One of the underlying reasons for turning q-sputnik into a music-only blog is to indicate that all (my) life processes are musical in a way or another. My everyday reality this summer includes a 10-5.30 stay at the library, working for the disseration, and this routine has its own soundtrack. Though not the same every day, it more or less stays within specific bounds, determined by the finite space in my USB stick and my mp3 player on the one hand, on the functions of the music I am listening to on the other. I will explain the latter. There are certain things I can listen to while studying and preferably I do not listen to music at all. But I need to block myself from all sorts of non-predictable sounds happening around me when I am studying in a communal space like the library. I cannot listen to traditional rock-style songs because lyrics draw my attention. Electronic music or strings are ideal in this case.
The playlist I am posting also encompasses music on the bike, to and forth. This is essential: a decision about what will be the first thing I will listen to each day. I have been severely obsessed with Portishead’s ‘third’ lately, and though perhaps stereotypical assumptions about what constitutes as an ideal acousma for the morning would find this suprising, it actually starts me off really nicely (I just found out that ‘acousma’ in greek is ‘acousma’ in english which is funny). Unfortunately, as my stamina has increased substantially, I do not manage to finish the record by the time I reach campus. AnOther most likely option for starting off is ‘Silent Shout‘ by the Knife, which is one of the most inspired groups ever. Recently I discovered ‘Crazy love’ by Honey is Cool (1997) where Karin plays guital and does vocals, so I often listen to that in the morning (because I am totally in love with her). Sometimes I do the mistake of listening to Belle and Sebastian and I reach campus with nerves, I am not sure why though. Or other really stupid choices, like Placebo or Dresden Dolls or, worse, Dead Moon, or even New York Dolls or The Smiths, these are really bad for me on the way to campus. But anyway, here is a playlist:
Third- portishead (entire album)
100th window- massive attack (or Mezzanine, just to check emails and sit well on the chair)
mardugada(200 - madrugada - but make sure that ‘our time won’t live that long’ is played last on media player. Its a real pity that they dont play in this country, I wont get to see them for a while, and they are a treat in live performances)
kronos quartet (now this is for either when overload is eminent, or generally as an antidote. It can be anything, thelonious monk the least possible and philip glass the most, as long as it is Joan Jeanrenaud on cello)
Experiments In Violent Light (2007)- flykkiller (Patti Yang may sound a bit like the Peaches in this recording, but then she does not and there are instances as if from David Lynch film. Though the homonym song reminds me of ‘Fuckin Amal’, who knows why, perhaps because of the bridge lyrics)
and for the return home, just to ground a bit, Tiamat Amanethes album, which is very much like Sisters of Mercy and is a really old fashioned gothic album but nevertheless, superb in all aspects, especially at 6pm and on the way to the sea.
In Lesvos since 22/06. These are 58 unaccompanied children, along with some women, living in bad hygiene conditions, because there are no proper guest houses for them. deviousdiva wrote about a similar situation in the island of Leros last month here.
Lesvos, like Chios, Samos, Kos, Rhodos and other islands on the east part of Greece, signify the exterior borders of the EU and they host migrant detention camps, usually in former warehouses.
At least the greek ministry of interior affairs plans to grant citizen rights to the 120,000 second-generation migrant children living in the country at the moment.
29 JUNE UPDATE : The immigrant and refugee rights group ‘Clandestina’ is asking for the release of the children. The children, unaccompanied Somalian girls between 8-12 yrs old, Afgan boys between 12-18 yrs old, a baby and the women who strike on support, are kept in prison cells. This happened apparently because, after the new measures to protect children from trafficing were put into use, no appropriate housing was found. So the Lesbian authorities thought that it’s better that the children are kept prisoners. The announcement also notes that the district attorney, who could put an end to this bad joke, is on vacation till July and the social workers who are in charge at the moment are unable to take responsibility or make a decision about the situation. Here is the indy athens bulletin about the children.
Junichi and Toru, the two greenpeace activists, who got arrested for stealing the whale meat in order to provide it as evidence to the government, appeared in court this morning. The judge ordered them held for another ten days without charges. The appeal is tomorrow morning so apart from blogging about it here is what you can do to support them:
“Nobody understands [why] $11-12bn of subsidies in 2006 and protective tariff policies [should be used to] divert 100m tonnes of cereals from human consumption, mostly to satisfy a thirst for fuel for vehicles,”
said Jacques Diouf regarding the US biofuel subsidies. Thinking of the prothema ‘bio-’ one would believe biofuels are environmental friendly. They not only represend a viable danger of extreme deforestation, they also trigger the use of GMOs. Furthermore, the rise in food prices and a 60% cereal usage increase, is a result of US biofuel production (around 20 to 30% in the last two years according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) ).
The US is pressured by the UN and people can pressure the EU commission and vote ‘NO’ at their poll:
Biofuels are practically a way of saying to the poor part of the world that rich countries make their food fuel. Hey little starving kid, do you mind if you die of hunger so that I drive to the shopping mall and kill my boredom by buying too much food that I will throw away because no matter how much I try it still is too much to eat and anyway, if I don’t throw it away I have no reason to go to the supermarket again and shop a bit more. I guess for me the only way out of this is to stop driving a car, go vegetarian (if not vegan) and try to consume at least 30% less than your parents do, if you belong in a privileged generation born in a european country after 1970 that is. My parents are the example to avoid. They drive everywhere, they are carnivores and they defend their choice, their free time is more than they can afford, their fridge is full of junk and their wastebin is full of food.
Do feminists not watch the 10 o’clock news at BBC? It certainly seems so because, according to the the BBC spokesman (and not spokeswoman),
“The Ten” has not had any viewer complaints on this as far as we are aware.’
and that is complaints for the absence of women journalists on the program. The BBC seems to overstate the importance of audience complaints at the expense of complaints made internally, which it nevertheless refuses as well. I am particularly drawn to the statement
‘Because of the intensive nature of TV news, there are fewer senior female correspondents’
made by a senior executive, obviously male, and the word ‘happen’ in the following one
‘The BBC’s Ten O’Clock News is a showcase for our subject-specialist editors, most of who happen to be men’
- madrugada - but make sure that ‘our time won’t live that long’ is played last on media player. Its a real pity that they dont play in this country, I wont get to see them for a while, and they are a treat in live performances)
Do feminists not watch the 