Elections are being held for the European Parliament until Sunday 7th June across the European Union. Yesterday, voters went to the polls in (amongst others) the UK and Holland. The Dutch decided to publish the results of their poll early - officially, the EU will publish the results on Monday, after all countries have voted.
Fifteen percent of the vote in Holland went to the far-right PVV (Freedom Party), led by controversial MP Geert Wilders. Mr Wilders was denied access to the United Kingdom in February, amidst fears his presence would destabilise community relations. Following the attacks on London's public transport system in 2005, much work has gone into drawing ethnic minorities back into mainstream British society. I was surprised that the Dutch government, which protested loudly about the treatment of
I am particularly shocked, as Holland has for centuries had a reputation for tolerance and being a safe haven for the persecuted of the world. In the wake of the Second World War, which was fought to combat racism, discrimination and intolerance, any problems surrounding ethnic minorities in Holland were sidestepped, for fear of raising the impression of discrimination.
Back in 2002, politician Pim Fortuyn became hugely popular for giving a voice to those people who felt that the migrant-related problems were not being dealt with. He was assissinated just before a General Election, and his party (not the current PVV) gained a huge percentage of the vote.
As Dutch politicians are saying today, Mr Wilders has a clear message, but no workable alternative. I hope someone realises the message that underlies the 15% vote for the PVV, and starts addressing the problems.
Friday, 5 June 2009
Disaster relief
Not widely known, tropical cyclone Aila struck southeastern India and Bangladesh ten days ago. As per usual, I monitored the storm until it disintegrated over land north of Calcutta. The impact of such storms doesn't normally attract much media attention, but I am grateful for the following update from Blogger user Bianca, who bothered to comment on Tropical Cyclones:
Music for Relief is responding to help provide relief following Cyclone Aila. The Cyclone struck eastern India and coastal Bangladesh on Monday 5/25 leaving millions of people displaced and in desperate need of food, water and shelter. In West Bengal at least 5.1 million people were displaced, with more than one million people stranded in the Sundarban islands alone, most of them without any food or water. Food security and loss of livelihood are also major concerns as it is estimated that 80,000 acres of rice paddy and other crops have been destroyed, about 300,000 acres partially destroyed and over 50,000 poultry and livestock have been killed.
Please help the victims of this disaster by making a donation: http://www.musicforrelief.org/donate
MFR is partnering with BRAC in Bangladesh where 100% of funds contributed will go to those affected by Cyclone Aila.
More information about BRAC: BRAC has provided emergency aid and rehabilitation in Bangladesh since its inception and carried out large-scale relief and rehabilitation activities there for cyclone and flood victims in 1987, 1988, 1991, 1998, 2000, 2004 and 2007. BRAC, the largest non-profit in the developing world, was launched in Bangladesh in 1972 and today reaches more than 110 million people in Africa and Asia with its holistic approach to addressing poverty by providing micro-loans, self-employment opportunities, health services, education and legal and human rights education. http://www.brac.net/usa/index.php
Thank you for your support!
And forward this information to spread the word.
Music for Relief is responding to help provide relief following Cyclone Aila. The Cyclone struck eastern India and coastal Bangladesh on Monday 5/25 leaving millions of people displaced and in desperate need of food, water and shelter. In West Bengal at least 5.1 million people were displaced, with more than one million people stranded in the Sundarban islands alone, most of them without any food or water. Food security and loss of livelihood are also major concerns as it is estimated that 80,000 acres of rice paddy and other crops have been destroyed, about 300,000 acres partially destroyed and over 50,000 poultry and livestock have been killed.
Please help the victims of this disaster by making a donation: http://www.musicforrelief.org/
MFR is partnering with BRAC in Bangladesh where 100% of funds contributed will go to those affected by Cyclone Aila.
More information about BRAC: BRAC has provided emergency aid and rehabilitation in Bangladesh since its inception and carried out large-scale relief and rehabilitation activities there for cyclone and flood victims in 1987, 1988, 1991, 1998, 2000, 2004 and 2007. BRAC, the largest non-profit in the developing world, was launched in Bangladesh in 1972 and today reaches more than 110 million people in Africa and Asia with its holistic approach to addressing poverty by providing micro-loans, self-employment opportunities, health services, education and legal and human rights education. http://www.brac.net/usa/index.
Thank you for your support!
And forward this information to spread the word.
Thursday, 4 June 2009
Evening notes
I am feeling a wee bit sad this evening after reading that Morton is quitting his blog (see Call for Support). It is particularly due to the reasons he gives, namely that a lot of us are no longer making updates on our blogs. Whether this is due to a move to Twitter, Facebook, Myspace or offline is debatable. But it highlights very strongly the effect that the closing down of AOL Journals has had on what used to be known as J-land. Our community is dwindling, and I'm saddened by it.
Thursday 4 June
Today is the 20th anniversary of the shortlived student uprising in Peking, which was brutally knocked down by the communist regime in China. The image of the student, standing up to a tank, is etched on the memory of anyone who lived through the momentous year of 1989. Only a few months later, communism in Europe collapsed. Today, the only place in China to commemorate the events of Tiananmen Square was Hong Kong.
European elections (and council elections in parts of the UK) are held today. Judging by accounts on Twitter, trade at polling stations in Lewis was brisk. When a general election will be held soon is anyone's guess. The swing from Labour to Conservative is inevitable, as such is the nature of British politics. Over the last 30 years, the period of the swings has been lengthened considerably. The Tories were in power for 18 years, between 1979 and 1997; Labour has been in No 10 for 12 years now. In both instances, sleeze and a collapse in public confidence in politicians of the party in power led to the downfall of the respective administration. As will be the case in the next general poll. The difference this time is that all politicians have egg on their faces.
Wreckage from Air France flight 447, which disappeared on Sunday, has been located in the middle of the Atlantic. Whether the flight recorders or passengers will ever be found is very unlikely. The relatives of those on board AF447 have been informed.
European elections (and council elections in parts of the UK) are held today. Judging by accounts on Twitter, trade at polling stations in Lewis was brisk. When a general election will be held soon is anyone's guess. The swing from Labour to Conservative is inevitable, as such is the nature of British politics. Over the last 30 years, the period of the swings has been lengthened considerably. The Tories were in power for 18 years, between 1979 and 1997; Labour has been in No 10 for 12 years now. In both instances, sleeze and a collapse in public confidence in politicians of the party in power led to the downfall of the respective administration. As will be the case in the next general poll. The difference this time is that all politicians have egg on their faces.
Wreckage from Air France flight 447, which disappeared on Sunday, has been located in the middle of the Atlantic. Whether the flight recorders or passengers will ever be found is very unlikely. The relatives of those on board AF447 have been informed.
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
Another boatful week
More unusual visitors to Stornoway this week: the Astor was here on Monday, covered in fog. Today, the cruiseliner Island Sky called in and half an hour ago we were treated to the sight of the 1945 training sailing ship Gunilla, registered in Sweden, coming into port under engine power at a leisurely 6 knots.
Astor in the fog off Sandwick on Monday
Cruiseliner Island Sky
Sailing ship Gunilla
Astor in the fog off Sandwick on Monday
Cruiseliner Island Sky
Sailing ship Gunilla
Wednesday 3 June
Overcast and cooler than yesterday, with a bit of a breeze going. Political situation not much changed, apart from one minister resigning from the government. Mr Brown faced questions in parliament this afternoon, which did little to change the situation. Tomorrow will see European and local elections in the UK, and the outcome of that should be interesting.
Locally, the debate about Sunday sailings continues, with the focus on what legal opinion is valid or not. I don't think it's legal opinions that count, at the end of the day. It is the outcome of a consultation, currently being conducted by ferry company Calmac, that determines what will happen with a Sunday service.
Locally, the debate about Sunday sailings continues, with the focus on what legal opinion is valid or not. I don't think it's legal opinions that count, at the end of the day. It is the outcome of a consultation, currently being conducted by ferry company Calmac, that determines what will happen with a Sunday service.
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Disrepute
The on-going expenses row surrounding British Members of Parliament is beginning to draw the institutions of Parliament and Government into disrepute, in my humble opinion. It started with the husband of the Home Secretary claiming on her expenses account (as an MP) for some adult movies that he watched while she was away. Ms Smith has declared she will shortly stand down as Home Secretary.
We now have a daily offering of who claimed for what should not have been claimed for, followed by apologies which are as profuse as they are insincere, and in some instances repayment of money. This morning, a Cabinet meeting was held at no 10 Downing Street, and the Ministers of State were almost openly mocked, ridiculed and jeered by the assembled press pack. The sniggering of the journalists was audible on BBC News.
The Prime Minister has announced an independent audit into every MP's expenses accounts. Methinks we now need the Hubble Space Telescope to locate the horse that bolted from its stables weeks ago, against which Mr Brown is now trying to close the doors. I don't blame the poor horse. Its stables were so filthy that it would require the diversion of a river to clean them out.
Do not take this as directed purely against the Labour Party, which is currently in government. Quite a few Conservative MPs have been caught with their pants down, most notably the Totnes MP Sir Anthony Steen (fine knight of the realm), who billed Parliament for tree surgery on five hundred trees around his stately home. When this was brought to light, and an outcry ensued, he blustered that people were just jealous of his big house. Several MPs have been claiming for things they shouldn't have claimed for, and others claimed for expenses they were not incurring (like for mortgages that had already been paid off). They all said they were acting within the rules, rules that they themselves have drawn up, implemented and administered.
We now have the elevating spectacle of several dozen MPs stating that they will not contest the next General Election, which is due no later than June 2010. Still doesn't wash, in the eyes of the many. Upon standing down, an MP gets a full year's salary (about £64k) plus resettlement grant (about £40k).
There have been repeated calls for an immediate general election, and a motion will be tabled in Parliament next week to that effect. The Labour Party can expect a trouncing at the European and Local Elections on Thursday, so they will probably try to hang on for dear life, hoping the storm will blow over. It won't.
Several MPs when confronted with serious allegations regarding their expenses started off by saying they would contest the next election - but when confronted with their electorate quickly changed their minds. The Conservative Leader, David Cameron, was also calling for an early General Election on Thursday. I don't think he should be so eager either, bearing in mind what happened amongst his ranks.
An election is required, in my opinion, and the sooner the better. However unfair to the majority of honourable Honourable Members, faith in politics has plummeted to an all time low, with one poll quoting a percentage of 52% of people who think politicians are all crooks.
A wholesale clean out, along the lines of the Augean Stables, is required. Bearing in mind the man at the helm has proven himself incapable of acting in good time, we can't wait for the current administration to get its act together. Whichever political colour it will turn out to be, a new government will have to take over soon, and forcefully implement some very sweeping changes.
We now have a daily offering of who claimed for what should not have been claimed for, followed by apologies which are as profuse as they are insincere, and in some instances repayment of money. This morning, a Cabinet meeting was held at no 10 Downing Street, and the Ministers of State were almost openly mocked, ridiculed and jeered by the assembled press pack. The sniggering of the journalists was audible on BBC News.
The Prime Minister has announced an independent audit into every MP's expenses accounts. Methinks we now need the Hubble Space Telescope to locate the horse that bolted from its stables weeks ago, against which Mr Brown is now trying to close the doors. I don't blame the poor horse. Its stables were so filthy that it would require the diversion of a river to clean them out.
Do not take this as directed purely against the Labour Party, which is currently in government. Quite a few Conservative MPs have been caught with their pants down, most notably the Totnes MP Sir Anthony Steen (fine knight of the realm), who billed Parliament for tree surgery on five hundred trees around his stately home. When this was brought to light, and an outcry ensued, he blustered that people were just jealous of his big house. Several MPs have been claiming for things they shouldn't have claimed for, and others claimed for expenses they were not incurring (like for mortgages that had already been paid off). They all said they were acting within the rules, rules that they themselves have drawn up, implemented and administered.
We now have the elevating spectacle of several dozen MPs stating that they will not contest the next General Election, which is due no later than June 2010. Still doesn't wash, in the eyes of the many. Upon standing down, an MP gets a full year's salary (about £64k) plus resettlement grant (about £40k).
There have been repeated calls for an immediate general election, and a motion will be tabled in Parliament next week to that effect. The Labour Party can expect a trouncing at the European and Local Elections on Thursday, so they will probably try to hang on for dear life, hoping the storm will blow over. It won't.
Several MPs when confronted with serious allegations regarding their expenses started off by saying they would contest the next election - but when confronted with their electorate quickly changed their minds. The Conservative Leader, David Cameron, was also calling for an early General Election on Thursday. I don't think he should be so eager either, bearing in mind what happened amongst his ranks.
An election is required, in my opinion, and the sooner the better. However unfair to the majority of honourable Honourable Members, faith in politics has plummeted to an all time low, with one poll quoting a percentage of 52% of people who think politicians are all crooks.
A wholesale clean out, along the lines of the Augean Stables, is required. Bearing in mind the man at the helm has proven himself incapable of acting in good time, we can't wait for the current administration to get its act together. Whichever political colour it will turn out to be, a new government will have to take over soon, and forcefully implement some very sweeping changes.
Searching for AF447
The search for the wreckage of flight AF447 is in full swing in the central Atlantic tonight. Two cargo ships have been requested to go to the area where debris was spotted in the water earlier today. Reconnaissance aircraft are continuing their sweeps of the area. This may be hampered by continued thunderstorms, I copy the relevant section of the Tropical Weather Discussion from the National Hurricane Center in Miami (have expanded some of the abbreviations):
The area of scattered thunderstorms from latitude 2 to 6 degrees North, between longitudes 20 to 25 degrees West is moving towards the west at 10 to 15 knots, and could hamper search efforts associated with the crash of Air France Flight 447 near the archipelago of Saint Peter and Paul, located around 4 North 29 West, tonight and Wednesday.
My thoughts remain with the families and friends of those presumed lost on this flight.
The area of scattered thunderstorms from latitude 2 to 6 degrees North, between longitudes 20 to 25 degrees West is moving towards the west at 10 to 15 knots, and could hamper search efforts associated with the crash of Air France Flight 447 near the archipelago of Saint Peter and Paul, located around 4 North 29 West, tonight and Wednesday.
My thoughts remain with the families and friends of those presumed lost on this flight.
Tuesday 2 June
Changeable weather this afternoon, but only terms of the amount of cloud around. We have a northeasterly breeze going, and at the moment the sun is out. Temperature at 14C, lower than we had on Sunday (yesterday's readings were distorted due to the fog).
The search for the missing Air France jet continues, and debris has been spotted on the ocean surface, some 400 miles northeast of Brazil. Flight AF447 went missing as it crossed the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone, which at the time was active with severe thunderstorms. The ITCZ is a phenomenon that circles the globe, and is currently moving north with the sun. Later in the summer, it will spark this year's northern hemisphere hurricanes, from Africa in the east to Japan in the west. Coming back to the missing flight, there has so far been no confirmation of its fate. The chance of finding any survivors can safely be described as zero, or asymptotically close to that number.
Politics in the UK continues its process of corruption-fuelled meltdown. It is a good thing that the expenses racket has been exposed, and that the MPs are now all saying how sorry they are - yes, that they've been rumbled, you mean. If they hadn't, it would still be on-going. The result of Thursday's European and local elections will be very interesting indeed.
The search for the missing Air France jet continues, and debris has been spotted on the ocean surface, some 400 miles northeast of Brazil. Flight AF447 went missing as it crossed the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone, which at the time was active with severe thunderstorms. The ITCZ is a phenomenon that circles the globe, and is currently moving north with the sun. Later in the summer, it will spark this year's northern hemisphere hurricanes, from Africa in the east to Japan in the west. Coming back to the missing flight, there has so far been no confirmation of its fate. The chance of finding any survivors can safely be described as zero, or asymptotically close to that number.
Politics in the UK continues its process of corruption-fuelled meltdown. It is a good thing that the expenses racket has been exposed, and that the MPs are now all saying how sorry they are - yes, that they've been rumbled, you mean. If they hadn't, it would still be on-going. The result of Thursday's European and local elections will be very interesting indeed.
Monday, 1 June 2009
Missing over Atlantic, and other matters
An Air France jetliner has gone missing over the Atlantic between Brazil and Europe. The plane did not appear on Cape Verde radar as expected, and it has not landed as scheduled at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport. The Brazilian airforce has sent planes to an area of sea near the island of Fernando de Noronha, off the country's northeastern coast.
Egg thieves have raided an osprey nest in Strathspey, southeast of Inverness, a few weeks ago. Police have expressed their shock, and have urged the public to be vigilant of suspicious activity around nest sites.
Britain's Got Talent's number 2 Susan Boyle has been taken to a London clinic, suffering from emotional exhaustion. It appeared to me that she was mighty relieved not to have won the contest.
Egg thieves have raided an osprey nest in Strathspey, southeast of Inverness, a few weeks ago. Police have expressed their shock, and have urged the public to be vigilant of suspicious activity around nest sites.
Britain's Got Talent's number 2 Susan Boyle has been taken to a London clinic, suffering from emotional exhaustion. It appeared to me that she was mighty relieved not to have won the contest.
Monday 1 June
A sunny start to the day, but with dense fog banks drifting in off the sea and the moors. Visibility is very limited, down to 50 or 100 yards at times. At the moment, the fog is only over the Arnish moor, across the harbour. The cruiseliner Astor, a regular summer visitor, is anchored off Sandwick and when the fog closes in, she sounds her foghorn regularly. Residents of Laxdale, a mile or two north of Stornoway, are wondering what all the hooting is about. They are high up, and out of range of the fog. The airport, which lies at sealevel, is enveloped in fog and the 8 am plane from Inverness landed at 11.30. The 11 am plane from Glasgow is now due at 1.30pm.
The parliamentary representatives for the Western Isles are demanded by the Lord's Day Observance Society LDOS to declare within 24 hours whether they are for or against a Sunday service on the ferry, and opening of the Lewis Sports Centre on Sunday. It appears to me like a distinct case of Last Chance Saloon. I'll restate my respect for anyone's sincerely held religious conviction. However, I do not think that it is of this era to prohibit the free passage of people and goods on one day in the week.
The parliamentary representatives for the Western Isles are demanded by the Lord's Day Observance Society LDOS to declare within 24 hours whether they are for or against a Sunday service on the ferry, and opening of the Lewis Sports Centre on Sunday. It appears to me like a distinct case of Last Chance Saloon. I'll restate my respect for anyone's sincerely held religious conviction. However, I do not think that it is of this era to prohibit the free passage of people and goods on one day in the week.
Sunday, 31 May 2009
Caritas
A mirror post from I Stand Corrected
More than a decade ago, I sang a piece by Maurice Duruflé called Ubi Caritas. How do you translate caritas? There's a challenge for you. Charity? Love? Friendship?
First of all, I have to refer to a letter in the Bible, the first from Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 13. Where it says "love", I have reason to believe that this was translated from the word caritas. What is love? Is it the love between man and wife, male and female? That is what we usually understand the word love to mean. Love, however, doesn't just cover the emotion that underpins a marital relationship. There is the love that a parent has towards a child. The love a child has towards its parent. More than that, love also exists outside family relations. There is friendship, a special branch of the tree of love, if you like.
Back to caritas. In some translations of the Bible (and don't start me off on that subject), it is translated as charity. Charity is usually understood to be the free gift of goods or money for the benefit of the less fortunate members of mankind. Particularly here in Stornoway, charity thrives. More than half a dozen charity shops, each working for a different organisation, e.g. the Red Cross, Blythswood, Breast Cancer support. the Lifeboat etc. But where does love come into that equation? The love of fellow man, I suppose. But a degree of doubt if not cynicism is creeping into my mind. Isn't it often the case that people give to charity to assuage their guilty conscience? Yes, I'm a cynic. Although it is a good thing to part with some of your worldly goods for the benefit of others, it is a distant member of the family of love. And often it is a case of seen to be doing good.
Ubi Caritas.
Love is everywhere.
I think it is eminently apt that we can't properly translate the word caritas. For it spans the whole spectrum of human emotion. I'll leave you with a performance I dug out of YouTube.
More than a decade ago, I sang a piece by Maurice Duruflé called Ubi Caritas. How do you translate caritas? There's a challenge for you. Charity? Love? Friendship?
First of all, I have to refer to a letter in the Bible, the first from Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 13. Where it says "love", I have reason to believe that this was translated from the word caritas. What is love? Is it the love between man and wife, male and female? That is what we usually understand the word love to mean. Love, however, doesn't just cover the emotion that underpins a marital relationship. There is the love that a parent has towards a child. The love a child has towards its parent. More than that, love also exists outside family relations. There is friendship, a special branch of the tree of love, if you like.
Back to caritas. In some translations of the Bible (and don't start me off on that subject), it is translated as charity. Charity is usually understood to be the free gift of goods or money for the benefit of the less fortunate members of mankind. Particularly here in Stornoway, charity thrives. More than half a dozen charity shops, each working for a different organisation, e.g. the Red Cross, Blythswood, Breast Cancer support. the Lifeboat etc. But where does love come into that equation? The love of fellow man, I suppose. But a degree of doubt if not cynicism is creeping into my mind. Isn't it often the case that people give to charity to assuage their guilty conscience? Yes, I'm a cynic. Although it is a good thing to part with some of your worldly goods for the benefit of others, it is a distant member of the family of love. And often it is a case of seen to be doing good.
Ubi Caritas.
Love is everywhere.
I think it is eminently apt that we can't properly translate the word caritas. For it spans the whole spectrum of human emotion. I'll leave you with a performance I dug out of YouTube.
Close of month
Tomorrow will see in the month of June, and it promises to start the way May has ended: on a theme of blazing sunshine. It will also herald the start of the North Atlantic hurricane season. This has already fired a warning shot across the bows, in the shape of a tropical depression last week. Nobody was bothered by that (apart from seafarers south of Nova Scotia), and wouldn't have produced more than a force 7 out at sea.
If you're in Hurricane Alley: be prepared.
If you're in Hurricane Alley: be prepared.
Photo entry - 28 May (part 2)
Cliff [Cliobh]
Rather them than me
Valtos Old Burial Ground
Ewe and its lamb
Empire of stone
Near phonebox in Miavaig
Roadsign at Miavaig
Erista
Photo entry - 28 May (part 1)
Interior of crofthouse, Uig Museum, Timsgarry
This is what is meant by dreich
Valtos Glen from the top of the cliffs
View out towards Miavaig
Descending towards Cliff Beach
Photo entry - 30 May, morning
3.27 a.m.
Scarista
Northton
Leverburgh
MV Loch Portain, heading for Berneray
Yacht and lighthouse at Leverburgh
Sunday 31 May
Oops, am falling into bad habits: no entry yesterday either. Those who follow me on Facebook and Twitter know that I spent most of the day in Harris. Went down on the 9.35 bus to Leverburgh (that's 55 miles away to the south), which took 2 hours. After looking round the pier had lunch in the Anchorage restaurant, which sits right next to the ferry slip. At 1.20pm, we took the wee bus up the Bays area of Harris. It was the usual hair-raising rollercoaster, and I don't recommend it if you are prone to suffer from travel sickness. A short break at Tarbert later got us on the bus back to Stornoway, where we reappeared at 5pm. It started out a bit cloudy, with low clouds, but the sun came out later in the day and it turned out quite warm, with the mercury up to 22C / 71F.
At the moment, low cloud is folling down the Arnish hills, across the harbour. It is otherwise sunny, but the mercury is struggling at 13C. Earlier in the morning, I watched two sailing ships leave port - both restored fishing vessels, like the one in on Monday.
I am currently uploading nearly 200 pictures, and will publish a selection on here later today.
At the moment, low cloud is folling down the Arnish hills, across the harbour. It is otherwise sunny, but the mercury is struggling at 13C. Earlier in the morning, I watched two sailing ships leave port - both restored fishing vessels, like the one in on Monday.
I am currently uploading nearly 200 pictures, and will publish a selection on here later today.
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