The BBC (caveat more or less everyone), found by Boing Boing, alleges that the Dutch government is trying to prevent a (literally) born sailor from sailing.
Once upon a time Miss Dekker’s ambition would have been celebrated (despite having been to the Netherlands I can’t remember whether or not they ever had an equivalent of Blue [...]
Archive for the ‘world affairs’ Category
Narrow escape for Royal Navy
Posted in world affairs, tagged Netherlands on 26 August, 2009 | 5 Comments »
Silly Cloggies
Posted in world affairs, tagged Netherlands on 28 May, 2009 | 16 Comments »
It is reported by Boing Boing that in the Netherlands, where most drugs are legal, there is now such a shortage of criminals that the choice has arisen between closing down some prisons and making their staff redundant, or importing criminals from Belgium to keep the system going.
Silly Cloggies! Don’t they know that the way [...]
Semi-civilised troops
Posted in world affairs, tagged Canada on 17 May, 2009 | 2 Comments »
I don’t often remark upon the goings-on in foreign countries but this one (h/t Boing Boing) got me going, to be quite honest.
Robert Graves records in his autobiography that during the First World War the Germans, outraged at British atrocities, made a number of complaints to the referees.
They considered that .303 Ball Mk.VII was [...]
New World Symphony
Posted in world affairs, tagged usa on 6 May, 2009 | 10 Comments »
Nick M, at Counting Cats, on the USA:
I have been back to the USA of course because it’s ace. I know loads of folks who haven’t. Why?
I have been to the USA once, on business. Even if I were still allowed to fly I doubt that I’d ever go back there.
The plane took off from [...]
Puzzled
Posted in world affairs, tagged iran, Laos on 2 May, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I am somewhat puzzled by the highly enthusiastic response of The Lone Voice to this story from the Telegraph, about a young woman who appears likely to be shot in Laos for heroin smuggling.
Most people of a libertarian persuasion seem to be of the view that the main problem with ‘illegal drugs’ is not their [...]
Turkey to join AMU?
Posted in world affairs, tagged Turkey on 6 April, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Complete poppycock, politely commented upon by Trixy.
How on earth can Turkey be in the EU?
It isn’t in Europe.
It is (except for a small piece) in Asia Minor.
Even I know that.
(Of course I am aware that if Turkey were allowed to join the EU then in one magical moment Britain would cease to have the EU’s [...]
Totalitarianism FAIL
Posted in world affairs, tagged usa on 15 March, 2009 | 1 Comment »
An essay on the evasion of bureaucracy, found by Bodwyn Wook:
This is the story of how I successfully refused to accept a Social Security Number for my child.
I simply said “no.”
Ah, the USA! Whatever one may think of its recent experiments (which seem, regrettably, likely to continue) with totalitarianism, it is evidently still possible there [...]
Afghanistan: sorted
Posted in world affairs, tagged afghanistan on 25 February, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
According to The Independent:
British soldiers are engaged in “a surreal mini civil war” with growing numbers of home-grown jihadists who have travelled to Afghanistan to support the Taliban… Interceptions of Taliban communications have shown that British jihadists – some “speaking with West Midlands accents” – are active in Helmand and other parts of southern Afghanistan… [...]
Swiss banks: like Swiss cheese
Posted in world affairs, tagged Switzerland on 18 February, 2009 | 4 Comments »
I am so boring that I have always rather admired the Swiss. Their political system, while not perfect, is better than ours. They are, as someone pointed out ages ago, wholly armed, and quite free. They don’t join anything, mind their own business, are prepared to be perfectly bloody to anyone who invades them, and [...]
Not even murder
Posted in world affairs, tagged usa on 16 February, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Obliged also to Bodwyn Wook for the plug. Amplifying on the point, he concludes:
Not even murder in however large amounts is any excuse whatsoever for wrecking the Constitution of the United States.
With which I am sure those who drafted the said Constitution would agree, as might those who defended their right to have the said [...]
