How the great woman intends to succeed in this is not clear, certainly not from reading Australia In The Asian Century, a 312-page paper she’s been promoting here.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not some hurricane denier and I won’t dispute the fact that Sandy is real and has caused some serious anxiety among the folks living along the US East Coast. Mr Obama got loads of free publicity, having taken on Sandy all himself, while his rival, who naturally had to cancel his election effort as well, to avoid criticism for ignoring people’s suffering, was left on the sidelines.
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| Tony Blair 10 Downing St Cartoon |
The left-wing hypocrites are doing everything they can to conceal the sad truth that communist and socialist regimes have murdered nearly 200 million people in the 20th century alone, denying millions their civil rights and liberties.
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| New Albums: Emeli Sande – Our Version Of Events (Special Edition) |
Not much was known about Emeli Sande in early 2012 but she’d been quietly working away for several years in the build up to her solo singing career to follow. She’d won songwriting competitions and gone on to write songs for the likes of Leona Lewis, Susan Boyle and Cher Lloyd.
Why is it that there’s never a credible third independent candidate in the US presidential elections, for people to vote for as an alternative?
BBC Radio 1 calendar - Jimmy Savile / Bruno Brookes (Photo credit: radiothings.com)Let’s face it, it does sound surreal that one man had supposedly run a paedophile network at the BBC for around fifty years, with pretty much everyone being aware of it but too afraid to spill the beans.
A vast industry has emerged that is making money on the occult and black magic. Just look at the way Harry Potter was transferred into a huge merchandise operation. Stupid parents allowed retailers to plug that crap to their children with no objections, buying vampire books and DVDs and dolls.
English: J.K. Rowling reads from Harry Potter and theSorcerer's Stone at the Easter Egg Roll at White House
According to the NYT, Wen’s relatives’ held shares in property, insurance and construction companies, all areas that were under the direct control of ‘Grandpa Wen’.In China no businessman can succeed in anything until he gets the nod from the local comrades. And the more senior the comrades are, the bigger the thank you that they get.The Chinese government reacted swiftly and blocked the NYT websites, in English and in Chinese.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the NYT had ‘ulterior motives’ when publishing the report about Wen.
Corruption in any communist state and China is no exception, is endemic and goes to the very top, as it is the main glue that keeps the regime together.In USSR the once mighty Communist Party fell apart in a matter of four days. Yes, four days. So there is every chance that the Chinese comrades will follow the same path.
How come news is so boring and stupid?
Talking heads produce unbearable bulls..t on the box and scribblers write such pathetic trash that it’s a mystery that anyone even bothers to start reading it, let alone finish or get to the middle part.
R.F.Wilson writes from Rome: Would it be too bold to assume that many of the former political leaders in Europe and beyond had a shiver run down their spines when they heard the news that I bet some of them thought: what if I go down like Silvio?
The Republican contender, Mitt Romney, said something along similar lines. Make America stronger and fix the world whatever it takes, he said.
The Pew Research Centre polls during the past four weeks have detected that few Americans see the benefits of a global reach foreign policy. All this is more or less what America was saying after the 1914-1918 war into whichPresident Wilson led them into a conflict without reason nor benefit and then refused to endorse his own plan for the League of Nations that was one consequence of war.
A further example of America’s electorate having more than a superficial grasp of foreign affairs than imagined, is the poling that shows the majority of Americans don’t think that the so-called Arab Spring has delivered anything good for the Arabs. Noticeably, Romney agrees with Obama that it was right to get rid of America’s strongest and trusted ally, Mubarak.
It is in this example that we see the economic-military-politico pull-together. Protecting Israeli and the Middle East protects the vital interest of the US – oil.
But now we have through the Pew Research Center this month evidence that almost 70 per cent of the US electorate believe Washington should keep out of leadership changes in the Middle East. That same poll suggested 57 per cent believe the Middle East should have stable governments without much emphasis on democracy.
In other words, neither Democrats nor Republicans have the candidates they want. For that reason alone it is better that Obama stays on and then the whole choosing process for both parties will be better placed to begin the 2016 election with a clean sheet. A post made earlier today over on Stirring Trouble Internationally – A humorous take on news and current affairs.
And the BBC that had been caught out shielding pedophilia on its own premises is doing all it can to convince everyone that Jimmy was a one man operation that had mysteriously passed unnoticed for decades.
Another strange point the BBC apologists are making is that the Corporation’s critics have always been small in numbers and that the vast majority of people consider it to be a ‘great British institution’. Just like Jimmy was for about 50 odd years. The comrades have a lot to lose if the BBC goes down. In fact, they would never again have the same easy ride as they have had under Tony Blair, when the BBC acted as Labour’s in-house propaganda machine. And that scares the living daylights out of Labour that would do anything to protect its faithful ally. A post made earlier today over on Stirring Trouble Internationally – A humorous take on news and current affairs.
That’s no mean feat, considering that Mr Obama has been running his campaign since, like, spring last year and has had all the advantages of an incumbent president who was getting loads of free promotion on a daily basis, not to mention his huge campaign donations.
Mr Obama and his aides and advisers seem to be missing one important point: the more frantic the campaign of the sitting president becomes before the election, the more people realise that he was not very good at his job. Because, let’s face it, if the Commander-in-Chief is popular among his fellow Americans then why would he be so desperate to convince them that he is the best choice for them days before the vote.
Oh, some might say, but Mr Romney has a lot of money at his disposal and he can influence lots of voters by running endless adverts that show the President in a bad light. Yes, sure, I would say to that, but let’s not forget that the Republican candidate is an underdog that was selected by his own party for the simple reason that no heavyweights wanted to stand. Not forgetting the thorny issue of his Mormonism that the Bible belt would find hard to stomach. It would be really weird if Romney wins. It would go against all the odds and even against common sense. But then again, President Obama has only himself to blame for spending too much time enjoying the trappings of high office and not really tucking into the problems of the day. Turns out that cool cat he ain’t. A post made earlier today over on Stirring Trouble Internationally – A humorous take on news and current affairs.
Ted Obvious writes from London: have you heard the good news? The British economy grew by 1 per cent in the third quarter of 2012.
And if you believe that you might just as well believe that the BBC is an impartial broadcaster that spends most of its £3.6 billion budget on making quality programmes and entertaining shows.The Office of National Statistics that has delivered that figure of 1 per cent growth of GDP is an agency that is funded, wait for it, by the government. And we might safely assume that its bosses have received a couple of calls in advance of today’s presentation, with people on other end of the line reminding them who pays them and what their prospects were as regards hounours and future employment.
The coalition would now be boasting that the latest figures prove that its policies are benefitting the nation. Nothing will be mentioned of the fact that the Bank of England has pumped another astronomical amount of taxpayers’ money into the banking system this year that failed to pass these funds to the real economy. A post made earlier today over on Stirring Trouble Internationally – A humorous take on news and current affairs.
Adam Lovejoy writes from London: Have you heard about the latest opinion poll conducted in North Korea?
It registered that 98 per cent of North Koreans have absolutely no idea what the hell’s going on.
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| Lance Armstrong peace drug test |
It don’t stop there: the evidence against Armstrong runs into hundreds of pages and so everyone from his shoe sponsors to the guys who supply his wrap-around sun-glasses is dumping him. The latest plug-pulling comes from a Texas insurance company demanding the return of $7.5 million worth of bonuses.
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| George Enwistle |
And then there’s the abysmal appearance of the BBC Director General George Entwistle in parliament yesterday. All paedophiles were hoping that Mr Entwisle would come out fighting on their behalf, ridiculing any idea that under-age lovers have something to be ashamed of. But no, the silly man condemn these practices and was only thinking of protecting his own job, denying that he knew about Savile and his antics. It turned out that in his 22 years at the BBC Mr Entwistle has never shown any interest in anything, apart from having his lunch on time and leaving work in time to catch the latest episode of Eastenders.
Jimmy was a loner Mind you, the paedophile community at the BBC is feeling the support of the wider left-wing liberal establishment that has been doing its best to play down the Savile sex abuse scandal and distract the nation’s attention from this disgraceful saga. The Savile affair is presented as a one-man operation, with the rest of the vast Corporation watching in horror how that despicable man sexually abused young girls, not daring to speak up for fear of retribution. These are just snippets of a post made earlier today over on Stirring Trouble Internationally - (A humorous take on news and current affairs).
The BBC coat of arms (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Gotye has a musical masterpiece but for The Ting Tings I’m afraid, it’s pure musical madness.
How about that Olympic legacy? Makes Brits proud of blowing billions on the Games.
China and the private sector
China is at a crossroads. The private sector is capable of expanding rapidly. Is this in the interests of the Party?
Carnavas was the debut album back in 2006 and two songs spring to mind whenever that fabulous album is mentioned, Lazy Eye and Future Foe Scenarios. Lazy Eye is still hugely popular, even 6 years later for the at that time unknown band and it’s also played on many US alternative radio stations to date.
Obama regained some of the ground he lost to Romney during the first presidential debate. On to the third and final contest.
Gu Suhua writes from Beijing: The latest data on Chinese economic growth reveal what everyone knows: China is slowing down. Officially the Gross Domestic Product, also known as GDP, expanded by 7.4 per cent in the third quarter compared to last year. No one takes these numbers seriously though. Statistics are collated by adding up numbers submitted by the provinces and self-governing municipalities. No one expects them to understate their performance. So what is the real number? Probably just over 6 per cent. Until recently the idea was that growth below 8 per cent would trigger social unrest in China. That myth has been laid to rest.
Take the steel industry, for example. The aggregate profit of the steel industry dropped 96 per cent to $379 billion in the first half of this year compared to last year. Almost every company has said results will be worse than forecast. A Chinese source declared that the steel industry was the ‘main disaster zone’ of the national downturn. Coal production now exceeds demand and trouble is looming.
The slowdown could not have come at a worse time for the Communist Party of China. The 18th Congress begins on November 8 and the once in a decade changing of the guard will take place. An estimated 70 per cent of the Politburo Standing Committee, the wider Politburo, government ministers and members of the Central Military Commission will be replaced. This massive change of officials appears to have been agreed at the top. However, there may be some surprises when all the new comrades are presented to the Chinese people in mid-November. Xi Jinping, the present Vice President, is expected to become President, Secretary General of the Party and Chair of the Central Military Commission. It remains to be seen if he assumes all these offices simultaneously. If he does, he would be the supreme leader.
A slowing economy would be only one of Xi’s many problems. Political and economic reforms are urgently needed as well. So say the outgoing leaders, President Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao, the Prime Minister. Hu is regarded as a very cautious leader who did not risk reform because of its uncertain consequences. The state sector of the economy – dominated by banking, energy and communications – is inefficient and needs to be opened up to competition. Private companies are excluded at present from these branches of the economy. Corruption is prevalent in these monopolies. There are huge social problems looming. Rapid economic growth has widened the gulf between the haves and have nots. There are an estimated 200 million migrant workers who have no permanent home. The hukou system requires workers to be registered for social benefits and the education of their children. Local authorities do not want to register them as they then become responsible for them.
The taxation system needs to be overhauled to respond to the increase in personal incomes. Local authorities need more revenue to cope with the ever expanding social demands of the citizens.
The greatest problem of all is to change the Chinese model of development. Traditionally economic growth has been investment driven. This has increased exports but their growth is slowing as the world economy encounters difficulties. The task now is to make economic growth consumer driven. In other words, the living standards of the Chinese should rise.
Another problem for Xi is that he is no Mao. He cannot do as he likes. He has to satisfy powerful vested interests groups to achieve change. It might prove too tough to handle. And then its downhill all the way.
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New Albums: Feeder – Generation Freakshow
Freddie Matthews writes from London: Feeder are Britain’s answer to the USA’s Foo Fighters and ironically both bands have been on the music scene since 1994. Eight albums later, unlike Foo Fighters’ 7, Feeder the band from Newport in Wales are still waiting for their invitation to the rock elite. Seven of the 8 albums have been UK top 10, and 20 of their singles achieved top 40 single status. That’s not too shabby a performance for a band still on the verge of greatness.
Generation Freakshow is a showcase for feel good factor, expertly penned and rousing arena anthems. Frontman Grant Nicholas initiates the writing process with just his acoustic guitar, around the not so rock ‘n’ roll normality of family life, while in his living room and always with a guitar to hand.
The song that Feeder are best known for is their 2001 UK top 5 single ‘Buck Rogers’, taken from their 3rd studio album Echo Park. Originally Grant didn’t write the song for his band only for producer Gil Norten (Foo Fighters, Pixies, Counting Crows) and the A&R staff to persuade Feeder to record the song instead of giving it away.
Of Feeders 8 albums the most successful to date was Comfort In Sound. The album the band released shortly after the suicide of their drummer John Lee. It went on to sell over half a million copies in the UK alone.
Now some 18 years later Feeder have returned with Generation Freakshow. It may be album number 8 but Feeder are still impressively on form. As with the last album, 
Generation Freakshow is self released on Feeder’s Big Teeth Records label and is one of only a handful of albums to achieve a UK album chart top 20 placing for a self-release album. I actually know Grant Nicholas personally and have ensured this record label information is as accurate as possible, having got rather confused in a recent article ref Matt Cardle’s record deal situation (there were reasons but far too long winded to go into here, apologies).
It’s difficult to imagine Feeder gaining many new fans in this day and age as they no longer get the radio play they used to but that shouldn’t take anything away from this polished and well produced album. The standout tracks are the catchy Borders, the speedy Headstrong, the sensitive Children Of The Sun and the banging title track Generation Freakshow. Grant Nicholas has a writing formula and he’s stuck to it for quite some time. It’s what he knows and why should he change it while life is comfortable? There’s something unique and distinctive about the way Grant strums his acoustic guitar that screams Feeder, Feeder, Feeder. I just wish he’d step away from the comfort zone and write another Comfort In Sound.
Feeder are energetic and enthusiastic live. They’re cracking musicians, they write gritty, honest music and maybe they’ve just grown up and ever so slightly out of their once former cool rock genre.
Maybe, just maybe Feeder have a final classic album somewhere in waiting, something up their sleeve to save our future generation from turning into a complete freakshow.
7/10
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