Sunday, December 30, 2007

Srebrenica by Ted/FDM

The ever insightful Ted Swedenburg does it well here:
"One of the many fine songs on Fun'Da'Mental's powerful 2006 release, All Is War: The Benefits of G-had, is "Srebrenica Massacre," featuring vocals in Bosnian (a variety of Serbo-Croation, according to some) by Alma Ferovic. Since April I've given several talks about Fun'Da'Mental, which have included analyses of several songs from All Is War, but I've not had much to say about "Srebrenica Massacre...."

Read more.
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Thursday, December 27, 2007

cats

Elena tells me: "Marc Twain said: "While the rest of the species is descended from apes, redheads are descended from cats". And sends this pic from Vienna to add to the buses as trinkets collection no doubt - we will take over the world eventually. Thx.

And while we are on the subject of Cats. Perhaps I will start a reading list to add to my 'Politics of Cats' piece in an early Stimulus Here:

For starters:

Soseki Natsume 1905/2002 "I am a Cat" Berkeley: Tuttle Publishing.

Kurt Vonnegut 1963 "Cats Cradle" New York: Dell Publishing.

Then add:

Burroughs 2000 "Last Words: The Final Journals of William S. Burroughs" which has lots to do with his cats, like Fletch. Grove Press.

more to come...

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Reflections on Complicity

Good pre-Goldies rectification stuff here from Leila on CASA [CASA is a Spanish acronym for Colectivos de Apoyo, Solidaridad y Acción. In English, that's: Collectives of Support, Solidarity and Action]:

"Reflections on Complicity
by Leila
June 18, 2007

It's a party with too much food, an endless beer supply and a whole cast of music snobs (myself included.) In short, a Friday night filled with all of the standard tropes of our extravagant merry-making.

As the evening warbles past midnight and the conversation starts repeating, I slip away from the garden barbeque. At some point the beer has gotten warm and the decadence of the food left abandoned on the table has become upsetting to me. Troubled, I retreat to the house and lay down on the couch to sort through my cluttered thoughts.

The flat, green lawn shimmers in the moonlight and the white walls and ribbed, bare wood rafters of the quaint house remind me of a ski lodge. In the garden, fresh spring flowers blossom in perfect order around the fence and gate, which is black, tall and resolutely locked. Outside, around the grill, the sound of confused but exuberant chatter and trendy Ipod music drifts back to me.

It's not until the next morning that my discomfort crystallizes into clarity. As I'm being driven back into San Cristobal in the backseat of a car with power-locks, automatic windows, and a deluxe CD player, I watch the life of the colonia I've spent the night in glide past me..."

Read more here

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Xmas Teaches Kids to Love Capitalism

The ideal Present has arrived.

I rarely forward "Art" projects to lists, but since its the silly season and all things are excused in the interest of the 'festival of teaching kids to love capitalism', I though this would make a fine Xmas present for the person who has everything. It might take a little bit of doing (perhaps by interactive media lab people), but it would be great to have one of these with which to carve Marx's beard into the Goldies back lawn.

Find out more here

And of course, not wanting to come over all Scrooge of past, present and future, just like last year (here) I send best wishes to you for 2008.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Galactica strikers

This pic shows the now empty set of Galactica where shooting for series four stopped at episode 4.13 because of the Hollywood writers strike. Ronald Moore's site has some reports on what Galactica writers have (not) been doing for the strike. Pencils anyone? A ball game ticket with the Chief...? Recall his problematic negotiations with Admiral Adama in the strike episode in series three (3.15, discussed here), but before they get to earth, lets sort the workplaces out. Police in UK going out too - for all the wrong reasons, but in any case, Support the strikers.

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Research on New Media and Muslims in Europe

I was asked to provide a response - well paid - to a questionnaire on New Media and Europe's Muslims by the Ergo Advisers research group out of New York. As the 'vanguard of a new model of advisory services', they provide their clients with 'honest and actionable' research (this action bit will make the question quoted later seem, well, interesting). Ergo clients include: Fortune 500 firms, hedge funds, corporations, private investors, and NGOs - who will use this research, and feel secure because 'Ergo stands alone in its ability to deliver the precise knowledge needed to thrive in today's dynamic information environment'.

Suspicious and paranoid, first of all I thought it was a scam thought up by malicious freak friends who were having some xmas-time fun with the 'dynamic' rhetoric of new modes of research - 'vanguard' even - but I am assured this stuff is for real.

So, feeling I had no reason not to get further annoyance for free, I had the questionnaire sent to me. Needless to say I have not quite found time to fill it in (as if). (I've also a heavy cold, hangover, and a pressing visit to the cinema).

I have just now written back politely:

Dear Marni

Can't do it. With all good intentions, having read the survey questions, I was going to spend some time offering a critique of the underlying assumptions and how problematic I think this sort of 'research' is (its not research in any critical sense, its only going to be 'useful' to people who want to confirm stereotype and profile - as if European Muslims use new media any differently than anyone else...).

Questions like:
1. How successful have European governments been at counteracting the effects of organizing/mobilizing possibilities of new media tools for European Muslims (especially uses perceived as subversive or revolutionary)?

kind of give the game away. Unless this is a trick question, though its not the only one that reveals deeply prejudiced assumptions in this. I hope you don't think critical scholars are going to participate. I certainly disagree with the framing, and wonder just what sort of results you will end up with.

For the record, I now am concerned as to why/who put you onto me as my research is not framed in terms even close to those set out here - but anyway, ... Sorry I did not have more time to make a thorough critique - its the sort of project I like to skewer. You might consider some of the debates that have been going on here (the comments section, not the actual post).

best
Professor John Hutnyk. Researcher.

ps. needless to say I'll forgo - ergo - the offered financial incentives/blood money.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

A Very Public Sociologist

A Very Public Sociologist

subtitled: Sociology Politics Sectariana Introversion

Seems like a very smart and very discerning blog, so go visit...