THE DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND

Public play areas for children have acquired a rather seedy reputation (at least in the UK?) possibly dating back to the Mary Bell case: at times feral teenager hang-out, others low-level drug dealer rendezvous, yet others stalking ground for sexual predators - but rarely safe happy places for kids to have fun. Or at least that's a perception.

That all said, it's amazing to witness another startling picture collection from around the world of some aesthetically disturbing, if not truly nightmarish, playgrounds. Don't miss the second part either - you may never sleep soundly again.

Thanks to my dear friend Heike for directing me to this compilation.

BUYER'S REMORSE

This is Manchester railway station's bookstore, though it could be anywhere. It's an entire display of child abuse autobiographies (typified by Dave Pelzer's archetype A Child Called It), or I should say 'autobiographies' because this trend in the publishing industry is so popular now, the demand so voracious, that it's clear that most of this stuff must be fiction. These powerful microtrends can be observed at Amazon, where should you dare investigate even just one of these related genres (eating disorders is another good example) you can expect to be bombarded with countless recommendations from the site.

This fuelling of perceived reader expectations to the extent of fictionalisation and invention is not new in itself - in fact it's long been the lifeblood of magazines and newspapers; the innovation is the sheer speed with which this stuff can be delivered into the hands of the consumers.

INFINITY POOL

Have a look at this, this and this - makes the heart leap just to watch, must be amazingly exciting to jump in.

EVERY LITTLE HURTS 2

After reading some of your interesting comments posted, on Philip's recommendation I checked out the low-budget documentary Wal-Mart: The High Cost Of Low Price, a fairly devastating study on some of that company's practices. While there are some important parallels to be made between Wal-Mart and Tesco, there are clearly some differences too (one being that Tesco isn't even cheap).

Those comparisons aside, as I see it, the herds of shoppers, who dutifully provide the foundation for these voracious enterprises (without which would fail), are not making any conscious statement on any of the issues one way or another. They are not being deliberately malicious or uncaring towards Asian slave labour for instance, they just don't really care - and in fact, part of the success of the supermarket/retail giant is achieved by this desensitising and pacifying process. The battery hen of a customer is no longer able to discern any more between a flower that has a real fragrance, any more to a strawberry that has flavour, any more to chocolate that is beyond mere flavouring and sugar, than is he or she any longer capable of seeing the terrible toll being inflicted by their acquiescence, not only on others but ironically on themselves.

EVERY LITTLE HURTS

I loathe Tesco and everything it represents - the results of the Tescopoly on small businesses, our eating habits, farmers and on the way supermarkets operate in this country is possibly too late to do much about - to see it also happening in Thailand I find truly depressing.

FILLMORE DISCOS 3

Yet more movie mini-reviews from Facebook.

Cloverfield (***)
considerably better than I expected, has some exceptional cinematic moments - stars deducted for its lazy disappointing underdevelopment and the product placement

[Rec] (*****)
Spanish filmmaking has come a long long way since the days of the dictatorship when they'd dub Elvis Presley's singing - this is the kind of intense DIY horror film that Blair Witch promised but ultimately failed to deliver - the whole movie is brill...(read more)iantly realised from start to finish (or at least until the producers blow it badly tacking on that moronic cheesy music for the closing credits)

Sisters (*)
remake of an old De Palma movie about a couple of separated twins; way too amateurishly directed to be taken seriously - completely lacks the sexual tension necessary for the story

Lars And The Real Girl (*****)
where Juno tries way too hard to be funny and moving, Lars And The Real Girl achieves its goal so much more effectively and poignantly through gentle understatement and the simplest of exposition - original and beautiful and memorable

I Am Legend (*)
last man alive is Will Smith - how unlucky is that? avoid this fx-driven nonsense

El Orfanato (*****)
a must-see - one of the best Spanish films ever made replete with multi-layered literary references - but in essence a dark frightening beautiful fairy tale that will evoke something deep inside; I don't agree with those that have criticised the sentimentality of the ending

27 Dresses (***)
a good romcom is a guilty pleasure

Juno (**)
annoying and charming in almost equal measure, this endearing story and Ellen Page's great performance are weighed down by thirtysomething scriptwriters trying way too hard to be clever and funny and kewl - and another star deducted for more tedious product placement of...(read more) (bad) music and soft drinks

Eyes Wide Shut (*)
there is no chemistry in Eyes Wide Shut, and it's not necessarily Kidman's fault: Kubrick was an overrated director with that common Hollywood addiction to over-exposition and emotional vacuity

LA FIESTA DE ABRIL

COLT

The new 4-track EP 'You hold on to what's not real' by Colt (whose enchanting singer is lovely friend Andrea) has just been released and there's a mix of 'Black Rabbits' included which yours truly did - I have a few promo copies of it so if you're ordering any CDs or vinyl from Susan Lawly, drop me a message and I'll throw one in for you.

CLUSTER #1

A list of seven favourite things in life beyond that already discussed - a gratuitous example of each one included.

1. Perfumes. Lolita Lempicka.
   an enhanced sense of smell is naturally a double-edged sword - it really deplores me how this most emotionally powerful of senses is suppressed: why do people accept the refrigerated flowers, fruit and vegetables with no fragrance you find in supermarkets? and modern perfumes which, like celebrity for the sake of celebrity, are now far more to do with an image or idea they represent than the scent itself, design once again triumphing over content (these days only about 3% of the cost goes to the production of the liquid); I find a woman (or man) with a nice understated smell very attractive indeed, and of course it's less about the perfume itself than the magical chemistry - that said, a girl to choose the lesser-known fragrance Lolita Lempicka will surely cause a man's downfall
   
   
2. Fruits. Acerola.
   you were probably anticipating the mango as my example, and it's hard for me not to include my beloved mango, yet it's only because I recently discovered in Madrid (thanks to my friend Laura at NASA) something even more devastatingly delicious and transcendent: the acerola! grown in the Caribbean and the Americas, this small red fruit contains an absurdly high amount of vitamin C in addition to offering other powerfully magical effects that I shall leave to your fertile imagination - suffice to say that as you have that first ever molecule of acerola touch the first tastebud on your tongue, you immediately know it's about to have its scandalous way with you
   
   
3. Travels. Barcelona.
   after five productive years in London, even though I didn't know it, I was ready for a move and it was the unlikely combination of a concert in Barcelona and a burglary back home that prompted me to make the move to live there - it was the best thing I ever did; and, with the best transitions, it created the space for me to really develop as a human being on the inside through the wonderfully functional Catalan culture and people, and through the climate and the air; oh, and the red wine
   
   
4. Drink. Tea.
   nowadays, I drink very little alcohol by UK standards and a glass of rioja crianza in good company is a genuine pleasure, yet I don't apologise for saying that nothing can match the life-affirming qualities of a fine brew of a quality infusion (not that PG Tips dust) - two tea moments in particular stand out, one at a gourmet teashop in Switzerland and another (of the green variety) in Tokyo both which were, let's just say, fulfilling
   
   
5. Hotel. La Posada De San José.
   unknown to many due its inland location and relative remoteness to the tourist traps, La Ciudad Encantada ('The Enchanted City') in Cuenca, Spain is one of the most beautiful places in Europe and there is an extraodinary 17th century building perched precariously on the sheer rock face - I've had the fortune to stay in many wonderful hotels, and I do love those with a bit of character; it can be exciting, it can be erotic, it can be an adventure, as you form part of all the untold stories that the walls of your room are secret witnesses to - and none more so than La Posada, originally an ancient college for the local cathedral's, erm, choirboys...
   
   
6. Animals. Bonobo Chimpanzee.
   dogs and cats have wonderful personalities that I adore; I think maybe because we see in them some of the attributes that we as human animals can ourselves be proud of, our highest values represented in a purity of form - beyond moggies and pooches and other creatures, for me it's the bonobo chimp (even more when compared to our own cursed species)
   
   
7. Restaurant. That Place In Kitakyushu.
   a bit like not knowing the love of your life's name, (shamefully) I still can't recall the name of the best restaurant I've ever enjoyed, the one in Kitakyushu I referred to before - Japanese food is exceptional at the best of times and it's in Kyushu where reputedly you'll enjoy the finest
   

NONSTANDARD DEVIANCE

One of most fascinating museums in the world is La Collection de l'Art Brut in Lausanne. On a warm sunny morning off during a festival I was attending there in that beautiful Swiss city, I came upon the museum by chance after a typically meandering walk - isn't it funny how some of your best discoveries are improvisational?

Anyway, they are having an exhibition this year of Japanese Art Brut and my wonderful friend there, Djamileh, kindly sent me the accompanying book which is packed full of amazing works. If you can read French or Japanese, or indeed have a chance to visit the museum, then it's really worth checking out.