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Insomnia is quite a long word, and the night is unbelievably long - let me tell you, for the 3rd night running I'm still in front of this infernal machine aftr 3am and the other morning I didn't get to sleep until 7.30am.

However, sitting here with relatively little to do, I turned my mind to those less fortunate than myself - namely the starving and needy in Darfur (I just read an article on them on the BBC, normally I'd be thinking about video games and re-arranging my sock drawer by now).

So, there are thousands of refugees starving, dying etc in Darfur and 20 members of the British music industry (God bless 'em) have decided to help out by making a record. Not sending them cash, or food you understand, but making a record.

First off - as they're starving none of them will have CD players so it's all a bit pointless really, unless there's some Darfur-ian recipe for "CD surprise" or "CD a l'orange" that I'm not aware of.

Secondly - what's it all about? Apparently, the people of Britain will buy this ghastly tripe (it's not even a new record for God's sake it's a note-for-note re-release of that turgid crap the thick Irishman and Midge Ure came up with 20 years ago) and feel they've helped the poor and starving kiddies abroad.

Help they might, but surely the point is the people buying this maginificent musical feast haven't the faintest idea where Darfur is, why people are dying or what the money will do. The only reason they're buying the damned record is because Ms Dynamite is on it - now pardon me for being sarcastic, but I'm not sure Ms Dynamite needs the money, talent - yes, but not the money.

If anyone's going to help here it's the governments, not a bunch of spotty ten-year old's who want to hear Bonio from U2 squeal "weeeeeeellll tonight thank God it's them, instead of yoooooooooooooou"

And, while I'm on a rant, don't you just love the line in the song "And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas time." Of course there bloody won't - Mount Kiimanjaro might catch a few flakes but the rest of the place is a DESERT and not known for it's apres ski and snowboarding action - and even if there was a layer of the white stuff all around, the British music industry would probably release a new single entitled "Don't eat yellow snow (it's soaked with Yak piss)".

Gaaaah .. I'm off to bed to grumble horribly while watching re-runs of Murder She Wrote ...

Bah Humbug to you all.