Tell 'em George!

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Galloway expelled from Commons after clash with Speaker
"Being lectured by the current House of Commons on the question of the funding of political campaigns is like being accused of having bad taste by Donald Trump, like being accused of slouching by the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

This House stands in utter ill repute on the question of the funding of political campaigns.

None of the parties here, and all three of them are culpable, ever asked the millionaires and billionaires who gave them and lent them money where they got the money from."

Meanwhile:

Gordon Brown today urged all parties to work to together to reform the system of political funding.

Nobody has been suspended or arrested.

The debate transcript is HERE. Galloway was only on his feet for 75 minutes before being named and suspended by the Speaker. Read the account and witness parliament in all its glory! Jeez.  Honourable members indeed!




Fawlty Towers it ain't

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John Cleese is selling his ranch for $28 million

Stalloreggi has been called “a living painting,” and it is truly one of the most beautiful and prestigious professional equine facilities in the world. Resting on approximately 16 spectacular acres in Montecito, California this magnificent complex offers a cornucopia of practical and luxury amenities. Enter the property and you are immediately transported into a world apart. A world of pampered boarding and world-class training.


Via Grow-A-Brain


And our 'war-leaders' talk about righteousness!

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Chicken Yoghurt - We can't turn them away
Since British troops occupied Southern Iraq in the spring of 2003, thousands of Iraqi citizens have worked for the British Army, the Coalition Provisional Authority (South) and for contractors serving UK forces. There is now considerable evidence that their lives, and the lives of their families, are at risk: some former workers for the British have been murdered, and many others have fled to neighbouring countries or gone into hiding in Basra.

The British Government, for whom they were ultimately working, has not offered them the right of asylum in the UK. This is morally unacceptable. It is also unnecessary, since we are well able to accommodate several thousand Iraqi refugees, most of whom already speak English and all of whom have already worked for our country.

The most detailed recent report, by Jonathan Miller of Channel Four News, notes the murder of 17 translators in one single incident in Basra. It cites the cases of hundreds of others who have fled to a refugee existence in nearby Middle Eastern countries or are in hiding in Iraq. The British Government response has come from the Home Office, which has suggested that Iraqis put at risk by their work for British troops ‘register with the UN refugee agency’. Other reports provide supporting detail: Iraqis are being targeted for murder because they have worked for British forces.

Marie Colvin’s report for the Times of April 8 speaks of desperate former workers for the British Army being turned away from the British embassy in Syria by staff who had orders not to admit any Iraqis. These brave men and women have testimonials written by British officers If you feel that this is unacceptable and that Britain should prevent Iraqis from being murdered for the ‘crime’ of working for British troops, could you please write to your MP and ask him or her to press the Government for action. You can use the excellent website ‘Write to Them‘ or post a letter yourself.

Read Justin's piece and write to your MP. This is a disgrace but hardly surprising given that even winning a VC fighting for this country doesn't guarantee you entry.



Carry that Wait

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Language Log: Wait, wait, don't tell me

In Prague last month, the Association for Computational Linguistics honored Lauri Karttunen with its Lifetime Achievement Reward for his contributions to the field...he left the audience with a little conundrum to puzzle over...

The construction didn't wait to is ambiguous. Here are a couple of examples from Google to to illustrate the ambiguity.

(21)  a. Deena did not wait to talk to anyone. Instead, she ran home.
        b. It hurt like hell, but I'm glad she didn't wait to tell me.

(21a) implies Deena did not talk to anyone.  But (21b) implies She told me something right away.

How does it come about that X didn't wait to do Y means either that X did Y right away or that X didn't do Y at all?
Read the rest



Secrets and Lies

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Bulger murderer 'to marry office worker'
One of the two responsible for the brutal murder of two-year-old James Bulger is reportedly to wed a woman who knows nothing about his horrific past. And probation officers have reportedly advised Jon Venables not to tell her his true identity, for fear she will tell others - making him a target for revenge attacks.

Not a great way to start out on married life, in my opinion. I can see it all ending in tears.