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Barcelona, Donald Trump And The American Media's Crisis Of Perspective
August 18, 2017 August 19, 2017 Samuel Hooper3 Comments
There is more to the horrific Barcelona terror attack than Donald Trump's garbled response, but you wouldn't know that if you are watching CNN
To get a good sense of just how debased and insular the American news media has become, one need only flick over to CNN and watch their coverage of the horrific Islamist terror attack which took place only hours ago in Barcelona.
What you will find is not detailed coverage of the Barcelona attack and how it transpired, or even the mindless banalities and speculation that has become the hallmark of cable news, but rather a bunch of talking heads agreeing with each other that Donald Trump's response to the terror attack was all wrong.
This is the age where men, women and children being mown down in the middle of a European city street by a van-driving Islamist is secondary news to whatever inanities various celebrities have to say about the event on Twitter, or the word choice of an American president whom we already know to be rash, unstable and in loose command of the facts (at the best of times).
What really got CNN riled up on this occasion is this tweet by Donald Trump, promulgating an unfounded rumour about the supposed action taken by US Army General John Pershing in response to a Muslim-planned terrorist attack in the Philippines at the turn of the 20th century:
Study what General Pershing of the United States did to terrorists when caught. There was no more Radical Islamic Terror for 35 years!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 17, 2017
The urban legend goes that General Pershing rounded up the culprits and suspects, and had them shot with bullets previously dipped in pigs' blood. In Trump's own graphic telling, Pershing shot 49 of the culprits and spared the 50th one so that he could go back and warn others in the movement about America's swaggering zero-tolerance policy for terrorist shenanigans.
To be clear, there is zero proof that this apocryphal story actually took place, and that the President of the United States would make speeches presenting the tale as fact both during the election campaign and again in the immediate aftermath of an Islamist terror attack on an American ally is bad, wrong and depressing in equal measure.
But for most of the past hour on CNN, the chyron across the bottom of the screen hasn't reported details of the terror attack, but rather Trump's entirely typical and unsurprising blustering response to it. That's not to say that Trump's actions are unworthy of coverage – and we should certainly never allow ourselves to stop reporting on the president's misdeeds and objecting to them just because they occur so regularly. But good television news is supposed to educate and inform, not simply encourage people to think myopically about global issues exclusively through the narrow lens of their own country's political process.
Yet rather than presenting Trump's dodgy urban myth about General Pershing as one tangential element of the story, CNN did what CNN does best – assemble a multitude of talking heads in boxes, all crammed onto the screen at the same time, to denounce Trump and slot an inconvenient story about terrorist murder in Barcelona into their preferred narrative about Trump's unfitness for office.
Again – the point is entirely valid, and in an ideal world the President of the United States would neither spread unfounded rumours nor seek to get the more distasteful portions of his base excited by telling them yarns about shooting Muslim terrorists with bullets dipped in pigs' blood. That would be nice. But this is not the main takeaway from the Barcelona terror attack, and yet both Jake Tapper and now Anderson Cooper seem to be leading with it, to the detriment of telling the more important story about the seemingly unstoppable wave of vehicular Islamist terrorism in Europe and the inability (or unwillingness) of political leaders to take any meaningful action to prevent such massacres.
Meanwhile, television news in Britain – itself hardly a fitting successor to the likes of Edward R. Murrow or Walter Cronkite – is at least reporting the facts and broadcasting footage and eyewitness statements as they emerge. Decent analysis remains beyond them (or at least beyond their willingness to pay a knowledgeable panel of experts and commentators to schlep into the studio) but at least they aren't using the tragedy as a means of bashing Prime Minister Theresa May. Yet.
If American political discourse is to improve, restraint has to happen both ways. Just as conservatives need to come to terms with the fact that the Alt-Right is an issue in our own back yard which we must disown and work to discredit, so those on the Left – including much of the mainstream media – need to bring some balance back to their coverage and accept that important as the office of President of the United States is, Donald Trump's reactions are not always the most important part of a breaking news story.
This de-escalation should not be so hard to achieve among adults, but sadly there are too many adult children on both sides who would rather have the last word and advance their political agenda at all costs, even if it debases the office of the presidency, diminishes trust in the media and rips the country apart at the seams, all at the same time.
Journalism, Media, Terrorism, US Current Affairs, US PoliticsBarcelona, Barcelona Attack, Bias, CNN, Donald Trump, General Pershing, ISIS, Islamic State, Islamism, Radical Islam, Television News
A Few Words On The London Bridge And Borough Market Terror Attack
June 8, 2017 Samuel Hooper4 Comments
Finally, a step change in our response to Islamist terrorism. But this new authoritarianism is not the answer
This one struck a little close to home. For several years it was my habit to walk across London Bridge from the tube station to the north side, and then on to my office on Fenchurch Street.
Sometimes I would drink after work at the Barrowboy and Banker pub at the foot of the bridge, or go to choral evensong at neighbouring Southwark Cathedral – still regretfully closed some four days after the terrorist attack on London Bridge and Borough Market. My wife now works in the shadow of the Shard tower, and only today was her firm finally allowed to re-enter their office building.
It is quite surreal to see places which are so familiar splashed onto television screens in such a grisly context. One of the smartphone-recorded videos played most often on cable news – showing police ordering stunned bar patrons to the ground – was particularly jarring, as we had celebrated a friend's birthday at that vaulted beer hall just a few months ago. It is no longer just the bus or the tube – places where we have been conditioned to be wary since the days of the IRA. Now we are to expect violent death anywhere, a car swerving onto the pavement with too little time to react, or being confronted by a knifeman while eating at a downtown restaurant.
But enough of that – it is tempting to make these terror attacks all about us, when really we should focus on those people whose lives were deliberately, callously snuffed out by the onrushing vehicle or the blade wielded by the Islamist fanatic. We rightly praise the heroism of our first responders, the rookie policeman who took on the terrorists alone armed with nothing but his truncheon, and the paramedics and civilians who rushed to help as soon as they were alerted to the carnage.
And yet after the proper acknowledgements and the less-welcome platitudes, the same questions beg to be answered.
Firstly, why did the Metropolitan Police and numerous politicians make such a big show of advertising that it took eight minutes from the first 999 call being received to armed police arriving at the scene to terminate the terrorists? No doubt this was supposed to reassure. But does it not also advertise to every other terror cell currently lurking undetected (or shockingly unmonitored) that in one of the most central and well-protected parts of the country they will have at least an eight-minute window to inflict as much bloodshed as they are able?
Eight minutes sounds remotely laudable because the terrorists were armed only with a vehicle, blades and some preposterously, evidently fake suicide vests. But what if the next terror cell has access to firearms? We rightly applaud the quick-thinking revellers who repelled the attack by throwing chairs and pint glasses, but these projectiles are much less effective against even a single low-calibre gun. What if the next marauding terror attack takes place not in well-protected London, but in a leafy Midlands market town or a provincial city without armed police on 24/7 patrol?
This attack could have been much, much worse. It could have been a Bataclan-level massacre, had the terrorists stormed a pub or restaurant with few exits or escape routes, armed with a semi-automatic weapon. Worse even, because so few British police are armed. Having elite units on constant standby is all well and good, but it is unreasonable to expect a standard unarmed police constable to be the frontline of our response to a mass casualty terror attack.
And no, the medium and long-term solution is not to deploy more armed forces on the streets – though this may be necessary, given the shocking decline in the number of armed police officers. Though the net drop since 2010 (approximately 700) is not that great as a raw number, the idea that the numbers were falling at all given events in mainland Europe is simply staggering. Operation Temperer (or tempura, as I first heard it – like we were going to deep fry the terrorists) may be a necessary stop gap, but we need to look again at whether it is practical to maintain a largely unarmed police force.
We should look too at whether it is reasonable to deny the people the opportunity to defend themselves with legally purchased firearms when the state proves itself time and again to be so unwilling and unable to protect them from lethal harm, either by facing up to the toxic Islamist ideology that fuels the present terror threat or by ensuring that the security services make best use of the vast amounts of data they already collect about all of us. Of course, this discussion will never happen. But it should.
If nothing else, we seem finally to have pivoted from "terror attacks have nothing to do with Islam!" to "something must be done". And about time, too. Only days before the London Bridge attack, I wrote a piece (piggybacking on Brendan O'Neill) decrying the fact that all of the left-wing party leaders practically wet themselves in shock and outrage when UKIP's Paul Nuttall dared to talk about the Islamist (not Islamic, Islamist) threat. If nothing else, perhaps we have finally pierced that particular veil of idiocy. The idiots remain, but the general public is no longer in thrall to their denialism.
And yet the undiscovered country of Taking Firm Action may be almost as bad as the state of denial and complacency which is finally being dispelled.
The danger was always that when the government finally roused itself to righteous anger in the face of Islamist terror, the response would be one of jackboot authoritarianism rather than incisive, strategic action. As Home Secretary under David Cameron, Theresa May was quick to take advantage of the various terror attacks in Paris to push for sweeping new powers for the security services, and now elevated (above her competence, it seems) to prime minister she is gunning for civil liberties and pesky human rights laws all over again. But this time, Theresa May is swinging an even bigger emotional cudgel thanks to the immediacy and proximity of the attacks in Manchester and London.
The security services are able to gather vast amounts of metadata on all of our communications with barely a whisper of public dissent, and can begin spying on an individual with no judicial approval required, just a ministerial signature – essentially, the executive overseeing itself. They could not have a more favourable political and operating environment. And yet despite having some of the most draconian surveillance laws in Western Europe, somehow three individuals were able to mount an attack – one known to security services but not considered an active threat, and another flagged as an extremist by the Italians but apparently ignored by British security services.
This is what happens when you expand the haystack too much, when you collect so much data and intelligence on everything that moves that it becomes impossible to sort through the information, make sense of it and hone in on the most serious threats. Yes, there is also an issue of resourcing – as with the armed police, the government has been complacent and refused to spend money where it should be spent – but much of the problem surely comes from trying to cast too wide a net at the expense of watching those already caught in it.
And yet Theresa May now wants to force internet companies to undermine the encryption of their own services so that the security services can gather even more data and make the intelligence haystack even more unwieldy and difficult to search for needles. And the prime minister as a thousand and one other draconian ideas up her sleeve, like the extension of detention without trial from 14 to 28 days – not because such a revised law would have prevented the Manchester and London attacks, but just because she doesn't want to let this crisis go to waste without extending the power of the state even further.
The only grace is that the prime minister's desire to control the internet will likely come a cropper as soon as she tries and fails to secure international cooperation. To a bizarre and frightening extent, our civil liberties may now partly depend on the stubbornness of Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron and (yes) Donald Trump in resisting Theresa May's maniacal efforts to regulate the online world.
Concerning too is the fact that we are suddenly talking about the internment of suspected terrorists for whom there is too little evidence to seek prosecution. Even as the news of the London Bridge attacks was coming in, strident calls were made on Twitter for the police to "bring in" everybody currently on the terror watchlist and presumably detain them without trial in perpetuity. Perhaps at a new British Guantanamo Bay on the Isle of Man. Then the omnipresent Katie Hopkins went on Fox News to repeat the call for internment, while Nigel Farage followed, warning that "people" would soon start to call for this step if the government failed to get a grip. Well, they certainly will now that the idea has been so helpfully injected into the political discourse. Thanks, Nigel.
Astonishingly, there seems to be support for such a move from some sober conservative voices in America, which rather makes me question how strong their much-vaunted love for the Constitution can possibly be, when they encourage Britons to enact draconian laws which would rightly never pass muster in the United States.
I had a thoughtful exchange with the National Review's Jim Geraghty on the related subject of whether merely expressing support for Islamist ideals should be criminalised – Geraghty initially expressed support but walked his stance back somewhat following my interjection, and we more or less came to a meeting of minds.
Sadly, the conversation elsewhere has not been nearly as civil, on either side. Of course anger is entirely appropriate when our fellow citizens are killed in cold blood by a religiously-inspired terrorist – young girls enjoy a pop concert in Manchester or Londoners of all backgrounds enjoying a Saturday night in town. But this anger has to be meaningfully directed, otherwise it will either achieve nothing or give known authoritarians like Theresa May the pretext they need to expand the state's power.
But is this really who we are, as a people? Is this really who we want to be? A nation comprised of either self-abnegating terror apologists whose first reaction on hearing of an Islamist attack is to jump on social media to declare "nothing to do with Islam!" and patrol for "Islamophobic" comments, or jumpy authoritarians who want to do away with even the most basic civil rights in pursuit of the chimera of perfect safety?
We have certainly been called to action and shocked out of our complacency by the hideous events in Manchester and London, at long last. But at present there is precious little to suggest that we will start to move in the right direction now that we are finally awake.
Terrorism, UK Current Affairs, UK PoliticsArmed Police, Borough Market, Civil Liberties, Internment, Islamic State, Islamist, Jim Geraghty, London Bridge, National Review, National Security, Radical Islam, Terrorism
George Orwell's "1984" Will Receive A Public Reading In London – But Have We Forgotten The Message?
June 2, 2017 June 21, 2017 Samuel Hooper7 Comments
On June 6, hundreds of people will gather at London's Senate House as a parade of actors, politicians and other notables read George Orwell's dystopian novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four" in its entirety. But how many of us actually understand Orwell's message?
Besides a few posts on Twitter, I haven't written anything about the heinous Manchester terrorist attack. What more is there to say? The locations change, as do the names and backgrounds of the victims, but the rote mourning processes, the denialism and the furious virtue-signalling always remains the same. Why jump into that toxic mêlée all over again?
But I did watch the BBC general election leaders' debate on television earlier this week, when naturally the subject of terrorism and Britain's proper response came up, and I was depressed as ever by the paucity of the "discussion" that took place.
Brendan O'Neill picked up on the section of the debate which also caught my attention, writing in Spiked:
Consider BBC TV's General Election debate this week, which brought together leading figures from the main parties to talk about the problems facing Britain. There was an extraordinary moment during the debate. A member of the audience asked a question about security post-Manchester and the leaders talked about the need for better policing and intelligence and also for rethinking British foreign policy. It is possible, said Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and SNP deputy leader Angus Robertson, that our meddling overseas has exacerbated the terror problem.
Then UKIP leader Paul Nuttall chimed in, and he said this: 'Politicians need to have the courage to name [the problem]: it's Islamist extremism.' The reaction was swift and pretty scary. Nuttall was jeered at by the other panellists. 'NO!', one said. 'Paul, Paul, Paul, Paul', interjected Lib Dem leader Tim Farron. Nuttall has gone 'straight for Muslims', said a furious Robertson. Green leader Caroline Lucas said Nuttall was being 'completely outrageous' with this suggestion that 'the violence in Manchester was somehow representative of Islam'.
Nuttall tried to explain himself. 'Islamism, Islamism, Islamism', he said over the din that his comments provoked. His point was that he had not said the word 'Islam'. He hadn't even used the phrase Islamic terrorism; he had said Islamist extremism. But his protests went unheard. The other leaders and some in the audience continued to shout over him and drown him out; to accuse him of being outrageous and prejudiced for using the phrase 'Islamist extremism'.
This is an almost Orwellian level of linguistic denialism. For 'Islamist' is a perfectly legitimate and apt word for the terrorism that is impacting on cities in Western Europe. The Oxford dictionary's definition of 'Islamist' is an 'advocate or supporter of Islamic militancy or fundamentalism'. Is this not the right name for those in Paris, Brussels, Nice, Manchester and elsewhere who have carried out extreme acts of violence in the name of the Islamic State or radical Islamist ideology? To boo and demonise Nuttall for using the word 'Islamist' to describe those who blow themselves up in the name of ISIS is as nuts as it would be to boo and demonise someone for saying Oswald Moseley was a fascist: these are simply the correct words.
The response proved Nuttall's point, which was that few politicians have the nerve even to say the word 'Islamist', even though it's a political term in the actual dictionary. This live-TV pummelling of Nuttall for saying 'Islamist' really confirmed what the accusation of Islamophobia is all about today: it isn't about protecting Muslims from genuine prejudice or abuse but rather has become a means for suppressing difficult political and moral questions about our society, its values and the divisions that exist either between communities or within them. That someone can be called 'outrageous' and anti-Muslim for using the phrase 'Islamist extremism' shows how deep and worrying our instinct to silence discussion about terrorism has become.
There isn't much I would add to Brendan O'Neill's warning, except for this: on 6 June, there will be a live public reading of the entirety of George Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four", given at London's Senate House. There has of course been a significant spike in interest in reading 1984, driven predominantly by people who believe that Brexit and the rise of Donald Trump herald the end to what was apparently a Utopian liberal era, and the start of an unprecedentedly authoritarian dystopian future.
The new converts to George Orwell seem to believe either that the architects of these particular geopolitical events used 1984 as some kind of How To guide, or that they themselves might find some clues within the novel to aid their survival during the coming apocalypse.
But here's the thing. I'll wager all the money in my pocket that many of the people who show up to this public reading of 1984, or who watch the live stream, will be the same people who never really had much to say about civil liberties violations in the War on Terror (at least when Democratic presidents and Labour prime ministers were in charge), or about the extra-judicial killing of American citizens by drone strike under Barack Obama.
I'll wager that many of them will have said nothing when their fellow citizens have been tried and imprisoned for singing songs, writing offensive signs, asking impertinent or stupid questions, posting "offensive" tweets or expressing conservative religious views in the town square.
But I'll also wager that a fair number of them will have reported posts that they found "offensive" on social media in an attempt to get the offending statements removed and the posters banned. I'll wager that many of the younger student types will have called for The Sun and The Daily Mail to be banned from their university campuses, and for their Students Unions to stop playing certain songs with "problematic" lyrics. I'll wager that they were the first to demand that boxer Tyson Fury be banned from boxing for holding the wrong views on family values, and to call for attention-seeking ex-LBC radio host/troll Katie Hopkins to lose her job last week.
And I'll wager that a good number of these 1984 listeners, fearless young defenders of society against creeping authoritarianism that they are, will have cheered along when Tim Farron, Angus Robertson, Caroline Lucas and the rest of the lefty nodding head brigade ripped into Paul Nuttall for the high crime of correctly identifying the deadly ideology which killed 22 young people at an Ariana Grande concert, maiming 116 more.
I'm sure their hearts just swelled with pride and warm affirmation as their left-wing political heroes put that nasty, evil brute Paul Nuttall in his place and shouted down his vile, dangerous hate speech. I bet they sincerely believed that doing so was a great victory for Hope over Hate, that this was how society should best respond to terror attacks. By furiously avoiding looking at the source, assigning the blame to unidentifiable random "evil", singing some John Lennon and angrily vilifying anybody who dared to react in a different way (such as by looking to identify and name the real problem so that it might be tackled and reduced).
And hearts aglow with courage and moral righteousness, many of these same people will assemble at the foot of London's Senate House on June 6 and fortify themselves by listening to George Orwell's stern literary warning about the dangers of groupthink, thoughtcrime, Newspeak and censorship, utterly oblivious to the fact that they are actively serving as advance guard to the Ministry of Truth.
Culture, LeftWatch, Terrorism, UK Current Affairs, UK Politics1984, Authoritarianism, BBC Debate, Brendan O'Neill, Dystopia, Free Speech, George Orwell, Islamic State, Islamist, Manchester Attack, Paul Nuttall, Radical Islam, Spiked, Television Debate, Terrorism
October 27, 2016 October 27, 2016 Samuel Hooper1 Comment
Baroness Henig's exploitation of the Paris Attacks anniversary to advocate new laws demanding that concert venues invest more in security – while herself employed as chair of a private security firm which just so happens to provide these services – showcases British politics at its most tawdry and corrupt
There are innumerable reasons why the House of Lords in its current state is an utterly intolerable affront to democracy and ethical decision-making, but an example from today really takes the biscuit.
We are coming up on the one year anniversary of the heinous coordinated terrorist attack at the Bataclan concert hall and across Paris, and Baroness Ruth Henig – a Labour peer appointed in 2004 – decided that today would be the perfect day to pop up on the BBC News Channel to declare that private concert venues should do more in terms of anti-terrorism security and training, enforced by law through a potential change to the Licencing Act 2003.
From BBC News:
Licensing laws should be changed to force entertainment venues around the UK to undergo counter-terror training, a private security expert has said.
Baroness Ruth Henig told the Victoria Derbyshire programme that some venues did not take such training "seriously". The former chair of the Security Industry Authority now plans to table an amendment to the 2003 licensing act, to include counter-terror training. Her comments come nearly a year after 130 people died in attacks in Paris.
[..] Baroness Henig said: "There are clearly a number of venues, often the larger venues, I think, but not always, who have airport-style security, who, for example, do have metal detectors, who do have very well-trained security personnel and they top up this training regularly.
"But I think at the other end there is a tail of venues who aren't taking it seriously, we know this from the police, who don't co-operate, who don't take up the offers that are made to them and where I think there are some concerns.
"And the issue is how do you get to that tail of venues who are perhaps not doing as much as they should be about security."
So far, so noble, you might think. After all, Baroness Henig only recently completed two terms as chair of the Security Industry Authority (SIA), the government regulator for private security firms run under the auspices of the Home Office. Who better to make a reasoned, fact-based case for more necessary security regulation than somebody who was in charge of holding the industry to account?
Only that is no longer Baroness Henig's role. Rather than regulating the industry and ensuring that professional standards are upheld, Ruth Henig can now be found on the board of SecuriGroup, a private security consultancy and provider itself regulated by the SIA – and not just as any board member, but as the Chair of that organisation.
Here's her official company bio:
Baroness Henig joined SecuriGroup after completing two successful terms as Chair of the Home Office Regulator, the Security Industry Authority (SIA). Baroness Henig's commitment to security and policing is well documented having held the post of Chair of Lancashire Police Authority and the Chair of the Association of Police Authorities in England and Wales which led to the award of a CBE in 2000 for services to policing. The Baroness also served on the National Criminal Justice Board and Street Crime Action Group, chaired by the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
She was appointed as Deputy Lieutenant for Lancashire in 2002 and made a life peer in 2004 as Baroness Henig of Lancaster. As a Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords, Baroness Henig takes her place on the European Security Committee on Foreign Affairs and is a member of the Independent Policing Commission.
And most conveniently, some of the services offered by SecuriGroup include counter-terrorism strategy training, security guarding, door supervision and event security. One might say that SecuriGroup are perfectly poised to provide the very services that their CEO is currently insisting are made mandatory from her unelected seat within the UK Parliament.
To move instantly from a position regulating an industry to the chairmanship of one of those companies being regulated is concerning in and of itself. In fact, the free flow of individuals back and forth between regulator and regulated organisations is one of the primary symptoms of "regulatory capture," a phenomenon whereby a government body established to regulate an industry "instead advances the commercial or political concerns of special interest groups that dominate the industry or sector it is charged with regulating".
In this context, Ruth Henig's sudden concern that smaller music venues are not stumping up for expensive anti-terrorism security countermeasures starts to look a lot less like high-minded public interest and a lot more like grubby concern for the bottom line. Is Henig worried about "that tail of venues who are perhaps not doing as much as they should be about security" because the safety of concertgoers has been keeping her up at night, or because a valuable revenue stream for SecuriGroup has been going unexploited? Given that she now derives her pay cheque from a private security firm, one has to assume that it is at least partly the latter.
Henig tries to cast herself in a virtuous light by pointing out the fact that the initial police consultations with event venues offered as part of Project Griffin are free. And so they are. But when the risk-averse police advise small venues operating on shoestring budgets that they need to pay for additional private security (by hiring the services of SecuriGroup or its competitors), that certainly will not be free. The sums of money involved would likely shut down or severely restrict the operations of many of Britain's smaller music venues.
Of course there is nothing surprising about a Labour politician downplaying the cost of regulatory compliance – this is their bread and butter. But to do so because one has a direct financial interest in more stringent regulation is morally grey at best.
And this is one of the main problems with the House of Lords. Henig's case is far from unique. It is just particularly disgusting, because it involves taking advantage of the anniversary of the terrorist murder of more than a hundred people to help drum up more business for SecuriGroup. But regulatory capture is an inherent feature of an appointed House of Lords, not an awkward and unintended quirk.
When governments appoint people to the upper legislative chamber based often on their industry experience (and that's a best case scenario, assuming they aren't simply cronies being rewarded for political services rendered), those people will naturally retain extensive links to the industries in which they built their careers and reputations. Sometimes this can be a good thing and lead to better, more considered lawmaking. But if the legislator in question is still working (or intends to return to work) in that field, then their judgment is inherently compromised.
Unfortunately, rather than realising the glaring conflict of interest and recusing herself from debate on the subject, Baroness Ruth Henig decided instead to roll up her sleeves and abuse her position as an unelected peer to further the interests of the company she runs – and all in the run-up to the anniversary of a terrorist attack which killed 130 innocent people.
Britain is crying out for proper constitutional reform to build up the public's diminished faith in our democratic process. Part of that means proper reform of the House of Lords – making it a fully elected chamber (with term limits, length of terms and the candidate pool open for discussion, so long as we produce a more deliberative body), ending the "elected dictatorship" of the primacy of the Commons, kicking out the theocratic Lords Spiritual and drastically shrinking the membership.
But it also means cracking down on the kind of morally dubious behaviour exhibited by people like Baroness Ruth Henig. We must end the revolving doors which currently exist between Parliament and industry, Parliament and lobbying and between regulator and regulatee. Somebody who just completed two terms regulating the private security industry should not then immediately be allowed to go and work in that same sector. Just because it is commonplace and seen by the establishment as a "deserved reward" for having previously slummed it on the public purse does not make it right.
Using the anniversary of the November 2015 Paris Attacks to promote a bill making it mandatory for even the smallest of music venues to invest heavily in additional security is politics at its most cynical – particularly when you consider that heavily armed and well trained gunmen such as those who committed the Paris Attacks (and the previous attack on Charlie Hebdo) would hardly be deterred by the presence of additional unarmed security guards.
But promoting an ineffective course of action which also happens to result in significant monetary gain for one's outside business interests is about as low as it is possible to get. By all account, Baroness Henig's career thus far has been distinguished and honourable. She should reverse course and either give up her chairmanship of SecuriGroup or otherwise immediately recuse herself from any further part in legislating security issues – or risk tarnishing that good reputation forever.
Top Image: BBC
Bottom Images: Pixabay, Twitter / SecuriGroup
Constitutional Convention Now!, Terrorism, UK Current Affairs, UK PoliticsBaroness Henig, corruption, House of Lords, Lords Reform, Paris Attacks, Regulation, Regulatory Capture, Ruth Henig, SecuriGroup, Security Industry Authority, SIA, Terrorism
Handed A Softball Question On ISIS, A Miscalculating Owen Smith Self Destructs
August 17, 2016 Samuel Hooper1 Comment
Owen Smith, the supposedly mature and electable alternative to Jeremy Corbyn, is nothing but a pale, naive and cheap imitation
There could hardly have been an easier question asked of the two Labour leadership contenders, Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith, during the hustings/debate broadcast on the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire show this morning.
Moving the focus on to the Islamic State (sorry, so-called Islamic State – this being BBC world), Derbyshire asked both men whether or not they believed that any peace process in Syria should involve representatives from ISIS.
Immediately alarm bells should have been sounding in Owen Smith's head, for this was the most primitive of political traps. Anything other than a robust "hell no!" would instantly be taken to mean woolly socialist accommodation with Islamist extremism, and so the correct thing to do was clearly to temporarily forget nuance, give the robust "hell no!", and then move on.
Even Jeremy Corbyn managed to get it right. He was clearly lying through his teeth – given his public statements on Hamas and other violent organisations, everyone knows that a Prime Minister Jeremy Corbyn would fawningly seek to include ISIS in any negotiations. That's just who he is. But even Jeremy Corbyn, the man who supposedly lacks a political radar, recognised the trap and said "They're not going to be around the table, no" when put on the spot by Derbyshire.
Meanwhile Owen Smith, desperate to out-socialist Corbyn at every turn while portraying what he mistakenly thinks is an air of grown up realism, charged headlong into the trap, saying:
My record is I'm somebody who has worked on the peace process in Northern Ireland for three years, I was part of the UK's negotiating team that helped bring together the loyalist paramilitaries, the DUP in particular into the process, alongside Sinn Fein, and my view is that ultimately all solutions to these sorts of crises, these sorts of international crises, do come about through dialogue. So eventually, if we are to try and solve this, all of the actors do need to be involved but at the moment ISIL are clearly not interested in negotiating.
I'm sorry, which one is the waffling socialist dilettante with no understanding of political communications again? Because for all the world it looks as though Owen Smith is the prevaricating incompetent here, not Jeremy Corbyn.
Would you invite Islamic State round the table to negotiate?
Corbyn: No
Smith: Eventually, yes#VictoriaLIVEhttps://t.co/YslHVeXLpY
— Victoria Derbyshire (@VictoriaLIVE) August 17, 2016
Let us count the ways in which Owen Smith is wrong. Firstly, there is no comparability between the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the ideology-driven, pan-national phenomenon of the Islamic State.
While it sounds statesmanlike and mature (clearly what Owen Smith was striving for) to intone that serious compromises have to be made on both sides in the pursuit of peace, citing the Northern Ireland peace agreement as evidence, it is a very poor comparison. For the Troubles, for all their complex history, were characterised very much by the narcissism of small differences – the furious hatred which built up between two very similar communities living side by side (Catholic vs Protestant, Nationalist vs Unionist).
When peace negotiations were underway, both sides were prevailed upon to accept a power-sharing agreement in a devolved assembly as well as weapons decommissioning and early prison release for convicted terrorists on both sides. The shared pain was ultimately acceptable to both sides because there was an attractive, shared goal to work towards in the form of a peaceful and more prosperous Northern Ireland.
The difference between the West and the Islamic State (or even between peace-loving Syrians and the Islamic State) does not fit this profile in the slightest. We are not talking the narcissism of small differences, but the belligerence of exceedingly large differences. Islamic State seeks to conquer and occupy territory, and impose its impossibly strict, fundamentalist Wahhabist dogma on all those with the misfortune to become its citizens. There is no compromise, no half-way terms of peace for which the subjugated people of Iraq or Syria could sue, let alone countries like Britain, France and America ,which are the Islamic State's overseas targets.
The kind of negotiations fancifully suggested by Owen Smith in his failed bid to appear mature and statesmanlike are simply not possible with Islamic State. By their own words and actions, ISIS does not compromise or water down its demands or dogma. "Live and let live" is neither possible nor desirable. Nobody is realistically going to get the Iraqi government to agree to a power-sharing deal involving the surrendering or dilution of sovereignty over its cities. And in the case of Syria, the ongoing civil war means that there is no one authority to speak on behalf of Syrians anyway.
More than anything, this incident serves to underline the sheer superficiality of the Owen Smith candidacy. While this blog was previously encouraged that Smith had at least a few policy ideas of his own (one step better than the hapless Angela Eagle, whose pitch for the top job seemed to rest entirely on her winning personality) these have proven to be nothing but a restatement of Jeremy Corbyn's own ideas, the kind of policies which a Corbyn manifesto would no doubt have outlined prior to the general election anyway.
With almost zero policy difference between the two candidates, Owen Smith's only remaining advantage over Corbyn was his supposed electability. Unlike Corbyn, we were told, Owen Smith will avoid making the faux-pas, media missteps and party management howlers which have caused the parliamentary party such unease. And yet in his desperation to defend his left flank, Owen Smith walked into the kind of headline-generating trap that even Jeremy Corbyn managed to avoid.
Did the Parliamentary Labour Party really just squander any opportunity to take the fight to the Tories after the EU referendum and the ascension of Theresa May just to replace Jeremy Corbyn with a third-rate flop of a leadership candidate in the form of Owen Smith? Is this oily, vacuous dilettante really the best that they can do?
Where are the latter-day equivalents of Barbara Castle, Peter Shore, Hugh Gaitskell, Clement Attlee, Aneurin Bevan or Tony Benn?
How small are the creatures who now seek to bestride the shrunken Labour Party?
Foreign Policy, Terrorism, UK Current Affairs, UK PoliticsISIL, ISIS, Islamic State, Jeremy Corbyn, Labour Coup, Labour Leadership, Labour Party, Negotiations, Northern Ireland, Owen Smith, Terrorism, The Troubles, Victoria Derbyshire


You and your pets will love these, and one 3.5 oz bar will outlast a 16-ounce bottle of liquid shampoo for a great value too! These wonderful shampoo bars are handmade in the Pacific Northwest from certified organic ingredients.
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text:
Irish firms not ready for investment
11 Mar 200357 Views
Irish-based start-ups are not getting their hands on much-needed equity funding because of a perception that they are seen by venture capitalists to lack 'investor readiness', the organisers of a forthcoming equity conference claim.
The total amount invested by venture capital funds in Irish companies fell by 40pc to €124m in 2001, from €208m the previous year. This is also understood to have reflected a dramatic drop of 25pc in companies attracting finance, from 144 in 2000 to 109 in 2001.
These issues will be addressed at the private Equity Conference, which will be held on 27 March at Jurys Hotel in Ballsbridge. Organised by InterTradeIreland, Equity Network is an initiative aimed at promoting business growth through private equity investment.
The forthcoming conference will feature addresses by leading Irish businessmen such as Lochlann Quinn, deputy chairman of Glen Dimplex, and Dr Eddie O'Connor, CEO of Airtricity.
"Private equity is absolutely key to the early development and expansion of new economy businesses and it is therefore vital that we promote and encourage this type of funding," said Fergal McCann, equity advisor with Equity Network.
By John Kennedy
Related: funding and investment
Inflazome secures $1m research grant from the Michael J Fox Foundation
Dundalk's Diaceutics to list on London Stock Exchange with £53m market cap
Dublin's WarDucks raises €3.3m to develop new AR game title
6 hours ago101 Views
Parkpnp founder Garret Flower on what drives an entrepreneur
CitySwifter en route to digitally transform bus journeys

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Röchling shells were bunker-busting artillery shells, developed by German engineer August Cönders during World War II, based on the theory of increasing the sectional density to improve penetration.

Description
The fin-stabilised shells made from chrome-vanadium steel were able to penetrate much more than  of reinforced concrete roof before burying the shell through the floor and into earth. However, these shells had a low muzzle velocity, and thus a high dispersion,  on  range. As a result, they saw very limited use during World War II; only about 200 shells were ever fired even though 6000 such shells were made for the very large howitzers like the 21 cm mortar.

Röchling shells were developed for the 21 cm Mörser 18, a captured French 34 cm railway gun 674(f), and the 35.5 cm Haubitze M1 only. In addition, many experimental HE shells were made for the 37 mm PAK and 50 mm PAK weapons.

Use
Röchling shells were tested in 1942 and 1943 first against the Belgian Fort de Battice then against the Belgian Fort d'Aubin-Neufchâteau. They were also tested against the fortresses of Hůrka, Hanička and Dobrošov (today's Czech Republic), the Gössler wall, Toplitzsee (Austria) and at the Hillersleben test facility (Germany).

They were regarded as a German secret weapon, and there is speculation that their use was limited in order to reduce the chance of dud shells being recovered and exploited by the Allied forces. A more likely reason, however, is their poor accuracy.

Preserved small-size prototype of Röchling shell (36 cm long) is since 2020 exhibited in the Museum of Czechoslovakian fortifications, inside the fort Hůrka (cz). Remnants of full-sized test shells are still visible in the walls of the fort.

See also
 Kinetic energy penetrator
 Impact depth

References

Artillery shells
Anti-fortification weapons
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1942

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


David: I have an idea. Why don't we go on the rice planting tour together this weekend?
Sho: I'm sorry. I haven't written an essay on my trip yet, so I have to work on that. Also, rice planting in not cool.
David: Then how do you know it's not cool? Remember, "Experience is the best teacher."
David: Don't worry. You'll love it!
Q: What does David want Sho to remember?
A: "Experience is the best teacher."
Why don't we go on the rice planting tour together this weekend?
I'm sorry. I haven't written an essay on my trip yet, so I have to work on that.
A: Why don't we take a break?
B: Sure. We've already finished cleaning the classroom.
A: Why don't we go out for dinner?
B: Sorry. I've already eaten.
Why don't we go out for dinner?
(解答) Why don't we go camping this weekend?
Sho: I'm sorry. I haven't written an essay on my trip yet, so I have to work on that.
Why don't we call a taxi?


TeleBermuda International Limited [TBi] has moved its payment and customer care centre to the Washington Mall on Church Street, across from the bus terminal, and its sister company, Bluewave, will share the premises.
"The location provides Bermudians with a one-stop-shop for all their data, long distance and fiber and wireless internet needs," the company said.
TBi and Bluewave CEO Nick Faries said, "This move to Washington Mall allowed us to customize a space that would suit both TBi and Bluewave.
"The goal is to ensure that TBi continues to provide the highest level of service to their clients, and Bluewave has an opportunity for face-to-face interaction with their valued customers. This new payment and customer care centre also provides the chance to include back offices for the TBi, Bluewave commercial sales team.
"To ensure a seamless transition for TBi clients, a member of our team will be on site at the old office on November 29th and 30th, to redirect customers to the new location," the company said.
Deputy Premier Walter Roban will cut the ribbon at the official opening on Monday, December 3rd at 11:15 a.m.


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One of Texas's leading cookbook authors presents 150 recipes that showcase the state's bounty of locally grown meats and produce, artisanal cheeses, and award-winning wines, along with fascinating stories of the people who are enriching the flavors of Texas.
With a bounty of locally grown meats and produce, artisanal cheeses, and a flourishing wine culture, it's a luscious time to be cooking in Texas. From restaurant chefs to home cooks, Texans are going to local dairies, orchards, farmers' markets, ranches, vineyards, and seafood sellers to buy the very freshest ingredients, whether we're cooking traditional favorites or the latest haute cuisine. We've discovered that Texas terroir—our rich variety of climates and soils, as well as our diverse ethnic cultures—creates a unique "taste of place" that gives Texas food a flavor all its own.
Written by one of Texas's leading cookbook authors, Terry Thompson-Anderson, Texas on the Table presents 150 new and classic recipes, along with stories of the people—farmers, ranchers, shrimpers, cheesemakers, winemakers, and chefs—who inspired so many of them and who are changing the taste of Texas food. The recipes span the full range from finger foods and first courses to soups and breads, salads, seafood, chicken, meat (including wild game), sides and vegetarian dishes, and sweets. Some of the recipes come from the state's most renowned chefs, and all are user-friendly for home cooks. Finally, the authors and winemakers tell which recipes they turn to when opening their favorite wines.
This delicious compilation of recipes and stories of the people behind them, illustrated with Sandy Wilson's beautiful photographs, makes Texas on the Table the must-have cookbook for everyone who relishes the flavors of the Lone Star State.
Thompson-Anderson is the author of several previous cookbooks, including the best-selling Cajun-Creole Cooking , Texas on the Plate , The Texas Hill Country: A Food and Wine Lover's Paradise , and Don Strange of Texas: His Life and Recipes , coauthored with Frances Strange. She also writes a regular wine feature for Edible Austin magazine. Thompson-Anderson has taught over 20,000 students at cooking schools all over the country and does restaurant/wine consulting and cooking events around Texas.
Wilson is a longtime member of the American Society of Media Photographers, and her work has been featured in Working Cowboys with artist Mark Kohler, in Texas photography exhibits, and in many corporate annual reports. She was the photographer for The Texas Hill Country: A Food and Wine Lover's Paradise .
Texas is a big state. It covers more than 276,000 square miles, in 10 distinct climatic regions, 14 diverse soil regions, and 11 wildly divergent ecological regions. And in each, you'll find an eclectic group of people who love their particular patch with a passion, whether it's in the lush farmland of the Brazos Valley, the salty towns along the Gulf Coast, the rock-strewn Hill Country, the vast, arid lands of the High Plains, or sun-baked South Texas.
It's a very exciting time to be cooking in Texas. This book offers up a collection of new and classic Texas recipes and tells the stories of the people—the farmers, ranchers, shrimpers, cheesemakers, winemakers, and chefs—who inspired so many of them and who are changing the taste of Texas food. It's all about terroir, a French term that originally applied to wine but has become more broadly used to describe "a taste of place." It refers to the scientific factors—climate, soil, and so on—that affect the way living things grow and thrive but also the cultural conditions that determine the unique flavor of the final product. Simply put, one of the things I discovered in writing this book is that the Texas terroir produces a taste like that nowhere else.
People in every state have begun to embrace the idea that locally grown food tastes better. The agriculturally inclined men and women of Texas have responded in kind (though in some cases they were there all along). In the Hill Country where dairy cows and goats range on green pastures, artisan cheesemakers collect milk from their herds to make a variety of exceptional cheeses. In and around the little town of Medina, a vital apple industry has grown up based on fruit from dwarf trees.
In South Texas, a thriving olive industry has taken root, with new orchards and tasty new varieties of olives being planted every year.
On the coast, oystermen have begun selling their catch by appellation, charging premium prices for oysters from the best reefs. This practice is allowing them to earn a decent living.
Humanely harvested game from Broken Arrow Ranch is sought by chefs from around the country, and local lamb, bison, rabbit, quail, and duck are now as likely as beef to be on the menu at the state's best restaurants.
One of the most exciting agricultural industries in Texas today is the wine business. There are almost 300 wineries, in all corners of the state. While the modern Texas wine industry is young compared with those of Europe and California, it's catching up fast. Viticulturalists and winemakers are experimenting with grapes from around the world, especially those native to the Mediterranean. Texas actually encompasses such a large area—equivalent to several of the wine-producing regions of the Mediterranean—that winemakers have the flexibility to produce a wide variety of wines and wine styles, from Spain's Tempranillo to Germany's Riesling. Grapes that originated in southern France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Sardinia are flourishing in the Texas heat and growing in abundant supply. For most winemakers, these are the grapes of the Texas wine industry's future.
Many wineries are creating great wines from native American grapes, with blanc du bois, which thrives in Texas, becoming increasing popular in producing many styles of wine, including Madeira. Hybrid grapes are being grown, too, a cross between European Vitis vinifera and native American grapes, such as chambourcin, Salado, Lenoir (or black Spanish, or Jacquez), and Cynthiana (or Norton). As the right grapes are being grown in the right conditions, we're starting to best competitors from other states and countries.
Thirty years ago no one would have believed that Texas might someday become known for its wine. But it certainly is a true statement today, and one that provides encouragement for the younger, but rapidly growing spirits movement in the state and the resurgence of the craft beer industry, which actually dates to the mid-1800s.
The wineries featured in this book are scattered throughout the various chapters. I consulted with the winemakers, asking them to pair their wines with recipes from the chapter in which their feature occurs or, in some instances, with dishes from other chapters that particularly begged for a wine from that winery. Wine pairing is an art, and one that is personal, so the pairings are merely suggestions or starting points rather than precise prescriptions to be followed to the letter.
The growth of the wine industry doesn't mean that Texas and Texans have given up beef. Or chili. Or even ruby red grapefruit or San Saba pecans. Far from it. The old foodways, from African American barbecues, to German-style sausage shops, to Mexican taco carts and Czech bakeries, are thriving still. The difference is that some of us now buy grass-fed beef for our chili. We shop for it—and most of the rest of our food—every week at our local farmers' market. And it tastes better.
Sandy and I traveled thousands of miles while researching this book. Some of the people you'll meet in these pages were old friends; others were strangers who welcomed us into their lives and work. They taught us how grasses and grains differ, and when a grape is ripe for harvest, or how to separate the curds from the whey.
Many of the places we visited are family-run, even multigenerational, farms or food businesses. Many were started by retirees or refugees from the corporate world, finally doing what they really want to do. It shows. These folks don't sell anything they don't put on their own tables. They don't take shortcuts. They treat their animals well. Many of their businesses are certified organic, an expensive and bureaucratic process. The hard part was trying to fit in as many as we could—there are many more. We hope you'll find them as inspiring as we did. What I learned in writing this book proves the time-honored adage that what grows together, goes together.
Finger foods fit the Texas lifestyle, where we "graze" at many social functions. The host or hostess will arrange small finger foods or dips around the party area, and folks just mosey leisurely around the room, selecting from the many delicious offerings, then move on to another dish and another conversation. Some dishes are served hot in a chafing dish or perhaps a Crock-Pot if it's a casual get-together. Others may be served cold or even in bowls over ice, like boiled, peeled shrimp with red cocktail sauce, long a Texas party favorite. Still others might be served at room temperature. But there's one common thread that you will encounter woven into finger foods at Texas parties that stems from the Mexican heritage of our foods. They all have a little zing of spice lurking inside. Sometimes it's quite subtle, kind of like a warm glow in the back of your throat after you swallow. But then, the spice can be quite an up-front hit, as in many of our beloved salsas and pico de gallo.
Often having friends over for dinner in Texas involves some dishes that will be cooked outside on the pit or grill and some cooked inside in the kitchen, so finger foods will simply be set out on the kitchen counters or island as some of the guests congregate in the kitchen. Outside, some good smoked sausage might be grilled up, sliced, and simply set out on a plate for those gathered around the grill to enjoy as the main course cooks slowly.
I experiment a lot with finger foods and often turn them into first courses for a seated meal by adding some garnishes or other flavor and/or texture elements. Some work fine as first courses just the way they are, only served on individual plates. Let the seasons dictate first courses. In the spring, you might serve first courses created from fresh vegetables and leafy greens and fresh berries. In the summer, first courses might contain fresh fruits and shrimp and crabmeat. In the fall and winter, Gulf oysters are at their salty best, so first courses at my house in the colder months will be a celebration of both raw and cooked oyster half-shell dishes or other cooked oyster dishes.
I probably use this zesty, vibrant-tasting simple salsa as much as any other condiment. It will forever be named after my friend and fabulous chef Cecilio Solis, who created it. However, it makes a great flavor addition to many culinary creations that need a little jazz. Or just serve a bowl of it with your favorite corn tortilla chips.
Combine all ingredients in the container of a high-speed blender. Beginning on low, begin to puree the mixture, gradually increasing speed to high. Puree until very smooth. Refrigerate in a container with tight-fitting lid until ready to use.
This salsa is definitely a seasonal summer dish, when green tomatoes are available. So don't be tempted to make it using red tomatoes. It won't be the same. Just get your fill of it in the summer!
Combine the green tomatoes, tomatillos, jalapeños, and garlic in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil—the tomatoes will provide the liquid—stirring often to prevent sticking. Reduce heat to a bare simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently. The tomatoes and tomatillos will be completely broken down and pulpy. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Combine the green tomato mixture with the avocados, cilantro, lime juice, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until smooth. Turn out into a bowl and whisk in the sour cream. Taste for salt, adjusting as desired, but remember that salt is nature's natural flavor enhancer. So if the salsa tastes a little flat, then add a bit more salt, and it should come to life. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with corn tortilla chips.
Like guacamole, don't even think about having a party in Texas without queso, or you might be mistaken for a Yankee. Don't try to fancy it up by using some gourmet variety of real cheese. It won't be Texas chile con queso if you do. Just use plain old pasteurized processed cheese—the kind that comes in rectangular blocks. Trust me, I am an ingredient purist, but I don't mess with a Texas tradition like chile con queso!
Begin by cooking the chorizo. If you can only find links of chorizo, squeeze it out of the casings. Place the sausage in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, breaking up the sausage into small, crumbly bits with the back of a wooden spoon, until browned. The sausage will render a lot of fat as it cooks. Drain into a wire-mesh strainer, pressing down on the sausage to squeeze out as much fat as possible. Combine the sausage and all other dip ingredients in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Cook, stirring often, until cheese has melted and mixture is creamy. Continue to cook for 20 more minutes.
Serve hot with tortilla chips. When I serve this dip at a "grazing" event, I will put it in a Crock-Pot if the event is informal, or a chafing dish if it's classier.
Cut as many tortilla wedges as desired, but make enough for all of your guests to eat up that chile con queso. Fry the chips in batches, taking care not to crowd the oil. Cook just until they are crisp and light golden in color. Drain on absorbent paper towels set on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Lightly salt the chips and serve them warm. They're best eaten the same day they are fried.


the recipe for this cake was taken from "easy Mediterranean" by sue Quinn. it took me a while to decide which recipe I wanted to try first as there are so many great recipes to choose from, but I went with this chamomile honey cake, I would really recommend this book if you love Mediterranean food. I made the cake as a tray bake rather than a round cake like in the book and took it on a picnic. we stopped in a corn field at about 6.30 after a long hot day and I could not wait to sit down and enjoy a slice. the weather has been really great recently here in England so we have been able to have picnics. we came across this field on a dog walk and decided to go back there.
I used some gustare honey that I was sent, it is Australian honey, the jar I used was acacia honey. the company has a base here in the uk as well as in Australia, it had so much flavour it was perfect for this cake.
preheat the oven to 160c (315f) oil the cake pan and line with baking paper.
pour the milk into a pan and gently warm through with out letting it reach the boil, then remove from the heat and add the chamomile and let steep for 10 minutes to infuse the chamomile.
now whisk together the flour, sugar and baking powder and salt in a large bowl, then in another bowl whisk together the oil, honey and eggs.
stir the infused milk into the oil mixture, then pour this into the flour mixture, mixing well until combined being sure not to over mix it.
pour the cake batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40-50 minutes (if you are baking the tray bake like me it wont take as long tray 30 minutes) once cooked a knife inserted should come out almost clean.
let cool then make icing, mix 150g icing sugar with the zest and juice of one lemon, you can loosen the mixture with a splash or milk, pour over the cake.
This looks absolutely delicious, I love using honey and olive oil in cakes!
Love the combination of olive oil and honey. The cake looks delicious!
Thank you for using our raw premium Australian honey in your delicious recipe, Aimee!
Hi Aimee, is it possible to reduce the sugar in this recipe without spoiling the consistency/texture or flavour?


text:
Nikka (* in Kiryat Gat) ist eine transsexuelle Sängerin aus Israel. Im Alter von 18 Jahren zog sie nach Tel Aviv, um ihr Geschlecht anzugleichen.

Henree Feat. Nikka
Nikka begann ihre Karriere nicht alleine. Mit Henree, einem bekannten und erfolgreichen DJ und Songwriter in Israel, bildete sie das Duo Henree Feat. Nikka. Sie sind nicht nur Partner im Musikgeschäft, sondern auch privat ein Paar.

Musik
Henree und Nikka machen zusammen Dance Musik, die leichte Tendenzen in Richtung Techno hat. Sie starteten 2004 und veröffentlichten 2006 nach drei Singles ein gemeinsames Album.

Diskografie

Singles
 See me Now (finally)
 Naked in the wind
 Bgida

Alben
Revolution (2006)
Elektro. The New Sound of Dance, 2008

Weblinks

 https://myspace.com/henreemusic/music/songs

Sänger
Transgeschlechtliche Person
Israeli
Geboren im 20. Jahrhundert
Frau


Different factors have led to the rise of different companies out there which have come in handy in making people's lives easier. For instance an oil supplying company. It would be best if a person chose a heating oil company that would be reliable in supplying the oil. With the existence of such companies there is a lot of benefits that come with them. The following are some of the advantages of working with a reliable heating Oil Company.
A company that has been in existence for a lot of years has experience and therefore sound management practices. Having a lot of years in the energy field gives a company the required knowledge and skills to operate the kind of business they are in. Hence dealing with such a company assures a person of well-managed oil business deals. A person should involve professionals because without them one can get low quality and unreliable oil. Therefore it is beneficial if one works with a full-service oil company for their oil supply.
One is involved with experts when they choose a good heating oil company. It would be beneficial if a person chose a company with professionals. People who are trained and skilled are the best for any kind of job. Therefore a person gets the best oil when they deal with professionals. With an expert, a person is assured of the best quality of the oil. The best oil products will be realized when a person works with a good heating oil company.
With a full-service heating Oil Company one gets conservation advice. Depending on the devices you have a good heating oil company will give you advice on how to conserve them. A good company will advise a person on what appliances to use with what oil products. When one chooses a company that is not a heating oil company then they may end up employing external experts to advise on the new and advancing technologies which may end up being more expensive. Therefore it is beneficial when one deals with a good oil heating company.
There is a reliable supply when a person works with a good oil heating company. A good company can't easily run out of supply because of the mechanisms they have in place for their storage. Therefore, it is vital for a person to search for a company that will not disappoint with their oil supply. All these benefits will be realized when a person does insightful research and doing a lot of listening to the comments and testimonials of people about companies.


text:
Powerful Indonesian quake felt in Australia
Published Monday, June 24, 2019
A powerful 7.3 magnitude quake struck a remote part of eastern Indonesia on Monday and was felt as far away as the holiday island of Bali and northern Australia, officials said.
The quake hit at a depth of 208 kilometres (129 miles) south of Ambon island in the Banda Sea at 11:53 local time, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake was too deep to trigger a destructive wave.
There were no reports of casualties or any damage after the quake hit.
Indonesia's disaster agency said the tremor was felt in faraway Bali, while residents of the northern Australian city of Darwin also felt it.
The city evacuated parts of its central business district after the quake struck, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Australia lies south of Indonesia, the world's biggest archipelago nation, which is regularly struck by quakes.
"Wow, that was quite an impact for #Darwin, hope everyone is safe," the bureau of meteorology in Australia's Northern Territory said on Twitter.
Earlier Monday, Indonesia's Papua province was hit by a 6.1-magnitude earthquake, about 240 kilometres (150 miles) west of the town of Abepura, at a relatively shallow depth of 21 kilometres, according to the USGS.
There were no immediate reports of casualties after that quake.
A shallower 6.3-magnitude tremor hit the area last week, but the damage was not extensive.
Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide.
Last year, a 7.5-magnitude quake and a subsequent tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi island killed more than 2,200 with a thousand more declared missing.
On December 26, 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck Aceh province, causing a tsunami and killing more than 170,000.


text:
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Willcox, AZ (85643)
Some clouds and possibly an isolated thunderstorm this afternoon. High 94F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%..
Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph.
Editorial: The Port of Willcox has a nice ring to it
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Time for us to beat our drum again.
We tell everyone polite enough to tolerate our bleating that an inland port should be located in the Willcox area.
We've made the pitch to U.S. senators and representatives, members of the state Legislature, and even the governor, though we're certain he didn't actually hear us because he kept looking past us while we talked, trying to silently convey to his aides to come up with an excuse to get him away from us.
We bring this up again because county officials are finally starting to come around . . . though they aren't necessarily looking at Willcox exclusively.
Recently, Supervisors Peggy Judd and Ann English toured Bisbee Douglas International Airport to see how it can be tied into the proposed expansion of the Douglas Port of Entry. The county is considering improving the airport as a means of economic development — envisioning warehousing and trucking operating from the airport's currently unused space.
In conjunction, the county is targeting the Willcox area for rail support — trucking materials up from Douglas/Bisbee to be loaded onto railcars and delivered throughout the Southwest.
According to Sierra Vista Herald/Review, the county isn't willing to toss a ton of money into the improvements; instead, county officials are looking to develop public-private partnerships with investment from the private sector.
We're glad to hear that county officials are being cautious when it comes to spending taxpayer dollars. However, when it comes to investment of public funds, we once again put forward Willcox as the optimal choice.
Not only does Willcox have access to rail, it's on a major interstate that connects the entire South, running from Florida to California. From a trucking standpoint, there are few better locations to be than in Willcox.
Willcox faces the same problem as Bisbee/Douglas, as there needs to be significant improvement to the airpark, as well as airport operations and infrastructure. Cochise Airport is currently classified as general aviation, serving an estimated 13,000 flights per year (based on the airport's master plan completed in 2015) and cannot currently serve commercial aviation.
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Willcox's rail spur can also assist the Port of Los Angeles, which is perpetually backlogged with items being shipped from overseas. Rather than cargo being inspected in Long Beach, Calif., it can immediately be placed on a train and delivered to Willcox, where Customs inspection can take place. From there, the items can be shipped anywhere in the nation, getting items to market faster.
We're glad county officials are talking a long-term look at economic development, exploiting the assets — Cochise County's proximity to Arizona's biggest trading partner, Mexico — to diversify the economy and create good-paying jobs.
We believe Willcox is the best location for that economic development, and hope elected officials and county staff can see the benefits of concentrating on this area.
Willcox Area
Bisbee Douglas International Airport
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CIG Project
The Sale of The Promise Building to Bibb BOE was Not A Grandiose Gesture
CIG Project, Cronyism, Education, Macon
By Alan Wood On January 4, 2015 No Comments
It seems Charles Richardson really just hasn't learned when to keep his mouth shut when it comes to speaking about education in Macon. In his latest editorial here is what he had to say about the recent sale of the Promise Center.
The Central Georgia Partnership for Individual and Community Development Inc. gave the community a gift by selling the made-to-be controversial Promise Center to the Bibb County school system, a move it clearly did not have to make. Financially, there was no motivation for the CGPICD to sell. While people conveniently forget the school board voted on the lease that sat before them unanimously and was again deemed valid by a Superior Court, the sale should put all that talk in a casket. If there was doubt of the lease's validity, why spend more than $10 million to get out of it?
The CGPICD will now start over at the old Hamilton school. It's mission, along with the more than 40 community partners, hasn't changed: to impact the lives of children and families in that area over the long term. They will never get credit for it, but they have remained true to that mission, putting aside the darts and arrows of withering criticism.
It's difficult to predict the direction of progress without a set of guiding principles. The progress we want is either set in those principles or not. I know, we're still figuring out those principles — but we are figuring them out.
Talk about rewriting history. Let's try and set Charles straight since we are all entitled to an opinion but not the facts. In information obtained from documents of the Collier lawsuit, WMAZ and the very same Macon Telegraph where Charles works but fails to check with real reporters for any verification of facts, here is what they all reported.
Chief Financial Officer Ron Collier claims he was punished for raising questions about a $1 million payment. The school district, a Macon Promise partner, paid the money to the Central Georgia Partnership For Individual and Community Development. That is another promise neighborhood partner.
According to an invoice from PICD, the money was supposed help renovate the old Ballard Hudson building on Anthony Road, and MPN planned to house their programs in that building. Another version of the invoice says the $1 million fulfilled the school district's pledge to provide resources for 2012 that a federal grant was supposed to match.
But Cliffard Whitby, executive director of MPN says they never requested or received the $1 million, and that money is strictly between the school district and PICD. The story gets more complex with reports Superintendent Romain Dallemand pledged almost $20 million over 10 years in school resources without the school board's knowledge.
That includes the district leasing half of the Ballard Hudson building from PICD for $5.75 million through 2023. That lease helped PICD secure a $4.8 million loan from the Urban Development Authority to fix up the old school. Part of Collier's suit argues that lease is illegal. And, according to an audit report of the district's finances, the school board didn't approve the lease before it was signed.
So just to clarify things, Charles seems to be saying that Whitby and the CGPICD had the BOE (read Bibb county taxpayers) over a barrel and on the hook for potentially $20 million or possibly more. What Charles Richardson always seems to conveniently leave off is that unanimous Board approval of the lease was taken when the BOE was unaware that they were committing to anything close to $20 million or anything close to that amount. Charles also conveniently leaves out the fact that this building was sold to Whitby and Samuels who for all intents and purposes are CGPICD for peanuts or $220,000.
In what universe does Charles Richardson live in when a school property sold for $220,000 gets bought back by the same purchaser for millions after they also helped pay for repairs and upkeep and still think that is a good deal. Charles is either a complete moron, out of his mind, or has ulterior motives for thinking that could ever under any circumstances be considered a good deal in any universe. It was a blatant money grab from our school system pure and simple and all of that $52 million missing is as good as flushed down a toilet with little to show for it. We sold Ballard because we didn't need it. It will now be repurposed but we could have done that ourselves with repairs for millions less.
Hey Charles, if you think that is a good deal you are just the man I need to speak with. Let me buy your car from you, let's look up the blue book value and I will pay you a great price in cash of 15% of the current Kelly blue book value. But you will then need a car to drive if you sell yours to me. Don't use any of your other cars that work perfectly fine and for the love of God don't shop around for other cars from any other buyers since they would just confuse you. You will need to trust me since I am doing this for the children. I am harmless I promise. Since I am trying to help you out, I want to give you a fantastic deal. I will rent your former car back to you, but only 3 or 4 days days a week because I want to hire it out the other days for some extra cash, but I won't charge them as much rent simply because I don't want to. Since you are my main man, I will only charge you $2,000 a month to rent your car. Oh and one more thing, you are not allowed to do any repairs, change the oil, or even buy gas from anyone but me. I will do all that for only $150 per week as a maintenance fee to make sure it runs in tip-top condition and purrs like a kitten. Again, please don't do any due diligence on maintenance or repairs since that would just confuse things. After you rent it for around 5 years I will then sell it back to you for five times the Kelly blue book value of a brand new car of the same make and model.
I know this is just the deal for you Charles because you understand business so well. So hit me up. I'm waiting so let's make this deal happen soon. Oh and act fact because it is a limited time offer Charles. 😆
Miraculous Returns
David Oedel wrote a very detailed explanation entitled Miraculous Returns. A few quotes from his article. I chose to bold especially relevant parts for emphasis.
"Cliffard Whitby told me that he, with a few others he declined to name, put up personal funds to buy that building from Bibb's BOE in 2009 for $220,000 in the name of a new nonprofit Whitby organized, Central Georgia Partnership for Individual and Community Development.
Whitby's claimed purpose? Solely to help his community. Whitby grew up nearby and graduated from Southwest High before beginning work in construction, property management and development. Whitby says he personally hasn't gotten a dime back from the transactions with Bibb County and the bond deal. He also says he's put in slightly under $1 million more in contracting services through Whitby Inc., getting nothing back for that either.
But those donations (loans?) must feel largely wasted in terms of community service. The portion of that building being leased back to Bibb's BOE is still eerily empty, half finished. Construction has largely stopped.
Another third of the total square-footage, including the most costly and valuable part of the property — a spiffy basketball arena paid for partly with CGPICD bond proceeds secured by BOE payments — is being leased not by Bibb's BOE, but Central Georgia Technical College, for $11,000 monthly with a 2 to 3 percent automatic annual increase. That's roughly $144,000 average annually over the lease's life. By contrast, for BOE's two-thirds, only about half of which is finished space, the BOE is now paying CGPICD $575,000 annually plus another $325,000 per year. The BOE also amazingly kicked in another cool million for renovation. Total, that's $10 million the BOE would pay over a decade.
The two leases are grossly incommensurate with one another despite the fact that total construction costs have been allocated about equally between the two leaseholds, according to Whitby.
Whitby's CGPICD is now trying to peddle the whole building back to Bibb's BOE for $7.8 million, which Whitby says is CGPICD's sunk cost. Whitby declined to say who else had done work other than Whitby Inc. and Stafford Construction. Stafford did most of the renovation work, charging about $3.8 million for apparently high-quality construction, especially CGTC's high-finish arena including an addition.
The BOE appears duly skeptical about CGPICD's offer. As former Bibb and present DeKalb County Chief Appraiser Calvin Hicks explained to me, discounted cash flow, not cost, is better for valuing such buildings in problematic locations. Some evidence of cash flow would be the $144,000 being paid by CGTC, but CGTC didn't pay for the arena build-out, so even that's high compared with BOE's outrageous lease. BOE's "special" purchase option at the end of 10 years isn't any bargain either, because the BOE would be paying yet again for its own improvements.
The BOE needs independent counsel to evaluate whether it may legally declare the lease with CGPICD void."
Mr. Oedel very adeptly explained just how ludicrous the contention Charles Richardson is now trying to spin that the CGPICD out of the goodness of their heart decided to help the BOE and people of Bibb county out. An old saying immediately comes to mind. With friends like that who needs enemies. They got out while the getting was good because they are keenly aware that this entire episode was a disaster and they could not count on that lease remaining valid had the BOE decided to fight it further.
At the end of the day the BOE decided it would likely end up saving money in the long term by buying it now than fighting the lease. I understand that this was a split decision and my instinct would be to fight the lease and air all the dirty laundry in public once and for all. But I also understand I may not be privy to all the information.
The one thing I am sure of is this entire Promise project has done nothing to improve the mission or finances of the Bibb county school district which should be about educating our children. It was a complete and utter failure and when people like Charles Richardson try and put lipstick on that pig no one is biting so he should keep his trap shut. Dallemand's missing $52 million with a good chunk of that coming from Promise has set educating children back a decade or more as they desperately try and recoup all that lost money. From now on it is my hope that the BOE will stick to their true mission and steer clear of men promising miracles. Keep our money in the schools and focused only towards that singular purpose of public education.
Tags:Ballard-Hudson Bibb Board of Education Bibb BOE CGPICD Charles Richardson cliffard whitby Jimmy Samuels macon Promise Center Romain Dallemand Ron Collier
Prediksi Bola on Tobesofkee Shooter Sentenced To 6 Years Plus 14 Probation


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Atlantic Technology AT-1 Loudspeakers
Product Name: Atlantic Technology AT-1 Loudspeakers
Product Type: Floorstanding Loudspeakers
Reviewed By: Greg Borrowman
Magazine: Australian HiFi - Jan/Feb 2011
Distributor: Network Audio Visual Pty Ltd
Who Sells What/Website: Atlantic Technology
The AT-1's crossover network is split over two separate printed circuit boards (PCBs). The high-pass filter section is attached to the rear of the rear terminal plate, in the usual manner, and comprises a three-position switch, a pair of MPT 'Yellow' capacitors, a pair of Dayton 'Audio Grade' MPT capacitors, seven 10W cermet resistors, and three inductors, two of which are ferrite-cored and sit parallel with each other, and one of which is air-cored and properly cross-mounted on the PCB. The PCB for the low-pass filter section is mounted high up on the inside of the enclosure, and comprises a single iron-cored inductor, two 10W cermet resistors, one MPX capacitor and one MPT 'Yellow' capacitor bypassed by a 12µF 100V bipolar electrolytic. According to Atlantic Technology, the topology of the circuit controlling the bass drivers is not a 'low pass' filter as such, but is more properly characterised as a 'tank/trap' circuit and results in a nominal crossover frequency of 2kHz. Internal wiring is via individual strands of 16AWG cable, soldered to the PCBs but attached to the drivers via spade-lugs.
In Use and Listening Sessions
When I finally got around to firing up Atlantic Technology's AT-1 speakers, I was as impressed by their sound as I was by their appearance. My immediate impression was of a lively, dynamic loudspeaker system with a flat, well-balanced and nicely extended frequency response and that's the impression that stayed with me not only throughout my listening sessions, but also after I'd put the speakers away for a few weeks, then re-connected them for a 'reprise' audition, to make absolutely certain that my first impressions were accurate.
Despite all Atlantic Technology's predictions that I'd be most impressed by the bass, I have to confess that what most impressed me about the sound of the AT-1 speakers was the clarity and articulation of the midrange, and the almost holographic sound-stage of the imaging—at least horizontally, the stage depth wasn't quite at this same extraordinarily high level. There is one caveat to this sound-staging, which is that like all MTM driver arrays, it's absolutely critical that your ears are on-axis with the tweeters, and that you're in the far field… so if your listening position is necessarily closer than about two metres, you just won't get the full effect. I was transfixed by how the AT-1s reproduced 'Home', an album released by Emma Gilmartin and Tony Gould. It's recorded clean and plain, and the songs are unashamedly sentimental, but it's all good, because with just Emma's unadorned voice (sometimes a cappella) and Gould's lone grand, it's incredibly revealing of a loudspeaker's deficiencies, and none at all were audible when I used it to audition the AT-1s. (Gilmartin's voice is these days unusual because she uses almost no vibrato.) The bonus is that if you have small children, they'll probably love going to sleep to some of the songs on this CD (Rainbow Connection, You Are My Sunshine, Que Sera Sera, Homeward Bound). There's also a lovely version of Janis Ian's Jesse in which Emma shows off her insanely accurate ability to perfectly pitch any note, even when it's a deliberate discord (actually, she demonstrates this right throughout this album, but she sings some of my favourite 'impossible' intervals on this track and nails them without so much as a micro-slide onto the note.)
Who Sells What: Atlantic Technology
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