Olympic observations...

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...and nothing to do with the Olympic Games but more the Olympic class ocean liners one of which was the mildly famous Titanic and even then not entirely about that either: "The madness of billionaires, central bankers, and Chancellors" [The Slog]: The Titanic, the Quantitative Easer, and the Austerititor System. "Sir Mervyn King has spent 96% of the Get out of Jail pot on strengthening the financial system, while Little Osborne has patched just 4% of the hole in the bottom of the pot...It really isn’t going to work is it? No, it isn't."..."But here’s the truly terrifying part: Ed Balls has an idea for another machine, the Bollockometer. It consist of his mouth emitting spittle and bollocks. That’s it."

Olympic observations...

---

...and nothing to do with the Olympic Games but more the Olympic class ocean liners one of which was the mildly famous Titanic and even then not entirely about that either: "The madness of billionaires, central bankers, and Chancellors" [The Slog]: The Titanic, the Quantitative Easer, and the Austerititor System. "Sir Mervyn King has spent 96% of the Get out of Jail pot on strengthening the financial system, while Little Osborne has patched just 4% of the hole in the bottom of the pot...It really isn’t going to work is it? No, it isn't."..."But here’s the truly terrifying part: Ed Balls has an idea for another machine, the Bollockometer. It consist of his mouth emitting spittle and bollocks. That’s it."

Oval Office Orwellian on openess...

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Are political donations a public or private affair? Sometimes it is in the public interest to have these things in the public domain...and sometimes it is sinister, partisan and downright outrageous: would you worry if you were a private - albeit wealthy - non-criminal citizen, with no elected office, sent a donation to the Republican nominee campaign and that "Several days later, President Barack Obama, the most powerful man on the planet, singles you out by name. His campaign brands you a Romney donor, shames you for "betting against America," and accuses you of having a "less-than-reputable" record. The message from the man who controls the Justice Department (which can indict you), the SEC (which can fine you), and the IRS (which can audit you), is clear: You made a mistake donating that money."? Would you? That can't have really happened, can it?

Oval Office Orwellian on openess...

---

Are political donations a public or private affair? Sometimes it is in the public interest to have these things in the public domain...and sometimes it is sinister, partisan and downright outrageous: would you worry if you were a private - albeit wealthy - non-criminal citizen, with no elected office, sent a donation to the Republican nominee campaign and that "Several days later, President Barack Obama, the most powerful man on the planet, singles you out by name. His campaign brands you a Romney donor, shames you for "betting against America," and accuses you of having a "less-than-reputable" record. The message from the man who controls the Justice Department (which can indict you), the SEC (which can fine you), and the IRS (which can audit you), is clear: You made a mistake donating that money."? Would you? That can't have really happened, can it?

Official overspend...

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No, not the news Ed Balls has been yearning for*, but that the European Commission has spent 315,000 quid on a redesign of its logo that "was so similar to the old design that it went virtually unnoticed when it was changed six weeks ago" says Bruno Waterfield in the DT. The cost for the graphic designer and artwork was £110,000 but "the bill for replacing the various logos used by the Commission added another £215,000 to the cost of a redesign". EU officials insist that it is a saving because the confusion with of hundreds of departmental logos had been £3.7 million over recent years...oh, OK. NOT!



* although it was to some** extent a surprise and is already being doubted.

** but the UK economy has been 'bumping along the bottom' for a while.



 

Official overspend...

---

No, not the news Ed Balls has been yearning for*, but that the European Commission has spent 315,000 quid on a redesign of its logo that "was so similar to the old design that it went virtually unnoticed when it was changed six weeks ago" says Bruno Waterfield in the DT. The cost for the graphic designer and artwork was £110,000 but "the bill for replacing the various logos used by the Commission added another £215,000 to the cost of a redesign". EU officials insist that it is a saving because the confusion with of hundreds of departmental logos had been £3.7 million over recent years...oh, OK. NOT!

* although it was to some** extent a surprise and is already being doubted.
** but the UK economy has been 'bumping along the bottom' for a while.

 

Optimistic outlook II...

---

Happy St. George's Day, the patron saint of England, and to celebrate, some excellent news...about Britain: "A strong sense of national identity does appear to make a difference to how positive or negative people feel. The report shows that 38% of the people that felt a strong sense of belonging to Britain feel optimistic about the year, while only 24% of those who did not have a strong sense of belonging have the same optimism." So says British Future - a new independent, non-partisan think-tank - in their new report [pdf link]: Hopes and Fears: The British Future State of the Nation Report 2012. The report is titled 'This Sceptred Isle'**. A year of quiet hope...": we in Britain are 'surprisingly optimistic about the impact of 2012' and - despite the tough economic times - feel upbeat around their personal lives, and their family’s achievements for the year ahead.



** This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle, This earth of Majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi-paradise; This fortress built by Nature for herself, Against infection and the hand of war, This happy breed of men, this little world, This precious stone set in the silver sea, Which serves it in the office of a wall, Or as a moat defensive to a house, Against the envy of less happier lands; This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England, This nurse, this teeming womb of royal kings, Fear'd by their breed, and famous by their birth.



The Bard was good wasn't he? The speech 'attributed' to John of Gaunt (portrayed in a very sympathetic light by Shakespeare) is wonderful; today we see a similar 'renting out' of  'divinely favoured' England; organic unity is a step in the right direction towards independence once more.



 

Optimistic outlook II...

---

Happy St. George's Day, the patron saint of England, and to celebrate, some excellent news...about Britain: "A strong sense of national identity does appear to make a difference to how positive or negative people feel. The report shows that 38% of the people that felt a strong sense of belonging to Britain feel optimistic about the year, while only 24% of those who did not have a strong sense of belonging have the same optimism." So says British Future - a new independent, non-partisan think-tank - in their new report [pdf link]: Hopes and Fears: The British Future State of the Nation Report 2012. The report is titled 'This Sceptred Isle'**. A year of quiet hope...": we in Britain are 'surprisingly optimistic about the impact of 2012' and - despite the tough economic times - feel upbeat around their personal lives, and their family’s achievements for the year ahead.

** This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle, This earth of Majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi-paradise; This fortress built by Nature for herself, Against infection and the hand of war, This happy breed of men, this little world, This precious stone set in the silver sea, Which serves it in the office of a wall, Or as a moat defensive to a house, Against the envy of less happier lands; This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England, This nurse, this teeming womb of royal kings, Fear'd by their breed, and famous by their birth.

The Bard was good wasn't he? The speech 'attributed' to John of Gaunt (portrayed in a very sympathetic light by Shakespeare) is wonderful; today we see a similar 'renting out' of  'divinely favoured' England; organic unity is a step in the right direction towards independence once more.

 

Obama's otterhound...

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Dog wars escalate! No guessing what the story relates to: "In case you missed it, the [Democratic National Committee] has spent months harping on a decades-old story about Romney putting his dog carrier on the roof of a station wagon. No one in the media seemed to think this was silly or beneath notice. Then, earlier this week, we learned of an excerpt from Obama's award-winning memoir in which he describes eating dog during his time in Indonesia. Suddenly, the left became stunned and uncertain how to proceed." [Link]. There's many more great images, jokes and videos on this.



P.S. I'm pretty sure Barrack Obama never owned an Otterhound but it's the only dog breed that springs to mind that begins with an O!

Obama's otterhound...

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Dog wars escalate! No guessing what the story relates to: "In case you missed it, the [Democratic National Committee] has spent months harping on a decades-old story about Romney putting his dog carrier on the roof of a station wagon. No one in the media seemed to think this was silly or beneath notice. Then, earlier this week, we learned of an excerpt from Obama's award-winning memoir in which he describes eating dog during his time in Indonesia. Suddenly, the left became stunned and uncertain how to proceed." [Link]. There's many more great images, jokes and videos on this.

P.S. I'm pretty sure Barrack Obama never owned an Otterhound but it's the only dog breed that springs to mind that begins with an O!

Oh-Oh Oreo...

---

"Milk's favorite cookie" [sic] has gone into defence mode. Oreo is apparently the world's 'most beloved cookie' (although a few years ago we in the UK weren't convinced) with 'a staggering $1.5billion in global revenues'. Last month the brand celebrated its 100th birthday. Kraft, the company that now owns Nabisco (the firm which produces Oreos), naturally released 'limited editions' with different fillings and specific adverts. They've had a lot of good classic advertising (example left) playing on the two Os but the latest - in a different style - had led to some controversy; Kraft has "swiftly moved into damage limitation mode":  “Our understanding is that they [not Kraft, an independent ad company] created it for use at an isolated advertising awards forum in Korea ...It was never intended for consumer advertising or public distribution” [Inquisitr]. The above 1951 ad with a woman is a far (baby) cry from the cause of the hoohah...I think it's great, and not in a pervy way...much.



 

Oh-Oh Oreo...

---

"Milk's favorite cookie" [sic] has gone into defence mode. Oreo is apparently the world's 'most beloved cookie' (although a few years ago we in the UK weren't convinced) with 'a staggering $1.5billion in global revenues'. Last month the brand celebrated its 100th birthday. Kraft, the company that now owns Nabisco (the firm which produces Oreos), naturally released 'limited editions' with different fillings and specific adverts. They've had a lot of good classic advertising (example left) playing on the two Os but the latest - in a different style - had led to some controversy; Kraft has "swiftly moved into damage limitation mode":  “Our understanding is that they [not Kraft, an independent ad company] created it for use at an isolated advertising awards forum in Korea ...It was never intended for consumer advertising or public distribution” [Inquisitr]. The above 1951 ad with a woman is a far (baby) cry from the cause of the hoohah...I think it's great, and not in a pervy way...much.

 

Obtenebrating Obama...

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Procol Harum eat your heart out. The White House wasn't recoloured but there's more ethnic and diversity problems than you might think in the Obama camp: his "team is looking to hire more African-Americans, a search that has stirred a debate among black Democrats about Obama’s record on diversity and its implications for his reelection". The more cynical amongst us would agree that 'the president and his aides have focused their attention on hiring more African-Americans because they are worried about black turnout on Election Day.' It's the incredibly non-diverse crowd of naive looking trendy, young whites that you can see in the picture that has caused the unseemly rush to get a few black faces involved; the BBC's utterly Obama-obsessed Mark Mardell could have mentioned that...but he didn't. Click on image to see more at Aces of Spades (no, I didn't make that up, honestly!) that earlier this month also listed the Top Ten Things Almost As White As Obama's Campaign HQ Staff...the 450 or so comments add a few more ideas!

Obtenebrating Obama...

---

Procol Harum eat your heart out. The White House wasn't recoloured but there's more ethnic and diversity problems than you might think in the Obama camp: his "team is looking to hire more African-Americans, a search that has stirred a debate among black Democrats about Obama’s record on diversity and its implications for his reelection". The more cynical amongst us would agree that 'the president and his aides have focused their attention on hiring more African-Americans because they are worried about black turnout on Election Day.' It's the incredibly non-diverse crowd of naive looking trendy, young whites that you can see in the picture that has caused the unseemly rush to get a few black faces involved; the BBC's utterly Obama-obsessed Mark Mardell could have mentioned that...but he didn't. Click on image to see more at Aces of Spades (no, I didn't make that up, honestly!) that earlier this month also listed the Top Ten Things Almost As White As Obama's Campaign HQ Staff...the 450 or so comments add a few more ideas!

Oenothera option...

---

I've cheated a bit with the blog title: Oenothera genus is really evening primrose whereas the picture is a primrose: today is Primrose Day (named for the "favourite flower" of Benjamin Disraeli who died on 19th April [edit]1881). Similarly, the Primrose League - whose membership in the decade following Disraeli's death reached over 1 million! - was an organisation for spreading Conservative principles in Great Britain. It was founded in 1883 and 'was finally wound up in December 2004'. Its declared aims were:
To Uphold and support God, Queen, and Country, and the Conservative cause;
To provide an effective voice to represent the interests of our members and to bring the experience of the Leaders to bear on the conduct of public affairs for the common good;
To encourage and help our members to improve their professional competence as leaders;
To fight for free enterprise [Wiki]. No wonder it came to an end: today's career politicians don't give a shit about any of that; what a coincidence, it's blue with a yellow centre.



Primrose photo credit: Algerina Perna / Baltimore Sun.



 

Oenothera option...

---

I've cheated a bit with the blog title: Oenothera genus is really evening primrose whereas the picture is a primrose: today is Primrose Day (named for the "favourite flower" of Benjamin Disraeli who died on 19th April [edit]1881). Similarly, the Primrose League - whose membership in the decade following Disraeli's death reached over 1 million! - was an organisation for spreading Conservative principles in Great Britain. It was founded in 1883 and 'was finally wound up in December 2004'. Its declared aims were: To Uphold and support God, Queen, and Country, and the Conservative cause; To provide an effective voice to represent the interests of our members and to bring the experience of the Leaders to bear on the conduct of public affairs for the common good; To encourage and help our members to improve their professional competence as leaders; To fight for free enterprise [Wiki]. No wonder it came to an end: today's career politicians don't give a shit about any of that; what a coincidence, it's blue with a yellow centre.

Primrose photo credit: Algerina Perna / Baltimore Sun.

 

Operating order...

---

Surgical Precision at Max Farquar's: "Five surgeons are discussing who were the best patients to operate on:
The first surgeon says, ‘I like to see Accountants on my operating table because when you open them up, everything inside is numbered.’
The second responds, ‘Yeah, but you should try Electricians! Everything inside them is always colour-coded.’
The third surgeon says, ‘No, I really think Librarians are the best; everything inside them is in alphabetical order.’
The fourth surgeon chimes in, ‘You know I like Builders. Those guys always understand when you have a few parts left over at the end (!!!) and when the job takes longer than you said it would.’
But the fifth surgeon shut them all up when he observed,

‘You’re all wrong. Politicians are the easiest to operate on. There’s no guts, no heart, no balls, no brains, and no spine, and there are only two moving parts – the mouth and the arsehole – and they are interchangeable’."

 

Operating order...

---

Surgical Precision at Max Farquar's: "Five surgeons are discussing who were the best patients to operate on: The first surgeon says, ‘I like to see Accountants on my operating table because when you open them up, everything inside is numbered.’ The second responds, ‘Yeah, but you should try Electricians! Everything inside them is always colour-coded.’ The third surgeon says, ‘No, I really think Librarians are the best; everything inside them is in alphabetical order.’ The fourth surgeon chimes in, ‘You know I like Builders. Those guys always understand when you have a few parts left over at the end (!!!) and when the job takes longer than you said it would.’ But the fifth surgeon shut them all up when he observed,

‘You’re all wrong. Politicians are the easiest to operate on. There’s no guts, no heart, no balls, no brains, and no spine, and there are only two moving parts – the mouth and the arsehole – and they are interchangeable’."

 

Oily offence...

---

And I don't mean rude wops or spics. Oh, hang on...Illegal, deceptive, pathetic, erroneous and lamentable...just some of the adjectives used to describe Cristina the clown's nationalisation of YPF, (playing to the crowd) bascially taking 51% of the total shares from the 57% -58% previously owned by Repsol** (according to La Razon' video: 'La Comunidad Internacional da la espalda a Kirchner'). They also reported that Repsol's president accused the Government of Argentina of having carried out a campaign of harassment, coercion and planned leaks to cause the collapse of the share price of YPF to facilitate their expropriation at bargain prices. Spain's Foreign Minister said "Argentina se ha dado un tiro en el pie" [Español] "Argentina has shot itself in the foot" [English]. Of course we know the real reason...

"President Fernandez has staged a coup de theatre which covered up, as far as possible, her failure at the Summit of the Organization of American States, held last week in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. Cristina failed in all her objectives: she did not even get support over the Falklands..."

** From Repsol: Vaca Muerta (Shale Gas reserves): The cause of the Pillage? Repsol considers the announcement:
• Unlawful
• Discriminatory
• Does not justify the public interest pursued
• Obligations assumed at the time of privatization of YPF by the Argentinean state
have been breached
• Violates the international investment community confidence.
• Consequently, Repsol will take all legal measures to preserve the value of its assets
and interests of all shareholders.
[from Full pdf on Energy Situation in Argentina]

Oily offence...

---

And I don't mean rude wops or spics. Oh, hang on...Illegal, deceptive, pathetic, erroneous and lamentable...just some of the adjectives used to describe Cristina the clown's nationalisation of YPF, (playing to the crowd) bascially taking 51% of the total shares from the 57% -58% previously owned by Repsol** (according to La Razon' video: 'La Comunidad Internacional da la espalda a Kirchner'). They also reported that Repsol's president accused the Government of Argentina of having carried out a campaign of harassment, coercion and planned leaks to cause the collapse of the share price of YPF to facilitate their expropriation at bargain prices. Spain's Foreign Minister said "Argentina se ha dado un tiro en el pie" [Español] "Argentina has shot itself in the foot" [English]. Of course we know the real reason...

"President Fernandez has staged a coup de theatre which covered up, as far as possible, her failure at the Summit of the Organization of American States, held last week in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. Cristina failed in all her objectives: she did not even get support over the Falklands..."

** From Repsol: Vaca Muerta (Shale Gas reserves): The cause of the Pillage? Repsol considers the announcement: • Unlawful • Discriminatory • Does not justify the public interest pursued • Obligations assumed at the time of privatization of YPF by the Argentinean state have been breached • Violates the international investment community confidence. • Consequently, Repsol will take all legal measures to preserve the value of its assets and interests of all shareholders. [from Full pdf on Energy Situation in Argentina]

Ocean opus oblivion...

---

Oh no, me and Ed Miliband share something in common [YouTube] Hat-tip: Guido.
OMG! Now, only 10 minutes later, I find I agree with Tony Blair...every word! Nurse!!



And a 2nd update: another chapter in the pathetic MSM (I mentioned yesterday how daft they are ranting on about tax) Autonomous Mind adds his tuppennyworth about 'Charitable giving, tax relief and the agenda ridden media': "It really says something about how biased and useless our media is when they are too stupid or simply refuse to put the story into proper context for the public."

Ocean opus oblivion...

---

Oh no, me and Ed Miliband share something in common [YouTube] Hat-tip: Guido. OMG! Now, only 10 minutes later, I find I agree with Tony Blair...every word! Nurse!!

And a 2nd update: another chapter in the pathetic MSM (I mentioned yesterday how daft they are ranting on about tax) Autonomous Mind adds his tuppennyworth about 'Charitable giving, tax relief and the agenda ridden media': "It really says something about how biased and useless our media is when they are too stupid or simply refuse to put the story into proper context for the public."

Obvious only obscured...

---

"The rich, the poor and the middle pay a lot of tax", the title of the Taxpayers' Alliance latest Economics 101 article. It sounds obvious but you wouldn't think so given the media obscurantism: a picture paints a thousand words but sometimes it can paint millions, and this image tends to contradict millions of words in MSM column inches talking shite. The image (left, click to enlarge) tells many tales. "Some people on high incomes do pay less than you would expect in a given year, sometimes even very low figures like under 10 per cent of their income, but that’s because of specific reliefs, including those the Government is planning to cap. Unfortunately some of these reliefs exist to avoid very ugly results..."



 

Obvious only obscured...

---

"The rich, the poor and the middle pay a lot of tax", the title of the Taxpayers' Alliance latest Economics 101 article. It sounds obvious but you wouldn't think so given the media obscurantism: a picture paints a thousand words but sometimes it can paint millions, and this image tends to contradict millions of words in MSM column inches talking shite. The image (left, click to enlarge) tells many tales. "Some people on high incomes do pay less than you would expect in a given year, sometimes even very low figures like under 10 per cent of their income, but that’s because of specific reliefs, including those the Government is planning to cap. Unfortunately some of these reliefs exist to avoid very ugly results..."

 

Obankrupt or Orkward?...

---

Hilarious. The Economist cover this week has caused some whining but it isn't just 'Skintland', look at the rest (click image to enlarge): the Grumpians, Islay-offs, Null, Edinborrow...all totally childish... and marvellous. "Scotland could probably go it alone now, but the economics of independence are steadily worsening" [Economist]. Oil and gas, renewable energy, the state of the finance industry and the problem of currency choice amongst the problem areas to be 'solved'; "It remains a matter of judgment whether Scotland could go it alone. But after the banking and euro-zone crises, Scotland would be far more vulnerable to shocks as a nation of 5m people than as part of a diversified economy of 62m. There is an irony here: to preserve a distinctively open-handed Scottish social model, staying in the union might be the safest choice."

Obankrupt or Orkward?...

---

Hilarious. The Economist cover this week has caused some whining but it isn't just 'Skintland', look at the rest (click image to enlarge): the Grumpians, Islay-offs, Null, Edinborrow...all totally childish... and marvellous. "Scotland could probably go it alone now, but the economics of independence are steadily worsening" [Economist]. Oil and gas, renewable energy, the state of the finance industry and the problem of currency choice amongst the problem areas to be 'solved'; "It remains a matter of judgment whether Scotland could go it alone. But after the banking and euro-zone crises, Scotland would be far more vulnerable to shocks as a nation of 5m people than as part of a diversified economy of 62m. There is an irony here: to preserve a distinctively open-handed Scottish social model, staying in the union might be the safest choice."

Overspending obstipation...

---

Some great info HERE. "Information is beautiful: war games". Now, the image to the left is what we all knew right? Well almost: "Amid confusion over the rise in defence cuts, I was surprised to learn that the UK has one of the biggest military budgets in the world"...who knew the UK spent the same as China! But hey, no surprise that the US has the biggest - by a long way - military budget. So what would you say if I said that the USA spends the same on arms/defence as does Sri Lanka or Singapore. It's true! Click on image to find out.



 

Overspending obstipation...

---

Some great info HERE. "Information is beautiful: war games". Now, the image to the left is what we all knew right? Well almost: "Amid confusion over the rise in defence cuts, I was surprised to learn that the UK has one of the biggest military budgets in the world"...who knew the UK spent the same as China! But hey, no surprise that the US has the biggest - by a long way - military budget. So what would you say if I said that the USA spends the same on arms/defence as does Sri Lanka or Singapore. It's true! Click on image to find out.

 

Obesity objection...

---

"The best thing that coffin dodgers can do for their health and to help animals is to go vegan" said Yvonne Taylor of PETA. Apparently their brand-new billboard (image left) was revealed in Gloucester today to coincide with the official opening of a new mortuary to accommodate the bodies of people who weigh up to 50 stone...don't they all or are there specific fatty facilities? The Beeb report that Gloucestershire County Council said its mortuary was one of many in the country that could take bodies of this size.



P.S. Do vegans not eat pastry? (Update 10 minutes later: Mighty O leads me to guess they do!)