"Things are bad"

I like to read about the sea. I have a somewhat ironic attachment to grim stories about shipwrecked sailors having to eat each other and so on, but this is a safe kind of fascination, given the usual situating of these stories in the 19th or earlier centuries. Tragically, people still die horrible deaths at sea. The Guardian carried this grim story the other day:

'After four months at sea, ghost ship with 11 petrified corpses washes up in Barbados'

It tells of some unfortunate Africans who paid money to be transported in a motorised yacht to a possible better life in the Canaries. At some point the yacht was being towed by the people smugglers, but the line was cut with a machete and the would-be migrants left to die over the following weeks. One of them was a Mr Diaw Sounkar Diemi, and he left a note before he died, three words from which head this post.

We are all individuals

I've been quite taken by this Dublin: One City, One Book thing. It is a scheme whereby Dublin City's Public Libraries are trying to get everyone in Dublin (and everyone who visits Dublin) over the next few weeks to read Flann O'Brien's At Swim, Two Birds. There are exams at the end of the process, and anyone who cannot demonstrate that they have read the book will be put in jail.

I have been meaning to read the book for some time, and this is just the excuse I need. I will let you know how I get on.

The Golden Path

People on the Internet have embarked on a laudable course of action. Every evening, when Big Brother is being shown, they are going to turn off their telescreens and learn things.

RTE hates people like me

I was reading in the paper that the people who run RTE Radio have decided to take John Kelly's Mystery Train off the air, and are moving Rattlebag to some graveyard slot. Meanwhile, 5-7 Live is apparently being replaced by some two hour long drive time sports programme.

It was two thousand, four hundred, and twenty one years ago today...

... that some cockharmer chipped the phalluses (phalli? phallodes?) off the Herms of Athens. This is one of HISTORY'S GREATEST UNSOLVED CRIMES.

Thanks to Ammonite for this titbit (not on her blog). And thanks to Myles for the great new word cockharmer.

The Great Debate

Taking Sides: MONTENEGRO v. TURBONEGRO

SEX SLAVE CULT EXPOSED

Inspired by John Norman's creepy GOR novels, a man from Darlington has turned his terraced house into A TRAINING CENTRE FOR (allegedly) WILLING SEX SLAVES.

It was twenty years ago today

So Self-Aid was twenty years ago today! Blimey. But nineteen years before that (not to the day) Sgt Pepper's came out. Self-Aid seems much more contemporary too me, but then it would. I wonder does it seem as far back as the Beatles to my younger readers.

"The funny face expressions will make people laugh and relieve the stress"

I discovered this gem last saturday.

"Down With Paganism! Down With Jazz!"

Download a documentary about the Irish Anti-Jazz Campaign of the 1920s here: http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/

A great source of samples it could be.

Cargo Culte

So last night I went to see CIRCLE play in a gig put on by those delightful Skinny Wolves people. Also on the bill were local improv loons United Bible Studies and Nornie metallers Slomatic.

There were so many scenesters there that we started playing Dublin Scenester Bingo. The guy from Female Hercules' arrival allowed me to cross my card's last box, somewhat interrupting proceedings as I jumped up to shout "HOUSE!". I do wonder, however, if there are people for whom I count as a Dublin scenester. Surely not.

Anyway, CIRCLE rocked. If you are a member of Frank's APA then you will have an opportunity to read about the gig in the near future. Otherwise I'm sure my thoughts will be recycled here at some stage in the future. And if you missed the gig and would like to see CIRCLE, then they are playing on Sunday (the 7th) in Lazybird. I won't be there - I fear I will be too busy ruminating on Honduras and its quest for equitable insertion into the world economy.

It's Been A Bad Year

I've been reading about Honduras. It's all very like popular boardgame Junta.
I feel it is important that I get a game of "Junta" in sooner rather than later. The extensive knowledge I have gained about Latin America from Spy School will surely be to my advantage. I also think it is important that all players ought to dress as shady Latin American military types.

Talking of clothes, I've been wondering what look to go for at ATP this year. Which is reminding me of the great ATP dilemma - what in the name of Christ do you eat while you are there? The food in the restaurants in Camber Sands is vile. I know some people like to cook in their chalets, but that's the path of madness - time spent cooking and washing up is time spent not watching bands. I reckon I will have to swallow my pride and swallow the muckburgers they have on sale. Mmm mmm.

General Pinochet, I presume

In other news, I have fixed the link here to the Carny blog. Maybe things would have turned out better if Pinochet had been a Carny.

Fair fae ye tae Wikipedia!

Wikipedia in Scots.

It's easy to scove, but it does make me wonder whether you will start getting Wikipedia's in Bayerisch and other funny oppressed regional dialects.