Fat Buddha Store Blog // All the News

Jacqui Smith, harbringer of doom and dodger of expenses claims, is at the forefront of the database plan for the UK. What this means is an attempt to file all data about emails, phone calls, text messages, carrier pigeons etc. So a great new protest has kicked off for this. Government wants your emails? Send them all of them. On June 15th, "cc" every email to the home office-presumably this will cause a bit of an issue for number ten's servers. Privacy is worth standing up for...try the website at CCJacqui Smith or the Facebook group. Mark

First up, sorry for the lack of a post last week. Thursday was my birthday, a grand old 22, so I figured I'd take a breather. Now, ranting service resumes. Obama. I am utterly disgusted with him. Obama, he was elected months ago. He sat around on his hands doing nothing. So I thought, "Give him the benefit of the doubt, he needs time, even Jesus kicked it for thirty years before busting out." Now? He was inaugurated on the 20th of January. What has he achieved since then? Nothing. Nothing, I say it again, nothing. He's been in almost 10 days and I'm still waiting. Let me analyse this further. First up, there was the inauguration itself. There was no celestial beings descending him on a cloud woven from pure silk as promised, nor was there a talking burning Bush in sight, nor was there any confirmation he was found among the reeds on the banks of the Chicago River as a child. There was not even a lousy parting of the crowd at Mall of America for a finale. If this ...

That's the motto of all-powerful, Internet megalith that is Google . In even looking up the stock for Google, it was best to use Google. If I had trouble opening a bottle of Irn Bru or piercing the plastic on a carton of juice, I'd probably use google. They'd inevitably find a solution. Google Maps, Stock, Mail, Video, Store, Shopping, Earth, Translate, Labs, News, Codes, Catalogues-the blog I'm writing here is powered by Google. Oh, and it's a search engine as well. Apparently. This is simple market economics-Google is better at providing these services. They provide faster, more efficient services that work and, ergo, people use them. Ergo, more people use them than any other brand doing the same thing. This level of total dominance is hard to spot in many other, particularly emerging, new tech, markets. Yes, there are massive companies that loom over most industries, but Google has almost total control over a huge swathe of 'public' space. This Guardian ...

What does it mean to be British? A friend of the shop and Sneaker Things King Mr Al (we love you big man, this is all in good spirit) was in the store the other day and this was the question I asked and that could not be answered. By someone who defines themselves as 'British'. It's a deceptively simple question. What makes you British? I know what makes me Scottish. My cultural appreciation and paradigm are all centered around Scottish culture-good (music, literature, humour, language and so on) and bad (going to the pub and drinking till my legs turn into two cans of McEwan's Export.) But the above video struck me as 99% of the things people thought constituted Britishness were all symbols of England, they were all Anglicised and I can't support or relate to them. Also as a matter of interest, the number of American symbols and foodstuffs. So that's it? We're all British together because we all like fish and chips? People in Edinburgh prefer salt and sa...

Was sent this brilliant video on the tactics of advocates of the Union of the UK to demoralise, demonise and dismantle the movement for Scottish (and English) independence. 

McCain-gracious and very funny in defeat. I.E returning to normal John McCain, not Regan 2.0 His best comment, which I don't believe is here: "I've been sleeping like a baby since the end of the campaign: sleeping 3 hours, waking up, crying."

There's a by-election on today in Glenrothes and if you live here and haven't voted already, I'd recommend you pop down the now. A little X next to the SNP box should save your country from total destruction at the hands of the Labour party. It will also likely save the countries of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. On the note of the end of the British Empire, I see Jacqui Smith is eagerly plotting another excuse to keep everyone tied together. "People can't wait for ID Cards" she said.  From BBC News: In a speech to the Social Market Foundation Ms Smith said cards would be issued on a voluntary basis to young people from 2010 and for everyone else from 2012. [C'mon kids, it's a really cool card. Look- it has your picture and everything!] She added: "But I believe there is a demand, now, for cards - and as I go round the country I regularly have people coming up to me and saying they don't want to wait that long . [We demand some KGB-esq...

So it finally came true. Congrats to the big man-as some of you may be aware, Barack Obama won the American election on Tuesday. You may also be aware of certain things surrounding this election, so I feel pretty stupid repeating them here. It was the longest, most expensive election in US history. It was the largest Democrat win since 1992 I believe. And Obama is the first non-white president. That last sentence is key, mainly because it's what I want to talk about. Because ultimately, what can I, a wee know-it-all minor writer from Scotland, possibly say that hasn't been said about this already?  But all I've really seen over the last few days is the anticipation over a black president. I fully understand how momentous this-living in Brooklyn over the summer tuned me in to be able to appreciate what this meant to America and the black community in particular. Yet the key achievement of a black person reaching the white house is not just the fact itself-it's the shift...

Todays the day America makes the ultimate choice. Citing! Over the past year or so brands have been going crazu with Barack Obama flavoured goods, heres some of the best: David Choe does it best with his art: Guess who i'd vote for? Fraser.

Weeks in the states and mexico (which is a little bit like a mini america, except for the short mexicans), can get you pretty obsessed with American Politics, having watched 2 Presedential debates and every advertising break has a Barak message finishing of with the tagline 'Im Barak Obama and i approve this message'. In the UK we are governed by party politics and elect based on, for a start the history last time you were in power, which makes me wonder since John McCain is the same party as George Bush, and he is blamed for everything, why anyone would vote for McCain, when in essence you should be getting more of the same from him. But no, McCain says he's not Bush and you will get a completely different form of government, of course he would say that and try to distance himself from Bush, his whole campaign is based around scaring people of Barak Obama, his whole message is that Barak is scary and he has no experience, blah blah blah. Obama seems more of your typical la...

This week, Google, in their most ingenious step thus far, installed an anti-drunk emailing system. So, the premise is when it's "that time of night" (or morning for many of us) your gmail account aims to stop you emailing your ex-girlfriend and sobbing your heart about how you would want them back. (I recently undertook this 'experiment' while fairly done in: surprisingly, it will not improve your chances.) This is the test. As Leslie knows from me trying to do the shop's takings at the end of a day, maths is not a major strongpoint with me-maths that deals with squiggly shapes and formulae fine, 8 + 7 is not going to happen in under 43 seconds. I don't think I could answer most of these questions sober. With a calculator. But it got me thinking (over a nice cold pint)-alcohol is incredibly ingrained in our culture, why? Why are certain drugs illegal? Why are some legal? Why have some been socially acceptable and then not? But the main question I was ask...

"As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their hearts desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron." -HL Mencken Recently, you may have been aware, amidst the impending financial apocalypse, of an American election taking place.  What I'm about to say will hopefully not infringe upon any of your own opinions about the candidates: personally, before things really got started I was a McCain fan, then he turned into Regan 2.0, so it's Barack and Biden for me. But what is more alarming is the possibility that a VP candidate may get within 10ft of the White House-that candidate is S arah Palin , Governor of Alaska. Now, it has come to my attention that this woman isn't fit to run a school cafeteria, never mind potentially be the president of the most important country on Earth. Why...

I've tried to avoid politics on this blog but I'm afraid it can go on no longer. I have to vent a little about this issue. Recently, Gordon Brown, a PM so beloved by all his people was very down in the dumps.  Poor Gordon. Gordon felt that people were not being proud enough of being "British" and so to cheer himself up, Gordon thought it might be good if the British Library held an exhibition on " Britishness ". Which, in case you haven't noticed, is Gordon's favourite word, ever. In the whole, wide world.  Perhaps Gordon didn't expect the British Library would take him up on the offer and throw two fingers up to him with their exhibition, "Taking Liberties." Now, this exhibition, in a very satirical and downright cheeky way, displays that " Britishness ", to them, is the appreciation of freedom and strong support for the values and powers that entails. By Gordon's lot practically tearing the Magna Carta to pieces, thro...

Gordons getting it in the neck from every possible angle, seems that Tony got out just in time, in retrospect he doesn't seem so bad now (i always thought he was ok). Wonder if Gordon is still glad he got the job, just as the world seems to be collapsing in economic meltdown around his ears, if i hear 'Credit Crunch' one more time, i think a bout of screaming will come on upon me, it seems that this term in its loosest form can be blamed for all the worlds woes. I remember the night when labour got in over 10 year ago, we sat up till 4am watching the results come in and felt a jubilation that the Tories had got stuffed, was great to see Portillo get thrown out along with all the other corrupt Tories. Simplistic view but in the last years of power the Tories had a horrific time, and most of it was justified. I also remember going to London for £1 to march against Student Loans, busloads of idealistic students took the journey to London to protest against it, when labour got...