Mind over Media

Our mind is a wonderful gift, we can nourish it and let it flourish into something wonderful, or we can choose to neglect it and let it distinguish very slowly. Your mind is a muscle, and like a muscle, if you stop using it, it will start to suffer from atrophy and slowly become useless altogether. As human beings we should  be able to prevent this, through books, games, television shows, magazines and not to forget music but all these forms are now pure dribble( except for videogames which are amazing)! Every types of media we are exposed to can influence what we think is worth doing and guide us towards what is actually important.

The media covers a broad spectrum, it consists of the more obvious like films and television shows to magazines, newspapers and advertising. And because it is in nearly every aspect of our lives, it should act responsibly- shouldn’t it?  The media which was once a source of information has now become a great tool to distract the masses. One simply has to look at the so called hit TV shows, where once they included strong characters, a masterful story that not only entertains you but also encourages higher thought and provokes serious debates. Films and programmes such as: Battlestar Galactica, The X Files, Lost, Minority Report, V for Vendetta, The Day after Tomorrow, Crash, Donnie Darko, The Bourne Trilogy, Gladiator, The Lord of the Rings.  The latter which is 10 years old and is still enjoyed by many, and you know why?? It’s rather simple actually….more effort was made on the story telling that simply having big set- pieces to put in the trailer
.
The X files is even older and is still relevant to the world today. It started in 1993, and yes the fashion may need to be updated a little  but that's it. They discuss Government corruption, the effects of GMO's, poverty, human behaviour, religious fanaticism, corporate greed,mass surveillance  etc. It may have to come in the form of aliens, but that's just to bring some entertainment value!

Each film deals with a serious issue in society from Crash which deals with racism to V for Vendetta, which is a take on George Orwell’s dystopian reality in his book 1984. Even The Bourne Trilogy, which some may coin as a “ pop corn” film has a serious theme- the misuse of Government power and a whistleblower on the run- sound familiar???     The Day after Tomorrow is about the human effect on the planet and how everything, no matter how insignificant they may seem, they all still matter. These films dealt with real issues and forced you to engage with the issues, rather than being a passive spectator.

Films that are made now are all either about sex, romantic relationships or this false idea of what it is to have a family. All the movies push this idea that getting married is the answer to all your woes and having children is what life’s all about, none of them show the hardships in family life and what sacrifices have to be made, if it is, it is usually glossed over. All these movies tell you to just party and how buying things will make everything better, whether they’re shoes, a car or a house the message is the same- consume.

Which leads me to the enormous amount of advertising that is designed in a way that makes you crave this crap but also it make you feel ashamed or guilty for not having it. The adverts place such an importance on the products, which you end up feeling like you can’t function without them.  And it’s now as if you can get away from them, they’re everywhere; on TV between your favourite shows sometimes they even pop up during your shows!! They are even on the channels that are meant to be dedicated to news, they are also junk mail that you receive on a daily basis in your e-mail and your post, and there are billboards and also adverts on the sides of product that you have already purchased! All this is designed to empty your wallet and make some “ fat cats” very wealthy indeed!

One would think that with the economy the way it is that people would be smart with what little money that they have, yet with all this oversimplification of the world around them, people are starting to lose the ability to identify and ignore these cheap ploys used by the marketing world designed to make a small percentage of society very rich while the rest of us are living in the gutters.  People should start to question more things around them or they’ll risk having everything done for them by the major corporations, and we all know who they really look out for….let me tell you, it’s not the well being of the people!!!

Don't let them get away with this!

Special relationship

This so called "special relationship" between the UK and the USA is enough to make you vomit.. When will the UK accept that the age of empire is over and stop trying to make a global role for themselves, but instead why don't they just try and make a positive impact for the people who have to live in the UK because they can't afford to leave!!

Review of The Lone Ranger

I just had to watch this after hearing how so called critics had judged this as a flop, I just knew there was something decent here. And I was right, it had humour in the right places, which is hard to do when dealing with such a sensitive subject- the genocide of the Native Americans. It showed them as the duplicitous people that they were ( and arguably, still are) Tonto was wonderfully acted by Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer as the legendary Lone Ranger was a good choice as he portrayed a somewhat naive man of the law. The horse was hilarious as at times it seemed to act like a person. Kudos to the animal handler!
People who don't like this because it forces us to look in the mirror, and most people simply don't like that. they want to bury their heads in the sand. And maybe, just maybe people are still greedy and corrupt sods and don't want that small fact pointed out!

5 out of 5!

Same old, same old..

The same rumours have arisen again but just because they are the same doesn't mean they hurt less, they hurt more! I can't remember a transfer window going by without hearing Claudio Marchisio and Man United linked in some way or another, and now Arsenal have thrown their hat in the ring. I can't take it anymore! But what's different this time is that it may be tempting, seeing as though both these clubs are in the Champions League. I just hope he makes the right decision, I doubt he'll be first choice at either one and also he has been tauted  as thee next captain at Juventus, will he have the same chance at the EPL?? That's if the league doesn't decide to break him first, because lets face it, it is rather brutish.

Another rumour is a swap deal- Mirku Vucinic for Nani of Manchester United. I'm not too sure about this one, I admit Vucinic can be a little moody at times but he still has skill and height! At the moment Fernando Llorente is doing well, but it would be wise to have a back- up. But Antonio Conte is a smart man and knows what he's doing. I recently read this ridiculous rumour that Paul Pogba might leave to go to PSG for 40 million euro's, now if that's true then he definately shouldn't get  of Marchisio!

Anything came happen in the world of calcio, no one expected ( even Conte!) them to get rid of Emmanuele Giaccherini but they did, even after he put in a terrific display in the Confederation Cup. That particular deal hits with great sadness but has left me rather confused as to who to trust.

The Great Deflection

Turning a blind eye.
 People in this country are guilty of just looking the other way or sticking their heads in the sand. Some people believe that the situation in Europe will never come here, but what they don’t understand is that it already is, just under a different name and in subtle forms. The fact that the budget for the public sector has been gutted and anything decent is privatised how is that any better than what’s going on in Europe?? The only difference is that people are outraged and protesting in the streets, there is solidarity in Europe. There is nothing like that here, Thatcher and all the PMs following her made sure of that, they made sure that people will fight among each other instead of placing the blame where it truly lies; The “ finance hub” City of London. The focus of the Government has become increasingly focused and driven by the financial sector. And what is it when a Government is more focused on profits that the people..FASICSM!! But there are people out there that still refuse to believe that is what’s happening, they believe we destroyed it in 1945, but what they don’t realise it’s just called something else- Corporatism. This is just as deadly as the Fascism that everyone remembers under Hitler, but what people don’t understand is that was Nazism and had a huge element of racism in it.

 Which is an awful lot like we have here, The EDL, BNP. The Tories!! What do you think they are doing right now??? The EDL stands for the English defence League, I have a couple of questions ; why and how are they defending England, and what is it that officially makes you English?? From what I have gathered from my 30 years is that all English can only socialise while drinking, which I just think is sad, also they get obsessed with trivial issues and ignore anything that requires higher brain function. So in the end they are defending being “shitfaced” all the time and downright stupid. The more the Government decides to cut, the more angry and violent people will get and because education in essence has been privatised, that usually means blame will be assigned to the wrong people and the EDL just proves it.

Also the Tories Government with all its wisdom has led people to blame immigrants and essentially anyone who isn’t white and does speak with a foreign accent. They have started to promote this idea that people on benefits and immigrants are the reasons why the country is in a recession or rather a depression. Forgetting the simple fact that they not only let but actively encouraged the bankers to commit huge amounts of financial fraud and actively prey on the weak and desperate for years! This had nothing to do with it!!!! But like I said at the start, people have been brainwashed into blaming each other, instead of taking a closer look at the policy makers. Europe may have its problems but at least they’re not blind to the monumental injustice that is going on and will keep going on unless the people unite and resist the corporatisation of the world.

Not that far from the truth!

The art of defending...

Just like any art, it takes time to get right and it requires patience and intelligence- which some people sorely

lack! Football is a game that is about attacking the opponent and out thinking them but also knowing when to sure up the backline and holding on, to some people it may seem boring ( fans of the EPL!) yet it is a vital part of the game. Just imagine if you were only good at one aspect of your job, you would find yourself getting replaced pretty soon, this is also true with football.

What people have to keep in mind is that the game is 90 minutes long and you have to pace yourself, if you're running like headless chickens for all that time, you'll find yourself out of breath rather quickly! I often hear people say, " if you have a good attacking force you don't have to worry about the defence", what then happens when your so called best players are injured or suspended and you don't have a good defence because you didn't think it was important? You end up losing the game.

Above everything some people may think, football is not just about scoring as many goals as you can, the game involve a lot of strategy like when to go forward and when to stay back and also seeing if you can exploit any weaknesses, it's a lot like chess- maybe that's a little to complicated for some people! I just have to think back to the Juve game against Fiorentina where the were up by 2 goals at half time but ended up losing by 4 goals. To some this may be a great game because there were plenty of goals, but what I see is a lot sadder, what I see is a lazy defense. But the good thing about this was that it was the slap in the face Juve needed to get back on track and currently they have had a string of clean sheets.

Another great attack that often gets mentioned is Barcelona FC. I have to admit, they are a phenomenon to watch- but with Messi, without him they've struggled.

In the EPL there are many examples of bad defending, the Arsenal- Man City game which ended 6-3 to Man City just made me question how bad Arsenal must be at defending, to concede 6 goals is just poor play. If they had focused more time on the basics they probably could have avoided that scoreline.

People who think that was a great game have no patience and just want instant gratification, well maybe those people should watch basketball instead!

All of this has happened before, and all will happen again pt 2

Italian Credibility.

Milan, Italy’s last hope…

… Not to put too much pressure on them but it’s true; they are now the sole Italian club in the Champions League and thus have become an ambassador of Serie A. For many people the Champions League is the only opportunity they get to sample different leagues and they don’t often get to see what they can do, but instead they only see them play in this one competition and assume the whole league is like this.

People who do only get to see Serie A in the Champions League may assume it’s a weak league, but that would be a mistake to assume such things because they may just be having an “off” day. Just take Juventus as an example, they have been eliminated, but what the average spectator won’t take into account is that this is just their second appearance in the completion after some very hard times, and I do admit that after surprising everyone last season and reaching the quarter finals, crashing out in the group stages is a blow. Yet I take into account the fact that the game had been postponed because of heavy snow, so that sort of disruption can do a lot to throw you off your game, also the abysmal state of the playing surface didn’t help. Having said that, they shouldn’t have left qualification till the last game.

In a group that had Copenhagen, Real Madrid and Galatassary, they were looking favourites to come in second behind Real Madrid, but that’s just it… They believed it was a done deal and they only had to worry about the Spanish side, and it was that arrogance that saw them leave early. What every fan should really be concerned about is that they could only manage a draw with the Danish side.  It as if they were coasting on past success and it only took the 4-2 defeat against Fiorentina in Serie A for them to realise that it wasn’t going to be easy. It was unfortunate that that defeat happened after the Copenhagen games, or who knows they may have actually worked harder to win it?

Now Juve will hopefully pay more attention in the Europa League as the final is in The Juventus Stadium there will be an expectation for them to be there.

Napoli, on the other hand won their game against Arsenal but were still knocked out of the competition. Their squad was not as big and full of quality at the Juve one and one could maybe excuse their exit, but they went down fighting, that’s the kind of attitude I had grown accustomed from Juve, but not this time.

There is still the club from Milan that is doing poorly in the domestic league but seems to be thriving in the Champions League, so people shouldn’t draw conclusions about Serie A because it’s a different beast entirely.  

Delusional Britain?

We're closer to Europe than the States, but why do we want to be like a nation that has already kicked us out? Or has everyone forgotten about the American Revolution?!

A role to follow.. Really?

Another rather disturbing trend I've noticed about this country is how much they try to imitate the States. It' none thing to have an admiration for their ways ( although, I have no idea why you would admire that!) but to copy everything they do is just sad and shows an alarming lack of creativity. Just take a look at TV shows, they have all taking on the American format of cut throat competition and fake drama. And they are more shows that have either a segment where they are just talking to the camera about what has just happened, how stupid do they think we are that we need them to explain what has just happened?!! They are also more and more judging shows, and what really makes me mad is that most of the judges are not even qualified to judge- they're crap themselves! All it promotes is a culture of bulling, just take a look across the pond, do you really wank children to have that much anxiety and hatred in them?

To further see how we are becoming more like the States just look at our schools, in my day we didn't have Proms, and I'm so glad we didn't, what a waste of time! Next thing you know we're going to have cheer-leading- can you just imagine how absurd that would be? Some time ago there was an interruption during a major sporting event when a man proposed to his girlfriend but instead of being greeted by applause he was treated to booing and jeers because he interrupted the game that they paid money to see, and why wouldn't they be annoyed, everything shouldn't be a spectacle. In the States they invest so much time in trivial things like sports and appearance, and did you know they invented cheer-leading? What do you expect, they would do anything to distract the people.

 Holidays are another thing, now I'm not a grinch and I do believe that certain events should be celebrated, but not like this. The huge explosion of crap that you are sold is unbelievable and the frenzy that comes with it is unnecessary, just take " Black Friday" where people are actually killed so that they can get a discount on a TV they don't even need! Even that has come over here and we don't even celebrate Thanksgiving, and some people have even been injured. I will never understand why anyone will wait for hours or even days outside a shop, so that they can get 30% of something they don't even need, when there are too many queues inside the store, I don't bother, because nothing is worth standing in line for hours, when you could be with family or friends, isn't that the real meaning of the holidays?

Delusional aspirations

Teeny tiny island …..

That has grand delusions. Have you ever looked at the UK on a globe? We are a tiny island but with the amount of debt and the way the politicians talk about it, one would believe we are a grand empire. I guess that’s kind of the problem, Britain still believes it’s an empire, they are certainly spending money as if they are! Why can’t they just accept that the old days of doing things are done and just think about their people instead of trying to seem like a “big shot” and ignoring the plight of the people? How about making sure your people have somewhere to live, food to feed their families and can read! If they focused more on these things that what other people think than maybe they would be adored and not hated by the majority of the population.

They are so focused on being noticed that they have neglected the people, and why is that I hear you ask? It’s rather simple, they look to the States and they think that is progress. I believe ( and I might be alone in this) you shouldn’t encourage mass fraud on your population and that you shouldn’t be evicting people out of their homes and kicking them to the kerb. Over half the population shouldn’t be below the poverty line and scavenging for food, while the few people of privilege have too much food and waste most of.  This is not progress in my mind, far from it, this is a former empire in decline and the fact that most Brits don’t see it, saddens me.

What is so wrong with doing something on a small sale but doing it well? The Anglo-Saxon mentality can just think of a couple of things and that is to expand and consume, isn’t that how we got into this mess to begin with, the banks were allowed to get larger and larger and no one was paying attention till it went so terrible wrong. Also people and businesses got used to getting cheap credit that they forgot that one day, someone has to pay the bill. Now I expect a certain amount of “stupidness” from the private individual- seeing as though most of them quit school at 16! But for the all powerful Government to make the same mistake, now that’s just depressing!

Always resist...