ninme

So, summer’s approaching. You’re feeling pretty good, but, well, since the weather is changing you feel you might need to prepare for what’s coming. You’ve never done this before, and you’ve always gotten through summers before, but they’re telling you about Climate Change and tanned trend-setter footballers’ wives. So you go out and [...]

Categories: Politics

First: On Friday, a local nutcase called one of the local daily radio talk shows to tell the host that he had no reason to be upset about the Times reporting on the SWIFT thing. Why? Well, “if it isn’t illegal, why is it classified?”

So, apparently it’s important to understand that the political [...]

Categories: Business & Media

Thank god.

AFP - Israel ‘will ensure Hamas govt toppled’ if soldier slain

“We will make sure that the Hamas government ceases to operate if the kidnapped soldier is not returned to us alive,” the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Might put an end to this charade:

Israel has vowed to avenge any [...]

Categories: War and Peace

The Times - The sixth form fights back, by William Rees-Mogg As long as ministers prefer Wayne Rooney to Isaac Newton, Britain’s literary heritage will never be safe

Mr Barker was writing about the preservation of the literary heritage. As he observes, “the English language and its literature are all pervasive, and, as our largest [...]

Categories: Art and Literature

I turned on the game at 92 minutes. Watched the Italians kick it to their side, watched the Australians bounce it back to midfield, watched the Italians get it back to their side, then saw the guy fall. For 92 minutes I didn’t have the TV on and only knew from the BBC [...]

Categories: Sports and Leisure

It’s going to be 92 tomorrow.

Categories: Science and Nature

The Sunday Times - Leading article: The new apartheid

I’ll say.

Days after saying the case was “irrefutable” for raising the retirement age of public sector workers from 60 to 65, Mr Johnson allowed existing employees to continue to retire at 60, keeping their gold-plated, index-linked, final salary pensions. The signal that [...]

Categories: Politics

FOXnews - Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban Marry in Sydney

Yay!

(Take that, Tom!)

BBC - In pictures: Nicole Kidman wedding, BBC - Kidman marries singer Keith Urban, SMH - A Sydney girl marries, SMH - Mr and Mrs Urban step out

Awww.

Update:

Okay, I was wrong (in my comments somewhere):

The Times - Wedding bells ring out again as Nicole [...]

Categories: Entertainment

LGF - Celebration of Islam Scheduled for 7/7

I wonder if they’re trying for a fascist backlash? I mean, this is Europe.

Categories: People and Current Events

Power Line - Two modest proposals

According to the MRC, among the three broadcast network evening news shows, only the NBC Nightly News discussed the report. The MRC also notes the hysterical reaction of MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann: MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann ridiculed the finding of “WMD: weapons of minor discomfort,” snidely suggesting [...]

Categories: Business & Media

Simon Heffner in the Telegraph:

Burning at the stake might do the trick As you know, I try not to intrude in the private business of the Church of England, but events in America this week leave me little option. Is it any wonder that other faiths with [...]

Categories: People and Current Events

The Telegraph - Pork-barrel Labour

It is not the English who are the true losers from the Barnett formula - the mechanism, introduced in 1978, that reserves for Scotland a proportion of all public spending. In per capita terms, the discrepancy is impressive: £7,346 is spent on each Scot, as against £5,940 on each [...]

Categories: Geography and Foreign Affairs

The Times - A tale of a tub, a Church and a sticky marriage. Past notes by Graham Stewart

GAY BISHOPS, women bishops, American liberals, African conservatives — it is little wonder that the Anglican Communion cites irreconcilable differences as it contemplates divorce. It would not be its first failed marriage. [...]

Categories: History

The Times - To allow Islamists to direct the post-7/7 debate was a disaster, by Michael Gove

For moderate Muslims the picture is dispiriting. They see the most religiously conservative and politically provocative groupings enjoy the lion’s share of attention and they wonder how serious the British State is about countering extremism. How can [...]

Categories: People and Current Events

Animals and Royalty. My readers, they know me well.

From airconditioning-deprived Floridian HalfEmpty:

DNA India - British army’s regimental goat demoted

William (Billy) Windsor, regimental goat of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, has been demoted for refusing to keep in step at a parade for Queen Elizabeth II’s 80th birthday, officers said on Saturday. [...]

Categories: People and Current Events