Category Archives: Uncategorized

Government tries to quietly drop Lord ‘desolate north-east’ Howell as adviser

Were that it was satire!

Pride's Purge

(It’s not satire – it’s the Tories!)

Up until just yesterday afternoon, Lord Howell – the Tory peer who said that ecologically damaging fracking for shale gas could go ahead in the north-east of England because the countryside there is so ‘desolate‘ –  was described on the official government information website www.gov.uk as an adviser to the Foreign Secretary William Hague.

Here’s a screen shot of a cached copy:

lord howell1

By yesterday evening however, his role had been deleted and the website now states he ‘no longer works for the government’:

lord howell2

You can almost smell the desperation of the government to distance itself from such an electoral liability.

Presumably it won’t be so easy to whitewash from history the fact he’s the chancellor George Osborne’s father-in-law.

Seems to me the only thing that’s going to be desolate in the north-east of England is the Tory’s chances of ever winning…

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Putting Those Seasonal Veggies To Use: Corn and Tomato Salad Recipe

Urban Gardens NYC

Summer’s bounty provides no shortage of delicious and seasonal fruits and vegetables, readily available at your local farmers’ market or right in your backyard if you like to grow your own food. And whether you are a culinary genius or have just recently mastered the art of microwaved dinners, preparing meals in the summer with fresh produce is easy for any skill level.

Some folks refuse to even turn their ovens on during the warm summer months, vowing to create dishes that only require raw preparations of wonderful vegetables and fruit. After all, biting into a juicy peach or a ripe tomato leaves your palate satisfied and without a want for dressings or seasonings; in-season produce is scrumptious just the way it is.

Here is one nearly completely raw summer salad that is sure to please guests at a cookout, or your family as a side dish or entrée. It…

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The U.S. Visa Cancellation of Lebanese Citizens

Some mindless junk of excluding people by whim? White House will hear about this.

A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares

It’s a joyful moment for many when they get that American embassy employee to smile at them and tell them their visa request has been finally approved. I wouldn’t know since I’ve never had that happen to me.

For many, it is believed the struggle to get into the United States is almost done – what can go wrong now that you’ve got the paper work? Nothing, right?

Wrong.

For 3000 Lebanese, visiting the United States has become an impossibility for reasons no one knows. The people whose visas got cancelled belong to different Lebanese sects and religions: Christian, Muslim, Sunni, Shiites. They belong to different societal strata: businessmen and regular joes.

The U.S. Embassy in Lebanon has denied such numbers  (link), asserting that it is within the authority of the American State Department to cancel visas if information came to light after their issuance that would make the…

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Children Used on the Front-line of Islamist Demonstrations

Speechless at how extreme this appears to be

Egyptian Streets

Shocking footage has emerged of Egyptian children being dressed in white ‘death shrouds’ in preparation for their ‘martyrdom’ by pro-Morsi families in a large demonstration at Rabaa al-Adaweya.

The children were heard chanting pre-rehearsed lines and were seen carrying posters that say “I am ready to die!” during a short march.

This is not the first time that such images have emerged, however media and government attention over the issue remains spotty, as debates over politics have quickly overshadowed social problems plaguing Egypt.

Under both international and local law, using children under 18 years as a tool for politics and placing these children at severe risk of death or injury is illegal.

With an impending dispersion by the government of the pro-Morsi demonstration at Rabaa al-Adaweya, it is evident that the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of children will be put at severe risk.

The National Council for Childhood…

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Egyptian’s Aak- Week 30. On Mandate and Massacres

Nervana

July 26

 (Pro-Military July 26 demonstrations, via Egypt independent)

Main Headlines

 Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

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Hail damage

giantveggiegardener

Well all this rain has been great but many of us have also experienced hail damage over the last few weeks. I escaped the hail storms in my vegetable gardens until last Friday. I was out-of-town at the time (which was a blessing as I would have been super upset). My house sitter called and told me (before I came home) that it was hit pretty hard. I came home 5 days later and this is what I found. The chard, zucchini, beans, cucumbers and a few tomatoes got hammered so hard they were skeletonized. But most of my tomato plants were covered with row cover (to protect them from the dreaded leafhopper) and they were fine. Four tomato plants that I didn’t cover also got severely beat up. The eggplants that were covered with row cover were fine but the grapes got severe bruises on the fruit and the…

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