Feel the Heat 4
(Albums and tunes currently burning a hole in my speakers)
1. July Skies- Dreaming of Spires
2. Cannibal Ox- Clod Vein
3. Gordod- Nutrotripsicks
4. Opeth- Watershed
5. Decide- Insineratehymn
6. The Tuss- Rushup Edge
7. Plaid- Rest Proof Clockwork
8. Delayscape- Delayscape
9. Tim Hecker- Harmony in Ultraviolet
10. Rory Gallagher- BBC Sessions
Some amazing albums. Download and let me know what you think.
Pikey
Wednesday, 28 May 2008
Monday, 26 May 2008
Merry-Go-Round
On Sunday I had the pleasure of visiting the Tate Britain and saw many wonderful work of art. One caught my eye and following the guide's insightful speal, left me with a lasting impression. This was 'Merry Go Round' by Mark Gertler, painted in 1916The work was painted at the height of the First World War, which seems to be its subject. Men and women in rigid poses, their mouths crying in silent togetherness, seem trapped on a carousel that revolves in perpetual motion. Gertler was a conscientious objector, who lived in London at the time of the First World War. He dwelled in Hampsted Heath where a local funfair was often attended by wounded soldiers, providing inspiration for Gaitler's work. The fairground ride, traditionally associated with fun and entertainment, is horrifically transformed into a metaphor for the relentless military machine.
Notice the ghost like figure of the horses with their pale deathy figures. Do they and the almost human figures represent the dead?
Does the top of the merry go round represent a bomb shell?
Do the horse's legs represent canons on the front legs and rifles on the rear legs?
The horses are not connected to the ride, therefore does this represent a detatchment of the people from the war machine?
Do the clouds represent an explosion with their highly unusual formation?
I think this is a fantastic work that captures his anti-war sentiment with exceptional detail and visual impact.
Pikey
Thursday, 22 May 2008
Progress! Development! A New Province...
You might have heard mutterings from the corridors of Stormont buildings referring to Belfast as the cultural capital of Northern Ireland, one that has transcended a bloody 30 year war, and exited the turmoil with a renewed sense of identity and togetherness. Rhetoric aside, there is no doubt that the city, and county for that matter, have changed, but have the ghosts of the past been forgotten, or is there a now unifying force in town?
‘Capitals of culture’
This is a phrase I have been thinking about lately and something that has confused being immensely. Say it out loud, and you think of the likes of Barcelona, Athens or one of the other great European capitals which are dripping with cultural diversity, embodying what its means to be part of that culture. They have a collective identity, a common shared purpose, and despite some internal differences, speak with one voice.
Belfast, on the other hand is not one of those places that you immediately spring to mind when accumulating the European cultural top 10. Why is this you may ask? With the troubles a dinner table taboo, progress and development are now topics for post dining conversation.
The men on the hill, sitting behind their comfy desks all sing from the same hymn sheet, one that has been carefully prepared to prepare the province for modern times.
We are living in disposable times where a weary people live to work, talk about work, write about work, dream about work, gossip about work, and will eventually die because of work.
Has the ship been scuttled by our elected representatives? Has post conflict Northern Ireland been led astray by the powers that be, thus bypassing the crossroads of opportunity in favour of rampant, faceless capitalism?
I see a PFI virtual Disneyland increasingly void of character and identity, homogenized more by the day in the mirror image of the power elite.
There is no doubt that the country is a better place to live than during the troubles, but lets be honest here, that is not difficult. As a people we should not have to settle for this treatment. We are being bent over double by rising prices, combined with some of the lowest wages in Great Britain, pushing most back into a corner of debt and reliance on credit. This is creating a monster culture of servitude in which our children and children’s children will be expected to pick up the bill.
We all now have a role in the movie that is the surveillance state. The proliferation of CCTV cameras in the province is nothing short of breathtaking. Recent study showed that these highly expensive machines do nothing to reduce crime levels. So why waste public money lining the pockets of lecherous private companies profiting from the proliferation of fear? We are all now virtual prisoners in our own communities, guilty until proven otherwise.
This monster will be a difficult beast to tame and who knows which aspect of our lives it will rampage in next?
As the late, great Bill Hicks said,” It's just a ride and we can change it any time we want. It's only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings and money, a choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your door, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love instead see all of us as one.”
So as far as I can ascertain, there is indeed a unifying cultural aspect within Northern Ireland and this is consumerism. The old religious divides and tribalism remain largely intact, despite what we are told on the news. After the political triumph of the Good Friday Agreement and St Andrew Agreement a vacuum was created in the culture of Northern Ireland. It used to be filled with horrific daily news stories about atrocities committed during the thirty year conflict on the streets of the province. The dawning of relative peace meant that something had to fill this space, something big, and something overwhelming. This where consumer culture was ushered in with it quick fix escapism and feel good therapy, soothing the wounds of war.
We don’t need to buy into this fake opulence and are only at the mercy of the masters if we hand them our support. On the surface the ghosts of the past have been blurred by frantic shopping and mirrored shopping malls, but when the veneer is lifted, one will see a society divided by old differences. Things may have moved on slightly, but not as much as we would like to believe.
Pikey
‘Capitals of culture’
This is a phrase I have been thinking about lately and something that has confused being immensely. Say it out loud, and you think of the likes of Barcelona, Athens or one of the other great European capitals which are dripping with cultural diversity, embodying what its means to be part of that culture. They have a collective identity, a common shared purpose, and despite some internal differences, speak with one voice.
Belfast, on the other hand is not one of those places that you immediately spring to mind when accumulating the European cultural top 10. Why is this you may ask? With the troubles a dinner table taboo, progress and development are now topics for post dining conversation.
The men on the hill, sitting behind their comfy desks all sing from the same hymn sheet, one that has been carefully prepared to prepare the province for modern times.
We are living in disposable times where a weary people live to work, talk about work, write about work, dream about work, gossip about work, and will eventually die because of work.
Has the ship been scuttled by our elected representatives? Has post conflict Northern Ireland been led astray by the powers that be, thus bypassing the crossroads of opportunity in favour of rampant, faceless capitalism?
I see a PFI virtual Disneyland increasingly void of character and identity, homogenized more by the day in the mirror image of the power elite.
There is no doubt that the country is a better place to live than during the troubles, but lets be honest here, that is not difficult. As a people we should not have to settle for this treatment. We are being bent over double by rising prices, combined with some of the lowest wages in Great Britain, pushing most back into a corner of debt and reliance on credit. This is creating a monster culture of servitude in which our children and children’s children will be expected to pick up the bill.
We all now have a role in the movie that is the surveillance state. The proliferation of CCTV cameras in the province is nothing short of breathtaking. Recent study showed that these highly expensive machines do nothing to reduce crime levels. So why waste public money lining the pockets of lecherous private companies profiting from the proliferation of fear? We are all now virtual prisoners in our own communities, guilty until proven otherwise.
This monster will be a difficult beast to tame and who knows which aspect of our lives it will rampage in next?
As the late, great Bill Hicks said,” It's just a ride and we can change it any time we want. It's only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings and money, a choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your door, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love instead see all of us as one.”
So as far as I can ascertain, there is indeed a unifying cultural aspect within Northern Ireland and this is consumerism. The old religious divides and tribalism remain largely intact, despite what we are told on the news. After the political triumph of the Good Friday Agreement and St Andrew Agreement a vacuum was created in the culture of Northern Ireland. It used to be filled with horrific daily news stories about atrocities committed during the thirty year conflict on the streets of the province. The dawning of relative peace meant that something had to fill this space, something big, and something overwhelming. This where consumer culture was ushered in with it quick fix escapism and feel good therapy, soothing the wounds of war.
We don’t need to buy into this fake opulence and are only at the mercy of the masters if we hand them our support. On the surface the ghosts of the past have been blurred by frantic shopping and mirrored shopping malls, but when the veneer is lifted, one will see a society divided by old differences. Things may have moved on slightly, but not as much as we would like to believe.
Pikey
Wednesday, 21 May 2008
The scariest thing I have ever seen......
Watch this video in full screen and it will make even the most hardened, shiver with fear.
This guy has balls the size of beachballs.
http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1438490562
Pikey
This guy has balls the size of beachballs.
http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1438490562
Pikey
Feel the Heat 3
Feel the heat three.
(Albums and tunes currently burning a hole in my speakers)
1. Orphaned Land- Mabool (The Story of the Three Sons of Seven)
2. Nine Inch Nails- The Slip
3. Cancer Bats- Hail Destroyer
4. Iron Maiden- Somewhere Back in Time
5. Anathema- Resonance
6. Cannibal Corpse- Tomb of the Mutilated
7. Trans Global Underground- Dreams of a Hundred Nations
8. Karma to Burn- Karma to Burn
9. Porcupine Tree- Fear of a Blank Planet
Some amazing albums. Download and enjoy.
Pikey
(Albums and tunes currently burning a hole in my speakers)
1. Orphaned Land- Mabool (The Story of the Three Sons of Seven)
2. Nine Inch Nails- The Slip
3. Cancer Bats- Hail Destroyer
4. Iron Maiden- Somewhere Back in Time
5. Anathema- Resonance
6. Cannibal Corpse- Tomb of the Mutilated
7. Trans Global Underground- Dreams of a Hundred Nations
8. Karma to Burn- Karma to Burn
9. Porcupine Tree- Fear of a Blank Planet
Some amazing albums. Download and enjoy.
Pikey
Monday, 19 May 2008
Non-Believers are Good Too. Are we Not?
Morality is possible without coercion. Non-believers are good too.
Well that’s what seems apparent to me anyway.
This argument is regarded with deep suspicion by people of strong faith, because religious people consider that irreligious people are, by definition, immoral.
The belief that there is no morality without a religious belief is a classic example of manipulation.
Of course you want to be moral, there are very few in the world who would dream of anything else.
The more you believe there can be no morality without religion, the stronger religion becomes in your life, effectively placing you in a straitjacket of moral panic.
Individual’s are giving away their power of moral choice, rooted in the essential goodness of human nature, something that is within everyone here on earth,
But faith makes it almost impossible for the believers to see what they are giving away to their faith. A lifetime of devotion to something that is no more provable than the Easter bunny. A scary thought indeed.
Riddled with the fear of death, entrapped in their own cultural, religious norms, they invest all in their faith and hide behind its veil of temporal security.
It doesn't have to be this way. Decisions can be made of our own doing. The answers to the big questions are contained within us all, but its having the strength to look inside that frightens us the most.
Why knee to the rules and regulations of organised religion when we are autonomous beings, capable of making our own moral decisions, without the constraint of religious authority breathing down our neck?
Too many people are filling the coffers for the first time, oblivious to what they are doing, blinded by the blinkers of cultural normality.
Religious frameworks equal coercion, and coercion, equals control plus manipulation.
Life is short. Think for yourself.
Pikey……
Well that’s what seems apparent to me anyway.
This argument is regarded with deep suspicion by people of strong faith, because religious people consider that irreligious people are, by definition, immoral.
The belief that there is no morality without a religious belief is a classic example of manipulation.
Of course you want to be moral, there are very few in the world who would dream of anything else.
The more you believe there can be no morality without religion, the stronger religion becomes in your life, effectively placing you in a straitjacket of moral panic.
Individual’s are giving away their power of moral choice, rooted in the essential goodness of human nature, something that is within everyone here on earth,
But faith makes it almost impossible for the believers to see what they are giving away to their faith. A lifetime of devotion to something that is no more provable than the Easter bunny. A scary thought indeed.
Riddled with the fear of death, entrapped in their own cultural, religious norms, they invest all in their faith and hide behind its veil of temporal security.
It doesn't have to be this way. Decisions can be made of our own doing. The answers to the big questions are contained within us all, but its having the strength to look inside that frightens us the most.
Why knee to the rules and regulations of organised religion when we are autonomous beings, capable of making our own moral decisions, without the constraint of religious authority breathing down our neck?
Too many people are filling the coffers for the first time, oblivious to what they are doing, blinded by the blinkers of cultural normality.
Religious frameworks equal coercion, and coercion, equals control plus manipulation.
Life is short. Think for yourself.
Pikey……
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