When, on an autumn evening, with closed eyes,
I breathe the warm dark fragrance of your breast,
Before me, blissful shores unfold, caressed
By dazzling fire from blue unchanging skies.
There, upon the calm and drowsing isle,
Grow luscious fruits amid singular trees,
There, men are light and strong,
And women startle with eyes of candour.
Guided by your scent to these fair climes,
I see a harbour thronged with masts and sails
Still weary from the tumult of gales;
And with the sailors' song that drifts to me
Are mingled odours of the green tamarind,
And all my soul is scent and melody.
-Baudelaire
Monday, 26 September 2011
Saturday, 17 September 2011
How To Lose Two Billion Dollars
So let me get this straight...
I work hard and deposit my money in a bank. The bank pays me a pitiful interest rate and meanwhile lends out my money to other people/companies at a much higher interest rate. At the same time, a trader in the bank uses my money on deposit as collateral to trade on financial markets. If he makes more money for the bank, he gets paid a big bonus which he splurges around town driving up the cost of living and reducing the value of my money on deposit. If he loses enough money for the bank, then the State steps in to support the bank to make sure it can pay me back my money on deposit. The State uses money that it takes from me in tax. It uses my money to guarantee that my money gets paid back to me in case some trader loses my money.
What’s wrong with this picture?
What’s wrong with it is that I don’t do anything about it.
What could you do about it?
Take my money out of the bank and stick it under the mattress.
Why don’t you do that?
Because I’m scared some idiot in a hoodie will break in and steal my money.
Isn’t the idiot in the suit just as dangerous?
Yes. But he won't hit me, just destroy my financial future.
So what do you suggest you do?
Uh, go watch telly and stuff…
I work hard and deposit my money in a bank. The bank pays me a pitiful interest rate and meanwhile lends out my money to other people/companies at a much higher interest rate. At the same time, a trader in the bank uses my money on deposit as collateral to trade on financial markets. If he makes more money for the bank, he gets paid a big bonus which he splurges around town driving up the cost of living and reducing the value of my money on deposit. If he loses enough money for the bank, then the State steps in to support the bank to make sure it can pay me back my money on deposit. The State uses money that it takes from me in tax. It uses my money to guarantee that my money gets paid back to me in case some trader loses my money.
What’s wrong with this picture?
What’s wrong with it is that I don’t do anything about it.
What could you do about it?
Take my money out of the bank and stick it under the mattress.
Why don’t you do that?
Because I’m scared some idiot in a hoodie will break in and steal my money.
Isn’t the idiot in the suit just as dangerous?
Yes. But he won't hit me, just destroy my financial future.
So what do you suggest you do?
Uh, go watch telly and stuff…
Saturday, 10 September 2011
Joining Separation
'Hello Seb.'
'Bonjour Seb.'
'How's life in the City of Light? Living the dream?'
'How can you live the dream? If you live the dream then it becomes reality...'
'Nobody likes a smart arse. Especially not me.'
'I'm living the reality.'
'Aren't we all?'
'No. Hermann Hesse said "There's no reality except the one contained within us. That's why so many people live an unreal life. They take images outside them for reality and never allow the world within them to assert itself." '
'Maybe Hesse needed to get out more...'
'Why go out when you can go in?'
'Well, you stay in, I'm going out.'
'You do that.'
'I will. Bye.'
'Bye.'
'Uh, can I lend me some money?'
'Bonjour Seb.'
'How's life in the City of Light? Living the dream?'
'How can you live the dream? If you live the dream then it becomes reality...'
'Nobody likes a smart arse. Especially not me.'
'I'm living the reality.'
'Aren't we all?'
'No. Hermann Hesse said "There's no reality except the one contained within us. That's why so many people live an unreal life. They take images outside them for reality and never allow the world within them to assert itself." '
'Maybe Hesse needed to get out more...'
'Why go out when you can go in?'
'Well, you stay in, I'm going out.'
'You do that.'
'I will. Bye.'
'Bye.'
'Uh, can I lend me some money?'
Sunday, 4 September 2011
Friday, 2 September 2011
Life Is Elsewhere
His T-shirt said Startling Tales.
It was the cover of some old comic.
It had the picture of aliens on a distant planet carrying human prisoners towards a spacecraft.
The people had looks of horror on their faces.
The aliens looked like insects. Like big flies.
The people didn’t know what was going on. They were being carried along. They didn’t know what was going to happen.
You stare at the picture until your stop comes then you get off the bus. You buy a bottle of wine on the way home.
You have a glass. You switch on the television and see pretty people doing stupid things. You have another glass. You watch the news and see someone with immaculate hair and perfect teeth tell you about death and destruction. You have another glass. You switch on the radio and hear some god-awful song about having your heart broken. You have another glass. You look out of the window, you see people walking by, see them being carried along, and you think What the fuck…
You have another glass.
You look at your reflection and remember reading ‘ideology is the way people deal with reality’ and you wonder how many of your ideas are actually your own. How many you just adopted and let yourself be carried along.
Then you switch on the television again and watch some movie with pretty people blowing up things so that you don’t have to think about it.
It was the cover of some old comic.
It had the picture of aliens on a distant planet carrying human prisoners towards a spacecraft.
The people had looks of horror on their faces.
The aliens looked like insects. Like big flies.
The people didn’t know what was going on. They were being carried along. They didn’t know what was going to happen.
You stare at the picture until your stop comes then you get off the bus. You buy a bottle of wine on the way home.
You have a glass. You switch on the television and see pretty people doing stupid things. You have another glass. You watch the news and see someone with immaculate hair and perfect teeth tell you about death and destruction. You have another glass. You switch on the radio and hear some god-awful song about having your heart broken. You have another glass. You look out of the window, you see people walking by, see them being carried along, and you think What the fuck…
You have another glass.
You look at your reflection and remember reading ‘ideology is the way people deal with reality’ and you wonder how many of your ideas are actually your own. How many you just adopted and let yourself be carried along.
Then you switch on the television again and watch some movie with pretty people blowing up things so that you don’t have to think about it.
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