Our Country of Children

All the talk on the morning news was about government ideas about powers to shut down social media during our next round of riots. Or, I suppose, whenever they feel it necessary.

I'm going to go ahead and assume this is a "much ado about nothing" situation, even though both television and radio news were talking of little else. Just because I can't imagine this is at all a serious consideration, but rather some press making a big deal out of Cameron's throwaway comments. I hope...?

In any case that fact that anybody in government even considered the option of shutting down social media (or any form of media) during emergencies is a clear sign that these people have little or no understanding of, well, virtually anything. I mean, they might have wonderful stamp collections, or grow magnificent aubergines, but they know little about why and how people communicate.

You don't have to like Twitter to accept that other people DO like it, and use it. For me it worked wonders during the riots breaking news about areas that were starting to look dangerous, what was happening where, and most important of all: in organising the riot clean up.

Or as I would have said when I was in high school: "Duh!"

Or, once again, Westminster looks out of its windows and sees not a nation of citizens, but a playground of children, who must be treated and dealt with accordingly.

Giving artists the exposure they deserve

I bring to you the rhymes of one Bob Gebhardt, find him on twitter, if you dare:

Poor old dictator Qadaffi,
His big family’s now cut in half, he
Can’t find Seif
Or even his wife…
She left with his pet duck named Daffy.

"you're going to embarrass your mother"

The London Riots (so-called, also known as London shopping free for all) have had me thinking about Bill Cosby's "Pound Cake" speech.

I wanted a piece of pound cake just as bad as anybody else. And I looked at it and I had no money. And something called parenting said if get caught with it you're going to embarrass your mother. Not you're going to get your butt kicked. No. You're going to embarrass your mother. You're going to embarrass your family.

But the book stores are fine?

Lucky escape. The so-called London rioters must have just been on their way to raid the shelves of the nearest Waterstone's when the police stormed in. Don't you think so?

Like Senior Year, Only Funner

Because too much high art can be a bad thing, I tempered last week's ROH Swan Lake with this week's Savoy Theatre Legally Blonde - the musical.

Which was better?

It's a toss up.

The opening number is called "Oh my God, you guys!" which, let's face it: is funny.

The musical flows very well, with a good script, it's a pick-me-up-with-real-dogs-on-stage-knee-slapping-laugh-out-louder. I mean hey: Legally Blonde, with a Greek chorus? Brilliant.

The winning number - one of the best musical numbers I have seen in a long time: Is he gay or European.

22 Years Ago

I am officially old enough to remember something that happened that long ago, which was the last time I saw my friend Scramasax77. That's not his real name, his parents didn't hate him.

Heaps of fun having lunch with him today!

And he points to this review of a good concert.

Duck Pond and Goose Puddle

So Swan Lake was, I have to admit, striking.

I am not the ballet fan - funny enough - in my house. Giuseppe rather has been wanting to see a ballet at the Royal Opera House for a while now, ever since we happened upon tickets to the Bolshoi in Moscow. It sparked an interest for him. I, on other hand, always said that if I was going to spend money on ROH tickets, it would be for opera (which I love).

But we have been to see a few operas there, and what with leaving London soon (and me having a slightly better understanding of ballet, now that I do it a little), I caved.

And who wouldn't after all: this was opening night of the ballet season, showing Swan Lake performed by the Mariinsky Theatre, who basically re-created Swan Lake as we know it.

The staging was beautiful, that I will say. Odette/Odile was quite sincerely un-imaginable: she looked like dancing perfection. My other favourite was Benno (I think - dressed as a joker?).

All truth be told, though: I would have shaved an hour off the whole thing.

Update:

Everybody to whom I mention Swan Lake has asked if Giuseppe managed to sit through the whole thing. It's interesting to me how people can know us so well, and yet social stereotypes maintain the ruling ground.