[u.s. and china] circling like sharks

So Washington is clearly a little worried about the future:

US Defence Secretary strikes conciliatory tone toward Beijing, saying the US and China have the opportunity to "build trust over time".

China's not interested:

China is the new giant on the block, with enormous resources at its disposal. An exporting powerhouse, China displaced the United States last year as the largest exporter to the European Union.

And you know, of course, that the North Pole is now Chinese:

Chinese scientist Liu Shaochuang planted his national flag at the North Pole on Saturday after successfully completing a 56-day odyssey to become the first Chinese to reach the pole alone on foot.

However, all is not necessarily well:

All major Asian stock markets except Bangkok fell on Wednesday after a slump in China's shares triggered by the tripling of the stamp tax on securities transactions.

But analysts believe the impact of the increase will be limited, causing a correction in the short term as the Chinese government does not want to see a big plunge ahead of the Communist Party's 17th National Congress this autumn.

The thing is, it might have Might, China, but it still lacks Knowhow. The U.S. has more to fear from the CFR at this moment than it does outside the country.

[nominations being accepted] we need you

Nominations are now being accepted, via e-mail, to:

jameshighamatmaildotcom

Are these the first, the original, Transparent and Non-Corrupt Awards? There is a theory which says that the best way to deal with corruption is just to factor it in. In a spirit of goodwill, we urge you to e-mail your nominations for the categories of your choice, always remembering the old adage:

"Vote early and vote often.

[bob woolmer] it's just not cricket

This is the sort of thing which makes one throw up the hands in despair:

According to the Daily Mail, police in Kingston now believe Mr Woolmer died of natural causes, brought on by chronic ill-health and possibly diabetes.

And now they're coming out and saying "told you so":

Former Pakistan player Asif Iqbal told the BBC that Jamaican police carried out a "Bollywood kind of investigation". "Every day there were different stories in the newspaper, every day there was a different way of his being murdered. I think they made a mess of it to be very honest."

All right, if everyone's so wise now, after the event, why did the BBC not report these comments in full at the time? The answer is that if was not the story they were running with at the time so they downplayed it.

Murder is a great headline grabber. Natural causes is not.

What is sickening is the way the BBC acted earlier and is now acting "the sage" on the matter, as if they knew this all along.

[blogfocus saturday] up in arms

1 Maalie is up in arms about boring holidays:

A year or so ago I had a wacky idea to hold my retirement party in the Coto Doñana - one of Europe's iconic wildlife wetlands, situated in the delta of the River Guadalquivir in Andalusia, south from Sevilla in Spain. Since most of my friends have some interest in wildlife, I figured I might be able to tempt a few to join me.

I therefore felt delighted, flattered and honoured when no fewer than 26 representatives of my family, former colleagues and students, Maalie Courtiers and friends (including one from Australia) sat down to dinner with me at the restaurant of La Aldea

2 Wulf's Web Den is up in arms about boring flag designs:

All the nations of the world have flags and none of them have chosen to go with a simple, chic, black and white design. The colours often have as much symbolism about them as the other elements of the design, the patterns and motifs. However, how many flags would you recognise by colour alone?

However, I am left with one question - why did no-one pick purple when they were looking for inspiration?

3 Big Chip Dale is up in arms about Tuesday:

First, the dull news.

There are times in life when you just have to cast aside your thong and go with the flow. Today was one of those days. The schools have broken up for a week so the Chipster's normal routine has been invaded by prepubescents crying about who is a 'smelly head' and what so-and-so's brother will do when he gets back from the off license.

It was a nightmare and it go no better when Gabby shouted told them to clear off and they called her something obscene involving vinegar. That prompted Monica to wave her commando dagger in their general direction. Then there was screaming, calls to the police, a slight standoff involving police with guns...

4 Heather Yaxley is up in arms about green serfdom:

A new study reports lower carbon emissions from working at the office rather than at home. I don’t know about the other 3,399,999 million people who’ve escaped the rat race, but there’s no way I’m ever going to return to being a wage slave in a regular 9-5 office environment.

Besides, the heating at home would be on during the Winter months to keep my stroppy 22-year old cat warm.

5 Wayne, whom you don't know, is up in arms about how we light the criminals' way for them:

Should we as law abiding people have a duty of care to criminals that come into our homes? Midlothian council seems to think so. They have kept the lights on in an abandoned school to make it easier for criminals so they don’t get hurt. The electricity bill comes to £3000 per year.

I think this is stupid. No one should have a duty of care to criminals. If they hurt themselves they deserve it and it is their own responsibility.

6 LFB is up in arms about 20 mph speed limits which target the wrong people:

The majority of accidents are caused by people walking into the road without looking! Whilst speed could contribute slightly, the simple fact is the pedestrian should not have been there!

Be it a youngster dashing between parked cars, running across the roads, or even city centre pedestians and their refusal to walk an extra 30 yards to the nearest pelican/zebra crossing. Lets put the blame back where it truly belongs, at the feet of the pedestrian.

7 Tim Almond, the quiet man of blogging, is up in arms about the BBC:

A week or so ago, the BBC made a documentary about how some supermarket branches had staff who were doing things like trying to deliberately extend the shelf life of food for sale.

So, I was a little surprised to hear a report on Today on Radio 4, in which a freegan (along with a BBC reporter) were trawling through bins at the back of a store picking up food, condemning the waste of perfectly edible food.

It is right that supermarkets are investigated over matters of public health, but I don't think this is what the BBC is up to. For some time, they've had it in for the supermarkets.

8 Sally in Norfolk is up in arms about ... well ... about nothing really. Anyway, I want to know why she's home and not out rambling:

With Geoff still away in Copenhagen till tomorrow evening. I had time to go and visit my Craft club ladies, see what they have all been up too and start a project I have been meaning to start for a few weeks.

Why I want to knit a fluffy bag , I really don’t know !!!

What I will do with it when its finished , I really don’t know !!!

Maybe I will send it to welshcakes as we all know how much so loves hers bags……

More in a midweek Blogfocus [there's the little matter of the Blogawards first, you know]. Hope to see you then.

[saturday quiz] ten more to test you

1 Donald F. Duncan introduced in 1929 a toy based on a weapon used by 16th-century Filipino hunters. What is it called?

2 Which was the first credit card?

3 Name anything that happened in Britain on September 3rd, 1752.

4 In which Puccini opera do friends ply their landlord with drinks to avoid paying the rent?

5 Mrs. Thomas Smith of Ryde, NSW, Australia, produced a new variety of fruit in 1868. What is it called?

6 The city of St. Petersburg stands on which river?

7 Which is the largest Spanish-speaking country in terms of population?

8 We know that a camel with one hump is a dromedary. What is a camel with two humps?

9 What's the world’s most popular Non Alcoholic Drink?

10 What are the caves at Lascaux famous for?

Answers here ...

[gay parades] russia's view of the matter

I wrote about the Russian attitude to homosexuality here.

Bag wrote, I believe tongue-in-cheek … Quick. Set the Police on to her.

Not Saussure may have missed Bag's intent [or not] … Remember James is writing from Russia, Bag.

The link shows the homosexuals beaten up in the Moscow parade.

Russia is a country of family values and traditions. It believes that a man and a woman get together, marry and have a family, though not always in that order. There's always been deviance [using the term to mean 'differing from the norm in this particular society'] but in the acting profession and certain other sections of society.

It doesn't see any problem with what they call 'normal relations' as the model for society. It's a literal country. The doctor is dressed like and looks like a doctor. The airline pilot looks like an airline pilot. The pharmaceutical chemist looks like it, in his white jacket and mask.

A little girl looks like a little angel and stays with mama and babushka. A little boy roams the yards but not the streets. A man must be strong for his woman because there are many dangers. A woman must also be strong in her own way.

This is their society and true, it is changing, becoming more westernized.

Into this comes the foreign gay activist to coordinate a demonstration of local gays. The man is therefore on a hiding to nothing because he is directly challenging a huge society's values. I'm quite surprised he is still alive. Maybe he's on borrowed time, unless he can get out of the country quickly.

Please read nothing more into my comments than what I have stated.