Cognitive Dissidents

Whisky in the morning for Ken as sleaze row claims first victim - UK Politics, UK - Independent.co.uk

For years, Ken Livingstone has been the immovable face of London politics. Yesterday, as an avalanche of sleaze allegations engulfed his office and forced the resignation of a key aide, his position had never looked more precarious. Even for a man who thrives on controversy, the capital's Mayor has not had a good week.

A slew of accusations, including that he fortifies himself with whisky during morning question and answer sessions with members of the London Assembly – have sparked doubts that his astonishing political career can last beyond the mayoral election in May.

Mr Livingstone has cheerfully owned up to that particular habit, but he added: "I don't think I've ever reached Winston Churchill's levels, and as it didn't impair him in the destruction of the greatest evil facing humanity, it won't interfere with my continuing to lead Londoners to the sunny uplands of the future."

I've been watching this with interest - I can't say I am surprised - but I do have one question:

Which whiskey do you prefer Ken? Irish whiskey or Scottish whisky? A 12 year old unblended - or a bottle of Brand-X???

PS: If "Brand-X" is your choice you should move here where cr*p whisky is €3 a bottle - not only will you annoy people in London less - but you can also take a "snifter" for "medicinal purposes" in virtually any bar starting around 6am rather than waiting until 10am ...

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Tags: whiskey, whisky, red ken, ken livingstone, alcoholism, for medicinal purposes only, sun over the yardarm, denial, unblended malt, blended malt, blended whisky, cheap whisky, cheap alcohol, aa

Posted by Dr. K at 6:48 PM | Permalink

The phrase "Por que no te calles?" - "why don't you shut up" - which was uttered (very publically) by King Juan Carlos to Hugo Chavez has enterered massively into Spanish media conciousness.

Not only do we have t-shirts and mugs (inevitable) - but also slippers with the phrase printed across - I guess they will do bras and socks next ..

Meanwhile the obsession with all things Chavez manifests itself on Spainish TV - which today asked the question "Are Hugo Chavez and Naomi Cambell lovers?"

This was based on the recent interview by Naomi of Hugo where it is reported he offered to pose "topless" like Putin and stated that his fashion leader was Fidel Castro "His uniform is impeccable. His boots are polished, his beard is elegant."

Of course this is the same piece of Spanish "telebasura" that also feigned shock and horror at the recent "Spice Girls" London show because of its "lesbian" tendencies ...

Suffice it to say that Spanish TV is no better and no worse than any other TV I've watched in the rest of the world - a bit like reading a "RedTop" but with visual bubblegum ...

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Tags: hugo chavez, naomi cambell, fidel castro, telebasura, television

Posted by Dr. K at 10:55 AM | Permalink

I don't know - but I'd never heard of "Ron Paul" until this US election frenzy - but would you vote for a man who says this???

Ron Paul Statement on The New Republic Article Regarding Old Newsletters — Ron Paul 2008

For over a decade, I have publicly taken moral responsibility for not paying closer attention to what went out under my name.

Not doing anything about it - and yet claiming to have taken "moral responsibilty" for "not paying closeer attention to" - sounds like Ron Paul should be signing up for the "Nu-Labour" incompetence project that has been running in the UK for some years now ..

I have a new slogan for supporters of Ron Paul - "Ron Paul - Not Fit For Purpose ...."

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Tags: ron paul, joined-up-government, spin-doctors, nu-labour

Posted by Dr. K at 2:00 PM | Permalink

Unexpected support for the rights of women who are from Muslim backgrounds - from the Tory Party no less ...

When will the Left stand up for women's rights in the same way and stop turning a blind eye to behaviour that denies the rights of women by constantly apologising for cultural and religious behaviour .. oh I remember now - its because they hate the USA more than they love human rights ...

Sayeeda Warsi, Tory vice-chairman and adviser to Cameron, said she was struck by the way some female Muslims were held back while she was out canvassing at the last election. 'The number of women I came across who said they wanted to go to university but their parents didn't want them to, who wanted to get a job but were not allowed, who were not allowed to vote freely because the men in their family got postal votes... I came away feeling that here was an enormous resource wasted,' she said. 'This way of life is not because of the faith, it is cultural interpretations of it. David feels we can't be culturally sensitive to issues which are fundamentally wrong.'

Well said Ms. Warsi - until we start to tackle this problem we are wasting one of our precious resources - people.

Dismissing Women out of hand and treating them as second class citizens is a good way of ensuring that your culture goes backwards - suddenly 50% of the population cannot make a good and proper contribution to society - unless you believe that women only make a good and usefull contribution to society while chained to the sink and raising children ...

Funny enough this is what religious fundamentalists all over the world seem to believe ...

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Tags: new cold war, david cameron, islam, womens' rights

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Posted by Dr. K at 11:38 AM | Permalink

From the BBC today.

Three UK ex-servicemen have been given compensation after they were given LSD without their consent in the 1950s
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The men volunteered to be "guinea pigs" at the government research base Porton Down after being told scientists wanted to find a cure for the common cold.

But they were given the hallucinogen in mind control tests, and some volunteers had terrifying hallucinations.

This was in 1953-54 - but Sandoz was the sole producer of LSD and only began marketing it under the name "Delysid" in the USA in 1947-48.

It was pretty quick off the mark for the MOD to do LSD trials on volunteers such a short time after it was introduced.

Who suggested that the LSD trials take place at Porton Down?

Was it an "outreach" project from MK-ULTRA - the CIA cold war mind control experiments that killed at least one person?

Where did the LSD come from?

Did the MOD and Porton Down purchase LSD from Sandoz - like everyone else at that time?

Or did they attempt to synthesise their own? Was it really LSD that that was given to the volunteers or something else?

If they experimented with Sandoz LSD - well and good - it was the gold standard for LSD at that time - but if they cooked up something else in their own labs and used that instead - enquiring minds need to know.

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Tags: lsd, sandoz, porton-down, chemical-warfare, mk-ultra, mi6

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Posted by Dr. K at 12:52 PM | Permalink

I've already complained that I don't want a "New Cold War" - but now it seems that I will get one - whether I want it or not - from the The Guardian today

Last week US defence chiefs unveiled their plan for battling global Islamist extremism. They envisage a conflict fought in dozens of countries and for decades to come.

Are we ready for a conflict fought "in dozens of countries" for "decades to come" ?

Nobody wants this ... but it seems to be happening anyway

Coming Soon: The "Islamic Domino Theory"

Which goes something like "if Saudi Arabia falls - they all fall" - except some people see the Saudis as part of the problem rather than part of the solution.

Are we in the New Cold War yet?

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Tags: chomsky cold war new cold war jihadis terrorism

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Posted by Dr. K at 7:03 PM | Permalink

According to The Chicago Tribune

American tax dollars and the wartime needs of the U.S. military are fueling an illicit pipeline of cheap foreign labor, mainly impoverished Asians who often are deceived, exploited and put in harm's way in Iraq with little protection.

There is an interesting analysis of the extent of the legal problems with "human trafficking" in the Trans-National Crimes Blog

According to Interpol, trafficking in persons and human smuggling are two distinct phenomena. Trafficking in persons involves the exploitation of the migrant, “often for purposes of forced labour and prostitution,” whereas human smuggling “while odious in its own right,” is focused only on “the procurement, for financial or material gain, of the illegal entry into a state of which that person is neither a citizen nor a permanent resident.” ... It isn’t clear that the United States necessarily delineates the two categories.

Now, according to Trans-National Crimes Blog it would seem that:

The State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons—along with other State Department officials in South Asia and the Middle East, and the Department of Defense—will investigate “alleged abuses of workers who are part of an undocumented pipeline used to deliver thousands of Asians to labor on U.S. military bases in Iraq".

I'd love to think this was true, but I can't find any link to this story on the official US Department of State website.

If anyone can help me link up with the official story I'd be very grateful

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Tags: transnational crimes new cold war iraq pipeline to peril human trafficking human rights

Posted by Dr. K at 12:17 AM | Permalink