Walsingham

In defence of the blanket media coverage this is merely the tip of the iceberg. We all know that the kids on estates will burn cars and houses for the giggles. But so long as it stayed in housing estates the political classes didn't give a ****. Tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of kids each year are hustled through their mandatory education and straight onto the dole each year. It's a criminal waste of human potential, and it feeds crime like a stoker shovelling coal onto a furnace. The problem is that those who naturally favour solving the problem don't like the solution. Kids who come from violent and confused, ill-disciplined families, escape through a degree of violence, order and discipline. The Army turns thousands of scallies into hard working professionals every year. By which I don't mean we should use the Army because I don't think people should be drafted into a killing trade. But I do think that we need schools empowered to administer the tough love of proper control, combined with real and intensive pastoral care.

"Activision ruined you!" I see that guy landing a job at EA sooner rather than later... I quite like the fat man, actually. He's mad as hell, and he's not going to take it anymore.

So another delay and another unspecified date? Bethesda has been seriously screwing up the DLCs release. And they have just 2 more months to push out the GOTY edition before Skyrim. Maybe the delays rae to troubleshoot bugs? It's what we've been demanding...

Something I realised a few nights ago: some things just ARE. In the same way as we have the ground and sky. Get your head round that, if you can. As an aside, sort of, have you ever read any of the Aurelio Zen books by Michael Dibdin? I think you'd like them. And he's just the anti-hero to cheer you up, by the sound of things.

Ugh. Not sure I could handle any more 'its all teh blacks' nonsense. Thought I'd never have to sit through that sh** after leaving SA. Little case, showing real bravery, not this mock-political hooting and looting:

I approve of your Drizzt murders. Especially since, like me, you didn't know who the hell he was.

Obviously you don't know many of the chaps I work with.

Remind me why you're punishing yourself, again? You seem pretty switched on, generally.

Nick actually says "this is the most surreal experience". Although anyone who teaches kids wouldn't be the least surprised by the selfish half-baked notions being expressed. I really can't recommend you listen to it highly enough.

It's got **** all to do with skin colour. It's all about being a ****ing halfwit, egged on by leftists who somehow think that stealing stuff and burning down your own housing estate is revolutionary. Rather than, say, retarded. Perfect reportage from the BBC's Nick Ravenscroft, here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsi...000/9560646.stm if you can get it wherever you are.

Look, I'm not having a go, because there are professional commentators saying this. But it's total balls. You get people rioting in other countries over jobs or no food or no petrol. These are 'youths' on the whole taking part in violence because it's free (if not actually lucrative) and exciting, and scores you credibility with your mates. Most of these scallies have poor prospects in life because they've been engaged in an eucation/youth system which abandoned them by being soft on them, and letting them not study and providing no alternative to studying.

Nice try, LoF. A smattering of looting and a few attacks on restaurants isn't the revolution. I agree with one Tory MP that it's disgusting that we consider anti-riot methods like water cannons and rubber bullets good enough for the Irish but far too rough for the mainland. is this the ****ing 19th century?

Yes. A bit like this one. WHERE THE FUNT IS THE GM?

I don't even know what verb I haven't effected! Read? Polished? Admired? Smalkucked?

Let's not get over-excited here. The fact is that with about 2000 coppers in a county the police have always 'controlled' by consent and sleight of hand. If someone takes it into their head to stage a 'riot' then standard procedure is basically to let them get on with it, unless someone powerful is prepared to shell out overtime and specialist units to hit it really hard. My read on this situation is that: 1. The man's OWN SUPPORTERS admitted to the BBC that he was 'involved in stuff', but that they maintain he wasn't violent 2. The chucking of a few rocks at a police car was met with passive inaction by the police 3. ...and 'yutes' began the obvious teenage reaction of hooting and running amok, aided by 'adults' keen to do some looting 4. The vilence willl stop when either every simpleton who wants a telly has burned down their local Dixons, and when the police get given a strategic parliamentary level 'all clear' on battering hoodies. 5. Until they get some political cover te cops will be perfectly happy to hang fire. HUGE job curts are in the pike for them, and this gives them a handy oportunity to remind the civil power that police are the power when things get uncivil.

The who the what now? Which post?

Don't listen to these goons. You're a man. So if for some reason it doesn't work out you can always man the f*** up and get over the disappointment. *ducks hurled objects*

I symptahise with your point, but ultimately Joe Public (and I largely include myself except for particularly good days) don't understand the complexity of what is happeneing. Having BIg MOney People Say Things Not Good is at least possible to understand.

Have to work today to catch up on several back burner projects which have been slipping. But the weather is awful, so not much lost. had dream last night where plot mechanic was a bit like the film Memento, where someone is trying to remember, except in this case they are trying to think of a thing. The lead character was being left 'questions' in tablet form. each one contained some chemical associative stimulants to triger thoughts in a specific user's mind - taste of a specific birthday cake, for example - that would come togther to form both an unresolved missing datum and the powerful desire to solve it. I think the author if the questions was going to turn out to be some sort of Gibson AI, but I got woken up by my houseguest coughing!

Like hell you do. You just need to quit hangovers. Ow ow ow.

The US emerged as a winner out of the depression because of WW2. What will drag us out this time around? WW3, old-style Dune no-nuke policy warfare? Pike blocks. Only way to go. *gasp* We could have celebrity raised regiments like back in the old days when regiments were raised by gentry. Anne Robinson's Hussars...

Frustrated by a nameless dread of a host of pettyfogging bureaucracy that is clogging my work like dead leaves. Stood up and sky'd my office chair across the room in a magnificent display of total stupidity. I feel much better, and also understand all these anarchist rock throwers a little better. EDIT: I will also need to rewallpaper my office as I knocked a chunk out of the wall. Firther edit: if violence is the final argument of kings, then perhaps violence itself makes one feel like a king? It's been far far too long since I did any actual violence. Although naturally it's been not long enough since I had any violence done to me!

Lt. Hunter used to use that for real in Hill Street Blues. My favourite approximation is 'feth'. because I'm unstylish, even for a nerd.

The one, the orginal, Howlin' Wolf, ladies and gentlemen. Smokestack lightning. Although might be more to a mellower taste. Going to try and learn this. ~~~ Also, this Fallout-tastic number yesterday: It ain't the meat, it's the motion.

Ironically my own contact with Chile has been through meeting some Chilean naval officers. Very professional, very very relaxed.