Category: Random

In another article from disinformation, there is discussion about the memetic effects of Hollwood imagery. Although the article strays dangerously close to advocating censorship on the grounds of ‘putting ideas into people’s heads’ it does question the relationship between the Spectacle and political and terrorist action. Perhaps it’s only understandable that a radical politician of a fundamentalist country should try to make a movie in which the ‘bad guys win’.

Disinformation is back, and with a range of perspectives on events in America over the last week.

US terrorist attacks: due to circumstances beyond our control . . .: “The anti-globalist movement has existed at the fringes of American politics for several reasons. Understanding these reasons reveals the hidden complexity and undercurrents of the American political landscape. A more in-depth understanding can also serve as a buffer against the perils of groupthink.”

Terrorism and witch hunts: “‘Inevitable Ring to the Unimaginable’ by Australian journalist John Pilger, argues that “the US and its sidekicks, principally Britain, have exercised, flaunted, and abused their wealth and power ‘for so long they shouldn’t be surprised if those they have victimized fight back.’ Among many examples, he cites the 200,000 Iraqis killed during the Gulf War, and the million others who have since died in Iraq as a result of US/UK sanctions, and concludes that ‘Western terror is part of the recent history of imperialism.’
This perspective is directly contradicted by former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s ‘Response Must Destroy the Network that Shelters Terrorism.’ Kissinger writes that countries harboring terrorists ‘must pay an exorbitant price’ (ironic given that the US trained and funded Bin Laden and at least a few of the hijackers) and calls the World Trade Center attacks ‘a threat to our social way of life and to our existence as a free society.'”

Does anyone have the slightest idea when My Own Private Idaho might be coming out on DVD? I miss River Phoenix. When I visited Kerry in LA, we went to a shop directly opposite the Viper Room where he died.

Just when you begin to think that the threat of an escalating conflict is behind us – or at least that enough distance has emerged to make a World War less likely – the Taliban declares holy war on the US. And it must be bad, because it’s forcing idiots like Jerry Falwell to make half-hearted apologies for saying that it’s the fault of feminists, gay people and liberals.

This afternoon I made my very first ever Flash movie. I’ve struggled with Flash before, many many years ago, and found going through the instructions supplied with it so frustratingly awful that I gave up and consigned myself to the ‘bit technically dim’ category. But today I decided to confront my demons and go hell for leather, and having discovered a considerably more helpful article at Webmonkey, I can now present some circles, moving. I can’t believe that I am so ridiculously proud of this absurdly simple (and basically broken) piece of rubbish. Sigh.

A month after the film opened, usatoday confronts the burning question of our times: “What the hell was the ending of Planet of the Apes about?”.

I’ve got my hands on a few previews of upcoming American TV series, and I’m planning to plough my way through them over the next few days. First up is 24. Kiefer Sutherland stars in this high-concept piece of TV programming. The series contains 24 episodes, each one is in real time and occupies one hour of one day. In the first episode the Counter Terrorist Unit of LA hears about a potential threat on a US senator, who may or may not have something to hide. In the meantime, our hero’s daughter has gone missing.

Watch out for this series, because it’s pretty damn good. It’s fast-paced, uses a lot of split screen techniques to keep you informed as to what’s happening at any one time and it’s pretty involving. My main anxiety is that people won’t be prepared to spend nearly six months watching one tight and short story – and that we’ll get bored of Kiefer’s clothing.

Grant Morrison’s … unique … take on events in New York contains this comment: “Did we bomb Boston to stop the Boston Strangler ? Did we level New York City to get at Son of Sam ? No we did not. So why the fuck should we flatten Afghanistan just to get at a bunch of murderous bastards who have the country’s people in a repressive death grip?”. [via Darren, the Linkmachine]

An Afghan-American speaks: “What can be done, then? Let me now speak with true fear and trembling. The only way to get Bin Laden is to go in there with ground troops. When people speak of “having the belly to do what needs to be done” they’re thinking in terms of having the belly to kill as many as needed. Having the belly to overcome any moral qualms about killing innocent people. Let’s pull our heads out of the sand. What’s actually on the table is Americans dying. And not just because some Americans would die fighting their way through Afghanistan to Bin Laden’s hideout. It’s much bigger than that, folks. Because to get any troops to Afghanistan, we’d have to go through Pakistan. Would they let us? Not likely. The conquest of Pakistan would have to be first. Will other Muslim nations just stand by? You see where I’m going. We’re flirting with a world war between Islam and the West.”

Needed: a new age of enlightenment: “You’d think that every possible angle would already have been covered by people writing about the events of September 11th. So why am I writing this, and why now? Because in all the media coverage I’ve seen so far, nobody has been asking the right, the important, questions. Like: why did this happen, what circumstances got us into a de facto state of undeclared war with the Islamic world, and what can we realistically do to prevent those circumstances from ever recurring.” [link via Prolific]