Strangely Perfect

Students die in India as bus plunges into river The above headline is awful enough for the people involved, but in reality, it’s subject, a road crash, is common enough in my own country, the UK. What is really bad is how the BBC is reporting this.  They should know better but essentially, they’ve reported [...]

Introduction This is a follow-up to Colony Holidays and Tubby the Tuba where I talked about Colony Holidays (the CCHS), Chris Green’s part as Tubby the Tuba, and my fond memories of such a formative part of my life. Recent News Chris Green, one of the two full-time driving forces behind the original CCHS, is [...]

“Lord” Ashcroft Then It’s ten years since Ashcroft “gave assurances” that he would reveal his er.. something or other, to William Hague – according to William Hague in his famous Paxman interview – See Below: “Lord” Ashcroft Now Today’s news is that if the tories win the forthcoming election, (and in a statement today, he [...]

Introduction Last April (9 months ago), I contrasted the sling and arrows of fortune as they applied to an admitted mass-murderer and one convicted of mass murder who always protested his innocence.  (see Megrahi and Calley Compared and Contrasted) Now, fully 9 months after the wholesale shock in the West at Megrahi’s early release (the [...]

Much merriment is being made about the Spanish  presidency website being hacked and Mr Zapatero’s image being replaced by that of Mr Bean.  See Mr Bean replaces Spanish PM on EU presidency site However, the images also seem very similar to those of France’s President Sarkozy.  Are they all, in some way, related?

Introduction Yesterday’s News The use of intercept evidence in courts in England and Wales is not “legally viable”, …the Home Office has said.  This is reported on the BBC here, Using intercept evidence in court ‘not yet viable’ Security From the earliest days of the British (English) Secret Service, back in Elizabeth I’s time, all [...]

Siouxsie And The Banshees – Christine (Official Video)

Solicitors who took millions from miners lose appeal Finally, after yet another year of time has passed, the crooked (they called themselves ‘entrepreneurial’) solicitors have had their case against being struck off the solicitors’ roll quashed. See this BBC story Doubtless, all the poor widows who got a few hundred quid compensation for watching their [...]

This is the end Beautiful friend This is the end My only friend, the end Of our elaborate plans, the end Of everything that stands, the end No safety or surprise, the end I’ll never look into your eyes…again Can you picture what will be So limitless and free Desperately in need…of some…stranger’s hand In [...]

No doubt hoards of guitar players were avidly checking James Williamson’s fingers in this clip, just to make sure they had it right! For me, I’m just glad I’ve got to see it in case I die before May or something else happens. The guy is still great – so many fills, so many runs, [...]

It’s Just Like Bladerunner, And Not Just the Weather! Tears in Rain Bladerunner, the movie, based on an old Philip K Dick science-fiction story, was made by Ridley Scott from North-East England, someone I’m distantly related to.  Made in 1982, it presents a very grey, wet, bleak future, heavily referencing Scott’s (and my own!) upbringing [...]

No Problem The towns of Workington and Cockermouth are now effectively isolated because all the bridges are down, washed away in the floods. However, they are ONLY bridges, and bridges can be made and rebuilt.  The problem is the lack of communications for the towns and surrounding villages, which affects everything, not least the provision [...]

Meteor Last night, a washing-machine-sized  lump of rock plummeted from the depths of space right across the face of Utah, USA, and right across the news screens.  there are now quite a few videos on-line because the people of Utah are so paranoid (it appears), that the whole place, offices and homes alike, seems to [...]

Obama President Obama was elected under the banner of change. Change for the overall health of his nation Change in economics and finance Change of a re-assertion of the higher ideals of his nation expressed in the US Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Rights. In this last, he even promised this change in his [...]