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Thursday, January 22, 2009

President Obama News (video)

Labels: obama bush clinton cheney hillary barack pudding dessert chocolate

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Wednesday, January 14, 2009

white phosphorus - gaza

Gaza – Ma’an – Everything was on fire; houses, sheds, trees.
Ma'an News Agency Jan 13, 2009

Bombs, too, were everywhere, and with them came the white clouds. White phosphorous, the doctors are now saying, but that's disputed in Israel.

But for sure it was a night of terror. We were terrified. We thought we were going to burn to death.

Bombs were everywhere. That's what 27-year-old Fadia Al-Najjar kept saying. She's from Khaza'a; she was telling us what kind of horrific night she and her family had just gone through.

While explaining what had happened, Fadia stood next to her paramedic husband Ghanem, now surrounded by other medics, desperately struggling to save his life after he was caught in an airstrike unlike he had ever seen before.

Ghanem was incapacitated while on duty trying to bring injured Palestinians to the hospital. There had been calls reporting mysterious white smoke in the latest airstrike, and Ghanem was dispatched to attend to the wounded. He was on duty when he inhaled some of the smoke.

"The shelling with phosphorous bombs started in Khaza'a. Two of the bombs hit the area around our house,” Fadia explained. She recalled how the fire spread quickly throughout the home, and white smoke billowed out the windows.

"Neighbors were screaming, asking for help; the fire was changing," she remembers. "I woke up my kids, got them to my parents’ house, hoping to find a safer place."

"But the real catastrophe was two hours after we had moved to my parents’ house; bombs hit their home too and the fire spread everywhere. The top floor was burnt completely.”

It's not just her husband Fadia keeps watch over. In fact, the young mother has to split her time among the hospital's many wards. Her children have also been hospitalized.

"They wanted to burn us alive inside the house. There were 40 of us in there. Men, women, children,” she recalls of the second bombing. "We could hear their bodies burning."


"We didn't know where to go. Our house, my parents' house, my in-laws' house? All were burnt, damaged, destroyed. But where can we go in this weather? It's very cold."

Zakaya

Another relative, 51-year-old Zakaya, said she struggled to make sense of the chaos and confusion of trying to find her injured family members at Nasser Hospital in the northwest of Gaza City.

Zakaya told Ma'an that she barely remembers what happened, "but at about 10:00pm we heard explosions in several areas of Khaza'a, coming closer and closer."

"We live so close to the border wall [targeted by Israel], so we were just so afraid; our fear reached a maximum level."

"The children were asleep, so I tried to wake some of them because I felt our home was no longer safe," she says. "And all of the sudden bombs fell all over our two-story house."

"White smoke filled the house, and suddenly fires were spreading inside," Zakaya explained while checking on her children at the hospital's intensive care unit.

"We started screaming; we were so scared. I started to get the kids outside but the bombing went on and six more bombs fell on our house."

After the sixth bomb hit the home Zakaya and those her family was able to get out of the home were forced to abandon those left in the building. The fire was too hot and the smoke too intense and no one could get back inside.

"The smoke was spreading so fast; we couldn't see through it. We couldn't see, but we could hear.” From the windows of the burning home the cries of her children and cousins filled the streets. “The cries were not just from my home, but from the neighbors' house too."

Paramedics arrived and evacuated some of the last who were rescued from the building. They braved the smoke and were able to rescue a few others before the entire building was engulfed in flames.

Adel

According to 48-year-old Adel Kdeih, the night was calm before the bombs hit. Now that he knows what it was, that it was phosphorous, "it just makes the situation that more horrible."

Kdeih came hurrying to the hospital to check up on his children injured by the phosphorous, but he also remembers how tired he was. He was in great shock, numb, when he told Ma'an how the "dozens of incendiary bombs fell on civilian houses."

"We could hear women and children screaming in fear," he says.

Many of the bombs fell on the courtyard of his house. "I hurried inside the house to wake up my twelve children. I was able to evacuate the house with the help of paramedics and others from the [Hamas-run] civil-defense team."

"When I was evacuating the house I saw a lot of houses and fields being burnt, too,” he recalls.

The doctor

Dr Yousef Abu Ar-Reesh, the medical director at Nasser Medical Center, said more than 90 patients were brought in for burn treatments Sunday night.

"Most of them were skin burns, lacerations and deep wounds. A lot of them came in choking, unable to breathe," he explains.

He explained that as far as he can tell the Israeli army is using two kinds of bombs,"The first causes severe skin burns and leads to death, as with 41-year-old Hanan Al-Najjar here, and others."

"The second kind leads to suffocation, congestion, the inability to breathe.”

Dr Ar-Reesh said that he cannot confirm that the bombs are white phosphorus, since there are no specialized laboratories in Gaza. The eyewitness reports and the type of injuries he has seen in the hospital, however, worry him.

"What is certain” he said, “is that the Israeli government is using a new kind of bomb and explosives that Palestinian medics have never even heard of."

"Not even the Arab medical teams who just arrived can give us any support," he says.

The doctor pointed out that the wounds and burns are "terrible and horrific."

"And they can lead to death, as with Hanan Al-Najjar, who burned to death when a shell directly hit her body.”

When asked if Israel is deliberately using weapons that are illegal under international law for use against civilians, Dr Ar-Reesh chooses his words carefully: "I can't rule that out."
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Monday, January 12, 2009

Temporary School Of Thought

Temporary School Of Thought

a space where people come together to share knowledge, non-descript skills, tactical imagination, creationism, passive action. a week long event of mutual learning, leftwing bias, free lectures, inert radicalism, workshops, discussion and film screenings.
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Sunday, January 11, 2009

LEARNING TO MAKE AN ‘OUD IN NAZARETH by Ruth Padel

LEARNING TO MAKE AN ‘OUD IN NAZARETH

Published in The New Yorker, 27th October 2008

The first day he cut rosewood for the back,
bent sycamore into ribs and made a belly
of mahogany. Let us go early to the vineyards
and see if the vines have budded.
The sky was blue over the Jezreel valley
and the gilt dove shone
above the Church of the Annunciation.
The second day, he carved a camelbone base
for the fingerboard.
I sat down under his shadow with delight.

The third day, he made a nut of sandalwood,
and a pickguard of black cherry.
He damascened a rose of horn
with arabesques
as lustrous as under-leaves of olive beside the sea.
I have found him whom my soul loves.
He inlaid the soundhole with ivory swans,
each pair a Valentine of entangled necks,
and fitted tuning pegs of apricot
to give a good smell when rubbed.

The fourth was a day for cutting
high strings of camel-gut. His left hand
shall be under my head.
For the lower course, he twisted copper strings
pale as tarmac under frost.
He shall lie all night between my breasts.
The fifth day he laid down varnish.
Our couch is green and the beams of our house
are cedar and pine. Behind the neck
he put a sign to keep off the Evil Eye.

My beloved is a cluster of camphire
in the vineyards of Engedi
and I watched him whittle an eagle-feather, a plectrum
to celebrate the angel of improvisation
who dwells in clefts on the Nazareth ridge
where love waits. And grows, if you give it time.
Set me as a seal upon your heart.
On the sixth day the soldiers came
for his genetic code.
We have no record of what happened.

I was queueing at the checkpoint to Galilee.
I sought him and found him not.
He’d have been in his open-air workshop -
I called but he gave me no answer -
the selfsame spot
where Jesus stood when He came from Capernaum
to teach in synagogue, and townsfolk tried
to throw Him from the rocks. Until the day break
and shadows flee away
I will get me to the mountain of myrrh.

The seventh day we set his wounded hands
around the splinters. Come with me from Lebanon
my spouse, look from the top
of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions' dens.
On the eighth there were no more days.
I took a class in carpentry and put away the bridal rug.
We started over
with a child’s ‘oud bought on eBay.
He was a virtuoso of the ‘oud
and his banner over me was love.
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Saturday, January 10, 2009

Stag's Head - Still sorely missed

The best Athlone pub outside of Athlone! Full of Athlonians and acolytes on weekends in the good old days of the late 80s/early 90s when I used to go there regularly.

YOu can see the exterior and interior of the Stags as it was 20 years ago on "Completely Pogued", a bonus documentary on the DVD of the Pogues live at the Town and Country Club in '88 (it was broadcast on Channel 4 a couple of times in the 90s.)
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MadMick - 3 Jul 2008 15:05

The best Athlone pub outside of Athlone in the 80s and early 90s. The saddest pub closure of my lifetime - not having been to Camden for several years I was totally shocked on revisiting a couple of years ago to discover that the Stag's had joined the late great pubs in the sky. RIP.
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MadMick - 1 Jul 2008 15:05

Yes, a sadly missed pub. To rub it in, the block of flats conversion is now called "The Stags Head Apartments". Shameful.

There's a pub nearby on Royal College St that's had exactly the same treatment, ie, closing down and being called The Black Horse Apartments. I reckon there's someone contemptible out there who's doing this for a living. Let's get a mob together and lynch the fucker.
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travis - 22 Feb 2008 20:03

I loved this place, my second home for 4 years when I lived in london. Bert was a one off, a real gent and his staff/family were the salt of the earth.
We will see less and less of this sort of pub and that is a tragedy.
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scaldy - 11 Feb 2008 03:42

this was my favourite in the world ever.
maybe it was Bert and family (Landlord)
maybe it was the hearth fire
maybe it was the great music
maybe it was all the regulars
maybe it was the lock-ins
maybe it was the pool table.(I know there was no place but that part of the craic)
maybe it was the back yard
maybe it was the quiet weekdays.
maybe it was the saturday afternoons which drifted into evenings and late nights.
maybe it was all the wonderful diverse people who were likely to meet. or maybe it was Noreen. but whatever it was it is sadly missed. It's likes will never be seen in London A part of me died the day they closed the old place down.
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shancoduff - 8 Sep 2006 16:41

Sadly missed. Was a great place with top Guinness and great live Irish music particulalrly on Sundays. Good place to warm up after a day at Camden/Stables market. Spent many a good night there and met my missus there. Certainly irreplacable.
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pdavis500 - 9 Apr 2006 13:56

"The greatest little boozer"

The Stag's closed more than a year ago now and I'm still in mourning. It's not even a gastro-pub but just converted into flats.

Its like will never be seen again. Irreplacable.

Thanks for a some unforgettable times Bert Griffen.
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ThierryHenry - 2 Nov 2005 11:20

Great, just what Camden needs yet ANOTHER gastro pub. The Stags was a fantastic place, especially the music. Unfortunatley, it's happening all over the borough. Sad days indeed.
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Mat Delort - 6 Sep 2004 11:30

Very sad to hear this is closing down. Unfortunately 'anonymous' has been rather naive. Apparently its closing down for four months and will re-open as a gastro-pub. Great!
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Owen - 15 Jun 2004 17:18

sorry to hear that the stags is closing down...the best irish pub in london..great traditional music
unique atmosphere. diverse clientele and the best bar staff in the world
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brian tinley - 21 May 2004 20:47

end of era!!! Bert sad to see you and your family leave the best pub in camden! lets hope the new owner leaves the stags as it was under Bert
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anonymous - 5 May 2004 12:13

This pub is one I dont like to tell many about, on the other hand it deserves the recognition for been a real taste of what Irish bars should be in london (less commercial, tacky waxy o conors/o'neills) It is like steeping into a pub at home! I love it great food and the guv is a great guy! Great Music too and all welcome to play! Long may the inn in Camden be!! P.S happy St. Patricks Day guys!!
Do chara
K
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Karen - 17 Mar 2004 14:58

Lovely place. Warm, cosy and great atmosphere. More pubs like these please!
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Steve - 15 Mar 2004 13:44

A personal favourite of mine. A dying breed for sure, so long may it remain unchanged – I shudder when I recall what has happened to practically all other Camden pubs.

It’s hard to find, which is a good thing, though well worth the effort if you’re a right thinking sort with excellent taste in pubs.

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Steve Harper - 13 Feb 2004 14:13
One of the last proper Camden pubs, friendly, great atmosphere - but keep it a secret.......
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Derm - 14 Jan 2004 10:29
Does this place still do the Thai food? Nice pub in an unpromising location. Bonus points for real fire, loses half a mark though for the pool table - waste of space as there's not enough cue room when it's busy.
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Matt - 12 Jan 2004 12:53
best barstaff in the world
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o"sullivan - 7 Jan 2004 20:38
The best pub in London.
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Odran Jennings - 24 Nov 2003 12:59
great pub this , just a welcoming atmosphere and a real fire if i remember, excellent, place to go on a saturday afternoon in winter,
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pat - 22 Oct 2003 15:18
my mate small hands and dangrous first dave first started drinking here when they were young,i dont mind a traditional old boozer with good old live irish music being played over the weekend,but the toilets are freezing in the winter.
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baz tav - 17 Oct 2003 12:47
My local. Friendly bar staff, nice quiet pub during the week and really busy on Friday/Saturday nights.

And Bert the gaffer is a top bloke
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Jonesy - 1 Oct 2003 13:33
top place! first place i started drinking and still go back!!! landlord and family are great and good friends! place to go for a good lrish experience.
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S.H. - 19 Sep 2003 12:54
use to drink there all the time when I LIVED IN LONDON..GOOD CRAIC AND Bert the gov is sound
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Gerry - 31 Jul 2003 15:47
Good little pub this. Not particularly pretty, but does what it says on the tin. We often used to stagger over there after band practice in a nearby studio. Those were the days!
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G - 16 Jun 2003 16:27
Visited here last year; Thai food, real ale and a lovely atmosphere in a 'proper' Irish bar.

Could it be possible that the Bucks Head (suggested by someone else with a blurry photo) could actually be this?
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mike - 10 May 2003 14:08
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sad eyed lady of the lowlands

sad eyed lady of the lowlands
lowlands
lowlands away
my love
so the be when was in the brent cross acid party space at
joel’s parents place where badness was goodness
allowed up to a point and then brent cross was the beyond the
point new station where we would all arrive
and further unexpected points were crossed
such as the 30 year old guy with our 15 year old girl friend
but the main point was an irritating pseudo grown up daringness and
dabbling with adult mind bending drug-sex danger.
irritating cause I was rarely dabbling with the drugs and definitely not
getting any of the sex.
Oh no, I was living in good old boozy Glasgow,
being trained in the ways of booze and heavy metal.
Roman marching camps and cup and ring marks in Argyllshire
I went to gigs at the Barrowlands with girls who wanted me to get it up,
when I would only “oh sit down” to James.
So I got a dose of panic attacks,
some kind of acid mushroom come down from the previous years
mixed with major sessions drinking pints and pints of tartan special...
I learned how to drink,
I learned how to sing drinking songs
Back down south I realised how quiet and mellow everyone was in
comparison to up in Scotland.
I discovered that my crude jokes and songs and fast drinking methods were
an appreciated novelty after the years of faux-north London squat trendy heroin addict
vacant middle class cliquey wankdom that my friends were unwittingly exposed to.
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Thursday, January 08, 2009

Avi Shlaim: How Israel brought Gaza to the brink of humanitarian catastrophe |

Avi Shlaim: How Israel brought Gaza to the brink of humanitarian catastrophe |
World news |
The Guardian

This is the best article I have read about the current situation in Gaza.

Oxford professor of international relations Avi Shlaim served in the Israeli army and has never questioned the state's legitimacy. But its merciless assault on Gaza has led him to devastating conclusions

The only way to make sense of Israel's senseless war in Gaza is through understanding the historical context. Establishing the state of Israel in May 1948 involved a monumental injustice to the Palestinians. British officials bitterly resented American partisanship on behalf of the infant state. On 2 June 1948, Sir John Troutbeck wrote to the foreign secretary, Ernest Bevin, that the Americans were responsible for the creation of a gangster state headed by "an utterly unscrupulous set of leaders". I used to think that this judgment was too harsh but Israel's vicious assault on the people of Gaza, and the Bush administration's complicity in this assault, have reopened the question.

I write as someone who served loyally in the Israeli army in the mid-1960s and who has never questioned the legitimacy of the state of Israel within its pre-1967 borders. What I utterly reject is the Zionist colonial project beyond the Green Line. The Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the June 1967 war had very little to do with security and everything to do with territorial expansionism. The aim was to establish Greater Israel through permanent political, economic and military control over the Palestinian territories. And the result has been one of the most prolonged and brutal military occupations of modern times.

..........
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Sunday, January 04, 2009

"inhuman" assault on Gaza

John Ging, the head of the UN relief agency in Gaza, described the situation there as "inhuman".

"We have a catastrophe unfolding in Gaza for the civilian population," he said. "The people of Gaza City and the north now have no water. That comes on top of having no electricity. They're trapped, they're traumatised, they're terrorised by this situation.

"They're in their homes. They're not safe. They're being killed and injured in large numbers, and they have no end in sight. The inhumanity of this situation, the lack of action to bring this to an end, is bewildering to them."

The UN has been particularly angered at the contention of the Israeli foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, that there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Ging also accused Israel of a campaign of destroying public buildings vital to the administration and governance of Gaza.

"The whole infrastructure of the future state of Palestine is being destroyed," he said. "Blowing up the parliament building. That's the parliament of Palestine. That's not a Hamas building. The president's compound is for the president of Palestine. Schools, mosques."
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windows 7

Windows 7 IS what Vista should have been.
It actually runs nice and fast - much better for exploring
files and folders and viewing photos in the full screen slideshow.
I haven't yet tested the speed at which files can be copied from drive to
drive (a major unforgiveable fault that vista had).

This should be made available for free for us mugs that had
the inadequate Vista foisted upon us when we bought new comps in 2008...
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