Another weblog...

A great weblog from a very intelligent guy : David Byrne.

Song to the Siren

Especially for my friend KidVic, Tim Buckley's 'Song to the Siren' by The Czars.

On the floating, shipless oceans
I did all my best to smile
til your singing eyes and fingers
drew me loving into your eyes.
And you sang "Sail to me, sail to me;
Let me enfold you."
Here I am, here I am waiting to hold you.
Did I dream you dreamed about me?
Were you here when I was full sail?

Now my foolish boat is leaning, broken lovelorn on your rocks.
For you sang, "Touch me not, touch me not, come back tomorrow."
Oh my heart, oh my heart shies from the sorrow.
I'm as puzzled as a newborn child.
I'm as riddled as the tide.
Should I stand amid the breakers?
Or shall I lie with death my bride?
Hear me sing: "Swim to me, swim to me, let me enfold you."
"Here I am. Here I am, waiting to hold you."

Oh, and here you can see Tim Buckley sing the song himself.

And a big thank you to Dertigers, a terrific weblog for the alternative over-aged... ;-)

Donald Fagen

And while I'm at it, you can find the new Donald Fagen here. Also very relaxed and very much Fagen...

Black Sweat... Yeah!

Anyone interested in the new Prince(video) ? I am! That man has more RnB in his little finger then most full bands have together...

Really addictive sand...

Really addictive sand...

Marlee and me

I'm going to buy this book when I can get my hands on a copy. It sounds a bit like the early work of John Irving.

Well I ain't laughing...

Just in the news :

"German sentenced for selling toiletpaper with 'Koran' written on it to mosque.

Today the 61-year old german Manfred von H. was sentenced to a probationary prison-sentence of 1 year by a German court. Manfred von H. created toilet-paper with the word 'Koran' printed on it and tried to sell it to a mosque.

Von H. included a letter with his merchandise, in which he described the Koran as 'a cookbook for terrorists'. According to the German court he is therefor guilty of insulting the Islamic faith and disturbing the peace.

Von H. wanted to use the proceeds(...) of his project to build a monument for 'all victims of Islamic terror'."

So this is funny??? Well I ain't laughing. This has nothing to do with 'Freedom of Speech' or 'Freedom of Expression', this is meant purely and solely as an insulting provocation. Not just printing the word 'Koran' on toilet-paper, but then trying to sell it to a mosque... How insulting can you get?

If this complete asshole would have had both his legs and arms broken by furious muslims I wouldn't lift a fucking finger to help him. Everybody who reads this blog(all two of you out there...) knows that I want nothing to do with organized religion, that I see it as the ancient remains of a time when gods served their purpose in society. But this has nothing to do with the freedom of expression. This is called 'unnecessary insult'.

So it is now time for me to turn the world around for a change :

These kind of western(probably white) idiots give me not only a bad taste in my mouth, they also give me a bad name in this world.

As far as I'm concerned he drops dead right now. Idiots I can do without. Sometimes I wish evolution would breed out the dross a bit faster.

Roe v. Wade

The moment everyone was waiting for since Bush appointed the new judges to the Supreme Court.
South Dakota's first, who's next?

Peasantry

I know I keep going on about this 'Fred-guy'. But he hits it right on the nail again, for me that is... Maybe that's why some people call me an elitist, or arrogant, or a snob, or...WhAtEvAh!

Read it first. And look deep deep into the darker spots in your so pure and democratic soul... and THEN call me an elitist, or arrogant, or a snob, or...

wHaTeVaH!

Truthdig

Today I added Truthdig to the links-list. Nice site, lots of information, lots to read.

DigiLove...or is it...?

This is an interesting article about a couple who gave each other RFID-chips for Valentine's Days. They are implanted in their wrist I assume.

The thing is, in this day of worldchaos and paranoia, that the first thing I thought was 'how many ex-CIA prisoners have been released with one of these things implanted in their bodies?'.

Paranoia spreads...

So long Andreas

"I believe that when we leave a place a part of it goes with us and part of us remains. Go anywhere in these halls, when it is quiet and just listen. After a while you will hear the echoes of all of our conversations, every thought and word we've exchanged. Long after we are gone, our voices will linger in these walls for as long as this place remains. But I will admit that the part of me that going will very much miss the part of you that is staying." - Andreas Katsulas as G'Kar


G'Kar is dead. What more can I add than this quote?

"The Universe speaks in many languages, but only one voice. The language is not Narn, or Human, or Centauri, or Gaim or Minbari. It speaks in the language of hope; It speaks in the language of trust; It speaks in the language of strength, and the language of compassion. It is the language of the heart and the language of the soul. But always, it is the same voice. It is the voice of our ancestors, speaking through us, And the voice of our inheritors, waiting to be born. It is the small, still voice that says: We are one. No matter the blood; No matter the skin; No matter the world; No matter the star; We are one. No matter the pain; No matter the darkness; No matter the loss; No matter the fear; We are one. Here, gathered together in common cause. we agree to recognise this singular truth, and this singular rule: That we must be kind to one another, because each voice enriches us and ennobles us, and each voice lost diminishes us. We are the voice of the Universe, the soul of creation, the fire that will light the way to a better future. We are one."

Until we meet again Andreas, in a place where no shadows fall.

Anonymous Lawyer

This is a good spoof-site.

"Sunday is help my family spend my paycheck day. Anyone want a pony?"

Phil's legacy

From my all-time favourite rock-poet.
Long may he be remembered


Got To Give It Up

I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff
I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff

Tell my mama and tell my pa
That their fine young son didn't get far
He made it to the end of a bottle
Sitting in a sleazy bar

He tried hard but his spirit broke
He tried until he nearly choked
In the end he lost his
Bottle drinking alcohol

I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff
I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff

Tell my brother I tried to write
Put pen to paper but I was frightened
I couldn't seem to get the words out right
Right quite right
Tell my sister I'm sinking slow
Now and again I powder my nose
In the end I lost my bottle
It smashed in a casbah

I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff
I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff
I've got to give it up

I've been messing with the heavy stuff
For a time I couldn't get enough
But I'm waking up and it's wearing off
Junk don't take you far

Tell my Mama I'm coming home
In my youth I'm getting older
And I think it's lost control
Mama I'm coming home

I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff
I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff


Phil Lynott (1949-1986)

Angels with dirty faces

To allow Iran to have a nucleair arsenal would be to introduce an uncertain unstable factor in an already unstable world. They won't throw that bomb at us once they have it. It could take years. And even if it would never happen, there would be no way to threathen Iran into normal behaviour. That goes straight out the window once the other side has nukes.

And I am not even *talking* about supplying that stuff to rogue groups and then sit back and watch...

Scenario : Iran supplies a nuke to Al Qaida who detonate it in Egypt.
Doomsdays : Israel gets the fall out and decides to act as if they were themselves the target. Who knows they weren't? Put the nuke at the border. It isn't like you can actually *see* the impact. Egypt is no more, thus giving the more militant regimes/countries the chance to take over. After an extensive investigation America finds out where the nuke came from; No More Iran. But will they have hidden two or three nukes outside of Iran? No one knows.

Scenario : Iran invades Iraq after the Americans are gone. America cannot act against a nucleair power(see first scenario). Greater Iran threathens Saoudi Arabia; comply or be destroyed. The Saoudis do not have nukes. And they're muslims anyway...

Now ask yourself : what would happen to the oil-supply?

I can think of 10 of those scenario's. Tom Clancy can come up with a hundred. Yes, I'm worried.


So many democratic countries have decided not to have nukes. And *those* countries, mainly arabic if not muslim, just can't wait. Obviously we may have learned something when we bombed Japan, the Middle East did not have that experience.

Let me ask you this : If Hitler would have had the bomb, a button right there in the bunker in 1945. Do you honestly think Europe would still exist?

Education? Nah, don't need it.

Everybody is complaining about the quality of tuition and education nowadays, both in Europe and in the United States. The forecasts are that young people will finish school allright, but they will also be less educated than earlier generations.

So you would think that the government would invest heavily into educational programs etcetera.

And what does G. W. Bush do? Cuts, cuts, cuts, cuts, cuts, cuts...

In his $2.77 billion budget, Bush asks Congress to sharply cut or eliminate 141 government programs. Almost one-third of the targeted programs are in education, including ones that provide money to support the arts, vocational education, parent resource centers and drug-free schools.

But of course there is a reason for squandering the nation's future working capital :

"My administration has focused the nation's resources on our highest priority -- protecting our citizens and our homeland," Bush said in his budget message.

Protecting them? How? With dumb people I guess. It's no wonder that the Bush-administration wants to recruit for the army on the school-campus. There won't be any education left if this goes on, so what else can you do than join the army to kill the boredom?

Bush's spending proposals are for the 2007 budget year that begins October 1. The $2.77 trillion in spending would be up 2.3% from projected spending of $2.71 trillion this year.

The administration in its budget documents said the deficit for this year will soar to an all-time high of $423 billion, reflecting increased outlays for the Iraq war and hurricane relief.

So they're too busy spending money on a war that they misjudged, and on rebuilding dikes they shouldn't have neglected in the first place. Both decisions of THIS government, not the previous one(s).

Way to go George. I think they should name a hurricane especially after you. Make it a category five.

Justified outrage...

Muslims fly commercial airliners into buildings in New York City. No Muslim outrage.

Muslim officials block the exit where school girls are trying to escape a burning building because their faces were exposed. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims cut off the heads of three teenaged girls on their way to school in Indonesia. A Christian school. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims murder teachers trying to teach Muslim children in Iraq. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims murder over 80 tourists with car bombs outside cafes and hotels in Egypt. No Muslim outrage.

A Muslim attacks a missionary children's school in India. Kills six. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims slaughter hundreds of children and teachers in Beslan, Russia. Muslims shoot children in the back. No Muslim outrage.

Let's go way back. Muslims kidnap and kill athletes at the Munich Summer Olympics. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims fire rocket-propelled grenades into schools full of children in Israel. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims murder more than 50 commuters in attacks on London subways and busses. Over 700 are injured. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims massacre dozens of innocents at a Passover Seder. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims murder innocent vacationers in Bali. No Muslim outrage.

Muslim newspapers publish anti-Semitic cartoons. No Muslim outrage

Muslims are involved, on one side or the other, in almost every one of the 125+ shooting wars around the world. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims beat the charred bodies of Western civilians with their shoes, then hang them from a bridge. No Muslim outrage.


Newspapers in Denmark and Norway publish cartoons depicting Mohammed.

Muslims are outraged...

So this is offensive too???

Crusader

"What do I do next?" said the Bishop to the Priest,
"I have spent my whole life waiting, preparing for the Feast,
And now you say Jerusalem has fallen and is lost,
The King of Heathen Saracen has seized the holy cross."

Then the Priest said "Oh my Bishop, we must put them to the sword,
For God in all his mercy will find a just reward,
For the Noblemen and sinners, and Knights of ready hand
Who will be the Lord's Crusader, send word throughout all the land,

Jerusalem is lost,
Jerusalem is lost,
Jerusalem is lost;"

"Tell me what to do", said the King upon his throne,
"but speak to me in whispers for we are not alone,
They tell me that Jerusalem has fallen to the hand
Of some bedevilled Eastern heathen who has seized the Holy land;"

Then the Chamberlain said "Lord, we must call upon our foes
In Spain and France and Germany to end our bitter wars,
All Christian men must be as one and gather for the fight,
You will be their leader, begin the battle cry,

Jerusalem is lost,
Jerusalem is lost,
Jerusalem is lost"...

Ooh, high on a hill, in the town of Jerusalem,
There stood Saladin, the King of the Saracens,
Whoring and drinking and snoring and sinking, around him his army lay,
Secure in the knowledge that they had won the day;

A messenger came, blood on his feet and a wound in his chest,
"The Christians are coming!" he said, "I have seen their Cross in the West,"
In a rage Saladin struck him down with his knife
And he said "I know that this man lies,
They quarrel too much, the Christians could never unite!

I am invincible, I am the King,
I am invincible, and I will win..."

Close they came, the army of Richard the Lionheart,
Marching by day and night, with soldiers from every part,
And when the Crusaders came over the mountain and they saw Jerusalem,
They fell to their knees and prayed for her release;

They started the battle at dawn, taking the city by storm,
With horsemen and bowmen and engines of war,
They broke through the city walls,
The Heathens were flying and screaming and dying,
And the Christian swords were strong,
And Saladin ran when he heard their victory song;

"We are invincible, God is the King,
We are invincible, and we will win!"

"What do I do now?" said the Wiseman to the Fool,
"I have spent my whole life searching, to find the Golden Rule,
Though centuries have disappeared, the memory still remains
Of those enemies together, could it be that way again?"

Then the Fool said "Oh you Wise men, you really make me laugh,
With your talk of vast persuasion and searching through the past,
There is only greed and evil in the men that fight today,
The Song of the Crusader has long since gone away,

Jerusalem is lost,
Jerusalem is lost,
Jerusalem is lost...
Jerusalem."


Chris De Burgh

Civilization Part XXIII

Nope, nothing to add to this.

Bill seems to be growing...

I've said it before: I am starting to get over my dislike for Bill more and more. Thirty billion dollars in the war-chest of his charity-foundation, and now this...

Lyrics-time - ah, my hero!

A million old soldiers will fade away
But a dream goes on forever
I’m left standing here, I’ve got nothing to say
All is silent within my dream

A thousand true loves will live and die
But a dream lives on forever
The days and the years will go streaking by
But the time has stopped in my dream

We all have our everyday hopes and fears
And you’ll find no exception in me
But that doesn’t get me through a sea of tears
Over life’s biggest tragedy

You’re so long ago and so far away
But my dream lives on forever
I guess I believe that I’ll see you one day
For without it there is no dream

You’re so far away and so long ago
But my dream goes on forever
And how much I loved you you’ll never know
’til you join me within my dream

"A dream goes on forever" by Todd Rundgren

P.S. And especially for my girlfriend here is another one from Todd that I am sure a lot of people can relate to : "I Hate My Friggin' I.S.P."