Tuesday, July 08, 2003
Moving day
Nor False Because Spoken Magnificently can now be found at
So long Blogger, thanks for all the hits...
http://sceefy.typepad.com
So long Blogger, thanks for all the hits...
Monday, July 07, 2003
Positively medieval
Via the Agonist:
Not uncommon, maybe, but still positively barbaric. You would have thought this kind of thing died out with the idea of divine right, but not everywhere, obviously. Yet another example of why education and literacy are so important for all citizens of this planet, if only because education has consistently shown itself to be the best way of promoting human rights and concern for the well-being of others. Or would that be political correctness?
Two women accused of witchcraft have been burned to death by a mob in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, police officials have said.
The incident took place in Godda, a tribal-dominated region about 300 kilometres (190 miles) north of the state capital, Ranchi.
In many tribal areas of eastern and central India, the killing of women suspected of being witches is not uncommon.
Not uncommon, maybe, but still positively barbaric. You would have thought this kind of thing died out with the idea of divine right, but not everywhere, obviously. Yet another example of why education and literacy are so important for all citizens of this planet, if only because education has consistently shown itself to be the best way of promoting human rights and concern for the well-being of others. Or would that be political correctness?
Sunday, July 06, 2003
Not a good move...
and I doubt he'll thank me, but I'll do it anyway. My good friend Cosmo has put his profile up on Faceparty. He's single, so get him while he's hot, ladies (and gents...)
Saturday, July 05, 2003
Late, tired
It's late, I'm tired, and I know, I actually know that I ought to write something. I've been toying with a few ideas, playing with them in my head lately. Not so long ago I finished reading (wait for it...) the latest Harry Potter book. Surprisingly, it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be. So I think that I ought to write something here about how it isn't as bad as the literati would have you think it is, and that on its own terms it is a deeply impressive book. Secondly, I just know that I should put down my thoughts about Glastonbury 2003, before I forget all the tiny little details that made it such a wonderful experience. Shouting "Organ Scholarship" in the middle of the night to a camp-site full of people shouting "Bollocks," for example.
So I know I should be doing those things, but I just can't work up the energy to do them. They require a level of thought and concentration that Seb Cameron isn't capable of right now.
I feel drained.
It will pass, it always does, and yet... This... lack, that I seem to be going through right now (that is the only way to describe it) still makes every muscle in my body, not to mention my brain ache. Strange how a mere absence of sensation can cause so much pain.
So I know I should be doing those things, but I just can't work up the energy to do them. They require a level of thought and concentration that Seb Cameron isn't capable of right now.
I feel drained.
It will pass, it always does, and yet... This... lack, that I seem to be going through right now (that is the only way to describe it) still makes every muscle in my body, not to mention my brain ache. Strange how a mere absence of sensation can cause so much pain.
Friday, July 04, 2003
Wrapped in plastic
Okay, I know I'm about 13 years too late to jump on to this bandwagon, but for my birthday I got the DVD of the first series of David Lynch's Twin Peaks. I've only had time to watch the first few episodes (after all, life is busy as hell during the Summer hols) but let me say that it is f***ing incredible. Absolutely blew me away. You've probably already seen it, but if you haven't, go out and rent (or preferably buy) it now. I promise you won't regret it.
Tuesday, July 01, 2003
Not that I'd ever libel someone...
... but this news is still quite comforting. Apparently us bloggers have gained protection from libel cases, which is nice.
I'm not sure quite what to think about this, if you read the article you'll find a pretty appalling case involving a woman being defamed after an email was posted on the net accusing her of being the granddaughter of Himmler and that the paintings she was trying to sell were stolen. Needless to say, her professional reputation was ruined:
However I also think that you're average blogger or mailing-list maintainer could not come close to being able to afford the legal fees, or deal with the hassle that comes from even a 'small' libel case. As long as they print a full correction, and apologise for any hurt or offense they caused, I don't see what else they can do.
But seriously, read the whole article, then try and make up your own minds.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last Tuesday that Web loggers, website operators and e-mail list editors can't be held responsible for libel for information they republish, extending crucial First Amendment protections to do-it-yourself online publishers.
I'm not sure quite what to think about this, if you read the article you'll find a pretty appalling case involving a woman being defamed after an email was posted on the net accusing her of being the granddaughter of Himmler and that the paintings she was trying to sell were stolen. Needless to say, her professional reputation was ruined:
"I know what free speech is, and I support it, but this is about invasion of privacy and my civil liberty. Every time I meet someone now, I have to say, 'Hi, I'm not Himmler's granddaughter."
However I also think that you're average blogger or mailing-list maintainer could not come close to being able to afford the legal fees, or deal with the hassle that comes from even a 'small' libel case. As long as they print a full correction, and apologise for any hurt or offense they caused, I don't see what else they can do.
But seriously, read the whole article, then try and make up your own minds.
Party Faces (oh yes, and Glastonbury)
Has anyone heard of Faceparty? It's hard to describe, but it seems to be a cross between a free-for-all house party and a friendship/dating agency. It looks massively popular, so I was wondering if any of you lot had heard of it. Oh yeah, and for a laugh, I put a profile of myself up there. Go crazy.
Oh, by the way, Glastonbury was FUCKING AMAZING (yes, that's where I've been these last few days). I'm still recovering, but expect to hear a lot about it very soon.
Oh, by the way, Glastonbury was FUCKING AMAZING (yes, that's where I've been these last few days). I'm still recovering, but expect to hear a lot about it very soon.
Monday, June 23, 2003
Wellingtons
I swear, you can find the strangest things in a pair of rarely-used wellington boots. Just today I found a padlock, a lamp, a poster of Donald Duck and (best of all!) an almost full bottle of rum. I'm sure there's some deeper meaning to that, but right now I'm too busy enjoying the aforementioned rum to care.
A Dark Day for the Junta
Things do not seem to be improving for Bush or Blair. Today has brought us a flood of news, little of it good, about the progress of The War against Terror (TWAT) and the occupation of Iraq. First, it turns out that the American Al-Qaida operative who was 'unmasked' a few days ago, to a sizeable media fanfare, turns out to have been an FBI double-agent. Iyman Faris, who had been accused of plotting to blow up the Brooklyn Bridge, had in fact been under FBI control for months. However it took a British newspaper (the Telegraph no less) to reveal this latest deception. Presumably the 'liberal' US media did not want to spoil Bush's big day.
In other news, Bush is now trying to justify the intruiging lack of WMD in Iraq by using the excuse comedians had been using for months. He thinks they've probably been looted. Regardless of the veracity of this latest excuse, I hardly think this outcome is any better for Bush, considering that the main justification for his war was to prevent these weapons from falling into the hands of the wrong people.
Finally Reuters is reporting that for the first time since the end of the war in Afghanistan (anyone remember that?) a US base situated in the north of the country has come under attack. Afghanistan is in an incredibly troubled state, apart from the capital, which remains under the control of the legitimate government, much of the country is in anarchy, and some of it is slipping back into the control of Taliban forces. It is becoming clear that any good that came from the invasion of Afghanistan has rapidly been undone, as Washington (and the world media) turned their attention, and their cross-hairs to Iraq.
In other news, Bush is now trying to justify the intruiging lack of WMD in Iraq by using the excuse comedians had been using for months. He thinks they've probably been looted. Regardless of the veracity of this latest excuse, I hardly think this outcome is any better for Bush, considering that the main justification for his war was to prevent these weapons from falling into the hands of the wrong people.
Finally Reuters is reporting that for the first time since the end of the war in Afghanistan (anyone remember that?) a US base situated in the north of the country has come under attack. Afghanistan is in an incredibly troubled state, apart from the capital, which remains under the control of the legitimate government, much of the country is in anarchy, and some of it is slipping back into the control of Taliban forces. It is becoming clear that any good that came from the invasion of Afghanistan has rapidly been undone, as Washington (and the world media) turned their attention, and their cross-hairs to Iraq.
