Eleven years later and Gordon Brown has reached the top of the tree, more by luck than judgment it would seem. Tony Blair doesn't seem as silly as we once thought. Resigning just in time to escape the vitriol and hatred that he knew would be coming Labour's way.

Brown laid down lending rules that will now be moved, bent and manipulated as he seeks to prevent the further effects of the credit crunch. With inflation at an 11 year high and the economic climate at breaking point, Brown appears to be a shadow of the prudent Chancellor that managed to stabilise the UK's economy.

Although it has yet to be officially announced, the government is likely to bend the fiscal rules that were employed when Brown became Chancellor of the Exchequer. The strict borrowing limit of 40% of national income will be adapted to allow for the £8bn tax revenue shortfall - making a mockery of Brown's prudent reputation.

Labour critics will be set to pounce as Brown's popularity continues to wain amidst the country's economic breakdown. Brown built his reputation as a Chancellor around prudence and impeccable use of the nation's funds and now the rules he so adamantly set in stone, are being knocked down and rebuilt.

Brown is clearly trapped between a rock and a hard place as he juggles popularity and economic responsibility while desperately clinging on to his own party leadership. How long will it be before his own party say enough is enough and oust this dead man walking?

I was entering my 4th year with 74 credits (16 credits behind) and I was taking a fairly difficult coarse load of 3 upper level Math/CS courses, a course I wanted to do well in because it was taught by the chancellor, and a jokingly easy french class.  I came into the semester determined to succeed because of a terrible spring semester the year before where I managed only a 2.3 and my cume was stuck around 2.6.  The problem is, I didn't have any direction.  I went to school to be a math teacher, and I was frustrated that I was taking all these calsses that I woudl never use.  High school students will never be taught advanced number theory, yet I had to take it to be able to teach them?  After about a month I started working at transit, and once I got that big fat $300 paycheck, it seemed like a good idea to take that extra shift in-stead of going to class.  What's one class?  What's that, they have more opens, and they'll give me overtime--I'm there!  After a few weeks of training I got my license on October 12th and started driving shifts on October 14th.  Then I had a goal... 180 hours by the end of the semester and I would get a raise next semester, and an all important seniority point.  Fast forward to January, I got my raise (worked 207 hours I think), I managed a 0.9 GPA that semester (A in french even thought I skipped the second test, the final, and hadn't gone to a class since mid October), and I was well on my way to becoming a transit all-star.  Problem was, I was also on my way to failing out of school.  After that semester my cume dropped to 2.3, and I had no desire to be a math major anymore.  I dropped to a half time student and focused on making transit my home away from home.

interim chancellor of UMKC, effective Aug. 1. Morton replaces former chancellor Guy Bailey, who left to become Texas Tech's president. Morton currently serves as the chairman of the UMKC Board of Trustees

"Leo will continue to advance the vision and mission of UMKC, building upon the solid foundation that has already been laid," Forsee said in a news release. "He will not be content to merely monitor activities, but will be a valuable asset to the future of the campus. He is the right person at the right time to serve in this role."

Forsee expects to have the search process for the permanent chancellor established in the next few weeks. Morton will not be a candidate for the permanent position.

Firstly, what has caused the rate of inflation to be higher than the Bank of England's desired target? The rate of CPI inflation has been higher mainly because of higher fuel and food costs. Although it is difficult to pin the exact reasons for the price rises in these products, in my opinion it is due to the speculation in commodities future markets as investors try to hedge against possible imminent dollar declines. As suppliers try to pass on the prices increases they suffer to consumers, workers suffer also as their quality of life drops along with their purchasing power. Workers usually try to bargain for better compensation during this period to readjust their real incomes to the level it was previously.

In a price-wage spiral, business owners are continually increasing prices to compensate for inflation, and workers are continually bargaining for better compensation. These types of spiral situations do not occur without a catalyst, and the situation is self remedying once the underlying problem is resolved. In this situation, the underlying problem is the dollar. Investors are diversifying portfolios away from dollar dominated assets and this is putting severe upward pressure on commodities. This problem will be resolved once investors have decided to move money away from the commodities sector back into a different fiat currency.

Due to the fact that pound is being roughly pegged to the dollar so that the public does not recognize that the dollar is sinking, workers all over the world are suffering because of factors outside of their control. With a leading government figure instructing business owners not to increase compensation, the situation for workers will continue to decline. However Darling is completely incorrect. Allowing workers wages to rise will not cause more inflation. It is because of inflation that workers need higher wages. In effect, Darling is asking the worker to pick up the tab for the Bank of England disguising the dollar's decline.

Is it just me or are Chancellor Michelle Rhee's latest terminations eerily reminiscent of conniving Senator/Emperor/Sith Lord Palpatine. Is it possible that the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) has fallen under control of a Sith Lord? The Washington Post, along with 22 recently terminated administrators, might have you rushing to convene the Jedi Council. V. Dion Haynes' June 19 piece, "22 Assistant Principals Are Latest to Be Fired" characterizes Ms. Rhee as a cold-hearted leader constantly usurping power.

In March, after the D.C. Council gave Rhee the authority to reclassify hundreds of employees in the central office, she fired 98 people. Last fall, when Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) sought the reclassification, Rhee said she wanted the same authority to fire ineffective teachers.

Sound familiar? It should, because the manner in which Senator Palpatine was granted emergency powers from the Galactic Senate in that cautionary tale, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, should be fresh in our minds. It was all downhill from there. It is not that her firing of unsatisfactory administrators is inherently bad, but they have the right to know why they were fired. They also deserve more than a week's notice. One may consider tossing in an official evaluation, as well.

I don't want to challenge her authoritarian regime, I mean, authority, but I wonder what the goals of these firings are. Are these assistant principals going to be given positions at other schools (a la teachers who have been fired from schools that don't make AYP)? Like the Battle of Endor, we're going to have to see how this shakes out. I only hope that the Chancellor has not learned to emit lightening from her fingers...

“Flip a coin, what shall we talk about? Heads I tell the truth and tails I lie.”

--The Refreshments

George W. Bush’s weeklong trip through Europe wasn’t only about glamorous dinners and leisurely jaunts to old school castles. The President’s so-called “farewell tour” was a ploy for him to take one last stab at rounding up an entourage to have our backs in our impending squirmish with Iran.

Thus far, this last ditch attempt to convert "the unwilling" into fellow warmongers has come up short, akin to the Hail Mary that gets batted down at the line of scrimmage; an air ball at the buzzer, heaved from half court.

As ticking clocks eat away at the President’s dwindling relevance, his eleventh hour gives no indication that he learned much in the first ten. Whether he’s ready to accept it or not, the rest of the planet is over George W. Bush and his coalitions.

Maybe it’s that “fool me once/fool me twice” phenomenon that Bush never quite wrapped his head around.

At Wednesday’s joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, our Commander-in-chief busted out two vintage Bush Doctrine tactics that unfortunately have defined American foreign policy for almost a decade:

1. The rules he applies to others do not apply to him.
2. Anything he says in front of a TV camera very well could be a lie.

After Bush finished bashing Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for allegedly shrugging off UN sanctions, Bush was asked to comment on reports that Iraqis were hoping for a “dramatic reduction” in the presence of U.S. troops.

Bush replied:

“You know, it's all kinds of noise in their system and our system. What eventually will win out is the truth… We're there at the invitation of the sovereign government of Iraq. And I strongly support the agreement because I think it helps send a clear message to the people of Iraq that, you know, that security you're now seeing will continue. And one of the lessons of Iraq is, is that in order for a democracy to develop or in order for an economy to develop, there has to be a measure of security, which is now happening. So I think we'll get the agreement done… You know, as to -- look, Eggen, you can find any voice you want in the Iraqi political scene and quote them, which is interesting, isn't it, because in the past you could only find one voice, and now you can find a myriad of voices. It's a vibrant democracy; people are debating. There's all kinds of press in the Iraqi scene, of course to the benefit of the Iraqi society. And I deal with Prime Minister Maliki. He appreciates our presence there, and he understands that we're returning on success; as the situation merits, and the situation improves, we're bringing our troops home. And I'm pleased with the progress. I don't know whether or not it's -- the progress has made it here to Germany or not yet, but the progress in Iraq is substantial, and it's going to help change the Middle East for the better. And I love the idea of having -- giving people a chance to live in a free society. The blessings of freedom are -- shouldn't be just a regional blessing; I believe freedom is universal and I believe freedom yields peace.”

Sounds wonderful. Except shortly afterward Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki indicated he may ask U.S. troops to go home when their U.N. mandate to be in Iraq expires at the end of the year.

Now wouldn’t that just fuck everything up?

Maliki announced that his negotiations with U.S. diplomats "reached an impasse" because American negotiators wanted him to sign an agreement that gave the U.S. access to 58 military bases, control of Iraqi airspace and immunity from prosecution for both U.S. soldiers and private contractors. Maliki declined. In fact, while visiting Amman, Jordan, Maliki announced that, “Iraq has another option that it may use…The Iraqi government, if it wants, has the right to demand that the U.N. terminate the presence of international forces on Iraqi sovereign soil.”

Suppose Maliki does order us to leave Iraq. What might that mean if we take seriously statements like the ones Bush made in Germany?

If, in accordance with international law, Iraq requests our timely exit from their sovereign nation, that should seal the deal, shouldn’t it? We should be out of there immediately.

Anything less would obliterate the platitudes and ideological alibis that have been utilized to justify the crimes against humanity carried out in our names. We’d have to change our reason for being there all over again.

Ignoring UN orders that we leave Iraq would further solidify Bush’s permanent reputation in history as a liar and a hypocrite—not that his legacy can get much more doomed than it already is. When countries like Iran and Iraq disobey international rules, we lobby for and/or wage wars against them. America’s purported respect for the sanctity and authority of these international agreements is so profound that our government sends its expendable working class overseas to kill and die enforcing them. If these rules are so important that they’re worth dying for, surely there must be some utility in actually following them ourselves. We should be delighted that a country like Iraq, long ruled by an “evil tyrant,” is learning what it means to free (or to want to be free). And they’re so psyched about test-drive democracy that they’re willing to Declare Independence from would-be colonizers.

What a great opportunity for us to lead by example. As a civilized country, what better way to showcase the joys and perks of democracy than to demonstrate how nations that respect each other’s sovereignty behave toward one another? Since “winning” is apparently a prerequisite for withdrawing, we could even declare “victory” before we leave. Why not? We went there to Nation-Build, and we've successfully created a culture that now values its autonomy enough to tell us, publicly, to get the fuck out of their country. Mission accomplished?

But our Commander-in-chief neither says what he means nor mean what he says. Consider his ramblings in Germany. The statement: “I deal with Prime Minister Maliki” is only half of a sentence. It forgets to qualify itself. The complete sentence goes something like:

“I deal with Prime Minister Maliki by telling Prime Minister Maliki what to say and think and feel and do.”

Or:

“Should Prime Minister Maliki begin putting his own country’s national interests before those of its occupier, the world will see once and for all how I deal with Prime Minister Maliki.”

George W. Bush can call it a "farewell tour" all he wants. But this week, and in the months to follow, the world is saying "good riddance."

They only completed four of the buildings from the plan: Thaw Hall, Pennsylvania Hall, State Hall, and the Mineral Industries Building. I believe only Thaw and Mineral Industries are still extant. However, the latter is relatively hidden (and possibly renamed) while the former has been mutilated beyond recognition. The plan was abandoned because the new chancellor wanted a massive, phallic Cathedral of Learning instead. (What a nimrod!) Check out more Pitt acropolis-related photos here.

I had hoped to make a lengthy, uber-informative post about this missed opportunity, but don't think I'll get around to it. So here is a limerick I composed instead!

The Belated Lament for Messieurs P&H

Back in the day,
in Pittsburgh, PA,
before the Cathedral of Learning,
Palmer and Hornbostel
designed halls 'n' hostels;
their élan - fo' sho' - it was burning.

To be placed in Pittsburgh's metropolis,
they fashioned a Greco-Roman acropolis,
four buildings, completed,
then their project, defeated,
the abandonment sure was dolorous. =(

Bibliography:
University of Pittsburgh Digital Research Library. Full Record for University of Pittsburgh Archives (ASC): ACRP01.UA. Univeristy of Pittsburgh. 2 June 2008.

A short reply by Con George-Kotzabasis to:

A Cool Look at Professor Aitkin’s Global Warming Scepticism

 By Dr. Geoff Davies

On Line Opinion, May 16, 2008

It would be impertinently impetuous and stupid for a layperson like me to argue with an expert in the field as Dr. Davies is. I am however a skeptic. It might well be scientifically true that human “greenhouse emissions are the cause of the present warming”. But in my opinion the crucial scientific question is whether these negative human actions have the power to trump the positive natural forces of the Universe that determine the intra and inter relations of the planets and the sun in their state of equilibrium. It’s this axiomatic question that the supporters of climate change, like Davies, must answer first.

There has been ample evidence that in Roman and medieval times the earth was warmer. Davies himself admits that there have been “fluctuations in the amount of heat received from the sun (due to the slow gyrations of the earth in its orbit around the sun”). It seems however that natural forces triggered their own “stabilizers” of cooling periods and the earth once again found its viable natural balance and avoided catastrophe or extinction. Further, Nigel Lawson, the former editor of the Spectator and Chancellor of the Exchequer, poses the up till now unassailable question that has not been answered by the climate “gloomies”.: “Is it really plausible that there is an ideal average world temperature…from which a small departure in either direction would spell disaster?”

When one chooses to go on the warpath one must be confident about his position and clear and undeviating about one’s goals. Dr Davies seems like a defeated “combatant” to have abandoned the field of battle and its original goal. It seems that he finds it difficult to prove his case and therefore his goal no longer is to demonstrate that greenhouse emissions cause global warming but to argue, by shifting his position and aims, that by stopping the “over-exploitation of the earth", reducing “energy use and greenhouse emissions”, all of which are easily achievable according to him, the end result will be ‘to improve our lives’, save money, and “allow our grandchildren’s grandchildren to inherit a rich and fulfilling world”.

 Your opinion

A reply by Dr. Davies and a counter reply by Kotzabasis

In my challenge of 17 May my intention was to broaden the view to see if there might be some common ground.

Evidently Kotzabasis wasn't capable of comprehending that. I'll broaden it even a little more. If you don't believe we can endlessly increase our use of Earth's resources, the implication is that at some time we will have to change the way our economies work, and also stop the increase in population. If you also agree the Earth is showing many signs of over-exploitation (I include global warming, though you may not), then it suggests the time is now. Then, why would you spend so much energy arguing against "AGW"? Why not argue for (or work for) the change we must make?

Clive Hamilton on New Matilda says a better description of many objectors is "contrarian". Do you just like to object and be contrary? If so, deal with your personal problem instead of spraying it around on everyone else. If you think we CAN endlessly increase our use of Earth's resources, I can only refer you to basic physics, starting with conservation of mass. (Note: I said "endlessly increase our use of resources". I didn't say "indefinitely improve the quality of our lives". We can use fewer resources more cleverly than we do now and still live well.) If you don't see the Earth showing any signs of stress, I suggest there are none so blind as those who will not see.

I refer everyone to Clive's article: http://www.newmatilda.com/2008/05/19/death-rattles-climate-change-skeptics He does a better job than me of giving a fair portrait of science, climate scientists and IPCC, and contrasting them with the shonky denialists, who of course always claim there's a conspiracy to prevent them from publishing. Posted by Geoff Davies, Tuesday, 20 May 2008 10:35:52 AM

Dr. Davies

It was evident even to blind Fredie that you broadened your view since you felt you were “narrow” in your arguments to make your case on the original issue of global warming. It’s rather amusing to hear a scientist say that by broadening his view he was seeking to find “some common ground”. Scientists, as you know better than me, are not interested in seeking a common ground but in seeking the truth. And once they are confident that they are close to finding it they don’t deviate from their path. But you did! Without consciously realizing that by doing so you were weakening your original position.

I can assure you I am no Hamiltonian “contrarian”. If you had read my first post you would have seen that. You just gave me the strong impression with your “broadening” post that you were no longer arguing like a scientist but like a seer or more precisely like an ideologue. And your current post with its “common ground” substantiates this impression.

I don’t disagree with you that we “CAN endlessly increase our use of Eath’s resources” without endangering our future well being or that the earth does not show “signs" of “stress”. But I thought we were specifically talking about the “stress” of global warming and not the earth’s overall exploitation by man in his foolishness not to use the earth’s resources with Occam’s razor.

Con George-Kotzabasis

We have filed a public records request with the University, as it has been demonstrated to us again and again that the university refuses to act in good faith about these issues.

While students around the country were campaigning for actual enforcement of our labor codes so that workers' human rights are actually respected, our university was involved in discussions with other universities to develop a new labor code program through the Collegiate Licensing Company (a for-profit organization that has absolutely no experience in workers rights) that they plan to present as an "alternative" to the DSP.

For three years we have been asking for open and transparent dialogue and have been denied. Although our Director of Licensing did report back to the LLCAC about a "university discussion group," his reports did not include the extent to which the CLC was involved and indeed any substantive description of what the university task force was doing. University administrators have a responsibility to articulate the goals of university participation in any such task force in the interests of remaining transparent.

As we've seen again and again, UNC-Chapel Hill would prefer to remain a sweatshop university built on the abuses of workers throughout its supply chain because exploring alternatives that would protect human dignity is "idealistic," in the words of Chancellor James Moeser, and tantamount to trying to "bail" the ocean out with a "teaspoon."

See the full text of our response to these developments here, as well as a copy of the draft proposal.

Derek Lochbaum, UNC Director of Licensing has to these day not answered these questions posed to him by members of the LLCAC:

1. Was he asked by the Chancellor to be involved in this discussion group or did he take on this initiative by himself as the Director of Trademarks and Licensing?

2.To what extent does this initiative involves the CLC?

3. To what extent does this initiative involve the FLA?

4. Has the University committed to remaining involved in this? Where did this directive come from? (Certainly not the LLCAC, since there was never a vote on participation in this group.)

5. To what extent is this initiative characterized as a "new" licensing program (e.g., would it displace anything we are currently doing, either in terms of substantive provisions in our labor code or procedurally in terms of our use of FLA (or WRC)?

6. Was Derek approached by members of the FLA/CLC in order to be involved in this? Was this fully disclosed to the committee?

E-mail the Director of Licensing at derek_lochbaum@unc.edu, call him at (919) 962-2403, and e-mail Chancellor James Moeser at James_Moeser@unc.edu and call him at (919) 962-1365 to demand that they and the entire UNC administration be transparent about this process!

We will NOT allow the real decisions to be made behind-the-scenes with a sham committee process giving them legitimacy. We want real participation, and we want real enforcement of our labor codes in order to uphold the human dignity of workers in our supply chain!

This is a picture of a papier mache float in the Rose Monday carnival parade in Dusseldorf, March 3, 2003. The woman emerging from Uncle Sam's buttocks is Angela Merkel, subsequently elected the first woman Chancellor of Germany in 2005 and currently considered by Forbes Magazine to be the most powerful woman in the world (followed in second place by Condolessa Rice). At the time of this photograph she was the leader of the conservative opposition in Germany and highly critical of the government's anti-Iraq stance; she had also just returned from a trip to Washington, D.C.   here

Our statement on the arrests and why we chose to occupy Chancellor Moeser's office at 11 am on May 2, 2008:

Chancellor Moeser explicitly stated at the May 2 Labor Licensing Code Advisory Committee meeting that he, after eight years of being UNC Chancellor, was just there to "listen" and had no intention of taking any moral leadership on the fact that our apparel is manufactured under sweatshop conditions. He would prefer to pass this responsibility on to the next Chancellor.

We wanted to send a message to Chancellor Moeser and the new Chancellor: as long as our education continues to run on the backs of workers who are abused and denied their basic human rights, until there is justice for ALL workers in the Carolina community, we would not voluntarily leave the administration building, and we would NOT allow business as usual to be conducted within its doors.

Chancellor Moeser characterized our actions as illegal, demonstrated by his order to arrest us-- but let us ask, which is more criminal, taking a stand for the human rights of workers by peacefully occupying an office of a public institution that our tuition pays for, or allowing our Carolina apparel to be made under sweatshop conditions that violate international and domestic law?

Chancellor Moeser expressed regret in our decision to occupy his office. We cannot begin to express our disappointment in the Chancellor of a University that calls itself the "university of the people," who would prefer to arrest peaceful student protesters instead of ensuring that there is justice for the workers who make this university run.

Details of the arrests:

1. We were taken to the magistrate in Orange County, not the UNC Department of Public Safety, where we were all charged with "failure to disperse on command" and one of us was additionally charged with "resisting a public officer" because she went limp upon being arrested.

2. None of us were charged with disorderly conduct. Despite what the Chancellor characterizes our actions as, we were, in fact, peaceful, when engaging in this civil disobedience, as evidenced by our charges. Yall should file an information request from UNC to the UNC detective who filmed our arrests, so you can see for yourselves.

3. One of us, Linda Gomaa, a UNC junior, was arrested before any formal warning or announcement from the Chancellor's office that we would be arrested for occupying the Chancellor's office, in clear violation of standard procedure for the statute "failure to disperse upon command" (there was no command before she was arrested). At least four others were standing in a similar situation (see picture). She was picked "randomly" from the crowd that was engaging in similar activity, though the rest of the crowd was permitted time to leave after the warning and was not arrested. She was handcuffed with metal handcuffs.

4. Four of us remained in the Chancellor's office as the police called for backups and a van to take us away. We sat on the floor, linking arms. We were asked to unlink our arms so that our arrests would not be more painful than necessary. We agreed. Thomas Mattera, a UNC sophomore, was the first to be arrested from our group. We were all handcuffed with plastic zip strips that cut off our circulation. Tim Stallman, a UNC graduate student, was the next to be arrested. Sarah Hirsch, a part-time UNC student, was then arrested and carried out of the actual office when she went limp. Salma Mirza, a UNC senior, was the last to be arrested, and went limp from the start. Her zip strip was tightened and she was dragged by her arms to the anteroom of the office. The outside doors of the office were closed so that the press could not see how much pain she was in. The officers debated about bringing in a stretcher to carry her out, decided against it, and dragged her into a rolling chair in the office. She was still carried by her arms instead of the chair she was in out of the building, then dragged into the van. As a result of being dragged by the police with the zip strips constraining her arms behind her back, rather than carried, she has bruising on her upper arms, wrists, and potentially permanent nerve damage to her right hand (partially numb because the zip strips stunned a nerve), though she retains all motor skills according to Orange County EMS and UNC ER physicians.

5. We were then taken to Orange County to be booked and processed. Immediately upon arriving, we requested that our zip strips be loosened if not taken off, as we were in pain and had been cooperative throughout the booking process. The officers refused. The zip strips were not removed until our lawyer, Al McSurely of the NAACP arrived, and requested the magistrate order that they be removed, nearly two hours after they were placed on us.

Details of the charges:

The Hillsborough magistrate of Orange County, Loy F. Long found in response to the sworn testimony of the arresting officer that defendants Linda Gomaa, Sarah Hirsch, Thomas Mattera, Tim Stallmann and Salma Mirza were arrested without a warrant and the defendant's detention was justified because there was probable cause to believe that on May 2, 2008 the defendants unlawfully and willfully did assemblage of at least three or more persons engaged in conduct creating:

A FORMATION THAT BLOCKED, OR INTERFERED WITH THE OPERATION OR FUNCTIONING OF SOUTH BUILDING OF THE CAMPUS OF UNC, CHAPEL HILL, NC, upon the command to disperse BY OFC. J.S. CARROLL OF THE UNC POLICE DEPARTMENT, A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER RESPONSIBLE FOR KEEPING THE PEACE AND GIVEN IN A MANNER REASONABLY CALCULATED TO BE HEARD BY THOSE ASSEMBLED.

(Except Linda didn't get that command, and was unlawfully arrested and picked out at random before the command and formal warning was issued.)

The additional charge of resisting a public officer was tacked on to Salma Mirza's charge of failure to disperse because she went limp and had to be dragged out:

The Hillsborough magistrate of Orange County, Loy F. Long found that the defendant Salma Mirza was arrested without a warrant and the defendant's detention is justified because there is probable cause to believe that on May 2, 2008 the defendant unlawfully and willfully did resist, delay, and obstruct J.T. HEINRICH, a public officer holding the office of UNC PUBLIC POLICE OFFICER, by REFUSING TO LEAVE THE SCENE OF A DISTURBANCE AT SOUTH BUILDING ON THE CAMPUS OF UNC, CHAPEL HILL, NC. At the time, the officer was discharging and attempting to discharge a duty of his office, ATTEMPTING TO DISPERSE A CROWD. (considering that she was the last to be arrested, does one person really count as a crowd?)

The sit-in ends with our arrests; but the campaign for justice for all workers will continue.

That this story has been reported as a sign of Brown's faltering leadership, however, raises a number of important issues about the nature of government in the United Kingdom.  It is of concern to me that Brown's decision to listen and respond to the opinions of the rank and file of his Parliamentary party is the subject of derision.  For me, it is precisely what I want to see from him.   One of Brown's many weaknesses is his secretive, autocratic nature.  The image of him brooding over his decisions with his circle of trusted advisers in the privacy of his bunker exists for a reason.  Similarly his predecessor had a very autocratic style of leadership listening only to his Kingmakers and across the chamber the (very) few decisions that his opponent makes are the product of a 'think tank' which is very much an exclusive club.  So this situation doesn't look like it will change any time soon.  And it is not what our government is meant to be like.

The House of Commons is comprised of 646 Members of Parliament each representing the population of a geographical constituency.  646 men and women representing over 60 million Britons.  And yet the majority of decisions are made by a small cabal of politicians and their unelected advisers in private meetings.  Of course their decisions have to go through the process of Parliament, but this is generally a farce with Party Whips ensuring that MPs vote in accordance with the Party leaders wishes on legislature shaped by that cabal.  And so, on those rare occasions that backbench MPs decide to follow their conscience or the wishes of their constituency it is reported as a revolt.  A sensation.  This should be the norm.  A Member of Parliament is elected to represent the people, not to acquiesce to their party establishment.  What we have lost sight of in this country is the significance of the word represent.  In its stead I regularly see the governing party being described as being 'in power'.  Parliament rules the country, where the country should rule Parliament.  The Government are not in power, they are in the service of the people.

The obstacle between the situation as it is and as it was originally intended to be is the party system.  It's a utopian vision, but imagine for a second that political parties were done away with.  No inner-circle of cabinet ministers, no whips, no block voting, no vested interests.  From amongst the 646 independent MPs a Prime Minister and Cabinet of Ministers are selected to draft legislation which is then shaped and amended by the free debate and free votes of all 646 MPs.  It has never been considered because the status quo suits too many people of too great a financial influence.  What a pity that it does not suit the needs of the electorate.

And what a pity that our constitution fails to give them the people of Great Britain the Government that they deserve.

"It's not as far-fetched as you think."

The other night I found a recording of Dragons' Den and soon saw Gordon Brown staggering up the stairs with Alistair Darling carrying a big book labelled Golden Rules. “Brown and Darling,” said Evan Davis, the presenter, “seek £2,500bn to support their project, UKplc.”

Gordon Brown made his pitch: “Following a decade of year-on-year growth and inflation within the target range, we face global uncertainty outside my control. To support essential services and stay on track to deliver best-in-class education and a free health service at the point of delivery, we need to invest £2,500bn.”

Alistair gazed admiringly while Gordon mentioned social housing, joined-up thinking and more new deal money to create a world-class workforce.

A Scottish Dragon interrupted. “Why would I invest in a chief executive who got his company heavily into debt?”

“But,” replied Gordon, looking irritated. “Borrowing is below acceptable levels set within my Golden Rules.”

“But you changed the rules,” continued the Dragon.

“No!” replied Gordon crossly. “The rules remain the same but we have entered a new economic cycle.” Alistair nodded in agreement.

Another Dragon spoke. “Your balance sheet excludes Northern Rock and ignores your pension liabilities.” Avoiding the question, Gordon bragged about low levels of unemployment.

“How many new jobs have gone to civil servants?” asked another Dragon.

“Glad you asked that,” deflected Gordon. “Our £26bn Gershon economy drive included substantial hidden non-cash savings through forecast improvements in our sickness record.”

“Mr Darling,” said the Dragon. “How many people in your department have experience of business?”

“My extremely competent team,” said Alistair, “are all highly trained civil servants.”

The Dragons had heard enough. “You don’t deserve my money,” one said. “You’ve lost control of expenditure, gone heavily into debt and customers don’t trust you. So, Mr Brown - I’m out.” With those words he left for Monte Carlo.

Alistair and Gordon trudged downstairs to be replaced by a smiling David Cameron happy in the knowledge that the next recession won't come until 2025.

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OK now that I’ve got your attention, let me just say that this is probably the single most disturbing piece of video that I’ve ever watched in my life… and if the move’s only half as good at the trailer, then it is destine to become an instant cult classic.

Produced by Justin Fornal (Fornal Films LLC) under the alias of “The Chancellor” this looks to be one of the most intriguing independent films ever. Pitting the 80’s cartoon villains Destro and Zartan against each other in an apparent struggle over what I can only speculate to call; “Philosophy of the Hot Tub” vs. “The Specter’s Citrus Blue”. I can only guess as to where the “AIDS cure” comes into play, but I’m under the impression that one of the side effects to Citrus Blue is that it makes the body uninhabitable to the AIDS virus and somehow causes the break down of society, leaving the President no other choice than to suspend the Federal Government’s responsibility for the safety of it’s citizens…

I’ll be interested in seeing exactly how all of this comes to play out, but for now I’ll just have to be content to watch the movie trailer (over and over again) until such time as I am able to report anything about the release and distribution of this movie.

Canzo Empyrean Extended Trailer

Q: So they say you're the greatest killer of all time?

A: Well...

Rock star and astrophysics expert Brian May took up his post as a university chancellor today, warning that science funding cuts risked damaging Britain's position on the world stage.

The Queen guitarist, who last year completed a long-abandoned doctoral thesis on interplanetary dust, said he was "very proud" to become the chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) in north-west England.

The 60-year-old star, who dropped his studies in the 1970s as Queen took off, told the 500-strong congregation as he accepted the largely honorary post that science was woefully underfunded in Britain.

"It is very sad that the cuts have been so sweeping. It is a real shame. I think everyone is going through a horrific time in science in this country. It is a rather sorry state of affairs," he said.

"I think it is a big mistake and we are putting our future internationally at risk in science. We need a bit of funding. We need support for the great scientific nation we have been."

May, who penned hits like We Will Rock You, The Show Must Go On and Flash, hoped his experiences would act as an inspiration for others to start learning again.

Cherie Blair, the former prime minister Tony Blair's wife, was in the audience. The Liverpudlian served as LJMU chancellor from 1999-2006.

May also spoke about Queen's forthcoming album with former Free and Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers, and subsequent European tour from September to November.

The record is the legendary British group's first studio album in 13 years.

May and drummer Roger Taylor remain from the original four band members. Singer Freddie Mercury died of AIDS-related pneumonia in 1991, while bassist John Deacon has retired.

"The long arm of Queen has pulled me back in at the moment. It is a beast," said May.

"We've pressed the button to go on tour this autumn so already the preparations are very consuming. We are finishing an album. We've chosen our set, we've chosen our environment on tour.

"It is very exciting, very exciting indeed. Very time consuming. but Queen always was consuming."

A sequel to Queen's hit musical We Will Rock You is also in its planning stages, May added.

Schultes is best known for his masterplan of Berlin's government district around the Reichstag, and his practice's designs for the Chancellory (Angela Merkel's formal residence).  Pictures of the Chancelllory are at the end - nothing wrong with the design, which uses some of the same themes and detailing, but somehow the whole building seems vastly overscaled;  the Treptow crematorium is by far the more impressive piece of work.

Anyway, more images of the crematorium...

The columns are arranged apparently randomly around a large central space, off which are four chapels.  In fact, the columns are carefully placed around a small circular fountain/pool in the centre, and subtly aligned with the features of the walls.  The light from the head of each column is daylight - a clever structural arrangement allows for the column to be attached into the side of a circular hole.  I could have spent the whole day just wandering around the place.

The pool has an egg almost invisibly suspended just above it.  Permanent, or an Easter connection?  Not sure.  Am guessing the former, as it must be quite an operation to set up such an apparently simple thing.

One of the four chapels.

Curiously, gaps in the floor along the outer walls are filled with fine white sand, lit from beneath the floor level.  Any overt meaning is lost on me.

The obligatory 'angled arty image'.

Another oddity.  Scattered around the perimeter of the building are hundreds of funerary urns and stones, presumably predating the new crematorium building.  It's as if the whole structure had just landed on its site, scattering everything that was there.  But quite a deliberate detail, I'm guessing.

Finally, as noted at the top, some images of Schultes' Bundeskanzleramt, taken on an open day last August (many of the government district's buildings are open to the public once a year).  In retrospect, I have to say that it all looks more effective in the photos than I remember it on the day.  Maybe it's the ivy?  Anyway, interesting to note (interesting to me at least) that the same blue anodized metal is used for detailing (railings, vent panels etc) throughout, as in the crematorium.  External columns also follow the same design as the crematorium's internal space.  Although you can't really make out the heads of these in the image - it's that ivy.

Schultes' master plan creates a 'long thin' government district which crosses the Spree twice;  the Chancellery gardens are reached across the pedestrian bridge on the left.

They need to keep that trimmed back...  (you can make out Hugh Stubbins' Haus der Kulturen der Welt in the background). 

Note the blue metal detailing - not 100% sure that I like the effect.  But the ivy looks good.

A new dawn of democracy has risen in the Land of the Thunder Dragon with the Fifth King, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the eldest son of the Fourth King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck. A peek into the early life of the Fifth King reveals that he had an impressive academic track record.

With a short stint in early schooling in Bhutan, the Fifth King began his tryst with higher studies and graduated from Cushing Academy and Wheaton College in the United States. He took to Foreign Service Programme from Magdalen College at Oxford University and earned an M Phil degree in politics. To hone his defence and administrative skills, the new king also joined the National Defence College, New Delhi and US-based Kennedy School of Governance.

Bred in an ambience of traditional Bhutanese environment, he attended the royal court of his father. With an immense exposure to the regal traditions, culture of the land and the realities of the country tucked under his belt, today the Fifth King is a confident national figure who has taken over the monarch as the Fifth Druk Gyalpo of the Himalayan kingdom. The coronation ceremony will be held next year. The Fifth King has been the recipient of an honorary degree of Doctor of Law from the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton in Canada. In addition to this, Bangkok’s Rangsit University has awarded him an honorary doctorate degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics that reveals his significant contributions in the verticals of leadership, wisdom and developmental strategies for upgrading the quality of lives of citizens.

The Fifth King received hand-on experience in state administration and often toured along with his father to special meets and development plan meetings. At the age of 17, he became the Crown Prince of Bhutan. He also had the privilege to represent his country at the 27th UN General Assembly held on 8 May 2002 in which he addressed the leaders of 190 member countries during the UN special session for the kids. It was one of the most prominent global conferences organised to create a suitable world for the kids. Politics runs in the family of the Fifth King who was installed as the Trongsa Penelop on 21 October 2004. He also presided over public meets on the draft Constitution.

A great sportsman, the Fifth King often enjoyed participating in archery and basketball tournaments with the students. He had an opportunity to serve as the Chef Patron in the Scouts Association of Bhutan and developed sound relations with the youth of the country that made him to develop an insight into their current social problems. Today the Fifth King holds eminent positions like the Chancellor of the Royal University of Bhutan. The king has expressed concern on the conditions of social victims including school dropouts and drug abuse. He worked relentlessly to set up the premier Juvenile Rehabilitation Complex at Tsimalakha, Bhutan in 1999. 

After taking over the responsibility from his father, the Fifth King has developed a prominent role in public leadership. The king addressed the nation from the capital town on 17 December 2003 when the Fourth King had led the military operations to combat insurgency problem. The Fifth King insists, “We must pledge to fulfill the responsibilities that we have inherited and place the nation on the fast track of development.” The king has embarked upon a mission to keep peace and tranquillity in the country, protect its security, meet the vision of Gross National Happiness and consolidate the vibrant system of democracy.

He addressed the Graduates of 2007 saying that the greatest strength of the country has been its political stability and once a robust economy is developed, the country will have strong foundations of vibrant democracy in future.

He also announced some tweaking of the system to make it easier for charities to collect and claim their Gift Aid. However, he failed to go along with the majority opinion, which was to change radically the way that Gift Aid is calculated, from the current system based on individuals having to declare they want the charities to claim the Gift Aid, to a system where it is given by the HMRC based on the proportion of a charity's donors who are tax payers. This would have greatly reduced the time and money it costs charities to administrate Gift Aid. Still, I suppose we mustn't grumble!

The thing that has really annoyed so many charities, is that there was no warning that he was going to keep Gift Aid at the same level for another 3 years. As a result, hundreds of charities have been getting all their donation literature re-printed, at considerable cost to some organisations, in line with the lower Gift Aid rate we were due to move to. Now they have piles of unusable literature, because the facts and figures are incorrect.

Sometimes a surprise can backfire and in this case I doubt the Chancellor will be offering to compensate the waste of time and materials his unexpected announcement has caused.

The budget has been dissected across the media, and shown up for what it is, but the utter ridiculousness of most of what he said and the consistent attack on middle England was there for all to see. At a time the public are crying out for action to be taken on the alcohol-fuelled violence which has render towns and cities across the country no-go areas, what does Darling do? He ups the tax on spirits and wine. And the one things he doesn’t hit? Cider, the drinks of choice of the yob.