No More X-Factory!

The time has come, people to say "No!" to the string of X-Factory no-talent-one-Christmas-hit-wonders. There is a campaign in full swing to get this song by Malcom Middleton to the number one spot for xmas. The former Arab Strap member has released this fantastically rebellious little ditty, in the same vein as The Pogues feat. Kirsty MacColl Fairytale of New York.

Even if you have never bought a music download before, I urge you now to do so, even if just to say to future generations "We did not all worship Idle Telly!". Because that is what that show is, cheap TV made by people too lazy to create an original idea and spoonfeeding the population one version of what music can be.

Rebel, go crazy, spend 79p to send a message to Simon Cowell, future generations and the mass media of today.

Gigs - VNV Nation

Tuesday 11th December - Thekla Social, Bristol

I had never been to a gig at the Thekla before, so didn't really know what to expect from the venue. But I had high expectations from the band, having seen them earlier this year at Infest, where they blew my mind and gave my OH an epiphany regarding glow sticks!

The support act, Kloq, made a good go at warming up a tough crowd, who only reluctantly gathered around the stage and barely even tapped their feet along to the catchy synth rhythms. I enjoyed them, but confess I was impatient for the main attraction - VNV Nation.

My friends and I managed to get ourselves right up front as soon as Kloq left the stage and we waited as the crowd pressed in behind us. Glow sticks at the ready, the crowd broke into hysterics waiting for the band to come on stage. One girl off to our left kept screaming, and I mean, horror movie, lung-ripping screaming. The crowd began telling her to shut up, but every couple of minutes she would let out another great scream.

The audience were not disappointed when one of the first things Ronan said was to tell this girl to cut it out.

"It's funny... once. After that it's just annoying."

I had been struck on seeing VNV previously how funny Ronan is as a frontman. He engages the crowd with anecdotes and moments of wit to rival the best stand up comedians in Britain, but more than this he is an expert at getting the crowd involved. He encourages movement and singing along, he covers the stage thoroughly and being up front as we were, we were treated to regular grins from him as he towered right over us. At one point he saw me holding my camera up and made sure to pause long enough for me to get a clear photo of him.

VNV have produced some incredible tracks over the years. Anthemic dance tracks as well as heart-felt ballads and as at Infest, where they dedicated 'Illusion' to Sophie Lancaster, I was moved to tears during this powerful slow track from their latest album, Judgement.

A technical problem forced the band to leave the stage and the crowd waited patiently for the issue to be resolved. Great relief swept over us when the band returned to play another few songs and we were treated to a standard encore after that.

Knowing the latest album significantly better than when I last saw VNV certainly heightened my enjoyment of the gig, which is saying something. Exhausted though I was by the encore I couldn't help but dance with all the energy I could muster and I found myself the following day barely able to walk; my back was so sore!

A heck of a gig, here's hoping that VNV Nation return to Bristol often.

Gigs - Within Temptation

Birmingham Carling Academy

This was my third time at a WT gig. I have come to expect certain things.

1. A huge crowd
2. Epic sound
3. Brilliant charisma
4. To dance my arse off

I was not disappointed. I have mixed feelings about this venue. I have seen NIN there in the past and on both occasions I have had trouble getting to actually see the bands performing. The venue is simply too big for a standing only gig. The ground floor fills up very quickly and from about ten feet back from the stage all the way back to the bar there is no view. There is a balcony upstairs, but once there are about two rows at the railing someone of my height can see nothing.

On this occasion we took up position three rows back on the balcony for the support act, however, I couldn't see so found myself a comfy spot under the large plasma screen and watched the support act from there.

Once WT took the stage, however, I was not content to sit back and wandered off to find myself a better spot. I got lucky and managed to squeeze in by a pillar dead centre on the balcony, with a few rows in front of me but a little gap through people's heads afforded me an intermittent view! Andy joined me and we enjoyed the set from this position.

The thing that struck me about this gig was that it was evident that we were witnessing the tail end of the tour. When we saw them in Bristol in April the band were energetic, fresh and incredibly tight. That was lacking a little this time, Sharon took a good three songs to warm up properly and even then her voice wasn't as strong as I have heard it in the past.

The set was incredible with us being treated to a few older tracks as well as the usual hits from Mother Earth, The Silent Force and The Heart of Everything. Despite the end-of-tour feeling, it was a very good gig, full of great interaction with the crowd and a fantastic energy from the audience.

Next time we see them it will, hopefully be back in Bristol at a better sized venue. Here's hoping that they keep playing the smaller venues though and that their tour manager doesn't ditch those gigs.

Tonight: VNV Nation!

Getting a Point Across

I have observed, throughout my life, that when a person is unable to answer a question in a debate coherently, rationally and with due attention to previous discussion then they usually don't have much of a point to make. Either they don't understand the subject under discussion or they don't understand their own opinion on the matter.

Internet forums and message boards have made it possible for all manner of people to get involved in public debate that may not have had the chance were the internet not such a fantastic tool. People who have never been involved in a formal debate before are mixing with those who have. People who have never had to argue their opinion in a coherent manner before are mixing with those who have given their opinions careful consideration and discussed them openly many times.

I don't claim to be an expert at debate. I'm not. I represented my house in the school public debate competition once and not very well. I made a speech as part of mock-election week for the 1997 general election, which I enjoyed but my well thought out, pre-written and impassioned speech didn't go down too well with my a-political classmates.

On the rare occasions that I have gone up against those who are genuinely expert at debate (usually guys with quite forceful personalities) I have crumbled and utterly failed to get my own point across. Their arguments may be utterly abhorrant, they may only be arguing for the sake of it and not really because they believe the position they are putting across, but if they are well-practiced in the basic skills then I stand no chance.

But I, like many people, like talking about my own opinions and I do this on the internet with regularity. Mostly I find myself the superior debator, despite my lack of experience. I know some of the theory and I do give my opinions a lot of thought, therefore I often come to a debate well armed with my own, reasoned thoughts.

I do, however, tend to get passionate about the things I care about. And that gets in the way. I find myself falling out with people from time to time, simply because the discussion becomes personal.

But recently, I have been getting quite agitated by a long-running discussion because I have not become impassioned, I have remained balanced and rational throughout. However a couple of posters have taken my comments incredibly personally and have taken to slinging mud. No matter how upset I get in one of these discussions I never stoop to insults or "I know you are but what am I"- style arguing. If I get too involved, if I take offense I tend to withdraw and let the discussion go on without me.

I am farely knowledgable about this subject, it being one I have studied on my degree and in my leisure time. So it infuriates me when people come to the discussion just to throw insults and stamp their feet without any consideration for the rational, serious discussion taking place. They misunderstand, misquote and generally make themselves look silly and wind me up because I feel like I am doing a poor job of getting my point across.

But there is no rationalising with those people. They will never understand a point of view contrary to their own so I mustn't get stressed out about it. This blog entry serves as the venting of my frustration. Hopefully now I can get on with my life.

Gigs - The New Root

Allflaws/Red Vein/The New Root – 14th November 2007 – The Louisiana, Bristol

The night opened with rap-duo Allflaws, sadly not to this reviewer's taste. The second performance came from Red Vein, who provided a more inspiring set of lyrically and musically interesting tracks. They set the mood well for the main attraction; The New Root.

However, I find myself at a slight loss for words as I try to begin this review. What can I say that I have not said before? Am I a fool for having praised TNR so highly in the past? I ask that not because I have ever had any doubt that they deserved my praise, but because I find myself struggling to describe just how amazing they were on this occasion. Having given them such glowing reviews in the past there are very few more rungs on the ladder to go up to and in this case they really need more rungs.

I have always been a Rooter, I have always enjoyed their gigs; loved their songs, revelled in their performances and come away glowing with pride. But this night was different. This night they were headlining, they had a longer set and the biggest audience. There may have been nerves there, but I didn’t see them, all I saw was excitement and joy from the band. It was evident that they were enjoying themselves more than ever and that showed in their confidence and stage presence.

They opened their set with my old favourite, Cruel. This Rooter was overjoyed to see the return of this song to their set. It has been slightly rearranged, the acoustic guitar has been replaced with electric and Trish now plays the key part as well as singing, the whole song has a little more oomph than it did before, and it was always one of their more pounding songs, so that is saying something.

The treatment upon the band’s older material from newest band members Joel and Tony has brought a heavier, more edgy sound, more appropriate for moshing to than previous versions. And mosh we did. Regular Rooters took up position at the front and much vigorous dancing ensued throughout the set, with quiet pauses for Still Near and Crazy.

Other returning track Tell It Like It Is went down well as did their newest track with its irregular rhythms and slamming guitar. In a recent conversation with Dave and Trish Boothby, they said that they wanted to be able to take the audience on an emotional journey in their gigs and that certainly happened with this longer set. We were set up marvellously for the very emotive Crazy, drawing a tear from more than one audience member's eye and the set was brought to a fantastic climax with So Alive.

The Rooters weren’t going to let the band get away without playing crowd-pleaser My Truth, though and calls for an encore were, thankfully, given into by the venue, who gave the go ahead for another song.

Their would-be closing track says it all really, this gig made me feel so alive. I left the venue with friends, all bouncing merrily in the street, elated and exhausted at the same time from all the dancing. TNR have reached a new level in excellence. More confidence, I believe is the key, they pulled off a tight performance and were engaging to watch. As ever, I came away feeling very positive about the future success of the band.

Gigs - Kosheen

Andy & I have been going to a lot of gigs lately. At the nudging from a mate I am going to blog about them.

Wednesday 19th September - Kosheen - Bristol Carling Academy.

I have been a Kosheen fan for several years, since the 2nd album, Kokopelli came out and I was working at the Virgin Megastore. The band actually played there on my first day, but, having not heard of them at that point I didn't go to the gig. Afterwards everyone was talking about it and the Virgin Megastore radio station started playing Avalanche, the single at the time, with some regularity. I noticed the album creeping up the chart as I restocked it daily and realised I needed to get a copy myself - I loved the single so that was enough for me. I quickly learned that they were a Bristol band and they became a firm favourite of mine very quickly.

The band then went off to tour Eastern Europe, so I had to content myself with listening to the albums. My heart skipped a beat when I saw their gig at Aberystwyth Student Union appear on their tour dates list and I went about planning a bit of a reunion with my friends from uni there to coincide with the gig. Alas, people couldn't make it along and then the date disappeared off the list. Another opportunity lost.

I was eagerly anticipating their third album, Damage, but for whatever reason, all thoughts of them touring had slipped my mind. It didn't occur to me that they would be supporting the new album back at home... until I descovered that Darren Beal, one of the founding members of the band, would be mixing The New Root's next release. I quickly checked the tour dates and my heart leapt into my throat to see that they were playing Bristol in a few days time! I bought tickets immediately, not willing to miss another opportunity to see them.

I have to say, as impulse buys go, this was probably the best of my life. Although Andy wasn't feeling well and had to go and sit down after the two support bands finished, he wanted me to stay up front and enjoy the show. The support came in the form of Sub Line, a local band with some interesting tracks and Rochelle, an upbeat act with bouncy female vocals on a similar line to Republica. The vocals were a bit weak however, and the constant demands from the lead singer that we all dance were somewhat trying.

I was impatient for the main event and had been edging forward throughout the two support acts, managing to get myself a spot in the second row for Kosheen. After the typical build up, the crowd itching for the band to come on stage, Kosheen entered, beginning their set with the title track from their new album. From there they embarked on an impressive set; taking us back to the beginning with legendary tracks like Hide U and Hungry; through the highlights of Kokopelli: Avalanche, Crawling, Coming Home and Wish; and mixed with some great new tracks from Damage including Overkill and Guilty.

Sian worked the crowd as a pro, commanding the stage magnificently with a presence I don't think I have ever seen before. The crowd was fuelled with the energy and love coming from the band. Maybe because this was their homecoming gig, the first time they had played Bristol in several years, or maybe every set they play is like that, but the atmosphere was electric and very moving. There were screaming fans in tears from the love they felt for the music and musicians - something I haven't seen since my Boyzone days!

I got friendly with the woman I was stood next to and by the end we were dancing together with her friends and the other strangers around us. It was a shame that Andy had to pull back, as I would have loved to experience that with him, but it was interesting to be up at the front on my own. I feel like I bonded with the crowd more than I typically do at gigs, maybe that was the power of Kosheen more than anything.

I can't recomment Kosheen highly enough. Their albums are beautifully produced and packed with haunting and anthemic tracks. But live... live they shine.

A Liberal Life

In his speech at the Lib Dem conference in Brighton this week, Sir Menzies Campbell gave an inspiring speech about the future of the party. Apathy and disillusionment are severe problems in Britain today and I know that many of you reading this email will be planning to dismiss what I say. "All politicians are the same", "all the parties are the same", "nothing will ever change" - I tell you what... with attitudes like that you're damn right! Things will never change if people continue to brush off the possibilities, if people give up on hope and ambition.

I am a Liberal Democrat because I believe that we, as a nation, deserve better. We deserve a free, fair and green country to live in and more than that... I believe that we can achieve it.

Ming concluded his speech with these words:

"I will lead this party into the next election with energy, ambition and determination. Because the stakes for this party have never been higher. And liberalism has never been needed more than it is today. So whenever people ask you: “Why vote Liberal Democrat?” tell them this:
We alone are prepared to break the cosy consensus of British politics and face up to the challenges confronting our society. To create a country that is free, fair and green.

[...]

Only we can achieve that free, fair and green society. Because only we believe in it – Only we will work for it – Only we will fight for it. The Liberal Democrats versus Labour and the Tories. Today, our party is not only the real alternative: It is the only alternative. Not two against one. But one against two."

To read the full speech go here.

Please don't dismiss me out of hand. Please don't hit "delete" without a second thought. Read what Ming has to say, think about what you can do to help. Even if that doesn't mean voting Lib Dem at the next election, tell your other friends what the Lib Dems have to say, tell people you meet that the political landscape needs to change and encourage people to vote with their feet. Literally. If there is an issue you care about, even just one issue, get out there and do something about it! Shout from the rooftops "No! I will not lie down and submit to this! I demand change!"

Thanks for reading. Now go do.

Google is funny

OK, so I am faffing instead of working (see "Thank You!" below) so I thought I would try the google name game.
How it works: You put "[your name] needs" into google and post the first ten results in your blog. I did this and the very first result was some other Holly doing the same thing!! Coincidentally she was the same age as me, interested in the same things and was also married. Spooky.

My results:

1. Welcome to the Addicted To Holly gallery. It is your #1 source for up to date pictures and it will fulfill all your visual Holly needs!

2. Holly needs home in Ridgeway, Ontario

3. Holly needs help in her Olympic efforts

4. Holly needs to go bak [sic] to neighbours

5. Holly needs a home

6. Holly needs a new home

(I'm beginning to spot a theme here)

7. Holly needs something

8. Holly needs to go to obedience and learn how to walk nicely on a leash because she does a lot of "drifting" from side to side investigating things

(Finally a laugh!)

9. Holly need motorcycle

10. Holly needs identification

:-/

Not as humourous as I was led to believe. Ah well, number 8 gave me a giggle.

Language

So, language usage changes over time. This is not a mystery, it is a mundane fact of life that everyone knows. Or at least, would if they stopped to think about it for a second and compared modern English to the thees and thous of days of yore.

So how come some people don't seem able to handle the idea that people in the modern world call themselves witches and that in the modern use of the word, witches do exist? Why are some people so detirmined to piss on other people's bonfires?

Thank you!

As you all know by now, I am terrible at getting my coursework done. I put it off until I almost crack under the pressure. I can't do this all on my own, I have help and I thought I would give credit where credit's due. So here are my top 10 procrastination websites!

10. Adult Fan Fiction
For those who missed it the first time I "came out": I write smutty Harry Potter fanfic. Here it is. I used to spend hours at a time reading other people's stuff on AFF, but I don't have time any more and a lot of my favourite authors have stopped writing. To be fair, so have I.

9. Home Office Watch
Essential viewing for any Brit. Informative and occasionally shocking.

8. Flickr
Mainly I check out my friends' photos, but it's good for a browse too. You can find pictures of anywhere in the world. Excellent for procrastination material.

7. Dave Gorman
I love Dave Gorman, he writes a fantastic blog, reluctantly!

6. The Lexicon
A fantastic site for losing yourself. Anything you can think of to do with Harry Potter is on here. Any little factoid from the books that you could want to know has been catalogued and numerous essays dissecting characters and events are there to entertain.

5. ROFL Cat
Side-splitting, hilarious pictures of cats! Funny every time you go back even if you've seen the images a dozen times already.

4. 20 Sided - The GM of the Rings
Hilarious comic strip of what might happen were D&D and Lord of the Rings to be reunited now. It's a long running strip, so there's a lot of content, but it's well worth catching up on as and when you have ten minutes.

3. The Rockstar Game
I love this game, I've been playing for years on and off. It is one of those things you can immerse yourself in to whatever level you wish. There have been times (between jobs!) when I have spent hours every day playing and writing on the roleplay forum. Because of how the system works, when I came back to the game recently after a seven month absence I didn't have to put many sessions in before I got a top 100 album!

2. MySpace
Obvious maybe, but true. I spend far too much time faffing here. Although not so much lately, it seems to have gone quiet in the last month or so. I dare say that will change though.

1. BBC Religion & Ethics
Ahh, my beloved religion forum. I am mostly found on the Pagan board. This community provides by far the most time away from my coursework (and job work these days!), I can while away hours chatting with people I have come to think of as friends. Alas, the site has come upon hard times, with the mods getting very strict about staying on-topic. But hopefully they will chill out again soon.

So that's my procrastination chart - a product of yet more procrastination!! Go ahead and check some of the sites out and say "hi" if you spot me in any of my guises!

Deadlines

Technically I have until the 29th for one and 31st for the other, but I have this week off work and am going away for the weekend, so I really need to get my two projects finished by Thursday. I've done bits and pieces of reading over the last week and a half, but nowhere near the required amount and forget any kind of plan or draft...

Two lots of research and 8000 words to write in four days. And yet here I am, sat watching CSI and writing a blog. What is wrong with me right now? Why am I not feeling the panic? I feel a little like I went past panic a couple of weeks ago, now I'm just sort of resigned to the idea that it's impossible.

I am going to do some research this afternoon, I really am - I've been saying that every day for the last week. I am going to need a miracle to pull this off though.

The best gig of my life?

A good question. I've seen a lot of bands live, some of the highlights have been Rammstein, Within Temptation, NIN, David Bowie, Terrorvision (back in the day!) and Queen (with Paul Rogers).

While all of these bands, with the possible exception of Terrorvision, are huge successes with legendary live shows and the kinds of artists you expect great things of, there is something about big venues and fancy light shows that makes you forget about what's really important... the music, and the chemistry between musicians and audience.

Terrorvision is in that list for the very reason that back when I followed them around Yorkshire playing pubs and small clubs they gave me my first taste of live music. They were accessible and created an amazing atmosphere in limited space with limited shiny resources.

The screaming, the palpitations and me being star-struck at any of those huge gigs you care to refer back to is not to be sniffed at. Gigs of that scale (David Bowie drew a crowd of over 100,000 at Glastonbury 2000) can be awe-inspiring and incredibly atmospheric (NIN). You can get up close too, within mere feet of your idols, the lead singer can make eye contact with you and make you feel like she's singing just to you (Sharon del Adel, WT). They can fill you with the trembles from the power and shock of the performance (Rammstein). They can send you home singing at the top of your lungs and desperate for more (Queen). These gigs and many more were each amazing for these very reasons and more besides.

But sometimes, like Terrorvision at the Harrogate Arms before they got big, a gig in the back room of a pub, with no more than 50 people in attendance can blow your mind. Just sometimes, the chemistry is just right between the band and the crowd. Sometimes, despite mistakes and having to restart the opening track due to amp-error, a band you've seen a couple of dozen times before can give you chills again. Sometimes a band you see for the first time can remind you what live music is really all about. It's not about the lights or the pyrotechnics. It's not about 100,000 people screaming and singing along. It's not about fainting from the crush and heat of the mosh pit or the charisma of the lead singer!

It's all about the music and the atmosphere. And you don't need tricks to create the atmosphere. You just need really, really good music, played with energy.

And that is what happened last night. The venue: The Croft. The music: The Sky is Blue, The New Root & Seagull Strange.

The fist band, The Sky is Blue had some good material but their frequent need to retune and a slight lack of stage presence let them down. The New Root started their set in the manner that those of us who have seen them play a lot have become accustomed to, taking to the stage one by one as their intro track plays and that kick ass whammy riff from Dave leads them into their opening track, My Truth. It's always a good start, high energy, quality rock. Last night, however, there was a problem with Trish's amp and she had to stop the band, something that has never happened before. They handled it professionally and started up again quickly, taking the track from the top and playing it at a fantastic pace to get in their full set with now limited time. Sped up the song rocked even harder than ever!

The bulk of their set is made up of fairly new material, each song a new twist and emotional turn. I spotted my other half wiping away a tear at the end of "30 Years of Our Marriage" and "So Alive" always gives me chills. They finished the set with the re-vamped version of Tell Me, which I absolutely love to pieces and left the stage to massive applause and me literally bouncing off the walls. Despite the hiccup at the start, or maybe because of it, the set was exciting, entertaining and rocking. "That's the best they've played in a long time!" Was Andy's first comment, but he says that every time, testament to The New Root's constant improvement.

The friend we had with us, for whom this was only his second TNR experience was grinning like a loon and bouncing almost as much as me. Another happy fan. I didn't think the night could get any better. How good would a band have to be to follow that performance by TNR?! I have always liked Seagull Strange, but hadn't seen them live before. But as Trish said before the gig, "Live is better". And she was spot on.

It's easy to see why they are signed to a label. They have charisma oozing from every pore, their songs rock and they know how to interact with the crowd. After a couple of songs, the lead singer, Dan told us that due to there being a "fire hazard" at the back of the room, we all needed to move forwards. Obediently we did so, filling the few feet gap right in front of the stage and I think it was only once the crowd had moved that anyone twigged the ruse! From that moment on the front section of the audience loosened up, there was much dancing and jumping about, especially during "La La La Ley"! Andy dived from our spot at the side right into the middle to mosh with a fellow regular-Rooter and I got to jump about like a crazy person right at the front too.

Rapturous applause had them perform an encore and more dancing ensued. We left the gig hyper and feeling that something special had happened in that little room at the back of the Croft. We kept bursting into song all the way home and when we got back played songs from the gig at top volume, singing along and dancing around the house, probably to the deep annoyance of our neighbours! But that is the price you pay for great rock.

Jack Black stated that "One great rock show can change the world!" Well I don't think it did that this time, but this show reminded me about the point of live music and made me feel once again, as I did when I saw Terrorvision that first time, that everyone in the world has to hear these guys. If they don't, if people miss out on this, they will never know what live music is.

Deathly Hallows

I was right about R.A.B. I was right about Snape. I was wrong about so much else.

When I finally stop weeping and get some more sleep I will write a proper review (spoiler free, don't worry).

Nervous twitch

I had two assignments to complete this week. As of last Thursday I had done none of the reading for either essay. I had one due on Tuesday and one today. I got both in on time even with my regular roleplaying sessions on Monday and Thursday nights and going out Saturday night. It's the result of very, very hard work on my part, furious reading and note-taking followed by rapid typing to get all 4000 words total written, formatted and sent to my tutors.

I am unashamedly congratulating myself on this feat.

Speaking of congratulations... The reason I was out on Saturday night was to celebrate my new job! It's the best paid job I've ever had and the most responsibility and I am really excited about it. I start on the 30th, so with those two essays out of the way I have a week to kick back and enjoy myself - or more wisely, to make sure I get loads of coursework done as I will be back to having only the evenings and weekends in which to study once I start work!

So, it's Friday night and I am exhausted after a very tiring week (it has gone remarkably quickly though) but I cannot rest yet. I have one more thing to do... read Deathly Hallows. Andy and I will be heading to the bookshop before ten to queue for our copy, the shop opens at midnight for this, the last Harry Potter book. I will not sleep and possibly won't even cook (I'll make Andy fetch me food!) until I have devoured every last page. (It's alright, I'll do the same for him when I hand him the book to read right after I finish it!)

I got the last two finished within 24 hours doing this and they were of comparable length to this one (~600 pages). I am very excited, my knee is bouncing as I write this, causing the laptop to rock under my fingers. This time tomorrow I will know everything; if my suspicion of who RAB is is correct...Snape's true allegiance...who lives and who dies.

One question, what will I do with my life with no new Harry Potter to revolve around?

Cerne Abbas Giant... meet Homer Simpson

There has been a bit of fuss in the pagan community over the huge drawing of Homer Simpson next to the Cerne Abbas Giant in Dorset. Some are threatening to perform rain magic to hurry the flow that will wash away the soluble Homer, others are making noises of anger on internet forums, talking about disrespect of culture and religion, saying no one would have dared deface a mosque in such a manner... all I have to say to those people (some of whom are very good friends) is "Don't have a cow, man!"

Lighten up. It ain't that big of a deal, it'll be gone within a fortnight and it is pretty funny! I can just imagine where Homer would throw that doughnut. The Simpsons is well known to be a sharp and critical social commentary, though it disguises the serious aspect of itself well with brilliant humour, obviously so well that some people simply don't see the serious side at all. This advertising stunt is funny in itself but I think it also speaks to those of us who can see it. Taking a step back I think the people who came up with the idea are raising their eyebrows in a "see, we knew it would get this reaction" sort of way. I think they did it not only to advertise their film, not only because it's just funny, but also because they knew there would be a reaction and the act itself comments upon that reaction.

We shouldn't be so precious about religion, or cultural artefacts. Sometimes people need to take a step back and just laugh at these things, laugh at themselves.

Under 10s on DNA database

The government's campaign to monitor the innocent at any cost continues as DNA records for young children and elderly people (over 90 years old) appear on our ever-growing DNA database. For more on this see www.homeofficewatch.com

This disgusts me. What business does the government have taking DNA samples from little children and storing them for 100 years? What about those elderly people too? Are the government afraid of an OAP uprising over pensions or fuel allowance?!

Write to your MP and demand an answer to the question 'What has my gran done to you?'

Bloody good gig

The New Root are a fantastic Bristol band who have been touring local venues for about three years now. The lead singer (Trish) and lead guitarist (Dave) happen to be very good friends of mine and Andy and we have been following them around Bristol and Bath since the beginning and seen the band go through a few line-up changes along the way. They have only ever improved with each new phase that they have gone through. Their material keeps on getting better and better, the live performance gets tighter and more professional with each gig.

The current line up looks secure and set to propel them to great success, if their recent shows at the Fleece and Louisiana are anything to go by.

Last night was The New Root's first Friday gig at the Louisiana. This is a big deal. The Louis is one of Bristol's most popular live music venues and my good friends (TNR) have been playing there for quite some time prior to their recent break from live gigs, but they had always played on week nights.

Even after a quiet period, the band left a strong enough impression from their last run of shows with the promoters and sound engineers that they have been able to walk straight into a Friday night slot. They have another Friday night gig lined up at the Croft on the 27th, another fantastic sign that their star is in the ascendant.

Of the four bands on the bill last night, TNR stood out as the most unique, the best musicians, the best material and by far the most compelling to watch. The group of friends that Andy and I took along were blown away and each vowed to come to the next gig and bring others. I heard a comment from one of them in the middle of So Alive (a fantastic new song that sticks in your head with the greatest of ease!) "How does she do that with her voice?! She's so good!" and the feedback after the set was full of glowing praise.

It's a shame they weren't the last to play, as the following band were a let down in comparison, TNR being such a tough act to follow, their set was truly the climax of the evening.

I have long believed TNR to have great potential, last night's gig demonstrated this perfectly, it being their tightest and most energetic performance to date. I have said before and I'll say it again, it would be criminal for these guys to not sore to dizzy heights of success.

I would love to see them grow in confidence a little now, though their humility is a wonderful gift, not many musicians of that calibre would be as modest about it, but their presence on stage would be improved with the ability to hide their occasional mistakes and the ability to present themselves as a complete package. If they can do this a label is sure to snap them up.

If you want to know more about The New Root check out their website and their myspace and come see them at the Croft on the 27th July :-)

Our new PM

Gordon Brown is talking about toughening so-called anti-terror laws. He's not not even moved into number 10 yet and he's already showing himself to be a frightening prospect as the first thing he wants to do is strip away even more of our civil liberties by allowing detention without charge for up to 90 days and allowing evidence from phone tapping to be admissible in court.

I read an excellent comment on the BBC, it went something like "I've been studying that total surveillance society you're building [in Britain]. How will you roll that back?" It's all very well for foolish members of the public to go along with these Draconian proposals in the name of security, safety, freedom etc. But how will we know when the "danger" has passed and how will we get back our freedom once it has been stripped away?

Yokohama?

If the opportunity to live in Japan for a year arose, would you take it? For me the answer is a very loud and resounding YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll keep you posted on this, obviously, it is verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry early days yet, but there is the possibility. Fingers crossed that it will come to something.

Scientology and Falling Out

I have been part of an online Pagan community for a while now that I have got along fine with. Other groups I've joined I have quickly left again because of not clicking with the people there very well. This group though has been very friendly and there have been few differences between us. Lately however I seem to be falling out with people there more and I don't know why.

Maybe I got comfortable enough to reveal a bit more about my opinions on things and it turns out I'm just as different from them as I was from other groups before. I'm not great with people, I'm opinionated in a way that most other people aren't and I'm usually guarded about my views because I've had disagreements with people in the past that have ruined friendships.

One of the fallings out recently has been on the issue of Scientology. Very few people will know why I feel the way I do about it because I don't come out and tell people as a general rule, it's not my place to divulge it. I admit to being biased on the subject and last week after the Panorama programme, it came up on this forum.

One of the women I usually get on well with disagreed with me. I was arguing that Scientology is a cult and not a religion, she is of the opinion that the only criteria for a religion is that someone believes it! She's free to believe that, of course, but from an academic perspective it is vastly more complex than that. So we seem to have had this falling out over it, not to mention other members of the forum who are not Pagan, who I do not interact with as much, who are arguing that it is a religion on the basis that all religions are corrupt and guilty of brain-washing etc.

I find it frustrating to deal with people like that. They have their own bias that prevents them from seeing religions in a neutral way, just as I have my bias against Scientology and it simply doesn't make for healthy debate. They gang up on me as the most outspoken person against it on the discussion, no other bugger has stuck around to argue my corner with me, even though plenty of people have put their oar in to say the same as me.

I wish I was more able to back away from these discussions when they get heated, I don't want to appear to be backing away because I know I'm wrong, when that's not the reason for me backing down! I don't believe I'm wrong. Not on this. I believe my opinion is valid. I also think that I have a more healthy view of religions in general and it's hard to get through to people who have decided that all religons brainwash people!