Quartet plays new tune 23.09.2011.

Source: Maan News Agency 22.09.2011.


Although today should have been an historic day for the whole world , although 180 countries and States supported Palestine's bid for UN Statehood, due to be voted on today after being put off twice, the Quartet -- the US, UN, EU, and Russia -- is said to be deliberating on a new framework for a renewal of bilateral negotiations between the PLO and Israel following a veto by Barack Obama on Wednesday.

The Quartet may seek to restart negotiations in the time between Mahmoud Abbas' speech tomorrow and a decision from the Security Council, which could be weeks or even months away.


Quartet plays new tune

with wind section and strings too-

orchestrates failed bid.

EU name crisis 11.07.2011

Source: The Guardian

EU Council President Herman Van Rumpoy has called an emergency meeting of top officials dealing with the eurozone crisis.
EU central bank president Jean Claude Trichet will attend the meeting, along with Jean Claude Juncker, chair of the region's finance ministry, EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Olli Rehn of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Commission.

The talks came after Italian assets were sold off on Friday, increasing fears that Italy could be next to suffer in the debt crisis.

It has the highest sovereign debt ratio relative to its economy after Greece.

EU figures with
dodgy names such as Trichet,
Juncker add to crisis.

E-confessions.09.02.2011

Source: The Times.

Roman Catholic bishops have approved a new iphone/ipad app. that allows users to to make confessions with a virtual priest over the internet.

'Confessions: a Roman catholic App.' on sale this week offers 'a personalized examination of conscience for each user.' Sins are listed by misdeed and omission. A button lists 'customary sins' gluttony, envy, greed, etc. Each sin is check-boxed. A next command brings up one of the Acts of Contrition. Users then press 'Receive Absolution and respond Amen' before going to 'Finish.' A spiritual quote then comes up.

It was made by 'Little Apps'

Forgive me father

for coveting my neighbour's

app., deleting sins.

Father Ted, eat your

heart out. Virtual Churches,

priests, sins are here now!

　

SATS. 11.06.2010.

11.06.2010.

Tens of thousands of primary school children missed key Stage 2 tests yesterday as Heads refused to hand out papers. 10 and 11-year-olds, despite preparing for the tests, known as SATS, learned that they had been cancelled.

Schoolkids do even
more sitting about as they
won't be sitting SATS.

Eddie Stobart.19.04.2010.

Eddie Stobart, 55, multi-millionaire owner of the famous haulage firm, now retired, appeared in court in Warwickshire after being stopped at 2a.m. while driving. He was breathalyzed and found to be over the limit. Eddie's brother, William now owns the company, Eddie Stobart.

Are you an Eddie
spotter?,We spotted, stopped him,
hauled him into court.

Difference between them and us. 23.11.07.

Scientists have discovered a 'dramatic' variation in the genetic make-up of humans that could provide 'a greater understanding' of mankind (and to those of us with Orwellian imaginations, a new programme of Eugenics somewhere in this unbrotherly world)
The findings mean that instead of humanity being 99.9% identical, we are at lest ten times more different from one another than was once thought. One has to ask why we are not struck by the similarities rather than the distinctions. We are still 99.9 per cent Simian and rather more barbaric since we are the only species which practises torture on a regular basis.

We are all different.
We knew that ages ago.
So why all the fuss?

We now know why we're
different but not why we should be
indifferent to this.

Well-travelled, unworldy children. 24.09.2007.

Source: the Independent

Two reports on the same page of the Independent reveal that today's children are 3 times further travelled than their parents were.
As many as 43% (and rising) of kids have amassed around 25,000 miles by the age of 12, with 63% reaching beyond Europe and America.
I in 5 of British children cannot find the UK on a map of the world. I in 10 were not able to name a single continent and more than 20.000 in London did not know that they lived in England's capital city!

Today's children have
travelled the world but haven't a
clue where their home is.

World Cup 2006

As England approaches World Cup D-Day 29th May, 2006, every pillock has a plastic St. George's flag fluttering for their car door pillar.

'C'Mon Engerland'
car flags like red and white rags
to this angry bull.

Degree threat haiku

The Times 1st October.09 reports that the traditional system of marking degrees by class (First, 2-1, 2-2, Third) is under threat from employers and a committee of M.P.s, who complain that it's hard to distinguish between the achievements of different students and that results have been dumbed down. They want to see an American points-based system introduced, even though the meaning of such a system and its grading are essentially the same.

Graded system is
given the third degree by
no-mark busy-bods.

Birmingham games

Haiku.22.10.09.
The Times reports that after enduring tiresome jokes when it was bidding for the 2012 Olympic games, Birmingham is to host a training camp for two of the most sought-after teams in the month leading up to the event itself.
The U.S. and Jamaican teams will visit schools, athletic clubs etc and Usain Bolt's cricket-mad brother is hosting a bowling session at Edgbaston Cricket Club.
Spaghetti Junction
will host games (peas and rice
may be Bolted down).