verbero

2003-06-08T14:38:00.000-07:00

To all and sundry :

verbero.blogspot.com is no more. Please goto http://verbero.crimsonblog.com/.

I'll try and put up some of the archives for the future.

2003-06-06T14:36:00.000-07:00

Due to the Blogger virus I mention below, I've just been spending the last few minutes looking around at other blogging sites. I've submitted my email address, created some accounts and done some quick trials. Nothing has so far convinced me to take the plunge and change 100% so until then I'm going to continue with Blogger.

But I'm writing in Notepad from now on to make sure I don't start throwing things at the monitor the next time Blogger throws up.

Update : WebCrimson is looking pretty good. It's just taking me a while to get used to the interface.

2003-06-06T12:53:00.000-07:00

Steven Den Beste writes about the amount of people quitting blogger for other hosting. I haven't experienced the problems he talks about (probably lack of traffic) but from my own point of view the loss of archives could be a benefit. My wife tells me that I change my mind often, so when you read one of my posts in the future you may recall that I said differently months before. Hey presto! No evidence due to archive blogger fuckup.

Sort of like 1984 for blogging.

Update : So of course I started writing another post about the books that I was taking on holiday, the reasons that I choose them and other REALLY interesting things; tried to post and guess what? Blogger pissed on me. Ab-so-fucking-lutely typical. Think I'll look into Movable Type.

2003-06-06T12:50:00.000-07:00

Funny the sorts of decisions some people take during their lives. In my short time on earth I've made plenty of strange decisions that in the short term may have seemed like going backwards but in the long term has paid off. This French chef in the US however made one decision that should lead to psychiatric examination : he went to work at Howard Johnsons instead of for the Kennedys while they were in the White House.

Yeah OK you say, he made a bad choice. But just to convince you further, this guy received too many calves heads once. Instead of disposing of them properly (as any sane person might), he put them into boxes and dumped them into a river - only for the boxes to spill the contents a few days later. Fun, fun, fun.

Funny how the twats are the ones we hear about.

2003-06-05T12:45:00.000-07:00

Well the week started out pretty good. The boss was away, work was going well, everyone refreshed from having a four day weekend. That is until I had to sit in for my boss in the department meeting. WOMBAT - waste of money brains and time. I have no confidence in the management of the company that I work for - zero, nada, none, rien. They can't even tell where they're loosing money. What a joke. That meeting lasted for three and one half hours. Worthless they really are.

So yesterday I was planning to be in early and work late. Well besides the strikes, some of my favourite Frenchmen (drivers) decided to collide. One of them is now on a cold slab somewhere. Not a good start and I seemed to be rushed all day. I got home at 7.30.

Today I knew the boss would be back. I greeted him nicely, asked if he had a good trip - all sweet talk for about five minutes. Then the bullshit started to come out. You see my boss has promised something to another area by the end of this year. He has 15 years experience. Four people with over 100 years experience have told him that it is not possible. Who does he complain to? Me. I just told him that I wasn't looking at any of this work until next year so he went off on one of his rants. It put me into a bad mood all day.

And then while being in a bad mood I thought that I'll cruise the net instead of working. I potter over to Clueless, read all the articles. Kim du Toit, reprints. Merde in France is blocked - again. So Samizdata would come to the rescue. Wouldn't it? No in fact it didn't. So thanks to the gremlins of the Internet I have been in a bad mood all day.

Then I met the largest traffic jam this year outside of the holidays on the way home. One hour to do the 16km. I'm not even going to bother looking at other people's stupidity on the net when I have enough around me to power spaceships to Jupiter!!!

Later.

2003-06-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

Paris says Mideast peace plan needs EU

To make peace succeed, everyone must act together. French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin.

Better to be doing things together than actually doing the right thing eh Dom?

2003-06-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

Come to the United Arab Emirates. Get raped. And then get sentenced for having sex outside of marriage. Then get fined. Then get accused of prostitution. Then be made to stay for six months while the judicial process goes through the motions ..... of not hearing your case.

Scum, the lot of 'em.

2003-06-02T12:39:00.000-07:00

Read it. Read it and then tell people about it. Steven read this. Samizdata read this. LGF read this. Eric Raymond read this.

2003-06-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

And todays number is ......

2,370,300

Yes ladies and gentlemen, that is the number of people unemployed in the Fifth Peoples Republic of France. For those who prefer percentages : 9.3% of the workforce.

2003-06-02T12:25:00.000-07:00

Chirac meets Bush first time since war

Ello George!

Hiya Jacques!

I 'ope zat what I zaid over ze last few weeks isn't going to ruin our relationship?

Nah, no problem.

Yeah right.

2003-06-02T12:17:00.000-07:00

A short psychological study of the French - by a non-psychologist

The only study of psychology that I have ever undertaken was the use of dictionary.com to make sure that I spelt the word correctly. Don't be alarmed you may continue reading. Who knows you may laugh or actually learn something.

I've been here in France for nearly two years. I work for a multi-national company that was once part of a very large, previously state-owned French manufacturing company (which still exists today). When I got the job here I had no idea what 90% of the documents that I signed meant, my status in the company or anything else that any rational human being would consider important when quitting their job and country and moving several hundred miles. But I don't regret the move.

Now back to the analysis. Since I did five years at university I started as a Cadre. Basically that means 'grooming for management'. People with less than five years at university find it very hard to become Cadre in my company. There are levels called ATAM and Technician and what not for those that haven't been able to become Cadre. As I quickly found out, the fact that one is Cadre means that one will be management. The fact that one isn't Cadre means that there is no possibility of ever being management. Your career at the company is decided the day you start work. Working very hard and being very good makes no difference. Going to the right university and of course having Baccalauriate + 5 will allow you to become a senior manager. From what I have seen, the top two levels of management all went to the same type of university.

So, no way to become senior if you haven't done the right time in the right place.

As myself, Merde in France and others have said many times before, France is a very expensive country in which to do business. Setting up a company in order to do consulting work (such as an IT Contractor) is expensive, bureaucratic and the taxes are prohibitive. People do it but the return is in my humble opinion, not worth it. I pay 27% of my salary each month for things like health insurance, pension benefits and other stuff which nobody seems able to explain properly. This is not counted as income tax. That comes around once a year and pays for Jacques flights overseas with his family when he wants, my favourite group : the unemployable, and the farmers among others. If I understood correctly whatever you earn, the company has to pay another 60% for various charges. Scary stuff.

SO on one hand we have the Human Resources department deciding your future based on how long you were at university (and therefore what sort of salary you'll get for the rest of your life), we have the state taking away so much of your hard earned cash to give to people who probably have trouble spelling hard earned, we have laws that make it impossible to fire lazy good-for-nothings even if incompitent, we have laws that make it nearly impossible to pay for overtime (thankyou the 35 hour week), we have a management structure that has nothing to do with ability or skill, and we have the crazy drivers.

What for the psychology here it comes. Since the French have so much that they cannot control and/or cannot change to make their lives better (except for the long holidays) the drive like maniacs. And here is why : it is the only area of their lives where nobody controls them. There are no police (they're on strike for more holidays and an earlier retirement), there are no speed cameras, there is nobody who actually gives a damn because they are all in their own little uncontrolable environment.

Tonight while driving hope in the pissing rain (the French say is rains like pissing cows which I quite like), the drivers continued to drive like we were in bright, dry weather. If it wasn't for the traffic jam, I am sure that they would have tried breaking the speed limit. One guy behind me got undertaken by a woman who filtered in from a slip road. He couldn't let her be, oh no! He undertook her and then got off at the next exit (about half a mile further on). Then just when I thought what a dickhead he was, another driven decided that he didn't like being in a line of cars and decided that he was important enough for the hard shoulder.

One good outcome from the evening's drive home is that I only saw two accidents and those only involved two cars each instead of the normal three or eight (I kid you not). That's it. My psychological analysis of the French. I'm sure that I'll do some more during my time here.

2003-06-01T12:49:00.000-07:00

Chris Blake is one of thousands of activists who have come to demonstrate as world leaders meet in Evian. He is also rabidly anti-capitalist, anti-globalisation (wonder where his shoes and clothes are made), and anti-having any intelligence. I quote :

Instead of the G8 I want ordinary people to debate what kind of world they want. That means factories run by workers and a parliament where delegates are recallable - so if Blair takes us to war against majority opinion we could recall him. What we need is a network of social forums, where everyone can have their say about what is important to them.

Funny the G8 doesn't stop me debating the type of world I want. I can also use communication methods such as email, this webpage or even talking face to face (gasp horror) to debate the type of world I want. I haven't yet learnt of the very successful country where the factories are run by workers. When you can provide evidence of this Chris let me know - I like learning. I'm not up on the rules of each constituency in the UK Chris, but I'm sure that if you have enough people who agree with you, perhaps you could get the rules changed for Tony Blair's Sedgefield constituency. Of course getting enough people to agree with you might be tricky since a majority of people in the UK were for the Battle of Iraq. But hey Chris, that's democracy - you don't always get everyone to agree with you. Perhaps in a facist or communist regime though eh Chris?

2003-06-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

A charming gentleman calling himself Micky Speidel sent me the following email :

Subject: Pull My Finger

Farting Commander in Chief
Presidential Flatulance reaches a new low!

Go ahead - pull my finger!

You'll hear things like:

*Fart* That's what I call a flatulation Proclamation!

Our nation must come..ugh..together *Fart* to ignite!

Hey Saddam - Here's a weapon of mass destruction - *Fart*

Osama *Fart* Yo' momma!

PLUS MORE

MAKES A GREAT FATHERS DAY GIFT IDEA! June 15th

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FARTING BUSH DOLL TODAY!

THE PREZ SAYS 7 DIFFERENT HILARIOUS PHRASES!

Nice to see capitalism working so efficiently.

2003-06-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

In amongst the dross that I receive at my email account (sorry I haven't checked it for a while), my second email from an actual real live reader!!!

Hello Connecticut!!!

2003-06-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

Peugeot boss sees tough year ahead

"Economic and monetary circumstances are unfavorable and in these conditions it will be difficult to reach our objectives this year," Peugeot President Jean-Martin Folz told a shareholders' meeting.

He didn't mention the fact that taxes are too high, he can't lay off workers, he can't invest due to the bureacracy involved, that they are facing a corruption investigation and that due to French laziness he can only get people to work 35 hours a week.

2003-06-01T11:55:00.000-07:00

London to Brussels is 198 miles (318 km). London to Cardiff is 132 miles (212 km), to Edinborough 330 miles (532 km) and to Belfast 321 miles (517 km). Perry de Havilland seems to forget how the Welsh, Scottish and Ulstermen (and women) have felt for the past few centuries. So the decision making will take place a bit further away - big deal. We (they) never had much say in how our country was run anyway.

2003-06-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

Geldof back in Ethiopia

Former president Bill Clinton had not helped Africa much, despite his high-profile visits and apparent empathy with the downtrodden, the organiser of Live Aid, claimed. "Clinton was a good guy, but he did fuck all."

2003-05-31T07:37:00.000-07:00

I'm just cruising around looking at some blogs, some news (politics, high-tech and sport mostly) and some guns stuff. What is happening? Is there really nothing that interesting on a Saturday to report on?

I shall continue.

2003-05-28T15:52:00.000-07:00

Just checked the Site Meter. I had one visitor today. And it was me. Quite disheartening really.

2003-05-28T15:25:00.000-07:00

A comparison :

The Austrian Grand Prix Babes.

The Spanish Grand Prix Babes.

I know where I'd rather live.

2003-05-28T15:21:00.000-07:00

Quote heard from afar : the people of Iraq are probably more free than the people of Britain at the moment.

2003-05-28T15:20:00.000-07:00

The football team AS Monaco (yes it's based in the Principality) won the French League Cup the other week and came second in the French First Division thereby allowing it a place in the very lucrative Champions League (played between top European teams). Last time I heard, winning the Champions League was worth up to £25 million.

Anyway due to being in debt, they've been relegated (dropped down a division).

The only time French justice is swift is when football teams go into the red. Sad really.

Actually no its not - fuck you Monaco rich swine in the Second division!!!

2003-05-27T14:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, we all see stories like this, about police going after 'innocent' people when they should be catching crooks. So here I'm not just pointing out the stupidity of the police but also the chief crown prosecutor, one Alison Kerr.

We have politicians who want to give the UK to the Eurocrats, we have politicians who accept money from Saddam Hussein, we have farmers in jail because they defended their own property from life-long felons, we have teachers teaching everything except useful subjects, we have socialist mayors imposing congestion charges, we have food safety people dictating what level of salt one can eat, we have fucking froggy fuckwits failing to realise just how unimportant they and their country is to the rest of the world and causing what probably amounts to the greatest political split between good and dumb without actually declaring war.

Can it get any worse?

2003-05-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

Pensions strike cripples France - bullshit, pure bullshit. I have had no trouble getting to or from work. My work hasn't been interrupted for one second due to the protests. I have no kids so no school problems and I can post so no telecommunication issues either. Get your headlines correct Henry Samuel - Pensions strike cripples Paris.

2003-05-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

The new European Constipation is getting alot of blogging, newspaper and news attention. The only thing that I have to add is this : I don't trust anything that any ex or present or future French politician produces - words, writings, offspring, faeces or otherwise.

2003-05-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

Apologies for not posting for a while, I was on a short trip. I am also going through the trials of cold turkey (down to two cigarettes a day), and I thought that blogging and or reading blogs might make me stressed and therefore want to have a ciggie. So far no problem.

2003-05-21T15:22:00.000-07:00

It was an act of God. No really!

2003-05-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

I don't know whats up with Moorewatch, but when I try and load the homepage, all I get is mustard yellow.

2003-05-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

Some comedy for the readers :

Analysts said giving eurozone members greater control over economic decision-making might encourage them to coordinate their policy responses to economic shocks, a development which would be positive for the single currency area. Coordinate policy responses - yeah right.

And :

The eurozone's growth prospects have been damaged in recent weeks by a slide in the value of the dollar, making European exports less competitive across the world. And there aren't any other reasons the eurozone's growth prospects are close to zero?

2003-05-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

I really can't see what sort of legal standing companies like MCI and Bechtel are going to have if in the future an Iraqi 'government' tells them to get out.

The fact that some arsehole in the US administration is even considering MCI (aka WorldCom) for work, let alone actually awarding them a contract is deeply worrying.

The US aren't getting the post-war jobs done soon or well enough.

2003-05-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

Talking politics in France is a no-no. People get very angry when you tell them that Chirac is a crook, Mitterand was a crook, Communism didn't and doesn't or ever will work, taxing the rich makes them leave the country and therefore reduces your tax reciepts, taxing businesses drives them away and stop others investing, working is actually a benefit to society instead of a burden - you get the drift. Since moving here I've started reading about Libertarian policies, ideas etc. While I don't believe that having no government would actually be the answer to all of our problems (social economic et al.) I do think that a massive reduction of government powers and government employees will benefit a country.

I am however a bit miffed about people trying to pigeon hole other people into what type of libertarian (should that be a capital L is another problem) they actually are. I haven't studied politics or economics in depth enough to understand the differences either ! What does strike me though is the level of intelligence that the writers on Libertarian websites have. Just by the sentence structures, the vocabulary and their ability to link well (showing good memeory - I think) I come away in awe of people like Perry de Havilland and Gabriel Syme. Sean Gabb also stands out. There is however a problem with these attributes. The idiot sitting in front of the TV watching Eastenders/Friends/Big Brother/Choose you own mindless soap etc. isn't going to understand any of their explanations. A message from a left winger : Tax the rich!! is fairly easy to understand. Trying to explain the effects that taxing the rich has isn't. And I'll be damned if I have a solution other than burning all stupid people at the stake.

End of mild rant.

Update : Does the problem of explaining libertarian concepts have something to do with the ability to read? Are those that aren't as well educated naturally left wing because it makes such good soundbites? Is there any hope?

2003-05-21T11:40:00.000-07:00

Well I still haven't seen Matrix Reloaded, I didn't get to the shooting range and I'm still not getting many hits. Oh well.

Since I'm having to use up my vast allocation of holidays over the next two weeks, blogging will be light ( for the single reader that I have ) from tomorrow onwards until the end of the month.

2003-05-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

As I spend more time in a foreign country, I start to miss the ability to do different things when I'm bored. In the UK I could goto a pub, call up a friend and not have to pay long distance charges, turn on another TV channel, find a film easily, read a newspaper or magazine, do some sport (gym, martial art etc). But here I tend to find excuses to not participate easy. It is too much trouble to go through the translation effort required for joining clubs, there really is nothing interesting on French TV (at the moment 90% of programs are complaining about something the other 10% are showing Big Brother type stuff), getting an English newspaper or magazine here is quite difficult (I don't live in the capital), pubs are dreary or overdone (no inbetween), phone use is expensive and films in English are not everywhere.

I tend to connect to the Net, but sometimes it makes the longing for a free, easy society even more frustrating. For instance after reading Kim du Toit, I would love to go to a shooting range and fire off a pistol or rifle. Unfortunately France, like the UK, has very strict laws about firearms purchasing. If I wanted to go out and kill an animal I would have no trouble. You don't fuck with the hunters in France.

Update : I've found a shooting range in the city I live in. I may try tomorrow to see what is required.

2003-05-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

Didn't see Reloaded tonight. Maybe tomorrow.

I did however find out my pay rise. 2.79% Yes that is two-point-seven-nine-percent. Not twenty-seven-point-nine. My boss seems to think that it's a good augmentation.

To say that I'm disappointed is an understatement.

2003-05-18T11:39:00.001-07:00

Matrix (the first one) in on tonight. Of course in French. Going to see Reloaded on Tuesday.

2003-05-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else find the following headline as stupid as I do :

Pope turns 83, creates 4 new saints

This about sums up my opinion of religion (five years in a Catholic boarding school) : "The Bible was a consolation to a fellow alone in the old cell. The lovely thin paper with a bit of matress stuffing in it, if you could get a match, was as good a smoke as I ever tasted." Brendan Behan.

2003-05-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

No, the following is not from a comedy scetch.

At the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam’s holiest site, Sheik Saleb Ibn Humaid decried terrorists as deviants who commit the double sin of killing innocent people and killing themselves. Saudi Arabia, he said, “will not accept that Islam is to be attacked and discredited due to some extremists.”

In Medina, the religion’s second most venerated city, Ali bin Adbel Rahman Hudnaify, the imam of the central mosque, also condemned terrorism as a violation of Islamic teachings. But he added, “Muslims are also requesting the West to punish those who commit terrorist acts against Palestinians and to guarantee their right to live in peace and dignity in their homeland.” A similar message was delivered by Mazin Rajin, a cleric who gave the noon sermon at the Abu Bakr Mosque in east Riyadh. He told more than 400 worshipers that the crisis was testing the country’s beliefs and that the “nation should revise its policies and accept advice from other people.” He described terrorists as “mentally twisted and unstable” people whose deeds are against human nature. ‘Heaven is forbidden for a Muslim who kills a non-Muslim intentionally.’

Many worshipers echoed Rajin by linking the terrorist attacks to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. One man, married to an American, said he has been afraid to return to the United States since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks because he is Muslim, and he expressed doubt that Muslims actually committed the bombings at the residential compounds. “I don’t think it was an internal act. No Muslim would do such a thing,” said the man, who after some prodding said he could be quoted as Abdul Abdullah. “I think the Jews are behind it. It has something to do with politics and nothing to do with Islam.”

So, Bush, Blair, all Jews and anyone who doesn't like wearing black in sauna-like temperatures are terrorists. But, the islamofacist, raghead, camel shagging, wipe-arse-with-your-left-hand, twats who fly aircraft into buildings, strap explosives to their bodies and walk into cafes type people are freedom fighters. My dear Saudi Arabians, I wish you all a happy summer dealing with so many freedom fighters on your own turf.

Thanks to U.S.S. Clueless for this link.

2003-05-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to live overseas for most of my childhood. My father was the Scout Master during our time in a certain North African country. At least once per month he organised a weekend outing to the desert for the Scouts. We pitched camp in the middle of nowhere, did Boy Scout stuff and when it got dark played Army - Navy (you have to get into the opposite teams' camp and steal something. I can't actually remember anyone ever winning). What I can remember are the rock fights, scrapped knees, arms, heads, gushing blood, loosing kids for an hour or so (they were found when threatened with no lift home the next day being shouted across the dessert), burns, arrows, etc. Just your run of the mill outing in the dessert with 50 boys less than 10 years old. The boys came from a variety of backgrounds : British, American, Canadian, German, French, Italian, all the countries that had expats in the oil business there. We also had lots of locals and people from other Middle-Eastern countries in the Troop.

My father and I were talking about this the other day, and the impossibility of doing the same thing now. Can you imagine the documentation one woud have to sign to perform such an activity now? Release papers, insurance, medical coverage, helicopter coverage - one can only guess.

Is the world (or at least the Anglosphere) getting too bureaucratic? Is the Government getting too involved in what we do and say? I believe so. If we don't start acting now, then the freedoms we enjoy and enjoyed so much will be taken away even faster.

Thanks to Samizdata for jogging my memory.

2003-05-16T09:16:00.000-07:00

The European Convention website makes for scary reading. I've been looking at Union membership (and how to get out of it) and also a section right at the end called Solidarity. One of the first things that strikes a reader is the number of people who propose ammendments that don't ask for extra democratic representation, or accountability. Really scary stuff.

In the Solidarity section I found this : In application of the principle of solidarity, the Union shall mobilise all the instruments at its disposal, including military resources to protect democratic institutions and the civilian population from any terrorist attack.

So the European Union won't be protected, the European Commission won't be protected, the European Patent Office, Europol and any other shady Euro-gang you can think off - because, yes you guessed it : THEY AREN'T DEMOCRATIC.

Thanks to Samizdata for the link.

Update : But this sentence is the best (in this section) : It should be noted that in the area of freedom, security and justice, the importance of the role of national parliaments has been underlined and taken into account in the drafting of the new articles.

Yeah right. Noted to be supressed later. Or am I just being cynical?

2003-05-16T08:41:00.000-07:00

So this weekend around the world, most under 25s are going to be thinking of green lines scrolling down a black screen. Why? Matrix Reloaded.

And to keep the geeks happy there is apparently a screen shot of an actual hack by Trinity. Nmap by Fyodor is used to find an open port and then a fictitious exploit is used. The Register has the story here.

Funny how movie producers are using an Open Source tool to hack a system in a film and yet they are trying everything they possibly can to stop the same ingenuity being used to enable people to watch their films on Linux.

2003-05-14T15:26:00.000-07:00

One for the pro-gun readers. A quote from the article that is so stupid, it makes me sad to think the authors of Evaluating Gun Policy are in full-time employment.

Ludwig and Cook dismiss comparisons between Great Britain and the U.S., even though hot burglaries (one in which the burglar or burglars enter the dwelling knowing in advance that it is occupied) are almost unheard of in the U.S. - except in jurisdictions with strict gun control laws - but make up nearly half of all burglaries in Great Britain. "American and British households differ in a number of other ways beyond gun ownership that are likely to affect the cost-benefit calculus facing burglars," they write. "Home invasion burglars in Britain face a much more lenient prison sentence if caught, and households in Britain are less likely to have a dog or a man living in them."

!:$*#&@?!

Show me this data twat. Show me where you found that the percentage of households in the US with a man or a dog is higher than in Britain.

2003-05-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

I went to a University in the UK that used to be a Polytechnic (couldn't award their own degrees and therefore were not classified as having the same standards of education). That ex-Polytechnic was and is good enough to produce mechanical engineers (my discipline) for Rolls-Royce Aero Engines. In fact I did one of RR's summer placements in Derby.

However, that same University awarded a fellow student a first class honours degree which he used to get employment at Rolls-Royce Aero Engines after graduating.

I spent a year in the same house as our first-class friend. He never read any books other than Mech Eng books. He never watched the news. I remember explaining why the interest rate decided by the Chancellor of the Exchequer was important for people in Britain. I remember explaining why a minimum wage was bad. I remember the blank face. Excellence at Mech Eng, incomprehension regarding any other subject.

Sean Gabb (via Brian Micklewait) can rant and complain all he wants about skilled barbarians but the fact is a company is not seeking a mechanical engineer who listens to Mozart, can converse about Henry III and also bake a nice apple tart. He is paid for his thermo and fluid dynamics skills. He needs to be able to model the strut connecting the gearbox to the nacelle in a finite element analysis package.

Prove to me that a chemical company will be better off by employing liberal arts graduates instead of chemists and I'll change my views. A First will get you into the interview and probably into the job - case closed.

2003-05-14T13:07:00.000-07:00

When I logon at home I check the blogs that I've saved as favourites before any news sites (I wonder how often this is happening now around the world). Usually U.S.S. Clueless is first, followed by a fellow exile - Merde in France. Then along comes Kim du Toit, and of course Samizdata (for my dose of Britishness). Dilacerator is not an everyday visit since he is so busy - maybe twice a week. Eric Raymond's Armed and Dangerous maybe once a month (good essay about Terry Pratchett recently) - same for Bill Whittle.

Brian Micklethwait is a Samizdata writer. He writes very well but tends to always mention his Education Blog when writing. Well I thought that this might be a bit boring so never visited. Stupid me, how wrong! I've just read his latest postings (he's in France at the moment) and find myself unable to leave the screen (except for a cigarette of course).

As someone who is planning on having children (yes with my wife of course) I am very interested in the home schooling phenomenon that is sweeping the intelligent anglo-sphere. Now I just need to figure out how I can work and school my future children at the same time. I may ask him about this.

2003-05-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

I am no economist, but I enjoy reading sites like Dilacerator because like Steven Den Beste, you usually learn something. His latest article An Actual Money Shortage, is about the cost of producing money. Fascinating (yet logical) that the government makes money from making money. Something that I had never, ever thought of.

2003-05-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

French study says Europe fading.

So what's new?

Makes funny reading though. Fucked whatever happens - I predict the far right getting even more votes in the next election.

2003-05-14T11:29:00.000-07:00

Speaking of driving home, the holidays are over for May so the 85% of workers who profited from their many holidays here went back to the grindstone.

Mr. and Mrs. Instant-arsehole-just-add-car are back on the roads. What made it worse was the strikes of course. In traffic jams is when you see the leaders in the stupid rankings. Yesterday a driver of the new Porche 4x4 managed to win first prize. Pavement? So! Flower bed? And! At first it was actually funny, but then it made me sad. Sad to think that the human gene pool has produced such complete and utter wankers.

2003-05-14T11:21:00.000-07:00

Driving home doesn't usually make me happy but tonight is the first night of the Cannes Film Festival.

Imagine how heartbroken I was to hear on the radio, that so many stars were having problems getting to Cannes due to the massive strikes held yesterday (some elements are continuing today and tomorrow as well).

Poor people.

2003-05-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

I didn't logon yesterday after work, so I didn't notice that Merde in France had written about me being back. Thankyou MIF, you are the cause of all my traffic.

2003-05-12T12:53:00.000-07:00

Noam, you are a twat. Enough people in the US realised this and therefore didn't choose you to run the country. You lost, in fact you didn't just loose - you were humiliated. Face it Noam (what sort of name is Noam anyway?), nobody except the communist, anti-everything that lets people enjoy themselves brigade listen to you. Oh yeah and that fat twat Michael Moore.

2003-05-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

A good quote from Graham Terse, the Editor of Expatica.com (I can't deep link to the story - it's titled The Pensions Battle).

Just one year after France's 'wake up' call in the dramatic presidential election poll, it still doesn't appear to have got a foot out of bed.

2003-05-12T12:30:00.000-07:00

France is on general strike tomorrow. Public transport, teachers, hangers-on, you name it they'll be out complaining. They don't want to work after 55 years old. They want 6 weeks holiday a year and they want everyone else to pay for this. Being able to learn is not a prerequisite to being a teacher in the Fifth Peoples Republic of France.

2003-05-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

Bye Clare. Don't let the door hit your fat arse on the way out.

2003-05-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

The BBC has an interesting page that puts up a quick stats box "Gun crime facts" for us anti-gun-control types. What is however more interesting are the results from a poll that policemen and women filled in recently. 78% of police officers do not want to carry guns, compared to 79% in 1995. And eight out of 10 said more officers should be trained to use firearms.

So approx 80% don't want to carry guns but think more police should be trained to use guns. I've written previously that I don't trust the government, police, civil servants or any elected officials. Now the police who answered this questionaire have just reinforced my low opinion of them. We don't want guns but someone else should be trained to use them. We don't want to have to save a life by stopping a murderer but someone else should.

I quote : A constable is a citizen, locally appointed, but having authority under the Crown, for the protection of life and property, the prevention and detection of crime, and the prosecution of offenders against the peace. Constable's Training Manual 1958. The italics are mine.

2003-05-12T12:04:00.000-07:00

sex, drugs, guns, linux, freedom, x-men 2, matrix, reloaded, iraq, al jazeera, lord of the rings, david beckham, bbc news, tf1, france info, france, eminem

Should be enough highly searched words in there to get a few people visiting. We'll see.

2003-05-12T04:59:00.000-07:00

Steven Den Beste writes a short but interesting article about the hiring and firing policies of European companies.

I think lots of people have written about this before and how this effects the economic performance of the European countries. What I think is more important is the skill set that this hiring-firing ability has on people. Cruise around many websites of technical people over 40 from the US and you'll see that they have had many different jobs. In sometimes unrelated industries as well. The benefit this gives to companies is enormous. Talk about using experience from other areas of work and the Americans can - the Europeans can't. This also links to the attitude towards risk. American employers seem more willing to take a risk with someone who possibly hasn't had the exact experience that the employer wants. A French company (like the one that I work for) wants a square peg for its sqaure hole, and will not accept a round peg even if it fits. The risk taking venture capitalists of the US play in a different division to the European VC funds as well.

When the Europeans realise that adaptability, experience, common sense, ambition and tenaciousness aren't bad traits they might, just might, be able to *start* to catch up to the might of the American machine. Until then, when decisions are made by people who attend the same school - no matter what their experience or past - we are going nowhere. Sorry I mean backwards.

2003-05-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

Thats really funny!! I got a reference to my site from someone searching for pictures of hemaphrodites!!!!!

Another google search for : viagra a woman's perspective point of view her thoughts - also got linked.

If only people would visit and read.

2003-05-10T16:11:00.000-07:00

I was just trying to figure out what some people may have against capitalism, and thought that having a definition might be useful. From dictionary.com who have a link to investorwords.com (I like this definition because its easy for me to understand) :

Economic system characterized by the following: private property ownership exists; individuals and companies are allowed to compete for their own economic gain; and free market forces determine the prices of goods and services.

And here is the definition for socialism : Economic system which is based on cooperation rather than competition and which utilizes centralized planning and distribution.

So just by looking at these two definitions we can understand why Europe as an economic force will never work. 1) They hate competition 2) Farmers and employees in large Trades Unions are the ones who determine prices and 3) No-one wants to co-operate (they're all at the beach on holiday).

2003-05-10T15:59:00.000-07:00

I'm obviously behind the times. Apparently the latest insult is : a barking moonbat

I've now seen it on Samizdata and Right Wing News. I must keep abreast of the latest insults, I must.

2003-05-10T15:39:00.000-07:00

This doesn't surprise anyone in the UK or anyone who lives and/or works in France. We hear so much about how wonderful Europe is from so many people in France. When I try and explain that France has implimented about 1% of European directives therefore you can't see the harm, nobody here believes me. Why should they? I'm obviously part of the Zionist, American, Oil for blow jobs worldwide conspiracy.

Thanks to Dilacerator for this link.

2003-05-10T15:22:00.000-07:00

"Neither the people, nor the cargo, nor the plane itself were hurt or damaged," Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Kostiantyn Khyvrenko told The Associated Press in Kiev, Ukraine.

Yeah Comrade right you are then. Didn't you say the same things about THIS as well?

2003-05-10T10:28:00.000-07:00

Kim du Toit puts up a link to an interesting article that describes the gloom and doom in Germany. The same already has been written about France. I'm not sure if this is true but apparently if one has never worked, one is not counted amongst the unemployed. However one is still entitled to unemployment benefit. And you thought that eating snails and frog's legs was strange?

I had to get the relevent documents stamped by the relevent official a few months ago. Since I bought my car in a certain area (not near my home) I had to visit the prefecture for that area. My wife went with me. I would prefer to have my teeth extracted without anasthetic - in Beriut, rather than revisit the area again. Mention the district to any French person and they have heard of the problems there. Look around and Beriut doesn't seem such a bad place. Look for a shop with real glass in its windows and you'll be hard pressed to find one. Yet the place was swarming with people, sitting around, smoking cigarettes, talking (in Arabic), young and old. Why isn't some enterprising person from this area starting some sort of cleanup operation? - have the residents no shame? Do they not want to improve their situation?

No thankyou. Quite happy sitting here, smoking cigarettes, speaking Arabic all day long, doing nothing and yet getting money every week.

2003-05-10T10:14:00.000-07:00

Stopping gambling in the US is about as effective as stopping people taking drugs, driving too fast, drinking too much, and the list goes on.

If a government doesn't trust its people enough to bet on the result of a football match, then its time to stop trusting that government. The French also cannot bet on football or rugby matches.

2003-05-10T10:09:00.000-07:00

More on the World at War series. I have just watched one of the Special Presentations that they bundled along with the series. One is called Who Won World War II? and the near hour is spent with Stephen Ambrose.

He talked for a full twenty minutes without interruption or questions about the aftermath of WW2. Amazing, really amazing. I shall have to buy one or three of his books.

I also started watching the Holocaust programme but wasn't in the right frame of mind. Maybe later.

2003-05-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

My favourite page, The World Socialist Web Site (they can't learn that website is one word, how can they hope to learn that socialism doesn't work) has two very funny articles. The Rape of Iraq and War, Oligarchy And The Political Lie both need a good fisking but I have neither the brains or the time to do it. Perhaps Steven Den Beste or one of the gods of blogging will do the honours?

2003-05-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

In between several cigarettes, a nice mug of green tea and a quick look at the latest headlines, I have been reading some of David Horowitz's articles at Frontpage Magazine.

What I think makes his articles so good is the fact that David was once 'one of them'. A real hard-core left winger, who learnt all about Marxism, Cuba, Communism etc. and then decided that it didn't work. This to me takes more intelligence than someone who blindly follows a certain creed because his family, friends or associates say that it is the right creed to follow.

I particularly recommend the Taking on the Neo-coms articles. Outstanding.

2003-05-09T07:38:00.000-07:00

Well you learn something every day with the Internet. From here : Now the left's position is that we are "aggressors" (I wonder where they came up with that line -- couldn't be Iraqi TV.) This claim is a lie and a hypocrisy rolled into one. What does the left think Clinton's assault on Yugolsavia was? Were we attacked? Was Milosevic a threat to America's national security? Yet there was nary a peep about the liberation of Kosovo, which by the way took place without a UN resolution, without a debate and without authorization from the U.S. Congress.

The Left Wingers still won't keep quiet. Like the Arabs and certain European nations, you know when they don't accept that they're wrong by the increase in decibels during conversations.

2003-05-09T05:59:00.000-07:00

Microsoft could face £1.4tn fine after breaking security promises.

I shall be keeping an eye on this one. I bet they don't get fined.

2003-05-09T05:50:00.000-07:00

Alain Juppe (ex Prime Minister, present Mayor of Bordeaux and heir to the throne of Chirac) is under investigation for abusing his role as financial director at the Paris mayorship from 1983 to 1995. I quote : Chirac, who was mayor of Paris at the time, has been spared criminal investigation into his knowledge of the funding scam by virtue of his presidential office. I can't deep link to this story but the home page is here.

Gotta love French politicians.

Another story from Bordeaux (no link). The first American cruise ship (wish is was a cruise missile) of the season landed recently. Apparently the tourists were greeted 'like Kings'. After the French stopped complaining they realised what damage the American tourist industry could do to France. So now that some Americans have arrived I'll bet they get world class treament, apologies, free wine etc.

I bet France asks for US help again in the next 50 years. I wonder if it will be given.

2003-05-09T05:39:00.000-07:00

Merde in France has a posting about Madonna saying that she feels right at home in France.

Well Mrs. Ritchie (yes that is her real last name since her marriage to Guy Ritchie), come and live here for a while and see how you like paying the high taxes.

2003-05-09T05:35:00.000-07:00

I bought the 5 CD set of The World at War a while ago. I'm on CD 4 and they are interviewing people who were in some of the same conferences as Stalin, Churchill and Truman. They also interviewed Lord Mountbatten regarding South East Asia and the use of Japanese soldiers as police. What struck me is the level headedness of the people interviewed. Not afraid to say where mistakes were made (of course hindsight is a wonderful thing). Well the series was made in the mid-seventies and they interviewed Stephen Ambrose (Band of Brothers writer). I had never heard of Mr. Ambrose before the TV series of Band of Brothers came out. What a remarkable person. He really asks some pertinent questions.

What makes this collection of the 5 CDs so priceless is the fact that they were able to interview 'people who were there'. Albert Speer. Top German officers. People in Roosevelt's cabinet. The US Ambassador to Russia. For anybody who really wants to appreciate what our elders did and suffered for us during the Second World War, this collection is a must.

2003-05-09T05:26:00.000-07:00

On French TV last night there was a programme called Autopsy of a Conflict. It was about Gulf War I and the political actions leading up to it. Of course the programme makers found exactly the right people to interview. Palestinian representatives, Algerian representatives, the ex-General Secretary to the UN, you name it they all agreed : it was America's fault. Why? Because they gave Saddam the impression that he could invade Kuwait and not be attacked by the US.

Of course, now it all makes sense.

2003-05-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

I has taken me two days to actually get connected. On Wednesday I tried to read some of my favourite bloggers and couldn't get to any sites. I actually thought that Wanadoo (part of France Telecom) had blocked the anti-French blog sites. Well after pinging away for a good hour I finally got access - funny Blogger didn't like me connecting with their IP address and then logging in, I could only log on once I used their URL. Some of this technology stuff is beyond me - luckily nowadays the video changes the time it self, otherwise I'd be screwed.

So I'm going to catch up on some news and report back later.

Anyone see the AC Milan vs. Inter Milan game last night? Hopeless. After Man Utd vs. Real Madrid everything will pale in comparison.

2003-05-06T05:39:00.000-07:00

I found this website about revoking Michael Moore's Oscar a while ago and sent it to some work colleagues, one of which spent some time in the US and is a 'worshipper' of Moore. Well the debates about his validity now take place every cigarette break. But the 'worshipper' still fails to understand my greatest issue : if Michael Moore has to manipulate and fabricate facts to support his argument in Bowling for Columbine, and one can show where these manipulations and fabrications have taken place, how much of what he says, films or writes about can we now believe?

I tend to think that the problem is the US is not a gun problem but a violence problem. The sooner people realise that there may be consequences linked with their illegal, anti-social actions then they may think again about their behaviour.

Just as an aside, someone wrote a book about what Americans should be scared of. He found that one was more likely to be hit by lightening than to be shot in a school shooting scenario.

2003-05-06T05:19:00.000-07:00

For someone like me who earns less than 50,000€ per year in a high tax country, the sort of figures used in this story is beyond comprehension. Mr. Ted "I shagged Jane Fonda" Turner has sold 50 million shares in AOL Time Warner (he transferred 10 million to a charity who later sold them). If my calculations are correct he got about $650 million (price at close was $13.38 although he probably sold lower due to the large amount traded).

If the guy has to pay 50% in taxes (I'm not sure what the rate is), he still walks away with over $300 million!!!!! It would take you over nine (yes that's a number 9) years to count to 300 million seconds. Incomprehensible.

2003-05-06T05:07:00.000-07:00

Is it me or are a lot of bloggers in real fighting mode at the moment?

2003-05-05T11:51:00.000-07:00

For those that don't know, Manchester United F.C. has won the English Premiership Trophy for the eighth time in eleven years. If someone would have asked me in November last year if they could win it I would have said impossible. Man Utd. is full of some of the largest stars in football (soccer to you two American readers) and they certainly prooved they are capable of magic. From eight points behind the leaders to winning by several pints after nine months. At times it was dire - loosing to Manchester City, Blackburn, Bolton - rough days. But as of last night, when our longterm (ancient Yorkshire Lancashire issue) rivals Leeds United beat the contenders Arsenal, we were Champions again.

Thankyou Scholes, Giggs, Beckham, Keane, Butt, the Nevilles, Bartez, Silvestre, Ferdinand, Brown, Veron, van Nistelrooy, O'Shea, Blanc, Chadwick, Forlan, Carroll, Fortune, Solskaer, and all the people who work off the pitch for Manchester United.

2003-05-05T11:35:00.000-07:00

Some quick posts tonight because Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade is on TV. We'll see how well it runs - in French.

Kim du Toit has an interesting post which touches on medical care, social security and the payment of them both. Just for background, I spent a few years in London where a visit to the doctor was shorter than ordering a Big Mac meal. I can't remember the doctors in London even getting out of their chairs to examine me. What's the problem? How long? Any other medication? Here is a perscription.

France on the other hand is very good. Every visit it's shirt and pants off, brief medical, weight, pulse, look into the ears, must cut down on the cigarettes (I'm down to 20 a day!!), what are you eating etc. etc. My wife visits her doctor monthly and always gets checked out properly.

But like Kim asks : How are we going to pay for the idiots who stub their toes? How are we going to pay for the borderline success rate cases? I don't really want to take the risk that some woman who is pregnant is going to be able to afford to give birth in a clean environment. I like knowing that the ambulance driver is going to pick me off of the road before checking if my credit card is valid. I think that some sort of half and half system might work best. The injured pays half of the bill. If he or she cannot then community service for the hospital or doctor might be in order. Working gives people an idea of the cost of treatment. Maybe ensuring people worked towards their visit to the emergency room would cut down on the number of visits? I don't know, but I'm happy having good medical treatment.

2003-05-03T14:14:00.000-07:00

The corruption of the politicians at the time and the senior people at French state owned oil company Elf continues to defy belief. Jewels, gifts, cars, planes, holidays, divorce settlements - you name it, it was financed by Elf for the guys in charge and/or the French politicians.

What is so annoying about it all is the way those taking the money reply : "But that's just how it was done."

The fact that they didn't for one minute ask themselves if it was the right thing to do doesn't surprise me anymore. I trust no-one; not government, not police, not judiciary, not journalist, not senior management, and especially not any Frenchman.

2003-05-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

The roads are very quiet around the end of April and beginning of May. The majority of the instant-arsehole-just-add-car types are probably at the beach or with family for the holidays.

For those that don't know about French holidays a little lesson. Easter was on the 20th of April so the whole of France got the Monday off. Then the 1st of May is Workers Day (or is it Day of Work?) when nobody in France actually does any work. This year it fell on a Thursday so, in their infinite wisdom and in line with regulations regarding the holidays workers have to have, large corporations also gave the 2nd (the Friday) off. They call this a pont, or bridge day. But the French also 'celebrate' Armistice on the 8th of May (also a Thursday) and therefore those same large corporations also give a pont for the 9th. The effect on productivity is obviously negative. Oh yeah nearly forgot, at the end of May there is another day off for Ascension which, yeah you guessed it, falls on a Thursday and therefore the Friday will be another pont. 16 working days in France during the month of May.

So the roads are quieter, and nobody is doing any work. I can actually get some work done for a change instead of resolving other people's problems.

Long live French holidays!!!

2003-05-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

Well I'm back. I've just checked the site visits and there are actually people out there on this planet who visit verbero. I had initially decided to quit blogging. There are quite enough people blogging with far more interesting things to say than myself. However, I feel the need to rant and laugh occasionally so I shall continue. I don't guarantee daily updates but when I do update I shall hopefully make you either laugh, cry, think, or throw the nearest heavy object at the monitor.

2003-04-11T16:54:00.000-07:00

No blogging until further notice.

2003-04-10T12:11:00.000-07:00

An update to a previous post I made regarding the Rugby World Cup. The Fifth Peoples Republic of France has won the right to host it with the vote going 18 - 3 in their favour. Scotland, Ireland and Wales will also host some matches. Not that France deserves it (the only thing they deserve is the visit of a few Tomahawks), but one of the quotes is spot on :

The French Rugby Federation (FFR) based their proposal on the stadiums used for the successful 1998 football World Cup and the proven excellence of its transport system.

The public transport, when the employees are not on strike, is the best that I have seen. Twats.

UPDATE : edited because it seemed as if I wanted Wales, Scotland and Ireland to be paid visits by Tomahawks - sorry wrong impression given.

2003-04-10T11:58:00.000-07:00

We are all very aware that the future looks bleak for The Fifth Peoples Republic of France in terms of economy, social problems, crime, world standing, European standing, rising crime, declining birth rate, increase in unepmloyment etc. What is also happening reminds me of an Apple spokesman trying to convince a company that I once worked for to continue to roll-out Apple software and hardware across the enterprise. So France is Apple and the US is Microsoft (or IBM or Oracle). Dominique de Villepin is the salesman. He is trying to persuade several countries to stick with France. We'll be cheaper, we're not American, honestly we do care. We can do oil companies, weapons, aircraft carriers with too short flight decks, exploding satellite transport, perfume, complaints, obstruction, wine, strikes etc.

Dom, listen here. France is sinking. France cannot do anything (besides complain) better than anyone else. The Iraqi police force is I bet going to be armed with US weapons. The Iraqi Armed forces too (eventually). 50 - 1 no French company gets any contract linked with oil. 100 - 1 The Kurds are going to use America for *ALL* supplies.

2003-04-10T09:24:00.000-07:00

What more can I say to the anti-war crowd that isn't summed up so well by the liberated people of Iraq. Priceless.

Thanks to Samizdata for this link.

2003-04-09T09:46:00.000-07:00

"Thank you, thank you, Mr. Bush," some of the looters shouted. An elderly man beat a portrait of Saddam with his shoe, while a younger man spat on the portrait.

Remember girls and boys, in Europe and in particular in the Fifth Peoples Republic of France, it is better to do things together then to do the right thing.

2003-04-09T08:56:00.000-07:00

To all anti-war wankers : Feast your eyes on this, fuckwits.

2003-04-08T12:17:00.000-07:00

Must be quick tonight. Man Utd are playing Real Madrid so minimal blogging.

Baby Jacques chats with his other great friend Gaddafi - although its spelt Qathafi in this article.

Peugeot are screaming blue murder because like all French institutions they haven't EVER broken any rules.

After loosing their World Champions Football crown last summer, not winning the 6 Nations, and having absolutely no effect with their leave Saddam in power stance, the Fifth Peoples Republic of France has got to gain something. Host the next Rugby World Cup? We'll see of they can even win that.

The Germans are going to try and replace English words with the French equivalent. Well Fritz the French word for weekend is .... weekend, T-shirt is well T-shirt (said with a funny accent), they say OK all the time and in fact ticket is also used. Stupid twats.

Enough for tonight now. I've just seen that Real are 2 - 0 up against Man Utd so I'm going to have a beer and another cigarette.

2003-04-07T14:13:00.000-07:00

Robert 'I'm a fuckwit' Fisk doesn't seem to know what a coalition is. Robby, look here. Twat.

2003-04-07T13:56:00.000-07:00

The writer of this article is clearly delusional.

One : the worlds leaders didn't allow NATO or the UN to implode - certain members of both organisations CAUSED the implosion.

Two : America is acting like the bad cop because the good cop approach doesn't work. Sitting and talking and playing nice guy doesn't work. SO you send in the guy who gets results. The Americans sent in 250,000 of them. The Brits 40,000 of them. The Poles and Aussies sent in their result getters.

Three : Western Leaders are capable of figuring out how a system of law should work. If someone breaks the law, you stop them being able to continue committing more crime. However when it is certain Western Leaders themselves who have committed acts of fraud, treason, back stabbing, double dealing, arms dealing and the rest then those more responsible countries must take action rather than allowing 12 more years of law breaking.

Four : Serious consequences is not ambiguous language. Serious consequences does not mean you can carry on beating that old lady while we look in your cupboard. Serious consequences does not mean we will discuss for 12 more years how we will go about stopping you committing more crime. Serious consequences does not mean that we will invite criminals to participate in overseeing criminals. Serious consequences means serious consequences. Guns, very big guns; missiles, people getting shot, governments overturned - THESE are serious consequences. Is the UN to amend 1441 to read "will face serious Tomahawk cruise missiles followed by Bradley and Abrams armoured vehicles along with humanoids in fetching atire carrying rifles of calibre 5.56mm"?

Five : What is the definition of a credible UN police force? They don't fire back? They ask UN committees to resolve any procedural problems? They declare safe havens and then let 8,000 muslims die? The UN has zero credibility. It has been shown to be a non-democratic, dictator appeasing, criminal appointing body that does nothing but try and hinder the US. True international diplomacy is more in need of diplomats - more people like Rumfeld, more people like Thatcher. More people with balls.

Six : There is no such thing as a good lawyer.

2003-04-07T13:22:00.000-07:00

For those that don't know Manchester United produced a superb display last weekend to beat Liverpool 4 - 0. Arsenal drew against Aston Villa and Newcastle lost. What this means is that the title race is going to go to the wire. Man Utd. play Newcastle and Arsenal in the next two games. Hopefully the title will be wrapped up then. There is however the small aspect of playing the nine times European Champions Real Madrid - twice.

Clenching the buttocks time.

2003-04-07T13:07:00.000-07:00

I don't usually link to Rupert Murdoch owned media (I can't stand the bastard), but William Rees-Mogg of the Times deserves attention. He brings up the J'accuse program shown on Channel Four the other day. I watched this program. Subtle as a brick is how I would describe William Shawcross. William you are welcome anytime in my house for a beer. Read the link.

2003-04-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

The Dissident Frogman is as usual brilliant. Goto his main page as well and read the post on Consecration.

2003-04-03T12:12:00.000-08:00

The French only like Europe when its handing out immense subsidies, financing fraudulent activity or keeping out of French business affairs. Its nice to see the French farmers getting shafted for once.

2003-04-03T12:08:00.000-08:00

I can't find any stories anywhere else and I still haven't received my Jerusalem Post details so I can't read the story. But the headline is : Jewish Restaurant in Paris torched. I shall try and give an update.

2003-04-03T11:55:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Samizdata for the link to this site. I'm actually afraid to read more. I have smoked 10 cigarettes since I connected. I can feel the damage already.

2003-04-03T11:50:00.000-08:00

I haven't visited demosthenes in a while. Imagine my joy when his second blog has the following lines :

What happens if the U.S. military leaves? Will things really get better? Saddam will never submit to inspections again, and the entire region will get the message that the United States is weak, cowardly, and astonishingly stupid.

Just a pity he starts to go off on some left wing rant again. Isn't this a good enough argument for starting the Battle of Iraq in the first place? Some might say the reaction of Clinton to the first WTC bombing, U.S.S. Cole and American Embassy attacks was sending a message of weakness to Osama that led him to organise the fatal WTC attacks.

For humble old me it doesn't matter that Bush is a corrupt, daddy's boy, surrounded by oil croonies. What matters at the moment is getting the job done. Picture the scene : Gore pleading with Chirac to stop sending weaponry to Osama in Afghanistan. Trying to negotiate with Pakistan and India to stop them nuking each other over spare ribs at his ranch. Inviting Yasser and Baby Jacques over to shoot some hoops.

Thank fuck Bush is there right now. Thank fuck someone with the courage to make important decisions (besides freeing criminals just before their term was up) is head of the most powerful nation on earth. Do you realise how scary it was to know that while getting blown, Bill could have slammed his fist down on the big red button?

2003-04-03T11:30:00.000-08:00

Can you imagine how embarrased Baby Jacques is? Really well represented your country is now Jacques. Personally I blame Edith Cresson.

2003-04-03T11:28:00.000-08:00

Brian Micklethwait (can one have a more English name?) misses the point to Baby Jacques recent tantrums. Let me make it clear. The situation in France is a fucking nightmare.

Galtieri did the same thing during the Falklands War, Mugabe is doing it now in Zimbabwe, politicians in the past present and the future will also do it. What is it? Diverting attention. Paris was brought to a virtual standstill today due to industrial action. People in my neck of the woods took hours to get to work. Businesses aren't investing in France. Graduates are moving to the UK to work. Nobody is hiring because it costs too much to hire. The Fifth Peoples Republic of France has created and is stuck fast in its own vicious whirlpool. The only way is down boys.

2003-04-02T13:55:00.000-08:00

Turkish football coaches have indeed eaten their own words. England beat the curly toed very strong coffee drinking swine 2 - 0. Pity I don't know any Turks.

2003-04-02T13:30:00.000-08:00

So who exactly is on strike tomorrow in The Fifth Peoples Republic of France? Metro workers (four unions CGT, Unsa, FO et Sud), Rail workers (five unions CGT, CFDT, FO, Unsa et Sud-Rail) , and Air Traffic controllers (80% of flights that start or end in France cancelled). What this actually means is that if you live in Paris - you are fucked. If you want to fly short-distance - you are fucked. If you want to fly in safety - you are fucked.

The joys of living in a socialist, union run country. Glad I'm not in Paris.