Category: General

The anonymous likers

As Butch said to Sundance- “Who are those guys?”.
It’s probably been prevalent for some time though it’s just came to my notice about the different avatars displayed in the “bloggers like this” category on a lot of posts. One or two seem to be appearing at regular intervals. These “stRangers” hit the like button without commenting. Do they read the posts? Are they shy? Are they real? Who are those guys?
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Now they really are extracting the widdle…….

That great organisation, the Nobel Foundation have gone far further into the realms of stupidity than when they awarded Barry Obama the 2009 Peace prize.

This year they are awarding it to that corrupt bunch of iniquity, the EU. Words fail me and I better not say any more as I am typing this before the watershed!

Like knighthoods and other gongs, it appears the Nobel Peace Prize is being dumbed down!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/9603745/EU-awarded-Nobel-Peace-Prize.html

Top of the Pops?

This started of as a comment on the ‘Beyond Contempt’ post, but it got rather long, so I’m sticking it up as a stand-alone for whatever it’s worth.  I think a word about anachronistic assignment of moral values might be in order. Measuring the behaviour of Kings, Queens and Dictators in centuries with moral, religious, cultural and social outlooks and systems far removed from those of the 21st century might not be appropriate. Shouldn’t their behaviour be measured against the standards of their times?

When you come closer to our own times and behaviour, there might be value in measuring the ‘standards’ of the time to see how far we have come – or not. It is a salutary lesson to point out as Sipu has, that the British invented modern concentration camps – although history is littered with similar examples. I am sure our historians can probably bring some examples to mind better than I can, since I can’t think of any off-hand – mass murder, of course, is a different story, Carthago delenda erat, after all. Continue reading “Top of the Pops?”

Gillard

I cannot admit to being an expert on Australian politics but I know a pair of balls when I see them and Gillard has a pair. As I’m typing this I realise that very remark could be taken as sexist but it is not my intention, we are all grown ups here and you know what I mean with that remark. I know not whether Gillard is left, right, middle or whatever but she stood up for herself and in my opinion absolutely destroyed the leader of the opposition, she certainly wiped the smile of his face that was in place as she started to rip into him. Politics is a dirty game wherever it is played and I’m sure she has thrown a few low balls in her time (there’s that word again) but I just have to admire the way she stood up and let rip. I did not see a response from him as I had to crack on with other things and I know from reading comments in the past on here that she is not the most popular politico around, but then again which politico’s are, except perhaps the Blessed Saint Boris of Stratford, perhaps he gave as good as he got, I dont know, but strip the politics out and what are you left with? A gutsy performance which will long be remembered.

By the way, hi folks.

OMG

William of Wykeham had the right of it.

A short article in today’s DT notes that most of us say ‘sorry’ if we bump into someone in the street.

I am a firm believer in W of W’s maxim that ‘manners maketh man.’ Good manners and politeness make up the oil that relieves the friction we generate as we bump along with each other in our daily rounds. I always open doors for ladies – even daleks – on the presumption that whoever is in the dalek suit is, in fact, female – give up my seat on public transport to mature ladies or those of a certain age, stand when ladies leave a table, or seat them on arrival…

I believe that all of these little courtesies tend towards making my social interactions that little bit better, and the same for those I meet in my everyday toils. If I’m on the tube in the rush hour and I give up my seat to a lady, it makes me feel good, it makes her feel good, and, who knows, I might get a nice smile to brighten my day.

‘Gentleman,’ seems to be a word that is losing currency, mores the pity, but I’m not giving up.

Beyond contempt!

Regardless of one’s opinion of Jimmy Savile, the idea that he should be stripped of his knighthood must surely strike all but the most vindictive and petty minded as being being beyond contempt. The man is dead. David Cameron might just as well force the posthumous abdication of King Henry VIII, responsible for the executions of between 60-70,000 English citizens, or of Queen Mary, also responsible for a large number of gruesome deaths though considerably fewer than her father. Certainly Oliver Cromwell’s statue should be removed from outside the House of Commons. Apart from being a regicide, he was responsible for the death and deportation of 10’s of thousands of Irish Catholics. (Cromwell was of course ‘executed posthumously’, but the favour with which he has been perceived since then is surely misplaced given the current laws affecting religious tolerance and ethnic cleansing.) And then there were those responsible for prolonging the slave trade and Lord Kitchener who introduced the world to concentration camps during the Boer War causing the deaths of “27,927 Boer civilians in concentration camps , plus an unknown number of black Africans (107,000 were interned).” . In fact the list of honoured people who have behaved dishonourably is very long indeed. Continue reading “Beyond contempt!”

Another (non-) extradition.

‘Sudanese war criminal wins right to remain in Britain.’

So, it would seem that this mass-murderer(?) serial killer(?) (pick your own descriptor,) cannot be deported to the place where he committed his crimes because someone might be upset with him.

Never mind the fact that he shouldn’t be in this country in the first place, we can’t send him back to face the music. Instead, he is to be allowed to remain in this country, scrounging off me and you – he’e not allowed to work, or study, but he will, of course, be allowed to live at the expense of the UK taxpayer.

Good, innit?