shell on earth

what happens when one of the world's largest and most forceful companies wants something? well, they usually get it. now, that's not a particularly new concept but how they get their way has become an increasingly important issue. not that it shouldn't have been important before but, arguably, with the rise of CSR as a promotional marketing tool it is the companies themselves who have pushed their eco-friendly, local consulting values to the fore. but what about the people these companies have affected? all too often they get washed away by the corporate spin cycle. forgotten, overlooked and left to deal with the aftermath alone.

in the coming months there will be a landmark case (and hopefully a landmark decision) in the us that will see shell indicted for human rights abuses in nigeria. the background to the story is horrific. working in step with a brutal and greedy military regime, shell sought to advance their stronghold on african oil reserves by eliminating the problems that stood in their way. people.



would this case have come to light 10 or even 5 years ago? maybe not. probably not. and this, for me, highlights what the internet, social media and user generated content should really be used for. to shine a light on the darkest corners of the world and to provide them with a form of justice we so often take for granted. in the same way that Nick Út and Le Phuc Dinh's iconic images in vietnam opened our eyes to the grim reality of the us actions, social media can empower the world at large to deliver it's own verdict.

don't just say no

it's monday morning and the news is dominated by last night's election results for the european parliament. as was the case with the local elections, from earlier this week, labour have returned some of their worst results in the post-war era (the second world war that is. not the iraq war. or any other war we're currently fighting. probably pointlessly).

i wanted to write about the current crop of elections last week but thought i'd see what the results turned up, before committing myself to virtual paper (and looking like an idiot). the major talking point has been the rise in popularity of the bnp and ukip. and it's a fear that seems to have been well founded - ukip are now the second largest party in the uk (by local council) and the bnp have secured significant ground on both a local and european level, winning their first mep seat. why?

i think it's an overeaction to think we have suddenly become a nation of racist, zenophobic fascists but, whatever the reason, we should be very careful. without being completely hysterical, it is a fact that the nazi's never once held a majority yet were still able to create the most hideous, terrifying situation in the modern world.

the results are interesting in that, whilst labour has sustained some serious damage, the gain has not been made by either of the two major parties. both the conservatives and liberals have maintained their share without necessarily increasing it.

so, it seems that a reaction against the whole of westminster in the wake of the expenses scandal has taken it's toll on all major parties. i also feel that apathy is another major reason for the results. people's disillusionment with politics in general has seen the extremist voters carry more weight. they didn't do anything directly to deserve those votes.

apathy is an interesting point though. in the build up to the elections their seemed to be a very strong anti-bnp movement - it was the biggest trending topic on twitter (#thebnparetwats etc) and produced a wave of other activities such as protests, demonstrations, posters and videos (including this clever 'love music, hate racism' effort).



but, in this modern world of internet and instant communications, is it easy too easy to be an arm chair commentator? if you're that passionate (and i, unfortunately, include myself in this group) then why didn't you turn up and vote. where it counts. on a ballot paper. not on youtube.

(more to follow. gotta get back to work!)

snatch wars

there have been plenty of 'mash-ups' doing the rounds on dailymotion, youtube and various other ugc sites in the last few years. like everything in life, some are good, some are bad - but in this case some are downright bloody brilliant.

think it's a combination of the subject matter (like most boys my age i love star wars - and i do mean to use the word boys in that sense), top quality production and editing work and the juxtaposition of darth vader talking in a cockney accent. no fanks emporer, i'm sweet enuff.

improv improv everywhere

just stumbled across this video about a guy called charlie todd who devises random acts of improv with his group, improv everywhere. i'm clearly a bit slow on the uptake as he has been doing this for eight years now but it's nice to be reminded how a simple idea can help you to look at the world in a different way.

that's why i love randomness. it breaks the routine and alters the world around you. and that, in turn, helps you notice it again.

you do voodoo?

i have been thinking about how to open this post up for quite some time now but to be honest i have slightly lost my way. lots about dark and devious corners of mind, enjoying some quite sinister music and being intrigued by evil things (whilst still unable to watch horror films).

so, basically there is a brilliant video i found by joaquin baldwin called sebastian's voodoo. evil in its subject but at the same time very touching and sweet. then i was thinking about voodeux, signed to claude von stroke's new label mothership, whose debut album comes out in july. they make dark, disturbing techno with a creepy, bumping bassline. you can see where this is going so less chat from me, more watching and listening for you.





i would say it's a shocking combination in a cackling, scary voice but even i'm not that obvious. or able to project my voice through your computer. now that would be scary.

stop motion

still on the theme of music videos, i've been really enjoying the recent comeback of stop motion animation. it's such a simple, albeit painstakingly slow, way to make beautiful videos.

this is one of my favourites from a band called firekites. the track is 'autumn story' (click on the track name to download the song for free).

music + film

equals two of my favourite things. there seems to have been an emerging trend recently for 'big' hollywood directors to return to their roots and to direct music videos again . . . which is an especially good thing when the videos in question are by two of my favourite directors.

david lynch has directed the video for moby's new track 'shot in the back in the head' (available free to download on his site) . . .



whilst spike jonz has lent his talents to produce a video of staggering simplicity and beauty for an old UNKLE track 'heaven' . . .



enjoy.