"The campaign to expose MPs' Commons expense claims has become so personal that
it has started to resemble a McCarthy-style witch-hunt, a Tory backbencher
said today.
Nadine Dorries, the Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire, also warned that the relentless drip-drip of leaked claims was creating such an atmosphere of terror that there was a real risk of an MP committing suicide.
"People are seriously beginning to crack," Ms Dorries told the Today
programme on BBC Radio 4. "The last day in Parliament this week was, I
would say, completely unbearable. "I have never been in an atmosphere or environment like it, when people walk around with terror in their eyes and people are genuinely concerned, asking, 'Have you seen so and so? Are they in their office? They've not been seen for days.'
One MP is very concerned that the expenses row will cause a suicide, this would be very sad. Is they saying that they should not have been exposed with their snouts in the trough because the revelations are upsetting their delicate feelings.It does seem that this Ms Dorries is not in touch with reality, folks don't trust MP's unde normal circumstances this has just confirmed our suspicions.
"Must-See Video: Head of U.N.’s “Anti-Racism” Conference Caught Like a Deer in Headlights
Today Iranian President Ahmadinejad — the world’s leading Holocaust denier — will be in Geneva to address the U.N.’s “anti-racism” conference, known as Durban II. The U.N. gathering claims to be about fighting racism and discrimination, but in fact it’s organized by the world’s worst perpetrators of racism, discrimination and human rights abuses, and was designed to scapegoat Israel, America and the West. A representative of Libyan dictator Col. Muammar Qaddafi, Mrs. Najjat al-Hajjaji, chaired the Durban II Preparatory Committee for the past two years, and today was elected chair of the Durban II Main Committee.
In an unprecedented coup, the rank hypocrisy of Durban II was exposed before the world this week when UN Watch surprised the Libyan chair — by bringing a victim of Qaddafi torture to confront her on Libya’s brutal torture and scapegoating of five Bulgairan nurses and a Palestinian doctor. The video clip has been broadcast around the globe."
I spotted this really great jazz singer purely by accident when someone posted another band.
Your objective is simple: Widespread Misery.
Your motive is a little bit more complex: Sadistic pleasure
Stage One
To begin your plan, you must first assassinate a wall street executive. This will cause the world to sense a grave disturbance in the force, terrified by your arrival. Who is this nightmare beyond comprehension? Where did they come from? And why do they look so good as a dark gunslinger?
Stage Two
Next, you must sabotoge the internet. This will all be done from a obsidian citadel, a mysterious place of unrivaled dark glory. Upon seeing this, the world will die in a way you just don't want to think about, as countless hordes of the undead hasten to do your every bidding.
Stage Three
Finally, you must let loose your plague of doom, bringing about rivers that run red with blood. Your name shall become synonymous with fuzzy bunnies, and no man will ever again dare cross you. Everyone will bow before your superior firepower, and the world will have no choice but to whisper your name in fear.
"A Dutch MP who called the Koran a "fascist book" has been sent back to the Netherlands after attempting to defy a ban on entering the UK.
Freedom Party MP Geert Wilders had been invited to show his controversial film - which links the Islamic holy book to terrorism - in the UK's House of Lords.
But Mr Wilders, who faces trial in his own country for inciting hatred, has been denied entry by the Home Office.
He told the BBC it was a "very sad day" for UK democracy.
The Dutch ambassador was also at Heathrow to make clear his government's opposition to the ban on Mr Wilders entering the UK."
This it appeared has backfired, I tried to check out the 'controversial video'. The demand on the site was so great it had collapsed.........O'Dear. I like most people I imagine had never wanted to watch the video until my caring government thought I shouldn't.
"In one of music's most tragic accidents, a light plane carrying three people who changed the face of Rock forever crashed in an Iowa field shortly after leaving a concert on Feb. 3, 1959. Buddy Holly had chartered the plane to take his band to their next gig in North Dakota while other artists and staff took the usual means of tour bus."
From the Yid with the Lid
I find it difficult to comment on this. As I am not sure which kind of 'Juice' he dislikes so much. This picture says a great deal about the American education system, or maybe the Mullah only taught him how to spell death.How these Christians love each other...A really sad piece of video, these people should be ashamed of themselves
During the Renaissance, a woman’s left side was regarded as her most beautiful side. Not only was this the ‘heart’ side, and thus the side of feeling, but it was also less used (by right-handers) and so likely to be less worn or marked. In one of his love lyrics the poet Tasso called it “the soft side”, while the Venetian courtesan and poet Veronica Franco, in a verse letter to her favourite lover, says that her own beauty will be dedicated to making him happy, and she will make him taste the delights of love, “when he is close to her left side”. Titian gives us an extraordinary uninterrupted profile view of the whole of Diana’s left side and raised left arm, and there is no doubt that this is the best view: the goddess’ right leg, which is being rubbed down by one of the nymphs, is crude and ungainly in comparison to the elegantly turned left leg. It is also less brightly lit.
The pic is of Holy Trinity one of the monasteries I visited in 2007
Of noble birth and learned in the sciences, when only eighteen years old, Catherine presented herself to the Emperor Maximinus who was violently persecuting the Christians, upbraided him for his cruelty and endeavoured to prove how iniquitous was the worship of false gods. Astounded at the young girl's audacity, but incompetent to vie with her in point of learning the tyrant detained her in his palace and summoned numerous scholars whom he commanded to use all their skill in specious reasoning that thereby Catherine might be led to apostatize. But she emerged from the debate victorious. Several of her adversaries, conquered by her eloquence, declared themselves Christians and were at once put to death. Furious at being baffled, Maximinus had Catherine scourged and then imprisoned. Meanwhile the empress, eager to see so extraordinary a young woman, went with Porphyry, the head of the troops, to visit her in her dungeon, when they in turn yielded to Catherine's exhortations, believed, were baptized, and immediately won the martyr's crown. Soon afterwards the saint, who far from forsaking her Faith, effected so many conversions, was condemned to die on the wheel, but, at her touch, this instrument of torture was miraculously destroyed. The emperor, enraged beyond control, then had her beheaded and angels carried her body to Mount Sinai where later a church and monastery were built in her honour.
This is really very American, but I thought it was very funny. Some of this could be applied to the UK
Contumacious (kon-too-may-shuhs) is an adjective that means rebellious, disobedient, obstinately resistant to authority, stubbornly perverse, insubordinate, and rebellious
I could not resist this photograph of the ninth bishop of Texas! His name is Andy Doyle this is the photo he uses on his blog. Unless it is a spoof blog.
Martin de Porres was born at Lima, Peru of a Spanish father and an African mother in 1579. As a boy he studied medicine which later as a member of the Dominican Order he put to good use in helping the poor. He was so noted for his kindness and gentleness with the sick and needy that he was called "Martin the Charitable." He led a humble and disciplined life, having great devotion both to Christ Crucified and the Blessed Sacrament. He found great strength in meditating and contemplating these great mysteries. Martin died in 1639, and was canonized by Pope John XXIII in 1962.
Message from the Bombing Victim Muppet
I am, of course, neither sad, nor heroic nor particularly victimized. What I am is an "ordinary Joe" who was seriously injured six years ago in a suicide bombing while waiting for a bus at the Machane Yehuda open air market in Jerusalem.
Now, 40 years after his death, the Israeli Government is planning to award its highest honour on the Irish priest to whom the only memorials to date are the film, the Scarlet and the Black, starring Gregory Peck and a grove of trees in Killarney National Park. The Israelis are planting another tree in his honour at the Yad Vashem holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. The Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Authority also plans to confer the title, “Righteous Among Nations” on Monsignor O’Flaherty, who is the first Irishman to receive this honour, in appreciation of having saved the lives of thousands of Rome’s Jews from the Holocaust.
Great fun, whether you agree or not. Making fun of politicians is always the way.
Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers filed the lawsuit last year seeking a permanent injunction against God who he said made terrorist threats against him and his Omaha constituents.Absolutely fabulous song and singing. Pity Le Crapauds can't fight
I am reminded that there is no such thing as a 'little prayer'
“Run off to meet Jesus.
Tell him the problem.
Ask him why he didn’t come sooner,
why he allowed that
awful thing to happen.
And then be prepared for a surprise….
Jesus will meet your problem
with some new part of God’s future that can and will burst
into your present time, into the mess and grief,
with new possibilities.”
- N.T. Wright,
UP TO THE END OF 1066
1.Which do you consider were the more
alike, Caesar or Pompey, or vice versa ? (Be brief).
2. Discuss, in latin or gothic (but
not both), whether the Northumbrian Bishops were more schismatical
than the Cumbrian Abbots. (Be bright.)
3. Which came first, A.D. or B.C. ? (Be careful.)
5. How angry would you be if it was suggested
(1) That the Xth Chap. of theConsolations of Boethius was an interpolated palimpsest?
(2) That an eisteddfod was an agricultural implement ?6. How would you have attempted to deal
with
A Mabinogion or Wapentake ? (Be
quick.)
8. Have you the faintest recollection
of
(I) Ethelbreth
Athelthral ?
3.Thruthelthrolth ?
This is the 'Lady' who cut her son out of her will for marrying a short sighted woman outraged at the damage to her bloodline. "Are these puny faced gaunt, blotchy, ill-balanced, feeble, ungainly, withered children the young of an Imperial Race. Her Planned parent Society was designed to remove ' the diseased and the racially negligent......the feebleminded......and inferior infants. I wonder what she would have made of the recent Para- Olympics. Not surprisingly she admire Hitler and sent him poems.
Simon Pegg takes a swipe at Gervais star of the Office here in the UK "If you go to Los Angeles,
you can get sucked into [losing weight]. I've seen people go there and
suddenly become rake thin because there is a slight pressure to be
thin. I've also seen a lot of fat people there. "He's one of the fat people in LA, yes." Please note Simon Ricky is FAT in the UK also.
I came across this video, it shows the two Americas. Sadly it only had 286 views when I viewed it, when a funny dog can get thousands says plenty about our world.
Also offering support was Archbishop Mouneer Anis of Jerusalem and the Middle East. "It is with great joy that I welcome you alongside the ranks of St. Athanasius who, as Bishop of Alexandria, was deposed and exiled from his see. St. Athanasius did not waver and stood firm. History proved that his stance for orthodoxy was not in vain. I trust it will do the same for you! So please count it as honor my brother."
I came across a blog by a Father Stephen Freeman, in one of his posts there was a delightful prayer by one of his sons. He apparently had a statue of St Michael in his bedroom.
"Dear St. Michael, guard my room.
Don’t let anything eat me or kill me.
Kill it with your sword. Kill it with your sword. Amen."
On the face of it a simple prayer.
A film about a lavatory set up in Uruguay for the Pope's Visit in 1988. This is fiction, but in a Midlothian eco-friendly house which used re cycled items is the real Pope's Toilet when John Paul II visited Scotland.
Last Sunday we stopped at the Reading motorway stop for a caffein fix as we journeyed on to Bedfordshire. Ritazza Coffee sounded good. Big mistake, I think the cup of coffee were were served wa one of the vilest brews I had tasted in a long time. Recently we had thought there had been a big improvement in motorway coffee which in the past has been notoriously bad, but were clearly proved wrong. Has we waited for our £2.05 cup of coffee we watch a blue bottle crawl amongst the uncovered cakes on the coffee bar. When we mentioned this to the girl serving who to be fair did not seem to have much English just smiled and vagualy waved her hand at the offending fly. The thermos flask will be accompanying us on our next motorway journey.
s in Atlanta, Georgia."All the bishops at the Lambeth conference have been given a book to read "The Anglican Communion and Homosexuality". There are some really interesting instructions in the book on how to engage with other people. It strikes me that if bishops need these instructions what hope is there for the rest of us plebs.So are you now sitting comfortably we will begin....
To listen as actively as I can:
• I do not participate in side conversations.
• I never interrupt the person who is speaking.
• I turn off all electronic equipment (cell phones, computers, pagers, BlackBerries, etc.) and put them away.
• I show my interest in the speaker through my posture and facial expressions.
• I keep my expression and posture interested, engaged and calm, even
when I very strongly agree – or disagree – with the speaker.
• When it is my turn to speak, I first demonstrate how I have listened
to others by paraphrasing what they have said. I do this using my own
words and ask 'Have I understood you correctly?' when I have finished
my paraphrase.
• I avoid making statements that suggest or assert that I completely understand what another is saying.
• If anyone in the group behaves in ways that block or impede
listening, I support the group facilitator as they ask for these
behaviours to stop.
This means that as an active or deep listener in a dialogue we will be
receptive, encouraging, and reflective. We will strive for
understanding of others in the group and take responsibility for our
own behaviours and thoughts during the dialogue. Let us look at these
behaviours in more detail.
To be a receptive listener:
• I adopt a comfortable and open posture and facial expression.
• I avoid crossing my arms.
• I avoid judgemental or confrontational body language – pointing fingers, shaking fingers, pursing lips or scowling.
• If culturally appropriate I look at the speaker and make eye contact if the speaker looks at me.
• I avoid closing my eyes and I do not fall asleep.
As an encouraging listener I will help draw the speaker
out. This is a particularly helpful and pastoral approach with those
who are shy, reticent, or unaccustomed to being given the opportunity
to speak in this type of process. To be an encouraging listener:
• I sit forward, leaning slightly towards the speaker.
• I keep an open facial expression, occasionally smile or nod my head.
This way I can affirm that a person is contributing without necessarily
affirming what the person is saying.
• I ask for more information. I can ask a speaker if they could say more about what they are thinking to help me understand.
• I thank the previous speaker before I begin to speak.
- Mark 12:38-40
I have just finished watching the final 'Numbers'
in series 3.for those who don't know 'Numbers'
is the thinking persons FBI series.
The two main character are Charlie Epps and his
brother Don.
Charlie is super brainy and helps his brother who
appears to be in charge of the FBI.
In this last episode a former agent is dying of poisoning,
but before he dies he leaves behind a list of
double agents. After solving the case
the brothers and their father talk about
the dead agent and the father quotes part
of a poem. I was intrigued as I half recognised it.
Here it<b> "Deathbed"</b> by Siegfied Sasson.
The last two verses were the ones quoted...
The Deathbed
He drowsed and was aware of silence heaped
Round him, unshaken as the steadfast walls;
Aqueous like floating rays of amber light,
Soaring and quivering in the wings of sleep.
Silence and safety; and his mortal shore
Lipped by the inward, moonless waves of death.Someone was holding water to his mouth.
He swallowed, unresisting; moaned and dropped
Through crimson gloom to darkness; and forgot
The opiate throb and ache that was his wound.
Water—calm, sliding green above the weir.
Water—a sky-lit alley for his boat,
Bird- voiced, and bordered with reflected flowers
And shaken hues of summer; drifting down,
He dipped contented oars, and sighed, and slept.Night, with a gust of wind, was in the ward,
Blowing the curtain to a glimmering curve.
Night. He was blind; he could not see the stars
Glinting among the wraiths of wandering cloud;
Queer blots of colour, purple, scarlet, green,
Flickered and faded in his drowning eyes.Rain—he could hear it rustling through the dark;
Fragrance and passionless music woven as one;
Warm rain on drooping roses; pattering showers
That soak the woods; not the harsh rain that sweeps
Behind the thunder, but a trickling peace,
Gently and slowly washing life away.He stirred, shifting his body; then the pain
Leapt like a prowling beast, and gripped and tore
His groping dreams with grinding claws and fangs.
But someone was beside him; soon he lay
Shuddering because that evil thing had passed.
And death, who'd stepped toward him, paused and stared.Light many lamps and gather round his bed.
Lend him your eyes, warm blood, and will to live.
Speak to him; rouse him; you may save him yet.
He's young; he hated War; how should he die
When cruel old campaigners win safe through?But death replied: 'I choose him.' So he went,
And there was silence in the summer night;
Silence and safety; and the veils of sleep.
Then, far away, the thudding of the guns.
When I die, O, bury me
Within the free young wild wood;
Little birches, o'er me bent,
Lamenting as my child would!
Let my surplice-shroud be spun
Of sparkling summer clover;
While the great and stately treen
Their rich rood-screen hang over!
For my bier-cloth blossomed may
Outlay on eight green willows!
Sea-gulls white to bear my pall
Take flight from all the billows.
Summer's cloister be my church
Of soft leaf-searching whispers,
From whose mossed bench the nightingale
To all the vale chants vespers!
Mellow-toned, the brake amid,
My organ hid be cuckoo!
Paters, seemly hours and psalm
Bird voices calm re-echo!
Mystic masses, sweet addresses,
Blackbird, be thou offering;
Till God His Bard to Paradise
Uplift from sighs and suffering.
This video was quite surprise to me when I viewed it
Wise men haven't got a prayer
