It is my birthday! To celebrate, I am going to party like it's...oh you know. Anyway, to keep you reading here is a photo and the link to the graffiti in the East End of London where an artist named Eine has painted block letters of the alphabet. Very cool. The link is actually to Dave Gorham's Flickr account.

If you lived here you'd be home by now
Featuring Stanley Donwood

Exhibition Dates: Fri 15th of June - Sat 14th of July

New etchings and paintings by Stanley Donwood. Artist and designer Stanley
Donwood has gained worldwide recognition for his work on the album and poster art for Radiohead, and will be showing his most recent work at Lazarides Gallery, London.

Glastonbury

I went to the Glastonbury Festival this past weekend. I had a brilliant time!!
It was great. The bands, the rain, the mud, the bonding, it was all good.

The Arcade Fire were by far the best. They were absolutely amazing. They kept running around and switching instruments and properly rocking out.

I also saw Bjork, the Killers, Modest Mouse, the Kaiser Chiefs, The Go!Team, Dame Shirley Bassey, (heard Chemical Brothers), and some others that I am blanking on at the moment. I wanted to see Carl Cox on the Sunday night but it was pouring with rain so people were either at the Who or the remainders wanted to stay in the tent. I could have gone alone but it was a solid 45 minutes of walking in the mud and rain and to go by myself didn't seem good. So, I just sat in the tent and listened to the Chemical Brothers. They were amazing as per usual.

It was wonderful. The whole thing. I kinda even got into the survivalist mode. You know? Whe you leave your tent and you are not sure when you are returning to it. So, you try to squish the most basic but elemental things in your bag. Tissues, toothbrush and tooth paste, a granola bar, bottle of water, money and cell phone. Oh, and the schedule of course!!

I so want to go again next year.

Soldier Take Warning

Dali made this painting to warn the soldiers against venereal diseases during the second world war.
I thik it is beautiful. I love the skull, the green; the most wonderful VD warning poster. If only there was license for posters nowawdays to be like this.

Off to Glastonbury today and in true fashion it is forecast for rain, light rain, showers and thunderstorms for the next five days. Oh, join. I am going to be cold, tired and wet. I certainly hope this festival is as fun as everyone says it will be.

La la la Cha cha cha!

My brother just sent me an email. I thought it was hilarious. Thought I would share.

I have a boss from North Carolina (or as he calls it, Nort Cack a lacky) who makes $65k more a year than me. When he arrived 8 months ago, he was given a computer and he called me into the office and asked me how to turn it on. It was an HP. I said, "Barney, you push the circular button that says, 'ON'."
I got a call about 15 minutes later and he asked me, as he read it from a paper, "what is this MI-CROW-SAWFT-AWW-FISS?" I proceeded to instruct my superior on the finest in late 20th century computer technology. A crash course which ended up being the functionary equivalent of teaching a mastadon advanced physics.
At the end the of a few days, Barney was Googling the word, "tits" like a professional. He looked up at me with his bloodshot eyes and said, "I dun good, ain't I." And I, as any proud father returned, "Yes, Barney, you've done well."

Okay, I am sitting here in the office sniffling and head throbbing. It is quite uncomfortable. Thank goodness it is refrigerated in here or I would really be in trouble.

It is my own fault. I got a veggie curry for lunch. No worries there. It was delicious but not that spicy. So, I added a little dry chili. Why, God, why? Why did I have to get arrogant in front of the chili lords? Now they are punishing me.

I feel slightly sick as if I could vomit if I made myself, but terrified of the prospect of revisiting the Hades that is currently living in my stomach, I decide against it.

Every movement is slow and decisive. The feeling that even typing too quickly could cause a horrible reaction is sitting on my shoulders.

I am okay, I am okay, I am okay. The mantra is repeated in my head. I know I will be okay in a matter of minutes as soon as this passes. I just need to find something to distract me until then. Blogging is obviously not working. Hmmm...

Celebrity gossip. Yes, there must be some update on Brittany Spears or Paris Hilton somewhere out there. I will find it!!

Air quality by SMS

Eric Paulos of Intel Research has launched an SMS system for mobile phone users in the US to learn about the quality of the air around them. Called Ergo, the system uses data from the US Environmental Protection Agency's airnow.gov site and Weatherbug.com. The number to text is 415.624.6678 and here's a a summary of the commands:

If you text...

* a 5 digit zip code = you receive the most recent air quality reports for that area (ex. 94704)
* the word worst = you receive the worst three locations in the US as currently reported (ex. worst)
* daily zip time = you receive a report every day at the specified time for the given zip code. The time should be in 24-hour format and uses the time zone associated with the zip code given. (ex. daily 10011 1300) for daily air quality for New York City at 1pm Eastern Time
* daily worst time = you receive a report every day at the specified time of the worst air quality in the United States. The time should be in 24-hour format and interprets the time as Pacific Time Zone. (ex. daily worst 0900) for daily report of worst air quality at 9am Pacific Time

Went to the head of our partner organisation's house. It was a good night. Well, mostly a good night until her husband asked me to give my frank opinion of George Bush. In case you hadn't figured it out, I am a bit more liberal in my ideas. So, I thought I gave a fair but negative perspective of the President. That was a bad move. Apparently, he is a huge Bush supporter. Ahem. Well, there was a bit of an awkwardness and I tried to ask him probing questions such as why he felt that way.

He said it was because Bush did things like take on the Taliban. AHHHH! You are joking. Yesterday, the International Red Cross Cresent organisation released a study saying civilian life is even worse in Afghanistan than a year ago. I had to act polite but still wanted to get my point across that in many ways the US was obligated to address the Taliban as they created the Mujahideen in the first place.

My favourite Gallery, Roq la Rue, had a new exhibit open on Friday entitled Venus. This is the description of the show:
Featuring contemporary artists from all over the country, the show is centered around the concept of the feminine as muse, in whatever form that may take. From gorgeous to ghastly, innocent to vampy, the female form has been the subject of art from prehistoric times to today. Each artists picked to participate has a history of primarily depicting the female form in their work.

This image is "Black Venus" by Isabel Samaras.

The Show runs through July 7th. Weee!

This weekend, we went to Hambantota and met with the Chambers of Commerce. We listened to what they are doing around a youth trust fund and then we presented to them what we wanted to around research in their area. It was a long day full of presentations and discussions but in the end, they agreed to help us with the project. Success!

Sunday morning, we went climbing up to some rock temples. It was a really nice adventure. We had to go earlier in the morning because of the intensity of the sun but still, even at 9:00 am, I managed to get some sun. Thank goodness I had been sensible and liberally applied SPF 15. I am a delicate flower, you see. ;)

Okay, so I am in SL at the moment. I left the main city and went to Hambantota for the weekend to meet with a partner organisation on a research project. Anyway, the point of the story is that I had stolen from me - condoms! Yes, condoms.

I carry them in my make up bag just in case. (Safety first and all that)

Anyway, I know that I had six in the bag because they are one strip and sadly, I haven't had sex in a LONG time. A LONG TIME.

Anyway, I came back to my room and went in the make up bag to get my toothbrush and noticed that three were gone. They stole some of my condoms!!

How unfair is that? I never get to use them myself but they are stolen from me. What about me? There was always potential. Someday...

oh, who am I kidding? They will come to better use here by random cleaning staff.

photo of an evicted woman from the BBC wesbite.

I am in Sri Lanka at the moment. Don't know if you are aware but the SL Government yesterday took Tamils (several hundred) and forced them on buses and drove them into the middle of the country dropping them off. It is unbelievable! They claimed that these people had possible connections to the Tamil Tigers but most of them were women, children and older people. Their selection criteria were unemployed people.

Luckily, it received international attention and the relocations were halted by the Supreme Court but now they are just intimidating people and "encouraging" them to leave. I think the situation is going to get worse before it gets better.

Wild Hogs
A truly dreadful film that I viewed on the plane ride to Sri Lanka. Best to be avoided apart from three scenes. At the Chili Fair, there is a stage set up. In three separate scenes, Kyle from Tenacious D is the entertainment. He sings such hits as "Don't Cha" by the Pussy Cat Dolls. The singing and the imagery (he lifts up his Hawaiian shirt and rubs his bottom while tempting the audience) is delicious. It actually made me want to get my hands on a copy when it is on DVD to see if there is an extended outtake of just him and his numbers. Oh, why couldn't have Wild Hogs just been about Kyle and his stage show?

The London Book Project

Description: Sick and tired of the freesheets? Numbed by rubbish reporting? So are we. The London Book Project is a free book exchange on a massive scale. Using the London Underground as a high speed distribution network, we aim to bring real literature to London's commuters. Scrap the freesheets - read a free book instead! Over the next two weeks we'll be distributing thousands of second hand books across the tube and we want YOU to get involved. If you see one of our books, please pick it up! Then read it and replace with any book of your choice. Let's make the tube a giant, free library and put the freesheets out of business once and for all. Meanwhile, log on to our website to find out more about the London Book Project and some REAL reporting about the world's most diverse capital city.

More and More

I am going to Glastonbury,
I am going to Glastonbury

And they have announced the bands performing...

Acid Jazz
Adam F
Adam Freeland
Adele
Adem
Adjagas
Africa Express
African Skies
AIM
Akala
Aliens
Aliji
Allaby
Alloy Mental
Amp Fiddler
Amp Fiddler
Amy Macdonald
Amy Winehouse
Andy C
Andy Cato
Annie Mac
The Annuals
Aqualung
Arcade Fire
Arctic Monkeys
Asian Dub Foundation Sound System
Atomic Hooligan & Jay Cunning
Aural Imbalance
The Automatic
Ava
Avalonian Free State Choir
B
Babyhead
Babyshambles
Back to the Planet
Bandish Projekt
Bat For Lashes
Natty
The Bays
Beardy
The Bees
Beirut
Bellowhead
Ben & Lex
Bench Connection
Ben Waters Band
Ben Westbeech
Biffy Clyro
Big Strides
Billy Bragg
Bimbo Jones
Bitesize
Bjork
Black Ghosts
Black Rats with Peaches Geldof (DJ)
Bloc Party
Blue Bullet
Bobby Friction
Bobby Kray and Dennis Bovell
Bonde Do Role
Bong Ra
Bootleg Beatles
Bourbon Warfare DJs
The Brakes
The Breakfastaz
Breaking the Illusion
Bright Eyes
The Broken Family Band
Bugz In The Attic
Buraka Som Sistema C
Cagedbaby
Cajun Dance Party
Calvin Harris
Carl Cox
Catch 22
The Cat Empire
Catherine Feeny
CCQ
Charlotte Hatherly
Chas 'n' Dave
Chemical Brothers
Cherry Ghost
Chesstar
Chicane
Chimanimani
Chumbawumba
Cicada
Circulus
Circus Star Cabaret
Coldcut
Coldwar Kids
The Coral
Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans
Corinne Bailey Rae
Cosmo
Crash My Model Car
Crazy P
The Cribs
CSS
CUD
D
Daddy G
Daisy Sweet Hearts
Damian Marley
Damien Rice
Dan Donnelly Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip
Danny Howells
Dan Spencer
Dave Clarke
David Saw
The Deadbeats
Destroyers
Detectives of Perspective
Devils Gun
Dhol Academy
Die and Clipz
Dirty Pretty Things
Discipulos de Otilia
Disco Ensemble
DJ Finn
DJ Forty Thieves
DJ Hal
DJ Monkey Pilot
DJ Tofowski
DJ Will Saul
DJ Zorro
Dragonette
D. Rameriz
Dreadzone
Dr Meaker
Dubdadda
Dub From Atlantis
Dub Pistols
Dubrovnik
Duke Special
Dumb Blonde
The Dylan Project
E
The Earlies
Eatstatic
Eatstatic Chilled Set
Echo
Ed Byrne
Ed Harcourt
Editors
Elektrons
El Presidente
Emily barker and the Red Clay Halo
Emmy the Great
Emporium featuring Bingo Karaoke
The Enemy
Envy Corps
The Epstein
Eric Bibb
Erol Alkan
Euros Childes
F
Fat Boy Slim
Fat Freddy's Drop
F**k Me USA
Fear Of Music
Fred and Benny
Feluka
Filthy Dukes
Findlay Brown
A Fine Frenzy
Fionn Regan
Flipron
Flynn and Flora
Foreign Beggers
Forty Thieves Orkestar
Four Tet
The Fratellis
Freq Nasty
Future Funk Squad
G
Gabriadelic
Gandolfi
Ganga Giri
Gaudi
General Midi & MC Jakes
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly
Gettin Better Sound System
Get Well Soon
Ghost
Gipsy.CZ
Glenn Tilbrook
The Glimmers
Gogol Bordello
Goldblade
Goldierocks (DJ)
Good Shoes
The Gossip
The Go! Team
Greg Dread and Spee
The Grim Northern Social
Gruff Rhys
Guillemots
Guilty Pleasures
Gus Gus
A Guy Called Gerald
H
Habakuk
Hadar
Hafdis Huld
Hayley Hutchinson
Healer Selecta
Hearin' Aid
Hedge Monkey
The Heights
Hexstatic
The High Wire
Hiromi's Sonicbloom
The Hold Steady
The Holloways
Holy F*ck
The Horrors
Hot Chip
Hothouse Flowers
The Hours
Breakfast with Howard Marks
Hummingbirds
Husky Rescue
Huw Stephens (DJ)
Hybrid
Hydrophonic
Hyper
I
Iain Ballamy
Iain Dub vs Addsineon
Iggy And The Stooges
Infadels Infinite Scale
Iration Steppas
It's Bigger Than
J
Jack L
Surgeon A/V Show
Jack Penate
Jail Guitar Doors
James Lavelle
James Morrison
Jamie Cato
Jamie Scott And The Town
Jamie T
Jeff Lang
Jerona Fruits
Jersey Budd
Jim Bob
Jim Masters
J Mountain
Joe Driscoll
John Fogerty
Jose Luis
Josh Pyke
Julie Fowlis
Jungle Drummer DJ Fu and Rodney P
Just Jack
K
The Kaiser Chiefs
Kasabian
Kate Nash Kava Kava
Keith James
Kenji Williams
Kharma 45
Kid Harpoon
Kila
The Killers
King Blues
King Creosote
Kissy Sellout
Kitty, Daisy and Lewis
Klashnekoff
The Klaxons
The Kleptones
K'Naan
The Kooks
Koop
Krafty Kuts
KT Tunstall
L
La Kinky Beat
Laura Marling
LCG Choir
Leon Jean-Marie
Liam O'Maonlai
Lily Allen
Liquid Djems
Liquid Ross
Lisa Hannigan
Little Barrie
The Little Ones
Liz Green
The Long Blondes
Look See Proof
The Loose Cannons
Los Campesinos!
Lou Rhodes
Luna Lis
M
Maccabees
Mad Professor
Magic Numbers
The Manic Street Preachers
Marcus Brigstocke
Marc Vedo
Mark Edwards Hard Rain Environmental Show
Mark Mandala
Mark Ronson Mark Steel, Nick Wilty, Steve Gribben and MC Rosie Wilbey
Mark Thomas
The Marleys
Martha Tilston
Martha Wainwright
Matt Black
Max Sedgley
Meat Katie and VJ anyone
Men in Masks
The Mentalists
Men They Couldn't Hang
M.I.A
Midival Punditz
Mika
Mirror System
Movimientos
Moya Brennan
Mr Bojangles Moustache
Mr C
Mr Hudson
Mr Hudson and the Library
Mr M
Mr Nice
Mr Scruff
Mrung
Mumm Ra
N
Naked Nick
Nasio Fontaine
Nasio Fontaine
National Youth Orchestra
Natty
neck
Neds Atomic Dustbin
Nerm
Neville Staples
The New Pornographers
Newton Faulkner
The Nextmen feat. MC Wrec and Zarif
Nick Lowe
Nick Warren
Nigel Mazyln Jones
Night of Treason
Noah And The Whale
The Noisettes
Noisia
No Lay
O
Oi Va Voi
Oojami Live
Ott
Ozric Tentacles
P
Palladium
Pama International
Paolo Nutini
Para One
Patrick Wolf
Pauline Scanlon
Paul Weller
Pee Wee Ellis with James Morton and The Rawness
Pendulum Live
Pete Ardron
Peter and the Wolf
Phil Hartnoll Presents Long Range
Phil Jupitus
Phil Kieran
Pigeon Detectives
Piney Gear
The Pipettes
Plaza De Funk
The Plump DJ's
The Poise Rite
Polichinelle
Positively Testcard
Pressure Sounds Sound System
P.R.O.D.
Q
Quantic
Quest
R
Radioactive Man Live
The Rakes
The Ralfe Band
Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band
Remi Nicole
Rennie Pilgrem & MC Chickaboo
Republic of Loose
Reverend and the Makers
Rhoda Dakar
Rhythmites
Richard Swift
Richie Havens
Rise Kagona and Champion Doug Veitch
Rob Da Bank and MC Beardyman
Robin and Bena Williamson
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Ross Copperman
Roullet Featuring Queen Bee and Parker
Ruarri Joseph
Rufus Wainwright
The Rumblestrips
The Rushes
Russ Jones 'The Hackney Globetrotter'
S
Salsa Class with Mo Flex
Sancho Panza
Sandi Thom
Sandra
Sargeant
Sasha
The Saw Doctors
Scotch Egg Band (Drumize)
Scott Matthews
Seasick Steve
Seth Lakeman
Shazia Mirza
Sheela Na Gig
Shirley Bassey
Shitmatt
Shlomo
Shoot The Moon
Show of Hands
Shpongle
Sh*tdisco
Shy Child
Simian Mobile Disco
Simon Atkinson and The Ben Marcato Trio
Simon Pieman
SingStar
Slovo
Smith and Mighty
Soil and Pimp Sessions
Soothsayers
Soweto Kinch
Soweto Kinch
Spiritualized - Acoustic Mainline
Stanton Warriors Steve Forbert
Steve Lawler
Steven Marley with guest Damian Marley
The Storys
Subgiant
Subsource
Sugadaddy
Sumaya
The Sunshine Underground
SuparNovar
Super Furry Animals
Swami Desi Rock
The Switches
System 7
T
Tacto Latino
Tall Will
Tarantism
Tayo
T Bone That Lazysunday DJ
Tim Deluxe
Timo Maas
Tinariwen
Tiny Dancers
Tiny Dancers
Tokyo Police Club
Tom / Mira
Tom Real V's The Rogue Element
Tony Benn
Toumani Diabate and the Symmetric Orchestra
Trente Moller Live
Tristan
Tron
Tunng
The Twang
U
Uberzone
U Brown and Eddie Piller
Uncle Buck
Unklejam
Urban Myth Club
V
Vertigo
Very be Careful
Vexd
The View
Vitalic
W
The Waterboys
We Don't Play
Western Soul
The Whip
White Rabbits
The Who
Willy Mason
Winding Stair
The Wombats
X
XX Teens
Y
Yoda
The Young Republic
Young Knives
The Young Punx
You Say Party We Say Die
Z
Zen Hussies
Zero DB
Zzz