Today (Monday) saw a change in my timetable, instead of my usual features class we were asked to go to a photography exhibition curated by Yoav Galli, a student at City University on the Olive Tree programme, detailed here. His and other photographers themes were their experiences of the continuing wars between Israelis and Arabs on the west bank, Gaza strip and in Yoav's case in Lebanon. All the photographers are either Israeli or Palestinian, showing what happens on their doorstep.
Some of the photos were striking. Some disgusting. There was the usual crying babies and anguished families and friends of those who had been killed, but we also saw some pretty gruesome stuff: Dying, rotting bodies (often with missing limbs/ heads), injured soldiers with blank expressions, but the images that shocked me most were of dead children, sometimes buried in rubble so that all you can see is their heads. The more horrific images were shown in a seperate presentation by three of the photographers in the exhibit, Yoav, Mohammed Abed and Lior Mizrahi. So I'll focus on some of the ones in the actual exhibition.
Yoav's were mostly of Israeli soldiers in Lebanon, with whom he had been embedded (whereby a Journalist is placed in a troop to report on what they are doing). This was the soldiers with blank expressions and blood dripping down their faces after being hit unexpectedly.
Mohammed's were very familiar. One was what he described as "the first act of the war" (the most recent war in Gaza in January this year), when a group of graduating police officers in gaza were bombed by the Israelis. The background features lifeless bodies on the ground, but the foreground is more striking, an injured officer reaching toward the camera, his face one of fear and pain. This image was used for the cover of the Guardian's G2 insert, for a special feature on the Gaza war. It has stuck with me since then. Another of his photos was used along with others in a campaign by Human Rights Watch earlier this year. From the same war, it is an image of the UN refugee school being bombed by White Phosphurus Shells. The images are incredible, and he can't of been more than a few metres away from being hit (he said he could even smell it as it was falling). It was concrete proof that Israel had used an illegal weapon. Nothing has yet been done.
I didn't remember which photos in the exhibition were Lior's, but in his presentation he showed us a few photos of palestinian civilians in clashes with Israel border guards, as well as a few suicide bombings, and even a photo from the funeral of Yasar Arafat.
Of the other photographers, there were one or two that made my jaw drop. A photo by Mahmoud Hams of a missile just about to drop in the middle of a running crowd was particularly awe-inspiring. Bloggers had accused the photographer of photoshopping the missile in, but Yoav showed us the original. It was real. It was an incredible capture.
Another, taken by Fady Adwan, took me a couple of looks to realise the horror of it. The focal point is a dead man on the street in the arms of his friend/ relative who is crying. A usual horrific photo, but a slight glance to the left and you see it, a man with half his head blown off.
This exhibit made me feel a little sick, but more so it made me angry. Why had no-one done anything about the use of White Phosphurous? Why were there all these people who had been training to help keep the peace lying dead? Why do these two peoples keep this fight going despite growing international pressure to get talking? Why are the Israelis so over the top in their retaliation? There are answers to these questions, and they just make me more angry.
But I think my friend Dan made a good point. "3o years ago, we'd be out on the streets chanting against this. Now, we see the photos, say how horrible it all is, and do nothing." That probably needs to change.
Monday 26 October 2009
Thursday 22 October 2009
General election and shizz.
On tuesday night, I attended a talk/debate at my university (City University London) which involved a panel of 3 political journalists discussing their views on who will win the next election, what the decisive factors will be.
The panel was made up of: Cheif Political columnist for the Independent Steve Richards, Writer of The Times' "Redbox" blog Tim Coates, and political writer of the Evening Standard and alumni of City University Pippa Crerar. They were asked to talk for 5 minutes on their views as to what will happen from now until the election, and finish by predicting the percentages each main party (Lib Dem, Labour, Tory) would recieve. This is detailed below:
Pippa Crerar: She started off talking about the biscuit fiasco, saying Gordon Brown did not want to alienate fans of particular biscuits (a very decisive issue indeed...). She then went on to say that she still though people were unsure about what David Cameron and the Conservatives actually stand for, and that Cameron must persuade the electorate that they want all the immediate spending cuts he promised in his conference speech. However, she thought that it was still too late for Brown to come back and win, but that it was not a certainty that the Tories would get a majority government, and the possibility of a hung parliament was still there. In this instance, she predicted that the Lib Dems would go into coalition with the Conservatives so as to distance themselves from what went before. Her Percentages: CON 42 LAB 33 LIB 18
Steve Richards: Again, biscuits was the lift off point, and he used this analogy to make the point that Brown was "a mix of a lofty interlectually and a crazed journalist". He stated that Blair had always commented on his being right about what the media would pick up on in his speeches (with some excellent impressions to boot) and because of this he is always thinking about the headlines. For example, when asked "Are you enjoying being Prime Minister?" he cannot answer "Yes" for fear of the newspapers saying "BROWN ENJOYS MISERY OF CREDIT CRUNCH BRITAIN". Hence he dithers and says "I just get up at 5, do my job etc..." Richards also thought that Brown was very aware that since the early 90s his popularity with the British public had oscillated wildly, so that maybe he was thinking another up was due. But he also said that the only way Labour could survive was if the Economy went up. Regarding Cameron, he thought that he shouldn't be worried that people are less excited about change now than they were when Blair was elected, because hype eventually leads to disappointment, and that he can take more risks because it's fairly certain he will be the next PM. His predictions: CON 39 LAB 32 LIB 21
Sam Coates - Journalism is all about Predictions. Not sure that is quite true, but it definetly is a huge part of it. Coates decided for his 5 minutes to detail two senarios, a boring one and an exciting one. The boring one consists of: Media say Labour are dead, there's a second huge wave of anger over MPs expenses concentrating on mortgages over which MPs fight back, Labour try a social mobility campaign (which Coates describes as their codeword for "Class War"), Conservatives promise a cut in National Insurance, the election is the worst covered (media-wise) ever, polls stay the same and Cameron wins, there's a lack of enthusiasum over voting, the internet changes nothing, the BNP does quite well, Gordon Brown steps down and Ed Milliband takes his place (and breathe). The exciting senario now: George Osbournes expenses turn out to be very dodgy, standards comittee say apology and slap on wrist but Cameron must decide whether to sack him or not, there is a grass roots Labour revolt, Mandelson tries to stop it but fails and Brown steps down, making way for Ed Milliband who stumbles and doesn't do anything, ISRAEL BOMB IRAN, and this divides the Conservative party between those who oppose the action and those who support it, 2 Lib Dem MPs join the Conservatives, David Davies joins the Lib Dems because thw Conservatives have failed to stand up for civil liberties, but Conservatives still win. Right. His prediction: CON 40 LAB 30 LIB 18.
The rest of the evening was comprised of questions coming from the audience about what might change the course of the election. This included a plea from Sam Coates regarding the use of twitter, "Please, no more twitter," was basically the quote. We also heard how youtube would be a bigger influence, because politicians can be filmed saying bad things (see: Alan Duncan joking about the expenses "scandal", though if you actually want to see it find it yourself), the turnout is all important as really very few people will switch and that Labour's frontbench is lacking in talent.
There were other nuggets of wisdom, but this blog is getting long again, so we'll jump to the end where we heard what each person would tell the party leaders if they were advisers:
Sam Coates - Brown should keep his mouth shut other than talking about 3 main policies which he thinks will help gain voters. Cameron shouln't take too many risks and should control his interaction with Journalists
Steve Richards - Brown should use his sense of humour (because he does have one) and have his team around him to show it isn't just him they're voting for.
Pippa Crerar: a mix of what the others said. Brown should use his team. Cameron should reign in Boris a bit.
The panel was made up of: Cheif Political columnist for the Independent Steve Richards, Writer of The Times' "Redbox" blog Tim Coates, and political writer of the Evening Standard and alumni of City University Pippa Crerar. They were asked to talk for 5 minutes on their views as to what will happen from now until the election, and finish by predicting the percentages each main party (Lib Dem, Labour, Tory) would recieve. This is detailed below:
Pippa Crerar: She started off talking about the biscuit fiasco, saying Gordon Brown did not want to alienate fans of particular biscuits (a very decisive issue indeed...). She then went on to say that she still though people were unsure about what David Cameron and the Conservatives actually stand for, and that Cameron must persuade the electorate that they want all the immediate spending cuts he promised in his conference speech. However, she thought that it was still too late for Brown to come back and win, but that it was not a certainty that the Tories would get a majority government, and the possibility of a hung parliament was still there. In this instance, she predicted that the Lib Dems would go into coalition with the Conservatives so as to distance themselves from what went before. Her Percentages: CON 42 LAB 33 LIB 18
Steve Richards: Again, biscuits was the lift off point, and he used this analogy to make the point that Brown was "a mix of a lofty interlectually and a crazed journalist". He stated that Blair had always commented on his being right about what the media would pick up on in his speeches (with some excellent impressions to boot) and because of this he is always thinking about the headlines. For example, when asked "Are you enjoying being Prime Minister?" he cannot answer "Yes" for fear of the newspapers saying "BROWN ENJOYS MISERY OF CREDIT CRUNCH BRITAIN". Hence he dithers and says "I just get up at 5, do my job etc..." Richards also thought that Brown was very aware that since the early 90s his popularity with the British public had oscillated wildly, so that maybe he was thinking another up was due. But he also said that the only way Labour could survive was if the Economy went up. Regarding Cameron, he thought that he shouldn't be worried that people are less excited about change now than they were when Blair was elected, because hype eventually leads to disappointment, and that he can take more risks because it's fairly certain he will be the next PM. His predictions: CON 39 LAB 32 LIB 21
Sam Coates - Journalism is all about Predictions. Not sure that is quite true, but it definetly is a huge part of it. Coates decided for his 5 minutes to detail two senarios, a boring one and an exciting one. The boring one consists of: Media say Labour are dead, there's a second huge wave of anger over MPs expenses concentrating on mortgages over which MPs fight back, Labour try a social mobility campaign (which Coates describes as their codeword for "Class War"), Conservatives promise a cut in National Insurance, the election is the worst covered (media-wise) ever, polls stay the same and Cameron wins, there's a lack of enthusiasum over voting, the internet changes nothing, the BNP does quite well, Gordon Brown steps down and Ed Milliband takes his place (and breathe). The exciting senario now: George Osbournes expenses turn out to be very dodgy, standards comittee say apology and slap on wrist but Cameron must decide whether to sack him or not, there is a grass roots Labour revolt, Mandelson tries to stop it but fails and Brown steps down, making way for Ed Milliband who stumbles and doesn't do anything, ISRAEL BOMB IRAN, and this divides the Conservative party between those who oppose the action and those who support it, 2 Lib Dem MPs join the Conservatives, David Davies joins the Lib Dems because thw Conservatives have failed to stand up for civil liberties, but Conservatives still win. Right. His prediction: CON 40 LAB 30 LIB 18.
The rest of the evening was comprised of questions coming from the audience about what might change the course of the election. This included a plea from Sam Coates regarding the use of twitter, "Please, no more twitter," was basically the quote. We also heard how youtube would be a bigger influence, because politicians can be filmed saying bad things (see: Alan Duncan joking about the expenses "scandal", though if you actually want to see it find it yourself), the turnout is all important as really very few people will switch and that Labour's frontbench is lacking in talent.
There were other nuggets of wisdom, but this blog is getting long again, so we'll jump to the end where we heard what each person would tell the party leaders if they were advisers:
Sam Coates - Brown should keep his mouth shut other than talking about 3 main policies which he thinks will help gain voters. Cameron shouln't take too many risks and should control his interaction with Journalists
Steve Richards - Brown should use his sense of humour (because he does have one) and have his team around him to show it isn't just him they're voting for.
Pippa Crerar: a mix of what the others said. Brown should use his team. Cameron should reign in Boris a bit.
Friday 16 October 2009
The Metal Weekend and a bit!
The originally dubbed "Weekend of Metal" took place last...weekend, and spilled over into the following week to make it an awesome "Metal 3/4 of a week". Shush.
Started off with a trip to Sin City at the electric ballroom in Camden. Was awesome, don't need to say too much more. Then there were some gigs.
DREAM THEATER & OPETH, with Bigelf and Unexpect
Saturday night, Wembley Arena. The support acts varied somewhat in style, quality and humourousness. Unexpect are an interesting band, though not particularly good. They have an electric violin player, and almost all of them have long dreadlocked hair. Described as "Gypsy-metal", their tracks are sporadic and proggy (good thing then that they're playing the Progressive Nation tour here...), and the musicians are clearly talented in their own right, but they don't quite have the songwriting down.
Bigelf come on next, the ubercool (yeah I said it) frontman sporting a large tophat and playing TWO electric organs. Musically they sound like a classic 70s rock band, though heavier and with more hints of Prog. They're good, but apart from the frontman there isn't a lot of showmanship until their set is lifted by the sudden appearance on stage of DT drummer Mike Portnoy, who stands in for Bigelf's own drummer for one song. Overall this is a good set.
Main support band Opeth are given a rapturous welcome. Though they open light with "Windowpane", the rest of the set is full of the heavy stuff. Vocalist Mikael Akerfeldt is on fire, describing "The Lotus Eater" as "A masterpiece; We won't even need to introduce the song because it is a masterpiece", then telling everyone about how he had almost pulled the last time he was over in the UK: "She even grabbed my balls, but I said no. What am I, gay?" Everything seems to go right for Opeth, and the inclusion of Harlequin Forest in the set was a welcome treat.
But this is nothing compared with the headliners. Opening with "A Nightmare To Remember" (featuring a guest appearance from Mikeal Akerfeldt) , they build from there, with plenty of solo moments for keyboardist Jordan Rudess and guitarist John Petrucci and a double hit from the Awake album (Lie and The Mirror). Dance of Eternity is one of the best moments of the night, only outweighed but a huge drum duel involving every one of the drummers from the bands playing tonight, or Rudess' keyboard duel with his own cartoon image (he also wears a wizards hat). Once again, Dream Theater mix virtuoso performance and grandious stage presence to put on one hell of a show. The encore of "The Count Of Tuscany" further goes to prove this, and leaves everyone buzzing long after the gig is over.
CHIMAIRA AND UNEARTH, with Throwdown and Daath
It has to be said, the vocalist of Daath has a rather impressive beard. And with his shirt already off before the set has even started, it seems he's going to be quite the extrovert. He is. Daath are ok, better than was expected. An immence guitarist and one fairly good song doesn't quite overlook the fact that the rest of the set is rather mediocre, but it goes someway to helping them be a bearable band to watch.
Throwdown are not bearable. They have nothing. They play a brand of hardcore that is dull and dragging, with no real musicianship and a very angry man shouting at you. The only enjoyable part would have been watching the spasmodic and frankly hilarious hardcore dancing, though I only had to listen to them to get the general gist.
Unearth are the complete opposite. Though they play "Metalcore", a genre with hardcore elements, they are able to freshen it up with some beautifully melodic guitar parts taken from their metal influences. They put on a good show as well, the guitarists climbing other everything, and at one point venturing to the sound-desk to play from there. Highlights of their set include "My Will Be Done", from their latest offering The March, as well as classics such as "Zombie Autopilot" and "The Great Dividers". The crowd really get into it too, which creates a great atmosphere for fan and band alike.
Chimaira haven't had such a good run lately. Releasing their weakest album "Resurrection" a couple of years back, the latest offering "The Infection" goes someway to resolving this, but there are still some weak bits. Tonight, you wouldn't notice that. Opener The Venom Inside is crunchingly heavy, and of course as this is Chimaira that is how they carry on. "Power Trip", "Severed" and Nothing Remains are among notable classics, as well as some new treats such as "Resurrection" and "Destroy and Dominate". The crowd are loving it, Mark Hunter can't get a word in edgeways thanks to a continued chant of "CHIMAIRA! CHIMAIRA!". Of course, it wouldn't be a Chimaira gig if it didn't end with "Pure Hatred", and the rabbidness of the crowd that goes with it. That should make a very good DVD...
I'll do the other gig later, this is getting to be fairly long...
Started off with a trip to Sin City at the electric ballroom in Camden. Was awesome, don't need to say too much more. Then there were some gigs.
DREAM THEATER & OPETH, with Bigelf and Unexpect
Saturday night, Wembley Arena. The support acts varied somewhat in style, quality and humourousness. Unexpect are an interesting band, though not particularly good. They have an electric violin player, and almost all of them have long dreadlocked hair. Described as "Gypsy-metal", their tracks are sporadic and proggy (good thing then that they're playing the Progressive Nation tour here...), and the musicians are clearly talented in their own right, but they don't quite have the songwriting down.
Bigelf come on next, the ubercool (yeah I said it) frontman sporting a large tophat and playing TWO electric organs. Musically they sound like a classic 70s rock band, though heavier and with more hints of Prog. They're good, but apart from the frontman there isn't a lot of showmanship until their set is lifted by the sudden appearance on stage of DT drummer Mike Portnoy, who stands in for Bigelf's own drummer for one song. Overall this is a good set.
Main support band Opeth are given a rapturous welcome. Though they open light with "Windowpane", the rest of the set is full of the heavy stuff. Vocalist Mikael Akerfeldt is on fire, describing "The Lotus Eater" as "A masterpiece; We won't even need to introduce the song because it is a masterpiece", then telling everyone about how he had almost pulled the last time he was over in the UK: "She even grabbed my balls, but I said no. What am I, gay?" Everything seems to go right for Opeth, and the inclusion of Harlequin Forest in the set was a welcome treat.
But this is nothing compared with the headliners. Opening with "A Nightmare To Remember" (featuring a guest appearance from Mikeal Akerfeldt) , they build from there, with plenty of solo moments for keyboardist Jordan Rudess and guitarist John Petrucci and a double hit from the Awake album (Lie and The Mirror). Dance of Eternity is one of the best moments of the night, only outweighed but a huge drum duel involving every one of the drummers from the bands playing tonight, or Rudess' keyboard duel with his own cartoon image (he also wears a wizards hat). Once again, Dream Theater mix virtuoso performance and grandious stage presence to put on one hell of a show. The encore of "The Count Of Tuscany" further goes to prove this, and leaves everyone buzzing long after the gig is over.
CHIMAIRA AND UNEARTH, with Throwdown and Daath
It has to be said, the vocalist of Daath has a rather impressive beard. And with his shirt already off before the set has even started, it seems he's going to be quite the extrovert. He is. Daath are ok, better than was expected. An immence guitarist and one fairly good song doesn't quite overlook the fact that the rest of the set is rather mediocre, but it goes someway to helping them be a bearable band to watch.
Throwdown are not bearable. They have nothing. They play a brand of hardcore that is dull and dragging, with no real musicianship and a very angry man shouting at you. The only enjoyable part would have been watching the spasmodic and frankly hilarious hardcore dancing, though I only had to listen to them to get the general gist.
Unearth are the complete opposite. Though they play "Metalcore", a genre with hardcore elements, they are able to freshen it up with some beautifully melodic guitar parts taken from their metal influences. They put on a good show as well, the guitarists climbing other everything, and at one point venturing to the sound-desk to play from there. Highlights of their set include "My Will Be Done", from their latest offering The March, as well as classics such as "Zombie Autopilot" and "The Great Dividers". The crowd really get into it too, which creates a great atmosphere for fan and band alike.
Chimaira haven't had such a good run lately. Releasing their weakest album "Resurrection" a couple of years back, the latest offering "The Infection" goes someway to resolving this, but there are still some weak bits. Tonight, you wouldn't notice that. Opener The Venom Inside is crunchingly heavy, and of course as this is Chimaira that is how they carry on. "Power Trip", "Severed" and Nothing Remains are among notable classics, as well as some new treats such as "Resurrection" and "Destroy and Dominate". The crowd are loving it, Mark Hunter can't get a word in edgeways thanks to a continued chant of "CHIMAIRA! CHIMAIRA!". Of course, it wouldn't be a Chimaira gig if it didn't end with "Pure Hatred", and the rabbidness of the crowd that goes with it. That should make a very good DVD...
I'll do the other gig later, this is getting to be fairly long...
Sunday 11 October 2009
Its good to see them squirm...
Having just started my Journalism degree at City University, I thought it would be a good idea to delve deeper into the websites of all the national papers, to properly immerse myself in the medium of online Journalism. I found some interesting things, especially this little piece from the Guardians website
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/oct/11/michael-moore-catholic-capitalism
As you can probably tell from the title (although you should read it too), it is about Michael Moore's new film, "Capitalism: A Love Story", and the revelation that he is a Catholic. OK, it isn't that much of a revelation, and it even mentions in the article that:
"close watchers of Moore should perhaps not have been surprised by his inclusion of Christianity in his latest movie. In fact, he has long been open about his religious beliefs and his admiration for the liberal tradition of political activism in Catholicism."
However, it is surprising to his political opponents. Conservatives have been talking about his "Socialist Secularism" in criticising his views, so the news that he is the same religion as many of them will possibly make them think again. There is a brilliant video on YouTube of an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, where Moore describes himself, rather than a Socialist, as a Christian. Upon Hannity's response of "I'm a Christian too", he asks him if he went to Mass on Sunday, and what the Gospel was. He can't answer and starts making excuses. The whole interview is here.
It doesn't surprise me either to learn that he is a Christian. Like the article states, there are many priests who would describe themselves as Anti-Capitalists, and I personally feel that, while organised religion has a lot to answer for, the teachings of Jesus are very much along socialist lines. Look at people like Tony Benn, Hugo Chavez, in someways even Archbishop Rowan Williams. Even the Labour party was built on a Christian Socialist ideal. It really has nothing to do with politics whether you believe in God or have a faith. I know plenty of Liberal/Left Wing people who do believe, and plenty who don't. I also know that a lot of Socialists respect the teachings of Jesus even if they don't believe in a god.
This shouldn't come as a shock to anyone. It's only due to some weird conservative propaganda that people have this idea of left wingers being secular, and to be honest it seems mostly to be an American idea. I put myself in a loose "Christian Socialist" position (though I do agree that church and state should be more separated) because I see Jesus as a fighter for the poor and meek, with a message that has since been toyed with so much it has lost its original meaning.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/oct/11/michael-moore-catholic-capitalism
As you can probably tell from the title (although you should read it too), it is about Michael Moore's new film, "Capitalism: A Love Story", and the revelation that he is a Catholic. OK, it isn't that much of a revelation, and it even mentions in the article that:
"close watchers of Moore should perhaps not have been surprised by his inclusion of Christianity in his latest movie. In fact, he has long been open about his religious beliefs and his admiration for the liberal tradition of political activism in Catholicism."
However, it is surprising to his political opponents. Conservatives have been talking about his "Socialist Secularism" in criticising his views, so the news that he is the same religion as many of them will possibly make them think again. There is a brilliant video on YouTube of an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, where Moore describes himself, rather than a Socialist, as a Christian. Upon Hannity's response of "I'm a Christian too", he asks him if he went to Mass on Sunday, and what the Gospel was. He can't answer and starts making excuses. The whole interview is here.
It doesn't surprise me either to learn that he is a Christian. Like the article states, there are many priests who would describe themselves as Anti-Capitalists, and I personally feel that, while organised religion has a lot to answer for, the teachings of Jesus are very much along socialist lines. Look at people like Tony Benn, Hugo Chavez, in someways even Archbishop Rowan Williams. Even the Labour party was built on a Christian Socialist ideal. It really has nothing to do with politics whether you believe in God or have a faith. I know plenty of Liberal/Left Wing people who do believe, and plenty who don't. I also know that a lot of Socialists respect the teachings of Jesus even if they don't believe in a god.
This shouldn't come as a shock to anyone. It's only due to some weird conservative propaganda that people have this idea of left wingers being secular, and to be honest it seems mostly to be an American idea. I put myself in a loose "Christian Socialist" position (though I do agree that church and state should be more separated) because I see Jesus as a fighter for the poor and meek, with a message that has since been toyed with so much it has lost its original meaning.
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