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Dusty's version is so special. Almost hauntingly sad. A lovely voice...
Nov. 6th, 2020
Music For The Night People
Nov. 6th, 2020 12:34 amSome late-night grooves -
Johnny "Guitar" Watson - I Want To Ta Ta You Baby
Bootsy's Rubber Band - Vanish In Our Sleep
Betty Everett - Bedroom Eyes
Curtis Mayfield - When Seasons Change
Dennis Edwards - Coolin' Out
ENJOY.
Johnny "Guitar" Watson - I Want To Ta Ta You Baby
Bootsy's Rubber Band - Vanish In Our Sleep
Betty Everett - Bedroom Eyes
Curtis Mayfield - When Seasons Change
Dennis Edwards - Coolin' Out
ENJOY.
More Soulful Grooves For The Night People
Nov. 6th, 2020 12:52 amMusic for all you romantic or sexy lovers -
Sly and the Family Stone - Just Like a Baby
The Isley Brothers - Sensuality
Charles Jackson - Passionate Breezes
Eddie Kendricks - Honey Brown
Meli'sa Morgan - Do Me Baby
ENJOY
Sly and the Family Stone - Just Like a Baby
The Isley Brothers - Sensuality
Charles Jackson - Passionate Breezes
Eddie Kendricks - Honey Brown
Meli'sa Morgan - Do Me Baby
ENJOY
Slavoj Zizek "First as Tragedy, Then as Farce" (Verso)
This tract by Žižek is another solid addition to his continuing work on ideology in contemporary society.
The book attacks contemporary capitalist society from a communist perspective, but not the communism of Marxism-Leninism but a contemporary communist thought rooted in the classics of Kant and Hegel, but strongly influenced by psychoanalysis and phenomenology.
While the book tends to flow with the efficiency of a falling brick, due to Žižek's unique style, the point of the book is clear - the ideology of 'utopia' is no longer isolated to modern conceptions of communism, but in fact, it is a vital part of liberal-democratic capitalism. It starts with a critique of modern political and capitalist rhetoric, then flows into a rather disjointed (but typically Žižek) analysis of everything from Starbucks to classical Marxism. Žižek's proposed response to this "ideology in the age of post-ideology" to continue a call to "get back to work" at establishing a new communist "Idea" for the twenty-first century, one that can escape the failings of twentieth-century experimentation, and one that works in modern-day social relations and structures of labour - a continuation of Badiou's work on a new "communist and socialist hypothesis."
I found the book to be a great read, with tons of compelling points made and would recommend it to anyone who has more than a passing interest in these ideas. At only 157 pages, it is easy enough to finish in a few days, great for a light introduction to the "new school" of modern communist philosophers.
For those who are not familiar with Žižek's work, he draws a lot from the concepts of Jacques Lacan and Alain Badiou, so it would be helpful to at least have a familiar knowledge of their core concepts before jumping into this book.
This tract by Žižek is another solid addition to his continuing work on ideology in contemporary society.
The book attacks contemporary capitalist society from a communist perspective, but not the communism of Marxism-Leninism but a contemporary communist thought rooted in the classics of Kant and Hegel, but strongly influenced by psychoanalysis and phenomenology.
While the book tends to flow with the efficiency of a falling brick, due to Žižek's unique style, the point of the book is clear - the ideology of 'utopia' is no longer isolated to modern conceptions of communism, but in fact, it is a vital part of liberal-democratic capitalism. It starts with a critique of modern political and capitalist rhetoric, then flows into a rather disjointed (but typically Žižek) analysis of everything from Starbucks to classical Marxism. Žižek's proposed response to this "ideology in the age of post-ideology" to continue a call to "get back to work" at establishing a new communist "Idea" for the twenty-first century, one that can escape the failings of twentieth-century experimentation, and one that works in modern-day social relations and structures of labour - a continuation of Badiou's work on a new "communist and socialist hypothesis."
I found the book to be a great read, with tons of compelling points made and would recommend it to anyone who has more than a passing interest in these ideas. At only 157 pages, it is easy enough to finish in a few days, great for a light introduction to the "new school" of modern communist philosophers.
For those who are not familiar with Žižek's work, he draws a lot from the concepts of Jacques Lacan and Alain Badiou, so it would be helpful to at least have a familiar knowledge of their core concepts before jumping into this book.
Book 87 - Margaret Atwood "Stone Mattress"
Nov. 6th, 2020 04:58 pmMargaret Atwood "Stone Mattress: Nine Wicked Tales" (Virago Press)
I enjoyed this collection overall and would recommend it without many reservations.
Stone Mattress starts with a suite of three interconnected stories about a writer, a poet, and the woman who came between them. None of the characters is particularly likable, but Atwood's mischievous sense of humour makes reading about them very entertaining. It's a bit of a theme throughout the collection, that unlikability. Atwood has a spiky tongue when she needs it. She's never mean, though. She's merely observant of human nature and what people are really like under their veneer of civility. And also what their vulnerabilities are beneath their carapace of unlikability.
The theme running through the stories is the difficulty of getting along with other people. More specifically, and as a quote from a review in the Independent newspaper on the cover of the paperback version I read almost says, it's about getting to a certain point in life where there are people in our lives that we'd really rather weren't there, and being prepared to go to the ultimate length for them not to be there any longer. Some of the stories are enigmatic, full of suspense, and you're left not knowing what will happen, but in a wrigglingly delicious way.
My favourite story in the book is the shortest. Lusus Naturae is a funny, bittersweet tale. It didn't need to be longer than its 10 pages. Everything was there. The innocent childhood, the difficult teenage years, the misunderstanding, the inevitable end. I want to quote from it, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it.
It was a nice surprise to re-encounter some old friends from The Robber Bride, in the middle of the collection. I Dream of Zenia with the Bright Red Teeth brings us up to date with Tony, Roz and Charis in one of the milder stories in the book.
The title story had an unusual effect - it had me rooting for someone about to commit a murder. The final tale in the collection was sobering. An almost dystopia, it speaks of the fate that a lot of people are already facing, and took it a step further. That's something else Atwood does well. At each stage of her life, she distils the world she is experiencing to produce the essence of the things that matter. This collection of stories has a second theme of aging. It examines how to age with dignity, and whether it is necessary or right to address past events. And linked to aging is memory, how it fades as we grow older, and we begin the refrain, "It'll come back to me later," and then begin to wonder whether it's something more.
What I like about Margaret Atwood's short stories is that she understands the format. She knows that it's not for throwaway ideas that might or might not be worked into novels. She understands that the reader still needs to feel drawn in by the story, and satisfied by its ending. Not all writers have the skill to craft a truly good short story, but Margaret Atwood does. Whether it's 50 pages or 10, she gives you everything you need to know to make the story real.
I enjoyed this collection overall and would recommend it without many reservations.
Stone Mattress starts with a suite of three interconnected stories about a writer, a poet, and the woman who came between them. None of the characters is particularly likable, but Atwood's mischievous sense of humour makes reading about them very entertaining. It's a bit of a theme throughout the collection, that unlikability. Atwood has a spiky tongue when she needs it. She's never mean, though. She's merely observant of human nature and what people are really like under their veneer of civility. And also what their vulnerabilities are beneath their carapace of unlikability.
The theme running through the stories is the difficulty of getting along with other people. More specifically, and as a quote from a review in the Independent newspaper on the cover of the paperback version I read almost says, it's about getting to a certain point in life where there are people in our lives that we'd really rather weren't there, and being prepared to go to the ultimate length for them not to be there any longer. Some of the stories are enigmatic, full of suspense, and you're left not knowing what will happen, but in a wrigglingly delicious way.
My favourite story in the book is the shortest. Lusus Naturae is a funny, bittersweet tale. It didn't need to be longer than its 10 pages. Everything was there. The innocent childhood, the difficult teenage years, the misunderstanding, the inevitable end. I want to quote from it, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it.
It was a nice surprise to re-encounter some old friends from The Robber Bride, in the middle of the collection. I Dream of Zenia with the Bright Red Teeth brings us up to date with Tony, Roz and Charis in one of the milder stories in the book.
The title story had an unusual effect - it had me rooting for someone about to commit a murder. The final tale in the collection was sobering. An almost dystopia, it speaks of the fate that a lot of people are already facing, and took it a step further. That's something else Atwood does well. At each stage of her life, she distils the world she is experiencing to produce the essence of the things that matter. This collection of stories has a second theme of aging. It examines how to age with dignity, and whether it is necessary or right to address past events. And linked to aging is memory, how it fades as we grow older, and we begin the refrain, "It'll come back to me later," and then begin to wonder whether it's something more.
What I like about Margaret Atwood's short stories is that she understands the format. She knows that it's not for throwaway ideas that might or might not be worked into novels. She understands that the reader still needs to feel drawn in by the story, and satisfied by its ending. Not all writers have the skill to craft a truly good short story, but Margaret Atwood does. Whether it's 50 pages or 10, she gives you everything you need to know to make the story real.
Some facts against the 17-minute rant from the orange-faced plonker.
1/ Mr. Trump has posted more than 70 tweets casting doubt on mail-in voting, referencing voter fraud, or "rigged" elections since April.
But there is no evidence the system is corrupt.
Electoral fraud is very rare in the United States - the rate is less than 0.0009%, according to a 2017 study by the Brennan Center for Justice. There's no evidence to suggest it's been a major issue at this election either.
The president himself has voted by post in the past. He lived outside the state he was registered in, Florida, and requested a postal vote.
This is known as an absentee ballot, which Mr Trump has said he is in favour of because he believes it has better safeguards.
But he has made a distinction with other forms of mail-in voting, such as when states automatically send out ballots to all registered voters.
Oregon and Utah have done so successfully in previous elections.
All forms of postal voting have safeguards - such as authorities checking that ballots have come from a voter's registered address and requiring signatures on envelopes.
Voting by mail is not new - it has been used for many elections!
2/ President Trump has repeatedly criticized plans to expand postal voting, saying - without real evidence - it was open to "tremendous fraud."
He urged Republican voters to turn up on the day, rather than using mail-in ballots.
There's evidence from the vote count that this is what has happened - Democratic voters favoured voting by post and Republicans voted on the day in person.
3/ Trump: "There are now only a few states yet to be decided in the presidential race. The voting apparatus of those states are run in all cases by Democrats."
That's not true "in all cases".
In Georgia, which is yet to be decided, the governor and both houses of the legislature are Republican-controlled.
The secretary of state, who is in charge of the administration of the election, is Brad Raffensperger who is a Republican.
To take another example, Nevada has a Republican secretary of state overseeing its election.
4/ Trump: "They wouldn't allow legally permissible observers."
President Trump is talking about poll watchers. These are people inside polling stations who observe the counting of votes, with the aim of ensuring transparency.
These are allowed in most states, but they have to be registered before election day, usually affiliated with a party or a candidate, although rules vary from state to state.
President Trump has taken issue with a perceived lack of access for Republican observers in certain Democrat-run cities, such as Philadelphia and Detroit.
But poll watchers were allowed to observe the count in both cities.
(Source - BBC/Guardian)
1/ Mr. Trump has posted more than 70 tweets casting doubt on mail-in voting, referencing voter fraud, or "rigged" elections since April.
But there is no evidence the system is corrupt.
Electoral fraud is very rare in the United States - the rate is less than 0.0009%, according to a 2017 study by the Brennan Center for Justice. There's no evidence to suggest it's been a major issue at this election either.
The president himself has voted by post in the past. He lived outside the state he was registered in, Florida, and requested a postal vote.
This is known as an absentee ballot, which Mr Trump has said he is in favour of because he believes it has better safeguards.
But he has made a distinction with other forms of mail-in voting, such as when states automatically send out ballots to all registered voters.
Oregon and Utah have done so successfully in previous elections.
All forms of postal voting have safeguards - such as authorities checking that ballots have come from a voter's registered address and requiring signatures on envelopes.
Voting by mail is not new - it has been used for many elections!
2/ President Trump has repeatedly criticized plans to expand postal voting, saying - without real evidence - it was open to "tremendous fraud."
He urged Republican voters to turn up on the day, rather than using mail-in ballots.
There's evidence from the vote count that this is what has happened - Democratic voters favoured voting by post and Republicans voted on the day in person.
3/ Trump: "There are now only a few states yet to be decided in the presidential race. The voting apparatus of those states are run in all cases by Democrats."
That's not true "in all cases".
In Georgia, which is yet to be decided, the governor and both houses of the legislature are Republican-controlled.
The secretary of state, who is in charge of the administration of the election, is Brad Raffensperger who is a Republican.
To take another example, Nevada has a Republican secretary of state overseeing its election.
4/ Trump: "They wouldn't allow legally permissible observers."
President Trump is talking about poll watchers. These are people inside polling stations who observe the counting of votes, with the aim of ensuring transparency.
These are allowed in most states, but they have to be registered before election day, usually affiliated with a party or a candidate, although rules vary from state to state.
President Trump has taken issue with a perceived lack of access for Republican observers in certain Democrat-run cities, such as Philadelphia and Detroit.
But poll watchers were allowed to observe the count in both cities.
(Source - BBC/Guardian)
Just Because …
Nov. 6th, 2020 06:51 pmIn memory of Geoffrey Palmer, known for his roles in such sitcoms as Butterflies, As Time Goes By, and The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, has died aged 93.
Lessons for the boys - Butterflies
Lionel Gets Down on One Knee! | As Time Goes By
The Rise And Fall Of Reginald Perrin | Jimmy's Secret Army
WARNING
Please note - some of the comedy then may seem offensive now
ENJOY.
Lessons for the boys - Butterflies
Lionel Gets Down on One Knee! | As Time Goes By
The Rise And Fall Of Reginald Perrin | Jimmy's Secret Army
WARNING
Please note - some of the comedy then may seem offensive now
ENJOY.
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