real thinking

ah, for ages I write nothing and then I get drunk and whitter on endlessly [see, or rather ignore, the previous blog entry]

Instead read Eddie Mair's blog (which I've linked to on the right).
He's much better.
I'm a fan. and i've said so before. Interviewing and journalism without ranting or bullying. Instead he gently leads them to the block with soothing words before trapping their neck on the guillotine...

hopefully his blog will let us in on things that don't make the show (or newsletter).

politics is awkward - and bullying aint enough

look - is it me? dunno. Maybe I'm being a thicky. Trouble is I'm now very drunk, but the thing I'm thinking is something I've been pondering for some time now. if not actually properly thinking it through.
[However, the alcohol won't let my brain or fingers articulate it.]

[bugger.]

ok, all it is is - what if the UN (heck, the WORLD) asked Israel to stop, sorry for both sides to ceasefire, and they ignored it? I mean, its not like other UN reolutions haven't been ignored by either side.

Would that have made the netgotiating position harder?
Unfortunately I only did the negotiating 101 consultancy training (a taster) not the full whack. I honestly don't know.

It just seems to me that if Blair/ Bush/ UN/ Jounalistpundit/ fuckinanybody requests "you should ceasefire" and they don't, that it makes the requester seem irrelevant.
"stop"
"no"
"stop"!
"did somebody say something...? did you hear anything?
"Stop!"
"hm, people that don't understand are sympathising with the other side - can somebody explain to them that we're the victim..?"

Morraly unasailable to say "stop bombing people" of course. but... doesn't it make you irrelevant when you are ignored? Doesn't it weaken you when you ask for something that will never be given?

Am I naive? God knows but I want the violence to stop but what will make either side stop?
And by "make" I mean 'persuade' as well as 'force'.

Obviously(?) I also think that military action has a "logical progression". After its started, stopping seems like 'victory' or 'surrender'. and noone will except "surrender" or "losing".

So what can the UN do? usually its impose sanctions (trade etc as well as ordinance provision) but these are ignored. US still trades because of its local politics in the same way that Iran and Syria do. So, does the "RestOfTheWorld" impose upon the US or Iran?!? it hasn't in the past (kinda tricky them being physically stronger than the UN).

So unfortunately we come again to the realisation that countries (and individuals) are motivated by self interest. It is in the self interest of Israel to not ceasefire but to contimnue bombing as it wishes to crippple Hezbolllah/ Hezbollah have a self interest to continue bombing to prove they are a force to be reckoned with.
Its in the self interest of the US to support Israel and (therefore??) the interest of Iran to support Hizbollah...., blah blah blah.

but "blah blah blah" cannot make someone stop. Its too easy for the liberal left (and god knows i'm one of them) to say "Blair should tell them to stop" but unfortunatey they only give a very little shit (maybe only a fart) as to what he thinks.

We're in 'bully' mode. Pain is the only thing that stops someone doing something.
We (the UN, journalists etc) just haven't found the pain spots yet..

and I'm wittering - and you are reading - as people are dying.

I wish I could bully people into non-violence but 'bullying' in whatever form always reinforces the fact that if you can cause pain.... you win

share and share alike

ok ok ok I KNOW. I haven't been very active on this thing recently.

I'm sure I warned you I was shooting off to Aus and all that. Its not like I can take my cookie with me and you expect me to remember my password???!!?

Anyway, I had a wonderful time thankyou for asking. Glad to be back though as now my life can begin again.

Sordid tales of drinking champagne at 4am while watching grown men sweat will come later but I just had to share this.

I'm looking for online photo sharing sites/ services so that I can set up a site that tens of people from the wedding in Aus can all be given access to, to load up their photos. I use Flikr which i like but Flikr is linked to one's yahoo account which i'd rather not open up to dozens of people.

First interesting thing is that many sites now demand that you buy photos or stuff through their site at least once a year. Not actually that terrible but still, one of those irritants.

More staggering was photomax.com which doesn't do this and seems good but demands that you know a member first! Just how the hell are you going to build up a community at that speed??

And is community building really the golden egg its cracked up to be?
I just want to share photos with a very select communty. Usually I just want to share photos with one or two people (and then random ones or whatever) but not a 'community'. Its a wedding or my family in the garden or holiday snaps - who the hell is gonna randomly come across these and think "hey - they're people I'd like to email and know and actually I want to buy that print!".

Am I missing smething here? Am i getting old and not jiggy with it?
Am I thatcherite in thinking there is no such thing as community?
Is it all just "me me me"?
nah - how could I think it is all just "me me me" when writing on a blog noone reads...?