Quote:The 70s reaction to that transformation was at best incomprehension, at worst hostility, especially literary hostility, but Morris wrote on – publishing more than 40 books, many still in print, even though the places they describe have metamorphosed too. She became an institution after having experienced the world, and herself in it, change radically in a lifetime.

He slipped into journalism at 16 on the Western Daily Press in Bristol. Colour blindness prevented him from joining the navy during the second world war, so he signed for the 9th Queen’s Royal Lancers and a commission as intelligence officer, celebrating his 21st birthday onboard a troop train from Egypt to Palestine. “I knew life was going to be OK. At last, in the army of all places, I felt I was free.” After demob, he worked in Cairo for a news agency, read English at Christ Church, Oxford, and edited Cherwell magazine.

On an Arabic course, Morris met Elizabeth Tuckniss, a former Wren and daughter of a tea planter. They married in 1949 and had five children, one born while his father was high on Mount Everest in 1953, as a correspondent for the Times covering the Himalayan expedition led by John Hunt. He packed a new typewriter ribbon for the ascent (“I was a sucker for the romance of newspapers”) and his coded communique to the paper announcing that Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay had reached the summit arrived just in time for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

Quote:A Scottish gangster who orchestrated a plot to smuggle cocaine worth £100m from South America in boxes of bananas has been jailed for 20 years.

Jamie ‘Iceman’ Stevenson admitted directing the importation of the drug, which was seized by Border Force teams at Dover in September 2020.

The other members of his gang were jailed for a total of 29 years.

The plot was uncovered after an encrypted messaging platform used by criminals was infiltrated by French police.

Stevenson had also planned to flood Scotland with millions of Etizolam tablets, also known as street valium, from a factory in Kent.

The 59-year-old, from Rutherglen in South Lanarkshire, was a leading figure at the top level of organised crime in Scotland.

He was once described as Scotland’s answer to Tony Soprano, the mafia boss portrayed in television series The Sopranos. In 2022, he featured on a list of the UK’s 12 most wanted men.

Crime boss jailed for £100m plot to smuggle cocaine in banana boxes

Quote:The deal, one of the largest of many in recent years, apparently has finally concluded despite decades of ongoing infighting and bitter words between the bandmembers, notably chief songwriters Roger Waters and David Gilmour; also involved are drummer Nick Mason and the estates of keyboardist Richard Wright and founding singer-songwriter Roger “Syd” Barrett. The deal comprises recorded-music rights but not songwriting, which is held by the individual writers, as well as name-and-likeness, which includes merchandise, theatrical and similar rights. While Pink Floyd was famously anonymous as personalities, presumably most if not all of the iconic artwork on their albums, which was largely designed by the British firm Hipgnosis, is included.

Surprisingly, the deal concludes as Israel’s multi-front wars in the Middle East are reaching a new peak of violence, which opens Sony up to a firestorm of criticism for paying such a hefty sum to Waters, who has vehemently denied that he is antisemitic but has been quite unambiguous about his fierce criticism of the governments of Israel, Ukraine and the United States, and his strong statements in support of Russia and Vladimir Putin.

Among many other provocative statements, Waters has compared Israel to Nazi Germany and said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was “not unprovoked.” (Waters’ 2022 concerts in Poland were canceled over his comments about neighboring Ukraine.) “You are anti-Semitic to your rotten core,” Gilmour’s wife, novelist Polly Samson, told Waters on Twitter, amid other colorful comments; “Every word demonstrably true,” Gilmour added. Waters refuted their comments as “incendiary and wildly inaccurate.”



Caught in the middle of the dispute is Mason, who said in 2018, “It’s really disappointing these rather elderly gentlemen are still at loggerheads.”

Quote:…undergone surgery in Casablanca…

Quote:Jan Morris, who arrived in 1972, refers to Burou only as "Dr B--".  She was two weeks in his clinic:

    "I did not know his address, but when I arrived in Casablanca I looked him up in the telephone book, and was told to come round to his clinic next afternoon.  ...  He was exceedingly handsome.  He was small, dark, rather intense of feature, and was dressed as if for some kind of beach activity. He wore a dark blue open-necked shirt, sports trousers and games shoes, and he was very bronzed.  He welcomed me with a bemused smile, as though his mind were in St Tropez.  What could he do for me, he asked?  I told him I thought he probably knew very well.  'Ah, I think that's so.  You wish the operation.  Very well, let us see you.'  He examined my organs.  He plumped my breasts - 'très, très  bons'.  He asked if I was an athlete. 'Very well,' he said, 'come in this evening, and we shall see what we can do.  You know my fee?  Ah well, perhaps you will discuss it with my receptionist - bien, au revoir, until this evening!' "

Quote:There Goes Diego...Garcia

another piece of red, left my atlas, today ... effectively

History will judge this for what it is; folly at the highest level, an order of magnitude greater even than the British sending the Soviets their jet engine in the late 1940s. Governments and technology change, geography doesn’t.

As in all things, let’s first go to the chart.



In the middle of that map is Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory and home to one of the most strategic airfields and anchorages on the planet.

I’ve spent some time this century in, on, and working the GWOT importance of Diego Garcia. I distinctly believe those in the British government responsible for this epic own-goal have no clue what they have done—they do and simply do not care—or get a masochist’s thrill from damaging themselves and their nation—perhaps a national security mental disorder of 'self-cutting'.

Join me in an angry little rant.

Diego Garcia was British for the reasons every other bit of land on this planet is owned by this nation or that: it earned it and kept it through discovery and force of arms.

The red circle is 2,000 nautical miles from the island. The purple circle is 1,150 nautical miles, roughly the distance from London to Malta, that represents the distance from Diego Garcia, affectionally known to its friends as “Dodge” and civilized people will defer things on the island to Provisional Peoples' Democratic Republic of Diego Garcia. That circle is also the distance from Diego Garcia to the island of Mauritius, and uninhabited island until discovered by the Europeans a few hundreds of years ago, passing through Dutch, French, and finally English hands, populated by a multi-ethnic mix of people brought there or emigrating there over the centuries—or as the left likes to call them, “settler colonialists.”

Elections have consequences, so does the abandonment of the institutions by conservatives - especially in foreign affairs. We keep hiring from the same leftist institutions and allow them to control the hiring process so their ducks pick ducks, and then we wonder why from Israel to the Indian Ocean, just plain stupid, self-destructive, soft, and myopic decisions continue to be made throughout the West.

Goodness knows the People’s Republic of China would not do this, but they are a serious nation whose decision makers can read a map and history books.

Before we expand on that, let’s do a little history travel. You can read it here or just the screen shot below, but here’s what I wrote on the topic over a dozen years ago:

Quote:The Beep Heard Around the World

As the sun rose on October 4, 1957, many Americans were talking about baseball. The headlines reported that for the first time in nine years, a team from outside of New York had won a game in the World Series. The day before, in front of 65,202 fans filling Yankee Stadium, Hank Aaron launched a fly ball to center field. Mickey Mantle misplayed it, allowing Aaron to stretch the hit into a triple. The play sparked a rally for the Milwaukee Braves, and the Yankees were unable to recover, losing 4 to 2.

By the time the sun set that evening, however, a completely different topic dominated conversations. On the other side of the world, almost 6,000 miles from Yankee Stadium, another ball had been launched and its effects were both more dramatic and long-lasting.

At the Soviet Baikonur complex in what is now Kazakhstan, at 2:12 in the afternoon New York time, the world suddenly changed. Thirty-two rocket boosters ignited, the desert steppe shook and a three-stage rocket shot skyward, accelerating to over 17,000 miles per hour. At 142 miles above the earth, the rocket’s protective cone released its cargo. Humanity’s first satellite, called Sputnik, started to orbit the earth.

Quote:Barbra Fuller, who starred as the daughter Claudia on the long-running radio soap opera One Man’s Family, all while appearing in films for Republic Pictures and such TV shows as Adventures of Superman, has died. She was 102.

On the San Francisco-set One Man’s Family, created by Carlton E. Morse, Fuller played one of the Barbour family’s five kids from 1945 until the NBC Radio drama completed its 27-year run in 1959. Her character, a twin with kids of her own, was gone from the program for a couple of years before she came aboard.

In 1949, Fuller signed with Republic and was under contract with the B-picture studio for a year, during which she was busy making 13 movies, starting with the anti-communism noir The Red Menace (1949).

She followed with such other films as Flame of Youth and Alias the Champ (featuring the wrestler Gorgeous George), both released in 1949, and The Savage Horde, Lonely Heart Bandits, Tarnished (also starring Jimmy Lydon), Women From Headquarters and Harbor of Missing Men, all those hitting theaters in 1950.

On the first-season Adventures of Superman episode “Crime Wave,” which premiered in February 1953, Fuller portrayed a woman working for “Public Enemy No. 1,” a mysterious criminal waging war against the good citizens of Metropolis.

Fuller married Lash LaRue, a star of low-budget Westerns, in February 1951 in Yuma, Arizona, but they were separated by November and divorced by the following June. She was one of his many wives.

The Hollywood Reporter

Quote:He says of the three main agencies – MI5, MI6 and GCHQ – the latter appeared to have more visibly disabled staff “and it’s often looking for people with neurodiversity”.

But adds: “MI5 always looked more diverse in terms of ethnic background and has more women in senior positions.”

Liam says he has everything he needs to do his job well and is keen to share his story. But when pressed for information about the social spaces where his colleagues might meet to share their experiences, Liam gives nothing away.

“I can neither confirm or deny whether there is an MI5 pub.”

Meet the autistic MI5 intelligence officer

Quote:By October 9, following a failed IDF counter-attack against Egypt’s forces, the Israelis requested that America do the same for them. Not wanting to see Israel defeated, Nixon agreed, and American planes carrying weapons began arriving in Israel on October 14.

On October 24, Brezhnev sent Nixon a hotline message suggesting that the United States and the Soviet Union send troops to Egypt to “implement” the ceasefire. If Nixon chose not to do so, Brezhnev threatened, “We should be faced with the necessity urgently to consider the question of taking appropriate steps unilaterally.” The United States responded by putting its nuclear forces on worldwide alert on October 25. By the end of the day, the crisis abated when the Security Council adopted Resolution 340, which called for a ceasefire, the withdrawal of all forces to their October 22 positions, and U.N. observers and peacekeepers to monitor the ceasefire. This time, the Israelis accepted the resolution.

The 1973 war thus ended in an Israeli victory, but at great cost to the United States. Though the war did not scuttle détente, it nevertheless brought the United States closer to a nuclear confrontation with the Soviet Union than at any point since the Cuban missile crisis. The American military airlift to Israel, moreover, had led Arab oil producers to embargo oil shipments to the United States and some Western European countries, causing international economic upheaval. The stage was set for Kissinger to make a major effort at Arab-Israeli peacemaking.

The 1973 Arab-Israeli War

Quote:On a blistering summer day in 2011, I stood with members of 10th Mountain Division’s Task Force Spartan on the ramparts of the caravansari in Maiwand, long-abandoned alongside the Ring Road west of Kandahar. President Barack Obama’s time-bound surge had put enough troops on the ground to take back most of the Taliban heartland, and the grizzled former mujahedeen commander with us was pointing out their remaining pockets. “Give me 100 guns and I’ll clean them out for you,” he said. We had heard that boast many times, the Afghan way of war tinged with the evanescent promise of Western riches.

Less than a quarter-mile away, a high mound rose from the desert floor, eroded walls of mud brick visible through binoculars — one of “Iskandar’s Towers,” erected by Alexander the Great in the 3rd century B.C. to guard the southern arm of the Silk Road against Persian marauders. When one of us said something about how long it was since Operation Enduring Freedom began after Sept. 11, 2001, our mujahedeen companion politely chided, “Ah, we have been at war for over 30 years and now you are back.”

Afghanistan: Remembering the Long, Long War We Would Rather Forget

Quote:Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of United States Northern Command, said the dual-status leadership role in North Carolina provides the right kind of leadership to get aid and troops where needed most.

Guillot said the active duty 18th Airborne Corps, based out of Fort Liberty, is providing the majority of the 1,500-person Title 10 response in North Carolina. He also said there are Navy helicopters supporting FEMA and aircraft from Tennessee conducting search and rescue missions in western North Carolina, providing basic medical care and wellness checks throughout the region.

Dual-Status Commander Role Paying Off in North Carolina Storm Relief

Quote:AN INTERVIEW WITH CAPT. ARTHUR HEIDEN

Q.: "Lucky Lady carried a picture of actress Laraine Day on the nose, was this a decision you or the crew made?

AWH: Lt. Pierson & I had played around with naming our A/C the "Lonesome Pole Cat" and the "Shiftless Skunk", but my old A/C crashed and Pierson moved over to 55thFS and was later lost. I was reassigned Franklin's A/C and Ground crew. Max had mentioned that we should rename this A/C something other than "Strictly Stella's Baby". So one day we were all at the A/C and Max sets us down under the R/Wing and asks me what should be the new name. I asked if anyone had a good name, but no one came up with one. I had been playing around with an inspiration, "Lucky Lady" so we would not be held down to only one girl friend and could be related to by all the crew and no tattoo to be embarrassed by later. The crew were quick to approve so that was decided.

Q.: Who wrote her for the photograph?

AWH: Laraine Day was very popular, at that time with lonesome GI's, so Max asked us what we would think if he should write her and ask for a photo. Miss Day promptly answered with a nice letter and a beautiful negligee photo.It was promptly attached to the L/gun door.

Q.: So was the actual picture itself placed on the aircraft or did someone paint her likeness on it?

AWH: I have recently asked Max how they did this so well and protected it from condensation and other moisture, but he doesn't remember. As Bong had done this I guess the technique was well known. He remembers a compound that was in use at that time called "Water Glass". He remembers it being used to waterproof canvas like tents and Jeep tops. Sounds like the wood glue that people use for art work (decoupage) that dries clear. Plexiglas cover and frame with some type of rubberized sealing. Max and the crew wrote back and forth with Miss Day and she seemed very proud and interested in all events her airplane was involved in.

Quote:The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 is a wartime authority that allows the president to detain or deport the natives and citizens of an enemy nation. The law permits the president to target these immigrants without a hearing and based only on their country of birth or citizenship. Although the law was enacted to prevent foreign espionage and sabotage in wartime, it can be — and has been — wielded against immigrants who have done nothing wrong, have evinced no signs of disloyalty, and are lawfully present in the United States. It is an overbroad authority that may violate constitutional rights in wartime and is subject to abuse in peacetime.

Has the Alien Enemies Act been used in the past?

The Alien Enemies Act has been invoked three times, each time during a major conflict: the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II. In World Wars I and II, the law was a key authority behind detentions, expulsions, and restrictions targeting German, Austro-Hungarian, Japanese, and Italian immigrants based solely on their ancestry. The law is best known for its role in Japanese internment, a shameful part of U.S. history for which Congress, presidents, and the courts have apologized.

Under what conditions can the president invoke the Alien Enemies Act?

The president may invoke the Alien Enemies Act in times of “declared war” or when a foreign government threatens or undertakes an “invasion” or “predatory incursion” against U.S. territory. The Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power to declare war, so the president must wait for democratic debate and a congressional vote to invoke the Alien Enemies Act based on a declared war. But the president need not wait for Congress to invoke the law based on a threatened or ongoing invasion or predatory incursion. The president has inherent authority to repel these kinds of sudden attacks — an authority that necessarily implies the discretion to decide when an invasion or predatory incursion is underway.

The Alien Enemies Act, Explained

Quote:The English language is replete with words for things that go bump in the night, some more common than others. For every ghost or goblin there’s a boggart or a bugan. We defined bugan in our Unabridged dictionary as a synonym of both ghost and hobgoblin, so the finer distinctions between these spooky entities may be left to your imagination. English borrowed bugan from the Welsh word bwgan over two and a half centuries ago. Although its use is today limited to some parts of England (such as the West Midlands as well as the Isle of Man), perhaps bugan will extend its spectral reach further in the future. The animated series Futurama offered a glimpse of what that could look like when it put the word bugan in the mouth of the feisty robot Bender.

The Words of the Week - October 11

Quote:Just before 8pm on October 14, 1940 the air raid sirens began their awful, mournful wail. Estimates say as many as 600 people packed on to the platforms at Balham, many bringing bedding in case they had to stay the night.

At about 10pm a 1400kg armour piercing bomb smashed through the surface of the High St and exploded, blowing a huge crater in the road and tearing off the fronts of adjacent buildings. A double decker bus crashed into the hole, although no one aboard was killed.

Down below the bomb had collapsed part of a northbound tunnel and ruptured water, sewage and gas mains, causing the station to begin to flood.

None of the 600 people below were killed by the explosion or the collapse. While some accounts say people were drowned, others say all the fatalities were due to the panic among those trying to get out of the station.

Although a memorial plaque at the site once stated that 64 people died, some accounts say 68 and the official Commonwealth War Graves figure is 66. The plaque was later removed and replaced with one that simply states: “In remembrance of the civilians and London Transport staff who were killed at this station during the Blitz on the night of 14 October 1940.”

At the time the incident was not widely publicised for fear of the impact it might have on morale, but it was difficult to keep quiet about so many deaths.