Tuff-Writer Pens

I enjoy objects that are really built to last, especially when something is essentially overbuilt from the outset; so these pens from Tuff-Writer appeal to me. Constructed from aerospace-grade Aluminium and using the same cartridges that give the enfuriatingly fiddly Fisher Space Pens their pull, these pens are about as practical as they get. Fisher have built military versions of their Space Pens in the past, but they can't match the rugged appeal of the Tuff-Writer efforts; indeed, the size of these pieces alone gives them a macho allure. (h/t Mil-Spec Monkey).

Orwell/Wells

"It's not quite War of the Worlds but some say there's something Orwellian about..."

Who says the BBC is dumbing down?

Mr. Benn

Iain Dale links to an interview of Hilary Benn by Joshua Chambers, a student reporter at the University of York's radio station; they are discussing the release, and alleged torture, of Binyam Mohamed, it is definitely worth a listen. Hilary Benn - the son of one of the finest Parliamentarians, most deluded ideologues and incompetent ministers of the Twentieth Century, Tony Benn - is repeatedly made to look an uncaring prat by a student radio reporter; Benn clings to a useless script, a brief he appears not to have taken the trouble to research beyond the sophistic soundbite he clings to throughout.

The fact that Mohamed is not a British subject, but is instead a man who resided here from 1994 until he decided to travel to Afghanistan in June 2001 to attend an Al-Qaeda training camp, and that his much-discussed "torture" falls into the same blurred debate as the treatment of all the Guantanamo detainees is never mentioned by Benn. Chambers is able to run rings around him precisely because Benn's script is so short and so limited; it is painfully obvious that he has been instructed not to mention George W Bush's tenure in office, and consequently any interviewer worth his salt is able to jab a well-placed knife into Benn's nethers and twist, while the less that is said of Benn's confused defence of a "long-established principle" regarding intelligence gathered from torture the better.

In truth, this embarrassing display is just another symptom of a government in terminal decline; Benn went forward to be interviewed without really knowing what he was talking about and not caring enough to find out. However, crucially, as a politician nurtured by New Labour's culture of spin and control-freakery, he lacked the imagination or the self-reliance to give even an excuse of an answer without falling back on endless repetition of the same pathetic dictum. These rats don't have the guts to swim; they're going to cling to the sinking ship.

Fred Thompson on the Economy

I've always had a soft spot for Fred Thompson; from his portrayal of a sympathetic, yet hard-nosed, District Attorney on Law & Order, to his self-deprecating humour during his short-lived election campaign, he always comes across as good-humoured and sincere. He is rightly generating some positive comment now with his judgement of the political response to the current economic turmoil, and his interpretation is equally relevant in the UK. (h/t Guido Fawkes).

People Are Strange

People are strange from Denis Fongue on Vimeo. I wish I had the patience to do this kind of thing. Very impressive. (h/t Ministry of Type).

The Loving Kind

While we're on the subject of music videos, have a look at the result of Girls Aloud's collaboration with the Pet Shop Boys. It's the second single taken from their excellent 5th album, Out of Control.

The Fear

I love Lily Allen's videos*; in fact, I enjoy all her marketing: her branding is quite successful and consistent in conveying a kind of quirky, fun, humanity.

Also, make sure you download Alright Steal, music like dirt's compilation of her first album's samples. (Plus Lord Kitchener's fantastic calypso ode to the capital, London Is the Place for Me).

*I should note that I'm excluding 'Smile', a song whose video I found uncharitable and deeply sinister.

Fine Books

I love books and for me nothing compares to the reading experience of settling down with a good-looking, pleasingly weighty, hardbacked tome. This new collection from Penguin is maybe a little too busy in places but they are bold and are definitely worth a look, if only for that great Crime and Punishment cover design. Available exclusively from Waterstones, if you're interested.

Al Awad, Iraq

www.army.mil
Originally uploaded by Army.mil

A fantastic photograph I've been meaning to blog for a while. The greys of the Army Combat Uniform make a beautiful contrast in some of these shots from the hot places; perhaps that's not the point of it, but it looks rather nice.

Political Advertising of the Past

Matches37.jpg
Originally uploaded by gitganben

Now Obama's branding might have been remarkably handsome, self-assured and consistent, but it wasn't on the back of matchbooks was it?

Take a look at the other matchbooks in the set.