That's just sick

Four things inspired me to continue with the blog - five, actually, if you count the two weeks' European vacation that's just ended (and I'm now back in New York City - my carpel tunnel syndrome, or RSI, as we Brits call it, seemingly cured), when I pondered many things, but essentially the pointlessness of this whole blogging exercise to which I'd become enslaved, obsessed, addicted. Is anyone reading it? Do they care? Why should I care about putting stuff up here? On that subject, in my defence, I have a guy in India who said a few weeks ago that he'd found my blog by accident. He was surfing, he explained. "Hey, cool blog!" he had the generosity to email. That was nice. I suppose it's what a blogger who never gets any Comments wants to hear. (I understand some Liverpool University students - social studies, I think - are told to put this blog on their recommended reading list. Flattering, of course. I feel humbled by that, if a little bit pressurised to keep feeding this inexplicably ravenous monster. To maintain the downstealing.)

Number one (remember, the inspiration bit) was that great live footage of Underworld doing Born Slippy from YouTube that I put up here, and which you'll find a few postings below. That's definitely one to share with the world. In my more philosophical moments, I get to thinking it should even make for a better world! I could go on about my favourite song of all time but I'll spare you that right now. Suffice, I suggest you stop reading this and scroll down a little bit. Enjoy the Underworld show.

Number two is 'Sicko', the new Michael Moore documentary, which is probably in a movie theater/cinema near you right now. I went to see it with a couple of friends tonight and feel very obliged to urge you to go see it as soon as possible. And to tell all your friends about it. It's simple enough and Moore doesn't do anything more that point out the bleedin' obviousness of how the American health care system is astoundingly messed up. Correction, the system is functioning superbly, highly, highly profitably. Oh, yes. It's just that suckers like us, the inhabitants of this country, yer average taxpayers, are being impoverished by the health insurance, pharmaceutical and general medical industries. And our politicians. Yet we just sit back, let those people make their trillions, while we get sick, unnecessarily, we die, unnecessarily, without a word of protest, without a call or an email to our local representatives. Hey, most don't know who their local politicians are. That's the biggest scandal. But even if you're just picking up a prescription at Duane Reid, get the manager and yell about the price you're paying - or about the fact that you're paying at all, because, as the movie points out, the Brits, the French and Canada are getting this stuff for free, or close to it. The subject of Moore's film may sound a little on the dry side. A tad boring. But believe me, it's massively entertaining. Heart wrenching. Gut wrenching. If you consider yourself a caring inhabitant of the United States of America, you have to go see it. And, OK, wait for it on DVD, if you must. Just make sure you see it.

Number three is the Guardian article about the origination of "D'oh!". The world has to know that it goes back to the venerable James Finlayson in the Laurel and Hardy movies. Stuff like this is important.

http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,,2115180,00.html

Number four? Well, someone sent me a link to The Clash doing Guns of Brixton. For a second, I thought it was a the second version of The Clash (the rubbish one, y'know, the one with the male models replacing Mick Jones. I saw them in Liverpool, and it was pretty embarrassing.), but it's okay. It's authentic. The real Clash, in impressive form, at the Capitol in New Jersey. And more of the world has to see it.