The Deaf Penalty: ‘Robert Blecker Wants Me Dead’

Posted on by Kelly Welles

‘Robert Blecker Wants Me Dead’ is a 2008 documentary about two men. One is the Robert Blecker of the title, a law professor from South Manhattan, who campaigns for the death penalty. The other is Daryl Holton, a former Gulf War veteran and (current) death row inmate who murdered his four children and is waiting for his sentence to be carried out.

Through his work, Blecker ends up visiting Holton in prison, and is surprised by how emotionally engaged he is with the man. The film is the story of their cautiously developing friendship and it’s context within their apparently diametrically opposed worlds.

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‘Tis The Season To Buy Weapons… Tra La La Etc

Posted on by Kelly Welles

Image: AP Photo/Scottsdale Gun Club, Gordon Murray.

Are you completely insane? Does this impede your ability to purchase Christmas presents for your family and friends? Why not visit the Scottsdale Gun Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, where you can purchase enough high-power weaponry and ammunition to blow away your town and it’s entire population?

Then you won’t have to buy any presents for anyone.

A Tale Of Two Switch-Ons: UK/USA

Posted on by Kelly Welles

Image: JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images.

I’ve been a bit down on the UK recently. But now December is here I’ve suddenly, inexplicably, become filled with festive merriment and a desire to remind myself how, in some circumstances, you just can’t beat the Brits.

Take Christmas light switch-ons. In the United States, the 2011 National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony was attended by no-marks such as Barack Obama and family, the cast of Jersey Boys and, wait for it… Kermit the Frog.

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Supporting Documentation For Emigration Request, Pts 1&2

Posted on by Kelly Welles

I haven’t been around much lately, but with good reason. I have been completing my application for permission to leave this pleasant land* for greener pastures and surprisingly, considering that the government is supposedly desperate to bring down the net migration figure, it’s ridiculously complicated.

Surely a  multiple choice form with pictures of the ‘Desperate Scousewives’ cast in the margins might be more appealing to a demographic we can probably do without?

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Antoine Dodson & The Philosopher’s Rapist Rant

Posted on by Kelly Welles

You’re either going to get this immediately and laugh your ass off, or it will mean nothing to you because you don’t spend nearly enough time looking at lolcatz, youtube and movies about boy wizards.

It’s a win win situation, really.

Image via pophangover.com.

 

Unnecessarily Esoteric Abstraction Of The Week: Guardian Poster Notes

Posted on by Kelly Welles

Image via thejustlife.org

Ladies & gentleman, please welcome The Guardian’s Poster Notes column.

I know, but I just love stuff like this. It keeps me occupied during those times when I might otherwise be engaged in causing public unrest.

Morrissey: The World Is Indeed Full Of Crashing Bores

Posted on by Kelly Welles

I’ve really been trying, but I’m yet to be horrified and offended by the new John Lewis advert.

I diligently availed myself of the anger directed towards Morrissey for allowing the retailer to use The Smith’s track ‘Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want’ in their seasonal ad campaign. I purposefully sat down in front of the TV when it came on, fully prepared to begin shouting ‘sell out’ and accusing him of not being a ‘proper’ vegetarian because Waitrose sell meat/that the song is a ‘hymn’ and belongs to the fans/blah blah blah de blah.

I saw it as a real opportunity to unleash some of the ire I had been assiduously storing up for when I do my Christmas shopping.

Sadly, instead of the warm contentment one generally gleans from deconstructing the decision of a cultural icon, I just ended up feeling a bit like I’d been the victim of a massive, media-fuelled, utterly pointless, marketing campaign.

Bit like Christmas, really.

Surface To Air Missiles: Solving London’s Transport Problems

Posted on by Kelly Welles

Queue of athletes just out of shot. Image: JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images.

Yesterday it was reported that UK security forces would be prepared to deploy surface-to-air missiles during the 2012 Olympics in London.

Sounds reasonable. Traffic congestion and public transport issues in the capital are going to be so bad next summer, firing athletes at the relevant stadia is probably the only sure way of getting them there in time.