After a weekend when it seemed that common sense had broken out in the White House, it seems the War on Nouns can in fact be won. At least that's what Bush is saying today (warning: links to Rush Limbaugh and shady logic). Oh, and hurrah for saving companies some money!. Who likes birds anyway?

I'm starting later tonight, because yesterday was rather boring until 9pm.

Elizabeth Dole! YOU SENT ME LEAFLETS! Oh, an attack on Clinton. How original. Really. "Hi! I'm Bob Dole! I attack decorated Veterans for fun and games!"

"What we believe has never wavered." 3/5ths of a natural person! You know it makes sense. Ah, now gay marriage, abortion, and religion. All the hot buttons. I'm impressed. Is this live on the networks, or are they not coming on until Arnie turns up? "ACTIVIST JUDGES ARE KILLING BABIES AND SPITTING ON THE FLAG!". And I think you'll find that we split the atom first, ma'am.

Oh, George Soros was not pleased with Mr. Hastert's drug claims (especially since he's going around the convention repeating them to all who ask), so he's written a letter asking the Speaker to substantiate his claims or shut the hell up.

And now George P. Bush. It is scary just how much the Bush clan is beginning to become the GOP's answer to the Kennedys. Apart from public speaking. Hmm, I wonder what the Ally McBeal episode is tonight? "I will not stand to be disparaged!"

Okay, back. And there's been some singing. Miss America 2003! Bigging up Faith-based initiatives!

And yet more singing.

It's 9pm, and the thing begins to start in earnest, I expect. Sen. Bill Frist. I'm going to guess and say tort reform. Oh, no, prescription drugs. Once again, it's really quiet. I suppose Madison Square Garden is much bigger than the Fleet Center in Boston. Now, it sounds like a wonderful idea — having an account where you can save money tax-free to pay for healthcare. But no-one expects to get sick. And you can't know what you're going to become sick with. So it doesn't seem like a good idea to me. But then I live in a country with universal healthcare, so what do I know?

TORT REFORM! Oh yes, I rule. Okay, it was obvious, but hey, I take victory where I can. Bonus points if he can work in John Edwards into the tirade. 50 BONUS POINTS! And stem cell research to finish. Er, isn't Mr. Bush going to the UN to request the banning of therapeutic cloning? Oh, yes, I think he is. "This President will not use your tax dollars to destroy human life…[fill in your own punchline]".

I'm going to have to stop listening to the music bits. I know that they have as much right as anybody else to use them, but it's just SO WRONG.

whoooooooosh....Barack Obama joke flies, and dies horribly on the rafters. We really need Al Sharpton here. And now! For a run through of John Kerry's voting record, including the Defence of Marriage Act.

And now! A surfer sings!

ARNIE! "Don't misunderstand me, I love Austria…but…" and his love of Nixon. Well, hurrah. Dude, you became a Republican on the back of Nixon? That's harsh. HAHAHAHA "It doesn't make any difference who your parents are." Tell that to legacy students, hmm? Oh, and the Soviet thing is interesting - I mean, given that they'd just spent the past eight or so years under Nazi rule and propaganda, well – Oh I really despair. "Econominc girly-men." Is that the best that the Governor of California can do? One America! Three jobs to earn a living! Stand behind your decisions, even if they're revealed to be completely wrong later on! Never apologise! Never show weakness! Stand fast!

"We fight AIDS in Africa." Yes. While lining the pockets of drug companies — WTF? WTF? WTF? "When that lone man stood in front of the tank in Tianaman Square, America stood with him" So, I wonder. How's that guy doing right now? Yes, that's why they're hosting the next Olympics. It's not as if their human rights record has improved. And your use if Nelson Mandela would have been so much better if the Vice-President hadn't been a tacit supporter of apartheid.

Oh God. The Bush twins. Just. No. It's a comedy routine from Hell itself. And I think I'll skip Laura Bush. Although the hamster gag was okay. Hey! John Kerry namechecked "Hey Ya" first, bandwagon-jumpers!

Meanwhile the Republican Party is calling respectable financiers fronts for drug cartels, and giving the opening invocation to somebody who compares the fight against gay marriage to the struggle against Hitler. Classy.

I have a sick fantasy for tonight. John McCain will get half-way through his address, then undergo a Damascus conversion, yelling "No, I'm sorry. With all my conscience, I cannot recommend George W. Bush for the Presidency. Kerry/Edwards 2004!" before being bundled off the stage by the Enforcers.

But that won't happen. McCain is a party man like all the others. He owes to continued career to the Party rallying around his when he was implicated in the S&L scandals during the 1980s. He is not as moderate as he appears. He just seems that way. Tonight, he will pledge loyalty to the Bush family, not withstanding all the smears, the disagreements, and the lies. For McCain believes in the Elephant, That's why Kerry/McCain was nothing but a flight of fancy.

OutKast are singing up a storm at the VMAs. Sorry, MTV UK doesn't show the VMAs until a day afterwards, so they can edit out all the bad language, even if it's ten minutes to midnight. "For the millionth time, Hey Ya!" Still great. (the tenuous connection? the set is laid out like a convention, and now balloons are falling from the ceiling), Although it should have been held in New York. Pop v. Politics! It would be like West Side Story, but with only one side dancing. I can't be the only one who wants to see Andre 3000, Big Boi and P. Diddy face off against George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Karl Rove, can I?

Oh, perhaps I can.

My BitTorrent source for The Daily Show has disappeared, so I'm devoid of my snark this week. Bah. As you can imagine, there's not much of interest right now; BBC Parliament is showing people calling into PBS. Awesome.

From the platform document!

Abstinence from sexual activity is the only protection that is 100 percent effective against out-of-wedlock pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, including sexually transmitted HIV/AIDS. Therefore, we support doubling abstinence education funding. We oppose school-based clinics that provide referrals, counseling, and related services for contraception and abortion.

BAG OF HAMMERS.

Dear God. Playing Let's Stay Together. That's almost criminal. Still, I think they've finally understood that Born in the USA is not the best song to play at a convention. And the songs going over the speakers will probably be the best music of the convention. I mean, even Bruce Willis decided to hang out with P. Diddy rather than turn in. Man, that's harsh.

Hurrah! Now, I'm not normally one to be a Luddite, but you don't get this problem with pencil and paper, you know…

Okay, so I watched Justice League, and when I came back, there's some scary singing group doing a 'thing'. Oh, it's an introduction to New York. Dear me. It's bad. BUT NOT AS BAD AS THE SNL SPOOF. MY EYES.

Is it just me, or does the sound have a great deal of echo? And Dennis Hastert is pretty awful as a speaker. Which is unfortunate for a Speaker of the House. Aha, out first flip-flop mention of the evening. Oh, and he's gone. Perhaps I shouldn't have been watching Ally McBeal (first season - obviously).

Hey hey! it's Dick Cheney! "Dick Cheney's daughter couldn't be with us tonight, because most of your will be afraid of catching gay cooties" (of course, I don't know what she looks like, so she might actually be there, I suppose) AND WILL THEY STOP WITH THE MOTOWN CRIBBING? I do not want to associate the sublime You're All I Need To Get By with Lynne and Dick Cheney.

Pat Buchanan is laying the smackdown on the neo-conservatives! Although it speaks to how twisted the world is these days that he's starting to make sense.

ON THE FLOOR! THEY'RE BRINGING THE ROCK TO THE CONVENTION! HARDCORE! VAN HALEN! JUMP! GEORGE BUSH SR! Imagine the chessiest promo, and square it. They just did the Dallas triple screen effect. BUSH READING A BOOK IN A COMFY SWEATER! BUT HE JUMPS OUT OF PLANES TOO! Bah, they're just looping the riff. THE GOP IS HOLDING BACK THE ROCK! LET IT FLY! Or just stop. Bah.

It's Ron Silver! Oooh, "You guys got Toby Ziegler, but we've got Bruno!" "Who?" "You know, the guy who was in the West Wing for a while before they dropped him down the lift shaft on top of Mandy and Ainsley." And he talks about how the President is doing the right thing by going after the people who destroyed the World Trade Center. Quite where Iraq comes into that, he doesn't say, but you know…

"This party isn't about the past" Which is why you've spent the past ten minutes interviewing Veterans. Riiight.

erm. erm. okay, it's only me who finds this army/navy/air force promo tacky. At least they're not including real war footage I suppose.

Hmm. The first day of the DNC was more interesting. By now, Gore had come out swinging. I'M WAITING FOR THEM TO GET THE PARTY STARTED.

Yes, the oh-so-brave President that didn't bother to show up in New York UNTIL THREE DAYS AFTERWARDS. So brave.

Can't be bothered to rebut the PATRIOT Act defence, except laugh at the "critics say that we can snoop at library records. Well, only terrorists use the library anyway" gist.

No one is speaking for long tonight. It's all five minutes and out - ANGIE HARMON! THE GRAVEL VOICE HERSELF!

And now, a little country breakdown. OR PERHAPS? YES? COULD IT BE? A HOE-DOWN?

Meanwhile, rumours abound that the delegates are wearing Purple Heart band-aids to mock Kerry (classy), and that the Secret Service is preventing reporters from interviewing Michael Moore (that's from NPR). Which sounds ridiculous.

CHIC? BOOK ME A TICKET, I"M GONNA FLY OVER AND KICK THEIR ASSES. DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT THESE PEOPLE DID? THE NIGHTS IN CLUB 54? Mind you, it is a soulless version, and the two cowboys line dancing are funny.

Here comes McCain. Woo. Although he might get more than five minutes.And for the first time tonight, the crowd sounds like it's actually there. And begins by quoting FDR. Yeah, I know what I said earlier. But actually seeing him doing it is another thing. To be fair, at the moment, he's going out of his way to not criticise the Democrats. But still. OH, FOR ***************** STAND UP MICHAEL. STAND UP. That was a cheap shot of the lowest order.

I'm sorry. Have to stop, before I punch something. I can guess what Rudy is going to say, and I…a party man to the bitter end.

As ever, a Peter Saville cover is a hallmark of quality. FAC 12: The Distractions / Time Goes By So Slow may be the greatest 7" single ever released by Factory (Blue Monday was 12" only, remember, and the 7" of Temptation is a pale shadow of the glory of the full-length version). The Distractions were rather out of place in late-70s Manchester; bands borrowing from decades of pop weren't all that welcome in a post-punk world. Joy Division, however, loved them, and The Distractions often found themselves playing support for Factory's biggest band. They provided a contrast to JD's intensity; although their lyrics were no less melancholy, the OMD-like synths and perky guitar gave their songs an upbeat new-wave feel.

Time Goes By So Slow is a tale of lost love touring around the centre of Manchester. And it contains one of the greatest lines in Factory Pop: "But Albert just won't do / I don't need him but you" (referring to Manchester's Albert Square). Plus! It's not often a song discusses petrification! Oh, and how the guitars drop out at 2:00, leaving the song wallowing in lonely synths and the saddest drumbeat you've ever heard, right before the final repeat of the chorus. It's just fantastic.

Doubtless, you'll now be itching to hear this song (unless you're Tom, who heard it last week), so I'll list all the outlets where you can currently purchase a copy:

Factory were never all that reliable about keeping their catalogue in print, and the failure of the company compounded matters somewhat. This song made the jump to CD in 1990 on a compilation called Palatine: The Factory Story/1979-1990, but again, that has been out-of-print for many years now. So, short of tracking down the original 7" and a record player, you can't hear this wonderful record. Unless you know where to look.

I present the response from Matt Phillips:

Hi Ian I can't really offer you any legal advice on this matter as I don't know the detail.
Basically it's about using music with permission.
Generally speaking - if you're making copyrighted music (anything released by a label) available to share with other people without the permission of the copyright owner you're infringing copyright law and come on to the radar of our anti-piracy unit.

My advice would be, if in doubt, don't do it.
If you have any further queries, please contact our legal department.
Thanks
Matt

Hurrah for substance-filled replies. I understand he was probably making the general case, but labels do release public domain songs, and any song is protected by copyright, not just those released by labels. Plus, the label would also have to be a member of the BPI to come onto their radar, I assume?

Anyway.

What really gets me annoyed about this advert is the implication that John Kerry failed his fellow soldiers by giving his testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. It glosses over the fact that he was right. Or are supposed to believe that this, or this, or this, or this did not happen? It did, and Kerry was only telling the Committee what other veterans had told him. America committed war crimes in Vietnam. But some people refuse to accept this fact.

There's a worrying development in some parts of America, a belief that it has done no wrong, ever. Admittedly, at the moment it seems confined to crazed right-wing authors, but they're not bearded militiamen writing screeds in linseed oil inbetween preparing for the End Times; they're successful media figures. Aside from the Swift Veterans, last year saw the release of Ann Coulter's Treason, which attempted to rehabilitate Senator Joe McCarthy (yes, she's insane. But many people think she's wonderful. I despair), and Michelle Markin's In Defense of Internment has just been released, doing well in the Amazon rankings.

I just can't wrap my head around it. What next? Why Dred Scott Is Misunderstood and Reasons Why The Confederacy Should Have Prevailed? Markin's book is particularly offensive; I've been around the Smithsonian exhibit, I've read about the issue, and there is just…no excuse for rounding people up on the basis of their race and putting them in concentration camps. Malkin bases her argument on the theory that FDR had secret information that no-one else knew (the MAGIC decrypts of Japanese communications); the problem is that these messages have been known about for years, and the closest they come to calling into question the loyalty of the Japanese immigrants is a commnique to an embassy that says it might be a good idea to set up a spy ring (and specifically mentions that using non-Japanese agents would be preferable). The Japanese did not know that the Allies had broken MAGIC, so if such a ring did exist, you would expect information about it to flow across channels. None does. Plus, the people who pushed hardest for the camps did not have access to MAGIC. Even Supreme Court Justice Scalia thinks that the Supreme Court decision that upheld the detention ranks alongside Dred Scott as one of the Court's biggest mistakes. But don't just take my word for it — Eric Muller, a UNC Law School professor is currently discussing Malkin's book and shredding her arguments one by one. But he isn't in the Top 100 Amazon bestseller list, so his voice isn't going to be heard as much as a media figure who makes regular appearances on Fox News and MSNBC.

It worries me — a nation that believes it can do nothing wrong can be easily led by its leaders that its actions are right simply because they're doing it. No country is perfect; they're all done horrible things in the past (for an Empire nation, Britain probably comes off better than Spain or Portugal, say, but we still invented concentration camps, we firebombed Dresden into ashes, we carved up Africa with the rest of Europe, and we made a mess of Ireland). Patriotism should never be blind.

Art thefts throughout history.

Watches from the 1970s

Shopping lists!

Pinball!

Because everybody needs a sealing gum recipe…

(email is working normally again now)

The second album, Feminist Sweepstakes wasn't as good as the first, but still had rather enjoyable songs, in particular LT Tour Theme and Fake French. Three years later, they have signed to Universal Records and are about to release a new album, This Island. This is the new single:

If you put your ears to the speakers and listen closely, you can hear my heart breaking in the first thirty seconds. It's a protest record. About the Iraq war. Well, for a start, it's about two years late to catch that bandwagon. But I can forgive that, truly I can. What I can't forgive is three minutes and thirty seconds of unimaginative sloganeering, a backing track that appears to have died thirty years ago, being played through the use of zombie magic, and the complete lack of, well, any semblance of a song.

That's Le Tigre, making a constitutional monarchy sound more attractive with every passing second…

(to be completely fair, I am hearing that some of the new songs they've been playing live are fantastic. Which makes bobbins like this all the more puzzling.)

The Senate Judiciary Committee heard this morning from one of its own about some of the problems with airline "no fly" watch lists. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., says he had a close encounter with the lists when trying to take the U.S. Airways shuttle out of Washington to Boston. The ticket agent wouldn't let him on the plane. His name was on the list in error.

"I certainly trust the people of Illinois to choose who they want to represent them in the U.S. Senate," he said. "That is the very basis of our democracy."

It's probably time to consider taking a holiday for a few months. At the rate Alan Keyes is going, Barack Obama could sit in a basement for two months picking lint out of his belly button, and he'd still beat him by thirty points on November 2nd…

Pizza the New York way (hmm, foood)

HARIBO Musuem!

How to make Gummy Bears.

The home of Tic-Tac fans!

Skittles chewing gum. They taste odd. They're like Skittles, only not.

Be a peaceful protester and save!

Firstly, this is curious:

The British record industry – which invests more in new British musical talent than any other

Now I suppose what they mean here is that they invest in music talent more than another country's industry does in their talent. At least, that's what I hope they mean, because otherwise you do have to wonder about what they're going on about (damn those French labels for not investing in Glaswegian bands!).

I've already mentioned about how the BPI has woken up to this fact rather late (they didn't care when Jimmy Young's songs went public domain, did they?), but the important point, one that is obvious but that I 've never really thought about before, is this: on January 1st 2005, all BMG copies of Elvis Presley's That's All Right will not spontaneously combust. BMG can sell the song for the rest of time, and all others recorded before 31st December 1954. The only thing that will change is that now other people will also be able to sell copies of the same songs. Some will be the usual large labels, but new, smaller labels might spring up, using this cheap product to build up capital so they can invest money back into the industry, helping to reinvigorate today's rather bleak independent label situation. There will be competition. But hey, isn't that what capitalism is all about? There's so many ways to add value to a public domain product, as shown by the continued strong sales for books like Pride & Prejudice and Jane Eyre, despite the fact that anybody can download them for free. This can be done in many ways, from the simple idea of reducing the price, to including special features with the public domain release (liner notes, extra tracks, videos, etc) thus making the item more attractive, even if it does have a higher price.

Raising the spectre of The Beatles's work going into the public domain is a cheap shot, but — well, all I can say is that I can't wait. The Beatles's back catalogue is a reflection of all that's wrong with the British music industry at the moment; high-priced, awfully-packaged, and woefully produced. Take Abbey Road — the last record made by the band! So much that could be said! And what do you get? A flimsy piece of paper with the titles and copyright information on it. Tremendous. Apart from Let It Bleed…Naked and the Yellow Submarine soundtrack, all of the original albums haven't changed since their original 1987 pressing, a pressing well-known to be inferior to the vinyl recordings. So, I can't wait for a Beatles fan to make his or her own version of Please Please Me, creating a superior pressing and writing obsessive liner notes that are infused with a blinding love of I Saw Her Standing There and Love Me Do.

I'm looking forward to posting That's All Right here on January 1st 2005. An important piece of music history will be released freely into our culture, and hopefully more will follow as the years go by.

Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed! A Small Lesson in Conservatism is a wonderful way to teach young children the valuable lessons of conservatism. In simple text, parents and children follow Tommy and Lou on their quest to earn money for a swing set their parents cannot afford. As their dream gets stuck in Liberaland, Tommy and Lou’s lemonade stand is hit with many obstacles.

Liberals keep appearing from behind their lemon tree, taking half of their money in taxes, forbidding them to hang a picture of Jesus atop their stand, and making them give broccoli with each glass sold.

Law after law instituted by the press-hungry liberals finally results in the liberals taking over Tommy and Lou’s stand and offering sour lemonade at astronomical prices to the customers.

Scott McClellan, the chief White House spokesman, said of the changes, "The president's common-sense policies reflect the values of America, whether it is cracking down on corporate wrongdoing or eliminating burdensome regulations to create jobs."

Well, I'm convinced? Are you? Government lawyers have not wavered in their argument: Once the FDA approves the product, they say, allowing injured consumers to sue manufacturers would sabotage the agency's authority.

Because the FDA can never be wrong. Ever. Trust The Administration. Have A Happy Day.

Oh, and we still suck too.

The greatest lyric in the history of Pop is "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah." All of Pop can be condensed into that one word, whether it's a transcendent cry of joy, or the downtrodden, sighing whisper of 'yeah.' It is Pop in diamond form. Johnny Boy understand this and take full advantage of it, leading to a magic point two minutes into You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve where the song lingers on "Yeah! Yeah!" just long enough for you to swoon.

It's the way the title makes the entire career of the Manic Street Preachers seem irrelevant; a gloriously pretentious slogan that eclipses anything that Nicky Wire could imagine (and James Dean Bradfield knows this, as he co-produces this single). It's the way that the song has a perfect structure: opening with the Be My Baby drum beat, a beat so Pop that it shimmers with the gleam of stolen jewels, so pure, so right. Then glockenspiels, a firework across the speaker channels, before Lolly sings the first verse and chorus in the sprit of a 1950s singer, gently introducing us to the Wall of Sound, and then singing the whole first verse again with the backing of the Wall. It's the way that the Wall is dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century, given an injection of THX to create something more than just a Wall; this is a Tunnel. And yes, it's that point two minutes into the song where it decides it's through playing games and throws you at the walls of the Tunnel, into Sound Itself. It's reflecting back at you, refracting all around you, changing with each listen as "Yeah! Yeah!" and "oo baby" echo in your soul. This is Pop. This is Magic. Then, just as soon as you decide you want to stay there forever, the song pulls you back out, back onto the rails for the abrupt finale, leaving you thirsty for more. And then you play it again. And again.

Lyrics? Partly lost in the production, becoming signs on the Tunnel that you glimpse as you rush past, but when you catch one ("this frequency's my universe", or "sleek mystique reversed"), it is celestial ; a call to arms, against consumerism, to watch meteors streak across the night sky, for the end of the night, when even though the world is shot, you just can't help agreeing with the opening lyrics of "And I just can't help believing / though believing sees me cursed". And the choir of church bells, chimes, and the synth from Soft Cell's Tainted Love makes it shine even brighter. Indiepop for the masses; a mad mix of ideas, trampled jam tarts, razor-sharp nail polish and cherry lipstick, throwing the zombie corpse of Paul Weller into a Car Wash.

You need this record in your life. But I can't give it to you here. And there's only 3000 copies of the single. Email me.

Remember all those happy images from a few months ago? Well, they never happened. One step forward, two steps back.

Ongoing polls from Florida.

Bonnie is angry and she's heading your way…

David Blunkett continues on his quest to turn Britain into Singapore.

There is a reason why this post is being made today instead of tomorrow…

Why Europe should keep its 50-year copyright terms for recordings.

The US Government finally rights a thirty-year old disgrace.

Monster! Monster!

Little books!

Because the Internet really does have everything!

Japanese folding (again)

Team America (Supermarionation is back!)

Inside the mind of Lewis Carroll

(Well, that'll keep them interested. *YAWN* — Ed.)

Anyway, the big story of the week is Swift Veterans Against Kerry. This is a group of Vietnam veterans who have written a book, Unfit For Command, and released an advert calling John Kerry's war record into question. Specifically, they say that Kerry did not deserve the Bronze Star he was awarded for rescuing Jim Rassman, and that he lied when testifying about war crimes. If nothing else, this advert has seriously pissed off John McCain, who called upon the White House to denounce it (so far, they've only issued a non-committal "we have said that we won't talk about Kerry's military record" statement). The book is currently number one on Amazon, but the story is beginning to fall apart already.

Firstly, none of the men in the advert actually served on Kerry's boat. All of the men who served with Kerry are supporting him, bar one who is now dead. Secondly, one of the members of SVAK, Larry Thurlow, who has been on several news networks this week denouncing Kerry and insisting that the attack never took place, won a Bronze Star himself for the incident. So he's lying now, or he doesn't deserve his Star either. And finally, George Elliot, a member of the group in the advert, appeared in today's Boston Globe to retract the claims that he made, and to say that he regretted making them.

One question remains though: how did this new group manage to find enough funds to broadcast in the hotly contested swing states of Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin (at a cost of roughly $500,000)? It appears the key figures behind the campaign are a Texan Republican, Bob Perry, who donated $100,000 to the group, and John O'Neill, the co-writer of Unfit For Command, who was once hired by the Nixon Government to discredit Kerry and the Veterans Against The War group back in the 1970s. No direct involvement from the White House. Of course.

Meanwhile, the latest news from Florida. Welcome to the bounce.

(I, Robot: Much better than you'd expect! And actually rather good!)

Time Crisis — but in Flash!

The films that Could Have Been.

This year's geekiest copyright violation!

What's that smell? (I can't remember smelling bad things when I was there last, but it was a while ago))

Anyone for socks?

No link, but I'm amused by people who say that the suffragettes weren't hardcore feminists (I'm sure that some of the opponents back then would have begged to differ).