Spiritual Weightlifting

DARREN CLARKE

2006-05-24T06:01:00.000-07:00

This is shamefully my first post for quite some time. However, I was moved by a recent incident to ensure that I wrote about it before too much time had passed.

In this world of megabucks sports stars it's not often one can find someone that could be described as a SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER. However, golfer darren Clarke qualifies as a result of something exceptional and special that he did last weekend.

Now let me say at the outset that I am a great fan of golf but have never considered darren to be a favourite of mine. For one thing I have found his cigar smoking attitude a little too arrogant for me. But my opinion changed this weekend.

Bagger Vance said it best. People that play sports other than golf "lie, deliberately, to gain selfish advantage". And Darren showed this by making a decison that should stand as an example to others.

When play at Carton House was abandoned because of bad weather on Sunday, Clarke was two shots clear with 10 to play. But just before the hooter sounded, Clarke had pushed his drive at the 9th into the heavy rough.

When he returned to resume his round on Monday, Clarke discovered the County Kildare course's leprechauns had been at work overnight improving his lie. From being faced with a hack back to the fairway on Sunday, he now had a shot at reaching the green in two.

Having asked for a ruling, Clarke was told to thank "the little people" (probably) and play the ball as it lay.

The 37-year-old felt ill at ease about this, however, and opted to play the same sideways chip back to the short stuff he was going to have to play on Sunday.

The result? A bogey-five and the first wobble in a round that would see him bogey two of the last three holes to finish two behind Thomas Bjorn.

As Clarke later explained: "When I went back out the area around the ball had been flattened. It was a much better lie than when I left it.

"I could have put it on to the front of the green from where it was, but my conscience would not allow me to do it so I just decided the best thing to do was chip out like I would have done the previous night.

"Honesty is part and parcel of the game and I could not have acted any other way."

Well done Darren - you are a true SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU PLAYED?

2006-02-27T14:07:00.000-08:00

Marc De Bruin asks: "When Was the Last Time You Played?:"

I quote:

"Firstly, find out where you are hanging on to seriousness. Where is your life governed by doubt, worry, anxiety, fear of the future, etc. Where have you suppressed playfulness in favour of gloom? Be honest with yourself!

"Secondly, define for yourself what 'playing' means to you. I may have a completely different definition of the word than you, and therefore my "playing" will be different to yours! What would you do if you decided to play? Go to a musical, play chasings with your partner, go to a footy game, play hide-and-seek with your kids, buy a super-soaker and squirt cars in the street, etc.?

"Thirdly, find examples in your surroundings of people that "play" the way you would like to. What are they doing? How often do they do that? What sort of people are they? What can you learn from them?

"Lastly, take action!! Find at least two occasions in a week in which you can play out full. Go past your own boundaries, act a little crazy, do things you would never do before, make a fool of yourself, and laugh out loud! If that is too much, do something that is less "out there," but still is a stretch in your model of the world, and then do a little more the next week.

"Seriously...we need more fun and play in our lives. You will not only feel great, you will have an enormous influence on the people around you also. Just try it: walk past somebody and give them an honest smile. You will make their day."

And when you are ready for some advanced fun, might I suggest perhaps a Pointless Game or a round or two of Mondo Croquet?

STREET PLAY

2006-01-12T10:41:00.000-08:00

The discriminating few will no doubt wonder how it happened that my previous post, Public Art and Public Play also appears as a previous post of mine, called, oddly enough, "A Public Fun Artist. "Was there a significance to the second appearance of what is apparently a post by yet another name," you might ask yourself.

Today's post, therefore, is about something else that, spiritually-wise, I find uplifting in a weighty way. Something created by two people who have become, consequently, actual friends of mine truly. A website called "Street Play.

There's a lot of reminiscing going on about how kids used to play back in the days when kids were kids. It's a good kind of reminiscing, a sweet nostalgia for the inventiveness and irrepressible, undeniable spirit of play. Unfortunately, we almost always follow those moments of wistful wonder with the conclusion that kids nowadays just don't do those kind of things.

Streetplay is a spirit-lifting - restoring our faith both in our memories of childhood, and in childhood itself. Streetplay's collections of photographs documenting actual kids in actual play, here, and around the world, yesterday, and today, provides us with incontrovertible evidence of the preeminence of the playful spirit.

Then again, there's the nostalgia part. Surely you didn't forget those long summer afternoons playing Stickball? And who could forget Halfball? Or, for that matter, Skully? Reading about those games, seeing the photos and film clips, even if you never played them, is a journey into the past, present, and future of fun. It not only documents what we used to do, it reminds us that we can still do those things, that we have a heritage to pass on to our children and children's children. And our children, and children's children have a heritage to pass on back to us.

This is a remarkable site. Rich in depth and detail, preserving and nurturing a wealth of rock solid invitations to play. It is free. You can help support the site by purchasing cool stuff from their store. There are no advertisements. A genuine gift to us all.

PUBLIC ART - PUBLIC PLAY

2006-01-10T08:19:00.000-08:00

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer lifts spirits with his "Relational Architecture" projects, as exemplified by his body movies piece - (this link takes you to a very large quicktime movie, requiring a fast connection and great patience - all well worth the effort).

In this remarkable work of art, Lozano-Hemmer invites people to play via complex and subtle uses of light and technology. I quote from his website:

Body Movies transforms public space with 400 to 1,800 square metres of interactive projections. Thousands of photo portraits taken on the streets of the cities where the project is exhibited are shown using robotically controlled projectors. However, the portraits only appear inside the projected shadows of local passers-by, whose silhouettes measure between 2 to 25 metres high, depending on how far people were from the powerful light sources placed on the floor of the square. A custom-made computer vision tracking system triggers new portraits as old ones are revealed.

Body Movies effectively transforms a public square into a public playground, where strangers play with light, shadow, and each other. It illustrates every principle I can think of that characterizes an effective play environment: It supports almost any degree of involvement. Players can choose to ignore it completely. Players can watch other players at play. Players can dip into and out of it at will. Players can get silly and stay safe, get serious and take risks, become fascinated and fascinating, play alone or in groups. Players can spend hours figuring out how to make it do things.

Lazano-Hemmer came to my attention via an email I received from Madamjujujive, aka Julie Ferguson, a contributor to two of my "Blogs o'Fun" - Metafilter and Everlasting Blort. She knew that I'd be at least as excited as she was about her discovery of the art of as described in this discussion on MetaFilter. I mention this by way of thanks, to Madamjuvujive, Rolo, who passed the lilnk on to the MetaFilter community, and to the many wonders and powers of we who blog.

Want to see more of Lazano-Hemmer? He recommends HUMO: A mobile platform for the rapid deployment of huge images and his "ambitious net project" Vectorial Elevation.

THE MAGIC NUMBERS

2006-01-08T04:38:00.000-08:00

This is a very, very brief post, but this particular story caught my eye. I think not enough so-called 'celebrities' keep their feet on the ground anfd this is a great example of band, in vogue at the moment, who have done just that.

As a teacher I have often approached people whom I'd hope might support some class project and had little response.

Mind you this story also shows they were not prepared to stand for any nonsense - they are highly principled!

The Magic Numbers have been SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTERS to the tecaher and class in this particular story. They should be commended for that!

WORLD DRIFTS IN – CALEXICO

2006-01-05T00:30:00.000-08:00

Calexico, as well as being the name of a town somewhere near the American/Mexican border, is a musical act comprising Joey Burns and John Convertino, former members of Howe Gelb-led, legendary act Giant Sand.

Their unique musical blend is best described as a cross between Mariachi, TexMex and rock. When listening to their music on my iPod I half expect to see tumbleweed blowing across my train carriage or wherever I happen to be at the time.

As is alluded to above, the mix of musical influences shows that in the name Calexico, they were not so much picking an identifying label, as they were making a statement about their music crossing borders. The genre is best described as alt.country or Americana.

There appearance as SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER is merited by several instances, not least of which are some of their barn-stroming tracks like “Crystal Frontier” and “Across the Border”. However, the specific citation in this case comes as a result of their live concert held at the Barbican Theatre in London in November 2002.

Now having seen them perform live at the Royal Festival Hall in 2004 with the Spanish band Amparanoia, I can vouch that they are one of the most amazing bands I have ever seen playing live. They know how to put on a show. Indeed it was one gig that had us fans well and truly ‘rocking in the aisles’.

A previous gig in London in 2000 had won them great acclaim and the accolade of Time out’s ‘Gig of the Year’ – an accolade indeed. So they had something to live up to when they went on stage in November 2002.
The DVD that is a record of that show is called ‘World Drifts In’ and is a brilliantly simple concept. No frills – the band are filmed with few cameras trained on them. Yet this simple style works, it doesn’t becme tiresome or boring. Instead one is drawn into their performance as, like Talking Heads' "Stop Making Sense" the band builds before your eyes.

Francois Breut, a French singer joins the group on a couple of songs, including the important track ‘The Ballad of Cable Hogue’. But it is about halfway through the event that the night becomes something very, very special. The appearance of the 8 members of Mariachi Luz De Luna ensures that the sober environment of the Brabican is rocked like it never had been before or will be thereafter.

The performance of all on stage is a marvel and wonder that will be looked back on many years from now as a benchmark for world music and for that reason it is a worthy member of the SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTING hall of fame.

SANJURO

2006-01-04T01:12:00.000-08:00

Sanjuro is the eponymous role played by Toshiro Mifune in the 1962 film. The movie was made as a comedic follow-up to the more serious Yojimbo. The character of Sanjuro appears in both films, and unusually although described as a sequel, it cannot technically be such, as it occurs in an earlier period of history than its predecessor!

In both films Sanjuro, whose name means ‘thirty years old’, is a mercenary who sets out to help people in need. The latter film is the one I refer to in the rest of this post.

In the film, Sanjuro reluctantly plays mentor to a naïve group of young Samurai as he tries to help them to learn their trade.

Why I feel uplifted by this character is the way in which he makes use of his intelligence to support and encourage his charges although it is ultimately a fruitless task. That’s not to say he exploits his position. He makes himself indispensable to the nine fledgling Samurai by trying to get them to think for themselves. However much he tries, they continue to mindlessly act with one voice. Although somewhat disdainful of their inability to act independently, he still perseveres with them.

Sanjuro outwits everyone he comes into contact with – most emphatically in the very famous final scene frequently referred to as the ‘briefest and most breathtaking duels in the history of cinema’.

But for me he is a SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER because of his indefatigability and dogged determination to help others.

BALLOON HATS AND THE QUEST FOR FUN

2006-01-03T08:02:00.000-08:00

You wouldn't think that making balloon hats could evolve into a spiritual path. Unless you happened to stumble across a website called "The Varieties of the Balloon Hat Experience." As the authors explain:

In 1996, Addi Somekh and Charlie Eckert began traveling to different places in the world to make balloon hats for people and take photos of them. The goal was to show people all over the world laughing and having fun, and to emphasize the fact that all human beings are born with the ability to experience joy. In total, they visited 34 countries and have over 10,000 pictures.

I am amazed at what a rich, luscious, thoughtful, inspiring, and profoundly gift this Balloon Hat Experience proves to be: the amazing gallery of Balloon Hatting around the world, the gallery of Threes - depicting stories of love and balloon-hatted glory in series of three images.

I found this on their What is Laughing page.

"In the Navajo tradition we have what we call Chi Dlo Dil, or a Laughing Party, for a newborn. The Laughing Party is the first laugh you hear from a child. It's usually around six weeks. It's the baby's first expression to the world, saying 'I'm ready to interact.'

...At the party everybody sits around the baby and has a big meal and plays with the baby. The person who makes the baby laugh first plays an important role in the child's life."

Nancy Evans, Shiprock, NM (Navajo Nation)

And this piece of poetic anthropology about the meaning of hats from Mary Holmes is Professor Emerita of Art at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

The head has always been a battlefield. We think of ourselves as livingin our head. Our most important acts aren't performed by our hands or our legs. We think and speak with our head. So the head becomes sacred. It has meaning. Which is why there came to be so much meaning attached to hair and headdresses, to what they look like. And it has enough meaning that it¹s worth fighting about ...I have great faith that hats will come back, because they have been important to humans for millennia. And the balloon hats give people, at least momentarily, a return of that experience of dressing the head. I think that's why it evokes that bubbly, giggly, happy response. People feel that at last they have the recognition they deserve.

THE COMMANDOS IN “THE LIFE OF BRIAN”

2006-01-02T14:17:00.000-08:00

It seems somehow fitting that I make this post on the day that “Life of Brian” was voted the best comedy film of all time in a UK poll. I wrote this post a while ago intending to upload it on the date of one of the Monty Python team’s birthday, but it is perfectly suited to today.

The film, although deemed to be so blasphemous it was banned in Norway and Ireland is jam-packed full of classic funny moments. But not all of these are particularly appropriate for this Blog. Instead, the focus of my attention for SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTERINESS as can be seen from the title, is this scene where crowd of malcontents and dissenters discuss the contributions that the Romans have made to society.

This scene has been much parodied but it does make a serious point I feel. Tom Waits sings in “San Diego Serenade” that he ‘never missed my hometown till I stayed away too long' – thereby implying that you don’t know what you’ve lost till you don’t have it anymore. In a similar way, the proletariat cannot see what the Romans have contributed to society. At least not until, in response to 'and what have they ever given us' the first person pipes up with 'the acqueduct', which opens the floodgates so that it is soon joined with 'the sanitation', 'roads', 'irrigation', 'medicine' and many more. Thus it is, in typical Pythonesque fashion, that the point is not so much made as bludgeoned home with a sledgehammer!

And I end up unsure about who lifts my spirits most. Is it the main speaker, who in the face of great contradiction still plugs away trying to prove his point again and again – like Robert the Bruce’s spider from the famous Scottish legend? Or is it the crowd who, despite their ‘leader’ telling them otherwise, come up with a whole string of reasons to be grateful to the Romans.

In a way I see parallels between this scene and the way in which yesterday’s SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER, Sir Bob Geldof, dealt with problems as they arose when planning Live 8. In short, he’d say, “Apart from X and Y what is standing in the way of [a particular thing] happening?” [receives answer] “Okay then, apart from X, Y and Z what is standing in the way of it happening?”

I love this ‘Never Say Never’ attitude and feel too few of us take that approach in our lives. Too often obstacles are perceived as being more problematic than they actually are.

SIR BOB GELDOF

2006-01-01T13:17:00.000-08:00

It being New Year's Day and all, I wanted to pick a SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER of truly heavyweight proportions. Someone who in the past year did their damndest to make a difference to the world. Who was not prepared to take 'NO' for an answer and who really and truly believes in what he says and does.

It was uncanny that in deciding who to pick after seeing the bells in this morning, in fine company (and who can ask for more than that?) my neighbours Miranda and Paul and their children as well as my wonderful kids and beautiful wife, Liz.

As we were winding down and sat in front of the telly watching a documentary about the making of the LIVE8 concert in July 2005, it struck me that Bob Geldof was the person I would pick. {particularly because of his part in the Make Poverty History campaign (see new 'skyscraper' badge at left hand side!).

The documentary was truly enlightening as it showed how his dogged determination ensured that the event was a great success, although personally I feel it was partially ill-conceived.

Seeing him battle with the immensity of heart-of-gold-but-tempestuous promoter Harvey Goldsmith in trying to get another band (The Killers) onto the already over-capacity running order, was a revelation. His attitude of 'I don't care about the problems, just make sure it happens' might not always go down well with people, but in this case it is as refreshing as having a bucket of icecubes pured down your back.

When the people who run Hyde Park (where the Live8 London leg was held) hassled him about the finishing time, he simply said that if they closed it down early he'd send letters to the 2012 Olympic venue voting committee saying that if the UK couldn't feasibly run an event for 200,000 people in Europe's largest urban space, what chance had they of runnijng a successful Olympics. Needless to say that empty threat or not, Bob won the day.

On of his most notable achievements was the role he played in getting Pink Floyd to reform for one memorable 20 minute slot, for the first time since their acrimonius fall out over 20 years previously.

I don't agree with all he has done or said, nor do I share all of his viewpoints, but in my opinion he is an example of the common man who has stood up and been counted throughout his life, and for me there can be no better exponent of SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTING than he!

G.E. SEEDS OF IMAGINATION MICROSITE

2005-12-30T16:15:00.000-08:00

This is really is a delightfully beautiful site that celebrates the sort of creativity that my musical hero Harry Chapin sang about in “Flowers are Red”. And I’m not talking simply about the fact that like the song, the site involves the creation of flowers (albeit of the unworldly type). No, Harry Chapin sang about how a teacher castigated a child for not painting flowers the way they really should be. This website on the other hand creates flowers that are not the way they really should be.

It seems the site has been set up to raise awareness of the need for more abundant and safer sources ofreosources that we tend to take for granted. I have seen it referred to as an ADVERGAME - but this is an advergame where the user doesn't feel that (s)he is being conned.

The site uses the input of text – you are encouraged to talk to your flowers - and in so doing, you create the blooms. They state that each bloom is unique. I have not worked out how it works technically, but the very fact that it does so is worthy of celebration in itself.

You begin by planting a seed, which grows, nurtured by your words of encouragement to it. The seasons pass, and your flower responds accordingly. At the end of the process, your plant grows seeds, which you can harvest and plant. And so the cycle begins again.

You can share your plant with others in the gallery. A wonderful touch takes the ‘gallery’ idea into the social software realms now so familiar with the likes of Flickr and del.icio.us etc. As you browse the gallery, if you like the ‘look’ of someone else’s plant, you can take a ‘cutting’ which you can plant and grow for yourself.

This is not the first GE web microsite that I have come across – their drawing wiki (Imagination Cubed) is fantastic and, despite being described merely as a prototype, has great applications for education, I feel.

So a site that lets us celebrate our creativity regardless of our age -my 5 year old loved playing with it as much as I did – is worthy of great praise indeed. It was a truly magic moment to share it with her and to see the unbridled joy on her face as the plant grew before our eyes. [“Talk to it Daddy. Tell it “I love you plant. Grow, grow for me beautiful plant on the computer.”” Such are priceless parenting moments that you will remember forever].

It's so relaxing to use - as the build up to New Year and stresses associated with it, this is such a cool site to look at and play with. One of the really fun things is to see the effect that KEYWORDS such as 'grey' and 'water' have on the blooms you create.

There’s just not enough of this sort of software available on the net and for that reason it’s a SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER, try it - you'll see what I mean.

BRENDA PRESCOTT

2005-12-30T09:57:00.000-08:00

My next SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER is a very personal choice.

Brenda Prescott is a former colleague of mine. As Head of PE for about 20 years at the Royal Masonic School in Rickmansworth, she was an inspiration to others through the exemplary way she taught.

She also provided voluntary support for disabled swimmers at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

Suddenly, Brenda was struck down with meningitis, completely out of the blue. Brenda nearly died. As it is, the associated illnesses that arose from the complications that set in meant that she lost both of her legs.

I remember to this day meeting Brenda for the first time after her illness struck – it will stay with me for the rest of my life. I asked her how she was, amongst other platitudes as I struggled to think what on earth I could possibly say to her. Instead of feeling bitter or angry about the illness that had struck her down, Brenda could not have been any more positive and matter-of-fact.

“There’s no point crying over spilt milk,” he told me, “what’s done is done!”

“How can you possibly have that positive attitude after what’s happened to you Brenda?” I asked.

She went on to say, “At least I’m very lucky. I get to do something you will not.”

“What’s that?” I queried.

“Learn to walk. I get my new legs next month and I am going to have to learn to walk on them.”

Then as now, those words stunned me. An ability to think like this humbles me still and I feel honoured to be able to consider to Brenda as a friend. She has simply refused to let her disability get her down.

I suffer from psoriasis and used to moan about it all the time. However, through being SPIRITUALLY WEIGHTLIFTED by Brenda’s wonderful approach, I have not complained about my relatively mild affliction since.

Almost single-handedly she keeps the historical event of SCHOOL DRILL going at my school. This involves 180 girls performing a series of synchronised movements to music over a 20-minute period without any form of instruction. It is a joy to watch and will be, itself, a SPIRITIUAL WEIGHTLIFTER of the future when I will explain more about it. But her role in this likens her to a storyteller of old, who passes on important tales so that the next generation get to hear them and thereby perpetuate their heritage.

Brenda deservedly won an MBE last year. And the shame is that many people who will have seen her name on the honours list, will have thought ‘who’s that’. Yet I consider that Brenda is far, far more deserving of her award than many of the other people who received honours but who are better known. Through living an exemplary life, Brenda has shown me how to be an inspiration to others. She is a true SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER.

JURASSIC PARK – OPERATION GENESIS (PS2)

2005-12-29T11:42:00.000-08:00

There was only one single present that was top of my 9-year old son’s Christmas list this year. Jurassic Park – Operation Genesis for his Playstation 2.

Well, thankfully despite it being a game that is over a year old, Santa was able to find a copy and bring it for Euan. To say he was pleased is an understatement.

Anyhow, watching him play this game – an interesting variant on the theme park simulations (like this, and this ) that are otherwise available – has made me realise just how powerfully educational these sort of packages are. If only they could be widely used in schools…

Already in the past 2-3 days I have seen evidence of my son’s love for animals as he lovingly tends his new dinosaur exhibits. He sheds a tear and has sombre moments when his dinosaurs expire (as they can only live for 1 year or so). His joy when new dinosaur strains are discovered by his team of roving scientists (allowing him to clone them for his park) is unbridled. He wants to play this game socially and he and his friend Craig have collaborated on all sorts of decisions – scotching the myth that game-playing is a solitary pastime. In fact as I write this he’s raced round to see if Craig can come to see the new dinosaurs he has created.

The critical analysis of what has happened in the games is really quite detailed. Euan telling Craig about the Brachiosaurus he has just found was fantastically detailed.

Why do I want to share this with you? Well it’s simply that I am overjoyed that my son is able to experience such simulations so early in his life. In this game he is learning about DNA, financial wheeler-dealing, dietary needs, damage limitation, landscaping. I know for certain that I never ever had this sort of opportunity at such an early age. My heart soars at the prospects my wee boy has throughout the rest of his education having had this sort of experience at such an early age.

Jurassic Park is a SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER par excellence. Even the accompanying soundtrack is a delight and makes the game as much fun to watch as it is to play.

VINCENT SCHIAVELLI

2005-12-28T20:30:00.000-08:00

“Who is he?” I hear you ask. Well, one glance at his photo and you should be able to place him. He was one of that breed of actors who you frequently see in TV shows or movies, but whose name you never knew. I was saddened to read on Boxing Day, of his death. He was one of those people often refered to as a ‘character’ actor. This usually means that they look a little unusual and consequently often play ‘kooky’ or ‘weird’ people. His distinctive droopy eyes and large expanse of forehead were the trademarks that led to him appearing in many TV shows and movies.

Although the occasion of his untimely death is my prime motivation for including him here, Vincent fulfilled my criteria for a SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER. Whenever I saw him in a film I always warmed to his character, whether playing a good or bad character, one could not fail to be drawn in by the melancholic look in his eyes.

In addition, his success as an actor emphasises the fact that in a performance the WHOLE TEAM OF PLAYERS is important to the finished product. Nowhere is this more in evidence than in ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest’ where his role as one of the patients is almost as memorable as Jack Nicholson’s.

He always looked INTERESTING. Whatever character he played, I wanted to get to know him better. I EMPATHISED with him, no matter what role I saw him play. His unusual looks, whilst being the reason he played such roles, will also have prevented him from earning the mega-bucks his talents deserved.

I particularly liked the fact that whenever I saw him in any film I was keenly interested in his character. No matter how melancholic he was, his character seemed to attract one's attention. In 1972 his character in "The Corner Bar" was the first sustained gay part ever played on US TV. Furthermore, his role alongside Andy Kaufman in "Taxi" was also noteworthy and resulted in him playing a role in “Man on the Moon” the biopic of Kaufman’s life.

A man with many strings to his bow, he received a great deal of praise for his cookery books and won an award for his writing on the topic. His grandfather was a cook for an Italian baron prior to his emigration to the United States.

He never forgot his roots, having been brought up by his Italian grandfather and having returned to his spiritual and familial homeland of Sicily in recent years, it was there that he passed away on Boxing Day 2005.

It is clear from the photos one sees of him with other, better known actors, that he was well liked and respected by his peers. I think we could all learn a great deal from the way that this much under-rated man lived his life. The mayor of his adopted home village described him as "a great friend, a great chef and a great talker. With a smooth, witty conversation, he would make everything look more colourful. I've lost a brother." If you have a dry eye after reading that then you are made of stern stuff!

A SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER for sure – here’s to you Vincent, you’ll be missed.

THE WOMEN OF WEST GODAVARI

2005-12-27T16:21:00.000-08:00

This story caught my eye last week and it really made me think about the collaborative power of community spirit. As an avid and, indeed active member of the Moodle community (which is an excellent example of the power of a collaborative community) I know only too well how much a group of people can do when they work together to a common goal. In the case of the women of West Godavari they have taken working together to a truly different level.

Living as they do in an area where the average monthly wage is a pittance compared to what we would consider even a minimum wage in thew UK, it is a remarkable testament to them that they came to the rescue of a needy member of their own community.

As anyone will tell you, who has ever tried to galvanise a group of even only 20 people to work together, it is not an easy task. Imagine therefore how remarkable it must have been for over 13,000 women’s groups to work together within 10 days, to raise the $1,373 needed to pay for a life-saving operation for Basavani Hymavathi.

She has 3 children and was told she had a serious heart condition a few months ago. Knowing how impossible it would be for her to find the vast sum of money required for the operation on her own, she approached members of her self-help group. From there the word spread and eventually many tens of thousands of women each contributed less than 25p towards the cost of the operation. A true example of Gestalten – many little wholes making a bigger, greater whole.

At this time of giving and sharing where many of us use the time to think of others, there can be no better example of SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTING than this.

SPECIAL POST-CHRISTMAS DELIVERY

2005-12-26T16:23:00.000-08:00

Here's my first attempt at Spiritual Weightlifting. I apologise already if it's too personal, but hey, there's very little that lifts my soul more than this topic.

Christmas is a special time in so many ways for so many people. Families to organise, meals to cook, cards to wrap, presents to write - it's fraught. Sometimes, though, circumstances can prevail to make things as complicated as possible yet with the benefit of hindsight we realise what a delight some difficult situations can bring. What follows is my favourite Christmas story and I never tire of telling it.

A couple of years ago our little family (wife Karen, son Aneurin and myself) were expecting a special delivery ourselves. Nye (Aneurin's shortened name) was 18 months old and was looking forward to the imminent arrival of a sister - Karen was VERY pregnant with Rhiannon and it was looking like we'd have a Christmas baby. It was not to be - Karen managed to cook dinner for eight of us on Christmas Day (I'm sure I helped a bit but Karen tells me otherwise) and even the stress of that didn't cause Rhi to make a showing. I seem to remember taking it easier on Boxing Day, Karen spending a large part of the day with her feet up on the sofa. Yet still no showing from the new baby.

I wasn't getting anxious at all - although Nye had been a 12-hour labour, there were no complications and we got to hospital well in time for the delivery. On that occasion Karen and Nye spent a few days in hospital, and I still remember the pain from theat night of what felt like the longest walk I ever made - along the corridor and out of the hospital door leaving my wife and firstborn son to spend the night there. I was "home alone" for a few days. Ouch.

Back to the story of Christmas 2003. Karen was showing no sign of letting this baby go, yet at about 2315 started complaining of feeling a bit queasy. In the next ten minutes she calmly announced that her waters had broken. No panic, we were old hands at this game, there were hours to go yet. In advance of any action, I took Nye to his grandparents up the road for him to spend the night there. When I got back at 2340 Karen had run a bath and was getting ready for a relaxing soak. I suggesting phoning for the ambulance then, but we agreed not to bother them as it might be hours yet. How rapidly things can change...

0000: Karen has a huge contraction and feels the need to kneel in the bath. Blimey. I'm still the cool calm influence, as always, (Karen tells a different story) and I phone the ambulance. There's one in the village on another call but he might take half an hour to get to us. No worries, there's ages yet. We've done this before. As I'm on the phone Karen has another contraction - that was a bit quick, and heart a-flutter I phone the midwife. "Keep her in the bath, stay cool" was the advice, "midwife on the way. It might be ages yet".

0005: Another huge contraction. I'm still on the phone to the midwife unit at the hospital. We're still cool...until Karen gives one of those primeval screams the like of which I heard only once before and tells me the baby's coming. In my cool and calm state (ahem), I dropped the phone in the bath (duh) and managed to catch 7lb 7oz of purple noise before she hit the water. She was crying even before her hips were out.

Rhiannon Alis May Jones came into this world when she decided to, no messing about - she wasn't going to bother with all that "labour" fuss, she just went for it. And that's my girl all over - "no messing". She sees what she wants and she goes for it and woe betide those who get in her way. She is a delight, a real individual - noisy (and how), forthright, fast-learning - and funny.

And that's my spiritual weightlifting bit - not the fact that I delivered my daughter at home, without assistance (although that makes me Very Proud), but that Rhiannon can be relied upon to always lighten my day. Despipte being a somewhat difficult baby, loud and demanding, her sense of humour and natural comic timing is now developed to a level that she can ALWAYS bring me out of a dark mood. She doesn't know it but she's a natural comedienne and can be relied on to make anybody laugh, and continue to laugh, at her antics. Her proud older brother is funny too, in different ways - he says funny things - but Rhi's timing, her "sense of the moment" and her use of facial expression is immaculate. And she's only two years old (today).

So there it is. My own "spiritual weightlifter". She's a hard act to follow; I don't yet know what I'm going to write about next.

OLDBOY (2003) – MUSICAL SCORE

2005-12-26T14:33:00.000-08:00

I had heard a lot about this South Korean film. It won the Grand Prix du Jury at the Cannes film festival in 2004 – and that is often a good recommendation for me. So, knowing its violent content would make it unsuitable viewing for my wife, I made the most of her being at a Christmas party last night, and watched it.

From the outset it is a violent film and some of the scenes will certainly stay with me for a long, long time. Park Chan-Wook’s story is truly gripping: a man is inexplicably kidnapped and held captive for 15 years. He is then, just as inexplicably released by his captor and told he must find out why he was held captive within 5 days. If he fails to do so, a girl he has come to love will be killed.

Okay, what with the extreme violence and troubling subject matter, this cannot be a SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER, can it? “What are you playing at?” I hear you ask. Well take a closer look at the heading of this entry. You’ll see that I have cited the MUSICAL SCORE, not the film.

You see, what is remarkable for me in this cinematic triumph, is not the film itself – astounding though it is – but the seemingly incongruous juxtaposition of watch-from-behind-the-sofa scenes of violence with a joyous musical soundtrack of, in my opinion, incredible beauty.

Without doubt the film would be much more suited to a pounding techno-beat to accompany the on-screen carnage – at least that’s what you’d typically find in films of this genre these days. This one is on a different plane purely because it has so cleverly used a score that contradicts what you are seeing on the screen.

Tarantino famously uses music to devastating effect in his movies – notably “Stuck in the Middle with You” in the ear-cutting scene in Reservoir Dogs. Oldboy’s score magnificently succeeds in ensuring that no matter how much you are disturbed by what you see on screen, your heart soars (there is no other way to describe it) with bar that is played.

You find yourself being swept along by the majesty of the music even though you witness some truly brutal scenes. The music seems to render an almost balletic quality to what is seen on the screen – indeed one extended fight sequence would rival the beauty of even the finest of classic dances. But it’s the accompanying music that makes it so - a pounding, raucous beat would simply not have the same effect.

My SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTERS are not always comfortable choices – this one certainly isn’t [watch the film and you will see what I mean] – but the score, without question, fits the bill in every conceivable way. It is simply an astonishing piece of work and comes very highly recommended.

THE FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK – THE POGUES

2005-12-25T02:10:00.000-08:00

Another seasonal offering for you.

In the UK we have a bizarre preoccupation at this time of year. I’m not talking about our eternal hope that it will snow at Christmas – no, what I’m talking about is our perennial love of CHRISTMAS NOVELTY SINGLES.

Every year there is a huge rush to bet on which song will be the Christmas No. 1. Indeed many artists now release singles purely to win the coveted title of “Christmas No. 1”. The recent UK “X Factor” TV show was timed so that the finale led to the winner being announced the week before Christmas, with his single being released so as to be the red-hot certainty prime for the title. Though at the time of writing, this unusual ditty, by a previously unheralded group called Nizlopi, about a boy who wants to take his dad’s JCB to school so he can fight bullies (in it’s own way that has SPIRITUAL WEIGHLIFTER written all over it, did this Blog not have another purpose) was in the No. 1 position. See I told you it was bizarre! [well what can you say about such hits as "Mr Blobby", "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)", Bob the Builder 's "Can We Fix it?" and "There's No One Quite Like Grandma"?]

But standing head and shoulders, I mean HEAD AND SHOULDERS, above all other Christmas songs – is the greatest, I said THE GREATEST, Christmas song of all time. [I can’t say Christmas No. 1 of course, for it was kept from the coveted spot by The Pet Shop Boys’ "Always on my Mind"]. I’m talking about "The Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues, sung so majestically by mad, bad Shane MacGowan and angelic Kirsty MacColl.

It’s not the most joyous of songs, and certainly is in contrast to the more jolly songs like "Mr Blobby" and "Merry Christmas Everybody" featuring as it does the bickerings of a very drunken couple. In fact its subject matter is as melancholic and despairing as anything committed to music. However, the timing of its original release, and the inclusions of jingly bells has helped make it stick in the head as a bona fide Christmas tune.

And here’s the thing. Sometimes you can hear Christmas tunes too many times – you can tire of them - one’s CSPT (Christmas Song Pain Threshold) can soon be reached. But it does not matter how tired or strained or fed up I feel when out and about at Christmas time, whenever I hear:

"I've got a feeling,

This year's for me and you,

So happy Christmas,

I love you baby,

I can see a better time,

When all our dreams come true,"

I feel invigorated, uplifted and happy once again. The melody makes your heart soar and if you know any of the words, you can't help wanting join in wherever and whenever your hear it being played.

It’s rare to find a tune that has this effect on me and I can still remember the first time I ever heard the song – sung live, by a pint-of-wine swilling teetering-tottering Shane MacGowan and The Pogues in The Assembly Rooms in Derby.

There was not a dry eye in the house.

The ability of an Irish penny whistle to melt a grown man’s heart should not be under-estimated!

HAWKIN’S BAZZAR

2005-12-24T09:29:00.000-08:00

I might as well continue with the Christmas theme – “but how so?” I hear you ask.

Well Hawkins Bazaar is a quintessentially British institution that comes into its own at Christmas time.

To look at the company’s brochures you’d think there was a Mr Hawkins who set the establishment up in the same era as the old Curiosity Shop. However, the business only started in the 1970’s by a Mr Templer, and is now run by his son Toby. It seems the store - originally opened as a local Toy Store - was situated in an old pub called The Hawk Inn - and from there you can guess the etymology of the name.

It’s a company that is as zany and fun-filled as the products it sells. Their main trade comes in the lead up the Christmas and employ 154 more staff in the hectic rush at that time, than they do in the summer months, when only 6 people work at their warehouse.

They say they want to give people the Christmas we all want to have experienced: “We’re selling the dream” says Templer. Look at the website or catalogue and you can see that childhood favourites are on display – and not a single BRATZ doll to be seen anywhere!

Now it’s easy to be cynical of any business that makes such a living from the Christmas period - to see their quaintness as gimmicky. However, I believe there are too few companies like Hawkins around, those who passionately believe that the customer comes first.

Hawkins Bazaar is a SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER not least because one look at their brochure brings my childhood memories flooding back. A soap cat that grows hair, an ice mummy, magic teacher, real mini-brick house building kit and stocking fillers too cheap to believe are simply the tip of this veritable child-at-heart's iceberg.

I enjoy buying from Hawkins, as much as giving gifts from Hawkins to my children – and joy-of-joys receiving a gift that I know came from Hawkins.

For me placing my Christmas order with Hawkins has become as ritualistic as putting up the Christmas Tree for writing Christmas cards. It’s interesting to note that Hawkins say many of their customers place their orders on the same day each year.

Now Santa, here’s hoping you bring me that Champichute I asked for...

RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER (1998)

2005-12-23T12:09:00.000-08:00

This is a simple, and possibly on the face of it, an uninspired choice for my latest SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER. After all RtRNR is a commercial creation that ties into the MEGA-commercialisation that is modern-day Christmas.

However, oh ye of cynical mind, the reason for my choice is plain and simple and will be explained in 2 flicks of Rudolph’s cute derriere.

The RtRNR I refer to is a cartoon animation film featuring the voices of Eric Idle, Bob Newhart, Whoopi Goldberg and John Goodman as Santa. Not only is there a stellar cast, but the film features the Wings Christmas song “A wonderful Christmas time’ – I suspect Paul McCartney didn’t require the meagre royalties generated from this movie to supplement his income!

This film is not particularly special, except in so far as it is a classic tale of a seemingly-useless, bullied, good-for-nothing, much-ridiculed, different, no-hoper come good. In being so, it’s also the story of Everyman – it’s the story of us all. At the end of the day, Rudolph proving his worth to his peers is a stirring tale indeed, but it has little to do with why it is a SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER.

I say a lot of the above with tongue firmly in cheek, but I have a serious reason for my choice. RtRNR’s worthiness as a SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER, is the effect this film has on my children. Like it or loathe it, Christmas is one of the few times left to children that they can be, well … children. There are few other occasions when a young child can actually revel in the special moment of make-believe and dreams coming true.

For the past 6 years I have known when Christmas is getting close. It’s not the first robin, or smell of cinnamon (despite my earlier post) or snow – we get precious few white Christmases. No, it’s my son (he’s almost 10) asking me, “Dad, where’s the Rudolph video?” And my consternation as I have to remember where I hid it, er... I mean put it, is momentarily traumatic!

The delight in his and my 5 year old daughter’s eyes as they watch it, and knowing that Christmas Day is fast approaching, really (and I MEAN this) makes me forget the pandemonium in shops as one tries to buy even the simplest of items in the week or so leading up to the Christmas break.

So this may not be a popular choice, but for me it has such a special place with our family that I cannot avoid putting it forward as a worthy SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER.

We all have our own RtRNR equivalent – what’s yours?

DONCASTER ROVERS FC - CARLING CUP RUN 2005

2005-12-22T12:14:00.000-08:00

A simple, topical post here.

I used to live and work in Doncaster (home of the famous St Leger horse race) and have slightly fond memories of the place. This is a football team that has had more than its fair share of problems in recent years.

Anyhow, Doncaster Rovers, little Doncaster Rovers, made it through to the Quarter Finals of the Carling Cup and played mighty Arsenal last night. Arsenal, to those who do not know, are one of the biggest (and richest) football clubs in Europe. They got there by beating causing a major upset by annihilating Aston Villa (another mighty club) in the previous round.

Last night, in the tiny Belle Vue Stadium Doncaster Rovers (wearing red and white as the HOME team), led Arsenal (incongruously wearing GOLD [fool's gold some might say]) after only 4 minutes, and an amazing upset looked on the cards. But as is usually the way of such things, Arsenal took the game to extra time by equalising. Doncaster Rovers miraculously led again and it was only in the dying seconds of extra time that a last-gasp equaliser from Arsenal took the game to penalties. Needless to say the dream ended there and Doncaster Rovers were knocked out. However, they can hold their heads up high as an inspiration to us all.

Yes sometimes the underdog wins. But on this occasion it was more important that the underdog gave everything they had, and although it was not enough to be triumphant, it still lets us see what can be done when you are determined to succeed.

That’s why the players of Doncaster Rovers FC are SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTERS today.

PLAYING WITH TIME

2005-12-14T16:32:00.000-08:00

Of all the endearingly silly ways to watch yourself waste time, Daniel Craig Giffen's Human Clock is by far the most of both - endearing and silly.

Everything on Giffen's site shows an almost maniacal dedication to human-scale whimsy. There are three clocks: digital, analog and text. Each mode is sillier than you'd expect it to be. To change between clocks, you go to an equally silly, but fully functional control panel that looks like something drawn by a fifth grader, and acts like a grown-up web interface. Try all three.

Then there's artist Yugo Nakamura's Industrious Clock. Not as human, perhaps, but it definitely conveys a certain "hand-made" humor. Nakamura's art, and playfulness, are even better represented by his "Surface" collection. Click on the small circles on the bottom of the page to explore.

A PUBLIC FUN ARTIST

2005-12-13T16:28:00.000-08:00

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer is a public fun artist. See, for example, his "Relational Architecture" projects, as exemplified by his body movies piece - (this link takes you to a very large quicktime movie, requiring a fast connection and great patience - all well worth the effort).

In this remarkable work of art, Lozano-Hemmer invites people to play via complex and subtle uses of light and technology. I quote from his website:

Body Movies transforms public space with 400 to 1,800 square metres of interactive projections. Thousands of photo portraits taken on the streets of the cities where the project is exhibited are shown using robotically controlled projectors. However, the portraits only appear inside the projected shadows of local passers-by, whose silhouettes measure between 2 to 25 metres high, depending on how far people were from the powerful light sources placed on the floor of the square. A custom-made computer vision tracking system triggers new portraits as old ones are revealed.

Body Movies effectively transforms a public square into a public playground, where strangers play with light, shadow, and each other. It illustrates every principle I can think of that characterizes an effective play environment: It supports almost any degree of involvement. Players can choose to ignore it completely. Players can watch other players at play. Players can dip into and out of it at will. Players can get silly and stay safe, get serious and take risks, become fascinated and fascinating, play alone or in groups. Players can spend hours figuring out how to make it do things.

Lazano-Hemmer came to my attention via an email I received from Madamjujujive, aka Julie Ferguson, a contributor to two of my "Blogs o'Fun" - Metafilter and Everlasting Blort. She knew that I'd be at least as excited as she was about her discovery of the art of as described in this discussion on MetaFilter. I mention this by way of thanks, to Madamjuvujive, Rolo, who passed the lilnk on to the MetaFilter community, and to the many wonders and powers of we who blog.

Want to see more of Lazano-Hemmer? He recommends HUMO: A mobile platform for the rapid deployment of huge images and his "ambitious net project" Vectorial Elevation.

JUGGLING

2005-12-08T03:13:00.000-08:00

There's no doubt in my mind that juggling is a SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER. Whether you be juggl-ER or juggl-EE (the latter being my word for the person who is being juggled to), great pleasure and relaxation can be derived from the experience - except, of course, if someone is juggling chainsaws over your head!

I have been a casual, and somewhat rubbish juggler for almost 2 decades. I first took it up mainly as a challenge to myself - a New Year's Resolution, if you will. I was not, and never have been a smoker, so had no challenge like that to set myself. So I decided to learn to do something I had never done before - I chose that moment because at the time I felt comeltely uselss at everything I tried. Juggling looked cool and also impossible.

It's against the laws of nature to keep more things in the air than you have hands.

Well, as you might imagine, I was totally disastrous for the first 2 weeks. If you've tried to juggle you'll know how hard it can be. The first goal is to throw one ball from each hand in an arc with some sort of rhythm. The hardest part seems to come when you add the infamous, and seemingly illogical (given you have only TWO HANDS!) third ball. I was failing miserably. I just could not get the third ball to go as it should, where I wanted it to go.

Then I read somewhere on a website - one of the first pieces of Internet research I ever carried out, by the way - that if you imagine that an invisible, horizontal hoop runs through the middle of each ball that is in the air, then try to throw the ball that is in your hand through that invisible hoop, you might find things easier. Two broken vases and a dislocated shoulder later, I can vouch that that advice was well founded! I cracked it. And do you know something? I can't think of a sweeter feeling that getting the ball in my hand to got EXACTLY where I wanted it to for the first time. It's indescribably joyous. You want to shout to the world "I did it! I did it!"

Since then I've given public performances (albeit comedic rather than serious) of my juggling and heartily recommend it as a great way to raise your spirits whenever you feel useless, as I did before I first tried it.

Juggling - a justifiable entry in the SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTING Olympics!

PODCAST

2005-12-07T06:56:00.000-08:00

Right then. Strange one this. I have chosen the word "PODCAST" as today's SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER. Yes, I have specific podcasts in mind that will feature as SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTERS of the future, but why have I chosen the word as such?

Well it has something to do with this story. It seems that podcasting has made such an impression that the word has been declared "Word of the Year" by the New Oxford American Dictionary.

This, for me is a remarkable achievement, considering that the word was almost unheard of this time last year. How things move on apace in the world of technology. And how great it is to learn a lesson from the fact that it is possible to make an impact from grass roots level; after all that's where podcasts first sprang from.

People may argue about what makes podcasts so special, but the truth is, whatever you think about them, they are changing the way that we listen to broadcasts, and they have empowered the person at home (regardless of age, sex or technical know-how) with a story to tell, to be be able to do so in a simple way.

"Podcast was considered for inclusion last year, but we found that not enough people were using it, or were even familiar with the concept," said Erin McKean, editor-in-chief of the New Oxford American Dictionary.
"This year it's a completely different story. The word has finally caught up with the rest of the iPod phenomenon."

I won't link to my favourite podcasts from this article, for those are SPIRITUAL WEGHTLIFTERS of the future. For now, as a sometime podcaster myself, I just want to savour the moment that I feel I played some minor role in a revolution.

CINNAMON

2005-12-06T02:59:00.000-08:00

We all know the onslaught of Christmas is upon us. I absolutely hate to see the Christmas decorations go up in August and supermarkets selling Chrismas gifts from early September.

However, I feel a lot better when I smell the heady aroma of cinnamon - whether it be in bakery products (yum!) or scented candles burning - that aroma is when I REALLY feel that the holiday time is nigh. It HAS TO BE in the Christmas season - for some reason or other I am left somewhat nonplussed by the scent of cinnamon throughout the rest of the year. It must be something to do with the way that smells trigger past memories I think. I associate cinnamon with happy Christmas events when I was much, much younger!

I find it interesting that cinnamon comes from a tree the flowers of which reputedly smell foul. So the most unlikely portion (the bark) of the most unremarkable evergreen tree, with disagreably scented flowers, comes a distinctive odour that is instantly recognisable and capable of stimulating stong memories. Truly a case of making a silk purse out of a sow's ear!

No matter how stressed I get with queues in shops or business of public transport at this time, I find the aroma of cinnamon relaxes me and truly proves its worth as a SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER.

BBC MOCK TURNER PRIZE

2005-12-05T03:09:00.000-08:00

In a swipe at the much-maligned Turner Prize - for which past criticisms can be seen here and here, the BBC decided to set up their own alternative Mock Turner Prize.

Entries ranged from pictures of flying bananas to giant kittens, a car with Dinky toys stuck to it and a baby made entirely of baby's dummies (comforters) which was described by the judge as being "Funny, bleak and startling."

You can see the shortlist here. The winner was selected by public vote and has been announced here. Described by the judge as "It could be a science experiment, a mushroom cloud, or what it is - a bit of tin foil. But it makes you look and it makes you think." It makes you realise that we can make 'art' out of anything. And indeed, that anyone is capable of making art - such as my 4 year old daughter's self-portrait below:

Why is this prize a SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER? Well it gives hope for us all - hope that anyone with even the most miniscule of artistic ability (like me) can produce something worthy of praise. Think I'm gonna enter next year!

TO WIN JUST ONCE - THE SAW DOCTORS

2005-12-02T00:56:00.000-08:00

"To win just once would be enough
For those who’ve lost in life and love
For those who’ve lost their guile and nerve
Their innocence, their drive and verve
For those who feel they’ve been mis-treated
Discriminated, robbed or cheated
To claim one victory inspired
To win just once is their desire"
Copyright: L.Moran/Davy Carton

These words come from a song you just have to listen to. Not since John Lennon's "Imagine" has this author found a song with such powerfully emotive lyrics as this one. The Saw Doctors sing a song of celebration: celebration that people sometimes are happy enough to succeed at what they do on only one occasion – no need for trophies or prizes or accolades. Just a PERSONAL achievement can be victory enough. The song also celebrates triumph against adversity. It was written about a young man who was not prepared to let others tell him that things were not possible, just because of his upbringing. No, he was prepared TO WIN JUST ONCE.

In a 1955 film called Wee Geordie a wee lad from Scotland becomes an Olympic hammer thrower and the film appears to be a ridiculous fantasy. However, the story behind TO WIN JUST ONCE is every bit as improbable, but it happens to be true.

Francis Barrett was a young boxer, who rose through the amateur ranks in a very short time to utlimately represent Ireland at the Olympics in Atlanta. He carried the flag for Ireland in the opening ceremony, an amazing achievement for somebody who grew up as a member of the Traveller community. In previous days he might have been called a Gypsy. A person who moves here and there, with no real, fixed address.

In Southpaw, the film made about his life, Barrett explains that the name describes a boxer who leads with the right hand and punches with the left, who gets in under an opponent's guard and makes matters awkward. On another level, Travellers do something of the sort. Local people regard them as an irritant, a drain on taxpayers' money. They are treated as malingerers and under-achievers, and encounter discrimination on a day-to-day basis. This is what makes Barrett's success all the more unlikely.

Just by being in the public eye, he counters long-held prejudices about Travellers. However, his story is not quite as gilt-edged as it may at first seem. Relatively early in the film Barrett wins his first fight at the Atlanta Olympics, but is well beaten in his second. Back in Galway, a huge crowd of his friends and relatives look on in dismay.

His was sporting fairytale. Barrett, clean-cut and enthusiastic, was immediately likable. Just by being in the public eye, he countered long-held prejudices about the travellers. Relatively early in the film Barrett wins his first fight at the Atlanta Olympics, but is comprehensively beaten in his second. Back in Galway, a huge crowd of his friends and relatives look on in dismay. But, he “Won Just Once” and that achievement was enough for him.

It was reported in the Irish Times in August 1998 that he was stabbed in Galway because he refused to take part in bare-knuckle street fighting. Francis was not prepared to compromise on his beliefs.

He was a courageous fighter who changed people's attitudes towards his community.

It's an anthem for the the common man, it's a song for us all.

FERRY HALIM, MASTER OF WHIMSY

2005-11-30T07:54:00.000-08:00

The world of computer games, and, consequently, of computer game players, can get very harsh. Despite the endless possibilities of faster processor and more graphic glories and completely surrounding sound, most of our games are given over, as we are, to violence. Not that violence can't be fun. Not that there's anything wrong with violent games. Just that there are far too few respites. Ferry Halim is one of the few. A true respite.

Ferry Hallim demonstrates that all it takes to make something as interesting to play with as violence is a little applied whimsy.

Whimsy. Hallim is a master of it. His games are true diversions, invitations to worlds that simply don't take themselves very seriously. He is the creator of light-hearted games that are bouyant enough to lighten-up even the dark of desire and the heavy of heart - at least for a few minutes. Like the game Summer Walk, where you make three bird-like things hop into the good floating things, to the tune of the pleasant guitar. Or A Cupid's Day where you, as Cupid, shoot arrows into clouds.

O, and while you're there, don't forget to sign Ferry's guest book.

Whimsy. What a powerful concept.

FLUXX

2005-11-29T12:02:00.000-08:00

What's the most simple game you know?

Tag? S'easy! Pass the Parcel? Child's play! Pin the tail on the donkey? I could do it blindfolded! Cricket? (hang on, how did that get in there? shurely shome mishtake?) Certainly not!

I'm sure we could all come up with a list of a few games that were SO straightforward to play, that it would be easier to buy a bit of authentic moonrock from an alien whose just landed in your back garden, than come up with a less complex game. But I think I have it.

What could be more easy than having a pile of cards and one simple rule: TAKE A CARD, PLAY A CARD?

Well, that's the starting point of Looney Labs' amazing FLUXX.

The game starts with you having 3 cards in your hand. Then you take one from the top of the remaining pile, and play a card.

"Wow! Sounds like a heapload of fun!" you cry sarcastically. As well you might, were that all there was to it. But that's where the game starts to take on a life of its own. You see the pack contains cards that have a whole host of new rules that take precedence over any pre-existing rules. Reread that sentence again so you get the full impact of what it says.

So you might play a card that says pick up FOUR cards, so now the next person takes FOUR cards and plays ONE - jeepers, your hand's gonna be fuller than a very full full thing soon. Next, another player adds another new rule. Oooh 'eck, it's HAND LIMIT OF ZERO - you gotta get rid of all those cards you've been hoarding from picking up 4 a turn! It looks like you worried unnecessarily about growing a bigger pair of hands. Next card played is RULES RESET - great, we're back to where we started. And so it goes.

Although it may not seem like it, there is a point to the game and that is to meet whatever GOAL is in play at the time - GOALs, of course, can change as the rules do!

So soon, what was a simple card game with but one rule becomes the most mind-numbing cerebral challenge you've taken on since that fiendish Sudoku in the Times on Saturday! And the game is therefore never the same twice?

I have something to add at this stage, and this is a TRUE story. A group of pupils and I won an all-expenses paid trip from the UK to GENCON in Milwaukee (to me it will always be home of "The Safe House" - surely the best eatery and drinkery in the world! and a SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER of the future). Whilst at GENCON, someone I did not know came up to me (I repeat, I swear this is true) and said "I'll buy you that game" pointing at FLUXX. I was taken aback at this offer from a stranger, but being a Scot at heart, I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He went on, "and if you don't like it, I'll give YOU, MY money back!" And so he bought it for me, adding before he departed, "I just wanted to do that to somebody - to introduce them to that wonderful game".

And do you know something? Since then I have done the same thing TWICE to complete strangers. It's a wonderful feeling to do something as unpredictably generous as that.

So having said all that, WHY is FLUXX a SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER? Well I think it gives great hope to us all that something of such perceived simplicity can grow and develop into a complex and enjoyable challenge. There' s a message in there for us all I think.

JOSH RITTER

2005-11-29T04:40:00.000-08:00

"Now my work is done,

I feel I'm owed some joy,

Oh Imogen and Abelard,

I'm your homeward boy".

So begins "Bright Smile", the first track of one of the most incredible CDs I have ever had the privilege of listening to, or, for that matter, owning.

Josh Ritter is the singer-songwriter responsible for the majestic beauty that is "Hello Starling" and it's the sort of CD that gives you that warm feeling all over. As you hear each of his songs and as its melody works its way into your brain, you feel like your life has just been enriched.

His songs are of a timeless quality - the sort that I for one thought that only Bob Dylan could write. Close your eyes and listen to "You don't make it easy babe", and it could easily be The Master at work.

I thought I'd seen every conceivable way to say how much a woman means to you, but this opening line "All the other girls are the stars, you are the northern lights" is exquisite. A beautiful, beautiful expression of love that in one fell swoop knocks the poety of Robert Burns, or wordplay of Shakespeare, into a cocked hat.

It's strange to think that songs like these can have been written by the offspring of 2 neuroscientists from Moscow. Of course the Moscow in question is in the US state of Idaho, but his parents were quite clearly of a scientific bent. They made such an impression on him he fully intended pursuing a career in medicine.

That was the plan, but with his debut recording, itself with the nostalgic and emotive title "Golden Age of Radio", he immediately established himself as a very special talent.

Josh can make even the most melancholic of ideas seem vibrant and effervescent, describing the disappearance of snow with "birds beneath my window dustying their wings upon the lawn" paints a wonderfully vivid picture of exactly that!

Likewise in "Burning Man" he describes a man in a chaotic downward spiral of his own making - yet the song is so uplifting and, well... positive. You can sense that here is a man "burning at both ends" who in accepting the consequences of his own failings, refuses to let those keep him down. He'll be back, but he wants to do it on his own terms. He doesn't want to drag other well-meaning people down with him. We, as listeners, can learn from this, and it the sort of song that echoes through your head long after you have heard it.

Josh Ritter will be a star of that I have no doubt, but for now he is certainly a SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER.

THE BIG BUS

2005-11-28T01:53:00.000-08:00

Some of us have favourite toys, some of us have special blankets. You know what I'm talking about? Yes, exactly! COMFORT OBJECTS. Well, it is perhaps unusual to think of my next choice for SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER, in this category, but there you go, if nothing else I'm unpredictable.

The Big Bus (but not this Big Bus, by the way) is my 10-year old son's Comfort Blanket.

"Why so?" I hear you cry, "How on earth can a wee boy have a movie as his comfort blanket?" Well, as you might guess, I'm going to tell you.

It all started one cold November evening about 5 years ago, in deepest, darkest, Rickmansworth. Euan was feeling a bit down, and his mum was out for the night. I promised to cook him his favourite food at the time (in the way that kids have that same-food-every-night thing, until they sicken of it and move onto something else for a month or two). His 'food-of-the-moment' was pizza, and little did I know I was about make (probably) the most catastrophic decision of my parenting life. I overcooked the pizza! So much so did I overcook it, that when Euan, with his already dickie tummy, ate it, it stayed inside him for all of about 10 mins before he threw it all up over his bedclothes. [The reason this was the "most catastrophic decision of my parenting life" was that to this day Euan still will not touch pizza - my incompetence at merely heating through a frozen product has made my son pizza-scarred for life!]

"Now what the h-Ecclefechan has this got to do with The Big Bus?" I hear you cry. Well, Dear Reader, I'm about to tell you. When Euan came downstairs to tell (and, er... show) me he'd been sick, I happened to be watching my favouritist ever comedy film, THE BIG BUS. In the UK it is rarely shown on TV, but it happened to be on that particular night. And Euan loved it! The thought of an out-of-control, sabotaged, nuclear-powered bus hurtling through the heart of America seemed to immediately take his mind off his food-related mishap.

He was transfixed to the screen. A small smile initially appeared on his wee mouth, and soon this turned to chuckles and then guffaws of laughter - to the extent that he asked me to play it again (luckily, I had it on video) as soon as it finished.

And so was initiated one of those traditional family events and, despite its genesis, a wonderful father-son moment has developed between us - no one else in the family really 'gets' it - it's special to us. It's got to the point now, that whenever the wee man feels ill, he says to me "Dad, I think this calls for The Big Bus" and I instantly know what he means!

What more can be said about the quality of a film (by the way, Citizen Kane it ain't) to entertain, than its ability to make a 5 year old boy forget he's just projectile vomited all over his favourite Thomas the Tank Engine quilt cover? It predates 'Airplane' in terms of its gag-a-minute surreality and it predates 'Speed' for the bus-that-can't-slow-down-cos-it's-got-a-bomb-on-board-ishness.

The gags are great (well, *I* think they are, so there!), in this author's humble opinion, far outstripping any other comedy I have ever seen. Joseph Bologna and Stockard Channing head an all-star cast thundering from New York to Denver on a nuclear-powered bus, which is supposed to make the trip with no stops. The bus is a luxury vehicle, complete with, of all things, a piano bar, swimming pool, bowling alley and dining room.

For me the stand-out gag is this: an elderly lady, runaway from home, tells a doubting priest how happy she was that god put her in the seat next to him. The Father unexpectedly launches into a rant, "If it was god that put you here, why didn't he give you a fancy window seat like mine? I, Kudos, a doubter luxuriate in a window seat, while you, aging with age, get older yet in that disgrace of an aisle seat! Where is your god now old woman?!" The visibly shell-shocked senior citizen responds, "Jesus, I'm sorry I asked!"

So if you know a pizza-phobic, seek out The Big Bus, it very well may serve you the way it has wee Euan! Forget antibiotics, The Big Bus should be available on prescription!

ZE FRANK

2005-11-27T15:47:00.000-08:00

Ze Frank is perhaps one of the most prolifically playful presences on the web.

There are so many examples of his work that he is sharing, virtually for free, that it is difficult to select any as truly exemplary. Let's begin with this rather straightforward collection of virtual matchstick puzzles. Why? Because it's what you'd expect from a collection of virtual matchstick puzzles: clear, challenging, easy to use, fun to solve. Not particularly playful, but respectful of play and the needs of players. Now let's try just one more game-like experience. It's a Memory Game. All right, it's Concentration. But notice how each image is animated? Now it's truly a virtual game, not just translating a card game into the electronic medium, but transforming it.

Now take a look at Ze's Animated Snowflake. Not a game at all, but a unique bit of interactive delight. Technologically sophisticated. Easy to understand. Lovely to behold.

And here's one more, well, maybe two more examples of yet another gift of Ze's playfulness. It's called "Blow." It's an invitation. People are asked to send in a picture of themselves, blowing. Ze adds their picture to a growing blowing collage. It's, well, silly. It's also an invitation to fun and sharing and community. And here's one more: My Cat Annie. It's a statement, is what it is, of the further reaches of Ze's playfulness. And, for those of us who wonder whether this world can be made more fun, it's a reason for hope.

DAVE GORMAN

2005-11-27T03:23:00.000-08:00

What sort of person or thing do I consider to be a SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER?

Well for me, it's something or someone who makes you feel, well, em, er... good. If listening, reading, tasting, smelling or whatever to them helps makes you feel like your troubles are a million miles away, then for me, they qualify!

My first SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER is British comedian, author, television presenter and many other things besides, DAVE GORMAN .

Reading or listening to his work (examples here, here and here) is just, well...uplifting. It just is! His projects and work, are so, well... downright weird, but at the same time so flipping wonderful, that one can't help but laugh at the very premise and concept, never mind the outcome.

Dave specialises in taking the most bizarre of notions, such as finding as many people as he can with the same name as himself! The thing is though, Dave doesn't so these things because there is particular artistic merit in the project, nor because it is going to change the world. He does so, simply because his mate challenged him to do it in a pub (look out for his mate being a SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER of the future)!

So, he sets out to find 10 Googlewhacks in a row, or 50 people called Dave Gorman, just 'cos his pal challenged him that it couldn't be done. How many of us have faced a challenge like that from a friend? Most of us, I'd guess. "Bet you can't balance a bottle of milk on your chin", "bet you couldn't climb Ben Nevis clad only in your underpants" etc etc - I've certainly been posed those challenges and others besides. But I never had the nerve or guts to actually try to meet any of those challenges. [Although I do know a man who's sellotaped bacon to famous landmarks around the world! But that person's story is best left for another day.]

As you read or listen to his work, you may find coincidences too convenient or notions too far-fetched - "can that really have happened?", you'll undoubtedly say - but that's the fun, six degrees of separation, as first stated by Frigyes Karinthy works if you try it, and somehow, so do Dave's tales. Your thoughts about the incredible convenience of the ending (that you should have seen coming) to one of his books, or the sheer unbelievability that he could have such a stupid thing are soon replaced (and I mean very soon) with the intensity of you willing him on. "Good for you Dave! Well done you! " you are bound to shout - well I know I did!

Dave's stageshow has met with accolades and the DVD of the show always used to be the first thing I'd turn to whenever I felt down. But, having unfortunately loaned it to a friend, I miss not having it to hand these days. [By the way, I say 'unfortunately' not because I regret giving it to a friend - I did so 'cos a felt their spirits could do with being lifted - but because they never returned it. However I know that their life is richer for having it to hand when they need it, so that's alright by me.]

So arise DAVE GORMAN, Drew's SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER No. 1.

Spiritual Weightlifters

2005-11-25T10:20:00.000-08:00

There are certain people - therapists, clergy, artists, friends, your spouse or children - who are exceptionally good at making you feel, well, lighter. Not necessarily enlightened or anything deep or high like that. But lighter. They know how to make light of dark things that happen to you. They take that certain load off your mind or heart or whatever is weighing you down.

It's a skill, is what it is. It's sometimes performed with humor. Sometimes with simple companionship. Sometimes with even simpler listening. And it often requires great emotional strength. Because we get so heavy. Because, when someone really helps, they have to share the weight.

These people are what we are calling "spiritual weightlifters." And this weblog is a small gift that we are devoting to them and what they do.