I had excellent news from my cardiologist yesterday. Ready to think about other things now. I am horrified by the continuing stream of ” royal” baby hype on television. Truly pathetic – is this 1313 or 2013? Who buys into this nonsense?
I thought the Lib Dem take on Trident missiles was hilarious. This small group of islands does apparently need to retain the ability to wipe out one third of the urban population of humankind, as a defence against something undefined – possibly people we invade getting too annoyed about it – and in order to increase our “influence” in the World. As we plainly have less influence than the Germans, who don’t feel this need for the power of obliteration, I do not quite see how this works. Nor do I see Pakistan, which does have nuclear weapons, as very influential. Nor do I quite understand how our influence can be increased by possessing something under effective American control. But there you are.
Anyway, the Lib Dems have come to the intellectually scintillating conclusion that we do need this world shattering power, but we don’t need it on Wednesday or Thursday afternoons or on Saturday mornings, which will be cheaper. Brilliant, and plainly does not dodge any big ethical or practical questions at all.
Anything to cast a positive light on the tribe would do! You are just being “racist”, and an anti-s…. and stuff. AlthoughJames Randi has never gone after him, seeing as James Randi can bend forks even into a worse shape, don’t mean nufin, see! nufin*.
* try and emulate James Cagney reading the last bit!
Richard Horton Editor of the Lancet reviews a book about the privatisation of this NHS.
Cowards, betrayers and appeasers have destroyed the NHS
All three parties have colluded in the creation of ideal conditions for an unprecedented colonisation of the NHS by an aggressive, profit-seeking private sector. NHS SOS, a new book edited by Jacky Davis and Raymond Tallis, explains how it was done.
http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2013/07/richard-horton-editor-lancet-cowards-betrayers-and-appeasers-have-destroyed-nhs
Note that the plan had already been formulated in spite of the Conservative promise that there would be ‘no top down reorganisations’.
Betrayal is the word.
Fedup,
Eh? James Randi has consistently attacked Uri Geller as a fraud. For example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnDHPOWXFVI
They appear to genuinely hate each other. That could always be an act I suppose.
“trundles uphill making a noise like a garden shed having an orgasm.”
ROTFL!
I’m just about to download one of your books. For which I’ll owe you another thank you. 🙂
“Saudi Arabia has transferred USD 2 billion to the Egyptian Central Bank as part of an aid package.”
[Saudi Arabia has also]” promised to grant Egypt a further USD 2 billion in the form of oil and gas products and USD 1 billion in cash.”
“Egypt has already received USD 3 billion from the United Arab Emirates, USD 2 billion of which was a cash deposit and USD 1 billion an outright grant.”
“Kuwait has also promised USD 4 billion to help the crashing Egyptian economy back on its feet.”
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/07/23/315239/saudi-arabia-gives-egypt-2-bln-in-aid/
None of this “aid” was offered to Egypt until after the military ousted Morsi.
Strange that.
“The US and Israel have not been invited to the inauguration of the Iranian president elect, due to take place on August 4.”
“An invitation is directed to all countries except for the United States and of course the Zionist entity which Iran does not recognize,” an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Abbas Araghchi, told a press conference on Tuesday.
Araghchi had indicated on Sunday that leaders from all countries, including the UK, were welcome to attend.”
http://rt.com/news/line/2013-07-23/#49654
Well that’s a surprise given all the kind words the US and Israel have bestowed on Iran.
The case becomes stranger and stranger.
23 July 2013
Alps shooting victim fraud case dropped
Saad al-Hilli was shot dead along with his wife, mother-in-law and a cyclist in the French Alps
The case against a man who was accused of trying to defraud the bank accounts of an engineer who was killed in the French Alps has been dropped.
Abiodun David John, 33, from Salford, denied eight counts of fraud, four of which related to Saad al-Hilli.
The prosecution offered no evidence on all counts during his trial at Guildford Crown Court.
Mr al-Hilli, from Claygate, was shot dead with his wife, mother-in-law and a cyclist on 5 September.
Mr al-Hilli’s brother Zaid al-Hilli, 54, has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder and bailed until 31 July, pending further inquiries.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-23422616
Flaming,
An an earlier strange appearance in court
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9677589/Man-who-attempted-to-to-obtain-Alps-murder-victims-credit-card-remanded-in-custody.html
It seems he has been held in custody since November. And now charges dropped?
Hi folks, and a special hi to Jon!
Lots of posts to comment on, test, contest and even correct, so I’ll start in reverse order with the most recent first.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
from Doug Scorgie (19h59):
“None of this “aid” { ie from Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait } was offered to Egypt until after the military ousted Morsi.
Strange that.”
___________
Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait had, and have, no interest in supporting a govt of the Muslim Brotherhood (anywhere). So there is nothing strange at all about them not offering aid to the Morsi govt.
I assume, however, that you are glad that someone is offering aid to Egypt, because the counrty certainly needs it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@ Flaming June (18h21):
“I also get angry about injustice and lies and seek justice and truth. I think you would agree that the majority of my posts are about Palestine for that reason.”
_________
The second of the two sentences is a non sequitur : why should your noble sentiments as set out in the first sentence lead you to focus almost exclusively on Palestine? Unless of course you feel that the world’s injustices and lies are to be found almost exclusively in Palestine? This would come as a surprise to many true campaigners for truth and justice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@ Ben (The American Sage) Franklin (15h50):
“It is messy and cryptic when the posts are deleted, but the intent, glenn, is to keep the flow which suffers when the acrid back-and-forth ensues. It’s difficult to post something worthy of discussion when everyone is all heated up and bothered by a few whose goal is either to get the attention they feel they deserve, or pure disruption.”
____________
What would you say the “flow” of this thread has been, Ben? Which important themes have been interrupted and which great potential for further enlightenment killed in the womb?
I also humbly apologise for getting the Eminences so “heated up and bothered” that they were unable to post anything “worthy”. All my fault, I’m sure! 🙂
Sheer tosh, as so often.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
@ Fred (15h38)
“Apart from showing that Israel infant mortality is at Western European levels – for which it is surely to be congratulated, is it not?”
_________
What a pity you didn’t see fit to quote the rest of my sentence.
Had you done so, readers would have been reminded of the point I was making ( which you of course fully understand), which was that the infant mortality rate in the West Bank and Gaza is far lower than in the favelas of Brazil and in the urban slums of many if not most of the countries of the Indian sub-continent and Africa. This indicator, along with several others, reveals the silliness of calling the West Bank and Gaza “concentration camps”.
To remind you further, that particular theme was sparked off by a remark from one of the Eminences about annual per caput water consumption there being 83 m³ whereas it is apparently 330 m³ in Israel proper. On that comparison, it was pointed out by Kempe, with some computational input on my part, that this consumption rate compared rather favorably with the same rate on the UK, which is between 45 m³ and 100 m³ depending on region. If, therefore, the Palestinians were being starved of water (this was the implication of the original post), then it would appear that the good citizens of the UK are being likewise starved. Are they, Fred?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Further comments on page 3 posts follow.
@ Flaming June 23 Jul, 2013 – 8:43 pm
Re: Abiodun David John. There are a few more details here:
http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/saad-al-hilli-credit-card-fraud-5169258
Strange indeed. Now we will never learn how Mr. John obtained Mr. al Hilli’s account details, or if it involved the account in Geneva holding near to a million pounds, the one Mr. al Hilli’s brother allegedly tried to access.
“What a pity you didn’t see fit to quote the rest of my sentence.”
I don’t want to annoy all the people who skip past your posts.
@Dreoilin
‘I’m just about to download one of your books…’
Good on you, my friend. Hope you enjoy it!
This seems to be the earliest report
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/alps-massacre-salford-man-accused-696789
The three year old son will have to do without his father now it seems.
Follow-up on some of the posts on page 3.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@ Komodo (14h56)
“Most of the above whingerie would resonate better with me if Jon were actually paid for what he does,…”
________
You appear to be suggesting, albeit indirectly, that Jon would do his job and wield his blue pencil differently if he was paid to moderate. Have you finally embraced capitalism, Komodo?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@ Jon/mod (13h54)
“The public record shows that you have nothing but snark and conflict.”
__________
What public record would that be, after you’ve wielded your blue-pencil with such efficient rapidity? (A point Glenn also makes, I believe).
You’ll get a longer response to your post in due course (including a reminder, yet again, of the 4 things Craig once said he didn’t want to see in posts).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@ Dreoilin (11h47):
“it could elect by ballot a human rights advocate and poet like Irish President Michael D Higgins?”
Or either of the two women before him, Mary Robinson and
Mary McAleese.”
______________
Fair point, but there are no guarantees, are there? I think you might agree that Mr De Valera was not particularly known for his advocacy (or practice) of human rights, and I should say he was more of a ….pragmatist…than a poet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@ Flaming June (13h45):
“Prior to November 2012 when Habbakuk/Habbabkuk arrived, things here were relatively peaceful.”
___________
You mean that nobody ever questioned or contradicted or called you out before November 2012, I suppose. Perhaps you just got soft?
BTW, I seem to recall several people (Suhayl just the other day is the latest, I think) saying that things were “worse” on
several occasions before November 2012.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Doug Scorgie:
““You have deliberately suppressed objective data which exposed the falsehood of some posts from the anti-Israel brigade and attempted to establish a sense of proportion.”
Please specify the falsehoods you say have been posted and name the posters who used them.”
______________
You of all people (as a practitioner yourself) should know, Doug, that falsehoods can be stated or implied.
For starters, the falsehood that the Palestinians are being starved of water. Kempe kindly nailed that one, by showing that annual per caput water use in the West Bank and Gaza compared favorably with that in the UK. For your main course, the claim that Gaza is a “concentration camp”.
Look up the originators of those lies yourself (you may even have written “concentration camp” or similar yourself).
Fred old stick, thanks for a hearty laugh! A great quip.
====
James Randi is normally given top table in debunking anyone other than Uri it seems, the corporate medjia seems to have an aversion on to Randi on this issue, or perhaps it is an act as you put it AlcAnon.
Jon, I had anticipated that you would try to spin or bowl a googly which is why i had suggested you ignore my posts to you and, instead, address Glenn’s points. His points were wider and valid in the interest of Freedom and it would’ve benefited a more profound understanding of your ‘philosophy’ of censorship. It was barely a month ago where an experienced Frazer observed that the spirit of moderation here was that of a ‘light touch’ and that it was working for the most part. The time you spent in responding to me, inter alia your historical selective research of my half-quotes, without any context whatsoever, would’ve been far better spent in a more mature response to Glenn, instead of hitting me with limp noodles.
As such, your communication is hardly a good example of ‘debate’, skills of which you claim to excel at.
To be clear i never made ‘appeals’ to you as would be normally understood. I pointed out your inconsistencies and half-measures which were indicative of either slack or bias or both. I also never used the word ‘power’ (prove me wrong) as I would not subjugate myself to you. I used the word authority but grant you that responsibility would’ve been better. On that count, you hibernated through the winter, and by the time you woke up the blog had already arrived properly at its place where there was no ‘bullying’, only a higher standard of rationality.
This is appropriate as at least one poster has explained above the rather narrow circumstances which arouse her anger. Not one of your 13 selective half-comments of mine will betray to you anger or temper, some impatience with laziness or silliness, but not anger. I don’t do anger. Moreover i am deeply suspicious of people’s empathies when they do anger. They tend to be people who are playing one-side or the other of a propaganda game, thereby creating mischief all the while holding themselves out to be on the side of peace, justice and compassion. Recent examples are of painting the new S Korean president of the World Bank as being incompetent as S Korean 777 pilots who were involved in a yet unexplained mishap and petitioning God to Damn (the whole of) America, and by implication all Americans, with little betrayal that all borders, if not God himself, are an invention of man. Further, for many commenters, posting here is just more form of escape from the actual struggles of life and human suffering. Yes, to that extent, i am deeply suspicious that lazy or even deep so-called intellectuals, whose views merely touch upon the structure of politics and society are going to make one gitmo of a difference to the real and grave problems facing the world. That change can only come about when each of us are able to live in complete awareness and see our petty self-centred ego-driven activities, including compulsive posting from morning to night, with or without common foul language.
My two-bits worth of friendly advice to you would still be to get off your high horse and engage with commenters specifically and actually, not at some generic authoritative non-consensual level.
I’ll pop in again tomorrow to see if you have any further thoughts on addressing the real issues raised by specific posters or whether you still prefer to use your ‘authority’ unilaterally with questionable responsibility.
————
“I would really have appreciated knowing what the “[Jon/ Mod: Deleted]” comment was, that you saved my fluttering heart from having to witness.” — Glenn_uk
Gaza Is a Concentration Camp
Sickening how the sick deranged lunatic ziofuckwits have the effrontery to even utter; Gaza Strip is not a concentration camp.
Habby argues above, that since Gazan consumption of water per capita is on a par with that of the UK, then that shows that Gazans can’t be thought to be especially deprived of water.
“If, therefore, the Palestinians were being starved of water (this was the implication of the original post), then it would appear that the good citizens of the UK are being likewise starved.”
Isn’t this a totally fraudulent argument.
Surely the people in Gaza could be expected to use much more water per capita since it’s a much hotter place.
http://chartsbin.com/view/1455
Yup. UK is in the cool blue end of the consumption spectrum; Gaza in the sandy to fiery hot.
Using the most conservative estimate, I’d say that we should expect Gazans to use at least 4 times as much water per capita as a UK resident.
As I say, a totally fraudulent argument from Habby. Yet again, I’m afraid.
Follow this link for all who are curious about the ziofuckwits on the inter web
https://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en-GB&tab=nw#safe=off&hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=ziofuckwits&oq=ziofuckwits&gs_l=hp.3…4913414.4923310.2.4924654.20.17.0.1.1.3.407.1822.12j2j1j0j1.16.0….0…1c.1.22.psy-ab..12.20.2357.h6ZyOPMiIYg&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.49641647%2Cd.ZWU%2Cpv.xjs.s.en_US.NyLNrjc7wJY.O&fp=32ff2b8972b62d23&biw=1280&bih=590
Forgive the long link but google worked doubly hard to ensure that the Craig Murray blog was NOT the most popular ziofuckwit space.
Make up your own minds whether Fedup or F***up
Villager, I am sorry that our (virtual) relationship has broken down. I acknowledge that as a pity, genuinely.
I did hesitate before re-posting your diatribes, but I think it needs to be seen in the stark light of day, by you especially. You can contexualise it all you wish, but decent, civil posters simply don’t discourse this way. I’ve posted over 2,000 items here, many before I was a moderator – would you care to check how often I have insulted people I have strongly disagreed with?
Isn’t that the problem, though? Even when you claim to offer friendly advice, I still must accept the insults contained within.
I am saddened by the atmosphere here, Villager, I really am. I’ve put a lot of time into this place, and it currently seems to be a waste.
I am hurt, being savaged by a dead sheep is indeed very painful and calamitous!
Israel Outraged as Vatican Calls Gaza a ‘Big Concentration Camp’
The ziofuckwits are outraged, that their lies and aggression can no longer coerce their opponents. What is a ziofuckwit to do?
“I’ve put a lot of time into this place, and it currently seems to be a waste.”
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been banned from putative Lib/Progressive blogs, Jon/Villager er al. But this blog is far removed from the cliques which preponderate the web. This blog is an outlier wrt to toleration of views within the context of reasonable debate. I don’t think you, Clark or Craig are wasting their time. We value the platform you provide. I think some perspective on the objective of rational dialogue is needed.
Jon, i do find it a little strange that you attempt to ‘hang me’ by quoting selective half-comments of mine with zero context from a point of authority and unfair advantage and then you should become so sensitive that i should use a relatively mild term as ‘high horse’.
Further you’ve got it completely wrong if you’re trying to paint me as the foulest-mouth around — that award lies fairly and squarely to other posters here; they and most others know who they are.
I’ll take a couple of hard examples to illustrate so that there is no waffling and hypotheticals:
I called Sofia dim-wit because she asked me how could commenters not be subjective. I pointed out to her that i was referring to the objectivity of MODERATION. She didn’t seem to mind. Anyhow don’t you think she’s old enough to manage herself without intervention? You can check out her sarcy remarks to me — like Suhayl its water off a duck’s back.
Another Nevermind, in a sick mode early July suggested that Habby and i should be walking down the aisle and nominated the 4th of July as an auspicious date. I held the mirror up to him and pointed the Eminence as a mindless cretin. Perfectly harmonious that if you live your life seriously enough to change injustices in the world you don’t conjure out of a filthy-mind-crap like that.
Anyway Jon each day is a new one for me — lets move on. I assure you no intention to insult you personally and i regret and apologise if its come across as such. I realise i can be caustic at times and like smelling salts its sometimes useful to wake people up from their stupor — please be clear this is an arbitrary reference to others and definitely not addressed to you.
Another, Flaming Mary beavering away and digging out nos at K’s foundation and the suggesting ill-gotten gains by saying there’s gold in them that Krishnamurti Hills. Come on isn’t that a bit too far? Nothing to do with me (though she asked if i teach there — Craig’s guideline of the one eyed contractor comes to mind) but i’m entitled to stand at a distance and observe its looniness? She in particular needs to re-learn the healthy practice of ignoring, something she did surprisingly well for several months. And for God’s sake a little less about Andy Murray and Victoria Beckham sharing the same agent and other stuff that makes you go ‘Hello’? And random posts left, right and centre unhinged.
I trust the Universe will help find the right balance with good intentions so please don’t feel disheartened.
All good wishes and thanks for your attention.
THERE ARE TWO CLEAR MESSAGES FROM THIS — The first is the Vladimir Putin has stood up to to the United States in an irrevocable. all-in position.
The second is that, on this entire troubled and transforming planet, only Russia is capable of doing this.
Think about it.
Long live Russia… Viva!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2375267/Russia-set-grant-NSA-whistleblower-Edward-Snowden-political-asylum-despite-Americas-calls-arrest.html
Michael C Ruppert – An great American paladin.
Ben you succinctly transliterated my sentiments (fucking hell, what is happening to me? using big words and shit!)
Jon! stop being down mate, I and many others appreciate your efforts and Craig’s provision of this little “speakers corner” in the cyberspace. You should know there shall always be hecklers, it is their inadequacy and not yours that is so manifest.
Mark; This is the American Paladin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_Gun_–_Will_Travel
This is good news if the Daily Mail can inspire confidence.
Only Nixon could have gone to China. Only Putin can go take it to Obama.
@Dad and Villager.
Welcome back.
I notice my questions went unanswered. Well at least that’s consistent.
You can complain, insult and sidestep questions all you like. But it won’t make reality any different.
Neither will it make the growing global revulsion over the Nabka go away.
Don’t you see that Palestinians are strong and smart enough to have survived 65 years of dispossession, exile and state terrorism undefeated?
Even in the world’s largest concentration camp, after years of being “put on a diet”, they still manage year after year to reduce the infant mortality rates. These are still many times higher than those of the people who now occupy their home-places but still far better than anyone could have predicted in the circumstances.
You can’t stop people talking about the realities of this festering wound upon the body of humanity.
Israel has no guarantee of long term support from a faltering US. Surely the most rational thing to be exploring at this stage would be how to become good neighbours and seek to bring some kind of just resolution to the issue?
Let’s try to debate specific points. I want to return to my unanswered question at 2 17pm yesterday.
What do you think of the Israeli state’s mass bulldozing of ancient Olive and Almond groves? Millions of trees. Is this how any people who genuinely want to be regarded as neighbours behave? Is that photo faked?
http://www.dontpaniconline.com/magazine/radar/palestinian-olive-trees
Fedup; I’ve been told my Nevermind that my word-salad is too thin on veggies and too rife with dressing, so I’ve moderated myself on occasion, but mostly reject the notion cuz my one true love is alliteration. Sobeit.
Criminy; strike ‘my’ insert ‘by’ buh bye.