This Land is Your Land *

St Andrews Day greetings to all my bloggy friends.

Yes, I know, been away too long. So what have I been doing? Eh, not much really.
I suppose i could mention that I started and finished the first of the Henning Markell detective Wallander series which delves into racism in Sweden in the early 90s.
I paid a visit here to witness the first home victory of the season against Norwich.
I had a game myself in which, going in goals for the first half I had to endure a bit of this, but I did manage to pull off the odd one of these. Despite such heroics, and the fact that I only let in one in the half that I played in goal, we went down 6-1. We did have a nice pint here afterwards.
I also got to play one or two games of this - a very enjoyable way to spend a lunchtime, it has to be said.
Football and badminton aside, I think I'd be more suited playing this - it definitely appeals.
I have to admit that I got a wee bit annoyed at noticing that I'm listed under "wet, liberal and totally unreliable come the glorious day" by this bloke. Right, okay, my political activities don't add up to much these days, but I do take exception to someone who doesn't know you having the arrogance to presume what your ideology is. And, anyway, what fucking "glorious day" is he talking about. Presumably, him being in Brussels, it will be the day that the Belgian working class rise up against middle-class tossers and put them up against the wall where they belong?
But, really, forget that rant, I've been spending most of my time in recent weeks reading classic material from here and here and here and here and, with recent posts being a bit of a departure from her usual style, definitely here. Sorry Darren, but I refuse to include you here cos you're as lazy as me - and that goes for Kara also.
I've also decided to enlighten my head by introducing works by the likes of DH Lawrence to my reading list and I've started with Sons and Lovers. Let's just say it was getting rather steamy when reading this on the train coming home from work last night.

Anyway, intelligent design - that's one scary motherfucker of a theory. And the sole purpose of this creation (ironic use of the word there) is to get religion onto the curriculum of schools across the United States.

Here's a taster:

"So the miracle of life must begin with a string of miracles in order to communicate the code to all of the parts of the translating machinery and in order to ensure that the correct information is used. As you can see the omission or insertion of even one letter in either the DNA or the translation machinery makes the instructions useless. The code itself came from somewhere? Where? The code was communicated to the appropriate parts of the translation machinery so that it knew what it was translating. Who did this? One miracle is not enough. We must have hundreds of miracles coming together at precise times and places in order to even produce the translation of the code!"

There we have it - science is so unbelievably complex that there has just gotta be a creator there in the first place to have invented such miracles! Read more of this shit here - but please don't be convinced!

As I was saying, greetings on St Andrews Day and, although it's a bit late to be promoting the STUC's St Andrews Day anti-racism march and rally (it took place last Saturday), at least there is some time to go out and buy the ingredients for Scotland's national dish - and, no, it's not haggis!

*Woody Guthrie

Get It Together *

I logged on here to write about something in particular and, just as I started, I realised I had completly forgotten what that something in particular was. This suggest that I'm either a) stupid, or b) stupid - you decide!

Anyway, I will say that my cinema-going continued at the weekend as I went to see De Battre Mon Coeur S'est Arrêté (or, if you prefer, The Beat That My Heart Skipped) - yes, I know, what an unweildy title. Nevertheless, title apart it is very good indeed. At times funny, but mostly violent, with a bit of tragedy and romance also, it involves a bloke who is torn between his life as a violent property developer/bailif type and his passion for the piano and the dream he has of becoming a concert pianist. Based, apparently, on a film from the 70s starring Harvey Keitel which went by the title of Fingers. Go here and read the presse Francais view of this excellent piece of cinema or go here to the official site in English.

Oh, just before I go, I got rid of my link to Dooce. Her blog is very corporate and contains far too many advertisements for my liking - and she can manage very well without my link anyway.

Oh, and again, just before I go - wasn't the Scotland v USA football match at the weekend one of the most tedious games ever? I should also say that the other game which followed it was a little bit better.

* The Jacksons

Don't Waste Your Time *

My contribution to the debate over at C&S; has, so far, been limited in both quality and amount of literary criticism. Why would I waste my time arguing about a book I neither like nor care about? It's not offensive, a la Mein Kampf, so I wouldn't want to make any counter-arguments against its subject matter. It's not a political tract, so I have no comment to make about it on that score either. Nah, I simply think it's a crap book. And, while I even think that this short comment is giving it space that it does not deserve, I'll offer some additional comments from elsewhere:

"In spite of its very numerous qualities--it is, among other things, a kind of technical handbook, in which the young novelist can study all the possible and many of the quite impossible ways of telling a story--'Ulysses' is one of the dullest books ever written, and one of the least significant. This is due to the total absence from the book of any sort of conflict.
Aldous Huxley
"OK, I never read Ulysses from beginning to end, but then again, neither, I believe, has anybody else, including most of the writers and scholars who declared it the greatest English-language book of the century in that Modern Library list last year. I have read the first one hundred pages at least three times, and then, longing for a story, I never got further."
Richard Bernstein, book critic, The New York Times

These quotes I like - similar views can be found here.

*The Vessels

Puppy Love *

This is possibly the maddest news story of the year.

*Donnie Osmond

I Spy*

The Agency's top man in Ireland has given us yet another gem, this time on the trial of the five anti-war protestors - it's not only the story itself but the links in his post which are well worth checking out!


*Pulp

Simply The Best *

Shaun Maloney said after the game that there wasn't much between them - but young Shaun does not speak the truth. There was a huge gap in class - 2-0 at full time but it really should have been five. Bring them on again in 10 days time!

*Tina Turner - the hun scum run out to this song at every home game. But they're simply not anymore!

P.S. And, of course, Blair quite rightly also got fucked tonight - what a great evening this has been. But, postscript to that one, Blair could have got fucked last week too, but a certain egomaniac former Labour MP who is now on the road to promoting obscuratinism through his (dis)Respect party kept up his great tradition of non-appearances at crucial votes in the Commons by being absent once again as he was out on a speaking tour promoting himself and his book!

Half-time update: 1-0 to us after an unbelievable goal from Shaun Maloney. Not a great game, but it disnae matter - we're beating the hun scum. Aiden McGeady not having a good one at all, doesn't know when to pass or who to pass to - Alan Thompson may be a better option for the second half.

COME ON THE HOOPS!

Anticipation *

The forces of good take on the forces of darkness tonight. We're soooo going to do them in! Tune in to BBC 1 Scotland to witness this great event!

* Delta 5

Maybe Tomorrow *

This is really not what you expect cheerleaders to get up to, is it?

This is not really what you would expect to see when you sit down in the hope of catching your favourite programme.

And this is not really what you expect from men of the cloth?

And you wouldn't expect Bulgarian astronomers to do this, would you?

Four trips to the cinema in recent weeks.

Film One - A History of Violence
Everything about this film is excellent - looks fab, acting's fab, great story. All in all, Cronenberg's best since the 70's classics Rabid and Sliver.

Film Two - Broken Flower
Very mediocre. It has Bill Murray playing exactly the part which you expect Bill Murray to play these days - middle aged man facing mid-life crisis. At least it was better than Jim Jarmusch's last effort Coffee & Cigarettes, which I considered to be extremely boring and totally over-rated.

Film Three - Battle In Heaven
Much has been made of its "real sex" contents, so, if you think that sex is somehow nasty, then this is not for you. If, however, you like quality cinema, a mesmerising storyline, quality acting (from the non-professional cast) and some of the most amazing camera work to be seen, then go. The finale is worth the price of admission alone.

Film Four - Thumbsucker
A cracking film and very very funny indeed - and has a great soundtrack. Go see! I now want to read the book.


*The Chords (I've been saying "maybe tomorrow" about blogging for weeks now - like Darren, I'll really really really try to blog more often. But, unlike today, I'll try not to leave it until the next time I get summonsed home from work by the boy's school as he has to go home ill. He's fine now and, in fact, I don't think there was much wrong with the wee shite anyway!)