In the news

Switzerland / Sweden, potato / tomato.

Slight difference- one was the source of the majority of iron for Nazi u-boats, the other the recipient of lots of gold from said regime.

So, Switzerland should be significantly heavier, therefore more difficult for the USA to pick up and abscond with to Gitmo.

He should have crawled into the Mars Curiosity.

**Expensive council homes should be sold, says Policy Exchange think tank
**

This troubles me. Are we heading for ghetto type living in London?

I think this is an irrelevance.

1. I'm sure councils have already thought of selling off their valuable properties, and if they could they would. (after all, they have in the past). The ones with long term tenants they cannot sell.
   
2. council rents for new tenants are (I think) approaching market rates, so why sell off a property to some other landlord when it is generating a decent return for the council?
   
   

As an intersting aside, Islington council owns some very lovely georgian houses in such a parlous state of repair that in at least one case they have rented it for free to a long-term tenant on the condition that the tenant restores and renovates the property.

He should have crawled into the Mars Curiosity.

Has the Litespeed connection for that been pointed out?

http://www.cxmagazine.com/litespeed-ingenuity-lands-curiosity-mars

One thing I don't understand is why, if he is to stand trial in Sweden for allegations of rape which took place in Sweden, is he in danger of being taken to Gitmo and tortured for ~800 days?

i.e. presumably we, being the lapdog of the USA, would have happily packed him up and sent him over in response to an extradition request- but we have not done so, we were looking at extraditing him to Sweden.

Why are the Swedes assumed to be chomping at the bit to post him to the states? Because they won't be able to make the rape allegations stick, so are thinking "may as spoil his day somehow, where's the CIA guy"?

From a pro-Assange website:

*The UK’s extradition treaty does not have the temporary surrender (’conditional release’) clause. The UK’s judicial review process, while far from perfect, has a number of practical review mechanisms. The nearest equivalent case, of Gary McKinnon - a UK citizen who has been charged for hacking US military systems - has been opposed in the courts for 8 years.

Public opinion and the media (to a greater extent) are more sympathetic to Julian Assange in the UK than in Sweden. Public pressure could draw out the process of extradition to the United States in the UK. In Sweden the media climate is hostile (see Media climate in Sweden) due to the sex allegations. Public outcry would be significantly weaker and therefore less likely to stand in the way of a strategically convenient extradition.

In the UK, Julian Assange is better able to defend himself, muster support and understand the legal procedures against him. In Sweden on the other hand, the language barrier prevents him from effectively challenging the actions against.

The UK is politically better positioned to withstand pressure from the United States than Sweden. Sweden is a small country of nine million people close to Russia. It has grown increasingly dependent on the United States. In recent years Sweden has complied with directives from the United States in a manner that has not been scrutinised by Parliament, as has been revealed by the disclosed diplomatic cables (see Political Interference).*

http://justice4assange.com/US-Extradition.html#WUKJA

*Public opinion and the media (to a greater extent) are more sympathetic to Julian Assange in the UK than in Sweden. *

can't see that lasting too long.

can we at least have a caption so we know what that is all about
and why is there only one woman
and whats that bloke doing down the front weight lifting
and why has only one bloke got blue booties ?
why are they oiled up ?
whats with those glasses ? etc.....

**Expensive council homes should be sold, says Policy Exchange think tank
**

This troubles me. Are we heading for ghetto type living in London?

Aren't we already there?

For me, a ghetto is a place I wouldn't dream of going to. Sure, there are parts of London I have accidentally visited whilst getting lost on a run (something I used to do a lot) and got the hell out as fast as my legs would carry me, but that says more about my not knowing the place and there aren't many areas like that. At least I don't think?

As an intersting aside, Islington council owns some very lovely georgian houses in such a parlous state of repair that in at least one case they have rented it for free to a long-term tenant on the condition that the tenant restores and renovates the property.

Hmmm, I wonder how many properties could be rented in this way.

I'm sure I heard of some squatters being given this option too, several years ago though.

george galloway doing what he does best - being a twat.

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/politics/2012/08/george-galloway-assange-only-accused-bad-sexual-etiquette

There was a massive police presence in Berlin yesterday for an anti-Islam demonstration from the latest bunch of neo-fascists masquerading as critics of religion. Sadly it was a nice day, so only a small handful of them bothered to turn up:

Also look how much younger and more handsome the counter-demonstrators are:

Also, the irony of far-right Germans holding up signs criticising Islam for hating Jews, was probably sadly lost on these neanderthals:

Also look how much younger and more handsome the counter-demonstrators are:

you are not going to have much effect if you scream at your TV indoors.

^football thread >>>>>>>>>>>>

george galloway doing what he does best - being a twat.

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/politics/2012/08/george-galloway-assange-only-accused-bad-sexual-etiquette

argh on comments too :(

you are not going to have much effect if you scream at your TV indoors.

It was too hot outside, so they protested comfortably from an air-conditioned room overlooking the street*

*Not actually true, it was a meeting indoors led by the Tommy Robinson or Nick Griffin of the Pro Deutschland National Socialists, or whatever they're called.

what are they doing in Berlin?

I meant their equivalent in the Pro Deutschland party, not actually them.

confused >>>>bratwurst thread

surviving this....epic win?

http://www.jems.com/article/news/worker-survives-metal-bar-piercing-his-s

Shopped

he's right, thats not a real person I can see the pixels