UK Takes United Front Against Free Speech?

So this is interesting: the United Kingdom has drafted a black list of sorts, and will deny access to the country for those who have allegedly fostered "extremism or hatred."  Granted, I personally second the notion of giving certain members of this list a social slap on the hand (because a physical manifestation of my sentiments may, in their own right, foster "extremism or hatred").  But any action that denies free speech is scary, too.

I would love to hear more from you kiddies, though.

For a complete article, click it, baby! 

Home Office name hate promoters excluded from the UK

5 May 2009

Individuals banned from the UK for stirring-up hatred have been named and shamed for the first time, the Home Secretary announced today.

The list covers people excluded from the United Kingdom for fostering extremism or hatred between October 2008 and March 2009.

It follows the Home Secretary’s introduction of new measures against such individuals last year, including creating a presumption in favour of exclusion in respect of all those who have engaged in spreading hate. 
 
The Home Secretary Jacqui Smith also announced today that the government is now able to ban European nationals and their family members if they constitute a threat to public policy or public security.
 
In the period from 28 October 2008 to 31 March 2009 the Home Secretary excluded a total of 22 individuals from coming to the United Kingdom. It is not considered to be in the public interest to disclose the names of six of these individuals. The remaining 16 individuals are: 

Abdullah Qadri Al Ahdal

Preacher. Considered to be engaging in unacceptable behaviour by seeking to foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence in furtherance of particular beliefs and fostering hatred which might lead to inter-community violence.

Yunis Al Astal

Preacher. Considered to be engaging in unacceptable behaviour by seeking to foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence in furtherance of particular beliefs and to provoke others to terrorist acts.

Stephen Donald Black

Set up Stormfront, a racist website.  Considered to be engaging in unacceptable behaviour by promoting serious criminal activity and fostering hatred, which might lead to inter-community violence in the United Kingdom.

Wadgy Abd El Hamied Mohamed Ghoneim

A prolific speaker and writer.  Considered to be engaging in unacceptable behaviour by seeking to foment, justify or glory terrorist violence in furtherance of particular beliefs and to provoke others to commit terrorist acts.

Eric Gliebe

Has made web-radio broadcasts in which he vilifies certain ethnic groups and encourages the download and distribution of provocative racist leaflets and posters. Considered to be engaging in unacceptable behaviour by justifying terrorist violence, provoking others to commit serious crime and fostering racial hatred.

Mike Guzovsky

Leader of a violent group and actively involved with military training camps.  Considered to be engaging in unacceptable behaviour by seeking to foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence in furtherance of particular beliefs and to provoke others to terrorist acts.

Safwat Hijazi

Television preacher. Considered to be engaging in unacceptable behaviour by glorifying terrorist violence.

Nasr Javed

Considered to be engaging in unacceptable behaviour by seeking to foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence in furtherance of particular beliefs.

Abdul Ali Musa

Considered to be engaging in unacceptable behaviour by fomenting and glorifying terrorist violence in furtherance of his particular beliefs and seeking to provoke others to terrorist acts.

Fred Waldron Phelps Snr and Shirley Phelps-Roper

Pastor and leading spokesperson of Westboro Baptist Church.  Considered to be engaging in unacceptable behaviour by fostering hatred which might lead to inter-community violence in the United Kingdom.

Samir Al Quntar

Spent three decades in prison for killing four soldiers and a four-year-old girl. Considered to be engaging in unacceptable behaviour by seeking to foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence in furtherance of particular beliefs and to provoke others to terrorist acts.

Artur Ryno and Pavel Skachevsky

Leaders of a violent gang that beat migrants and posted films of their attacks on the internet. Considered to be engaging in unacceptable behaviour by fomenting serious criminal activity and seeking to provoke others to serious criminal acts.

Amir Siddique

Preacher.  Considered to be engaging in unacceptable behaviour by fomenting terrorist violence in furtherance of particular beliefs.

Michael Alan Weiner (also known as Michael Savage)

Controversial daily radio host. Considered to be engaging in unacceptable behaviour by seeking to provoke others to serious criminal acts and fostering hatred which might lead to inter-community violence.
 
The tougher exclusions policy follows the Prime Minister’s commitment in the National Security Strategy to take 'stronger action against those we suspect of stirring up tensions' and the Home Secretary’s decision to introduce a presumption in favour of exclusion for extremists promoting hatred or violence.
 
Under the new policy we are preventing more promoters of hate from coming to the UK than ever before, with more than five being excluded a month as opposed to two a month under the previous policy.

Statement from the Home Secretary

Jacqui Smith said, 'Coming to the UK is a privilege and I refuse to extend that privilege to individuals who abuse our standards and values to undermine our way of life. Therefore, I will not hesitate to name and shame those who foster extremist views as I want them to know that they are not welcome here.
 
'The government opposes extremism in all its forms and I am determined to stop those who want to spread extremism, hatred and violent messages in our communities from coming to our country. This is the driving force behind tighter rules on exclusions for unacceptable behaviour.'

A Quick Update: Thanks Brian

Thanks to a lovely Sir Brian, I was referred to this bloody brilliant documentary.  The guy's name is Edward Bernays and he possesses a frightening level of control over us, more than a decade after his freaking death.

So again, go Brian!  I'm currently watching this clip; anyone else interested?  The answer, by the way, is "yes"...

 

Rebirth of the Birthday Girl

The only way I could possibly attain a higher level of euphoria is if someone spectacular gave me Banksy's phone number.  Or if, on a similar note, the police department gave back my $1600.  Yeah, I'm that happy.

I recently (successfully) survived the first hour of my twentieth year.  I'm 20.  Twenty.  Weird, it doesn't end in a "teen"... I need to absorb this.  I thought that estrogen-miscellaneous-cocktail mix of hormones would never end.

So today I went out for lunch at Chili's--a dreadfully fine establishment, I might add (now where's my endorsement cash at?)--, had an epiphany, splurged on fabric/literature/TRÉS awesome dorm junk/summer clothes, donated to a charity (because if it isn't pornography, my Tom would rather give me a present that involves giving something to someone else, bonded with all sorts of folks, rediscovered the summer-time bliss that is Weezer and Amanda Palmer, and all my holds at the library came through.  I'm in no position to complain.  

From Reverence To Rape is at the top of my pile of books to work through; typically, with any book on a relevant subject, there will still remain several chapters I can bypass--and thus, my waning youth is left in tact.  Unfortunately, such is not the case for this particular piece.  Ms. Molly Haskell, you are terribly cool, but I must protest against how perfectly suited your book is for my research.  For a link/etc on this one, check out the entry right before this one.  

Similarly, in the case of Something in the Way She Moves, I hadn't actually figured on the book having more than one or two chapters strike a nerve... but again, what the hell was I thinking?  I hadn't counted on the author, Ms. Wendy Buonaventura, striking up a socially conscious, feminist tone in her analyzation of dance as an art form.  It would be small-minded to dismiss her work as an attempt to coerce the reader into appreciating long-winded ballet more thoroughly with a touch of The Seven Veils dance, which one could say inspired burlesque, stripping, so on (which I, unfortunately, had initially done); in fact, she addresses sexuality in dance--which she says is inescapably linked to dance.  She goes on to theorize that men have been, as critics and helpless viewers, intimidated by these fearless displays and have thus turned forms of this erotic awakening into something shameful.  Later, however, she confronts the "Buysexuality" and limited marketing (only to those skinny and young, please!) of mainstream stripping--which seems to lower the quality of the dance form in her eyes... or at least this is what I'm getting from a glimpse.  This is a history of the sexuality of dance, and explores "a kaleidoscope of cultures, form the delicious tango of Buenos Aires... to Paris and the bawdy, leggy cancan dancers of the Moulin Rouge... to Chicago and New York, where African Americans cakewalked, Charlestoned, and shimmied into the public eye, creating 'jazz' dance."  We also get to learn about transvestitism, anorexia, and cosmetic surgery.  I can't wait.

Then in a more materialistic tone, let me switch gears and brag.  Lolita, eat your heart out--I stumbled across a cheap, cheap pair of heart-shaped glasses.  I need to go over the dark rims with some red nail polish, and we'll be all set!

I promise I did read the book, and oddly enough, a copy of the movie (unwatched) is waiting for me under my desk.  That cover is just too damn sexy, I must've slipped it down there in my usual, sleepy stupor.  

Ah yes, the epiphany!  Judging many of my books simply by their cover (primarily The Way She Moves), I had a flighty moment of nervousness over the relevance of some of these books.  But after a wave of confidence drowned me after flipping through that particular book, I realized that quite honestly, so what if this book didn't mirror my own intentions?  The truth is, any book, any conversation, any anything I can stumble into that discusses sexuality is just what I need.  This book won't be the end-all be-all of all my topics' discussions in one dense, dull text.  God, what a thought!  I'm combining informative articles, interviews, blurbs, timelines, and more mixed medias with concise summaries and preludes that call about a plan of action, as well as interjections of opinion.  What I want more than anything right now--aside, like I said, Banksy's contact info!--is a collective of words.  Not mine, not yet.  But yours.  All of yours!  Gimmie!

Oh yes, speaking of Gimmie! and Getting once more, I'll let you loves in on my solution for my lack-of-purse at the moment:

+

_____________________________

me, but with a new purse, and very, very happy.

'50s Americana.  It's ironic.

Now I'm off to eat some Kraft mac n' cheese, watch two back-to-back takes on the "When a Stranger Calls" concept, and cash all my product placement checks.

mini movie marathon with my lovely...

It all started with Children of the Corn at work last night.

With my weekend off from Work, I will spend every waking moment, when not prepping or waiting for an interview, frying my brain with a marathon of horrors.  Like the good old days when I was a carefree, disturbed middle schooler.  Why write these reviews?  I like to procrastinate, maybe I'm avoiding inevitable work (like dyeing my hair again, God, I hate doing that).  I think, more likely, with my brain always going in a million different directions, none of which bypassing this blog, I'd like to leave some traces of these thoughts on here.  Most likely of all, I suppose, is to let you know a little more about me as an interviewer/writer.  

In my "SlasHERS" interviews, I'd like to remain unbiased.  But with all of my interviewees having been so obliging in sharing their own likes, dislikes, opinions and fears, I recognize that they're entrusting me with a lot.  Without knowing much about me and my own leanings, in return.  Granted, part of why I'm conducting all these interviews is because of my indecision; hell, at this point, I can hardly make up my mind on all the particulars that I'm researching.  Hopefully over time, with snippets of film reviews and self-imposed questionnaires, more incoming interviews, and research, the answers will start to present themselves.  

...

Midnight Movie was... a delightful surprise.  I laughed.  I cried.  I... didn't cry, but I certainly laughed.  And jumped.  And verbed all over the place!  It was just as a horror movie experience should be.  A bit on the light side, but still plenty scary.  Easing off my giddy high, Midnight followed your typical cast of the maternal, level-headed (if not a little damaged) lead girl, her devoted-down-to-a-T boyfriend, her slutty friend, said friend's asshole boyfriend, and in the tradition of Scream, that guy who no one quite likes, but still knows and loves more about horror than you, the viewer.  Mix in equal parts biker boy and babe, lead girl's expendable coworkers at a failing movie theater, her little brother, and a killer who doesn't know to just stay in the movie.  Watching Midnight, I got the sense that when news came out a few years back that a film would incorporate slasher icons Freddy and Jason, Midnight writers Mark Garbett and Jack Messitt misinterpreted the plot; then when Freddy vs. Jason failed to please, they said in unison, "Well fuck that," and wrote about a killer with the rubber reality advantage of Freddy (skipping between our Reality and, in this case, the movie screen in front of us) with the unstoppable killer complex of Jason.  Though please don't mistaken my comparison as a literal read of this killer: he was his own man.  Though I can't recall any particular scenes that traumatized me with fear, that wasn't the point of Midnight Movie.  If anything, it was a reminder that slashers can be fun.  And with the majority of generic, slick productions we're force-fed nowadays, isn't that a pleasant and surprising reminder?

...

Now, this was not my first time seeing Deathproof, though it was my apprehensive boyfriend's--and golly, was it pleasant seeing his crush on Zoe Bell festering before my eyes, just as mine had.  To the Grindhouse Double-Feature's credit, I did see both movies.  I'll also admit that the premise of Planet Terror was a little more my speed; I can count on just one hand how many zombie movies I didn't dig, and those were extreme cases.  Zombies, for the most part, are a-ok in my book.  This said, I had a much easier time enjoying Deathproof than Planet Terror.  In Grindhouse tradition, any lady with the guts to star in the camp-fest is essentially signing her body up for display; in Planet, Rose McGowan's entire body was at the director's disposal, with an endless strip-tease lasting the length of the credits, and so on.  And if anyone in that movie was going to dance, I'd rather see McGowan on stage than Bruce Willis.  Or worse yet, Quentin.  From this point forth, we follow our characters as they battle through a zombified apocalypse; hell, this movie even made Fergie shine.  But it was Deathproof, with Quentin's signature love of feet and ramble-y speeches from our dozens of protagonists, that seemed much more comfortable with happy, strong female leads.  Replacing a stripper's amputated leg with a machine gun: that's pretty nifty.  But Zoe Bell, on the hood of her dream car, kicking Stuntman Mike's machine of death, cursing in that adorable accent of hers, and then all three final girls having their way with the psychopathic stuntman... that's downright epic.  And where McGowan always seemed a little too cynical and one-dimensional to have the time of her life (with a fucking GUN as her LEG!), I think what I saw was true bliss, when Bell popped out of the grass after being tossed from the hood of a speeding car and chirping, "I'm okay!"  Because casting Bell was perhaps the most genius aspect of the movie.  Beating beautiful women to a pulp is exactly what Grindhouse movies do.  In that aspect, both movies passed with flying colors.  But what makes a good Grindhouse movie tolerable is when the girls are victorious, and through all the grit, we can still see them grinning.  Because being a badass is fun.

...

To balance out the grrrl fuckin power that happy little flick emanated, next stop was the French "torture porn" response to Hostel and Saw: Frontier(s).  If someone had asked if I wanted to subject myself to a non-stop gross-out ride where the French vernacular consisted of little more than "twat," "whore," "slut," or "bitch"... I may have rethought this decision.  To the movie's credit, it made me so uncomfortable I thought I would die.  From the moment the credits roll to the time they role once more, I was nauseous.  The social climate was taut with violence and misery no matter where pregnant Yasmine ended up.  Once the movie came to a close, it was only then that I could breathe--and only then that I actually began to enjoy myself.  Whilst watching our, by no other name, Final Girl duke it out with various members to the cultish family she was being brutalized by, I couldn't help wondering whether or not she WANTED to die.  I know I did.  I do understand the concept of these movies: they want you to feel uncomfortable, even dirty while watching them.  Now if you're wondering whether this is my idea of fun... no, not quite.  I can watch them sure, and part of me feels this impulse to do so.  The train-wreck that is Saw will never cease to attract my morbid curiosity; I may not shell out the $12 to see it the moment it hits theaters, but with my job at a video store, I don't mind picking up a copy... for free.  Hostel, as well, intrigued me.  A copy of the movie sat on my desk for days before I could muster the nerve to watch.  To avoid a showdown of that sort, I enlisted the aid of my boyfriend to help view Frontier(s).  He fell asleep part way through, so he may not have been the best choice; the point is, however, I did get through it, and having someone in the room with me made the viewing experience wholly different.  I could complain to relieve the building anxiety in my chest and throat without feeling crazy!  The special effects were perfect.  The camera work could have been improved on in scenes of tension; because honestly, there was enough sick stuff in the film to counteract any moments of "slowness."  In an early scene, my boyfriend remarked that the cameraman must've been instructed to follow every bullet in the shoot-out.  And the dizzying effect this produced was not a favorable one; at times, with detailed, drawn out sequences where Achilles tendons were being snipped out, or Yasmine was being bludgeoned in the head (even though she DID have a weapon with her!) in the midst of 1,000-shot-per-second chase sequences, the movie seemed a little confused with where it wanted us to be.  The movie never, believe it or not, seemed far-fetched.  There were true psychotics in the film, but the crazies didn't just live out in hostels/compounds in the middle of nowhere--they were in the rioting cities as well.  In hospitals.  In the streets.  Wherever our lead characters turned, there was insanity.  Even they, themselves, were no innocents.  And by the end of the film, any trace of innocence I had was conveniently stripped away.

...

Malevolence, Malevolence, Malevolence.  Oh, how I underestimated thee.  There really was so much going on in the story, and in retrospect, I'm seeing even more!  Little plot twists pop up all over the place in this modern throwback to classic slashers (my boyfriend got a little high from the soundtrack alone).  And really, this is one smart movie.  As one character gets what was coming to him/her (I shall not give anything away!) the camerawork gives homage to the shower scene in Psycho, while giving a nod to similar all-stab, no-skin cutaway shots from early slashers.  While a video box with no synopsis may deter many viewers, many a horror fan will get a kick out of this fun little film.  My boyfriend holds tight to his theory that this was a realistic flick.  Me, I just loved seeing a little girl kick ass with a softball bat.  Really, how often do we get to see that?

...

For such a dark film, Inside was really all about light.  The Christmas lights, the red and blue police lights, the strobe-like camera flash, or the lack of light altogether--the silhouette of that creepy lady.  If Hostel, Saw, or Frontier(s) had any willpower, they might be able to be Inside.  The gore is comparable to those better known horrors, but Inside definitely holds out more with tension.  And you've gotta love that.  (Well, my boyfriend doesn't, but I certainly do.)  I'm losing the ability to wax poetic on horrors at this point.  It's been hours, and my brain sorta aches.  I know I'm not supposed to have any nerve endings up there, but fuck that.  My brain hurts!

...

Looking back over my adventures from the past day, I've come to the conclusion: do NOT fuck with women: whether they are pregnant, they were once pregnant, they'd rather show off their scars than their newest shade of lipstick, or they suck at softball.  In the end it's all the same: they're gonna kick your ass, and look good doing it!

Favorite Favorites

It's late. My judgement isn't sound. And I'm feeling vulnerable after a multi-hour horror fest; so to add in another shade to my character, I'd like to steal and repackage the self-directed questionnaire concept. I re-dyed my hair tonight, and whilst standing in the shower, drenched in dried-blood red running down the drain, staining my skin and everything in sight, ever-so Carrie-esque, I realized I couldn't escape the terror of everyday life. I'd say I need a vacation, but who would I be fooling? I know I'd spend the whole time watching more movies...

Favorite Horror Flicks... Feast, 28 Days Later, Malevolence, The Descent, Ginger Snaps, Hard Candy, Ms .45, Peeping Tom, Suicide Club, Nightmare on Elm Street 1 and 2, Inside

Favorite Fears... I'm a simple girl; Strangers, Malevolence, and Inside definitely played with this staging: you know that sudden tingling sensation you get at the back of your neck when you realize the pale face, or mask, or silhouette, of that monster/killer you've been avoiding all along has actually been watching patiently from the sidelines, shrouded in the darkness of your doorway all along? And that means... oh my God! how long have they been there? Yeah, that's bound to scare me every time.

Favorite Kill Sequence... Let's just go right ahead and check off everything that happened in the uber-sick Tokyo Gore Police, shall we? The fetish club prostitute whose torso was gunned in half, only to regrow an alligator head in place of her vagina/legs, who was in turn shot right in the 'gator by a gun held by his severed hand, the trigger of which was pulled by the his arm by tugging on a ligament/thus controlling his finger on the trigger thus... whew! Awesome, terrible, traumatizing, brilliant kill sequence.

Favorite Weapon...

Most Killer-Killer...

Turn-offs...

How I Like to Get My Fear On... I really couldn't decide between an audience of my obnoxious friends and just me and my cat. If I had to choose, though, because I know what a hard-ass of an interviewer I can be, I'd say I need alone-time with the heavier movies like Inside and Hard Candy ("I said shut up, atom!"); zombie flicks are best enjoyed with a brainless following of your own, as are torture porn flicks; because if I had to endure that stomach-flipping homage to Countess Elizabeth Báthory on my lonesome, I would've slit my own throat with a scythe. Was it the dead silence except for the muffled, animal-like squeals and slurping of blood or... no, I know what it was! That scraping sound of the rusted metal against the girl's throat and naked body... Ick, that was one hell of a scene. Gratuitous gore is one of those guilty pleasures I prefer with supervision, I suppose.

I am so sleepy, and so annoyed that I didn't finish this self-imposed interrogation in one sitting. Damn. Tomorrow I'll be sure to scrounge the horror section for inspiration!

A Spoonful of Scary helps... Sweet Dreams

Though three years old, and judging by the hits, a "cult" classic in itself, I just found this delightful video; it simply verifies you can find the horror in just about anything.

Scary stuff.