The Donald Trump golf development saga is set to take its latest twist, over the controversial issue of possible compulsory purchase orders.
The Trump Organisation wants more time for negotiations with four owners who have refused to sell their properties.
Their land is wanted as part of the US tycoon's £1bn plans for Menie.
A full Aberdeenshire Council meeting is expected to debate a motion against the use of CPOs, and also hear from one of the defiant residents, David Milne.
It's unsettling, it's uncomfortable and it's threatening, it's like someone standing over you with a permanent threat
The CPO motion has been proposed by Councillor Martin Ford, who chaired the council committee that originally rejected the proposal for the development.
It was later called in by the Scottish government, and approved.
Cllr Ford said he remains fundamentally opposed to compulsory purchase orders being used.
He told BBC Scotland: "It is the instinctive reaction, the gut reaction of virtually all if not all of Aberdeenshire councillors as it is with most other people that this would be a monstrous breach of people's basic rights, quite unfair and is wholly unjustified."
Mr Trump has accused the councillor of putting his own political agenda above the interests of local people, but Mr Ford has denied he has been carrying out a personal vendetta.
The council meeting is being held at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC) on Thursday morning.
Menie resident Mr Milne will be allowed to address councillors.
He told BBC Scotland: "It's unsettling, it's uncomfortable and it's threatening, it's like someone standing over you with a permanent threat and a bullying tactic which is exactly what it is."
'Greatest' resort
The protest group Tripping Up Trump has also said it intended to hand over a petition with more than 10,000 names against the plans.
Mr Trump's son, Donald Trump Jnr, earlier said the owners had been offered a 15% premium on market value.
Protests were earlier held about applications for land
He said they had also been given the chance to buy new homes at cost price, and the lifetime use of facilities at the new resort.
Campaigners against Mr Trump's golf resort plans last week dressed up statues around Scotland as the American tycoon.
The Menie Liberation Front group said the masks and golf clubs had been added to about 20 statues in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling.
The Trump Organisation condemned the "stunt".
Mr Trump has said he hopes to create the "world's greatest" golf resort at Menie.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/8283140.stm
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Will Spirituality Ever Be Serious?
Will American spirituality get serious? Those of us who do regular spiritual practice -- whether it's meditating every day or giving our time to the less fortunate, spending focused time with our kids or going to church each week -- have long been vilified by the cynical press as narcissists, flakes, or worse. In general, this is a cliché born out of fear and ignorance. But let's admit that the insult has some truth to it -- and will take work to rise above.
Let's start with two hard truths. The first is that spirituality makes claims to transformation and transcendence, but is often just a balm. Now, all of us who do a spiritual practice have experienced transformation. In small ways, this happens all the time. Before yoga, you feel angry, tense, and egocentric; after yoga, at least for a little while, you feel open, loving, and generous. In larger ways, it happens once in a while. A particularly inspiring sermon, a deep insight gained on an extended retreat, an ecstasy experienced at a place like Burning Man -- these kinds of things can meaningfully, and more or less permanently, change one's life. What they all have in common is transformation: a growth beyond one's previous limits.
All too often, however, spirituality reinforces rather than transcends conventional limits, boundaries, and notions of the ego. Sandwiched in between manicures and lunch dates, the quickie yoga class becomes just another way to augment and reinforce the self; pop Kabbalah and the Secret promise ways to get what you want more effectively, rather than, say, question whether "what you want" is really aligned with your deepest humanity, and your potential to lessen the suffering of others.
Not that there's anything wrong with manicures, lunch, or things which make the body more beautiful and life more pleasant -- I like all of the above -- but when spirituality is put into the service of pleasure, it is open to the cynical critique that all we're doing when we do breathwork, paint, and light Sabbath candles is making ourselves feel better. It's no different, really, from going to a NASCAR race -- except the racing fan isn't deluding himself that what he's doing is anything more than having a good time.
Second, spirituality often gets a bad rap because it often involves, well, a lot of hoo-hah. Water blessed by a "kabbalistic" rabbi, dubious modalities of energy healing, UFOs -- it's not that all of these are necessarily false, but the way that many spiritual people relate to them is all too credulous. Many of us rush to supernatural explanations for entirely natural phenomena, ascribing all sorts of mind-states and ideas to God or subtle energies or alien intelligences or whatever.
Now, unlike most of the cynics, I've experienced a lot of those mind-states, mystical experiences, and insights that indeed feel heaven-sent. I've had these experiences, and I know how they seem to be. But seems is not is. And when we interpret our experiences incautiously, we're not so different from the fundamentalist who believes she is on a mission from God. We deserve to be called out on this.
What's frustrating for those of us who really do take spirituality seriously is that there's often a lot of good mixed in with the bad. I remember seeing the film What the Bleep Do We Know? with a cynical friend of mine. I was so gratified by some parts of the film, yet so horrified by others. I wanted to say to my friend, "look, just because this crazy idea is crazy, that other idea is really very good. Really!" But of course, the leaps of illogic and messy thinking in the film negated its occasionally brilliant insights. The whole thing was suspect.
But I want to suggest that spirituality, as practiced here in America, can indeed rise out of the twin mucks of messy thinking and self-aggrandizement. Yes, it can be serious. And there are a few basic principles by which it can do so.
First, let's get serious about the worth of spiritual practice, and stop hiding. One of the reasons articles like this one appear on The Huffington Post is our editors' belief -- beginning with our editor in chief -- that spiritual work is part of being a well-rounded person, and that it should be taken as seriously as politics and culture. Just as one's life is incomplete if one never takes the time to appreciate music or art or film, so is it missing something if one lacks a spiritual practice. Let's not hedge about this. Let's be clear that intellectual giants who are spiritual infants are just as deficient in terms of human excellence as people who never exercise, or travel, or read.
And let's be serious about the proposition that learning to open the heart has real-world consequences; that it is possible to become more generous and compassionate toward others, and that it matters to do so. Our society has found ever more elaborate ways to get more stuff. Like religion used to do, spiritual practice offers one of the few counterpoints to the relentless march of desire. And that has political consequences, in the largest sense of the word.
Second, if we are serious about spirituality's worth, then we should be serious about doing it. Whatever your personal growth practice is, from kirtan to karate, pilates to psychodrama, it oughtn't be a hobby. These things work, in ways we can articulate and understand, and they should be respected as sacred -- or at least as important. Sometimes getting serious about spiritual practice means sacrificing other things in order to do it -- other activities, or certain foods, or indulging in gossip or revenge. Sometimes it may just mean ratcheting it up the priority list, fixing it as a regular part of your routine just as religious people prioritize going to church or synagogue. Sometimes it may even mean taking time off to do it; I recently devoted five months to silent meditation retreat, and it was one of the best (and hardest) things I've ever done.
Of course, not all of us are lucky enough to get away for months at a time. But wherever we find ourselves, that is where we begin. "Wherever you're going, there you are," as Jon Kabat-Zinn says. Or, in the words of the Talmudic rabbis, "It is not incumbent upon you to finish the task -- but you are not free to desist from it." If we take our own spiritual practice as seriously as traditionally religious people take theirs, we will help it gain the respect it deserves, not least because the benefits we obtain will be so obvious to ourselves and others.
Third, let's stop running away from the intellect. I believe that spirituality is one of the axes of human excellence. But so is rationality. Yes, Western materialism has been narrow-minded and brutal for hundreds of years. Clearly, the people who wear the suits and live in big houses are not to be trusted naively. But we owe it to ourselves as 21st century people to evaluate claims critically, whether they are made by Big Agri-business or holistic healers, corporations or gurus. Spiritual integrity and intellectual integrity should be allies, not enemies.
Finally, getting serious about spirituality means opening up to the possibility that the self is the object of the practice, not the boss of it. Working on the self means not taking every whim for granted, even if they are spiritual whims, and doing the practice even when you don't feel like doing it. If you're serious, you go to the gym even when you're not in the mood; likewise with meditation, or prayer, or yoga, or any other kind of spiritual or personal growth work. Old-fashioned values like constancy, reliability, and fortitude are invaluable allies. Remember, if it's authentic, it's not about feeling good -- it's about feeling, period. Let's not run to the comfortable, and let's be unafraid of hard work. Some days, spiritual practice feels like the last thing in the world I want to do. Often, those are the most important days to do it.
Admittedly, describing spirituality as hard work, soul-searing, and intellectually rigorous is probably not good marketing. Times are tough: people want to feel better, and there's nothing wrong with that. But each of us individually -- teachers and students, skeptics and true-believers -- has the opportunity to take responsibility for the care of our own soul. And in that work, spiritual people should spirituality the way that religious people treat religion: as serious, important, and worth building a life around. Not only will it get the respect it deserves -- it will be more able to do the most vital work on the planet.
Follow Jay Michaelson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jaymichaelson
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The Next Culture War
By DAVID BROOKS
Published: September 28, 2009
Centuries ago, historians came up with a classic theory to explain the rise and decline of nations. The theory was that great nations start out tough-minded and energetic. Toughness and energy lead to wealth and power. Wealth and power lead to affluence and luxury. Affluence and luxury lead to decadence, corruption and decline.
“Human nature, in no form of it, could ever bear prosperity,” John Adams wrote in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, warning against the coming corruption of his country.
Yet despite its amazing wealth, the United States has generally remained immune to this cycle. American living standards surpassed European living standards as early as 1740. But in the U.S., affluence did not lead to indulgence and decline.
That’s because despite the country’s notorious materialism, there has always been a countervailing stream of sound economic values. The early settlers believed in Calvinist restraint. The pioneers volunteered for brutal hardship during their treks out west. Waves of immigrant parents worked hard and practiced self-denial so their children could succeed. Government was limited and did not protect people from the consequences of their actions, thus enforcing discipline and restraint.
When economic values did erode, the ruling establishment tried to restore balance. After the Gilded Age, Theodore Roosevelt (who ventured west to counteract the softness of his upbringing) led a crackdown on financial self-indulgence. The Protestant establishment had many failings, but it was not decadent. The old WASPs were notoriously cheap, sent their children to Spartan boarding schools, and insisted on financial sobriety.
Over the past few years, however, there clearly has been an erosion in the country’s financial values. This erosion has happened at a time when the country’s cultural monitors were busy with other things. They were off fighting a culture war about prayer in schools, “Piss Christ” and the theory of evolution. They were arguing about sex and the separation of church and state, oblivious to the large erosion of economic values happening under their feet.
Evidence of this shift in values is all around. Some of the signs are seemingly innocuous. States around the country began sponsoring lotteries: government-approved gambling that extracts its largest toll from the poor. Executives and hedge fund managers began bragging about compensation packages that would have been considered shameful a few decades before. Chain restaurants went into supersize mode, offering gigantic portions that would have been considered socially unacceptable to an earlier generation.
Other signs are bigger. As William Galston of the Brookings Institution has noted, in the three decades between 1950 and 1980, personal consumption was remarkably stable, amounting to about 62 percent of G.D.P. In the next three decades, it shot upward, reaching 70 percent of G.D.P. in 2008.
During this period, debt exploded. In 1960, Americans’ personal debt amounted to about 55 percent of national income. By 2007, Americans’ personal debt had surged to 133 percent of national income.
Over the past few months, those debt levels have begun to come down. But that doesn’t mean we’ve re-established standards of personal restraint. We’ve simply shifted from private debt to public debt. By 2019, federal debt will amount to an amazing 83 percent of G.D.P. (before counting the costs of health reform and everything else). By that year, interest payments alone on the federal debt will cost $803 billion.
These may seem like dry numbers, mostly of concern to budget wonks. But these numbers are the outward sign of a values shift. If there is to be a correction, it will require a moral and cultural movement.
Our current cultural politics are organized by the obsolete culture war, which has put secular liberals on one side and religious conservatives on the other. But the slide in economic morality afflicted Red and Blue America equally.
If there is to be a movement to restore economic values, it will have to cut across the current taxonomies. Its goal will be to make the U.S. again a producer economy, not a consumer economy. It will champion a return to financial self-restraint, large and small.
It will have to take on what you might call the lobbyist ethos — the righteous conviction held by everybody from AARP to the agribusinesses that their groups are entitled to every possible appropriation, regardless of the larger public cost. It will have to take on the self-indulgent popular demand for low taxes and high spending.
A crusade for economic self-restraint would have to rearrange the current alliances and embrace policies like energy taxes and spending cuts that are now deemed politically impossible. But this sort of moral revival is what the country actually needs.
Published: September 28, 2009
Centuries ago, historians came up with a classic theory to explain the rise and decline of nations. The theory was that great nations start out tough-minded and energetic. Toughness and energy lead to wealth and power. Wealth and power lead to affluence and luxury. Affluence and luxury lead to decadence, corruption and decline.
“Human nature, in no form of it, could ever bear prosperity,” John Adams wrote in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, warning against the coming corruption of his country.
Yet despite its amazing wealth, the United States has generally remained immune to this cycle. American living standards surpassed European living standards as early as 1740. But in the U.S., affluence did not lead to indulgence and decline.
That’s because despite the country’s notorious materialism, there has always been a countervailing stream of sound economic values. The early settlers believed in Calvinist restraint. The pioneers volunteered for brutal hardship during their treks out west. Waves of immigrant parents worked hard and practiced self-denial so their children could succeed. Government was limited and did not protect people from the consequences of their actions, thus enforcing discipline and restraint.
When economic values did erode, the ruling establishment tried to restore balance. After the Gilded Age, Theodore Roosevelt (who ventured west to counteract the softness of his upbringing) led a crackdown on financial self-indulgence. The Protestant establishment had many failings, but it was not decadent. The old WASPs were notoriously cheap, sent their children to Spartan boarding schools, and insisted on financial sobriety.
Over the past few years, however, there clearly has been an erosion in the country’s financial values. This erosion has happened at a time when the country’s cultural monitors were busy with other things. They were off fighting a culture war about prayer in schools, “Piss Christ” and the theory of evolution. They were arguing about sex and the separation of church and state, oblivious to the large erosion of economic values happening under their feet.
Evidence of this shift in values is all around. Some of the signs are seemingly innocuous. States around the country began sponsoring lotteries: government-approved gambling that extracts its largest toll from the poor. Executives and hedge fund managers began bragging about compensation packages that would have been considered shameful a few decades before. Chain restaurants went into supersize mode, offering gigantic portions that would have been considered socially unacceptable to an earlier generation.
Other signs are bigger. As William Galston of the Brookings Institution has noted, in the three decades between 1950 and 1980, personal consumption was remarkably stable, amounting to about 62 percent of G.D.P. In the next three decades, it shot upward, reaching 70 percent of G.D.P. in 2008.
During this period, debt exploded. In 1960, Americans’ personal debt amounted to about 55 percent of national income. By 2007, Americans’ personal debt had surged to 133 percent of national income.
Over the past few months, those debt levels have begun to come down. But that doesn’t mean we’ve re-established standards of personal restraint. We’ve simply shifted from private debt to public debt. By 2019, federal debt will amount to an amazing 83 percent of G.D.P. (before counting the costs of health reform and everything else). By that year, interest payments alone on the federal debt will cost $803 billion.
These may seem like dry numbers, mostly of concern to budget wonks. But these numbers are the outward sign of a values shift. If there is to be a correction, it will require a moral and cultural movement.
Our current cultural politics are organized by the obsolete culture war, which has put secular liberals on one side and religious conservatives on the other. But the slide in economic morality afflicted Red and Blue America equally.
If there is to be a movement to restore economic values, it will have to cut across the current taxonomies. Its goal will be to make the U.S. again a producer economy, not a consumer economy. It will champion a return to financial self-restraint, large and small.
It will have to take on what you might call the lobbyist ethos — the righteous conviction held by everybody from AARP to the agribusinesses that their groups are entitled to every possible appropriation, regardless of the larger public cost. It will have to take on the self-indulgent popular demand for low taxes and high spending.
A crusade for economic self-restraint would have to rearrange the current alliances and embrace policies like energy taxes and spending cuts that are now deemed politically impossible. But this sort of moral revival is what the country actually needs.
Scots crime 'lowest in 30 years'
There were drops in violent crime, sexual offences and vandalism
Do stats tell the whole story?
Recorded crime in Scotland has fallen to its lowest level in almost 30 years, official statistics have revealed.
Official figures showed the total number of crime reported to police forces fell to 377,433 in 2008-09.
Violent crimes, sexual offences and vandalism fell, while theft and fraud increased slightly.
Ministers welcomed the figure, but Labour said it was only a 2% drop on the previous year and claimed ministers were losing the war on crime.
The report, from Scotland's chief statistician, showed the overall crime rate was the lowest since 1980.
All eight police forces recorded a drop, ranging from a marginal fall in the Northern area and Lothian and Borders to an 11% decrease in Dumfries and Galloway.
Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill welcomed the figures - but warned against complacency over crime.
He said: "For the second year in a row, crime in Scotland is down to the lowest level in nearly 30 years. With record numbers of police officers tackling crime and serving our communities, this government is working to make Scotland safer and stronger."
There were a total of 12,612 violent crimes in 2008-09, a 2% drop on the previous year, while sexual crimes fell by 3%, from 6,552 to 6,331.
Within the indecency group, recorded cases of rape and attempted rape fell by 9% to 963.
But Scottish Labour justice spokesman Richard Baker said Scotland was not making enough progress on tackling crime.
"The SNP soft-touch agenda on crime and justice isn't working when we see only a 2% drop in Scotland in crime - a very small decrease indeed, whereas in England and Wales we've seen a 5% drop," he said.
'Conservative policy'
The Conservatives' Gavin Brown urged ministers to move away from their presumption against jail terms of six months or less, while saying his party could claim credit for the drop in crime.
"These figures are moving in the right direction," he said, adding: "The government's main policy for justice was to put 1,000 extra police on the beat - pushed by the Scottish Conservatives.
"Without that, who knows what would have happened with these stats."
Elsewhere, the figures showed "crimes of dishonesty" increased slightly to stand at 167,812 cases - the first rise for a decade.
Recorded cases of vandalism, including fire-raising and malicious mischief, decreased by 7% to a total of 109,430.
And other recorded crimes, including drug offences, crimes against public justice and offensive weapons offences, decreased marginally to a total of 81,248.
The clear-up rate for all recorded crimes in 2008-09 was 49% - the highest in 20 years - compared with 48% the previous year, while the clear-up rate for non-sexual violent crimes increased from 62% to 64%.
But crimes of indecency were less likely to be solved, with a drop of 4% to 68% in the clear-up rate.
Do stats tell the whole story?
Recorded crime in Scotland has fallen to its lowest level in almost 30 years, official statistics have revealed.
Official figures showed the total number of crime reported to police forces fell to 377,433 in 2008-09.
Violent crimes, sexual offences and vandalism fell, while theft and fraud increased slightly.
Ministers welcomed the figure, but Labour said it was only a 2% drop on the previous year and claimed ministers were losing the war on crime.
The report, from Scotland's chief statistician, showed the overall crime rate was the lowest since 1980.
All eight police forces recorded a drop, ranging from a marginal fall in the Northern area and Lothian and Borders to an 11% decrease in Dumfries and Galloway.
Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill welcomed the figures - but warned against complacency over crime.
He said: "For the second year in a row, crime in Scotland is down to the lowest level in nearly 30 years. With record numbers of police officers tackling crime and serving our communities, this government is working to make Scotland safer and stronger."
There were a total of 12,612 violent crimes in 2008-09, a 2% drop on the previous year, while sexual crimes fell by 3%, from 6,552 to 6,331.
Within the indecency group, recorded cases of rape and attempted rape fell by 9% to 963.
But Scottish Labour justice spokesman Richard Baker said Scotland was not making enough progress on tackling crime.
"The SNP soft-touch agenda on crime and justice isn't working when we see only a 2% drop in Scotland in crime - a very small decrease indeed, whereas in England and Wales we've seen a 5% drop," he said.
'Conservative policy'
The Conservatives' Gavin Brown urged ministers to move away from their presumption against jail terms of six months or less, while saying his party could claim credit for the drop in crime.
"These figures are moving in the right direction," he said, adding: "The government's main policy for justice was to put 1,000 extra police on the beat - pushed by the Scottish Conservatives.
"Without that, who knows what would have happened with these stats."
Elsewhere, the figures showed "crimes of dishonesty" increased slightly to stand at 167,812 cases - the first rise for a decade.
Recorded cases of vandalism, including fire-raising and malicious mischief, decreased by 7% to a total of 109,430.
And other recorded crimes, including drug offences, crimes against public justice and offensive weapons offences, decreased marginally to a total of 81,248.
The clear-up rate for all recorded crimes in 2008-09 was 49% - the highest in 20 years - compared with 48% the previous year, while the clear-up rate for non-sexual violent crimes increased from 62% to 64%.
But crimes of indecency were less likely to be solved, with a drop of 4% to 68% in the clear-up rate.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
This will give you a hand, Gordon: The Browns and Obamas kiss and make up
These photos certainly do not make it look like Obama and Brown are having problems communicating. Is the strain between the Browns and Obamas all media hype! I think so.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1215988/Browns-brief-encounter-As-snub-row-drags-PM-gets-2-minutes-Obama.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1215988/Browns-brief-encounter-As-snub-row-drags-PM-gets-2-minutes-Obama.html
Protesters stick it to Trump with statue raids
Protesters stick it to Trump with statue raids
Published Date: 25 September 2009
By MARTYN McLAUGHLIN
EVEN for scruffy old Greyfriars Bobby, it seemed a pampering too far.
After more than 130 years of relative peace, the famous effigy of the Skye terrier in Edinburgh's Old Town sported not only a healthy tan, but a thick mane of blond hair, fastidiously sculpted into a side parting.
The campaign, carried out yesterday morning, represented the latest protest against Donald Trump's plans for a luxury resort at Menie Estate, Balmedie.
Across the capital, and further afield, other famous figures – David Hume, Robert Burns, and Queen Victoria among them – temporarily bore the likeness of the US tycoon.
Some statues were given plastic golf clubs. Others featured slogans such as "Bend Over Salmond, Trump's Coming".
The Menie Liberation Front (MLF) said its "light-hearted" stunt symbolises the way the magnate intends to "walk over Scotland" with his £1 billion project.
However, one of Mr Trump's key aides dismissed the "gimmick", claiming it showed a "lack of credibility" among those opposing the scheme
The emergence of the MLF is indicative of the renewed efforts being taken by Mr Trump's critics to scupper his ambition to build "the world's greatest golf course."
Next Thursday, a key meeting of Aberdeenshire Council will decide if residents should be forced from their homes under compulsory purchase orders to facilitate Mr Trump's resort.
An existing campaign group, Tripping Up Trump (TUT), is redoubling its efforts with an advertising campaign, spearheaded by a full-page appeal in yesterday's Scotsman. The advert featured the landowner, Michael Forbes, who warned that he and his family face eviction.
TUT intends to hold a rally outside the local authority meeting, but its spokesman, Martin Glegg, said he had never heard of the MLF.
Despite targeting statues in the capital and Aberdeen, little is known about the MLF. The group conceded the "dressing up" of statues will not stop Mr Trump. It added: "This action will be the first in a line of actions highlighting the unjust nature of this development and the potential it has to damage people's lives and the environment."
Sarah Malone, the Peterhead-born executive vice president of Trump International Golf Links Scotland, told The Scotsman she suspected those responsible were linked to TUT. She said: "This publicity stunt is perpetrated by a handful of individuals, and can only serve to tarnish our regional and national profile."
MLF devised plot six weeks ago
THE Menie Liberation Front's campaign to "dress up" statues across Scotland as Donald Trump was devised nearly six weeks ago.
In the capital, the group targeted William Brody's 1873 sculpture of Greyfriars Bobby in Candlemaker Row. It also stuck Trump masks on the George Street statue of James Clerk Maxwell, and those of David Hume and Robert Fergusson on the Royal Mile.
In Aberdeen, the statues of Prince Albert and Robert Burns in Union Terrace were targeted, as was the Queen Victoria figure in Queen's Cross.
A sculpture outside the University of Aberdeen's King's College was also redecorated.
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Protesters-stick-it--to.5678681.jp
http://www.thesun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/2653796/Statue-protest-over-Donald-Trump-golf-plan.html
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Memo From Edinburgh
THIS WAS IN THE NEW YORK TIMES!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Doing the Scottish Thing Backfires
By SARAH LYALL
Published: September 24, 2009
EDINBURGH — The news the other day wafted poisonously along the tartan and whiskey shops that dominate the tourist-attracting Royal Mile here. One of Scotland’s best-known brands, Harris Tweed Hebrides, had decided to “de-Scottishify” the image of the brand, one of its executives had told the newspapers, so as not to alienate American consumers angry about the release of the Lockerbie bomber.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, left, has defended before Parliament his decision to release the Lockerbie bomber, saying that humanity “is viewed as a defining characteristic” of Scotland.
The next day, the company’s chief executive, Ian Angus Mackenzie, hastily backtracked, dismissing the idea as “daft.” But the uneasiness did not go away. Scots are very touchy these days about the decision to free the bomber, Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, and very worried about their international reputation.
Mr. Megrahi, the only person ever convicted in connection with the explosion of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988, was freed from prison on compassionate grounds in August, having served less than a third of his 27-year sentence. Ill with terminal prostate cancer, he is now in intensive care at a hospital in Tripoli, his lawyer said. But the debate over his release rages on.
Indeed, there has been a great deal of talk about conspiracies and backdoor deals between Britain and Libya over Mr. Megrahi’s case. Britain wants to have better relations — both politically and financially — with Libya, and it is clear that the Megrahi issue came up repeatedly in discussions. As a condition of improved cooperation, Britain had to withdraw its demand to get Mr. Megrahi’s name removed as an exception when it negotiated a prisoner transfer agreement with Libya.
But the conspiracy theories ignore the parochial nature of Scottish politics, and also the political agenda of Alex Salmond, the leader of the governing Scottish National Party. Relations between Mr. Salmond and Gordon Brown, the British Labour prime minister, are said to be particularly frosty, and the last thing Mr. Salmond wants to do is appear to be taking orders from London.
He has enough troubles at home. In the Scottish Parliament, the justice committee is to conduct an inquiry into how the decision was reached, putting the nationalists on the defensive.
The National Party, which has a plurality but not a majority in Parliament and so clings to power tenuously, is at heart a single-issue organization: it believes that Scotland should be independent from Britain. As a result, its critics say, the party badly wants to prove itself, but has ended up looking foolish in the highest-profile decision of its governing time.
“They are desperate to be players on the international stage,” said Richard Baker, a member of the Scottish Parliament who is justice spokesman for the Labour Party here. “But there’s a huge arrogance within the S.N.P. in claiming that they speak for Scotland.”
The Scottish government hopes to hold a referendum on independence later this year, but such a referendum would have little chance of passing. Even some people who believe Mr. Megrahi was unfairly imprisoned and deserved to be free are annoyed at the way the government handled his release.
This may not be the most opportune moment for independence, either. Scotland, which always prided itself on its prudence, has been proved financially vulnerable in the recession. Its largest bank, the Royal Bank of Scotland, had to be bailed out by the British government last year. The government — along with Britain’s — is also facing the prospect of having to make severe cuts in public services.
Although it means little to outsiders, particularly families of the victims of Flight 103, the Scottish government insists that there is a huge distinction between releasing Mr. Megrahi under the prisoner transfer agreement — which London may have tacitly supported had it happened, but which Scotland refused to allow — and releasing him on compassionate grounds, an extremely Scottish move.
In Scotland, opinion polls show a mixed reaction to the Megrahi release. A BBC poll found the majority were opposed to the decision. But polls in local newspapers found heavy majorities applauding it, and in an Internet poll conducted by the Firm, a magazine for lawyers, judges and others in the legal profession, some 69 percent of responders said they supported the release.
And, as a complicating factor, many Scots — including influential members of the legal establishment — feel that Mr. Megrahi was unjustly convicted and should never have been imprisoned in the first place.
Among them are Robert Black, the lawyer who helped broker the deal to hold the Lockerbie trial in the Netherlands rather than in Scotland; and Hans Kochler, the United Nations observer at the trial, who called the guilty verdict “inconsistent” and “arbitrary,” and has been a harsh critic of Scottish justice.
Mr. Megrahi has always maintained his innocence. His first appeal failed, but an influential group called the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission then referred his case back for another appeal, saying that it believed he “may have suffered a miscarriage of justice.”
Mr. Megrahi dropped the appeal in August, a tactic that he thought would help his chances of being released early, his lawyer said. But he has begun publishing on the Internet the legal arguments he had planned to use, as a way toward establishing his innocence.
In the Scottish Parliament, Kenny MacAskill, Scotland’s justice secretary, defended his decision to release Mr. Megrahi on compassionate grounds, saying that humanity “is viewed as a defining characteristic” of Scotland.
In fact, releasing terminally ill prisoners is fairly standard practice in Scotland. Since 1997, 31 prisoners, including Mr. Megrahi, have applied for compassionate release. Twenty-four have had their applications granted; the remaining seven did not meet the medical criteria, in which, generally, the prisoner is deemed likely to die within three months.
“Our justice system demands that judgment be imposed but compassion be available,” Mr. MacAskill told Parliament. “Our beliefs dictate that justice be served, but mercy be shown.”
On the Royal Mile, Gordon Nicolson, who owns a kiltmaking shop, said that Mr. MacAskill’s efforts had backfired.
“They’re trying to show that Scotland can be politically independent,” he said. “But if this is the kind of decision they make, this calls into question Scotland’s ability to make good decisions.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/25/world/europe/25edinburgh.html?ref=global-home
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a huge mistake for the Scottish Tweed industry! HUGE!
-Beth
No 10 'frantic' over Obama talks
The two leaders met in July, during the presidential election campaign
White House officials rejected repeated requests from Britain for a formal meeting between President Barack Obama and Gordon Brown, it has emerged.
The prime minister's team were "frantic" after being unable to secure the talks at the UN summit in New York, a diplomatic source has told the BBC.
However, the president held private meetings with the leaders of Japan, China and Russia.
Downing Street said reports of a snub were "completely without foundation".
A spokesman said the men had had a "wide-ranging discussion following last night's climate change dinner".
It has emerged this was a few minutes of conversation in a kitchen at the United Nations.
Any stories that suggest trouble in the bilateral relationship between the United States and UK are totally absurd
White House
The spokesman went on to say the prime minister and president would co-chair an "important" meeting on Thursday on Pakistan, and would have further meetings at the G20 later this week.
The BBC's political editor Nick Robinson said Mr Brown wanted a similar event to the substantial meetings President Obama held with the leaders of Japan, China and Russia.
But the White House rejected that Mr Brown had been given a lower priority than other leaders.
A spokesman said: "Any stories that suggest trouble in the bilateral relationship between the United States and UK are totally absurd.
"We would add that President Obama and Prime Minister Brown enjoy a terrific relationship, they speak regularly on a range of the most difficult challenges facing our two nations and meet frequently."
The spokesman pointed to "the tight and extensive work our countries carry out together to address common challenges across the globe" as evidence of the closeness of the relationship.
The row comes after Mr Obama described the Lockerbie bomber's release as a "mistake".
White House officials rejected repeated requests from Britain for a formal meeting between President Barack Obama and Gordon Brown, it has emerged.
The prime minister's team were "frantic" after being unable to secure the talks at the UN summit in New York, a diplomatic source has told the BBC.
However, the president held private meetings with the leaders of Japan, China and Russia.
Downing Street said reports of a snub were "completely without foundation".
A spokesman said the men had had a "wide-ranging discussion following last night's climate change dinner".
It has emerged this was a few minutes of conversation in a kitchen at the United Nations.
Any stories that suggest trouble in the bilateral relationship between the United States and UK are totally absurd
White House
The spokesman went on to say the prime minister and president would co-chair an "important" meeting on Thursday on Pakistan, and would have further meetings at the G20 later this week.
The BBC's political editor Nick Robinson said Mr Brown wanted a similar event to the substantial meetings President Obama held with the leaders of Japan, China and Russia.
But the White House rejected that Mr Brown had been given a lower priority than other leaders.
A spokesman said: "Any stories that suggest trouble in the bilateral relationship between the United States and UK are totally absurd.
"We would add that President Obama and Prime Minister Brown enjoy a terrific relationship, they speak regularly on a range of the most difficult challenges facing our two nations and meet frequently."
The spokesman pointed to "the tight and extensive work our countries carry out together to address common challenges across the globe" as evidence of the closeness of the relationship.
The row comes after Mr Obama described the Lockerbie bomber's release as a "mistake".
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
OUCH!
OBAMA SNUBS GORDON BROWN
Guardian, UK - Gordon Brown lurched from being hailed as a global statesman to intense embarrassment, after it emerged US President Barack Obama had turned down no fewer than five requests from Downing Street to hold a bilateral meeting at the United Nations in New York or at the G20 summit starting in Pittsburgh today. The prime minister, eager to portray himself as a leading player on the international stage in America, was also forced to play down suggestions from inside his own party that he might step down early, either due to ill health or deteriorating eyesight. There have been tensions between the White House and No 10 for weeks over Brown's handling of the Scottish government's decision to release the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi. Brown's efforts to secure a prestigious primetime slot for his keynote speech at the general assembly in New York were also thwarted when the Libyan leader, Colonel Gaddafi, delivered a 100-minute speech to the UN, massively running over Brown's 15 minute slot.
-Guardian, UK
Gadhafi slams Security Council in 1st UN visit
By PETER JAMES SPIELMANN
Associated Press Writer
Updated: September 23, 2009
In his first U.N. appearance, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi issued a slashing attack on the Security Council and chastised the world body on Wednesday for failing to intervene or prevent some 65 wars since the U.N. was founded in 1945.
Gadhafi called for reform of the council - abolishing the veto power of the five permanent members - or expanding the body with additional member states to make it more representative.
"It should not be called the Security Council, it should be called the "terror council," he said.
The veto-wielding Security Council powers - the United States, Britain, China, France and Russia - treat smaller countries as "second class, despised" nations, Gadhafi said.
"Now, brothers, there is no respect for the United Nations, no regard for the General Assembly," Gadhafi said.
His speech followed President Barack Obama's first General Assembly address, but not before a recess of some 15 minutes was called by the Libyan president of the General Assembly so diplomats could be take new seats.
The U.S. Mission was represented by two low- to mid-ranking diplomats. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice departed before Gadhafi ascended the podium.
After waiting for the room to settled, Gadhafi rose and swept his robe over him and strode to the stage, using the handrail on his way up. He wore a shiny black pin in the shape of Africa pinned over his heart, on his brown and tan Bedouin robes.
Gadhafi laid the yellow folder in front of him and opened some of the handwritten pages as he received scattered applause.
The chamber was half-empty as Gadhafi gave his first speech and held a copy of the U.N. Charter in his hands, each with a large, shiny ring. For a moment, it seemed he lost his place in his speech while he sorted through the pages of his yellow folder.
He appeared to be speaking without a text, looking at a set of notes before him on handwritten pages. He was not reading from the TelePrompTer.
Gadhafi welcomed Obama as the leader of the host nation for U.N. Headquarters, and hailed Obama's maiden U.N. General Assembly speech.
He railed against the "inequality" of U.N. member states, quoting from a copy of the U.N. Charter that calls for equality of nations, and then noting that five nations hold veto power on the Security Council and can block actions contrary to their interests: the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France.
Speaking rapid-fire Arabic, Gadhafi said the use of military power was contrary to the spirit of the U.N., unless such actions are sanctioned by the United Nations.
Since the world body was founded in 1945, Gadhafi said it had failed to prevent or intervene in dozens of wars around the world.
"But 65 aggressive wars took place without any collective action by the United Nations to prevent them, Gadhafi said.
Gadhafi was dressed in flowing brown robe, and a black beret that he patted at times. As he listened to speeches before he took the stage, aides huddled around him; he kept his glasses, a red handkerchief and a rumpled yellow folder in front of him on the desk.
There was a commotion in the room as President Barack Obama appeared. Gadhafi lightly applauded with others then listened raptly with the earpiece held to his left ear.
Gadhafi, introduced as the "king of kings" by his countryman and assembly president Ali Treki, remained in his seat for long after the introduction.
Associated Press writer John Heilprin contributed to this report.
Associated Press Writer
Updated: September 23, 2009
In his first U.N. appearance, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi issued a slashing attack on the Security Council and chastised the world body on Wednesday for failing to intervene or prevent some 65 wars since the U.N. was founded in 1945.
Gadhafi called for reform of the council - abolishing the veto power of the five permanent members - or expanding the body with additional member states to make it more representative.
"It should not be called the Security Council, it should be called the "terror council," he said.
The veto-wielding Security Council powers - the United States, Britain, China, France and Russia - treat smaller countries as "second class, despised" nations, Gadhafi said.
"Now, brothers, there is no respect for the United Nations, no regard for the General Assembly," Gadhafi said.
His speech followed President Barack Obama's first General Assembly address, but not before a recess of some 15 minutes was called by the Libyan president of the General Assembly so diplomats could be take new seats.
The U.S. Mission was represented by two low- to mid-ranking diplomats. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice departed before Gadhafi ascended the podium.
After waiting for the room to settled, Gadhafi rose and swept his robe over him and strode to the stage, using the handrail on his way up. He wore a shiny black pin in the shape of Africa pinned over his heart, on his brown and tan Bedouin robes.
Gadhafi laid the yellow folder in front of him and opened some of the handwritten pages as he received scattered applause.
The chamber was half-empty as Gadhafi gave his first speech and held a copy of the U.N. Charter in his hands, each with a large, shiny ring. For a moment, it seemed he lost his place in his speech while he sorted through the pages of his yellow folder.
He appeared to be speaking without a text, looking at a set of notes before him on handwritten pages. He was not reading from the TelePrompTer.
Gadhafi welcomed Obama as the leader of the host nation for U.N. Headquarters, and hailed Obama's maiden U.N. General Assembly speech.
He railed against the "inequality" of U.N. member states, quoting from a copy of the U.N. Charter that calls for equality of nations, and then noting that five nations hold veto power on the Security Council and can block actions contrary to their interests: the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France.
Speaking rapid-fire Arabic, Gadhafi said the use of military power was contrary to the spirit of the U.N., unless such actions are sanctioned by the United Nations.
Since the world body was founded in 1945, Gadhafi said it had failed to prevent or intervene in dozens of wars around the world.
"But 65 aggressive wars took place without any collective action by the United Nations to prevent them, Gadhafi said.
Gadhafi was dressed in flowing brown robe, and a black beret that he patted at times. As he listened to speeches before he took the stage, aides huddled around him; he kept his glasses, a red handkerchief and a rumpled yellow folder in front of him on the desk.
There was a commotion in the room as President Barack Obama appeared. Gadhafi lightly applauded with others then listened raptly with the earpiece held to his left ear.
Gadhafi, introduced as the "king of kings" by his countryman and assembly president Ali Treki, remained in his seat for long after the introduction.
Associated Press writer John Heilprin contributed to this report.
Did Trump Unwittingly Rent Land to Gaddafi?
Bedford, N.Y., Officials Confirm Libyan Dictator Has Pitched Tent in Ritzy Suburb
By RUSSELL GOLDMAN and KIRIT RADIA
Donald Trump may have inadvertently rented property in a ritzy New York suburb to loathed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who has spent weeks trying to find a place to pitch his trademark tent while in town for the United Nations General Assembly meeting.
Donald Trump says he rented property in Bedford, N.Y. to "Middle East partners who may or may not have a relationship with Mr. Gaddafi."
Doors all over the metropolitan area have been slammed in the face of the Libyan dictator, but Trump says he rented part of a large property he owns in Westchester County to a group of Middle Easterners who may be associated with Gaddafi.
"We have business partners and associates all over the world. The property was leased on a short-term basis to Middle Eastern partners who may or may not have a relationship to Mr. Gaddafi. We are looking into the matter now," Trump Organization spokeswoman Rhonna Graff said in a statement.
An ABC News helicopter filmed a large tent on the 113-acre Seven Springs estate, replete with rugs and patterned wall hangings. The Trump Organization owns the property, which straddles the adjacent towns of Bedford, New Castle and North Castle, and which is slated to be subdivided into multimillion-dollar homes.
Local officials, law enforcement and the Secret Service confirmed that Gaddafi was renting property in Bedford, but did not know if the dictator, who is making his first visit to the United States since he seized power in 1969, was actually planning on staying in the town.
Bedford town attorney Joel Sachs said a stop order was issued on erecting the tent just after 5 p.m., because it is illegal to build a temporary residence without a permit. He called the tent an "illegal structure."
He said, however, that he was not picking on Gaddafi, just enforcing the law.
It has been reported that Gaddafi might stay in Manhattan, near the United Nations at the home of the Libyan ambassador on 48th Street.
Ahmed Gebreel, a spokesman for the Libyan mission said Monday, "It will be up to [Gaddafi] where he wants to stay. Nothing has been decided yet."
Calls to the Libyan mission today for confirmation that the large brown tent seen at Seven Springs belonged to Gaddafi were not answered.
"We deal with what's happening right now. Right now nothing is happening. There's no entourage, nothing. We're working with the Secret Service," Bedford Police Department Sgt. Tom Diebold told ABC News. "Other than calls from the press, we haven't heard anything from neighbors."
Gaddafi has not found a warm welcome. His request to erect his tent in Manhattan's Central Park was turned down. Efforts to set up camp in Englewood, N.J., were also fought by the mayor until the Libyans abandoned efforts to win legal approval for the tent.
The eccentric leader, who Ronald Reagan once branded the "mad dog" of the Middle East, arrived in the United States Tuesday but it was unclear if he was going to stay in Bedford.
"A tent has been pitched," a source said, referring to the famous Bedouin tent Gaddafi usually stays in during foreign visits. On past trips he's pitched it in central Paris and in a park in Rome.
State and federal politicians who learned that Gaddafi had rented property in the area were outraged that the Libyan, who has been linked to acts of state sponsored terror might sleep among their constituents, which include the likes of style queen Martha Stewart.
"It's not confirmed that he is coming to Bedford. We only know he's rented some property. He's not going to have many fans in Bedford or Westchester County, certainly not me. Don't want to see him in my county or my district. There's not going to be any welcome mat for him in Bedford," Republican State Sen. Vincent L. Leibell said.
U.S. Rep John Hall, D-N.Y., said he would contact the State Department and other federal authorities to protest Gaddafi's presence in his district.
"This sponsor of terror is not welcome here," Hall said. "Several residents of this area were horrifically murdered on Pan Am Flight 103. Gaddafi's presence in our community is a slap in the face to the memories of these victims and their families, adding to the recent outrage of the hero's welcome Gaddafi staged for the convicted murderer released by Scotland."
The Libyans have had a tough time finding housing for Gaddafi on short notice, since almost all hotel rooms in the area have been booked already. Gaddafi's quirks have made the search even harder. According to sources the eccentric Libyan leader, who is guarded by a cadre of all-female bodyguards, distrusts elevators and was looking for first floor accommodations. Sources said the Libyans were looking for a New York hotel ballroom where they might pitch the leader's tent.
In August, Englewood residents protested the possibility of Gaddafi pitching a tent on property there owned by the Libyan embassy.
The State Department stepped in over the summer, assuring residents that the colorful dictator would not be making camp in their town.
Many of the Englewood residents were particularly incensed by the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, a Libyan imprisoned in Scotland for the 1988 bombing of Pan AM Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, who was warmly welcomed home by Gaddafi last month.
"Frankly speaking, I'm glad he won't be sleeping in my city limits," said Michael Wildes, mayor of Englewood and an immigration lawyer. "I can't understand why he won't be served an arrest warrant for the 38 citizens of New Jersey that died in the Lockerbie disaster.
"It is my prayer that the State Department will issue a restrictive visa so he won't, under the cover of night, sneak into my town," Wildes said.
When the tent plan got nixed, Gaddafi, Libya's sole leader since 1969, went looking for digs a little closer to the United Nations building on Manhattan's East side – but he didn't have much luck.
Beginning around Labor Day, Libyan agents pretending to be members of the Dutch mission began haggling for a Manhattan townhouse, according to real estate broker Jason Haber of Prudential Douglas Eliman.
But as the perspective renter's demands became increasingly ridiculous and they were unwilling to negotiate, Haber quickly realized with whom he was dealing.
"I'm not a linguist, but it became pretty clear I wasn't dealing with the Dutch. They keep making more demands and asking for things we didn't have. They were always demanding something else and were always abrupt. From their e-mail addresses I realized I was dealing with the Libyans," Haber told ABC News.
"They kept asking, 'What will be the price? What will be the price?' I knew Gaddafi was having trouble finding housing in New York City and I was through with dealing with them. Finally I just said, 'Well, if you send Megrahi back to Scotland, maybe we can work something out.' They hung up and that pretty much ended it," said Haber who has a degree in international studies from Columbia University.
The Libyans won't officially comment on where Gaddafi plans on staying once he arrives in New York Tuesday.
One rumor had him staying at The Pierre overlooking Central Park, but the hotel denied it.
"[Gaddafi] is not and never planned to stay at The Pierre," said hotel spokeswoman Sheila Donnelly Theroux.
Gaddafi isn't the only world leader who has had trouble finding a place to stay for this week's world summit. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, had a difficult time finding a spot to hang up a favorite khaki-colored sports coat
When he arrived in New York in 2007 to address the General Assembly and students at Columbia University, Iran's Ahmadinejad, was met with protests.
In 2007, he was considered a pariah who denied the Holocaust, called for the destruction of Israel and pursued an internationally condemned nuclear weapons program.
When he arrives in the city today, the Iranian president will be an even greater outcast, and his reception in New York reflects his current standing worldwide.
Following an allegedly botched and rigged presidential election in June, Ahmadinejad has suppressed protests at home, while renewing his rhetoric about the Holocaust and according to some, continuing efforts to develop nuclear weapons.
The Iranian president, as it turns out, will stay near the U.N. at InterContinental The Barclay, a fact that the hotel is not exactly advertising. The accommodations for the Iranians were first revealed by the protest group United Against Nuclear Iran, and sources have confirmed the account to ABC News.
ut the hotel officials refuse to confirm or deny Ahmadinejad will be staying with them. "InterContinental Hotels & Resorts is fully committed to the safety, comfort and well-being of its guests and associates. In the interest of guest privacy, we are not at liberty to reveal or discuss the details of guests or groups staying at any of our properties. This is a hotel and brand policy," said spokeswoman Caroline Counihan.
The UANI has been unable to get the InterContinental to give Ahmadinejad the boot, but several other New York hotels that were planning on allowing Ahmadinejad to hold dinners, abandoned the president after being targeted by the group.
The Helmsley Hotel and catering hall Gotham Hall both cancelled receptions that Ahmadinejad planned on holding in New York.
"As soon as Helmsley corporate management learned of the possibility of either the Iranian mission or President Ahmadinejad holding a function at the New York Helmsley Hotel, they immediately ordered the cancellation of that function," said Helmsley spokesman Howard Rubenstein in a statement.
"Neither the Iranian mission nor President Ahmadinejad is welcome at any Helmsley facility. The Helmsley organization is grateful to United Against Nuclear Iran for bringing this matter to its attention so that appropriate action could be taken," he said.
UANI on Monday wrote a letter to Essex House, another New York hotel, asking that it, too, cancel a reception Ahmadinejad is reportedly planning there.
The Iranian mission would not comment on Ahmadinejad's plans while in New York.
Both Gaddafi and Ahmadinejad can expect a particularly cool reception from Obama as well.
At a recent press conference, Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said Obama had no plans to interact with either of the men.
"With respect to the Iranian leader, I don't think there's much likelihood that there will be an interaction. There's no obvious venue in which that would occur, and certainly we have no meetings or anything of the sort planned," she said.
"And with respect to Gaddafi, Libya holds a seat at present on the United Nations Security Council, and Libya will be present at the Security Council summit."
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Gaddafi On Donald Trump Estate?
Muammar Gaddafi is making preparations to stay at the Bedford, New York, estate owned by Donald Trump during the Libyan leader's visit to the United States this week, a source with direct knowledge of the arrangement tells the Huffington Post.
Gaddafi's Bedouin-style tent, the source says, is to be pitched on the lavish Seven Springs property that Trump has owned since 1995. An aide to Trump denied the report. It is "totally untrue," said Rhona Graff, a spokesman for the real estate mogul.
Pressed whether Gaddafi was planning to stay at Seven Springs, Graff only said that the Libyan leader wasn't there currently. "He is not there to my knowledge," she said. "He is not there." The spokeswoman noted that Seven Springs is not Trump's primary residence, though neighbors said that his children spend time there regularly.
The source who knew about the arrangement, who is a resident of Bedford, says that Gaddafi's people are already in the process of setting up a tent, though plans could potentially be upended by bad publicity. ABC News reported earlier on Tuesday that Gaddafi had indeed chosen the posh New York suburb as the site of his stay during his visit while he attends the United Nations General Assembly. The news organization did not specify where in Bedford he was staying. Another resident in the town told the Huffington Post that a news helicopter was now visible over Seven Springs.
Officials in Bedford are being tight-lipped about the arrangement. A spokesperson for the Bedford Hills police department declined to comment on the matter. "I'm not going to confirm or deny anything," said Sgt. Tom Diebold, referring the Huffington Post to the Secret Service. Calls there were not immediately returned.
By settling in Bedford, Gaddafi has apparently put to end a bruising and lengthy search for a place to stay during his week in the United States. The Libyan leader had tried to pitch his famous tent in Manhattan's Central Park, but city officials rejected his request. Earlier Gaddafi had tried to set up a temporary residence in Englewood, New Jersey, only to run into opposition from the local mayor and other officials. His efforts to book a hotel room in New York City -- including the Helmsley Hotel and the Pierre -- were equally fruitless, leading to speculation that Gaddafi would simply stay at the home of Libya's ambassador to the U.N. while in town.
The 213-acre Seven Springs estate one of the gems in the Trump portfolio. The spot, which sits atop the high point of Bedford, includes a 39,000-square-foot mansion and was formerly owned by the Rockefeller family.
Gaddafi's Bedouin-style tent, the source says, is to be pitched on the lavish Seven Springs property that Trump has owned since 1995. An aide to Trump denied the report. It is "totally untrue," said Rhona Graff, a spokesman for the real estate mogul.
Pressed whether Gaddafi was planning to stay at Seven Springs, Graff only said that the Libyan leader wasn't there currently. "He is not there to my knowledge," she said. "He is not there." The spokeswoman noted that Seven Springs is not Trump's primary residence, though neighbors said that his children spend time there regularly.
The source who knew about the arrangement, who is a resident of Bedford, says that Gaddafi's people are already in the process of setting up a tent, though plans could potentially be upended by bad publicity. ABC News reported earlier on Tuesday that Gaddafi had indeed chosen the posh New York suburb as the site of his stay during his visit while he attends the United Nations General Assembly. The news organization did not specify where in Bedford he was staying. Another resident in the town told the Huffington Post that a news helicopter was now visible over Seven Springs.
Officials in Bedford are being tight-lipped about the arrangement. A spokesperson for the Bedford Hills police department declined to comment on the matter. "I'm not going to confirm or deny anything," said Sgt. Tom Diebold, referring the Huffington Post to the Secret Service. Calls there were not immediately returned.
By settling in Bedford, Gaddafi has apparently put to end a bruising and lengthy search for a place to stay during his week in the United States. The Libyan leader had tried to pitch his famous tent in Manhattan's Central Park, but city officials rejected his request. Earlier Gaddafi had tried to set up a temporary residence in Englewood, New Jersey, only to run into opposition from the local mayor and other officials. His efforts to book a hotel room in New York City -- including the Helmsley Hotel and the Pierre -- were equally fruitless, leading to speculation that Gaddafi would simply stay at the home of Libya's ambassador to the U.N. while in town.
The 213-acre Seven Springs estate one of the gems in the Trump portfolio. The spot, which sits atop the high point of Bedford, includes a 39,000-square-foot mansion and was formerly owned by the Rockefeller family.
US calms row over bomber release
The release of Megrahi caused outrage among some Americans
The US government has said it does not want to punish Scotland for releasing the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, Abdelbasset al-Megrahi.
The US state department told the BBC's Newsnight Scotland it was "looking to move on" from the row.
Megrahi, who is terminally ill, was released from a Scottish prison on compassionate grounds last month.
The release of the only man convicted of the 1988 airliner bombing, sparked outrage in the US.
Many of the 270 victims of the atrocity were from the US.
Before the release of Megrahi, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said it would be "absolutely wrong" to allow Megrahi to return to Libya.
She phoned the Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill to tell him so.
The administration of US president Obama has now said there will be no "tit for tat" retaliation against Scotland.
State department spokesman Ian Kelly described America and Scotland as "very close allies".
He accepted Mr MacAskill's "right to do what he did" and promised continued co-operation with Scotland.
An aide to First Minister Alex Salmond said the statement was "very welcome" recognition of the strong relationship between the two countries.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8267965.stm
The US government has said it does not want to punish Scotland for releasing the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, Abdelbasset al-Megrahi.
The US state department told the BBC's Newsnight Scotland it was "looking to move on" from the row.
Megrahi, who is terminally ill, was released from a Scottish prison on compassionate grounds last month.
The release of the only man convicted of the 1988 airliner bombing, sparked outrage in the US.
Many of the 270 victims of the atrocity were from the US.
Before the release of Megrahi, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said it would be "absolutely wrong" to allow Megrahi to return to Libya.
She phoned the Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill to tell him so.
The administration of US president Obama has now said there will be no "tit for tat" retaliation against Scotland.
State department spokesman Ian Kelly described America and Scotland as "very close allies".
He accepted Mr MacAskill's "right to do what he did" and promised continued co-operation with Scotland.
An aide to First Minister Alex Salmond said the statement was "very welcome" recognition of the strong relationship between the two countries.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8267965.stm
Sunday, September 20, 2009
World Peace Day
OVERVIEW OF WORLD PEACE DAY
Whether world peace is achievable or not depends on what exactly we mean by it.
The utopian ideal of conflict-free interaction between all humans (or even all sentient beings) seems quite improbable to achieve, most basically because of the wide ranges of behaviour and personal circumstances there exist. Some people, acting in some manner, in some circumstances, are likely to get into a conflict over one thing or another. Indeed, the case can be made that if we did not conflict in any way with others, we would either be totally independent from them (rendering the issue moot) or we would have none of the individuality that makes us human.
Most interpretations of the concept are not so extreme, however. For one thing, there are many kinds of conflicts. If we only include armed conflicts, world peace may simply entail the resolution of all minor conflicts through nonviolent means (and possibly, the strong guarantee that this will always remain so�whatever is required for that). If, on the other hand, we interpret world peace as the total absence of things like trade conflicts or border disputes, achieving it becomes quite a bit more difficult.
Even if world peace (in whatever sense it is taken) is unachievable, this doesn't imply that striving for it is not a worthy (personal) goal. In this sense (and others), it is much like perfection.
HISTORY OF WORLD PEACE DAY
Some historians identify a long-term trend where nation-states stop fighting and become united. For example, old Europe with wars culminating in World War I and World War II, compared with the European Union; warring Chinese states compared with the modern Chinese nation. Some historians theorize that the world will eventually follow this pattern as well.
Dr. Frank Laubach, an American missionary to the Philippines in 1935 saw poverty, injustice and illiteracy as impediments to world peace. He developed the "Each One Teach One" literacy program which taught about 60 million people to read in their own language.
World peace is often claimed to be the inevitable result of some political ideology. Thus, communist thinkers such as Leon Trotsky assumed that the world revolution would lead to a communist world peace, and neoliberal thinkers such as Francis Fukuyama assumed that the rise of Western democracy will inevitably lead to the "end of history".
Debut album from Britain's Got Talent star Susan Boyle set to top charts
Sep 19 2009
SUSAN BOYLE'S debut album is the bookies' favourite to top the charts in both Britain and America.
The 48-year-old spinster wowed fans at the final of America's Got Talent when she sang her new single, a cover of the Rolling Stones classic Wild Horses.
The performance, which was pre-recorded before a live audience on Wednesday night, drew a standing ovation.
Ladbrokes now reckon her album, I Dreamed A Dream, is an odds-on 2-5 shot to top the charts both here and in America when it is released in November.
The bookies are also offering 2-1 that she'll beat this year's X Factor winner to the coveted Christmas No1 spot.
Ladbrokes spokesman Robin Hutchison said: "SuBo is a singing sensation and her army of fans are bound to get her to number one on both sides of the Atlantic.
"Pre-orders of the album have already overtaken The Beatles, so we are taking no chances."
He also said Susan could be the first act in many years to seriously challenge the X Factor winner for the Christmas No1, adding: "She could be more popular than turkey and stuffing."
Latest betting has the X Factor winner at 1-3 to top the festive charts, with Michael Jackson at 15-1, Robbie Williams at 20-1 and The Beatles at 25-1.
SUSAN BOYLE'S debut album is the bookies' favourite to top the charts in both Britain and America.
The 48-year-old spinster wowed fans at the final of America's Got Talent when she sang her new single, a cover of the Rolling Stones classic Wild Horses.
The performance, which was pre-recorded before a live audience on Wednesday night, drew a standing ovation.
Ladbrokes now reckon her album, I Dreamed A Dream, is an odds-on 2-5 shot to top the charts both here and in America when it is released in November.
The bookies are also offering 2-1 that she'll beat this year's X Factor winner to the coveted Christmas No1 spot.
Ladbrokes spokesman Robin Hutchison said: "SuBo is a singing sensation and her army of fans are bound to get her to number one on both sides of the Atlantic.
"Pre-orders of the album have already overtaken The Beatles, so we are taking no chances."
He also said Susan could be the first act in many years to seriously challenge the X Factor winner for the Christmas No1, adding: "She could be more popular than turkey and stuffing."
Latest betting has the X Factor winner at 1-3 to top the festive charts, with Michael Jackson at 15-1, Robbie Williams at 20-1 and The Beatles at 25-1.
Riding to Send Alice Ward to India
I rode my mare, Twig 8 miles with a group of runners on foot yesterday and had a wonderful day. Alice to India - The Rev to Panama
Hurlbut Church's Paul Womack and friends ran from Chautauqua to Panama (NY) on Sept. 19. You can still make a pledge and support Alice Ward's Mission of Peace trip to India.
Please send donations to:
Alice Ward MOP Fund
C/O Hurlbut Community Church
PO Box 33
Chautauqua NY 14722
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Megrahi: I'll persuade Scots I'm not guilty
Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi: ‘I will do everything in my power to persuade the public of my innocence’.
Published Date: 19 September 2009
By Gerri Peev
SCOTLAND'S Lord Advocate and relatives of the Lockerbie bombing victims have condemned the "media campaign" by Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi to prove his innocence.
Megrahi, who was convicted of the atrocity which claimed 270 lives, released more than 300 page of evidence yesterday in a bid to clear his name.
He was freed on compassionate grounds after doctors gave him three months to live, but his decision to abandon his appeal fuelled controversy.
Yesterday, Megrahi insisted he still wanted to prove his innocence in the eyes of Scots.
"I will do everything in my power to persuade the public, in particular the Scottish public, of my innocence. I have returned to Tripoli with my unjust conviction still in place," he said.
"As a result of the abandonment of my appeal, I have been deprived of the opportunity to clear my name through the formal appeal process. I have vowed to continue my attempts to clear my name."
The release of the papers will be seen as an act of revenge on the Scottish legal system, and its top officer yesterday retaliated.
The Lord Advocate, Elish Angiolini, said she deplored his attempt to challenge his conviction by "selective publication of his view of the evidence in the media".
"The only appropriate forum for the determination of guilt or innocence is the criminal court," said Ms Angiolini.
"Mr Megrahi was convicted unanimously by three senior judges following trial and his conviction was upheld unanimously by five judges, in an appeal court presided over by the Lord Justice General, Scotland's most senior judge."
She said the Crown had been "ready, willing and able" to argue the case for his conviction in the appeal Megrahi had dropped.
"As he and his legal team have made clear, the decision to discontinue the appeal proceedings was taken voluntarily by Mr Megrahi himself," she said.
"He now seeks to retry his case in the media and criticise the evidence against him."
American relatives of the victims also condemned the move.
Rosemary Wolfe, president of Justice for Pan Am 103 group, said: "If he wanted to prove his innocence he should have kept his appeal going. It's almost as if he thinks that if he says it long enough, it will become true."
Scottish Labour justice spokesman Richard Baker said:
"He remains, in the eyes of Scottish justice, the murderer of 270 people. The release of these files does not change that fact."
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said it supported the conviction and had released as much relevant information as possible.
But lawyers for Megrahi, Taylor & Kelly, set out more than 300 pages of evidence on the website, megrahimystory.net, which they claim showed the judgment reached was unreasonable and based on insufficient evidence.
The papers were based on arguments presented to the appeal court between April and May this year, before the appeal was abandoned.
Lawyers argued there was a failure to pinpoint the date he was meant to have bought clothes from a Maltese shop that were later found in the suitcase containing the bomb.
The dossier also questions the evidence for the bomb being planted at Luqa airport in Malta, and argues there was no motive for Libya to carry out the attack.
Doubts are also cast on the way in which identification evidence was obtained from the Maltese shopkeeper.
More documents are expected to be issued in the weeks ahead.
IRA VICTIMS STUNNED BY REVELATION OF POLICE AID TO LIBYA
VICTIMS of IRA violence last night expressed disbelief at the revelation that a senior Northern Ireland police officer had been sent to Tripoli to train Libyan police.
Unionist politicians were also incensed.
William Frazer of victims' group Families Acting for Innocent Relatives said:
"Here we have the police out training the people who trained the IRA and supplied the weapons to murder their colleagues, it's just unbelievable."
With Libya facing demands for compensation for relatives of IRA victims, some members of the Northern Ireland Policing Board said they were stunned. But the board later said it had backed the three-week trip by a superintendent in January this year and that board and Stormont Assembly member Ian Paisley jnr (right) had approved it.
Mr Paisley was chairman of the board's human resources committee when the request came in last December.
A board spokesman said because it was not due to meet again until February this year, procedure was followed and the secondment to Libya approved by Mr Paisley and two other board members. It was then rubber-stamped by Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward.
Published Date: 19 September 2009
By Gerri Peev
SCOTLAND'S Lord Advocate and relatives of the Lockerbie bombing victims have condemned the "media campaign" by Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi to prove his innocence.
Megrahi, who was convicted of the atrocity which claimed 270 lives, released more than 300 page of evidence yesterday in a bid to clear his name.
He was freed on compassionate grounds after doctors gave him three months to live, but his decision to abandon his appeal fuelled controversy.
Yesterday, Megrahi insisted he still wanted to prove his innocence in the eyes of Scots.
"I will do everything in my power to persuade the public, in particular the Scottish public, of my innocence. I have returned to Tripoli with my unjust conviction still in place," he said.
"As a result of the abandonment of my appeal, I have been deprived of the opportunity to clear my name through the formal appeal process. I have vowed to continue my attempts to clear my name."
The release of the papers will be seen as an act of revenge on the Scottish legal system, and its top officer yesterday retaliated.
The Lord Advocate, Elish Angiolini, said she deplored his attempt to challenge his conviction by "selective publication of his view of the evidence in the media".
"The only appropriate forum for the determination of guilt or innocence is the criminal court," said Ms Angiolini.
"Mr Megrahi was convicted unanimously by three senior judges following trial and his conviction was upheld unanimously by five judges, in an appeal court presided over by the Lord Justice General, Scotland's most senior judge."
She said the Crown had been "ready, willing and able" to argue the case for his conviction in the appeal Megrahi had dropped.
"As he and his legal team have made clear, the decision to discontinue the appeal proceedings was taken voluntarily by Mr Megrahi himself," she said.
"He now seeks to retry his case in the media and criticise the evidence against him."
American relatives of the victims also condemned the move.
Rosemary Wolfe, president of Justice for Pan Am 103 group, said: "If he wanted to prove his innocence he should have kept his appeal going. It's almost as if he thinks that if he says it long enough, it will become true."
Scottish Labour justice spokesman Richard Baker said:
"He remains, in the eyes of Scottish justice, the murderer of 270 people. The release of these files does not change that fact."
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said it supported the conviction and had released as much relevant information as possible.
But lawyers for Megrahi, Taylor & Kelly, set out more than 300 pages of evidence on the website, megrahimystory.net, which they claim showed the judgment reached was unreasonable and based on insufficient evidence.
The papers were based on arguments presented to the appeal court between April and May this year, before the appeal was abandoned.
Lawyers argued there was a failure to pinpoint the date he was meant to have bought clothes from a Maltese shop that were later found in the suitcase containing the bomb.
The dossier also questions the evidence for the bomb being planted at Luqa airport in Malta, and argues there was no motive for Libya to carry out the attack.
Doubts are also cast on the way in which identification evidence was obtained from the Maltese shopkeeper.
More documents are expected to be issued in the weeks ahead.
IRA VICTIMS STUNNED BY REVELATION OF POLICE AID TO LIBYA
VICTIMS of IRA violence last night expressed disbelief at the revelation that a senior Northern Ireland police officer had been sent to Tripoli to train Libyan police.
Unionist politicians were also incensed.
William Frazer of victims' group Families Acting for Innocent Relatives said:
"Here we have the police out training the people who trained the IRA and supplied the weapons to murder their colleagues, it's just unbelievable."
With Libya facing demands for compensation for relatives of IRA victims, some members of the Northern Ireland Policing Board said they were stunned. But the board later said it had backed the three-week trip by a superintendent in January this year and that board and Stormont Assembly member Ian Paisley jnr (right) had approved it.
Mr Paisley was chairman of the board's human resources committee when the request came in last December.
A board spokesman said because it was not due to meet again until February this year, procedure was followed and the secondment to Libya approved by Mr Paisley and two other board members. It was then rubber-stamped by Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward.
They should have seen this coming...
Law chief 'deplores' bomber claim
Scotland's most senior prosecutor has condemned a fresh move by the Lockerbie bomber to protest his innocence.
Hundreds of pages of documents relating to an appeal by Abdelbaset al-Megrahi against his conviction for the 1988 bombing have been put on a new website.
But Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini said Megrahi had abandoned his appeal before his release on compassionate grounds.
She said she deplored his actions and a court was the only appropriate forum for determining guilt or innocence.
She also criticised Libyan Megrahi's attempt to challenge his conviction though "selective publication of his view of the evidence in the media".
Scottish public
Megrahi, who has terminal prostate cancer, was released from prison in Scotland in August and returned to Libya.
Before his release, he had been planning a second appeal against his conviction for the bombing of Pan Am flight 103, which killed 270 people.
Publishing details of his abandoned appeal, he said: "I will do everything in my power to persuade the public, and in particular the Scottish public, of my innocence."
However, Ms Angiolini, who is responsible for prosecutions in Scotland, said: "The only appropriate forum for the determination of guilt or innocence is the criminal court.
"Mr Megrahi was convicted unanimously by three senior judges following trial and his conviction was upheld unanimously by five judges, in an Appeal Court presided over by the Lord Justice General, Scotland's most senior judge.
"Mr Megrahi remains convicted of the worst terrorist atrocity in UK history."
She said the Crown had been "ready, willing and able" to argue the case for his conviction in the appeal which Megrahi had abandoned.
"As he and his legal team have made clear, the decision to discontinue the appeal proceedings was taken voluntarily by Mr Megrahi himself," she said.
"Having done so, he now seeks to retry his case in the media and criticise the evidence against him."
The SCCRC considered that failure to disclose this information, of itself, may have resulted in a miscarriage of justice
Megrahi documnets
Megrahi was serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 27 years after being convicted in 2001.
His release by Scotland`s Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill triggered an international controversy, sparking outrage among the relatives of US victims.
But there has been a long-running campaign, supported by some British relatives of victims, to have his conviction overturned.
The documents published by Megrahi relate to the grounds of appeal which were argued at the appeal court in Edinburgh between April 28 and May 19.
They set out some of the reasons why the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission referred the case to the Appeal Court, along with additional arguments.
These include the way in which identification evidence was obtained from a Maltese shopkeeper, Tony Gauci.
They also include what the defence papers describe as "significant failures" by the Crown to disclose information about the identification evidence and about Mr Gauci.
Mr Gauci picked out Megrahi as the man who bought clothes later found in the suitcase that contained the bomb.
The third set of appeal grounds also relate - according to the documents - to undisclosed information for which the UK Government had sought public interest immunity from disclosure.
"The SCCRC considered that failure to disclose this information, of itself, may have resulted in a miscarriage of justice and this was one of the reasons for referring the case back to the Appeal Court," said the documents.
Scotland's most senior prosecutor has condemned a fresh move by the Lockerbie bomber to protest his innocence.
Hundreds of pages of documents relating to an appeal by Abdelbaset al-Megrahi against his conviction for the 1988 bombing have been put on a new website.
But Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini said Megrahi had abandoned his appeal before his release on compassionate grounds.
She said she deplored his actions and a court was the only appropriate forum for determining guilt or innocence.
She also criticised Libyan Megrahi's attempt to challenge his conviction though "selective publication of his view of the evidence in the media".
Scottish public
Megrahi, who has terminal prostate cancer, was released from prison in Scotland in August and returned to Libya.
Before his release, he had been planning a second appeal against his conviction for the bombing of Pan Am flight 103, which killed 270 people.
Publishing details of his abandoned appeal, he said: "I will do everything in my power to persuade the public, and in particular the Scottish public, of my innocence."
However, Ms Angiolini, who is responsible for prosecutions in Scotland, said: "The only appropriate forum for the determination of guilt or innocence is the criminal court.
"Mr Megrahi was convicted unanimously by three senior judges following trial and his conviction was upheld unanimously by five judges, in an Appeal Court presided over by the Lord Justice General, Scotland's most senior judge.
"Mr Megrahi remains convicted of the worst terrorist atrocity in UK history."
She said the Crown had been "ready, willing and able" to argue the case for his conviction in the appeal which Megrahi had abandoned.
"As he and his legal team have made clear, the decision to discontinue the appeal proceedings was taken voluntarily by Mr Megrahi himself," she said.
"Having done so, he now seeks to retry his case in the media and criticise the evidence against him."
The SCCRC considered that failure to disclose this information, of itself, may have resulted in a miscarriage of justice
Megrahi documnets
Megrahi was serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 27 years after being convicted in 2001.
His release by Scotland`s Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill triggered an international controversy, sparking outrage among the relatives of US victims.
But there has been a long-running campaign, supported by some British relatives of victims, to have his conviction overturned.
The documents published by Megrahi relate to the grounds of appeal which were argued at the appeal court in Edinburgh between April 28 and May 19.
They set out some of the reasons why the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission referred the case to the Appeal Court, along with additional arguments.
These include the way in which identification evidence was obtained from a Maltese shopkeeper, Tony Gauci.
They also include what the defence papers describe as "significant failures" by the Crown to disclose information about the identification evidence and about Mr Gauci.
Mr Gauci picked out Megrahi as the man who bought clothes later found in the suitcase that contained the bomb.
The third set of appeal grounds also relate - according to the documents - to undisclosed information for which the UK Government had sought public interest immunity from disclosure.
"The SCCRC considered that failure to disclose this information, of itself, may have resulted in a miscarriage of justice and this was one of the reasons for referring the case back to the Appeal Court," said the documents.
No, It’s Not About Race
By DAVID BROOKS
Published: September 17, 2009
You wouldn’t know it to look at me, but I go running several times a week. My favorite route, because it’s so flat, is from the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol and back. I was there last Saturday and found myself plodding through tens of thousands of anti-government “tea party” protesters.
They were carrying “Don’t Tread on Me” flags, “End the Fed” placards and signs condemning big government, Barack Obama, socialist health care and various elite institutions.
Then, as I got to where the Smithsonian museums start, I came across another rally, the Black Family Reunion Celebration. Several thousand people had gathered to celebrate African-American culture. I noticed that the mostly white tea party protesters were mingling in with the mostly black family reunion celebrants. The tea party people were buying lunch from the family reunion food stands. They had joined the audience of a rap concert.
Because sociology is more important than fitness, I stopped to watch the interaction. These two groups were from opposite ends of the political and cultural spectrum. They’d both been energized by eloquent speakers. Yet I couldn’t discern any tension between them. It was just different groups of people milling about like at any park or sports arena.
And yet we live in a nation in which some people see every conflict through the prism of race. So over the past few days, many people, from Jimmy Carter on down, have argued that the hostility to President Obama is driven by racism. Some have argued that tea party slogans like “I Want My Country Back” are code words for white supremacy. Others say incivility on Capitol Hill is magnified by Obama’s dark skin.
Well, I don’t have a machine for peering into the souls of Obama’s critics, so I can’t measure how much racism is in there. But my impression is that race is largely beside the point. There are other, equally important strains in American history that are far more germane to the current conflicts.
For example, for generations schoolchildren studied the long debate between Hamiltonians and Jeffersonians. Hamiltonians stood for urbanism, industrialism and federal power. Jeffersonians were suspicious of urban elites and financial concentration and believed in small-town virtues and limited government. Jefferson advocated “a wise and frugal government” that will keep people from hurting each other, but will otherwise leave them free and “shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned.”
Jefferson’s philosophy inspired Andrew Jackson, who led a movement of plain people against the cosmopolitan elites. Jackson dismantled the Second Bank of the United States because he feared the fusion of federal and financial power.
This populist tendency continued through the centuries. Sometimes it took right-wing forms, sometimes left-wing ones. Sometimes it was agrarian. Sometimes it was more union-oriented. Often it was extreme, conspiratorial and rude.
The populist tendency has always used the same sort of rhetoric: for the ordinary people and against the fat cats and the educated class; for the small towns and against the financial centers.
And it has always had the same morality, which the historian Michael Kazin has called producerism. The idea is that free labor is the essence of Americanism. Hard-working ordinary people, who create wealth in material ways, are the moral backbone of the country. In this free, capitalist nation, people should be held responsible for their own output. Money should not be redistributed to those who do not work, and it should not be sucked off by condescending, manipulative elites.
Barack Obama leads a government of the highly educated. His movement includes urban politicians, academics, Hollywood donors and information-age professionals. In his first few months, he has fused federal power with Wall Street, the auto industry, the health care industries and the energy sector.
Given all of this, it was guaranteed that he would spark a populist backlash, regardless of his skin color. And it was guaranteed that this backlash would be ill mannered, conspiratorial and over the top — since these movements always are, whether they were led by Huey Long, Father Coughlin or anybody else.
What we’re seeing is the latest iteration of that populist tendency and the militant progressive reaction to it. We now have a populist news media that exaggerates the importance of the Van Jones and Acorn stories to prove the elites are decadent and un-American, and we have a progressive news media that exaggerates stories like the Joe Wilson shout and the opposition to the Obama schools speech to show that small-town folks are dumb wackos.
“One could argue that this country is on the verge of a crisis of legitimacy,” the economic blogger Arnold Kling writes. “The progressive elite is starting to dismiss rural white America as illegitimate, and vice versa.”
It’s not race. It’s another type of conflict, equally deep and old.
A version of this article appeared in print on September 18, 2009, on page A31 of the New York edition.
Published: September 17, 2009
You wouldn’t know it to look at me, but I go running several times a week. My favorite route, because it’s so flat, is from the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol and back. I was there last Saturday and found myself plodding through tens of thousands of anti-government “tea party” protesters.
They were carrying “Don’t Tread on Me” flags, “End the Fed” placards and signs condemning big government, Barack Obama, socialist health care and various elite institutions.
Then, as I got to where the Smithsonian museums start, I came across another rally, the Black Family Reunion Celebration. Several thousand people had gathered to celebrate African-American culture. I noticed that the mostly white tea party protesters were mingling in with the mostly black family reunion celebrants. The tea party people were buying lunch from the family reunion food stands. They had joined the audience of a rap concert.
Because sociology is more important than fitness, I stopped to watch the interaction. These two groups were from opposite ends of the political and cultural spectrum. They’d both been energized by eloquent speakers. Yet I couldn’t discern any tension between them. It was just different groups of people milling about like at any park or sports arena.
And yet we live in a nation in which some people see every conflict through the prism of race. So over the past few days, many people, from Jimmy Carter on down, have argued that the hostility to President Obama is driven by racism. Some have argued that tea party slogans like “I Want My Country Back” are code words for white supremacy. Others say incivility on Capitol Hill is magnified by Obama’s dark skin.
Well, I don’t have a machine for peering into the souls of Obama’s critics, so I can’t measure how much racism is in there. But my impression is that race is largely beside the point. There are other, equally important strains in American history that are far more germane to the current conflicts.
For example, for generations schoolchildren studied the long debate between Hamiltonians and Jeffersonians. Hamiltonians stood for urbanism, industrialism and federal power. Jeffersonians were suspicious of urban elites and financial concentration and believed in small-town virtues and limited government. Jefferson advocated “a wise and frugal government” that will keep people from hurting each other, but will otherwise leave them free and “shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned.”
Jefferson’s philosophy inspired Andrew Jackson, who led a movement of plain people against the cosmopolitan elites. Jackson dismantled the Second Bank of the United States because he feared the fusion of federal and financial power.
This populist tendency continued through the centuries. Sometimes it took right-wing forms, sometimes left-wing ones. Sometimes it was agrarian. Sometimes it was more union-oriented. Often it was extreme, conspiratorial and rude.
The populist tendency has always used the same sort of rhetoric: for the ordinary people and against the fat cats and the educated class; for the small towns and against the financial centers.
And it has always had the same morality, which the historian Michael Kazin has called producerism. The idea is that free labor is the essence of Americanism. Hard-working ordinary people, who create wealth in material ways, are the moral backbone of the country. In this free, capitalist nation, people should be held responsible for their own output. Money should not be redistributed to those who do not work, and it should not be sucked off by condescending, manipulative elites.
Barack Obama leads a government of the highly educated. His movement includes urban politicians, academics, Hollywood donors and information-age professionals. In his first few months, he has fused federal power with Wall Street, the auto industry, the health care industries and the energy sector.
Given all of this, it was guaranteed that he would spark a populist backlash, regardless of his skin color. And it was guaranteed that this backlash would be ill mannered, conspiratorial and over the top — since these movements always are, whether they were led by Huey Long, Father Coughlin or anybody else.
What we’re seeing is the latest iteration of that populist tendency and the militant progressive reaction to it. We now have a populist news media that exaggerates the importance of the Van Jones and Acorn stories to prove the elites are decadent and un-American, and we have a progressive news media that exaggerates stories like the Joe Wilson shout and the opposition to the Obama schools speech to show that small-town folks are dumb wackos.
“One could argue that this country is on the verge of a crisis of legitimacy,” the economic blogger Arnold Kling writes. “The progressive elite is starting to dismiss rural white America as illegitimate, and vice versa.”
It’s not race. It’s another type of conflict, equally deep and old.
A version of this article appeared in print on September 18, 2009, on page A31 of the New York edition.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Do social networking on line or get lost in the dust...
Sorry this was made for a wider screen. Click twice on the screen and it will thrust you back to Youtube and you can watch it better!
Facebook has in 5 months become my main media! Wow I thought a year ago it was for 14 year olds! I also use Scotster.
MUSIC LESSONS HELP MEMORY
Guardian - Learning a musical instrument at school improves children's behaviour, memory and intelligence, a government-commissioned study has found. Professor Susan Hallam, of the Institute of Education, University of London, analysed scores of researchers' studies on the benefits of music to children. She found researchers had discovered that learning to play an instrument enlarges the left side of the brain. This leads musically-trained pupils to remember almost a fifth more information. . .The government hopes to double the number of children, aged seven to 11, who are given a chance to learn an instrument for free by 2011. The government says that now over half of primary-aged children - 1m - learn an instrument. A study contrasting the impact of music lessons with that of drama classes found music lessons, over time, increased pupils' IQ by seven points, compared to 4.3 points for drama lessons.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Gaddafi Not Invited to Obama UN Reception
Posted:
09/15/09
President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama host their first international reception for world leaders later this month, in connection with the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Politics Daily has learned that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has not been invited because of the hero's welcome Gaddafi gave the convicted Pan Am Lockerbie bomber when he returned home to Libya after being released from a Scottish
prison.The Obama reception will be Sept. 23 in New York, as the president makes
his first visit to the United Nations General Assembly and spends several days at the UN.
By coincidence, the United States in September takes its turn holding the rotating presidency of the 15-member UN Security Council. A Libyan is the president of the UN General Assembly, and Libya is also taking a turn as one of 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council.
Besides speaking before the General Assembly, Obama will chair a Security Council summit meeting on nuclear nonproliferation and nuclear disarmament, host a lunch for leaders of sub-Saharan African nations, and chair a meeting with countries contributing police and troops to UN peacekeeping operations.
In addition, Obama and the first lady will host the traditional U.S. welcome party for the heads of state converging in Manhattan for the opening of a new session.
Gaddafi is among a small group of world leaders -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is another -- not invited to the Obama party. "We can decide who we want to entertain and who we don't," a source close to the situation told me.
The Gaddafi snub, I was told, is directly related to Libya giving a hero's welcome last month to Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, the only person convicted in the Dec. 21, 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 that killed 270 people, 189 of them U.S. citizens.
Al-Megrahi left a Scottish prison after Scottish Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill ordered him released from his 27-years-to-life sentence on "compassionate grounds," which is allowed under Scottish law. Al-Megrahi has prostate cancer, and on Aug. 10 was given three months to live.
While relations with the Lybyan leader had been improving, a new strain emerged in the wake of the high-profile welcome al-Megrahi received on Aug. 20. The U.S. and Britain had asked Gaddafi that al-Megrahi's homecoming be without fanfare.
Gaddafi may have been hoping to open a new chapter in U.S-Libya relations, as he just marked the 40th anniversary of the September, 1969 military coup that installed him in power. Last July, Obama and Gaddafi were in Italy for a G8 summit -- Gaddafi there in his role as the president of the African Union -- and Obama shook his hand, a small but symbolic action.
A gesture likely not to be repeated.
Obama and Gaddafi on Sept. 23, both address the UN General Assembly, with Gaddafi following Obama. U.S. United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice, at a breakfast with reporters last Friday sponsored by the Christan Science Monitor, said Obama will not be taking part in any kind of hand-off.
Rice also said that Gaddafi has given up on what had been a plan to pitch a tent on the grounds of a Libyan residence in New Jersey and instead will stay in Manhattan.
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/09/15/gaddafi-not-invited-to-obama-un-reception/
09/15/09
President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama host their first international reception for world leaders later this month, in connection with the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Politics Daily has learned that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has not been invited because of the hero's welcome Gaddafi gave the convicted Pan Am Lockerbie bomber when he returned home to Libya after being released from a Scottish
prison.The Obama reception will be Sept. 23 in New York, as the president makes
his first visit to the United Nations General Assembly and spends several days at the UN.
By coincidence, the United States in September takes its turn holding the rotating presidency of the 15-member UN Security Council. A Libyan is the president of the UN General Assembly, and Libya is also taking a turn as one of 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council.
Besides speaking before the General Assembly, Obama will chair a Security Council summit meeting on nuclear nonproliferation and nuclear disarmament, host a lunch for leaders of sub-Saharan African nations, and chair a meeting with countries contributing police and troops to UN peacekeeping operations.
In addition, Obama and the first lady will host the traditional U.S. welcome party for the heads of state converging in Manhattan for the opening of a new session.
Gaddafi is among a small group of world leaders -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is another -- not invited to the Obama party. "We can decide who we want to entertain and who we don't," a source close to the situation told me.
The Gaddafi snub, I was told, is directly related to Libya giving a hero's welcome last month to Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, the only person convicted in the Dec. 21, 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 that killed 270 people, 189 of them U.S. citizens.
Al-Megrahi left a Scottish prison after Scottish Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill ordered him released from his 27-years-to-life sentence on "compassionate grounds," which is allowed under Scottish law. Al-Megrahi has prostate cancer, and on Aug. 10 was given three months to live.
While relations with the Lybyan leader had been improving, a new strain emerged in the wake of the high-profile welcome al-Megrahi received on Aug. 20. The U.S. and Britain had asked Gaddafi that al-Megrahi's homecoming be without fanfare.
Gaddafi may have been hoping to open a new chapter in U.S-Libya relations, as he just marked the 40th anniversary of the September, 1969 military coup that installed him in power. Last July, Obama and Gaddafi were in Italy for a G8 summit -- Gaddafi there in his role as the president of the African Union -- and Obama shook his hand, a small but symbolic action.
A gesture likely not to be repeated.
Obama and Gaddafi on Sept. 23, both address the UN General Assembly, with Gaddafi following Obama. U.S. United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice, at a breakfast with reporters last Friday sponsored by the Christan Science Monitor, said Obama will not be taking part in any kind of hand-off.
Rice also said that Gaddafi has given up on what had been a plan to pitch a tent on the grounds of a Libyan residence in New Jersey and instead will stay in Manhattan.
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/09/15/gaddafi-not-invited-to-obama-un-reception/
This about says it all.
Here is a little song celebrating our position at #37 in the world in healthcare.
"We're Number 37"
Come one, Come all
Down to the hall
Were gonna make noise
Were gonna bust balls
Were gonna disrupt
Were gonna jump in the fray
I got a list of all the things that were supposed to say
Were gonna get real rowdy
Have a barrel of fun
But were the USA so by the way be sure to bring a gun
And buddy
Were Number 37
Were the USA
Were Number 37
And were so proud to say
We got old people crying at the pharmacy
Pay your deductible
This aint the land of the f-f-f-free Grandma
Were Number 37
Were the USA
People of the town come on down
And if you got a crazy rumor you can spread it around
I kind of like my insurance and I like my health
The other 47 million can go treat themselves
To some prayer in chapel
Fold your hands and pray
Because we are a Christian nation and that is the Christian way
And brother
Were Number 37
Were the USA
The big Number 37
And were so proud to say
Were #1 one in tanks
Were #1 in planes
Were #1 in war with #2 for brains
Were Number 37
Were the USA
I drew a Hitler mustache on the president
Yea! Aint that neat
My brother had a hernia operation last year
And now hes living out on the street
Were Number 37
Were the USA
The big Number 37
And we want to keep it that way
Be sure to bring the kids
All of the boys and girls
Because the #1 health care system in the world.
Is inFrance???
Were Number 37
Were the USA
Were Number 37
And we got something to say
We pay more for less
40% in fact
Lets bite some fingers off
Shout at the handicapped
Cause buddy
Were Number 37
Were the USA
Were Number 37
Were the USA
Were Number 37
Were the USA
© Paul Hipp 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
New Susan Boyle album defies accepted consumer laws
September 15, 8:27 PMNewark Pop Culture ExaminerJeff Luppino-Esposito
Susan Boyle showing off her skills on Britain's Got Talent
When you find yourself acknowledging that Susan Boyle served up a solid cover of the Rolling Stones' classic 'Wild Horses' you know something is off. Yes, Boyle, the old woman in the shoe from Britain's Got Talent who, as Columbia records puts it ever so tersely, "was plucked from obscurity" after her show stopping performance of 'I Dreamed a Dream'. After you recover from your state of disarray, grooving along to Boyle's crooning vocals pouring out from your laptop speakers in some inappropriate location thanks to the power of wifi, you come to realize that you're not alone. And this-- this scares you.
In a Columbia records press release today, the label announced that pre-orders of Susan Boyle's new album 'I Dreamed a Dream' due out November 24 have "topped Jay-Z, Whitney Houston, and even The Beatles' remastered CDs, making Boyle #1 on the Amazon.com's best-sellers list."
This scares you even more.
But today we must not let our internal pretentious artist get the better of us and merely be disgusted by this apparent travesty. On the contrary now is the time to take a step back, pick up a wooden baseball bat, and shatter everything we ever thought was inherently true about consumer patterns.
Ostensibly the quantitative success of this album seems appropriate when considering the tens of millions of views that her Britain's Got Talent YouTube video has garnered, but then again, there is one key factor that doesn't make sense. Time.
Boyle's big debut occurred on April 11, 2009 -- yes, this is the longest 15 minutes of fame known to man. Most chalked up the uncontrollable outpouring of love for the affectionately nicknamed SuBo as a spur of the moment thing that follows the basic process of consumer thought-- 1.) 'look at that old ugly woman, she can't be talented!' 2.) 'wait, she is talented' 3.) 'bring on the pendulum effect!'
Yet at step 4 things go wrong. Of course, step 4 is 'realize that our love for this cultural phenomenon has been taken to an unreasonable extreme and go back to loving externally attractive/obviously talented people'. Somehow this has failed. The love continues to pour in as will the dollars.
Say what you will about the artistic integrity of Susan Boyle's upcoming album, say that it will be terrible, say that she is overrated, say that you still think she's just an unattractive old chick, but take that extra second and muse over the fact that your fellow man apparently disagrees. For an extended period of time.
Jeff Luppino-Esposito is the Founder of the pop culture website PopSense.com
Mull of kintyre
Mull of kintyre
Oh mist rolling in from the sea,
My desire is always to be here
Oh mull of kintyre
Far have I traveled and much have I seen
Dark distant mountains with valleys of green.
Vast painted deserts the sunsets on fire
As he carries me home to the mull of kintyre.
Mull of kintyre
Oh mist rolling in from the sea,
My desire is always to be here
Oh mull of kintyre
Sweep through the heather like deer in the glen
Carry me back to the days I knew then.
Nights when we sang like a heavenly choir
Of the life and the time of the mull of kintyre.
Mull of kintyre
Oh mist rolling in from the sea,
My desire is always to be here
Oh mull of kintyre
Smiles in the sunshine
And tears in the rain
Still take me back to where my memories remain
Flickering embers growing higher and higher
As they carry me back to the mull of kintyre
Mull of kintyre
Oh mist rolling in from the sea,
My desire is always to be here
Oh mull of kintyre
Mull of kintyre
Oh mist rolling in from the sea,
My desire is always to be here
Oh mull of kintyre
Paul McCartney wrote this with Denny Laine, his band mate in Wings. The song is a tribute an island in Scotland where Paul and his wife Linda had a farm. The Mull of Kintyre island is known for its beautiful scenery and tranquil atmosphere. After a difficult breakup with The Beatles, McCartney went there to avoid a nervous breakdown.
In Britain it was the best-selling single of the '70s, selling in excess of 2 million copies, which was more than any Beatles record.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Dougie Is so Awesome
http://www.dougiemaclean.com/
Dougie MacLean is one of Scotland's most successful, respected and popular musicians.
Singer-Songwriter, Composer and 'magical' Performer, he is also a fine guitarist and fiddle player.
From his home base in Butterstone near Dunkeld in the beautiful Tay Valley in Perthshire Scotland, MacLean tours the world with his unique blend of lyrical, 'roots based' songwriting and instrumental composition. His moving song Caledonia and melody The Gael (used in The Last of the Mohicans) have been recorded by hundreds of artists and enjoyed by millions worldwide.
Buy CDs, DVDs, songbooks etc as well as Mp3 downloads direct from the artist's own site!
"...a Scottish phenomenon...with his exquisite guitar style, expressive voice and honest performance, his songs conjure up remarkably vivid imagery of our world"
(The Performing Songwriter, USA)
Port claims to be first centre of Christianity in Scotland
Published Date: 14 September 2009
By Tim Cornwell
Arts Correspondent
A VILLAGE on the south-west coast of Scotland is reasserting its claim to be the country's forgotten first centre of Christianianity in a debate in the Scottish Parliament this week.
St Columba is traditionally seen as the founding figure of Scottish Christianity with the abbey he founded at Iona.
But Whithorn, a small but scenic Wigtownshire village, is touting for the tourist trade and its place in Scottish history.
It claims recent archaeological
finds stand up the traditional story that St Ninian, dubbed the "first Scottish bishop", was active 150 years earlier.
South of Scotland MSP Alasdair Morgan's motion, up for debate on Wednesday and already backed by 18 MSPs, calls on Whithorn to be recognised as Scotland's "earliest known centre of Christianity ... largely forgotten by a modern generation".
The Moderator of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Rev William Hewitt, along with religious, Scottish history and archaeological experts, are expected to watch the debate. The Whithorn Trust business manager, Janet Butterworth, said the motion avoided the claim that St Ninian was Scotland's first saint.
Mr Morgan's motion says Whithorn has "produced archaeological artefacts of immense historical significance."
Supporters point to the Latinus stone, discovered there more than a century ago, and now dated to the mid-fifthth century, allegedly the earliest Scottish Christian artefact.
Mr Morgan's motion states that "while in ancient times Ninian was Scotland's premier saint... the historical significance of Whithorn and Ninian's story is largely forgotten by a modern generation".
Recognising Whithorn "as Scotland's cradle of Christianity will bring economic benefit to a depressed area... for the benefit of its present-day inhabitants" .
Historians in the past have fiercely championed Iona's role. Iona is described as the "cradle of Christianity" on the websites of Historic Scotland and Christian group the Iona Community.
BEGINNINGS
THE Irish monk St Columba landed at Iona in AD563, founding the abbey that made it a place of pilgrimage and spirituality for centuries.
Tradition has it that St Ninian established his church at Whithorn in 397. It too became a pilgrims' destination.
But the story of the man known as the "apostle to the Southern picts" does not appear in the historical record until 300 years later, in the writings of the Northumbrian monk Bede, in 731. St Columba's story is far better documented, while historians say almost nothing is certain about St Ninian's life or teachings.
Putting a new spin on vandalism as guerrilla knitters weave havoc
Published Date: 14 September 2009
By CLAIRE GARDNER
HERE'S a good yarn from Inverness. A pair of "guerrilla knitters" have covered landmarks around the city in bright red wool.
Now giant pompoms hang from lampposts, crocheted spider webs have been strung across alleyways and tombstones in the city's ancient graveyard adorned with cosies.
Organisers hope the fun-filled scheme, also called "yarnbombing", will entice visitors and shoppers to the city centre.
The project, which used 45 miles of red wool, has been set up to transform Inverness city centre as part of a £300,000 taxpayer-funded project.
The installation, organised by Inverness Old Town Art (Iota),
forms part of a project to celebrate the regeneration of the city's Old Town.
Annie Marrs and Jennifer Cantwell are the two artists behind the art group's latest scheme in Inverness.
Previous projects include Inverness in Pants, when large papier-mache briefs were strung up across the city's Church Street.
The pair spent three months knitting the woolly street furniture and insist the public money is going to good use.
Ms Marrs said: "The idea is to create something which is quite feminine, tactile and craft-based and bring it into a concreted, brick world.
"We deliberately chose to use blood red and the idea is that we are connecting spaces like an arterial line through the town.
"Our work is about love and bringing a nurturing feeling back to the city."
The artists began their prank at 5:30am last Monday and were granted permission from the city's Old High Church to place the woollen decorations on the historic tombstones.
However, critics have branded the scheme a waste of taxpayers' money claiming the cash could have been better spent on improving local services.
But a spokesperson for Iota said: "Focusing on costs of events may mean the actual social and promotional benefits to the area and arts community are overlooked."
There has been mixed reaction to the woollen stunt.
Mary Scanlon, the Conservative Highlands MSP, was less than impressed. She said: "I am far from convinced that giant pompoms are the best way to promote the city. Art is meant to be challenging, but I do think it is disrespectful to cover gravestones in wool."
However, Claire Barnes, 20, a receptionist at the Ramada Jarvis Hotel in Church Street insisted they had made a positive impact on the city centre.
She said: "I think the red balls look really attractive, they brighten up the place."
STITCH IN TIME
THE 21st century has seen a resurgence of knitting.
Celebrities including Julia Roberts, Winona Ryder, Cameron Diaz and Russell Crowe have all been seen knitting and have helped to popularise the revival of the craft.
The internet has also created a thriving online knitting community allowing knitters to connect, share interests and learn from each other.
Blogging and tweeting have also helped fuel the development of an international knitting community.
By CLAIRE GARDNER
HERE'S a good yarn from Inverness. A pair of "guerrilla knitters" have covered landmarks around the city in bright red wool.
Now giant pompoms hang from lampposts, crocheted spider webs have been strung across alleyways and tombstones in the city's ancient graveyard adorned with cosies.
Organisers hope the fun-filled scheme, also called "yarnbombing", will entice visitors and shoppers to the city centre.
The project, which used 45 miles of red wool, has been set up to transform Inverness city centre as part of a £300,000 taxpayer-funded project.
The installation, organised by Inverness Old Town Art (Iota),
forms part of a project to celebrate the regeneration of the city's Old Town.
Annie Marrs and Jennifer Cantwell are the two artists behind the art group's latest scheme in Inverness.
Previous projects include Inverness in Pants, when large papier-mache briefs were strung up across the city's Church Street.
The pair spent three months knitting the woolly street furniture and insist the public money is going to good use.
Ms Marrs said: "The idea is to create something which is quite feminine, tactile and craft-based and bring it into a concreted, brick world.
"We deliberately chose to use blood red and the idea is that we are connecting spaces like an arterial line through the town.
"Our work is about love and bringing a nurturing feeling back to the city."
The artists began their prank at 5:30am last Monday and were granted permission from the city's Old High Church to place the woollen decorations on the historic tombstones.
However, critics have branded the scheme a waste of taxpayers' money claiming the cash could have been better spent on improving local services.
But a spokesperson for Iota said: "Focusing on costs of events may mean the actual social and promotional benefits to the area and arts community are overlooked."
There has been mixed reaction to the woollen stunt.
Mary Scanlon, the Conservative Highlands MSP, was less than impressed. She said: "I am far from convinced that giant pompoms are the best way to promote the city. Art is meant to be challenging, but I do think it is disrespectful to cover gravestones in wool."
However, Claire Barnes, 20, a receptionist at the Ramada Jarvis Hotel in Church Street insisted they had made a positive impact on the city centre.
She said: "I think the red balls look really attractive, they brighten up the place."
STITCH IN TIME
THE 21st century has seen a resurgence of knitting.
Celebrities including Julia Roberts, Winona Ryder, Cameron Diaz and Russell Crowe have all been seen knitting and have helped to popularise the revival of the craft.
The internet has also created a thriving online knitting community allowing knitters to connect, share interests and learn from each other.
Blogging and tweeting have also helped fuel the development of an international knitting community.
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