Honoured to give the keynote speech at Amnesty’s conference on torture in London yesterday. Then dashed back to Edinburgh for a very romantic evening with Nadira – and Cameron!
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It’s the Chinese new year. People are asking what animal are you?
http://metro.co.uk/2015/02/19/happy-chinese-new-year-which-animal-are-you-and-what-does-it-mean-5068973/
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I bet the americans are feeling less smug now!
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been left red-faced after a video shot by a celebrity home designer depicting his modest lifestyle was revealed to be recorded in his servants’ quarters.
The 15-minute film by Moshik Galamin showed Mr Netanyahu’s wife Sara guiding the viewer around the couple’s home, where run down parts of the property such as creaking doors and frayed carpets, are detailed.
But it has now emerged Galamin was not granted access to the couple’s upstairs living quarters, and Israel’s Channel 10 TV claimed the kitchen in question was not even the one the Netanyahus use, but rather a secondary administrative kitchen.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2957942/Netanyahu-s-campaign-hit-expenses-claims.html
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Bibi can’t even tell the truth about his own home never mind anything else.
____________________________________
Meanwhile
Bibi is to be sued by a Jordanian rapper, for copyright infringement, Bibi and his Lukid party used the rappers music without his consent.
The rapper in question is anti-Israeli, and has several Palestinian relatives.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/18/jordanian-rapper-netanyah_n_6707094.html
Bibi’s attack dog on the campaign trail, his Lukid party are up against, the Zionist Unionist party led by,Issac Herzog and Hatnua’s Tzipi Livni, who seeks a peaceful process with Palestine.
I know who I’d vote for.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/02/18/the-sarah-palin-of-israel.html
The Israeli military has dismissed 43 members from the elite intelligence 8200 unit. In September, they wrote an open letter protesting Israeli covert activities towards Palestinians, particularly the 2014 military operation in Gaza Strip.
In the letter, written in the wake of the Operation Protective Edge, the 10 officers and 33 soldiers wrote that they “refused to take part in actions against Palestinians and refuse to continue serving as tools in deepening the military control over the Occupied Territories.”
After an investigation into the incident, the IDF on Monday announced that it would dismiss the authors of the critical letter, Haaretz reported.
The top-secret Unit 8200 is the largest in the Israel Defense Forces and central to signal intelligence, spying on phone calls, text messages, emails and other forms of communication.
In the letter, addressed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz and other top military officials, the reservists said they were ordered to collect far more information than was necessary for protecting Israel. The intel instead was used to harass and harm innocent civilians.
http://rt.com/news/226667-idf-reservist-dismissed-protest/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome
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A courageous approach to take by those 43 people, if only more Israeli’s took this approach.
Phil
“That you continue to make jibes about the school holidays does not detract from the fact you did not know it is half term. ”
_______________
Seriously for just a moment: actually I did know it was half-term but your reference to jibes about the school holidays puzzles me. Did I make jibes about the school holidays? As far as I recall the only time I’ve mentioned schools recently is in relation to the timing of “Republicofscotland”‘s vapourings, the timing of which might indicate he’s a school teacher (schools are out at 15h30 and he starts up, regular as clockwork, at around 16h00).
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/denmark-police-confirm-identity-copenhagen-shooter-29043054
Copenhagen’s so called “terrorist” used assault rifle, used by NATO and Danish Military, the weapon in question, cannot be purchased in Denmark.
So who supplied it?
Phil
“Old Hab
“Great description and bang on”
Well I doubt it was bang on..”
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No, I assure you it was, with the possible exception of the reference to Paddys from Liverpool; if you can tell me what that was all about I’ll give you 10 out of 10.
Republicofscotland
“http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/denmark-police-confirm-identity-copenhagen-shooter-29043054
Copenhagen’s so called “terrorist” used assault rifle, used by NATO and Danish Military, the weapon in question, cannot be purchased in Denmark.
So who supplied it?”
_________________
Well, weapons can be purchased illegally in every European country – aren’t you aware of that? Even, probably, in the dump where you live.
But anyway: what’s your theory?
Republicofscotland
“Bibi’s attack dog on the campaign trail, his Lukid party are up against, the Zionist Unionist party led by,Issac Herzog and Hatnua’s Tzipi Livni, who seeks a peaceful process with Palestine.
I know who I’d vote for.”
____________________
But would you be allowed to vote? I believe Israel, like the UK, withholds the vote from the insane?
Phil
“As I said I do not cover my face.”
______________
And that is to your credit, if I may repeat myself.
But on the other hand why should you wish to cover it? After all – despite your anger management issues – I’m confident you don’t attend demonstrations in order to behave as a “casseur”. So there is no earthly reason why you should wear a face mask.
Mary
“Meanwhile, the brave boys in RAF blue have been seeing off Mr Putin’s Bears.
http://news.sky.com/story/1430431/nato-fighter-jets-intercept-russian-bomber”
_______________
As readers know I’m a man of truth and justice and therefore I have to praise Mary for for the above comment. It is good to see that there is one part of the British state which meets with Mary’s approval and for which she is able to express respect.
Let us not forget that these are the same boys in blue that saved Britain in the dark days of 1940/41.
Let us not forget either that all the Royal princes, with the exception of Prince Edward, are qualified pilots and hold rank in the RAF.
Now, if we can get back to serious matters for a moment:
I’m astounded that the newshounds and cutter-and-pasters on this blog have not picked up on the rather encouraging news on the UK economic front:
Inflation at a record low; wages increasing at three times the rate of inflation at present; record numbers of men and women at work (including 1,9 million economic refugees from other EU countries!); the unemployment rate at its lowest since the beginning of the “crisis” in 2008; lower food and fuel prices enhancing people’s purchasing power.
La vita has got piu` bella for many people (not all, of course) and the green shoots of recovery are now sturdy saplings.
Hope that’s cheered up some of you miserable so-and-sos! 🙂
Lonely Old Hab
“But on the other hand why should you wish to cover it? ”
I never wanted to cover my face. No one mentioned covering faces until you started squeeling like a little baby pig about mobs scaring you and teenagers in masks smashing bank windows being more offensive than the IDF killing children. It was your repeated bleating that bought masks into the conversation.
I sense by your reaction I was more spot on about you than I could have ever hoped.
Your repeated single cry of anger management is just stolen from something Clark said a while ago. I notice you have started using “Hilarious” as the opening of comment. That’s nicked from me. I accept the compliment. You unimaginative lonely old cunt.
Now fuck off. I’m going to join a mob now. Don’t wet your knickers.
Habbabreak back on.
Peter Osborne former Telegraph reporter, quits as the paper prints false and made up stories, in order to generate more online views.
Osborne say half of the sub-editors have been sacked, and news in the flagging paper is inaccurate, and poorly written.
Staff have been ordered not to print any stories that defame HSBC as its a major contributor to the paper.
I hope the Telegraph goes under, I recall well, its staunch and biased approach to the Scottish referendum on independence.
https://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/peter-oborne/why-i-have-resigned-from-telegraph
My sardonic comment on the RAF was wasted on the troll who also believes everything he reads in the Cons’ Good News hand out. So gullible.
~~~~~
The year of the ram.
https://g.co/doodle/cwq949
Kung Hei Fat Choy!
Hmmm… The establishment mouthpiece, appears to be a tad agitated today, someone must have rattled the old boys cage.
Udo Ulfkotte, in his book Gekaufte Journalisten [Bought Journalists], connects the dishonesty of media in the German-speaking world today to their economic difficulties. I wonder to what extent that malady extends to more newspapers in the English-speaking world than the Telegraph.
“even humans acting as virtual internet trolls.”
Could you tell us what a virtual internet troll is, Mary?
—-
“Paddys from Liverpool; if you can tell me what that was all about I’ll give you 10 out of 10.”
Yes, do tell, Phil. Since you’re being so loquacious today.
“Chinese new year: Is it the year of the ram, sheep or goat?”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/chinese-new-year-is-it-the-year-of-the-ram-sheep-or-goat-10055872.html
RoS wrote, “I hope the Telegraph goes under, I recall well, its staunch and biased approach to the Scottish referendum on independence.”
I’ll be glad to see the Torygraph go down on general principles. But in fairness, it wasn’t just that paper that was against independence for Scotland, it was joined by just about all of them (including The Independent).
They may well have lost by 10%, but with the entire weight of the establishment scaring them about pensions, the EU, being attacked by ISIS the moment the UK was no longer protecting them, every corporate publication, lies from a united UK political front (most disgracefully, by Labour), it’s actually surprising that there was only 10% in it.
Phil
“I never wanted to cover my face.”
________________
That’s what I said right from the beginning, Phil. So we agree (once again!).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“No one mentioned covering faces until you started squeeling (SIC)like a little baby pig about mobs scaring you and teenagers in masks smashing bank windows being more offensive than the IDF killing children.”
__________________
Did I make a comparison with the IDF? I think not. Please read properly through the red haze of anger before your eyes (anger management!)
___________________________
“I notice you have started using “Hilarious” as the opening of comment. That’s nicked from me.”
_________________
Apologies, I hadn’t realised you had the copyright on that word.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=
“Habbabreak back on.”
__________________
Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel, Habbabreak is the last refuge of the thoroughly routed 🙂
Clark, I suspect many Russians in Eastern Ukraine don’t have the luxury of having a quiet life smoking dope and commenting on blogs. From an already impoverished position they face the prospect of IMF austerity, having their homes stolen and land polluted by frackers and their agriculture and food chain spoiled by genetically modified crap on top of rampant corruption and racism by the unelected mafia currently running Kiev. Under the circumstances I’d expect most people in the region to have strong feelings about borders and identity.
As predicted not very long ago.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-02-19/ukraine-fighting-shifts-mariupol-whose-capture-would-grant-russian-land-corridor-cri
Clark, I will accept your amendment, with some reservations.
Ba’al at 7.56
I agree that Eastern Ukraine separatists should not try to take Mariupol except in another referendum. The guns should cease and the heavy artillery should be moved back to the agreed points. Likewise the Ukrainian army still trying to retake the skeleton that remains of Donetsk airport together with the continued bombing of Donetsk itself which can be only coming from the Ukrainian army.
Perhaps we should send a diplomat like Habbabkuk over there to enforce the peace. Agree?
That Zero Hedge article claims that, if the Ukrainian separatists take Mariupol, they will have access by land to Crimea. But in fact Mariupol is about 100 miles from the isthmus at the north end of Crimea.
What taking Mariupol would do would be to give the separatists easy access to the Sea of Azov, and thus, through the Straits of Kerch, to the Black Sea (as well as sea access to Crimea).
A very moving piece by a great and talented man. He is a British American and a professor of neurology in the US.
My Own Life
Oliver Sacks on Learning He Has Terminal Cancer
FEB. 19, 2015
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/19/opinion/oliver-sacks-on-learning-he-has-terminal-cancer.html?_r=0
A medical family background. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Sacks
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Oliver_Sacks
Definitely a sentient being.
The fifth para taken from his book ‘Uncle Tungsten’ 2001:
‘I never heard [my parents] talk between themselves about Palestine or Zionism, and I suspected they had no strong convictions on the subject, at least until after the war, when the horror of the Holocaust made them feel there should be a “National Home.” I felt they were bullied by the organizers of these meetings, and by the gangsterlike evangelists who would pound at the front door and demand large sums for yeshivas or “schools in Israel.” My parents, clearheaded and independent in most other ways, seemed to become soft and helpless in the face of these demands, perhaps driven by a sense of obligation or anxiety. My own feelings […] were passionately negative: I came to hate Zionism and evangelism and politicking of every sort, which I regarded as noisy and intrusive and bullying. p. 171’
Habbabkuk (la vita è bella)
17 Feb, 2015 – 5:10 pm
“Mr Scorgie – if you approve of small fringe groups attaching themselves to respectable demonstrations with the aim of engaging in general mayhem and thereby bringing those demonstrations into disrepute…”
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Habbabkuk, I do not approve of small fringe groups causing havoc at demonstrations but unfortunately there are always some people out to hijack a public event for their own purposes.
Sadly the MSM and the government concentrates publicity on the minority troublemakers (for political reasons) in order to tarnish the image of genuine protesters.
The police and security services know this and take advantage by infiltrating protest groups and supplying agent provocateurs (under-cover cops and military) to cause violence and damage to property in order to grab the headlines and thus undermine the protest.
The under-cover cops and military will be wearing masks or scarves to hide their identity.
It really is that simple.
Does anybody know what happened to the missing nuclear weapons that David Cameron (yes the Prime Minister) was charged with removing from South Africa with the aid of Mark Thatcher?
https://wikispooks.com/wiki/South_Africa%27s_nuclear_weapons
“Does anybody know what happened to the missing nuclear weapons that David Cameron (yes the Prime Minister) was charged with removing from South Africa with the aid of Mark Thatcher?”
There were rumours, which Mr Hussein would neither confirm or deny, that they were in Iraq but it turned out they were in North Korea.
According to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q1EN5_9nIk, the South African nukes were sold to the U.S. and UK governments.