tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-351295402012-02-01T11:43:12.068Z<b>All hope abandon hope ye who enter here!</b><br>Irregular meanderings on security and law, with occasional swearing (and politics - with regular swearing).Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.comBlogger5561100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-85480529098891194032012-02-01T11:18:00.001Z2012-02-01T11:43:12.078Z

It's a while since I've had a bit of a rant about the Falklands. Still, the Argentinians seem to be making up for my lack ... "Do you even know what moral means," replied a Malvinas hardliner. "If you regret that we left the English with 31 ships out of combat then you never had any sense of morality." Goodness - 31 ships "out of combat" - damaged beyond combat use, perhaps? Well, if you count

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-8281457483459239732012-02-01T07:35:00.003Z2012-02-01T07:35:37.900Z

I really don't know why I was doing it last night but I ended up googling this nym. I which I discovered that I lived in Australia. Canberra to be precise. This came as a slight surprise both to me and to Mrs SE. While, as a committed libertarian and a professional cynic, I have no problem with the Antipodeans labelling their seat of government "evil", politicians tend not to be particularly

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-72405792975127888472012-01-31T10:11:00.000Z2012-01-31T10:11:20.294Z

Could be that daft? This must be simple insanity or a throwaway political jibe from Peter Hitchens (I'm not a common enough reader of his column or, frankly, his paper to have a prejudged opinon): Paradoxically, Scotland might bring Berlin time to England – by negotiating its own Scottish time zone north of the border.  Surely anybody who has paid any attention to the debate that there is a

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-85252809302942183292012-01-30T11:35:00.001Z2012-01-30T11:35:34.118Z

As I do, intermittently, I've had another go at the "Political Compass" test. Today, I appear to be marginally more right-wing and a bit more libertarian than previously. My Political Views I am a center-right social libertarian Right: 1.53, Libertarian: 4.92 Or, 1.75 & 4.67, on a slightly different version. Pretty much the same areas, pretty consistent with before.

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-91828022158309314922012-01-23T14:09:00.000Z2012-01-23T14:09:09.386Z

Via "Delta Bravo Sierra": I am busy fighting giants all day while Odin sips mead in valhalla. I am the 99%!

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-60005489074649301472012-01-23T13:08:00.000Z2012-01-23T13:08:49.641Z

From a some-time collaborator, Henry Crun: The OED defines chutzpah as "See Labour Party in Opposition post May 2010."

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-88533669482703071322012-01-18T15:01:00.000Z2012-01-18T15:01:48.831Z

Well, damaged, anyway. I've been reading about the great Ed'n'Ed versus the unions bust-up. On CiF. Because if you want to find out what the delusional end of the socialist co-operative are thinking it's either there or Tax Research UK. Anyway ... I keep getting: Ads by GoogleMarines: State of Mind Want to be a Royal Marines officer? Visit our new Facebook© page. facebook.com/

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-74604599912179366882012-01-09T10:04:00.001Z2012-01-09T10:09:51.529Z

I'm not going to indulge myself in the whole litany of errors in military and computing matters that inflicted "Hound of the Baskervilles" last night. My family had to sit through my muttering and you deserve better. Just two though, both regarding the irritating Major Barrymore (and not about his being an irritating martinet - not making Lt Col does take some people like that): WTF is this

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-72962348957737006102012-01-07T10:38:00.000Z2012-01-07T10:38:05.539Z

Well, it seems not. Dennis McShane, expenses cheat (but not {yet} proven crook), bully, suspended Labour MP and former "Fifth Columnist on behalf of the EU in the British Government" thinks that the Countess of Wessex should sell some jewellery she was given by the Bahraini Royal Family and use the money to "benefit victims of the civil unrest." So, there are a few problems with this. Firstly,

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-23270595671792646442012-01-05T13:06:00.001Z2012-01-05T13:07:53.006Z

Apparently, George Galloway was "Dundee's leader" in 1980. He was Vice-Chair of Dundee Labour Party and might have become a councillor (at his second attempt) on 1 May 1980. However, the Lord Provost was Jim Gowans and Galloway didn't even become the Party Chair ("Secretary Organiser?) until 1981. And the proposal for twinning came from then-Councillor Colin Rennie. Well done the MSM.

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-40252292424778311272011-11-26T19:20:00.000Z2011-11-26T19:20:07.788Z

var gEbBAd = new Object(); gEbBAd.AClickUrl = "http://t.mookie1.com/t/v1/clk?migAgencyId=394&migSource=mmind&migTrackDataExt=[%tp_AdID%];[%tp_PlacementID%]&migRandom=[ebRandom]&migTrackFmtExt=ad;pl"; gEbBAd.playRS = new Object(); gEbBAd.playRS.strAUrl = "http://t.mookie1.com/t/v1/imp?migAgencyId=394&migSource=mmind&migTrackDataExt=[%tp_AdID%];[%tp_PlacementID%]&migRandom=[ebRandom]&migTrackFmtExt

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-43003027828316111902011-08-30T16:37:00.001Z2011-08-30T16:37:58.060Z

I've met the man, an infectious enthusiast and an exceptional engineer.

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-50004885775275676772011-08-04T11:08:00.000Z2011-08-04T11:08:40.431Z

Here: Richard Handl said that he had the radioactive elements radium, americium and uranium in his apartment in southern Sweden when police showed up and arrested him on charges of unauthorised possession of nuclear material. Handl, 31, said he had tried for months to set up a nuclear reactor at home and kept a blog about his experiments, describing how he created a small meltdown on his stove.

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-55145758627758465772011-07-16T07:18:00.001Z2011-07-16T07:20:37.065Z

Can celebrities expect privacy? Or, more specifically: But how much privacy can, and should, celebrities - who make their living in the public eye - expect? And the answer is simple - within the limits of the law. So, clearly, phone hacking is illegal - a s1 offence under CMA90, at least - we'll agree that both the statute and the case law around RIPA s1 offences is less clear (particularly

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-77169773915302085312011-07-06T09:35:00.000Z2011-07-06T09:35:14.112Z

Can religious teachings prove evolution to be true? Quite simple really. No. That's it. Religious teachings, not that I think that "Journal of Creation" or "Creation Research Society Quarterly" count as either, cannot "prove" or "disprove" anything. Some of the methods used by idiots to produce their verbiage can be used, if the method itself is falsifiable, to show (even to prove) that the

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-41496441928501463532011-06-27T08:32:00.003Z2011-07-05T07:01:44.531Z

Sorry for the absence. Work is the curse of the blogging classes. Anyway, I was commenting over at Tim's old gaff. Anyway, there is an un-reconstructed leftie polluting that place who calls himself "Arnald". Anyway, he made some wild protestation (completely misunderstanding reality) and, when called on it, declared that what he had written was "sarcasm". Now, we are talking economics there -

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-51585655225500624342011-05-17T07:01:00.004Z2011-05-19T13:42:29.904Z

Firstly by a column from, unsurprisingly, the New Statesman (and it's not by the "People's Princess). However, our correspondent states: The true covenant between the military and its government is that it will serve it loyally, without fear or favour. If necessary, it will march and fight and die for policies or causes that it does not necessarily understand or support. Theirs is not to reason

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-11767767960601847052011-05-08T07:51:00.002Z2011-05-08T07:55:43.171Z

Come-on, I've agreed with Terry (Kelly, not Taliban) in the past! In their lauding of bin-Laden, they say, Men and heroes only should be confronted in the battlefields but at the end, that’s God’s fate. While I agree with the statement and the sentiment, what a bunch of fucking hypocrites for saying it! The Twin Towers, the US and Danish Embassies, the Bali bombs, London 7/7, the car bombing

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-82204786241444843912011-04-26T13:41:00.001Z2011-04-26T13:52:42.376Z

From here: Seems reasonable. Nearly as right as the tories, more liberal than the liberals. Edited to add - I disagreed with the Tories on every single law and order question. Quite often at the other extreme. And on the Afghan one. Otherwise, I was generally just much less certain of myself. Slightly surprised about how much my answers concurred with Limp-Dumb policy. But that bunch of

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-63605742422213149382011-03-30T07:31:00.000Z2011-03-30T07:31:36.313Z

Japan is to decommission four stricken reactors at the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear plant, the operator says. This wouldn't have anything to do with the seawater they were using for emergency coolant? Stainless steel actually being corroded by such? And these idiots are paid to research their stories.

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-71982628605622957412011-01-23T22:11:00.000Z2011-01-23T22:11:57.492Z

Nice little earner for somebody if it was - please, having to re-hack the replacement every time the heffalump used it to 'express his displeasure'?

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-56853424997827204092011-01-09T09:38:00.000Z2011-01-09T09:38:06.810Z

I've been posting a few comments, mostly about email discovery, on James Doleman's excellent Sheridan Trial blog. And I've been getting quite a lot of "414 Request: URI too large to process" responses. It's caused a few issues - nothing serious. So, this morning, I put up a comment - get an error, and then try to log on to this gmail account. We've detected evil things happening. Please jump

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-21358118908503315652011-01-08T09:19:00.002Z2011-01-08T09:42:47.587Z

Okay, so there's a "news story": US 'wants Wikileaks Twitter data' An Icelandic MP says US officials have subpoenaed personal details from Twitter relating to her activities with the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks. Birgitta Jonsdottir says the US Department of Justice also asked Twitter for all of her tweets since November 2009. Now, what "personal information" does Twitter hold about you?

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-2534759492014966042010-12-24T14:09:00.004Z2010-12-24T14:17:27.603Z

Of course the US Government are out to get him. With Joe Lieberman accusing him of treason (well, actually, Fox News's Jenna Lee did. Lieberman just didn't try to run away), Palin calls for him to be assassinated (Ed notes: just how well is the US hunt for ObL going at the moment? Hmm!, Peter King publicly calls him a terrorist. Yeh.  Wikileaks made the US government look stupid. Governments hate

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-59210465974077122972010-12-06T08:25:00.000Z2010-12-06T08:25:19.266Z

What needs overhaul is an insane government network for classified information that permits a disturbed 22-year-old army private to have access to his government's most sensitive international dealings.Rupert Cornwell in the Independent. H/t to Charles Crawford.

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-89087440282655737022010-11-30T09:31:00.002Z2010-12-02T13:27:35.587Z

Once again, this time in its 'explanation' of the Wikileaks cable leak, the BBC gets things dreadfully wrong. They manage to decode this as: 4. Who the cable is to: Secretary of State in Washington. 5. General subject heading. 4 is right(ish) - well, not even a marxist media studies graduate could be expected to get "to" too wrong. Info, on the other hand, means, well, what? It clearly isn't

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-85753605932799528022010-11-16T11:04:00.001Z2010-11-16T11:04:56.984Z

Well, they've been in Parliament long enough for the ridiculous ideas to come out in to the open again. This time, it is Rebecca Harris, Tory MP for somewhere in the deep South. And, yes again, it is the "let's save millions of lives by moving to Central European Time" idea. Possibly practical in Essex but, as somebody who has had a shift job in mid-North Scotland - it is a real bugger never

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-86032388515641046632010-11-08T21:40:00.002Z2010-11-08T21:43:21.139Z

Not the Beeb's fault this time but still their reporting: A gigantic statue of Jesus - claimed to be the world's tallest ... Christ the King in Swiebodzin rises 33m (108ft) - one metre for every year that Jesus lived ... 51m-high (167ft), if one included a mound it sat on and the golden crown ... Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer rises 38m (125ft). Now, I don't feel bad about Father

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-19378404948480719072010-11-08T20:30:00.001Z2010-11-08T20:35:00.879Z

No comment about the grotesque bigotry that is the scourge of Scottish football (okay, the 2nd scourge after not actually being very good at it) but about the reporting. The only vaguely amusing thing was the horrendous spelling on the banner they'd clearly spent so much effort on. Why did the Beeb feel the need to add the 'd' into "bloostained"? Compare and contrast: Your deeds would shame

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-84349407186539997152010-11-03T15:17:00.000Z2010-11-03T15:17:14.074Z

Girl, 10, 'gives birth' in Spain The Beeb. Is it because they haven't confirmed the story? If so, what about a bit of journalism and actually checking before they publish? Crazy.

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-83892214891535364492010-11-01T12:09:00.000Z2010-11-01T12:09:14.070Z

From a Yahoo email (no indication that it is phishing or anything other than legitimate but dreadful): If you are reading this message, the delivery problem appears to be fixed. To start receiving your groups messages by email again and turn your account back on, please visit: http://$(siteprefs_defDomainWeb)/unbounce?adj=139962006,64412&p=1288563{truncated} (You can also copy and paste this

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-68365566725133950132010-10-31T10:29:00.000Z2010-10-31T10:29:55.256Z

He teaches courses in constitutional law and creative writing ... Here.

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-76387733216359820042010-10-18T11:40:00.001Z2010-11-02T13:44:51.248Z

This is just going to be a bunch of ageing Trots accusing each other of manifest splitterism, isn't it? Mr Sheridan told Miss Kane: "You made that up" "You have lied throughout your testimony." But Ms Kane told him: "I never lied then and I'm not lying now." Err, yup, seems to be ... I know jailing them all for invincible ignorance (or socialism, but I repeat myself) is inappropriate but it

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-28536237688828877602010-10-18T11:30:00.000Z2010-10-18T11:30:06.233Z

Vanessa Feltz lives without the internet. How? Vanessa Feltz told me that when listeners send e-mails to vanessa@bbc.co.uk her team has to print them out for her to read. So maybe they can now print out this blog post for her. The internet is a time saving (well, potentially, anyway) and capability enhancing collection of technologies. Having a support team - whether you are rich, important or

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-18242372944079588952010-10-16T13:59:00.000Z2010-10-16T13:59:03.281Z

With the MilliYounger now in charge, which do we have? "ZapuLabour" or the "Movement for Democratic Hopey-Changeyness"?

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-10192097728674247102010-10-16T12:31:00.000Z2010-10-16T12:31:20.911Z

Here. A sample: Starlight from the most distant galaxy can reach earth on the fourth day of the Creation Week when the correct relativistic synchrony convention is employed. Will fisk later.

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-19119773114365882742010-10-10T08:42:00.000Z2010-10-10T08:42:50.850Z

What could £113m lottery win buy society? Rather less than the BBC's £177 million annual spend on online services. Well, why not?

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-92214933643406596812010-10-08T07:59:00.006Z2010-10-16T12:29:38.451Z

In full, perhaps the style of a well known magazine ... We, the Senate and Faculty of Robert Gordon's Hospital (1) (but definitely not Mrs Forbes, Prof Kennedy or Councillor Ford), do, in the hope that you will shower us with millions of your beneficent and most deserved spondulicks (2), endow you with the degree of Doctor of Planning Laws (And How to Get Around Them) and, not being one of those

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-37422757910498128812010-09-30T09:06:00.000Z2010-09-30T09:06:28.585Z

From the Lawfare blog, discussing Guantanamo: Like Steve Vladeck and unlike some of the human rights groups, in other words, David acknowledges that there is a legitimate role for non-criminal detention in the current conflict.I would suggest that the missing phrase should be along the lines of "subject to the controls and limitations contained in the 3rd Geneva Convention of 1949 on the

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-59108930022767057322010-09-26T19:12:00.000Z2010-09-26T19:12:03.293Z

I've just seen this wee video on cracked, and it reminded me of an old post. Now, I know the Twin Towers weren't nuclear reactors - but their structural concrete (inside, hence the lack of visible disintegration) would have been of the same order of strength - oh, and they did fall down (not something you would have wanted to happen to a reactor containment building). And I know that an F-4 is

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-91443953639480388802010-09-26T10:58:00.001Z2010-09-26T10:58:59.160Z

On another blog which doesn't allow comments, Gary Warner from the "University of Alabama at Birmingham", posts some quite sensible stuff about cyberwar. However, as usual, I have some nits to pick and, as he doesn't allow comments ... (I'd also note that I am basing my comments on a UK MoD understanding of the International Law of Armed Conflict, so US military law, their UCMJ, may vary.)

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-32536884133402077682010-09-24T20:53:00.001Z2010-09-24T20:53:46.199Z

Who's going to get the first "Nigerian flood victim" 419 then? Just asking.

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-52271814211213960802010-09-02T07:04:00.002Z2010-09-02T07:09:06.120Z

Okay, so I played. And what a surprise I got: Balls: 62% Millielder: 58% Milliyounger: 46% Token Commie: 38% So I went to check. I agree with Bollocks on: No law limiting highest salary to 20x lowest (clearly, utter statist bollocks and not even Ben and Jerry's could make it work) Private companies within the NHS allowed to make profit (err, yes, that's the whole point of the 'private companies

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-63542622817590922662010-08-29T07:02:00.000Z2010-08-29T07:02:14.554Z

I write like David Foster WallaceI Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing! h/t the Heresiarch, who got it through a long chain of other bloggers.

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-85897225881328599062010-08-28T13:55:00.002Z2010-08-28T13:57:26.254Z

This is not original work - it was originally posted on /. (Slashdot)  by Wingnut. It is classic ... The Transport Control Pixies and the Internet Pixies system the Internet currently uses can be abused, as the recent DoS attacks illustrate, especially with the fat pipes to which many people now have access. These pipes allow many malicious Pixies to be sent to a target, completely overwhelming

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-25440923204896865902010-08-23T07:55:00.001Z2010-08-23T07:56:37.106Z

The Huffington Post interviews Fred Phelps. Some extracts ... Look at the world of Noah. In his day there were 12 to 16 billion people on Earth, and only eight got out of that flood alive. The world is going to be devoured by fire. 12 billion people on Earth in, what would it have been, around 2300BC (according to some creationist timelines)? That's how Noah could get all of the animals in to

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-61335983120016201822010-08-19T15:49:00.000Z2010-08-19T15:49:27.030Z

Thankfully, for my blood pressure, I did not meet these people but merely had them mentioned to me! Celestial Paws specialise in astrology for pets. Pets are loyal, loving and a part of the family. Like us, they too have their own individual characteristics. Celestial paws can offer you a personality profile for your pet. Prices from £15 to £30. If you can run a successful business doing this,

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-80500022272614004492010-08-17T06:50:00.001Z2010-08-17T06:51:56.342Z

Well, of course it is. It's not static - even on the timescales of human life. So it's changing. Now, of course, are we in the 70's where best evidence was that it was cooling, or the early 2000's where it seemed to be warming, or the last few years where it may have been cooling again (although this seems to have been a temporary effect due to the prolonged solar minimum which is now over)?

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-60082085128699267002010-08-12T07:32:00.000Z2010-08-12T07:32:40.691Z

Juliette has been reading the Guardian again. It's bad for her blood pressure - anyway, I was going to comment on her post but apparently my answer is "too long to process". So reproduced below in full. Firstly, the iniquity of the benefits trap is something even we rabid (libertarian) right wingers have been known to harp on about from time to time. Yes, we need to have a benefits 'floor' - a

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-166221653716787372010-08-06T17:37:00.000Z2010-08-06T17:37:35.415Z

Okay, I don't read the Indefensible very often but I was reading Matilda Battersby's appalling story on ContactPoint (Matilda, they're choosing to bin something that won't work and will / has already cost a fortune but will have a massive and unwelcome impact on civil liberties in favour of trying to sort out the actual problem!) and I came across the Independent on Sunday's "Pink List". Okay, I

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-15094545875515821082010-07-25T09:00:00.001Z2010-07-25T09:00:39.981Z

I got there via an embedded link in one of Tim's posts. And it was quite amusing. Extracts from a book I'll have to get once it comes out in paperback. Although "mimping whiffler" is quite good, I particularly liked COCKTHROPPLED: Having an unusually large Adam's apple.  Now, who do we (society that is - I'm actually too polite when sober) normally snigger at for having larger than expected

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-48830760425388612842010-07-24T09:31:00.003Z2010-07-24T09:32:00.771Z

In response to Senator Lautenberg's pleading, I'd like to make the following wholly politically inappropriate suggestion to Wee Alec for his response: "The decisions of the democratically elected government of Scotland are not subject to review by the legislative branch, or any other part, of the government of the United States of America. Regardless of any need for co-operation or conversations

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-91012119141631175972010-07-22T05:46:00.001Z2010-07-22T05:47:46.155Z

Yes, a councillor did actually say something honest, accurate and not fed through the local party PR machine before regurgitation: I didn't know the Scientologists had a church on Tottenham Court Road. Just hurried past in case the stupid rubs off.Scientology is an enormous con - bigger than advanced fee fraud, just with better lawyers.  They don't have "churches", they have "mark fleecing

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-13788295896419391622010-07-14T21:14:00.000Z2010-07-14T21:14:35.984Z

I have a draft in progress. It's nothing special - my thoughts on some of the killings that have happened recently. But work - both professional and social - got in the way and then I've spent an evening with my family. So I come back - the browser is still active and what is in the window? But then, moving on, the researchers asked a further set of questions, about whether science could be

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-29135418378374449482010-07-11T07:46:00.002Z2010-07-11T07:52:05.875Z

From here: Hizb ut-Tahrir, a conservative Muslim group known for trying to push a strict Islamic agendaAs opposed to their more rational statement in a 2003 Newsnight report: promotes racism and anti-Semitic hatred, calls suicide bombers martyrs, and urges Muslims to kill Jewish people.  Of course, Hizb still operate freely in Britain ... PS - I was more than slightly surprised to see this

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-5190510014724389212010-07-07T13:49:00.000Z2010-07-07T13:49:13.199Z

Just for the record, I'm as suspicious of the (ab)use of the Extradition Act 2003 in the Abid Nasser case as in the Gary McKinnon and Natwest Three ones. If we know he is a member of Al Qaeda and suspect he was the leader of a plot to blow things up in the UK, why is he being arrested on a US warrant rather than charged under, well, ss11, 57 & 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000, and conspiracy to

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-20467878093661888712010-06-22T07:21:00.001Z2010-06-22T07:21:44.328Z

Alastair Campbell, being interviewed by Iain Dale: ID: You’ve just published the first volume of your diaries, but about a quarter of this book has already appeared, hasn’t it? AC: No. 75 per cent is new. Somebody criticises - lie. Even if it is completely pointless.

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-89009531828414594272010-06-18T06:35:00.000Z2010-06-18T06:35:52.467Z

If you can survive my implication that the is any connection between "morals" and senior members of the Scottish Labour party ... That we actually demand our politicians be hypocrites. That we insist that they refuse to say, anywhere we might hear it, the things we know they say in public ...  And, yes, men do talk about attractive women - and not always in the terms they might to to them (or

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-72615980876834635612010-06-07T06:59:00.002Z2010-06-07T06:59:55.742Z

From young Master S-E this morning: Teamwork - I'll be the team and you do the work! A career in politics or banking clearly beckons.

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-4752776657127087252010-06-06T07:02:00.002Z2010-06-06T07:04:17.230Z

I really can't think why such a thing should be thought necessary! Published by local government body the Improvement Service, it warned councillors to carefully consider the implications of anything they were considering publishing on the internet.  Just a random quote from the sage of Paisley: As I get older I find myself mellowing; honestly I do, if you don’t agree I’ll punch your f*****g

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-60237273836790735652010-05-20T07:45:00.002Z2010-05-20T07:45:19.624Z

Should be back early June.

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-9989647364609114062010-05-12T13:46:00.000Z2010-05-12T13:46:47.735Z

Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes!  Absolutely wonderful. 10. Civil liberties The parties agree to implement a full programme of measures to reverse the substantial erosion of civil liberties under the Labour Government and roll back state intrusion. This will include: A Freedom or Great Repeal Bill. The scrapping of ID card scheme, the National Identity register, the next generation of biometric

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-5828549929618951092010-05-12T11:16:00.000Z2010-05-12T11:16:34.070Z

From the Times online blog: Theresa May is only the second ever female home secretary - let's hope she follows in the illustrious footsteps of Jacqui Smith. So illustrious she was sacked by both party and electorate?

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-80291653400788907402010-05-08T09:28:00.000Z2010-05-08T09:28:39.879Z

The Qatari Emir's warrant, at least.

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-54559643193806638472010-05-07T20:29:00.002Z2010-05-08T10:03:39.153Z

I'm reading an e-book - "Shadow of Saganami" by David Weber. This struck me as apposite Libertarianism: And all the Star Kingdom requires to vote is that a citizen pay at least one cent more in taxes than he receives in government transfer payments and subsidies Now, I wonder what difference that rule would have made yesterday? I'll point out that if you include pay for government work on the

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-74258033612460817992010-05-07T07:24:00.001Z2010-05-07T07:44:34.593Z

I'm not hung-over - yet. What a disappointment. Still, Smith and Opik down, it can't be a bad thing ... Really tough luck for John McNally - I was told, repeatedly, that he had no chance but hope sprung eternal ...

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-85831336095517149142010-05-05T06:49:00.006Z2010-05-05T07:11:13.115Z

Not, of course, that it matters but I have just taken the "Who Should You Vote For" quiz (note that this is an England version - and it doesn't reference the BNP). The results are fairly unsurprising: Conservative32 Liberal Democrat22 UK Independence13 Green10 Labour-30 You expected: CON Your recommendation: Conservative I didn't, of course, for the entirely sound reason of that huge, huge "

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-85443012402145860692010-05-04T21:03:00.002Z2010-05-05T11:02:55.442Z

The unofficial motto of the submarine service is "There are only two sorts of ships. Submarines and targets."  It tells the same dangerous truth as the old Royal Navy opinion of submarines, alleged to Admiral of the Fleet (then Rear-Admiral) Sir Arthur Wilson VC etc, etc, who otherwise had an exceptional career, that they were: underhand, unfair and damned un-English In his 'honour', a British

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-32373485495021097432010-04-30T06:39:00.001Z2010-04-30T14:59:01.065Z

A certain Eric Joyce carped at me a week or so ago for pointing out that a large number of candidates for Parliament, who used to be MPs, were breaking Electoral Law by still referring to themselves as MPs.  This, he implied was trivial and unworthy of the limited time I had spent on a not very comprehensive or random survey. This morning, I wake up to a Labour candidate in an egregious breach

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-13884677478283605392010-04-29T21:32:00.001Z2010-04-29T21:33:07.789Z

I've been watching a desperately ill paranoid narcissist, aided by some very shady characters, fighting two equally morally deficient individuals - one desperately trying to be charming, the other just out for revenge.  Much collateral damage done to the public and the country as a whole. Of course, I went, en famille, to see a preview of Iron Man 2 - but you'll have been watching the third

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-75523915916328873152010-04-29T14:07:00.000Z2010-04-29T14:07:11.660Z

According to the BBC: Okay, the link doesn't give you the results - well, we have a week to go but ...

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-27579100379428447932010-04-28T14:09:00.000Z2010-04-28T14:09:50.421Z

Well, I was quite surprised to get more than two but we are now up to five and this one is wonderful. Okay, so as the previous post mentioned, there's the odd issue with these fiddly internet address things.  There's also a superfluous 'the' in the first paragraph and the leaflet is pointedly absent any mention of the Bigot-Finder General.   I would point out that despite the nice MacBook Pro

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-17544597308997267562010-04-28T10:45:00.004Z2010-04-28T17:40:32.201Z

Got a new leaflet, will blog it later. Epic fail on the part of May McIntyre, Election Agent for oor Eric*. This leaflet claims Eric's facebook account is at "facebook.com/ericjoyce1", who is actually an ice-hockey enthusiast from Toronto. The actual PPC Eric can be found here and possibly here. Oh, and 'facebook.falkirklabour' isn't a URL and www.facebook.com/falkirklabour doesn't

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-92218248290399608602010-04-28T10:26:00.000Z2010-04-28T10:26:02.657Z

It is particularly fevered in those we might loosely describe as the Guardian tribe. (Loosely because, of course, Guardian readers are far too independent-minded to constitute anything so crude as a tribe.) Jonathan, the word you are looking for is 'flock'.

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-72490061589478652452010-04-28T10:02:00.000Z2010-04-28T10:02:47.409Z

I can't remember why, but I ended up on the UKIP website, looking at their policies.  Ouch.  Really. I agree with the main point of UKIP - out of the EU.  Whether this means EEA / EFTA or a bilateral agreement like Switzerland, I don't care but we don't need the code law, the statism or the 'social democracy'. On the rest of it? I'll pick two of their 17 areas: Defence Boost the military

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-14468348916898869522010-04-28T07:33:00.000Z2010-04-28T07:33:11.329Z

Christie Malry, over at the FCA blog, is running a serious of 100 posts "Reasons not to vote Labour".  Number 67 is the "Individual Learning Account".  Many years ago (about 10), I did occasional bits of unpaid security analysis for the Financial Times.  Then I went to work for a bank.  And the FT rang me up to say they had access to an extract from the ILA database and would I take a look at it

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-30830472801184371412010-04-27T06:07:00.001Z2010-04-27T06:07:51.472Z

You have to wonder whether there is some super-sekret Mandlesonian plan relying on Labour losing this election.  There's long been the rumour that he wants to come back as an MP - converting his life perrage into a hereditary one (technically a promotion) would bar him from the Commons perhaps.  Anyway: This little piggy doesn't support Labour!

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-9523034580914498222010-04-26T11:35:00.001Z2010-04-26T16:51:24.946Z

Well, I wasn't expecting "A Personal Message from David Cameron" to pop through my door - it's certainly not personalised (only Eric Joyce's was) but through it came. It is certainly the best designed of the leaflets so far - not having to stick with a corporate red or yellow (and that dreadful pink John dredged up for the background of his text boxes!) certainly helps. It's a concerted

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-970187751600225802010-04-26T09:18:00.002Z2010-04-26T09:18:31.272Z

Postal vote arrived this morning. Completed. Off to the Post Office with it.

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-70231850538015299302010-04-26T07:37:00.001Z2010-04-26T07:37:39.047Z

Okay, so, where should my vote go? Well, VoterPower reckons it really doesn't matter - this is an "Ultra safe" - aka Labour - constituency: But, the SNP clearly believe that they have a real chance of winning the seat - and, on the Holyrood record, they should do.  Michael Matheson1 is the local constituency MSP (having previously been a list MSP for Central Scotland). And the 2007 election

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-6513154308838199152010-04-25T19:29:00.009Z2010-04-25T20:06:12.260Z

I've just been re-reading Larry Niven's "Crashlander".  The story "At The Core" forms a significant part in his "Known Space" universe and was written in 1966. Some 35 years on, we have this: And this: And this: We can already see the Core stars. We don't need the Quantum II Hyperdrive shunt. And, as we can clearly see, they are not (well, most of them, anyway) exploding. Ain't science

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-55558336929218611262010-04-25T14:38:00.002Z2010-04-25T14:39:34.381Z

I believe that the great mistake of the last few years has been for the government to provide or to legislate for almost everything. The then Mrs, now Baroness Thatcher (LG OM PC FRS), via Cranmer

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-69772871379580580472010-04-25T08:35:00.003Z2010-04-26T11:18:09.385Z

Well, well, well.  I went in to get my hair cut earlier in the week and was really surprised to find John in there working - I would have expected him to have some election-y things to do.  But no, I get my hair shortened and had an interesting discussion with him about the issues. He did say that the reason we haven't seen any posters is that they've been banned by the local council.  Frankly,

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-32072050550412317462010-04-22T11:44:00.000Z2010-04-22T11:44:01.700Z

I've just seen the Falkirk Herald and we have a UKIP candidate - a Brian Goldie.  I don't know the man. His Camelon upbring suggests, though, that he is a member of the Goldie political family, as the police used to say "well known around these parts".  Dennis Goldie is a former Labour councillor, Provost and stood for MSP in the 2007 election (beaten by the SNP) - probably most famous (outside

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-27313093703154030192010-04-22T11:14:00.003Z2010-04-22T15:02:53.430Z

And, I suspect, the last - neither the Lib Dems nor the Tories have any realistic change of doing anything more stunning than retaining their deposits.  Anyway: So what have we here?  It's fairly sustained attack on the record of one (never actually mentioned) Mr E Joyce - on expenses, on his previous role as cheerpuppet in chief for the Iraq War.  It majors (Ed: yes, I saw what you did there :

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-17925138977228362122010-04-20T13:37:00.003Z2010-04-22T15:03:43.520Z

My mind is utterly boggled. Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi told worshippers in Tehran last Friday : "Many women who do not dress modestly lead young men astray and spread adultery in society which increases earthquakes." And the idiot is joined by some politician: Minister of Welfare and Social Security Sadeq Mahsooli said prayers and pleas for forgiveness were the best "formulas to repel

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-76806770812333811822010-04-20T11:44:00.003Z2010-04-20T11:55:38.979Z

And it's from oor Eric ... This is two-horse tournament stuff.  No picture of his glorious leader, no mention that he resigned from the government, no mention of the Scottish Government - in fact no mention of the SNP - his only credible opposition in this seat. He talks about new hospitals and new schools - but education and health are devolved matters.  Nothing to do with the Falkirk MP -

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-58941614156502023162010-04-19T07:49:00.000Z2010-04-19T07:49:46.125Z

Am slightly surprised by the total lack of election posters and literature.  The only adverts cable-tied to lamp-posts are about missing cats ... Not even the Christian Evangelical whackos are advertising.  Or the SNP, who are the realistic opposition to Labour round here.

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-36179258817297886232010-04-15T12:31:00.000Z2010-04-15T12:31:23.697Z

BCA drop libel case ... Now, let's see what happens about the legal costs ...

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-63951200892389375062010-04-14T12:00:00.001Z2010-04-14T12:00:31.803Z

SNP election leaflet, entitled "More Nats, less cuts". "Fewer cuts", you fools!

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-81767377657823530922010-04-12T14:09:00.006Z2010-04-15T09:35:30.890Z

A certain Mr E Joyce seems to have forgotten that Parliament has been prorogued.  Unlike, for example, John Redwood or Tom Watson, who have made it clear that they are now Parliamentary candidates, rather than MPs, oor Eric still has I am the Member of Parliament for Falkirk. I've done a quick check for some others - Lynne Featherstone, Douglas Carswell and David Jones,  definitely get it -

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-82827038046926274032010-04-12T10:51:00.002Z2010-04-12T10:51:41.543Z

The Scottish Labour manifesto.  Rebuild the economy with hi-tech jobs (as if the govt can do that, right!) Launched at Ravenscraig - epitome of the old, low-tech manufacturing ... And it was a steel plant, so not even irony!

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-45489352924998021362010-04-09T12:49:00.000Z2010-04-09T12:49:17.307Z

From the egregious Joyce's blog. Tweeple. Of course, a couple of his hopeful colleagues are no longer on Twitter.

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-23576708451788057432010-04-06T09:44:00.000Z2010-04-06T09:44:37.396Z

"Gordon Brown is a man of substance", C Whelan. Quickly followed by the SPAd - "The Prime Minister ... is making us all laugh". No, you cock.  Brown is the Prime Minister, Whelan just gives him money.

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-4280272126666025992010-04-05T20:18:00.000Z2010-04-05T20:18:03.141Z

In "another place", I found myself in discussion with yet another bunch of whackos - the so-called "Freemen".  During that discussion, those of us both with an appreciation for English law and its derivation from the common law had great difficulty in understanding where they drew their 'knowledge of the law' from. Then one of them, by nym 'Barny' came up with a little list: And In order to

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-70188089165284237852010-04-03T10:53:00.018Z2010-04-09T07:57:27.844Z

I apologise that this almost Unity-length post has taken quite some time but I have been busy with other things - even some work and the project has increased in scale pretty much every time I found myself in the shower or with other musing to do. Billy, from Paisley, is a 9/11 truther.  And a 7/7 truther.  Who first came to our attention Under the Rose, where I had the temerity to suggest that

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-79356920399575892062010-04-02T08:21:00.000Z2010-04-02T08:21:00.778Z

In the general wake of relief at the Singh verdict, I've been checking a few of the science blogs and, on the Bad Astronomy blog, found a link to this page dealing with some of the claims of the Australian anti-vaccination hysterical mob. And on reading Tom's offical submission about references, came across this one of his references: [35] http://www.whale.to/b/ufo_man_h.html A page suggesting

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-54753490965391427582010-04-01T10:24:00.004Z2010-04-01T14:57:30.524Z

Well done to Simon Singh, on winning his libel appeal against the British Chiropractic Association.  Off to read the judgement, if I can find it.  More later. Update 1: Judgement here Update 2: I believe this is now citable precedent under English Law: We would respectfully adopt what Judge Easterbrook, now Chief Judge of the US Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, said in a libel action over a

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-75349742549879665982010-04-01T08:26:00.004Z2010-04-02T07:52:36.646Z

In a world increasingly difficult to tell from a badly scripted satirical (or satyrical) play, April Fools' Day can be a bit of a trial. Already we've had the "no, you fool, not even as a joke" post from Dizzy, a weak effort from the Register,  and, given it only comes round once a year, an entire 'blog' from a retired accountant (but, for verisimilitude, you'd have think he would have put some

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35129540.post-56716632744866217662010-03-30T14:44:00.000Z2010-03-30T14:44:30.852Z

Via Ross on Light Blue Touchpaper, from here: Foreigners don't have much very complementary to say about Lithuanian food.  When I am asked about it, I usually say it's 1001 ways to cook potato, many of which should be banned.

Surreptitious Evilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.com0