I Can’t Break it to My Heart (2007) – Delta Goodrum

Posted on September 3, 2022 by observationblogger — Leave a comment

The Australian singer-songwriter Delta Goodrum has been mentioned here before in a song Affirmation by the Australian group Savage Garden. Today’s song I Can’t Break It to My Heart is the fourth single from Delta Goodrem’s third studio album Delta. The video below is from her special A Night with Delta Goodrem and you could be forgiven for thinking you are listening to Celine Dion from the start. Goodrem signed to Sony Music at the age of 15. Her debut album, Innocent Eyes (2003), topped the ARIA Albums Chart for 29 non-consecutive weeks. It is one of the highest-selling Australian albums.

If it’s okay
I’ll leave the bed light on
And place your water glass where it belongs
And if alright
I’ll lie awake at night
Pretending i’m curled up at your side

See i’m circling these patterns
Living out of memories
I’m still a long way from accepting it
That there’s just no you and me

But if I still believe you love me
Maybe i’ll survive
So i tell myself you’re coming home
Like you’ve done a million times
And if it’s alright
I’ll still be loving you
’cause i can’t break it to my heart

I Can’t Break It to My Heart is from her third number-one album Delta released in 2007 and the single peaked at number thirteen. I have no idea how I came across this song, but I liked it from the get-go. Delta was the Pop Diva of Australian music in the early 2000’s. When Delta was suffering from cancer making her second album in 2004 and seen during the ARIA awards when David Hayes sung her song; her plight was a national concern.

On 16 August 2020, Goodrem released a six-minute video detailing the back story behind her song Paralyzed. In the video, she revealed that after having her salivary gland removed, she faced serious complications that led to the paralysis of a nerve in her tongue, which left her having to re-learn to speak. In 2022, Goodrem was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for “significant service to the not-for-profit sector, and to the performing arts“.

References:
1. Delta Goodrem – wikipedia

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Breaker Morant (1980) – Bruce Beresford (Friday’s Finest)

Posted on September 2, 2022 by observationblogger — Leave a comment

This Australian war drama film concerns the 1902 court martial of lieutenants Harry Morant, Peter Handcock and George Witton—one of the first war crime prosecutions in British military history. Anyone who has seen this film won’t forget the closing lines and level of final defiance while facing death: ‘Shoot straight, you bastards – don’t make a mess of it‘. This quote is iconic in Australian film folklore. The film won ten Australian Film Institute awards and was nominated for the 1980 Academy Awards although it wan’t that successful commercially.

The movie in ‘feel’ and context is similar to another one of Australia’s most cherished movies Gallipoli released just after Breaker Morant, which was compared here with the recent effort – 1917.

IMDB Storyline:
During the Boer War, three Australian lieutenants are on trial for shooting Boer prisoners. Though they acted under orders, they are being used as scapegoats by the General Staff, who hopes to distance themselves from the irregular practices of the war. The trial does not progress as smoothly as expected by the General Staff, as the defence puts up a strong fight in the courtroom.

It is seemingly an overtly patriotic Australian film which denounces British tyranny and rule over Australia, but the director had words to say about that. In a 1999 interview Beresford explained that Breaker Morant “never pretended for a moment” that the defendants were not guilty as charged. He had intended the film to explore how wartime atrocities can be “committed by people who appear to be quite normal“.

In the film the British military is determined to kill the defendants. According to the Australian historians Margaret Carnegie and Frank Shields, Morant and Handcock rejected an offer of immunity from prosecution in return for turning king’s evidence. Military prosecutors allegedly hoped to use them as witnesses against BVC Major Robert Lenehan, who was believed to have issued orders to take no prisoners. But in my meagre estimation, that’s a harsh penalty when you have good reasons to know they were just following orders and not going to inform on a senior figure.

References:
1. Breaker Morant (film) – Wikipedia

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I Believe in You (1979) – Bob Dylan

Posted on September 1, 2022 by observationblogger — 4 Comments
Bob Dylan San Francisco, Nov 16 1979

Today’s song I Believe in You and Precious Angel are my favourite songs from Dylan’s conversion to Christianity record Slow Train Coming. I remember in my second year on Exped at Sea listening to this song ad nauseam. You would think I had grown tired of it over the years after the hundreds of listens. I even tried Dylanholics Anonymous. Nope, didn’t work. Each new listen sounds like it’s been reborn.

I think what impressed back then and still does now was how such an artist with the world at his feet and millions and millions of dollars has the humility, openness to express himself as vulnerably as he does here and with such conviction. That reminds me of the story of Office Buble picking Dylan up for vagrancy in her police car in New Jersey.

They ask me how I feel
And if my love is real
And how I know I’ll make it through
And they, they look at me and frown
They’d like to drive me from this town
They don’t want me around
Because I believe in you

Slow Train Coming is the 19th studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on August 20, 1979. I too became a born-again Christian at about the same age as Dylan and I can resonate with a lot of the material here and the proximate Christian albums which were scorned by nearly all and sundry. The Christian albums are now seen in a more favourable light because of the context and sheer quality of some of the songs. I think today’s song will be one of Dylan’s crowning outputs from this period. The single from the record Gotta Serve Somebody became his first hit in three years, winning Dylan the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. I remember Nick Cave professing he got into music because of that song.

Someone wrote about ‘I Believe in You‘ in the YT comments below: I’ll never forget Bob on Saturday Night Live singing this song. That was perfect evangelism in the music world. I began writing songs because of that performance.

References:
1. Slow Train Coming – wikipedia

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The AnkiDroid Collection (Part 24) – Phallocentrism, Entropy & Martin Luther King Jr

Posted on August 31, 2022 by observationblogger — Leave a comment

Ankidroid additions related to Science, History and Philosophy. More information about Anki can be found in this article.

Phallocentrism

In a primitive form it is focused on or concerned with the phallus or penis as a symbol of male dominance. In post-structuralist theory, especially feminist theory, Phallocentrism is a structure or style of thought, speech, or writing (often considered as typical of the tradition ‘western philosophy, culture or literature’) deconstructed as presenting male attitudes and reinforcing male dominance in or through language.

The term was coined in 1927 by Ernest Jones, as part of his debate with Freud over the role of the phallic stage in childhood development, when he argued that “men analysts have been led to adopt an unduly phallo-centric view“.

Entropy

Entropy is the measure of the amount of energy which is unavailable to do work. In this sense entropy is a measure of uncertainty or randomness. A law of physics states that it takes work to make the entropy of an object or system smaller; without work entropy can never become smaller. You could say everything slowly goes to disorder.

In my article ‘Be Prepared to Lose all your Concept of ‘Time’ about the Physicist’s Carlo Rovelli presentation, he stated the following:

So the distinction between the past and the future is only that. So we observe this strange order in the past. Everything in our experience which is ordered in time is because of Entropy. There is nothing else that distinguishes this past and future except this entropy. So the reason we have traces in the past if nothing else is because of entropy. There had to be some heat, some disorder at some point. So a 15th century monk wrote a text, but if it were not for friction from the paper the ink would not have been captured. The friction produces a little bit of heat so there is disorder, but resulting from high order. High order in the past determines traces. If you like, a cause and effect. It only occurs because of the law of entropy, otherwise there would have been no dissymmetry.

Martin Luther King Quote

On August 28, 1963 Bob Dylan and Joan Baez were at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. for the “March On Washington,” performing When The Ship Comes In and Only A Pawn In Their Game before Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his remarkable I have a Dream speech.

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I am Australian (1987) – The Seekers

Posted on August 30, 2022 by observationblogger — 2 Comments
The Seekers appearance on London Tonight, 2000

It is fitting that a song as invigorating and unifying as I am Australian inaugurates the ‘I’ songs in the Music Library Project.

‘We are one, but we are many‘.

I am Australian by The Seekers is unofficially Australia’s national anthem. Many Australians would prefer this modern classic as our official Anthem. In fact there have been calls for it to become Australia’s national anthem, notably in 2011 by former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett.

I am Australian is remarkably well written, produced and performed. It gives me goosebumps, turns me glassy-eyed and makes me sentimental of my Island Home. When I made a family DVD for my son’s 3rd birthday I used I am Australian with a compilation of baby photos just after his birth. I think this is one of, if not Australia’s greatest song encapsulating its history, national spirit and identity. Each line in it is so profound and could be studied for days on end. In fact, it is commonly taught in primary schools in Australia.

I came from the Dreamtime
From the dusty red soil plains
I am the ancient heart
The keeper of the flame
I stood upon the rocky shore
I watched the tall ships come
For forty thousand years I’ve been the first Australian

I came upon the prison ship
Bound down by iron chains
I fought the land
Endured the lash
And waited for the rains
I’m a settler
I’m a farmer’s wife
On a dry and barren run
A convict then a free man
I became Australian

I am Australian was written in 1987 by Bruce Woodley of The Seekers and Dobe Newton of The Bushwackers and was released in 1997 by trio Judith Durham (of The Seekers), Russell Hitchcock (from Air Supply) and Yothu Yindi’s Mandawuy Yunupingu. It reached number 17 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart.

I Am Australian is popular at celebrations such as Australia Day and New Year’s Day. The song was used by the Australian Republican Movement in radio and television advertisements during the 1999 Australian republic referendum. It was also played at citizenship ceremonies from 2008 until 2012 when the Copyright Tribunal ruled that this was an infringement and ordered the Federal Government to pay Bruce Woodley $149,743.34 in compensation.

References:
1. I am Australian – Wikipedia

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22/08 – 28/08/22 – Rosebud Baker, Mole Man & Masters of the Universe

Posted on August 29, 2022 by observationblogger — Leave a comment
news on the march

Welcome to Monday’s News on the March – The week that was in my digital world.

How Women Can Tell If an Ex Has Slept with Someone Else – Rosebud Baker
Stand-up at Comedy Central Stand Up

Rosebud Baker details why her year has been so terrible, including the death of two pets and a breakup. (Contains strong language) Whether you’re a casual fan or a comedy connoisseur, Comedy Central has extended stand-up sets from the freshest voices that you need to hear…(Watch stand-up bit here)

Mothman by Day, Mole Man by Night
Blog article at Sarah Angleton

Sometime around September 25, 1924 the streets of Washington D.C.’s Dupont Circle district opened up and swallowed a truck. I imagine that was quite a shock for the truck driver who suddenly found himself in the literal dark underbelly of his nation’s capital. It was also a surprise to nearly everyone in the city, especially when it was discovered that the reason for the sinkhole was an elaborate series of tunnels dug beneath the area. (Read entire article here)

Article: Back Off, Oh Masters of the Universe – Jordan Peterson
Article lecture at Jordan B Peterson

Globalist utopians demand that we fall in line with their “cure” for climate change. Dr Jordan B Peterson explains why the goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050 is absolutely preposterous. (Watch article lecture here)

news on the march the end
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Posted in Movies and TV, News, politics, Reflections

Hurt (2002) – Johnny Cash

Posted on August 27, 2022 by observationblogger — 15 Comments

Hurt is a song by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails from its second studio album. Johnny Cash covered the song in a different way to the original for his wife. The song as shown in the video is one of the most remarkable musical montages I have seen in the last 2 decades. In the beginning Cash had his doubts about making the cover saying ‘I can’t do that song. It’s not my style”.

Songwriter for Nine Inch Nails Reznor recalled ‘I wrote some words and music in my bedroom as a way of staying sane, about a bleak and desperate place I was in, totally isolated and alone”. But he praised Cash’s interpretation of the song for its “sincerity and meaning” going so far as to say “that song isn’t mine anymore.” Reznor continued “What I had written in my diary was now superimposed on the life of this icon and sung so beautifully and emotionally. It was a reminder of what an important medium music is.”

I hurt myself today
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that’s real
The needle tears a hole
The old familiar sting
Try to kill it all away
But I remember everything

What have I become
My sweetest friend?
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt

I think many people who are suffering have a song in them or at least a passage of thought. I was in a bad way 2 years ago (and continue to struggle), and just after midnight while playing ‘Tetris’ on my no thrills Nokia phone, these ideas and concepts just came pouring in. It was like my sub conscious or other unspecified medium communicating to my damaged self. It felt profound and I was compelled to grab a piece of paper and just scribble these things down. Soon thereafter I transcribed it here and then felt a great relief. The Last Words was like a roadmap for my soul.

Cash’s cover of the song has sold more than 2 million downloads in the United States. The version has appeared in several films, documentaries and TV shows. His cover is widely considered one of his best works. When the video was filmed in February 2003, Cash was 71 years old and had serious health problems. His frailty is clearly evident in the video. He died seven months later, on September 12; his wife, June Carter Cash, who is shown gazing at her husband in two sequences of the video, had died on May 15 of the same year. The video below features images from Cash’s life and was named the best video of the year by the Grammy Awards.

References:
1. Hurt (Nine Inch Nails song) – wikipedia
2. The Story of Johnny Cash’s Haunting Hurt – Loudersound

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Three Identical Strangers (2018) – Tim Wardle (Friday’s Finest)

Posted on August 26, 2022 by observationblogger — Leave a comment

One of the siblings said, ‘I wouldn’t believe the story if someone else was telling it. It’s true. Every word of it‘. The problem I often encounter with movie or documentary reviews is that sometimes telling less is more and this is one of those moments. I relay the story-line below with trepidation.
This US Documentary Special Jury Award winner for Storytelling (and on the shortlist of 15 films considered for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature) is captivating and boggles the mind. How this could have happened in a modern western democratic country is anyone’s guess.

IMDB Storyline:
New York, 1980: three complete strangers accidentally discover that they are identical triplets, separated at birth. The 19-year-olds’ joyous reunion catapults them to international fame, but it also unlocks an extraordinary and disturbing secret that goes beyond their own lives – and could transform our understanding of human nature forever.

I can’t tell anyone anymore of it if they intend on viewing it. Even the trailer below reveals too much. I saw it about 2 years ago with zero knowledge of it and watched it again with others and it left me gobsmacked each time. It is a stellar documentary which sways between highs and lows of emotions and maintains its characters centre of the story.

When you get down to brass-tacks, the question begs here.. What is more effectual in someone’s life – nature or nurture? Someone unrelated to a family, but brought up within that same family. Can that ‘nurture’ overcome their nature and genes? This documentary is quite dark because of the ethical nature as to what happened to these triplets. It’s enthralling, although 95% of the population have never heard of it. Its an important film for its social context and its psychology.

References:
1. Three Identical Strangers – Wikipedia

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Hungarian Fantasy (1853) – Franz Liszt

Posted on August 25, 2022 by observationblogger — 2 Comments

The Hungarian Fantasy is Franz Liszt’s arrangement for piano and orchestra of his Hungarian Rhapsody No. 14. It’s a really chirpy piece that put a spring in my step today. Franz Liszt was a Hungarian composer, pianist and teacher of the Romantic era. He gained accolades for his virtuoso skill on the piano. He was a friend, musical promoter and benefactor to many composers of his time, including Chopin, Wagner and Schumann. Liszt also received lessons in composition from Antonio Salieri who has been discussed here before.

Liszt gave performances all over Europe and made his famous concert tour to St. Petersburg, Russia. Liszt’s brilliant piano playing impressed the Russian royalty and aristocracy. Even the Russian Tsar had to stop talking when Liszt was playing his piano. In Russia Liszt met the beautiful princess Carolyne, who soon left her husband for Liszt. She became his last love, and he composed the Dream of Love (which is exquisite and will feature here at a later date), dedicated to her. But the Church did not allow Liszt to marry princess Caroline, because she could not terminate her first marriage.

Liszt experienced a period of great sadness (early 1860s) when his two children passed away just a few years of each other. In letters to friends, Liszt announced that he would retreat to a solitary living. In 1865, he received the tonsure at the hands of Cardinal Hohenlohe. The Tonsure was written in a recent post about my friend Bruce Goodman who was the penultimate person in the Western World to receive one.

In his latter life, Liszt became increasingly plagued by feelings of desolation, despair, and preoccupation with death—feelings that he expressed in his works from this period. He said, “I carry a deep sadness of the heart which must now and then break out in sound.“

The concert scene below is from the movie Szerelmi Álmok – Liszt (1970). Cziffra is the actual pianist, playing one of his specialities – the Hungarian Fantasy.

References:
1. Hungarian Fantasy (Liszt) – Wikipedia
2. Franz Liszt – Wikipedia

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The AnkiDroid Collection (Part 23) – Atoms, Freud & Black Holes

Posted on August 24, 2022 by observationblogger — Leave a comment

Ankidroid additions related to Science, History and Philosophy. More information about Anki can be found in this article.

How Big is an Atom?

The first ever images of a molecule as it makes and breaks atomic bonds

A human hair and atoms vary in size, but a typical human hair is 1/10th of a millimeter thick. 390 billion atoms would theoretically fill a cross section of a human hair. There are more atoms in an inhaled breath of air than there are stars in the entire visible Universe. See this video of Gold atoms being pulled apart under a transmission electron microscope.

How Freud viewed the Main Conflicts of Man

“Dreams are often most profound when they seem the most crazy.”

He viewed the primary conflicts in mental-life as the Ego tortured by the ‘Id’ – underlying biological forces such as impulsive actions and urges, but also severely limited and repressed by the Super-Ego (Civilization and Society). Neurotic people (people who are more susceptible to psychological challenges) are more likely to see the Social World versus them and the harsh repressive as the Super-Ego.

We are embedded in our animal-selves and there’s a strong connection between his theories and that of evolutionist’s ‘natural selection’. We are driven more by our innate and natural aggression instincts and sexual urges. The rationalist conscious over-pinning barely just tinkers.

How is the Diameter of a Black Hole Bigger than its Circumference?

If the Universe is a bed sheet then a Black Hole is a stupendously heavy pebble (singularity) sinking the sheet downward (warped space).

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