Science, public understanding of science, philosophy and communication of science, sociology, psychology, social theory, history, economics, and philosophy. Politics: Marxism, Trotskyism, socialism, anarchism, syndicalism, anarcho-syndicalism, situationism, participatory democracy, participatory economics.
Books by Jared Diamond, John Gray, Naomi Klein, Noam Chomsky, Eric Hobsbawn, Karl Marx.
British producer Adam Curtis has made a series of provocative and informative documentaries exposing the use of propoganda by governments and powerful corporations to manipulate the public and control our desires, beliefs and values. These films have been a big discussion topic for me both in the
forums
here on myspace and elsewhere.
Adam Curtis made The Power of Nightmares (see trailer below) describing how fear is used as a tool to make us believe we need politicians and leaders to save us from unseen enemies, and the documentary The Century of the Self which describes how politicians and marketeers utilised Freudian ideas to manipulate the public into purchasing individualism through material consumption, as well as a new documentary, The Trap, which I discuss in my blog - The Spectacle of Freedom.
The goal of these strategies has been to use concepts of "freedom" and "liberty" to create a new sense of meaning and purpose in our lives - the generation of individualistic identity through the libertarian expression of free will, when people are actually increasingly disempowered and increasingly subordinated to the rigid mass culture of an unaccountable oligarchy.
Adam Curtis's documentaries are highly informative and thought-provoking, and well worth watching.
Very ecclectic. Moby, Faithless, Billy Bragg, The Clash, Scientist, Steel Pulse, Benjamin Zephaniah, The Roots, David Bowie, Black Sabbath, Motor Head, Meat Loaf, Yes, Pink Floyd, Supertramp, U2, Simple Minds, Coldplay, Electric Six, Leftfield, Massive Attack, Chemical Brothers, Sneaker Pimps, Saint Etiene, James, The Farm, Ulrich Schnauss, Royksopp, The Future Sound of London, Aphex Twin, Syntax, Air, Front242, Test Department, Daft Punk, Hot Chip, Lemon Jelly, Arvo Part, Philip Glass, Saint Seans, Sibelius, Rachmaninov and more...
This has to be one of my favorite music videos ever.
Total State Machine by Test Department
Movies
Lantana, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Brazil, Stalker, A Tale of Two Sisters, Lord of the Rings, Sweet Sixteen, Land and Freedom, Over the Edge, Rumblefish, The Long Weekend, The Bourne Trilogy, Eat the Rich, The Last Wave, The Thing, Manhattan Murder Mystery, 2001, Fast Food Nation, Why We Fight, La Communidad, This is England, Ringu, Suburbia, The Shining, Sunshine, 11'09'01 September 11, Blade Runner, Doomsday, Gothic, Into the Wild, Twin Peaks, Dark Water, Eraser Head, Metropolis, Love and Death, Inland Empire, Nosferatu, No End in Sight, Fire Walk With Me, Alien, Fargo, Contact, 28 Days Later, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Century of the Self, Heavenly Creatures, Creep, Der Baader Meinhof Komplex, Science of Sleep, Russian Ark, Koyaanisqatsi, Beautiful Thing, Crash, Cloverfield, Pans Labyrinth, Relic, Shawn of the Dead, A Crude Awakening, The Descent, Talented Mr Ripley, Sleeper, Fearless Vampire Killers, Threads, Solaris, Weather Underground.
A little light 80's fluffy stuff before the serious.
The Disposessed in "Eat the Rich"
Now for the serious.
"The Trap"
"Call It Sleep" (part one - follow link for consecutive parts)
"Why We Fight" (trailer)
Television
Democracy Now!
Its the only thing on TV in this country worth watching.
Books
Just finished "Tell Me No Lies" by John Pilger.
Now reading "The Road", by Cormac McCarthy
Hello there sir, new tracks up now if you fancy a listen. Strange tales of Damian and Anthony, dead saints, the horrors of war, and of course a bit of good old northern irish sodomy for good measure. Take a wee listen and enjoy. New album on sale soooooon!!!!
What you wrote was far more articulate, eloquent, than the “rebuttals” I’ve read, especially your Socialists perspective on pre-figurative politics. The individual who criticized D’Amato for being “sectarian” may be on to something. You and I of course agree this is a time for unity, not inventing divisions where none really exists. D’Amato seems to be highly confused in several areas…the statement below is extremely erroneous… “The examples were illustrative of what I consider to be some of anarchism's weaknesses: the idea that forms of struggle and organization should prefigure the future society; opposition to majority rule; and the idea that we must renounce all state power. Two of my conclusions are based on my own experience, the other on my reading of what happened in Spain. ”
hahaha sorry... i am the worst at staying in touch these days. sooo YES i have been texting your landline like crazy with backstage passes to izzy izzard and the like. ok, not true. but i did invite you to lunch once or twice.
Hey Bud.. how have you been? Haven't heard from you in a long time it seems.. I'm off of work this week, YES!!! I'm so ready for it to be spring already..How are things with you and your boo? ( boo = boyfriend ) Hit a bitch back..
If you missed The One Love Benefit for music students in Mozambique, but would still like to help the kids, please visit our page to make a quick, easy donation. Thanks for all your support and commitment to a better world!
Hi Gareth! Thanks for your interest in our event! Hope you can join us on July 21 at the Barking Spider! Have fun and Help Kids at the same time! The Music is going to be awesome! Peace and Blessings, OLB
ps- Please add us to your top friends until July 21!
Yeah, Roller Coaster years these are!! Today after work I went up to Tower City (Sour Titty) to get some sandals and ran into an old friend (actually my old best friend of almost 10 years).. it was real awkward, but it was fine.. all he wants to do is bitch n' wine.. ANYWAYS.. Glad it's Friday now, I have to work tomorrow but work on Saturday is never work.. Doing anything this weekend?
Dude.. doing real good.. gettin ready for work right now.. You know me! Of course I have adventures to talk about.. Mainly been hanging out with this couple (of guys of course) and I'm not sure, but I think the one wants a 3 Way and the other one (Who I talk to on the phone a lot) wants to date me, so it's kind of complicated and there's tons of unanswered questions.. I'll figure it out sooner or later.. Hope you have a nice day!!
