I suppose I shouldn’t really let the day go past without mentioning the execution of Saddam Hussein which took place early this morning.
There has been almost endless coverage of it in the news media, each channel having their parade of ‘commentators’ vying to give their opinion.
These opinions fell into two definite categories:
On one side, predominantly from westerners, justice had been served in a fair court run by the Iraqis following the rule of Iraqi law.
On the other side, Saddam was tried by a kangaroo court filled with American puppet figures and should have faced trial by then international court at The Hague.
Personally, I think it more of the second view. Although I can well understand why the west wouldn’t be so keen for that to happen.
If the trial had been at The Hague, the Americans wouldn’t have been able to restrict & edit the televised broadcasts of the hearings. Then the world would hear all the details about who supplied weapons & money to Saddam during the Iran Iraq war. Even though we know already. We would learn where he got the chemical weapons that he used to kill the Kurds. Even though we know already.
Successive American & British governments hold a lot of the responsibility for the past, present & future instability in the middle east but with Saddam dead they can, for the time being at least, heave a sigh of relief.
When I heard the news that the plane which overshot the runway at Miami airport was carrying the Prime Minister, Tony Blair , the first thing that came into my head was ‘what a missed opportunity!’ We could have been rid of the lying, two faced, egotistical war monger and his sad freeloading family. Sadly not. Foiled again. Must try harder.
What has softened the blow of the lack of his demise is the revelation of his intended holiday destination. The PMs office had tried to keep quiet where the Blairs were spending their vacation and for good reason it transpires.
Mr Blair & his tribe are holidaying at the villa of Bee Gee, Robin Gibb.
For most, honest people, staying at the villa of a friend (if you happen to have friends with villas, of course) would be a fairly innocuous thing. Not so, the Blairs.
The PM is famed worldwide for his free holidays at the homes of the rich & famous, including Cliff Richard & Silvio Berlusconi.
You may think that TB is just a cheap miser not wanting to fork out for his two weeks in the sun like the rest of us mere mortals, which he probably is. Don’t forget he has a £3.5million mortgage on a house in London.
What should also be noted is that the generosity of the villa owners is not necessarily altruistic.
Both Cliff Richard & Robin Gibb have been lobbying the British government for changes in the British copyright laws to extend the amount of years it covers. The passing of such changes will, no doubt, benefit the ageing popster greatly.
It seems to be that if you lend them money, you can be a Lord and if you have a nice villa to spare, you’ve got a chance of getting a law changed.
It isn’t any wonder that the majority of people in this country can’t wait to see the back of this leech.
Article here
Had to take Ronnie to the vet yesterday as we thought he had Cystitis. He had been straining on Boxing day and was letting out a little yelp of pain each time. Reggie had it earlier in the year so we naturally assumed (and hoped) it would be the same treatment which was just a course of antibiotics.
The vet felt that as his bladder was quite full it wasn’t as simple as we first thought, so he took a urine sample directly from Ronnie’s bladder with a syringe. This showed that he had FLUTD
So he had to stay at the vets overnight on a fluid drip and have a catheter inserted to flush out the crystals from his bladder.
The vet phoned us later on to say that Ronnie was doing well & that he would call in the morning to let us know when he could come home.
So we had a quiet evening with just Reggie to keep us company and I must admit to having a few tears.
The call came at around midday today saying that he was fine and that we could collect him straight away.
He was sent home with some tablets and now has to have a special diet specifically for his condition for the rest of his life. This will lead to a little more stress for us at dinner times because the pair of them are prone to swapping plates halfway through a meal.
He also has a little blue bandage around his leg which can come off later and a huge collar around his neck which was supposed to be kept on until tomorrow. Unfortunately, this had to come off almost straight away as he couldn’t eat or drink with it on and almost throttled himself trying to rub against things. Plus the sight of Ronnie waving his head about with his collar on almost frightened the life out of Reggie.
So, all in all, it’s been an expensive day. The total bill for his treatment was £327 and he wasn’t insured but that’s my fault.
Still I’m happy now he’s back at home.
Red
Originally uploaded by Mark of the Zebra.
Once again it’s time for the obligatory annual ritual of having a Poinsettia plant at Christmas. Let’s see if this one survives longer than the others. I’ve never managed to keep one alive beyond January to date.
Your services are not required!!
Originally uploaded by Mark of the Zebra.
Received a rejection letter from Central Trains today (No link – They don’t deserve one). It was actually only the second job I’d applied for since finishing my treatment and it was the first interview I’d had in six years. I knew straight afterwards that it hadn’t gone terribly well. Plus, of course, I did leave my last job for medical reasons and have been away from the workplace for almost 3 years. So I guess my work record is a little tainted.
The job advertised was basically the same as I had done for London Underground before my health deteriorated. When the job description came it seemed as though they were looking for a station manager rather than a ticket seller. There wasn’t even a pay difference between this job and a station assistant with no responsibilities.
Peter & I had chatted about it during the week and he said that it wasn’t the right time for me to be thinking about going back to work. At least not until I know where I stand health wise.
One thing I did learn from it is that I really need to brush up on my interview skills.
Ho Hum!
