Monthly Archives: July 2006

ERC may control culture department

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Friday - 28 July 2006

It sounds like wishful thinking to me but Carod Rovira has suggested that after the next Generalitat elections, Esquerra could control the culture department of the Catalan government.

This is, of course, sheer horror to the many contre-catalanista boggers around. Doubtlessly, we're in for more horror stories about fines for Spanish notices and over-funding for TV3/33 – easily the best channels in Spain.

In a way, I feel bad for Rovira. I don't hate him as many other English language bloggers do. I just feel sorry for the fact that his hands seem to be tied by the more ethnic-nationalist wing of his party. A lot of their policies are perfectly laudable… but unsurprisingly, they only get  noticed for the ill thought out ones.

The Middle East crisis

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Tuesday - 25 July 2006

Firstly, I feel I should acknowledge that this is really none of my business. One of the biggest problems with blogs discussing the Israel/Palestine/Lebanon/etc… issue is that bloggers inevitably seem to end up pretty firmly defending one side or another. Therefore, blogs like Iberian Notes find it easy to criticise the critics of Israel, seemingly without considering whether Israel's actions have been excessive.

I'm a firm believer in the right of Israel to exist and in its right to defend itself, just as I would expect the UK to stand up to foreign agression. Hezbollah, Hamas and Fatah are all culpable of crimes against the Israeli people. It can only be expected that Israel will respond to provocation.

However, Israel's response has not been proportionate or decent. Anyone who claims that it has been is making exactly the same mistake as those fools who blindly defend Hezbollah or the stooges of the Ayatollahs. Bombing Beirut's new airport was not a strike against Hezbollah, in the same way that bombing Gaza's only major power plant was not an act of war against Hamas. Both these incidents (and many more besides) were essentially acts of collective punishment against people who were never to blame for kidnappings of Israeli troops. Hezbollah rocket/missile attacks on Israeli towns and villages are just as reprehensible.

As I said, this is none of my business. I just wish that bloggers in general would at least attempt to interpret these events with a modicum of detachment from either side. Sure, that might make posts less interesting but it would make authors appear wiser and fairer.

FIB – Benicassim 2006

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Tuesday - 25 July 2006

Just returned from the pop festival at Benicassim, about 3 hrs south of here. We had an awesome time and saw stunning sets from the Scissor Sisters, Futureheads, Morrissey, the Strokes, Franz Ferdinand and others. I'll try to write more about it tomorrow, and will post some photos of our experiences there.

In all, it was great but one thing is certain: it's the last time I camp at Benicassim. Next year, it's a hotel or an apartment. I'm getting too old for it.

Review: Stars Are Blind – Paris Hilton

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Thursday - 13 July 2006

Wealthy heiress and socialite, Paris Hilton has long been rumoured to be keen on a career in popular music. As early as two years ago, news spread like wildfire that she was planning to create and release an album which would serve to strengthen her position as multimedia goddess and icon of the mid 2000's nekulturny.

It is perfect that this woman's first moves into the public consciousness were with stimulant-dulled eyes as she preformed fellatio on a 'stud' known by some as a pornographer and by others as the son of a Warner Bros. executive. How marvellously apt that she earns royalties from perverts and misogynists who wish to purchase a film of her uninspired and loveless copulation.

So to the single, a 'reggae-influenced' mishmash of this season's popular sounds, floated over by an autotuned and yet perversely tuneless girl's voice. Everyone knows that girls can't sing. This landmark song, completing Hilton's trajectory from banal, ubiquitous dog-carrier to banal, ubiquitous model/actress/singer/whatever has, I'm reliably informed, been compared to both Gwen Stefani and Blondie. Ms Stefani's 2005 song, 'Rich Girl' springs to mind, if only for the sensation it induced of a fatuous and self-important airhead making stupid people believe that what she thinks is in some way valid or interesting. Stefani and Hilton are both rich girls, so who cares what they think?

The lyrics of 'Stars Are Blind' are, on the whole, as stupid as the song's title. I quote:

Even though the gods are crazy
Even though the stars are blind
If you show me real love baby
I'll show you mine

Forgetting that we've already seen 'hers'.

Those other guys all wanna take me for a ride
But when I walk their talk is suicide
Some people never get beyond their stupid pride
But you can see the real me inside
And I'm satisfied, oh no, ohh

Paris Hilton is a girl whose every wish can become reality. Her separation from ordinary life is what made her such an amusing and disgusting 'character'. Her lack of character made us treat her with less contempt than she might have received for being an utterly contemptible person. But now, the tables have turned. Paris Hilton is no longer satisfied with the dull and unconsidered ambivalence of hundreds of millions of people; she wants, she needs their love. And she'll get it, because she's Paris Hilton.

'Stars Are Blind' stormed into the US single chart at #18 in June. 0/1

A rolling stone gathers no… respect from me

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Wednesday - 12 July 2006

Yeah everyone thought it was soooo funny when Keith Richards smashed his head open after falling out of a tree. Not me. I was worried for the guy. Well I take it back now. Little did I know that as a result of that strange accident, Keith would ruin my summer. Well, obviously I thought it might, but you know… dramatic effect and everything
The Roling Stones have cancelled their concert in Barcelona.

There is absolutely no way that I'm going to facha central, Valladolid or golfer's paradise, El Ejido to see them play. What a pile of shit.

Geek Mail news (Gmail for domains)

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Tuesday - 11 July 2006

This will appeal only to a limited number of people, but I've been accepted for the GMail domains beta. What this means is that I can now use GMail for all my '@thebadrash.com' email addresses. I can have up to 25 members at the moment, each one offered the standard 2GB+ storage on Google's servers, plus the benefits of Google Calendar, Chat etc.

What's more, the capabilities of GMail are far better than any other domain email service. Allowing for decent html messages, really intelligent spam filtering and more, this is the answer to my occaisional prayers for 'better email'. Sweet! This is what it looks like.

grouphug.us – confessional with a twist

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Saturday - 8 July 2006

I've been visiting this site for a couple of years now, on and off. There's no doubt that for anyone who finds reading the opinions of unknown citizens posted on forums and messageboards, grouphug.us is probably the ultimate in voyeurism.

For those of you who haven't seen the site before, it consists of a simple interface whereby visitors can get things off their chests in a completely anonmous way. The similarities between this site and the traditional Catholic confessional are obvious. Both seem to have been developed on the wisdom that it's better not to 'bottle things up'. As things have changed over the last few decades, teenagers and other web users are probably far more likely to feel happy 'confessing' their sins, desires, crimes, even lonliness, online than they would in a church.

The thing about confessional websites, however, is their differences from the Catholic confessional. For one thing, visitors to grouphug.us can read and search other visitors' confessions. This is not an invasion of privacy, as submissions are completely anonymous – and the vast number of people acting on the internet's stage creates a sort of desperate anonymity of its own. The site is, however, providing entertainment of some sort. Strange.

The main difference that I feel when reading many of these confessions is that there's no input from others. In a confessional, the priest generally offers words of advice, suggests pennance and finally offers absolution. Grouphug.us doesn't (and probably couldn't) offer this sort of dedicated attention. The site's designed for anonymity and voyeurism above all else. I think that this is pretty sad.

I'm also worried by the level of clearly sociopathic behaviour which is confessed to online. Do bad people feel better when they confess to their crimes on a website? Sadly, the answer is probably 'yes'. Do they deserve that sense of absolution? I don't think so… the hoops we have to jump through are our lives, not a distraction from them.

This site is another piece of the puzzle for me… how can something so largely fatuous and insubstantial as the internet hold such a sway over me? I'm employed by it, entertained by it, absorbed in it, a keen participator in it, yet I increasingly realise how much I loathe it. That's my confession… where's the pennance, the absolution?

L'estiu = focs, porrons i ventiladors

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Sunday - 2 July 2006

It's bloody hot. Our terrace thermometer has recorded highs of 38 degrees in the shade. This is causing me to write short sentences. Because I can't think.

If we can base the summer on what we've seen so far, this is going to be a seriously hot one. The last couple of years, while having their moments, have been pretty poor. This year looks like a return to form. The porron has been put to work, has have two fans and the air conditioning (when we want to 'go nuclear').

Fires have already started breaking out in the hills. La Colserolla is a disaster waiting to happen. Our town is protected by watch towers, but I'm convinced that one day, the fire will get out of control. Swimming pools are the best. Champagne cider rocks.

What is a 'guiri'?

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Sunday - 2 July 2006

Andrew, aka Guirilandia (which is, let's face it, the best BCN blog there is), has written an astute article about the label many of us are given daily… and unfairly.

If only he could get Larry Kovaks on the case… too bad they don't know eachother.
I have been drinking a little Anis de Marseille. Penalties, for Christ's sake.

Incidentally, we've had a record few days here. Clearly my World Cup hogwash went down well. God bless.