The State of Jordan has never been much of an ally of the West.. it's been involved since 1946 in running battles with first the Palistinians, then with the new state of Istael, over posession of the West Bak and the Gaza Strip..
A point of explanation here.. the West Bank is the area to the west of the Dead Sea, from the Sea itself roughly to Jerusalem in the middle, Nablus in the north, and Hebron in the south...
When the State of Israel was originally created, by effort of a UN resolution passed in November 1947, it was to have been an Israeli/Palistinian State, but the panArab League led by Egypt at the time, was always against the concept. Terrorist attacks against Israel from the other Arab States were constant, and caused a mass exodus of Palisitians into Jordan itself.
By 1952, King Hussein was ruling in Jordan.. the Egyptian Monarchy had been overthrown and Nasser was in power..Saudi Arabia had just signed a mutual defence pact with the US..Itaq was still ruled by the Hashemite Dynasty.. Iran had just nationalized all oil facilities.. and the sentiment in the area had turned against the west.. those who had had colonial rule or maintained the centuries-old monarchies in the area were a convenient focus for public sentiment..
The area, always volotile, went through a succession of Arabic coalitions, each with the destruction of Israel top of the agenda.. none of which was successful, and Israel remained the sole foothold the west had in the Middle East..
Now this note began with Jordan for a reason..Al Dustur is one of that country's most popular newspapers.."There will be no Eid after this one," the paper says. "What is coming is scary since we are at the threshold of a new stage of hegemony, domination and arrogance."
Referring to purported US plans to "democratise" the Middle East, starting with Iraq, the paper warns that "the tyrants are preparing to change our features and give us new identities".
Egypt's Al-Jumhuriyah has an Eid wish to make: "These blessed days [of Eid al-Adha] require political and diplomatic moves, full of strength and vigilance so that the happiness of Eid will be rewarded with victory over those plotting against Arabism and Islam."
"We would like to present one million roses from the gardens of Arab presidential palaces to Germany and France," Sudan's Al-Ray Al-Am says. "With this gesture we would like to express our appreciation to them."
The paper has a very different view of Washington: "The US is a dreadful military power, a cowboy frightening the whole world." But "the US is scared to death of Bin Laden and the al-Qaeda network, scared of Saddam Hussein and of North Korea."
It may well be a difficult jump for the American public to make, what with the collective guilt of those who would leave this part of the world to it's own devices, but the Middle Eastern culture, mindset, ethical yardstick, is not the same as theirs.. The same mistake was made in VietNam..
These people don't like us.. for whatever reasons history might toss at us. The fact remains, they don't like us at all..

Michael Jackson.. pauvre petit enfant..
Fascinating, how it seems there are so many fringe groups for the bewildered in North America..
Michael's got a two hour rebuttle to Martin Basir's 'Life With Michael Jackson', to be aired on Fox on the 20th it seems.. But truth be told, Michael's getting more out of this than sympathy or condemnation for his lifestyle.. He's raking in millions.. this has been a boost he could not have afforded the cost of, had he been paying..
Y'know.. the emotion we all got from Jackson was anger.. a genuine sense of betrayal.. certainly not dispair..
But that's not how 'Right Ways Youth Activities Inc' sees it.. they're so sure their friend Michael's on the brink of suicide, that they're going to hold a vigil.. 200 of them.. on Michael's bloody star outside Graumann's Chinese Theater..
One would think if Jackson is at all sensitive to the needs of children, that he will take a moment from his righteous indignation, and deal with the image these ill-led children have of him..
Now. Not when it's 'right' according to the spin doctors..
The consensus is that Jackson is a Howard Hughs in the making.. and that eventually he will disappear behind the walls of Neverland, to be seen nevermore..

'My word', was the exclamation this morning from a hundred thousand Britons, as they wandered towards Heathrow for their morning flight to Amsterdam, or where ever.. as they shuffled, Times' and Guardians under their arms, fending of armed troops with the shield of briefacse and sword of battered umbrella..
It is a real annoyance, this. Someone apparently told British and American Intelligence of the possibility of terrorist attack, by surface-to-air missile, and by George aren't they taking it to heart..
Mind you, if there was to be a concerted terrorist attack come Saturday, the end of the Eid al Ahda, one would think they'd pull out all the stops.. launching simultanious attacks in Britain.. the US..
What will be interesting, when and if these attacks take place, will be the major powers.. will be to see which of the big players, are left alone..
Which are the terrorists not trying to send a message to..?

Another step in the dance this evening.. George, appearing at a dinner in Nashville, was introduced not as 'the President of the United States', or our 'Commander in Chief'.. but as 'our friend and brother in Christ'..
Mind you, taking this in context, George was appearing before the National Religious Broadcasters at their convention, but he's taken a step towards firm entrenchment on the 'faith' aspect of this war..
Al Jazera reports it has a new video from Osama.. calling on all sincere Muslims to do what they can, when they can, wherever they are, to disrupt American society and kill as many of the Infidel as possible. By American, he's including the entire west..
One wonders when there'll be troops on alert, patrolling the streets of Washington..New York.. Chicago.. Detroit..

The boys at the pub were animated this evening, what with the goings on with France, Germany, Russia, NATO, the US, and of course Britain.
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer's public harrangue against Donald Rumsfelt was dissected word by word, by those who could read Der Spiegel at least..
Colin Powell's comment about Inspector Couseau and how it reflected on the French themselves brought out a quiet chuckle..
The ever widening rift in NATO is being sagely nodded over..
..and Turkey's invocation of NATO Article 4, something never done before, called for many a half pint to disappear before composure was regained along the bar..
NATO seems to be foundering.. as Rumsfelt said following meetings this morning with Australian Prime Minister John Howard, if NATO happens to disagree with beefing up forces in Turkey, too bad. They'll do it anyway.
It is perhaps a time to re-think NATO, and the UN itself. The divisions between the alliance of 'Old Europe and New Russia' may be a sign of what's to come, as the EU becomes a more cohesive and viable force.
It would of course, leave Britain again, the most easterly of the western countries.. but so has it ever been..
Ahh. one more issue that had the fingers beside many a nose.. the US has announced plans to re-shape it's military presence in Europe itself, reducing the compliment of 100 thousand troops now on station on the Continent.. not that the US would pull out entirely, but this does signal a loosening of ties..

This dance is getting complicated here..
France..Russia..Germany..China are all calling for a non-agressive solution to Iraq.. without offering any really effective plans to that end.. The NATO alliance is beginning to crack, with France and the US trading veiled diplomatic insults.. and Germany stolid in it's opposition..
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw today warned.. as we were sure someone would eventually.. that the road to appeasement dragged the world into WW2, saying the UN cannot follow the 'catastrophic precident' set by the League of Nations in the 1930's..
It's all academic at best.. when the US is ready to attack.. they'll be in there and on Hussein like white on rice, as they say..

Knew a businessman once in Canada. This man ran a tool and die company, which did repairs for the refineries on both their boats and their plants machinery, and every two years this man would hop on a plane, fly over to Scotland or England, and interview machinists with a yen to emmigrate. He did this, because having been trained in his craft himself in Britain, he felt the British jouneyman was the best qualified for the work he needed doing.
He stopped in about 1978 or so, because he couldn't find men with those qualifications any more. The British education system had finally crumbled, and subscribed to the idea that you can't tell a 12 year old they're not suited for an academic life and might be better off thinking about a trade. The entire system became geared to keeping the lowest common denominator in school, and 'feeling good about themselves'.. What tripe.
One wonders how good they feel about themselves when, unable to manage higher education, they end up either on the dole or fighting their classmates for the next vacancy at Burger King..
However, and this is almost ironic, Conservative leader Ian Duncan Smith has decided the Tory stance on education for the next election, will be a return to a system which has the facilities to steer those with aptitude, or inclination, towards an education in the trades. Ironic, because it's being announced as a 'new policy'..
Perhaps there is a glimmer of hope yet for this island and those who live on it. If we could rediscover pride in workmanship, and build a work ethic, we'd be on the road to rebuilding the Empire..
Well.. we'd be far better off than we are..

More than two million Muslims are taking part in the Hajj this year.. 14 of those were killed this morning in stampedes, but that's not much really in the grand scheme of things..last year 35 died..1998 it was 118.. 97 saw 343 pilgrims die in a fire, 1500 injured.. and in 1990 1426 were crushed to death in an overcrowded pedestrian tunnel..
This pilgrimage, which retraces the steps of Muhammad, is the biggest annual mass movement of people on the planet..every able bodied Muslim must complete the Hajj at least one in their life.. The numbers descending on Mecca every year is proof that as many as possible seem to be taking this seriously..
Tomorrow marks the start of the Eid al Adha, the feast of sacrifice.. when traditionally a camel.. or a sheep is slaughtered..
And thus the reason for the army's presence for the next few weeks, on the streets of British cities..

One expects to see hundreds of armed military personel when one gets off a plane in Korea.. or Somaila.. but it's an oddity to have them wandering about Heathrow and Gatwick, and other notable spots around the City. The threats made by al Q'aeda are being taken seriously, equally as seriously as those made in the past by the IRA.. this is the Islamic Festival of Eid, and when it ends on Saturday it's expected something's going to be in the works..
What is odder yet is the mood in Europe and indeed in the US itself. This is not a popular action, with the collective voice blythely chanting 'Hell No We Won't Go' and practicing their scatalogical skills on George Bush that's not a difficult sentiment to miss. But one begins to wonder why the western mind seems unable to keep issues in their heads for more than a day or so. How many World Trade Centers will need be brought down?
One would think one, was enough.

'..appeasement and weakness bring violence and seriousness of purpose and strength bring respect..' Professor Michael Novak, a leading Americican theologian, used that phrase in an address to the Vatican today, to justify another war in the Middle East. Novak calls the last ten years an 'asymmetric war' that has been ongoing against Hussein.. and under Church Doctrine, maintains this was to be 'just'..
The Dance has become so dreadfully complex these days. When the whole world watches, one must treat any international action as though it would eventually end up in a court of law.. The preparations for justification are immense, but as has been said before, so many political futures ride on this issue..
Another sign of the times here.. Gibson's releasing a new Les Paul design model.. this one can be played traditionally, or through digital technology, can be played to record directly on your comps hard drive.. it's insideous, this progress..
Twenty eight years ago today, Maggie Thatcher was chosen to lead the Tories..
Thirteen years ago today Nelson Mandalla was released from Robin's Island..
One wonders will this day be recalled for anything in particular, if indeed at all..

We're such a dour Calvanist country we are..
As war looms on the horizon, with a split in NATO, the polarization of France and Germany from the United States and those who support it, we plod on in our own fashion towards what's thought to be inevidable..
But the Australians, well that's another story. Prime Minister John Howards concerned with this Middle East nonsense, and says 'Iraq must get fair dinkum about disarmament'. That's wonderful, when your politicians can't be bothered to put on the act. One might expect the next statement from Howard to be to the effect of 'and if they don't, we'll have a wander over and do the Bilderberg swilling gallahs. Bugger..'
Meranwhile, we've been watching the Canadian news about this war.. and there's a definate trend towards non-information actually..
Reuters Canada, while mentioning Newfoundland Power's rate rise..a report on the decline in Telecom spending..the Sens getting a court reprieve.. nothing about Iraq there..
The Globe and Mail is running 16 stories on it's front page.. the second of which does mention the Americans stance on the NATO split.. However that's it for the war..
One would suppose that the proximity of Canada to the US would allow Canadians a full spectrum of coverage from American sources, but where are the homegrown perspectives...? True there are only half as many people spread out over all of Canada than there crammed unto this island, therefor only half the opinions, but the question remains, why is this a non-issue in Canada?
We'll look at this again..

Computer-linked think tanks.. what a novel idea..
There's a group called the Collective Detective available on the net to those willing to pay a small fee.. according to it's foundnders, this group is attracting those who spend time on their comps.. who enjoy gaming the likes of The Sims.. and who enjoy solving puzzles. This particular group has already caused some problems for online gaming companies, the likes of Mindquest, who had been running a scavenger hunt competition called Terraquest. This game was meant to have lasted six months, and had a prize of $25thousand US. The Collective Detective group solved the first part of the puzzle in three days, which caused Mindquest to rethink it's competition, and refund the entry fees collected..
This, says technology seer Howard Rheingold, could led society in an entirely new direction.
Howard, you're lagging..

Table talk in the pub this evening..
There's general outrage and many a finger up the side of the nose at the latest performance from our National Health trust.. Two private clinics have apparently been botching the innoculations for MMR leaving over a thousand kids at risk.. The looks of those along the bar spoke volumes, the questions centered about which box of matches offered medical folks their credentials..
Three hundred years ago, in an effort to ease overcrowding in British gaols, the began stuffing non-violent villains into ships, mooring them a mile or two off the coast, and forgetting about them until either their sentence was up, or the Royal Navy needed some wasters. Two hundred years ago they gave it up as a waste of time, and the practice petered out. Until six years ago that is, when they towed a bloody great tanker across from the US, built a mammoth superstructure on it, and shoved some 400 prisoners aboard the HMP Weare. Now these are peacefull types serving two years or less, or those from land based clinks who have just a few months to serve. Not folks deemed a danger to the public.
Just as well too, for as unlikely as it sounds, they've had an escape. Police are looking in the area the man came from, thinking he might check in at the house to get his mail.
Really.

Television, as it exists in the British Isles, has been a topic of discussion before. But there's an aspect that seems baffling to the North American mind, unless some time is spent over here.
One must understand, British folks like their sports. You'll see a far higher percentage of older folks over here kicking a football about.. or tossing darts at the Veterans Clubs.. or playing snooker in the Workers Associations.. Lawn bowls is a big one here too..
The thing is, they televise these sports during prime time. One recalls the look of horror on a relative who was visiting from Canada, when at two in the afternoon found three of the five available channels devoted to lawn bowls, snooker, and steeplechase racing. It was a matter of some incredulity that people actually tuned in to these telecasts, but be assured, they do.
Case in point, this evening Steven Hendry's taking on Mark Williams in the last ever Benson and Hedges Snooker Masters Tournament. Safe to say there's an audience in the neighbourhood of 3.5 millions, plus one.

There are times in everyone's life when one feels overwhelmed. When the pressures and stress from simple everyday living just get to be too bloody much. When circumstance leaves you having to make decisions which have even your friends shaking their heads in doubt..
For those of us who have these feelings, there is a grain of comfort. At least we're not the President of the United States..
If George had watched the events of 911, and done nothing, he would have been branded a coward. His 'War on Terrorism' is now being branded a smokescreen to hide the true motive, which is acquisition of oil.
George stood up to the challenge and prepared his country for war both at home and abroad, and for doing so has been branded a bully.
George has pledged his country, due in most part to the earlier ideals expressed in it's founding, to the deposition of a dangerous world leader,and by doing so has been branded with the same iron by many of his own people.
So, for those of us who feel the weight of the world, and feel badly done by, recall that at least, we weren't elected to lead a mob who's attitudes change more often than the breeze..nor are we judged on such a scale by those who's education on matters of import come from a smattering of articles in the press, or the latest report on CNN.

Y'know we look about this world today with a freedom unparalleled. We are able to see, firsthand, things which til this generation have been objects far beyond reach, and we've been places our parents would not have believed possible..and we have this ineffable hubris, this untouchable pride, to think we're in an unique situation. Every generation since the Industrial Revolution has awoke to find itself that much further along the road of technological development, and has felt the same. And despite societies claims to growing enlightenment, a study of recent history and a comparison with today's news would show many of the same problems still present, some to a far greater degree.
It's odd to think that many of those who debate the ethics of this war we're facing, are doing so from the perspective of one who was prepubescent when the last one took place..
The pronouncement of denunciation, or of support for the effort, is from one who can't remember when, and why OPEC was formed. What the political 'feel' of the day was, the subtleties of the coalition, is lost of them. It, to these cognoscenti, is a matter of history. And what is odd, is to be such a position where far from being 'history', it is a vivid memory.
It was 41 years ago today that ten thousand Gendarmes took to the streets of Paris, to face a mob 20 thousand strong, protesting right-wing bombings. Two hundred and fourty people were injured.. half police.. half unionists.. Eight killed, including a 15 year old boy..
The issue?
Charles de Gaulle's decision that Algeria should be self determining, and the disagreement of the OAS.
How quickly we forget..

It could have been a bargain.. an original, albeit badly restored Van Gogh was up for sale at a Tokyo auctionhouse this week.. bids suggested to start at about 80 bucks.. their appraisal was somewhat off, with the Amsterdam Van Gogh museum setting the price at closer to $25USthousand..
That's the Shinwa Art Auction Company bargain hunters.. try to make the sessions before the post comes..
And one has to look at one's fellow man with amazement sometimes. In this day of mounting tension and threats of war, Blasco Gavric has struck a personal blow for fredom..
Blasco lives in Northern Serbia, which is achievement enough for a note in history, but there's more.. Blasco's of the mind he's been done over by the politicians, and while this is certainly nothing unique to him, he's decided to declare the re-established state of Yugoslavia within the 3 hectares of northern waste he happens to own. All Yugoslav expatriots are welcome to citizenship; Blasco's ordered boundary stones from the local mason, and some 30 thousand copies of the old flag are being printed up..
Blasco sees a demand.. He also owns the printing shop..
There are precidents after all.. San Marino.. The Vatican.. Quebec..

The markets are flat.. the wars on simmer.. the economy's floudering.. and bloody hell.. Phil Mitchell's leaving EastEnders for a year..
Now that's news.
Picture if you will.. and entire island.. seven o'clock in the evening.. all lost in the same dream..
The two things British women, and men to a certain degree to be fair, are adamant about are Bingo at least once a week, and the 'shows' between 7 and 8:30.. in which time you'll have sat through EastEnders, Coronation Street, and Emmerdale.. mind you, things have improved substantially from the days of BBC1.. and nothing else..
For those who live in the land of 250 stations and sattelite or cable shunting endless choices, it's a wonder how so many can get by for so long with so few..
Take BBC2 for Friday evening..seven o'clock.. tea's finished.. dishes washed and away.. time to settle down with a cuppa and tune in Politics Scotland.. to be followed half an hour later by Clarissa and the Countryman..where the host means Lord and Lady Whatstherename and try their hand at shrimping.. wonderful..
At 8 Bill Odie Goes Wild for half an hour, making a boat trip out to an abandoned monastary in the Atlantic.. with the excitement of that only to be eclipsed at half the hour by The Winter Flying Gardener.. really..
EastEnders you say...
One of the storylines had Phil Mitchell being shot.. a la JR.. the denoument had an audience of 20 million and caused the third largest power surge on record...
Even the Flying Winter Gardener tuned in..

As for the war..
This whole play should be underscored by something..solemn..Handel maybe..
The word from the American Defence Secretary is that this war will be short and sweet..
Well those aren't exactly Rumsfeld's words, but that's the gist of it.
What is remarkable, is that both the US and the British have gone to great lengths to make sure someone hears them saying 'this war is not a certainty..it can be stopped..' while winding up the clockworks of the greatest set of soldiers ever collected by one head of state.. The latest American deployments involve 23 thousand of the 101st Airborn and a 5th aircraft carrier..that would be the USS Kittyhawk..
A full third of all British combat aircraft are now in or on their way to the Gulf.. Those Tornado GR4's can put a bomb on you're dinner plate.
Literally.
There must be a 'drastic' change in attitude in Baghdad, says Mohamed el Baradei, the leader of the UN's nuclear watchdog, as the inspectors head back to pick up where they left off..
We won't hold our breath..

It was the end of 80 years of British, well English football history today, as the twin white towers of Wembley were bulldozed. Not Wimbleton mind you, but Wembley Stadium, not only remown actually for it's football moments, but for some of the best rock concerts ever produced. One recalls the Stones, The Dead, the Who, and a host of others who brought their talents to that place...
We're told they're keeping the tops of the towers, to put on a museaum in the new stadium.. and many of us will stand, while the crowd mills around us, and recall different times, while Euro 2012 gets underway..
Now this story means little in the whole scheme of things, but attend, for it shows an attitude.. One of the most prolific burglars in this country has been packed off to jail again.. Martin Maloney stole some £180thousand from pensioners over the past 18 months or so, while posing as a copper. Martin entered a guilty plea to two counts of burglary in Harrow Crown Court this afternoon, and asked for another 587 cases to be taken into consideration.
Considered they were. Martin's now serving a 7 year sentence.
We are amazed.

Scotland..ever the most volotile of the three nations which share this island.. headlines 'Which Part of the War On Terrorism Don't You Understand?' this morning.. as, with a wry smile at the performance of the Prime Minister last night, we metaphorically roll up the sleeves, and take an extra hitch around the kilt, and prepare to march off to odd countries to defend the honour of the Crown..
Now you might think that was meant with irony, but I assure you one does not intend that impression at all. It's quite serious, for when it comes down to the bottom line, the Scot is as protective of the Crown as is any south of the border. It's the English we enjoy baiting, and that only in deference to tradition.. This is a fiercely patriotic country, when that emotion is finally stirred.
Case in point, while Scotland has always felt a close kinship with Ulstermen, and the Irish in general, when the news was announced that some half dozen key members of the UDA had quit their homes in favour of a quick midnight ferry to Stranraer, the warning was made plain on the front page of the Sun with 'Keep Your Bloody Terror Out Of Here' taking up most of the front page.
The preferred status the Irish enjoy remains, but they've been told...

One more blow against the government's war effort tonight, when it was shown a report, one referred to by Colin Powell during his presentation to the Security Council yesterday, was in large part plagerized from an academic report, with some strategic editing. The report was the worlk of the governments Intelligence Services.. and was so well prepared the original grammatical errors remained uncorrected.
Good work our side..

A rough ride for Tony tonight.
This is one of the fundimental differences between the US and north American society.. for here a Prime Minister can be confronted by a group of 'constituents' on national television.. where he must face an intimate confrontation with those who have no training in foreign policy or economics.. who have been educated and moulded by the media.. who's intelligence sources are no better than yours..
It's not a popular war here... We'll go if we must.. but it won't be with the public lining the streets, brass bands blowing away..
And the consensus is, that Tony did not convince the audience of the necessity of war, that his performance was less than persuasive.
Comments the likes of 'weak arguments' and 'muddying the waters'.. expectations of some evidence of a material breach of Resolution 1441 dashed.. a rather pointless but entertaining exchange between Jeremy Paxton and Tony on the semantic exactitude of the claim the inspectors had been 'expelled' from Iraq.. all have contributed to a picture we'd rather not see. That of an over-eager Tony, tying our traces beside George... for a page in history.
This will not help the markets tomorrow..

Financial analysts in the City were left scratching their heads this afternoon, as the Bank of England defied predictions and dropped the Prime by a quarter. This in reaction to somewhat optimistic previous estimates of next years growth..a spiral in house prices..a sluggish bear market..and the imminence of war..
At 3.75%.. the Prime's not been this low since 1955.. keep an eye on gold..
On the war front.. we have Tony spending the day with Hans Blix.. the chief UN weapons inspector.. with both emerging with smiles, both saying Iraq's hiding something..even if we're not sure what it is..both saying a second UN Resolution should do the trick..
So.. roll on the UN..
But whether the US is willing to allow time to creep on towards Springtime for Hussein while the UN dithers aboiut with international niceties is moot. One incident of agression.. terrorism.. would be enough to spark off the whole shooting match..
It gets dry and dusty in the spring.. then winds pick up.. then it's hot..
American troops will not find it comfortable to wear all the bio-chemical protection gear if it's hot..
If this is all delayed until more clement weather appears.. the timing will all have been thrown off.. World opinion, when left to stew.. tends to reach a definative if not wise decision on an issue.. then it's left to die..
And Tony.. bless the man.. was not even phased when asked this afternoon how it felt to me the MP for Texas, North.

Just a few random pieces of the puzzle here..
The World Court has ordered the US to temorarily stay the executions of three Mexican nationals set to walk the green mile. The World Court is the Judiciary arm of the UN..and actually has no legal status whatsoever.. the rulings of it's 15 member panel have been disregarded before by the US.. and by others for that matter.. The issue is apparently some doubt the condemned were informed of the efforts the Mexican government would make on their behalf
It's a crucial time for such an issue to cloud the 'ethical' shadow the US casts..
For those wondering.. the three comitted unrelated crimes.. one shot a taxi driver in El Paso.. another bludgeoned his wife and two youngest children to death with a hammer..and the third killed a man and his wife which committing burglery..
Odds are, when their appeals run out..these and the other 51 Mexican nationals on death row, will die for their crimes.
Fringe Parties are making their opinions on the war clearer today.. The Liberal Democrats..LibDems..have taken a firm stand in the middle..saying something must be done, but not yet. Or words to that effect.. More fuel for pub talk there..
And a trend in Pakistan.. a country that itself is a concern..
Seems a return to fundimentalism.. with four men claiming sanctuary under 'karo kari'.. a defence for the killing of someone to preserve the family honour.. Four separate incidents.. that's the Balochistan province.. and, in Himachal Pradesh a woman poisoned her twins before setting herself alight. She left a note saying the in-laws were insufferable..
Rodon Sinmun..North Korea's official Party Newspaper.. is reporting that any movement my the US towards 'surprise' attacks on their nuclear facilities would lead to 'total war'.. The commentary actually read "..when the US makes a surprise attack on our peaceful nuclear facilities it will spark off total war..".
One wonders at the use of such blatant journalistic license..
Yes.

Yesterday Leicester.. today Glasgow.. tomorrow..ahh.. the mind reels..
Reports this morning tell of seven arrests in four cities..London, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh.. all foreign nationals and their girlfriends.. and their weapons of mass distruction...
Now it may appear a flip response to a real threat, but terrorists have inspired a wry smile for many on this island for years. It's a wonder that they believe themselves to be forwarding their cause.
But there it is..
Colins' speech yesterday did little to move the French or Germans any further towards agreement with a move against Hussein.. the dissenters still want more time to plod on, more inspections, more churning of the markets..
But Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon's jumping on the wagon though.. Britains contribution to this effort will be some 40 thousand men and 90 aircraft.. not quite the Widows Mite..
A move to ponder.. the dollar rallied slightly yesterday..gold had a dip..a bit of profit taking there..
But what's going to be the reaction to bristling little North Korea.. threats of pre-emtive action against American troops if the US presence is increased..
Now there is something fundimental about fighting a war on two fronts..
Ahh yes.. avoid it..

Ahh.. if one can't get a chuckle from one's own elected officials..
'A veneer of superficial cooperation..' was how Jack Straw described Iraq's compliance with the inspection teams..
One supposes tautology's forgivable, allowing the passion of the moment..
As Jack spoke, police in Leicester had two men in Crown Court facing charges of plotting to supply terrosists with funding and recuitment of terrorists in aid of a Holy War directed by..Osama bin Laden.
Leicester.. it makes one shake one's head..
That the 'enemies of Islam' should be tracked to such a place has most of us smiling behind our hands tell the truth. Not that the threat of a bomb going off is a stranger to the motk on this island, but Leicester..really..
That's akin to a Southwestern Ontarian discovering a terrorist cell in Chatham..

'Ahh well.. Colin put on a show now, but where was the compelling evidence.. those tapes were quite something though..' Now this, out of the mouth of a Scottish farmer who lives down the road, as he pondered the state of the world over a pint of Tennants. The motk here seems prepared, almost innured to the idea of war in the Middle East. It's a given we'll have men fighting over there. Britains always had vested interest in Palestine, and that area in general.
But as for the justification presented for unilateral action by the States and of course, Britain.. well that calls for the old finger-up-the-side-of-the-nose..
Interesting question.. ethically speaking of course.. came from the former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans.. Evans now heads the International Crisis Group.. He said the wrong question was being asked here. Assuming it's a given Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, is it actually such a threat that it must be overthrown by force?
The chats seem to relect this sentiment, even though their mood hasn't been defined for them quite as eloquently as Evans' question was. People are questioning the necessity of this action, having on the whole passed through the stage of wondering if it was 'right'.
So many political carreers rest on this pivot..

One somewhat disturbing piece of the puzzle fell today, with the BBC pointing out the Iraqi Government and al Q'aeda would be 'unlikely bedfellows'.. this in a preamble to Colin Powell's UN address..
It was correctly pointed out that bin Laden would likely think Hussein something of a secular fascist.. that al Q'aeda's goal is an Islamic Caliphate to rule over a Muslim world, and Hussein's is venal greed and self-promotion..
But this in itself makes the connection viable. For Hussein is training terrorists.. cells of Palitinian and Iraqi terrorists have been documented..
For a price, he would even tolerate bin Laden and his zealots. And they would tolerate him, thinking that he will fall with the other false leaders when all is good with the world again.

It's the same old story the world over, when one mentions a move, one's friends come out of the woodwork, almost solicitous for lack of a better word.
Half the world has been colonized by people from this island, and while being born here makes it a simple matter to chuckle all over the globe, it's assumed that as one reaches the age to settle, one comes home. And that's all well and good, but it's a mystery to those who stay, why some decide to keep their hand in play and continue to globe trot.
Now it's true we are casting our nets out, so to speak, to see what if any opportunities exist back in North America (and if any reading know of something worthwhile.. email to CrookedJack@hotmail.co.uk ..) but should nothing turn up.. this hack will continue to pound out and voice for the Beeb for some while to come, but it's the thought of movement among the group that has some of my neighbours scratching their heads.. wondering where it was we slipped away..
It's a sense of 'home' one supposes..
Equally, they might be concerned they'll not get their hedge trimmers back.. or thinking they've managed to get an impact drill for free.. that brings out the sense of concern from those about..
Colin Powell's delivering his address to the Security Council today.. the world waits with 'bated breath to hear the covertly recorded conversations.. although I'll like so many others, be relying on an interpreter.. and to see the surveillance photo's.. and to hear the arguments that form such an integral part of the symphony of agression.. The dollar has hit a four year low.. yet the markets are steady.. gold's up the roof.. but that was spoken about some time ago..
It's a matter of trade deficit, this war.. the US must willingly throw away billions of dollars.. to create an internal market that will compensate for the lack of new foreign money.. But this situation with the Euro's getting out of hand. The EU's currency is now less than ten cents American from it's starting value of $1.17US, and the economies of the countries using this specie does not justify it's level.
Consider. The American dollar is falling away.. but the US economy grew by 1.0% during the third quarter last year.. The Euro's up like a rocket.. and the German figures for the same period added up to a 0.2% growth.. 0.3% for France and Italy..
One doesn't have to extrapolate too far..

A shambles of a day for Tony.
The old chestnut he'd hoped to do away with, the reform of the House of Lords, has been completely derailed by a refusal by the Commons to reach any agreement whatsoever on what forms those reforms should take. All options, running the gamut from completely elected to completely appointed Lords, were turned away with contumely, and that puts the issue out of the reach of this Parliament.
And then the meeting with Jaques Chirac today, left Tony wafting in the French breeze, while Chirac managed to convey an honest concern over the Iraq issue. It was one-upmanship, and Tony came up short.
For the rest of us, the scene continues to unfold as out leaders play their game. The markets reflected the general lack of interest, as punters await the next round of dips to buy into the war machine.
The next steps involve the report from Colin Powell tomorrow to the Security Council, then the Inspectors report on the 14th..
The two finalists for the design of the new World Trade Center were announced today. Not that the final structures will look much like the projected designs, but the basic idea seems to be a constructed statement. Both designs would leave New York with the tallest buildings in the world again, and both incorporate some sense of memorial to that which stood before September 11th..
Both have been criticised by the holder of the lease on the 16 acre site, for lack of office space.
It is so difficult to strike the ballance between profit, and patriotism.

It's been the Tony and Jaques show this afternoon..
French President Blaque Jaques Chirac taking the stage first, recounting the similar interests of Britain and France today, recounting the not-entirely-so-similar stances throughout the history of Anglo/Franco relations.. The upshot is that France is still sitting on the fence as far as Iraq is concerned.. that while there is agreement Iraq must be disarmed, there should be another UN Resolution considered, and more time given the inspection teams. But significantly, Chirac stopped short of utter condemnation of unilateral movement by the US.
It's doubtfull France would have signed the letter of support sent by the 8 European leaders last week. It's doubtfull France would sign it if offered the chance today. But for what it's worth, Chirac is at least aware of the billions his country has recieved with the devaluation of the dollar, and has no intention of killing the golden goose..
Meanwhile..Turkey's the latest to publicly jump on the juggernaut..
Tayyip Erdogan..the leader of the governing Turkish party, says refusal to take part in the US operation, could run contrary to the country's best interests.
Turkey really wants into the EU..

One must wonder at times, the meaning of the word 'moral' as defined in the mind of the motk.
While cloning has been derided, and dismissed as amoral.. the work plods on towards mapping human DNA, with the goal being the ability to turn off specific genes which are disrupting an internal defence mechanism.. we can thank the nematode worm for that titbit..
With new technology..RNA interface.. they can de-code genes, by turning them off and watching what happens.. this by the way in the hopes of finding a genetic cure for such as cancer.. but should it work we have a plethora of ailments which could be eradicated.. MS..CF..SB..the list is endless..
Seems rather hit and miss.. one would hope the test subjects are prepared for some contraindications.. but the point is, this work is sanctioned.. applauded.. and it amounts to much the same effect in the long run as does cloning..The extension of human life beyond that which the individual body would support on it's own.
Humans will evolve no more, for we adapt the environment to suit us.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch..
More American troops are going to soon be enjoying the comforts that South Korea's capable of, as the US presense is about to be increased. This, while a signal to North Korea that Iraq's not going to be much of a distraction, has been turned by Pyongyang with the customary alarm, accompanied by a chorus of 'you're trying to crush us..'
If there is concern over the use of nuclear weapons, it might be in this theater..
This, while the IAEA decides whether the Security Council should be advised to act against North Korea.
Back to Tony for a moment.. He's got such a day ahead here..
It's beginning with a good one.. a tete a tete with French President Jaques Chirac with Iraq the main topic for discussion. Now this is interesting to note. Tony's gone to France for this meeting, which will keep him out of the Commons for his potential 'humiliation'. But also of note is the diplomatic undertones. Britain and France are not exactly pleased with one another, with Britain slightly put out with France inviting Robert Mugabe for an official visit and all. France is very upset that Tony and seven other European leaders signed that expression of solidarity with the US last week, without even asking if France or Germany would like to add their John Hancocks..Tony has gone to France for this one day summit, as it's being billed. Mohammad to the Mountain, so to speak..
Ahh.. the other issue dominating the breakfast table this morning.. is the utter insanity of Michael Jackson. His interview with journalist Martin Bashir was aired last night, and one can only shake one's head. It was one of the saddest events of the television calendar tell the truth. Not that Michael Jackson or his music has been of note since the late 60's.. but it was akin to watching the denoument of a horribly tortured soul.. and that was pathetic..
What's that old Chinese curse...'May you live in interesting times..'

House Leader Robin Cook has taken a stance against Tony, in an issue which while a chimera, has the lead in the nations newscasts..or bulletins rather.. this morning.
Reform of the House of Lords is the issue, and it could lead, as Mr.Cook and some other noted Blairites take advantage of the free vote to adopt their own stance, to a minor schism in the party, and an 'humiliating' setback for the Prime Minister.
Now the reform of the House of Lords has some national political implications which should be noted, one being the appearance of a second elected House..Congress and the Senate.. creeping towards local autonomy..lurking Republicanism..
But the thought here is what Tony must be feeling these days.
While tying himself and the country to the American Cause with such a will, he has taken a step that will determine his Party's future. The military has been told to expect a three year occupation of Iraq, and that takes Tony into the next election.
He is leading the Party, albeit in a manner not unlike a farmer pulling an unsure bull, into international action that will see British involvement to the hilt.
This minor eruption within the Party loyal this morning might well be seen as a statement of defiance, a small swipe up the back of the head for their leader, lest Tony begin to believe himself those sound bites he's been spouting. It might also be seen as a demand that Tony take a step back, and forgetting the obsession with a page in history, look at what's being committed here.

A final note.
George has announced that he's increasing US defence spending to some $500billion per annum.. this level to be reached by the end of the decade..
Shows confidence if nothing else..
In the 2004 budget.. he's calling for an increase in military spending of some 4%, roughly $15billion..
Two and a half trillion American dollars in this budget, being presented to a Congress that still hasn't approved this years yet..
This kind of spending on the military hasn't been seen since the Cold War ended.. and it might be George sees a use for the military for a while..
Remember your portfolio..
The US spends as much on defence, as do the next 20 leading countries, combined. That's a lot of nuts and bolts.

'There is "unmistakable" evidence to Iraq's failure to comply with UN Resolution 1441..
That from Tony, as he stood in Parliament to rally his troops, figuratively speaking, behind him...
Reports are that up to a quarter million American and British forces could be deployed..that Turkey and Kuwait would be the ground entry points..with the 101st Airborn setting up points within the Scud perimeter..
Turkey of course, is amassing amazing points for allowing this involvement, what with it's new Islamic government trying it's best for a place in the EU.. Kuwait is paying a debt.. likely always will be..
Check the portfolio.. Maybe beef up on those old chestnuts US Steel and DuPont.. those pharmaceutic companies will be doing land sale business.. and don't forget Detroit..
'To blow a crater in the Iraqi leadership, and military'.
Colin Powell's pictures may show something, but the common eye wouldn't have a clue what it was they were seeing..
The dance continues..

Of couse the best safety valve we have, is a good global conflict.
Morgan Tsvengarai's trial began today in Zimbabwe amid no small degree of chaos.. Robert Mugabe is maintaining this prosecution is not an attempt to silence his opposition, but rather the government's response to an overt attempt to overthrow it, but then one would be very surprised if he took any other stance. The thing is, Mugable and his government have lost a few court cases of late.. this one has restricted press presence, and frankly not many have been given their accreditation yet..
Right here in middle England, there are calls from am MP for equality is prosecution of racist attacks on white folks. Phil Woolas represents Oldham, and Oldham was badly hit with running battles between Asian and Caucasian back in 2001.. and while the Caucasian offenders have been severely dealt with, it appears it Asians have not.
The discontent is just under the surface. Any pretense at ethnic equality is only a veneer.. and that applies to all the segregated communities that share the air here..
The Pakistani's are claiming they're the victims of an Italian 'conspiracy'..that from the Pakistani Information Minister Sheikh Rasheed Achmed.. This Minister claims that Pakistani nationals who have been living and working in Italy have been targeted..
One is left to speculate on what the nature of the conspiracy might be, but it's a short leap from Italy to Rome, and from Rome to the Vatican. The Islamic nations, of which Pakistan numbers, are polarizing, and the first tentative dogmatic charges have been set off from a nation that has, until now, been well in the background.
George and Tony.
Well, what can one say.

A predictable weekend..
Tony's back in the UK, and is promising support for the war in the Middle East from his backbenchers.. Rather an optimistic stance one would think, with Benn in Iraq meeting with Hussein..
Watch for the precendents.. Simpson and Edward VIII off to Berchesgarden to have a chat with Hitler.. those who sympathised with the Mussolini regeme..
It's not going to be as easy as Tony's making out.. but in truth, it matters little, for the play's begun and we're in the middle of scene three..
And the play must go on..
An interesting note.. factor in a couple of news stories released this weekend.. scientists are concerned with finding activity in what were previously thought to be 'dormant' volcano's.. and the discovery in Stirkfontein of yet an earlier 'human' prototype..
And in the chats.. mutual villification appears to be the stance between 'Christian' and 'Islamic' adherants.. the public's beginning to froth.. with both idiologies being constantly challenged, one hopes there's a reliable safety valve.

The Treaty of Nice came into effect today.
For those who've not spent time following the developments within the European Union, this allows the expansion of the Union by some 11 members in two years time, while allowing another 4 to stand in the queue. And what's more, allow that many more countries to tie their economies to a common harness.
Charlemagne would have smiled.
Napoleon would have been dancing, for what's in store even eclipses the insidious metric system.
It's falling into an unpleasant pattern, with Britain again becoming the most eastern part of the western coalition.
Yet this too could change, should our own politicians deliver the country packaged and wrapped to the powers that loom across the channel.
And on the war watch, we see yet more political posturing, preparing the people for a 'righteous' war.
Mind you, it's the same line being pushed in Pyongyang, and Baghdad.
One wonders what the Chinese are thinking.
While the other two thirds of the world must remain in conflict to remain economically viable, China is spending it's undoubtably vast resources, doing what?
No doubt they'll let us know, eventually..

Seems it never stops..
Tom Fargo, who's commanding the American presence in the Far East, and who at the moment has some 35 thousand troops on South Korea, was asked for re-inforcements, another aircraft carrier and more men. The concern is that North Korea's going to take American preoccupation with Iraq, and start a wander down south.
Considering the noise coming these days from Pyongyang, it's not an unreasonable assumption on Fargo's part..
One wonders, how many in the past have sat, digesting the bits and pieces of information that filter down or fall through the cracks, and felt themselves to be on the brink of something momentous, something 'big'. The advantage we have over Heroditus is the speed with which the information comes our way. The disadvantage is the size of our respective worlds, and the volume of information.
One would almost need a computer..

An interesting note, as this week grinds to a close.
There have been hints the Japanese government is disturbed with the fall in the value of the $Am, and is itself intervening to hold the dollar up. To their figuring, in the interests of maintaining solid exports, the dollar should buy 150Yen. As it is, the dollar's only worth 120Yen today.
This emergence of the new currency, and the countries which have adopted it, has given pause to many a trader throughout the markets worldwide, but what it must suggest to the Japanese, who have enjoyed a 'favoured partner' status with the States for so long, is a matter for concern. We have recently seen the blowback effects of a severe downturn in the Japanese economy. T'would be a shame to actually have engineered their next.
The Euro, as of this moment, is close to 93 cents American. That's frightening.
The posturing continues, and as we head into a dreadful weekend, we expect to hear more in preparation for the 'justifyable incursion' which looms on the borders of Iraq, both from Tony and George, and one would expect from France and Germany as well.
Ahh well.. gives the regulars down at the local something to wax prolix on, and should provide many an occasion for the 'laying of the finger beside one's nose' gesture, a motion so economical in movement, which nevertheless conveys a vast common understanding.

This island must really come to terms with winter. Y'know one hears tales of the weather being so bad, the Thames itself froze that deep, people could roast oxen on the ice. And that only back some two hundred years ago. Today, somewhat less Napoleonic but much less severe, the winter has brought the whole system crashing down, from the Grampians, through Yorkshire, all the way down to East Anglia.
Once again, some drivers are facing he prospect of a choice. Abandon one's car and take the lift into the nearest town or village from the AA, or spend the night in that car, waiting for the gridlock to end.
Meanwhile, the Dow appears somewhat less unhappy to end this week, with the FTSE ending the day flat.
But there's more movement coming, with Colin Powell set to address the UN on the 5th, and then supplimentary report from the Inspection Teams, later in the month.
Mind you, one is assuming the balloon doesn't go up sooner..
Tony's keeping the issue somewhere in the front page, with more rhetoric designed to keep the public's sense of outrage stewing.
One begins to wonder why they don't just get on with it..what else has yet to be effected..
And where's North Korea, gone these past couple of days from such prominence, to relative obscurity.
When dealing with governments and hucksters, always watch the hand away from the action..

If this medium is any indicator of the public pulse, then two points are becoming more pronounced, as far as topic and tone of conversation is concerned.
One, being those working themselves up, as though at a WWF matchup..'Gorgeous George v The Sheik.. the stance pro or con is really immaterial here, it's the tone that has weight.
Two being the superabundance of those who are taking parts of the puzzle, and treating it as a whole. Who appear to have some depth of information on an isolated event, and presenting that as all there is to see. Some of these arguments are quite articulate, if not hypnotic..
As one shakes one head, ponder who might be among us in the sanctity of our local chatroom, leading the faithful of both camps according to each particular dogma.
Ah to be a fly on the wall at Camp David. One could make a fortune..
And one final mention.. we have the Dow again below the 8 thousand benchmark, the markets in general maintaining a flat profile, with pension funds still steadily leaking into nothing..
After all, the money for this must come from somewhere.. military actions and the re-footing of an economy is going to cost someone eventually
What we're doing is betting our old age that things will get better by the time that gets here..
That's been a concern for quite a while now, what would happen to the world, when those who went through the 60's finally came to power.

Interesting, that in spite of the corrective waves which have flowed through the markets these past few weeks, there have been some individual moves which one might note.
Ryanair, the Irish cut-rate provider has picked up it's Dutch competition, a KLM spinoff called 'Buzz', for £16million. Less than half the price of a 707, and one gets an airline, and eliminates a competitor. There will be downstream benefits..
But nothing compared with what's been handed BAE with government orders for two new aircraft carriers. That's £2.9billion in direct contractural costs, and another £1billion in spillover. Watch this contract, for it might be the base for the government's economic recovery claims over the next year or so..
The battle for Safeway continues, and business is brisk..
Just pieces of the puzzle.
This war is going to clean up a great deal of surplus materiel, and create demand for a great deal more. The question was asked if 'ethically', could the States et al afford not to go to war. It might be more aptly phrased, if 'economically' were substituted.
And that Euro. One wonders at the long term plans for this allowance. For what it amounts to is market generated foreign aid, with billions appreciating, while the American standard slips.

Even the weather's playing it's part in this small corner of history.
For, as Tony and Spain head west for Camp David talks with George, the county's attention is drawn to domestic problems, as this winters snowfall has brought chaos to the island's roads and power services.
For those used to the North American winter, it would be a surprise to see such havoc caused by such mediocre weather.
Blizzards..one recalls one back in 1973 when skiing in the Bruce Penninsula, in Ontario, it laid three and a half feet of snow down in two days of weather you couldn't see the back of your hand in. One also recalls it was over a weekend, and it didn't stop the old Walkerton Hotel to suffer much of a shortage of customers. And most of them made it back to their beds that evening as well, as many as would have had it been summer at any rate..
But here, three inches can bring the whole infrastructure to a puzzled halt.
In some defence it must be admitted that while the snowfall itself might seem insignificant, it is constantly on the move, unless frozen solidly to something that wasn't designed to bear it's weight. The likes of badly guyed power lines, just to pick one out of the hat..
However, it does make driving a dangerous passtime for those who didn't grow up waiting for this weather, so we could take the car into Loblaw's parking lot and do spinouts. This culture is based on a twice daily migration. By car, by train, by bus, the entire country moves itself from home to office, and all this in a crowd. When one twit loses their rear end on some ice and slides to rest blocking the road, it holds up an amazing amount of traffic.
So while Tony heads off to the cold of Maryland, for what's been dubbed 'a council of war', the nation shakes it's collecive head, and mulls over more important issues.
We'll get back to the war when we've got a cuppa in our hands.

We see the sun setting on a cold, reflective day.
The reality of what is now certainly going to be war has settled in, that barring the abdication and exile of Saddam Hussein, and one doubts he'll choose the Elba route. More in character to dive off the deep end, one would think. As a result, we have flat markets, and the media turning to the ethics of this action.
Those interested in what the BBC's providing, should perhaps try http://news.bbc.co.uk and see what their assembled panel of experts will be dishing out over these news few days, til the 5th next month, at least.
The ethics of not going to war. An interesting angle to look at this situation, for it turns the possibility of our inaction into what's tantamount to a sin of omission. If we collectively backed away from Hussein, and left him to continue living under strict sanctions, we would also be condemning all the Iraqi people to privation, both through the effects of our sanctions, and by leaving them under the thumb of such a man as Hussein.
The scholars are asking that history be brought into this, but history as far as the last conflict, it's effects as far as the military are concerned, must necissarily be somewhat curtailed. One hopes they have a couple of backup systems in place this time.
Hearsay is not the best of evidence.

A brief note here.
Time Warner/AOL have announced the biggest single corporate loss in history..some £60 billion..
It's AOL that's been dragging it's feet, and one can see why actually. The service seems intrusive, almost condescending, and it's member section, designed to make one identify with the service, are completely irrelevant to some.
Simple solution perhaps. We are seeing the division within society, both in the US and Europe, of those with group identities. The natural progression of the movement started way back in the 60's.
So go to these groups, the Religious, Political, Economic, Entertainment, Disabled, Pop cultures all exist, and would eagerly subscribe to a net provider that made their lives easier. Some poor soul wandering the back roads of the highway for months, looking for a 'socio/religious chatroom with the ambiance of Oprah and a minimum of idiots', and all the time it was within the power of the provider to have realized this lack, and provided a direct link. In fact, more than a direct link, there could easily have been a community of like thinking folks forming within the AOL structure, had the choices been offered.
Allow maximum flexibility, and cross referencing. Let the user build his own little world, without restriction.
If they can do the effects for Lord of the Rings, one would think they'd have little difficulty designing a few thousand skins.
Then, make it cheap, and available to those who don't have a credit card.
After all, what have they got to lose?

A brilliant statement from a BBC weather forecaster today: Where, on this island, it is not cold, it is very cold.
Totentanz continues on the diplomatic front, the economic crisis has bottomed for the moment, there is still concern over the Euro, but all seems well with the world and George's in his White House.
Interesting here.
Polarisation of Europe into traditional enimical groups, with France and Germany alone remaining opposed to American/British action in Iraq.
Comments heard are the likes of 'European support for America, who itself has helped hold back the forces of Nazism and Communism'.
See the connection.. Germany..Nazism..Communism..France..
People take comfort from old, familiar images..
For the record, so it be published somewhere it might remain obscure and thereby safe, those in Europe who've signed a statement of support for the US in this ussue are:
Tony Blair, United Kingdom; Jose Maria Aznar, Spain; Jose Manuel Durao, Portugal; Vaclav Havel, Czech Republic; Peter Medgyessy, Hungary; Leszek Miller, Poland; Anders Foch Rasmussen, Denmark.
Right. Now imagine if you will these counries viable in miltary action of their own. Then imagine them individually tackling Iraq.
With the possible exception of the UK, this group is a military shambles, and their statement should be seen as it is, one of economic solidarity.

It's a quiet thing, on this island, when someone is taken away by the police. Not that there isn't an abundance of noise and confusion accompanying the arrest itself, but it's the conversation down at the local that seems, in comparison with the hysteria is closely followed by completre indifference which accompanies such everyday occurrances in the States, subdued. Knowing. Finger to the side of the nose and a quiet wink.
Y'see for most of the people on this island, it's a rarety to see folks being hauled away by the police, which by the way is pronounced PO-lis. Something almost a source of amusement, because frankly most of the time it's one of the lads going over the top on a Friday night and playing silly bugger. However, there have been a series of arrests around the country which have a common link, for some at any rate.
The threat of terrorist attack is something these people have been attuned to since Churchill's 'secret army', and while the arrests were made in major centers, London, Manchester, Leeds, they were all down south. So while the threat of an Islamic kamikaze doesn't really pose much of a worry to the farmers who live around this village, it is something they're talking about in the local.
Interestingly enough though, it's not Arabs, or Middle Eastern folks who are the topic of conversation, not as a race. If one cast a loud racial slur in the pub, most would edge away from you, and you'd certainly have blotted your copybook. It's fine to dislike folk here, but not if it really has something to do with their pigmentation, or their ethnic origin. Not to say prejudice doesn't exist in Scotland, for it does, but not to the extent, nor the depth, of that felt in more radical countries.
No, what they're talking about is the necessity to once again head down into Africa, and make sure we've still got a foothold there. What they're talking about is the sad and futile acts of terrorism people are willing to commit, indeed have made for quite a while over here.
It's a mentality the common motk has maintained here, because this has been an empire, and has before, many times before sent armies off to ensure national security and the continuance of trade. It's not a shameful act here, but rather, a familiar one. And there have been terrorist bombs going off since Guy Fawkes.
So God Bless The Queen..keep it dry..and all of this with your finger held quietly by the side of your nose..

Had to stop for a moment, or a few of them actually, and listen to George's performance of last night. One must express admiration for a magnificent show.
Good use of words, well phrased, speech modulated to suit the content. Mention the bad guys, turn to the national picture, establishing a sequence of emotions in the listener which starts, like a good movie, with a glimpse of the end.
And what an ending when it came too.. will not allow a 'dictator', 'dominate an area vital to the interests of the United States'.
Twist the viscera.. stoke the fires of righteous indignation with pure patriotism.
Add a factor, wherein any action would be to offer 'liberation' to the 'brave, oppressed peoples of Iraq', who would eventually 'cheer' the American cause.
Great oratory. As effectively manipulative as any one has seen perhaps..
Not quite a Churchill, but an apt student of the art of riding the juggernaut.
Now comes the final push, the continued buildup of men and materiel in the Middle East, the eventual withdrawal or expulsion of the UN investigative Teams, and a short, possibly very unpleasant war.
Ah to be a fly on the wall, at a meeting of the JCS on 'acceptable' casualties. One can only hope they keep an eye on the weather forecasts before letting the dogs go out to play. A prevailing northerly wind could upset a few European stomachs.
Perhaps that's why the Euro's being allowed to rise so dramatically, a partial compensation for the risk of being gassed by their Mediterranean breeze.

It's been a busy day.
The State of the Nation Address was a great move in setting 'moral superiority' in place. While staying short of the declaration of war, it settled intent with little room for question. Taking the national issues into account as well, Bush pulled off a good one.. swinging some of the undecided his way..
'Regrettable, but necissary ma'am'..
Even got the ecology and hydrogen cars in there.. all of it now tied into the American Collective Mind..
Hydrogen good..made George smile..Iraq and terrorists bad..made George frown..and y'have to admit, George does have the 'elder of the local church' demeanour down pat. It lends tremendous weight to his proclamations, the sniggling and disbelief on the faces of the cognoscenti regardless.
One could only wish his Intelligence Services were as good at their job as are his speechwriter and speaking coach..
Tony's declared there are definate connections between Iraq and al Q'aeda, and with bin Laden himself, but none with the events of 911.
Iraq has stood, it's cue in the pantomime, to retort 'oh no I haven't', while Europe stands wringing it's collective hands.
There were arrests in London and Manchester this past couple of days, one involving the storming of a Mosque and the discovery of arms and munitions no less..the public here grows aware, but stands short of restive..
The issue has taken on a new depth in both the midle east and the States though..
The man on the keyboard.. who henceforth shall be known by the acronym motk, and is not, by the way, meant to be gender specific or imply any such thing..is taking this on a far more personal level, subjectively speaking, than has been seen before.
However, we'll follow that trail later.
Meanwhile, the FTSE and the Dow are once again experiencing static days, this time on the downside..
And that issue too, we'll look at when the day's done..

Y'know there are some days which might as well not have happened.
Such was today, as the world marked time for the State of the Union Address, which over here has yet to be addressed.
The markets were flat, although analysts were quick to point out the 9 point rise in the FTSE was a rise, albeit a somewhat underwhelming sign of consumer thinking, but an 11 day trend had been broken. The losing streak had come to an end, figuratively speaking.Wall Street itself was up a whopping 56 points..
Ahh yes.. a chicken in every pot, and a white picket fence and all..
Meanwhile back at the ranch, the beligerent posturing continues, with Europe drawing up lines of those with, those against, and those in who's best interests a non-commital stance has been deemed best. And the Euro continues to rise, and this in itself might be a fly in the ointment, for while this crisis has been profitable already, there still remains the war to be fought, the massive cost of the effort to be paid out, and a new regeme to be installed. But this level the Euro has reached is getting very close to where parity with the American dollar is a possibility.
That has problems on two fronts. One, it's a step closer to a global hegemony, with a common currency. Two, the Euro's really not worth it's present values. The GNP's of the collective do not justify it's present level,and eventually that itself could become a political issue with a vast price tag.
What wonders will the morning bring.

Financialphobia. It's a diagnosed condition in one in five Britons, according to the Royal College.
Not really surprising, considering the average Brit's some £2thousand in debt, housing prices through the ceiling, and credit usage is at an all time high..
This, just as a postscript to a day that will perhaps be noted more for the UN Inspection Team's report than anything else, but it should be noted that analysts are now saying it's at the point for Britain and the United States, whereat going to war is almost a financial necessity.
But of course, thus was always the plan.
Financialphobia though.
What we allow those we elect to do to us, is nothing short of insane.
Makes one ponder the merits of an Absolute Monarchy.

And so this day whimpers to an end. Actually it might be more precise to say it's merely petered out..
The pundits say there's been some £36 billion lost over the past 11 days through falling stock values, and have made it plain that most who have heavy portfolio's are pension funds, and that these losses will come right out of the pocket of those working to pay for their old age. But again, should one check the performance of the markets a decade ago, one can see the direction of profiteering and follow the trend.
And still the metaphysics are argued in the chats. The most vocal appear now to be virulently anti-Islamic, but with the odd dissenting voice making itself heard.
This, again, part of the overall pattern we walking. For all leaders know people will fight their hardest, put up with horrific privation, in defence of their faith. And with the Americans, it not as though tanks will be ploughing through their cities and countryside, it's merely a matter of once again, sending offspring away to fight in another part of the world.
The US is almost ready for it. The Europeans have made their stances plain, and the crisis is brewing quite nicely thank you.
One can't wait to see the report from the Inspection Team, and wonders how much more time will be recommended, what prevarications have to date come to light.
But for most on this island this day has finished, and it's time to collectively make tea, and digest the news on one of the available servers.
For tomorrow, will bring even more to deal with, with the Tube still closed, the market still falling, and the posturing prelude to invasion progresses.

It's a grey day here, with the odd shower scattering itself through the village..which in itself is fitting, considering what's going on down south.
The Markets are in a panic as prices continue to fall, or so intoned ClassicFM news not a moment ago.. the BBC's keeping it's eye on it, sensing as it were, an ambulance in the vicinity..
Shall we return for a moment to a brief comparison of that which we face, and that which passed ten years ago?
If one decided to take the time, or the time of an assistant researcher, one could check the markets prior to the last Gulf Conflict, and could likely plot the length of time it's going to be before the first invading boot hits Iraqi soil.
It's an intricate socio/political/economic gavotte...and while considering the information one has.. also consider the record of those who supply even greater amounts in finer detail to those who's fingers could push buttons..
Much foreign intelligence the States depends on is supplied by the CIA. This redoubtable agency is the selfsame which failed to even remotely suggest the idea the USSR might be on the verge of breakup...even while spending something more than $2billion American per year, 'monitoring' the internal developments.
There's value for money.
Now, extrapolate.

Ahh this day is unfolding slowing into some semblance of normalcy throughout this island.
Those in the City delayed by the shutdown of two of the Tube's main Central Lines have by now likely staggered to their desks, already exhausted with most of the day still ahead. The FTSE continues to fall, as those who're watching and playing bring the prices lower and lower in preparation for a war footing.
By the bye, watch the markets the day war is formally declared. If you have stocks in North Sea Oil, take out more on margin.
The stress level throughout the nation continues to rise on a gradual, almost imperceptible curve, as the threat of terrorist attacks and another foreign war settles into the national consciousness. But this is something this nation, as a people, is better prepared for than their allies in North America. There isn't a family on this island that doesn't have somewhere, a living relative who can sit, and describe what it sounds like when a one tonne bomb explodes, or what it looks like to see one's street flamelit in the early hours, or what it feels like to know a neighbour, a friend, simply isn't there anymore.
But, back for a moment to this upcoming conflict. As mentioned, the facts have been plainly reported in various national media, yet for most it would seem, there is an inability to see the whole picture, to take these snippets of information as only a part of the entire puzzle, with a place which must be filled, but in itself only a very small, and partially misleading factor. Alone it may seem innocuous. Put beside the next piece, and the combination gives a deeper picture.
Lets take the formal dance the West is performing before it mounts it's attack.
We're still assuming of course, there will be one.
Germany and France have played out their parts, doubtless the dialogue discussed at great length with the US and the rest of NATO, and thus have raised the value and the credibility of the Euro. Their eventual role in this will doubtless be unimportant, as they have only financial roles to play. We're seeing the financial setup as we write, with the debasement of stocks, and the 'uncertainty' over oil.
One must apologise, for that was news-speak. There is no 'uncertainty' over the oil situation, it's merely a catchphrase which can be tossed out willynilly by the cognoscenti thus placating the 'need to know' syndrome.
Britain has for some reason followed the band, without telling the boys at home what they're going to be heading into.There's a rush order for some 185 thousand pairs of desert trousers, and some 40 thousand pairs of desert combat boots, because the QuarterMaster General's orders are likely filed with the 'Official Reports' of the last American campaign. Not to mention gas and biological protective gear which, at the moment, we don't seem to have at hand.
Ahh well.. it'll all work out. Lets have some tea...
We'll have a glance at the Times morning edition, and see what's going on in the world..
But before we leave this time, a question. Who among us recalls the USS Cole, where and why it has present implications?

It's amazing, what with the sheer volume of information from hundreds of sources that literally passes over this desk in the course of the day, and the man-hours spent digesting and correlating facts and figures contained in countless reports, one finds ones self at the end of the day, with little more information than that served up to the general public by our media. There is of course, the lack of one's incisive interpretation of events, but the bare bones information is set out, plain and clear, for all to view.
One can only thank gods that most people, and one means most, forgets what they hear within an half hour.
We're poised on the brink of another Middle East conflict, and there's little end to going over the facts because the Globa and Mail will have them all laid out, and Time's preparing a special edition, but one wonders how many recall the events of of ten years ago, when last the boys from the west decided to go and tear up some sand for a while, and get some tans.
Do many recall the number of 'the Official Reports' of that last adventure we have filed safely away within the labyrinthian and various systems in Washington and other sundry locations about the countryside. Or is it forgotten that only 36 of the 200 pages of those Official Reports even made it to the maze in the first place. That half the missing files were wiped completely and irrevocably from the computer system at Gulf Headquarters, when a member of staff incorrectly downloaded some games.
Now one wishes this was a joke, but it's not.
And there's more. Two complete sets were sent off to Central Command in Florida, but now they can't seem to be found, and yet a third set went for a walk from a safe in a Maryland Base. Not that one wouldn't like to do the same, given the circumstances.
Let me stress at this point, this is not 'news'. These are facts years old, and publicly documented..
More to come on this.

A simple, quiet Sunday.
Not that ambitious a plan when one comes down to it. One that most would think within their power to achieve given an empty house, a lack of chores, and nothing of any real import to complete. One that was progressing with real promise throughout the earlier hours of the day, and for once, it seemed as though a plan had finally come together.
Ahhh how frail the thread that ties the fabric of our world, and what horrors wait those who indulge in hubris.
Now before much more can be said here, one must understand what friendship means in the small villages that dot Scotland. It means that one can leave one's doors unlocked with little or no fear of things walking off by themselves. In fact one learned exactly how honest and forthright these people are one summer not long ago, when this house was left unlocked, unbarred, unguarded, for the dog was off to the kennel, while for a fortnight it's inhabitants sported in warmer waves and indulged in the novelty of sunshine. Upon return we found our milk delivery had been resumed that morning, for two new pints were waiting in the fridge, and all our mail had been neatly stacked on the hall table. It must be taken into account, that in villages the likes of this one, the 'newcomers' have had their mortgage paid off for ten years, and two of their children now own farms down the road.
One takes one's time forging friendships, but once they've been founded, they allow great liberty to those within the group. For example, one can expect a friend to simply walk into one's house without knocking, during civilised visiting hours, and with a loud clap on the letterbox accompanied by a loud 'Halloooo!' during those hours outside. It means that one is expected to take part in village fetes. It means that on any given afternoon, someone can walk in, disrupt one's work and train of thought, while by right expecting the kettle to be put on, the rolling tin to appear, and a natter to ensue. And it's a given that once one has appeared, within an hour there are three of four, and the odd bottle of ale or two, and the ubiquitous pot of tea, and there goes the day..
A simple Sunday, quiet, unstructured, was where we came in. We are this much closer to the point, the thrust of this addition to this peripatetic collection.
As afrementioned, the morning went well, and some fair amount of work was actually being accomplished when, just as the one o'clock news began on Classic FM, came the unmistakeable sounds of the front door opening, an announced 'Hallooo in there', and the sundry noises accompanying a small crowd as they parade through one's door.
Ahh it was all bonhommie and hale fellow and such, while coats were hung and gloves and such deposited on the hall table. It was smiles and general contentment that radiated from the group until one by one, their faces assumed a stoney look of incredulity, as they passed through into the lounge, orliving room if you'll have it.
One wondered had the dog died suddenly in front of the fire, so hushed and shocked seemed the atmosphere..
Now, the point of this piece.
Came a solitary voice, from the wife of a friend. "You've not got the telly on..."
Ahh jaysus, it was a statement made as though an indictment, so horrific was the idea that I'd been out of my bed for over six hours, passed through the lounge on my way to the kitchen several times for those pots of tea which continue in an uninterrupted flow even when one is alone, and had never even reached for the remote control.
This is the problem with life one finds in places even so far removed from the mainstream as this. People are no longer willing, much less content, to be alone. To have only the radio for company, although for the life of me I can't really see the difference between having the telly on and listening to the disembodied voice of Eamon Clarke from the other room, and having the radio on and listening to some far more sensible music.
But there it was. It was expected that even if I was listening to the radio, a perfectly respectable thing to do, one would still turn the television on and turn the sound down.
Just for company.
The thought strikes me. We here have only, for themost part, 5 channels to choose from, and we are suffering this 'companionship' syndrome. What it would be like where there are more than 200 choices of vicarious experience, only makes the mind boggle.
Now, add to the equation this machine we're using at this very moment.
Ray Bradbury has been proven a prophet before.

How many times have those among us, those who number among this new society of computer-dwellers, found ourselves wondering when, indeed if, this medium will begin to mature.
Even as we write, machines the likes of this are delivering billions of characters, millions of words, hundreds of thousands of thoughts, into similar systems. People un-numbered sit, expressing themselves as best they can on issues they would never bring up with those they know, who perhaps have never had an audience before. But the evolution of a process is slow. Like the Grolsch man says, 'it takes time to be right..'
In the meantime, this Game continues, becoming more and more sophisticated by the nanosecond. We have built the Tower of Babel, and while we're still metaphorically wandering within, looking for the upward ramp, the process has begun.
Now, if we could only get past the religious fundamentalism stage, it would be a partial release..

These are the dark hours, between night and dawn. when the sudden sound of a car is still unusual, and the all night hum of the high tension wire still dominates.
These are the hours when it seems everything slows, with the clock timorously approaching the moment it's meant to blurt into sound, for it's modern cock-crow to echo through the layers of sleep and bring the day to it's start.
But these are the hours which have eluded sleep once again, made a mockery of the alarm and it's purpose, for here one sits, waiting, as though to deceive the timepiece and allow it a moment more of fulfillment.
In youth, these times would have held some trepidation for most. It being a moment to grasp half-awake, desperately climbing back from whatever dreamworld we occupied, into the perhaps harsher environment of the quotidian. The time to bid a fond, or not, farewell to whomever might have shared the dark. Or to fumble through morning spasticity into a blast of water, as though for a moment to return to the womb. Regression supplied by a shower head, a moment to be savoured.

There is a sound that sometimes, while there within our perception, we cannot quite hear. There is a vision which, while almost discernible on the distant horizon, seems never to become any clearer. There are words, spoken generation to generation, which provoke the same response from both the hearer and the utterer.
And there are times the constant gazing at the stars from the squalor of the gutter, becomes less impelling, and more dreamlike and soporific.
Is man a social creature by nature? Is there some tribal instinctive drive for each to seek out another, and yet another, until a congregation, then a civilisation has formed?
Or is it a drive that is confined to a few among us, who on a deep deep level find they have both the drive, and the power to draw others to them, and create their own reality; their own microcosm within the macro.
Eventually, someone, hopefully someone else, will be assigned to create a sine wave, tracing the flux in the level of intelligence shown in chat rooms, and the percentage of wisdom to utter nonsense. Hopefully this will become a concern of those with the facilities to do such a study, in the near future.
The woodwork some evenings, is entirely empty..

Seems these memorials, for lack of a better word, do indeed fly at one one quickly, striking as swiftly as a breeze..often leaving nothing more tangible..
But one is constantly struck, these past few hours, with the taste of a chocolate popsicle on a hot summers day, and the desperate effort to stem the inevitable flow of it down the stick and into the web of your thumb.. it was far more of a challenge while racing a bike, a bicycle that would be, chasing Peter Hall, Brian Broome, Doug Hanson through the 'woods' which went through our backyard. The sound of the tyres rushing over dried leaves and branches, dodging the worst of the rocks but so familiar with the place the smaller ones could be used for 'daredevil' stunts, such as doing a quarter-wheelie for five feet or so. That, in those days, was impressive..
The sounds of the boys voices, in a time when nearly all was said with a smile, and most accompanied by a laugh.
Red liquorice sticks, and Smarties in boxes far larger than those sold today. The smell of these things, the candy, the woods, the heat of the day itself, is all so vivid, it could be happening..
Perhaps it's a feature of age, when we are not so concerned with the concept of 'now', and the future seems to be unfolding as it will, with our resignation if not acceptance, that we can actually enjoy this present, and allow the past to return to us, for perhaps nothing more important than amusement.
Whatever the reasons we have been allowed this ability, it is a gift. We should thank ourselves.

Odd..
Sometimes there are times we know will pierce us to the marrow, will remain with us in details for the rest of our lives. Some of these times come to us in chilhood, others adolescence, sometimes there are none for years on end and then things begin to happen so quickly, these moments begin to pile up, one upon another, almost faster than we can assimillate them.
There have been literally years on end, when taking paper and pen and putting the fleeting streaks of perception into my history in a permanent fashion, has never crossed my mind. There have been times I've sat, willing the words to come so that expression would be exact, precise, and no Muse speaks. Those moments are left, the pity, to fade with time and age.
For they all do, almost.
But as we began, some stay with such clarity, such a presence of never stopped happening, that we will know them forever. Forever remembering the exact words, expressions, feelings, emotions, settings, conditions, even down to what we were wearing or what we held in our hands. We'll remember not only ourselves as we appeared, but those aroud us in the same detail, the same chrystaline purity of vision, sound..
These are the memories that confuse most, give comfort to some with their faith they understand them, and insight to even others, who can recall those times not once, but as often as the mind wills.
The details, the minutae, are what separate these recollections from others.
It can be disturbing.
And that, this being where I finally come to the point, is the reason for that above. There are those who claim to have many of these 'memories' from this life, from others, and those to whom I have been speaking over these past few weeks, have been..disturbed..anxious..
There's no definition to this piece..
It's more in the way of a caveat, and to what it refers, one cannot say.

There are times the madness of all of this almost overwhelms one..
We have spoken of Time. most recently, it's elasticity, subjectivity; we have spoken of the impending war in the Middle East, for which preparations are almost complete and waiting the order; we have spoken of 'truth' as it applies to this new medium, with it's anonymity and sheer physical coverage.
Well for a moment, let us address once again what is said in chat rooms, the thoughts of those hinged, unhinged, and completely left banging in the metaphorical wind.
For there are some 'ethical truisms' expressed within the chaos. There are short periods when conversation surpasses the ceiling set by the mediocre and overpowering, and issues of substance are examined. It is this fleeting moment, this momentary glimpse of rational that keeps these wells from running dry.
A comment made by a chatter who had been away for a month ago summed it up.
"..been gone for what..three weeks..and still the same arguments..?"
That's the point. Compare these groups for a moment, to those rabbinical schools who have been meeting, generation after generation, at the same tables in Jerusalem, or Prague, or Warsaw, and arguing the exact same points, endlessly. Compare with the groups of any faiths' Holy Men', who have gathered, discussed, pondered, the same questions for millennia.
Here were have thousands doing it every day, admittedly few with anything near the actual education or insight that has been developed in these venerable religious discussions around the world over thousands of years, but, consider the head start.
We are not the majority... those among the users of the Internet We who debate the meaning of life or denigrate any particular 'faith' for the sake of argument, are certainly a minority. However we do in our various forums, represent hundreds of thousands of people representing, in all the various stages, 'faith'. And we are all in one way or another, debating points that occasionally verge on the brilliant.
Not bloody often mind, but occasionally.
Marshall MacLuhan said 'the medium is the massage'.. this medium, even in it's nascent form, is immense.
Spiritually speaking, this meeting of minds, over time, could indeed formulate a 'truth'.. a concept that has no meaning now simply because there are none. There are no universally accepted 'truths', perhaps because there has never before been anything akin to universal communication.
There is now.

As mentioned in the past post, time itself can assume different qualities, be subject to different means of measurement.
How what would appear in a dentists chair to be, reasonably, twenty minutes to half an hour, could, upon checking with one's timepiece, have been a mere matter of five minutes, or a monumental forty-five.
Is it not then a possibility that time itself, while loosly bound by mechanical means for the sake of punctuailty, is in reality nothing more than an experience defined; an event, not truely bound by seconds, the movements of arm around a circle, or the measured ticking of a metronome, but by events, our preception of them, and the depth of our involvement in them.
Lets take an example most could relate to. Aologies in advance to those who do not.
When a man, or a woman, feel this abstract atraction we have named' love', time can assume astounding properties. Time 'apart' is endless, agonizing (and this ability of 'time' to assume or perhaps even cause human response will be spoken of later), and an enemy. It becomes something to be endured. Yet time 'together' is momentary, fleeting, speeding with alarming acceleration towards the point it once again becomes 'apart'.
Now this couple finds themselves paired, and are now spending most of their time together. Time is a friend, affording them moments shared and stored for future reference (again, the recurrance of 'time' will be addressed eventually). Time is of the essence to this pair now, for with the gift of sharing it together, comes the knowledge it will end.
Now this should in no way diminish the 'friendship' of time for tbhis pair, for in the natural passage of this 'time', comes a certain contentment with the knowledge it will come to a stop. Some believe it merely begins again, and is endless, and this also is perhaps true of this essence within us.
We ourselves are time. were we not here, time would be meaningless. The concept that it, time, would end, simply because this organism does, is perhaps along the lines of believing the earth ends when an insect passes on after feeling the pressure of a size twelve Rockport climbing boot.

Time is perhaps one of the most interesting of concepts.
It's elastic..as can been evidenced by any child during an endless summer holiday, or the fleeting interest shown at a family dinner. It can change pace, as evidenced by the events we cherish, or fear, wherein an hour can pass in a second, or a second become a week.
But if there are few things about time that are constant, the one sure thing, is it passes, be it as slow as a dance with the one you love, or as fast as a speeding bullet passing through your head.
I'll take some time, before adding to this..

There are advantages to not being able to see the face of those one speaks to, in that 'disbelief' and 'doubt' can be disguised, saving face for those disseminating crap. It allows understanding to develop on both sides, without the inevitable immediate confrontations were the couple face to face.
The foundation has and always will be truth, but in this medium available today, we as people might have more time to allow the 'truth' to come out, in a less violent, more understanding nature.

'Once Upon A Time'..
So many of Internet conversations might well begin with this old saw, for many are simply little less then fairy tales, a vicarious lifestyle perhaps based on incidents in the past, which, had they been the path followed, become reality. Histories can be elaborated upon, old recollections made fresh and imposing in their immediacy, had 'circumstance' been different. It is a medium which can allow the mind free-reign, to extrapolate on a better time, to bring the past into the present, while leaving the perhaps less palatable 'now' behind for a while.
These fantasies can be, in perhaps the majority of cases, utterly harmless, innocuous, unimportant. But, there are always exceptions.
Relationships can develop to a tremendous depth over these satellite hookups; people lives can be immensely affected by the impressions they develop concerning those who become to accepted as friends, confidants, even lovers.
It has recently come to light, that one such relationship, based completely on truth and love on the one part, was tainted by the other involved, and while as in all good fabrications there were large elements of truth, dealing exclusively with the past which was readily verifiable, the entirely of the present situation was a fabric of lies.
Now, here is the remarkable aspect of this story. The one who had remained constant in the truth of their feelings, quotidien lives, emotions, and expressions of love, when told by the other involved in deception, forgave. Without rancour, without conveying a vast feeling of betrayal and 'hurt', the reaction was one of understanding, forgiveness, and love.
This is the thrust, this simple word ''love'. It had been used many times by both involved, and indeed both did have a passionate need and love for the other. The 'Liar' simply wished to develop a persona that would impress, inspire respect in the object of his love, and the 'beloved' accepted that as part of the prosiality of the medium itself. Their 'love' was never a question of doubt; the decription of the one's social position was the sole fabrication.
If nothing else, it can demonstrate that such an impersonal medium such as the Net, can indeed spark a closeness between what might be called 'kindred souls'.. that the faults of one of the 'pair' can been seen, and tolerated. This speaks volumes for both the communicative and evocative nature of this medium, but also the devleoping nature of human understanding on an individual level.

Ahh betimes this is a soul destroying exercise.
This Internet society we're creating has the potential to become the 'reality' for some; their real lives becoming interludes between the joyous reunion with those who have become their 'real' friends; those who will accept them as they can express themselves to be, rather than being bound by the limitations of physical imperfection.
This Internet has become a moot of minds, wherein that which is 'real' is inconsequential.
The focus is the discussion, the 'idea', the 'opinion', the philosophy or theology. A cerebral world unfettered by preconceptions born of physique.
One wonders, perhaps hopes in a cynical mien, that perhaps this initial judgement of 'mind', might eventually make outward reality unimportant.
Or whether Mary Shelly still lurks within the deepest intellect.
It is still a constant source of amazement to me, the amount of perfectly serious vitriol is expressed in these chat rooms. That those who claim inner peace, psychic powers, insufferable martyrdom, can explode with such vehemence at the most innocuous slight, is actually quite embarrassing to watch. Mind you, it's included in the price of admission, and is undoubtedly part of the Game.