11.22.04
Was Arafat poisoned?
Personally I think the AIDS theory fits better and would account for the secrecy and mystery.
11.21.04
Supermarket Shopping
What a depressing experience. On so many levels it’s hard to know where to start. But let me begin with some human observation. As the heavily pregnant little lady struggles to manoeuvre her errant trolley through the crowds, the mobile and determined single shopper is morally required to make way. But agile and unburdened, they resent those of us who slow up the pace a little in the frantic chaos of Saturday morning grocery acquisition. They want to burst past the obstacle in their path but good manners and guilt prevents them from doing so. How can they resolve their desire to speed up and their knowledge that to do so would be quite rude? If they never actually saw the handicapped shopper, then they couldn’t be reprimanded for forcing them to take evasive action, which when your pelvis is falling to bits and you got the wonkey trolley is an enormous physical effort. Therefore they concentrate very hard on NOT seeing you. They are striding to the end of the aisle in search of exotic coffee (far from which they were raised). Their focus is on the product, on completing the task, on getting to the gym, on feeling powerful and efficient. Lateral vision is for the weak. Acknowledgement of a fellow human for the old and the eccentric. Walk in a straight line. You do not exist. And they probably never even heard of Camus. Bastards.
Physical struggles aside, the combination of need, guilt, gullibility, cynicism, curiosity and exhaustion all collide when the decision to purchase a product must be made. The most insidious marketing comes from the baby food companies. As my DS [on mommies' message boards that's shorthand for darling son] has reached 12 months I rejoiced as I knew this meant the end of expensive formula and losing count on scoops. Cow’s milk here we come! Bang on schedule, literally the same month, both Cow&Gate and Aptamil launch “Growing Up Milk”. The sign on the shelf says “now that your child is 1 year old you were probably thinking about switching to cow’s milk. Think again!” If I switch to cow’s milk I am depriving my growing toddler of vital vitamins and minerals and he’ll get osteoperosis, anaemia, TB and godknowswhat. I am a BAD mommy if I try to economise by giving him perfectly ordinary milk. I check the price. Try to calculate the differences. A compromise. I’ll buy some and give it to him once or twice a day and then give cow’s milk the rest of the time. I don’t feel too mean and evil but I do feel like a fool. I’m in the marketing game. I know what this is. It’s simple lies to trick me into remaining a customer and even tho’ I know its crap I still fall for it. So I’m not just shopping. I’m hating myself too. Isn’t life great.
But I get to hate other people too. I need hoover bags. It’s beyond concept that vaccum cleaner manufacturers would get together and agree on say, 6 different designs for hoover bags. Instead there are about 50 different kinds. Will the shop stock your one? There’s only one way to find out. Leaf through the disorganised heap of hundreds of bags. OF COURSE your’s is not there. OF COURSE the assistant doesn’t want to have to find out if they still make your bag, if it’s in stock but not on the shelf, if there’s an order due. Just go home and DON’T clean and DON’T BOTHER HER. And no they DON’T have the weird light bulb that’s in your house. And no, they DON’T have the tiny battery you need for the gate zapper.
And WORST WORST of all, when you reach the checkout queue and you think you’re going to faint, look what the clever clogs management have done. They’ve a cute little sign at the counter. Just over a copy of the Irish Times, “Queuing? Take the weight of your feet and read the paper. Don’t forget to replace it when your done!” Except, the bloody little stool that someone brainstormed about in a marketing meeting is CHAINED under the counter and you can’t get it out so you have to cling to your trolley, praying you won’t fall and it sits there MOCKING you. And you point out the cruelty to the Assistant Duty Manager and she giggles as the irony is exposed and gushingly explains about how things will just disappear if they are not tied down but WHY WHY you ask is it there at all if it can’t be used??? A deliberately moronic shrug and grin is offered as she rushes away to persuade some lazy student part timer to get off their mobile phone and pack bags crappily by putting the pears under the cans. No WONDER men avoid this task.
Rachel update
With all the activity during the week, the broadsheets are taking an interest. Here are two articles. The first is from Saturday’s IT and focuses on the interest in the case and also clears up some issues around the suspect and his alibi, which directly conflicts with what the Evening Herald has reported. If anyone has trouble with the link let me know and I’ll email the full text. The second is more worrying, from today’s Sunday Business Post, as it filled with some rather desperate theories and claims of evidence, which to my mind suggest that the cops have no evidence and our suspect could well walk away.
11.19.04
US spreads democracy…and drugs
As the US continues to spread its gifts of democracy throughout the muslim world, they inevitably have to select and endorse the new political elites in the grateful countries. And my, don’t they find some choice characters. Having completely ignored the Taliban regime for 5 years (after all they were just stoning women to death) but deciding in the light of 9/11 that they must go, they installed a new worthy, democratic regime (democratic meaning all things wonderful in the world). And what a success that new regime is. At growing poppy. Today’s NYT reports@
“Afghan Poppy Growing Reaches Record Level, U.N. Says”
aided by the fact that “His [Karzai, the leader of the 'interim government' ]administration has included known drug lords, and many of his provincial governors, police and army chiefs are widely rumored to profit from the trade, diplomats and Afghan officials acknowledge. Commanders of the powerful Northern Alliance, which with American help overthrew the Taliban in 2001, continue to profit from the trade in northeastern Badakhshan Province. ” and “international assistance has been inadequate and ill focused, Mr. Rubin says. “U.S. cooperation with warlords and militia leaders tied to trafficking has sent the wrong signal about the U.S. commitment to combating narcotics,” he said.”
11.17.04
Suspect released!
He’s been released! As has the male alibi. The female alibi is still in custody! What does this mean? A file is being sent to the DPP (Director Public Prosecutions). Does that mean they expect to charge him? Don’t have enough to charge him? Will they look for anyone else?
Aer Lingus
I feel a few words to substantiate my position on this issue are merited, particularly as I appear to find myself on the same side of the house as the Taoiseach.
Firstly, one hears many smug business journalists and analysts outrageously demand why the government wants to fly planes. We are an island nation and therefore air travel in and out of the country is of crucial national interest. For the same reason that we have a National Theatre, we must have a national airline – quality. Except of course in the case of an airline there are vital economic and social issues at stake. Aer Lingus has slots at Heathrow which if liquidated by a new private owner in favour of cheaper slots elsewhere would adversely affect our access to the rest of the world. We cannot be left to the mercy of private enterprise.
Secondly, we actually own the airline right now. Even if privatisation was on the agenda we as taxpayers and consumers, have to make sure that apart from our longer terms interests being protected, we don’t lose out in the short term. The obvious reference is Eircom where we, fools that we were, bought a company that we already owned when telco shares were at the top of the market. We were forced to sell at the bottom of the market. The workers and Tony O’Reilly made fortunes. Then they recapitalised so they could take further profit from the company and refused to invest properly in a broadband network. The result was that any short term cash the government made, they themselves had to spend in building an alternative broadband network: this is currently under construction. We lost on every scale.
The Taoiseach is quite right to be pissed off with Walsh etc. They did propose an MBO which would have enriched themselves. The unions are right to suspect that their plans are over the top and their (Walsh etc) hidden agenda is not particularly hidden at all. By whatever means private investment comes into Aer Lingus, MBO or IPO the management will make money. And they have been hired as public servants to run the company, not become millionaires.
Aer Lingus does need capital to buy extra planes. Some analysts would have us believe that the only possible source for the this cash is private equity and that we had better flog the company now when it is profitable as it will inevitably lose money in the future. In the first place, under EU law the government is perfectly entitled to invest money in Aer Lingus now precisely as it is profitable. What they are not allowed do is invest when the company is losing money or what some call “bailing out an uncompetitive asset”. In the second place, if the company is destined to lose money in the future, then why would it be attractive to private investment now? And if it is attractive to a private investor then that can only be because they could strip it assets and therefore harm the consumer OR it can remain profitable. In either case these are reasons for the government to hold onto it.
Finally, I can understand if Walsh is simply annoyed that the government rather than simply rejecting his MBO offer just refuses to make any decision regarding capital investment and you will be relieved to note that I can criticise the Taoiseach in this respect. If the government is to invest it must do so now and it seems they are reluctant to spend a pile of money on the airline. To what extent Mary Harney is dictating this aspect of government non-policy is uncertain. I say, give Walsh the money for the new planes, stop messing around pretending to privatise electricity supply, let VHI management know they can forget about windfalls for themselves and make the trains run on time. That’s what governments are for!!
Herald identifies suspect
Herald identifies suspect
The trail blazing Evening Herald front page announces “HUSBAND” and shows Joe in handcuffs being led away. No charges have been pressed yet and they have to either charge or release him by 10.20pm tonight. Two questions:
- Why are RTE etc still refusing to name him?? The Herald have lawyers too.
- Do the cops have evidence?
Margaret
Margaret
On our current theme of who killed nice women, Robert Fisk asks today, who killed Margaret Hassan. I would give you a link but the (English) Independent insists I buy (and you buy) the article so they can shag off. However, listening to him being interviewed on Pat Kenny he points out:
- Zarqawi and all the major rebels groups had issued statements demanding her release
- Unlike other videos of hostages there were no statements from the Koran, no mention of Islam etc
- While some hostages are taken for ransom rather than political purposes, no ransom was demanded for her
- Who does it benefit to kill her when she is such a well known and popular figure for Iraqis?
answer: people who want Iraqis to think that the rebels are not on ‘their’ side.
Hmmm. Now Fisk:
a) knew her well and like any bereaved person is searching for explanation
b) we are familiar with his long standing left wing agenda
and yet…….perhaps there is something in it.
3rd person arrested
3rd person arrested
Breaking news from unison. This time it looks like the suspect and with it being in the Naul area it doesn’t take much to figure out who. Let’s hope there is actually some evidence.
update on rachel
update on rachel
Today’s IT reveals that the suspect himself has not been arrested – it’s his alibis. So the cops are convinced its him but the alibis obviously rule him out. The suspect proclaims his innocence and can’t believe the tenor of the newspaper reports which in fairness directly reflect the investigation. On another note, if the IT can report that it is not the chief suspect which has been arrested then why couldn’t RTE tell us that yesterday? It would have put me out of my misery.
I know I’ve been referring to the Petersen case but one is also reminded of Mr. Livingstone in Malahide who ended up suing the state because the Gardai focused on him alone as a suspect in his wife’s murder and never looked for anyone else, never proved it was him and the entire country was led to believe that it was him. (Will look for non-subsc. based link later on that case).