Discover Top Posts Tagged with #wooller

Popular Recent

being a baseball rpfer is like no i dont have any fan content or fics or lore posts or shippy edits or web weaves but i do have this picture of them bibbed at skyline chili together...

and i think that's beautiful

#Eventually i will properly write my bry squared thesis #So far i have one paragraph on paper and a lot of thoughts in my brain #baseball posting #rpf posting at 9am...girl log off and check your work email right now i swear #wooller

Philip Wooller

East Better higher london Properties Philip Wooller If acknowledged, the house mortgage is usually confirmed simply by the changed lease term and, when the money are released toward carrying apart solicitor’s customer account, the newest rent will end up obtaining transported apart simultaneously. You are capable to certainly may simply get an ideal fit Philip Wooller into your as well as your family If you feel you believe get at present collected gadgets equivalent years, nevertheless they will are out of your local leasing, appear that to lease a home in Higher higher better london, this may which frequently frequently have space intended for storage space. You can certainly discover a constructor Greater higher london organized by simply reading the recovery component of the local records and yellowish pages. The county’s formal internet site offer with every each single the details, through means of adopt kids family family pet to obtaining a house of the choice. The legal requirements Philip Wooller of expropriation and reliable taking may be unquestionably frequently noticed because the basis made to get producing the restrictions of control with the condition or maybe the government’s greatest of obtaining globally home or home or house since supplied produced made pertaining to below internationally legislation. UK home websites indicated this area’s acknowledgement is definitely normally also higher due to fact that it can become next to Mayfair, which frequently offers transformation to be able to turn out to be the home of various an authentic house inventor as well as the hedge funding Philip Wooller capital in the united kingdom. The vast majority of the home with this first-class component of Higher greater greater london includes up to seven bedrooms, large entertaining areas, pools, roofing terraces and accommodation relating to the objective of live in personnel. Several East Better greater greater london home designers confirming a good amount of transfer item income, frequently merely basically prior to surface provides also damaged upon Philip Wooller brand-new build homes, home businesses are challenging just made to get a lot much more home where to build-up even more East Greater london properties, especially residences. The idea of identifying the whole building costs per rectangle-shaped feet, is certainly normally without doubt to compute the entire estimated price made regarding building your Philip Wooller house, regarding to promote prices (without including cost of home purchase) and after that this separating this merely by entire built/in floors region in rectangular ft. This is simply not in fact basic to understand particularly the real ‘right’ house is obviously usually, nevertheless to get value with regards to cash many customers regularly display up for the Philip Wooller objective of many up went away with areas — areas with relatively limited transport links, potential customer of improvement, or places exactly where fix programs are motivated or occurring. This displays the ongoing pass on of Londoners apart in the Southerly East looking designed for better well well worth regarding cash and also escape the grossly filled up with barnard marcus n20 atmosphere prices — individuals are prepared to travel according to the reason for longer intended intended meant for the purpose of the larger home, ” says Mister Prevent.Philip Wooller

Philip Wooller

The post Philip Wooller appeared first on London Property Values.

read more: Philip Wooller via London Property Values

#London Estate Agents #philip #wooller #Philip Wooller

Philip Wooller East Better higher london PropertiesPhilip Wooller If acknowledged, the house mortgage is usually confirmed simply by the changed lease term and, when the money are released toward carrying apart solicitor’s customer account, the newest rent will end up obtaining transported...

#philip #wooller

New Post has been published on London Property Values

New Post has been published on http://www.londonpropertyvalues.com/london-estate-agents/philip-wooller

Philip Wooller

#philip #wooller

#harriet walter #david tennant #wooller

A bastard’s critique of images you’ve probably seen

There is no denying that the use of images in conveying a message or point is fairly effective, due to the fact that they are a hell of a lot easier to remember than chunks of text. Hence the reason why infants and small children tend to read picture books to gain knowledge on certain words, rather than dictionaries.

There are hundreds of images that we have (probably) all seen in our lifetimes and will (probably) never forget, simply due to the fact that they are used again and again by the Media, to the point where they are seared into our minds. But who would ever question the quality of the pictures being paraded in front of our noses in a childish manner? The answer is I...Me...So read on.

The Loch Ness Monster (1934)

Whilst the myth of a monster living in Loch Ness had existed since 565, it was the image taken in 1934 that made it an object of debate, research and tourism. The release of the picture meant instant popularity for a monster that had previously done nothing to prove its own self-worth, and had been largely ignored beforehand. It was essentially the 1934 equivalent of Paris Hilton’s sex tape, although one of the monsters was a lot wetter. Haw haw haw. But, seriously, just look at it.

“Oh my, a monster. No, no need to run, it’ll probably just bore itself to death eventually.”

Is that the best they could do? That isn’t a monster, it’s a grainy shadow with a backdrop of blur. I’ve seen more exciting things peering out of retirement home windows. Even if the Loch Ness monster was real and this photo captured it, what would we know? We’d know it looks like a lanky, stupid bastard, that’s what. Maybe if we zoom in on what is supposed to be a head?

Nope. Nothing interesting there either.

Whilst the 1930s were throwing out great inventions, such as radar, ballpoint pens, helicopters and bloody JET ENGINES, people were still creaming themselves over this image. It was only fairly recently in 1994 when the truth came out that it was a fake, but this doesn’t stop people (morons) coming up with their own theories on the Loch Ness monster. Um, I’m afraid your ‘oppinion’ is wrong, Miss Rucennoberytuirghjuij. Especially according to ‘Jackie’...

Ah yes, of course, a water horse (?) and a dinosaur mated and now it is baying for blood. I think Jackie has been lied to by her parents (who should’ve taken the initiative and put her down at birth) about her grandfather, and now the lies have found their way onto the internet and into my eyes. Either way, it’s irritating.

The truth, by the way, is far more pleasing as it turns out that the ‘monster’ in the photo was made from wood putty attached to a toy submarine. And why was the image created? Well, Marmaduke Westherell, a big game hunter who had been publicly ridiculed in a certain UK newspaper, decided to get back at them by creating the hoax picture and sending them the image, which they published. The newspaper that had ridiculed Westherell? The Daily Mail, of course! The best bit about this image is that it was created purely to make the Daily Mail look stupid, but failed somewhat in the fact they forgot to mention it was a hoax until 1994. But hey, at least the Loch Ness photo is a pretty innocent photo, unlike...

The Kiss (1945)

Everyone knows this story (or at least should, what are you- a bunch of non-historians?!). As the news of Japan’s surrender was announced in the United States, everybody partied like it was 1938 and a German immigrant named Alfred Eisenstaedt managed to snap this famous photo of a couple sharing a beautiful moment.

Ugh.

Wait, did I say couple? I meant to say sexual predator. And did I say ‘sharing a beautiful moment’? I obviously meant ‘sexually assaulting a young girl’. Yes, this photo may look wonderful, but that sailor doesn’t know the woman he decided to infiltrate with his tongue. Eisenstaedt said that he saw a sailor “running along the street grabbing any and every girl in sight.” This particular photo is just showing one of his many victims, and it gets worse. “Whether she was a grandmother, stout, thin, old, [it] didn’t make any difference.” The sick bastard. I’m just glad my grandmother wasn’t there to be grappled by his man hands and forced into what looks like a choke hold.

“Scream and I will break you.”

If the nurse had decided to press charges, this photo would be pretty decent evidence in court. And just to make it clear, I checked up on the laws involved with this sort of conduct and I am totally right about it being sexual assault. Even though she may have enjoyed it- he didn’t know that at the time, he might’ve finished with her only to see her looking up at him with tearful eyes and a tear stricken face. If the end of the war in Afghanistan and Iraq was ever announced ane I were to run out into the street and molest every female I see, I don’t think it would be looked upon so kindly. The only conclusion is that this man is a monster. Yet the resentment I feel for this photo is nothing compared to this next one... Le Chat Noir (1896)

Adorning student walls and everysinglepostersaleI’veeverseen is this final image, and it almost pains me to post it here. Whilst it may not spring into your mind when you think about what images you recognise, it is one that once you realise you see it everywhere, you will never stop seeing it. Here goes...

You snide bastard cat, you.

Whilst it is not the content that angers me, it is what it stands for. Every single company that sells posters will stock this particular number, and it will sell. Every. Time. This is because they have realised that there is no-one quite so willing to spend upwards of £5 on a printed bit of paper as students who want to really show off their personalities by buying posters that reflect them, and that a lot of students feel this poster represents themselves. “Oh wow, how French! How chic!” No. The people who buy this poster are the people that bleat on about how ‘deep’ and ‘beautiful’ they find French cinema, when in reality they’ve seen Amélie twice. By buying this poster they can show themselves as the true poets they believe they are on the inside, only happy when drinking a red wine or a coffee outside a quaint café on the Champs Elysees. Unfortunately, in reality they will likely be found dropping pills in Oceana before throwing up on their own shoes and staggering home a drunken, filthy mess. The poster itself is meaningless, merely an advert for the tour of Le Chat Noir’s troup of cabaret entertainers (Le Chat Noir is an old nightclub in Paris, in case you were wondering). You may as well have a poster advertising the Blue Man Group on your wall, you are more likely to see them than the Le Chat Noir cabaret, and at least they still exist. Unfortunately. If you happen to own one of these posters, then do yourself a favour. Take it down, take it outside and burn it. Then find yourself a personality.

#Wooller #Opinion #Images #Bastard's Critique

Cull of Duty?: The Great War in Computer Games

Our ‘History’ reporter, Mr. Robin Wooller, has been hard at task in his bunker, assiduously researching and ‘testing’ several First World War computer games in order to assess how they represent that most bloody and terrible trial. Have you ever felt a pang of guilt for revelling in the death of a pixellated Nazi warrior? Have you ever questioned the ethics of forcibly inserting Heinrich Himmler into the rectal cavity of Adolf Hitler, on that bonus level you get with that cheat? Have you ever wondered at the immense ease of ending an entire war single-handedly, providing you have enough medi-packs? Indeed, have you ever wondered what you would be doing in a game set during the Great War instead? If you are curious, read on...

The popular conception of the Great War is that of a futile massacre, fought by ‘lions led by donkeys’[1], with scathing attacks made by various outlets about the British generals and their abilities during the war. This view of the Great War conjures up images of thousands of patriotic volunteers, being needlessly gunned down in a muddy, bloody mess, gassed and caught in barbed wire whilst the typical British general- moustachioed, overweight and old- gives suicidal orders while being kept safe far behind the line, caring not for the lives of the troops in his hands. This image is one that is reinforced by most popular culture to do with WWI, such as General Sir Anthony Hogmanay Melchett on what Todman called, ‘the most influential representation of the donkeys in the 1980s[2], ‘Blackadder Goes Forth’. Historians such as Corrigan & Todman disagree with the ‘lions led by donkeys’ myth and the way it has permeated the public perception of the conflict. As more and more historians begin to look at WWI in a different way, historical opinion is slowly shifting, and figures such as General Haig ‘the butcher’ are slowly having the opinion shift in their favour. If we take this evidence to be true, it is important to assess how these misinformed and time-altered perceptions of the First World War have permeated popular culture and how these mythical narratives have been utilised by the developers of computer games.

One of the issues that arise when looking at WWI games to see how they reflect these popular conceptions of the conflict is that there are so few to look at, but this also tells us a lot. Since the first WWI game released, ‘Red Baron’ in 1980, there have been less than 50 WWI video games released to date- not including internet based games, and not one of these is a first-person shooter (FPS) that actually puts the player on the ground in a WWI setting. The existing games tend to be flight simulators, naval simulators or strategic war games, and this tells us a lot about how the popular conception of WWI is used. With the strategic war games, such as ‘World War One’[3] it puts you in the place of the ‘donkey’ leading the lions as you are the one in charge of how to go about gaining victory during WWI. The game gives you the option to be either a strategic genius who wins the war that couldn’t be won and somewhat ‘beating’ history, or to be a ‘butcher’[4] who sends their men to their graves, with no regard for casualties. This theme continues in most strategic war games, as you are not down on the ground with your men, but merely watching from above and commanding without any risk to yourself- much like the generals ‘comfortably ensconced in their chateaux well behind the lines’[5]. The manual for the game mentions nothing about trying to save the lives of your men, instead focusing on ‘acquiring the highest possible score...without losing morale’[6]. This reinforces the popular conception of the conflict that it wasn’t about individual men making a difference, and that only in commanding huge swathes of soldiers with no regard to individual lives could the war go ahead.

A different type of game, ‘Rise of Flight’[7], is the most recent WWI based flight simulator to come out, that depicts the aerial warfare over the Western Front from 1916-1918. Again, you aren’t part of, and neither do you see, the men down on the ground fighting in the trenches- although you do see the outline of the trenches themselves. The game’s focus is more on creating a realistic experience of flying WWI planes, with heavy emphasis on their use of a realistic physics simulation engine[8]. The game uses the basis of historical data about aerial combat operations to generate its own missions, so there are no specific WWI aerial operations that you take part in- which makes the whole thing separate from what was actually going on at the time and on the ground. Rather than challenging or using the popular conception of WWI, it instead just uses it as a setting and excuse for a flight simulator. In a way this does fulfil the expected conception of the Great War, as whilst the aerial warfare is still mentioned occasionally, the image of the mud, blood and trenches is still the first image conjured up by thoughts about the First World War, and the aerial aspects of it are often seen as separate to the events occurring on the ground. The naval warfare simulators, such as ‘1914 Shells of Fury[9]’, are similar to the aerial warfare simulators, as they also focus more on simulating the experience of controlling a submarine - rather than the experience of being in a submarine playing a key part in WWI. Although naval battles did constitute a large part of WWI, the game again separates this from the troops on the ground, further exacerbating the image of soldiers on the ground being the only aspect of WWI rather than the navy playing a part of the conflict as a whole.

The other few WWI games that aren’t strategic war games or flight or naval simulators, are ones that use WWI as an inspiration or basis for their story, weapons or fighting style. One such game is ‘NecroVisioN’[10], a first-person shooter that is set in 1916 where the player takes the role of an American soldier, ‘Simon’, recently recruited into the British Army. It begins when Simon has to follow his squadron of soldiers in a counter attack against German lines. Instantly, they are ambushed by heavy German machine gun cross fire and mustard gas and Simon becomes separated from his squadron and lost. Before long, Simon has to fight supernatural forces, including vampires, demons, and zombies- and the conclusion of the game has Simon mounting an ancient dragon and making his way to Hell itself. If the game is played on ‘easy’, in the end Simon wakes up in the trenches with medics telling him that he has shellshock and the whole experience was an elaborate dream, whilst the other two settings have slightly less realistic conclusions. While ‘NecroVisioN’ is an FPS that puts the player in the trenches, it quickly becomes apparently that the use of WWI is used only to provide a context for the alternate history survival horror story that it portrays. However, the game does make use of the popular conception of WWI with the use of the mustard gas, machine gun fire and the shellshock conclusion. As the only realistic bit of the game has men going over the top and then being mowed down by machine gun fire, and although this did happen, it is still just another representation of what people think about WWI, the popular image of going ‘over the top’ complete with mud, blood, machine guns and gas.

Another WWI inspired computer game is turn-based tactics game ‘Hogs of War'[11], which included voice over work by British comedian Rik Mayall, who also coincidentally played a role in ‘Blackadder Goes Forth’. Set in a First World War-era, anthropomorphic pigs engage in combat with access to artillery, pillboxes, tanks and other WWI style weaponry. In an ending cinematic a remaining soldier is left feeling like the war accomplished nothing. With his home now a ‘bomb site’, no chance of employment and a ‘sweetheart who’s left him’ he asks what he was even fighting for, where his stereotypical, overweight, moustachioed General[12] informs him that “so long as politicians can create a pointless argument somewhere in the world, there will be a pointless war for us to fight.” Whilst the game play does not necessarily carry a popular conception of WWI, the message at the end is obvious in saying that WWI was pointless, with more wars to follow, thereby matching the popular conception of WWI being ‘pointless, foolish [and] unnecessary’[13] and just an argument between politicians, resulting in the ‘dreadful waste of young manhood’[14].

"I say old chap, this representation of me might be a bit ham-fisted, eh, what?"

There is a huge difference between the amount of WWI games compared to WWII, with WWII being one of the most popularly used world history topics in video games with literally hundreds of games based on the conflict. This tells us a lot about how the public see the two conflicts and how the popular conception differs hugely between them. ‘Medal of Honour: Frontline’[15] was an award winning and best selling WWII based FPS that sees the player experiencing the D-Day landings, storming Arnhem with British airborne troops, demolishing a U-Boat and making it into Nazi Germany across Europe. The obvious difference between this and the WWI games is that with ‘Frontline’ you are put straight into the action, experiencing it on the ground through the eyes of a soldier, and whilst it is a fictional character you are playing, historic events occur around you- such as Operation Market Garden. The popular images of WWII such as the D-Day landings and the storming of the Reichstag (found in ‘Call of Duty: World at War’[16]), can be easily turned into an exciting video game format, and if it’s an exciting game it will sell. Also, with the use of the events of WWII, you get the feeling that the war is actually progressing around you as you move onwards towards doing your bit to stop the Nazi war machine. This, compared to the stalemate narrative that you would expect from a realistic WWI game, is much more viable for commercial success as nobody wants to play a game that doesn’t develop. As well as this, in WWII based games, you tend to play as a single person who can make all the difference in a war against an enemy that is instantly recognised as evil and justifies the fate the player chooses to inflict upon them- the Nazis. As the image of the Nazi as ‘the bad guy’ is so recognisable, it is a massive contrast to the ‘enemy’ of WWI- where the general opinion is that both sides were made up of innocent boys and men, both stuck in the same position as each other. The idea that an individual can have an impact on the war effort is also one that wouldn’t fit with the popular conception of WWI, which is that WWI was about mass amounts of troops pushing forward to capture a few yards with small chance of survival, and individual actions not making a difference. Whilst going over the top would work in an interactive way for a FPS, it is close to the only action that WWI troops actually got to experience. Therefore there isn’t enough to base an entire game on and it would be difficult to make an exciting narrative that follows one soldier’s experiences through the war. This is backed up by the diaries of different soldiers that portray their daily lives as being made up of marching, being billeted, chores around the trenches, being shelled and the occasional bit of action[17][18][19].

From looking at various WWI related games, it is safe to say that they use the popular conception of WWI much in the same way that the novels, literature and other outlets based on the Great War use it too. The popular conception sells, as it is made up of easily recognisable images that the public has been used to since the first wave of popular culture focusing on the horrors of WWI, so popular culture continues to use it. Although the popular conception is made up of myths such as that of the lions and donkeys, it works well in an interactive video game format for strategic war games & flight or naval simulators, but wouldn’t work for a game that actually places you inside the trenches and on the ground experiencing the ‘horrors of trench warfare’. Whilst WWII has a plethora of games based around it, we will just have to wait and see what the future holds for the computer game industry’s relationship with the Great War.

[1] Clark, Alan. ‘The Donkeys’ (Morrow, 1961).

[2] Todman, ‘The Great War’, pg. 116.

[3] ‘World War One- The Great War 1914-1918’ Athena Games Entertainment Online Distribution, Released November 11th, 2008.

[4] Laffin, J. ‘British Butchers and Bunglers of World War One.’ (Stroud, 1988).

[5] Corrigan. ‘Mud, Blood and Poppycock.’ pg 189

[6] ‘World War One.’ Game Manual-Turns & Rules Edition. Pg, 4.

[7] ‘Rise of Flight’ 777 Studios, Aerosoft, ND Games. 2009.

[8] http://riseofflight.com/en/about/video

[9] http://au.gamespot.com/pc/sim/1914shellsoffury/index.html

[10] ‘NecroVisioN’ 1C Company, 505 Games, Aspyr Media, 2009.

[11] ‘Hogs of War’ Infogrames Europe, 2000.

[12] See appendix 2.

[13] Todman, Dan. ‘The Great War’ pg. 121.

[14] BBC Audience Research Report, VR/64/461.

[15] ‘Medal of Honour: Frontline.’ Electronic Arts. 2002.

[16] ‘Call of Duty: World at War’ Activision. 2008.

[17] Whitmore, William Bernard. Diary extracts found at http://www.firstworldwar.com/diaries/whitmore.htm

[18] Mackay, Robert Lindsay. Diary extracts found at http://www.firstworldwar.com/diaries/rlm1.htm

[19] Littler, Thomas Fredrick. Diary extracts found at http://www.firstworldwar.com/diaries/littlerdiary4.htm

#Wooller #History #Computer Games

'Freedom, Liberty & Justice':

A retrospective on the Iraq War and the value of critical history

By Robin Wooller

It was only last year that Tony Blair made headlines, receiving the ‘Liberty Medal’ along with $100,000 (£67,000) from the National Constitution Centre for his ‘steadfast’ efforts in ‘brokering peace in Northern Ireland and the Middle East’ and his work in ‘conflict resolution' [1]. Mr Blair said he is driven by values of “freedom, liberty and justice”, the same values that led to the deaths of 96,813-105,563 [2] civilians, 4409 American soldiers and 140 British soldiers fighting for the cause, not to mention the countless grassroots soldiers killed fighting the sudden invasion of their country. The news of the award came only a day after the declassification of the official advice Blair was given on the legality of invading Iraq, which clearly showed that the use of military force was not authorised until there was a new UN resolution, which Blair ignored until it was changed in his favour. Mr Clinton, the centre’s chairman, claimed that Blair “continues....promoting economic opportunity in the Middle East and the resolution of conflicts rooted in religion around the world”. Just what ‘economic opportunity’ does Mr Clinton speak of in terms of the Iraqi people? The only economic opportunity that Mr Blair opened up was the solid profiteering from oil for America. There is as much economic opportunity in Iraq as there is ‘freedom, liberty and justice’. Let’s not also forget the official reason given for going to war with Iraq in the first place.

“President Bush's Cabinet agreed in April 2001 that 'Iraq remains a destabilising influence to the flow of oil to international markets from the Middle East' and because this is an unacceptable risk to the US, 'military intervention' is necessary." [3]

The ONLY people who benefitted from the war on Iraq are the people who financed Bush's election campaigns and Bush himself- who has huge personal investments in the oil industry. Let's not forget his father became a millionaire after getting into the oil business himself. Before the invasion even began, Oil Company profits increased by fifty percent, with profits soaring to £2.5 billion in the fourth quarter [4]. This complete travesty is not even subtle, as the oil services company awarded the contract to operate in post-war Iraq also coincidently happened to be Halliburton- formerly run by Dick Cheney, former vice-president. It just adds to the proof that America is run by corruption and greed.

Maybe if Iraq wasn't the world's second largest source of oil after Saudi Arabia, a different country would've suddenly been accused of having a horrific dictatorship and WMDs. Iraq was clearly an easier target than Saudi Arabia, as in August 2002 the RAND Corporation, a US think tank that officially advises the U.S government on military strategy (sharing many of the same interests as the neoconservatives), “recommended” that America should invade and capture Saudi Arabian oil fields if they continued supporting al-Qaeda. Although the White House attempted to cover up and disown this plan when the press got hold of it, RAND was set-up by the US military and is run by senior U.S, ex-military and ex-political personnel- funded by American tax-payers. It’s great that the Americans pay taxes to be spent on such helpful organisations.

However, there is still the argument that the British and American troops were sent to defend the Iraqi people from the monster of Saddam Hussein- but let’s not forget why he was placed there, and by whom. He was planted by America and England to stabilise the country after the years of turmoil that they went through after the forgotten British invasion of Basra in 1914, where the exact same events occurred as they have today. In 1925 the Colonial Secretary stated "if the [British] aeroplanes are removed tomorrow..."- there to keep down the religious groups attempting to seize government in both 1923 and '31,"...the whole structure would 'fall to pieces'." Shockingly, the fact we had invaded before was ignored in the press with no interpretations of the British Mandate in Iraq being in the public domain in the run up leading up to the invasion- as people might've not been so happy to let us blindly follow America if they'd been given the chance to learn anything from the lessons afforded to us by history. If the press had published the stories of the past, it would’ve broadened the awareness of the possible and extremely likely outcomes of intervention at the time. With a greater knowledge of critical history, the evidence suggesting the future may have made people stop and think, rather than letting the press create a sense of crisis distracting people from perspectives that should’ve been learnt from earlier history.

As well as this, Saddam Hussein actually revolutionised Iraq and helped build it up into a functioning country- before America decided that they'd had enough of his control over the oil. Saddam not only controlled the conflicts between the government and the armed forces, spearheaded the nationalization of the Western-owned Iraq Petroleum Company and also helped Iraq's economy grow rapidly. He created and controlled the "National Campaign for the Eradication of Illiteracy" [‘Eradication’ seems an appropriate word for Saddam – Ed.] as well as the campaign for "Compulsory Free Education in Iraq", providing universal free schooling up to the highest education levels. Hundreds of thousands learnt how to read as a result of his government, which also supported families of soldiers, granted free hospitalization to everyone, and gave subsidies to farmers. Did you know that Iraq also created one of the most modernized public-health systems in the Middle East, actually earning an award from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization? Probably not- due to the fact that all we ever heard was the ‘Hitlerisation’ of Saddam given by the press. That's not even all- diversifying the large oil-based Iraqi economy, Saddam implemented a national infrastructure campaign that helped build roads, promote mining and developed other industries. Electricity was brought to nearly every city in Iraq and many other outlying areas, where before there was none. The amount of peasants also quickly decreased as the country invested its oil profits into industrial expansion. Of course he wasn't a kind man, and I don’t support any dictatorship - but my question is this: If Saddam Hussein, after all the things he did for Iraq, deserved the invasion from America and Britain- then what about other countries where matters are worse- such as North Korea? [see Robin’s article on N. Korea’s ‘Camp 22’]

Not shockingly, in June 2010 the head of a London-based energy firm signed a deal to search for oil in a ten-year contract in North Korea off the nation's east coast, in area of about 20,272 square miles, hoping to find 'substantial reserves'. If oil is found, I wonder how soon it'll be before Britain and America begin to express their sudden worry for the 'freedom, liberty and justice' of the North Korean people and before the press finally begin to print stories of the horror and foul treatment of their people. It's nice to see what America and Britain's priorities really are. Why bother caring about the treatment of other people when there's no profit in it for you? And let's not forget that eventually the oil they so desperately seek will run out, but not before they soak up every last drop at the expense of others. _________________________________ [1] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/politics/10470914.stm

[2] http://www.iraqbodycount.org [3] Sunday Herald newspaper (UK), “Official: US oil at the heart of Iraq crisis”, 6 October 2002

[4] BBC News (UK), “Oil prices lift ExxonMobil”, 30 January 2003.

#Politics #Wooller