 | High River Levels - Ottawa River #5 Easter Weekend on the Ottawa River in the spring, with the Parliament Buildings in the background. Coming back to life after the long winter. |
 | Re: Political Rant #63 : Is David Davis the UK's Ron Paul? When the system gets more complex and bigger, then there is usually a decrease in reliablity. Empires throughout history have struggled to maintain stability as they have gotten bigger. With the harmonization of regulations between states and the various areas covered by Unions such as the EU and soon to come NAU, we get one size fits all. Unfortunatly the laws of physics, every reaction has an equal and opposite reaction, tending to cause people to push back. We are seeing this now. Even in the UK we see how people in Wales or Scotland, don't feel properly represented by a parliament in London, they may not like rules that are acceptable in England, as these may be less relevant in their part of the UK. We are now seeing this on a global scale. The reliance on modern technology to act as a control grid, may not be enough to hold globalisation together. Humans reflect nature, in which diversity thrives. In nature you would never see a field of just one crop. In nature many species benefit from co-existance, for example bacteria help plants absorb nutrients, animals grazing help to provide habitat for plants that would otherwise be overwhelmed. Having token, regional parliaments will not suffice when 80 percent of the rules eminate from the same source. |
 | County Clare, Ireland http://www.setdancingnews.net/wcss/wcsst.htm The Burren / Doolin, County Clare. Dedicated to the memory of Micko Russell,Doolin. The Cromwellian Settlement by Catherine O' Donovan The execution of Charles I in 1649, on the orders of Oliver Cromwell, brought the English Civil War to an end. England became a Commonwealth or republic ruled by parliament with Cromwell as Lord Protector. Cromwell and his army of well trained and experienced soldiers, called Ironsides, came to Ireland in August 1649 with the intention of subduing the rebellion and stamping out all opposition to parliament. Cromwell, a Puritan, 'believed he was an instrument of divine retribution for (alleged) atrocities committed by Catholics against Protestants in 1641 and he accordingly gave orders to deny mercy to Catholics.' His campaign was savage and is remembered for the slaughter of women and children as well as unarmed captives. He captured Drogheda and slaughtered the garrison. At Wexford the townspeople as well as the garrison were put to death. Cork, Kinsale, Bandon, Youghal and Clonmel had surrendered before he returned to England in May 1650. Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell His son-in-law, Henry Ireton, continued the campaign. He captured Waterford, then Athlone and Portumna and finally attacked Limerick which surrendered after a four-month siege. Ireton died in November 1651 and was replaced by General Ludlow. Ludlow proceeded to break down the resistance of the remaining garrisons. Galway was the last to surrender, in April 1652, after which the rebellion was declared over. Government agents were employed to round up beggars, widows and orphans to be transported to the sugar plantations of the West Indies where they became servants and indentured slaves. The Puritan Parliamentarians persecuted not only Catholics but Ulster Presbyterians, members of the Church of Ireland and those of other minority religions. Priests were hanged, exiled or transported to the West Indies and Puritan preachers were brought over from England to replace them. Parliament was now faced with settling its enormous debts. The English army in Ireland had not been paid for 18 months and the adventurers were demanding to be recompensed. The adventurers were so called because they lent or adventured money to parliament, a decade earlier, in response to an act called the Adventurers' Act. They were members of Parliament, merchants and tradesmen. Cromwell himself was one; he advanced £600. The money was required to raise an army to subdue the rebels in Ireland. The adventurers were offered two and a half million acres of Irish land, which was to be confiscated at the end of the rebellion, as security of their money. Suppliers of provisions and ammunition to the army also had to be paid. Irish land was to be used to settle all these debts. The lands of the defeated Irish and Old English Catholics were declared confiscated and preparations began for its distribution to the various people to whom the government was indebted. In order to facilitate the redistribution a survey of the land was begun. |
 | NMP Siew Kum Hong on CPF reform - 1 NMP Siew Kum Hong raised issue with CPF reform on poor returns and compulsory annuity changing nature of CPF membership rights. |
 | NMP Siew Kum Hong on CPF reform - 2 NMP Siew Kum Hong raised issue with CPF reform on poor returns and compulsory annuity changing nature of CPF membership rights. |
 | Re: Remember Remember, remember the 5th of November gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot... Words of "Remember Remember" refer to Guy Fawkes with origins in 17th century English history. On the 5th November 1605 Guy Fawkes was caught in the cellars of the Houses of Parliament with several dozen barrels of gunpowder. Guy Fawkes was subsequently tried as a traitor with his co-conspirators for plotting against the government. He was tried by Judge Popham who came to London specifically for the trial from his country manor Littlecote House in Hungerford, Gloucestershire. Fawkes was sentenced to death and the form of the execution was one of the most horrendous ever practised (hung ,drawn and quartered) which reflected the serious nature of the crime of treason. The following year in 1606 it became an annual custom for the King and Parliament to commission a sermon to commemorate the event. Lancelot Andrewes delivered the first of many Gunpowder Plot Sermons. This practice, together with the nursery rhyme, ensured that this crime would never be forgotten! Remember the idea, remember the person behind the idea and respect it |
 | SKERRIES LIGHTHOUSE TRIP SKERRIES LIGHTHOUSE TRIP HOT DAY 7th OCT 2007 WATER LIKE GLASS ON CHIFF'S BOAT THE SKUA. The Skerries Lighthouse Position 53 25.'3 N 4 36'.4 W The rocks upon which the Skerries Lighthouse stands are at the end of a low tract of submerged land North-East of Holyhead which lies directly in the path of many of the major shipping lines from Liverpool and Ireland. The lighthouse gives a guide to passing shipping and a warning of the dangerous rocks. A light was proposed on the Skerries as early as 1658, by Henry Mascard, a private speculator who saw the lucrative possibilities of the tolls that could be levied on the site, but this was opposed by Trinity House, as was a petition in 1705 from the Irish Sea Traders. In 1714, William Trench, who actually held the lease of the Skerries was granted a patent by Queen Anne for the building of a light. For a Crown Rent of £5 a year, Trench was given the right to levy dues of one penny per ship and twopence per ton of cargo, but far from being the profitable venture which he envisaged, the Skerries proved to be his ruin. When the light was first kindled on 4th November 1717, William Trench was wealthy but traders and mariners evading payment of dues caused him to fall heavily into debt. He died in 1729 a ruined man. After Trench's death the lease passed to his daughter, and because of the nature of the debt, an Act of Parliament was passed to give his family sole claim to the Skerries. This act caused a great deal of embarrassment to Trinity House. In 1834 when an attempt was made to purchase the patent for this lighthouse, the proprietor, Morgan Jones, asserted that under this Act he was absolved from any responsibility to sell. For five years after the Act of 1836 which empowered Trinity House to purchase all private lighthouses, he opposed the purchase, the Skerries by this time being an extremely profitable light. It was finally purchased by Trinity House in 1841 for over £444,984, the last privately owned lighthouse in the British Isles to be bought by Trinity House. The original coal-burning grate which surmounted the tower was replaced in 1804 by an oil lamp, and was subsequently converted to electric operation in 1927. The lighthouse was converted to automatic operation and demanned in 1987 and is now remotely monitored and controlled from The Trinity House Operations Control Centre at Harwich. Great little song by Clash English Civil War (Traditional; Arranged by Strummer/Jones) When Johnny comes marching home again, hurrah, tala He's coming by bus or undergound, hurrah, tala A woman's eye will shed a tear To see his face so beaten in fear And it was just 'round the corner in the English Civil War It was still at the stage of clubs and fists, hurrah, tala When that well-know face got beaten to bits, hurrah, tala You face was blue in the light of the screen As watched the speech of an animal scream The new party army was marching right over our heads All right There you are, ha, ha, I told you so, hurrah, tala Says everybody that we know, hurrah, tala But who hid a radio under the stairs? Who got caught out unawares? When the new party army came marching right over our heads Yeah, yeah, yeah When Johnny comes marching home again, hurrah, tala Nobody understands it can happen again, hurrah, tala The sun is shinning and the kids are shouting loud But you gotta know it's shinning thought a crack in the cloud And the shadow keeps falling when Johnny comas marching home http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Civil_War_(song) |
 | Terrorism against PMOI and Iraqi's On Friday 8 February 2008, the water supply pumping station which provided water to Ashraf City, home to members of the Iranian opposition movement, People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI) north-eastern Baghdad, was bombed. The pumping station also supplied water to many villages in the Diyala province. The European Parliament has an official policy on PMOI members in Ashraf. Paragraph 7 of the European Parliament resolution of 12 July 2007 emphasised on '4,000 members of the Iranian opposition who have been political refugees in Iraq for the past 20 years and have the legal status of 'Protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention'. Bombing water supply stations and pipelines are considered as war crimes against protected persons and local residents, according to the Geneva Convention. Daniel Mitterand's Foundation, France Liberte, in a statement, condemned explosion of the Ashraf City water pumping station by the mullahs' regime's agents in Iraq. France Liberte Foundation has been founded by Mrs. Daniel Mitterand, the French first lady during Presidency of Francois Mitterand, and is a Non- Governmental Organization with consulting degree by the UN. This foundation has assigned defending the right to have access to drinking water in the world as one of its main goals. 'Ibne Rushd Human Rights Center in Cairo in a statement, strongly condemned explosion of Ashraf City water pumping station by the mullahs' regime as a war crime. In a statement, Father Henri Le Boursicaud, the humanitarian French priest and one of the heroes of anti-fascist French Resistance and honorable supporter of the PMOI members in Ashraf, strongly condemned the explosion of Ashraf City water pumping station by the mullahs' regime as a crime a against humanity and called it shameful, criminal and outrageous. In an interview with INTV Kurdish Language, Farzand Ahmad Bavani, Iraqi MP from Kurdish Coalition stressed that explosion of the Ashraf City water pumping station is an abject and anti-human measure which is condemned by many Members of the Iraqi Parliament. The Secretary General of the Islamic-Arabic Council in Lebanon, Ayatollah Allameh Mohammad Ali al-Husseini, condemned explosion of the Ashraf City water pumping station as a criminal act and asked for prosecution of its agents. The Islamic-Arabic Council of Lebanon announced: We tell from here to all those who are deceived by this regime and its sham Islam to look and find out that the Iranian regime showed its nature to all clearly by committing this anti-human measure. In an interview with INTV Arabic Language, Ibrahim Bajelan, head of Iraqi Diyala Province Council, condemned the terrorist explosion of the Ashraf City water pumping station and 20,000 residents of this province, and stressed that the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran ( PMOI) enjoys international laws and based on the international laws their rights must be recognized. In an interview with the Iraqi News Agency regarding the crime of explosion of the Ashraf water pumping station, Sheikh Khalaf al-Alian, Secretary General of Iraqi National Dialogue Council, said: We strongly condemn this crime and ask the Iraqi government to prosecute the criminals and bring them to justice. We also ask for constructing a substitute station on the government's budget immediately. He added: 'Since this water station supplied water not only to Ashraf City water, but also to the whole region that includes many Iraqi villages, we consider it a a dangerous inimical act." Dr. Mahmoud Othman, an Iraqi Kurdish personality and member of parliament, in a statement regarded bombing the water pumping station of Ashraf and the water cut off of 20,000 inhabitants of Ashraf area as an anti-Islamic and anti-human action and condemned it. The statement partly reads: " Some entities affiliated to the Iranian regime are responsible for this anti-human crime and have no intention other than exerting pressure against the people of Diyala for the past two decades. This crime also deprives the residents of this area, whose drinking and irrigation water used to be supplied by the same station. In a joint statement, 13 representatives or Iraqi Parliament from different factions condemned explosion of the Ashraf City water pumping station, and called the Multi National Forces in Iraq (MNFI) and the governmental organs to investigate this anti-humane crime and arrest and punishment of those involved in it. |
 | Sit-in for Malalai Joya in Milan (Italy) Rally in Milano in support to Malalai Joya, the democratic female MP expelled from the afghan parliament on 21st May 2007 for criticizing the fundamentlist nature of many of her colleagues. http://malalaijoyaitalia.blogspot.com |
 | Jump on the globalization bandwagon today! The argument for a free representative world parliament. War is a conscious effort, it is not human nature to go to war. It takes a human being to decide that they want a war, and for them to convince everyone else in their abitrary group that they have to go to war. Group A's excuses for going to war range from saying that group B is responsible for all the evils within group A's society (usually because it is against the interests of group A's leaders to seek a proper solution to those problems) and/or that Group B poses a future threat to Group A's society. The fall-back excuse for war is that if we don't do it to them they'll do it to us. Of course in the minds of petty people this means that there's no end to war unless Group A obliterates or subjugates every other group on the planet, creating a Utopian society for them and them alone, usually with a small, deluded group of collaborators. This is the goal of all people who limit their associations to narrow groupings such as national identity, race or economic class. The loudest groups of the last century have been nationalists and the economic elite, the nationalists have suffered defeats but currently hold more sway (power) than they ought to for healthy societies to thrive. The economic elite have always had immense power over all other groups and it is the economic elite that are calling for globalisation louder than anyone else, although I often wonder why: Nationalism benefits the economic elite more than globalisation ever could... it is likely that the economic elite only think in the short term of their own lifespans so do not consider the consequences of reducing the influence of nationalism. The true impact of globalisation will be the end to territorial warfare based on xenophobia. Opponents of oppression by the economic elite would find allies that would have historically been obsessed with nationalism and racism, they'd find themselves in ever-increasing numbers with growing power that could only be quelled in the short term by fascism at the hands of the ruling class, but eventually and inevitably there would have to be compromise. With all the issues that lead to war gone, what would war become? There would still be people not content to live simple lives, not content with good food and happy times, people that want to have the society ran their way, and wish to use violent means to see it done... those that seek to have others follow and fight for them in great wars of conquest over other peoples. Sure they'd find group divisions to exploit to gain followers, but they'd have a hard task cultivating enough hatred to start a conflict... a task they'd relish even if it took them their entire lifetime to achieve it. Let them try, if it makes them happy! Why put up with this situation? The global antagonisms that exist are completely arbitrary and only serve the interests of a select few. These nation states that exist right now are their one of their tools to control opinion on a local level, dividing like minds from other geographical areas - which only helps to maintain their control over us. If we leave it to our state governments they'll never attempt to break down these arbitrary lines in the sand. Why wait? |
 | Edinburgh, probably the most beautiful city in the world Edinburgh, Scotland a quick look at Edinburgh Castle, The Royal Mile, St Giles, The old Town, Holrood Palace, Calton Hill, The Scottish Parliament and a few others |
 | Red Hot Mama Studio Version - Parliament Funkadelic A luscious bitch she is true, but it's not nice to fool with mother nature... * Song Name: Red Hot Mama * Artist Name: Funkadelic * Album: Music for Your Mother * Songwriter: George Clinton * Release Date: 1993.03.31 * Label: Westbound |
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