"large splodge of wonga"

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Disclaimer: I may have run down the good intentions of many great and noble people. It is not the intent on this site to defame or discredit but to provoke discussion. Any who are donating in good faith, or are trying to help whether it be by their influence, or otherwise, generally make the World a better place and it is definitely not my intent to discredit their ambitions. Sorry in advance.

Afrika the great. I love the place. It is full of drama and intrigue. The life of Simon Mann, I am sure will be either cut short or if it isn't... a source for one great movie.

So we have Scratcher, we have Smelly, and we have Simon, who are good friends. Simon Mann was schooled in Eton and accustomed to the finer things. He is the son of Engand's famous cricket captain George Mann. Simon went to Sandhurst, trained to be an officer, and was by some reports a fine leader, and a good soldier, as evidenced by his swift promotion through the ranks of the SAS up to commander. He served in Cyprus, Central America, and Northern Ireland. I spoke to a military man here once, when he remarked; a good soldier is never truly discharged from the military. There are not many who know the special skills and temperments needed to be a commanding officer or soldier. Huh, maybe that explains all the Rambo movies. It was no surprise that 10 years after finishing with the military he was sought for the first Gulf War.

While he worked extensively as a consultant, served as a computer technician I have to be honest with you. Simon Mann is, in my opinion simply a mercenary. He allegedly formed a company named Executive Outcomes with one of his friends, a Mr. Buckingham, (Smelly a former oil rig operator) when he saw an opportunity in Angola. Rebels had taken over the oil production for the country and they offered to uh, dispose of the rebels and defend the oil production when this was completed. The venture was successful and they continued in that vein. He has done well, but was rich before his newly accrued wealth. Simon Mann has run into a massive problem though, now currently jailed in Zimbabwe for an alleged attempt at overthrowing the dictator in Equatorial Guinea. He had 70 with him, a large amount of money, a cache of weapons, and an advance force stationed in the country of interest. Zimbabwe is preparing to extradite him to Equatorial Guinea. I think the plan was to stage the coup, install the former rebel leader as the new governor and then run the oil rich state as their own kingdom, with a profit sharing scheme for the new ruler.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Mann

http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/executive_outcomes.htm

The political side is interesting. South Africa who is investigating this debacle, has been criticized for not taking a lead role in the condemnation of the practices of Robert Mugabe. They have also not opened their doors to the thousands of refugees or displaced persons either. Zimbabwe though has many problems, which quite overshadow the criticism voiced upon South Africa. One of them is that they are in need of oil. Equatorial Guinea has oil. Both of the leaders are similar in that they have a certain style of government, which does away with any opposition. I will let you guess what that leadership style is. In short Zimbabwe wants to stay in good stead with their petrol pumping friends.

Now this piece of the pie gets a little bit juicier. A smuggled message from his Zimbabwean cell was to get a "large splodge of wonga" together and get him out. The message found itself in the hands of Scratchy, or was that scratch and sniff? Scratcher is none other than Sir Mark Thatcher who had a bit of acne in school. I would guess he did a lot of scratching. If you recall, he is the son of Baroness Thatcher, former Prime Minister of Britain. The Wonga list is the names of the people who financed this attempted coup. South African police are also supposedly interested in interviewing Lord Archer, author of bestselling books such as Not a Penny More Not a Penny Less and First Among Equals who may be a financier. If I was a man who liked to wager, I would think there are many on the list who would have their reputations tarnished if wonga was released to the world.

Now, a dash of salt and a pinch of speculation. One of the key figures in this failed plot was another ( will remain nameless at this point) who was involved in the Aristide coup. Sir Mark Thatcher allegedly has mining interests in Sudan, and inquired about some military helicopters. It is not clear how many, if any, he has operating at this present time. Do we have an elite group of individuals who are doing the work that governments deem too dirty? Aristide in Haiti has been ousted. Charles Taylor of Sierra Leone, has been deposed. The oil rich area in Equatorial Guinea is a target. Angola was a successful venture. Is Darfur next? The pieces are in place. Money is being collected in charitable donations by movie stars such as Brad Pitt and George Clooney for help in stopping the carnage in Darfur. Jean Chretien former Prime Minister of Canada was imploring heads of state in the G8 to "donate" money to causes in Africa. Bill Clinton has been focusing attention on the plight of AIDS sufferers in Africa. I have to admit, I don't trust Clinton or his motives. Oh wait, isn't his wife running for President? It is widely known that donations frequently go to soldiers and dictators. Is the only way to make things happen, to hire people who will remain in the shadows, and enforce the will of the World? Is Simon Mann a hero, who is overthrowing evil dictators or a rogue that reaps wealth where there is opportunity? Is he a pawn in a very large game?

One thing is for sure. The ending of the story will be interesting.

Let's plug in!

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The snake is a Cobra. The red part is blood, and the guys in green are army guys. Thought provoking? I thought it was.

If a person has electricity or a power source they can participate. If a person has time they can be involved. The next ingredient is a computer or a device which allows web browsing. You will also need a connection to the server whether it is by telephone or otherwise. All of the above though is worthless, without the knowledge of reading. I guess we will need to add education, which opens a whole can of worms. The internet is a pretty exclusive place. I would guess that only about one third or less of the world's population is able to access it. There are so many things which are needed in order to plug in.

I ask, is there any value to having the internet? Will those of us who do not have it be left behind? What about the billions who do not have it? Do they deserve a chance to have a voice?

Okay, let's go a little further.

Are you aware that the world, the internet world that is, had it's first nuclear attack this week? They have also had its first millionaire, paid in Linden dollars and various corporations are leaping into it. The place is called Second Life. It is one of a number, but I think the most predominant of the online worlds. I will only introduce it here, and won't take it further. If you are curious, google second life. I bet you will have the some of same thoughts I had.

http://secondlife.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life

THIS world begs a few questions too. Do you have any answers?

Drinking like a blind man...

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As I sit, I sip my coffee, quietly Kashmir oozes from the speakers and I relax. We are getting more rain. Last night, on my run around the darkened track, sheet lightning silently put on her show. It was while sleep was invading, advancing slowly, the patter on the roof began and it was comforting. They say that by July we will not be able to shower but that will be the least of my worries as I think about those farmers I know who are losing their crop, with their hope. Here is a link for Canberra's weather. Canberra Airport is closest to my place.

http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/act/canberra-observations-map.shtml

I read today, about the Leader in Nigeria, who wants to challenge the laws of the country which forbid him to seek a third term in office. He is being opposed by his former friend and political ally, and has had a hex administered against him. Imagine that in normal first world politics. Imagine Kevin Rudd, our opposition Leader putting a hex on John Howard.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6678327.stm

It seems to me as though Afrika is one of the last places on Earth who is nearing the time in which it will seize a predominant role in this world or be taken advantage of by selfish nations. Afrika, seems to me, as a beautiful but young woman, a lovely but poor girl who is teetering on the brink of womanhood and being seduced by her suitors. In Egypt, and South Africa we can see strong and established nations, while Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Darfur, are being raped by evil people. We see unparalleled beauty in its forests and stretching sunset's while child soldiers are learning more effective ways to kill without wasting bullets. It is such an enigma. A place of hope and a place of hate. I will have to construct a list detailing the dictators and leaders and we can judge to see whether there will be hope or if decay is just inevitable. I hope for hope.

Well my song is finished, and my coffee is nearly gone. With some luck, you will read while cradling your drink while supping on these pitiful lines of prose.....

"I can feel it coming in the air tonight"

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We had rain this week. It was a momentous occasion. Currently we are on stage 3 water restrictions. Stage 4, due in July, will mean we cannot even water plants. Stage 5 means no washing our clothes and no morning showers. I know for some, that you would not be able to even comprehend, someone not having enough water. It sounds absurd. This latest rainfall has been welcomed by all. Is it a byproduct of global warming?

I want to thank you, psam and av and everyone for all their comments. I was reading through some this week, and just want to acknowledge that this place, yelling at the waves, knowing that nobody listens but yelling because I can, is much better because of you regular users. Targo. I am really missing you. I know you are probably busy, but I gotta tell ya, it is a much better place with you here. I hope to produce a BS where I will display the best comments. A.K.A the roll of honour.

Now, I mentioned that there are some who would not even be able to imagine what it is like to live with water restrictions. I ask myself, what it would be like to live without an abundance of oxygen. Yeah, I can't imagine it, and hope I never find out what it is like. Before I go any further, I ask you. At what point do you abandon rescuing a drowning person? What if your own life was in peril should you continue?

Today, one year ago, a wife, Barbara Scanlan was worried about her husband. Just think for a second about what it would be like to know, your loved one was far away, and probably dead, and you could not do anything about it. Tomorrow, one year ago, Barbara was told that her husband.... was dead. Today is a wonderful day for us all, even if it holds its challenges.

I don't know if you remember, but last year, this week, I did an article on Everest. I spoke about a man named David Sharp. He had his oxygen stolen, and was fighting for life on Everest, while people passed him by as he struggled for life. He died.

Lincoln Hall, (pictured 50 years old) husband of Barbara attained the summit of Everest. It was a life long goal and one he hadn't fulfilled in earlier attempts. He made it this time but ran into dire difficulties on the descent which resulted in the report to his wife and family informing them he had passed away. His climbing companions and Sherpa's left him after it became too dangerous to assist him. He was left and subjected to almost certain death because of cerebral oedema or a condition in which a person becomes irrational due to lack of oxygen. The next morning, Dan Mazur among others who were ascending the mountain encountered a man.

"Sitting to our left, about two feet from a 10,000 foot drop, was a man. Not dead, not sleeping, but sitting cross legged, in the process of changing his shirt. He had his down suit unzipped to the waist, his arms out of the sleeves, was wearing no hat, no gloves, no sunglasses, had no oxygen mask, regulator, ice axe, oxygen, no sleeping bag, no mattress, no food nor water bottle. 'I imagine you're surprised to see me here,' he said. Now, this was a moment of total disbelief to us all. Here was a gentleman, apparently lucid, who had spent the night without oxygen at 8600m, without proper equipment and barely clothed. And ALIVE."

Please read the following links. Yes he lived. He is an Australian who has just completed a book titled, "Dead Lucky"

http://www.everestnews.com/Summitclimb2005/lincolnhalleverest06152006.htm

http://chankslee.blogspot.com/2006/05/these-mist-covered-mountains.html

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/p/phil+collins/in+the+air+tonight_20108005.html

I noticed a couple of things. One, the paraplegic climber, Inglis was not mentioned as an endorsed promotional speaker. Two, that the rescuer, Dan Mazur is now well recognized and though he had to give up his dream of attaining the heights of Everest is more famous and respected because of his wonderful act. Once again I valued your comments after the chankslee BS mist covered mountains piece. Thanks.

...Presto! You have HOLY WATER now.

I reckon she looks a little but dangerous. I guess most women are, if you give them reason to be. If you look closer, at the hair, can you see anyone else?

Vampires. How do you kill a vampire? Let's see. A crucifix. Garlic. What if the vampire is enticing? Would you want to ward them off? A characteristic of a vampire is they have no shadow, and you won't find them in any mirrors. So be careful, you may have to put these vampires to the test so you can make sure you are not caught. Why? Well you see, these bats, will suck you dry. You had better not call them parasites though. You will find them in parliament, and they usually have a lot to say. They will also appear as lobbyists or part of a special interest group. In the end they will suck you dry. Your tax dollars at work folks.

We recently had a news item which caught my interest. A young man, not quite 20 has successfully sued the New South Wales state for one million dollars. He will also receive a wage for the rest of his life, paid for by the state. It seems that he was bullied when he was 6 years old. He wasn't abused sexually, or made a public example of, but when he was six, there were some boys who taunted him, which has scarred him for the rest of his life. School officials told the mother of the boy that bullying was a part of growing up, and that all kids had to go through it. I think that is where he won the case. A problem was brought to the authorities and they failed to act. That sux.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/070514/23/13geh.html

Now that we are talking about vampires, you know.... imaginary things, Psam posed a question to me.

What would make the world a better place?
a) if everybody knew what the laws were and followed them
b) if everyone had a decent amount of common sense.

My view was different to our beloved Psam's. He said I was brainwashed and inbred. Now I have a question for you. Which is the better answer. Question two. Is Psam a bully?

Oh and for the rest of us. A word of wisdom. The recipe for holy water is as follows....

1- put some ordinary water into a pot
2- boil the hell out of it....

Who rules in Utopia?

Bastille. The stronghold, where prisoners were kept and where the armory was. On that fateful day the peasants stormed and this was the beginning of the French Revolution. A couple weeks ago, masses converged on the Place de la Bastille voicing their displeasure upon the result of the election. Election coverage and the results is forbidden until after 8pm. Crowds gather in anticipation all over France, and discuss, (see below) while sipping on a coffee or otherwise.

You will see older and younger ones. I have to confess, I like pictures like this one because each face tells a story. The photographer above who lies bloodily while being helped was hit in the head by a piece of concrete. He explains that his proximity to the police was the reason he was hit. Fortunately, he is recovering well and the wound looks worse than it actually was.

Sarkozy. I do not know what to make of him. I have been exposed to just a piece of the picture but my opinion at this point is of a man who is not afraid to use his position to further his cause. Sarko was the mayor, when he married a couple in 1984. Three years later the bride, Cecilia, was his. She will be a different first lady. I will let you read the link below. The thing in which I am curious about, is when he used his position to get a man fired, because of a piece which was written. What do you think of that? (See link.)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6656717.stm

I just got off of the phone with a friend who is in the Philippines. In case you are not aware, there has been an election there. A bomb exploded just hours away from Michael ( my pal ) because of the polling. He says it is crazy there. He cannot walk anywhere by himself or he will get kidnapped. He witnessed people selling their votes. You go into the polling station and there are all kinds of people there. They will actually pay you if you will vote for them. The elections are not about government, but about how to boost your finances, and influence. Candidates will walk down the street, while their militia is following them with machine guns drawn just paces behind. It seems so foreign to me. He is making a video to post on his blog site, and I will hope to share it with you, if he makes it back here alive. I at this point won't say much except that I am glad to live in Australia. Check out the link below.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6652393.stm

Unfinished and Unreadable.

William Shakespeare. Charles Dickens. Leonardo. Michelangelo. Picasso. Van Gogh. Great Wall of China.

Starting with Herodotus for no particular reason. I start with him partially because he was part of our conversation at a dinner party I was at last weekend. Does anyone know the reason why there are some things which stand the test of time, and others which fade away? The above mentioned gentleman had some writings which have allowed us to enter into what it was like to live approximately 2500 years ago. He documents his experiences in life, which of course included battles, political events, and descriptions of far away lands which he visited. It should be noted that he was a warrior because of necessity, and the violence of the time, but because of his valuable writings he became known as a historian.

But he is not what I wanted to write about today. No. Again I pose the question, in a different way, saying; what qualities stand the test of time? I would presume it is simply that word. Quality. When we are dead and the next three generations have passed, will our little lives be known? Probably not. However, I believe people will not have changed much. I can think of love, hate, envy, lust, pain, joy and more human emotions. They will be the same tomorrow as they were in 500 BC.

Value. Is there anything valuable yesterday that is still valuable today? The first which comes to my mind is water. Without it, we will die and so did they. Land. It held value and still does because we all need a place to settle. Of course it could be argued that there were many nomadic people, but they were surely outnumbered by those who chose to settle. It is prevailant in the human psyche to want your own place. Gold is very valuable today like it was in yesteryear. It is the backer of currencies, and is the substance which people flock to when the future of the world looks shaky.

Ideas. The great intangible quality. The idea of taxation was one that enabled nations to be held together. Isn't it great that the taxman was hated then, just as they are now. Value of human life. It is one that changes of course. Rule of Law. It enabled people to share common rules. I elect that when there is law, it creates order. When a people of a common law have order, prosperity is a result. When there is prosperity, it allows people to build, including literature, art and breathtaking works of architecture. Humankind can surge forward.

I know there are better men and women who could inscribe my thoughts better than I could. In fact I feel as though I cannot quite get my thinking onto this page. It may sound pretentious but I will sum it up in the next line, and then I will stop.

Humankind desires love and a place in which substance can be deeply stirred, created and consumed.

Sarko sark sarks was he being cruddy?

Nicolas Sarkozy. I have been a bit slack as of late and should have commented earlier on the buzz surrounding the man, the new French President, Nicolas Sarkozy. Of course the news this week also reported on another sub plot, following the election result. Riots. Nearly six hundred people were arrested after violence due to the vote tally. Vehicles were torched tear gas was dispensed and rocks were thrown. Yes add a dash of salt and a pinch of pepper. Incite. Ignite.

I was pondering again, of course, on the use of violence and its accomplishments in regards to politics. I will start with the extreme case first. Adolf Hitler, after failing in his first bit at attaining power employed bully boys, who took care of any who opposed his ideals. He like others started small, and conned the nation into giving him a chance at power.

Stalin was a little less subtle in his approach. He became the party leader and it wasn't long before Trotsky was found with an ice pick protruding from his head. Stalin's brutal five year plans rewarded success but punished failure so badly, that a good percentage of the population died because of the brutal conditions. Most who were deemed a failure were sent to "siberia," never to be seen again. Yet it was, some historians argue these same 5 year plans which propelled Russia into becoming a productive and powerful nation.

Mao Tse-tung used violence as well. He originally failed in a largely peaceful attempt to attain power. He realized that he would only become a leader of the country he loved when he incited the massive peasant population to take power. And take power violently he did.

Nelson Mandela, had roots to terrorism. He advocated the use of violence to attain political change.

Nasser, hero in Egypt, achieved power only after ousting the king.

Fidel Castro. Robert Mugabe. Macbeth. Oh wait, he was fictional.

Political change, shifts in the thinking of a nation in many cases appear to be firmly rooted in violence. What are the catalysts for this behavior. I tend to think it could be associated with prosperity or lack thereof. When the gap between the rich and the poor becomes too great, trouble brews. This is a massive subject which could take years to discuss.

Now back to France. We had a little bit of a BS on the french riots last year. It was in relation to proposed changes to the youth and their rights in the workplace, with respect to their employers. Previously, there were riots when police killed a young man fleeing the scene of a crime. If you recall there were weeks of unrest. Why is this happening in France? Is it as bad as the press makes it out to be? Is the gap between the haves and the have not's too vast? Do people feel that they do not have a voice which can be heard? Is it because they haven't been exposed to Psam and Chankslee?

Who was man we started with? "Sarko," as he is known by many became the Leader of the French Republic on May the 6th. He wants to change his country, economically. The suggestion of a more liberalised economic model strikes a chord of fear among the unions and those of the protectionist movement. He wants the market to be opened up to more competition where a business has to offer more if it wants to survive. This in itself will become a challange and only time will tell if it will bring success to the man named, Nicolas Sarkozy.

and then Franz retorted....

I have been really thinking about life. I have been thinking about friends. I have enjoyed a slight break, in case you didn't notice. I enjoyed your comments, all of them. Thank you. I concur with you AV. Psam you are a little treasure. If I was to add "little treasure" would that sound homoesque? Targo, is that a word? I think it is time for the doctor vocabulary to make another appearance. Could you? AV, is she around anymore?

I just wanna have a bit of fun. This place, our place, I feel, has become very very serious. I do want to get back to world events in a bit, but first our topic. Second, I will start a photo section. I will post photos I have found that I reckon are a little bit ultra cool.

Now our topic du jour........ dot com and all of that..... sinking sinking sinking into a deep sleep u R.

Colostomy Bags.

I have always wondered, about colostomy bags. I confess, that until I was about 18 or so, I didn't even know what they were. One of my first ever experiences with the above mentioned word went a little like this....

"...so then he came up to me, acting all tough and then started speaking to me very forcefully." my friend said. He was explaining being evicted from his small apartment by his older, beer swilling, dope smoking landlord.

"Well did you do anything? Did you say anything to him?" I asked.

"No I didn't but I wanted to punch him in his colostomy bag!"

"WHAT? What is that?" So began my education as a very sheltered and naive boy about the medical solution to a very big problem.

Cancer of the rectum or Crohn's disease are 2 of the most popular reasons for needing a bag. Chron's is a chronic inflammatory condition within the intestinal tract. It is also a type of inflammatory bowel disease IBD and can affect any part of the gastro tract from your mouth down to your anus. The main symptoms are stomach pain, diarrhea which may have blood in it and flatulation. I have been told that it can be very smelly. So smelly in fact that it may cause people to say..... " man you must need a colostomy bag!" Crohn's disease affects approximately half a million people in North America and more than double that for the rest of the world.

In 2001, just months after the infamous events on 9/11, a thief entered the home of Kath Tozer. It was December and she had wrapped all of her Christmas presents, had her cards displayed for all to see. A burglar who had entered the house was looking for something valuable to steal. An expensive camera case was the target and the thief stole the high priced item and its contents. Nothing else was stolen. I will digress for a tick..When AV, mentioned Psam, our little treasure, I immediately thought of the little treasure's that were stolen. I can draw the parallel. The thief stole an entire camera case full of.... colostomy bags.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/uk_news/england/1753642.stm

Posted above and beside, for your viewing pleasure are genuine colostomy bags. Follow the video links too. I hope we have advertising for the BAG and you then may see some more examples and know how much they cost.

I ask you this.

is this lower?

Jill serves Donald a rare dish.

Again I have found a most interesting subject. I confess, I was not going to post anything tonight and have a bit of a break. However, I found a crazy story. You know when you find something that is so mind boggling you just have to comment, well this is it. I will set it up first.

A man and his wife had been married for 21 years. That is quite a feat today, especially when you consider the divorce rate. I mean, why wait for it to get this bad before you attempt something like this. The couple lived in Newton Mearns which is just out of Glasgow, Scotland. The wife, Jill Martin it seems had an extreme dislike for her husband, Donald. Now there are times when you don't like someone and of course you voice your opinion to others and have a big abuse session about that person. Then of course there are times when you actually confront the person you have a problem with and let them know in no uncertain terms that you dislike them. I believe this happened with the couple mentioned. Jill claims she was subjected to 5 years of mental abuse from Donald. I don't know of many people who would take revenge in a fashion quite like this.

Jill, after finding out that her estranged husband was coming over, prepared dinner for him. This in itself is kind of a affectionate gesture. Now you must remember that things had degenerated for the formally loving couple and it came to this. What would you do, if your formally loving wife started laughing uncontrollably after you started eating? Would you just keep eating and wonder what was up or would you become suspicious? I have heard, and I suppose it is a bit of an urban legend, possibly, about being served cat, or dog when you thought you were eating sweet and sour pork. However poor Donald was not being served cat. He was being served dog. Well not really dog either. I would say more like dog food. Except with a twist. Donald was being served dog doo, disguised as a curry dish. Yes Donald was eating uh, poo. Very classy.

"Would you like salt with that?"

Jill started laughing after Donald consumed a couple of bites and told him it was laced with arsenic. It wasn't though. It was excrement from a dog. I mean can you imagine preparing this kind of delectable delight? You know, add a dash of salt, some curry powder, a pinch of parsley, oh and a glob of..... yeah. Very nice. Not really. The judge has not quite decided what kind of sentence to levy on Jill Martin. What kind of punishment would she deserve?

Have a nice day. Have a nice lunch. Have a nice dinner. Good job Jill, or should I say, you served a nice job?

Woof.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6612529.stm