-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Archives
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
- November 2005
- October 2005
- September 2005
- August 2005
- July 2005
- June 2005
- May 2005
- April 2005
- March 2005
- February 2005
- January 2005
- December 2004
- November 2004
- October 2004
- September 2004
- August 2004
- July 2004
- June 2004
- May 2004
- April 2004
- March 2004
- February 2004
- January 2004
- December 2003
- November 2003
- October 2003
- September 2003
- August 2003
- July 2003
- June 2003
- May 2003
- March 2003
- February 2003
- December 2002
- March 2002
- February 2002
- January 2002
- December 2001
- December 2000
- December 1999
- January 1999
Categories
Meta
Monthly Archives: January 2004
US Army humo(u)r
The 213 things Sergeant “Skippy” Schwartz is no longer allowed to do: http://www.avalanchetankers.us/archives/000058.html I particularly liked: #33. Not allowed to chew gum at formation, unless I brought enough for everybody. #34. (Next day) Not allowed to chew gum at formation … Continue reading
Hutton report
A friend who works in the BBC has sent two angry emails. In the first he says: The key point is that Andrew Gilligan made a mistake in the live 6:07 interview. He said the information about the 45 minute … Continue reading
The ambassador speaks
Back on Monday I gave an interview to a journalist from, well, let’s call it Syldavia; a slightly difficult interview because the journalist only speaks French and my French isn’t particularly fluent, but I did my best to get across … Continue reading
Virus
This new virus is bombarding me pretty heavily; I guess my explorers at whyte dot com account is pretty badly exposed, but I think I’m immune due to using webmail at work and eudora at home. One of the incoming … Continue reading
More career developments
Went to see a chap from the Foreign Office this morning about my career plans. I’d already sent them my CV before Christmas. Basically the message is that the first tranche of new European Commissioners who start working in May … Continue reading
Made for walking
Ursula took her first tentative steps last night; she was 13 months old last Thursday. So a little slower off the mark than Bridget (week before her first birthday) or Fergal (walking at ten and a bit months) but she … Continue reading
January Books 7) From The Dust returned 8) Best of Lester Del Rey 9) Death: The High Cost of Living
7) From the Dust Returned by Ray Bradbury. Whimsical ghost story, a little light for my taste. Marketed as his new novel” but it turns out several bits date from the 1940s. infinity plus already has a review of it, … Continue reading
Friday excursions
Two big meetings yesterday. First of all it was back to my former employers at CEPS where I chaired a discussion on the future of Serbia and Montenegro. (I have to go back there this morning for the second half … Continue reading
New Clark supporter
Michael Moore, of all people, is backing Wes Clark. See his typically exuberant endorsement letter.
Visited countries meme
Nice map (thanks to ): create your own visited country map or write about it on the open travel guide
Literary coincidence
So I’m sitting in this rather dull conference session beside the Starnbergersee outside Munich; and I remembered that I’ve downloaded TS Eliot’s “The Waste Land” onto my Palm Pilot, and take it out to idly flick through it. And the … Continue reading
Small person
U is tantalisingly close to walking – moving from clutching her mother's hands to clutching mine and back again, but not yet able to take steps independently. I'm at a three-day conference on Moldova in Germany starting tomorrow. I hope … Continue reading
Books on my “to read” shelf
The next two books on my list are for reviews: From the Dust Returned, by Ray Bradbury – a review copy sent me by Infinity Plus Memories of the Irish Israeli War, by Phil O’Brien – sent me by the … Continue reading
January Books 6) The Lord of the Rings
6) The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Enjoyed it just as much as I ever did; last read it just around the time B was born to take my mind off imminent paternity. Of course I was moved … Continue reading
No big surprise
I am an Intellectual Which America Hating Minority Are You? Take More Robert & Tim QuizzesWatch Robert & Tim Cartoons
A youthful fascination
I’m rereading The Lord of the Rings at the moment and I realised that wrestling with Tolkien’s alphabets is what gave me the fascination with alphabets that I still have. I started writing a note on transliteration for work; wonder … Continue reading
Yee-hah!
Finished one of the papers that has been on my desk for far too long! Now that just leaves pan-Albanianism. And, er, the 50-pager about Moldova that came in this morning…
Bruce Sterling interview
thought-provoking stuff. My favourite bit: “I’m a transitional figure. I’m the very last generation that worked professionally on typewriters. William Gibson wrote his first book on a typewriter. I wrote two books on typewriters. I was taught to use slide … Continue reading
Who will be eaten first?
For fans of Jack Chick’s tracts: http://www.howardhallis.com/bis/cthulhuchick/
The LiveJournal Meme
Seen in various places: 1. Which 5 LJ friends have you known longest?
From the Procrastinator’s Handbook, chapter 1
Make a list of little and big rewards (which you can provide) to motivate yourself to do a task or job that you tend to put off. Little Rewards (for completing little jobs) posting to LiveJournal! cup of coffee evening … Continue reading
Further job reflections
Coupled with buying the e-book about procrastination, I came to an uncomfortable realisation about my job (actually prompted by a comment from , here). On Monday this week I reviewed a colleague’s memoirs of working in Clinton’s foreign policy team … Continue reading
January Books 5) Procrastinators Handbook
5) The Procrastinator’s Handbook: Mastering the Art of Doing It Now by Rita Emmett I got this last night from FictionWise as a means of putting off the tasks I’ve been putting off for weeks, and wow, what an excellent … Continue reading
January books 4) Looking Backward
4) Looking Backward: from 2000 to 1887, by Edward Bellamy (another one that I read on my PDA) It’s always fun to read people’s literary predictions of how the future will work out (apart from the obvious examples like 1984, … Continue reading
Probably about right
Are you Addicted to the Internet? 52% Average@Internet-User.com (41% – 60%)You seem to have a healthy balance in your life when it comes to the internet and life away from the computer. You know enough to do what you want … Continue reading
This doesn’t surprise me at all…
[image deleted as I felt it was in poor taste]You are the grammar Fuhrer. All bow to yourauthority. You will crush all the inferiorpeople under the soles of your jackboots, andany who question your motives will beeliminated. Your punishment is … Continue reading
Travel meme
Where were you born? Belfast Where are you now? Brussels When was the last time you crossed an international border on foot? accidentally really, wandering around Geneva airport in July between the French and Swiss entrances …in a car? going … Continue reading