doctorvee
Blog
My life via politics, music and whatever else; Still Learning.

19.5.04
War - huh - what is it good for? Cool little maps, that's what.

NP House Of Abin'adab Boards Of Canada
Posted by \•/ doctorvee at 7:29 PM | |

Special shout ..to those playing a pivotal role today in this blog reaching 600 visits THIS MONTH :O You know who you are.. ;)

I might post something a bit more interesting some time ...

NP Weak Become Heroes The Streets
Posted by \•/ doctorvee at 7:05 PM | |

Nothing much interesting to report Not at this end of the blogosphere anyway. Everybody seems to be blogging about the incident in the Commons today, but I don't really have anything to say on the matter which isn't very obvious.

So just a random miscellany for the moment.

I've been trying to download Boards Of Canada's rare A Few Old Tunes compilations, made long before they were famous. For those who don't know, BOC had many very limited releases which mainly went to family and friends before they got signed to Skam and Warp. These were supposed to be personal gifts, but last year somebody leaked some compilations on to the internet. Finding them is still difficult. Well, finding them isn't; but downloading is. For one thing, there are two different compilations out there [one of which is split into two sides]. For another, there appears to be two different versions of the same one going about - one high quality but with some groups of tracks merged into one, and another lower quality and with each track being separated. Also, most people are clogged up with people trying to download just like me, making the process quite slow. This is quite annoying really. Can't complain too much though; I guess we're lucky it's on the internet at all.

May I recommend the BBC News desktop alert service. News junkies like myself will be fully satisfied.

Thirdly, I'm really hating the piano more than usual today. I am definitely going to quit after the exam now, because it's just getting in the way of everything, and I hate it.

And finally, Benjamin Mackie, famous for his posts on Harry's Place, finally has his own blog. Welcome along.

NP Happy Cycling [A Few Old Tunes Vol. 1 version] Boards Of Canada
Posted by \•/ doctorvee at 2:57 PM | |

18.5.04
Blog:Vote - Fergus Tait Only one independent is standing in Scotland for the European Parliament. Anthony Wells described it as "one way to waste ฃ5000". This is partly because the voting system for the European Parliament is so hideous, disgusting, worse even than First Past The Post. Fergus Tait appears to be standing for little more than being an independent.

Standing for being an independent is great though. I don't like political parties very much, and I'd far sooner vote for a decent independent than a party. Unfortunately the stupid voting system means that voters can only vote for a party and not an individual. This leaves MEPs more accountable to their parties than to the voters. I think it's good that this is being highlighted in a way.

But it's all fine and well being an independent and not having to answer to the "party machine". But what about the actual policies? Huh? Fergus Tait seems awfully quiet on this front. The only reference to policy - other than being an independent - is that he wants an end to the Common Fisheries Policy. Not an issue which has ever concerned too much either way. This is tucked away on a scanning of a leaflet right down at the bottom of the 'press releases' section of his website.

Apart from this, there is some contrived mention of "family friendly policies", which again doesn't metion specifically what he wants done with them. His website is liberally sprinkled with Scottish symbols - the saltire, some tartan, maps of Scotland [he makes a big deal of this], oil rigs, highland cows, a picture of him with a ginger beard, yada yada. Sounds more like he's trying to put forward the image of a person who cares for Scottish people. But he never proves that he is a person who does for Scottish people. I am clueless as to what he actually stands for. As such, as things stand, he will not be receiving my vote on June 10^th.

NP Smudges And Smears Rothko
Posted by \•/ doctorvee at 7:16 PM | |

Dental torture I had to go to the dentist today. In the dentist's chair I became all tense, and I was sweating like a horse. I've never been so terrified. That's right - Anastasia was on the radio! Noooooooooooooo

NP East Hastings part a: Nothing's Alrite In Our Life / Dead Flag Blues (Reprise) Godspeed You Black Emperor!
Posted by \•/ doctorvee at 6:16 PM | |

Oddball paper reports on über-cool Icelandic band According to The Sun, the delivery of world-famous baby Apple Blythe Alison Martin [or just Alison as far as she'll be concerned] took place with an obscure, oddball band called Sigur Rós whose first commercial release is called 'Babatikidido'. Well I'm glad somebody's managed to get their hands on a copy of Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do, their hopefully soon-to-be tenth commercial release.

NP The Dead Flag Blues part c: The Cowboy... Godspeed You Black Emperor!
Posted by \•/ doctorvee at 6:07 PM | |

17.5.04
Wishy-washy pinko scum interviews Griffin Jennifer Griffin that is; the daughter of BNP leader Nick Griffin. Read The Observer's interview. As might be expected, she herself is a BNP supporter. Perhaps that's not much surprise if, at the age of 11,

Jennifer remembers the police ripping open her Christmas presents that year to ensure they contained nothing criminal. It is an experience that still makes her angry and one that galvanised her to begin asking her father about his work.

When pressed as to how her beliefs can co-exist with the findings of the latest census showing that the only population transfer threatening Wales is that of outward migration, Jennifer flushes. 'Really?' she says in amazement.

When told that 22 per cent of those classifying themselves as Welsh now live elsewhere in Britain, with the greatest loss being the decision of the young and university-educated to move to the south east of England, she fiddles with her pink mobile phone.

'If that was true, I am sure my father would have told me,' she mutters. 'The Daily Mail seems sure that illegal immigration is causing terrible problems across the country. I am only 17. I can't be expected to know all the facts.'

She admits that despite her claims that Britain is the land of milk and honey for asylum seekers, she has no idea how much they receive in benefits each week. When told that adult asylum seekers exist on ฃ37.77, 30 per cent below the poverty line, she is genuinely shocked.

'They should receive more than that,' she gasps, then pauses and adds quietly: 'Of course, dad would not agree.'

Comic Sans will die I lovely collection of links, as compiled by Tom.

Ban Comic Sans
Worst. Font. EVER.
Why I hate Comic Sans
A font called I Hate Comic Sans
Delete Comic Sans from every computer you know

NP Shin Triad Squarepusher
Posted by \•/ doctorvee at 3:00 PM | |

16.5.04
Radio 3 is the man's daddy At Ease repots:

Todays Sunday Times (UK), reports that Jonny Greenwood has been hired to produce modern classical pieces for the BBC concert orchestra. Jonny Greenwood will be paid to produce modern classical pieces for the BBC concert orchestra.

...

Greenwood replaces Anne Dudley, a classical performer.

The appointment is an experimental move for the BBC, which is attempting to shake off the stuffy image of classical music.

Blog:Vote - Scottish Wind Watch First off, I should point out that I'm not an expert on energy. I'm not an expert on most things I blog about, but wind energy moreso. So what I have to say about the newest fringe party on the scene, Scottish Wind Watch, may be a bit .. incorrect. Nevertheless, I'm still a voter and my opinion counts, and if I don't know enough about their policies then that's Scottish Wind Watch's problem.

The last time I travelled to Perth, there were loads of signs all over the place, spoiling the countryside view. They said 'SAVE OUR HILLS', with a drawing of an oversized wind turbine on top of an undersized hill.

Energy is a problem which has to be combatted. I know that wind energy - indeed, all forms of renewable energy - is maybe not the most efficient solution. But I believe that it has a part to play. I mean, it's windy up here. We might as well make the most of it.

I like to take a walk in the hills, take in the beautiful views, as much as anybody else. But let's face it. Surely the battle to "save" this was lost long ago, when buildings were built, roads were laid and electricity pylons were erected?

Besideswhich - wind turbines look lovely! For years the image of a wind turbine was used as the title sequence for the regional weather on Scottish TV. I also quite like the look of an electricity pylon. I bet when electricity pylons first started to pop up some people got a bit uppity.

In short, a few wind farms isn't a major concern of mine. And quite what it has to do with the European Parliament is beyond me. This seems more like a platform to gain publicity rather than a serious attempt to do good for people. Even if I was concerned about wind farms, I'm quite sure my vote would be better used elsewhere.

NP A Life In The Day Of Benjamin Andr้ (Incomplete) OutKast
Posted by \•/ doctorvee at 9:01 PM | |

Fleetstreetblogger is back - thank goodness And he's got lots to say.

How will history look at Piers? Well, as a failure really. By the yardstick that all editors really measure themselves - sales - he's been an abject failure. His reign saw the Mirror surrender its position as number 2 behind the Sun to the Mail. It's now hundreds of thousands behind every day. He had some brave ideas but they didn't work.

The serious post 9/11 Mirror was misconceived and often badly executed aside from some occasionally brilliant reporting - eg Andy Lines in New York - and some very sharp presentation. But generally, the paper went from writing bollocks about celebrities to writing bollocks about serious things. It was still bollocks.

Condoleeza Rice is pure fuming Or just angry, depending on your perspective.

NP Spread OutKast
Posted by \•/ doctorvee at 8:12 PM | |

Eurovision 'farce' votes attack They even have a little table to prove it! Notice that the table doesn't mention the fact that Ireland got all seven of its points from the UK, whilst Ireland awarded the UK twice as many points as anybody else could bear (eight) in return. Ho-hum..

On a side-note, I've been tweaking things again. I've tried to add a linklog type thing. I just need to work out how to make the text smaller. :/ UPDATE: Does anybody have any ideas? I've tried messing about with the CSS and doing what it says on the Furl website, but no luck.

NP Viimo Brothomstates
Posted by \•/ doctorvee at 7:15 PM | |

This blog is legendary Not really. But according to Blogger, the Eurovision post below was the 500th of this blog! When I had 480-odd when they started telling me how many posts I had about a week ago, 500 seemed a long way off. This is perhaps a sign that I've been posting too much bollocks.

Anyway, Tom told me this on MSN:

i've been reading your blog and it is *wonderful*. get up to a couple of thousand blogs and get it published in hardback.

15.5.04
Eurovision Well, almost everybody else in my year is off to the prom tonight. As you may be able to tell, I haven't gone. I've been getting asked about this all year. Up until now, the official line has been that I can't be bothered, it's too pretentious having to get dressed up, etcetera. But now I have the perfect excuse! If I have to choose between going to some dodgy place where I have to do Scottish C[o]unt[r]y dancing or watching the Eurovision Song Contest - well, guess which I'd opt for?

That great annual event, the Eurovision Song Contest, is about to get underway. Camp songs, camp dancing, Terry Wogan, and lots of dodgy continental two-ways ahoy! As Nick said on A Fistful Of Euros, voting is more about politics than the quality of songs. But in a way, that's what's so entertaining about it!

Eurovision is great not only for the shameless cheese [the only time of the year when cheese is acceptable, to be honest], Terry Wogan's [and now Paddy O'Connell's!] wry comments and because it gives irate Daily Mail readers an excuse to phone up Radio Five Live to say "why we shouldn't be with those nutters in Europe." And, of course, for the hosts. Tonight's were a real nightmare couple, with the scariest fringes you'll ever see!

But we all know that it's absolutely nothing to do with the songs whatsoever. So I'll write all about the songs! I took these notes when I was watching; no scary memory for me.

Spain It always puts me off you have people so obviously miming. I don't mind the miming itself so much, but to do it so obviously is just not acceptable. Boring Latin banality.

Austria Trite. Sounds like it was made in the early 1990s. Not distinctive enough to win, although it is nice and quite well sung. They seemed to struggle on the key change though!

Norway Sounds weird. The chorus doesn't match with the verses. What a mess! And it's not catchy enough. Not too bad though.

France What a strange twist - the "baldy woman on stilts," as Terry Wogan called her. She was doing strange things with her arms which had nothing to do with the song. The song itself, although good, is nothing spectacular, but the package as a whole is interesting.

Serbia & Montenegro Interesting instrumentation. Although it's a bit of a downer of a song, it's got a certain punch, so it should do well.

Malta Great! A nice song, catchy (but what does it remind me of?!) and they are both good singers.

Netherlands Quite clichéd. Not a bad song, but too boring to win. I refer you to Terry Wogan's comment:

They've lost Eurovision twenty-nine times. Make that thirty.

Diarrhoea takes over your life I went through to Dumbarton today. This is where my mum and dad grew up. The whole family supports Dumbarton FC, and as today was the last game of the season, and we had a chance of promotion, we all went over. Only dad and my brother actually went to the match though. I don't like to sit through a whole football match; I find it quite difficult, often very boring. Not that I'm one of these people that hate football; I'm just not mad on it, that's all. Anyway, I went on a walk with my mother around Dumbarton and she showed me around the places where she grew up. I was quite surprised; it's nice place really. I always used to think it was like Templehall extended, but it's alright.

Today, though, I had my most embarrassing toilet experience ever. I had eaten an apple in the car. Apples tend to make my stomache feel upset; probably too acidic for me to take or something. This is something which I forget surprisingly often, as it's just too convenient. Often if I sleep in I just grab an apple and eat it on the way to school for breakfast. I usually regret it by about 9:30 though! But I've never had such problems as I did today, because I was very loud in the toilet in Safeway. I was trying to hold back until there was nobody else in the room, but they never seemed to go away and I just thought, "Pah, if a toilet's not for taking a shit in, what is it for?" However, my problems were clearly audible to those outside, and at least two people were laughing at my diarrhoea. It was a pristine toilet before I used it aswell, and the cleaner came back in as soon as I left! At least I, myself, was finding it funny on the way back to the car.

I did quite enjoy my day in Dumbarton though.

NP Hlemmur 1 Sigur Rós
Posted by \•/ doctorvee at 7:39 PM | |

Totally me!

What Color is Your Brain?
brought to you by Quizilla

At work or in school: I work best by myself. I like to focus on my ideas until my desire for understanding is satisfied. I am easily bored if the subject holds no interest to me. Sometimes, it is hard for me to set priorities because so many things are of interest.
With friends: I may seem reserved. Although my thoughts and feelings run deep, I am uneasy with frequent displays of emotion. I enjoy people who are interesting and of high integrity.
With family: I am probably seen as a loner because I like a lot of private time to think. Sometimes, I find family activities boring and have difficulty following family rules that don't make sense to me. I show love by spending time with my family and sharing ideas and interests.

This evening the internet released its potential to be great again Check out TEH OVISSHUL DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA WEBSITE! [via Nick]

Being Asian but pretending to be American at the same time is TEH QL NU THING - especially if it'll shift more Big Macฎs. [via Tom Watson]

NP A Day In The Life Of Benjamin André (Incomplete) OutKast
Posted by \•/ doctorvee at 12:25 AM | |

14.5.04
Who thinks Fiona Bruce suits her new glasses then?

NP Prototype OutKast
Posted by \•/ doctorvee at 11:31 PM | |

So Piers has gone Thanks to Kristi for alerting me - Piers Morgan has been fired / resigned as editor of The Daily Mirror. I was going to blog about this earlier, but I took Morgan's advice to wait and see that interview this evening. It's been becoming increasingly clear that the pictures are fake, especially given the change in The Daily Mirror's language, along the lines that the pictures were "accurate representations."

I was in two minds as to whether or not I expected Morgan to resign. I was also in two minds as to whether or not I thought he should resign.

I admire what Morgan did, to try and make The Daily Mirror a bit more upmarket. He seems to unflinchingly believe in what he's doing all the time. But sometimes his ethics seem very dodgy. For instance, he pushed the boundaries of decent reporting when his paper carried an interview with Tony Martin. It might seem like good journalism, but I thought newspapers weren't supposed to pay convicted criminals for their stories?

And then came the fake pictures. And this is also where I'm in two minds. Because, of course, publishing these fake pictures was a greatly irresponsible thing to do. For a start, it makes the troops' lives in Iraq even more difficult; never mind the fact that publishing lies should not be acceptable anyway. If Morgan didn't know that these pictures were fake, then why were the proper checks not made? Who are the individuals who sold the pictures? Questions need to be asked of them aswell.

Via Harry's Place, The Guardian editorial got it right today.

If Mr Ingram is right - and last night the Mirror was still defiantly challenging the government to produce its evidence - then the paper's editor, Piers Morgan, has much explaining to do. How was he misled? What checks did he perform before publication? What money changed hands? Why - if there was any shadow of doubt in his mind - was the paper's presentation of the pictures so unequivocal? What was the urgency? It may be that Mr Morgan has convincing answers to many of these questions. If so, he should produce them.

Similarly, if the pictures are fakes - as now seems likely - it is important that Mr Morgan acknowledges that fact loudly and clearly. Any equivocation on his part would send dangerous messages to those insurgents in Iraq who need little excuse to exact murderous revenge on British and American troops and contractors. It will not be enough for Mr Morgan to hide behind some evasion to the effect that the pictures were an accurate representation of events which the Mirror still believes actually took place. That may or may not be true and is, as we say, the bigger question. But it would be better for Mr Morgan to admit plainly that he was misled on this occasion and to apologise.

\•/