Notices
I heard on Radio Four's 'The Now Show' last Friday that certain British-born Muslims have taken to doing things whilst travelling on the tube, to allay fears that other travellers may have eg, reading The Economist, and carrying a bottle of wine with them - to show that they are urbane and not strict. I also got this from Simon :
Da Bomb sent me this a while back:
Good to see that Norm (of Canada) is not afraid of bombs in London (in England).
Watched 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' last night. Free of kids, the adults of boomtown pissed themselves laughing all the way through. Recommended.
Listening to: 'Birth of the Blues', by Sammy Davis Jr (live), 'Birth of the Blues' by King Curtis (a cookin' instrumental), 'Yolanda' by Bobby 'Blue' Bland and the voices in my imagination.
Love, peace & respect,
Fearless
posted by Woz at 6:06 am
4 Comments:
Following on from bottles of wine and The Economist spotted this in Bristol/ Bath Venue mag. recently:
'I'm off to Europe for a couple of weeks next week and will be going through London. Anyone know where I can get a transparent back-pack? I'm a 25 year old Asian guy and this is not a joke."
There is an idea there!
The human species is an adaptive ape and perhaps this is just a part of our evolution. But, what interests me more and more about these events is the way that they impact our lives in small ways, in other words, in the way that the ripples from the pebble skim are felt.
Similarly adaptive, my brother's mate now cycles into the city every morning from Chalk Farm along the canal tow path (and someone told me the other day that bike sales in the city were up by 400%: a silver lining?) And, in the light of your thoughts here I am now beginning to see this act (and that of carrying the economist/ bottles of wine) in a new light - in short, as social history.
In other words, why did my great auntie share baths with her friend during the war? A combination of reasons. Not because she was a lesbian but because water was rationed and this way the two girls had a deeper bath. As I said, social history interests me, sadly largely disregarded by History A level!
3:16 pm
I guess, if he's from the USA, he could wear a top with the stars and stripes on it...
...but yes, we are living in amazing times - similar to the 1970s. We have thrown all our gambling chips up in the air. We are short on oil, water, living space and temper. The effects haven't even begun to register in Europe or the USA.
Everyone would do well to learn some social history - whether sharing a bath, car pooling, tools, why old universities have such great land (because cruel rich buggers on their deathbed bequeathed the land to the local seat of learning in a bid to get into heaven).
I remember being in California shortly after 9/11. All South Asian and Middle Eastern folk hjad the stars and stripes on their car. I was in the back of a hired car, with two (white) colleagues in the front. Along route 101, people drove alongside and had a good look at me, thinking I had been detained...so I held my arms behind my back, as if I had been handcuffed.
You may care to take a look at the following books:
- 'the art of looking sideways' by Alan Fletcher
- 'Freakonomics' by Stephen Levitt
- 'Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds', by Charles Mackay
Thks for commenting
6:38 pm
Thanks for the book recommendations - will keep my mind pliant. Have been reading more non-fiction this year, some Desmond Morris, Naomi Wolf and Germaine Greer. Branching out.
11:29 am
I have taken a break from reading poetry, and am digging into some old favourites, like Joseph Heller, Ryszard Kapuscinski, and some works related to the public and their perception of the media (following on from Marshall MacLuhan), including Neil Postman's 'Amusing Ourselves to Death'.
Happy reading.
6:32 pm
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