What a gay day!

This is a "Brief Note" as to what our political masters and wannabe-masters plan on doing today. I will just put two questions here - up front as they say - 'cos I'm sure none will read to the end.
Question 1 - Do you see anything here which will, in itself, improve your life or will change things whilst you are still above ground?
Question 2 - If none of this happened at all, would we find ourselves in a New Orleans-type situation?
OK. Get ready. GO.......

In Brief
Prime minister Tony Blair holds bilateral talks with Chinese leaders, with the focus likely to be on ways of promoting trade and investment between the two countries, as well as sporting links ahead of the Beijing and London Olympics. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana delivers a speech in Shanghai at the China Europe International Business School.

Ruth Kelly has threatened to close failing schools that do not improve within 12 months. Speaking at a conference organised by the Local Government Association, the education secretary will say that a new 12-month deadline will form a key plank of the white paper set to be published this autumn. "We must not allow our children in our weakest schools to suffer too long before we intervene and turn things round," says the minister. "Being in special measures for more than a year must become a thing of the past."

Two opinion polls have found that Ken Clarke would be the most popular leader of the Conservative party. A BBC survey found 40 per cent of those asked supported his candidature whilst a Populus poll for the Times gave the former chancellor 41 per cent. If Clarke was to replace Michael Howard, 12 per cent told the BBC that they were more likely to vote Tory. Only 10 per cent backed David Davis whilst 33 per cent said they had no preference between any of the candidates.

Charles Clarke holds a press briefing at the Foreign Press Association ahead of this week's meeting of European Union justice and home affairs ministers. The home secretary also holds talks with EU justice commissioner Franco Frattini.

Deputy prime minister John Prescott, Commons leader Geoff Hoon and Europe minister Douglas Alexander represent the British EU presidency during a meeting of the European parliament in Strasbourg.

Education secretary Ruth Kelly and children's commissioner Professor Al Aynsley-Green speak at a Local Government Association event on the role of local authorities in delivering learning.

Foreign secretary Jack Straw meets former North Korean prisoner Kang Cheol Hwan.

Culture secretary Tessa Jowell speaks at a seminar hosted in London by the British Paralympic Association.

Employment relations minister Gerry Sutcliffe, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber and CBI deputy director general John Cridland address a Department of Trade and Industry conference on working hours and productivity. Sutcliffe said today that "creating a culture where we work smarter rather than longer is key to improving worker satisfaction, as well as improving competitiveness, productivity and retaining skilled workers".

Malcolm Wicks has announced that a record 152 oil and gas production licences are on offer to 99 companies under the 23rd oil and gas licensing round. Speaking at the Offshore Europe 2005 Conference in Aberdeen, the energy minister says: "I'm determined that we maximise the exploitation of the remaining reserves which could be between 22 and 28 billion barrels of oil equivalent. I'm impressed with the drive and determination of the companies that are seeking to make this goal a reality."

Culture minister David Lammy launches a consultation document on the 1954 Hague Convention on looking after cultural property in times of armed conflict.

Transport minister Derek Twigg is in Merseyside to launch the Highways Agency's North West regional control centre. Twigg said: "We are investing billions of pounds to improve this country's road network. Minimising the congestion caused by accidents and managing traffic flow efficiently is vital if we are to ensure the smooth operation of our motorways for both travellers and businesses."

England cricket team stars Andrew Flintoff, Ashley Giles, Simon Jones, Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard have backed the government's campaign to encourage people to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day and take plenty of exercise as part of a healthier lifestyle. "The days of cricket teas involving stodgy cakes and biscuits are long gone. We take eating fruit and vegetables very seriously as we need to be on top form for our game," Flintoff said. Public health minister Caroline Flint added: "We're delighted that the England cricket team are bowling for our side and helping us spread the 'five a day' message by supporting this initiative."

Speaking his Wiltshire constituency today, Michael Ancram implicitly criticises Kenneth Clarke's attempt to downplay his pro-European beliefs during the Tory leadership election. Ancram says the future of Europe "cannot just be swept under the carpet". "Moreover it is quite absurd to argue that the French and Dutch referendums have somehow made Europe a non-subject. Certainly not in the hearts of Euro-federalists in Brussels."

Sir Malcolm Rifkind begins a tour of Britain aimed at boosting his bid for the Conservative leadership. He delivers a speech today in Derbyshire and also plans to meet activists in London, Edinburgh, Ayr, Cardiff, Swansea, Wakefield, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham, Leicestershire, Bath, Newcastle and Croydon over the coming month. "Our plans for rebuilding the party must be focused on how we can win back support in those areas of Britain where Conservative support has declined," Sir Malcolm said. "That's why I have deliberately chosen to concentrate on areas of Britain in which there are few Conservative MPs and where the Conservative Party needs to build its strength if it is to return to government."

At an event hosted by the NHS Confederation, shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley delivers a speech on his vision of future Conservative public service policy.

Labour MP Andrew Miller and Conservative MP Sir George Young are among the speakers at a Westminster eForum seminar on 'spam, scams and security'.

The deadline passes for nominations to stand as Scottish Labour candidate in the Glasgow Cathcart by-election caused by the resignation of MSP Mike Watson.

Andrew Davies, Welsh minister for economic development, begins a four day trade visit to San Francisco.

London mayor Ken Livingstone holds his weekly press conference in City Hall.

At a press conference in Strasbourg, British MEPs call for legislative meetings of the European Council to take place in public. Timothy Kirkhope, leader of Conservative MEPs, said: "Making laws behind closed doors is plainly wrong. Transparency and openness are essential if the EU is to gain the confidence of its citizens and make its politicians more accountable. The fact that the leaders of all the British delegations have come together demonstrates the strength of feeling on this issue." Also backing the call are Labour group leader Gary Titley, Chris Davies of the Liberal Democrats, Nigel Farage of the UK Independence Party and Jean Lambert of the Green Party.

Kofi Annan chairs the first replenishment conference of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The United Nations secretary general speaks at the opening session of the conference and will attend the pledging session that follows. Talks with chancellor Gordon Brown, foreign secretary Jack Straw and international development secretary Hilary Benn are likely to take place at the event, which EU development commissioner Louis Michel also attends.

The Audit Commission launches a consultation on ways of cutting the costs assessment and inspections on English district councils.

OECD chief economist Jean-Philippe Cotis hosts a media briefing on the outlook for OECD economies.

Sir Anthony Holland, chairman of the Standards Board for England, delivers the closing speech at the fourth annual assembly of standards committees, hosted in Birmingham by the standards board.

The public is largely opposed to the government's plans to relax the licensing laws, according to a Populus poll for today's Times.

The survey found that voters oppose the licensing law changes by nearly two to one, with women more strongly opposed than men.

But young people favour the proposals and do not believe that they will cause more disorder and binge drinking.

The poll found that 62 per cent oppose the changes, with 34 per cent in favour.

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Reports and Statistics

Up to 3.7 million people in England and Wales did not register to vote in 2000, according to a report from the Electoral Commission. Chairman Sam Younger said "it is vital that a system of individual registration is introduced as soon as possible". Shadow constitutional affairs secretary Oliver Heald said: "The government's obsession with electoral 'modernisation' has compromised Britain's traditional reputation for free and fair elections, and undermined both the integrity of the system and public confidence in it."

The Institute for Public Policy Research publishes a report on teacher turnover. It says that increasing pay levels is not the answer to the problem.

DrugScope publishes data on average UK street drug prices. It reveals that ecstasy pills can now be bought for as little as 50p in Portsmouth, dealers are selling 'two for one' heroin and crack 'party packs' to win new clients, and the price of heroin in Sheffield has halved to make it cheapest in the UK. Shadow home secretary David Davis said: "This shows that, far from winning the war on drugs, Labour haven't even begun to fight it."

At least 70,000 pupils skip school on average every day, according to research published by New Philanthropy Capital. Shadow schools minister Mark Hoban said: "It is very sad indeed that this government has spent over £1bn on tackling truancy and bad behaviour, and yet they still have no results to show for it."

A report from Action On Rights For Children says that nearly two-thirds of children questioned by police as possible truants were not found to be skipping school. Director Terri Dowty said: "It is unacceptable that those going about their lawful business should be subjected to police questioning."

A report on the free movement of people in an enlarged European Union is published by the European Citizen Action Service.

The British Retail Consortium publishes August's retail sales data. It finds that like-for-like sales fell one per cent.

Figures published by Incomes Data Services show that pay deals in the three months to July dropped 0.1 per cent to stand at 3.1 per cent.

The Scottish Executive publishes figures on recorded crime and domestic abuse in 2005/06; Scottish Qualifications Authority examination results in Scottish schools in 2005/06; cancer incidence data for 2002 and mortality figures for 2004; immunisation statistics for Q2; dental statistics; NHS Scotland workforce statistics; information on the care and dependency needs of older people; data on patients ready for discharge in NHS Scotland; prescribing statistics; selected data from the quality outcome framework 2005/06; and homelessness data.

The National Assembly for Wales publishes figures on farm incomes for 2003/04 and its response to the consultation on the statistics programme for 2005/06 to 2007/08.

The Office for National Statistics publishes the index of production for July, and weekly deaths registered in England and Wales.

The European Central Bank publishes the consolidated financial statement of the eurosystem.

Eurostat publishes retail trade figures for June and July.

Living like an animal

We work like a horse.
We eat like a pig.
We like to play chicken.
You can get someone's goat.
We can be as slippery as a snake.
We get dog tired.
We can be as quiet as a mouse.
We can be as quick as a cat.
Some of us are as strong as an ox.
People try to buffalo others.
Some are as ugly as a toad.
We can be as gentle as a lamb.
Sometimes we are as happy as a lark.
Some of us drink like a fish.
We can be as proud as a peacock.
A few of us are as hairy as a gorilla.
You can get a frog in your throat.
We can be a lone wolf.
But I'm having a whale of a time!

No longer the only one

I gained the fame of being the only one in the village way back when someone did a Google search. However, the good lady was looking for a Blogger not "only one in the village" Daffyd. However, I do now think that there is a Daffyd in Duns. I've seen him twice. He is short-ish and seems to scuttle about quite quickly. On both occasions I have seen him he has been wearing very tight short shorts. I have always been in the car when I've seen him so have not been able to come out with the greeting "How bona to vada your dolly old eek again"
Might be well to keep out of his way for a bit. I've re-installed Mozilla FireFox and am using that. It gave me considerable aggro before but it is just so good that I wanted to give it another chance. If it does go tits up, I'll be in no mood to talk palome to Daffyds.

Sir Digby Jones leads a delegation of UK business leaders to China and, later this week, India. The CBI director general said: "There has been much legitimate talk about the competitive threat posed to the developed world by the soaring growth of industries in China and India. Of course they are a challenge, but they also represent a huge opportunity. The number of senior business leaders heading East for these vital summits proves that the UK is facing up, head-on, to the challenge of China and India."

Yes - I suppose so. Given that economic opinion includes comments that we no longer manufacture very much but mainly provide services, it is difficult to see how. Our 'trick' of gaining contracts which we then out-source to areas of cheap labour and un-protected employment such as Indian call-centres will not work in opposition to Chinese labour which is even cheaper and more exploitive. Again, that friend of Brazilians, Mandelson has not covered himself in glory in his dealings with China relating to bras and other finished textiles. He can afford to get his undies from Victoria's Secret or La Perla whilst those who thong M & S will have to dig deeper.
PS - Aged gentlemen should be aware that the last four links are dangerous on the grounds that fibrilliation can harm one. Any othet -ation should also be avoided.

News for Flopsy etc.

Of course, the best way to commit bunny suicide is to pop up in front of Ms. Beaky, but, if you are looking for alternatives, these do exist.

Eccky thump

So - perhaps one does not learn by experience.
I have been in some places where the temperature gets quite high. I've seen eggs fried on the pavement and I have sat in some very hot rooms and Turkish Baths. Little Japanese girls have pushed me under bath water that would cook chopped liver.
But - today has been too hot for me. Except for the bit where I sat with my legs in river water up to my knees. Hold that thought.

Er - where did Saturday go?

I just didn't stop all day. Buzzi Buzzi Buzzi.

Really from the Front Line

Events in Iraq seem to have dropped off our radar. What does get to us is generally negative. The daily life of a soldier there is rarely detailed in our media - and when it is, they seem to concentrate on the negative. OK - please go and read this guy's item from last Wednesday titled Gates of Fire.

Loss of a child

I mentioned back in Speak now or forever... the parents of the child lost in a cornfield. That child was Sarah Payne. I realised I did not know of any developments in the law they wanted to introduce. I see that Mum announced her pregnancy and there were signs that she and her husband were having difficulties in their relationship. They subsequently split up. The murder of little Sarah received immense publicity and her parents were involved in additional media coverage with their demands for something they called Sarah's Law. It seems that they devoted so much to this that they let their marriage slip. One might say that articulating the effects upon them did little to help.

Loot vs. Found.

I found this very strange. Apparently a news organisation posted two pictures from NO. One showed a black man and referred to looting whilst the other showed a white man and spoke of his finding goods. The racial Gestapo have forced the removal of these photographs. Now, I enjoy only average intelligence but it could be that this is accurate reporting. Say the black guy went into a store and filled his black sack whilst the white guy found his black sack abandoned somewhere. Looted and found would then be quite appropriate. But no; the thin skinned p.c. crowd will always look for an interpretation that suits their agenda. On further digging, seems the two photographs came from different agencies and were captioned by two different people. Hardly a planned discrimination.
Oh - and here is another example where the discrimination ghost-busters got on the wrong foot. I quote to save you having to click a url

"New Study Undercuts Claim of "DWB" (JW Note DWB = Driving while black. Not an offence but used to allege a state of mind of the police officer)
From the DOJ's Bureau of Justice Statistics comes a new study on traffic stops by police which concludes:"The likelihood of being stopped by police in 2002 did not differ significantly between white (8.7%), black (9.1%), and Hispanic (8.6%) drivers."Also of note: "In 2002 the vast majority of the 45.3 million persons who had a contact with police felt the officer(s) acted properly(90.1%)."Those are the seminal finding of the study. What caught some media coverage was the study's finding that "Black (10.2%) and Hispanic (11.4%) motorists stopped by police were more likely than whites (3.5%) to be physically searched or have their vehicle searched."But the survey's authors concede that:
while the survey data can reveal these racial disparities, they cannot answer the question of whether the driver's race, rather than the driver's conduct or other specific circumstances surrounding the stop, was the reason for the search. The survey asked few questions about circumstances or driver conduct. For example, having drugs in plain view of police is a circumstance that would normally warrant a legal search of the vehicle. But since the survey did not ask drivers whether any drugs within plain view were in the vehicle, the analysis is necessarily limited.Thus it seems that race is not really a factor in whether a vehicle gets pulled over by police. This is further supported by the very high percentage of people reporting that the police acted properly in stopping the vehicle. I'm sure this will be disappointing news for some who constantly suggest that racial bias is pervasive in American policing"

And the world rolls on.

First, a small PS to yesterday's moan about retributive justice. Ms. Harman has admitted that she intends that killers should stay longer in prison if relatives of the deceased can persuade judges to order the increase. Another idea is that she will in fact recommend cross-examination of their statements by defence counsel. This is really sick. They will act out how the child they lost was the apple of their eye. The defence will then refer them to everything that might, possibly, perhaps, could be taken as less than loving treatment of the kid. I get the impression that her plans initially consisted of letting those who had lost relatives have a say - some sort of psychological relief. Bits have been added as her staff have pointed out the problems one by one. Rather like a sieve having holes patched up so that it may float.
We're also getting sad updates about NO and the adjacent areas under the flood and flattened by the high winds. The actions of the looters are holding back the rescue efforts. The rescue efforts are hampered by the fact that there is no suitable facility to accommodate those taken into what might be considered care. It does seem to be taking a long while for relief to get into it's stride.
We are now seeing a spell of good weather here. The days end with a humid atmosphere and there is some rain most nights. This keeps things nice and fresh and clean.
After using the same microwave for about two years, I had to undergo re-indoctrination from SWMBO when it failed and we bought a new one. I failed to detect anything that had altered but still had to test drive it the first few times with her at my elbow. Eventually, my heating milk procedure was accepted and I am now a Class 1 driver again. Why is it that someone who lacks all mechanical understanding and empathy becomes a engineering wizard just because something is used in a kitchen setting?
I've finally managed to fill my iPod! Seeing the piles and piles of now redundant CDs really brings home the wonders of digital science. 3500+ tunes should mean that I do not have to change anything already recorded. I have a neat little thing that makes the iPod broadcast to any adjacent radio so as to listen but avoid that teenager thing of ear plugs. The other clever bit is a remote control that means I can leave the iPod where I am likely to find it again but still be in charge of volume and killing a tune if it does not then appeal.Having seen the benefits of something really small that I can control (and use selfishly just for me), I'm thinking about a portable DVD player. Something to write on my note to Santa I think.
Small dog had another rabbit today. Not such a triumph as it is now certain that myxi-whatever it is, is in the family at the picnic place - humane destruction really. She doesn't quite understand so we still have to have five minutes discussion of how clever she is, what a fearsome hunter she has become, blah blah blah.

Katrina chaos

I suppose it is just too easy for us safe here in UK to wonder just what the hell happened in NO and why things seem to have gone awry. There are some people trying to adjust our perceptions - I think they make very valid points.

Things CAN get worse

No wonder old Bushy is showing a lot of concern reference neworleans. Just the sort of news we DO not want to have.

Speak now or forever ..........

Constitutional affairs minister Harriet Harman unveils proposals to allow the families of murder victims to tell the killer's trial how they are suffering. The scheme, which has been inspired by a similar system in the United States, will give families the opportunity to speak out before sentence is passed. "What we are proposing is that after the conviction, but before the sentence, they should have an opportunity to say something about how the offence has affected their lives," Harman told the BBC. But a Labour Party election pledge to give rape victims their own barrister in court appears to be absent from the plans.

The Guardian has some comments on this . Such a procedure exists in America. There is an interesting article about this sort of thing which, while relating to tribal affairs amongst Native Americans, explains the concept quite well.

Harman’s proposal is a dangerous step. It is mixing the politics of the gladiatorial arena with administration of justice. Individuals’ reactions to death vary immensely and have no place in a court of law. I was much impressed by the way the family of the black teenager victim of the axe murder conducted themselves. A while back we had the parents of the little girl who disappeared from a cornfield. There was no doubt as to the effects of their loss but they obviously held their grief for private moments. There have been other public appearances where victims’ relatives have displayed great emotion. Different people handle death differently. Their attitude may vary over time. There can be no doubt that these reactions could affect sentence even in the highest tribunal. More importantly, they would lay the ground to suggestion that a killer had received a greater sentence due to the display of families in court. Coming after sentence, there would be no opportunity for rebuttal to anything they said. Taking an extreme case such as Shipman, the serial murderer doctor. It would be impossible not to be influenced by a veritable march past of loved ones.

The loss of a loved one is not quantified by any violence associated with their death. We have cases pending regarding the right to life of very young children where medical opinion is that they are in a persistent vegetative state and life support should be terminated – something that the parents oppose. Where may this couple demonstrate their loss?

The idea may have been deemed a potential vote winner at the time the Manifesto was written. It ‘seems’ right. One has only to think back to the loss of Diana to realise how universal is suffering and pain to those who might never be involved in any shape or form in a murder trial. The laying of wreaths, teddy bears and other supposed memorabilia from – by and large – those unconnected with a victim is now so widespread and intensive that it has been deemed a road traffic hazard. The axe murder victim guy I mention above drew over 3,500 church mourners. There were more outside the cathedral. Do we really believe that all of these actually knew the lad?

It is the mixing of this sort of emotion with the respect for facts in a due process that is wrong. For myself, in the dreadful event that I might be involved in such a procedure, I would decline. I fail to see the point. That is not to say that I would not see the point of finding the killer in a dark alleyway. Maybe that is why my personality finds the proposal to be so wrong and, indeed, dangerous.

D Y I - Do Yourself Injury

Those of you who have bought IKEA furniture will appreciate this letter of complaint. Indeed, I am sure it will strike a chord with anyone who has ever purchased anything in flatpack,
I did it - just the once and never again. It is even funnier when the instructions consist only of badly-printed illustrations about the size of an economy-size stamp. That is after laying out all that is in the pack with the forlorn hope that everything you need is indeed there.

Daisy Hill Puppy Farm

SIR EDWARD BULWER-LYTTON
1803 - 1873
A prolific Victorian novelist, editor of the New Monthly Magazine, member of Parliament and Secretary of State for the colonies; he coined the expression "the great unwashed" and the phrase "the pen is mightier than the sword." He also inspired Snoopy in the Peanuts comic strip with the opening line to his 1830 novel Paul Clifford: "It was a dark and stormy night...."

A WOMAN FRIEND
"It is a wonderful advantage to a man, in every pursuit or avocation, to secure an advisor in a sensible woman. In woman there is at once a subtle delicacy of tact, and a plain soundness of judgment, which are rarely combined in equal degree in a man. A woman, if she be really your friend, will have a sensitive regard for your character, honour and repute. She will seldom counsel you to do a shabby thing; for a woman friend always desires to be proud of you."
Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Detailed planning and pornography

New Orleans has been tested and, whilst there are losses of life and considerable damage, things are not as bad as they could have been had people just been left to their own devices – as we do in the UK.

This American ability to plan down to the teeny-weeny nitty-bitty detail has impressed me since I worked for Occidental Oil. At the time in 1979 when the US Embassy in Tripoli was burned down, I was given the task of evacuating all wives and dependents from Libya, through to London and onto any worldwide destination they chose. This had to be achieved between 3 a.m. when I got the instruction and midnight the next day. As it was such an emergency, I was told that I could throw money at it. In a US oil company there is a lot of money when it is needed. Having achieved the desired result and then some, I was tasked with writing evacuation plans for all out-of-USA locations but without the luxury of flying dollars. Being a founder member of Pedantics Anonymous this was right up my street but even I was amazed at what was thought necessary in the way of instruction to those likely to be involved.

The ability to plan deeply is commendable but it seems to have gone overboard where banning pornography is involved. Strikes me that all this will do is increase illegal pornography that does not comply with the controls. This will mean that the material will just naturally become more pornographic. Same result as with Prohibition really.

Reading back through this as I write, I realise I may have let the pornography genii out of the bottle – insofar as this blog is concerned anyway. I suppose the main concern is with exploitation of children by pornographers. There are some details – a little out of date maybe but it is almost certain that the situation has not improved very much.

Google into various aspects of pornography comes up with an extremely large number of hits. The majority of these cancel each other out. Some aspects are interesting – what porn is generated and distributed by organised crime as a means of laundering money? What controls could be imposed? Indeed, even the definition of porn is confused. It can be extreme hard-core distributed under the counter to extremely unbalanced people (and police officers at Friday night parties) to the soft-ish material available as in-room movies at a hotel. My own police background hardly helped and my working-policy conclusion was that those I found with pornography were marginally more likely to have some other criminal interest. No more than ‘likely’.

To confuse things further, some of what appears almost without comment as a blog may be pornographic. Some perverts are turned on by the weirdest things and reading these blogs might well serve to give them their kicks.

Oh - breaking news just in
"The government today launches a new consultation on banning obscene pornographic and sexually violent images on the internet. Home Office minister Paul Goggins said that the government wants to create a new offence of deliberate possession of violent and abusive pornography. The move comes in response to calls from the family of murder victim Jane Longhurst, who was killed in 2003 by a male friend obsessed with violent sexual pornography. "This is material which is extremely offensive to the vast majority of people, and it should have no place in our society," the minister said"

But, note - even this anally retentive government speaks of 'violent and abusive' So, images more suited to a gynae. lecture hall will be freely available in newsagents and the better class of male public lavatories.

Oh God - a woof mine!

Whilst wandering about doing background on the stupidity of the war in Iraq, I came across this. My twisted mind was amused at the idea of these damned things dashing about a battlefield with 30-ton tanks retreating in horror.
“Dog Anti-Tank Mine. The simplicity of the dog mine must have been appealing concept in 1942 when the Russian army was still hard pressed fighting to keep the German invaders in check. The basic idea was that the dog carried on it's back a wooden box or packets containing explosives strapped on with a harness. The dogs were then trained to run underneath enemy tanks and in doing so they would tip back a vertical wooden lever on their backs, which would detonate the explosives, much to the surprise of the German tank crews and the dogs.
This however, was one simple idea that did not work terribly effectively in combat. As the dogs were trained by placing food under Soviet tanks they would run to the familiar smells and sounds of any Soviet tanks in battle rather than the strange smells and sounds of the German tanks, and with hindsight, one would also expect that in battle a dog would run anywhere but towards a moving tank firing overhead, and in doing so become a menace to everyone else on the battlefield.
The German army quickly learned of the Soviet hundminen and so spread throughout the ranks information that all Russian dogs likely to be encountered were probably rabid and so should be shot on sight. As a result all dogs virtually disappeared from the Eastern Front in the ensuing few days, making the use of dog mines all the less feasible.
Dog mines did have some success, but once their dangerous drawbacks were realised they were not used after 1942. Some reports on the Soviet Army after 1945 still contained references to dog mines however, and there were also reports of dog mines as having been used by the Viet Minh (fighting in Indo-China) in the late 1940s”

What we could learn

This comes from a guy I’ve mentioned before. He seems to have the ability to say what he thinks in a manner that I find leaves little doubt as to his meaning. This is about America but applies with equal force in our modern-day England (and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). Too late for me to adopt his solution but it sort of ties in with what the Army resettlement guys told me was the right job for me after my psychological evaluation; herding sheep somewhere North of Wagga Wagga.

A Matter Of Allegiance. And Why One Might Wisely Withhold It
May 29, 2005
I wish to propose a salubrious anarchy, a deliberate renunciation of fealty to country, society, and government, an assertion of independence from folly and moral decay. Permit me to offer a taxing political idea: When a society ceases to be worthy of support, it is reasonable to withdraw support. The time, I submit, has come.
Here I do not mean to urge crime or counsel treason, but to suggest quiet renunciation of the national disaster. Ask yourself how much of American life pleases you. The schools are run by fools to manufacture fools, government grows more intrusive by the day, and culture is determined by the triple cloacae of New York, Hollywood, and Washington. Freedom withers, not only in the ominous encroachment of police powers, but in the loss of control over schools, church, hiring, daily life. We are no longer our own. The United States is not the country we are told it is, and not the country it was.
How to escape? The beginning, and the most difficult, is a moral distancing. Those who care must disentangle themselves from the cobweb loyalties and factitious duties with which we have been unconsciously encumbered. From childhood we learn patriotism, that one must vote, that if our way is not perfect it is at least best, that we must support anything however bad because were born in a particular place. Why?
Let me suggest that one owes loyalty to one's family and friends, to common decency, and to nothing else. Render under Caesar what you must, keep what you can, and swear allegiance to nothing. Here I do not mean just the government, but the zeitgeist, the miasmic fetor of trashy culture, the desperate consumerism, the entire psychic odour of a society in decomposition.
Begin with things so fundamental as seldom to be reflected upon. For example, do not imagine that you are under an obligation to marry, or to have children, or to raise them as the government requires. Procreate if you choose, but only if you genuinely want to procreate. It is not your job to perpetuate a civilization that is daily less deserving of perpetuation.
But: never let the government have your children. Once they are had, your responsibility is to them. Teach them at home. Better yet, go abroad. Other countries do not force you to pay for an academically retrograde moral cesspool and then to drown your children in it. You might be astonished to know Argentina, for example.
Ask not what you can do for your country, but what it can do for you—you ought to get some of your taxes back.
Do not tie yourself to…anything. The price of freedom is poverty: freedom grows as your needs diminish. Less apothegmatically, if you believe that you need a vast house in a prestigious suburb, then you will need a lucrative job to pay for it. Having tied your psychic contentment to such an abode you will also believe that you need impressive cars and will therefore be tied to a retirement system and, bingo, the door of the trap falls. This, we are told, is the American Dream. I fear it has become so.
I lived years ago in a second-hand house trailer in the woods. I do not know what it cost, or would cost today, but perhaps fifteen thousand dollars. It was perfectly comfortable, warm in winter, air-conditioned in summer. Mornings were blessedly quiet unless you regard birdsong as noise. A brick barbecue provided a place to produce ribs and drink bourbon and water. A couple of companionable dogs rounded out the ensemble. They had the run of the trailer, as was right.
Now, living in a trailer is to the consumerist sensibility simply too degrading and so…I mean, my god, how could you face the neighbours? (There weren’t any.) But aside from damage to a servile dependent vanity, what is the drawback? A couple of hundred dollars buys a remarkably good stereo, music is free, libraries are good, and I for one am more comfortable in jeans and tee shirt than in Calvin and Klein trappings.
When your expenses are few, your susceptibility to economic serfdom is small. You do not need to work miserably in a pointless job for a boss you would gleefully strangle. Yes, you need money. The first principle is never to work in a job that you cannot afford to quit. (Emphasis added by John W - damn right) This means avoiding any job with a retirement, of which you will become a prisoner. The second principle is to work at something portable that you can do independently and, preferably, without capital. Retirement? Save.
Dentistry pays well but requires pricey equipment, and it is not easy to build a clientele. An automotive mechanic is always in demand and the employer will usually provide the tools. Writing is a serviceable gig and can be done from anywhere. Many varieties of technicians readily find jobs. Remember that white-collar work, aside from tending strongly to entangle you, gets boring. Get a commercial-diving ticket, take a serious course in the repair of marine diesels, and spend your life in the Pacific.
Here again the obstacles are fear, inertia, and vanity. If you come from a family on the suburban-death track, the thought of being a mere mechanic or dive-shop owner or what have you may be disturbing. "Don’t I need a college degree to hold my head up?" Look at the universities, at what they have become, and ask the question again. (Anyway, respectable in who’s eyes? Your own are the only ones that count.)
Finally, work the system. The government, if you let it, will take roughly half of your income, give much of it to useless bureaucrats, much to various forms of welfare, use much to bomb countries you may have no desire to bomb, and much to force upon you services, such as horrible schools, that you do not want. The central question regarding government is whether you can take more from it than it takes from you. It is much better to receive than to give. Live cheap, work only as much as you like, enjoy life, and keep your taxes down.
You will still read of the rot and running sores of a declining culture, but it will bother you less. These things are your problem only to the extent that you feel yourself to be part of the society that produces them. Don’t fight the government, as it will win. Don’t try to reform society, because you can’t. Laugh at it. Live well. Read much.

Hello darling

The British Army had a group at the Gay Pride March over the week-end. Cannot see why it was called a March - more of a mince I would have thought. Seems strange that they do not allow women in front line in case it distracts the men in any fire-fight. What if Adam is worried about Steve?

Llama or alpaca?

schnoodlepooh asked whether my llama in a recent Forward the Canon photograph was an alpaca. Good question. In that state where ignorance is bliss, I had always thought they were the same genus but knew no more than that. However, our old friend Google came up with the goods Problem is, I did not make a sufficiently detailed examination of my model to decide. On balance of probability related to what I have read, I think it is most likely a llama. The image with this post is said to be an alpaca and seems to reinforce my deduction.

Guess I don't like the French

PARIS, France -- Lance Armstrong's record setting seventh Tour de France victory, along with his entire Tour de France legacy, may be tarnished by what could turn out to be one of the greatest sports scandals of all time. Armstrong is being quizzed by French police after three banned substances were found in his South France hotel room while on vacation after winning the 2005 Tour de France.The three substances found were toothpaste, deodorant, and soap which have been banned by French authorities for over 75 years. Armstrong's girlfriend, American rocker Sheryl Crowe, is quoted as saying "We use them every day in America, so we naturally thought they'd be ok throughout Europe."Along with these three banned substances, French authorities also physically searched Armstrong and found several other interesting items that they had never seen before, including a backbone and a testicle.
Not my writing - hi-jacked I'm afraid.

Only in America?

Been a bit quiet on the comment side lately - what about a bit of a stir-up. Hello ex-teacher in Welsh Wales.
Half the population will dismiss this story - but a new study claims the cleverest people are far more likely to be male than female.Men are more intelligent than women by about five IQ points on average, making them better suited for tasks of high complexity, according to the authors of a paper due to be published in the British Journal of Psychology.Genetic differences in intelligence between the sexes helped explain why many more men than women won Nobel Prizes or became chess grandmasters, the study by Paul Irwing and Richard Lynn concludes.They showed that men outnumbered women in increasing numbers as intelligence levels rose. There were twice as many with IQ scores of 125, typical for people with first-class degrees.When scores rose to 155, associated with genius, there were 5.5 men for every woman.I don't think I'm even going to touch this one - and Paul Irwing and Richard Lynn, right or wrong, will have enough feminists on their hands to deal with for the next few years.

Warning

I think I'll get a big version of this picture for Ms. Beaky. She prefers to travel on the back seat and not in the cargo bit where she is supposed to be. This should remind her to know her place.

Overheard

This is from a site where people can report street conversation they have overheard. Makes me realise what I am missing since leaving London where people all live so close together.

Queer on cell: Wear tights...No, you don't pad it! You just push it up so it looks like a big baked potato, like what dancers do. Just hike it up to the sky!...The bits and the pieces. It's not very comfortable, but it gives a good visual effect of...mass...What? Pointy? Ew, no! Pointy's bad! Yich, pointy is such a turnoff.
--Union Square

Job opportunity

Someone sent me this with suggestion that it might be something within my capabilities now I was getting a bit old. Cheek of it!

Well - bless my soul!

We are back! I asked Blogger help what had gone wrong with the posting page. They sent back a standard email suggesting that I look in x to the power n pages. I didn't bother - I replied asking them to take the monkey away from the server, give it a banana and then get a human being to read my complaint. Bingo - seems they have a glitch. They knew of it. Didn't bother to tell anyone though.

Normal service will be ...............

Don’t know whether it is me or the programme but I seem to have lost a vital bit of the Dashboard. Vital to me that is. When, as a small boy, I used to open up the new blog window I got a row of short-cuts along the top edge. These allowed such things as changing colours, inserting pictures etc. This feature is now missing. Also, if I use Picasa2 +Hello I do not get the chosen picture into a blog. Don’t know if this is anything to do with Word for Blog. Have rebooted but this made no change, ditto (not the cat!) refresh. So, for the moment – no pictures in the photoblog. Sorry for that – but maybe no one cares anyway.

No more Dixon

The state to which our police have fallen is nicely outlined by a police officer who blogs. http://www.coppersblog.blogspot.com/ and another good one is http://www.briansbriefencounters.blogspot.com/ (Don't know what is up with bloody Blogger - no way to embed links except html and we all know what that means to me) Anyway, retournez a los moutons or somesuch. Instead of the old pride in the job, we now have the situation where the guys have to resort to covering the bits that they know will cause them aggro if left out. I am not even sure if 'law enforcement' is a permitted term under the new p.c. criteria - they had to change police force to police service because of what the modernists thought about the connotations of 'force'.

Set a thief to catch a thief

Convicted terrorists could be allowed to join the Police Service of Northern Ireland under plans being explored by the Government to expunge their criminal records.
Northern Ireland politicians are increasingly worried that Tony Blair will make the concession to Sinn Fein / IRA and remove the bar which prevents paramilitaries from becoming police officers.
http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/08/26/nira26.xml

Well, that’s OK then. At least the new police service will have a decent murder squad once these guys get in.

Would do me

I’m afraid I’ve been dreaming again. Sorry if it makes you jealous.

Up for it

92-Year-Old Man Accused Of Sexual Assault

I should be so lucky! Obviously had his five servings of fruit and veg per day.

Empire - not the cinema!

This is a book review from Amazon UK. What drew me to repeat it here was reviewer’s admission that she was raised to regard the Empire as a stain on our history comparable to the influence of Herr Schickelgruber. Then, despite this, the good lady goes on to comment on how she sees world events of more modern times. She dismisses the Empire concept as a solution to much of the world’s troubles. I am sad that her upbringing did not include a proper examination of this form of government. It could be adopted without the brutality she fears where a nation adopts it as an alternative to their current dire state – Zaire maybe?
But then, perhaps it is me that has it backend about face?

Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World Niall Ferguson
A "revisionist" history of the British empire, April 1, 2004
This book is written in a thoroughly entertaining style, making it is easy to read looking at the broad themes of the British Empire.
It is subject worth investigation, it was an empire of colossal size and power, the likes of which have never existed and in historical terms has only recently deceased. How did it happen? Ferguson's answers to this are certainly revealing and its impact on life today is also an eye opener.
Although British, I was raised to believe that the Empire was a stain on our history and something to be ashamed of a little like the Germans regarding Hitler.
The evils of the Empire are certainly well documented and Ferguson does at least mention them and yes they are shameful. However, there are other aspects of the Empire, which were beneficial. It was accompanied by surge in prosperity, rule of law, trading, investment (much of it into developing countries) and technological innovation, legacies, which we in the western world at least still enjoy, who knows maybe in centuries to come it may be looked back upon in a similar light to the Roman empire, which frankly was far more brutal, but today is seen as having been something good for western civilisation.
But I can't help feeling that Ferguson really does miss the Empire and even, dare I say it, thinks a similar type of Empire (led by the US of course) would be the solution to much of the world's problems i.e. via rule of law and bringing the benefits of investment, trade, globalisation and westernisation to the world's poor.
This view seems to rather neatly fit Bush/Blair doctrines towards failed & rogue states and "regime change." In fact, Ferguson views America as being in denial in not wanting to create an empire or at least take a much direct role in the destinies of many under-developed countries. Well, unfortunately, the US under Bush may have taken his cue on that one.
Recreating Empire will simply not work anymore, not for conquered or the conqueror, the world has moved on, if nothing else weapons technology and terrorism simply make it unworkable. Witness Iraq & Afghanistan, both disastrous interventions once the media hype has been removed and the true facts revealed.
Also, the idea of empires is very much in conflict with modern views of liberty, freedom, self-determination and human rights, which most of us claim to support.
Certainly, something needs to be done about the dire human condition in much of the world and I certainly don't have the solution to this extremely complex problem, but empire certainly isn't it.
Although, I disagree with some of Ferguson’s conclusions, the book was still an enjoyable read, enlightening in places and offers an alternative view on the British Empire.

12 Steps

I’ve been reading a book in which the main character is an alcoholic and currently off liquor. He often refers to ‘The 12 Steps’ I only had some knowledge about this so did some research. These are they:

The Twelve Promises of Alcoholics Anonymous
"...If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through.
1. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness
2. We will not regret the past, nor wish to shut the door on it
3. We will comprehend the word serenity
4. We will know peace
5. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others
6. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear
7. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain insight into our fellows
8. Self-seeking will slip away
9. Our whole attitude and outlook will change
10. Fear of people and economic insecurity will leave us
11. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us
12. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves
Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us -- sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them..."
Well, seem perfectly reasonable to me. There is, of course, a lot more to taking these steps than just knowing them. However, it strikes me as a reasonable set of aims and hopes for a future free from addiction or abuse in any form. Just as the key to any project is a statement of what one intends to achieve. I think my life would be better if I were able to direct myself along these lines. Just how much one requires the experience of being totally fcuked up to show the commitment, I don’t know – and, hopefully, will never know. I think that for now I will just stick with the Buddhist precepts but – certainly – respect to those who do walk the 12 Steps.

"UK Terrorism-Armed Marshals The general secretary of Aslef, the train drivers' union, Keith Norman, Tuesday proposed for undercover armed marshals to be deployed on London's underground transport system to deter future terrorist attacks.
"I would want to see people on there trained in security and possibly trained in the use of firearms so if they see someone who is possibly suspicious they can actually deal with that," Norman said.
"But they look just like any other member of the public - you don't want someone in a bright blue Tube uniform who is easily identifiable," he told BBC News website
The union leader said that the plan could help to reassure passengers following last month's London bombing and suggested that their role should be also to help train drivers with carrying out procedures if anything happens.
"The mayor of London certainly likes the idea of more people on the trains in a different capacity. You could call them Tube marshals or something like that," he said.
Norman compared the idea with the deployment of air marshals in the US to prevent the hijacking of airplanes in the 1970s"
Er - no. Please. Not that. My recollection of London tube trains is a little out of date but the idea of a gun-toting marshal on a packed-to-the-gills Northern Line train does not fill me with a sense of security. If we accept for the moment the large number of rounds and the odd misses at point-blank range from a trained marksman, the idea of someone playing Glock the Magic Dragon under those circumstances is not a good one. What will be his rules of engagement - the fuss over Shoot to Kill so far makes it likely that they will have to be reviewed. The way things are going we will end up with having to be at your tube station an hour before departure for security clearance, no umbrellas with sharp tips and sniffer dogs adding to the urinal atmosphere.

Charles Clarke reacted angrily today after a senior United Nations official warned that his plans to deport foreign extremists breached international human rights obligations.
The clash came as the Home Secretary announced that deportations of so-called "preachers of hate" from the UK would begin within days under the Government’s new list of "unacceptable behaviours".
That is the UK attitude. Australia seems to be taking a rather broader view as to what it will or will not stand.
My own reading of the relevant laws suggest that we already have sufficient powers to deal with British subjects who go off he rails. I cannot see that our Judges will accept chitties from foreign countries that confirm they will not torture any of their Nationals that we send back by deportation.
What Clarke has done is restate old laws but I suspect that is about all he can hope for where Judges are concerned.

Sex #101

65 Girls At Area School Pregnant
School To Unveil Three-Prong Program
POSTED: 12:30 pm EDT August 23, 2005
CANTON, Ohio -- There are 490 female students at Timken High School, and 65 are pregnant, according to a recent report in the Canton Repository.
The article reported that some would say that movies, TV, videogames, lazy parents and lax discipline may all be to blame.
School officials are not sure they what has caused so many pregnancies, but in response to them, the school is launching a three-prong educational program to address pregnancy, prevention and parenting.
The newspaper also reported that students will face mounting tensions created by unplanned child-rearing responsibilities, causing students to quit school and plan for a GED. This will make it difficult for the Canton City School District to shake its academic watch designation by the state.
According to the Canton Health Department, statistics through July show that 104 of the 586 babies born to Canton residents in Aultman Hospital and Mercy Medical Center had mothers between 11 and 19.
The newspaper reports that the non-Canton rate was 7 percent. Canton was 15 percent.

3 prong programme? I’m sure there is a joke here somewhere but I’m just too dispirited at the facts to find one.

Treachery!!!

This is from the pointy-nose dog a.k.a. Sable. I'm here to denounce just about the biggest waster North of Watford Gap. He who claims to own me. We came back in triumph from the midday walk still relishing the death of a rabbit. He had played with me and my trophy and seemed fully on my side. I had most of his lunch and retired to bed.
Suddenly, the whole house is shaking to the sound and shock of our door bell. I dashed down and did the big fierce dog routine. SWMBO came down and opened the door. Standing there with two people was a monster black Labrador dog. She obviously knows the people and ALL THREE of them come into the house. At least the dog was kept on his leash. I dashed up to warn him but, damn me, he starts making a fuss of the black menace. I am encouraged to be nice. Seeing the way things were going down, I chose to play along but held back. I showed a fine set of teeth when the intruder thought he would come near.
I then had to sit behind the sofa with just my head showing round the corner as he made the dog feel at home. He was given my toys to examine and lost no time chewing the leg off my favourite toy. He found a couple of biscuits I had hidden under an armchair and wolfed those down. Drank water from MY bowl. The whole afternoon was humiliation.
When he had gone, I carried out a full scenes of crime examination. I've shown them just how a thoroughbred can sulk. They will suffer for this.

Back to work

Tony Blair started jogging near his home in Downing Street.
Every day, he'd jog past a hooker standing on the same street corner. He learned  to brace himself as he approached her for what was almost certain to follow.
"Fifty pounds!" she'd shout from the kerb.
"No! Five pounds!" Tony would fire back.
This ritual between Tony and the hooker became a daily occurrence.
He'd run by and she'd yell, "Fifty pounds!" He'd yell back, "Five pounds!"
One day, Cherie decided that she wanted to accompany her husband on his jog.
As the jogging couple neared the working woman's street corner, Tony
realized she'd bark her GBP50 offer and Cherie would wonder what he'd really been doing on all his past outings.
He figured he'd better have a darn good explanation for the 'Boss'.
As they jogged into the turn that would take them past the corner, Tony became even more apprehensive than usual.
Sure enough, there was the hooker. Tony tried to avoid the prostitute's eyes as she watched the pair jog past.
Then, from the pavement, the hooker yelled, "See what you get for five quid!"

Young Writers

From something I read on Old Cripple's blog (see last post), this guy is still a teenager. He does not seem to have a bio. and a Google just turns up quotes from his and other's blogs. What I would like to know is, if American education can turn out this product, why cannot we do it in England - or even Scotland or Wales. I'm sure the law of averages means we get youngsters with same IQ etc. but I do not know of anyone who can write like this. Maybe Peaches Geldof runs him close. You lot may know someone.....?

Bit scary

This here is a guy whose blogs I follow. He has the knack of saying what I think but does it far better. His points are ones that have been nibbling at my subconscious. Perhaps he is long lost brother? More strength to him say I. "My Designer" commented the other day how mention of nipples had pushed her visits counter way up. The 'comments' to Old Cripple seem to bear that out.

Ticking about correctness

There is a bit of a spat going on in Orange County. Seems like the powers that be have suspended a teacher for ‘inappropriate language’ in a letter written to a State representative. What was written about effects of immigrant-status persons upon standards seems dodgy for these times but point arises whether the correspondence should have been protected as it was written to a State official. Nice little debating point but then it’s real standing in Orange County may be equal to a troll in a newsgroup rather than spinning the Universe off its axis. I seem to remember Orange as the place where the fruits of California were canned.
Another bit of political correctness I fear. Maybe I am paranoid (no comments on this perleese) but I see it in two other things exercising us here in UK. One is the general approach of Sir Ian Blair (Boss of Met. Police and under fire for handling of no-he-wasn’t terrorist from Brazil) and the man Green who is a Chief Constable and issued his men with green ribbons to wear on their uniforms as a sign of respect for Muslims. One of the sticks used to beat Ian Blair is his high-achieving scholastic background as a police officer and seeming support for multiculturism and stand on racism. My feverish brain detects some connection with that touchy-feely Prime Minister Tony B Liar. It might seem that a number of high-ranking people in civil service and public authorities feel the need to conspicuously espouse causes near to the dear leader’s heart so as to enhance their own chances of promotion or benefit. My prejudice recognises similar conduct amongst others seeking support but I am not going to clutter up the ether with too many semi-conspiracy theories.

Spam attack!

Seems like I have been found out by the spammers who got into yesterday’s effort and left their graffiti all over the place. I had heard faint rumours of this sort of thing but never experienced it. I have Panda virus etc. software which, allied to BT spam catcher, does a fairly good job at detecting and diverting rubbish. Judging by this repoprt though, it seems that the idea has been around a good long while.
Given that it’s arrival here is very close to my installing and using the Word plug-in to blog, my tiny brain has suggested there might be some connection. I am also getting the impression that Microsoft is coded for spammers and hackers more than for little old ladies sitting with cats on lap googling for ‘young man teaches tango your own home’. I must, in the interests of balance, confirm that just about the only exercise my brain gets is jumping to conclusions.
I’m still reviewing the mental images from yesterday. The weather was just perfect and there was not too much traffic. The A66 is about 50 miles long and I would say it is the best long stretch of road I know for consistent beauty and attention demanding.
Hopefully, the Sunday papers will sound the final wail regarding dead South Americans. What happened was sad and action must be taken but the media has exploited things quite dreadfully.
Sun is up. We are off for swim and a paddle.

Circular tour

Spent today on a big circle; down to Penrith on the other side of the country and then back via Newcastle along the A66. No special reason other than it started as a lovely day and I wanted to get out.Penrith is a small place out of market days but draws lots of tourists. It is still an ‘old’ town with nothing modern in the town centre buildings. Other attraction is that it has a superb deli. Which we always strip almost bare. Today was no exception.
Dog has retired to bed. She does not know about laying down in the car so she has almost walked all the way round the circuit with us. It was much too hot for her to stay in the car while we shopped so she had to suffer the indignity of being on the lead and wearing her collar.

So, what's so wonderful?

This is written in Blogger for Word. Came across it courtesy of The Demob Happy Teacher jenny tc. Please bear in mind that I am an ignorant person with very short fuse but I cannot seem to work out how to get an image in here or do a embedded link. Doubtless, you will all rush to my aid and tell me the answer is html. Well, sorry and all that, but html and I have agreed to differ. Still, I’ll keep on in my own funny way and perhaps it will all become clear. Reserved as drafts until the light shines through though. Dashboard will do me. So, Blogger for Word….

Suicide bull

I pass by this field quite often. The chesnut beast in the bottom corner is a fully-functioning bull. Except he isn't. There is always a separation between him and the cows. They stay away from him and should he get up and move, they all adjust their positions to distance themselves.
My theory is that he is some sort of suicide bull. He has got his reward of 72 virgins but, as one would expect, he does not know what to do with them.

Offensive speaking

Absolutely by accident and not as a Google Moment, I came across this quote:
Erik Estrada and Orson Welles were once in a room together. Erik, hot from "Chips", was trying to be friendly when he gave Mr. Welles, the genius behind "Citizen Kane", some advice on losing weight. He gave him one of those fresh juice and exercise spiels. Orson reponded with something like, "Mr. Estrada, I know I am fat and if I wanted to do something about it I could. But you, my friend, are an idiot and I'm afraid there's nothing you can do about that."
That will have to go into the right to be offensive file I think. I am also reminded that when I was about 22 or so, a young lieutenant commented that I looked like Orson Welles. I dismissed it saying, "More like 'orseandcart". Over the years, he got promoted and I met him then as a Major General. It was very formal with all sorts of nervous officers about. He came straight up to me and made the same remark - I gave the same reply. Considerable confusion amongst onlookers who were thinking up mutiny or worse charges. We had a good chat and he wandered off but my street cred was well raised.

Thinking think tank?

I was wittering on yesterday about people in ivory castle think tanks. Looking around for others of similar irritation to me, I came across this snippet. "The Institute of Ideas hosts a discussion at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on 'the right to be offensive'. The debate will ask whether the proposed Racial and Religious Hatred Bill amounts to "a new kind of thought crime".
Obviously, my attention was drawn to ‘right to be offensive’ as this was right up my street. Good start but it was mainly concerned with racial aspects. I think the Institute of Ideas is a survivor of the group that was prosecuted for libel – and lost – when they accused ITN of faking pictures of Serbs/Bosnians in what they said was a concentration camp. So, they know what they are talking about when it comes to offensive.
I had a wander around their site so see if they had any other bright ideas and came across something about another of today’s ongoing saga. This is some of what they had to say about Multiculturalism.
“Part of the problem, I think, is a confusion between two different meanings of multiculturalism: what I would call multiculturalism as an ideology and multiculturalism as a lived experience. When most people say they think multiculturalism is good, what they mean is the experience of living in a society that is less insular, less homogenous, more vibrant, more cosmopolitan than before. Those who advocate multiculturalism as an ideology however are talking about something different.
Multiculturalism, they argue, requires the public recognition and the public affirmation of cultural differences, and the argument goes something like this: we live in a world where there are deep-seated conflicts between cultures embodying different values; different peoples and different cultures have different beliefs, different values and different lifestyles, many of which are incommensurate but all of which are equally valid in their own context. And in such a world social justice demands that individuals are treated as equal, but also that cultures are treated as equal, and indeed that cultural differences become institutionalised in the public sphere. The American scholar Iris Young put this quite well: groups, she says, cannot be socially equal unless their specific experience, culture and social contributions are publicly affirmed and recognised.”
So, I came to mock Ideas Institute, and whilst I do not praise them, they have some ideas that interest(d me).

Clearing the settlements

I am most impressed by the way the clearing of the Gaza Stip settlements is going ahead. As usual, the TV reports focus on the most dramatic actions and one can see just what is happening. The settlers have resisted as one would expect. They deserve praise for the manner of their defiance. They have made their point but in what one might call a lawful or disciplined manner. Given that they are a vocal, demonstrative and determined race there was a real potential for trouble.
The IDF have acted with great discipline on this occasion. We have seen and read of the apparent gung-ho way they treat demonstrators when the intefada come calling. Whilst there is nothing wrong with their fighting spirit, one would not expect them to figure in a Trooping the Colour. Here though, they show every sign of understanding just what is needed. Many of them are crying as they go about their work. To act with restraint hour after hour in the face of provocation - often of a religious nature - calls for discipline of the finest order.
Well done to all involved. The decision to vacate has been a bold one; the Americans and B Liar feel it was wrong to negotiate with terrorists such as Hamas. Do they remember nothing - we dealt with the Irgun and Stern Gang in the usual trick of getting them to stay quiet long enough for us to march with colours flying and bayonets fixed to the boats and away. We cared little about the Muslim nations all queueing up to attack the new state of Israel.
Gaza

Thinking inside Tanks and other bits

Now, I have no great opinions for or against Think Tanks. What does grip my pipe though is busy-bodies offering opinions from ivory towers. The source of funding for the Tank is rarely divulged or investigated by those who pick up on these ‘learned comments’ and run with the ball – generally to the detriment of the team effort. Here are a couple of ‘reports’ and also this:
“Government must do more to consult business to ensure that Britain is fully prepared to deal with the threat from terrorism according to a report published today by Demos, the leading independent think tank. Joining Forces: From national security to networked security, argues that central government, the Police and Security Service need to work more closely with business in planning for and responding to terrorists attacks.
“It is time to dispel the dangerous myth that government has a monopoly over security”, says the report’s author Rachel Briggs, Head of International Programmes at Demos. “The unwritten, unspoken assumption remains that government leads and business follows; that government has a monopoly on useful information and intelligence; and that ultimately it is the state that ‘delivers’ security for the UK.”
Exactly what those with experience of business can contribute to the national fight against terrorism escapes me. I am unable to think when my job would have been made redundant or easier just by having some over-fed, pin-striped, Director of Finance standing by my shoulder. His umbrella might deal with some of the backwash from water-cannon but little else. The Bosses are there to increase benefit to shareholders. That is what makes their minds tick. They could only bring this attitude to terrorism. The disclosures of the last couple of days in the case of the waxed Brazilian show just how complex are the news management skills still less the direction of anti-terrorist forces. The idea of three hours lunches in COBRA scares me.
Just to counter any slight suspicion that all I do is moan, think about this:
When a 9-year-old Florida girl disappeared from her bedroom last week, the sheriff's office coordinating the search for her immediately posted a front-page alert on its website.
In the following days, countless sites around the country -- charitable organizations, churches and other groups -- joined the search for Jessica Lunsford. The sheriff's department received at least 300 tips, and dozens of sites posted details about Jessica on the web in the form of brief alerts or, in some cases, lengthy and regularly updated discussions of her case.
And while she's still missing, the sheriff's department says the internet has proven to be a powerful tool in trying to find her.
"It's very safe to say that it initiated a lot of our tips," said Gail Tierney, the public information officer for the Citrus County Sheriff's Office in Florida. "It's multiplied many times over the number of websites out there (that) have also included her description and photo and contact information. So it's been kind of a force multiplier for us." This is somewhere that business might assist in carrying the news on their own intranets.
Time for a bit of light relief methinks. This snippet is about a guy who got fed up living in a red-light area. Police did nothing so he took his video camera onto the street and filmed some in-car action. Damn sight more amusing than in-car with Schumacher I bet. Police get the tapes and prosecute. He even offers a service where wives can give him details of hubby’s car and she will be first to view any film. Ooh Ooh – Big Brother watch out!

PMS

Apparently science has now been able to illustrate the changes that arise during the time that PMS takes over the female body!

Design?

Nothing special guys - just messing about to see if I can do this html thing. Comes from these people but some of it I have to work out for myself!

Come home Laura Norder - all is forgiven

Lord Woolf today calls for a new approach to law and order which would see a major shift away from punishment towards the solution of problems which generate crime. "We need wider understanding and acceptance that the principles of sentencing are not just founded on punishing offenders," the lord chief justice writes in the Guardian. "Whilst I firmly believe that for serious and violent crimes there is no alternative to a custodial sentence, I also believe passionately on taking steps to turn people away from crime," he says.
Comments from others have also been sought.
Oh yes, sure to work. There are a large number of people who prefer to have a quick return on something illegal rather than undergo the stultifying 9 to 5 weekly routine. At what cost will these initiatives to counter crime start to work? This is a view from the Bench where few who sit have any real concept of life at ordinary level still less the sub-culture of those who feel deprived or ill-done by. I see little difference between the violent street crime that deprives me of my Rolex and the burglar who comes into my home and steals some item of great sentimental value.
What I expect of Laura Norder is that any criminal – irrespective of his/her speciality or crime – is locked away for a long time. This is not to punish them but to protect me and mine from crooks and their crooked ways. I cannot see how making me feel better about myself or my life would deter me from the easy pickings of crime. Whatever it was that convinced me that crime does not pay was instilled at an early age and it is there that reform is needed but least likely to be introduced. After all, schoolchildren have their Human Rights don’t they? (Here insert sardonic smiley)

Photo opportunity missed

No - the weather here in the Borders has not got this bad. This is just to introduce a bit of blarney.
Since we moved to this area, I have made a habit of doing a particular excursion on my birthday. Near to the picnic area where pointy nose and I go every other day is a bit of a hill. I've climbed it every 15th August just to prove to myself that I can still do it. Daft but there it is; it is something I have always had I suppose and is not connected to the adrenaline junkie thing.
Strongest influence was at a place in the Yorkshire Dales. It's location was nowhere near where we usually took a cottage but we went past it often when driving hither or even yon.
During the summer, it just looked as if it were a high bit of ground with the hardest walk below the summit proper. In winter - that is it above. Not really a place to go to. Liable to white-out and plenty of opportunity to get into really bad land if navigation was adrift.
It seemed to leer over me and in time the challenge became serious. In time, I planned a long week end in the area with the intention of facing the challenge. I had my GPS kit, good maps and even a SARBE beacon should things get really exciting.
The weather forecast was dismal as I drove up. There were blizzards from the Midlands up along the A1. The night I booked into the hostel was one long snowfall. Next morning was calm but with more snow in the air. I managed to get to a good start point and set off.
Within a short while I had added almost all of my spare clothing as the wind was increasing the chill factor well below zero. There were, obviously, no tracks or obvious stonewall to follow and the snow was 12" deep in places. Twice I thought it was just too selfish to carry on but was in that state of mind where one does not give in. Eventually, I reached the summit plateau, heated some food and drink and had a wander round. I took some compass readings to get a good walk back without retracing my route up and then came down - possibly with more difficulty than I had going up as the storm was well advanced. All in all, I was away from the car for some seven hours and it was dark when I got back to the car.
However, every time I drove along the valley after that, I was able to do so without any sense of some mystic challenge from the high ground.
I've tried to instill the same sort of challenge in my Borders on my Birthday thing. Yesterday of course, I was not in the Borders. Have to wait and see tomorrow whether the hill gloats at me. Still, there is always 15 August 2006.

Big city boy

No photoblog today. Truth is, I'm still getting over yesterday. Whilst there is no way I would want to go back to living on the edge of a city, it is nice now and again to get into the bright lights. I knew London very well - all the little nooks and crannies where I could enjoy myself out of the limelight of Old London Touristy Town. Just the shops and the general atmosphere was exciting. So, because of this, I enjoyed yesterday's birthday boy visit to Edinburgh. Not because of what I know of it as that is precious little but it was good to get about somewhere where there were largish shops and a good variety of goods
So, no pictures today at my photo site place.

Gaza pullout

“Israel plans to send 45,000 troops to evacuate 9,000 settlers from the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank, Israel's defense minister said Tuesday -- a massive deployment that reflects concern that some resistance to the pullout might be violent.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon insisted Tuesday that opposition will not stop the operation. Many settlers are expected to offer passive resistance, but security officials have issued repeated assessments that militant settlers or their backers from outside Gaza might open fire”
Given their relatively recent heritage, it is surely understandable that the settlers resist the orders to leave a place provided by their government as a refuge. Even in my sheltered upbringing, I would see this as totally unacceptable – even without the land being given to those I have been indoctrinated to regard as an enemy. More so, when the new owners have adopted terrorism as a negotiating point.
Whilst I have this sympathy, I also feel for the troops and police who will have to enforce the orders. Israeli security forces have even more understanding of the ways of Hammas and it’s supporters so to proceed against one’s own countrymen for the benefit of those they regard as enemy takes even greater discipline. T Bliar talks loudly of very tough methods about undesirables in our country but I am certain that he would never show the moral fibre displayed by PM Sharon and Israel’s leaders. From a coalition government, this is amazing (to me).
Let us truly hope this sacrifice will achieve something. Given that the Muslim agenda remains to drive the Jews into the sea, I am not very confident. All the while Islamists need the Palestine situation as a stick to beat The Great Devil and friends, they will retain it.

Fringe

Off to Edinburgh - by train no less. I like to get up there with the camera as there are some interesting shots with all the people doing the leafletting dressed in fancy or comic dress.
Was very quiet this year. Very few costumed people. There were lots of youngsters but they were in the fancy dress that seems to go with being young rather than dressed for Fringe duties. Had started lunch when the rain started so had to dash from outside into the Filling Station proper. OK as I had eaten most of my salad but the rain was getting into my Michelyob. I had to have five or six more to make up for the diluted one!

Edinburgh day out

Wasn't I good?
I was as close as this to the super cigar shop.
It was my birthday.
I was alone and unsupervised.
I did not buy any cigars
Wasn't I good?

WTC. 9/11

Recordings and transcripts of communications from those trapped in the building have now been released. Very poignant for someone totally unconnected and I am sure they will haunt anyone in any way connected with those killed in the building.
This is just one of the transcripts

We had found out we were having our first child that morning. I was off of work that Tuesday. We were just talking and the next thing that was said to me was -- clear as day, I hear it every day in my mind -- she said, ``Oh, my God.'' That's the last. She saw something, she felt something. For me, it was something that scared her for that split second. I heard like a noise real quick. I thought it was her falling on the chair and disconnecting the phone line. I waited a few minutes and I tried to call back. And I called back and it said all circuits were busy. I just knew that it was pretty bad because the hole was pretty high. I kept saying, ``Not now, not my wife, not just when we heard this news about the baby

Yet another brave Soldier

This comes from an animal welfare site in America. Seems the dog was found tied to a tree at a shooting range. My nasty mind assumes his owner took him there to shoot him but was unable to think about shutting those lovely eyes for ever.
Soldier’s right front leg (his only front leg) is a little crooked. When he puts his weight on it, it slightly dislocates his shoulder, so it’s tough for the big guy to get around. Plus, he’s overweight. He can’t move very far at one time. He’s a smart dog though, and takes 10 to 20 steps before flopping over for a rest. He’s also figured out that if he falls forward, he can use his back legs to propel himself down the hall, a doggie wheelbarrow without the wheels.
So, they got him a doggon cart. He trots around and is a bit of a traffic hazard to smaller dogs. He is losing weight and is happy. I don't know whether I could have done all this and a proper end might have been better. His obvious enjoyment here proves that vets don't always know best. Lots of luck Soldier!

Random ramblings in web-land

My dog is trained not to approach people unless and until OK’d by me. I thought this was necessary in this day and age as not all people are accustomed to dogs. Very different to the world where I grew up and dogs were still seen as man’s best companion. (I’ll admit it here – cats are woman’s best companion) I was told – by whom I cannot now remember – how to know if a dog was dangerous or unhappy in any way at me. Then I was left to get on with meeting and greeting dogs. I learned something from everyone that bit me. Same thing went for dog mess. If I trod in it, I was slapped on the back of the knee and told to look more carefully where I was walking. Reading this, I think my current approach to dogs and the wider community is the best for the times in which we now live.

I had a look at my hit counter today. The bit that identifies search hits was quite fascinating (to me – yawn. What a sad life). Some of them I’ve listed here. Bit scary in a way that what I peck away at in my cold and damp little garret gets stuck out there like a fly in amber in the big wide world and can be called up by such weird selection of search terms as these. Don’t know how many of you have hit counters but they are quite interesting. Mind you, I got very excited at a report that someone in Uzbekistan (phonetic spelling I’m afraid) had looked in on me. Little map with Uz. Displayed by red dot and everything. I had it checked out and it turned out that my fiery Soviet horseman playing with a headless goat was a retired teacher in Welse Wales. Counter had fouled up; one of those Little Britain moments where computer says no. The bit about hizb-ut-tahir was quite scary as I imagined crowds of black-clothed men abseiling through my windows with blast grenades and Glock pistols ready to put seven rounds into my poor grey head should I twitch as much as a toe-nail.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=hizb-ut-tahir middlesex university&sourceid=mozilla-search&start=0&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org
http://www.google.com/custom?q=jennytc&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&cof=BGC:%23ffffff%3BT:%23000000%3BLC:%230000CC%3BVLC:%23cc0000%3BALC:%230000CC%3BGALT:%23008
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&rls=GGLD%2CGGLD%3A2003-41%2CGGLD%3Aen&q=%22A%20%20suspect%20Peruvian%22&btnG=Search&meta=
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hs=ZpK&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-GB%3Aofficial&q=strappy%20heel%20chavs&btnG=Search&meta=
http://www.google.com/search?q=missionary%20Africa%20Rupel&num=100&hl=en&lr=&as_qdr=all&filter=0

I would not bother tracking them down – it’s the weird word association that gets me amused. Easily pleased aren’t I?

Blog design

I am going to do something that I have said I do not like to see.
I'm going to just say "Go read this"
http://www.madtv.me.uk/goneaway.aspx

Economy with the truth

August 11th: A BBC poll headlines the 'news' that people in the UK are in favour of multiculturalism. Halfway down the article it emerges (in much smaller print) that the findings were, in truth, inconclusive. More BBC lies.
August 9th: UN official Alexander Yakerlev has been arrested for taking bribes as part of Kofi Annan's oil-for-food scandal. Not that you'd know this from the BBC, working flat out to ignore this latest piece of corruption.
August 6th: The director of BBC3 says licence-payers may be slightly annoyed over his channel's latest offering - a programme on lesbian lion-tamers called Tittybangbang. A pity he didn't think before commissioning this crap - but then again, why take care of someone else's money?
These come from a listing of news items that are intended to show bias and inefficiency on the part of the BBC. The dates are this year. I suppose after the inquiry into the death of the whistle-blowing Doctor, it should not be too surprising. Well, to me, it is disturbing if not surprising. The top brass at the time of the WMD sexing-up allegation were all chucked out one way or another. Surely, it behoves the new masters to be squeaky clean or quasi-Caesars wife. Whilst not an official document of record, it is the archives laid down now that will be used as the basis for historical broadcasts in the future. Would we have had anything like the Great War programmes if they had been politicized at the time of recording?
I found a sort of Schadenfreude in the chaos at Heathrow. Hordes from the World Wandering Tribes cut off in their prime. Surely, they have sufficient experience or must have heard the horror stories of air travel and didn’t really expect some sort of magic carpet that would waft them hither and yon? I cannot think of specifics but my memory of really faultless flights is quite limited. That includes many in First and Club Class. Given that all classes fly in the same cigar tube, the upper classes only insulate one a little with private lounges and chauffeured travel to and from the airport. Stress is the killer; any tiny incident is magnified to a small disaster. Better than the TV Easy-Jet saga – perhaps there is scope for a TV reality show covering a group of the great unwashed travelling from somewhere in Outer Mongolia to Luton airport on a round the world ticket with someone like Cathay Disaster Airlines.

Our inferiority complex

Seems that USA will move very quickly into electronic passports.
Why is it that we made such a point about how essential they were and now - in the face of practical demonstrations of the threat - have backed off. The Yanks are far more litigatious than we are and they see no privacy issues in The Land of The Free. I suspect it may have a lot to do with their degree of computer literacy amongst the law-makers than we have where anything new encounters latter-day versions of union Luddites.
It seems that it will work like this

The U.S. Electronic Passport
The proposed U.S. Electronic Passport is the same as a regular passport with the addition of a small contactless integrated circuit (computer chip) embedded in the back cover. The chip will securely store the same data visually displayed on the photo page of the passport, and will additionally include a digital photograph. The inclusion of the digital photograph will enable biometric comparison, through the use of facial recognition technology at international borders. The U.S. “e-passport” will also have a new look, incorporating additional anti-fraud and security features.

Gets round the stolen and forged and straight false passports. Still, it will only be a matter of time before the baddies learn how to make and embed chips.
"What man invents - man circumvents"
Woods first law of crime prevention.

Brown things on my chest

Today’s illustration is in honour of a debate going on at my Guru’s blog on the subject of nipples. Not the sort used for lubricating mechanical joints but those interesting protrusions which appear on the chests of ladies who have neglected to retain their Liberty bodice when the artist or photographer is about. The problem arises on the illustration of the template and as to whether or not she is displaying her teats. My picture is intended to demonstrate what showing a nipple really looks like. It also demonstrates the phrase 'sticking out like chapel hat pegs'.
I am surprised that the debate has arisen. All girls have them. As indeed, do all guys. Exactly why nipples cause such a frisson in these days amazes me. They are no longer a sexual characteristic (thanks to/damn) page 3 of The Sun. Common place such that I cannot imagine even little boys sniggering when they see them. Any beach will have examples – some of these offend me on grounds of taste. “All that meat and no bread – no wonder the baby’s sick” was my father’s comment on the DDE sizes in my youth. That might be one reason for nipples retaining their fascination – the seaside postcard aspect and smutty joke connection. I’m going to stop – I’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of the nubbly bits and will not allow myself to be diverted to my Blue Book of Tit Jokes.
We seem to have advanced slightly in divesting our country of idiot imams. Mind you, it is one thing to have caught rats in a trap. We now need someone with the fortitude to take the trap to the bucket of water. Going on the past performance of our judiciary, it may be premature to think these false prophets will pass. As a somewhat cynical observer, I do find these Agreements with foreign countries that they will not persecute or torture those we evict, to be a little unlikely. When I think of the clown who may end up in Jordan I can see King Hussein again. He always appeared so jovial but it was clear that there was a lot of steel in him – his expression often looked like the cat who had got the cream.
And that brings us back nicely to the opening comment about cat ladies. Night Night children.