Halloween Blogging - Monster Cat Edition


Yours for £10,600: one very well-bred moggie

Anyone with a big house, a big bank balance and a big Josephine Baker fantasy can now buy a big cat. The Ashera cat stands 4ft tall on its hind legs, weighs up to 14kg and looks like a small leopard. It can even be walked on a lead, just as the 1920s vaudeville star did with her pet leopard. According to Lifestyle Pets, a company based in Delaware, which breeds these fashionable felines (from an African serval and an Asian leopard cat), it doesn't require special cat food though it will need an extra large litter tray and likes a heated bed. Oh, and it costs £10,600 and there's a nine-month waiting list. From next year, for an extra £3,000, you can buy a hypoallergenic Ashera that won't, apparently, make you sneeze.

Imagine having two of these Ashera cats rampaging round your house! Let alone the food and kitty litter bills.

Happy Halloween

Camille Saint-Saëns - Danse Macabre (Silent Film & 78rpm)

Snark of the Day

Two relics of another age meet

Immigration

Smith 'sorry' for migrants error

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has apologised after it emerged that government figures on foreign workers were underestimated by 300,000.

She admitted it was "bad" that the wrong figures were given out on foreign nationals since 1997, but said 2.7m new jobs had been created under Labour.

The number of foreign workers in the UK since 1997 is now thought to be 1.1m, not the 800,000 officially recorded.

For the Tories, Chris Grayling said it was an "extraordinary development".

These numbers are meaningless, you can never get a secure number on how many are coming to the UK, because people come and go all the time. Whats even more annoying to your average little Englander or racist is that many of these Poles are Catholic, well educated and most shockingly they are white! As a group these new eastern European immigrants are very hard to be scapegoated, its far easier to attack immigrants who have brown skin (because they look different and may follow a different religion and creates this fear of the 'Other'). Just goes to show how frankly colour based much of our immigration policies are and the issue being held hostage by rags like the Daily (S)Express, the Daily Mail or any number of right wing newspapers, blogs and websites).

I for one am quite grateful we aren't counting people, because its quite creepy.

More on Immigration

The class politics of immigration controls

Migrant numbers: do they matter?

Saudi King's Visit To UK

Prince Charles's attention is caught by demonstrators who gathered on The Mall to protest over human rights and the arms trade.

Red carpet welcome for Saudi king

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has been welcomed ceremonially to Britain by the Queen, amid burgeoning controversy over the Middle Eastern ruler's stay.

The Queen greeted him on Horseguard's Parade at the start of his first visit to the UK in 20 years.

The Lib Dems and some charities said the visit should not take place because of the kingdom's human rights record.

King Abdullah's remarks about the 7 July terror attacks have heightened the controversy surrounding the trip.

The Foreign Office was forced to rebut his claims that Saudi authorities had provided information which could have prevented the London bombing atrocities.

Its bloody cheek the Saudi King telling us off for not acknowledging their 'intelligence' while not admitting the fact they fund the extremist madrases and 19 of the 9/11 hijackers came from their country! Or there non existent human rights record and wicked treatment of their women, not to mention the alleged corruption that when on during the BAE arms deal and my government and the Queen are laying out the red carpet for a despot.

Not to mention the extravagance, the Saudi Royals traveled in 6 planes and 75 limos (and thats to just come from the airport), in the Saudi King's entourage there are over 400 princes! I bet while they are in the UK they will stock up on whores and booze

This is why I remain deeply cynical anytime a western leader talks about 'spreading democracy in the Middle East', because its a fraud, how can these very same people claim to 'support democracy' when they are backing despots like Mubarak and the Saud royals, but of course they get a free pass because they serve vested interests.

More on the Saudi King's visit

Saudi Arabia: petrotheocracy on the brink of breakdown

Another Howler from Kim Howells

Robert Fisk: King Abdullah flies in to lecture us on terrorism

Thinktank accuses Saudi regime over hate literature

Saudi king's visit met by protests

Friday Music

M.I.A - Jimmy

Friday Cat Blogging


Heidi on my room's windowsill


Heidi snoozing and enjoying heat from the radiator behind her


George cozying up to Tigger

Music Video Blogging

Felix Da Housecat - Like Something 4 Porno

Friday Cat Blogging


Heidi and George


Heidi sleeping on top of George (both wanted to sleep in the basket, but they are both large cats, so stacking was the only way)






Heidi washing George

We're Doomed!

Clinton would use violence against Tehran

Hillary Clinton today moved to secure her position as the most hawkish Democrat in the 2008 presidential race, saying she would consider the use of force to compel Iran to abandon its nuclear programme.

In an article for Foreign Affairs magazine intended as a blueprint for the foreign policy of a future Clinton White House, the Democratic frontrunner argues that Iran poses a long term strategic challenge to American and its allies, and that it must not be permitted to build or acquire nuclear weapons.

"If Iran does not comply with its own commitments and the will of the international community, all options must remain on the table," Ms Clinton said.

Elsewhere, Ms Clinton took the edge off her steely posture by saying she would abandon the Bush administration's policy of isolating its enemies, and would deploy diplomacy.

So basically, Hillary Clinton would go through with an attack on Iran but unlike Bush this time she would do it with a smile and the veneer of 'international cooperation'.

Iran stands more chance of being bombed if Hillary Clinton gets into power

Cute Photo and Story of the Day



Mini pigs are big success on farm

A Devon fun farm is reaping the rewards of a nine-year breeding programme for miniature pigs.

The pigs, which are about a fifth of the size of ordinary pigs, have been a hit with visitors at Pennywell Farm.

TV celebrity Jonathan Ross bought two of the pint-sized porkers as pets at £150 each and there have even been offers from as far away as Australia.

The pocket pigs are a variant of the rare kune kune breed, which is native to New Zealand.

Happy Eid ul-Fitr


Thousands of Palestinians gathered in the Gaza Strip and across the West Bank for dawn prayers.

The Empire State Building in New York is lit up in green to mark the Islamic festival of Eid.

Genius

The totally brilliant and extremely funny Rude Pundit (not safe for work)

42 Ways Not to Have Sex With Ann Coulter

Rugby World Cup

*update*

We won - England 14 France 9

the French should of won with the players they had alas their head coach is a total plonker. 1066 since the French last won!!!!(not being serious here, think of it as propaganda points or general giddiness at winning)

England followed tactics and was helped having experience players.

Safe to say almost the entire City of London are going to Paris next Saturday, its Paris and its Rugby, a delicious combination

The second semi final is tomorrow night

South Africa vs Argentina

now if Argentina get through then England stands a very good chance of getting the Webb Ellis Cup

but if S Africa get through then we are a bit fucked, or at least it will be quite tough and they could very well defeat us

Gonna be an explosive game thats for sure

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France and England: The best of enemies

When France and England kick off at the Stade de France tonight, they will be playing out an ancient rivalry. John Walsh reminds us of the scores so far

# Battle of Crecy (1346) - English Victory
# Battle of Castillon (1453) - French victory
# Battle of Trafalgar (1805) - British victory
# King William's War (1689-1697) - a draw
# Battle of Waterloo (1815) - British victory
# Davis Cup (1933) - British victory
# Euro 2004 - French victory
# De Gaulle's 'Grand Non' (1967) - French victory
# Rugby World Cup England v France 1991 - English victory
# 2012 Olympics (2005) - British victory

Thats why Britain keeps her nukes, in case France try any funny business! heh Though the French without a doubt have the best national anthem.

Go England!!!!!

Music Video Blogging

Kylie Minogue - 2 Hearts

Quite Nice News for a Change

Gore and UN share Nobel peace prize

The former US vice-president Al Gore and the UN climate change panel will share the 2007 Nobel peace prize for raising awareness of the risks of climate change, the Nobel committee announced today.

Chosen from a field of 181 candidates, Mr Gore and the UN's intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) will split the $1.5m (£750,000) prize.

The Norwegian committee praised Mr Gore for his strong commitment to the struggle against climate change.

Al Gore, Oscar winner, Emmy winner and now a joint Noble Prize Winner.

No wonder wingnuts (and John McCain) are seeing red (and green), its really quite pathetic

Their idol George Bush on the other hand is a huge failure, in his job as as a human being.

Coming up short every single fucking time.

however a word of caution - The lesson is perhaps not to rely too much on liberal capitalist benefactors and glossy Hollywood marketing. A real movement to combat Climate Change (and indeed all the other environmental threats and social injustices) will be a mass movement with power at the base, not a celeb crusade. It will be a movement that threatens the privileges of the likes of Al Gore and co as much as it does the position of Robert Durward. We can leave political vanity projects and corporate slush to the likes of The New Party. (Greenman's Occasional Organ)

Friday Cat Blogging


Gorgeous George


George in mid yawn (insert your own caption)


Heidi sleeping on my bed

Human Rights

Met chief urges longer detention limit

The 28-day limit for holding terrorist suspects without charge is "not sufficient" and should be extended, the commissioner of the Metropolitan police said today.

Sir Ian Blair said the number of plots in the UK was growing and said the detention period should be "somewhere between" 50 and 90 days.

Giving evidence to the home affairs select committee in parliament, Sir Ian admitted that police had not yet required more than four weeks to assemble evidence against a suspect.

But he said: "At some stage 28 days is not going to be sufficient, and the worst time to debate whether an extension is needed would be in the aftermath of an atrocity."

If you have not got anything out of a suspect after 28 days, your not going to get anything else from the suspect if you stretch it to 90 days

god damn the government should know better, they got their arses handed to them last time and it will happen again.

Monday Opera Blogging

Anne Howells (Octavian), Barbara Bonney (Sophie) sing 'Wird Sie das mannsbild da heiraten?' in Richard Strauss's 'Der Rosenkavalier', Royal Opera House Covent Garden 1985.

Iraq

Top Iraqis Pull Back From Key U.S. Goal

Reconciliation Seen Unattainable Amid Struggle for Power

Iraqi leaders argue that sectarian animosity is entrenched in the structure of their government. Instead of reconciliation, they now stress alternative and perhaps more attainable goals: streamlining the government bureaucracy, placing experienced technocrats in positions of authority and improving the dismal record of providing basic services.

"I don't think there is something called reconciliation, and there will be no reconciliation as such," said Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, a Kurd. "To me, it is a very inaccurate term. This is a struggle about power."

Humam Hamoudi, a prominent Shiite cleric and parliament member, said any future reconciliation would emerge naturally from an efficient, fair government, not through short-term political engineering among Sunnis and Shiites.

One of the biggest mistakes post invasion was the lack of attention payed to law and order.

Instead the CPA spent most of their time in a deluded bubble thinking they were creating Iraq in the American mold, I mean focusing on fucking traffic rules, trivial stuff

Another error was allowing most of the major ministries to be looted, disbanding the Iraqi army and getting rid of all Baath party members, I mean how stupid do you have to be to get rid of those who knew how to run the country! The answer is quite stupid, since many of the members of the CPA were Republican party loyalists with little or no experience in post conflict reconstruction, while experts were dismissed or had their job made very difficult if it didn't follow the party line.

The fawning over the exiles at the expense of those who had stayed in Iraq and the way the CPA actually created sectarian tensions or at least contributed to it, by splitting the Iraqis into Kurds, Shias and Sunnis,the way there was guilt overload in giving everything to Kurds and Shias at the expense of pissing off former power holders the Sunni's. You would of thought the CPA would of done their best to keep the Sunni's happy somehow, or just be a little bit more understanding

Disbanding the Iraqi army, there you have the nucleus of the insurgency, along with disgruntled Sunnis, followed by an influx of foreign fighters. On top of that the US is funding militias against each other and against the insurgency, adding fuel to an already massive sectarian fire and what happens when the militias use US made guns on their former US allies?

Gordon Brown

Brown 'treating people as fools'

David Cameron has accused Gordon Brown of "treating the British people as fools" in not calling a snap election.

Mr Brown told the BBC he had had a "duty" to consider whether to hold an election, but decided against it so he could show his "vision" for Britain.

But the Tory leader said the PM "was not being straight... everybody knows he is not having an election because there's a danger of him losing it".

Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell accused Mr Brown of a "loss of nerve".

For once the old Etonian multimillionaire cokehead is correct, Gordon Brown's government is telling porkies about why an election hasn't been called.

The election has not been called because Brown's government is afraid to lose and/or changed their minds, but they won't say that in public oh no, so they lie through their teeth so as not to appear weak

Saturday Musical Blogging

West Side Story - America

Friday Cat Blogging


Mlle Heidi


Heidi snuggling up in my father's fleece


George stretched out, enjoying the nice October sun


Handsome George


Heidi and George in a rare moment of harmony

Music Video Blogging

Candi Staton - Young Hearts Run Free

Charles de Menezes

Met: Menezes' death a mistake but not a crime

A court hears how police were not properly briefed at the Met Police's health and safety trial over Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes' death.

Firearms officers were told to expect a suicide bomber who was 'up for it' and should be stopped 'at any cost'. That is what a court has been told, but the police were not properly briefed.

Prosecutors at the health and safety trial of the Metropolitan Police said the Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes died because of 'obvious confusion' on the part of police.

God damn the death of Charles de Menezes should be treated as manslaughter, not fucking health and safety

Anti War

March on parliament to defy Stop the War ban, says Tony Benn

Tony Benn and Labour national executive member Walter Wolfgang are set to defy the law and lead a banned anti-war march down Whitehall to parliament next Monday—the day Gordon Brown has promised to deliver a statement on Britain's presence in occupied Iraq.

Benn states, "I will be marching. It is entirely up to the police and government what they do."

Comedian and campaigner Mark Thomas also pledged to defy the ban.

Musician Brian Eno warned that the government hoped the ban would keep the issue of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan "off the agenda".

He warned that legal powers would be used to sideline protests over any military adventure against Iran.

Quite amazing no?

Gordon Brown's government rushes to support the monks who were protesting in Burma but at the same time are doing their best to stifle anti war protests at home.