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(my PGP key, and you can get PGP from here)
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He led overall socialist construction, providing on-the-spot guidance to the Wonsan Bay Salt Works, the Kwangpho Duck Farm, the Ryongsong Machine Complex, the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex, Miru Plain in North Hwanghae Province, the Moranbong Theatre and other units.Wonderful. He's a man of all weathers:
As the leader of the people, he continues inspection tours despite the biting cold, sizzling sunshine and inclement weather.Science flourishes under his benevolent gaze:
Some 2,500 technological achievements including the development of bird flu vaccine have been made and great success achieved in the sectors of sports and culture.Technological achievements such as portable medical stones, all-curing paint, the "1/f Fluctuation Treatment System" (with sound effects of famous songs), a blood-purifying ring and my favourite - the Nerve Activator which "extends the wobbling width by 5-10 years".
In the course of making these achievements the Songun leadership has shown its validity and the people’s trust in their leader has grown deeper.Naturally. And don't forget it's also been a great year in the People's Paradise for figure-skating and women's pro-boxing.
Britain is to become the first country in the world where the movements of all vehicles on the roads are recorded. A new national surveillance system will hold the records for at least two years.But don't worry, because it's really no different to how things are now:
Using a network of cameras that can automatically read every passing number plate, the plan is to build a huge database of vehicle movements so that the police and security services can analyse any journey a driver has made over several years.
"Every time you make a car journey already, you'll be on CCTV somewhere. The difference is that, in future, the car's index plates will be read as well," said Frank Whiteley, Chief Constable of Hertfordshire and chairman of the Acpo steering committee on automatic number plate recognition (ANPR).Crime scenes. Or anywhere else. It gets even better:
"What the data centre should be able to tell you is where a vehicle was in the past and where it is now, whether it was or wasn't at a particular location, and the routes taken to and from those crime scenes."
Northampton, Bradford, Stoke and the City of London have had ANPR cameras in use for some time. Many smaller towns, such as St Albans, Stevenage and Watford are in the process of being wired up.Agh, I'm living in Snoopsville. I swear they must be doing this to annoy me personally.
The time, date and place of each vehicle sighting will be stored for at least two years, with plans to extend this period to five years. Special 'data mining' software can trawl for movements and associations.Oh wonderful, our movements on record for five years. Why they don't just get on with it and fit GPS trackers to our skulls escapes me - it'll provide much better information about our movements and if you've done nothing wrong you'll have nothing to hide.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan lost his diplomatic cool with a reporter today, calling him an "overgrown schoolboy" in a show of anger at questions over his part in the Iraq oil-for-food scandal. ... His frustration showed when a British journalist, James Bone of the London Times, began questioning him about reports that Annan's son, Kojo, imported a Mercedes-Benz car into Ghana using his father's diplomatic status to avoid taxes. Annan interrupted the reporter ... "I think you're being very cheeky," Annan said. "Listen James Bone, you've been behaving like an overgrown schoolboy in this room for many, many months and years. You are an embarrassment to your colleagues and to your profession. Please stop misbehaving and please let's move on to a serious subject," ...Well ooooh, hark at him. Full transcript here.
"I do not know whether Iran is intent on developing nuclear weapons, but even if it does, other countries in the Middle East region already have such weapons. So why should not Iran have them?"Other speakers at what is laughably described as a "peace conference" include noted workers-for-peace Robert Mugabe, bomb supporter Tariq Ali and crazed professor Michel "the Americans cause earthquakes" Chossudovsky.
UK Fuel Dump Blasts Were a PsyOpThere's audio in which he explains that the fire must have been deliberately set by government agents because...
No other trade fair has such a vast,and:
Economic technological impact...
Drupa, Drupa International printing and paper fair,Agh, make the nasty songs stop!
We welcome you to Dusseldorf Germany,
To see what's new,
In the graphics industry...
IRA 'is not involved with crime'He's a funny one, that Shaun Woodward - a real thigh-slapper, and no mistake.
The IRA is no longer involved in organised crime, Security Minister Shaun Woodward has said. ...
Earlier British police denied the claims of some eyewitnesses that a plane was flying low before the first explosion... Police sources denied rumors of a plane flying near the Buncenfield installation... The practice of using the statements of Police Officials [is] a standard practice of Western Nations in keeping catastrophic terrorist event news from being heard by their people.... this attack [by CIA and Mossad] was meant as a ‘Warning’ to the British Prime Minister should he release any further information relating to Israel’s Nuclear Arsenal ...Bravo. I'm especially impressed by the reasoning that denials by police (and everyone else) of a crashing aeroplane prove the involvement of a crashing aeroplane. After all... why else would they be denying it?
The first blast happened at 0603 GMT and was in the Netherlands.So how would that affect a fuel dump in South East England?
In total, 20 petrol tanks were involved, each said to hold three million gallons of fuel.That's a whole lot of fuel - I'm astonished there were only 2 serious injuries. John lives closer to the site and has photos of the smoke.
Most politicians "are interested not in truth but in power and the maintenance of that power", the 75-year-old said. ... He said politicians feel it is "essential that people remain in ignorance, that they live in ignorance of the truth, even the truth of their own lives". Pinter said the US justification for invading Iraq - that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction - "was not true". "The truth is something entirely different," Pinter added. "The truth is to do with ...And he certainly knows a lot about, and sets great stock by, truth. That's why he's in the logically rigorous trade of play-writing. As the man himself says:
In 1958 I wrote the following:That clears that one up.
"There are no hard distinctions between what is real and what is unreal, nor between what is true and what is false. A thing is not necessarily either true or false; it can be both true and false."
Maya Anne Evans, 25, a vegan cook from Hastings, was found guilty of breaching Section 132 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act.Of course, I'm all for cracking down on Serious Organised Crime, so what Serious Organised Crime had she committed? None whatsoever:
She was arrested in October after reading out names of soldiers killed in Iraq at central London's Cenotaph. She read out names of 97 British soldiers killed in Iraq while fellow campaigner Milan Rai, 40, a writer, read out names of dead Iraqi civilians.How can that possibly be criminal? It shouldn't be, but it is, because they hadn't got permission from the police. Absurd and draconian. I disagree with Miss Evans, but she should be free to peacefully express herself near Parliament without having to get official permission.
Both were arrested and Miss Evans was held for five hours at Charing Cross police station before being charged.
At the moment, the only two emblems recognised under the Geneva conventions are the red cross and the red crescent ...A fair point. But prolifieration into "hundreds of symbols" is not the problem being discussed.
"Hundreds of emblems would mean they would not be recognised, and so they would not be respected", [a Red Cross legal director] explains.
The problem is, the star of David is primarily Israel's national symbol, rather than an emblem of humanitarian relief.The use of a star of David on the Israeli flag disqualifies it? Yet strangely neither the use of a cresent on the national flags of Algeria, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Tunisia, Turkey, Malaysia and the very contentious Northern Cyprus nor crosses on the flags of various Scandanavian countries, former soviet republics and arch imperialists seem to prohibit their use. Just seems a bit odd.
Arab states have made it clear they will never accept the red star being recognised under the Geneva Conventions.
But there is one issue which might get in the way - many Arab countries already see the third emblem as an unnecessary accommodation of Israel.So it seems that at least for some it has nothing to do with finding a "non-national" symbol - it's about not recognising any symbol that has anything to do with Israel. Do that and I suppose the next thing you know you're on the slippery slope to recognising the country's existence.
Scientists of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have developed a new adhesive (PO-C-2 -100). It is applied to adhering tiles and various sizes of granite and marble slabs tightly to concrete walls and ensuring waterproof. ...Another great leap ahead for the people's paradise. In other news, the creditable implementation of joint slogans was called for.
Two months ago the year-old tabby cat sneaked into an office supplies company near her home in Appleton and hid in a container of paper bound for France. After a three-week sea voyage the much thinner, but healthy cat, emerged. ...They seem to have a habit of doing that.
The RAF has become so stretched by operations that it can no longer spare aircraft or crew to train paratroopers. ...Of course, this wouldn't be complete without a procurement absurdity:
Parachute Regiment commanders have complained that recruits who have passed the tough P Company selection course will be sent to Afghanistan in the spring without gaining their coveted wings. ...
"Good quality people are becoming increasingly brassed off," [a] soldier said. "It is a complete waste of money, effort and resources." A Para officer said: "The regiment has a first-class esprit de corps, possibly the best in the Army, through the common experience of the combined challenges of P Company and parachuting. ...
The situation has been aggravated because the new Hercules Mark 5 transport aircraft can safely drop paratroopers from only one door instead of two because of the propeller wash.Oh for heaven's sake.
(George Bush has another name that is often used to identify him politically. He’s a Republican from Texas. If you add up Republican in the most commonly used Pythagorean system you get 9+5+7+3+2+3+9+3+1+9 = 51 = 5+1 = 6. If you add up Texas you get 2+5+6+1+1 = 15 = 1+5 = 6. And if you add up Texas Republican you get 15 + 51 = 66.)And so on like that. It's very impressive.
(Ever wonder why George Herbert Walker Bush Sr. left the 'Herbert' out when naming his son? George = six letters, Walker = six letters, and BushJr (or 'Busche', which was the original German spelling of their name) = six letters. = 666. Once again, the number of the beast.)
But hold onto your hat, because we are far from finished. ...
"One has a sense that this is not going to end in a nice fashion."Quite. I was about to say how surprised I was that nobody had yet accused the Americans or Iraqi government of the kidnapping, but... guess what?
Pentagon Black Ops: Abducting Peacemakers in Iraq... One look at the Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq website and it becomes obvious who abducted Kember and his associates and why. CPT has worked as an alternative voice to the reporters ‘embedded’ with Coalition forces... have documented abuse of detainees by Coalition forces... sincerely upsets the Pentagon and the Bushcons... blah blah... makes absolutely no sense for the Iraqi resistance to kidnap Kember and his associates.... blah blah etc...Hey ho.
Our fiercely independent approach to covering the news without regard to party indoctrination has made us famous in an age where propaganda routinely surrogates the "free press."Their fiercely independent approach finally allows us to read about Marilyn Monroe and the aliens at Roswell, how alien antigravity technology ties in with Watergate, and something about the moons of Mars actually being alien spaceships in disguise.
There is nothing quite as exhilarating as discovering a Sci-Fi, Fantasy or Horror classic-to-be that has gone unnoticed by the general movie watching population. I've personally chosen a select group of movies that were entertaining, original, and memorable to share with you.My cynical side briefly wondered whether "classic-to-be that has gone unnoticed by the general movie watching population" is code for "dross that we picked up cheap after it bombed at the box office". The "classic Shatner Collection" is also mentioned. Sadly I think it's only available to US residents, or else I'd have been damn tempted to sign up.
Prices of wholesale gas have almost doubled during the past week, prompting fears about winter supplies to the UK. ...Comical long woollen underwear - that's what's I say we need. Like these. Not only warm, but flame retardant too.
Hmmm. Or maybe that's just what they want you to think?...Among a fringe community of paranoids, aluminum helmets serve as the protective measure of choice against invasive radio signals. We investigate the efficacy of three aluminum helmet designs on a sample group of four individuals. Using a $250,000 network analyser, we find that although on average all helmets attenuate invasive radio frequencies in either directions (either emanating from an outside source, or emanating from the cranium of the subject), certain frequencies are in fact greatly amplified. These amplified frequencies coincide with radio bands reserved for government use according to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). Statistical evidence suggests the use of helmets may in fact enhance the government's invasive abilities. We speculate that the government may in fact have started the helmet craze for this reason.
David Irving is being held in Austria under laws against denying the Holocaust.Just like Zundel, he's a vile little man with vile little ideas, so I'm sort of glad they're both in trouble. But I really don't like the idea of laws restricting what people can say about events 60 years ago, which smacks of thought-crime. Zundel and Irving's work is so weak that it can be destroyed by proper history anyway, and banning it won't make it go away but it probably does give it a sort of perverse credibility among those people where it can do harm.
“The next thing I knew, the harbour master had driven up behind me with a megaphone, saying, ‘You’re trespassing, please turn back’ ... “I was told that the cycle path was for cyclists only, as if walkers and not cyclists were the only ones likely to plant bombs. There are no signs anywhere saying there are to be no pedestrians.Jeeesus. Top quote: "at one stage one of the [police] officers asked her to stop laughing".
“They took me to the police station and held me for several hours before charging me and releasing me.” ...
Randell Mills [claims] to have built a prototype power source that generates up to 1,000 times more heat than conventional fuel. ... What has much of the physics world up in arms is Dr Mills's claim that he has produced a new form of hydrogen, the simplest of all the atoms, with just a single proton circled by one electron. In his "hydrino", the electron sits a little closer to the proton than normal, and the formation of the new atoms from traditional hydrogen releases huge amounts of energy. ..Hmmm, let's have a look for the classic ingredients of a "loony inventor builds antigravity ray powered by perpetual motion engine" story.
Two boats full of pirates approached the Seabourn Spirit and opened fire while bandits tried to get on board. A rocket-propelled grenade crashed through the side of the liner and into a suite. Its sleeping occupants were unhurt.The crew succeeded in "repelling the attackers without returning fire". Why ever not? Hmmm: "the crew deployed a high-decibel sonic gun to deafen the pirates". Stuff that. If the other side's got machine guns and anti-tank rockets I'd want some of these to help tilt the playing field in my favour.
World's most useless thing unveiled:
A new multimedia kiosk to allow people to report crime without visiting their local police station has been opened.Oh, FFS. How difficult is it to summon a policeman on Watford High Street? How is this kiosk better than a normal phone box? Oh silly me - I forgot: this multimedia kiosk - unlike a phone box - is open 24 hours a day. No... hang on... that's not right. Brain... hurting...
The kiosk on the High Street in Watford will provide a 24-hour facility where people can contact the police via email, phone or online.
Chief Superintendent Jeremy Alford, Western Area Commander, said: “By installing a police kiosk in the busy centre of Watford, we hope to increase police accessibility and provide reassurance for shoppers and residents who are concerned about crime. ...Yes, I can just imagine it providing reassurance. I'm sure that people are thinking this, right now: "I used to be concerned about crime and criminals, but that multimedia kiosk has really set my mind at rest."
President Kim Il Sung was presented with a gift by a delegation of the National Integrated Study and Research Centre of Nepal ...Okay. Just one question. How is that possible, given that Kim Il Sung has been dead for eleven years?
Environmental group Greenpeace has been fined almost $7,000 (£4,000) for damaging a coral reef at a World Heritage site in the Philippines. Their flagship Rainbow Warrior II ran aground at Tubbataha Reef Marine Park, in the Sula Sea, 650km (400 miles) south-east of Manila. ...Eco-vandals! Fortunately, Greenpeace have a spokesman on hand:
Greenpeace agreed to pay the fine, but blamed the accident on outdated maps provided by the Philippines government. "The chart indicated we were a mile and a half" from the coral reef when the ship ran around, regional Greenpeace official Red Constantino told AFP news agency. ...That's right, it's the map's fault and the government's fault. Running aground is certainly not the fault of the people sailing the ship.
Raise air passenger duty to end the cheap flight bonanza, as CO2 emissions from aircraft are the most rapidly rising in Britain and also the most damaging: they go straight into the stratosphere.A point we can only hope will sink in at the 'Independent', so recently offering guides to travelling long haul, such as to Central America, or the "thrill-seeker's paradise" of Dubai, or to Adelaide - just one of many exotic destinations promoted in association with Emirates airlines. Alternatively, "Shop 'til you drop in New York" ought to appeal to the determinied anti-consumerist airline-shunning Independent reader.
HAVE A LATE-NIGHT TALK WITH GEORGE BUSH.Get George Bush to change? Forget George Bush... perhaps the Independent could start by having a late night talk with the Independent.
Do anything you can to get George Bush to change his mind about climate change. ...