Don’t you just hate it when an interviewee, even the president of the United States, refuses to answer questions on a subject, saying “That’s not the story. This is the story…” and then talks about something that clearly isn’t the story? With the alleged unlawful spying on US citizens on the front page of most US papers, President Bush still wants to claim the Iraqi elections are the real story. I don’t think so.
Government departments failing to meet CO2 targets
A report entitled “Leading by Example? Not Exactly” shows that the government, as in most other green areas, is missing its own environmental targets. Nine departments missed over half their targets.
Choice stat of the article: government departments emit more carbon dioxide than Liverpool. That’s a lot of hot air…
Now Congress is backing the ban
It seems both the House of Representatives and the Senate are against torturing people. Wonder if President Bush will veto an anti-torture bill? That would be interesting, politically. Can you be seen as being too tough on crime?
UPDATE: The White House is backing the measure.
Right hand – meet left hand. He’d like to introduce you to the government’s language education policy.
So, let’s get this right. First New Labour decides to end the mandatory teaching of at least one secondary language to children under the age 16. Now, it’s setting targets for schools to ensure that at least half of them continue learning a second language. Meanwhile, they’re trying to convince us all they’re trying to reduce the amount of paperwork and target-meeting that teachers have to do.
What’s wrong with this picture? Is it possible that the government have realised their mistake, don’t want to appear to have done a u-turn and have done the next best thing?
Personally, I think teaching everyone at least one secondary language up to the age of 18 would be an even better idea. I would have hated it at the time, but I would have been very grateful now.
WatchingAmerica
A useful site designed to help Americans and non-Americans alike understand what the world thinks of current issues that involve the U.S by providing news and views about the United States published in other countries.
Hello pot. Kettle here: you’re black. Salon attacks Slate for boring election coverage
Salon has the cheek to attack Slate for boring coverage of the Iraq elections. While there are valid criticisms in the piece, the “boring” charge is amazing, given the sheer levels of frothing tedium that Salon strung together just over a year ago for the US elections. After that length of time writing snooze-worthy, yet rabid pieces that got everything wrong, right up until election day, Salon no longer has the right to call anyone’s election coverage dull.
Economist’s green coverage
Some good articles on green issues in The Economist this week: how renewable energy is becoming more competitive in pricing; how the Atlantic Ocean currents are getting weaker; and the science that’s behind global climate change arguments.
A worrying day for Gordon Brown
Looks like the Treasury is going to lose a few billions in tax revenue over the next couple of years, thanks to the ruling in the M&S case. Silly Gordon: it’s not like you weren’t warned.
Iran’s president is clearly victim of CIA plot
It’s the only explanation for why he’s so completely mental: the CIA have obviously learnt from the KGB’s efforts with Victor Yushchenko and have put something in Ahmadinejad’s water to make him act off his head. Holocaust never happened? Why not move Israel to Europe? No one sane and free of Special Treatment 17 could come up with ideas like that.
Our one reassurance in such matters is that Iran’s political class can’t agree on much and there’s such a massive disconnect between the leadership and the people anyway, that we can hopefully write this all off as one man’s fevered ramblings.
Fetch your coat, Charles
Somebody had to say it: it’s time to raise your act a notch, Charles.