I had been spending the last few days living here in Avatime district while visiting Ghanaian friends nearby. Away from internet, TV and any other distraction, it has given me a chance to ponder what next to do with my life.
This has been a real problem. Have submitted Sikunder Burnes to the publishers, and while there is still editing and proofs, a huge amount of time is now free. My determination to dedicate myself to working for Scottish independence led to my comprehensive rejection by the SNP. This left me confused as to what I might usefully do with my life. I suppose the question I have been pondering is, what good am I?
I have come up with a potential answer, and will out it later this week.
Climate change deniers should come to Ghana. Not only have changing rainfall patterns devastated the hydro-electric system, life has become extremely hard for farmers. The last decade has seen the highly predictable wet and dry seasons become wildly unpredictable. It has been unseasonally raining heavily on me all over Ghana. The situation is extremely difficult for farmers. Mango farmers are now praying for relief from the rain for the next six weeks or the mangoes won’t flower. The continuing rains may already have adversely affected next year’s harvest. Meeting cocoa farmers today. Am now in Kumasi.
@Mary 6.27pm
Apologies you beat me to it .
Lord Carlile,Scarlett and NewsCorp eh?
How very very cosy indeed.
Craig’s question, numpties, was what he should do with his life!!
I well understand that he gives his blessing to anarchical responses but it would be nice to see people actually engage in conversation – rather than stock responses…
I thought the way he phrased the question was a bit disparaging if not self-indulgent (“what good am I” – which I actually misunderstood as “What am I good at/for?”).
He’s clearly already got an answer – but I would love to see the thought (SWOT) process he used to produce this – here’s my own effort http://nomadron.blogspot.bg/2015/11/what-am-i-good-at-swot-approach.html
+1 to Suhayl and Fedup for their comments, including those addressed by the latter to the Banal Zevul (who talks much about free speech), which in his style, also includes threats of violence.
Of course Alfie is also a great proponent of free speech, provided he can propagate his trademarked brand of ‘genocide’ racism.
Elicitation is a technique used by the FBI to elicit information from targets:
Reminded of anybody?
that “Captain Kutchie Pelaez” of “Kutcharitaville” over
in Asheville, NC sure enough is “One Wild and Crazy Guy!” All the women
are so wild about him and his Famous Cheese Burgers and Key Lime Pies,
Hellaciously Fantastic Tender and Delicious Prime Ribs and Prime Steaks.
Drop Off the Bone Bar-B-Q Ribs, Pulled Pork and Beef Brisket.
His Drop Dead Gorgeous Wife “Anita” together in they’re Historic Key
Lime Pie Factory and Grill, where the Smiles and Ovens are always Warm
and Friendly, Inviting You to Spend A Little Time Resting and Enjoying
Your Time in They’re Little “Key West Island” near the Biltmore Estate
Close
By….Kind of Funny You Know, The World’s Greatest Key Lime Pies Aren’t
Even Baked In The Keys But At Kutcharitaville By Captain Kutchie
Pelaez and His Lovely Wife Anita In The Carolina Mountains!….Go
Figure!!!!!!!….
You’ll Soon Learn Why People Call “Captain Kutchie
Pelaez “The Most Interesting Man In The World!”…But don’t take our word
for it, follow the Long Lines to “Anita and Captain Kutchie Pelaez’s Key
West-Kutcharitaville Key Lime Pie Factory and Grill’. “The Place To Be”
since 1976!
Don’t be fooled into thinking that Jimmy Buffett
designed or had anything to do with this place. Just Ask Miss Sunshine Smith! That would be an insult.
Kutchie’s was here long before anyone ever heard of JB……Sheesh!
Donald Trump loves KUTCHARITAVILLE so much that he often has take-out
flown to him in NEW YORK CITY! WOW! He must really love those original
cheese burgers in paradise, we sure do, they have our vote for sure.
My best friend said she heard last week that Donald Trump and Stephen
Colbert together are planing on a Welcome to the USA Party for “Pope Francis”
to be held soon over in Asheville, NC at “Kutcharitaville”.
Some party that will be for sure!
Think, I’ll just get all the girls together and we can all Nude-Up and
go too “Captain Kutchie’s” and Get Drunk and Screw! Let’s Go Y’all!
Captain Kutchie’s Key Lime Pies Are World Famous For Giving Everyone
That Eats Them They’re Very First “PIEGASAM”….That’s Probably why one
must be over 18 years of age to purchase or have an adult present.
…Oh and all that Great Fall Off The Bone Bar-B-Q Slow Smoking, “Carly
Fiorino” say’s that she Can Smell They’re Butts Miles Away!….Or Maybe She
Was Just Smelling “Hillary”!…..OMG?
…The Late Great “Captain Tony Tarracino” of Key West Fame was an Old
Friend of “Captain Kutchie Pelaez”. Together the two of them Sailed Many
Adventures Not Known To Much Of The World! Cheese Burgers, Rum, Scotch,
Cigarettes, Cigars, Treasure Maps, Pizzas, Chocolate Bars and Key Lime
Pies Helped The Two Make History. If You Can Believe It Even “Mel
Fisher” Was Known To Hang With Them!….
Captain Kutchie The Key Lime Pie Whisperer!…
Thank “GOD” That Noah Had Two of Kutchie’s Key Lime Pies On The Ark!….
And Don’t Forget “Ernest Hemingway’s” (Original Thinking Post) ! There
Was Only One And “Captain Kutchie” Has It. Don’t Miss It.
Hillary Sucks!…………………….Bill Does Too!…….I Feel His Pain….
..Captain Kutchie Pelaez For President!!!!….
He Will Put A Key Lime Pie and A Gallon Of Fresh Kutcharita’s in Every Refrigerator!….
..Oh, I Forgot One,….Chuck Todd Sucks Too!….That Sleazy Eyed Gutter Snipper!….Sheesh Give Me A Break!…
Ronald/Craig, perhaps before one asks the question, ‘What good am I?’, one should take a step back and ask ‘Who am I?’ When that question is truly answered, one may not need to ask the former question at all, for living in response is the only true way of living. Everything else is contrived, and therefore false.
It is of course perfectly possible to live a false life; it is what much of humanity, especially in the more fast-moving cities and mega-cities are doing.
No problem Monteverdi. And yes Jives, how cosy.
Over the years, Craig has referred to Lord C several times. The most recent from the blog search box:
The Remarkably Unobservant Baron Carlile
Apr 19th 2015
Lord Carlile is amazingly unobservant. An excellent article in today’s Observer by Jay Rayner gives details of the establishment cover-up of Janner’s long continued child rapes. The silence of the Vaz draws most attention. But let us think about Alex Carlile. Rayner states “The establishment, in the shape of his fellow MPs, men such as […]
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2015/04/the-remarkably-unobservant-baron-carlile/
Prevent: A Totally Illiberal Strategy
June 8, 2011
I have now ploughed through all 120 pages odd of the Government’s new Prevent Strategy, which manages to be even more illiberal and more turgid than the original. It claims that the last Prevent Strategy was misguided – but for all the wrong reasons. Rather amusingly, it starts with a message of endorsement from Lord Carlile – who also endorsed the last strategy which it criticises so strongly. The truth is, Carlile will endorse anything for any government which gives him status – he loves status – “It has my considered and strong support” he concludes his endorsement – you have to imagine saying it with marbles in your mouth and a degree of insufferable pomposity – “It has my considered and strong support”- wanker.
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2011/06/prevent-a-totally-illiberal-strategy/
Yet Lord C is able to accrue £400k via Scarlett. Amazing.
Mary, there is a serious discussion going on here raised by your hero, Craig. Do you think it is polite to go on interjecting, every few minutes, about this, that and the other?
By the way Craig’s question, which you made a very poor attempt to answer in your first comment was ‘What good am I?’ not ‘How good am I?’
The conscious of planet earth is evolving and it is the will of normal people performing this transformation, from the current imbalanced unilateral world order powered by elites and back-room dealing, to one where the bubble is level, pulled into position by the terms of everyone else empowered by respect for each others sovereignty and within a framework of collective security, fairness and in consideration of international agreements and international law.
Since the end of world wars, Britain and America conspired to build a New World Order forged out of time and sand; a lymphatic castle doomed to collapse from a shifting tide of human intention and human impulse to unsettle it’s building blocks, collapse the ethereal atoms of chaos and expose the deceit and pretense that attempted an obedience out of fear and a passivity from form, regulation, structure and rule.
Do they really think we are that fcuking stupid?
https://www.rt.com/usa/320572-general-milley-russia-threat/
Cameron’s small majority is having the effect of creating climb downs.
One. A sop to the junior doctors in the form of an 11% payrise, thus avoiding their calling a strike.
http://news.sky.com/story/1581227/junior-doctors-to-be-offered-11-percent-pay-rise
Two. ‘The Government has now dropped its proposal to make unions publish a protest and picketing plan 14 days in advance. This would have made unions spell out in great detail how they planned to campaign during a strike. It would have given employers and the police two weeks’ notice of everything the union planned to do – where and when pickets would be held, how many would attend, even whether megaphones would be used. And it would have made unions declare online campaigning plans – including what they were intending to post on Facebook and Twitter. And if they didn’t stick to the plan, unions would have been liable for fines of up to £20,000.
The government have also decided not to go ahead with proposals to create new criminal offences around picketing, to make every picketer wear an armband or give their name to the police – more wins for our campaigning.
Crucially, the government have dropped their proposal for the picket organiser to have to carry a letter of authorisation with their name and address on, which would have to be shown to the police and any member of the public who asked to see it.’
by e-mail Frances O’Grady Gen Sec TUC
Bernie Sanders sucks Zionist cock as well. There are no more heroes we need worshipful praise for. It’s time to find individuals who have the assets needed for movement forward. No such animal exists so far.
Not all Jewish American candidates for the presidency support Israeli crimes. Green Party Presidential Candidate Dr. Jill Stein says U.S. Policy Towards Israel, Palestine and the Middle East Must Change. The American People need no longer fund terror.
My apologies to Craig – I let myself get sidetracked instead of replying to your post. I originally came here to say:
You made a difference to me.
Although I’ve always favoured independence, until just a few weeks before the referendum, I wasn’t going to vote yes, because it had become synonymous with the SNP. Support for independence was considered to be support for the SNP and after following their policies for years, I didn’t want to support them. Especially since they were strongly supportive of TTIP (at least they were at the time of the referendum).
Then I saw your speech on Youtube where you condemned the no voters saying “It’s not possible to vote no and be a decent person.” I felt hurt by your words – you are a man whose opinions I respect even if I don’t share them, but this time I was deeply offended by your views.
I went to England to meet up with some writer friends and of course we discussed independence and your comments with them. They were scathing in response and I found myself trying to explain that while I strongly disagreed with your opinion, that you had valid reasons for saying this. (To no avail – most people seem to only know what the MSM tells them and it never does tell them the things you speak of and write about.)
But over the next few days and weeks your words wormed their way deeper and deeper into my brain. I felt compelled to consider them despite my feelings and in the end, I did understand them to be true for me. Despite the SNP I voted yes, because I saw a chance to break free of Westminster and I agreed with you that it was an opportunity not to be squandered by worrying about party politics.
That the SNP won’t have you is, in my opinion, plainly another sign that they are far too establishment themselves to break with Westminster style politics for good.
Whatever you decide to do, I just thought you should know that you are making a difference. Even if hearing what you have to say about the state I most admired from behind the iron curtain is more painful than I’d like at times.
FAO anyone able to attend this and other protests.
The Cons attempt to compete with the Yanks’ Supermax prisons.
https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2015/10/522663.html
‘About the Week of Action
A week of action has been called to encourage people all of the UK & the world to take action against the construction of the North Wales Prison in Wrexham.
The prison will be the second largest prison in Europe, holding more than 2100 people and costing £250 million to build. Australian contractor Lend Lease was awarded the contract to build the Wrexham titan prison by the government in May 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-2763020
Local people have resisted the prison for over half a decade; objecting to planning applications, lobbying, going to meetings. Full planning permission was eventually granted in November 2014 despite local resistance. It is now a construction site and this place of abuse and oppression is being built as we speak.
Our aims are to resist it, slow it down and send a message to the state and the prison industry that it is not acceptable to profit from caging human beings. The Government wish to build more prisons in the UK, this is our opportunity to intervene and prevent this industry from expanding. We must take the offensive against prison expansion and the social control of our lives. We are fighting until all are free.
What is taking place?
Demonstrations at the prison and its suppliers. Find your local prison profiteer here: http://www.cape-campaign.org/prison-profiteers
Noise & solidarity demos at prisons all over the UK
Information nights, workshops & film showings to ignite more resistance to the prison industrial complex in the UK
The CAPE Campaign will also be supporting existing events taking place during the week including:
The Surround Yarl’s Wood Demonstration at Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre on Saturday 7th November: https://www.facebook.com/events/755942137885113/
How to Get Involved
Contact Community Action on Prison Expansion – [email protected]
Most people will be taking action locally, however we are organising transport and accommodation for people from further afield to stay in the North West. Please get in touch!
Contact a local group close to you – http://www.cape-campaign.org/about/local-groups
As we discover from this thread, http://mondoweiss.net/2015/11/chemical-killing-palestinians#comment-156600, the tear gas the Israeli military is now using against places like the Aida refugee camp in Bethelehm (!) can be lethal.
Aida refugee camp is where there was that cry by an Israeli officer, “We will gas you until you die!” Israeli officer yells: ‘We will gas you until you die’.
Actually, according to the report at that link, he said more than that:
Baby Suffocates to Death from Tear Gas near Bethlehem.
There is no doubt now that the video of the Israeli officer making threats is genuine, not a fake. http://www.richardsilverstein.com/2015/10/30/echoing-nazi-tactics-idf-patrol-threatens-to-exterminate-palestinian-refugee-camp-with-gas/
Mark Golding
I once heard from a policeman’s widow that he had died of bowel cancer and a colleague of his had suffered the same. So I did wonder at the time whether the police’s phones were worse than the normal ones for radiation.
Bienvenue President Sisi – Ravi de vous voir! – Have you arrived for your payoff for discharging the airport security guards?
BBC 22:00 News – No action in Syria – unless a terrorist outrage triggers a U-turn – time to make a cipher call to the Kidon Katsa No. 4 Mr Parker?
Well, well, well. Can’t say I’m surprised. Captured ISIS Leaders in Iraq Confess to Receiving Military and Intelligence Support from the United States.
He ought to throw his energy into momentum. It has been very clear between the lines of Craig Murray’s recent pieces that this is where he sees a glimmer of hope and where his inclinations naturally seem to be tilting. At least to me it seems that way. I was amazed at how under-subscribed a couple of the relevant pieces were in the lead-up to Corbyn’s remarkable success. People will point out, of course, CM’s rightism. But it’s worth dwelling for a moment on who benefits most from left-right talk.
Alcione, is he a Saadi sock puppet too?
Of course Alfie is also a great proponent of free speech, provided he can propagate his trademarked brand of ‘genocide’ racism.
Wonderful Liberal conditioned reflex: opposing genocide is racism.
But maybe it’s not sock puppetry. Maybe Craig’s been locked up in a loonie bin all these years and comments like those from RobG and Alcione are from his bin mates.
CanSpeccy: “Wonderful Liberal conditioned reflex: opposing genocide is racism. “
Well I don’t know about that, but apparently promoting global ecocide, together with all the species including ours, by overpopulation is just fine according to many. Hell, if you simply note the fact that our exploding population is utterly unsustainable, devastating to non-human animals, and in the relatively short term catastrophic for our own species – and go even further, suggesting disincentives from the practice – then clearly you hate mothers/ children/ people and should be castigated as heartless and hateful.
The combined mass of humans overtook the combined mass of any other species a few years back. Non-human species are going extinct by the hundred every day. Adding an extra billion humans to the planetary burden now takes a matter of years, not decades or centuries. And they all require vastly more resources than the earlier inhabitants, live longer on average, and the trend shows absolutely no sign of doing anything but increase at a rapid click.
What’s the solution? Why, to screech “Baby hater!” at anyone pointing this out, of course.
While all this is treated as perfectly natural, the climate change deniers scoff and wallow in their own smug ignorance.
I do have a lot of sympathy for RobG’s concerns about nuclear issues, but the effects of overpopulation and climate change dwarf them IMHO. Raising concern about what particular colour the over-populators happen to be rather misses the point.
Hooray. Bill Blum is back after a long absence.
http://williamblum.org/aer/read/140
Under these headings
Are you confused by the Middle East? Here are some things you should know. (But you’ll probably still be confused.)
Why does the government of the United States hate Syrian president Bashar al-Assad with such passion?
Democratic Socialism
Who are you going to believe? Me or Dick Cheney?
Open Letter to the War Politicians of the World
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose
On the media’s vilification of Seumas Milne.
The British Media’s Indecent Attacks on Seumas Milne
Joe Emersberger
3 November 2015
The former Guardian columnist, now the Labour Party’s Executive Director of Strategy and Communications, has been the target of a smear campaign.
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/opinion/The-British-Medias-Indecent-Attacks-on-Seamus-Milne-20151103-0024.html
Cameron promotes human rights in Central Asia – curiously unremarked by the national media, who mention Nazarbayev’s visit, but not the trade deals…
http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/national/13933604.David_Cameron_hails___3bn_of_contracts_with_Kazakhstan/
Note the longstanding location of Tony Blair’s tongue between Nazarbayev’s haunches.
Have you read Bill’s ‘Killing Hope: US Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II’ Mary?
….ditto Sisi, of course.
Yes Mark. I have high regard for him and his work. I feared that he was having to stop completely.
Now 82. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Blum
He has amazing recall.
~~
I hope John Goss is alright. I know he had computer problems.
5-Eyes here abusing their (old) omnipotent spying powers, that’s BEFORE the new Snooper’s Charter comes into force
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3303327/Record-website-visit-held-year-new-spying-laws-spooks-power-hack-computers.html
So here is my relevant browsing history for 4th November, look away council-workers,
Aotearoa 5-Eyes
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/73680371/government-report-investigates-intelligence-agency-links-to-us-torture
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/288863/spy-watchdog-looks-at-possible-nz-cia-link
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1511/S00067/sis-breaks-the-law-again-igis-finds.htm
Caledonia 5-Eyes
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-34651036 [A human rights group has criticised the “smokescreen” surrounding the ongoing probe into CIA rendition flights landing at Scottish airports.]
Kéyah dah siʼánígíí 5-Eyes
. . .but surely each nations’ N.S.A can help protect against the endemic threat of cyberattacks from cyberterrorists?
so let’s examine the protection given by the 18+ US intelligence agencies to US companies
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/u.s.-fails-to-protect-companies-from-chinese-hacks-experts-say/article/2575605
wow!
‘In Listening Mode'[
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2015/nov/01/martin-rowson-on-theresa-mays-snoopers-charter-cartoon
~~~
She has just spoken.
‘Theresa May unveils surveillance measures in wake of Snowden claims
Home secretary announces new powers for police and security services tracking UK citizens’ internet use without need for judicial check
New surveillance powers will be given to the police and security services, allowing them to access records tracking every UK citizen’s use of the internet without any need for any judicial check, under the provisions of the draft investigatory powers bill unveiled on Wednesday.
It includes new powers requiring internet and phone companies to keep “internet connection records” – tracking every website visited but not every page – for a maximum of 12 months but will not require a warrant for the police, security services or other bodies to access the data. Local authorities will be banned from accessing internet records.
[..]
The draft bill explicitly includes in statute for the first time powers for the bulk collection of large volumes of communications and other personal data by MI5, GCHQ, MI6 and for their use of “equipment interference powers” – the ability to hack computers and phones around the world – for purposes of national security, serious crime and economic wellbeing.
Home Office estimates put the extra costs of storing internet connection records and the new judicial oversight regime at £245m to £250m over 10 years after the legislation comes into force in December next year. This includes £175m for the cost of storing everyone’s internet records and £60m for the extra judicial oversight.’
/..
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/04/theresa-may-surveillance-measures-edward-snowden
Britain is a fascist state.