March 22, 2010

Brooker is great

...I don't want to get out of my head: that's where I live.

In summary: if I've learned anything, it's that I don't much care for mood-altering substances. But I'm not afraid of them either. With one exception...

..

NICE ONE O

I'm very cynical these days, and not very left wing anymore but I am very pleased for Obama and the US this morning.

...Despite not going as far as many liberals had hoped, the bill will take the US close to universal healthcare coverage and Obama will have achieved the goal that eluded US presidents dating back to Theodore Roosevelt a century ago.

The reform, which will cost an estimated $940bn (£627bn) over 10 years, amounts to a massive change in US healthcare provision, expanding care to 32 million more people, predominantly the poorest, and giving the country 95% coverage...


More from Michael Moore

To My Fellow Citizens, the Republicans:

Thanks to last night's vote, that child of yours who has had asthma since birth will now be covered after suffering for her first nine years as an American child with a pre-existing condition.

Thanks to last night's vote, that 23-year-old of yours who will be hit one day by a drunk driver and spend six months recovering in the hospital will now not go bankrupt because you will be able to keep him on your insurance policy.

Thanks to last night's vote, after your cancer returns for the third time -- racking up another $200,000 in costs to keep you alive -- your insurance company will have to commit a criminal act if they even think of dropping you from their rolls.

Yes, my Republican friends, even though you have opposed this health care bill, we've made sure it is going to cover you, too, in your time of need...

..

March 10, 2010

Muslim

Via pickled politics

I am not a big fan of this woman. She is a bit glitterati litterati for me, but this is worth reading.

...Readers know I am often critical of Muslim people and nations. Bad things that happen to us cannot all be attributed to "Islamophobia", a nebulous and imprecise concept that, like anti-Semitism, can be used to besmirch and sully and silence criticism.

But this week even I, even I, can see that for the British establishment Muslims are contemptible creatures, devalued humans. As I prayed before starting this column I felt tears stinging my eyes and my face was burning as if I had been slapped many times over. Do they expect me to turn the other cheek? Millions of other Muslims must have felt what I did. And some may well go on to do things they shouldn't. Their acts will intensify anti-Muslim prejudices and will be used to justify injustice. The cycle is vicious and unrelenting...

..

WATCH IT

I was reading yesterday about movie yoga. You hear about all these quack therapies but movie yoga? It just takes the popcorn eh. Except that the guy who is expounding this philosophy is connected to Stanislav Grof, a guy I have always been interested in though I have yet to be reborn, or rebirthed. For those who don't know, Stanislav was one of the original LSD pioneers who came across rebirthing whilst looking for natural ways to maintain the high in real life, although I am sure that isn't how he would describe himself.

Talking movies, we were slagging off The Hurt Locker the other day, but obviously The Oscar judges weren't reading. I am pleased for the woman but on that list of ten I reckon District 9 was probably the best film in terms of original concept and delivery of concept, though I will have to watch them all whilst doing movie yoga to judge properly.

What else have I been watching? Oh yeah, Iron Maiden's Flight 666 documentary, which surprised me, having never been a big Maiden fan I didn't realise they would sound so smokin live. Also worth watching for Janick Gers ability to chuck his guitar the whole way round and carry on playing, and a tearful South American fan having a religious experience cos he caught a drum stick at the end of the show.

Docuementary wise I feel I must pwotest about Channel 4s Big Snake. I was arguing with someone on Facefuck who was saying travelling was the new collonialism. This sort of doco lends weight to his argument, which pisses me off frankly.

..

March 08, 2010

CONSPIRACY OF HOPE

I am not big into the conspiracy theories these guys shout about but there is something quite wonderful about what they do