From the land of Orwell....

Neil Harding and the DNA Database

"Timmy has already drawn this comparison, but I shall do so here too. Here's Sam Leith in The Telegraph, talking about the National DNA database (and the whole article is worth a read).

What this is actually about is the police asking the Government to extend the powers of the state for its convenience. The argument in favour of the establishment, de jure, of a compulsory national DNA database has been lost. This is the first attempt to sneak it in - without any proper argument at all - de facto.

That is why it needs to be resisted. It is based on the alarming rationale that there exists an absolute divide (one expressed in an abrogation of your right to privacy) not only between all those who have ever broken any law and the rest of the population but also between all those who have ever been suspected of breaking the law and the rest of the population. That's not the characteristic view of a free society. Our privacy is something that belongs to us: not something the Government gives us, on probation, as a favour. They serve us: not vice versa. This may be a matter of principle, but it is one that could scarcely have more profound practical importance."

Read it all at The Devil's Kitchen.

What American "educators" will want to implement next school year

Trendy wankers continue to fuck up schools
The Devil's Kitchen

Via The Englishman, I find this piece of trendy wank-tossery: what the fuck are these lunatics thinking?

STATE secondary schools are being told to ditch lessons in academic subjects and replace them with month-long projects on themes such as global warming.

The pressure to scrap the traditional timetable in favour of cross-curricular topics is coming from the government’s teaching advisers, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA).
...

Mick Waters, the QCA’s curriculum director, believes the changes will help spur enthusiasm and cut truancy. He said: “The challenge for schools is to create a nourishing and appetising feast that will sustain learners and meet their needs.

"Gerhard Carter"

Gerhard Schroeder Receives Honorary Degree in Syria
Davids Medienkritik

"Former Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schroeder received on Wednesday an honorary doctorate from the University of Damascus in honor of his positive stances towards Arab causes and his belief in dialogue between cultures, international cooperation and coexistence.


On this occasion, Schroeder affirmed Syria's right to restore the occupied Golan by international law and according to Security Council resolutions 242 and 338, pointing out to the necessity of finding a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict and restoring rights.

Schroeder called the international community to prioritize security and stability in the Middle East and maintain the unity of Iraq, stressing that the US administration must end its occupation of Iraq via a timetable for withdrawal and the inclusion of neighboring countries in finding a solution for the situation in Iraq.

Schroeder rejected the policy of isolation, pointing out to the importance of encouraging and supporting mutual understanding between cultures and confronting the voices that incite conflict between civilizations. (...)

Dean of the Faculty of Law in Damascus University Fouad Deeb affirmed that Gerhard Schroeder has contributed via his distinguished political stances in setting the principles of international laws and higher values, pointing out to Schroeder's constant support of dialogue and coexistence.

Deeb also added that this honorary degree also honors the German people and their political stances that support human rights and reject the policies of hegemony and occupation.


Later, Schroeder signed Arabic-translated copies of his book "Decisions: My Life in Politics" which includes his memoirs. The book was translated into Arabic in association with Sham Holdings. (emphasis ours)

Via ¡No Pasarán!

PANORAMA 'DOES A HATCHET JOB' ON SAUDI DEAL SAYS RAF HERO
Daily Express

"The OECD making a fuss about investigations is rather farcical when you find out that it is France that’s leading the campaign to blacken Britain’s name – and win all the deals for Matra and Dassault, makers of Mirage fighter jets.

“The Saudis bought a cracking aircraft in the British Tornado and the Hawk trainer is second to none. Of course Bandar would have given his opinion. After all he could have flown the damned things if he’d wanted to. France has been out in the cold for a long time. They tried to block the military operation to rid Iraq of Saddam.

“Meanwhile they were busy building a French car manufacturing plant in Iran.

“Let’s face it, the French have always been opportunistic when it comes to weapons deals. Maybe their military industry is flat on its face.

“But we took enough French-built Exocets during the Falklands for me not to feel too sorry for them.”

The Daily Express has been told by a senior diplomatic source that the former French Prime Prime Minister, Dominique du Villepin – he famously attacked Britain and the US at the UN for proposed involvement in the second Gulf War – was heavily motivated in his outburst by the fact that the French could not field an operational aircraft carrier.

The RAF source said: “The Clemenceau, their flagship, had been in dry dock for over a year and their military contribution would have been seriously undermined and derided had they not had their military shop window in operation.

So good I just posted the whole article

Fat, Happy Angst-Ridden, and Stupid

posted by Joe Noory @ 12:56 AM

You are what you bleat.

One is a EU super-group of fat-fighters. Formally this is referred to as a High Level Group comprised of a representative from every member state. The group would compile programmes on nutrition, overweight and obesity health issues.

More than 50% of the adult population is overweight or obese in most member states, the EC says. In the child population, an estimated 21 million are overweight, with the number increasing by 400,000 every year.

The beaurocracy is a nice touch, isn’t it? It must be soothing somehow – something to break up the omnipresent anarchy of company and property owner wanting to do what they want with their own stuff from time to time:

Shoe factory workers in southern France took four senior managers captive on Wednesday after the firm announced plans to relocate its production to Tunisia.

Managers of Jallatte, Europe's leading manufacturer of safety shoes, told workers early Wednesday they intended to cut 285 out of 336 jobs across its four French production sites.

Furious at the news, union leaders and workers burst into a meeting in the southern town of Saint Hippolyte du Fort, attended by four top executives, including Giovanni Falco, managing director of the company's Italian owner JAL.

The managers were held captive for several hours, until Falco agreed to push back by three weeks a June 6 meeting intended to kickstart the restructuring plan.

When in doubt, the logical thing to do about a company that can’t break even is obvious: take hostages. It must be the mysterious X-factor in that “most productive people in the world” thing they keep banging on about.

Fat, happy, and stupid.