Year: 2003
No Logo by Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein's masterpiece... The journey between Brighton train station and London Victoria is an unremarkable one. I make it on average once every two weeks. For the most part I just read, but sometimes when the boredom overcomes me, I take to looking out the window and trying to spot buildings of interest. I rarely see any. One thing does always strike me though. Three quarters of the way to London, the train stops in East Croydon where passengers have the opportunity to change for various destinations. It is not East Croydon itself that interests me (it looks pretty bland) but rather the large signs that adorn the sides of the platforms. They announce: ?East Croydon. The home of Nestle?. Now, you are probably wondering why this would be of interest. And the truth of the matter is that about two and a half years ago it would not have...
Blather Special! The adventures of Jasper the time travelling cat explained…
So. You wanna know how it works eh? Funny, so do we... A number of you have been mailing to ask how did we manage to fire Jasper the Time travelling cat off into the mists of antiquity. Specifically, you want to know how the Time Machine here at Blather Paranormal Investigations works. And the answer is: just fine thank you. I could spin you a yarn about how we hitched the giant laser tunnel of criss-crossing lights to create a loop in space (a mini black hole if you like), hooked it up to Daev's bike and then pedalled very fast. I could also give you the details of how I pitched Jasper into the tunnel with a catapult, but that would be cruel. However, in the interests of clarity (and also because someone had the unmitigated audacity to suggest the whole thing was a load of crap) we...
Beckham and #23
Why did Becks choose 23? Beckham's #23 dream Press Association Wednesday July 2, 2003 David Beckham admitted the completion of his move to Real Madrid was the realisation of a dream. The England captain was unveiled by the Spanish giants this morning and was given the number 23 shirt by Real legend Alfredo di Stefano. more in The Guardian>> more Why did Becks choose 23? - also from the Guardian. Why did Becks choose 23? Guardian Unlimited staff and agencies Wednesday July 2, 2003 1) NBA legend Michael Jordan - one of Beckham's sporting heroes - wore the No23 while at the Chicago Bulls. 2) In the Qabalistic Tree of Life, the 23rd path is associated with the Hanged Man Tarot Card - a reference to how Beckham was treated by Sir Alex Ferguson, perhaps? 3) In the I Ching Hexagram 23 means "Break Apart". Insert your own Manchester United...
The 23 enigma: Captain Clark welcomes you aboard!
The '23 Enigma', as discovered by William S. Burroughs, presents itself as a good omen for some - disaster for others... Well, we don't have any explanation. We're not into saying, This is why". I don't come to any conclusion. I simply think it's interesting." - Genesis P-Orridge, interview in 'Tape Delay' by Charles Neal, 1987. The '23 Enigma', as discovered by William S. Burroughs, presents itself as a good omen for some - disaster for others. Trying to convey the phenomenon to the uninitiated is as easy as describing the night sky to someone who has been blind from birth. When Burroughs was in Tangiers, he knew a Captain Clark who ran a ferry over to Spain. One day, Clark told Burroughs that he had been doing the route for 23 years without an accident. That day, the ferry sank . . .that evening, while Burroughs was thinking about...
Dave Gahan’s ‘Paper Monsters’
Finally, the Depeche Mode frontman delivers his solo album... The Depeche Mode frontman finally makes good on his threats to deliver a solo album. Co-written with Knox Chandler and produced by Ken Thomas, the album doesn?t quite manage to escape the ghosts of the Depeche Mode sound. In fact, the influence is everywhere. That said this isn?t a knock-off or a spin off. It is a fully-fledged, well-realised solo project that Gahan has quite clearly poured his heart into. The results are mixed, varying between the sublimely beautiful (Stay), the thumping whisky-priest roar of old (Bottle living) and the occasional outright miss (A little piece). The highlight of the album is the track Hidden Houses which sees Gahan finally let rip with his voice, echoing and bouncing over a thumping great bassline and guitar hook. Overall, this is well worth looking into and a valuable addition to the collection of...
Queen Nefertiti found
The last resting place of Egypt's most mysterious Queen may have been found... Nefertiti, the almost mythical Egyptian Queen and legendary beauty is one of the greatest of all historical enigmas. Born a commoner but married to one of the most powerful men in the world (the heretic pharaoh Akenhaten), the whereabouts of her remains has been a matter of mystery, acrimonious discussion and flight of fancy. But now, it finally appears she may have been found. In order to understand why she has remained invisible for such a long time, you must understand the political machinations of her time. All evidence of her, her husband and children was systematically erased from the historical record after the fall of the Amarna period. This led to a giant void in the historical records which was only filled in the 19th century by the great archaeologist Flinders Petrie. Xograph Imaging Systems, a...
The adventures of Jasper the time travelling cat (Volume 1. Episode 7)
Volume 1. Episode 7. Jasper goes to Italy. And sees another Meteor. Or maybe it was a sign from God... Jasper, the Time Travelling cat, it would seem, has hit the jackpot. Ancient Egypt seemed to bore him. The Kennedy Assassination held no thrill. But meteors. Oh yes. He seems to like meteors. The fur bag has dumped himself down in a field in pastoral Italy in A.D. 312. Sounds nice eh? Yes, well it probably would be if he hadn?t landed in the midst of one of the most violent civil conflicts that the Roman Empire ever saw. Frantically, we have been trying to get more information on the time period so that young Jasper can get the hell out of there as soon as is possible. An interesting little piece appeared yesterday (what are the odds, eh?) on the BBC site pertaining to the claims by a team...
Heidi Does Galway
Sue Walsh does one-woman play... All this week, my sister, Sue Walsh, is doing a one-woman lunchtime play with a Galway theatre company. If any of you are in that side of the country, you should pop along... it's running until Saturday, June 28th. Heidi Does Galway Cellar Bar, Eglinton St. 1pm, €5 across from Post Office Visit the Morwax website »
The Tao of Odds and Ends
The The Tao of Odds and Ends is a novel based on Daoist (or Taoist) philosophy. In this book, stories from ancient China are relocated to the contemporary West. Read more, including an excerpt »
The adventures of Jasper the time traveling cat (Volume 1. Episode 6)
Volume 1. Episode 6. Jasper gets medieval on yo ass. Yesterday, we thought that Jasper was getting closer to home, what with him being in 1963 and all. But late last night, as we sat tinkering with daev?s particle accelerator and the derailleur on his bike, that now familiar crackle came through the wireless and we downloaded Jasper?s latest location. The little twat has gone and ended up in medieval Britain. At the court of some Welsh warlord whom locals we heard speaking refer to as ?the Bear?. That?s King Arthur to you and me. Which is odd, because only today there appears an interesting little piece on the beeb website which reports on an Italian scholar's claims that that legend of King Arthur is not a British tale, indeed it?s not even a Celtic tale. Convenient that eh? Anyway, apparently, the whole thing is Italian. Don?t you know. So,...