OneGuyFromBarlick

"May you live in interesting times"

Reputably a Chinese Curse

"If you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your enemies will float by."
Sun Tzu. The Art of War.

A lot of enemies for someone
http://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/2013/03/27/2023903/

The test wouldn't come up for me on Bodger's link but I got the headline. The Financial Times reported: "A local newspaper reported that one reason for such a large number of dead pigs being discarded into the river was that the government had cracked down on illegal traders who used to buy up dead pigs to make dumpling filling, leaving farmers with no way to dispose of pigs who die before slaughter, apart from river disposal." Unintended consequences again?

That reminds me, there are newspaper reports of unexplained deaths of dogs in the UK. No suggestion of foul play but perhaps a disease?

The reporting of the information about the dead animals suddenly stopped here due to Chinese censorship operating in the usual way. This strategy works and people soon forget the incident. Unfortunately the consequences are still there and not as easily forgotten by the locals. But I have confidence that the authorities will investigate and a few people will get a bullet in the head.

Anyone fancy a Chinese pork sausage for breakfast? They are scary. Full of pink mush that makes Spam look like prime meat.

Christine Hamilton - You are innocent unless you are proved guilty, not until you are proved guilty.

Thank God for Stewart Brown!

Old Persian saying - does it fit anyone you know?

He who knows not and knows not he knows not: he is a fool-shun him.
He who knows not and knows he knows not: he is simple-teach him.
He who knows and knows not he knows: he is asleep-wake him.
He who knows and knows he knows: he is wise-follow him.

"But this long run is a misleading guide to current affairs. In the long run we are all dead. Economists set themselves too easy, too useless a task if in tempestuous seasons they can only tell us that when the storm is long past the ocean is flat again."
John Maynard Keynes.

Democracy is the process by which people choose the man who'll get the blame

Bertrand Russell

The BBC's economics correspondent Stephanie Flanders on the latest ONS data: "Decimal points are how economists show they have a sense of humour".

Anonymous scientist: "Science doesn't provide answers; it allows us to formulate better questions".

"Nearly all men can stand adversity,But if you want to test a mans character,give him power"
Abraham Lincoln.

Common sense is a bundle of prejudices gathered before the age of 18. Einstein. Quoted on p102 of Pirsig's 'Lila'.

From Norman Tebbitt - the 'Chingford Polecat'

They should abide by the advice I was given by the late Harry Legge-Bourke, the Member for the Isle of Ely: “Apply the Daily Mail test. If you would not want to see it reported on the front page tomorrow morning, don't do it.”

A drop of water hollows a stone, not by force, but by continuously dripping

Gutta cavat lapidem, non vi, sed saepe cadendo

Ovid

Journalist John Sergeant on the Radio 4 BH programme this morning talking about politicians being recorded agreeing to provide passes or accept money for questions etc. He couldn't understand how they were still daft enough to do it. "In the distant past, if someone at the airport asked you to help them by carrying a package back to the UK you might have thought `He looks a decent chap' and agreed to do so. But not now, we've learnt that it's dangerous. So why do politicians let themselves in for these stings instead of suspecting something is amiss." (Or words to that effect).

"Mystic Derek Acorah cancels psychic show due to unforeseen circumstances"

American Internet expert Parmy Olsen on Newsnight.

"If the service is free - you are the product"

"There's no such thing as a free lunch!"

Comment on the Snowden affair on R4 this morning. "It's like shearing a pig, lots of squealing but not much wool". Don't know who said it but I like it!

"The definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result" Attributed to Einstein but nobody has ever found the context.

The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts while the stupid ones are full of confidence.
Charles Bukowski. American Author and Poet.

It was Putin that said that of the Snowden affair, Stanley.

Which supposed 'Statesman' said this the other day:

In this town you have to be ready for an ambush at any time, and that means lock and load and have one up the spout, and be ready for it.

Have a think......

Richard Broughton

David Cameron! (Sorry, was it meant to be a question for Stanley?) It was in the context of dealing with the EU.

"I wonder why. I wonder why.
I wonder why I wonder
I wonder why I wonder why
I wonder why I wonder!"

---From the scientist Richard Feynman's childhood writings