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"why are we the way we are?"
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Jul. 24th, 2008 @ 10:11 pm
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A rather self-indulgent "science" programme all about John Barrowman, and oh.. explores a mish-mash of scientific (pseudo-scientific?) theories on why he might be that way. You know, it all reminds me of the time when self-righteous people (including loads of gays) bashed Bush for saying that he didn't know whether people were born gay (following the gay Cheney daughter saga). I thought at the time it was jolly honest of Bush to say he didn't know! Many queens insist they are born that way, honey. Well, sorry to disappoint - 4 years on we still don't know! So I hope those self-righteous gays choke on that one! (In the end all John Barrowman could theorise was that he was more likely to be gay because his mother had given birth to two males before him. Apparently, each male sibling before you increases by 30% the likelihood of your being a gay male).
Rubbish science! Plenty of it about, sadly.
BBC1 John Barrowman: The Making of Me Thu 24 Jul, 9:00 pm - 10:00 pm 60mins 1/3. A new science series for the BBC in which famous people ask one big question: why are we the way we are? John Barrowman challenges scientists to explain why he's gay. With the help of friends, family, psychologists and geneticists, and conquering his claustrophobia to have a brain scan, he asks whether nature or nurture determine who we are. [AD,S]Current Mood:  complacent |
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Lazy
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Jul. 24th, 2008 @ 08:00 pm
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A lazy sunny day. I love being idle. Sipping my G&T, I am planning tonight's dinner menu. I think some simply grilled Welsh lamb chops (marinated in lemone juice and garlic) and some fried leeks. For dessert, I'm going to do "creme caramel" - something we haven't had for a while. I am already dreading the "caramel" bit. It is very tricky to make proper caramel. G stocked up on eggs, milk and cream (all ingredients for the dessert). He also got me a copy of the Times, with which I had been eagerly expecting some (free) book about Jane Austen (as mentioned by ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) caddyman). I was a little surprised and disappointed when the book that was given away by the newsagent (who knew nothing about any Jane Austen related book) turned out to be Katie Price's "Angel" ("the irresistible debut novel by bestelling phenomenon JORDAN"). Ugh! You ask for a silk purse and you get a sow's ear!
It seems to draw on real life: p 58 "After fifteen minutes, Richard called out, 'Ready to try some topless shots now, darling? I'm loving what you're doing.' To her own surprise she didn't hesitate, she just shook back her hair, undid her bra, whirled it round her head and then tossed it to the far side of the studio - much to Richard and Danni's amusement." (The sequel to Angel is the recently published "Angel Uncovered").Current Mood:  lazy |
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Berlin
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Jul. 24th, 2008 @ 07:16 pm
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*sigh* We are global citizens, as well as citizens of Berlin, according to Mr. O. And, we are seeking a more hopeful world. OK, we see a great reception for him in Berlin (very well choreographed, we are told, and really geared to the American market). They say part of his great appeal is simply not being Bush. "Obama has been very clever. He says things that the Germans like, and he's not gone into too much detail..." said one political commentator. It was noted that Angela Merkel disallowed his speech to be made at the Brandenburg gate, and he was relegated to the Victory Column instead. Berliners are very liberal, and therefore by implication, receptive to Obama (who is "not Bush") - but not many are likely to have understood the entirety of his speech, which was made in American English (of course).
"There is no challenge too great for a world that stands as one" he claims. But the world doesn't necessarily stand as one. Look at even relatively straightforward issues like Zimbabwe or Darfur - what can Obama really do there, where the world hasn't stood as one. Therein lies the false premise, and, IMO, the false hope.
He's going to be here in the UK on Saturday. I wonder if we are going to see anti-American protests? (You know how anti-American Bush we are here!)
Guardian - Relocation, relocation, relocation: Obama in BerlinCurrent Mood:  cynical |
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Obama - on Jerusalem
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Jul. 24th, 2008 @ 01:05 pm
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"Let me be clear. Israel's security is sacrosanct. It is nonnegotiable. And Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel and it must remain undivided" ---- Obama
It's already an idiocy - certainly at the American foreign policy level - to make that categorical statement - that Jerusalem "must remain undivided". The Palestinians would surely have a thing to say about that (if indeed we accept what they say matters). Even Bush never made that fundamental error about Jerusalem. Which shows what an idiot Obama can be on foreign policy. It has been recognised for what it is - pandering!! I wasn't impressed either with the pathetic way Obama tried to squirm (backtrack) out of his own stupid "words". And I really wasn't impressed that he looked so uncomfortable and even churlish when grilled (as he should be) by Charlie Gibson.
"Don't tell me words don't matter," Obama once preached (trying to hit back at Hillary when she made the point that words had to mean something!)
Increasingly, I do think that Obama's words don't matter - simply because (as Hillary rightly observed) we can't count on those words.
Hot tip to Obama: At the very least, try and do your homework! (even if you don't really mean what you say). Get it right first time - it saves on having to backtrack!
( Warning: Contains text issued by the RNC )Current Mood: un-impressed |
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Channel 4 News
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Jul. 23rd, 2008 @ 12:26 pm
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Following an interview about "eco towns" cut short with Caroline Flint, Channel 4 lunchtime news say they may or may not be coming back after the break. According to Krishnan Gurumurthy (news reader) they have been told to evacuate the building, a first in his career.
And no, they have not returned. Instead they're showing a programme on ancient Rome (good!)
14:27 OK it was only a fire alarm. "It's certainly one way to bring a dull interview with a Government minister to a close. But when Channel 4 news presenter Krichnan Guru-Murthy interrupted Caroline Flint mid-interview it wasn't because he had heard enough from the housing minister. A fire alarm had gone off - which could be heard ringing in the background - in the ITN building and staff were forced to evacuate."Current Mood:  surprised |
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Obama - promises
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Jul. 23rd, 2008 @ 11:53 am
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"Barack Obama today pledged to reinvigorate the Middle East peace process if elected president of the United States."
Wow!! That's really earth-shattering!
"Obama said he would work to bring the two sides together "starting from the minute I am sworn into office". But he cautioned that it was "unrealistic to expect that a US president alone can suddenly snap his fingers and bring about peace".
In other news,
Times - Eventually, we will all hate Obama too "So Barack Obama, en fête around the world, will one day learn that there is no magical cure for the envy of others." [I thought this was a bit of a pointless article, which doesn't actually shed any light on why Obama will be a bad choice of president. All it says is - whoever becomes US president will automatically draw hatred....]Current Mood: cynical |
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Fertiliser Bomb Plot - latest
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Jul. 23rd, 2008 @ 10:22 am
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5 "cruel and ruthless" men ("british muslim") jailed for life for plotting fertiliser bomb attacks lose appeal against convictions. Omar Khyam, Waheed Mahmood and Jawad Akbar, from Crawley, West Sussex, Anthony Garcia, of Barkingside, east London, and Salahuddin Amin, of Luton, Bedfordshire, were found guilty of conspiracy to cause explosions likely to endanger life. 600kg of ammonium nitrate had been stored in preparation for the planned attack. The conspiracy stretched across the world, from Pakistan to Canada. There were connections with Mohammed Sadique Khan, the ringleader of the London "7/7" attacks. The trial was remarkable for the length of time taken - 14 months.
If only these would-be killers spent half the time and energy repenting and trying to live by a humanitarian code (probably not incompatible with being "good muslims") - instead of appealing against their convictions - London, and the world, would be a better place. In lieu of death sentences for these 5 bitter and twisted "british muslim" men, I am well satisfied that we put them in prison for the rest of their pathetic lives.
F l a s h b a c k Keith wrote,
@ 2007-04-30 14:18:00 Fertiliser Bomb Plot (II)
@ 2007-04-30 17:01:00 Fertiliser Bomb Plot (III)
@ 2007-04-30 22:48:00 Thoughts re: today's convictions [Published today]Current Mood: satisfied |
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Beach Samba
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Jul. 22nd, 2008 @ 02:09 pm
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"Ba daba da ba daba da, ba baba da bada bada" ------ Astrid Astrud Gilberto (Beach Samba)
[Eat your heart out, Belinda Belinda Belinda! The song is called "Beach Samba". I think it's actually a bossa nova. There is a difference.]Current Mood:  busy |
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Bosnia
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Jul. 21st, 2008 @ 11:14 pm
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"You can run but you can't hide" ------ Bush
How true! Some bad news for tyrants:
Times - War crimes fugitive Radovan Karadzic arrested in Serbia War crimes fugitive Bosnian Serb Radovan Karadzic has been arrested in Serbia after 12 years on the run.Current Mood: good |
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Latest trial of "British" "muslims" in terror plot
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Jul. 21st, 2008 @ 12:49 pm
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Last week: "Three men accused of plotting to blow up planes in mid-air have admitted conspiring to cause explosions." The following pleaded guilty to plotting a blast at Heathrow airport:
Abdulla Ahmed Ali,
Assad Sarwar and
Tanvir Hussain
They and fellow defendants (listed below) also admitted conspiring to cause a public nuisance by making videos threatening bombings:
Ibrahim Savant and
Umar Islam
This week: "Two more British Muslim men accused of plotting to blow up planes in mid-air have admitted causing a public nuisance by making videos threatening bombings."
Arafat Khan, 27, and
Waheed Zaman, 24
Now I hope we are not going to be lectured on what we should perceive as "islamophobia" based on the actions of British so-called "muslim" men. I would even question their "Britishness". I would like to see moderate muslim leadership (if that really exists) throroughly and unreservedly condemn those men's actions as un-Islamic. (I suspect I might have to wait in vain.) These people are really vermin, and in a different country, if found guilty of such crimes, they would be sentenced to death. However, I suspect there is an undercurrent of "islamic" thought that continues to be - shall we say, "ambiguous" about whether such actions are "islamic" or not (let alone whether it is moral or not - is there any question on this?). I wait for clarification (perhaps also in vain).
As mentioned here, these people are only filled with, and motivated by HATE, for all things they regard as "western": "Death and destruction will pass you like a tornado" said one. They are laughable if not so deadly serious a threat. "You show more care and concern for animals than you do for the Muslim ummah [the Islamic nation]" another said. Well, to be honest, animals deserve more respect than them and their precious "ummah". Animals show more compassion than those idiots on trial. [See also, Times - Court watches 'martyrdom video' by bin Laden disciple]Current Mood: calm |
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Hayfever?
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Jul. 21st, 2008 @ 11:47 am
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My nose is playing up -- again. It started dripping this morning. Could be hayfever. It doesn't feel as serious as the last bout. What worries me is the frequency of these "attacks". Or should I say, the apparently poor state of my immune system. Or is the weather to blame? |
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Brighter
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Jul. 20th, 2008 @ 08:44 pm
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Brightened up towards the end of today, having been cloudy nearly all day. I'm finishing my G&T, whilst enjoying the sunset and catching up on today's BBLB (Big Brother's Little Brother). It's still pretty windy. Earlier today, in the car, listened to McFly's latest album "Radio:ACTIVE" (given away free with todays Mail on Sunday). I'm afraid apart from one or two tracks, I have been disappointed. Maybe it will grow on me. All last week we had been listening to last week's Barry Manilow freebie, which is more to my liking. He certainly made it through the rain.. I hope we do too. I'm trying to focus on filling in my off-line diary for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I still haven't caught up with my project posts. I'm really behind.
It feels like I'm catching yet another cold. Hope not. For dinner tonight, grilled lamb, and spinach.Current Mood:  stressed |
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Sunny
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Jul. 19th, 2008 @ 08:10 pm
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Sunny and windy today. Well, much better than cloudy and windy. We did have temporary cloud cover, and even a little rain, but otherwise a very lovely sunshiney day. This afternoon, we did a little project work, and luckily found time to go along to a "festival" (of sorts). I enjoyed the day apart from a very minor potential incident. I'll try and update on those later. Keeping up with this LJ (the way I wish) is proving very hard work at the moment. Now I'm taking my medication (i.e. Gin and Tonic) whilst waiting for the duck to cook. Late dinner tonight.Current Mood: complacent |
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Obama on Iraq (II)
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Jul. 17th, 2008 @ 09:19 pm
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It appears that even though we were all told (during the primaries) that Iraq wasn't exactly going to be a burning issue in this election, "people" (media?) are beginning to say that Iraq is being used to "define" Obama (apparently both by the Republicans and Democrats, for different reasons). I guess that means Iraq will be made into a hot political issue come November.
Obama's team are like slime mould. They slither and spin stories, depending on the particular mood of the day. So it didn't surprise me to read this: "Obama has said he intends to have all US combat troops out of Iraq within 16 months of becoming president whereas John McCain says setting a timetable risks undoing the gains made by the yearlong "surge" policy that he says has helped reduce violence. Obama was a frequent critic of the surge policy. His campaign team, sensitive to attacks made by McCain yesterday, wiped all Obama's criticism of the surge from its website today." [Guardian - US elections: Obama details foreign policy plan ahead of international visits]
I'm lazy, I can't be bothered to dissect Obama's grand speech on Iraq and foreign policy (which I listened to the other day, and complained about). So I'll quote The Telegraph: "Barack Obama and John McCain's foreign policies are not so different".
"In effect, Mr Obama is committed to following the existing policy in Iraq. The only difference is that he has tied his own hands with the artificial deadline of 16 months for the departure of combat forces. This is the just kind of arbitrary timetable that generals despise and the real world rarely allows. In yesterday's speech, Mr Obama duly qualified this pledge. The clock on the 16 months deadline would, he stressed, start running only when he assumes office in January 2009. So Mr Obama would keep combat troops in Iraq until summer 2010. Even then, he said that a "residual" force would remain after the deadline. Their job would be training Iraqi soldiers, protecting diplomats and, crucially, fighting terrorists. In other words, they would be conducting combat missions. So the 16-month deadline is virtually meaningless. Like his rival, Mr Obama has an open-ended commitment to keeping US combat troops in Iraq. His only difference with Mr McCain is that under an Obama presidency, a few brigades might leave Iraq a few months earlier. "
So much for Obama's infamous lie: "immediate withdrawal from Iraq". He only said that to get Hillary out of the way. Now that goal has been achieved, Obama's position on Iraq was, shall we say, "refined" - earlier this month. As one blogger put it, "hope and change my rear ass".Current Mood: indifferent |
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Country Share
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Jul. 17th, 2008 @ 10:23 am
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Weird country share stats according to my readership survey. I would have thought judging on how much I churn out about US-related stuff, at least 50% of "readership" should be in the US. Not so. My US audience is paltry, relatively speaking.
( Read more... )Current Mood:  weird |
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Cloudy; Knife crime
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Jul. 17th, 2008 @ 09:58 am
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Oh oh... clouds gathering! I really don't appreciate this "yo yo" weather. Yesterday, in contrast, we had lovely sunshine in London. It got really warm in the early afternoon, which gave me an opportunity to use air conditioning (the portable air conditioner purchased August last year). Today looks like I might well have to put the heating on instead. Yesterday was a very strange day, which started out quite stressful, and luckily, with some good news tacked on at the end of office hours (more on that later perhaps in one of the project related posts - which I keep meaning to update...). I prepared an entry about Big Brother but that got crunched up when I re-booted without sending that post. So, back to the writing board on that one.
Yesterday's project related phrase: "I thought we'd make a killing, but instead, it nearly killed us". (Note - nearly killed is key. It didn't kill us!)
Breaking News: Crime figures* show 22,151 offences involving knives in the UK last year (including grievous bodily harm, murder and robbery). 20% of serious crimes involved the use of knives. (But BBC report that figures for knife crime don't include murder - so I'm a bit confused.) The highest number of knife crimes, 7409 is recorded in London (second highest, W. Midlands at 2300, and third, 2294 in Greater Manchester). The menace of knife crime is not confined to cities, with rural police forces reporting hundreds of knife crimes. The north-east of the UK is the "safest" in terms of knife crimes. Although overall crime is (supposedly) down by 18% compared to three years ago. Overall crime was down 9% last eyar, but drug crime is up by 18% (mainly because of less use of police cautions over cannabis?). Domestic burglaries have remained "stable". The murder rate has continued to edge up, with a 3% increase in England and Wales last year. Nevertheless, since 1981 (when stats were first collected), your chances of being a vcitim of crime is (supposedly) at their lowest!
(The annual crime figures contain a new set of data on knife attacks in every force in England and Wales. Serious violent crimes involving a blade have previously been bundled with other attacks, but since April last year police officers have recorded them separately in light of growing public concern.)
* British Crime Survey - Crime in England and Wales 2007/08; Police recorded crimeCurrent Mood: blank |
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Obama on Iraq
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Jul. 15th, 2008 @ 04:39 pm
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Listening to the guy present his view of Iraq is tipping my blood pressure towards the boil. That's because of the presentation which deliberately ignores successes and overly plays up the possible negative points of the current Iraq strategy. It's filled with things that do not add up, based on what I know about the Iraq war. And unsurprisingly, it is full of brilliant promises. I note that he now claims to want to "end the war in Iraq responsibly" (which is something Hillary said all along and which he didn't really put an emphasis on during the primary). Anyway, I will pretend it is just another presidential candidate, and try not to get bogged down by the fact that it is Obama (someone I don't particularly like or respect) speaking. And then judge it by the words (even if I don't particularly feel that this particular speaker has earned our trust).Current Mood:  bored |
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Politics of Fear
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Jul. 14th, 2008 @ 11:16 am
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New Yorker cover, July 21 2008:
 " "The Politics of Fear" - "Standing over a burning American flag with Osama bin Laden looking on,
Muslim terrorist Barack Obama fist-bumps radical black militant Michelle Obama in the Oval Office."
"Obama has been providing plenty of plastic for the flip-flop factories with the adjustments he’s been making as he retools his campaign for the general election. Under headlines like “IN CAMPAIGN, ONE MAN’S PRAGMATISM IS ANOTHER’S FLIP-FLOPPING,” the big papers have been assembling quite a list of matters on which the candidate has “changed his position,” including Iraq, abortion rights, federal aid to faith-based social services, capital punishment, gun control, public financing of campaigns, and wiretapping." [New Yorker - Flip-Flop Flap]
Huffington Post - David Remnick On That New Yorker Cover: It's Satire, Meant To Target "Distortions And Misconceptions And Prejudices" About ObamaCurrent Mood: amused |
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Tesco (I)
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Jul. 13th, 2008 @ 09:27 pm
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I feel like a Tesco post.
Yesterday, we did some shopping there (i.e. not online). (We ended up there as we were too late for Waitrose at the time.) The Pharaoh mask kit rather caught my eye. I'm far too old for the magazine of course, and we're kind of tightening our belts. Going to the shop enables one to peruse the "value" range available. I prefer the value range to be honest, as the quality is fine by me. I was quite surprised to see Tesco value cherry tomatoes. More on the Tesco shop after dinner (some Tesco value chicken wings).Current Mood:  hungry |
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Gay Bishop
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Jul. 13th, 2008 @ 01:37 pm
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"Church traditionalists and modernists divided over issues such as homosexual bishops"
B-o-r-i-ng! I am so, so tired of these sort of gender based religious issues. The Rev. Gene Robinson (who is gay) is of course arguing his corner. According to The Independent, "Gene Robinson has sex with his male partner and is proud of it." He was therefore not invited to the Lambeth conference, but is defying the ban on his presence. I don't really care. Maybe it's an honesty to exclude gays from an essentially homophobic church. I'm getting resigned to the idea that there are homophobic religions (e.g. Islam) and institutions (e.g. Anglican church) that simply will not, and cannot, change - and therefore will have to be destroyed! There is no co-existence possible, given the inherently homophobic ideology of those religions. Fundamentally, no matter what spin one puts on it, the Church, Vatican, Koran simply will not accept that it is not wrong (or right) for males to have sex with males (they just seem to do so - "right" or "wrong"!). If the Rev. Gene Robinsons cares to visit Iran, he could well be hanged (for a "crime" probably linked back to Islamic "values"). That is why I think it's just so sad that people, gays especially, still cling on to religion - in the vain hope that "God" will somehow bless them one fine day. It won't happen unless a new religious order is created (or God in fact does exist - and even so, one that does embrace homosexuality - which I of course doubt). Mind you I think it's OK to be a gay (or a cow even) in Hinduism. Apparently the Church is still above the law as far as equality laws are concerned. It's high time we stopped this nonsense. If the Church doesn't allow gay or female bishops, they should be taken to court. Idiots.Current Mood: bored |
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