tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31953042012-01-23T20:21:39.280ZPolitics, news, libertarianism, Science Fiction, religion, sewing. You got a problem, bud? I like sewing. <br><br> <font size=1>E-mail: nataliesolent-at-aol-dot-com (I assume it's OK to quote senders by name.)</font>Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comBlogger34291100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-4687309183395626432012-01-23T20:15:00.002Z2012-01-23T20:18:19.113Z

Bjorn Lomborg's climate think tank to close. And catapults.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-10419480639937250002012-01-19T20:18:00.001Z2012-01-23T20:21:39.287Z

"They said it would never be agreed. Then they said it would never be launched. Then they said it would fail. When it was a success, the euro-haters still insisted that the single currency was a recipe for economic chaos and political instability. The phobes are proving to be wrong again. At a time when so much of Europe's political leadership is in flux, the single currency is the steadying

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-15137832398799156602011-11-23T11:17:00.001Z2011-11-23T11:19:35.008Z

Upon what basis can an Occupy protest ask someone to leave?

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-52403040911467541162011-11-23T11:16:00.000Z2011-11-23T11:17:44.258Z

George Monbiot denounces former Green Party spokesman for flogging snake oil to Fukushima

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-73723853228929573052011-11-17T13:04:00.000Z2011-11-17T13:05:03.493Z

Arrivederci, democrazia. Italy's new Cabinet does not include a single elected politician.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-61376354675534942812011-11-17T12:34:00.002Z2011-11-17T12:38:08.039Z

Loss of nerve: the Sheriff's judgement on the death of Alison Hume"A paramedic was also told to remove his harness and halt an attempt to reach Mrs Hume because he was not familiar with fire service equipment"That is from a report in the Herald on the Fatal Accident Enquiry carried out by Sheriff Desmond Leslie on the slow death of Alison Hume while the Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service read up

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-23306191895208033982011-11-09T17:04:00.001Z2011-11-09T17:06:44.756Z

What will happen to the Euro? I asked Samizdata readers. One of them, "bobby b", said,"What will happen to the Euro?"There's only one left?God. That really WAS a liquidity crisis.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-18661069524105175742011-11-09T17:00:00.001Z2011-11-09T17:04:36.755Z

If only. I was enraged by George Monbiot saying, "If wealth was the inevitable result of hard work and enterprise, every woman in Africa would be a millionaire." From the post:If in most of Africa in the last half-century the probable, or, Dear God, the permitted, result of the hard work and enterprise of women - or men - had been a modest increase in wealth, and not, as it mostly was, the

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-42132545796419176512011-10-16T15:48:00.000Z2011-10-16T15:50:04.410Z

For this were Governments instituted among Men?How many years on average do you reckon it takes for a newly instituted Government to decline to this level of simple predation?

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-16318714275502497192011-09-11T06:26:00.002Z2011-09-11T06:29:13.286Z

Can you say projection?Felicity Lawrence. Describing her as a health dominatrix doesn't really work; some people find that fun.Politics in the rawPropaganda 'own goals' are always interesting. A couple of self-described anti-fascists from United Against Fascism produced a happy, confident video in which they laughed at the beating administered to a female English Defence League supporter by

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-65120024943782648232011-08-17T07:59:00.001Z2011-08-17T08:01:32.994Z

Mooooooo. Satisfied sigh. Another obviously ridiculous statistic presented by a charity.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-63604048158084684332011-06-28T16:39:00.004Z2011-11-09T16:59:48.854Z

A Paladin lacking in WisdomStretch yourselves. Answer these questions, if you think you're hard enough:* There were no _________ remarks at the parents' evening. Is the correct word: dissaproving disaproveing dissapproving disapproving?* A lesson begins at 11:40. The teacher prepares a 10-minute introduction followed by a 15-minute video clip and then a 25-minute activity. At what time does the

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-72827162828431118342011-06-28T16:39:00.003Z2011-06-28T16:43:54.935Z

A Paladin lacking in WisdomStretch yourselves. Answer these questions, if you think you're hard enough:* There were no _________ remarks at the parents' evening. Is the correct word: dissaproving disaproveing dissapproving disapproving?* A lesson begins at 11:40. The teacher prepares a 10-minute introduction followed by a 15-minute video clip and then a 25-minute activity. At what time does the

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-80140304308590655832011-06-20T09:20:00.020Z2011-06-22T06:12:41.082Z

Form over substance. A few days ago Phlip Davies MP suggested that disabled workers or those with mental health problems could get work more easily if they had the right to voluntarily opt out of the minimum wage. He said, "Given that some of those people with a learning disability clearly, by definition, can't be as productive in their work as somebody who hasn't got a disability of that nature,

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-43941455460007652262011-06-17T22:22:00.003Z2011-11-09T16:59:24.609Z

Examples of spectacular historical ignoranceSubsidised artists do economicsand my first post for a while for Biased BBC, The wrong sort of diversity

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-42619133123937821322011-06-06T20:38:00.001Z2011-06-06T20:41:33.469Z

"False traitor! false clerk!" quod he. Much outrage at the idea of a new private sector university.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-77638397017006148562011-06-04T18:10:00.003Z2011-06-05T07:49:38.601Z

Sound and fury, signifying nothing, fortunately. This one is about a "Cameron-backed report" that will "protect children from commercialisation", and why little will come of it. Nauseating but not scary.Weiner or Wiener or whatever his name is. About someone called something or other. I can't say with certitude.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-86586048938530611902011-04-11T18:32:00.001Z2011-04-11T18:34:11.953Z

Aw, blessBolivia has passed a law giving equal status to Mother Earth.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-18799339814284095962011-04-10T18:41:00.002Z2011-04-10T18:53:28.984Z

I have been remiss in cross-posting some of my recent Samizdata posts up here. Better late than never: Interesting: a website providing a database of serial litigantsA glimpse into the mind of a green politicianCounter-productive demonstrationsA great answer to those who denounce the "excessive" profits made by companiesWe have free movement of people inside Europe, thanks to the EU

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-4678088264798072652011-02-06T15:52:00.003Z2011-02-06T15:58:06.077Z

Guardian readers hate gypsies and travellers.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-2471057190244609512011-02-05T14:08:00.002Z2011-02-05T14:16:48.831Z

A story about my dad and the first bananas seen in Britain after WWIITim Worstall has a post about Evelyn Waugh behaving exactly as one would expect*:It was post WWII and the new Labour Government procured bananas, one for each child in the Kingdom. A celebration of it all being over. But Evelyn, being made of stern stuff, wasn’t going to have some damn socialists bribing his own children.(The

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-36903968610911019292011-02-02T23:46:00.000Z2011-02-02T23:47:13.933Z

Climate change: won't somebody think of the children?

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-91546857092488905172011-01-31T20:22:00.002Z2011-01-31T20:26:29.844Z

How deeply wrong ideas about "fairness" have penetrated. The Telegraph complains of "discrimination" because parents can borrow less than non-parents.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-33396989619912825802011-01-17T09:25:00.003Z2011-01-17T09:33:11.749Z

Two contrasting articles by Michael Tomasky on spree killers"Whoever first defines the situation is the victor"To hang your head when you are not guilty is an immoral act.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-39360302639764416192011-01-07T21:35:00.000Z2011-01-17T09:36:18.118Z

Out, out, brief candle

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-64153352450420618552011-01-06T16:31:00.002Z2011-01-06T16:37:25.158Z

Naomi Wolf on whether accusers in rape cases should be anonymous. An extract:I sneer at Naomi Wolf's late discovery of this type of possible injustice [false rape claims]. Yet she makes a strong argument:"Though children's identities should, of course, be shielded, women are not children. If one makes a serious criminal accusation, one must be treated as a moral adult."Against that is a more

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-28964590568903237732011-01-04T21:02:00.000Z2011-01-04T21:03:55.704Z

Should anyone not be allowed to adopt?

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-14897857164191146252010-12-19T16:59:00.001Z2010-12-19T17:01:44.567Z

Nay; but we will have a king over usAnd Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-47322465398112369672010-12-13T21:26:00.002Z2010-12-13T21:28:37.740Z

Why can't we talk any more?In which I defend a purveyor of woo. Unusually for me, I disagree with Tim Worstall.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-29247585426386033712010-12-04T00:09:00.001Z2010-12-04T00:11:00.451Z

Professor Lindemann will take your call now, Mr ChurchillAbout the first Viscount Cherwell and Lucky Starr, Space Ranger.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-53584945924647176282010-11-25T11:28:00.001Z2010-11-25T11:29:32.454Z

Socialism may now require two clauses.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-60758369946845850332010-11-15T20:12:00.003Z2010-11-15T20:16:13.861Z

Repo man of the seas - the Guardian celebrates a man very unlike the stereotype of the average Guardian reader. He steals back stolen cargo ships, beating pirates at their own game.Also Five years after the Irish smoking ban the Irish are smoking more than ever, which should be self-explanatory.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-45807376452205667682010-11-10T09:24:00.002Z2010-11-10T09:25:05.693Z

Is this what they call a bull market? Ever more spectacular claims of returns for government spending on the arts.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-91255655138344903352010-11-09T23:18:00.001Z2010-11-09T23:20:36.717Z

Two more on Samizdata: A robust defence of George W Bush and the thrilling List of all tax reliefs (Excel file 349KB)

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-13957949989562582472010-10-16T18:58:00.001Z2010-10-16T18:59:26.941Z

Ken Loach, rent-seeker

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-81101891592513733632010-10-14T17:02:00.002Z2010-10-14T17:08:18.084Z

Scarcely even a scandal any more - the vast sums spent in Sicily by the EU have had no effect.Dennis the Menace must account for his pennies - former Minister of State for Europe, Denis MacShane, is to be investigated by the police.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-91472528965730356562010-10-12T22:56:00.001Z2010-10-12T22:57:27.299Z

Tuesday morning replay"A hand is a fraction of a second too slow on the trigger - a human mind is a fraction of a second slower than another, hostile, human mind to make sense of the confusion - and a comrade dies, or a hostage dies, and a lifetime of agonized mental replaying of that moment of failure begins.Six hours later a headline writer in an office far away expresses his displeasure."

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-64742326346162286952010-10-10T08:57:00.000Z2010-10-10T08:58:34.845Z

No more Miss With Love

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-50754256450922763572010-10-03T14:31:00.002Z2010-10-03T14:33:41.639Z

An independent orchestra.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-46669751640883113522010-10-02T17:39:00.002Z2010-10-03T14:34:32.769Z

Onwards and upwards! A statement from the whole "10:10" teamA green video goes viral. Its makers wish it hadn't.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-59567058834990006052010-09-25T09:40:00.003Z2010-09-25T09:45:30.162Z

So, it is illegal to burn a Koran, now?

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-15512383102578979142010-09-18T09:43:00.000Z2010-09-25T09:44:34.522Z

A somewhat nicer alternative to ecofascism.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-27018510469610671392010-09-08T22:33:00.000Z2010-09-08T22:34:00.927Z

No more angels. About nurses rather than theology.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-13796521267904303582010-09-04T20:11:00.001Z2010-09-04T20:12:15.315Z

Barack and Dave. Not a love story.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-42564668080717597722010-08-31T08:13:00.002Z2010-08-31T08:22:46.556Z

Late-capitalist knickers run amok!. I thought this post was about laughing at the Marxist jargon in a Guardian piece. The commenters preferred to make deeper points on whether the hipsters were proto-libertarians or not.The endless complexity of international aid. What you can predict from considering the class interest of the aid community. Marx did have a point, sometimes.O tempora! O mores!

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-79403178584826674852010-08-21T22:16:00.001Z2010-08-21T22:17:23.915Z

State sponsored happy slapping and/or incitement to violenceDon't worry, though. The victims are only smokers.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-31988980420668509912010-08-10T13:07:00.002Z2010-08-10T13:09:07.866Z

Shut up about the jam, already

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-32582287407443070552010-08-06T17:36:00.002Z2010-08-06T17:38:50.670Z

Safety wowsers and health wowsers. Fight! Fight! Fight!Oh, and here's one I forgot to post earlier:A tyrant's tantrum.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-82577814783621098132010-07-23T12:53:00.003Z2010-07-23T13:04:38.204Z

A couple of new posts:What with the internet and all - about the future of political humour, a coming cultural change, and JournoList.and Nothing new to say on Ian Tomlinson - about a crime.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-41936750807217332010-07-14T18:34:00.001Z2010-07-14T18:36:35.355Z

Kenya launches a text service to stop hate speech. I find this rather sinister. The BBC doesn't.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-28768949510321238352010-07-11T15:20:00.001Z2010-07-11T15:21:52.962Z

Five myths about free schools debunked, alas.I wished they were true.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-60820905405808098882010-07-09T09:01:00.002Z2010-07-09T09:03:42.038Z

I am not trying to give anyone a heart attack...Some remarks by the Secretary of State for Health arouse Nanny's fury.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-80331353888274481762010-07-06T07:59:00.001Z2010-07-06T08:01:10.194Z

Protecting British kids from Australians

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-60018239602022967062010-06-28T23:10:00.001Z2010-06-28T23:11:25.041Z

Toast or not toast, that is the question. It's about the "economic war" launched by Chavez in Venezuela, obviously.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-29096403359634295272010-06-22T22:22:00.000Z2010-06-22T22:23:09.359Z

The lecher, his "wee bit of culture", and wondering what happened to ours.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-13005579225164478322010-06-19T21:40:00.001Z2010-06-19T21:41:50.547Z

Did the early white settlers in Africa think it would last forever?"It" being their dominance over the black inhabitants, and their racial exclusivity.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-61836058502857227452010-06-13T17:18:00.001Z2010-06-13T17:21:15.784Z

Africa's age of faith; the world's age of war?

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-43725034149943643042010-05-24T19:39:00.001Z2010-05-24T19:40:57.598Z

Fashions in persecutionOnce freedom goes it becomes a matter of elite fashion just who the police harass. In 2010 it was Baptist street preachers. Twenty years earlier it was homosexuals. Twenty years later it may be homosexuals again. Get yer multiculturalism right and it could be both.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-90580677140893964822010-05-21T10:47:00.001Z2010-05-21T10:50:26.695Z

Home Improvement Packs: a cautionary tale of the modern State

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-81136986046891605212010-05-20T20:06:00.002Z2010-05-20T20:11:55.837Z

Mohammed emoticon(((:~(>This is my entry to "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day". It is scarcely original, and the less original the better, I guess.I take no pleasure from violating other people's taboos. It is not polite and I wish to be polite. In ordinary circumstances if I want to do something that will annoy others I am willing to put up with moderate inconvenience in order to do it out of their

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-54519749741645802262010-03-29T20:12:00.006Z2010-03-29T20:22:44.066Z

A burst of activity from me over at Samizdata: The hunting ban might turn out to have been a good thing, African Poverty is Falling...Much Faster than You Think! Straight from the horse's mouth The last post is about James Lovelock saying that democracy may have to be suspended in order to deal with climate change. I think you can probably guess what the first two are about.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-82711360057249988702010-03-27T16:29:00.002Z2010-03-27T16:32:13.036Z

Haiti had how many NGOs before the earthquake?? Click to find out.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-44030499198811384452010-03-04T10:44:00.002Z2010-03-04T10:47:29.184Z

Loss of nerve: the Strathclyde Fire Brigade preferred not to rescue Alison Hume - a post for Samizdata. If you search the Samizdata archives for the words "loss of nerve" you will find other posts by me discussing similarly depressing news stories.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-13065628237153900822010-01-30T23:08:00.001Z2010-01-30T23:11:06.906Z

Those crazy Republicans explained: a BBC bias masterclass "...an instructive example for the young writer or broadcaster who aspires to produce material for the BBC."

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-58637277426370599092009-10-02T13:26:00.001Z2009-10-02T13:28:35.888Z

After this, anyone who likes the EU is a weirdo.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-42606209579794856072009-08-15T08:58:00.004Z2009-08-15T09:03:21.355Z

Questioning their patriotism, Azerbaijani style. Daniel Hannan MEP sings Eurovision!**This is a lie.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-49738127347735239702009-08-11T14:45:00.001Z2009-08-11T14:46:48.789Z

Increasing the status of teachers: a magical approach.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-39484337239886838652009-07-22T15:00:00.001Z2009-07-22T15:03:12.966Z

Left of centre, off of the strip - Suzanne Vega nostalgia time at Biased BBC. And that BBC Drama bloke who said the BBC should foster "left of centre" thinking.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-19371121773409339832009-06-26T19:40:00.000Z2009-06-26T19:42:31.811Z

Booze and burqas on the public street - defend both.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-16106429974350534742009-06-09T11:26:00.003Z2009-06-09T11:35:39.481Z

Here and there I have scattered blog posts.Everything in the garden is lovely - Obamalove from Matt Frei at the BBC.The Historian-President - Obamalove from Ben Macintyre at the Times.Yes, the amount of Obama-worship around has been annoying me.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-44746365305630307022009-05-23T21:36:00.009Z2009-05-23T22:17:39.811Z

Bang! I had a burst of blogging activity here and there:Stupid stupid everywhere, nor any stop to think - two little wavelets in the world tsunami of stupidity.If they get ponies, so must we - climate change as the key to the government strongbox.What more do you want? - BBC reporting of the defeat of the Tamil Tigers. And the Dead Parrot Sketch.A left wing martyrdom reconsidered - the killing of

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-6256373328432728152009-03-30T15:37:00.004Z2009-03-30T23:40:45.871Z

"We had to wait for the fire brigade because of health and safety"Reported by Lucy Bannerman in today's Times:Fire kills child, 3, and parents as police prevent neighbours from trying to rescue themA pregnant woman, her husband and their three-year-old son were killed in a house fire early yesterday as police who arrived before the fire brigade prevented neighbours from trying to save them. The

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-58871025102216786682009-01-23T12:30:00.003Z2009-01-23T12:36:17.647Z

Spliced. TonyN of "Harmless Sky" caught the BBC splicing and rejoining separate parts of President Obama's speech in order to make it seem to take a stronger line on global warming than it did. This B-BBC post discusses what happened.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-24473574970729465312009-01-21T18:24:00.001Z2009-01-21T18:25:38.865Z

Forgot to say that I had a B-BBC post up yesterday, too. I said the BBC was being unfair to President Obama.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-8860318413486353722009-01-21T18:08:00.004Z2009-01-21T18:14:19.587Z

"Choose freedom?" That would be nice.I have written a post for Samizdata about those anti-smoking slogans on cigarette packets and about fake charities such as Action on Smoking and Health.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-3851178769673223962009-01-13T09:49:00.007Z2009-01-13T12:47:31.894Z

Doubts not raised. I have a post at Biased BBC comparing the BBC's willingness to dig up dirt on two individuals who found sudden fame, namely Joe the Plumber and Dr Mads Gilbert. I also did a post about Rory Bremner misreprenting something said by George W Bush, not that that exactly qualifies as news.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-4406455665742911312009-01-04T22:29:00.002Z2009-01-04T22:33:05.422Z

"Let us will to do the enemy harm" - over at Samizdata, a follow-up post to the previous one. They would have been better in the opposite order.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-30956572154820344572009-01-04T06:57:00.002Z2009-01-04T07:01:51.566Z

My New Year's Resolutions1) Stop eating between meals.2) Bring down European Union.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-35359585823186570432008-12-22T04:48:00.004Z2008-12-22T04:57:20.506Z

"Britain has lost the stomach for a fight" - I have some comments on Michael Portillo's article in the Times over at Samizdata.Now that's done maybe I'll be able to sleep.In case you're worrying, my insomnia isn't as bad as all that. This post and the last one published in the ASBO* hours may be on the same page but they are actually a month apart. *wee, small, but still anti-social

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-52247384913609658752008-12-15T08:47:00.003Z2008-12-15T08:52:59.132Z

"I'm looking for something" - I have a post with that title over at Biased BBC. It looks at the results of a search of the BBC website for the search term "Gavriel Holtzberg".

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-29562755296125233162008-12-06T08:03:00.001Z2008-12-06T08:05:03.109Z

'Cos Doctor says. I have a post of that name up at Biased BBC.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-46448118338278146402008-11-05T04:21:00.001Z2008-11-05T04:23:12.848Z

Couldn't sleep. Who's President then? Oh.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-20338253227489742682008-10-23T07:21:00.001Z2008-10-23T10:27:43.382Z

What about people who bomb abortion clinics in America? When reading on the internet about Islamic terrorism, commenters often mention that there is also terrorism by Christian fundamentalists in America, where there have been bombings of abortion clinics and shootings of abortion providers.How prevalent is this form of American domestic terrorism? In recent years there have been round about

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-13774676590999143872008-10-21T06:59:00.001Z2008-10-21T08:07:30.003Z

Hooray, McCain is going to win after all! From today's Times:In the five days since an Irish bookmaker declared the US presidential race “well and truly over” – paying out more than $1 million to those who had bet on Barack Obama – there has been little to suggest that Paddy Power was taking a gamble. From the Irish Times of June 13th:Bookmaker Paddypower has admitted it made a mistake, after

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-22355775956267307822008-10-17T07:03:00.001Z2008-10-17T08:09:23.521Z

President Sarkozy orders soccer match ban if fans jeer Marseillaise - from yesterday's Times."French football matches will be cancelled if fans jeer the pre-kickoff national anthem, President Sarkozy has decreed, after the Marseillaise was drowned out by mocking whistles at the start of a France-Tunisia friendly at the Stade de France on Tuesday night. "The incident in Paris, which drew

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-38483670358515319642008-10-11T16:27:00.003Z2008-10-11T16:39:43.052Z

"Specific learning differences." An excellent letter to the Times: Sir, Sue Whiting, a “retired special educational needs co-ordinator”, asserts in her letter (Oct 10) that “there are likely to be 20 per cent of children in any classroom with specific learning differences”. My initial reaction on reading this was that, surely, all the children would have learning differences: that is the human

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-47442987328435647272008-10-11T16:13:00.002Z2008-10-11T16:16:06.936Z

This and That. I have a T and T post up at Biased BBC. Links to Blognor Regis, David Friedman, and a thought of my own about the BBC's new Get Out of Impartiality Free card.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-48959477122663987012008-09-29T14:23:00.001Z2008-09-29T14:27:25.419Z

Cherchez le mème. A post for Samizdata about the surprising popularity (even among usually pro-liberty people) of the idea that religious parents should be banned from passing on their religion to their children.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-42756328475371709422008-09-16T08:23:00.001Z2008-09-16T08:26:02.935Z

"A disgrace to the honest profession of whore." I have written a post, really two posts in one, bearing that title over at Samizdata.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-87288369774952578022008-09-11T22:34:00.002Z2008-09-11T22:40:10.967Z

Anniversary. I have a post up at Biased BBC about the BBC suggesting that it is only the US that believes that Osama Bin Laden masterminded the 9/11 attacks. Again. I would have preferred some other form of commemoration. Jim Miller's post is well worth your time, and thought. This man jumped from one of the World Trade Center towers, rather than burn to death. From the picture we can see that

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-91136147419095963972008-07-05T09:49:00.003Z2008-07-05T10:14:03.464Z

"Is gun control about to be rolled back in Britain?" asks Brian Micklethwait. He argues that amid the outcry over recent murders, such as the savage double killing of two French students within the last few days, the public attitude to gun control is changing. It is, but gun control is not about to be rolled back. The political bar to that happening is high, higher than for many other issues. My

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-54920759651045569112008-06-26T07:55:00.001Z2008-06-26T11:09:42.437Z

"Such impertinence!" A post about our masters for Samizdata.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-48673741456287849782008-06-20T08:02:00.003Z2008-06-20T08:17:35.857Z

We must create the pedagogy of the The Wall! Over at Biased BBC I have a post that discusses a BBC History profile of Che Guevara:"Alas, the author seems to have neglected to mention another aspect of Comrade Guevara's revolutionary service during this period, namely his stint in 1959 as "Supreme Prosecutor" and commander of La Cabana prison. During this time he enthusiastically fulfilled his

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-49762774795418670862008-06-19T20:14:00.006Z2008-06-20T05:54:36.369Z

Shami Chakrabarti: an apology. In view of recent legal developments this humble blogger would like to state that her comment over breakfast last Thursday consisting of the words "That Shami Chakrabarti is never off the telly" was mere banter and persiflage and in no way, shape or form meant to suggest that contact between Ms Chakrabarti's anatomy and said machinery was of a rumptitious or

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-71024652342793903352008-06-17T11:05:00.004Z2008-06-17T12:09:53.961Z

By the miracle of the computer tubes, I saw this report relating to a proposed new slum just a few miles away from Solent Mansions (Gordon Brown's futuristic eco-towns to fine residents for driving out of city limits) over at Tim Blair's blog in the Australian Daily Telegraph hours before my copy of the Times hit the mat.One commenter, a Mr Alexander, pointed out that Ford in Sussex already has

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-80343031019883135482008-06-14T09:49:00.001Z2008-06-14T09:54:38.976Z

"And slowly and surely, drew their plans against us...."(Via Tim Blair.)

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-14500322445993759352008-06-08T08:46:00.000Z2008-06-08T08:49:07.988Z

Canada is no longer a free country - a brief post for Samizdata.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-39472580368370605882008-05-03T08:17:00.005Z2008-05-03T09:05:07.464Z

My felicitations to Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson. Despite my preference for isonomy over democracy, I must say the golden boy done good.My scepticism over democracy is as nothing to that of fashion designer Vivienne Westwood. She was one of the luvvies whose views the Guardian's Zoe Williams naively appended to an article telling people to Fear the Hair, apparently under the impression that

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-5783583214387213772008-05-03T07:35:00.002Z2008-05-03T08:05:50.163Z

That was a post for which I forgot to press "publish" a few days ago.

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195304.post-391507856901452772008-04-28T18:02:00.001Z2008-05-03T08:04:41.814Z

In the future, everyone will be respected for fifteen minutes.The trouble with Simon Blackburn's quips is they are each around a hundred words too long to be funny:"The belief that everyone deserves equal respect and that anything else is discriminatory and elitist. The truth is the exact opposite: discrimination is a virtuous activity and elites are to be admired. The very few human beings who

Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041839419953235238noreply@blogger.com