tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-318232822024-03-07T18:43:30.393+00:00Cool The EarthUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger213125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-23627657588778712812022-02-28T21:45:00.000+00:002022-02-28T21:45:09.854+00:00<p> A CORBYL<br />(for Labi)<br />Corbyn fights injustice<br />Apartheid is injustice<br />Israel is apartheid<br />Israel feared Corbyn<br />Israel sorted Corbyn<br />Starmer sorted Corbyn<br />Starmer fears Corbyn<br />Many follow Corbyn<br />Still follow Corbyn<br />Will follow Corbyn<br />Will fight injustice<br />Apartheid is injustice<br /><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-12818161940705267242011-01-04T22:05:00.000+00:002011-01-04T22:05:14.498+00:00John MoodyJohn Moody was born in 1868. He went into Finance. His company went bankrupt in 1907. He founded a new company which eventually became Moody's Bond Rating Service. For some obscure reason, this service was one of only two agencies given the responsibility to forecast the capacity of countries, yes - countries, to pay off their national debts.<br />
<br />
In 1929, Moody's Bond Rating Service reporting on the U.S.A.: “prosperity which has characterized this country with only moderate setbacks since 1923 is likely to continue without great variation well into the future”. In October that same very year, there was the Wall Street Crash and the beginning of the Great Depression.<br />
<br />
So there we have it. A company founded by an individual who got it all wrong and went bankrupt. And a company which got it all wrong.<br />
<br />
So what happens then? This same independent company still has the job of reporting on countries. The grading system is very very sophisticated: like AAA, BBB, CCC - that sort of thing. On the basis of that, taxes are raised, hospital beds are emptied, pensions are pared, jobs are lost.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-62781195166190347012009-08-25T17:21:00.006+01:002009-12-09T17:59:00.151+00:00Memory Loss1988<br /><br /><b><a href="http://bit.ly/7eNExA">Iran Air Flight 655</a><br /><br /></b>300 killed<br /><br />66 children<br /><br /><br />"<span style="font-size:85%;">The US government has never admitted responsibility or apologised for the tragedy. </span><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">Some believe the Lockerbie bombing, carried out six months later in December 1988, was masterminded by Iranians in revenge for the Airbus tragedy, although a Libyan man was convicted and jailed in 2001. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">In February 1996 the US agreed to pay Iran $61.8 million in compensation for the 248 Iranians killed, plus the cost of the aircraft and legal expenses. </span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;">It had already paid a further $40 million to the other countries whose nationals were killed".*</span><br /><br /><br />Now, you were saying, MISTER FBI?<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>* from the <a href="http://preview.tinyurl.com/2gpfll">BBC</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-2361016878991692432009-08-11T21:49:00.002+01:002009-08-11T21:51:04.056+01:00Rough<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQb7whn43noq1_FA39PR8MVUIDIMLn-u6wME9pLMWNgZWaEVMA95inNgGGsx20UwSxS1XFVv4aEpC_bG7csHn1EItT7B-64sV3SXVO_zS0u3BGgzCsKTrvY2O7riufDVoFBTHP/s1600-h/Rough.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 316px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQb7whn43noq1_FA39PR8MVUIDIMLn-u6wME9pLMWNgZWaEVMA95inNgGGsx20UwSxS1XFVv4aEpC_bG7csHn1EItT7B-64sV3SXVO_zS0u3BGgzCsKTrvY2O7riufDVoFBTHP/s400/Rough.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368811481699788322" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-21827828140235152802009-08-07T22:51:00.005+01:002009-08-07T23:01:27.811+01:00TwitterTo witter:<br /><br />something silly<br />short<br />almost meaningless<br /><br />Poetry; Crass; Cynical.<br />In reply to @nobody about 2 mins ago<br /><br /><br />I may regret this.<br />Then again<br />maybe not.<br /><br /><span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-8223695857987720422009-07-21T22:35:00.005+01:002010-10-12T15:10:41.077+01:00Frank McCourt 19th July 2009I read Angela's Ashes but didn't warm to it. Not really. Too grim. Sure, go ahead. Read it: it will do you good but I don't really want to read it again.<br />
<br />
I love the warmer bits in Frank's life. Like in 'Tis how he soaked for hours and hours in a hot bath as the only way of keeping warm. And where he goes back to have lunch and a laugh with Horace, "offering me another chunk of sandwich telling me I could use a few pounds on my bones....the power of this sadness that tells me this won't come again, this sandwich, this beer on the pier with Horace that makes me feel so happy all I can do is weep with the sadness in it..."<br />
<br />
A sandwich figures in Teacher Man, too. "This bread was dark and thick, baked by an Italian mother in Brooklyn, bread firm enough to hold slices of a rich baloney, layered with slices of tomato, onions and peppers, drizzled with olive oil and charged with a tongue-dazzling relish". A youngster threw the sandwich. Frank ate it. It was classroom management and it worked.<br />
<br />
Well done, Frank.<br />
<br />
Thanks.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-24486062453835944892009-07-02T20:01:00.004+01:002009-07-02T20:15:58.640+01:00Get well soon...Interesting article <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17402-treat-killing-like-a-disease-to-slash-shootings.html">here</a>.<br />Well, it caught my eye.<br />I enjoyed exploring<br />the use of words<br />especially "slash".<br /><br />As there is Society<br />does it have a memory?<br />Are we heading for a<br />token Peace Hour<br />in the Notional Curriculum?<br /><br />And has anyone out there<br />met Ferdinand the Bull?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-7576862817492295512009-06-17T17:53:00.003+01:002009-06-17T17:59:30.042+01:00Typing Speed Test 22aThe Big Bang Theory<br /><br />In the beginning, every word and meaning that ever was or will be, was packed into a tiny tiny space. Then BANG! In 0.00000000000001 seconds, meaning and understanding expanded in all directions and continues to do so. Of course, your average "developed" Joe is unaware of all this. He is more interested in the latest score and which greedy bastard claimed what for dog food.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-64537936293925689692009-06-17T12:01:00.003+01:002009-07-03T08:15:48.860+01:00Signs of the (Irish)Times - 2Beware of the Bulls<br /><br />Beware of the Bear<br /><br />For Sale<br />Celtic Tigers<br />Only two left<br /><br />Clean up after your TD<br />Use a poop scoop or plastic bag<br /><br />You're Going The Wrong Way<br />- Turn Back!<br /><br />School Ahead - Slow - Slower<br /><br />Do not obstruct the view<br />Planners will be prosecuted<br /><br />Thinking AllowedUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-77455721625087449622009-06-16T10:51:00.002+01:002009-06-16T10:54:03.143+01:00Iraq inquiry...And now<br />Freedom of Information<br />is a private matter<br />between dissenting adultsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-43567619585610006002009-06-15T11:05:00.005+01:002009-06-16T10:48:34.506+01:00Choice fruit fruitsThis<br />morning<br />morning's<br />subject<br />matter<br />matters:<br /><br />A punnet of "mixed fruit";<br />the church bell<br />tolls<br />tolling<br />for a funeral;<br />the usual<br />politic<br />politics;<br />or<br /><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8096456.stm">Aung San Suu Kyi's</a><br />trial<br />trials?<br /><br />Decision postponed<br />generals<br />generally.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-33500713481567178232009-03-30T23:20:00.003+01:002009-03-30T23:27:32.756+01:0038yes<br />wait an age for a bus<br />with or without god<br />or better still<br />a friendly conductor.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-87832052765326554512009-02-02T21:17:00.004+00:002009-02-02T21:28:53.000+00:00It's a thing we can't deny*"nine million bicycles in Beijing"<br />has a certain ring to it;<br />"<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/feb/02/china-unemployment-unrest">26 million out of work in China</a>"<br />sounds a much bumpier ride.<br /><br /><br />*<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">appropriate credits to Katie Melua</span><br /></span><br /><em></em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-38432720535800193112009-02-02T14:56:00.003+00:002009-02-02T15:13:49.345+00:00A Good Childhood Report?On the BBC this morning: "The aggressive pursuit of personal success by adults is now the greatest threat to British children, <span style="font-style: italic;">a major independent report</span> on childhood says".<br /><br />This major independent report will be published this week by The Children' Society.<br /><br />The full title of The Children's Society is <span style="font-style: italic;">The Church of England Children's Society.<br /><br /></span>Full details <a href="http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/all_about_us/who_we_are/our_church_partnership/4335.html">here</a><span style="font-style: italic;">.<br /><br /></span><span>Also interesting that "The Good Childhood" is a registered trademark of The Children's Society - sorry, The Church of England's Children's Society.<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>It will be interesting to see what is in the above report.<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-74033449579311275782009-01-19T10:58:00.002+00:002009-01-19T11:02:12.960+00:00Gerald Kaufman MP: Israel acting like Nazis in Gaza<p>I did hear some mention of Gerald Kaufman's speach in Parliament the other day. He should have been quoted more widely.</p> <p>"My grandmother was ill in bed when the Nazis came to her home town of Staszów. A German soldier shot her dead in her bed. Madam Deputy Speaker, my grandmother did not die to provide cover for Israeli soldiers murdering Palestinian grandmothers in Gaza. The present Israeli government ruthlessly and cynically exploit the continuing guilt among Gentiles over the slaughter of Jews in the Holocaust as justification for their murder of Palestinians. The implication is that Jewish lives are precious, but the lives of Palestinians do not count. On Sky News a few days ago, the spokeswoman for the Israeli Army Major Livovich was asked about the Israeli killing of, at that time, eight hundred Palestinians. The total is now a thousand. She replied instantly, "Five hundred of them were militants." That was the reply of a Nazi. I suppose the Jews fighting for their lives in the Warsaw Ghetto could have been dismissed as militants.</p> <p>and</p> <p>"Hamas is a deeply nasty organization, but it was democratically elected, and it is the only game in town.</p> <p>and</p> <p>"It's time for our government to make clear to the Israeli government that its conduct and policies are unacceptable and to impose a total arms ban on Israel. It is time for peace, but real peace, not the solution by conquest, which is the Israelis' real goal, but which is impossible for them to achieve. They're not simply war criminals; they're fools."</p> <p>Sources:</p> <p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Kaufman">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Kaufman</a></p> <p><a href="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qMGuYjt6CP8">http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qMGuYjt6CP8</a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-56198820054775688052008-11-29T19:16:00.007+00:002008-11-30T13:10:37.796+00:00Audio slideshow: Brunel's achievements revisited"It is 150 years since the death of Robert Howlett - the young photographer who took this iconic image of engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.<br /><br />"Robert Howlett died - in December 1858 - from a fever, most likely caused by exposure to the poisonous photographic chemicals that he used.<br /><br />"Intrigued by how the Brunel photograph was created, photojournalist David White set out - using non toxic methods - to recreate some of Howlett's images.<br /><br />"With a specially-made camera, he travelled across south and west England to view Brunel's extensive legacy".<br /><br />Story and slideshow <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7753000/7753202.stm">here</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-50952869573882037172008-09-29T21:33:00.003+01:002008-09-29T21:42:45.951+01:00Money isn't working..."The City of London underwent the "Big Bang" of deregulation in 1986 that<br />helped expand the financial services sector, create scores of thousands of<br />jobs and enhanced upward mobility for classes of workers that had<br />traditionally experienced a glass ceiling in the City..."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Margaret Thatcher: Radical visionary who rescued Britain</span>. Daily Telegraph, April 2008<br />full article <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/main.jhtml?xml=/portal/2008/04/10/ftthatcher110.xml">here</a><br /><br />New Labour took up Maggie's torch and carried it well. <br /><br />Peter Mandelson: "We are intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich".<br /><br />And now there's another blue queue at the trough.<br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-8745462212495991432008-09-11T19:31:00.005+01:002008-09-11T19:39:52.350+01:00Is the future Conservative?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 14px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;font-family:arial;font-size:12;" ><p style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; clear: left; line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="font-size:100%;">"New Labour has created a more individualised and wealthier society, but not a freer or more equal one. And now the party lacks a vision that can challenge the Tory revival.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; clear: left; line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="font-size:100%;">It is time for the left to take on the New Tories. This challenge cannot be separated from the need to address the problems facing post-New Labour social democracy. By critically engaging with Cameron's Conservatives the left can rethink its principles and renew itself".</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; clear: left; line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="font-size:100%;">- Jon Cruddas and Jonathan Rutherford, New Statesman, September 2008.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; clear: left; line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Full article <a href="http://www.newstatesman.com/uk-politics/2008/09/labour-social-conservatives">here</a></span></p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-27590351891597140322008-09-09T21:49:00.001+01:002008-09-09T21:52:02.425+01:00Do the Super-Rich matter?"It's the controversy that is becoming symbolic of a wider debate about the future direction of the UK. Should we be 'intensely relaxed' about the superrich, as Peter Mandelson claimed?<br /><br />Or are they symptomatic of something fundamentally wrong with Britain? Do the Super-Rich Matter? forensically analyses the impact the wealthiest are having on our wellbeing. It reveals an economy increasingly skewed to serve the interests of a tiny minority and a society losing touch with a basic sense of fairness.<br /><br />Uniquely, Do the Super-Rich Matter? proposes a bold programme to address these worrying trends".<br /><br />- briefing paper and pamphlet download <a href="http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-15314-f0.cfm?themeaa=touchstone&theme=touchstone">here</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-52350212386749532932008-09-08T10:04:00.001+01:002008-09-08T10:04:44.988+01:00PeeppeepUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-83535737169038993352008-08-08T23:09:00.003+01:002008-08-08T23:21:45.259+01:0008-08-08It may be a date<br />to note - or not.<br /><br />Life goes gone<br />- or not.<br /><br />(BBC)Russian forces battle Georgians<br />- tanks...<br /><br />(BBC)Fannie Mae unveils loss of $2.3bn <br />- money means fuck all<br />(unless you don't have any)<br /><br />(BBC)Spectacular opening for Olympics <br />- so Human Rights<br />can take a run and jump.<br /><br />Next they will be telling us<br />the air ain't worth breathing<br /><br />(cough)<br /><br />Still, no point in being down about it<br />- we have to laugh, while we can.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-55099829862677099292008-07-22T12:28:00.002+01:002008-07-22T12:31:17.190+01:00Making A Meal Of ItWhat with<br />"All Day Breakfasts"<br />and<br />"Evening Meals<br />Served All Day"<br />No wonder<br />so many of us<br />are permanently<br />out to lunch.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-59156378021462622992008-07-12T23:32:00.002+01:002008-07-12T23:35:22.520+01:00Sound Of Silencedrip<br /><br />drip<br /><br /><br />drip<br /><br /><br /><br />drip<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />drip<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />,<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-7413820889257092872008-07-03T21:15:00.006+01:002008-07-03T21:31:25.121+01:00Another Fine Mess, George....What is it with George Bush and oil? Surely Iraq is enough of a mess, even for George's greedy backers? Oh no, they have to drip sump oil all over lunch. For those who have a lunch that is...<br /><br />"Biofuels are prime cause of food crisis, says leaked report<br /><br />"Biofuels have forced global food prices up by 75% - far more than previously estimated.......<br /><br />"The figure emphatically contradicts the US government's claims that plant-derived fuels contribute less than 3% to food-price rises.....<br /><br />"President Bush has linked higher food prices to higher demand from India and China, but the leaked World Bank study disputes that: 'Rapid income growth in developing countries has not led to large increases in global grain consumption and was not a major factor responsible for the large price increases.'<br /><br />"Since April, all petrol and diesel in Britain has had to include 2.5% from biofuels....."<br /><br />Full article in today's Guardian:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/03/biofuels.renewableenergy?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront">here</a><br /><br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31823282.post-68057628337072563402008-07-03T09:57:00.003+01:002008-07-03T10:04:38.172+01:00Market StallsWhere does that leave us?<br />The shine off 'New' Labour,<br />the worm in the rose,<br />the filthy rich whiff,<br />the sound bite spit in the Sun.<br /><br />Fat cats<br />doze comfortably<br />under hedge funds.<br /><br />And there's a long blue queue at the trough.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1