Brilliant: The National Money Hole

In The Know: Should The Government Stop Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole?

Shoe thrown at Bush on Iraq visit

This was a bit of a shocker! But is it really a shock?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/7782774.stm

See full article from here!

Howling Bells - Into the Chaos

After previously really enjoying their debut album, one of my favourite bands are back with a new single. They are not massive but I recommend buying their first album (or thieving, subject to your conscience)....on a less important note, I met the lead singer when buying a band T shirt over a year ago and she is just as hot as she looks on the video. And it is still one of my favourite T shirts! At the risk of sounding like a sad teenage girl...I'll end it there. http://www.myspace.com/howlingbells for more..

Black Mesa Source

Black Mesa (previously known as Black Mesa: Source) is a third-party total conversion mod for Half-Life 2. The ultimate goal of the mod is to recreate the original Half-Life from the ground up, using the advanced capabilities of the Source engine, the improved graphics quality of Half-Life 2 and enhanced character AI, to create a new and more engrossing in-game world by introducing more varied, complex environments and more challenging, realistic gameplay. Black Mesa will be playable by anyone who owns any Source engine game.

Bible Illuminated

It's the Bible, But not as you know it, Jim.

According to the BBC:

Most people think of the Bible as a densely printed book with no pictures, but a version of the scripture that resembles a glossy coffee table magazine aims to change that. It's part of a wave of radical presentations of the Bible, including a manga version and a Lego gospel. But how do Christians feel about these attempts to spread the word?

It's the kind of magazine you might find in a doctor's waiting room next to Cosmopolitan or Reader's Digest. On the front is a pale face heavy with mascara. A flick through throws up striking images: urban flooding, a Nigerian abattoir, a girl eating noodles, a pooch in a limo.

It's only when and if you get round to reading the text that the incongruity strikes you: "Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven." What kind of problem page is this?

Burma, Special Branch and the Foreign Secretary!

Sorry that the majority of posts seem Political in nature but I thought this worth sharing:

I went to hear David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary speak today during a Questions and Answers session at the Great Hall, Leeds University. On arrival, what struck me was the obvious presence of Special branch with their stereotypical macs and tashes, and an attachment throng of parked Mercedes Benz cars surrounding a Jag (which at the time, left my imagination to wonder if it was bullet proof or not)!?

Anyway, I could not easily resist the opportunity to hear him speak or indeed to ask a question. My question (with the help of Dad) was framed around the recent sentencing of political activists in Burma of up to 65 years in prison. One pro-democracy blogger was given 20 years for his involvement. Please see the following article for more details:
http://advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org/2008/11/11/burmese-blogger-nay-phone-latt-sentenced-to-twenty-years-and-six-months/

My question to the FS was this:

'How seriously is the British Government taking the suppression of political rights for minority ethnic peoples in Burma and what steps has the British Government taken to protest over the sentencing of pro-democracy leaders in Burma for up to sixty-five years?'

His response was a little short of satisfactory. He noted his awareness of the importance of the democratically elected Aung San Suu Kyi who has remained under house arrest for well over a decade. He gave reference to the 'warm feeling' that he felt when in 2006 during the Monk's protests, he was speaking to the British Embassy in Rangoon, over the telephone and how he could hear the clapping of the Monk's as they walked past the Embassy. But in his avoidance of the direct question to what is the British Government doing, he simply pointed to the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon's visit to Rangoon in December (see http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/un_action.html and take action). His limited response is a sign perhaps of it not being on top of Britain's agenda. Not of much use in the twin sense of Burma’s locked up activists but also my dissertation.

All together I feel the Foreign Secretary, collectively gave a good response to most of the questions raised. His knowledge basis for varying topics was impressive. Even to some of the more controversial questions posed on the subjects of: Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, Israel etc. I think he got off lightly but his human side did come out during his response with a touch of humour; seemingly he was perfectly at ease. Perhaps one day he will be a candidate for the Leader of Labour Party?
Watch this space!

Just want to share a clip originally taken from Dispatches which I am using in a presentation on Burma next week:

Mirrors Edge