Yeah, yeah, yeah I know it’s been a while and as usual I’ve got quite a lot to report and I’m guessing (as usual) I’ll probably not even cover half the things I intend to, but that’s all part of the fun. But the main thing is I’ve started! Once I start, I’m ok, but it’s just getting round to it – Procrastinator Extraordinaire!  

Ok, so what have I been up to? Good question, if only I could remember half of it. Well in the reverse order of how I used to open my Christmas presents I’ll start with the biggest first - believing as most children do when it comes to presents that biggest is best , funnily enough I used to (and still do at times) eat my meals in a similar fashion. I would always leave my favourite part of the meal untouched until everything else on the plate was finished. Curious but there you go, so back to the last present, first (erm yeah?)

I told Speakwell I was leaving at the end of the month (Feb – Ok I know), but in a moment of weakness and unnecessary guilt I offered to help out if they didn’t have a replacement. I thought the extra money wouldn’t hurt, and if it was only a matter of a few hours and for a few days it wouldn’t be too painful. But after the first week it was clear there were no signs of a replacement and I was still doing my full timetable – so thought it was time to call it a day and so I did. And this was how my 6 days a week, became 2. I won’t lie the 2 days a week is blissful, but I wouldn’t recommend discussing either if you want to stay on the good side of friends. After weeks of moaning, I’ve noticed mere statements of trivial facts such as “I’m off now until Saturday” can come across as gloating - particularly when it’s only Monday evening. So I’ve learned to keep them to myself, it’s not easy though and as the words try and get out they crease my mouth into a smug grin, many people would describe as Cheshire cat-like, but can’t say I’ve ever really seen a cat smile.

Talking of smugness, it reminds me of the photos I took for you (you lucky people) of the work of an opportunist Graffiti artist I spotted near the zoo. On seeing it, it made me ponder the moment the ‘artist’ must have realised the potential and at this point smugness must surely have ensued - possibly at a level about five times that of the Smart Car driver I saw pulling into a space only a Smart Car could fit in, as other drivers looked on enviously as they started they’re umpteenth lap of the Bairro Alto. Admittedly the Graffiti artists work is not on the intellectual word play level of converting “Save Space – Crush Cartons” to “Save Crabs – Crustaceans”, but I liked it all the same. On a similar note, I’ve never been a big fan of Adam Sandler (wait for it) but I saw the film ‘Mr Deeds’ the other day – no classic, but I found myself laughing out loud at points (don’t worry nobody was watching). Yet, when I watch the genius that is Monkey Dust (what do you mean, you’ve never heard of it? Catch up – I think I may have to start leaving recommended reading, listening and viewing lists) I barely chuckle, although if my brain could laugh I’m sure if would guffaw til it hurt, but (thank God) it can’t.

Slapstick and similar comedy often gets labelled as childish and in some way inferior to its intellectual cousin – but if it makes us laugh out loud why deny yourself. The brain seems to have a curious role when it comes to comedy, if something is funny you can’t help but laugh. And in situations when your brain knows you shouldn’t laugh, can the mighty all powerful organ (…that’s the brain, ok) stop you? Can it plums! If anything it makes it worse - resistance is often futile. There’s no stopping the power of the laugh. Just as a final point of clarification on the off chance Woody Allen’s reading – Just because I laugh louder when watching Vic and Bob hitting each other over the head with assorted kitchen equipment, than when I watch one of your films – doesn’t mean they’re not as funny, they’re just a different kind of funny – but appreciated all the same if not more (Cheers Woody I knew you’d understand, give me a bell when you’re in Principe Real sometime.)

Just before Easter, my British Council classes were on a module about Mysteries and the like, and there was a section on conspiracy theories with a bit of a discussion. So I thought I’d do a bit of research to prepare the lessons. Googling ‘Conspiracy Theories’ brought up the usual suspects I’d expected but also a lot of stuff about 911 I hadn’t really paid much attention to before, but thought it would make interesting material for a lesson so started digging. The more I read the more intriguing it became and before I knew it 5 hours had passed and I could have gone on reading but I still really didn’t have much of a lesson plan. There was so much that happened that I knew nothing about, and some pretty big questions that have never been answered. I was really surprised that I’d not heard anything about some of these events aside from Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 911, particularly as a person, who likes to engage in this kind of thing, but always with a sceptical mind.  I guess I had wrongly assumed that if anything was happening of such significance it would get proportional representation in the media and would filter through to me somehow – How naive?

It was interesting to see people’s reactions in my classes to the information too. Many, like me had not really seen or read much about it, and their initial reaction on raising the subject was generally one of flat-out denial, any ideas away from the ‘official’ version of events is just too fantastic to even start to believe, isn’t it? Or so I thought until I started to look into it. A few films had been recommended by the various websites I’d looked at, one of which was called Loose Change, which seemed to crop up quite a bit, so I acquired a copy – and sat back and watched with initial, if slightly sceptical, interest, which gradually turned to shock at what I was seeing and what it could potentially all mean. The narrator makes some pretty bold assumptions at points but generally sticks to presenting evidence/information and providing some interpretation. The problem is there is a lack of hard evidence, because most of it seems to have been gathered and swept under the carpet as quickly as possible (which in itself seems a little strange – for what should surely have been a massive investigation) but also signs of a massive media cover-up, with access to footage of the ‘attacks’ being denied by major news agencies. It’s not really the robustness of the available evidence that starts the doubts but more the amount of questions about various aspects of each incident of the ‘attacks’ but also the number of inconsistencies that stack up about the official story. If anything I’d say the greater leaps of faith are in trying to believe some of the points in the official story than in the conspiracy theories – for example no steel structure has ever collapsed due to fire before yet on one day we’re meant to believe that 3 did (yes 3 not 2 – I didn’t know about tower 7 either, which wasn’t even hit by a plane), and despite the steel structures being weakened by the intense heat of the fires, the passport of one of the suspected hijackers from inside the plane was recovered intact. I realise I may sound like one of these conspiracy theory nuts if I continue, but I don’t intend to put over the various arguments here, just to stimulate interest so people take a look at this stuff and make their own judgements.

Good starting places are the following on YouTube;

Painful Questions - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8soQBZz9Sk

The 3^rd Tower Collapse - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEPjOi2dQSM

Loose Change itself (89 mins) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WsyEqKQRBY

& A Good website; Scholars for 911 truth -  http://www.st911.org/

So if there is more to this than mere conspiracy nut fabrication, then why is it not common knowledge? Good question. Well curiously enough from the off, Mr Bush made a statement that conspiracy theories would not be tolerated, and anyone offering them would basically be the equivalent of an unpatriotic deserter. And the mainstream media seems to have followed this line. I tried to find footage of a logical discussion where the conspiracy theories were rebutted with solid logic. But it wasn’t too easy, the treatment of  anyone offering alternative explanations is a bit ‘defensive’ to say the least, a leading academic has his sanity questioned, and accused of hating his country on a mainstream TV show – it’s bizarre if nothing else.

Interview? - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiSe_OsaQrk

Ok, ok enough of the heavy stuff, I just urge you to check it out then I can go back to my musings on my own little world.

(Hmmm, something strange is happening, I think Microsoft could be involved, having written this entry I’ve been trying to post it for the past hour, but just get strange error messages – I think it’s definitely a conspiracy)