Drawn From Still Waters Top 5, 2008.

So its time to let the dust settle on 2008; and list my favourite CDs for the year. A couple of unlucky contenders which missed out were: Laura Marling (Alas I Cannot Swim) Martha Wainwright (I Know You're Married But I Have Feelings Too), and Coldplay's Viva La Vida.

:: 5 Colm Mac Con Iomaire (The Hare's Corner)
Colm is the fiddler from the great Irish band The Frames. Instrumental CD's can be a bore, but this one really works, and the interplay between instruments works so well

:: 4 Jon Foreman (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer - EPs)
Another singer-songwriter whose songs are beautiful constructed, and reflect spiritual truths from the various seasons of our lives.

:: 3 Sigur Ros (with a buzz in our ears we play endlessly)
One of the more accessible albums from this great group. When I saw the band perform live earlier this year the accessibility of the band was highlighted by the increasing interaction between the band and the crowd.

:: 2 Conor Oberst (Conor Oberst)
The self-titled album was the first album for sometime which he did without his band Bright Eyes, I love the vivid pictures he paints with his song-lyrics in contrast to the great fun numbers like I Don't Wanna Die in a Hospital.

:: 1 Andrew Osenga - Letters to the Editor II
I really enjoy the honest and meaningful lyrics, and the style of music he performs. The Letters project is an EP involving collaborations with fans. I'm looking to hearing more from him during 2009 (Hopefully).

~~~

And on the horizon, for 2009, I'm hoping to hear more news of a Radiohead tour, and I am slowly getting more excited about seeing Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova in January. In terms of new albums -- confirmation of a new U2 album brings excitement, but not sure what other excitement 2009 will bring.

A British perspective...

So, the dust has barely settled on the second cricket test, and already there's one piece claiming its the worse year in Australian Sporting history... (which is to my mind quite a funny, but massive overstatement, there's been a number a great Australian achievements throughout 2008). Anyway have a read and make up your own mind. As for me, the article is another reason why, come the Ashes, I won't be cheering for England.

Assorts..

:: Religion, apparently promotes self control.

:: The NFL could teach Congress something about accountability

:: Santa Claus, paves the way for people to believe in God.

More on Responsibilities..

Earlier this month I wrote a little about responsibilities, and last week there was a piece in the Australian making the same point:

The Aussie whinge has been around forever but is it getting worse and it is a symptom of something bigger. Modern Australians live in a cultural bubble. They have lost the art of self-reliance and think the Government has magically to fix things when they're overseas [...] Australians appear overwhelmingly inclined to take less responsibility: for our children, our old people, ourselves. We are our own chief responsibility, not that of the Government. Now we hear a great deal about the ultimate nanny state illusion. a new charter of rights, but nothing about a charter of responsibilities.

We live in the most blessed country on earth and we have inherited a great tradition. As free-born, relatively rich, English-speaking Australians, we have every right anyone has wanted in the history of the world. Our political life and society are the culmination of the benevolent vision of the great 19th-century English social reformers and of the colonial founding fathers. Australians don't need any more rights, especially phony ones. It is about time we cultivated a few responsibilities.

~~~~

On the Cricket..

I have to admit, one of the funniest things about seeing Australia loses a Cricket Series is the amount (and tone) of ink that gets spilled about it. Its about the same when the All Blacks lose a Rugby test.

Here's a few links (all from CricInfo) about the Australian's series loss yesterday:

:: Its not funny anymore
:: Angry Aussie Media.


Perhaps its not that the tests were lost, but the positions from which they were lost (not many teams will successfully chase over 400, in the fourth innings); and not many have put together a partnership of over 150 runs for the 9th wicket. 

But the selectors do have questions to answer, why was Symonds picked if he could not bowl, and there are major questions about Ricky Ponting's captaincy (the defensive decisions he made on the third morning, when he should have gone for the jugular).

Anyway, none of this takes anything away from South Africa, who played great Cricket, and deserve the series win, and I think the mantle of the best team (for 2008 at least).

Christmas Reading..

Was catching up on some reading over the break, and this one Be Very Afraid, But not of Santa" was interesting (if a little sad) reading, a few stories shared in the article:

:: A Santa (AUS) sacked for having said "Ho, ho, ho" to the children waiting before him. - the reason "According to the store, he should have said "Ha, ha, ha" but he was a Bad Santa. "Ho, ho, ho" might be perceived as being derogatory to women, it was strongly argued. A ho is African-American vernacular for a prostitute, or at least a woman of loose morals, so you can't say it any more. Ha, ha, ha.

:: Another (US) Santa Claus was sacked because the children kept pointing out that he had extremely large breasts.


:: Another (UK) Santa Claus was sacked this year for having invited an elderly woman to sit on his lap.

"I do not know what the elderly woman was doing in the queue for the grotto but, of course, it is her right to queue up to meet Santa and get a present, just as it is your right and my right, the right of all people of whatever creed, colour, class or age. But you shouldn't have to put up with an outrage such as being invited to sit on Santa's lap, so Santa was sacked. A statement from Selfridges read: "We do not promote or proactively seek lap-sitting." Read that quote again and try to imagine the sort of person who wrote it: "Promote or proactively seek lap-sitting." 

:: And the funninest one  - "a boy was not allowed to attend his school's Christmas party because his parents had insisted, ever since he joined the school, that he should not be required to attend lessons in religious education. The school presumably thought they were being scrupulous in abiding by the parents' wishes but apparently not. The boy's mum, was incandescent at the cruelty inflicted on her poor son. Christmas parties, she said, "have got absolutely nothing to do with Jesus".

In seriousness the article concludes --

"But it is our fear of pedophilia, or fear of litigation provoked by the intimation of pedophilia (which is, when it comes down to it, much the same thing), that is the most corrosive and damaging. One of the most telling and important political contributions of 2008 came from an old semi-reformed radical Marxist, Frank Furedi, now a professor of sociology, who delivered an attack on the strange and ambivalent manner in which we view children these days. "We cannot organise the world around the default position that we are all pedophiles," Furedi lamented in a magazine interview. He talked, too, about the other side of the coin, the control children seem to have over parents these days. Furedi called it "reverse socialisation", the kids being told to tell their parents to eat healthier food, or recycle their rubbish properly, or not to smoke in the home. And much of it can be dragged back to what Furedi called the pre-political authority of parents disciplining, or failing to discipline, their kids. They do not have an idea any more of right or wrong, he suggested.

Well, indeed; but whose fault is that? Place it alongside all the stuff I mentioned above and it would seem to be the logical consequence of an agenda driven by the liberal middle-class Left over the past 30 years, in which the common denominator is the yearning for an artificial world that is entirely risk-free. Certainly there must be no risk to life or limb, even if that risk is vanishingly small. No risk, either, that anyone could possibly be offended by anything, no matter how barking mad you would have to be to take offence. No risk that anyone's sensibilities (religious or otherwise) might be offended, no matter how thin their skins may have become over the years. It is an aspiration towards a pretend world, a confection every bit as make-believe as Santa's grotto."

And following on another piece about singing Christmas Carols.

Links..

A couple of  interesting articles .. about the power of celebrities to draw attention to mental health issues, and another one about the "fun and games" associated with finalising the new issue of the DSM.

I also foudn this one interesting.. "while liberals show tremendous compassion in pushing for generous government spending to help the neediest people at home and abroad. Yet when it comes to individual contributions to charitable causes, liberals are cheapskates". [Kristof, NYT]

Who throws a shoe - II

Here's a link to other forms of insults from around the world.. [via the NYT]

Notes from 2008

Always intrigued in end-of-year lists, heres American radio station NPR's top 10 as voted by the listeners:

10. Sigur Rós: Album: Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
09. Coldplay: Album: Viva la Vida
08. My Morning Jacket Album: Evil Urges
07. Flight of the Conchords Album: Flight of the Conchords
06. MGMT Album: Oracular Spectacular [Bonus Features]
05. Death Cab for Cutie Album: Narrow Stairs
04. TV on the Radio Album: Dear Science
03. Bon Iver Album: For Emma, Forever Ago
02. Vampire Weekend Album: Vampire Weekend
01. Fleet Foxes Album: Fleet Foxes [Bonus Tracks]
+++

Good Weekend..

I was going to title this post 'Links'; but I don't remember being able to find the articles  from the Good weekend on the SMH's website. But a couple of interesting reads, the first was about the authors resolution to buy any new books, and rather read the books she already owns. Thought that's a good resolution for me, to stop buying new books at least for the first half of the year - there's a lot of interesting ones to have a look at.

The other piece was 'Joy to the World'; the regular Christmas season article about money and happiness.The soundbyte of the article is that the key to feeling good; is to give and keep giving. Another few quote that hit me were, when 'God died, the GDP took over and economists became the new priests, and the second one from a Holocasut surivvor - Hermann Gruenwald - 'I have come to realise that during inhumane times, helping others makes as feel human again'.

Sporting Newsreel '08

It is great to have finished work for the year -and its been nice over this weekend to spend some time settled in listening to ABC describe Australia play South Africa in the first test. Especially great seeing as its been more competitive than the Kiwi's. Today has been quite a test for Ponting as a captain (I still favour the Aussies though). 

On the radio, they were talking about the highlights of the year, I was trying to think about what happenend - I recalled Manly winning the NRL, and Hawthorn the AFL; on top of that 2008 saw the Beijing Games, and the European Soccer Championships (won by Spain).

My highlights:

:: New Zealand stunning the Aussies and winning the Rugby League World Cup;

:: Mithcam's dive to win the Gold medal in the Mens 10m Platform Diving competition, with his last dive

:: Usain Bolt wins the 100m and 200m

:: Michael Phelps winning 8 gold-medals.

Popular music

Perhaps its a sign that I'm now a bit into my third-decade that the radio captures more of my attention, earlier this week they had a fascinating story about Andre Rieu and Classical music. Its in some ways the same argument that has been made about modern adaptions of Shakespeare (how they perhaps make people seek to explore more). The question they were asking was how many people who would go to Andre's shows in Australia would go and listen to the Philharmonic Orchestra (or equivalent), not really a debate about his music per se.

I don't think Andre is a new phenomena as The Three Tenors / The Ten Tenors / Bond and Ill Divo are examples of musicians that have tried to bridge the 'genre-gap'. I'm not convinced that Andre will drive people to hear the 'local' orchestra, as its him they are going to see, rather than the music ~and perhaps this is why people look down on Andre ~ because its about him; more than the music.

Anyway just some random thoughts; and I one thing I would like to do in the new year is visit the opera house to hear an orchestra rather than contemporary music, as I've done previously.

:: Post-script: Related to this is the furor that the British reality TV show [X-Factor] has caused with recording a version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. With the writer of this article asking --

what is it that makes Burke's (the X Factor contestant) version inauthentic and Buckley's authentic? And why be so depressed over the X Factor version, when the song has been exposed to mainstream audiences via its use on both The OC and Shrek soundtracks? Should we be happy that he song has been exposed to new audiences.

As the article says, Buckley's sales are going up in the vain hope that it will displace the version by Burke. (Driven by facebook groups).

'Honestly ... who throws a shoe'

Yesterday morning, there was footage of an Iraqi journalist throwing not one - but both his shoes .. at President Bush, during a press conference. Today - the footage has circumnavigated the globe, and transformed into a game, be incorporated with footage of the three stooges; the Austin Powers film - to name a few. (Have a look at this article here).

Links... Loneliness and Childhood..

UNICEF recently released a report the state of children in the world, and a read a piece in the Guardian asked who is the best placed to bring up children.. And how now in developed countries the "majority of parents in the developed world are farming out the care of their children to paid workers. At the same time, neuroscientific research shows - surprise, surprise - that the architecture of the brain is formed largely through the interactions of the early years; love, it turns out, is as important for intellectual as for emotional development." Its interesting looking at how this is changed, and what it means.

Also from the UK, a few pieces about loneliness and the state of solitude. An interesting one about a teacher who was sacked for saying Santa Claus doesn't exist. While I am sure that its not the wisest thing to do in a class-room, I doubt making the same claim about Jesus Christ would have the same result.

Conversational Reading

Saw a couple of interesting pieces in the Australian this weekend -- Bob Carr writes about the case for cheaper books. Or why its beyond comprehension that parallel importing isn't being done for books - in his words "lower prices mean more sales, and more sales means more books in Australian homes". (no link)

There also was a review of an interesting book called the Art of Conversation, which argues that the great irony of the communication age is that we are forgetting how to communicate with each other. The money quote for me is that while how we communicate has changed; the nature of the communication hasn't really changed - I'm sure that in this age, people are writing the beautiful love emails, or having deep conversations on messenger, or facebook. It doesn't sound as romantic to me, but for those involved the experience would be different.

40 Inspirational Speeches from Hollywood...

This is great ..

Shame on you. This could be the greatest night of our lives, but you're going to let it be the worst. And I guarantee a week won't go by in your life you won't regret walking out, letting them get the best of you. Well, I'm not going home. We've come too far! And I'm going to stay right here and fight for this lost cause. A day may come when the courage of men fails... but it is not THIS day. The line must be drawn HERE. This far, no further! I'm not saying it's going to be easy. You're going to work harder than you ever worked before. But that's fine, we'll just get tougher with it! If a person grits his teeth and shows real determination, failure is not an option. That's how winning is done! Believe me when I say we can break this army here, and win just one for the Gipper. But I say to you what every warrior has known since the beginning of time: you've got to get mad. I mean plum mad dog mean. If you would be free men, then you must fight to fulfill that promise! Let us cut out their living guts one inch at a time, and they will know what we can do! Let no man forget how menacing we are. We are lions! You're like a big bear, man! This is YOUR time! Seize the day, never surrender, victory or death... that's the Chicago Way! Who's with me? Clap! Clap! Don't let Tink die! Clap! Alright! Let's fly! And gentlemen in England now abed shall know my name is the Lord when I tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take our Independence Day! ::

More on the declaration

:: Matthew Jones from the Guardian writes about Article 18, which protects the right to practice whatever religion we choose. There is another interesting piece about the prevention of Genocide.

:: Jimmy Carter on Obama's Human Rights Opportunity

:: The BBC marks the 60th Anniversary.

60th Anniversary of Human Rights

Today the Universal Declaration of Human Rights turns 60. The declaration codifies what 'the society regards as the basic rights of 'being human'. I am sure we will see more talk about a Bill of Rights for Australia today (see here). The full text of the Declaration is available here.

I would like to see talk of our rights match with talk of our responsibilities - what we are accountable for; rather than what we are entitled too.

"Fair-use" in music...

Joe Satriani has lodged a claim in court that coldplay's song viva la vida 'uses substantial portions of his song If I Could Fly'. If you watch this video you can almost imagine the crowd's response during a joint performance (and Satriani come up at of the stage) - even if it had been modified to maximise the effect.I've always wondered if two people can "come-up-with" the same idea (read chord progression) at the same time. Interestingly enough its the second plagarism claim against Coldplay over Vida la Vida - have all three songs borrowed from somewhere else...

Red Pens and bubble wrap

I read with interest a piece about a new kit that was being handed around to schools in Queensland, and how to work with the children inclassroom - some of the points the kits made was that teachers should stop using "aggressive" red pens; as red is considered too confrontational, and teachers should leave wrong answers blank, as marking it wrong would have hurt the child's confidence. (more about this kit, and self esteem in education is here).

There's something flawed about wrapping kids in cotton wool, and making life rosey, and painless. I learned more from the comments on essay's which needed work; than that ones which were marked highly. We can't equip students to succeed if we don't allow them to fail.

Some Musical Fun ..

Via a U2 mailing list -- The Wiggles do U2

:: Corrected Link

Australian of the Year

So, I am not sure who the other nominations are, but I think Glen McGrath would be close to a 'safe' bet for Australian of the Year. Glen McGrath, AM was announced as the award recipient for New South Wales, and therefore a nominee for the national award -- we'll see though.

2008 -- Musically Speaking

Was thinking a little about the music this year. It's been a quieter year for me ... here's the CD's I've bought (released in 2008) this year:

Laura Marling (Alas I Cannot Swim), Conor Oberst (Conor Oberst), Martha Wainwright (I Know You're Married But I Have Feelings Too), Colm Mac Con Iomaire (The Hare's Corner), Lara Goudie (Out of the Depths), Sigur Ros (with a buzz in our ears we play endlessly), Andrew Osenga - Letters to the Editor II, Jon Foreman (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer - EPs).

And as per usual, live CD's are ineligible for my end-of-year-list - if they were, The Swell Season would be shoe-ins. (thanks to Played Last Night.Com, the site from which The Swell make recordings of their concerts available). The one omission which will be on the list is Coldplay's Viva La Vida, though I will try and buy that soon.

I am also moderately keen to listen to the most recent CDs from R.E.M., Tim Finn, Belle and Sebastian and the Fleet Foxes (though I'm not sure what they will be like). I'm also keen to hear R.E.M.'s re-issued Murmur (with a concert from 1983).

Coffee and Community...

A few bits and pieces I saw this week...

:: This article complete with abstract coffee art is great..

:: On Twitter, and knowing//sharing..

:: Here's a dictionary to decipher Facebook status updates.

Grammys -- In Rainbows

I was intrigued to look through the Grammy Nominations today -- while everyone might be talking about Coldplay's seven; I was quite taken by fact that Radiohead (In Rainbows) got five. Radiohead were nominated in the below categories (and Nigel Godrich was nominated in the Producer of the Year category):

:: Album Of The Year
:: Best Alternative Music Album
:: Best Rock Song (for House of Cards)
:: Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals (for House of Cards)
:: Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package

Will be interesting to see how they go.

Thanksgiving...

It's been a while since I have have posted, Fi and I were away in Japan (we got back on the 15th, just two weeks ago), but more about the later. In summary, it was a really great to be away, and Japan being so different to home. And it wasn't as hard as you might think to get away without eating seafood.

I was looking at my google reader today, and there was a great editorial about Thanksgiving - which is one thing I've often said I'd transport to Australia. [And here's another piece on Thanksgiving via Slice of Infinity].

Song of the Week #5: Negative Vibes - Damien Dempsey

Given that I've missed a week, last week's song was going to be Damien Dempsey's 'Negative Vibes' - I heard it via his performance at one of The Swell Season's concerts, when he sang it toward the end of Star Star. There was something about the tone of the song which resonates with me.

--
Lord, Won't you give me the strength to be strong, and be true
Cos, Lord, when the devil gets into my head, I'm so blue

You knock me, if you're so mighty, why waste your time with me
If I'm bad, ignorant and sad
Why waste your time, you're mad
You're just mad, because your life is sad
You've done nothing worth while
Twist the knife
Because you hate your life
My life you want to spoil

I'm never going to let
Your negative vibes and comments
Get through to my psyche and cripple me
I'm never going to let
Your negative vibes and comments
Get through to my psyche and cripple me
I never will forget
The suffering that my people went through
In my country and overseas

Were no use, verbal abuse
That's all you have to give
You preach nil, you're so cynical
Jesus, wake up and live
Your bad vibe will drive away your tribe
And where will you be then
All alone
Heart as cold as stone
Hurting yourself again

Weekend song Lyrics #4: Equilly Skilled

Jon Foreman's Four Season's EPs have been on heavy rotation for most of the year. The song I've picked for this week is on the Fall EP. The style of music is kind of an acoustic, folk rock. The song is a great take on our man's nature.  (I've changed the title to weekend song, as I'm not doing the best at posting every Saturday - I'm going to post no. 5 shortly).

How miserable I am
I feel like a fruitpicker who arrived here
after the harvest
There's nothing here at all
There's nothin at all here that could placate my hunger

The godly people are all gone
There's not one honest soul left alive here on this planet
We're all murders and theives
Setting traps here for even our brothers

And both of our hands
Are equally skilled
At doing evil
Equally skilled
At bribing the judges
Equally skilled
At perverting justice
Both of our hands
Both of our hands

The day of justice comes
And is even now swiftly arriving
Don't trust anyone at all
Not your best friend or even your wife

For the son hates the father
The daughter despises even the mother
Look! Your enemies are right
Right in the room of your very household

And both of their hands are equally skilled
Equally skilled

No, don't gloat over me
For though I fall, though I fall
I will rise again

Though I sit here in darkness
The Lord, the Lord alone
He will be my light

I will be patient as the Lord
Punishes me for the wrongs
I've done against him

After that he'll take my case
Bringing me to light and to justice
For all I have suffered

And both of his hand are equally skilled
At ruining evil
Equally skilled
At judging the judges
Equally skilled
Administring justice
Both of his hands
Both of his hands are equally skilled
At showing them mercy
Equally skilled
At loving the loveless
Equally skilled
Administring justice
Both of his hands
Both of his hands

Pause

Been a busy few weeks ... especially given that Fi and I are going to head away for a holiday this week, and we're heading to Canberra for As wedding.  It will be so great to have some time away to unwind, and to recharge. I have not been to Japan before so it will be great to be able to see a different corner of the world, together.

Friday afternoon, I went and heard one of Australia's former Foreign Ministers (now Director of the International Crisis Group), Gareth Evans speak as part the Sydney Ideas series (run by University of Sydney. He spoke about the Responsibility to Protect; which is a doctrine about the responsibility of the global community to act to protect citizens of countries under specific conditions (More info here).

One of the points I found interesting is how the language changed from "the right to intervene" to the "responsibility to protect". Whether the global communities have the will to act to prevent another Rwanda at some point (even as, in Darfur, and in Congo we see similar mass killings carried out) remains to be seen.

Been doing a little bit of reading over the weekend. I loved this piece from the New York Times, about the 'If Only' moment we all have when we just miss (or catch) a bus. In a theory of time that I have, I'm fairly convinced, that even if we slightly changed one event; we would not change the end-point; that is, if Lee Harvey-Oswald was not in the picture, JFK would still have been assassinated.

Also, given that its just over a week to go before the US Election I thought I'd post a couple of things, the first being a quote from a speech that Obama gave in Virginia which in some ways explains why I like him, how he speaks to how we can change the world in which we live - not to a perfect world, but simply too a better one.

At a defining moment like this, we don't have the luxury of relying on the same political games and the same political tactics that are used every election to divide us from one another and make us afraid of one another. With the challenges and crises we face right now, we cannot afford to divide this country by class or region; by who we are or what policies we support.

There are no real or fake parts of this country. We are not separated by the pro-America and anti-America parts of this nation - we all love this country, no matter where we live or where we come from. There are patriots who supported this war in Iraq and patriots who opposed it; patriots who believe in Democratic policies and those who believe in Republican policies. The men and women from Virginia and all across America who serve on our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America - they have served the United States of America.


We have always been at our best when we've had leadership that called us to look past our differences and come together as one nation, as one people; leadership that rallied this entire country to a common purpose - to a higher purpose. And I am running for President of the United States of America because that is the country we need to be right now.


This country and the dream it represents are being tested in a way that we haven't seen in nearly a century. And future generations will judge ours by how we respond to this test. Will they say that this was a time when America lost its way and its purpose? When we allowed the same divisions and fear tactics and our own petty differences to plunge this country into a dark and painful recession?


Or will they say that this was another one of those moments when America overcame? When we battled back from adversity by recognizing that common stake that we have in each other's success?


This is one of those moments. I realize you're cynical and fed up with politics. I understand that you're disappointed and even angry with your leaders. You have every right to be. But despite all of this, I ask of you what's been asked of the American people in times of trial and turmoil throughout our history. I ask you to believe - to believe in yourselves, in each other, and in the future we can build together.


Together, we cannot fail. Not now. Not when we have a crisis to solve and an economy to save. Not when there are so many Americans without jobs and without homes. Not when there are families who can't afford to see a doctor, or send their child to college, or pay their bills at the end of the month. Not when there is a generation that is counting on us to give them the same opportunities and the same chances that we had for ourselves. 


We can do this. Americans have done this before. Some of us had grandparents or parents who said maybe I can't go to college but my child can; maybe I can't have my own business but my child can. I may have to rent, but maybe my children will have a home they can call their own. I may not have a lot of money but maybe my child will run for Senate. I might live in a small village but maybe someday my son can be president of the United States of America.

 +++

Another piece from Focus on the Family, outlining how the US would change under an Obama presidency caught me eye, the piece was written as a letter from a Christian four years from now, about how attitudes to religion have changed society. (The letter is available here)

And the token U2 reference: here's a speech given by Bono at a  Women's Conference recently.

~~~~

Quote

I rediscovered this quote while looking through my emails at work, the full article is here (at Modern Reformation). There's something we do to our Christian artists who go mainstream and the views we take to interacting with our culture.

And when our bright, energetic, talented thinkers, artists and workersgo out into the world to fulfill their calling as a calling, they areoften gunned down by the brethren for selling out to the world. Fundamentalists have always been hostile to the outside world, but nowthey are highly politicized. Their anti-worldly stance which was oncekept within the four walls of the church building is now seen in massrallies in public places. U.S. Senate chaplain Richard Halverson, an evangelical himself, recently said, "All evangelicals care about is their own agenda. They will keep all the phone lines in Washington busy and many of the callers are downright nasty, yet when it comes to hundreds of other issues Congress faces, they never hear from Evangelicals." The only time we get involved in education is to protest public education. The only time, it seems, we get involved in the arts is to protest the public funding of obscene art. While pro-life leaders often confuse the issue of abortion with getting little red riding hood taken out of the public libraries. Before, we were hostile to the world but we were separated from it. Now we are still hostile, but very much involved. That's why our involvement is so harsh, so strident, and often so very negative. Until we see our role in this world in a positive light we will continue to come off as those who can only judge instead of contribute. We engage in discussions of politics as a disgruntled minority demanding its rights, its piece of the pie, while very often we know little and care less about the deeper philosophical and cultural issues of our time.

 ---

On the footy

A couple of pieces about the league and Australian Rules finals.

:: A message to those, who like me, supported Manly in the Grand Final.

:: Why it was good that Geelong lost. And rule changes as a result of too many Rushed behinds.

~~~~

Good on the Socceroos two from two - and a good start on their road to South Africa. And Adelaide have one foot in the door of the Asian Champions League Final.

NSW Politics..

There's a clear message in the results of the by elections (even though the Labor Party will retain two of these). Currently the swings to the Liberal Party are, on the primary vote are:

:: 25.1% (in Ryde)
:: 21.0% (in Cabramatta)
:: 10.1% (in Lakemba)

Will be interesting to see what happens next.

The US Election

Here's another couple of pieces from earlier in the week about the US Election:

:: One about politics and the pulpit, and the role of pastors during election campaigns.

:: I found this piece about politics and teachers to be fascinating.

:: Moral Questions to ask the candidates.

Spring break...

I'm down in Canberra for the weekend, and spending a night keeping in touch with the NSW by-elections (yes, I am a dag).

Have had quite a lazy afternoon reading the papers, and a few articles really caught my eye: the first God, address unknown, escapes on technicality. Apparently, an injunction against God, to stop causing "widespread death, destruction and terrorisation of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants". failed, because God did not have an address. I have to admit that I found this to be quite amusing.  

Secondly, I really enjoyed the excerpt posted of Chris Abani's address 'When we cannot look away' given last month at the Brisbane Writers Festival. The quote below really hit me, as I think about what writers are seeking to do 

This is what the art I make requires of me, that in order to have an honest conversation with a reader, I must reveal myself in all my vulnerability. Reveal myself, not in the sense of my autobiography, but in the sense of the deeper self, the one we keep too often hidden even from ourselves.

 ~~~~

Weekend Song #4: People Have The Power [Patti Smith]

Didn't quite get to the song over the weekend, but this weekend's song was going to be Patti Smith's People Have the Power (given the US Election is just under four weeks away). Patti Smith played before U2 on the last leg of their Vertigo Tour, and Bono sang these words over the end of Bad a few of their gigs and it I really love the song..  (YouTube have a video of a performance here)

I was dreaming in my dreaming

of an aspect bright and fair

and my sleeping it was broken

but my dream it lingered near

in the form of shining valleys

where the pure air recognized

and my senses newly opened

I awakened to the cry

that the people / have the power

to redeem / the work of fools

upon the meek / the graces shower

it's decreed / the people rule

The people have the power

The people have the power

The people have the power

The people have the power

Vengeful aspects became suspect

and bending low as if to hear

and the armies ceased advancing

because the people had their ear

and the shepherds and the soldiers

lay beneath the stars

exchanging visions

and laying arms

to waste / in the dust

in the form of / shining valleys

where the pure air / recognized

and my senses / newly opened

I awakened / to the cry

Refrain

Where there were deserts

I saw fountains

like cream the waters rise

and we strolled there together

with none to laugh or criticize

and the leopard

and the lamb

lay together truly bound

I was hoping in my hoping

to recall what I had found

I was dreaming in my dreaming

god knows / a purer view

as I surrender to my sleeping

I commit my dream to you

Refrain

The power to dream / to rule

to wrestle the world from fools

it's decreed the people rule

it's decreed the people rule

LISTEN

I believe everything we dream

can come to pass through our union

we can turn the world around

we can turn the earth's revolution

we have the power

People have the power ...

Collection

So, am in Wollongong for the long weekend, and I have been training to tidy up my blog a little (adding titles and tags), its been fun re-reading some of my posts. I might take some time soon to re-post some of my favourite posts.

But today, I wanted to say, after loading the new i-tunes software, and activating the 'Genius' component, I'm not so taken with their Genius. Their genius does not recognise a lot of the music which I quite like ... The Swell Season, Andy Osenga, Colm Mac Con Iomaire to name a few.

And, here's the top 50 Animated films via Rotten Tomatoes.

The Australian's 20th Anniversary: Sport

The Australian's magazine is having its 20th Anniversary, and this weekend they had there 20 magical moments of Australian sport (I think since 1988, because Australia II was not listed). I'm going to leave off number one, and let the readers guess, no peeking ;-)

2. Hawthorn v Geelong VFL Grand final (1989)
3. Shane Warne's "Ball of the Century" to Mike Gatting (1993)
4. Greg Norman, Final Round British Open, (1993)
5. Kieran Perkins, 1500m Final, Altanta Olympics (1996)
6. Newcastle v Manly,  NRL Grand-final (1997)
7. Australia v South Africa, World Cup, Semi-final (1999)
8. John Eales, Bledisloe Cup, Penalty kick (2000).
9. Tony Lockett's 1300th goal (1999)
10. Men's 4x100 Freestyle Final, (2000)
11. Steve Waugh's (final ball) Century at the SCG, Ashes, (2003)
12. Sydney v West Coast, AFL Grand final (2005)
13. Stephen Bradbury, 1000m Speed Skating Gold, Salt Lake City (2002)
14. Lleyton Hewitt, Wimbeldon (2002)
15. Makybe Diva, Melbourne Cup (2005)
16. Australia v Uruguay, World Cup Qualifier (2005)
17. Matthew Hayden's 380 v Zimbabwe (2003)
18. Casey Stoner MotoGP (2007)
19. Adam Gilchrist's 57 ball 100, Ashes (20006-07)
20. Stephen Hooker wins Pole-vault, Beijing (2008)

It's an interesting list, I would definitely add Matthew Mithcam winning the gold in the diving at Beijing earlier this year with the highest scoring dive. In terms of global events, its Manchester United's treble in 1997-98 especially their Champions League Great Escape; maybe Michael Phelps (2008), the Red-Sox win (2005 or 2006), Arsenal's undefeated season in 2003-2004.

So..  what did I leave off??

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Also from the 20th Anniversary Issues - the top 20 Australian Songs from the last 20 years.

Political Pastors?

As regular readers would know I've been following the US Election, and I found it quite intriguing the read a  number of American Evanlegical pastors are preaching sermons on the election, and some actively endorsing candidates because they are "not sure their congregations could join the dots".  Interestingly religious leaders are technically unable to endorse candidates as they are tax-exempt organisations.

My concern is that  if the role of the church (perhaps like any interest group) is to stand apart from government, to speak truth to power, doesn't siding with one compromise the ability to do this? I also wonder, given there may be legitimate reasons for supporting different candiates, might endorsing one over the other, make it harder for some people to hear the other points they make. (Note: I'm sure that there are times when we do need to stand up, and exercise caution about voting for a particular candidate).  Even with an issues focus, endorsing one of the other from the pulpit, suggests that there is one biblical approach to issues, which I just don't think is always true or that simple. What I find more positive, is to let the candidates speak to the issues, in a forum perhaps and that gives voters tools to enable them to decide how to vote.

One of the things that I will be interested in seeing after the election  is the breakdown on evangelical vote in the exit-polls.

Saturday Song # 3: The Frames (The Swell Season) - Star Star

Its quite funny, I've been planning to post this for a while now, as it had been sitting on my mind, and I'd transcribed most of the intro too ;-) , and just before I headed off to my lunch break on Thursday, I saw the post on Something this foggy day - which picked up most of my thoughts. I thought that the two options he poses summarises a number of positions quite nicely; in the sense we are part of the great environmental cycle - or there is a reason outside of, and larger than ourselves.

Courtesy of Something this Foggy Day here's the way Hansard introduced the song, at one gig (at St Louis, last year, which you can buy, along with many others from "Played Last Night").

"This song is like a little consoling lullaby to yourself. It's written in that lovely state of mind where you're (pause), you're drunk - but, you know, it's neither good nor bad, it's just (does something that makes people laugh) ... This song was written in the middle of a field in the middle of the night in the middle of Ireland looking up - I'd like to say looking up at the stars but looking up at a cloudy grey black sky and knowing that the stars are somewhere beyond it and pretending that it's a lovely starry night in the middle of summer, even though you'll probably have pneumonia in the morning. And it's a song about looking up and asking the big questions to the man above or to the stars above or to whatever ... just that beautiful metaphor that there's the sky and the answers are up there somewhere - because otherwise being a human is boring. There are two ways to look at, I think, everything. We're either a fungus on this earth that's eating it up and chewing it up and we're all going to die, or we're here to sow poetry into the ground and to do as much good was we possibly can. (Everyone cheers!) Some of us live the other way and some of us live that way. It's really up to yourself I guess."

Star star, teach me how to shine shine
Teach me so I know what's going on in your mind
'Cause I don't understand these people
Who say the hill's too steep
Well they talk and talk forever
But they just never climb

Falling down into situations
Bringing out the best in you
You're flat on your back again
And star, you're ever word I'm heeding
Can you help me to see?
I'm lost in the marsh.

Star star, teach me how to shine.. shine
Teach me so I know what's going on in your mind
'Cause I don't understand these people
Who say we're all asleep
They'll toss and turn forever
But no rest will they find...

(I love the line which he often insert into the song: "There is no life, I know, to compare, to pure imagination")

 +++

And on Glen Hansard - there's something so familiar about him, he speaks like he's having a conversation with you  - in another recording he talks about how as musicians you are kicking and screaming to get someone (anyone) to pay attention and then, all of a sudden - the world turns around and says "What?!", and secondly I love this story here).

Finally - the Frames' Sydney concert (Aug 14 last year) is available to watch online - Yay!

On Failure and a comic's approach to death

I caught this commencement address, given by JK Rowling - the CASE email. Rowling spoke about failure and its benefits, and a lot of this rings true for me, in fact, behind most successes are many failed attempts

I quite like the below excerpt:

However, the fact that you are graduating from Harvard suggests that you are not very well-acquainted with failure. You might be driven by a fear of failure quite as much as a desire for success. Indeed, your conception of failure might not be too far from the average person's idea of success, so high have you already flown academically. [...]  Now, I am not going to stand here and tell you that failure is fun. That period of my life was a dark one, and I had no idea that there was going to be what the press has since represented as a kind of fairy tale resolution. I had no idea how far the tunnel extended, and for a long time, any light at the end of it was a hope rather than a reality. [...]  So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had already been realised, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.

When a humorist receives a dire prognosis, there's nothing left to do but make God laugh  [PJ O'Rourke via Search]

Saturday song #2 ... Every Grain of Sand

:: words and music by Bob Dylan ~ though I love the version recorded by Emmy-lou Harris (Wrecking Ball)

In the time of my confession, in the hour of my deepest need
When the pool of tears beneath my feet flood every newborn seed
There's a dyin' voice within me reaching out somewhere,
Toiling in the danger and in the morals of despair.

Don't have the inclination to look back on any mistake,
Like Cain, I now behold this chain of events that I must break.
In the fury of the moment I can see the Master's hand
In every leaf that trembles, in every grain of sand.

Oh, the flowers of indulgence and the weeds of yesteryear,
Like criminals, they have choked the breath of conscience and good cheer.
The sun beat down upon the steps of time to light the way
To ease the pain of idleness and the memory of decay.

I gaze into the doorway of temptation's angry flame
And every time I pass that way I always hear my name.
Then onward in my journey I come to understand
That every hair is numbered like every grain of sand.

I have gone from rags to riches in the sorrow of the night
In the violence of a summer's dream, in the chill of a wintry light,
In the bitter dance of loneliness fading into space,
In the broken mirror of innocence on each forgotten face.

I hear the ancient footsteps like the motion of the sea
Sometimes I turn, there's someone there, other times it's only me.
I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man
Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand.

(Note: Saturday Song, became Sunday's Song, owing to Sun and Surf on the South Coast).

Graduation Address

I saw a link to an address given by the late David Foster Wallace, its well worth having a look over (I've never really heard a memorable address at a graduation ceremony). I really liked this passage here:

In the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And an outstanding reason for choosing some sort of God or spiritual-type thing to worship -- be it J.C. or Allah, be it Yahweh or the Wiccan mother-goddess or the Four Noble Truths or some infrangible set of ethical principles -- is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things -- if they are where you tap real meaning in life -- then you will never have enough. Never feel you have enough. It's the truth. Worship your own body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly, and when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally plant you. On one level, we all know this stuff already -- it's been codified as myths, proverbs, clichés, bromides, epigrams, parables: the skeleton of every great story. The trick is keeping the truth up-front in daily consciousness. Worship power -- you will feel weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to keep the fear at bay. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart -- you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. And so on. [..read the full address here]

~~~~

Update: I have to admit that I am not too familiar with the writing of David Foster Wallace - but here's a piece he wrote about the 'dying for the American idea' arguing that "a democratic republic cannot 100-percent protect itself from without subverting the very principles that make it worth protecting?", from the Atlantic Monthly.

Catching up on reading

:: our political views defined by our psychology. (via the BBC), John Hibbings, the project leader agrued that perhaps this explains why it is so hard to change someone's mind in a political debate.We all start from a different psychological point.

:: On Fear v Hope in November. (via The Guardian)

:: Thacker writes about why suffering strengthens religious hope (via The Guardian)

:: There's also an interesting piece about Team sports. (via The Guardian)

Saturday Song lyric

Thought that I'd do something a little different for my blog, and post a song lyric each weekend (and mostly Saturdays). I like the Chesterton quote below (which provided some shape to the song I chose for today).

"I don't deny that there should be priests to remind men that they will one day die. I only say it is necessary to have another kind of priests, called poets, to remind men they are not dead yet"
GK Chesterton.

So for the first one, I thought that I'd use one of the newer songs on my I-pod, and chose one from Andrew Osenga's Letter to the Editor, Vol II. Andrew Osenga was the lead singer of the band the Normals, and more recently has been playing with Caedmon's Call. Letters to the Editor was a project that Osenga did where he asked people to contribute and he used these to form the basis of songs. The first collection was released early 2007 with a "pay what you want" type arrangement, and this week the second project was made available under the same arrangements. The song I've chosen is Let Us Know You, which is the final song the EP. Andrew Osenga is a storyteller, and his lyrics are personal, humble and revealing of both himself and human nature. (Needless to say I'd recommend downloading and listening to the EP)

(where does my help come from)
 

my friends have sent me letters
I've read them all and then
I've tried to make sense of the stories
but I was overwhelmed

so much anger, so much pain
we've had to go numb to survive

so I'm closing my eyes
and I'm praying for those in my life
let us feel, let us love
let us be alive, let us know you

my friends have shared their secrets
and I have given mine
the anarchy of what we think
no one will ever find

in the daylight, to our surprise
our secrets are shades of the same

so I'm closing my eyes
and I'm praying for those in my life
let us feel, let us love
let us be alive, let us know you

in the beginning was the Word,
and the word was with You
You parted the seas
held up the flame in the night to guide us through
You drew in the sand
dropped the stones from violent hands
heard the cry of the crow
and set Your eyes on a faithless friend

You are who You are, and You are and You were and will be

so I'm closing my eyes
and I'm praying for those in my life
let us feel, let us love
let us be alive, let us know you

~~~~

 And when Osenga, wrote about the song in the booklet, he spoke about the below quote.

"I have come to believe that by and large the human family all has the
same secrets, which are both very telling, and very important to tell.
They are telling in the sense that they tell what is perhaps the
central paradox of our condition - that what we hunger for perhaps
more than anything else is to be know in all our humanness, and yet
that is often just what we also fear more than anything else".

Frederick Beuchner - 'Telling Secrets'

Lessons in losing

Here's another great article about the value of losing, from the point of view of a parent.

[We] tend to frame things in terms of contests and wars that must be won or lost. Many challenges, however, are about hanging in there and managing a bad situation.

Losing prepares you for the slog that is life. The world doesn’t give us many finish lines, but it does give us the long run. Let other parents scream and curse at the opposing team, and berate their own kids over their performance. I’m just glad that Sammy was in the game.

He didn’t always win. But he’s a winner.

As for me - I haven't been involved in a team which won everything - but I valued the opportunity to get out there contribute (win or lose) and have fun with the teammates.

(Also on 'losing' - here's a great article here about rejection letters, from the Kenyon review)

More on The Swell Season.

I'll admit it I am also quite addicted to the Swell Season. After I saw the post on Something for this foggy day - I had to post the links to this version of If I have Loved You Wrong and one for Go with Happiness. Well worth a watch/listen

On church attendance..

An interesting piece in the Telegraph about research Kristin Aune has been doing on the number of women attending church in the UK, and how this number appears to be in decline.

Over the past decade, it claims, women have been leaving churches at twice the rate of men. In addition, the census is said to show that teenage boys now outnumber girls in the pews for the first time.Dr Aune says the church must adapt to the needs of modern women if it is to stop them leaving in their droves. She believes many women have been put off going to church in recent years because of the influence of feminism, which challenged the traditional Christian view of women's roles and raised their aspirations. Her report claims they feel forced out of the church because of its "silence" about sexual desire and activity, and because of its hostility to single-parent families and unmarried couples which are now a reality for many women. But it also says changes in women's working lives, with many more now pursuing careers as well as raising children, mean they have less time to attend church. Dr Aune believes churches must now introduce services and activities that fit in better with modern's women's schedules, such as Saturday morning breakfast clubs. She said: "Gone are the days when the mother was at home during the day and had time to visit the church's coffee mornings and mother and toddler groups. With the pressures women face, churches must adapt to make themselves more accessible."

(Note: the heading is a bit of a laugh - but the question is serious -how can the churches continue to attract women as well as men while staying faithful to biblical teachings).

Weekend Reading...

:: Saving the world is off the curriculum... Audio: interview with Stanley Fish author of Save the World On Your Own Time)

:: An experiment on teaching taste ... (Interview)

:: One I don't need to be convinced of - the value of the male school teacher. For more about teachers and teaching, Lesson Plans (a new NYT's blog) is well worth a read.

:: A day without google...

:: Depression and men ..

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September ...

There's something that I love about September (even though at the moment it doesn't feel like spring) - the scripts written on the grass of our stadiums that grab my attention.  The red and white will be out in force (for this week at least) - as the Swans dance with North Melbourne tonight - the loser plans for 2009; and the winner gets another dance. Will see how it goes, but it is hard to see anyone other than Geelong or Hawthorn winning the flag and to be fair that is the final most neutrals hope for.

The Qualifying for the World Cup continues this week too; New Zealand booked themselves a place in a play-off with the 5th best team in Asia.  The European Qualifiers continue tonight; and the Socceroos play the Netherands in a friendly before heading to Tashkent for their qualifier against Uzbekistan (on Wednesday). The 642 days will disappear pretty quickly too...

Links..

:: Here's one piece on Facebook, about the how the News Feed page and Twitter, is impacting how we relate (via NYT).

You could also regard the growing popularity of online awareness as a reaction to social isolation, the modern American disconnectedness that Robert Putnam explored in his book “Bowling Alone.”

:: I enjoyed this piece about Bono, and his activism. As for me, I am glad to see people like him out there speaking about what's going on, and the profile he has, brings light onto the cause.

~~~~

Elections..

For those like me who have been following the US Presidential Election this year - here's another site to keep an eye on - FiveThirtyEight - which projects the result of the election. (See the FAQ here for information about the methodology they used).

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The Swell Season

Can't let this pass without comment - in the latest newsletter from The Frames, there was a mention about The Swell Season touring Australia 2009, probably January. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to it. Colm Mac Con Iomaire, the 'fiddler' from The Frames has his own CD coming out too...

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Couple of shorts..

:: Here's some of the speeches from the Convention last week. [via NPR]

:: Found this piece about the athletes behind the salute in 1968 quite interesting; I am keen to see the film Salute, which was released recently. [via NYT]

:: A review of Sunday mornings, Staying home -how American evangelicals are quitting churches...

She reports, among other things: a lack of a feeling of community among church members, inducing loneliness and boredom; church teaching that fails to go beyond the basics of the faith or to reach members grappling with suffering or unanswered prayer; pastors who are either out of touch with their parishioners or themselves unhappy, or who fail to shepherd their flocks, or who are caught up in scandal, or who try to control the lives of church members in a high-handed way. She claims that many churches have "inefficient leadership models" and that many, preoccupied with the care of families, neglect single people. [via Wall Street Journal]

I also thought this quote, made a great point -- should we really be concerned with numbers anyway?

From a theological perspective, there is no guarantee that churches will prosper as they attempt to make disciples -- if we judge prosperity by church membership alone. A church might conscientiously carry out its biblical tasks and yet, by measures of popularity, do poorly in this world. Such a church would not be doing right if it adjusted its mission for the sake of higher attendance records. Note that by the end of his ministry the number of disciples with Jesus was down to 12. Now there was a decent church, one might say, if a small one.

:: An interesting piece on young American evangelicals and purity. [via The Chicago Tribune]

:: There's a the "gene's made me do it" excuse for everything... "a genetic variation may be responsible for weakening some men's ability to be monogamous" via NPR.

Some links..

I've been catching up with Google reader tonight.

:: Another piece about adjusting medal tallies. [via The Guardian]

:: Punditry .. or prayer [via The Guardian]

:: Fallen Stars.. [via the NYT]

:: Obama accepts the Demorcatic nomination [via the NYT]

Alternative Olympic Medal Tallies

So, heres' the current 2008 Olympic Medal Tally (via SMH). Interesting note that New York Times Medal table list countries by medal's won.

I'm quite interested in the adjusted medal tables. Here's two alternative tallies:

:: via Andrew Starr which ranks according to the number of medals won per 10 million of population.

:: the second, ranks by points (Gold = 3, Silver = 2, Bronze = 1) divided by Population (in millions)

I'm keen to see one adjusted by GDP (or by average per cent of GDP spent on sport). Here's the final GDP-Adjusted table from Athens 2004.

Olympics..

I watched a little bit of the Olympics (I've probably read more than I've seen), but I quite liked these pieces from the mainland (c/o the NZ Herald).

:: If all else fails, join Australia - this one was published last week, before NZ had won any medals.

:: Whatever happened to winner-take-all?

:: And as you can see, TV coverage is the same the world over ;-)

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How to know your a tragic...

... when you see something like the below, and go wow~! this sounds cool.

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U2: The Hype and The Feedback (May 13-15, 2009) is the first conference to examine U2's considerable catalog of music as well as their influence in the areas of the music and entertainment industry, popular culture, humanitarian relief and the global politics of peace and social justice.
We invite proposals for papers, presentations or panels on any topic relating to the music, work or influence of U2 that would appeal to an audience of scholars, students, journalists, musicians and intellectually curious U2 fans.
We encourage proposals from established or independent scholars; faculty, graduate or undergraduate students; journalists, critics, musicians and fans.
+++
I'll be keeping tabs on this for sure.. not that I could go though.

A World that Stands as One

Here's excerpts from Barack Obama's speech, overnight in Berlin [read or watch the whole speech here]

"...The fall of the Berlin Wall brought new hope. But that very closeness has given rise to new dangers - dangers that cannot be contained within the borders of a country or by the distance of an ocean. [...] As we speak, cars in Boston and factories in Beijing are melting the ice caps in the Arctic, shrinking coastlines in the Atlantic, and bringing drought to farms from Kansas to Kenya. Poorly secured nuclear material in the former Soviet Union, or secrets from a scientist in Pakistan could help build a bomb that detonates in Paris. The poppies in Afghanistan become the heroin in Berlin. The poverty and violence in Somalia breeds the terror of tomorrow. The genocide in Darfur shames the conscience of us all. [...] The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand. The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes; natives and immigrants; Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down. [... ] History reminds us that walls can be torn down. But the task is never easy. True partnership and true progress requires constant work and sustained sacrifice. They require sharing the burdens of development and diplomacy; of progress and peace. They require allies who will listen to each other, learn from each other and, most of all, trust each other. [...] Now the world will watch and remember what we do here - what we do with this moment. Will we extend our hand to the people in the forgotten corners of this world who yearn for lives marked by dignity and opportunity; by security and justice? Will we lift the child in Bangladesh from poverty, shelter the refugee in Chad, and banish the scourge of AIDS in our time? Will we stand for the human rights of the dissident in Burma, the blogger in Iran, or the voter in Zimbabwe? Will we give meaning to the words "never again" in Darfur? "

~~~~

Random Shorts

:: An interesting article about living with autism (via the Washington Post)

:: On technology recommending movies (and music),via the WSJ This quote sums it up nicely for me:

And sometimes, even when technology can get it right, many of us will still opt for the old-fashioned way. After all, it's nice to listen to a computer recommending a movie we might like. But sometimes it's even nicer to listen to a person we know we like.

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New U2 .... November (maybe)

I've read a few reports, that the new U2 album is 'likely' to be released in November, if it is the case, we're seeing a trend's emerging ... Beautiful Day was released just after the Sydney Olympics; Vertigo just after the Athens games., and (if this is true) after Beijing .. so mark down 2012 for the follow-up.

~~~~

Too much time to think ...

Just read this interesting post by Jonah Lehrer, about why thinking too much can lead you to "buy the wrong house". I kind of agree, having more time to make a decision, does not necessarily lead to making the 'right' decision

Ap Dijksterhuis, a psychologist at Radboud University in the Netherlands (and expert on unconscious thought), has done some cool studies that look at how people shop for "complex products," like cars, apartments, homes, etc. and how they often fall victim to what he calls a "weighting mistake". Consider two housing options: a three bedroom apartment that is located in the middle of a city, with a ten minute commute time, or a five bedroom McMansion in the suburbs, with a forty-five minute commute. "People will think about this trade-off for a long time," Dijksterhuis writes. "And most them will eventually choose the large house. After all, a third bathroom or extra bedroom is very important for when grandma and grandpa come over for Christmas, whereas driving two hours each day is really not that bad." What's interesting is that the more time people spend deliberating, the more important that extra space becomes. They'll imagine all sorts of scenarios (a big birthday party, Thanksgiving dinner, another child) that will turn the suburban house into an absolute necessity. The lengthy commute, meanwhile, will seem less and less significant, at least when compared to the allure of an extra bathroom. But, as Dijksterhuis points out, that reasoning process is exactly backwards: "The additional bathroom is a completely superfluous asset for at least 362 or 363 days each year, whereas a long commute does become a burden after a while." For instance, a recent study found that, when a person travels more than one hour in each direction, they have to make forty per cent more money in order to be as "satisfied with life" as someone with a short commute. Another study, led by Daniel Kahneman and the economist Alan Krueger, surveyed nine hundred working women in Texas and found that commuting was, by far, the least pleasurable part of their day. And yet, despite these gloomy statistics, nearly 20 percent of American workers commute more than forty-five minutes each way. (More than 3.5 million Americans spend more than three hours each day traveling to and from work: they're currently the fastest growing category of commuter. For more on commuter culture, check out this awesome New Yorker article.) According to Dijksterhuis, these people are making themselves miserable because they failed to properly "weigh" the relevant variables when they were choosing where to live. Because these deliberative homeowners tended to fixate on details like square footage or the number of bathrooms, they assumed that a bigger house in the suburbs would make them happy, even if it meant spending an extra hour in the car everyday. But they were wrong.

~~~~

Tourism

Given the price of fuel (and the cost of airfares) here's a new trend (from the US) to take that round the world trip, without leaving home, and fake it. (from Wall St. Journal)

Rock Lyrics...

Recently there was a piece in the Guardian, responding a piece by Germaine Greer saying that rock/pop lyrics have no literary worth. I've always thought some songs are poems, set to music (eg... 'Hallelujah') and could well be studied as such.

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On Villains

There was a great piece in the Herald over the weekend about why villains are so crucial to a film's success.

And the reason we tend to relate to the baddies or the villains is that really we're not watching anything that's outside of anything that we know.

In fact, there's a subconscious connection with them because the things that they're doing tend to be things that we understand anyway. We have our own moral structures and society has helped construct us in a way that we tend not to do those things. But we're certainly capable of understanding the actions themselves - up to a certain point [...] We love villains because they tend to be the only person in the story who knows what's going on. They're the ones, he explains, making everything happen, they're proactive and the protagonists are reactive - at least up to about two-thirds of the way through the movie. "If they don't make a move, nothing happens. They're the engine of the story ... and, remember, movie villains tend to be in the movie maybe 10 per cent of the time. There are long stretches where they're nowhere to be seen. The protagonist is mostly wandering through a fog looking for clues and somewhere in the background is this entity who knows everything.

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Fixing our Broken Society

Here's an excerpt from the leader of the opposition in Britain, and the key thrust of his speech is responsibility, and responsibility isn't a one-way street.

We as a society have been far too sensitive. In order to avoid injury to people's feelings, in order to avoid appearing judgemental, we have failed to say what needs to be said. We have seen a decades-long erosion of responsibility, of social virtue, of self-discipline, respect for others, deferring gratification instead of instant gratification.

Instead we prefer moral neutrality, a refusal to make judgments about what is good and bad behaviour, right and wrong behaviour. Bad. Good. Right. Wrong. These are words that our political system and our public sector scarcely dare use any more.

Of course as soon as a politician says this there is a clamour - "but what about all of you?" And let me say now, yes, we are human, flawed and frequently screw up.

Our relationships crack up, our marriages break down, we fail as parents and as citizens just like everyone else. But if the result of this is a stultifying silence about things that really matter, we re-double the failure. Refusing to use these words - right and wrong - means a denial of personal responsibility and the concept of a moral choice.

We talk about people being "at risk of obesity" instead of talking about people who eat too much and take too little exercise. We talk about people being at risk of poverty, or social exclusion: it's as if these things - obesity, alcohol abuse, drug addiction - are purely external events like a plague or bad weather.

Of course, circumstances - where you are born, your neighbourhood, your school, and the choices your parents make - have a huge impact. But social problems are often the consequence of the choices that people make.

There is a danger of becoming quite literally a de-moralised society, where nobody will tell the truth anymore about what is good and bad, right and wrong. That is why children are growing up without boundaries, thinking they can do as they please, and why no adult will intervene to stop them - including, often, their parents. If we are going to get any where near solving some of these problems, that has to stop.

And why would a different government be any different? Not least because we understand that the causes of our broken society lie not just in government policies but in our national culture.

Changing our culture is not easy or quick. You cannot pull a lever. You cannot do it top-down. But you can give a lead. You can give a nudge. You can make a difference if you are clear where you stand.

Imagine if there was a Government that understood, really understood, that encouraging personal and social responsibility must be the cornerstone of everything that it did and that every move it took re-inforced that view.

Saying to parents, your responsibility and your commitment matters, so we will give a tax break for marriage and end the couple penalty. Saying to head teachers you are responsible and if you want enforceable home school contracts and the freedom to exclude you can have it and we will judge you on your results. Saying to police officers you are responsible and the targets and bureaucracy are going but you must account to an elected individual who will want answers if you fail. Saying to business, if you take responsibility you can help change culture and we will help you with deregulation and tax cuts … but in the long run they depend on the steps you take to help tackle the costs of social failure that have driven your costs up and up.

It is the responsibility agenda and it will be the defining thread of any government I lead. [..]

Above all, I believe that this cultural change needs to start at home. The values we need to repair our broken society and to build a strong society are values that should be taught in the home, in the family.

That is why I have put the family right at the heart of my programme. Action on knife crime. Better policing and criminal justice reform. Reforming schools. Reforming welfare. These are all vital components of the social reform we need so urgently.

But in the end, the state cannot do it all. In the end, the best regulation is self-regulation, not state regulation. That's why the family comes first. That's where we can really turn things around and start to repair our broken society.
[Full speech]

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