Saturday, 5 June 2010
Friday, 4 June 2010
Mad Mad World my Masters
I have reported my battles with the Black Dog of depression. This has been a long campaign; there have been truces and cease fire agreements, some wins and a few really serious wins for the dark canine where it was only my Samaritan training that kept me from self harm.
A little while back, whilst in almost headlong retreat, I set about some self-analysis. By dint of some serious journal writing, I identified that which seemed to open the kennel door. Without too much salacious detail, it was founded on a relationship dating back to 1950 when I was just 17. I never achieved a resolution and found myself asking all the What If and Where Now questions. Whilst I had the skill to trace people, I held off as I feared that any reunion could be dangerous to my life as it is now.
I thus learned to avoid too much introspection - peeking through semi-closed eyes from behind the sofa as this is OK in brief spells. But the World seems keen to introduce things that I suspect could be as harmful as 1950 revisited. Where is the Good News? No sooner was I coming to terms with a Crossbow Cannibal than we have the Cumbria Catastrophe. Tsunami led to earthquakes led to Ash Clouds. 9/11 led us to Afghanistan and 7/7. Blair transmogrified into Brown to be replaced by yet another bucket of Bollocks that is Coalition. And then the flotilla sailed in. Elsewhere one Korean country seems determined to do a practical test of its nuclear assets whilst the other Land of Morning Calm has its belligerence endorsed by America looking for a proxy warrior nation.
Minor nuisances skirmished in and around the major annoyances. What is it with the newspaper fascination for stings and outings? Why bother with £500,000 demands when people such as Blair charge very large sums for a couple of days a year as 'adviser' or special representative? And just what is it about Britain having Talent? I avoid it but the adverts show we are invaded by alien performances of body poppers, street dancers and Michael Jackson-inspired wannabees. I have the image of US has Talent drowning under a flood of Morris Men and Clog Dancers. Why the hell has Simon Cowell not been assassinated?
I once got quite close to a Jewish woman. She worked then for a UN quango thing but I had photographs of this bronzed Amazon tilling the earth with little more than a pointed stick. Her deliciously long and tanned legs ended with heavy boots. Over one shoulder a bag with seeds. Over the other, the strap of a sub-machine gun. Our first night of nakedness led to my finding a tattooed number on her arm; she never expanded why she survived longer than the ink drying took. She died in a traffic accident but we were together long enough for me to understand the scale and nature of dissent with Palestine.
I am able to see where the situation has got with the latter-day confrontations and have sympathy for the Palestinians. My depression risk here lies in the fact that there is no solution in sight. The stage is now occupied by political extremists who pose and strut but with absolutely no agenda that might bring peace to a troubled land. Why has mankind that can set foot on the moon failed to achieve a meaningful solution? The sort of money that, say, Saudi Arabia spends on supporting what to us are terrorists aiming to destroy would do much to ameliorate the life choices of some bare-footed, naked-arsed kid in Gaza. Exactly the same sort of kid that the money spent disintegrates in Kabul. The religion in those parts has some wonderful aspirations but is fragmented in impact by inter-nicene activity.
Money. Large sums donated to charities both long-term and for special disasters. World aid from the richer nations to 3rd world dwellers. But so little is achieved if one is an onlooker. People still in tents in tsunami-country. Women and kids walking miles with jugs of water balanced on their heads. Malaria and disease associated with bad or non-existent sanitation. Warfare where press-gangs target sub-teenage warriors. The ways that women are abused and humiliated. The richer nations have standing armies that could do so much but are employed slaughtering each other. Say five men dig a well a day - how many wells do we get from a battalion in six months? A deep trench latrine - four men and one day so set up 250 men for that same time span. Simples as my genus Suricata friend would say. Injections - my local GP clears a community hall of 500 people in an afternoon.We have tempted the medics that could do this in another country to come here and sew up drunks on a Saturday night.
It is not just that we seemingly lack the nous to get these things sorted - we are deficient in the will so to do. The United Nations is everything but United. The EU spends our money deciding such things as the appropriate colour for Health and Safety signs at a pedestrian crossing. African nations have multi-Nation Organisation - I rest my case.
As a kid from between 7 and 10 years old I was exposed to attacks from a Christian fundamentalist Aunt. I suspect she was concerned lest I had inherited the strange powers of her spiritualist mother. Whilst my parents were beating the Asperger devil out of me, she sought to fill me with religious knowledge and attitudes. I rebelled and she never did discover if I had 666 under the hair on my head. What I do know is that I cannot foresee any level of her influence that would have retained my belief in any form of God. I have no idea whether such an entity exists - I just question what She is doing. I know of the theory that things are sent to try us and it fits where applied to individuals. But, why try whole regions of the world. Legions of individuals. It just does not make sense. To me anyway.
I suppose that the sheer multiplicity of depression-inducing situations and events has one thing going for it - just so many that no one item predominates to act as a focus for the rest. That is what I shall have to tell myself.
How was it for you then?
A respected friend and I have been discussing the lack of comments on my work. Why so few?
I initially responded by saying that I wrote for myself and had little concern at what happened to my work once it was out of the birth canal. He then proved that I had written where I requested input and that the claimed indifference was a front to cover what might be rejection. Not everyone who takes the trouble to create feedback uses the comment facility; I get Blog-related messages on Twitter, Facebook and by email.
Whilst we were going backwards and forwards I had a comment clearance alarm on something I had written in 1998 which proved I know not what other than the fact that there were some readers out there. I did once have my Blogger guru @gemmak500 insert a hit counter on the template. This recorded a fair number of visitors from a number of locations but the comment count was low.
So, good people (or maybe, good person), here is a one time offer. Free and guaranteed genuine. Can you suggest a reason for the low Comment count? Does it matter to you as a reader? Should I court Comments by adopting any of the Make Your Blog Read tactics that exist? Make your views known - either in the Comment box or, if that is too cumbersome, by email to kepirouge&btinternet.com You know to swap the & for @ which is there to hold off spammers.
Appreciated. If sufficient response, I sort out some sort of matrix - might help others who blog in apparent silence.
Tuesday, 1 June 2010
Eyeless in Gaza
So, the UN has made an inquiry into the boarding of the flotilla,
An Abbas aide, Nimr Hammad, termed the rocket fire into Israel reckless. "The one responsible for the massacre is Hamas," he said. "Hamas should not have given the Israelis a pretext." Bassam Abu-Sumayyah, a columnist for the daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, accused Hamas of megalomania and said it had acted without even a little bit of political and security sense. It had behaved like a superpower.
The UN recommendation by the Secretary-General on the "need to have a full investigation into the matter and it calling for a prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation conforming to international standards" shows what a raddled old prostitute that organisation has become. Does it have so little faith in its own status that it cannot organise such a inquiry itself?
An ex-UN big gun found reasons for what happened ""Former British ambassador to the UN Sir Jeremy Greenstock said there had been "immediate international rage" following the "unnecessary loss of life".
He said that Israel had to make sure weapons were not getting into Gaza "so some kind of defence is necessary but this was clearly not very well handled".
Sir Jeremy added: "It's past time by some years for serious international action to end the blockade and the virtual starvation of Gaza. This is not going to work as a way of dealing with the Palestinian territories over the long term."
Given the scale of Israeli actions prior to the flotilla sailing, it is hard to see what more they might have done when facing violence upon landing. The interception of the flotilla followed numerous warnings given to the organisers of the flotilla before leaving their ports as well as while sailing towards the Gaza Strip. In these warnings, it was made clear to the organisers that they could dock in the Ashdod sea port and unload the equipment they are carrying in order to deliver it to the Gaza Strip in an orderly manner, following the appropriate security checks. Upon expressing their unwillingness to cooperate and arrive at the port, it was decided to board the ships and lead them to Ashdod.
What does not seem to be getting much publicity is the claim by Israel's Ambassador to Britain that five other vessels in the flotilla were boarded without incident. The forcible action was all on one vessel. The injured and deceased are predominantly Turkish; the main agitator behind the flotilla being established. It was a repeat of a previous attempt to use the flotilla as a publicity generating device. "
Israel is criticised for an aggressive attitude and using more force than was necessary. But then, they always do. Always that is since being subjected to sudden and unannounced attacks by Arab nations. They are a small country and any well executed attack would be all over and done with before any international rescue could be set afoot. Israel is still technically at war with a number of Muslim countries since 1967 whose aim is the extinction of Israel.
I think few of us here in UK appreciate the part that Zionism plays in what goes on in Palestine and Israel. My own understanding - gained whilst employed by a Arab company - is that the bogey-man in Muslim eyes is the Zionist. Not all Israelis are part of that movement but get caught up in their politics and actions.
It may well be that the whole flotilla action is a storm in a teacup. The latest stage in something occurring in 'a strange land far away' Already, in the Twitter listing of what is hot and what is not, the flotilla question has been overtaken by Britain Got Talent and may well drop off the listing altogether. Maybe, the Gaza publicity campaign could end up as a winner. Remember this bit of history from our own past which has many similarities? "
It worked for Gandhi.
"The Security Council takes note of the statement of the UN Secretary-General on the need to have a full investigation into the matter and it calls for a prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation conforming to international standards.1860 reads "SECURITY COUNCIL CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE, DURABLE, FULLY RESPECTED CEASEFIRE IN GAZA LEADING TO FULL WITHDRAWAL OF ISRAELI FORCES" There are very many more calls as to what has to happen; indeed, anyone with even the slightest knowledge of the history of Israel/Palestine would recognise that these were never going to happen. Full implementation is cloud-cuckoo land. Hamas knows no limits to its actions and does nothing to support any Resolution. THE bitter Israel-Hamas conflict has touched off Arab-Arab conflicts almost as bitter. Responsibility for the war in Gaza, and for the Palestinian fatalities there, was placed squarely on Hamas by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. "We called the leaders of Hamas and told them, 'Please, do not end the truce', he said. Hamas ended a six-month truce with Israel two weeks before the Israeli attack.
"The Security Council stresses that the situation in Gaza is not sustainable. The Council re-emphasizes the importance of the full implementation of Resolutions 1850 and 1860."
An Abbas aide, Nimr Hammad, termed the rocket fire into Israel reckless. "The one responsible for the massacre is Hamas," he said. "Hamas should not have given the Israelis a pretext." Bassam Abu-Sumayyah, a columnist for the daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, accused Hamas of megalomania and said it had acted without even a little bit of political and security sense. It had behaved like a superpower.
The UN recommendation by the Secretary-General on the "need to have a full investigation into the matter and it calling for a prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation conforming to international standards" shows what a raddled old prostitute that organisation has become. Does it have so little faith in its own status that it cannot organise such a inquiry itself?
An ex-UN big gun found reasons for what happened ""Former British ambassador to the UN Sir Jeremy Greenstock said there had been "immediate international rage" following the "unnecessary loss of life".
He said that Israel had to make sure weapons were not getting into Gaza "so some kind of defence is necessary but this was clearly not very well handled".
Sir Jeremy added: "It's past time by some years for serious international action to end the blockade and the virtual starvation of Gaza. This is not going to work as a way of dealing with the Palestinian territories over the long term."
Given the scale of Israeli actions prior to the flotilla sailing, it is hard to see what more they might have done when facing violence upon landing. The interception of the flotilla followed numerous warnings given to the organisers of the flotilla before leaving their ports as well as while sailing towards the Gaza Strip. In these warnings, it was made clear to the organisers that they could dock in the Ashdod sea port and unload the equipment they are carrying in order to deliver it to the Gaza Strip in an orderly manner, following the appropriate security checks. Upon expressing their unwillingness to cooperate and arrive at the port, it was decided to board the ships and lead them to Ashdod.
What does not seem to be getting much publicity is the claim by Israel's Ambassador to Britain that five other vessels in the flotilla were boarded without incident. The forcible action was all on one vessel. The injured and deceased are predominantly Turkish; the main agitator behind the flotilla being established. It was a repeat of a previous attempt to use the flotilla as a publicity generating device. "
It will be the ninth expedition to try to reach Gaza by sea. According to the Free Gaza movement, this time it will be bigger and better than ever. The last attempt to reach Gaza by sea was in June 2009 — then, Free Gaza ships were intercepted by the Israeli Navy off Gaza, and forced to proceed to the southern Israeli port of Ashdod, where the cargo was impounded (some of it was later transferred by land to Israeli crossings and sent into Gaza). The activists aboard were jailed before deportation"So, all were aware of what could happen and, in that respect, the latest operation was not such a piece of loose cannon work as has been alleged. It is for others to decide whether the past history, Turkish involvement and the politically aware and active passenger list led to hot-heads deciding not to go quietly this time.
Israel is criticised for an aggressive attitude and using more force than was necessary. But then, they always do. Always that is since being subjected to sudden and unannounced attacks by Arab nations. They are a small country and any well executed attack would be all over and done with before any international rescue could be set afoot. Israel is still technically at war with a number of Muslim countries since 1967 whose aim is the extinction of Israel.
I think few of us here in UK appreciate the part that Zionism plays in what goes on in Palestine and Israel. My own understanding - gained whilst employed by a Arab company - is that the bogey-man in Muslim eyes is the Zionist. Not all Israelis are part of that movement but get caught up in their politics and actions.
It may well be that the whole flotilla action is a storm in a teacup. The latest stage in something occurring in 'a strange land far away' Already, in the Twitter listing of what is hot and what is not, the flotilla question has been overtaken by Britain Got Talent and may well drop off the listing altogether. Maybe, the Gaza publicity campaign could end up as a winner. Remember this bit of history from our own past which has many similarities? "
Gandhi's men advanced in complete silence before stopping about one-hundred meters before the cordon. A selected team broke away from the main group, waded through the ditch and neared the barbed-wire fence. (...) Receiving the signal, a large group of local police officers suddenly moved towards the advancing protestors and subjected them to a hail of blows to the head delivered from steel-covered Lathis (truncheons). None of the protesters raised so much as an arm to protect themselves against the barrage of blows. They fell to the ground like pins in a bowling alley. From where I was standing I could hear the nauseating sound of truncheons impacting against unprotected skulls. The waiting main group moaned and drew breath sharply at each blow. Those being subjected to the onslaught fell to the ground quickly writhing unconsciously or with broken shoulders (...). The main group, which had been spared until now, began to march in a quiet and determined way forwards and were met with the same fate. They advanced in a uniform manner with heads raised - without encouragement through music or battle cries and without being given the opportunity to avoid serious injury or even death. The police attacked repeatedly and the second group were also beaten to the ground. There was no fight, no violence; the marchers simply advanced until they themselves were knocked down."
It worked for Gandhi.
Monday, 31 May 2010
They don't like it up 'em
"A Madrid hospital says Spanish bullfighter Julio Aparicio has returned to intensive care and is fighting an infection after a horrific goring in the throat by a bull.Aparicio had left the unit and was recovering well on Monday following surgery to reconstruct his throat, mouth and palate, but outbreak of an infection forced a return to the unit where doctors placed him on mechanically assisted breathing."
In 1953'ish I was living in Gibraltar. I had a young Spanish girl who - er - did my washing. She was a maid for a Gibraltarian family and collected my dhobi as she passed my unit en-route home to Spain. I was generally able to arrange to swap my duties so that we could spend the week-end together at her flat in La Linea; the Spanish town just across the border.
When the corrida season started she suggested we visit the bull ring. I had no convictions either way about the national spectator sport so off we went. The atmosphere surrounding the ring was festive. Whole families were there with picnic and wine in those leather bota with very rough wine. Choice of tickets was sun or shade; I soon learned that sun and contents of the leather bottle did not mix.
The first couple of bouts man vs bloody big bull did little for me. In those days the bulls were ginormus compared to today but it all seemed a foregone conclusion. The bull was tried out to see how he charged and moved his head. Then men on horseback moved in with hollow-ended lances and took plugs out of the main neck muscles so as to ensure the animal kept its head low. Then came men on foot who ran at the bull and planted barbed spears near the main injury so as to liven the animal up. Then came to man in the glittery suit who made some - to me - very dangerous passes with the bull. That part was very theatrical but the kill was widely signalled. All the while, an off-key brass band played; changing tune as directed by the President when stage one had to move to stage two.
When the third bull came in I was losing interest. All a foregone conclusion. The overall thing was OK - much as a Premier league football match might be enjoyed. However, as I watched, the whole thing went tits up. The matador was the top attraction and this was the first time he had faced a bull that afternoon. He came in on the assessment stage and made a pass or two in a languid - almost bored - manner. As this is where the bull is still on top form and quite dangerous, there are not many attendants in the ring. As I watched, the bull caught his beautifully garbed tormentor amidships and tossed him high in the air. The bull then seemed to sink back and watch the man as he flew upwards and, as he descended, caught him like a close in-fielder on one horn. This entered close under the diaphragm on the left side and came out on the man's shoulder blade. He shook his catch once or twice and then dropped him.
The bit players ran in and distracted the killer; the bull-fighter would never fight again. The body was removed and one of the other matadors came out, put on a very abbreviated show and the bull was dispatched. Those few seconds changed my perspective for ever and I became a fight fan. Just a few miles inland from La Linea was San Roque which had the smallest ring in Spain.
It also lacked the small retreats at the side of the ring where humans could escape beast. The fights were much more evenly contested there.I never saw another death in the ring. Some wounding. I do not think I would bother visiting a corrida if I were to go back there; football has replaced it in the national profile. Back in '53 we were all a lot less aware of the issues that now centre on cruelty to animals. I became friends with a farmer who operated one of the biggest ranches devoted to breeding fighting bulls and it was a major source of income to the area. The slaughtered animals were sold off cheaply to local butchers and eaten by people who might not otherwise have seen a lot of expensive meat.
Sunday, 30 May 2010
Bloody money
Despite all it's troubles, the Government found time this week to write to me and let me have advance information as to it's plans. "Owen Paterson, the Northern Ireland Secretary, announced the publication date in a written statement to the House of Commons.He also confirmed that relatives of those killed by the Army and the soldiers themselves, as well as some politicians, would see the report in advance of full publication."
The Saville Inquiry into the events of Bloody Sunday will hit the streets very soon after 12 years of work. At a cost of almost £200 million we will all know what happened on that Sunday at the end of January 1972. I think I can last out the excitement that generates - I have known since the evening of Bloody Sunday. I was in Londonderry almost by accident. After some nine months in charge of the Army investigation Unit my bosses in London had finally found an officer who had committed some crime so heinous that the only punishment was to send him to Ulster. As part of his indoctrination, I took him to Londonderry to witness the protest march. This would be an opportunity to get close to a Northern Ireland riot which was many degrees more violent than a pub punch up after closing time.
As we went about the sites on the tourist trail, I saw many of the Parachute regiment who normally worked in Belfast and who were regular customers of mine. In chatting, I was told that they were there to inject a little backbone into dealing with any trouble that arose from hangers-on to the peace march splitting off and attacking the troops. So, New Bloke would get two lessons at the one time.
As the march got to near the usual flash-point, we two placed ourselves behind a company of Para who in turn were behind troops from the resident Londonderry battalion. The trouble kicked off when juveniles started to stone the foremost troops. They were then told to stand aside and release the paratroopers. They ran in on foot supported by a number of armoured vehicles referred to as pigs. They ran, we walked up behind them. However, almost immediately I heard the sound of a weapon being fired; just a single shot. I instructed that we should get offside and we left the area and made our way to an observation and command post overlooking that area of the Bogside. We heard further firing but it was difficult to locate the shooter(s) or identify the type of weapon because of the echo effects of the built-up area. In a short while we heard radio reports that a number of civilians had been shot and after about 30 minutes the score was up to 13 dead.
My new OC said he would take a back seat as he had no real idea as to what my unit did in such incidents. I used the radio in my car to summon back-up investigators from Belfast. We set up base in a RN centre where the Para had been accommodated prior to being deployed onto the streets. We commenced interviews - they all knew the procedure almost as well as I did.
By about 10 pm that night it was clear that there had been a serious breakdown in the way such operations were normally handled. By midnight, we had statements from all who had fired and from others who were able to add to that information. I went back to Belfast in the early hours and briefed HQ NI using the statements taken by that time. I had a unbreakable appointment in London and went off to that. By the time I got back, a special team had been set up to deal with the incident.
I never understood the demands for a public inquiry. The first one had many obvious faults. John Major had made a public statement that none of the deceased had been acting improperly. This did not quell the demands and, eventually, the nasty little toad Blair agreed to set up a tribunal as part of the cost of getting what he called a peaceful settlement. Strangely, the loved ones of all the non-combatants slaughtered by the terrorists of both factions were denied any such process. Indeed, all the IRA murderers we had managed to catch and convict were set free and given forms on which to claim damages.
At that time, Northern Ireland was a land of almost instant mythology. One side would make claims as to what happened. Their supporters would take this on board and it became a fact that was incapable of being overturned. The opponents would for ever hold that what had been said was the vilest and most black of lies. That this had happened with the events of Bloody Sunday became very clear in the preparation of evidence for the inquiry and when formal evidence was taken.
When counsel for the victims questioned me, they put their questions as if they were merely seeking confirmation of their established convictions and were not really questioning events. Lord Saville and his two colleagues were most effective in getting the right questions put; I'm not so sure about the quality of the answers.
So, nothing will be achieved. Those who signed up for the mythology will not have their narrow minds expanded, Someone will pontificate and make an apology based upon Saville. There is a strong rumour that Martin McGuinness, the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland who was a Provisional IRA commander in Londonderry on Bloody Sunday, told Blair that an apology would have sufficed. But no - heritage beckoned and we went into a process which was most likely the forerunner of Blair's disastrous decision to do his poodle trot over Iraq.
Friday, 28 May 2010
The screens please Nurse
This year marks the centenary of the death of Florence Nightingale and 12 May was her birthday. She may well be regarded as the Mother of Army nursing having been dispatched to the war in Crimea after reports in the newspapers described the desperate lack of proper medical facilities for wounded British soldiers at the front. She had a vocation for nursing but her practical training was extremely limited; her forte was organisation and leadership. She was able to significantly improve conditions and her spell in the Crimea led to the formation of the Army Nursing Service in 1861.
From this came a number of military nursing organisations; the main one being the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service. QAIMNS or the ‘Regular' military nursing service was formed in March 1902, as part of a general reorganisation of the Army Medical Services, and included many existing members of its forerunner, the Army Nursing Service, which had provided nurses for military hospitals since 1861.
Despite a reluctance in some quarters to welcome female nurses into military hospitals, they proved themselves an asset, both for their nursing expertise, and for their skill in training orderlies of the Army Hospital Corps and later the Royal Army Medical Corps.My maternal grandmother was a Matron in the QA. My wife was in the QA until I trapped her into marriage. Grandma Edwards was a fearsome figure originally from Southern Ireland. She was a Spiritualist at a time when that religion was fairly widespread and I am told she was a widely respected medium. She was quite spooky and there have been occasions when I have felt that she has reached out to me from wherever she may have gone after the last V2 to land in London put an end to her earthly existence.
The current generation of Army nurses are doing sterling work in Afghanistan. Due to disastrous decisions in the past, the QA and RAMC had been reduced and military hospitals closed and the majority of Army medical staff in Afghanistan are TA personnel serving away from their civilian hospitals.
So - a belated "Respects Ma'am" to Flo and those she inspired.
Thursday, 27 May 2010
Caution - idiot at the keyboard
After a few days of light depression, I feel quite perky this morning. I'm going to get a few things off my chest. May not be totally sensible but - so what. It is my time.
Firstly, The Times did a thing on creatures that live in our deepest oceans, One of them was this beastie. Quite a fearsome item to have crusing about
and look at those teeth! They seem designed merely to grab and stab with no sign of any front dentures to tear things apart or molars to crush its prey. And those eyes - what are they all about given that there is zero light that far down. Snakes have heat sensors to detect prey and to aim their strike so why has this fish not evolved to those instead of these big eyes?
Once again we are submerged in debt stories. Whole nations standing on the brink of extinction if one believes the pundits. I cannot believe this. We have seen what African nations do and it is most certainly not worry about their economy. So, it takes a wheel-barrow load of money to buy a loaf of bread. Solution to me is to revalue things - instead of having to carry half a million of Lubola notes, print half million notes. Easier to carry about.
I also fail to understand another element of this debt thing. Seems that everyone is owing money to another and at the same time is owed money by some other Nation or entity. OK - cancel all existing debts and set up a system that means each country has to live within its own assets. No lending. No borrowing. I read that X company has made Yea many millions and everyone applauds. Yet, no one ever asks who lost out here; Whose funds went down the Swanee and ended up elsewhere as profit?
Shareholders. I worked for a firm where the founder had got on his bike in Newcastle and rode down to London. This in the early 1830s.
He was a plumber who did a bit of electrical work on the side. By the 1960s the firm he founded was one of the leading mechanical and electrical contractors in the country. We had some of the best tradesmen and design engineers that existed. Our projects were priced right and executed properly and we had none of the after-completion wrangling with sub-contractors that was a hallmark of our industry. But, all this brain and muscle power was subordinate to the benefits demanded by shareholders. They largely ruled what the CEO and directors did. Most of the shareholders didn't know the difference between a 13 amp plug and a bath plug. But they ruled the roost. Their loyalties were so strong that they were all for it when a major competitor came along and wanted to buy the company. Some two years later, the old ethos was expunged and we were no better than any other Tom, Dick or Harry contractor. So, get rid of shareholders. They hold paper acknowledging that way back someone gave Geordie Lad a quid or two. Right - give them that pound back, tear up the bit of paper and let companies be run by those with the knowledge and drive that made the company what it was.
Further puzzlement to this old feller comes from the question of Banks. We see that some went broke because of possibly buccaneering ways and avarice. Others had to bail them out. This all played a part in the general monetary cock-up. So - why do we need so many banks? We have a Bank of England that could well do all that is needed in terms of banking. I can see that there needs to be two sorts of bank. Mine - plain straight vanilla and no frills. It takes in money and pays it out. Alongside that establishment we have what I understand have been named Casino Banks. Bit shady. Dodgy dealings. They will take a set amount from my 'nice' bank and use it. Flash Harry makes a few quid and wants to buy a few flats for rent. He goes to the Casino Bank. They make a deal with him. Tailored especially for him - terms, repayments etc. - the whole shebang. If he goes tits up - his flats belong to the bank who are free to pursue him for anything not recovered. If the bank fails - tough on him and he gets to keep what he has and that is it.
Bonus payments. Another thing we hear too much about. Given as rewards for good work. Here we come back to my point that your profit is my loss. The argument made regarding bonus payments is that if not made, the individual will trot off elsewhere and we have to pay 'the going rate' Who sets and determines this going rate? Who? - other guys who get paid bonuses.
There is a very simple solution. Set a reasonable salary for those who might be in receipt of a bonus. Offer that. No bonus any more. If some - what I understand is termed as a Big Swinging Dick - demands more - tell him to get stuffed. If he threatens to walk, point out that all salaries are the same so he will not get more money or better terms elsewhere anyway. After some initial scurrying about as the rats all change ship, the BSDs will realise that they are in the same position as us salaried employees. Better paid but that is all. So - they are paid for performance and might not perform in the absence of a bonus? If they do not cut the mustard - point this out. Two interviews without biscuits later - sack em. Happens to us poor salaried slaves all the time.
Not a lot more today. The Two Ronnies have said they want greater involvement from the people in decision making. This can be done quite easily. Ant change or new idea is investigated by some existing commission or such like. They examine the whole thing. They ensure that all angles have been covered so we are not conned with half the facts as so often happens now. Then, they prepare a short - 15 minutes - TV report with the pro and con facts clearly detailed. After a short pause - maximum a week - we all vote. Each home will have a terminal if they do not have internet access. Using a PIN, we vote Yes or No. It is then the Government's job to facilitate anything new and approved or think again on anything rejected. We could even have the actual election run this way. As add-ons, there could be a regular 'What do you think of it so far' where we as the voters can rate our elected representative. Three strikes and he is out.
Firstly, The Times did a thing on creatures that live in our deepest oceans, One of them was this beastie. Quite a fearsome item to have crusing about
and look at those teeth! They seem designed merely to grab and stab with no sign of any front dentures to tear things apart or molars to crush its prey. And those eyes - what are they all about given that there is zero light that far down. Snakes have heat sensors to detect prey and to aim their strike so why has this fish not evolved to those instead of these big eyes?Once again we are submerged in debt stories. Whole nations standing on the brink of extinction if one believes the pundits. I cannot believe this. We have seen what African nations do and it is most certainly not worry about their economy. So, it takes a wheel-barrow load of money to buy a loaf of bread. Solution to me is to revalue things - instead of having to carry half a million of Lubola notes, print half million notes. Easier to carry about.
I also fail to understand another element of this debt thing. Seems that everyone is owing money to another and at the same time is owed money by some other Nation or entity. OK - cancel all existing debts and set up a system that means each country has to live within its own assets. No lending. No borrowing. I read that X company has made Yea many millions and everyone applauds. Yet, no one ever asks who lost out here; Whose funds went down the Swanee and ended up elsewhere as profit?
Shareholders. I worked for a firm where the founder had got on his bike in Newcastle and rode down to London. This in the early 1830s.
He was a plumber who did a bit of electrical work on the side. By the 1960s the firm he founded was one of the leading mechanical and electrical contractors in the country. We had some of the best tradesmen and design engineers that existed. Our projects were priced right and executed properly and we had none of the after-completion wrangling with sub-contractors that was a hallmark of our industry. But, all this brain and muscle power was subordinate to the benefits demanded by shareholders. They largely ruled what the CEO and directors did. Most of the shareholders didn't know the difference between a 13 amp plug and a bath plug. But they ruled the roost. Their loyalties were so strong that they were all for it when a major competitor came along and wanted to buy the company. Some two years later, the old ethos was expunged and we were no better than any other Tom, Dick or Harry contractor. So, get rid of shareholders. They hold paper acknowledging that way back someone gave Geordie Lad a quid or two. Right - give them that pound back, tear up the bit of paper and let companies be run by those with the knowledge and drive that made the company what it was.Further puzzlement to this old feller comes from the question of Banks. We see that some went broke because of possibly buccaneering ways and avarice. Others had to bail them out. This all played a part in the general monetary cock-up. So - why do we need so many banks? We have a Bank of England that could well do all that is needed in terms of banking. I can see that there needs to be two sorts of bank. Mine - plain straight vanilla and no frills. It takes in money and pays it out. Alongside that establishment we have what I understand have been named Casino Banks. Bit shady. Dodgy dealings. They will take a set amount from my 'nice' bank and use it. Flash Harry makes a few quid and wants to buy a few flats for rent. He goes to the Casino Bank. They make a deal with him. Tailored especially for him - terms, repayments etc. - the whole shebang. If he goes tits up - his flats belong to the bank who are free to pursue him for anything not recovered. If the bank fails - tough on him and he gets to keep what he has and that is it.
Bonus payments. Another thing we hear too much about. Given as rewards for good work. Here we come back to my point that your profit is my loss. The argument made regarding bonus payments is that if not made, the individual will trot off elsewhere and we have to pay 'the going rate' Who sets and determines this going rate? Who? - other guys who get paid bonuses.
There is a very simple solution. Set a reasonable salary for those who might be in receipt of a bonus. Offer that. No bonus any more. If some - what I understand is termed as a Big Swinging Dick - demands more - tell him to get stuffed. If he threatens to walk, point out that all salaries are the same so he will not get more money or better terms elsewhere anyway. After some initial scurrying about as the rats all change ship, the BSDs will realise that they are in the same position as us salaried employees. Better paid but that is all. So - they are paid for performance and might not perform in the absence of a bonus? If they do not cut the mustard - point this out. Two interviews without biscuits later - sack em. Happens to us poor salaried slaves all the time.
Not a lot more today. The Two Ronnies have said they want greater involvement from the people in decision making. This can be done quite easily. Ant change or new idea is investigated by some existing commission or such like. They examine the whole thing. They ensure that all angles have been covered so we are not conned with half the facts as so often happens now. Then, they prepare a short - 15 minutes - TV report with the pro and con facts clearly detailed. After a short pause - maximum a week - we all vote. Each home will have a terminal if they do not have internet access. Using a PIN, we vote Yes or No. It is then the Government's job to facilitate anything new and approved or think again on anything rejected. We could even have the actual election run this way. As add-ons, there could be a regular 'What do you think of it so far' where we as the voters can rate our elected representative. Three strikes and he is out.
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
My doggone
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. Her bright eyes are intent. Her eager body quivers. Suddenly she begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, her legs carrying her faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....
She was always so good in responding to that whistle - it was not silent for her even four or five fields away. I keep blowing it now but she does not respond. One day - not just yet though - I will have to go and look for her.
Aged parent
What is it that causes people to act like this?
It is not as if the tube from my hearing aid is very visible. I do not smell of stale wee. My hand does not shake (very much) I have not inherited any of Prince Charles' cast offs that might make me look like an Edwardian politician.
Ah well - what cannot be ended has to be endured
It is not as if the tube from my hearing aid is very visible. I do not smell of stale wee. My hand does not shake (very much) I have not inherited any of Prince Charles' cast offs that might make me look like an Edwardian politician.
Ah well - what cannot be ended has to be endured
Monday, 24 May 2010
Good men go bad!
I see that a defence group has been formed to protest the treatment afforded to a former service man. The basis of the case against the man are summarised "A former Royal Marine has been ordered to repay almost £90,000 which he made as a result of concealing criminal property. A judge at Carlisle Crown Court yesterday decided that Raymond Baty, 39, of Ambleside Airfield, Silloth, had benefited to the tune of £140,283.30 as a result of his crimes. He had been buying, selling and fixing cars for cash and made money which he didn’t declare to the Inland Revenue.
At an earlier hearing – when Baty was handed 100 hours’ community service – the court heard that police had found £24,235 in shoeboxes in his house.
http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/cumbrian-ex-marine-to-repay-87-000-1.711789?referrerPath=home
Not all former booties get treated this was. A descendt of Long John Silver escaped punishment in one of these recovery of the proceeds of crime operations. http://www.thisiswesternmorningnews.co.uk/news/Judge-throws-crime-claim-ex-Marine/article-1949319-detail/article.html
What is getting to me is the idea that former service means one is a paragon of virtue. There is a lot ho hoo hah elsewhere where a former Military Police officer is getting support on his seemingly corrupt trial purely because he has an MBE and 20 odd years of service. They can only say, "He was OK when I knew him" That is rather like Mrs Crippen saying "He was a nice guy when I married him"
http://www.stephen-stratford.co.uk/dr_crippen.htm
At an earlier hearing – when Baty was handed 100 hours’ community service – the court heard that police had found £24,235 in shoeboxes in his house.
http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/cumbrian-ex-marine-to-repay-87-000-1.711789?referrerPath=home
Not all former booties get treated this was. A descendt of Long John Silver escaped punishment in one of these recovery of the proceeds of crime operations. http://www.thisiswesternmorningnews.co.uk/news/Judge-throws-crime-claim-ex-Marine/article-1949319-detail/article.html
What is getting to me is the idea that former service means one is a paragon of virtue. There is a lot ho hoo hah elsewhere where a former Military Police officer is getting support on his seemingly corrupt trial purely because he has an MBE and 20 odd years of service. They can only say, "He was OK when I knew him" That is rather like Mrs Crippen saying "He was a nice guy when I married him"
http://www.stephen-stratford.co.uk/dr_crippen.htm
Men of Honour
I have this impression that things are becoming undone in the aftermath of the reign of Aintworth and his mendacious cabal at MOD. Tonight, there is a BBC Panorama programme dealing with the death of a Staff Sergeant EOD specialist. His wife will be interviewed and is expected to tell her side of the story as to how her husband was treated. Christina Schmid said that Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid was “flaking” with exhaustion on the day he died because of demands being made on him and his elite team due to staff shortages. Her fears that he and other bomb disposal experts have been let down by the Army were backed by Colonel Bob Seddon, Britain’s senior bomb disposal officer, who agreed that his team was under intense pressure.
In a television documentary made by Mrs Schmid, Colonel Seddon said that he was now “very concerned” about the toll being taken on his staff.
Then, today, we have the resignation of the officer who led the Unit. Could it be that he has, in those ominous terms, 'reconsidered his position'? Was it the alternative to the locked room, tot of whisky and the Mess revolver scenario? Senior officers who slip up get to retire; senior NCOs who slip up are killed.
The Army is known for getting on with the job without too much public bitching - public because they do little but moan when by themselves. I suppose the Legionnaires on the wall in those desperate winters did the same but remained true on post. Now, it seems that the senior Army staff are quick to address their concerns to the faceless ones and the Ministers but hold back off resignation. Some had more direct ways of dealing with armchair generals but in the case of Oz, death was too quick. Mrs Schmid will say "He told her that he was drained, leading her to believe that extreme fatigue may have played a part in his death.
Reading from his letters and recalling his phone calls home, Mrs Schmid says: “He basically said it was absolutely relentless — that they weren’t getting a break at all and that the amount of IEDs that he was doing, that he was asked to do, was just overwhelming. He was flaking at that point, saying, ‘I do need a break from this. I need to step back because I need to recharge’ and I don’t feel that he necessarily had that time.” Relaxation arising from the fact that it was his last device before leave may well have caused him to miss something or his exhausted state may have undermined all his training and experience. The pitcher went to the well one last time too often.
One would not really treat animals this way without RSPCA or PETA intervening. But, our political bosses have no idea what they are doing to fellow human beings. We have just seen a high-power delegation visit Afghanistan on a fact-finding and meet the troops mission. Why they seem unable to understand their briefs in UK is beyond me and I am sure that Beck's genuine visit gave 99.99% of the troops a much better feeling. Visits such as those of Hague, Fox and another used to be described as Seagull trips. They fly in, sh*t all over everything and fly out. The new boys are in what I call the Pro Patria party.
They see that death for one's country is a glorious thing. I happen to think that one contributes more by living and doing good deeds over a longer period and wider community. The real waste of lives, money and effort in Afghanistan comes from the petulant response of Afghan personalities and media to a remark made by Fox. the Defence Secretary, diplomatically prefaced his trip to Helmand by remarking: “We are not in Afghanistan for the sake of the education policy in a broken 13th-century country “. At last, a Cabinet Minister willing to tell it like it is. However, Dr Fox’s characterisation of the country was raised at a meeting with President Karzai on Saturday. The President expressed his deep displeasure at the remarks. A senior Afghan government source said "His view appears to be that Afghanistan has not changed since the 13th century and it implies that Afghanistan is a tribal and medieval society. Despite the sacrifices of British soldiers and the massive support of the British Government we do not feel that there is a mutual respect. His remarks show a lack of trust"
Fox had to issue a smoothing explanation but avoided the opportunity to say "Damn right". He was speaking of education and we have all seen just what happens to young girls denied education and women held back. Would that someone would say "If you don't want us her - fine. We will march to the airport tomorrow to the beat of martial music with flags and standards unfurled "
But no. I suspect that Schmid was not the first to be pushed that bit too far and he was certainly not the last.
Given what the Colonel now has to say, I would have had far more respect for him had he gone out with a bomb suit on whilst personally doing something practical to remove the strain instead of most probably putting on his demob suit and forming up in front of some security company's door.
In a television documentary made by Mrs Schmid, Colonel Seddon said that he was now “very concerned” about the toll being taken on his staff.
Then, today, we have the resignation of the officer who led the Unit. Could it be that he has, in those ominous terms, 'reconsidered his position'? Was it the alternative to the locked room, tot of whisky and the Mess revolver scenario? Senior officers who slip up get to retire; senior NCOs who slip up are killed.
The Army is known for getting on with the job without too much public bitching - public because they do little but moan when by themselves. I suppose the Legionnaires on the wall in those desperate winters did the same but remained true on post. Now, it seems that the senior Army staff are quick to address their concerns to the faceless ones and the Ministers but hold back off resignation. Some had more direct ways of dealing with armchair generals but in the case of Oz, death was too quick. Mrs Schmid will say "He told her that he was drained, leading her to believe that extreme fatigue may have played a part in his death.
Reading from his letters and recalling his phone calls home, Mrs Schmid says: “He basically said it was absolutely relentless — that they weren’t getting a break at all and that the amount of IEDs that he was doing, that he was asked to do, was just overwhelming. He was flaking at that point, saying, ‘I do need a break from this. I need to step back because I need to recharge’ and I don’t feel that he necessarily had that time.” Relaxation arising from the fact that it was his last device before leave may well have caused him to miss something or his exhausted state may have undermined all his training and experience. The pitcher went to the well one last time too often.
One would not really treat animals this way without RSPCA or PETA intervening. But, our political bosses have no idea what they are doing to fellow human beings. We have just seen a high-power delegation visit Afghanistan on a fact-finding and meet the troops mission. Why they seem unable to understand their briefs in UK is beyond me and I am sure that Beck's genuine visit gave 99.99% of the troops a much better feeling. Visits such as those of Hague, Fox and another used to be described as Seagull trips. They fly in, sh*t all over everything and fly out. The new boys are in what I call the Pro Patria party.
They see that death for one's country is a glorious thing. I happen to think that one contributes more by living and doing good deeds over a longer period and wider community. The real waste of lives, money and effort in Afghanistan comes from the petulant response of Afghan personalities and media to a remark made by Fox. the Defence Secretary, diplomatically prefaced his trip to Helmand by remarking: “We are not in Afghanistan for the sake of the education policy in a broken 13th-century country “. At last, a Cabinet Minister willing to tell it like it is. However, Dr Fox’s characterisation of the country was raised at a meeting with President Karzai on Saturday. The President expressed his deep displeasure at the remarks. A senior Afghan government source said "His view appears to be that Afghanistan has not changed since the 13th century and it implies that Afghanistan is a tribal and medieval society. Despite the sacrifices of British soldiers and the massive support of the British Government we do not feel that there is a mutual respect. His remarks show a lack of trust"
Fox had to issue a smoothing explanation but avoided the opportunity to say "Damn right". He was speaking of education and we have all seen just what happens to young girls denied education and women held back. Would that someone would say "If you don't want us her - fine. We will march to the airport tomorrow to the beat of martial music with flags and standards unfurled "
But no. I suspect that Schmid was not the first to be pushed that bit too far and he was certainly not the last.
Given what the Colonel now has to say, I would have had far more respect for him had he gone out with a bomb suit on whilst personally doing something practical to remove the strain instead of most probably putting on his demob suit and forming up in front of some security company's door.
Hag unpacks travel bag
The latest sting involving Fergie and access will pander nicely to the anti-Royalists. She as a (disgraced) ex and him as a member of Queen Inc.
His role is neatly defined here:
Fergie - poor cow - was just selling what she saw Andy doing for free. Arranging introductions. Did we not just have another sting where MPs were shown offering the same facility? Andy's costs have attracted much comment - mainly at his life style and travel arrangements but the sale of SarahFork attracted some adverse comment. Ian Davidson, a Labour member of the Commons public accounts committee, questioned whether the prince was blinded by the opportunity to make a windfall profit.
“Possibly the work he does in Kazakhstan is to the benefit of Britain,” said Davidson. “But he has got to avoid giving the impression that he is for sale or at least for rent.”
I am not sure what to think of these NoW stings. We do not know all of the preamble prior to the denouement in the set-up suite. When I read of her offering a handshake with her old mate for £500,000, I get the phrase "There but for the grace of God go I"
I even doubt that this is any form of eclipse. She has had headlines before and moved on. Andy is obviously well protected against any allegation of wrong doing. They seem to have a good relationship when it comes to parental responsibilities towards the daughters of their couplings. Who knows? - he is not referred to as Randy Andy for no reason and she is what she is.
His role is neatly defined here:
Over the past seven years he has become the royal family’s business champion, a role that has required him to travel the globe to help promote UK business and wherever possible to open doors that are not so accessible to othersThe italics are mine but, to me, show that is is presented as a 'man with connections' Reminds me of the Mafia underworld slang - their version of a funny handshake - 'friend of mine: introduction of a third person who is not a member of the Family but who can be vouched for by a Family member'
Fergie - poor cow - was just selling what she saw Andy doing for free. Arranging introductions. Did we not just have another sting where MPs were shown offering the same facility? Andy's costs have attracted much comment - mainly at his life style and travel arrangements but the sale of SarahFork attracted some adverse comment. Ian Davidson, a Labour member of the Commons public accounts committee, questioned whether the prince was blinded by the opportunity to make a windfall profit.
“Possibly the work he does in Kazakhstan is to the benefit of Britain,” said Davidson. “But he has got to avoid giving the impression that he is for sale or at least for rent.”
I am not sure what to think of these NoW stings. We do not know all of the preamble prior to the denouement in the set-up suite. When I read of her offering a handshake with her old mate for £500,000, I get the phrase "There but for the grace of God go I"
I even doubt that this is any form of eclipse. She has had headlines before and moved on. Andy is obviously well protected against any allegation of wrong doing. They seem to have a good relationship when it comes to parental responsibilities towards the daughters of their couplings. Who knows? - he is not referred to as Randy Andy for no reason and she is what she is.
Playing dirty
The saga of the Gulf of Mexico continues. Perhaps this is a real demonstration of a Mexican Stand Off!
POTUS is getting more and more wound up at what he sees as the weakness of BP in dealing with the matter. He does not have any oil background so may lack the sort of approach needed to deal with the 'good ole boys' that Dubya will have learned at his father's knee. I only had about six years with a US oil company operating in the North Sea before someone made me a better offer but even in that time I learned that oil men are a separate breed. They come in two main flavours. The extremely well dressed, suave and polished sort and the rougher version who may have spent his time on the dirty and dangerous task of actually finding and gathering the black stuff. I found a sure way of classifying these colleagues - the man whose heart and soul was oil wore cowboy boots; even with his Savile Row suiting.
The requirement to push technology out to the outer rim of working blind at great depths engendered a spirit that was very much 'Can Do'. The niceties of the law were not of great consequence - if oil was found, one was almost a hero. The sums of money involved were enormous - much of it at high risk of being a total waste or irrecoverable loss. From my second-row seat, it seemed we had two groups. Those who got the oil out of the ground and those who found the money for them and kept a too officious Government at bay.
BP is in a good position right now. The markets are hitting them but that is just a gnat bite. They certainly have not deteriorated as fast as the cowboy banks did. When - and not if - it all comes down to the post mortem they will be in a position to say that they did all they could - who else has the expertise to gainsay them? The remainder of the industry will work on the basis that dog does not eat dog.
Obama is loud in his denunciations and threats - much like a drunk in a police cell. He is described as a lawyer but I seem to find him as a professor of law which is not the same thing when it comes to knowing what will work in a court and what will not fly.
The flood of condemnation and invective around BP is ultimately to their good. When the whole nation is against them, how can there be a fair an unbiased venue for any hearings or for trial should one result. Some of the protestations are so wild and the offered methods of dealing with the problem so Heath Robinson that they will be rich fodder for any BP advocate to thrown at some of the better evidence.
We are now hearing of suggestions that BP may be shoved aside and others invited to have a go. For sure, few who may have the same sort of expertise and equipment as BP will want to accept the chalice with so much dirt around the rim and step into what could turn out to be BP II - The Sequel. That leaves some Government agency that has engineers. The Armed Forces are fully engaged and more besides. This is not a task for the National Guard!
In the meantime, the oil continues to flow. A true example of what is meant by the phrase 24/7. It could be that we are already at the stage where massive loss is guaranteed - the killer lake is out there and is merely waiting for some trick of the wind to see where it desolates first. There is what seems to be a reliable article on the effects of such an oil spill. It contains a dread forecast: Florida's coastal ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to oil. Florida's seagrass beds, mangroves, and coral reefs provide shelter, habitat and breeding grounds for fish, shellfish, bivalves and many other species. If the oil impacts these habitats, not only will the seagrass, mangroves or coral reefs be impacted, but all of the other species that reside or depend on these ecosystems will also be impacted. According to research previously carried out on an oil spill in Panama, it was predicted that although seagrass beds may recover in a period of 1-2 years, mangrove ecosystems may take up to 50 years to recover, and coral reefs may take as long as 100 years or more to fully recover. Marine birds and sea turtles are two other types of marine species that can be heavily impacted by oil spills. So, the outcome is already desperate; it is only a matter of degree now.
Mankind has achieved much since that Big Bang or since crawling out of antediluvian slime - as your religion see it. Moon rockets, the creation of life itself without any of that nasty coupling, arts and sciences but it takes something such as this to realise just what a tiny dot we are in the scheme of things organised by whoever may be in charge of us all. I think God may really be a woman and what we ere seeing is the onset of her menopause. Those who have shared a home with a 'lady of a certain age' will know just how bad that can get.
POTUS is getting more and more wound up at what he sees as the weakness of BP in dealing with the matter. He does not have any oil background so may lack the sort of approach needed to deal with the 'good ole boys' that Dubya will have learned at his father's knee. I only had about six years with a US oil company operating in the North Sea before someone made me a better offer but even in that time I learned that oil men are a separate breed. They come in two main flavours. The extremely well dressed, suave and polished sort and the rougher version who may have spent his time on the dirty and dangerous task of actually finding and gathering the black stuff. I found a sure way of classifying these colleagues - the man whose heart and soul was oil wore cowboy boots; even with his Savile Row suiting.
The requirement to push technology out to the outer rim of working blind at great depths engendered a spirit that was very much 'Can Do'. The niceties of the law were not of great consequence - if oil was found, one was almost a hero. The sums of money involved were enormous - much of it at high risk of being a total waste or irrecoverable loss. From my second-row seat, it seemed we had two groups. Those who got the oil out of the ground and those who found the money for them and kept a too officious Government at bay.
BP is in a good position right now. The markets are hitting them but that is just a gnat bite. They certainly have not deteriorated as fast as the cowboy banks did. When - and not if - it all comes down to the post mortem they will be in a position to say that they did all they could - who else has the expertise to gainsay them? The remainder of the industry will work on the basis that dog does not eat dog.
Obama is loud in his denunciations and threats - much like a drunk in a police cell. He is described as a lawyer but I seem to find him as a professor of law which is not the same thing when it comes to knowing what will work in a court and what will not fly.
The flood of condemnation and invective around BP is ultimately to their good. When the whole nation is against them, how can there be a fair an unbiased venue for any hearings or for trial should one result. Some of the protestations are so wild and the offered methods of dealing with the problem so Heath Robinson that they will be rich fodder for any BP advocate to thrown at some of the better evidence.
We are now hearing of suggestions that BP may be shoved aside and others invited to have a go. For sure, few who may have the same sort of expertise and equipment as BP will want to accept the chalice with so much dirt around the rim and step into what could turn out to be BP II - The Sequel. That leaves some Government agency that has engineers. The Armed Forces are fully engaged and more besides. This is not a task for the National Guard!
In the meantime, the oil continues to flow. A true example of what is meant by the phrase 24/7. It could be that we are already at the stage where massive loss is guaranteed - the killer lake is out there and is merely waiting for some trick of the wind to see where it desolates first. There is what seems to be a reliable article on the effects of such an oil spill. It contains a dread forecast: Florida's coastal ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to oil. Florida's seagrass beds, mangroves, and coral reefs provide shelter, habitat and breeding grounds for fish, shellfish, bivalves and many other species. If the oil impacts these habitats, not only will the seagrass, mangroves or coral reefs be impacted, but all of the other species that reside or depend on these ecosystems will also be impacted. According to research previously carried out on an oil spill in Panama, it was predicted that although seagrass beds may recover in a period of 1-2 years, mangrove ecosystems may take up to 50 years to recover, and coral reefs may take as long as 100 years or more to fully recover. Marine birds and sea turtles are two other types of marine species that can be heavily impacted by oil spills. So, the outcome is already desperate; it is only a matter of degree now.
Mankind has achieved much since that Big Bang or since crawling out of antediluvian slime - as your religion see it. Moon rockets, the creation of life itself without any of that nasty coupling, arts and sciences but it takes something such as this to realise just what a tiny dot we are in the scheme of things organised by whoever may be in charge of us all. I think God may really be a woman and what we ere seeing is the onset of her menopause. Those who have shared a home with a 'lady of a certain age' will know just how bad that can get.
Friday, 21 May 2010
Fighting not fleeing
I had a query the other day where someone asked me whence came my self-description of being an adrenaline junkie. Did I truly love adrenaline or just the statement?
I think I enjoy the results of the increased level of adrenaline. These may be stated as "Helping the fight and flight stimulus by boosting the heart rate, increasing the breathing rate which allows more oxygen uptake for more respiration so that a lot of energy is available when needed. The pupils are dilated so as to improve vision. It also directs most of the blood supply to the skeletal muscles that help us run or fight and restricts blood flow to the gut and skin by constricting blood vessels to these areas (after all, digestion can wait). It also speeds up the conversion of glycogen to glucose in the liver because glucose is the substrate for respiration (producing energy)."
I was at Ashridge Management College and we were being taken through basic psychology and it seems that I tested at a really high level as a Type A personality. Type A individuals can be described as impatient, time-conscious, controlling, concerned about their status, highly competitive, ambitious, business-like, aggressive, having difficulty relaxing; and are sometimes disliked by individuals with Type B personalities for the way that they're always rushing. They are often high-achieving workaholics who multi-task, drive themselves with deadlines, and are unhappy about delays. Limited research sows a high association between Type As and recognised adrenaline or stress junkies. I have no shame in admitting to much of that but it must be said that the validity of Type A or B testing is not fully accepted by the experts.
I have wide fluctuations in blood pressure as well as hypertension. I have been tested at well above the rate when hospital treatment has to be given as a matter of urgency. I enjoy the sensations attributed to raised levels of adrenaline. I know that I sometimes act in a manner which will spark confrontation or put me under stress. It does not bother me but addiction is possibly an overstatement - my life does not revolve around self-imposed stress.
The image at the top of this blog is a re-creation by me of a document that was shown to me back in 72'ish when I was serving in Belfast. A senior officer from the RUC SB brought it to me under conditions of considerable security and secrecy. He explained it had been found in a search following the detention of a well-known IRA gunman. The central number was the officially registered index of a Morris 1800 car used exclusively by me. I worked in plain clothes and the plate was frequently changed for others not registered anywhere, The other numbers on the pad had been used by me in the couple of months before I saw the document. The description (6'3" etc) fitted me. The writing was not that of the gunman; he refused to divulge where he got it or why but the SB guy and I were in little doubt as to what he might have been going do with the information.
From that contact I worked for over 150 hours with no real break other than a daily shower. Hardly any food intake. I wore out four guys assigned to ride shotgun. Working out where the combination of car numbers might have been seen and setting these alongside known contacts of the gunman identified someone. The handwriting of one of them matched that on the note and he was off to Long Kesh.
I attribute my ability to concentrate on a single issue and put in the level of work that I did that week purely to whatever it is in my genes that floods the system with that hormone. I cannot really answer my questioner better than that.
Thursday, 20 May 2010
When two tribes go to war
"Chinese might be willing to handle the Iran issue at the U.N., if the U.S. is willing to handle the sinking of the South Korean ship, the Cheonan, at the regional level without elevating it to the U.N.
South Korea will formally blame North Korea for launching a torpedo that sank the naval ship in March, killing 46 South Korean sailors, The Washington Post reported Tuesday."
This could all get very nasty and intense. Neither Korea is known for their forbearance in blaming the other for just about everything that happens. To then link that situation with the very tetchy matter of Iranian links with countries keen to assist in the matter of uranium could raise the temperature on two fronts.
I've been looking at the published reports and the background to the North torpedo 'conclusion'. Not a lot seems to have surfaced but it might not be so conclusive as we read. Finding a portion of a torpedo with Korean markings would not be difficult. To associate this with the attack is again not conclusive; the South claims they found a match with some explosive on - guess what - a N Korean missile recovered earlier. Seems there was no direct contact of warhead and sunken ship - merely a proximity explosion. This leaves it up to the North explaining that an errant mine was to blame. The South has seeded the waters with mines in the past.
In a contest that will doubtless be won by the most verbose and loudest, the North will win. They have such a firm grip on the hearts and minds of its people and very full censorship that raising the passions in the North would be very easy, Where both sides will have access to nuclear assets, that could be a very dangerous outcome. Another string to my No To Trident bow.
South Korea will formally blame North Korea for launching a torpedo that sank the naval ship in March, killing 46 South Korean sailors, The Washington Post reported Tuesday."
This could all get very nasty and intense. Neither Korea is known for their forbearance in blaming the other for just about everything that happens. To then link that situation with the very tetchy matter of Iranian links with countries keen to assist in the matter of uranium could raise the temperature on two fronts.
I've been looking at the published reports and the background to the North torpedo 'conclusion'. Not a lot seems to have surfaced but it might not be so conclusive as we read. Finding a portion of a torpedo with Korean markings would not be difficult. To associate this with the attack is again not conclusive; the South claims they found a match with some explosive on - guess what - a N Korean missile recovered earlier. Seems there was no direct contact of warhead and sunken ship - merely a proximity explosion. This leaves it up to the North explaining that an errant mine was to blame. The South has seeded the waters with mines in the past.
In a contest that will doubtless be won by the most verbose and loudest, the North will win. They have such a firm grip on the hearts and minds of its people and very full censorship that raising the passions in the North would be very easy, Where both sides will have access to nuclear assets, that could be a very dangerous outcome. Another string to my No To Trident bow.
Closing the curtains
I had a response to my thing about my fading memory - some symptoms of dementia in seniors that make an appearance when the disease first starts:
1 Finding it difficult to remember words to express themselvesBit like those memes that were all the rage a short while back. Seems that my ability to do well in tests has not deserted my - 7 out of 10 isn't bad is it?
2 Getting uncomfortable and disoriented in unfamiliar surroundings
3 Having problems when performing daily tasks like driving, cooking, cleaning or managing money
4 Forgetting the names of friends and family
5 Becoming paranoid and suspicious
6 Placing things and not remember where they kept them
7 Forgetting to keep appointments
8 Unable to learn new information
9 Losing interest in the outside world
10 Change in behaviour -- a withdrawn person can get silly and social while a social person can get withdrawn
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Mad mad mad world My Masters
On the average day, I read about 250 blogs, forum entries and extracts from magazines and papers. Thank the Lord (or curse the Devil if you wish) for RSS and Bloglines for making this possible. Of all that I generally find some 10-12 items really interesting and a further 30 that have something about them as to merit a fuller IT search or hard-copy checking. The remainder consist of what I classify as totally unworthy waste of my electricity and fleeting attention. Difficulty is there is no way of determining in advance just which is guaranteed good stuff and what is unworthy of even being torn into small rectangles and hung on a nail in the servant's quarters lavatory.
Of recent times there has been little difficulty in knowing what to avoid. Almost anything that contains 'Cameron, Nick or Labour is just a waste of time. We have suggestions that we all spend our time volunteering to do good works we find pleasing and someone proclaiming that the ideas and standards developed since the 1832 Reform Act. Why do we need such a massive revision? In round terms we were doing nicely thank you until the madmen took over the asylum some 13 years back. Even there, some of their ideas were well founded; it was the manner of their introduction and implementation that was so wrong.
We had an example of the wide spread of opinions as recently as yesterday when we learned that we have to give sanctuary to foreigners planning terrorism in this country. Why - it was feared they might be harmed if they were returned to their country of origin. In our Newspaper Of Record were two articles - one from a proponent of the attitude that the rights and liberty of the individual are paramount regardless of their personal conduct and a former police officer who points out that we are our own worst enemies.
Former PM Brown tried to justify our continued presence in Afghanistan that this was necessary to deny AQ terrorists a base from which they could again bring death and destruction onto the streets of the UK. The events of 7/7 and the latest terror plotting showed how wrong an idea that was. Sadly, the same excuse is being trotted out by the Tory group of our new Parliament. If one can rise beyond the weird theories that 9/11 was an inside job, that again is an example that terrorists can reside inside their target area. The bomb-making manuals are readily available to anyone with a pc and Internet connection. Our gallant service personnel are held in a latter-day Sodom and Gomorrah in pursuance of this flawed argument.
The Com Res poll found that 77 per cent wanted troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan, while more than half thought that the presence of troops there put British streets at greater risk from terrorism.
But the three main parties fought the general election on programmes which include backing for the NATO mission against the Taliban. Between them, the parties’ general election manifestos run to around 80,000 words – but Afghanistan is mentioned only 19 times between them. Labour’s manifesto included the most mentions, 11, followed by the Conservatives' on five and three for the Liberal Democrats'.
The Don't Deport decision attracted very much less media panic than one might expect of a population engaged in the opposition. They just do not care if they have no relatives or loved ones actually involved. Yet, it is this same population that is expected to surge forward as volunteers for some as yet inchoate initiatives. To set Government aside and set up swathes of New Ideas. If the nation has not risen in rebellion at the sort of things we have sustained, what makes anyone really thing there is any interest in getting involved. For every citizen who wants to organise Grow Your Own on Allotments, there will be one who complains of the smell of the fertiliser. And they will not be able to blame The Government. No one has been able to tell me what the members we elected will be doing whilst we have this National DIY mania.
And wanting something does not mean one gets it. Every time there is a gruesome murder we get calls to bring back hanging. But Government does not have free voting and it will never be brought back, The last public hanging at Tyburn took place in 1783; not so far away from that Reform Act of 1832 that Nick wishes to revisit. I am quite convinced that not so far back, public opinion would have been that hanging was too good for the Cannot Be Deported terrorists. Not so far back, Mussolini's body was quartered and exhibited. Just why should we care what happens to those who had a wish to dish out death and maiming in our country?
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
Bloody indeed
I have been asked to spread the word about the next in a series of books about The Troubled Years in Northern Ireland.
Ken Wharton, author of a 'Long Long War; Voices from the British Army in Northern Ireland, 1969-98' and 'Bullets Bombs and Cups of Tea; Further Voices of the British Army in Northern Ireland' and 'Bloody Belfast; An Oral History of the British Army's War Against the IRA' is now writing his 4th book.
Entitled '1972' it deals with the worst year of the troubles and is again - as an ex-squaddie it could only be so - an oral account of the troubles from the perspective of the British soldier. It will be pro-squaddie and will again seek to bring awareness of our role in NI to the public view. If you have any accounts of 1972 or know of anyone who toured in that year, please contact Ken at ken _wharton @hotmail.com
Anonymity is offered if you prefer not to have your name published.
Civvie mates share a few experiences; Squaddie mates share a lifetime of experiences no civvie could ever dream of.
There are bits of me in the latest book and I can confirm that Ken is meticulous in checking his sources. His books are a realistic mix of reference and history written in an easy to assimilate manner. As one reviewer says
"Ken's books have ensured that the near 40 years of sacrifice,duty and humour that supported generations of British Soldiers will never be forgotten. This was our lives - and for many, still is, every day. Ken has allowed our voices to be heard;and our Fallen friends to be remembered as they should be. Thanks, mate"
Memory freshers
I wrote a few days about my sometimes on sometimes off memory. I was browsing today with my Spotify playlist in the
background w
when this song came on. This was definitely a memory that had stuck.
Just before Christmas 1979 the Libyans set fire to the US Embassy in Tripoli, I was working for Occidental, a US oil company and based in London as the Office Services manager. About 2 am I received a call from my VP who was in America on a Conference. I was told that we were evacuating all the women and children from our Libyan operation and I had the the job of getting them from Tripoli to London ad then dispersing them to their chosen location anywhere but Libya. We had to cater for about 100 souls. The wonderful phrase "Throw money at it John" was uttered.
I hit the phone for the night staff at our travel contractor and told them what was wanted. By the time I had driven to the London office I had a aircraft chartered for the next three days and a block booking at a Gatwick airport hotel for a week. I decamped there with my head travel girl, a large bag of cash - pounds and dollars and no real idea of what was ahead. Our contractor met me there with a couple of his girls and the ticket blanks and endorsing machine.
Initially, the Libyans refused to accept the incoming flight but I was able to suggest what might change their minds. More throwing of money! We had a few spare seats and offered these to people at a US school and a church that did not have our resources. I arranged for a detective officer from the local force to hang about the room where the cashier would be paying out allowances to the incomers. Then off to meet the flight. I had arranged a full hospitality package and nurses on the flight. This, combined with the nearness of Christmas, had engendered a party spirit amongst the 'good ole girls' on the aircraft. More money throwing got us the services of every porter. They whisked us straight past Immigration and we never even saw the Customs Hall as luggage went straight from plane to coach.
We set up next morning to start fixing onward travel but the visitors had the wind under their tails and a majority wanted to hit London after the limited shopping experience of SPLAJ. No problem - we laid on a small fleet of cars and off they went clutching their envelopes with what was meant to be a month's subsistence allowances. Night-time was party time. One of the songs played again and again was the Okie song. It's country so didn't bother me. My crew worked like heroes. I drifted about 'managing' and sustained them with fresh squeezed orange - livened up with prime vodka.
We got down to just a couple of families - some wanted India and other exotic onward journeys. I went to the ticket office so see the end of things. The absolute last woman in was a very tall woman of about 27. I had noticed her much earlier as being very very attractive (I noted such things back then!) The booking girl asked her where she wanted to go? "Muskogee" Knock me down etc.. I insisted on doing that one my very own self. Flight, hotel, car and meeter and greeter telexes.
All that - and more - about the Tripoli Evacuation has passed through my mind as clear and as fresh as if it were just yesterday and not over 30 years back. All from something that lasted less than three minutes. Just as an experiment, I have thought back to the last 'big shop' of 12 days back. Yes - I remember we did it and had lunch out. More? Hardly anything. It is just so damned annoying but - overall - I am glad that I could do a Sam Tyler. There are a lot of things in my past life I would wish to forget or otherwise evade but it seems this is denied me. I still cannot talk to black Labrador dogs.
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