ninme

Peculiarly, Friday I had almost two thousand visitors. Unique visitors. The last time I checked I was all excited because I’d gotten up to a thousand a day. I dunno what happened. I guess I’m just that talented.

Ta.

Categories: Wildcard

The Sunday Telegraph - Believe me, George Bush is a genius. By Alan B’Stard

That is why the Anglo-American alliance has to consider an invasion of Iran - to secure and squander their oil. I know some of you fear that to invade Iran, on the pretext of combating the nuclear aspirations of President [...]

Categories: War and Peace

The Sunday Telegraph - No wonder Tony likes George, the last Blairite. By Matthew d’Ancona

But, whatever the party or, indeed, the British public think of him, the President has a straightforward, self-deprecating manner that goes down well with the Prime Minister and his intimates. On one visit to Downing Street, Mr Blair’s team [...]

Categories: Geography and Foreign Affairs

The Sunday Times - Step aside, Sir Humphrey, by Katharine Raymond (a former government special adviser)

Britain puts college lecturers, lawyers and former trade union officials in charge of multi-billion-pound operations that dwarf in scale and complexity most FTSE 100 companies. Then we expect them to cope. If a headhunting firm were to offer [...]

Categories: Politics

WaPo - Residents Flee Violence in East Timor Capital

Hundreds of refugees, terrified by the sudden anarchy in Dili, crowded in front of the gates of the main U.N. compound and outside the beachfront U.S. Embassy. Hundreds more packed onto the grounds of the small international airport… Hours after the United [...]

Categories: Geography and Foreign Affairs

BBC - Afghan assembly rejects top judge

MPs voted 117 to 77 against the reappointment of Fazel Hadi Shinwari to a second term in the post. They cited his old age and lack of relevant education, but correspondents say the conservative has been seen by some as a block to judicial [...]

Categories: Politics

I’d say with pretty solid certainty that this wins the Unusual Celebrity Infant Name Tournament.

“The night of May 27, 2006 in Namibia, Africa, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt welcomed their daughter Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt.

You know, for all the “most anticipated birth in the world” talk, I’m surprised how little coverage this gets on [...]

Categories: Entertainment

BBC - The new communists of Calcutta

The people of West Bengal have voted in the Communist Party for the seventh successive time. Humphrey Hawksley has been in the capital, Calcutta meeting the new communists. … “Stalin,” I said. “Was he a good leader?” “Yes. Yes. Stalin was [...]

Categories: Politics

Zenit - Vatican Unease Over Islamic Countries: Clear Talk About Problems Facing Christians

What should the Church do in the face of these difficulties? Archbishop Lajolo outlined recommendations: • Faced with Islam the Church is called to live its own identity to the full, without backing down and by taking clear [...]

Categories: People and Current Events

All one of them (as far as I know) who is expected to be away from his desk all weekend.

Wheat & Weeds - Everybody Stay Calm

The fraught and tempestuous debate surrounding “et cum spiritu tuo”.

Categories: People and Current Events

The Telegraph’s Simon Heffner, fifth item:

Bishop should learn to beat about the bush Talking of cultural clashes, what could have given more innocent happiness this week than the spectacle of the Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Rev John Gladwin, being abandoned in the Kenyan bush by his Anglican hosts for [...]

Categories: People and Current Events

NYT - Gonzales Said He Would Quit in Raid Dispute

WASHINGTON, May 26 — Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, the F.B.I. director, Robert S. Mueller III, and senior officials and career prosecutors at the Justice Department told associates this week that they were prepared to quit if the White House directed them to relinquish [...]

Categories: Politics

BBC - Indonesia quake toll passes 3,000

More than 3,000 people have been killed and thousands more injured by a strong earthquake that struck the Indonesian island of Java, officials have said.

In a box:

• 2005 Muzaffarabad, Kashmir - kills more than 73,000 • 2004 Asian tsunami, triggered by undersea quake - kills at [...]

Categories: Geography and Foreign Affairs

I’ve noticed that whenever the news gets cripplingly slow, after a few days the major newspapers turn to more abstract, wide-reaching, and interesting topics. So whenever the frequency of my posting starts to ebb, rest assured that by the weekend I’ll have all sorts of random topics here for mulling over and discussing.

The Times [...]

Categories: Art and Literature

The Times - From this day forward . . . for half the money. Past Notes by Graham Stewart

This week’s rulings suggest that it is income earned during marriage that counts as one. On this basis, it may be possible for a person to walk away from a short marriage with half [...]

Categories: People and Current Events