Sorry for the outage of posting. However university is on the horizon and with it (hopefully) unlimited internet access once more.
Best Wishes to all :)
John
Just to say sorry for the lack of posts but it has been entirely due to a lack of computer. I've spent the past few days at my Aunty Jilly's in order to complete and hand in a piece of coursework in the absence of the flat. Thankfully term effectively ends for me tomorrow so I can get back to a more serene timetable.
My computer is packed up with the rest of the stuff at the farm and I don't really want to retrieve it as my only means of doing so would be to ask my mother to take me and would ultimately put me in line for a long discourse on the subject of my grandmother's woes from the woman herself. I suppose I'll have to sooner or later.
Anyhow. Sorry for the absence in posting, can't be helped but will be rectified soon. Expect sporadic posting until I have a more stable internet connection.
Best wishes
John
The packers are here, so I'm going to Box up Genevieve my G4. Expect updates to be rarer than usual for a bit. At least for a week.
Take care and enjoy yourselves
Later
John
Well. I'm packing my bag. The movers are arriving tomorrow and pretty soon this flat will be emptied of its cluttered memories.
I spent my first years here, throughout my life this is probably the only structure I could point to and say was a 'home' in the more permanent sense of the word. I spent my whole childhood moving so I've learned not to get too attached to houses and flats but somehow 56 Carlisle Mansions is harder to separate from. Perhaps it's because it was my first house or because it's the only place I've seen from a variety of heights (I still fondly remember toddling down the corridor to my Uncle Jeremy's room which I walk down each time I head to the room I currently sleep in) but this flat is a part of my life in a way that no other house has been.
When I leave tomorrow it will likely be the last time I will run my hand down the bannisters that I always found so low. I heard a child laugh on the way down this morning and almost expected my younger self to come bounding up the carpeted stairs, eager to beat his parents who took the lift up, certain in his imminent triumph. Stepping out into a stiff breeze I looked out at the other buildings along Carlisle Place and felt myself begin to spiral. Instead I wrapped my coat around me as if it were some chainmail weave and paced towards Victoria station. No pram to be pushed to St. James's Park but a case of legal notation to be hefted to Aldgate.
I glanced up Victoria Street where my alter ego would be headed, to perhaps feed the ducks or partake in some other happy distraction, the path to my fore seemed gloomy and for a moment I entertained the idea of missing my EC Law Lecture and instead joining the ghostly manifestation of my youth in a stroll through the park I loved so much. But the wind pressed at my back and I pushed myself into the mass which sought to cross Victoria Street, headed for the station.
I was so caught up in my own sinking that I got on the wrong direction of the District Line, getting off some 7 stops along and 14 from Victoria. The snapshot today is a shot of Plaistow station where I realized my mistake.
These past months have tried my very soul.
I was lucky enough to catch a mass at the cathedral this afternoon when I returned from university. I haven't been in the best of states this past week so I've leant heavily on my faith, as I have all this semester in fact.
I need to ask Lee if he'll be able to let me stay at his place tomorrow evening and then I'll head to Rowhedge. I shan't be able to see Helen as I haven't the money for a rail ticket to York.
Despite my general distaste for the romantic poets, a stanza of Keats' work came to mind so in a refreshing change from those LiveJournal posters who insist on inflicting their trite stabs at verse upon the good people of the world, I offer this:
She dwells with Beauty--Beauty that must die;
And Joy, whose hand is ever at his lips
Bidding adieu; and aching Pleasure nigh,
Turning to poison while the bee-mouth sips:
Ay, in the very temple of Delight
Veil'd Melancholy has her sovran shrine,
Though seen of none save him whose strenuous tongue
Can burst Joy's grape against his palate fine;
His soul shalt taste the sadness of her might,
And be among her cloudy trophies hung.
All the Best
John
More quality Iraq based insight from the Bloggosphere. This time from a man who knows his military military strategy. I got so sick of journalists espousing theories about their embedded units, speaking of military tactics. As I noted in my posts on the BBC Series Time Commanders the average joe layman, and yes reporter, knows sweet FA about strategy.
Even playing Warhammer or some other Tabletop battlegame at tournament level teaches you a thing or too about the most basic principles of military strategy, enfilading, refused flank, firebases. Lessons which have been learned and applied throughout time as they faded in and out of relevancy. Journalists speaking about alleys and cramped buildings being detrimental to coalition forces was the stupidest thing I've ever heard.
Yes buildings are dangerous but the American forces spend months drilling their building clearing using techniques pioneered and perfected by the SAS. Rogue fighters had a better chance of not being gunned down in an open street than they did standing in a room with a Kalishnikov waiting for a room clearing squad to kill them before they even fired a round.
The author however concerns himself with the larger scale of things pointing out that the Baathists still don't have a viable battleplan, despite having changed tack no less than 5 times.
I saw a ridiculous Doonesbury today where one soldier claims that the US doesn't have an answer to the mounted mortar brigades of the Baathists. Unsurprisingly this defeatist attitude isn't prevalent amongst coalition forces, in fact these 'motorcycle mortars' are indicative of desperation and poor military planning. Mortars are an inaccurate weapon when deployed by anything less than a well trained professional, I wouldn't bank on even fedayeen fighters being capable of deploying them effectively before having to scarper on a motorcycle.
Leaving immediately also thoroughly negates one of the mortar's primary purposes - to suppress the enemy and allow for a follow up assault or to allow your other forces to retreat. They are a weapon that is to be used to achieve a goal ancillary to the primary objective ie: keeping their heads down so you can kill more of them. All it proves is that the Baathists have finally realised that fighting coalition forces "up close and personal" is simply not an option. (Especially not after the massacre they received against the 4th Infantry Division - 46 dead, 18 wounded and 8 captured against 5 wounded, with no life threatening injuries on the coalition side: sounds like they got "Pwned" in my book)
Good luck "driving out the infidels" with those tactics.
Let the Glorious Ass-Handing Continue!
Later
John
Yes, you have my permission to harm me for that dreadful pun but I really couldn't resist. Omar of Iraq The Model has posted a brilliant piece on the farce of everyone's favourite Anti-War slogan "No Blood for Oil".
Countless times I've tried to explain the reasons why this is such a load of bollocks but as has been said before "You can't reason someone out of an argument they didn't arrive at through reason".
It completely ignores the fineries of the matter and is totally refuted by the evidence. If the US wanted Iraqi Oil all they had to do was say "Hey Mr Hussein, let us buy some of your Oil". Heavens sakes the amount of Oil was restricted. They only had to lift the sanctions if they wanted some and you can be damn sure, as proven by his previous actions that Saddam would have happily cashed the big ol' check and built his next 14 palaces.
I find it so naive for someone to think that the USA is spending 4 billions a month to "steal" 1,5 billions. The USA has already spent (or assigned) over 200 billion dollars, which requires the Americans to wait for over 10 years to get their money back. What a great investment!!!
Anyhow here's the full argument as to why it wasn't about the oil.
You can't argue much with those figures.
Later
John
Today's snapshot is a view of my Company Law Lecture. For once I actually arrived earlier than the lecturer (normally I am about 6 minutes late after having to get the tube from my counseling session). You can really feel the love in that room, it's found just behind the blank confusion and pass-out-knackeredness.
My counselor suggested that she'd be willing to sign a mitigating circumstances form to exempt me from exams so at least I know that if I don't pick up before January I won't be totally destroyed by a phalanx of written papers.
In altogether more important news, there's a new unofficial peace accord making the rounds which is aimed at bringing an end to the suffering in the middle eastern conflict surrounding Isreal and the Palestinians. It purports to be loaded with concessions and has what appears to be decent grassroots support. Naturally however it is not supported by the hard liners. Ariel Sharon has already stated that he's opposed to the measures. However Mr Sharon is a democratically elected leader and can be 'dealt with' if need be.
My fear for the future of what is called "the Geneva Accord" is that its failure will weaken the Road Map and more importantly that if it does fail, it will be because terrorists don't like concessions.
Two Palestinian Cabinet ministers and two influential legislators who helped negotiate the plan refused to go Geneva when they were threatened by militants. They changed their minds after they said Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat backed their participation, overriding criticism from Fatah hard-liners.The Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades linked to Fatah called them "collaborators," a loaded term that often marks Palestinians for death. Masked gunmen also shot at the home of Abed Rabbo, who already was in Geneva.
San Francisco Gate
If the Israelis want this accord they can grasp it with both hands and embrace it, Israel is a democracy after all. However it doesn't matter how many average Palestinians want to follow the new plan, if the Fatah don't want it then the suicide bombings won't stop. All I hear from some people is "Israel's worse". Whatever you might think of Israel it's a sovereign state, who's army is subject to the control of its government and it doesn't pursue its objectives by blowing up buses of school children. Isreal has demands, The Palestinian people have demands, both can be met by the other. However the demands of terrorists can and must not be met by anyone. The people of both sides can broker this deal but ultimately it is the cowardly terrorists who will decide whether it will be effective.
I pray that they choose to right their past wrongs and accept peace for the people they purport to serve. However I remain cynical.
Later
John