Dubious predictions for 2011 part 1

Mentalist the Amazing Kreskin brings good and bad news for 2011

The good news is that there WILL be an end to the current war on terror; the bad news is that nobody : Nobody alive will be around to see the end.

The famed "mentalist" says the war on terror won't be over for at least 150 years and is basing his prediction on both intuition and history.

Kreskin also predicts more problems for Lindsay Lohan because of the company she keeps (although this one is a bit like shooting fish in a barrel).

This is definitely a cue to dredge up some dud psychic predictions….

An expected pleasure.

I purchased 10 CDs (vols 4-13) from the Mindrocker series on CD just after Christmas (rather cheaply I hasten to add for the benefit of those worried about where my pay off is going!) . During the 80s there was an explosion of of compilations of obscure 6os US garage bands, the Pebbles series being the best known. While containing tracks from some of the better known bands of this genre, including the Moving Sidewalks (a forerunner of ZZ Top) the real treat for me is finally to have Captain Groovy and his Bubblegum Army on VD. I did have this song on vinyl at one time but god knows what became of that particular LP.

Anyway, for your delight and delectation (and not for the first time on this blog) I present Captain Groovy in all his glory!




Ain't I a saddo!

Where 2011 picks up from 2010

One thing that seems to be a constant is that I still feel crap for a day after I take my methotrexate. At least I'm not covered in psoriasis plaque (well far less of it at least), also there's no bleeding and a lot less discomfort so it's probably worth it....

Wishing our employees a happy and work free new year

The New Year will have started on a rather less than cheerful note for many public sector employees as local authorities prepare to reveal the full extent of jobs and local services cuts.

Tens of thousands of "at risk" notices have already hit doormats across the country, warning council staff their jobs are under threat. But union officials say they are expecting a fresh wave to arrive over the next two weeks as some of the country's biggest authorities – including several London boroughs – outline their plans.

The imminent cuts will be an early sign of the government's austerity. 111 councils have already issued forms that set out upper estimates of the numbers of staff they expect to have to make redundant, informing 90,000 employees that their jobs are now at risk. The remaining authorities are expected to follow suit in the next two weeks.

The coalition has argued that private sector job creation will offset job losses in the public sector and before Christmas local government minister Grant Shapps accused trade unions of "ramping up" stories about job cuts in local authorities for political gain.

Council chiefs must reduce posts by 31 March in order to start making savings in their new reduced budgets. By law they have to give staff 90 days' notice period to staff, meaning a nominal New Year's Day notification. However, the announcement of the local government settlement was delayed earlier this month and many councils who have yet to issue "at risk" letters are now expected to buy out employees notice period in order to meet the March deadline.

Sadly many people are bout to taste the realities if the government’s slash and burn approach to the public sector. What the Tories and their Lib Dem human shields have put into mtion goes far beyond what is needed to reduce deficits. This is more an ideological crusade against the public sector; unemployment rates are merely a side issue.

I want to be an anglepoise lamp

An early Robyn outing

A Happy birthday

... to my father who turned 85 today

Only the Stones Remain

This may be the earliest footage of Robyn Hitchcock in action. Filmed at the Futurama festival in 1980

More reading in 2011

One thing I certainly resolve to do this year is read more. For some reason I have read relatively few books (by my standards anyway). I think the rot set in when I damaged my knee and spent a lot of time housebound. That should have been the ideal opportunity to make inroads into the huge pile of unread books and DVDs in the back bedroom but I found myself lacking the energy or concentration. Even when I was mobile again I was not reading much,

This will change. I've just started Napoleon is Dead: Lord Cochrane and the Great Stock Exchange Scandal by Richard Dale, a very readable account of a scandal that ended with the disgrace of Lord Thomas Cochrane, one of stars of the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic wars (and he was up against a lot of stiff competition) and a national hero (and one of my personal heroes).

The Great man himself

Perhaps as a result of his disgrace (I am not convinced he was guilty) he went on to be a hero in South America, being instrumental in the the Independence of both Chile and Brazil. The Chilean Navy has had at least four vessels bearing his name (a fifth was under construction in Britain when WWI, It was commandeered by the Royal Navy, converted into the Aircraft Carrier HMS Eagle). The Royal Navy has had two ships named HMS Cochrane and a shore establishment in Rosyth.

The Current Almirante Cochrane when still HMS Norfolk

But I digress. Despite the huge pile of unread books in the back bedroom my next read (or read after next) will be Architects of the Resurrection by R M Douglas.This deals with a small political party Ailtirí na hAiséirghe created in 1942.

Accoding to Wikipedia the party's objectives included the creation of a one party state under the rule of an all-powerful leader; the criminalisation of the public use of the English language; discriminatory measures against Jews; the building-up of a massive conscript army; and the reconquest of Northern Ireland.

Apparently it had support from people who went on to be influential in politics and other fields later in life.

I will be interested to read more about this fascist rabble

Meet the New Year, same as the Old Year

The Guardian reports that at least 21 people have been killed and more than 70 injured in Egypt in a bombing in Alexandria. The target was the Al-Oidseen Coptic church and was timed to detonate as worshippers left a new year.

It was initially thought a car bomb had caused the explosion but the interior ministry suggested a foreign-backed suicide bomber may have been responsible.

The governor of Alexandria, Adel Labib, accused al-Qaida of planning the bombing. "The al-Qaida organisation threatened to attack churches inside Egypt. This has nothing to do with sectarianism," he told state television. His assessment was shared by Kameel Sadeeq of the city's Coptic Christian council. "People went in to church to pray to God but ended up as scattered limbs, This massacre has al-Qaida written all over, the same pattern al-Qaida has adopted in other countries."
Senior health ministry official Osama Abdel-Moneim said the death toll stood at 21 – a figure also


Nearly 1,000 Christians attended the mass at the church, according to a priest, Father Mena Adel. "I was inside the church and heard a huge explosion," he said. "People's bodies were in flames."

Security around churches has been stepped up in recent months with the authorities banning cars from parking directly outside them, after an al-Qaida-linked group in Iraq threatened the Egyptian church in November.

So 2011 begins with an act of utter evil. Sadly it will not be the last such act we see before we bid farewell to the year. Sometimes I wonder if the not-wife’s misanthropy is the best course. Perhaps the planet would be a far better place if the Yellowstone Caldera went up or a humungous meteor committed our species to the dustbin.

Despite this my thoughts are with those who were injured in this evil act and of course the families and loved ones of those murdered

Ah well here's 2011

Let's see what it brings. I'm off to get rid of the beard...