Thursday 15 February 2007

Noam Chomsky & Harold Pinter @ Columbia University

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I Had the great pleasure of being able to see the video Lecture of Harold Pinter's Nobel Lecture on Art, Truth & Politics, which was followed by an audience with the great Noam Chomsky. He took questions from the gathered mass and spoke for a about 45 minuets. I would of liked him for him to stay a little longer because it didn't allow for any really interesting questions to be asked of some one as knowledgeable as himself, although ,that being said ,its not the best forum to get really interesting debate when one is speaking to so many people. Plus it was a frighteningly cold winters evening and I'm sure he was keen to get back to the warmth, credit due, he could of opted for staying indoors by a fireside. It was a refreshing pleasure to see that amongst the warped zombies in the commercial capital of the consumer world, there where so many wise people, both old and young who still knew not to believe the hype.


The question that I was going to ask of Mr.Chomsky was this,
" Do you think that the so called 'War on terror' is in fact more precisely a 'War on Islam' with the reason for this being that under Islamic Law, capitalism would not be able to function or even exist which makes Islamic Law the last remaining enemy of Capitalism?"

As I was unable to get an answer from him at the time i will send him my question and see what response he send me...if any. I will of course post any response I receive.





Harold Pinter
Nobel Lectur Art,Truth and Politics


http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/2005/pinter-lecture.html
(cut and past link to watch in best quality or scroll down below and watch it here)

Art,Truth & Politics.
He starts
'There are no hard distinctions between what is real and what is unreal, nor between what is true and what is false. A thing is not necessarily either true or false; it can be both true and false.'
It is an extrodinary lecture in which he pulls no punches when discussing American Foriegn Policy over the past 50 yrs and sternly tells us how Britain is now "pathetic and supine"

It is a joy to watch and is incitfull and intreaging as we hear the views of a man is was directly involved in confronting the crazed power mogals of the U.S Politcal regime.

NewYork Subway BreakDancers

These Guys Where putting on a show in the Subway of Central Station, Manhattan, New York. They Put on a short show of some amazing and extraordinary Break dancing moves, Which is one of the finest art forms. They entertained the crowd, they kept the lanes clear for the passing traffic and made sure we put money in the bucket because after all "this is NewYoik and aint nuttin' for free baby" .

I only had my phone to recorded it on and so missed some of the best bits of the show but it gives a little flavour of their performance

"NEW YORK NEW YOIK"








Fresh back from the Big Apple that is New York City I am staggered to find out how inferior and tiny London really is. I had always seen the City of London as a tall encompassing monster that swallowed you up in its towing presence as it casts it shadows over your being. After having spent a week in the center of Manhattan, as seen previously on the likes of "Sex in the City" or "NYPD Blue" London becomes rather unimposing and quite frankly, a bit soft. The buildings in New york don't just tower over you, they rise up from huge roots and appear to have no end to them, you have to crane you neck just to see if they stop rising anywhere and even then the peaks of them are only just visible with out lying prostrate on the sidewalk. They line up side by side with no gaps between them as if they are a set of linebackers on an American Football team. They are a wonderment to behold when first encounted and a feast for the eyes to feed on but their awesome presence soon have you organised and focused with your eyes firmly on the floor in front of you. They force you to keep your head down and to get on to where your going with a stone Wall one the one side of your peripheral vision and a Yellow Cab on the other.

( I have Some great photos of the City, Which i will post A.S.A.P but i have to scan them in first as they where taken with some really old school technology where I have to take a plastic, filmy thing to a shop where this guy does some chemical stuff to it and then i get them back....on paper!- not even a memory stick?!?! )