Alexandra Feodorovna, in countless spiritual and political issues, Rasputin became an easy scapegoat for Russian nationalists, liberals and aristocrats.
There is uncertainty over much of Rasputin's life and the degree of influence that he exerted over the extremely shy Tsar and the strong-willed Tsarina.[4] Accounts are often based on dubious memoirs, hearsay, and legend.[note 1] While his influence and position may have been exaggerated by society gossip and his own drunken boasting[8] his presence played a significant role in the increasing unpopularity of the Imperial couple.[9] Rasputin was murdered by monarchists who hoped to save Tsarism by ending his sway over the royal family.
more soon
links: http://roadstothegreatwar-ww1.blogspot.com/2013/08/grigorii-rasputin-and-fall-of-romanovs.html
I crush your head, Hillary
One of Trump's funny idiosyncracies
is what he does with his too-small
fingers. It's the finger pinch.
[Enquirer]
It's as if he's crushing something in
between, if only metaphorically. It
depends on what he's saying, or
who's in his sights.
This is more about the symbolism:
Trump: "You don't like my wall? I crush your head,
and your country"
Trump: "while you were talking, I crushed your head. yup"
links:
https://drlillianglassbodylanguageblog.wordpress.com/tag/hillary-clinton/
is what he does with his too-small
fingers. It's the finger pinch.
It's as if he's crushing something in
between, if only metaphorically. It
depends on what he's saying, or
who's in his sights.
This is more about the symbolism:
Trump: "You don't like my wall? I crush your head,
and your country"
Trump: "while you were talking, I crushed your head. yup"
links:
https://drlillianglassbodylanguageblog.wordpress.com/tag/hillary-clinton/
Sunday, 15 January 2017
would you like some Vanilla with that?
I know that this issue was dead and buried
10 years ago, sorry 29 years ago,
but I had a thought.
They even fooled the Grammys. Okay, it
broke 29 years ago and took 2 years
for the sync story to catch up with them.
It's about Milli Vanilli. If you recall,
(if not, ask your grandparents), we had
a couple of black dancing lads who
fooled people into thinking they were actually
singing their song. But they weren't.
Okay, call off the fraud squad. most pop
music is fraudulent anyway.
The Spice Girls were just chosen cuz
they was "sassy." they were not musicians
in the traditional sense. But, who cares.
The important issue for me now is,
that even the name of Milli Vanilli is
cynical. Why would you take a "band"
consisting of two black guys (and a
production team in the studio) and call
the group Vanilli? Was it a subliminal
message to middle America that these
guys were white enough?
anyway, these guys were not even
English native speakers, when the
song was clearly in American English.
They signed German contracts and
became famous. Apparently, one of
them committed suicide. Can't fake
that.
Anyway. I got that off my shoulders.
Of course, nowadays, everybody uses that
song box for recording, and even on tour.
I've heard Beyonce, Britney use it. It's not
a sync, it just brings the singers weak
crappy voice into sync with what the
song should be. Ah, technology.
10 years ago, sorry 29 years ago,
but I had a thought.
They even fooled the Grammys. Okay, it
broke 29 years ago and took 2 years
for the sync story to catch up with them.
It's about Milli Vanilli. If you recall,
(if not, ask your grandparents), we had
a couple of black dancing lads who
fooled people into thinking they were actually
singing their song. But they weren't.
Okay, call off the fraud squad. most pop
music is fraudulent anyway.
The Spice Girls were just chosen cuz
they was "sassy." they were not musicians
in the traditional sense. But, who cares.
The important issue for me now is,
that even the name of Milli Vanilli is
cynical. Why would you take a "band"
consisting of two black guys (and a
production team in the studio) and call
the group Vanilli? Was it a subliminal
message to middle America that these
guys were white enough?
anyway, these guys were not even
English native speakers, when the
song was clearly in American English.
They signed German contracts and
became famous. Apparently, one of
them committed suicide. Can't fake
that.
Anyway. I got that off my shoulders.
Of course, nowadays, everybody uses that
song box for recording, and even on tour.
I've heard Beyonce, Britney use it. It's not
a sync, it just brings the singers weak
crappy voice into sync with what the
song should be. Ah, technology.
Monday, 4 April 2016
Anthropocene is not our scene
Albert Enstein once said:
I don't know what weapons they'll use
in World War 3, but WW4 will be
fought with sticks and stones.
What he means is, in our haste for results,
we're going to lay waste to all we've created.
And this is from an intelligent man, who
actually helped atomic research.
We are having such an effect on the planet that
we got our own -cene, the Anthropocene.
The problem is that we are so rapacious as
regards our use of the planet that we seem to
forget that one should not shit where one eats.
Nuclear energy (and bombs, for that matter) is
one sign that we would prefer energy now
and toxic radioactive waste for 50 000 years.
"Just turn the feckin tv on!
Split an atom, if you have to.
I don't care about future generations."
There are parts of this planet that we know as
no-go areas. Unfortunately, animals don't have
an understanding.
the fish will fight back, though
We have Fukishima:
later
Chernobyl:
later
Bikini Atoll
We have wrecked enough of this planet and
still we haven't got the message. Let's not
even talk about standard pollution, or climate
change. Trump and most of the US don't
even agree that it exists, largely because
they think it means we have to surrender
our fossil-fuel-burning toys (supercars, yachts).
And now, there's a new underground bunker
for nuclear waste that will be sealed and have
signs posted warning people not to go in.
What is telling is that they're are trying to
create visual signs for people who don't
speak any earthly language.
What does that mean? That there's every
possibility that humans will destroy so
much of humanity that languages will
no longer be taught in those things we
call schools. The US and UK are well on
their way to de-educating poor people already.
I have some ideas for these people:
-the three-eyed fish.
-the melting man from Robocop
-the pictures of the men who split
the atom. they'll be famous and
believed to be the devil bythe
23rd century shamanic religion.
checkit: Guardian
Generation Anthropocene: How humans have altered the planet for ever
We are living in the Anthropocene age, in which human influence on the planet is so profound – and terrifying – it will leave its legacy for millennia. Politicians and scientists have had their say, but how are writers and artists responding to this crisis?
Robert Macfarlane
Friday 1 April 2016 12.00 BST
Last modified on Saturday 2 April 2016 00.06 BST
...
In 1981 the research field of “nuclear semiotics” was born. A group of interdisciplinary experts was tasked with preventing future humans from intruding on to a subterranean storage facility for radioactive waste, then under construction in the New Mexico desert. The half-life of plutonium-239 is around 24,100 years; the written history of humanity is around 5,000 years old. The challenge facing the group was how to devise a sign system that could semantically survive even catastrophic phases of planetary future, and that could communicate with an unknown humanoid-to-be.
Construction of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico, an underground nuclear waste dump. Photograph: Eric Draper/AP
Several proposals involved forms of hostile architecture: a “landscape of thorns” in which 15m-high concrete pillars with jutting side spikes impeded access; a maze of sharp black rock blocks that absorbed solar energy to become impassably hot. But such aggressive structures can act as enticements rather than cautions, suggesting here be treasure rather than here be dragons. Prince Charming hacked his way through the briars to wake Sleeping Beauty. Indiana Jones braved wooden spikes and rolling boulders to reach the golden idol in a booby-trapped Peruvian temple. Sometimes I wonder if the design task should be handed wholesale to the team behind the Ikea instruction manuals: if they can convey in pictograms how to put up a Billy bookcase anywhere in the world, they can surely tell someone in 10,000 years’ time not to dig in a certain place.
Advertisement
The New Mexico facility is due to be sealed in 2038. The present plans for marking the site involve a berm with a core of salt, enclosing the above-ground footprint of the repository. Buried in the berm will be radar reflectors, magnets and a “Storage Room”, constructed around a stone slab too big to be removed via the chamber entrance. Data will be inscribed on to the slab including maps, time lines, and scientific details of the waste and its risks, written in all current official UN languages, and in Navajo: “This site was known as the WIPP (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Site) when it was closed in 2038 AD … Do not expose this room unless the information centre messages are lost. Leave the room buried for future generations.” Discs made of ceramic, clay, glass and metal, also engraved with warnings, will be embedded in the soil and the shaft seals. Finally, a “hot cell”, or radiation containment chamber, will be constructed: a reinforced concrete structure extending 60 feet above the earth and 30 feet down into it: VanderMeer’s “Tower” made real.
I think of that configuration of berm, chamber, shaft, disc and hot cell – all set atop the casks of pulsing radioactive molecules entombed deep in the Permian strata – as perhaps our purest Anthropocene architecture. And I think of those multiply repeated incantations – pitched somewhere between confession, caution and black mass; leave the room buried for future generations, leave the room buried for future generations … – as perhaps our most perfected Anthropocene text.
I don't know what weapons they'll use
in World War 3, but WW4 will be
fought with sticks and stones.
What he means is, in our haste for results,
we're going to lay waste to all we've created.
And this is from an intelligent man, who
actually helped atomic research.
We are having such an effect on the planet that
we got our own -cene, the Anthropocene.
The problem is that we are so rapacious as
regards our use of the planet that we seem to
forget that one should not shit where one eats.
Nuclear energy (and bombs, for that matter) is
one sign that we would prefer energy now
and toxic radioactive waste for 50 000 years.
"Just turn the feckin tv on!
Split an atom, if you have to.
I don't care about future generations."
There are parts of this planet that we know as
no-go areas. Unfortunately, animals don't have
an understanding.
We have Fukishima:
later
Chernobyl:
later
Bikini Atoll
We have wrecked enough of this planet and
still we haven't got the message. Let's not
even talk about standard pollution, or climate
change. Trump and most of the US don't
even agree that it exists, largely because
they think it means we have to surrender
our fossil-fuel-burning toys (supercars, yachts).
And now, there's a new underground bunker
for nuclear waste that will be sealed and have
signs posted warning people not to go in.
What is telling is that they're are trying to
create visual signs for people who don't
speak any earthly language.
What does that mean? That there's every
possibility that humans will destroy so
much of humanity that languages will
no longer be taught in those things we
call schools. The US and UK are well on
their way to de-educating poor people already.
I have some ideas for these people:
-the three-eyed fish.
-the melting man from Robocop
the atom. they'll be famous and
believed to be the devil bythe
23rd century shamanic religion.
checkit: Guardian
Generation Anthropocene: How humans have altered the planet for ever
We are living in the Anthropocene age, in which human influence on the planet is so profound – and terrifying – it will leave its legacy for millennia. Politicians and scientists have had their say, but how are writers and artists responding to this crisis?
Robert Macfarlane
Friday 1 April 2016 12.00 BST
Last modified on Saturday 2 April 2016 00.06 BST
...
In 1981 the research field of “nuclear semiotics” was born. A group of interdisciplinary experts was tasked with preventing future humans from intruding on to a subterranean storage facility for radioactive waste, then under construction in the New Mexico desert. The half-life of plutonium-239 is around 24,100 years; the written history of humanity is around 5,000 years old. The challenge facing the group was how to devise a sign system that could semantically survive even catastrophic phases of planetary future, and that could communicate with an unknown humanoid-to-be.
Construction of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico, an underground nuclear waste dump. Photograph: Eric Draper/AP
Several proposals involved forms of hostile architecture: a “landscape of thorns” in which 15m-high concrete pillars with jutting side spikes impeded access; a maze of sharp black rock blocks that absorbed solar energy to become impassably hot. But such aggressive structures can act as enticements rather than cautions, suggesting here be treasure rather than here be dragons. Prince Charming hacked his way through the briars to wake Sleeping Beauty. Indiana Jones braved wooden spikes and rolling boulders to reach the golden idol in a booby-trapped Peruvian temple. Sometimes I wonder if the design task should be handed wholesale to the team behind the Ikea instruction manuals: if they can convey in pictograms how to put up a Billy bookcase anywhere in the world, they can surely tell someone in 10,000 years’ time not to dig in a certain place.
Advertisement
The New Mexico facility is due to be sealed in 2038. The present plans for marking the site involve a berm with a core of salt, enclosing the above-ground footprint of the repository. Buried in the berm will be radar reflectors, magnets and a “Storage Room”, constructed around a stone slab too big to be removed via the chamber entrance. Data will be inscribed on to the slab including maps, time lines, and scientific details of the waste and its risks, written in all current official UN languages, and in Navajo: “This site was known as the WIPP (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Site) when it was closed in 2038 AD … Do not expose this room unless the information centre messages are lost. Leave the room buried for future generations.” Discs made of ceramic, clay, glass and metal, also engraved with warnings, will be embedded in the soil and the shaft seals. Finally, a “hot cell”, or radiation containment chamber, will be constructed: a reinforced concrete structure extending 60 feet above the earth and 30 feet down into it: VanderMeer’s “Tower” made real.
I think of that configuration of berm, chamber, shaft, disc and hot cell – all set atop the casks of pulsing radioactive molecules entombed deep in the Permian strata – as perhaps our purest Anthropocene architecture. And I think of those multiply repeated incantations – pitched somewhere between confession, caution and black mass; leave the room buried for future generations, leave the room buried for future generations … – as perhaps our most perfected Anthropocene text.
Saturday, 2 April 2016
the new suicidal reality show
This is a story which is an indication of how
twisted it is that UK folks defer to upper-
class bosses and their stupid ideas without
questioning danger/stupidity/full-body traction casts.
See banks
See politics
See dying manufacturing sector
The art of ski jumping is ridiculously dangerous.
I can hardly believe that the Olympics has this
human-as-bird lark as an official sport.
Nevertheless, the athletes are obviously well-
trained and rarely get injured.
Now, the UK, in its search for new reality gold,
has tried to send complete neophytes of a ski
jump.
A lot of them are quitting.
Many are injuring their spines.
[so, what's a little spinal tap, amongst friends?]
I would hate to think that it was designed to
advertise the new movie about Eddie the
Eagle. As in, we're proud of Eddie, so
let's chuck ourselves off a ski jump. What
could go wrong?
[a knock-off of Cool Runnings?]
I don't know who's crazier, the show's
creator, the idiot who signed off the
development of this show, or the
contestants.
more later
Checkit: BBC
The Jump: Ex-Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding leaves show
27 February 2016
Former Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding has become the sixth contestant to drop out of Channel 4 series The Jump because of injury.
The 34-year-old said she had "no choice" but to leave the reality skiing show because of a ligament injury.
Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle, actress Tina Hobley and Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington have already pulled out.
Harding, whose departure will be aired on Sunday, said she was thankful for the "once-in-a-lifetime journey".
The Jump sees celebrities taking part in various winter sports competitions, including ski-jumping, bobsleigh and speed skating in Austria.
The show's third series has now seen six stars retire from the slopes.
Britain's most successful gymnast Tweddle, 30, needed neck surgery following a fall during training
Former Olympic swimming champion Rebecca Adlington, 26, withdrew after dislocating her shoulder.
Holby City actress Hobley, 44, also headed for the exit after she dislocated her elbow and suffered two fractures to her arm
Made In Chelsea star Mark-Francis Vandelli, 26, pulled out after fracturing his ankle
1992 Olympic 100m champion Linford Christie pulled out after he failed to recover in time from a hamstring injury
After revealing her injury, Harding tweeted that she had been "gutted" [NOT HALF AS MUCH AS IF YOU LAND ON YOUR STOMACH & BLOW A FAT HERNIA- Cos67] to receive the news that after six weeks of training she would not be able to continue.
But she said to make it as far as she did had surpassed her own expectations.
'Great competitor'
A spokeswoman for Channel 4 confirmed Harding had withdrawn on medical advice after pulling a ligament in her knee during training on Friday.
"She has been advised by medics to rest and will undergo physiotherapy. Sarah has been a great competitor and we wish her a speedy recovery," she said.
Image caption Beth Tweddle tweeted a picture of herself wearing a neck brace before leaving hospital
Former England rugby player Ben Cohen, 37, who was drafted in as some of the stars were forced to drop out, was also injured after he said he had used his face to stop himself in an accident.
He lost two teeth and needed 20 stitches, he said on Twitter, but will remain in the competition.
At the beginning of February, Channel 4 said it had asked producers to "review safety procedures again to further reduce the prospect of accident".
The first review came after Olympic bronze medallist Tweddle had surgery to fuse fractured vertebrae in her neck. She was discharged from hospital 10 days later.
twisted it is that UK folks defer to upper-
class bosses and their stupid ideas without
questioning danger/stupidity/full-body traction casts.
See banks
See politics
See dying manufacturing sector
The art of ski jumping is ridiculously dangerous.
I can hardly believe that the Olympics has this
human-as-bird lark as an official sport.
Nevertheless, the athletes are obviously well-
trained and rarely get injured.
Now, the UK, in its search for new reality gold,
has tried to send complete neophytes of a ski
jump.
A lot of them are quitting.
Many are injuring their spines.
I would hate to think that it was designed to
advertise the new movie about Eddie the
Eagle. As in, we're proud of Eddie, so
let's chuck ourselves off a ski jump. What
could go wrong?
I don't know who's crazier, the show's
creator, the idiot who signed off the
development of this show, or the
contestants.
"you want me to jump what?"
more later
Checkit: BBC
The Jump: Ex-Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding leaves show
27 February 2016
Former Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding has become the sixth contestant to drop out of Channel 4 series The Jump because of injury.
The 34-year-old said she had "no choice" but to leave the reality skiing show because of a ligament injury.
Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle, actress Tina Hobley and Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington have already pulled out.
Harding, whose departure will be aired on Sunday, said she was thankful for the "once-in-a-lifetime journey".
The Jump sees celebrities taking part in various winter sports competitions, including ski-jumping, bobsleigh and speed skating in Austria.
The show's third series has now seen six stars retire from the slopes.
Britain's most successful gymnast Tweddle, 30, needed neck surgery following a fall during training
Former Olympic swimming champion Rebecca Adlington, 26, withdrew after dislocating her shoulder.
Holby City actress Hobley, 44, also headed for the exit after she dislocated her elbow and suffered two fractures to her arm
Made In Chelsea star Mark-Francis Vandelli, 26, pulled out after fracturing his ankle
1992 Olympic 100m champion Linford Christie pulled out after he failed to recover in time from a hamstring injury
After revealing her injury, Harding tweeted that she had been "gutted" [NOT HALF AS MUCH AS IF YOU LAND ON YOUR STOMACH & BLOW A FAT HERNIA- Cos67] to receive the news that after six weeks of training she would not be able to continue.
But she said to make it as far as she did had surpassed her own expectations.
'Great competitor'
A spokeswoman for Channel 4 confirmed Harding had withdrawn on medical advice after pulling a ligament in her knee during training on Friday.
"She has been advised by medics to rest and will undergo physiotherapy. Sarah has been a great competitor and we wish her a speedy recovery," she said.
Image caption Beth Tweddle tweeted a picture of herself wearing a neck brace before leaving hospital
Former England rugby player Ben Cohen, 37, who was drafted in as some of the stars were forced to drop out, was also injured after he said he had used his face to stop himself in an accident.
He lost two teeth and needed 20 stitches, he said on Twitter, but will remain in the competition.
At the beginning of February, Channel 4 said it had asked producers to "review safety procedures again to further reduce the prospect of accident".
The first review came after Olympic bronze medallist Tweddle had surgery to fuse fractured vertebrae in her neck. She was discharged from hospital 10 days later.
Harvard discovers racism
This is a multi-layered story about how the richest,
most famous, best US university has finally decided
to recognise the racism in its midst.
In a similar development, Oxford University is facing
the spectre of Cecil Rhodes, a slave owner. Yes, that
Rhodes, of the Rhodes scholarship.
I think that you have to be transparent and then the
public will decide what to do. In most cases, slave
abetters and especially slave-owners need to be
taken down a rung, because they became the famous
grandees of history because of slavery.
At Harvard, their Law school symbol was taken on
from the Royall family (sounds made up, like Cadillac)
which donated its estate to fund the Law School.
Unfortunately, as the symbol hints at, the Royalls'
money was made thanks to the free but not
freely-volunteered work of slaves.
The wheat bushels on the real crest
have been modified here to show
slaves carrying bushels.
So, the family had slaves? A certain
kind of proof, given to us by the
reality shows which, for example
showed the Ben Affleck's family
were slave owners, is that the
African slaves took on the name of
their slave owner, and often gave
birth to their "illegitimate"
-under-the-"law" children.
It's hard to find any.
[this is why Tarantino is brilliant. As if small-time thugs have been
to Paris and Amsterdam.]
Nevertheless, blacks in the US,
or the UK, did not have
it as easy as Dido.
The blatantly obvious part of this is the fact that,
forgetting what the story below says, the wheat
pictured is not on the backs of workers, but
we can now "see" the slaves, because that's
what they were meant to depict, even if the
Royall family didn't consider slaves to be
people.
I don't think this goes anywhere near the topic
of how much slavery has helped make the US
what it is, including Harvard University. I just
discovered that George Washington was not
only the richest man in revolutionary Americaa,
but also a land speculator and a slave owner. The
US must come clean and admit all this to start
healing the wounds. It's just symbolism, but
it means more than that to many whose family
history is entwined with the chains of slavery.
checkit: Guardian
Harvard law school drops official shield over slavery links
University committee rules shield donated by family that built wealth through slavery does not reflect institution’s values
Staff and agencies
Saturday 5 March 2016 03.59 GMT
Last modified on Monday 7 March 2016 11.44 GMT
Harvard law school will remove its official shield following months of protest at the symbol’s ties to an 18th-century slaveholder.
A committee at the prestigious university, which counts president Barack Obama among its alumni, was convened to rule on the issue and on Friday decided the shield was inappropriate.
Harvard 'black tape' vandalism brings law school's controversial past to fore
Read more
“We believe that if the law school is to have an official symbol, it must more closely represent the values of the law school, which the current shield does not,” the panel, made up of professors, alumni, students and staff, wrote in its recommendation.
The school has sent its decision to the university’s governing body, the Harvard corporation, asking for the emblem to stop being used as its official shield. It was not immediately clear when the corporation would take up the issue.
The shield’s meaning has changed over time, said Bruce Mann, committee chairman and Harvard law professor.
“Too many people think the shield has become an impediment,” he said. “Too many people see the association with slavery.”
The committee’s 10-2 recommendation was backed by Dean Martha Minow.
“I endorse the recommendation to retire the shield because its association with slavery does not represent the values and aspirations of the Harvard law school and because it has become a source of division rather than commonality in our community,” she wrote to students and alumni.
The shield, officially adopted in 1937, depicts three bundles of wheat, an image borrowed from the family crest of Isaac Royall Jr, under the university’s motto “Veritas”.
Royall donated his estate to create the first law professorship at Harvard University. His father, Isaac Royall Sr, made much of the family wealth on the backs of slaves on Caribbean sugar plantations and Massachusetts farms.
Minow created the committee after some law school students formed a group called Royall Must Fall to denounce the shield.
“We definitely consider this a victory that represents our tireless advocacy,” said AJ Clayborne, a third-year Harvard law student and member of Royall Must Fall, adding that the group was also dedicated to fighting other racial injustices at the school.
Not everyone agreed with the recommendation. One professor on the committee, joined by a student, said keeping the shield was a way to honor the slaves whose sacrifice provided the Royall family with its wealth.
They said the shield should be tied “to a historically sound interpretative narrative about it” and suggested adding the word “Iustitia” (justice in Latin) below the word “Veritas”.
The move to drop the shield came after Harvard University announced it would change the centuries-old title “house master”, used to describe the Ivy League’s residential administrators, to the term “faculty dean”.
There were waves of protests in late 2015 across several US college campuses, including Yale and Princeton, where students rallied against what they saw as institutional racism. Activists claimed the title “house master” was inappropriate and conjured a connection to slavery.
Associated Press contributed to this report
most famous, best US university has finally decided
to recognise the racism in its midst.
In a similar development, Oxford University is facing
the spectre of Cecil Rhodes, a slave owner. Yes, that
Rhodes, of the Rhodes scholarship.
I think that you have to be transparent and then the
public will decide what to do. In most cases, slave
abetters and especially slave-owners need to be
taken down a rung, because they became the famous
grandees of history because of slavery.
At Harvard, their Law school symbol was taken on
from the Royall family (sounds made up, like Cadillac)
which donated its estate to fund the Law School.
Unfortunately, as the symbol hints at, the Royalls'
money was made thanks to the free but not
freely-volunteered work of slaves.
have been modified here to show
slaves carrying bushels.
So, the family had slaves? A certain
kind of proof, given to us by the
reality shows which, for example
showed the Ben Affleck's family
were slave owners, is that the
African slaves took on the name of
their slave owner, and often gave
birth to their "illegitimate"
-under-the-"law" children.
It's hard to find any.
[this is why Tarantino is brilliant. As if small-time thugs have been
to Paris and Amsterdam.]
Nevertheless, blacks in the US,
or the UK, did not have
it as easy as Dido.
The blatantly obvious part of this is the fact that,
forgetting what the story below says, the wheat
pictured is not on the backs of workers, but
we can now "see" the slaves, because that's
what they were meant to depict, even if the
Royall family didn't consider slaves to be
people.
I don't think this goes anywhere near the topic
of how much slavery has helped make the US
what it is, including Harvard University. I just
discovered that George Washington was not
only the richest man in revolutionary Americaa,
but also a land speculator and a slave owner. The
US must come clean and admit all this to start
healing the wounds. It's just symbolism, but
it means more than that to many whose family
history is entwined with the chains of slavery.
checkit: Guardian
Harvard law school drops official shield over slavery links
University committee rules shield donated by family that built wealth through slavery does not reflect institution’s values
Staff and agencies
Saturday 5 March 2016 03.59 GMT
Last modified on Monday 7 March 2016 11.44 GMT
Harvard law school will remove its official shield following months of protest at the symbol’s ties to an 18th-century slaveholder.
A committee at the prestigious university, which counts president Barack Obama among its alumni, was convened to rule on the issue and on Friday decided the shield was inappropriate.
Harvard 'black tape' vandalism brings law school's controversial past to fore
Read more
“We believe that if the law school is to have an official symbol, it must more closely represent the values of the law school, which the current shield does not,” the panel, made up of professors, alumni, students and staff, wrote in its recommendation.
The school has sent its decision to the university’s governing body, the Harvard corporation, asking for the emblem to stop being used as its official shield. It was not immediately clear when the corporation would take up the issue.
The shield’s meaning has changed over time, said Bruce Mann, committee chairman and Harvard law professor.
“Too many people think the shield has become an impediment,” he said. “Too many people see the association with slavery.”
The committee’s 10-2 recommendation was backed by Dean Martha Minow.
“I endorse the recommendation to retire the shield because its association with slavery does not represent the values and aspirations of the Harvard law school and because it has become a source of division rather than commonality in our community,” she wrote to students and alumni.
The shield, officially adopted in 1937, depicts three bundles of wheat, an image borrowed from the family crest of Isaac Royall Jr, under the university’s motto “Veritas”.
Royall donated his estate to create the first law professorship at Harvard University. His father, Isaac Royall Sr, made much of the family wealth on the backs of slaves on Caribbean sugar plantations and Massachusetts farms.
Minow created the committee after some law school students formed a group called Royall Must Fall to denounce the shield.
“We definitely consider this a victory that represents our tireless advocacy,” said AJ Clayborne, a third-year Harvard law student and member of Royall Must Fall, adding that the group was also dedicated to fighting other racial injustices at the school.
Not everyone agreed with the recommendation. One professor on the committee, joined by a student, said keeping the shield was a way to honor the slaves whose sacrifice provided the Royall family with its wealth.
They said the shield should be tied “to a historically sound interpretative narrative about it” and suggested adding the word “Iustitia” (justice in Latin) below the word “Veritas”.
The move to drop the shield came after Harvard University announced it would change the centuries-old title “house master”, used to describe the Ivy League’s residential administrators, to the term “faculty dean”.
There were waves of protests in late 2015 across several US college campuses, including Yale and Princeton, where students rallied against what they saw as institutional racism. Activists claimed the title “house master” was inappropriate and conjured a connection to slavery.
Associated Press contributed to this report
Microsoft's Artificial Troll
That's what the world needs. More Internet trolls.
I think that Microsoft's project is worthwhile,
unlike its computer software which is still
the binary version of a bucket of bolts,
even after 30+ years.
It's good because it is supposedly a learning,
mind-like system. So, it may even mimic
some of the human stages of Internet Chat
Literacy (trademark).
What it shows is an arc of development of
that is similar to that of a human. It is
"cognitive" overload.
It is mind-blowing to be able to sit in front
of your computer and chat with people on
the other side of our blue sphere. This is
especially life-changing if you're a lonely
neurotic blogger, like me.
What that means is that you get a response
where in Reality 1.0, you get ignored even
by your mother. That opens a pandora's box
of repressed emotions, from happiness (and
vulnerability) but through a series of
disappointments (cuz others just don't play
in the way you want to) to curmudgeonly
trolling.
Admit it. We've all been there, at least for a
short while.
What I don't like is that the AI bot's twitter
account shows a human face. That can only
confuse things.
Indeed, I've noticed some
troll bots let loose on twitter. They seem
to engage with people but then if you
insult them ever so indirectly, they do
not react. A human troll would.
What I have practiced, in order to discover
if a troll is a computer or not is to use my
Turing Troll Test.
I assume that if you use the word "asshole",
the computer could be programmed to produce
an appropriate response.
If however, you use a more nuanced critique
that nevertheless would insult any human on
the planet, then the Trap is set. If the troll
doesn't get it, then it's a bot.
Then I enquire: "isn't it strange that you're
not responding to my concerns," and again
no answer is forthcoming.
When I claim "you're a bot", some of
the trolls respond back and say that they
"are" not. But I already have my answer.
checkit: Guardian
Microsoft 'deeply sorry' for racist and sexist tweets by AI chatbot
Company finally apologises after ‘Tay’ quickly learned to produce offensive posts, forcing the tech giant to shut it down after just 16 hours
Microsoft’s artificial intelligence chatbot Tay didn’t last long on Twitter.
Staff and agencies
Saturday 26 March 2016 16.52 GMT
Last modified on Tuesday 29 March 2016 09.53 BST
Microsoft has said it is “deeply sorry” for the racist and sexist Twitter messages generated by the so-called chatbot it launched this week.
The company released an official apology after the artificial intelligence program went on an embarrassing tirade, likening feminism to cancer and suggesting the Holocaust did not happen.
Tay, Microsoft's AI chatbot, gets a crash course in racism from Twitter
Read more
The bot, known as Tay, was designed to become “smarter” as more users interacted with it. Instead, it quickly learned to parrot a slew of anti-Semitic and other hateful invective that human Twitter users fed the program, forcing Microsoft Corp to shut it down on Thursday .
Following the disastrous experiment, Microsoft initially only gave a terse statement, saying Tay was a “learning machine” and “some of its responses are inappropriate and indicative of the types of interactions some people are having with it.”
But the company on Friday admitted the experiment had gone badly wrong. It said in a blog post it would revive Tay only if its engineers could find a way to prevent Web users from influencing the chatbot in ways that undermine the company’s principles and values.
“We are deeply sorry for the unintended offensive and hurtful tweets from Tay, which do not represent who we are or what we stand for, nor how we designed Tay,” wrote Peter Lee, Microsoft’s vice president of research.
Microsoft created Tay as an experiment to learn more about how artificial intelligence programs can engage with Web users in casual conversation. The project was designed to interact with and “learn” from the young generation of millennials.
Tay began its short-lived Twitter tenure on Wednesday with a handful of innocuous tweets.
— TayTweets (@TayandYou)
March 24, 2016
c u soon humans need sleep now so many conversations today thx💖
Then its posts took a dark turn.
In one typical example, Tay tweeted: “feminism is cancer,” in response to another Twitter user who had posted the same message.
Tay tweeting
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Tay tweeting Photograph: Twitter/Microsoft
Lee, in the blog post, called web users’ efforts to exert a malicious influence on the chatbot “a coordinated attack by a subset of people.”
Advertisement
“Although we had prepared for many types of abuses of the system, we had made a critical oversight for this specific attack,” Lee wrote. “As a result, Tay tweeted wildly inappropriate and reprehensible words and images.”
Microsoft has deleted all but three of Tay’s tweets.
Microsoft has enjoyed better success with a chatbot called XiaoIce that the company launched in China in 2014. XiaoIce is used by about 40 million people and is known for “delighting with its stories and conversations,” according to Microsoft.
As for Tay? Not so much.
“We will remain steadfast in our efforts to learn from this and other experiences as we work toward contributing to an Internet that represents the best, not the worst, of humanity,” Lee wrote.
Reuters contributed to this report
I think that Microsoft's project is worthwhile,
unlike its computer software which is still
the binary version of a bucket of bolts,
even after 30+ years.
It's good because it is supposedly a learning,
mind-like system. So, it may even mimic
some of the human stages of Internet Chat
Literacy (trademark).
What it shows is an arc of development of
that is similar to that of a human. It is
"cognitive" overload.
It is mind-blowing to be able to sit in front
of your computer and chat with people on
the other side of our blue sphere. This is
especially life-changing if you're a lonely
neurotic blogger, like me.
What that means is that you get a response
where in Reality 1.0, you get ignored even
by your mother. That opens a pandora's box
of repressed emotions, from happiness (and
vulnerability) but through a series of
disappointments (cuz others just don't play
in the way you want to) to curmudgeonly
trolling.
Admit it. We've all been there, at least for a
short while.
What I don't like is that the AI bot's twitter
account shows a human face. That can only
confuse things.
Indeed, I've noticed some
troll bots let loose on twitter. They seem
to engage with people but then if you
insult them ever so indirectly, they do
not react. A human troll would.
What I have practiced, in order to discover
if a troll is a computer or not is to use my
Turing Troll Test.
I assume that if you use the word "asshole",
the computer could be programmed to produce
an appropriate response.
If however, you use a more nuanced critique
that nevertheless would insult any human on
the planet, then the Trap is set. If the troll
doesn't get it, then it's a bot.
Then I enquire: "isn't it strange that you're
not responding to my concerns," and again
no answer is forthcoming.
When I claim "you're a bot", some of
the trolls respond back and say that they
"are" not. But I already have my answer.
checkit: Guardian
Microsoft 'deeply sorry' for racist and sexist tweets by AI chatbot
Company finally apologises after ‘Tay’ quickly learned to produce offensive posts, forcing the tech giant to shut it down after just 16 hours
Microsoft’s artificial intelligence chatbot Tay didn’t last long on Twitter.
Staff and agencies
Saturday 26 March 2016 16.52 GMT
Last modified on Tuesday 29 March 2016 09.53 BST
Microsoft has said it is “deeply sorry” for the racist and sexist Twitter messages generated by the so-called chatbot it launched this week.
The company released an official apology after the artificial intelligence program went on an embarrassing tirade, likening feminism to cancer and suggesting the Holocaust did not happen.
Tay, Microsoft's AI chatbot, gets a crash course in racism from Twitter
Read more
The bot, known as Tay, was designed to become “smarter” as more users interacted with it. Instead, it quickly learned to parrot a slew of anti-Semitic and other hateful invective that human Twitter users fed the program, forcing Microsoft Corp to shut it down on Thursday .
Following the disastrous experiment, Microsoft initially only gave a terse statement, saying Tay was a “learning machine” and “some of its responses are inappropriate and indicative of the types of interactions some people are having with it.”
But the company on Friday admitted the experiment had gone badly wrong. It said in a blog post it would revive Tay only if its engineers could find a way to prevent Web users from influencing the chatbot in ways that undermine the company’s principles and values.
“We are deeply sorry for the unintended offensive and hurtful tweets from Tay, which do not represent who we are or what we stand for, nor how we designed Tay,” wrote Peter Lee, Microsoft’s vice president of research.
Microsoft created Tay as an experiment to learn more about how artificial intelligence programs can engage with Web users in casual conversation. The project was designed to interact with and “learn” from the young generation of millennials.
Tay began its short-lived Twitter tenure on Wednesday with a handful of innocuous tweets.
— TayTweets (@TayandYou)
March 24, 2016
c u soon humans need sleep now so many conversations today thx💖
Then its posts took a dark turn.
In one typical example, Tay tweeted: “feminism is cancer,” in response to another Twitter user who had posted the same message.
Tay tweeting
Tay tweeting Photograph: Twitter/Microsoft
Lee, in the blog post, called web users’ efforts to exert a malicious influence on the chatbot “a coordinated attack by a subset of people.”
Advertisement
“Although we had prepared for many types of abuses of the system, we had made a critical oversight for this specific attack,” Lee wrote. “As a result, Tay tweeted wildly inappropriate and reprehensible words and images.”
Microsoft has deleted all but three of Tay’s tweets.
Microsoft has enjoyed better success with a chatbot called XiaoIce that the company launched in China in 2014. XiaoIce is used by about 40 million people and is known for “delighting with its stories and conversations,” according to Microsoft.
As for Tay? Not so much.
“We will remain steadfast in our efforts to learn from this and other experiences as we work toward contributing to an Internet that represents the best, not the worst, of humanity,” Lee wrote.
Reuters contributed to this report
Saturday, 26 March 2016
welcome to Bling-On-Thames
The oligarchic class in the UK are a sparky
bunch of people. They have a lot of life in
them.
The Tory government gives the oligarchs
tax breaks, funds the things that oligarchs
like, and life is just wonderful.
But they're not happy. Wouldn't you know
it. The Entitlement Class wants to have
even more, and they want the poor plebs
to pay for it.
https://www.gardenbridge.london/
The Thames has other bling, but it's quite dated.
[It's so 19th century]
You see, rich people grew up with this bling even in
their nursery rhymes, and feel driven to bling it up,
now that they're in power.
checkit: Guardian
Will Self joins London ‘mass trespass’ over privatisation of public space
Author warns of ‘threat to national psyche’ as campaigners rally outside City Hall to protest at corporate takeover of streets and squares
Mark Townsend
Saturday 13 February 2016 16.52 GMT
Last modified on Monday 15 February 2016 11.34 GMT
The spiritual wellbeing of our cities is being eroded by the creeping corporatisation and privatisation of its public spaces, the author Will Self has warned.
Addressing the first “public space intervention” to protest against the fact that sizeable chunks of London are falling into corporate hands, Self said the trend was having a deleterious impact on the capital’s residents.
Public spaces in Britain's cities fall into private hands
“What people don’t understand is that it does affect you psychically. It constrains you in how you think about what you can do in a space, and it constrains your imagination. It’s like a condensing of time and money and space – it needs to be resisted.”
Self added: “The kind of ludic, playful potential of living in a city is being significantly impoverished by this kind of stuff.”
The author was one of the speakers at a growing campaign to preserve UK cities for their residents. Protesters on Saturday cited London’s Canary Wharf, Olympic Park and the Broadgate development in the City as public places now governed by the rules of the corporations that own them.
Privatised public zones are appearing throughout Britain and include Birmingham’s Brindleyplace, a significant canalside development. In Exeter, there is Princesshay, described as a “shopping destination featuring over 60 shops set in a series of interconnecting open streets and squares”. The spaces there are owned and run by property group Land Securities along with the monarch’s property portfolio, the Crown Estate. In addition, Land Securities owns a large waterside complex of shops, bars and restaurants in Portsmouth.
Comedian Mark Thomas talking at the same event.
Writer Anna Minton said that in London the proposed Garden Bridge was symbolic of the trend, pointing to the fact that despite using £60m of public money it would be plagued by corporate restrictions: cyclists would have to dismount to cross while social gatherings, playing musical instruments, making a speech, releasing balloons and many other pursuits would be banned.
Asked what he thought of the Garden Bridge, Self replied: “It could be great – it will be shit.”
Described as both a “public space intervention” and a “mass trespass”, the protest included a series of speakers defending the rights of urban residents as free-roaming citizens. Among them was comedian Mark Thomas, who attacked the coalition government’s introduction of the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) which allows councils to make illegal activities such as sleeping rough in an attempt to drive homeless people from town or city centres.
Analysis London's garden bridge: the end of the road?
It has seemed impervious to a barrage of criticism to date, but is the flawed fairytale plan to build a forest across the Thames finally beginning to wither?
Read more
Campaigners gathered on a patch of grass near City Hall on the banks of the Thames, chosen because it gives visitors the illusion of being a public space but is in fact controlled by private security, with its own set of regulations. Tourists can be admonished just for taking a photo, as Assembly Member Jenny Jones discovered while taking a picture of her place of work.
Gesturing to the surrounds, Self said: “How anybody can think this is one of the nicest parts of London. It can only be because they have been deprived of the capacity to make free choices of their own: you’re told what to do in a space like this, the very architecture tells us.”
Self added: “This is part of a gathering campaign to resist what I call ‘piss-pots’, Public Space Protection Orders which are a kind of extension of the law into the very psyche of the urban stroller. This is non-trivial.”
Other speakers at the event included comedian Mark Thomas and Sian Berry, Green party candidate for mayor of London, who pledged to introduce rules to ensure that new publicly accessible spaces in the capital were governed by the law of the land. Her modification of the London Plan would prevent controversial projects such as the Garden Bridge excluding the public at the request of its owners.
bunch of people. They have a lot of life in
them.
The Tory government gives the oligarchs
tax breaks, funds the things that oligarchs
like, and life is just wonderful.
But they're not happy. Wouldn't you know
it. The Entitlement Class wants to have
even more, and they want the poor plebs
to pay for it.
They want something public,
something austentatious
something everyone will see
so that they'll say
"what oligarchs you have"
£60 million of public money ought to do it.
It's a bridge too far.
A bridge over the River. Why?
In honour of Sacha Baron Cohen,
I re-christen London as
Bling-on-Thames
In song. All together now:
Don't take my bridge,
my argy-bargy bridge.
Goddamn plebs don't understand
but if you take my bridge
my argy bargy bridge
Bo Jo might blow up and stop this span
Bo Jo might blow up and stop this span
https://www.gardenbridge.london/
The Thames has other bling, but it's quite dated.
You see, rich people grew up with this bling even in
their nursery rhymes, and feel driven to bling it up,
now that they're in power.
Garden Bridge is failing now
failing now
failing now
Garden Bridge is failing now
my fair Joanna Lumley
more latercheckit: Guardian
Will Self joins London ‘mass trespass’ over privatisation of public space
Author warns of ‘threat to national psyche’ as campaigners rally outside City Hall to protest at corporate takeover of streets and squares
Mark Townsend
Saturday 13 February 2016 16.52 GMT
Last modified on Monday 15 February 2016 11.34 GMT
The spiritual wellbeing of our cities is being eroded by the creeping corporatisation and privatisation of its public spaces, the author Will Self has warned.
Addressing the first “public space intervention” to protest against the fact that sizeable chunks of London are falling into corporate hands, Self said the trend was having a deleterious impact on the capital’s residents.
Public spaces in Britain's cities fall into private hands
“What people don’t understand is that it does affect you psychically. It constrains you in how you think about what you can do in a space, and it constrains your imagination. It’s like a condensing of time and money and space – it needs to be resisted.”
Self added: “The kind of ludic, playful potential of living in a city is being significantly impoverished by this kind of stuff.”
The author was one of the speakers at a growing campaign to preserve UK cities for their residents. Protesters on Saturday cited London’s Canary Wharf, Olympic Park and the Broadgate development in the City as public places now governed by the rules of the corporations that own them.
Privatised public zones are appearing throughout Britain and include Birmingham’s Brindleyplace, a significant canalside development. In Exeter, there is Princesshay, described as a “shopping destination featuring over 60 shops set in a series of interconnecting open streets and squares”. The spaces there are owned and run by property group Land Securities along with the monarch’s property portfolio, the Crown Estate. In addition, Land Securities owns a large waterside complex of shops, bars and restaurants in Portsmouth.
Comedian Mark Thomas talking at the same event.
Writer Anna Minton said that in London the proposed Garden Bridge was symbolic of the trend, pointing to the fact that despite using £60m of public money it would be plagued by corporate restrictions: cyclists would have to dismount to cross while social gatherings, playing musical instruments, making a speech, releasing balloons and many other pursuits would be banned.
Asked what he thought of the Garden Bridge, Self replied: “It could be great – it will be shit.”
Described as both a “public space intervention” and a “mass trespass”, the protest included a series of speakers defending the rights of urban residents as free-roaming citizens. Among them was comedian Mark Thomas, who attacked the coalition government’s introduction of the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) which allows councils to make illegal activities such as sleeping rough in an attempt to drive homeless people from town or city centres.
Analysis London's garden bridge: the end of the road?
It has seemed impervious to a barrage of criticism to date, but is the flawed fairytale plan to build a forest across the Thames finally beginning to wither?
Read more
Campaigners gathered on a patch of grass near City Hall on the banks of the Thames, chosen because it gives visitors the illusion of being a public space but is in fact controlled by private security, with its own set of regulations. Tourists can be admonished just for taking a photo, as Assembly Member Jenny Jones discovered while taking a picture of her place of work.
Gesturing to the surrounds, Self said: “How anybody can think this is one of the nicest parts of London. It can only be because they have been deprived of the capacity to make free choices of their own: you’re told what to do in a space like this, the very architecture tells us.”
Self added: “This is part of a gathering campaign to resist what I call ‘piss-pots’, Public Space Protection Orders which are a kind of extension of the law into the very psyche of the urban stroller. This is non-trivial.”
Other speakers at the event included comedian Mark Thomas and Sian Berry, Green party candidate for mayor of London, who pledged to introduce rules to ensure that new publicly accessible spaces in the capital were governed by the law of the land. Her modification of the London Plan would prevent controversial projects such as the Garden Bridge excluding the public at the request of its owners.
Tuesday, 22 March 2016
Football is about humans, not just gut feelings
If gut feelings were all you needed, GWBush
would be president of the world. but alas, no.
As John Cusack said in High Fidelity:
My guts have shit for brains.
Unfortunately, fans have to listen to pundits
just go with their gut feelings.
That can go wrong when you're trying to
bet on who will win the championship.
So, they go to the talking heads on television
for some words of wisdom, and what do they
get? They get the gut feelings of pundits
whose job is so easy that they don't even
have to use their brains, let alone do any
proper research.
They think they have all they need in what
Brits call their "nut." i.e. their brain
Gary Lineker is so famous due to his
World Cup expoits (10 goals), he would have
to "mistreat" some girl on the royal family
line of succession to lose his job as a football
commentator, and he knows that. What that
does is, it shuts off your brain.
Lineker rejected Claudio Ranieri as the new
coach of Leicester before the start of the season,
without even talking to the man, looking at his
stats, discussing how he works with people.
No research. Does Lineker even have a degree?
Sports Management? that's a real degree. I know
this. Loughborough Uni, in Leicestershire.
No, he doesn't have said degree.
From wikipedia:
"Lineker left school with four O Levels. One of his teachers wrote on his report card that he "concentrates too much on football" and that he would "never make a living at that". He then joined the youth academy at Leicester City in 1976.[7]"
-concentrates too much on football?
He must have obviously taken too many balls to the head.
[I never liked the idea, when I played as a kid]
You know about all that new research on
the long-term effect of concussions.
[Will and the writers must have taken too many
shots to the head. repeating same drivel. failing
to show human emotions. Can't tell a decent story.
Smith also played Muhammad Ali the boxer]
You also discover from Wikipedia that Lineker
grew up in Leicester and played for that same
Leicester City team. Still he had no desire to
investigate things. What does it take to motivate
this man?
When I was playing the hockey pools, during the
early days of computers, I used stats and watched
games religiously to try to win the season. I spent
most of the year in last place, but by the playoffs,
I had got into contention. I ended up losing the
finals 4 games to 1. Why? because I studied the
thing to death (perhaps too much, ok mom?).
Lineker doesn't feel he needs to do this.
For football, which has many variables, one of
the tools you can use is a Rasch table. It puts
all the teams on X and Y axes and shows how
the play against each other.
From Wikipedia, Ranieri's managerial achievements:
Cagliari
Serie C1: 1988–89
Serie B promotion: 1989–90
Fiorentina
Serie B: 1993–94
Coppa Italia: 1995–96
Supercoppa Italiana: 1996
Valencia
UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1998
Copa del Rey: 1998–99
UEFA Super Cup: 2004
Monaco
Ligue 2: 2012–13
Individual
Premier League Manager of the Month: September 2003, March 2004, November 2015
Don't you think a guy like this deserves to be
given a chance to at least explain himself?
Update: with 8 games to go, Leicester is 8 points
ahead of Tottenham, a team that also should
not be there.
more later
checkit: Independent
Remembering what Gary Lineker said about Claudio Ranieri when he was appointed as Leicester City's manager
Posted 2 months ago by Evan Bartlett in sport
Leicester City sit top of the Premier League following their 3-1 victory over title rivals (yes, title rivals) Manchester City on Saturday.
The Foxes, under the guidance of manager Claudio Ranieri, have now taken 53 points and with just 13 games left in the season are proving to be an immovable force at the top of the league.
But when the Italian was appointed in the summer, just months after being sacked by Greece, his arrival was hardly greeted with optimism from the club's supporters.
Gary Lineker, former England centre forward and Leicester fan, slammed Ranieri as an "uninspiring" choice.
He said on BreatheSport:
Claudio Ranieri is clearly experienced, but this is an uninspired choice by Leicester.
It's amazing how the same old names keep getting a go on the managerial merry-go-round.
Here's a quick look at the Premier League table as it stands:
And Lineker's reaction on Saturday as the Foxes were beating City
Doesn't seem so "uninspiring" now, does he Gary?
Null
Note: This post has been updated because, well, Leicester City just keep winning football matches
would be president of the world. but alas, no.
As John Cusack said in High Fidelity:
My guts have shit for brains.
Unfortunately, fans have to listen to pundits
just go with their gut feelings.
That can go wrong when you're trying to
bet on who will win the championship.
So, they go to the talking heads on television
for some words of wisdom, and what do they
get? They get the gut feelings of pundits
whose job is so easy that they don't even
have to use their brains, let alone do any
proper research.
They think they have all they need in what
Brits call their "nut." i.e. their brain
Gary Lineker is so famous due to his
World Cup expoits (10 goals), he would have
to "mistreat" some girl on the royal family
line of succession to lose his job as a football
commentator, and he knows that. What that
does is, it shuts off your brain.
Lineker rejected Claudio Ranieri as the new
coach of Leicester before the start of the season,
without even talking to the man, looking at his
stats, discussing how he works with people.
No research. Does Lineker even have a degree?
Sports Management? that's a real degree. I know
this. Loughborough Uni, in Leicestershire.
No, he doesn't have said degree.
From wikipedia:
"Lineker left school with four O Levels. One of his teachers wrote on his report card that he "concentrates too much on football" and that he would "never make a living at that". He then joined the youth academy at Leicester City in 1976.[7]"
-concentrates too much on football?
He must have obviously taken too many balls to the head.
You know about all that new research on
the long-term effect of concussions.
[Will and the writers must have taken too many
shots to the head. repeating same drivel. failing
to show human emotions. Can't tell a decent story.
Smith also played Muhammad Ali the boxer]
You also discover from Wikipedia that Lineker
grew up in Leicester and played for that same
Leicester City team. Still he had no desire to
investigate things. What does it take to motivate
this man?
When I was playing the hockey pools, during the
early days of computers, I used stats and watched
games religiously to try to win the season. I spent
most of the year in last place, but by the playoffs,
I had got into contention. I ended up losing the
finals 4 games to 1. Why? because I studied the
thing to death (perhaps too much, ok mom?).
Lineker doesn't feel he needs to do this.
For football, which has many variables, one of
the tools you can use is a Rasch table. It puts
all the teams on X and Y axes and shows how
the play against each other.
From Wikipedia, Ranieri's managerial achievements:
Cagliari
Serie C1: 1988–89
Serie B promotion: 1989–90
Fiorentina
Serie B: 1993–94
Coppa Italia: 1995–96
Supercoppa Italiana: 1996
Valencia
UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1998
Copa del Rey: 1998–99
UEFA Super Cup: 2004
Monaco
Ligue 2: 2012–13
Individual
Premier League Manager of the Month: September 2003, March 2004, November 2015
Don't you think a guy like this deserves to be
given a chance to at least explain himself?
Update: with 8 games to go, Leicester is 8 points
ahead of Tottenham, a team that also should
not be there.
more later
checkit: Independent
Remembering what Gary Lineker said about Claudio Ranieri when he was appointed as Leicester City's manager
Posted 2 months ago by Evan Bartlett in sport
Leicester City sit top of the Premier League following their 3-1 victory over title rivals (yes, title rivals) Manchester City on Saturday.
The Foxes, under the guidance of manager Claudio Ranieri, have now taken 53 points and with just 13 games left in the season are proving to be an immovable force at the top of the league.
But when the Italian was appointed in the summer, just months after being sacked by Greece, his arrival was hardly greeted with optimism from the club's supporters.
Gary Lineker, former England centre forward and Leicester fan, slammed Ranieri as an "uninspiring" choice.
He said on BreatheSport:
Claudio Ranieri is clearly experienced, but this is an uninspired choice by Leicester.
It's amazing how the same old names keep getting a go on the managerial merry-go-round.
Here's a quick look at the Premier League table as it stands:
And Lineker's reaction on Saturday as the Foxes were beating City
Doesn't seem so "uninspiring" now, does he Gary?
Null
Note: This post has been updated because, well, Leicester City just keep winning football matches
Sunday, 7 February 2016
a hook in time 2: no no no, with a boogaloo
I tripped over this amazing boogaloo song when
simulating dancing in a Bath pub, with a gal
friend and here's the story:
In a dark, low-ceilinged pub, cut into a hill-side
in Bath, we were standing listening intently to
the DJ's cool tunes. Nobody but us was dancing.
In fact, we were also so self-conscious and
half-assed about it, others thought we wanted
to sit down, and kept offering us chairs. When I
heard this song, I was driven to ask the DJ about it.
He had it on a vinyl 45, with this picture on
the sleeve:
I've already expressed my interest in salsa,
recently, but what confused me with this song
was the use of English in a salsa song. And
there were lyrics that I semi-recognised. It's a
bilingual tune but from what I figure, the band are
Americans, but I know nothing about their
background.
What they are doing is called the
Newyorican (New York Puerto Rican) sound,
which was sung with mixed English and Spanish
lyrics. Also called boogaloo (9:45), it was a wave in
1970s New York. I'll dig up the documentary.
Here it is, with , you guessed it, Ruben Blades.
New York Salsa (see 6:40):
From the beginning:
So, finding this song started a search that
took me back to the 1950s. What we have
here is another awesome mix of mixes.
in 1955, Bo Diddley (not greatly appreciated)
wrote a song "She's fine, she's mine" where
we get a wicked, minimal blues beat with harmonica
and the words "you don't love me" in the
the closest-thing-to-a-chorus. A hook is born.
check it at 0:35
Credit for the song is given to E McDaniels,
Ellas McDaniels, the legal name of the one and only
Bo Diddley. Actually, he was born Ellas Otha Bates
and had it changed as a child.
The dawn of the 1960s sees Willie Cobbs
taking the beat, speeding it up and using
the chorus words from the opening onward.
"oh, oh, oh, you don't love me. Yes I know"
He added some v good guitar work (starts at 1:00).
Very much a good example of 1960s blues,
that has hints of Chuck Berry in the tuneship.
This time, it's supported by a tenor sax.
we hear:
"if you love me, I'll get on my knees and pray"
near the end.
In 1967, the song is exported to Jamaica.
Dawn Penn took the song and lyrics, turned
the beat inside out with a rocksteady syncopation
(that's a precursor to reggae).
She added an impressive, cool intro with
a percussive& guitar double beat that gets your
attention. The metal drums cascade, like a lot of
reggae, and then the angst-ridden (for a Jamaican)
"no,no,no. You don't love me and I know now"
rings out.
The guitar bar chords & piano keep a steady slow
beat as the lyrics slowly leave her lips. There
is the coolest use of echo in the recording
that probably was caused by the actual recording
conditions. This time, the spice comes from horns,
heard on occasion.
By 1994, Penn had the song morphed into a classic
reggae song, with a toast at the beginning. Though
the instrumentation changed a lot including a
a reggae high-hat and drum rim beat, the
words are the same. The song seems to be about
15% faster than her 1967 version. It's a professional
piece of reggae with the sorta-sexually charged,
scripted video. Gotta have a
,sexy video to get famous on MTV
, or so the story goes.
The ultimate version, in 2013, took
the piano dominates one beat. a Spanish percussion
instrument (I can't name yet) keeps another beat. Total
salsa time is kept here. The single singer
is replaced by salsa harmony. Throw in some
flute, sax and trombone and there you are. This tune
is twice as fast as the 1994 version.
These fellas have their own youtube channel, as you
would.
As mentioned earlier, the no-no-no musicology is
not the whole story. They have mixed this song with
Newyorican music, which for me is a big find. It is
very much based on Cuban Salsa but it rocks with
a metropolitan feel.
If you want to dive in with lots of tunes, check this:
One key example, that likely affected their tune was
these songs by Joe Cuba Sextet 1 "Sock it to me"
for the beat
but, the Ritmo starts with the almost the exact tune
as the Assassins:
Here's a live version of no-no-no:
If you hear them talk, you can see they're Americans.
There have been other versions by Rihanna and Beyonce,
so far only live versions. I'll dig those up, but
they cannot touch the boogaloo.
simulating dancing in a Bath pub, with a gal
friend and here's the story:
In a dark, low-ceilinged pub, cut into a hill-side
in Bath, we were standing listening intently to
the DJ's cool tunes. Nobody but us was dancing.
In fact, we were also so self-conscious and
half-assed about it, others thought we wanted
to sit down, and kept offering us chairs. When I
heard this song, I was driven to ask the DJ about it.
He had it on a vinyl 45, with this picture on
the sleeve:
I've already expressed my interest in salsa,
recently, but what confused me with this song
was the use of English in a salsa song. And
there were lyrics that I semi-recognised. It's a
bilingual tune but from what I figure, the band are
Americans, but I know nothing about their
background.
What they are doing is called the
Newyorican (New York Puerto Rican) sound,
which was sung with mixed English and Spanish
lyrics. Also called boogaloo (9:45), it was a wave in
1970s New York. I'll dig up the documentary.
Here it is, with , you guessed it, Ruben Blades.
New York Salsa (see 6:40):
From the beginning:
So, finding this song started a search that
took me back to the 1950s. What we have
here is another awesome mix of mixes.
in 1955, Bo Diddley (not greatly appreciated)
wrote a song "She's fine, she's mine" where
we get a wicked, minimal blues beat with harmonica
and the words "you don't love me" in the
the closest-thing-to-a-chorus. A hook is born.
check it at 0:35
Credit for the song is given to E McDaniels,
Ellas McDaniels, the legal name of the one and only
Bo Diddley. Actually, he was born Ellas Otha Bates
and had it changed as a child.
The dawn of the 1960s sees Willie Cobbs
taking the beat, speeding it up and using
the chorus words from the opening onward.
"oh, oh, oh, you don't love me. Yes I know"
He added some v good guitar work (starts at 1:00).
Very much a good example of 1960s blues,
that has hints of Chuck Berry in the tuneship.
This time, it's supported by a tenor sax.
we hear:
"if you love me, I'll get on my knees and pray"
near the end.
In 1967, the song is exported to Jamaica.
Dawn Penn took the song and lyrics, turned
the beat inside out with a rocksteady syncopation
(that's a precursor to reggae).
She added an impressive, cool intro with
a percussive& guitar double beat that gets your
attention. The metal drums cascade, like a lot of
reggae, and then the angst-ridden (for a Jamaican)
"no,no,no. You don't love me and I know now"
rings out.
The guitar bar chords & piano keep a steady slow
beat as the lyrics slowly leave her lips. There
is the coolest use of echo in the recording
that probably was caused by the actual recording
conditions. This time, the spice comes from horns,
heard on occasion.
By 1994, Penn had the song morphed into a classic
reggae song, with a toast at the beginning. Though
the instrumentation changed a lot including a
a reggae high-hat and drum rim beat, the
words are the same. The song seems to be about
15% faster than her 1967 version. It's a professional
piece of reggae with the sorta-sexually charged,
scripted video. Gotta have a
,sexy video to get famous on MTV
, or so the story goes.
The ultimate version, in 2013, took
the Jamaican version,
some boogaloo beats from Joe Cuba,
some Spanish lyrics
and created a song with dizzying musicality.the piano dominates one beat. a Spanish percussion
instrument (I can't name yet) keeps another beat. Total
salsa time is kept here. The single singer
is replaced by salsa harmony. Throw in some
flute, sax and trombone and there you are. This tune
is twice as fast as the 1994 version.
These fellas have their own youtube channel, as you
would.
As mentioned earlier, the no-no-no musicology is
not the whole story. They have mixed this song with
Newyorican music, which for me is a big find. It is
very much based on Cuban Salsa but it rocks with
a metropolitan feel.
If you want to dive in with lots of tunes, check this:
One key example, that likely affected their tune was
these songs by Joe Cuba Sextet 1 "Sock it to me"
for the beat
but, the Ritmo starts with the almost the exact tune
as the Assassins:
Here's a live version of no-no-no:
If you hear them talk, you can see they're Americans.
There have been other versions by Rihanna and Beyonce,
so far only live versions. I'll dig those up, but
they cannot touch the boogaloo.
Saturday, 30 January 2016
a hook in time: Maria Lionza
In this first of a series (I hope), I will look at
how musicians find a sound, a tune, a riff
a hook!
& take it somewhere else.
I guess that being on the quiet side has meant
that I have spent more time carefully studying
music. I like technical aspects of music, but
I find the money business tiring.
I'm interested in how artists are affected by
the music they love. Sometimes, borrowing is
indirect or unintentional. Other times, artists
might like a sound so much, they want to
add their own flare to it.
1 the Original
It started as a Latino song
by Ruben Blades, called
MARIA LIONZA.
It was a slower than mid-tempo song which
came alive with a horn intro (0:35) that was
really quite cool, but you had to have
your antennae up to catch it's coolness.
A hook is born.
This video is from 1979 in Venezuela. I'd heard
of Blades, but was too young to appreciate. I
have since appreciated Latino tunes greatly,
especially Salsa. I would nevertheless, never
have spent time on this song. How wrong I
was.
The weird thing is that the horn bit is
never heard again. Odd. In English music,
they bang away at the hook mercilessly.
Tune: Lionza instrumental riff
part of song: intro
Artist: Ruben Blades & his hot horns
Musical source: Latin America
Sound source: real horns!(plus clapping)
Speed: slow
Musical style: Salsa
song writer: Willy Colon , Ruben Blades
2 First transmutation
The next step was in 2011 by Flexican, a Dutch DJ.
He included the spliced riff into the
mid-tempo Latino-type moombahton rap song,
with Typhoon rapping in Dutch.
Song: Bumaye
Tune: Lionza riff
part of song: chorus
Artist: Flexican with Typhoon
Additions: new tune, rap, title
Musical source: Holland
Sound source: spliced sample
Speed: mid-tempo
Musical style: Moombahton
3 ultimate transmutation (2013)
The final piece of the puzzle was to give it
a Jamaican dancehall beat and a Jamaican English
patois toast.
It is quite impressive to match a Latino riff
with dancehall. I believe that such cross-pollinations
are at once rife with potential for great music
and also can generate entire new sound trends.
A salsa riff seems to underlie the dancehall
beat in many parts of the song. It's quite a mind-blower.
Other times, the salsa sound dominates. That's a new genre.
The video here is very colourful,
and maybe a bit much. The scene appears to be
Kingston Jamaica, with Canadian DJ Diplo being
the square peg.
Great dance moves, style and coolness abound.
The singer, Busy Signal,
refers to the Yardies (gangs)
and his friend named a-Yannis,
which to him, seem to rhyme.
watch out for the riff as the tune builds up
to an ecstatic Lionza chorus several times.
That's banging away at the hook!
The hook is even used in a couple
of bridges, it's that good (like at 1:43),
but instead of over-use, it is just a well-crafted tune.
As judged by Youtube (1.7 million views) it
was nowhere near as popular as "Lean on" (1.1 billion),
with the gal of the yeast dance (several entries ago).
The song went platinum in Belgium & France and
gold in Italy. It never went number 1, but hit
#2 in Belgium, and was #28 on Billboard's
hot dance chart (US).
Verdict: this is the best version yet because
it sped up the tune, released it from the
heavy beat of the previous rap song,
perhaps due to the dancehall influence,
and it is euphoric.
Song: Watch out for this
Tune: Lionza riff (+clapping)
part of song: chorus
Artist: Major Lazer with Busy Signal
Additions: new tune, toasting (and lyrics), bassline
Musical source: Jamaica by way of Canada?
Sound source: spliced sample
Speed: up-tempo dance
New musical genre: Jamaican dancehall/ salsa mix
Producer: Flexican (the guy who wrote the previous one)
4 the mashing of Maria Lionza
Bang La Decks vs. Major Lazer - Watch Out For Zouka (Billy S Mashup)
I usually find mashing to be a great art
form. A DJ finds a way to meld 2 songs
with some artistry. In the following case,
it's just a cold cut between songs, but the
video is a booty-check.
5 the Latino reggaeton rap- Daddy Yankee
It's a rap with some mixing changes. It takes
advantage of the fact that the underlying tune
is essentially salsa. I don't really have
time for this version. See for yourself.
6 The Siberian aerobics dance number
Major Lazer - "Watch out for this" dance super video by DHQ Fraules
Whoever Maria Lionza was, she certainly
motivated a lot of musical cheer.
how musicians find a sound, a tune, a riff
a hook!
& take it somewhere else.
I guess that being on the quiet side has meant
that I have spent more time carefully studying
music. I like technical aspects of music, but
I find the money business tiring.
I'm interested in how artists are affected by
the music they love. Sometimes, borrowing is
indirect or unintentional. Other times, artists
might like a sound so much, they want to
add their own flare to it.
1 the Original
It started as a Latino song
by Ruben Blades, called
MARIA LIONZA.
It was a slower than mid-tempo song which
came alive with a horn intro (0:35) that was
really quite cool, but you had to have
your antennae up to catch it's coolness.
A hook is born.
This video is from 1979 in Venezuela. I'd heard
of Blades, but was too young to appreciate. I
have since appreciated Latino tunes greatly,
especially Salsa. I would nevertheless, never
have spent time on this song. How wrong I
was.
The weird thing is that the horn bit is
never heard again. Odd. In English music,
they bang away at the hook mercilessly.
Tune: Lionza instrumental riff
part of song: intro
Artist: Ruben Blades & his hot horns
Musical source: Latin America
Sound source: real horns!(plus clapping)
Speed: slow
Musical style: Salsa
song writer: Willy Colon , Ruben Blades
2 First transmutation
The next step was in 2011 by Flexican, a Dutch DJ.
He included the spliced riff into the
mid-tempo Latino-type moombahton rap song,
with Typhoon rapping in Dutch.
Song: Bumaye
Tune: Lionza riff
part of song: chorus
Artist: Flexican with Typhoon
Additions: new tune, rap, title
Musical source: Holland
Sound source: spliced sample
Speed: mid-tempo
Musical style: Moombahton
3 ultimate transmutation (2013)
The final piece of the puzzle was to give it
a Jamaican dancehall beat and a Jamaican English
patois toast.
It is quite impressive to match a Latino riff
with dancehall. I believe that such cross-pollinations
are at once rife with potential for great music
and also can generate entire new sound trends.
A salsa riff seems to underlie the dancehall
beat in many parts of the song. It's quite a mind-blower.
Other times, the salsa sound dominates. That's a new genre.
The video here is very colourful,
and maybe a bit much. The scene appears to be
Kingston Jamaica, with Canadian DJ Diplo being
the square peg.
Great dance moves, style and coolness abound.
The singer, Busy Signal,
refers to the Yardies (gangs)
and his friend named a-Yannis,
which to him, seem to rhyme.
watch out for the riff as the tune builds up
to an ecstatic Lionza chorus several times.
That's banging away at the hook!
The hook is even used in a couple
of bridges, it's that good (like at 1:43),
but instead of over-use, it is just a well-crafted tune.
As judged by Youtube (1.7 million views) it
was nowhere near as popular as "Lean on" (1.1 billion),
with the gal of the yeast dance (several entries ago).
The song went platinum in Belgium & France and
gold in Italy. It never went number 1, but hit
#2 in Belgium, and was #28 on Billboard's
hot dance chart (US).
Verdict: this is the best version yet because
it sped up the tune, released it from the
heavy beat of the previous rap song,
perhaps due to the dancehall influence,
and it is euphoric.
Song: Watch out for this
Tune: Lionza riff (+clapping)
part of song: chorus
Artist: Major Lazer with Busy Signal
Additions: new tune, toasting (and lyrics), bassline
Musical source: Jamaica by way of Canada?
Sound source: spliced sample
Speed: up-tempo dance
New musical genre: Jamaican dancehall/ salsa mix
Producer: Flexican (the guy who wrote the previous one)
4 the mashing of Maria Lionza
Bang La Decks vs. Major Lazer - Watch Out For Zouka (Billy S Mashup)
I usually find mashing to be a great art
form. A DJ finds a way to meld 2 songs
with some artistry. In the following case,
it's just a cold cut between songs, but the
video is a booty-check.
5 the Latino reggaeton rap- Daddy Yankee
It's a rap with some mixing changes. It takes
advantage of the fact that the underlying tune
is essentially salsa. I don't really have
time for this version. See for yourself.
6 The Siberian aerobics dance number
Major Lazer - "Watch out for this" dance super video by DHQ Fraules
Whoever Maria Lionza was, she certainly
motivated a lot of musical cheer.
Monday, 28 December 2015
star gazing is dropping like a meteor
This is a story about are perception of
fame and famous people,that I'm writing
because of an opinion piece by
who's been acting and emoting for
about 50 years now.
She seems to think that social media
sites have created a public which is not
interested in stars (like herself).
I have plenty of problems with
such a statement which may or
may not have had bad intentions.
I think there are, objectively, negative implications
hiding behind her claim though.
The IMPLICATIONS:
1 it implies that it's our job to
not just consume (expensive)
culture, but to believe ,
pseudo-religiously in actors
who are already lucky enough
to be "stars"
2 it implies that intelligence and
independence of thought in
humans is a bad thing
3 it implies that social media
is also playing a part in the
reality show epidemic that
is a festering boil on society.
I tend to agree that reality shows
(which are barely real anyway)
are a festering
boil. But, reality shows could
be so liberating if they would discuss
politics, our lives; some "real reality."
Together with social media they
could give us a true democratic
real-time voice that can counter-balance
the power of the lazy people who lead us
(astray) and their pals in the old media.
4 fame is something that is deserved.
I don't agree. I look at non-famous people
who save lives for little pay, and say they
deserve fame. I don't know what
Catherine had done to deserve
her fame, but let's check
wikipedia:
A daughter (and sister) of actors
B started in 1960
C famous by 1964
D was known as "the ice queen"
because she had a cool persona despite
being attractive enough to drive guys
crazy. Could have been just a pretty face?
[1965- Repulsion (she's naked) 1967- Belle de Jour (naked)
Check this Belgian interview with her sister
(different surname. Catherine's is a stage name- her mother's maiden)
5 fame should not be fleeting.
I think it should be fleeting. Actors should
work harder.
People should move onward
and upward, to new challenges
and new levels of self-awareness
and social awareness and not get
stuck on famous people and living
vicariously.
6 social media often gets the wrong
interpretation of things. true, but its
potential for self-expression makes it
an imprecise tool.
It is necessary for
people to find their voice and for
trolls to burn themselves out. Everybody
now has to answer for their actions.
it operates as a decent vox pop. When
the UK gov complains about trolling
on twitter, they present it as if somebody
drew a knife on them, a la Ides of March.
What they're doing is trying to stop the
unstoppable march of social media. As
mentioned in this blog, we cannot trust
the mainstream media, or Charlie Hebdo
(see below).
7 fame means that stars can have a personal
life while acting perversely in public. People
judge their own neighbours and family. So, they
will also judge stars too and enjoy a star's public
downfall, if they feel like it. There's no law
that will save famous people from prying
eyes. In summary, she's arguing both sides
of things by expecting unquestioning fame
from people.
chequer-le: le Guardian (des Goddem)
Catherine Deneuve: 'Social media has stopped people dreaming about stars'
In Cannes for opening night film Standing Tall, the French icon has attacked social media for demystifying celebrities - as well as distorting her criticisms of Dunkerque - while jury presidents the Coen brothers express their disdain for TV
‘I don’t think one negative sentence about Dunkerque, out of context, means I have to justify myself’ … Catherine Deneuve Photograph: Samir Hussein/WireImage
@Andrew_Pulver
Wednesday 13 May 2015 16.38 BST
Last modified on Thursday 14 May 2015 18.22 BST
Comments 80
Celebrated French actor Catherine Deneuve denounced social media at a press conference for her new film, Standing Tall (La Tête Haute), which has opened the Cannes film festival.
Asked to clarify remarks in an interview in which the star of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Belle de Jour and Repulsion had lamented “there are no longer any stars”, Deneuve, 71, said: “It’s the social networks that prevent people from dreaming any more about stars. Their private life is displayed constantly on social networks; and some even post private pictures of themselves. I find it a pity. Being a star entails glamour and secrecy; it’s hard to keep any degree of mystery nowadays.”
The actor also had harsh words for the response to a remark she made about the coastal town of Dunkerque, where Standing Tall was filmed. In an interview with Elle, Deneuve was quoted as saying she had noticed the “sadness” of the town, and that “cigarettes and alcohol were the only things that worked”. Deneuve told the Cannes press corps that “social networks have blown it out of proportion”. “I am entitled to my thoughts, she said. “I don’t think one negative sentence about Dunkerque, out of context, means I have to justify myself.”
Deneuve was also asked for her view of the unflattering illustration of her on the cover of the new issue of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, in which she is portrayed as a large cuboid being under the announcement: “Suspect package on the Croisette! False alarm! It’s Catherine Deneuve!” Saying she hadn’t yet seen the magazine, Deneuve said: “You can’t expect Charlie Hebdo to have a picture like a fashion magazine. I hope it’s funny at least, even if it’s a bit nasty.”
The row threatened briefly to overshadow the premiere of Standing Tall, the film occupying Cannes’ prestigious opening slot, which tells the story of a troubled teenager, called Malony, from northeastern France and his progress through the child protection system. Deneuve plays a veteran judge who has to supervise Malony’s case, and develops a familiarity and even affection for him. Malony is played by Rod Paradot, who was 18 when the film was shot, who director Emanuelle Bercot discovered while he was doing his apprenticeship as a carpenter.
La Tête Haute review – Catherine Deneuve rules over solid Cannes opener
An often touching drama about a juvenile rallying against the system makes for a respectable start to this year’s festival
Deneuve said she had spent a considerable period sitting in on tribunals and hearings conducted by real-life judges in preparation for the role, and was impressed by their commitment to their charges’ welfare. “I didn’t expect to see such patience,” she said. “They really listened to the children – it was far less brutal than I thought... You can only do the job if you have a real vocation. These children don’t talk much, they are locked in themselves, they know full well they are in the margins. There are a lot of people involved who do their best to help… but one can’t save everyone.
...
fame and famous people,that I'm writing
because of an opinion piece by
Catherine Deneuve
who is a famous French movie starwho's been acting and emoting for
about 50 years now.
She seems to think that social media
sites have created a public which is not
interested in stars (like herself).
I have plenty of problems with
such a statement which may or
may not have had bad intentions.
I think there are, objectively, negative implications
hiding behind her claim though.
The IMPLICATIONS:
1 it implies that it's our job to
not just consume (expensive)
culture, but to believe ,
pseudo-religiously in actors
who are already lucky enough
to be "stars"
2 it implies that intelligence and
independence of thought in
humans is a bad thing
3 it implies that social media
is also playing a part in the
reality show epidemic that
is a festering boil on society.
I tend to agree that reality shows
(which are barely real anyway)
are a festering
boil. But, reality shows could
be so liberating if they would discuss
politics, our lives; some "real reality."
Together with social media they
could give us a true democratic
real-time voice that can counter-balance
the power of the lazy people who lead us
(astray) and their pals in the old media.
4 fame is something that is deserved.
I don't agree. I look at non-famous people
who save lives for little pay, and say they
deserve fame. I don't know what
Catherine had done to deserve
her fame, but let's check
wikipedia:
A daughter (and sister) of actors
B started in 1960
C famous by 1964
D was known as "the ice queen"
because she had a cool persona despite
being attractive enough to drive guys
crazy. Could have been just a pretty face?
[1965- Repulsion (she's naked) 1967- Belle de Jour (naked)
Check this Belgian interview with her sister
(different surname. Catherine's is a stage name- her mother's maiden)
5 fame should not be fleeting.
I think it should be fleeting. Actors should
work harder.
People should move onward
and upward, to new challenges
and new levels of self-awareness
and social awareness and not get
stuck on famous people and living
vicariously.
6 social media often gets the wrong
interpretation of things. true, but its
potential for self-expression makes it
an imprecise tool.
It is necessary for
people to find their voice and for
trolls to burn themselves out. Everybody
now has to answer for their actions.
it operates as a decent vox pop. When
the UK gov complains about trolling
on twitter, they present it as if somebody
drew a knife on them, a la Ides of March.
What they're doing is trying to stop the
unstoppable march of social media. As
mentioned in this blog, we cannot trust
the mainstream media, or Charlie Hebdo
(see below).
7 fame means that stars can have a personal
life while acting perversely in public. People
judge their own neighbours and family. So, they
will also judge stars too and enjoy a star's public
downfall, if they feel like it. There's no law
that will save famous people from prying
eyes. In summary, she's arguing both sides
of things by expecting unquestioning fame
from people.
chequer-le: le Guardian (des Goddem)
Catherine Deneuve: 'Social media has stopped people dreaming about stars'
In Cannes for opening night film Standing Tall, the French icon has attacked social media for demystifying celebrities - as well as distorting her criticisms of Dunkerque - while jury presidents the Coen brothers express their disdain for TV
‘I don’t think one negative sentence about Dunkerque, out of context, means I have to justify myself’ … Catherine Deneuve Photograph: Samir Hussein/WireImage
@Andrew_Pulver
Wednesday 13 May 2015 16.38 BST
Last modified on Thursday 14 May 2015 18.22 BST
Comments 80
Celebrated French actor Catherine Deneuve denounced social media at a press conference for her new film, Standing Tall (La Tête Haute), which has opened the Cannes film festival.
Asked to clarify remarks in an interview in which the star of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Belle de Jour and Repulsion had lamented “there are no longer any stars”, Deneuve, 71, said: “It’s the social networks that prevent people from dreaming any more about stars. Their private life is displayed constantly on social networks; and some even post private pictures of themselves. I find it a pity. Being a star entails glamour and secrecy; it’s hard to keep any degree of mystery nowadays.”
The actor also had harsh words for the response to a remark she made about the coastal town of Dunkerque, where Standing Tall was filmed. In an interview with Elle, Deneuve was quoted as saying she had noticed the “sadness” of the town, and that “cigarettes and alcohol were the only things that worked”. Deneuve told the Cannes press corps that “social networks have blown it out of proportion”. “I am entitled to my thoughts, she said. “I don’t think one negative sentence about Dunkerque, out of context, means I have to justify myself.”
Deneuve was also asked for her view of the unflattering illustration of her on the cover of the new issue of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, in which she is portrayed as a large cuboid being under the announcement: “Suspect package on the Croisette! False alarm! It’s Catherine Deneuve!” Saying she hadn’t yet seen the magazine, Deneuve said: “You can’t expect Charlie Hebdo to have a picture like a fashion magazine. I hope it’s funny at least, even if it’s a bit nasty.”
The row threatened briefly to overshadow the premiere of Standing Tall, the film occupying Cannes’ prestigious opening slot, which tells the story of a troubled teenager, called Malony, from northeastern France and his progress through the child protection system. Deneuve plays a veteran judge who has to supervise Malony’s case, and develops a familiarity and even affection for him. Malony is played by Rod Paradot, who was 18 when the film was shot, who director Emanuelle Bercot discovered while he was doing his apprenticeship as a carpenter.
La Tête Haute review – Catherine Deneuve rules over solid Cannes opener
An often touching drama about a juvenile rallying against the system makes for a respectable start to this year’s festival
Deneuve said she had spent a considerable period sitting in on tribunals and hearings conducted by real-life judges in preparation for the role, and was impressed by their commitment to their charges’ welfare. “I didn’t expect to see such patience,” she said. “They really listened to the children – it was far less brutal than I thought... You can only do the job if you have a real vocation. These children don’t talk much, they are locked in themselves, they know full well they are in the margins. There are a lot of people involved who do their best to help… but one can’t save everyone.
...
Friday, 25 December 2015
the gory of war
If you keep the reality of war out of the minds
of citizens, you'll get little protest.
The UK, now that it is no longer in charge of an
empire, is trying in different ways to be a world-
changing power. One way in which it does that
is by choosing certain war-like behaviours, like
1. hanging onto the US coattails against "easy" targets
2. selling armaments to other warlike countries
And number 1 helps number 2. The UK is the top
seller of armaments, I believe.
Unfortunately, the Remembrance policy of the
government helps both of these. Remembrance
runs until about 11 November when we
have ceremonies to remember the war dead.
Unfortunately, the UK uses what Remembrance
is, and avoiding what war is, in order to keep
on a proper war footing. Their behaviour promotes:
1. be thankful for those who fought to keep the country free
2. ignore the fact that we're throwing more soldiers into
unnecessary wars
3. ignore the fact that we sell weapons to countries that
kill civilians in their own countries and neighbouring
countries
4. death & unnecessary sacrifice of soldiers is always
worth the price, even today
5. war is just a memory, not a gory, messy multi-media
gorefest, otherwise most of us would be disgusted by
the UK's continuing wars
We should be revolted by war. When I was a kid, I felt like
the only person who was revolted by WW1 front-line footage.
People were dying by the tens of thousands every day. It's very
easy to be tricked into thinking it's fake. Watch men die, for
nothing.
[from 2:06 "20 00 British soldiers died on 1st day"]
If we are revolted, viscerally, we'll demand an end to
warlike behaviour.
If you want to hear it from one last WW2 soldier,
follow @harryslaststand. He's still fighting war
propaganda.
of citizens, you'll get little protest.
no death
no blood
no poetry
The UK, now that it is no longer in charge of an
empire, is trying in different ways to be a world-
changing power. One way in which it does that
is by choosing certain war-like behaviours, like
1. hanging onto the US coattails against "easy" targets
2. selling armaments to other warlike countries
And number 1 helps number 2. The UK is the top
seller of armaments, I believe.
Unfortunately, the Remembrance policy of the
government helps both of these. Remembrance
runs until about 11 November when we
have ceremonies to remember the war dead.
Unfortunately, the UK uses what Remembrance
is, and avoiding what war is, in order to keep
on a proper war footing. Their behaviour promotes:
1. be thankful for those who fought to keep the country free
2. ignore the fact that we're throwing more soldiers into
unnecessary wars
3. ignore the fact that we sell weapons to countries that
kill civilians in their own countries and neighbouring
countries
4. death & unnecessary sacrifice of soldiers is always
worth the price, even today
5. war is just a memory, not a gory, messy multi-media
gorefest, otherwise most of us would be disgusted by
the UK's continuing wars
We should be revolted by war. When I was a kid, I felt like
the only person who was revolted by WW1 front-line footage.
People were dying by the tens of thousands every day. It's very
easy to be tricked into thinking it's fake. Watch men die, for
nothing.
[from 2:06 "20 00 British soldiers died on 1st day"]
If we are revolted, viscerally, we'll demand an end to
warlike behaviour.
If you want to hear it from one last WW2 soldier,
follow @harryslaststand. He's still fighting war
propaganda.
checkit: No glory org
How historians today are denying the reality of World War One revealed by the poets
Written by Neil Faulkner on 13 November 2013. Posted in Articles
As the centenary appoaches, historians today are re-writing the story of World War One as a "good war". But the poets had the deeper reality says Neil Faulkner
dead in trenches
As we approach the centenary of the First World War, the war poets are under attack. Military historian Max Hastings explicitly targets 'the poets' view that the war was not worth winning'. Broadcaster Jeremy Paxman contrasts the embittered verse of Wilfred Owen with the willing sacrifice of his own Uncle Charlie, who died at Gallipoli.
'The idea of sacrifice,' says Paxman, 'entirely acceptable at the time, has been lost to us, discarded along with religious belief and replaced with a cost-benefit analysis which deems such sacrifice pointless.'
Remarks like this are revealing. The revisionists – those who argue that the First World War represented 'necessary sacrifice' to defeat 'autocracy' and 'militarism' (of the German Empire, of course, not that of the British, the French, or the Russian) – come close to saying that ignorance was virtuous. The simple-minded deference of another age, they seem to be saying, has been lost. 'Ordinary people were accustomed to being bossed about,' explains Paxman, as if, somehow, in the vanished world of 1914, that was okay.
Middle-class angst?
The poets are left high and dry. They do not represent the norm, the argument runs. It is not just that they were educated and middle-class, officers rather than ordinary soldiers; they were untypical even of their own privileged caste, most of whom were not, so to speak, namby-pamby poets, but patriotic men stoically doing their duty without complaint.
The poets' view is caricatured as a post-war invention, a cultural artefact of the 1920s and 1930s, when a steady stream of published poems, diaries, memoirs, and novels created a new anti-war consciousness. 'That was not the prevailing view at the time,' says Paxman. On the contrary, through four years of unprecedented slaughter, 'the resolve of the British people did not weaken.'
But it did. The war produced a wave of mutinies, strikes, and revolutions which swept the continent of Europe, and Britain was not immune. In 1917, around 200,000 British workers took strike action in 50 different towns, and there was a full-scale mutiny of British troops at the Étaples base-camp on the Western Front. Such was the bitterness engendered by the war that Britain was probably closer to revolution in 1919 than at any time in the last three centuries.
Revolt from below
Harry Patch, the last British veteran of the trenches, was part of that wave of revolt. He and his mates were still in uniform three months after the Armistice. When they refused to parade, an officer threatened them with a gun.
'He came out, click, click, went the hammer on his revolver, and crash, crash, went back about 30 rifle bolts, mine included, before someone shouted, "Now you shoot, you bugger, if you dare." Had he not backed down, he would have been shot, there's no doubt about it. All those rifles were loaded, one round each. Anyway, down went the revolver and he scarpered back to the mess.'
The officer was removed. There were no more parades. Demobilisation followed promptly. 'The army was keen to get shot of us. Most of us were down for immediate demobilisation and we had decided ourselves that we were more or less civilians, and that army rules no longer applied to us.'
So much for the deference that revisionist historians admire.
That so many men had at first gone willingly to the slaughter is nothing to celebrate. That they were gulled by jingoism, black propaganda, and children's stories of glory and heroism – that they were, in this sense, 'innocents' herded to their deaths in a war for empire and profit – should be cause for regret.
Experience was a harsh teacher. The 'old lie' was exposed in the mud and blood of the trenches. Immured in a living nightmare of industrialised destruction, traumatised victims of a world gone mad, men learned to think as the poets wrote. Millions were radicalised. Millions emerged from the abyss to turn their guns on their rulers in the greatest wave of revolution the world has yet known.
Artistic insight
Art often sees a deeper truth than that of political, diplomatic, and military history. The one stands back, observes the whole, and sees – what? Insanity. The other, immersed in the minutiae of cabinet meetings and staff conferences, sees only the foam of history, the self-important bustle of statesmen and generals, missing the deep waters beneath, the industrial cartels, the banking syndicates, the militarised empires.
The poets recorded the micro-experiences of the war, but these were exemplars of something vast in scale, involving immense battlefields, unprecedented firepower, relentless killing.
In previous wars, armies had come into contact only occasionally, and battles longer than a day were rare. Now the opposing armies were locked in a vice-like grip. The ingenuity and productivity of the Industrial Revolution had been harnessed to a beast of apocalyptic destruction. The global economy's fast-rising capacity to abolish human need had been nullified by the division of the world into competing empires and their war-machines.
This nightmare of alienation and reification – of humanity losing control of the products of its own labour – of these products turning on their makers and tearing them apart – is the deeper reality sensed by the poets.
Owen writes of 'the monstrous anger of the guns', of 'the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle', and of 'the shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells'. This is not mere description; it is insight.
He evokes the pity of war in a hundred minor tragedies. The man dying in a green sea of gas, 'guttering, choking, drowning'. The suicide buried with 'the muzzle his teeth had kissed'. The mental cases whose 'eyeballs shrink tormented back into their brains'. The legless man whom women now touch only 'like some queer disease'.
These were not 'necessary sacrifices'. They were, says Owen, the broken bodies and broken minds of a world consumed by 'war and madness'.
domineering non-dom non-democratic media
this is about the sick nature of UK media.
In these troubled times when our savings
are being stolen by zero interest policies
that help the sick banks keep going, we
need sharp journalists to advise us and
warn us of the next trick.
Instead, we have a media that is of two
different kinds-
BBC- state media that, on big issues,
is purely a government tool e.g.
UK economy, UK politics, UK wars
[e.g. Hillary Benn's speech for bombing Syria]
Private media- oligarchs who mostly
pay no tax (registered as non-doms)
[Channel 4 is a "government" channel]
You'll get some truths out of this media,
but nothing which threatens the status quo.
The non-doms make money off their media,
and yet pay no tax, and the media presents
these non-doms' interests as truth, to their benefit
because they're the boss, and their employees
know what they must do.
And the non-doms use their media power to manipulate
the government.
So, the interests of the media are in
direct competition with our need to
know the truth. Thanks to various
online media, we have a chance to
get some truth.
The story below from Private Eye
shows how bent the situation is.
In these troubled times when our savings
are being stolen by zero interest policies
that help the sick banks keep going, we
need sharp journalists to advise us and
warn us of the next trick.
Instead, we have a media that is of two
different kinds-
BBC- state media that, on big issues,
is purely a government tool e.g.
UK economy, UK politics, UK wars
[e.g. Hillary Benn's speech for bombing Syria]
Private media- oligarchs who mostly
pay no tax (registered as non-doms)
You'll get some truths out of this media,
but nothing which threatens the status quo.
The non-doms make money off their media,
and yet pay no tax, and the media presents
these non-doms' interests as truth, to their benefit
because they're the boss, and their employees
know what they must do.
And the non-doms use their media power to manipulate
the government.
So, the interests of the media are in
direct competition with our need to
know the truth. Thanks to various
online media, we have a chance to
get some truth.
The story below from Private Eye
shows how bent the situation is.
Hold your vom: Private
eye
Non-doms
and the Street of Sham
Press
barons, Issue 1390
SILENT
WITNESSES: Evgeny Lebedev, Sir David Barclay, Sir Frederick Barclay and the 4th
Viscount Rothermere, whose papers all failed to mention their personal interest
in the non-dom question [ALL OF THESE GUYS ARE NON-DOMS WHO OWN UK MEDIA- COS67]
SO
consuming was the Tory press’s rage at Ed Miliband’s plan to make Russian
oligarchs and gulf petro-billionaires in London liable for the same taxes as British citizens, its hacks forgot to declare their interest.
“London
backlash over Ed’s non-dom attack,” boomed the front-page of the London Evening
Standard, as if a mob had descended
on Labour HQ to defend London’s much-loved oligarchs
and hedge fund managers. “Attacking non-doms could backfire on us,” continued an editorial inside. Sarah Sands, the
Standard’s Uriah Heepish editor, did not risk her career by saying who the “us”
included – namely her boss, Standard proprietor Evgeny Lebedev, the Russian who last year dodged the Eye’s repeated
questions over his own domicile (Eye 1370).
Monaco
and the Channel islands
Silence
infected the Telegraph too, where not one of the reporters who warned that
Labour’s “cataclysmic” decision would drive away “tens of thousands of entrepreneurs and business leaders”
mentioned that their owners, the weirdo Barclay twins, reside in Monaco and the
Channel Islands to avoid British
tax.
Instead
they quoted James Hender, head of
private wealth at Saffery Champness accountants, who warned that the rich may leave. The Telegraph didn’t
tell its readers that Hender boasts of his long experience ensuring that “the
most tax efficient strategies are
adopted for non-UK situs assets” for his non-dom clients.
It was
the same at the Mail, which failed to declare that its owner, the 4th Viscount Rothermere, is treated by the tax
authorities as a non-dom. And at Sky, political editor Faisal Islam reported that “Baltic Exchange boss Jeremy Penn slams
Labour non-dom plans” without declaring that his owner, Rupert Murdoch, does not pay UK tax and that
Penn acts for super-rich shipping
owners.
Overseas
buyers
Jolyon
Maugham QC, who has advised Labour
and the Tories on tax reform, tells the Eye that any reader silly enough to believe the Tory press
and tax avoidance industry should look at what they said in 2008, when Labour
introduced the first levies on non-doms.
Back
then the Mail said the central London property market would crash as non-doms sold up and moved to Switzerland. In fact, between Labour
introducing the levy and 2014, prime central London property prices rose 41 percent. At the end of 2014,
Knightsbridge estate agent W.A. Ellis said 54 percent of sales were to overseas
buyers.
The Mail was equally certain the City would
suffer. On 8 February 2008 it cried that the levy “risks the City’s future”.
The British Banking Association warned of “a devastating blow”. The Telegraph
of 12 February 2008 said that “the country’s wealthiest individuals are being
bombarded with leaflets and letters explaining how easy it would be to relocate to Switzerland, Monaco and a
host of other countries”. Not to be outdone, Mike Warburton, senior tax partner at accountants Grant
Thornton, said the levy was the “final
straw”.
‘A
very nice place to live’
If a
word of this had been true, there
would be no non-doms left for Miliband to tax. As it is, there are 115,000 because, as Maugham says,
London remains a “very nice place to live, if you’re wealthy. And that won’t change.” Or as the Financial Times put it:
"The many advantages of London as a financial centre do not dissolve
simply because of a change in a hitherto generous
tax treatment of resident non domiciles.”
The
pink ’un has only recently realised the iniquity
of the non-dom rule, with an editorial last month calling for its abolition. Editor Lionel Barber
modestly claims some credit for Miliband’s stance. But as editor for almost a
decade, why was he so late to the party? Surely not because, until 2013, FT
owner Pearson was run by US-born
Dame Marjorie Scardino, who would
certainly have qualified for non-dom
status and whose London flat, the Eye revealed, was owned via an offshore company?
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