Downright scandalous

We had been forced led to believe by the powers that be that the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty (by hook and by crook) was meant to signal the end of the EU's internal wrangling and launch the EU into a new decade more outward looking and firmly focussed on the needs of its citizens.

However, the 40,000 - 50,000 or so EU bureaucrats in Brussels (and Luxembourg) plainly have other ideas. They have decided to start 2010 by taking all 27 member states of the EU to the European Court of Justice over their refusal to agree an inflation busting 3.7% pay rise. EU officials have been unwilling to accept a compromise offer from member states of a 1.85% rise.

Now this is so outrageous on so many levels that you would be forgiven for thinking this was a joke or something concocted by the most vehement eurosceptic. But if you're struggling to believe it, take a look here.

First, the pay rise itself. EU officials are paid well, very well. The basic monthly salary of the lowest pay grade is €2,550 per month, while a department head can expect to earn around €17,700 per month, and are paying special "community taxes" ranging from 8% to 45% (with the highest tax bracket applying only on wages above €6,700 per month). They receive all manner of benefits, including generous allowances for their children's education and very favourable pension arrangements.

Despite these benefits, EU officials are insistent that, in the worst recession for generations, they are entitled to more because "that's what the 'compulsory method' for calculating the figure says" and that it is a matter of "rule of law" as a Commission spokesperson delicately put it. Evidently, recessions can't penetrate the Brussels bubble and, even if they did, they would of course be superseded by EU law.

The scale of the brazen disregard for what is happening to Europeans elsewhere and the sheer bloody-midedness is quite frankly awesome.

Second, is the process by which this issue of the pay rise will inevitably happen be decided. You could cut the lack of democratic accountability with a knife. Today's decision to take the matter to the ECJ was taken by the 'College of Commissioners', which includes all 27 EU Commissioners and the UK's very own Catherine Ashton. The decision was taken by unanimity, so it therefore follows that the Baroness thought this a good idea too.

Because all the salaries of those directly employed by the EU institutions are based upon the same pay scale, the 27 EU Commissioners are also set to benefit from the additional 3.7%. Now Ashton's decision is not looking so silly (well, for her anyway). As Bruno Waterfield over at the Telegraph notes, Ashton will pocket an extra £9,000 on top of her basic annual salary of £241,000 if the commission's legal action is successful. But it does not stop there.

Not content with an assault on EU taxpayers' wallets, the Commissioners have made sure to insult their intellect for good measure. Commission spokeswoman Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen told journalists that due to the stalemate between member states and the Commission "Now it's for the court" to decide. Reading this at first glance one would think this reasonable - an impartial judiciary is just the job for such institutional difficulties.

But, hang on a minute, aren't the ECJ judges' salaries also based on the very same pay scale as all other EU officials? Why yes they are. Thank the EU for those checks and balances. The festive season may be over but the expression 'Turkeys don't often vote for Christmas' still very much applies.

okay, this is pretty cool

a youtube video of the halobenders (calvin johnson and doug martsch) covering the smith's classic "please, please, please let me get what i want" with video clips from tim and eric awesome show, great job! it's like this was made specifically for me. oh boy, oh boy. what about that guitar solo? what about the way calvin goes "ahhhhhhhhhhhh" in the background while doug sings "for once in my life let me get what i want?"

mistaken identity

With the news that Mr Bean briefly replaced Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero last night as the face of the Spanish EU Presidency's website, courtesy of an intrepid hacker keen to point out the Spaniard's resemblence to the British comic character, we thought we'd seek suggestions on any other candidates for EU look-a-likes.

Here are a couple to get you going:

Dutch PM Jan Peter Balkenende...















...and the little magician...















Swedish PM Fredrik Reinfeldt...















...and Shrek?...















And possibly a long shot...EU President Herman Van Rompuy...










...and the Grinch...















Maybe this last one requires a bit of a squint but we're open to any further suggestions...

question of the day: what was the worst band you saw in 2009

answer in the comments. don't worry, we don't all need to be myspace friends anymore.

for me it was probably dirty mittens and unnatural helpers.
dirty mittens are like a soft rock meets alternative band from portland. i guess that describes most of the bands here. it sounds like they formed w/ the intention of getting a song licensed to a car commercial. i saw them opening for love is all.

unnatural helpers are a bar rock band from seattle who seem excited to own one psychedelic record. they have a singing drummer but didn't the eagles have one too? they were opening for tyvek.

a lot of times when i see bands i wish that they could at least suck so there would be something interesting going on. i know this is negative, in reality i like more music than most of the people i know so i should be able to get away with asking this question......

Do as I say, not as I do

In October EU ministers and heads of state met under the Swedish EU Presidency to discuss how to fight global poverty and combat climate change.

The Swedish press reported over Christmas that the participants in these so-called European Development Days managed to clock up some £310,000 in limousine expenses alone during the five days that the conference lasted, providing yet another text-book example of how not to go about your business if you want citizens and the rest of the world to follow your "lead". The extensive use of limousines to ferry ministers to EU meetings where poverty and CO2 reductions are being discussed doesn't exactly send out the right signals..

Le origini delle religioni : Islam ( Parte 10 )

Dopo l'attacco terroristico dell'11 settembre 2001 si è molto discusso sull'Islam , con una particolare attenzione ai valori morali che promuove .
Tutti i politici sono stati concordi nel dire che la colpa di quell'orribile attacco non è l'Islam in sè , ma piuttosto dei fondamentalisti religiosi che hanno utilizzato la religione come scusa per i loro violenti atti barbarici .






Tuttavia si potrebbe dire che questo è solo un modo " politicamente corretto" di affrontare il problema per evitare una sanguinosa guerra tra musulmani e cristiani , e non una conclusione basata sui fatti . L'Islam potrebbe promuovere un comportamento violento ? Molti dei suoi detrattori hanno concluso si .Ovviamente l'accusa che l'Islam promuove violenza e vendetta , i musulmani risponderebbero che quello che noi sappiamo della loro religione proviene principalmente da traduzioni e ricerche fatte da ebrei occidentali e cristiani orientalisti , docenti universitari ritenuti dai musulmani piuttosto prevenuti negativamente nei confronti dell'Islam .
Gli occidentali hanno davvero pregiudizi nei confronti dell'Islam . Studiando gli aspetti culturali dell'omicidio l'eminente psichiatra Eric Berne è arrivato alla conclusione che i musulmani , rispetto ai cristiani , sono più propensi a uccidere in un periodo di stress e depressione ,
Questa cosa è dovuta a una norma culturale che impone di esprimere in modo palese tristezza e euforia : strapparsi i capelli , urlare in tempi di grande dolore e danzare nelle strade in tempi felici , queste sono tutte cose normali per un musulmano . TUTTAVIA PERSONALMENTE NON SONO COMPLETAMENTE D'ACCORDO CON QUESTA TEORIA , PERCHE' TUTTI GLI UOMINI E TUTTE LE DONNE DI TUTTE LE RELIGIONI E CULTURE POSSONO POTENZIALMENTE COMMETTERE UN OMICIDIO ED ESPRIMERE PUBBLICAMENTE I PROPRI SENTIMENTI .
Ma dovrebbe essere chiaro a tutti che nei paesi islamici sembra che in generale manchi , dal punto di vista emozionale , un senso della misura , anche se politicamente corretto occidentale vieta anche che si alluda a una cosa del genere. I talebani sono gli "studenti" del Corano che governavano l'Afghanistan prima che nel 2003 un invasione alleata rovesciasse il loro governo , sono loro i folli guerrafondai che aiutarono Al-Qaida a d assassinare migliaia di persone nel World Trade Center di New York .
Questi studenti sono le stesse persone che hanno vietato l'istruzione alle donne e le hanno costrette a indossare il burqa dalla testa ai piedi , per evitare che nemmeno un centimetro di pelle tentatrice potesse essere visto dagli uomini . I talebani sono l'ottusa unine studentesca responsabile della distruzione delle statue di Buddha - vecchie di duemila anni - della valle di Bamiyan : essi vollero distruggere opere d'arte storicamente e culturalmente importanti solo per andare contro la venerazione degli idoli .
Il punto è questo : ammettendo che un giorno il pensiero razionale rimpiazzi il pensiero religioso allo scopo di opporsi a un'altra religione , sarebbe comunque una cosa orribile e disgustosa far saltare in aria la Moschea Blu di Istanbul o il Vaticano , o il tempio dei Mormoni a Salt Lake City , o qualunque altro luogo di fede . L'arte e la storia non devono mai essere distrutte , nè nascoste nè alterate , solo perchè ci si evolve razionalmente .





Così come abbiamo preservato Stonehenge dobbiamo preservare anche la Mecca , la Cupola della Roccia o il tempio d'Oro , sempre perchè senza questi luoghi non saremmo più in grado di capire i nostri progressi dell'età primitiva.

2010: a better year for Europe?

Happy New Year - some thoughts on 2009 and the new year ahead from us over on Conservative Home.

New Year 2010 Is Here! But The Looming Threat Of Cyber Attacks Are A Cause For Concern!

Social Networking Sites like Twitter,Facebook to Become Major Targets:

According to McAfee's prediction,the hubs for those snippets of communication -- Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites -- will become major targets for cyber criminals.

Its a proven fact that today's consumers are more wary of Web links sent by strangers. They tend to trust Web links and e-mail messages sent by friends and family.

But online attackers are learning how to exploit that trust, by delivering malware that appears to come from Facebook friends, Twitter followers and friends' e-mail accounts.

Facebook which has about 350 millions is the most likely social networking site to be targetted.Though Twitter has a smaller population, because of the site's trust relationships, it too will be targeted.

URL Shorteners, Banking Sites Increasingly Exploited by Online Crooks

McAfee also warns that URL shorteners, like those used to accommodate Twitter's140 character limit, make the cyber criminal's task even easier.

Unlike many typical Web addresses that show Internet users the name of the site they're about visit, shorter URLs tend to display a string of letters and numbers that seem to have no rhyme or reason. For example, instead of showing a user "http://bankofamerica.com"or "http:/bbcnews.com," abbreviated URLs might

display only "http://bit.ly/XpEwA" or "http://bit.ly/15OAyP."

As another Internet security firm Symantec said in its recent report on 2010 threats, URL shortening services will "become the phisher's best friend."

"Because users often have no idea where a shortened URL is actually sending them, phishers are able to disguise links that the average security conscious user might think twice about clicking on," the company said.

As consumers continue to bank online, attacks on financial sites will likely increase in 2010!.

Google's New Chrome OS Could Face Security Challenges

Even though banks have upped online security with extra features to authenticate users, cyber thieves have become smarter. Some criminals have already learned how to bypass the banks' second layer of protection.

McAfee noted one new technique that involves interrupting a legitimate transaction to make an unauthorized withdrawal, while simultaneously checking the user's transaction limits to fly below the radar and avoid alerting the bank.

McAfee said another target for online crooks this year will likely be Google's new operating system, Chrome. The tech giant, which has already released a Chrome browser, is expected to release an entire open source operating system this year to rival Microsoft Windows, Linux and others.

As the "new kid on the block," McAfee predicts attackers will attempt to break the code and prey on consumers.

While Microsoft has a lot of experience with operating system security and regularly sends out patches, it will be a brand new world for Google.

Adobe to Be Number One Target for Cyber Criminals

But the No. 1 target for cyber criminals in 2010? McAfee expects it to be Adobe products, especially Flash and Acrobat reader.

Symantec also warned that malware for Mac and mobile devices will increase. As Macs and smart phones (such as iPhones, BlackBerrys and Android phones) increase in popularity, attackers will spend more time figuring out how to exploit them.

But not all predictions for 2010 are negative.As law enforcement recognizes the severity of the damage cyber criminals inflict, they are stepping up efforts to combat them. International cyber law enforcement had a number of successes in tracking, identifying and arresting cyber criminals in 2009, and McAfee expects that trend to continue in 2010.

And, ultimately, the motive behind talking about the possible cyber attacks in 2010 is to keep the consumers educated about security trends and make sure they use safe browsing technology and anti-virus software.

North Korea Calls for Better Relations With U.S.

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea called on Friday for an end to “the hostile relationship” with the United States, issuing a New Year’s message that highlighted the reclusive country’s attempt to readjust the focus of six-party nuclear disarmament talks.

In an editorial carried by its major state media outlets, North Korea said that its consistent stand was “to establish a lasting peace system on the Korean peninsula and make it nuclear-free through dialogue and negotiations.” The editorial added that “the fundamental task for ensuring peace and stability” was “to put an end to the hostile relationship” with the United States. Read More

source: http://www.nytimes.com/

A HAPPY PHONE CALL.

Something very special and very cool happened last night.

Does everybody remember Brother Laibar Singh?  If not, there are far too posts about him and his situation (36, at least) for me to link them here.

In short, he came to Canada illegally, was denied refugee status, then contracted a spinal infection that left him paralysed.  Canada, however, was determined to deport him..At one point, he was taken to the Vancouver Airport, where the plane was waiting to fly the very physically weak Singh to India.   The sangat and few other friends turned up en masse and succeeded in foiling that attempt.  He then sought sanctuary in different gurudwaras until he finally allowed himself to be sent back to India.  He said he missed his children and that was why he was returning.  I know him well enough that I don't believe that for a nanosecond.  My belief is that he felt that he had become a burden, something unacceptable to any Sardar ji (or Sardarni ji).  Whatever his reason, he returned to India in November 2008, his faith and dignity intact. These two pictures were taken at that time.

I finally got his telephone number and a dear friend in India called him and talked to him!  His elder daughter has just gotten married, his son has grown kes and is studying Gurmat, and his younger daughter has moved in to take care of him.  Dear Gurmukhts from Canada are continuing in their support of him.  His health has improved and he remains in chardi kala!

Now I must invest in a calling card and at least exchange a fateh with him!

This is a very happy New Year 2010 CE for me.  He has become my younger brother and I love him dearly.  He is a sweet, kind man.  May he be blessed with all good things, now and always!