Month: October 2002

For some considerable time, I’ve been missing one of my CDs. For someone who takes sufficient care (or is obsessive enough, depending on your point of view) to keep a database of my entire CD collection, this is both embarrassing and distressing. I think I must have dropped it one night when pissed (I’ve checked under the furniture with a torch), or, more worryingly, picked it up and thrown it out with a sheaf of papers. I have the case, but not the disc, and I’ve checked many of the other cases to see that I’ve not accidentally stuffed it in the wrong one.
So if anyone has any idea where I could (cheaply, because I don’t really want to have to fork out for a new CD all the while that it might still be within these four walls) get a copy of Sounds From The Thievery Hi-Fi by the Thievery Corporation, I’d be glad to know.

I see that Nick Robinson is to become the new political editor at ITN, replacing the excellent John Sargent. Does this mean the end of newslog?

The temptation to buy a new PC here is almost too great to resist.

A cold damp afternoon, with little enthusiasm for doing much of anything. Even the cat has given up and gone to bed. Definitely another time for staying in the office, tidying the desk and listening to radio grayblog, with plentiful supplies of coffee.

On less weighty matters (ha ha! a pun! hmm. oh, never mind.), weekly weigh-in: 13st 3lb. Yay! 2lb lost again this week. Only 4lb more to go.

OK. Everyone is going to talk about this today, I’m sure.
There are some nice ideas in there, but a lot of them rely on everyone else in the world being nice and playing fair. It would be great if such an egalitarian utopia existed, and it is probably fair to say that we should be working towards that sort of world, but frankly there are too many people and governments in the world who are ready to screw other people over at a moment’s notice. No doubt, if the US strode towards that world, large chunks of the rest of humanity would follow, or at least find life a lot easier, but I’m sure some government or other organisation, group or individual would pop up to spoil the party.
On the subject of politics, can someone please explain to me why it is that George Dubya wants to bomb Saddam and his nation because they might get a nuclear weapon if they can get hold of the materials (as Mark Steel put it the other day – the WI might build a nuclear bomb if they got the materials), and yet the Americans have no intention of bombing North Korea and Kim Jong-il (Independent editorial, BBC editorial and Asahi) who actually already have possibly two or three nuclear devices and have a known history of exporting military materials to just about anyone who will buy them? There certainly seems to be an inconsistency here. Surely a policy of inclusive region-wide dialogue and diplomatic pressure would work well in other situations?
Interestingly, more and more people, both commentators and politicians, are saying that the real threat to global peace and security comes not from the so-called rogue states or the “axis of evil”, but from more loosely organised and generally stateless terrorists. I think last weekend’s bombing in Bali provides yet more evidence that this is true. The trouble is, fighting a real war on terror (and not using that phrase as a title for other military activity) is likely to be long, lacking in focus and expensive in terms of money and life, with few obvious and measurable gains that could be paraded before voters. It seems that there is actually little real enthusiasm for fighting such a war for political reasons (cf: Palestine, Colombia, Kashmir, Chechnya, etc.).

Vodka and slimlines tonight with Paul F (happy birthday), Bren, Greg, Aris, Julie and Guy.

I’m reliably informed that Herbie Mash and Tommy Relish will be doing a gig at Sadlers tomorrow night. Attendance will almost certainly be compulsory.

Woman divorces man after he buys her Norwich FC knickers as an anniversary present. Perhaps if he had worn official grayblog boxer shorts, he could have saved his marriage. Or perhaps not.

US refuses visa to Iranian film-maker.