Holiday Hiatus

Alex Fear and the Mrs are officially on holiday for 2 weeks from tomorrow, so the blogging will be light. We're actually looking for new flat to rent but we may just skip to the beach if the sun keeps (or catch a cheap 'environMENTALly unfriendly' flight away for a few days). In the meantime, any time I get at the 'puter will be devoted to testing a new CMS and thinking the best way to go about transferring this to a Wordpress blog (domain name/content). Look forward to changes, and better organisation of the resources (devoted to social action etc). In the meantime, click on one of the labels below to read through some previous topics.

The Water In North London

C Controversial Putting myself up for a Northsquad hit again. It's been hard to ignore the volume of pageviews I've had from "Felicity Jane Lowde" searches. I blogged on the Rachel North stalking saga back in May, and it generated the most comments I've ever had for a post. I've had links from other bloggers who, like me, took a step back and tried to see the issues from a rational viewpoint. Sure Lowde may have been locked up and she may be in need of psychiatric care, but the fact that she is the 'loser' in this scenario, doesn't actually improve my opinion of Rachel North or her supporters one bit. In fact, I've been surprised by how judgmental and vitriolic these self-labeled 'liberal' bloggers really have been towards the mentally ill. In response to one attack blog, they ganged up and created multiple attack blogs. In response to nasty comments, they made nasty comments. I don't see the difference except that Lowde is behind bars and they are not. I put comment moderation on this blog, when I started to get into a circular argument with a troll and it was successful in silencing the troll without silencing those that chose to voice reasonable disagreement. Which means I did not need to report anyone to the police for harassment. Since there is still so much interest about this, I thought I'd take the initiative to try and compose a list of those blogs that have offered thoughtful analysis. If I link you below and it generates you unwanted attention, please let me know and I'll remove the link immediately (of course if you want me to add yours, likewise get in touch). Here is a list, in no particular order, of blogs that have not been drawn into mob-mentality: Drowning and Other Fragments Tim Worstall Isadub Living With The Conspiracy 24-7 Famous For 15 Megapixels Vandaweb Duff & Nonsense Libel Lawyers London (links to a good article by Craig H) Ronpanasonic The Policemans Blog Mike Powers Not A Blog Southpawpunch It's a sad fact that with the onset of web 2.0 making it easier for idiots to publish online, that a growing number now see it as a publicity extension, rather than the great technical and informational revolution that it is. Take for example, Brian Retkin, who I'd never heard of before (but now his recent actions have allowed me to form an opinion of him), who is suing Google for... wait for it... linking to websites that have defamed him! "Lawyers for Dotworlds, which registers distinctive domain names, have sent Google what lawyers call a "letter before action". Mr Renton, 48, the company's managing director, of Wembley, north London, said he would sue if Google did not take down the links about his company posted anonymously. "Based on what I know today, I am determined to go ahead with this," he added." - The Telegraph And guess where Mr Renton is from? ... North London! Something in the water, perhaps? It's time to seriously consider the nature and the future of the internet, because free information is under threat. Perhaps a change in the law is required, but if the world continues to allow bloggers and web-publishers to be taken to court for publishing their own opinions or thoughts then we can kiss the internet as we know it goodbye. We're one step away from a law companies setting up "No Win No Fee" sites for anyone who feels they have been libeled, defamed or had their feelings hurt. Long live FJL's blog! Not because it's right or wrong, but because it's an opinion, a record, and it exists. We should not modify the past in order to fit the present. EDIT (After a quick thought): I wonder how much revenue/incoming links Google generates for Mr Retkins site, dotworlds.net? If he is successful in his idiotic lawsuit, couldn't Google just remove all links to any material mentioning dotworlds.net and therefore render his site ignored and obsolete? That would be awesome... c'mon Google, your motto is "don't be evil" now teach an evildoer a lesson! UPDATE: Southpawpunch emails... Alex I see that you have listed some blogs that mention  the Lowde/North affair You may like to consider my post - [added above] (towards the end) This post generated complaint emails from North. Technorati Tags: felicity jane lowde, rachel north, blogidalirity, stalking, north london, dotworlds, harrassment, mentally ill, libel

Loss of Confidence

This Post Is Rated: C for Controversial. Speculation over the decline of trust in British institutions. In may, the Economist highlighted a YouGov poll taken earlier this year showing a general decline in the British peoples trust in public services, politics, work and journalism. "...Confidence in almost every area of public life has fallen since the invasion of Iraq in 2003." - The Economist, Trust Me, I'm A Judge Unsurprisingly the only people to have gained more trust from the public were judges, whilst the usual suspects, including police, NHS hospital managers, estate agents, MPs and newspapers lost trust. It's easy to see why. I speak from my own experience in dealing with 'the system'. People are realising that whilst those in authority seek more and more power over every detail of our lives, restricting our freedoms, judges are our last great hope in clearing our name and keeping society in balance. Whilst the government seeks to speed up justice and skip past important checks and balances, the judge is a human being, our last recourse and hope for clearing our name and defending our innocence and rights. As the government have introduced more and more restrictive legislation, more and more British people have come to rely upon the courts to treat them fairly. When are we going to have an honest, competent, open government? One that looks to the bottom line when making decisions and laws, a government that stands for integrity and trust? I'm fed up of seeing pandering to the rhetorical right, unaccountability, cover ups, tax solves all problems, empty promises, technology solves everything, motorists are evil, environmental hypocrisy, weasel words, VIP treatment, cultivating fear, wasted money, not protecting UK citizens and allowing foreigners to dictate policy. DISCUSS THIS POST (registration is free) Technorati Tags: politics, corruption, yougov, the economist, government, trust, justice, united kingdom, legislation, law, judges

Republican Election Strategy?

This Post Is Rated: C for Contraversial. The power of 9/11 over the masses. Technorati Tags: republicans, family guy, 9/11, election, politics

Battery Powered Death Machine

This Post Is Rated: C for Controversial. Would have been fun if it hadn't been about a life-threatening contraption built by environMENTALISTS. If anyone wanted further proof that the environMENT has become more important that human life, last month Top Gear released the G-Wiz Crash tests: This is the car Red Ken, Global Leader and Supreme Dictator of Londonland, wants you and everyone else to drive one of these awful death-traps. Here's a piece cut from the FAQ on G-Wiz manufacturers site: What about safety in the G-Wiz? The G-Wiz is a breakthrough product in the fight against climate change... Thanks but we asked about safety Excessive speed, no seat belts, alcohol & drug usage, and driver error are the main causes of accidents and injuries in the UK... Just so you know, it's not our fault if you end up dead in one Whilst larger, heavier cars in general perform better in crash tests, they are also more likely to injure other road users... Our cars will only kill you The G-Wiz has a tubular steel space frame which surrounds the driver and passengers. This includes side impact bars and a front crumple zone designed to protect passengers in low speed collisions... Low speed collision = 2mph? Why have no manufacturer Euro NCAP crash tests been done on the G-Wiz? Neither the Euro NCAP test nor the Dept of Transport UNECE Regulation 94 test are required or recommended under the European regulation for quadricycles. Both tests are designed for M1 vehicles, primarily cars capable of speeds in excess of 100 mph and not low speed urban vehicles... Wow, that's convenient, avoids any marketing problems. Like all vehicle manufacturers RECC is however constantly reviewing safety features and innovation relative to usage... I feel safer already - as long as the other guy is driving one. Source: Going Green FAQ HT Gavin Ayling. Technorati Tags: death trap, g-wiz, environment, london, ken livingstone, crash tests

Right-Minded Individuals

This Post Is Rated: M for You will probably be Mildly offended. But you won't be able to explain why. A while back Bryan Ferry was quoted in The Grauniad about his comments praising Nazi aesthetics. "I apologise unreservedly for any offence caused by my comments... I, like every right-minded individual, find the Nazi regime, and all it stood for, evil and abhorrent." I found it interesting he referenced right-minded individuals (no, I don't mean politically). I find it interesting because it causes me to wonder, do right-minded individuals really find the Nazi regime abhorrent? I think to verify that, we would need to know who would be considered a 'right-minded individual'. We also need to establish what exactly was abhorrent about the Nazi regime? Nazism, defined by Wikipedia is: National socialism Totalitarian ideology and practices A loose collection of incoherent postions including anti-parliamentarism, ethnic nationalism, racism, collectivism, eugenics, anti-Semitism, opposition to economic and political liberalism, a racially-defined and conspiratorial view of finance capitalism, and anti-communism Positive Christianity Nationalism Influenced by Nietzsche I haven't listed every single reference on Wikipedia (one hotly disputed section argues that Nazism was anti-capitalist which is a joke), nevertheless these are the main associations with Nazi ideology. You will notice that ethnic nationalism, anti-liberalism, anti-communism and nationalism are on this list. Strangely enough, you can find examples of large groups of people who support these ideologies alive and well today (particularly in regards to the American government). So is it really right-minded to oppose these ideologies? I suspect that many 'right-minded individuals' were caught up in the Nazi rhetoric before we could look back in hindsight knowing it was all evil and abhorrent. After all, how else would Hitler rise to power if he was not charismatic and good at blending a patriotic and religious message? Perhaps being 'right-minded' is not enough... or perhaps it's not about being 'right-minded' at all. The problem with using a term such as 'right-minded' is that it can only be defined in relative terms. Instead of acknowledging what is essentially evil or abhorrent, we define it as evil and abhorrent only as long as the majority of what we consider 'right-minded individuals' find it evil and abhorrent. See how easy it is to fall into the trap of circular reasoning? Why am I making such a meal of this? Because it's quite apparent to me that "I, like every right-minded individual" is a rhetorical statement. It's important for us to analyse what makes an ideology evil, and to stand against it as a matter of principal. We should not stand against an ideology simply because someone we dislike believes in it, or everyone agrees it's wrong - otherwise we will not recognise true evil when it stares us in the face.

Gordon Brown Homepage Switcheroo

Wow, that was fast! This morning I had a visit from www.gordonbrownforbritain.com, IP 81.152.54.40. I must have struck a nerve because the image http://www.gordonbrownforbritain.com/images/homepage.jpg has been changed. Either that or maybe they just rotate the images (perhaps they will rotate the images now to give that impression). Reminds me of a university project I did critiquing the US CIA website back in 1999- A story I'll tell another time maybe.

Gordon Brown And The Kiddies

Just checked out Gordon Brown's campaign website, prepared in advance (against the rules) by Silverfish. Wow, amazing what can be achieved with Photoshop these days, I prefer The Gimp but each to his own... Just for your ease, I have added 3 red spots to the image to point out areas they messed up. In no particular order (you need to be able to zoom on the image): a) Girls hand next to Gordons head, looks like it was just a straight cut or slightly botched placement next to the girls hair. b) Kids face on Gordon's left shoulder. A trick I learned from a TV program, compare the light reflection (white dots) to the kid on Gordon's right shoulder, the reflection is not in the same area of the pupil, not only that, there, many other kids are lacking white dots in their eyes- which means they were not in the same place or photo. c) Also look at the light reflections of clothing, skin, looks like the sun was only shining selectively this day. d) Bottom of the image. Why is almost every kid in this picture looking in a different direction? Lousy photographer or cut-n-paste. You decide...

Mission Accomplished?

Source: Tell us the MISSION Referral: Osterley Times

Captive Audience

I haven't said anything on the 15 British sailors who were taken captive by Iran. It's pretty obvious it was a sick publicity stunt in order to goad the US and UK governments. Ahmadinejad has to know that Bliar is on his way out and holds little sway with the British public or even elements of his own party. It is hardly likely such a dubious case as made for the Iraq war could be made for Iran now without solid reasons. Regardless, it must be a harrowing experience to be taken captive as many former innocent Guantanamo Bay captives will tell you. But the most striking element of this media circus is how Iran has unwittingly or otherwise, proved that there is no need to use torture to extract the confessions you want- at least not when it comes to British soldier-sailors. Image: Beau Bo D'Or I had respect for them when they refused BA's complimentary champagne and for changing back into uniform once safely on the plane. Unfortunately they began to lose this respect as the truth emerged that they offered zero resistance to the Iranian authorities, going the extra mile for the Iranian propaganda machine and making money (with the exception of Captain Chris Air) from the experience when others who have gone through much worse situations have not. Which is why I find Inspector Gadgets opinion the most common sense and on-the-money, that I have read so far.

Grave, Orwell, In, Turning, His, George

"On the wall outside his former residence - flat number 27B - where Orwell lived until his death in 1950, an historical plaque commemorates the anti-authoritarian author. And within 200 yards of the flat, there are 32 CCTV cameras, scanning every move." - This Is London Referral: BoingBoing How ironic and sad. Welcome to modern Britain, where it is 1984.

Big Brothers Charter

The American rhetorical right has published a new Big Brothers charter, and encouraging fellow fascists and Neo-Nazis to sign up to snoop on fellow citizens and report any behaviour which is deemed to be liberal or constitutional. The charge is being led by Michelle Maglalang (for it is she, beneficiary of being born under a work visa, being of Filipino immigrant descent). Here is a copy of the Big Brothers charter: Dear Suspect/Fellow Citizen/Liberal, You do not know me. But I am on the lookout for you. You are my enemy. And I am yours. I am Big Brother. I am traveling on your plane. I am riding on your train. I am at your bus stop. I am on your street. I am in your subway car. I am on your lift. I am your neighbor. I am your customer. I am your classmate. I am your boss. I am Big Brother. I will continue to exploit the example of the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 who refused to sit back on 9/11 and let themselves be murdered in the name of Islam, to futher my politics of hate. I will never forget to exploit the example of the passengers and crew members who tackled al Qaeda shoe-bomber Richard Reid on American Airlines Flight 63 before he had a chance to blow up the plane over the Atlantic Ocean, to further my politics of fear. I will never forget to cite the alertness of actor James Woods, who notified a stewardess that several Arab men sitting in his first-class cabin on an August 2001 flight were behaving strangely. The men turned out to be 9/11 hijackers on a test run. I will spy on you when homeland security officials ask me to “report suspicious activity.” I will embrace my local police department’s admonition: “Big Brother is watching you.” I am Big Brother. I will accuse you of Jew-hating and America-bashing. I will accuse you of hate-mongering. I will raise my voice against religious minorities. I will indoctrinate your children into the politics of hate and fear in our schools. I will spread violent propaganda on the Internet. I am Big Brother. I will support law enforcement initiatives to spy on my neighbours, cut off their funding, and accuse them of murderous conspiracies. I will attempt to undermine immigration laws and obstruct justice for immigrants. I will impose my politics of hate and fear in my taxi cab, my restaurant, my community pool, the halls of Congress, our national monuments, the radio and television airwaves, and all public spaces. I will not tolerate alternative points of view. I will not be cowed by your Beltway lobbying groups in moderate clothing. I will not cringe when you shriek about “profiling” or “Islamophobia”. I will put my family’s safety above sensitivity. I will put my country above multiculturalism (under which Michelle Maglalang prospered, being of Fillipino descent). I will not submit to your will. I will intimidate with my politics of fear and hate. I am Big Brother.

Blogwars

Smitings being handed out left, right and center-right as Bystander the Magistrate rides into town during the high-noon hanging of the PC Dan Coffill Case. Deputy Bystander stood and breathed deep. He had seen this kind of mob-justice before. But he had a job to do and he wasn't going to be swayed by the baying crowd. Deputy Bystander hollers "There'll be no hangings today... not till the County Sheriffs been done wit' it and it's been judged guilty by the Courts" Inspector Gadget yells back "I AM the law Sheriff!" Deputy Bystander then produces a warrant that states: Sheriff Gadget is to be relieved of duties as he has become emotionally affected by the particulars of the case and has solicited the the help of the Copper Gang in bringing mob justice. He then reads out the charges against the suspected justice miscarriage. Sheriff Gadget concedes to the Deputy Bystanders argument but then yells "Let's hang 'im anyway"! Well, not quite, but I had to build to a dramatic ending. It's been a day for smitings: Tory Grassroots Declare War on Cameron referral: Tom Watson

There's Always Canada

"I stopped posting in third person" Alex said. William Heath posts 10 reasons not to visit the US. Really, their security measures are becoming a joke. What is the purpose of taking 9 extra fingerprints? I'm beginning to think one of America's global War Against Terror strategies is simply to hassle and delay terrorists to death. That's if they are smart enough to overcome the first security hurdle.

Trump Calls It

On the war: "The war is a total disaster" "Sadam Hussein, whether they like him, or didn't like him, he hated terrorists, he'd shoot and kill terrorists..." On the causes: "...there's only one person you can blame and that's our current President" On Bush's staff: "Obviously Rumsfeld was a disaster" "Condolleeza Rice is a lovely woman but she never makes a deal... she waves" On America's repuation: "We had a chance after September 11th, to be the most popular nation on earth... and we blew it" On Iraq: "The day we leave anyway it's all gonna blow up" "Saddam Hussein will be a nice person... compared to the person that takes over for Saddam Hussein, he will be considered a nice person... he will hate America" On the casualties: "Nobody talks about the soldiers who are coming back with no arms and no legs" On the current US Administration: "Everything in Washington has been a lie" Referral: The Osterley Times, Anything They Say

The Green Threat

environMENTAL had reached critical mass and was about to explode... Referral: Recess Monkey Source: Beau Bo D'Or

The environMENTAL Propaganda Machine

The villain environMENTAL. He wins over his victims with illogical and fallacious arguments. Being a Christian, Alex has always believed in treating animals and the environMENT with respect. However, Alex believes God created the world for us and not the other way round. We are to treat it with respect as stewards (and we will possibly be held to account), but ultimately humans are sacred beings, infinitely more important. It was heartening to see when communities started talking about the environment, also when churches finally joined the bandwagon, Alex didn't mind. But once the government got hold of it the subject has gone environMENTAL, and the Climate Nazis moved in. The Climate Nazis do not care about human life, only being seen to be green. Alex knew he had to take a stand. As with all taxes and government policy, it affects the poorest of society- in this case we are talking global society. From reverting air travel to a luxury of the rich to denying Africans basic necessities for living. A recent Channel 4 documentary highlights the propaganda and abuses of the Global Warming Swindle, the documentary has been split up on YouTube. They are about 10 minutes long each, but worth viewing: C4: The Great Global Warming Swindle Introduction Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 What's that big orange ball thing in the sky? It's the sun! Fancy that! I wonder if that has any effect on the climate? hmm... Why should the many sacrifice their 1-2 flights a year, where they fly cattle (thus making use of all available space), when Climate Nazis and the Elite fly 100's of trips on private or half-full jets? Perhaps if these people were to sacrifice their annual travel, the same amount of co2 could be cut as it would all of those on the bottom rung of society: Al Gore Ken Livingstone Tony Blair Gordon Brown David Cameron Not to mention all the celebrities... Regardless, it's a lie which has been bought by anti-globalisation and government taxation opportunists. "Top scientists" are now emerging to tell the tale of government spin. Elmo at Power Of Suggestion (P.O.S.) provides a list (follow the link): "People keep saying this, but provide no names, no documentation, no evidence whatsoever to back it up. They just blame any opposition on oil money. Well, there are plenty of climate experts who are not in the employ of any oil or energy companies, but are tenured professors and department chairs at major universities." - P.O.S. It's time the people read the facts and stood up to the environMENTAL propaganda machine- before it takes lives.

Stones... Houses... Glass... Anyone?

It could only be the plotting of one evil mastermind behind this. As Alex suspected it was... The Pharisee! Fixed News making a break from the usual right-wing propaganda to report on recent operations of The Pharisee. Shattered glass lay everywhere, evidence of a major stone-throwing had taken place. Referrer: Ian Dale

No ID Card, No "Insert Here"

Ideal Government point out a clever marketing strategy that will most likely be used by the government when it attempts to force on sell us the compulsory ID card in a few years. "Just substitute the word “container” with any public service you´re currently entitled to..." - William Heath

This Is What He Really Meant

Alex is aware that many have already weighed in on the PM's email, and given their response. Alex has been too busy screwing up his computer to give the FEAR (Fighting Evil And Reporting) analysis. Here is that email, commentsin blue: Thank you for taking the time to register your views about road pricing on the Downing Street website. This petition was posted shortly before we published the Eddington Study, an independent review of Britain's transport network. This study set out long-term challenges and options for our transport network. Like how can we screw more money out of motorists, but not make it look like we're raising existing taxes. It made clear that congestion is a major problem to which there is no easy answer unless we're prepared to invest in infrastructure. One aspect of the study was highlighting how road pricing could provide a solution to these problems and that advances in technology put these plans within our reach. Of course it would be ten years or more before any national scheme was technologically, never mind politically, feasible future governments problem but we take the environMENTAL credit now. That is the backdrop to this issue. As my response makes clear, this is not about imposing "stealth taxes" or introducing "Big Brother" surveillance. This is a complex subject, which cannot be resolved without a thorough investigation of all the options, combined with a full and frank debate about the choices we face at a local and national level but we're not prepared to do that, so we just decided to introduce road pricing instead. That's why I hope this detailed response will address your concerns and set out how we intend to take this issue forward by pretending to listen and ignoring you till you go away. I see this email as the beginning, not the end of the debate, and the links below provide an opportunity for you to take it further. But let me be clear straight away: we have not made any decision about national road pricing on paper. Indeed we are simply not yet in a position to do so, like I said, future governments problem. We are, for now, working with some local authorities that are interested in establishing local schemes to help address local congestion problems using tax congestion charging. Pricing is not being forced on any area, but any schemes would teach us more about how road pricing would work and inform decisions on a national scheme (introduce the scheme and run it long enough that people give up protesting and future generations don't know any different- works a charm). And funds raised from these local schemes will be used to improve transport in those areas by directing funds to more money making congestion producing schemes. One thing I suspect we can all agree is that congestion is bad-ass way of making money from motorists. It's bad-ass for business because it disrupts the delivery of goods and services which is why we restrict operating hours for delivery good to the hours congestion tax charging is running. It affects people's quality of life namely politicians, consultants and private firms by lining their pockets. And it is bad-ass for the environment -since Camarooni brought environMENTAL issues in, it's been the best moneymaking excuse ever- no-one argues when you mention the environMENT. That is why tackling congestion is a key priority for any Government wishing to increase revenue with low opposition. Congestion is predicted to increase by 25% by 2015, our revenues: double that figure- yippee. This is being driven by economic prosperity. There are 6 million more vehicles on the road now than in 1997, and predictions are that this trend will continue - more profits, yippee. Part of the solution is to improve public transport, and to make the most of the existing road network (ah, that old chesnut). We have more than doubled investment since 1997, spending £2.5 billion this year on buses and over £4 billion on trains (compensation for poor service, consultants and PR) - helping to explain why more people are using them than for decades. And we're committed to sustaining this investment, with over £140 billion of investment planned between now and 2015. We're also putting a great deal of effort into improving traffic cashflows - for example, over 1000 Highways Agency Traffic Officers now help to keep motorway traffic moving by slowing everyone down when there's an accident - bravo! But all the evidence shows that improving public transport and tackling traffic bottlenecks will not by themselves prevent congestion getting worse since we plan to expand congestion zones and force more traffic around the edges. So we have a difficult choice to make about how we tackle the expected increase in congestion. This is a challenge that all political leaders have to face up to, and not just in the UK. For example, road pricing schemes are already in operation in Italy, Norway and Singapore