Seems that there has been a bit of a blog-up in the comments area.
I had moderation mode working to deter the spambots. However, for some reason my approval of those bona fide remarks did not result in them being posted as used to be the case. Why - who knows. I've already commented on the ability of p.c.s to be operating perfectly when shut down and then to re-open next morning with all sorts of problems and self-administering cock-ups.
So - moderation is off.
In a climate when young religious fanatic Arabs are giving their useless lives in the cause of world terrorism, it pays to make sure that every possible suspect has been cleared.
The little old white lady has obviously been here before as her faultless pose indicates.
Those who know my idea of funny will understand why this is here.
In 1986, Mkele Mbembe was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from college. On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed so Mbembe approached it very carefully. He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant's foot, and
found a large thorn deeply embedded in it. As carefully and as gently as he could, Mbembe worked the thorn out with his hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot. The elephant turned to face the man and with a rather stern look on its face, stared at him. For several tense moments Mbembe stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the
elephant trumpeted loudly, turned and walked away. Mbembe never forgot that
elephant or the events of that day.
Twenty years later he was walking through a zoo with his teenaged son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near where Mbembe and his son Tapu were standing. The large bull elephant stared at Mbembe and lifted its front foot off the ground, then put it down. The elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man. Remembering the encounter in 1986, Mbembe couldn't help wondering if this was the same elephant. Mbembe summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder. Suddenly the elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of Mbembe's legs and swung him wildly back and forth along the railing, killing him instantly. Probably wasn't
the same elephant.
Intelligence gathering is a slow and drawn-out procedure. It has certainly taken a little while to come up with an assessment of terrorist plans around the time of the fateful 9/11 a few years back. The public always expect quick results - brought up as they may have been on the American crime soaps where all has to be solved inside the hour. There is also the truism that the terrorist has a considerable advantage in the need for us never to make a mistake in our precautions whilst Bert the Bomber only needs one loophole to slink through.
Latest report on US investigations shows the scope of the plotting undertaken by the fundamentalists.
9/11 prisoners reveal British terror targets
By Sean O'Neill and Daniel McGrory
HEATHROW, Canary Wharf and British embassies overseas were on a hitlist of terrorist targets drawn up by the architect of the 9/11 atrocities, according to intelligence gathered in secret American prisons and made public yesterday.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, al-Qaeda’s operational planner, was plotting suicide attacks on the world’s busiest international airport, the iconic London skyscraper at 1, Canada Square and the British Embassy in Cambodia before he was captured and taken to a CIA interrogation centre.
One needs to read the whole article.
This is something that has come at me from four different sources so either it is already a classic or is destined to be one.
Whatever! I'll leave 'gentle reader' to decide.
TODAY'S GUEST BLOG
A female liberal wrote a lot of letters to the White House complaining
about the treatment of a captive insurgents (terrorists) being held in Guantanamo Bay.
She received back the following reply:
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20016
Dear Concerned Citizen,
Thank you for your recent letter roundly criticizing our treatment of the Taliban and Al Quaeda detainees currently being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Our administration takes these matters seriously and your opinion was heard loud and clear here in Washington. You'll be pleased to learn that, thanks to the concerns of citizens like yourself, we are creating a new division of the Terrorist Retraining Program, to be called the "Liberals Accept Responsibility for Killers" program, or LARK for short.
In accordance with the guidelines of this new program, we have decided to place one terrorist under your personal care. Your personal detainee has been selected and scheduled for transportation under heavily armed guard to your residence next Monday.
Ali Mohammed Ahmed bin Mahmud (you can just call him Ahmed) is to be
cared for pursuant to the standards you personally demanded in your
letter of complaint. It will likely be necessary for you to hire some assistant caretakers.
We will conduct weekly inspections to ensure that your standards of
care for Ahmed are commensurate with those you so strongly recommended in your letter.
Although Ahmed is a sociopath and extremely violent, we hope your
sensitivity to what you described as his "attitudinal problem" will
help him overcome these character flaws. Perhaps you are correct in
describing these problems as mere cultural differences. We understand that you plan to offer counseling and home schooling.
Your adopted terrorist is extremely efficient in hand-to-hand combat
and can extinguish human life with such simple items as a pencil or
nail clippers. We advise that you do not ask him to demonstrate these skills at your next yoga group. He is also expert at making a wide variety of explosive devices from common household products, so you may wish to keep those items locked up, unless (in your opinion) this might offend him.
Ahmed will not wish to interact with you or your daughters (except
sexually), since he views females as a subhuman form of property.
This is a particularly sensitive subject for him and he has been known to show violent tendencies around women who fail to comply with the new dress code that he will recommend as more appropriate attire. I'm sure you will come to enjoy the anonymity offered by the burka -- over time.
Just remember that it is all part of "respecting his culture and his
religious beliefs" -- wasn't that how you put it?
Thanks again for your letter. We truly appreciate it when folks like
you keep us informed of the proper way to do our job.
You take good care of Ahmed - and remember...we'll be watching.
Good luck!
Cordially, your friend,
Don Rumsfeld
Although all I lost in the TalkTalk saga was temper and time, I'm glad I got out of it. Just Google TalkTalk problems and see what happened to others. Small selection in the Guest section.
I don't quite know how I truly feel about the pantomime antics of the Labour Party. I cannot bring myself to shout out every time Brown comes on stage. I don't think I have any political faith in anyone who gets elected and is chosen to become Prime Minister. The whole thing is outside my understanding. Manifesto politics seems doomed anyway. The period between deciding something that might interest us, working out a policy, publishing it, getting into power and dealing which emergency problems need immediate attention means that things have changed beyond all recognition and the Manifesto is ready for turning into lavatory paper.
However, it is interesting to watch a beast rend itself asunder.
When my last dog, a black Labrador bitch, died I was devastated. She had been with us for over thirteen years and led the life of a full member of the family rather than a pet. For months I was unable to talk to any dog I might meet and saw her as irreplaceable. Gradually however, I got back to sanity and decided to start to think about another dog.1. A versatile, tireless hunting dog capable of hunting feathered and furred game, pointing or treeing as necessary, retrieving to hand over land or water, and tracking wounded game. 2. A dog capable of dispatching predators. 3. A dog who is a loving, loyal family companion and hearth-warmer. 4. A vigilant watchdog capable of guarding his home and family. GSPs retain a puppy level of energy throughout their lives. They require physical and mental stimuli to help keep this energy at a manageable level.We have been exceedingly lucky. My bitch, Sable, has fully integrated into her immediate family of the two of us and the wider family of Lord knows how many. All of the points about the character of the GSP made above are 100% true. She inherited hunting. We have, quite rightly, been warned off an exercise area where she just would not give it up. The first year or so was very frustrating as training seemed to be just a daily joke – mostly against me. We would have a training session. She learnt what was passed over. She did what was passed over. We went home. Next morning, we started by trying to recap on what we had done the day before. Gone – all gone into some mist. And attempt at conditioning by my treatment of her was just swallowed up – she was as obstinate as three donkeys. I stuck with it and then one day – quite suddenly as if a light had come on inside her head – she had it all. Now – we do not need any training. We go out and enjoy ourselves almost without any command being needed from me.
Devoting necessary time to fulfill a GSPs drive to "work" and learn through training and play and to satisfy his need for human companionship is essential.
A sense of humor should be a prerequisite for any future GSP owner. A GSP can be quite mischievous; its pranks often not appreciated by humans. GSPs can be protective of their home and their humans. As a very social and human friendly breed, the GSP loves to be around people and activity, and handles this well, assuming it has been properly socialized. The tendency to protect territory and "pack" can be present in some more than others.
GSPs are hunters. This does not mean they would be unhappy in a non-hunting home. It does, however, mean that other avenues to direct their energies may have to be found.
GSPs get bored very easily if not kept busy. They are very inquisitive and can
be quite inventive when entertaining themselves. Unfortunately, many things they consider fun (such as playing with all the neat toys in the kitchen garbage can, unspooling toilet paper, digging in the flowerbed, jumping or climbing fences, shredding pillows or furniture, and the list goes on) we consider destructive. GSPs are very people oriented, sometimes to the point of being clingy; following your every step around the house for example. They thrive upon human interaction to be truly happy. They do best, whether hunting, competing, or just kept as companions, if allowed to live as a part of the family unit as a housedog rather than a yard or kennel dog. GSPs are, by nature, often not very amicable with cats and other small furry or feathery pets. They can be trained to leave them alone and share home space, but their hunting instinct may interfere at times.
The GSP and its owner will both benefit from obedience and other types of
training.
A GSP's intelligence and independent-mindedness can often lead to
pitfalls if not planned for. Many GSPs can be counted on to ignore commands if it doesn’t feel that obeying the command is the proper thing to do at that point in time. Training shapes the GSP, teaching it both control and confidence in obeying commands. They thrive upon structure and leadership, instinctively realizing the need for this.
GSPs tend to train easily, as they are a very biddable breed. As a working breed, they literally love and need to work.
I was going over the state of MY World this afternoon. Much heated debate about Emperor B Liar and the stress of will he or won’t he. What guarantee is there anyway that we will find better/less of a pain in the butt?
Immigration seems to be getting more and more of a cock-up and can only get worse as EU increases never mind those who come illegally.
Troops beginning to lose initiative in Afghanistan. Varying reports as to what they are achieving in Iraq. Growing sense that we Рthe civilians back home Рare becoming blas̩ about the kit shortages that increase their risks in a murderous country.
Crime in the streets here. Not just the sort of crime where old ladies are sexually molested, infants tied up and beaten with building bricks and total defiance of police by young kids who are next generation of professional criminals. The range and the manner of dealing with the few we do catch is total confusion. We rise up about tearaways being released well before they have served any significant period away from their well-upholstered tarts. “Not us” says the Judges. “It’s the way the law is written”
But then. I thought about other places in the world. Where the individuals corresponding to Terrible Tone are far worse, more blatant and even more self-centred. Where immigration is like those places bordering on dissolute African states where racial cleansing is the government’s agenda.
Troops poorly valued, under-resourced and set-up as targets. The Russians are a prime example. They also figure high in my check on criminality. Not just in terms of figures but in the all-pervading presence in and across all levels of society.
So – God help me for sounding complacent but we could be a heck of a lot worse off. The great unwashed public in those places have learned to get along.
I fear that we will start to increase our slide down the slippery slope.
For sure, the pratt we have there now is unlikely to do anything different to what he has exhibited since the public were conned into giving him power. He is likely to remain until there is an uprising. How the hell did the country set gather the mass marchers to oppose changes in the hunting laws? Where are the organisers of the ‘Not in My Name’ who were anti-war reference Iraq? Why is there such calf-like acceptance of the state we are now in – and getting into worse? Why should the best of those we call British have to uproot themselves and their families to get out while the getting out is possible?
Answers on the back of a £5 note. I’m saving up to buy a small hovel somewhere in Arizona.
Someone once said that everyone has 15 minutes of fame. Don't know if infamous allows the same degree of spotlight.
TODAY'S GUEST BLOG
Have a look here. Do a search for John Wood. What a life to lead.
Looks as if the chip off the old block has taken root and, hopefully, will flourish.
TODAY'S GUEST BLOG
Written by #1 Son
Buddhism is a path of practices and spiritual development which lead to insight into the true nature of life. Practices such as meditation are means of changing oneself in order to develop and perfect the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom. The methods developed within the Buddhist tradition over thousands of years has created an incredible resource for all those who wish to follow the path which ultimately culminates in Enlightenment or Buddhahood.
The foundation of Buddhism is the Fourfold Noble Truth:
1 The world is full of suffering and stress.
2 The cause of this suffering and stress is desires of physical instincts.
3 If desire can be removed, then suffering and stress will be ended.
4 Desire can be removed by following the Noble Eightfold Path: Right Views, Right Thoughts, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration
Try it - you might like it?
Can't give a credit for this as it comes from a site where people post anonymously.
