Channel 5 news review.

This will be a very short review, as the programme was okay but nothing much stood out as bad, and not much stood out as being particularly good. The anchor was stood up instead of being sat behind a desk. This is an issue for me; it's not modern to have the anchor nauseatingly wandering around the studio, this seems to be the next step beyond channel 4's more relaxed approach, but for me it's a step too far. The news should be entirely content based, so there isn't a need for the anchor to take centre stage, nor does it add to the experience in any way. It seems that this revolution in presentation also confused those behind the camera as after the adverts, there was an especially outstanding flaw where the camera showed a far off profile view of the anchor staring into the wrong camera, not only did this view appear, it lingered for an uncomfortable number of seconds. A feature that could have been avoided, had the anchor been behind a desk, or even stood still rather than wandering around the studio by themselves.

The flood story were good, not including the interview with the man supposedly stuck in his house, being interviewed from about twenty feet away, by the journalist who was stood on a garden wall! (this I haven't decided whether it was amusing or just a poor idea.) But other than that it was a good story. Perhaps a little long.

The rest of the programme was solid, the Yasser Arafat story was quite interesting, but everything else just washed over, nothing wrong with them, just a little boring.

More of a practise with fireworks than anything else.

My first attempt at using fireworks.

It’s hard to imagine now, but the bobbed hair cut was a revolutionary step away from the historically preferred longer hairstyle. As early as the 1890’s, forward thinking females have been noted wearing shorter hair, even though it wasn’t considered to be respectable. A good example of such a forward-thinker is the French actress Polaire, who in 1910 was noted as having “a shock of short, dark hair”. This theme continued through English aristocrat Lady Diana Cooper, hailed as one of the most beautiful women of her time, and dancer/ renowned trend setter Irene Castle who introduced her “castle bob” to a receptive American audience in 1915.

But it wasn’t until the early 1920’s that the bob cut was to become truly popular, under the influence of movie star, Louise Brooks. So much so, that barbers in many cities had women queuing outside, waiting to have years of hair growth removed. Brooks’ influence was such, that film writer Kenneth Tynan profiled her in his essay, “The Girl With The Black Helmet”, the title of which explicitly referencing her famous lack of hair. However, the bob, whilst in fashion during this period, was also a step toward the practical as, during the First World War, women were required to work more laborious jobs, where long Edwardian hair would have beeen understandably irritating.

By the mid 1920’s, the bob was the dominant women’s haircut of the Western world, although, even as early as 1922, the Times fashion reporter was suggesting that the style was passé. However, it wasn’t until the 1930’s that the bob’s popularity declined and women started to grow their hair again, and such was the impact of Brooks’ bob that the hairstyle is claimed as one of the most influential hairstyles in history, by many fashionable publications.

The Milk - Tales From theThames Delta - Album Review.

Image Courtesy of Chuff Media.

Starting strong with ‘Broke up the family’ the listener is plunged straight into solid rock sound, reminiscent of Paul Weller in parts, with an upbeat feel that distracts from what sounds like personal lyrics.

Whilst the rock influence remains throughout the album, it gives way to an intriguing Ska vibe, especially with the lead guitar, which lifts an already feel-good sound. This becomes apparent as soon as the second track emerges from the mix, (another feature to notice is how well the tracks are put together, making it an album experience, rather than just a list of tracks) bringing with it a backing of brass, which adds to the soulful Ska sound.

The infused Ska and Rock sounds are then blended with the soulful singing of lead vocalist Rick Nunn, whose unique voice really helps to differentiate The Milk’s sound from being an alright band, to something really enjoyable.

 

Stand-out tracks:

A very well produced album which impresses start to finish, with bluesy lyrics and a refreshing mixture of musical influences, makes for a hard choice when picking the stand out tracks. But here goes:

(All I Wanted Was) Danger – 3^rd track on the album opens in a soulful manner enforcing foot tapping upon the unwary listener – viral to say the least.

Mr Motivator – The cleverly personified motivational issues that define any night out – This track is sure to influence your own Mr Motivator in a good way.

B-Roads – This one really shows off Nunn’s vocal capabilities – Its gotta lotta soul!

Every Time We Fight – An explosively euphoric chorus you’ll wish went on forever – This one has single written all over it.

Chip The Kids – Fantastic sentiments explored throughout – Don’t let The Man get you down!

 

You’ll like this if..

This one is for those who like a bit of Motown, with soulful vocals, also reaching out to those who enjoyed the likes of the late Amy Winehouse. But don’t let that deter those of a more indie rock disposition as this ticks those boxes as well. - A very good album.

Sea of Bees @ The Railway 16/11/12

Julie Baenziger - Sea of Bees.
Image Courtesy of Paul Bevan. Twitter: @paulbevan

Had my first chance to visit The Railway on Saturday, which, if you haven’t been, is an intimate venue near Winchester train station. The gig itself was in a backroom called The Barn, and I found it to be a pretty decent venue, great for seeing good bands close up, although, be careful of your attire as the heavy use of ultraviolet light can be very exposing.

Which brings me to the gig itself, starting at 8pm the first band (Electric Eden) had an awkward opening due to about 3 people having arrived at that point. As a three piece with a violinist, double bassist and a guitar player who also played the bass drum on a foot pedal, they were a novelty, and whilst their warm folky tunes, with which they opened, were pretty good, as they moved on it became apparent that they were trying to emulate Mumford and Sons (they even covered one of their songs), which is unfortunate, because Mumford and Sons are soulless, corporate wetbags and should never be emulated. The gig carried on in this lyrically cheesy sort of manner until the last song, which really took me by surprise; it was one of their own and with a quite comical (in a good way) reggae style breakdown, they brought back the glimpses of folky potential shown in the early stages of their set. Electric Eden finished on a high, showing potential, although, it most certainly hasn’t been realised yet. My recommendation: Don’t seek them out by any means, but don’t be sad if they show up on the set list either.

The next band to take the stage were a pretty plain band that were reminiscent of The Calling, that early noughties (awful word) pop rock band that did ‘Wherever you will go’. So if you’re a fan of generic early noughties pop rock, then they might have been the band for you, otherwise, a bit bland. My recommendation: If it’s cheap, and you have a soppy sort of taste in music from the early 2000’s then sure, why not!

The real surprise of the night was Barbarossa, setting up on stage with 3 keyboards and a midi table (from what I could see) with a drummer discreetly to the side, James Mathe a.k.a. Barbarossa took the now well populated crowd by storm. The talent shown in his playing of multiple instruments was obvious, and in a style that included minimal house beats, yet still retained an emotive quality that really connected with the audience, especially the track bloodlines, which brought a silence over the crowd in attendance, a noumenal moment if you will. I recommend this one to anyone who likes the likes of Thom Yorke or Bon Iver, with whom Barbarossa shares likenesses. A real gem live, the music doesn’t seem as good when researching his tracks online, which is not a dismantling of his music, but a testament to his superb live performance. My recommendation would be: If you get the chance, go and see Barbarossa. I’m sure he’ll be showing up in high places.

We then come to the headliners, I’d heard a couple of Sea of Bees songs a few years ago, wizbot being the track that stuck out at the time, but what greeted me was not the quiet solitary acoustic set that I had expected, but a far more polished and much more upbeat 4 piece Sea of Bees, which I suppose follows the same vein as their new album ‘Orangefarben’. They opened well, with Julie Baenziger’s wonderfully unique vocal style immediately showing why there is a fuss building up around their music. The crowd also immediately took to Baenziger’s warm and somewhat intoxicated banter, adding to the cosy experience. The real surprise for me was the energy with which the band performed, creating the first scenes of mass dancing that had occurred all night. The intriguingly uncommon sound that the Sea of Bees manages to create is one that is being increasingly acknowledged, and it’s unsurprising, their sound is fresh, and it wouldn’t surprise me to find them playing their quirky indie-folk at much bigger venues in the near future. My recommendation: Don’t even think about it, just do it, you will not regret it. Great fun.

The time we interviwed Carl Barat.

Carl Barat Interview

Mostly utilitarianism.

Jeremy Bentham on Utilitarianism.

As a Utilitarian, Bentham felt that humanity naturally seeks to maximise pleasure/happiness. That is to say pleasure or happiness as the individual perceives it, rather than an Aristotelian or Platoian definition, which Bentham thought unnecessary.

Bentham, rather than concentrating on the meaning of the terms used, sought to discover how we decide which pleasure to choose and how we assign merit to each. From this research, Bentham came to the conclusion that individuals apply, what he called, the ‘felicific calculus’.

Felicific calculus involves analysing the potential intensity, length, certainty and immediacy of pleasure or pain created by each choice. However, this internal calculation doesn’t end there; once we have analysed the characteristics of the aforementioned pleasure or pain, we also judge the fecundity and purity of a pleasure.

Fecundity is the analysis of the potential of a subsequent series of pleasures following the initial decision, an example of which being attendance in further education, as we go with the intention social and educational experience that should cause pleasure. However, the acquisition of a degree will also mean an increase in employment options as well as potentially leading to a higher salary.

The purity of a pleasure is measured through the likelihood that the initial pleasure will be subsequently followed by a series of pains. A good example of which being the partaking in intercourse, which could lead to the contraction of a sexually transmitted disease. Therefore, a pure pleasure is one without any negative consequences.

Whilst an individual uses the felicific calculus to analyse the potential pleasure of a decision or action, in order to apply this to politics or society, we must use what Bentham calls ‘extension’. Simply put, extension is taking into account the potential pain or pleasure caused by an action, but on a larger scale, so a government uses extension when contemplating change in national law, anticipating the effect it will have upon the population as a whole.

Flaws in Bentham’s system.

‘The greatest happiness of the greatest number’ is an evocative phrase, but it is ambiguous (unless by ‘number’ it’s meaning is to consider all those affected by an action). ‘The greatest number’ of what? Utilitarian’s since Bentham have been divided. It is likely that Bentham would have said that it is the greatest number of human beings, although most modern utilitarian philosophers would now consider animals as having the right to be included. An example of which being recent animal rights laws and charities such as the RSPCA.

The consideration of animal welfare seems appropriate under Bentham’s system, as the sensation of experiencing pain and pleasure is the main moral criteria considered and science has shown that animals do indeed feel pleasure and pain, so it seems that animals are facilitated by the theory. Although Bentham rejected the idea of animal rights.

Another question that can be raised is who should control this system? Although the answer is a matter of opinion based more on politics than ethics. That being said, the current control is the monetary system, with those of a wealthier nation or upbringing receiving the highest potential for pleasure.

Beyond this, if an individual is bound to serve their own happiness, how can anyone be expected to maintain the extended ramifications? Theoretically democracy should fill this void, by bringing together the individual felicific calculus’ to find a solution to better suit everyone, however, in modern society this continues to prove difficult for humanity.

John Stuart Mill.

Mill agreed with criticisms of Bentham, that making decisions entirely based upon pleasure is animalistic , however, Mill then argued that humanities ability to differentiate and rank pains and pleasures as well as predicting the consequences of actions is what ultimately separates the Utilitarian ideal from being animalistic.

Mill also states that dignity has an effect upon our happiness, due to a lack of appreciation for most pleasures if our dignity is taken. Although, whether or not dignity is merely a label for a complexity of actions causing a specific form of happiness.

Schopenhauer on the Will and Renunciation.

Schopenhauer’s ‘The world as Will and Representation’ sees the individual as only individual in their perception of the Will or everything in and of itself, but states that we are still under the influence of the Will in our actions.

Schopenhauer believed that our free will is an illusion. We think ourselves free to choose on the basis that we unknowingly come across decisions, yet Schopenhauer states that this is merely that our perception, limited within time, cannot understand the infinite perception of the Will.

Schopenhauer expands on this in relation to the individual character:

Intelligible character: This is Schopenhauer’s ‘reality’ – the infinite portion of ourselves, directly linked with the Will and in complete control of our actions.

Empirical character: The part of us that analyses our living experience of the Will.

Acquired character: A part of the self, only reclaimed through the renunciation of our desire to live. The Acquired character must be learned through the understanding of the individual nature and limitations, tailoring their ambitions accordingly.

Schopenhauer believes that there is no escape from the Will, only an increased understanding of it through the development of Acquired character.

Schopenhauer also defines good and bad people:

The good man: Recognises others’ Will to live, but not their own.

The bad man: Recognises only their own Will.

The just man: Individuality doesn’t partition them from others, they recognise their own Will on the same level as others’.

Nietzsche and the Transvaluation of Values.

Nietzsche saw the call to Christianity as without reason, but unlike Kierkegaard (‘So much the worse for mere reason’), Nietzsche saw reason as the enlightening path: ‘so much the worse for the call to Christianity’. He saw Christianity as the rebellion of the lower classes, turning the aristocratic stereotype that they were vulgar, cowardly and untruthful and turning it on its head, setting up their own value system valuing traits such as humility, sympathy and benevolence, which benefit them. Christianity in Nietzsche’s view, sought to set the aristocracy as characteristically bad. Nietzsche said that Christianity put itself forward as a religion of love , yet it was based in weakness, fear and malice. However, he felt that the strongest characteristic was ‘ressentiment’ which he defined as the desire of the weak to take revenge on the strong, but they disguised this as a wish to punish the sinner. Even in exalting compassion, Nietzsche believes that they are exerting power over them.

Nietzsche thought Christianity was so sinister that it degraded the human race  through humiliating sufferers through pity; infecting a compassionate person with the suffering of others. From this, Nietzsche felt that we should allow the weak to perish so that they, or humanity might better themselves. It is these theories and his close relationship with Wagner that has caused critics to affiliate him with Nazi Germany.

Likening to a later Karl Marx, Nietzsche applied a Hegelian dialectic, with master and slave forming the thesis and antithesis to form a superhuman or Ubermensch. These supermen would become the next stage in humanity.

‘Humanity is something that must be surpassed: man is a bridge and not a goal’.

Analytic Ethics.

Opposed to Nietzsche, G.E.Moore’s Principia Ethica (1903) doesn’t see ethics as involving the development of the species, and sees good as the topic of ethics. How is good to be defined? Before we can act, we must define good, and it is good that we must try to create in abundance according to Moore.

The naturalistic fallacy was confusing good as a natural property. Nor is it to be associated with pleasantness; however it can be a property of natural things. Moore believed that the only non-natural things that were intrinsically linked with good were friendship and aesthetic experience.

Moore’s work was influential with the Bloomsbury group, in particular; Keynes, Lytton Strachey and F.M. Forster. They thought of Principia Ethica as a charter for lifestyle, throwing away the norm of respectability and rectitude.

However, the rise of Logical Positivism meant that philosophers doubted and even denied ‘good’ as a property at all. A.J. Ayer said that ‘Stealing money is wrong’ holds no factual meaning, as it is neither true nor false. It is instead an expression of their individual moral disapproval.

R.M. Hare wanted ethics to be included in logic, believing that there is logic of imperatives no less than a logic of assertion. Hare distinguished between prescriptive and descriptive meaning:

Prescriptive statement: telling oneself or another, often in conjunction with a descriptive statement, what they ought to do based upon moral inclination.

Descriptive statement: One relying upon factual conditions in order to be true.

Like Hume, Hare was of the opinion that you cannot derive an ought from an is. He sought to distinguish ethics from morals; ethics being the study of morals, and morals actions based upon ones ethics. However, Hare is overly concerned with the way in which we define the term ‘good’. We apply good with different meaning in different contexts, so attempting to pin a singular meaning to it is futile.