Chinese premier Wen Jiabao 12th March 2009
""We have a financial system that is run by private shareholders, managed by private institutions, and we'd like to do our best to preserve that system."
Timothy Geithner US Secretary of the Treasury, previously President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.1/3/2009
The talented Danish cyclist Mie Bekker Lacota 18 , (Team Flexpoint : Denmark) was second (by 6 points) to Oz Katherine Bates in the women's points race on Sunday evening at the World Cycling Championships in Mallorca..
This was the first World medal ever won by a female Danish cyclist.
Map of historical seismicity in the region from USGS
Region: SOLOMON ISLANDS
Geographic coordinates: 8.539S, 157.548E
Magnitude: 6.2 Mw Depth: 10 km
Universal Time (UTC): 2 Apr 2007 12:02:23
91 km (56 miles) ESE (122 degrees) of Gizo, Solomon Islands
More at US geological survey
Gibor Real Estate Ltd became Adiron Investments Ltd who were listed on the Tel Aviv stock exchnage and changed their name to EZ Energy Ltd( 28 Bezalel St. Ramat Gan, 52521 Israel Ticker EZ ) when control passed to Eli Zahavi lst year a man with 30 years experience in the international oil industry. He has specialized in leading the research, marketing and operations activities for leading oil companies in several countries mainly in the US..
The company's declared policy is to locate and purchase clusters of service stations in the US. The strategy is to locate clusters that ensure high yields, and at the same time try to introduce financial partners. This way, the company plans to purchase a large number of gas stations using relatively small equity to complete the acquisition.
The company reported in January that the directorate has authorized contacts with underwriters to lead a private issue of bonds and options.
The first deal appears to be agreements to purchase 15 convenience stores on the East Coast of the United States for US$15 million on January 3rd.
On January 30th they were able to report acquiring 26 gas stations and convenience stores for US$26 million and an extra figure to cover the current inventory in the stores. Annual revenue from the properties reaches US$87 million and is generated, among others, from selling close to 100 million liters of fuel products.
Over the last weekend EZ Energy signed two deals for the purchase of another 40 gas stations in the US Midwest totalling US39 Mn. This adds another annual $140 Mn in revenues and net profit of US$6.3 Mn. to the stations bought in January.
Oren Zahevi the Chairman said "We are working vigorously to locate additional groups of stations, and we believe that we will sign additional deals in the new future."
This appears to reflect the policy of Alon USA the subsidiary of Alon Israel Oil Co. who last year bought into 55 convenience stores in El Paso to add to 49 stores they already owned in West Texas. (IPO's at US 16 mid 2005 when Lord Patel told you ter fill ya boots now in the US$32 range and have hit US$40)
Israeli IDF OC Military Intelligence Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin (pic) gave a briefing to the Israel cabinet on Saturday. The Jerusalem Post says he reported that Iran, Syria and Hizbullah are preparing their defenses for a war in the summer, and that they are more worried about an attack by the US than from Israel. Iranian Fars news agency quoted the Iranian chief of staff, Hassan Fayrouz Abadi,on Saturday warning Arab leaders that Israel plans to open a "suicidal attack" on its neighbors this summer, to "prevent the withdrawal of the US troops from Iraq and the area."
He said the IDF has noticed, however, "an increase in the potential for instability" in the Middle East due to a number of processes, including the American "failure" in Iraq. (Ouch!)
The IDF believes, however, that the "greatest danger" to northern Israel currently comes from Syria, which has raised its level of alert, although forces on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights have not been beefed up. Despite the increase in the threat, the army does not have intelligence indicating that Syria plans to attack Israel, he said.
The JP also repeats the reports of the alleged Russian intelligence under the headline "US ready to strike Iran on Good Friday'. Russian news agency RIA Novosti has been wisely quoted this week that the US Armed Forces stationed in the Persian Gulf will be ready to launch a missile attack on Iran's nuclear facilities as soon as early this month, perhaps "from 4 a.m. until 4 p.m. on April 6,(Good Friday for Christians) " .
According to Russian intelligence sources, the reports said, the US has devised a plan to attack several targets in Iran, and an assault could be carried out by launching missiles from fighter jets and warships stationed in the Persian Gulf.
Yadlin was previously military attache in Washington and as an airman was involved in the air force attack on the Iraqi Osirak nuclear reactor in Operation Opera June 7th 1981 (which including overflying Saudi territory) - which of course the Iranians had been unable to kncok out on September 30th 1980 even though they had the aid and support of the IDF. The US finished it off in the Gulf War.
This was a military coup that helped sweep Begin's Likud to victory - in the way that the Falklands War sustained Margaret Thatcher's position.
One interesting footnote is that General David Ivry was in charge of the IDF Air Force at the time of the Osirak raid and when Ambassador in Washington received from Dick Cheney a framed satelite surveillance photograph after the raid from VP Dick Cheney with a suitable inscription...."with thanks and appreciation for the outstanding job he did on the Iraqi Nuclear Program in 1981..."
Is history to repeat itself ?
Increasingly exposed and corrupt Prime Minister Olmert took the opportunity whilst Angela Merkel was in town to face the real politik in the Middle East which has dramatically changed now that Saudi Arabia under a confident King Abdullah (who gave VP Chehney such short shruft recently) is starting to exert their influence.
Olmert said ;
"I am announcing to the heads of the Arab states on this occasion that if the Saudi king initiates a meeting of moderate Arab states and invites me and the head of the Palestinian Authority in order to present us the Saudi ideas, we will come to hear them and we will be glad to voice ours,"
The excellent US Geological Survey have produced a report on the undersea earthquake and series of al least 5 after shocks which hit the Solomon Islands just after midnight GMT. They give the strength of most shocks in the range 5.5 - 6.0 on the Richter Scale, the BBC reports 8.0.
A tsunami was generated which has aused a great deal of damage to sea shore buildings and has hit Gizo 25 miles from the epicentre. Queensland beaches some 1,400 kms away have been warned of potential strong waves and Sydney beaches have been closed as a precaution.
The highly efficient Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (see Video) initially issued a warning for all countries in the South Pacific region.
It was down-scaled later , but authorities in the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, north-eastern Australia, Tuvalu, Kiribati, and Fiji were being advised to stay on alert.
The Sunday Herald reports that the new TNS System 3 snapshot,which was conducted for Scottish Television, gave the Scottish Nationalists a surprise 5 point lead in constituencies and an astonishing 11 point lead on the regional vote.
If the result on May 3rd reflected this, the SNP would have 51 seats in the Scottish parliament and Alex Salmond will be installed as the Prime Minister of an independent Scotland.
Now the question is , what will Scots born John McTernan go to prison for ... fucking up the Labour campaign North of the Border or being the author of..
Item C : Material related to Mr John McTernan, director of political operations at Downing Street..... a fascinating detail in the report of the Judgement on March 14th in the Times of - Attorney-General v British Broadcasting Corporation
The talented Boy John has of course wide experience as Head of Strategy for Scotland's former first minister, Henry McLeish.'It's an extremely rich experience,' he says (an unexpected remark as Hmaish had to resign having muddled his accounts) . 'You get unparalleled access to government at the highest levels. If you like politics - and most of the people who become advisers are complete addicts - this is the ultimate job. It's like The West Wing, (!) only you're in it instead of watching it.
It's incredibly insecure, but so are the careers of senior politicians. - you get three months' redundancy, that's all. You wouldn't do it if you were at all risk-averse.'Quite how incredibly insecure it is, he is going to find out in 34 days - especially his £80,000 salary plus exes. It doesn't help that Mr McConnell who is described as the Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland endorse his part time role in ensuring the sinking of Labour's chances in the land of the obese alcoholics.
Cardinal Wolsey: You're a constant regret to me, Thomas. If you could just see facts flat-on, without that horrible moral squint... With a little common sense you could have made a statesman.
A Man for All Seasons Robert Bolt
If the war criminal Jack Straw was still Foreign Secretary he would be chewing chunks out of the vermilion ottoman on which he lounged in the Foreign Office as he dispatched nameless diplomats to unknown lands - it is difficlt to believe his successor would take to such dramatic tantrums but she is no doubt upset or even "concerned " that ex Ambassador Craig Murray has replaced HMG representatives as the quiet and perisistent voice of reason in the Gulf of Tonkin Shatt al Arab dispute.
Craig Murray is not only an ex Ambassador with close knowledge of the Uzbek Torturers Cookbook but is former chief of the Maritime Section of Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He has pointed out , from a position of knowledge and experience that even the most sophisticated navigational devices are of no help in the current British-Iranian dispute because there is no clearly demarcated and agreed boundary.
"The major problem is, knowing where the ships were exactly doesn't help you know precisely where the boundary line is because that's what nobody really knows, because it [the boundary] has never been agreed," he explains to a listening and receptive world.
Hapless FCO spokesman Barry Marston is left to splutter that there are questions about the maritime boundary in the area. But, he adds, the British craft were not in any area of dispute.
"We are aware there are some issue over in clarity over the Iraq-Iranian [demarcation], over the exact borderline along parts of that coast," he said.
"That is an area, however, where there is no doubt whatsoever. This has never been a stretch where there has been any dispute over. So there's very, very little doubt that Britain is absolutely in the right here."Not untypical FO thinking .. the Theory of Things never Happening for the First Time, which sits happily with the Theory of Unripe Time ..." the time is not ripe for the introduction of telegrams ..."
This of course assumes that Albion did not have a perfidious intention to deliberately provoke by dragging their (temporarily) unprotected boarding party like coat tails across the ever vigilant path of the Iranian coastal forces. It assumes that the happy accident of the BBC having shots of the sassy seaman in the can to cross cut to the Iranian TV propaganda to ratchet up world wide anti -Islamic feeling was just .. a happy accident."The British hostage issue is serious because the Iranians took these people out of Iraqi water. It's inexcusable behavior. I strongly support the Blair government's attempts to resolve this peacefully,"...and no doubt the claque at AIPAC, JINSA, ADL and the Christian Zionists and fanned by the breezes from the corrupt gangsters and sex criminals who run the government in Tel Aviv . (Note Bush's use of hostage which has especial resonance in the US over Iran - it also took him along time to say anything - no-one is in any rush here)
In the 1940's polymath (and subsequently Nobel Prize) winner Josh Lederburg was trying to find how bacteria produced progeny that were not clones. Avery had demontrated the genetic importance of DNA and Lederberg with Tatum described the process of genetic transfer in conjugation and later with Zinder the importance of bacteriophages in the same process which they called transduction.
In 1952 Lederberg proposed the idea of DNA carrying bodies called plasmids ... which we now know are DNA molecules separate from the chromosomal DNA and equally capable of autonomous replication, and also sequencing. It is now realised that these plasmids represent a rapid and simple form of horizontal gene transfer.
Plague is now regarded as a re-emerging disease, with small outbreaks all over the world. Therefore when a multiple drug resistant strain of Yersina pestis (the cause of bubonic plague) was identified in 1995 in a single patient in Madagascar , who exhibited high-level resistance to at least eight drugs used for treating plague, including streptomycin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, and sulfonamides ... some scientists looked up quizically (especially those curious people who study bio-warfare, as plague kills quickly).
The antibiotic reesistance in this case was traced to a self-transmissible plasmid. What really excited attention was that this plasmid showed common elements in the gene sequences of multi drug resistant (MDR) plasmids of Salmonella enterica , a globally spread foodborne pathogen; and Yersina ruckeri, a fish pathogen.
It is a common experience that Salmonella is widespread and the incidence of MDR Salmonella is on the increase. Craig Venters Institute of Genomic Research (TIGR) Rockville MD set to, using rapid gene sequencing techniques to analyze the occurrence and distribution of the common plasmid background in three sets of samples:
1. 125 MDR Salmonella strains recovered from retail meats from 2002 to 2005 through the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS)
2. A small collection of E coli strains recovered from food samples
3. Klebsiella isolates from ground turkey meat from Iowa.
The authors detected the common MDR plasmid backbone in multiple Salmonella serotypes, nine samples of Klebsiella from ground turkey, and E coli isolated from a calf and from ground turkey.
This implies recent recent genetic exchange, either directly between species or through bacterial intermediates, and that the overlapping ranges of these organisms could have aided past transmission, and perhaps future transmission between bacteria.
Whilst it is too soon to start writing headlines about global Plague threats - the massive overuse of antibacterials in agriculture may trigger the rapid spread of such MDR plasmids . If an outbreak of MDR plague developed in an area well-connected to the rest of the world such a method of resistance transmission could pose a serious global public health problem.
It does of course identify possible transmission methods for drug resistance in other infectious organisms, especially those that are rapidly spreading in healthcare centres.
Professor Trevor Jones gave the Health Protection Agency Annual Lecture on Infectious Diseases on Thursday and gave special emphasis to the increasing problem of extensively drug-resistant TB or XDR tuberculosis . XDR TB is almost always fatal and it is reported that severely resistant strains have spread into Europe and North America . “ We are seeing the emergence ... or re-emergence… of a number of significant infectious diseases in both the developed and the developing world e.g. influenza, malaria, tuberculosis, HIVAIDS. The causes of this varies from neglect, poor healthcare infrastructure, poverty and the absence of funding to the development of resistance and the mutation of infectious parasites and micro-organisms."
He then went on to stake the claim for more funding having previously reminded the audience that the New York XDTB outbreaks cost US$1 Bn . Ahead of World TB day on 24th March UK (not inlcuding Scotland) figures were released showing TB cases reported declined slightly from 3,541 in 2005 to 3445 in 2006 , but case numbers been rising steadily for the last 10 years with over 40% of them in London. Countries that have huge resevoirs of HIV/AIDS have been showing astonishing levels of XDTB - Russia has reported 41 percent drug resistance among patients requiring re-treatment , levels of 20% are also being found in India and South Africa
DR Salmonella spp. with resistance to antimicrobial drugs are widespread.
In developed countries such strains are zoonotic in origin and acquire their resistance in the food-animal host before onward transmission to humans through the food chain. A major problem is Salmonella typhimurium definitive phage type (DT) 104, displaying resistance to up to six commonly used antimicrobials, and some with low susceptibility to ciprofloxacin.
Multiple drug resistance ( MDR to 4 or more antimicrobials) is also common in the poultry-associated pathogens Salmonella virchow and Salmonella hadar, with an increasing number of strains of these serotypes exhibiting decreased susceptibility to ciprofloxacin.
For Salmonella typhi, multiple drug resistance is common in strains originating in the Indian subcontinent and south-east Asia often associated many with low susceptibility to ciprofloxacin.
A study published in 2005 showed that in Turkey, MDR was particularly high among Salmonella Typhimurium isolates (76.7%), and resistance or decreased susceptibility to ciprofloxacin was seen in Salmonella Paratyphi B, Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Enteritidis strains.
In 2000 in a study of 27 000 cases of human salmonellosis in 10 European countries showed 40% of isolates were resistant to at least one antimicrobial, with 18% multiresistant. Resistance to ampicillin, streptomycin, sulphonamides and tetracyclines was common. In England and Wales multiple resistance was also prevalent in S. Virchow and S. Hadar
In 1998 a well known US study showed that Salmonella typhimurium with five-drug pattern of resistance increased from 0.6 percent in 1979–1980 to 34 percent in 1996. leading them to conclude . Multidrug-resistant typhimurium DT104 has become a widespread pathogen in the United States. More recent figures do not seem to be available but Danish studies show a an elevated mortality from patients with DT104 strains - 4.8 times more likely to die than the general Danish population, compared with 2.3 patients with non drug resistant strains.
Rosa Kleb, one of the more evil masterminds of Flemings curious and sinister world is not responsible for Klebsiella pneumoniae. This talented microbe was named after the famous German pathologist (one of many in the last century) Edwin Klebs (1834–1913) who worked with Rudolf Virchow at the Pathological Institute in Berlin from 1861 until 1866. His main claim to fame is his identification of the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae as the aetiological cause of diphtheria. The bacterial genus Klebsiella is named in to honour him.
Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) is a bacterium normally found in the mouth, skin and intestines. Strains resistant to antibiotics are being found with increasing frequency in hospitals. KP causes bacterial pneumonia, it is commonly involved in hospital-acquired wound and urinary-tract infections, particularly in patients with weak immune systems, especially the elderly - the same group who are susceptible to other HAI's such as Staphylococcus aureus.
Faeces are the most significant source of infection, followed by contact with contaminated instruments, catheters, speculums, colonoscopes. Therefore strict regimes of hand washing are required by anyone who handles patients.
Early in March there were reports on Israeli TV that apparently KP killed more than 100 very sick patients in a number of hospitals around the country and sensational charges of a cover up against the Health Ministry were made.
It soon became apparent that the problem was more serious than was at first reported.
Responding belatedly the Ministry of Health appointed Prof. Yehuda Carmeli, a leading epidemiologist at Tel Aviv's Sourasky Medical Center, to head a team, to deal with an outbreak whose scale had been previously not made public.
“Between 400 to 500 people have been infected by the bug, and 30 to 40 percent of them have already died,”said Yehuda Carmeli, the head of the epidemiology unit at the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv.
“However, it is important to note that most of them were in a serious condition, and some were suffering from prior medical conditions.”The Ministry said later that most of those infected have been hospitalized for over 25 days, and their average age was about 75. It appears that the organism is resistant to third generation cephalosporins and the latest aminoglycosides of the Streptomycin family. It appears that KP has a neat trick of producing a mutant that produces an enzyme known as "extended-spectrum beta lactamases," or ESBLs which allows them to hydrolyze cephalosporins. 2 New York hospitals report 25% of infections with this refined biochemistry. The Sourasky Medical Center laboratory has expertise in molecular typing of bacterial pathogens, genetic analysis of mechanisms of antibiotic resistance, including beta-lactamases and collaborate with several international groups on the study of antibiotic resistance. ( Carmeli has identified Acinetobacter baumanii as a newer and possibly more dangerous antiobiotic resistant organism - Israel hospital report- see Footnote)
See this for news of "adverse events" in UK hospitals...if you can find it , also read Ivan Illych LIMITS TO MEDICINE. Medical Nemesis: The Expropriation of Health. London. Calder and Boyars. Ideas in Progress 1976. The first sentence of which is "'The medical establishment has become a major threat to health'. he also identified the habit of the medical / pharma nexus to "medicalise" problems which has led to the more modern blight of "Disease Mongering".Got a pain in your foot ... well you may have "painful foot syndrome." .. You think this is a joke , 3 million Australians are said by one Oz medical luminary to suffer from "restless leg syndrome".. and will prescribe you a pharmaceutical treatment.
In a surprise, but not unexpected move on October 13th ,2006 President George W Bush ,encouraged by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, signed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act HR4411 (it was was attached to Safe Port Act Conference Report) - making it, in effect, illegal for internet betting firms to collect money from US based gamblers. The bill passed 409-2 in the House of Representatives and on a voice vote in the Senate.
Consequently firms such as 888.com , Sportingbet, and Gibraltar-based Partygaming (who claimed this would lose them US$1 Bn gross revenues annually they announced on March 1st pre-tax profits fell 57% in 2006 )- ceased dealing with US based gamblers and concentrated on fleecing dumb folks elsewhere.
Betonsports had closed its US operations in August 2006 which had, it is claimed been responsible for nearly all of it's sizeable profuts. The gambling world was shocked when Betonsports then chief executive David Carruthers was detained while changing planes in the US. The company sacked him and shut down their business . Since then he has been under house arrest in St Louis since August.
On July 17th 2006 , Mr Gary Stephen Kaplan one of the founders of Betonsports was one of 11 people indicted on charges of racketeering, fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy. the defendents included the company. Mr K was personally charged with 20 felony violations of Federal laws including: the Wire Act, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Conspiracy, interstate transportation of gambling paraphernalia, interference with the administration of Internal Revenue laws and tax evasion.
To his surprise no doubt, as he was enjoying a Pina Colada in his Santo Domingo hotel in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday, he was arrested and was sent from there to Puerto Rico for apperance before a US magistrate.
The US Authorities have requested the court to move Mr K St Louis immediately or be held in custody pending a hearing to remove him to St Louis, to answer the charges against him.
Others charged with Mr K included Kaplan’s siblings, Neil Scott Kaplan and Lori Kaplan Multz; Norman Steinberg; David Carruthers, chief executive officer of BetonSports.com; Peter Wilson, media director for BetonSports.com; and Tim Brown, Steinberg’s son-in-law. The three other charged companies, all Florida-based, were Direct Mail Expertise, Inc., DME Global Marketing and Fulfillment Inc. and Mobile Promotions Inc. Also charged are William Hernan Lenis; Monica Lenis and Manny Gustavo Lenis, owners and operators of the Florida companies; and William Hernan Lenis’ son, William Luis Lenis. (Some of these have been arrested)
The racketeering conspiracy alleges that the defendants agreed to conduct an enterprise
through a pattern of racketeering acts, including repeated mail fraud, wire fraud, operation of an illegal gambling business and money laundering.
U.S Attorney Catherine L. Hanaway of the Eastern District of Missouri. “Misuse of the Internet to violate the law can ultimately only serve to harm legitimate businesses. This indictment is but one step in a series of actions designed to punish and seize the profits of individuals who disregard federal and state laws.”
Bill Frist in a statement after the Bill passed in the Senate....
"Gambling is a serious addiction that undermines the family, dashes dreams, and frays the fabric of society. Congress has grappled with this issue for 10 years, and during that time we've watched this shadow industry explode. For me as majority leader, the bottom line is simple: Internet gambling is illegal. Although we can't monitor every online gambler or regulate offshore gambling, we can police the financial institutions that disregard our laws."
The bill passed 409-2 in the House of Representatives and on a voice vote in the Senate.
Asked by the Daily Torygraph whether the public doesn't have a right to see the probable next Prime Minister tested by a young challenger such as Mr Miliband, Rt.Hon. Margaret Becket MP said: "But what about the poor bloody human sacrifice?
Mrs Beckett says: "I think 'poor David'. It is complete nonsense."
"He is very bright. He is a very good minister. I am sure he will be a major figure in the party for a long time to come and a major contender at some time in the future. But should he take this step to satisfy somebody else's prejudices? He would be daft."
Methinks the Pantomime Dame doth protest too much.
By the way ...
By the way Rt Hon David Miliband MP: gave the Dr S T Lee Lecture on Public Policy at the University of Cambridge, "The transition economy: a future beyond oil?" on the 5 March 2007 which has received litle comment. Should you wish to hear the great boy speak the 18MB MP3 audio file is available here.
He provided the first evidence that has come from his department (previously run by Dame Margaret) about the problems of energy security that have been looming for many years..and been seriously ignored.
"..many of our coal and nuclear power stations are coming to an end. For years, the UK has been self-sufficient in gas and oil, thanks to North Sea Oil production. In future, we will increasingly depend on oil and gas imports from Russia, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa. We could be importing as much as 90% of our gas by 2020 compared with around 10% now. So there are plainly dangers of energy insecurity."He talked some bollocks about Climate change but he realises (as no doubt others are now belatedly realising in Whitehall)
"...energy security and climate change can lead to common solutions."As the Pantomime Dame says, ... "he is very bright"
"........ there is a simple stark fact that I would just like to put in front of people, which is we are going to go over the next 15 or 20 years to a situation where: one, the 20% that we get of our electricity from nuclear is going to decline to virtually zero; and two, where we are going to go from being 80 or 90% self-sufficient in oil and gas, to 80 or 90% importing it. And I think what that means is if we want to safeguard our energy supply ..."Perhaps, just perhaps, the message of FCUKED is getting through.
Michael Gove, MP the fresh faced (40 but looks 12) , diminutive boy genius of the Tory party, the front man and mouthpiece for the Toffs at the Top of the Tories was on Newsnight Review (again!) with Kirsty Wark tonight.
They considered the Channel 4 Drama "The Mark of Cain" by Tony Marchant, a tale of two Lancashire squaddies charged with abusing Iraqi detainees. It was filmed last summer in Tunisia and the north of England, but transmission has been delayed pending the conclusion of a six-month court martial covering similar charges and, coincidentally, involving a Lancashire regiment. and their blameless commanding officer.
This drama depicts the brutality of army life (shades of Deepcut Barracks) culminating in a vicious death. The two principal Lancastrian, childhood friends discover, when they are charged, that their superiors are able to wriggle out of blame, thanks to an unspoken system in which guilt is stratified by linguistic competence.
“It’s a class thing,” says Marchant. “People who know how to use euphemisms can get away with things. If you talk about how you want someone to be treated ‘rigorously’, that isn’t an order — which means that, if the ordure hits the Vent Axia, you can be exculpated. Further down the line, it’s, ‘We’ve got to give a bloke a kicking.’”
“Of course, you get some thugs,” Marchant says, “but I was much more interested in the people who made a journey from being an average, typical 18-year-old to doing something appalling. An argument I heard a lot is that you can improve morale: ‘We have to do this to avenge the death of our mate or popular section commander.’ If you beat up a detainee, it helps everybody feel better. You are reaffirming your bond. You don’t get involved in the mistreatment of detainees as an individual. It’s done as a group thing. Constantly, there is this schism between a view of morality over there and how we would view it over here. It wasn’t that it was morally aberrant to do unspeakable things. It was a moral obligation.”
Well poor young Michael doesn't like this. Too much like real life. It disturbs him. If it disturbs him, he doesn't want it to disturb anyone else. Simple. Ban it. He says Channel 4 shouldn't show the powerful play (which they call a "Flagship drama") on April 5th as planned .. it is not "balanced" ... in the way one imagines that say, Hamlet is unbalanced.
This is No 1 in a series of Public Service Announcements on sightings of the propaganda for Cameron and his Toofs at the Top of the Tory Party and their working class camp follower Michael Gove on Newsnight - and no doubt elsewhere on the open maw of BBC. Gove worked for the BBC4 Today programme and is a regular panelist on The Moral maze - his wife Sarah Vine writes for Rupe's Rag the Times. he is also friend of right wing hadcases Melanie Phillips and Stephen Pollard and forms the glittering centrepiece of the Notting Hill set of David Cameron, George Osborne, Edward Vaizey, Nicholas Boles and Rachel Whetstone. Is a war gaming fan along with friend and colleague David Aaronovitch and like him a supporter of Israel and critical of any Anti-Annerican or God forbid anti-semitism.
Keep you eyes open for this censorious soul.
The total number of motor vehicles licensed at the end of 2006 was 1.4 % up on the end of 2005 at 33.4 million.
The number of vehicles registered for the first time during 2006 was 3.6 % down on 2005 (cars of all types -4.2%)
With the exception of taxis there were decreases in first time registrations for all body types. Full DVLA annual statistics
On 12 July 2006, the Iraeli cabinet was to vote on the invasion of Lebanon. Haim Ramon, Justice Minister and a close ally of Prime Minister Olmert, who played a pivotal role in the founding of Kadima as a breakaway from Likud was in his office minutes before the Cabinet started that day , and he was visited by a female soldier in his office. In August when allegations surfaced Ramon admitted forcibly kissing her , but not indecent assault. He claimed the kiss was the outcome of a flirtation initiated by her.
Ramon was found guilty in January and the court has now given him 120 hours of community service and fined 15,000 NIS (£1,800) for kissing a female soldier.
The conviction could have carried a sentence of three years and the prosecution had asked for a suspended jail sentence for Ramon
The court declined to qualify his crime as one of "moral depravity" or "moral turpitude", which would of course bar him from entry to the USand also from Parliament or teh Cabinet . His rapid return to the Cabinet is expected and there is speculation he will return to replace Finance Minister, Abraham Hirchson if he gives in to public pressure and resigns due to the police investigation of his financial dealings.
Dr. Dana Pugach, director of the Noga Center for Victims of Crime in the Kiryat Ono Academic College, slammed the court's ruling. "Attempting to save Ramon's career, the court invented a sexual offense without moral turpitude - something that doesn't exist - and conveyed the wrong message to the public by giving Ramon's acts a public and moral seal of approval," she said.
Olmert : Surrounded by a sea of corruption.
Dan Halutz Chief of Staff of the IDF had to resign because of the war and how it was conducted. Not to mentionthe fact that he had sufficient time on the eve of war to "defend hos country" to call his broker to liquidate his portfolio. Such a selfless guy.
Inspector-General Moshe Karadi the head of Israel Police, resigned because of revelations concerning his conduct in a previous position.
Shula Zaken, Olmert’s Bureau Chief / Personal Secretary of 30 years, was arrested on 1st february this year, and then she was released on bail for her alleged involvement in a tax-rigging scandal - there are also widespread rumours of her association with people like Arkadi Gaydamak (pic) owner of the Betyar Jerusalem soccer team.
Gaydamak (55) is a fascinating character, a Russian billionaire whose family have widespread interests. He finds that his foreign travel requires French and Israeli passports as well as Canadian diplomatic documentation. He usually travels in his role as a representative of the government of Angola - which helps to ensure he remains free from arrest. (The French wish to extradite him on charges of illegal arms trading with Angola, tax evasion and money laundering (The so called Angolgate case) . Alexandre Gaydamak, his son is the owner of Portsmouth Football (Soccer) Club in the UK, his partner in Portsmouth has moved on and on 13th February, Milan Mandarić (who is a Serb and one time friend of George Best) was unveiled as the owner of Leicester City FC. he has also had interest in Belgian club Standard Liege and the French team OGC Nice. (of no interest is the news that only last week former Italian champions Juventus and Standard Liege are being investigated over possible fraud in player transfers. Here for interesting news of Belgian club Beveren and Arsenal, transfers etc.,.
On February 20, 2007 Gaydamak announced he would found a party based solely on socio-economic issues called Social Justice running "in tandem" with Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud. Whatever that means - but Netanyahu appeared at a mass Hanukkah party that Gaydamak organized this year. Unbeleivably he says he wants to extend his help to other sectors of the population - among Israeli Arabs, Bedouin, Druze and the ultra-Orthodox.
The foundation of this party is seen as a direct threat to the loathsome Arab baiting, ultra Zionist Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of Yisrael Beiteinu, whose support is almost entirely amongst the Russian Jewish diaspora.
Jackie Matza the head of the Tax Authority, who was a personal appointment of Olmert’s when he was previously Finance Minister - was arrested and forced to resign in the wake of the same affair. See this article in Ha'aretz "Rotten to the core"
Hanging over all this is the forthcoming trial of State President Moshe Katsav, for what some call sexual misconduct and others, rape.
Bush's gang of mad beekeepers
Published March 19, 2003 by Canadian Spectator.
" The full-scale, unilateral US invasion of Iraq is imminent. President Bush's gang and their "allies" do not realize their miscalculation: that the costs of invasion will outweigh any benefits.
.......I've taken Baghdad what do I do now?
What is uncertain is the aftermath. This is the variable never publicly factored into the thinking(?) of the Tony Sopranos of Dubya's gang; their deeds plant the seeds of future, furious, frightening resistance. As many as half a million Iraqi soldiers may be intentionally killed and perhaps 100,000 civilians written off to collateral damage. Think of the grief of millions after this slaughter, the conversion of that grief into rage, combine that with the internecine struggles based on historical ethnic fault lines (that the Ba'ath Party has repressed), and we begin to appreciate the explosive complexity of post-invasion Iraq.
This invasion will also ignite the well financed fires of Arab and Muslim (of all shades, hues and fealties) humiliation and anger. Either in the sands of the desert or on city streets, far from this war, the body bags will build up. "
Richard Horton , Editor of The Lancet wrote in the Guradian Comment is Free this week
about the Lancet/ John Hopkins report they published October last year which calculated from an intensive academic study that 655,000 Iraqis had died due to the violence in the country. It has now evident that chief advisers warned ministers not to "rubbish" the report..
Scientists at the UK's Department for International Development thought differently. They concluded that the study's methods were "tried and tested". Indeed, the Hopkins approach would likely lead to an "underestimation of mortality".
The Ministry of Defence's chief scientific advisor said the research was "robust", close to "best practice", and "balanced". He recommended "caution in publicly criticising the study".
A Foreign Office official was forced to conclude that the government "should not be rubbishing The Lancet".
The prime minister's adviser finally gave in. He wrote: "the survey methodology used here cannot be rubbished, it is a tried and tested way of measuring mortality in conflict zones".....
This Labour government, which includes Gordon Brown as much as it does Tony Blair, is party to a war crime of monstrous proportions. Yet our political consensus prevents any judicial or civil society response. Britain is paralysed by its own indifference.
At a time when we are celebrating our enlightened abolition of slavery 200 years ago, we are continuing to commit one of the worst international abuses of human rights of the past half-century. It is inexplicable how we allowed this to happen. It is inexplicable why we are not demanding this government's mass resignation.
The grey haired, whey faced Defence Secretary Des"I mumble your weight" Brown, the dynamic Scots solicitor left the announcement of a major future augmentation of the Army's helicopter capacity until all his chums in the House of Comons had broken up for Easter - or for the faithless amongst you, what we must now call the Spring Break.
"14 additional helicopters will become available over the next 2 years for use on military operations (please note the (very) careful wording)."These extra and much needed machines are 6 Augusta Westland Merlins EH 101 originally for supply to Denmark which will be further equipped and will cost a total of £147 Mn with operational enhancements and the "latest generation of advanced rotor-blades which will enhance their speed, range and lift(= £24.5 MN each). This will ensure good performance even in demanding environments like Iraq and Afghanistan." Demark will receive their 6 machines subsequntly , this demonstrates says the exciteable Des, "once more the strong link between our two NATO nations."(Prime Minister Rasmussen announced in February 2007 that most Danish troops would be withdrawn from Iraq by August 2007)
The bottom line is, 8 Chinook 3’s were ordered from Boeing in 1995. They were tailored to the needs of the SAS and Special Boat Service, with satellite communications technology, extra fuel tanks and in-flight refuelling probes for long flights. (Hence the need for the derring do of the SAS "brave" lads hanging on like aerial circus performers to Apache's to lift a wounded colleague (pic) (Guradian) - portrayed as a Boys Own Paper tale of heroism but actually forced by the dire shortage of equipment that these announcement today will relieve in .... 2-3 years time) - their colleague died.
Des also explains that "..there has been continual work on spares and crewing to increase the number of hours the aircraft can fly per month. Operational commanders in Afghanistan and Iraq have consistently and publicly confirmed that they currently have sufficient support helicopters to do the tasks required, although we can always do more with more. For example, Brigadier Jerry Thomas (Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan) has said, "Our success on operations would not have been possible unless our forces were properly equipped and supplied. To be clear, I have not asked for additional helicopters and the supply system is working well.""we are deeply concerned at the shortage of helicopters in theatre and believe that unless measures are taken to increase the number of helicopters and to reduce pressure on crews, the effectiveness and coherence of UK operations on the ground will suffer."Remarks Des must have seen having been reported in the Scotsman 15/10/06 who also reported ...
Brigadier Ed Butler, outgoing commander of UK forces in the south of the country, said: "If we had more helicopters, we could generate a higher tempo, not just of offensive operations, but also to crack on with reconstruction and development."
Defence Secretary Des Browne has already accepted the general shortage of helicopters and insists the government is "taking steps to deal with this".
They also reported a defence spokesman confirming that the British army may be allowed to "borrow" further transport helicopters, expected to be Merlins, designated for Nato allies including Denmark (ordered 14) and Portugal(12). (This was nearly 6 months ago)
Basically we have borrowed 6 Merlins from our Danish friends as they withdraw from Iraq and we finally get to use the Chinooks we ordered in 1995 in 2 years time... at a cost conservatively estimated at "around" £250Mn. Quite what the MOD would use these helicopters for other than military operations defies understanding - ferrying Prince Andrew between Golf courses ?
Lord Patel has always been suspicious of the all wise, obese scribbler , with an evident venereal strabismus, who when he appears on Newsnight - which is remarkable for it's frequency - gives every impressionnof terminal shiftiness (and you can leave out the 'f' ). Simply I wouldn't leave him in charge of the baby or the babysitter.
Now the NUJ have nailed the bastard and have chapter and verse on what a devious lying cunt he is, and how inaccurate and opaque his stories are. STill in a paper that regularly used to print Lady Balck's vile bile it is difficult to determine the dross from the good stuff.
Travel to NUJ New Media and read all about it.
Analysing 44 articles by Mr Coughlin on Iran, the report finds some stark patterns in terms of his journalistic technique:
• Sources are unnamed or untraceable, often “senior Western intelligence officials” or “senior Foreign Office officials”.
• Articles are published at sensitive and delicate times where there has been a relatively positive diplomatic moves towards Iran.
• Articles contain exclusive revelations about Iran combined with eye-catchingly controversial headlines;
• The story upon which the headline is based does not usually exceed one line or at the most one paragraph. The rest of the article focuses on other, often unrelated, information.
This is not of course the first time the slobbery chopped talentless fabricator has been exposed
"Nearly 25 years later, readers of the Sunday Telegraph were regaled with a dramatic story about the son of Col Gadafy of Libya and his alleged connection to a currency counterfeiting plan. The story was written by Con Coughlin, the paper’s then chief foreign correspondent, and it was falsely attributed to a “British banking official”. In fact, it had been given to him by officers of MI6, who, it transpired, had been supplying Coughlin with material for years."
"The origins of that November 1995 Telegraph article only came to light when they were recently disclosed by Mark Hollingsworth, the biographer of renegade security service officer David Shayler."access the article for more of this well documented case.
The Department of Trade and Industrypublished the Energy Trends and Quarterly Energy Prices today :
TOTAL ENERGY: 2006
- Total production in 2006 was 196.4 million tonnes of oil equivalent, 8.8 % lower than 2005.
- Between 2005 and 2006 coal and other solid fuel consumption rose by 11.0 %
- Oil consumption increased by 1.1 %
- Gas consumption fell by 5.5 %.
- Primary electricity consumption decreased by 6.5 %.
COAL 2006
Annual coal production for 2006 was 18.6 Mn tonnes, 9.3 % down on production in 2005 at 18.6 million tonnes. Opencast production was down 17.3 per cent as sources declined in output.
- Imports of coal in 2006 were record level of 50.3 Mn tones , 14.3 per cent up on 2005
- Coal demand was 68.2 Mn tonnes up 10.2 %
OIL: 2006
- Compared with 2005, Total indigenous UK production of crude oil and NGLs in 2006 decreased by 76.6 mn tonnes = 9.6 %. Two new fields started production in 2006, but production from these new fields was insufficient to make up for the general decline in production from older established fields.
- The UK was a net importer of oil and oil products for the first time since 1980 by 6.6 million tonnes. In 2005 the UK was a net exporter by 2.4 million tonnes.
- Overall primary demand for oil products in 2006 was 0.4 per cent lower than in 2005.
- Deliveries of aviation turbine fuel increased by 0.1 %. Preliminary figures for 2006 suggest that motor spirit deliveries fell by 1.7 per cent whilst Derv (diesel) deliveries increased by 5.6%
GAS: 2006
- Total indigenous UK production of natural gas in 2006 declined by 8.6 % over 2005.
- Exports of natural gas in 2006 rose by 25.4 % compared with 2005 and imports increased by 40.8 %.
- Demand for gas in 2006 as a whole was 4.4 % down on 2005.
Gas use for electricity generation in 2006 was 7.5 % down on 2005.
- Provisionally, consumption in the domestic sector fell by 3.6 % in 2006 as a whole while consumption in the industrial sector fell 4.7 %.
ELECTRICITY: 2006
- Fuel used by generators in 2006 as a whole was, in total, 0.3 % lower than in 2005. (ie Static)
- The supply from coal in 2006 increased by 11.6 % (+14.9 TWh)
gas fired stations supply fell by 7.5 % (-11.2 TWh).
The supply from nuclear stations fell by 7.9 % (-5.9 TWh).
- Total electricity supplied by all generators in 2006 was 0.4 per cent lower (-1.7 TWh) than in 2005. (ie Static)
PRICES: QUARTER 4 2006
- Average industrial gas prices, including CCL were 14.9 % lower in real terms in Q4 2006 compared to Q4 2005.
- Average industrial electricity prices including CCL were 14.6 % higher, in real terms, in Q4 2006 compared to Q4 2005.
- Estimates suggest that in January 2007, industrial gas and electricity prices in the UK including taxes were above the EU15 median for all size bands of consumers.
- In mid March 2007, unleaded petrol was on average 88.5 pence per litre, a decrease of 1.0 pence per litre compared to a year earlier.
- In mid March 2007, diesel was, on average, 92.2 pence per litre, 1.6 pence per litre lower than a year earlier.
- Provisional Q4 2006 data shows that the price paid for all fuel and light by household consumers has risen by 26.4 % in real terms between Q4 2005 and Q4 2006.
- Domestic electricity prices, including VAT, in Q4 2006 were 24.3 % higher in real terms than in Q4 2005. The price of domestic gas rose by 37.6 % in real terms over the same period, whilst the price of heating oils fell by 6.9 %.
- 2006 figures for household bills suggest that an average standard credit electricity bill increased by £53 compared to 2005 bills. Bills for direct debit and pre-payment customers increased by £44 and £55 respectively.
- For gas, 2006 bills suggest that an average standard credit bill rose by £87 compared to average 2005 bills. Comparable changes for average direct debit and pre-payment bills were increases of £71 and £97 respectively.
- Combined gas and electricity standard credit bills have increased by about 18.0 per cent in real terms, and 20.9 per cent in cash terms, between 2005 and 2006.
- The Energy White Paper, published in February 2003, defined four goals for energy policy, the first of which was to put ourselves on a long term path to reduce the UK's CO2 emissions by 60 per cent by 2050; this target was emphasised in the 2006 Energy Review, and the draft Climate Change Bill published in March 2007 proposed that the 60 per cent target would be legally binding.
- Final energy consumption increased by 9.5 % between 1990 and 2006 compared with a GDP increase of 47 % over the same period.
- Energy consumption did not change at the same rate as GDP due (says the DTI) to:
1. Improvements in energy efficiency
2. Fuel switching
3. A decline in the relative importance of energy intensive industries
4. Demand for space heating does not increase in line with output.
...ie no mention of cost increases.
Energy Trends and the Quarterly Energy Prices bulletins, published quarterly, are available in hard copy from DTI on subscription, price £40 per annum and on the internet at
It is evident that UK electricity producers are sweating their coal burning assets whilst they can and that the consumers both commercial and domestic have been jolted into more efficient energy use by the dramatic rise in price.
Natural gas and oil assets continue - like coal (open cast production declined) to decline at a masive rate. This cold and lonely island on the Western fringe of Europe, hads to importing more and more energy either as gas by tanker or pipeline, oil or coal. Whilst people worry about the impact of carbon emissions on the economy over the next 40 years, the impact on the balance of payments, competitiveness of UK industry and the cost of living - especially of the ageing population ,is, it appears, of little concern.
Fiddling whilst the lights go out.
(C) Very Seriously Disorganised Criminals 2002/3/4/5/6/7/8/9 - copy anything you wish
