Frusciante's New Music Challenge (3 of 3)

Well there's some space to fill and I may's well get this last music post out of the way as it has been a while coming. I had to trawl for a bit to find this post and remind myself what I was doing and why I'd gone and spent money on CDs instead of listening to songs on YouTube. For those of you who've forgotten I have been buying albums based on criteria mentioned by John Frusciante as a way to widen your knowledge of this wonderful thing called music.

The last category mentioned is to buy an album because you like the cover and so I decided to give it a whirl. I struggled with this one as I generally like to know what I'm buying before spending money on it. There were a few albums that were a intriguing but none really cried out to me, not many albums seem to have that epic, stand out "Dark Side of the moon" cover. I was also trying to find albums that fitted into the 2 for £10 deal going, on, but eventually I found something that was part of the deal, something I'd heard of, though I didn't know the music and something that had a good cover, something a bit like this...













And again it was a very good album. There was more than a hint of REM in the first song, but that is no bad thing, and the band do quickly move into their own sound. I had no idea what would be coming out of my CD player, I'd heard Editors were good, but it was one of those names mentioned by cool people as one of those bands they think are cool, but don't want anyone else to know about because it would make them slightly less cool.

Despite this I found the band very accessible and some very distinctive songs on the album that I really enjoy listening to. "Blood" is a particular favourite of mine, with the chorus line "Blood runs through your veins, that's where our similarity ends" a particularly striking one. "Munich" and "Camera" are also good ones I think. They are much more downbeat than bands I would normally listen to and so I find I don't listen to them very often, but I do catch myself humming the chorus lines and there is a power to the vocals and music that makes me want to keep digging the album out.

Well to say more would be to pretend to know anything about music. I will briefly comment on the excersize and say that on the whole it has been positive, I had no idea what to expect when buying this album and would probably not even have thought about it other than for this challenge so I'm pleased with that. I have also felt freer to buy into music than I normally would feel, I got Pendulum's first album after being reintroduced to their hit "Slam" and I've thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the CD.

so yeah...s'been good.

Word of the post: Verbatim –adjective

2.	corresponding word for word to the original source or text

Weekly Quote W/E 25/10/08

"The magician was engulfed in an eerie light., pulsating with energy. /he stood at the centre of the storm. A terrible figure in the dark." - Magician, Raymond E. Feist

Stuff I've read recently 5

Wow! It's been a long time since I've done this, this is testament to my never failing laziness, my capacity for putting books in places I'll never pick them up from and being far busier than I ever have been before. I'm also really bad at reading my blog, so much so that I've missed comments that people have kindly put up on my blog, including one from the author of one of the books I talked about in my last post!!! I think it's partly the whole blogger self-esteem issue and I just assume that no one's commented at all. But enough self-deprecation, on with the post.

As per usual start with Christan stuff

The Bible - God et al

Right, it's going to be too much effort to actually recall what I've read, but basically I found my Bible, finished the book I was on (Acts or Romans) and then went back to wherever I was in the old testament and am now storming through Luke and nearly back to where I should be...yeah...that makes...moving on. Anyway it was all very good and helpful as the bible always is.

Ultimate Questions - John Blanchard

A nifty little booklet containing key questions people might ask or should ask about God and the Christian faith. Usually something you'd maybe give to a friend top help them understand, but I figured I should probably read the thing should it ever be something I'd need to do. And it was a pretty good and clear explanation of key information people might need to clear up, and going over the fundamentals of Christianity can never hurt!!

Moving on to "incidentals" books I've picked up along the way and aren't my "main" book, generally because they're easier to read!!

Star Wars Legacy of the Force: Invincible - Troy Denning

This book wrapped up the galactic civil war covered in the Legacy of the Force series of books, this book resolves the conflict across the stars, the reign of Sith Lord Jacen Solo and the tension between the Solo and Skywalker families because of the actions of their children. A fitting end to the series I thought, and I'm intrigued as to what they'll bring out next.

Dark Horse Heroes Omnibus vol 1 - Various

I bought this out of curiosity more than anything, but was pleasantly surprised at the story that unfolded in the book. The publishers started with a crossover title to introduce a load of new characters, some of which were popular enough to spawn their own series, such as X, Barb Wire and Ghost, who appears as only a minor character yet turned out to be the most longlived! The first part covers the experiment of an alien scientist and how it went wrong, creating superpowered humans all across the globe, we view the adventures of the more heroic of these individuals and the aliens who track them searching for the man who gave them their abilities. The next part covers one hero, Titan and how his powers coupled with his insecurities end up making him one of the most dangerous forces on Earth -a very good read.

Maus - Art Spiegelman

One of the most fantastic pieces of work done in the comic book format, if anyone says comic books are stupid or just for kids hand them a copy of this. This true account of holocaust survival is brilliantly illustrated with the characters drawn as animals based on race to emphasise the cruel racial distinctions made by the Nazi regime. The story is powerfully honest as it shows the survivor (also the author's father) as he was in present times, a cantankerous olf man that the author found frustrating to live with. A fantastic piece of art.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - Frank Miller

Another one of these great works of comic book writing I'd heard about and it was on the cheap so I purchased it and was glad I did. The story revitalised batman which had become something of a joke with the camp costumes and the "Kapow" and all that and this story is credited with bringing it back to the dark brooding title it should be. The story takes place when Batman is an old man of about 60, and is retired from his life as the caped crusader, and yet he feels something calling to him, something from the darkness. He returns to his former identity but finds there are big consequences and big changes ahead for the Batman. I can see it's been a big influence on the recent Batman movies and it's a very good read.

And now my "main" book.

Crime and Punishment - Fyodr Dostoyevsky

A really great book, and not hard to read at all so it's to my shame that I haven't finished it sooner. The story is of a student, who is compelled to murder and the consequences of his actions, but it's far more than just his journey to justice. The story explores his feelings as he deals with trying to have a normal life, the unexpected arrival of his family and his reactions to people who suddenly become part of his life. His sense of guilt and relief when he thinks judgement is passed is very tangible and real and the book is exciting and believable to read and I certainly enjoyed it and if you want to get into classic and/or Russian stuff this would be no bad start.

OK and that's (probably) it, I'll make no promises about when I do the next one of these!

Word of the post: Novel –adjective

of a new kind; different from anything seen or known before: a novel idea.

Weekly Quote W/E 18/10/08

"Whee. Sal, we gotta go and never stop going till we get there.

Where we going, man?

I don't know but we gotta go." - On the Road, Jack Kerouac

Charity Shopping

Well I nearly forgot like last year, but at the last minute I remembered it was the momentous Blogger Action day and time for me to pause from rambling about nothing in particular and instead to talk about something very particular - the issue of poverty. This is naturally a huge issue and I'm not going to pretend to have an easy answer to it, but I'm going to share one idea that I had on the issue and do no more than that - it is simply something I've thought about, not my absolute stance on the subject.

My idea would be something along the lines of this - that someone (initially I thought me, but I doubt I've got either the brains or the time) could set up a shop, probably online, where people could buy goods to help the poor and suffering, which would then get sent to the charities or organizations working with those who need it. It could be just like amazon or other online buying sites (or even become part of one who knows?) only instead of paying for stuff and having it sent to you you could buy say a hypodermic needle, parts for a well, leprosy vaccinations or materials to build a temporary shelter and then pay to have it flown to a third world country of your choice.

I guess this idea came out of a general desire to contribute to the poorest people in the world, but being in a very flexible financial situation (as well as being more than a little bit greedy and lazy I'm loathe to admit) I find this £2 a month business a bit hard to contemplate. While I definitely think we should give in this way and without charities doing the work my idea would be useless but I think this kind of idea could help someone who wants to give, but is not sure how or if they can afford to have money withdrawn from them constantly. Using this kind of system you could make a one off donation and know what the effect was. You could even make one off donations to charities through it, perhaps rectifying the people like me who would maybe use it to avoid regular giving.

Well that's my idea roughly - any takers?

OK, well I'm sure something similar is going on, and I doubt I'm the only one with that kind of idea and there are a few related sites that I will share with you now.

Kiva.org is the first I'll talk about and the one I'm most interested and since it's an official partner to Blog Action day it's not a bad start!! I've been really impressed by what I've seen on their website and it seems a really good way to give directly and make a direct impact on someone in poverty. Kiva is a micro-lending organisation, members of the public through them lend money (as little as $25) to an individual or a group in poverty to support their business or livelihood, people can contribute small amounts to a larger loan of around $1000 or more. What's interesting is it's done as a business so it is a loan, you will get repaid as the entrepenur's business grows and they get out of poverty - though this will naturally be a gradual process, and of course there's no such thing as interest in this arrangement. I think this idea is fantastic, you can contribute directly to people who are being held back by poverty, you know you are making a difference to an individual or a group and you even get your money back - I'm almost reaching for my wallet as we speak. If you haven't come across them before I strongly reccommend you take a look.

If you want to give to charity but aren't sure how then there's a way with agoodcause.com I'll admit to being a bit cuatious when it comes to these software download thingies, so I haven't signed up myself, though it seems like a good idea. Essentially through them every time you make a purchase on Amazon, Apple store or anywhere else then a donation will be made to charity - at no cost to you!!! I personally want to know a bit more before I sign up, and I'm slightly worried by the amount of dating companies that are signed up, but it's definitely worth a look at at least.

Right I think that's all I've got to say other than to encourage you, and more importantly me, to be active in giving to those who don't have what we have, whether it's through one of the sites above, or regular giving or even being involved. I've just demonstrated without much effort that there are ideas we can come up with and there are multiple ways to give so why not take action and give one a try? Have a look at the action day site for more ideas - I think I've got a link somewhere.



Word of the post: Malaise –noun

1.	a condition of general bodily weakness or discomfort, often marking the onset of a disease.

Weekly Quote - 11/10/08

"Who is to say we should obey the laws they make for their own interest and to our hurt? And who are they then to meddle when we look after our own affairs? We will manage our world for ourselves because it is our world, Cosa Nostra." - The Godfather, Mario Puzo.

It's back!!!

Oh yeah - Cherry Coke is making a comeback, and with it no doubt my disturbing fondness for blogging about Coca-Cola. Well I think I'll let the picture do the talking this time (it comes, incidentally) from a blogger who obviously has a similar enthusiasm for Coke.

I'd always been rather partial to Cherry Coke, but it stopped appearing so regularly on the shelves a while back, and I only occasionally got it from some suppliers such as a local chippie. While I do miss the arty scrawl of the original can design I'm just glad to see the classic flavour make a return - my heart yearns for it to be more than a limited fad, though my teeth are secretly hopeful!!

Word of the post: Underwhelming -

To fail to excite, stimulate, or impress

Blog Action Day 08 - October 15th

Greetings fellow Bloggers

I'm posting this as a heads up for those of you who may want to get involved and I would encourage you to think about it. You may not achieve much, but for one reason or another you have chosen to make your voice heard and perhaps it might be a good idea to use your voice as part of a bigger scheme looking at a global issue. I'm not going to be so pretentious as to say you can change the world, but it might be interesting, and it's not like it costs you anything.

Last years bloggers wrote about the envirovment in thousands of different ways, styles and approaches. The organisers don't want you to turn into a campaigner or to do in depth researched sob stories, they ask you to write as you normally would, only to use this day for writing about one issue - the issue of Poverty. Perhaps I'm not being as clear as I should be so I'll let you hear a message from the organizers themselves...


Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

So I'm not going to give you a campaign spiel, I'm just going to suggest that maybe it'd be something you'd like to get involved in. If you think it is, let me know and I'll be interested to see what you write.




Word of the post: Amalgamate –verb (used with object)

1. to mix or merge so as to make a combination