war exhaustion

I’m having a difficult time keeping up with the war. It’s difficult to focus on – there is SO much news coverage, but very little news. And you know you’re not really getting the full story either, of course.

Some lists I’m on have cut and pastes from al-jazeera and russian sources (as well as Indymedia etc) which I keep meaning to go back and read (again critically, because they all have agendas to contend with as well) but I never do, because there’s another one along half an hour later.

In a sense, it feels pretty ridiculous posting stuff up here about music when bombs are raining down on Baghdad, but one has to cheer oneself up somehow…

Macs are EVIL

“However, these propagandists aren’t just targeting the young. Take for example Apple Computers, makers of the popular Macintosh line of computers. The real operating system hiding under the newest version of the Macintosh operating system (MacOS X) is called… Darwin! That’s right, new Macs are based on Darwinism! While they currently don’t advertise this fact to consumers, it is well known among the computer elite, who are mostly Atheists and Pagans. Furthermore, the Darwin OS is released under an “Open Source” license, which is just another name for Communism. They try to hide all of this under a facade of shiny, “lickable” buttons, but the truth has finally come out: Apple Computers promote Godless Darwinism and Communism.”

OBJECTIVE: Creation Education: Evolutionism Propaganda\

today I started slogging again

Well, if you thought about going to the UK-Dance party and you missed it, you qualify as a primo SUCKA in my book. Wall to wall quality, mate.

A few hiccups with the sound in the main room meant that me and Paul did our set kind of late and frenzied. We also managed to balls up the mixer so that we couldn’t hear owt in the headphones from the left deck, which meant that my patented “oh just stuff the needle somewhere near the beginning of the record and then whizz the bastard crossfader across” dj-ing technique came in handy.

Some of the stuff we played:

A King Tubby dub track to kick off with that I have forgotten the name of.
Johnny Clarke – Too Much War On the Land
Abyssinians – Declaration of Rights
Frankie Paul – Tu Shung Peng
Some more quality early 80s dancehall from Paul Meme
Pinchers – Bandalero
Reggie Stepper – Drum Pan Sound
Beenie Man & Barrington Levy – Murderer
Jah Screechy – Walk and Skank
Smiley Culture – Police Officer

The rest of the DJs were universally wicked and we made it to 5am with the help of just a few beers and the odd smoke – it was THAT good.

(As an aside, I was slightly embarassed to find that whoever does the listings in the Evening Standard and the Guardian had chosen to list me and Paul rather than some of the other DJs who are much more well known, and, uh, accomplished than us…)

Also really amazing to see that the all those online acquaintances turned out to be fantasticly well-rounded and warm people in real life.

Sunday was interesting, to say the least, but respect to the better half and daughter for understanding.

I now have to deal with the tell-tale ache in my calves which indicates that I have danced like a nutter.

blissblog

I’ve avoided linking to Simon Reynolds’ excellent blissblog. To do that would break one of the ancient uncarved policies, which is “thou shalt not link to places that every other site links to”.

That said, it is well worth checking out. Simon’s paid journalism is always riddled with interesting tangents, ruminations and musings – and the blog is kind of an uber “now that’s what I call tangents” running commentary, which is obviously the whole point.

(Plus it’s interesting to see someone who is a paid journo doing a blog, instead someone who is patently and rather leadenly doing a blog to become one…)

Oh yeah, and he responds to his emails and comes across as an alright sort of bloke (not that I agree with him all the time or anything!)

So anyway, he’s only gone and launched a pre-emptive strike by linking here and to Paul Meme’s (criminally under-resourced) blog.

Which takes us onto another unwritten (until now) uncarved dictum, which is “Verily, if they are cool, and they put people your way, then honour must be restored.”

Mind you, it’s not like his link here actually works, or anything!

CD Pressure!

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Crooklyn Dub Outernational – Escape from New York (1999) – wicked Wordsound avant dub stuff. Difficult to think that they would get away with the New York and terrorist references today. Damn fine stuff.

DJ Scud – Ambush (2003) – twisted! You know the koo, mate!

The Bug – Pressure (2003) – suprisingly varied (yet twisted!) industrial ragga bizness. I expected this to be full on 100% shouty ranting, but actually it’s nice and poetic in places. More on this soon…

Also been trying to choose what to play at the UK-D party tomorrow. A few nervous twinges as well 🙂

Babylon Burning

A handy and humorous guide from the “No War But the Class War” site: Reduction of Fire Hazard In the event of Firefighter Strike or War Against Iraq

“Most people who work in an office will already have a stock of Post-it Notes, envelopes, notepads and Jiffy Bags at home, provided for free and unwittingly by employers. During a firefighters’ strike or war, it is necessary to store as much office stationery at home as possible. Remember: its not just paper that burns. In the heat of an office fire, items such as staplers, hole-punches, telephone handsets and computer equipment can also add fuel to the conflagration. These items too should wherever possible be removed from the office.”