tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38827472011-05-16T00:41:04.413ZBroadsword Calling Danny BoyPolitics with a sprinkling of cinema.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comBlogger1521100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-953368412003-06-05T18:16:00.000Z2003-06-11T19:42:32.000ZYou can probably guess which war action movie I'll be watching tonight on Channel 5. Great stuff.
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-938823562003-05-06T20:19:00.000Z2003-05-06T20:19:22.346ZHi, I'm not dead!
Apologies to my regular readers (all six of you). I've been hard at work at a new job that requires lots of goggle-eyed computer work so while there's been plenty to write about I've been wanting to do something different for the remaining three hours of my day. Things are beginning to settle down now so let's see how it goes.
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-927425092003-04-16T22:50:00.000Z2003-04-17T00:43:35.000ZI'm settling into a new job this week so no posts for a few days. Later!
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-923173982003-04-09T21:53:00.000Z2003-04-09T21:55:51.000ZOh, yes, and there was The Budget. More tax, 'nuff said.
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-923165102003-04-09T21:36:00.000Z2003-04-10T09:34:36.000ZIt's A Boy!
What a day. I was in such a rush this morning getting ready for a job interview that I wasn't really paying attention to the news. The BBC was in a huffy mood about something or other, and just before I went out the door I caught a snippet saying that the journalist's minders had vanished. Good news but it was a busy day and I went hours without reading any updates or talking Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-922428802003-04-08T20:34:00.000Z2003-04-09T20:18:11.000ZIf you've read any blogs on passing today you'll have come across praise for Michael Gove's piece today. At the risk of boring you with repetition, yes, go read the whole thing. It's succinct, to the point and right:
Three myths stand out as ripe for deconstruction. The first is the allegation, peddled by Charles Kennedy and Robin Cook among others, that Britain and America armed Saddam’s Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-921674682003-04-07T19:25:00.000Z2003-04-08T03:50:23.000ZThe Two Georges
According to The Indy, George Galloway's present predicament may be described thus:
His obsession with the Middle East, which began with a chance meeting with a Palestinian at the age of 19, may have robbed Labour of one of its greatest talents. His rhetoric is widely acknowledged as elegant, and he has the steely intellect that New Labour so prizes in its ministers.
Here's a Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-921083422003-04-06T21:59:00.000Z2003-04-07T19:22:38.000ZIraqis Catch Tank, Shoot Sky
Iraqi fighters are making a show of the one (1) Abrams tank they managed to put out of action. Television pictures showed them perched on the tank's carcass firing their AK-47s into the air. Seeing as they only managed to engage some hapless passing seagulls, maybe they should save their ammunition. They're going to need it.
UPDATE: Unbelievable. Fisky is Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-921013952003-04-06T19:17:00.000Z2003-04-06T19:20:20.000ZFirst Sign of Uprising
There's been much talk of the media's lack of good old-fashioned patriotism, but The Primary Main Objective has discovered one reporter varnishing the flagpole. Sounds like there's at least one fan of unilateral action out there. Or maybe he was making some mayo for his MRE.
Ah, the possibilities are endless. If you have more Gulf War II-specific phrases for pulling Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-918644382003-04-02T20:26:00.000Z2003-04-05T17:45:14.000ZI can't express adequate disgust at the desecration of the British war cemetary at Etaples. It's just one of these moments where words don't do the job.
I can't help imagining the reaction of a British war veteran when he sees what these depraved morons have done. I think of the look that might pass over his face when he watches. The memories of the blood, the sacrifice, the friends cut Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-918619762003-04-02T19:43:00.000Z2003-04-02T21:04:53.000ZSaving Private Lynch
Private Jessica Lynch, captured by Iraqi troops on March 23, has been rescued:
Tipped off by the CIA, Navy Seals and Army Rangers rescued Private Jessica Lynch, a supply clerk who had missing since her maintenance convoy was ambushed on March 23.
US marines staged a decoy attack on Iraqi targets in Nasiriyah, enabling the special forces to move in under the cover of Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-917889222003-04-01T19:48:00.000Z2003-04-02T04:57:05.000ZGallows Pole
There's something about Glasgow Kelvin MP George Galloway that gets my goat. Normally I can stand politicians talking rubbish but there's something about his hoary unreconstructed Stalinism that makes my left eye begin to twitch whenever I hear it.
Well, he's nothing if not consistent. He's away again.
This time George's constituents may not find him quite so gorgeous seeing asDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-917278692003-03-31T20:16:00.000Z2003-04-02T04:43:58.000ZEven the fleas have fleas
Just twelve days in and apparently it's a quagmire. Quicksand. Whatever. I don't really have anything constructive to add that hasn't been covered better elsewhere and what I know about modern warfare could be scribbled on a couple of sheets of A4. But some media outlets need to get a grip and reign in their hyperactive tendency to recycle spin and reach for Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-916613332003-03-30T19:40:00.000Z2003-03-31T20:05:36.000ZErstwhile cabinet minister and horny wee devil Robin Cook popped his head out this morning to say:
"I have already had my fill of this bloody and unnecessary war. I want our troops home and I want them home before more of them are killed."
Later this morning, he dived back down into his bunker:
"Now that the war has started it's vital that it ends in victory. There could be no worse outcome Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-915649632003-03-28T20:29:00.000Z2003-03-30T03:43:02.000ZPeter's Friends
Reading Peter Hitchen's latest in the Spectator I wonder whether he has just bumped his head or is beaming his dispatch in from some parallel universe where it's the left that supports the war.
I think he's suffering from cultural shellshock. How else to account for skewed nonsense like:
The idea that naked force can create human freedom is itself a left-wing idea. Even more Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-914360022003-03-26T21:42:00.000Z2003-03-27T16:52:00.000ZGetting Things Into Proportion
People have written lots about how biased or objective BBC coverage of the war is over the last couple of days. To be honest, I can only go by what I've watched and sometimes I've been happy and sometimes I've nearly yelled oh come on at the screen. Andrew Sullivan's "Baghdad Broadcasting Corporation" jibe was unilluminating but during the weekend I think there Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-913026822003-03-24T21:41:00.000Z2003-03-26T01:26:12.000ZThe Worm Has Turned
Amongst the huge amount of television coverage I caught a reporter talking to a US Marine with "Shai-Hulud" written on his helmet. Obviously a fan of Frank Herbert's Dune ("Shai-Hulud" is the name given to the huge sandworms that roam the desert planet of Arrakis).
Coincidentally, the Dune books also refer to "Fedaykin" - death commandos dedicated to protecting prophet and Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-912411162003-03-23T21:56:00.000Z2003-03-23T23:52:15.000ZPlanet Hollywood
It's Oscar night, as if anyone cares right now. Any other year I'd run over my predictions and regurgitate some gossip about the cliques and horsetrading within the Academy but it all seems so absurd tonight.
I usually give the luvvies a lot of leeway because artistic temprament goes hand in hand with talent but I swear to God, if I see some pampered ingenue use the podium Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-911400502003-03-21T19:28:00.000Z2003-03-22T20:50:10.000ZBloody Hell
Just watched the footage of government buildings in Baghdad getting vapourised one by one. I've no idea what the Americans are using but bloody hell. It's ramping up big time now.
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-910884292003-03-20T23:31:00.000Z2003-03-23T01:45:44.000ZThey Don't Need No Education
Edinburgh schoolchildren protested today, egged on by Scottish Socialist Party rabble-rouser Tommy Sheridan and Britain's lightweight version of Michael Moore, Mark Thomas. You've got to hand it to the Socialists - they know how to get them when they're young.
David Farrer has got pics from the demo.
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-910880202003-03-20T23:22:00.000Z2003-03-23T01:47:33.000ZDespite Donald Rumsfeld's "shock and awe" promise things are unfolding gradually. Maybe Allied forces are gambling that the Iraqi regime is already so brittle that it will shatter under just a bit more pressure.
Now I'm hearing chants of "we shall not be moved" coming from the pub next door. Fight the tyranny of last orders!
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-910207242003-03-19T23:20:00.000Z2003-03-23T01:54:31.000ZThe Belly Of The Beast
Matthew Engel labours under the delusion that he is sending out guerilla dispatches from deep inside the most pernicious regime in the world. Not Iraq or North Korea but the United States. I know The Guardian is ripe for ridicule but sometimes it's well written and rises above the level of fatuous comparison, blatantly stupid distortion and sneering hatred exemplified byDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-909499722003-03-18T22:22:00.000Z2003-03-20T01:20:00.000ZNeither Fish Nor Fowl
David Frum in National Review has a terrific column examining the archaeology of the strange species known as the Paleoconservative. Native to the United States, these gloomy monoliths are now of mostly historical value. Frum shows that their inherent tendency towards isolationism and racism has progressed into defeatism and a headlong retreat from reality. Frum Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-908808832003-03-17T22:31:00.000Z2003-03-18T02:07:58.000ZEhrlich Wrong Shock
The New York Times has broken the news that the global catastrophes predicted by ecochondriac scientist Paul Ehrlich have not actually happened. The billions of people who unexpectedly did not perish in the global famines of the late seventies and eighties say they feel "vindicated." Al Gore, obscure politician and author of the 38,744th best selling book on Amazon.com, Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-908754062003-03-17T20:57:00.000Z2003-03-18T01:38:08.000ZCharlie's War
I've voted for the Lib-Dems in the past (I was young and foolish) but no more. Charles Kennedy's latest comments just make me think that if they can't get the important stuff right there's no point worrying about their fiscal prudence or assessing their public sector reform programs.
When I hear Charles or other commentators worry about there being "no legal basis" for military Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-908175952003-03-16T21:14:00.000Z2003-03-18T02:29:45.000ZBalancing Act
The biggest surprise at the movies so far this year is the mostly unheralded Equilibrium, a sci-fi actioner with a debt to The Matrix (amongst, ahem, other films). It could be the breakout hit of the year much like Pitch Black was in 2000 if Dimension Films can be bothered to promote it.
Writer/Director Kurt Wimmer has fashioned a derivative but highly entertaining yarn set in a Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-905447312003-03-11T21:37:00.000Z2003-03-12T19:12:27.000ZDoubting Thomas
Psychologist Brian Young believes that the hit television show Thomas The Tank Engine may be upsetting the kids. The number of crashes on the show may frighten them away from going on a real train.
Everything I read from south of the border tells me that going on a train can be pretty horrifying for adults too, even without the crashes. It's not much better up here. Being Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-905386852003-03-11T19:47:00.000Z2003-03-11T19:47:36.000ZKeep Your Friends Close But Your Enemies Closer
Peter Cuthbertson's Private Eye snippet from the Secret Diaries of John Major puts the Clare Short incident into perpective quite nicely:
Sacking them would be a sign of weakness. The real strength is in keeping them in government in case they cause trouble on the backbenches.
Tony isn't going to take her out onto the lake and shoot her. She'llDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-904827362003-03-10T22:41:00.000Z2003-03-12T19:26:42.000ZShort Cuts
Okay, that seems to be the double banner thing gone now. Two for the price of one, eh? Actually, now I'm thinking of doing the Movable Type thing and merging my disjointed ramblings here and my dyslexic snippets from elsewhere. We'll see.
Good grief, if a fortnight ago was a rush last week was even worse. I'll be able to do more of this stuff once I actually get a bit more time Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-900741302003-03-03T22:44:00.000Z2003-03-12T18:45:28.000ZHuman Shields Go Home
"A group of Britons who travelled to Iraq to act as 'human shields' in an attempt to avert war are heading home amid safety fears."
Can't really put it better than that. The Iraqis are getting almost as pissed off with the peaceniks as we are and have told them to get to the power plants or get out. Activists have expressed surprise at being billetted at places like oilDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-900738612003-03-03T22:39:00.000Z2003-03-04T02:22:47.000ZVideo Killed The Movie Star
Ring won't win any Oscars unless the Academy feels they need a new award for best Japanese urban legend/ American gothic crossbreed but it does exactly what it says on the tin. It's got enough spooky atmospherics to keep you from thinking too hard about how silly the whole idea is, and Naomi Watts is easy on the eye too.
Funnily enough, Ring's music was composed Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-899242652003-02-28T22:14:00.000Z2003-03-04T02:20:40.000ZHappy Stalingrad Day!
I've been chewing over this comment all day. Geoffrey Roberts is right to remind us of the awful battle of Stalingrad but I'm disconcerted at his contention that we should be having a national celebration, or at least a day of rememberance. Stalingrad was a key turning point in the war but no British soldiers fought there, and national boundaries do count for something Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-897924312003-02-26T20:32:00.000Z2003-03-03T02:08:03.000ZThe vote in the Commons is over. The Labour rebellion is substantial but the amendment was voted out. Well, that's democracy in action. There's going to be plenty of yammering about how Parliament is at odds with public opinion on war but it's worth remembering that if constituents feel strongly enough about the issue they'll have the chance to eject their MPs in the next election. Not a Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-897918752003-02-26T20:21:00.000Z2003-03-03T02:09:32.000ZAdmit Defeat
Edinburgh University has decided that discrimination is a good thing. Next year it will consider the family background of applicants as well as their academic record in an effort to admit more candidates from state schools.
Tony Blair clearly came down against the social engineering approach in the Commons today, saying that people should go to University based on their merit Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-896677762003-02-24T21:55:00.000Z2003-02-26T14:38:44.000ZThe Resistance against the Machines
Hollywood producers have been driven into a slavering frenzy by rumours of a white-hot science-fiction script by French director Bertrand Tavernier. In it, ruthless robot overseers herd French youngsters into sinister factories known as 'multiplexes' where they are strapped down and have their brains sucked out through their ears and replaced by four pounds Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-896668612003-02-24T21:40:00.000Z2003-02-25T00:45:58.000ZCongratulations!
Andrew Dodge and Sasha Castel have tied the knot. Best wishes for their long and happy life together.
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-896625472003-02-24T20:22:00.000Z2003-02-24T23:50:28.000ZIn between bouts of decorating last weekend I watched the first repeat of The Great War on BBC2. The critic A.A. Gill raved about it a while back so I was eager to discover this piece of television history mostly unknown to my generation. Judging by the first episode this is going to be a thorough account of the conflict and the age, comparable in scope to the great The World At War so I'll be Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-896536002003-02-24T17:34:00.000Z2003-02-25T17:59:24.000ZYour assets belong to us
Hell-bent on turning Scotland into a nation of snitches, the Government is encouraging us to inform on our neighbours if we believe they are living beyond their means. The Proceeds of Crime Act contains new asset-seizure measures including confiscating cash sums of over £10,000 from people who cannot prove that they earned it honestly. Note that the burden of proof is Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-893919792003-02-19T22:34:00.000Z2003-02-19T22:37:50.000ZShort Break
Sorry about the light blogging over the last couple of weeks. I've got loads to do and just haven't had the time to hike o'er Blogland. So I'm taking a few days off and barring a tsunami appearing on the horizon, the Second Coming or an alien invasion I'll be back on Monday.
Stephen: don't worry, your friends can be idiots and still be your friends. Give them a slap and see if Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-892667272003-02-17T23:01:00.000Z2003-02-18T20:08:24.000ZThe One Cop They Could Buy
Lothian and Borders Police are allowing private companies to hire extra police officers. It's common sense and a logical extension of the arrangements for policing big public events. Police numbers in Scotland have risen only half as much as in England and Wales over the last year so the extra sponsorship should help bridge the gap.
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-892665932003-02-17T22:59:00.000Z2003-02-18T00:38:33.000ZNot In Our Name But Theirs
Iraqi dissidents vent their spleen at anti-war protesters here.
Over 90,000 protesters marched to the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow to shout at Tony Blair for a while. I had a good afternoon in the pub.
Samizdata has pictures of the London rally, with Perry de Havilland and David Carr looking pretty nonplussed.
Catallaxy Files has a good pairDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-890579432003-02-13T23:13:00.000Z2003-02-13T23:14:27.000ZSoon you'll only be able to smoke a kipper
Tobacco advertising will be banned in the UK from midnight tonight. Won't work. People will still smoke.
To mark the start of the ban, Health Secretary Alan Milburn and Public Health minister Hazel Blears are due to tear down a 48-sheet tobacco billboard advert in London.
Because we're dead impressed with the things they do, see?
I gave up smoking Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-889993852003-02-12T23:31:00.000Z2003-02-13T22:35:20.000ZDrum roll...
He, he. Tim Blair's Australian column is now available here. Down at the bottom you will see that the Drums of War are everywhere.
Except for the eminently sensible CalPundit (not one of the Drums of War).
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-889331342003-02-11T21:37:00.000Z2003-02-13T22:43:47.000ZThe Gritty City
I've also seen 8 Mile and Joe Carnahan's ferocious Narc and I wonder if Detroit has a by-law requiring all filmmakers to portray it with a blue tint. Steven Soderbergh did this a few years back in Out of Sight and Tony Scott made the place look hellishly cold in True Romance a decade ago, so it's not a new trend.
Actually, Narc was filmed in Toronto but Carnahan had me fooled Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-889325892003-02-11T21:26:00.000Z2003-02-15T10:51:50.000ZUrban Sprawl
I'm going to need a season ticket at the pictures because there are so many good films out right now. I've been pleasantly entertained by Catch Me If You Can, frustrated by Gangs of New York and blown away by Fernando Meirelles's City of God.
Making Gangs had long been a dream for Martin Scorsese, and that's something that set off alarm bells for me. Dream projects usually turn Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-886750012003-02-06T23:53:00.000Z2003-02-08T13:46:31.000ZJust in case you missed it the first time. From godofthemachine:
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Korea?
(To the tune of "Maria," from The Sound of Music)
He builds a nuke without rebuke
Then asks for foreign aid.
He thumbs his nose at those who will
Clean up the mess he's made.
Amassing troops at the border,
Dear Leader's not an asset to world order.
He's always breaking treaties,
But his Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-886713912003-02-06T22:36:00.000Z2003-02-06T23:50:44.000ZFour terrorist suspects were arrested this morning in Glasgow and Edinburgh and are being held in Govan Police Station. They're out of harm's way but we've got more terrorists coming to Scotland to keep the numbers up.
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-886710992003-02-06T22:30:00.000Z2003-02-11T21:22:52.000ZAdieu, adieu, to you and you and you
Mark Steyn grinds the UN under his stilletto in the Spectator. The conceptual gap between what the UN is supposed to be and what it actually is is reaching ridiculous proportions now that Iraq is due to chair the UN Conference on Disarmament. Their turn rolls around in May immaterial of the binding resolutions against them, but by then this might not be a Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-884931792003-02-03T21:54:00.000Z2003-02-05T22:13:17.000ZBut it's not all bad news
...according to the Independent. While the world is united in sympathy with the victims of Columbia (with a few notable exceptions) an enlightened, anonymous writer harnesses his mind-shattering perception to discover an up side:
An event of this kind is bound to give pause for thought about the costs and benefits of space exploration. It is likely to mark a further Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-883901862003-02-01T20:37:00.000Z2003-02-02T02:29:15.000ZColumbia, forever among the stars
I am so, so sorry. The world is mourning the loss of these seven brave men and women who dared to reach out and touch the infinite. Through their tears of grief their families may be consoled by knowing that the thoughts of billions of people are with them right now.
They died in the service of the human race. Their endeavour was in all our names, no matter Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-883451102003-01-31T20:58:00.000Z2003-02-01T23:37:08.000ZAre They Not Flagrant?
Never let it be said that the Government isn't interested in tackling Britain's problems. I can sleep easier knowing that their legislative sharpshooters have their sights set on people having sex in their gardens.
The Sexual Offences Bill has plenty of sensible clarifications but at times it goes into a bit too much detail. Is it strictly necessary to codify offences Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-882875812003-01-30T21:16:00.000Z2003-01-30T21:16:33.906ZQ: What song is number one in France and Germany?
A: I Think We're Alone Now.
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-882332422003-01-29T23:17:00.000Z2003-01-30T00:44:43.000ZChickenhawks and Penguins
John Pilger's anti-war tirade reaches hysterical levels in today's Mirror (via Peter Briffa). Typical quote:
"The current American elite is the Third Reich of our times.."
Last weekend I watched television coverage of some of the anti-war protests. I'm sure many of the participants were well-meaning folk but the lunatic fringe was clearly visible. One protester wasDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-882326762003-01-29T23:06:00.000Z2003-01-29T23:06:45.890ZSpud-you-don't-like
Trust the Germans to come up with an original youth subculture. The latest craze is for spud guns built like rocket launchers and powered by hairspray. But it's all good fun until someone gets hurt:
One man almost lost an eye, a woman had her leg broken and one teenager was badly burnt when the hairspray used as the propellant exploded in his face as he prepared to fire.
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-881756552003-01-28T21:17:00.000Z2003-02-01T19:18:36.000ZThe War Against Chocolate
Professor Malcolm Law believes that child obesity can only be combated with regulations to limit the size of chocolate bars and packets of crisps. I don't think the "20% extra free" marketing ploy he addresses is the root cause of unhealthy eating. Actually, a normal sized 35p chocolate bar today is noticeably smaller than one costing the same 20 years ago. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-881204622003-01-27T22:41:00.000Z2003-01-29T01:55:35.000ZRead The Whole Thing
The American case for war, passionately put forward by Bill Whittle. It's worth taking ten minutes to read this as it really gets to the heart of the argument.
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-881151282003-01-27T20:55:00.000Z2003-01-29T00:56:13.000ZThe Final Frontier
Today marks the anniverary of the Apollo 1 tragedy. On January 27, 1967 Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee died in a fire during a launch pad test of the Apollo capsule.
Tomorrow marks the anniversary of the Challenger disaster in 1986. Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnick, Dick Scobee, Michael Smith, Greg Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe died in Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-879804792003-01-24T23:01:00.000Z2003-01-27T20:54:40.000ZFrench Pissing on the USA
"As far as we are concerned, war always means failure and therefore everything must be done to avoid war."
- Jacques Chirac
Like bitching, moaning and finally surrendering. Why exactly does this country have a veto in the Security Council? If the French feel there's nothing worth fighting for why don't they give up their delusions of international power and retreat Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-879219432003-01-23T22:34:00.000Z2003-01-27T22:48:13.000ZActing Up
Ed Harris has a bit of a problem with George Bush. Now Bush's policies can be lampooned and criticised quite justly but is there any real need to resort this sort of character attack?
"We've got this guy in the White House who thinks he is a man . . . who projects himself as a man. Because he has a certain masculinity and he's a good old boy and he used to drink and he knows how to Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-878624722003-01-22T22:01:00.000Z2003-01-22T22:32:55.000ZFree Poetry In Today's Guardian!
Not about to be outdone by the recent masterwork produced by Andrew 'Second Hand' Motion, Harold Pinter has published this opus (dopus, maybe?):
Here they go again,
The Yanks in their armoured parade
Chanting their ballads of joy
As they gallop across the big world
Praising America's God.
The gutters are clogged with the dead
The ones who couldn't join inDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-878582242003-01-22T20:34:00.000Z2003-01-22T22:29:30.000ZLileks is bang on today about the overlap between the antiwar movement and some unsavoury charaters:
Do reporters suppress the nature of ANSWER / ACTION because they don't want to embarrass the movement? No. Do they secretly admire the ANSWER / ACTION / WWP positions on China, North Korea, and other dictatorships? Of course not. (Cuba is another story.) Are they inclined to wonder who's behind Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-878040062003-01-21T22:02:00.000Z2003-01-22T19:28:34.000ZA world with pre-emption
It may be the curse of men to live in interesting times, but one positive aspect of the international situation is that it does focus some people's minds on the real issues behind the rhetoric. Chris Bertram and Kevin Drum outline realistic concerns about what the doctrine of pre-emption might mean.
I think the moral case for war is strong, not because Iraq is an Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-877399462003-01-20T19:02:00.000Z2003-01-22T01:51:07.000ZYou may scoff, or maybe not
Here's an multi-agency approach I'm not wild about. Strathclyde Police are setting up an number of special "family protection units" aimed at tackling domestic violence and child abuse. However, this indicates that the units will have a wider remit, being able to visit children's homes and inspect their diets.
If children are genuinely being neglected to the point Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-877387932003-01-20T18:35:00.000Z2003-01-22T01:58:05.000ZA shining example to us all
More proof if any is needed that the United Nations commands the same level of moral authority as your average knocking shop. Libya has been elected as chair of the U.N. Human Rights Commission.
Actually, that's unfair to prostitutes because at least they don't indulge in worthless international powerplay. No analysis of this decision can elevate it above the levelDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-876038212003-01-17T19:32:00.000Z2003-01-18T16:10:27.000ZRepent, and you shall receive a quick release!
Tony Martin has been refused parole after he refused to apologise for killing a teenage burglar. He is due to be released in July having served two thirds of his sentence so he probably felt it wasn't worth indulging in the hypocrisy.
Shockingly, a parole officer criticised him in his report for saying that he believed that things were better Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-876012852003-01-17T18:34:00.000Z2003-01-21T22:10:35.000ZSweet Nothings
Common sense prevails as the European Court tells Spain and Italy to stop being such fusspots over chocolate.
The chocolate war has been simmering since 1973 when we joined the EEC. Since then manufacturers like Cadburys and Terrys have had to suffer continental sniffiness over the miniscule content (5%) of non-cocoa vegetable fats in their products. Britain has already Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-875577722003-01-16T23:07:00.000Z2003-01-16T23:37:00.000ZSay Hi To Iain
Iain Murray, whose employment contract must have contained a clause stipulating "I'm with stupid", has been fired for blogging. Iain has been treated dreadfully and I wish him and his family the best of luck in getting through this temporary situation. I've no doubt that he'll land a position more deserving of his talents.
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-874878522003-01-15T18:48:00.000Z2003-01-16T23:04:36.000ZTinker, Tailor, Soldier, Prat
John Le Carré produces an concise summary of Leftist laments in today's Times (quick, catch it before it vanishes! ... or maybe not!) The more I read it the more I think it's a greatest hits compilation: Now That's What I Call Dissent 56.
1. American History hasn't always been fluffy and nice.
2. Osama wanted this.
3. Bush wanted this even before Osama did.
4. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-874385352003-01-14T22:05:00.000Z2003-01-15T02:33:30.000ZPoliceman stabbed
Just heard about this.
Damn it to hell.
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-874336962003-01-14T20:22:00.000Z2003-01-15T02:22:25.000ZJudging steel
How can a weapon be wrong? Gary Farber dissects the idea that inanimate objects capable of causing destruction are in themselves immoral:
I can't help also be struck by the seeming presumption that, somehow, military hardware is singularly, inherently, evil, rather than mere inanimate object, able like any other to be used for good or ill, for the saving of lives or the Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-872381852003-01-10T22:33:00.000Z2003-01-12T16:47:48.000ZI was saddened to hear (via Peter Briffa) of the death of composer Ron Goodwin. His tremendous scores for 633 Squadron and Where Eagles Dare set the standard for war movie music in the Sixties.
We've also lost Conrad Hall this week, the cinematographer of classics such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kind and Cool Hand Luke. He continued to work to the age of 75, working with Sam Mendes on Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-871820982003-01-09T21:01:00.000Z2003-01-16T23:21:06.000ZThis Corrosion
The Guardian is revelling in a little brouhaha of its own making. Since emblazoning the logo "Fuck Cilla Black" on front of its G2 supplement on Tuesday it has published articles supporting and condemning the cover and a discussion of what a wonderfully clever little debate they have provoked. Jonathan Freedland is not impressed:
As both the internal and external debate is Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-870795512003-01-07T22:19:00.000Z2003-01-09T00:20:47.000ZGrandiose White Man With Narcissistic Personality Disorder?
I haven't seen Bowling for Columbine so I'm not going to pass any sort of judgment on it. However, Rachel Lucas is all over the big guy after he blew a gasket at the Roundhouse during his one-man show:
American satirist Michael Moore has stormed out of Britain after a bust up with the London theatre hosting his one-man show. The Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-870207172003-01-06T20:10:00.000Z2003-01-08T03:07:55.000Z...and the ugly horse you rode in on!
The American Libertarian Party is working to scrap as many blue laws as they can this year. This is a name given to the jumble of archaic, often surreal rules and regulations which have somehow survived the passage of time and still provide a few lawyers with work:
The oldest blue laws are among the most surreal. In Logan County, Colorado, and Miami, Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-870200042003-01-06T19:52:00.000Z2003-01-08T23:42:38.000ZGuns of Brixton, Aston, Hackney, Everywhere
There's nothing more horrible than young people having their lives snuffed out needlessly but the goverment's response to the Birmingham shootings at New Year is spectacularly ill-considered and smacks of the most naked opportunism. They would like us to buy real estate in their land of make-believe where hardened criminal gangs, not having been Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-867501292002-12-31T15:38:00.000Z2003-01-03T03:26:52.000ZDon't even get me started...
No, no, no. I'm not going to spend the last afternoon of the year Fisking professional worry-wart George Monbiot's latest pronouncements of doom in the Guardian. Let's just say if I come across a more obstinately unimaginative take on the state of the world during 2003 I'll be surprised.
If the quality of life peaked in 1974 I guess I should be having a right Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-867149212002-12-30T22:43:00.000Z2003-01-08T01:49:19.000ZFilms I've enjoyed this year
2002 wasn't as bad as the great drought of 2001 but Hollywood still served up it's usual summer main course of effects-saturated blockbusters and the British Film Industry still failed to make an impression. At least we didn't get any more of the godawful mockney gangster flicks that followed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
Training Day
The closest you'll comeDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-867122052002-12-30T21:28:00.000Z2003-01-03T03:35:27.000ZYesterday...
"Yesterday,
all these stories were already played,
now they seem so old and oh so lame,
oh I read this crap yesterday."
Ken Layne dedicates his version of the classic to the petrified oaks of dead-tree media.
A year ago I hadn't even heard of blogging and I used the web maybe once a week but since then it's been all change. I stumbled upon weblogs when I read Andrew Sullivan's Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-864454152002-12-23T19:11:00.000Z2002-12-23T19:11:29.000ZMerry Christmas
I'll be back on Saturday - have a good one, folks.
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-863349932002-12-20T21:30:00.001Z2002-12-21T02:23:57.000ZGreetings From New Scroogeville!
James Lileks tears apart a couple of embittered, Christmas-hating Canadians in his screed:
After years of sending friends anti-Christmas cards, one of which featured a homeless Santa and another battered child angels, Valerie and Trevor Williams decided to "go big" this year.
Yes... I've got to admit, my first reaction was: they have friends? But okay. You Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-863349882002-12-20T21:30:00.000Z2002-12-21T01:36:21.000ZAnd all must have prizes...
Christopher Middleton in the Guardian has discovered alternative board games that seek to encourage co-operation instead of competition. Gaia Distribution markets a number of alternatives to popular games including monopoly:
Gaia's Garden, for example, can be played by one to six people, aged four and upwards. Whereas the rules for a game such as Monopoly can be Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-863280442002-12-20T18:30:00.000Z2002-12-20T19:19:07.000ZThe End of the Affair
Trent Lott has resigned his position as Republican leader (via Stephen Green), bringing an end to "segre-gate".
There's no need for triumphalism but I think the blogging community did help keep the fire stoked on this one.
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-862281912002-12-18T18:04:00.000Z2002-12-18T18:04:28.780ZNow that is real cruelty.
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-861883652002-12-17T23:04:00.000Z2002-12-18T00:02:20.000ZArt meets Anti-Art
Theatre producer (and presumably amateur art critic) Paul Kelleher walked out of court yesterday after a jury couldn't decide whether he is guilty of decapitating a marble statue of Margaret Thatcher. He faces a new trial in January:
Paul Kelleher denied criminal damage on July 3 but never disputed publicly beheading the 8ft-high Italian marble likeness of the former Prime Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-861316062002-12-16T22:14:00.000Z2002-12-16T23:22:16.000ZA New Sheriff In Town?
Lord Bonomy's long-awaited report on practice and procedure in the High Court of Justiciary was published last week. It recommends increasing the sentencing power of sheriffs to five years and letting them deal with less serious robberies, assaults and drug-trafficking cases. The High Court will be left to deal with the most serious cases involving murders and rapes.
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-861311592002-12-16T22:05:00.000Z2002-12-16T23:22:26.000ZI see Sarge is counting the days too. Roll on Wednesday.
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-861257022002-12-16T20:09:00.000Z2002-12-16T21:08:17.000ZBrrrrr. Here's a tale for a cold winter's evening from Friday's Times:
A young motorist lay dead in his crashed car for five months until the wreck was seen by chance.
Hundreds of motorists a day passed within yards of the spot on the A3 outside Guildford, where the 21-year-old man’s body sat at the wheel of his car, which was hidden by trees and bushes.
His family, who live in West London,Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-861193182002-12-16T17:47:00.000Z2002-12-17T21:14:37.000ZImaginary Sea Sparrow Safe After All
Virginia Postrel has this correction from yesterday's New York Times Magazine:
An article on Nov. 10 about animal rights referred erroneously to an island in the Indian Ocean and to events there involving goats and endangered giant sea sparrows that could possibly lead to the killing of goats by environmental groups. Wrightson Island does not exist; both theDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-859617882002-12-13T20:55:00.000Z2002-12-14T13:09:06.000ZBirth Control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon Back Again...
I've been swearing off having a go at the Guardian for a while because it becomes addictive, and I have to be careful not to overindulge. But I've been good this week, so I reckon I owe myself a treat.
Reading Jonathan Glancey's column instantly put me in mind of this song.
Remember Vietnam? More than two million Vietnamese and 58,000 Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-859169812002-12-12T23:17:00.000Z2002-12-13T18:02:55.000ZGood.
Anyone who has visited stateside blogs in the past week won't have failed to notice the avalanche of criticism that has landed on Republican Senator Trent Lott because of his comments defending segregation. President Bush has rebuked him but stopped short of calling for his resignation as majority leader. It looks increasingly likely that Lott's disgraceful comment and the half hearted, Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-859139592002-12-12T22:08:00.000Z2002-12-13T00:06:17.000ZThe story that just won't die
When I watched Tony Blair appeal to the media to let the whole Cheriegate thing drop I just thought that is like a red rag to a bull. There's nothing that's going to refresh the media's appetite like telling them they have had their pound of flesh and they have had enough to eat now thank you. It's a tactic that looks as much like trying to dictate the agenda as Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-859124782002-12-12T21:29:00.000Z2002-12-14T13:05:08.000ZDriveway Madness
Roger Windo of Gloucester has been the victim of the daftest bureaucratic tangle you can imagine. On Sunday he woke up to find an unfamiliar Toyota Picnic parked in his drive, preventing him from getting his car out. It didn't belong to any of his neighbours so he contacted the police:
But neither the police or Gloucester City Council could help because the T-reg Toyota Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-858576132002-12-11T21:37:00.000Z2002-12-11T21:43:27.000ZSay hello to new left-weblog Harry's Place. It's got plenty of principled and intelligent leftist commentary.
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-857990852002-12-10T20:37:00.000Z2002-12-10T23:01:59.000ZJesus Lives! Santa Dies!
This calls up a picture so vivid that it's just irresistible. The Reverend Lee Rayfield of Maidenhead told children at a Christmas carol service that Santa Claus was dead. You can understand how distraught the youngsters were but you can also imagine the looks on their parents' faces as they thought: Oh no no, please stop, how am I going to explain this one.
ReverendDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-857510352002-12-09T23:24:00.000Z2002-12-10T20:18:04.000ZAmnesty Less Than Rational
Amnesty International member Sarah Baxter is dismayed at the human rights organisation's eagerness to strike political poses in The Times. She is unimpressed with Amnesty's assertion that it hasn't had time to read the Foreign Office's dossier on human rights abuses in Iraq:
Clearly, Amnesty would be happier if the government had never raised that pesky human rights Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-856930392002-12-08T21:36:00.000Z2002-12-09T20:53:57.000ZBadly Drawn Man
I bit the bullet and went to see the latest bond flick, Die Another Day. It's good, unpretentious fun which occasionally threatens to come alive. It wisely ups the ante on the previous effort, which, apart from the excellent opening speedboat chase, felt decidedly lacklustre.
Director Lee Tamahori goes for the more-is-more philosophy and floods the story with hectic, Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-856908682002-12-08T20:35:00.000Z2002-12-10T20:17:24.000ZJust Add Evil Pantomime Laugh
CNN delivers a Christmas greeting from al-Qaeda, where they spread their message of peace:
Earlier this week, an al Qaeda statement posted to the Internet threatened a strike to coincide with the end of the Muslim holy season - which is December 5 and 6. The statement said, "You have not learned your lesson."
"Oh American people, you are the victim of your Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-855572582002-12-05T21:37:00.000Z2002-12-10T21:08:20.000ZInconceivable, I tell you! Inconceivable!
Mark Steyn says he received a little pearl of wisdom from a Frenchman:
"A man like George W Bush is simply not possible in our politics," I was told by an elegant, cultured Parisian this spring. "For a creature of such crude, simplistic and extreme views to be one of the two principal candidates in a presidential election would be inconceivable here. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-855553522002-12-05T20:55:00.000Z2002-12-10T20:20:38.000ZWhen Chickens Attack
Here's a case of life imitating a Gary Larson cartoon. Tim Blair has the story of a Florida town under seige by roaming gangs of chickens. Wild fowl are everywhere:
More than a year after Key West launched a roundup to relocate birds that roam the streets by day and roost in trees and shrubs at night, the city is still struggling to rein in its rooster population.
A cityDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882747.post-853980682002-12-02T22:23:00.000Z2002-12-07T00:03:44.000ZForged in the Fires of Mount Dumb
One of the things that distinguishes healthy-minded people from lunatics and Guardian columnists is the ability to tell fantasy from reality, something that seems to be a bit lost on the ever-so-earnest John Yatt.
His lame excuse for thoughtful literary criticism finds The Lord Of The Rings "unacceptable" because:
The Lord of the Rings is racist. It is soaked Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148560483265044253noreply@blogger.com