God Bless Barack Obama, a misguided but well-meaning man.

High-quality healthcare for all does indeed sound appealing, along with those special garden centres that give away money tree seeds.

Here in the UK we’ve been letting every Tom, Dick and Harry get ill for free for over 60 years and what has been the result?

They’re doing it all over the place, that’s what.

This Summer large swathes of the British population supposedly chose a ’staycation’ over a trip abroad.

In fact, many of them were self-harming at home awaiting transferral to the cosy units of London hospitals; there are wings of St. Mary’s, Paddington that are nicer than most coastal holiday resorts. (And the shepherds pie gets delivered to your bed with a glass of squash.)

The problem is not that the NHS is underachieving, it’s that it’s too good.

And this is not the only strain on resources.

There are people clogging it up: patients who aren’t really ill and doctors who are crap.

Neither Simon Cowell’s salary nor an extra tuppence tax on Twiglets from the population at large could change this.

The way forward is a two-tier health system designed to service a two-tier customer base that acts as a deterrent to anyone considering getting ill; deeply segregated, thoroughly unattractive healthcare available to whoever dares use it; a British medical apartheid underpinned by fear.

The Proposal: Stage 1

This involves a simple filtration process at the demand end of the spectrum, as follows:

[Part 1: Medical professionals]

After 2 years of practice a G.P would be required to complete the following mini-survey (surgeons are exempt because there’s not enough of them to get picky about).

1. A patient comes to you looking depressed. Do you:

a.) Note symptoms, explore possible causes and consider counseling referral.

b.) Give them a packet of chocolate buttons (special edition white ones that look a bit pharmaceutical).

2. You are tired at the end of the week and are required to administer important medication to a critically ill patient. Do you:

a.) Summon a replacement doctor or ensure another medically qualified person is present to oversee your performance.

b.) Close your eyes and shoot ‘em up humming ‘Everybody Hurts’ by REM.

3. A patient comes to you presenting a set of symptoms you are unfamiliar with. Do you:

a.) Do some research/ seek a second opinion.

b.) Nod knowingly and say, ‘There’s a lot of this going around’.

c.) Assume its meningitis and admit them to hospital immediately.*

(* You are American and doing the wrong survey)

4. You kill a patient by mistake. Do you:

a.) Care

b.) Not care

Mostly A’s: You’ll do.

Mostly B’s: You’re a crap doctor.

Equal A’s and B’s: Answer the decider question below.

5. You kill a patient on purpose. Is it because you are:

a.) Kind and compassionate.

b.) Crap and evil.

[Part 2: Potential patients]

On the day a U.K citizen turns 18 they would be required to complete the following mini-survey.

1.) Are you lonely/old/a parent of a young child?

a.) No

b.) Yes

2.) Do you think most illnesses you have are fatal?

a.) No

b.) Yes, how did you know that? You’ve seen something haven’t you? Is it on my brain? Will it grow really big? How long have I got?

3.) Do you like the sound of your own voice covering every angle of a complaint, even if there are 10 other people in the waiting room who also have lives, for crying out loud?

a.) No

b.) Yes

4.) Do you like the sound of the doctor’s voice covering every angle of a complaint, even if there are 10 other people in the waiting room who also have lives, for crying out loud?

a.) No

b.) Yes

Mostly A’s: You may have a pain in your arse.

Mostly B’s: You are a pain in the arse.

Equal A’s and B’s: Answer the decider question below.

5.) If you were in hospital how many noisy and demanding relatives would come to visit you?

a.) Not many, I’m a hermit.

b.) Hundreds, I am the last of 12 children in a tight-knit, opinionated family.

(Refuseniks of the proposal would receive a courtesy call once every 10 years because these are the people who would not ring the doctor even if they were dead.)

The Proposal: Stage 2

This involves a sabotaging process at the supply end of the healthcare spectrum, as follows.

1. The conversion of 50% of all hospitals into health clubs that sell only carrots and wheatgrass shots at the canteen.

2. All surviving NHS establishments to be ‘made-under’. ie. stripped of wall decorations, magazines, non-essential and most essential medical supplies.

[Note: the prison service have a better idea but the poorer Eastern Bloc countries nail it.]

3. Max Clifford to be retained to seed negative NHS press through all media, with the goal of achieving at least a 20 % increase in the ‘I was left in a corridor without water for 2 hours’ stories and a 20% decrease in ‘I couldn’t fault my care’ ones.

The Manifesto

A healthcare system rendered efficient by the prioritising of critical over bogus ill health. To be achieved by sidelining whingers and incompetents and incentivising the remainder to value prevention over cure by impoverishing the treatment environment.

When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone,
When you’re sure you’ve had enough of this life, well hang on
Don’t let yourself go, ’cause everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes

Sometimes everything is wrong. Now it’s time to sing along
When your day is night alone, (hold on, hold on)
If you feel like letting go, (hold on)
When you think you’ve had too much of this life, well hang on

‘Cause everybody hurts. Take comfort in your friends
Everybody hurts. Don’t throw your hand. Oh, no. Don’t throw your hand
If you feel like you’re alone, no, no, no, you are not alone

If you’re on your own in this life, the days and nights are long,
When you think you’ve had too much of this life to hang on

Well, everybody hurts sometimes,
Everybody cries. And everybody hurts sometimes
And everybody hurts sometimes. So, hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on
Everybody hurts. You are not alone

10. November Rain
Guns N’ Roses

Guns N’ Roses had come onto the scene with hard rocking hits like Sweet Child o’ Mine and Welcome to the Jungle, but with their twin Used Your Illusion albums they really managed to find a new epic tone to their music. This epic quality was further shown through their video for the 9-minute November Rain, inter cutting one of the concerts with the story of a wedding which goes horribly wrong. The way the story plays out matches with the music and creates a fantastic, large-scale music video.

9. The Hardest Button to Button
The White Stripes

It may seem simple at a quick glance, yet this video is really a work of ingenuity and wonderful technical achievement. This fantastic editing works both with the music and to make it incredibly enjoyable to watch. And hey, it was even spoofed on The Simpsons!

8. Just
Radiohead

Chances are you haven’t seen a video quite like Just. Radiohead sets out to state a message with this video, even if we’re not sure what that message is. However, the fact that its open to interpretation is perhaps a part of of its brilliance. Why is he lying on the ground? What does he know that keeps him immobilized? And more importantly, how is it that whatever he knows also affects everyone around him in the same way?

7. Jeremy
Pearl Jam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMRTOZExfJA

Most videos coming into the 1990’s were pop fluff or simple concert scenes, nothing very serious; that is until Pearl Jam came along. Pearl Jam is now notorious for shunning videos for their music, but they did make a couple in their early days, one of which was Jeremy. Jeremy dealt with a topic as serious as classroom shooting and violence and depicted it in an artistic manner in order to display its underlying roots. It was a video with a message, and will be remembered for a long time because of that.

6. Hurt
Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash is responsible for one of the most emotional videos out there. It is a beautiful and artistic portrayal of his life. Cash gives a no-holds barred portrait of himself here, and he certainly doesn’t pretty it up at all. He looks old and weathered, worn by the harder years of his life. Cash is a legend of music and here he lays his life out for everyone to see.

5. 1979
The Smashing Pumpkins

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2snP7rGP6g

There is a quality to the 1979 video which is hard to describe. Perhaps its nostalgia, for those whose carefree teen years are over, or perhaps its a confirmation for those who are currently in those years. Its a reminder of why its great to be young. Its a celebration of days when all you really worried about was where the next party was going to be and who was going to get the beer. Even if that was never your high school experience, you can still admire this video for looking great and having its own unique tone and feel.

4. Everybody Hurts
R.E.M.

(No youtube available)

Ever been stuck in a traffic jam and wonder what other people are thinking? Now you can know! In Everybody Hurts, REM makes a statement about conformism and the rat race of modern life and how we become prisoners of our own thoughts, unable to break through the societal boundaries around us. As the music progresses and the video nears its climax, it reaches an emotional peak which is hard to top when it comes to the medium of music videos.

3. Buddy Holly
Weezer

How much fun is this video? Spike Jones directs Weezer in a video which places them on the set of Happy Days. The special effects here are almost flawless and are reminiscent of those used in Forrest Gump. It may not necessarily have a message or a powerful statement, but then again neither does the song. Its a fun, fluff song with a wonderfully imaginative and fun video.

2. Sabotage
The Beastie Boys

Yet another Spike Jonze video. Sabotage plays out like a cheesy 70’s cop movie, and is highly entertaining as such. It is a video of pure fun; the music matches the action perfectly. Its light-hearted and certainly doesn’t take itself seriously. And its also one of the most memorable music videos to date.

1. Thriller
Michael Jackson

The ultimate music video, taking the genre to a whole new level. This John Landis directed mini-movie ended up being a 13-minute epic which redefined the purpose and grandeur of music videos. It may seem a little dated now to some, but it has managed to draw legions of fans and is the grand-daddy of all music video.

When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone,
When you’re sure you’ve had enough of this life, well hang on
Don’t let yourself go, ’cause everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes

Sometimes everything is wrong. Now it’s time to sing along
When your day is night alone, (hold on, hold on)
If you feel like letting go, (hold on)

When you think you’ve had too much of this life, well hang on

‘Cause everybody hurts. Take comfort in your friends
Everybody hurts. Don’t throw your hand. Oh, no. Don’t throw your hand
If you feel like you’re alone, no, no, no, you are not alone
If you’re on your own in this life, the days and nights are long,

When you think you’ve had too much of this life to hang on
Well, everybody hurts sometimes,

Everybody cries. And everybody hurts sometimes
And everybody hurts sometimes. So, hold on, hold on

Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on
Everybody hurts. You are not alone

It’s time for the second installment of Song of the Day!  This one comes courtesy of R.E.M.’s “Everybody Hurts”.  I heard this song on the radio yesterday and was reminded, first of all, of how great R.E.M. is, but also, that the video to this song was filmed in my hometown, San Antonio.  It was the biggest and most exciting news of the day when R.E.M. came to San Antonio, except when you watch the video, you realize that they chose it because of how utterly terrible the traffic actually is at that point in the city.  Nevertheless, it’s a brilliant song, a great video, and now, it’s the Song of the Day!

So, come on people, share your “Everybody Hurts” stories, R.E.M. memories, or tell me your personal song of the day.

I really love emotional moments in TV and movies…

One of my favorite moments from tv happened many years ago on a show called “Felicity”… it was this classic dramatic moment when Noel locked himself in his dorm closed the curtains and listens to “everybody hurts by REM”  after a failed attempt at a relationship with Felicity

(since the show is so old there are no clips of this online …. )

But I digress, I think that glee is trying to steal away my affections of lonely noel with this more than depressing clip.

I’m sorry Noel… but Emma Pillsbury may win.

especially since she has way cute clothes.

♫LAUREN

Año de Publicación: 1992
Nacionalidad: EE.UU.
Discográfica: Warner Bros.
Producción: Scott Litt & REM

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Lista de temas:

01 Drive

02 Try Not To Breathe

03 The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight

04 Everybody Hurts

05 New Orleans Instrumental nº1

06 Sweetness Follows

07 Monty Got A Raw Deal

08 Ignoreland

09 Star Me Kitten

10 Man On The Moon

11 Nightswimming

12 Find The River

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“Everybody Hurts“

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“The One I Love” en vivo

… però penso a Dwight lo giuro eh.

Lo giuro.

Do you sometimes feel like you are the only person in the world who is crying, feels hurt, or is in pain? Do you feel like no one else is going through what you are experiencing? If it’s any comfort to you, know that you are not alone — everybody hurts. Some people just paste a smile on their face and go out into the world and act as if their life is perfect — or at least near perfect. Others have no problem letting the whole world know how bad they’ve got it. Some people are jealous of others because they think their lives are perfect and pain-free. One thing I’ve found to be true is that no one’s life is pain-free. It could be emotional or physical — pain is pain. Everyone has their own way of dealing with it. Years ago I remember I was upset about something and then I ran into two friends that same day who told me what was going on in their lives. I knew one friend had a twin brother who struggled with multiple sclerosis. Now his other brother had been diagnosed with the disease and was rapidly deteriorating. And on top of that his mother was diagnosed with cancer. The other friend was distraught because she just found out her husband had an affair. I remember thinking my situation wasn’t one I wanted, however, I thought their situations seemed worse. I knew I definitely wouldn’t want to be in their shoes. I don’t remember what was bothering me at the time. If I was to guess, I’d say work was stressing me out or my mother was in the hospital.

There was another incident when I was in my twenties that stuck with me. One day I had to ride the bus to work. I took my seat and was looking at the other passengers as they boarded the bus. I noticed a young woman who looked to be about my age. I remember thinking that she was pretty, dressed nice and probably had a husband who really loved her — and a perfect life. Not long after that one of the women I carpooled with said another woman would be carpooling to work with us for a little while. Well it turned out to be the same young woman from the bus. She was 27 years old, divorced, and was living in the basement of her parents house with her three young boys. Not living the perfect life I had assumed.

Whatever you are going through right now, know that you are not alone — nor are you the only person on this earth who is experiencing what you are experiencing right now. Everybody messes up, and sometimes people hurt the ones they love. Everybody hurts.

The next time you’re upset or hurting remember this story:

The Cross Room

The young man was at the end of his rope.

~ Author known to God ~

Here’s the song lyrics to “Everybody Hurts” by R.E.M:

When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone,
When you’re sure you’ve had enough of this life, well hang on
Don’t let yourself go, ’cause everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes

Well, everybody hurts sometimes,
Everybody cries. And everybody hurts sometimes
And everybody hurts sometimes. So, hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on
Everybody hurts. You are not alone

Iadul este atunci cand un avion de maxima siguranta, aflat la mii de metri altitudine, se defecteaza si apoi se prabuseste in mijlocul unui ocean, fara nicio putinta de a se salva.

Iadul a fost atunci cand cei 215 pasageri si cei 16 membri ai echipajului au inteles ca vor muri. Cat sa fi insemnat pentru ei? Au fost acele cateva secunde prea putine pentru a le trece prin fata ochilor intreaga viata, sau infinit prea multe pentru a suporta groaza si disperarea de a te simti murind? Cati dintre ei au inebunit de teama, cati au murit de inima, cati dintre ei au numarat secundele pana la impact si cati au reusit sa stranga mana cuiva, inainte de a muri? Cati dintre ei au plans, cati au tipat si cati au amutit, paralizati cu totul de groaza? Cati dintre ei au supravietuit prabusirii in apa si au murit inecati, cati si-au tinut rasuflarea, secunde dupa secunde, sperand intr-un miracol, pana cand adancurile i-au inghitit? Cati dintre ei nu aveau pe nimeni in lumea asta, astfel incat sa nu lase gol in sufletul nimanui? La ce s-a gandit fiecare, in acel moment? Cati dintre ei ar fi dat orice sa mai poate spune, o singura data, “te iubesc” sau “imi pare rau”?

Acele secunde de constientizare, apoi de dementa, inseamna Iadul.

Iadul este acolo unde Dumnezeu lasa sa se intample asemenea lucruri de neinteles.

When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone,
When you’re sure you’ve had enough of this life, well hang on
Don’t let yourself go, ’cause everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes

Well, everybody hurts sometimes,
Everybody cries. And everybody hurts sometimes
And everybody hurts sometimes. So, hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on
Everybody hurts. You are not alone…

Sometimes everything is wrong. Everyboby cries. And everyboby hurts sometimes.   If you feel like you’re alone, no, no, no, you are not alone… Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on… Hang on…

… Even there is no tomorrow.

Death has no meaning.

Ferice de cei care nu simt nimic afland aceasta intamplare, cei pentru care aceste cifre ale mortii raman simple statistici, fara a-i face sa se teama de nimic.

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Cata irosire in noi. Viata e asa de scurta, suntem atat de putin stapani pe secundele ei…

Following the delivery of my seminar about my current Honours project this morning (details coming soon… >watch this space< haha), I decided to reward myself by sprucing up my profile on madeit, creating a new banner and a fresh storefront!

On sale at my madeit site will be (to start with) my postcards (pictured below)….. and coming VERY soon.. a selection of felt badges, button bracelets, corsages etc. (at very el-cheapo prices, might i add)

Stay tuned for all-too frequent updates, amigos!

P.s. Would love to know anyone’s thoughts on the banner! It’s my first ever attempt at banner-ing.

Mi blog musical no sería mi blog si no estuviese esta canción…

Porque siempre queda la esperanza de que mañana sea un día mejor.

Last night, Public Enemy’s Chuck D dropped some knowledge at Harvard. Among the many insightful and brilliant things D had to say, one struck me in particular:

“People need to write books. People need to write more books, now, more than ever. Write books and the cream will rise to the top.”

That’s a bit of an abridged statement of what D said (I didn’t get the talk on tape), but that concept hit right home. The past year I’ve been attempting to publish my own book, and it’s gone slower than I’ve anticipated. Though there’s no definite publisher at the moment, I would like to announce that my work, America Is Just A Word: Post-Hardcore, Emo And American Culture will be published. Whether it’s done through a book publisher or if it will be self-published hasn’t been determined, but, in any case, the words I’ve created will find their way to some bound collection of paper in the near future.

Like this blog, America Is Just A Word focuses on the world of emo, but from a multi-faceted angle. Rather than providing a straight-forward narrative of the bands, individuals, and songs that shaped the genre from its early roots into its mainstream limelighters, America Is Just A Word focuses on emo from the perspective of its connection to and reflection of American culture. Comparisons between artists and American literary figures, cultural critics, and societal concepts are drawn, observed, and left open to interpretation. Unlike the two other popularly-produced books on emo (Andy Greenwald’s Nothing Feels Good and the joke guide to emo Everybody Hurts), America Is Just A Word doesn’t crucify the word emo for a stereotypical and easy-to-use term for commercial use and popular representation. Rather, the book carefully observes the changes in definition, the concepts surrounding the genre, and the ambiguities, contradictions, and idiosyncrasies that have informed emo for nearly twenty five years.

Needless to say, this book isn’t your usual “oral history” that seem to be published en mass lately. Not that there’s anything necessarily wrong with oral histories, but with some books, the creativity is nearly absent (though it certainly takes a lot of work to morph the words of others into a concise narrative and it’s certainly informed by those putting said narrative together). So, in the coming months, I hope to have updates about progress on the publication of America Is Just A Word: Post-Hardcore, Emo And American Culture. I’ve begun a Twitter account for means of getting word about the book out in another forum; in the coming months, expect to see additions to this blog that are connected to the book. And for those eager to see what my 33 1/3 book on The Promise Ring’s Nothing Feels Good may have looked like, you’ll be happy to know there’s an entire chapter/section devoted to the band, with a healthy amount of input from singer/guitarist Davey Von Bohlen.

There will be more info to come soon. Until then, keep reading this blog and checking Twitter for updates, and I’ll leave you with a video of the song that inspired the title of my book.

Fugazi – “Stacks” (Live in Louisville):

i’m having a time.