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Blogmanac team
Jeannine Wilson (USA)
Veralynne Pepper (USA)
Pip Wilson (Australia)
Carpe diem!
Seize the day with more than 150 articles at Wilson's articles department
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and casualties of poverty and authority all around the planet
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Saturday, September 18, 2004
*Ø* Secret papers show Blair was warned of Iraq chaos
The Telegraph:
 "Tony Blair was warned a year before invading Iraq that a stable post-war government would be impossible without keeping large numbers of troops there for 'many years', secret government papers reveal.
"The documents, seen by The Telegraph, show more clearly than ever the grave reservations expressed by Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, over the consequences of a second Gulf war and how prescient his Foreign Office officials were in predicting the ensuing chaos ...
"The documents further show that the Prime Minister was advised that he would have to 'wrong foot' Saddam Hussein into giving the allies an excuse for war, and that British officials believed that President George W Bush merely wanted to complete his father's 'unfinished business' in a 'grudge match' against Saddam.
"But it is the warning of the likely aftermath -- more than a year in advance, as Mr Blair was deciding to commit Britain to joining a US-led invasion -- that is likely to cause most controversy and embarrassment in both London and Washington ...
"Mr Straw predicted in March 2002 that post-war Iraq would cause major problems, telling Mr Blair in a letter marked 'Secret and personal' that no one had a clear idea of what would happen afterwards. 'There seems to be a larger hole in this than anything.' ...
"Sir David Manning, Mr Blair's foreign policy adviser, returned from talks in Washington in mid-March 2002 warning that Mr Bush 'still has to find answers to the big questions', which included 'what happens on the morning after?'.
"In a letter to the Prime Minister marked 'Secret - strictly personal', he said: 'I think there is a real risk that the administration underestimates the difficulties." Full text [all emphasis mine - N]
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*Ø* The flying monk
Feast day of St Joseph of Cupertino
An ecstatic, this St Joseph was born in 1603 at Cupertino (Copertino), a small village between Brindisi and Otranto in the Kingdom of Naples. His father was a carpenter and he was born in a stable. Joseph was a sickly and dull youth, nicknamed ‘Bocca Aperta, ‘the gaper’ because of his appearance when he entered a trance.
Throughout his life he was considered by all to be unworldly, unlearned and not too intelligent, but with great powers of divinity. In March, 1628 he was raised to the priesthood, but this was not the last time he was ‘raised’ ...
This is just a snippet of today's stories. Read all about today in folklore, historical oddities, inspiration and alternatives, with many more links, at the Wilson's Almanac Book of Days, every day. Click today's date (or your birthday) when you're there.
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*Ø* Cheney: The Greed Factor
 Sanctions against rogue regimes would have been abandoned if Dick Cheney had had his way.
"As Secretary of Defense under George H.W. Bush, Cheney helped lead a multinational coalition against Iraq and was one of the architects of a post-war economic embargo designed to choke off funds to the country. He insisted the world should 'maintain sanctions, at least of some kind,' so Saddam Hussein could not 'rebuild the military force he’s used against his neighbors.'
"But less than six years later, as a private businessman, Cheney apparently had more important interests than preventing Hussein from rebuilding his army. While he claimed during the 2000 campaign that, as CEO of Halliburton, he had 'imposed a "firm policy" against trading with Iraq,' confidential UN records show that, from the first half of 1997 to the summer of 2000, Halliburton held stakes in two firms that sold more than $73 million in oil production equipment and spare parts to Iraq while Cheney was in charge. Halliburton acquired its interest in both firms while Cheney was at the helm, and continued doing business through them until just months before Cheney was named George W. Bush’s running mate.
"Perhaps even more troubling, at the same time Cheney was doing business with Iraq, he launched a public broadside against sanctions laws designed to cut off funds to regimes like Iran, which the State Department listed as a state sponsor of terrorism. In 1998, Cheney traveled to Kuala Lumpur to attack his own country's terrorism policies for being too strict. Under the headline, 'Former US Defence Secretary Says Iran-Libya Sanctions Act "Wrong,"' the Malaysian News Agency reported that Cheney 'hit out at his government' and said sanctions on terrorist countries were 'ineffective, did not provide the desired results and [were] a bad policy.'"
Source: American Prospect Online
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*Ø* Big websites that just don't give a shit
Everypoet.com getting my readers for free
Everypoet.com has a banner exchange that I signed up with two or three years ago and I'm not happy with it. I have the swap banners on about 15 pages, such as here, and each one has its own unique html code so they're quite a hassle to install.
"Join Everypoet Exchange,
the most indescribably fabulous arts and
literature banner exchange program anywhere ever."
For many months all that has been showing on my site is a blank space, with a live link below it that does work and will take my readers to everypoet.com. The banner itself, which should be a swap with the site of some other poetry shmoe like me, just isn't showing. So my banners aren't showing on other banner exchange members' sites either.
For months and months there has been a notice at the banner exchange that says: "THE EVERYPOET BANNER EXCHANGE IS CURRENTLY UNDERGOING AN EXTENSIVE UPGRADE. PLEASE CHECK BACK IN A FEW WEEKS TO APPLY" (in all upper case, just like that, so they're either schizophrenics, Germans or just shouting). Well, I've been doing that all year, and I don't think I'll do it much longer. I've searched everywhere on the site for a Contact link to try and get some answers; I can't find one, can anyone else? If you tell me you can find it, I might eat humble pie (quite happily).
Rule of thumb about web companies
Don't you hate these websites that don't have a contact? Rule of thumb: A website that doesn't have a contact, or which ignores correspondence (such as Yahoo! Groups) is trouble. They don't care. They're like those shopkeepers who smile when you're handing over your money but push you out of the store when you come back with a problem. Another one is AvatarSearch, which has now ignored or bounced at least 15 of my Support queries (using several of their Contact addresses) over a period of two years.
 Some of these websites are like the Mary fucking Celeste, ghost ships endlessly sailing the seas of the Internet unmanned. But getting cents-for-clicks channeled into bank accounts.
By contrast, a company like Blogger replies to Support questions very politely and intelligently within hours and continues the correspondence if necessary. Full marks to Blogger.
So I thought I would take everypoet up on their invitation, "join our mailing list", so at least I might get some way to contact these people and find out why they think it's OK for them to have free rent on my WWW real estate for about a year and not reciprocate according to our implied contract. Well here's their mailing list: they have sent out five newsletters since 2000, the last being July 2001. Looks like 1,518 other shmoes are waiting for everypoet.com to do the right thing. I bet that mailing list will get used when they have something to sell, though.
Why am I writing this? Shouldn't I just suffer in silence? No, because it's not just everypoet.com that treats its link partners and banner swappers this way and I think that it's the silence of longsuffering webmasters that allows this sort of thing to continue. I'll give everypoet a few more weeks to come good, and failing that, down come the banners. It will take precious time to remove them, but at least I'll know that this company won't be siphoning off my readers for free any more.
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Blogroll Us Friday, September 17, 2004
*Ø* P2OG P2OG P2OG P2OG
This comes from a site that looks pretty redneck-Men-in-Black to my untutored eye, but http://www.parapolitics.info/media/aj040819.mp3 is a startling bit of audio so I'm passing it on with that caveat.
A radio interview with an officer in the Texas National Guard who says he and his fellow National Guard members have received training to implement "martial law" in the United States.
Google p2og
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&q=p2og+
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*Ø* US stance on Iraq contrasts with intelligence
"The U.S. National Intelligence Council's assessment of Iraq's future is less optimistic than the scenario drawn by the Bush administration. In a recent National Intelligence Estimate, the agency describes three possible outcomes. The worst is a spiral into civil war. The best is a shaky economic, political and security environment. President Bush's public comments on Iraq are more optimistic than even the best scenario described in the NIE."
Source: NPR (has audio)
* Ø * Ø * Ø *
British Army colonel's Iraq turnaround
"NICK MCKENZIE: British Army Colonel Tim Collins made worldwide headlines with his address to his battalion before they entered Iraq.
"A copy of the speech reportedly hung from a wall in the US president's office.
"'We are entering Iraq to free a people ...' he told his troops ... 'and the only flag which will be flown in that ancient land is their own.'
"But if Colonel Collins once symbolised the spirit of the invasion, his interview with the BBC now encapsulates just how far away the coalition remains from reaching its aims.
"TIM COLLINS: ... It's fair to say that the United States and its ally the UK are living the consequences of having removed the Ba-ath's regime without any thought about what would replace it ... Iraqis are dying in their tens and hundreds on a weekly basis and that's regrettable, and regrettably also, young service men from the United States, from the UK and from our allies are dying there too."
Source: PM
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*Ø* Iraq: what future now?
 U.S. Intelligence Shows Pessimism on Iraq's Future
September 16, New York Times:
"WASHINGTON, -- A classified National Intelligence Estimate prepared for President Bush in late July spells out a dark assessment of prospects for Iraq, government officials said Wednesday.
"The estimate outlines three possibilities for Iraq through the end of 2005, with the worst case being developments that could lead to civil war, the officials said. The most favorable outcome described is an Iraq whose stability would remain tenuous in political, economic and security terms.
"'There's a significant amount of pessimism,' said one government official who has read the document, which runs about 50 pages. The officials declined to discuss the key judgments - concise, carefully written statements of intelligence analysts' conclusions - included in the document.
"The intelligence estimate, the first on Iraq since October 2002, was prepared by the National Intelligence Council and was approved by the National Foreign Intelligence Board under John E. McLaughlin, the acting director of central intelligence. Such estimates can be requested by the White House or Congress, but this one was initiated by the intelligence council under George J. Tenet, who stepped down as director of central intelligence on July 9, the government officials said.
"As described by the officials, the pessimistic tone of the new estimate stands in contrast to recent statements by Bush administration officials, including comments on Wednesday by Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, who asserted that progress was being made."
Continue at Information Clearing House
The "war is lost"
By Sidney Blumenthal, September 16, Salon.com:
Military experts say they see no exit from the Iraq debacle -- and that the war is helping al-Qaida.
"'Bring them on!' President Bush challenged the early Iraqi insurgency in July of last year. Since then 812 American soldiers have been killed and 6,290 wounded, according to the Pentagon. Almost every day in campaign speeches, Bush speaks with bravado about how we are 'winning' in Iraq. 'Our strategy is succeeding,' he boasted to the National Guard convention on Tuesday.
"But according to the U.S. military's leading strategists and prominent retired generals, Bush's war is already lost ..." [my emphasis]
Full text at Information Clearing House
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*Ø* Bee Miles, loved and hated Sydney eccentric
September 17, 1902
Bee (or Bea) Miles (d. December 3, 1973), was a famous eccentric in Sydney, Australia, a town known for its eccentrics – individualists such as Webster (the immensely popular soap-box orator, a genius about whom, sadly, nothing appears to have been published); the Flying Pieman; Rosaleen Norton the Witch of Kings Cross; the Bengal Tiger; William Chidley the natural health fanatic; Dulcie Deamer the Queen of Bohemia; and of course, Sydneytown’s favourite Mister Eternity.
Then there was Bee Miles, who must surely be an immortal Sydneysider. According to contemporary newspaper reports, in pre-World War II Sydney Bee was more widely known than the Prime Minister. From a wealthy North Shore family, at only 12 years of age young Beatrice wore a ‘No Conscription’ badge to school during the contentious conscription referendum in World War I. Later, she was severely marked down for an essay about Gallipoli, which she described as a 'strategical blunder' rather than a 'wonderful war effort'. In this, as in many aspects in her later life, she went quite against the norms of her day.
A strong swimmer, it is said she once swam about a mile from suburban Coogee Beach to Wedding Cake Island with a sheath knife strapped to her leg as protection from the sharks. While Bee was on holidays at Palm Beach, and a young boy went missing in the surf, Bee swam out to look for him even after the lifesavers had given up the search.
Mad House Mystery of Beautiful Sydney Girl
Bee had a love-hate relationship with her father, who was pro-Aboriginal and anti-British, but she took on many of his nationalistic ideas and values. At the age of 21, following an illness, she was admitted by her father to Gladesville Mental Hospital. One story says that she escaped the ‘lunatic asylum’, as it was then known, with the help of a Smith’s Weekly tabloid front-page story that campaigned for her release – Mad House Mystery of Beautiful Sydney Girl.
Advocating sexual freedom and rejecting the conservative values of the middle classes, she became one of the bohemians of Sydney, mixing with writers, artists and intellectuals ...
This is just a snippet of today's stories. Read all about today in folklore, historical oddities, inspiration and alternatives, with many more links, at the Wilson's Almanac Book of Days, every day. Click today's date (or your birthday) when you're there.
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Blogroll Us Thursday, September 16, 2004
*Ø* NI parties holding devolution talks
 "Politicians from Northern Ireland's main parties are beginning intensive negotiations aimed at restoring devolution.
"The talks at Leeds Castle, in Kent, are seen as the most important since the negotiations leading up to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
"Amid tight security, the parties are holding talks on Thursday morning with Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy and Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen.
"Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern are due to arrive in the afternoon, having both set aside three days to chair the meetings."
Read on at the BBC
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*Ø* Latest on Hicks kangaroo court
"We give more rights to child molesters and mass murderers than this man is getting as a prisoner of war"
 Hicks unlikely to get fair trial, lawyer says
"TONY JONES: An independent legal report has concluded that [alleged – PW] Australian Taliban fighter David Hicks will not receive a fair trial in Guantanamo Bay.
"But the Federal Government says it won't intervene apart from questioning minor procedural matters ...
"LEX LASRY, LAW COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA: This military commission is not independent, it is a creation of the executive of the US Government and controlled by it.
"It is not set up under legislation like courts are.
It has no independence from the US Department of Defence ...
JOHN DOWD: Clearly, the Australian Government is not prepared to challenge the government of the United States on this issue.
We give more rights to child molesters and mass murderers than this man is getting as a prisoner of war."
Source: Lateline
Law Council says send Hicks home
"The Law Council of Australia is calling on the Federal Government to remove Australian Guantanamo detainee David Hicks from the US military commission process that he's now involved in, and if necessary bring him home."
Source: The World Today
Judge orders US to release Guantanamo records
"Manhattan Federal Court Judge Alvin Hellerstein says the Bush administration has responded at a 'glacial pace' to requests for the documents, first made in October 2003.
"'If the documents are more of an embarrassment than a secret, the public should know of our Government's treatment of individuals captured and held abroad,' he said.
"A spokeswoman for the US Attorney General's office could not be contacted by Reuters for comment."
Source: ABC [Oz] News
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*Ø* US invasion of Iraq illegal, says Annan
"UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, in an interview today broadcast on BBC World Service radio, said the US decision to invade Iraq in March 2003 was 'illegal'.
"'I'm one of those who believe that there should have been a second resolution' from the UN Security Council to green-light the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein's regime, Annan said.
"He added: 'I've indicated that it was not in conformity with the UN charter from our point of view, and from the charter point of view it was illegal'."
Continue at the Sydney Morning Herald
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*Ø* Amnesty: Child executions on the way out
 "The US Supreme Court has the opportunity to consign the execution of child offenders to history and bring the USA into line with the vast majority of countries that have already done so, said Amnesty International today as it published a new report on the issue.
"The US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on 13 October. Its decision on the constitutionality of the death penalty against 16 and 17-year-old offenders is expected in the first half of 2005.
"'Such executions violate international law. The international consensus against putting people to death for crimes committed when they were children reflects the widespread recognition of the capacity of young people for growth and change,' said Amnesty International.
"Since 2003, six people were executed in China, Iran and the USA, for crimes committed when they were children. Other convicted child offenders remain under sentence of death in Pakistan, the Philippines and Sudan."
The report: "Stop Child Executions! Ending the death penalty for child offenders" is available here.
For more information on Amnesty International's campaign against child executions, click here.
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*Ø* Europe told to 'rethink security'
"A new study commissioned by the European Union has called for a fundamental rethink of Europe's approach to security.
"It has also recommended the creation of a European Human Security Response Force, with 15,000 personnel.
"The report was written by a study group convened last year at the request of EU foreign affairs chief Javier Solana ...
"They argue that the security of Europe is indivisible from the security situation in the rest of the world, and conclude that it is in Europe's own interest to tackle the growing global insecurity, within its borders and beyond.
"But there is no call for a war on terror here. [my emphasis]
"The study proposes that human rather than nation-state security should be at the heart of European policy.
"Rather than just defeating enemies, EU missions should focus on protecting civilians through law enforcement and with the occasional use of weapons."
Full text: BBC
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*Ø* UK: Pro-Hunting protestors burst into Parliament
These people aren't demonstrating about deaths in Iraq. Or deaths in Darfur. Or deaths from AIDS. They're demanding the right to continue to hunt with hounds -- to chase and corner foxes and then let their dogs tear them to pieces. For sport. I think they're all insane. And they have been overwhelmingly voted against in the British Parliament. The bill to ban fox hunting was passed by a majority of 356 to 166, but the hunting fraternity has vowed to defy the ban.
 "LONDON (Reuters) - Six pro-hunting demonstrators have burst onto the floor of parliament in the week's second audacious breach of security at a landmark site.
"The stunt on Wednesday -- which briefly halted debate among astonished legislators -- came two days after a fathers' rights campaigner scaled a balcony at Buckingham Palace ...
 "The intrusion came as some 10,000 protesters gathered outside parliament in a rally against the likely vote to ban fox hunting.
"Riot police carrying shields and truncheons skirmished on-and-off with pro-hunt protesters who jeered, threw bottles, set off firecrackers and surged towards police lines.
"Police made seven arrests, and 17 people -- including one officer -- were injured. Some had blood streaming from their heads."
Full text
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Blogroll Us Wednesday, September 15, 2004
*Ø* Pravda's not what is used to be
I bet Lenin's rolling in his perspex showcase over this.
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*Ø* New York's loudest
NYC cops use sound cannon
Star Light has been sending some great articles and links. This one shows photos of the new sound cannon being used by NYC Police at the peaceful demonstrations earlier this month.
Wander in space; Dubya in drag
And SL sent this great site. Go for a ride through space.
And a 'dress George' site, not the same as the one Nora posted recently.
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*Ø* Why did the recess bell go off early?
Oldie but a goodie
President George W Bush goes to a primary school to talk with sixth graders about the war. After his talk he offers question time.
One little boy puts up his hand and George asks him what his name is.
"Billy."
"And what is your question, Billy?"
"I have 3 questions. First, why did the USA invade Iraq without the support of the UN? Second, why are you President when Al Gore got more votes? And third, whatever happened to Osama Bin Laden?"
Just then the bell rings for recess. George Bush informs the kiddies that they will continue after recess.
When they resume George says, "OK, where were we? Oh that's right question time. Who has a question?"
Another little boy puts up his hand. George points him out and asks him what his name is.
"Steve."
"And what is your question, Steve?"
"I have 5 questions. First, why did the USA invade Iraq without the support of the UN? Second, why are you President when Al Gore got more votes? Third, whatever happened to Osama Bin Laden?
"Fourth, why did the recess bell go off 20 minutes early? And fifth, what the fuck happened to Billy?"
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*Ø* Sudan Appeal
 The Sudan emergency is a huge tragedy and the people need support. You can donate online to the Sudan Appeal.
"Some of the work to date includes aid flights delivering relief items by Save the Children, CAFOD, Oxfam and the British Red Cross. Planes have touched down in the West African country carrying aid including plastic sheeting for shelter, water containers and purification tablets, cooking equipment, tarpaulins and even a four-wheel drive vehicle to help get aid workers to hard to reach areas."
Money in action – member aid agencies bring the basics of life to Darfur
10,000 a month die in Sudan
Oil, Sudan and China
[In keeping with my belief that the three main things to watch in the world today are oil, Africa and China, here's an article that's a triple-header:]
"The U.S. push for United Nations sanctions against Sudan's government for failing to halt Arab-militia atrocities in Darfur is being thwarted in part by China's strong economic interest in this African country.
"When the United States cut off most trade with Sudan in 1997 for Khartoum's sponsorship of global terrorism, which included hosting Osama bin Laden, China stepped in to fill the void, nurturing Sudan's oil industry by developing oil fields and building refineries and pipelines.
"Today, China, with veto power in the U.N. Security Council, is Sudan's largest trading partner, according to CIA statistics. Sudan, which pumps 300,000 barrels of oil per day, is China's fourth biggest source of imported oil."
China's ties to Sudan complicate push for UN sanctions
* Ø * Ø * Ø *
Africa's oil boom benefiting all too few
"With more than 4 million barrels of oil produced daily, sub-Saharan Africa's production surpasses that of Iran, Venezuela and Mexico put together, and the region has the potential to become as important a crude-oil resource as Russia or the Caspian Sea. The area has the additional advantage of being more politically stable than the Middle East, at least at this time.
"According to estimates from the National Intelligence Council in the United States, sub-Saharan Africa could fill up to 25 percent of U.S. fossil-fuel needs in 2015, compared to 16 percent now. In addition, the Gulf of Guinea, which extends from Nigeria to Angola, could become the first producer of deep-water offshore oil in the world."
Source: Japan Times
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*Ø* Director apologizes for insult to Buddha
 "BANGKOK, Sept. 9 (Xinhuanet)-- A group of Thai Buddhists on Wednesday gave the United States Embassy to Bangkok a petition demanding a ban on a Hollywood movie for its controversial poster, local press reported on Thursday.
"The movie named Hollywood Buddha has a poster showing its producer Philippe Caland sitting on the head of a Buddha statue."
Source: Xinhua
"Hollywood Buddha won Best Picture and Best Director at the Taos film festival in New Mexico."
Source: BBC News
Hollywood Director to Pull Offensive Buddha Poster
"The writer and director of U.S. movie 'Hollywood Buddha' has apologized for offending Buddhist Thais by sitting on the head of a Buddha image for a poster advertising the movie and has promised to withdraw it ...
"The poster shows Caland, who also stars in the YBG Productions film, sitting atop a Buddha's head. To Thai Buddhists, the head is the most sacred part of the body and is not to be touched, let alone sat upon."
Source: Buddhist News
The Thai Government is apparently so fed up with this sort of cultural insensitivity (rife in Asia) that it is publishing a book on etiquette for foreigners.
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Blogroll Us Tuesday, September 14, 2004
*Ø* Copyright dangers
 Today's edition of The Law Report is a very important radio program, especially for Australians. Under the terms of the recently signed, and misnamed, Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Australia and the USA, copyright has changed, to the advantage of the wealthy.
The audio covers such issues as how the estate of James Joyce pressures performers and others who wish even to quote a few of the long-dead Irish writer's words. It shows how Disney's corporate muscle was a main driving force to extend copyright internationally from 50 years to 70 years (because the copyright on Mickey Mouse was due to expire soon). How this matters to artists, writers, people on the Net ... whether in Australia or elsewhere.
Read on
Listen in | Real Media | Windows Media
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*Ø* USA using excessive force on civilians, Turkey claims
Turkey threatens withdrawal from Iraq over mistreatment claims
"Turkey's Foreign Minister, Abdullah Gul, has condemned what he has called the excessive use of force against civilian populations [in Tall Afar, Iraq], he says he has asked the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, to end the fighting in the region."
Source
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*Ø* Level playing field
 Electioneering leader of the Australian Labor Party, Mark Latham, has announced an education funding policy that will take a little of the government funding of the richest private schools and redistribute it to some less-advantaged schools. Labor says it wants a level playing field.
The principals of the wealthy schools say they agree, in principle, with the "level playing field" concept, adding that they also want cushioned seats by the swimming pool, shade cover for the tennis court and cappuccino machines at the rifle range.
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*Ø* Superheroes for a super challenge
 Activist scales Buck House for fathers' rights
[I heard on the grapevine that the Queen phoned Gotham City and asked Commissioner Gordon to send more firepower, but the 'Commish' was in court trying to win quadrennial visitation rights for his children.]
"A comic book superhero perched in a dangerous location brandishing a banner has become an increasingly common sight in recent months.
"From Bristol's Clifton Suspension Bridge to London's Tower Bridge, numerous landmarks have been targeted by the costume-clad campaigners of Fathers 4 Justice.
"Britain has ordered an urgent security review at Buckingham Palace after a campaigner dressed as Batman evaded armed police and spent five hours on a ledge at the Queen's London residence.
"Jason Hatch, 32, used a portable ladder in broad daylight on Monday to scale the perimeter fence at the palace, dash across the parade ground and climb 10 metres up the front wall."
Source: New Zealand News
Death to uppity dads
"A companion dressed as his trusty sidekick Robin turned back when police threatened to shoot him as he climbed the ladder."
Source: Reuters
Picture: Batman removed from palace
“I cry silently for these children who, through no fault of their own, are forced to grieve unnecessarily and applaud the heroic fight of Fathers 4 Justice.”
Pierce Brosnan, star of Evelyn
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*Ø* New at 'Kill the President'
New verses are regularly being added to the saga of Irving Lumwedder:
"Alright, you speech guys, from today, no more lies.
Listen up and get wise, things have changed.
At 3 o'clock today, I got somethin' to say,
on soil and decay, so what do you say?
What do you think?" They think "So it's true. He's deranged."
More at fishpond the blog.
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Blogroll Us Monday, September 13, 2004
*Ø* Powell said what about Shrub's neocons?
"Fucking crazies", that's what
 "A furious row has broken out over claims in a new book by BBC broadcaster James Naughtie that US Secretary of State Colin Powell described neo-conservatives in the Bush administration as 'fucking crazies' during the build-up to war in Iraq.
"Powell's extraordinary outburst is alleged to have taken place during a telephone conversation with Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. The two became close friends during the intense negotiations in the summer of 2002 to build an international coalition for intervention via the United Nations. The 'crazies' are said to be Vice-President Dick Cheney, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz."
Source: Guardian
Tsk, tsk! My, but these conservatives have dirty hippie mouths these days.
Why doesn't Powell just quit, write a book, do lectures? How much money and power can salve that conscience (assuming that, as is widely asserted, he's actually been against Bush & Co from the beginning)? And maybe he'd get something resembling a smile back on that miserable face.
Maybe he's just not the token dove people like to paint him as. Wish he'd speak up next time his boss wants to kill fifty or sixty thousand people. Still, there's the mortgage and all. Isn't there more in lecture tours? Must be the power then. Hmmm
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*Ø* Hammer day, Rome; Little Richard
 Day of Driving the Nail, Roman Empire
In ancient Rome a nail was driven into the wall of the temple of Jupiter every 13 September. This was originally done to tally the year, but subsequently it became a religious ceremony for warding off calamities and plagues from the city ...
* Ø * Ø * Ø *
Tutti Frutti
September 13, 1955 Los Angeles, USA: Little Richard (Richard, or Ricardo, Wayne Penniman) recorded a bowdlerised version of Tutti Frutti. What the naughty words were that he expunged, your almanackist has not been able to determine, but “all over rootie” is still in the published lyrics.
I always thought it was “I wanna rootie”. The most famous line of the song is when Richard sings “A Wop bop a lu bop ba lop bam boom!” Or something like that.
Following an Australian tour in 1957, during which he looked up into a Sydney sky and saw Sputnik and was troubled by it, he said he saw a vision of the apocalypse and his own damnation in a dream. He said he prayed to God during a fiery plane flight, promising God that if the plane landed safely he would give up his rock ’n’ roll life ...
These are just a couple of snippets of today's stories. Read all about today in folklore, historical oddities, inspiration and alternatives, with many more links, at the Wilson's Almanac Book of Days, every day. Click today's date (or your birthday) when you're there.
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Blogroll Us Sunday, September 12, 2004
*Ø* Free fantasy fonts
If you like fantasy & medieval fonts & runes & wonderful wingdings, and especially if they're free, then check out Lord Kyl's excellent collection. The site appears to have cobwebs on it (not up to date) but there's plenty of goodies left in the pantry.
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