Saturday, September 23, 2006

[eggs] saved in the nick of time

The Pedant-General has raised a vital point which must be immediately addressed before tomorrow's breakfast. One must not, repeat not, use a metal device to convey the soft innards to the mouth. It must be of carved bone. Now when you come to think it through, he's correct - do you enjoy poking something metallic into your mouth? Then there is the historical issue of big-endian or small-endian, whether to soft-boil or to coddle [9 minutes], whether to use an egg-cosy and whether to smash or slice. After these have been satisfactorily resolved, there is still the question of eggy-soldiers. In mitigation, may I add that I myself use a carved wooden spoon for mine, these implements proliferating in this part of the world. So, consider yourself now saved from ignominy. Thank you, P-G, for the timely advice.

[islam] ramadan is upon us

Rosh Hashanah and Ramadan too. Good thing they got the war out of the way. The new moon was finally sighted in Egypt indicating the beginning of Ramadan. Starting Sunday, practising Muslims around the world are asked under Islam to refrain from eating and drinking during daylight along with other restrictions and prayers in a long list of rituals. Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is believed to be the month when the Koran was first revealed in fragments to Prophet Mohammed, through the Angel Gabriel. You have to hand it to the Muslims – they’ve got this fasting business down pat. Religious restraint during the day, then whooping it up into the small hours, just when you're at your most peckish.

[forbes] world top ten and source

The US Top 400 has just been published. I find the world Top 10 equally as interesting:

1]William Gates [US, 50, technology]
2]Warren Buffett [US, 75, investments]
3]Carlos Slim Helú [Mexico, 66, communications]
4]Ingvar Kamprad [Sweden, 79, retailing]
5]Lakshmi Mittal [India, 55, steel]
6]Paul Allen [US, 53, technology]
7]Bernard Arnault [France, 57, fashion]
8]Prince Alwaleed [Saudi Arabia, 49, investments]
9]Kenneth Thomson [Canada, 82, media]
10]Li Ka-shing [Hong Kong, 77, diversified]

[canada] top italian mountie and al qaeda

The overseas image of the Canadian Mountie has always been squeaky clean. A judicial commission reported this week that RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli’s poorly trained and inexperienced anti-terrorist investigators passed along raw and inaccurate intelligence to the United States that very likely led to Canadian Maher Arar's deportation and torture in Syria as an al-Qaeda suspect. Even worse for Mr. Zaccardelli, the inquiry found the RCMP tried to cover its tracks by misleading senior government officials about the force's early involvement in the Arar case. More at Globe and Mail.

[ben laden] une note de la dgse évoquant la mort possible

Après Paris, c'est Washington qui adresse un "no comment" prudent à propos des renseignements publiées samedi 23 septembre sur la possible mort d'Oussama Ben Laden. "Nous n'avons pas de confirmation de cette information", a déclaré un porte-parole de la Maison Blanche, Blair Jones.Le quotidien régional L'Est Républicain a publié samedi une note confidentielle attribuée à la Direction générale de la sécurité extérieure (DGSE), datée de jeudi 21 septembre, qui indiquerait que les services de renseignement saoudiens ont "acquis la conviction qu'Oussama Ben Laden est mort" des suites d'une crise de typhoïde, mais attendraient d'avoir des détails pour l'annoncer. Le Monde.

[charles] storm in an egg cup

According to Jeremy Paxman, Charles enjoys a boiled egg after a day's hunting but he is fussy about how long it is cooked. "If the Prince felt that number five was too runny, he could knock the top off number six or seven," Paxman told today's Guardian newspaper. "The story is not true," said a spokesman for Prince Charles. This is riveting stuff. Are you a FEE [fussy egg eater] or just a pleb? And just who’s lying to the public here? Stay tuned.

[heraldry] the higham coat-of-arms

This is the first mock up of a possible coat-of-arms. Fine details here.

[young ones] two series too few







It's as if the kettle's killed itself rather than be used by me! [Neil] I've just seen the most amazing thing in the garden - Neil biffed himself in the face with a frying pan! [Rick] Oh dear. This calls for a very special blend of psychology ... and extreme violence. [Vyvian] Why are you smashing up saucers, Rick? Yeah, there's a lotta heads buried at the bottom of the garden because of a saucer in the works. [Mike] I'm not really foreign, you know. I just do it to appear more sophisticated. [Balowski] That's just typical of you, Vyvyan! The house is under fifty feet of water and what do you do, build a submarine. [thinks] There's, um, no room for me in there, is there?

[aaagh] just burnt the toast a second time

Isn’t the internet wonderful? Whilst furiously typing just now and following DK’s link, I burnt my toast twice and at this moment the flat is acrid with smoke and the neighbours have just pounded on the door and asked if everything’s OK. In a rit of fealous jage, I typed ‘burnt toast and jam’ into Google and this came up. Any connection with Kinky? Then I got round it by just putting in ‘burnt toast’ and this came up. Art for Housewives will now become one of my visited sites – the concept is inspired although the page could do with some design work. Anyway, one more round of the other lads' sites and then I'm off to do some heraldry. By the way, I just dolloped the jam directly to the mouth with a teaspoon in the end.

[james bond] new felix leiter

There’s a Daniel Craig interview with the ever-tacky GQ magazine which raises the question of the F word. In principle, I’m not against it, if used sparingly and for effect but when it’s just plastered everywhere for Johnny Rotten sensation, then I step off the boat. There’s also a piece on the new Felix Leiter - Jeffrey Wright [follow the link]: Although Leiter is much less of a field agent than 007, his knowledge and expertise have often arrived for Bond just in the nick of time. Over time Leiter becomes the closest thing that Bond has had to a friend. Leiter appears to have somewhat of a sense of humour and irony, but his interests are unknown.

[heraldry] time to get working on those coats-of-arms

Dymphna, one of the partners in her really excellent blog, Gates of Vienna, poses the question: "What would appear on your coat of arms?" I did have one but lost it. Now if you are entitled to one already, well and good and the World is not Enough. But for the rest of us – time to get working on our heraldry. I’ll post my proposed ‘arms’ tomorrow.

[australia] government gets it right again

I like the current, long-term Australian government, I really do. From John Howard down, it goes to show that if the leader is quality, the class also tends to filter down. Look at this for example. Today, treasurer Peter Costello has defended Pope Benedict XVI over his controversial comments on Islam, saying the violent reaction was about the stifling of free speech. On a different matter, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez resembled a dictator who lacked class, during his "rant" at the UN, in which he called George W Bush "the devil". Chavez is not looking far enough.

[magnetic train] clarification

ScotsToryB sets the record straight about the Lathen tragedy: Maglev is magnetic levitation i.e. the train is raised by magnetic force thus moving with least friction possible. If the power(to create the magnetic field) failed, the train should roll to a stop. I am not an engineer but suspect a failure in the infrastructure. ScotsToryB also asks if I’m being ironic. No, just pig ignorant but I still maintain that when the train is not, let’s say, actually attached, then the scope for something like this exists. Am I a Luddite not to like this technology?

[kinky friedman] update on the situation

Every time we write a scathing or humorous piece on someone, there’s always someone else whom that affects. This morning I had a phone call from a friend about the Kinky post, asking, ‘Is this a real person or is he something from your fevered brain?’ Now comes a comment showing that he is indeed real and he is serious to boot: Kinky has been round for a long time. The kerfuffle will blow over; those who love him will look beyond his presumed outrageous orations. He's only getting 16% of the vote, per polls. It would be good to see the majority of candidates listen to his advice about the security of Texas' borders with Mexico. The ranchers and farmers are sick and tired of being shot at by thuglians entering illegally with warm fuzzy bodies and drugs. Different world, isn't it? I wish him well in Texas.

[new university] for local consumption only; uk and us stand easy

As my work requires me to give speeches everyday , I fail to see what yesterday’s bells ’n whistles session signified out of the ordinary and yet I’ve just been woken by a call telling me I was on much of republic TV and it appears it wasn’t the long, impromptu speech but the opening remark which caught the attention, when I used up my supply of local language to greet the audience. Seems they cut to the PM smiling, so maybe I won’t be deported just yet for later forgetting to hat tip or wear a jacket. As my TV was stolen some time back, I can’t see the clip myself, not unlike Iain Dale’s pdf file. Pity there’s no html or video version.

Friday, September 22, 2006

[hazel blears] in tears

The Salford Siren has now been well and truly kicked downstairs by Tim W, Reactionary Snob, the P-G, Mr. Eugenides, DK ... er, anyone I've forgotten? Bet I'm the only one to run her pic in a post though.

[texas] friedman kinda kinky

They do it differently in the States. Kinky Friedman, one of the independent candidates running for governor of Texas, is in trouble for racially insensitive statements. He used the word "Negro". He also joked about Mexicans and the immigration issue. Rival candidates have issued statements expressing shock and sadness that Friedman can be so "divisive" [a term I myself recently employed]. His day job? He’s a comic, musician and writer, with a wonderful name – perfect for the new Governor of Texas.

[cricket] new blog by tim de lisle

This is condensed from How not to treat a keeper: Geraint Jones has lost his contract, but Chris Read hasn’t been given one. So when England take the field at Brisbane, one man will be getting paid less, and offered less security, than nearly all his team-mates, and it will be the man whose role is to be the hub of everything they do. You get the nasty feeling that Duncan Fletcher, a Jones fan, is having second thoughts about switching to Read, even though he has done a great job since his surprise recall seven weeks ago. Not a bad read.

[sudan] little chance of un force with omar al-beshir there

There are 390 South African National Defence Force members and about 100 South African Police Service members serving with the 7200-strong AU mission in Sudan. South Africa wants the force to convert to a UN peacekeeping unit but what are they talking about? Such misery, such human carnage-in-waiting, and the problem is one obstructive man, as it often is in these situations – in this case President Omar al-Beshir. The man is simply indifferent to the people he supposedly rules, so what SA wants is largely irrelevant, one would think.

[strange bedfellows] chavez and chomsky at one over a book

The stories are certainly coming thick and fast today – it’s a veritable blogger’s paradise and I haven’t even had a chance to get around to the other lads’ yet to see what they're saying. Anyway, Hugo Chavez is plugging Noam Chomsky’s new book. Just have to get to Oliver Kamm’s blog immediately and thereafter to Indecent Left to gauge the reaction.

[tragedy] magnetic train derails in germany

This magnetic train today, using maglev technology by Siemens and ThyssenKrupp, which crashed in Lathen, northwestern Germany, killing one and with more deaths expected, can reach 270 mph. One such train in Shanghai caught fire last month. Let me go over that again. A magnetic train? Held to the rail by magnetism? At 270 mph? About 400 kph. Are they crazy? Er- can’t magnetic fields be broken? Forgive my ignorance but would you travel on a train at that speed, knowing it’s only hanging on by magnetism? More praying required this evening.

[new university] how not to give a speech

It’s never boring here. 15:00, they told me, main building. Parked the weather-beaten machine and headed for the cafeteria. Just about to take a bite when some woman tells me to go to the conference hall, hadn’t even started the coffee. Suddenly the Rektor sees me and tells me to stay beside him. Er – all right. He introduces me to about eight men in suits and suddenly four of us are on stage and the two beside me I don’t know from Adam. As they give speeches, it seems one is the Minister for Education and Science and the other the Prime Minister. Some girl brings tea and spills it over the MforE&S but it doesn’t matter because it’s his turn to speak anyway. More here.

[language] ranked by number of speakers

I have to give an address today at the opening of the new linguistic university and this is my intro. Thought the blogosphere might also be interested: 1 Chinese (Mandarin) 1,000,000,000 + 2 English 508,000,000 3 Hindustani (Hindi and Urdu) 497,000,000 4 Spanish 392,000,000 5 Russian 277,000,000 6 Arabic 246,000,000 7 Bengali 211,000,000 8 Portuguese 191,000,000 9 Malay-Indonesian 159,000,000 10 French 129,000,000 [source: http://www.aneki.com/languages.html] + 97% of languages are spoken by 4% of the world's people [source: IELTS - Longmans]

[bush and cia] historic breakthrough

This one is 30 minutes old [0700 London time]. Well, it’s finally happened and the implications, through FEMA, are enormous for the U.S.A. itself and obliquely, for Britain. The Washington Post reports that the breakthrough, after months of negotiations, means that next week, lawmakers could give Mr. Bush what he called his "top legislative priority" ahead of the November elections. Mr. Bush, on the road in Florida, praised the agreement for preserving "the most potent tool we have in protecting America and foiling terrorist attacks, and that is the CIA program to question the world's most dangerous terrorists and to get their secrets." Four chilling words. America - welcome to the world of the gurney and the instruments, should you ever fall foul of authority.

[richard hammond] news could be better

I don’t wish to dwell. There appears to be brain damage and now is the time when, if your belief allows you to, you might pray for the hamster’s speedy recovery. It really has worked before, you know.

[iain dale] one last comment

If Iain Dale were to act with even half the grace towards his other detractors as he has done in the last two days, he would be a shoe-in for Conservative MP, providing a constituency could be found. He illustrates the point that a few well chosen words can almost always do the trick.

[autumnal equinox] just the facts, ma’am

The equinoxes are the two days each year, occurring around March 20 and September 23, when the centre of the Sun spends an equal amount of time above and below the horizon at every location on Earth. The word equinox derives from the Latin words aequus (equal) and nox (night). In practice, the day is longer than the night. This is firstly because the Sun is not a single point of light, but appears to be a disc. The real equality of day and night happens a few days towards the winter side of the equinox. More facts here, including 2006 and 2007 dates plus cultural aspects.

[madonna] brick short of a load

"If Jesus were alive today he would be doing the same thing," Madonna says of her crucifixion. The outside of her head is distinctly superior to the inside.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

[exxon] fighting on a number of fronts at once

Royal Society spokesman Bob Ward has described Exxon's assessment of mankind's contribution to global warming as inaccurate and misleading, casting doubt on the link between global warming and the greenhouse gases which humans produce by burning fossil fuels. Exxon then said in a statement that it did accept the contribution of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) to climate change. On another front, Russia has switched the focus of its attack on huge foreign-led energy projects to Exxon Mobil's Sakhalin-1 oil scheme on Thursday, saying it would forbid a $4.2 billion overspend that cut Moscow's profits.

[al qaeda] genuine warning or another red herring

Interesting report in Gates of Vienna about an interview with Al Qaeda. Abu Dawood said that America has received its last warning. The mujahideen are poised to launch a major new attack, this time with chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons smuggled across the border from Mexico…Most of our brothers are living in Western countries, with Jewish and Christian names, with passports of Western countries. This time, someone with the name of Muhammad Atta will not attack inside America, it would be some David, Richard or Peter. And so it goes on.

[wal-mart] boomers to get generic drugs at reduced price

Wal-Mart said today it will begin selling nearly 300 generic prescription drugs for just $4 for up to a 30-day supply, for both the insured and uninsured. The test program will begin Friday in Tampa and expand by January to the rest of the Florida, which includes a growing market of Baby Boomers and retirees who benefit from the new Medicare drug benefit for the elderly and disabled. The company will then aim to take the program nationally, serving customers, employees and the nation's burgeoning population of uninsured Americans. How can anyone else compete?

[phonetic dictionary] sixth twelve

61 Sari...........................So am I, very!
62 Scatology.................Jazz speak
63 Scintillate..................Nocturnal orgy
64 Silicon........................Dumb trick
65 Slapstick...................Teachers cane
66 Sorghum...................Pyorrhea
67 Support.....................Imbibe fortified wine
68 Surcingle...................Unmarried baronet
69 Sycamore.................Chronically ill or twisted love
70 Syntax......................Moral Majority's ambition
71 Tartar.......................Goodbye
72 Thinking...................Slender monarch

[cricket] why england will retain the ashes [or not]

Nice piece by David Smith in cricket-on-five about the most vital question facing Britain – what chance retaining the Ashes? He maintains there are many reasons to be pessimistic about England’s chances because so much has changed: 1. Home advantage will be lost and a cunning ticket policy has assured that the thousands of England fans will not dominate. Continued here.

[l'italie] un vaste scandale d'écoutes clandestines ébranle l’italie

Le gouvernement de Romano Prodi a été sommé de s’expliquer jeudi après la mise à jour d’un système d'écoutes téléphoniques illégales impliquant des policiers. Plusieurs stars du sport, des politiques, des célébrités et employés de l'entreprise ont été placés sur écoute. Suivez ici.

[pope] he must not backpeddle

Three hours ago. Here’s the headline and tag: Pope, in New Step to End Crisis, Pays Respect to Islam - The pontiff uses a general audience in St. Peter's Square to again reassure Muslims after his words last week provoked their fury. [Los Angeles Times]. If he quoted an emperor who maintained that Islam led to evil and quoted it without clear qualification, thereby lending it credence, then he cannot now backpeddle. It is wrong so to do. Similarly, if he now ‘pays tribute’ to Islam, then why on earth did he make the comments in the first place? He can't have it both ways. Either Islam is right ... or it is wrong. Which is it? It's like being a 'little bit' pregnant. Or is it like the curate's egg?

[iain dale list] an end to the matter, hopefully

Ladies and gentlemen, I feel bound to reply to some of the comments I’ve received. In my situation it cannot be sour grapes because I am new, because my focus is ‘world’ and there was never any consideration that I’d be anywhere near any list myself. In fact I wrote to one colleague that one must remember Iain was listing only political blogs and within the UK sphere.

One comment that the blogosphere is free and therefore words like ‘divisive’ and ‘inclusive’ are inapplicable is true to a point and that’s why we blog. Also, we’re right into free speech, aren’t we? On the other hand, the lists do have enormous currency in the British sphere and I do not refer to Richard North here; I’m not going to betray confidences except to say that there are some well known bloggers considerably less than gruntled. Otherwise I’d never have posted.

As for me being anti-Iain, I wrote to Iain this morning and assured him this wasn’t so. Please look at my blogroll. This thing is issue-focused only.

For the supportive comments – thank you.

[usa] id juggernaut now begins its roll on the other side of the pond

The House and Senate moved Wednesday toward a piecemeal crackdown on illegal immigration, pushing forward separate bills to require photo identification to vote, build vast fences along the U.S.-Mexico border and speed the deportation of undocumented workers. The measures would take the place of President Bush's far broader rewrite of the nation's immigration laws. for now. Thin edge of the wedge. Here it is finally – the first step towards the biometric chip in the right hand and only time will show if this is either adrift of reality, correct or both.

[the dale list] the tendency to club and the philosophy of inclusion

My MCC days, now sadly relinquished, were a perfect example of the tendency ‘to club’ and they do throw some light on the UK blogosphere. I was fortunate enough to have been proposed, at birth, by the then secretary and seconded by I can’t remember who and then came the eighteen year wait on the now largely discarded waiting list and then provisional membership, each successive stage conveying certain membership rights but not others. There were always key inside references one made in conversation which rendered the tie itself largely irrelevant. So it appears to be in the blogging world.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

[the near-east] muslims and non-muslims in perfect accord

There were two photographs I could have displayed here. One depicted a red and white head-wrapped man, with a loaded gun in one hand and a displayed Qu’ran in the other. Or I could have run the photo I have done, of Muslim girls having a picnic with non-Muslims, everyone friends with everybody and not the least racial or religious tension – in fact a great deal of inter-marriage. How is it possible? The short answer is that there is no catalyst here, no agent-provocateur in the region. People wish to improve their lives, that’s all - and they’re left alone to do it.

[usa] new africa corp close to being set up

Jason Motlagh, of the Asia Times, reports that the United States is moving closer to setting up an Africa Command to secure the rear flank of its global "war on terrorism", with eyes trained on vital oil reserves and lawless areas where terrorists have sought safe haven to regroup and strike against its interests. At a Monday briefing on plans to restructure US defense policy, Under Secretary of Defense Eric Edelmen disclosed that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and top military brass were close to a decision over a proposal to anchor US forces on the African continent, creating a new command to encompass all security operations. Read the whole thing here.

[minette marrin] enigmatic teller of the truth

There are writers and then there are writers. I find a woman who presents cogent arguments about rampant feminism, who can write equally rationally and with clarity on rape, murderers, self-discipline and traditional values to be the type of person one can respect, at least based on her pieces. What I have found quite puzzling is the silence about her from the blogosphere. I can’t seem to get any sort of comment from fellow British bloggers, though I’ve tried but then again, I might not have searched widely enough. Here’s her piece on feminism and rape. Her site is in my blogroll.

[fish yet again] that uncertain flavour

Three Hong Kong seafood shops are under investigation for allegedly keeping their fish in toilet water stolen from neighbouring residential buildings. Inquiries began after residents from the buildings complained they were losing their toilet water. An initial probe found the fishmongers had rerouted water pipes into their shopping complex.

[cosmos] first woman space tourist

Anousheh Ansari's Russian Soyuz "taxi" docked with the space station this morning while the nearby space shuttle crew used the shuttle's robot arm to search for damage on Atlantis, whose return to Earth was delayed until at earliest Thursday. The Iranian-born American telecommunications entrepreneur was wearing a lime-green shirt embroidered with her name and a baseball cap, and she certainly received a warm welcome from astronaut Jeff William, cosmonaut Panel Vinogradov, and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter. More on the Iranian multi-millionairess entrrepeneur who paid $20 m on ABC.

[wto] doha less a dodo than uruguay

Pascal Lamy said in Cairns, Australia, that if completed, Doha’s impact would be a "quantum leap" ahead of the world's last trade deal, the Uruguay Round. Ministerial talks broke down in July over rival proposals to reduce farm tariffs and subsidies. The subsequent G-33 proposal to let developing countries exclude up to 20 per cent of their agricultural tariff lines from significant cuts would never get past the US. Excuse me but it seems a strange kind of logic which measures the relative failure of a round of talks by its comparison with the abject failure of the last round. National interest will always win out so what’s the point? Free lunches?

[far-east] abe to make higher taxes more palatable

Shinzo Abe is expected to sell government land and buildings, opening up parts of central Tokyo to private developers, and cut spending to help shore up finances. Abe will probably keep the nation's consumption tax for goods and services at 5 percent for as long as possible to help sustain growth should he succeed Junichiro Koizumi, investors like Yuuki Sakurai say. "Abe knows that raising taxes is inevitable, but before any increase he is going to reduce costs as much as possible," said Hiroyoshi Nakagawa, a fund manager at Société Générale Asset Management in Tokyo. Full story Bloomberg.

[canada] engineer tortured by the cia would like explanation

A software engineer, exonerated of any involvement in terrorism by a Canadian government inquiry said Tuesday that he would like the United States to explain why he was sent to Syria, jailed and then tortured while they were about it. I’d possibly have the same reaction, had it been me but the reassuring thing is that Capitol Hill had new legislation before it today which would render such explanations in the future unnecessary.

[phonetic dictionary] fifth twelve

49 Musket......................Sweet wine
50 Nobility.....................Thirsty swagman [Aus]
51 Nomad.......................Sane
52 Notice........................Melted
53 Opine.........................Irish tree
54 Palindrome...............Friend at airport
55 Palliasse....................Friendly donkey
56 Paradox....................Two hounds
57 Pasturage..................Older
58 Picnickers.................Select underwear
59 Polygon.....................Dead parrot
60 Propaganda..............True goose

[iran] which sanctions would dissuade them

Iranian poets cheerfully wave canisters of plutonium to illustrate how the U.S. can do b-gg-r all about Iran's manifest destiny

George Bush expressed the issue of sanctions perfectly in Annandale, Va., on Aug. 9, 2004: "Secondly, the tactics of our - as you know, we don't have relationships with Iran. I mean, that's - ever since the late '70s, we have no contacts with them, and we've totally sanctioned them. In other words, there's no sanctions - you can't - we're out of sanctions." So, if the United States is willing to give European negotiator Javier Solana more time for talks on the nuclear issue with Iran and if major powers will support sanctions if Tehran does not suspend uranium enrichment, it’s difficult to see which particular sanctions will do anything to Iran. They might even start playing Russia’s game again.

[sudan] slow motion genocide and what can we do

You may not wish to accept my word or that of a baptist writer but if you do your own research, you might find the following article today on the slaughter in Sudan which is poised to commence, in crisp green uniforms, to be not far wide of the mark. Unlike the Petron Corp disaster in the Philippines, also poised to begin, this one has human beings in it - millions of them.

[politics] three departing pms, three methods

Times online photo today

In Hungary, Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany refuses to stand down after lies and street battles. Hungary's defiant leader said that he would use all legal means necessary to stop the rioting. “The longest and darkest night of the third Hungarian Republic is behind us,” the Prime Minister said on state television. In Thailand, the military takes over whilst PM Thaksin Shinawatra decides the crisis is over and he’s still PM. In Africa, the same. In Britain, Tony Blair does it slightly differently. Have to say it but I think we have the better democracy, for all its faults.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

[phonetic dictionary] fourth twelve

37 Infantry.......................Seedling
38 Injury..........................Empanelled
39 Innuendo....................Italian suppository
40 Inquire........................Member of chorus
41 Jargon.........................Lost container
42 Jaywalker...................Whisky
43 Juniper........................Hebrew child
44 Lieutenant..................Vacant apartment
45 Lobotomy...................Sagging posterior surgery
46 Macabre......................Scottish tree
47 Manifold......................Origami
48 Matelot........................Promiscuous

[sakhalin] eu energy commissioner’s empty words

Today’s news is actually old news following September 8th: Russia’s environment watchdog said it had asked a court to recognize that the scheme did not comply with ecological rules. Russia is certainly very unhappy with being dictated to by Shell, Royal Dutch and Exxon and all parties are playing hardball. Putin signalled Moscow’s feeling in a journalistic forum before the G8 when he spoke of ‘our resources’ and that deals must not be ‘all one way’. It’s a new game for the Big 3 not to be able to muscle in here as they have elsewhere and the Japanese are watching and learning. There are billions to be made in Sakhalin and Russia wants to ensure its major slice.

[thailand] i don't see why the king stays silent

This Thaksin Shinawatra business inThailand is old really and it's also odd. Do you remember the King was going to intervene; he did have a chat with the PM but there's something about the tradition of the King staying above politics which prevented him from removing Shinawatra and yet he must be able to see what's happening to his country. When we were in Thailand, we once saw total gridlock for twenty minutes where two intercity arteries joined and we were informed it was just the King going home for the evening. We asked about this and no Thai voice expressed even the slightest annoyance at it. He has immense power and one word would see the crisis ended.

[cia] they never give up, do they

John Ullyot, a spokesman for Senate Armed Services Chairman John Warner, said Monday that draft legislation was headed to Capitol Hill with "new language," for its proposal that would allow the CIA to continue alternative interrogation techniques on suspected terrorists. No details of the changes were announced. The news comes after powerful Republican senators defied President Bush last week and voted against White House backed legislation aimed at detainees held at the U.S. facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Three army men blocked it last week. Someone really, really wants this power to torture prisoners in place so the next stage can begin within the U.S.

[pope] stand by your words or don't say them

The Pope’s remarks on Islam which have caused protests and a terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda to vow to kill the pontiff have caused the Vatican to backpeddle. Look, his remarks may or may not have been wise but he made them and he had to have known their consequences - anything offends a Muslim these days. If he believed what he was saying, then he must now stand by his remarks. If he didn't believe what he was saying, then he should never have said it in the first place. But appeasement under pressure is no option whatsoever.

[fish again] first defence against terrorism

San Francisco, New York, Washington and other big cities are using bluegills – also known as sunfish or bream – as a sort of canary in a coal mine to safeguard their drinking water. Small numbers of the fish are kept in tanks constantly replenished with water from the municipal supply, and sensors in each tank work around the clock to register changes in the breathing, heartbeat and swimming patterns of the bluegills that occur in the presence of toxins. More here.

[dale list again] which category would you put this person in

Iain Dale’s criteria for categorization, which revealed that to neatly place people in boxes is a fraught task caused me to present here, in point form, some views under four headings: 1] fiercely for; 2] fiercely against; 3] ambivalent towards and 4] things I love. Agree or disagree?

Monday, September 18, 2006

[sudan] too remote to concern us

The African peace force is leaving and the slaughter is about to begin again. Aid goes into the government’s pockets, 2 million people are already homeless and most will soon be dead, according to residents. A proposed United Nations force has been blocked by President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who says it’s part of an effort by Western nations to "re-colonize" Sudan. Ho hum.

[singapore girl] distracting way to fly

The Singapore Girl is the epitome of beauty, elegance, and premier service. There are five rounds to the testing of each girl, once she manages to make the initial cut: 1) Self-introduction to a panel of cabin crew executives, in groups of 10 candidates each. 2) A one-on-one interview lasting about 10 minutes. 3) A written English test. 4) A 3-minute talk on any topic to a panel, in groups of 10 candidates each. 5) A swim test. Now it’s this last one which worries me a little.

[phonetic dictionary] third twelve

25 Fodder.......................Male parent
26 Foolhardy..................Stan Laurel
27 Forensic.....................Migrants unwell
28 Foresight...................Saga
29 Forfeit........................Quadruped
30 Frigate!......................Angry exclamation
31 Gangrene...................IRA hitsquad
32 Grateful.....................Enough firewood
33 Gunwale....................Harpoon
34 Handicap...................Useful hat
35 Huguenot...................Large tangle
36 Ideal..........................You shuffle

[health and fitness] fish oil can save lives

Past research has linked the omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish to a lower risk of fatal heart rhythm disturbances. A new study has tried to estimate the potential public health impact of raising adults' omega-3 levels with fish oil supplements and estimates that implantable defibrillators would lower the cardiac death rate by 3.3 percent, still not as much as the 6.6-percent lower death rate achieved by increasing the use of fish oil supplements. [American Journal of Preventive Medicine, October 2006] while we’re at it, fresh broccoli, cabbage, nuts, buckwheat and garlic have health benefits out of all proportion to their nutritional value.

[head to head] the u.s. vs canada

Nearly two-thirds of Americans (65%) and Canadians (63%) think people determine their own success in life. Canadians (77%) and Americas (73%) both believe that the government should take care of the poor. Nearly three-in-five Americans (58%) believe that freedom to pursue their life’s goals is more important than guaranteeing that no one is in need. Only 43% of Canadians agree. More head to head here.

[the dale list] did you make the cut

For anyone outside the UK reading this, Iain Dale has posted four lists on the top 100 UK political blogs and to be fair 1] he's referring to just that - political blogs and 2] to the UK. He's also put a hell of a lot of work into it. I'm wondering about those who came in, say, 112 or maybe 235. I can't get the pdf to work just now [server and other problems at this end today have reconfigured everything] so I wonder where people such as Prodicus, Stuart A, Serf and expats like Black Quill rank on this continuum. Does being on this list, by definition, mean your blog's better? I think I'm going to produce a list of 'Best Underrated Blogs I've Seen' in the near future but maybe others already have this idea.

[political correctness] the left-right divide

In New York, a group of publishers’ some years back issued official guidelines to prospective writers as to topics which must now be avoided in any literary work: “Abortion, death or disease, criminals, magic, politics, religion, unemployment, weapons, violence, poverty, divorce, slavery, alcohol or addiction, women as mothers or doing household work, men as lawyers, doctors or plumbers, African citizens in any negative light." [Diane Ravitch] This sort of thing leaves me in quiet apoplexy, mouth opening and closing, not unlike a fish. More here.

[in brief] thought for the day

It's a dark and gloomy day out there this Monday morning and the temperature is - let me see now - 3 degrees C. It hasn't been the most fabulous weekend, as some people might understand but now we can put all that aside and look forward to a long, gruelling, enjoyable working week. And to put you into a great mood for the week, who better to quote than Tony Blair, from 1997: Enough of talking, time now to do. So people, let's go out and do as he has. I'm putting the kettle on and dreaming of forest and beach.