A Brit Abroad

My name is Terry and I'm a 60 year old dis-enchanted ex-pat Brit living in Cyprus. Why am I dis-enchanted? You'll find reasons enough throughout my tumble log, along with quirky items that amused me and things I think need highlighting, and occasional quotes from some of my favourite novels. Oh, and maybe some original work of my own. TumblelrRoll: Exchange Rates window._idl = {}; _idl.variant = "modal"; _idl.campaign = "reset-the-net"; (function() { var idl = document.createElement('script'); idl.type = 'text/javascript'; idl.async = true; idl.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://' : 'http://') + 'members.internetdefenseleague.org/include/?url= ' + (_idl.url || '') + '&campaign=' + (_idl.campaign || '') + '&variant=' + (_idl.variant || 'modal'); document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0].appendChild(idl); })(); Currency data courtesy coinmill.com

[terryblakey]

[x0]

In metric, one milliliter of water occupies one cubic centimeter, weighs one gram, and requires one calorie of energy to heat up by one degree centigrade—which is 1 percent of the difference between its freezing point and its boiling point. An amount of hydrogen weighing the same amount has exactly one mole of atoms in it. Whereas in the American system, the answer to “How much energy does it take to boil a room-temperature gallon of water?” is “Go fuck yourself,” because you can’t directly relate any of those quantities.

from Wild Thing: A Novel by Josh Bazell

via kjmorely

(via x0)

[terryblakey]

The “war on terror” has come home — and it’s wreaking havoc on innocent American lives. The culprit is the militarization of the police. (via Not Just Ferguson: 11 Eye-Opening Facts About America's Militarized Police Forces | Perspectives | BillMoyers.com)

[jettestblack-deactivated2017080]

President Barack Obama: Please Enact New Federal Laws to Protect Citizens from Police Violence and Misconduct

I love good police officers. I have them in my immediate family. Like all civil servants they are underpaid and under-resourced for a difficult job….

Our 5 Policy Solutions Are As Follows:

1. The shooting and killing of an unarmed citizen who does not have an outstanding warrant for a violent crime should be a federal offense.

2. Choke holds and chest compressions by police (what the coroner lists as the official cause of death for Eric Garner) should be federally banned.

3. All police officers must wear forward-facing body cameras while on duty. They cost just $99 and are having a signficant, positive impact in several cities around the United States and the world.

4. Suspensions for violations of any of the above offenses should be UNPAID.

5. Convictions for the above offenses should have their own set of mandatory minimum penalties. The men who killed Diallo, Bell, Grant, Carter, Garner, and others all walk free while over 1,000,000 non violent offenders are currently incarcerated in American prisons.

[dynastylnoire]

whitehouse

[adultish96]

signal boost this. 

[mvsfvts]

This needs to happen.

[terryblakey]

And not just in the US. The UK has had it's share of questionable police behaviour.

As the old adage goes. "who watches the watchers?"

[terryblakey]

Fox News just reached a new low, even for them.

[tastefullyoffensive]

[terryblakey]

[terryblakey]

[terryblakey]

[descentintotyranny-blog]

Israel begins its ground invasion of the Gaza Strip

[letterstomycountry]

LTMC: Jesus.

[terryblakey]

Tell me Mr Obama, where does "the right to defend yourself" end and genocide begin?

[guardian]

The Malaysia Airlines plane, which was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, came down near the village of Grabovo in Ukraine, part of the area controlled by pro-Russian separatists.

• More on this story

[terryblakey]

[mostlysignssomeportents]

PLEASE REBLOG Last chance to save Net Neutrality

There’s only 36 hours left comment on the FCC’s proposal to allow for Net Neutrality-shredding “Internet fast lanes” that let phone companies to pick Internet winners and losers—it’s time to act.

Read more…

[icontherecord]

Joint Statement by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Justice on Court-ordered Legal Surveillance of U.S. Persons

July 9, 2014

It is entirely false that U.S. intelligence agencies conduct electronic surveillance of political, religious or activist figures solely because they disagree with public policies or criticize the government, or for exercising constitutional rights.   Unlike some other nations, the United States does not monitor anyone’s communications in order to suppress criticism or to put people at a disadvantage based on their ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation or religion.   Our intelligence agencies help protect America by collecting communications when they have a legitimate foreign intelligence or counterintelligence purpose.   With limited exceptions (for example, in an emergency), our intelligence agencies must have a court order from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to target any U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident for electronic surveillance.    These court orders are issued by an independent federal judge only if probable cause, based on specific facts, are established that the person is an agent of a foreign power, a terrorist, a spy, or someone who takes orders from a foreign power.   No U.S. person can be the subject of surveillance based solely on First Amendment activities, such as staging public rallies, organizing campaigns, writing critical essays, or expressing personal beliefs.   On the other hand, a person who the court finds is an agent of a foreign power under this rigorous standard is not exempted just because of his or her occupation.   The United States is as committed to protecting privacy rights and individual freedom as we are to defending our national security.

[terryblakey]

Well that's alright then. Because we know you would never lie to us, right?

[terryblakey]

(via BBC News - How Syria's ancient treasures are being smashed) The hidden cost of the Syrian civil war

[terryblakey]

(via BBC News - An epitaph for India's 'appalling' national car) Seen a good many of these things on the streets of Mumbai

[fuckyeahreligionpigeon]

[terryblakey]

Meanwhile, in the UK

In what’s being heralded as a secular triumph, the UK government has banned the teaching of creationism as science in all existing and future academies and free schools.

The new clauses, which arrived with very little fanfare last week, state that the…

…requirement for every academy and free school to provide a broad and balanced curriculum in any case prevents the teaching of creationism as evidence based theory in any academy or free school.

In the UK, state-funded academies are basically equivalent to charter schools in the United States, and are primarily comprised of high schools. Free schools, which were introduced in 2010, are non-profit making, independent, state-funded schools which are not controlled by a local authority, but are subject to the School Admissions Code. Free schools make it possible for parents, teachers, charities, and business to set up their own schools.

In addition to the new clauses, the UK government clarified the meaning of creationism, reminding everyone that it’s a minority view even within the Church of England and the Catholic Church.