Operation orchidectomy...

---

Painful indeed...but is it true? Are "the politics of permanent coalition" really being given serious thought? From the first link, Vulture (18:56) gets my vote. Voting, ah yes, that historical activity, interesting info from last year that I hadn't seen before: since 1964 the number of people identifying with a particular political party has fallen from 45% to 9% and the number of non-voters in the age-group 18-34 has risen from 15% to 50%, FFS!

Oxfam overstates...

---

"Leftist agitprop fake charity Oxfam has been given the run of the BBC this morning..." [Biased BBC]. Click on image for BBC report or read the Oxfam summary HERE (pdf file). The Oxfam report unfortunately spreads the climate change aspect far too thickly (something the Beeb are bound to love). It talks of says a 'broken' food system that causes "hunger, along with obesity, obscene waste, and appalling environmental degradation": fine, but climate change isn't (and won't IMHO) causing rising food prices. They also suggest increasing investment in smallholder farmers ("especially women"??); the irony is that this would greatly increase their carbon footprint (oh, the dilemma): intensive farming is far more efficient and better for the environment. I wish they would wake up and realise this.

Some points I agree with: they say there should be a scale up food reserves and also highlight the powerful investors "playing commodities markets like casinos" creating a need to increase transparency in commodities markets and regulate futures markets. However, perhaps they should look at the 'real' cause of food shortages (and "man-made global warming"?) - world population (already mentioned in the comments at BBBC).

Outstanding orthosis option...

---

"The Great EU Debt Write Off": from Mark Wadsworth today, oodles of commonsense..."if you took all banks as a whole and netted off inter-bank payables/receivables, their balance sheet total would shrink by two-thirds." The blogpost refers to the EUdebtwriteoff website that presents the results of a simulation by the ESCP Europe Business School: there are some "astounding" results if EU countries attempted to cross cancel debt obligations, e.g.

"Six countries – Ireland, Italy, Spain, Britain, France and Germany – can write off more than 50% of their outstanding debt"

Objurgation of outrageous obloquy...

---

An earnest denunciation from Raedwald re the disgrace and odious plethora of injunction and the superinjunction now coming to light: "English law has always been based on moral absolutes." He quotes Lord Mansfield whom set out the doctrine that governed English civil law:

"The principle of public policy is this; ex dolo malo non oritur actio. No court will lend its aid to a man who founds his cause of action upon an immoral or an illegal act. If, from the plaintiff's own standing or otherwise, the cause of action appears to arise ex turpi causa, or the transgression of a positive law of this country, there the court says he has no right to be assisted."

But Raedwald's excellent blogpost is worth reading in it's entirety; so are the comments.

"The shield of the injunction and the superinjunction must be available only to those who come to the law with clean hands. No longer must the depraved, the unnatural wantons, the perverts, the degenerates and the low, mean scrapings of the moral universe be able to gag comment, reporting or discussion of their turpitude by buying law."

Oysters or obsolagnium...

---

One of many great meals last week

Days we love: oysters again, a recurring theme. Add crab, shrimp and Caipirihnas and the afternoon is made; three hour lunches in the midst of business negotiations isn't the best way to get things done is great. Oysters are known for their reputed aphrodisiac powers and have always been linked with love: when Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, emerged from the sea on an oyster shell (and gave birth to Eros) the word "aphrodisiac" was born. Roman emperors paid for them by their weight in gold. Click on image for more history.

OMG, OMC...

---

Or alternatively "WTO, WTF?" to continue the TLA* theme. Could it be true, as chief political correspondent in The Guardian Nicholas Watt tells us, that David Cameron will back Mandelson to be the next director general of the World Trade Organisation? I ahve no doubt he would have a lot to offer but, as Jerry Hayes at Total Politics writes, "he is a grade A, copper bottomed, shit. A man fuelled by poison, malice and revenge. A man who turned New Labour into a graveyard of those who stood in his way." Well, at least he wouldn't get into the same trouble as DSK of the IMF.

* TLA = three letter acronyms (haha)

Oneiric Oscar 'oddity'...

---

Oneiric is 'having to do with dreams'; Jason Gay writes in Vogue magazine that "there are oddities that make sense only in Los Angeles"; he is writing about "The Dream Life of Penélope Cruz". She is certainly in my dreams and the wonderful photographs by Mario Testino simply make me want to dream some more. Seriously though, it's a good article and tells how Pe is the first Spanish-born actress to get a star on the Walk of Fame (she was also the first to be nominated for, and win, an Academy Award) and how motherhood has changed her. Click to enlarge a natural beauty - not just skin deep. 

Johnny Depp said that "A lot of things can be said about this creature Penélope Cruz. None of them are bad."

Oneiric Oscar 'oddity'...

---

Oneiric is 'having to do with dreams'; Jason Gay writes in Vogue magazine that "there are oddities that make sense only in Los Angeles"; he is writing about "The Dream Life of Penélope Cruz". She is certainly in my dreams and the wonderful photographs by Mario Testino simply make me want to dream some more. Seriously though, it's a good article and tells how Pe is the first Spanish-born actress to get a star on the Walk of Fame (she was also the first to be nominated for, and win, an Academy Award) and how motherhood has changed her. Click to enlarge a natural beauty - not just skin deep. Johnny Depp said that "A lot of things can be said about this creature Penélope Cruz. None of them are bad."