Robin Hood, where art thou.

I love walking in the wood with our dog. Especially when no one else is around. It rained last night so everything is damp and vibrant in color, and it's very very quiet.

Ours is a proper wood with beautiful trees just starting to lose their leaves and all having nice rough bark. Deep into the wood you can actually tune out the sound of cars racing by outside the wood, and tune into the ghostly footsteps of hundreds of years worth of walkers inside. It's not hard to imagine you are in 15th, 16th, or 17th Century England, if not earlier, and going to pass some peasant coming or going to the next village. It's rather humbling and a bit awesome for an American like me.

Until my shoe come into contact with a 21st Century piece of dogshit.

Out of the mouths of babes

It being Friday, I don't feel like anything serious. So I nicked, with her blessings of course, this little funny from Miss Letter B:

One day the Primary 1 teacher was reading the story of the Three Little Pigs to her class.

She came to the part of the story where the first pig was trying to accumulate the building materials for his home. She read, "...And so the pig went up to the man with the wheelbarrow full of straw and said, "Pardon me sir, but may I have some of that straw to build my house?'"

The teacher paused then asked the class, "And what do you think that man said?"

One little boy raised his hand and said, "I think he said fucking 'ell! A talking pig!'"

The teacher was unable to teach for the next 10 minutes.

Happy Friday!

A league of gentlemen

Last night on the new Frank Skinner show, Frank had cricket players Freddie (Andrew) Flintlock from England and Shane Warren from Australia - together (they played opposite teams during the Ashes). What a refreshing sight to see both of them and the banter that went back and forth. Both men were able to poke fun at themselves and very humble and had no trouble laughing at themselves. Couldn't imagine any footballer doing the same.

Another example of class.

Meow.

Since I have lived here I have heard the expressions of women as mares, cows, and we Americans calling someone of the female persuasion a bitch, but this from the Post, "Everything I Know About Men I Learnt From My Dog," rather takes it one step further. According to a new book that gives credance why canines are man's best friend.... They eat from the same bowls.

According to the author: "There is really no difference at all between men and dogs when it comes to natural instincts and behavior," writes British socialite Clare Stapes..

What the book is supposed to more or less do is point out techniques on how to improve ill-fated relationships with your men - from giving a guy treats, knowing his sweet spots, ignoring him, never interfering with his work, setting your boundaries and always letting him know that he is the top dog.

Staples stresses that the book is not meant to portray men in a "negative way."

"Dogs and men are my two favorite creatures on this planet, and I hope I always have one or both in my life," writes Staples, who learned how to bark orders from her Great Dane, Mr. Big.

"When you get a good one there is nothing better."

Amen to that sister.

The media inaccuracies had consequences in the disaster zone.

Well, are we surprised? On Drudge, it is reported that, lo and behold, the media went into a frenzy and flooded the news outlets with rumors, unverified reports, particularly at the overcrowded Superdome and Convention Center.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune on Monday described inflated body counts, unverified "rapes," and unconfirmed sniper attacks as among examples of "scores of myths about the dome and Convention Center treated as fact by evacuees, the media and even some of New Orleans' top officials."

Journalists and officials who have reviewed the Katrina disaster blamed the inaccurate reporting in large measure on the breakdown of telephone service, which prevented dissemination of accurate reports to those most in need of the information. Race may have also played a factor.

The media fanned the rumors, reporting everything from a baby being found in a trashcan; sharks; and perhaps, the worse how there were hundreds of bodies stacked up in the Superdome. Now, after all the harm has been done, we know that - a 7-year-old being raped and murdered at the Superdome, roving bands of armed gang members attacking the helpless, and dozens of bodies being shoved into a freezer at the Convention Center - never happened.

Fox News:...issued an "alert" as talk show host Alan Colmes reiterated reports of "robberies, rapes, carjackings, riots and murder. Violent gangs are roaming the streets at night, hidden by the cover of darkness." It never happened.

The Los Angeles Times:...the next day led with, that National Guard troops "took positions on rooftops, scanning for snipers and armed mobs as seething crowds of refugees milled below, desperate to flee. Gunfire crackled in the distance." It never happened.

London's Evening Standard:...invoked the future-world fantasy film "Mad Max" to describe the scene and threw in a "Lord of the Flies" allusion for good measure. And we all know, it wasn't like that.

"I don't think you can overstate how big of a disaster New Orleans is," said Kelly McBride, ethics group leader at the Poynter Institute, a Florida school for professional journalists. "But you can imprecisely state the nature of the disaster. Then you draw attention away from the real story, the magnitude of the destruction, and you kind of undermine the media's credibility. No shit Sherlock.

Well, well, well, somehow THIS never seem to have gotten reported.
Louisiana National Guard Col. Thomas Beron, who headed security at the Superdome, said that for every complaint, "49 other people said, 'Thank you, God bless you.' " Could it be because it was the truth? Truth and not sensationalism?

Now that the media has done more damage than Katrina and Rita rolled into one, as far as destroying any remaining visage of respectablility that there might have been remaining for the media, whether it be print, audio, or visual, when are we going to hear some retraction? When are we, perhaps, going to hear some apologies from the media for making complete asses (arses) of themselves?

I don't think I'm gonna hold my breath...are you?

Ringgggg, Ringgggg.

So I bet you can guess what happened to me while in the shower. The one time that I didn't take the phone in with me nor put the answer machine on; while all soaped up from top to bottom, you guessed it, the phone rang.

Now ordinarily, I wouldn't have bothered to answer the phone, but it rang about the same time one of my daughters would have normally rang me. And even though, it was not an actual scheduled date, I wasn't absolutely, positive sure it wasn't her.

"Shit...hang, on...I'm comin'!" By the way, why do people scream that they are coming to the phone? I mean, the phone, itself, could care less. And the person on the other end hasn't got a clue what's going on on the other end... do they.

Anyway, dripping wet, with soap from the tip of my head to the bottom of my footsies, I go charging outta the bathroom, down the hall, and into the living room (lounge for my British bloggers) to get to that obnoxious sound that is coming out of that little gadget we call a phone.

Well let me tell you something, dear readers, there is one thing that you DO NOT DO under any circumstances and that is, when you soaking wet with soap and water running down your body, run on a hardwood floor. Why? Because you have absolutely no traction. I damn near killed myself, slip sliding trying to get that flipping phone.

Finally reaching the phone, after damn near breaking my neck; back; and/or both legs, I said,

"Hello?"

"Mrs. £$%&*?"

It was a fucking telemarketer.

Yada yada yada.

Oh my, another bimbo heard from (again). Found this over on the WND. It's a statement from actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who, by the way, said last year (in January 2004) she would not raise her child in the United States because her homeland is too dangerous, has, you guessed it... changed her mind.

Apparently, Ms. Paltrow along with her hubby, have spent as much time in the United States as she has in the London.

"I've been here as much as there," she said. "I'm sticking around."

Wonder what made her change her mind? And more importantly, who gives a flying fuck, uh squirrel.

He IS a very nice bloke.

SUMMIT TO REMEMBER:Ian Barlow meets President Bush, right
You know lately I have been so hesitant to open a newspaper over here or read an article written by anyone in the UK; basically, because bashing our president or our country has been such a popular past time for so long on this side of the pond. So this article written in the Manchester Evening News was; well, like a little ray of sunshine.

Apparently, this past July, when President Bush was leaving the G8 Summit at Gleneagles in Scotland, out of the corner of his eye, the President spotted policeman,Ian Barlow, give him a smile and a thumbs up sign. The President left his entourage and went over to shake Barlow's hand saying,

"I came over to say thanks. We've really had a nice time and we appreciate what you've done."

Ian told the Manchester Evening News: "I can't believe the most powerful man in the world came over and shook my hand.

"I've been escorting VIPs for a few years now and it's rare they say thanks.

"To use a good old Lancashire expression, he was a really nice bloke."

Thank you, Ian.

The nose knows.

Good old Drudge hit a home run with this little melody from Barbra Streisand:

STREISAND DECLARES 'GLOBAL WARMING EMERGENCY

Coinciding with Hurricane Rita slashing the Gulf Streisand, trying to sell herself and the musical disc with Barry Gibb, sat down for an interview with ABCNEWS's Diane Sawyer.

"We are in a global warming emergency state, and these storms are going to become more frequent, more intense," Streisand urgently declares.

But Sawyer did not remind Streisand that a Category 5 hurricane struck the Bahamas with 160 mph winds -- when the singer was five years old, in 1947!

And when Streisand was 8 years old, a Cat 5 hurricane -- named "Dog" -- packing 185 mph churned-away in the Atlantic.

When she was 9, a Cat 5 storm named "Easy" ripped the seas with 160 mph sustained winds.

Streisand was 13 years old when "Janet" hit Mexico with 150 mph winds.

Streisand was celebrating her sweet sixteen as "Cleo" formed with 140 mph.

At 18, Streisand read news about "Donna" AND "Ethel" -- both storms carried 140 mph winds and formed 9 days apart in 1960!

One year later, when Streisand was 19, it happened again: Two Category 5 storms scared the world: "Carla" and "Hattie!"

"Carla" maxed out at 175 mph winds the year Streisand made her television debut on "The Jack Paar Show."

And who could forget Hurricane "Camille" -- which smashed into the United States with 190 mph, just as "Funny Girl" garners eight Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Picture and one for Barbra as Best Actress.

Here's just another blaring example of stupid is as stupid does.

Better be a fast one.

It's Friday, which means a round of golf for Krip. He's been looking forward to it all week; getting the clubs out; cleaning his golf shoes; setting his clothes out last night~all~ so he could run home and change from just an ordinary working man into GOLF MAN before one can say Arnie Palmer.

And since this is England, it was nice and sunny when he left ~ with just a hint of breeze. It has now proceeded to rain.

Go figure.

Boo.

It's not Halloween yet, but strange things are afoot in New Orleans. Check out this video of what some National Guards from California and others are having to contend with.

This Big Easy was hard to swallow.

So did you hear where a whole bunch of musical talent singers and musicians got together in New York City, both in Madison Square Gardens and at the Radio City Music Hall, to put on a shin-dig called From the Big Apple to the Big Easy, Tuesday night to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina? Yeah, so according to the title of the concert(s), I'm wondering if all the money that was raised was meant for the victims of Katrina in just New Orleans, or did it include the rest of Louisiana that was hit, as well as Mississippi and Alabama - just a thought.

Anyway, supposedly the political banter was pretty low-key, wanting to focus on the victims of New Orleans (see there it is again - I guess there were no other victims other than in New Orleans); however, Tom Wait just couldn't help himself:

"I wish New Orleans was dry and Washington was underwater," said Tom.

Wasn't that just an old knee-slapper? He was referring of course to the federal government's supposed slow response to New Orleans after Katrina hit. I noticed throughout the article that no one even mentioned the incompetence of both the Mayor of New Orleans or the Governor of Louisiana. Oh wait a minute! Silly me, these were Liberals talking out of their assholes, no wonder they left out that one small detail.

Wait, hold on. The night got better. Along came Bette Midler. Oooo, she had even stronger words:

"I got a letter from the Republican Party the other day. I wrote back, 'Go fuck yourself.'" She then added, "George Bush is a fan of mine -- he came to see me in the Seventies. His coke dealer brought him."

I tell you what, the Liberals of America are in a class of their own, aren't they? What a stupid cunt cow.

However, both shows were just a crowd pleaser leading up to the main attraction. Guess, who was the main attraction. Come on, guess.

It was none other than the King of Condoms, the Rubber-Dubber man himself, Slick "Lubricated" Willie, himself...

drum roll...

B I L L C L I N T O N !!!!!

Yep, you heard it right. Never doubt that that man isn't running again for the presidency - through his wife, under his wife, around his wife, or next to his wife - old Willy-boy wants that power again.

There was nothing but love for one former Oval Office resident, however, Bill Clinton's surprise appearances at both concerts were greeted with long standing ovations.

Surprise appearance? Is that the same kind of surprise appearance as when Willy was walking the beach of Normandy, and lo and behold ROCKS appeared where no rocks have ever been seen before or since that fateful day. Surprise! That kind of surprise appearance? The stupid cunt cad has never done a thing in his life that wasn't planned.

Be this as it may, Mr. Condom Clinton said something on that Tuesday night that was truly amazing! After he spoke of the urgent need to get money to the hurricane victims, Willey said:

"the first time I saw a building over two stories tall was in New Orleans, when I was three years old."

Tell me something, you lying piece of worthless trailer-trash, was this little trip you took when you were three years old, was this trip before you visited the burnt out Black Churches in Arkansas, or after.

MSM hits the road.

"...We appreciate the American's help and support. Thank you."

Thanks to Iraq the Model, I found this little jewel over at Defend America. It is a gesture worth more than any amount of money, at least in my eyes, and something that will never, ever be reported by the MSM.

After Iraqi Colonel Abbas Fadhil, Iraqi Base Commander, presented an envelope to U.S. Colonel Paul D. Linkenhoker, Taji Coalition Base Commander, at a September 5th staff meeting containing 1,000,000 Iraqi dinars, Colonel Fadhil went on to read a letter that came with the envelope. This is what it said:

""I am Colonel Abbas Fadhil; Tadji Military Base Commander,” Abbas wrote. “On behalf of myself and all the People of Tadji Military Base; I would like to console the American People and Government for getting this horrible disaster. So we would like to donate 1.000.000 Iraqi Dinars to help the government and the People also I would like to console all the ASTs who helped us rebuilding our country and our Army. We appreciate the American's help and support. Thank you."

While the amount small in American dollars, approximately $680, that amount represented a month's salary for most of the Iraqi soldiers.

Now everyone is able to get shafted by Clinton.

The 39th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan; Harry S. Truman, the 30th President ; Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 31st President; John F. Kennedy, the 34th President ~ all had aircraft carriers named after them. Teddy Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and our very first President, George Washington ~ all have a place atop Mount Rushmore.

And finally, someone has given the highest compliment that anyone could possibly bestow on the illustrious 41st President of the United States, William Jefferson Blythe Clinton. A grand memorial that celebrates his eight years of residency in the most treasured home in America.

It took the Chinese to figure out his legacy, they have manufactured a condom and is naming it after the ex-president. Yes, you read it right. I'd say that those wiley Chinese nailed it when they decided to call one of their most expensive new 12 pack carton of condoms, Kelitun. It gives new meaning now to "I feel your pain," doesn't it.

Finally...the asshole has a sheath named after him to be used for the aspirations, destination, and intent of other assholes...how fitting.

A brief glance at millons of brave souls.

Thanks to Publius Pundit for giving us a peek at what is going on in Afghanistan. If we relied on the MSM, we would never know what was actually going on. Worthless is what the MSM has become.

From Publius Pundit's revolution afghanistan central asia

"I am very confident [that] on the 19th of September, the day after the elections here, we are all going to wake up and realize that the heroes of Afghanistan were the people that went out and cast their vote for their own future.” — The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry, commenting on Afghanistan’s 18 September parliamentary elections.

“Booze and Blades”

I was really surprised to read this TimesOnLine article yesterday. It says:

"A UNITED Nations report has labelled Scotland the most violent country in the developed world, with people three times more likely to be assaulted than in America.

England and Wales recorded the second highest number of violent assaults while Northern Ireland recorded the fewest."

The study, by the UN’s crime research institute, found:
3% of Scots had been victims of assault, compared with:

2.8% in England and Wales
1.2% in America
0.1% in Japan
0.2% in Italy
0.8% in Austria

I realize that the United States is considered a "gun toting" society, and we are known for our violence, so reading about Scotland, and the United Kingdom in general, kind of threw me for a loop.

Even though, it is illegal to own a gun in the U.K. (apart from hunting), it should be pretty obvious that anything can be used to do bodily harm on an individual. Lately, I have noticed an increased amount of victims being stabbed. There has been noises lately of not allowing minors to purchase even kitchen knives. I really don't know how the government in the U.K. is going to go about rounding up knives, like they did rounding up guns. Everyone uses knives within their homes.

How about just for kicks, say knives have been banned. I suppose the next thing would be axes/hatchets, razor blades, ice picks, srewdrivers, ballpoint pens, pencils , baseball and cricket bats, piano wire, electrical wire, guitar strings, rope of any sort, trains, cars, subways; the list goes on and on. As you can see, anything can be used in the commission of a crime against another human being.

Clearly, taking away weapons is not going to do the trick. Educating our children on the sanctity of life might be the right step towards civility and respect towards another.

What say you?

Isn't she lovely...isn't she beautiful...Stevie Wonder's song comes to mind

A local child holds a "Beanie Baby" given to her during a humanitarian supplies drop conducted by the 1st Battailion, 4th Iraqi Public Order Brigade in the Al Rashid district of Baghdad, Iraq on August 17, 2005.
US Army photo by: SPC David Kobi

S is for Sperm

When I came across this little morsel about Michael Jackson, I remembered a movie called "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sex, but was Afraid to Ask." In the movie, there is a scene where a whole bunch of sperms are about ready to flow out of a tube because the male character is about to ejaculate. Anyway, I can't get that picture out of my head now that I have read what Jackson was wearing; from the article..."sporting a white lycra body suit exposing only his eyes and nose. I would give most anything to know if the lifeguard was able to keep a straight face while saying this, "He looked even stranger than usual. His body is very skinny and lycra does him no favours."

One Round trip on Qatar Airways from London to Dubai £2170
Deluxe Room at the Five Star Ritz Carlton-Dubai (1 night) £273.23
Seeing Wako-Jacko dressed up at a emaciated sperm... priceless.

....For everything else, there's MasterCard....

A cold wind blowing

Burrr, what a difference in the weather today. I'm so glad it's Friday, but old Man Winter is sure trying to test his meddle today.

Since it's Friday, and I am tired of being so serious this past week, thought I would do my own little Friday toons and tidbits in word form.

Did you know that there are 52 prepositions in the English language and ten compound-prepositions?

That's what my youngest told me the other night. Her English teacher can say them in less than 20 seconds. I've spent two days now trying to think of them all, and all I've come back with is 20 preps and no compounds. I could go ahead a peek from the list that she sent me, but I haven't gotten that desperate yet...getting there but not there yet.

You know I told you my back muscles feel like they've been twisted into a pretzel again for the third time, right?

Well, last night, in the middle of the night, Barney our dog who has been sick with the runs (and damn if they don't smell blahhhh) for the past three days, got up and made a bee-line down the stairs to the backdoor. Hearing him, cause I can't sleep, I threw myself outta the bed, frantically looking for something to throw on, and started chasing him down the stairs to the back door before he had a chance to take a juicy, runny, smelly shit on my kitchen floor. Well, Barney made it outside, and that's a good thing...

However, I learned a super colossal lesson last night. You can't go flinging yourself outta bed like you're made out of a rubberband; go running down hallways, stairs; and flinging doors open in 30 seconds flat, and expect no repercussions. Nope, can't do it. After I got the door open for Barney, my back decided to let me know exactly what a brainless, half-baked, half-witted, idiotic, and ill-advised woman I had been. I couldn't have been more surprised over the reaction from my back than if someone had brained me over the head. I swear to God, the pain shot up my back like bolt of white, jagged lightning you glimpse in the sky during a summer's thunderstorm. Afterwards, I managed to drag my sorry ass up the stairs and back into bed. Whimpering the whole time, I must admit. I think I added at least another two weeks onto my healing time.

Krip asked me if I was all right. "Uh, huh, just hurts a little" was all I could manage. Bless him.

This one's for you. steve.

I have decided to set poor dillusional steve straight. There is a lot of robotic nonsense that has been spouted all over my blog from his foaming at the mouth. And I have decided that I have had enough. The spew is starting to reek. I have decided to do a little housekeeping today.

One thing I would like to clear up is steve's attitude that no one else knows anything but him. Well, steve, my boy, you are wrong. Period. Two of them I am going to clear up right now.

You said, "well i guess alice doesn't know history."

steve, there are a lot of things in this world that I don't know, but there is one thing that I do know and that is history. You see, I graduated magna cum laude from my university with a Bachelors of Arts Degree in History. I don't tend to flaunt it, but I do know it.

The second thing that I'd like to clear up is on what building block the American system was based on. You said, "british neo-liberalism gave our founding fathers the basic ideas on which our constitution is based."

Uh, no it didn't steve. This is the definition of - neoliberalism: A political movement beginning in the 1960s that blends traditional liberal concerns for social justice with an emphasis on economic growth. steve, our country not only was not formed in the 1960's, but we are not based on the British form of government.

I will try to explain to you, steve, in very simple terms where the foundation of the American form of government basically came from. steve, feel free to take your time and read this information slowly so you can soak it all up, and perhaps get it right for a change.

steve, the roots of the American government got its origin in the thinking of the ancient Greeks, the Enlightenment occurring in 1700's Europe, as well as colonial injustices under the British. The founding fathers, steve, looked at both the ancient Greeks and their idea of the democratic government, which the Greeks practiced as a direct democracy (government in which all citizens had say via participation in voting), and the founding fathers looked at the ancient Romans concept of the representative democracy (one in which the citizens elect representatives to act of their behalf in government).

The founding fathers decided on a representative democracy in which qualified citizens elect representatives to carry out their will in government. As you should know, steve, the ONLY example of directly elected officials in the original Constitution was election of representatives to the House of Representatives, as the President is in-directly elected by the electoral college and senators selected by state legislatures.

Now, steve, let me explain to you the thinking behind the founding fathers. Especially, in the case of Thomas Jefferson, it was heavily determined by the intellectual changes that were occurring in Europe in the 1700's. The European Enlightenment focused on reason, human thought, and experience as opposed to the divine reasoning of religious thought. This thinking in government is best seen in the works of Locke, Rousseau and Montesquieu.

Basically, Locke declared that all men are born with the natural rights of "life, liberty and property," and no government could revoke these rights. Locke maintained that it was the citizens that should grant governments the power to rule, in order to protect their natural rights. He believed that when a government failed to protect rights and consent was revoked, the government could be changed or replaced with a revolution.

Rousseau developed the idea of the social contract, which was based on the previous ideas of Locke. It held that a social contract existed between government and the people. It further stated that when government broke the contract by failing to serve the will of the people, a revolution was justified.

Finally, there was Montesquieu, an enlightenment philosopher, who wrote of the benefits of dividing power in a government among more than one branch.

steve, the founding fathers borrowed many of these ideas when they crafted both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Natural Rights appear in the declaration as "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". The notion of replacing a government that fails to maintain consent is cited as justification for the American Revolution against the British. Finally, separation of powers was integrated into US government along the three branch system, and protected by the system of checks and balances.

Now steve, I have spent quite a bit of time clearing up some issues that you misrepresented. This part of my dissertation has come to an end. The instructions that I am going to write next are very important. I have allowed you onto my blog, only to have you shit all over like an untrained puppy. You have continually shown a disregard to civility and you have not even attempted any form of debate. You have shown your true colors. You, steve, are a wanker.

1) I am going to allow you one comment, and one comment only. So you had better think long and hard and make it a good one, steve. After your comment, you will no longer be welcomed to comment on my blog. Don't even think you can come over under another pseudonym, because I will know. I will delete you.

2) When you are through commenting, I want you to go and wipe the spiddle off from around your mouth and gargle with some mouthwash.

3) Done? Good, now I want you to get down on your knees, boy, and kiss my exquisite and ravishing white ass.

4) Now fuck off.

Got it?

Good.

Oh look. The man finally lets his hair down

Oh, I am so very proud of my darling Krip for deciding to take the plunge and actually spout off politically. What makes this a great read is that krip's eyes tend to glaze over when I start talking about politics whether on the American side or this side of the pond. He says that's the only thing he finds boring about me is when I talk politics, even dirty politics ( talking dirty does) can't reach him, poor dear.

So for Krip to actually write about it is one amazing feat. There is definitely something for everyone.

Go visit. Leave a comment or two.

He'll appreciate it I'm sure.

A soldier from 1st squadrin 278th Regimental Combat Team gives candy to children during a village assessment, Diyala Province, Iraq, 08 July, 2005.
U.S. Army Photo by Specialist Gul A. Alisan

I didn't have sex with that woman. Oh wait, wrong title, uh, the right wanker, but wrong title

F.A.A. Alerted On Qaeda in '98, 9/11 Panel Said

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 - American aviation officials were warned as early as 1998 that Al Qaeda could "seek to hijack a commercial jet and slam it into a U.S. landmark," according to previously secret portions of a report prepared last year by the Sept. 11 commission. The officials also realized months before the Sept. 11 attacks that two of the three airports used in the hijackings had suffered repeated security lapses.

WHAT?? WHAT?? That can't be true. Why that would mean... [gulp]... oh my word! President Bush wasn't in office then, was he?

Ah, no.

But, but, who was in office then?

Why. Bubba.

Oh. Figures.

Ow! My achin' back

About four years ago (or so) I hurt my back while riding. This past June, I hurt it again on our canal trip in the exact same area of my back that I did during my riding accident. I just found out Monday, while jumping on an exercise trampoline, that my back hasn't entirely healed since June.

OUCH! owy...owy

Getting old is....well, getting old.

What an interesting little tidbit

Amid Katrina Chaos, Congressman Used National Guard to Visit Home
Two Heavy Trucks, Helicopter Were Involved in Lawmaker's Trip at Height of Crisis


Sept. 13, 3005 — Amid the chaos and confusion that engulfed New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck, a local congressman used National Guard troops to check on his property and rescue his personal belongings — even while New Orleans residents were trying to get rescued from rooftops, ABC News has learned.

On Friday, Sept. 2 — five days after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast — Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., who represents New Orleans and is a senior member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, was allowed through the military blockades set up around the city to reach the Superdome, where thousands of evacuees had been taken.

Military sources tells ABC News that Jefferson, an eight-term Democratic congressman, asked the National Guard that night to take him on a tour of the flooded portions of his congressional district. A 5-ton military truck and a half dozen military police were dispatched.

Lt. Col. Pete Schneider of the Louisiana National Guard tells ABC News that during the tour, Jefferson asked that the truck take him to his home on Marengo Street, in the affluent uptown neighborhood in his congressional district. According to Schneider, this was not part of Jefferson's initial request.

Jefferson defended the expedition, saying he set out to see how residents were coping at the Superdome and in his neighborhood. He also insisted that he did not ask the National Guard to transport him.

"I did not seek the use of military assets to help me get around my city," Jefferson told ABC News. "There was shooting going on. There was sniping going on. They thought I should be escorted by some military guards, both to the convention center the Superdome and uptown."

The water reached to the third step of Jefferson's house, a military source familiar with the incident told ABC News, and the vehicle pulled up onto Jefferson's front lawn so he wouldn't have to walk in the water. Jefferson went into the house alone, the source says, while the soldiers waited on the porch for about an hour. (oh there is so much more here and here)

Oh, gee, isn't this just the sweetest thing. Another statesman in Louisiana showing such compassion for his fellow constituents. This would be some sort of comedy as in the "Dukes of Hazzard" if it wasn't such a pathetic excuse of wantom power by The Man.

'"This wasn't about me going to my house. It was about me going to my district," he said.'

Ah, huh, right.

In this article that reads like a really bad television pilot, there contains two trucks (one being a five-ton truck), a helicopter, the Louisiana National Guards, the U.S. Coast Guard, a couple of evacuees, a rescue swimmer, and one Congressman who just happens to be a Democrat.

So, I know it's a long-ass read, but well worth the time.

There's other things happening in this world besides Katrina

U.S. Army soldiers from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry (Airborne), prepare to move out on another mission in Mangritae, Afghanistan, on June 25, 2005. The soldiers are patrolling the area and searching for remaining members of the Taliban.
DoD photo by Spc. Harold Fields, U.S. Army.


The rotor wash of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter kicks up clouds of dust as U.S. Army soldiers scan the perimeter of a landing zone for possible hostile forces near Baghdad, Iraq, on Aug. 26, 2005. The soldiers are with the 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division.
DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Russell E. Cooley IV, U.S. Air Force.

Good things run in threes, so where's the lotto ticket

I tell you what, my most favorite curmudgeon in this whole wide world is well, in my Daddy's words, "...in high cotton..."

Not only did England win The Ashes
,


but Krip's favorite football team, West Ham United went on to win last night 4-0 against Aston Villa.

Where have all the bodies gone

Gosh, I seem to recall reading (and hearing) where the BBC's heroic Nagin of New Orleans declared that there would be the minimum of 10,000 dead and could be as high as 25,000. Well, where are they then? Because the latest count as of yesterday (Sunday) is 197. Now, don't get me wrong, 197 dead is still 197 too many, but it's a hell of a long way from 10,000.

Addendum: The state Department of Health and Hospitals said today Louisiana's death toll from Hurricane Katrina now stands at 279. That figure, which comes from statistics reported by local coroners to state officials, includes 242 bodies at the metrowide morgue at St. Gabriel, three bodies in St. Charles Parish, 25 bodies in Jefferson Parish, six bodies in St. Tammany Parish and three bodies in New Iberia Parish.

Another interesting piece from the AP on the start of the cleanup being done in New Orleans. One line jumped out of me...

"Bourbon Street is cleaner than it ever is during Mardi Gras."

Also for all you Bush-bashers, and Lordy! but haven't I run into some mighty ones here in "Merry Old England," there is a piece running in the post-gazette that rather debunks the conventional wisdom of reporters "reporting" the slowness of the government, meaning President Bush (naturally), to Katrina in reality is, opposite of the truth.

What? Opposite of the truth? Well, apparently so, at least according to
Jason van Steenwyk, a Florida Army National Guardsman, who has been mobilized six times for hurricane relief. He notes that:

"The federal government pretty much met its standard time lines, but the volume of support provided during the 72-96 hour was unprecedented. The federal response here was faster than Hugo, faster than Andrew, faster than Iniki, faster than Francine and Jeanne."

One last little gem that I have come across today is by Star Parker from townhall.com. Ms. Parker wrote a column about the race debate in regards to the hurricane Katrina.

"What we are witnessing is a well-honed black political public-relations operation geared to obfuscation, stoking hatred and fear, and nurturing helplessness and dependence among black citizens. Such efforts keep black politicians powerful, diversity businesses prosperous and blacks poor."

As a side note to this, I watched, while trying not to gag, the ITV World News last night. They had the Reverend Jesse Jackass Jackson on spouting his racist rhetoric. It made me ill watching him, knowing that the news presenters were hanging on to everything he said, and alot of the people within the UK also lapping it all up. The "deep hostility" for President Bush is almost palpable in this country. And if you don't believe me, look at the article here from the TIMES ONLINE. Look at their poll numbers.

Anyway, here is more of what Ms. Parker has to say about the REVend JACKson:

"Jesse Jackson is now touring through Louisiana. Where was he as Katrina thundered toward New Orleans, with a population almost 70 percent black and poor? He was in Venezuela embracing President Hugo Chavez, who the week before was in Cuba visiting his good friend Fidel Castro and who also includes among his friends Zimbabwe's despot, Robert Mugabe."

Take a pause in the bickering over nature's wrath

Today is the 11th of September, four years ago, our country was attacked by terrorists. Lest we forget this day:Remember 9/11 is a thought-provoking clip that honors that day. Go see it for yourself, and remember.

Just a gentle reminder of those in faraway places

Army 1st Lt. Greg Baker (right) listens as the village elder talks to him through an interpreter in the town of Zaker-e Sharif, Afghanistan, on Aug. 18, 2005. Baker is attached to the Army's 3rd Battalion Field Artillery.
DoD photo by Sgt. Andre' Reynolds, U.S. Army.

Got the whinging down pat

We have a newspaper that comes out every Friday. It's primarily news that covers the towns of Medway. I perked up after I saw this headline:

Hurricane Katrina wrecked our dream

The article is about a married couple, the husband from here, the wife an American. After visiting New Orleans and having fallen in love with the city, they packed up lock, stock, and barrel and moved from Atlanta, Georgia, to New Orleans. And bought a house and was there for one month.

"We knew it had its problems and was below sea-level but never expected to be victims of the worst hurricane the United States has seen in 100 years.
We will never try and set up home there again. I refuse to take the risk. The hurricanes seem to be getting stronger and nobody seems to be able to explain why."

Now, don't get me wrong. I sympathize over the plight of this couple. However, the last line of this article, damn near made me choke on my coffee this morning:

"We have faced a country that doesn't seem to care what we have been through," she said.

I really don't know what to make of that statement. Walking in the wood with my dog, I contemplated it a great deal. One thing I did think about was the fact that this couple, knowing that they were moving into an area where:

Hurricanes are perhaps the most dangerous weather element on the Earth. These storms form in the warm, tropical oceans of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico and can produce winds up 170 mph. The wind can tear trees apart, snap power lines and roofs from buildings. The wind is not the only threat from these storms. Flooding rains and dangerous tornados, spawned from the hurricane, can produce immense floods and catastrophic damage.

This little tidbit came from Tester.

Still chose to do so. And that's okay. They had the freedom to choose the risk. Since hurricane season begins on June 1st and lasts through the 31st of October, they also had the freedom and right to choose to move into an area during hurricane season, which they apparently did because according to the article, they had been there a month when Hurricane Katrina hit.

I also hope for their sakes, that since they knew they were moving to an area of the country that is part of the hurricane corridor, that they had the presence of mind to take out the proper insurance on their home. Evidently, only 25% of those insured in the three states had flood insurance. I know that if I were to live down there, my home would have been insured for everything under the sun - possibly more. I have been wondering about that. Don't know this couple, so don't know whether they took the responsibility of looking out for themselves and their property or not. Who's to say? Not me.

Finally, from what I have seen, it seems like there are a hell of a lot of people from our (hers and mine) country that seem to care; opening up their homes, donating money, time, energy, products to take care of those that lost everything. So, I'm not quite sure of what she means by that. That they "faced a country that didn't care what they had gone through." Frankly, and I might be all wet about this, but I hold this couple just a wee bit responsible for their actions.

However, she will fit in very well over on this side of the pond. Why? Because she has her whinging down pat.

Glad it wasn't perishable

Well, let's see. I finally received my package last night around 6:45 pm. Jeepers! That wasn't too long of a wait, now was it! I mean, after all, since my package arrived at Parcel Force on the 1st of September 2005 @ 4:18 am.....it only took 7 days, 14 hours, and 27 minutes to get from their depot door to our door.

Hmmm.

A trip that ordinarily would have taken less than 10 minutes.

Incompetence at it's best

PARCEL FORCE is one of the most inept businesses I have ever had to deal with. I am so angry at this moment that I could just spit.

Let me explain why, using a timeline:

25-08-2005: Ordered an item within the UK to be sent to our home.
27-08-2005: Order taken delivered to PARCEL FORCE.
30-08-2005: 16:35 -- London West Depot -- On route to hub
31-08-2005: 22:35 -- National Hub -- Sorted in hub
01-09-2005: 04:18 -- Medway Depot -- Arrived at delivery depot

Okay, so far so good.

01-09-2005: 06:31 -- Medway Depot -- Out for delivery
Supposedly they came to our home and no one was home. I was, most likely, out walking Barney in the wood. I will give them that; however, no card or notice was left announcing that they had come by and would come again or arrange pick-up, etc.

01-09-2005: 19:03 -- Medway Depot -- Returned to depot
01-09-2005: 19:03 -- Medway Depot -- Automatic redelivery

02-09-2005: 02:39 -- Medway Depot -- Out for delivery
02-09-2005: 16:36 -- Medway Depot -- Cannot locate address

CANNOT LOCATE ADDRESS????? Where in the fuck did these people go on 01-09-2005 then? Where did they go? Who's house did they try to deliver to? Trust me when I say this, our home did not move from Point A to Point B overnight.

On Monday, the 5th, Krip sent an e-mail to PARCEL FORCE, giving them directions to our home, and they sent back a computer generated e-mail; blah, blah, blah.

05-09-2005: 06:42 -- Medway Depot -- Delivery rescheduled

On Tuesday, the 6th, I called PARCEL FORCE, gave them my tracking #, and politely asked them what the fuck was going on. A young woman said that the item was on the truck and would be delivered that day. I stayed home, made sure that I was around to receive the delivery. No walk in the woods for Barney and me. No going to the shops, didn't go anywhere.

My item did not arrive on Tuesday.

Yesterday, I called again and was told that PARCEL FORCE would be delivering my item sometime that day. In the late afternoon, around 4pm, I called and spoke to a "James" who informed me that my item would be delivered and that the packages were dropped off up until 7pm. No walk in the woods for Barney and me. No going to the shops, didn't go anywhere.

My item did not arrive yesterday.

This morning, I called exactly when PARCEL FORCE opened at 9am. All I can say is that the male employee on the other side of the phone never knew how lucky he was that we were not talking face-to-face. The person I talked to informed me, after I asked him why they couldn't locate our address on the 2nd if they had no problems with locating our address on the 1st, that it was due to different drivers. Besides he said it didn't matter because it has been rescheduled and was going to be delivered today. Excuse me??? I informed him that I was told by three different people on two different days that it was 'to be delivered.' He again, with just a hint of exasperation in his voice, that it didn't matter, the problem was solved.

Right. Not for me it's not. This isn't over...not by a long shot.

08-09-2005: 02:20 -- Medway Depot -- Out for delivery

Tick, tick....

Very important read...From the desk of the President of the United States

New Emergency Phone Information

Statement from the White House: Please discontinue phoning 911 in emergencies.

In the wake of grumbling about the poor quality of local and state government response in the preparation, planning and execution of disaster relief post Hurricane Katrina, the federal government today is issuing the following order:

Please do not phone traditional emergency services should your house catch fire or you are in need of emergency services. It is apparent that the first responders charged with responsibilty for providing those services in many areas of the country are unable to meet your needs.

We suggest that should you have an emergency, you contact the White House immediately at this number: 202-456-1414. We have President Bush standing by to take your call. Should he need to go to the bathroom or sleep from time to time, Laura or Dick Cheney will be filling in.

We don't recommend you phone your local or state governments for help, unless those governments are headed up by Republicans, such as Governor Barber of Mississippi, who thus far seems to be pretty darn competant when it comes to handling a crisis and saving the lives of his poorest and weakest citizens.

(Oh, and in case you are a complete ignorant boob, or a devotee of Michael Moore (same thing) the above is a SATIRE!)

Thank you Mike!

Your smugness is showing

This political cartoon is from today's Telegraph. What a fair and balanced cartoon it is, don't you think? Gee, with friends like this, who needs enemies. If I had found this on the Guardian, I would of understood, but not this newspaper. I find this cartoonist, at the very least, irresponsible; and at the most, inflammatory. The disdain drips from his nose as he passes judgment.

I hope, and pray that The United Kingdom never, ever has a natural disaster such as the one that just blew through the United States. Never, ever.

Just how ready will you be.

And, just in case you are just a bit smug in the knowledge that your country is just too civilized, just too organized, just too polite, and have just the right amount of 'love thy neighbor' perhaps you should read this little tidbit from one of your opinion columns.

I would laugh, if I didn't find all this condescending on a daily basis so depressing, because this bit of patronizing is coming from a country that has a complete melt-down when two inches (approximately five centimeters for those who are lovers of the European Union measurements) of snow gently falls from the heavens in the wintertime.

Two sides to every story

I don't want to write about Katrina nor about Cindy Sheehan. There are much better blogs than mine that are inundated with posts and comments about them; so no politics from me.

Instead I want to talk about the wonderful evening that Krip and I had on Saturday night. We decided to forgo the usual visit to our local pub for a night out of dining and a show. The dinner was fabulous and the show, one of the best I've ever seen.

Before I go into the entertainment, let me give you a backdrop of where we went. I don't know if anyone knows where Rochester in Kent is, or anything about the City of Rochester. However, within this small city, there is the second oldest cathedral in all of England.



Rochester Cathedral is England'’s second oldest cathedral. It was established in 604AD, and the present building was started in 1080 by King William's architect, Bishop Gundulf, and consecrated in 1130.
There was a castle at Rochester by the time The Doomsday Book was compiled in 1086 but no trace of this structure now survives. The bailey wall that exists today was built in 1088 for William II by Gundulf, the bishop of Rochester. It cost £60. In 1127, Henry I gave custody of the castle to the Archbishop of Canterbury, William de Corbeil. The Archbishop built the huge central keep which still dominates the view of the city from the river. Standing 34.5 metres high, with walls up to 3.5 metres thick, it is the tallest Norman keep in the country.

So these are just two places in Rochester that makes this small city special. I think it's a wonderful place. Anyway, after dinner we decided to take in the sound and light show that was being encompassed by both the cathedral and the castle keep. It was called Son et Lumiere. It was spectacular!


The lasers and sounds whipped between the cathedral and keep, keeping us all mesmerized for a full twenty minutes. It took you back to a time when the earth must have been flooded with the blood of soldiers in the castle and the martyred in the church as well. The event explored the often volatile relationship between the church and the crown. The main elements included the great siege of 1215, and the martyrdom of the two Bishops of Rochester in the Sixteenth Century.

It was a great night out and one that we both thoroughly enjoyed.

Later in bed, drifting off to sleep, I thought about the ghosts that must haunt that area after dark and when everyone was gone. I wondered if more were awakened due to the laser shows. Did it remind the ghosts of battles past. Did the retelling of what happened so long ago haunt them?

Fats Domino and other famous musicians are missing

I found this quite interesting.



Antoine “Fats” Domino, has not been heard from since Monday afternoon. Domino, 76, lives with his wife Rosemary and daughter in a three story pink-roofed house in New Orleans’ 9th ward, which is now underwater. On Monday afternoon, Domino told his manager, Al Embry of Nashville, that he would “ride out the storm” at home.



Allen Toussaint is missing and was last seen as but one of the 25,000 people holed up at the New Orleans Superdome hoping to get on a bus for Houston’s Astrodome. Toussaint wrote for Patti Labelle, Dr. John, and did the arrangement for Paul Simon’s hit, "Kodachrome".



Also not heard from by friends through last night: New Orleans’s "Queen of Soul," Irma Thomas, who was the original singer of what became the Rolling Stones’ hit, "Time is On My Side."