Category Archives: International Affairs

Australian researchers discover the heaviest element yet known to science

This report came to me by email, so it must be true.
Queens University researchers have discovered the heaviest element yet known to science. The new element, Governmentium (symbol=Gv), has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312.
These 312 particles are held together by forces [...]

Where's Gordon Brown in the Libyan desert storm?

Over the past three days, as the Lockerbie ‘terrorist’ release turns into a full-blown international incident, we have heard not one word, or even a Twitter, from the man who saved the wurreld (and its banks). This is highly unusual; Gordon and his wife Sarah Twittered from Inverkilliecrankie, or wherever they are on holiday, catching [...]

It's still true: you can't eat money

“Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money.” – Cree Saying.
This quote, possibly the biggest cliché in the environmental literature, inspired Jared Diamond’s seminal work “Collapse“. But humans seem to succumb to boredom fairly quickly, so [...]

Afghanistan's 'democratic' election – a Karzai shoe-in aided by Western media indifference?

In the interests of transparency, I have made no secret of my support for Dr. Ashraf Ghani’s Presidential candidacy (Thus passim). I don’t know much about the other candidates (and should do) but it appears crazy to endorse the Karzai regime, which has presided over a culture of warlord cronyism and corruption which has increased [...]

India votes for steady as she goes

Living in the world’s largest democracy during an election, it is amazing to see that nothing much really happens. There is a lot of it in the news, and people disappear off to vote, but life goes on as usual. But people here take democracy seriously. Despite the 66% literacy rate, the 59-60% turnout is [...]

Clown Fever has mutated and become a pandemic, for at least a week more

Health warning and disclaimer: I have no idea whatsoever about Swine Fever, in common with most, but that won’t stop me. Ring a special number if you have any flu-like symptoms, such as a runny nose, red eyes or a headache. These symptoms are consistent with taking Bolivian Marching Powder and/or getting bladdered. So if you’ve been [...]

The Man from Del Monte, he talk bollocks!

   Lula da Silva says this problem was caused by white men with blue eyes. That lets both of us off the hook

 
Several Latin American leaders have reported the same disturbing hallucination. A rumpled fat man with a very large head, dressed in a cheap suit and badly-knotted tie turns up unannounced and tries to get [...]

War crimes charges filed by international attorneys against 15 Israeli officials

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4599&Itemid=1

According to Palestinian News Network (PNN) – international lawyers are filing war crime charges against Israeli officials at the international Criminal Court in the Hague. The French lawyer orchestrating the case claims that there is some fear of interference from the United Nations Security Council under pressure from the United States to stop proceedings and [...]

Update: 3000 ton US arms shipment to Israel postponed/rerouted

The carefully-worded caveats surrounding the veracity of our earlier piece were unnecessary: despite earlier prevarication, the Pentagon has confirmed that the US were sending 3000 tons of munitions in 25 containers from Greece to Israel, timed to arrive at the end of January. This volte face obviously had nothing to do with the leaking of [...]