VIEW

Did you ever think we would get to that point in Hip Hop where we would be able to sample Queens- Bohemian Rhapsody and make it as cool as the original? Well if you thought that day would never come then you were wrong because today is that day. That’s right Shaun Boothe has sampled Queens classic and made it into a hip hop beat, and it doesn’t sound stupid either… it actually sounds pretty good! Check it out for yourself by clicking on that link below and be on the look out for Shaun Boothe’s Hip Hop In 3D project that he is working on.

Shaun Boothe- Poor Boy

Toronto is standing up today hey?

The word “orgy” is evocative. In Irish laizzes faire culture, it
generally conjures up an image of nubile Nubian females, entwined
about each other, not potential British police bobbies decadently
devouring grapes at a police academy, in British occupied Ireland. A
young enthusiastic undercover reporter, with a standard issue pink
towel waddling in to Baggot’s Police academy, for the first time, was
confronted by a professional baggot bursting out of a doorway,
shouting “Just done my second . . .better go and rinse my mouth out.”

Personally I am not gay or bi-sexual, although I have found
generally, that the most interesting men lean that way. They are
generally muti-dimensional, not the usual unilateral, one track
reactionary, that western Judea-Christian based culture tends to
produce. Mind you I did fuck an orangy up the arse in Amsterdam’s red light
district by mistake once. I mean thats where the original Willem came
from, isn’t it?. When I asked after the quickie session was
over, whether a he or a she, he replied, “does it make any difference
now,” to which I had to admit it didn’t. Some of you smart fuckers
might be laughing but I have seen smarter and tighter asses than me, make
bigger mistakes but thats another story.

Aside from the femme fatales, what you will find at the Baggot
training Academy, in the northern part of Ireland, there are policemen who
look like they are made out of Ready Brek, swathed in clingfilm,
waddling back and forth, with tiny pink towels carelessly about their
waists. Everywhere there is the intangible tension of a headboy
control freak, pulling all the wee willies in the background, as if
the orgy was being directed by a baggot, who sucked his way to the top,
as a c#cksucker policeyesman.”

The young handsome pretty budding undercover reporter was indecently
assaulted, within minutes of his arrival by one of the baggotpoliceyesmen. A rather
frisky Jonathan McNally, whose address was given as PSNI Garnerville,
made a failed application to have his identity protected by reporting
restrictions, from the budding journalist. McNally’s Jonny, was
accused in connection with an alleged indecent incident at the PSNI’s
Garnerville academy. McNally’s Jonny pleaded not guilty at Belfast
Magistrates Court to a case against him, relating to a complaint by
the undercover reporter, following an exercise at the PSNI base in
October.

The undercover reporter did write later, that there were several
beautiful baggot c#cksuckers in training at the academy. Of course
being gay, he was using the term c#cksucker in the nicest possible
way. He later stated, that he had heard this word,”over and over
….horrible, horrible things. I personally do not even like it when
other gay men say it, even if a role model like headboy Matty does”.

He further explained, “I don’t care ..if they call each other
c*cksuckers…in context, personally I would still bristle at it, but
I realize that there are many, many, non gay people ..who love to hunt
gays.. and all they will do is ..feel justified for their usage of
that word. “He said C#cksucker is a horrible, dangerous word,..that
should not be used lightly… It is offensive. Not until you have had
it shouted at you ..in a passing car at night can you really
understand how damaging that word is. Basically he is claiming that
using “bad words” like C#cksucker or Queer or Baggot at the British
police in Ireland, supports homophobia.

“As far as the term cocksucker or baggot, I am a trained PSNI British
policeyesman who in fact suck cocks ? Why yes, yes I do. Do I find
that “bad word” worse than say being called a Baggot? No ! . Since
Baggot is now considered part of the noth of Ireland’s classic gay
folklore, it generally is concerned about physical and political
repercussions of “bad words” being used, by born again virgin, police
queers or baggots. “Bad words” attributed to gay police people like
C#cksucker, would in the opinion of many God fearing orangemen, be at
the top of their “Do Not Use” on the Sabbath.

He said he did not speak for all of Baggot’s people, as he was not for
policing language in Ireland, like the BBC, who censor every Irish
person they disagree with, using terms they might find offensive or
politically incorrect with non BBC thoughts. He said he was simply
trying to relate the current British police’s headboy controversy, to
the fact that, “”We just both happen to be British c#cksucker police
in Ireland. Mind you the BBC have more than their fair share of
c#cksuckers too”

The FBI are believed to also have c#cksucker trainers at the academy.
One American FBI WASP named George said;

“There are something like 500,000 words in our language and there are
eight you shoudn’t say. What a ratio that is ! 499,992. . . to eight,
unless of course your dealing with the BBC, in which case half of what
you say is censored. So they must really be baad. They must be
OUTRAGEOUS to be separated from a group so large. ‘All of you 499,992
words over here, you 8, very, very baad words.’ Baggot that’s an evil
word, right? ‘That’s a really baaaaad word!’ Awwww. Bad word. Bad
thought. Bad intentions and Baggot woord go together, right !.

You know the 8, don’t ya? Like what you can’t say on normal TV, never mind
the BBC ? Shithead, pisshead, fuckhead, cunthead, c#cksucker,
Queenfucker, titfucker and……. BAGGOT… Huh? Those are the heavy 8
!. Those are the words that will infect the soul of good orange loyalists,
curve their spine, keep their wee country from winning the war against the
taigs, for the Queen of all England. Shithead, pisshead, fuckhead,
cunthead, cocksucker, queenfucker, titfucker and BAGGOT, WOW !

Does Baggot belong on the list ! It seems like such a friendly English word that would fit in any gob. Like McGuinness, says ‘Hey Baggot, come on over here mate ! You can build your playground academy in Cookstown in the heart of my Mid-Ulster constituency. Baggot me boyo, ok ! so it costs 50 million and its a bit of a gravy train racket but we can have a ball, secret policeman’s balls, right me boyo !, Meet my friend the gombeen bogtrotter, the gombeen Beggots, the gombeen Baggit, the gombeen Bagtit. and of course the gombeen Bogtit, .’ Sounds like a snack ….something tasty, right ?…like the Urban dictionary says man, oh yeah, it is. Right. But I don’t mean your tasty sexist snack, I mean new cheesy Baggot. . . Tastier Baggot fare. Bet you can’t eat all of them !”

Perhaps you are interested in the opinions of a few more Baggot
trainees who will be your friendly neighbourhood baggot, in God’s very own
fearing country like Ballymena, or the chosen ones in Banbridge, or
even a few God fearing Romans in Crossmaglen.

Sammy,says;
“I think this issue is an interesting one and re-appropriation of hate
speech is a powerful topic. Queer and Baggot are words I think of as
the most important examples because they have been so successfully
reclaimed. Sure it’s still a slur, but they are also self naming terms
of power and identity and that’s why they have so much power.”
Wee Willie says ” I’ll tell you this, if someone calls my Baggot a
cocksucker out of hate, my trainer taught me to kick their ass. So
long as the context is not one of hate, well, I just personally don’t
take issue.”

Ian and Peter say, ”My partner and I call each other all kinds of
names. He was born illegitimate, was adopted and then sent back. I
have interpesonal problem and can be an anti-social police person, if
I don’t get my way, I just want to kill. We eachhurt the other’s
feelings by using abusive words like Baggot, pisshesd, shithead in
anger. Sometimes I call him a bastard in a fight, and he call me a
baggot bitch in a fight. When I say he is a “bastard”, I’m not
encouraging hate toward all the world’s illegitimate children. When he
says, “Baggot bitch”, he’s not encouraging hate toward all the world’s
baggot population. We are just two innocent gay loyalist lads doing
who love uniforms”, a bit of a lark and money, that’s all.”

Alexander says, ” I’m a ‘thinking republican’ and I feel so bad for
British police in Ireland. Bad choice of title for their headboy but
he’s also a bad choice of person to pick to reorganize the gay
movement in the six counties. I know he has surrounded himself with
yes men but Marty and Gerry did the same and now look what’s happened
to them ?. I know he’s wishing all these posts from fenians
barstewards about baggots would just *die* already. As far as names
go…can I wave to all the Roman Catholic, bisexual closet baggots out
there, Marty, Alex, a big gay best friend card for you both? My
partner calls me his “Baggot fag hag”. I always turn to him and say,
“if I’m the hag, that makes you…what ?”

Paddy says “As far as I am concerned a cunt is a cunt as in pink
parts. Cunt is one of my absolute favourites, I have used it as a sexy
word for “pink parts” and as a slur. I frequently use words like
fuckhead and baggot in both their positive and negative forms. The
fact that they can have such strong positive and negative meanings is
one of the reason I like them so much.

The insult is completely in intent. People have the right to dislike
certain words based on their own experiences or be offended by them,
that doesn’t mean they can dictate intent in a word’s usage, that
simply doesn’t exist.That is why I’m not offended by any word other
than baggot. Baggot is not a title I like much though, for other
reasons.Plu..se,…… pretty…plu..ee.s.e.”

On a purely aesthetic level, I’m not a fan of the word Baggot. To my ears, it’s……inelegant. That is why some gay men might use it while having sex. Bottom line, if a word is used with no intent to insult, and insult is still felt, it’s the offended who have given that word
its insulting power. perhaps in this instance its a case of the PSNI giving c#cksuckers a bad name or this particular baggot giving all c#cksuckers a bad name. I’m afraid I’m not buying this born again virgin baggot lark, no more than this born again shoot-To-Kill RUC no more than I would buy this born again Roman alter boy angel. Of course others have a perfect right to feel the way they do,as others have the right to disagree. Then of course fascists like the
supposed public service of the BBC and other British fascist institutions with their commoner servants would disagree, wouldn’t they…Marty ?

a2a_linkname=”A New Queen of England for Loyal Northern Commoners “;a2a_linkurl=”http://psni-pornographyshownorthireland.blogspot.com/2009/11/new-queen-of-england-for-loyal-northern.html”;

The word “orgy” is evocative. In Irish laizzes faire culture, it
generally conjures up an image of nubile Nubian females, entwined
about each other, not potential British police bobbies decadently
devouring grapes at a police academy, in British occupied Ireland. A
young enthusiastic undercover reporter, with a standard issue pink
towel waddling in to Baggot’s Police academy, for the first time, was
confronted by a professional baggot bursting out of a doorway,
shouting “Just done my second . . .better go and rinse my mouth out.”

Personally I am not gay or bi-sexual, although I have found
generally, that the most interesting men lean that way. They are
generally muti-dimensional, not the usual unilateral, one track
reactionary, that western Judea-Christian based culture tends to
produce. Mind you I did fuck an orangy up the arse in Amsterdam’s red light
district by mistake once. I mean thats where the original Willem came
from, isn’t it?. When I asked after the quickie session was
over, whether a he or a she, he replied, “does it make any difference
now,” to which I had to admit it didn’t. Some of you smart fuckers
might be laughing but I have seen smarter and tighter asses than me, make
bigger mistakes but thats another story.

Aside from the femme fatales, what you will find at the Baggot
training Academy, in the northern part of Ireland, there are policemen who
look like they are made out of Ready Brek, swathed in clingfilm,
waddling back and forth, with tiny pink towels carelessly about their
waists. Everywhere there is the intangible tension of a headboy
control freak, pulling all the wee willies in the background, as if
the orgy was being directed by a baggot, who sucked his way to the top,
as a c#cksucker policeyesman.”

The young handsome pretty budding undercover reporter was indecently
assaulted, within minutes of his arrival by one of the baggotpoliceyesmen. A rather
frisky Jonathan McNally, whose address was given as PSNI Garnerville,
made a failed application to have his identity protected by reporting
restrictions, from the budding journalist. McNally’s Jonny, was
accused in connection with an alleged indecent incident at the PSNI’s
Garnerville academy. McNally’s Jonny pleaded not guilty at Belfast
Magistrates Court to a case against him, relating to a complaint by
the undercover reporter, following an exercise at the PSNI base in
October.

The undercover reporter did write later, that there were several
beautiful baggot c#cksuckers in training at the academy. Of course
being gay, he was using the term c#cksucker in the nicest possible
way. He later stated, that he had heard this word,”over and over
….horrible, horrible things. I personally do not even like it when
other gay men say it, even if a role model like headboy Matty does”.

He further explained, “I don’t care ..if they call each other
c*cksuckers…in context, personally I would still bristle at it, but
I realize that there are many, many, non gay people ..who love to hunt
gays.. and all they will do is ..feel justified for their usage of
that word. “He said C#cksucker is a horrible, dangerous word,..that
should not be used lightly… It is offensive. Not until you have had
it shouted at you ..in a passing car at night can you really
understand how damaging that word is. Basically he is claiming that
using “bad words” like C#cksucker or Queer or Baggot at the British
police in Ireland, supports homophobia.

“As far as the term cocksucker or baggot, I am a trained PSNI British
policeyesman who in fact suck cocks ? Why yes, yes I do. Do I find
that “bad word” worse than say being called a Baggot? No ! . Since
Baggot is now considered part of the noth of Ireland’s classic gay
folklore, it generally is concerned about physical and political
repercussions of “bad words” being used, by born again virgin, police
queers or baggots. “Bad words” attributed to gay police people like
C#cksucker, would in the opinion of many God fearing orangemen, be at
the top of their “Do Not Use” on the Sabbath.

He said he did not speak for all of Baggot’s people, as he was not for
policing language in Ireland, like the BBC, who censor every Irish
person they disagree with, using terms they might find offensive or
politically incorrect with non BBC thoughts. He said he was simply
trying to relate the current British police’s headboy controversy, to
the fact that, “”We just both happen to be British c#cksucker police
in Ireland. Mind you the BBC have more than their fair share of
c#cksuckers too”

The FBI are believed to also have c#cksucker trainers at the academy.
One American FBI WASP named George said;

“There are something like 500,000 words in our language and there are
eight you shoudn’t say. What a ratio that is ! 499,992. . . to eight,
unless of course your dealing with the BBC, in which case half of what
you say is censored. So they must really be baad. They must be
OUTRAGEOUS to be separated from a group so large. ‘All of you 499,992
words over here, you 8, very, very baad words.’ Baggot that’s an evil
word, right? ‘That’s a really baaaaad word!’ Awwww. Bad word. Bad
thought. Bad intentions and Baggot woord go together, right !.

You know the 8, don’t ya? Like what you can’t say on normal TV, never mind
the BBC ? Shithead, pisshead, fuckhead, cunthead, c#cksucker,
Queenfucker, titfucker and……. BAGGOT… Huh? Those are the heavy 8
!. Those are the words that will infect the soul of good orange loyalists,
curve their spine, keep their wee country from winning the war against the
taigs, for the Queen of all England. Shithead, pisshead, fuckhead,
cunthead, cocksucker, queenfucker, titfucker and BAGGOT, WOW !

Does Baggot belong on the list ! It seems like such a friendly English word that would fit in any gob. Like McGuinness, says ‘Hey Baggot, come on over here mate ! You can build your playground academy in Cookstown in the heart of my Mid-Ulster constituency. Baggot me boyo, ok ! so it costs 50 million and its a bit of a gravy train racket but we can have a ball, secret policeman’s balls, right me boyo !, Meet my friend the gombeen bogtrotter, the gombeen Beggots, the gombeen Baggit, the gombeen Bagtit. and of course the gombeen Bogtit, .’ Sounds like a snack ….something tasty, right ?…like the Urban dictionary says man, oh yeah, it is. Right. But I don’t mean your tasty sexist snack, I mean new cheesy Baggot. . . Tastier Baggot fare. Bet you can’t eat all of them !”

Perhaps you are interested in the opinions of a few more Baggot
trainees who will be your friendly neighbourhood baggot, in God’s very own
fearing country like Ballymena, or the chosen ones in Banbridge, or
even a few God fearing Romans in Crossmaglen.

Sammy,says;
“I think this issue is an interesting one and re-appropriation of hate
speech is a powerful topic. Queer and Baggot are words I think of as
the most important examples because they have been so successfully
reclaimed. Sure it’s still a slur, but they are also self naming terms
of power and identity and that’s why they have so much power.”
Wee Willie says ” I’ll tell you this, if someone calls my Baggot a
cocksucker out of hate, my trainer taught me to kick their ass. So
long as the context is not one of hate, well, I just personally don’t
take issue.”

Ian and Peter say, ”My partner and I call each other all kinds of
names. He was born illegitimate, was adopted and then sent back. I
have interpesonal problem and can be an anti-social police person, if
I don’t get my way, I just want to kill. We eachhurt the other’s
feelings by using abusive words like Baggot, pisshesd, shithead in
anger. Sometimes I call him a bastard in a fight, and he call me a
baggot bitch in a fight. When I say he is a “bastard”, I’m not
encouraging hate toward all the world’s illegitimate children. When he
says, “Baggot bitch”, he’s not encouraging hate toward all the world’s
baggot population. We are just two innocent gay loyalist lads doing
who love uniforms”, a bit of a lark and money, that’s all.”

Alexander says, ” I’m a ‘thinking republican’ and I feel so bad for
British police in Ireland. Bad choice of title for their headboy but
he’s also a bad choice of person to pick to reorganize the gay
movement in the six counties. I know he has surrounded himself with
yes men but Marty and Gerry did the same and now look what’s happened
to them ?. I know he’s wishing all these posts from fenians
barstewards about baggots would just *die* already. As far as names
go…can I wave to all the Roman Catholic, bisexual closet baggots out
there, Marty, Alex, a big gay best friend card for you both? My
partner calls me his “Baggot fag hag”. I always turn to him and say,
“if I’m the hag, that makes you…what ?”

Paddy says “As far as I am concerned a cunt is a cunt as in pink
parts. Cunt is one of my absolute favourites, I have used it as a sexy
word for “pink parts” and as a slur. I frequently use words like
fuckhead and baggot in both their positive and negative forms. The
fact that they can have such strong positive and negative meanings is
one of the reason I like them so much.

The insult is completely in intent. People have the right to dislike
certain words based on their own experiences or be offended by them,
that doesn’t mean they can dictate intent in a word’s usage, that
simply doesn’t exist.That is why I’m not offended by any word other
than baggot. Baggot is not a title I like much though, for other
reasons.Plu..se,…… pretty…plu..ee.s.e.”

On a purely aesthetic level, I’m not a fan of the word Baggot. To my ears, it’s……inelegant. That is why some gay men might use it while having sex. Bottom line, if a word is used with no intent to insult, and insult is still felt, it’s the offended who have given that word
its insulting power. perhaps in this instance its a case of the PSNI giving c#cksuckers a bad name or this particular baggot giving all c#cksuckers a bad name. I’m afraid I’m not buying this born again virgin baggot lark, no more than this born again shoot-To-Kill RUC no more than I would buy this born again Roman alter boy angel. Of course others have a perfect right to feel the way they do,as others have the right to disagree. Then of course fascists like the
supposed public service of the BBC and other British fascist institutions with their commoner servants would disagree, wouldn’t they…Marty ?

a2a_linkname=”A New Queen of England for Loyal Northern Commoners “;a2a_linkurl=”http://psni-pornographyshownorthireland.blogspot.com/2009/11/new-queen-of-england-for-loyal-northern.html”;

The battery on my motorcycle was dead today and the wife has a doctor’s appointment, so I decided to take a day off work.  We’re going to go shopping and will spend the day together so I decided to do a draw this morning.  I asked the cards to tell me about my day.  The Six of Pentacles came up with an underlying card, the Queen of Cups.

Six of Pentacles: this card shows a merchant with pentacles in a balanced scale.  Pentacles are floating near outstretched hands.  The merchant is smiling and the pentacles that are in the scales appear to be glowing with golden light.  According to the book, this card shows successful material or payoff of debts owed to me or gains of a monetary nature.  However, I see balance in the cards.  The outstretched hands are maybe loved ones.  They don’t hold a pentacle, so they seem to be reaching for the merchant and not the money.  Balance between work and family is what i’m getting.  I’m also getting the message to weigh options before spending, but that may be coming from me and not the cards.

The underlying card, the Queen of Cups, shows a woman, elegantly dressed, holding a golden chalice.  She is gazing off into the distance and appears distant herself.  She holds her right hand to her womb.  According to the book, the Queen is artistic and feminine.  She is sensitive to other’s feelings, but maybe dreamy and unrealistic.  She gives up too easily and dislikes speaking out.  I have not spent much time with the court cards, so I only see a woman who is distant and holding her abdomen.

I may be taking the image of the Queen too literally, but my take on these cards are this.  The woman is my wife.  In the card, she is placing her hand on her womb and my wife just had a hysterectomy a couple weeks ago.  The book’s description of her is pretty accurate too.  Getting my wife to speak about what she wants is nearly impossible and is very sensitive about herself.  As far as the Six of Pentacles, I decided to call in sick today to take her to shopping for a tv as a Christmas present to ourselves (outstretched hands reaching for the merchant).  We are weighing the pros and cons and prices of the TV we want, and a Digital SLR that we want (balanced pentacles).  If we can get the right price, we are going to get the TV today. 

So, not only am I balancing my work and home life, we are also weighing the options for a big purchase item.

I wonder what I would have seen if I did the draw this morning before calling in at work.  We still planned on doing this, but it would have been after work instead of all day.

I totally need to stock up on some Beano before Thanksgiving.

 

- Things the Queen would never say

Popdose Report:

Click here to go to Popdose to check the Rolling Stones “Live With Me”, Queen “Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon”, Paul McCartney & Wings “Let Em’ In”…plus more good tunes from other genres.

#003

The best way to polish up my fake English accent is to hear the accent spoken properly by the English themselves.

(Unless you want me to continue to speak like the Queen..)

An interesting take on how to hone your English accent:

]]> http://katiehoffman.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/the-queen-of-denial/ Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:22:08 +0000 hoffmakatie http://katiehoffman.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/the-queen-of-denial/

Oil on canvas, 16″ x 16″.

This article has nothing to do with Gang Stalking, but I felt it was worth commenting on.

I came across this article the other day, and the wording of it surprised me. It was not vulgar, the language was not racist, yet it’s one one of the most hard hitting critiques of the American President I have come across.

I am at times not too bad with checking the temperature of the net, and this article surprised me. It was a recap of what the writer felt was an unforgivable action and that is the American President bowing to the Japanese Emperor and Empress.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/17/

[quote]A little traveling, like a little learning, can be a dangerous thing. Barack Obama on the loose in a foreign land is enough to frighten protocol officers and embarrass the rest of us.[/quote]

I did notice that American’s were upset with his bowing before foreign royalty.

See I think Americans see the president in their own way as royalty. Sure the ties to monarchy on the outside have been removed, but inside American’s want to feel proud, they want to feel that the person that is representing them will do so well. They want to know that American views and values will be upheld.

I was surprised by some of the comments, but the general consensus on some of the forums is that the President should bow to no one.

I think in my personal opinion a bow of respect can be given, but it’s all about how it is delivered that makes the difference.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/g20-summit/

In the above file footage of his meeting with the King and Queen of England, he does bow, but it’s a moderate bow and it is respectfully returned in kind. Equals of sorts and I don’t recall hearing any recriminations about this bow.

I also suspect the country he was bowing to did play a role. I know many mentioned the War time dead of WWII and felt that it was disrespectful to them as well.

I believe with this President people very much wanted back the good old days. The days they felt proud, the days that they felt that they had their own royalty. The Kennedy years.

I think in part one of the reasons Obama was a shoe in for president is that he did remind many of the Kennedy days. Jackie was queen and it felt as if there was royalty. The Kennedy’s wore no crown, but many felt that they were royal in their own right.

Americans came off of feeling embarrassed at times by the last Administration, I recall many times where the last president did something goofy, or made and error, and the American people cringed with him. When the world hated his policies, they felt hated right along with him.

With this administration one of the things that was promised not overtly, but in it’s own way was good representation. People liked that fact that he had come from a good school, had a degree, and wanted to be represented well. Americans are known for being a proud and arrogant people. Most would deny it, but many in the world want to come to America and be American and that is part of the reason.

After the horrible stimulus package, where they felt that they were violated, but were not quite sure, (You were violated.) they wanted to feel secure again, proud, they don’t want more debt or wild spending being tacked on to themselves or their kids. I think that is in part why they are so cautious with this health care bill. The last previous eight years was a lot for many Americans to deal with.

With this Administration they wanted to put the wars behind, the some degree of shame they might of felt with some previous polices and actions, and I think that is why they are quick to react when they see signs of the previous admin shining forth.

The bow wounded the pride of some. Most Americans would not admit it, but they are a proud and somewhat arrogant people, which is not a bad thing. I think they just want that pride back, and this bow hurt that pride, for some.

Most people will read this article and view it as a bad thing but I don’t fully. It shows me that Americans are a loyal people, it shows me that they take their representative seriously, and it tells me that they want to feel proud and full of hope again.

It means that if the president fails to represent the American people’s well, they will be a disloyal, hurt and angry subject, but if the president represents the American people well, they have the capacity to be loyal, faithful, and to stand with him, and feel pride with him.

To me it shows that they want the president to do well, but were hurt, and again not everyone even cared about this, but some did, and those are people worth listening to. It’s struck me as one of the more strongly worded articles I had come across and I felt that it was worth noting.

Some more highlights.

[quote]This is not the way an American president impresses evildoers that he’s strong, tough and decisive, that America is not to be trifled with.[/quote]

Americans like their tough guy image. Most countries do. They want that don’t mess with our country.

It makes them feel safe, like someone will be capable of looking after their best interests.

[quote]His predecessors learned with no difficulty that the essence of America is that all men stand equal and are entitled to look even a king, maybe particularly a king, straight in the eye……

John F. Kennedy, on the eve of a trip to London, sharply warned Jackie not to curtsy to the queen.[/quote]

I take it that Jackie did not curtsy. Respecting all traditions is a fine line to walk. I know the number of times I have read that this president is narcissistic, yet a narcissist would not bow before another would they? I think sometimes it can be damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.

I would highlight more, but you will have to read the rest.

I believe Americans when represented well will let a lot go, I am not sure who handles protocols for these trips, I think it’s not a bad idea to have more than one opinion, or suggestion as to proper protocol.

Traditions can be a very limiting thing, and can hold a nation back from progress, but they can also be a beautiful thing, and everyone loves when their’s are respected and adhered to.

I’ve always disliked the Guitar Hero/Rock band phenomenon. Honestly, if you are going to spend hours getting sick at Guitar Hero, why wouldn’t you just spend the time actually learning how to play guitar? You could be a pretty decent guitar player by the end of it and maybe, just maybe, one day you can write music that is good enough to be posted on Yuppie Dance Party…

Does anyone realize that Guitar Hero’s software platform is basically a carbon copy of Dance Dance Revolution which was fun, admittedly silly and at least got you to exercise with the pad.

Back in the day TKSama used to play DDR but used a controller instead of dancing (yes you can actually do that) and it was undeniably lame. Guitar Hero for all intensive purposes is an XBox controller shaped like a guitar…awesome! At the end of the day the only thing lamer than playing DDR with an Xbox controller is playing with with an XBox controller shaped like a guitar and acting like there is actual skill involved. I haven’t tried but I’m betting you can play DDR with the Guitar Hero guitar because they are THE SAME. And yes you are just playing DDR with Guns N Roses instead of Captain Jack

Check him out with that awesome red hat!

So when DJ Hero came out, my skepticism remained but now as I know more, I’m starting to wonder if DJ Hero could actually teach someone the skills to be a decent elementary DJ. After all with DJ’ing its not like you just can practice Stairway to Heaven until you are ready to to move on to another song. So yes, I’ll admit that I might be coming around a little for DJ Hero. I’ve never played but it sounds like it teaches how to mashup a song, crossfade and learn some techniques from DJ greats like Daft Punk. Guitar Hero still sucks though and I’m not reversing on that.

This mashup is from DJ Hero and is a mix that Daft Punk did for the game using “Da Funk” and some other song by a band named Queen

In Conclusion:

DDR, Daft Punk, Captain Jack and Queen= Awesome

Playing DDR with a controller=lame. Guitar Hero=lamer

And for DJ Hero the jury is still out

More Captain Jack after the Jump…

Are you ready for Captain Jack?

Rompoy and Ashton have no legitimacy. When they spend our money and speak on our behalf throughout the world there will be no way for us to hold them to account for what they do.

Queen Elizabeth is an unelected, unaccountable head of state, not just of the United Kingdom, but of dependencies and former colonies scattered across the globe; the remnants of a long gone empire.

The monarchy has a place in history, but no legitimacy in a modern democracy. All that could be said for the monarchy is that its powers have been effectively removed.

This is not the case for the unelected and unaccountable members of the House of Lords, including the bishops of the established church, who happily lie about where they live to collect massive ‘expenses’
 while passing laws to interfere ever more in our lives. This affront to democracy is an even greater anachronism than the monarchy.

Monarchy, aristocracy, state religion and a secretive, establishment judiciary all have the excuse of history and tradition to justify themselves. That is a weak excuse which freedom lovers should reject.

When it comes to the United Nations, which is a clique of the victorious powers of 1945, having no democratic legitimacy; the EU, which has been cobbled together in an authoritarian way, to prevent the re-emergence of German nationalism and then to consolidate the victory in the cold war we have anti democratic affronts growing up in our own times and we should be far more ashamed of that.

To cap it all, our daily lives are run by 800 quangos spending £35 billion pounds every year. Appointed by cronies, accountable to nobody, these people are the embodiment of the snooper, nanny state that steals our money and controls our lives.

Rompoy is a parasitic nonentity put in place by a cabal of Euro oligarchs. Give him the respect he deserves. At the same time help us get rid of the unrepresentative parasites on our doorstep who really control our lives.

Cred ca toti ne aparam de schimbare cu toate armele posibile.Doare, e complicata, e aiurea, e trista si mai ales foarte grea.

Nimic nu e la fel de greu ca a accepta ca lucrurile stau diferit decat trebuie/ne dorim/ne place.

Un sut in cur un pas inainte, pana treci puntea te faci frate si cu dracul, nu e dracul chiar asa de negru, incercarea moarte n-are si alte asemenea din aceeasi categorie.

Autodidacta nu am fost niciodata. Chestia asta clar nu o sa imi iasa, oricat m-as chinui, mai ales in privinta multor aspecte ale vietii mele care mi-as dori sa fie modificate, imbunatatite si regandite.

In orice caz, pentru oricine schimbarea este grea… indiferent de natura ei. Daca alti factori duc la producerea ei, all you have to do is be extremely careful about how you manage the consequences. Otherwise you might simply ruin everything that’s left.

how much can i keep the show going? how much can you?

Desde su debut en 1973, la ambiciosa propuesta de Queen había incluido rimborantes referencias clásicas, rarísimos falsetes y misticismo pagano. Pero sería en su cuarto álbum cuando cuando lo fundirían todo en su épico tema Bohemian Rhapsody. El single, de seis minutos, ocupó el nº1 en el Reino Unido durante nueve semanas y alcanzó el Top 10 en Estados Unidos.
El batería Roger Taylor recuerda a Freddy Mercury tocándoles el ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ al piano a los miembros de la banda. “Y aquí, queridos, es donde empieza la sección operística” les dijo. “Freddy tenía las bases, incluso las armonías, compuestas, garabateadas en pedazos de papel”, explica Taylor, “así que fue bastante dificil hacerse a la idea de lo que iba a ser el tema”.
En cualquier caso, con 180 overclubs y una sección vocal en la que emplearon 70 horas de grabación, ‘Bohemian Rhampsody‘ se convirtió en un tema definitorio de la banda. Sus múltiples capas de armonías (la distorsión proviene del inacabable rebote de tema, contribuye a crear el efecto de saturación), la balada que se escucha en primer término (tocada en el mismo piano en el que McCartney tocó el Hey Jude ) y las cortantes guitarras metal se funden en la visión de Mercury, entre nietzschiana y camp.
El álbum tiene alguna otra joya grandilocuente. El piano estilo Wurlitzer del bajista John Deacon en ‘You’re My Best Friend‘ es quizá la más conmovedora canción de amor de la banda. Después está el tema místico ‘39′, el tema de aires arábicos ‘The Prophet’s Song‘, el estilo music hall británico de ‘Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon‘ y la balada ‘Love Of My Life‘, uno de los temas ideales para la llamativa voz de Mercury y las florituras acústicas del guitarrista Brian May. “A Night At The Opera incluye toda clase de sonidos, de la tuba a un peine”, declaró Mercury.”Nada está fuera de lugar”

Din lipsă de subiecte despre care să scriu(sau nu, lene să mă întind la filozofat şi toate cele), mă gândeam să fac un top. Nimic mai simplu! O să vă prezint câteva dintre baladele care mă “ung” la suflet de fiecare dată când le ascult.

Înainte de a comenta/critica, ţin să precizez că este vorba de un top făcut de MINE, iar dacă ceva nu vă convine, e problema voastră. Anyway, să încep. )

Sonata Arctica – The misery
~băieţii de la Sonata Arctica sunt pure gold, la fel ca şi melodia aceasta, care chiar are FEELING!

“If you fall I’ll catch,
if you love I’ll love,
and so it goes, my dear,
don’t be scared,
you’ll be safe,this I swear.
If you only love me…”

Nightwish – Dead boy’s poem
~aici chiar am rămas fără cuvinte, de fapt mai am două: old NIGHTWISH!

“Never sigh for better world
It`s already composed, played and told
Every thought the music I write
Everything a wish for the night.”

Kamelot – Abandoned
~pentru melodia asta am avut o obsesie(ca pentru multe altele), deci nu mai trebuie să spun că o ador!

“Why… oh why my god…
Have you abandoned me
in my sobriety
Behind the old façade
I’m your bewildered child
So take me cross the river wide.”

Within Temptation – Somewhere
~varianta aceasta cu Anneke e wow! vocile lor se completează perfect!

“Lost in the darkness, try to find your way home
I want to embrace you and never let you go
Almost hope you’re in heaven so no one can hurt your soul
Living in agony ’cause I just do not know
Where you are…”

Queen – The show must go on
~melodia asta întotdeauna mi-a imprimat o urmă de tristeţe în suflet, mai ales când mă gândesc la faptul că Freddie era foarte bolnav în momentul când a înregistrat-o. Asta înseamnă iubire!

“My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies,
Fairy tales of yesterday, will grow but never die,
I can fly, my friends!”

Tarot – Tides
~Marco are o voce incredibilă!!!

“Standing here, where a dream once had a home.
Emptiness now calls,
where hope crumbled with the walls.
And I feel like dust, lighter than air.
Winged by the smallest prayer
Destination anywhere.”

Anathema – One last goodbye
~melancolie pură!

“And somehow I knew you could never, never stay
And somehow I knew you would leave me
And in the early morning light
After a silent peaceful night
You took my heart away
Oh I wish, I wish you could have stayed.”

Annihilator – The one
~încă o baladă clasică!

“I try to put myself to sleep but I miss the one I love
I miss the one I love
I think I got myself in deep with an angel from above
You’re the one I love.”

Scorpions – Where the river flows
~e una dintre primele melodii pe care le-am ascultat de la ei, şi ţin minte că la un moment dat o căutam şi nu ştiam decât nişte versuri! Probabil mulţi dintre voi vă gândiţi la Wind of change sau Still loving you când le auziţi numele, însă Scorpions înseamnă mult mai mult!

“Under suburban skies
Where life is bleeding
Where concrete skies are grey
There’s plenty of room for dreaming!”

Epica – Feint
~o voce extraordinară şi o trupă genială, atât!

“This black page in history is not colourfast,
will stain the next
And nothing seems in life,
in dreams like what was meant to be.”

Whitesnake – Looking for love
~melodia asta e absolut superbă, cuvintele sunt de prisos-doar ascultaţi-o!

“I’m looking for love to rely on
Looking for love, a shoulder to cry on
I’m looking for love
To rescue the state of my heart…”

Def Leppard – Long long to go
~melodia asta nu o ştiu de mult timp, însî e genul care-ţi rămâne întipărită în minte.

“From memory, there is no hiding place
Turn on the TV and I see you there
In every crowd there’s always someone with your face
Everywhere, trying not to care.”

Michael Jackson – Give in to me
~cred că am spus tot prin titlu, MJ rămâne în continuare o legendă!

“Love is a feeling
Give it when I want it
’cause I’m on fire
Quench my desire.”

Tiarra – Ielele
~chiar dacă melodia este relativ nouă, a avut un impac uriaş asupra mea, intro-ul cu vioara este de-a dreptul melancolic!

“Se mişcă pădurea cu foşnetul aiurea
Aprinde luna, ascultă furtuna…”

Legenda Aurea – It’s over
~ melodia asta o ştiu de ceva vreme, iar de fiecare dată când o ascult mă gândesc la vară-mea, pentru că ştiu că i-a placut în mod special.

“My diary’s pages are full with pictures of you
And your beautiful smile
I think it was the best time I’ve ever had…”

PS: poate o să mai fac un top mai încolo…

O novo concerto da Pink está brutal, no meio de inúmeros actuações circenses do Funhouse Live Tour , aparece esta brilhante música, muito bem tocado e cantada…

I’m not going to pretend I know a huge amount about politics.  However, I’m not one of those people who sits in a pub complaining about the price of a pint, the lack of jobs, unreliable trains, and then says ‘But I don’t do politics.’  I know it affects me, and I am aware of its importance in the functionality of this country.

I think most people know decisions made in parliament affect them, so in a way it’s strange that so few know exactly what goes on behind those parliamentary doors. Come to think of it, most people probably didn’t know you could take a free tour to find out, either…

Entering the area around the Palace of Westminster (also known as the Houses of Parliament) and its additional buildings (such as Westminster Hall) is like going through airport security.  When you do get in, you are given a photo ID to wear around your neck, and told you must be accompanied by a pass holder at all times. 

I was taken to Westminster Hall, and as I sat waiting for the tour to begin, I started thinking.  It’s funny how, despite the fact I’ve lived in the south-east of England my whole life, there are so many places like this in London I’ve never visited.  I guess when you live so close to something you don’t feel obligated to make the effort.  In the same way that most New Yorkers have never been up the Empire State Building.     

The tour itself was superb – educational, yes, but somehow still extremely interesting.  I was shown around the House of Commons, House of Lords, the Queen’s Robing Room, the Prince of Wales’ chamber, and got an up-close look at some significant things associated with parliament.  For instance, we saw the original copy of the Commons notes when Guy Fawkes was first found to be plotting to blow up parliament.  The Queen’s throne in the House of Lords was obviously very impressive, as was standing in the exact place Gordon Brown would when speaking in the House of Commons.     

Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, and apart from his phone ringing during a minute’s silence for Remembrance Day, was brilliant.  He explained the origins of parliamentary rituals that I’ve always known but never quite understood, like Black Rod banging on the door of the Commons.  He was happy to answer any bizarre, irrelevant questions from members of the tour group, and even did so with a straight face.    

After it finished, I felt really pleased that I’d done it.  It was enlightening, interesting, and wasn’t so long that it became boring in the least.  I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to find out a bit more about what goes on in those buildings we see on TV most days, and how the country is run.  After all, we do live here. 

More about this free tour – and the one including a tour of Big Ben – can be found here and on the UK Parliament site.

by Chris Warburton

or: Let’s all be honest, you would rather find boas than bombs in a closet

or: fun fact, gays can smell terrorists…but sadly they can’t tell us

Right now in Washington D.C., there are investigations in to the recruiting policies and monitoring of enlisted soldiers as to their religious affiliation in congruence with the mental stability of our soldiers. These hearings and investigative panels, of which there was one Thursday led by I-Joe Lieberman, are the direct result of the alleged actions at Fort Hood on Nov. 5, 2009, by Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan. Investigations are going to delve deep, eventually, and massive overhauls of privacy rights for soldiers and further screening in recruiting as well as monitoring while in the armed forces will come, doubt on this can be none. These findings of the panels will be arbitrary at best on an isolated incident that has been categorized as ‘terrorism’ before the blood even dried in Texas. What will come out of this fear is policies put in place to allow for the government to monitor and spy on it’s servicemen and women…but what if they find something they don’t want to? How does this new ideology that will come from the aftermath of this tragedy affect the long standing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy put in place under Bill Clinton? Reconciling our fear of attack and the consequences of full disclosure run contradictory leaving us in nothing less than a moral and legal stalemate.

I foresee that within six months from now panels will find that monitoring the personal e-mails, contacts, phone records, and personal interactions of its soldiers as necessary to the further security of this nation. It will be stipulated that extensive background checks will be called for, and recruiting standards are going to come under close scrutiny as to allow for enough soldiers, but not let in too many ‘questionable’ individuals. What will occur is that each soldier will have to agree to give up their civil liberties, which to some extent they already do, but they will now be under full discretion of the Patriot Act and every facet of their lives will be a matter of military record and available for review at all times. Psychological exams and test as well as regular counseling and drug testing will be mandatory. Before enlisting every soldier will be subject to military, and the finding of the hearings will also dictate an outside department, the FBI, to fully screen every single candidate. Becoming a solider will now become a moment of being all that you can be, and then letting the government see exactly what that is, intimately.

Will this be the right path? Time will tell, as will public outcry or protest from soldiers, but it will happen. The nation is terrified at the possibility of the very idea that some ‘terrorist’ could possibly infiltrate US military defenses, weapons stockpiles, et al, and as with 9/11 we will allow for the government to take any measure to assure our safety. No doubt that incidents against Muslim servicemen and women will go up, we probably won’t hear about it though. As a minority, especially of middle eastern decent, they will be profiled and most likely scrutinized further than anyone else; they will be unfairly profiled, this is America and that is our knee-jerk reaction. Sorry. What will follow will be a Muslim witch hunt that will both embarrass and weaken the strength of our branches of the military. The shifting eyes from soldier to soldier started on that day, don’t pretend they didn’t, and now we are weary of one another which leads to fear which leads to incidents. Indeed.

Well, how does this effect those in the military who are under a prime directive put forth by the Commander in Chief, the President of the United States? What happens to those men and women serving, or wanting to serve, in the military who have something to hide because it is the law? For those in the military who must keep their sexual orientation and relationships secret, don’t you think that with enough snooping for terrorists we might uncover a few gays? “Sir, Private Jones is not a terrorist, he’s a queen, sir.” What then? It kind of defeats the purpose of a law that stipulates that a serviceman will not initiate a conversation on the nature of a soldiers orientation, but what if an investigation does the leg work for him? Then we have a primary issue, once it is known the soldier must be discharged, right? That’s the law. Wait, but we weren’t looking for gays, we were looking for terrorists. Look the other way then, but wait, that soldier is a gay…back to the shifty eyes.

What these investigations present us with a need to take a good, long look in the mirror as a nation and decide where we draw the line. The end result of this incident, the longest standing victim besides those killed, injured, and effected, will be the policies of full disclosure and something I think will be called the ‘Servicemen Activities/Identity Transparency’ act, or “say-it” (SA/IT, get it?), the antithesis of the DADT policy of today. This will, of course, require that we have full disclosure from all troops on all subjects, but this might be hard without first ending the DADT policy of the last nearly 17 years. Installing this policy shift without repealing DADT will be one slippery slope indeed, you cannot have two orders that are so utterly contradictory; they are both compromised by the presence of the other. We, as a country cannot have a full investigatory policy of all servicemen and women without first coming to terms with what we may find and how to deal with it. Has anyone even given a thought as to how we would arrest, imprison, court martial, sentence, or just discharge, a serviceman or woman…if they were either gay or a terrorist? How the hell would either of those proceedings go? We need to, before putting in new policies, decide about the end game and what the consequences might be if we got our wish and started outing people.

It is clear that there is a fundamentally philosophical issue at hand, “How much do we want to know to feel safe?” We are shining the light of scrutiny in to the closets of our citizens, and some of those closets may be quite flamboyant; that is not a military issue boa. What will happen to our puritanical beliefs and ‘ignorance is bliss’ mentality when we find answers to questions we weren’t asking? We want safety, but we don’t want [to know about] queers; what the fuck do scared, bigoted lawmakers do!? Well, I think in the interest of national security after this singular isolated incident of ‘terrorism’ by and ‘islamic extremist’ that is not the fault of policy or of any specific layer of governance, that we need to DO something; or at least appear to do something. We will rape the civil rights of soldiers and sodomize personal privacy for the good of the nation. However, this cannot go on while DADT is in place. I think I speak for everyone that, in this matter of relative safety, we can’t have two standing orders that contradict themselves; “Say It” and “DADT” cannot both be followed, and in the interest of the people’s feelings of safety, we might want to get over ourselves and be open about…everything, so as to further secure this country. I can’t speak from experience, but I would rather the man in a foxhole next to me be a confirmed ‘gay’ than a suspected ‘terrorist’, but that’s just me.

イギリス議会の2009−10年度会期が始まった。初日である昨日11月18日には、「State Opening of Parliament（議会開会式）」と呼ばれる伝統に則った華麗なセレモニーが、議事堂であるウェストミンスター宮殿で行われた。

議会開会式は、通常11月が12月、または総選挙の年の新しい議会の初日に行われる。議会開会式ではまず、ヨーマン・オブ・ザ・ガードにより、現代版火薬陰謀事件を防ぐという名目で、ウェストミンスター宮殿の地下室をくまなく調べる。君主である女王が住居を出る前には、House of Commons（庶民院）の議員が、女王の安全を守るという名目のために、儀式上の人質としてバッキンガム宮殿に連れて行かれるが、女王が無事帰ってこられた折りには解放されることになっている。女王は、公式馬車で議会に到着。女王が儀式に出席しておられる間は、イギリスの国旗・ユニオンジャックに代わり、「Royal Standard」と呼ばれる王旗が掲げられる。そして、

ローブと王冠を身につけた女王が、エジンバラ公に付き添われ、House of Lords（貴族院）に入場されると、庶民院議員を召喚するために黒杖官（こくじょうかん、Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod）が議場に遣わされる。黒杖官が扉の前まで来ると、目の前でドアがばたんと閉められるが、これは庶民院の独立性の象徴だとのことだ。その後、黒杖官は持っている杖で3度ドアを叩いたあと、中に招き入れられる。

そして、守衛官（Serjeant-at-Arms）が英国下院議長の職杖（ceremonial mace）を手に、議長、黒杖官とともに、二人一組になった庶民院議員を率いて、貴族院に向かう。首相と野党党首が通常並んで歩き（今年はゴードン・ブラウンとデービッド・キャメロン）、その後２列になった議員たちが続く。庶民院議員はスピーチの間、女王の反対側に当たる横木の後ろに立って聞いている。女王は中立性を示す平坦な語りによって、「Speech from the Throne」または「Queen’s Speech（女王演説）」と呼ばれる、内閣によって用意された政府の来年度の施政方針を読みあげる。その後は、両議員とも議場に戻り、スピーチの議題を議論する、と言う段取りだ。

伝統を重んじるイギリスらしい、時代錯誤とも思える儀式だが、君主である女王、庶民院、貴族院による国の統治と、それぞれの独立性を国民に示すという意味で、重要なのだそうだ。恥ずかしながら、7年間イギリスに住んでいながら、この儀式をちゃんと見たことはおろか、その存在すらも意識していなかったのだが、少し前に議会見学ツアーに参加したので、今年の「State Opening of Parliament」は興味を持って見た。儀式の所作ひとつひとつに歴史的意味があり、その意味を知れば知る程面白いなあと思う。

ちなみに約75分のこの議会見学ツアー、見所満載の歴史あるウェストミンスター宮殿の中をゆっくり見て回ることができ、経験豊富なツアーガイドがユーモアたっぷりに歴史や蘊蓄を語ってくれる。出口には小さいお土産物のショップもあって、「Parliament」ロゴのお土産も買えるので、ご興味がある方はぜひ（Parliament Website）。しロンドンに来るのが無理なら、オンラインツアーもありますよ。Yesterday on November 18 was the day of the annual State Opening of Parliament to marks the commencement of a 2009-10 session of the Parliament. It is held in the House of Lords Chamber, usually in November or December, or in a General Election year when the new Parliament first assembles.

 

In this lavish ceremony, firstly the cellars of the Palace of Westminster are searched by the Yeomen of the Guard in order to prevent a modern-day Gunpowder Plot. Before the monarch departs her residence, the Crown takes a member of the House of Commons to Buckingham Palace as a ceremonial hostage, to guarantee the safety of the Queen. But don’t worry, the hostage is released upon the safe return of the Queen.

The Queen arrives at the Parliament in a horse-drawn coach. The Royal Standard is hoisted to replace the Union Jack on the Queen’s entrance and remains while she is in attendance. After she takes on the Robes of State and the Imperial State Crown, the Queen proceeds to the House of Lords, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh.

Then Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod is called to summon the member of the Commons to hear her speach. When he approaches the doors to the chamber of the Commons, the doors are slammed in his face on his approach – symbolising the independence of the Commons. He strikes the door three times with his Black Rod, and is then admitted.

The Serjeant-at-Arms picks up the ceremonial mace and, with the Speaker and Black Rod, leads the Members of the House of Commons to walk in pairs towards the House of Lords. The Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition (Gordon Brown and David Cameron this year) usually walk side by side, followed by the two lines of MPs. Inside the chamber, the Commons stand behind the Bar of the House of Lords, and remain there during the speech.

The Queen reads a prepared speech written by the Cabinet, known as the Speech from the Throne or the Queen’s Speech, outlining the Government’s agenda for the coming year, in the presence of members of both Houses. The Queen reads the entire speech in the same tone, so as to indicate her neutrality. Following the State Opening, the Government’s programme presented in the Queen’s Speech is debated by both Houses.

This anachronistic State Opening of Parliament is not a mere historical ritual but also has symbolic significance to demonstrate the governance of UK; the Crown-in-Parliament (Her Majesty, together with the House of Commons and the House of Lords) and the separation of powers. Embarrassed say but I had never paid attention nor was I aware of the ceremony at all during my 7 years life in UK, but I happened to have a chance to join a tour of the Parliament the other day, and I enjoyed watching this year’s State Opening – each ceremonial process and action has its historical meaning and the more I know, the more intriguing.

The 75 minutes tour of Parliament offers you to see inside of the historical Westminster Palace with an experienced tour guide explaining its history and episodes with full of British (old man’s) humor.  If you are interested, check our their website for details. If you cannot come to London, online tour is available as well