thumping the tub
Tub-Thumper - 1. A speaker or preacher who for emphasis thumps the pulpit; a violent or declamatory preacher or orator; a ranter. (from oed.com). This blog will be a combination of reasoned posting somedays and an occasional rant.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
SUNDAYS ARE SUPERB
It has been brought to my attention that occasionally I am quite negative. I usually respond to such a scurrilous accusation by suggesting that the more you know about what is really going on in the world the more you realise you aren't negative enough.

However, in order to take the sting out of these accusations (again) I have decided to have a 'Sundays are superb' thing at thumping the tub. That said, every time I have tried to come up with a running theme on a particular day I always forget 2 weeks later so we will see how it works out.

Superb Sunday will be things I like rather than things I hate, which is what most of this site tends to be, and first up are old people who keep their anger at what is going on right up to the end. Number one on the list is Kurt Vonnegut.

I really don't know that much about him other than reading 'Slaughterhouse 5' but that is a good enough start point for anyone to be getting on with.

I post below his daily show interview. If you are not convinced yet about reasons for watching it I hereby provide a teaser...

"I do feel that evolution is being controlled by some sort of divine engineer. I can't help thinking that..., and eh..., this engineer knows exactly what he or she is doing and why... or where evolution is headed... and thats why we have got Giraffe and Hippopotami and the clap"



p.s. Vonnegut sprung back to my mind a while ago because of a post at a dream puppet who has one of the best blogs out there but doesn't get enough comments. I post a link straight to the blog rather than the specific article because it is all good stuff. If you want the Vonnegut one it is April 15th in the archives.
posted by michael the tubthumper @ 4:48 pm  
10 Comments:
  • At 6:02 pm, Blogger Yukkione said…

    you're correct. Bieng negitive is a reaction intelligent people have when confronted with overwelming bullshit. Talking out, is part of the cure not a symptom of the illness.

     
  • At 10:41 pm, Blogger Praguetwin said…

    I think it is okay to be negative. Just remember to laugh once in a while ;-)

    I've added you to my "fellow bloggers" list because I really like your blog.

    Keep up the good work (and cool films especially).

    Mike

    (Praguetwin)

     
  • At 2:28 am, Blogger Cartledge said…

    Ok, you just cured my negativity just in time to start a new week. Vonnegut is brilliant, his writing and his interviews. Thanks

     
  • At 9:38 am, Blogger Unknown said…

    i do love me some vonnegut!

    and michael, i have never seen you in a negative sort of light. i have always looked at you as being CONCERNED which is quite different

     
  • At 10:24 pm, Blogger Rex Kramer, Danger Seeker said…

    Michael:

    We have agreed in the past (despite your hippie leanings...does Scotland have hippies?)on things literate in the form of Douglas Adams. To this short list of commonalities, I think, we should add Mr. Vonnegut. "Slaughterhouse 5" is excellent, to be sure, but might I also suggest "Player Piano," or my personal favorite, "Slapstick (Lonesome No More?)"

    As something one might expect from a man with a bad perm, the man has an excellent eye for the absurd.

     
  • At 6:39 pm, Blogger pissed off patricia said…

    Left of center is correct. It's hard to smile with a ton of crap being thrown at you every day. But you know what? Once you clean yourself up and clean the stuff off, that's when you smile. :)

     
  • At 10:54 pm, Blogger mikevotes said…

    Unrelated to this post.

    I was thinking about you today. I watched a video that reminded me of your last effort and it got me thinking. I have a pretty good collection of photos by this point, so if you're ever looking for anything, let me know. I very probably will have it.

    Mike

     
  • At 1:28 am, Blogger Peacechick Mary said…

    Just dropped by to tell you I hold you personally accountable for implanting the tune to Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition in my brain. Don't worry, the punishment is that you must make more clips!

     
  • At 3:53 am, Blogger michael the tubthumper said…

    thanks for ther comments and kindly abuse everyone.

    will be making some more films but not sure when. might take you up on that offer.

    mary, i couldn't get it out my head so lampooning was a sort of therapy!

     
  • At 10:30 pm, Blogger enigma4ever said…

    hmm I think negative means you are Intelligent, Insightful and Creative- so plez do keep being "negative", Saw an interview this week where someone said that if Bush is considered "optimistic" , and went on to explain that really means that he is "disconnected, delusional and unrealistic"....( it was an Interview on Countdown- can't remember who said it.)

    Thanks for your great clips, honoring Kurt and great cartoons, and bringing us fresh doses of Satire and wisdom....( maybe you are related to Stephen Colbert?)

     
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What is Tubthumping and who is doing it?

Name: michael the tubthumper
Home: Glasgow, Scotland
About Me: Tub-Thumper - 1. A speaker or preacher who for emphasis thumps the pulpit; a violent or declamatory preacher or orator; a ranter. This blog will be a combination of reasoned posting somedays and an occasional rant. 28 years old, I write and research for a couple of websites and also do my own stuff.
See my complete profile

Thumping The Tub Video

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I have made a few short movies. Here are links to free downloads for them all in the order that I made them (as far as I can remember). Please feel free to use, distribute, disagree with, shout at etc etc

  • Praise The Lord and Pass The Ammunition
  • This was a REAL song from World War 2. I was so stunned by it I had to make a movie

  • How Far Is It From Here to Nuremberg
  • This is my attempt at a video for the excellent, if worrying, David Rovics (see links) song

  • What You Like
  • I believe the word for this is "splenetic". Only 20 seconds long.

  • Imperial Measures
  • What is going on in Iraq? Some things you knew, some you didn't. A couple of bits of info are out of date now.

  • Wish You Were Here
  • Wish You Were Here is a 6 minute film about the unprecendted rate of animal extinction we are currently experiencing

  • Gorillas and us
  • I don't like creationism, neither did Douglas Adams

    Recent Thumping
    Older Thumping
    Links

  • spinwatch
  • adbusters
  • internet archive
  • art not oil
  • blairwatch
  • bushflash
  • camcorder guerillas
  • corporate watch
  • campaign for press freedom
  • noam chomsky
  • common dreams
  • counterpunch
  • cost of war
  • david rovics
  • democracy now
  • dissident voice
  • the dossier
  • downing street says
  • etims
  • robert fisk
  • food not bombs
  • global research
  • gmwatch
  • impeach blair
  • indybay video
  • killing hope
  • lobbywatch
  • mediachannel
  • medialens
  • mickey z
  • mixed up records
  • george monbiot
  • mark thomas
  • john pilger
  • radio 4 all
  • schnews
  • snow shoe films
  • sourcewatch
  • tom englehardt
  • ukwatch
  • video activist network
  • howard zinn
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    some of the blogs I look at
    Arse of the month

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    The inaugural 'Arse of the month' award goes to our very own Scottish First Minister Jack (Joke) McConnell. He seems to spend a lot of his time sucking up to english politicians and yet it appears they don't even know his name. Follow the link to see..

    NODOBY KNOWS ME
    It's All Gone Scottish

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    A list of some other Scottish sites and blogs most of which, if not all, are pro-independence. I don't agree with content on all of them obviously. Some are Scots at home, others abroad.

  • The Scottish Patient
  • Kim Ayres
  • Our Scotland
  • average tosser
  • 1820
  • big stick small carrot
  • J. Arthur MacNumpty
  • World of Jack McConnell
  • The Firefox Chronicles
  • Independence 1st
  • Radio Free Scotland
  • Scots and independent
  • Scottish Independence Guide
  • TCOAW
  • Small Nation
  • Inveresk Street Ingrate
  • Radical Glasgow
  • Want to Swot?

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    If you like this site and think it is time to start getting informed here are a few real favourites of mine that will help you blow away the corporate and government propaganda you are constantly bombarded with. It is added to every so often.

  • politics and the english language
  • Beyond Hope
  • the gore exception
  • your tax dollars at work
  • a cultural chernobyl
  • choose life (not trainspotting)
  • shooting an elephant
  • a war crime within a war crime...
  • the menace of liberal scholarship
  • the modern era of law
  • naming the problem
  • the four ages of sand
  • a news revolution has begun
  • come september
  • money is the cause of poverty
  • countering corporate power
  • Other Stuff

    Who links to me?

    For a DotSCOT Domain!

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