Owsblog II: 2012

lunes, 31 de diciembre de 2012

Omnispectacular opposition of Orcs...

The last post...of the year. "It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door...". The Hobbit by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was the first book I read at secondary school (Grammar, if you must know) and has just been released (already to rave reviews) as the first film of a second trilogy by Peter Jackson whose 'cinematic interpretation of [Lord of The] Rings was generally faithful to the books and equally potent'; you'll be pleased to know I'm not even going to try to summarise the plot. 'The Hobbit' and 'Lord of The Rings' are both in the top THREE in the list of best-selling single-volume books [ever], which is nice [Wiki]. Anyway, 'To the point!' I hear you cry: I leave you with a question from David Platt and Standpoint Magazine: "Why Do Precious Leftists Loathe Tolkien's Shire?" [Link]:

"[...] Tolkien presaged the postwar destruction of English life and the dismantling of our cohesive social conventions. The yeoman-republic of the Shire was largely unregulated but governed by a common understanding of how people should behave in order for society to function [...] This professor of Anglo-Saxon would have loathed our brave new world with government of thought and deed by state regulation and acronym. Tolkien offers us instead a world of self-governing free people with, perhaps, an excessive reverence for the past over the future."

Cheers! Good luck and good health; 'see' you next year.

Omnispectacular opposition of Orcs...

"[...] Tolkien presaged the postwar destruction of English life and the dismantling of our cohesive social conventions. The yeoman-republic of the Shire was largely unregulated but governed by a common understanding of how people should behave in order for society to function [...] This professor of Anglo-Saxon would have loathed our brave new world with government of thought and deed by state regulation and acronym. Tolkien offers us instead a world of self-governing free people with, perhaps, an excessive reverence for the past over the future."

Cheers! Good luck and good health; 'see' you next year.

Orinoco obumbration...

Continuing on from the orgy of overt displays of sycophancy and misery over the health of a (seemingly omnipotent) Krusty we hear there are complications; I'll say: it's about three weeks since he has been 'seen or heard from in person'; Nelson Bocaranda** (Spanish only) tells how they seem to be talking about preparing the country for bad news...and that the next few hours [in Havana] will be crucial. Family and VP Maduro are in permanent vigil. ** According to Francisco at Caracas Chronicles Nelson seems "to have the kind of inside-line on Chávez’s condition that even high ranking chavistas could only dream of". I agree: it was NB who first told the world of Krusty's cancer before any official announcement (and much obscurantism and deflection from officials) and that led me to my own 'diagnosis' in Orinoco obambulation (3rd paragraph, with **).

Orinoco obumbration...

Olid oligophrenic opposition...

The Audit Commission has revealed that the cash reserves of English councils are up by 15.5 percent: [DM] from over 14 billion quid in 2011 to 16.4 billion this year. What's worse,

"A third of councils' annual spending now put straight into the bank"!!!

WTF!! Proving that our media can never get the same figures, the DT has it just short of 13 billion quid (up 35% since 2007); Eric Pickles has said "It is unacceptable that some councils are stashing away billions [...] whilst at the same time threatening to cut front-line services". He is right, especially when only yesterday, the leaders of Liverpool, Newcastle and Sheffield councils were shrieking that deeper cuts will spark civil unrest [Observer]; these lying, corrupt, incompetent fuck-wits are intentionally stoking the flames, a self-fulfilling prophecy, and they know it, harping on with 'alarming predictions of social unrest' and a worsening of the north-south economic divide (a would guess 30 seconds on Google would produce any number of wasteful schemes and high or unnecessary expenses that these ideologically driven twats are spending). Cunt-features Blunkett was on about it too: "It is worse than under Margaret Thatcher. As living standards fall and services are slashed, revolutionary fervour may return". At least Tim pissed on Blunkett's fireworks but unfortunately a wider audience won't get the benefit of this exposure of blatant lies. We have seen this before, lefty local government trolls happy to see violence, damage, injury and probably death just to get one over on those 'evil Tories' (in fact we have an achingly fair and politically central government).

Olid oligophrenic opposition...

The Audit Commission has revealed that the cash reserves of English councils are up by 15.5 percent: [DM] from over 14 billion quid in 2011 to 16.4 billion this year. What's worse,

"A third of councils' annual spending now put straight into the bank"!!!

domingo, 30 de diciembre de 2012

Obama offers...

...are not what they seem: he is simply out to make sure the GOP gets blamed, whatever the outcome. "If letting part of a scheduled tax increase take effect counts as Republicans’ “giving in” on taxes, why doesn't letting a scheduled reduction in projected spending take effect count as Democrats’ giving a little on spending?". Not sure the BBC and Mark Mardell would like you upsetting their Obama narrative. 'In The Corner' Mark Steyn writes Re: Something for Nothing: "Notwithstanding Ramesh’s technical characterization of what’s happening [2nd link and quote above], it’s utterly ridiculous that an advanced society cannot say what its tax rates will be in 48 hours’ time." It's hard not to agree with that. Image and fiscal cliff 101 from Nov on Liberty Insight blog.

Update: hat-tip Tyler at ZeroHedge: 'Boehner: President Obama Should Lead, Not Cast Blame' [Link]:

“Americans elected President Obama to lead, not cast blame. The president’s comments today are ironic, as a recurring theme of our negotiations was his unwillingness to agree to anything that would require him to stand up to his own party. Needed cuts and reforms that the president agreed to just last year were no longer on the table, as he cited an inability to sell them to Democrats."

Obama offers...

“Americans elected President Obama to lead, not cast blame. The president’s comments today are ironic, as a recurring theme of our negotiations was his unwillingness to agree to anything that would require him to stand up to his own party. Needed cuts and reforms that the president agreed to just last year were no longer on the table, as he cited an inability to sell them to Democrats."

sábado, 29 de diciembre de 2012

Oro options...

Not a Christmas chocolate bar but the latest 'money' trend. Gold CombiBars; the demand is soaring reports ZeroHedge: gold, "always a parallel currency to paper, and soon to be serial, once the world shifts to a post-paper currency reality in which faith in infinitely creatable electronic paper money is finally destroyed". Latest from HERE: "The Valcambi 50 gram 999,9 24 carat CombiBar features fifty individual one gram gold bars which can be easily detached from the main bar... for a truly divisible investment or gift"!. The Slog joins in the 'gold rush': "Why gold is about to change from being a hedge metal to a bank-repairing élite currency". Interestingly, in the UK in 2012, it takes the same amount of gold (or silver) to buy a house a sit it did in the 1950s!

Oro options...

Ovine orgy over omnipotence...

Adios Comandante? The excellent Caracas Chronicles gives us a preview of and insight into the uncontrolled national mourning (by Chavistas only) if the assumed bad prognosis of Chavez's bad health is accurate: "The level of sycophancy chavista figureheads are displaying lately is worthy of psychiatric evaluations."...

"Folks, it’s really just a hop and a skip until the name of the country is changed once again. These people know no limits...". With the country almost broke, despite its immense riches, we may well ask what comes after; especially with loyal sock-puppet Venezuelan Vice-President Nicolas Maduro in Cuba (and last week having been given more extensive powers, especially over economic matters) it leads people to believe only the worst: Maduro said that 'Minister of Electric Power Hector Navarro will be the second in command in his absence', giving some clues as to a possible new 'power' structure. And talking about power, on 'energy relations' "everyone from Washington to Beijing is scrutinizing what is happening in Venezuela with the President’s health". Carlos Alberto Montaner in the Miami Herald asks,

"Will Maduro continue that model of harebrained and corrupt management, incendiary language, class struggle, shrill anti-Americanism, rising statism, destruction of the productive entrepreneurial fabric, abundant and unaffordable social spending, dependency and irresponsibility?" [Link]

Ovine orgy over omnipotence...

Adios Comandante? The excellent Caracas Chronicles gives us a preview of and insight into the uncontrolled national mourning (by Chavistas only) if the assumed bad prognosis of Chavez's bad health is accurate: "The level of sycophancy chavista figureheads are displaying lately is worthy of psychiatric evaluations."... "Folks, it’s really just a hop and a skip until the name of the country is changed once again. These people know no limits...". With the country almost broke, despite its immense riches, we may well ask what comes after; especially with loyal sock-puppet Venezuelan Vice-President Nicolas Maduro in Cuba (and last week having been given more extensive powers, especially over economic matters) it leads people to believe only the worst: Maduro said that 'Minister of Electric Power Hector Navarro will be the second in command in his absence', giving some clues as to a possible new 'power' structure. And talking about power, on 'energy relations' "everyone from Washington to Beijing is scrutinizing what is happening in Venezuela with the President’s health". Carlos Alberto Montaner in the Miami Herald asks,

"Will Maduro continue that model of harebrained and corrupt management, incendiary language, class struggle, shrill anti-Americanism, rising statism, destruction of the productive entrepreneurial fabric, abundant and unaffordable social spending, dependency and irresponsibility?" [Link]

lunes, 24 de diciembre de 2012

Opportunities or optimism...

Or both. Merry Christmas Everyone. It's been such a good year in many respects and I hope it continues into 2013. Not all good of course; and by all means call me bitter and twisted but I'm glad to see some things are as they should be...best wishes to you and yours.

Opportunities or optimism...

viernes, 21 de diciembre de 2012

Oxyopia orthosis...

Well it's here, the end of the 13th Baktun...from that link (along with all the date calculations): "The Maya were a very advanced civilization: outstanding architects "they built the tallest pyramid in the world, La Danta at El Mirador, ['prepare to be amazed'] not surpassed in height until the first skyscraper was erected in 1885...."They were excellent astronomers -their calculations of the solar year have been the most precise of all human history until the invention of very modern instruments of space exploration. They were stunning mathematicians - invented the combined use of the positional numeral system and the zero, centuries before any other civilization."

And they predicted 'it will be the end' this 13 Baktun (December 21, 2012).

The news already is "the end" is a myth but - presuming our 24 hour/day units are compatible - we don't know yet: the Maya were in Central America so at least 6 hours time difference and we'll have to wait until the end of their day before we really know...so by 6 a.m. on 22/12/12 in the UK well know...if we wake up. Then again, maybe that Maya guy just meant 'it will be the end...of this calendar, make a new one*'!

* They're cyclic anyway so don't end...d'oh.

Oxyopia orthosis...

Well it's here, the end of the 13th Baktun...from that link (along with all the date calculations): "The Maya were a very advanced civilization: outstanding architects "they built the tallest pyramid in the world, La Danta at El Mirador, ['prepare to be amazed'] not surpassed in height until the first skyscraper was erected in 1885...."They were excellent astronomers -their calculations of the solar year have been the most precise of all human history until the invention of very modern instruments of space exploration. They were stunning mathematicians - invented the combined use of the positional numeral system and the zero, centuries before any other civilization." And they predicted 'it will be the end' this 13 Baktun (December 21, 2012). The news already is "the end" is a myth but - presuming our 24 hour/day units are compatible - we don't know yet: the Maya were in Central America so at least 6 hours time difference and we'll have to wait until the end of their day before we really know...so by 6 a.m. on 22/12/12 in the UK well know...if we wake up. Then again, maybe that Maya guy just meant 'it will be the end...of this calendar, make a new one*'!

* They're cyclic anyway so don't end...d'oh.

jueves, 20 de diciembre de 2012

Obstrobogulous oniomania...

Very good, had me singing along like a good'un! Hat-tip to Dan the Man: "The short clip above restates the case for Austrian economics in a seasonal way. Perhaps you have to be an economist or a politician not to see its point." Dan also has a great post about ~~Pleb~~ Plodgate where his words mirror my own opinion (and it is very hard for me with direct family and dozens of friends 'connected') "I try to give the police the benefit of the doubt, but it's becoming harder and harder." The post has a link to the VERY prescient words of Charles Moore from back in September:

"If you read the police log of the incident, you will see that the words attributed to Mr Mitchell are the sort of thing that people think nasty toffs would say to them. It is as crude as if a gang of dim toffs were to testify that a policeman had said to them, ‘Allo allo, what’s all this then? You’re nicked, sunshine.’"

Obstrobogulous oniomania...

"If you read the police log of the incident, you will see that the words attributed to Mr Mitchell are the sort of thing that people think nasty toffs would say to them. It is as crude as if a gang of dim toffs were to testify that a policeman had said to them, ‘Allo allo, what’s all this then? You’re nicked, sunshine.’"

domingo, 16 de diciembre de 2012

Obscene opportunism...

Apparently "there's nothing else Obama can do" but label the National Rifle Association as "the enablers of mass murderers"; so said Democrat Representative Jerry Nadler** (he's not the only Democrat exploiting this tragedy). As more details emerge of the unbelievably sad events in Newtown, Connecticut (and we hear that 'all of the children killed by the gunman during a massacre at a Connecticut elementary school were shot multiple times') such obscene political opportunism is sickening.

Update: **nuff said.

Update 2: National Rifle Association President Wayne LaPierre, in a Dec. 3 interview on CNN predicted a gun battle was brewing for the next Congress, which starts in January. "I think it is going to come hard, I think it is going to come fast, and I think it is going to come soon"...you can bet it is now. Maybe that was a motive? Reading Tyler's take on things, maybe this was...

Obscene opportunism...

martes, 11 de diciembre de 2012

Ongoing overcrowding II...

...of a green and pleasant land [Owsblog 2006]. "Every country must have firm control over immigration
and Britain is no exception." Labour election manifesto 1997. From Ongoing overcrowding..."We know that in their 1st term - from 1997 - immigration tripled; in their 2nd term it quadrupled (from the 1997 figure) [Migration Watch - pdf]. This seemed bad enough and then we found out it was entirely intentional and had a 'subsidiary political purpose' and was not just the result of a booming economy and perceived skills shortage.

Now, we learn of ANOTHER round of secret immigration intentions: "The secret immigration policy they tried to hide". "Behind closed doors, EU negotiations will trigger a new wave of cheap labour into Britain." Who and when will the public be informed? These are new, irreversible commitments."

The Coalition have done almost nothing to change any of this and now we see where our politicians lead us: 13 per cent of residents of England and Wales were born outside the UK and just over half arrived in the last 10 years, [ONS Link]. An important stat: now 4.8% of the UK are Muslim, more than all other religions (excepting Christian and 'no religion') put together; not too high you may say but I remind you of Edward Cline's 'Jihad by the Numbers' [FSM] which seems a pretty accurate index when you read through the countries:"At 2% and 3% they [Muslims] begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs."

"From 5% on they [Muslims] exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population. They will push for the introduction of halal ("clean" by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature it on their shelves - along with threats for failure to comply (United States)."

"At this point, they [Muslims] will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves under Sharia, or Islamic law. The ultimate goal of Islam is not to convert the world but to establish Sharia law over the entire world."

Then it starts to get a bit nasty and it's worth noting David's comment here: that Muslim behaviour is not just dependent on their proportion of the population but on the character of the local population: "For instance, in a strongly anti-Muslim nation such as China, Muslims will have to be much larger then two percent before they start to misbehave or go on Jihad."

"...In a free and tolerant society, trouble starts at a much lower level."

Update: sorry for multiple Owsblog back-links (not trying to boost hits like Guido et al!) but another point to note is the health aspect: a 'small proportion of the non-UK born bear the greatest burden of infectious disease reported in the UK.' In 2010, 73% of TB cases reported in the UK were immigrants - of those with country of birth information available (84% of that total are from only two regions: 57% South Asia [almost entirely India, Pakistan and Bangladesh] and 27% from sub Saharan Africa [mainly Zimbabwe and Nigeria]). The same goes for almost 60% of newly diagnosed cases of HIV, and 80% of hepatitis B infected UK blood donors (this data from the HPA PowerPoint; link at bottom of page HERE).

Ongoing overcrowding II...

...of a green and pleasant land [Owsblog 2006]. "Every country must have firm control over immigration and Britain is no exception." Labour election manifesto 1997. From Ongoing overcrowding..."We know that in their 1st term - from 1997 - immigration tripled; in their 2nd term it quadrupled (from the 1997 figure) [Migration Watch - pdf]. This seemed bad enough and then we found out it was entirely intentional and had a 'subsidiary political purpose' and was not just the result of a booming economy and perceived skills shortage. Now, we learn of ANOTHER round of secret immigration intentions: "The secret immigration policy they tried to hide". "Behind closed doors, EU negotiations will trigger a new wave of cheap labour into Britain." Who and when will the public be informed? These are new, irreversible commitments."

domingo, 9 de diciembre de 2012

Outer obit...

[Edited: 'dead' image/video removed]
Very sorry to read of the death of the 'fearlessly eccentric' Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore, CBE, FRS, FRAS [Wiki]. Sir Patrick is amongst the very few 'scientific names' that most people could recognise, highlighting his valuable 'contribution to the popularisation of science over the past fifty years'; he was the presenter of the 'longest-running programme with the same presenter in television history' (24th April 1957 until today, 9th December 2012): The Sky at Night; he "was an English amateur astronomer who attained prominent status in astronomy as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter.
Moore was a former president of the British Astronomical Association, co-founder and former president of the Society for Popular Astronomy (SPA), author of over 70 books on astronomy...". What a shame; question now is - for those of you paying attention - will he become a black dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole?

Outer obit...

[Edited: 'dead' image/video removed] Very sorry to read of the death of the 'fearlessly eccentric' Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore, CBE, FRS, FRAS [Wiki]. Sir Patrick is amongst the very few 'scientific names' that most people could recognise, highlighting his valuable 'contribution to the popularisation of science over the past fifty years'; he was the presenter of the 'longest-running programme with the same presenter in television history' (24th April 1957 until today, 9th December 2012): The Sky at Night; he "was an English amateur astronomer who attained prominent status in astronomy as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter. Moore was a former president of the British Astronomical Association, co-founder and former president of the Society for Popular Astronomy (SPA), author of over 70 books on astronomy...". What a shame; question now is - for those of you paying attention - will he become a black dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole?

Outer obit...

Very sorry to read of the death of the 'fearlessly eccentric' Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore, CBE, FRS, FRAS [Wiki]. Sir Patrick is amongst the very few 'scientific names' that most people could recognise, highlighting his valuable 'contribution to the popularisation of science over the past fifty years'; he was the presenter of the 'longest-running programme with the same presenter in television history' (24th April 1957 until today, 9th December 2012): The Sky at Night; he "was an English amateur astronomer who attained prominent status in astronomy as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter. Moore was a former president of the British Astronomical Association, co-founder and former president of the Society for Popular Astronomy (SPA), author of over 70 books on astronomy...". What a shame; question now is - for those of you paying attention - will he become a black dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole?

Oosperm oblectation...

On my travels again and I thought what a nice coincidence: bored but impressed on my first ride in this I noticed a foreign film called Starbuck and after all the furore in the UK and my previous post I decided it was clearly a message. Well, IMHO it was superb and to combine one or two reviews I have read today: 'Starbuck' is a hilarious, witty and heart-warming and what is surprising that no one has thought about this very real possibility before (already a Bollywood and US version are on the cards). The premise is original, developed with humour and tenderness and certainly a feel-good movie. More on Ken Scott's French-Canadian comedy HERE: "David, a delivery man for his family's butcher shop who learns that his lucrative late-'80s stint as a sperm donor has resulted in a staggering 533 successful pregnancies. Over a hundred of those now-twentysomethings, having learned they share the same biological father, are suing the fertility clinic to reveal the identity of the prolific donor code-named Starbuck." Well, well worth seeing, mainly due to the performances of Patrick Huard as Starbuck and Antoine Bertrand as his lawyer friend.

Oosperm oblectation...

viernes, 7 de diciembre de 2012

Onward octroi...

Raheem Kassam, Executive Editor of The Commentator says it far better than I could..unless of course I really tried: Big Bucks and Dumb F**cks.

"It is evident that if Starbucks opts to; create fewer jobs as a result of this moral penalty, train and pay its staff less, buy cheaper equipment (which of course are all likelihoods rather than possibilities), then the consumer and the employees suffer. In return, the Treasury suffers.

If Starbucks is less frequented, or pays its staff less, then Mr. Taxman has problems. Farmers, wholesalers, delivery firms and even The Independent, which sells its newspapers in Starbucks branches, will suffer. The knock on effect, while currently intangible, is likely to be more than then £20m that the likes of the hypocritical Margaret Hodge MP have welcomed.

What if, paraphrasing Raheem, 'even worse for the leftist coalition' that by demanding more cash from Starbucks, they - these do-gooder happy clappy touchy feely coffee traders - decide that, by paying more tax to the UK government, 'it must slash money from its corporate social responsibility department': what about no more fair-trade coffee etc.... Well, say no more. Full article HERE. Indeed what if Starbucks decided not to engage in politically correct sideshows that lefty twats normally applaud like "Helping Sumatran Farmers Respond to Climate Change" [Link], or its ethical sourcing, [Link]. What about their supplier diversity programme? [Link]. What about supporting farmers and their communities? [Link]: Starbucks goal: "Invest in farmers and their communities by increasing farmer loans to $20 million by 2015", 20 million, that rings a bell. You fa coffee?

Onward octroi...

Raheem Kassam, Executive Editor of The Commentator says it far better than I could..unless of course I really tried: Big Bucks and Dumb F**cks.

"It is evident that if Starbucks opts to; create fewer jobs as a result of this moral penalty, train and pay its staff less, buy cheaper equipment (which of course are all likelihoods rather than possibilities), then the consumer and the employees suffer. In return, the Treasury suffers. If Starbucks is less frequented, or pays its staff less, then Mr. Taxman has problems. Farmers, wholesalers, delivery firms and even The Independent, which sells its newspapers in Starbucks branches, will suffer. The knock on effect, while currently intangible, is likely to be more than then £20m that the likes of the hypocritical Margaret Hodge MP have welcomed.

miércoles, 5 de diciembre de 2012

Our overseers II...

Dick Puddlecote was reminded of politician and of state hypocrisy "after reading Anna Raccoon's article on Starbucks.

Yes, as through this world I wander
I meet lots of funny men; Some’ll rob you with a six-gun, And some with a fountain pen. Woody Guthrie, 'The Ballad of Pretty Boy Floyd'.

The image (left) pertains to the USA but it does apply here too and it shows how certain definitions change "When Government Does It" (click to enlarge).

Our overseers II...

Dick Puddlecote was reminded of politician and of state hypocrisy "after reading Anna Raccoon's article on Starbucks.

Yes, as through this world I wander I meet lots of funny men; Some’ll rob you with a six-gun, And some with a fountain pen. Woody Guthrie, 'The Ballad of Pretty Boy Floyd'.

The image (left) pertains to the USA but it does apply here too and it shows how certain definitions change "When Government Does It" (click to enlarge).

Osborne's options II...

Once again what someone is going to say is reported well before the event: another of New Labour's gifts to the UK was making 'leaks' the norm: "Britain is facing a longer-than-expected battle to reduce its debts"; I wouldn't mind betting that most punters would not think it 'longer than expected' this inevitably slow journey out of the dark dank pit dug by Gordon Brown with the salivating, slimy, greedy, corrupt Labour vampires cheering from the sidelines (Ed Balls and Ed Miliband amongst the loudest!). Anyway, enough about those fuck-wits...or maybe not: the BBC tells us that "Labour has called the government's economic policy 'a terrible failure'" ...erm...interesting because we are only just into the 2nd half of this Coalition government ("some progress but must try harder") and Andrew Lilico reminds us: "When Ed Balls attacks infrastructure cuts he is actually attacking cuts that Labour scheduled". Balls is a twat and despite those numbers being close there is a difference between Labour and Coalition plans when it comes to current spending (current spending cuts are only just beginning); however the capital spending cuts that Labour planned are what has already occurred - cuts about which Ed Balls seems to be constantly whining and blaming for the double dip!

Osborne's options II...

lunes, 3 de diciembre de 2012

Opt out online?...

No. Labour betraying their supporters, again: Labour Using Milly Dowler to Harvest Election Data; 'a section of the party website features Maddie McCann and Milly Dowler, asking people to pledge their support' [Guido]. See image left, click to enlarge. If you do not wish to be contacted you have to write to them! And then presumably they'll have your address too! They also lie, in black and white by saying that Leverson fully implemented is the way to a 'truly free press'. Lies. And, according to the Daily Mail, Tom Watson (is he a big, fat, ugly liar? Honest question) "has been authorised to use Labour’s databases to email all party members telling them to back the petition"...he is reported as saying "We will bring to bear every resource, call in every promise, rattle every skeleton in every cupboard. This [betrayal] is a step too far by Cameron... "Cameron wants to sell out to Rupert Murdoch and powerful press interests because he is scared, and he is weak. But that is why he cannot succeed – because he is weak. And he is wrong." I guess that confirms he's...just mistaken (and on some things a few months behind Owsblog, hehehe). The petition, by the way, where, apparently, the number of signatures grows and grows can be signed as many times as you like using whatever name...repeatedly. Fraser asks "how real this petition is...

"...Or how much they (or the BBC) care how real the names are. The war is still going on – and some are still fighting for a Leveson world where a government-validated pious elite (like the folk in the Media Standards Trust, which begat Hacked Off) oversees the press."

Update: an example of what is at stake and Labour's hypocrisy and utter contempt for hoi polloi and disregard for press freedom; who will do anything for their own political gain including endanger every citizen by gagging the media.

Opt out online?...

"...Or how much they (or the BBC) care how real the names are. The war is still going on – and some are still fighting for a Leveson world where a government-validated pious elite (like the folk in the Media Standards Trust, which begat Hacked Off) oversees the press."

sábado, 1 de diciembre de 2012

Open -ology...

Open Sesame. What David Shukman (BBC Science editor) says - "Inside the world’s most ‘impossible’ science project" isn't that odd to me: I have been to and work with people from many of the nations embroiled in problems and deal with them on a weekly basis and even in amongst the world's most unstable region when science is allowed to transcend politics and religion - where your nationality or sex or religion doesn't matter - there will always be seeds of hope: in this case a Sesame seed.

Open -ology...

viernes, 30 de noviembre de 2012

Ouch!...

"It would be a monumental error of statesmanship to turn our back on the EU and fall away from a crucial position of power and influence in the Twenty-First Century." Blair for EU president...seriously scary stuff (the picture, not the words, he actually said them). Anyway, scary until you realise it's a spoof...it is a spoof isn't it? Oh yes, see below...

Obvious outcome...

IMHO there's not really too much to read into Labour's triple by-election victory yesterday, ~~except that Middlesbrough must be full of Labour drone-clones because they nearly managed the impossible of getting the same number of votes as in a general election.~~ [09:06 a.m. scratch that, misread]. I have adapted a graph (left) taken from a good amount of information on the Rotherham constituency at 'all that's left' here and added yesterday's results. Good analysis from Durotrigan ("good for UKIP, better for Labour") and a handy table of the numbers from Raedwald ("LibDems utterly destroyed in by-elections").

Update: Apparently 50% of the votes were postal votes...(Here, scroll down to 11:51 am).

Obvious outcome...

jueves, 29 de noviembre de 2012

Optimus odous II...

In the original optimus odous I asked rhetorically if anyone could still say that the Carcharodon carcharias in the film 'Jaws' didn't look real (I could have asked the same thing here). In the picture below it's a similar tale: decoy seal, sublime predator. Photo credit Dana Allen (Cater News) in False Bay, off Cape Town in South Africa. From the DT picture gallery today. You get the feeling this shark has been pictured before: just imagine it's a dog with a bone: he's looking at the camera and he's smiling!

Optimus odous II...

Ophic oleaginousness...

EU Referendum says it: 'Blair: with enemies like these...'. UKIP's marked increase in coverage lately is getting a further boost: what could be better than ex PM arch-vampire Tony Blair on the other side spouting hyperbole: in a speech last night to pro-EU Business for New Europe group he said that Euroscepticism was spreading "like a virus". "If ever there is anything that should convince the Conservatives to push for the exit [of the E.U.] it is that. Anything Blair is promoting has to be wholly wrong. That he thinks of the cause as a "virus" tells you more about him than eurosceptics" [sic]. Iain Watson (BBC News Political correspondent) asks if UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage believes [Blair's] influence will be negligible, Farage's assessment: was that Blair - like his promises - is "past his 'use-by date' and that voters would not listen to a man who put 'snake oil rather than milk on his cornflakes'".

By the way: THIS may scare you.

Ophic oleaginousness...

miércoles, 28 de noviembre de 2012

Oxygenating onkos...

Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of the 1992 Venezuelan coup attempts and also Military Aviation Day: Krusty failed to attend and is now on his way to Cuba - for the 11th time in 17 months - to get specialist oxygen treatment: hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT...sorry, but that makes me giggle a bit - not in a nasty way but in a totally childish way - only because of what I think was wrong with Chavez, third paragraph, here). Anyway, he hasn't been attending a lot of things lately, Caracas Chronicles have been keeping tabs. It's not hard to see a pattern in his lack of appearances (image left: click to enlarge, from El Universal, it shows minutes that Chavez has appeared/been heard etc in public). Now, admittedly the presidential election was over at the beginning of last month so there would be fewer campaign events (orange bar on graph; although there are regional elections on 16 December: state governors etc) but since then there's been some government events (blue), but no interviews, no telephone contact, no Twitter, and no press conferences...