A Cut Out And Keep Collection Of Anti-American Diatribes

Oh yes – we have some prime cuts for you today. Boris Johnson has decided to have a USA Day to coincide with the NFL visit in October (this year it clashes with Halloween – American culture I can do without etc.) and is spending money on the group of people most likely to visit London from overseas. I’m not sure I agree with the logic, or spending any of my cash on it, but as he’s cut funding to other events that could, if they tried hard enough, find funding themselves, and if they didn’t, then why should we foot the bill, we can’t be too snippy. Of course, these events celebrate diversity and other cultures, so to oppose the funding is probably racist and homophobic in some eyes… but of course you can’t slag “these kind of people off” but the Americans? Fair game…. as witnessed by these quotes in that paragon of liberal intelligence – The Guardian…

“There is no need for subsidizing American culture. It is already celebrated every day through Mc Donalds, Coca Cola, Pepsi, Hollywood rubbish and all those overweight people one can see in the streets. Not even Americans themselves know what is their real culture because they have been fed with the rubbish culture which is only goal to make more money and make the populace more stupid.”

“Why are we funding all this nonsense when the US Embassy won’t pay the congestion charge? If I want to experience American culture I’ll by the New York Review of Books and read it in McDonalds.”

(Note – the congestion charge is a tax, for which all states’ embassies and staff are not liable under the Geneva Convention. The last time we tried that taxation wheeze on the Americans, they gave us an “ass-kicking”. And a good deal more countries don’t pay the charge either, but let’s single out the USA, eh?)

“Broadly speaking, the Americans don’t travel well. If they are reassured they can obtain fatty, salty, sweet fast food – and watch their own low cultural events – they are far more likely to visit London. And then spend money here.”

“Which aspects of American culture will we be subsidising? Obesity and tooth decay (thanks to the Mayor taking Coca Cola’s dollar and pasting enormous posters of a Coke bottle and the Coca Cola Santa, bearing the slogan “open happiness, enjoy the music” behind the buskers’ pitches on the Underground) and Disney Enterprises, Inc (the Regent/Oxford Street Christmas lights were lit weeks earlier than usual and were adverts for Disney’s A Christmas Carol) maybe?”

“Is this a way of softening up the capital in preparation for an application to become the 51st state of the Union? We have quite enough US culture as it is, so why give us more?” (Barack Obama, that hero, believes there are more than 51 states…. don’t believe me – look here).

“We fight their wars for them, so why not appease the master further?” (The Second World War and the defeat of fascism never really happened in some history books, did it?)

“American Culture, such a brilliant oxymoron”

“I thought every day in London was already USA day. Or at least CIA day. I’d like to see Boris sing the Fug’s CIA Man (“Who can kill a general in his bed? Overthrow dictators if they’re red?”) at his proposed festival.”

“So we’re holding a party for the country that has plunged us into the worst recession in decades and decades…”

“Every day is USA day in McBKFC. Why bother setting another one aside?”

“Seriously? Britain already celebrates American culture, except for the bbc, all we are able to watch is CSI.” (Pay for the sport channels then, or if not, the adult ones…)

“The most honest way for Boris to celebrate American culture would be for a Hellfire missile fired from a Reaper rpv to slam into a restaurant Boris had visited the previous night, following which we could have a “NATO” briefing telling us that Boris was in fact killed in the attack and the other people killed were certainly fellow extremists (especially the very small corpses).

Welcome to the American Way, London!”

“We should only have a party when the American finally take their planes and soldiers and piss off back to America. WW2 ended 65 years ago when will you take the hint and remove your occupying forces from Europe!”

Yep…there’s more in there for those who want to read up. When those of us not doing impressions of Dave Spart or some comic book hippy pipe up that it is a little bit hypocritical to bash Americans while big-upping “diversity” and fighting mindless stereotypes, they almost perceptibly put their hands over their mouths, look at their fellow Yank Bashers, while communicating by ESP along the lines of “when they go away, we can start again.”

Of course, a country with a written constitution, protected fairly well from the meddling hands of politicians has nothing to teach the UK. All they are good for are Big Macs and CSI…..

I’ll finish off with something from the “I would like to have written that” file…referring to this article.

“Yet another idiotic anti American bash by a silly little person who while deriding American culture as typified by Big Macs, beamers and Britney.
Has no problem watching Sex in the City,Lost on her I-Pod while drinking a can of Coke.

Yes lets all lament the loss of multi-cultural festivals such as rise by mentioning that its funding could easily be borne by the monies owed by the US embassy, while omitting the fact that Third world Embassies owe even more. (Out of £23 million owed in congestion charges by foreign embassies the US owes £2.7M) or that foreign registered vehicles aren’t chased either (£8M as of 2006)

And lets be serious while it may be trendy to attack the Yanks, the fact remains they come to the Uk with money, which is what this country needs. The people who flock to third world festivals on the other hand come to the UK for money.

But hey when it comes to a liberal and other peoples money they are soon parted.”

[Via http://sevenandseven.wordpress.com]

School Laptops' Surreptitious Surveillance

Boingboing.net is carrying a story on how a Pennsylvania school used school laptops to monitor students at school and at home.

According to the filings in Blake J Robbins v Lower Merion School District (PA) et al, the laptops issued to high-school students in the well-heeled Philly suburb have webcams that can be covertly activated by the schools’ administrators, who have used this facility to spy on students and even their families. The issue came to light when the Robbins’s child was disciplined for “improper behavior in his home” and the Vice Principal used a photo taken by the webcam as evidence.

What an imbecile.  Ruling after ruling in US courts have shown that schools cannot and should not try to control what students do outside of school, and here’s a vice-principal overstepping boundaries.

Disciplined for “improper behavior in his home?”  How about letting parents deal with that?

Also, what if the kid had been naked in front of the laptop?  You know, takes a shower and afterwards is in the privacy of the student’s room?

I can totally see how some creep in the future (maybe even now)  using the same technology would use it for peeping-tom activities.  Then all hell will break loose.

[Via http://datasecurityguy.wordpress.com]

USA Hockey Starts with Win

Team USA beat Switzerland 3-1 in their first game at the Winter Olympics from Vancouver.  Bobby Ryan, David Backes, and Ryan Malone scored the goals for USA.  The U.S. skates with Norway on Thursday.

Also in the Olympics; Canada blanked Norway 8-0, Jarome Iginla had a hat trick, Dany Heatley added 2 goals.  Russia had no problem with Latvia winning 8-2.  Alex Ovechkin scored a pair of goals.

[Via http://985thesportshub.radio.com]

Design Bio : Suno NY

Founder:  Max Osterweis
Founded: 2008
Collections: F/W 2010,  S/S 2010, Resort 2010, F/W 2009, S/S 2009

One of the most colorful and optimistic design labels of recent times, Suno New York was founded amidst turmoil in the Kenyan political structure, due to Mr Osterweis’ love for the country, textiles and people.  After years of collecting fabrics from Kenya, Suno New York became the outlet for a new kind of design house.  One that not only creates stunning garments, but also utilizes the abilities of hand craft in New York and Kenya.
Design, pattern making and samples are created in Manhattan’s Garment District, an area that has faced many bankruptcies and layoffs due to the globalization of the industry.  By keeping the development aspect local to New York, Suno is one of few labels using the resources this country can provide.  Once the collection has been realized, the samples are taken to Kenya, where final garments are produced in small workshops.
For Spring Summer 2009, 1000 individually numbered one of a kind pieces were produced.  Each season since has had similar stats.  Though the inspiration may change from one season to the next, the playfulness, the heart and the impeccable quality hold strong.  Suno NY is a design house that we will be seeing for seasons to come.  And with any luck, this is only the beginning of labels with a purpose, caring about the prosperity of the individual craftsman and local businesses and not simply their bottom line.

[Via http://iloveyounonetheless.wordpress.com]

The economy is a cheif the threat to the CCTV industry

Ifran Pandor sounds a word of caution on the state of the UK economy and its impact on the security market

Lloyds and RBS are about to sell 1000+ of their branches in Britain. HSBC has just announced hundreds of job cuts in Britain . The Government is claiming that banks are lending today but confidence and credibility is at a low point in British businesses. The opposition is asking if it is worth doing it for taxpayers money. There are arguments and opinions on whether the recession is going to be over soon or if Britain is heading for an even bigger crisis. Even for the USA, it is very clear that a revival from the recession doesn’t mean that the glory days are going to be back very soon. Unless jobs are created and many fundamental signs of economic recovery are seen, we should not feel that we have recovered as President Obama says.

Alan  Hyder in ’’ Time running out for failing installation firms’’, Security Installer, November 2009 mentioned that about 225 security systems companies are about to fail before the recovery starts in the UK. Scepticism and Cynicism are endemic today when it comes to government policies and plans for recovery, and clear divisions in the academic and intellectual world over these issues are visible not only in the USA and the UK but also across the globe.

Although not all industries have suffered in the downturn, it is no longer advisable to assume that for major corporate projects in B2B market, [e.g. Security Systems Market ] money will be readily available. Many companies have done really well in different sectors and even a number of ‘’reputed’’ banks have reported enormous profits recently. Companies such as retailers Marks & Spencer and Next are also doing well, but it is not wise to think that the economy is back on track.

Ifran Pandor is a member of the Linkedin CCTV Group, please view his Linkedin profile here.

[Via http://cctvsecuritynews.wordpress.com]

Fascinating Brand Journey | Chevy Nova

By Dian Hasan | February 14, 2009

When brands enter the global stage, and leave the cozy comforts of their domestic market, one key element becomes crucial in conquering foreign turfs, and “going international”: the role of CULTURE! And language is a big part of it. And a simple thing like a name can take on an entire new meaning in the realm of foreign languages.

Case in point: Chevrolet’s Chevy Nova was a major success in the US, but it was a total flop when exported to the Latin American markets. Nova literally translates to “No Go” in Spanish, and that’s probably the last name you’d want to call your car.

… when Chevrolet launched “Chevy Nova”, they were not aware that the word meant “doesn’t work” in Spanish. You can only guess how the Nova did in the Latin American markets.

[Via http://dianhasan.wordpress.com]

Gay, bisexual teens at risk for eating disorders

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Gay, lesbian and bisexual teenagers may be at higher risk of binge-eating and purging than their heterosexual peers, starting as early as age 12, a new study finds.

Health

Past research has found connections between sexual orientation and the risk of eating disorders in adults — showing, for instance, that gay men have higher rates of symptoms than their heterosexual counterparts.

Less has been known about how sexual orientation affects teenagers’ risks of various eating disorders.

For the new study, researchers at Harvard University and Children’s Hospital Boston used data from a U.S. survey of nearly 14,000 12- to 23-year-olds to look at the relationship between sexual orientation and binge-eating and purging.

They found heightened rates of binge-eating among both males and females who identified themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual or “mostly heterosexual.”

Purging, by vomiting or abusing laxatives, was also more common among these teens, the researchers report in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

“We found clear and concerning signs of higher rates of eating disorder symptoms in sexual-minority youth compared to their heterosexual peers even at ages as young as 12, 13 or 14 years old,” lead researcher S. Bryn Austin, an assistant professor of pediatrics, told Reuters Health in an email.

Among females, lesbian, bisexual and mostly heterosexual respondents were all about twice as likely as their heterosexual counterparts to report binge-eating at least once per month in the past year.

Bisexual and mostly heterosexual girls and women were also more likely to say they had purged in the past year in order to control their weight.

Among males, the highest risks were seen among homosexuals — who were seven times more likely to report bingeing and nearly 12 times more likely to report purging than heterosexual males.

Bisexual and mostly heterosexual boys and men also had elevated risks of both problems — with rates anywhere from three to seven times higher than those of their heterosexual counterparts.

The survey data do not offer a potential reason for the findings, but past studies give some insight, according to the researchers.

“We know that gay, lesbian, and other sexual-minority kids are often under a lot of pressure,” Austin said, noting that these teens are often “treated like outsiders” in their own families and schools, and may be excluded, harassed or victimized by bullies.

“This kind of isolation and victimization can take its toll on a young person,” Austin explained, “and one of ways it can play out is in vulnerability to eating-disorder symptoms and a host of other stress-related health problems.”

She added that because negative attitudes and discrimination against sexual minorities are still pervasive in society, families need to be a source of support.

It is “incredibly important,” Austin said, “for parents and other family members to reach out and make sure these youth know they are loved and supported, that they can count on their families to stay by their side.”

SOURCE: Journal of Adolescent Health, September 2009.

[Via http://ro2010.wordpress.com]