Justice Nigerian Style

An Islamic sect leader in Nigeria was captured by troops yesterday after a two day battle which claimed over 600 lives. Mustafa Yusuf  headed the extremist “boko Hara” which translated means books are forbidden, this group are opposed to Western values and do not accept democracy and capitalism, even our medicine is rejected, they fight for a pure Islamic state.

Since being formed in 2003 this group have been responsible for thousands of death’ the 140 million population of Nigeria is split  between Christian’s and Muslims and the sectarian violence has become more brutal and widespread since then.

In this latest battle Once the troops had finished  their offensive they handed Yusuf over to the local police who shot him dead, no trial no appeal, no bleeding heart to plead his case, no burden on the taxpayer, no pity no mercy.

Once again we have been shown the way by a so called third world Government, take note of the Nigerian way Gordon with an election coming up in a few months here is a guaranteed vote winner.

Paul McCartney

An Exclusive in one of  the tabloids reports today that Paul McCartney is to stop touring he is almost 70 years old, The article was framed in such a way as to appear shocking, why I don’t know the man is nearly 70 years old.

It’s said that he wants a final spectaular to finish of with a tour that takes in China and Berlins Checkpoint Charlie, have I mentioned he is almost 70 years old.

He has already earmarked shows for Brazil next April and is interested in playing gigs for a Barack Obama benefit night’, and has hinted he may perform with Tina Turner who is also 70 years old.

Call me ageist if you like but I don’t want to attend a “pop” concert where the principal acts keep stopping for toilet breaks or have to be helped on and of the stage, god forbid Tina Turner attempts to look sexy. with a combined age of 140 these two should pack it in and let the youngsters strut their stuff.

Before I get attacked for claiming pop is  a youngsters game let me pose these two questions, Men who would you rather look and listen to Tina Turner or Britney and ladies McCartney or Enrique.... I thought so, I rest my case.

Hostage Crisis

Two more Family’s were devastated this week after receiving news that  more hostages have been killed in Iraq, Alan McMenemy and Alec Maclachlan were the latest two from the original five kidnapped in 2007 to be reported dead.

The Family’s are reported as saying that the Government did not do enough in trying to secure their release, sadly this probably is true. But its clear that negotiation would only encourage further hostage taking, If it were a member of my family I would be screaming for the powers that be to do everything and anything to get them back, but ultimately would have to accept that this would only make things worse.

One more hostage Peter Moore out  of the original five  remains  in the kidnappers hands, let us hope for his safe return though that does seem unlikely now. I have commented  in this blog previously that maybe our citizens should be stopped from going to work in these trouble spots for their own good , I reiterate that desire again today.

Eye for an Eye

Police in Worcester Massachusetts in the United States have appealed for a killer to reveal where the unborn foetus of Murdered Darlene Haynes is. Darlene was 8 months pregnant when her blood soaked corpse was found on Wednesday, wrapped in a blanket and hidden in a cupboard.

The baby had been cut out of her stomach, she was so badly mutilated that at first Police could not determine the sex of the victim. She was found by the Landlord after other tenants complained of the smell coming from her apartment. Twenty three year old Darlene had two other children aged 3 and 4 and was reported as having had learning difficulty’s, her Grandmother described her as a troubled child.

There are no obvious suspects in the case her on/of  boyfriend Roberto Rodriguez has been interviewed and released and is not considered a suspect, though he was the subject of a restraining order which meant he was not allowed to contact or approach her. Police say the baby would be able to survive if urgent medical care was given.

What kind of monster could cut a baby out of its mothers stomach, the mind boggles at such a picture, and yet this crime is sadly not unique, if there is any comfort to be taken its that if and when the perpetrator of this inhuman act is caught, the possibility exists that he or she could forfeit their own lives.

We saw this week the contrast in the way this country and the US deal with this kind of crime, we have just had a case where a young girl was mutilated so badly by a jealous boyfriend that she begged to be allowed to die, her face so badly disfigured her own parents were unable to recognise her, and yet he received a sentence so feeble  that it will enable him to one day continue with his own life, our Transatlantic cousins on the other hand will fight to have Darlene’s killer executed.

We have adopted  many things from The US we copy their music, their films, we take on their fashions, lets now adopt their attitude to dealing with crime. its time for an eye for an eye maybe that will make criminals think twice. I propose we bring back capital punishment, critics say statistics show that capital punishment does not reduce crime, I say they WILL  affect statistics ,by at least 1 every time a criminal is executed.

Amy Leigh Barnes

Ricardo Morrison the man who Murdered Model and actress Amy Leigh Barnes was sentenced to life imprisonment yesterday, with a minimum sentence of 24 years this is not enough for that animal the way he killed that poor young girl he should never be released.

He is only 22 years old and will only be 46 when released and will have time to make a life and god forbid have a family.

The law is toothless. Life should mean life, where is the deterrent for the next Ricardo Morrison. Amy was locked in a bedroom and not allowed out because of Morrison’s jealousy, she was an attractive girl and had many admirers, and went to clubs that footballers frequented, she knew quite a lot of them and had dated Benni McCarthy of Blackburn previously.

On the day she died she had rang for help from her dad who was on his way to release her. Morrison got there first he stabbed her many times and hacked away at her face presumably to ruin her looks so other men would not look at her, he then cut her throat and left her to die, this is how her Father found her, she was so badly hurt that on her way into the operating theatre she was begging to be allowed to die.

In court Morisson wore a string vest and flexed his muscles for the grieving family so they could see his physique. This animal should be given the death sentence I would happily pull the lever to hang him. alternatively let life mean life.

Terrorism, It’s a Hard life

Have you ever stopped to consider what a life is like for a Terrorist, is it a series of smoke filled rooms planning and plotting new atrocities, living life on the run moving from one safe house to another, constantly looking over your shoulder. Apparently not for Noordin Mohamed the Leader of Jemaah Islamiyah the South East  Asia affiliate to Al Qaeda.

this is the man suspected of planning the Jakarta hotel bombings in Indonesia this month. His wife thought he taught at an Islamic school and was not suspicious of his frequent trips away from home. When he was at home she said he was a model husband helping to cook and clean, look after the kids, reading them bedtime story’s, and praying at the local mosque.

But then he would be of on one of  his many  “trips” which always coincided with a terrorist attack , he has been linked to attacks on the Marriot hotels in 2003 and suicide attacks in Jakarta in 2004 and 2005. Mohammed has now gone on the run escaping before a raid on a hideout on June 21, and has now been named as the mastermind behind  the July 17 attacks on the Ritz and Marriot hotels which killed at least seven people and injured many more. It appears to be a full time job being a terrorist though it does not look like he will be doing any bedtime reading to his children for a while.

Ministry of Shame

Corporal Tony Duncan was shot and wounded in the leg in Iraq, as soon as he was back on his feet he was in Afghanistan taking part in the huge offensive named Panthers Claw which finished in Helmund Province this week, a spectaular operation that has cleared huge swathe of  land of Taliban fighters and made the area safe, safe enough for people to return to their homes and take part in upcoming elections.

This was achieved at great personal cost to our troops, at least 20 were killed over that 4 week period. Now in a unbelievable action The Ministry of Defence is taking Tony to court arguing the compensation he received, in Corporal Duncans case £46.000 was to much.

This from the same Ministry of Defence that has paid out many Millions to Iraqi civilians who claim to have been ill treated by our soldiers.

Every day we  hear new story’s about  the incompetence of this Government, even their timing in bringing this case stinks, as Ministry officials argued their case in court  another plane flew overhead bringing home the bodies of four more British soldiers  killed in action. they should change their name To the Ministry of Shame.

BB Eviction Prediction

I did say for a bit of fun I would keep predicting each weeks eviction until I got one wrong, well I am still in so here goes, after some  thought  I believe Noirin will be kicked out,  not that it means Marcus deserves to stay in but as they say in the land of the blind the one eyed man is king, so the best of a bad couple is Marcus. Noirin shades my decision on the slag factor in this she scores heavily, the old gag of having a mattress attached to her back to save time does seem apt for her. She really is desperate to stay in so she has cosied up to pretty much all the blokes only the odd couple Charlie and Rodrigo escaping her attention, if I were Dogface I would sleep with one eye open for fear she will start on  the girls next. So Noirin out with a sizeable majority.

Hartson fights back

Who says there is no good news around, John Hartson appears to be on the mend after the doom and gloom surrounding his condition, See Here. Doctors report he is getting stronger, and that his second brain op went extremely well, he had the operation at the weekend to relieve fluid from his brain.

He may soon be strong enough to start chemotherapy, after being diagnosed with testicular cancer which quickly spread to his brains and lungs, John was not expected to survive, but like the tough guy we know he is he continues to fight back. the  game is at half  time and the score between Hartson and Cancer is 1-0, lets hope he can keep it up.

Bruno Death Threats

Comedian Sacha baron Cohen is having to review his security after receiving death threats from a Palestinian based terror group, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs issued the threats after Cohen ridiculed them in his latest film Bruno.

In the film Cohen interviews the groups leader Ayman Abu Aita who believes the interview is a serious one and does not realise he is being sent up. 

References are made throughout the interview to Homosexuals, Saddam, and Moustache’s all while trying to persuade the group to kidnap him, insisting he only wants to be held hostage by the best terror group around. Now while I don’t have any sympathy for the terrorist group involved here, the references to them in the film are actually very funny, nor do I have any for Cohen who is a highly intelligent man and knew what he was doing when he set this group up for laughs.

After his previous film Borat was released he had to defend against over 200 lawsuits around the world, and some serious threats of  violence from Kazakhstan nationals who felt he made them look like backward peasants in the eyes of the world. But in this day and age and in the current climate it was reckless in the extreme to think that he could get away with attacking the leader on screen before the whole world of one the worst terror groups in the Middle East.

Cohen is already a very wealthy man and did not need to act so foolish to get laughs, what’s the point of being so rich if you spend the rest of your life behind locked gates. With the Kazakhstan threats he smoothed it over with a apology and some sizeable donations to Kazakhstan charity’s, how he charms killers and suicide bombers I don’t know.

Children Bombers

By now any regular reader knows my feeling on the barbaric Taliban and all they stand for, how they do what they do and claim it’s for religion is beyond me, I’m sure most decent minded people would agree with that.

But yet they are able to reach new lows, today its reported that up to 1500 children varying in age from 7 to 13 had been kidnapped in the Swat valley for use as suicide bombers, five were rescued this weekend, and they tell a harrowing tale.

They speak of up to 16 hours a day in classrooms being brainwashed to the twisted version of Islam these fanatics follow, even being encouraged to kill their own parents if they are perceived to support the  Government or US troops in any way. These children were taken when the Taliban were grabbing huge areas of land in Swat with no opposition, its only when they looked to threaten Islamabad and with pressure from the US did the Pakistani’s act.

Their offensive has been reasonably successful, Swat is being purged of Taliban, yet the children remain missing, its believed they have been sold on to other groups. Anybody out there that had any sympathy with the Taliban cause, please think again.

EU Arrest Warrants

Deborah Dark from Richmond in West London is on the run from the French Judicial system, there is a Europe wide arrest warrant out for her. the 45 year old grandmother is the victim of Europe’s fast track extradition system. Her problems started when she went to Spain to visit her sick father.

On her way home she was arrested at French customs when cannabis was found hidden in her hire car. she was tried and acquitted after 8 months on remand. The alleged crime took place in 1988 when she was 24 years old, Deborah was stopped while driving a hire car home from a holiday in Spain with her 8 year old daughter, customs found cannabis hidden in the car.

Miss Dark claimed at the time that a boyfriend had asked her to hire the car in her name as he had no licence, and she knew nothing of the drugs, the court believed her and she was acquitted. She ended her association with the boyfriend and returned home.  The prosecution appealed her case 2 years later and she was sentenced to 6 years jail in her absence. Neither Miss Dark or her lawyer were made aware of this.

Twenty years later on a holiday to Turkey she was arrested at gunpoint, detained strip searched and handcuffed, only after Interpol conceded there was nothing on their database was she released, only to be arrested again a year later this time in Spain, who after investigation refused to extradite her to France. The warrant is still active. Our own legal system also refuse’s to extradite her.

What a nonsense of a system where  a trial could take place without the defendant or any legal sort of legal representation attending, then once this shambles produced a verdict how could the “guilty” party not be sought out and informed. another example of European law that falls on its face in practise. Our own laws have served us well enough for hundreds of years, the sooner we revert back to them the better.

Tricky Terry

So after 5 weeks speculation John Terry decides to stay at Chelsea., he says “there was never any possibility of me leaving the club I love”  If that’s true why did he take 5 weeks to speak out, and of course the £30,000  a week pay rise he hung for had nothing to do with it.

Wannabee Taliban Scum

Colnbrook immigration centre is in the news because of the number of Taliban supporters it houses. Scores of inmates are being recruited there as Taliban fighters who claim they will join the battle against the British as soon as they are returned home. They are said to be delirious with excitement at the news of British casualty’s, and have taken to singing football style chants like 8-0 -8-0 at news of the biggest single days casualty’s we have had so far this year. There have been some high profile inmates held there including Abu Qatada reported to be Bin Laden's right hand man in Europe. Well I say Let them go lets ship them out immediately, anyone who wants to fight let’s take and drop them into the battle zone we will see how tough these scum talk then. Its easy to be brave thousands of miles away from the front line with a roof over your head and 3 meals  day, If these animals hate us so much why are they here in the first place, and why do they fight so hard through the courts to be allowed to stay,

Beckham The Thug

A new video released today shows what David Beckham really said to the fan he argued with last week. Though Beckham claimed it was not a big deal and he only offered to shake the mans hand, this footage clearly shows him swearing at and offering to fight the fan as seen here.

I called Beckham a thug in my last piece and I call him a thug again today. How this overpaid overrated has been continues to dominate news coverage I don’t know.  Once you realise that he is only courted by clubs for his commercial value rather than his footballing ability, you begin to understand why he is acting  like a prima donna, coming to the end of his career must hurt, though he was a decent footballer he is 34 years old now, and his best years are a long way behind him.

Our own FA should be held to account to for insisting that Beckham be part of the team . A place in the squad should be earned on merit not for any other reason. Knowing that the whole World  knows why he is included  goes some way to explaining his behaviour recently.

Gerrard. A Joke Verdict

What an absolute joke the verdict in the Steven Gerrard was, he was found not guilty of causing an affray  or assault even though following a minor row his friend elbowed the victim in the face  and as he was reeling from that blow Gerrard struck him at least 3 times in the face in “self defence”.

I am able to form an opinion because like millions of others I have seen the video footage of that incident, at no stage in that clip does the victim Marcus McGhee attempt or succeed in fighting back. How the Liverpool  midfielder could claim self defence amazes me, after their initial disagreement Gerrard walked away to return minutes later and start the row again, note McGee did not approach Gerrard but rather vice versa.

But even more astonishing than the court’s decision was the statement to come out of Anfield after the verdict, which read, Whether Gerrard had been found guilty or not it would not have affected his position or status at the club, also from a sponsorship point of view no contracts would be adversely  affected. Talk about a licence to do and behave as you please, no wonder our top stars act the way they do. One law for the rich and famous one for us.

Toy Policemen

Another day another ridiculous idea from this Labour Government, Private security company’s to issue on the spot fines for things like graffiti, Dogs fouling the streets, litter, anti social behaviour and so on, they will also be able to direct traffic. The latest firm to be accredited to this scheme is Eventguard a Norfolk based company who supply bouncers to clubs.

So “Policeman” by day Bouncer by night, easy to see where the problems will arise here. There are around 1500 people across the UK licensed by the relevant Chief constables to perform these jobs, though they are trained and have to wear a uniform they are really not Police in fact they are ranked third tier, that is below Community support officers. 

More worryingly Security Guards Park Wardens, Parking attendants and  Shopping centre Guards have access to the National police computer, they are able to check if a person has a criminal record before issuing a fine, if  a record is discovered then they bring in the real Police. 

Not long before accusations of inappropriate use of the National computer base for settling personal scores. I can see this scheme causing problems in the streets to, little enough respect is shown to our real Police let alone these toy ones. I have said it before and I will say it again you cant make this stuff up.

Swine Flu Helpline

The new national telephone helpline set up by the Government in response to the dramatic number of cases of swine flu being diagnosed each day, got of to a less than brilliant start yesterday. first of all it collapsed under the sheer volume of calls,  it was at one point receiving a reported 156,000 calls per hour, a response to the scaremongering of the last couple of weeks, the numbers are rising but the overwhelming majority of these cases will suffer no more than a few days of regular flu like symptoms and then recover with no ill effects. Even without medication the number of fatalities are thankfully  still low, with the number being downsized to 31 deaths so far. As usual Labours half arsed approach to organising the helpline has produced some comical moments. by hiring staff  who’s grasp of the English language is at best Broken  and at worst hopeless to man the phones they have produced these gem’s. Operator to caller “are you unconscious” are you “difficult to wake” are you “unresponsive”. one caller after reporting a sore throat was advised “you wont need medicine until you are worse”.  You couldn’t make this stuff up. On a serious note if anyone is concerned about their health or anyone else’s and wants to take a chance with the helpline the number is 0800 1513 100.

Death Of Bin Laden

The  news yesterday that Bin Laden had been killed in  a US drone attack in Pakistan resulted in rabid hysteria in the media and  near meltdown in Muslim chat rooms, until it was clarified that it was not the notorious terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden but rather his son Saad Bin Laden that had perished. Though not a scalp to be sniffed at the younger Bin Laden was collateral damage a by product of an attack on a suspected Al Quaeda hideout in Pakistan,  Junior was not deemed an important enough target to be gone after alone.  While it would be a coup for the West to find and kill the senior Bin Laden it would really only be a psychological victory, in practical terms his death would not have any serious  impact on his organisation. Increasingly Bin Laden’s status is of a figurehead an inspirational leader more than a battlefield General. the last 8 years have seen him completely isolated  reduced to Rants via audio cassette, even they have lost their edge, the last couple  of messages being almost comical rather than menacing.  I will raise a glass when he is finally killed or captured 9/11 remains the most awful thing I have seen in my lifetime.

Israel Get Go Ahead

It looks as though the US is giving the go ahead for Israel to go  bomb Iranian nuclear sites, Hilary Clinton the Secretary of state has offered the “umbrella” of defence to other Arab country’s in the region, to counter the threat from a  Nuclear Iran.

Clinton speaking from a meeting of foreign ministers in Thailand said acquiring nuclear weapons would not make Iran safer because America would work to upgrade the defence capability of their allies in that region. This provoked an angry response from the Israeli’s who see it as an acceptance on the part of the US that a Nuclear armed Iran is inevitable.

This looks like a bluff by the US who are playing  clever game, after trying for so long to get Iran to the negotiating table with limited success they have decide to let Israel of the leash, though they are going about it in a roundabout way. I said earlier that I expected action from Israel before the end of the year this statement from Clinton reinforces that belief.

Avoidable Deaths

The fire which claimed the lives of 6 people a couple of weeks ago in a tower block in Camberwell has been found to have been caused by an electrical fire after a portable TV was left plugged in.

What a terrible way to die six lives snuffed out so pointlessly,  among the dead was a six year old  and a three week old baby both girls, this should remind us of  how dangerous day to day appliances in our homes are, many of us are guilty of being lax where our own safety is concerned, after all where could you feel more safe than in your own home, let this be a reminder to us all of the importance of being vigilant. 

Fire safety officers point out that all TV’s whilst not being used  should be unplugged at all times. Most people have a ritual at bedtime where they check that doors  and windows  are locked , for the sake of your family’s wellbeing add switching of the TV at the plug to that routine.

Eviction Time Again

Because of my 100% success rate on Big Brother evictions, I have yet to get one wrong. I am going to try again this week,  though it does look tough this time with so many up for eviction, I will continue with this bit of fun until I call one wrong. After a little deliberation I am going to go for Kenneth, normally at this point I would offer my reasons and say a few words about my selection, however this man is so horribly obnoxious I cant even be bothered to insult him.So for me its Ken with a huge amount of the vote.

London Development Agency….Crooks?

On the 11th of July I wrote about a case in the high court in which  someone close to me was ruled against, I wont bore you with all the details but the case centred on a interpretation of a single word in this case the word was “lease”.

The London Development agency known as the LDA have bought up a patch of land in Lewisham and are looking to develop it, on that site existing business’s as I pointed out earlier were enticed to leave with a mixture of carrot and stick, my friend though was invited to walk away from a business he had built up over a number of years and which is his only source of income with no compensation.

Pointing out that he had a lease and was entitled to be reimbursed for the inconvenience of being forcibly moved on seemed to be the catalyst for their legal team to play dirty, first of all approaching the company that assigned the lease they bought the land and persuaded the seller to refer to my friends lease as a licence this changed things dramatically as a licence holder not a lease holder it appeared LDA could evict him for free, my friend challenged this and subsequently lost on the interpretation of that word.

Now the sums involved here are in the grand scheme of a £250 million development tiny, but in looking to save money they rode roughshod over a small business man who now faces crippling legal fees while he waits to hear if he has the right to appeal. Many times during this process my friend referred to the LDA as crooks and how right he was, The LDA is now being investigated for missing moneys estimated at between 60-100 million pounds, two members of staff have been suspended and more suspensions could follow, co-operation from management there is not easily forthcoming,.

John Biggs Labours deputy leader at the London assembly said and I quote “there are a lot of serious questions to be answered and its frustrating that they are hiding behind internal procedures and disciplines to avoid answering ” in a separate report published in March this year, the Audit Commission highlighted systemic weaknesses in the LDA's financial management and use of resources covering the period 2007-08 that required "urgent improvement" in a number of areas. I am emailing a copy of this to London Mayor Boris Johnson and hope that fair play and decency will overcome and he will review my friends situation, So far the only winners in this situation are the Barristers/Solicitors with their exorbitant fee's.

The NHS

Our National health Service has more than it’s fair share of critics, But I have always felt that a lot of the criticism is receives is unfair. I am not referring to the administrative side but rather the healthcare it provides. Through my own immediate family and through friends I have seen it operate up close and the overwhelming majority of our healthcare professionals are fantastic. The expertise we have in this Country is second only to America, yes there are areas in which we are perhaps not as  advanced, whether it is due to lack of funding, or complacency I don’t know, or maybe  the disease is not “fashionable” enough like Aids which  has billions spent on it.  I refer to help for children with illness’s outside the norm, rarer conditions that need more funding,  again I speak from personal experience. But overall the dedication and genuine concern of our Doctors and Nurses  shines through. I use my Humble blog today to  offer them a heartfelt thank you.

A Pandemic

Conflicting advice from the Government regarding swine flu has done nothing to ease public concern, My understanding is that swine flu at the moment is no worse, in fact is less virulent than normal flu, this is not to say it cant mutate and become more dangerous. Currently fatality’s though tragic for the family’s concerned are miniscule, things could change though as we move into the colder months Autumn is just around the corner, what should  help containment is that the schools are on holiday around the country for the next 6 weeks or so,  however this is not the good news that it first appears. Some experts believe that exposing children to it now while it is mild would then give them an immunity built up naturally from the body’s own defences. This Pandemic as it is now classed is proving hard to contain,  in the Middle East many country’s have advised their populations not to travel to Mecca this year for the annual Haj pilgrimage, 3 million people are expected to travel to Saudi Arabia in the next five months. Two Iranians had recently returned home with the H1N1 virus. Arab Ministers are meeting In Cairo to try to formulate a plan that could avoid the pilgrimage being cancelled, Clerics are saying it must go on calling it a Divine duty. Back home documents leaked show plans already in place to possibly play football match’s behind closed doors, the sooner the Government get vaccinating the better.

Ronaldo

I know it was  only a  pre season friendly and the result does not mean anything but Real Madrid played Shamrock  Rovers last night in Ireland and the eighty million pound man Ronaldo had a stinker, he was marked out of the game by  a Shamrock defence that I wont even bother to name because  unless you are related to any of them you would not recognise any of the names.  Madrid eventually scored in the 87th minute to scrape a 1-0 win. Just to put the opposition into context Ronaldo earns in 10 minutes what the Shamrock team  combined earn in a week. The Portuguese winger/striker missed a succession of free kicks and appeared way of the pace. Manchester Utd target before he elected to go to  Madrid Karim Benzema scored the only goal. I bet Fergusons cocoa tasted sweet last night.

Not so Posh and Becks

David  Beckham Lost the plot over the weekend and challenged a fan to a fight, I saw his interview afterwards on sky news and he claimed he just wanted to shake the fans hand, rubbish he wanted to fight, lately he is looking like a yob, which is pretty much what he is, those tattoo’s all over his body are ridiculous. But not as ridiculous as the spectacle him and his wife are making of themselves. the desperate attempts at staying in the public eye ,they don’t need the money so why is “Posh” prostituting herself this way she has 3 sons (god help them) the oldest who is old enough to be able to wonder why Mummy is draped across Daddy in magazines in her underwear. Everybody knows those pictures are airbrushed anyway, I was unlucky enough to see some pictures in a tabloid last weekend of the Beckhams on a yacht somewhere and these pictures hadn’t been tampered with and she looked awful, very skinny so you could practically count her ribs and with visible stretch marks consistent with a woman who had given birth three times. I thought Katie and the Greek were the most pathetic couple ever, but they are no more so step forward the Beckhams to take over as the most desperate couple around.

Afghan Update

I see the Government has bowed to pressure, after a torrid time in the press  with  John Hutton the Defence Secretary announcing that British troops in Afghanistan will get whatever they need to do the job, the shameful situation where our troops were put in extra danger through a lack of helicopters and kit will be put right as soon as possible. Public opinion is said to be turning against having troops out there,  I think this is due to the media not reporting facts totally, when we hear about casualties from that part of the world it’s only about British and allied troops, we do not get casualty figures for the enemy, this is a deliberate strategy by the Government. I am not altogether sure the reasoning behind this, but through a little research I have found that for every one of our boys approximately 50 Taliban are killed. Morale on the front line is good and commanders on the ground say progress being made, though it is  slow progress, not because the enemy is strong but because of the cowardly way they fight their war leaving bombs and booby traps. Ground is being regained and held and civilians are beginning to return home to their towns and villages. Maybe the safe return home of our lads is closer than we think.

Turkish Smokers Punished

From today Turkey falls into line with the EU and extends its ban on smoking to bars and restaurants , previously it had applied to offices, public transport and shopping malls. predictably bar owners are up in arms because of anticipated loss of revenue, and they are right to be so, Turkey  is known as a smoking nation with a high percentage of smokers, other Country’s that have put the ban in place have seen business’s fold because of the ban notably in England where even now pubs are closing at a rate of up to 5 a day.  Turkey hope to join the European union and would need to sign up to the smoking ban then anyway, but I fear a more sinister reason, Prime Minister Recip Erdogan a pious Muslim does not smoke and discourages smoking around him, none of his Ministers smoke, he even goes as far as taking cigarettes of staff and making them promise to stop, this new legislation dovetails nicely with Islam’s distaste for drinking and smoking and  its feared this is his way of punishing establishments that serve alcohol.  An army of 4500 snoopers have been employed to enforce the ban in a country that is the fourth largest tobacco producer in the world, where 22 million people including half the adult population smoke.

Big Brother 10 Update

Some funny goings on in the house this week, The producers have introduced Karly’s “millionaire playboy”  boyfriend Kenneth to the house, this seemed like a good idea but then 10 minutes later Karly left, a short video of “our Ken”  revealed that he works out of New York is constantly on the phone to Hong Kong, and trades at all hours, quoting him as saying “if you are awake and not making money something is wrong” this little dynamo claims he is working 24 hours a day. but all it took was one phone call from the producers of the show and this self proclaimed “international playboy” ( I always love it when a person gives himself a nick name ) has put his whole life on hold for a possible 40 days to play silly buggers in the house. Maybe he isn’t as busy or  international as he  makes out.

Bill Gates Weather Man

You have to admire Bill Gates, as a young man he dreamt of putting a computer on the desk of everybody in the world who wanted one, he succeeded, his 35 billion dollar charitable foundation set up with his wife Belinda aims to eradicate polio and malaria in the third world thereby saving millions of lives and they are well on the way to doing so, what a fantastic legacy that would be. His latest challenge is to throw his backing behind  a technique for controlling  the power of hurricanes, I realise that sounds far fetched but so did his computer idea at first. Experts agree that theoretically hurricane control can work,  it remains to be seen if the idea can be applied practically. Hurricanes get more powerful as they move along by  taking heat energy from the surface of the sea  thus increasing momentum, scientists believe by cooling the sea temperatures you can weaken and even stop a hurricane, this could be done by employing a series of barges equipped with pumps along a coastline the idea is to suck colder water to the surface whilst pushing warm water down. So by employing enough barges you could eliminate or significantly reduce the heat rising of the water, again theoretically if you could cool the  water temperature down by as much as 4.5 degrees Centigrade you could stop a hurricane completely. I have nothing but admiration for Bill gates due to  his fantastic humanitarian efforts, not least his foundation,  If anyone can make this a reality Bill Gates can.

A Paper Tiger

A massive shock at Turnberry where Tiger Woods crashed out of the open, its only the second time in 13 years that Tiger has missed a cut at a major tournament. He could be excused the last time as his father Earl had just died. But yesterday it was simply down to his wayward driving, he sprayed the ball all over the course and you cannot get away with that, especially at Turnberry with the way the wind blew yesterday.  As bad as he played a testament to Tigers brilliance came when while he was 10 shots of the lead and  needing at least 3 birdies from the last four holes to make the cut the bookies still had Tiger as an unbelievable third favourite to WIN the Claret Jug  at a measly 12/1.  As big a shock as  Tiger not making the cut was, this is just a  blip on his way to winning more majors than anyone in history, woods is only 33 and with the fitness regime he follows could easily play for another 20 years. Perfectionist that he is he will be hurt by what happened yesterday so get your money on Woods for whatever tournament he turns out for next, its the nearest thing to a certainty you will ever back.

Hope for Iran

Though the rebellion in Iran looked to have run its course and been stamped out by the brutal action of the revolutionary guard, it appears to have a second wind, tens of thousands turned out in Tehran yesterday at Friday prayers  to hear Ali Akbar Hoshemi Rafsanjani preach.  In an unprecedented attack on the Country’s  supreme leader Al Khameni he slammed the leadership for losing the trust of the people over the disputed election results last month, riot police fired tear gas and eventually broke the meeting up, but it had done it’s job in galvanising the supporters of moderate opposition leader Hossein Mousavi to continue protesting. Mr  Mousavi has been living under conditions likened to  house arrest conditions with visitors and communications monitored, there were at least 15 arrests yesterday of prominent Mousavi supporters. With Israel finalising plans for an attack on Iran’s nuclear facility’s its even more important that these protests yield a result. A more moderate regime is needed there.

Soft On Terrorists

The ex public schoolboy Isa Iprahim was convicted yesterday of making an explosive with intent to endanger life, In his flat police found ingredients for concocting a bomb,  detonators and a crude effort at producing a suicide bombers vest. Videos shot on a mobile phone show him experimenting with explosives, when he was arrested his hands and legs were covered in cuts and abrasions consistent with being exposed to explosions. The heroin addict changed his name from Andrew to Isa when he converted to Islam in 2005, and was radicalised listening to the rants of banned preachers like Abu Hamza on the internet. CCTV showed him on a reconnaissance mission to a Bristol shopping centre where he made notes in one referring to a  “ a dense food area full of diners”. police are convinced he planned an attack there. Iprahim was arrested at a Doctors surgery while collecting a prescription for methadone a heroin substitute, he had been on drugs since he was 12.  Though he admitted in court to making explosives he claimed he would not have carried out any attacks, the jury did not believe him and he was found guilty. The judge gave him an indeterminate sentence and said he should serve at least 10 years, Iprahim is 20 years old in ten years he will only be 30 and probably a worse risk than he is now, in the face of all this evidence and a conviction, what a pathetic sentence.  He should have been given life with at  a 30 year recommendation, the only reason this man is not a mass murderer is because he was caught before he could carry out his attack. Once again our judicial system when we need it to send a message lets us down.

John Hartson

Even though the last twenty years have bought about fantastic advances in the battle against cancer and Doctors can better treat the disease, the dreaded C word can still strike terror into our hearts.

The latest high profile victim is the ex footballer John Hartson the former Celtic west ham and Arsenal striker has testicular cancer,  this particular cancer has a good survival rate and does respond well to treatment if caught early enough,  in John’s case though it has spread very quickly to other parts of his body his brain and lungs taking the brunt of it.

Though he is in good hands and is receiving the best treatment the prognosis is not good and it will be a miracle if he is to beat this awful illness, but  John is a fighter and as tough as they come you only need to ask some of the defenders that came up against him in a glittering career. In 1995 he moved to Arsenal for 2.5 million pounds a record at the time for a teenager, he also earned 51 caps for Wales, in 1997  he moved on from Arsenal becoming surplus to requirements after they signed Dennis Bergkamp, he went  to West ham for a then club record of 3.2 million pounds. he was the second highest scorer in  his first full season for the hammers that year  behind Andy Cole.

In 1998 he was caught on camera kicking his club mate  Eyal Berkovic in the face after a training ground incident, following that he was moved on to Wimbledon again a club record signing this time for 7.5 million. he had a respectable scoring record there though he was plagued with injury. ending with him signing a pay as you play deal with Coventry.

Though he later had 5 successful seasons with Celtic, surgery put an end to a glorious career. I wish John Hartson all the best and will keep my fingers crossed that the hard man can win one more time.

Swine Flu

The Government need to re-evaluate their approach to the way they are offering guidance on the outbreak of swine flu, so much conflicting  advice  is out there that we do not know what to believe. Some of the figures out there appear to be plain old scaremongering, maybe  they are inflating figures to distract from other bad news like the return of dead 8 dead soldiers  from Afghanistan this week, or maybe that unemployment has hit 2.4 million this week up nearly 300,000 in the last three months. Whatever the reason they need to be more honest, all forecasts of doom are preceded with the word “could” for example 20,000 “could “ die, or half the population “could”  be infected, well of course they could, the same way that pigs “could “ fly. When you look at  hard facts Swine flu could really just be called flu, the symptoms are the same, the severity is the same,  the number of people that die each year from flu or from illness’s aggravated by flu  is around 7000, so far this current epidemic has claimed 29 lives, even the infected numbers are based on guesswork those numbers take into account calls to GP’s and national health lines from people panicked by the conflicting advice out there. I saw one report that said by the end of August as many as 100,000 people a day will come down with the virus, another that said one  in every 200 will die, both these were then qualified at the bottom with “these are not predictions but possible outcomes based on computer models” so until there really is something out there to back up the Governments line don’t believe everything you read.

Orphans

For years there has been debate about older women taking advantage of technological advances in fertility and having children later and later, I have never understood how the point could be debated, to hold a debate you need to have  opposing points to put forward, in this case there is no argument to let a woman in her 60’s have a child. I don’t believe you should be able to have a baby once your body is to old to do it itself, but I’m all for science helping Women who for many reasons cant conceive naturally. Women give birth at young ages so that they are physically able to care for their young, this is not random, nature in its wisdom made this decision a long time ago. Recently Maria Carmen Del Bousada became the oldest woman in the world to give birth using anonymously donated  sperm and eggs, she gave birth to twin sons in 2006, yesterday she died aged 69. Even if she had lived another 10 years those boys would be orphaned at 12 years of age. I challenge anyone to give me a sensible argument why this should be allowed.

Death by Dignity

Sir Edward Downes and his wife Joan died yesterday in a Swiss suicide clinic. Joan had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and only had a matter of weeks to live, Sir Edward had various complaints associated with a man of 85 but nothing life threatening, he  decided he did not want to live without his wife of 54 years, he said he simply loved her to much.   A file has been sent to the director of public prosecutions to see if any charges can be bought against the son and daughter who supported and aided their parents in this courageous decision. Sir Edward was a world famous conductor and his wife a talented Ballerina, who in later life worked as a choreographer and then as assistant to her husband. They both had full and enjoyable lives that produced as it turns out two remarkable children. I believe that provided you are of sound mind you should be allowed to choose the timing of your own death if you so decide, I applaud the courage of this couple and admire their dedication to one another. I hope common sense prevails and no action is taken against the Son and Daughter who showed immense courage and  understanding to be with their parents at the end. The decision taken by this couple has absolutely zero impact on anybody outside the immediate family, they have not left behind any dependants, and their passing will not hurt anyone. Its about time our lawmakers looked at this issue again.

Poser

If Fred Flintstones  car works by Fred pedalling with his feet… why does he pull into petrol stations?.

Missing Backpacker

Fantastic news Missing backpacker (see July 11 post) Jamie  Neale has been found alive and well, after being missing for 12 days he was spotted by two bushwalkers to whom he identified himself, and they alerted emergency services. He is suffering from dehydration and exhaustion but other than that he seems well. The reasons for his disappearance are still unclear, but it appears that he was attempting a 10 day return trip without any supplies to mount Solitary from Katoomba where he was staying in a youth hostel,  he had also left his mobile phone and maps behind . Whatever the reasons  behind this bizarre behaviour I am delighted that there has been a happy outcome. I will be speaking to my own Daughter who is also backpacking in Australia later on today with a happier heart.

“No Mas”

Ricky Hatton has announced that he is to have one more fight then pack up, the fact that after so much thought he is fighting again suggests that this wont be his last, Hatton should not be allowed to fight anymore  for his own good.  I am disappointed with the Hitman  he is financially set for life and does not need this, even if he were to win his last bout it would not add anything to a already glittering career. He has been comprehensively beaten twice  the last time a brutal demolition by Manny Paquiao. Like a lot of boxers before him Ricky seems to have a problem stepping away, after so many years dedicated to training and living a strict disciplined lifestyle the workouts and routine are almost like a drug, But fighting is not a game and he could be seriously hurt, great Champion that he was  he has been found wanting when he has fought at the very highest level. There was no shame in his defeat to Floyd Mayweather who was arguably the best  pound for pound fighter in the world at the time. He should look back at that fight and the pictures of himself on the canvas after the Paquiao fight and reconsider. In the words of Roberto Duran No Mas Ricky.

Superpower Teamwork

Al Qaeda for the first time have threatened Chinese interests, this is in response to the unrest in the Western xinjiang region of China. The uighurs have Elicited a lot of sympathy in the Muslim world for the conditions that they live in, they are heavily discriminated against  in the workplace, and their religious practice’s barely tolerated. Security sources report Electronic Jihadist chatter looking for ways to strike at the Chinese. The Russians have their own problems with Islamists because of Chechnya, Now I may be naive in suggesting this but with the three world "superpowers" in conflict with Al Qaeda, could this not be a perfect opportunity for working together, and with one massive campaign against the terrorists wherever they can be found finally put an end to this group. The US have almost 300,000 troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, with a contribution like that from the Russians and Chinese it would all be over in a week. I realise that a million reasons can be found why this cant happen. But I bet there isn’t one reason out of them all that makes any sense to the common man.

Big Brother Evictions

I know that it has not been that difficult but I have called every eviction spot on so far, this week is the closest one yet but I am  going to stick my neck out early and say with deep regret that Karly will go out, I think that people would love to see Lisa booted out as she is such a poisonous cow, but as she is not up viewers will take it out on her sidekick though she has not really done that much wrong just being associated with the loathsome lesbian has done for Karly. unless something dramatic happens this years show looks like a two horse race between Freddie (half wit) and Siavash, so get your bets on.

Top Heavy Strike Force

So City have signed Tevez for 25 million pounds at first glance that looks like good business, but look closer and all Hughes has done is buy problems further along the road, by my reckoning City have to many strikers how do you accommodate all these front men Tevez. Santa Cruz. Bellamy. Jo. Robinho and if reports are true Adabayour is on his way from Arsenal for £60 million. That price tag in itself is a joke for a player that is inconsistent and if stories coming out of the Emirates are to be believed a disruptive influence on those around him. Lookout for unrest midway through the season and an exodus next transfer window, Hughes is behaving like a fat kid let loose in a sweet shop with daddy’s wallet. On a separate matter I see Mr Chelsea John Terry has asked for permission to talk to Man city, I wish that Hughes and Terry would skip the dance and just jump into bed, looking in from the outside this is a done deal, Terry is just trying to drag it out while making it look like he was forced to go, how stupid does he think we are.

War On The Cheap

I am a believer that we should be in Afghanistan and that the mission there is worthwhile, that part of the world left to its own devices would be overrun by the Taliban and Al Qaeda in no time and then the enemy we face would have the resources of a country, a state next door to Pakistan a mess of a County crammed full of nuclear weapons. So we really do have no choice, but it is criminal that our armed forces can be sent into a warzone ill equipped. The last two weeks have seen us take huge loss’s 15 dead and up to fifty wounded some losing limbs, war as we know is a dangerous business and soldiers will be killed and injured and troops are aware of this when they sign up, but we should be looking to minimise this risk anyway we can. In a straight fire fight our troops will defeat the Taliban every time so their preferred method of attack is using IED’s these are improvised explosive devices, hidden bombs planted on roadsides in buildings even under dead bodies, this weapon has caused by far the most deaths and casualty’s. We can eliminate a big part of the dangers they face everyday by giving them the correct and the right amount of equipment. Helicopters would give our troops more freedom of movement in safety, but in typical fashion this Labour Government, unbelievably to save money are not doing so. yesterday in the commons Gordon Brown blatantly lied when he said Helicopter numbers had increased by 60% in the last 2 years, and that capability had increased by 84%, when sources in Helmund said they were at their lowest for a year. In may our whole fleet of Lynx helicopters were sent home leaving just 13 amongst 9000 troops. I know that this kind of equipment is expensive but let’s get our priority’s right in 2008 we gave away 7.8 billion pounds in foreign aid, already this year we have spent hundreds of millions of pounds on legal aid for illegal immigrants fighting to stay in this country, millions more on interpreters for these people, anybody who sets foot on these shores is entitled to housing and benefits. So let us pressure our MP’s  to do what it takes no matter what the cost to  make sure our troops are  sent into battle with whatever they need.

Instant fix

 

The death of Denise Hendry at age 43 wife of Colin the former Blackburn defender tragically illustrates the dangers of cosmetic surgery, In a botched attempt in 2002 a routine liposuction procedure resulted in her colon being punctures 9 times, the resulting complications left her in a coma and for a time she was not expected to live, she did  recover though not fully, and the years since the bungled op have been plagued with further complications and  more operations, the latest as recently as May was meant to finally correct the problem instead she suffered a meningitis type infection which ultimately killed her. When I look at pictures of Denise I am struck by what an attractive woman she was and cant help wondering why she needed cosmetic surgery, it was apparently done to remove some excess fat around her stomach the result of having given birth, in the old days she would have removed it with exercise but in this image conscious world that we live in everything must be instant, and being the wife of a premier league footballer she probably  felt she had a certain look to maintain, and sadly it cost her life. Denise leaves behind 4 children who couldn’t have cared less how mum looked. these kind of treatments are to readily available and there should be more stringent regulation, you should not be allowed to have surgery on a whim, perhaps a system where two independent doctors have to okay the procedure first. the surgeon who carried out Mrs Hendry’s procedure was sued successfully for a six figure amount. scant compensation for the loss of a wife and mother.

Gold Medal Idea

New Zealand taekwondo champion Logan Campbell has come up with a novel way to raise money for the 2012 Olympics being held in London, He has become a pimp not a street corner pimp but the owner of a high class escort agency. His new business operates out of  Auckland New Zealand's  largest city, Quotes Mr Campbell the Beijing  Olympics cost about 58,000 dollars it will cost twice that for London, previously he had been financed by his parents but says that it is unfair to burden them again. Licensed prostitution is legal in New Zealand, though it  remains to be seen if the selection committee will take such a lenient view when it is time to pick the squad. In the event Logan does compete and not win a medal he will have somewhere to go to take his mind of his disappointment.

Shock Horror

Newsflash….. Pop hunk Duncan James of blue fame has revealed that he is Bisexual, this has come as a massive shock. I always assumed he was just gay.

Rain Rain Go away

What a disastrous start its only been three days of the first test and after all the hype and bluster, we are reduced to praying for rain to save England from defeat. I wont pretend to be an authority on cricket, but even I realise that you need to have a captain with a bit of imagination a captain with courage, Andrew Strauss lacks both those quality’s. Contrast to the Aussie captain Ricky Ponting who really does lead from the front, after declaring 239 runs ahead it looks like curtains for England, how they perform today weather permitting could define the way the rest of this series go’s, if England can dig in and show some tenacity batting, they need to bat all day for a draw, then the remaining tests could yet be close. But if as expected they are steamrollered then a series whitewash could be on the cards.

“Joke Tweed”

Jack Tweed, Jade Goody’s widower  is in the gossip columns again, it appears he spent the night with a “model”, having seen her picture I dispute this claim, why is this news anyway who cares. The man is a non entity who’s only claim to fame is  that he married Jade, and without resorting to rubbishing the dead who the hell was Jade Goody. If memory serves she was an obnoxious mouthy cow who finished 4th in big brother she did not even win, but for some reason people liked her I cant include myself in that group, much was made of the fact that she was a Bermondsey girl, for whatever that’s worth, Locals say as soon as she made a few quid she was out of there and never returned. Anyway I digress back to “Joke Tweed” as this column will refer to him in future, he is a scrounger and parasite he hooked up with Jade because of her fame and cheated on her throughout their relationship. pictures from the News of the world showed him in bed with yet another “model” in Marbella in 2006. Jade threw him out, “Joke” wormed his way back into her life again, cynically he proposed when Jade was terminal and had only a short time to live, their Marriage lasted only a few weeks, but to her credit she left him nothing in her will. Joke has already served a couple of spells behind bars and when he is not inside he is falling about drunk dropping his trousers,or fighting, he has his 5 minutes of fame, and lets hope it only is five minutes, personally I would like never to hear from him again.

The Law is An Ass

Recently somebody close to me was involved in a case at the high court, through no fault of his own he has been bounced around the legal system for the last couple of years, having to learn and understand legal jargon that even legally trained minds struggle with, because of the complexities of the case he had to retain a barrister and these people do not come cheap. A brief background to his particular case is that he had been granted a lease by a company that did  not really have the right to grant it, no matter that my friend had no idea, he bought his business in good faith through a solicitor who done all due checks. many years passed and he had established himself in the community and was making a reasonable living.Then a multi million pound property company decided it would buy up the whole block and turn it into a shopping centre, it cleared the area with a mixture of carrot and stick and  where it could bully shopkeepers and scare them of with legal threats it did and where it was very cheap to buy them out it also did. my friend realising that ultimately he would have no choice decided to accept an offer, but the sums involve were paltry so he resisted. when the bully boy tactics started he was forced to get legal representation. because of the wealth of these company’s they can drag out cases like this for years and are able to employ teams of barristers, eventually through a technicality they were  able to win, leaving my friend with crippling costs, no business, and no immediate prospects of employment, How can this be allowed to happen if my friend had unlimited wealth he could continue to fight and maybe win his life back. but the law is an ass and as usual the little man suffers.

Missing Backpacker

I have been following the story of Jamie Neal for the last seven days and am hoping that this story has a  happy outcome, Jamie is a 19 year old backpacker on his first trip abroad, he is a nature lover who had been exploring Sydney’s blue mountain range. Last Friday morning he set of for what locals describe as a fairly easy walk in an area called the ruined castle at mount solitary. He left personal belongings including his mobile phone back at the hostel, CCTV shows him leaving with a backpack  and a map in his hand.  Jamie has not been seen since. Scores of police and rescue workers are searching for Jamie but they are being hindered by heavy rain and thick fog, they hope to resume searching the hundreds of miles of rough terrain Saturday morning. Jamie’s dad has flown out and will be joining search teams trying to find his son. This story holds a personal interest for me as I have a daughter currently in Australia enjoying the same adventures as young Jamie and I worry about her constantly, I can’t begin to imagine how his family feel. But I will be praying that he is found safe and sound.

Troops Tough it Out

Fifteen dead in the last 15 days,  those are the grim figures coming out of Afghanistan at the moment, the total figure so far of 184 dead is equal to the total amount of British troops lost in Iraq over six years. These numbers do not make good reading, but now is not the time to let our resolve weaken. Progress is being made, the numbers we are not getting are the enemy losses which sources, though the Ministry of Defence wont confirm put at many hundreds in the last couple of weeks, and many thousands over the last few months. The calls for the troops to come home are getting louder and are more frequent as the death toll increases. But  this is a war we cannot afford to lose if we walk away from Afghanistan before the Taliban is defeated it will only be a matter of time before they take over that Country, and from there Pakistan would be next,  The battle there at the moment  is going well and the terrorists are being beaten, Large areas that were under Taliban control are no longer. As  British Afgan and US troops continue their push into Helmund Taliban leader Mullah Omar and his men are being pushed back towards Pakistan where they will be trapped and have no  place  to run to. Failure here is not an option, imagine that we did give up and left them to their own devices,  how long before Pakistan fell, and we had to face a Nuclear armed enemy. So for the sake of peace and security  in the future we must tough it out now.

Baghdad Blitz

Up to 60 people were  killed in bombings across Baghdad yesterday with three times that number injured, It’s barely a week since US troops took a back seat and handed security over to the Iraqi’s themselves. and as expected the terrorist’s have upped  the number of suicide and car bombing’s. With the Americans having pulled back from Towns and city’s there are mixed feelings coming from the population. Some say they are glad the occupiers, note they are not called liberators though they did free them of Saddam, have finally given a date  2011 when they leave Iraq completely. whilst others fear, and with good reason that the local forces are not up to it and will be over run,  it’s said the upper echelons of the security forces are riddled with militant sympathisers, the next three months will be crucial for the future of the Country, the initial spike in attacks was expected lets see how they are dealt with.

Terry Saga Continues

Still not a peep out of Terry himself, but Chelsea after initially saying they would not raise his wages every time anther club showed interest in him, have just raised his wages by twenty five thousand pounds a week, putting the 29 year old with back problems on about eight million pounds a year. Terry’s seasons are regularly blighted with injury, and statistically the club do not really perform worse without him, he is a quality defender and gives 100% when he is on the pitch, but 8 million a year, I don’t think  so. And  still no statement or comment from him, at first it was said no comment because he was on holiday, he is back now. The problem today is footballers are to clever in manipulating the media for their own gains. Saying nothing seems to say a lot more than actually talking to the press.,with a few well placed leaks Terry has successfully negotiated a pay rise though he had a contract that still had three years to run, he will become the highest paid player at the club, watch how before the transfer window close’s on August 31st Frank Lampard will try the same trick.

Nigerian Porridge

You really cant make this stuff up, the latest brainwave from the Government is to spend one million pounds of taxpayers money in Nigeria to bring one of their prisons up to British prison standards, so that we can start sending the hundreds of Nigerian convicts back home to serve their sentences. Apparently their own prisons are not up to much, and we don't want the poor convicts to suffer. But it does not finish there, we than have to maintain those prisons, so we will feeding cash over there for the foreseeable future. Now everybody knows that Nigeria is one of the most corrupt Country's in the world, and the money that we send will be siphoned of and never reach a prison. All this is again because of the cursed Human rights law that we are signed up to. Britain is the only Country in Europe to adopt every line of this legislation. Italy France, Germany to name just a few cherry picked the best bits and left the rest out. Thanks to Blair and his cronies we took the lot, at that time Blair was eyeing up the European Presidency and wouldn't say no to anything, so we continue to pay the price.

Taliban- Sick Animals

Just saw a news report that the Taliban have detonated a huge bomb on the outskirts of  Kabul, it was very near a primary school and 12 of the reported 25 dead are schoolboys. It appears the truck carrying timber with the  bomb hidden beneath it skidded of the road and finished in a ditch quite close to the school, when emergency services came to help it was detonated manually.  Now it could be argued that the truck was being driven into Kabul to target a Government building or an army barracks, not that that would be acceptable, but with their twisted logic they could perhaps make a case of being at war. But once the truck has stopped by a school only containing civilians what earthly justification could there be for detonating it, these people claim to act in Gods name, they are animals, sick animals , and sick animals need to be put down. I hope this spurs on the US and Afghan forces to smash these people wherever they find them.

Call Centre Blues

Why would anybody Employ staff who have limited at best, and hardly any English at worst to work in a call centre. I recently tried to have a conversation with a very enthusiastic but ultimately incompetent operator called Ravi, now I am sure in his personal life  and his own tongue which was Indian Ravi is a top bloke, but in his work life and my tongue the guy was useless. After repeated efforts to give him my phone number I hung up, but sods law being what it is when I rang back I got Ravi again, this time shouting in a controlled and clear voice I managed to impart my phone number to him, but before I could celebrate that achievement Ravi asked for my address, after 10 minutes I came to realise there are no places in India ending with the word “shire”. I asked to speak to a supervisor but he didn’t recognise that word. He eventually connected me to his LEADER I presumed he meant team leader. The Bilingual Sohail  then took over, sadly for me his second language was not English Either. So after a fruitless five minutes with him I gave up and paid my bill over the net, I wish to god I had done that in the first place.

Final Goodbye

I did not watch the Michael Jackson memorial on TV last night, If I’m honest its because I am sick of the whole Hypocrisy of people who as recently as a couple of years ago were vilifying Jackson for his personal life and the allegations about children, those same people are now beating their chests and wailing for their hero. It’s reported widely today that the show was stolen by Shaheen the young lad that was a surprise hit on Britain's got talent. It’s ironic that Jackson left this world to enter the next. sent of  by a 12 year old boy, it’s what he would have wanted.

Heartbreaking

My heart bleeds  for John Terry, I read today that the poor love feels distraught and unloved after nobody from Chelsea rang him while he was on holiday’ to check he was alright after the rumpus caused by Manchester City hinting they may want to buy him. He does not know if he can stay at the club after that insult. To say he feels betrayed and used would be an understatement, never mind the £300,000 per week he has been offered this has nothing to do with money. Chelsea’s “shocking” treatment of him may force the issue, and we could well see Terry move to City, thus forcing him to accept that huge pay rise. Football is a cruel sport.

The Italian Solution

Italy has a new immigration law, and human rights groups are up in arms about it, I don’t see the problem with it, the main crux of the law is that if you enter Italy without a visa or authorization, you will be arrested and fined up to 10,000 Euros, the fine is waived if you agree to leave straight away, for those not willing or unable to pay, the period of detention goes up from Two months to Six months, then a hearing when you will be deported anyway.  Furthermore you cannot rent accommodation or get a job without a visa or authorization. and anyone renting or employing you is committing an offense, and could be jailed for up to 3 years. There is a part of the new law that could do with being omitted, and this is that groups of citizens can patrol their own areas reporting any problems they may come across, these people would be trained by the Government. Naturally there are screams of racism and rights abuses, but I don’t see it that way these people are entering a country illegally that in itself is a criminal act, and with no money and no jobs can only be a burden on Italian society, if these people are genuinely looking for a different or better life why not go through normal channels and apply to enter the country through the front door. We have seen first hand in this country what happens when you have no control of your borders, we have a huge problem with illegal immigrants, of which crime is the most serious, in a recent metropolitan police report a huge percentage of arrests in the early part of the year in London were of foreign nationals. also our resources are stretched, medical care, housing , education, all at bursting point. So what is wrong with having controlled immigration in this country. I propose a border police force to work in hand with the coastguard and other agency’s working to stop illegal traffic, once we have the borders under control then we implement a ban on any further immigration, 10 years would not be unreasonable to give our country time to cope with what we have here already to integrate them into mainstream life,  help with accommodation and jobs where practical, then introduce an orderly system of accepting immigrants again. There is nothing remotely racist in my mind with what I propose just common sense.

Pervert Jackson

I applaud US congressman Peter King who like me has had enough of the  wall to wall coverage of Michael Jacksons death, 10 days after he died the media frenzy shows no sign of slowing down. The New York Republican has finally let rip with what many are thinking but to scared to say, he calls Jackson a pervert a Paedophile, and a child molester, and cant believe the esteem that he is held in in light of his background. He goes on to say “what does it say about us as Americans that we can worship someone like this”. Predictably Jackson fans are outraged and there have been threats against him, shame they weren’t so outraged when they found out what their hero was up to. For those people out there who still believe Jackson was innocent, can one of you explain why there was a blackboard in his bedroom at Neverland full of polaroids of naked and semi naked boys. the world saw these amongst other things when cops raided his ranch after allegations he had abused Gavin Arvizo in 1994. So hats of to Peter King.

Blame labour

A 60 year  old grandfather  died of a heart attack because the paramedic sent to the scene waited outside his house for 16 minutes doing a risk assessment before entering the premises. Roy Adams a chauffeur called for help when he started to suffer chest pains and shortness of breath as he was alone at home he was told  by the operator to leave the front door open so paramedics could have easy access, the first man to arrive at the scene saw the open door and fearing  a burglary in progress would not enter, he then started his risk assessment, by the time this was completed and back up arrived it was to late and Mr Adams died. Now I’m not sure if there is blame to be apportioned here, or was it unavoidable because of the lawless and violent times we live in, but what a world when medics are fearful of entering houses whilst responding to 999 calls. In the last dozen or so years the general fabric of this country has been in decline, since Labour came to power things have gone from bad to worse, under Blair the criminals became a priority over the victims to such an extent that we have no real deterrents anymore. Why would anybody be scared of prison, laptops in cells, satellite TV, three square meals, medical care with no waiting lists. The worst thing Labour done amongst many bad things was to adopt the ridiculous human rights bill in its entirety, because of this bill Blair encouraged by his wife “coincidentally” a highly paid human rights lawyer sold this country down the river. I can remember seeing a photograph of Wembley in the 1950’s hosting a F A cup final a 120,000 people crammed in with fans almost up to the touch lines, being kept in check with a handful of policeman, how we yearn for those days back.

Iran the Fight is back on

I believed that the resistance in Iran had been pretty much snuffed out. but there does appear to still be some life there, yesterday an influential group of senior clerics in qom the birthplace and home town of revolution founder Ayatollah Khomeni openly defied the supreme leader, and called the election result illegitimate and void. This is unprecedented in the Islamic state, Defeated opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi talks of forming a new opposition group to fight the fraudulent election result. Its possible that if momentum is established in the fight to get the election result overturned, the madman Ahmadinejad could still be removed. With Israel starting to make noises about attacking nuclear installations in Iran again, now would seem a good time for Iran to have more moderate leaders.

Advantage Federer

What a brilliant final at Wimbledon yesterday, after last years spectaular between Federer and Nadal which I have to say was the greatest tennis match I have ever seen. I didn’t think it was possible to produce as much as excitement again, but it did, and in bucketloads, though last years tennis was technically superior yesterday’s was just as riveting, blink and you missed something spectacular. Federer is now recognised as the greatest Tennis player who ever lived and rightly so, 15 grand slam titles, and I don’t think on yesterdays evidence that he is finished yet. And what a thoroughly nice guy to, his post match interview was full of compliments for his opponent, and plaudits for previous champs, even to the extent he thanked Sampras for taking time to fly over and watch the final. I think a few pounds on overseas sports personality of the year could be a decent bet this year.

Hope in the Middle east

Meir Dagan the Director of mossad has hinted that Saudi Arabia would let Israel overfly the Kingdoms airspace if it were to attack Iranian Nuclear Facility’s. The fact that Mossad have leaked this means it’s a done deal, though outwardly Arab states would speak out against an Israeli raid, privately they would welcome it. Nobody in the region wants Iran to obtain a Nuclear weapon, and would like to see their ability to produce one downgraded, if not outright smashed. Looking at the Middle East and without wishing to tempt fate, I would say significant progress appears to be being made. Iraq though problematic appears to be stabilising, the threat of a civil war there has receded, and the number of attacks on civilians is down, though there has been a small spike recently due to US forces withdrawing from Towns and City’s and handing over responsibility to Iraqi forces. Syria are making overtures to Obama, and have invited him to Damascus for talks. In Afghanistan there is a massive surge of  US and allied forces and the Taliban appear to be on the run, In Helmund which had been a stronghold they are being pushed out, simultaneously Pakistani forces in a crude pincer movement are boxing them in from the other side. Sure there is still work to be done but for the first time in decades a light has appeared, lets pray that everyone concerned is brave enough  to continue to the end of the tunnel.

Peter Pan Pervert

If there were any doubts about Michael Jackson being a child molester, you only need watch the  video of his first official police investigation on the News of the World website today to dispel those doubts. This Video was from 1996 long before the infamous court case where Jackson was unbelievably found not guilty, shades of OJ Simpson there. Also in the same paper read the testimony of housekeeper Adrian MacManus, who tells in graphic detail just what a pervert he was. Worlds greatest entertainer he may have been, and I considered myself a fan, but as a parent from the time allegations started to appear back in the early 90’s and there have been plenty of allegations since then, I had no time for him. It doesn’t really serve any purpose now he is dead to rehash all the old rumours, even if they are true, its not like you can hold him to account now, but the fact is his memory is tarnished, and the public knowing  he was a paedophile serves as a kind of punishment. There will of course be people out there, millions of them that wont accept any of this and will always revere Jackson as some sort of God. What a devious man he was who obviously planned long ago how he would avail himself of children without arousing suspicion by building this fake Peter Pan persona and having thousands of kids pass through his hands via his Neverland Ranch. So I say Michael Jackson R.I.P……Rot in peace.

300,000 pieces of Silver

John Terry has always proclaimed his love for Chelsea, in fact on more than one occasion has remarked that when cut he bleeds blue, when Mourinho was Manager he declared that he would die for Jose and the club. A bit dramatic but an admirable sentiment, I am a fan of Terry the footballer but not of  Terry the man, I  remember his behaviour the day after the 9/11 attacks on America at Heathrow,when Terry and a couple of others dropped their trousers and mooned Americans that were sitting and crying in a lounge waiting for news from home. He may plead that he was drunk and that it was just a bit of fun, but that action tells me more about him than any fake declarations of “love” that he professes for the Blues. His loyalty is about to be tested Manchester City are reported to be preparing a new bid for him rumoured at forty million pounds, and a wage of 300,000 pounds per week, easily making him the worlds highest paid player. Being that he is a millionaire many times over, money alone should not be enough to sway him,  let see how deep Terry's  love runs.

“Great” Train Robber

Ronnie Biggs has been refused parole, and with no release date given for the foreseeable future could end up dying behind bars, I don’t have any sympathy for him. Biggs was part of a gang that robbed a train back in 1963, during the course of the robbery they clubbed the train driver Jack Mills over the head, he never recovered properly from that attack and suffered violent trauma headaches for the next 7 years before dying of leukaemia in 1970, it was said bought on as a result of the attack. the gang were arrested fairly quickly and jailed, Biggs received 30 years, but in 1965 he escaped to Paris where with the aid of some plastic surgery and fake papers, evaded capture, his wife and kids moved out there a year later to join him. In 1967 after a tip of that British police knew where he was and were coming for him Biggs ran again, this time after a roundabout route that took in Panama the failed train robber ended up in Brazil. And that’s where he stayed for the next 34 years remarrying and fathering a child, Ronnie jnr. For some unexplainable reason Biggs became a celebrity courting publicity and becoming fairly wealthy of his notoriety. I have seen Biggs over the years in various documentary’s and I have not liked him, he has a cold kind of arrogance about him, and referred to the death of Jack Mills as “one of those things” Biggs has performed on 2 songs over the years with assorted groups and has had some chart success boasting about his part in the robbery, even though his actual position in the 15 strong gang was low level. Visitors to Brazil would seek Biggs out to buy him drinks and for a small fee have their picture taken with him. After putting 2 fingers up at the British authorities for the best part of 35 years Biggs  decided to give himself up, not because of any remorse of his crime or for Mills death, but because he became ill and needed specialist care that he could not afford in Brazil. he was arrested on his return in 2001 at which time his family informed us that  he only had a couple of months to live,  they have been singing from that same hymn sheet ever since, every few months we hear he is on his last legs, having the last rites read etc. Biggs is still going strong, this week Jack Straw refused him parole on the grounds that he has shown no remorse over the robbery or the death of the driver, I applaud Straw’s decision.

Sorry Jock

There has been a lot of debate this past 10 days or so regarding How British Andy Murray is, one tabloid even had a compass which had a half Scottish and half British face,the pendulum had been very gradually moving towards British all week, moving strongly into the British half after Murrays fantastic quarter final effort, within minutes of his defeat against Roddick in the Semi final, he has become 100% Scottish again.

Ahmadinejad, the Smooth Criminal

As I warned last week the Michael Jackson story taking the worlds attention away from what was going on in Iran, has contributed to the attempted "revolution" fizzling out. There have been many deaths and thousands of arrests, anyone on the streets protesting has been savagely attacked, the levels of violence against attempted protesters has been brutal. Meanwhile the Worlds press has been camped at Neverland.Even world leaders have commented more on the pop stars death this last week than on what was happening in Iran. Ahmadinejad has behaved like appallingly and got away with it.

Owen and Fergie Top Team

What a masterstroke, the man’s a genius, the master tactician has stumped everyone again, this time with an outrageous move in getting Michael Owen on a free transfer and only paying him 50,000 pounds a week , I say only fifty thousand in context of the ridiculous sums being paid this season to the like of Eto’o, Kaka, Ronaldo etc. Whatever you think of Owen there is one thing you cant deny, the man scores goals, always has done at the highest level, in the past when people have tried to write him of, myself included he has answered in the only way he knows how by banging them in . When Capello overlooks him for England  when  fit, it is England’s loss, his goals  for England makes him the forth highest ever scorer for his country. In his debut season for Liverpool he finished joint top scorer, the following season  he was the leagues top goal getter. Between 1997 and 2004 he was Liverpool’s top marksman. After Leaving Merseyside he plied his trade for Real Madrid when they were a top side not the shambles of the last couple of years, he was used mainly as a sub but still managed 13 goals the best ratio there per minutes played. like I said the man is a natural. When he signed for Newcastle he started well then suffered a succession of injuries which kept him out for 18 months then returned to be once again  top scorer.  I may have jumped the gun a little by writing this because though personal terms have been agreed there is still the medical to get through, I hope he pass’s and Utd sign him. And I  bet he scores 20 plus goals this season. I would also hope that Eto’o completes his move to Utd rivals City and Owen trounces him in the scoring stakes.

The End for the Taliban

The US has just launched the biggest ever offensive against the Taliban In Helmund province, by years end there will be almost 70,000 American troops there with another 33,000 Nato soldiers making up the numbers. I think this time they can be successful, in previous attempts at dislodging the Taliban from Helmund the attacks have been more surgical with much smaller numbers, and it was always  just a clearing exercise rather than a snatch and hold. This time it will be an all out assault with overwhelming fire power, so confident are commanders that they believe the first 36 hours will decimate the enemy, after that it will be a case of mopping up, nobody expects that it will be finished then because the Taliban will then take to the hills, and for the foreseeable future will fight a kind of guerrilla war. Critics point out that the Afghans have never been beaten on their own turf, but if my history is correct they have been beaten  before when the warrior Genghis Khan invaded,but this isn’t against the Afghan population this is against the terrorist population,   Khan’s tactics  was like the Americans are employing now huge numbers and overwhelming force. Gradually as the Americans start to rebuild their towns and villages and stay and protect them from the terrorists, the locals will see their lives returning to normal and start to accept the Troops for what they are, Nation builders not occupiers, I will be watching events there closely, and I am confident in 6 months we will see a return to normal for the locals with the Taliban in tatters.

Miracle’s Do Happen

What an unbelievable story of the 14 year old girl who survived the Yemeni air crash. She was thrown clear when the A310 Airbus hit the water, that in itself sounds incredible, that anybody could survive that kind of impact is a miracle,  according to Bahia Bakari she then grabbed a piece of debris in pitch darkness  and stayed afloat until help arrived, she clung to that debris in freezing waters from 1.30 am to 3 pm the next day when she was plucked from the sea, I’m not sure when push comes to shove just how religious I am, but there does seem to be a higher power at work here, it will be interesting to monitor this young girl and see what become of her life, will she go on to become a great person, was she spared for a reason, perhaps she will grow up to find a cure for cancer, or rid the world of hunger. I do hope  that she does make something of herself, because this morning, unless there was divine intervention, she is the luckiest girl in the world.

From Russia With Love

Gambling in Russia becomes illegal as from today, there will be four designated gambling areas and that will be it. At first glance it seems strange for a government to ban something which brings in 1 billion dollars in tax a year, it will also put an estimated half million workers out of a job. But desperate times call for desperate measures, there has a been a massive rise in gambling addiction in Russia, after the collapse of communism the sudden freedom afforded to the population has spawned a gambling culture that has got out of control, money lending and money laundering are just two other by products. No support groups or counselling over there its straight for the jugular with the cure, If only our rulers could be so decisive. In the UK we have gone the other way by increasing the amount of ways people can lose their hard earned cash. bookmakers have turned their shops into mini Las Vegas's with wall to wall slot machines,horse racing from all around the world, Dogs, Football, Cricket, Tennis, Rugby you name it, it's available to be bet on. In fact you can bet on just about anything nowadays, staring from 8 am in the morning to 9pm at night. For those days where the weather interferes with the racing programme there are virtual horse and dog racing cards, with predetermined results, that you can throw your money at. Who would have thought we could ever envy a Russian government, there are not many things we can take from the Russians but this is something we should.

Painkiller Addiction

There has been reference to Painkiller addiction in the news lately because of the death of Michael Jackson, I used to think it was a made up illness, after all, how come only celebrity’s seemed to get it. but I’m sad to say its very real, I myself have suffered and indeed do still suffer from it. though I am pleased to say I am in the final stages of beating it,  this particular affliction has no quick fix, only by weaning yourself  under your GP’s guidance with a very strict schedule can you hope to overcome it. If I stick to my schedule, which I am finding it a little hard to at the moment, I should be able to say I am over it by mid August.  Compared to the extent of other peoples addiction and I refer to celebrity’s as we “ordinary’s” don’t have our problems plastered all over the papers, mine was relatively mild, It happened without me really realising it, at the beginning of the year I suffered very badly with back problems and was given as part of my treatment a drug called Tramadol, I didn’t know at the time but this particular drug is one of the worst culprits, I also know now why it’s still widely  used it, even though its addictive qualities are well known. Its cost,  Tramadol is cheap.  It’s hard to describe how it makes you feel, but it is similar for want of a better example of a Heroin addict as portrayed in TV shows. The agitation the moodiness the sweats its all there, As I said earlier mine is by normal standards mild, but I can imagine how bad Michael Jacksons was as he had  suffered for the best part of 30 years. since his first meeting with the surgeons knife he had been on painkillers, as with a lot of medication the more you use it the more a tolerance your body builds up, so you have to increase the dose which in turn feeds your dependency. when the final  Autopsy  and toxicology results come in I bet we find he was on hundreds of tablets a week. The number of people who suffer from this worldwide is in the millions, Doctors should be a little more careful while trying to save money when doling out prescription painkillers.