Refuge

2008-01-11T16:02:00.000-08:00

I have now moved my blog to wordpress.com. This means that all new posts can be found at the following address: http://jacobbutler.wordpress.com.

"This negativity just makes me stronger, we will not retreat, this band is unstoppable."

2008-01-05T20:35:00.000-08:00

Before we begin - another quick notice. I have a new (extra) blog, located at http://balcoragate.wordpress.com. It's called Gateway and it's a place for me to post shorter, more "single-subject-orientated" (which is certainly not a word) posts. Right. On with the post (which is short today, due to the necessity of mock exam revision).

Whilst the title of this blog is Refuge, the URL is "retreatretreat.blogspot.com". When I started the blog I never mentioned why the sub-domain is "retreatretreat". So that's what I shall do now. It refers to a song named Retreat! Retreat! by Sheffield-based group 65daysofstatic (who I believe I have mentioned before). (In my opinion) its quite an incredible piece of music, though it my not appear so on the first listen, expecially for those not familiar with 65daysofstatic. In a way, it is even something of a departure for them. When set against some of their other work, the main theme which runs throughout the piece is remarkably simple, yet never boring. I once had the opportunity to see them perform live, which was both a loud experience and also very cool. Their web-site, which also functions as their blog, has audio and video clips which can be viewed free. The video for Retreat! Retreat! can be found at: http://www.65daysofstatic.com/video.php?u=retreat_retreat.flv&name=Retreat!%20Retreat!. The song which plays automatically when the homepage of their site loads (obscurely titled Install a Beak in the Heart That Clucks Time in Arabic) is also rather brilliant.

Update

2007-12-29T20:12:00.000-08:00

Just a quick word to mention that my brand-new, shiny web-site is finally up and running, at http://www.jacobbutler.co.nr.

Possibly more posts soon...

It's health and safety gone...

2007-10-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

On a recent visit to Tate Modern in London, I was handed this as I entered:

And with good reason, considering the gaping abyss which physically (and according to the artist, metaphorically) divides the aforementioned Turbine Hall:

Clearly a health and safety risk. I'm surprised there wasn't a security corden keeping the vulnerable public back from this serious danger.

Zero Hour

2007-09-03T21:19:00.000-07:00

School starts again tomorrow. Weirdly, though, I don't have the usual gloomy feeling that I have at the end of a holiday. Maybe its a false sense of security, and the full horror of the change will hit me after the first day. Either way, it means more work, obviously. At least I think I now know what I'm doing at University. It will probably be computer science if I can resist the urge to change my mind.

In other news, an article on the guardian unlimited website lead me to a report by the left-leaning think-tank 'Compass', detailing numerous faults of Boris Johnson, MP, who is currently campaigning to be the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London. It's an interesting read. Boris doesn't come across favourably. I'll say no more. The report itself can be found here.

Hopefully I will still find the time to write here during school time. Not that the curriculum is incredibly strenuous, and that certainly doesn't imply I am at all bright, as familiarity with my school would reveal.

Okay, I'll have my say, if you insist

2007-09-01T22:09:00.000-07:00

As I write this, a loud music event is taking place not far from my house. The key word being loud. Irrelevant, really, but it adds an unnecessary air of disdain.

I just came across an item on the "Have Your Say" section of the BBC News website, asking for views on the new gambling legislation in the UK. The "Have Your Say" "feature" of the BBC site causes me genuine annoyance. Their use of the imperative form is interesting. Do they want everyone, regardless of whether they actually know anything or, indeed care at all, to say something, just for the hell of it? One comment began with the words 'I'm not sure what to think yet'. WHY BOTHER WASTING BANDWIDTH AND YOUR OWN TIME WRITING THAT YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD TO THE DISCUSSION? Seriously, though. What's the point?

Moving on, the reason I mention this is that it seems paradoxical for the government to allow advertising for casinos on television and still claim that children will be unaffected. They banned tobacco advertising. Then again, this is the government that supporting the Americans in actions that Dick Cheney himself judged in 1994 would lead to a "quagmire". How perceptive of Cheney to realise this so far ahead of time. And how extraordinarily absurd that this all went out the window nine years later. I was both bemused and unsurprised when I read this on MichaelMoore.com, a while ago. Anyway (my single most used word to link completely unrelated topics, or try to stop myself from go off on a tangent), I digress. Overall, it just seems like the gambling businesses are out to make as much money as possible, and the government is willing to do their bidding, possibly expecting support in return. I know. Sounds unlikely doesn't it. I'm probably just being overly cynical. Or realistic.

I just won't shut up

2007-08-30T21:53:00.000-07:00

Silence. Well, they say it's golden. In my case, it's as a result of concentration on other things, like my various, but ultimately equally pointless essays, for school. I also got round to finishing the design of my website (www.jacobbutler.co.nr), then promptly decided to redesign it again, soon after having finished it. It's been an odd summer holiday. Most of the time after the trip to England, I have spent doing the above, and have only left The Hague once, and that was to get my hair cut in Rotterdam. (Indeed, I am so averse to change that I still go to the barber's I went to in Rotterdam, out of some distorted laziness which means I find it easier to take the trip to Rotterdam than to find one in The Hague. It was quite nice to go to Rotterdam again, though, with all the tall buildings and the 'big city' feel to the place. I've just realised that I'm still inside brackets. Better get out.)

Something which came to my attention the other day, and you will have to excuse my vagueness but I forget the precise details, was that some part of the Anglican church in America has allied itself with a group of churches in Kenya, due to what Radio 4 termed as their deep opposition to homosexuality. Normally I couldn't have cared less about this kind of thing, but it's funny (as in peculiar) because, unless I am being very naive (which is perfectly possible), saying you are opposed to homosexuality is like saying one opposes the Earth orbiting the Sun. Oh. What a minute. Bad example. The point is, opposing something does not somehow refute its existence. I assume their issue is really with their consecration in the church. It just seems like a peculiar way of saying it.

2007-08-27T14:52:00.000-07:00

My unique perspective

2007-08-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

As requested by 'fizgig' in a comment on my blog of August 4 2007 (SIMPSONS/MUJI/BELL), the following is the image which accompanies the events described (I even used a graphics tablet).

Deep Thought

2007-08-05T22:23:00.000-07:00

Even the most seemingly inane films can contain deep and meaningful criticisms of contemporary society. The following thought-provoking assertions could be found within the film I went to see this afternoon.

1. It is possible to fool anyone into thinking you are an artist.

2. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was correct in postulating that humans are mere puppets, manipulated by super-intelligent pan-dimensional rodents.

3. Rats are okay, really.

A classic case of over-analysis of a film, I fear (apart from the last statement, which was actively promoted).

The film in question, Ratatouille, is quite obviously a children's film, so I suspect my slight amusement at some of the logic of the film is to be expected. In any case, the CGI and the musical score was good, which is also, as it happens, part of my huge admiration for the 2005 Joss Whedon film Serenity, which I recently saw (finally) on DVD, and forgot to write about at the time. It has to be said that I am completely ignorant when it comes to films, in the sense that I have not seen a great many, but I would like to assume that that does not limit my enjoyment or ability to criticise.

It wasn't just visual effects and music that fuelled my appreciation of the film. I liked just about every part of the film, including the actors, screenplay and plot. There was some humour too. Unlike with The Simpsons Movie I had seen some of the sadly short-lived TV series (Firefly) on which it was based, and unlike Ratatouille, there were serious issues that there dealt with. Something that really was funny, though, was that on the DVD there was an extra which details the careful filming and production work which went into the creation of the extraordinarily bizarre advert for "fruity oaty bars", which appears on a screen in one of the scenes (this may make sense if you have seen the film).

Tomorrow I should get round to starting my Theory of Knowledge essay. Not that I am entirely sure what Theory of Knowledge is, despite the fact that I have attended the lessons, as part of the IB curriculum, for the past year. I gather it involves learning about how we know things, which is, in my opinion, jumping the gun, since it rather assumes that I know things to begin with.

SIMPSONS/MUJI/BELL

2007-08-04T21:01:00.000-07:00

I have not graced the blogosphere with my presence for some time. This is partly because we went to the UK to see relatives and, on the last two days, to visit London. One of the days we spent in London was also my birthday, and on that day we (parent and sister and me) went to Tate Modern and saw "The Simpsons Movie" at a cinema near Marble Arch. I had only watched a few episodes beforehand, but I still enjoyed the film very much. The following day involved some shopping, including our now traditional visit to MUJI on Tottenham Court Road (hence the minimalist title), and an exhibition at The Political Cartoon Gallery (which is tiny), entitled "Blair's Legacy: The Iraq War in cartoons". It featured cartoons from, among others, Steve Bell. Anyway, enough ball by ball commentary; it reminds me, a little, of when, at primary school, we had to write about what we did at the weekend and draw a picture to go with it. Luckily, I write this blog of my own free will, so there is no obligation for me to draw any pictures.

John Prescott, many thanks.

2007-07-24T22:52:00.000-07:00

This is very old news (by very old, I mean over a year old), but I only just came across and it seemed noteworthy.

The UK currently has no official post of Deputy Prime Minister (a large, red notice on the website of the office of the Deputy Prime Minister proclaims that the site is only being maintained for "archival/historical purposes"). The previous owner of the title was John Prescott MP. I recently read a transcript of an interview he took part in on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 (from which the quotes which follow are sourced). Political sketch-writers have often ridiculed Prescott's unique manner of speech, but this real example of his eloquence and verbal dexterity does, to my mind, render satire unnecessary. For example, the following question posed by John Humpreys:

"Why did you say you had made a donation to charity out of your own money when in fact the donation to charity was made out of government money?" Source: BBC

elicited a response from John Prescott which included the following:

"I didn't know until later that the payment of it - and I always thought it was public payment - had done by arrangement of a payment to charity 'cos they didn't want to receive a payment." Source: BBC

An interesting, if incomprehensible, answer. No surprise, then, that Gordon Brown chose not to keep him on as deputy leader. Incidentally, the BBC (reliably impartial and consistently highbrow) put together, in 2003, a short summary of John Prescott's most memorable gaffes (sadly, too old to include the American ranch debacle).

QED

2007-07-10T21:34:00.000-07:00

I think any unfortunate readers of this blog may deserve a brief reprieve from the rant-centred discourses of late. So, now for something positive. Umm. Well. That might present a bit of a problem. What I have learned about life so far would lead me to believe that the fact that we all now live under the constant threat of terrorism, rising sea levels and Alastair Campbell's television appearences is enough to make even the most ardent optimist a little gloomy. However, since blogging is often seen as a groundbreaking medium, it calls for groundbreaking thinking. Thus, I, Jacob Butler, shall now attempt the seemingly impossible: a blog post which is nearly or entirely positive.

I suppose it's nice that I've finally finished school for this academic year. The year was rounded of in a classically pointless, excuse me, productive, fashion with a mandatory 'fun day'. It seems, to me at least, contradictory that the definition of 'fun' is predetermined and that it is compulsory. In any case, I did not particularly mind. The really worthwhile parts of the day were recieving my end of year report and also noting, with amusement, the number of teachers who have decided they can stand our school no longer and are leaving. What was even more telling was that a number of them had only been at the school for a single year, and some not much more than that. It should be interesting to see how long the teachers replacing them will last.

So there it is. A full paragraph composed of mostly positive statements and barely a hint of negativity. And the obvious and enlightening fact we learn from this? That the one thing more dull than either incessent optimism or a discussion of my school life is a incessantly optimistic discussion of my school life. QED.

Breaking News: Black Eyed Peas confirm that climate change is real

2007-07-07T18:11:00.000-07:00

I saw something very disturbing on the television today. No, it wasn't the return of 'Strictly Come Dancing', or indeed the Eastenders omnibus. It was the televised broadcast of two of the 'Live Earth' concerts.

The two crimes against music I happened to chance upon were the recidivist producers of noise (the scientific definition of which is 'unwanted sound'), the Black Eyed Peas, and the frankly abominable Snoop Dogg. Simply put, what I find so troubling about them "answering the call" is that the meagre murmuring of their words is drowned out by the deafening reality of their actions. How Snoop Dogg represents an iconic figure in the fight against climate change is beyond me, and the Black Eyed Peas' songs are, aside from 'Where Is The Love' which said nothing we don't know already, very trivial. These so-called artists' pretense that they are environmentally aware represents a blatant commercialization of an issue of colossal importance, since the artists in question will be able to flaunt their 'global awareness' as part of their brand identity. To me, this thoroughly loathsome.

I do not pretend to be perfect when it comes to climate change. However, the last thing we need now is for people chasing money to jump on a bandwagon for which there is already a surplus of empty words. Then again, if the situation is so bad that the world's politicians are resorting to Snoop Dogg to warn the rest of us of our impending doom, then we might as well give up now and let the end come, since that kind of world probably isn't worth saving.

"Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing"

2007-06-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

I like to think that I have a relatively varied taste in music. I feel that I cannot rule out a particular genre and all artists which belong to it, preferring to decide whether I like each artist individually. However, I have found, lately, that I am becoming increasingly disillusioned by what one could refer to as 'mainstream popular music'. Let us take for example, the linguistic genius that is 50 Cent. Whilst it should be noted that I have not digested the complete works of said virtuoso, I have been lead to believe from watching music television (an unhealthy habit which I no longer engage in for the sake of my mental stability) that most of his work revolves around various different ways of saying "Yeah. I'm really powerful. Look at me. I'm better than you" (granted, I am paraphrasing at this point). I cannot get my head round how this is enlightening in any way. There is always the danger, though, that I have missed something major regarding the hidden meaning of his lyrics and that his rapping is really about the comparative futility of attempting to dismantle established and insurmountable class barriers in a modern capitalist society (but I rather doubt this, since that last phrase made almost no sense). I suppose what really bothers me (and of course, this has been said before) is that the whole point of music as a creative, expressive art, is lost sight of and it merely forms the driving force of a money-making machine. It is most likely this sentiment which is one of the reasons why I am such a fan of bands like 65daysofstatic (www.65daysofstatic.com) which are just about as far from being a manufactured brand as you can get. Of course, there are many artists who make meaningful music and are also incredibly popular. It is simply a shame that some artists can put no thought into what they are doing and sell huge numbers of records.

Talking of things which are inflated out of all proportion by media hype, the iPhone was released to the public yesterday, and it is here that my blatant bias comes into play (or, at least, becomes glaringly obvious). Despite criticism concerning their environmental record, monopolistic practices, and over-pricing, I cannot help but love the products that Apple makes. They seem to have managed to perfectly combine stunning design with ease of use. Basically, when you buy something from them, "it just works" (well, most of the time, anyway). I could harp on all day about the joys of using Apple gadgets, but that would no doubt send this blog to as yet unfathomed depths of dullness, so, on second thoughts, I won't bother.

Double-edged sword

2007-06-27T21:24:00.000-07:00

I have always been a bit hesitant about starting a blog. It seems to me that with the rise of the internet, everyone has the chance to have a go at what has been in the past the preserve of broadcasters and celebrities, ie. they have the chance to speak to a global audience. The problem with that, though, is that there are so many voices that it is virtually impossible, in the plethora of opinions, to distinguish the people who have something pertinent to say from those who do not. Anyhow, I thought I might start a blog anyway, and just hope that I belong to the former catagory rather than the latter. With this in mind, I shall attempt to keep any tedious wittering to minimum.

Unfortunately, I feel I might be about to get boring already. Today happens to be the day that Tony Blair officially steps down as British prime minister. I can only hope that Gordon Brown will do a better job (though it would be hard to imagine how he could possibly be worse). The only bad thing that has come from this event, though, is the rather worrying news that Blair could be apppointed as a peace envoy to the Middle East. Well. Maybe its just me, but I was under the impression that for important tasks its generally a good idea to employ someone who might actually do the job well, so therefore not Tony Blair, who, along with a number of other leaders, has tended, in the past to do a very good job of instigating the exact opposite of peace. Perhaps they just got the job title confused. Perhaps he is in fact slated for the post of "war envoy", responsible for propagating continuing conflict in the Middle East and surrounding areas. It might make more logical sense, when you consider his track record.