The Daily Opinion

News in Briefs 26/02/12

It hasn’t been a good week for interesting news as all we have been stuck with is more news on Syria and yet more fights over the NHS. But while the main stories of the week have been as plain and boring as Ed Miliband making a political speech, if we dig below the surface then we can find some hilarious and interesting stories.

Political Oops of the Week

This is a bit of a premature time to be doing specials, but this week we have two stories which share this title.

The first story is about Labour MP Eric Joyce who was arrested and charged with common assault this week for flying off the handle in a House of Commons bar. Reportedly, the MP for Falkirk started shouting and insulting the Tories, dumping drinks over members, dancing terribly, and then directing his head into the face of Tory Pudsey MP Stuart Andrew (twice).

This is not only extremely embarrassing for the Labour Party, but it’s extremely embarrassing for British politics because how can these drunken idiots lecture and patronise the common folk of the country when they are flying off the handle? Essentially, it’s the equivalent of a bar fight on a Saturday night, but in an upper class manner. However, don’t expect any jail time for this MP, they play by different rules, remember?

But the Coalition Government fared no better either as our second story emerged on a BBC video of Nick Clegg having a humiliating slip of the tongue. Is this a window into his darker thoughts or just an accident? The rumour mill is out in full force!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17113209 (skip to the 20-30 second mark for the slip)

The Painful…

Whilst there are tonnes of painful moments from around the world, we will try and keep it relatively civil. And no, we won’t be providing any pictures or videos of their injuries you sick people!

This week the story involves a Harrogate teacher who set himself on fire in the school car park because he felt under pressure to obtain good exam results from his students. If this is not a message that teachers are under too much stress then what is?

As someone who was reportedly suffering from depression, and constantly on edge about coursework and exam results, Mr. David Charlesworth set himself on fire in the car park of the school and died of burns that destroyed 79% of his entire body.

Surely this has to bring up a point about the stress teachers are put under? Teachers are forced to make their students obtain high grades, but have they ever thought that the reason some students don’t obtain good grades is just because they are absolute morons who have no interest in education? You can’t teach what doesn’t want to learn.

…And the Pointless

The 26^th of February 2012 marks the day where Rupert Murdoch releases his latest creation to the British public, the Sun on Sunday. Ok, so the Sun is now joining the Sunday News battle, but I just have one question for Rupert Murdoch, the British public, and the British media. Who cares?

The Sun on Sunday has been spoken about as if it’s a new and revolutionary invention which has never been seen before. The newspaper is the same rubbish which is printed every other day of the week, but with a special Sunday title. Ooooooooo…

Looking at the amount of coverage this unveiling has received, it really does make you realise how dry the news has been this week because it’s so irrelevant. Ask your friends, your family, and the creepy guy at the bus stop this question: “Do you care about the new Sun on Sunday?” I guarantee that 90% of these people will reply with one of two lines: “The what?” or “No.”

The so Outrageous that it’s Borderline Hilarious

Some stories just make you want to strangle the people involved. But 14-year-old British teenager Sammy Booth crossed these boundaries when she recently wrote a letter to a judge in order to save her drink-driving mother from jail. In the letter she wrote such lines as “My mum is a very good mum.” and “I’m scared for my mum and I’m scared for myself”

In normal circumstances this would be a heart-wrenching story, but her mother, Julia Cairns, was involved in a high-speed car chase with police after refusing to pull over. I’m sorry, but why should someone be spared from jail after endangering the lives of hundreds of people just because she has a kid? And more importantly, why should she get away from the normal punishment when the daughter is clearly telling lies in her letter?

I would lock her away and throw away the key because why should it be one rule for some and one rule for others? I mean, seriously, she’s not even an MP! This is not a criticism of the child because she’s too young to fully understand the law, but the mother is scum. And what’s more, the ones who were taking care of this case should be absolutely ashamed of themselves.

Maybe I should make sweet, sticky love with my neighbour’s dog, take a dump on their bed, and kill their kid only to write a heart-wrenching letter to the judge after I’m hauled before the courts? Using this logic I should get off with about 70 hours of community service and a police caution. British justice: exactly where is the justice here?

Drunk Woman — No, really, my mum is a good mum.

A Positive Outlook for the Week Ahead

As for the week ahead, there are some positive things to look forward to. If we take a look at sport we will see that the Carling Cup Final between Cardiff City and Liverpool is today, which means that tomorrow we will either have back-page headlines of an underdog overcoming one of the giants of football or the story of the resurgence of Liverpool under a legend of both the club and English football.

The NHS debate has been raging for weeks now, and we have made absolutely no progress this week. Call it a hunch, but I believe that we will either see some progress or the NHS debate will fade away for a while this week. Some new and exciting news will hopefully replace it.

A few newspapers have also reported that the Leveson Inquiry into press standards will release its results this week. This is good news for two reasons: first of all, we will get to see some results from this long and drawn out process and, secondly, we will see the end of this inquiry which has dominated the press for months now.

So maybe next week won’t be as bleak and irritating after all…

Bon Scott – Master Lyricist

The 19th of this month saw the 32nd anniversary of the death of Bon Scott, the frontman who helped turn a little guitar band called AC/DC from Sydney, Australia into one of the greatest rock outfits in the world. Now, I’m not about to write a biography of the man’s tragically short life – there are plenty of those already in existence – but I am going to explain briefly why to me, he was (and remains) possibly the greatest rock lyricist ever.

I was fourteen years old when, like many teenagers, I came upon the notion that my parents weren’t cool and so I began trying hard not to become like them. One of the ways I attempted to achieve this was via music and this was very easy because I’d been brought up on a strict diet of classical. “Top Of The Pops” only ever appeared on our TV by accident and it was off again as quickly as my father could get out of his chair and push another button. To him, anything louder than Sinatra was an abomination and so to me, rock music seemed like the perfect antidote.

Therefore, with a few quid in my pocket and the name of a band (whom I knew virtually nothing about) in my head, I went to my local record store and bought a cassette tape of AC/DC. I distinctly remember it was “If You Want Blood” because I thought the album cover was amazing. Feeling like a total rebel, I smuggled it home and later in the privacy of my bedroom I pressed play on my puny little mono tape recorder and listened as this amazing new sound thrilled me. And so began a passion with a genre that defined my youth.

With the passing of years, musical taste tends to change or perhaps “develop” would be a better word and while my music library still holds a large percentage of rock, I’m quite happy to admit that it now includes many other genres. However, if I were to ever find myself in a “Desert Island Disc” sort of scenario, I can honestly say without a moment’s hesitation that Bon Scott would feature somewhere in that essential collection.

Certain tracks that I’ve been listening to since those teenage years still make me want to stop whatever it is I’m doing so that I can concentrate on Bon’s clever and often hilarious lyrics. Yes, there was no question the man had a sense of humour. “Big Balls” and “Up To My Neck In You” are two examples showcasing that. I defy anyone to listen to the former and not laugh out loud! And there was also no question what occupied his dirty little rock n roll mind a lot of the time. Just listen to “Squealer” or “Love At First Feel” and you’ll be left in no doubt. He truly was a master of the double entendre – possibly matched only by Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. But Bon created characters too that could scare or amuse us or come alive in our minds as someone we’re perhaps familiar with or can relate to. “Prowler”, “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” and “Sin City” are three that do just that. I could go on giving examples but you’d be much better off playing the music and experiencing his talent rather than reading about it. The fact is, Bon didn’t just have talent, he had charisma – bags of the stuff – and it was evident in his songwriting and his performance. How many rock stars can we truly say that about?

I’m still a big fan of AC/DC and I think Brian Johnson, who picked up the gauntlet (or should that be microphone) in 1980 following Bon’s death, has done a tremendous job of leading the band into the new century. Their last album “Black Ice” was to my mind one of their best since the early 80s. I love the fact that all the band’s CDs are still available in music stores; it’s clear their music continues to find new audiences. And it’s obvious why – as a rock band, they are one of the originals and have very few peers and as a singer/songwriter, Bon Scott was a rock n roll genius. I’ve no doubt whatsoever that each new generation of rock fan will discover him and come to realise the wonderful ability he had and for me that proves one thing; death is not the end.

Alcohol on the Big Screen Encourages Binge Drinking (apparently)

It was suggested in a US study, published in online journal BMJ Open, on the 21^st of February that actors who drink on the big screen are encouraging experimentation with alcohol amongst children.

The study says that the stars act as successful role models who encourage children to drink. The thinking goes that if a child looks at a famous actor and they are drinking heavily then it’s ok because they have already made themselves famous and they don’t look like they are suffering from health problems.

This study was unprecedented in the number of test subjects as it randomly selected more than 6,500 American children between the ages of 10 and 14 for a phone interview, and then another three additional interviews in the next two years. Obviously, they would have had an issue getting through to some children as their parents were too drunk to answer the phone at the time (hint hint).

The questions asked ranged from which movies they had seen, whether they currently drank or had drunk alcohol in the past, and whether they owned any merchandise which had any alcoholic brands attached to it. Of course, they were also asked about their school and home lives in general too.

The films used to compare the implied and actual consumption of alcohol by researchers were taken from films which had grossed at least $15,000,000 when the interviews had first started. After that the researchers then used the character’s implied and actual consumption and purchases of alcohol to find out the results.

The researchers found that youngsters, on average, had been exposed to roughly four to eight hours of viewing involving alcohol from the most popular films on the market. Other items of interest from the survey also showed that during the two year study, the number of respondents who admitted they had started drinking alcohol had risen from 11% at the start to 25% by the end of it.

Furthermore, the number of binge drinkers tripled from 4% to 13% by the end of the study; binge drinking, as outlined in this study, is having at least five drinks in a row.

Ok, these are startling figures as they do eclipse the figures gained from having bad parents, having lots of money, and a rebellious teen spirit. But can’t we see one fatal flaw in this experiment? How exactly do you isolate this one specific factor?

How are you going to isolate this one specific factor, which is alcohol in movies, without putting the kids in a room on their own? The answer is you can’t. So how can these figures really be that reliable? The answer is they can’t as they are also going to be exposed to a number of different factors at the same time; such as peer pressure, rebellion, and coming into money.

And let’s go further and make the point that a phone survey is just a phone survey. None of the test subjects were ever met in person so how can you be sure they are telling the truth? And when someone talks about alcohol we all know that people significantly underestimate how much they really drink, don’t we?

But let’s look at children. Children are always being told how bad it is to drink underage, which is against the law. So realistically how many of them are going to readily admit it? How do you know that some of the test subjects are not claiming they don’t drink when they really do? If they did this would further support the study’s conclusion, but it’s important just to bring up the point anyway.

Nonetheless, what we can expect from the findings of this study is that they will either slink away from the publix gaze into the darkness after a week or so or it will cause panic throughout America and parents will be covering their children’s eyes and protesting for the removal of all alcohol from films. Sooner or later we are going to end up living in a world where alcohol can’t be seen on TV, can’t be talked about on the radio, can’t have colourful packaging, and can only be drunk within the basement of one’s own home, when the child is at school.

So it’s either going to be a giant overreaction or completely ignored, what do you think?

Music Scene in New Orleans Delivers In More Ways Than One

Music lovers of the world take note: If you have never been to New Orleans for a visit, you would be doing yourself a great service by putting a visit to this great music town on your priority list of things to do in your lifetime. I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed. You might even find that you like it so much that you end up moving here like I did with my guitar player. As a matter of fact, I simply cannot think of a place that exists anywhere within the lower continental 48 states of the U.S. that comes anywhere as close to being as cool as what I’ve experienced here.

There is something to satisfy every musical taste bud: blues, jazz, acid jazz, trip hop, rock, alternative, punk, Goth, Cajun, old New Orleans R&B, metal, trance and dub step, bluegrass, an even Celtic music on occasion. Did I mention that on any night of the week, one can sample all or most of these varying flavors that New Orleans musicians have to offer, all while not breaking your bank account? There are many places that do not charge a cover, so if you’re on a budget, this is the place to be; just be sure to tip the musicians…and your bartender. Another advantage is that all or most of the venues are either within walking distance or a cheap cab fare away.

There are so many music venues here per capita here that I have not yet had the chance to patronize them all , but here are a few of my favorites thus far:

Café Negril: Located on the famous Frenchmen St in the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood, on any given night you can catch some of the finest talent around kicking out the jams with roots, reggae, jazz, blues, and celtic music. This is a popular place with locals and tourists alike.

The Apple Barrel: A local haunt once frequented by the late locally and internationally renowned bluesman Coco Robicheaux. The Apple Barrel is conveniently located on Frenchmen St, directly across the street from Café Negril. This is a very cozy and down to earth venue where you can catch some of the best local musicians playing roots, blues and country blues, Cajun, jazz, and old New Orleans R&B.

The Dragon’s Den: Just around the corner from Frenchmen St on Esplanade, it is also within a short and convenient walk from the clubs on Frenchmen. The crowd here tends to be local and hip. On any night of the week you may catch an act playing rock, alternative, metal, jazz, trance, Goth, or dub step.

Checkpoint Charlie’s: Also located kitty corner from Frenchmen on the corner of Decatur and Esplanade, you can find a blend of locals and tourists hanging out, either to do laundry in the back or to check out local and touring acts who play some fierce rock-n-roll, punk, and delta blues.

One Eyed Jack’s: Located in the French Quarter on Toulouse St, this club has the class of an old Vaudeville haunt that simultaneously caters to 21st century hipsters and the ghosts of the past, all whilst managing to maintain an aura that is refreshingly unpretentious. You can catch many touring and local acts here that will quench the desires of many a musical palate, with the sounds of funk, rock, alternative, metal, gothic, punk, burlesque, 1920s bebop and everything in-between.

Hi-Ho Lounge: Located in the St. Claude neighborhood, the Hi-Ho Lounge is a short cab fare away from both Frenchmen and the French Quarter. Nestled on the up and coming St. Claude St., this club showcases some of the best local and touring acts that play rock, jazz, bluegrass, alternative/indie, and old New Orleans R&B. If you want to see where many of the locals go, then make it a point to put this club on your list of places to visit. An added bonus of visiting this club is that should you get hungry, there is a separate kitchen in the back offering up tasty Vietnamese food for a fair price.

Siberia: Located a few doors down from the Hi-Ho Lounge, this is the place that caters to your rebel within. On any and most nights, you can check out local and touring punk, metal, Goth, and rock acts that will not disappoint. There is also a kitchen in the back serving up tasty sandwiches, should you happen to get the munchies.

Always Lounge: Located directly across the street from Siberia and the Hi-Ho is yet another local favorite nighttime haunt with a very cool New Orleans vibe. The crowd here tends to be eclectic, encompassing tastes that span the range of the musical spectrum of rock, Cajun, blues, Old New Orleans R&B, jazz, alt/indie, and 20s vaudeville.

Bj’s Lounge: Located in the Upper 9th Ward/Bywater neighborhood, this is a place with a true, local feel. Stop by on a Monday night, ring the doorbell, and check out King James and the Special Men masterfully play some of the best New Orleans soul that you’ll ever hear.

A walk down the very charming Royal St. in the French Quarter on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon always brings with it pleasant surprises as one is often treated to a myriad of talented street performers who set up and play right on the street for tips. It won’t take long for you to come to the realization that every neighborhood in NOLA has its own charm and plenty of music venues. As a relative newcomer to the scene here, I have yet to experience many of the clubs that pump out music nightly in Uptown and Mid City, but I plan to soon.

The annual Jazz Fest is also an occasion that’s not to be missed. It is a two week extravaganza that features some of the best performers in the world from every conceivable genre: jazz, blues, gospel, electric blues, country blues, rock/alternative/indie, Cajun, zydeco, and everything in-between.
Music is literally everywhere here; it is so entrenched in the culture here that I have become convinced that there must be something in the water that makes it so. If you’re a music lover and you decide to visit New Orleans, you won’t be disappointed; you might even decide to move here.

Film Review – “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre”

Collaborating for a third time were star Humphrey Bogart and writer/director John Huston in this 1948 classic. They would go on to make a total of six movies together including The Maltese Falcon and The African Queen and all I can say to that is – like eggs and bacon, some partnerships were just meant to be!

Some films thrill us with their stunning visuals and intricate plots that weave and wend through a patchwork of location changes and character allegiances; some make us laugh from witty dialogue or weep from a deep emotional connection but then others simply lay bare, in all its divine glory or unholy horror, the spirit of humankind.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre has one of the seven deadly sins at its core but in spite of its heavy theme, it remains surprisingly entertaining. That’s what a great writer can achieve and Huston was rewarded with the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for his troubles. He also took home the Award for Best Director and just to keep things in the family, his father (Walter Huston) took home the statue for Best Supporting Actor.

In 1920s Mexico, American drifter Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) and fellow vagrant Bob Curtin (Tim Holt), find themselves begging for food in the small town of Tampico because they’ve been cheated out of several days wages by an unscrupulous contractor. In a frowsy boarding house, they meet grizzly old-timer Howard (Walter Huston) who captivates them with his tales of gold prospecting and it doesn’t take long before their heads are filled with dreams of striking it rich in the Sierra Madre mountains. After Dobbs and Curtin allow their fists to persuade the swindling contractor to cough up what he owes them, they purchase prospecting equipment and together with Howard, they head up into the hills in search of their fortune.

Howard, the old-timer has been on this fortune trail before and is all too aware of the perils they face. He explains about the bandits and the inhospitable elements and he also warns about the danger they present to each other. “I know what gold does to men’s souls”, he says. It’s clear from the outset, when Dobbs promises that everything will work out dandy and that any gold they find will be split three ways, that Howard is the least convinced of the three.

With Howard’s knowledge of the mountain together with his mining know-how, they begin to extract their gold. The work is filthy and hard but their labours continue and the gold piles up. Greed soon comes into camp though and Dobbs becomes increasingly distrustful of his partners to the point of being terrified they will kill him. Sleep becomes something all three attempt to avoid in order to stay alive but then a fourth American, James Cody appears on the scene thereby setting up a moral debate regarding the sharing out of the gold. Paranoia increases, bandits turn up, guns are fired and the ending is a bitter irony and a lesson to be learned.

This film is a far cry from the cool sophistication of Bogart’s earlier Huston-directed efforts and in this he’s about as charming as a scorpion in your lunchbox but all in all, it’s a cracker of a movie. Walter Huston takes the honour of finest performance though and indeed, it was rumoured that he was asked by the director (his son) to tone down his performance so as not to steal the movie from Bogart. It is noted for being one of the first Hollywood films to be shot almost entirely on location outside the U.S and is quite faithful to B. Traven’s novel of the same name on which it is based.

If you haven’t seen it yet, lucky you. Go rent it or better still, buy it because you’ll want to see it more than once for sure. It’s a title that appears in numerous top 100 polls, it includes an iconic quote about “stinking badges” and best of all, it’s devoid of any visual flab so common in mediocre moviemaking. It’s bare boned, gritty and powerful; cinematic storytelling at its very best.

I Thought I Saw

Do you remember where you were, when you heard the news of John Lennon’s murder or the death of Elvis or Kurt Cobain? We are all meant to remember, where we were, when we hear of the passing of our heroes. And then, as the following poem illustrates, we see them … everywhere. And we are always, inevitably…wrong.

There have been weird sightings. With thanks to the genius of those below.

I thought I saw Elvis down the chip shop.

I thought I saw Nick Drake at the snooker hall.

I thought I saw Brian Jones in the playground.

I thought I saw Jimi Hendrix at the post office.

I thought I saw Buddy Holly on a double decker bus.

I thought I saw Kurt Cobain in the cinema queue.

I thought I saw Jim Morrison in Tesco’s.

I thought I saw Otis Redding at the petrol pumps.

I thought I saw John Lennon in the record store.

I thought I saw Janis Joplin in the launderette.

I thought I saw Freddie Mercury in the tenpin bowling alley.

I thought I saw John Bonham in the hardware store.

I thought I saw Ian Curtis in the car park.

I thought I saw Bob Marley in the football stadium.

I thought I saw Joe Strummer in the kebab shop.

I thought I saw Keith Moon at the church fete.

I thought I saw George Harrison in the transport café.

I thought I saw Roy Orbison at the zoo.

I thought I saw Mama Cass at the swimming baths.

I thought I saw Sid Vicious at the airport.

I thought I saw Jeff Buckley in the video store.

I thought I saw Marvin Gaye in the hotel lobby.

I thought I saw Ray Charles at the burger bar.

I thought I saw Kirsty MacColl in the queue behind Elvis.

But I was mistaken.