First capitalisers

Even while the ground continues to shake, reactors are melting down and rescuers count the dead, men in suits seek to make political capital. Kyodo reports:

LDP urges Kan to do more in rescue operations

Kan has already dispatched 100,000 rescuers and the whole country with international assistance is on top of this, so what do they mean ‘do more’? They are making puffing noises, jostling for political position. Why don’t they grab a shovel, get off their well-padded arses and go do something real?

Also: surreal report on BBC live that the earthquake could be good for the Japanese economy. Some accountant sat down and figured out the numbers even while the tragedy is ongoing. Do I need to add the words ‘revolting slimebags’?

The bollocks people talk, part 27 million in an infinite series

Quoting from the Grauniad:

Barack Obama pledged US assistance following what he called a potentially “catastrophic” disaster.

What on earth is a potentially catastrophic disaster? What does this language mean? Is there a functioning brain behind that utterance?

Ten thousand people missing, towns washed away and nuclear reactors in meltdown: what is potential about this? And what is the difference between catastrophe, disaster, and catastophic disaster?

 

So that’s all right then

An Israeli government inquiry into it’s own behaviour has concluded that it did nothing wrong in killing nine peace protesters in the commando raid on a peace flotilla last year.

Well, we didn’t see that coming, did we. When the Israel government announced that it was going to investigate itself we expected reflection, introspection, hand wringing, guilt and, eventually, remorse and justice with trials and sackings and the rest of it.

Well, perhaps we didn’t.

In other news, Sweeny Todd the demon barber of Fleet Street has found his practice of turning people into meat pies to be fair and reasonable after diligently investigating himself over a nice Kit-Kat in a break from the killing chair, etc.

In related news, Tony Blair in front of the Chilcot enquiry has said that Britain needs to stop apologising for invading Iraq and participating in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. Mr. Blair failed to actually say who had apologised and when. Mr. Blair also expressed regret for the deaths in Iraq, though he didn’t say why he thought you could invade a country without killing people.

Meanwhile, the Israeli government is considering hiring Lord Chilcot for future investigations into itself because of his stellar handling of the current Iraq inquiry. With Chilcot on their team they feel they can have as many inquiries as they want in perfect safety.

Etc.

Dolphin-killing fishermen worried that film presents them as dolphin-killing fishermen

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100704a5.html

Fishermen in Taiji, Japan, who kill dolphins for a living, are worried that a documentary film about killing dolphins might give the impression that they kill dolphins for a living.

“This is a completely fair and accurate description of what we do for a living,” said one, “and it really pisses us off.”

Another complained that the film completely failed not to mention that the fishermen of Taiji kill dolphins for a living.

“The film seems to be saying that we kill hundreds of dolphins every year, which, in fact, could not be further from the untruth”, said another.

The long, the short and the straw

I have a plastic straw here with the words “Long straw for drinking” printed on its packaging.

I was unaware you could drink straws.

If I look around, I wonder if I will find “Medium-length straw for taking cocaine” or “Short straw for self sacrifice”.

BP Portrait award 2010

A painting of a dead woman wins the BP Portrait Award, 2010 … surely the winning image in a BP show  should be of dead pelicans (and fish and dolphins and crabs and … )

Australia Government Initiates Legal Action On Japanese Whaling

http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-100528-1.html

Soviet-style education adopted by US

The board of education of Texas (which is in the USA) has adopted a politicised school curriculum on the model of the Soviet Union, communist China, Nazi Germany or North Korea.

The change is intended to correct a perceived liberal bias in education by imposing an overt right wing one.

Dear Leader, the governor of Texas

Under the new curriculum, kids are to be taught that the UN is a threat to freedom, that laissez faire capitalism is the Word of the Dear Leader (God) and taxation causes cancer.

Thomas Jefferson has been airbrushed out of history and children will hear how the founding fathers didn’t really intend a separation of church and state and that any statement to that effect in the constitution is merely a typing error.

Any teachers failing to inculcate the precepts of the new curriculum, titled USA Uber Alles, will be sent to a gulag — there are vacancies at Guantanamo.

Kids will also be taught that burgers are the ultimate health food, Fox News is the Word of God, and that the world is flat.

Furthermore … what’s that thumping on my door?

Twit

Psipook is back on Twitter: here.

Coalition update

Q: What does Nick Cleggstand for?
A: David Cameron entering the room.

Update supplied by Nagaijin.