Orinoco obituary...

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RIP Franklin Brito.

"[his] body became a symbol for all struck by the arrogance of power, for those offended by the arrogance of the rulers".

After falling critically ill last week the Venezuelan farmer died yesterday. He had gone on hunger strike to protest against squatting and seizure of his lands and in protest at the government's land policies. He received no compensation for the land taken nor was it returned even after the government had promised to do so; after breaking the promise the government had him arrested/kidnapped: Amnesty International issued an alert and the Interamerican Comission on Human Rights 'requested protective measures when he was kept captive, isolated and watched as a dangerous criminal'.

"Franklin Brito, who went on a hunger strike to defend his property, was later kidnapped by the Government to hide his truth and never received an answer, died today of a heart attack at the Military Hospital where he had been held against his will."

[Source: The Devil's Excrement]

Obeisance of oxidising ore...

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Paying homage to the Iron Lady. Iron lady, Iron Curtain, strike while the iron is hot: "Margaret Thatcher blocked Soviet aid for striking miners, files reveal". Had the iron will - the iron fist in the velvet glove - not been made of such stern stuff, the end of the USSR and the fall of the Berlin Wall may have been delayed; is it too much of a stretch of the imagination to believe it may not have taken place at all.

"...newly released Downing Street documents have shed fresh light on the relationship between Margaret Thatcher and Mikhail Gorbachev, exposing how Thatcher exerted intense diplomatic pressure on the future leader to successfully block a Soviet donation of much-needed cash to the strikers."...

"...Thatcher's diplomatic offensive worked: no donation reached the British miners during their year-long strike. Gorbachev had embarked on his effort to reform the sclerotic Soviet state and concluded that the wiser option was to continue cultivating the British prime minister for the sake of relations between the two countries. Sacrificing the interests of the British miners was the price to be paid for not upsetting the so-called Iron Lady." [The Guardian]

Had that donation taken place, apart from prolonging a country-damaging strike and weakening the UK government, the relationship between Margaret Thatcher and Mikhail Gorbachev would have been entirely different; despite the Maggie and Ronnie show, maybe Gorbachev wouldn't have been "someone [she] could do business with".

Opposition, oppositon III...

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Well, I thought Diane Abbott had the core Labour vote about wrapped-up but it seems Ed Miliband might rob her of these votes: why? Because Blair, Campbell and Mandy have ALL warned against "Red Ed"; clearly any "natural" Labour voter will see this as a reason to vote for him!

[Conservative Home]

Official offer...

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At last he's trying to help: last year he claimed that he avoided a CIA plot to kill him; before that he claimed he was in possession of intelligence showing that the United States had plans to invade his country; before that we all know he blamed the US for the 2002 coup-that-wasn't. More recently, last month, he cancelled a trip to Cuba due to the possibility of 'US fueled' aggression from Colombia. Now, it seems, Hugo has finally realised what the US troop withdrawal from Iraq might mean for him...I'm joking of course...look at the picture: "diana" also means target/bulls-eye in Spanish! The news story about the record number of expropriations (click on image) even has the headline "Give to me!". I guess martyrdom would the best exit strategy, not for him personally of course, but for his 'Bolivarian Revolution'. Watch your back Hugo. (File photo: El Universal)

Opt-out oblocutors...

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NUTTY Union bullies revealed. "The stakes could scarcely be higher", says Nelson Fraser after praising to the rooftops the City Acadamies set up New Labour (you haven't misread that). You may think after I posted slagging Blunkett's letter that I wouldn't be happy but in fact the opposite is true, as Nelson says:

"Seldom has a social policy been so quickly vindicated. Independence works. So who would want to stop pupils getting better a education in an independent state school?"

Who? You guessed it, the union NUTters and their 'accomplices' who are using the FOI to find out the list of anyone supporting campaigns to opt out of local authority control and become one of Gove's Academies. Read it at The Spectator. Remember, 'The stakes could scarcely be higher'.

Oesophageal oncology obese observation...

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The Press Association report that rates of oesophageal (food pipe) cancer "spiked by 50% over the last 25 years". In the Cancer Research UK press release they say poor diet and higher levels of obesity could be behind the increase:

"But we think the obesity epidemic may be a big reason behind the increase. We know that being overweight significantly increases the risk of adenocarcinoma – the main type of oesophageal cancer that's on the up. Our changing diets are also likely to be influencing the rise with people eating less fruit and vegetables."

That, at first glance may sound like a handy PC excuse - like blaming speeding on not having speed cameras - but there is growing evidence that has been looked at for years now and not just the 'overall impact of obesity on population health [and] health-care costs' but the 'underlying adenocarcinoma pandemic in the new millennium'. Adenocarcinoma is on the rise, not just in the throat; there are "consistent upward trends observed worldwide across both sexes"; the odd thing is that the pipe cancer increase is in men and another seeming sex-specific adenocarcinoma is the relatively steep increase in lung adenocarcinoma incidence in younger females despite a downturn in overall "normal" lung cancer.

However (and in no way am I meaning to cast doubt, I just love the quote) in all this one thing should be clear, Sherlock (ACD):

It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly, one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.

Oblatrating one's oblectation...

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Oblatrating one's oblectation: inveigh against one's pleasure; that 'one' being David Blunkett who in today's letters to the Guardian states his "Pride in Labour's education legacy". DB seems to want to equate entry into universities and staying-on at 16 (and passing the exams) to be "proof of the change in life chances of youngsters who in the past would have been written off". Written off, or left school and got a job, got an apprentiship, joined the services, went to night school/college while they worked, etc? Why is having the "third lowest rate of entry into universities and one of the lowest staying-on rates at 16 in the country" seen as a bad thing: somewhere has to be lowest and in an industrial city surely it's the norm.

Should we really be proud that some of 'the most disadvantaged areas' and 'the most underachieving schools' have jumped - to use DB's example - from 6% (probably something to do with the 'wonderful example of liberal education' you speak of...20% truancy) to 82% of its pupils getting five A*-C grades? If you're proud of that surely you should want 100%, maybe then, at last, you'd realise how meaningless it is. A social engineering paper exercise to try to equalise an unequalisable range of abilities, dumb down to a level of all-the-same pointlessness...part of the New Labour fucking shite fest. Cunts.

Orthopraxy or oligophrenia: official output...

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Feeblemindedness or correct action? Merkel 'advocated stimulus for those who could afford it, restraint from countries already up to their necks in debt and subsequent austerity all round, or sensible control of public spending, to clear the way for expansion' [Iain Martin, WSJ]. Brown, as we know, fiddled whilst the UK burned; "Britain had entered the recession without the advantage of its government having been prudent on the public sector spending front."

"Mr. Brown’s much talked of stimulus for the U.K. was a puny affair involving a temporary cut in VAT and a bit of industrial pump-priming. When he said stimulus, he really meant that already high public spending continued unabated while tax revenues declined and borrowing shot up. To pay for this, British taxes are about to go up. It is difficult to see that doing anything other than adding to the existing pressure on business and consumers, and thus restricting growth prospects."

Please remember this: the shit state of the UK is indeed the covering of the olid Brown stuff.

Overdoing opposition?...

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Oh dear. The Labourgraph, not content with heading downhill fast, now seems to be trying to compete with the Labour toilet paper the Daily Mirror with the headline: "Tories sell access to ministers for £1,000 a head" they say...complete with Labour MP Michael Dugher (long-time party insider and ex-Chief Political Spokesman for Brown) knocking down the skittle the Telegraph set up for him:

"This is cash-for-access, plain and simple"..."For all the Conservative talk of new politics, this is the same old Tory sleaze."..."Selling access to government ministers at £1,000 a head is just grubby."

Yawn. FFS. Was anything made of the functions of every party, every year before this? If the Telegraph want State funding for political parties perhaps they should say so.

Overweening officialdom II...

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Anna Raccoon is fighting them on the Sandwell...more power to her paw. Great comments too regarding the "epic twattery" (credit Tom 10:58!) of irritating council jobsworths. The crying shame is that we all know this happens dozens of times daily across the UK - and presumably anywhere else where there are officious pricks revelling in their 'power'. On this occasion we can see a reason for their cuntishness:"wardens receive mainstream funding and have a target of meeting income generation targets via the issuing of tickets" (SadButMadLad at 13:05).

Ordering oppression of opposition...

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Oh well. I was good while it lasted: the company I used to work for is being "bought" by Hugo "Krusty the clown" Chavez.

"I have approved the purchase; it is a friendly deal; of hundred thousand hectares of Agroflora, the English company that had these ranches since 1909".

A crying shame and I have no doubt at all that it will lead to even more meat having to be imported in a country where soon, if not already, you run a higher risk of being shot than a soldier who is fighting in the Irak or Afghanistan [RealCubaBlog] A veritable shooting gallery as The Econmist calls it; interestingly they mention a CNN broadcast of Los Guardianes de Chavez; that was a few weeks after Owsblog reported it (sub heading "More importantly..." at the bottom of that post), clearly they pop in to read here now and again...

...more sad Ven facts: an unbelievable 40 percent of the 'working population' do not work...I wonder how many of those are in Krusty's militias (the one's he says is going door to door to help "demolish the opposition" because "we didn't come this far to be defeated" [jeez!] He boasts he has 1.8 million militants (party members, possibly/probably armed; that's the equivalent of 4.5 million in the UK) "going from door to door every day and every night until September 26, without a break, deployed in battles to demolish the revolutionary fifth column [the opposition]".

Got cut off last night!...continued: Anyway, it appears Chavez will be going all out to make sure he wins another vote; with all the problems and supression of opposition media nad voices one wonders just how long lefties can claim it is democracy in action. On Friday in yet another poll 90% think the insecurity is now the principal problem for the country and nearly 83% think that insecurity is increasing [El Universal, Spanish]. In summary...

"Venezuela has the worst crime rate in South America, the highest inflation rate in South America, more unemployment, more poverty in South America. This is a country which has vast oil reserves. They should be the richest in South America. Hugo Chávez, in my opinion, has dragged the economy down to the ground"

So says US Congressman Eliot Engel; interestingly he also questioned flights between Iran (and Syria) and Venezuela because 'Iran is the largest supporter of terrorism of any country on the face of the earth'...that is worrying: flights from Tehran go all over the place but with Iran unveiling its new "messenger of death" today and with these public and direct remarks being made regarding Iran, Terror and Venezuela - added to the US troop withdrawl from Iraq - will be making Krusty very nervous indeed.

Old ogre outs overspending...

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OK, JP isn't really an ogre (come on, they're large, cruel, monstrous and hideous humanoid monster...ah, I see what you mean, he ticks a few boxes), but he has outed the Labour party's overspending and near bankruptcy; he said:

"The treasurer has got to say to the central body, you cannot keep on spending, we haven't got it"

...and he's right; a pity he didn't notice when they were doing the same thing to the whole country!

Order,order...

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It's a slow summer...but stirrings and rumblings can be heard...we can all happily agree with Myner's strike (arf arf) after he sad that the Labour leadership hustings have been failure but what of the news that former Labour cabinet minister Alan Milburn is now to work for the coalition government? I can understand the idea of a 'Government of all the Talents', even Brown tried it, but I presumed the idea was generally that it should include the talents! Anyway, I'm not impressed with this (like the idea, not the "Tsar"). Anyway, when I start to grumble I just recall...as Guido writes today: "Lest we forget the 13 years before the last 100 days..."

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'Gordon Goes Global' wrote Iain Dale yesterday.

Iain highlights the 'publicity blurb' for the Brownstuff's book, he quotes:

"We now live in a world of global trade, global financial flows, global movements of people and instant global communications. Our economies are connected as never before, and I believe that global economic problems require global solutions and global institutions. In writing my analysis of the financial crisis, I wanted to help explain how we got here, but more importantly to offer some recommendations as to how the next stage of globalisation can be managed so that the economy works for people and not the other way around."

Hilarious and reminiscent of Crash Gordon's effort last year when he was sucking up to Obama* (you'll need your toes as well if you start counting the 'globals' on your fingers).The guy is clearly going all-out to make sure nobody things any of the UK's problems started before 2008, unless of course it can be blamed on pre 1997.

*Only 3 days later Brown was there in full suck-up mode where at the time I noted he failed to mention that the current problems 'started in America': "My favourite vomit-inducing moment was "There is no old Europe, no new Europe, there is only your friend Europe."

O'Neill off...

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Well...who'da thunk it: the best thing about Brum 1 and they let him go...and we know why. As Paul Hayward writes, they have managed to drive away their most important asset: the guy has worked wonders (a trait he seems to have) and the stupid twats just kept kicking him in the balls (player after player sold). He was the best thing they had...the Aston Martin. One Villa went to Barcelona the other will now head south: not sure they'll finish anywhere near 6th this season.

P.S. O'Neill is the one guy I could "accept" replacing The Professor...if he decided to go.

Ostriches organising...

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How did I miss THIS last week! The ostriches - rather typically - fail to mention anything about how the UK came to be where it is. Sunny Hundal (whose article today led me to Tony Benn's), supports the ostrich call but at least realises that "it can't just be an echo chamber for the left's usual suspects". The ostriches are commited to the following:

• "Oppose cuts and privatisation in our workplaces, community and welfare services."
That covers just about everything: so are you saying NO CUTS?
• "Fight rising unemployment and support organisations of unemployed people."
Fair enough. I'm sure this is what the Coalition will do too.
• "Develop and support an alternative programme for economic and social recovery."
Well you'd better get on with it. And it had better be workable! This would be the economic and social recovery of the last 13 years, or the last 13 weeks?
• "Oppose all proposals to "solve" the crisis through racism and other forms of scapegoating."
Ridiculous polemic. Sounds like they're insinuating that racist and scapegoating will happen.
• "Liaise closely with similar opposition movements in other countries."
Fair enough. Whatever...hoping you don't mean violent protesters i.e Greece. Given that Benn writes the following, I suspect he does mean violent protests:

"We reject this malicious vandalism and resolve to campaign for a radical alternative, with the level of determination shown by trade unionists and social movements in Greece and other European countries"

("malicious vandalism"...FFS!) I wonder if that pan-European arrest warrant, or at least the opt-in to the EIO, had this in mind?
• "Organise information, meetings, conferences, marches and demonstrations."
Fair enough...but you already know it will escalate so you are insiting violence.
• "Support the development of a national co-ordinating coalition of resistance."
Fine. Keep yourselves occupied.

Funny how the disgraceful, intentional and verging-on-treacherous scorched earth policy of The Brownstuff seems to have passed you by. Funny that at the General Election where all parties admitted the need for cuts (Labour: 'cuts worse than Thatcher' etc.) no resistance was mentioned. Despite the repeated "ordinary people" in this article I am sure it will be a call to arms for leftie extremists and militant. Back to the 80s!

P.S. OK, yes I do know that in "real life" ostriches don't 'bury their heads in the sand'.

Overall: outstanding!...

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A.C.E. Wenger. Please stay; the final chance to move from Arsenal has arrived but we want you to stay and you want to stay. Ignore the fools that say you haven't won any trophies for five years; ignore the plastic gooners that say you're past it or x-y-z is your fault. You're easily the most successful manager in the history of Arsenal; you're the club's longest-serving manager with an incredible record that speaks for itself (re longest serving, in the English Premier League only you - and some Alejandro guy at Manchington Rovers - have more than 8 seasons in charge of an Premier League club).

In your first 9 seasons you had won the League 3 times (runner-up 5 times!) and won the F.A, Cup 4 times (runner-up once): NO other manager has a better record and to put icing on that cake there was a double-double and the cherry on top came in 2004 you became the only manager in 115 years of English top-flight football to go through the entire season without defeat, one of the top sporting moments of the decade. That unbeaten run saw Arsenal bag another record: that of the longest run of unbeaten League matches: 49. And finally, just for those nay-sayers, the average league finishing position for the period 1996/97 season to the present, i.e. since Arsene arrived, is 2nd (actually 2.4)...

Great article this weekend by Amy Lawrence at the Guardian.

Onomatomanic outrecuidance II...

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Amazingly, when I checked the first Onomatomanic outrecuidance I found it was almost exactly 3 years ago...when Adolf Hitler Campbell** was just a year old. Back then it was about "idiot parents" from New Zealand that wanted to call their son Superman because their chosen name of 4Real was been rejected by the government registry. I always recall that post as it descibes two brothers with the names Winner and Loser...great story.

** "A US appeals court has ruled a couple who gave their children Nazi-inspired names should not regain custody, citing the risk of serious injury to them."

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onomatomania n. - preoccupation with words and names
outrecuidance n. - egomania; gross conceit (both from HERE)

Online omissions...

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A Journey. A Journey to the hell he made. The arch-slimeball, thieving, lying, evil-grinning vampire. No Brown, no Campbell no Mandelson...hang on 'straight kinda guy', you're surgically linked to them for life...and death; so why no mention of these other three horsmen of the New Labour apocalypse in your online promo-video? Which claims to chart "the difficult decisions, the highs and the lows" and "take the reader behind the scenes of political life"?

[Link: DT] Warning! The video is nausea-inducing pap and could be detrimental to your health.

Outrageous offence offence...

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Interesting to compare two stories in the last two days; both involve crime and punishment.

Case 1: An antiques dealer is jailed for eight years for handling a stolen Shakespeare First Folio: a rare - one copy of about 250 remaining - of a first collection of Shakespeare's plays. The judge condemns damage to the book - defaced to hide its true identity - as 'cultural vandalisation'.

Case 2: Nine men were jailed after being convicted of offences that included violent sexual exploitation of an underage girl: sexual activity with a child, controlling a child prostitute, facilitating child prostitution and paying for sexual services with a child. The men were jailed for between eight months and seven years.

Justice of the day...

Odd offspring offering...

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Related in a way to last weeks post (just below this one...been busy with athletics!) because it coincided with the first cloned fighting bull in Spain (NYT) Fundacion Valenicana de Investigacion Veterinaria called their calf 'Got'. But for how long will clones be 'odd' offspring. Logic and world population suggest it will soon become 'normal'.

Got Milk? Got cloned? Got bull (see what I did there?). 'Got Milk' is the US Dairy industry's advertising campaign created back in 1993 for the California Milk Processor Board to encourage the consumption of cow's milk and is arguably one of the most successful campaigns of all time. However, will the use of milk from cloned cows start to effect the consumption of, IMHO, one of the best all-round foods we can eat/drink? (a Nutrient-Rich Powerhouse!) Maybe, if today's news in the Guardian (and elsewhere) reporting from last week's International Herald Tribune that an unnamed farmer was selling milk from at least one cow bred from a cloned animal. The report has led to a flurry of activity because in the UK "meat and products from clones and their offspring are considered novel foods and would therefore need to be authorised before being placed on the market", or at least that's how the Food Standards Agency interprets it (in the USA in 2008 the FDA 'declared that food from cloned cattle, pigs, goats and their progeny was safe to eat')

Just to some things in perspective: the Guardian report states that,

"Cloned farming methods can create large cows capable of producing 70 pints of milk a day – around 30% to 40% more than conventionally bred cows."

Ooooh. Ahhh. Agggh. Rubbish, "large"...what, larger than normal? 70 pints a day when there are thousands of complete herds of 'normal' cows throughout the world where average production is between 60 and 80 pints a day? Cows that have been bred and cross-bred to gain the best characteristics (as have nearly all farmed species of animal and crop)...more milk, more meat, more grain. In fact the average milk production of the entire US herd is about 50 pints a day so what they really mean is 'cloned cows could produce more than average'. Fine, but you - the powers that be in the UK and the EU - need to decide one way or the other very soon. In Switzerland several hundred cattle that are second or third generation descendants of clones are in the national herd. Got Milk of not?

P.S. Yes, I know there are far more 'white-tash' modern and sexier pictures of that campaign that I could have used!