Group photo: YES 2009 Culture Night. Photo by Dana Guzman.

It’s been two weeks, two days since I left Braunwald, the kitschy little hotel, and of course, my fellow YES mates. I think there were 38 students representing 25 countries, and it was such a treat to learn about other places and spaces directly from the people who live there. There are 24 countries at the top of my “to visit” list; I just have to find a way to get to every one!

Of all the students, I was one of four representing a developed nation (we had one other Canadian, and one participant each from Denmark and Japan), and boy, did I feel like a schmuck during the presentations. It’s not that anyone was pointing a figure at me or smacking my wrist, but it’s plain that Western lifestyles have altered and continue to abuse our global environment, creating hardships for those who contribute the least to climate change. As Canadians, we enjoy a positive stereotype worldwide on most counts, if only for the fact that we are not American. It’s easy to brush the blame onto our neighbours to the south who are so obviously at the centre of the cause of the climate change crisis. But numbers don’t lie, and Canada is listed seventh in terms of carbon dioxide emissions by country (data from 2007; click here to view the spreadsheet). That makes us worse than the United Kingdom, and they have two times the number of people. Not only that, but our per capita emission rate is 18.81 metric tons, just behind the USA at 19.78 metric tons (2006 data; click here to view the spreadsheet). In comparison, Switzerland’s per capita figure is 6.06 metric tons. I find the difference embarrassing.

It’s not all bad, though (just mostly): in that same spreadsheet, you can see that Canada reduced its carbon emissions by 1.6% from 2006-2007. On a more local level, my hometown of Toronto received the Pollution Prevention Award this year, and has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050. Within the province, the Ontario government supports local farmers, and as a nation, Canada is the birthplace of David Suzuki. There is no reason for us not to be a world leader in the sustainability race, fostering change for not only ourselves, but for the global community. As for our international esteem, I think we can and should bank on action, rather than reputation alone.

Speaking of international, lets switch back to Braunwald while going global. On November 2, we had our YES Cultural Night, which consisted of photos, music, and of course, food! Here is my amalgamation of favourite shots from the night.

Team Canada: Maple cookies and maple syrup. Missing: Bacon, beer.

Mexico's "Day of the Dead" display. Photo by Dana Guzman.

Beautiful textiles. From L to R: Nepal, Egypt, Bangladesh. Photo by Dana Guzman.

More maple! Vivek (Nepal), Ashley (Canada), and myself. Photo by Anna Gawlikowska.

Enjoying some Amarula with the South Africans: Katherine, Anri, and Pieter. Photo by Anna Gawlikowska.

Nicola, Filipina and Roomie Extraordinaire; Sandrita my Hermanita; Anubha! Photo by Nicola Berbano.

Kenyan Twist: grooving with Joshua. Photo by Nicola Berbano.

Air guitar. Bryan Adams. Summer of '69. Sweet. From L to R: Vivek, Kath, Aditya (India), myself, and Anubhav (India). Photo by Ahu Alayna.

A note about the photographers: Dana Guzman is the co-founder of Dédalo, a company that represents and promotes high-end, handmade materials from Latin America. Anna Gawlikowska is the founder of Being World, a foundation that seeks to unite the global community in an effort to confront sustainability issues. Please visit their sites to learn more about their efforts!

It’s Michael White (normally a sane and reliable voice in the maelstrom of political opinion) who drops today’s bollock. Find it on Mike’s Guardian Politics Blog:

Ed Balls – not always a man to trust up a dark ally

What makes it worse is the context:

yesterday … I watched Dave [Cameron, but you didn't need telling that, did you?] – pieties about the Iraq war dead and the Cumbrian floods put to one side – tearing into Brown over Hizb ut-Tahrir. Oh no, not those tiresome Islamist puritans again, I hear you murmur. Agreed, but Dave started it, not me.

And under the telling title:

Election season smears are back – watch out Muslims, Jews and Red Kate

“Red Kate”, believe it or not, is the recently-discovered “most powerful woman in the world“, Cathy Ashton. So, step aside, Hillary.

“Recently-discovered” as a result of the British media’s total abstinence from the realities of EU affairs. That’s also another reason for regular resort to the Irish Times and other immigrant periodicals.

The British have long enjoyed food with a bit of bite. And 200 years ago, an Indian migrant opened Britain’s first curry house to cater for the fashion for spicy food…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: home fashion. The blog is also related to: italian fashion.

The British have long enjoyed food with a bit of bite. And 200 years ago, an Indian migrant opened Britain’s first curry house to cater for the fashion for spicy food…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: food. The blog is also related to: food.

Setting up yet another council to talk people into liking muslims, will not convince anybody, that Islam is “nice” not when they butcher non muslims abroad.

The Scottish Government has set up close links with the Muslim Council of Scotland to work towards challenging “Islamophobia” and breaking down barriers between communities. It is not clear what form this co-operation will take or how much taxpayers’ money is involved.

Terry Sanderson, President of the National Secular Society, said:

“Let us hope that the Scottish Government doesn’t run into the same problems as the English did when it threw in its lot with the Muslim Council of Britain. No sooner had Westminster provided huge amounts of public money to the MCB than suspicions began to emerge about the nature of some of the affiliated groups and their links to undesirable foreign interests and individuals.”

Mr Sanderson said the best way for the Scottish Government to proceed was not to allow religious leaders to be the sole conduit for communication with the wider communities.

“Religion shouldn’t be the only characteristic that identifies people from Asian backgrounds. Constantly referring to ‘Muslims’ as though they are of a single mind or single culture and are all terribly pious immediately alienates large numbers of people. The ‘faith leaders’ are all male, they don’t always represent the views of the people they claim to be speaking for and they stand in the way of hearing the real opinions of people in their communities. The Scottish Government, like the English one, has to find a way around that. Simply consulting with self-appointed ‘leaders’ — who are almost always religious in motivation — is not the right way to proceed”

Thanks to http://www.secularism.org.uk/115642.html

Mandy has gone pheasant shooting with Ghaddafi’s son at Nat Rothschild’s Estate.  Cherie Blair was in attendance also, urgh.

Massive fire in Sumner Road, Peckham, hundreds evacuated.

Save the world, stop eating meat.

And Tony Blair lied about Iraq WMDs.

All in all, a real shitty day.  Just glad it’s Thursday, soon be the weekend and then I can blot out the anger with copious amounts of drink and drugs – for what is the fucking point of it all?

You have to give them points for effort don’t you? but No! we don’t want to be spoonfed Islam in this way or any other way. Nice try though!

WHAT do a gay hairdresser, an atheist taxi driver, a skin care centre manager, a glamour model and a mixed race couple have in common? They all live in Harrogate and, for three weeks this summer, agreed to discard their normal routines and live as Muslims for a TV documentary series.

                                     ” Doesn’t Islam look fun? “

Under the watchful eye of a team of Muslim mentors, the diverse group were taught to abide by Sharia law while a camera crew followed them around.
Viewers will be able to follow their fortunes in a three-part series called Make Me a Muslim, which begins on Channel Four at 8pm tomorrow.
Narinder Minhas, the show’s executive producer, said:

“The idea was to try to find a way of demystifying Islam because a lot of people don’t understand the religion at all.We wanted to come up with something that might allow ordinary people to experience it, getting people to practise it and see whether they like it or not.”
Six non-Muslims and one lapsed Muslim took part in the ambitious exercise, which was filmed in Harrogate in June.The three-week project also took the group to a retreat in the Peak District, near Sheffield, where the participants could learn more about the religion.The team of mentors was led by Imam Ajmal Masroor, who believes passionately that Britain is in a state of meltdown, with anti-social behaviour, promiscuity and alcohol corroding the moral fabric of the nation.( At least they haven’t got to the point where they they learn to cut heads off and stone people?)
In the documentary, he tells the group it is time to start a “spiritual revolution” in the UK to restore its moral backbone.
Mr Minhas said he decided to film in Harrogate because, unlike Bradford and Leeds, it has a small Muslim population.
“The Harrogate area, according to local statistics, has a population of about 150,000 people and 311 are Muslims.It’s a tiny percentage, but we found that people were hungry (I doubt they’re that desperate) to find out more about what the religion is about.Some of our team came across people who actually thought Islam was a country. What I found interesting was the fact that we had some surprising results.You will be gobsmacked to see who got a lot out of the experience and who didn’t.” (No! we won’t and that won’t soften us up to swallow the nasty medicine)
One of the participants, Haylie Winter, 33, found the lifestyle change difficult but rewarding.
Ms Winter, who owns a skincare centre, said:

“There were four mentors teaching us the ways of Islam and we had to do a number of things, like not eat any pork, not have any sex, not drink alcohol, and pray five times a day.”What I found most difficult was praying five times a day,” she said.

” If 50,000 people say a stupid thing . . . .it’s STILL a stupid thing”

Thanks to Yorkshirepost

A Matter of Loaf and Death: Big Trouble at the Mill

A Matter of Loaf and Death is an award-winning, delightful clay-animated short film directed by Nick Clark, a four-time Academy Award-winning English filmmaker of stop-motion animation.  The film, starring the much-loved duo Wallace and his faithful dog Gromit, was named last week as one of 10 films to advance in the Animated Short Films category for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards.  A Matter of Loaf and Death played on BBC Television last year and was the highest-rated program of 2008 and the highest-rated non-sporting event in the United Kingdom since 2004.  In 2008, the film won the BAFTA Award for Best Short Animation and the Annie Award for Best Animated Short Subject.

A Matter of Loaf and Death is a suspenseful, romantic high-action murder mystery, with Wallace and and the ever-trusty Gromit starting a new bakery business, Top Bun.  Gromit learns that a number of bakers in town have been mysteriously disappearing, and tries to solve the case before Wallace ends up a victim himself.  The mystery involves a new love interest for Wallace, Ms. Piella Bakewell, who is a bread enthusiast and former pin-up girl for the “Bake-O-Lite” bread company, as well as, for the first time, a cute sweetheart for Gromit: Ms. Bakewell’s charming little French poodle, Fluffles.  The very urgent question now is: will Gromit be able to discover the identity of the Cereal Killer before poor Wallace ends up becoming the next ghastly victim?

done

A Matter of Loaf and Death: Big Trouble at the Mill

The full-version of A Matter of Loaf and Death can also be viewed here.

Slide Show: A Matter of Loaf and Death

(Please Click Image to View Slide Show)

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World Health Organization Issues “Warning” About Bird Flu and Swine Flu Combining to Create “Deadly” Virus

20 Reasons Why Vitamin D Is Better Than a Swine Flu Vaccination

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A Doctor Has Come Out in the Open About BELARUS – Situation is Bad – Lung Destruction Seen

D225G Ukraine-Norway Link and China Spread

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Mutant, drug resistant H1N1 showing up in U.S. – YouTube

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Boy in Omaha With Lung Failure on Respirator – Mutant H1N1?

Last-Ditch lung bypass for worst ARI/Swine Flu cases

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Virologist Says Swine Flu – Came From Lab or Vaccine Making Company – Though WHO Disagrees!

flashback: European labs discover flu vaccines contaminated

H1N1 Re-infection raise Pandemic Concerns

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Are Populations Being Primed For Nano-Microchips Inside Vaccines?

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American Medical Association: No Mandatory Flu Shots… for DOCTORS

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WHO acknowledges Canada’s Side Effects from Recalled Vaccine

Swine Flu Vaccine Now Ready For Toddlers 6 month-olds plus – Calls to be made to Encourage Vaccine to People – this is not good news

Singapore: 27 “Official” Adverse Side Effects from Swine Flu Vaccine

2.5 million begin Hajj amid Swine Flu fears

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Reported flu stats by country

(courtesy of Flu News Network)

Canada
•  Vaccine allergic reaction prompts pulling of one lot (Link)
•  Saskatchewan has 2 more deaths, 11 total, 30 in ICU (Link)
•  Peterborough, Ontario man, 32, fights for his life (Link)
•  4 more deaths in BC, 34 total deaths so far (Link)
•  Health Canada says flu vaccine reactions an anomaly (Link)
•  2 new deaths confirmed last week in Nova Scotia (Link)
•  Alberta’s H1N1 flu rate nearly double national average (Link)

China
•  Hong Kong reports another death case of influenza A/H1N1 (Link)

Egypt
•  Confirmation of 10th death, 140 in hospitals with H1N1 (Link)
•  Egypt reports 11th death case of A/H1N1 flu (Link)

India
•  Chandigarh confirms 2 more deaths, total now 6 (Link)
•  3 recent deaths bring total deaths in India to 558 (Link)

Morocco
•  Confirmation of 114 new cases of H1N1 (Link)

The Netherlands
•  Dutch queue for H1N1 jabs in blanket plan (Link)

Serbia
•  17 deaths and 344 cases (Link)

Turkey
•  Confirmation of 112 deaths thus far  (Link)

United Kingdom
•  More children ‘than expected have had swine flu’ (Link)

United States
•  US: ECMOs can save lives of some of the most severely ill (Link)
•  CA: San Diego confirms 8 more deaths, total in SD now 45 (Link)
•  IA: Iowa State produces and supplies only H1N1 vaxx for swine (Link)
•  KS: Kansas confirms 2 more deaths, 21 total (Link)
•  MI: Michigan confirms 54 deaths since April1  (Link)
•  MN: Minnesota adds 6 new confirmed deaths from H1N1, 35 total (Link and link)
•  NH: 25 yr old Dartmouth student died of H1N1 (Link)
•  NJ: Morris County man is state’s 29th swine flu death (Link)
•  OR: 1 new death, 15 hospitalizations (Link)
•  RI: Rhode Island man 8th death since Sept. 1 from H1N1 (Link)
•  SD: “Healthy” 12 year old dies from H1N1 (Link and link)
•  TX: Mechanical rocking bed helped save a young mom’s life (Link)
•  TX: San Patricio County confirms 2nd death from H1N1 (Link)
•  WV: Physician confirmed to have caught H1N1 TWICE (Link)

General News
•  Avian flu: WHO warns of resurgence (Link)

This really gets better by the day.  The newly formed European Empire who knows no boundaries, literally, appointed a dubious Belgium politician called Rompuy as the EU’s President and a Labour peer who has never stood for election, ever, the aptly named Baroness Ashton as the EU’s Foreign Minister.  People I have never heard of and would most definitely not voted for are now “leading” the European Project into new territory.

Baroness Ashton questioned over CND and Soviet money

The Telegraph, by Bruno Waterfield and James Kirkup

Baroness Ashton, the new European Union foreign minister, is facing questions over her role in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament amid claims that it may have had financial links to the Soviet Union.

Not only was she once in the CND, calling for Britain’s disarmament, she is an unelected Labour life peer who helped ram the Lisbon Treaty through the House of Lords.  “I spent 76 hours of my life getting the Lisbon Treaty though the House of Lords. I would very much like to see it come into force,” she is on record as saying.

The UK Independence Party has written to Jose Manuel Barroso, the European Commission President, asking him to investigate whether Lady Ashton was party to payments allegedly made to CND from the Soviet regime in Moscow.

The letter, based on allegations made by Vladimir Bukovsky, a former Soviet dissident, claimed that it is “very likely” that CND received “unidentified income” from Moscow in the 1980s.

“CND was notoriously secretive about its sources of funding and did not submit its accounts to independent audit; however, after public pressure they were audited for the first time in 1982-1983,” Gerard Batten, a Ukip MEP, wrote.

“It was found that 38 per cent of their annual income (£176,197) could not be traced back to the original donors. The person responsible for this part of CND fund-raising, from anonymous donors. . . was a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain.”

Only allegations but the financial links between CND and the Communist Party of Great Britain still remain.  And not only that but CND had links with the Communist-linked Labour Party of Old.  Of course, the entire European Union is Government model is a replica of the old Soviet system, democracy only for the chosen, freedom is slavery, that sort of socialist utopia.

Nigel Farage, Ukip’s leader, was officially reprimanded for asking in the European Parliament whether Mr Barroso would to investigate whether Lady Ashton had received money “from enemies of the West”.

He said: “I do not think she is a fit and proper person to do this job.”

Jerzy Buzek, the parliament’s president, has summoned Mr Farage for a meeting where he will be told to “restrain his language and refrain from making improper comments in the chamber” or face disciplinary action.

Lady Ashton’s office declined to discuss CND’s funding in detail. It said that she “left CND in 1983 and had no involvement after that”.

Her spokesman said: “Like many young people in the late 1970s, Catherine Ashton was involved in the big campaigns of the time.

“She never visited the Soviet Union, she had no contacts with the Soviet Union and she never accepted any money from Soviet sources. The first time she ever visited Russia was as trade commissioner. She has never been a member of the Communist Party.”

A CND spokesman described the Ukip claims as “decades-old unsubstantiated allegations”.

Even if Baroness Ashton didn’t know about it, she was in the Commie-infected, Marxist-loving, Labour party so is corrupt by association in my short-sighted (and very much pissed-off) mind.

Yet who to believe in all this.  Lets see.

Motives:  The European Economic Community has become the European Union run by unelected officials who have lied consistently and will continue to do so until the Empire is complete?  Or Soviet Dissidents like Vladimir Bukovsky who is from the USSR and has experienced first hand the horrors of Soviet Style Communism?

Then there is the plausibility of such events occurring.  It is highly likely that Soviet Russia would prefer a Nuke Free Britain.  It would serve their interests.  It is highly likely that the CND, through outside help, would take whatever help was offered in either the misguided hope that Peace would prevail or the perverted desire to see a Communist takeover.

I’ll take my chances with the dissident as the EU has told too many porkies.

Solution:  Treason needs to be re-instated as a hanging offence.  It will get rid of the corrupted and also employ over 20 million people, from the executioners to the undertaker, burger stands and programmes, live entertainment.  All Parties opposed to the Big Three, the Gov’t Cartel, the Three Stooges, Liblabcon, the Corruptibles, the liars, cheats and traitors, time to start spreading the message, NOT YOUR PARTY MESSAGE but by constantly reminding all and sundry of the nefarious activities of the State apparatus in the hands of the Crooked and Corrupted.

My only fear now is that our complete enslavement is not long away, for if the EU flexes it’s muscles now it has control over the whole of Europe, we shall not be allowed to leave peacefully.  What they will pull out of the hat is anyone’s guess but just like the Baroness, it will be for the Greater Good of Europe, or so they will tell us.

We are suffering the death of a thousand pricks and will soon be in the morgue, we need resuscitation fast for if we are to survive as a Nation.  We are constantly fed the fear of death by war, death by disease, death by CO2, and if we’re really naughty, no doubt the hairy runts’ would bring out the scriptures and inform us of our impending doom from the four horsemen of the fucking apocalypse.

Those who can, should.  Next chance you get, take it.  When people have nothing left to lose, they have everything to gain.

Her Telegraph profile can be found here

Louis BEAM

Though I never knew them, though they died months before I was born, I can not help but to still feel the pain of those innocent people of Dresden [Germany] who suffered so unjustly, unfairly, and totally without fault February 13, 1945.

They make me think of abused children suffering for something that they do not understand. Abused children in a small way share with those now departed souls of Dresden the total unjustness of this world. Innocent people would not in a fair world, a decent world, be made to suffer.

They died this night. So many of them. Bombs raining down upon their heads like manna from hell -the heads of defenseless women and children for the most part. Babies in their cribs. Sobbing children in their mothers arms. Little girls without blemish, little boys full of anticipation at the excitement life promised them. The girls became blemished heaps of burnt flesh. The promise was broken by life to the boys. There would be no future for them.

Even now, across time, distance, culture, language, and ocean, I hear their cries. Ten thousand per second raising their helpless, tortured voices for mercy. No mercy. No relief. Only painful death from planes with United States written on them.

Why did my father’s generation do this? How could they kill all these people – then not know about it?

My father a decorated, battle field commissioned, combat hardened infantry veteran of Roosevelt’s army, told me as I lay at his feet as a small child listening that “Hitler was bad but the German people were good.” The Germans were “very smart” they just had a bad leader he said. He was proud of his role as a soldier in defeating Germany. And if soldiers are without responsibilities for their role in history then he had more right then many to be proud of his many decorations.

Then in 1984 after discovering the horrible truth about Dresden I spoke to my father about it. I told him more people were killed there in a single night of fire and bombing then in England during the entire war. He said “that is a lie.” He refused to believe me. I stressed to him that they were innocent people. He became angry with me. I asked him why they were killed. His anger boiled over and he said I was believing Nazi propaganda. I said to him “there are no Nazi’s daddy you killed them all, there are only people who study history” while pulling an Encyclopedia Americana from the shelf. The encyclopedia while only admitting to a numerical fraction of the dead at Dresden was yet sufficient to exceed England’s total bombing dead.

“These were refugees fleeing the communists” I said, becoming angry myself. “Why did Roosevelt order it done?” I demanded of him.

He read it and became silent. He read it again while running his fingers along the words carefully touching the numbers as if to make sure they were there and real. It then dawned on me. He did not know! He had lived through this time and because of a constant flood of propaganda from America’s news media this horrible war crime and others like it had been kept from him.

I could see this troubled him, for it was from him that I acquired the proclivity of taking up the fight for the down trodden, those abused unfairly. He was a kind man and would have never knowingly participated in such cruelty. I left for home then feeling sorry for Dad. I left him to think in peace. My anger at his being a part of those who did this horrible thing abated.

I swear I will not forget the crime against innocent people at Dresden. I will not forget who is responsible. I will not forget! I am but one small life. One dim light in a world covered with the darkness of cruel machinations by evil men. But this little light of mine, I will let it shine! For only by doing so do I serve my reason for existence, for life, for eternity.

I read as a young person that “all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” Those words became a part of my soul, my life. Love is put to the test when one takes on the suffering of others – when one becomes a voice against evil for those who have none, a target of abuse for doing nothing but standing for justice.

There is no reward save knowing you have done that which is right. And there is hope. Hope that others will make the light that truth is a part of their life, their existence, so that together we become a bright ray for the future. A light unto the feet of all our fellow men who stumble.

In distant Dresden park they lie in their graves now. Rest my unknown friends, you downtrodden and despised of this world. Though we could not speak the same language if we stood before each other, though I never knew your names, and while your faces I can only imagine, you are my departed loved ones. My heart beats for yours. My mind remembers for yours. My tears for yours…

ALSO READ:

Dresden’s 14 Hours Of Hell

Luftwaffe Pilot Spared B-17 Pilot’s Life

The Unknown GERMAN Holocaust

Some Forgotten Post-War History

Eisenhower’s Death Camps

Pawns In The Game

Wars By Design

Alright.  Breathe deep.  I’m going to tackle it.  While the Chilcot enquiry in Westminster tries to sort this whole mess out.

The truth is out.  Not shouted from the rooftops, but uneasily tucked away in the consciences of most British citizens today:

• In 2003 Hans Blix told Tony Blair to his face there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq,
• MI6 dismissed the CIA’s claim that Saddam was linked to Al-Qaida -
• We know Bush had it on his agenda before he was elected, let alone pre-9/11…
• …and we also know that as late as March 2002 no UK ministers fancied it, and for good reason – ‘it had no basis in law’ – Sir William Patey, head of Middle Eastern Dept of Foreign office.  Regime change ‘not a legal basis for military action’, Lord Goldsmith Attorney General.

And yet the smiling politician took Britain to war.

He knew all this, he had all the info, but just didn’t have the guts to stand up to the administration across the pond.  Even a poignant (read toe-curlingly painful) scene in Love Actually of Hugh Grant as PM standing up to an American President failed to convince – take the hint, Tony!  Perhaps if old George had made a move at Cherie, tens of thousands of lives would have been saved.  Hindsight’s a bitch.  Hope a passing time-traveller sticks a Viagra in his Miller Lite someday…

So now we’re left with the legacy of having crippled a fairly well-off country, and a minor annoyance of a leader is out of the way at the cost of many dead lives, countless broken lives, a crippled economy and an even more volatile region.  And for some reason, suicide attacks suddenly seem so blasé…like we expect nothing better of them…

So what happens now?  What does administering justice look like in this situation?  Pretty much all our politicians voted the war through, apart from the Lib Dems, Robin Cook MP (only the insignificant and drastically under-informed post of FOREIGN SECRETARY!) and Claire Short MP – whose names I hope go down in history as being morally in the clear.  So we can’t exactly sack all remaining politicians as war criminals, or do really very much at all in any way.  I doubt we’ll ever really get any closure on this gigantic fuckup.  It’s sad to think the outcome will never be more than a blot on our national conscience and a lesson not to blindly obey spear-rattling cretinous neo-conservatives who can’t even pronounce Iraq properly.  Eye-rack?!

*Sigh*

Next time something like this comes along, I’ll remember to make my own spear-rattling in the opposite direction heard loud and clear.  Not in my name, Tony.

Wang Zifei, a student at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, attended Obama’s town hall at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. Zifei sat in a spot that resulted in her appearing in a number of photos from the event. She has become an Internet sensation, with people referring her to as the ‘beauty in black beside Obama.’

This “Obama girl in black” or the “woman in black behind Obama” also captured attention by wearing a bright red coat to the event, and she became the subject of a popular animation which shows the coat being taken off, which you can watch here.

The same overnight fame happened to Mayara Tavares when Obama  and France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy did some site-seeing at the G8 summit in L’Aquila, Italy. Obama, Looking at woman in Italy

Click On Links:
Mayara Tavares
Obama, Looking at woman in Italy
Obama Visits Great Wall In China
Obama Bowing To Japan’s Emperor Akihito
Obama Wants More Internet Freedom In China
The World’s Most Powerful People
Burning Man Obama
Obamamania Hits Japan
Obama Image in Tomb
Michelle Obama Chimp Image On Google
Nicolas Sarkozy et Carla Bruni dans les Simpson !

Beware folks, there is a general election next year, this could be an attempt to win votes. Cynical old me!

A political row has broken out over claims public money was given to two schools which, the Tories say, have links to Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir. Tory leader David Cameron suggested money from an “anti-extremist fund” had been given to “extremists”.

But Schools Secretary Ed Balls accused the Conservatives of “playing politics” and making “untrue” allegations.Hizb ut-Tahrir said it did not run any school and accused Mr Cameron of “bare-faced lies”.The row began at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday when Mr Cameron accused the government of allowing the funding of extremism.He said two schools had been established by “an extremist Islamist foundation” which he said was a “front” for Hizb ut-Tahrir – a legal organisation that former PM Tony Blair had said he would ban.

Mr Cameron asked Prime Minister Gordon Brown: “How can you have an anti-extremist fund that results in a Labour local authority handing out money to extremists?”

“They have secured a total of £113,000 of government money, some of which was from the Pathfinder scheme, whose objective is meant to be preventing violent extremism.”

Full story BBC

Posted by Irresponsibility

There is nothing middle class white people like more than an whiff of pagan barbarism. Hindus slaughtering animals as part of a once-every-five-years ritual propitiation of the goddess Gadhimai fits the bill nicely. “Frightened calves galloped around in vain as the men, wearing red bandanas and armbands, pursued them and chopped off their heads,” the Guardian reports. Meanwhile the bloodthirsty hordes “Banned from entering the animal pen… scrambled up the three-metre walls to catch a glimpse of the carnage.”

The Guardian refers to this as “The world’s biggest animal sacrifice.” A curious claim given the UK slaughtered over 3 million animals in October 2009. That’s okay though, because we’re civilised people. If it were to appease the gods it would be weird. Eating the buggers is fine.

By Cara Sulieman

A WINDSWEPT Susan Boyle breezed back into Scotland yesterday (Wed) after making a flying visit to America to launch her debut album.

And with her first disc ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ already going down a storm in the charts, SuBo said the outlook had never looked sunnier.

Sheltering from rain and gales with her trademark hair protected by a hood, she wandered around her locals shops almost unnoticed at first back in her West Lothian hometown of Blackburn.

Sporting a bright red scarf – complete with a badge of her pet cat Pebbles – she was eventually stopped by overjoyed friends and school children keen to welcome the star back home.

“Brilliant”

But she admitted her new jet-set lifestyle had left her a little bleary eyed.

Smiling Susan, 48, said: “I got back from America this morning and am a little jet lagged. New York was absolutely brilliant.”

Asked how promoting the new album was going, she grinned broadly, and said: “I hope everyone likes it.”

The Britain’s Got Talent performer protected herself from the elements with a light cream waterproof jacket.

But there was no hiding her new found celebrity when she was spotted by school kids eager to take her picture on their phones.

Breaking records

Despite looking tired, the star still took her time to talk to the kids, before walking home in the rain.

SuBo sold more than 130,000 copies of her album in the first day when it was released on Monday.

The Britain’s Got Talent Star is also widely rumoured to be outstripping the rest of the week’s top five albums combined.

If she sells more than 363,735 copies by Sunday – she will go down in history as having the fastest selling debut album in UK history.

The record was previously set by the Arctic Monkeys’ when they released ‘Whatever People Say I Am’ in January 2006.

See more of our pictures at our Flickr site and videos at our dedicated channel,  Deadline TV.

Glenn Beck and Others Expose Climategate

Pirate Party UK is having an Edinburgh meetup next Monday:

The next Edinburgh meetup will be on Monday 30th November from 7pm onwards in the Standing Order on 62-66 George Street.

This event is open to anyone who is a member of Pirate Party UK, anyone who is interested in the Pirate Party, anyone interested in the wider issues of the law relating to the internet, and specifically anyone who is intersted in taking action against the government’s Digital Economy Bill.

I’ll be there from 7 onwards. The Standing Order is a large pub so when you get there if you call my mobile number (07930 631730) you can find us.

EU institutions on Twitter

EU institutions on Twitter

The E.U. as a surveillance society,

For the first time the EU wide moves towards a surveillance society and a database state set out in all their appalling glory. A major report has recently been published NeoConOpticon. It has its own webpage . The authors, with Ban Hayes of Statewatch in the lead, have put together the military and the domestic aspects of the European Security Research Programme.

Berlusconi is ‘rock star of 2009′

Has the EU hired two lackeys?

State leaders boost to Copenhagen

US underwhelmed by top EU appointments

EU: Swedish presidency & Lisbon Treaty implementation

First the good news: With regard to communication, the Swedish presidency of the Council of the European Union is generally the most versatile and modern of rotating EU Council presidencies I can remember. Prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has handled the main press conferences in a professional manner, and foreign minister Carl Bildt and EU minister Cecilia Malmström have blogged about events beyond the call of duty.

Von Rompuy wants a Euro Tax

So the Telegraph have a story on the fact that the new European Council President, Herman Von Rompuy, wants to bring in a new Euro Tax. This is to “bring transparency” to how the EU operates.

EU Lisbon Treaty implementation: Preparatory work

Moving to the Lisbon Treaty entails a number of implementing decisions, and for a long time this blog has called for transparent preparation and open discussion about the political and legal aspects of putting the reform treaty into practice. The legality of the “caretaker” Commission has been questioned, but I have seen no clarification in this regard.

EU Lisbon Treaty implementation: Progress report

The presidency conclusions of the European Council 29 to 30 October 2009 (document 15265/09) had this to say about the general implementation of the Lisbon Treaty (point 3, page 2):

EU Lisbon Treaty implementation: Slowly into practice

By now, many Europeans know that the EU Treaty of Lisbon (OJEU 9.5.2008 C 115) enters into force on 1 December 2009. However, the flurry of activities to take the first decisions to get the treaty up and running obscures the fact that many adjustments take effect only after transitional periods and that a number of new procedures have to be put into place before they become living law.

Analyst: Van Rompuy ‘will not overshadow EU leaders’

Eurozone activity ‘accelerates’

The future of England,

David Wildgoose gave this address to the annual general meeting of the Campaign for an English Parliament, of which he is vice-chairman. Anthony Barnett described David’s speech and the meeting’s debates over English identity and English nationalism in a recent post below.

The major parties seem determined to pretend that we in the Campaign for an English Parliament are in some way “not representative” of what ordinary English people are thinking.

Chris Patten: Europe’s Vision Free Leadership

The selection of Herman van Rompuy as President of the EU’s Council of Ministers, and of Lady Catherine Ashton as its foreign policy chief, underlines the extent to which the EU’s member states are in the driver’s seat. As a result, Europe is in danger of becoming politically irrelevant, a successful customs union with a Swissified foreign policy and a group of fractious, vision-free leaders.

BBC on ECR Group leader Michal Kaminski ─ Britain in EU

In Britain, the decision of the Conservative Party to leave the mainstream group of the European People’s Party (EPP) in the European Parliament in order to set up the anti-integrationist European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group continues to cause debate because of the Tories’ choice of political bedfellows.

Yet another EU president

The role, duties and power of the newly-elected president of the European Council are only vaguely defined in the Lisbon Treaty and will thus be clarified by the first incumbent, notes Dominik Hierlemann, a researcher at the Bertelsmann Stiftung, in a November paper.

EU’s new ‘2020 strategy’ comes under fire

Plans for a new ten-year strategy to replace the Lisbon Agenda for growth and jobs, due to be unveiled by the European Commission today (24 November), risk being agreed behind closed doors between member states without proper consultation of civil society, social NGOs have warned.

Key word of European integration: Solidarity

If asked about the key word of European integration and the European Union, my answer is “solidarity”.

I don’t employ it as a term of social policy, or limit it to aid between richer and poorer member states or regions, or call for help in the face of terrorist attacks or natural or man-made disasters, or ask for mutual assistance in case of armed aggression, although they are all part of it.

Peter Mandelson wants to turn off your internet,

Peter Mandelson’s plans to finally stop the scourge of file-sharing are wrong-headed, dangerous and dangerously far reaching, but they also expose a fundamental disconnect with how the internet is changing business. Guy Aitchison and Thomas Ash have both posted here about this, and linked to Cory Doctorow’s excellent piece on Mandelsons new plans; I suggest you go and read that if you need a good overview of what this is about, but to quickly review; Mandelson has decided to take it upon himself to protect the record industry (and possibly some others, in a roundabout fashion), by declaring himself the protector of all things Copyright. He’s tabled amendments to the Digital Economy bill due for discussion which would allow 3 things to happen;

EU appointments: visionaries need not apply

We live in the age of media celebrity. So no surprise at the critical and sometimes bitter press reaction to the nomination of Herman Van Rompuy and Catherine Ashton, virtually unknown beyond their own parishes, as Council President and High Representative respectively. As someone said, it was like a TV talent show where the choice of the people (and the press) was ignored by the judges. If only we’d been able to phone in!

The penultimate “Cultural blogging in Europe” interview with Alessandro Ludovico

LabforCulture’s research on Cultural blogging in Europe reaches its penultimate interview with Alessandro Ludovico of Neural magazine. Having launched the research series in April this year with Annette Wolfsberger, a producer, project manager and researcher in the fields of media arts, contemporary & popular culture, we now have interviews with bloggers and online writers from much of Europe.

Dying to Live in Europe: What Happens to Immigrants Who Don’t Make It?

SPIEGEL ONLINE – News – International

“Dying to Live in Europe
What Happens to Immigrants Who Don’t Make It?

Not one single government in Europe registers how many immigrants die attempting to get across its borders. Nor do they try to find out who they were. But they have stories, if you know where to look.

Gender balance in the European Union: Tiny steps

After the final nominations for the European Commission are in (see EurActiv), it is clear that the new Commission will be exactly 1/3 female.

Barroso II brings nine women on board

EuroPolitics: EU – Nominations complete for Barroso’s new team

Neelie Kroes, Europe’s respected “Corporate Watchdog” reappointed by the Netherlands as their EU commissioner

EU’s future ─ reflections to think about: Wolfgang Münchau & Felipe González

A weak Commission and egoistic member states, or something better? What has the future in store for the European Union?