2007 Rewind (Part Un)

My favorite Youtube video of the year. Salsa dancers, Reynaldo Ojeda and Claudia Lopez from Bogotá, Colombia.

Alma Salsera


Seriously, what are you doing with your life? Now do it on one leg.

Onto the 50 Most Loathsome People in America by some rather Beastly people...finally an end of year list I can agree with. Well, mostly, as I would have added a certain genocidal maniac to the list.

Biggest disappointment for the year. It was bound to happen sooner or later. My favorite 2008 Presidential candidate drops the ball big time a new campaign ad which panders to the worst reactionary elements on the Right (just days before the Iowa caucus). Et tu Dr. Paul? Por que? Now who the hell am I supposed to support? Guess I'll have to wait for the Green Party candidate...I'm sure we'll find sometime late in July 2008 at some budget motel conference room in Stockton.

My favorite local media moment(s) of the year. Captures the absolute vacuous nature of local television news. About ten seconds during a half-hour newscast is set aside for some local area soldier serving overseas to introduce him/herself and give the proverbial shout out to some back home. So, some Pvt. Guerrero introduces himself and sends his wishes to family (awww). The on-screen graphic below simply read "The Middle East". Wow. How hard would have been for the "professional journalists" at the network to find out where he was? I would have used "A Bad Place" myself.


Where could he have been?

My favorite book of 2007. Um..didn't read a new book in 2007.

My favorite record of 2007. Um...another shit year for new music...what the hell did I listen to all year? Favorite single--Bat For Lashes / What's a girl to do. Most overrated--JUSTICE--the sound of "new" French electro, I don't get it. After seeing JUSTICE live a few months back, I kept thinking, what on earth are these kids so excited about?! Chain smoking, giant crucifix proppin', French poseurs! Here...listen to the Chemical Bros. circa 1995. The Bros. have already worked it out.




My favorite films of the year. Given I only saw 4-5 new films on the big screen this year...Sean Penn's Into The Wild (based on Jon Krakauer's book) about Chris McCandless' journey across the country and his unfortunate death in Denali National Park, Alaska was memorable. Though the film did become a bit tedious toward the end...my 2nd favorite, Control by Anton Corbijn about the life/death of Ian Curtis of Joy Division. Visually stunning, moody, wordy and some very good acting. Cheers!

My favorite politician of 2007. Who else, Mahmoud Ahamdinejad. The man has his own blog for Intelligent Designer's sake.

Onto the bad Peter Parker. Spider-Man 3. Finally saw it on video a few weeks back (library loan of course). First appearance of Venom (Amazing Spider-Man 300 for those of you who still live with mother). In a shell filled with far too many nutty plot lines and characters --A dark alien substance crashes into earth. Attaches itself to Peter. The transformation begins as Peter goes dark--sort of. The substance completely attaches itself to Peter as he lay in bed, but only notices that his suit has is completely dark atop a high-rise building window. Spider-Man feels the awesome power of this new look. But I'm getting ahead of myself...after fighting/defeating his Goblin friend (Harry) for the 400th time, Yuppie Goblin bumps head and like many a soap opera gets amnesia and forgets everything--for the time being. Then a startling discovery, the real killer of the Big Kahuna, wasn't that one geezer but rather a burly bloke in fabulous striped green tee shirt named Flint Marko (who, not unlike Notorious B.I.G. was just trying to make some money to feed his daughter or something). Flint escapes prison and falls into some kind of advanced research corn/veggie testing silo and turns into an Arab--the Sandman rather. Before I forget, someone is crying in every single frame of the film. And as one reviewer quipped, I felt as though I need a hug after the film. Okay here we go...this is all from memory, so try to follow along. So Spidey fights Sandman--avenges Uncle Ben. Leaves him for dead. Gloats to Aunt May that Uncle Ben's killer is dead! She reckons he's a neo-conservative or something to that effect. Takes small sample of the dark substance to his professor friend. Peter wallows in the accolades and becomes one vain Spider dude. Kisses Gwen Stacy his lab partner at school (Amazing Spider-Man #31 for those who live in your sister's basements) at a grand public ceremony honoring him--much to the displeasure of Mary Jane. Relationship troubles. Mary Jane loses her acting/singing/theatre gig. Aunt May gives Peter her wedding ring. Peter sets up a delightful dinner (complete with phony French maitre d) at restaurant to propose. Mary Jane cries. Peter cries. Unable to reach Peter (as he is never there for her), find a empathetic ear in Harry the Yuppie Goblin, arrives at his home where they share an omelet and a kiss. Harry is a brilliant painter and chef apparently. Guilt filled Mary Jane rushes out of the place. Harry regains memory. Schemes to destroy Peter/Mary Jane's relationship. Succeeds. Peter cries. Mary Jane tells him that she's found someone else. Harry meets Peter at coffee shop to break the new that he's the other guy. Peter, like Luke Skywalker before him, exclaims, It's impossible! Harry grins then disappears like the bogey-man. Then that Gopher guy from some 70's Show arrives and schemes to land the staff photographer gig at the Daily Bugle. Succeeds only after producing a phony photo of Spider-Man escaping with a sack of cash. Peter exacts his revenge and exposes Eddie Brock as a kind of Chalabi fraudster he is. J.Jameson swiftly fires Eddie and is humiliated at his own hiring party. At this point Peter's journey to disillusionment is complete and allows the dark nature of to take over--his mannerisms/appearance is altered--for the bad. Really bad. Fights the Yuppie and literally blows him up and leaves him for deaf. Not deaf. Death! He pulls his hair down over his forehead (goes for the unkempt tough-guy look), buys a dark suit, then proceeds to disco dance down Broadway like an asshole. But the rank assholery doesn't end there, oh no...it gets worse--he gets the slightly retarded anorexic Russian immigrant girl to feed him freshly baked cookies while Dr. Connors relays the dangers of the dark substance. Now if that wasn't bad, get this. He takes Gwen Stacy out to this happening Jazz club (daddy-O), where there are all sorts of colored people mulling about. It's also where his ex-troll, Mary Jane is working for tips. He then proceeds to show off his piano playing prowess while Mary Jane sings (startled she was), then swing dances the doors off the place. Here is the major climax in the film, as the scene ends with Peter kicking everyone's ass in the place and knocking Mary Jane down to the floor. More crying. Geez, this review is as convoluted as the film itself. So Peter now realizes that his dark side has gotten the best of him...after choosing to don the dark suit--which is one of the underlying morals of the story--free will or something. In any case, he now has to fight the darkness, which he manages to do atop a cathedral. All the while Eddie Brock--now an unemployed drunken mess watches from below. The epic struggle (with himself) ends as the darkness is pulled off. The dark substance free falls and lands on Eddie who is then transformed into the monstrous Venom. The Sandman (left for dead so we thought), comes back with vengeance now. Rage filled Venom filled seeks out Sandman, forms a kind of alliance to squash the spider, kidnaps the troll and so the stage is set for the final battle. Mary Jane, bound and dangling oh-so-dangerously high above the city, inside a yellow taxi (trap set by the badies)...epic fight commences. Spider-Man is literally being pounded by the Arabs fists when lo! Behold! Another plot twist,Yuppie Goblin (scarred but not dead it turns out), appears to help save the day. Hooray! Spidey and Harry team up and you guessed it, win! So in the third installment of Spider-Man, everyone from the first two films it seems makes an appearance (dead or alive). A re-hashing of the Uncle Ben storyline, the Osborn storyline (Avenge me!), and even more with great power comes great responsibility morality. While not a complete mess, hearing Mary Jane sing (her own voice) two full songs damn near pushed me over all kinds of edges. sharp jagged ones. And Spidey's inner struggle storyline was about as genuine as the SDC...more on the SDC later.

Au revoir 2007!

Final Thought. Aren't we about due for a new UFO craze? Every decade or so it seems...2008 should be the year. Dennis Kucinich should start it. I like Dennis. His pockets are like treasure troves...a pocket constitution? What are we supposed to to with that?

More Patriotic Than A Filipino American!

From IH8Mud.com forums:

The Leatherman Monarch is available at the PDX airport area Costco, it says it is 145 lumen, and is a Cree LED, it is packaged so you can turn it on and view it's light output at the store. It is pretty bright, but can't tell much in the brightly lit store. My wife was with me, and after buying 2 flashlights (Rayovac and Task Force Crees) in the last couple weeks, she put the foot down on buying another. She thinks I'm crazy. But it would be nice to have a smaller form factor light like the 3@ AAA-cell Leatherman, with the same output as my 2@ C-cell, and 3@ C-cell Crees.

There comes a time in a man's life when serious introspection and self examination leads him to a kind of acceptance--a realization of what a famous White man referred to as, being a total dork. It's official. I submit. I've recently discovered that there are others out there--an entire community of enthusiasts (addicts) who share my unhealthy obsession with flashlights, lanterns, headlamps, and various manner of bright lights! L.E.D.'s are all the rage. I purchased the Leatherman Moncarh 500 last week. It's like really bright and stuff. I sleep with it. That makes somewhere around 30...but who is counting? Entire flashlight messages boards for/by lightheads. Some of the finest people around I reckon. We aren't collecting stamps for my God's sakes! Stamps are utterly useless! What kinda freak still collects stamps? At least we aren't wearing costumes (think Star Trek). Not in public anyway. No, flashlights come in handy. Just wait 'til the next disaster--natural or otherwise, we'll see who has the last laugh. Ha.

Concluding with Fellini (Live Blogging with Ray Bradbury)

Fellini to Ray Bradbury: "My twin! My twin"

Applause. Q&A? No. I'm out. Was hoping to be out quick-like...ended up cleaning up/arranging the tables/chairs/etc...such a wonderful guy I is.

Ray Bradbury. Good Man.

Wrapping Up (Live Blogging with Ray Bradbury)

Wrote 40 plays. Never made a dime on them Ray claims. 17min left on the laptop...strange, did i read it wrong?! Yep, I'm losing it. Ray's inspired me to change my name to Bugenhagen and become a poet. Either that or Richard Shiner. Richard Shiner's Guide To The Galaxy. So Studs Terkel is like 95 years old. I heard him on the radio a couple weeks back--now there's a man I'd like to meet. He was as sharp, witty and humble. Ray is I believe like 87 years old. Studs is an awesome name. It's 7:45pm. I've got 10min left on the laptop. I'll conclude when I get home--maybe.

Is That Cheese? (Live Blogging with Ray Bradbury)

Applause. Ray has begun speaking. Begins by praising the public library. "The library was my university...graduated from the library when I was 28." I can hear Ray but I cannot see him. Screenplays. Motion Pictures. Playwright. Gene Kelly. Hollywood. Musicals. Libraries. Hybrid. Double Day. Martian Chronicles. Short stories. Haven't I heard all this before?! These grapes are good though. I didn't touch the cheese.

In quotes (so far):

"Everything in life must be love."

"Everything he makes is so negative--you leave the film wanting to slit your wrists. To hell with him (Martin Scorsese).

"I loved (watching) Hunchback of Notre Dame--I became a Hunchback."

"Behold Herman Melville--but look quick, he's gonna be gone quick" (to John Houston after completing the screenplay for Moby Dick).

"I'm a playwright!"

Ray's been speaking for over 25 minutes now...i've got about 10 minutes left of battery life. Gonna hang for a little while longer...

The Scene (Live Blogging with Ray Bradbury)

I can see the backside of Ray's driver/handler/security (it appears), along with two rather large Public Safety Officers and about 30 or so people waiting to get Ray to sign their (or is it they're) books. There is talented transient playing the harmonica on our back steps on the side of the building. He's actually quite good. A gentlemen just handed Ray a piece of his own original artwork as a gift--Ray seemed pleased. I just noticed, Ray's eating his dinner as he meets/signs. Looks tasty. Once he gets up to give the lecture (which appears like it won't begin and time soon as 7pm is quickly approaching), I'm gonna grab some of his grapes and crackers. Bradbury books are selling like thinks that sell well or something. It's a cool crisp evening. I've got my fleece on. And I'm hungry. Why couldn't Gore Vidal be here?! "It's time to lecture isn't it?" Everyone is heading out into the main room now. I've got my eye on his plate...

Signing Time. (Live Blogging with Ray Bradbury)

"I'll go on at Seven, when I'm done with this! Too early to start lecturing. They're are people still coming!" I dont' know if Ray knows just how loud he is, as he is slightly hearing impaired. He was supposed to begin speaking at 6:30pm, it's now 6:38, Ray is still meeting/greeting/signing books. He seems to be in a good mood. I remember last time, it was obvious he was disappointed at the turnout. This time the Friends actually promoted the event!

Last time I did this, I reckon I was new to this whole blogging thing--was all a pretty novel idea to me...just having fun with it...so i'll try to be a bit more coherent this time! Hell, I can always edit later ;)

All Those People! (Live Blogging with Ray Bradbury)

"They're waiting for me. All those people!" Ray Bradbury just proclaimed. Has it really been over a year? Que lastima! Cup half empty. Am I really still a Bookstamper? I feel crummy. Been under the weather for a past few days...dunno why I'm still here. I've got some outstanding issues with the good people at Blogger (more on that later--why I haven't posted in some time). Doors are opening. Ray Bradbury is sitting in front of the circulation desk--in his wheelchair, behind a circular desk. Stacks of (his) books by his sides. They've just opened the door. Seems less lively than the last time. About a hundred people have just entered--finding seats. Lack of parking seems to be on everyone's mind. The Friends of The Library once again are the sponsors of the event. It's picture time with Ray. Laptop battery don't fail me now...watched the original Omen and Damien Omen II late last nite and was totally freaked out. I couldn't believe how freaked out I was. I've seen the film dozens of times...I'm thinking about changing my name to Bugenhagen. I'm gonna name my firstborn child Bugenhagen.

Worlds Greatest Book (Pamphlet) Title. (Part Deux)

Move over San Jose: City With A Past or Kind of Kabab! I just came across this, via recent GNN blog entry by one Harold H. Thompson, written from inside a Tennessee prison--while serving life-plus sentence, on the virtue of shutting the fu*k up.

More Pointless Research

Top 3 recent (utterly vacuous) research "findings". Who funds this stuff? Give me the money. I could totally take a research grant to prove the obvious. But I wouldn't, I would do serious research...I'd figure out why ghetto-ass people are always on the phone or always in a rush or why they speed in parking lots or why their stories ("drama") always involve some petty cash dispute or "someone getting fu*#ed up." That fool got fu*ked up! We were gonna fu*k some fool up last night! Or why fratboy stories are all the same--always about being wasted someplace. Dude we were so wasted! Dude, we were partying in Cabo over the break, we were so fu*ked up! We totally trashed the motel room! Or worse--why the Seinfeld-like yuppie stories ("drama") always involve getting bad service someplace. Complete with a (peculiarly) heightened sense of victimization. The girl who did my nails was totally inept. Oh my God, the hostess at the restaurant was such a bitch. The Soup Nazi fu*ked me! Then there's real drama in the world. But I digress, some researchers at some institute/university someplace receive grants to prove the obvious (or is that disprove the unobvious?).

Like this one from the good people at Aberdeen, who published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition recently (via BBC):

People often choose partners with similar body fatness to their own, according to new research.

The Aberdeen study involving 42 couples said people often married within their own social class as well as taking looks, height and race into account.

However, they have now found those with about the same amount of fat are likely to be attracted to each other.

Or this one about how price does not deter smoking:

Raising the price of cigarettes does not appear to deter current smokers from lighting up, research suggests.

"People who are still smoking are probably selectively those who are more addicted, so they are less likely to quit smoking if the price of their habit increases," Dr. Peter Franks, of University of California-Davis in Sacramento, told Reuters Health.

And finally this:

Girly Men are perfect partners, say Women

Women searching for the perfect partner avoid macho men in favour of feminine-looking types whom they see as more committed and better parents, research has found.

Men with masculine features, such as a square jaw, larger nose or smaller eyes were perceived to be less faithful, more detached and worse fathers. Those with fuller lips and wide eyes were seen as being more caring, nurturing and less likely to stray.

Psychologists from Durham and St Andrews Universities asked more than 400 people to look at pictures of male faces that were digitally altered to look more masculine or feminine. They were then asked to predict personality traits, such as sexual behaviour and parenting skills, based on the images.

The results, published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, revealed that as well as preferring more feminine faces, participants chose healthier ones - such as those with better complexions - as more representative of positive traits, while older faces were preferred over younger ones.

And they could answer some questions when it comes to celebrity pairings. The jazz singer Michael Buble's round cheeks and eyes may indicate that his girlfriend, the Devil Wears Prada actress Emily Blunt, is looking to settle down. The actress Gwyneth Paltrow's choice of the scruffy Coldplay singer Chris Martin could be explained by his big blue eyes and bee-stung lips.

The chef Jamie Oliver's button nose and baby face may show that his wife, Jools, was spot on when she chose to start a family with him - not only does he seem a model father but he has also taken charge of the eating habits of others' children as well.

The lead author, Dr Lynda Boothroyd, a Durham University psychology lecturer, said: "This research shows a high amount of agreement between women about what they see, personality wise, when asked to 'judge a book by its cover'.

Let us not rush to discount the relevant and potentially life saving research being conducted by serious professionals today however. Recently, researchers discovered:

Exercise unleashes a bounce bras can't handle
Breasts fly up and down a distance of up to 8 inches, study says

Whether women are said to be flat-chested or big-busted, ordinary bras fall short when it comes to supporting bouncing breasts, a new study claims.

And during exercise, women's breasts bounce more than previously estimated, moving a vertical distance of up to around eight inches compared with a past maximum measurement of six inches.

The bouncing, in some cases with breasts weighing 20 pounds or more, can prove painful and damaging to the limited natural support system.While brassieres have evolved throughout history from body-binding corsets to cleavage-enhancing "miracle" bras, only recently have researchers injected a dose of science into the design of undergarments that go beyond conferring a more "perky" look, the researcher says.

"It is only recently that bra design has turned to science," said study author Joanna Scurr, a biomechanics professor at the University of Portsmouth in England. "There was no research. It’s like designing a car or kitchen equipment without first thinking 'what is the purpose of this?'"

Scurr will present her research this week at an annual meeting for the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences in Bath.

Breast biomechanics
Scurr recruited 70 women, including students and faculty from the University of Portsmouth, with bra sizes ranging from A-cup to extra-large (DD, E, FF, G, H, HH, J and JJ were included).

Each woman walked, jogged and ran while wearing different bra types. During the exercise, Scurr took biomechanical measurements, including the amount of breast movement in three directions: up-and-down, side-to-side and in-and-out.

During walking exercise, the women's breasts moved relatively the same amount in all directions. But when participants sped up to a jog or run, their breasts moved proportionally more in some directions than others: More than 50 percent of the total movement was in the up-down direction, 22 percent side-to-side and 27 percent in-and-out.

Indeed these are exciting times in the field of Breast Biomechanics.

Special Comment

A final thought. In what I like to call my--Who's Looking Out For You segment.

Parking lot speeders--worst bunch of assholes on the planet. Really there is no one worse. Even terrorists are principled. Parking lot speeders have no redeeming qualities.

Good night and good day.

Quote of the day

"(James) Bond is an imperialist and a misogynist who kills people and laughs about it, and drinks Martinis and cracks jokes....Bourne is a serial monogamist whose girlfriend is dead and he does nothing but think about her"

--Matt Damon

Lyrically Speaking. Part Un.

Just plain bad and/or bizzaro lyrics. Some of my favorite tunes make no sense! This will be an ongoing feature on the blog starting, well now. Stupid Lyrics (or lyrics that make sense only to those who don't actually listen to lyrics).

Air Supply - Even The Nights Are Better

Even the nights are better
Now that we're here together
Even the nights are better
Since I found you, oh

No shit the nights would be better. Now if he had said, Even Tuesday mornings at the library are better--that shit would have real meaning for me and made sense.

Positive K - I Gotta Man

I got a man

I'm not tryin to hear that

Now you can persist to play Don Juan all day
But ain't nothin gonna change

Yeah baby, sure you're right
I'ma break it down and do whatever I gots to do
I tell you know, I got eyes for you

You got eyes, but they not for me
You better use them for what they for and that's to see

You know what's the problem, ya not used to learnin
I'm Big Daddy Longstroke, and your man's Pee Wee Herman

I got a question to ask you troop
Are you a chef, cause you keep feedin' me soup

You know what they say about those who sweat thyself
You might find yourself, by yourself
I'm not waitin because I'm no waiter
So when I blow up, don't try to kick it to me later

All them girls must got you gassed

A-when they see a good thing they don't let it pass

Well that's OK, cause see if that's their plan
Cause for me, I already got a man

What's your man got to do with me?

I got a man

I'm not tryin to hear that see

I got a man

What's your man got to do with me?

I got a man

I'm not tryin to hear that
What am I, some crab inmate
that just came home from jail sweatin you for a date?
I don't want no beef, I just wants to get together

But how you talkin, pssssh, whatevah!

We can't have nothin

It all depends
Well if we can't be lovers than we can't be friends

Well then I guess it's nothing

Well hey I think you're bluffing

Well I'ma call my man

Well I can get raggamuffin
Ya better catch a flashback remember I'm not crabbin it
You know my style, from I'm Not Havin It

All I remember's an excuse me miss
You can't get a guy like me with a line like this

Well look I'll treat you good

My man treats me better

I talk sweet on the phone

My man writes love letters

I'll tell you that I want you, and tell you that I care

My man says the same except he's sincere

Well I'm clean cut and dapper, that's what I'm about

My man buys me things and he takes me out

Well you can keep your man, cause I don't go that route

Don't you know yu haffa respeck me

There's a lot of girls out there who won't say no

You're out for mami with your DJ Money

Boom batter my pockets is gettin fatter
I wanna turn you on and excite you
Let me know the spot on your body and I bite you
So when your man don't treat you like he used to
I kick in like a turbo booster
You want lovin you don't have to ask when
Your man's a headache, I'll be your aspirin
All confusion, you know I'll solve em

I got a man

You got a what?
How long you had that problem?

For those unfamiliar with this hip hop classic, it's about trying to pick up a girl (say, at a club--or as my ghetto friends would say--holla at a bitch, kid). Theres a back and forth/a tit-for-tat/ping for pong going on between Mr. K and a female vocalist (in italics representing all those kind girls who turn a brother down). So after spending countless verses on trying to pick up on a girl--building a brother up, braggin' about how well he'd treat her and all that jazz (jazz? who still says that? A person who uses the word dapper, that's who), she tells him that her man buys her things and takes her out. To which he replies, you can keep your man cause I don't go that route. He then continues to try to pick up on this girl. Geez.

How long you had that problem?

Turning 60

Courtesy BBC News

"There can be no question of coercing any large areas in which one community has a majority to live against their will under a government in which another community has a majority. And the only alternative to coercion is partition."

--Viceroy of British India, Lord Mountbatten

National newspapers' across Pakistan paint a rather depressing picture.

THE NEWS

Though a solid 60 years old today, many of its citizens would say unequivocally that the country has not been able to achieve what its founders had in mind for it. Issues of identity, religion and faith have yet to be settled, and have probably only been made worse by a spate of rulers who tried to push religion and ideology in order to legitimise their own illegal rule.

THE NATION

The anniversary reminds one that the country has failed to achieve any of the ideals enunciated by its founding fathers. Quaid-e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah wanted the new country to be a modern and pluralist Islamic democratic welfare state.

NAWA-I-WAQT

Today on the 60th Independence Day of the country we should seriously analyse why we failed to achieve the targets set for us by Quaid-e Azam and Allama Iqbal. Today we should all have to carry out self-accountability and compensate for our mistakes. Otherwise, we will lose our real goal forever.

THE DAWN

To say that we have achieved nothing over these six decades is to deny the truth. True, we have made blunder after blunder, committed terrible crimes against our own people, and in the process lost half the country in 1971. Yet the record is not all that bleak. When all is said and done, there has been progress, though, admittedly, the rate could have been faster.

ISLAM

We are celebrating the 60th anniversary of independence at a time when the country is passing through political uncertainty and a chaotic situation. Unfortunately, we are still indecisive about the system and goals of our country. The need of the hour is that we... transform the country into a real Islamic and welfare state.

DAILY TIMES

What is worrying is the pattern of instability that Pakistan has followed since its creation. The 60 years we have lived give evidence of the fact that governments have lacked legitimacy one way or another and the army has dictated terms on "national issues" it didn't want the politicians to touch.

AUSAF

If we look back at the past 60 years, we will see the instability of the democratic system as our major failure. This is the root cause of the tough challenges we are facing today... The time has come for our rulers to think maturely and take decisions for the betterment of the country and nation. Remember that no person is indispensable.

JANG

On this historically important day we demand that all the politicians, religious scholars and technocrats sit together and steer the country out of these complicated crises... All Pakistanis should unite over the common interests of Pakistan.

From BBC: Indian Independence Pictures



As partition looms, illustrator EH Shepard (of Winnie the Pooh fame) depicts the mainly Hindu Congress organisation and the Muslim League as two elephants ignoring each other in a 1946 cartoon for Punch. All images courtesy of the British Library.

This 1928 poster condemns the Simon Commission sent by London to look at India's future because it had no Indian members.

This poster shows non-cooperating Indians sitting in a tree as a soldier tries to shake them out and Mahatma Gandhi sits by serenely.

From the 1920s, Congress advocated the boycotting of British goods and the embrace of Swadeshi - the promotion of Indian products and traditional technologies.

This Congress poster depicts India as an old man having to choose from three paths: co-operation with the imperial government, violence and peaceful non-cooperation.

Reality.

Ahh...sweet relationships...this is reality. I actually know who these people are. Frightening.



30 Cups. Never enough.

Swing.

Alfie.

Gilda. I look on an evening with just one bird as only half the menu...matter of fact, what I like is to have three women--I don't mean all there at once, but all three on tap. And I like a bit of variety in them: one thin, one fat and one medium, or say, one very young, one a bit older and another in between. You'll find with three like that you'll get the most of your needs satisfied. Mind you, I never like to go straight from one bird to another without a break in between, I find I need a bit of a change, a bit of a talk with a few mates, so I nipped into a pub where I knew one or two of my mates hang out. I don't like making fixed arrangements with anybody--I like to live in a casual come -and-go-style.