Puffs of smoke

+I was in Leeds on Friday night for an evening of minimalism—Glass, Reich, Riley etc. Not everybody’s cup of tea I imagine, but the audience seemed varied, generationally and otherwise. The evening kicked off with a showing of the 1983 film Koyaanisqatsi, scored by Philip Glass, which explores the desecration of the planet by this thing called civilisation. Some shots show the demolition of tower blocks and one in particular sticks in my mind. Here a tower block descends vertically and perhaps unlike some of the others which topple over this building has demolition charges on various floors each releasing a puff of smoke as their charges explode in succession. Where I wonder have I seen that before?
 
+The Tories’ plan to bring back conscription-not-conscription has gone down well in the right wing press. Actually, it may not be a bad idea if it scoops up all those soon to be unemployed spotty SPADS from the crumbling Tory edifice. Get them to peel some spuds instead. In actuality, since it is suggested the scheme will be voluntary, it would hardly be any different to what e.g. students can do now in their gap years. Or perhaps this is where all that extra money we’re going to spend on defence is going to go, on a pretend army that will put the shits up Putin. Coming after we’ve all been told to stock up with three days’ worth of food and water it seems like we’re being prepared for the worst. Next thing you know the state pension triple lock will be dependent on OAPs joining Sunak’s new Home Guard.