23/12: Have a Cockaigne Christmas
Best wishes to everyone for a Cockaigne Christmas and here's hoping that 2009 will be an improvement on 2008 which was, as the Chinese might say, a bit too interesting.
24/11: Economic Depression
So today is the day for Gordon Brown to start trying to spend our way out of recession and maybe at long last to announce a provisional increase in the top rate of tax.
Prior to the financial crisis of this year I had thought that it would soon be time for governments to realize that it was time to abandon the myth of continuous economic growth which is ultimately unsustainable in a planet with shrinking resources and poised on the brink of catastrophic climate change.
However, there is nothing in the current situation to indicate that there has been any kind of wake-up call about the stupidity of continuing to pursue the capitalist dream.
I'm staying in the world of Cockaigne.
www.oxfordcockaigne.com
Prior to the financial crisis of this year I had thought that it would soon be time for governments to realize that it was time to abandon the myth of continuous economic growth which is ultimately unsustainable in a planet with shrinking resources and poised on the brink of catastrophic climate change.
However, there is nothing in the current situation to indicate that there has been any kind of wake-up call about the stupidity of continuing to pursue the capitalist dream.
I'm staying in the world of Cockaigne.
www.oxfordcockaigne.com
29/10: Ross and Brand
Following on from my earlier post, it is ironic that the juvenile prank played by Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross is now leading to calls for them to be sacked.
The BBC is unlikely to do this because it will seem to be capitulating to mob rule.
However, it remains the case that overpaid presenters should be sacked as a waste of licence-fee money.
www.oxfordcockaigne.com
The BBC is unlikely to do this because it will seem to be capitulating to mob rule.
However, it remains the case that overpaid presenters should be sacked as a waste of licence-fee money.
www.oxfordcockaigne.com
With all the hooh-hah over bankers' bonuses, it would be nice to think that we are heading for a more egalitarian society where excessive wealth was frowned upon.
One sign of this would be a little more control over the silly money handed out to BBC celebrities who host talk shows or other such entertainment and get paid ludicrous amounts of money by us, the licence=payers.
It's time to tax the rich and feed the poor.
www.oxfordcockaigne.com
One sign of this would be a little more control over the silly money handed out to BBC celebrities who host talk shows or other such entertainment and get paid ludicrous amounts of money by us, the licence=payers.
It's time to tax the rich and feed the poor.
www.oxfordcockaigne.com
24/09: Views of Oxford
Recently returned from holiday in Lindos with an excellent view of the Acropolis and took advantage of Oxford's "Open Doors" weekend to climb up the Castle Mound and take some pictures. Have to admit that the view from there is hardly inspiring with most of the concrete sprawl of Modern Central Oxford encircling you. Got a much better view of Oxford as it should be the following day when we climbed the tower of the Church of Saints Mary and John on the Cowley Road.
www.oxfordcockaigne.com
www.oxfordcockaigne.com
27/08: Authonomy Wars
The Authonomy site has now gone live with its ranking system although it is still in Beta testing and, predictably, virtual fights have broken out between authors on the way that some books have climbed through the rankings with the implication that they have "phantom" backers. The whole ranking system is open to abuse but it must be remembered that it is a site put up by Harper Collins and that they will want it to be seen to be a success. As such it is in their interest to have as many "votes" cast for the more popular books as possible. With an eye to publicity, they will undoubtedly want to announce in due course that they have found a gem suitable for publication that was backed by popular appeal.
All this is of course sour grapes as Oxford Cockaigne slides down the ratings each day due to my marked inability and disinclination for networking (or that's what I put it down to).
Of course if you read this and are an authonomy member you can always pop over there and back Oxford Cockaigne, add it to your Watchlist or give it a comment in order to bump it up.
All this is of course sour grapes as Oxford Cockaigne slides down the ratings each day due to my marked inability and disinclination for networking (or that's what I put it down to).
Of course if you read this and are an authonomy member you can always pop over there and back Oxford Cockaigne, add it to your Watchlist or give it a comment in order to bump it up.
25/08: No Comment
Thanks to being attacked by hordes of automated Comment Spams, I have set the Blog to not accept Comments - and in the course of clearing out the spam attack I have lost any genuine comments.
Anyone wanting to make any comments of a useful sort can email me on the contact page.
Anyone wanting to make any comments of a useful sort can email me on the contact page.
15/07: Ruskin Comics - How To See
The Ruskin Foundation have published the second of their Ruskin Comics: How To See by Hunt Emerson and Kevin Jackson.
Details available at www.ruskin.org.uk
www.oxfordcockaigne.com
Details available at www.ruskin.org.uk
www.oxfordcockaigne.com
Marco Wilkinson contacted me to tell me about the films he made for an exhibition at Modern Art Oxford in 2005, one of which includes Cutteslowe resident Jack Fallows talking about the Cutteslowe Wall, These are now available on You tube at the following URL:
http://www.youtube.com/user/oxford2015interviews
Twelve short films made by filmmaker Marko Wilkinson as part of Modern Art Oxford's 2005 exhibition - Oxford 2015 DREAMS PLANS VISIONS.
Each film is a short interview with an Oxford resident, talking about how the city's built environment effects their life, and how they would like to see it change and improve by the year 2015.
The films were originally shown as an installation on twelve separate screens placed throughout the museum.
www.oxfordcockaigne.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/oxford2015interviews
Twelve short films made by filmmaker Marko Wilkinson as part of Modern Art Oxford's 2005 exhibition - Oxford 2015 DREAMS PLANS VISIONS.
Each film is a short interview with an Oxford resident, talking about how the city's built environment effects their life, and how they would like to see it change and improve by the year 2015.
The films were originally shown as an installation on twelve separate screens placed throughout the museum.
www.oxfordcockaigne.com
29/06: Smells Like Cockaigne...
Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs produce a perfume oil called Cockaigne.
They have a forum where members review it at
http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=25831&st=125
I stumbled across this during one of my searches for Cockaigne on the Internet and, at first, thought that they were reviewing a bottle of wine!
Subsequent investigation seems to reveal that this perfume oil makes you smell like a sticky sweet cake - so,if that's your thing, hurry across to Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs to buy it.
In the interests of all things Cockaigne, I'll try and get hold of a bottle myself - they also do a perfume oil called Absinthe so I may be smelling of Cockaigne or Absinthe shortly.
www.Oxfordcockaigne.com
They have a forum where members review it at
http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=25831&st=125
I stumbled across this during one of my searches for Cockaigne on the Internet and, at first, thought that they were reviewing a bottle of wine!
Subsequent investigation seems to reveal that this perfume oil makes you smell like a sticky sweet cake - so,if that's your thing, hurry across to Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs to buy it.
In the interests of all things Cockaigne, I'll try and get hold of a bottle myself - they also do a perfume oil called Absinthe so I may be smelling of Cockaigne or Absinthe shortly.
www.Oxfordcockaigne.com
