Thank you to Lyndal Rowlands and News Agencies Aljazeera for the Headline
Panama’s Supreme Court has ruled that the Hong Kong based shipping Company C K Hutchinson (such a British Name) will no longer have the right to control the entry and exit to the Panama Canal and as an interim measure the running of the ports will be taken over by Maersk the Danish Shipping Giant.
In terms of the employment of local Panamanians working in the ports this will mean significant insecurity. Who will be responsible for paying them and will their conditions of work change significantly. Will more automation be introduced? Who cares, at least it’s not in Chinese hands anymore?
“Shadow tankers” supplying oil to Countries that have had worldwide sanctions applied to them have been the bugbear of the United States and puts into perspective the actions of the United States recently with the kidnapping of the President of Venezuela and the agreements now in place to allow Venezuela to produce and ship oil in partnership with the United States. The control of the Panama Canal is now in Danish hands, not sure if this has anything to do with Greenland, maybe it’s some kind of concession. Here you have the Panama Canal and we can have Greenland. Watch this space.
Either way the Chinese aren’t very happy about it but Victor Li the President of CK Hutchinson has experience of being kidnapped himself while a young man in Hong Kong, his father paid a ransom 1 billion HK$1 to get him free , he was held for one night. The Hong Kong gangster responsible for the kidnapping was later executed by Mainland China , which would not have been possible under the then Hong Kong jurisdiction, so it is probable that there is a close relationship between the Hong Kong Company and the Chinese Authorities.
Panama itself was caught between a rock and a hard place, but perhaps it was a bit strange not to review the contracts and the working of the canal with more care and they shouldn’t have just been automatically renewed for long periods without any bidding process.
This is the type of headline that I love, somehow associating Nicholas Cage with requests to wave Nazi memorabalia and flags. Definitely made me have a second look, whether I’d go and see the film is another thing. Although I do think Cage is an excellent actor.
For those of you who want to know ,the film is ” Operation Fortitude” about the efforts of the British in 1944 to mislead Nazi Germany about the nature and timings of the D-Day landings and the storming of Normandy.
Enter stage right Waltham Forest Council, who wanted time to consider their role and the fact that the beautiful Waltham Forest Town Hall would be covered in Nazi paraphernalia ( big flags) and that the local people would have to understand that it was purely for a film and that they hadn’t politically moved to the extreme right.
Unfortunately due to filming pressures; the shoot had to be moved forward a month and it was impossible for the Council to play their part( bit like Marilyn Monroe, they were not in the mood and needed more time to consider) which due to filming pressures apparently they couldn’t have.
The preemptive letters sent by the film Company to the locals living nearby ( sent before anything had been agreed) explaining that when they started filming “the Nazi Flag’s would be highly visible” just confused everyone and the Council were quite adamant that no Nazi flags visible or otherwise would be flying on their Council Buildings.
So the shoot was moved to Greenwich, presumably to the old Navy buildings there.
The Council were quite clear that there was no cost or benefit or threats of suing as a result of this change of plan. I actually think the Council buildings look fine as they are , quite Art Deco if you ask me and I’m sure Nicholas Cage is pleased to be working again.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading. 🙏
AI interpretation of Art Deco Council Building , definitely not the Council Building.
#HeadlineTherapy King of Spain warns about the risk of ‘dismantling’ the link between Europe and the US
Thanks to Miguel Gonzalez of El Pais Online for the Headline.
Unusually I have combined two Headlines today as Pope LeoXIV and the King Felipe VI of Spain were both speaking at the ” Conference of Ambassadors , the Pope at the Vatican with the Vatican Diplomatic Corps in Rome, while King Felipe VI held a two day conference with the heads of Spanish diplomatic missions worldwide in Madrid.
I suppose we forget about the history of the Catholic Church and it’s relationship with Spain, but the fact that they both call it a “Conference of Ambassadors” is interesting. I must admit at first I thought they had both attended the same event, but they were separate, but both asking for Peace and Level-Headedness when dealing with the challenges that their Ambassadors face.
Pope Leo did not mince his words denouncing countries for ” completely undermining ” peace, saying ” was is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading”. He was talking about the many conflicts in the World today and said that” consensus- based diplomacy is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force, by either individuals or groups of allies.” Perhaps we do need to read that in black and white. With the big child in the Whitehouse who’ll throw his toys at you if you won’t be his friend , yes consensus is going out of fashion, Donald might as well sing “if you want to be in my Gang”
King Felipe’s stance is very similar to the Pope, neither want conflict. Spain with it’s common language and most probably a lot of business trade with South America the King’s hope is that his Ambassadors can act with great patience and diplomatic courage, particularly with respect to Venezuela. Also that the closeness of Europe and America must continue, as the benefits are too great and isolationism would be catastrophic as it nearly was in the first half of the last Century. We all need each other
King Felipe was able to be secular and pragmatic, where Pope Leo as leader of the Catholic Church was from a religious point of view, however, they both have valuable messages and maybe all Countries should have a “Conference of Ambassadors” to set out plans for consensus and understanding.
Thanks to Moustafa Daly, IMI Cairo and Le Monde for the Headline
Fortunately Romania does not have a channel for people to cross in boats and look to gain Citizen rights in their Country. No newspaper headlines or promises of one to one exchanges.
They do however have a different problem caused by their descent laws.
As a remnant of border changes going back to 1918 ; territories which use to be part of the Kingdom of Romania that either due to conflict or as the result of the aftermath of World War Two; changed hands ; and are now either Russian satellites or indeed occupied by Russia.
The Kingdom of Romania’s territory between 1918 and 1940 included land that has now( under a Law passed in Romania in 1991), given the residents of those territories during that period the right to apply for Romanian Citizenship and subsequently entitlement to a Romanian Passport. Romania being part of the EU, this is a valuable asset to have. Giving freedom of travel and the ability to do business within Europe to the passport holder.
Hence , sometimes with the aid of crooked Romanian Officialdom, the addresses have been used of locations within “descent countries” and passports applied and given to Russian Nationals. The Romanian Authorities now estimate that over 18,700 citizens from the former Soviet republics have now registered under the “descent” criteria, with fake genealogy and using genuine addresses where they have never lived in order to obtain a Romanian passport.
I can’t help but wonder what was behind the “descent law ” that has been in operation since 1991, did Romania genuinely want some of the people they had lost back. Is there just simply not enough people in Romania and they thought that with a Romanian passport these people would choose to move back?
Sad to say , this admirable gesture has been abused by a criminal fraternity , advertising Romanian Citizenship for sale on the internet for thousands of euros, and in these instances the likelihood is that there is no benefit to Romania, indeed there may be harm.
Thankfully , the Romanian authorities have ascertained what has been happening and are now taking steps to prevent it , the” active citizens” did not appear in towns where they were registered and thus they are back to square one with their plan to embrace their population from the “Old Romanian Kingdom”
Thanks to Nick Alipour, news reporter for Sky News Online, for the Headline.
My initial thought was I wonder where that is and I was surprised to read it was the Philippines. Yes a rarely reported fight between Maoist Insurgents and the Phillipino Government has been going on for 56 years with the numbered dead being 60000 as a result of the conflict.
Each Christmas Day during those 56 years they have respected the locals need for a day of Peace and have had a ceasefire. One year a period of four days was proposed, however, there seems to be a theory that either side can use the ” Christmas Peace” for propaganda purposes, the people on the ground whose daily lives are affected are by the conflict are so desperate to have peace that the protaganists use the “Christmas Truce ” to persuade the people that they “care” about them.
Once Christmas is over, however, it’s back to the fight for their beliefs and the conviction that they know what is best for the population and to fight is necessary.
The article explains that there are more “conflicts” going on in the World than anytime since World War Two. It’s a sad fact and I don’t need to tell you which one’s grab the Headlines. The Peace Research Institute in Oslo has identified 61 conflicts that were active in 2024 so most don’t reach the eye of the general public .
The pain and suffering for the populace in those conflicts, not covered by the Global Media Machine, may avoid sensationalism of the suffering of the population ; but are those that are not covered , not covered because it is not in the Global Interests to do so? After all who owns the media? The old adage follow the money works well here.
A rural skirmish which enables land , oil or mineral rights to be distributed elsewhere, or picked up at a knock down price may be the real reason behind not reporting the facts. Land that would otherwise be fertile and farmed with a good water supply may be cleared of people for the sake of mining. Rural farming is inefficient and we need to progress. We need growth, more than we need the people to grow.
These may be the Global Goals of enterprises who have long lost the promise of Empire and now rely on their business partners and interests to maintain the status quo. Using Global resources to fill the coffers of their bank accounts to have financial security and have a banking industry that will offer self- perpetuating finance to those whose next project/ fight is on their to do list.
Thanks to Vic Minnett and Shannen Headley BBC CWR West Midlands for the Headline. ( the opinions expressed in this therapeutic article are purely my own misguided or otherwise thoughts)
My feelings on this headline were initially , oh not The Reform UK Party. As the only member of the Reform Party( he might be the leader for all I know) is Nigel Farage.
I associate Mr Farage with being irresponsible in the EU Parliament while he was an MEP. Guffawing and neigh saying anything good about what other MEP’s were trying to do. At the same time creaming off the expense system and taking an MEP’s salary at the same time as decrying the EC as an institution .
Is Nigel Farage a journalist ?Have his journalist and media friends given him so much exposure that we think him far more influential than he is?
And now I know another Reform Party member, George Finch, who is the Council Leader for Warwickshire County Council at 19 years old. As Head of the Council he wrote a letter to Bridget Philipson, the current government’s Education Secretary, his request was for the Council to be given permission to reform the “walking distances” between home and school in order to reduce the money spent on transporting the 10,000 children who currently qualify for transport aid to get them to school in the County.
Unfortunately, Bridget after reviewing the letter accused Reform of dragging children ” back to the Victorian Era”.
Please stick to the facts Bridget and don’t flounce off about what you may see as the bigger picture of Reform UK or UK Reform , whatever they are called, potentially being a party that would like Orphaned Children in Workhouses and fed on gruel and made to pick oakum. While their more fortunate peers will sit quietly in class having walked to school through bad weather , with leaky shoes and a summer coat.
As Head of the Council, George Finch wants to understand if there are better ways to organise school transport. They offer subsidised transport to 10,000 children , George thinks the figure should be closer to 2500. Unless someone looks at the facts no one can really be sure.
Unfortunately accusing a fellow Politician of living in the Victorian Era, particularly a 19 year old elected Head of Warwickshire Council, seems Victorian and a bit Old School Mam’ ish to me. Stick to the facts Bridget.
Thank you to the Online BBC News Team for this inspiring gem.
This story reminded me of a tragic(for architectural and historical reasons purely) of our local Council’s argument with a developer who bought a beautiful building called ” The Mechanics Institute” probably over thirty years ago for a lowly sum and then proceeded ,despite the building being “listed” ,to let it deteriorate and go to ruin. I don’t think the developer ever had the money to ” turn the building into a hotel” and actually saw the value of the land for house building once the building was in such a state it had to be demolished.
So this story about a developer using a small union jack on the side of a building he owned to advertise a “Fly the Flag Campaign” on a former Council building which presumably the developer had bought from the Council struck a chord.
The developer was outraged when the Council asked him to remove the said Union Jack Flag .He responded by putting a Union Jack that completely covered the frontage of the five story building and the Council have said that they will not take any further action as the flag ” does not breach any planning rules”, and actually the Council feel that it can be considered as part of the National Remembrance period to remember our War Dead. Yes, the Union Jack represents the whole of the United Kingdom (or does it? * see below) and does seem an appropriate way to remember those that have died, and I’m sure the Council did not intend not to include Wales.
They will however pursue the developer for advertising a “Fly the Flag “”Website address on the building as this is deemed an unauthorised advertisement.
I can’t imagine if there are any tenants in the building how they will see out of it? Perhaps that is what the developer is upset about, he is not making any money out of the building and indeed it is costing him money. Why not use it to advertise his cause of ” Fly the Flag”. Has he got shares in British Airways?
For those of us who feel that flags are dangerous, I would say no. Flags are open to interpretation and anyone stupid enough in medieval times to run in front of load of marauders waving one, well they became part of history, respected perhaps , but not survivors. Unlike those who followed behind and picked up the pieces, tended the wounded and learned to live in Peace with each other . Flags are icons but they do not solve anything.
I like the Union Jack and the Cornish Flag, St David’s Flag (Gold and Black) I’ve always had a penchant for the St Andrews Cross and as I’m Irish the St Patrick’s Cross. * Apologies to Wales who aren’t included in the Union Jack , because when it was devised, Wales was regarded as part of England. Hence there is no Gold or Black in the Union Jack. Sounds like a recipe for a contentious , alcohol fuelled pub brawl.
So I won’t be joining “Fly the Flag Campaign” , not because I don’t like flags, they are colourful Icons, but in truth their origin’s can be contentious.
This is a fictional story not a commentary on what is actually happening at the BBC. A purely fictional story from my imagination, inspired by Primo Levi’s book The Periodic Table, which touches on how, he, as an Italian Chemist looking for work after the war had to deal with people who he had known while working at a big rubber plant next to Auschwitz. Although a well qualified chemist , he was in fact just another slave worker because of his Jewish religion. One of his bosses, “Mueller”, he came across years later while working as a free man in an Italian factory as an Industrial Chemist.
It fascinates me that the survivors were not only those who were prisoners in the death camps , but also those who played a role in managing businesses attached to the camp in an effort to support the Economy that the Nazi’s so heavily relied on. Where are those people today and have they forgotten what was taken away from them?
As Primo Levi outlined, his protagonist sought some sort of forgiveness which Levi felt he could not give. I on the other hand believe that there are some who think that their actions during the war were justified and those who would never see them as wrong or against humanity.
Well those people still exist and perhaps a great Institution like the BBC is one of their targets. After all the BBC did a lot of damage to the German War Effort , it’s independence and World Service were examples to everyone… and that is where my story begins.
Carbon survives and is part and parcel of our World. No matter what happens.
Maximillian pushed back in his office chai and stretched his long legs under his desk. He smiled as he remembered his Great Grandfather’s soliloquies on “George Orwell”, calling them soliloquies perhaps was too kind or perhaps a stylish remnant of Max’s penchant for flowery language which he had on what he regarded as false pretences(what nonsense English Poetry was) achieved his double first in English Literature at Cambridge.
English Literature indeed, once you knew German, proper German, every other language was der unsinn or garbage and easily mastered if you put your mind to it which of course Max had. His English accent was perfect and no one but his close circle ever heard him speak German.
His Great Grandfather’s speeches were indeed rants, just like his progenitor Adolf Hitler and in the care home that he eventually landed up in England, he would rant on endlessly about “George”, the Socialist, that Communist Bugger. All his Great Grandpa’s care staff were from the Phillipines and hadn’t got a clue what he was talking about. They saw him as an acerbic old grouchy man, harmless and quite lost in his own World, but Maximillian had known what his Great Grandpa was talking about and he totally agreed with him.
His Gramp Pa had gone into hiding after World War two, he had lost everything. He like thousands of others was a refugee, wandering the streets of Berlin, looking for his wife and children.
Unfortunately his house , his old life all gone Kapuut. After finding out his wife and children had died in one of the allied bombing raids , he managed to get to West Berlin before East Berlin was cut off. He was helped by some Nazi colleagues who were able to provide him with false papers, a false identity and a method of escape. He was indeed a wanted man as many who had anything to do with the “death camps” were.
With his new identity he blended into his new life.Working his way gradually across Europe as a travelling salesman.His penchant for languages stood him in good stead and he thought it genius that his false identity included a reference to Jewish ancestry.It had got him out of many a pickle as people looked at him in horror and if needed he would refer to a death camp and those he had lost in them .He was a good actor too.
Why he hated George Orwell so much, Max could never quite grasp, until when Max joined the BBC in the late 1990’s as fresh undergraduate, direct from University, full of ideas and on a fast track to be a producer , that perhaps he understood what had gone on as he had access to BBC archives .
Orwell worked for the BBC from 1941 to 1943, and during those years the Reich’s war had flourished, it certainly looked on the cards for a big change to happen to the World and for the Reich and it’s belief in it’s own destiny to be fulfilled. The German Army were largely in control of Europe, they were attacking the Russians and their allies. The Rest of the World too was beginning to see the benefits of authoritarian regimes , Japan was a strong ally and the Americans were keen to keep out of the War.
So what did Orwell do, living in drab London, under war conditions and doing a job as a journalist for the BBC which as an Institution he was largely unimpressed with. He stuck to the truth and he learned how to communicate succinctly and meaningfully with people who needed to hear the truth. He questioned authority and reported facts on the BBC’s World Broadcasting Stage which reached many that were living under authoritarian regimes or in conditions of extreme danger and at the same time gathered his ideas to write a book which would become “1984.”
This was why Max hated him and that was why Max had worked hard at the BBC to ruin it’s ethical stand and to ensure that the truth was a version of what Max and people like him wanted people to know. However, Max knew he had to be clever and he had helped with the process that lead to Orwell’s statue being placed outside the new building that became Broadcasting House. It appeased the BBC “socialists” and was part of his strategy in achieving Board Status at the BBC. Once on the Board of Governors , anything was possible.
(to be continued)
Thank you for reading and may your omnipotent being go with you. 🙏
” A computer is a device that processes inputs to product outputs. By this definition the brain is a computer because it takes in information and produces outputs.” Quote from Googling The Internet.
The brain takes information and transforms it into something else. So my first computer was my brain and an amazing tool it was and I like to think still is.
However , one figure, stands out in the history of the Computer and she was born in the midst of the hedonism of George the Third ‘s reign she would become a renowned mathematician and the first person to see the potential of a machine converting raw data to something other than it’s component parts ie. not simply a machine for calculation, but a much broader canvas. That person was Ada Lovelace, the only legitimate child of Lord Byron.
Ada Lovelace’s clear concise thinking lead us to the concept of the computer as a clever machine. Dear,Dear Ada was a mathematical genius and was able to see the potential in Babbage’s Analytical Engine and took her place in history as a “Wicked Mathematician.”, but also someone who encouraged others. Not dare I say it someone who wanted to dominate others.
A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then, some of which would be best assigned to a watery grave. Computing has been turned into a megalomaniac , male dominated globally polluting market place reserved for those with big budgets and even bigger egos.
Let’s face it , we have access to amazing information and we can choose to use it for good or for bad and that is what I reckon Ada Lovelace envisaged.
We have lost our way, just as a child’s brain develops and goes from being open minded and questioning to trying to satisfy the demands of the modern world and with that it’s megalomaniac , egotistical entrepreneurs whose goals just aren’t actually clear other than to dominate people, the market or perhaps the World, under the guise of Philanthropy.
Ada knew a fake when she saw it, and in honour of her, although by no means a brilliant thinker, I intend to be a free thinker and my brain , my first computer plays a part in that.
If I lose it , it’s OK , there are plenty more independent , quality thinkers out there and they will always be there, and able to use technology for the good of all. Let Ada be your inspiration.
Nowadays a Car that functions and is not too costly to run is what most people aspire to and why not?
They have become a necessary accessory to modern day life with suburbs and retail parks and leisure time to spend them in. Not to mention the dreaded school run if darlings Johnny and Jacinta didn’t get into their first choice of school and the New House Purchase fell through before the start of the new term. The journey to school is now a twenty minute car ride and not a twenty minute walk. Let’s face it the promise of Public Transport, is just that , a promise.
Thus some worship the Car, but most see it as something, dare I say it, is a necessary evil.
Some see the Car as the Devil Incarnate, and impose sitting in queues on it’s hapless inhabitants.
So My Favourite Automobile is quite a touchy subject for some.
However ,my Cars have always had names, sometimes just based on their brand name. So we have had Mini, Panda, Lil’ Audi , Van and currently Fred. They were always favourites as they always worked and always got me out of trouble. I always talked to them and in truth they had manuals written by humans who had rules and regulations in mind that meant explaining how to do something was an encyclopaedic experience. I much preferred just fiddling and I’m pleased to say that all my Cars were most helpful and never complained.
Thankfully the gear stick pattern has always been the same although light switches were always a bit of a challenge.
They were all my Favourites as they were part and parcel of my life. I won’t mention my experience with Company Cars as it was a shame , they never felt like mine and in truth I couldn’t connect with them and just like a hire car I suppose they were just there to be used.
In my later years , I probably won’t be able to afford a car, but I will look back with fondness to all my cars.
thenotsomightyom 