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Today’s meditation: ... read more »

Courtni Webb, one of your 17 year old high school students, is now facing the possibility of being expelled from your school after writing a poem about the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. In the poem Courtni wrote she understood why someone like Adam Lanza might do what he did. She wasn’t agreeing with it, but in her poem said she understood the oppression in society that could cause such a tragedy. ... read more »

Written in 1995 when I was in my second year of my undergraduate degree, I wrote this essay about Rodney King, the LA riots, and the role of the media. I thought it was apt to upload it here today, on the day of Rodney King’s death.

http://westengland.academia.edu/ShawnSobers/Papers/1732932/THE_DAY_ANGELS_WEPT_Ideology_Television_and_Rodney_King

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I read with interest that Lenny Henry is to embark on a PhD researching into the representation of Black people in the media (see BBC article here).  25/30 years ago Lenny WAS the representation of Black people on UK television, so a big part of his thesis must surely be employing the methodology of vulnerable anthropology and autoethnography, which sees ... read more »

If there’s one thing that the late Malcolm McLaren was an advocate of, it was the DIY approach to producing culture. He was also someone that had an eye for cutting edge bits of (underground) culture that he saw around him, and packaged them to create wider audiences. I was never a punk (I was only 5 in 1977), but in the 80s when my school mates were into the Sex Pistols, I was listening to early hip hop (Electro albums, Afrika Bambatta, etc), but I feel they shared a common ethos of DIY culture – if you’re being ignored, then create your own noise. ... read more »

BBC website asked for comments about the cover of Tony Blair’s forthcoming  autobiography (due to be published in September).  Nick Porter commented; ... read more »

I’ve just finished watching the first episode of ’Famous Rich & Homeless’ on BBC1.  On seeing the title of course I was sceptical - five ‘celebrities’ pretending to be homeless for a few nights wasn’t my idea of in-depth investigation and sincerity.  It just sounds wrong, crass, cringe worthy, and a symbol of everything that is wrong with television documentary.  Though I have to admit on watching it, I found it was an extremely powerful programme and the f ... read more »

No it hasn’t.  Nearly, but not quite.  Shame. ... read more »

Nothing more to say about this one really, this clip says it all! ... read more »