Paralympics World Cup

It is a long time since I wrote anything on this blog but an email popped into my box the other day which made me want to put up a post.

From 20th-25th May 2009, the world’s finest Paralympic athletes will compete in Manchester as part of the BT Paralympic World Cup.


There are several Facebook pages where you can become a fan of eitrher the Official Paralympics Group or becoming a Facebook fan of GB athletes Nathan Stephens and John McFall, plus South African Paralympic legend the 'Bladerunner' himself Oscar Pistorius


You can post messages of support, ask questions, receive updates, upload photos or videos and become involved! It is a great way of following this event and to my mind is a must for all sports fans.

You can get more information and to book tickets by visiting the BT Paralympic World Cup site at http://www.btparalympicworldcup.com

NB: I was sent some images that I had intended to add to this post as well but Blogger isn't playing ball at the moment so the images will follow later.

New Venture

After a lot of pondering about what to do with this blog I have decided to set up a new one. It can be found here and it's called Floating In Space.

The reason for the new blog is two fold. I really want to write more about music, both live and on cd and writing about it here doesn't sit right. I also want to carry on ranting about idiots who are screwing up the world and that will continue here along with any other nonsense I can think of.

I'm actually quite excited about the new site and hopefully I'll get my blogging mojo back and end up postinbg here a bit more too.

You Know...

My laptop is all better. Apparently the motherboard was the problem. I have a new one now and and up and running again. As Joni Mitchell once sang "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone."

I, as tyou have gathered from the rubbish I write hear, and no Stephen Fry. My eloquence is limited at the best of times but at least I don't use the phrase 'you know' as punctuation. It has become increasing common amogst interviewees on the televison and radio to use this phrase constantly and it is starting to, you know, get on ,my tits, you know.

Very early this morning I was unlucky enough to hear Blackburn Rovers manager Paul Ince being interviewed on Radio Five Live. It was a ninety second indent and he uttered the phrase 'you know' seventeen times! At one stage he actually said and I quote "you know, you know". I know these people are not paid to speak but neither am I and I don't, you know, say 'you know; all the, 'you know' time.

It isn't just sports people either. Last week I heard a junior government minister (I can;t remember who) say it several times in an interview with Nicky Campbell. What is wrong with these people? 'You know' is it a form of punctuation. Silences between sentences are allowed and would make for much better listening.

I'm 'you know' going now. I've er, 'you know' had enough of 'you know'......

Arse.

My laptop has died. It won't turn on. This is not good. I have taken it to the Laptop Hospital and they have charged me £219 to have a look at it. Hopefully the 12050 songs on iTunes will not be lost. It has taken bloody ages to load them up and some of 'em have been downloaded from the many excellent blogs in the blogosphere and I won't be able to replace them.

Arse, arse and double arse.

A Bit Of A Worry.

The upcoming US election worries me. The recent polls have shown that the McCain/Palin ticket is ahead. I find this quite unbelievable and really quite scary. Palin is a Creationist, in other words she believes the world is no more than 6,000 years old. This is despite ALL the evidence there is to prove that this is wrong. I have no problem with her being a religious woman. However when that religion leads her to throw away the truth then we better start worrying.

Palin also believes that global warming is not the fault of man and is part of 'God's plan'. Where does she get that from? Even George W Bush and man who has stuck his head in the sand over global warming for years and another of the US religious right has the intelligence to acknowledge it is man who has fucked up this planet.

The most worrying thing Palin has proclaimed recently though is over the war in Iraq which she proclaims is in Gods name!!! Now those of you know me will tell the rest of you that I am an atheist but I do have friends who have a faith and I find myself angry for their sake. How dare this woman make such proclamations. Not only is it offensive to millions of religious people but it is extremely dangerous. We are all aware that there are extremists out there who are prepared to kill in the name of their God. What we do not need is a potential world leader making it into a religious war. That could really end it all.

Hopefully the recent surge in the polls for the Republicans pegged back once the American public realise what a dangerous woman Palin is and Obama wins the election in November.

Camera Obscura -Live 229 London Club Fandango 5th September 2008

Glasgow has produced many great bands over the years. Teenage Fanclub, BMX Bandits, Belle and Sebastian and Orange Juice have all graced my turntable/cd player over the years. I'm not sure what it is about the place but to my mind it has produced some of the very best indie-pop bands in the last 25 years or so. Camera Obscura have been added to that fine roster. Formed in 1996 they have done the rounds and honed their sound and are now produce almost perfect pop with a twist.

Tonight they headline a mini indoor festival at London's 229 venue in Great Portland Street. Having stuffed ourselves in China Town my companions and I turned up just in time to see the final support bands final tune. The Clientele sounded good and I would have liked to hear more. They are definitely a band I'll be checking out on Myspace.

Camera Obscura have a lovely 60's feel to some of their songs. You only have to hear 'If Looks Could Kill' to be transported back to a sweaty 60's nightclub or dare I suggest Wigan Casino where the talc covered floors would only aid your dancing.

'

'Lloyd I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken' is probably their most well known song. Written in response to Lloyd Cole and The Commotions seminal 'Are You Ready To Be Heart Broken' it has made my last two summers infinitely better belting out of my car stereo. Quirky and as catchy as a catchy thing it just makes you smile. Their version tonight, all thought devoid of the string section of the record, had their devoted following bouncing and singing along at the tops of their voices. How great it must be to be on stage with a crowd of 500 or so singing your song back to you. Bloody marvellous.The highlight for me though was the superb 'Lets Get Out Of This Country' which was introduced by Tracyanne Campbell as 'Lets Get Out Of This Thieving Country'. You can't argue with that.

Camera Obscura are well known for performing off the wall cover versions as encores and tonight was no exception. Their slowed down version of Robert Palmer's 'Some Guys Have All the Luck' was sung my Tracyanne as she read the lyrics from a sheet of crumpled paper. Apparently they had only recorded a session version for BBC 6 Music that afternoon so they weren't that up on how it went. It was a good stab at it and it was, as all cover versions should be, significantly different from the original. it was a fine gig and I'll definitely be catching them again in Colchester on their October tour. You can't beat a bit of Scottish indie-pop to put a smile on your face.

It's About Time...

...I got my finger out and actually bothered to write something on this blog. I have an excuse. although not a particularly good one. I'm on pretty strong painkillers at the moment and it is fogging my mind and stemming the trickle of any juices that promote creativity. I have had some thoughts about what to do with this blog and what to do with it. I don't know whether to carry on with the usually mix of bollocks or hone it into a music style blog.

I'll be back soon with an answer.