Ooops (2)...

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Late again, almost missed it: just enough time to ketchup... (I'll get my coat). Buñol's annual tomato fight; hat-tip JD at Nourishing obscurity.

P.S. 5 posts in one day, an Owsblog first (makes up for possible period of light-blogging coming up)

Overlords' obrogate...

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ESM Treaty: Euro Slave Mafia European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism: "This is racketeering and money laundering on a continental scale." It's also bloody scary; read it all at IPJ's blog/journal. HERE in pdf (save a copy).

Old Osram opinion...

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No offence to Osram at all (in fact I had a very close family connection with the brand); just handy that it's the lightbulb manufacturer whose image is on this BBC Magazine article: "The 60W bulb: A luminary love affair". "The once ubiquitous 60W light bulb is about to plop off the production line for the last time across Europe." And it won't just be going the way of candles, oh no, as of tomorrow, September 1st, an EU-wide BAN on "the manufacturing and importing of 60W incandescent clear light bulbs comes into force". Exactly 2 years ago, the EU had already admitted that 'Energy saving' light bulbs are "not as bright as their traditional counterparts and claims about the amount of light they produce are 'exaggerated'" (!!!) but I'd like to give you a personal example of the apparent benefits (Source: Energy Saving Trust...no, really!) I have one 60W bulb which has lasted 4 years (and counting) in my modern apartment: I have replaced 20 cunting energy saving ugly shite bulbs - at least two more than twice. My comments in (bold):
1. Can run for up to 10,000 hours (but never do, not even close)
2. Use up to 80% less electricity than a standard bulb (straw man/see no.4)
3. Fitting just one bulb can save you on average £2.50 a year (so at least 2 years to recoup the exorbitant cost and you need to change them before that anyway)
4. More expensive but difference will be recouped on electricity bill in about a year (the more expensive is damn right, the rest is a fucking lie)
5. Invention of "soft tone" bulbs has given them a warmer glow (and?)
6. Dimmable bulbs are now available (what the fuck for? they're dim enough already)

P.S. Gildy has posted on this topic twice before (you'll note my wrath in the comments).

Optimising on-board organisation...

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Airlines, call U.S. astrophysicist Dr. Jason Steffen, NOW! He's waiting for their call - hoping commercial airlines will take an interest - "especially given that he estimates it could save them millions." The predictions and conclusions made on paper reflect the actual trial results: the most efficient way to board a passenger plane. [Link]

Ominous (obvious?) overview...

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"At moderate levels, debt improves welfare and can enhance growth. But high levels can be damaging. When does the level of debt go from good to bad?... beyond a certain level, debt is bad for growth. ...The immediate implication is that countries with high debt must act quickly and decisively to address their fiscal problems. ...Up to a point, corporate and household debt can be good for growth. But when corporate debt goes beyond 90% of GDP, our results suggest that it becomes a drag on growth. And for household debt, we report a threshold around 85% of GDP, although the impact is very imprecisely estimated.".

Parts of the abstract of "The real effects of debt", from the Bank for International Settlements, BIS. Full document pdf HERE. Look at Table 1, page 6: one country is WAY way out from the crowd in terms of changes in household, corporate and government debt as a percentage of nominal GDP between 2000 and 2010. The balls and brownstuff is smothered over the bed and the UK has to lie in it. Also, we may soon know more of the reasons why: Darling on the "brutal and volcanic" Brownstuff.

Update: and obviously the UK isn't the only one that will be 'changing the sheets'; Ruth Lea on the EU's woes.

Organisation of observation options...

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Sky wins battle for Tripoli: "It's really time we asked whether the TV Tax is going to the right people" writes Raedwald; he's not alone and even the BBC tried to get their defense in early; will this be Sky's rebirth as per CNN and the Gulf War? Chris Cramer, the then head of the Beeb's newsgathering operation admits he was so humiliated by CNN's superior coverage he finally went to work for them.

Now, the point of this post is that today Labour is seeking parliamentary support to tighten rules on media takeovers; Ed Miliband has told David Cameron that he should prevent Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation bid for BSkyB. Ivan Lewis the shadow culture secretary says Labour wants a wider "public interest test". I'll be honest Ivan, careful what you wish for: looking at news coverage of Libya as an example (there are many more), if it was for the public interest the bid would already be accepted!

Let's be clear: Miliband last month called a company with 20% of the - shrinking rapidly - newspaper market unhealthy and "frankly quite dangerous." I'll be frank too, in terms of news provision, only one organisation has a dangerous and unhealthy monopoly in the UK.

Outstanding Oz...

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For the first time in a decade Australia have won the Tri-Nations Rugby tournament. Despite almost throwing away a 17 point half-time lead today the Wallabies held out. You know what this means don't you? At last the All Blacks will start the Rugby World Cup (at Home for them) coming off a losing streak...so they're bound to win! Every time they're always favourites and beating everyone beforehand only to fall at the final hurdle...not this time? I hope for a NZ vs. England final (making England the first team to reach three consecutive finals).

P.S. For those looking for the Women's rugby picture you have to click on the image above.

Omen of oncoming obsequies...

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From Marcus at Harry's Place: "In the Navy". "Have a look at this clipping from January 2009.

"Russia has decided to establish naval bases in Libya, Syria and Yemen within a few years, a Russian military official was quoted as saying on Friday by Itar-Tass news agency...“It is difficult to say how much time it will take to create the bases for our fleet in these countries, but within a few years this will be done without question"

Gives a new twist to the Arab Spring; not so close to home it may also be getting Hugo a bit nervous what with a strategic bomber base, joint manoeuvres plus gold and uranium...what say 2012, mi pana primavera?

Update:...and loans to buy weapons.

Overdoing obesity...

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I was interested to read that there has been a marked drop in the number of the bastards most probably responsible for more human deaths than any other single cause: the mosquito. However that is off topic but I do suspect there may be an inverse correlation between your chances of suffering death by mosquito and your chance of being affected by another epidemic: globesity. Obesity is one of the "most blatantly visible, yet most neglected, public health problems"; the Lancet has released a series about the global pandemic covering the challenge of obesity and what needs to change, the economic and health burdens, 'reversing the tide' and 'where next'. However I think most of it has already been said a couple of years ago; not by Owsblog - although I did suggest certain 'action this day' - but by Sander L. Gilman, Fat Chance (click on image). And despite all that Sander says, I suspect with the way we are heading, the globesity pandemic - such as it is - will soon start to subside.

Operational overspend?...

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No. However, am I being too cynical not to expect much coverage of this news: "Majority of PCTs predict cash surplus for end of financial year". The General Practitioners Committee had warned that because NHS primary care trusts debts were likely to be transferred to the new GP consortia when they take on commissioning they would be starting with millions of pounds in debt and deficits; they expressed concern that these difficult financial conditions could mean that GP commissioning was doomed to fail. They need not fear: not a single one of the seventy one trusts that responded to the request for information "forecast a deficit at the end of the 2011/12 financial year"... "In fact 90% of PCTs predicted that they would be in surplus."

Oncoming obstipation...

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Bloomberg News yesterday released data obtained through FOI requests, months of litigation and trawling 29,000 pages of previously secret documents re the lending to banks and other companies USD1.2 trillion of public money [Overview].

The six or seven non-US companies in the top 20 may surprise a few: many on that list are banks that "survived the crisis without government capital injections" (and some that received a lot: mention no names RBS) but were lent money via programmes that promised confidentiality... "You don’t have to be a Hairy Leftie to discern that these people are taking the piss." (hat-tip: The Slog)
[edit 20:04 CET, click on image to see the future]

Odd obscurantism over one observation...

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How many people know it is Black Ribbon Day today?* The day (image link to Wiki: European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism) was adopted as one of the proposals set forth in the Prague Declaration [Link] "...millions of victims of Communism and their families are entitled to enjoy justice, sympathy, understanding and recognition for their sufferings in the same way as the victims of Nazism have been morally and politically recognized".

* The Prague Declaration has not been without it's critics but as Barry Rubin wrote last year, responding to that criticism, and quoting the Declaration: "Those who neglect their past have no future".

Obfuscation obeisance...

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Why feel the need to pay homage to a traitor? Charles Moore's article in the DT today, perhaps following on from a Letter by Jon Ball's (**below) to the DT yesterday (scroll down) and alluded to by Guido this afternoon - albeit with a different point - is more rewriting of history: "When will the BBC ever tell the truth about Anthony Blunt?" 

"What was disgraceful, though, was the structure of the programme. For many, The Reunion's version may be the first they have heard of the subject. It is the duty of the BBC to apply to history the impartiality on which its Charter insists. Yet, as with the same programme's treatment of the 30th anniversary of the Brixton riots (which this column criticised on March 28), the entire panel was on the same side. Blunt was a virtually innocent victim, we were told, and the only villain was the press."

"The Reunion propagated the theory that spying for the Soviets in the Thirties and Forties was nothing worse than an excess of zeal. This is a shocking untruth. Hitler and Stalin were moral equivalents. ... The BBC would (rightly) never dream of making a programme which sought to excuse traitors who worked for the Nazis."

**The Blunt fact. 
SIR – A group of worthies on Radio 4’s The Reunion were concerned that Anthony Blunt may be remembered not as an art historian, but as a spy. They need not worry. Although his Soviet controller was indeed a spy, Blunt himself was not. He was a traitor.

Original or obvious?...

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Connected in a way to my post yesterday although this time it is about Britain and not Venezuela. In the great tradition of misquoting out of context (e.g. 'There is no such thing as Society') the arch vampire himself has come out and said 'hug a hoodie'! Of course Blair hasn't said that; in exactly the same way that Cameron didn't say it several years ago despite what lefty twats like Russell Brand think (my comment to RB on that thread). What Blair said (akin to what DC said in opposition) is that the major cause of the recent riots is that there is a group of alienated, disaffected youth who are outside the social mainstream and who live in a culture at odds with any canons of proper behaviour", so hug a hoodie! Also, "he believes this generation is more respectable, responsible and hard-working than his own", clearly he is entitled to his opinion but - on this point - I think he's talking bollocks. HOWEVER, I agree with something else he says:

"This is a hard thing to say, and I am of course aware that this too is generalisation. But the truth is that many of these people are from families that are profoundly dysfunctional, operating on completely different terms from the rest of society, either middle class or poor."

Blair adds, correctly IMHO, that this is a current and general phenomenon in almost all developed nations. He says the solution - his plan as New Labour (ha!), later abandoned (pah!) - was "intervention family by family, a reform of criminal justice around antisocial behaviour, organised crime, persistent offenders and gangs." Unfortunately, during ten years as PM he saw fit not to stop or reverse the emasculation of the police and the politicisation of both the police and the judiciary. [post edited 16:15 CET]

Opinion opposing odium...

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I guess we all should have such an opinion but it was interesting to read Herman Petzold Rodriguez's opinion in El Universal (Spanish) today, directed at the 'two tribes' that have made up the whole of Venezuela for the last decade or more: pro Chavez or Anti Chavez: 'Para ti que eres chavista', 'For you, the chavista.' loosely translated by Ows. "We live in a polarised country; a growing rift between us caused by physical and verbal violence." Too true, and later "You know very well that political differences cannot be so strong that we can't be friends and work for the common good." On the whole a good opinion piece: something really does need to change - I have predicted the possibility of things getting so bad as to reach civil war; at the very least blood on the streets - but with Chavez's poor health (combined with him winding his neck in a bit) things seem to be calming down. One paragraph caught my eye:

"It's about what each one of us does. Unsupervised. The decision we make individually...//...What act of humility and respect I can do to strengthen ties with others? How I can help others? How to stop judging someone for their political tendency?...//...When will we understand that a problem of our family, friends, companion or neighbours is also our problem."

Of course you should feel that is slightly familiar and you'd be right: there is no such thing as society...

P.S. Off topic but I was amazed at the numbers and percents of migration in South America; it's overall figures (2010), no information of how many were actual nationals returning home/leaving.

Orinoco oro observations...

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[Edited:'dead' image removed] Gold! Krusty has announced that he will nationalise Venezuela's gold industry to boost the country's reserves; interestingly the same day he stated that gold reserves deposited in foreign banks will be brought back to Venezuela. Hugo may not be so much of a clown in this action: OK, he may have something to gain from this latest nationalisation but the country already owns it all already except one half of the only private gold miner left [miningdotcom] but the "bringing home the 211 tonnes of gold reserves, worth $12.3 billion, held overseas, is a different story altogether" and "bullion traders are preparing for one of the largest transfers of physical gold in recent history"...another BUT, more importantly:

CTV News quotes a precious metals strategist at investment bank UBS: "There is a growing preference among many different communities in the gold market to have their physical gold at home."...[I'd say that was entirely sensible, wouldn't you?]

P.S. Looking at that first link, from Q2 2006, gold had almost touched it's second highest price ever; now it's USD1100 more per ounce than then, did anyone take my advice then? Gold price chart provided by goldprice.org (click on image)

Orinoco oro observations...

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Oro: gold! Krusty has announced that he will nationalise Venezuela's gold industry to boost the country's reserves; interestingly the same day he stated that gold reserves deposited in foreign banks will be brought back to Venezuela. Hugo may not be so much of a clown in this action: OK, he may have something to gain from this latest nationalisation but the country already owns it all already except one half of the only private gold miner left [miningdotcom] but the "bringing home the 211 tonnes of gold reserves, worth $12.3 billion, held overseas, is a different story altogether" and "bullion traders are preparing for one of the largest transfers of physical gold in recent history"...another BUT, more importantly:

CTV News quotes a precious metals strategist at investment bank UBS: "There is a growing preference among many different communities in the gold market to have their physical gold at home."...[I'd say that was entirely sensible, wouldn't you?]

P.S. Looking at that first link, from Q2 2006, gold had almost touched it's second highest price ever; now it's USD1100 more per ounce than then, did anyone take my advice then? Gold price chart provided by goldprice.org (click on image)

Opposing obscurantism...

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Click image to enlarge letter. Some - few - politicians command respect; some say what they think; sometimes in very few words especially when opposing groups that may wish to prevent enlightenment or liberty.​ Allen West is one such man: read his reply to Nezar Hamze, Executive Director of The Council on American-Islamic Relations (Florida Chapter) who had sent AW a letter asking him to stop associating with 'Islamophobes'. Allen's official response? "NUTS!". Hat-tip: Jihad Watch

'Ochlesis' observation...

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England's twenty one year major riot cycle? Stuart Bonar's discovery of David Willet's 'prediction': "The first postwar peak was in 1947 (881,026 births), which was exactly 21 years before the 1968 riots. The next peak was in 1964, with 875,972 births; this was exactly 21 years before the 1985 riots... ...the third postwar peak in births (lower than the other two at 706,140, but still a peak with a trough either side) occurred in 1990. Yes, that’s right: 21 years ago this year." 

Obsecrations over outrageous overreaction...

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At the risk of being accused of 'putting on my Daily Mail hat' I have to say that some things simply make my blood boil: to wit the extraordinarily outrageous case of the imprisonment of Norman Scarth. On the day I read of a drug dealing, theiving, twice deported illegal immigrant's sentence being CUT to avoid a third deportation, I also read of the imprisonment - in solitary confinement of a class B prison for serious offenders no less - of Norman Scarth. There's no denying Norman broke the Law of the Land but the Law needs to be administered in a just and fair way.
Petition: GoPetition
Hat-tip: Captain Ranty

Opted out...

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Click for DT live stream...

The greatest non-shock in football news today: it started with a kiss? Francesc Fabregas with Arsenal: FA Cup (2005) and Community Shield (2004)...and had he stayed with Barcelona:
La Liga (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011)
Spanish Cup (2009)
Spanish Super Cup (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010)
Champions League (2006, 2009, 2011)
European Super Cup (2009)
Club World Cup (2009)

Great, great post at Arseblog.

Occasional outstanding opinons of others...

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Another outstanding blog, almost literally because the author is Edmund Standing. His latest article, Black Britain: Broken by the Left. Don't read it if you're a do-goody, 'politically correct', lefty moralist or if you think the Left is right...to coin a phrase. "...the usual predictable attacks on public sector cuts, as though in the short period since the Coalition took over after years of Labour rule what is in fact a serious and deeply entrenched problem suddenly sprang out of nowhere." However, IMHO it hasn't all happened since 1997 either but - there's always a 'but' - "it's time [the Left] took a step back and reflected long and hard on what they have done."

Our olamic opportunism...

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Just history repeating: an interesting reminder that media manipulation takes many forms and also, that given the opportunity many would be bitten by the looter bug:

"The country demands that this crime be stamped out... hang a looter and stop this filthy crime". A Daily Mirror headline!

Calm down, calm down: this was in November 1940. "Then, as now, the newspapers demanded strong action from the government to curb the looting, though not even the most right-wing papers of 2011 went as far as the Daily Mirror...". Their outcry was because of the perception that the punishments weren't stopping the tide of looting that even included taking jewellery from the wounded and cutting off fingers of corpses to get the rings: "Fines and imprisonment have done nothing to stop the ghouls who rob even bodies lying in the ruins of little homes. Looting is in fact on the increase".

It's a pity that Gavin Mortimer writing in The First Post uses the first paragraph to take a dig at David Cameron but he was using the example that many have mentioned a 'lament for a more innocent era' and the 'Blitz Spirit' etc; even though none could compare war, blitzkrieg and Faginesque gangs to the situation the pampered yoof of today find themselves in but it is interesting stuff nonetheless.

Oppressive option?...

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Step one? European Commission - Press release: 'The Commission accepts that Spain can temporarily restrict the free movement of Romanian workers'. Well, well...

Oncoming obrogation...

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Brendan O’Neill, editor of spiked online - as a follow up to this excellent article earlier in the week - has a great (IMHO) article today over at the Centre for Independent Studies.

"These are welfare-state riots - and it is a bit rich for those commentators who have been at the forefront of promoting insidious, patronising and spirit-killing welfarism in recent years to lay the blame for the riots at the doors of poverty or material desire." [Link]

Back to the first article and there is a very important point - especially with yesterday and today reports of rifts between the Police and the government - Brendan wrote "There is one more important part to this story: the reaction of the cops. Their inability to handle the riots effectively... ...demonstrates how far they have been paralysed in our era of the politics of victimhood, where virtually no police activity fails to get followed up by a complaint or a legal case."

Interesting possible solution from David Ruffley, the Conservative MP for Bury St Edmunds HERE: "Three steps that will transform our police" setting 'out how much money is wasted in the police budget and how the existing police numbers are badly used'. Hat-tip Conservative Home

The oncoming obrogation of the title? The altering of laws: the Beeb reports that the e-petition calling for rioters to lose their benefits has hit 100,000 signatures and become the first to be considered for a Commons debate and young offenders who took part in the rioting and looting that blighted Britain’s streets this week are walking free from court without facing significant penalties [DT]: something has to change.

Outrageous opportunistic ochlocracy...

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I've been in the room for ages...

For me, all THIS needs MUCH heavier-handed policing; also something can be done closer to home, in every home: 'March your children to the police station': [Link] parents and grandparents and family members should ask some tough questions of their children: right and wrong is black and white.

Update: Katharine Birbalsingh writes: "No wonder these kids think stealing trainers is OK. Everyone makes excuses for them".

Orchestrated obscurantism...

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John Ward at The Slog writes so well; yesterday's essay ("A brief history of amoral mediocrity") was especially good; one solution: Radical Realism and Accountable Leadership...if only. Political cynicism, a manipulated and manipulating media, an electorate lacking in discernment...we really do 'believe any old bollocks'.

Anyway, John comments on some complex issues that simply aren't black and white, however, in the case of the riots and looting in NW London last night, that might be exactly what it is! "Overly tolerant multicultural bollocks is going to have a lot to answer for before we’re finished…as is the Chipping Norton set."

Overdoing ocracy ownership...

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Yet more interesting stuff! The Department for Communities and Local Government have published a map showing public property and assets. It isn't complete yet but so far "there are 180,000 assets identified from 600 public bodies worth an estimated £385 billion. So those owned by councils run to about two thirds - with returns from hundreds of councils yet to come in.". Hat-tip CH's Local Government page. Click on asset guide for more. (P.S. ocracy = government)

Ominous or obvious II...

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Interesting stuff: "I am not alone in thinking that there is about to be a very serious blip in the matrix."...[OH]
More interesting stuff: "The rich world's woes have clearly hastened the shift in global economic power towards the emerging markets" [The Economist]

Other organ options...

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Image link to fairtransplant.org

Not for the first time: there's the opt-out option, 'compulsory donation', and even theft but now a new way to increase the level of organ donantion. Prompted by the news of "the creeping advance of so-called 'nudge' theory resulting in the introduction of a question in the Driving Licence application process (to which the only answers are "Yes" and "Maybe later")" [shades of Monty Python -  Hello, can we have your liver? still so funny!]... Crash! Bang! Wallace suggests the Organ Mortgage: not a bad idea! Anything to encourage organ donation and transplantation as long as it respects medical ethics, safety, efficacy and accountability...

Office of openess...

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Much more transparency: well it would be nice if we could believe it: maybe it will really be a "powerful tool to reform public services, foster innovation and empower citizens". However, similar transparency with MPs expenses doesn't seem to be going well; making all MP's claims publicly accessible online isn't a bad idea but I think it should be done BEFORE the bills are paid; the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority IPSA has a searchable database HERE with expenses by MP/constituency but they could make it easier with nice easy to understand graphs and figures [thank you Datablog, 09/10 figures]. I know expense claims have fallen - accomodation claims by HALF (2008-09: GBP10.5m, 2010-11: GBP4.9m) - which is good but to be honest I still think an average of 130 to 140 thousand quid is still way too high. I also think the system should cover all civil servants and councils/ local government (and the BBC?); it needs to be fair but it also needs to be strict, like...erm...the systems that real people, in the real world, have.

One original...

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Who? When? Where? Why?...and why today? One 'cryptic' clue if you click on the image.