June 29, 2009

PHONE TERR-R

Terror in Mumbai


Well that was bloody ridiculous. The innocence of these terrorists made us laugh out loud a couple of times in between dismay and horror hearing the accounts of their victims. Have the handlers on the other end of the phone been caught yet? Were all the terrorists sold to the organisation by their parents? Surreal media terror, and if the handler is to be believed, there is more on the way. I am usually skeptical about the concept of brainwashing on this blog but from the sound of these guys on the phone there is no other word for it.
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June 27, 2009

GLEN ON THE PHONE

OK. I spoke to Glen Jenvey on the phone briefly this morning and he pretty much confirmed vocally everything reported about him over the last few days. He said his recent experiences with The Daily Mail have crystallised a change of heart which is an ongoing process. The upshot is, he is indeed becoming a Muslim, or “Learning to become a Muslim” as he puts it. There is a mosque where he lives in the West Country where he intends to go and learn how to pray, study the Islamic faith and be instructed properly on the path of God. I asked him if he had some sort of conversion experience. He said he always believed there was a God, and prayed, though he didn't pray to ask for anything. He confirmed to me that he went through the tenets of becoming a Muslim with Omar Bakri over the phone from Lebanon.

He said he believes- very strongly it seems, that what Omar Bakri says about peace talks with Al Qaeda is the correct way forward and that the killing on all sides of the conflict in the War on Terror has to stop. He believes Abu Hamza is the best possible ambassador for peace, and that he should be a go between for the West with those who they consider to be the enemy.He is deeply sorry for the pain he has caused Hamza in the past and seeks his forgiveness. He has learnt his lesson from recent personal suffering at the hands of the media.

He believes Hamza and Qatada are scapegoats. He wants nothing to do with what he calls the “Show Trial” of Abu Hamza except to help Hamza in any way he can. He finnished by saying "I have a lot to learn about Islam. My personal main concern is the release of the two Sheikhs. Free Abu Hamza. Let him teach Islam and let him use his links and contacts to make the UK a safer place for us all."

June 26, 2009

Famous Rich and Homeless

I know Charlie Brooker was taking the piss out of these Mission documentaries but I must admit I quite like them. I think they are really worthwhile TV in an age which pushes ever onwards towards worthless TV. Famous Rich and Homeless is on the iPlayer here in two episodes both of which are fantastic.

I must admit I usually pass by "spare some change" in London with no reaction and this has made me seriously look at myself about all this, which is the main point of the documentary I suppose. I have only slept rough once, under a bridge when I got stuck hitch hiking. It was horrible. This doco showed really well how easily people who are comfortable and healthy deteriorate in spirit. It was shocking how "homeless" they all looked after just two days.

It was good to see how each individual coped. I had a huge grin watching what a total cunt the grandson of Winston Churchill turned out to be, wimping out from the start. Hardeep was, not surprisingly the funniest, but Annabel Croft was probably the biggest surprise, dealing with what was in front of her in a really open, honest and positive way.

I have read before that John Bird, founder of The Big Issue had "a bit of a problem" and it really came out in part two of this doco, as he berated two of the stars for trying to help the person they were assigned to for the second part of the project. I can sort of get where he is coming from but he made himself look like a complete tosser. Yes, people should be encouraged to help themselves but there is nothing wrong with trying to help people either. You can't shout at people for helping without looking like an idiot especially when they have been on the street for six days and you haven't.

Having said all that, the reason I haven't been the type to "spare change" is because I have seen a bit of the other side of London. I made good money pavement drawing when I had to whilst squatting. Bins in london are full of fresh, high protein food. There are plenty of places where decent free meals are available. I have been humbled by the generosity of some serious looking capitalists at Christmas particularly on Christmas eve when, if you look you will see that every doorway and every available space in the West End is full of beggars with their heads up because a lot of money and gifts are heading their way.

One christmas eve after spending a really bitter day drawing reindeers on the pavement in Victoria I spent the 60 quid I raised on Turkey, Whisky, Wine and Ginger Ale, aplogising to the checkout girl as her hands were blackened by all the coins I handed her. I was always just about fine squatting because I had friends. What this doco reminded me though, was about poverty of the human spirit, and what a crisis it actually is. I remember sitting inside cold and skint, breaking into derelict buildings and sleeping on the floor, taking ketamine to "Be somewhere else". It was another squatter who motivated me to step out and earn something. I could at many points so easily have gone downwards instead. I didn't realise until I was out of it how much of a housing crisis I was actually living in. Just looking back through this blog to posts written when I was still squatting it is really obvious to me how much more insecure, scared and crazy I was. It is easy to be cynical about z list celebrities etc etc but in truth this doco really touched me.

New Statesman

Guardian

...I don't know if Blandford was hoping to repair his reputation as a parasitical waste of space, but if so his plan spectacularly misfired. "The Churchill family seem to be quite good in time of war and this is my war with concrete," he'd smugly announced beforehand, but the first shot hadn't even been fired when it became clear that his only strategy was surrender. Unabashed about cheating on the first night, he demanded a second night in a hotel as well. "If I'm to be a productive participant in this programme then I need to get some rest,"he said crossly, and when the programme-makers gently pointed out that sleeping on the street was something of a sine qua non, he ran for home. Good riddance said John Bird, the conceiver of this exercise in empathy generation. Good riddance murmured all of us, with just a passing regret that the Marquess hadn't been chained to Hyde Park railings for at least one night before being allowed to scuttle back to Blenheim... Independent

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June 25, 2009

Bombing Civilians

This includes some work by Guy Smallman who has recently returned from Afghanistan.

June 21, 2009

GLEN JENVEY REVERTS TO ISLAM

OK. Mr Waleed has just told me that Glen Jenvey during a conference call with Omar Bakri has reverted to Islam, taken down his Youtube channel and apologised for his previous attitudes. I think his new name is Omar Hamza.

Obviously this is big news for me as Glen has always been very anti a lot of the people I have been filming. I hope to hear his story or read about it when he is ready.

UPDATE: Abu Waleed is from Salafimedia.com

Obviously a lot of people are thinking this is one of Glen Jenvey's infiltration tricks- I got this from Glen

im fine looking forward to tell the world they should imbrace islam as well.i will be putting the wrongs of my past right and helping all muslim prisoners as a muslim.

may allah guide me and thank omar bakri for his bring me into the fold of islam.

glen aka omar hamza jenvey

UPDATE: There is a discussion about Mr Jenveys reversion going on at Ummah.com including doubts about my reliability, Mr Waleeds identity and a post from someone who doesn't want me to sweep their sidewalk apparently. Thats not very nice is it. Very judgmental I think.

more from Mr Jenvey here
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STILL EMPTY

Four months after eviction

The Spike Story from Spike Surplus Scheme on Vimeo.

June 20, 2009

Occupational Therapy

I have noticed there is a preoccupation at the BBC with fictional dramas based around issues brought up by the War on Terr-r but I can't help personally being offended by them. Docudramas are often very good. I can see why a film maker would dedicate themselves to telling true stories of what happened. Fictionalisations, regardless of how well intentioned they are, just seems to be offensive to the memory of real people who are suffering or who have died.

Occupation on the iPlayer

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JENVEY IN THE MAIL

Glen Jenvey is saying The Daily Mail are calling him a Nazi and is apparently withdrawing evidence to US courts against Hamza.

...I believe that Sheikh Abu Hamza and Sheikh Abu Qatada should in good faith both be allowed out of prison on a control order as soon as possible and I ask thugs at the Daily Mail to leave my friends and family alone. It made me feel sick the Daily Mail's claims that I was a Nazi.

Glen Jenvey

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he has also left some comments below and I am recieving reports he is thinking of becoming a Muslim.

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June 19, 2009

FIVE FLOORS OF SHIT YET AGAIN

Well I am not quite sure how but they did it. The degree show I love to hate, Goldsmiths Fine Art Degree show was somehow even worse than last year plumbing new depths of artistic bullshit. When I started saying so on the balcony err.. a bit loudly everyone around me looked at me like someone had finally vocalised what they were all thinking. What a complete load of toss. As usual there were two good things, in one room I actually found some good Oil painting which turned out to be the work of a very pretty Korean called Hyun Soo Oh.

"I bet they don't like you here." I said to her.
"The tutors don't like my work at all."
"You went to the wrong college didn't you."
She agreed.
"Before you go make sure you dig one of those stilletos you are wearing into their faces."
"I might get arrested."
"It'll be OK. they will think it is art."


Here I am practsing my "It speaks to me of the true horror of 9/11" posse




How many arse holes? And how many times have I seen blown up close ups of arseholes in fine art shows?



I mean why go to college for three yars to learn how to stack up chairs and then not even fucking stack them properly? What a load of wank.


TV is shit these days



I can see the planes hitting the buildings

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Broadband extremism

Well the Al Muj relaunch sounds like it was mildly more exciting than usual. I couldn't get there but I have emailed Mr Waleed who I think might have been there. See what he says. The sex seggregation has never bothered me. The last two meetings we went to Elvira and I split up at the door but when I have wandered over with tapes or had to have a quick word with her about filming no one jumped up or "intimidated" us. I just don't get the big deal.

In other news someone who knows nothing about Mohammed Hamid has written a book which has been reviewed along with a few more War on Terr-r based titles here.

...Central to this global jihadism was a) the internet and b) martyrdom – a package that includes, supposedly: immediate admission to Heaven, marriage to 72 heavenly maidens and permission to bring along to Paradise 70 family members...

it should say- and unlimited broadband access...

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June 09, 2009

BIBLIOGRAPHIZATION

I read a coupla books recently which I thought I would briefly review here.

I always took Rageh Omah to be a bit of a goody goody BBC boy by the way he spoke so I was very surprised reading his account of Iraq over a good few years through sanctions and up to the invasion of Baghdad. You really feel an intense unburdening of the story of the real people behind all this rubbish about weapons inspectors etc. A really fantastic book which is as damning about Clinton and sanctions as it is about the subsequent occupation. An entry in Wikipedia shows him to be pretty damning about his own reporting from Iraq too.

The other book I read was an Errol Flynn biography by David Bret which left me questioning the author as much as Errol. How do you conclude that a guy you allege fucks children in poor countries at every opportunity is essentially a good person? Surely that is an either/or sort of situation.

Totally unrelated- Blood Sweat and Takeaways. Who says TV is trash? Fantastic. Just watch it.

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Bristol student pursued 'relentless study in extremism'

A very interesting story about what some might call a "self starter" terr-ist.

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June 06, 2009

YOUNG TORIES

I was talking to someone from Conservative Futures in the Bournemouth area the other day. I was straight up about how dissapointed I was that the Tories weren't dying out and that young people today might be attracted to what we always saw as the party of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. I was keen to ask why and the answers were very interesting.

She said she had met the Bournemouth MP who has been recently embroiled in this expenses scandal and she thought he was a really nice guy. She totally accepted that it was obvious he wasn't and she wouldn't be voting Conservative in her area anymore because of the revelations she had heard on the news. Her vote the other day went to UKIP.

She said that although some Conservatives were stuffy, there were a whole load of new people in the party who were really genuine people and interestingly most of them hated David Cameron and thought he was a slick smarmy git but there wasn't a lot they could do or many alternatives open to them- a problem I should imagine most grass roots Labour people had watching Blair on his way up.

She said that what had attracted her to the party at the time was Boris Johnson.

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June 03, 2009

YOU ARE ALL FIRED

Watching The Apprentice tonight the charade that its anything more than a reality TV show sort of fell off and it wasn't just because of Cassette Boys Youtube run through. On the subject of charades all this buisness in Westminster doesn't look anymore real.

Its all big talk, people trying to be who others want them to be, a dance around the fucking maypole and whoever you choose wont make any difference. When the standards are so questionable and so obviously heading off in the wrong direction the idea of a "Meritocracy" falls to shit. The idea of a junior Apprentice, with the world how it is now actually scares me. Capitalism is a fairy tale people teach their children.

Pedaling the same crap which doesn't work. Anyway you are all fired. And I enjoyed The Apprentice. I don't like either of the finalists but the one who mortgaged her mothers house in exchange for 1% of her buisness has great tits and the other robot one has a really sexy brummie accent.

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