Friday, September 30, 2005
Walter Wolfgang Speaks.
The 82 year old man thrown out of the Labour Party conference earlier this week talks about the Iraq war, the government and Tony Blair, and the lies told about about the war.
Indeed, the Labour leaders have got so nervous of criticism that when I shouted the single word "nonsense"- when the Foreign Secretary sought to paper over the issue with smooth words - party officials sent the bouncers in. Even one word of criticism, it seems, was too much.
Walter Wolfgang puts our politicians to shame, not only with what he has to say, but because of what he has stood for and gone through in his life.
Indeed, the Labour leaders have got so nervous of criticism that when I shouted the single word "nonsense"- when the Foreign Secretary sought to paper over the issue with smooth words - party officials sent the bouncers in. Even one word of criticism, it seems, was too much.
Walter Wolfgang puts our politicians to shame, not only with what he has to say, but because of what he has stood for and gone through in his life.
The Clockwork Laptop.
Wind it up and access the world.
Is this not just the best idea ever?
Apart from enabling poor kids, the wind-up computer will have open source software, which might dent the dominance of Microsoft in the future.
And that can only be good for everyone.
Is this not just the best idea ever?
Apart from enabling poor kids, the wind-up computer will have open source software, which might dent the dominance of Microsoft in the future.
And that can only be good for everyone.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Vucaj Family From Glasgow Deported.
The Kosovar Vucaj family who lived in Glasgow for five years before being dragged from their beds by Home Office officials in a dawn raid and removed to Yarlswood Detention Centre in England, were again taken from their beds at 4am this morning and DEPORTED with little more than the clothes they stood up in.
Members of Positive Action in Housing said they were heartbroken for them.
So am I.
And filled with revulsion at this "New Labour" government North and South of the border.
Robina Qureshi, Director of PAIH, said:
"At 4.21 am this morning, I was woken in the night,13 year old Saida Vucaj phoned me weeping and exhausted. She said they woke her and her family and told them to get dressed because they are taking her and her family back to ‘our country’ - and then the line went dead. I called back but the very friendly switchboard person told me he could not put me through until after seven am. ‘But they will be gone by then, please put me through’ I said. Sorry, he said, no can do. Phone after seven pm. Now I’m the one who is upset. Worse than that I’m a fool because I believed that someone somewhere in a position of power would be able to help this family who have been Glasgow residents for five years, law abiding and honest. I was fool enough to think that children and photographs and lobbying and a visit to the first minister only seven days ago might change hearts, might win some form of reprieve. Instead, the family are being woken at dawn – yet again, so nothing’s changed there - and being ‘sent back’ to Kosovo or Albania taking with them the clothes on their back and their Glasgow accents. I am disgusted by this calculated, unremitting barbarity known as the UK asylum & immigration policy. I feel ashamed of this country, that shame knows no depths, this calculated, unremitting barbarism that has broken that little girl’s heart will haunt this country for generations to come. I cannot express enough how disgusted and heartbroken I am for Saida Vucaj and her family, and all the other families waiting years and years and then suddenly picked up Nazi style to be deported. Disgusted."
Members of Positive Action in Housing said they were heartbroken for them.
So am I.
And filled with revulsion at this "New Labour" government North and South of the border.
Robina Qureshi, Director of PAIH, said:
"At 4.21 am this morning, I was woken in the night,13 year old Saida Vucaj phoned me weeping and exhausted. She said they woke her and her family and told them to get dressed because they are taking her and her family back to ‘our country’ - and then the line went dead. I called back but the very friendly switchboard person told me he could not put me through until after seven am. ‘But they will be gone by then, please put me through’ I said. Sorry, he said, no can do. Phone after seven pm. Now I’m the one who is upset. Worse than that I’m a fool because I believed that someone somewhere in a position of power would be able to help this family who have been Glasgow residents for five years, law abiding and honest. I was fool enough to think that children and photographs and lobbying and a visit to the first minister only seven days ago might change hearts, might win some form of reprieve. Instead, the family are being woken at dawn – yet again, so nothing’s changed there - and being ‘sent back’ to Kosovo or Albania taking with them the clothes on their back and their Glasgow accents. I am disgusted by this calculated, unremitting barbarity known as the UK asylum & immigration policy. I feel ashamed of this country, that shame knows no depths, this calculated, unremitting barbarism that has broken that little girl’s heart will haunt this country for generations to come. I cannot express enough how disgusted and heartbroken I am for Saida Vucaj and her family, and all the other families waiting years and years and then suddenly picked up Nazi style to be deported. Disgusted."
Hockney In Brighton.
Artist David Hockney arrived in Brighton to promote smoking, and spent the day abusing Labour's plans for a ban on puffing in pubs and clubs.
Mr Hockney gazed out of the window at the dilapidated remains of Brighton pier, which he declared "rather beautiful". Then he paused to admire a sleeping guide dog - a labrador rather than the dachsunds he favours in his pictures.
Paradoxically only metres away the Royal National Institute for the Blind was busy handing out research proving that smoking caused blindness.
"It used to be wanking that caused blindness," Mr Hockney said.
He seems to be the only person in Brighton this week with anything interesting to say.
Mr Hockney gazed out of the window at the dilapidated remains of Brighton pier, which he declared "rather beautiful". Then he paused to admire a sleeping guide dog - a labrador rather than the dachsunds he favours in his pictures.
Paradoxically only metres away the Royal National Institute for the Blind was busy handing out research proving that smoking caused blindness.
"It used to be wanking that caused blindness," Mr Hockney said.
He seems to be the only person in Brighton this week with anything interesting to say.
Labour Or Nazi Party Conference In Brighton?
The annual conference of the Labour Party in Brighton descended into something more akin to what might be expected from the Nazi Party, with the disgraceful spectacle of an 82 year old man being manhandled and ejected from the conference hall during a speech by Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.
Walter Wolfgang, a Labour Party member for 57 years, escaped Nazi Germany in 1937. They caught up with him in Brighton in 2005 after he heckled Straw during his speech. After taking him from the hall, police detained him for a short time using, wait for it....... powers under the Terrorism Act!
Same day - same place, and Austin Mitchell, Member of Parliament for Great Grimsby was taking photographs of queues outside the conference centre. Stewards called the police, and his pictures were deleted.
Heil New Labour.
Walter Wolfgang, a Labour Party member for 57 years, escaped Nazi Germany in 1937. They caught up with him in Brighton in 2005 after he heckled Straw during his speech. After taking him from the hall, police detained him for a short time using, wait for it....... powers under the Terrorism Act!
Same day - same place, and Austin Mitchell, Member of Parliament for Great Grimsby was taking photographs of queues outside the conference centre. Stewards called the police, and his pictures were deleted.
Heil New Labour.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Michael Brown Blames Local Officials.
Former FEMA director Michael Brown doesn't appear to have had much success with his efforts to shift blame for the Katrina response when he appeared before a House panel.
"I'm happy you left," said Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn. "That kind of look in the lights like a deer tells me you weren't capable of doing that job."
In Baton Rouge, La., Blanco's press secretary, Denise Bottcher, ridiculed Brown's line of attack. "Mike Brown wasn't engaged then, and he surely isn't now. He should have been watching CNN instead of the Disney Channel."
"I'm happy you left," said Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn. "That kind of look in the lights like a deer tells me you weren't capable of doing that job."
In Baton Rouge, La., Blanco's press secretary, Denise Bottcher, ridiculed Brown's line of attack. "Mike Brown wasn't engaged then, and he surely isn't now. He should have been watching CNN instead of the Disney Channel."
A Baby Is Not A Pigeon.
Oh I don't know. I'm confused as usual.
I was going to rant about political correctness and the, in my opinion, lunatic ideas that spring out of the heads of overpaid public servants, politicians, committees and whoever else is employed in the National Daft Ideas Departments of the United Kingdom.
This was brought on by the news that a hospital in England has banned well-wishers from cooing at babies in the maternity unit to protect the babies' right to privacy and human rights.
Unfortunately, I mentioned this to the Mongrel, and she leapt to the defence of the hospital, saying that a mother in a maternity unit is there to bring up a baby, not a bloody pigeon.
Sorry I mentioned it dear. Can I have my head back now?
Apparently a woman the Mongrel works with coos at every baby who comes in the door, and talks baby talk to them. This drives the Mongrel to distraction and she has to restrain herself from hitting the woman with the nearest heavy object.
So, cooing is out, cooing is bad, cooing is illegal.
I can think of a few extremely choice things the Mongrel has said to her kids over the years when she was pissed off at them, and it was extremely grown up stuff with, I admit, not a coo to be heard. Language that would make a sailor blush and get this blog deleted.
She wouldn't talk to a pigeon like that.......
I was going to rant about political correctness and the, in my opinion, lunatic ideas that spring out of the heads of overpaid public servants, politicians, committees and whoever else is employed in the National Daft Ideas Departments of the United Kingdom.
This was brought on by the news that a hospital in England has banned well-wishers from cooing at babies in the maternity unit to protect the babies' right to privacy and human rights.
Unfortunately, I mentioned this to the Mongrel, and she leapt to the defence of the hospital, saying that a mother in a maternity unit is there to bring up a baby, not a bloody pigeon.
Sorry I mentioned it dear. Can I have my head back now?
Apparently a woman the Mongrel works with coos at every baby who comes in the door, and talks baby talk to them. This drives the Mongrel to distraction and she has to restrain herself from hitting the woman with the nearest heavy object.
So, cooing is out, cooing is bad, cooing is illegal.
I can think of a few extremely choice things the Mongrel has said to her kids over the years when she was pissed off at them, and it was extremely grown up stuff with, I admit, not a coo to be heard. Language that would make a sailor blush and get this blog deleted.
She wouldn't talk to a pigeon like that.......
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Surprise Surprise - Paisley Is Shocked.
If Ian Paisley ever failed to be "shocked" at anything and everything that went on around him it would signify that he was dead.
His "shock" at the decommissioning of IRA weapons is so predictable it is barely worth mentioning.
Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams said :
"His concern is about a process of change and... because he has lived and built a career on frightening people and on crisis."
He went on to say that Paisley would need to be given "a wee bit space."
Correct. For the sake of the eardrums of the population of Ireland, give him an uninhabited island.
His "shock" at the decommissioning of IRA weapons is so predictable it is barely worth mentioning.
Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams said :
"His concern is about a process of change and... because he has lived and built a career on frightening people and on crisis."
He went on to say that Paisley would need to be given "a wee bit space."
Correct. For the sake of the eardrums of the population of Ireland, give him an uninhabited island.
Fell Runner Still Missing.
I commented on Monday about a fell runner who was missing in the Cuillin Mountains on the Isle of Skye since going for a run on Saturday.
The search had to suspended yesterday because of concerns for the safety of the mountain rescue teams. Weather in the West Highlands were grim on Monday and overnight, and today hasn't been much better.
By late today the man had still not been found.
The search had to suspended yesterday because of concerns for the safety of the mountain rescue teams. Weather in the West Highlands were grim on Monday and overnight, and today hasn't been much better.
By late today the man had still not been found.
Cindy Sheehan & The Cop.
Cindy Sheehan has been arrested at an anti-war demonstration outside the White House.
I have been meaning to say something about Cindy for some time but never got round to it till now, so here goes.
Why, I ask, has that cop got his hand up her skirt, and why does he have such a pained expression on his face, while Cindy appears to be quite enjoying herself?
I have been meaning to say something about Cindy for some time but never got round to it till now, so here goes.
Why, I ask, has that cop got his hand up her skirt, and why does he have such a pained expression on his face, while Cindy appears to be quite enjoying herself?
Monday, September 26, 2005
Bring On Tomorrow.
I just watched the first part of "No Direction Home," the Martin Scorsese profile of Bob Dylan. I wish it was tomorrow night NOW so I can see the other half.
“All I’d ever done was sing songs that were dead straight and expressed powerful new realities.” Bob Dylan.
The Independent has a special set of articles HERE.
“All I’d ever done was sing songs that were dead straight and expressed powerful new realities.” Bob Dylan.
The Independent has a special set of articles HERE.
IRA Weapons All Destroyed - Paisley Not Amused.
The announcement by General John de Chastelain that the IRA arsenal has been destroyed is truly great news, and offers the chance of a huge leap forward for Northern Ireland.
The confirmation has been welcomed and accepted by everyone who has a modicum of sanity so, as I predicted the other day, the DUP and Ian Paisley don't believe anyone or anything.
"This afternoon the people of Northern Ireland watched a programme which illustrates more than ever the duplicity and dishonesty of the two governments and the IRA."
Paisley must be the most duplicitous man in Ireland, and his ridiculous demands for any disarming of the IRA to include their humiliation, by insisting that he have photographic proof to be made public, has rightly been resisted by people of reason.
The DUP have been put firmly on the back foot by this historic event, and Paisley, an old dinosaur long past his time of extinction, has only himself to blame. As events move on he is being left behind, struggling for survival like some prehistoric predatory beast with a brain too small for its size.
Loyalists are going to have to accept the inevitable. Demographics in Ulster are changing. The Catholic population is growing steadily and will soon lose its minority status. Republicans have recognized this and have chosen the ballot box rather than the gun as the means to further their cause.
The confirmation has been welcomed and accepted by everyone who has a modicum of sanity so, as I predicted the other day, the DUP and Ian Paisley don't believe anyone or anything.
"This afternoon the people of Northern Ireland watched a programme which illustrates more than ever the duplicity and dishonesty of the two governments and the IRA."
Paisley must be the most duplicitous man in Ireland, and his ridiculous demands for any disarming of the IRA to include their humiliation, by insisting that he have photographic proof to be made public, has rightly been resisted by people of reason.
The DUP have been put firmly on the back foot by this historic event, and Paisley, an old dinosaur long past his time of extinction, has only himself to blame. As events move on he is being left behind, struggling for survival like some prehistoric predatory beast with a brain too small for its size.
Loyalists are going to have to accept the inevitable. Demographics in Ulster are changing. The Catholic population is growing steadily and will soon lose its minority status. Republicans have recognized this and have chosen the ballot box rather than the gun as the means to further their cause.
Watching Dylan.
Bob Dylan is on BBC2 tonite and tomorrow nite.
Martin Scorsese's profile of Dylan is on right now, so everything else can wait.
Back later....... Maybe.
Martin Scorsese's profile of Dylan is on right now, so everything else can wait.
Back later....... Maybe.
"Pompous Ass" Jails 73 Year Old Woman.
Sylvia Hardy, a 73 year old pensioner, was sentenced to 7 days in jail for refusing to pay £53.71 council tax.
A 71 year old retired vicar was recently jailed for 28 days for refusing to pay £691 council tax. He was sent to a high security prison.
Of course both these cases took place in England. Here in Scotland they don't jail people for non payment of this unfair and financially crippling tax, they just send round thugs called Sheriffs Officers with warrants allowing them to force their way into your home and take your furniture and other belongings to be sold off to recoup the tax owed - after they cover their own extortionate fees.
I'm not sure which is worse.
A 71 year old retired vicar was recently jailed for 28 days for refusing to pay £691 council tax. He was sent to a high security prison.
Of course both these cases took place in England. Here in Scotland they don't jail people for non payment of this unfair and financially crippling tax, they just send round thugs called Sheriffs Officers with warrants allowing them to force their way into your home and take your furniture and other belongings to be sold off to recoup the tax owed - after they cover their own extortionate fees.
I'm not sure which is worse.
Runner Missing In Mountains.
The weather here at the ass-end of nowhere is foul today. It will be worse on the Isle of Skye, where a 57 year old fell runner from England is missing in the Cuillin mountains after going for a run on Saturday.
Fell runners are people who run over mountains, remote tracks and through rivers, usually in shorts and singlet and wearing running shoes, invariably carrying little more than a light jacket to protect them from the elements. I have often seen them, alone or in pairs, running over peat bogs and rocks, when I have been working in godforsaken glens many miles from the nearest road, house or village.
They are nuts, pure and simple.
Hopefully this man was equipped more sensibly than the ones I have seen, and the mountain rescue teams find him today - alive.
Fell runners are people who run over mountains, remote tracks and through rivers, usually in shorts and singlet and wearing running shoes, invariably carrying little more than a light jacket to protect them from the elements. I have often seen them, alone or in pairs, running over peat bogs and rocks, when I have been working in godforsaken glens many miles from the nearest road, house or village.
They are nuts, pure and simple.
Hopefully this man was equipped more sensibly than the ones I have seen, and the mountain rescue teams find him today - alive.
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Lifeboat Launched For Crash On Oceania.
Berwick lifeboat was launched, and coastguards contacted Channel Four Television to have them broadcast a message in the middle of the film Crash, when the crew of the fishing boat Oceania left their radio radio switched on and blocking the emergency channel while watching the erotic movie.
The skipper apologised and said, "I wasn't watching, honest I wasn't. I was hard at work on the boat."
Wait till the wife gets him.
The skipper apologised and said, "I wasn't watching, honest I wasn't. I was hard at work on the boat."
Wait till the wife gets him.
IRA Decommissioning Confirmed.
A report confirming that the IRA decommissioning process has been completed will be handed to the British and Irish governments on Monday.
It's been a long time coming. Great news.
It's been a long time coming. Great news.
Hurricane Relief.
Happily, Hurricane Rita seems to have let Texas and Louisiana off relatively lightly, although the images we have seen still look pretty terrifying to me. As yet, very few or no deaths have been reported, and hopefully that will remain the case.
Despite the enormous damage and the flooding, Rita may be remembered more for the biggest traffic jam in history rather than the storm itself. Overall, though, the handling of the rescue effort seems to be a massive improvement over that mounted - or not mounted - after Katrina.
President Bush must be thanking his lucky stars for this political blessing. It remains to be seen whether the handling of this emergency is enough to convince the American people that he really is capable of efficient leadership, or merely that the agencies, organizations and local government officials who deal with such disasters have got their act together, while Bush merely provided spin and photo opportunities for himself.
Despite the enormous damage and the flooding, Rita may be remembered more for the biggest traffic jam in history rather than the storm itself. Overall, though, the handling of the rescue effort seems to be a massive improvement over that mounted - or not mounted - after Katrina.
President Bush must be thanking his lucky stars for this political blessing. It remains to be seen whether the handling of this emergency is enough to convince the American people that he really is capable of efficient leadership, or merely that the agencies, organizations and local government officials who deal with such disasters have got their act together, while Bush merely provided spin and photo opportunities for himself.
Fonda Finds Galloway Not So Hip.
Sleazy wee George Galloway will be really pissed at this spectacular snub from Jane Fonda. The man so adores to be associated with celebrity figures - especially female - and loves to boast about them. He was positively crowing at the prospect of appearing in public with one so iconic as Jane.
Fonda, after agreeing to join Galloway on his U.S. book tour, obviously had a wee think to herself and thought better of the whole idea, using a recent hip operation as an excuse.
I guess she saw through him. It's not difficult.
She should have just been honest and said he was a grandstanding, blustering windbag with a dodgy background.
Previous posts on Galloway HERE
Fonda, after agreeing to join Galloway on his U.S. book tour, obviously had a wee think to herself and thought better of the whole idea, using a recent hip operation as an excuse.
I guess she saw through him. It's not difficult.
She should have just been honest and said he was a grandstanding, blustering windbag with a dodgy background.
Previous posts on Galloway HERE
River Lagan Flood Barrier, Belfast.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
IRA To Decommission Weapons.
An announcement is expected within days on complete IRA disarmament.
A great step forward, and a brave one, by the IRA.
Unfortunately it will not be enough for Ian "Rent A Gob" Paisley, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party. Wait for the ridiculous excuses to flow on why he will not work with IRA/Sinn Fean.
A great step forward, and a brave one, by the IRA.
Unfortunately it will not be enough for Ian "Rent A Gob" Paisley, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party. Wait for the ridiculous excuses to flow on why he will not work with IRA/Sinn Fean.
Are The Poor Abandoned Again?
Surely, after Katrina, and the lessons that are supposed to have been learnt, this is not happening again to the poor and the marginalized in the path of Rita.
"I done called for a shelter, I done called for help. There ain't none. No one answers," she said, standing in blistering heat outside a check-cashing store that had just run out of its main commodity. "Everyone just says, 'Get out, get out.' I've got no way of getting out. And now I've got no money."
"I done called for a shelter, I done called for help. There ain't none. No one answers," she said, standing in blistering heat outside a check-cashing store that had just run out of its main commodity. "Everyone just says, 'Get out, get out.' I've got no way of getting out. And now I've got no money."
Friday, September 23, 2005
Texas, Prayers, And A President In Denial.
"Be calm, be strong, say a prayer for Texas," Governor Rick Perry asks.
Sorry Guv - I don't do prayers.
If I did I would pray that your Commander-In-Chief of climate destruction for profit would get hit on his thick skull by a flying dustbin thrown by Rita.
I would pray that the jarring effect on his brain would knock just enough sense into him to realise what is going on around him.
'Super-powerful hurricanes now hitting the United States are the "smoking gun" of global warming'.
(Sir John Lawton, chairman of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution).
But prayers don't work. They won't stop Hurricane Rita doing whatever she wants to do, and they won't make Bush sign up to Kyoto and do what has to be done.
Sorry Guv - I don't do prayers.
If I did I would pray that your Commander-In-Chief of climate destruction for profit would get hit on his thick skull by a flying dustbin thrown by Rita.
I would pray that the jarring effect on his brain would knock just enough sense into him to realise what is going on around him.
'Super-powerful hurricanes now hitting the United States are the "smoking gun" of global warming'.
(Sir John Lawton, chairman of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution).
But prayers don't work. They won't stop Hurricane Rita doing whatever she wants to do, and they won't make Bush sign up to Kyoto and do what has to be done.
Bad Vibes At Munich Oktoberfest.
A fairground Ferris wheel and a vibrator got a bunch of Italian tourists worked up into a spin.
All in the cause of science, of course.
All in the cause of science, of course.
A Widow Speaks.
"He was an innocent, naive and simple man. I suppose he must have been an ideal candidate."
"He kissed our child goodbye and then crept off to blow up King's Cross".
"In the morning I found he'd left the keys on a table downstairs. He obviously had no more use for them."
Samantha Lewthwaite, widow of Germaine Lindsay, the Kings Cross suicide bomber.
"He kissed our child goodbye and then crept off to blow up King's Cross".
"In the morning I found he'd left the keys on a table downstairs. He obviously had no more use for them."
Samantha Lewthwaite, widow of Germaine Lindsay, the Kings Cross suicide bomber.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
An Example Of Britain As Police State.
For anybody out there who is still in denial that Britain is fast becoming a police state, I point them to the Guardian, which carries this article by David Mery documenting what happened to him in a tube station in London.
"I am told that I am being stopped and searched because:
· they found my behaviour suspicious from direct observation and then from watching me on the CCTV system;
· I went into the station without looking at the police officers at the entrance or by the gates;
· two other men entered the station at about the same time as me;
· I am wearing a jacket "too warm for the season";
· I am carrying a bulky rucksack, and kept my rucksack with me at all times;
· I looked at people coming on the platform;
· I played with my phone and then took a paper from inside my jacket".
It would be bad enough if that was the extent of the action taken on the basis of the reasons the police gave this man, but the events which followed are a horrifying example of police powers at present, never mind the sort of powers Sir Ian Blair and other police chiefs are angling for in the near future.
"I am told that I am being stopped and searched because:
· they found my behaviour suspicious from direct observation and then from watching me on the CCTV system;
· I went into the station without looking at the police officers at the entrance or by the gates;
· two other men entered the station at about the same time as me;
· I am wearing a jacket "too warm for the season";
· I am carrying a bulky rucksack, and kept my rucksack with me at all times;
· I looked at people coming on the platform;
· I played with my phone and then took a paper from inside my jacket".
It would be bad enough if that was the extent of the action taken on the basis of the reasons the police gave this man, but the events which followed are a horrifying example of police powers at present, never mind the sort of powers Sir Ian Blair and other police chiefs are angling for in the near future.
Alice And The Online Wonderland.
The British Library has announced that the original manuscript of Alice in Wonderland has been added to its Turning Pages collection, the website which allows users to virtually turn the pages of a selection of rare books.
Other rare works such as the Lindisfarne Gospels, the Diamond Sutra and Baybars' Magnificent Qu'ran can also be seen.
Macromedia Shockwave is required to enable the turning of the books pages. A link is provided on the British Library site.
Alice took longer to load on my dial-up connection than Lewis Carroll probably took to write and illustrate it, but the wait is worth it.
Other rare works such as the Lindisfarne Gospels, the Diamond Sutra and Baybars' Magnificent Qu'ran can also be seen.
Macromedia Shockwave is required to enable the turning of the books pages. A link is provided on the British Library site.
Alice took longer to load on my dial-up connection than Lewis Carroll probably took to write and illustrate it, but the wait is worth it.
Wee Jack Wakes Up Briefly.
Scottish First Minister Jack McConnell has finally woken up long enough to instruct his Scottish Executive colleagues to lobby the Home Office about the methods they use when arresting asylum seekers and their families for deportation.
As usual, this is too little and too late, and one has to wonder if anyone in the government south of the border ever listens to Wee Jack anyway.
Members of the Scottish Parliament shouldn't be politely lobbying over this, they should be screaming bloody murder about anyone being treated like this in our country.
As usual, this is too little and too late, and one has to wonder if anyone in the government south of the border ever listens to Wee Jack anyway.
Members of the Scottish Parliament shouldn't be politely lobbying over this, they should be screaming bloody murder about anyone being treated like this in our country.
Sixteen Months For Pissed Peer.
Lord Watson, former Labour MSP, was jailed for sixteen months today for setting fire to curtains at the hotel where the Scottish Politician of the Year awards was being held.
The pissed Peer has given no explanation for his actions but, having failed miserably to be made politician of the year, he is now eligible for the annual stupidest person in prison award.
The pissed Peer has given no explanation for his actions but, having failed miserably to be made politician of the year, he is now eligible for the annual stupidest person in prison award.
Ronnie Biggs. Justice Or State Revenge?
Ronnie Biggs, the 76 year old "Great Train Robber," who returned to Britain in 2001 for medical treatment and is now in prison serving the remainder of his 28 year sentence, has suffered minor strokes and heart attacks in prison. He also contracted MRSA and is said to be extremely depressed. Reports that he is on hunger strike are being denied by prison officials, while his lawyers say he is indeed refusing food.
Three months after his appeal to be released on compassionate grounds, which brought no response, Biggs solicitors have again called for him to be freed.
The Great Train Robbery took place in 1963. Ronnie Biggs escaped from jail in 1965 and fled to South America, where he stayed till 2001.
Surely Biggs should be freed now. It is hard to see the point of incarcerating an extremely old, sick man who is clearly no threat to the public and is hardly likely to run around holding up trains.
Many people at the time thought the sentences handed down to all the men involved in the robbery were excessively harsh. It was a crime that always rankled the "establishment," and that seems not to have changed with the passing of time.
This looks like a case of not justice, but state revenge with a distinct lack of compassion.
Three months after his appeal to be released on compassionate grounds, which brought no response, Biggs solicitors have again called for him to be freed.
The Great Train Robbery took place in 1963. Ronnie Biggs escaped from jail in 1965 and fled to South America, where he stayed till 2001.
Surely Biggs should be freed now. It is hard to see the point of incarcerating an extremely old, sick man who is clearly no threat to the public and is hardly likely to run around holding up trains.
Many people at the time thought the sentences handed down to all the men involved in the robbery were excessively harsh. It was a crime that always rankled the "establishment," and that seems not to have changed with the passing of time.
This looks like a case of not justice, but state revenge with a distinct lack of compassion.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Met Chief With Swollen Ego Says London Needs Him.
London police chief Sir Ian Blair says he considered resigning after the shooting of Brazillian Jean Charles de Menezes, who was mistaken for a terrorist and killed by police in July this year.
Explaining his reasons for not going, Blair said, "Because the big job is to defend this country against terrorism and that's what I'm here to do." He also stated that it would not have been right for the force, the country or the city of London for him to resign.
He certainly thinks a lot of himself after presiding over the biggest and deadliest cock-up by British police for many years, if not ever.
Sadly, Blair is not content with what he's got. He now would like to have real trained killers in his force as well as bungling bobbies. The suggestion that the police should be actively recruiting military personnel to be firearms officers after giving them a "small amount of basic training" and "clear instructions of their role on firearms duty" is surely a recipe for even bigger disasters, and another step on the road to a police state.
Is Blair not happy with his present title? Perhaps Colonel Sir Ian Blair would please him for a little while.
Explaining his reasons for not going, Blair said, "Because the big job is to defend this country against terrorism and that's what I'm here to do." He also stated that it would not have been right for the force, the country or the city of London for him to resign.
He certainly thinks a lot of himself after presiding over the biggest and deadliest cock-up by British police for many years, if not ever.
Sadly, Blair is not content with what he's got. He now would like to have real trained killers in his force as well as bungling bobbies. The suggestion that the police should be actively recruiting military personnel to be firearms officers after giving them a "small amount of basic training" and "clear instructions of their role on firearms duty" is surely a recipe for even bigger disasters, and another step on the road to a police state.
Is Blair not happy with his present title? Perhaps Colonel Sir Ian Blair would please him for a little while.
Iraq. The Four Options For Britain.
The Independent asks about Iraq, 'Is there a way out of this mess?' The pros and cons of four options are explained.
In the end, whatever Tony Blair does, it will be with his own reputation in mind, and keeping that intact is becoming increasingly difficult.
In the end, whatever Tony Blair does, it will be with his own reputation in mind, and keeping that intact is becoming increasingly difficult.
Highland River.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Basra - A Matter Of Image.
In the original version of "Diary of a Spin Doctor", Lance Price, former deputy media advisor for Tony Blair, says the following about Britain's decision to send Royal Air Force pilots on bombing raids over Iraq in 1998.
"I couldn't help feeling TB was rather relishing his first blooding as PM, sending the boys into action."
"Despite all the necessary stuff about taking action 'with a heavy heart' I think he feels it is part of his coming of age as a leader."
If that was indeed the view of the Prime Minister I wonder, assuming he has seen the images of the British soldiers escaping on fire from their armoured vehicle in Basra, if the graphic images have taught him anything about the horror of war and the deadly serious nature of the decisions he makes.
These men, amazingly, were not seriously hurt, assuming the reports so far are true. They were incredibly lucky not to have been killed, burned alive or stoned to death.
This image or the image Tony Blair has dreamed up of himself. Which is more real?
"I couldn't help feeling TB was rather relishing his first blooding as PM, sending the boys into action."
"Despite all the necessary stuff about taking action 'with a heavy heart' I think he feels it is part of his coming of age as a leader."
If that was indeed the view of the Prime Minister I wonder, assuming he has seen the images of the British soldiers escaping on fire from their armoured vehicle in Basra, if the graphic images have taught him anything about the horror of war and the deadly serious nature of the decisions he makes.
These men, amazingly, were not seriously hurt, assuming the reports so far are true. They were incredibly lucky not to have been killed, burned alive or stoned to death.
This image or the image Tony Blair has dreamed up of himself. Which is more real?
Katrina Aid And Criminally Insane Bureaucrats.
Could it possibly be true that aid from Britain and other countries is being held up, and possibly destroyed because of....... no, it couldn't be. No rational person, rational government would be so stupid. Would they?
If there is any truth in this story from the Mirror newspaper, after the whining reports from some sections of the American press and the right that the world doesn't care enough to send enough aid after all America has done for the world, and how damned ungrateful we all are.......
What a sick system full of criminally insane assholes.
If there is any truth in this story from the Mirror newspaper, after the whining reports from some sections of the American press and the right that the world doesn't care enough to send enough aid after all America has done for the world, and how damned ungrateful we all are.......
What a sick system full of criminally insane assholes.
Monday, September 19, 2005
Clinton Says It All.
Bill Clinton was interviewed for the ABC "This Week" programme. Apparently it is a tradition that former U.S. presidents don't criticize their successors.
Somebody had to say it, and breaking traditions is sometimes the best thing that can happen.
It is a carefully considered and sensible view of America's plight under the Bush regime.
Somebody had to say it, and breaking traditions is sometimes the best thing that can happen.
It is a carefully considered and sensible view of America's plight under the Bush regime.
Blunkett Dictates Hard Labour.
So Herr Blunkett, Work and Pensions Secretary, wants us all to keep slaving till we're 67, does he?
Only two minutes back in the cabinet after resigning over the Kimberly Quinn affair, the unpleasant little man who is facing allegations that he has yet again abused his position, been publicly branded "duplicitous and intimidating" by Lord Stevens, the former Met police commissioner, and called a liar by Stephen Pollard, his biographer, wants everybody to work till they drop.
Given the allegations about Blunkett, the best course of action would be for him to retire early - like now - and give us all a break.
Only two minutes back in the cabinet after resigning over the Kimberly Quinn affair, the unpleasant little man who is facing allegations that he has yet again abused his position, been publicly branded "duplicitous and intimidating" by Lord Stevens, the former Met police commissioner, and called a liar by Stephen Pollard, his biographer, wants everybody to work till they drop.
Given the allegations about Blunkett, the best course of action would be for him to retire early - like now - and give us all a break.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Violent Scotland?
A United Nations report names Scotland as the most violent country in the developed world.
The president of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, Peter Wilson, said that the "general picture" of Scotland around the world was "not one of a violent country".
For once I would agree with the police. Undoubtedly there are huge problems of violence, knife crime especially, in parts of the country. The Strathclyde area in the west has an extremely bad record.
The high figures are mainly accounted for by incidents involving young people who know each other. Dreadful as that is, the average you or me wandering about Scotland has little more chance of having a violent crime committed against us than in any other city in the UK or elsewhere.
The United Nations has got it wrong on this one.
The president of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, Peter Wilson, said that the "general picture" of Scotland around the world was "not one of a violent country".
For once I would agree with the police. Undoubtedly there are huge problems of violence, knife crime especially, in parts of the country. The Strathclyde area in the west has an extremely bad record.
The high figures are mainly accounted for by incidents involving young people who know each other. Dreadful as that is, the average you or me wandering about Scotland has little more chance of having a violent crime committed against us than in any other city in the UK or elsewhere.
The United Nations has got it wrong on this one.
Weather Warning From The Ass-End Of Nowhere.
Just to follow on from my previous post about theNudie Swimmers of Loch Ness. Winter is close in the Highlands.
Underestimating the weather up here has always been a favourite occupation for people from the South. Conditions on mountains can change drastically within minutes, in summer or winter. Seemingly benign streams and rivers can become raging torrents after a short downpour of rain. Idyllic lochs in mid-summer can be cold enough to kill within minutes.
A walk or cycle ride in October can begin in sunshine and change inside the hour to whiteout blizzard and sub-zero temperatures.
Colcam.Image
We live in the shadow of Ben Nevis, highest mountain in the UK. I have never been up there. Nobody has paid me to. I have been up other mountains in winter. I used to work as a ponyman and have been in places I would rather have avoided, in conditions which no man, let alone Highland Ponies, should be out in. But I was doing a job, getting paid, and the people sending my horses and me up there tried to ensure that conditions were acceptable. I always had the right to say no.
A ponyman is employed to lead a pair of Highland Ponies out to where a stalker has shot a stag or a hind while carrying out the compulsory cull each year. The dead beasts are brought back by horse.
This is different to the commercial operations which take money from rich individuals to shoot a stag as a trophy. I have never worked for such an organization. I don't approve of killing for sport.
Unlike the paying "guest", the stalker and the ponyman cannot afford the (dubious) luxury of hunting a stag for pleasure during the month of August, but have to cull hinds during December and January.
Pony at breakfast, 20c below.
Colcam.Image
The ponies are equipped with "high heels", shoes with long spikes to prevent slipping in mud and ice. The ponyman, of course, has no such practical aids and, it should be said, is much too macho to go out in high heels.
Graloching (gutting) a hind. Bloody cold.
Colcam.Image
One horned stag on the pony.
Colcam.Image
For me, being a ponyman also meant being a boatman. The deer could only be brought so far on the back of a horse, and the final part of the journey was by boat.
On a Scottish loch - three minutes in the water can be fatal, and that's in summer.
Colcam.Image
So, getting back to the original point, whatever it was, if you have to bugger about out there, don't underestimate it. We get sick and tired of having our peace disturbed for hours at a time by the racket of rescue helicopters searching for bodies.
Underestimating the weather up here has always been a favourite occupation for people from the South. Conditions on mountains can change drastically within minutes, in summer or winter. Seemingly benign streams and rivers can become raging torrents after a short downpour of rain. Idyllic lochs in mid-summer can be cold enough to kill within minutes.
A walk or cycle ride in October can begin in sunshine and change inside the hour to whiteout blizzard and sub-zero temperatures.
Colcam.Image
We live in the shadow of Ben Nevis, highest mountain in the UK. I have never been up there. Nobody has paid me to. I have been up other mountains in winter. I used to work as a ponyman and have been in places I would rather have avoided, in conditions which no man, let alone Highland Ponies, should be out in. But I was doing a job, getting paid, and the people sending my horses and me up there tried to ensure that conditions were acceptable. I always had the right to say no.
A ponyman is employed to lead a pair of Highland Ponies out to where a stalker has shot a stag or a hind while carrying out the compulsory cull each year. The dead beasts are brought back by horse.
This is different to the commercial operations which take money from rich individuals to shoot a stag as a trophy. I have never worked for such an organization. I don't approve of killing for sport.
Unlike the paying "guest", the stalker and the ponyman cannot afford the (dubious) luxury of hunting a stag for pleasure during the month of August, but have to cull hinds during December and January.
Pony at breakfast, 20c below.
Colcam.Image
The ponies are equipped with "high heels", shoes with long spikes to prevent slipping in mud and ice. The ponyman, of course, has no such practical aids and, it should be said, is much too macho to go out in high heels.
Graloching (gutting) a hind. Bloody cold.
Colcam.Image
One horned stag on the pony.
Colcam.Image
For me, being a ponyman also meant being a boatman. The deer could only be brought so far on the back of a horse, and the final part of the journey was by boat.
On a Scottish loch - three minutes in the water can be fatal, and that's in summer.
Colcam.Image
So, getting back to the original point, whatever it was, if you have to bugger about out there, don't underestimate it. We get sick and tired of having our peace disturbed for hours at a time by the racket of rescue helicopters searching for bodies.
Northern Ireland Troubles Are Confusing.
Anybody with any experience of the troubles in Northern Ireland will realise that the history and reasons for the present situation are complicated and not easily understood by outsiders.
Having said that, the Catholic schoolboy who threw stones at security forces during Loyalist riots was obviously more confused than the rest of us.
The judge involved in his case ordered the boy to stay indoors between the hours of 6 pm and 8 am.
I hope the Republican hard men who deal with such matters have been ordered to stay indoors between 8 am and 6 pm. The fact that this was a fourteen year old cuts no ice with these guys.
Having said that, the Catholic schoolboy who threw stones at security forces during Loyalist riots was obviously more confused than the rest of us.
The judge involved in his case ordered the boy to stay indoors between the hours of 6 pm and 8 am.
I hope the Republican hard men who deal with such matters have been ordered to stay indoors between 8 am and 6 pm. The fact that this was a fourteen year old cuts no ice with these guys.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Nudie Swimming Freezes Yer Bits.
Six naturists who were making an exhibition of themselves gave up a charity attempt to swim Loch Ness because....... it was raining.
They described the weather as "atrocious". They said the loch "looked like the sea".
I would agree with that, both are wet
The six, none Scottish and mostly from England, of course, complained of the cold.
Yes folks, Scotland's lochs are cold, even in mid-summer - and sorry, we don't heat them for swimmers.
These twerps should just be grateful that the village policeman at the top end of the loch didn't arrest them for disturbing the peace and frightening Mrs McDonalds wee pussy (cat), there being nothing more frightening on earth than the sight of a gaggle of the English with shrivelled up bits.
They described the weather as "atrocious". They said the loch "looked like the sea".
I would agree with that, both are wet
The six, none Scottish and mostly from England, of course, complained of the cold.
Yes folks, Scotland's lochs are cold, even in mid-summer - and sorry, we don't heat them for swimmers.
These twerps should just be grateful that the village policeman at the top end of the loch didn't arrest them for disturbing the peace and frightening Mrs McDonalds wee pussy (cat), there being nothing more frightening on earth than the sight of a gaggle of the English with shrivelled up bits.
Asylum - Home Office Speechless And Inhumane.
In a recent post I commented on the case of the Vucaj family, asylum seekers from Kosovo, who were led off by Home Office officials in a dawn raid on their home in Glasgow.
Yesterday campaigners gathered at Immigration Offices in the city to protest at the treatment of refugees. The Vucaj family themselves have been transported out of Scotland, where they have lived for five years, to the Yarlswood Detention Centre in Bedfordshire, England. They have lodged a new asylum appeal.
The Home Office say they do not comment on individual cases.
On Thursday, at Yarlswood Detention Centre in Bedfordshire, Manuel Bravo from Angola, who had been told he was to be deported, hanged himself to prevent his son, thirteen year old Antonio, from being returned to Angola with him. Manuels wife, who had gone back in October with another son aged nine to care for an orphaned niece, was arrested on arrival and jailed for two months. They are now refugees in another African country.
The Home Office say they do not comment on individual cases.
By contrast, the Home Office seemed to find their voices when it came to one of the two men from Zimbabwe who fled the regime of Robert Mugabe. One, the cricketer Duncan Fletcher, has been granted British citizenship right after England won The Ashes from Australia. The Home Office commented that it was "a happy coincidence" that Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, reviewed his application the day after the win.
The other, a man called Hainy, a former anti-Mugabe activist who came to the UK after receiving death threats in his home country, has HIV, and evidence that his deportation "would be life threatening in the very short term if he were denied treatment" has been rejected by the Home Office. Hainey's wife died in Zimbabwe only two weeks ago from an undiagnosed illness.
Yesterday campaigners gathered at Immigration Offices in the city to protest at the treatment of refugees. The Vucaj family themselves have been transported out of Scotland, where they have lived for five years, to the Yarlswood Detention Centre in Bedfordshire, England. They have lodged a new asylum appeal.
The Home Office say they do not comment on individual cases.
On Thursday, at Yarlswood Detention Centre in Bedfordshire, Manuel Bravo from Angola, who had been told he was to be deported, hanged himself to prevent his son, thirteen year old Antonio, from being returned to Angola with him. Manuels wife, who had gone back in October with another son aged nine to care for an orphaned niece, was arrested on arrival and jailed for two months. They are now refugees in another African country.
The Home Office say they do not comment on individual cases.
By contrast, the Home Office seemed to find their voices when it came to one of the two men from Zimbabwe who fled the regime of Robert Mugabe. One, the cricketer Duncan Fletcher, has been granted British citizenship right after England won The Ashes from Australia. The Home Office commented that it was "a happy coincidence" that Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, reviewed his application the day after the win.
The other, a man called Hainy, a former anti-Mugabe activist who came to the UK after receiving death threats in his home country, has HIV, and evidence that his deportation "would be life threatening in the very short term if he were denied treatment" has been rejected by the Home Office. Hainey's wife died in Zimbabwe only two weeks ago from an undiagnosed illness.
Friday, September 16, 2005
Global Warming. What Does It Take To Convince Some People?
Loss of sea ice in the Arctic this year has convinced scientists that global warming may have gone past the point of no return, and that the climate may never recover.
"Satellites monitoring the Arctic have found that the extent of the sea ice this August has reached its lowest monthly point on record, dipping an unprecedented 18.2 per cent below the long-term average.
Experts believe that such a loss of Arctic sea ice in summer has not occurred in hundreds and possibly thousands of years. It is the fourth year in a row that the sea ice in August has fallen below the monthly downward trend - a clear sign that melting has accelerated".
Computer models currently predict that the Arctic will be completely ice-free by 2070, but that is now thought to be an overly optimistic view. Some scientists believe it could happen much sooner.
As for hurricanes, analysis of global tropical cyclone statistics have shown that there has been a sharp rise in category 4 and 5 storms. This is linked to the rise in sea temperatures, and rising sea temperatures are linked to global warming. Certainly, opinions are divided on whether the ferocity of Katrina, for instance, was caused by global warming, and apparently a longer term record would be required to firmly prove a link.
The expression "fiddling while Rome burns" springs to my mind at this. Can we sit around forever waiting for proof that even the most sceptical couldn't deny?
Most ordinary people judge global warming on what they see happening around them. They know things are not right without being scientists. I see and feel the changes here in Scotland, just as people all over the world are seeing local changes that affect them. Ordinary people world-wide know that the pollution caused by man has to be harmful to the planet - common sense tells them that, even without the sheer weight of scientific evidence which is now available.
Just today, a report that basking shark numbers in Scottish waters have dramatically increased - because of climate change. OK, as it goes in itself, I have no objection. Welcome to Scotland. But it is a change that shouldn't be happening.
While few would argue that the "rest of the world" has done enough to combat this dire situation, the failure of President Bush to sign up to Kyoto, and his record on environmental issues, carbon emissions and the like, his dogmatic refusal to accept that the evidence far outweighs his doubts, and his fixation on fighting the war against terror, may end up with him going down in history as the American President who failed to fight, and therefore lost, the real war on terror.
That of global warming.
"Satellites monitoring the Arctic have found that the extent of the sea ice this August has reached its lowest monthly point on record, dipping an unprecedented 18.2 per cent below the long-term average.
Experts believe that such a loss of Arctic sea ice in summer has not occurred in hundreds and possibly thousands of years. It is the fourth year in a row that the sea ice in August has fallen below the monthly downward trend - a clear sign that melting has accelerated".
Computer models currently predict that the Arctic will be completely ice-free by 2070, but that is now thought to be an overly optimistic view. Some scientists believe it could happen much sooner.
As for hurricanes, analysis of global tropical cyclone statistics have shown that there has been a sharp rise in category 4 and 5 storms. This is linked to the rise in sea temperatures, and rising sea temperatures are linked to global warming. Certainly, opinions are divided on whether the ferocity of Katrina, for instance, was caused by global warming, and apparently a longer term record would be required to firmly prove a link.
The expression "fiddling while Rome burns" springs to my mind at this. Can we sit around forever waiting for proof that even the most sceptical couldn't deny?
Most ordinary people judge global warming on what they see happening around them. They know things are not right without being scientists. I see and feel the changes here in Scotland, just as people all over the world are seeing local changes that affect them. Ordinary people world-wide know that the pollution caused by man has to be harmful to the planet - common sense tells them that, even without the sheer weight of scientific evidence which is now available.
Just today, a report that basking shark numbers in Scottish waters have dramatically increased - because of climate change. OK, as it goes in itself, I have no objection. Welcome to Scotland. But it is a change that shouldn't be happening.
While few would argue that the "rest of the world" has done enough to combat this dire situation, the failure of President Bush to sign up to Kyoto, and his record on environmental issues, carbon emissions and the like, his dogmatic refusal to accept that the evidence far outweighs his doubts, and his fixation on fighting the war against terror, may end up with him going down in history as the American President who failed to fight, and therefore lost, the real war on terror.
That of global warming.
Katrina Victims Remembered In London.
A ceremony was held in St Paul's Cathedral, London, to honour the dead and all those affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Informing On Students.
UK Education Secretary Ruth Kelly has said that universities in Britain must inform the police if any students are suspected of belonging to any extremist and/or terror groups.
While recognizing that certain activities should not be allowed to flourish in educational establishments, I would imagine that the authorities within the universities might have a problem reporting students merely on suspicion, in the knowledge that they might be sentencing innocent young people to three months detention without trial, and possible expulsion (in the case of foreign students) to countries with less than admirable human rights records.
While recognizing that certain activities should not be allowed to flourish in educational establishments, I would imagine that the authorities within the universities might have a problem reporting students merely on suspicion, in the knowledge that they might be sentencing innocent young people to three months detention without trial, and possible expulsion (in the case of foreign students) to countries with less than admirable human rights records.
iPod Therefore iAccessorize.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
God And The Paramilitary.......
Never seem to be far apart in Belfast.
Colcam.Image
Colcam.Image
Katrina Dolphins Prefer Home Comforts.
Eight domesticated dolphins who were swept out to sea in the wake of Hurricane Katrina have come home safely by themselves.
I've never really approved of these wonderful creatures being kept in captivity - some of these ones had been in the aquarium for thirty to forty years, and three were born there - but they came home of their own accord, and I can't argue with that.
I've never really approved of these wonderful creatures being kept in captivity - some of these ones had been in the aquarium for thirty to forty years, and three were born there - but they came home of their own accord, and I can't argue with that.
The Loyalist Mentality.
Peter Hain, you are our Northern Ireland Minister, and it's disgraceful that you haven't visited the areas where we live to see for yourself the terrible damage that we have to live with.
Our ghetto's have been completely wrecked during the recent violence by us, but the fault lies with the Parades Commission for not letting us intimidate these damned Catholics and republicans. By re-routing our march, destroying our traditions, threatening our way of life, and spoiling our fun we had no alternative but to destroy the streets we live in.
As Northern Ireland Minister, it is your God given duty now, after causing all this mayhem, to get over here and agree that us "Prods" living in such atrocious conditions is entirely unacceptable. Please remember before you come to make provisions for a huge financial package to be put together, at the taxpayers expense, to give us homes and streets and amenities we can be proud of until the next time we get the huff at somebody, anybody, who doesn't give us what we want.
By the way, Sir, it would be better if you don't bring any of those rowdy police with you. Every time they appear here they cause all this trouble, fire plastic bullets at us and hit us with their batons. You know, they even soak us with their water cannons. Well, let me tell you - do you know what a bad cold our wee kids can get in all that water? Much more of that and our ween's will end up with pneumonia, and our bairns and us all blameless too.
Our ghetto's have been completely wrecked during the recent violence by us, but the fault lies with the Parades Commission for not letting us intimidate these damned Catholics and republicans. By re-routing our march, destroying our traditions, threatening our way of life, and spoiling our fun we had no alternative but to destroy the streets we live in.
As Northern Ireland Minister, it is your God given duty now, after causing all this mayhem, to get over here and agree that us "Prods" living in such atrocious conditions is entirely unacceptable. Please remember before you come to make provisions for a huge financial package to be put together, at the taxpayers expense, to give us homes and streets and amenities we can be proud of until the next time we get the huff at somebody, anybody, who doesn't give us what we want.
By the way, Sir, it would be better if you don't bring any of those rowdy police with you. Every time they appear here they cause all this trouble, fire plastic bullets at us and hit us with their batons. You know, they even soak us with their water cannons. Well, let me tell you - do you know what a bad cold our wee kids can get in all that water? Much more of that and our ween's will end up with pneumonia, and our bairns and us all blameless too.
CIA Soil The Highlands.
CIA aircraft carrying terrorist suspects en route to countries where they can be tortured have been stopping off at Inverness airport in the Scottish Highlands.
Using this country, no matter how indirectly, as a means of facilitating the torture of suspects who have not been tried, and have no rights, is something few Scots people would find acceptable. The presence of American agents with prisoners who are being dragged off to God knows what fate implicates us in something all right minded people should find abhorrent.
The Foreign Office say they are not aware of our air space being used for such purposes. If that were true, which I would doubt, this is another example of the U.S. treating us as if they owned us, and ignoring any thought that they might be unwelcome here, regardless of what odious spookery they are involved in.
Highlands and Islands Airports, the operators of the airport, said no-one was available for comment. I'm not surprised. They are delighted to take the dirty money, but hate the embarrassment of being caught.
Using this country, no matter how indirectly, as a means of facilitating the torture of suspects who have not been tried, and have no rights, is something few Scots people would find acceptable. The presence of American agents with prisoners who are being dragged off to God knows what fate implicates us in something all right minded people should find abhorrent.
The Foreign Office say they are not aware of our air space being used for such purposes. If that were true, which I would doubt, this is another example of the U.S. treating us as if they owned us, and ignoring any thought that they might be unwelcome here, regardless of what odious spookery they are involved in.
Highlands and Islands Airports, the operators of the airport, said no-one was available for comment. I'm not surprised. They are delighted to take the dirty money, but hate the embarrassment of being caught.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
The Belfast Sheep.
IRA Intimidation Continues.
A friend of Robert McCartney, the Catholic man murdered outside a Belfast city centre bar in January, has been severely beaten by republican criminals, as the McCartney family themselves continue to be intimidated.
Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein said he would be shocked if IRA members were involved. The rest of the world would be shocked if they were not involved.
The hard men are rattled that a bunch of outspoken and gutsy wee lassies aren't going to be silenced by bullying and threats.
Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein said he would be shocked if IRA members were involved. The rest of the world would be shocked if they were not involved.
The hard men are rattled that a bunch of outspoken and gutsy wee lassies aren't going to be silenced by bullying and threats.
Cat - A - Lytic Converter.
Orange Order Deny The Obvious.
After the recent rioting in Northern Ireland, the Grand Master of the Orange Order of Hypocritical Bigots and Pretendy Christians has said the Order is blameless.
Robert Saulters instead blamed the police, the Parades Commission and the government.
Oh sorry, Robert. That must have been Tony Blair and all his cabinet members I saw on the television ripping off their Orange sashes and bowler hats before lobbing bricks at the police.
Also to blame are the IRA, Jerry Adams, the Pope, the Southern Irish, George Bush, the driver of the 26 bus, Mrs McGinty's orange tomcat, Mrs McGinty's budgie, a traffic warden, three guys selling "The Big Issue" on the corner of Donegal Square in downtown Belfast and the rising price of Guinness.
This pious prick doesn't have God on his side, only thugs and criminals, and none of them, Saulters included, have the right to call themselves Christians.
They are simply sectarian bigots standing hand in hand with the terrorist.
Robert Saulters instead blamed the police, the Parades Commission and the government.
Oh sorry, Robert. That must have been Tony Blair and all his cabinet members I saw on the television ripping off their Orange sashes and bowler hats before lobbing bricks at the police.
Also to blame are the IRA, Jerry Adams, the Pope, the Southern Irish, George Bush, the driver of the 26 bus, Mrs McGinty's orange tomcat, Mrs McGinty's budgie, a traffic warden, three guys selling "The Big Issue" on the corner of Donegal Square in downtown Belfast and the rising price of Guinness.
This pious prick doesn't have God on his side, only thugs and criminals, and none of them, Saulters included, have the right to call themselves Christians.
They are simply sectarian bigots standing hand in hand with the terrorist.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Scotland's Stonehenge.
A Scottish farmer with a sense of humor built this for fun. I wish there were more like him brightening up the countryside.
And Now The Shaming Of Scotland.
I did a post recently called "The Shaming of America", never dreaming I could use the same title by deleting America and inserting Scotland.
Dawn raids to arrest innocent families, the children hauled off in their pyjamas while their parents are handcuffed. The Kosovar Vucaj family living in Glasgow, whose asylum application had failed, suffered that fate this week at the hands of Home Office officials.
The Children's Commissioner for Scotland, Professor Kathleen Marshall, has asked for a "public outcry" at the treatment meted out to "wee quiet families" who are easy targets for the Home Office.
This sort of inhumane and cruel treatment by the State has no place in our country. It makes a mockery of human rights and the rights of children. Home Office officials acting like thugs, then issuing bland statements saying they "do not comment on individual cases" is totally unacceptable.
I hope at least the Scottish people will respond to the Commissioner's plea and kick up Hell.
Dawn raids to arrest innocent families, the children hauled off in their pyjamas while their parents are handcuffed. The Kosovar Vucaj family living in Glasgow, whose asylum application had failed, suffered that fate this week at the hands of Home Office officials.
The Children's Commissioner for Scotland, Professor Kathleen Marshall, has asked for a "public outcry" at the treatment meted out to "wee quiet families" who are easy targets for the Home Office.
This sort of inhumane and cruel treatment by the State has no place in our country. It makes a mockery of human rights and the rights of children. Home Office officials acting like thugs, then issuing bland statements saying they "do not comment on individual cases" is totally unacceptable.
I hope at least the Scottish people will respond to the Commissioner's plea and kick up Hell.
UVF Ceasefire Broken.
The UK government are to declare that the Ulster Volunteer Force has broken its ceasefire in Northern Ireland.
This is rather stating the obvious, but it sends the message that the gunmen are only hurting their own political cause.
This is rather stating the obvious, but it sends the message that the gunmen are only hurting their own political cause.
Oh No - What A Surprise.
A.B.C.News, was this worth the airspace, the cyber-space and the wages you paid people to come up with the obvious?
Why do you even bother?
When is it going to really, really get through to some of you guys that world opinion counts?
Do people in the U.S. honestly still believe that the rest of the planet are grateful to them for the bullying, the bombing, the pollution, the 'war on terror', the sanctions, the general BULLSHIT and the Republican Taliban with their religious mumbo jumbo, their lies, their greed.......
Shut up now Colcam, before you get deported for anti- American and unpatriotic language, or nuked for your sins.
Apologies to my many American friends. They know what I mean, because I know they share my feelings.
Colcam is in a bad mood tonite.
___________________________
12.47 am. Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, said today : "George Bush and the right wing neo-con establishment have promoted a clash of civilisations between Muslims and the West".
Why do you even bother?
When is it going to really, really get through to some of you guys that world opinion counts?
Do people in the U.S. honestly still believe that the rest of the planet are grateful to them for the bullying, the bombing, the pollution, the 'war on terror', the sanctions, the general BULLSHIT and the Republican Taliban with their religious mumbo jumbo, their lies, their greed.......
Shut up now Colcam, before you get deported for anti- American and unpatriotic language, or nuked for your sins.
Apologies to my many American friends. They know what I mean, because I know they share my feelings.
Colcam is in a bad mood tonite.
___________________________
12.47 am. Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, said today : "George Bush and the right wing neo-con establishment have promoted a clash of civilisations between Muslims and the West".
Northern Ireland Violence Continues.......
Into the third night.
I hoped that, as on many other occasions, the violence might only last the weekend then fizzle out.
Unfortunately, the lunatics are out of the asylum again tonite.
A call by Peter Hain, Secretary of State, for community and political leaders to get behind the forces of law and order is like whistling in the wind. Most of these so-called community leaders and politicians are every bit as bad, every bit as entrenched in their sectarian views as the thugs who are out on the street tonite.
More later, I'm sick to the back teeth.
I hoped that, as on many other occasions, the violence might only last the weekend then fizzle out.
Unfortunately, the lunatics are out of the asylum again tonite.
A call by Peter Hain, Secretary of State, for community and political leaders to get behind the forces of law and order is like whistling in the wind. Most of these so-called community leaders and politicians are every bit as bad, every bit as entrenched in their sectarian views as the thugs who are out on the street tonite.
More later, I'm sick to the back teeth.
Monday, September 12, 2005
I'm Starving.
Ashes And Elephants
OK! They won the Ashes. The age of miracles is not dead.
But, seriously, this is a nice result for England, and I do congratulate them sincerely. Anyone who can get one over on these bloody Aus-try-lian ex-convicts is a good cobber by me.
More seriously than the last seriously, it is unfortunate that the what-ho result by the English cricket team has been completely overshadowed by the news that the Scottish Elephant Polo Team has won the world championship Kings Cup in Thailand.
For once, well done England AND Scotland.
Postscript : I have spent the last (censored) years living under the impression that "The Ashes" were the ashes of the cricketer W.C. Grace. Apparently, according to BBC news tonite, they are the ashes of a bail burnt to mark the end of English cricket.
But, seriously, this is a nice result for England, and I do congratulate them sincerely. Anyone who can get one over on these bloody Aus-try-lian ex-convicts is a good cobber by me.
More seriously than the last seriously, it is unfortunate that the what-ho result by the English cricket team has been completely overshadowed by the news that the Scottish Elephant Polo Team has won the world championship Kings Cup in Thailand.
For once, well done England AND Scotland.
Postscript : I have spent the last (censored) years living under the impression that "The Ashes" were the ashes of the cricketer W.C. Grace. Apparently, according to BBC news tonite, they are the ashes of a bail burnt to mark the end of English cricket.
Brown Gone - What about Bush?
Michael Brown has resigned.
For the sake of the world, and for good, ordinary working American folks, when does Dubya go?
Tomorrow?
If only.
Morals are required to do the right thing.
A quality which is blatantly absent in this man.
For the sake of the world, and for good, ordinary working American folks, when does Dubya go?
Tomorrow?
If only.
Morals are required to do the right thing.
A quality which is blatantly absent in this man.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Now It's Orange For Terror.
Any semblance of respectability the Orange Order in Northern Ireland claimed to have has been shattered by the latest events in Belfast and other parts of the province. The dinosaurs in the smart suits and bowler hats have shown themselves to be no better than the IRA at their worst.
link
Fortunately, Protestant loyalist terrorists have never had the skills and training of the IRA paramilitaries, so nobody, police or others, was killed when the gunmen opened fire. It is a long standing joke among both Protestants and Catholics in Belfast that when a terrorist attack is unsuccessful, it must have been the "Prods" who carried it out. And invariably they were right.
Alasdair McDonnell of the mainly Catholic SDLP said:
"The Orange Order must stand up today and tell the truth about its involvement in stirring up tensions and encouraging scenes of devastation. The Orange Order continues to claim to be against terrorism yet they don't hesitate to associate with murderous paramilitaries when and where it suits them".
link
Sadly, I would agree with him. Ian Paisley, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, and most fervent critic of the IRA, Sinn Fein, the Parades Commission, the police, the UK government and anyone not wearing a bowler hat or an orange sash, will be, despite his half hearted pleas for calm, giving an extra big thanks to God for this in his rather grand church tonite - in between his ranting sermons.
I have seen him rant. Not a pretty sight. He would frequently stand outside belfast City Hall with a loudhailer shouting what I can only describe as sectarian abuse and religious garbage at anyone willing to stop and listen or be unfortunate enough to be within range of his voice - which, even when not amplified, has quite a considerable range.
here to previous posts and here
After the peace agreement was signed seven years ago things did get better, to a point. I hoped all this would have been a thing of the past, consigned to history. I even moved over there for a while, because I have family there and have always loved Belfast. However, there "normality" wasn't my idea of normal and here I am back in Scotland. Maybe another time, but not yet.
Northern Ireland has stepped back to where the majority don't want it to be ever again.
link
Fortunately, Protestant loyalist terrorists have never had the skills and training of the IRA paramilitaries, so nobody, police or others, was killed when the gunmen opened fire. It is a long standing joke among both Protestants and Catholics in Belfast that when a terrorist attack is unsuccessful, it must have been the "Prods" who carried it out. And invariably they were right.
Alasdair McDonnell of the mainly Catholic SDLP said:
"The Orange Order must stand up today and tell the truth about its involvement in stirring up tensions and encouraging scenes of devastation. The Orange Order continues to claim to be against terrorism yet they don't hesitate to associate with murderous paramilitaries when and where it suits them".
link
Sadly, I would agree with him. Ian Paisley, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, and most fervent critic of the IRA, Sinn Fein, the Parades Commission, the police, the UK government and anyone not wearing a bowler hat or an orange sash, will be, despite his half hearted pleas for calm, giving an extra big thanks to God for this in his rather grand church tonite - in between his ranting sermons.
I have seen him rant. Not a pretty sight. He would frequently stand outside belfast City Hall with a loudhailer shouting what I can only describe as sectarian abuse and religious garbage at anyone willing to stop and listen or be unfortunate enough to be within range of his voice - which, even when not amplified, has quite a considerable range.
here to previous posts and here
After the peace agreement was signed seven years ago things did get better, to a point. I hoped all this would have been a thing of the past, consigned to history. I even moved over there for a while, because I have family there and have always loved Belfast. However, there "normality" wasn't my idea of normal and here I am back in Scotland. Maybe another time, but not yet.
Northern Ireland has stepped back to where the majority don't want it to be ever again.
The Almighty Flying Spaghetti Monster.
I always suspected the truth was out there somewhere. Now here it is. God is a flying spaghetti monster made of pasta and meatballs, with eyeballs on stalks.
I believe it. Where do I join?
Well, here, actually.
I believe it. Where do I join?
Well, here, actually.
Belfast Rioting.
The latest riots in Belfast are a massive step back to the province. The trouble, especially over marching routes, has never really gone away, but it has been many years since the gunmen have been out like they were today.
And don't think that this is all the work of young thugs. There were bowler hatted "gentlemen" in their forties, fifties and even older on the streets today abusing and attacking police and civilians.
This Link to a previous post on parades.
And don't think that this is all the work of young thugs. There were bowler hatted "gentlemen" in their forties, fifties and even older on the streets today abusing and attacking police and civilians.
This Link to a previous post on parades.
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Prescott On Global Warming And Katrina.
John "Two Jags" Prescott, British Deputy Prime Minister, has had a go at the U.S. government for it's record - or non-record - on climate change.
He suggested in a speech in Berlin what every half intelligent person except George Bush knows, that global warming is a threat. He cited Katrina as an example of storms which could become more frequent as the globe heats up.
Prescott went on to praise the city mayors in America who have gone their own way, ignoring the federal government and limiting carbon emissions locally.
Careful Dubya - he packs a punch and he's very, very grumpy.
The New Orleans Dead.
A report in the London Times tells a dismal and disgusting story of the fate of the dead in New Orleans.
"Neglected in life, the bodies of the New Orleans poor are ignored in death".
Are they just going to leave the bodies where they lie till there's nothing left to pick up? Hardly the "dignity and respect for the dead" Bush said he wanted observed.
But Hell. What does it matter as long as the pictures don't get out.
"Neglected in life, the bodies of the New Orleans poor are ignored in death".
Are they just going to leave the bodies where they lie till there's nothing left to pick up? Hardly the "dignity and respect for the dead" Bush said he wanted observed.
But Hell. What does it matter as long as the pictures don't get out.
Friday, September 09, 2005
More Jailtime For Naked Rambler.
Naked rambler Stephen Gough is back in Scotland - and in jail. He was convicted at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, where he appeared naked.
In a previous post I wrote about his time in Inverness on his last walk from Lands End to John O'Groats. While it would not come as any surprise if he found himself in jail again up here, I thought the people of Midlothian might be more liberal. Apparently there are as many stuffed shirts and prudes there as in the Highlands.
In a previous post I wrote about his time in Inverness on his last walk from Lands End to John O'Groats. While it would not come as any surprise if he found himself in jail again up here, I thought the people of Midlothian might be more liberal. Apparently there are as many stuffed shirts and prudes there as in the Highlands.
Michael Brown Out.
FEMA director Michael Brown has been pulled off Katrina relief, to be replaced on the ground by Vice Admiral Thad Allen, chief of staff of the U.S. Coast Guard.
A week after Bush said,
"Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job. The FEMA Director is working 24 -- they're working 24 hours a day."
A week after Bush said,
"Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job. The FEMA Director is working 24 -- they're working 24 hours a day."
High Commissioner In A Huff.
The British envoy to Malaysia walked out of a conference on human-rights being held in Kuala Lumpar, after a former premier of Malaysia accused Britain and the U.S. of murdering Iraqis.
"I found myself listening to abuse and misrepresentation about my country," huffed High Commissioner Cleghorn.
Definite grounds for a stiff gin and tonic there, old chap, but easy on the tonic.
The U.S. delegates didn't even send their delegates to hear the speech, not being ones to accept criticism from anybody, never mind a lippy Malaysian has-been.
"As much as they have the right to criticise me, they should also give me the right to criticise them," said ex-premier Mahathir Mohamed.
And,
"If you don't want to hear my criticisms of them, then you are denying my right to speak up."
Of course. Britain and the U.S. are democracies. What have rights and free speech to do with anything?
"I found myself listening to abuse and misrepresentation about my country," huffed High Commissioner Cleghorn.
Definite grounds for a stiff gin and tonic there, old chap, but easy on the tonic.
The U.S. delegates didn't even send their delegates to hear the speech, not being ones to accept criticism from anybody, never mind a lippy Malaysian has-been.
"As much as they have the right to criticise me, they should also give me the right to criticise them," said ex-premier Mahathir Mohamed.
And,
"If you don't want to hear my criticisms of them, then you are denying my right to speak up."
Of course. Britain and the U.S. are democracies. What have rights and free speech to do with anything?
Thursday, September 08, 2005
The Pup And The Mongrel.
Kaspy the Collie's training is coming on well. She has now learnt to bring home the Mongrel.
Colcam.Image
Young Collie's sometimes get really spooked in the half dark. She was very suspicious of me kneeling to take this foto - in fact terrified would be a better description. She is starting to crouch here, growling, and considering whether to go for me or turn round and bolt.
Colcam.Image
Young Collie's sometimes get really spooked in the half dark. She was very suspicious of me kneeling to take this foto - in fact terrified would be a better description. She is starting to crouch here, growling, and considering whether to go for me or turn round and bolt.
A Geek In Time Saves.......
a lot of cute japanese girls dressed in frilly maid outfits waiting around for a lot of sad japanese boys clutching iBooks, iPods and iPhones being a second late for their badly overdue haircuts.
Johnny White's In New Orleans.
Open for business 24 hours a day despite all, because they have a job to do.
"Here is the restroom key," she said, handing me a torch, "and watch the body on the stairs."
The body's name was Squirrel. He was banished to the landing for getting lippy when the cops dropped by, and he was just sleeping it off.
See all recent posts.
"Here is the restroom key," she said, handing me a torch, "and watch the body on the stairs."
The body's name was Squirrel. He was banished to the landing for getting lippy when the cops dropped by, and he was just sleeping it off.
See all recent posts.
Tory Yob Nicked In Spain.
Lord Glentoran, 70 year old Tory yob, was arrested by Civil Guard police after he and his Missus - she was also nicked - entered Spain from Gibralter and argued with Customs officials.
They are alleged to have attacked, insulted and spat on police.
Of course, being British, and he being a member of the House of Lords, a Conservative one at that, this pair would assume in their gin soaked way that everyone, especially damned foreigners, should bow and scrape and let them through borders without as much as a flash of their bus passes.
After lording it round Gibralter freeloading it among the old colonials, the senile old fools probably forgot that Spain isn't a British colony, and the Spanish police aren't pretendy police like Gib has.
Anyway, bad show old chap. Letting the side down and all that. Just because your Conservative chummy Michael Howard loved to shout endlessly about yob culture you didn't have to go and try it out for yourself - not outside the House of Lords, at least.
They are alleged to have attacked, insulted and spat on police.
Of course, being British, and he being a member of the House of Lords, a Conservative one at that, this pair would assume in their gin soaked way that everyone, especially damned foreigners, should bow and scrape and let them through borders without as much as a flash of their bus passes.
After lording it round Gibralter freeloading it among the old colonials, the senile old fools probably forgot that Spain isn't a British colony, and the Spanish police aren't pretendy police like Gib has.
Anyway, bad show old chap. Letting the side down and all that. Just because your Conservative chummy Michael Howard loved to shout endlessly about yob culture you didn't have to go and try it out for yourself - not outside the House of Lords, at least.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
No Dead Please, It Spoils The Spin.
The American government are trying hard to behave like the sort of totalitarian regime they are so fond of running round the world bullying and threatening.
FEMA doesn't want the media to take photographs of the dead in New Orleans.
Of course not. Like the pictures of too many flag covered coffins returning home from Iraq, it's embarrassing. It could damage the President, and it could damage an awful lot of other officials who have cocked up big time.
It could damage the Presidential ego. It could damage the Presidential propaganda spin, the Presidential enquiry headed by the chimpanzee himself.
The only thing it can't damage is the reputation of America round the rest of the world. That's already FUCKED.
Even before this horrific debacle that ignorant, smug, insincere spinning top of an excuse for a world leader had brought America's reputation and standing in the world to an all time low. Events since Katrina wreaked her havoc have finally exploded the myth of the "land of the free", where anyone has an equal chance. Finally exploded the myth of the protector of the world, the spreaders of democracy. They have shown themselves to be unable to protect themselves in their own country, and the democracy in their own country is looking decidedly dodgy.
It's going to take a long time for the poor people of the Gulf Coast to recover from this natural disaster, and the man made one which followed, but I know they will.
Unfortunately the recovery of America's reputation in the world will take far longer, and be far tougher work, and require a far better President than the one they are lumbered with now.
FEMA doesn't want the media to take photographs of the dead in New Orleans.
Of course not. Like the pictures of too many flag covered coffins returning home from Iraq, it's embarrassing. It could damage the President, and it could damage an awful lot of other officials who have cocked up big time.
It could damage the Presidential ego. It could damage the Presidential propaganda spin, the Presidential enquiry headed by the chimpanzee himself.
The only thing it can't damage is the reputation of America round the rest of the world. That's already FUCKED.
Even before this horrific debacle that ignorant, smug, insincere spinning top of an excuse for a world leader had brought America's reputation and standing in the world to an all time low. Events since Katrina wreaked her havoc have finally exploded the myth of the "land of the free", where anyone has an equal chance. Finally exploded the myth of the protector of the world, the spreaders of democracy. They have shown themselves to be unable to protect themselves in their own country, and the democracy in their own country is looking decidedly dodgy.
It's going to take a long time for the poor people of the Gulf Coast to recover from this natural disaster, and the man made one which followed, but I know they will.
Unfortunately the recovery of America's reputation in the world will take far longer, and be far tougher work, and require a far better President than the one they are lumbered with now.
Pressure Groups Full Of Wind.
Looking at pretty views doesn't keep the lights on and the Mac running. Scotland is ideal for wind power. I like seeing them. They add to the landscape. Build them everywhere.
It's the unharnessed wind emitted by anti wind farm pressure groups that I object to.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
The Dundee Dragon - And The Fearless Pigeon.
Bush To Lead Investigation - Let The Bullshit Begin.
President Bush has announced he will lead an investigation into what went wrong with the handling of the Katrina disaster. The rescue effort to save his own skin and spread the blame elsewhere has begun in earnest, and will no doubt be handled with all the efficiency and coordination that was lacking while people were dying down on the Gulf Coast.
This is called putting the boot in first, and smearing all before they can hurt you. It is not independent, it is indefensible.
Unfortunately the right in America will fall for this, accept this. Even if they don't believe a word.
"Bureaucracy is not going to stand in the way of getting the job done for the people", says Bush. Tell that to the relatives of those who have been murdered by bureaucracy.
Vice President Cheney will be sent to the disaster zone to determine whether the government is doing all it can. Just the chap - a bit late but - wait a minute. Is a staunch partisan like him ever going to turn round and say NOT enough is being done? Is this not the same Cheney who tells the people the war in Iraq is a success, that the US are winning?
Could anyone believe a word any of these guys utters? We are about to witness the Mother of all propaganda and smear campaigns, with all the lies and bullshit that that entails.
And the world won't believe any of it, even if the American right pretend to for the protection of their own interests.
This is called putting the boot in first, and smearing all before they can hurt you. It is not independent, it is indefensible.
Unfortunately the right in America will fall for this, accept this. Even if they don't believe a word.
"Bureaucracy is not going to stand in the way of getting the job done for the people", says Bush. Tell that to the relatives of those who have been murdered by bureaucracy.
Vice President Cheney will be sent to the disaster zone to determine whether the government is doing all it can. Just the chap - a bit late but - wait a minute. Is a staunch partisan like him ever going to turn round and say NOT enough is being done? Is this not the same Cheney who tells the people the war in Iraq is a success, that the US are winning?
Could anyone believe a word any of these guys utters? We are about to witness the Mother of all propaganda and smear campaigns, with all the lies and bullshit that that entails.
And the world won't believe any of it, even if the American right pretend to for the protection of their own interests.
America, Hear This.......
And This.......
Highland Healthcare?
Marjory Patterson showed remarkable constraint when she stated she felt "badly let down" after doctors removed her breast, only to find out she had never had the cancer that led to the surgery.
After the stories I have heard about Raigmore Hospital over the years, I have long been determined to go nowhere near the place unless I am dead on arrival, and even then I might argue against going in the door.
After the stories I have heard about Raigmore Hospital over the years, I have long been determined to go nowhere near the place unless I am dead on arrival, and even then I might argue against going in the door.
Katrina Aid Held Up.
God knows it took the US government long enough to admit they needed help and aid, now it seems they can't handle it when they get it.
Of course there's plenty time to negotiate and be picky about what's acceptable, and who is worthy of assisting the great United States. It's only the poor citizens who are suffering, and black ones at that. Certainly they don't want that commie Fidel sending help. It would make the US look too foolish after the years of badmouthing Cuba has got from them - anyway, they're all just spies and insurgents, aren't they? Can't have them looking HUMAN.
I don't know what the Bush administrations response has been, if any, to offers of assistance from Iran, but I would guess a "yes please, mighty nice of you" would be enough to have every right winger in America turning their automatic weapons on themselves - or Bush.
Of course there's plenty time to negotiate and be picky about what's acceptable, and who is worthy of assisting the great United States. It's only the poor citizens who are suffering, and black ones at that. Certainly they don't want that commie Fidel sending help. It would make the US look too foolish after the years of badmouthing Cuba has got from them - anyway, they're all just spies and insurgents, aren't they? Can't have them looking HUMAN.
I don't know what the Bush administrations response has been, if any, to offers of assistance from Iran, but I would guess a "yes please, mighty nice of you" would be enough to have every right winger in America turning their automatic weapons on themselves - or Bush.
Monday, September 05, 2005
The Shaming Of America.
Since Hurricane Katrina struck, many commentators have used the term "third world" to describe the chaos, suffering and violent conditions following this devastating disaster. It is an unfair charge, because most third world countries would handle such a situation far more efficiently and humanely.
The world has witnessed the most disgusting and inhuman scenes from a first world country which claims to be the saviour of the world. President Bush and his administration sat on their hands for days while people died needlessly, lawlessness prevailed, and the underlying problems of America - racism, poverty and the like - have been laid bare for all to see.
Surely this fool, Bush, has lost any right to be President (if he ever had the right, given the suspicions surrounding the voting system and allegations of electoral fraud) having, yet again, shown his inability to act swiftly and decisively in an emergency. Remember his reaction in the immediate aftermath of 9/11?
Of course he was on holiday when Katrina struck. Perhaps he should have stayed there. Being on vacation seems to be the only thing he does successfully. Visiting the disaster zone too late, and promising another appearance, does nothing except hinder the rescue effort by tying up resources for his security and protection.
The coverage in Britain of this awful disaster has been detailed, extremely harrowing, and highly critical. I am not inserting any links to the stories, as anyone who doesn't keep their heads buried, ostrich like, in the sand will already know about the atrocious actions of the gunmen, the stories of rape, including that of children, the stealing of food and water from the weak, the police pursuing looters while ignoring the plight of refugees, the best of the National Guard bogged down in Iraq.
And the atrocious inaction of Bush and his team. Hardly surprising, given the mess of Iraq, that they are incapable of controlling and dealing with their own problems in their own country. The President who scorns the idea of global warming should be learning a hard lesson right now, but I'm not holding my breath in anticipation of him changing his mind. Like so many poor people in New Orleans I would probably die waiting.
The world has witnessed the most disgusting and inhuman scenes from a first world country which claims to be the saviour of the world. President Bush and his administration sat on their hands for days while people died needlessly, lawlessness prevailed, and the underlying problems of America - racism, poverty and the like - have been laid bare for all to see.
Surely this fool, Bush, has lost any right to be President (if he ever had the right, given the suspicions surrounding the voting system and allegations of electoral fraud) having, yet again, shown his inability to act swiftly and decisively in an emergency. Remember his reaction in the immediate aftermath of 9/11?
Of course he was on holiday when Katrina struck. Perhaps he should have stayed there. Being on vacation seems to be the only thing he does successfully. Visiting the disaster zone too late, and promising another appearance, does nothing except hinder the rescue effort by tying up resources for his security and protection.
The coverage in Britain of this awful disaster has been detailed, extremely harrowing, and highly critical. I am not inserting any links to the stories, as anyone who doesn't keep their heads buried, ostrich like, in the sand will already know about the atrocious actions of the gunmen, the stories of rape, including that of children, the stealing of food and water from the weak, the police pursuing looters while ignoring the plight of refugees, the best of the National Guard bogged down in Iraq.
And the atrocious inaction of Bush and his team. Hardly surprising, given the mess of Iraq, that they are incapable of controlling and dealing with their own problems in their own country. The President who scorns the idea of global warming should be learning a hard lesson right now, but I'm not holding my breath in anticipation of him changing his mind. Like so many poor people in New Orleans I would probably die waiting.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Reuters Journalist Killing "Appropriate".......
But then they would say that, wouldn't they? They always do.
The American military have learnt nothing since the killing of Nicola Calipari at a roadblock near Baghdad in March. But they have learnt they get away with it every time.
The American military have learnt nothing since the killing of Nicola Calipari at a roadblock near Baghdad in March. But they have learnt they get away with it every time.
Climate Change Effects In Scotland.
We are seeing the worst seabird breeding season ever in Scotland, and a warning has been given that coastal areas face chaos because of climate change.
More frequent storms are predicted for the west coast, which is already the most sodding awful place for weather. No wonder I want to get to Hell out of here.
More frequent storms are predicted for the west coast, which is already the most sodding awful place for weather. No wonder I want to get to Hell out of here.
The father who told his 15 year old son not to be stupid for pleading with him not to let his 7 year old brother steer the car they were traveling in at 70 mph might have had to admit to his son having a lot more sense than him - if he had survived.
Thankfully the kids did survive, with only minor injuries, but minus a very stupid dad.
Thankfully the kids did survive, with only minor injuries, but minus a very stupid dad.
Thinking Of The Gulf Coast Folks.
The scenes from New Orleans and the Gulf coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina defy belief. The reports that thousands may have perished is horrific, and the plight of those waiting for rescue and aid heartbreaking.
Looting? There are no words for people who stoop that low.
My heart goes out to all those who are suffering there, especially the less affluent people who have no way out and little hope of their lives returning to normal for a very long time.
Looting? There are no words for people who stoop that low.
My heart goes out to all those who are suffering there, especially the less affluent people who have no way out and little hope of their lives returning to normal for a very long time.
© Colcam 2005-2007
