I missed the start of the whole Rev Wright debate last week but according to a US/UK radio phone in i listened to last night, the furore is not dying down.
The potentially blasphemous "God Damn America" quote seems to be upsetting the religious portion of those outraged but everyone else is buffeting him for being 'Un-American' for his quote concerning Sept 11th and chickens coming home to roost.
"We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost" he said.
This was a view i heard over and over again following that day in 2001, even while it was still going and we stood watching the terrible events unfurl on the TV screen, the feeling was that it was horrific but not unexpected.
No country is faultless, my own country has an abhorrent history dripping in other peoples blood and we should be able to stand up and say when we think our country is wrong without being labelled unpatriotic.
So was Rev Wright right?
The vast majority of citizens will bristle indignantly when confronted with a brutal, honest, historically accurate truth, which contradicts the cosy view they have of their country.
It is undeniable that the US has not always been on the side of right, and has committed some horrific acts against humanity.
The best answer would be to look at why America was attacked on 9/11, and to avoid making those same mistakes again so there has to be a change from the politics and policies of the past.
So yes it was chickens coming home to roost after decades of mistreating others and concocting tales to start another war immediately afterwards which has resulted in a million plus deaths and setting the majority of the rest of the world against you is not going to see Americas image improve anytime soon and why the 2008 election is so important for America.
Sunday, 30 March 2008
Friday, 28 March 2008
Leona Lewis
Truth be told, Britain is not especially famed for its talented female singing voices. With Whitney off her face on god knows what, there is a gap in the market for a female with that special voice and just maybe us Brits have the next big thing in Leona Lewis.
Usually the winners of TV talent contests have their 15 mins of fame and then thankfully fall off the planet but when Leona won X Factor two years ago you would have to have had ears made of lettuce not to have noticed that she was head and shoulders above what normally turns up to be sneered at by Simon Cowell.
Now the former receptionist is sitting pretty at the top of the US billboard chart after staying at number one for seven weeks here and it really could not of happened to a nicer girl.
She has been signed in the US to Clive Davis's label, the man who discovered a young Whitney Houston and turned her into probably the finest female singer of our generation so she really could not be under the wing of a better person.
She is a rare and exceptional talent and if she gets the right songs and avoids the Mariah Carey wobbly voice style that irritates no end, she could be huge.
Everytime i have seen her on TV she has been courteous, polite and humble with no signs of the pretentious behaviour that seems to go hand in hand with most female singers.
I just hope that with her success she can keep that attitude, don't believe the hype that is going to surround her and stay the genuinely nice person she presently is because the tide can turn extremely quickly. Take a lesson from the fate of Victoria Beckham and Catherine Zeta Jones who both went from national treasure to a vicious media kicking as quick as it took for any pretentious behaviour to rear its head.
Usually the winners of TV talent contests have their 15 mins of fame and then thankfully fall off the planet but when Leona won X Factor two years ago you would have to have had ears made of lettuce not to have noticed that she was head and shoulders above what normally turns up to be sneered at by Simon Cowell.
Now the former receptionist is sitting pretty at the top of the US billboard chart after staying at number one for seven weeks here and it really could not of happened to a nicer girl.
She has been signed in the US to Clive Davis's label, the man who discovered a young Whitney Houston and turned her into probably the finest female singer of our generation so she really could not be under the wing of a better person.
She is a rare and exceptional talent and if she gets the right songs and avoids the Mariah Carey wobbly voice style that irritates no end, she could be huge.
Everytime i have seen her on TV she has been courteous, polite and humble with no signs of the pretentious behaviour that seems to go hand in hand with most female singers.
I just hope that with her success she can keep that attitude, don't believe the hype that is going to surround her and stay the genuinely nice person she presently is because the tide can turn extremely quickly. Take a lesson from the fate of Victoria Beckham and Catherine Zeta Jones who both went from national treasure to a vicious media kicking as quick as it took for any pretentious behaviour to rear its head.
Thursday, 27 March 2008
You Silly Girl Hillary
Hillary, Hillary, Hillary. What were you thinking?
It was obvious some TV producer was going to rummage around in the video library and find footage of you landing in Bosnia and not having relations with those snipers.
I can understand why she felt she had to sex it up a little but she has fallen into the trap that so many women vying for a position of power fall into, trying to compete with the men in the macho stakes.
Her strength should have been that she was removed from the testosterone fueled antics of her male counterparts. We should be seen as the healers, listeners and conflict resolvers with the maternal instinct to care for others.
That is where Hillary should be building her reputation, as the polar opposite of who currently resides in the White House, not trying to show how tough she is or trying to show her 'manly' credentials.
The is a great bit of advice from former White House Press Secretary Sharon Krum who said that 'Women will never be as good at being men as men are."
What damage this has done to her reputation we shall find out in due course but if this does turn out to be the final nail in her political aspirations, hopefully future female hopefuls can learn from her experience and avoid the pitfalls she has placed her stilettoes in.
After eight years of aggressive and explosive rhetoric, the World needs a calming influence at the head of the table, not someone keen to impress that they can be as recklessly macho as the last guy.
That is not where our strengths lay.
It was obvious some TV producer was going to rummage around in the video library and find footage of you landing in Bosnia and not having relations with those snipers.
I can understand why she felt she had to sex it up a little but she has fallen into the trap that so many women vying for a position of power fall into, trying to compete with the men in the macho stakes.
Her strength should have been that she was removed from the testosterone fueled antics of her male counterparts. We should be seen as the healers, listeners and conflict resolvers with the maternal instinct to care for others.
That is where Hillary should be building her reputation, as the polar opposite of who currently resides in the White House, not trying to show how tough she is or trying to show her 'manly' credentials.
The is a great bit of advice from former White House Press Secretary Sharon Krum who said that 'Women will never be as good at being men as men are."
What damage this has done to her reputation we shall find out in due course but if this does turn out to be the final nail in her political aspirations, hopefully future female hopefuls can learn from her experience and avoid the pitfalls she has placed her stilettoes in.
After eight years of aggressive and explosive rhetoric, the World needs a calming influence at the head of the table, not someone keen to impress that they can be as recklessly macho as the last guy.
That is not where our strengths lay.
Wednesday, 26 March 2008
Stopping The Barbaric Seal Cull
What sort of human being would not be appalled at the sight of animals having their skulls crushed, their bodies hooked with a metal spike and dragged away leaving a bloody trail on the ice?
The annual seal cull is gearing up with this years quota set at 250,000 harp seals in the sights of the hunters and this time they are not even trying to hide behind the excuse of the seals eating all the fish. The Canadian departmental official speaking on Sky TV today came out and said what we all knew, it's about the fur.
Animal welfare groups have been pushing for a ban on seal imports for years in order to stop the slaughter and finally the European Union is on the verge of an EU wide import ban that could help end the seal hunt.
Experts say this would stop Canada shipping seal pelts through European ports to major markets in China and Russia and fatally wound the barbaric practise.
Seal fur is used in the fashion industry, with each pelt fetching around £25 to £40, and hunters can expect to make a killing in both ways in a few days.
An often used argument by the hunters is that it is their living but as sealers are fishermen by trade, they are just making an additional income for a few weeks a year from killing seals so nobody is going to starve. This is just a sideline or maybe there are more sinister reasons behind the hakapik wielding seal killers.
Here is a Canadian sealer speaking to the Toronto Star: “We all go out for the love of it rather than the money, which isn't there anymore."
So don't insult our intelligence by dressing it up as an economical necessity and don't try and justify the unjustifiable because it is just a barbaric, needless slaughter of defenceless animals for the sake of lining the pockets of the fisherman and providing fur coats to morally bankrupt buyers.
The annual seal cull is gearing up with this years quota set at 250,000 harp seals in the sights of the hunters and this time they are not even trying to hide behind the excuse of the seals eating all the fish. The Canadian departmental official speaking on Sky TV today came out and said what we all knew, it's about the fur.
Animal welfare groups have been pushing for a ban on seal imports for years in order to stop the slaughter and finally the European Union is on the verge of an EU wide import ban that could help end the seal hunt.
Experts say this would stop Canada shipping seal pelts through European ports to major markets in China and Russia and fatally wound the barbaric practise.
Seal fur is used in the fashion industry, with each pelt fetching around £25 to £40, and hunters can expect to make a killing in both ways in a few days.
An often used argument by the hunters is that it is their living but as sealers are fishermen by trade, they are just making an additional income for a few weeks a year from killing seals so nobody is going to starve. This is just a sideline or maybe there are more sinister reasons behind the hakapik wielding seal killers.
Here is a Canadian sealer speaking to the Toronto Star: “We all go out for the love of it rather than the money, which isn't there anymore."
So don't insult our intelligence by dressing it up as an economical necessity and don't try and justify the unjustifiable because it is just a barbaric, needless slaughter of defenceless animals for the sake of lining the pockets of the fisherman and providing fur coats to morally bankrupt buyers.
Monday, 24 March 2008
4000 Up
When the White House Press Secretary Tony Snow was asked for a reaction to the death toll for U.S. troops in Iraq reaching 2,500, he responded: “It’s just a number.”
I wonder if he will be quite so keen to shrug it off now that now it has reached 'just' 4,000? So what have those 4000 dead Americans actually died for?
Did you find any Weapons of Mass Destruction? No.
Did you find Osama bin Laden? No.
Did you stop Terrorism around the World? No
Did the invasion make the world any safer? No.
Is America safer? No.
Is the Middle East a safer place? No.
Are the Iraqi people still dying in their droves? Yes.
Have you made a bad situation even worse? Yes.
Has Americas international standing improved? No.
Is it going be over soon? No.
Was it used as a recruitment campaign by Al-Qaeda? Yes.
Lucky it is just 4000 dead because otherwise it might be thought of as a bit of a catastrophe all around don't you think Mr Snow?.
I wonder if he will be quite so keen to shrug it off now that now it has reached 'just' 4,000? So what have those 4000 dead Americans actually died for?
Did you find any Weapons of Mass Destruction? No.
Did you find Osama bin Laden? No.
Did you stop Terrorism around the World? No
Did the invasion make the world any safer? No.
Is America safer? No.
Is the Middle East a safer place? No.
Are the Iraqi people still dying in their droves? Yes.
Have you made a bad situation even worse? Yes.
Has Americas international standing improved? No.
Is it going be over soon? No.
Was it used as a recruitment campaign by Al-Qaeda? Yes.
Lucky it is just 4000 dead because otherwise it might be thought of as a bit of a catastrophe all around don't you think Mr Snow?.
Smoking Beneath The Counter
An article I read some time ago stated that in Victorian times, piano legs were covered by a cloth to prevent a 'stirring in the loins' of a gentleman. I don't know if the gentlemen in Queen Victoria's era were so sex depraved that they made a bee-line for the nearest musical instrument that looked up for it, but to them the only way to keep the Steinway's keys from getting all sticky was to cover its legs in an out of sight, out of mind approach.
The Government seem to be taking the same approach to cigarettes with it's latest idea of banning shops from displaying cigarettes and moving them literally beneath the counter in an attempt to reduce smoking.
I was one of those rare breed of smokers that supported the smoking in pubs and public places ban introduced last year and i don't have a real problem with this idea although with the millions smokers rake in for the Government, i do wonder if the they actually want people to give up en mass.
If the Govt is that concerned about really doing something, then just ban it outright but there is a greater danger lurking in our newsagents and supermarkets.
With the new laws, smoking has become a much more self damaging habit with little impact on others and i have yet to hear of smoking causing any anti-social behaviour while you only have to look at any city centre or emergency ward on a weekend to see the effects alcohol has on the body so we should be getting alcohol underneath the counter as well.
Smoking is bad i agree and anything that makes it easier to stop or not start in the first place should be encouraged but i would rather be in the vicinity of someone who had just bought 20 cigarettes than someone who has just paid for 20 cans of Special Brew.
The Government seem to be taking the same approach to cigarettes with it's latest idea of banning shops from displaying cigarettes and moving them literally beneath the counter in an attempt to reduce smoking.
I was one of those rare breed of smokers that supported the smoking in pubs and public places ban introduced last year and i don't have a real problem with this idea although with the millions smokers rake in for the Government, i do wonder if the they actually want people to give up en mass.
If the Govt is that concerned about really doing something, then just ban it outright but there is a greater danger lurking in our newsagents and supermarkets.
With the new laws, smoking has become a much more self damaging habit with little impact on others and i have yet to hear of smoking causing any anti-social behaviour while you only have to look at any city centre or emergency ward on a weekend to see the effects alcohol has on the body so we should be getting alcohol underneath the counter as well.
Smoking is bad i agree and anything that makes it easier to stop or not start in the first place should be encouraged but i would rather be in the vicinity of someone who had just bought 20 cigarettes than someone who has just paid for 20 cans of Special Brew.
Saturday, 22 March 2008
Surname Experiment
I do enjoy reading up on psychological experiments and they do throw up some very interesting and controversial results so i am greatly looking forward to The Edinburgh International Science Festival and mainly the results of the
question "Do people who have a surname that began with a letter nearer the start of the alphabet more successful in life than those with names towards the end?
Splitting the alphabet in half to A-M and N-Z, removing the multiple entries and finger counting from some lists of high achievers surnames makes some interesting reading.
................................A-M.....N-Z
Politics
UK Prime Ministers........32.......16
US Presidents..............36.......12
Present UK Cabinet.......24........5
Sport
England Football Squad...21.......9
100m Olympic Champs....17.......7
Entertainment
Female Oscar Winners ...42.....23
Male Oscar Winners.......55.....21
Music top 10
Best selling Female.......5/10... 5/10
Best selling male.........7/10.....3/10
Hmmmmm. I will have to sit and ponder exactly why but it seems true that those that have a surname beginning with a letter closer to the start of the alphabet ARE more successful.
I knew i would one day regret that proposal from David Aaronovitch.
question "Do people who have a surname that began with a letter nearer the start of the alphabet more successful in life than those with names towards the end?
Splitting the alphabet in half to A-M and N-Z, removing the multiple entries and finger counting from some lists of high achievers surnames makes some interesting reading.
................................A-M.....N-Z
Politics
UK Prime Ministers........32.......16
US Presidents..............36.......12
Present UK Cabinet.......24........5
Sport
England Football Squad...21.......9
100m Olympic Champs....17.......7
Entertainment
Female Oscar Winners ...42.....23
Male Oscar Winners.......55.....21
Music top 10
Best selling Female.......5/10... 5/10
Best selling male.........7/10.....3/10
Hmmmmm. I will have to sit and ponder exactly why but it seems true that those that have a surname beginning with a letter closer to the start of the alphabet ARE more successful.
I knew i would one day regret that proposal from David Aaronovitch.
Friday, 21 March 2008
Easter Hypocrite?
As crazy as it might sound, Easter has some kind of religious thread running through it. Those hot cross buns and Easter eggs all have some relevance to biblical stories but as only 2% of Brits actually go to church regularly, the question could be asked should it still be classed as a religious holiday?
I'm an atheist but i have no qualms about giving and receiving Easter eggs as i don't give it a second thought when i wrap up Christmas presents but i am aware that i am wide open to the shouts of hypocrite. That's fair enough although i could argue that i am keeping with tradition and not 'celebrating' anything. I could even claim to be a pagan which seemed to have had its celebrations hijacked by Christians but that's another story.
So should people who spout off about not believing in God or Jesus for the other 363 days be able to join in the Christmas and Easter thing just because we get a bit of chocolate and a present out of it?
Maybe one way to get around it would be to go along the route of Christmas where in some cases it has been de-religionised and is just plain 'Winter Holidays' or 'Festive Season' but i do have some reservations about that.
My solution is to pretty much ignore all the religious aspects and just enjoy the 4-day weekend and the chocolate that sits in my refrigerator.
I'm an atheist but i have no qualms about giving and receiving Easter eggs as i don't give it a second thought when i wrap up Christmas presents but i am aware that i am wide open to the shouts of hypocrite. That's fair enough although i could argue that i am keeping with tradition and not 'celebrating' anything. I could even claim to be a pagan which seemed to have had its celebrations hijacked by Christians but that's another story.
So should people who spout off about not believing in God or Jesus for the other 363 days be able to join in the Christmas and Easter thing just because we get a bit of chocolate and a present out of it?
Maybe one way to get around it would be to go along the route of Christmas where in some cases it has been de-religionised and is just plain 'Winter Holidays' or 'Festive Season' but i do have some reservations about that.
My solution is to pretty much ignore all the religious aspects and just enjoy the 4-day weekend and the chocolate that sits in my refrigerator.
Wednesday, 19 March 2008
Cowell Isn't Such A Bad Guy
He has been called rude, annoying, vain, smug and his fluorescent white teeth and high waist bands have been ridiculed mercilessly so there are no shortage of things you could knock Simon Cowell for. Foisting the Spice Girls onto us should be enough to see him lynched but the former EMI errand boy with the acid tongue has managed to not only clog up the charts with his bands singles but dominate the television schedules also and earn himself £22m annually doing it.
Yep, he is the guy that seemed to revel in his image of being the bad guy who pulls his trousers up too high but his reputation has taken a bit of a battering today with a heart touching act of kindness.
Appearing on Oprah Winfrey's show to promote X Factor winner Leona Lewis in the US, he saw a video of a family struggling to support themselves while travelling 100 miles everyday for their 3 year old daughters cancer treatment.
After seeing a video of the family, 'Mr Nasty', said: "I didn't know what to do in this situation, other than to do something which I hope will help your situation."
He then wrote out a cheque for £80,000 and handed to them saying "I know that you're having problems with your mortgage. As of this afternoon your mortgage has been paid off."
Rude, vain, smug and annoying he may be but underneath that television persona is actually a decent guy after all.
Well done Simon.
Yep, he is the guy that seemed to revel in his image of being the bad guy who pulls his trousers up too high but his reputation has taken a bit of a battering today with a heart touching act of kindness.
Appearing on Oprah Winfrey's show to promote X Factor winner Leona Lewis in the US, he saw a video of a family struggling to support themselves while travelling 100 miles everyday for their 3 year old daughters cancer treatment.
After seeing a video of the family, 'Mr Nasty', said: "I didn't know what to do in this situation, other than to do something which I hope will help your situation."
He then wrote out a cheque for £80,000 and handed to them saying "I know that you're having problems with your mortgage. As of this afternoon your mortgage has been paid off."
Rude, vain, smug and annoying he may be but underneath that television persona is actually a decent guy after all.
Well done Simon.
Tuesday, 18 March 2008
Dangerous Beatle Alert
Authorities have warned the public to be on the lookout for a strange individual as they go about there business this evening.
Police have contacted all the media outlets to ask for co-operation in the hunt for a miserable looking pensioner who has been terrorising the music charts since the 1970's and was last seen muttering complaints in scouse about "one legged trollops" while perusing the hair dye section of a local Supermarket.
Police warn that he is believed to be deeply unstable, and may be sporting a dazed expression.
Members of the public are advised to keep their distance, and not under any circumstances approach the man with a pen and paper and say: "Mr McCartney, could I have your autograph please?"
Chief Inspector Frank Drebbin of Scotland Yard explained in a hastily convened press conference that: "This man is clearly extremely angry, and should not be approached until something happens to cheer him up. Anyone who sees him is advised to smile politely and back away slowly. If he starts singing, wave your hands in the air and make yourself look big. Failing that, kick him in the nuts."
"Our biggest fear" said a record executive "is that now he will now concentrate on creating more music and nobody with a working set of ears wants that."
Police have already conducted searches in the usual places that washed up singers hang out but raids at the Gallagher brothers house didn't turn up any leads.
"Consider him armed and dangerous" warned the Chief Inspector, "he was carrying a copy of single "The Girl Is Mine" when last spotted."
Hey, let's be careful out there.
Police have contacted all the media outlets to ask for co-operation in the hunt for a miserable looking pensioner who has been terrorising the music charts since the 1970's and was last seen muttering complaints in scouse about "one legged trollops" while perusing the hair dye section of a local Supermarket.
Police warn that he is believed to be deeply unstable, and may be sporting a dazed expression.
Members of the public are advised to keep their distance, and not under any circumstances approach the man with a pen and paper and say: "Mr McCartney, could I have your autograph please?"
Chief Inspector Frank Drebbin of Scotland Yard explained in a hastily convened press conference that: "This man is clearly extremely angry, and should not be approached until something happens to cheer him up. Anyone who sees him is advised to smile politely and back away slowly. If he starts singing, wave your hands in the air and make yourself look big. Failing that, kick him in the nuts."
"Our biggest fear" said a record executive "is that now he will now concentrate on creating more music and nobody with a working set of ears wants that."
Police have already conducted searches in the usual places that washed up singers hang out but raids at the Gallagher brothers house didn't turn up any leads.
"Consider him armed and dangerous" warned the Chief Inspector, "he was carrying a copy of single "The Girl Is Mine" when last spotted."
Hey, let's be careful out there.
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