BMEWS
 
Death once had a near-Sarah Palin experience.

calendar   Saturday - July 05, 2008

EYE CANDY AT AGE ELEVEN?  AS IN, 11?  KINDA YOUNG NO? WHAT’S WRONG WITH MOM HERE?

OK, I know there’s gonna be those who say this little girl might be “more mature” then the average 11 yr old.  Uh huh.  I really don’t buy that at all.
I think mommy dearest is living her life thru her kid and robbing her of a normal girlhood.  But what do I know.  I’m not a parent.  Neither am I a prude.
This kid looks awesome!  That’s the problem.  She shouldn’t. 

And what does the little girl have to say?  here ya go.

Ask Sasha how she sees herself and she replies: ‘Blonde, pretty, dumb - I don’t need brains.’ Her mum laughs her head off at this, proud that the child is so like her.

Drew is gonna hafta come up with a special catagory for stuff like this.  I mean, stoopid ppl isn’t enuff. I just couldn’t bring myself to file this under ‘sex’ and you can understand I hope.

Mummy’s little Lolita: The 11-year-old girl whose beauty treatments cost £300 a month to make her look like Barbie
By Jenny Johnston
Last updated at 12:27 AM on 05th July 2008

She wore her first set of false eyelashes at eight, and her beauty treatments cost £300 a month.  A sick abuse of an 11-year-old? ‘No’, insists Sasha’s mother, ‘I just want her to be famous...’
At 11, Sasha Bennington is too young to remember the days when Jordan was just a country and being branded ‘fake’ was something to be ashamed of.

But maybe the youngster’s biggest tragedy is that her mother, Jayne, 31, is in no hurry to paint a picture of how it used to be.

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Jayne is talking breezily about how Sasha had her first set of false nails glued on at eight, and now enjoys the sort of rigorous beauty regime - hair extensions, fake tans, pedicures - that was once the preserve of porn stars and Dolly Parton, not school children from Burnley in Lancashire.

Still, times have changed. ‘All the kids are at it now,’ insists Jayne. ‘We spend about £300 a month on beauty treatments for her.

‘Sasha’s friends are the same. All girls their age are. Of course they are! Why else would you be able to buy make-up for pre-teens at Boots?

‘Perhaps it’s different in country areas, where they don’t need to grow up so fast. But, around big cities, girls have got to be more forward and act older than they are. That’s just the way it is.

‘I don’t understand why people get so upset about it. None of it is permanent. Tans wash off. Hair extensions come out. Why all the fuss?’

Just over a year ago, there was fuss galore when Jayne entered Sasha (then ten) in the junior Miss British Isles competition - Britain’s first adult-style beauty pageant for children.

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THERE’S LOTS MORE HERE >>> http://tinyurl.com/6q4hnm


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Posted by Drew458   United Kingdom  on 07/05/2008 at 10:30 AM   
Filed Under: • MiscellaneousUK •  
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Students allegedly disciplined after refusing to kneel down and “pray to Allah”

I’d like to write something biting and snarky and clever.  Mind a blank.  I keep thinking, maybe this is simply a mistake in reporting by The Telegraph.
They’ll do a retraction soon.  ?  What are the chances this is real?

In other headlines from this side of the water,
Sex Ed for FOUR YEAR OLDS is back on the agenda.

Knife Crime Eclipses Terrorism as a top police priority.

By Nick Britten
Last Updated: 12:37AM BST 05/07/2008

Two schoolboys were allegedly disciplined after refusing to kneel down and “pray to Allah” during a religious education lesson.

“I am absolutely furious my daughter was made to take part in it and I don’t find it acceptable”
Karen Williams, parent

It was claimed that the boys, from a year seven class of 11 and 12-year-olds, were given detention after refusing to take part in a practical demonstration of how Allah is worshipped.

Yesterday parents accused the school of breaching their human rights by forcing them to take part in the exercise.

One, Sharon Luinen, said: “This isn’t right, it’s taking things too far. I understand that they have to learn about other religions. I can live with that but it is taking it a step too far to be punished because they wouldn’t join in Muslim prayer.

“Making them pray to Allah, who isn’t who they worship, is wrong and what got me is that they were told they were being disrespectful.”

Another parent Karen Williams, 38, whose 12-year-old daughter is a classmate of the boys, said: “I am absolutely furious my daughter was made to take part in it and I don’t find it acceptable.

“The teacher had gone into the class and made them watch a short film and then said ‘we are now going out to pray to Allah’.

“Then two boys got detention and all the other children missed their refreshments’ break.”

She added: “Not only was it forced upon them, my daughter was told off for not doing it right.

“They’d never done it before and they were supposed to do it in another language.”

She said the pupils were asked if they had water on them, and when one girl produced a bottle, the teacher began washing her feet with it.

Her husband Keith, 44, a painter and decorator, said: “The school is wonderful but this one teacher has made a major mistake. It seems to be happening throughout society. People think they can ride roughshod over our beliefs and the way we live.”

The alleged incident, at the Alsager school, one of Cheshire’s top performing schools, happened on Tuesday afternoon. The teacher, Alison Phillips, the school’s subject leader in RE, is understood to be staying away from the school until the furore dies down, although she has not been suspended.

She is said to have got prayer mats out of the cupboard and also asked children to wear Islamic headdresses.

Deputy headmaster Keith Plant said: “I have spoken to the teacher and she has articulately given me her version of events.”

Sources at the school said the incident could have been down to Miss Phillips instigating a role play and not properly briefing the pupils, all aged around 12, what she was doing.

A spokesman for Cheshire County Council said they were investigating. He added: “The headteacher contacted the authority immediately complaints were received. Enquiries are being made into the circumstances as a matter of urgency and all parents will be informed accordingly.

“Educating children in the beliefs of different faiths is part of Cheshire’s diversity curriculum on the basis that knowledge is, of course, is essential to understanding.

“We accept that such teaching has to be conducted with commonsense and sensitivity.”

http://tinyurl.com/5cpymy


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Posted by Drew458   United Kingdom  on 07/05/2008 at 10:07 AM   
Filed Under: • EducationNanny StateUK •  
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calendar   Friday - July 04, 2008

The New National Anthem

On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress. I only mention that because I know that the NEA doesn’t teach that in the government schools anymore ... looking back, I realize that the NEA was anti-American by the time my sister hit 4th grade. That was the year that I had Civics ... my sister didn’t have Civics only two years later.

Toby Keith’s song should be the new national anthem. Easier to sing than the Star Spangled Banner.

To be honest, there was a better version of this, a medley of live Toby Keith performances for the troops. Standing ovations all. But embedding was disabled. Though, as a MacAddict, I’ve already downloaded that version for my iPod.

I would like to comment on B. Hussein Obama and patriotism. See, I have always been patriotic. If, by patriotism, you mean the Founding Fathers’ ideal of personal freedom. Based on my belief in personal freedom, I volunteered to serve for six years, active duty, in the U.S. armed forces. I’ve proven my love for this country, and more importantly, for the ideals this country used to represent.

I challenge B. Hussein Obama to show how he has ever put his life on the line for the United States. I have.


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Posted by Christopher   United States  on 07/04/2008 at 11:56 AM   
Filed Under: • Miscellaneous •  
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Happy 4th of July !!

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Get out there and party today people, but don’t forget what it’s all about. If I had kids, or was at a BBQ with loads of them, I’d drag out the old Declaration and have them read it aloud. There would be questions later too. After the sack races, hotdog snarfing contests, and backyard baseball game, but before slathering on the mosquito repellent and heading off to see the fireworks.

We’re off to see the relations, and it just might rain. So we’ll make the best of it. If your crowd gets stuck in the house today, or if you can’t locate your copy of the document, try this link that Rancino provided ... go over here and your kids can “sign” the Declaration of Independence themselves. Then visit the home page, where you can download copies of the Declaration and the Constitution, or print them out. Plus there are lots of bits of history and the understanding thereof that you can pull up. It’s a nicely done site.

For the rest of us lucky enough for good weather - and not devastated by flooding - here’s some fun. This is what happens when talent meets too much barbeque sauce. (Like there’s such a thing as too much barbeque sauce. That’s like saying there’s too much lobster. Or the beer’s too cold. That just don’t happen!)








Party on people. Be careful with the blackpowder entertainments. See y’all tomorrow.

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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 07/04/2008 at 10:38 AM   
Filed Under: • Fun-StuffHistoryPatriotism •  
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Detectives investigating the horrific murder of two .  (stabbed 243 times)

Right on the front page this morning and scary too.  This’ll be conversation and worry till the sick bastard is caught.  At which time his rights of course will be held sacred (and he knows it) and some shrink will declare him cured after a few years when it will all start again.
That’s my jaundiced view anyway.

French students stabbing: Burglary clue to murder
By Murray Wardrop
Last Updated: 7:45AM BST 04/07/2008

Detectives investigating the horrific murder of two French students at a London flat are examining the theory the stabbing was linked to a previous burglary.

Exchange students Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez, both 23, were stabbed 243 times, tied up, gagged and burnt in one of the most “frenzied, brutal and horrific” murders ever investigated by Scotland Yard.

The pair, described as “two of the brightest students of their generation”, were tortured in an attack that may have lasted for several hours at the flat in New Cross, south-east London.

They were then doused in an accelerant and the bedsit was firebombed in an attempt to hide the evidence.

http://tinyurl.com/55bp4g

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French students’ murderer has probably killed before
By Duncan Gardham
Last Updated: 5:47PM BST 03/07/2008

The murderer of the two French students is a psychopathic serial killer who has almost certainly struck before and will probably strike again, according to a criminal psychologist.
Dr David Nias, an expert in criminal profiling, said the killer probably knew his victims, planned their murder in detail and tortured them before death.

He added: “The killer will have planned the murders in meticulous detail and rehearsed it many times in his head because part of the fantasy is in the build up.

“What immediately comes to mind is that he would have done this before. Usually the killings would start in a much more gradual way and then there would be a snowball effect in which the murders become more and more extreme. The awful thing about it is that once the killings start, they continue and become more gruesome.”
http://tinyurl.com/68gykf

there’s more to both stories at links.


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Posted by Drew458   United Kingdom  on 07/04/2008 at 02:14 AM   
Filed Under: • CrimeUK •  
Comments (1) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Muslims in Britain should be able to live under Sharia law

caught this an hour ago at 7am and just had to boot and post.  but I get sidetracked by Drew’s posts first and can’t resist looking at those.
This doesn’t refer to ALL laws as you’ll see. But I doubt it’s a great idea to pander to too many (minority for now) desires or demands.
Oh wait,,,, pander.  Done that. Still doin’ that.

Muslims in Britain should be able to live under Sharia law, says top judge
By Christopher Hope and James Kirkup
Last Updated: 7:32AM BST 04/07/2008

Muslims in Britain should be able to live according to Sharia law, the country’s most senior judge has said.

Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, the Lord Chief Justice, strongly backed Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, over his suggestion earlier this year that aspects of Sharia law should be adopted in Britain.

The archbishop’s remarks sparked a national debate and led to calls for his resignation.

Risking inflaming that controversy again, Lord Phillips has said that Muslims in Britain should be able to use Sharia to decide financial and marital disputes.

The judge did add that only the criminal courts should have the power to decide when a crime has been committed and when to impose punishment.

But his suggestion that different religious groups should run their affairs according to different rules sparked warnings that community cohesion could be undermined.

In a speech at the East London Muslim Centre in east London, Lord Phillips said it was “not very radical” for Dr Williams to argue that Sharia law can be used to help govern issues like family disputes and the sale of financial products.

Lord Phillips said: “It is possible in this country for those who are entering into a contractual agreement to agree that the agreement shall be governed by law other than English law.”

Therefore, he said, he could see no reason why Sharia law should not be used to settle disputes in this country.

He said: “There is no reason why principles of Sharia law, or any other religious code, should not be the basis for mediation or other forms of alternative dispute resolution.”

He added: “It must be recognized however that any sanctions for a failure to comply with the agreed terms of the mediation would be drawn from the laws of England and Wales.”

Sharia law suffered from “widespread misunderstanding” in Britain, Lord Phillips said.

“Part of the misconception about Sharia law is the belief that Sharia is only about mandating sanctions such as flogging, stoning, the cutting off of hands or death for those fail to comply with the law,” he said.

“In some countries the courts interpret Sharia law as calling for severe physical punishment. There can be no question of such courts sitting in this country, or such sanctions being applied here.”

The judge said Dr Williams had been misunderstood when it was reported in February that he said British Muslims could be governed by Sharia law.

Lord Phillips said that the archbishop was saying only that “it was possible for individuals voluntarily to conduct their lives in accordance with Sharia principles without this being in conflict with the rights guaranteed by our law”.

There is already scope in English law for some communities to use their own religious codes to resolve disputes. Orthodox Jews can use the Beth Din rabbinical courts to decide on matters including divorce.

However some critics say that women marrying under Sharia law do not have the same rights as in English law, and could lead to them being treated as second class citizens as far as divorce settlements, custody of children and inheritance go.

Muslim and Christian politicians expressed fears that at a time of heightened tensions, encouraging Muslims to live by their own distinct rules could make it harder for different communities to integrate.

Khalid Mahmood, Labour MP for Birmingham Perry Bar and a practising Muslim, said that allowing Sharia law in parts of the UK would be divisive.

He said: “This would create a two-tier society. It is highly retrograde. It will segregate and alienate the Muslim community from the rest of British society.

“The majority of British Muslims want to live only under British law and they would reject anything that means they are treated differently.

“What Lord Phillips and the archbishop are discussing is something that is completely outside their area of understanding.”


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Posted by Drew458   United Kingdom  on 07/04/2008 at 01:38 AM   
Filed Under: • RoPMAUK •  
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calendar   Thursday - July 03, 2008

Kylie Minogue, OBE

Prince Charles bestows Order of British Empire to Kylie Minogue




big_uk_flag     image     big_uk_flag




Given this honour by HRH Queen Elizabeth II on her New Year’s Day Honours List, Ms. Minogue received her medal today from Prince Charles. Hearty congratulations Kylie!



So, how did this come about? Did Kylie invent a time machine, jump back in history, save General Gordon at Khartoum and defeat the Mahdi Army all by herself? Hardly. Perhaps she was awarded this singular honor for raising breast cancer awareness, after having gone through it herself back in 2005 and recovered fully? Nice idea, but no.  Ok, was the award for looking this good at 40 and still having the tightest bottom in Europe and the Land Down Under? Possibly, but no one will admit to that reality. Kylie was given this medal of heroes, this award of exceptional service to Crown and Country ... for her contribution to music.  But, hey, so was John Lennon, so the rot actually set in years ago. Ms. Minogue is actually from Australia, though this award makes her an honorary Briton.





For God and the Empire

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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 07/03/2008 at 03:07 PM   
Filed Under: • Eye-CandyUK •  
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That’s the Ticket!

John Bolton / Joe American ‘08

I’d add Fred Thompson as Speaker of the House, just in case. Jump over here and read the cartoon. Awesome!

The video from Joe American, in case you’ve forgotten. Kind of like Pat Condell but with hair, and probably without the atheism!

Oh, and if you haven’t heard or read Fred’s latest common sense speech, it’s at the link under his name above. Yes, he adds the push for McCain, but then he has to, right? Somebody please force Johnny Boy “Maverick” Amnesty McStain to read it a few times.


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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 07/03/2008 at 11:33 AM   
Filed Under: • Politics •  
Comments (2) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

A random thingy

Not sure if this idea will fly or not, but there are lots of unusual objects out there. Here is one. What is this thing? What do you do with it? It is a fairly common tool within it’s industry, but it sure looks strange to the rest of us. Have fun guessing ... though I’m certain we have at least one reader who uses one almost every day.


Your Daily WhatsIt


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2 inch x 2 inch x 2 inch cube. Solid brass. Sizes of holes range from about 1/8 inch to about 1 1/4 inch. $44.95 + s&h




Ok, if you’ve racked your brains, click the Continue button for a clue.


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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 07/03/2008 at 10:46 AM   
Filed Under: • Fun-Stuff •  
Comments (4) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

The internet: Not just for pr0n, it’s also a learning tool

It’s been happening all my life. People ask me “How do you know so much stuff?” Beats me, doesn’t everybody? No, I guess they don’t. I think I should blame my parents for it though. Most parents, when faced with a 2 year old who asks “why?” about everything, sooner or later (usually sooner!) give up trying to provide real answers and fall back on things like “because I said so” and “that’s how God made it”. And this works, because half the kid’s pestering questions are just a bid to get attention. And the dead end answers eventually make the little darling shut up. And learn to control his curiosity. Or kill it entirely. Not for me. “Daddy, why is the sky blue?” got me a lecture on spectral diffraction. This is what happens when your parents are scientists. And all your relatives are engineers. Yikes. So I guess I never learned to stop asking questions and showing interest in new things. The downside to that is that it’s difficult for me to stay narrowly focused, especially when faced with something new and complex. And I tend to remember things better than other people, but I have no idea why.

That’s why my earlier post about Fwance and what looks to be a silly trial took me nearly two hours. Because it was about the Concord, the only partially successful supersonic passenger plane ever. But SSTs were all the rage when I was a kid, and I remembered that Boeing nearly had one at one point. So out to Google I went. Linkity link, and I found a page on the history of that airplane. But one of the comments there went on and on about how it was politics that killed the project, not environmentalism, and if it had been kept at we’d have SSTs everywhere today, and they’d be far more fuel efficient and quiet due to advances in electronically induced shockwave reduction. Well, that caused the big red light to start blinking in my head for sure. And that lead to some page on UFO technology that explained how such a thing is actually possible and has been proven to work in water using an electromagnetic Lorentz force field. Awesome! Geeks rule! But way down at the bottom of the page it mentioned Henri Coanda, who built the first jet plane. In 1910. Holy cow! Wiki him up - it’s true! The thing crashed on testing because Coanda wasn’t a pilot, and his jet engine provided way more thrust than he figured it would. But part of that “test flight” enabled him to observe the “Coanda effect” which is actually a rather basic part of airflow dynamics ... therefore flight related ... that’s hardly been used much at all. For airplanes. But it’s used all the time for such diverse tasks as improving the efficiency of air conditioners and keeping the fish out of the turbines at hydroelectric generators. And there have been a couple of flying craft that made use of it; the NOTAR helicopter design which is very quiet (another bit of knowledge: most of the noise and vibration in a helicopter is caused by the interaction of end thrusted air between the main rotor and the tail rotor. Air striking air, out in the air, makes the helicopter shake and creates that loud whump-whump noise), and some super neato experimental airplane that could have replaced the C-130 transport if politics hadn’t killed it. It carried more, flew faster, higher, and further, and could take off and land in half the distance. That would be the Boeing YC-14:

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(naturally the Soviets stole this one too. Damn, they had good spies!)

But a little bit of the over-the-wing thrust Coanda Effect lessons learned on that aircraft did make their way onto the gigantic C-17 Globemaster transport, so it wasn’t a total waste.


So I learned a bit of unusual science, found out about an inventor who was decades ahead of his time, and found out about a couple of cool airplanes I never even knew existed. And none of that had a thing to do with the original post. But if somebody ever asks me about those funny looking helicopters with airplane tails on them, I can probably speak for 5 solid minutes. And then be asked “How do you know so much stuff?”


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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 07/03/2008 at 09:18 AM   
Filed Under: • Miscellaneous •  
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Oh, just give it up fwancois

Fwance to try Continental Airlines and 5 others for manslaughter over Concorde crash

A French judge ordered Continental Airlines and five people to stand trial for manslaughter in connection with the 2000 crash of a Concorde jet that killed 113 people.

The prosecutor in the Paris suburb of Pontoise said two of the people to be tried are employees of the U.S. carrier. Two others were employed by Aerospatiale, the maker of the Concorde. The fifth is with the French civilian aviation authority.
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The Air France Concorde crashed after takeoff from Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport in July 2000. The crash killed all 109 people on board and four on the ground.

French investigators blamed a titanium strip on the runway from a Continental Airlines DC-10.

The metal strip caused one of the Concorde’s tires to burst, which sent debris flying that punctured the jet’s fuel tanks. The French judicial inquiry also determined the tanks lacked sufficient protection from shock — and that Concorde’s makers had been aware of the weakness since 1979.

No no no mes amis, time itself she does not matter, the finger must be pointed. Heads they must roll. Someone must be blamed, and it certainly can not be the lowly serfs responsible for keeping the runway clean.

Is there any truth to the rumors that fwance is importing kangaroos to sit in judgement for this show trial? Because the whole thing stinks worse than a Parisian sewer. The airplane was built light so it could go fast, thus it wasn’t designed as strongly as other planes. Blame Aerospatiale for that? Mon deu, non! Well, not the whole company itself. Maybe one or two of the designers. Blame the airport workers for not sweeping the runway? Can’t have that. So, who else to stick this one on? Alors! First, we blame the Americaine company, because they have the money. Then we charge the workers who installed this bit of metal, even though we already know the bit was defective. But they put it on, and it fell off, thus they are to blame. Then we go after the designers. Next, let’s blame the government, of course, from whom all blessings flow, and who is responsible for everything in the end. Let’s see ... who to select? ... A ha! Msr. de l’aeroplane, the guy who was in charge of training at the fwench FAA.

After all these years, why bother? Is there any real “closure” to be gained here, or is this just an act of revenge? Or an extraordinarily drawn out game of CYA? The Concorde doesn’t even fly anymore. The crash was an accident; a bad part perhaps badly installed, a missed bit of trash on the runway, a weakness in the design, maybe even a poor tire. Hey, you guys forgot to charge Goodyear!


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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 07/03/2008 at 07:58 AM   
Filed Under: • Judges-Courts-Lawyers •  
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calendar   Wednesday - July 02, 2008

Colourful Kingfisher caught , some awesome photography of a beautiful bird.

Pictured: Colourful Kingfisher caught before being ringed

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 8:28 AM on 02nd July 2008

Beak wide open and clearly in distress, this bird appears to have hopelessly trapped itself in garden netting.

In fact the tiny kingfisher in this extraordinary photograph was captured by experts recording bird numbers and movements.

They used a fine-mesh ‘mist net’ to trap 26 more specimens including goldfinches, wrens, robins, starlings, goldcrests and reed warblers.
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The work was carried out by the British Trust for Ornithology on the Axe estuary in East Devon last week.

Mike Tyler, who led the exercise, said his team caught five kingfishers in three hours.

‘This is the highest number we have got in one go,’ he said. ‘Kingfishers travel so fast that people tend not to see them.

‘These photographs were taken with a very fast digital camera.’

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The birds were added to the trust’s database which every year logs 800,000 specimens across Britain and Ireland.

All the captives are weighed, measured and given a visual health check before being released with a leg ring (circled right) to identify them if they are found or caught again.

Mr Tyler added: ‘It’s important we do not harm the birds because the idea of ringing them is to see how far they go, where they go, and how long they live.’

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http://tinyurl.com/5exgp6


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Posted by Drew458   United Kingdom  on 07/02/2008 at 03:24 PM   
Filed Under: • AnimalsNature •  
Comments (2) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Battle of Trafalgar log offers insight into Nelson’s victory

Wish I could own that log.  Hate to see the price as low as it is.  I guess maybe this bit of history means more to me.  I hope a foreigner doesn’t buy it.  It should stay in England.

Can you imagine that generation playing the silly ass games they do today.  I mean for example, apologizing for everything any Brit ever did and making nice to ppl who are sworn to kill em.  Man, that was an England to be proud of warts and all.

Battle of Trafalgar log offers insight into Nelson’s victory
by Nick Britten
Last Updated: 3:26PM BST 02/07/2008

Describing the scene in the hours ahead of the battle, Hargood noted the fight would take place in “light airs and hazy weather, with heavy swell”.

He later wrote: “At daylight we saw the enemy’s fleet bearing east nine miles, consisting of 33 sail of the line, five frigates and two sloops.

“5.40: Answered the general signal to form the order of sailing. 6.00: Answered the general signal to bear up and sail large and prepare for battle.

“Made all sail, bearing down on the enemy. Answered the general telegraph signal from Lord Nelson that England expected every man to do his duty.”

Of the actual battle, he kept his entries brief and clinical.

He wrote: “12.08: commenced fire on the enemy. 12.10: Cut the stern of a Spanish 80-gun ship.

“1.30: Heavy fire on both sides. Our ship became totally unmanageable. Most of the sails and rigging being cut away.

“3.15: One of our ships passed our bow and took the fire of an enemy’s ship. 3.25: The Swiftsure passed our stern and cheered us.” Describing the end of battle, which claimed 449 British fatalities, including Nelson, he wrote: “The action ceased. People were employed securing the guns, cleaning and pumping ship. Strong gales and squally at the end.”

The Belleisle was second into battle, closely following the flagship HMS Royal Sovereign into enemy lines, and in the very thick of the action, at one time firing at the Fougueux and the Santa Ana simultaneously.

Despite capturing the Argonauta, the Belleisle was eventually dismasted with 33 dead and 93 wounded, but kept flying her flag for 45 minutes until other vessels came to her rescue.

Hargood, the son of a humble purser, survived the battle and was later made an admiral to cap a distinguished naval career.

The log, dated October 21 1805 and verified by the National Manuscripts department at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, will be auctioned later this month and is expected to fetch £800.

http://tinyurl.com/45l3t4


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Posted by Drew458   United Kingdom  on 07/02/2008 at 02:47 PM   
Filed Under: • HistoryUKWar-Stories •  
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Zimbabwe: Battered white farmers vow to battle on.

Zimbabwe: Battered white farmers vow to battle on against Robert Mugabe
By Louis Weston in Harare
Last Updated: 12:54AM BST 02/07/2008

Battered and bruised, his face covered in cuts and his ear grossly swollen, an elderly farmer still swore not to abandon his legal fight against Robert Mugabe, despite the beating from his thugs.

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Mike Campbell [left] and wife Angela Campbell who were abducted by a gang of Zanu-PF supporters and savagely beaten for several hours

Mike Campbell, 75, is the lead plaintiff out of a group of 77 suing Mr Mugabe at the regional Southern African Development Community tribunal in the Namibian capital Windhoek, seeking to have Zimbabwe’s seizures of white-owned land illegal.

The proceedings, known as Campbell v Mugabe, are a clear challenge to the Zimbabwean leader.

As Mugabe’s ‘re-election’ in a one-candidate race was announced Mr Campbell, along with his wife Angela and son-in-law Ben Freeth, was abducted by a gang of Zanu-PF supporters and all three savagely beaten for several hours.

“It just makes me want to go more,” he said defiantly in his hospital bed in Harare, where he is being treated for concussion, a broken collarbone, and broken fingers.

“I know that our case is a thorn in the government’s flesh. It’s an embarrassment to the president. Anything that’s an embarrassment to the president pleases me greatly.

“What option have we got? We can choose two ways of handling it, either run away or you stick it out. I think we have got to the stage where we are very close to the turning point on the sticking it out bit.”

Mr Campbell, who arrived in Zimbabwe 34 years ago from South Africa, where an ancestor of his, a captain in the Dutch East Indies Company settled in 1713, described the country’s decline as “such a tragedy”.

“Mugabe has used his position to remain in power in a racialist way,” he said. “Mugabe keeps on playing this race card, he knows it’s a good one. He wasn’t like that at the beginning. There are some good guys in Zanu-PF but they have been horribly misled.

“He has turned the whole thing around and turned them into a bunch of thugs.”

Mr Campbell has no memory of the assault, but Mr Freeth, 38, described how when the three were dumped tied up on the ground at a militia camp, there were “probably 50 or 60 people all singing Chimurenga songs and kicking us”, referring to the war against Ian Smith’s regime.

Over and over again, they were told they would be killed. “They seemed to be pretty serious about it,” he said. “I was thinking, ‘well if they are going to kill me then we all have to die at some stage. I know where I’m going, I’m a child of God and Jesus by His blood has saved me, so I will be with Him today’. So I wasn’t actually fearful, the fear was taken out of me, amazingly.

“We just carried on praying though this whole thing. When they didn’t kill me in some ways it was quite a relief, I have got three young children and a wife to look after.”

Nonetheless he has a seriously injured eye, bruising, and a large bandage around his head is testament to the severe concussion he suffered.

As they were driven away from the camp, the gang demanded that Mr Campbell sign a declaration he was abandoning the SADC tribunal case, he added. “His fingers were broken so he couldn’t do anything so they got my mother-in-law to sign a thing withdrawing the case,” he said.

“They said if she did it then they wouldn’t kill us, so under extreme duress she signed it.”

But he too will continue with the case. “We’re obviously concerned about what’s happened but we feel it’s important to try and bring law and order back into Zimbabwe,” he said.

“As Zimbabweans all we want to do is be able to live in peace, it doesn’t matter who we are, whether white farmers, black farmers, people in town, we all just want to be able to live in peace. What’s happening at the moment is not peaceful.”

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