Martin Wisse – Page 544

Un-fuckin-believable

Published on June 20, 2008

The save that got Turkey into the semi-finals

It’s at times like these that I miss Steve Gilliard, as I would’ve given my eyeteeth to see what he would’ve made of the Turkey-Croatia match. His blog was the best place I found on the net to talk football during the Worldcup two years ago and the previous Eurocup four years ago, and I miss the cameraderie of it. This game would’ve been great fodder for Steve and his commenters, something we would’ve relished liveblogging and discussing.

Because, wow, what a weird game this was. First we get some seventyfive minutes of Turkey playing the defense game, content to let Croatia attack and play all their balls back to the keeper, then they finally decide they have to attack and the game gets lively, but still ends in a goalless draw. In extra time the Turks played much stronger, getting various chances to score, only to see the Croats lob one in after their keeper made a stupid mistake, one minute before time. Desperately they attack, but Croatia intercedes and counters, turn out to be offside and some ten seconds before the end of extra time the Turkish keeper takes the free kick, gets it to
a Turkish attacker, who hands it over to his mate who shoots and scores. Penalties. Croatia misses twice, Turkey doesn’t and their keeper stops the last Croatian chance to stay in the game and turns from villain into hero.

Turkey’s through to the semi-finals, Croatia is gutted and going home after believing they had done it one minute before the end of extra time. What a game.

Somalia — finally a proper libertarian utopia

Published on June 20, 2008

Global Research reports on the huge contract French mercenaries Secopex has signed with the Ethopian installed and America-backed Somalian “government”:

French military services firm, Secopex, has signed a contract with the U.S.-backed Somalia Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to purportedly boost security off the country’s coast. This is being done to control reported acts of piracy taking place in the region.

A statement issued by Pierre Marziali, CEO of the private security company, stated that the deal would “strengthen maritime business” off the coast of Somalia.

This deal has been estimated to be worth anywhere between 50 million to 100 million euros annually and is slated to be in effect for the next three years. The contract comes just two months after the seizure of a French luxury yacht by Somalis. During the ordeal, which resulted in a weeklong standoff, all 30 crewmembers were released without injury. Nonetheless, French Special Forces operating in the area attacked the Somalis, arresting six.

Marziali told the French Press Agency (AFP): “Our core business is primarily in the U.S. We will set up a unified coast guard, creating a comprehensive coast guard information system” as well as forming a special security detail to protect the U.S.-backed TFG president of Somalia, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed.

During Usenet discussions back in the nineties with hardcore libertarians, Somalia was sometimes used as the ultimate retort: “if you want to see libertarianism in action, move to Somalia”. And then some nuttier than usual libertarians started to take this argument seriously and actually started promoting Somalia as a libertarian utopia, showing how much could be achieved without a government. With the SOmalian government now outsourcing its army to French mercenaries, you could say the last missing piece of this utopia has now been added…

The Testament of Andros – James Blish

Published on June 18, 2008

Cover of The Testament of Andros

The Testament of Andros
James Blish
216 pages
published in 1973

James Blish was a science fiction writer of the same generation as Isaac Asimov, the first science fiction writers to have grown up with science fiction as a separate genre, to have become science fiction fans before they became science fiction writers. Blish’s first short stories were written in the early forties, before World War II interfered, so it was only in the fifties that he made his reputation. During that decade he wrote quite a few classic short stories and novels, including the Cities in Flight series, with its vision of New York flying off
amongst the stars and A Case of Conscience, in which a young Jesuit wrestles with the question whether or not the aliens he lives amongst posses souls. At the same time, writing under the pseudonym of William Atheling, Jr., he was one of the pioneers in applying literary criticism to science fiction. His later work is less interesting, being spend mostly on writing Star Trek novels.

Though Blish is an important early science fiction writer, one who has written several excellent novels and short stories, I’ve always found myself a bit lukewarm about him. I’ve read the novels I’ve mentioned above, attempted some other, later works of his, as well as most of his better known short stories; they were alright, but no more than that. Part of the trouble I had with him is that he, for a science fiction writer, had quite a conservative pessimistic atttitute towards the future, adhering to a Spenglerian, cyclical view of history, most notably in the Cities in Flight series. I got nothing against a bit of conservatism or pesssimism in my science fiction perse, even if I don’t share it, but Blish’s philosophy is a particularly dreary one.

Official: writing poetry isn’t terrorism

Published on June 18, 2008

I blogged about the socalled “lyrical terrorist”last year, who was arrested an prosecuted for writing bad jihadi poetry as well as having some dodgy books on her bookshelves. Eventually she was convicted under the 2000 terrorism act, but appealed and now she has had her conviction quashed:

Samina Malik, 24, was given a nine-month suspended jail sentence at the Old Bailey last December after she became the first woman to be found guilty of storing material likely to be of use for terrorism.

Malik, of Southall, west London, adopted her nickname because of extremist lyrics she wrote on till receipts, but was never prosecuted over her poetry.

The lord chief justice, Lord Phillips, sitting in the court of appeal with Mr Justice Goldring and Mr Justice Plender, quashed the conviction after the Crown conceded that it was unsafe. In his judgment, Lord Phillips said the court decided that an offence would only be committed if the material concerned was likely to have provided practical assistance to a person either committing or preparing for terrorism. Propagandist or theological material did not fall within the legislation, he said.

“We consider that there is a very real danger that the jury became confused and that the prosecution have rightly conceded that this conviction is unsafe.”

In other words, once again it’s the judges that have to clean up the mess New Labour made passing badly drafted laws.

Three for three

Published on June 17, 2008

Dutch supporters

The last of the group matches for Oranje and the least exciting, as we’re already through and the “b-team” is starting. First half was a bit hesitant, got better by the end, but still goalless by halftime. By then the other game, much more interesting than this one but you have to stay loyal to your own team, had already decided the Romanians’ fate, as the French got a penalty against and Italy scored. Once Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Robin van Persie scored in the second half it was all over. Romania couldn’t come back and Oranje remained unbeaten, but what a pity Italy got to go through instead; the Romanians deserved it more.

Seeing the Oranje “b-team”, though hesitant and awkward at first, still grow as a team during the game and seeing how good some of those lesser players actually are, gives me great hope for the rest of the tournament. We’re not just dependent on one or two genius players this time. We even seem to have a decent defense for a change!