This is my main blog - it's been going since 2004. It was originally my personal diary but has expanded to something more sophisticated, thanks to Blogger. Most articles on this site are unfinished and remain so. I am trying very very hard to change this! I have a sidebar on the right - please scroll down - full great web sites, articles, podcasts, etc. The tone of this blog is mostly unfocussed, and long may it remain so...
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
A Gentle Bike Ride
Had a bit of a ride / walk from Woolwich across the river and into the former docks. It was a chance to try out my new camera. My breathing was still not too good at this point and i was slightly worried whether I'd make it, but i did. A couple of days after this I went back to my doctor and got my asthma diagnosis.
Monday, April 11, 2011
14 minutes ago Sunday, April 10, 2011
Abolish War Public Meeting
Date: Tuesday, April 12, 2011 At 06:30:00 PM
Duration: 2 Hours
Duration: 2 Hours
Welfare or Warfare public meeting
on the Global Day of Action on military spending
Friends House, Euston Rd, London NW1,
Speakers
Husna Ahmed, Faith Regen Foundation
John Hilary, War on Want
Kate Hudson, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Vijay Mehta, Uniting for Peace
Stuart Parkinson, Scientists for Global Responsibility
Chair
Sue Gilmurray, Movement for the Abolition of War
Organised by Movement for the Abolition of War
Contact Info:
Email:
URL: http://www.abolishwar.org.uk
more links
Disturbing insight into Germans at war:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,755385,00.htmlGreen news sheet
anti-arms / war news-sheet
Sexy signer
I hate doing this - using my blog for base purposes - but I think this woman is really really sexy...
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
So now we have the truth
PC "Harwood also accepted that he had not given Tomlinson any warning before pushing him and told the court that he believed that he was entitled, as a police officer, to strike someone even if he had judged them not to pose a threat."
So he thought he could hit anyone he liked for no good reason?
Makes sense - it is my experience when protesting.
I wonder if he is alone, I suspect not. In fact I know not.
Tuesday, April 05, 2011
PC Simon Harwood - Lying Bastard
Ian Tomlinson inquest – live updates | UK news | guardian.co.uk
I urge you to read the whole thing, but I've included a couple of key moments below:
Proceedings have finished for today – but not before another significant development.
Questioned by the assistant deputy coroner, Judge Peter Thornton QC, Harwood has accepted that the account of events he put in his notebook two weeks after the protests was incorrect.
These relate to Harwood's explanation of the aftermath of his attempt to arrest a protester for daubing graffiti, when he said he came under attack from hundreds of protesters and was in fear for his life. Video cast doubt over that, and Thornton specifically went through the list.
Harwood: At the time I wrote this, I thought I fell to the floor.
Thornton: Do you now accept that this is not correct?
Harwood: Yes
Thornton: That you lost your baton – that is not correct?
Harwood: Yes
Thornton: That you received a blow to the head – that is not correct?
Harwood: Yes
Thornton: And that there were violent and dangerous confrontations – that is not correct?
Harwood: Yes.
Thornton: And you were struck by a missile – that is not correct?
Harwood: Yes.
Thornton then asked how Harwood got all this wrong when he wrote the statement on 16 April, more than two weeks after the protests.
Harwood said: "Because at the time that is what I believed happened, from the information I had, that is what I believed happened to me there."
Another alleged discrepancy in Harwood's evidence. He said that, when arresting the suspect, the suspect "ran into the door". The footage shows Harwood ahead of the suspect, apparently dragging him.
Ryder: You're ahead of him? But he has run into the door has he?
Harwood: ... I don't know, you'll have to ask him.
Ryder: From the video, can you see him running into the door?
Harwood: He has gone and hit the door, collided with the door, yes.
Ryder: Do you understand the word 'run', PC Harwood?
The exchange goes on in this fashion for several minutes, with Harwood seemingly reluctant to accept that the protester did not actually run into the door.
Ryder suggests the police officer is willing to "be evasive and lie" even when the footage is being played to the court. "We can all see as well, PC Harwood, that is the problem," he states.
The man doing the graffiti was just a few metres from a crowd which, according to Harwood's notebook, had been acting very violently toward a police cordon.
The jury has been shown footage of the carrier Harwood said it had been too difficult to get to. Ryder points out that it was surrounded by other police officers.
The jury is also shown footage of the crowd at the time Harwood said they had been throwing missiles. There were no missiles being thrown in the footage.
Ryder: Is this the point where they are throwing missiles at the cordon?
Harwood: From the footage, it doesn't seem so.
Harwood added that the missiles may have been thrown at another time
Thursday, March 31, 2011
100 Objects # 2
This was the painting I did for the O Level art exam in 1983. I was 16 at the time. This is me holding it up for my Dad to take a picture of it before sending it off to be marked. It's a bit over exposed but you can see the gist of it. There's a couple of houses which appear to be under water - with fish and a shark (upper left).
I got a C or a B - can't remember now. I did a the time intend to pursue art into college. I was quite keen to be a graphic artist. It never happened.
Still Ill
I'm ill again. The stupid doctor I saw last week decided to take me off antibiotics and send me back to work. One week later and i'm coughing uncontrollable again, and off work again. It's starting to get very hard to plan things. I'm hoping to go to a festival down in Kent this summer, the worry is that I'll still be ill in 3 months -
I've been ill for over 3 months already, and no sign of getting better!
The doctor I saw this week seems to be more competent so I'll be goin back to her next week before returning to work. She insisted I rest and not ride the bike either. I said I wasn't anyway.< So that's this year pretty much a dead loss for cycling. I doubt I will get up to speed by July so I might be looking at missing the Dun Run for a second year running. I will try to get fit by cycling along the Kent and Essex coast though, as much as possible, once I'm healthy again.
One of the positives about being at home is being able to get the most out of my LoveFilm subscription. I've got through about 20 DVDs this month, for £15 a month subscription, whihc is getting my money's worth.
My latest batch which arrived yesterday was Dexter series 3 finale; The Crazies 2010 remake and the Romero - Argento collaboration "Two Evil Eyes".
The Crazies wasn't very good. A lot of the depth of the original is gone. It's entertaining, but ultimately fairly predictable and of no consequence beyond that. I like to dig into a film - often watching it multiple times to get in under its skin, so I can understand what it is really about. The crazies is really about people going crazy and attacking each other. There is no more there to find. I bought the original last month for £3 and that is the one I'll watching over and over. The remake is to be avoided from now on. Ironically there was a mini documentary about Romero on the disc explaining why Romero's version was so good, and, unspoken, why the remake is so bland, flavourless and without meaning.
The Romero/ Argento film was really 2 films one from each director. I enjoyed it, but neither director was at the top of their powers I'm afraid. Romero's tale was like a slightly above average made for TV Hammer film, unsurprisingly, with zombies; while the Argento film was more complex - starring Harvey Keitel - atmospheric and full of symbolism, though nowhere near as complex or dream-like as his usual output.
Dexter is just a great tv show. I watched the three episodes back to back. The only negative is Dexter's girlfriend who is insipid, and just really fucking annoying. God knows why Dexter would want to marry her - he could do so much better.
I've been ill for over 3 months already, and no sign of getting better!
The doctor I saw this week seems to be more competent so I'll be goin back to her next week before returning to work. She insisted I rest and not ride the bike either. I said I wasn't anyway.< So that's this year pretty much a dead loss for cycling. I doubt I will get up to speed by July so I might be looking at missing the Dun Run for a second year running. I will try to get fit by cycling along the Kent and Essex coast though, as much as possible, once I'm healthy again.
One of the positives about being at home is being able to get the most out of my LoveFilm subscription. I've got through about 20 DVDs this month, for £15 a month subscription, whihc is getting my money's worth.
My latest batch which arrived yesterday was Dexter series 3 finale; The Crazies 2010 remake and the Romero - Argento collaboration "Two Evil Eyes".
The Crazies wasn't very good. A lot of the depth of the original is gone. It's entertaining, but ultimately fairly predictable and of no consequence beyond that. I like to dig into a film - often watching it multiple times to get in under its skin, so I can understand what it is really about. The crazies is really about people going crazy and attacking each other. There is no more there to find. I bought the original last month for £3 and that is the one I'll watching over and over. The remake is to be avoided from now on. Ironically there was a mini documentary about Romero on the disc explaining why Romero's version was so good, and, unspoken, why the remake is so bland, flavourless and without meaning.
The Romero/ Argento film was really 2 films one from each director. I enjoyed it, but neither director was at the top of their powers I'm afraid. Romero's tale was like a slightly above average made for TV Hammer film, unsurprisingly, with zombies; while the Argento film was more complex - starring Harvey Keitel - atmospheric and full of symbolism, though nowhere near as complex or dream-like as his usual output.
Dexter is just a great tv show. I watched the three episodes back to back. The only negative is Dexter's girlfriend who is insipid, and just really fucking annoying. God knows why Dexter would want to marry her - he could do so much better.
Lastly, a website I came across thanks to Radio 4's film programme. The guy who set this up watched and reviewed 365 horror films over a year, one a day.
I haven't really had chance to explore it yet but it looks like becoming my bible for a while - I'll be using it to fill up my lists on Love Film.
The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Reminder to myself to check this out at some point:
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