Hmmmmm 3

Back in July I wrote a couple of pieces about the improbability of the official story regarding the 7/7 London bombings.

Someone who has done a great deal more research into the matter than I, has discovered that it would have been absolutely impossible for the suspects to be filmed on CCTV at Luton at 7.22am and to then have gotten to London in time to be captured again at 8.26am at Kings Cross.

Now try and find this story in the mainstream media.

Queen of what?

It must be the hot weather making me more uncharitable than usual, but this story made me chuckle.

What a difference from the phoney, bullshit mass grief/hysteria of 1997. Eight years on only 50 people could be bothered to mark the passing of the nation's favourite adulterous, bed-hopping shopaholic.

Maybe there were more people at the memorial drainage trench?

Were you born on the sun?

Gosh it's hot here. I had a rotten night's sleep and my first full day at work for a week. Nasty.
My thoughts are with those in the southern US suffering the extreme of Hurricane Katrina. Maybe there'll be less of a rush to vote for the GOP in the south in light of Bush's record $71.2 million reduction in federal funding for hurricane and flood protection projects in New Orleans?

Weekend was splendid thanks Em and Egghead. Friday and a good part of Saturday were indeed spent drinking and watching the fourth test. England now lead The Ashes 2-1 and only need a draw at The Oval next week to reclaim the Urn. Hurrah.

Bath is one of my favourite places in the UK. I first went there when I attended a Royal School of Church Music summer-school when I was about 9 and I fell in love with it then. Sang in the Abbey which was a beautiful experience and the square beside the Abbey is no doubt where Egghead saw the street entertainers. There is always something going on.

Too hot to rant - I've a bottle of something nice in the fridge and I'll soon be laying in the garden with a glass. I was only going to moan about the price of oil - I found a link last week to a story where Rumsfeld or Cheney predicted that oil would be $20 a barrel soon after the invasion of Iraq - oooops! Can't find it now though. Always the way. If you are in the US and worried about the price of gas, it may be a consolation to know that I've just filled up my motor and paid £0.93 a litre, which is about $6.27 a gallon. Stop moaning!!!

Popping off

So, I'm finally over the migraine that has laid me out for the last 36 hours, not been fun.
Now I'm taking advantage of the long weekend and heading over to Bristol to catch up with an old friend (and no doubt spend the day in a pub watching the cricket) then heading to Bath on Saturday where my family are taking a holiday.

Have a nice weekend and I'll be back soon.

Cultural imperialism

So, we haven’t won the Iraqis over with freedom, promises of autonomy, a chance of self determination. What else can we try? I know, lull them all into apathy.

Iraqis finally find something to unite them: Pop Idol

Where politicians and a draft constitution have failed, a television show has succeeded. Iraq stands united in its enthusiasm for its own version of Pop Idol. Iraq Star has become a television phenomenon since it began six weeks ago and more than 2,000 hopefuls have risked the country's dangerous roads to audition.

It's worked in the west hasn't it? We all know Bush and Blair are liars, cheats, incompetents. But they have both been re-elected within the last 12 months.

If it's hurting, it's working?

Why do people resort to terrorism? What motivates people to kill, maim and otherwise harm their fellow men and women? Because it works?

Targeted guinea pig farm closes

A farm is to stop breeding guinea pigs for medical research after intimidation by animal rights activists. The family-run Darley Oaks Farm in Newchurch, Staffordshire, has been at the centre of a campaign of abuse.

Please don't think I'm making any moral judgments or valuations here - I'm not, I'm just posing a question. Many of the methods and tactics used by the ALF are totally unjustifiable, but ask yourself if they care about that tonight. No they don't, because they are out celebrating the success of their campaign. Would there have been a peace settlement in Northern Ireland without republican and loyalist terrorism? Would Israel be withdrawing from Gaza and parts of the West Bank if members of Hamas and other groups were not prepared to kill themselves and others in the name of their cause? But, to a greater or lesser extent, because of terrorism there is peace in Northern Ireland, Palestinians have territory to call their own and some animals will no longer suffer unnecessary abuse in the name of 'science'. Have the ends justified the means?

Remember, one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. The winners write the official history, so Iran-Contra wasn't terrorism and Reagan was eulogised on his death. Reagan and his evil cohort Th@tch*r both called Nelson Mandela a terrorist. Is that how history will remember him? Whatever your view, there's no more apartheid in South Africa. The bombing of Dresden? Hiroshima? Vietnam? None of them were terrorism. It wasn't terrorism when Israel attacked the USS Liberty in 1967 because they are on 'our' side. Nor was it terrorism when the US invaded Panama or when the RAF bombed of Iraq prior to the war. I'm sure it won't be terrorism should the US invade Venezuela. But Iraqis resisting the occupation of their country? Arabs pushed to the limit by over 1,000 years of western meddling in their countries. Why, they're terrorists of course. And can't they sometimes be useful.

Life certainly means life

Couple of things strike me about this story concerning the man who set the bombs at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

First is the obvious hypocrisy and confusion shown by a ‘pro life’ campaigner who was so dedicated to the ‘pro life’ cause that he killed two people. But his sentence is even more baffling. He has been given four life sentences AND 120 years. Is the additional 120 years in case he rises again after dying four times? Or are the life sentences a hedge against him living beyond the next 120 years?

Them Dukes, them Dukes

Something that really annoys me is when news programmes show what can only be described as PR 'puffs' as real news items. The BBC's London News did it last night with a story about the Leicester Square premier of The Dukes of Hazzard. Real non event, no stars, no interviews just a clip from the film and some pre-recorded fillers. Waste of my license fee, now I've finally got round to paying it. Something stuck me as I watched the film-clip though. Am I alone in thinking that Jessica Simpson was born a man? People, that isn't a feminine face that's a wrestler's face.

Look again.

Think about it.

Bloke.

Still top

Thanks to Chelsea only beating Ar*en@l by 1 goal.

Happy, happy days.

Tweaks

Just recently I've become a little obsessed with getting my PC and Windows XP to run as quickly and efficiently as possible. I've found some really good, simple tips which do not require any great knowledge of what makes your computer tick, but which will make a great deal of difference to how it ticks.

Before you do anything though set up a restore point. Click Start > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore and just follow the wizard. Now if you mess anything up you can simply roll back your system and have another try. As an additional precaution, if you are not really sure about any of the following tips, then leave things alone.

Step one is easy. Open Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs. Run down the list and uninstall anything you don't need. Most PCs come with a whole load of programmes you'll never use so dump them. Then delete all the unnecessary shortcuts on your desktop.

Now, to free up a load of memory you should change the default settings for your Recycle Bin and System Restore. Right click the Recycle Bin icon and select properties. You'll see a slide bar which controls the amount of memory your system reserves for the recycle bin. The default setting is something like 12% which is just stupid. Slide it all the way down to 1% and click Apply. You run Disk Cleanup (Start > Accessories > Stystem Tools > Disk Cleanup) once a week anyway (right?) so 1% will be plenty on room. Then right click the My Computer icon either on your desktop or from the menu and again select Properties. Click the System Restore tab, slide the little bar down to 1% and click Apply.

Just going back to System Tools for a second, as well as Disk Cleanup you should also Defrag your C Drive at least once a week. The Defrag programme under System Tools is slow and uses too much virtual memory but solving this problem is easy. Open up Notepad (Start > Accessories > Notepad) and type DEFRAG C: Save this to your desktop as DEFRAG C.BAT and you now have a simple batch file which will defrag your C drive when you double-click the icon. Full details can be found here.

Next follow this link. You'll find six pages of really simple things to do to your system that will make a significant difference to the way it operates. I was quite frankly astonished at the improvement it made to the speed at which my PC runs. I cannot speak of it highly enough.

Windows XP does not come with a Registry cleaner like Win98 or WinME but it really could do with one. This page will tell you all you need to know about cleaning and optimising your Registry and contains links to two simple tools that will do the job for you.

Wasn't that easy? Hasn't it made a difference?

You can find many more advanced tips at TweakHound, Help With Windows and More Than 50 Ways to Tweak Your Windows. Go explore.

Two more tips. I take it as read that none of you use Microsoft's Internet Explorer. If you do, stop today. I use Opera and Firefox and they both kick IE's arse. There are links on my sidebar to both. Firefox is probably the better of the two, but I prefer the tabbed browsing feature in Opera so use this when I'm doing research as I always seem to end up with dozens of pages open.

This page gives some fairly easy tweaks to make Firefox load and run more quickly, while this page contains a whole load of advice for Opera 8 users. If you get any problems with Opera 8 crashing (and I did) you need to download Java Runtime 5.0 Update 4.

Busted

This girl will have some explaining to do. (NSFW).

Via Gromblog

You Spurs!!!

Tottenham 2-0 Middlesbrough

We're TOP and we know we are...............

1 Tottenham
2 Charlton
3 Man Utd

Mo Mowlam

Very sad news this morning that Mo Mowlam has died.

In the present climate when politicians are generally viewed with deep cynicism and mistrust, she was one of a kind. Mo had the respect and trust not only of the populous but of her political colleagues on both sides of the House. This respect was earned through hard work, and her refreshing down to earth honesty.

Her legacy will of course be peace in Northern Ireland. While showing respect to both sides she disarmed them with her irreverence and her agenda to get things done. Two sides that had been in deadlock for years, automatically saying NO to anything the other said, were disarmed by this fresh approach and it worked. That she did all this while recovering from a brain tumour is further testament to her courage.

Corporate BS

The company I work for (which for Dooce-like reasons will of course remain anonymous) has only been in existence for a couple of months, having been formed by the merger of several smaller companies. Not uncommon in the present economic climate and in the industry in which I toil. What this means in reality is that a bunch of speccy tw@ts have been paid a small fortune to ‘re-brand’ us. The results of this are beginning to filter down to those of us on the coalface. That’s an analogy, I’m not a miner. I get dreadful claustrophobia and on the rare occasions I have been to underground tourist attractions (there are several in Yorkshire, go visit) I’ve always found it a terribly unpleasant business.
“Look at the stalactites Phyl”
“No. Look at the thousand, million tons of limestone above my head that could crush me to a puree.”
I don’t have the spirit of adventure. I’ll sit on the sofa and smoke a phatty, you go exploring. I’ll read a book, thank you very much. Sorry.

But I digress.

So now, instead of our old orangey letterhead, we have a new ‘spectrum coloured’ one that has been specifically designed for us to reflect our corporate culture and push forward our new, all encompassing identity. It’s utter shite of course. We’ve also had our PCs rebranded. Now, instead of my beautiful old desktop of Jacques-Louis David’s The Death of Socrates, I have a plain blue one with the corporate logo in the bottom right hand corner. My Star Wars screensaver has been replaced by – the corporate logo scrolling contemptuously across my new flat screen. It makes me weep.

The latest, laughable dictum came this afternoon when we received an email from the Marketing Director no less, stating that henceforth all communications whether letter, email, fax or carrier pigeon are to be written in 12 point Times New Roman. The email was of course written in 10 point Arial as if that comes as a surprise to anyone. The director who sent the communiqué has no more idea of how to change the font in his emails than I have an idea of how to change the battery in his pacemaker but he feels no shame in telling me how I should do things. Leading by example? Pfffffttt. I’m an old fashioned chap though so will stick with my Book Antiqua thank you very much, though I am tempted to reply to his email in Copperplate Gothic. What can they do? Fire me for ‘failure to follow the corporate font policy?’ I’m in the union you know. And I'm busting for a spat.

Directors though will always try to direct. The best simile for the corporate structure that I’ve ever heard is that it is like a tree full of monkeys. The monkeys on the top branches look down and see row upon row of smiling faces. The monkeys further down look up and see a load of arseholes. Isn't that perfect?

Re-brands also give various executives and directors the chance to leave London and visit us in the provinces (Surrey) in order to ‘roll out’ the ‘exciting new corporate culture’ and of course give us motivating talks along the lines of ‘forward together’; ‘the future is limitless’; etc etc… I die a little every time. Is their anything less motivating than a motivational talk from some faceless stuffed shirt earning six figures for poncing about in his Merc without any sense of reality? No there isn’t. The problem is that they are always desperately unoriginal, generally have zero relevance to one’s job and are all based on Stephen Covey’s "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People". Have you ever been forced to read that dirge? Please don’t, life is too short. Go and sit in the sun, learn Latin and read Catullus in the original, have a w@nk, I don’t care, do anything instead. For you though, dear reader, I have the antidote. Courtesy of my hombre beelers, who understands that it is better to be creative than effective, I can bring you D.A. Blyler’s “The 7 vices of highly creative people”. You won’t have time to read it so in brief:

Vice 1: Be a drinker
Vice 2: Begin the day with a smoke
Vice 3: Put gambling first
Vice 4: Think oysters
Vice 5: Seek fashion first, then seek to be understood
Vice 6: Sex
Vice 7: Abuse the card

So, valpolicella in hand I implore you, follow the new rules. Don’t let them win.

Another shambles

Driving to work this morning, Sven was on the radio talking about his preparations for next year's World Cup. He said that the biggest factor counting against us in the last World Cup was the players being tired. So what the hell was the point of throwing in a friendly this early in the season? It could only be a disaster and so it has proven to be.

We are only one game into the Premiership so the players are not match fit and possibly not even motivated for an England friendly. Many of them will have to turn out for their clubs this weekend, they won't be giving 100% then - and for what? What has Sven learned? What has been gained? English cricket puts us on a high, English football brings us down to earth.

At last

The mainstream wakes up to the truth with respect to Jean Charles de Menenzes, a truth many UK bloggers have been shouting about for several weeks.

The BBC now have a detailed account of what took place, as do Sky and ITV. The BBC also have a handy guide which looks at the discrepancies in detail.

One new fact has surprised even me - it would seem that the head of Scotland Yard Sir Ian Blair, called the Home Office soon after the shooting to request that the inquiry be delayed for a while. This is quite outrageous. There is a statutory duty upon the police to investigate all deaths by their hand and the sooner any investigation gets underway the better as memories are fresher, evidence easier to obtain etc.. What was Sir Ian hoping to achieve by delaying an enquiry? That it would be easier to cover it up if we all forgot about the matter? It stinks of a cover-up. Sir Ian really must go and now. It is proven that he lied when he gave his solemn press conference after de Menzes execution, he has no credibility and the citizens of London do not want a liar in charge of their police force. People called Blair do not have a good record when it comes to resigning after being proven to be liars though do they?

Least surprising piece of news now being reported?

Scotland Yard and the Home Office have so far said it would be inappropriate to comment.

Must be making sure their stories match.

Freedom Isn't Free

So, I've been reading up on this America Supports You Freedom Walk taking place in Washington on the fourth anniversary of 9/11 next month. Isn't it a nasty, cynical attempt to further perpetuate the myth that 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq are somehow linked? Do people still buy this crap? Even Fox News viewers must be aware that Iraq had nothing to do with the attacks?

When I first read reports about the march I thought I was reading a biting piece of satire, especially when I got to the bit about Clint Black, a 'country' singer who has written and will perform a song called I Raq and Roll. I was giggling to myself cheerily, but it turns out it is true!! Have a look at the lyrics, they will make even the hardest of hearts turn to joy.

It might be a smart bomb
they find stupid people too
and if you stand with the likes of Saddam
one just might find you

I rock, I rack'em up and I roll
I'm back and I'm a high tech GI Joe
I've got Infrared, I've got GPS
and I've got that good old fashioned lead
there's no price too high for freedom
so be careful where you tread

Would it be churlish to point out that despite the hi-tech the GPS (and the lead) bin Laden remains a free man?

The lyrics of I Raq and Roll reminded me of something. Have you all seen Team America: World Police? Do you follow me?

What would you do
If someone told you to fight for freedom.
Would you answer the call
Or run away like a little pussy
'Cause the only reason that you're here.
Is 'cause folks died for you in the past
So maybe now it's your turn
To die kicking some ass

Freedom isn't free
It costs folks like you and me
And if we don't all chip in
We'll never pay that bill
Freedom isn't free
Now there's a have to hook'in fee
And if you don't throw in your buck 'o five
Who will?

Identical sentiments so why do Republicans love one and hate the other? Do they have no sense of humour? C'mon guys, lighten up a little.

America, FUCK YEAH!
Coming again, to save the mother fucking day yeah,
America, FUCK YEAH!
Freedom is the only way yeah,
Terrorist your game is through
cause now you have to answer too,
America, FUCK YEAH!
So lick my butt, and suck on my balls,
America, FUCK YEAH!
What you going to do when we come for you now,
it’s the dream that we all share;
it’s the hope for tomorrow

FUCK YEAH!
McDonalds, FUCK YEAH!
Wal-Mart, FUCK YEAH!
The Gap, FUCK YEAH!
Baseball, FUCK YEAH!
NFL, FUCK, YEAH!
Rock and roll, FUCK YEAH!
The Internet, FUCK YEAH!
Slavery, FUCK YEAH!FUCK YEAH!
Starbucks, FUCK YEAH!
Disney world, FUCK YEAH!
Porno, FUCK YEAH!
Valium, FUCK YEAH!
Reeboks, FUCK YEAH!
Fake Tits, FUCK YEAH!
Sushi, FUCK YEAH!
Taco Bell, FUCK YEAH!
Rodeos, FUCK YEAH!

Gaza

Is anyone else knocked out by what is happening in Gaza tonight? Despite a record that would make any tin-pot fascist blush, Ariel Sharon is pushing ahead with the full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Troops are even now gathering to begin evicting those illegal settlers who refuse to leave. There is a long way to go and there will no doubt be more bloodshed on both sides, but in this case at least, credit where it is due.

What happens next though? If Israel simply intends to replace illegal settlements in Gaza with illegal settlements in the West Bank then no real progress will be made. Arabs will remain confused at the USA's invasion of Iraq to remove Hussein's imagined WMD, while it does nothing against Israel's real illegal WMD. In fact the USA pumps aid of about $15,000,000 a day into Israel, while only giving $800,000 to Palestine. Much of this money must go on weapons as Israel now leads the West in child poverty rates.

I'll leave Israel bashing for another day though, I'm sure I'll be given plenty of opportunity.

de Menezes

It's rare for the lamentable ITV News Channel to scoop anyone, but they have got hold of some crucial documents relating to the execution of Mr de Menezes last month. It confirms what anyone who reads more widely than the mainstream already knows, i.e. that Jean Charles was not carrying any bags, was wearing a denim jacket, not a bulky winter coat, he was behaving normally, and did not vault the barriers, even stopping to pick up a free newspaper. ITV further report that there were no warnings given before de Menezes was killed and that the officer responsible for the identification of Mr de Menezes was off having a piss when he left the flat and that therefore the identification was not 100%. The officers had decided amongst themselves that they would shoot if Mr de Menezes ran, but he actually only ran to get on the train, he was sitting down when shot.

Quite where this leaves the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police is unclear. It was he, you will remember, who gave the official version of events in a solemn press conference soon after the deed. He must have know it was all a pack of lies, will he resign now, will anyone? Or will the stress mean he has to take a long holiday like the executioner?

The end

I was expecting a little more fanfare

This England team can go as far as it really wants to

So said Michael Vaughan after a thrilling draw at Old Trafford yesterday. What a great game of cricket it was, with England needing to take just one wicket from the last few overs before close last night. But for the rain, it would have been an easy victory, but obviously many other factors came into play. For once the sloppy fielding was Australia's problem, and with media pressure on Giles and G Jones, both did well. Geraint Jones in particular after dropping a catch and missing an easy stumping in the first, took a superb catch to dismiss Warne in the second. Catch of the season will be a difficult one to judge this year! England have played Australia off the park in two tests now - the momentum must be with us. Bring it on Trent Bridge.

Apropos of nothing, this must be the least surprising headline of the year.....

I've never read a book in my life, admits Victoria Beckham

I'm not wrong in thinking that this is nothing to be proud of am I?

Monday

Splendid weekend ignoring the world, concentrating on sport instead.

Spurs got the season off to a flyer with a 0-2 win at Fratton Park thanks to an Andy Griffin own goal and a cracker from Jermain Defoe. Having been a Spurs fan for more than 30 years, I’m not allowing myself to get too excited.

England need 10 wickets today to take a 2-1 lead in the Ashes. Simon Jones was the man on Saturday with 6/53 giving England the comfort of a 142 run first innings lead. Only Warne put up a fight with 90, before becoming Jones’ fourth victim. Andrew Strauss then scored a cracking 106 yesterday allowing a declaration to be made late in the afternoon. McGrath, wicketless in the first innings took 5/115 in the second, where it was Warne’s turn to toil without reward. The most notable feature of the day was that for the first time in years, Australia really looked ragged. They dropped catches, allowed boundaries – tempers looked frayed backing up rumours of a stand-up row between Warne and Ponting at Edgbaston. A few early wickets today will show if they still have the character which has made them so invincible for so long. Let us hope not.

An early and brief read through the papers turns up this story from The Independent. This year is the 400th anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot, when religious extremists tried to blow up Parliament. In another show of ‘not letting the terrorists change anything’ officials at Parliament have abandoned their own plans for a memorial fireworks show, and ITV have dropped their planned show which would have featured a life-sized replica of Parliament full of crash test dummies, being blown up. I cannot see the poor taste in that, can you? The people of York have more courage and are pushing ahead with their plans to commemorate one of their more famous sons. A three month festival begins today which will look at all aspects of the plot from its secretive inception, through to its ultimate discovery. What Guy Fawkes failed to do with gunpowder, Bliar has managed to do through stealth and an apathetic population. Parliament has been neutered (given only 6 hours to debate invading Iraq for example) and all power now rests at Number 10. Are there any old cellars under Downing Street?

Tom

Tomorrow.

These cartoons apply to the UK now.

Let there be

light...

A man’s just been round my office and replaced all the fluorescent tubes which had died. (No flowers please, we were never close) Bother is, as about half of them were expired, it’s now so bright in here it feels like I’m working on the sun. I may have darken my contact lenses - only twats like Bono wear sunglasses indoors. I wonder would drawing on them with a 'magic marker' help? And what's so magic about them? Just writing on stuff with a big thick black line isn't magic, that's its job. Can I be called 'magic phylos' just because I haul my lazy arse out of bed every morning and come to work? Now, if I saw a chunky nibbed pen pull a rabbit out of a hat then that would be magic.

I cannot be arsed with politics today, although both The Guardian and The Independent have good articles attacking dear leader’s dumb-arsed plan to give parliament superiority over the judiciary and the sheep like way in which Howard has agreed with everything he's said. What part of Leader of the OPPOSITION does that idiot not understand?

It hurts me to say it, but one has to comment on Shane Warne who earlier today became the first cricketer to take 600 test wickets. Well done you Aussie cnut.

Still, McGrath's going for nearly 5 an over, we've passed 250 (for 2) and Cap'n Vaughan's got a ton & a half so you can take your 600 wickets and

341/5 at close.
Rain forecast. Hmmmm. Another 100 runs tomorrow, declare, 20 wickets by Saturday afternoon. Job done.

Ouchy!!

Drinking hurts kids.

RAF rescues man stuck in gorse bush for two days

A man who lost his way home after a night out drinking spent two days stranded in a 10ft-deep tangle of gorse bushes before being rescued by the RAF.

Dean Bowen, 32, was walking along a cliff beside Primrose Valley caravan park in Filey, North Yorkshire, on Saturday night, but his memory of how he came to be trapped in the dense undergrowth is hazy. "I wouldn't advise anybody to go into it [gorse bushes], you know what I mean? At first it seems fun but, before you know it, you're like stuck," Mr Bowen, from Hunmanby, North Yorkshire, told the BBC after his rescue. "Whichever way I turned it seemed to be the wrong one that day."
Mr Bowen eventually attracted the attention of a passer-by in the early hours of yesterday by flaming his cigarette lighter. When the emergency services were unable to rescue him from the thick undergrowth, a helicopter was scrambled from RAF Leconfield to winch him to safety.

Last night he was recovering from mild hypothermia and dehydration in Scarborough hospital. Colin Yorke, who winched him to safety, said: "The man was in a patch of gorse bush 10ft deep. "We've no idea how he got there. He was right in the middle of the gorse. It was like he had been dropped there by a spaceship... It was certainly one of our stranger rescues."

And I resisted the temptation to make any "Did you feel a prick" jokes.

Ooops

Hijackers 'identified pre-9/11'

A year before the 9/11 attacks a secret US intelligence unit had identified four of the hijackers as likely linked to al-Qaeda, a US congressman says. But the unit's request for the FBI to be informed was turned down, according to Representative Curt Weldon.

One of the men identified was said to be 9/11 ringleader Mohammed Atta. Mr Weldon has a reputation for bold statements, but his comments are being taken seriously after claims from an unnamed former intelligence official.

Further reading here.

Also on the BBC is this gem.

Implant chip to identify the dead

The carnage inflicted by bomb attacks in Egypt, London and across Iraq has raised the problem of how the authorities identify people in an emergency situation. Whether through natural disaster or man-made, the killing of large numbers of people presents a great challenge to the emergency services, who have to identify the victims as quickly as possible.

One aid to identification advocated by an American company is the VeriChip, a small device containing a unique number injected into a person's arm.

I hope Charles Clarke doesn't read it or ID cards will be the least of our worries.

Special Reconnaissance Regiment

Via Another Day in the Empire comes more news on Jean Charles de Menezes, executed on the tube a couple of weeks ago.

According to The Guardian, Mr de Menezes was may not have been killed by the Met's SO19 but by the a new army special forces regiment. This is an SAS trained unit set up in April to target terrorists operating in the UK. Restraint appears not to have been part of the training. The report is slightly confusing as, according to Whitehall sources

soldiers of the Special Reconnaisance Regiment, modelled on an undercover unit that operated in Northern Ireland, [were] engaged in "low-level intelligence behind the scenes" when the Brazilian was shot. There was "no direct military involvement in the shooting", the sources said.

So they were involved and they weren't "involved". Whodunnit then? And do you feel safer?

The rules really have changed

At the end of last week when outlining his new fascist agenda (a change from his old fascist agenda), our dear leader stated that the rules of the game have changed. It seems that they have changed most for the police.

As I've already written, there is no special police licence to injure or kill, the police should be treated in the same way as the rest of us. Yet the officer who executed Mr de Menezes recently by putting seven bullets into his head and one into his shoulder has been sent on a holiday paid for by you and me. It is unclear if this sets a precedent for the way suspects in future murder enquiries are to be treated, but it does seem that there is one rule for the rozzers and another for the rest of us. This was point was bought sharply home yesterday by news that a police officer "allegedly" captured on CCTV cameras kicking a handcuffed black man in Manchester will not face criminal charges. Did anyone see the video? There was nothing alleged about it. The officer kicked the man several times. He then stopped when a couple of chaps walked by and started again once they were out of the way. It was as clear as day yet the charges have been dropped by the CPS due to "lack of evidence". It's astonishing.

The police are at the front of the battle against terrorism and constantly appeal for the public's help in solving crimes. They demand respect, but do they deserve it? Doesn't respect have to be earned? A quick search through the BBC News website reveals another side to the police. All are from the last 4 weeks.

Officer charged with misconduct A Nottinghamshire police officer has been remanded in custody after allegedly plotting to pass on police intelligence and falsify documents.

Police officers sent racist texts

A Cleveland police officer jailed for stabbing his wife almost 100 times, has been formally dismissed from the force.

A 25-year-old police officer, from Greater Manchester, has been re-arrested on suspicion of rape.

The former chairman of the Humberside Police Authority has been freed on bail after being questioned again about allegations of child abuse.

Avon and Somerset Police had the worst detection rate of all 43 police forces in England and Wales, figures released on Thursday show. Nearly three out of four violent crimes went unsolved in the police area in 2004/05, while the overall detection rate stood at just 17%. (The national average is a lamentable 34%)

The jury in the case of two police officers accused of beating up and racially abusing a black bar supervisor has retired to consider its verdict

Race probe police college closes. The police training school that featured in the BBC documentary The Secret Policeman is to close in a shake up of the way new recruits are taught. (The next generation of racists will be taught in a shiny new building)

A police officer who downloaded hundreds of images of child porn has been jailed for eight months (Eight months?!?!? Bet that's at the low end of the average sentence)

A Notts police officer and two other men were arrested on suspicion of serious criminal offences on Tuesday

Nottinghamshire Police have charged three people as part of an investigation into serious and organised crime in the county. One of them is a uniformed constable from the Nottingham City Division.

A former police officer has been charged with importing Class A drugs

All as I say from the last 4 weeks. It reminds you of the West Midlands Serious Crime Squad disbanded in 1989 when it was revealed that, following a massive misunderstanding of their job descriptions they were actually responsible for a great deal of the West Midland's serious crime. It is timely to be reminded of this in the week that Bliar starts talking about secret trials, as the WMSCS were also responsible for the frame up of the Birmingham Six. How many innocents will be imprisoned it the current sweep? Their record is very poor. Since 9/11 more than 700 people have been arrested under the Terrorism Act yet only 17 have been convicted of anything (via). Now the police want 3 months to hold suspects without charge rather than the present 14 days. This will only encourage even lazier police work if such a thing were possible.

So, I'll start respecting the police when they start respecting the law it is their job to uphold. Fair enough?

UPDATE
As if to illustrate the point, Magdi al-Nashar the Egyptian chemist who we were led to believe was one of the masterminds behind the 7/7 bombings has been released without charge in Cairo.

Hull is other people

Very poor.

Fans taunted over London bombings

Police have launched an investigation after Queens Park Rangers fans were taunted about the London bombings. The club's supporters were subjected to chants including, "You're just a town full of bombers" by Hull City fans.

Hull City chairman Adam Pearson, apologised to QPR and promised to ban anyone found to be involved in the abuse during the game on Saturday.

Police said a 21-year-old man from East Hull, arrested for racist chanting, was fined and banned from football matches.

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Panaceas

What manner of evil is this?

Children could get diet pills

Children as young as 12 could be given anti-obesity drugs to help them shed excess weight.

Surely drugs are designed to treat medical problems? Being a fat ass is not usually a medical condition but is in fact caused by a variety of issues. One of them is the government starving schools of cash so that they are forced into selling their playing fields to property developers. Another is the media hype surrounding 'paedos' who, if you read the tabloids or watch any TV news broadcast, are lurking round every corner. This is all hysteria of course, child abductions are no more common now than they were 30 years ago. In the vast majority of cases where children are killed or otherwise abused the murderer/abuser is a parent. So if kids are outside playing, they are less likely to be hurt. Of course, Playstations and the like also play their part as does the seemingly total rejection of parental responsibility. If a kid is fat it's the school's fault, Burger King's fault never the parent

We need to be treating the causes not the symptoms. Get the little bastards doing cross-country runs twice a week. Provide them with areas where they can play imaginatively - this will improve their minds as well as their bodies. Educate the parents without allowing them to abdicate their responsibilities. It's really not that difficult. Is it?

London

Via Lenin's Tomb; two letters giving an indication of the mood following July's attacks on London. The first is by an American journalist who lives in London, the second is by Lenin (aka Richard Seymour) himself.

Both letters are here. Both look at some of Bliar's proposed new legislation, which should concern us all. The restrictions on freedom will apply to us all, not just the terrorists. The laws are deliberately vague and will be at the used at the discretion of the Home Secretary.

You need to care about this.

Banksy

Strikes again.

Art prankster sprays Israeli wall

Secretive "guerrilla" artist Banksy has decorated Israel's controversial West Bank barrier with satirical images of life on the other side. The nine paintings were created on the Palestinian side of the barrier. One depicts a hole in the wall with an idyllic beach, while another shows a mountain landscape on the other side. Banksy's spokeswoman Jo Brooks said: "The Israeli security forces did shoot in the air threateningly and there were quite a few guns pointed at him."

More here.

Squeak

A lot tighter than it should have been!!

England clinch thrilling victory

England survived a last-ditch Australia fightback to complete a thrilling two-run victory in the second Test and level the Ashes series at 1-1.

Robin Cook

I think muck of the UK has been shocked by the death of Robin Cook. He spent 20 years at the front of Labour politics holding ministerial positions, but it was for his resignation speech in 2003 that he may be best remembered. As he sat down after delivering it the Commons burst into spontaneous applause, it had been reminded that integrity and principle were more important than spin. As the BBC say "The death of Robin Cook not only deprives the Labour Party of one of its greatest figures, it will also diminish the House of Commons."

Hiroshima day

Hiroshima marks 60th anniversary of atomic bomb

Hiroshima today marked the 60th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack.

Vowing to never allow a repeat of his city's tragedy, Hiroshima's mayor called on the nuclear powers to abandon their arsenals and stop "jeopardising human survival."


The next UK demonstration against war is on 24 September in London.

Thank you!!

God proves once again that he is an Englishman.

McGrath is out of Edgbaston Test

Glenn McGrath has been ruled out of the second Test at Edgbaston after being injured in the pre-match warm-up on Thursday.

The Australia fast bowler injured his right ankle playing a rugby-style game and Mike Kasprowicz has been called up as his replacement.

England have named an unchanged XI for the second Test and are aiming to bounce back from a 239-run defeat.

Links?

In the 3 or so weeks since the first bombings in London, there has been a 600% increase in reported religious 'hate crime' against those nasty Muslim darkies who carried out the attacks. So much for the attacks not changing anything. Nobody challenges that the two are linked, everybody accepts it. Yet posit the theory that in turn the London bombings may be linked to the mainly white brutalisation of their Muslim 'brothers' in Iraq and you're told that you are wrong. Isn't that odd?

Dominic Grieve, the shadow Attorney General, has said that the London bombings are "totally explicable" because of the deep anger felt by many British Muslims over Iraq. Of course, the Tory leadership has backed away from his comments and Hazel Blears, quite possibly the simplest person ever to hold a ministerial position (against some stiff opposition since Bliar started stuffing the government with mediocrities), has said

"I think people can fundamentally disagree with policy issues, with foreign policy ... but I don't see any justification for people blowing themselves up and murdering hundreds of other people."

Two wrongs do not of course make a right. No one is saying that the invasion of Iraq justifies any suicide bombings anywhere but to deny that there is any link at all insults the dead on all sides and seriously hampers our ability to prevent further attacks from happening.

The latest authoritative figure to confirm a link is Robert Baer who spent 20 years in the CIA, mainly in the Middle East. (thanks to Matt for link) Mr Baer says

"Every time you kill a Muslim, whether it's an Israeli killing them or an American or a Brit, there is humiliation, anger, reaction and bombs go off somewhere."

With the BBC presently reporting the deaths of another 14 US marines in a roadside attack this morning, isn't it the duty of our leaders to listen to people like Mr Baer and Professor Pape who know what they are talking about and are not concerned with fickle matters such as public opinion? The only reason Bliar continues to deny a link between Iraq and London is that, as one of the men who started the war, he would be admitting culpability in the deaths of 52 people on 7th July.

Headlines like this don't help either.

Documents Tell of Brutal Improvisation by GIs

Interrogated General's Sleeping-Bag Death, CIA's Use of Secret Iraqi Squad Are Among Details

By Josh White
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 3, 2005;

Iraqi Maj. Gen. Abed Hamed Mowhoush was being stubborn with his American captors, and a series of intense beatings and creative interrogation tactics were not enough to break his will. On the morning of Nov. 26, 2003, a U.S. Army interrogator and a military guard grabbed a green sleeping bag, stuffed Mowhoush inside, wrapped him in an electrical cord, laid him on the floor and began to go to work. Again.

It was inside the sleeping bag that the 56-year-old detainee took his last breath through broken ribs, lying on the floor beneath a U.S. soldier in Interrogation Room 6 in the western Iraqi desert. Two days before, a secret CIA-sponsored group of Iraqi paramilitaries, working with Army interrogators, had beaten Mowhoush nearly senseless, using fists, a club and a rubber hose, according to classified documents.

The sleeping bag was the idea of a soldier who remembered how his older brother used to force him into one, and how scared and vulnerable it made him feel. Senior officers in charge of the facility near the Syrian border believed that such "claustrophobic techniques" were approved ways to gain information from detainees, part of what military regulations refer to as a "fear up" tactic, according to military court documents.

You Spurs

After a week's worth of teasing, the deal is done. Edgar Davids is a Tottenham Hotspur player.

Watch us win.

Being British

The Daily Telegraph has been asking its readers what it means to be British. As you would expect from Telegraph readers (average age 106) there is a lot of rubbish about stiff upper lips, Europe and respect for institutions, but the most striking feature of the article is the number of repondents who no longer live in Britain. Maybe that's what it means to be British now - making enough cash so that you can bugger off elsewhere?

al-Qaeda v IRA

Geoffrey Wheatcroft writes in The Observer how Bliar views one as the personification of evil but the other as decent people he can do business with.

Blair's two faces of terrorism

Spot the difference: the Prime Minister declares war on al-Qaeda while making peace with IRA murderers

Ever since he became Prime Minister and began cutting a deal with the IRA, but still more since the 11 September attacks nearly four years ago, Tony Blair has tried to answer a conundrum: how can terrorism be utterly and unforgivably wrong in one case, but tolerable and negotiable in another? Why is murderous Islamic militancy so different from murderous Irish republicanism?

Last week, the Prime Minister was at it again. He unequivocally denounced the terrorists who killed 52 people in London on 7 July and said: 'I do not believe that we should give one inch to them.' At the same time he was preparing to give a mile to another terrorist group. In what was clearly part of a choreographed routine, he anticipated the IRA's statement on Thursday which renounced the 'armed struggle' and 'physical-force republicanism' without in any way apologising for decades of murder.

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