State of the Union 2008

October saw me complete my second year at AJE here in Doha, time passes slowly in some respects (it sometimes feels like ive lived here a lifetime) and quickly in others.

My original game plan was to spend 2 years out here, but that time has passd

AJE as a channel continues at a break neck pace to where im not sure, HR & finance continue to continue at a pace that im not sure is measurable.

I got a big promotion this year, I now head up the Media Management Unit along with the many other jobs I do on a daily basis.

I discovered the joys of tailored clothes, thanks to my tailor here in Doha.

I returned to the garden festival, I traveled a lot.

The most significant person in my life moved to Doha, initially on a 3 month contract but fingers crossed on a full time basis into 2009.

Ru moved out of the Southbank flat, Kathrin moved in.

Sister bought a flat in Bermondsey, parental units left Romania and planning on heading to Abhu Dhabi in early 2009.


The future….

I head out on holiday to Hong Kong for a short trip in Jan 09. I’ve booked tickets for garden 09, have weddings in the UK other than that I think im going to be in doha for a while.

A quick personal update as I havnt done one for a while

Im still in Doha, still swamped with work, things here have gone from surreal to Dadaistic

– I veer on a daily basis from Elation to thoughts of packing it all in and heading home it been 2 years and 2 months here in this sandy town,

– Doha is expanding at what seems to be a exponential rate with the good things and bad that go with it

Good

There are things to do – Concerts, Jazz, Galleries & Museums have opened – this is infinitely better.

I have moved up in the company – I have a team (my old team infact) im involved with a number of exciting company projects, and I relish the challenge.

Bad

With the increase in population comes an epic increase in traffic – what was a 20 min commute now takes over an hour

Corporate bureaucracy is now at an all time high, Overtime from august still not paid, Qatarisation is now in full flow, I believe things are now traveling backwards. God bless western HR & Finance departments – you are gods people do not understand how good they have it.

Personally im getting back into creativity, im going to start printing again, I bought a screen, photo masque chemicals, inks & a squeegee. First project Christmas cards. Then personal calling cards the question of where to buy lazer printable OHP paper in Doha rears its ugly head :/

Here Here Neil Gaiman, i agree whole heartedly - always defend free speech, no matter how offensive i think something is i will always defend someones right to say what they want to say.

I am increacingly concerned about the turning tide of freedom in britan, having re-read V for Vendetta its getting awfully precient. the increacing big brotherification of the place i call home is now scaring me. I work for an organisation that gives voices to the voiceless in a country with a terible human rights record, i find it hard to reconsile the two on a daily basis. i by virtue of my skin colour and the nationality of my passports i am garaunteed rights but i see headlines that make my skin crawl. maybe i should get used to dichotomy.

i echo Neils sentiments as well "
(And let it be understood that I think that child pornography, and the exploitation of actual children for porn or for sex is utterly wrong and bad, because actual children are being directly harmed. And also that I think that prosecuting as child pornographers a 16 and 17 year old who were legally able to have sex, because they took a sexual photograph of themselves and emailed it to themselves is utterly, insanely wrong, and a nice example of the law as blunt instrument.) "


http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2008/12/why-defend-freedom-of-icky-speech.html

well this week was the week of weeks, America has a new president elect, i have emerged from the election process in one piece (just) - and i remember why i dont do overnights -

well i took some photos of the crews in action over the night and most turned out great. first time i saw so many people smiling as obama gave his acceptance speech it was amazing.

on other notes ive been here for over 2 years now - on one front it went very fast in others it seems to have been a lifetime i will write a proper summary soon but its been a turbulent time.

hugs to one and all who still read this very occasional missive

.M.

Its the year of weddings for me, quite a few, and im having to turn some down,

So far plans to travel to the following

Ghistlain & Armands in london

Lou & Olly's in wales - tho this is tricky as its the same as the

2nd weekend of the garden festival.

Ive had to turn Alice & Max down in berlin.

the Perth one may get turned down too

My new favourite news page/agregator

Polymeme.com - decribed as the Polymaths guide to news and ideas - its like a grownup web based A&L daily - based on buzz tracking

always facinating articles

Facinating article on Quality Vs Quantity Vs Timleyness of video in breaking news


http://masteringmultimedia.wordpress.com/2008/09/23/video-quality-vs-quantity-debate-rages-on/

End of the summer

Was this summer the last summer of my youth, my friends report aches and pains,Reporting being tired, flatend defeated waking up in the morning is difficult, longterm heath issues no longer just niggles, now serious, in a word exhausted.

Its always been the end of summer that has been indicitave of change to me, the end of the long heady days playing in the garden as a child, late warm nights drinking in the park then pub gardens as a teen ager, late night playing & dancing the nights away at festivals as a young man.

is this generaly symptomatic of the uk, are we feeling the chill of the last days of cool britania, i know the heady days of 1999-2004 are long gone, but were we enjoying an indian summer through 06&07 ?

What now as a man, no longer a boy, what now the world is ending, what we took as normal, as given with the easy credit, easy lifestyle we all took for granted, as the world slides into an ever increacing mess, the collapse of the capatalist world - is this the end of rome, is the us government playing nero as rome burns?

this strikes me as i come to the end of my 20s, i am more serious, i dont feel like playing anymore, those things i took as granted are gone, i no longer play, i am harder and faster and now the best i have ever been, professionaly and personaly those days that were summer are gone, that which was for play are gone, the end of autum approach and the winter which is for work and settleing in for quiet days in front of the fire with those i care about.

"The true fetishist has become he or she who abstains from consummation while the rest of society gets its kicks in a post-modern pornutopia in which all manner of experiences can be had with all comers and myriad things. The celibate are stigmatised as freakish, thwarted. And yet the great surveyed platitude among consenting adults is that most would rather sleep than screw; a kink at which uncontracepted generations would surely have gawked. "

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/love-sex/consummation/consummation-a-very-peculiar-practice-928429.html

well im back in doha after a wonderful couple of days in london, some good times were had with the people that mean the most to me in the whole world.

its strange after having lost contact (well not really having lost contact whilst here in doha, but not having properly caught up with some old friends) how easily you slip back into that old comfort zone.

how do you deal with the innevitable loss that after your breif meeting, parting brings.
on another note im still a shameless cad, but after the last few lonley months what is a boy to do?

im becoming obsessed with the obey graph print line - im loving the latest ones




http://obeygiant.com

another momentous day in news, musharraf has resigned.

There is something quite strange and morbid about watching all this footage coming out of georgia & south osettia, a town i knew, a people i had the honour of meeting ever so breifly last time round.

my heart goes out to you as you prepare for a war you can not win,

there is something deeply bizarre looking at the quad split of the feeds and seeing beijing and olympics footage above watching russian and georgian troops, receiving breaking news wires about olympic golds, next to talk of humanitarian corridors.

Well have just booked my flights im in london from the 22nd until the 1st.

give me an email if you want to hook up, tho the schedule is filling up.

.M.

"But just because they read about our ways on Boing Boing doesn't mean they can rock a true neo-Victorian lifestyle. It takes a lot of time and a lot of welding."

http://www.mcsweeneys.net/links/monologues/25steampunk.html

Well ive been offline for a while, a long trip back top the garden, then a dead macbook pro hasnt helped

Im now ensconced in my new job in the newsroom, sat on superdesk, facilitating communications, solving problems and CSVing, as well as managing the media desk. upside is im now working a 8hr day on a regular sunday-thursday shift! woot!

what ive been reading:

The 10cent plague: a romp through the history of the american comic industry and the faux morality thrown at it by the mothers & church groups of the mid-west.facinating read both on the history of comics and morality of the mid-west.

In Athena's Camp; preparing for warfare in the information age: origionaly prepared for the Rand Institute & the Secratary of defence; a dry but worthy tombe on the changes to military afairs when ever informational systems change, rangiong from genghis khan through napolian to the gulf war, a read for those interested in how information changes things - in this case warfare.

Video over IP, a practical guide: typical focal press textbook, its like fiber flakes, its dull dry and very chewey, but ultimatley good for you.

Strange Attractor Journal Three: Whimsical and facinating collection of journalistic articles from the fringes, everything from zootoxins & psychodelics, to recountings of travels to balanese transvestite festivals. - good stuff.

Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris: ecelent foodie book on paris, havnt been for a while but will be packing it when i get there.

The Gunslinger Born (The Dark Tower Graphic Novel); my obsession with the dark tower septet is known, good adaptation in graphic novel form. nuff said

DMZ Vol. 4: Friendly Fire - darker and moodier than previous versions. god its good.

just a quick line to assure you im not dead, im still in qatar, been mad busy at work, and about to head off to croatia for a much needed break.

will be blogging hard on

http://gardenexit.blogspot.com/

as the shenanagens happen it will be there

.M.

Gin, TV & Cognitave Surplus

A facinating transcript about the spare time and brain power people have in their lives and the social means people use to 'soak up' this spare time

"...Something that people in the media world don't understand. Media in the 20th century was run as a single race--consumption. How much can we produce? How much can you consume? Can we produce more and you'll consume more? And the answer to that question has generally been yes. But media is actually a triathlon, it 's three different events. People like to consume, but they also like to produce, and they like to share. "

http://www.herecomeseverybody.org/2008/04/looking-for-the-mouse.html

Finaly an action toy i can be prowd of

http://www.nickdewar.com/nick_dewar_illustration_pictures.php#nogo

Well im heading back to london on friday - im avalible friday onward - email me if you want to meet up - im around in london till the 15th.

Probably going to the Belleruche Gig at the luminare, Daft pink at the BCB, and a few other things - give us a shout for details

Two new jackets about to be deployed

Just bought myself this little beauty of a print - turned up in great condition - not sure who its by but is up my street image wise, mid 20th centuary urban landscape in portrate in block colour

more body armour lying around the office

Nothing like the strangley dadaistic aspect of opening a newspaper in doha - this week the guardian weekly - Censorship of a picabia - shown in an article about the new tate modern show.

To add to the generally quite surreal aspect of censoring a major and well know artwork, the sticker is A) partialy transparent B) self adhesive - that would be quite easily removed without too much issue

I wonder what one of the Dadaists would think! perhaps a social comment on censorship itself

An awesomly brutal breakbeat remix of portal type stuff: from ectomo

by some guys called victims of science

free accident

Aaagh! It's The Mr. Hell Show!

on youtube - yay - bizzaro late nightys cartoon with pointed satirical teeth.

this clip - Serge the millitant seal - he's funny, furry & a psychopath!

i love the fact his sidkick is a rabbit foot called lucky

Belleruche new album


well some good news - heard from kathrin that the new album is nearly finished!! w00t!

god bless google books: information from long out of prints on the shin & sosaku hanga movements (creative print movement) on both father and son Hide & Yuzaburo Kawanishi.

Their prints have long facinated me, I have a Yuzaburo of Kobe bay in the 1960s - that belonged to my grandfather - given to him by the artist himself. i have long wanted a Hide of Kobe bay to match it.

for those not not familliar with the pairs work they are charachterised by bold vibrant colours with a distinct lack of black outlines - typical of the classical Ukio-e movements that had come earlier (and distinctive to traditional japanese prints)

the distinction between shin hanga and sosaku hanga - is this the litteral differance that all the work was created by one artist - the blocks, the inking and the printing in the case of shin, in the case of sosaku all the processes were done by different artists/craftsmen.

what facinates me about the movement is the pure use of colour - whimsical yet serious

AJE RESUPLY

anyone ever wondered what it looks like when the re-supply of equipment comes in for a tv-station?

here you go

Spam poetry of the week:

"Admiral-I do admire you, I said, standing and turning to the intern the Meadows of Medicine, while just beyond is the Museum of Mankind."

ive said it before - i love this bayesian poison poetry

another day another few announcements from the quiet newsroom at aljazeera,

firstly a sad one: Naveed Alvi a colleague, was killed a couple of days ago in a tragic road accident involving a boat coming off its trailer, he was a much loved person in the channel. he will be missed,

second: a very good friend (for now cant mention their name) possibly my best friend out here has resigned, im going to miss them deeply - but i have to say its the right decision for them, they have been struggling with the workplace and their boss for some time - i wish them the best of luck - and if your reading it - love you my friend - may the future bring you great happiness - as you certainly haven't had it here, and you deserve it.

and here a great discussion panel with josh at the USC Public Diplomacy center

Its been about a month and a half since ive previously written, ive not dropped of the face of the earth, but nothing has happened in the interim. work carries on, any number of people resign, ive lost count, i think around 45 have resigned in the last 2 months.

for posterity i write the names i can rember and care about

Tracy Cork
Richard & Gil
Wozza
Tony Chapman
James Cambourne
Nadene Ghouri
Charlotte Sever
Clair O'Hagen
Sam Robertson
and others that i cant remember or cant include

Its a massive loss, weve gone from bleeding out,now were hemoraging hard, we now seriously need a trauma surgeon, a bandaid will not do.

Ive met some new people, become obsessed with Rescue Me, Season 5 of the wire has started and im dreaming of london & croatia.

For people reading this im planning to be in london at the start of april for 10days - get your bids in now.

a few photos from work on a very quiet day

Al Jazeera English Doha 2008

first killer quote from bruces rant

"My guess is that, among your list, Dubai has got the best chance to be
called "quaint" one of these years. It's built on oil and
autocracy.... its got a phantom-like, Fatehpur Sikri feeling to it,
like a Las Vegas desert dream. Maybe it can thrive as an offshore
colony for India. In much the way that, say, Vegas seems really sexy
and sophisticated to someone from Omaha.
"

well its that time of year again, Chairman Bruce is hosting his anual state of the union address

http://www.well.com/conf/inkwell.vue/topics/317/Bruce-Sterling-State-of-the-Worl-page01.html