US Apples drop

A mild February/ March turned cold in April causing many US apple producers producers to experience production losses due to poor pollination and frosts especially later crops such as varieties Red Delicious and Fuji. Lower fruit set combined with a very hot summer has affected fruit sizes and has reduced the crop which has started to be picked this week. Gala seems to be unaffected.

First estimates from the US indicate an apple crop some six per cent down on last year’s record volumes but still above 2003 levels. The crop is seven per cent down on last season in Washington state, which is the largest producer in the country, making up 57 per cent of the US total.

Lake Ontario region and Yakima Valley have both seen reductions in crop volumes. Yakima Valley Growers-Shippers Association in Washington State, executive director Miles Kohl forecasts a fresh crop packout of some 95 million 42lb boxes, compared to 103m last year.

Condi enjoying herself on holiday !

I tell you. It's this big! She's either in Idaho with the ex Governor of Texas or gone fishing in Wyoming with Dick.

Pushing the envelope on pubic hair.

The NY Daily News has a bombshell news item - Dolce & Gabbana(?) are offering a line of "low rise" (no doubt hi-price) men's pants / jeans , that exposes men's pubic hair.An ad featuring them makes its debut in the September issue of Esquire magazine.

The second bombshell news is contained within, veteran, bald, adman Jerry Della Femina (pic) said the photographs of these fancy pants, made sense for an envelope-pushing design house. The bombshell being this guy is still breathing - remember he brought you the memorable but unused headline he offered for Sony when they wanted to crack the US market in the early 60's for TV's -"From the People who brought you Pearl Harbour!", he's also credited with ( rather dubiously) "I honestly believe that advertising is the most fun you can have with your clothes on."... perhaps that was in the days when pubic hair was kept under wraps.

"Envelope pushing design house " dontcha just luv it ? - in the UK "envelope pushers" usually have them full of crisp fivers to buy MP's influence and are invariably free of pubic hair.

IPCC - a result ?

I wrote to the IPCC a few days ago, (see previous post) asking about the remit the IPCC had over people involved in the Stockwell shooting who were not police staff and were perhaps military personnel either from the UK or overseas.

This is the reply I received hours ago, which is evidently a 100% stock response to all enquiries. I would urge anyone to make enquiries, and continue making them...they must be made directly aware of the international interest in the matter.

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your email.

The IPCC's independent investigation into the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes in Stockwell on Friday 22 July continues and is making good progress. Our focus is on the search for the truth about the death of Jean Charles de Menezes.

The investigation into the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes will cover all circumstances relating to the incident.At this time the IPCC has made it clear that we would not speculate or release partial information about the investigation, and that others should not do so. That remains the case.

We have issued a number of press statements relating to the issues surrounding the investigation. These can be viewed on our website via : http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/index/news.htmBoth which will be regularly updated with new information when available.


Kind regards,

Customer Services Team
Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC)
90 High Holborn
London
WC1V 6BH
Tel: 020 7166 3000
Fax: 020 7404 0430
Enquiries@ipcc.gsi.gov.uk

Make of it what you will.Naturally I will be asking for a specific answer to the question which does not of course have any connection with their immediate enquiry and simply asks for clarification of their powers of enquiry and reporting.

Meanwhile in s spirit of helpfulness the Police Federation AND the Metropolitan Police Federation are reported (AP / Scotsman ) to have written last week, to the Home Secretary asking for an independent inquiry into the leaks from the Jean Charles de Menezes investigation.

They want demand a person independent of both the Police service and the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to investigate the "unauthorised disclosure" of the documents.

The concept of the Police being concerned about the leakage of information to the Press boggles the mind. Why don't the uniformed tourist attractions just get on with their fucking job without shooting inoccent people?

Gunfight at the not OK Corral ?

Sky News reports that an outraged Met firearms guy is up in arms about the remarks of John Wadham, Deputy Chairman of the IPCC.

John Wadham, (see pic BBC) who was head of "Liberty" prior to his appointment, claimed that the IPCC "overcame" the Met's attempt to block it's enquiry, securing "an important victory for our independence".“This dispute has caused delay in us taking over the investigation, but we have worked hard to recover the lost ground,” Mr Wadham saidat the time.

According to the BBC online news service, the case was not formally handed over to the IPCC until five days after the incident. At the time the BBC said this sounded like "an unsavoury power struggle between the two organisations and is likely to leave the public even more bemused."

The BBC have just announced (Aug 25th) that they reject the complaint, as it does not refer to personal conduct and say anybody can say anything they like about the IPCC - ti is apparently a "free" country.

Meanwhile this man who is so keen that the IPCC swing into action, has released a Press statement to the effect that no information about staff will be released after Sky News reported last Thursday evening that the IPCC had suspended one of its staff. Apparently senior staff were informed that an IPCC employee was responsible for the leak of preliminary witness statements and shooting-scene photos in the de Menezes case to ITV.

International Terrorist to address UN - STOP HIM !!!

Between September 12th and 15th, 2005 war criminal Ariel Sharon will address the U.N. General Assembly’s 60th session. September 15th is the 23rd anniversary of the deliberate and systematic massacre of more than 2000 Arab civilians, mostly Palestinian and Lebanese, in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. Then Defense Minister Ariel Sharon, the chief architect of Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, was found by an Israeli commission of inquiry (The Kehane Commission) to have been personally responsible for the massacre.

Please email your endorsements of the campaign to stop Ariel Sharon the international terrorist and child murderer addressing the UN to: opposesharon@yahoo.com for more on the Indict Sharon campaign here.

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition PO Box 131352 Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA Tel: 760-685-3243 Fax: 360-933-3568 E-mail: info@al-awda.org WWW: al-awda.org

Meanwhile Jesse Jackson phoned Israeli's Ambassador to US Danny Ayalon asking him to pass on his congratulations to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for the successful evacuation of Gaza and the northern West Bank.

"Sharon made a bold and painful step toward a long-term solution. He deserves a partnership that is just as bold and committed," he said.

The European Union has issued a statement praising Sharon and the Israeli government for the pullout from Gaza and the Wset Bank.

The Nobel Peace Prize is next on the Agenda.

Pat Robertson - An Apology

We may have previously given the impression that popular evangelist, friend of the POTUS wanted to assassinate (or wanted the CIA to) Hugo Chavez, the even more popular President of Venezuela.

It appears we misunderstooderated him - he only wants to kidnap him - presumably to put him in Gulag Guantanamo Bay.

De Menezes..is the IPCC wasting it's time ?

The IPCC was formed after considerable consultation

Police Reform Act 2002 2002 Chapter 30 - continued
PART 2 COMPLAINTS AND MISCONDUCT
The Independent Police Complaints Commission 9

10 .1.f.…. to carry out functions in relation to the National Criminal Intelligence Service, the National Crime Squad and bodies of constables maintained otherwise than by police authorities which broadly correspond to those conferred on the Commission in relation to police forces by the preceding paragraphs of this subsection......

10. (2) Those matters are-

(a) the handling of complaints made about the conduct of persons serving with the police;

One therefore wonders what position any serving members of HM Armed Forces who may be “working with the Police” are in in relation to the the IPCC. They certainly are not “bodies of constables”.

Presumably it can , and no doubt, will, be argued that such personnel must be answerable to only one and not two disciplinary codes.

Which may be a very good reason why it is “special forces” who are the ones who actually pull the trigger.

No doubt all will become unclear eventually... On the IPCC website you can e-mail any queries, I have done and asked for answers to clarify the position of serving members of HM forces - or indeed any odd Israeli who may have blundered by accident into the matter in hand.

Israel's Gulag

The Jerusalem Times today, quotes an anonymous “veteran Palestinian journalist”

…"Undoubtedly, Sharon has scored a big victory in the international media. Now he's being portrayed as a man of peace and there are some who are even nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize. This is very worrying because the world has forgotten all what he did to the Palestinians over the past 50 years."

Sharon has , as usual steamrollered his way – OK so the Greater Israel is put on hold, but now we have a smaller Israel, but it will soon be 100% Kosher. He has rid himself and his land of the swarming cockroaches and will now envelop and exclude the rest of the tiresome Arabs from the West Bank (or Samaria as they like to call it officially ) who will be offered the opportunity to populate the land he has given them… “You want Palestine …Great, now you have it, now Fuck Off and enjoy it “

It wasn’t going to be like this, remember. Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice, on one of her whirling “Drive by Diplomacy” trips on 23rd July 2005 met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia and Palestinian Interior Minister Nasser Yousef – the man who is responsible for the Palestinian security forces - amid signs the Palestinians were beginning to buckle under heavy Israeli and US pressure to clamp down on groups like Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. Something they seem so far to have done with considerable success - or by the self denying ordinance of Hamas.

On the table were 13 grievances the Palestinians wanted agreed on, before the Israeli withdrawal, said Diana Buttu, Abbas’ adviser at the time, including the key points, a passage route linking Gaza to the West Bank, the opening of Gaza’s port and airport. and control of border crossings into Gaza. (Remember this was ONE MONTH AGO)

So what have they got ? If a Palestinian now wants to travel anywhere by air, he needs to travel overland450 Km to Cairo. To import or export, he can only use the Egyptian ports of Damietta and Port Saïd, an overland trip of 300Km. He can't travel to work in Israel and cannot get direct access to the West Bank. Border crossing are controlled by Israel and Egypt.

Now Israel is to ask UN Security Council to pass a resolution declaring the end of its occupation, which no doubt Mr John Bolton will be warming up, to ram through a pliant Council at breakneck speed. They will of course get it, despite decades of refusal to follow countless UN resolutions.

Legal advisor Younès al-Jarou, says such a resolution, means the Israelis intends to avoid its obligations which compel it to protect the occupied populace and to provide for their essential needs in health, education and food. Gaza will be cut off from Israel .... which Israel isn't the slightest bit concerned about ..... but it will also be cut off politically, socially and economically from the West Bank and Jerusalem and that's a problem.

This gigantic hoax perpetrated by Sharon the Butcher of Sabra and Shattila, 38 years after the 1967 defeat and 12 years after the Oslo accords transforms military disengagement into the end of the occupation. This effectively imprisons the Palestinian population in a giant Gulag, where they can neither use the port of Ashdod, the airport at Tel Aviv nor will they be allowed work in Israel.

Meanwhile the charade of “expulsion” of the Bronx bred settlers armed with their Neanderthal beliefs and Kalshnikovs and Uzis is at an end. "I have no sympathy for the settlers," Jihan Mahmoud, a university student from a village near Ramallah is quoted in the Jerusalem Times, "What we saw on television was just a show. Unfortunately, the international media, which is largely controlled by Jews, played into the hands of Sharon and the settlers.

Where were they when hundreds of Palestinian families were expelled from their homes in Rafah during the intifada?"

Sharon …. a Nobel Peace Prize ? Well they gave one to Kissinger after he organized bombing the shit out of Cambodia and Laos without the US public knowing.

Maybe one for Condi, fuck me, she’s got a whole oil tanker named after her, not much left…. Except for someone to call her mother… but then a lot of people call her a mother anyway.

The pic by the way was when she was “Drive by Diplomatizing” in what will very soon be Kurdistan, No doubt Mr Barzani who needs no lessons in US perfidy will take a leaf from Mr Sharon’s book and just ignore the bitch.

Some details, with thanks from Nur al-Cubicle.

Robertson takes the Hobbesian view

Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson 75, geriatric founder of the Christian Coalition of America has suggested that American agents assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to stop his country from becoming "a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism."

"We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability," Robertson told the Christian Broadcast Network's "The 700 Club." On Monday 22ns August.

"We don't need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator," said Pat Robertson "It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with."

"You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it," Robertson said. "It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war … and I don't think any oil shipments will stop."

As Tim Padgett in Time cogently points out, this only solidifies the view on the Latin street that the Yanqui imperialists are at it again.

Bantz Craddock will be scratching his head as the cocaine pours out of Columbia (plus the odd IRA bird watcher) ... just so loing as that 1.3 Mn bpd hits the shores of Texas, nothing is going to happen real soon.

Why, in the country they freed where oil pumping is below pre-war levels, it stopped altogether in Basra, where the hig quality, high value sweet crude is exported ...because of a power outage...why ? ... huge destruction of powerlines to the refineries.

Let's hope no-one suggests shooting Pat Robertson.

The BIGGER the BANG the Louder the Silence.....

Here is a an edited view of “New Dimensions” the semi secret role of the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) prepared by Merseyside FRS.Remember ..."UK Fire and Rescue Service has evolved beyond its statutory duty to fight fire. It is now a multi-skilled all round Fire and Rescue Service. (Office of the Deputy Prime Minster ODPM)Minister responsible for FRS Nick Raynsford (pic)

Since 9/11 an additional responsibility for the FRS is that of “New Dimensions” which compliments the already well established roles of operational planning and emergency planning. New Dimensions was launched following the attack on the World Trade Centre in New York. It set out to review the Fire and Rescue Service nationally for its preparedness against a potential terrorist threat.

The programme is led by the ODPM and aims to that all Fire and Rescue Services are sufficiently equipped and trained to respond and deal effectively with major, Chemical, Biological, Radiological and conventional terrorist incidents not only locally, but also on a regional and national scale.

The changing nature of the terrorist threat mean we live with a heightened state of preparedness , for a number of years. In this new environment we must remain vigilant to new types of threat. Recent attacks have been on the least well protected targets. The principal threat at present comes from International Terrorism, in particular extremist groups, who have a much broader agenda and will use whatever means necessary to deliver their method of attack.

All other Fire and Rescue Services have in partnership with the Department of Health, accepted responsibility for the management of Public Mass Decontamination in the event of a Chemical, Biological or Radiological attack.

Following a thorough assessment of the potential risk, a new system of decontamination has been employed. To meet the needs of this system money was made available by Government, to purchase some of the best equipment available in the world. This includes portable shower units and specialist protective clothing.
We are also introducing additional vehicles to help us to perform this role. These vehicles will be an integral part of our capability to provide assistance at a range of emergencies (for example, they will also improve our ability to respond to a major incident at an airport or on the railways) and will be available for use at any incident where they can make a contribution. They will not be kept in storage only to be brought out if and when a major incident happens.

The improvements in public safety which these vehicles and equipment will provide should be made as soon as possible. We are, therefore, bringing them into service as soon as the vehicles and equipment are available and our crews have been trained in their safe use, rather than delaying until we have finalised the rest of this draft plan.

The 7/7 and 21/7 bombings were the first real terrorist threat, (on which his Worship the Mayor (pic) has been remarkably quiet)including the dreaded “Sarin” gas attack, (rumoured about in Rupert’s Rag the Times today for the House of Commmons) for the Tube to use this fancy new equipment, decontamination gear etc etc., (allegedly on a budget exceeding 700Mn Pounds Sterling).
So why was this not used ?.... (“mass decontamination Incident Response Units have been strategically positioned around the country “ .... Nick Raynsford MP Minister for the Fire and Rescue Service Fire and Rescue Service National Framework 2004/05)

Why no assuring messages that the bombs were only explosive and provided no further threat of gas, radiation etc., ? What did we get …Total fucking silence.

Yet another puzzle. Unless of course it was well known that they were not needed.

Get more information on London's Preparedness here

Mid West - Middle America

In the flyover states the yellow ribbons and "Support our Troops" are in evidence, the response to an enquiry about Cindy Sheehan is a shrug and something to the effect that if Casey was alive, he'd be turning in his grave.

If this is the heartland that Dubya is relying on, he has no need to worry...just yet.

Connecticut plumps for the Mantis Religiosa

There are three species of praying mantids in North America. The native Carolina , the European and the Chinese.

For some curious reason Connecticut have adopted the imported European Mantis (Mantis religiosa) as the State insect. This is the insect for whom sex for the males is a "once in a lifetime" experience and for the females is a succession of "one night stands".

Hoosiers want to make the Say's Light Bug the State Insect in a campaign organised by Purdue University. Say was an early chronicler of the State and light bugs with their fluorescent sparkling bums are collected by kids through the summer nights.

The idea of having a state insect is to highlight the importance of the insect world around us.

Contrary to popular belief mantis are not harmful to humans, they do not bite but have specially adaptedspiny forelegs to hold their prey. They are used as insectivores in greenhouses and the eggs can be supplied for about $1 each over the web.

Ian Blair backs Cressida and says officers told no lies.

Interview “Exclusive with Rupert’s Rag News of the World today…..he makes a point of backing Commander Cressida Dick, who was in overall charge on the day of the shooting.

He adds firmly: "Cressida has my absolute confidence and support." Sir Ian stresses he has apologised to the de Menezes family and denies that his officers told them lies.

I think Cressida has good reason to worry that one of the finest minds that Christ Church has produced is backing her….. I suggest she starts to look for another job PDQ.