tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16704460228713610332024-03-04T20:02:13.204-08:00The Streetlamp Doesn't Cast Her Shadow AnymoreSadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.comBlogger343125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-23063847473658417992014-05-02T13:05:00.000-07:002014-05-02T13:05:13.255-07:00You Can't Vote No Borders - Only Direct Action can make it happen!<br />
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The British establishment has started employing its usual dirty tricks in an effort to prevent Scottish independence. Its latest wheeze is an astroturf campaign called Vote No Borders. It's the brainchild of a millionaire Tory-donor financier, Malcolm Offord, who describes the Union as the "best club in the world" and has given £5000 to start a "grassroots campaign". He is apparently oblivious to the fact that grassroots campaigns are not the result of bankers showering a little of their filthy lucre on to the peasants in order to get them to campaign to preserve the status quo that continues to reward him while ignoring them.<br />
To really piss us off, the whole thing is being overseen by Acanchi, a PR Consultany which specializes in “Country Branding” and which is responsible for trying to whitewash the aprtheid state of Israel (see <a href="http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2014/05/bbc-propaganda-hits-new-all-time-low/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">'here'</a>). <br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment691976210866441_692183884179007:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment691976210866441_692183884179007:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment691976210866441_692183884179007:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment691976210866441_692183884179007:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0">This is a quote from Mr Offord; </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<i><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment691976210866441_692183884179007:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment691976210866441_692183884179007:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment691976210866441_692183884179007:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment691976210866441_692183884179007:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0">"I don't want to leave the union. It works
for me. In fact, I rather quite like it. It's rather like a cup of hot
chocolate and I'd like to keep it.' </span></span></span></span></i><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment691976210866441_692183884179007:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment691976210866441_692183884179007:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment691976210866441_692183884179007:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment691976210866441_692183884179007:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0">That would be</span></span><span data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment691976210866441_692183884179007:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment691976210866441_692183884179007:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment691976210866441_692183884179007:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$0:0">
a cup of hot chocolate with a 300 year history of slavery, imperialism,
war, theft, exploitation, and promotion and exportation via the barrel
of a gun of the the most virulent, aggressive and anti-human form of
"free-market capitalism" presumably.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></span></span></span></span></span>The really anoyying thing is, the real No Borders is a real grassroots campaign for solidarity with all migrants and has been in operation for years in Glasgow and
elsewhere.<span class="usercontent"> Some of the people involved with No
Borders in Glasgow are understandably pissed off at this astroturf campaign and have set
up a new website called Can’t Vote No Borders. The URL is:</span><br />
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<br />
<span class="usercontent"><a href="http://cantvotenoborders.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">http://cantvotenoborders.tumblr.com/</a></span></div>
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<br />
<span class="usercontent">The page will just share stop deportation stuff (like a
site called No Borders should).</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="usercontent">Wouldn’t it be good if everyone who
put the phrase “vote no borders” into Google got the site above coming up
ranked first rather than one set up by the millionaire Tory banker?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="usercontent">Well this could happen. </span>If you are a website admin or have your own website (a
Tumblr site or a blog is fine) then you could add a link to the site above. Share the URL above around. You know it makes sense.<br />
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The Streetlamp team</div>
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Sadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-78216574626520867182013-06-06T12:13:00.002-07:002013-06-06T12:13:53.294-07:00Cattitude Adjustment - Riot Grrrl Berlin strikes again!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIOWeJ3RBJ1WJJOG3dtDZjmu9eSkJ_MsQoaL7jCG3vFoTJZXSskKiIuKLc3dxeEsMXbx0R76LM6il5AgE_W7cBeuLqRfifLC5h9q-E6RalTu_6RWuriYG7hMvDbu7kUGCaVuphQSGRPwM/s1600/Cover+Design+By+Dana+Krusche.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIOWeJ3RBJ1WJJOG3dtDZjmu9eSkJ_MsQoaL7jCG3vFoTJZXSskKiIuKLc3dxeEsMXbx0R76LM6il5AgE_W7cBeuLqRfifLC5h9q-E6RalTu_6RWuriYG7hMvDbu7kUGCaVuphQSGRPwM/s320/Cover+Design+By+Dana+Krusche.jpg" /></a><br />
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Yeah, we've not been too busy on the site recently. If you need a reason for this hiatus, I ask you just to have a look at the state of our country and the dicks in our government. Someone has to organise against this mob and that has meant that the Streetlamp blog has taken a back seat to the political activism around these parts. So, there have been a lot of important events distracting us all this last wee while, e.g. the bedroom tax, but we're glad to announce a very important musical release this week that we simply couldn't ignore.<br />
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So, what is this earth-shattering musical release, I hear you ask? It's only the latest free compilation release from those beautiful, wonderful people at <a href="http://riotgrrrlberlin.tumblr.com/">Riot Grrrl Berlin</a>! You will recall that we're huge fans of the Riot Grrrl Berlin ouptput (see <a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/grrrls-say-shut-up-griff-well-take-it.html">'here'</a> and <a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/griff-says-grrrls-dont-ever-let-them.html">'here'</a>) and we're pleased to say that this latest release is an absolute humdinger. Called <a href="http://riotgrrrlberlin.tumblr.com/cats_against_catcalling">'Cats Against Catcalling!'</a>, the compilation features no less than 95 bands (yep, you read that right - 95!) and contains 5 hours of music ranging from folk to thrash and featuring most things in-between.<br />
If you don't find at leat a dozen songs on it that you love then just lie down and pull a sheet over yourself because you are already dead!
I'm going to embed a few of my favourite tracks below but, trust me, there are dozens I could have picked from this compilation and I just wish I could include more.
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First up is <a href="https://soundcloud.com/anna_bo">Anna Bo</a> with 'Plastic':
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KKK7mIfit3I?rel=0" width="420"></iframe>
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Here's <a href="http://jesusandhisjudgementalfather1.bandcamp.com/">Jesus and his Judgemental Father</a> with 'Kings and Queens':
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YXWsEqlBqf4?rel=0" width="420"></iframe>
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Next is <a href="https://www.facebook.com/secondhandunderpants">Secondhand Underpants</a> with 'Pizza Faced Brat':
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=1880089248/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=0687f5/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://secondhandunderpants.bandcamp.com/track/pizza-faced-brat">Pizza Faced Brat by Secondhand Underpants</a></iframe>
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Finally, here's <a href="http://theannathompsons.bandcamp.com/">The Anna Thompsons</a> with 'Fuck You':
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=136413272/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=0687f5/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://theannathompsons.bandcamp.com/track/fuck-you">FUCK YOU by THE ANNA THOMPSONS</a></iframe>
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Great music, and there's tons more where that came from. But <a href="http://riotgrrrlberlin.tumblr.com/cats_against_catcalling">'Cats Against Catcalling'</a> isn't just about the music. The inspiration for the compilation came through the <a href="http://catsagainstcatcalling.tumblr.com/">Hollaback tumblr page</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ihollaback.org/">Hollaback</a> is a movement to end street harassment powered by a network of local activists around the world. Hollaback activists work together to better understand street harassment, to ignite public conversations, and to develop innovative strategies to ensure equal access to public spaces. Street harassment is one of the most pervasive forms of gender-based violence and one of the least legislated against. Comments from “You’d look good on me” to groping, flashing and assault are a daily, global reality for women and LGBTQ individuals. But it is rarely reported, and it’s culturally accepted as ‘the price you pay’ for being a woman or for being gay. Hollaback and Riot Grrrl Berlin reject this and together they say that "It's time to break the silence about street harassment".<br />
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To help do this, Riot Grrrl Berlin asked <a href="http://berlin.ihollaback.org/">Hollaback Berlin</a> if they would cooperate with the 'Cats Against Catcalling' compilation and give some info and materials to include in the download. Hollaback Berlin have responded magnificently with a downloadable folder packed full of images, posters and documents to print and share. They've also included many cool memes you can use to spread the word against street harassment on the internet.<br />
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To the Streetlamp's delight the Hollaback memes and artwork feature images of our favourite animals - cats (see here for our own <a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/cats-for-chaos-anarchy-cats-picture.html">'anarchist cat'</a> images). Here are some of our favourites:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUki_EhEyH-B8Bq_cUHudGzKlPe51WyiQlp-J71LtmNllR9oXd04TQEmyLOKl4Ah7ut5GJjR7Td_wwJA8kUo_O6pmeLSdBUqtM2pRN40q80HEdBp_fR9E1CEpYOtV_dsmVUYzJgcpP19E/s1600/cats_against_catcalling_02.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUki_EhEyH-B8Bq_cUHudGzKlPe51WyiQlp-J71LtmNllR9oXd04TQEmyLOKl4Ah7ut5GJjR7Td_wwJA8kUo_O6pmeLSdBUqtM2pRN40q80HEdBp_fR9E1CEpYOtV_dsmVUYzJgcpP19E/s320/cats_against_catcalling_02.jpg" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wFJTATFoJ_Jfq3g4mp00J-Jjv8r0uiMJokvHkWE5imDw_GFLJlGLG15eBxunQlryrAhgBiQIJPlUKHFerSsJXENmCMVKehwnUV0suxhIq-ZmKr5vHL-FEqkniFbjfs6sCWMB2E_v5h8/s1600/cats_against_catcalling_09.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wFJTATFoJ_Jfq3g4mp00J-Jjv8r0uiMJokvHkWE5imDw_GFLJlGLG15eBxunQlryrAhgBiQIJPlUKHFerSsJXENmCMVKehwnUV0suxhIq-ZmKr5vHL-FEqkniFbjfs6sCWMB2E_v5h8/s320/cats_against_catcalling_09.jpg" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg71Vb343kPLLzqE0M93v29I7ZsuDiQtmmB_Dh_aTdSwdF9REBCzDgd6nlPiMNLfwom_2wa6xWLW_UnzXgF3qkfT4wYv6p0HG22QRuwX2Xvngw4xlKLVcs5aqBEGXa-vTdDd__SPc53C0I/s1600/cats_against_catcalling_03.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg71Vb343kPLLzqE0M93v29I7ZsuDiQtmmB_Dh_aTdSwdF9REBCzDgd6nlPiMNLfwom_2wa6xWLW_UnzXgF3qkfT4wYv6p0HG22QRuwX2Xvngw4xlKLVcs5aqBEGXa-vTdDd__SPc53C0I/s320/cats_against_catcalling_03.jpg" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGIDOFoO0sl6goO85DL7ub-pAbSPFCB2ZM52UydoH4grYoZoRsQ8F40StrpFI_Hg4UiW1crcDIRp77xmewBRlq_whbqxNuJcdaA_fY9kbJmuY79EmJfKmdXWIbBL6_7OyrFRWaKbjimOs/s1600/cats_against_catcalling_10.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGIDOFoO0sl6goO85DL7ub-pAbSPFCB2ZM52UydoH4grYoZoRsQ8F40StrpFI_Hg4UiW1crcDIRp77xmewBRlq_whbqxNuJcdaA_fY9kbJmuY79EmJfKmdXWIbBL6_7OyrFRWaKbjimOs/s320/cats_against_catcalling_10.jpg" /></a>
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'Cats Against Catcalling' also has its own meme site <a href="http://www.quickmeme.com/cats-against-catcalling/newest">'here'</a> where you can add your own images. Why not get creative and share your own designs? It would be really awesome if everyone who downloads this compilation prints some posters, posts some memes and spreads the word. This is what the d.i.y. ethos and direct action is all about. Don't wait for someone else to do something, become the agent of change yourself!<br />
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'Cats Against Catcalling' is a brilliant free download full of great music and anti-street harrassment material. Please, if you download it, share about it on your blog, post it on facebook, print some posters and paste your town.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_iwWl0SdsLxdL1THFNuXWgtJoY_YpraVMRDBn3M02Dq8VBK_aatgIX9-Oq_tfx2Fa9fhF7_vLhmLmFXpQDmTJGtIoI5E-YQDevGHlV7eUVY1YmX-Ne1yrEXifKjrBAGsXLg7MU3xIYYg/s1600/why+you+yell+at+me.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_iwWl0SdsLxdL1THFNuXWgtJoY_YpraVMRDBn3M02Dq8VBK_aatgIX9-Oq_tfx2Fa9fhF7_vLhmLmFXpQDmTJGtIoI5E-YQDevGHlV7eUVY1YmX-Ne1yrEXifKjrBAGsXLg7MU3xIYYg/s320/why+you+yell+at+me.jpg" /></a>
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Griff<br />
xxSadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-76139747218633636002013-04-11T05:36:00.002-07:002013-04-11T05:36:35.514-07:00L'histoire de Raymond et CécileStill no new music for you right now as The Streetlamp team has its collective mind on weightier matters. However, we couldn't give you absolutely nothing so we've decided to combine all the strands of our Francophilia - les chansons, les film, les femmes, la politique, and bring you a short introduction to Juliette Gréco.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsIquAhX26kJ7fvqe9tOlliprIaZzEIuNSFITZ89lsjFVZR8Uf9W7KeLaGh4nYrfqAZVkmDK7Pusfm-l7UUgSuC04dv7_biq-B-5qdJOMhUFsKmzIqGbRjXkrIkMNsDQP-O6l_sbTzbtM/s1600/juliette+greco.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsIquAhX26kJ7fvqe9tOlliprIaZzEIuNSFITZ89lsjFVZR8Uf9W7KeLaGh4nYrfqAZVkmDK7Pusfm-l7UUgSuC04dv7_biq-B-5qdJOMhUFsKmzIqGbRjXkrIkMNsDQP-O6l_sbTzbtM/s320/juliette+greco.jpg" /></a>
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Juliette Gréco was born in Montpellier to a Corsican father and a mother who became active in the Résistance. Gréco also became involved in the Résistance, and was caught but not deported because of her young age.<br />
After the war, Gréco spent the post liberation years frequenting the Saint Germain cafes, and became a figure associated with the political and philosophical Bohemian culture of La Rive Gauche. Philosophers, poets, authors and musicians filled the night clubs and brasseries that lined the boulevard Saint-Germain, and the area became the centre of the existentialism movement associated with Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. As a regular figure at the many music and poetry venues, Greco was given songs to sing written by Sartre himself, and also became acquainted with Miles Davis and Jean Cocteau, even being given a role in Cocteau’s film Orphée in 1949.<br />
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Gréco can also be seen in Bonjour Tristesse, a 1958 film directed and produced by Otto Preminger and based on the novel of the same title by Françoise Sagan. The title is derived from a poem by Paul Éluard, "À peine défigurée" amd it means, of course, "Hello Sadness".<br />
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Here is Gréco with the French language version of the song:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/b2KGRC-FKtA?rel=0" width="420"></iframe>
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An MP3 of this can be freely downloaded <a href="http://archive.org/details/BonjourTristesse">'here'</a>.<br />
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Now here's Sur Les Quais Du Vieux Paris:
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<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SPdruRAjQtI?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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An MP3 of this can be freely downloaded <a href="http://archive.org/details/SurLesQuaisDuVieuxParis">'here'</a>.<br />
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Finally, here's Sous le ciel de Paris, the melody of which should be familiar to everybody.
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3MtkiiF6YMo?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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An MP3 of this can be freely downloaded <a href="http://archive.org/details/SousLeCielDeParis">'here'</a>.<br />
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Hope you enjoyed those.If you're interested in French chansons then have a look at these 100 free downloads <a href="http://www.melodycenta.com/VA/100-Chansons-Formidables-music/mp32673473/">'here'</a>.
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À bientôt
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Griff<br />
xx
<a href="your_url_goes_here">Click here</a>Sadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-26014660434032708862013-03-27T03:33:00.001-07:002013-03-27T03:33:37.571-07:00Life in the FaslaneGlasgow poet Eamonn Coyle speaks on truth and nuclear weapons in Scotland.<br />
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<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2qftXV5KLKI?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Sadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-5916296252574020972013-03-24T07:50:00.001-07:002013-03-24T07:50:16.397-07:00British nuclear weapons spending explained by a panda We're embedding a video (<i>below</i>), which we hope you'll like. It combines our love of pandas and our dislike of nuclear weapons. What we like most about it is the way that panda makes bear's confident, "common-sense" assertions sound like the ridiculous illogical nonsense that they so obviously are when you stop to think about it.<br />
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Well done, panda! If only humans were so wise.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/js8blM1C4xM" width="420"></iframe>Sadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-64654478207595022013-03-10T12:13:00.003-07:002013-03-10T12:13:42.917-07:00The Chance for PeaceAs you must have noticed, if you've been following the Streetlamp from the beginning, we've not been bringing you quite the same indiepop outout recently as he have in the past. The main reason for this is that we've been rather diverted on the political front. Scotland, at the time of writing, stands on the brink of a momentous, game-changing decision, which will have repercussions far beyond these shores.<br />
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One of the repercussions of Scotish independence is that, if the people of Scotland vote Yes, we will effectively be able to force the UK state into unilateral nuclear disarmamnet. This is quite an attractive outcome for some of us!<br />
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Inspired by this opportunity, our own resident film-maker, Ray, has made the following video, which has been given official endorsement from the Scrap Trident campaign. The video in question uses excerpts from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chance_for_Peace_speech">Chance for Peace speech</a>, an address given by U.S. President <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower">Dwight D. Eisenhower</a> on April 16, 1953. Eisenhower is, of course, the man who famously warned the world of the growing power of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military-industrial_complex">Military–industrial complex</a> and uttered the immortal lines:
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<i>"I think that people want peace so much that, one of these days, government had better get out of their way and let them have it."
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We here at the Stretlamp think that, for the people of Scotland, that day is coming soon. Here's Ray's video on the subject:
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For more information on the subject, please visit <a href="http://www.scraptrident.org/">Scrap Trident</a>.<br />
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The music used in the video is the 2nd movement, Largo, from Dvorak's "New World" Symphony reorded in 1963 by the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Otto Klemperer/ This can be downloaded for free <a href="http://archive.org/details/newWorldSymphonyLargoklemperer">'here'</a>.
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The Streetlamp Team
Sadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-69643176483986081192013-03-05T13:13:00.002-08:002013-03-05T13:13:29.860-08:00If you love indiepop, clap your hands!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKT0IQGfyl7ztKcVr5tNkB3HGwBLI9HuqXPd670dsps1iBMeq6TkTh6fZdyZV7DifVseGcCWiUtPjChktjjoBoWPg83Lm5Nc6D7H280kVShtdwvtFGvAA3Yv7XnwDbkTR1aMjUcvtSoNg/s1600/Nastrone+handclapping.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKT0IQGfyl7ztKcVr5tNkB3HGwBLI9HuqXPd670dsps1iBMeq6TkTh6fZdyZV7DifVseGcCWiUtPjChktjjoBoWPg83Lm5Nc6D7H280kVShtdwvtFGvAA3Yv7XnwDbkTR1aMjUcvtSoNg/s320/Nastrone+handclapping.png" width="316" /></a></div>
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Hello everyone. No, we haven't died, you'll be glad to know, it's just that we've all been very busy doing other things and have had to neglect the poor old Streetlamp for a bit. Anyway, we're going to make that up to you tonight with a compilation from <a href="http://www.frigopop.it/">Frigopop!</a> of the very best in indie-pop. And we really mean the best, we're talking Jens Lekman, The Drums, Liechtenstein and Belle and Sebastian here.<br />
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Frigopop! was started in February 2008 by a group of Roman girls with a love for pop music and, as well as a webzine, it is also a netlabel and a festival. Their latest release Nastrone Handclapping was released on March 1st and contains 13 songs, which all include that indie-pop staple, handclapping. The compilation is intended to wake you up from hibernation and get you in the mood for Spring.It is available as a free download <a href="http://frigopop.bandcamp.com/album/nastrone-handclapping-2">'here'</a>.<br />
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Here are a few sample tracks. First off is Jens Lekman with I Saw Her In The Anti War Demostration.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=972409415/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://frigopop.bandcamp.com/track/jens-lekman-i-saw-her-in-the-anti-war-demostration">Jens Lekman - I Saw Her In The Anti War Demostration by Frigopop!</a></iframe><br />
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We had to include this as, right now, all Griff's time is being taken up by, well, helping to organise an <a href="http://www.scraptrident.org/">April anti-war demonstration</a>, believe it or not.<br />
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Now here's Architecture in Helsinki with It'5!<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=2623870218/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://frigopop.bandcamp.com/track/architecture-in-helsinki-it5">Architecture in Helsinki - It'5! by Frigopop!</a></iframe><br />
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And we''ll finish off with Pelle Carlberg with Clever Girls Like Clever Boys Much More Than Clever Boys Like Clever Girls
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=1266821189/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://frigopop.bandcamp.com/track/pelle-carlberg-clever-girls-like-clever-boys-much-more-than-clever-boys-like-clever-girls">Pelle Carlberg - Clever Girls Like Clever Boys Much More Than Clever Boys Like Clever Girls by Frigopop!</a></iframe>
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Sadly, probably true.<br />
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The Streetlampers<br />
xx
Sadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-47236661054380120792013-02-20T12:56:00.000-08:002013-02-20T12:56:09.223-08:00Barftroop - Filthy girls doing foul things for funTonight I'd like to introduce you to <a href="https://soundcloud.com/babeobaggins">Babeo Baggins</a> and the <a href="http://barftroop.bandcamp.com/">Barftroop</a> whose motto is the brutally simple - "Fuck with us or don't, its that simple." That's right, if you want straight talking and in your face attitude then you've come to the right place. Do you remember back in January when I wrote about the sexily subversive hip hop of <a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/griff-says-ready-for-some-riot-grill.html">Lady Boners</a> and their song Bacon Pancakes?
Well, if you liked that then you're going to love this. Barftroop is five young women from the US who all met through being bloggers. Marshaled by the formidable Babeo Baggins they set about challenging the negative stereotype of the 'black female rapper' through their provocative and exciting music and art. The five members of Barftroop are;<br />
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<a href="http://stonecoldsteveaustin.tumblr.com/">Babeo Baggins</a><br />
<a href="http://coochiejuice.tumblr.com/">Babenstein</a><br />
<a href="http://babydeity.tumblr.com/">Baberella Fox</a><br />
<a href="http://hoelita.tumblr.com/">Babe Field</a>, and<br />
<a href="http://xtjna.tumblr.com/">Justin Baber</a><br />
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I came across their music on <a href="http://barftroop.bandcamp.com/">bandcamp</a> and <a href="https://soundcloud.com/babeobaggins">soundcloud</a> and I immediately found it arresting. It's loosely within the hip-hop tradition but is obviously much freer and playful than that genre normally allows.<br />
I was also taken by the humour and the bold, explicit sexuality in the music and in the accompanying visual art (which can be found on the <a href="http://barftroop.tumblr.com/">Barftroop tumblr page</a>). It seemed to me that this playfully assertive attitude might be an aspect of the group's feminism and I put that question to Barftroop ringleader Babeo. She replied:<br />
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<i>"When it comes to our feminism I'd say it's an EXTREMELY important part of our music.<br />Speaking for myself, my sexual content is greatly influenced by my feminism. As you can hear, my voice is very light and innocent. It's sort of me showing that you can be a sexual creature and not lose your innocence. Because innocence is held in some strange, important light when it comes to women, and if you have sex or talk about sexual things people deem it 'gone' as if it's a bad thing to be sexual. Or as if I have to be completely pure to still have a grasp on my innocence. As though my sexuality should make me feel guilty and ashamed so that there's no way I could still be innocent. I don't like that thought process. I just want anyone who listens to my music, mainly women, to feel like you can be sexual and sweet and innocent. You can be anything you want to be, no one has the right to tell you any different.<br />I think just Barf Troop as a whole, for all the girls-is just us expressing everything we want to express with no filter whatsoever."</i><br />
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I asked Babeo about the band's stated intention not to be confined by labels, especially that of 'black, female rappers'. Specifically, I wanted to know hat were the annoying negative aspects of that stereotype for Barftroop? She replied:<br />
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<i>"The negative aspects of the black female rapper would have to be that idea that we're all "rough" and "mean" or "rude". We're all different and we bring a different sort of rapping style to the "black female rapper" image and I'm excited about that. I'm happy to be able to say that I'm a (part) black woman and I'm rapping and I'm not being "hard". I'm rapping about nerdy things and sexual things in a sweet way and being shy and silly. You don't HAVE to be anything just because you're a black female rapper and I think that's what it's about for us. Breaking the stereotypes, but just being ourselves."</i><br />
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So, that's the Barftroop ideology and it serves them well. To hear how it feeds into their music, here are some of the tracks they've produced over the last year:<br />
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F49947267" width="100%"></iframe>
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F43178269" width="100%"></iframe>
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=3304972127/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://barftroop.bandcamp.com/track/ride-me">Ride Me by Babenstein & Justin Baber</a></iframe>
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=4228651737/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://barftroop.bandcamp.com/track/cutie-pop-supreme">Cutie Pop Supreme by Baberella Fox</a></iframe>
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Hope you liked those. As you can see, all tracks are available as free digital downloads and there are plenty more great tracks like these on <a href="http://barftroop.bandcamp.com/">Barftroop's bandcamp page</a>.<br />
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The last thing worth noting about Barftroop is the group's fantastically vibrant and colourful cartoon art, which I briefly mentioned above . These posters and covers are designed for them by artist and Barftroop fan <a href="
http://shoppingcartfullofpinkturd.tumblr.com/">Yuta Sakakibara</a> and they are graphically, brutally, sexually explicit but with the cutesy overtones of Japanese pop culture. This bizarre combination somehow suits Barftroop perfectly.<br />
Have a look:<br />
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Griff<br />
xx <br />
Sadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-64936292347628772282013-02-17T04:06:00.000-08:002013-02-17T04:06:19.193-08:00Everybody's got one - now you can get one too!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Yc2X6LKh-Pni6OKYqpY9R4ag9YT5wm-6Q16CFvJTan5-ouy7WvMh-_AOL7KVR5Qm47kySBbvsUt1PQVDVyof8au3Bklx4lP74mIEv3OD2tIZcafMpIWfWuavd8kN63OOXrMY58zYZL0/s1600/bentcousin_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Yc2X6LKh-Pni6OKYqpY9R4ag9YT5wm-6Q16CFvJTan5-ouy7WvMh-_AOL7KVR5Qm47kySBbvsUt1PQVDVyof8au3Bklx4lP74mIEv3OD2tIZcafMpIWfWuavd8kN63OOXrMY58zYZL0/s320/bentcousin_7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Everybody knows that the Streetlamp had a little bit of an infatuation with London's <a href="https://soundcloud.com/bentcousin">bentcousin</a> last year, with the <a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/the-2012-streetlamp-festive-thirty.html">2012 Streetlamp festive Thirty</a> featuring no less than two of the band's songs.<br />
If you've not had a chance to catch up with them yet, this week is the ideal opportunity as they release their 6-track EP, <a href="http://team-love.com/releases/tl063-bentcousin-everybodys-got-one/">Everybody's Got One</a> on <a href="http://team-love.com/">Team Love</a> records this Tuesday, February 19th.<br />
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As regards the music on the EP, the band range from a sweet, quasi-folk style to punk/glam rock stompers, so they can be quite hard to pin down (oooh, steady!).<br />
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Anyway, here's a quick round up of what to expect:<br />
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Track 1, bentpaperboy, is one of the folky ones with Amelia's soft vocals sparsely accompanied by a nicely-picked Paul Simonesque guitar. This has a clever lyric that is chock-full of English cultural references, which gives it a homely charm. I really liked this, as it is the closest in style on the EP to last year's I Think I Like Your Girlfriend More Than You, which I was particularly taken with.<br />
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Track 2, Slade, sees Pat take over vocal duties. This is one of the rockers on the album and although it has British musical antecedents, imagine the Jesus and Mary Chain playing glam rock (if you're imagining The Damned then that's about right), Pat's Richard Butler-like vocals stray a little too much into mid-Atlantic waters for my taste.<br />
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Track 3, I Quit You, is my least favourite track on the EP. Its meaty guitar riff keeps reminding me of Transvision Vamp, which is something I don't like to be reminded of. Sorry, guys.<br />
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Track 4, F.O.R.G.E.T., is my favourite new track from this lot. This has a funky/indie feel that evokes São Paulo's CSS, or for people of a certain age, is very reminiscent of Orange Juice. In particular, Pat's vocal, like a young Sarf Lahndan Edwin Collins is spot on.<br />
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Track 5, Glittery Joe, Is another punk/glam rocker this time filtered through a Britpop influence. Think Blondie meets Elastica with a hint of Suede. <br />
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The EP ends with Track 6, I Think I Like Your Girlfriend More Than You, with which you should all be familiar. This is the band's calling card and it really is a wonderful track with Amelia's vocals set off by a great folk/jazz guitar accompaniment. It is available as a <a href="http://teamlove.myshopify.com/products/tl063">free download from the Team Love site</a>.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F71022656" width="100%"></iframe>
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This new EP sees bentcousin retain those aspects that we love, the playful, witty overtones and the mischievous, sleazy sexiness and it takes those and mixes them up with folk, punk, Britpop and glam to fun, but variable, effect. Where this band really hit the mark for me though is when they hit their funky, indie Orange Juice evoking stride on F.O.R.G.E.T. This sound is hinted at elsewhere on here and its this, I think, this genre-hopping band do best.<br />
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<br />Griff<br />
xx <br />
<br />Sadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-4676563697857471062013-02-11T08:34:00.001-08:002013-02-11T08:53:20.017-08:00Scrap Trident - Scotland's April 15 moment!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Most people with an active interest in Scottish politics will now be aware that this April we will see an unprecedented weekend of protest and action in this country, demonstrating the opposition of the ordinary people of Scotland to nuclear weapons.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There have been protests in the past, of course, but I deliberately suggest that this particular weekend of action, from the 13th to the 15th of April, is unprecedented for two reasons.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Firstly, in responding to the fact
that the Scottish independence movement has put Trident in the forefront of
political debate in Scotland and beyond, the <a href="http://www.scraptrident.org/">Scrap Trident</a> protest is being organised by a broad and diverse coalition movement that brings together virtually all of Scotland's radical, grassroots, political activists into one united movement. Some of the organisations currently involved include:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.banthebomb.org/m">Scottish CND</a>,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.tridentploughshares.org/">Trident Ploughshares</a>,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://faslanepeacecamp.wordpress.com/">Faslane Peace Camp</a>,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://peaceandjustice.org.uk/">Edinburgh Peace & Justice Centre</a>,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Stop the War Scotland,
<a href="http://www.edinburghstw.org.uk/">(Edinburgh site)</a>, <a href="http://glasgowstopwar.blogspot.co.uk/">(Glasgow site)</a>,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://radicalindependence.org/">Radical Independence Campaign</a>,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.ukwilpf.org/uk-branches/scotland-wilpf">Scottish Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom</a>,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.scottishgreens.org.uk/index">Scottish Greens</a>,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.scottishsocialistparty.org/">Scottish Socialist Party</a>,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.swp.org.uk/">Socialist Workers Party</a>, and the</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://internationalsocialist.org.uk/">International Socialist
Group (Scotland)</a>
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The second and, to my mind, more important reason that this weekend is unprecedented is that this weekend of action has been deliberately designed to demonstrate to the people of Scotland the power that currently lies with them, and not the politicians, in deciding the future of nuclear weapons in Scotland and, beyond that, throughout the world. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The people of Scotland are in a privileged position right now as they have the ability to create an extra-parliamentary, mass movement, that can not only act definitively on Trident removal but can decide, away from the corrosive influence of self-interested party politics, on their own vision for the future of this country. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And they don't have to wait until next year's referendum, they can start to show, as soon as this April, that power resides with the people and not the parliamentary institutions by, not just attending the </span><span style="font-size: small;">national demonstration in Glasgow on April
13th, but by signing up for the workshops, meetings and direct action training on April 14th and then the mass blockade of the Trident base at Faslane on Monday 15th.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In this writer's opinion, it is this aspect of the weekend which holds the greatest promise. For here, is an opportunity to solidify our message in the most positive and empowering way. Those people who, as a very first experience of direct people power, take part in this blockade will never be the same again. For with participation will come the realisation that they can begin to write their own political agendas, that they can find a nurturing, encouraging place that gives voice to their concerns and, that they never need seek the permissions of unyielding self-serving elites again. Only with that sort of entitlement can the people of Scotland, and the people of the whole world, begin to make the changes that allow us to become a society united in trust, compassion, hope and generosity rather than one riven apart by fear, greed and deceit. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So, Scotland stands on the brink of great change and this small country can seize the opportunity to lead the whole world in nuclear disarmament. That in itself is momentous and significant. But, as students of the global anti-war movement may know, there is an extra significance to the date of the blockade - April 15th. By accident or design the choice of that particular date ties our anti-war struggle firmly into the rich, world-wide anti-war tradition. I'd like to take you now on a little trip, illustrated throughout by some of the iconography of the past, that highlight the connotations of the April 15th date.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcs2ID0R_D1zdO08Exv22molRbhbIlYJV7UeXup5f78oBrA6jTDaZXodYR_iqjKmUiXY6CR0W_cB71-Ge4Hm-Q1CdAt0snNzCz-ITJhDNmdngbRxlH6ZkLuWSTHs3_Sois0t8VKAa7cY/s1600/apr_15_smc+badge.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcs2ID0R_D1zdO08Exv22molRbhbIlYJV7UeXup5f78oBrA6jTDaZXodYR_iqjKmUiXY6CR0W_cB71-Ge4Hm-Q1CdAt0snNzCz-ITJhDNmdngbRxlH6ZkLuWSTHs3_Sois0t8VKAa7cY/s320/apr_15_smc+badge.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="fullpage"><span lang="it" title="Italian">April 15th 1967, in the US saw the first
mass burning of draft cards as 400,000 anti-war activists marched in New York City and
80,000 marched in San Francisco to oppose the Vietnam War.</span></span> These mass marches were the culmination of the Spring Mobilization Committee's April 10-15th Vietnam Week of protest. This protest saw draft card
burnings and turn-ins and anti-draft recruiter demonstrations all
over the country. In New York, the speakers at the rally included Martin Luther King, Jr., Floyd
McKissick, Stokely Carmichael and Benjamin Spock. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />The preparations and plans for the historic April 15th demonstration brought many new organizations and forces into action and the student wing of the antiwar movement really blossomed into a powerful force for change and radicalisation. Moreover, the April 15th action had a tremendous impact on American opinion. Half a million Americans, from all walks of life, made dissent from the war and opposition to the government legitimate. April 15 was a demonstration by the antiwar movement of the breadth of mass opposition to the war and the possibility of organizing it. Furthermore, it convinced previously uninvolved groups, tendencies and individuals to participate in and build the antiwar movement.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOg2CzVLYDNHmgqKzbWcs8OmIog9VwOOpn7faw8MVZkPNRtzk86CTZF7HOXwRkmXxAVEHtTE7Fi24-U3f_XNuq1g1CQdFPHYsO3uBCnr_zWrqOvWsvhGF_R9BHzuGh38T-KlVVQlsRFRE/s1600/apr_15_dove.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOg2CzVLYDNHmgqKzbWcs8OmIog9VwOOpn7faw8MVZkPNRtzk86CTZF7HOXwRkmXxAVEHtTE7Fi24-U3f_XNuq1g1CQdFPHYsO3uBCnr_zWrqOvWsvhGF_R9BHzuGh38T-KlVVQlsRFRE/s320/apr_15_dove.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Once the antiwar movement had helped to make dissent legitimate, public confidence in the government was shaken. The precedent for aggressively disagreeing with and challenging the government had been established. That there now existed in the country a large movement, encouraging, even demanding, that people speak out and act in a radical manner, had a profound effect on the political consciousness of the American people. Indeed, it had the potential of preparing and promoting a mass radicalisation of almost the entire populace. </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUf1VJihr-05bu81f9L28PuDYVWNg8kvSDmTbXhJQXBKRk9fyvxZp4BgUnSr6cVmHoAXwSnDiOg9WxiLyvy5Np2R0RraUaQnXpLoaRTS0kyMMgyQhkEDlRdFkuhCaL3cyn2nE4rcM45Do/s1600/apr_15_women.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUf1VJihr-05bu81f9L28PuDYVWNg8kvSDmTbXhJQXBKRk9fyvxZp4BgUnSr6cVmHoAXwSnDiOg9WxiLyvy5Np2R0RraUaQnXpLoaRTS0kyMMgyQhkEDlRdFkuhCaL3cyn2nE4rcM45Do/s320/apr_15_women.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Spring Mobilisation Committee, and associated groups, held further mass demonstrations on April 15th almost every year subsequently, right up until </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="fullpage"><span lang="it" title="Italian">1972 where, between April
15-28, the US experienced a wave of antiwar protests on
campuses and outside military and defense-industry installations resulting in
hundreds of arrests across the country.
</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljL1k0OMztpnAWd83EB0FfZn_T77MVyXv_-vCSnALSodW4zyrMqYxuACVQ14zoCualUOf7KQbGNNIqtsenDj3Is59IVKr9vRuIW1DRkPgKUrdA3UXKtlh3hQiIUhbzQs4PxuikU3tJzU/s1600/but_apr_15_gi_unite_.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljL1k0OMztpnAWd83EB0FfZn_T77MVyXv_-vCSnALSodW4zyrMqYxuACVQ14zoCualUOf7KQbGNNIqtsenDj3Is59IVKr9vRuIW1DRkPgKUrdA3UXKtlh3hQiIUhbzQs4PxuikU3tJzU/s320/but_apr_15_gi_unite_.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioP7RnhcfG2i-FioT9N5i4uWtf52UtpXVcCd_pI_MpOODBPc0waAe3Jo9zNUoW_wA8edA1zSR1P7qeAkyDwtSGoFxHWRmcOS3YhmFYxCFZaDM6fUFg40MLdgkztT6JnUmKfQoRFmZxhlY/s1600/April+15+vietnam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioP7RnhcfG2i-FioT9N5i4uWtf52UtpXVcCd_pI_MpOODBPc0waAe3Jo9zNUoW_wA8edA1zSR1P7qeAkyDwtSGoFxHWRmcOS3YhmFYxCFZaDM6fUFg40MLdgkztT6JnUmKfQoRFmZxhlY/s320/April+15+vietnam.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcp2a5AS11wZ2KfeIEYTnrX5GRR9YVzq6bWnZMqVu_ibwkJJ2NM-n68cCdkffn4-DgAbriS3OdCVauRtI_xZ3_xJyqIWI0dMYWDPDd7xQkjchi8Xlb00vHqYDPRX2SVjff3lYvF4ZmP8/s1600/but_3d_world_unite_large.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcp2a5AS11wZ2KfeIEYTnrX5GRR9YVzq6bWnZMqVu_ibwkJJ2NM-n68cCdkffn4-DgAbriS3OdCVauRtI_xZ3_xJyqIWI0dMYWDPDd7xQkjchi8Xlb00vHqYDPRX2SVjff3lYvF4ZmP8/s320/but_3d_world_unite_large.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And it isn't just in the US that April 15th carries no little significance for the anti-war movement. In the 1980s, Australia experienced a significant growth of nuclear disarmament activism. On April 15th 1984,<span class="fullpage"><span lang="it" title="Italian"> 250,000 protesters attended nuclear disarmament rallies all across the country. That same year, </span></span>The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Disarmament_Party" title="Nuclear Disarmament Party">Nuclear Disarmament Party</a> was formed and won a Senate seat.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Unfortunately, the Australians rather missed a trick on the old iconography front by failing to include the date on their badges. Ah well, here are a couple of examples from the period anyway:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2l9a4YavgNnsKXmJbEXW3aXY0-8F0CE8P_XyVOzSiBnYxSTV6COFW1hw4Nfdd-Aa2R2QTusFDxh8n3hNJNi6JutAXVyQMRwQpfSu-yaPk0JrkD0FCZxN1Xrx8uxdxNvw8zxOfxHNagdI/s1600/Australia+Nuclear+Disarmament+1984+badge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2l9a4YavgNnsKXmJbEXW3aXY0-8F0CE8P_XyVOzSiBnYxSTV6COFW1hw4Nfdd-Aa2R2QTusFDxh8n3hNJNi6JutAXVyQMRwQpfSu-yaPk0JrkD0FCZxN1Xrx8uxdxNvw8zxOfxHNagdI/s1600/Australia+Nuclear+Disarmament+1984+badge.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAtX41TZkA607MshXBnGHQalmtN4tLeJ0rwgvNmaa_BVicVExDm-hocIH0qx-7vy8g_ldOJdSs8f3wNrcl0lOvrqNRQ6VA-y7TMaOTY0Kd8j8pqjVlR8wXd6nb-qwfTsrCEfyp2f3H6M/s1600/Nuclear+free+australia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAtX41TZkA607MshXBnGHQalmtN4tLeJ0rwgvNmaa_BVicVExDm-hocIH0qx-7vy8g_ldOJdSs8f3wNrcl0lOvrqNRQ6VA-y7TMaOTY0Kd8j8pqjVlR8wXd6nb-qwfTsrCEfyp2f3H6M/s320/Nuclear+free+australia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, where stands Scotland now? Can we build a mass anti-war movement that will bring thousands on to the street? Yes, I believe we can, and we will, this April. What is more, we can do something that the protesters, unfortunately, couldn't achieve despite their heroic efforts in the US and Australia - we can unilaterally disarm a nuclear power. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The menace of Trident has been with us for too long. We now have a unique and
unmissable opportunity to end our complicity in the active deployment of these
abhorrent weapons. To that end, ordinary people who hope for a peaceful world
have to keep the pressure up and ensure that this issue is at the forefront of
everyone's mind as they decide on the future of Scotland.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We now need to be be mobilising for this event in every corner
of Scotland to create a mass movement, extra-parliamentary, insurance policy to
ensure that Holyrood has the impetus to act definitively on Trident removal,
whether we get independence or not. Together, we can make the Scrap Trident weekend shake the very foundations of the establishment and, together, we can make our very own April 15th moment echo long and proudly down through the ages of history. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And here's a little something I put together to inspire us:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg43LDbn3vcy9gJySXmb3HTv8EBoBGsLDJdr7d8qKOhWzaW49wGdRMnHTPsJ4Y9lY3EFucmgM8UqqVrJnuLT_OxmfFcqGptSShGM2dlfD7M2D5W90iHLzog2ypi2XW4l8d-U6EUoXXliU4/s1600/apr_15_scrap_trident_big.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg43LDbn3vcy9gJySXmb3HTv8EBoBGsLDJdr7d8qKOhWzaW49wGdRMnHTPsJ4Y9lY3EFucmgM8UqqVrJnuLT_OxmfFcqGptSShGM2dlfD7M2D5W90iHLzog2ypi2XW4l8d-U6EUoXXliU4/s320/apr_15_scrap_trident_big.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Supporting the weekend:</b></span>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You can add your name or
the name of your organisation to the list of individuals and groups supporting
this demonstration at the <a href="http://www.scraptrident.org/">Scrap Trident website</a>
or by contacting <a href="mailto:info@scraptrident.org">info@scraptrident.org</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEsrHj22v53AmlunIAV2ZQlmkbBoxYX89tt_XlJucOohjm-7jSUnndACoLKO_jKgAVN91g9C3Lpvb3Yznqyq0xeQzHf6Utb3yMwZl_xCLeBx5H-LYEa4gHPKwkgK3K3je2T1h6kTEW3mw/s1600/scrap+trident+badge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEsrHj22v53AmlunIAV2ZQlmkbBoxYX89tt_XlJucOohjm-7jSUnndACoLKO_jKgAVN91g9C3Lpvb3Yznqyq0xeQzHf6Utb3yMwZl_xCLeBx5H-LYEa4gHPKwkgK3K3je2T1h6kTEW3mw/s1600/scrap+trident+badge.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you have a blog or website, you can show your support by getting a blog badge like the one above by visiting <a href="http://scraptrident.org/?page_id=113">'here'</a> to get the code you need.Even better, you could write a blog in support of the Scrap Trident weekend.
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Getting involved: </b><br />
Please get in touch to find out more or get involved. Come to the <b>Plenary
Meeting in Glasgow </b>in the STUC Building, between 7-9pm, on Tuesday 12<sup>th</sup> February<b> </b>or
help mobilise for the event at stalls in town centres across Scotland this<b> Saturday, 16<sup>th</sup>
February.</b></span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you want to take part in
the blockade, you can request free direct action training any time between now
and the event. Also, everything you need to know for the
blockade will be covered during the workshops on Sunday 14<sup>th</sup> and there will be a
detailed blockade briefing pack available on the <a href="http://www.scraptrident.org/">Scrap Trident website</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Basic accommodation and
catering will be provided in Glasgow for all three days of this event, for the price of
a donation. There will also be transport arranged to Faslane for the blockade
for a small fixed price. If you are planning to come, you need to register for
the accommodation and transport. Please see the contact details below to request a registration form.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Contact:</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><a href="mailto:info@scraptrident.org">info@scraptrident.org</a></b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1670446022871361033" name="yui_3_7_2_1_1360164544113_15867"></a>Leonna O'Neill Faslane Peace Camp 07511793227</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Keir McKechnie Stop The War 07773815073 </span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Donations:</b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mobilising to create this mass movement
and action against nuclear weapons is an expensive operation and every little
helps! If you wish to contribute financially, please send donations to: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Edinburgh Peace & Justice Centre,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> St. John's Church, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Princes Street, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">EH21 2DP. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Griff </span></div>
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<span id="goog_1375065858"></span><span id="goog_1375065859"></span>Sadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-26384291144720469532013-02-07T13:08:00.002-08:002013-02-07T13:08:53.746-08:00Eats, shoots and plays indie-pop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPQas9RLuhpd7K8oW_mNMmhoDkYmzzHmNxyFNP3xSv9AmER64A-bJyYy7rpDyRm8e1gVJzvWewNhEmq6Kz6Ot-pRYpZDl5JSksmKE2mhiZ772vXp2lwO9BLj8fs8fWY_NQXvBSNOPIXY/s1600/Papa+Topo+Oso_panda1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPQas9RLuhpd7K8oW_mNMmhoDkYmzzHmNxyFNP3xSv9AmER64A-bJyYy7rpDyRm8e1gVJzvWewNhEmq6Kz6Ot-pRYpZDl5JSksmKE2mhiZ772vXp2lwO9BLj8fs8fWY_NQXvBSNOPIXY/s320/Papa+Topo+Oso_panda1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: red;"> While Griff is away storming the barricades of the establishment etc etc, it's up to me to keep the flame of twee indie-pop flying high.</span> <span style="color: red;">I'm going to do that with a song from a few years ago, but which I never get tired of hearing. As you, no doubt, know by now, we here at The Streetlamp love our furry little friends, none more so than the panda, which is our totem animal who came to us in a collective hallucination in Gordon's house one night. </span><br />
<span style="color: red;">So, the other day, whilst meandering through the enchanted musical forest of Last FM, I came across a secluded clearing that I had not visited in many years. </span><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: red;">Fate must have guided me here. </span>My heart leapt as once again I was greeted by the poptastic sound of Papa Topo and their signature tune Oso Panda, blasting from my speakers like an exotic bird calling to its mate across the jungle canopy<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"> (you've tortured this jungle metaphor long enough, Ray. Let it go! - Griff).</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">Here it is now, and as befits a great pop song it has a great pop video:</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hleYkbSfjeg?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>
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<span style="color: red;">So who are these half animal, half human hybrid musicians? </span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">Papa Topo was originally a Spanish indie pop duo formed in 2008 by Adrià Arbona Orero and Paulita Demaiz Since that time, Paulita has left and the band has expanded into a six piece. Oso Panda was Papa Topo's debut single and it is a perfect encapsulation of the Spanish twee pop sound. It was released in 2010 by <a href="http://elefant.com/">Elefant Records</a> with whom the band are still signed. Whether they'll ever match the perfect pop vibe of their debut though I just don't know and I don't suppose it really matters - with Oso Panda they have made just about as good a pop song as anyone ever has. You can download it for free too <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Papa+Topo">'here'</a> .</span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">Ray</span><br />
<br />Sadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-17878291928582099772013-02-05T14:01:00.001-08:002013-02-05T14:02:58.911-08:00Get your own Scrap Trident blog button!You may have noticed that the Streetlamp now comes decorously fitted out with its very own Scrap Trident hyperlink button (see our sidebar, to the right). Naturally, if you have your own blog, you'll want to show that you too support 2013's most important radical event - a chance over three days in April for the people of Scotland to demonstrate what they really think about the weapons of mass destruction parked on our doorstep. Well, now you can. Below, is a rather nice 125 pixel square badge for your own use. The code you need to display it is provided right alongside. Just copy and paste it into your own HTML editor and Hey Presto! Clicking the button will take you right on to the ScrapTrident home page where your webpage visitors can sign in to show their support or donate to the cause.<br />
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If you have a webpage, make sure it has its Scrap Trident button in place this Spring. It's what all the best websites are wearing!<br />
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If you have any bother with the HTML code provided, please get in touch with me at the sadpanda email adress above and I'll see if I can help.<br />
<br />
Griff <br />
<br />
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alt="ScrapTrident" width="125" height="125" /></a>Sadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-6409691349817830762013-02-01T12:12:00.001-08:002013-02-01T12:12:10.163-08:00The Private Life of A Cat<span style="color: red;">Griff mentioned in a recent post that I'm a big fan of vintage movies, and I won't deny it. If its black and white</span> <span style="color: red;">and/or features no audible soundtrack then, generally, I'm all over it. Recently, I've been reappraising the work of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Hammid">Alexander Hammid</a>, the Czechoslovakian photographer and film-maker who, along with his wife, the luminously beautiful <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Deren">Maya Deren</a>, became an icon of avant-garde cinema in the US. Both are most well-known for their collaboration on the ground-breaking surrealist movie <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meshes_of_the_Afternoon">Meshes of the Afternoon</a> but I wanted to write about another, more domestic, and less famous production that the couple collaborated on, which is once of the most beautifully photographed short films that I've ever seen. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABAvF5MwppJRKXoYPirTWR05EegjkkkVpMvlC0vYd_dixMMsrj_JnSQnYphbFT46Bu5oBIYOsfHq2C8pYNhTnIN_INkIHB6Ix_Krtu-BmXZBAdJo_8Yab-77Q3c3oz3wh0gREn-6sxno/s1600/hammid+deren.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABAvF5MwppJRKXoYPirTWR05EegjkkkVpMvlC0vYd_dixMMsrj_JnSQnYphbFT46Bu5oBIYOsfHq2C8pYNhTnIN_INkIHB6Ix_Krtu-BmXZBAdJo_8Yab-77Q3c3oz3wh0gREn-6sxno/s320/hammid+deren.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: red;">The film in question is their 1947 production 'The Private Life of A Cat'. This 22 minute, silent movie has a beautifully simple premise - it shows the courting of two cats, the birth of their five kittens, the kittens' gradual maturation and first attempts at exploration and, finally, the moment they grow independent of their doting parents. That may not sound particularly action packed but, the way that Hammid and Deren get intimate shots of the cats and then carefully edit these into a human-like narrative, makes for a genuinely heart-warmig and captivating work of art. See for yourself:</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4PKoJNeQZCE?rel=0" width="420"></iframe>
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<span style="color: red;">Amazing and touching. Hope you enjoyed it. If you did, you're in luck as I'll probably feature more of Hammid and Deren's work over the next few months.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">Ray </span> Sadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-21305743633468637112013-01-29T10:52:00.001-08:002013-01-29T10:52:31.118-08:00Oh, you Hansen devil!I would imagine that all of the Streetlamp's readers are familiar with the work of anti-folk colossus
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beck">Beck</a>. How many of you, though, are familiar with his impressive counter-culture ancestry and, in particular, the wild life and times of his mother,
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibbe_Hansen">Bibbe Hansen</a>.
Never heard of her? Good, because the Streetlamp is here to bring you some charming, girl-group music from the early 60s and to take you on a journey through the history of US alternative art and music along the way.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjCHxckoWeEZvd9MfSpphqiGRHNc3wiY1fdlzUC35VWUzVmCOQwdoSqaREp_N9mXJujH5GQeMRyryFLtQ2fzQ6EjBhXY-iRCe9zYHWvzHwO0KOvZD192wcr5UInI1v4FlxksbLn6AxQo/s1600/Bibbe+Hansen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjCHxckoWeEZvd9MfSpphqiGRHNc3wiY1fdlzUC35VWUzVmCOQwdoSqaREp_N9mXJujH5GQeMRyryFLtQ2fzQ6EjBhXY-iRCe9zYHWvzHwO0KOvZD192wcr5UInI1v4FlxksbLn6AxQo/s1600/Bibbe+Hansen.jpg" /></a></div>
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Bibbe Hansen was born in New York City in 1953 and right from the start she had impeccable Bohemian credentials. Her father was
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluxus">Fluxus</a> artist
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Hansen">Al Hansen</a> and her mother was the actress/model/dancer/stripper/poet
<a href="http://www.bibbe.com/audrey.htm">Audrey Hansen</a>. Bibbe began performing as a child, often participating in her father's avant-garde theater pieces called "Happenings". At the same time, she performed with mainstream theatre companies in New York City and sang in an Elizabethan music group, studied dance with Phoebe Neville and
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucinda_Childs">Lucinda Childs</a>, and was filmed by "the godfather of American avant-garde cinema"
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonas_Mekas">Jonas Mekas</a>.<br />
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In 1964, at the tender age of eleven, Bibbe was leading the typical life of the 'problem child', skipping school, shoplifting, and hanging out in New York panhandling with her similarly wild and crazy friends Charlotte Rosenthal and<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Kerouac"> Janet Kerouac</a> (yep, the daughter of the legendary beat poet and novelist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Kerouac">Jack Kerouac</a>). Anyway, by chance, the intrepid trio of juvenile delinquents accidentally met songwriter Neil Levinson (writer of the Randy & The Rainbows' 1963 hit "Denise", later covered by Blondie) and hustled busfare from him. On the bus journey, the girls and Levinson began chatting. The Beatles had just spearheaded the British Invasion of the US pop charts and, in an attempt to cash in on the hysteria, Levinson had written a girl-song response to 'I Want To Hold Your Hand'. All he needed now was a girl-group to record it, and so, later that day at Steinway Studios on 57th Street, Levinson and the girls recorded 'I Want To Talk With You'. Have a listen, its a classic slice of early 60s girl group pop.<br />
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Incredibly, within weeks, the trio, now called The Whippets, were signed to Columbia's Colpix label and the single was pressed up with the strange and silly 'Go Go Go With Ringo', complete with faux English accents, on the b-side. Have a listen:<br />
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The record was released and, apart from making a very small dent in the single's chart in Canada, disappeared without trace.<br />
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Shortly thereafter, Bibbe became a “guest” of the State of New York, and spent some time in Spofford Street Youth House and several other NY institutions for child criminals. Upon her release, Bibbe met <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_warhol">Andy Warhol</a> when her father took her to Stark’s coffee shop, where the art crowd gathered on Saturdays.<br />
“And what do you do?” Warhol asked her.<br />
Her father piped up proudly, “I just sprung her from jail.”<br />
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Suitably impressed, Warhol suggested they collaborate on a film about her recent experiences. The film was called Prison and also features <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_menken">Marie Menken</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edie_Sedgwick">Edie Sedgwick</a>. Bibbe went on to make three other films with Warhol and also danced briefly with the Velvet Underground.<br />
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Eventually, events brought Bibbe to the west coast of the US and she settled in Los Angeles where she founded a theater company, acted in "B" movies and participated in the local punk scene as musician, and documenteur. Nowadays, Bibbe and her husband Sean are the directors of the Al Hansen Archive, continuing exhibitions of her father's work, performing and lecturing at museums, galleries and universities around the world. You can find out more about Bibbe at her website <a href="http://www.bibbe.com/">'here'</a>.<br />
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If you enjoyed The Whippets' songs then you can freely download them as MP3 files from <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Bibbe+Hansen">Bibbe's last.fm page</a>.<br />
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<br />
Griff<br />
xx Sadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-37962886618339570862013-01-20T07:46:00.000-08:002013-01-20T07:46:59.210-08:00Never rode my bike down to the sea<span style="color: red;">Now that Griff has opened the door to blog posts consisting mainly of series of images with his <a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/cats-for-chaos-anarchy-cats-picture.html">anarchy cats</a>, I feel as though the door is opened for me, the most visual member of our little group, to make my mark on the Streetlamp's pages. Unlike, Griff and Gord, I'm not going to bore you with too much verbal guff but I'm going to get straight to the pictures. The artist I want to showcase today is Bangkok based illustrator Chalermphol Harnchakkham who works under the psuedonym <a href="http://www.huebucket.com/">Huebucket</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">I should mention that Huebucket doesn't always feature bicycles in his illustrations but that those just happen to be my favourite ones (as anyone who knows me could have guessed already). Huebucket also features the ocean and ocean creatures as a recurring motif and the way he juxtaposes discarded human artifacts and the power of the ocean reminds me a lot of Miyazaki's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponyo">Ponyo</a>. I think the reason I like Huebucket's art so much is that it is bold and linear but also has a subversive, subtle, feminine quality about it. Or maybe I just like it without worrying too much about why.</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">If you're into buying stuff, you can <a href="http://huebucket.bigcartel.com/category/print">accquire these images as prints</a> or <a href="http://huebucket.bigcartel.com/category/tees">get them on a t-shirt</a> for looking ubercool when you're out and about cycling. Or you could nick them off here and do what you want with them... after all, I'm not the art police!</span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">Ray </span>Sadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-67234153487351492052013-01-17T12:58:00.001-08:002013-01-17T13:21:29.706-08:00Fashionable Material - Pierre drops the bomb<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzgsSW8Kvp29jLDaIxjr4T4QLDQ67JMyOnRBHs3lkOnWAk-VK1L1t_BZihncU9hwpqSI3fyyGzFxsTjSTW8HCP4iSKM9BBWzKJGltDGlfq9gVQbZv_BwgYKgrbKI9raywKFsQJhsnNGA/s1600/with+a+messy+head+banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzgsSW8Kvp29jLDaIxjr4T4QLDQ67JMyOnRBHs3lkOnWAk-VK1L1t_BZihncU9hwpqSI3fyyGzFxsTjSTW8HCP4iSKM9BBWzKJGltDGlfq9gVQbZv_BwgYKgrbKI9raywKFsQJhsnNGA/s320/with+a+messy+head+banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I've written a couple of times before on the blog (see <a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Pierre%20Chandeze">'here'</a>) about my friend, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pierre.chandeze?ref=ts&fref=ts">Pierre Chandeze</a>, the musician and graphic artist who specialises in creating distinctive art featuring 'ugly animals'. I've also mentioned before that, rather infuriatingly, Pierre always seems to be involved in some sort of marvellous project or other, which serves to make the rest of us look like we're lazy under-achievers. Now, that may well be true but we don't necessarily want to be reminded of it.<br />
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Anyway, Pierre's latest project involves taking his excellent <a href="http://www.withamessyhead.com/">'With A Messy Head'</a> website into the netlabel scene with the release of a brand new, freely downloadable, <a href="http://withamessyhead.bandcamp.com/music">compilation album on bandcamp</a>. <br />
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Called <a href="http://withamessyhead.bandcamp.com/album/you-dont-have-to-be-fashionable-vol-1">'You Don't Have To Be Fashionable Vol. 1'</a>, the album features 13 shades of pop - principally in the experimental, indie, lo-fi vein - from all across the globe.<br />
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We here at the Streetlamp were rather taken by track 9, Veiled Clock by Scotland's own <a href="http://themaginotband.bandcamp.com/">The Maginot Band</a>:<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=243005233/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://withamessyhead.bandcamp.com/track/veiled-clock">Veiled Clock by The Maginot Band</a></iframe>
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This lot are a six-piece, indie-pop hailing from Caithness in the North of Scotland and this track certainly has something undefinably dark, northern and wintry about it. Check out their <a href="http://themaginotband.bandcamp.com/">bandcamp page</a> for more releases soon.
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We also loved the bouncy, bass-driven punk of track 11, Restraint by <a href="http://www.whatistheinter.net/">The Internet</a> from Santa Barbara, US.
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=522043176/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://withamessyhead.bandcamp.com/track/restraint">Restraint by The Internet</a></iframe>
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The Internet band was formed in May 2010 by guitarist/singer Marvin Dominguez and guitarist/singer Alex Brown. Drums are supplied by Miguel Cuate and bass by Angel Guerra.
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I can't finish without also giving special mention to track 12, Lon Chaney by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paul-Pierre/197522383638462">Paul & Pierre</a>. The Pierre in question is, of course the aforementioned Monsieur Chandeze and the Paul is yet another Scottish-based artist, Edinburgh's own cult legend <a href="http://twonkey.blogspot.co.uk/">Paul Vickers</a>. Now I'm not going to embed the album version of this song, which is an alternative take on the track, but instead I'm going to give you the official Paul & Pierre video version. The reason for this deviation is that the Streetlamp's Ray, a man with an unparalleled love of black and white horror movies, insisted that this is the version we included. And who am I to argue?<br />
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Griff<br />
xx Sadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-17610276259941892692013-01-13T11:26:00.001-08:002013-01-13T11:26:39.405-08:00Cats for Chaos! An Anarchy Cats picture special.It has been noted previously on the Streetlamp (see <a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/griff-says-purrfect-excuse-for-some.html">'here'</a>
) that the contributors, as well as having a passing interest in libertarian socialism, are all great cat lovers. That's not surprising, as the idea that cats, particularly black cats, are symbolic of anarchism has a long history.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VOUGPaeODcrsyJIgb95gL8DKgi8zcymyi9LrbGWcgZRdLwgzCckcUGTTKDGEOkAONWCVzh_CMoWQcOpR-kk-wLQbBC57VV-nDchqMrGBXpnsD15lGtWurM_9gOqCx6vtFbNYPIc8TEeH/s1600/IWW+Wildcat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VOUGPaeODcrsyJIgb95gL8DKgi8zcymyi9LrbGWcgZRdLwgzCckcUGTTKDGEOkAONWCVzh_CMoWQcOpR-kk-wLQbBC57VV-nDchqMrGBXpnsD15lGtWurM_9gOqCx6vtFbNYPIc8TEeH/s320/IWW+Wildcat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Most people will be familiar with the the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Workers_of_the_World" title="Industrial Workers of the World">Industrial Workers of the World</a> inspired Wildcat (<i>above</i>), said to represent the spontaneity, direct action, solidarity and militancy of a wildcat strike. Usually
depicted with an arched back and with claws and teeth bared, it is closely
associated with anarcho-syndicalism and was designed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Chaplin" title="Ralph Chaplin">Ralph Chaplin</a>, who was a prominent figure in the IWW.<br />
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More recently, the IWW has cottoned on to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolcat">lolcat</a>
phenomenon, most specifically the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Can_Has_Cheezburger">I Can Has Cheezburger?</a>
offshoot with these image macros popping up on the internet:<br />
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Another historical black cat, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_the_Cat">Felix the Cat</a>
, the popular 1920s cartoon character, has also been seen to pop up occasionally as an anarchist logo:<br />
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Very recently, I've noticed image macros of cats popping up on anarchist sites and on the blogs and personal sites of anarchist acquaintances. The best and funniest of these is almost certainly this little hooded kitten:<br />
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There are a few other variations of this floating around on the internet but I reckon this is the best of them. A few other 'anarchist cat' images have been cropping up too. Here's a selection, of variable quality:<br />
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So, why cats, you may be thinking. Well, I reckon that humans have long recognised that the cat is just too much a lover of liberty to be ever truly domesticated in the way that, for example, dogs are. Back in the Victorian era, when <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudyard_Kipling">Kipling</a>
was explaining the fantasy origins of various creatures through his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_So_Stories">Just So stories</a>, when it came to writing about the cat, he finishes the tale of The Cat That Walked by Himself by writing:<br />
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<i>"But the Cat keeps his side of the bargain too. He will kill mice and he
will be kind to Babies when he is in the house, just as long as they do
not pull his tail too hard. But when he has done that, and between
times, and when the moon gets up and night comes, he is the Cat that
walks by himself, and all places are alike to him. Then he goes out to
the Wet Wild Woods or up the Wet Wild Trees or on the Wet Wild Roofs,
waving his wild tail and walking by his wild lone."</i><br />
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Yes, writers recognise the strong streak of independence that just can't be coaxed, bribed, starved or beaten out of the cat. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Hemingway">Hemingway</a>, a fanatical cat lover, wrote in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Whom_the_Bell_Tolls">For Whom the Bell Tolls</a>
:<br />
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<i>"It is not liberty not to bury the mess one makes, he thought. No
animal has more liberty than the cat; but it buries the mess it makes.
The cat is the best anarchist. Until they learn that from the cat I
cannot respect them."</i><br />
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Another great American writer, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_twain">Mark Twain</a>,
wrote the following in his notebook in 1894:<br />
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<i>"Of all God's creatures there is only one that cannot be made the slave of the leash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat."</i><br />
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And it's not just writers who recognise this quality in cats. The French photographer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Cartier-Bresson">Henri Cartier-Bresson</a>
, widely considered to be the master of street photography and the father of modern photojournalism, loved cats and was once quoted as saying:<br />
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<i> "I'm an anarchist, yes. Because I'm alive. Life is a provocation.... I'm against people in power and what that imposes upon them. Anglo-Saxons have to learn what anarchism is. For them, it's violence. A cat knows what anarchy is. Ask a cat. A cat understands. They're against discipline and authority. A dog is trained to obey. Cats can't be. Cats bring on chaos."</i><br />
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<i> </i>So it seems that this seemingly recent internet phenomenon of the 'anarchy cat' has a long and proud tradition. Areas of political protest closely allied to anarchism have also been employing the image. Here are a few examples:<br />
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We here at the Streetlamp enjoyed these images so much that we decided to see whether we could come up with some ourselves. Below are our first efforts. We hope you like at least some of them:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA51exiOhE7Go6mz8jTzDbcFK5UfJggAKemsktW7nWKrSWgWmfN-DI-79gCEcx4oCUimOilEepPopF-IOWS1HyjKjrotqBwavnUx1Fw2P3-T3hxer0d33jCUR5B2aZcWkLfU2joJeTAFwF/s1600/anarchist+cat+-+give+us+what+belongs+to+us.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA51exiOhE7Go6mz8jTzDbcFK5UfJggAKemsktW7nWKrSWgWmfN-DI-79gCEcx4oCUimOilEepPopF-IOWS1HyjKjrotqBwavnUx1Fw2P3-T3hxer0d33jCUR5B2aZcWkLfU2joJeTAFwF/s320/anarchist+cat+-+give+us+what+belongs+to+us.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmUcftl3dGsGsmbUgeKA3CjrarDjlMS5G_O8vSJN5FLab7T79ul-GTzJ-j77ZeMshswNGE-wND1nc50o8uQGr6NwErUIw88m7dt7tgc_pkWWvkzQX2OmVd2FNGhQsM_fxHlv3IKz0LzHX3/s1600/anarchist+cat+-+I+INTEND+TO+ESCAPE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmUcftl3dGsGsmbUgeKA3CjrarDjlMS5G_O8vSJN5FLab7T79ul-GTzJ-j77ZeMshswNGE-wND1nc50o8uQGr6NwErUIw88m7dt7tgc_pkWWvkzQX2OmVd2FNGhQsM_fxHlv3IKz0LzHX3/s320/anarchist+cat+-+I+INTEND+TO+ESCAPE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CHS3Sf_guUCjf0QckhDFslIlhuLj8HP7ay0W2aWSG4llFavAt1fx8PxgXGX9Mjr4BE1X1lh1uMc0vj8p610cVUlWc83P3r2YOk-DKCBXJBrMYvEznCAPgfvN3d4ig3vpT0fEGh_gk729/s1600/anarchist+cat+-+fuck+it,+let%27s+riot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CHS3Sf_guUCjf0QckhDFslIlhuLj8HP7ay0W2aWSG4llFavAt1fx8PxgXGX9Mjr4BE1X1lh1uMc0vj8p610cVUlWc83P3r2YOk-DKCBXJBrMYvEznCAPgfvN3d4ig3vpT0fEGh_gk729/s320/anarchist+cat+-+fuck+it,+let%27s+riot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0bZ9UgLF4Sd7alyRIKZcNZ0R-00L-1HOI_sJ_w-_HF5i64t7pBMuFM6eHsQQh71uoXgXaSyoiIH_PkMmzzKNeQ4hxD1hV4gqzLeVjzUEJh4vvYnnbQjkoCa_mT9XWqAVnigls8p9OrhQ/s1600/peter+Kropotcat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0bZ9UgLF4Sd7alyRIKZcNZ0R-00L-1HOI_sJ_w-_HF5i64t7pBMuFM6eHsQQh71uoXgXaSyoiIH_PkMmzzKNeQ4hxD1hV4gqzLeVjzUEJh4vvYnnbQjkoCa_mT9XWqAVnigls8p9OrhQ/s320/peter+Kropotcat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We'll finish off with a tribute to the oldest anarchist joke in the book:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnr9HB2cAa-sSeQUI9TTjHeRH6ZZHo-IXP7RHUThcn1Q7jU69t_jUMQhutXKIhNP_NdCxDShgkd5tmVkgrnKl7M3fdb_dKGXZzXxzXy-n_rLjRd92Y8tJpi4R-1dBhUdNsvS-mXz9IIbi/s1600/anarchist+cat+-+proper+tea+is+theft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnr9HB2cAa-sSeQUI9TTjHeRH6ZZHo-IXP7RHUThcn1Q7jU69t_jUMQhutXKIhNP_NdCxDShgkd5tmVkgrnKl7M3fdb_dKGXZzXxzXy-n_rLjRd92Y8tJpi4R-1dBhUdNsvS-mXz9IIbi/s320/anarchist+cat+-+proper+tea+is+theft.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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If you know of any more 'anarchist cat' pictures we've missed, drop us a line. We'd also be delighted to see any of your own efforts.<br />
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Griff<br />
xx<br />
<br />Sadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-79009858596343475942013-01-07T11:34:00.000-08:002013-01-07T11:34:13.618-08:00Let's get slavery out of our system!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpjmy28yH1sPcl4_Te_MHImEl2QX052Jk78EuCuyLy4QPNygxnGSUVMw4DAuZhPN_rKX_fHorXdkxWmQQzAC7-JFI9dNjaBN7ZMy8ezPe-hH6At7UBA65haJzcv3942QZnhdk7X5cY4bx/s1600/Help+Abolish+human+slavery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpjmy28yH1sPcl4_Te_MHImEl2QX052Jk78EuCuyLy4QPNygxnGSUVMw4DAuZhPN_rKX_fHorXdkxWmQQzAC7-JFI9dNjaBN7ZMy8ezPe-hH6At7UBA65haJzcv3942QZnhdk7X5cY4bx/s320/Help+Abolish+human+slavery.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month so the Streetlamp wanted to provide you with some tools you could use to raise awareness and to start making a difference. First up, we wanted to bring your attention to the <a href="http://slaveryfootprint.org/">Slavery Footprint</a> site, which was launched in September 2011, and which asks the simple question; <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"How Many Slaves Work
For You?"</span></div>
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Do you have any idea? Well, now you can find out about your connection to modern day slavery by visiting <a href="http://slaveryfootprint.org/">slaveryfootprint.org</a> and taking their survey. This effective little tool, which is beautifully designed and actually fun to use, poses a series of seemingly innocuous questions, such as; </div>
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what do
you eat? what do you wear? what medicine do you take? what
electronics do you use? </div>
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Upon completion, a number is revealed, which is the calculation of how many slaves work for you. You may be shocked at just how high the number is.
Of course, the precise number isn’t the real point of the test. The real value of the site lies in the way that it makes you think about the true nature of the global economy, and your actions in it. So, please, take the test and find out how knowing where your clothing, furniture and electronic goods come from is vitally important. </div>
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Slavery Footprint is the brainchild of Justin Dillon
a onetime musician with the band <a href="http://www.tremolomusic.net/">Tremolo</a> who
got involved in the
anti-slavery movement
through hosting benefit concerts. Justin has now made abolitionism his full-time
job, and has also made his directorial debut in the
human-trafficking documentary, <a href="http://www.callandresponse.com/">CALL+RESPONSE</a>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVguU4Z5UtJY6FFKi5SPuSycm3VxVki5l6GwYxFiBwuH0JY95aLjITO55FB-ZpSXCPWPgzzJVCnwLH78XiZ6vbs-h-MnB_n50LzKFppnyz4iBvjd9mL9ln5Uoq7fKnOODoY9zNAPv6dmN/s1600/Stop+human+trafficking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVguU4Z5UtJY6FFKi5SPuSycm3VxVki5l6GwYxFiBwuH0JY95aLjITO55FB-ZpSXCPWPgzzJVCnwLH78XiZ6vbs-h-MnB_n50LzKFppnyz4iBvjd9mL9ln5Uoq7fKnOODoY9zNAPv6dmN/s320/Stop+human+trafficking.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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For more information about how you can take part in the fight to end modern slavery you can visit the Slavery Footprint blog <a href="http://blog.slaveryfootprint.org/">'here'</a>. </div>
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To take action to end trafficking
and to download resources, such as a toolkit with 20+ ways to take action, visit the Fairtrade Fashionistas site <a href="http://thefairtradefashionistas.wordpress.com/2013/01/03/january-is-national-human-trafficking-awareness-month/">'here'</a>.<br />
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Griff Sadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-43401354614516152752013-01-03T14:06:00.000-08:002013-01-03T14:06:00.663-08:00Griff says; Ready for some riot grill?Happy New Year, everybody, I've something a little bit light-hearted for you this evening. I think you deserve it after last year's final, long and rambling post about the German Revolution. Regular readers will know that the Streetlamp team are big fans of the subversive children's animation series <a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/griff-says-adventure-time-cmon-grab.html">Adventure Time</a>, so you'll not be surprised to learn that we were rather pleased to stumble across tonight's track free on bandcamp. The song is called Bacon Pancakes and the band are called Lady Boners. If you need us to spell out the sexual innuendo in any of that last sentence then award yourself 100 innocence points and prepare to listen to a song that to you is all about food and to us is about something else entirely.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=3831357214/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://theladyboners.bandcamp.com/track/bacon-pancakes-demo">Bacon Pancakes [DEMO] by Lady Boners</a></iframe>
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I really rather like that. I hope you do too. The track is available as a <a href="http://theladyboners.bandcamp.com/track/bacon-pancakes-demo">free download on bandcamp</a> and appears to be a demo. I know nothing about the band other than that it seems to consist of four young women and is based in Orlando, Florida. If you can fill in any of the blanks then drop us a line.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAukViDdWLwh7rPW-z6Lcg4odqbfxYQham7qS6RioBZfhvN7RigPltziW6qmrYdfRaKqHhXOnTJyESQOgJ3v0e2fEkXzYfun3FNyTDxXDb_bjBnik1kJB75_BQTN4nHRfZ7udsgVZ9ytm/s1600/Lady+Boners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="59" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAukViDdWLwh7rPW-z6Lcg4odqbfxYQham7qS6RioBZfhvN7RigPltziW6qmrYdfRaKqHhXOnTJyESQOgJ3v0e2fEkXzYfun3FNyTDxXDb_bjBnik1kJB75_BQTN4nHRfZ7udsgVZ9ytm/s320/Lady+Boners.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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For those of you who are not Adventure Time fans, the song is a rap based around a short jingle sung by Jake the Dog, who sings it while making breakfast in the episode "<a href="http://adventuretime.wikia.com/wiki/Burning_Low" title="Burning Low">Burning Low</a>." The original song was written by <a href="http://adventuretime.wikia.com/wiki/Rebecca_Sugar" title="Rebecca Sugar">Rebecca Sugar</a>. In the show, the Jake the Dog character frequently makes ambiguous remarks which can be interpreted in a risqué manner. Here he is in action:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sxVvKb0fGAY" width="420"></iframe>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie70y5ARehFWvfrBuVnmZaAXUBWap___-FYcyFxZb7Gvdy_nCbcoFlHM_q5LexsJHwp6KwqzuD4DaSSMw7AdSt09PHZqgkg2SYemxGUXO-XZD_Ix45XhV6bprJ94K7hyphenhyphenEtKmGXAF5DT2ug/s1600/Lady+Boners+Bacon+Pancakes+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie70y5ARehFWvfrBuVnmZaAXUBWap___-FYcyFxZb7Gvdy_nCbcoFlHM_q5LexsJHwp6KwqzuD4DaSSMw7AdSt09PHZqgkg2SYemxGUXO-XZD_Ix45XhV6bprJ94K7hyphenhyphenEtKmGXAF5DT2ug/s320/Lady+Boners+Bacon+Pancakes+cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The cover art for Bacon Pancakes was inspired by the art of <a href="http://kittycassandra.com/">Kitty Cassandra</a>. <br />
And for no reason other than that her art is rather sweet and the Streetlamp team are all cat lovers, here are a few samples:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSC5tq_dgAM2GDRh809_vpGri6GNrbWPjJ5Rcwgko-n6MzMicmaWZW2oTbKxaVD10yB2apQNRAT6Hmkz-eG5s1501VEnVFiBXTPHXJzm6GN9c_vU5Q-kej5OWG3IJy6MGBBOQUTvfFZae/s1600/bibliophile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSC5tq_dgAM2GDRh809_vpGri6GNrbWPjJ5Rcwgko-n6MzMicmaWZW2oTbKxaVD10yB2apQNRAT6Hmkz-eG5s1501VEnVFiBXTPHXJzm6GN9c_vU5Q-kej5OWG3IJy6MGBBOQUTvfFZae/s320/bibliophile.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39xLrgTemhsgi-RP5kGZqOuG97OQzj8Y4NLTSXFmE0qkGkFNUrG7we9RidR_apD252quhZuv2NAhmwVADfw6n2j6QzbfNCM4bfJ87TebxfQwwT6yXkSUFufWFhndk0javMYdLLQtx_Ini/s1600/siege-by-kittycassandra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39xLrgTemhsgi-RP5kGZqOuG97OQzj8Y4NLTSXFmE0qkGkFNUrG7we9RidR_apD252quhZuv2NAhmwVADfw6n2j6QzbfNCM4bfJ87TebxfQwwT6yXkSUFufWFhndk0javMYdLLQtx_Ini/s320/siege-by-kittycassandra.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0XqwSYuOHGzTb8a3yDfQG5v40_p29my3d51gtnHHnP4AQojNEXJ97xJQro2GVn_2gNB5xUiajyCNo4gGqTgJTt861kM6jNGwaks7wDDFuS7vXSoVEp1-WNypv0QhMNnttyZJA2uUbFX43/s1600/Under+the+sea+kitty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0XqwSYuOHGzTb8a3yDfQG5v40_p29my3d51gtnHHnP4AQojNEXJ97xJQro2GVn_2gNB5xUiajyCNo4gGqTgJTt861kM6jNGwaks7wDDFuS7vXSoVEp1-WNypv0QhMNnttyZJA2uUbFX43/s1600/Under+the+sea+kitty.jpg" /></a></div>
Griff<br />
xxSadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-27023474592651530412012-12-30T13:47:00.000-08:002012-12-31T10:19:08.359-08:00Endings and Beginnings - Alle Macht den Räten!And so, we come to the final blog post of the year and, as custom dictates, take a moment to reflect on what has slipped into the past and what lies before us. I was interested to look back at a blog I posted at the end of last year (see <a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/griff-says-bring-torch-for-bradley.html">'here'</a>) where I spoke about 2011 being imbued with the spirit of change and optimism via the events of the Arab Spring, the Occcupy movement, Los Indignados in Spain, and the Europe wide anti-austerity protests. At that time, I was still heavily involved in the public sector unions' attempt to co-ordinate a concerted riposte to the government's attack on workers' terms and conditions. Unfortunately, as outlined in <a href="http://libcom.org/blog/fight-our-lives-analysis-uk-pensions-disputes-31102012">this excellent, detailed piece</a> by Steven John's on libcom.org, we - meaning the ordinary union members - were soon to find ourselves being led into a dead-end by the union 'leaders'. Plus ça change, and all that.<br />
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So, in terms of generating a spirit of change amongst the mass of the population, 2012 has felt like a bit of a damp squib to some extent - and 2011 can be written off as just another false dawn. And yet, and yet...<br />
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Here in Scotland in 2012 there was something happening which seemed to offer the genuine possibility of a chance for radical change, in this country at least. I'm referring to the Radical Independence Campaign, which I've covered previously on these pages <a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/any-action-leading-towards-revolution.html">'here'</a>. Right now, some of the things we promised would happen at the conference in November are already being planned, not least of which was a commitment to a mass blockade of Faslane nuclear submarine base. I can promise Streetlamp readers that this will definitely happen next year over the 3 days of 13th to 15th of April. The event will be called <a href="http://www.cnduk.org/get-involved/events/item/1551-scrap-trident-let-scotland-lead-the-way-to-a-nuclear-free-world">Scrap Trident</a> and as the date approaches we will keep you up to date with ways that you can participate.<br />
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Despite this positive attempt to unite left radicals in this country, there remains within libertarian socialist circles a lingering suspicion of the Radical Independence Campaign and where it may lead. This is understandable, I am not going to deny that history shows that the more authoritarian elements of the radical left have manipulated and betrayed anarchists in the past. And yet, and yet...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfuLITk3vmA8rxeFH7xSdcysFrien1SJMTh9uqrkHj9HlSI3lTv9MFT-Wbh-ovYn3Erq9zD9tWRfP8PxnF9TjPuNsb1EFnTQfMcObD3WCtriXyzyWcEbtWHJaEPWVWcH9FxWObCiYoq5o/s1600/All+power+to+the+councils.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfuLITk3vmA8rxeFH7xSdcysFrien1SJMTh9uqrkHj9HlSI3lTv9MFT-Wbh-ovYn3Erq9zD9tWRfP8PxnF9TjPuNsb1EFnTQfMcObD3WCtriXyzyWcEbtWHJaEPWVWcH9FxWObCiYoq5o/s320/All+power+to+the+councils.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Recently I was alerted via <a href="http://libcom.org/history/all-power-councils-documentary-history-german-revolution-1918%E2%80%931919">another article on the wonderful libcom.org site</a> (please do check it out) to the release of a new book by <a href="http://www.pmpress.org/content/index.php">PM Press</a> called All Power to the Councils! A Documentary History of the German Revolution of 1918-1919. Edited and translated by Gabriel Kuhn, and drawing on newly uncovered material uncovered through meticulous archival historical research, this new documentary collection gathers eyewitness accounts and revolutionary voices from Germany’s 1918–1919 worker-soldier-council revolution.
Unlike most of the histories of this period, which are written from a strongly communist perspective and focus almost exclusively on the role of Karl Liebknecht, Rosa Luxemburg,and the Communist Spartakusbund (Spartacus League), this book shows that there were other equally important radical left and anti-military traditions involved. In particular, Kuhn presents documents from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Landauer">Gustav Landauer</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_M%C3%BChsam">Erich Mühsam</a>, the famous Munich anarchists who took part in the struggle for a councils´ republic in Bavaria. He also exhibits documentary evidence from Bremen, Brunswick, Wilhelmshaven and Kiel. All of these German cities were taken over by workers´ uprisings or sailors and soldiers in mutiny. Kuhn's sources demonstrate that the German Revolution was not orchestrated by a Marxist political vanguard, but by a spontaneous eruption of the whole population. Many very different groups were involved, from centrist social democrats to trade unions, syndicalists and radical anarchists. Many ordinary workers only got radicalised during the events themselves.<br />
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One of the most interesting groups involved, formed during WWI, were the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_Stewards">Revolutionary Stewards</a>, a group of rank and file unionists independent from the official unions. Starting out by striking for better wages in the war industry, they ended up being one of the most radical advocates of a councils´ republic in Germany. Kuhn shows that when the Revolution unfolded in November 1918 this group was far more influential then Liebknecht and the Spartacists, because unlike them it had a wide network of supporters in the factories and workshops. In organizing three mass strikes between 1916 and 1918, the Revolutionary Stewards were decisive in bringing about the Revolution.<br />
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OK, history shows that the centrist social democrats’collaboration with reactionary counter-revolutionary and military forces paved the way to the Weimar Republic, and from there to Nazi Germany, but one can not but help wonder if, had the anarchist influence been more central, coherent and convincing, and tied closely to the mass, independent union movement, could the revolutionaries have created a less bureaucratic and centralist socialist model?<br />
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Is there anything that can we learn from these events that is pertinent to our position here in Scotland today? The anarchists, notably Landauer and Mühsam, were strong champions of federalism and formulated a strong critique of what they saw as the centralist tendencies of the Spartacists. That they were involved and embedded in the revolution from the start meant that they were able to do so. Had they more support within the ranks of the Revolutionary Stewards movement might they have been more effective?<br />
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All Power to the Councils! raises other questions too that all movements who promote radical change must face. For example; What are the actual demands, needs, and interests of the people? How do we best secure democratic and social progress? How do we facilitate a true transition of power? How do we establish political and economic institutions that really alter the forms of government and production? How do we prevent powerful political forces, on the left and the right, from using the situation for their own ends? How do we go from being a mass protest movement to organising the mass effort of building a new society?<br />
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<b>How do we turn a radical moment into longlasting radicalism?</b></div>
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Another question for some might be - can the libertarian left work effectively with the wider left? Perhaps it can, it is worth remembering that, despite the tensions between the different radical traditions in the German revolution, the various factions continued to defend each other in the face of social democratic and counter-revolutionary attacks. Landauer, for example, gave the Munich eulogy to Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg after they were murdered in January 1919. Mühsam called Luxemburg <i>“the flame of the revolution”</i> in an obituary published in his journal Kain. It is worth noting that, at the outset of the revolution, all of the radical factions were also united in their commitment to a council system and in their opposition to bourgeois parliamentarism.<br />
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Reading this book, I found myself wondering where they went wrong, how they organised together originally to form this co-ordinated vision and how they might have organised subsequently to protect that vision. During the revolutionary period, all of the radicals shared a single rallying cry - Alle Macht den Räten! (All Power to the Councils). How could they have protected that ideal - how could we?<br />
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These are interesting questions to ponder as we look forward into 2013.If you want to read All Power to the Councils! you can order it from <a href="http://www.pmpress.org/content/index.php">PM Press</a>. While you are on their site please take some time to check out their stimulating collection of fiction and nonfiction books, pamphlets, t-shirts, visual and audio materials. Alternatively, for those financially embarrassed, you can download a free pdf copy <a href="http://libcom.org/history/all-power-councils-documentary-history-german-revolution-1918%E2%80%931919">'here'</a>.<br />
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As usual, I'd like to end the blog, and the year, with a song that, I hope, demonstrates something of the reflective mood I'm in - facing more questions than answers. The song, fittingly for this time of year, is called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hogmanay">'Hogmanay'</a> and was written several years ago by the current writer, so let me offer profound apologies for the shameless self-publicity. I do hope you'll forgive my self-indulgence and, hopefully, enjoy it in the spirit in which it is offered.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=96049141/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://sighrens.bandcamp.com/track/hogmanay">Hogmanay by sighrens</a></iframe>
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Griff<br />
xx<br />
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<br />Sadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-56174288482931957922012-12-28T11:47:00.001-08:002012-12-28T11:50:40.695-08:00Baby Brave and the Love Bites - like eating ice cream or building sand castlesI often feel a bit sorry for the artists that fall into these few blog slots at the fag end of the vanishing year. For a start, it means they've missed the chance to be nominated for our prestigious <a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/the-2012-streetlamp-festive-thirty.html">Streetlamp Festive Thirty</a>, and of course they can't be eligible for next year's either. On top of all that, just to add insult to injury, I'm writing about a light and sunny twee pop band tonight. Now, regular readers will be aware that all of The Streetlamp team are big fans of the twee pop genre. However, what you might not know is that Ray and I are firm believers in matching our music listening to the season of the year (yep, we are that sad) and we are both strongly of the opinion that twee pop is a summer pleasure, like eating ice cream or building sand castles. However, we have had a high level editorial meeting and, due to the extremely high quality of this band's music, we are willing to break our own rules and blog about them in December. These are revolutionary times!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE6dIyfFNp5hQY7Lo6xlnuisOkdibcMnXajODIGLHKjD5kBiU5Gf8FRJMM3jSQep8ddVxodISfJ24ygNn62lLDJa9rOIKXa4jeuv3Zj3UI42nNDCokm7j60yIbreH92x3Tf2YdPQ_3u3Ab/s1600/Drum+with+our+hands+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE6dIyfFNp5hQY7Lo6xlnuisOkdibcMnXajODIGLHKjD5kBiU5Gf8FRJMM3jSQep8ddVxodISfJ24ygNn62lLDJa9rOIKXa4jeuv3Zj3UI42nNDCokm7j60yIbreH92x3Tf2YdPQ_3u3Ab/s320/Drum+with+our+hands+logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, who are the band in question? Why, it's Wrexham's <a href="http://babybrave.tumblr.com/biography">Baby Brave and the Love Bites</a>. I first came across this lot at the beginning of the month when they featured on a <a href="http://drumwithourhands.bandcamp.com/album/sampler-1">free sampler released on bandcamp</a> by the <a href="http://www.drumwithourhands.com/">Drum With Our Hands</a> DIY record label from North Wales. The release was intended to showcase the talent gathered by this fine little label and I suggest you check it out. The song submitted by Baby Brave and the Love Bites was the excellent Take Your Castle to Spain. Have a listen:<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=2125984458/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://drumwithourhands.bandcamp.com/album/take-your-castle-to-spain">Take Your Castle to Spain by Baby Brave and the Love Bites</a></iframe>
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As soon as I heard the flute intro and then the ukulele kicked in I was hooked. When I learned about the esoteric topic of the song, Sam Alper, designer of the Sprite caravan, I was completely charmed and delighted. I think you will be too. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIgFAgXI1BVAO01Rg77Rg2_Mve2SvBATjwwEULrddAvVIkiAK6cbBXuLsyzWmQLEeXZNPfLVVCgPVnLKcBdv0HL0npIDC0i_vXvt9wW8N_smEqOSuWi_1Slu_EVvVyzGd1ncj2E_C9RQQt/s1600/Baby+Brave+and+the+Love+Bites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="213" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIgFAgXI1BVAO01Rg77Rg2_Mve2SvBATjwwEULrddAvVIkiAK6cbBXuLsyzWmQLEeXZNPfLVVCgPVnLKcBdv0HL0npIDC0i_vXvt9wW8N_smEqOSuWi_1Slu_EVvVyzGd1ncj2E_C9RQQt/s320/Baby+Brave+and+the+Love+Bites.jpg" /></a></div>
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Baby Brave are fronted by the sweetly-harmonising Emily and Jo, who are backed by three Love Bites – Sian - bass guitar, Steve - guitar and Mikey - drums.<br />
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The band have just released, via Drum With Our Hands, an EP, which includes Take Your Castle to Spain, called <a href="http://drumwithourhands.bandcamp.com/album/the-hornets-nest-of-unrequited-ambition-that-was-1960s-vogue">The Hornet's Nest Of Unrequited Ambition That Was 1960s Vogue</a>. Have a listen to track 1, CockRoach:<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=56201557/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://drumwithourhands.bandcamp.com/track/cockroach">CockRoach by Baby Brave and the Love Bites</a></iframe>
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The CD version of the EP comes in five different patterned envelopes,
each with a unique vintage postage stamp. The on body artwork of the CD
is matched to the envelope pattern. Each envelope contains the CD, a special edition poster, and a one-of-a-kind Baby Brave and the Love Bites badge. You can also immediately download the EP in your choice of
MP3 320, FLAC, or just about any other format you could possibly desire on a Name Your Price basis.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeQ0kRXIDLb_qbHRPqWoEB6Zh76RTfHifjq9UvUFXizx47eCQsl0Jp7gHEYqpXFAetrd7UhjATP-sws9ObpTy_ptY71as_mAsupRyblG07fsB7mHef2NkBr3svgGkOu7TumYfXAlgXZibt/s1600/The+Hornet%27s+nest+of+unrequited+love+EP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeQ0kRXIDLb_qbHRPqWoEB6Zh76RTfHifjq9UvUFXizx47eCQsl0Jp7gHEYqpXFAetrd7UhjATP-sws9ObpTy_ptY71as_mAsupRyblG07fsB7mHef2NkBr3svgGkOu7TumYfXAlgXZibt/s320/The+Hornet%27s+nest+of+unrequited+love+EP.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>
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I hope this sweet blast of pop has warmed you all up on this cold winter's evening. Remember to visit the Facebook pages of <a href="http://www.facebook.com/bonjourbabybrave">Baby Brave and the Love Bites</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DrumHQ">Drum With Our Hands</a> record label. Apologies to both for featuring you in the end of year slot and I promise that if you keep in touch with us we'll make sure you get a better slot next year.<br />
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Griff<br />
xx<br />
<br />Sadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-24715332041488470752012-12-23T11:33:00.000-08:002012-12-23T11:33:58.431-08:00The 2012 Streetlamp Festive Thirty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixCq9yOME-h5z41ycwP2nZhW4L2BxVsN5Jk54sLqvQZIA1PbTwKIWCQHEfUEBsTfR3tHWNV1easeQzXugXxLq56IyDZmD87HdsC7ntJQj7kW0TjwRp709Pehuh5wNm7yvA-5m7ue-rBY_4/s1600/2012+FESTIVE+THIRTY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixCq9yOME-h5z41ycwP2nZhW4L2BxVsN5Jk54sLqvQZIA1PbTwKIWCQHEfUEBsTfR3tHWNV1easeQzXugXxLq56IyDZmD87HdsC7ntJQj7kW0TjwRp709Pehuh5wNm7yvA-5m7ue-rBY_4/s320/2012+FESTIVE+THIRTY.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"> It's Christmas time, the font colour has changed to red, and the other Streetlampers have been banished from the keyboard. All this adds up to just one thing - it's time for this year's Streetlamp Festive Thirty.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">For anyone who hasn't been following this blog from the beginning, the basic idea is that the Streetlamp team get together for a</span> </span></span><span style="color: red; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: red; font-family: trebuchet ms;">trawl
through the Streetlamp archive and bring you our combined favourite
thirty pieces of music to feature on the blog this year. C</span></span><span style="color: red; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: red; font-family: trebuchet ms;">onsidered for inclusion are all of those songs which have featured in an article, regardless of their date of release. </span> <span style="color: red; font-family: trebuchet ms;">This
means that the list is not a narrow 'Best music of 2012' but is instead a 'Best of The Streetlamp 2012'.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">With the Streetlamp now well into its third year, it has changed quite
a bit since its inception and now features more political and cultural blog pieces rather than just being a straightforward music blog.</span></span><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> That's not to say that we've been ignoring the music and, as far as I'm concerned, the great music featured on here has been the one constant that has tied the whole enterprise together, and each of the Streetlamp Festive Thirty lists is a graphic illustration of that fact.</span></span> <span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">When I look at the range of artists included I think that it highlights how diverse the three of us are in taste and, I believe, this makes a great
recipe for an interesting blog.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Anyway, without any further rambling, I will now</span></span><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: arial;">, as tradition dictates, present to you</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: arial;">- in alphabetical order -</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The 2012 Streetlamp Festive Thirty</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/griff-says-if-creativity-is-field.html">A Copy of A Copy of A Copy - Captain of the Rant vs. Hair Explosion</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/griff-says-stephen-harrison-true.html">And If -
Stephen Harrison</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/griff-says-way-through-woods.html">Bed on a Ward - Wise Children</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/second-degree-burns-anne-briggs.html">Blackwater Side - Anne
Briggs</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/this-elegant-chaos10-trio-of.html">Chair - Big Deal</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/griff-says-will-you-still-love-me.html">Chico - The Velveteens</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/griff-says-grrrls-dont-ever-let-them.html">Comics - Executive
Legs</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/this-elegant-chaos10-trio-of.html">Deep In The Woods - Tennis</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/griff-says-will-you-still-love-me.html">Easy Baby - La Luz</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/griff-says-julio-get-ready-for-summer.html">Espejo - Julio y
Agosto</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/grrrls-say-shut-up-griff-well-take-it.html">Fast and Frightening - Luise Pop</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/griff-says-father-unknown.html">Frances - Father
Sculptor</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/griff-says-have-real-cool-time-with.html">Graduation Time - The Refrigerator Cuties</a> <br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/griff-says-allo-darlin.html">Henry Rollins Don't
Dance - Allo Darlin'</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/griff-says-london-calling-say-hello-to.html">I Call You Up - The Tuts</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/griff-says-adventure-time-cmon-grab.html">Island Song - Ashley
Eriksson</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/griff-says-bentcousin-its-family-affair.html">I Think I Like You Girlfriend More Than You - Bentcousin</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/tales-of-cyclists-tories-and-bad-bad.html">Late
Night Bikes - Capybara</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/griff-says-will-you-still-love-me.html">Like One - Silkies</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/griff-says-all-roads-lead-to-noam.html">Noam Chomsky? - The Hinkley
Veltones</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/would-you-help-stranger.html">Outside of a small circle of friends - Phil Ochs</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/this-elegant-chaos10-trio-of.html">Seafarer -
Tennis</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/griff-says-welcome-to-separate-reality.html">Separate - Colorform</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/griff-says-have-real-cool-time-with.html">Shame - The Refrigerator Cuties</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/griff-says-reflections-from-echo-chamber.html">Spooked -
Niamh de Barra</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/griff-says-liechtenstein-forward.html">Strange Ideas - Liechtenstein</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/griff-says-get-bent_18.html">Sunglasses in Winter -
Bentcousin</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/this-elegant-chaos11-land-lovers.html">The Cinema Bell - Land Lovers</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/this-elegant-chaos11-land-lovers.html">The Pocket Orchestra's Death Song
- Land Lovers</a><br /><a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/griff-says-loki-never-mind-pollok.html">These Things Happen - Loki with Bill Breaks</a></span><br /> </span></span></div>
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">That's a pretty awesome list of songs, I hope you'll agree. Interesting to see too that we've got quite a few bands with two entries in the list this year - Tennis, Land Lovers, The Refrigerator Cuties and Bentcousin all managing that feat. Well done to them. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">So, that's this years Festive Thirty and now all that remains for me to say is; </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: red;">"Have a very merry Christmas, and see you all in 2013."</span></i><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Ray</span></span>Sadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-32394063238232698152012-12-18T14:21:00.000-08:002012-12-19T15:19:36.759-08:00Griff says; Get Bent!I had a nice wee surprise last night when I returned from the illuminating and opinion-shifting evening that was <a href="http://www.facebook.com/events/170089976468366/">Glasgow International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers</a>. I had logged on to Facebook when I saw that the impish and mischievous musical sprites that are Brighton's <a href="http://soundcloud.com/bentcousin">Bentcousin</a>, featured previously on the Streetlamp <a href="http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/griff-says-bentcousin-its-family-affair.html">'here'</a>, had a new song up on <a href="http://soundcloud.com/bentcousin">their soundcloud page</a>. And,what's more, against all expectations, it is a 'message' song with a serious, political, with a small p, satement to make.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyiEeCufQUAMh9x9LIJ5w6ofVkmdMVJPsFPRLWQl-QgN2xJyLpvpMLxd_MUELdGLY4swEIg1KsjG43pMUiqlkSMNeLaGWnQgw030v4A6VN_q1Zy4Cl89Qw0gjmZ1NTPyQKF9Y4obWCdYhh/s1600/bentcousin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyiEeCufQUAMh9x9LIJ5w6ofVkmdMVJPsFPRLWQl-QgN2xJyLpvpMLxd_MUELdGLY4swEIg1KsjG43pMUiqlkSMNeLaGWnQgw030v4A6VN_q1Zy4Cl89Qw0gjmZ1NTPyQKF9Y4obWCdYhh/s1600/bentcousin.jpg" /></a></div>
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Sunglasses in Winter, for that is the name of Bentcousin's new song, deals with the issue of violence against women and it does so brilliantly, But don't take my word for it, have a listen:<br />
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F71545301" width="100%"></iframe>
Isn't that just fantastic? It reminds me, in its sound and lyrical content, of some of the best of the post-punk bands of the early 80s. High praise, indeed, from me. The song is available as a free download too, so no excuses for not adding it to your MP3 player right now. The band can also be visited on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Bentcousin">facebook</a> for details of upcoming releases, gigs etc.<br />
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Rather fortuitously, the nature of the lyric of Sunglasses in Winter also allows me to mention once more the White Ribbon Scotland campaign. I would be
grateful if any Scottish boys or men reading this would consider
visiting <a href="http://www.whiteribbonscotland.org.uk/">their website</a> in order to show their support and to make their personal pledge never
to commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women.<br />
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Thank you,<br />
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Griff Sadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-75801818307188556752012-12-17T15:11:00.003-08:002012-12-17T15:11:45.468-08:00Singing Bradley's Song<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today is the 17th. of December, which means that it is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradley_Manning">Bradley Manning</a>'s 25th birthday. As in previous years, the Streetlamp would like to draw everyone's attention to the fact that Manning, the alleged source of the largest intelligence leak in US history, including the infamous <a href="http://www.collateralmurder.com/">"Collateral Murder" video</a>, remains in prison facing 22 counts in a court martial that could see him remain there for the rest of his life. <br />
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Manning's trial is expected to begin in February 2013, but he won’t be sentenced by a military judge until March, and at that point he’ll likely have spent over 1,000 days, 10% of his life, in solitary confinement. Earlier this month we were able to hear something of the details of Manning's imprisionment over the last couple of years, at the motion hearing addressing his unlawful pretrial punishment. The information that was made available, such as that immediately upon his arrest on May 26, 2010, Manning was transferred to an 8’ x 8’ x 8’ wire mesh cage in Kuwait which contained just a toilet and a shelf where he remained in solitary for nearly two months are pretty harrowing. Or that at the <a href="https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Marine_Corps_Brig,_Quantico" title="Marine Corps Brig, Quantico">Marine Corps Brig, Quantico</a> , Virginia, he was held for nine months in maximum custody in a cell smaller than the one he saw overseas - just 6' x 8'. For only 20 minutes a day, Manning was allowed to see daylight while shackled in chains. For the remaining 23-and-a-half hours, Manning was deprived of just about everything, including contact with other inmates and often his clothes. He was forced to sleep from 1 PM to 11 PM, naked, and was allowed to do so only when facing his lamp.The list of indignities goes on and full details of this experience can be found elsewhere online.<br />
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Today, those of us on the outside must never allow ourselves to forget exactly what has been happening to Bradley Manning, man of conscience, whistleblower and human rights defender. The attempt to completely crush and dishonour him is continuing to play out here in one of the so-called Western democracies. Meanwhile we point our fingers and bleat about human rights violations in other countries who do not support our enthusiasm for the neoliberal project. Manning's case is the clearest example of the relentless suppression of any voice who draws attention to the hypocrisy at the heart of Western democracy. As Manning himself is alleged to have said of the video footage released along with the haul of US diplomatic cables to Wikileaks:<br />
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<i>"This is possibly one of the more significant documents of our time, removing the fog of war and revealing the true nature of 21st century asymmetric warfare,” </i><br />
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We have nothing to add to that. If you want to find out how you can support Bradley Manning, visit this site <a href="http://www.bradleymanning.org/">here</a>.<br />
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The video embedded below is a fine piece of political hip hop called 'Bradley's Song' by Symphony, a producer and rapper from Southern California.<br />
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<br /><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pBpDJkBaS2Q?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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If you enjoyed that then check out the same artist's album <a href="http://symphonyunderground.bandcamp.com/album/the-war-letters">'The War Letters'</a> released earlier this year on bandcamp as a free download.<br />
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Griff<br />
xxSadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1670446022871361033.post-35026521292203335812012-12-14T13:11:00.000-08:002012-12-14T13:11:22.687-08:00Christmas? OK? Yes!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm not a huge fan of the whole Christmas experience. It seems to me that the collective madness that is consumerism reaches a truly strange and frightening pitch at this time of year. It almost makes me scared to go out of the house, people just get so frantic and, well... mad. Despite my reservations, The Streetlamp has had something of a tradition in the past of bringing you lots of festive musical fare and it seems that some of you, well our Ray for instance, are missing it this year. That being the case, Ray has finally broken me down with one of his Christmas suggestions for inclusion on the blog this month. The band in question are called <a href="http://ok-no.bandcamp.com/">OK?NO!!</a> and are purveyors of an experimental brand of cutesy Japanese pop. They have released a single this month, called simply Xmas Song, and even I, old curmudgeon that I am, must admit that it is more than a little catchy and fairly bounces with energy. Have a listen:<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=3556295956/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://ok-no.bandcamp.com/track/xmas-song">Xmas Song by OK?NO!!</a></iframe><br />
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The song is backed by an equally charming music box version of the same tune and both are available on a name your price basis from the band's <a href="http://ok-no.bandcamp.com/">bandcamp page</a> .While you are visiting their site, you might want to take the opportunity tobandcamp site alsodownload their eponymous debut album, which was released in 2011.<br />
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I don't know much about the band other than the music appears to be the work of two musicians Akio Kanno and Sho Ueno, who are occasionally supported by drummer Nao Takegawa. The band release their music via Japanese net-label <a href="http://sasakinorecords.com/">Sasakino Records</a>, which was established in August 2010. Sasakino Records have an eclectic mix of artists on their roster and are on the lookout for more. Get in touch with them if you're a producer of experimental pop.<br />
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Griff<br />
xx <br />
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<br />Sadpandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007993059266379410noreply@blogger.com0