Oh Fuck

Syrians torch Danish, Norway embassies over cartoon Reuters Note to commenters and would-be commenters: I'll get around to reading and either accepting or rejecting your comments as and when I can. I'll add that so far I've rejected every single comment. I will not under any circumstances whatsoever publish comments that seek to inflame ethnic or religious tensions here in Denmark or anywhere else in the world for that matter. I don't give a damn whether you're a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, a Buddhist, a Hindu, an Atheist, or whatever you think of yourself as - if you've come here to make either inflamatory or "snarky" comments, you're wasting your time.

Hooting Grampa

I'm in a bad mood today the Jyllands Posten cartoons affair about which several people are trying to persuade me to write continues to escalate. Needless to say those with axes to grind are doing their very best to continue to fan the flames. Mostly as an antidote for myself I'm posting this flash movie from the freeway blogger And via Firedoglake commenter "Grampa" there's this darkly hilarious gem about what happens to innocent people who accidentally get on the wrong side of the Bush administration. I'll let grampa's comment speak for it self "OT, but in case you missed it, check out this "Al Qaeda Caller ID<" linked at HuffPo: http://current.cf.huffingtonpost.com/ It's a hoot. Grampa | 02.02.06 - 4:25 pm | # "

Translating

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A bomb exploded alongside a group of Iraqi men waiting for work in eastern Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least eight and wounding more than 50 … [snip] Baghdad's latest bomb attack struck at about 7 a.m. near the Sunni Muslim al-Samaraei mosque in the New Baghdad neighborhood. Police sealed off the area and the wounded were taken to nearby hospitals. Col. Ahmed Abboud, chief of police in New Baghdad, cited eyewitnesses saying a man placed a bag full of explosives near a cart that sold tea to men waiting near a crowded intersection for a day's work. "The people did not suspect him when he first came with the bag because all workers carry their food in such bags," Abboud told The Associated Press. Abboud and another police official, Capt. Mohammed Jassim Jaber, said at least eight people were killed and more than 50 wounded. … … … Let's translate that from "reporterese" into Engllsh: A group of men were waiting for the chance to work in Eastern Baghdad. Eastern Baghdad is a very poor neighbourhood. The men were looking for badly paid physically arduous day labourer jobs. Somebody decided to attempt to further disrupt the American led occupation of Iraq by attacking those men as they waited for work. At least 8 men were killed by the bomb at least 50 were wounded. As always their relatives and dependents are left to grieve and wonder how they will now survive.

Unfortunately we are old and betoddlered

For some reason I can't fathom I visit Defective Yeti in fits and starts. Months can go by without a visit to his site and then something prompts me and I joyfully rediscover his writing. I wrote about his text misadventure game last month. The title to this posting made me LOLIR and has been gleefully shamelessly and unabashedly stolen from his latest. Wise, witty, sometimes heartbreaking, go read.

An Intervention for Good

On January 15th I described the plight of Iraqi widows here and asked my readers to contribute what they could to the Allan Enwiyah's widow. Allan was working as the translator to the kidnapped American reporter Jill Carroll. Her ordeal continues and our attention remains focussed upon her - that is as it should be. But I asked you not to forget another young woman whose nightmare also began that dreadful day - Allan Enwiyah's wife. Allan was murdered by Jill Carroll's kidnappers leaving behind a wife and two small children. As I said back then: "Allan Enwiyah's widow is now living what must surely have been her worst nightmare, is facing dire poverty, and must cope not only with her grief but with comforting her children and trying to provide for them." I asked that you go to Fayrouz's site and give what you could to ease her plight. Fayrouz has been listing the donations as they come in and I've been updating my original posting tracking the donations here is the amount raised as of February 1st 2006. Total Gross Amount: $6,683.75 Total PayPal Fees: -$218.04 Total Net Amount: $6,465.71 Total Wired Amount: $0.00 Total Wire Fees: $0.00 Total Remaining Amount: $6,465.71 I know that some of my readers here gave generously and encouraged others to do so. Thank you, I'm very grateful. It is good to know that in the hellish bloodsoaked mess created by western governments in Iraq that one family have had their plight somewhat lessened by ordinary people reaching out in sympathy. Mark Update February 3rd 2006: $6,764.91 - wouldn't it be wonderful if it went over us$7000, I'm starting to hope that it just might. Update February 6th 2006: $6,855.54

Timezones are my friend

OH NO! How could I have forgotten that the evil old fuck was 65 on January 30th. Wait wait all is not lost timezones Mark! timezones! Timezones are your friend the evil old fuck is still only 65 and not a day older in the US. Phew! Ladies and gentlemen Gorillas Guides proudly present the Vice president of the United States of America.

Toasted Heretic

"Did I mention we love Tayto? We love Tayto. I first encountered them at the age of one, in my grand-aunt's pub in Ballydine, Co. Tipperary,and my life was never the same after..." Julian Gough If you're Irish and of a certain age you'll understand why I've posted this…

Remembering

Sometimes when you read or see or hear something it is like remembering. It is like your conscience, or your soul if you prefer to say it that way, is tapping you on the shoulder and saying "you remember this." And you do remember it, you are being reminded of something you already knew. Perhaps it is as the Pythagoreans taught that the soul remembers God and strives to return to him. One of the first times I experienced this was reading "Ali's Instruction to Malik al-Asht" "Control the ardour of your pride, the violence of your strength, the force of your hand and the edge of your tongue. Be on thy guard against all these by restraining impulses and delaying force until your anger has subsided and you have mastered (your own) power of choice. But you will not gain control over that from your soul until you multiply your concern for remembering the return unto your Lord." From : The Ruler and Society 'Ali's Instruction to Malik al-Asht' du