30 November, 2015

Sky News on our (absurdly hopeful) 2° Future

Just in time for the talks in Paris* and as the last hopes of our keeping temperature-increase under 2 degrees Celsius evaporate, here's a nice video from Sky News illustrating what, at this point, our most optimistic future might look like due to our greedy shortsighted stupidity.


This video, released in the last 24 hours or so, on our 2° future was accompanied by scarier videos illustrating 3° & 4° respectively.  For some reason, Sky has since chosen to set the accompanying videos to 'Private' status on YouTube.


To be generous to Sky, maybe these videos were just released prematurely by accident, and will be re-released shortly.  Maybe.**

The remaining video is instructive.****  But we're missing the progression that the video-makers clearly intended with just the one.  Also, each video ended with an encouragement to share said content via social media.  Kinda hard to do that Sky when you disappear the videos with no warning, and no explanation.



* Which due to our ever currently convenient obsession with 'The War on Terror'*** are to occur under a 'State of Emergency' with protests conveniently banned.

** That, or representatives of Murdoch's buddies in the fossil-fuel-industries got wind of what one of his media-outlets was putting out, and convinced Sky of the benefits of a little self-censorship ?

*** Many of the roots of which can be directly tied back to our dependence upon fossil-fuels, and support of the backwards regimes who control much of the supply thereof.

**** Myself, I think there's an argument that some of the millennials and younger may have an excuse (living under Western corporate media & the likes of GOP-compromised educational systems) for not understanding just how dire the threat is.  But, really, if you're over thirty or so and need any further convincing, then at this point I can't put it down to any better than, at most generous, wilful ignorance.


Update: This vid. on 5° change may be a replacement for the other two videos I mentioned.

26 November, 2015

Wuerker's Thanksgiving Prayer

And then, since it is the season, I suppose, scheduled for midnight GMT, we have...


'A Thanksgiving Prayer' from Matt Wuerker.  Ridiculously optimistic, but what the hell...

25 November, 2015

Jennings on the Madness in Syria

Been neglecting the cartoons on here of late.  Been neglecting the whole thing to be honest.  Anyway, first up, a dose of terrifying reality, brilliantly rendered by Ben Jennings in the Indy.


My favourite cartoon of the moment really...and one for the ages.

Checking in with the Candidates


The GOP candidates for the US presidency, that is.  First, here's Seth Meyers on Donald Trump's lies.



And then, this...well, this would appear to be the #2 in the GOP race currently, the consensus mainstream candidate, and his likely runningmate play-acting at being president, and getting to perform the all-important duty of...pardoning a turkey...

Why ?  Who the hell knows ?

24 November, 2015

The Sky is Falling !!!

Okay, so the 22 Minutes piece isn't exactly high art, but you get the point perhaps.  Just fourteen years ago, we watched terrorists crash jet-airliners into and bring down skyscrapers in Manhattan, with thousands dead.  Watched people throwing themselves from windows to escape the smoke & flames.  It hurt.  It shocked.  It scarred us.  And we reacted in panic, rushing through new security-powers, turning ourselves into cattle in our airports, starting two wars, one of which hasn't quite ended even today, and the other of which helped birth ISIS.

We endured those attacks, far greater and more traumatic than those in Paris, and some of us at least, had mind to later regret our initial hasty rush to act, our temptation to give in to the demands of politicians who promised to keep us safe.  Our stupid willingness to give the terrorists exactly what they fucking wanted.  To be terrified into undermining that which makes Western society great, and waging what they could easily portray as a war on the Muslim world.

And now here we are again, having seemingly learned nothing in the years since.  We have even worse politicians calling for more extreme action, demanding that we surrender what remains of our civil liberties in the name of security.  We have the same incessant drumbeat for MOAR WAR.  And we have an even more lunatic bunch of fanatical crazies trying to goad us into the clash of civilisations they so desperately desire.

We overreacted then, and we're on the verge of overreacting now.  Calm the fuck down people, for all our sakes.

22 Minutes: Fear Everything

11 November, 2015

Naughty or Nice Doesn't Come Close


I would not have believed even seven months ago that I would feel as strongly about this man as I do today.  Now, I'm long past making any excuses for him.  He is the face of all the evil his party has wrought and continues to wreak.  May a likely non-existent God have mercy on his soul.

Oh, and a premature Happy Christmas* Ev'ryone !...


* Fuck political correctness now and forever.  Fuck Starbucks, regardless of how they decorate their cups.  And fuck 'Merry'...it's Happy dammit.

09 November, 2015

Darling Buds: Shame on You (Peel Session)


Rawness and primitive impact here you just don't get outside sessions...

Like this actually a lot more than the album-version to which I was just listening.

Le Tigre: The The Empty


Think we need the lyrics for this one:

The stars are getting in and out of automobiles 
And we keep wondering when we're gonna feel something real 
Keep waiting for a Santa that'll never come 
A real party not just people who're faking fun 
But everything gets erased before it's even said 
And all that glitters isn't gold when inside it's dead 

All that glitters is not gold 
All that glitters is not gold 
All that glitters is not gold 
All that glitters is not gold 

I went to yr concert and I didn't feel anything 
I went to yr concert and I didn't hear anything 
I went to yr concert and I didn't feel anything 
I went to yr concert and I didn't see anything 

(oh baby) why won't you talk to me? 
(oh baby) you just want me empty! 
(oh baby) you don't say anything! 
(oh baby) why won't you answer me?

All that glitters is not gold 
All that glitters is not gold 
All that glitters is not gold 
All that glitters is not gold 

I sat thru yr movie but I didn't see anything 
I went to yr comedy club and didn't laugh at all 
I went to yr movie and I didn't hear anything 
I went to yr concert and there was nothing was going on 

You don't say, you don't say, 
you don't say anything........

Read more at http://www.songlyrics.com/le-tigre/the-the-empty-lyrics/#DRtjXT53tfkAA7KT.99

Just think of what I could be and not what I am...


Star (demo-version) by Blake Babies from Innocence and Experience.

07 November, 2015

I'm Honoured...

...to earn my first block on Twitter from @AngryBlackLady.



The offending tweet of mine ?

In which video Imani's (above) tweet was featured, which I thought was kinda cool.*

Your prerogative Imani, your prerogative...




* Should have explained the context & intent better I suppose, but Imani doesn't know me from Adam, and I couldn't think what to say, hence, fuck it, just 'FYI.'  Oh well.