Saturday 16 April 2011

♪♫ Four Tet - RN9 'Matthew & Toby' Remix & Love Cry LIVE at The Coronet, London

Friday 15 April 2011

Johann Hari: This royal frenzy should embarrass us all

Towards a Radical Anti-Capitalist Schizophrenia?

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God help you out, Paul

Circa 1971: John Lennon writes a scathing missive to Paul and Linda McCartney in response to a letter from Linda in which she chastised him for — amongst other things — not publicly announcing his departure from The Beatles. There was no love lost between the two couples at this point and this angry note was just one shot in a volley that lasted long after the slow dissolution of the band, an already muddled event further complicated by first the death of manager Brian Epstein; the subsequent power struggle for control of the band; and the introduction of both Yoko and Linda to the equation.

Transcript follows. Image courtesy of Profiles in History, who are selling this letter at auction next month.

Images: Profiles in History

Transcript

Bag Productions Inc.
Tittenhurst Park,
Ascot, Berkshire.
Ascot 23022

Dear Linda and Paul,

I was reading your letter and wondering what middle aged cranky Beatle fan wrote it. I resisted looking at the last page to find out – I kept thinking who is it – Queenie? Stuart's mother? – Clive Epstein's wife? – Alan Williams? – What the hell – it's Linda!

You really think the press are beneath me/you? Do you think that? Who do you think we/you are? The "self-indulgent doesn't realize who he is hurting" bit–I hope you realize what shit you and the rest of my 'kind and unselfish' friends laid on Yoko and me, since we've been together. It might have sometimes been a bit more subtle or should I say "middle class" – but not often. We both "rose above it" quite a few times – & forgave you two – so it's the least you can do for us – you noble people. Linda – if you don't care what I say – shut up! – let Paul write – or whatever.

When asked about what I thought originally concerning MBE, etc. – I told them as best as I can remember – and I do remember squirming a little – don't you, Paul? – or do you – as I suspect – still believe it all? I'll forgive Paul for encouraging the Beatles – if he forgives me for the same – for being – "honest with me and caring too much"! Fucking hell, Linda, you're not writing for Beatle book!!!

I'm not ashamed of the Beatles – (I did start it all) – but of some of the shit we took to make them so big – I thought we all felt that way in varying degrees – obviously not.

Do you really think most of today's art came about because of the Beatles? – I don't believe you're that insane – Paul – do you believe that? When you stop believing it you might wake up! Didn't we always say we were part of the movement – not all of it? – Of course, we changed the world – but try and follow it through – GET OFF YOUR GOLD DISC AND FLY!

Don't give me that Aunty Gin shit about "in five years I'll look back as a different person" – don't you see that's what's happening NOW! – If I only knew THEN what I know NOW – you seemed to have missed that point....

Excuse me if I use "Beatle Space" to talk about whatever I want – obviously if they keep asking Beatle questions – I'll answer them – and get as much John and Yoko Space as I can – they ask me about Paul and I answer – I know some of it gets personal – but whether you believe it or not I try and answer straight – and the bits they use are obviously the juicy bits – I don't resent your husband – I'm sorry for him. I know the Beatles are "quite nice people" – I'm one of them – they're also just as big bastards as anyone else – so get off your high horse! – by the way – we've had more intelligent interest in our new activities in one year than we had throughout the Beatle era.

Finally, about not telling anyone that I left the Beatles – PAUL and Klein both spent the day persuading me it was better not to say anything – asking me not to say anything because it would 'hurt the Beatles'– and 'let's just let it petre out' – remember? So get that into your petty little perversion of a mind, Mrs. McCartney – the cunts asked me to keep quiet about it. Of course, the money angle is important – to all of us – especially after all the petty shit that came from your insane family/in laws – and GOD HELP YOU OUT, PAUL – see you in two years – I reckon you'll be out then –

inspite of it all
love to you both,

from us two

P.S. about addressing your letter just to me – STILL....!!!

@'Letters of Note'

Horror Vacui # 08

In Museum Hilversum as part of the exhibition " De stad 3D" Sound by Martyn

Mark Stewart & Maffia - The Resistance Of The Cell (Live In Edinburgh 13 April 2011)

(BIG thanx DJ Pigg!)

Where is the money for the media?

In Memorium Joey Ramone

NZ MP Called Out As Pirate After Passing Anti-Piracy Law

In a beautiful twist of irony, New Zealand parliament member Melissa Lee has been caught in a copyright quagmire. It turns out that just hours before she spoke out in support of the controversial new copyright law being rushed through parliament, she tweeted how pleased she was with a compilation of K-Pop songs a friend copied for her.
This week the New Zealand Government rushed through its controversial 3 strikes-style law as part of Christchurch earthquake emergency legislation. This means that after being ‘suspected’ of sharing copyrighted material online three times, people may be fined and lose their Internet access for six months.
The legislation was brought up again quite unexpectedly this week, despite massive opposition and public outrage that delayed it last year. But this time around there was little room for protest, as it was just a matter of hours before the Bill passed.
As is often the case when politicians decide on copyright-related matters, their very own actions with regard to copyright are being carefully scrutinized. This can lead to awkward situations, something Member of Parliament Melissa Lee found out herself this week.
Just hours before giving a speech in support of the three-strikes law which is supposed to protect the copyright holders, she sent out the following tweet:

lee

So, while Lee was condemning today’s youth and their lack of respect for copyright, she more than likely infringed on the rights of several K-Pop musicians. After all, making a music compilation and handing it over to a friend is not allowed under New Zealand’s copyright law.
Surprised by the call-out, Lee defended herself by saying that the songs were downloaded legally and paid for. But unfortunately for her that doesn’t mean much. As the National Business Review points out, when a friend makes a copy of songs that were legally bought, the recipient of the ‘gift’ is still guilty of copyright infringement.
So it appears that Lee got her first strike already, and since the burden of proof is on the alleged infringer under the new legislation, it’s up to her to prove that she’s innocent. That’s only fair, right?
Although it’s easy to call Lee’s mistake out as hypocrisy, it might be even worse than that. What if she truly believes that copying a legally bought song for a friend is okay? That would mean that even legislators who vote on copyright legislation don’t fully grasp what they’re doing.
In her speech Lee said that it’s perfectly legal to share a DVD or music album with a friend. But does she know that it’s not that straightforward? The laws she helped to pass state that people can’t share a legally bought MP3 with someone, unless they share the entire device it is bought on.
Back to copyright school we say!
Ernesto @'TorrentFreak'

Handwritten newspaper in Miyagi following tsunami

Via

Girlz With Gunz #139 (The Land of the Free!)

oki-ni presents IMPULSIEF by Martyn

Tracklist

2562 - Dummy Mix April 2011

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Quietus Mix 21: Moon Duo Entering Orbit

(REpost) Hillsborough: how stories of disaster police were altered

Vittorio Arrigoni RIP

Body of kidnapped Italian peace activist Vittorio Arrigoni found in Gaza

Vittorio Arrigoni: Inspired by Egypt, young Palestinians lead movement to end division

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(Thanx HerrB!)

Evolution cannot explain existence of creationists, concedes Dawkins

Late For Day's End by Fray D. Jay

01. Broken Records - I Used to Dream
02. Soma Sonic - Crazy Moon
03. Federico Aubele - Postales
04. Sunday Sunday - Hammering the Cramps
05. Howe Gelb - Blood Orange
06. James - Lost a Friend
07. Lone Pigeon - Concubine Rice
08. The Savings & Loan - The Star of the County Down
09. Kammerflimmer Kollektief - Time Is In The Fire in Which We Burn
10. A Northern Chorus - This Open Heart
11. The Asteroid # 1 - Hail to the Clear Figurines
12. Gare Du Nord - Dark Chill
13. Right Away, Great Captain - Sacred Heart
14. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Tempo 116.7 (Clean Acid - Dirty Beats)
15. Frightened Rabbit - Poke
16. Shelondo - Fake Plastic Trees
17. Bliss - Kissing
18. The Kays Lavelle - Scars From The City
19. The Last Battle - Ruins
20. Admiral Fallow - Delivered
HERE

A Constructed Image

Photoshopping Hundreds of Images Together to Recreate Our World

In Memorium

John Alfred Anderson (62)

Colin Mark Ashcroft (19)

James Gary Aspinall (18)

Kester Roger Marcus Ball (16)

Gerard Bernard Patrick Baron (67)

Simon Bell (17)

Barry Sidney Bennett (26)

David John Benson (22)

David William Birtle (22)

Tony Bland (22)

Paul David Brady (21)

Andrew Mark Brookes (26)

Carl Brown (18)

David Steven Brown (25)

Henry Thomas Burke (47)

Peter Andrew Burkett (24)

Paul William Carlile (19)

Raymond Thomas Chapman (50)

Gary Christopher Church (19)

Joseph Clark (29)

Paul Clark (18)

Gary Collins (22)

Stephen Paul Copoc (20)

Tracey Elizabeth Cox (23)

James Philip Delaney (19)

Christopher Barry Devonside (18)

Christopher Edwards (29)

Vincent Michael Fitzsimmons (34)

Thomas Steven Fox (21)

Jon-Paul Gilhooley (10)

Barry Glover (27)

Ian Thomas Glover (20)

Derrick George Godwin (24)

Roy Harry Hamilton (34)

Philip Hammond (14)

Eric Hankin (33)

Gary Harrison (27)

Stephen Francis Harrison (31)

Peter Andrew Harrison (15)

David Hawley (39)

James Robert Hennessy (29)

Paul Anthony Hewitson (26)

Carl Darren Hewitt (17)

Nicholas Michael Hewitt (16)

Sarah Louise Hicks (19)

Victoria Jane Hicks (15)

Gordon Rodney Horn (20)

Arthur Horrocks (41)

Thomas Howard (39)

Thomas Anthony Howard (14)

Eric George Hughes (42)

Alan Johnston (29)

Christine Anne Jones (27)

Gary Philip Jones (18)

Richard Jones (25)

Nicholas Peter Joynes (27)

Anthony Peter Kelly (29)

Michael David Kelly (38)

Carl David Lewis (18)

David William Mather (19)

Brian Christopher Mathews (38)

Francis Joseph McAllister (27)

John McBrien (18)

Marion Hazel McCabe (21)

Joseph Daniel McCarthy (21)

Peter McDonnell (21)

Alan McGlone (28)

Keith McGrath (17)

Paul Brian Murray (14)

Lee Nicol (14)

Stephen Francis O’Neill (17)

Jonathon Owens (18)

William Roy Pemberton (23)

Carl William Rimmer (21)

David George Rimmer (38)

Graham John Roberts (24)

Steven Joseph Robinson (17)

Henry Charles Rogers (17)

Colin Andrew Hugh William Sefton (23)

Inger Shah (38)

Paula Ann Smith (26)

Adam Edward Spearritt (14)

Philip John Steele (15)

David Leonard Thomas (23)

Patrik John Thompson (35)

Peter Reuben Thompson (30)

Stuart Paul William Thompson (17)

Peter Francis Tootle (21)

Christopher James Traynor (26)

Martin Kevin Traynor (16)

Kevin Tyrrell (15)

Colin Wafer (19)

Ian David Whelan (19)

Martin Kenneth Wild (29)

Kevin Daniel Williams (15)

Graham John Wright (17)

You’ll Never Walk Alone

Rest in Peace

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Liverpool's Kenny Dalglish says Hillsborough families will get justice

Kenny Dalglish, centre, was the manager of Liverpool at the time of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. Photograph: Ross Kinnaird/EMPICS Sport/PA Photos

Kenny Dalglish believes that the families of the 96 Liverpool supporters who died at Hillsborough are close to obtaining the answers and justice for which they have campaigned since 1989.
is the 22nd anniversary of the disaster, at an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, for which no one in authority has been held accountable, despite Lord Justice Taylor ruling that South Yorkshire police, Sheffield city council and Sheffield Wednesday football club were culpable.
An independent panel is examining documents relating to Hillsborough and this week James Jones, the bishop of Liverpool who is chairing the panel, told the Guardian it intended to reveal "the full truth" having obtained previously unreleased information.
Dalglish, who was Liverpool's manager in 1989 and who is their manager now, said: "I think it's getting closer to some positive news for the families, but it has taken a long time to get to this point as well. Two years ago Andy Burnham [then secretary of state for culture, media and sport] came up to the memorial service and promised that he would do the best he could to get access to some papers that were not due to be released for another three or four years and to the man's great credit he has done that. They have got access now to some papers that they've never had before and have now got to file through them and that's why I'm saying it's getting a bit more positive for the families."
The Hillsborough disaster and its aftermath were a contributory factor to Dalglish stepping down as Liverpool manager in 1991 and on Friday he and the entire Liverpool squad will attend the annual memorial service at Anfield.
"I don't think what happened there will ever be removed from anybody and neither should it," said Dalglish. "I don't think anybody should ever forget it. I suppose the people who where there are the ones who have the strongest opinion on it. There are people now passing an opinion on things but I'm sure had they been there they would have a different opinion.
"For ourselves also, it has been that long that there is a generation of our supporters now who know about it but obviously weren't there. I'm sure it is to the forefront of their minds as well. Everybody knows what it means to the football club and everybody knows how difficult it is for the people who lost someone there. The sooner they get the justice for themselves, the happier they will be and we all will be for them."
Andy Hunter @'The Guardian'
#YNWA

How 12 Multinational Corporations Avoid Paying Taxes

Over the past month, General Electric has been held up as the pinnacle of corporate vampirism –– the world’s largest corporation in the world’s lowest tax bracket. But it’s not just GE that’s bilking the system and paying zero dollars in taxes.

A new report out today illustrates that at least 11 other multinational, billion-dollar corporations managed to get a free pass from the IRS – and not only that, but while average Americans scraped their piggy banks to pay hefty taxes on paltry paychecks, many of these companies actually got a refund. Want to know how they pulled that off? By the fatcat’s swindle: lobbying, campaign contributions, and other legal gladhanding that helps them exploit corporate loopholes and keeps their pockets flush while the rest of us struggle to get by.

The campaign reform group Public Campaign has released a report called "Artful Dodgers," identifying 12 corporations – including GE – that used these tactics to avoid paying any taxes while reaping huge benefits. More disturbingly, the report notes they collectively spent over a billion dollars influencing politicians to make Washington more corporate-friendly. As the report points out, the money invested to sway groups such as the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee has been wildly successful. Legislation from both parties has created these tax loopholes, while providing incentives that effectively destroy the American workforce. Public Campaign:

According to the non-partisan Government Accountability Office (GAO), eighty-three of the 100 largest publicly traded U.S. corporations utilize such tax havens to reduce their U.S. tax liability. Ironically, these accounting tricks aren’t available for companies that only do business in the United States, so Congress in effect is providing tax incentives to ship jobs overseas and dismantle the middle class.

Public Campaign (PC) researched "the lobbying expenses and political contributions of 12 large, well-known corporations, their political action committees (PACs), and their executives," and broke them down into four categories: Oil, Banks, Transportation, and Telecommunication and Technology.

Let’s use an example from the latter category first, since GE falls into it. While the general brouhaha surrounding the company involved its tax-free 2010, PC notes that it has in fact not paid any taxes since 2006, despite raking in $26 billion since then. Since 2006, it has collected tax refunds of $4.1 billion. Further, despite being "one of the worst polluters in the world," GE has gained these benefits from aggressively lobbying for green tax breaks for using wind turbines. Its zealousness in political contributions has probably helped; in 10 years, GE, employees and PACs have given more than $13 million in federal contributions, along with a whopping $205 million on lobbying...

Continue reading

Julianne Escobedo Shepherd @'AlterNet'

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Don Chow

Was Blackwater responsible for 10 civilian deaths?

Palin, the Press, and the Fake Pregnancy Rumor

Palin, the Press, and the Fake Pregnancy Rumor: Did a Spiral of Silence Shut Down the Story?

By Bradford W. Scharlott, Ph.D. Northern Kentucky University

HERE

FBI closes in on zombie PC gang

Americans actually think the tax they pay is fair

Cameron’s ESOL cuts will make integration harder

In a keynote speech on immigration today, a couple of weeks before elections, David Cameron conceded that immigration is a hugely emotive issue that must be handled with sensitivity.
Some might question how sensitive it is to then talk about ‘good’ and ‘mass’ immigration and warn immigrants that they must learn English, at a time when his government is slashing both funding and opportunities for people who desperately want to learn the language.
English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) has seen a cut of 32 per cent in funding in the last two years.
Furthermore, according to the Action for ESOL campaign, changes to eligibility for free ESOL classes will result in around 100,000 people, three-quarters of whom are women, being hit with fees of up to £1,200 – charges they simply cannot afford.
In a survey by the Association of Colleges, 75 per cent of colleges said they would have to reduce the amount of ESOL provision they provide if there were no concessions around the changes to who is entitled to free ESOL classes, because of their concern at students’ ability to pay the fees.
The cuts to further education funding are creating the most serious crisis for the future of ESOL the country has seen. If the government truly wants people to integrate and be part of its ‘big society’ then language is the key. Among the people learning ESOL that we speak to are those who have fled war-torn countries; they want to work and want to pay their way, but they need to be able to speak the language to do that.
The prime minister’s attack comes just days after his fact-free attack on Oxford University’s record of recruiting black students and seems symptomatic of a government keen to chase a headline but not keen to explore or understand the real problems behind an issue.
Learning English on arrival in this country is the best way to get people out of poverty and into their local communities. It is the responsibility of, and in the interests of, numerous government departments to ensure people are not excluded from being able to learn English and that must be reflected in who picks up the tab.
We, literally, cannot afford the most needy and vulnerable in society to become further marginalised through an inability to learn and speak the language of this country. Something the prime minister should consider before making ill-advised attacks on immigrants.
Sally Hunt is the general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU)
Sally Hunt @'Left Foot Forward'
(GB2011)