Geld reicht nicht

SCHULD UND SCHULDEN

Geld reicht nicht

Europa muss Solidarität mit den Griechen zeigen.

Aber auch mit den Flüchtlingen. VON HELMUT SCHMIDT

In der Griechenland-Krise zeichnet sich ein Kompromiss ab. Gelöst ist damit aber wenig. Am Ende dieser Woche wird nichts stehen, was sich längerfristig auswirken wird.

Die Sache ist ziemlich verfahren. Heute vor fünf Jahren, als die Probleme mit Griechenland begannen, war Europa in einem deutlich besseren Zustand. Im Jahr 2010 hatten wir noch keine Ukraine-Krise, keine Krim-Krise, keine Sanktionen gegen Russland, wir hatten Isis und Libyen noch nicht. Und wir waren uns nicht darüber im Klaren, dass die Vereinbarungen von Maastricht absolut unzureichend waren.

Wenn man eine gemeinsame Währung schafft, dann muss man auch eine gemeinsame Finanzpolitik, Steuerpolitik und Haushaltspolitik betreiben. Das ist das Mindeste. Ob die jetzige Garnitur der Politiker den Mut und den erforderlichen Sachverstand hat, bezweifle ich. Ich sehe keine Personen, die die notwendigen Reformen zustande bringen würden.

Was wir in der gegenwärtigen Situation am dringendsten brauchen, ist ein europäisches Investitionsprogramm in zweistelliger Milliardenhöhe. Ein Investitionsprogramm, das, in seiner Größenordnung auf die heutige Zeit übertragen, dem damaligen Marshallplan entspricht. Deutschland müsste den wesentlichen Teil dieses Investitionsprogramms finanzieren. England müsste auch einen Teil mitfinanzieren, ebenso Frankreich und hoffentlich die Skandinavier.

Aber Geld allein reicht nicht. Es kommt auf die Sachinvestitionen an. Es kommt darauf an, dass eine Brücke wirklich angefangen, eine Autobahn wirklich gebaut wird! Geld zur Verfügung zu stellen reicht allein überhaupt nicht. Der Wille zu bauen muss da sein.

Und wir müssen begreifen, dass ein Teil der griechischen Schulden gestrichen werden muss. Dieses Geld wird niemals zurückfließen. Das muss uns bewusst sein, auch wenn es uns sehr schwerfällt. Es ist psychologisch undenkbar, einen europäischen Marshallplan ins Leben zu rufen und gleichzeitig alle diese fantastischen Schulden Griechenlands nicht anzutasten, die allein auf dem Papier stehen und die nie zurückgezahlt werden können. Etwas anderes zu behaupten ist Unfug.

Die Bundeskanzlerin ist mit der deutschen Führungsrolle in dieser Krise sehr vorsichtig umgegangen. Zu Recht. Denn der Versuch, Europa  aus der Mitte und aus einer Hand heraus zu regieren, ist das letzte Mal unter Karl dem Großen geglückt. Das war im Jahr 800 nach Christi Geburt. Das zweite Mal, unter Napoleon 1812, ist dieser Versuch missglückt. Das dritte Mal, unter Adolf Nazi, ist er innerhalb weniger Jahre schrecklich schiefgegangen.

Nun soll Merkel führen. Aber sie will nicht führen. Und ich verstehe sie gut. Denn in dem Augenblick, in dem sie Führung ausüben und beanspruchen würde, würden alle anderen Regierungen in Europa erst die Nase rümpfen, dann würden sie beginnen zu schimpfen, und schließlich würden sie zu Gegnern Deutschlands werden.

Die Deutschen haben noch für viele Generationen Auschwitz im Gepäck. Im Bewusstsein aller anderen wird es noch lange eine große Rolle spielen, dass wir sechs Millionen Menschen fabrikmäßig umgebracht haben. In dem Augenblick, wo wir Führung ausüben, erinnern sich alle wieder daran. Angela Merkel hat mich deswegen mit ihrer Vorsicht beeindruckt.

An unserer Seite brauchen wir Deutschen die Franzosen, und wir brauchen die Polen. Und die Polen können wir nicht kriegen ohne die Russen. Deswegen ist das Problem Griechenland nicht größer als das Problem der Ukraine und das Problem der Tausende, die jede Woche über das Meer zu uns kommen – unerwünschte Flüchtlinge, von denen wir nicht wissen, wo wir sie lassen sollen. Ihr Schicksal ist mindestens ein so großes Problem wie Griechenland. Wir müssen uns den akuten Problemen unseres Kontinents als Europäer solidarisch stellen.

aus: Die Zeit, 25. Juni 2015, No. 26
Online: http://www.onleihe.de/static/content/zeit_de/20150625/DZ_26_15/vDZ_26_15.pdf

Soul

"Nothing hurts a good soul 
and a kind heart more than
to live amongst peole who 
cannot understand it."

Ali Ibn Abu Talib
(ca. 600 to 661 AD)
Cousin and Son in Law of Muhammad

Anna RF - On the way to you.

What a nice song.

I’m on the way to you
I’m on the way to you
I’m on the way to you
With a map that you drew

I’m on the way to you
I’m on the way to you
I’m on the way to you
With a map that you drew

From the desert I come from the land of send
Bringing you my heart so you’ll understand
Everything I want is you to be my friend
And I’m on my way to you
Deep inside I know and I believe in love
Don’t care how you call the thing above
Underneath it all you can hear my heart beating just for you

I’m on the way to you
I’m on the way to you
I’m on the way to you
With a map that you drew

I’m on the way to you
I’m on the way to you
I’m on the way to you
With a map that you drew

Each of us came from a different place
But together we will live without those chains
Every night I dream and I see your face and it always light my way
I’ve learn to read the Signs along the path
And I realized love is the inner breath
No matter what would come you should always laugh
And life will smile to you

I’m on the way to you
I’m on the way to you
I’m on the way to you
With a map that you drew

I’m on the way to you
I’m on the way to you
I’m on the way to you
With a map that you drew

I’m on the way to you
I’m on the way to you
I’m on the way to you
I’m on the way to you
I’m on the way to you
I’m on the way to you

I’m on the waaaaay!

Dust If You Must

by Rose Milligan

Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better
To paint a picture, or write a letter,
Bake a cake, or plant a seed;
Ponder the difference between want and need?

Dust if you must, but there's not much time,
With rivers to swim, and mountains to climb;
Music to hear, and books to read;
Friends to cherish, and life to lead.

Dust if you must, but the world's out there
With the sun in your eyes, and the wind in your hair;
A flutter of snow, a shower of rain,
This day will not come around again.

Dust if you must, but bear in mind,
Old age will come and it's not kind.
And when you go (and go you must)
You, yourself, will make more dust.



(Well, as much as this poem is about homework, but it also would apply to Commercial Archaeology. Or does it not?)

Do not go gentle into that good night

Dylan Thomas, 1914 - 1953

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright

Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,

And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight

Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,

Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Archaeology: Will the study of archaeology soon become a thing of the past?

Will the study of archaeology soon become a thing of the past?

Richard III's discovery showcased UK academia, says Michael Braddick. But as student demand for certain subjects falls, should we have grave concerns for our future knowledge base?

Greyfriars car park, Leicester, where the remains of King Richard III were found. 

Photograph: Darren Staples/Reuters

Tuesday 19 February 2013 16.11 GMT Last modified on Wednesday 21 May 2014 16.31 BST

Finding Richard III (on the premises of Leicester social services no less) is testament to the ingenuity of archaeologists. Weaving together findings from historical analysis of texts with scientific analysis of the skeleton and the site, they have made an overwhelming case that these are the remains of the king.

As a historian, I spend a lot of time trying to listen to the dead. Every now and then a curtain seems to be pulled aside and we hear them directly, and the feeling is very powerful. The way that the wounds to the skull match with one of the historical accounts of Richard's death did that for me: I was taken to Richard's final moments, as his helmet was lost and his attackers closed in, his horse gone or stuck in the mud, the moments in other words when he knew he had lost his kingdom and his life. That human connection is precious, and rare.

This ingenious work has recovered an important part of our heritage and will no doubt have direct economic benefits. "The King under the Car Park", as Channel 4 had it, will no doubt stimulate our creative and heritage industries. Leicester University's archaeology department will, I hope, thrive on the publicity.

The findings go some way to resolving the question of how the story of Richard's crooked back was exaggerated for political purposes. For me, though, the real academic significance of the find is its demonstration of the power of archaeological techniques.

Combining insights from natural and social sciences, archaeology offers an exceptionally powerful way of understanding many of the most inscrutable aspects of our past – think of the difficulty of interpreting Stonehenge, for example, and what has now been achieved by this kind of sophisticated analysis. Archaeologists have plenty to tell us about the impact of climate change and fuel use, or the rise and decline of complex societies: they give us access, in other words, to a vast store of human experience, which is of direct relevance to some of the greatest challenges we now face.

Despite the value and interest of what they do, archaeology departments up and down the country are now facing difficulty. The reason? Undergraduate demand has fallen, and there is no other way for them to pay their bills.

This situation reflects a key principle of the Browne review: that investment in higher education should be driven by student demand, informed by information about the price and quality of courses. Archaeological science is expensive, and does not attract research funding driven by the search for economic growth. Student numbers are low, nationally, and although student satisfaction measures and price put it on a par with history and English, archaeology departments cannot attract students in the same numbers, and are finding it hard to cover their costs.

A second aspect of government policy exacerbates the problem, the "core and margin" policy. Universities can now recruit unlimited numbers of students with A-level grades of ABB or better (the 'margin' which can grow), but are allocated reduced numbers of places for students with lower grades (the 'core' allocation). Archaeology has traditionally recruited heavily among 'core' students (often those from poorer backgrounds), and departments around the country are being caught by this. Highly selective universities now have a relatively small 'core', and little room for manoeuvre in mitigating short-term movements in demand among high performing A-level students.

The intention is to allow such universities to grow, but it also creates an incentive for them to disinvest from disciplines with weak demand among applicants with high A-level grades. There is no corresponding incentive for other universities to take up that provision. A likely outcome of this is that there will be reduction in national capacity in archaeology, and particularly in expensive archaeological science. We will all be the poorer for that.

Archaeology is not alone. 'Hard' or 'small' languages are also under pressure. They too, will struggle to make their way on the basis of research grants so that the national capacity in Russian, German and Portuguese are likely to decline. As with archaeology, a standard university response will probably be to reduce costs – by concentrating on language teaching, and reducing the provision in the politics, sociology, history or literature of those societies. We might expect more degrees in, say, politics with Russian language, emphasising accurate use of the language, and many fewer which emphasise cultural understanding in the fullest sense.

While this may satisfy student demand, and allow universities to continue to prosper, it would represent a significant loss to our national research capacity and knowledge base.

The debate about the Browne review, and its implementation has so far concentrated on the effects of high fees on the aspirations of our young people, and on the prospects of our universities as individual institutions. It's time, I think, to discuss a third dimension – the future of particular disciplines, and the risk that students and universities, acting rationally in the context in which they have been placed, fail between them to generate the necessary investment to sustain these areas.

Small policy adjustments could help. Universities are currently allocated places in strategically important and vulnerable subjects (SIVS) irrespective of A-level performance. This is helping with languages, but archaeology and other subjects are not protected, while all suffer from the effects of the core and margin policy in selective universities.

It is a classic collective action problem – no university or individual student has a particular interest in shouldering the costs of the necessary investment, and so we run the risk that no one will make it. Letting that rip is no less a decision than implementing a political solution to it, and it would be cheap to solve.

Let's at least make a conscious decision, following a proper discussion, that this is the way to plan the national knowledge base.

Michael Braddick is professor and pro-vice-chancellor for the faculty of arts and humanities at the University of Sheffield

This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To get more articles like this direct to your inbox, become a member of the Higher Education Network.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2013/feb/19/archaeology-funding-student-decline-future



And more than two years on, not a lot has changed.....

Archaeology: Dazzling jewels from an Ethiopian grave reveal 2,000-year-old link to Rome

British archaeology team uncovers stunning Aksumite and Roman artefacts

Grave in Ethiopia

The grave in Ethiopia where the woman dubbed ‘Sleeping Beauty’ was discovered. 
Photograph: Graeme Laidlaw

Spectacular 2,000-year-old treasures from the Roman empire and the Aksumite kingdom, which ruled parts of north-east Africa for several centuries before 940AD, have been discovered by British archaeologists in northern Ethiopia.

Louise Schofield, a former British Museum curator, headed a major six-week excavation of the ancient city of Aksum where her team of 11 uncovered graves with “extraordinary” artefacts dating from the first and second centuries. They offer evidence that the Romans were trading there hundreds of years earlier than previously thought.

Schofield told the Observer: “Every day we had shed-loads of treasure coming out of all the graves. I was blown away: I’d been confident we’d find something, but not on this scale.”

She was particularly excited about the grave of a woman she has named “Sleeping Beauty”. The way the body and its grave goods had been positioned suggest that she had been beautiful and much-loved.

Schofield said: “She was curled up on her side, with her chin resting on her hand, wearing a beautiful bronze ring. She was buried gazing into an extraordinary Roman bronze mirror. She had next to her a beautiful and incredibly ornate bronze cosmetics spoon with a lump of kohl eyeliner.”

Perfume flask found at the site.

The woman was also wearing a necklace of thousands of tiny beads, and a beaded belt. The quality of the jewellery suggests that she was a person of very high status, able to command the very best luxurious goods. Other artefacts with her include Roman glass vessels – two perfectly preserved drinking beakers and a flask to catch the tears of the dead.

There was also a clay jug. Schofield hopes that its contents can be analysed. She believes it would have contained food and drink for the afterlife.

Although “Sleeping Beauty” was covered only with soil, her grave was cut into a rock overhang, which is why the finds survived intact.

The team also found buried warriors, with each skeleton wearing large iron bangles. They may have been killed in nearby battlefields.

Other finds include another female skeleton with a valuable necklace of 1,065 coloured glass beads, and, elsewhere, a striking glass perfume flask.

In 2012, the Observer reported that Schofield’s earlier excavations in the region had discovered an ancient goldmine that may solve the mystery of from where the Queen of Sheba of biblical legend derived her fabled treasures.

Aksum, the capital of the Aksumite kingdom, was a major trading power from the first to the seventh centuries, linking the Roman Empire and India. Aksumites were a literate people. Yet little is known about this so-called “lost”’ civilisation.

“Ethiopia is a mysterious place steeped in legend, but nobody knows very much about it,” said Schofield. “We know from the later Aksumite period – the fourth and fifth centuries, when they adopted Christianity – that they were trading very intensely with Rome. But our finds are from much earlier. So it shows that extraordinarily precious things were travelling from the Roman Empire through this region centuries before.”

In return, the Romans sought ivory tusks, frankincense and metals. Schofield’s excavations also found evidence of iron working.

The finds will go to a new German-funded museum, opening in October. Schofield hopes to organise a loan to the British Museum, but first the finds must be conserved: the mirror, for example, is corroded and slightly buckled. Germany is sending nine conservators.

Excavations were paid for by the Sainsbury family’s Headley Trust and the Tigray Trust, a charity that promotes sustainability in the region; and by individual donations.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/07/ancient-ethiopia-gravesite-treasure-rome

The mid late 1990s....

....Where was I again? Oh, some vague images remind me of my long lost weekend....

Still, how could I miss this one? The song is good, but with the video it's just, sorry, awesome...

Sepultura - Ratamahatta

Best of Cover: Hurt by Nine Inch Nails

One of the strongest reasons, why Cover versions are individual, valid and essential pieces of art in their own right. And without any further ado, the mother of all Cover versions by the one and only Johnny Cash:

And here the original.

Best of Cover: Smells like Teen Spirit by Nirvana

Here the hauntingly amazing cover by Patti Smith:

and here the original by Nirvana:

The word on Saturday

The world we live in...

Anthem for Dissent

A powerful poem narrated by Splitting The Sky, performed by guitarist Ron Bankley, and compiled by aConcernedHuman. This piece is socially critical, fast paced and visually mesmerizing. The audio track was taken from the album Insurgent Sun by Ron Bankley, accompanied by related imagery, a truly poignant portrait of the world we live in.

Voices

Sounds about right....

Tiny Ruins - Bird in the Thyme

What a beautiful song.

There it was: a fallen bird in the thyme, 
Its time had come. 
And then the sage: he gave his wise reply, 
And I looked down. 

And on the twelfth night, the fool came, 
With his song and his smile. 
And on the twelfth night, the fool came, 
With his song and his smile. 

And we rose merrily forward, 
And we rose merrily down, 
And we rose merrily forward, 
And we rose merrily down.


I heard this song as part of an extraordinary documentary I saw about Operation Overdue. Air New Zealand Flight 901 had crashed into Mount Erebus on Ross Island, Antarctica on a sightseeing flight on 28 November 1979 (killing all 237 passengers and 20 crew). The documentary focusses mainly on the extensive mission recovering the dead carried out by New Zealand Police officers, Mountain Face Rescue Team members and US Marines.

Never before I had heard about this tragic loss of life and the extraordinary to bring the dead back to their loved ones before.

Read more on Flight 901

Fear, Anger, Hate and Suffering

Yoda has it sorted.

Liam Finn - Cold Feet

You know that feeling? The cold feet feeling? its horrible isnt it...

Liam Finn - Cold Feet

Saw you in the street
Left me in a state of wondering
If you even notice(d) me
Acting like a nervous tic teen

Got you undermined on demand
Like a dream to have you on my arm
But even if you wanted to
I was gonna need a bit of proof

There's a space for me
On the edge of your seat
Where you wanted me to sit
Where you wanted me to sit

But my will is weak
And I'm tired of cold feet
Thought you wanted it to last
Thought you wanted it to last

In the golden afternoon
I can hear you in the other room
Fixing things with sellotape
Bound together by the myths you made

No-one ever seems
You're blowing faiths like a stolen beam of the sun
You know I don't need anyone
I just wanna have a drink or two

There's a space for me
On the edge of your seat
Where you wanted me to sit
Where you wanted me to sit

But my will is weak
And I'm tired of cold feet
Thought you wanted it to last
Thought you wanted it to last

There's a space for me
On the edge of your seat
Where you wanted me to sit
Where you wanted me to sit

But my will is weak
And I'm tired of cold feet
Thought you wanted it to last
Thought you wanted it to last

And the world you live
Is so convincing
Will the audience laugh?
Will the audience wilt?

Going home next week
And I'm tired of cold feet
Thought you wanted it to last
Thought you wanted it to last

Fink - This is the thing.....

"This Is The Thing"

I don't know if you notice anything different.
It's getting dark and it's getting cold and the nights are getting long
And I don't know if you even notice at all
That I'm long gone

And the things that keep us apart
Keep me alive
And the things that keep me alive
Keep me alone
This is the thing

I don't know if you notice anything missing
Like the leaves on the trees or my clothes all over the floor
And I don't know if you even notice at all
'Cause I was real quiet when I closed the door

And the things that keep us apart
Keep me alive
And the things that keep me alive
Keep me alone
This is the thing

And I don't know if you notice anything different
I don't know if you even notice at all

This is the thing

Alice Temple - Undone (Final song in "Dream of a Life")

Watch me fall from grace,
Disappear with no trace,
As I try to erase you.

Feel the pain and watch me bleed,
Surely this is not what I need.

Shut out everyone,
and watch me run.
Lay me under the sun
So cold I have become
Now that I have been undone

It is me you ignore
As you shut the door
I don’t deserve this pain anymore.

I know that I’m worth so much more
Than what I give credit for
It is me I need to adore.

Watch me fall from grace,
Disappear with no trace,
As I try to erase you.

Feel the pain and watch me bleed,
Surely this is not what I need.





After watching "Dream of a Life" about the life and more than tragic circumstances of the circumstances surrounding the death of Joyce Carol Vincent I am starkly reminded about our fragility.

Flash Fiction - The Furnace 04/08/14

The task here was to create a scene.

The Furnace

The blackened chimneys of the steelworks have been towering over the town for what seemed like an eternity. Like guards watching over the townsfolk over centuries hustling and bustling under the castle in the olden days.

Seeing generations of young men entering through the forbidding gates made of steel and barbed wire, coughing them back out after a few decades of pouring burning iron into the golden lined purses of Mr. and Mrs. Fuck-Off-you-peasant-bastards with permanent blackened faces lining the red eyes of tired and sick old men, who have nothing left to live for other than sitting on rotting porches drinking piss beer waiting to die.

Jack had joined to the queue like his father and grandfather before him. Within a few short years it seemed he had fast forwarded into old age, turning into a carbon copy of something he still wasn’t sure it was a good thing or simply stupid.

Looking across the car park he saw a 1978 C3 Chevrolet Corvette, with the black and silver stripe painting and the 5.7ltr. engine of the limited edition to mark the 25^th anniversary of the most beautiful car ever having been built… Just like the one he had bought in the mid 1990s when all his mates were either into the Camaros, the 1990s Ford Mustangs or the silly Pontiac Trans Am. He had to sell his when the twins arrived. Back then it seemed a sacrifice worth making. Now he saw a young lad stepping out of what was certainly his most prized possession. Jack could see the pride and joy in the young man’s face looking at his car. It was like looking into a mirror. Damn, was that only 15 years ago? Maybe even less?? Time had become the steady drip feed of poison that began to drain the life out of a body that was not that old and worn out yet. He didn’t dare think any further so he switched off the radio in his people carrier piece of heaving shit and his brain like he did every morning…

Flash Fiction - Random 11/08/14

The lights had gone out and red lights started flashing. Two thoughts were desperately fighting for my attention at once. The first was: How did I get here? And the second should have been: This isn’t right.

As the cabin started to fill not just with ice-cold water but also a decidedly unfriendly sound of an alarm my brain only managed to come up with: fuck, shit, fuck….shit.

The speed with which the water rose didn’t allow for any investigations of phenomenological or metaphysical nature. I had to get out of here. And quick.

In the old days this would have been my easiest spell. But the 21^st century isn’t a good place for fairies or any magical creatures come to that. And the bridge of a sinking cold war era submarine is certainly not a good place for a fairy with, well, lets say substance using issues.

For years I had a cosy place in one of the old yards at the Plymouth docks but since those had been knocked a few years back, all the other places had been taken up by stupid bats. Would you believe it? There were laws protecting these ugly filthy fuckers. And what about us? Take Iceland for example. Over there we even have a ministry! I should have followed cousin Ernie decades ago, never mind the cold. Damn, what wouldn’t I give for some smack, right now. OK, focus. How long can I hold my breath? What’s the name of that washed out mermaid again? She’d had to come if I only could remember her name. Just like that.

Inspirations:

The three slips randomly selected provided the bones of it.

Substance using (Iron Man 3 – Ben Kingsley’s character)

Bats – discussion I had with Brian one the first day he showed me Saltash when we were talking about bats and Cameron changing the laws.

Fairies, mermaids and other magical creatures in the 21^st century: American Gods

Flash Fiction - Night Shift 28/07/14

6.15am. Again.

Driving on the boring road as I call her.  And after that on the stupid road and then the slow road. Before I get to the house trying to be as silent as possible, not to wake her up just yet; before it is her turn to clamber in the hamster wheel.

Again and again and again.

I change the radio stations. There is nothing worse than the good humoured radio presenter who is so funny and so awake so early in the morning. The mind can play tricks on you after a long night but it would be so nice, so different, so life-altering if she would be really pregnant. It can’t be or can it?

Jonathan Wilson - Natural Rhapsody

And because its lasing rain and the day is coming to its inevitable conclusion a bit more dreamy stuff from Jonathan Wilson

When we hear your friend of the road
Explaining your natural glow
We have been waiting completely
For every piece of your heart
And later when you are all alone
Let it rain down upon you
What you've always known
There is no confute
Only kinks in your heart

And when you were a child
Space melted marrow made you smile
Indeed the natural rhapsody

And if you're still waking to life in the go
No water, no fire in your bungalow
Just whisper good friend 
To the healers on high
The sweet grasses of spring
In biblical times
Shapes dance and echo
In an instant tomorrow's a leap

And when you were a child
Space melted marrow made you smile
Indeed the natural rhapsody

When we hear your friend of the road
With your rebel demeanor
And botanist tongue
Come closer where leaving
The shapes that we drew in are shifting
When is all said and done
We are but dust on the horizon
Indeed the natural rhapsody
The natural rhapsody
The natural rhapsody

Ben Howard - "End of the Affair"

Check this out! Brilliant singer-songwriter. Born in London and living in Devon may I present to you:

Ben Howard - "End of the Affair"

Living without her
living at all
seems to slow me down
living forever
hell, I don’t know
do I care, do I care
the thunder’s rumbled sound.

now I watch her
running arround in love again
now I talk about you
when I’m with our mutual friends 

end of the affair
the weight of the world
a kindness gone to bed
free of your laughter
a liar after all 
did he hear, did he hear
the fumbled words you said?

oh living without her
living at all
seems to slow me down
living forever
hell, I don’t know
do I care, do I care
the thunder’s rumbled sound?

now I watch her
running arround in love again
now I talk about you
when I’m with our mutual friends (2x)

this is it
this is it
what the hell?
what the hell, love?
what the hell?

what the hell, love?

and his own website: http://www.benhowardmusic.co.uk/

Jonathan Wilson "Desert Raven"

And I have to find another way of archiving things.... so I can find stuff like great music again.

Enjoy!

Jonathan Wilson - "Desert Raven"

Aughty Walk: Rural Futures: Lough Graney and Flagmount Notes

Aughty Walk: Rural Futures: Lough Graney and Flagmount Notes

And today ...

...I paid 350 bucks to get a true image of somebody.

Why are people so effin stupid? Keep praying to the paper god... One day they ll get you. And you had it coming.

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND.

Nobody escapes karma. Nobody.

The Darkness is the darkness....

The Cat Empire - The Darkness

Something kissed my lips
Something
Something busted my fingertips
The north binds battle
In the car park
And the darkness
Somewhere
The night is on the run
With a bottle of ouzo
And a rusty gun
The north wind
Is like a Spanish guitar
Soaked in petrol
Burning on the bar
Let the dead raise their heads
And the dying leave their beds

She didn't believe what her mama said
And she climbed out the window in the darkness.........

And behind you in the night
A million dogs come out to fight

In the empire that will be rising
Rising through the night

Something
Something give me strength
I'm burning
Burning on the brink
The north wind
Is like cinnamon and wine
And the darkness
Is the darkness

Ireland got Talent

Aimee Banks sings "O Mio Babbino Caro"

The girl is 11. Eleven!!! Just amazing. Can somebody sing more authentic? So natural? I wish her the best of luck. 

Winter is coming....

....once again. Not so much for me, but for the ones who does (or do???)

Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson: Winter Song

And as you may have noticed....

...I am back blogging. Its been 2 years and those years wont go into the big book as good years. 

Surrounded by darkness,
friends in need,
poor souls, tortured with no way out or too shaken to stand still. 
and then some

who just left. 
in anger.
but mostly too early.
they didnt ask or say anything. 
Just left. Us. Me.
In tormoil. 
Too many questions unanswered. 


Want answers? 
You wont get them. 
not now, not ever. 
Forget it
and fuck off.

Scars, new ones beside the old ones. on top. beneath. like spaghetti. or Mikado.

And all you need, sometimes, is just a hug. A real one. 
Like a moment. A real moment. 

and then we start running again... everything just not to stand still.

(Elbow covering U2 - Running to stand still)

One day it will be over. For you, yes YOU, and me, ME. But as Robert keeps saying: DONT FEED THE MONSTERS. They are all small in the beginning before they grow and grow and grow.


Enough time wasted. Lets get to it. I wont wait for you, no more and never again. Life is on my back, gotta go. Made a plan and worked out so far. Impressed myself today, keep at it. Nobody else to (impress).

So here we go.

 Alabama Shakes - Always Alright

And one for the road (a bit cheesy, but hey, F... it)

 Anna Kendrick - Cups (Pitch Perfect's "When I'm Gone")