Saturday - December 27, 2008
The Dangers of Alternate Energy
Hey, I actually survived Christmas. All the eating, all the driving in rotten weather, all the parties. And I’ve almost caught up on my sleep, and I think the final hangover is going away. So I should be able to get back to posting by some point tomorrow. I’ve got to run out and get a bunch of stuff for our bowling league party tonight, but at least that isn’t a big drinking event. Well, not for me anyway.
Posted by Drew458
on 12/27/2008 at 11:08 AM
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Permalink • Heartbroken parents of drowned toddler question Disneyland Paris.
Sorry about the little boy.
Am posting this as what I see as yet another example of people who god forbid should ever accept the idea that maybe just maybe they share some responsibility. Maybe not all of it but some of it.
The parents of a five-year-old boy who drowned in a hotel swimming pool while on a dream Christmas trip to Disneyland Paris are demanding answers over the accident.
Last Updated: 10:23PM GMT 26 Dec 2008
Karen Canning and David Bradley from Derry told how their son Colum Canning fell into the pool at the Explorers hotel last week and the couple have demanded to know why a lifeguard was not in place.
Colum, who had autism, and his twin brother Kieran should have been celebrating their birthday today, the family said.
The heartbroken couple said they had struggled through Christmas caring for Kieran and their seven-year-old daughter Caitlin and now face the prospect of burying Colum on Sunday.
“Although he suffered from autism he was such a smart child, a real thinker who may not have been able to communicate like others but certainly knew everything that was going on.
“Christmas was always such a special time for us as a family and all the children were so excited at this time of year, with the boys celebrating their birthday on St Stephen’s Day.
“In the past few days we have been determined for our children and others to have a normal a day as possible as this is what Colum would have wanted.
“Although we both keep thinking that when tomorrow comes he is going to be around just like he always was.”
The staff at the Thomas Cook-owned three-star Explorers Hotel close to the Disney resort confirmed there had been no lifeguard on duty when Colum fell into the water after disappearing from his mother’s view shortly after the family arrived at the venue last Thursday.
The tour operator has confirmed that there was no lifeguard on duty at the time but said that this was in keeping with French law.
In the aftermath of the tragedy a spokesperson for travel agent Thomas Cook said their deepest sympathy was with the family.
Colum is to be buried in Derry on Sunday.
But the couple said they would be demanding a check of safety measures in the hotel.
“Colum made such a difference to all our lives and we want him to still make a difference now,” they said.
“Under no circumstances do we want another family to have to go through what we are going through now.”
They added: “We are very concerned to learn there was no lifeguard on duty. As parents our first instinct is always to protect our children. Therefore, it is very difficult for us to come to terms with the fact there was no-one around to look after them in the pool.”
I have never been a parent so I’m not clear on how this works. OK, so as I understand it these folks are poolside or in the area of the pool? There was “no-one around to look after them in the pool.” I’m lost. No-One around? Sure there was. They are called mom and dad. I mean, is it usual for a five year old to be left unattended? I do understand how little kids will wander away if you blink. I suppose I understand ppl taking for granted that there might be a life guard poolside. Shouldn’t that have been checked out first? Sadly, there wasn’t any here. But I just don’t understand how the kid could have gone very far in the time frame they are speaking of. If they were near a pool and could see it, could they not see there wasn’t any guard? And if you’re with a little kid and you’re near water, wouldn’t your first instinct be to hold the child’s hand? Just as a precaution?
And what other “safety checks” of the hotel are they “DEMANDING?” Fire escapes? Elevators? How about the state of the kitchen? They seem to “demand” a lot here.
The parents revealed how the child went missing within seconds, before the tragedy quickly unfolded.
“Karen had only turned around to fetch a camera to take a picture of our three children and when she turned she could only see two faces.
“She instantly panicked and could not find him anywhere. At first she thought he was just hiding. The employee on duty at the desk near the pool said he did not see him.
“Not long after Karen noticed the commotion by the pool and just knew it was Colum. He was taken to hospital but there was nothing they could do. It is hard to comprehend that this has happened to our baby and it is still not real.”
Leader of the nationalist SDLP Mark Durkan is understood to be assisting the family and they are now demanding answers over the circumstances of their son’s death and over safety measures in the hotel.
The parents added: ”We will be demanding answers and we will not be letting this go.
“Colum’s life must not be in vain and we would hope that lessons will be learned from our son’s death that will save lives in the future.
“We fought all our lives for Colum we are not going to stop now.”
Colum was quickly discovered in the water by another guest who jumped in and dragged him out but he had already lost consciousness.
Posted by peiper
on 12/27/2008 at 10:15 AM
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Permalink • Muslim groups ‘linked to September 11, invited to speak at mosque here w/ burning NY in background.
Quit yer bitching it’s all in the name of “diversity” and this multi-culture crap. You don’t like it go somewhere else. Like maybe another muslim country. Oh wait, this almost is a muslim country. I shouldn’t say that out loud. Just frustration talking.
Gotta get out of here.
Haven’t even had coffee yet and only browsed the morning paper to see headlines first and found this maddening article.
Must calm down. Forget the coffee.
Can you imagine the outcry and anger of muslims if one ours made public speeches in the same way , in the churches and synagogues, saying that islam was filth. Never mind the muzzies ... I can hear the whining lefties marching alongside their muslim “brothers” in peace.
This isn’t funny I know but I just can’t help thinking that there must be an old Nazi somewhere watching today’s world and crying, “Oh if only we had waited they’d have given it all to us. My Furher, I can walk! “
Muslim groups ‘linked to September 11 hijackers spark fury over conference’
A Muslim group has provoked outrage after inviting an extremist linked to the 9/11 hijackers to speak at a conference which is being promoted with a picture of New York in flames.
By Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter
Last Updated: 12:09AM GMT 27 Dec 2008The End of Time event at the East London Mosque, which is being publicised on internet sites including Facebook, will feature a videotaped lecture from Anwar al-Awlaki, who is banned from entering the United States after allegedly acting as a spiritual adviser to three of the September 11 terrorists.
Mr Awlaki, who lives in Yemen, has been described as “an al-Qaeda supporter” by the US Department of Homeland Security, which has accused him in recent months of using video lectures to “encourage terrorist attacks”.
He is due to deliver a video lecture at the mosque in Whitechapel on New Year’s Day. Speeches will have titles such as The sound of the trumpet – the real terror starts.
Other speakers will include Suhaib Hasan, who advocates implementing sharia in Britain, and Khalid Yasin, who has described the beliefs of Christians and Jews as “filth”.
The publicity material for the all-day event appears to be a clear reference to the attacks on New York, and features meteors raining down on Manhattan, setting fire to the city and shattering the Statue of Liberty.
It has already drawn comparisons with the “Magnificent 19” poster, which praised the September 11 hijackers and was used to publicise a 2003 event organised by Al-Muhajiroun, whose leader Omar Bakri Mohammed was later banned from Britain.
Dominic Grieve, the shadow home secretary, said: “I would be extremely concerned if the East London Mosque, which has said it is committed to peace, diversity and interfaith dialogue, is giving a platform to such individuals.”
In October, Charles Allen, America’s undersecretary of homeland security for intelligence and analysis, described Mr Awlaki as “an al-Qaeda supporter, and former spiritual leader to three of the September 11 hijackers”.
He claimed the cleric “targets US Muslims with radical online lectures encouraging terrorist attacks from his new home in Yemen”.
A trial in New Jersey this month heard that three men accused of plotting to attack a US Army base had watched one of Mr Awlaki’s internet sermons, Constants of jihad, the day before they agreed details of the alleged plot.
An informant told the hearing that the message the three men had taken from the video was that: “The time is now.”
On his website, Mr Awlaki says: “We will implement the rule of Allah on earth by the tip of the sword whether the masses like it or not”.
Publicity material for the event lists other lectures titled Flat line – the point of no return and Your just reward – paradise or hell.
Robin Simcox, of the Centre for Social Cohesion, said: “That these extremist speakers are being given a platform by such an allegedly mainstream mosque, in one of the most Muslim-populous areas in the country, should be cause for serious concern.”
Tickets for the event are being sold on the internet by a little-known company called Noor Pro Media Events, based in East Ham in London.
No one from the company was available for comment.
A spokesman for the mosque said: “We didn’t organise this event, they are just using our facilities.”
Posted by peiper
on 12/27/2008 at 04:27 AM
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Permalink • Friday - December 26, 2008
PEIPER’S DECEMBER RANT and SHAMLESS BID FOR SYMPATHY which he’d get at a more liberal blog.
Snappy headline, what? Yeah well it’s the best I could do on short notice.
POOR BRAIN DEAD COUSIN JO
Peiper’s Dec. Rant. 12-26-08Dear Bmews Diary,
A very tiring day and I mean eyes closing as I write. Not so much due anything we did today. Fairly lazy day overall except for lunatic news stories which are posted. No.
What has me ready to fall asleep was an overlong visit from a cousin of the wife. Two hours and twenty minutes of non stop talk by Cousin Jo.
She is a kindly and charitable person but alas, brain dead. I haven’t a clue how she has survived the 19th century. Oh sorry. I meant the 20th. century.
She always has to be asked finally, and somewhat kindly, please leave now. And it still takes her somewhere between ten and twenty minutes to do that.
She has been taking a senior citizen computer class and sad to say her problem is mostly that she is NOT a listener. She manages to get everything screwed up. And she can NEVER tell a tale from A to Z without serious detours.
Example:
She is telling us about a class she has been in for months now in the village of Weeke. A village not far from here.“The class is made up of and I don’t know what I’d have done if I hadn’t caught the #18 bus in London oh but wait, no, no before that I went to Peters Street where I got the #32 , oh lets see, yes that’s right, which went as far as ????? where I got the #20 bus which runs and then when I finally got the #18 bus but the #32 was late anyway.”
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH !!!!!
How the F&%! did we manage to be on all those fracken London buses in the village of Weeke next door??????? They’re over a hundred miles apart anyway.
She doesn’t come over often but every time she does I make it clear what our routine is here due to the old lady’s care and the wife is quite tired yadda,yadda. And every single time she says sorry she didn’t know and we dance the same dance.
At 5:10pm I said Jo, ya know Jean is usually in bed by this time. She’s up late, she’s tired and I need a break too.Oh dear says she. I’m sorry. I must be getting off now oh Jean. I won’t keep you. But my wife (the one who’s civilized here) makes the mistake of saying “Oh that’s ok Jo.” So Jo drags out her leave taking and asks, oh where’s my coat, while turning in a complete circle as though she is looking for her coat, which is on a chair in the entrance hall right through the door to her right. Just inside the front door.
I mean, this isn’t Windsor Castle after all. One does not get lost in this tiny three rooms downstairs bungalow.
But she does finally exit the front door at 5:20pm. What happened between 5:10 and 5:20 then? Oh boy, oh boy I’m glad you asked.She was getting instructions from my sainted wife on, “ HOW TO READ IN BED.”
What? You think I have the imagination to make that up?
No kidding. She says her problem is that every time she tries to read in bed, the book falls on her head.No, that is not the problem. The problem is that you are BRAIN DEAD!
Posted by peiper
on 12/26/2008 at 04:05 PM
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Permalink • Victim of the ‘can’t touch’ culture: Teacher throttled by pupil as colleagues looked on .
WELL NOW ....
SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A TEACHER USES A RED PEN. THE KID WHO ATTACKED THIS TEACHER WAS THE REAL VICTIM.
just can not cope with this craziness.
By Laura Clark
Last updated at 12:01 PM on 26th December 2008A teacher who won £250,000 compensation after a pupil tried to strangle him has criticised a ‘can’t touch’ culture in schools after other staff initially refused to intervene.
Colin Adams, 50, was attacked by a 12- year- old boy, who knocked him to the floor before punching and kicking him, and grabbing his neck. But despite other teachers yelling at the boy to stop, no one stepped in to help.
Mr Adams’s ordeal ended only after another teacher eventually came to his aid by forcing the boy’s thumbs back to release his hold. Later, the unnamed teacher admitted to Mr Adams that he was afraid the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, would accuse him of assault.
It later emerged the boy had a history of violence, having previously attacked pupils and a security guard at a library opposite Kingsford Community School in East London.However, he was not properly disciplined over the assaults and staff were not warned about his past.
Mr Adams yesterday criticised Government-backed ‘inclusion’ policies, which he claimed had led to pupils with severe behavioural problems being taught in schools where staff are not trained to cope with them.
His comments come only days after figures released under the Freedom of Information Act revealed police were called to schools 10,000 times last year to deal with violent incidents.
Mr Adams’s attacker was expelled after the assault in 2004 and given a referral order by the courts, which involved him being supervised for six months.
It is rumoured he was sent on a holiday as ‘a reward’ for completing it.
As a result of the attack, which lasted for several minutes, Mr Adams, of Ockendon, Essex, was forced to give up work after suffering severe stress and back problems.
His distress was further compounded by a lengthy court battle to win compensation, charted by his wife Sharon, 47, in a diary she started after the assault.
Four-and-a-half years later, he secured £250,000 in an out-of-court settlement from Newham Council.
Writing in her diary, Mrs Adams said the boy had been misbehaving in another teacher’s class and Mr Adams, as head of department, had gone to his aid. He ordered the boy to leave but the pupil refused.
Mr Adams then left the room and was attacked by the boy from behind.
She wrote: ‘He came around to find the boy strangling him. The teachers told the boy to let go, but he did not.
‘Teachers are very wary of touching children these days as children all know their rights and they can take a teacher to court.
‘It only came to an end when a male teacher grabbed hold of one of the boy’s thumbs and caused him pain and made the boy let go.
‘This teacher didn’t want to admit what he’d done for fear of being accused of assault.
‘The police informed the school they could have kicked the boy in his back to make him let go, but I am not sure there is any teacher anywhere who would be willing to do that for fear of repercussions.’
Mr Adams, who has two grown-up children, added: ‘The whole thing has left a bitter taste. We are trying our best to move forward but it’s a slow process.’
A Newham Council spokesman said: ‘Our staff have the right to work without fear of assault or harassment.
‘In this particular case, an appropriate financial settlement was agreed following advice from our insurers, which was based on Mr Adams’s loss of salary, future loss of earnings and damages for the injury he suffered.’
Posted by peiper
on 12/26/2008 at 11:51 AM
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Permalink • Teachers banned from using ‘confrontational’ red ink in case it upsets children. Any teachers here?
DO YOU BELIEVE THIS?
What the heck is happening to this place? They are stark raving mad. How did generation after generation manage the stress of red ink and still achieve what they did? This is BIZARRE beyond any way for me to describe it.
This is what is happening right now, right here in this country on this date. Dec.26,2008.
Where are the grown ups?
By Colin Fernandez
Last updated at 1:03 AM on 26th December 2008
Hundreds of schools have barred teachers from marking in red in case it upsets the children.
They are scrapping the traditional method of correcting work because they consider it ‘confrontational’ and ‘threatening’.
Pupils increasingly find that the ticks and crosses on their homework are in more soothing shades like green, blue, pink and yellow, or even in pencil.
Traditionalists have branded the ban ‘barmy’, saying that red ink makes it easier for children to spot errors and improve. There are no set government guidelines on marking and schools are free to formulate their own individual policies.
Crofton Junior School, in Orpington, Kent, whose pupils range from seven to 11, is among those to have banned red ink. Its Marking Code of Practice states: ‘Work is generally marked in pen – not red – but on occasion it may be appropriate to indicate errors in pencil so that they may be corrected.’
Headmaster Richard Sammonds said: ‘Red pen can be quite demotivating for children. It has negative, old-school connotations of “See me” and “Not good enough”.
‘We are no longer producing clerks and bookkeepers. We are trying to provide an education for children coming into the workforce in the 21st century.
‘The idea is to raise standards by taking a positive approach.
‘We highlight bits that are really good in one colour and use a different colour to mark areas that could be improved.’
At Hutton Cranswick Community Primary School in Driffield, East Yorkshire, the Marking and Feedback Policy reads: ‘Marking should be in a different colour or medium from the pupil’s writing but should not dominate. For this reason, red ink is inappropriate.’
Shirley Clarke, an associate of the Institute of Education, said: ‘Banning red ink is a reaction to years of children having nothing but red over their work and feeling demoralised. When children, especially young children, see every single spelling mistake covered in red, they can feel useless and give up.’
But Nick Seaton, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said: ‘Banning red ink is absolutely barmy. Common sense suggests that children learn by their mistakes and occasionally they need upsetting to teach them to pull their socks up.
‘Self-esteem has to be built on genuine achievement, not mollycoddling, which only harms children in the long-run.
‘Red ink is the quickest way for pupils to see where they are going wrong and raise standards. I give teachers who have ditched their red pens nought out of ten. They’ve failed.’
Posted by peiper
on 12/26/2008 at 10:47 AM
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Permalink • Outrage as Channel 4 lets Iranian ruler give ‘offensive’ alternative Christmas message.
It’s a commercial channel, and I didn’t see it yesterday and watched no TV at all.
This seems to have upset a few people and frankly I don’t believe or trust anything this man says. Unless it’s a threat of some kind. I’d take that seriously to heart.
The question however is, should the station have given this guy a platform?
He wasn’t calling for jihad after all. He isn’t a friend to us, that’s certain. He represents a backward thinking society except, they do have some modern weapons.
I kinda think it’s better to allow him to speak his mind, what there is of it, and let the people who see him judge if he has anything to say of any worth.
Would Hitler have been invited to give a speech here, were there TV as we now know it in 1939? I think he might given the kind of thinking that prevails today.
Thing you have to know about this TV channel is that every year they invite celebs of one stripe or another to make opposite side Christmas day speeches.
I don’t think they have that large an audience for it but of course I wouldn’t know what the viewing figures are.
Iranian ruler give ‘offensive’ alternative Christmas message
By Liz Thomas
Last updated at 12:43 AM on 26th December 2008Channel 4 was accused of causing international offence last night for inviting the president of Iran to give an alternative Christmas Day message.
Viewers saw Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claim that if Christ were on earth today he would
stand in opposition to warmongers, occupiers, and bullies – a clear attack on allied forces who invaded Iraq and Afghanistan.The broadcast, by the man who once paraded captured British sailors on Iranian television, brought heavy criticism from human rights campaigners and politicians, and also prompted a rare, damning response from the Government
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran has blamed ‘tyrannical’ economic and political systems for the global economic crisisAttacked: Campaign groups say the broadcaster’s decision to air the speech is ‘dangerous’ and motivated by ratings.
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: ‘President Ahmadinejad has during his time in office made a series of appalling anti-Semitic statements.
‘The British media are rightly free to make their own editorial choices, but this invitation will cause offence and bemusement not just at home but amongst friendly countries
abroad.’Speaking in Farsi with subtitles, Ahmadinejad said: ‘If Christ were on earth today, undoubtedly He would stand with the people in opposition to bullying, ill-tempered and expansionist powers.
‘If Christ were on earth today, undoubtedly He would hoist the banner of justice and love for humanity to oppose warmongers, occupiers, terrorists and bullies the world over.’
But the comments were met with incredulity. The Israeli Embassy said the message had a ‘sick and twisted irony’.
Earlier this year Ahmadinejad said that ‘Israel should be wiped off the planet’.
In the past week, nine people, including one woman, have been hanged according to Iran’s state owned newspaper.
Israeli ambassador Ron Prosor said: ‘In Iran, converts to Christianity face the death penalty. It is perverse that this despot is allowed to speculate on the views of Jesus, while his government leads Christ’s followers to the gallows.’
He said Channel 4’s decision to broadcast the message was a ‘scandal and a national embarrassment’.
The U.S., Britain and others suspect Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons, but it insists its uranium enrichment programme is intended solely for civilian energy.
Ties with the UK and Iran are already strained. In 2007, 15 British sailors and marines were held for 13 days after they were accused of straying into sovereign waters. Tory MP Philip Davies, who sits on the media select committee, said he was ‘disgusted’ with Channel 4.
He said: ‘The alternative Christmas message has simply become the festive equivalent to Big Brother. Each year they are trying to be more and more shocking. It is just unacceptable.’
Louise Ellman, Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside and chairman of the Labour Jewish Movement, was equally as scathing. She condemned the channel for giving an ‘unchallenged platform to a dangerous fanatic who denies the holocaust while preparing for another’.
She added: ‘Who will deliver next year’s alternative Christmas message? Will it be David Irving or Robert Mugabe?’
“Labour Jewish Movement?” Is that another cover for another Trotsky or Marxist like group? How many actual paying members?
Or is it simply something as innocent and run of the mill as an ethnic group who belong to any party. As for example, Jewish Conservatives. And there really are lots of those but somehow the left makes noise out of proportion to their numbers. Her question may be a fair one but I have a problem allowing any one group to decide for the whole country who to vet for a TV appearance. And just because this guy and someone like David Irving have denied the holocaust, is hardly a reason to keep them off the tube. Most people know better. They wouldn’t be swayed. The others will simply hear what they already believe anyway.
This is a “Twitchy” subject. Isn’t it?
Posted by peiper
on 12/26/2008 at 07:48 AM
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Permalink • Vice-President role to shrink under Barack Obama . Back seat Biden. Way, way in the back of the bus.
This is NOT a new story but .... it’s worth the posting here now. As we draw closer to The Dreaded Day. (D-DAY 2008) It will be very interesting to see how this is going to play out. Hey, there are a lot of egos here. Yes, yes I know about serving for the good of the country yadda,yadda.
BUT ...
These are liberal Dems. so that might not apply. More likely more social engineering more taxes more infighting as the boobs in the conga line fight to prove who’s more liberal, more demands for diversity and more requests for more gun control, especially after this weeks carnage over Christmas with the deaths of eight injust one killing spree.
Oh yes, lets please NOT forget that President elect Obama is also calling for more co-operation with Europe and wants closer friendlier ties. Friendly is reasonable as opposed to hating, it’s the “closer ties” I worry about. Especially in relation things green.
The role of the American vice-presidency is to be downgraded with Joe Biden taking on a dramatically reduced role from that of his predecessors Dick Cheney and Al Gore.
By Toby Harnden in Washington
The TelegraphMr Biden is likely to be the least powerful vice-president since Dan Quayle, the hapless deputy to President George Bush Snr, who left office in 1993.
He will not be allowed to sit in on the caucus meetings of Senate Democrats or to have an office next to the House of Representatives floor, both privileges Mr Cheney was given by congressional Republicans.
He will not receive his own intelligence briefing each morning, as Mr Cheney did, or have a specific portfolio and a guaranteed daily lunch with the president, as Mr Gore negotiated with Bill Clinton.
The presence of Hillary Clinton, President-elect Barack Obama’s choice for Secretary of State, is likely to diminish Mr Biden’s voice in his specialist field of foreign policy.
Mrs Clinton is building a large staff of loyal aides and is certain to take advantage of a network of long-time allies from her husband’s administration who have been brought in by Mr Obama.
Although Mr Biden, 66, who has spent 36 years in the Senate and has never held an executive position, apparently views the change in his role as a necessary correction from what he saw as Mr Cheney’s unwarranted influence, some Democrats fear that he could become a marginal figure.
“It looks as if the new vice-president will be only one of many people with a seat at President Obama’s table,” said a prominent Democrat with close ties to Mr Biden.
“But he seems to be happy with the situation – he has no further political ambitions and I think he’s just overjoyed with getting the job.
“Hillary Clinton is likely to keep him boxed in on foreign affairs and Mr Biden himself has made clear what he feels about Mr Cheney meddling in intelligence matters. The vice-president elect will respect the constitution and the limits of his powers.”
A transition official, talking to “Politico” website, presented Mr Biden’s reduced role and his determination not to run a “shadow presidency” as a virtue for both him and the Obama administration.
Mr Biden had been clear from the outset “that he was not going to take a portfolio in particular areas” but he would be “available widely and broadly to offer his advice on whatever hard questions the president was trying to decide”.
The official added that Mr Biden was likely to attend many fewer meeting than Mr Cheney. “He’ll attend those meetings where he can he helpful in gathering information and in helping to formulate the advice he’ll be giving the president.”
Well after all I’ve said at the beginning, I have to close this with a quote of sorts from CMBlake here at BMEWS. I’ve edited a tiny bit to update as it’s past Christmas but I haven’t altered his thoughts or meaning at all. I have to tell you folks, I’m not suggesting war for gosh sake but I will worry about that co-operation thingy. Just how much co-op?
Pray the English will suggest to the EU that they take their gift of “oneness” and bugger right off with it. And to all the other BMEWSers, the same. We ain’t dead yet. Remember your oath of enlistment? REMEMBER YOUR OATH OF ENLISTMENT! ALL enemies, foreign AND DOMESTIC! Spread the message. “You can’t stop the message.”
Posted by cmblake6
Posted by peiper
on 12/26/2008 at 06:31 AM
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Permalink • Thousands of foreign prisoners freed early – with compensation !!!!!!!!! What? No Kisses and
Dear BMEWS Diary,
Today is the day after Christmas, Dec.26th.
I was a reasonably good boy yesterday and did not swear and cuss once or use lord’s name in vain the whoooooole day.
Well, not within the hearing of the grownups I didn’t.
I did overeat however. I committed gluttony but it wasn’t my fault. I was not responsible for my piggish behavior. It was the cook’s fault. And the turkey for allowing itself to become a meal. I think I may sue the farmer from whence that dumb turkey originated.
I wasn’t feeling too well last night. I kept hearing this gobble noise in the middle of the night.
But today is Monday, whoops. I mean Friday and the start of brand new day.
And dear Bmews Diary, we know what that means. Don’t we?
I AM SEEING RED AGAIN! If this lunacy is happening here, then it has to be the same in my homeland.
Here I was minding my own own business and that of my sore tummy which thank you was improved after breakfast.
I made a nice calming cup of tea as suggested by my nurse/wife/psychiatrist, opened the morning paper and came upon this on the other side of the first page.
Thousands of foreign prisoners have been released from jail before the end of their sentence and given cash to compensate for the loss of food and board.
By Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent
Last Updated: 8:04AM GMT 26 Dec 2008Figures released by the Conservatives show that 2,196 foreign offenders have been invited to take part in the early release scheme, called End of Custody Licence, since its introduction 15 months ago in response to prison overcrowding.
As well as walking free having served less than half of their sentence, each released prisoner is entitled to around £7 a day in compensation to make up for missing out on the state-provided food and lodging they would have received had they remained in jail.
Offenders released on End of Custody Licence receive an initial discharge payment of £46, followed by the subsistence allowance of £47.12 a week, up to a cap of £168.24.
If all those eligible received the full allowance, the taxpayer would by now have paid out £369,455 in compensation to foreign prisoners who had been released early.
The disclosure, in a written Parliamentary answer from the Ministry of Justice, follows recent pledges by Gordon Brown that foreign nationals who commit crimes in Britain “will be deported” and “will pay the price”.
Nick Herbert, the shadow justice secretary, said that for every three foreign prisoners the Home Office was now removing from the UK, two more were allowed to go free and six entered the prison system.
He added: “The Government want to create the impression that they’re successfully deporting foreign national criminals, but the truth is that for every three prisoners they remove, two more are released onto the streets.
“Far from paying the price as Gordon Brown promised, foreign national offenders are being rewarded by serving less than half of their jail sentence and with taxpayers’ cash in their back pockets.”
There are now around a thousand more foreign prisoners in British jails than in 2006 when Charles Clarke was forced to resign as Home Secretary amid accusations that the Home Office had failed to deport overseas offenders.
The number of foreigners in prison currently stands at 11,168, up 11 per cent since Mr Clarke’s departure, with offenders from Vietnam and Poland accounting for more than half of the increase. There are 460 Vietnamese in UK jails along with 452 Poles.
Such is the scale of offending by foreigners that there are now three jails reserved exclusively for prisoners from overseas: Canterbury in Kent, Bullwood Hall in Essex and Morton Hall in Lincoln. The equivalent of one more prison is taken up by offenders who have served their sentence and are awaiting deportation, at an average annual cost of £40,000 each – a total of £22 million.
It is possible to deport an offender only if an agreement exists with their country of origin to take them.
The Tories say that Government pledges to sign agreements with Jamaica, China and Nigeria have yet to be fulfilled.
David Hanson, the Justice Minister, said that the early release scheme would end as soon as work was completed to expand the number of prison places.
He added: “All prisoners are provided with basic subsistence to enable them to pay for accommodation, food and essentials following release.”
Meanwhile, separately the Home Office announced that a record number of foreign prisoners had been deported in the last 12 months.
The UK Border Agency sent 5,000 foreign offenders back to their country of origin, exceeding last year’s total of 4,200.
They included 50 killers and attempted killers, more than 200 sex offenders and more than 1,500 convicted of drug offenses.
Phil Woolas, the Immigration Minister, said: “Britain will not tolerate those that come here and break our rules.”
(YEAH, LIKE ANYONE BUYS INTO THAT. BAD GUYS DON’T)
Posted by peiper
on 12/26/2008 at 04:39 AM
Filed Under: • Crime • Insanity • Taxes • UK •
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Permalink • Thursday - December 25, 2008
YOU THOUGHT I’D FORGET BMEWS ON CHRISTMAS DAY?
Even if there’s only one person to stop by here on the day ... then this is for us. I’m including myself and naturally it HAS to be Country Music, given my background.
So Merry Christmas to anyone falling by here today.
I will soon be off to a traditional English Christmas day dinner with a neighbor who has been hosting this family every Christmas for forty years.
Couldn’t get it all in this one shot but, the chef is a GREAT cook. I must marry her in the next life before friend and husband Tim meets her.
All the veggies grown in their own garden btw.
Christmas of 2007
Posted by peiper
on 12/25/2008 at 04:46 AM
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Permalink • Wednesday - December 24, 2008
neat image
A very clever Christmas tree. Maybe it’s for those of us on really tight budgets? Nah, I think it’s just someone showing off that they found one of those 49¢ pencil sharpeners that actually work!
Posted by Drew458
on 12/24/2008 at 11:30 AM
Filed Under: • Fun-Stuff •
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Permalink • Gift wrapping with your parrot. It’s a tad longish BUT it is FUNNY!
WHAT? YOU HAD SOMETHING ELSE BETTER TO DO THIS LATE ON CHRISTMAS EVE?
This is funny and H/T Thorolf with thanks.
Gift wrapping with your parrot
1. Clear large space on table for wrapping present.
2. Go to closet and collect bag in which present is contained and shut door.
3. Open door and remove bird from closet and put back on stand.
4. Go to cupboard and retrieve rolls of wrapping paper.
5. Go back and remove bird from cupboard, place on stand again.
6. Go to drawer, and collect transparent sticky tape, ribbons, scissors, labels, etc.
7. Lay out presents and wrapping materials on table.
8. Go back to drawer to get string, remove bird that has been in the drawer since last visit and collect string, being sure to untangle bird from it and place back in cage this time.
9. Remove present from bag.
10. Remove bird from bag.
11. Open box to check present, remove bird from box. Replace present as well as replacing lock on bird cage that bird unlocked.
12. Lay out paper to determine size to cut.
13. Try to smooth out paper, realize bird is underneath, unlock cage, actually put bird in cage this time and get back to work.
14. Cut the paper to size, keeping the cutting line straight.
15. Throw away first sheet as bird chased the scissors, and tore the paper.
16. Cut second sheet of paper to size - by putting bird in the bag the present came in.
17. Place present on paper.
18. Lift up edges of paper to seal in present. Wonder why edges don’t reach. Realize bird is between present and paper. Remove bird again.
19. Place object on paper, to hold in place while tearing transparent sticky tape.
20. Spend 20 minutes carefully trying to remove transparent sticky tape from bird while getting the beak of death as tape pulls on feathers. Place band-aids on hands and nose.
21. Seal paper with sticky tape, making corners as neat as possible.
22. Look for roll of ribbon. Chase bird down hall in order to retrieve ribbon.
23. Try to wrap present with ribbon in a two-directional turn.
24. Re-roll ribbon and remove paper, which is now torn due to bird’s enthusiastic ribbon chase.
25. Repeat steps 13 - 20 until you reach last sheet of paper.
26. Decide to skip steps 13 - 17 in order to save time and reduce risk of losing last sheet of paper and any more skin. Retrieve old cardboard box that is the right size for sheet of paper.
27. Put present in box and tie down with string.
28. Remove string, open box and remove bird.
29. Put all packing materials in bag with present and head for a room with lock.
30. Once inside locking room, lock door and start to relay out paper and materials.
31. Remove bird from box, unlock door, put bird in cage, close and relock.
32. Repeat previous step as often as necessary (until you can hear bird from outside door!).
33. Lay out last sheet of paper. (This will be difficult in the small area of the toilet, but do your best!).
34. Discover bird has already torn paper. Unlock door, go out and hunt through various cupboards, looking for sheet of last year’s paper. Remembering that you haven’t got any left because bird helped with this last year as well.
35. Return to lockable room, lock door and sit on toilet and try to make torn sheet of paper look presentable.
36. Seal box, wrap with paper and repair by very carefully sealing with sticky tape. Tie up with ribbon and decorate with bows to hide worst areas.
37. Label. Sit back and admire your handiwork, congratulate yourself on completing a difficult job.
38. Unlock door and go to kitchen to make drink and feed bird.
39. Spend 15 minutes looking for bird until coming to obvious conclusion.
40. Unwrap present, untie box and remove bird.
41. Go to store and buy a gift bag
Cheers all and have a safe if it’s gonna be Merry.
Posted by peiper
on 12/24/2008 at 09:46 AM
Filed Under: • Humor •
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Permalink • It turned into a post after all
And, duh how could I forget and leave it until so late, a Merry Christmas to all, and a Happy Hanukkah as well. Peace on Earth, good will towards men, and all those good wishes. Except for commies, islamofascists, rabid lefties, and them dirty hippies. They can all go burn. Ok Ok Ok ... I’ll cut them a break too, but just for a few days. If you need a politics rant, go see the Day by Day cartoon from the other day. That one about says it all. Except for this:
I was working up a nice post on the “failure” of the Toyota Prius, and was going to knock it around by comparing it with the Skoda Fabia GreenLine edition, which gets 83mpg, drops less than 4 ounces of CO2 per mile, comes with a full complement of modern safety stuff, and costs a great deal less. You see, Toyota has postponed the launch of the 3rd generation Prius by another month, and they’ve decided not to open the new factory they just put $300 million into to build down in Mississippi. Or, not open it right now. Seems demand is off for their little Hollywood approved wunderkar, along with everything else. Oh, and the cash price for a gallon of regular here went down to 1.39.9 today. I can fill my tank for about $15 again. Hoo. Ray!!
But it’s nearly Christmas, so when I finally got back from the mall (which is a post all by itself. Malls suck. All the stores I liked are gone, and the place seems to cater to 17 year old girls. The rest of us can go jump.), it was time to get the wrapping paper down from the attic and have at it. So I put on some nice Christmas music ... and got lost in it. Note to Lee: see, audiophilia is dangerous. So there was a little post in there, about really good stereo, which would have included a personal thank you to Robert Lee, the guy from Acoustic Zen dot com who hand built my entire cabling system, tuned just for me, when he was starting out on his own after leaving Harmonic Technology. Audiophile-ism is a very small world, and you get to know the guys behind the companies pretty quickly. Besides, I used to be a cable whore for HT; I built my first system with free power cords and interconnects, because they’d send me one every time I got another audio dealer to carry their products. HT is good stuff, but what Mr. Lee does over at Acoustic Zen is several quantum leaps better. I never could have afforded it if I had to pay him anywhere near MSRP.
Tomorrow starts the travel cycle. We go from this relative to that one to another and back again. Which means I might get home at some point Friday. Or Saturday. So there won’t be much of anything coming from me for another few days. But let’s be fair: you won’t be on the ‘net much either. Put the mouse down, step away from the keyboard. Hit the big grey button and turn off the PC. Go spend the next few days with family. And if you don’t have family ... well, Ok, I’ll try to stop in and say Hello, but you might just want to lay in some nice provisions and a nice bottle of scotch and have a big old readathon.
So Merry Christmas to all: Mr. Christian, Peiper, Christopher, Rancino, Grumpy, Lee, Carol, Turtler, SingleStack, Wardmomma, Pixie too, TimO, Late, Sara, Lyndon, Fido, Doc, Spike, DSD and Thomas B (and the rest of my secret ninja email army!) and all the other BMEWS regular readers, commentors, and lurkers (PS speak up you guys, anytime would be fine!).
Posted by Drew458
on 12/24/2008 at 12:41 AM
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Permalink • Tuesday - December 23, 2008
Merry Christmas!
The following video really brought back some memories of the Blizzard of ‘78 here in Ohio.
THAT was a blizzard. They’ve called a few winter storms a ‘blizzard’ since then, but they were nothing compared to ‘78. Point: I delivered the mail during one so-called ‘blizzard’ in ‘94. That wasn’t a blizzard, that was just ‘white-out’ conditions that only lasted half a day. The ‘78 blizzard lasted three days, during which time we ran out of heating oil in the farmhouse. So my parents and sisters, yes, and me, huddled in our parents bedroom during the day with the electric heater and the TV. But, during those three days, guess who was sent out to the barnyard to feed and water the chickens (and collect their eggs) and the horse? Yep! Me.
So, after the storm passed, we (er...I mean, the rest of the family, I’d been out several times...) ventured out and let the dog out. She hadn’t seen so much snow before and the result was much like this:
UPDATE:
Phoebe, our dog in ‘78 was much like this dog Bailey. She was about the same build, same color scheme, though the markings were different. Same spring in her step.
Phoebe was a Catahoula. I wonder if Bailey, the Unknown Reindeer is a Catahoula? Could be.
Posted by Christopher
on 12/23/2008 at 04:56 PM
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Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:
It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.
- Keep a firm grasp of Right and Wrong
- Stay involved with government on every level and don't let those bastards get away with a thing
- Use every legal means to defend yourself in the event of real internal trouble, and, most importantly:
- Keep talking to each other, whether here or elsewhere
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Oh, and here's some kind of visitor flag counter thingy. Hey, all the cool blogs have one, so I should too. The Visitors Online thingy up at the top doesn't count anything, but it looks neat. It had better, since I paid actual money for it.
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