Jews and Freemasons controlled war on Iraq, says No 10 adviser
By Toby Helm(Filed: 12/09/2005)
Tony Blair decided to wage war on Iraq after coming under the influence of a "sinister" group of Jews and Freemasons, a Muslim barrister who advises the Prime Minister has claimed.
Might sound unbelievable but that is what the guy said. No 10 has said that B Liar does not always act on what he is advised. Fine – this nutter has a history of rabid comments about freemasonry and Israel so how the hell was he ever appointed to be an adviser?
Monday, 12 September 2005
New Mandy assistant.
Seems Mandy claims his eye was taken of the ball re bra etc imports from China because he was just too too busy.
He has been given a new assistant (left)
The World in which I have to live today
Peter Hain has condemned another night of loyalist violence in Belfast. "This is taking Northern Ireland, or attempting to take it, back to a hideous dark past," he told BBC Breakfast. "These were serious attempts to kill police in some instances. This is really not loyalism but gangsterism masquerading in this community." Sinn Fein's Mitchel McLaughlin told Radio 4's Today programme there is "an absolute vacuum of leadership within unionism at the present time". Later today chief constable Sir Hugh Orde will brief the Northern Ireland secretary on the riots, which left at least 18 more officers injured overnight.
The involvement of troops in NI came after demonstrators found a way of rent-a-rioters in dispersed geographical locations so that the then RUC became worn out travelling from one riot to another. Billy Bliar will be in trouble if he has to find soldiers to beef up the PSNI. The police feel hard done by and morale will not run on zero if they sustain too many causalities. They are a police SERVICE not a police FORCE.
David Blunkett is planning a major shake-up of the welfare state. In an interview with the Independent, the work and pensions secretary says a green paper to be published next month will go much further than reform of incapacity benefit. "It is going to be a radical look. I want to go wider than incapacity benefit," he says. "The whole benefit system is a patchwork of past ameliorations and contradictions, with sticking plaster all over the place."
Cheap jibe here is what he will do about working mothers who cannot work as they find themselves harassed by putative fathers seeking access to the kid with two daddies.
Labour peer Lord Layard calls for a network of 250 treatment centres to offer psychological therapy to the public. In a lecture to be delivered at the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, he warns that unhappiness is Britain's "biggest social problem".
Sort of ‘drop-in’ centre for depressives? Can you imagine the scene in your local super-market? Very small queue at Customer Complaint and a loop around the store and out of the door of assorted nutters, weirdoes and people annoyed at not being invited to Jordan’s wedding – count me in for some of that. My draft has a red line under nutters – is it warning me that this is a new non-p.c. term?
The involvement of troops in NI came after demonstrators found a way of rent-a-rioters in dispersed geographical locations so that the then RUC became worn out travelling from one riot to another. Billy Bliar will be in trouble if he has to find soldiers to beef up the PSNI. The police feel hard done by and morale will not run on zero if they sustain too many causalities. They are a police SERVICE not a police FORCE.
David Blunkett is planning a major shake-up of the welfare state. In an interview with the Independent, the work and pensions secretary says a green paper to be published next month will go much further than reform of incapacity benefit. "It is going to be a radical look. I want to go wider than incapacity benefit," he says. "The whole benefit system is a patchwork of past ameliorations and contradictions, with sticking plaster all over the place."
Cheap jibe here is what he will do about working mothers who cannot work as they find themselves harassed by putative fathers seeking access to the kid with two daddies.
Labour peer Lord Layard calls for a network of 250 treatment centres to offer psychological therapy to the public. In a lecture to be delivered at the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, he warns that unhappiness is Britain's "biggest social problem".
Sort of ‘drop-in’ centre for depressives? Can you imagine the scene in your local super-market? Very small queue at Customer Complaint and a loop around the store and out of the door of assorted nutters, weirdoes and people annoyed at not being invited to Jordan’s wedding – count me in for some of that. My draft has a red line under nutters – is it warning me that this is a new non-p.c. term?
Sunday, 11 September 2005
Fleeing the Cuckoo's Nest
Advisers appointed by British Prime Minister Tony Blair are proposing that Britain get rid of Holocaust Memorial Day because Muslims find it offensive, the British Sunday Times reported.
That seems to be the latest from the funny farm that is the caring, empathy-showing government of nuts currently trying to run this country (into the ground). At a time when it seems important to show that Muslims cannot have everything they want in pursuit of an Islamic world, we are examining how to roll over once more.
Yes – they might find it offensive. What degree of this offence comes from their extremists who rant that Israel should be driven into the sea? I might say that the sight of dogs copulating in the street is offensive to me. After explanation, I might find it less upsetting. On a side note, why do we see less of doggy sex in the street than I remember as a kid?
What needs to be explained is that it is the enormity of what the holocaust was in itself that is being remembered. The way in which human beings could be corrupted into the planning and arrangements required. The total lack of humanity in the way the massacre was carried out. The obscene disposal of victims. That this was not isolated to a few might be seen in the denial of those who lived under the black clouds of humans being incinerated. The continued arrogance of those same people when marched around extermination camps when these were exposed to us.
Whatever onlookers may say of the way Israel has reacted to the intifada, there has been no suggestion that deaths of Palestinians and others has been planned. If Muslims want some day to remember their dead, let them exercise a democratic right to achieve this. Holocaust Day was not handed to the Jews on a plate. If we talk about offence to some particular community, what offence will we cause to the Jews by getting rid of it?
Oh yes – admission time. Islamic demands do leave me cold. I am antipathetic to almost all Jewish propaganda and can recognise the difference between Zionists and Jews.
I know this opening resembles a rant. Given last night’s dreams, I should be watchful lest I am sent off to the care of Nurse Mildred Ratched. At some stage I was in what looked like a hospital room. Every so often, groups of up to six people in white coats would come into the room. No physical examination was made but they made notes on clipboards. No one spoke. I tried to leave my room but the door was locked. There were drawn curtains but when I pulled them back, there was no window or other opening.
Finally, a big Hattie Jacques-type nurse came in. She did not approach the bed but stood just inside the door and said, “Time for electrical treatment”. I very clearly remember my reply as “Good – when I have had the ECG, maybe we will know what is wrong with my heart”. Her reply was “No. It is ECT you are getting”.
In my waking hours I am able to understand and correct for dreams, nightmares and even night horrors. This does not stop them bothering me. Whilst no way a follower of Doctor Ron Hubbard, I know the benefits that Scientology claims for micro waving the brain.
I’m off to find a compassionate American Indian who can put me out of my misery at the appropriate time.
That seems to be the latest from the funny farm that is the caring, empathy-showing government of nuts currently trying to run this country (into the ground). At a time when it seems important to show that Muslims cannot have everything they want in pursuit of an Islamic world, we are examining how to roll over once more.
Yes – they might find it offensive. What degree of this offence comes from their extremists who rant that Israel should be driven into the sea? I might say that the sight of dogs copulating in the street is offensive to me. After explanation, I might find it less upsetting. On a side note, why do we see less of doggy sex in the street than I remember as a kid?
What needs to be explained is that it is the enormity of what the holocaust was in itself that is being remembered. The way in which human beings could be corrupted into the planning and arrangements required. The total lack of humanity in the way the massacre was carried out. The obscene disposal of victims. That this was not isolated to a few might be seen in the denial of those who lived under the black clouds of humans being incinerated. The continued arrogance of those same people when marched around extermination camps when these were exposed to us.
Whatever onlookers may say of the way Israel has reacted to the intifada, there has been no suggestion that deaths of Palestinians and others has been planned. If Muslims want some day to remember their dead, let them exercise a democratic right to achieve this. Holocaust Day was not handed to the Jews on a plate. If we talk about offence to some particular community, what offence will we cause to the Jews by getting rid of it?
Oh yes – admission time. Islamic demands do leave me cold. I am antipathetic to almost all Jewish propaganda and can recognise the difference between Zionists and Jews.
I know this opening resembles a rant. Given last night’s dreams, I should be watchful lest I am sent off to the care of Nurse Mildred Ratched. At some stage I was in what looked like a hospital room. Every so often, groups of up to six people in white coats would come into the room. No physical examination was made but they made notes on clipboards. No one spoke. I tried to leave my room but the door was locked. There were drawn curtains but when I pulled them back, there was no window or other opening.
Finally, a big Hattie Jacques-type nurse came in. She did not approach the bed but stood just inside the door and said, “Time for electrical treatment”. I very clearly remember my reply as “Good – when I have had the ECG, maybe we will know what is wrong with my heart”. Her reply was “No. It is ECT you are getting”.
In my waking hours I am able to understand and correct for dreams, nightmares and even night horrors. This does not stop them bothering me. Whilst no way a follower of Doctor Ron Hubbard, I know the benefits that Scientology claims for micro waving the brain.
I’m off to find a compassionate American Indian who can put me out of my misery at the appropriate time.
Saturday, 10 September 2005
Travel broadens the mind
Travelling amongst some strange bits of the world, one soon comes to realise that not only is there a lot of wisdom amongst seemingly illiterate persons but that they have a very good way to communicate their thoughts. I suppose it goes back to the tradition of story tellers who made their way from village to village. I think what follows is a neat example of what I am trying to convey.
Extensive travels across central Asia have taken me up the plateaus of Tibet, across the meandering middle of China, around the mountains of Nepal, and along India's littered river banks. Although each has had the power to captivate, India, without a doubt, is the most beguiling land I have ever seen. From India I journeyed North, into Kashmir-- a land of wealth and beauty, shredded by the claws of covetous neighbors.
A Kashmiri Mohammedan said to me, "God keeps men in three jars. Do you understand?"
"Yes," I answered, "you say God keeps men in three jars."
"In the first jar," the man looked at me, "God keeps the Americans. God keeps that lid very, very tight, for the Americans try their level-best (he used Indian phrases) to escape and rule the world."
I nodded, hinting a smile, saying, "God is right."
The Mohammedan smiled back, holding up a hand to quiet me, and continued, "In the second jar, God keeps the Europeans. But God does not keep that lid so tight," still holding up his hand, as if expecting interruption, "You see, God knows the Europeans also want to rule the world, but Europeans do not try hard."
"Is true, is true," I chuckled.
But, like a preacher, the man held his hand even higher, and continued on with a louder voice, "God keeps Kashmiris in the third jar, but God does not keep a lid on our jar. We also want to rule the world but every time one of us tries to escape, the rest pull him back down!" and he clenched his fist!
"Sir," my smiled faded, "It would be difficult to convey more truth with fewer words."
Extensive travels across central Asia have taken me up the plateaus of Tibet, across the meandering middle of China, around the mountains of Nepal, and along India's littered river banks. Although each has had the power to captivate, India, without a doubt, is the most beguiling land I have ever seen. From India I journeyed North, into Kashmir-- a land of wealth and beauty, shredded by the claws of covetous neighbors.
A Kashmiri Mohammedan said to me, "God keeps men in three jars. Do you understand?"
"Yes," I answered, "you say God keeps men in three jars."
"In the first jar," the man looked at me, "God keeps the Americans. God keeps that lid very, very tight, for the Americans try their level-best (he used Indian phrases) to escape and rule the world."
I nodded, hinting a smile, saying, "God is right."
The Mohammedan smiled back, holding up a hand to quiet me, and continued, "In the second jar, God keeps the Europeans. But God does not keep that lid so tight," still holding up his hand, as if expecting interruption, "You see, God knows the Europeans also want to rule the world, but Europeans do not try hard."
"Is true, is true," I chuckled.
But, like a preacher, the man held his hand even higher, and continued on with a louder voice, "God keeps Kashmiris in the third jar, but God does not keep a lid on our jar. We also want to rule the world but every time one of us tries to escape, the rest pull him back down!" and he clenched his fist!
"Sir," my smiled faded, "It would be difficult to convey more truth with fewer words."
Going with Gonzo
"No More Games. No More bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun -- for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax -- This won't hurt."
That is what appears to be a final note from Hunter S Thompson before he shot himself with a .45 revolver whilst on the telephone to his wife. He was in pain and had been considering suicide for a number of years. When I was 30 I settled for departing at 50.
That is what appears to be a final note from Hunter S Thompson before he shot himself with a .45 revolver whilst on the telephone to his wife. He was in pain and had been considering suicide for a number of years. When I was 30 I settled for departing at 50.
First of the super-models
This is Gia Caranji - she maybe started off the whole supermodel thing. She started in the seeming film script way of being spotted by a fashion photographer who saw what was almost an amateur photographers casual shot. She rewrote the way models lived and worked. Drugs, partying, lesbian lifestyle - all was turned on its head. She had the world at her feet - but miskicked it.
Doubtless, some will say she was just a good looking girl who got lucky. But, when you read what happened to her, it was anything but lucky. That original exposure set her off down a path of self-harm and hurt. Whether she was manipulated or just a foolish female who could not handle success does not really matter; the two feed off each other. She was someone who had looks and understood modelling. For what my opinion is worth, I think she should be better known and remembered. As someone who failed or someone who succeeded - I care not. Just remembered.
Friday, 9 September 2005
New Orleans
I have my own opinions about what went wrong. I do not have the ego that leads me to think that setting them out will reach much further than the end of my nose (which has to be close to the screen for me to read things). Part of my thoughts centre on what purpose is served by the critics who blast off before the facts are all in and whilst the whole scene is confused and highly emotional. I was pleased to read something written by a guy who is a news professional and who says what I would wish given wider circulation.
Back to moaning etc.
Gordon Brown will today set out plans for a $4bn (£2.18bn) international finance facility (IFF) which aims to save 10 million lives in the world's poorest countries. The money will finance vaccination schemes in 72 countries in an attempt to eradicate lethal diseases such as polio, hepatitis B, measles, diphtheria, yellow fever and tetanus. "What medical advance has made possible, financial stringency and the absence of creative thinking of long-term finance has frustrated," the chancellor says. "Now, by matching the power of medical advance with a wholly new innovative mechanism to front-load long-term finance, the IFF for immunisation which we are launching here today will enable 10 million lives to be saved and spare millions of families the agony of a loved one needlessly dying.
Bully for him then. I think we have some of these lethal diseases here. With MRSA as well. Most of our own Hospital Trusts are running big/massive overdrafts on their Budgets. Big in percentage terms, massive in actual money. In my school we learned to write by copying 'Charity begins at home'
In an interview with Transport Times, Alistair Darling says it makes no sense to continue operating trains and stations that have only a handful of passengers. The transport secretary says that "it is anti-train to continue to cart fresh air around the country and do nothing about it". He adds that while being in favour of keeping open local branch lines if possible, "there comes a time when a line is carrying two passengers in the morning and two in the evening, you do have to ask yourself what else we can do".
The 'Government' has been pressing for us all to use public transport. Then Darling picks up the wrong hymnsheet.
Writing in the British Medical Journal, leading doctors from the universities of Bristol, Edinburgh and Sheffield have accused the government of burying a report showing that the life expectancy of poor people is falling further behind the rest of society. A Department of Health spokesman said the claim was "nonsense".
Well thank Christ for that then. If the BMJ is right, I'll not longer have to put up with all this NuLabour crap.
Oh - and by the way. Seems that the exam results at A* level - published with great exposure - were in many cases achieved with exam marks of 40%. Some courses gave pass marks for 16%. Get your name and number right = get a result. God save us.
Thursday, 8 September 2005
Aftermath
The reconstruction or resurrection of New Orleans will take a considerable time. One of the biggest tasks will be the disposal of the rubbish and items they find that are not claimed. How they will go about this - I do not know but some idea of the complexity of the task can be gathered by what they had to do with stuff from the WTC after 9/11.
Medical update
Saw the sadistic doctor yesterday. I think she may have realised what it was that set me off last time as she was all sweetness and light. I have to see the cardiology specialist. In the meantime, I've got a new drug. Haven't heard of it but, seeing it must use all the tiles in the Scrabble set, it is easy to Google. Just glancing through the leaflet (how bored must I be to read that?), I see that it is also used to inhibit breast milk. So - two benefits for the price of one there then. Main purpose for me is as a diuretic. Don't know about 'I cried a river'. I've certainly piddled one since getting these.
New Orleans seems to be on the move to the back burner. BBC TV showed a collection of the local TV reports last night and these really brought home the scale of the disaster. I think the answer is to knock everything flat and start again rather than try rebuilding. The oil industry took a big hit on wells and refinery facilities throughout the Gulf. It will be interesting to track just how they do as compared to the government's efforts in the other sectors.
New Orleans seems to be on the move to the back burner. BBC TV showed a collection of the local TV reports last night and these really brought home the scale of the disaster. I think the answer is to knock everything flat and start again rather than try rebuilding. The oil industry took a big hit on wells and refinery facilities throughout the Gulf. It will be interesting to track just how they do as compared to the government's efforts in the other sectors.
Wednesday, 7 September 2005
Self-critique
I have just been going back over my postings.
I read like a cantankerous, cynical and thoroughly cheerless old git.
So, today I will change my ways. Nothing I write today will be bad-tempered, contemptuous or depressing.
Catch up with me tomorrow – maybe.
I read like a cantankerous, cynical and thoroughly cheerless old git.
So, today I will change my ways. Nothing I write today will be bad-tempered, contemptuous or depressing.
Catch up with me tomorrow – maybe.
Tuesday, 6 September 2005
NIMBY
This is just someone who can do maths better than wot I kun do. Just because he is clever does not mean he talks rubbish though.
75000 British Suicide Bombers and Allies...
So the dhimmi Stalinists at the Guardian rag commissioned a poll to tell us how threatened Moslems feel nowadays, and the headline reflects that-"Two-thirds of Muslims consider leaving UK "I considered running marathons and it made me feel faint. But reading on down to the very bottom of the article, we find"A small rump, potentially running into thousands, told ICM of their support for the attacks on July 7 ...
"Orright, there are over 1,500,000 Moslems in Britain. I looked at the PDF of the raw data, and FIVE PERCENT of the respondents told a stranger that "further attacks by British suicide bombers in the U. K. are justified". Not to be expected (that was 33%), or understandable, but JUSTIFIED.Now my math is that 5% of a million and a half actually does run into exactly seventy five thousand.Without speculating on how many bomb cheerleaders lied to the poll, that gives a pretty good recruiting and support base. If I had a product to sell and I could identify a population with 5% who already wanted to buy it, I'd be rich. It's a marketer's dream.Eliminate oldsters and children, and one or two out of every 20 british Moslems thinks MORE BOMBS ARE JUSTIFIED.20 Moslems working in your office or living in your building? One of them thinks that more bombs are right and proper.
Surrender, Dorothy.
75000 British Suicide Bombers and Allies...
So the dhimmi Stalinists at the Guardian rag commissioned a poll to tell us how threatened Moslems feel nowadays, and the headline reflects that-"Two-thirds of Muslims consider leaving UK "I considered running marathons and it made me feel faint. But reading on down to the very bottom of the article, we find"A small rump, potentially running into thousands, told ICM of their support for the attacks on July 7 ...
"Orright, there are over 1,500,000 Moslems in Britain. I looked at the PDF of the raw data, and FIVE PERCENT of the respondents told a stranger that "further attacks by British suicide bombers in the U. K. are justified". Not to be expected (that was 33%), or understandable, but JUSTIFIED.Now my math is that 5% of a million and a half actually does run into exactly seventy five thousand.Without speculating on how many bomb cheerleaders lied to the poll, that gives a pretty good recruiting and support base. If I had a product to sell and I could identify a population with 5% who already wanted to buy it, I'd be rich. It's a marketer's dream.Eliminate oldsters and children, and one or two out of every 20 british Moslems thinks MORE BOMBS ARE JUSTIFIED.20 Moslems working in your office or living in your building? One of them thinks that more bombs are right and proper.
Surrender, Dorothy.
Hear this Harriet Harmen
Here’s a little something for our touchy-feely government.
Give free iPods to aged persons.
The benefits are that it will offset the onset (that’s clever writing!) of Alzheimer’s by keeping their brains exercised and nimble.
My machine has something over 3,500 tracks. These came from CDs which I bought either because of the artist, sound unheard, or because there was some song or music that I really liked on the CD. When the little disks were all neatly filed, there was little incentive to go through them searching for the bits that I actually liked. However, when I put the music onto my p.c. preparatory to loading up the player, I gave my favourites 5 star ratings. This means they get selected ahead of other tracks when the Pod plays a shuffle.
Up will come something like Run Rabbit Run. This does not really make me think of Dad’s Army but rather things that happened towards the end of the war. There is a Frankie Lane song about hula hula skirts that was all the rage when I joined the Army. I have Arab belly-dance music that drags my mind back to a cabaret girl I knew in Port Said. In addition to these melodies that relate to a general situation, I have songs that tie-in with one specific memory. Fats Domino was mentioned in reports from New Orleans. He used to sing about Blueberry Hill. When we left our wedding reception in Kuala Lumpur, this song was playing in just about every juke box in every café we passed. Blue Mink singing Banner Man takes me instantly to a particular confrontation in Belfast.
There are others that get to me just because of their general message. ‘Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose’, ‘I’d trade all of my tomorrows for just one yesterday’, ‘You can take my other suit and give it to the Salvation Army’, ‘Take this job and shove it’ Golden sounds from golden years. I looked down at my denim-clad legs today and thought ‘I’m over 40 and still wearing jeans’ Hell – I can nearly do twice that.
Give free iPods to aged persons.
The benefits are that it will offset the onset (that’s clever writing!) of Alzheimer’s by keeping their brains exercised and nimble.
My machine has something over 3,500 tracks. These came from CDs which I bought either because of the artist, sound unheard, or because there was some song or music that I really liked on the CD. When the little disks were all neatly filed, there was little incentive to go through them searching for the bits that I actually liked. However, when I put the music onto my p.c. preparatory to loading up the player, I gave my favourites 5 star ratings. This means they get selected ahead of other tracks when the Pod plays a shuffle.
Up will come something like Run Rabbit Run. This does not really make me think of Dad’s Army but rather things that happened towards the end of the war. There is a Frankie Lane song about hula hula skirts that was all the rage when I joined the Army. I have Arab belly-dance music that drags my mind back to a cabaret girl I knew in Port Said. In addition to these melodies that relate to a general situation, I have songs that tie-in with one specific memory. Fats Domino was mentioned in reports from New Orleans. He used to sing about Blueberry Hill. When we left our wedding reception in Kuala Lumpur, this song was playing in just about every juke box in every café we passed. Blue Mink singing Banner Man takes me instantly to a particular confrontation in Belfast.
There are others that get to me just because of their general message. ‘Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose’, ‘I’d trade all of my tomorrows for just one yesterday’, ‘You can take my other suit and give it to the Salvation Army’, ‘Take this job and shove it’ Golden sounds from golden years. I looked down at my denim-clad legs today and thought ‘I’m over 40 and still wearing jeans’ Hell – I can nearly do twice that.
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.......
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.
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.
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.
Monday, 5 September 2005
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!
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.
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.
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.
Sunday, 4 September 2005
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.
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.
Friday, 2 September 2005
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"
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.
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.
Thursday, 1 September 2005
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.
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.
Wednesday, 31 August 2005
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.
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.
Tuesday, 30 August 2005
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
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.
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.
Monday, 29 August 2005
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”
“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.
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.
Sunday, 28 August 2005
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.
Not my writing - hi-jacked I'm afraid.
Saturday, 27 August 2005
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.
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
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!
Friday, 26 August 2005
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.
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.
Thursday, 25 August 2005
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.
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.
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.
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.
Wednesday, 24 August 2005
"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.
"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.
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.
Tuesday, 23 August 2005
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.
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.
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.
Monday, 22 August 2005
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!"
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!"
Sunday, 21 August 2005
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.
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.
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.
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