Not a bad effort...
And very tasty too!
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Out of reach
Tired. Frayed, fractured and generally fucked-up . Strange how the slightest things trip you at times. Tired of waiting on innumerable fronts. Been ready to move on since the new year now, but the sea-change is being kept so frustratingly out of reach by factors beyond my control.
And it's spreading.
I feel like I'm wading through syrup on a daily basis.
Something in me wants to go a bit Falling Down, and it's tempting, but not really in my nature I guess (though that is the point).
As I prepare, or keep preparing still, for this journey-of-sorts it's interesting to note the reactions of those around me. Some are there, cheering me on like a ship departing from the quayside. Others seem more than happy to loosen the ropes and are patiently waiting to watch me sail over the horizon.
Other than that I contemplated becoming a speed skater for a while this evening.
I have the legs.
And it's spreading.
I feel like I'm wading through syrup on a daily basis.
Something in me wants to go a bit Falling Down, and it's tempting, but not really in my nature I guess (though that is the point).
As I prepare, or keep preparing still, for this journey-of-sorts it's interesting to note the reactions of those around me. Some are there, cheering me on like a ship departing from the quayside. Others seem more than happy to loosen the ropes and are patiently waiting to watch me sail over the horizon.
Other than that I contemplated becoming a speed skater for a while this evening.
I have the legs.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Cry me a river
So the South-East of England is due to experience the worst drought in last 100 years eh?
Good stuff.
Maybe it might teach them to stop sucking the country dry; to stop consuming the lions share of resources, driving up house prices with their second homes, marketing anything that moves and being so damn well holier-than-though.
Good stuff.
Maybe it might teach them to stop sucking the country dry; to stop consuming the lions share of resources, driving up house prices with their second homes, marketing anything that moves and being so damn well holier-than-though.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
For services to the beautiful game...
As some in the US think of a way round laws to make Schwarzenegger eligible to run for President, so we in the UK should manoeuvre similarly to give this Frenchman (!) a Knighthood.
Yes, yes... Not the best profile shot I know. But this was excitedly pointing a camera phone at the TV for excitable reasons. If you have no idea who this man is - google 'Thierry Henry'.
Madrid 0 - Arsenal 1
'Galacticos'? What Galacticos?!
Monday, February 20, 2006
Blessed perspective?
Like most people I can sit and watch the news, interested, but a little detached. But every so often a story comes along that just hits you like a sledgehammer, shattering that emotional buffer-zone and making you watched, slack-jawed for the length of the report.
What moved me was the story of a little girl, three years old, being raised in a Russian orphanage. Her mother was HIV positive when she gave birth, and so passed it onto her child. Such is the stigma attached to those with HIV and AIDS in Russian society that that mothers with HIV frequently abandon their children.
This girl was being raised by nurses in a hospital ward, alone. She's never played with any other children. She'd only ever been outside the hospital once. She's got nowhere else to go.
And there are thousands like her in the system.
It's easy to shrug and remark that it's a cruel, unforgiving world. Ah, yes, lean back in your comfy chair and say that with comfortable detachment. We're the lucky ones with the benefit of comfortable, stable surroundings who can remark with blessed perspective on the world. I have the opportunity for instance to while away my time like this uploading my random thoughts and opinions onto the internet. And I can walk outside any time I want.
I can't stop thinking about her.
Seems however that there is a little justice in the world today. David Irving, famous 'historian' and more infamous holocaust-denier was jailed today in a Viennese court for that very thing. Holocaust-denial in Austria remains a crime. Interesting points have been raised about how this compares with the 'cartoon' furore of the past few weeks and quite what the limits on free speech should be. But tell me this, upon hearing that news, do you not feel a touch of schadenfreude?
What moved me was the story of a little girl, three years old, being raised in a Russian orphanage. Her mother was HIV positive when she gave birth, and so passed it onto her child. Such is the stigma attached to those with HIV and AIDS in Russian society that that mothers with HIV frequently abandon their children.
This girl was being raised by nurses in a hospital ward, alone. She's never played with any other children. She'd only ever been outside the hospital once. She's got nowhere else to go.
And there are thousands like her in the system.
It's easy to shrug and remark that it's a cruel, unforgiving world. Ah, yes, lean back in your comfy chair and say that with comfortable detachment. We're the lucky ones with the benefit of comfortable, stable surroundings who can remark with blessed perspective on the world. I have the opportunity for instance to while away my time like this uploading my random thoughts and opinions onto the internet. And I can walk outside any time I want.
I can't stop thinking about her.
Seems however that there is a little justice in the world today. David Irving, famous 'historian' and more infamous holocaust-denier was jailed today in a Viennese court for that very thing. Holocaust-denial in Austria remains a crime. Interesting points have been raised about how this compares with the 'cartoon' furore of the past few weeks and quite what the limits on free speech should be. But tell me this, upon hearing that news, do you not feel a touch of schadenfreude?
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
"Brutal?" yes, but a cynical edit...
I really should be asleep. It's a working day tomorrow, but I'm still wide awake. The Buddhist in me is telling me I'll be reincarnated as an owl.
Interesting developments tonight regarding the footage (albeit two-year old) of British soldiers beating Iraqi youths. Click here if you haven't heard about it.
For a start I'm immediately suspicious of anyone's motive to wait over two years to blow the whistle. Secondly, by the fact the footage was 'exclusively' obtained by the unashamedly tabloid News of The World, renowned for paying large sums for stories and a paper that still considers breasts a major ongoing news item.
Anyway the NOTW's original 'exclusive' footage shows British Soldiers steaming out of their barracks, attacking Iraqi youths and dragging them back into their base for punishment beatings, disturbingly egged on by other soldiers. This footage has now been broadcast throughout the Arab world and will further tarnish British force's previously 'fair and balanced' image, putting them at an even greater risk of attack from insurgents in the future.
However, complete footage broadcast on the BBC this evening shows the same base being attacked by mortar fire and an angry mob wielding pipebombs and all sorts of other projectiles. Only after this initial attack does the battalion rush out to confront them. In retrospect, the NOTW footage is a very deliberate edit.
I am inclined to agree with Colonel Tim Collins comments (former British Commander in Iraq) earlier this week who remarked that many in the Arab world upon seeing this footage would feel disappointment rather than immeditate outrage on viewing this footage. After all, this is something the would expect of some elements of their own Police and Military. He also suggested:
"What other Army in the world would go into a riot situation armed only with shields and batons? Other armies called upon to police such a situation would have responded with nothing less than lethal force."
This does not however excuse the despicable acts of a few servicemen in severly assaulting these rioters upon capture, this does critically set the incident in context, something the Tabloid gutter-press has once again utterly disregarded in persuit of an exclusive.
Sadly Britain at once possesses the best, and worst, examples of the world's media.
Anyway, now that I've got that off my chest hopefully I can get some sleep.
Interesting developments tonight regarding the footage (albeit two-year old) of British soldiers beating Iraqi youths. Click here if you haven't heard about it.
For a start I'm immediately suspicious of anyone's motive to wait over two years to blow the whistle. Secondly, by the fact the footage was 'exclusively' obtained by the unashamedly tabloid News of The World, renowned for paying large sums for stories and a paper that still considers breasts a major ongoing news item.
Anyway the NOTW's original 'exclusive' footage shows British Soldiers steaming out of their barracks, attacking Iraqi youths and dragging them back into their base for punishment beatings, disturbingly egged on by other soldiers. This footage has now been broadcast throughout the Arab world and will further tarnish British force's previously 'fair and balanced' image, putting them at an even greater risk of attack from insurgents in the future.
However, complete footage broadcast on the BBC this evening shows the same base being attacked by mortar fire and an angry mob wielding pipebombs and all sorts of other projectiles. Only after this initial attack does the battalion rush out to confront them. In retrospect, the NOTW footage is a very deliberate edit.
I am inclined to agree with Colonel Tim Collins comments (former British Commander in Iraq) earlier this week who remarked that many in the Arab world upon seeing this footage would feel disappointment rather than immeditate outrage on viewing this footage. After all, this is something the would expect of some elements of their own Police and Military. He also suggested:
"What other Army in the world would go into a riot situation armed only with shields and batons? Other armies called upon to police such a situation would have responded with nothing less than lethal force."
This does not however excuse the despicable acts of a few servicemen in severly assaulting these rioters upon capture, this does critically set the incident in context, something the Tabloid gutter-press has once again utterly disregarded in persuit of an exclusive.
Sadly Britain at once possesses the best, and worst, examples of the world's media.
Anyway, now that I've got that off my chest hopefully I can get some sleep.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Televisual Heroin
Quite proud of myself. Just demonstrated one of the ultimate acts of self-control and restraint in this modern world. Set the video for 24 instead of watching it 'live'. I have my reasons. But I estimate it is something akin to turning down a cut line of televisual heroin right in front of you. Well, until later in the week.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Cartoons, books and little bastards
Regarding the controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that caused such uproar around the world in the last week; two brief thoughts.
A extremist protest in London the end of last week marched on the Danish embassy carrying all sorts of placards, some rather shockingly threatening more 9/11’s and 7/7’s on Europe and beyond in response to this blasphemy. The one that caught my eye particularly though read ‘Down With Your Freedom Of Speech’. Now, a bunch of protesters with placards stating that? That’s almost funny.
Secondly, I was just thinking that outrageous though this Danish backlash has become in the Middle East, in a roundabout, twisted way they’re probably enjoying it. I mean, the Danes don’t exactly occupy the world stage much these days. I should know - I’m half Scandinavian.
On a lighter note The Shadow of the Wind is a thumping good read and one of the best books I’ve read in a long while. I can’t recommend it enough.
Been having real problems with my system this past week, hence slipping off the radar as it were online. Seems how ever many firewalls you have up and however many virus & spyware checks you run, some 14-year old geek out there who's watched The Matrix one too many times is determined to mess with your system for the hell of it. Bastards.
A extremist protest in London the end of last week marched on the Danish embassy carrying all sorts of placards, some rather shockingly threatening more 9/11’s and 7/7’s on Europe and beyond in response to this blasphemy. The one that caught my eye particularly though read ‘Down With Your Freedom Of Speech’. Now, a bunch of protesters with placards stating that? That’s almost funny.
Secondly, I was just thinking that outrageous though this Danish backlash has become in the Middle East, in a roundabout, twisted way they’re probably enjoying it. I mean, the Danes don’t exactly occupy the world stage much these days. I should know - I’m half Scandinavian.
On a lighter note The Shadow of the Wind is a thumping good read and one of the best books I’ve read in a long while. I can’t recommend it enough.
Been having real problems with my system this past week, hence slipping off the radar as it were online. Seems how ever many firewalls you have up and however many virus & spyware checks you run, some 14-year old geek out there who's watched The Matrix one too many times is determined to mess with your system for the hell of it. Bastards.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Ouch!
Sprained my ankle rather nastily yesterday and got myself jabbed with a Hepatitis-B vaccine today. Hence the last 24 hours have been tad painful. Apart from a hobble into town today for some essentials, and a hobble to the cinema last night to see Munich, it's been a good excuse to literally put my feet up. Don't worry, I'm not ill or anything; the Hepatitis vaccine is a Police requirement because of the kind of people and situations I will no doubt be encountering. However I was taken aback that the course of jabs cost a cool £130. Ouch again. Thankfully the cops will let me claim it back once I (finally) start training.
The Prague pictures should be uploaded and annotated on my Yahoo! webspace by the end of the night. Please do let me know what you think via the usual channels.
The Prague pictures should be uploaded and annotated on my Yahoo! webspace by the end of the night. Please do let me know what you think via the usual channels.
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