:: GussetBLOG ::

:: Sunday, February 14, 2010 ::

Link Dump

Witches and Jedis put hex on UK census

"The 2011 census is likely to be Britain’s last following concerns that the 209-year-old survey is unable to cope with the nation’s rapidly changing population — and respondents’ lies.

"When a voluntary question on faith was asked for the first time at the 2001 census, 390,127 respondents drew inspiration from Star Wars and stated their religion as “Jedi” or “Jedi Knight” — more than the number of people who said they were Jewish or Buddhist. Some 7,227 people declared themselves as witches, adherents of the pagan religion of Wicca"

I gave my religion as Jedi last time round in the hope of preventing them from asking such a stupid question again. Looks like it was more successful than I imagined. Although the transient population is a larger factor in the flaws with the current survey.

The conscience stifled by Amnesty

When Gita Sahgal questioned the human rights group’s links to Islamic radicals, it suspended her. Now she fears for her safety.

"Last week Gita Sahgal, a highly respected lifelong human rights activist and head of Amnesty’s gender unit, told The Sunday Times of her concerns about Amnesty’s relationship with Cageprisoners, an organisation headed by Moazzam Begg, a former Guantanamo internee.

"Since his release in 2005, Begg has spoken alongside Amnesty at a number of events and accompanied the organisation to a meeting at Downing Street last month. Sahgal felt the closeness of the relationship between Amnesty and Cageprisoners — which appears to give succour to those who believe in global jihad — was a threat to Amnesty’s integrity. “To be appearing on platforms with Britain’s most famous supporter of the Taliban, whom we treat as a human rights defender, is a gross error of judgment,” she wrote to Amnesty’s leaders following the Downing Street visit."

Interesting. It's getting into the same murky water that free speech campaigners got into when they started delivering the BNP leaflets that the posties refused to. It's also worth noting that the Times seem to have an axe to grind on this issue. I searched their website for articles about Amnesty and the first five hits were attacks on it. (Thats a live search link and will change over time.)

Labels: Amnesty, News, Politics, Privacy

:: Dan 14.2.10 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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The Times today reported on how, "A former Timelord has revealed how he and left-wing scriptwriters used the series to attack Thatcher"

"Sylvester McCoy, the actor who played Doctor Who for two years in the 1980s, has revealed that left-wing scriptwriters hired by the BBC wrote propaganda into the plots in an attempt to undermine Margaret Thatcher’s premiership.

"His revelation will reinforce suspicions about antipathy within the corporation to Thatcher’s government. Norman Tebbit, then the Tory party chairman, claimed at the time that the BBC was in the hands of a “Marxist mafia”."

Hardly a surprise. It's more amazing that the Times seems so scandalised by it. In another 20 years they might suddenly notice the Gay Rights angle Russell T Davies spent his time at the helm shoe-horning into every episode.

Labels: Dr Who, News, Politics

:: Dan 14.2.10 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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It's closed again. So this Saturday's gig is cancelled. =[

I may have posted this already but I've created a Save the Black Swan flickr group, to run alongside the facebook group.

Labels: Bristol, Gigs, Gusset, News

:: Dan 20.1.10 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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Forgot to pass this on a couple of days ago...

I guess its good news for those concerned about Google's presence in China. Seems things are getting worse rather than better (the official line was the hoped to improve the situation over time) so they are as good as giving up. Shame the goal of bringing information to the people wasn't reached and sad to see the extent the government (presumably) will go to to infringe human rights and prevent activism.

"Like many other well-known organizations, we face cyber attacks of varying degrees on a regular basis. In mid-December, we detected a highly sophisticated and targeted attack on our corporate infrastructure originating from China that resulted in the theft of intellectual property from Google. However, it soon became clear that what at first appeared to be solely a security incident--albeit a significant one--was something quite different.

"First, this attack was not just on Google. As part of our investigation we have discovered that at least twenty other large companies from a wide range of businesses--including the Internet, finance, technology, media and chemical sectors--have been similarly targeted. ...

"Second, we have evidence to suggest that a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. Based on our investigation to date we believe their attack did not achieve that objective. ...

"Third, as part of this investigation but independent of the attack on Google, we have discovered that the accounts of dozens of U.S.-, China- and Europe-based Gmail users who are advocates of human rights in China appear to have been routinely accessed by third parties. These accounts have not been accessed through any security breach at Google, but most likely via phishing scams or malware placed on the users' computers."

Click through to read on.

Labels: Censorship, IT, Liberty, News, Politics

:: Dan 14.1.10 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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European court condemns police misuse of stop and search
The Guardian reports on "Officers using Terrorism Act against citizens on 'a hunch' means serious risk of discrimination, say judges"

"The home secretary, Alan Johnson, app­ears to be in serious trouble over a ruling today by the European court of human rights against the unlawful police use of ­counter-terrorism stop and search powers on peace protesters and photographers."

Labels: Law, Liberty, News, Photography

:: Dan 13.1.10 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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"Overzealous mentally-unstable worshipper" attacks Pope at Midnight Mass:

Labels: News, Religion

:: Dan 25.12.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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A team of homeless people are to begin excavating a derelict corner of Bristol which has been used by rough sleepers for more than 40 years.

"Turbo Island" in Stokes Croft is to be excavated in a project funded by the Council of British Archaeology.



"We have found evidence of homelessness in the form of drinking and drug taking paraphernalia such as ring pulls, needles and a syringe, which we are going to try and date because it doesn't look modern.

"We also found a turquoise imitation ring."

Smiler, 44, has just been re-housed in Dove Street after 20 years of homelessness, and has been helping the experts on the dig.

He said: "I am not sure how much homeless people will value the dig because they have a day to day existence – it's a shame but it's the way it is. But I do think it is worth doing because it teaches people how the homeless live.

"The most interesting thing I have found here today is a steri cup – an aluminium container people use to cook heroin. I was really surprised because people don't normally have them in Bristol."

Labels: Bristol, News

:: Dan 10.12.09 [Arc] [3 comments] ::
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Mr Free As In Freedom and all round, umm, interesting guy Richard Stallman doesn’t like bull shit. If you ever need something to be angry about you can find a useful summary in his notes archives. To quote some recent examples that caught my attention:

8 December 2009 (Abuse of anti-terrorist laws acknowledged by UK cops)
UK police officials told police to stop threatening photographers using "anti-terror" laws. Ending this one abuse of these unjust laws does not make them acceptable. Some of these laws make it a crime to be suspected, and others are handy for sabotaging protests of any kind. It is not enough for the authorities to be refrain from trampling the rights of people in one activity. The UK must explicitly restore human rights.

The UK police must also pass an "attitude" of their own: to respect people's rights instead of trying to intimidate people out of them. Do they still pressure pubs to set up cameras and let the police view the footage whenever they wish? It should be illegal for anyone to show security camera footage to the police without a court order.

8 December 2009 (Recording industry masters creative accounting)
A musician tells how his record company habitually lies to him about income even though it would not have to pay the band any money for many years.
http://www.toomuchjoy.com/?p=1397

6 December 2009 (Some very creepy politics)
Rom Houben, who has been in a coma for 23 years, is said to be conscious and able to communicate. But is it really he who is communicating?

6 December 2009 (Terrorists kill dozens in Russia)
Why it's a pointless annoyance to check train passengers' luggage for bombs.

4 December 2009 (Poster boy for torturers)
After the Bush regime's monsters tortured Abu Zubaydah, and took photos of his injuries, they showed the photos to other prisoners threatening to torture them the same way.

2 December 2009 (Paranoia reigns amongst London cops)
A BBC photographer was stopped by police from taking a photo of a cathedral in London.

Labels: Amnesty, News, Photography, Politics

:: Dan 8.12.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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THE IMPACT OF ENGLISH LIBEL LAW ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
A REPORT BY INDEX ON CENSORSHIP & ENGLISH PEN
9 OCTOBER 2009

BHA on BBC Consultation
"We want an end to the privileged status and position of religions and religious broadcasting by the BBC, and for some programmes about humanism or from a humanist perspective to be broadcast. In spite of legislation making clear that religions and beliefs, including non-religious beliefs such as Humanism, should be treated equally in terms of broadcasting, the BBC continues to resist doing so.
We want the BBC to fulfil its obligations and include Humanist programmes in its broadcasting!"

Radio 4 Front Row from Tues, available to stream for a week
"Lord Mandelson recently announced the government's plans for tackling illegal file sharing online. Under new measures, repeat offenders who ignore warning letters could have their internet connection removed. High-profile figures including Lily Allen and Radiohead's Ed O'Brien have been weighing into the debate over what approach the government and music industry should take to tackle the problem. Minister for Digital Britain Stephen Timms, CEO of UK Music Feargal Sharkey and Cory Doctorow, the journalist and supporter of copyright liberalisation, discuss the issues surrounding the file sharing debate."
Plus a report on Health & Safety vs cartoon violence.

Labels: Animation, Humanism, News, P2P, Politics, Religion, science

:: Dan 11.11.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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French MPs want health warnings on airbrushed photographs
"Airbrushed photographs could be given government health warnings in France to protect women from 'false' images of female beauty."
[via constant siege]



There's an offensive joke in there about one country/area banning imagines of beautiful women from another country/area to to protect women from 'false' images of female beauty. Substitute place names at your discretion.

Labels: Art, News, Photography, Politics

:: Dan 25.9.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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I remember chess being big news during my childhood in the '80s, around the time I started playing. So it's interesting to see the biggest match, and biggest rivalry, of the era being relived.

"Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov have renewed their old rivalry in a twelve game exhibition match at Valencia. The contest will last three days with two rapid games on days one and two to be followed by eight blitz games on day three."

Channel 4 news gives a nice introduction [video link] including some explanation of the political backdrop.

The rematch so far is reported here.
"Garry Kasparov beat Anatoly Karpov in two games Tuesday at the start of an exhibition chess match marking the 25th anniversary of their first title bout, a grueling event that was eventually ended after five months."

Pierre Garon: How the game of chess lost its soul
"Yet we only know these names today because of one man: Bobby Fischer.
Before Fischer, chess in America was an intensive care unit patient on IV. The title of world chess champion belonged to the Soviets. Then Fischer rose to prominence in the Sixties, and with incredible ease dispatched all candidates to become, in 1972, official challenger to titleholder Boris Spassky."

Coincidentally, I'm currently reading one of the more accessible books about the match. David Edmonds' and John Eidinow's Bobby Fischer Goes to War.

The psychology is interesting. The authors perhaps overplay the suspicions of cheating, the chapter applying game theory to Fischer's unreasonable behaviour is perhaps a step too far, but it's a riveting read nontheless. The profiles of both players early lives make me wonder about the mindset of the grandmaster. The savant like powers of recall make me wonder about how their brains may be differently wired to some other peoples. In much the same way as Oliver Sacks considered musicians in Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain. I'd like to see chess get a similar treatment.

The "Living Chess" chapter of the Bobby Fischer book mentioned touches on this, mentioning the similarities in thinking between mathematicians, chess players and musicians. It also quotes Nabokov, who said, "There is nothing abnormal about a chess player being abnormal. This is normal." It goes on to cite some of the more extreme examples, such as Paul Morphy, the unofficial world champion in the 1850s. (The official world championship is generally regarded to have begun in 1886.) Quoting the same book at length:

"[Morphy] also despised the chess 'scene'. While only in his twenties, he descended into a state of paranoia and depression, and became a recluse. Occasionally he was seen wandering the streets of New Orleans, muttering to himself in French. A shoe fetishist, at the age of forty-seven he was found dead in his bathtub - rumour says surrounded by women's shoes."

For further accessible chess related entertainment there's always the film Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine, reviewed here.

Labels: Chess, Literature, News

:: Dan 23.9.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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Síle Lane on keeping libel laws out of science
Following Simon Singh's "Beware the Spinal Trap"
"We must ask why the cost of defending a libel case in England is 140 times the European average and why 90% of cases are won by the claimant."

It's heartening to know that at the Liberal Democrat party conference yesterday there was a fringe event on Defending Free Speech: Keep libel laws out of science.

Labels: Copyright, Freedom, Law, News, Politics, science

:: Dan 21.9.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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In the latest in our occasional series on unusually specialist magazines found laying around in the office kitchen, we now present Building Sustainable Design.

Which this month includes a though provoking article on the current assumption that buildings can be built for a 25 year life span and how this can no longer stack up financially or environmentally, an interview with Lucy Pedler of Bristol based sustainable architecture practice Achipeleco on why she “had hoped that the recession would be more catastrophic,” and a brilliant article on “What termites can teach us about natural ventilation in small buildings.”



Following from this there is of course next weeks Pestival, which Stewart Lee fans will probably already be aware of from his 41st Greatest Stand-up routine. Comedy at the insect themed festival is provided by Robin Ince along with many other fasinating insect based art projects from the Termite Pavilion to broadcasts from Resonance FM and workshops from The Art of Being a Maggot to Praying Mantis Kung Fu. Sadly I can't make any of this, but I'm most upset missing out on Cross Pollination, where “Internationally acclaimed sound recordist for BBC’s Life in the Undergrowth and original member of Cabaret Voltaire, Chris Watson, curates an evening of experimental insect music.”

Due to a family wedding I was also unable to attend Chris Watson's workshop at UWE last weekend, and I forgot to blog about it in advance, but there are still some events to go on the STAGING SOUND 2.0 programme, including the Dorkbot Bristol Sound Hack followed by Guerilla Busking in Bath this Saturday.

Back on an environmental footing, various national media have picked up on the “living wall that died” in Islington. Most of the press have hung the story off of the waste-of-public-money angle rather than the technical issues with the failed watering system / learning experience / maybe the odd weather we've had? There most be an engineer somewhere mopping a sweaty brow as that one passes over. Either that or (s)he will be saying “I told you so.” A year or so ago I'd've worried that this would lead to a cut in spending on environmental projects but in the current financial and political climate I know it's going to get cut anyway regardless of previous successes or failures. Not good times.

Labels: architecture, Bending, Economy, Electronic Music, Environment, Insects, News, Politics, Sustainability

:: Dan 26.8.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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Reposted in its entirety as part of a publicity effort against the chiropractic assheads trying to silence the brilliant science writer and thoroughly nice bloke, Simon Singh. Enjoy:

Beware the Spinal Trap

Some practitioners claim it is a cure-all, but the research suggests chiropractic therapy has mixed results – and can even be lethal, says Simon Singh.

This is Chiropractic Awareness Week. So let's be aware. How about some awareness that may prevent harm and help you make truly informed choices? First, you might be surprised to know that the founder of chiropractic therapy, Daniel David Palmer, wrote that, "99% of all diseases are caused by displaced vertebrae". In the 1860s, Palmer began to develop his theory that the spine was involved in almost every illness because the spinal cord connects the brain to the rest of the body. Therefore any misalignment could cause a problem in distant parts of the body.

In fact, Palmer's first chiropractic intervention supposedly cured a man who had been profoundly deaf for 17 years. His second treatment was equally strange, because he claimed that he treated a patient with heart trouble by correcting a displaced vertebra.

You might think that modern chiropractors restrict themselves to treating back problems, but in fact they still possess some quite wacky ideas. The fundamentalists argue that they can cure anything. And even the more moderate chiropractors have ideas above their station. The British Chiropractic Association claims that their members can help treat children with colic, sleeping and feeding problems, frequent ear infections, asthma and prolonged crying, even though there is not a jot of evidence. This organisation is the respectable face of the chiropractic profession and yet it happily promotes bogus treatments.

I can confidently label these treatments as bogus because I have co-authored a book about alternative medicine with the world's first professor of complementary medicine, Edzard Ernst. He learned chiropractic techniques himself and used them as a doctor. This is when he began to see the need for some critical evaluation. Among other projects, he examined the evidence from 70 trials exploring the benefits of chiropractic therapy in conditions unrelated to the back. He found no evidence to suggest that chiropractors could treat any such conditions.

But what about chiropractic in the context of treating back problems? Manipulating the spine can cure some problems, but results are mixed. To be fair, conventional approaches, such as physiotherapy, also struggle to treat back problems with any consistency. Nevertheless, conventional therapy is still preferable because of the serious dangers associated with chiropractic.

In 2001, a systematic review of five studies revealed that roughly half of all chiropractic patients experience temporary adverse effects, such as pain, numbness, stiffness, dizziness and headaches. These are relatively minor effects, but the frequency is very high, and this has to be weighed against the limited benefit offered by chiropractors.

More worryingly, the hallmark technique of the chiropractor, known as high-velocity, low-amplitude thrust, carries much more significant risks. This involves pushing joints beyond their natural range of motion by applying a short, sharp force. Although this is a safe procedure for most patients, others can suffer dislocations and fractures.

Worse still, manipulation of the neck can damage the vertebral arteries, which supply blood to the brain. So-called vertebral dissection can ultimately cut off the blood supply, which in turn can lead to a stroke and even death. Because there is usually a delay between the vertebral dissection and the blockage of blood to the brain, the link between chiropractic and strokes went unnoticed for many years. Recently, however, it has been possible to identify cases where spinal manipulation has certainly been the cause of vertebral dissection.

Laurie Mathiason was a 20-year-old Canadian waitress who visited a chiropractor 21 times between 1997 and 1998 to relieve her low-back pain. On her penultimate visit she complained of stiffness in her neck. That evening she began dropping plates at the restaurant, so she returned to the chiropractor. As the chiropractor manipulated her neck, Mathiason began to cry, her eyes started to roll, she foamed at the mouth and her body began to convulse. She was rushed to hospital, slipped into a coma and died three days later. At the inquest, the coroner declared: "Laurie died of a ruptured vertebral artery, which occurred in association with a chiropractic manipulation of the neck."

This case is not unique. In Canada alone there have been several other women who have died after receiving chiropractic therapy, and Professor Ernst has identified about 700 cases of serious complications among the medical literature. This should be a major concern for health officials, particularly as under-reporting will mean that the actual number of cases is much higher.

Bearing all of this in mind, I will leave you with one message for Chiropractic Awareness Week - if spinal manipulation were a drug with such serious adverse effects and so little demonstrable benefit, then it would almost certainly have been taken off the market.

Ben Goldacre of Bad Science explains the history of the legal case here and here.
Here are a couple of posts from Dave Gorman on the subject
See Jack of Kent's blog for updates on the legal case as well as many other important stories.
For example, he links to this Observer story citing mathematicians reluctance to speak out about banks in the wake of the recent crunch for fear of libel threats. If chiropractors can do it then the banks sure will.
See Sense About Science for the campaign to keep libel law out of science, including a list of places the article has been republished. Amusingly some of those are ad carrying sites which are now providing advertising for chiropractic services alongside the article.

The Skeptic website is also worth a read

Labels: Freedom, Law, News, science

:: Dan 30.7.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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"A Harry Potter actor has admitted growing cannabis in his mother's north-west London home. Jamie Waylett, 19, who plays bully Vincent Crabbe in the film series, pleaded guilty to growing 10 cannabis plants in tents at the Kilburn house."

Hardly a surprise when you have so many teenage actors in the spotlight, but what's shocking about this story is this line:

"The court heard police found shots of the plants on Mr Waylett's camera after he was arrested for taking a picture of officers [my emphasis] as he and a friend drove past."

And then this:

Kent Police clamp down on tall photographers

The war on street photography

The new MET guidelines for offers is here.

Quoting the Reg:

"At the heart of the present controversy is the question of when behaviour becomes suspicious. Advice we have received suggests that the police may arrest an individual under PACE s.1 or the Terrorism Act s.44 where they have reasonable suspicion that an illegal act is being carried out.

"In other words, photography on its own is not suspicious behaviour: police suspicions need to be grounded in other evidence, and it is not reasonable to throw a blanket suspicion over the activities of all photographers.

"Yet here is the Met guidance in respect of s.44: "Officers have the power to view digital images contained in mobile telephones or cameras... provided that the viewing is to determine whether the images... are of a kind, which could be used in connection with terrorism."

"Not quite. The Met guidelines make no mention of reasonable suspicion: in effect, they duck the single issue that is at the heart of so much grief."

In other photography related news:
Flexible fabric that takes 'takes pictures'
Exploiting Collective Effects of Multiple Optoelectronic Devices Integrated in a Single Fiber
Ideal for adaptive camouflage I imagine. Future street photographers could wear outfits made out of this so that they can capture the images they want unobtrusively whilst simultaneously blending into the scenery.

Labels: Law, News, Photography, Technology

:: Dan 17.7.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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Wind farm 'kills Taiwanese goats'

A large number of goats in Taiwan may have died of exhaustion because of noise from a wind farm.

How close were they? I've seen cows in the same field as turbines without issue. Maybe because they couldn't get away from it? Maybe goats are light sleepers?

I will be preparing a bid for a detailed study into this issue. It will involve me living in Asia for several months, maybe years, and access to as many goats as I could ask for. I may then move on to other animals. I expect the government grant any day now.

Labels: Environment, Humour, News, Noise

:: Dan 22.5.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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Secularists claim chaplains are a waste of taxpayers' money

"Chaplaincy services are costing the NHS more than £32 million every year, according to figures obtained from hospital trusts.This money could instead be used to pay for another 1,300 nurses or 2,500 cleaning staff."

That's my money! (As a tax payer. Admittedly I'd have a greater claim if I smoked too.) Seeing it pissed up the wall by zealots leaching on to the most vulnerable is a fucking outrage.

Yes, you can have Chaplins if people want them. No, I am not prepared to pay towards them. Keep them away from me, keep them away from people not old enough to have made up their own minds, and if you have to pay these fuckwits for their "services" you can pay them through donations from other fuckwits.

Are my feelings clear enough on this?

Labels: Atheism, health, News, Politics, secular

:: Dan 8.4.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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There is a pattern to my blogging here that shows that every time I buy an actual hard copy of a newspaper I blog about half a dozen stories out of it I may otherwise never have stumbled upon. This is no exception, here are my picks from Thursday's Guardian:

British therapists still offer treatments to 'cure' homosexuality
"Survey suggests a significant minority of mental health professionals continue to provide treatments to gay men and lesbians despite no evidence they can change orientation and concerns they are harmful...One counsellor who is a member of the British Psychological Society said: "Although homosexual feelings are usual in people, their physical expression, and being a person's only way of having sexual relations is problematic. The physical act for male homosexuals is physically damaging and is the main reason in this country for Aids/HIV. It is also perverse.""
This is outrageous. It can be criticised, if not demolished, from so many different angles I don't think I need to point that out. It's like a throw back to the 50s, when our society lost great minds like Turing because of it's backwards treatment of sexuality. From some of the quotes in the article there are, to me, some scary signs of counsellors forcing their personal (probably 2000 year old religious based beliefs) on people. These practitioners should not be allowed to "help" people again.

Are women doing better or worse in IT since Ada Lovelace?

Why not let the security services spy on Twitter? It's not like they'll learn anything from it

Getty Images now licensing hand-picked Flickr photos

Google's would be watchdogs are distracted by its chew toys

Vintage sound chips? They are music to my ears
Chip tunes goes mainstream?

E-government survey urges councils to free data

"Never mind the recession - Lego is now so popular that there are 62 little coloured blocks for every person on the planet. Yet only five years ago this family business was on the brink of ruin. Jon Henley reports from the Danish town where it all began"

Labels: Electronic Music, Feminism, Flickr, gay, Google, IT, Lego, News, Photography, Politics, Retro, Secuirty, web 2.0

:: Dan 28.3.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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Pope tells Africa 'condoms wrong'...and eats babies. Or something.



Atheists call for 'debaptism'



National Secular Society - Debaptise Yourself!

What next, jews and skin grafts?

Labels: Atheism, News, Religion

:: Dan 18.3.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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I posted about the free-for-all at the Bookbarn a couple of weeks ago. The opening of the doors at the Bristol book warehouse made national news.

The capitalist past of me was offended that all of those books, some of which were mine that I had taken there for them to sell on my behalf, were just being given away. I felt better about this once I'd visited and made up for my losses.

The anarchist past of me loved the idea of the free distribution of knowledge.

The liberal part of me loved the fact that all sections of society were represented, from charities, to students, to squatters with dogs, to opportunistic wheeler dealers, to pensioners with walking sticks, all picking through the mess.

The English part of me loved how polite everyone was. There was no barging, no shouting, no fighting over anything. Just a melancholic air of acceptance of the literary post-apocalyptic feeling that pervaded.

If ever anyone wanted to stage an intellectual coup d’état in the UK all they would need to do would be to spray all the books in a warehouse like this with legionnaires, open the doors to the public and leak the story to the press. You would wipe out every free thinker in the area. I'm sure there's a book in that.*

* Idea published under a non-profit creative commons licence, thank you very much.

Labels: Books, Bristol, Flickr, Literature, News, Photography

:: Dan 10.3.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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