[litvinenko] just which side is the west supporting

We needn’t make too much of today’s headline: Suicide possibility of ex-KGB agent probed. This blog always thought it a possibility although, to be honest, it wasn't where my money was:

British detectives investigating the death of an ex-KGB spy probed the possibility he killed himself to discredit Russian President Vladimir Putin, police said. Increasing concerns over the reliability of Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko's death-bed testimony have prompted police to check every detail of his version of events Nov. 1, the day he said he was poisoned, The Independent reported Sunday.

Look - the leap to blame Putin was premature, the leap to heartfelt emotional support for ‘Alexander’ may well have been misplaced, the leap to wild assertion by many commenters on how ‘the Russians’ would see him as a traitor but ‘we know better’ was predictable and now we have the conversion to Islam and ties with Chechnya reported by the anti-Putin Echo Moskva. The word suicide very much springs to mind in this context.

The man was not a Solzhenitsyn or a Sakharov, with international standing and one thing which must be stressed is that neither of these treated with the enemy. For that reason, Anna Politkovskaya, who made friends with Russia’s enemies, has to be treated with caution, no matter how much her 'fearless reporter' appearance appeals to journalists. People like Vladimir Rezun also present themselves as whistleblowers but questions arise when delving into their backgrounds.

A trawl of the majority of rightist blogs reveals a strong stance against Muslim extremism and the term 'Defending the West ' is often used. Yet the moment Russia is mentioned, all reason deserts many of these bloggers and they side with the very Muslim extremists they've been attacking - in this case the Chechnyans, responsible for Beslan among other atrocities. Putin is doing precisely what these blogs are calling for - cracking down on extremism and being vilified by the bloggers for doing what they ask for.

Nothing is straightforward in Russia and it is best if the British and Americans step back one pace on this issue and take a ‘wait and see’ stance, as UK Daily Pundit has. Links here and here if it's of interest.

[blogfocus saturday] back to the roots

Well hung blogger and his big gun

[Note before we start: all links are in yellow; red, blue and brown will take you nowhere, sorry.]

From the title, you’ll see that this Blogfocus goes back to my blog-beginnings and in a sort of Genesis of the Daleks manner, I’d like to present, this evening, eleven of the original bloggers who gave support to an arrogantly naïve blogger newbie who took some time getting set up and settled down.

While I can’t claim [with one possible exception] deep personal friendships with the individuals here presented, I do claim and I think it is apparent in the writing, that each holds a special place in my blogworld [Oliver Kamm would cringe at this word]. Like you, I can easily forget slights and insults – they’re just the collateral of good debate – but a good deed and kind word is never forgotten.

1] The Pedant-General-in-Ordinary has an alter-ego who can be found at the Select Society but this sort of thing: We’re doomed and only the EU can save us… is a dead giveaway. Bit of a pointer, one would think.

I was thinking of a doing a “blimmin’ EU” post, but had not raised sufficient bile to do it justice. DK, however, lists us today - not entirely incorrectly - as being broadly anti-EU, so perhaps we should devote some time to the topic.Bring your pitchforks: It’s time to lynch the manufacturers of Mercury Barometers! I mean - look at it: if ever there were an instrument more finely calibrated as a vicious killing machine, I’m struggling to find a better example. I can see the stout jaw of Mr Free Market going all wobbly at the sight of it. Oh, OK, I’m still being facetious, but only just. Listen to this Today Programme interview: The key quote from Philip Collins (MD of restoration company in Devon that deals with Mercury Barometers):

It’s incorrect information that’s bandied around. 30 tons of mercury end up in the atmosphere every year. 0.1% of which is the TOTAL amount used in barometers each year. Average lifetime of a mercury barometer? Well, let’s just say that there is a decent antique market. So we have 0.1% of the total emissions being used in the manufacture and, for the sake of argument, let’s assume that each barometer lasts 100 years - these are expensive items which are handled carefully then hung on a wall where they are then not touched - so the mercury barometer trade could be contributing as much as 0.001% of emissions.

Seriously, this is the level of intellectual rigour applied in favour of a directive which will most likely shut down a craft industry for approaching zero benefit. The governments wanted to ban it immediately, but MEPs have put down an amendment to give a two year phase out to give the companies more time to adjust.

I still have two small issues: 1] Why does action have to been taken at the EU level? Why cannot our government act? 2] If the EU is so concerned about exposure to mercury - so concerned indeed that it must shut down a trade that will have to all intents and purposes exactly zero effect on the risks of exposure to mercury - why does it then INSIST that mercury be injected directly into the bloodstream of small children? Answers on a postcard, preferably addressed to Ms McAvan.

Another 10 bloggers here …

[assault on samizdata girl] trash of a different kind

Jackie Danicki, of Samizdata, was assaulted and had the sense to snap the young thug while riding on the Piccadilly line, I believe. She wrote:

Don’t be fooled into thinking that, just because you’re minding your own business, some punk isn’t going to decide you need messing with. Sadly, scumbags like this have no problem with launching unprovoked attacks on women.

This was then taken up by Perry de Havilland, then by Clive Davis and probably now by the blogosphere. So, not content with being a low life, the worthy young gentleman has been very, very unlucky indeed.

Clive raised another issue - should a blogger publish a picture in this manner? My own opinion on this issue is in this post.

[worst movie ever] 1st nomination – manos

Accepting nominations now for the worst movie of all time but there must be one or two rules:

1] it must have been made for cinematic release, not as a garage movie;

2] they can’t have set out to make a bad movie. This last criterion would seem to put out Attack of the Killer Tomatoes which was intended as trash but ended up being quite a cult flick;

3] you must include a blurb and link;

4] pic would help

Manos – Hands of Fate; Also Known As: The Lodge of Sins; Runtime: 74 min; Country: USA; Unrated; Language: English; Color: Color (Eastmancolor); Publisher: Rhino/Best Brains Inc; Directed by: Hal Warren; Cast: Joel Hodgson, Kevin Murphy, Trace Beaulieu; Wiki saying it was made for $19 000, as the result of a bet; Review below by Adam Weishaupt [itself an in-joke]:

A husband and wife, with child, take a drive through the countryside. They drive for at least 15 minutes of screen time, till they become lost and pull aside at a small rundown farm. There they meet Torgo, who happens to be the servant of The Master, the worshipper of Manos, an evil deity. They spend the night, but the master awakes, along with his harem of bitchy wives. Nothing happens for what seems like hours, till the master orders Torgo to kidnap the travelling couple.

Torgo disagrees, since he is in love with the woman. The Master makes his hand spontaneously combust in a very (un)convincing special effect. The couple with child then attempt to escape. Later, we cut to two women travelling through the countryside. They become lost and pull aside at The Master's residence, to discover the husband acting as the new Torgo, and the wife and child made a part of the master’s harem.

Nothing can compare to how much this film sucks. It simply is THE worst movie ever. I have never sat through a more unbearable 79 minutes (and that was the MST3K version). Do not see this movie, whatever you do. This is one of those rare films that should be destroyed.

Powerful support, putting Manos at the top of the list of one so far.

[china and britain] green fuels the new fashion

Earlier this month, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), China's largest oil producer, signed an agreement with the Sichuan provincial government to develop bio-fuel in the southwestern basin famous for its agricultural industry and natural gas reserves. They plan to produce 600,000 tons of automotive-grade ethanol made from sweet potatoes each year and 100,000 tons bio-diesel made from the seeds of jatropha curcas tree.

Soaring oil prices have encouraged world players in the energy industry, including BP, Exxon Mobile and Shell, to attach more attention to developing oil alternatives and other new energies. Sinopec is participating in a coal chemical project in Erdos, in Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region aiming for an annual production capacity of 4.2 million tons of methanol and 3 million tons of Dimethyl-ether (DME) when put into production in 2010.

At a State Council meeting on Monday, Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan said the government would raise the proportion of alternative energies in the total energy consumption and oil alternatives would receive priority. Projects for liquefied coal, bio-diesel, ethanol, solar energy, wind power, and hydropower would be encouraged, he said. [Source: Xinhua]

Well, that’s a good start, this blog thinks, perhaps naively. Any good news is better than none, after all.

Meanwhile, in Britain ...

[festive spirit] biffo and the spirit of goodwill

Is this behaviour clinically sane?

Please see this earlier post, in which I explain why I agree with Stephen Pollard and detest this winter holiday season. Now there is support for this curmudgeonly stance, from Utah.

For decades, the day after Thanksgiving has been called simply Black Friday, because it is the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season, when retailers supposedly move into the black, or start turning a profit. Shortly after midnight yesterday, an estimated 15,000 shoppers pushed and shoved their way into the Fashion Place mall in Murray, Utah. Police soon joined them, responding to reports of nine skirmishes.

Once inside, shoppers ransacked stores, overturning piles of clothes as they looked for bargains. A retailer’s dream — too many customers! — quickly turned into a nightmare, forcing store clerks to shut their doors, and only let people in after others left. The mall even briefly closed its outside doors to avoid a fire hazard.

Many merchants angered shoppers by trumpeting huge discounts — like $70 portable DVD players and $600 flat-screen televisions — only to announce they were sold out moments after they opened. The fact that so many people were sleep-deprived probably didn’t help. A dozen malls, from Utah to Maine, opened at midnight. And Wal-Mart, Best Buy and J. C. Penney began ringing up sales at 5 a.m. (A 6 a.m. opening at Target seemed so 2005.)

In Lewis Center, Ohio, near Columbus, Cindy Milsap, 43, and her daughter, Ashley, 20, woke up before dawn to drive to the nearby Wal-Mart Supercenter, which advertised a 52-inch high-definition television for $474. “We don’t really need a new TV, Ms. Milsap said. “But at that price? C’mon.”

And choice is so much better this year. May I ask a question here? Is this sane? Is this what the season of goodwill is all about? Some may think fighting off masses of frenzied consumers is the way to go. To you, happy shopping - the central purpose in life.