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Stephen & Elisabeth in England
Tuesday, 22 August 2006
Weekend Update
Now Playing: Mudhoney - Under a Billion Suns
Topic: Stephen Says
I splurged today and bought the above CD and Ministry's new album, Rio Grande Blood. I tell ya, there's nothing like a right wing administration in the White House to produce some kick ass hard-core. It's like I'm 16 and listening to Land or Rape and Money for the 1st time all over again.

(Plus I got a copy of American Psycho on DVD for 4 pounds as a result of my purchase.)

So, I finally saw Black Hawk Down the movie and can say Thank God I saw this on T.V. and didn't waste vaulable money on that piece of american jinoistic crap. A movie that was made totally out of context of the book that makes the loss of African life incidental to the wounding of a White Man and has an even greater patriotic bullshit monologue at the end than at the end of Saving Private Ryan, propaganda that makes the U.N. (and Pakistan appear to almost deliberately encourage the loss of American life and Argh, I can't go on.

The most revolting part: Where all the Pakistani soldiers come out of the mist dressed as waiters and serve the Brave Americans cold water.

The second (actually tied with the) most revolting part: That all the Somalis just fell down and died as opposed to the Americans who got all shot up and wounded horribly and needed surgery and suffered terrible scars. The fact that they omit the parts of the book dealing with the Somali doctors trying futiliously trying to save their people's lives from American hostility was completely ignored by the movie is inescusable...

...as is the omission of the Somali's using women and children as human shields.

Ugh, I hated the fucking movie. Especially the fabrication of A Bad Guy in the form of the man who kidnaps Mike Durant and is then blown up later on. It doesn't even serve a purpose other than a point in the film for dumb jocks to pump their fists and shout "Hoo-ah!"

And speaking of Pakistan, the other week I played my 1st (pseudo) game of cricket and have actually grown to appreciate the game a whole hell of a lot. I'm finding this recent controversy fascinating and I suppose it isn't even getting covered in North America, so oh well...

Oh, and speaking of American Psycho, I just finished Bret Easton Ellis' newest (Lunar Park) and actually reccomend it to all. It starts off as a very funny farce of married suburban life (Think: The corrections) and turns into a nasty little ghost story about a man trying to reconcile the effct that his father has had on the way he lives his like. It's also NOT how you think it is and is actually accessable and interesting. I'm into Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita now (See, Jen - I said I'd read it and I will).

And finally, 5 pictures Roman statues in Bath:
















The day in Bath was fabulous. The spa was actually very interesting and I learned a lot which was weird because I'm typically scornful or paranoid of touristy things like it. The walk arond town to the Royal Crescent was the kind of walk that you imagine Ye Olde England is if you've never been here before and The Porter is, I think, the very best pub I've ever been to. I would honestly travel to Bath again just to eat (and drink) there again. Elisabeth's reaction to "They sell Summer Lightning!" was priceless. As was their wholely vegetarian & vegan menu and I can only assume that the live music they have playing daily is equally amazing.

So yay to Bath. It looks like Brighton may be the next spot on our tour of England itinary.

Of course, that'll come after a little stop off in Paris on our way to Rome.

Oh Jesus, is this the same website that started out complaining about how we could arely afford food?

Maybe it isn't so bad to be Yuppie Scum after all...

+++++
(...*sigh* and Angelfire doesn't seem to want to post this entry at all...)
(C'mon! Post! Post! Post!)
(POOOOOOOOSSSST!)
(Oh, I give up. I've got better things to do with my life...)

Posted by oz/rexcats at 3:07 PM BST
Updated: Tuesday, 22 August 2006 3:03 PM BST
Post Comment | View Comments (5) | Permalink | Share This Post

Tuesday, 22 August 2006 - 4:31 PM BST

Name: Sean

Its true, black hawk down the book was very good and I think neutral.

The movie omitted everything negative about the americans. The way they tried to avoid shooting crowds, but they would just shoot everything. When they ran over the guy and laughed.

The worst missing was when the Solmali rides a cow fighting, and then the cow gets shot by the helicopter.

What do you expect from Jerry Bruckheimer (Pearl Harbour). Since when is he going to let history get in the way of filming a movie where things blow up.

Wednesday, 23 August 2006 - 5:33 AM BST

Name: jc

Hooray for Bulgakov! Make sure you post your musings when you're done reading. I've foisted it on three other friends by now as well...

Wednesday, 23 August 2006 - 9:31 AM BST

Name: Stephen

Yeah, I remember you saying all that. It's incredible that every single one of the 1000 Somalis killed, each one died instantly. Gotta love those insta-kill American bullets. I wanted to see the bit where the donkey walks through the cross-fire and doesn't get hit and the soldier feels all happy and then a minute later the soldier sees the same onkey dead on the ground.

Wednesday, 23 August 2006 - 9:33 AM BST

Name: Stephen

It's going to be a slow plod for me - I tend to get bogged down in these kinds of dense Russian musing kind of books. I've already made plans to read Umberto Eco's Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana when I get to the end of part 1 as a light divergence.

Wednesday, 23 August 2006 - 9:56 PM BST

Name: jc

Ha ha! Oh how pretentious.

Anyway, I know. It's a bit of a slog but worth it. I've already got plans to read it again for all the bits I didn't pick up. Which are many.

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