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Pink Floyd fans will immediately recognise the title of this post as a lyric from The Wall. Writing poetry can sometimes be thought of as rather a dark art, even by those who regularly write prose. Although I enjoy writing, it’s not an area I’ve moved into – even though I’ve wanted to. I love reading poetry, appreciating the well-chosen turn of phrase that paints a picture that sends the mind into the wonderful world of the imagination. Come to think of it, isn’t that what all art seeks to do? The creators of music, paintings, sculptures (and the like) all seek to evoke responses in the mind and of the imagination!

Twitter (with its limit of 140 characters) lends itself to a genre of poetry identified by the hashtag #micropoetry – and today I was inspired by someone I follow on Twitter (whose poetry I find fascinating) to have a go. They are written quickly and can be composed anywhere – my first attempt was in the shower this morning:

The warm embrace of the water/the tingle of the shower gel/ready to face the day.

The others were composed while I was out and about, and posted online from my BlackBerry. Here they are (slight changes have been made so they scan better), do let me know what you think. You can use or reproduce them in the terms of my Creative Commons licence. Thanks.

Music blaring/lights flashing/shoppers rushing/tills ringing/people shouting/Jesus hiding.

Reindeer in a straw-filled pen/Skaters in an open rink/Salvation brass in a ring/…it must be Christmas!

Flowerbed of rubbish/discarded cardboard coffee cup/cigarette end in compost/acutely-angled ale can/symptomatic

Frozen penguins/hog roast/gourmet liquorice/mulled wine/Gregg’s pasty/random verse

xfactor/strictly/celebrity/bigbrother/ephemeral

Like so many people, I woke up this morning to the news that Osama bin Laden had been killed. Interestingly, in this age of social media, I read about it on my BlackBerry while checking Facebook and Twitter. While everyone had been thinking he was hiding in a cave in Afghanistan, he was actually found living in luxury in Pakistan! This, of course, raises quite a lot of political questions. One thing that I found unsettling was the celebratory scenes in America, celebrating his death in the streets is not going to further the cause of peace. But my main reason for this post is to highlight an excellent and well-balanced press release by the Muslim Council of Britain entitled ‘Now Let the Healing Begin’.

Farooq Murad, the Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, made the following statement on the reported death of Osama bin Laden:

“Few will mourn the reported death of Osama bin Laden, least of all Muslims. Many Muslims will reflect on the ten years that have passed in which our faith and our community have been seen through the prism of terrorism and security. The Muslim Council of Britain has consistently stood firm against terrorism and violence, and will continue to do so. His extremism has been responsible for the deaths of many people, including many Muslims around the world. The actions of his movement which have no basis in the teachings of Islam have led to the pursuit of unjust wars and untold suffering.

Today our thoughts must be with the families of all those who suffered in the terrorist attacks around the world as well as of thousands of innocent lives lost in the wars against terrorism. It is unfortunate that his assassination has deprived them of the opportunity to see him brought to justice in the court of law.

Al-Qaeda’s ability to sow discord and mistrust between Muslims and others has caused untold damage. We must restore our belief in human dignity and peace by ensuring that we stand firm against all forms of hatred, injustices and violence.”

This guest post comes from my good friend Thomas Mathie, aka @headphonaught on Twitter and elsewhere.

When John asked me to write about Independent Music… I automatically thought of all the indie bands that make up the (capital “I”… capital “M”) Independent Music scene: Oasis… Stone Roses… etc. Independent Music aka Indie is a genre… a style of music worthy of capitalisation… and not necessarily what I intend to talk about.

When I talk of independent music… I talk of the roots of what became Indie (genre)… when folks made music that was released independently of the major music labels. I also think of one of my favourite bands… Fugazi… who are renowned, at least to me, for their frugal DIY tours and fair price policies in the late 80s through the 90s to the present. It was their stance towards their fans that got me thinking about what I wanted to talk about: fairtrade DIY music.

The whole concept of fairtrade is knowing the producers of the product you are buying have been given a fair price for their product. When it comes to music… this is vitally important for me. For the most part… we are moving from the physical to a digital environment, when it comes to the distribution of music. I still buy Records and CDs… and hope HMV doesn’t close because they own FOPP and FOPP is my favourite recordshop chain.

But things are changing… and with this change… the barriers of entry have been lowered considerably for independent musicians. Sites like SoundCloud, Last.fm and Bandcamp give the opportunity for musicians to be heard. My personal favourite is Bandcamp… because you can stream the whole recording before you download it… the formats they offer are excellent (320kpbs as default – higher than iTunes) and their tagging allows for efficient exploration of music deemed similar to that which you are listening to. It’s ideal for the one-man-or-woman-band… low cost to enter… the ability to set a price or suggest to the buyer that they can “pay what you want”… the opportunity to get heard and, hopefully, make some money.

Thing is… however… Bandcamp isn’t enough to get the message out there. I find the majority of my music through recommendations from friends… predominately on Twitter. Folks like guitarist Matt Stevens or ambient soundscape creator James Fahy aka Ambienteer have built up a real community of people (of which I am proud to be part) using tools like Bandcamp and Twitter. I love their work, found out about it on Twitter and happily paid for it once I had had a good listen to it.

Matt and James are truly independent. They don’t have a record label. They aren’t backed by one of the Majors. They aren’t backed by one of the Indies either. They are one-man-bands. Take Matt, for example… to have no one inbetween works in his favour… Matt can deal directly with his fans… react quickly and genuinely promote himself as a truly authentic independent artist. He can sell his physical CDs via his Bandcamp page (or bigcartel, if he wanted to) at very reasonable prices… because he simply doesn’t have the overheads that the labels do. What’s more… he streams concerts via his Cafe Noodle site… and brings others in. He opens the door for others to participate.

The thing is… if you are like me… you do not object to paying £5 for one of his albums… because you have a real relationship with him. This is what the labels so desperately need but can’t get their heads around… the desire for a real relationship. Dealing direct with the artists, in this manner, removes the need for a label. In essence, Matt or James are their own labels… Matt through his solo work or his work with his band… the fierce and the dead… and James through his Ambienteer work.

What is important to note, however… is that both Matt and James’ music is niche. Matt make wonderfully upbeat futuristic flamenco guitar sounds that he loops and tweaks to make a wall-of-sound. James makes droning ambient electronic soundscapes. When I say niche… I mean that the majority of X-Factor-loving drones won’t get it… but then Sigur Rós are “technically” niche and yet they’ve received mainstream acceptance… mostly for their appearance, at one time, on nearly every piece of incidental music on the BBC (see note below).

I guess it is fair to say all music is niche… with some niches bigger than others. What artists like Matt and James have done is to find their niche… and build a relationship with it… and that is extremely important to acknowledge and understand.

To be continued…

Note: Nearly every other piece not by Sigur Rós is likely to be by Brian Eno! (John)

There are many ways of sharing files over the Internet, but often there’s a downside – intrusive adverts or malware, for example. GE.TT has recently been launched, and offers speed with simplicity. Just select the file you want to share and it will immediately upload, you can then email the link or quickly share on Facebook or Twitter. The files are stored for 30 days, or (if you register) for 3 months, with the ability to see how many times each file has been downloaded. If you’re looking for a more long-term and secure file sharing site, then Box.net is a good place to start! So, what are you waiting for? GE.TT started and Box.net clever!

I was really shocked and upset this morning to find out that Trevor Cologne (one of my Facebook friends in Australia) had died by suicide. He wrestled with mental health issues, and seems to have been failed by the Australian health system. I sent love, thoughts and prayers to all his family and friends. I didn’t know him in real life, but he was a great bloke and I’d have met up with him over coffee had I ever been in Adelaide!

It prompted me to post on Facebook: It’s about time mental illness is accepted as simply another physical illness. I’m not aware that the brain is unconnected to the rest of the body! Quite a discussion followed! Unfortunately you can’t put a bandage on mental illness, or a plaster for everyone to write their best wishes on, yet it’s very real and debilitating. But, because of the stigma that still surrounds mental health issues, those of us who experience them have a dilemma – do we keep them to ourselves or be honest about them with other people in order to aid understanding. Sadly, I lost followers on Twitter when I tweeted about my bipolar condition. I’ve only recently ‘outed’ myself because I realised I was contributing to the stigma and misunderstanding by hiding it. Anyone who thinks less of me as a result clearly has an issue they should seriously think about. Millions of normal people have mental health issues – get over it!

Since diagnosis 8 or 9 years ago I’ve only shared it selectively because I haven’t wanted people to treat me any differently. But I’ve found it difficult living with the basic contradiction at the heart of the matter. It hasn’t prevented me from working or fulfilling my vocation, but it’s a struggle at times. My condition makes me the person I am, I’m just a normal bloke – to which my true friends can jokingly answer (without hesitation) “Yeah, who are you kidding!”

Note: I’ve used the expression ‘died by suicide’ because this is a far better way of describing suicide than the conventional usage. To ‘commit suicide’ harks back to a time when suicide was a crime and considered a sin by the church, it therefore inherently conveys a negative connotation of judgement.

Also, never say to someone who you think may be contemplating suicide, “You’ll won’t do anything stupid, will you?” – it’s such a dumb question, who’s going to say ‘Yes’ in reply? It’ll only make them feel worse about themselves! Just ask them if they feel suicidal! My view is that avoiding the issues, or dressing them up never helps! It’s also OK to approach and ask complete strangers if you feel they’re in danger! And, as a friend reminded me, asking someone if they feel suicidal won’t put the idea in their head if it’s not already there. Don’t be scared to ask!

See also: Yeah, I’ve got issues! #whatstigma

This guest post comes from Sue Thomas, Professor of New Media at De Montfort University in Leicester.

In today’s networked world, many skills which we may already have but not recognise as special are coming to the fore. The Institute for the Future in Palo Alto, California, have identified a skill set which they call ‘amplified’. It features qualities such as ‘Cooperation Radar’  - the ability to sense, almost intuitively, who would make the best collaborators on a particular task, and ‘High Ping Quotient’ – responsiveness to other people’s requests for engagement; propensity to reach out to others in a network. You can read all ten of them here. The language may be very Californian, but the skills are ones we would all recognise. And social media is helping us to do them even better.

In 2009 I ran a project called ‘Amplified Leicester’ which brought together 30 very different Leicester people and helped them develop their ‘amplified skills’. That project is now over but this year we’ve been hosting a series of talks and panels at Phoenix Square where we look at ‘amplified’ approaches and discuss how they can be used in specific contexts. So far we’ve looked at politics, police, and crafts (see embedded video), and this month we’re considering faith (or not) in an panel discussion convened by George Ballentyne of the Council of Faiths and called Amplified Communities of Faith or Belief.

George’s guests are a very varied group – Sughra Ahmed of the Islamic Foundation, Richard Hopper of Leicester Secular Society, and Matthew Hughes of Samworth Enterprise Academy, a Church of England school. It takes place at 7.00 pm Wednesday 23 March 2011 at Phoenix Square. Do come along to hear what they have to say and join us in the Screen Lounge afterwards to continue the discussion. It’s free and open to all. Book online here and join the Amplified Leicester community here. We look forward to seeing you! The Twitter hashtag is #ampleic for all Amplified Leicester related tweets.

Note: In the video, David says “anti-feminist” at one point when he clearly means “anti-sexist”, he’s not being allowed to live it down! (John)

The Bishop of Leicester as been reflecting on the dramatic events in the Middle East and North Africa, and has suggested that we ask ourselves some important questions, even though the full consequences and significance of what’s happening cannot yet be fully grasped.

Firstly, do we need to rethink some of our assumptions about freedom within Muslim countries? The demonstrators are clearly wanting the freedoms, rights and opportunities we enjoy. Secondly, what does it tell us about about politics in an age of social networking and mass communication? People now have the means to mobilise themselves against dictators, and are “not fundamentalist Muslims clamouring for Sharia Law, but citizens who seek the freedom to voice their opinions and change their societies in very much the same way as we do”. Thirdly, what do we mean by “Western values”? Because patterns of thinking are changing in front of our eyes.

He concludes, “That is an inspiring vision for all of us. As a Christian I believe we should be praying for those who are risking their lives for change at the moment. And perhaps we should be praying too that we will have the wisdom to see and to understand the meaning of the changes that are happening and to support a vision of a more peaceful and just world”.

You can read more here!

An interesting hashtag appeared on Twitter today! In case you don’t know what a hashtag is, it’s basically a label to group similar topics together with clickable links. I had to find out what the hashtag #whatstigma was all about, especially because it was trending (a popular topic) in the UK. It turned out to be a campaign to end mental health discrimination, and you can find more about it on their site. People on Twitter who have mental health issues have been encouraged to tell the world today, with the hashtag #whatstigma at the end of the status update.

The website says: With hundreds of organisations and tens of thousands of individuals, Time to Change has built a movement for change that is having a real impact. Organisations across all sectors of society are getting involved.  Check out our new slideshow to see the organisations involved and what they have been up to! Whether you’re part of an organisation, or an individual who feels passionate about ending mental health discrimination, you can get involved today by setting up a campaign in your area or ordering free materials to help you spread the word.

There should be no stigma for those with mental health issues, millions of people cope with them every day and live perfectly normal lives. So I’m happy to add my voice: Yeah, I’ve got issues! #whatstigma

See also: Death of a Friend on Facebook

I love song lyrics as they can be hugely expressive, comparing favourably with the best poetry! I also enjoy sharing lyrics (and I know other people do as well), so I’ve created this special day for sharing lyrics on social media as updates. Put February 16 in your diary and start thinking of your favourite lyrics! There’s a Facebook Event which you can join and invite others to join. Please spread the word! The hashtag to use for anything related to the day is #songlyricsday and this is especially important on Twitter.

The candidates for the nineteenth General of The Salvation Army were announced yesterday. From the left they are Commissioners John Matear, Christine MacMillan, Barry Swanson, William Roberts, Max Feener, Linda Bond, Robert Street, William Francis and Dick Krommenhoek. Commissioner James Knaggs declined.

I’ve noticed from comments on Facebook and Twitter that many people would have liked to see Commissioner Betty Matear as one of the candidates. Unfortunately, although this might have been acceptable in western countries, because the Salvation Army is an international movement there is a difficulty. In many countries and cultures it would be very problematic for a wife to be seen as ‘in charge’ above her husband, whether we like it or not. But I can remember when (even in the UK) she would have been known as Mrs Commissioner Betty Matear! So culture can change and equality become a reality!

Note: See my related post on this subject by clicking here!

Update: Commissioner Linda Bond is the new General! (Monday 31 January 2011)