From The WebMistress’s Console….....

At long last, after much labor on the part of two dear friends of the blog who graciously took her concept for a crest, which came from a suggestion from Andrew, and turned it into the beautiful new header gracing the top of our blog, we are now truly well set. Both friends have ducked their heads and said their contributions were mere trifles; this is patently NOT true. It is incumbent upon the residents here to give credit where credit is due.

The crest was developed and made beautiful by Bruce1i, as he is fondly known.

The difficulties of the HTML to make it all display properly were sussed out and solved by the admirable Group Captain.

Without their help, it never would have been possible.

Welcome Home is where the heart is…apparently to the blog-roll. He has kindly linked to me.

NB: If you link to me please drop me an email and tell me. It’s always great to hear that someone has given me a plug on their site.

Goliard ponders how it is possible for one to be a member of the clergy of the Church of England if one does not believe the basic tenets of Christianity. This is a question that has always befuddled me as well. It is, however, harder for me to pose the question as a nonbeliever, lest I be thought of as “attacking” the CoE. I have met CoE types who were less deistic than I am, and I am Deist not a Christian! It will be interesting to see if anyone answers his query.

London’s fascist, um, I mean Mayor, has gotten the the green light for his idiotic transport charge. Westminster Coucil (a Tory one) lost its case against the Mayor. Other suits are promised, hopefully holding the whole daft scheme up until Livingston is politically buried.

The new Diana memorial has been unveiled. Proceed at your own risk; a sick bag to hand is recomended.

Here is an tr�s amusant test I got from a friend today. I post it here for your enjoyment; do with it what thou whilt. I got a 52, which I think is spot on.

NB: I have edited out the e-mail related instructions.
_______
This is a real test given by the Human Relations Dept. at many of the major corporations today. It helps them get a better insight concerning their employees and prospective employees.

It’s only 10 simple questions, so…
Grab a pencil and paper, keeping track of your ‘LETTER’ answers for each of the questions.

Ready? Begin…

1. When do you feel your best?
(a) in the morning
(b) during the afternoon & early evening
(c) late at night

2. You usually walk
(a) fairly fast, with long steps
(b) fairly fast, with short, quick steps
(c) less fast head up, looking the world in the face
d) less fast, head down
(e) very slowly

3.When talking to people you
(a) stand with your arms folded
(b) have your hands clasped
(c) have one or both your hands on your hips
(d) touch or push the person to whom you are talking
(e) play with your ear, touch your chin, or smooth your hair

4. When relaxing, you sit with
(a) your knees bent with your legs neatly side by side
(b) your legs crossed
(c) your legs stretched out or straight
(d) one leg curled under you

5. When something really amuses you, you react with
(a) a big, appreciative laugh
(b) a laugh, but not a loud one
(c) a quiet chuckle
(d) a sheepish smile

6. When you go to a party or social gathering you..
(a) make a loud entrance so everyone notices you
(b) make a quiet entrance, looking around for someone you know
(c) make the quietest entrance, trying to stay unnoticed

7. You’re working very hard, concentrating hard, and you’re interrupted. Do you…
(a) welcome the break
(b) feel extremely irritated
(c) vary between these two extremes

8. Which of the following colors do you like most?
(a) red or orange
(b) black
(c) yellow or light blue
(d) green
(e) dark blue or purple
(f) white
(g) brown or gray

9. When you are in bed at night, in those last few moments before going to sleep, you lie…
(a) stretched out on your back
(b) stretched out face down on your stomach
(c) on your side, slightly curled
(d) with your head on one arm
(e) with your head under the covers

10. You often dream that you are:
(a) falling
(b) fighting or struggling
(c) searching for something or somebody
(d) flying or floating
(e) you usually have dreamless sleep
(f) your dreams are always pleasant

POINTS:
1.
(a) 2
(b) 4
(c) 6

2.
(a) 6
(b) 4
(c) 7
(d) 2
(e) 1

3.
(a) 4
(b) 2
(c) 5
(d) 7
(e) 6

4.
(a) 4
(b) 6
(c) 2
(d) 1

5.
(a) 6
(b) 4
(c) 3
(d) 5

6.
(a) 6
(b) 4
(c) 2

7.
(a) 6
(b) 2
(c) 4

8.
(a) 6
(b) 7
(c) 5
(d) 4
(e) 3
(f) 2
(g) 1

9.
(a) 7
(b) 6
(c) 4
(d) 2
(e) 1

10.
(a) 4
(b) 2
(c) 3
(d) 5
(e) 6
(f) 1

Now add up the total number of points.

OVER 60 POINTS: Others see you as someone they should “handle with care”. You’re seen as vain, self-centered, and who is extremely dominant. Others may admire you, wishing they could be more like you, but don’t always trust you, hesitating to become too deeply involved with you.

51 TO 60 POINTS: Others see you as an exciting, highly volatile, rather impulsive personality; a natural leader, who’s quick to make decisions, though not always the right ones. They see you as bold and adventuresome, someone who will try anything once; someone who takes chances and enjoys an adventure. They enjoy being in your company because of the excitement you radiate.

41 TO 50 POINTS: Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing, practical, and always interesting; someone who’s constantly in the center of attention, but sufficiently well-balanced not to let it go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate, and understanding; someone who’ll always cheer them up and help them out.

31 TO 40 POINTS: Others see you as sensible, cautious, careful & practical. They see you as clever, gifted, or talented, but modest… Not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone who’s extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expect the same loyalty in return. Those who really get to know you realize it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends, but equally that it takes you a long time to get over it if that trust is ever broken.

21 TO 30 POINTS: Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy. They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder. It’d really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment, expecting you to examine everything carefully from every angle and then, usually decide against it. They think this reaction is caused partly by your careful nature.

UNDER 21 POINTS: People think you are shy, nervous, and indecisive, someone who needs looking after, who always wants someone else to make the decisions & who doesn’t want to get involved with anyone or anything. They see you as a worrier who always sees problems that don’t exist. Some people think you’re boring. Only those who know you well know that you aren’t.

Quentin Letts has written a piece stating that it’s worse to be admit to being a Tory than being gay.

I am used to this state of affairs. When I was at university at this wretched place, I routinely had people whisper to me how much they liked my metal radio show. People came out of the closet all the time, but admitting one was a metal fan was just a step too far. In some cases my fellow metalheads would wear their metal t-shirts and gear under their long jackets until they had cleared the perimeter. Of course, once my fellow students were pissed a newts (which was most Saturdays), they would happily blast my show and call in requests. A large percentage of my university’s males were repressed metal heads.

No doubt there are a lot of repressed potential Tory voters in the land, paranoid about what would happen to them if they were “outed.” The worry about loss of friends, reputation, and coolness is a big one to lots of people. What does the Tory Party have to do to be “acceptable” again? I suspect they will have to wait until being pro-Blair is akin to being pro-Lucifer. Let’s all hope this will not take as long as it did for the the Tory Party to be “comfortable” with openly homosexual MPs.

A Vicious Snarl From The Den….....

MommaBear just knew it was coming!

One of the worst sub-categories of H. Sapiens(?)�, a professional politician, [sub-sub category, U. S. Senator] has proposed a boon-doggle of obese fiscal proportions to fight obesity with tax-dollars. Whatever happened to personal responsibility for personal over-indulgence?

The nominally Conservative National Party got stuffed on Saturday in the New Zealand general election. This is the most telling of the analysis of the election.

“Two Auckland political scientists agreed National failed to distinguish its policies from that of Labour – but they were still surprised by the size of National’s thumping.”

Why do parties on the right try to mimic the left? It never works, why get a cheap imitation when you can vote for the real thing?

Anyone wishing to see the gruesome results can go here. Total politics junkies might like some background info on politics in NZ. I like this lot of Randians.

Update: David explains all on WarNow!

It has been interesting to watch the reaction of the Tories to the Alan Duncan MP outting. His constituents don’t seem to mind, either, and it was clear from the interviews done by Sky that most people were aware of his sexuality. One has to wonder if he will be the first of many Tories who out themselves. There are many gay/bisexual Tory MPs who range from the overtly so to the more “discreet.” For a long while there has been a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in the Tory party. It was an individual matter and irrelevant in politics. This marks a far cry from when Gerry Hayes was caught in flagrante with one of his male researchers. Many Tories outside the “Westminster Village” were shocked to find the flamboyant and camp MP was actually gay.

If the Conservatives have finally owned up to the proclivities of some of their members it will be a good thing. There are far more important matters to worry about than whether or not an MP or candidate is gay/bisexual/transexual etc. I have known many extremely competent politicians, activists and lobbyists who were not straight. What matters is whether they are of my political ilk, reliable, and intelligent, not whom they choose to sleep with on Saturday night.

I wonder if this is the first step in the Tory Party moving more towards the “classical liberal” approach from its paternalistic & authoritarian past. Paternalism is one of the aspects of Toryism successfully copied by new Labour. They may put a silk glove on the hand of the state, but it is the still same old nanny state so beloved by the Heathite/Majorite wet wing of the Conservative Party.

Greek Orthodox Church Spokesman Replaced for Supporting Suicide Attacks reports MEMRI. The Orthodox church have rid themselves of their representative in Jerusalem who openly supports groups like HAMAS and their efforts against the Isreali. Recently, he has been bragging that young Christian fanatics are actively volunteering for so-called “martyrdom operations.” He vows to carry on and ignore his dismissal. It will be interesting to see how this turns out.

There is a new blog, Conservative Commentary, with a (UK) Conservative outlook. He has posted a short item on UK gun contol as well an interesting critique of some libertarians.

Thanks to Iain for the link.

Call me cynical, but surely Alan Duncan outing himself today has something to do with Tory damage control. Alan Duncan’s sexual bent is certainly not a secret to anyone who pays the least bit of attention.

Iain Duncan Smith and Teresa May seem to be concerned that the re-shuffle/ David Davis debacle was taking up too many column inches. It is fairly obvious that IDS and his team, or whomever convinced him to “re-assign” Davis, underestimated the potential media interest in DD and his demise. Being seen as “hard-done by” will no doubt increase DD’s popularity in the party, making him an even bigger threat to IDS than when he was Chairman. The Tory Party, having English sensibilites, not only likes the underdog but has a strong sense of fair play.

Here is some good advice for Teresa May.

Aside: Amusingly, it seems that the Tory Party has copied the tactics of Rob Halford, the former Judas Priest lead singer. He outed himself so that he would be in the news the day of his former band’s debut at Madison Square Garden with their new vocalist, Ripper Owens. Rob’s outting was, like Alan Duncan’s, merely a public confirmation of what those in the know had known for years. I predict that, like in the case of Mr Halford, Duncan’s admission will have no postive affect whatever, and might even result in some negatives.

Might I suggest, that to make amends, Halford and Duncan record a duet of a metalised version of Sinatra”s “My Way”?

Update: It seems my cynicism was well placed.

This weekend saw the welcome return of Adil. He is back with another fascinating post.

MEMRI has an interesting analysis of Palestinian “Failure Neurosis” when it comes to dealing with Isreal and the West.

A Snicker From The Den….....

John and Antonio in a whimsical look at where statism/taxation has a real problem ! Unfortunately, they don’t have links, but if you go to the postings starting with this dating, 18:00 GMT+2, July 25, 2002:, it’s part way down, labeled: ” Hacienda, the Spanish Internal Revenue, is cracking down on Barcelona whorehouses”. Bureaucrats can’t figure out what to do about this sort of thing, but they’re working hard at trying to stick their noses in and get money, anyway.

Go here, download the video and enjoy. Very funny (British) political satire.

And my American friends wonder why I prefer London to the US? Can you say target rich enviroment?

Samizdata’s Totty-in-Chief weighs in on the above article. She echoes the thoughts in the piece.

A HUGE Grin From The Den….....

Picture a Bear prancing and dancing, clapping her paws, even though there is noone in the woods to hear.

MuslimPundit has returned to us !!

Go there right now; he is apologizing all over the place for that over which he had no control, but that is his usual style. No matter; Praise Allah, or whomever you wish, he is well and writing with his usual verve.

Rejoice at our good fortune! And a huge thanks to Joe K at Winds of Change for the news.

A COMMAND From The Den….....

All those bloggers who have signed on to the Blogathon 2002 are now blogging out their little hearts and minds and fingers. Therefore, MommaBear commands you to go sign on with pledges. She is supporting both Shaare Zedek Medical Center for Meryl Yourish and Magen David Adom for Laurence Simon. She would ask, beg, command, that you also support these two bloggers and their respective charities, here, and here, and give what you can. That is an order!

From The Editor’s Desk….....

While Andrew is away, it is left to MommaBear to fill up some space. She’s not found anything particular out on the blogdom, but she is pleased to inform you, as Editor, that she has had the pleasure of posting 4 new reviews over on Darker than Dark, sent in by Marty. He has, of late, received quite a few CDs, which he had been in the process of listening to for review before he departed to the hinterlands. Before he left, he did manage to get this lot done. Do go see what he thinks of them.

Brian, over at Samizdata has made a post about the state of the music business. For some odd reason, he has plugged everyone else in blogdom who has written on the subject except me. So, Brian, tell me, why the snub?

This lot obviously weren’t taught any personal responsibility when they were children. These people are fat because they eat too much; it is no ones fault but theirs. I hope the suit gets thrown out at the earliest opportunity.

To all the hard rock softies*: “The Search is Over”, “Is this Love?”, and (for those who know the British rockers) “Love Walks in”....

If you get this you will know why I shan’t be blogging (much) for the next three days. I leave you in the more than capable hands of MommaBear and the Miskatonic Miscreants. Whatever will they come up with?

*Anyone who emails me with all three bands responsible first gets a plug on Dodgeblog & DtD.

The bloke who wrote the “Turner Diaries”, the template-novel for US domestic terrorism, has finally died. The DT has an interesting obituary of the man who, it has been said, inspired Timothy McVey. He was a prophet to the American Nazi/Skinhead/white power movement. Can we expect a symbolic act by this lot to mark his death?

Rachel Sylvester reports that Blair is using Lord Levy to trawl for cash for the pro-Euro campaign. This, despite the fact that the Labour Party is �10mil in debt and having to move to smaller offices in order to cut costs. Blair is increasingly worried about his “legacy” and wants Britain’s entry to the Euro to secure it.

Tommie from Linkhype was kind enough to email about a link exchange. Took a look at his site and decided it would be a good idea.

A Chuckle From The Den….....

Blundering around the Blogdom, MommaBear found, courtesy of Bob Ballard, the following excellent project designed by Brad Templeton called Operation TIPS-TIPS, which is a very good way to ensure that the recently announced TIPS program, from that Department of Homeland [IN]Security�, does not get out of hand. Our blogging community should all join in the effort to promote this program.

Hysterical lefty eight-ball is a great new game you can play.

Iain Duncan Smith has seen fit to reshuffle his cabinet so that they might have a woman as Chairman. It is rather amusing the fuss that is being made about Teresa May. What is the big deal of having a woman Chairman of the party after having had a woman leader of the party who was last Prime Minister. May is a competent MP; however, she was rather underwhelming against the arch-liar Stephen Byers in her previous brief.

It is not a terribly big shock that David Davis has been moved “sideways” into a new position shadowing Deputy PM John Prescott. Davis, of whom I am a big fan, was accused of being clever (oh no!), machiavelian, and ambitious. Of course, I like the man for the self-same reasons. There had been a whispering campaign against him, said to be eminating from the Portillistas, implying that he was ready to launch a putsch against IDS imminently. Many inside CCO loathed the man, claiming he was an impediment to change (a cardinal sin in the modern Tory Party) and arrogant. I am postive there were some who did not like him because he is so clever; in politics this seems to be an impediment to being trusted. I look forward to seeing DD laying in ole’ blowhard Two Jags Prescott at every opportunity.

It is encouraging to see the very impressive Howard Flight MP given Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. He is well experienced in the city, a great speaker, and good chap. He has always been destined for the (Shadow) Cabinet. John Wittingdale, who shares my interest in metal and who was responsible for my getting my first job in politics, got Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. He will no doubt be a strong opponent of any move to impliment this idiotic EU directive about noise levels. Another high flyer and favoured speaker is John Bercow, who joins David Willetts on the Work and Pensions team. With Willetts brains and Bercow’s flair, they might be able to make quite an impact.

Be afraid, be very afraid.