This is a blog for friends and family members to get a wee report of the things ive seen and my personal opinions about them.It is mostly inconsequencial shit barely rescued by a mild seasoning of spellchecker.
Members of the public are welcome , as long as you promise not to get offended.
A good end to a bad year would be an understatement on both levels to the last night concert for a first night of a mini-tour from a great live band.
Stuart Adamson is , alas , dead and so we have to live to hear great music fronted by the very able Mike Peters of Alarm fame , a quite brilliant frontman from a superb live band in the 90s.
Having read the recently published biography of Stuart Adamson by Allan Glen , an overpriced , at £14.99 , book of just over 200 pages well worth getting from the nearest public library , there is a story predicating the choice of Mike Peters being very obvious as the band did consider co-opting him as the frontman whilst Stuart was still around but being AWOL during his difficult days and nights before his sad passing away.
Any person who has had the privileged unique pleasure of seeing Big Country live will need no convincing whatsoever that it is a experience quite ineffable as to the magic that is live music.As the comments on the featured youtube videos testify there are fans in Colombia who were there in spirit.No surprise to anyone who has been to one of their concerts.
There are a surprising number of videos of this performance in youtubistan , but the best two are below:
The first is Porrohman , a song Adamson wrote based on a piece by H.G.Wells , an arresting and engaging mystique laden music poem:
The next is a well known rabble rouser:
The next one was also performed but i cant find any videos that do it any kind of justice so i have included the studio version.It is so good i cant bear to leave it out.
This production has been receiving glowing glittering tributes for very good reason.
The problem with some players of the title role is that they approach it as if they are playing King Lear , to properly play the character of Hamlet you require to imagine a youthful mind coming to terms with the dirty mechanics of power and the added pressures on the psyche which go with the weight of idealistic expectation of being thrust in struggles not of your making for the first time , rather than an old man revisiting the past from the edge of a cliff as a result of many decades of unresolved neglected responsibilities.
The success of this production is the soliloquies by Rory Kinnear are uncluttered , sparsely delivered in a simplified manner. Not with the histrionics showcasing the range of emotional melodrama gratuitously exhibiting proof the actor attended six years of drama academy just in case the audience did not realise it , and throwing in some lavish arm waving for good measure just so no one appears to be short changed from what Olivier may have done at the pictures a while back.This gives Shakespeares actual piercing stark meaningful words a rare and deserved centre stage and a deserved sharp focused spotlight action louder than any distracting gesture.
As Kinnear allows the words to do the talking , so the minimalist stark set also allows the concepts behind the words to step to the very fore , where they enter the mind of the audience without visual distraction , becoming the real drama , rather than dramatics , to play in the head long after the play ends.
The winner is Shakespeare as this version gives his art centre stage , making the audience a listener first , viewer second.
The symposium event based around the highly stimulating and timely Artur Zmijewski’s Democracies exhibition posed to examine current questions which must be preying on minds like who are the radicals or activists of the future? along with other burning topics of great concern such as...Is our current model of democracy in crisis? Does sanctioned protest have any impact? How will democracy evolve in the future? Can art play any meaningful role in effecting political change or does it merely offer aesthetic commentary?
The Chair and compere for proceedings Kirsten Lloyd quoted Fujiyama , now, premature declaration of the victory of liberal democracy , therefore the end of History.Also quoted was Zijek observation that China proves the link between capitalism and democracy is not essential , if anything capitalism required a non-democratic tribute bearing empire providing minerals at sub-wholesale costs ( as well as ready access)) and the supply of cheap factory fodder labour.It is therefore ironic only in an unironic way the first ports of call for UK Prime Minister in the crisis within capitalisms banking system where to the antithesis of democracy heartlands of Saudi Arabia and China.Though attributed to Zijek this observation is hardly new , Thucydides was asking this question in a rhetorical manner since almost pre-history.Democracy by its very nature can only be a privilege for the few , with the rest playing the role of labour service , sometimes useful but ultimately expendable.The current unelected democratic policemen states have a far longer track record of actively denying democracy for the "service" nations than promoting it.Iran in the 50s is prime example of ridding a democratically elected government which threatened to gain sovereign control of its assets to assist its own population rather than provide the , literal, cheap fuel for the King states of the democratic West.
The first speaker was journalist and broadcaster Iain McWhirter.Iain McWhirter has a vested interest in this process as he is the current , and highly pro-active rector of edinburgh university. In his blog he lays out a direction to defend no-fees in Scotland (see it in the link below) http://iainmacwhirt...er2.blogspot.com/His strategy is to put pressure on the SNP to reject the paper ( his sources suggest a backdoor tuition fee mechanism will be proposed - though it is likely to be rejected by the SNP). There after the next scottish election becomes a referendum on tuition fees with a straight fight between the SNP and Labour/the rest who will be Westminster fifth columnists within Holyrood. The other pro-active strategy for Glasgow Uni is to put up a credible anti-cuts and cross-party approved candidate for early next years Rector elections to dispose the highly embarrassing lib-dem charles Kennedy to to replace him with someone similar to Iain McWhirter. These are 2 immediate strategic goals faculty can get to work on for the present.
It can be a good fusion point for the tantalisingly close though not quite fused meeting point that brings academia and students together in a way the UCU and NUS cannot quite do. It can be a platform in which ...faculty and students work in the close cohesion that is necessary for an ultimate pro-active winning result. It can also be a excellent way for academics and students to communicate as equals and not through the imperfect conduits of UCU and NUS. If done well it could be a model for other universities to follow as admin will only yield when they are facing a joint faculty/student opposition , otherwise divide and rule will be a battle admin are comfortable with.
He may be over hasty and complacent in declaring a "result" but does identify the cabal of Uni Vice-Chancellors bearing (un)wise prophecies of this alleged £300M funding shortfall. These figures are likely to be seized upon by Labour for the May elections and it may be the next point of defensive attack for academics to scrutinise and show these figures as a discreditable fallacy before they become the "truth" as the media gang up on the SNP/Greens before the elections.
Iains view is that students act as a weathervane for society's concerns as they can have an idealistic posture and manifest it by protests as they have no immediate pressures of mortgages , Family commitments and paying taxes.The Marketisation of the Universities being proposed and administered is in a way designed to put a very real debt burden on students , making them todays financial equivalent of the cannon fodder of yesteryears.
Next up was Professor Sarah Oates of Glasgow University , her take was the state has abandoned us , thinks she means academics , the student fees are a small manifestation of a far larger problem.It did seem odd she used the very labelling which the administrators of the cuts are applying in that she regards faculty and students as separate entities rather than a whole which can team-up to defeat the process.The impression one got was sincere sympathy from academics for the student cause , but it did not seem if sentiment translating into action has wholly entered as an effective idea whose time has come.
In her discourse on the internet , images, and politics of the future she showed photos from google image searches of the recent students demonstrations , described the use of images in the private media in creating a intellectually pre-aligned thematic agenda setting , this allows them to readily manipulate a narrative which submits to a theme in the public domain that conforms to portray the discussion on their parameters.This is not always successful and the British Public have systematically refused to be swayed to a concerted attempt to give way to the politics of fear. As for independent news sources such as blogs ; social networks and internet in general , her take is the internet has not permeated the process to understand the other in a major way.Internet users use such facilities to connect with like-minded people and viewpoints , so what we end up with is partisanship sectarian bonding , not so much cross-communication.
Tone Olaf Nielson presented on "Can art offer any more than aesthetic commentary?" , at first her presentation was akin to an engineer trying to powerpoint their way to win consent for a construction project.The whole charade seemed to be like being transported to Geneva to see a stellar pitch from nations bidding to win the world cup nominations.Things were becoming dry , it did not bode well at all.
Then , suddenly , she completely captured the audience by dropping the stale theory and went on to describe her work in Denmark.Trampoline House , is based on usership rather than spectatorship, the object is to create a trust between refugees requiring shelter,advice,assistance and tools to navigate the system , and the media,politicians and members of the public who wish to be informed.This whole process creates that elusive understanding of the other which alternative forms of art and communications cannot effectively bridge.The project model is predicated to permanency ( a remarkable responsibility of all the artists who undertake to volunteer for the centre).Here we have a remarkably astounding prime example of art providing a service that should be the responsibility of the state , a more interactive form of art you cannot imagine.
A litmus test of how well the profound talk went is the final Q & A session involving all the participants found all the audience questions directed towards Olaf , with Iain and sarah only getting a few perfunctory questions from the compere to make them feel included.
Olaf describes herself as a Trans-National Feminist , rightly identifying Woman bear the brunt of globalisation , it is refreshing to see a European Feminist advocating supporting Women in other parts of the world to develop a Feminism based on their own terms , and not a have a Euro-Feminist perspective template hoisted upon them whether they like it or not.
The value of Olafs brand of this trans-national feminism is it makes the support of Woman an universal fight , not the imposition of one minority cultural model being forced on those that want regional solutions without unhealthy external unwelcome interference which could make the ideas of these dogmatic Euro-Feminists too close to Imperial colonist projects for comfort to those right minded supporters of Universal Human Rights.
But the last word should go to the individual responsible for getting the participants together.Here he gives his take on the massacre by Israeli Commandos of innocent unarmed Human Rights Workers delivering much needed aid in International Waters.
Ronnie Kasrils addressed the 2010 Mandela-Tambo Lecture and launch of the book “The Unlikely Secret Agent” written by himself about the courage and role played by his wife in the military campaign against the racist corrupting apartheid regime at University Chapel within the square.The book is about the underground activity of his late wife, Eleanor, in the early 1960s in apartheid South Africa.
As John Le Carré states, “This is a wonderful book about a courageous and extraordinary woman who was highly principled, yet endowed by nature with all the clandestine skills.”
Ronnie Kasrils was Deputy Minister of Defence in Nelson Mandela’s government, then Minister for Water and Forestry Affairs and, until 2009, Minister of Intelligence for South Africa. Prior to that, Ronnie was a leader in the armed wing of the African National Congress, Umkhonto we Sizwe.
Kasrils was a major player in the military wing of the ANC , a necessity created when the bloody massacre of innocents protesting at Sharpeville in 1960 after that response to peaceful protest by the South African forces it became blindingly clear resistance to Apartheid would have to incorporate a campaign to attack the economic foundations of the violent Pretoria Government.
The South African Communist Party adopted an enlightened position which put its European counterparts to extreme shame when it put International revolution of the Workers Proletariat led by an Intellectual dictatorship of European educated emigres on hold , and make the dismantling the racist ideology of Apartheid the primary goal of its focus.The result of this all to rare genuinely progressive mature position was to enable the Communist Party become a genuine highly effective constituent of a all encompassing mass movement , not an opportunistic entity doing more harm than good to the very constituency they purported to be labouring for.
The theme of the lecture , and hence the tribute to his wife,was courage , individual and collective, a type of courage which helped achieve one of Humanitys greatest successes of the last century , as well as an inspiration for those striving for Justice in this.His wifes Family came from Kilmarnock.
You can hear the whole lecture , a glorious highly engaging tale of an unassuming woman heroine , in the video below:( it comes in 5 parts).
After having seen the NFT beamback version i managed to press-gang my wife and son to see this magical drama live on stage.I managed to get front row tickets which is very useful as the play has a lot of humour reflected with subtle rolling of eyes and slight facial gestures make for an experience which simply cannot be sensed from further back in the theatre.
The play is very much like watching an episode of frasier live on stage , which for me would be a dream come true, though with a philosophical depth which only comes at you when you ponder themes much later than when the initial laughter has passed away.Then you realise how very profound this production really is.
Channel Four produced an amazing documentary that captures the deep background of the personal experiences of Auden and Britten and the extraordinary creative process and collaboration between playwright and director that was involved in this brilliant artwork.You can see it by clicking HERE An incredible story well worth spending 50 plus minutes over.
Polish born artist,actor and documentary visual film maker Artur Zmijewski has had a video installation showing at the Tramway called Democracies.
His films very much capture the whole of the being of the participants involved as individual and group figures in the method , as the publicity states , which demands that portrayed persons integrate their political , religious and historical beliefs and personality into a powerful single evolving work that forces them and the viewer to question profoundly the inner meaning of the subjects both internally and externally.
In this screening and curators talk the first film was KRWP which shows former soldiers of the Polish Army Guard of Honour perform a formal drill ceremony , then almost seamlessly we see them performing a dignified patriotic duty without their clothes on.Through the laughs and banter one senses not only the former proud soldiers have been stripped of their dignity , whilst giving the impression they are somehow progressing from staid backwardness to an appreciative posture which will ingratiate and somehow integrate the subjects to the outer world.This could be viewed as a representation of how the whole of Polish society has been stripped bare by exposure to the West in which the benefits of exploiting the local talent pool has benefited the West , leaving the negative scraps of capitalism , namely debt and abasement as the bitter fruit left for the Poles.
Singing Lessons II is the second film of this chronological curator perspective , it follows a choir of death children rehearsing for a live performance in Leipzig , the piece portrays the opposite dimensions of the first film as we have a heartwarming confluencial showcase when resources and ability are put at the service of bringing out the best in society and its less privileged members to create a harmonious cohesive whole to the betterment of all stratas of the community.
Them is the most unusual and stimulating part of the artwork , this brings into the same space four groups from warsaw , one represents a Catholic Womans Group , another Polish nationalists of the old school ( though young members), some Jewish students and so called freedom loving socialists with an alleged live and let live patina.The groups are then allowed to critique;debate and even adjust/deface the displays of the others , the artist seeks to show how they may interact and communicate even when faced with apparently incompatible differences of ideology , and how they may resolve it.The ironic thing is most of the intolerant , bigoted and destructive interlocutors are the so-called freedom loving libertine socialists , they go about verbally slandering , physically desecrating others displays in a wanton immature fashion , and then burning displays when they failed to rationally win their points.The other groups , to their credit spent most of the time repairing the damage to their displays and restoring symbols damaged by the tolerance slogan chanting socialists , whilst engaging in debate with the other groups in a composed dignified way.
The nest short was 80064 brings an ex-inmate of Auschwitz ( we have to remember Auschwitz was in Poland , usually guarded by Lithuanians) agrees to have his detainee number freshened up, some in the audience found the scene harrowing and contrived , the artists contention is the participant did agree to go through with it beforehand , you can judge for yourself:
Two Monuments has Polish and Irish unemployed in Dublin working to co-produce two works of sculpture that enable them to exchange views on the changing nature of Polish/Irish worker relations.What comes out is the , to the participants , barely perceptively nuanced petty attitudes of racism from the Irish towards their Polish colleagues , an odd juxtaposition in that Irish history is replete with the very experiences of migration and seeking to make a living in a hostile environment just like the Polish are going through in Dublin and elsewhere at this time.The curators did say many of the participants on the Irish side did object to the filmed representation of themselves when the inner hostility of the views came out in sharper contrast in the film than was perceived in the casual conversation format.
The last film , made this year , Artur used the philosophy and group teaching methods of the famous Bauhaus in Liverpool.The director remarked the British artists did not come forth in any numbers , only 2 volunteers , to a group art project which is common in mainland Europe.This may be due to the concept of individual enterprise has permeated our society more so than in Europe , where group solutions to problems still holds sway.The result of this is Thatchers "no society" vanity drives individualism is entrenched , this is vital to understand as the fight against cuts that can only be addressed in unison and not individual " ill fight the system my own way" passive aggressive , ultimately impotent symbolistic phyrric victories that closely resemble humiliating defeats.
There is a very apt review of the democracies display from Simons teaching Blog including a brilliantly clear understanding of his palestine segment:
In relation to this understanding of democracy, Zmijewski’s films of demonstrations against the Israeli occupation in the West Bank appear to represent something appropriately democratic. The Palestinian people of the West Bank village of Bil’in do not live in a democracy of even a liberal kind. Rather they are ruled through military law by a state that denies them the suffrage and citizenship that it gives to Israeli citizens living within the Green Line and to Jewish settlers within the West Bank itself
Ever since the Salman Rushdie affair ive held to the principle i will not read anything i did not intend to read just because it gets publicity from manufactured contrived happenings.From what little ive heard from those who felt obliged to read the ersatz weak in fact , flimsy in circumstance drivel have certainly concurred with my judgement.
Howard Jacobson , journeyman author and mawkish , dressed up as funny , column writer was pretty scaving of "corporate" awards such as the Man-Booker as well , until he won it , now , hence the mawk in mawkish , he can see some tantalisingly , cant quite put your finger on it ,integral value in it.It is an authors equivalent of a committed socialist life long champion of trade unions accepting a peerage in the House of Lords.Jacobson likes to , glibly ( his defence shield and substance and artistic integrity), compare himself as the Jewish Jane Austin , though he would be more accurate in comparing himself as the literary John Prescott.
What what its worth below is a video of what the prize winning Book , The Finkler Question.
It does seem the dumbing down factor in attention spans is coming into play , less than four months from the awarding of the prize , and the obligatory free inches of column space only the spin-doctors of the publishing corporate powerhouses could generate , it seems the novelty is waring off.I purchased a ticket for myself a couple of days before the event , advertised by massive poster campaign in the shop which was hard to miss , and noticed a large thick as a fist batch of tickets unsold.My wife desired to go , so i went the next day thinking the tickets would be whittled down to at least a one finger thickness,but no , not one ticket had been sold from the last one a bought the day before , even though author events in the same week had SOLD OUT displays all around.
Alas the event itself had a pitiful turnout , having heard Howard Jacobson i was less desirous of reading the Book than i was before , as was my Wife.He did make a decent point about the drop in standards in teaching literature in the Universities , citing the lecturers themselves are incapable of reading challenging Books , yet alone encourage their pupils to do so.According to Jacobson the rot started when the concept of relevance was brought into the educational system , this meant Books in the curriculum had to be "easily" readable for the kids , which in turn meant any Book deemed as challenging was replaced by ones which had a likeability factor.And now we are reduced to lectures as well as pupils who determine from page one if they "like" a Book and if not leave it and go onto the next one , "like" in this instance being a euphemism for a Book challenging the reader to confront a Book which compels them to think for themselves how to counter the views in a Book with their own well argued concepts which can stand of the scrutiny of societies top down ideals.
As for Jacobsons political views , there is not much to add to the observations of Belinksy over a 150 years ago.They can be summed but as an ill-fitting pastiche of weak intellectual oxymoron's and philosophical non-sequitors masquerading as informed opinion.All in all a very juvenile effort from someone pitifully lightweight in matters of perspicacity if you are being kind or mendacious malfeasance if you want to attribute logic and a thought out motivation to his stance.I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt , though from the attendance and the piles and piles of his latest offering lying about as if waiting for a black bin bag to take them on their final journey i wonder if Glasgow has not sussed him out ahead of the pack.
In a brilliant and piercing lecture entitled "The Legacy Issue: Putting the wrongs of the Northern Ireland conflict to rights" Eamonn McCann traced the way a local campaign against injustice and inequality in Derry sparked a more generalised revolt against the State and led on to 30 years of Trouble. He assessed the extent to which the events which detonated the Troubles can be seen as part of the global upsurge of ‘60s radicalism and whether, if at all, the subsequent course of the Northern Ireland conflict fitted into any wider pattern. Was “the struggle” always a matter of communal rivalry and hostilities? If the Good Friday Agreement is now seen as the answer, what was the question?
Eamonn McCann came to prominence during the civil rights campaigns and marches in Derry during the late sixties.The campaign coincided with the international struggles for civilian rights in the US and mainland Europe.
It is an ironic contention the struggle for the rights of the citizens of Derry were not attained by the actions of Westminster ( where the strong block , sometimes amounting to the balance of Power , of the Ulster Unionists) prompted the failure to deliver equal rights for the minority Catholic community of Northern Ireland , but rather was achieved from the directives and equal opportunity legislative processes emanating from the EU based in Brussels and Strasbourg.A valid case can also be made crediting the EU in diffusing as well as militating the militant posture of central to regional government conflicts in the Basque to to some extent the Catalan as well as points of potential conflict in Italy.In all these cases the elected civilian governments were so composed as to be unable to deliver these rights whilst maintaining a cohesive central stability , the process could only have been done by a supra-national entity like the Common Market.
According to Eamonn McCann all this led to the Good Friday Agreement , a name that does not feature in the document , but has been given this label so there is an almost sacred element to the process.
McCanns objection to the agreement is it is based on the same model the french devised for Lebanon , and we all know how that turned out.The question to ask is , why should a classic divide and rule model designed to foster incohesion to make Lebanon ever dependent on foreign external interference from parties which have everything to gain from internal instability, tension and conflict to seen or presented as a model to bring permanent peace to Northern Ireland.Answering that question will go a long way to explain just what the old waring sectarian parties , the Uk and the US have to gain from the process.
The ground reality, as Eamonn Mccann sees it , is the most sectarian parties are the biggest gainers in the process , leaving the centreground and the parties that ought to command a bi-partisan non-sectarian constituency high and dry , this is due to a manufactured and fostered separation of both communities into devolved sectarian pre-labelled blocks , leaving no ground and thus void from recognition those that wish to transcend sectarian labels and create a large middle ground based on shared economic and social welfare issues which straddle both divides.This artificial delineation of communities with no middle-linking ground heightens the fear of both communities which in turn vote for the most sectarian elements to square upto the most sectarian elements being voted for by the other community , this in turn feeds an already negative cycle.The fear of both communities continues to heighten, rather than dissipate , as encouraged by the agreement, who in turn vote for hardline politicians who will counter-balance the hardliners of the other community.This means sectarian tensions are more , not less , pronounced.Whilst even in the 70s there were large swathes and urban estates which had Catholic and Protestant families living interspersed with each other , now , the demarcation is a fait accompli with a clear separation with no meeting points.Looking by this light the remarkable images of McGuinness and Paisley ( Sn. and Jnr.) sitting at the same Cabinet Table can be seen as a negative result of polar interests representing entrenched views rather than the superficial surface impression one may get of former enemies in a harmonious coming together.
Quite rightly , as McCann acknowledges himself, ten years of peace is not a prize to be taken lightly or considered as less than a favourable outcome to the calamity of the troubles.But he does rightly point out with the artificial boom times being over and a long period of economic downturn in the offing the negative points , issues and faultlines of the process may begin to unravel , it is in this context the support from the disaffected , underemployed , Catholic young for the increasingly militant Real IRA should be seen as an expected trend to be urgently addressed and not , as portrayed , an aberration to be casually glossed over.
One disconcerting factor for the community of Derry when the Good Friday Agreement was signed was the absurd nature of the economic peace dividend for the mainly Catholic Community after 30 years of struggle , one of the first factories built ( it was supposed to create some 150 jobs , though only some 30 materialised)was for the arms manufacturer Rayatheon , the maker of the very bombs used to destroy civilian buildings and lives in Palestine and Lebanon by US and UK supported Israeli forces.The bombs including the killing of innocent civilians in Qana in 2006.
Eamonn Mccann led a delegation to Southern Lebanon and laid a memorial tribute in Qana on behalf and in solidarity with the people of Derry to the victims of the qana atrocity.Mccann also praised the integrity of US singer Patti Smith who wrote a moving tribute song called , appropriately Qana.
Here is a poignant video featuring Patti Smith singing about Qana:
And here is Eamonn McCann giving a rousing passionate speech about the importance of the Palestinian cause in the struggle for universal justice:
The blurb on the website states the Nurses whose diary entries feature in the Word War 1 drama were sent from Scotland to the Russian ( not the Western) Front as stated in the description:
"1916. Three young women from the Scottish Women’s Hospital are sent to the Russian front to support the war effort. Ailsa is working class and determined to make an impression on her superiors, Millicent is a self-confessed hedonist and Lily is searching for her lost husband. Unprepared for what they witness, each must find a way of coping as they fight to survive an experience that will change them forever..."
This does not seem to be the case in the play itself where they very much feature in the Western Front with English officers and Scottish loafers.This disorientation does take the intrigue factor and culture clash of the story away , from then the play does not quite recover.
The nurses switch from ordinary civilians out for escapism and adventure to completely incurable grade A nuthouse mad in an instant without any graduation of the accumulation of stresses and strains whatsoever thus cutting any dramatic effect out the production instantly and leaving the audience more baffled than pertubedly sympathetic, this is entirely due to the abandoning of the real hook of the play , a story meshed around the diary entries of the three nurses featured , the play rolls along fine until this device is disregarded and the plot is literally lost from there onwards , as well as the audiences sincere attention.The play could have done with more diary entries taking the lead in the narrative throughout the play, especially when the Nurses arrive at the battlefront sectors rather than leaving the diaries when they are still on the ship taking them over , by far the best part of the play , and jettisoning the diary interest for "raw" emotional drama which does not quite work , the main reason being two out of the three nurses are instantly so "mad" as to not have any control of their lost faculties , thus becoming more morbid implausible curiosities than characters with an engaging story to tell.
Certainly a re-visit to this play with more diary entries and less effects could make this excellent idea into a quality production with lasting appeal.
This review from The Guardian is fair , but unsatisfactorily ungenerous in that it does not suggest very slight adjustments which would make the play a long lasting success.
This match had sentimental and nostalgic appeal , the very first match i went to was Bonny Scotland v Spain in 1975.The crowd was 90,000 in the days football allowed drink , copious amounts at that , into games.At half-time there was something as famous as the great "Hampden roar" , the great pissing ceremony , the crowd would go to the large wall at the top of the stand and pish on the wall.This would release a cascade of rich warm steaming liquid flowing down to the bottom of the stand.If you were a skilled veteran you could pish at the top and be back in your seat to see your own pish seeping past your shoes like the river of gold going though the supporting pillars of a bridge.At night the floodlights would turn blue to cut through the fog.This light gave a multi-toned kaleidoscope of rainbow colours to the pish rolling down, thus giving an early science lesson on the diffuse nature of light as well as the properties of gravitational motion of liquid.Strangely , being a wee nipper i remember the lessons of pish and its properties more than the game.What little i remember of the match was the crowd would stand as soon as Scotland got anywhere near 30 yards of the Spanish goal in swathing heaps of animated anticipation.Being small i could not see a thing when that happened ,eventually Scotland scored , all i could do was look at the floodlights and get lost in a passionate reverie of triumphant noise.Spain came back to win 2-1 , thus introducing me to the other aspect of Scottish/Celtic culture - the glorious and brave failure , heroism without the unnecessary inhibitants like success that just increase your responsibilities, which spoil the romance.I remember nothing of the Spanish goals , only one which was given offside - a philosophic lesson which i learned for the first time , that it could always be worse.So that was laws of science , the culture of a national identity and a philosophic lesson , and the humbling aphorism that success is fleeting as well as the value of devoting a life to pish and its many values , not bad for a 90 minute game of football.
This time my Son pestered me to get tickets to see Scotland take on the popular and deservedly highly acclaimed World Champions.Being a good Scottish lad of the 90s reared on La Liga football there was only one team he wanted to see.As the time of the game approached he was somewhat disappointed when the Spanish and Barca genius creative midfielder pulled out of the squad due to injury , worse was to come only days before when Fabregas and Torres were also ruled out , and then a crestfallen Son reported Pedro was also out.The only consolation was we might see Casillas ass , the same view that the infamous Real Madrid Ultras see of him front behind the goal at matches in the Bernabeu.Casillas has also a special attachment to Hampden , this is the ground in which he made his first appearance in what is shaping up to be one of the best careers in World Football.
The game itself was highly entertaining with a typically brave nearly-nearly effort from Scotland.The match seemed to be over in the 55th minute when the World Champions went into a 2-0 lead through the worlds most gifted midfielder Iniesta.The Spanish must have believed they could pass out the game to a comfortable close and the players could then concentrate on domestic challenges in the La Liga.Bonny Scotland had other ideas , they came storming back into the match with 2 goals , the Spanish composure turned into scurrying about in a most unseemly manner of organised panic before they took the lead to a loss of concentration by the Scotland defence.In the end the game , instead of being a glorified training session for the World Champions , had them working up to the last moment to secure the win.It must be a long time since Spain conceded 2 goals in a competitive match.
All in all honour was saved for both teams , Bonny Scotland got there brave heroic romantic win , and Spain got the 3 points.A very Tartan win-win situation.
But Scotland most impressive win was the allegiance of my Son , he started out wanting to see his Spanish La Liga heroes hammer some minnows , he left the ground sad he has witnessed the first time "his" team had lost a match that he attended.But , as a true Scottish lad , it was a defeat to be celebrated and savoured more sweetly than a mere win.And not everyone can claim they have seen Casillas arse with their own eyes.
Iker Casillas Arse , as seen by the Ultra Sur and my Son
Director for Development Planning at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Okaniwa was responsible for Japan's "Water and Sanitation Broad Partnership Initiative" announced in March 2006.Consequently, he was posted at The Embassy of Japan in Jakarta in charge of Japan's aid programme from 2006 till 2008. Dr Dorea was also engaged in activities in Indonesia through a humanitarian water aid programme (with Oxfam GB) when the country was hit by tsunami in 2004 and more recently through his research activities (Bali, 2009).
The good thing about this joint teaming was the potential for conflict of interests from the government to government ( via corporate and IMF filters) resourcing and the experience of NGO operatives on the ground liaising with the target communities.But the whole thing did not really manifest.
Firstly , Japanese Government aid is only 14% in grants , 86% is in the form of loans ( which by their very nature are to be paid back with due interest.).This fascinating article on the two major factors which makes Japan the largest donor of water "aid" in the region of Africa reveals the two prongs of the prime motivations 1) it allows Japanese corporations to enter Africa in areas of development other than military hardware which is denied to Japanese Industry and 2)It is a vehicle for projection of Japanese government "soft" power for Japanese Financial and Banking Houses , ( you will notice that Japanese "aid" has been given over to the private sector).
The conflict of interest is that it is in the interest of the Japanese program is to encourage either large macro-projects which provide its corporations with big contracts or to promote expensive systems of clean water generation which may not be the best cost efficient option for the unique requirements of the recipient communities.The other major disadvantage is the option for the aid receiver to shop around for the most cost-effective generic products on the market can be over-ruled in favour of products made by the corporations which have a major say in the wording ; terms and conditions and ultimate renewal of the aid package.
Ardal is a skilled and accomplished comic offering good clean entertainment all Family Members and ages can enjoy.You get the impression he could easily step-up and get into a political mode with a seamless gearchange.
This review from The Festival Magazine points to the lack of depth in the routine , though making a critical error of believing Ardal could not raise the game if he was playing to a more political audience.The references to a lot of Zaltzman lurking within the surface of the routine is highly accurate , the Zaltman connection was even more obvious in the maternity sketch in which the male protagonist increasing the longevity of labour by pressing the babys head back into the womb.
The irony is the whole performance could be turned into a highly comical satire with great philosophical weight if the end references to the difference in Celtic fairytales of fighting against adversity to the optimistic English ones and Hopeladen American was to be a starting point to the show with an extrapolation of these divergences in the handling of modern challenges making the full body of a theme which challenged the likes of Wagner for many decades.
Based very loosely on a short story by Nobel Prize winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez called "i only came to use the phone" this play written and performed by Leann O'Kasi is part of the cultural and artistic contribution to the Scottish Mental Health Week 2010 Arts and Film Festival going on in many venues across the city.
When we read about people who hear voices inside their heads, it is usually in grim news reports involving severe psychiatric illness. Like many medical complaints, however, ‘auditory hallucinations’ exist across a whole spectrum of intensity. This was a revelation to director Alison Peebles and writer/performer Leann O’Kasi when they came to prepare for Dirty Paradise, a play about a woman trying to escape her voices.
‘You’d think that people who hear voices are all schizophrenic, but they’re not,’ says Peebles. ‘Some people just hear these voices – they sound as if they’re in the room or in the street with you, speaking to you, shouting at you or arguing with each other. There can be a whole conversation going on. It’s just extraordinary to think that people have got that going on in their head.’
The quality and depth of the play could be seen in the faces of individual audience members as they would tense up when a feature of the troubling observations of the character would hit a personal aspect of their private internal struggles and then , like a psychological spotlight,suddenly ease with relief as the spotlight veered away to another person who would go through the same short;sharp; shock turmoil.The lesson to be learned is that Mental Well Being , if not Health is a spectrum , not a demarcation.
Unlike the trend in stories of stress and anguish of Mental Health issues this story finishes in a resolution and uplifting ending , to the relief of the character and a large part of the audience as well.
The first in the lunchtime concert series for this Academic year was from The Millennium Quartet , accomplished alumni of the prestigious Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra from Venezuela.Since 2000 the orchestra has received substantial state funding in a programme to raise a million children from poverty to having a high degree of educational vocations including international class mastery of music.The state provides about 80% funding and early results hold much promise.
In a show of solidarity , and to prove ideas to improve the lot of the less privileged is not a one way process the Quartet are in Scotland to take the Sistema idea and help establish and guide the Venezuelan model in Scotlands educational institutes.It is ironic whereas in Venezuela the programme is state funded , in Scotland it is an independent charitable effort.
We are on a mission to transform lives through music.
Sistema Scotland is a charity set up in the belief that children can gain huge social benefits by playing in a symphony orchestra. We use music making to foster confidence, teamwork, pride and aspiration in the children taking part - and across their wider community.
We take the Sistema name from the orchestra movement established in Venezuela in 1975 by Maestro José Antonio Abreu.
We are very proud to be official partners with the original organisation in Venezuela. We seek to benefit from the South Americans’ expertise, while adapting their methods to suit conditions in Scotland.
Sistema Scotland exists to develop orchestra centres on the ground in Scotland. These are known in the community as Big Noise. The first is in Raploch, Stirling. We have plans for further centres across Scotland.
The first quartet was Mozarts in D minor K421 , as pointed out by a professor many years ago German orchestras play Germanic pieces with a naturalness other orchestras rarely emulate , even after years of trying.It is as if music also has an inbuilt language intonation which can be passable mimicry by others but does not quite hit the mark , even the ones that do get close one will find that it is by hiring the services of a german trained composer.In this way the quartet hit all the right notes but the passion did not materialise.
The second quartet , however,by a splendidly South American fusion of an Argentine composer born of Italian Mother and Catalan Father is played so naturally and with such heartfelt evocative sympathy one could be mistaken for thinking the piece was especially written for them.The piece is Quartet No.1 Op.20 by Alberto Ginastera.
In the UK at any rate there was a disingenuous misleading perception to this documentary about Oliver Stone being a well meaning though politically naive who is put right by a mature Tariq Ali script.In actual script , if you pardon the pun , Oliver Stone is a highly skilled film-maker who knows his constituency and how to stimulate them to just the right degree.The purpose of this film is to present to an American audience ( the starting point for an American and European audience is quite different because of the overt partisanship of the mainstream corporate US media as opposed to the slightly less overt coverage we have in Europe).Understanding these two starting points is important before levelling the lazy charge of lack of political depth to the documentary.Oliver Stone has a task of presenting a Human face and casual playfull side to demonised leaders to the American audience , to show the US viewers these maligned "enemies" are leaders that look and think like the People they represent , in all cases democratically elected.
Oliver explains the underlying reasoning in the interview below:
The documentary succeeds in presenting the shades of Human experience in todays South American leadership from the indigenous leaders of Venezuela and Boliva ; the realist elite in Argentina and the liberation theologists and trade unionist leaders in Ecuador and Paraguay ,and a non-interfering tolerating leader from Brazils trade union and business partnership , a cross section of leaders trying to extricate the region from the Monroe doctrine , but hardly left pin-up boys as is the equally one dimensional perspective of the European Left , a true Bolivarian cross section of genuine mass movement leaders not allied to any constriction brand of exported European thoughts but coming up with regional solution to local concerns.
Check-out this video at the 1m35sec mark about the economic advice Bush gave to Argentinian president Kirchner.
As an excellent companion piece to the documentary itself is this episode of Democracy Now , a four-part piece which acts as a informative,detailed appendix to the documentary itself which shows Oliver Stone , as well as Tariq Ali , looking in-depth into the background issues to the superficial themes of the documentary itself.
What stands out is just how perceptive and sophisticated Oliver Stones understanding is.
One major question is just how established and long lasting this process will be when the US tries to , as it inevitably will , re-strengthen the Monroe Doctrine.The major reason these South American leaders have defied the US is that America has had a decade long commitment of nearly 200,000 troops in far away continents.In the next few years the troops will come back and if you have read the telling observations of Eduardo Galeano on "The Open Veins of South America" are to be relied upon then it normally taken only from 11 months to just under 3 years for normal service to be resumed.
Tickets for a series of gigs for a week were sold out in only 90 minutes.What really appealed to me was all proceeds for the appearances would go to Palestinian charities.
These were preview practice concerts to try out material for his upcoming series tramadol Nights in front of a live studio audience.
Wednesday 15 September Frankie Boyle: Tramadol Nights Warm-ups Doors 17:00 | Show: 18:00 | £10.00 full | £10.00 conc | £10.00 members SORRY SOLD OUT! Frankie Boyle returns to The Stand to warm-up for his up-coming TV show 'Tramadol Nights'. Be the first to see this brand new stand up material! Please note that tickets for this show are only available online, so please don't phone the box office to book. Tickets are strictly limited to 4 per customer - no exceptions. Please note that photographic ID in the name of the person who booked must be presented on the door when collecting tickets. All ticket proceeds go to Palestinian charities. THE STAND HAS A STRICT POLICY AGAINST TICKET TOUTING. Any touted tickets will be cancelled. You have been warned...
Having found about it much later in the evening they went on sale and receiving a series of SOLD OUT messages i philosophical reserved myself to not being fated to attend such a neat way to give the Palestinians money.
On the day of the first performance a friend of mines managed to get a precious returned ticket.On the very off chance i asked him if the Stand could offer a carer ticket so that he can have assistance to get into the venue.The Stand rightly said no-chance , only to phone my Friend an hour later to not only offer a ticket but a free one to boot.
Unlike Theatre and Musical concerts it is never a good idea to sit at the very front for a comedian performance , unless you enjoy being humiliated in public, to do so for Frankie Boyle is really asking for it , and he never fails to deliver.
I have to admit im not really a fan of his deeply offensive humour , but he does give the impression he could change tack and be equally effective at other modes of comedy with a simple gear change.Anyone who is willing to stick up for , and support the Palestinians is much to be admired.
Here is an example of him doing self-depreciating Scottish jokes:
And here is him in his element with a flurry of offensive jokes:
This all time great film is commonly compared to the Western film it inspired "The Magnificent Seven".Though there are two aspects which give the original more meaning and depth.Firstly is the richly detailed characterisation of all the individual members of the samurai , with special emphasise on the code of honour and the passing of the traditional chivalry into an uncertain age of less certain and stable values systems.In transitional Japan of the 1950s this would be a vital and current valid study of rapidity of change , its desirability and where would it lead.
The other is the presence of guns , the samurai have to take on the bandits with sword and guile whilst the other party have guns at their disposal.
Here is an excellent video review of the drama and central theme of the film:
Kurosawa had more influences than just The Magnificent Seven , he also inspired the Fistful of Dollars series and was , ultimately uncredited , light in the Japanese segments of the ground breaking film Tora!Tora!Tora!.
The video below gives an indication of the vast Influences and Inspirations Kurosawa gained from Western Literature and Arts as well as his own contributions to Western Films and genres we now take for granted:
Veteran Comedian Ivor Dembina has been presenting a revised version of his own remarkable solo show about the conflict entitled ‘This is Not a Subject for Comedy’.I first saw the earlier version of the show way back in 2004 at a benefit fundraiser at the Stand in Glasgow.
In between a busy schedule Ivor organised this sell out benefit for Gaza ( monies going to the DEC joint charities appeal fund) along with Jewish Socialists' Group ,Established for over forty years, the JSG celebrates diversity and campaigns for peace with justice for the Palestinians and supports Israelis working for a future based on equality. It supports the right of all minorities to feel secure wherever they live, and rejects the subordination of diaspora Jewish communities to the demands of the Israeli state and the confinement of Jewish identity to a religious or Zionist straitjacket. , of which he is a member and Jews for Justice for Palestinians , a 1600 strong network of Jews who are British or live in Britain, who oppose Israeli government policies that destroy the livelihoods, human, civil and political rights of the Palestinian people. JfJfP campaigns for an end to the Israeli Occupation and for the Palestinians' right to a state in the territories of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.
The Show was an absolute sell-out , a great credit to Ivors ability to attract influential top rate comedians to give their services and time to this great Humanitarian cause.
This joint Argentinian/Spanish collaboration is based on a Novella by Eduardo Sacheri.
The subtle pacing gives an added depth to the emotional undercurrents of the characters and plot.Like most films dealing with thew age of dictators in Spain and Latin America the past is portrayed in a dreamlike reverie from another universe always just beneath the surface but can only be looked at through a prism , never directly , which occasionally shakes the suppressed pent feelings crying out for resolution.
To highlight just how many layers of barely perceptible deep thought have been put into this project check-out the detailed and careful attention given by director Juan Jose Campanella into the hardly noticeable background music to one of the scenes:
As you can see from the video below the reviewers the World over are , quite literally , raving about this masterpiece , and rightly so.
In this segment of an interview given by Campanella the real crime the Film deals with is the Past , and it is the way each character strives to solve it which has such meaning for the audiences which have loved this film.
An excellent one man Show about Shakespeare called "The Man From Stratford" by Simon Callow ( who was one the performers in the famous waiting For Godot production we saw in Edinburgh).
You can get more details about Callows work and career in this link , especially his unique work on Dickens.I can vouch for every one of the comments in the piece now that ive had the pleasure to see it myself.Not one of them are exaggerated.
The whole experience is less like a play , rather an enthralling entertaining masterclass from a world class scholar-actor to be enjoyed by all ages.
Below is an eloquently told background to this stunningly successful project from Shakespeare scholar Jonathan Bate:
The play brings a deeper understanding of the world of Shakespeares age as well as his personal development through life.
Especially enlightening is the type of education he would have received.It consisted of rote Latin to English ( at the time an undeveloped language) and translating back to Latin , day in day out.Also was instilled the discursive argumentative writing contained in the purist line of Rhetoric as espoused by the Aeneid of Virgil and the Greek and Latin Masters , this consists of bringing out the positive values of both arguments and then presenting the enhanced positive value in the conclusion of your argument rather than the negative of running the other argumentative position down in a negative way , a best and better way of looking at options as opposed to partisan support of an entrenched ideological position.When you look at Shakespeare from this understanding one can sense his style was consistent with demands of his age.
As Jonathan Bate states , one of the feelings you will come away with is the wonderful thing about this show that when you go away from it you will not be scared or imtimidated by Shakespeare as the set texts of todays education and unfamiliarity of language may make appear.
I first saw Andy Zaltzman in 2004 , Celtic had just beaten Barcelona and Shaikh Yassin had just been assassinated , oh and the Madrid Bombings.
A brave man made light and comedy of the situation unlike much of the audience , well two hecklers who , having gone through the rigmarole of buying tickets for a night of comedy suddenly developed a faux mocked outraged drunken offence.Admirable , was that Andy was a signatory of the Jews for Justice for Palestinians and , remember there was a full blown intifada going on at the time, held fundraiser evenings for the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.This was when he was far from "making it" and could have taken a less principled road to success by getting short of the politics and taking the least resistance path to the observational dollar.
Today Andy has "made it" , and has still not forgotten those less fortunate , he will be doing a fundraiser for Gaza later in the month.
The name of his Fringe residency show is 'Andy Zaltzman Swears To Tell The Truth, Half The Truth, And Everything But The Truth.A "thesis" as he describes himself , about the non-truth and lies you hear from politicians and media.
A very funny and accomplished show fulfilling the promise from 6 years back.
Below is an example of his understated dry witty penetrating humour , when addressing some young lawyers:
Imran Khans sacrifice comes from a simple and devastatingly clear premise.The Human Being is concerned with Empathy and Justice.The Animal Kingdom is concerned with Might is Right and Survival of the fittest.
To his credit Imran has put himself up for the crushingly responsible task of taking Pakistan back from the corrupt elites even though he is best placed to take up the luxuries and delights of being at the top crust of the top elites stripping the wealth of the nation to fund a lifestyle only the Royalty of centuries past could enjoy.
Whilst the elites have made Pakistan one of the most corrupt places on Earth , the poorer classes have put Pakistan at the top of the league of individuals who contribute to charity.Imran Khan has a plan to get the later to the top and bring the early promise of first generations Pakistanis , like himself , hope to mould a nation independent and being a role model , like it was to Malaysia and Singapore in the 50s and 60s , as to how a post-colonial society that can forebear the excesses of the ever-dependent Capitalist Powers.
His plan is to make the Judiciary genuinely independent ; the Police accountable to the Judiciary and the Civil Service answerable to the People they purport to serve.
All he needs from the diaspora is lip-service and a small commitment of about £10 per month so his party can build offices in every large institution in Pakistan , even now in all the campuses and educational institutions his party is by far the biggest grouping , out-numbering the pre-established feudal ridden parties.
His plan may seem grand , unattainable but then again , his prediction that Military Ruler Musharraf will be out of office in less than a year had the same incredulous ring about it.
Some , if not all , cynics will say if Zardari ever goes then Nawaz will come into the frame , leaving Imran ever-sidelined , and this was borne out in that more than half of the committee which welcome Imran Khan were also equally ecstatic in laying out the red-carpet to Benazir Bhutto , the Negroponte sponsored page 3 gall , when she rolled into Town.
And did you notice Greens wikipedia entry below ( click on image for full size)
Apparently it only lasted last night for an our , which is 15 minutes longer than Englands campaign
Below is a short history of US Presidents:
1966
2010
But Green has already been signed up for sponsorship:
And Beckham , of course , is in the big league: ( Again click on image for full size)
Its good to see Maradona getting into the spirit of things.
The Spanish Press have been taking the set back against Switzerland in the composed;emotionally-detached;rational reflective manner of that part of the world.
The analysis of the coach who won then Euro 2008 is that the team were too slow and lacked an extra defensive mid-fielder to take the pressure away from the creative midfielders who played most of the tippy-tappy possession football to deep to cause problems.
In the spirit of blaming the ball , a viable excuse is that the slow pace may have been due to the games being played in the afternoon , whilst the next 2 will be in the evening.A lame excuse i know.
They are not happy that the roles of Xavi ( the best play-maker ) is swtiched with Alonso ( ex-Liverpool , need i saw more!) , and advocate a switch which should make all the difference.
The English Press are suggesting Capello gets a retro English classic makeover.
At least hes already got the surname for it
Rooney has got loyal support from the Animal Kingdom , though one comment did astutely suggest he should have completed the sentence by adding "you wanker".
England "Hero" Rooney has bad-mouthed the fans , but after consultation with his corporate attunned agent , though better of it.To me his apology did seem a tad insincere.
This the secret of New Zealands adapting to South Africa conditions:
The Spanish need motivational inspiration and here is the one song to raise Spanish spirits:
The Italians bow out in a whimper , looks like lady Karma caught up with them.
At least the Italians are consistant , they are graceless when they win and graceless when they lose.
And then they poke one in the chest with their jabbing finger as they give a lecture on how well-mannered;cultured and sophisticated they are.
England meet Germany and its time to duly come home.
Good to see Roy Keane giving the realist counter-analysis to the BBC/ITV/Sky band of tell-them-what-they-want-hear saxon-wanabee irishmen.
It gets good at the 1m15sec mark.
One commentator said before the match yesterday he would pick only 2 Germans who could cut it in the English squad.
I cant think of a Single German who could match the standard of the English squad.
We Germans have a hard time keeping possession of the ball like them.
Spain beat Germany , this is how Madrid celebrates:
Below is an earlier video of Spanish commentators during an earlier victory:
The less passionate one on the left is ex-Spanish captain Camacho.
Spain win the World Cup , this is the celebrations from a quiet bit of Malaga:
Del Bosque and Son:
Spain's national soccer team coach Vicente del Bosque (L) is congratulated by his son Alvaro (C) during a meeting with Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero at Madrid's Moncloa Palace, July 12, 2010. Spain stunned the Netherlands to win their first World Cup on Sunday in sensational fashion with a goal in the last minutes of extra time.The Son featured suffers from some form of disability , i think Downs , but had made a vow to join his dad on a victory tour if he came back with the trophy.
THE WORLD CHAMPIONS:
Pique ( 20 sec mark) re-opens wounds that ought to be enshrined in an over-lapping happiness , hopefully the Nation will rise above it.
Green day model themselves as the best live band in the world whose goal is to provide the greatest show the audience has seen.They achieve it quite easily.
The audience was treated to the unique special treat of seeing a full blown Stadium Tour geared for massive arenas like Wembley within the indoor setting of the SECC , they were quite blown away by the experience.
Some say the band are not what they were at the start and have sold out to being a bring all the Family band , these People are usually the ones who failed to get tickets.
Hamzah made the incredibly courageous sacrifice of missing the Spain world cup match to attend only his second concert , the other being Bruce Springsteen.After a debut like that he in for a very disappointing concert career as much else will be downhill.
The first song of the evening was 21st Century Breakdown:
A spectacular show of almost 3 hours also contained great favourites like Boulevard of Broken Dreams:
And the riotous delight Know Your Enemy:
The evening ended on an easy paced acoustic reflective note which gave a poignant end to the show with a version of Time of Your Life:
Being short-changed in not a feeling you get when seeing a Green day Concert.
