[cigarettes] more than cancer sticks in russia

I'm just wondering, you know, if this isn't Ulitsa Musina in my old town. It looks uncannily like it, which shows the uniformity across Russia.

The Croydonian has a post with particular relevance to me:

The Russian tobacco market has been showing a curious trend recently. The cheapest and premium class cigarette brands currently enjoy the biggest demand in Russia. Many tobacco companies focus their efforts on the inexpensive segment and resume the production of Soviet brands...

This is a major market, which can be seen at street level. Basically, if you look at the photo above, through the trees can be seen a housing block. OK, imagine coming downstairs from one of them and going out onto the street. To your left or right will be babushki and other vendors sitting on stools up against the low, wrought iron fences, selling many things but always cigarettes and semechki [seeds].

If you go for a wander, say to the left, then in the next block might be an Apteka [chemist] and some other shops. Up on the next corner is bound to be a two metre by three metre kiosk which sells ust ice-cream. No matter what the season, ice-cream is bought and consumed and let me tell you that, apart from the artificial western brands, there is the real local stuff, crammed with cream.

There'll be ciggie sellers here too. Now, if you multiply this by the number of towns and cities in Russia, remembering that cigarettes are like we drink tea here and you'll see what a huge money-spinner it is - bigger than drugs.

Therefore, any move into the lower end of that market is not going to lose. Therefore the mafia has it under control. They have everything under control, from the immigrants begging at road intersections to the smallest money-spinner.

For the consumer, the average person walking past, it's brilliant though. You needn't go to a shopping complex where the council controls the parking at a huge fee, you needn't drive to your local mall - it's right there where you want it.

[internet addiction] could we be addicted ourselves ... yikes

In a typical Beeb comment, wanting to trash the internet [or rather bloggers], even if it comes from China, they have a piece on internet addiction and people in hospital with it. The Beeb will claim it is just a news magazine bit of reportage but the barb is still in there.

They do, however, raise a valid question - internet addiction.

It seems to me it must be split into two parts - those who use it for social networking and those who use it for political comment - even on the shocking mating habits of the Tibetan yak and what are we going to do about it?

Many fellow political bloggers do both and though I don't use Facebook or any other forum or message board, I do enjoy dialogue on this site and in visiting and there are the occasional emails.

Addiction?

On the social side, undoubtedly it can lead to it and it can almost replace real friendships and not even "almost" at times. We all know of the bored person who lets himself/herself drop into this lifestyle and the "friendships" are very real in our minds.

Can internet friendships lead to real friendship? I'd like to think that in five cases so far, they have. Yet we've all heard tales of horror when two people finally hook up. Maybe that would happen anyway in Real Life.

On the question of addiction to political blogging, there is a nice quote on madness that you know you've crossed the sanity line when you feel your business or project would collapse if you weren't there for one week.

This is definitely a danger - to take oneself so seriously to the point of feeling that one's blog is more than what it is. My blog is a very small fish in the ocean of blogs and placed alongside the British mammoths, which themselves are placed alongside the megablogs in the U.S., it's chicken feed really.

The only strength in my blog is that the views expressed seem to be aligned with the views of many who'd be called small "c" conservative/libertarian/classic liberal. That's all. On visitor numbers, I'm not in the beginner or even the small class but I'm certainly no more than "medium".

My mate and I had a discussion about it and I said the main thing was to get the message up about Them and other naughties. Numbers to the blog are secondary. He said he couldn't give a damn about numbers - he does what he thinks is interesting. I replied that, well, numbers are important in that the message gets out but I had one particular blogger in mind who's in a former group of mine.

He gets around 1000 uniques a day, as he was wont to self-deprecatingly tell his readership every second day. He did this by aggregating, feeding, being signed up for schemes, advertising and whatever. I'm not mocking this and I have ads on my site too. If I knew what an aggregator was, maybe I'd do that too.

I'm at pains here to not try to occupy the high moral ground. Not a bit of it. Of course I was pleased with yesterday's visitors - who wouldn't be pleased? So, fine but I look at him and am not prepared to dedicate the blog to trawling for numbers, in order to appear to be a major player. I wouldn't write this if I didn't think it were so [I just wouldn't write anything about it, if it were].

Look, I do like to tackle major targets like the CFR and CBs and go to the heart of the rot. All the other things like quizzes and so on are also fun. Let's face it, it's nice to put those up and people come to do them.

Addicted?

Maybe. Could I leave the blog for a week? I'm thinking of trying it in September/October, at precisely the time that numbers return in force, so it's a good test. I need to know if I'm addicted. Could I stop the email friendships with various people? Not being an emailer of note, you'd think it would not be a problem but it would.

Could I stop visiting? Probably not because I like what I read and prefer it to the MSM. Seriously I do.

No apologies for the "I, I, I" in this post because talking of internet addiction always makes us look inside ourselves. So this has been thinking aloud this morning in this post.

[westminster] why labour could well be returned

Back to more mundane things and there's a storm brewing in the party political sphere.

1. Those who can see beyond party politics see that the EU is poised to pounce once Irish Lisbon 2 is passed, which they are obviously confident will be signed, otherwise, they would not have pressed for it. What is meant by pounce?

Regionalization of course, with the regional assemblies already in place. It matters not that the country rejected it last time, it's a fait accompli even now and EU money goes to the regions as a first priority. On top of that, it's aided and abetted from the ODPM via Common Purpose.

So, in other words, that is ready to go but it also needs the population to be fed up to the back teeth of Westminster politics, in order to usher in the new devolution, only partially at first, with no ostensible loss of sovereignty. The idea is that Westminster is scandal riddled, e.g. the expenses scandal, Brown's incompetence and Cameron's ineffectual Westminster club games. The EU will fix the mess.

2. Into this steps Dan Hannan who is virtually the only pollie, apart from David Davis and possibly John Redwood, [forgive me if I've left a few out], speaking for the small "c" conservative, the conservative libertarian small government type.

Now, a glance at the UKIP, LPUK and a major section of the Tories shows that these people are not, in general, numpties. In other words, this side of politics is far more likely to fragment and split off, while the Labour numpties will continue to vote for them no matter what state they get the country into.

Therefore, ignoring the by-elections, which have always been protest votes and don't really correspond to general election results, the Labour vote is going to be, on the day, fairly stable. As the voting system is first past the post, it matters not whether they have 22% of the vote if no other party gets more than that.

Right, you say, the conservative vote is considerably more than that at present.

Yes it is - at present. However, in steps Dan Hannan and as Harry Hook says:

I can't figure out whether he's being naively open, shrewd, or just has a death wish. Nonetheless... Dan's got some guts... as well as brains.

Everyone knows he is shooting from the hip and has now invoked Enoch, which is a particular trigger that certain conservatives are not averse to. David Cameron does not really know what to do with him. If he follows Brown's goading and disciplines Hannan, the question is - for what? There are many disgruntled Tories and these sorts of buzzwords start people thinking.

Therefore, Cameron does nothing but that doesn't look good in pro-Cameron Tory eyes. Possibly nothing untoward would happen before the election and Hannan would be spoken to by those inside - therefore collective responsibility reigns and the Tories come to power.

If it were to be handled badly though, Hannan would have no choice but to move out and sitting there are the UKIP and LPUK which, though the policies have differences, might be galvanized by someone of Hannan's stature representing the small "c" conservatives. It would represent the best chance for the smaller parties to find an accommodation anyway - don't forget that FPTP is no good for small parties.

If Hannan left, there'd be quite an exodus of thinking conservatives, even though no one is so far the recipient of hero worship - it's not Nu-Labour and Blair, with it's gaggle of Babes - that he could count on leading some new united party. Therefore, the split in the right wing ranks plays right into Labour's hands and they might just cross the line ahead at the general election.

That would be unthinkable for all the non-numpties out there in Britland but it is a possibility, aggravated by a devolved Scotland and partially devolved Wales plus ... and this is the big plus ... the EU Monster waiting in the background to pick up the pieces.

3. You can reject this thesis, of course but one thing I think you can't deny is that 2010 will be volatile and Britain will once again become interesting to the world, politically.

And don't forget the Parliament for England campaign.

[open letter] to the sane readers

I wasn't going to run another post tonight and certainly not one on a sour note. The nice news at this blog today has certainly brought the vipers and trolls out of their fetid pond [do they live in ponds?] and knowing I couldn't give a damn about anything they say, they've by-passed me and have attacked where they perceive there's someone who cares.

Readers, if you knew the viciousness coming out of their keyboards, you'd wonder why we've put up with it so long. Whereas almost everyone commenting today has been supportive and nice, you should read the filth these people were posting about this lady and about me. As I say, I couldn't give a tinkers myself and even put my own in about one of them, a person I call Mr. Three Inches but it's a running battle and clearly these people have no life other than to troll us.

Last report, the two main trolls have fallen out with each other. Ho hum.

Clearly I'll have to put moderation back on for tonight but knowing people don't like it, I may have to run a registration process which would not be in use while I was at the blog but would kick in at night or if I'm away for any length of time. Those not taking this up would be moderated until the next morning or whatever.

Blogger do have this system but I also have another domain in reserve and might switch nourishing obscurity over to it and that will effectively de-troll this blog. Those of us who run blogs know just how persistent these psycho-pests can be but in our case, this has been going on incessantly for a year and a half now.

So, onto moderation - sorry.

[5000] personal milestone today

Click to get the big pic about all this!

Yes, folks, not only is matrimony in the wind and not only has this been the most uniques I've ever had in one day but this, now, is also ... da da ... da da:

My 5000th post!

Yay! Crack out the bubbly!

[ode to uber] sky's the limit

Well, that was a bit of a shock today. Still reeling but my First Response is:

"Uber, you don't know what we can find; why don't you come with me little girl, on a magic carpet ride?"



OK, now that's sorted, we'll have to decide the venue for that official proposal. Thinking 'bout the south of France, myself, vis-a-vis vous. Howzabout Marseilles?



All right - Paris? Tell me soon 'cause I'll have to steal the dosh to do it right.

Developments

I'm a bit out of practice with this matrimonial stuff and if one remembers that a headmaster of mine once said, "Higham, you're like a cow which gives good milk and then kicks the bucket over," you'll perhaps understand that I've committed a number of faux pas today.

I was tossing up whether to use Bryan Adam's "Everything I do," or "Straight from the Heart" in this post but thought they might be a bit forward and frighten the lady off, so I went with Steppenwolf, Talking Heads and The Angels. It appears that Steppenwolf is not high on the list of romantic, pre-nuptial ditties, according to the afficionados so I may have bombed out there.

Still, it doesn't do to quit at the first hurdle so I'll press the suit again tomorrow upon awakening. Perhaps advice from your experience would assist.

[wedding quiz] what do you know of matrimony

Are you wed-savvy?

1. A gimme to start with. A Cheongsam or Hanfu is which country's traditional formal wedding wear?

2. What colour is a morning suit?

3. After 7 p.m., what is the dress referred to as?

4. In North America, the bride wears two garters; one as a keepsake garter and the other for the throw away. Both garters are worn on which leg, just above the knee?

5. An Old English custom was while the bride and groom were in their bridal chamber, the wedding guests would sneak into the chamber picking up discarded .... [?] and throwing them at the couple.

[Thanks Wiki and Wedalert]

Actually, come to think about it, I don't fancy anyone coming into our chamber at critical moments. Each to his or her own, I suppose.

Answer

China, solid grey, white tie, right leg, stockings

[wordless wednesday] captions please

[islamicization] london school of islamics replies again

It began with this post and quite a few people had their say. I then ran a poll and the poll results were predictable. One blogger said it was hardly a big enough sample, a point I conceded and yet, in terms of Muslims having their own schools, it was 100% against. On the question of Sharia Law being allowed into Britain, it was 95% against.

I would agree with the blogger who queried the sample size except for the extreme percentages and the fact that this blog is visited equally by left and right wing, as well as the block I put on an IP address voting twice. Under those circumstances, the vote holds at least some water.

Iftikhar Ahmad, of the London School of Islamics has replied an hour ago and I feel it is only right that his comments are printed here in full and without any comment from me at this stage:

Education of Muslim Children

Muslim community is a part and parcel of the British society paying taxes like any other law-abiding citizen of the United Kingdom. According to the Education Act of 1944, the children should be educated according to the needs and demands of the parents.

The Muslim community was not satisfied, therefore, they decided to set up Muslim schools and not faith based schools. The number of Muslim children is on the increase due to high birth rate, immigration and conversion. Those state and church schools where Muslim pupils are in majority should be designaated as Muslim community schools.

The Muslim schools follow National Curriculum along with Islamic studies and Islamic History based on The Holly Quran and Sunnah. There is no place for Comparative Religion and European Languages. English will be the medium of instruction because it is an economic and social language for communication in the global village.

Special attention will be given to its teaching right from Nursery level by qualified British educated teachers, but Arabic, Urdu and other community languages and Islamic studies will be taught by qualified Muslim teachers from abroad. Arabic, Urdu and other community languages will be taught as religious, social and emotional languages, so that the Muslim children do not find themselves cut off from their cultural roots.

It will help them to develop Islamic Identity crucial for mental, emotional and personality development.

One of the greatest British philosophers Sir Bernard Shaw once said that the future religion of the West would be Islam. The conversion rate in Europe and America clearly indicates that his prediction is cent percent true. The new converts to Islam are reluctant to send their children to secular or faith based schools. Mr.Yousuf Islam formally Cat Steven Started a Muslim school so that his children could attend.

The state schools have been mis-educating and de-educating Muslim children for the last 50 years. Majority of them leaves schools with low grades and unemployment is on the increase. Drug addiction, problems of run away girls and under age pregnancy is the fruits of the British education system.

The Muslim community has been passing through a phase of fourth Crusades. The battleground is the field of education, where the young generation will be educated properly with the Holly Quran in one hand and Sciences in other hand to serve the British society and the world at large. A true Muslim is a citizen of the world, which has become a small global village. We are going to prepare our youth to achieve that objective in the long run.

A true Muslim believes in Prophet Moses and the Prophet Jesus and without them one cannot be a Muslim.

My suggestion is that in all state, independent and Christian based school special attention should be given to the teaching of Comparative Religion and Islam should be taught by qualified Muslim Teachers to make the children aware the closeness of Islam to Christianity and Judaism which will help them to think about Islam, as “A Pragmatic and Modern Way of Life,” during their life time.

Ifikhar Ahmad
www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

Mr. Ahmad's previous comment is also reprinted below:

The demand for Muslim schools comes from parents who want their children a safe environment with an Islamic ethos.Parents see Muslim schools where children can develop their Islamic Identity where they won't feel stigmatised for being Muslims and they can feel confident about their faith.

Muslim schools are working to try to create a bridge between communities.

There is a belief among ethnic minority parens that the British schooling does not adequatly address their cultural needs. Failing to meet this need could result in feeling resentment among a group who already feel excluded. Setting up Muslim school is a defensive response.

State schools with monolingual teachers are not capable to teach English to bilingual Muslim children. Bilingual teachers are needed to teach English to such children along with their mother tongue. According to a number of studies, a child will not learn a second language if his first language is ignored.

Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods. Muslims
have the right to educate their children in an environment that suits their culture. This notion of "integration", actually means "assimilation", by which people generally really mean "be more like me".

That is not multiculturalism.

In Sydney, Muslims were refused to build a Muslim school, because of a protest by the residents. Yet a year later, permission was given for the building of a Catholic school and no protests from the residents. This clrearly shows the blatant hypocrisy, double standards and racism.

Christians oppose Muslim schools in western countries yet build their own religious schools.

British schooling and the British society is the home of institutional racism. The result is that Muslim children are unable to develop self-confidence and self-esteem, therefore, majority of them leave schools with low grades. Racism is deeply rooted in British society. Every native child is born with a gene or virus of racism, therefore, no law could change the attitudes of racism towards those who are different. It is not only the common man, even member of the royal family is involved in racism.

The father of a Pakistani office cadet who was called a "***" by Prince Harry has profoundly condemned his actions. He had felt proud when he met the Queen and the Prince of Wales at his son's passing out parade at Sandhurst in 2006 but now felt upset after learning about the Prince's comments.

Queen Victoria invited an Imam from India to teach her Urdu language. He was highly respected by the Queen but other members of the royal family had no respect for him. He was forced to go back to India. His protrait is still in one of the royal places.

There are hundreds of state schools where Muslim pupils are in majority. In my opinion, all such schools may be designated as Muslim community schools with bilingual Muslim teachers. There is no place for a non-Muslim child or a teacher in a Muslim school.

Iftikhar Ahmad
London School of Islamics Trust
www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

[mcdonalds] rolling back the years

Via Andrea la Valleur at Bitrebels: