The reality of an eight-year old girl committing suicide by hanging herself is too upsetting a notion to focus on in any comprehending sort of way; so better to focus on something more comfortable and familiar. Racism.

More evidence continues to mount that racial tension may be reemerging as a serious problem, in the present, but more worryingly in the future. And the Muslim community, unsurprisingly, is the main target. Yes, England has a new boogeyman, a new scapegoat; so don’t be surprised if other Nazi-inspired organisations like the EDL pop up in the coming years. Today, it’s those terrible Muslims who’re threatening our wonderful way of life; tommorow, the Sikhs and Hindus. By a quarter-passed it’ll be onto the gypsies, and eventually it’ll be the Jews all over again.

Oh, well; it was a nice little multi-cultural society we were experimenting with, while it lasted (which was all of about fifteen years, give or take a few slip-ups). Back to Ye Olde Englande soon enough. Hurray.

Islamic fundamentalism in the east may be a potent, divisive issue for our times, but Christian fundamentalism in the USA is as potent and divisive as ever. Such has been evident for years, of course, but it comes to the fore again now that a British movie about Darwin and Evolutionism could feasibly be banned in America for being ‘controversial’. It is extraordinary to realise that the most innovating nation of the world, the spearhead of modern twenty-first century society, is still so bound up in medieval dogma and a literal belief in Biblical Creationism that it might be unable to stomach an innocent film concerning an otherwise widely-accepted scientific argument.

Even if you took Biblical Creationism (as in Adam and Eve, the six days, etc) as your prevailing dogma, why would that need to mean boycotting an alternative view; preventing the argument from being expressed? A refusal to even acknowledge alternative positions is the sure sign, of course, of a losing argument.

Sticking with America; former US President Jimmy Carter has this week sparked controversy by suggesting in an interview that increasingly vocal criticism of and opposition to Barak Obama in US politics and the media is based on racism. Some have attacked Mr Carter for his statement, but basic psychological evaluation would suggest that his theory may have merit. People in prevalent positions, who might hold racist views or feelings, aren’t able to express those honestly; instead, they’re forced to couch their antagonism in other terms, under other camouflages. It’s possible that some of what’s happening in terms of Obama opposition may be along those lines. And a figure such as Jimmy Carter would surely not have made such a divisive suggestion unless he believed it have some basis in truth.

‘Basis in truth’ may or may not relate to Katie Price’s latest attention-seeking, money-making, tabloid-blowjobbing claims; this time that she was raped by a major celebrity some years ago. The ‘major celebrity’, of course, hasn’t been named, and PR-savvy Jordan has vowed not to specify. The press, predictably, are subsequently dancing around her like tribal types around a sacrificial pyre. And it’s all so very interesting and important, isn’t it?

After years of preparation, the mammoth live-action production of Ben Hur is coming to London; but animal rights activists are planning to protest the show en masse. Their hearts are in a good place, no doubt, but why didn’t they protest ages ago, when the project was being planned, as opposed to trying to boycott an astronomically-expensive, massively-complex show when it opens? As if a production that took that much work, that many man-hours, to put together, is going to be derailed now. Animal rights aspects aside, the show should be spectacular; possibly even a match for the movie version of the race, and probably as close as we’ll ever come to a live Roman chariot race.  Granted, we’d rather see Mark Antony and his lion-driven chariot, but still…

Ben Hur was probably the greatest epic movie ever made, and certainly one of the best ‘blockbuster’ movies of all time; many strata above the corporate blockbusters of modern cinema, in that it had actually had a genuinely great story, some class performances, brilliant sets, and a soundtrack to die for. It’s a bit difficult to see exactly how the live show will work, given that the race in the movie was pretty violent and very, very dangerous, and ended with the Roman Tribune being killed. But let’s assume this thing’s been thought out. And if I wasn’t a poor, starving, struggling artistic type, I’d be there to see for myself…

If any more proof were needed that self-deified hip-hop ponce Kanye West is the biggest self-worshipping moron in the pop world, it came this week at the MTV awards, where the all-time biggest shafting of one pop star by another (even bigger than Courtney Love gatecrashing Madonna’s interview in 1995) came to pass; the Messianic Kanye West invaded the stage when Taylor Swift was accepting an award and insisted that the award should’ve gone to Bouncy (sorry, I mean Beyonce). Not that I have any idea who Taylor Swift is, but what a class-A a-hole Kanye West has proven himself to be.

And Patrick Swayze may not have been the greatest actor in the business, but he seemed like a jolly decent sort of fellow. And I still think ‘The Outsiders’ was a class movie. So, RIP, Patrick Swayze. And wouldn’t it be nice to think he was greeted by those heavenly twinkly light thingys, like in Ghost…?