44th aniversary of the Abortion Act in UK

Today is the 44th aniversary of the Abortion Act in Britain, which effectively legalised abortion in this country. Since 1967 over 7 million unborn babies have been killed. I was going to write an article about this but instead I will just post a single photograph. The photograph was taken 12 years ago during an operation on an unborn baby's spine. It shows Samuel coming out of anaethesia and reaching up out of the womb. It's a truly remarkable picture that captures the spirit and sanctity of all human life. In my eyes Samuel's gesture of wrapping his hand around the surgeons finger is the childs way of saying 'I want to live'.

The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster

My knowledge of American literature is pretty woeful. I haven't even read the supposed classic 'Catcher In The Rye'. My Polish penpal studied American literature at university so I asked her to recommend some good American authors and she put me onto Paul Auster. The New York Trilogy is his fictional debut, three novels based in The Big Apple. They are not conventional crime fiction. A more accurate description would be philosophical queries within a crime fiction or mystery setting. The three stories have an existential and nihilistic thread running through them, which is probably why Auster chose New York as his setting. Auster's New York is a large, sprawling, disconnected city where nothing really makes any sense. Despite this bleakness the trilogy is a compelling and worthwhile read. Auster wrestles with themes like individual identity, and personal meaning and purpose in life (or lack of). The intriguing nature of the three plots is skillfully interwoven with these issues and although the trilogy is never a page turner in the popular understanding of the word the mystery surrounding the bizarre situations of the protaganists is very interesting and the reader is always driven by a desire to understand the characters and their actions. This is a bold and extremely accomplished debut by a writer of undoubted talent. 8/10

Bert Jansch

Sadly this is the second obitury I've had to write this year. I had a ticket to see Bert in concert last month at the Edinburgh Festival but he cancelled a week before much to my disappointment. I had no idea at the time that he was battling with cancer so it came as a shock when I heard on the radio that he had passed away. I remember the first time I heard Bert Jansch. I was reading a book in Mono cafe but I had difficulty in concentrating on the words before me because the music being played in the background kept grabbing my attention. There was something startling original and bewitching about it, so much that I eventually put my book down and gave the music my full attention. On further inquiry I discovered that the cd being played was Bert Jansch's self-titled debut album. I immediately bought a copy and I have been a huge fan ever since. I had the privilige of seeing Bert live in concert three times, once as a part of folk group Pentagle who he played with in the late 1960's and early 70's. Pentagle were good but I was there really to see Bert. He was brilliant live in a solo capacity. Very unassuming and quiet, but he held the audience spellbound with his flair and technical excellence on the guitar and his powerful, raw vocals. He has been described as a pioneer in music, as being ahead of his time. I can't put my finger on what exactly set him apart from others, anybody can be different, but Bert had a touch of genius that put him on a different level. He just had a great gift, that's about all I can say. So it's hardly surprising that he has influenced many generations of musicians including Paul Simon, Nick Drake, Johnny Marr, Neil Young and Jimmy Page. On that note (if you excuse the pun) I will leave you with the words of Neil Young: "As much of a great guitar player Jimi (Hendrix) was, Bert Jansch is the same for acoustic guitar...and my favourite."

Bert Jansch 1943-2011 Rest In Peace