Yank in London
"We have it in our power to begin the world over again"
Tom Paine - Common Sense
"A republic, sir, if you can keep it."
Benjamin Franklin
"War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!"
Norman Whitfield / Barrett Strong
occasional musings on politics, culture and life in general from an american in exile
"We have it in our power to begin the world over again"
"A republic, sir, if you can keep it."
"War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!"
30 December 2006
Saddam carries Qur'an to execution...
...and Dennis Prager demands that the former Iraqi tyrant be resurrected and re-executed, this time carrying a bible. Prager claims that presence of Islamic holy text demeans the Christian aspects of death by hanging and says ritual as conducted was anti-American.
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Does anyone know where Rod Hull was on Wednesday?
(Yes. I know he's dead")
Nonetheless he is my prime suspect in this crime that was committed in Lancashire. I mean, who else would want an emu anyway?
¶ 14:06:00 0 comments
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Nonetheless he is my prime suspect in this crime that was committed in Lancashire. I mean, who else would want an emu anyway?
Bush wish list
Andy Borowitz shares with us his conception of the Decider's (TM) New Year's resolutions:
¶ 13:57:00 0 comments links to this post“I resolve to pay close attention to the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group’s report, as soon as it comes out on a books-on-tape version.”
“I resolve to make sure that by the end of 2007, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki gets to spend more time with his family.”
“I resolve to tell John Kerry that I thought his joke was hilarious and he should keep ’em coming.”
“I resolve to learn how to use the Internets, especially the Google.”
There's more...
When in Rome
It doesn't happen very often so I think it only proper to note that, for today at least, the Vatican and I are as one.
I also agree with the Church of England.
¶ 13:43:00 0 comments
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I also agree with the Church of England.
George's hard day at the office
I love the first line of this Yahoo News story about the Decider’s (TM) Herculean effort to devise a solution to the outright debacle that is Iraq.
”President Bush worked nearly three hours at his Texas ranch on Thursday to design a new U.S. policy in Iraq, then emerged to say that he and his advisers need more time to craft the plan he'll announce in the new year.” (Emphasis mine.)
Well George, even though it’s Xmas time and all, you might try putting in a full half day and perhaps you might be able to come up with at least one cogent idea!
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As the New Year approaches...
...listen to a voice from Iraq.
"You know your country is in trouble when:Read the rest here. ¶ 11:54:00 0 comments links to this post
The UN has to open a special branch just to keep track of the chaos and bloodshed, UNAMI.
Abovementioned branch cannot be run from your country.
The politicians who worked to put your country in this sorry state can no longer be found inside of, or anywhere near, its borders.
The only thing the US and Iran can agree about is the deteriorating state of your nation.
An 8-year war and 13-year blockade are looking like the country's 'Golden Years'.
Your country is purportedly 'selling' 2 million barrels of oil a day, but you are standing in line for 4 hours for black market gasoline for the generator.
For every 5 hours of no electricity, you get one hour of public electricity and then the government announces it's going to cut back on providing that hour.
Politicians who supported the war spend tv time debating whether it is 'sectarian bloodshed' or 'civil war'.
People consider themselves lucky if they can actually identify the corpse of the relative that's been missing for two weeks."
Those artsy fartsy Geordies!
Residents of which British city, on a per capita basis, are the most likely to visit an art gallery or a museum, go to the theatre or just be generally cultured and arty?
Bath? Nope.
Oxford? Nope.
Cambridge? Nope.
Edinburgh? Nope.
Cosmopolitain London? Nope.
Try Newcastle!. "Ya not taakin shite, man!"
¶ 11:42:00 0 comments
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Bath? Nope.
Oxford? Nope.
Cambridge? Nope.
Edinburgh? Nope.
Cosmopolitain London? Nope.
Try Newcastle!. "Ya not taakin shite, man!"
1 I = 28.7 P (where I = "Israeli" and P = "Palestinian")
Palestinian deaths at the hands of Israelis in 2006 have tripled year on year according to Israeli human rights group, B'Tselem. 660 Palestinians have been killed by the IDF so far this year with about half not taking part in hostilities at the time of their death. One hundred and forty one of the dead Palestinians were minors (aka children). Twenty three Israelis, including one minor (child).
More information is available here.
¶ 11:25:00 0 comments
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More information is available here.
"Barney, we're not in Texas anymore"
When there were reports yesterday of a hurricane headed for Crawford, TX yesterday the Decider (TM) and the missus were driven to a tornado shelter where they cowered outside in an armoured car until the wrath of God, er, storm passed.
Stories that vice-Decider Dick Cheney was moved to an undisclosed location during this faux crisis have not be confirmed.
¶ 11:09:00 0 comments
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Stories that vice-Decider Dick Cheney was moved to an undisclosed location during this faux crisis have not be confirmed.
Topsy turvy world
The Tories continue their journey into uncharted territory after hailing Page 3 girl, Keeley Hazell, as an environmental hero. Her contribution to the cause? Painting herself green and getting her kit off.
Note: despite the fact that she hails from Bromley I've never seen her on the High Street, green, undressed or otherwise.
¶ 11:04:00 0 comments
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Note: despite the fact that she hails from Bromley I've never seen her on the High Street, green, undressed or otherwise.
It could be a tragedy
I imagine that Tony Blair is ruing the day his BA pilot overran the runway in Miami thereby allowing the world to find out that he is holidaying at the home of Bee Gee Robin Gibb. Two MPs, one Liberal Democrat and one Tory, are to ask the parliamentary standards commissioner to investigate whether the holiday has violated the rules of parliament. Even if he did pay full whack where did he raise the estimated £50,000? I mean he only makes £187,000 and after taxes....
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"A thug who used terror and war to stay in power"
The above is the headline to an article in the Guardian today. Imagine my surprise to find that it is about Saddam Hussein and not George W. Bush.
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Saddam dead
With George Bush's record as executioner par excellence continues this morning with the news that Saddam Hussein was hanged at dawn this morning in Baghdad. I wonder if the Decider (TM) got an erection.
He was, undoubtedly, an evil man but killing him was not the answer although I suspect that there are those in the American government (and others) that are relieved that he has taken many embarrassing secrets with him to his grave.
¶ 10:35:00 0 comments
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He was, undoubtedly, an evil man but killing him was not the answer although I suspect that there are those in the American government (and others) that are relieved that he has taken many embarrassing secrets with him to his grave.
"Arise Sir Dodgy"
This year's New Year's Honours List is notably short on political party financiers for rather obvious reasons. There's not much of interest really with the exception of Rod Stewart's CBE for servicing women half his age (or less); the 11th in line for the British throne, Zara Phillips, gets an MBE for services to jodhpurs; best of all John Scarlett, the head of MI6 and famed proponent of the "dodgy dossier" on Iraq, receives a knighthood for services to mendacity.
For the terminally bored or enthusiastically royalist the full list (PDF) is available here.
¶ 10:26:00 0 comments
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For the terminally bored or enthusiastically royalist the full list (PDF) is available here.
29 December 2006
"Do you want ice in your Coke?"
A sixty six square kilometre chunk has broken off of the Arctic ice shelf at Ellemere Island Canada. The force of the break was so great that earthquake monitors 250 kilometres away detected it.
A White House spokesperson, speaking off the record said:
A White House spokesperson, speaking off the record said:
¶ 17:14:00 0 comments links to this post"Hey. Ice breaks off in my freezer all the time. It doesn't mean that my freezer is any warmer though, does it?"
A hero for our time
Meet Stephen Henderson. He has already served two tours of duty in the Army as a Sergeant in Afghanistan and was honourably discharged twenty months ago. Two weeks before Christmas Henderson, who is enrolled at Northern Illinois University and whose father is waiting for a liver transplant, received a letter from the Army ordering him to report for active duty by 14 January so that he may serve for a period "not to exceed 545 days" in Iraq.
His reaction? Hell no. I won't go.
As yet there has still been no sighting of the Bush twins in uniform.
¶ 16:51:00 0 comments
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His reaction? Hell no. I won't go.
As yet there has still been no sighting of the Bush twins in uniform.
Meanwhile back in the Theatre of the Absurd...
...the Busheviks push science just a wee bit further to the side by refusing to allow National Park employees from giving an estimate of the canyon's age to visitors. It is possible that they are allowed to say something to the effect of
"Golly I don't know. It looks pretty old to me though."
Ostensibly this prohibition is to "to avoid offending religious fundamentalists". Keeping this is mind I feel that we should report the office National Park Service Grand Canyon website to higher authorities as it tramples on the sensitivities of our fundamentalist brethren and by telling us that "geologic formations such as gneiss and schist found at the bottom of the Canyon date back 1,800 million years".
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"Now where's that bloody opera house?"
German insurance salesman (well he’s a trainee anyway) Tobias Gutt has a wee problem with spelling. If you ask him for life insurance you’re likely to end up with wife insurance.
With the best of intentions he set out to book himself a holiday to visit his girlfriend who is living in Sydney Australia. Beaches, opera house, beaches, beer. Unfortunately when he went to book his plane tickets on the internet he misspelt “Sydney” as “Sidney” and he ended up in Montana instead.
No opera house. No Harbour Bridge. No bloody harbour! Oh, and it's fucking freezing!
I'm guessing that he won't make this mistake again anytime soon.
¶ 16:27:00 0 comments
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With the best of intentions he set out to book himself a holiday to visit his girlfriend who is living in Sydney Australia. Beaches, opera house, beaches, beer. Unfortunately when he went to book his plane tickets on the internet he misspelt “Sydney” as “Sidney” and he ended up in Montana instead.
No opera house. No Harbour Bridge. No bloody harbour! Oh, and it's fucking freezing!
I'm guessing that he won't make this mistake again anytime soon.
Imperial Liechtenstein
Watch out America! Liechtenstein may be small today but it's growing! It can only be a matter of time before they take on the mantle of the world's only superpower.
Not a minute too soon in my estimation. I mean is there any reason to suspect that Ottmar Hasler would be capable of fucking things up more than GW has?
¶ 15:58:00 0 comments
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Not a minute too soon in my estimation. I mean is there any reason to suspect that Ottmar Hasler would be capable of fucking things up more than GW has?
Hillary Clinton: Doyen of the centre right
I am always amused to hear right wing American commentators like O'Reilly and his ilk describe someone like John Kerry or Hillary Clinton as "hard" or "far" left. By the standards that apply in the rest of the world there are few, and certainly no one prominent, in American politics who would qualify as left of centre at all.
Le Figaro explains. (An English translation is to be found here.)
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Le Figaro explains. (An English translation is to be found here.)
"Haben Vater, Sie Rover gesehen?"
"I don't know how to break this to you Gertrude but I think your father has a wee drinking problem."
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Odd goings on in Red America
I thought that Republicans were supposed to be decent, law abiding, God fearing and monogamous people. You won't find a much more Republican state than Nebraska (it went for Bush over Kerry by more than 2-1 in 2004).
Surely behaviour such as this shouldn't be expected in such a moral climate.
¶ 15:18:00 0 comments
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Surely behaviour such as this shouldn't be expected in such a moral climate.
George Bush - villain of the year!
He has already been named as the "Worst President Ever" but he fancies himself to be "The Decider" (TM).
Now according to an AP poll George W. Bush is both the villain and the hero of the year for 2006 although he garnered only 13% to win the later competition even though he managed 25% in the former. Perhaps most worrisome for the lame duck President who obviously has one eye on his "legacy" in the listing of good role models he came in behind Katie Holmes and tied with Mel Gibson.
¶ 14:56:00 0 comments
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Now according to an AP poll George W. Bush is both the villain and the hero of the year for 2006 although he garnered only 13% to win the later competition even though he managed 25% in the former. Perhaps most worrisome for the lame duck President who obviously has one eye on his "legacy" in the listing of good role models he came in behind Katie Holmes and tied with Mel Gibson.
A taste of the future
The Karimojong tribe of Uganda are nomadic herders who raise cattle and this time of year is particularly trying for them. It is the dry season in their homeland and resources such as grass on which their herds may graze and water are in short supply. This year the competition for these scarce resources has led them into conflict with the Ugandan army. At least forty people have died so far this year and the dry season will continue into February of next year.
As arid regions suffer from increased drought and desertification armed conflicts over grazing rights and water are sure to increase throughout the globe.
So the next time that you are pumping petrol into the SUV take time to think of those who suffer to support your profligate lifestyle.
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As arid regions suffer from increased drought and desertification armed conflicts over grazing rights and water are sure to increase throughout the globe.
So the next time that you are pumping petrol into the SUV take time to think of those who suffer to support your profligate lifestyle.
Mourning, Texas-style
Is there any precedent for a sitting American President not attending the state funeral of a former President? The Decider (TM) has decided to give the Washington services a miss presumably so he can stay at his country estate in Crawford TX and clear brush.
Is he that pissed off over Ford's statement that the invasion of Iraq was "a mistake"?
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Is he that pissed off over Ford's statement that the invasion of Iraq was "a mistake"?
"If we haven't got enough bodies we'll recycle the old ones!"
The news that the American government is asking for authorisation to return reserve and National Guard soldiers to Iraq after they have already served the maximum time allowed by Pentagon regulations is incredibly disturbing. These are people who have served their country well and beyond the call of duty and yet this evil man still doesn’t believe that he has received his pound of flesh.
Meanwhile the progeny of "the Decider" (TM) continue to serve their Daddy's country in their own way.
¶ 12:29:00 0 comments
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Meanwhile the progeny of "the Decider" (TM) continue to serve their Daddy's country in their own way.
Guns don't kill people....
...er, well, maybe they do.
It is (not) good to see that my old home town, Philly, ranks highly in something at least.
¶ 12:26:00 0 comments
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It is (not) good to see that my old home town, Philly, ranks highly in something at least.
Is this kosher?
How long after religious right groups decide that they have a religious objection to eating cloned meat and drinking cloned milk will the USDA reverse its preliminary decisionto allow the sale of meat and milk from cloned animals without any labelling requirement?
One month? One week? One day? One hour?
¶ 12:20:00 0 comments
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One month? One week? One day? One hour?
Coming soon - "GPS for Peace"
The "road map" for peace is clearly dead. I wonder what will replace it.
In the meantime Israel believes that it is acceptable to prevent international aid or other funds that would be used to pay government workers wages from reaching Palestinian territory. The US apparently concurs.
Israel also believes that it is acceptable to arm one side in what would seem to be an impending Palestinian civil war. Again the US seems to agree.
¶ 12:11:00 0 comments
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In the meantime Israel believes that it is acceptable to prevent international aid or other funds that would be used to pay government workers wages from reaching Palestinian territory. The US apparently concurs.
Israel also believes that it is acceptable to arm one side in what would seem to be an impending Palestinian civil war. Again the US seems to agree.
American hypocrisy
Lest we forget, the American government is still working behind the scenes to protect admitted terrorist Luis Posada Carriles. The US is resisting extradition of Posada to either Venezuela, with which it has an extradition treaty and therefore an obligation to comply as Posada is a dual Venezuelan / Cuban national, or Cuba. The government is even considering a request for US citizenship.
Should the government fail to extradite Posada or, in lieu of that, put him into indefinite custody (Guantánamo Bay would be the perfect, if ironic, choice) it will prove conclusively that "war on terra" is indeed just an illegitimate exercise in noveau imperialism.
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Should the government fail to extradite Posada or, in lieu of that, put him into indefinite custody (Guantánamo Bay would be the perfect, if ironic, choice) it will prove conclusively that "war on terra" is indeed just an illegitimate exercise in noveau imperialism.
American science falls behind
The Guardian today features an article describing the absurd situations created in American research facilities, at least those with significant private funding, by the Bush administration's gift to the religious right in the form of the effective ban on human stem cell research.
Communications between different projects in the same facility is restricted or barred. Equipment is ring fenced so that it may not be used by stem cell projects. It's a wonder that the scientists are allowed to talk to each other at lunch; maybe they don't.
¶ 11:41:00 0 comments
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Communications between different projects in the same facility is restricted or barred. Equipment is ring fenced so that it may not be used by stem cell projects. It's a wonder that the scientists are allowed to talk to each other at lunch; maybe they don't.
Did Jane Jetson have a pair of these?
It is possible that I might be convinced to do the Hoovering more often if I could get my hands on a pair of these. Unfortunately the product is still a few years away from the marketplace but I don't see why I shouldn't let the cleaning wait until then!
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Tony's quiet winter break goes tits up
Tony Blair tried to slip off for a quiet holiday break and it almost worked until his plane overshot the runway whilst landing at Miami.
Once the press found out where he was it was a small matter to find out where he was staying. Lo and behold it turns out he was putting up in the lavish waterfront mansion of Bee Gee Robin Gibb.
It all seems innocent enough until one finds out that Gibb is one of those most active and outspoken in opposition to the government's plans to restrict copyrights.
Downing Street insists that the home has been paid for in a private commercial arrangement. Similar waterfront properties in Miami rent for from £10,000 to £40,000 a week. I hope that Cherie's practice is booming because the PM certainly doesn't make that kind of dosh!
¶ 11:17:00 0 comments
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Once the press found out where he was it was a small matter to find out where he was staying. Lo and behold it turns out he was putting up in the lavish waterfront mansion of Bee Gee Robin Gibb.
It all seems innocent enough until one finds out that Gibb is one of those most active and outspoken in opposition to the government's plans to restrict copyrights.
Downing Street insists that the home has been paid for in a private commercial arrangement. Similar waterfront properties in Miami rent for from £10,000 to £40,000 a week. I hope that Cherie's practice is booming because the PM certainly doesn't make that kind of dosh!
28 December 2006
I can hardly wait!
The Decider (TM) is poised to make a statement about Iraq after meeting with his "senior advisers" at his "ranch" in Crawford Texas. Undoubtedly he will tell us how boldly he is ignoring the advice of the experts and doing what he wants thereby proving what a bold and intelligent leader he is.
(Why do they call his place in Crawford a ranch anyway? If it was in New York or Virginia it would simply be "a country estate".)
¶ 16:59:00 0 comments
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(Why do they call his place in Crawford a ranch anyway? If it was in New York or Virginia it would simply be "a country estate".)
"You wanna know what about what?"
Via TPM Muckraker the ever expanding list of the things that you wanted to know and the Bush administration was afraid you would ask about.
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DIY at Xmas a very, very bad idea
Especially if you don't know what you're doing. Especially if your proposed remedy to your household problem involves the use of fire.
"I would have left it alone” said Charles "Junior" Woodland after burning down much of his house attempting to thaw out the pipes with a propane torch.
¶ 15:35:00 0 comments
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"I would have left it alone” said Charles "Junior" Woodland after burning down much of his house attempting to thaw out the pipes with a propane torch.
"That steak was great. I'll have another JUST LIKE IT!"
If you live in the US you are already exposed, without your knowledge, to genetically modified (GM) foods on a daily basis (unless you eat organic) so I guess there's not much room for argument about the pluses and minuses of allowing cloned food without any labelling.
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"Onward Christian Soldiers"
Meet US Congressman Robin Hayes (R - NC). He has a better idea for solving the problems in Iraq. He seems to think that conversion to Christianity ought to do it. After all Christian countries such as the US of A are bastions of peace and tolerance. Just ask Keith Ellison.
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Is the surname just a coincidence?
His name is Joshua Bush and he's from Texas. He's seventeen years old and is the prime suspect in a robbery and murder attempt. He has been issued with a search warrant for evidence that is in his possession.
The evidence? A 9mm bullet. Where is the young Mr. Bush hiding this evidence? In his head.
His lawyer is opposing the execution of the search warrant on the grounds of the right to privacy.
¶ 15:05:00 0 comments
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The evidence? A 9mm bullet. Where is the young Mr. Bush hiding this evidence? In his head.
His lawyer is opposing the execution of the search warrant on the grounds of the right to privacy.
Feeling safer yet?
A container of enriched uranium has been stolen in India and is still missing after three weeks. Neither the degree of enrichment of the ore nor the amount contained in the device has been released by the authorities although they indicated that its radiation "could have an adverse effect in an area of 1.5 kilometres".
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"They were here just a minute ago"
I am certainly worse than most in terms of misplacing my keys and probably spend a good two hours a week, sometimes more, searching for them only to find that I've discovered a completely new and unheard of place to leave them.
A man in Berlin has outdone even me after having to be rescued from a drain after falling in whilst searching for his car keys.
Well done mate!
¶ 14:48:00 0 comments
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A man in Berlin has outdone even me after having to be rescued from a drain after falling in whilst searching for his car keys.
Well done mate!
First - losing the "war on terra"
Now - losing the "war on drugs".
What's next I wonder? ¶ 14:42:00 0 comments links to this post
What's next I wonder? ¶ 14:42:00 0 comments links to this post
Skiving off in grand style
A young German woman from Straubing in Bavaria who couldn't face up to the pre-Xmas rush at the fast food outlet where she worked sent a text message to her parents saying that she had been kidnapped.
Theoretically this was a valid excuse for not turning up to work but, as it wasn't true, she spent Xmas being grilled by the police and now faces a thousand Euro fine.
¶ 14:34:00 0 comments
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Theoretically this was a valid excuse for not turning up to work but, as it wasn't true, she spent Xmas being grilled by the police and now faces a thousand Euro fine.
What's a little detour amongst friends?
Israeli spin doctors will undoubtedly be in high gear as they strive to explain away their government's decision to build a new settlement in Gaza despite a fairly unequivocal pledge not to do so as part of the "roadmap to peace".
It would seem that the blasting required to lay the foundations is scheduled to begin at any moment.
¶ 14:05:00 0 comments
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It would seem that the blasting required to lay the foundations is scheduled to begin at any moment.
Bush seeks counsel
We've all watched NYPD Blue haven't we? So we are all familiar with the term "lawyering up" and that is precisely whatthe Decider (TM) appears to be doing as he gets ready for a Congress that might actually have a minor interest in pursuing its constitutional mandate to oversee the executive branch.
I, for one, can't wait.
¶ 12:21:00 0 comments
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I, for one, can't wait.
Watching you watching me
The US government has few, if any, qualms over keeping an eye on their citizens, legally or otherwise. It seems, however, that they have a completely different attitude when it comes to others keeping an eye on them with those charged with independent reviews and audits of government departments, the Inspectors General, coming under increased and unprecedented political attack.
Is anyone at all surprised?
¶ 12:07:00 0 comments
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Is anyone at all surprised?
Get your fizz from champagne
Give up Coke for Xmas. No. Not the Colombian kind. The Atlanta kind. If you drink lots of fizzy drinks, especially those with sugar, you might be better off with a fag.
Think about it.
¶ 12:01:00 0 comments
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Think about it.
From beyond the grave
Gerald Ford turns on Bush. Too bad George. I still don't think you'll be able to skip the funeral.
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Lohachara - first among many
The island of Lohachara in the Bay of Bengal may not long be remembered but it is, it seems, the first inhabited island to succumb to global warming and disappear. Once the home to around 10,000 inhabitants it has now vanished from the scene. In the area, where the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers form their deltas up to 70,000 people are already refugees from rising sea levels. 17 million people in Bangladesh alone live less than one metre above sea level.
It is not just the Indian subcontinent that is at risk either. Heavily populated areas of Florida and the coast of the Gulf of Mexico are also under threat. This is clearly not the time to buy a shore house.
¶ 10:59:00 0 comments
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It is not just the Indian subcontinent that is at risk either. Heavily populated areas of Florida and the coast of the Gulf of Mexico are also under threat. This is clearly not the time to buy a shore house.
Spanish prayers
Should Muslims be allowed to pray in the Cathedral at Córdoba (Spain) which was once a mosque and which still contains a mihrab or prayer niche facing Mecca? Any Muslim who stops or bows to pray at the mihrab is generally asked to move on, to make way for tourists with video cameras, by the security guards.
Spanish Muslims have asked the Pope to intervene and allow Muslim worship at the World Heritage Site.
¶ 10:28:00 0 comments
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Spanish Muslims have asked the Pope to intervene and allow Muslim worship at the World Heritage Site.
Bush goes green!
Perhaps more accurately it should be said that Bush goes white as the US Fish and Wildlife Service moves to add the polar bear to the list of endangered species. The move is likely to force the American administration to acknowledge and act on global warming.
I wonder what has changed their minds as they usually ignore any scientific advice with which they don't agree especially on environmental matters. Perhaps Dick Cheney heard that they made for good hunting and no one told him that you couldn't just go to a farm in Texas where they released them in front of you and you could call it hunting!
¶ 10:17:00 0 comments
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I wonder what has changed their minds as they usually ignore any scientific advice with which they don't agree especially on environmental matters. Perhaps Dick Cheney heard that they made for good hunting and no one told him that you couldn't just go to a farm in Texas where they released them in front of you and you could call it hunting!
Breakfast grudge match
In the red corner we have the Food Standards Agency of Britain's New Labour government.
In the black corner we have the lobbyists, the assembled scientific experts and the advertising might of the prepared foods industry led out of Battle Creek, MI by the industry behemoth Kellogg’s.
Who will win in the battle of the food labelling? The smart money ain't on the government!
¶ 10:10:00 0 comments
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In the black corner we have the lobbyists, the assembled scientific experts and the advertising might of the prepared foods industry led out of Battle Creek, MI by the industry behemoth Kellogg’s.
Who will win in the battle of the food labelling? The smart money ain't on the government!
Xmas Day exclusive. Bush reads newspaper!
White House says that"if all goes well books will follow" (reg. reqd).
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27 December 2006
On to Guantánamo!
On Xmas day British forces attacked and destroyed an Iraqi jail and police station citing as a reason that prisoners were being tortured there. How far is it to Cuba again?
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Will they become citizens posthumously?
Given the Bush twins refusal to serve their country outside of a barroom the American armed forces are considering several dramatic proposals in order to overcome the shortfall in recruiting for even the existing army let alone the new larger army that the Decider (TM) has decided he needs.
One of these measures would entail the opening of recruiting offices overseas and offers of fast track citizenship to recruits.
I think that soldiers such as these are ordinarily known as mercenaries.
¶ 14:35:00 0 comments
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One of these measures would entail the opening of recruiting offices overseas and offers of fast track citizenship to recruits.
I think that soldiers such as these are ordinarily known as mercenaries.
Am I pond scum?
As if monkeys weren't bad enough is it now possible that we have evolved from scum.
You only have to look around the US Congress to see that, even if it is true, we haven't really progressed all that far.
¶ 14:25:00 0 comments
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You only have to look around the US Congress to see that, even if it is true, we haven't really progressed all that far.
Offing Fidel
Surely there must be a law against publicly calling for the assassination of a foreign leader or, indeed, anyone. I eagerly await the indictment of Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) who has admitted calling for the murder of Fidel Castro.
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Terminated
I am disappointed to learn that after the Governator broke his leg skiing that he had to have Doctors repair the damage rather than fixing it himself.
Would he have ever been elected Governor in the first place if the people of California knew that he wasn merely a steroid abusing Austrian rather than a malevolent android?
¶ 14:09:00 0 comments
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Would he have ever been elected Governor in the first place if the people of California knew that he wasn merely a steroid abusing Austrian rather than a malevolent android?
The MBA administration
Somehow I missed this before Xmas but it seems that, in the interests of running the country like a business, US Secretary of State thinks of the dead, wounded and otherwise damaged American servicemen and women in Iraq as an investment. I wonder what rate of return she is expecting? Perhaps she will issue a prospectus.
As of Xmas day the death count in Iraq has surpassed the number of those who died on 9/11.
It sounds as if we are getting a negative rate of return to me?
¶ 13:57:00 0 comments
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As of Xmas day the death count in Iraq has surpassed the number of those who died on 9/11.
It sounds as if we are getting a negative rate of return to me?
2006 - the year of the fence
It all started with Israel wanting to build a wee fence to separate them from their neighbours.
Then the US decided it wanted in on the act and is considering building building a fence to keep the Hispanic neighbours from crashing the pool parties all the time.
Now Pakistan wants in on the act.
Who's next, I wonder.
¶ 13:50:00 0 comments
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Then the US decided it wanted in on the act and is considering building building a fence to keep the Hispanic neighbours from crashing the pool parties all the time.
Now Pakistan wants in on the act.
Who's next, I wonder.
"I think I have tinitus. The ringing just won't go away."
There's nothing like a nice quiet Xmas interrupted only by the occasional ringing of a church bell. However in Bergen, Norway Vidar Aarhus did think to ring the vicar after the bells kept ringing for five hours.
Said Arvid Andreas Fosse, the local priest:
Said Arvid Andreas Fosse, the local priest:
¶ 13:42:00 0 comments links to this post"They were supposed to ring in Christmas for one hour in the evening. I don't know what went wrong. But I'm surprised nobody called earlier."
Think before you peel
I don't want to catch anyone hoarding onions because it looks like there could be shortage coming.
¶ 13:40:00 0 comments
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Crystalline strokes
Let's face it. Meth is bad for you.
People who don't use it know it.
People who do use it know it and it doesn't stop them. Is it really necessary to do more research into just how bad meth is for you?
¶ 13:35:00 0 comments
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People who don't use it know it.
People who do use it know it and it doesn't stop them. Is it really necessary to do more research into just how bad meth is for you?
The hardest working man in show business
James Brown - 1933 - 2006
R.I.P
¶ 13:30:00 0 comments links to this post
R.I.P
¶ 13:30:00 0 comments links to this post
24 December 2006
Happy Christmas everybody!
I will shortly be off to the Kentish countryside to spend Christmas with friends and their two year old sons. (No - they're NOT TWINS - you work it out!) There will result in a short break from blogging. I should be back Boxing Day or the day after. Have a happy Xmas and try and drink just enough and then a bit.
In the meantime I leave you with a short clip from my favourite anti-carol.
A longer version may be found here.
(Remember Kirsty in your prayers.)
¶ 14:42:00 0 comments
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In the meantime I leave you with a short clip from my favourite anti-carol.
A longer version may be found here.
(Remember Kirsty in your prayers.)
23 December 2006
Back in the USSR
The NY Times publishes the Op-Ed piece by Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann as redacted by the White House.
I feel a Siberian chill coming on. ¶ 16:21:00 0 comments links to this post
I feel a Siberian chill coming on. ¶ 16:21:00 0 comments links to this post
You're in no hands with Allstate
The second largest insurer in the states, Allstate Insurance, is slowly moving its business away from the coasts. It is alleged to be concerned about the risks associated with global warming.
Don't they listen to our leader? Don't they know that it is a loony, far left conspiracy?
¶ 16:14:00 0 comments
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Don't they listen to our leader? Don't they know that it is a loony, far left conspiracy?
The innocence of youth
Overhead this afternoon on Bromley High Street; a 10 year old kid fighting his way through the frenzied crowds asks his mum "why is it so crowded?".
¶ 16:07:00 0 comments
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Interesting...
Did the French twice have an opportunity to kill Osama Bin Laden only to fail to get approval to fire from the US*? Who knows?
The Americans are denying it. This could be because it is untrue or because it is true and they don't want to admit that the intelligence services are still a shambles.
The French are denying it. This could be because it is untrue or because it is true and they don't want to admit that they were taking orders from the Yanks.
*Note to wingnuts - both occurrences allegedly happened in the last 3 years so it is on Bush's watch rather than Clinton's.
¶ 15:39:00 0 comments
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The Americans are denying it. This could be because it is untrue or because it is true and they don't want to admit that the intelligence services are still a shambles.
The French are denying it. This could be because it is untrue or because it is true and they don't want to admit that they were taking orders from the Yanks.
*Note to wingnuts - both occurrences allegedly happened in the last 3 years so it is on Bush's watch rather than Clinton's.