Good stuff - Blogs, Articles, Podcasts etc

[PaddyJoe]

The man behind that mask:

The comic-book writer Alan Moore is not usually surprised when his creations find a life for themselves away from the printed page. Strips he penned in the 1980s and 90s have been fed through the Hollywood patty-maker, never to his great satisfaction, resulting in both critical hits and terrible flops; fads for T-shirts, badges and shouted slogans have emerged from characters and conceits he has dreamed up for titles such as Watchmen and From Hell. "I suppose I've gotten used to the fact," says the 58-year-old, "that some of my fictions percolate out into the material world."
But Moore has been caught off-guard in recent years, and particularly in 2011, by the inescapable presence of a certain mask being worn at protests around the world. A sallow, smirking likeness of Guy Fawkes – created by Moore and the artist David Lloyd for their 1982 series V for Vendetta. It has a confused lineage, this mask: the plastic replica that thousands of demonstrators have been wearing is actually a bit of tie-in merchandise from the film version of V for Vendetta, a Joel Silver production made (quite badly) in 2006

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011...a-mask-protest

[Andrew49]

I photograph people who skirt the edges of things; people whose connection to the broader flow is murky or obscured. Mistaken as more, less or different than they are; they aren’t really seen and don’t really belong. That’s everyone sometimes; but some more often. I try to establish a line for a moment. I hope to connect. And I see the most beautiful and the most heartbreaking things.

And what of them; these ones who don’t belong or who are excluded; who don’t fit or don’t try? Is there nothing they value? Is there nothing of them we value? I count it as a measure of our ignorance, the depth of poverty in the world. It’s a glaring marker to how far we have not come. Yet it has also driven our advance; on less fortunate backs and against less fortunate fate.

Quite graphic but very real!

Tom Stone

[musashi]

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/greentea/

Some of the impersonations are classic. Jean Byrne sounds like Mrs Munster.

[Kev Bar]

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/greentea/

Some of the impersonations are classic. Jean Byrne sounds like Mrs Munster.

I thought The Emergency crew were sharper...shame they no longer have a proper show.

[PaddyJoe]

A good site for locating radio stations on de internet with a one click interface for switching from one to another:
www.tunein.com

[C. Flower]

This thread reminds me of a cupboard my grandmother used to have, full of random wonders.

[Dr. FIVE]

That's idea Cass.

Here's a report on White working-class views of neighbourhood, cohesion and change

http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/w...-neighbourhood


Reviewing the experiences of residents in three neighbourhoods across England, this study:

• critically reviews the concept of community cohesion and its application;
  
• looks at whether white working-class communities are a forgotten group disconnected from policy and politics;
  
• discusses the complexity of whiteness, class and cohesion; and
  
• recommends changing community cohesion to a grassroots initiative, embracing difference and diversity.

Key points

• Most stakeholders were critical of community cohesion, viewing it as a 'top-down', government-imposed model. They emphasised the sense of being a forgotten group disconnected from policy and politics.
• Addressing these concerns means changing community cohesion so that grassroots issues are discussed, making a concerted case for difference and diversity at a grassroots level and changing Government's role to being a facilitator rather than the driver in cohesion efforts.
• White working-class residents not being heard: Many residents felt they were a forgotten community and had been ignored by policy-makers at local or national level. The sense of disconnection was due to neighbourhood change but also the impact of immigration.
• Perceptions of community cohesion: Most residents had not come across the term 'community cohesion'; it was seen as being driven by central and local government and not connecting with the concerns of local communities.
• A need for fairness and equity: Many residents felt they had been unfairly treated by government, especially in terms of allocation to social housing. They felt that housing organisations rewarded groups who did not appear to add anything positive to neighbourhoods.
• Complexity of whiteness: The terms 'white' and 'working class' are complex. Residents emphasised the importance of values based on hard work, reciprocity and support. This was very different from the popular stereotype of being stupid and benefit dependent, which residents resented.

There were a lot of communities left behind during the bubble and they will also be the ones where cuts will hit hardest. This is a UK study but I think a lot of it could apply here. Might throw up a thread when I am finished reading it.

[Kev Bar]

This thread reminds me of a cupboard my grandmother used to have, full of random wonders.

She had Leonard Cohen in a cupboard!
Good on her.

[C. Flower]

She had Leonard Cohen in a cupboard!
Good on her.

Just the thing for a rainy day

[Kev Bar]

Just the thing for a rainy day

She shows him where to look amongst the garters and dried flowers.

[C. Flower]

http://storyful.com/stories/1000014736

Marmite spill on the M1

[Kev Bar]

http://storyful.com/stories/1000014736

Marmite spill on the M1

Look what you did by opening your grandma's drawer.

[C. Flower]

Look what you did by opening your grandma's drawer.

There was always Marmite.

[Kev Bar]

There was always Marmite.

And look what I found under the tea cosy:

http://1heckofaguy.com/2011/11/30/ne...nt-night-1979/

[Kev Bar]

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion...i-1664368.html

Excellent account of monstrosity they call Dubai.

Not that I needed a reason to say no to a potential gig there.

Always thought the place was the embodiment of a justification for suicide bombers.

And was just from being stuck in the airport for a few hours on a Bangladeshi Biman transfer.