holly black

mind the gap

2012-01-27T12:16:00.000Z

Hans Rosling. Here is his TED lecture. and here is his website. Go listen and play.

never sorry

2012-01-25T21:52:00.001Z

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry TEASER from Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry on Vimeo.

pale and blue sagan

2011-11-30T11:34:00.001Z

by Torrey Meeks

found at Political Remix Video

more occupy

2011-11-27T11:02:00.001Z

For a look at the financial crisis in 2008 in the USA,
watch this.
(shared by @gavinthomson)

Inside Job / Trabalho Interno (2010) Legendado PT from MDDVTM TV12 on Vimeo.

For a look at how many economists feel now about the occupy movement,
watch this.
(shared by @caspertk)

Occupy Economics from Softbox on Vimeo.

ai wei wei

2011-11-25T12:55:00.001Z

I have just finished a great little book: Ai Weiwei Speaks with Hans Ulrich Obrist.

I want to write about it, but there is a milieu of things I could say about Ai weiwei.
Mostly in regards to how the Chinese government have treated this 'dissident' earlier this year. But I will focus on this book as a window into the artist's mind.

This little snippet of weiwei is fascinating. His personality is huge, the way he sees life is fluid and unique and he speaks with stark honesty. Especially in regards to China.

weiwei's sunflower seeds was showing in the turbine hall of the Tate Modern when I started working there earlier this year. It is breathtaking. And the film that accompanies the installation is a beautiful story of how and why this piece came about. In fact, I almost liked it more than the tiny hand painted seeds themselves.

I think the thing that makes weiwei so incredible is the way in which he sees the world. Art is an attitude, a way of thinking, or a way of life. His insights into the impact of the Chinese cultural revolution, his fathers experiences, his relationship with books and architecture and blogging are completely fascinating.

"On the one hand I take art very seriously, but the production has never been so serious, and most of it is an ironic act. But anyhow, you need traces, you need people to be able to locate you, you have a responsibility to say what you have to say and to be wherever you should be. You're part of the misery and you can't make it more or less. You're still part of the whole fascinating condition here."

"And I have one regret: I feel sorry that I can't write well. That's the skill that I value the most. I think that, if I could write well, I'd give up my art for writing. For me, it is the most beautiful and effective way to illustrate my thinking"

Definitely worth a read.

infographical

2011-11-24T10:49:00.001Z

oh hello good looking social media debate. hello indeed.

tumblr

2011-11-24T00:34:00.001Z

Article 27 have a great tumblr.
take a wee look right here.

the human library

2011-11-24T00:05:00.001Z

Last month a couple of friends and myself made a human library.

We were inspired by some discussion groups we had been holding for those on our MA and on our Indigenous Studies course. It was the most incredible experience to hear about some of my friends stories. Stories of difficult childhoods, indigenous struggles, living through war, having children, fighting against corrupt or oppressive regimes. Stories that could have gone untold, and many stories that needed to be shared.
It was an incredible experience for which I am hugely thankful.

So we recruited some books from our group (and a few more from elsewhere), trained them, helped them identify their book titles and contents page and then put them on a shelf for others to browse and select.

It was a great success by all means.
Some books were read 9 times in the 4 hours our library was open, over 50 people attended and all of the books (more or less) were returned in a healthy condition, buzzing from the experience of sharing their stories.

Here is a little video we put together for the event:

Many thanks out to everyone who took part in the event and all of the student groups and individuals that supported us.
Not bad for two weeks notice. not bad at all. Well done team library!

Remember, don't judge a book by its cover... especially if it isn't a book.

dark side of the lens

2011-11-22T11:36:00.001Z

this.
is beautiful.

Hear more about why and how and who made this little piece of magic here at the most excellent
do lectures.

confiscated life

2011-11-06T22:54:00.003Z

Extract by Don Delillo on Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo

What happens to the writer caught in the tide of round-the-clock surveillance, enforced isolation, detention without trial?

Think of a man alone in a room. This is the writer's classic condition, cruelly extended when the state locks the door to the room. Think of the writer in opposition, the man who writes against power, who writes against the coiled mechanism of the state and the entire apparatus of total assimilation.

It's the nature of language to pitch itself against the smothering oneness of the state. Words want to be free. Lui Xiaobo's crime is called "an incitement to subvert state power." This is an administrative term for the exercise of free speech - the very activity, Lui writes, that is the mother of truth.

Writers everywhere tend to feel a natural kinship, country to country, language to language. We write to be true to some urgency of self. We find identity in the lines of poetry we write, in the sentences and paragraphs of our novels and essays. We write to think ourselves into existence.

Sign the petition to free Lui Xiaobo here

bon iver

2011-11-06T22:28:00.000Z

This was my other reason for being in Oslo. Bon Iver magic.
As I said on the night... I want to live inside their music forever.
And that is not an exaggeration.
I heart crescendos.

transit

2011-11-06T21:55:00.003Z

This past weekend I went for a little trip down the entire breadth of this huge country to Oslo. It was my birthday, and my birthday plan entailed two things. The second being the Nobel Peace Center (the first to follow shortly).

The Peace centre is hands-down the best museum I have ever been to. The interactive Nobel peace prize winners room glowed brightly with numerous kindles detailing those awarded, their exploits and the reasons behind their importance. There was an interactive story book, an interactive children's room and the most fantastic interactive time line with quotes, videos, articles, pictures and a room full of enamoured american schoolchildren asking "But Liu Xiaobo is a criminal in China?".

It. was. great.

The first part of the museum was an exhibition of photography works by Espen Rasmussen a Norwegian photographer focusing on the plight of refugees, including a close up portrait of a young refugee living in Norway; Rahman. The pictures were fantastic, the captions honestly interesting and the portrayal of refugees was, for a change, not entirely grim and negative. It gave a slightly positive humanistic dimension to the experience of being a refugee showing a glimpse of family life in amongst the harrowing and shocking majority of the photographs.

Highly recommended.

Oo, there is also a great looking website for the Transit exhibition here.

sheikh jarrah

2011-10-15T15:23:00.001+01:00

"Once you no longer have the luxury of ignorance,
the feeling is that you have to take a stand"

- An Israeli mother who protests in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Jeruslaem, Sheikh Jarrah

If you make sure you do one thing today, you should watch these films. Incredible.

consensus

2011-10-14T20:39:00.002+01:00

So. #occupywallstreet and #occupydc and #occupyseattle and all of the other beautiful, unique and wonderful occupations that are going on out there in the world right now are making my skin tingle. It has spread so thick and so fast all over the United States of America and now Europe (although I recognise that many peoples are amidst their own struggles which far precede this phenomenon) that today, suddenly, I realised that this could be the big eye opener that our world needs.

And then I watched this video on consensus.
And It made my smile so much more bigger.

I have seen a lot of videos and photos and tweets and blogs around these occupations. And just like a lot of other protests and occupations of the past I have seen things that have made me angry. The authoritarian and brutal actions of the police. The manipulation of private enterprises into stereotyping and condemning the people standing up for their rights. The consistent untruths spewed out by the media day by day. But this video made me feel blessed to have a voice and to be able to use it. It made me feel like I am doing the right thing by working in human rights and vying for change each day, however far away it may seem on those dark days that we all have.

Good luck occupiers.

Occupy everything

sound of rum

2011-09-27T22:50:00.000+01:00

banger of a song from kate tempest and the sound of rum

"because when the whole thing shatters it always starts with a little crack"

article 27

2011-09-27T09:29:00.002+01:00

I am now a blogger for the wonderful Article 27.

In Article 27's own words:

Article 27 believes human rights issues and stories are often best told through creative means. We research and write on a variety of finds- old and new- that shed light on human rights issues in a unique way.

We want Article 27 to be a hub of inspiration for human rights activists, artists, technology enthusiasts, and anyone who believes in the power of creativity.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 27:

Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

You can find my first blog on institutionalised racism represented by a collaborative artwork in the United States of America here: The House That Herman Built

You can also find a rather brilliant piece by the lovely Sushi on the french artist JR here: Women are Heroes

And a very touching photo tribute to Troy Davis, who unfortunately was executed amid national and international outcry last week: The execution of Troy Davis

As my friend Dilhayat told me this week:
earth without art is 'eh'...

I definitely concur.

my talented friends

2011-09-21T13:11:00.000+01:00

Please let me show you miss aurelia lange (she has already featured on this blog: here, as the artwork for emily teague's album, and here, as a good luck card for my trip to Sweden to embark upon my current adventure.

Just look at her lovely thoughts and website and blog and enjoy her beauteous imagery. It is just yummy.

I am living her klubb based dream right now by being in the 'filmklubb' of Tromso Kino. She is one of the greatest and I hope you enjoy her talented talents.

All images copyrighted to aurelia lange.

chaplin

2011-09-17T00:34:00.001+01:00

the state of things

2011-09-16T13:45:00.001+01:00

And so the time has come once again for Palestine to demand recognition as a state and to be accepted by the United Nations in her statehood.
Those at the Huffington Post have made this jazzy interactive map to show which states are in favour of/ against/ undecided toward Palestinian statehood.
Find the map here.

It looks like if the EU, France and UK pull through on the side of Palestine, there may be hope. Of course the US' veto power in the UN could always been thrown down on the table all too readily in favour of Israel, as we have seen in the past.
There are some more excellently informative articles of the proposition of a Palestinian state on the Huffington Post website, #palestinianstatehood.

Personally, I really hope it is time for recognition of the Palestinian people after such a long, bitter conflict that is played out day by day, checkpoint by checkpoint, bullet by bullet in an endless desperate struggle for liberation and security. I worry about what the price may be. Whether the Palestinians will have to make irreversible sacrifices in regards to territory, historical narrative and life.

In the words of academic Illan Pappe:
"It could be either painful and violent, if Israel continues to enjoy international immunity and is allowed to finalize by sheer brutal force its mapping of post-Oslo Palestine. Or it could end in a revolutionary and much more peaceful way with the gradual replacement of the old fabrications with solid new truths about peace and reconciliation for Palestine. Or perhaps the first scenario is an unfortunate precondition for the second. Time will tell."

alice walker

2011-09-16T13:16:00.002+01:00

This beautiful post was written by the wonderful Alice Walker, in the wake of the Museum of Children's Art, Oakland, refusing to show the work of Palestinian children. (Following intense pressure from pro Israeli groups)

She writes:
"We can educate and increase the capacity for compassion among our children with this Art. We can make something magical, even of the present disappointing dilemma. We can encourage ourselves, and our children, never to be afraid to feel. No one dies from compassion, is a mantra they might like.
Empathy is a wave that need never be stopped. If our children can catch this wave, from the ocean of tears shed by Palestinian children, they might have a future in a more stable and saner world."

The exhibition is still rejected by the museum, but will be shown outside in the courtyard despite the museums refusal.

enough

2011-09-12T17:44:00.003+01:00

filmklubb

2011-09-07T22:23:00.002+01:00

One of my first choices here in Tromso was to join the Filmklubb.

Tonight I watched 'Days of Heaven' by Terrence Malick.

It was entirely filmed between the hours of dusk and dawn, lending itself to beautiful expansive sunsets and cold sharp mornings. The score was incredible. Highly recommended.

Arctic Circle

2011-09-06T19:27:00.003+01:00

I have just moved to Tromso for my final semester.

I will mainly be looking at cultural and indigenous rights, and trying to focus on my research questions for my dissertation, knitting, secretly reading novels, walking everywhere, joining Tromso filmklubb and learning litt Norsk.

I will be searching the night skies for the aurora borealis and seeing colours like salmon pink and fishscale blue beginnings behind cut out mountains and mirror clear lakes.

This is the only polar bear I have seen thus far. tbc.

not in my country

2011-08-29T22:25:00.003+01:00

I saw this piece in the Guardian many a moon ago. But speaking with a friend regarding comparative immigration issues and policy cross-nationally, it reminded me of this Joe Sacco pull out; Not in My country. The short piece details the significant and overwhelming issues that concern immigrants on the small island of Malta. Read it here.

I am currently half way through Sacco's 'Safe Area Gorazde' which has made me cry about 5 times so far. Such a heartbreaking account of the war in Bosnia and a really personal feel of Sacco's intimacy with the both the places and people that he meets. More so here than in other works.

For more of me on Sacco look here. He has two absolute corkers on the Palestinian situation: Palestine and Footnotes to Gaza. Read them. Now.

uk riots

2011-08-17T12:46:00.002+01:00

if you didn't see the uk riots this month on the streets; in liverpool, in bristol, london, all over.. then you must have been hiding in hole.

big debate in clapham, my temporary home this year. listen to it.

my new favourite book

2011-08-04T18:07:00.003+01:00

I have always had a gentle fascination for books. I love stories, reading them, hearing them, writing them. But the format of a book. the heavy shape, the dry texture, the musty smell of library books... The way that physical books make me feel is quite something else as to the mystery worlds they hold beneath the covers.

Whilst working at the Tate I found this book, which the staff kindly gave to me as my leaving present. It is full of beautiful art crafted out of books. Gestalten's Book Art.

I know this may seem strange, as my friend gt once told me, it is heresy to hurt a book. And as I do have a profound love for books, then I should not condone the tampering of such special objects. But In this book the pages transform into something else. Just as I love to see letters and words taking different shapes and telling different stories to their usual form, some of the works of art in here are completely stunning. They are not destroyed, but transformed.

Here are a couple of mouth waterers:

Alicia Martin

Richard Wentworth

Light

2011-06-14T20:47:00.001+01:00

As If Thighs Were Parentheses
by Saul Williams

What my fame affords me
I will use to spread the light
that is caused by the book
that burns to clean the air
at night.

There are some
that would save
the book and others
that would write.

There are those
who would die
for it and soldiers
who would fight.

I have learned
of this book that burns
that it cannot be helped.

There are words
that will catch aflame
as others tend to melt.

There are phrases
soft turns of speech
that shake flesh to the bone.

There are ways
of our saying things
that shape truth into poems.

Or perhaps
they outline a shape
that is already there

like the face
of my sweet beloved
framed by unruly hair.

And these strands
are just words combined
to comb through with
your eyes.

They are wigs
over mountaintops

-the snow
that draws
the eyes.

They are there
when you see them not.

What man sees
his own heart?

He is drugged
and then put asleep
before he's cut apart.

And procedures
like this only done
when arteries are clogged.

Spills and waste
down the mountainside
with forests cut and logged.

All the trees
now shaped
into books
and building-
blocks designed
will take shape
from the mountainside-

the forest of the mind.

And the mind is an active place
where climate will control
means of growth and the greenery
that springs up from the soul.

And the soul
it is like the soil
-as i am into u.

What begins
as a seed of thought
now manifests as true.

It takes time
for a rock to melt
-to decompose a corpse.

And the soil
is full rich with time
like mountains rich with quartz.

Full of charge.
Full of energy.

Full of nutrients and life
sucked from death
which is overturned
and risen to new heights.

Over time
life repeats itself-
the cycle of the wheel.

And the will
is a driving force
to feed, defend, and kill.

What it kills
takes a different shape
as consciousness transforms.

Laws emerge
to defend new life
and thus new crimes are born.

And what's born
from a spinning wheel
is willed and welled
into shape.

Forms emerge
from the sculptors hand
nuanced by love and hate.

And the hate
is grown out of love
of comfort and control

and is shaped by the overgrowth
of fear/hope decomposed.

We compose
with creators hands
the music of the mind.

We choose words
like piano keys
to ease thought to chime.

And we chime upon everything
and every sound we hear.

We diffuse
all times ticking bombs
to distill hope from fear.

And the hope
that we plant we tend.
We water, trim, and cut.

Like the grape
on its path to wine-
we smash beneath our strut.

And we strike chords with expertise.
We lean into each note.
We give time a new signature.
Small hand on big throat.

All the gun barrels
placed in mouths
all the tongues
fingers
parts

can account
for the silent times
where words
play no part.

Love is art
of the give and take
the build and break
the bends.

It is found in
a simple kiss

the laughing bliss
of friends.

And our friends
and our enemies
are much more
than they seem.

They are tall
booming beams
of light with their own
hopes and dreams.

We form teams-
nationalities-
taking sides
with our own.

We commit
to our fantasies
our prayers
and our poems.

And these poems
how they turn to dust
how they blossom with time.

They are like seeds
the farmer plants
with bare hands
in the mind.

And my mind
feels the brush of wind
takes strangers in
notes signs.

It is coaxed
by the pretty face
Egyptian lace
the kind.

And it broods
in it's silent place.

And stirs
when she calls.

And it prays
for a peaceful space.

And answers to Saul.

But it knows
it knows none of it.

And it blurs
by the feed.

It prefers
all the gentler things
and cyclically bleeds.

And it bleeds
flowing streams of words
through the silence of night.

Softest page
of her inner thigh.

She asks
“What would You write?"

I would write
of a burning book.

How each thought stood alone.
How the words had formed families
sheltered from the unknown.

How the unknown would come again
for the words could not hide
truths and meanings
they held within

when the pen
took no sides.

And the pen
could be fingertips
softest tongue
against flesh
little toes
against calves
and necks
behind ear
with soft breaths.

And the writing
became the walls
and proposed new design

until silence took charge again
and disposed
of the mind.

How she laughed
when I told her that.

How she smiled
and she stirred.

How the room
took a different light.

How the lights
beamed and blurred.

All the lights
of the city gleamed
as if all burned at once.

All the thoughts
gently laid to rest-
the bequest of new Suns.

And the books
that would hold these thoughts
were the Suns that now burned
in small rooms that were
just like this
where we basked
and took turns.

And the spotlights
that shine on me
navigate every touch.

I am moved
to the darkest space
where small stanzas erupt.

And eruptions
they blind and quake
when too close
to the site.

As if thighs
were parentheses
holding silence
in light.

information

2011-04-28T10:51:00.003+01:00

Over the past few months I have been working part time for an online political campaigning organisation. Through this work I have been impressed with how statisitcs can be tranformed into real life tangible information that can be used and manipulated to evidence certain things. Of course this is not new (see freakonomics, wordle and almost 2 years of writing statistical reports for Barnardo's after leaving university), but recently I have been falling in love with how beautiful this information can look.

And then, when at my paid job, I found this book: information is beautiful
Which hit the nail on the head.

It is full of beautiful diagrams and colourful charts of how information can be translated visually. And then I found a whole host of treats on the blog here. Including lots of things to play with.

This diagram is completely lovely: http://www.rhfoundation.org.uk/
(although perhaps the data not entirely interesting on a personal level)

Consequently I found myself sat on the tube reading a leftover guardian environment supplement which was completely full of lots of lovely numbers and visualisations. for more, try the guardian's datastore here.

I heart information.

2011-04-17T00:05:00.004+01:00

I now 'do' twitter. (@hollynoir)
via twitter I found Charlie Brooker.
via Charlie Brooker I found these Adam Curtis treats.
one of the best human beings to have ever made moving images?
I think so.

close up

2011-04-02T11:17:00.002+01:00

I have just stumbled across this little treat on my friend Gavin's blog.

This tool allows you to focus in on Tahrir square during the protests. but really close up. More close up than I can possibly fathom.

its called a gigapan.

If you zoom in and out quickly enough, it will blow your mind.

unloved

2011-03-27T22:30:00.003+01:00

This weekend, in my tired splendour, I spent an hour and half of my time watching the 2009 directoral debut by Samantha Morton, the unloved. Notoriously recognised as one of the only successful and prominent British actresses not to come from a long line of welathy and fortunate artistic-type family, Morton herself spent her childhood in care. A fact which I believe shines through every single shot of the unloved.

The rhythm of the episode is beautifully calculated. It comprises of many long lingering shots- at times far too beautiful in contrast to the sadness behind Lucy's eyes. Its difficult to romanticise abusive childhoods, or growing up in care, but Morton steps on the edges of combining gorgeous visual melancholy with the suffering sadness of the individuls portrayed.

This programme made me feel desperately hopeless as to what will happen next under the coalition government and their spending cuts for those in the most need. Children like those featured in the unloved will be made invisible. I just hope enough children in care get to watch this programme and recognise that if Morton can succeed within a field that she loves, so can they. If anyone deserves it most, it is those children society always manages to sideline, ignore, or push to the bottom of the pile.

jr

2011-03-14T00:16:00.002Z

When I was in Palestine in 2009 I saw some of JR's prints on the wall in Bethlehem.

Only now do i really know what it means.

Watch this:

Then go here:

insideout project

angels in america

2011-03-11T23:52:00.003Z

Months have passed and I keep meaning to share this find, which I encountered at a friends when I was living back in the west country.

Angels in America is an epic film compiled from a tv series, adapted from a broadway play. It is searingly beautiful. It is extremely poigniant and it is fantastically acted with amazing vigour and carelessness and sharpness that only true stage artists can evoke - even on film. It is heartbreaking. It is terrifying. It makes you feel entirely helpless and completely powerful at the same time.
It makes you realise how vulnerable our bodies are, and how powerful our will can be.

The props are awful, the graphics very questionable, but it feels like you are watching a play on the screen, with all the gusto and glory of the theatre.

If you find yourself with 6 hours of spare time, I highly highly reccommend you spend it watching this.

the future of things

2011-03-10T21:03:00.002Z

Over the past week or so I have become a little bit obsessed with watching short films.

This mainly include those by 'futute shorts' a fab little film production peoples that keep sending me little lush little treats in less than ten minute shaped moving images.

Three of my very favourites are as follows:

1. The art of drowning
Not quite as profound as, nor quite as enchanting as the waking life promises. But very simple and funny and beautifully graphic novel esquely animated.

2. The Ganzfeld procedure
Very adorable video to florence and the machine (I was told never to say adorable because it's apparently kind of offensive. but I really think this is lovely in a non-fluffy kitten kind of way)

3. and a new Earth
This is a little treat. so please watch it if you want to feel nice. by wirrow. lovely.

more than a billion

2011-03-05T21:22:00.003Z

I had a fantastic day at 6 Billion ways today.
Full of intelligent, enthusiastic and interested people, I wandered the rooms, looked at the book stands, chatted with the other nice and interested and enthusiastic people, drank my tea and felt quite comfortable amongst my peers and academics and activists with things to say about the complicated world in which we live. I made it to three talks all in all, but tended to scamper off before the q&a's... You may call this childish (due to the lack of concentration skills at 26 years) but I find it almost impossible to sit still for more than an hour without a break, or cup of tea, or a wee.
So I cut short all of the talks i made it to.

Democracy now! Revolt in the Arab world was fascinating on many accounts and my favourite talk of the day. This was mainly due to the impassioned speakers, the description of the Egyptian uprising first hand by Gigi Ibrahim and the presentness of the subject matter (although the history of revolution in Tunisia was really bloody interesting). This talk resonated most profoundly for me as I felt it touched on the transitional reverberations that are rumbling (or being made to rumble by some hard and fast foot stamping) across this small planet.
It was inspiring to see lots of young virile human beings coming together to think and brainstorm and discuss issues of globalisation, human rights, democracy and the future of capitalism (all for free). It felt particularly forward thinking due to the prominent role of activists, activism and the power of the internet for all of these elements. The power of people indeed. If only this discussion could be taken out onto the street into open public spaces where 'ordinary' people have the opportunity to take part and engage... Those 'non-political' people who claim not to give a shit. The time is coming. Politics is seeping out on to the streets. And soon, following the disenchantment and outrage spurned by threats on the forests and NHS, people won't be able to distinguish between being political and giving a shit enough to do something about it.

the girl

2011-02-17T13:44:00.001Z

She picks up her pen and lets it move. The shapes pour out of her mind, into her body and out in a trickle of ink that twists and turns and twists and turns telling stories of beauty and grace and hope and betrayal. She pauses, bringing the pen to her mouth momentarily, breathing in, letting her lungs refuel and her thoughts collect. The pen touches the paper again with such a force the paper prepares itself to tear.
Yet it holds true, soaking up the black liquid, allowing itself to turn its surface into something new, a tattoo of what is yet to come.

She loses herself.
Has it been an hour? A day? A month? How long has she been sat under this spotlight, hunched over her note book, churning out images that pull at her imagination, forcing themselves to take form. She stops and places the pen beside the paper carefully, as if she was nervous of disturbing the drying pictures, heavy with ink. She always pressed too hard when she drew. It is what gave her drawings such intensity I think.

She lets her hand drop to her lap and fumbles about in her back pocket for her tobacco and papers, still focused intently on the images before her. She breaks her gaze to roll a cigarette and rubbing the paper with her stained fingers, brushing her cheek with her hand, leaving a smudge of her creation on her jaw line. Lifting her lighter for her cigarette she catches sight of her hands, pale in the soft surrounding light on the periphery of her desk lamp. She flexes her fingers and holds her hands out, palms down, for an inspection. Flecks of ink spattered across her skin and dark patches shined where she had pressed down on spilled ink that still remained from the previous days work. Her short nails made her hands her own, feminine, light with their touch, still and passive. Insatiable.

She lowers one hand and finds her cigarette with the other. She leans back and smiles, wiping the loose hair from her face, rubbing her eyes, relaxing her smile and letting her head roll to one side. She closes her eyes and sees the images she had just painted dance in front of her.

Her eyes snap back open and she grins quickly, eyes sparkling as she stubs out her cigarette.

There was work to do.

freakonometry

2011-02-17T10:49:00.002Z

I have recently finished reading 'Freakonomics' by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. Which has now also become a documentary film.

It is one of those books I have seen kicking about for a while and I kept thinking that eventually I would get around to picking it up and reading it in a couple of sittings, like Gladwell's the 'Tipping Point' or 'Blink'. And true to my ideas, I found myself in Battersea library with some spare time and a new library card (Which I found painfully exciting... all those free books) and so decided this was the time. A new start at a new university, a new city, a new interest in economics (heightened by our change in government and the stronghold the economy has in determining the realisation of human rights) and so the time had come for this book.

And I have to admit is it extremely interesting- a little bit too neutral at some points, but able to show a side of data collection and analysis which makes me question every statistic that has ever been quoted before me. There are so many barriers and boundaries, so many correlating factors in the universe that attribute to a certain phenomenon, that it is nigh on impossible for a little left-winged student like myself to begin to grasp the ideas encompassed in this book. They did however, make me laugh out loud on the tube, smiling at the very ideas themselves and their blatancy.

It is very USA orientated, and very data heavy (of course) but the two Steve's have a magical way of explaining things without seeming condescending or over complicated, in a natural, lecturer to student kind of dynamic. They ask you to question what you thought you always new, and present you with a new, different way of looking at the links between different things... causality if you will. Which is very relevant in society today. After all, we are spoon fed things to believe in by the ever more conservative main streem media facets every single day. Why not question their angle?

The content you will have to judge for yourself, but the way in which the information is executed is fantastic and readable. The only problem is, I think it has planted a seed of doubt in my already cynical mind as to the nature of data and statistic gathering... so obscure and so dense, I honestly doubt I could see the trees for the woods.

bail ins

2011-02-17T10:42:00.002Z

brilliant social media networking activism with a big grin and angry shout... tbc

promises promises

2011-02-09T14:21:00.002Z

A new channel 4 drama was aired this last weekend entitled 'the promise'.

Now, I have seen absolutely massive posters of this show plastered all over the underground, at every station, on every billboard. The picture shows what at first glance appears to be a favella, or bantustan, but is in fact, two villages divided by a wall. And the wall in question is the Israeli Security Fence, or the apartheid wall, depending on which side of the structure you are sat.

The fruition of this programme is very important I feel. And it ties in directly to the process of dehumanization of conflict we see in society today. The documentaries on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict that have called to me the most have been those which encapture the human side of the conflict (eg. encounterpoint) and yet, address the fact there there are two sides, both trapped in a cycle.
The drama highlights the fact that these are real human beings, that live in a shared space, that affect one another completely in all aspects of their lives. And with this, the element of history is tied to the conflict with the role of British (which many forget and know very little about).

I am extremely interested to see how the programme develops. I felt there was a distinct lack of Palestinians in the first episode, yet I feel it has the capacity to show the extent of dehumanization of Palestinians and Palestinian Israelis. But we shall see.

Watch it here.

and read and interview with the director Peter Kosminsky here.

ice and fire

2011-02-01T12:45:00.001Z

"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination.

Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world."

Eleanor Roosevelt

anti cuts

2010-12-13T22:08:00.002Z

wow. so. I don't really know where to start.

since I have tiptoed off to sweden, the past few months have seen some big big changes in the uk due to decisions made by the new coalition 'condem' government. I have been watching from the sidelines, fingers poised, following the events intently, my fervent stare broken only with shouts of disgust against the government and fist pumps in support of the students, trade unions, and all other manner of human beings taking it to the uk streets to demand their voices be heard above the grinding of the corporate wheel screaming of capitalism, ignorance and the newly appointed tory majority house of lords interests.

I have been powdering my fb page (the all omnipotent fb) with little snippets of what has been going on in the past few weeks.

I would like to share two of my favourites.

I came across this guy via some other non-believer.
Mollitas and I have just watched his take on the 9th december protest, all 41 minutes of it, and discussed how we feel the protests have been represented in the media and how clever this guy is.
He knows his rights. damn yes he knows his rights. and I'm starting to feel that this is the major problem with rights. you have them, I have them, we all have them, but nobody actually realizes or exercises them... why? because the government backs (or kettles if you will, keeping on the protest vibe) the public into a corner, telling them that national security and terrorism and other big scary words are all important and that they (the state) are protecting us (the public) from... from... ?
ourselves? each other? because I really don't know who it is we need to be protected from when it comes to legitimate protests on the streets. we have voices and they should be heard. after all, this is a democracy. this is a democracy. this is a democracy. THIS IS A DEMOCRACY.

...oh i'm sorry i forgot that it doesn't matter how much the people speak up, ultimately if what we want is not hand in hand with free market capitalism, the arms trade and consumerism it doesn't really matter. education? not for you mate. especially not if you haven't got a few thousand quid in your pocket. I'll just reserve this university place for someone who can afford it and wants to study economics or business or something 'useful' like that. I have already been notified on application for my student overdraft that i couldn't get a loan because 'human rights is not a useful or practical masters... its not like medicine, or law is it?' by the kind man with a big smile sitting opposite me at the bank.

okay, cynical rant almost over...

another friend pointed me in the direction of this fantastic writer from the new statesman..
Laurie Penny.
Her take on the situation is fascinating and honest and extremely well written:

"Things fall apart. Something fundamental has changed in the relationship between state and citizen over the past month. Increased police violence will not stop our democracy disintegrating: before it's too late, before more children are brutalised at the heart of what once pretended to be a representative democracy, this government needs to consider its position."

and her 15 best slogans from the student rally are absolutely brilliant:

7. Tiny teenager in a tutu with a megaphone: Marx was right! Marx was right all along!
14. London teenager with a placard: Fuck this, I'm moving to Scotland!
15. Polite hand-drawn slogan by Bath university student: I very much regret voting for the Lib Dems!

good job guys. Keep up the fight.

tribute to emily teague

2010-11-28T11:43:00.000Z

she sat on the steps and looked at the sky. It was still above her as she gently rested her fingertips in the cold strings of her guitar. Her hair hung in front of her eyes as she played, masking her face from the familiar stories she told with each note she sang.

The air was old and soft, and smelt of the city that she had grown up in. The music seemed to spill out of her palms each time she strummed a chord, the sound barely audible and lingering in the warm evening air. Each word spoken held its purpose and read like a poem drifting slowly around her small form nestling in the darkness of the evening.

She never thought when she sang. She just carried the music from her guitar, and let it free into the space around her, as it bounced off the brick walls and iron railings, old cars and rusty bikes crumpled against the neighbouring buildings, making each surface tingle with the new sensation of music.

The street transformed with each song. She sang louder and with more honesty as the guitar seemed to play itself, her movements pushing and pulling the notes until her voice merged with the music and she seemed to disappear into the street scene, as the focus faltered and the music took hold. The sky swam, her words softened and slowly the music created a picture of its own, resting above the harsh forms of the city, colouring them with ideas of love and truth and pain that helped create the rooms behind each door of her street.

The people pushed their ears up against their keyholes, their letterboxes and the cracks in the windowpanes to hear the sound of honesty filling the street in which they lived. The music called to each soul that was lost, confused and yearning for a familiar story to their own. The words filled their eyes and ears and covered their skin with colours they had forgotten existed. Shapes danced in the sky. Light danced on the concrete steps on which the girl sat. People danced behind their curtains, swaying their shoulders, loosening the knots that had tied themselves to the people they had come to believe that they are.

The girl sat on the steps and looked at the sky, her eyes open, her heart full and her notes on their way up to tell the moon a story of their own.

emily teague

2010-11-28T11:09:00.003Z

Last night the folk house in bristol saw the launch of emily teagues new album.

If you do not know about emily teagues music then you are missing out and have not spent enough time in my company, because my life is lived to an emily teague soundtrack. seriously.

As a best friend of, and unabashed fan of, miss emily teague, I have been on a musical journey that has spanned around ten years now by her side. Ten years of hearing new songs moments after they are written... of receiving emails full of words recorded in kitchens in different cities... songs of friendship, of love, of heartbreak, of growing and learning experiences that have shaped this woman into the well rounded and beautiful individual who stood on the stage of the folk house last night and sang out her soul.

I remember her first show, the nerves, the circle of friends around a girl and her guitar in the local pub, the sing a long that ensued afterwards, the bad flyers that were sent out before hand... I remember us visiting the folk house for the first time to see pindrop, daves collective. I remember being blown away by the musicians, the music, the atmosphere, the sincerity and the smiles in the room that night... and it fills my heart with pride to know that now, emily teague is part of this group. she is part of the world that loves, appreciates and nurtures honest open music like her own.

As a musician emily has blossomed into a skilled artiste. she can mould songs into how she is feeling, she is able to draw in other talented musicians and shape songs to make a completely new moment... And she has never lost her soul. As long as she has a guitar and a voice I honestly don't think she will ever be able to.

congratulations em. I am too proud for words.

You can listen to the album here

And you can purchase the album from itunes...

although I personally would not miss out on the fantastic artwork provided by miss aurelia lange

image above copywrited to aurelia lange

rainbow warrior

2010-11-28T11:05:00.003Z

Recently I had a reference to the Greenpeace 'Rainbow Warrior' in one of my human rights textbooks.

so i thought i would have a little look at what happened to the boat.

good old nuclear testing.

apartheid :2

2010-11-20T16:17:00.002Z

pulse (a great little independent media source) brought to my attention a competition to show the comparison between apartheid in South Africa and the apartheid that is happening in the occupied Palestinian territories.

i remember when i was studying my undergraduate degree that there was a lot of contention with using the phrase 'apartheid' when discussing Palestine. critics argue that it is specific to one situation only; the dark period now passed in South Africa's history.

however, some of these short films shown on itisapartheid.tv make this argument very difficult to agree with. the comparisons are stark and many, from freedom of movement to basic civil and political rights, embedded in non/partial citizenship.

take a look at the 10 finalists here and for a look at some of the elements shared between apartheid SA and present day Palestine, take a gander at this excellent short excerpt from the upcoming film 'road map to apartheid' (to be released next year)

there is also a post on the pulse media blog by Robin Yassin-Kassa, detailing how even non-violent resistance is snuffed our by the apartheid like system.
read it here.

a gift

2010-11-18T18:36:00.001Z

please can i have this for christmas?
for me, it looks like a dvd dream come true....

Elephant Engine High Dive Revival Preview from C.R. Saxton on Vimeo.

prayers

2010-11-18T12:30:00.002Z

last night I read a poem in a book, by buddy wakefield.
it was called gospelstitch.

here are the four seattle based poets performing gospelstitch in really bad quality four years ago at a grand slam.

and here are the words that held me most:

our prayers come
from the ground up.

'cause everybody's got voices
and everybody's got some they can't contain
like my need to be redeemed
at any time
in any place.

So you can bring on your boogieman loading his fuss
and gunning his fattening desire
'cause we've got bees on flowers
with honey on hold
for those made of gold
but wrapped in wires
who keep themselves inspired
by the way they feel their spines
screaming, sparkling gods
who gotta live by the way they shine.

we pray until our words run out,

and Yours,

linger

still.

the invisibles

2010-11-17T20:58:00.003Z

the beautiful and altruistic acting treat gael garcia bernal and excellent documentary maker marc silver put together these four short and fantastically shot documentary pieces on the experience of migrants from south and central america through mexico to reach the territory of the united states of america in all its glory.

the four shorts look at the different and hideous challenges that these people face, all in the name of hope for a better future for themselves and their children.

it is heartbreaking and angering to see what these people are willing to go through for a better life, due to being born to a certain nation state, at a certain time, with little or no other option but to risk life, limb and innocence for money.

watch them here on amnesty internationals website
or see the first part below- seaworld

slavoj zizek

2010-11-13T10:37:00.002Z

I have just watched an Al Jazeera show, where zizek is interviewed concerning the question

"are we living in the end times?"

his views on cpaitalism are said to be hugely controversial- but are they?
for me, they seem to be honest and all encompassing, with zizek trying to pull apart each new element of global society that is emerging, how liberal democratic capitalism is changing, and what the future may hold for all of us... what will rise from the ashes?

i think he is inspiring and honest and incredibly interesting.
but you can see for yourself.

go south

2010-11-11T23:18:00.000Z

Mollitas recommended me this documentary on Latin America.
and i'm so glad she did.
mainly because I am shamefully ignorant when it comes to the current political affairs of an entire continent, that seems to be forgotten in British text books and education systems (probably due to not being a former colony, therefore insignificant in a bullish post-colonial imperial manner)

It is fascinating to see a take on how things are changing in latin america, how leadership is developing, politics moulding and ownership being claimed back.

last night i was discussing with a friend who has been living in Kenya the difference between the development of the African and Latin American continents since decolonization...
it was an interesting comparison, but not at all surprising to think of how much the importance of a country's development depends up on the natural resources that can be found with in the territory.

this major factor of natural resources, combined with manipulative media and the power of money (always about the moneymoney) is presented in this documentary in a new light.
very interesting.
thanks oliver stone.

globes

2010-11-01T16:31:00.002Z

capitalist neo-liberal consumerism creates consumers who can consume like no one else imaginable.

tv shows, technology, food, clothes, money, cars, houses, music, kitchen appliances, leisure activities, holidays, sports equipment, concerts, drinks, ideas etc etc...

and this seems to create a problem with me. i like to think of myself as an open minded person. i am politically aware on the large part, i am engaged in current affairs, i have a mix of friends and acquaintances, a fairly diverse mix of interests, i enjoy conversations and people and the sharing of experiences and ideas on a daily basis... and yet i am a consumer. i can consume like no one else. perhaps not entirely in the sense of material goods like trainers and clothes and cars... but in the realm of ideas and ideologies and information. and because i am a consumer (this sounds like an excuse) i do not always retain the information I am given. however shocking it may be.

i think this may be due to my desensitization. and perhaps fear. Every day we are told single stories of places and people.. the poor people of the continent of Africa, their plight, the poverty and the HIV/Aids issue... the poor people of the occupied territories of Palestine, their struggle, the violence and the anger... the poor people of the UK, drug addicts, from broken homes and council estates... and although i am an empathetic person, and i feel sympathetic to these causes it does not make me take to the streets in protest. it does not make me throw a shoe at the president of the united states. it makes me angry and frustrated and write some words and perhaps say some words to some other people in heated exchanges... but because these stories are told to me every day by the worlds media, i become desensitized just like the rest of the masses. Oh, another picture of the devastation by a suicide bomber, another dying child of starvation in the Congo, another stabbing on the streets of my home town, Bristol. It is as though these stories are so ingrained in my life, as i look towards my studies in human rights and interest in globalisation and capitalism (or anti capitalism) i am immersed in a world of injustices and inequalities almost every day of my life. and i become complacent with my awareness. not every photograph reduces me to tears anymore... not every account of oppression and violence makes me grab a pen to write letters to my government... it has become mediated by the constant stream of information and naturalization of these issues into my world.

and although this may not appear as a positive thing... it also makes me aware of changes that are happening, perhaps not only to me, but perhaps to all of my generation... with this information boom i am able to choose independently where i get my information from. the bbc or al jazeera? i understand that media is far from neutral, that some sources are more reliable than others, that some certain journalists i respect far more than others... that sometimes a single photograph can tell more than an entire essay written on the same subject. that now we are able to share information, documentaries, tv shows, statements, songs, at the push of a button. i have found this most recently when being surrounded by friends from all over the world, sharing incredibly diverse and relevant information every single day, and the appreciation that comes with these acts of sharing.

with this vast and continuous dissemination of information every second of our lives we find ourselves open to certain information that may have never passed into our hands, or onto our screens and into our minds.

and this, i think, is a truly wonderful thing.

gold

2010-10-27T15:52:00.003+01:00

So today, instead of starting my next assignment I watched this documentary concerning water:

blue gold

I have been attempting to do research to find a transnational corporation that has been accused of violating human rights. Of course, i was not lacking in options of cases to study. It seems in the ever expanding global situation the people of the world are routinely being pushed to the bottom of the list of state priorities as the big money and natural resource scramble take precedence.

After a few days of initial research i settled on the case of Bechtel water vs the people of Cochabamba Bolivia in 2000. Bechtel bought the water system and hiked the prices up so high some people were forced to spend almost half their monthly income on water alone. I remember hearing about this situation many years ago and completely disbelieving that a corporation could privatize water. Water is an essential human right. It is the cause of life and a necessity to exist. I remember being shocked at the details of the contract between the Bolivian government and Bechtel, stating that the people may not even collect rain water for private use.

I thought i would get some background information via this documentary that was released last year, highlighting some of the conflicts over water that are occurring around the world right now as i write, and the nature of the transnational beast.

The case in Cochabamba appeals to me personally as it shows the power of the pressure of the people. By rising up against the corporation and government policy (and World Bank debt relief policy) the people won. As noted in blue gold, the people were asking who the government troops and police were protecting... the transnational corporation or the governments contractual interests? Because it certainly was not the people of Bolivia.

At the cost of one 17 year old boys life, and the wounding of many others, the people of Bolivia showed that resistance is possible and effective.

print break

2010-10-25T16:50:00.004+01:00

A young and extremely talented young illustrator by the name of verity keniger
(who also happens to be a beautiful and very good friend of mine)
has just sent me some gifts via the wings of the scottish/swedish postal system over the north sea into my gloveless mitts.

in my little package of treats i have:

three beautiful prints
a lion button
and a small pouch of tobacco.

what a dreamy combo.

If you have not heard of this young talent you should check out her website here
and her excellent blog (of which i am an avid fan) here
and get your hands on some prints because i cannot take my eyes of them.

all images copyrighted to miss verity keniger

take take take...

2010-10-22T20:27:00.002+01:00

Today i finally got around to watching this British documentary feature film that was released a few years back:

Taking Liberties

A witty (and at some points borderline cheesy) take on the present and historical attack and mutation of the British citizens liberty and freedom. When acts against individuals that when found separately seem slightly harmless, vaguely benign for the greater good and a bit 'over the top' are placed in one documentary together, in quick succession, it strongly highlights how each change in law and legislation affects the next, and it makes you sit back and think...
shit.
what happened there?

So much has changed since world war 2 and since 9/11 that it seems our very value system is up for manipulation by the government. god forbid the people taking a stand with their 'freedom of speech' and 'right to protest'... For a couple of minutes before the documentary started I thought that we lived in a participatory democracy, the very same ideology the uk are supposedly slowly spreading via free markets and neo-liberalism to the rest of the world... but again, I am reminded that capitalism rules the roost, the economy and interstate relations come before the people, and that politicians are liars.

long live all the Brian Haws in the world who have the balls to say no.

an arm and a leg

2010-10-21T16:55:00.002+01:00

yesterday the government cuts were announced in the uk.
It seemed inevitable with a con-dem government in place that the burden of the problem will fall on those at the bottom of the pile... and voila! don't even pretend to be suprised when in the headlines today the guardian reports an analyst for the Institute for Fiscal Studies stating "Overall families with children seem to be the biggest losers."

i find it incredible that the government will refuse to listen to what the people want, yet when it comes to payouts, they begin with the solidarity talk, the 'we're all in it together' talk.. considering that most top dog MP's have never had a job in their lives (outside of parliament) i cannot imagine they can comprehend what it is to be made redundant in the already shocking climate...

what a suprise.

and further more, the protests happening on the streets of london by those affected by the cuts- amongst them students and the newly unemployed, are not reported in the media. the moment a group of protesters break into a government department there is shock and horror and a little review in the guardian.

the cut will be around £81bn from the state.. including local government, higher education, the welfare state...

reading this article from the children and young people now website makes me despair.

working for human rights on a global scale makes me fully furious that the UK can't get its priorities right... it targets the most vulnerable, protects those at the top and says 'there is no plan B' and expects the people to sit back and drink it up.
which to be honest they probably will do... because even when hundreds of thousands take to the streets to protest (as we saw with the war against Iraq in 2003) we get ignored.

"The UK is still one of the richest countries in the world; we should be ashamed that even one child is living in poverty, let alone almost three million."

- Maggie Jones, chief executive, Children England

grrrrr

this is what democracy looks like

2010-10-13T19:49:00.003+01:00

I was going to write something here about the seattle WTO protests in 1999...

but i think you should just watch this instead...
solidarity in action.

el problema

2010-10-05T23:26:00.002+01:00

the problem

Western Sahara is the last colony in Africa.

In 1975 Spain left the territory without holding the United Nations recommendation of a referendum.

This resulted in an illegal occupation by Morrocco which is still in place.

The Saharawi people are violently oppressed and not allowed to express any national identity, be it songs, flags, public demonstrations... they are not even able to mention the occupation- it is referred to as 'the problem'

hib & kika

2010-10-04T22:24:00.003+01:00

off the map just brought me a big smile and a thought of a girl i know...

" We all have our own borders. On one side is what's easy, what's known, what we've been told is true and have taken for granted; it's comfortable here, it's familiar. But the other side is wider than possibility, it's brilliant with potential, and it looks like our dreams, whatever they are. Maybe for you that means having family or taking up sailing, maybe its poetry in Prague or solitude in Barcelona; maybe it's learning how to be really close to someone. Big or small, they are not the 'dreams' we've had handed to us, goodjob / bighouse / newcar - these are real dreams, real fragile fledgling dreams, which is why they're often so frightening. But they're ours, if we can find them and hold on to them, if we can catapult ourselves across whatever border of fear or doubt or tiredness seems to keep us from them. In the end, the only thing standing between each of us and what we most want, is ourselves. We're our own border guards. And sometimes the crossing is easier than expected..."

sunday blu's

2010-10-03T11:54:00.000+01:00

BIG BANG BIG BOOM - the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

papergirl

2010-10-03T11:20:00.002+01:00

how did i not know about this little gem?
I inadvertently found this collective via a blog of jordan sieler who has written a fantastic little article about community for the papergirl magazine based in berlin.

papergirl has got everything i love in it:
- girls on bikes
- people making art
- giving things out for free

and it all gels together when the girls (and boys) on their bikes give the home made art out for free to people on the streets of the city. genius.

its so simple it rings of choosewhatyouread, another fantastic community project slowy seeping into the bus terminals and train stations of cities around the world...

i cant wait to see if my 2011 london times will bring me some art and bikes and giving of things.

photo from just.ekosystem.org

rights

2010-09-30T09:38:00.002+01:00

Coincidentially I have been writing an assignment this week on a clash of rights... concerning the flotilla attack by Israel back in May that resulted in the death of 9.

Today I was sent the following trailer for a documentary to be released concerning a protest staged in Scotland against the Jerusalem Quartet, a group of Israeli musicians.
At the moment there is a massive campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against the state of Israel, to express non-compliance and non-legitimisation of the blockade on Gaza and treatment of the Palestinian people. This includes a cultural and academic boycott.

The 5 members of the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign protested the Israeli group and were promptly ejected, arrested and set to try for breaching the peace.

However, this was revoked and replaced with a racially motivated charge.

This raises questions as to whether this is admissible in law.
To criticise a nation states actions is not to criticise a race of people.
To use strong words to describe situations as genocidal is not to be racist.
And by exercising a right to express their own belief as to what is occurring in Palestine is not to be anti-semetic.

If this charge is passed in an extreme sense it could mean that you are unable to openly criticise Israel in a public arena.

And I wonder if other nations might jump on the bandwagon?

for nanna anna .1

2010-09-29T19:10:00.005+01:00

The game show blared from the tv set in the front room – a new flat screen high definition model that Uncle Aleksander had bought Anna on her 80th birthday a few years ago. It jutted from the wall beside the fireplace, silver and alien, the latest addition to the menagerie of out of place items paying tribute to each era past in that large house on Belvoir Road.

Klara paused as she softly closed the front door behind her, catching canned applause trickle from the next room. Holding out her hand she steadied herself on the peeling peach dado rails that used to be train tracks for her toys as a child, kicked off her school shoes and shouted hello to her Nana. Klara dropped her bag to the floor where a small, carpeted suitcase had been propped up against the wall. Today she felt more grown up than 16 and the strange mixture of sadness and guilt collected in a lump in her throat and forced her teeth to clench as she placed her keys quietly on the sideboard at the bottom of the stairs.

The game show soldiered on, all white teeth and toupee’s urging on the middle aged women in bright sweaters and clashing lipstick. Anna stared blankly at the screen, watching the blurry pictures appear and fade in front of her cataracts. Today she couldn’t bring herself to shout back to Klara with her usual gusto and instead she muttered to herself, cursing the game show’s winners, the losers, the tv set and her son Aleksander for ever thinking of giving her such a ridiculously pointless thing. She could barely make out a face from the smudges of colour on the screen. Her body was giving up on her. Thank God her memories worked, even if they were only in Polish these days.

Klara swung around the door to the front room where Anna sat, still mumbling.

“Fancy a cup of tea Nan?”

“Yes darling, that would be wonderful” she replied, not moving her gaze from the tv.

Klara paused and watched her Nan for a moment. The old lady sat hunched in the corner of the beige sofa, smartly dressed, short hair combed, cardigan and slacks perfectly pressed, shoes laced. She looked as though she was about to attend an elderly parent’s evening. Or church on a Sunday. Her hands sat limply in her lap, withered like gnarled branches, almost blue to look at.

“Happy birthday Nan”, Klara said.

Anna looked up and smiled as her granddaughter left the room.

copen haven

2010-09-27T12:30:00.002+01:00

I have had a brilliant little mini adventure with mollitas this weekend to copenhagen to meet up with two of my favourite human beings.

amongst lots of walking, beer, laughing, smoking, market shopping and lake sitting we spent some time in christiania on their 39th birthday.

christiania is a freetown haven in the middle of copenhagen city. It is full of all sorts of wonderful people and self built houses and little secret places beside lakes and inside nooks and crannies with none of the forced sheen of perfect society. I had a quick conversation with a danish resident, who was informing me of the beauty of the scilly isles when reached by boat. This was rather lovely and surreal as he told me about the party that was to ensue that night. The food was good, the people friendly, the lakes beautiful, and i generally felt that this was a place where they were trying to being honest with their society... warts and all, it was there, mixed up in between the recycled garbage and hash stalls.

a turbulant history is tied up in violent, theatrical and peaceful struggles for autonomy and independence from Denmark. The squatters and believers in a self ruled community have faced vast political opposition from the day of christianias creation. But I don't really know the ins and outs of the place so i won't pretend to..
i just had a lovely day wandering around the city with my good friends and a bottle of their excellent christiania home brew.

century of selves

2010-09-21T15:38:00.002+01:00

I am sat here trying as hard as possible not to stare out of my window and instead do some reading for my assignment due next week...

so i thought i would write a small note about a series a friend of mine has just reintroduced into my life:

the century of the self

I remember watching this is at university.. it was so compelling i saw some of it sat in the library with headphones on, crammed into one of the small wooden boxes stacked with video players from the early 80's. the headphones even had the little foam removable covers. that made me smile.

It made the rounds through my friends, passed from computer to computer, filling our little creative minds with possibilities of what could have been and how it all has ended up. we finished up a little bit angry, and a little bit more confused about the state of the world.

almost 4 years on, some friends and I sat through the second episode of the series and something clicked with me that I hadn't thought of before. the whole documentary is so condemning of capitalism, of freud, of the individual self.. of democracy.
but in such a charming British way it barely seemed to scuff the edges of dissent.

what is democracy? Can democracy exist without capitalism? Is democracy ultimately the best thing for us? With the current climate of financial meltdown and credit crunch situation hitting the people hard every day, no one seems to notice the message written in the skies above all the broken promises that the governments public relations information (aka propaganda) that is asking for change...
but democracy keeps changing with us, following us with new promises of bright futures and change for the better...
i don't know if the word really has any meaning for me anymore.
maybe its time for a new word that holds a new idea inside?

nanna annas

2010-09-20T23:17:00.004+01:00

conflict

2010-09-07T12:11:00.003+01:00

...and so the conflict begins

One week in to my course and we are focusing on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The UDHR is a framework which acts as an ideal to which all nations should be striving to accept and enforce in their respective countries. There are some fundamental elements of the UDHR which I believe in completely. The right to life, the right to expression, freedom of movement, special measures to safeguard children and so on. However, the link between law and enforcement of these rights is tenuous and obtrusive - intrinsically by some of the rights themselves.

Today i spent some time describing to some of the Swedish students how instances of direct action have been pardoned in a law of court as acts on behalf of human rights in the UK: The right to life being the most obvious, and a protection of this right. The trident three, the decommissioners. I was asked what the point was of having laws against breaking and entering if they are just going to be broken.

I instantly thought to myself that it was obvious. The right to life is imperative and fundamental- the most important as it is the primary factor that enables human rights: to be able to be alive and live a life. But the right to private property is a capitalist notion... yet it is considered a human right in the UDHR. Surely the two are hugely differential in their importance and their application? You cannot compare the two on the same level.
Are laws created in the vein of the current ideology not there to be tested? Or else how does humanity grow?

As George Bernarnos says:

"Civilization exists precisely so that there may be no masses but rather men alert enough never to constitute masses."

How can law which is supposed to be created by 'the people' in a 'democracy' determine their rights? surely such legal positivism is corrupt in favour of the authorities who create and enforce such 'rights'? Rights are conceptual and idealistic, they are borne from humanity.

The UDHR is a westphalian ideal. It is capitalistic in its shape, form, ideology, economical focus, interstate relations, refusal to address weapons of destruction, ignorance of the arms trade, avoidance of the environment. It imposes the idea of what the capitalist half of the world demands for the rest of the world in order to operate. This is how the world works right now. And I am beginning to wonder if the UDHR perpetuates such a situation or whether it is 'trying to make the best of a bad situation', struggling to enforce the rights of the/a minority within an ideological system which systematically disregards their needs? After all it is the shape of the world today, whether we like it or not. Whilst we protest for change there are still people in need living each day to the next, trying to get by. existing.

This conversation was followed by a statement arguing that nations need weapons. they need defenses because of the way the rest of the world acts- to protect themselves. To which I was shocked. I was shocked on two accounts. firstly because I am a hippy by nature. I believe in peace and the use of force and violence against the person is something I disagree with because it scares me how much power is instilled within a country/person when they have the option to remove the right to life... for another human being or for an entire nation or group of people. I, niavely, presumed that the person i was talking with would also be a hippy, believing in peace through non violence. Perhaps they do believe in peace... But through a 'static' violent presence? I don't know.

Secondly I was shocked with myself. I had just raised a question concerning where the International Covenant for Political and Civil Rights has been drawn from. I used the example of Haiti disbanding their army due to a succession of military coups, ultimately leaving them vulnerable to attack. So the needs of the people as individuals diminished the needs of the nation. Yet the nation is active as a protector of the people. Again 'nation' is another concept, one which operates powerfully in the current world order. But I had not considered that I was myself highlighting the importance of military and armed protection to a nation. ooft.

some food for thought.

tbc.

combatants

2010-09-05T12:05:00.003+01:00

This week I stumbled across this group:

combatants for peace

In line with some other inspiring grassroots community orientated reconciliation work happening in the Palestine and Israel, this group is working for a future for Israelis and Palestinians that is free from violence. It began jointly by Israeli's and Palestinian's who were previously active in the violence of the conflict- soldiers, combatants, resistors..

the goals of the group are:

To raise the consciousness in both publics regarding the hopes and suffering of the other side, and to create partners in dialogue.
To educate towards reconciliation and non-violent struggle in both the Israeli and Palestinian societies.
To create political pressure on both Governments to stop the cycle of violence, end the occupation and resume a constructive dialog.

The education is done via an interesting role of narrative- not dissimilar to the narrative of the documentary encounterpoint; based on sharing, empathy, education and awareness. The role of story is something which calls to individuals in a way nothing else is able to. To hear the other side of the story, to hear and experience it yourself is something which cannot be paralleled. I hope they continue their good work in the area...

promotional video is here:

Les 7 doigts de la main

2010-08-31T19:23:00.002+01:00

Earlier this year I was whisked away for my birthday to Edinburgh to see this show by someone who knows me better than most. It was the best gift I have ever had.

The show was breathtaking, raw, fluid, interesting, tense and hilarious.
I cannot express how much I enjoyed being in the theatre that ngiht, watching these people throw themselves around in front of me. it was an absolute treat.

They are doing a new show at Sadlers Wells - Psy. it looks to be a good un.

A wonderful show in a wonderful city with a wonderful person.

Les 7 doigts de la main

MM

2010-08-29T19:28:00.002+01:00

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.

- Margaret Mead, Anthropologist

Heard of her?
No I haven't either.
Apparently she's a big deal in the anthropology world.
I can understand why.

göteborg

2010-08-23T19:49:00.003+01:00

Erasmus Mundus MA Human Rights Practice starts here:

Göteborg, Sweden.

Things i have found out already:

The city is quite small, and quite like a sort of alps-esque version of brooklyn-meets-berlin-meets-amsterdam without the street art...?
There is a massive massive park with penguins, seals, deer and a lake on my doorstep
The Institute of Global Studies- my academic home, is an old seminary with an orchard
The other students on my course are hugely interesting, experienced and from diverse backgrounds
I'm going to have to work Hard. Capital H
I am a very very lucky young person

exciting times.

*good luck holly bear by the talented ms aurelia lange

tempest

2010-08-21T19:42:00.004+01:00

On my last weekend in the UK before leaving for Scandinavian shores i went to boom town fair.

I had an amazing weekend full of dancing, reggae, sunshine, smiles and monkey suits. Good friends, good hugs and wellies. i am a lucky girl indeed.

The Old Theatre venue brought me this treat when i was wandering in to see the lovely people working on the site.

The sound that caught in my ears was this little dream.
little did i know she was one fo the inspiring voices behind Barnardo's the teens speech.

Kate Tempest and the sound of rum. enjoy enjoy.

mumford

2010-07-18T17:16:00.003+01:00

I saw Laura Marling play a few months ago with my beautiful friend Becky P (muchos gracias for the free tick my lover).. and now i have begun to enjoy the sounds of her former band mates, Mumford & Sons.

I feel as though I have let this lot pass my buy in the furore of their first album which did smashingly well...

but in recent days when I have been finding it hard to keep it together, Mumford & Sons have allowed a little bit of uplift to my hours of daylight.

and for this i thank them.

For a video following Mumford & Sons and Miss Marling creating a treat in India with the Rajasthani collective at the Dharohar Project please click here.

For a little treat shaped taster watch this:

no fit state

2010-07-17T16:02:00.002+01:00

One week in June I went to see a performance of Tabu by No fit state...

Having seen a fair bit of circus since becoming mildly obsessed with aerial around a year ago, I can categorically say this was THE best contemporary circus experience I have ever had the pleasure to be immersed in...

Bristol is home to many circus oriented escapades, from circomeda, a circus school and training space that provides evening classes for those interested... to the invisible circus, an absolutely amazing collective of inspirational people playing music, dancing steps and swinging in the sky for our entertainment on a frequent basis.

But No fit state had it all. everything. the story lines were not as funny and all encompassing as the invisible circus, but the all round skills of the performers were astounding. the way that they use the stage, adapt new tools to play with and have a fearlessness that is breathtaking, makes it the ultimate in-the-round experience. Just to be witness to some of the aerial acts performed above the audience i felt as though i was almost in tears. the beauty was absolutely wonderful...

but please, watch the trailer below and enjoy a taster of the magical night I had in Bath last month...

spikey

2010-07-02T23:07:00.004+01:00

A little treat from the spike island open day earlier this summer...

http://www.benrowe.org

if you love wood and things made out of wood that aren't usually.. you will love the bike from E.T this artist is carving in his studio... feels like home.

disbelief

2010-05-31T22:55:00.003+01:00

what this video shows:

has made me send the following email to my local MP Stephen Williams and deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg:

Dear Stephen, Nick,

I am writing to ask you to publicly condemn the actions of Israel this morning against an aid flotilla traveling to Gaza.

As you may know, there are two Bristol residents on board one of the boats that came under the attack, and we are still waiting to hear whether they have been wounded or not.They are Sakir Yildirim from Fishponds and Cliff Hanley from Southville, both members of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign who have been raising funds for the flotilla.

I have read varied reports on the attack from various sources, such as;

Al Jazeera:
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/05/201053113252437484.html

Presstv:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=128431&sectionid=351020202

...and an extremely one sided bbc report:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/10199480.stm

I am writing as a member of both the national Palestinian Solidarity Campaign and also as a Bristol member of the PSC.

I am in complete shock as to how Israel has managed to get away with attacking a group of boats, who are sailing to Gaza as an aid convoy, in solidarity with the Palestinian people, with such ferocity as to result in death and serious injury.

The attack happened at about 4am Monday morning after was stormed by commandos descending from helicopters. The interception reportedly took place in international waters, more than 150km (90 miles) off the coast of Gaza.

Israel believes it is above international law and it is not. The only way they will ever stop acting with such force, determination and brutality against the Palestinian people and those who stand in solidarity with them, is for you, our government, to acknowledge the wrong doing and stand up in opposition. How many more people need to die? Because the list keeps getting longer.

As quoted in the bbc article above:

As the meeting of the UN Security Council got under way in New York, diplomats said the draft text of a resolution called for condemnation of the operation, the immediate release of the impounded ships and for an international inquiry.

Please ensure that this is the case, as I have a fear that this will be pushed to the bottom of the pile, just like the Goldstone Report of the attack on Gaza. (2008/2009)

for more information:
http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/692519

In hope,

Holly Black

m.i.a

2010-05-02T15:44:00.002+01:00

i rate M.I.A

we completely destroyed her album 'kala' at our last house on banner road.

shes one of those rare people who likes to get all up front and controversial with her songs, representing a side of music i usually affiliate with punk or hardcore; politics.

an alternative to all those 'ass ass tittie tittie' songs (in her own words) that popular music is often seemingly concerned with, m.i.a looks to empower those among us who don't usually get representation in music- first generation immigrants with something to say about the state of the world.

...and then a friend pointed me in the direction of this interview of M.I.A with Spike Jonze. (thanks owen) two very excellent people talking about the simple things that make m.i.a tick.

watch and enjoy

be happy

2010-04-29T15:37:00.000+01:00

cowboys

2010-04-27T22:12:00.002+01:00

When in Palestine we met a wonderful man called Hamed.
Hamed knew a group of wonderful people from Bristol, my home town.
These people are called the 'easton cowboys and girls'

I have stumbled across various members of the group at events and talks around the city and think they are all rather lovely people. The thing that binds them together is sport. and a political conscience.

to find out more about the easton cowboys visit their home page:
easton cowboys and girls

and here is a really bloody good short video about their 2007 tour to the West Bank, Palestine: http://oh-ay.org/vid/HomeGoal.mp4

and my favourite bit of the website is the Q&A section:

Why Do We Do It?

The point about all this is to realise your dreams. The Cowboys will listen to any idea, however ludicrous it sounds – so don’t be afraid to voice your opinion and try to convince other Cowboys that it should be done. If the Cowboys have a rule it is, if we say we’re going to do something, we do it. We only have a short life, so let’s make the most of it.

prisoners

2010-04-27T08:10:00.002+01:00

http://bristolabc.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/poster2.jpg

wordle

2010-04-14T23:58:00.001+01:00

This is what my dissertation looks like in a wordle.
interesting times. try it out here.

in the most simplest of ways it says so much...

Israel is bigger than Palestine
People are smaller than territory
and nation, identity and ideology are all fighting to be bigger than each other...

i just wish understanding wasn't so small in this picture.

no way through

2010-04-14T12:31:00.003+01:00

A tiny, 7 minute look at what it is to be palestinian, living in the west bank, today.

It is insane to consider having the same restrictions and implications of our actions on the streets in the UK. Bringing to the forefront the huge abuses of human rights that are interwoven into legal practicialities of every day living for inferioir citizens of an occupied territory of Israel major.

Beautifully shot with a simple message. Don't let the people of Palestine suffer in silence.

what if it were you?

t e a

2010-04-07T19:17:00.004+01:00

if you know me well you will be aware i am partial to a nice cup of tea.

this mild obsession has become concrete over the years. my return from China resulted in me taking a green tea every morning before work or university. my return from palestine meant black tea with ample sugars. my new favourite which i cannot get enough of is lady grey (closely followed by orange roibos)

my top 3 tea experiences

- being sat in the oldest tea room in shang hai with one of the best friends you could want for. sipping flowering tea with a side of quails eggs looking over a lake in a park. the quals eggs werent up to much, but the tea was incredible and the experience a delicate magic.

- tea society; a little treat me and my first flatmates alice and bex created at university. it was once a week, or fortnight, or month and was an excuse for all tea drinkers to bring a tea of choice, gather in our kitchen and talk about the world. preferably with biscuits and cakes. even if only one person turned up, it was worth the kettle boiling.

- a good friend come over to my house in brighton with a loose leaf bag of tea and a small spherical strainer. he knew i was sick and wanted to help, and so did it in the best form possible. tea time. what a gem.

- tea and hot cross buns. anywhere. any time.

oranges

2010-04-06T23:40:00.000+01:00

robin hood tax

2010-04-03T21:08:00.003+01:00

The robin hood tax has been a massive hit in the facebook world.

in fact- its been a massive hit all over, with people like oxfam and my dad endorsing it.

this is the first video that was released which explains the long and short of the idea very simply and sharply through use of the wonderful bill nighy (big fan)

the second video of robin hoodies is an applaudable follow up. featuring that hot guy from kidulthood / adulthood it shows what difference the tax could actually make to banks.

watch banker 2 here

I'm here

2010-04-03T20:57:00.002+01:00

my friend Wanda sent me a link to this new spike jonze short which is completely enchanting.

for a start, i bloody love spike and his tweaked take on the little planet we live on... and thoroughly rated the GIRL skateboard film he made- yeah right, alongside absolute classics such as Adaptation and Being John Malkovich.

Expect a similar feeing of bleak america, combined with some serious sentimental storyline.

in the words i seem to use far too much these days: it's lush.

check it up:

I'M HERE - A LOVE STORY IN AN ABSOLUT WORLD

lui bolin

2010-02-25T18:46:00.002Z

just look at lui bolin's work

just look at it

amazing

every little hurts

2010-02-22T13:03:00.003Z

say no tesco in stokes croft

sign the petition

wonderclub

2010-02-22T13:02:00.002Z

Last week I went to see an interactive play at the wonderclub in stokes croft.
It was a lovely night, full of brilliant set designs, dramatic lighting and some top notch acting skills.

The play went by the name of 'the lamentable tragedy'
"an extraordinary site specific performance. We make exciting interactive promenade theatre, bringing to life installation art from some of Bristol's leading artists we merge theatre, music and performance art tied together by a narrative that allows you, the audience to find, play with and gossip about."

this kind of unique experience is something i love to get my teeth into ever since i saw a version of Edgar Allen Poe's 'masque of the red death' at the battersea arts centre a couple of years ago. This play was perhaps the most amazing theatre experience i have ever had. The atmosphere was electric- with every member of the audience wearing a plain white grotesque mask, and after a visit to the tailors, a black velvet cloak to match. The music was intense and constantly building making you chase each character around the set, through wardrobes, out of fire places, visiting each room more than once and finding it changed, the action having moved on to another space. It was fantastic.

in close competition was fuerzabruta an intense piece of interactive theatre at the round house in london. The audience spent the entire night watching around them and above them as characters emerged form within us and stages moved around the space. this was accentuated by a constantly running man on a conveyor belt in the centre of the room, coupled with foil walls dropping down around us and people rushing sideways, swooshing and banging against the wall. The water was something i never expected. but it made the night unforgettable.
watch this video on the website to get an idea of the intense experience.

well done wonderclub for such a good show last week.

pictures: fuezabruta and masque of the red death.

diva done

2010-02-11T21:29:00.002Z

a prophet

2010-02-10T00:04:00.001Z

amazing.
go and see this.
a prophet

storytime

2010-02-07T19:09:00.004Z

the story of the beast.

the beast came into our lives four years ago when jungen and gregor traveled to the forest to find something to carry us to our dream destinations... They searched for many days, and many times they feared they would fail their appointed task and return to the coombe with heavy hearts and empty hands.

Then one day, they went to an olde hamlet near the dean, that goes by the name of glowscester. Here they found, nestled amongst the trees, a yard, owned by the kindest, most friendliest forest dwellers they did ever come upon. the dwellers took a shine to the two travelers, took stock of their tasks and offered them a creature so vast, it was perhaps the only vehicle possible that could carry so many heady souls to pastures green and new.

jungen and gregor followed the happy foresters to a small pen out of the back of the ramshackle old yard house, and there they saw it.... the beast.

Immediately the two city rouges took stock of the thing, checked it over, touched its cold clammy sides and decided that yes. the beast was exactly what the coombe needed, not only for this journey, but also for the other deeds that may come in the following years. They understood she was reaching an older age and she had had difficulties at times, but they offered something the beast had never dreamed of in her old age- love, purpose and a family to look after her.

the beast came to be loved by the two young travelers and all that rested upon her belly with an open heart and tired toes. She ferryed them over seas, through sand, rain, snow, sleet and sparkling sunsets that seemed as though they would never end. She took a new life of her own, deciding when she liked a place or hastened her pace to move on to find a new spot to explore, snug and safe in the knowledge that when the time did come... she would be transported to an open meadow near the place of thorns and rocks where the men stood wide with arms bred for lifting weight high.

but of all her dreams, she realised she could not give back enough money nor silver to the beauty of unconditional love she felt for those who had released her from her graveyard of doom and returned her to the magic touch of the road.

Ne'er a beast did ever turn a heart so full of stone to golden dust as the best beast of all.

wake up

2010-02-07T15:01:00.002Z

Now i am aware that this film is a love or hate situation.

but Linklater's 'Waking Life' made me feel differently about philosophy.
It made me realise it is something very relevant and real and applicable to our every day selves bumbling along in our moments joined up by the beautiful and boring and mundane.

The intensity of the conversations held within this film blew me away. of course i understand that the content can be seen as pretentious and over the top... bringing too much together too fast... kind of like a montage of different views of what is happening around us right now. but i found myself reaching for a pen and paper to scribble notes and pause for thought when my brain caught up with the wavering images.

It tells the story of a young man lucid dreaming.
He is contastantly having 'false awakenings' believing that he is waking up, but ultimately he just keeps waking up into another dream throughout the whole film.

road in It captured so entirely the idea of the 'the human spirit refusing to submit' for me that a friend and i coined the term for our own lives. now we have 'waking life' conversations and moments of our own. I remember so vividly a moment of such when sat outside a greasy spoon cafe on lewesbrighton. just me and rhi, our reflections in the window beside us, a cold winter day with hot chocolate and warm apple pie, talking about how incredibly important the people are in our lives who transcend the normal and become spectacular. We caught each others smiles and suddenly a murmeration of starlings silently emerged from behind her head in the bright winter sky and we both watched quietly until they left our sight.

If you haven't seen any other of Linklater's films.. i highly recommend 'slacker' for those who are of the 80's/90's teenage generations. you have got to love the apathy captured so brilliantly in the characters and their bad fashion statements shuffling through the wide streets of america. clerks eat your heart out.
...and if your a raging emo nostaligic romantic like me... you have to take some time to watch 'before sunrise' and 'before sunset'. absolute gems for those dreamers out there.
The couple also feature in waking life as the couple in bed discussing the idea of 'observing your own life from the outside'.

i've just been trawling through clips to out up here from waking life and its reeeally difficult to chose one. but i think this will do for now. the simplest can be the most effective.
enjoy.

girlishness

2010-02-04T22:39:00.002Z

I physically wanted to stand up in my room, on my bed and applaud this woman at the end of this talk that i have just had the pleasure of watching.

If you have ever seen the stage show of; read the script of; or seen a film adaptation of;
the vagina monologues,
i doubt if you could disagree with me...

Two christmas's ago, I went to see the Vagina Monologues with some good friends of mine. We settled down in a cold, beautifully decked out church-come-theatre in st.pauls, Bristol. And i listened to a series of monologues from varied women talking about their lives and relationships, and most importantly- their vagina's.
Eve Ensler interviewed over 200 women about their experiences with sexuality and the results are wide and varied. I have never thought I would take so much pleasure in watching a girl scream her orgasms repeatedly on stage- each like a snowflake; different from the next. As a woman, (and i am sure also for many men) i found the experience indescribably uplifting... with each testimonial being so incredibly personal and unique, perhaps slow at first for some... but each so interesting and well performed it was difficult not to be moved to tears through both laughter and sadness.

when the audience was asked,
"who in this room has been a victim of/
has a family member who has been victim to/
a friend who has been victim to:
domestic violence...
please stand".

Suffice to say there were empty seats galore.

Eve Ensler is an important woman.
From just one viewing of her talk i feel completely empowered.
Which is a shadow of the spring in my strut following my night at the theatre two years ago...

watch this and see for yourself.

secrets

2010-01-30T16:52:00.002Z

last night i had treat of the best variety.

it included smoking rooms, gin and tonic, 4 course vegan food and lots of happy smiling faces.

It may sounds like i had a fantastic night at a fabulous top notch yuppie eaterie.
well in many ways i did- except minus the 'yuppie' and including a 'squat'.

cloak and dinner put on a completely astounding night in the style of a renegade restaurant.

a location was sought, picked, people were moved in, kitchen prepared, food collected from whereever possible, chairs borrowed, curtains draped, candles lit and to top it all off a host of the most excellent on floor waiting service i have ever experienced.

i want to give them the respect and congratulations this little crew of creatives deserves by saying a great big thank you.

i wallowed in superior treatment and the decadence of the whole night.. followed by cigarettes, gin and tonic and dancing in candlelight.

the lovely people in their own words:

"We are a Bristol-based collective of amateur and professional chefs, waiter/esses, bartenders, artists, actors and creatives, inspired by food and disappointed by the pretense and price-tag necessary for a great eating-out experience in Bristol."

dressed to impress they did a smashing smashing job. encore encore.

photo 'borrowed'

shifty

2010-01-24T22:45:00.003Z

I am sure many of you have already come across this group of word loving political activists from our very own London town who go by the name of ctrl.alt.shift. They are well on it with the current issues and noble causes, whilst embracing the creativity of all us little people in all their doings and goings on. They produce a quarterly magazine, have a vast array of bloggers heading up the team on all sorts of ecofriendlypoliticalissues which have never even crossed your mind- yet.

the magazine is particularly well put together, well written, and very good looking.

Previous titles include:
Issue 1: The awareness issue
Issue 2: The stigma issue
Issue 3: The gender issue
Issue 4: The corruption issue
and you can download the first 3 here : the magazines

They have an events calendar for art and protests and gigs and dancethenightaways.

And the best thing of all- for all of you fast lane life livers.. there is a page for actions.
Actions that will take you a few seconds / a few minutes / a few hours....
It s all set up, just find some causes you believe in, or cannot believe are happening in the world today, click some buttons, write some words and get your voice heard in amongst the crowds of discontent.

They have made of £10,000 for Haiti victims already.

as an annoying drunk middle aged woman once told me in Thailand- get involved.

panorama

2010-01-20T21:11:00.004Z

If you missed last night's Panorama on BBC 1 watch it here:

Panorama - A walk in the park...

and read about it here:

Staking claim underneath East Jerusalem

It is strange how tv programmes- unless whole heartedly sensationalist, don't seem to highlight the importance and urgency of situations like the Palestinian families documented in this episode of Panorama. There are constant and consistent references to the past; Some of Jerusalem becoming Jewish land 200 years ago; displacement of Palestinians since 1948; settlement building since the 1980's... Yet the quiet rapidity at which the Palestinian houses in East Jerusalem (and with in the occupied territories) are being demolished resulting in generations of Palestinian families becoming evicted from their homes and from the cities in which they have always lived, makes it seem as though the conflict has always been fought in this way. Soldiers coming to houses in the middle of the night, escorted by a further team of armed guards, denying any paperwork as counterfeit.. it is all part of a mechanism of extending the past into the present, and removing the focus from the current phenomenon which is entirely new and fresh and a tool for the Israeli government that is in power today. This is not a battle that has been going on for centuries. It is a demographic plan which has come into fruition faster than the blink of an eye.

In 1901 a group by the name of the Jewish National Fund was formed as a precursor to the establishment of the Israeli state. The JNF were created specifically to put together a vast archive of information of Palestinian land quality and water sources in order to sell it to Jews, create Kibbutz's, and 'stamp out' some of the more hostile areas toward the Jewish people. Even though the Jewish people were given 56% of the land upon which to construct a Jewish state, they proceeded to ignore the Palestinians right to return after being expelled from the land in 1948. Further to this, the 1967 war saw Israel claim an extra 22% of the land; whilst still refusing the right of return to the Palestinians. Demographically Israel was starting to have a massive influence. The Israeli peace group 'peace now' hold a map of the settlements in the west bank which can be seen above, including those surrounding East Jerusalem. It also shows the plans for building a new city around the walls of East Jerusalem.

This area or new city of settlements will be called E-1. for now.
And it will cut Jerusalem off from the rest of Palestine.
Thus negating it as a viable capital for a Palestinian State.

Settlements have been off the international agenda for so long...
Is it not time we took note? whilst there is still some land left?

Arabic

2010-01-18T19:15:00.002Z

The arabic alphabet.
something i am trying to learn at the moment.
Writing each letter is hard enough.. but saying them?

well.

thats a completely new kettle of fish.

sacco

2010-01-17T18:46:00.003Z

Ever since I came across Joe Sacco's 'Palestine', a graphic novel I borrowed from my friend Hannah, I have been in awe of the ability of Sacco to translate in pictures the struggle of Palestine.

I took my time to read the novel, dipping in and out of its pages when I felt I had the time and energy to confront the situation in Palestine. As a medium I find the graphic novel impressive, as it not only has words (and quotes of real life people due to 'Palestines' nature as a documentation of experiences), but it shows faces and families and street scenes, bringing it all to the present because its not only engaging us through text, but also by the intense pictures allowing each page to come to life.

I finished reading Palestine a week before my trip to the West Bank. And I am so glad of this timing, for i can honestly say, hand on heart, that Sacco's representation of Palestine is completely accurate, even today. He argues himself in footnotes that the struggle is timeless, as it has no conclusion, no outcome. It is continuous. The way in which he describes his experience of being a journalist within the daily naturalization of violence and suffering, until you realise every family has a story, every son has a brother in prison, every mother has lost a son or nephew to the struggle, the nature of every story and the changing reaction of the listener is documented so perfectly in Sacco's book. It becomes 'normal' to hear of martyrs and settler attacks and imprisonment without reason.

For Christmas this year I received Sacco's most recent work 'Footnotes from Gaza'. Ironically I also gave this graphic novel as a present to the very same friend... And again, I find myself taking my time to work my way through the chapters, as each page deserves attention to the detailed drawings and experiences being discussed scene by scene.

but read it for yourself.

and if you need more persuasion, here is an article on Al-Jazeera with Sacco himself.

Interview: Joe Sacco by Laila El-Haddad

the teens speech

2010-01-12T08:22:00.002Z

I have been working for barnardo's for almost a year now and still i am impressed by the level at which the projects work for the young people and families involved. They released an amazing set of posters that entailed portraits of difficult young people sneering or glaring, with a statement below commenting on how barnardo's works with the young people that families and societies have given up on. (in many cases)

and this teens speech puts together all of these elements, told by young people, about young people in their own words and voices, just why its so important that we listen to what they have to say

The Teens' Speech from Barnardo's on Vimeo.

robert the: book works

2010-01-07T23:18:00.002Z

lovely books by robert...

Another lovely wordsmith using books and pages and words for magic.

lovely.