Haze of Moloch

The rally on Sunday was small but useful. The plan had been to hold it in the park in Russell Square, but of course the park had been closed by pure coincidence. And by equally pure coincidence was reopened an hour after we dispersed. There were about a thousand people there - a wide mix of muslims, socialists, CND members, and those who in other times would never have considered consorting with such dangerous radicals.

It was a hurridly called joint presentation between the Stop The War Coalition and the Muslim Association of Britain. With the media treating the former as an incomprehensible curiosity and the latter as a convenient repository of 'collective responsibility' for all terrorism committed by Arabs, they can't afford to have a wedge driven between them.

The speeches were all quite mild. Sending commiseraions to the victims of the bombings and gratitude to the emergency services. Noting the absurdity of politicians calling Islam a 'death cult'. Extolling the need to use 'the tattered remanants of democracy'. Pointing out the irony of Ken Livingstone's 'Free London' speech when compared with him closing fire stations three weeks before they were needed. Reinforcing the need to hold on a hang together against media vilification and public abuse. All quite obvious stuff really, but it needed saying.

One interesting point for me was on the military concept of 'blowback' - taken from when poison gas blows back onto the army which releases it. Rumsfeld, Powell et al were fully apraised of how domestic terrorism would result from invasion if pacification was not immidiate, but seemed to think it was a risk worth taking.
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On Monday, Paul T and I managed to record three guitar tracks for the album, so slow progress is being made. The trouble is none of the band have any grasp of what recording involves. They treat microphone placement and multitracking as arcane magic, and expect the technology to read their minds and do exactly what they want.

Odd that people who understand so well the physical limitations and perculiarities of their instruments should regard software and soundcards as somehow 'beyond all that'.
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Max and John M think I should play the stock market. This is a rather surprising suggestion, but intriguing. I'm reading up on the basics of shares and bonds, and a few week's research should get me to a position where I can form a few strategies about trading with imaginary money.
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The problems with PayPal and WorldPay are sorted out. H will have found himself a new place to live. Mark S and CW haven't been in contact. Nick is barely coping with the stresses of his own life. I haven't written any new music in over a month.

It's now Wednesday morning - 0150. From around 1000 I have one computer of my own to fix up for DAB, and if there's time a laptop set up for accountancy to deliver to Bob. Oh, and there's some job application forms to fill out. In the afternoon I'll have to read some more stock market stuff, at 1800 there's more guitar recording, and at 2000 there's another RESPECT meeting.