[blogfocus] the way forward in life

Iraq, Iran, climate change, veils, making ends meet, what’s the way forward in this life we’re forced to lead? Bloggers from the four corners have their say this evening, beginning with Colin Campbell, who is in no doubt – family values are everything; the family which trampolines together, stays together [see photo of the construction of said trampoline]. He also believes in early rising – the photos were posted at 6.05 a.m. More ingenious blogger solutions here.

[which] ie7 v firefox

Firefox seems to be leading early on in the download race, and it's been more of a hit with the critics. One explanation for this is that, since Firefox users tend to be more fanatical and technology savvy than those of IE, they'd be more likely to download the new browser on the day of its release. By contrast, most IE users will wait until the new version of the browser is sent over automatic updates, which is expected to occur in November. If you have an interest in either of these, this is an interesting article.

[snow] it’s falling outside, in a manner of speaking

Hurrah! Hurrah! We have snow out there – do you? I adore the snow but not when it almost immediately turns to slush, so that when you cross the road to your carpark, some great semi-articulated lorry drives within two metres, covering you from head to foot in a torrent of road sludge. No, that’s not so good. Have a lovely day, wherever you are.

[super trains] in britain, take repair kits

This sort of thing from the Telegraph today could make a man nostalgic: After several minutes sitting silently at Rugby station, a sheepish member of staff broke the silence with the announcement: "If anyone has some nuts and bolts with them will they come forward?" The new, tilting Pendolino had ground to a halt because the blades on the windscreen wipers had come loose and it could not pull away until they had been fixed. Willing passengers gathered together a rudimentary tool kit and one even clambered on to the front of the engine in an attempt to get it running again, but to no avail. I love Britain.

[air crashes] regime adjusters in nigeria

You have to hand it to the Nigerians. The victims of the latest ADC crash near Abuja included the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Maccido. The late Sultan, who headed Nigeria’s millions of Muslims, was the spiritual leader of the Islamic faithful both in the country and the Niger Republic. A man revered across many countries in West Africa, the late Sultan was not a religious leader himself, but someone to whom Muslims looked up to for leadership and guidance. What a perfect way to curtail the activities of a nuisance, with no political fallout and no blame attributable.

[iraq] two things which catch the eye

1] Thousands of weapons the United States has provided Iraqi security forces cannot be accounted for and spare parts and repair manuals are unavailable for many others, a new report to Congress says. Black market 2] "It's my belief that they're [Shi’ite militias] very sensitive to the fact that we've got an election scheduled and they can get on the websites like anybody else," says Dick Cheney. Corollary: give people freedom to blog and see what happens – militias!

[id cards] open letter to all readers

More likely an embedded verichip than what's in this photo

ScotsToryB commented: James, perhaps you can have a wee look at Monty's blog re ID cards and post a link to get the rest of us great unwashed to start standing up for ourselves. My readership, STB, is not large but I do have readers with large readerships - fellow bloggers. For you ladies and gentlemen, if you happen upon this post, please go to Monty Lionheart's own post on ID cards, if you haven't already done so; then to this site and then prehaps think out the best possible way to use your blog to assist - maybe running banners, I don't know. I'll think it out this evening in terms of my own blog. Our children's future quite possibly depends on it.

[usa] cold comfort for the russians …

Dr. Strangelove

I recently read on one blog, [please set me straight on whose], that what the Americans didn’t know in the Cuba crisis was that they were floating above Soviet subs with nuclear tipped warheads, as they, the Americans, intended dropping depth charges. Once our American friends wipe their brows, it’s time for the return bout; it’s the Russians’ turn to blanch. Actually, they were nearly wiped out too, without the least inkling of it. Just a few notes about it here.

[overseas] the perils of expats and repats

Maria Sharapova

Recently, a girl I know came back here from America [as a repat] and immediately visited two of her best friends. Far from supporting her, they told her she could not succeed back here. I told her that this attitude is also very common in the west. On the other hand, as a foreigner living in Russia, more or less semi-permanently [as an expat], there are two questions I am always asked: “Do you like it here?” and “When are you going home?” Continued here.

[smoking] why it’s particularly bad for girls

Each age group has its own particular self-delusions associated with it. A middle aged man might conclude that because he personally finds a lady attractive, then she automatically must want to go out with him; or believing your teenage daughter is innocent because she tells you so. 16 to 20 year old girls might conclude that anorexia is the way to happiness, that body piercing is beautiful and that smoking is OK. This article is about girls smoking.