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http://uk.blastingnews.com/opinion/2015/05/snp-mps-told-off-for-clapping-in-the-house-of-commons-00415281.html

A new Chairman appointed this evening, Deanna Eddon.

Very interesting evening

For a while now I have been working on some drawings in Leamington Spa.

A friend of mine is doing a Beatles’ tribute in Athens. This is a re-working of a tremendous concert from last year I think, but it gives me a reason to reflect on the whole Beatles’ thing and to draw up a version of the characters from Yellow Submarine.

I find the film a bit frustrating and I am not sure I have ever seen it from beginning to end without falling to sleep. This is not a huge criticism: I regularly fall asleep in the cinema (I did so today in Perfect Pitch 2) but “Yellow submarine” is fairly brief and it just gets me every single time. The music is great but the dialogue always sounds a bit flat and the animation is bizarre.

As an animator I wonder if this is the price we pay when we escape from the well-trodden paths of Disney naturalism/realism? “Allegro Non Troppo”- fantastic film, but that’s another that I cannot sit through. Though “Fantasia 1 and 2” fall into the same category. Is there something wrong here. I admire all these films and they all- universally – send me to sleep.

Anyway, here is Steve’s advert for the concert and below is a bit of film of last year’s concert at the Herodion and the Megaro Mousikis.

here’s another clip:

The fate of Johnny Depp’s dogs has made me think of another celebrity who sneaked his dogs into a country without proper clearance. Now, I thought that the dog-smuggler was Nicolai Ceausescu, but when I checked, I found I was actually wrong. When the Romanian dictator visited the UK in 1987 on a State visit, the Queen apparently had taken some precautions but they were not canine. The sunday express claimed that she removed fittings and ornaments from the official rooms where they were staying in Buckingham palace. The newspaper headline read, “Lock Up the Crown Jewels, Here Comes Light-Fingered Nic”. I don’t know whether that was true, but more alarmingly, and more accurately, in 1973, the president of Zaire, Mobutu, arrived with his dog. The queen’s response was to send her corgies immediately to Windsor in case they got rabies. She then sent word via her private secretary that the offending dog must go at once to the quarantine kennel at Heathrow. 

I fancy the Depps have done quite well to negotiate passage for Boo and Pistol back to the US. They leave today.

 

I cannot really claim to do much more than comment on stories as they appear, but every so often the gossip machine gets out of control and people telephone me with information they assume I must already have. They assume the information is in the public arena. It is not quite. Yet.

Chuka

So this evening, I want to focus on two further resignations, or withdrawals. The first is Chuka Umunna who has withdrawn his name from the list of labour front runners. I cannot see why unless some pressure was applied – and by whom? There is no one with the weight to do it. He said he did not want the level of scrutiny or pressure that came with the job – but surely that is something he had to accept when he first got into politics – and just because he says he no longer wants the top job will not make that scrutiny go away. That his team has said there is no “unwelcome press story” behind the announcement will surely further flame the speculation that really there is something to hide. So, no doubt the press is camped around his house scenting something big this evening. Backing away on those terms, I am afraid Chuka, is like a red rag to a bull. I wish him well in his quest for privacy, but I think he will not get it now and neither will he get the security that would have gone with high office.

That said, I sympathise with what he has said: “this is not right for me or people close to me. I’m human, the rest of my life is more important to me than politics.” More than that, my instinct is that, whatever speculation might be rushing around Fleet street, there really is no dark secret. Chuka Umunna is as clean as they come.

So, let me put my cards on the table: I like Chuka Umuna. I have said so a few times before in this blog. I do not share many of his political views but I like the fact that he is forthright about opposing and identifying racism, and I like the fact that he is an enthusiastic but not uncritical European. I would also be interested to see whether he runs for mayor of London…

Ben

Ben Bradshaw has said that Chuka’s withdrawal is a “terrible loss”. I like Ben Bradshaw too!

Anyway, as we now know, a Resignation or a political withdrawal is now a fairly vague term. It could be another word for “summer Holiday” or indeed it could be overturned by your friends on the NEC. What Ben Bradshaw now needs to do is to get lots of those people who stood for election on May 7th, I suppose, to write letters of support to Mr Umunna. It worked a treat for Mr Farage.

Douglas

That brings me to the second resignation and to the silence of Mr Carswell, who my sources tell me is the mysterious figure behind Mr Farage’s veiled warning. “He hasn’t had the courage to break cover but he must make his mind up,” he said. “Is his future with UKIP or not?” I certainly know that people have been writing to him urging him to challenge Farage for the leadership and at least to champion the libertarian side of the party. But has he received enough of these letters and emails to give him the sort of confidence Mr Farage enjoys? Emails, after all are so much more tangible than the votes that might elect a politician to Westminster. You can touch an email after all- you can print it out. In a way, it is “yours”. You cannot touch a ballot paper.

There has been huge support for Mr Farage – so claimed the leader on Question Time and he referred to the barrage of supporting emails he had just received – the barrage that was so overwhelming as to rule out any possible leadership contest. But he said nothing on Question Time about the campaign in head office that forced people to write these letters, nor that when the decision was taken by the UKIP NEC to overturn his resignation, apparently Nigel was himself also in the room – no doubt to ensure fairplay.

There is a distracting story about whether Mr Carswell should accept the “Short money” offered bizarrely on some sort of Proportional; representation based on the numerous votes given to the party, but that could well be a moot point if, by the end of next week, Mr Carswell is no longer in UKIP or representing those 4 million UKIP voters.

Nicola

Oh, and what  I would not give to have been a fly on the wall in Bute house!

Scotland the Brave

Let me suggest something- if Scotland could issue its own Tier 1 visa, how many current non-EU students in the UK would move to Scotland to work in Edinburgh after their graduation? I think that would be a wonderful demonstration of just how valuable the Tier 1 visa has been to the UK and how valuable it could be again. It is a potent diplomatic weapon that was abandoned because of some silly rhetoric about immigration fears. Come on, Mr Cameron- that rhetoric is no longer necessary: UKIP is in tatters and the argument is won. Scotland is brave enough to take this risk and it’s time to try something different.

An old friend has drawn attention to a religious procession in Italy that was disrupted by youths shouting abuse. Ironically, the procession was taking place in a small town whose only significance seems to be that it was host to a thriving underground press during World war II. The report is accordingly not published in the mainstream media but appears in “Breitbart”, an outlet with a reputation for stirring up trouble. Nevertheless, the report seems factual enough and we certainly don’t want any cover-ups. Not when we are talking about a town that so valiantly championed free speech.

Dr Alexander Lucie-Smith, however, has taken a slightly alarming stance and invoked the memory of the battle of Lepanto. “May the Blessed Virgin Mary intercede for them…. as she did at Lepanto”. The battle took place in 1571 and is famous for two reasons- the first is that it was the last galley-battle, and certainly as impressive and decisive as the Battle of Actium which ushered in the reign of the Caesars, and the second is that it stopped the European advance of the Ottomans.

I would certainly second Alexander’s appeal to prayer but it must be a prayer for peace, not for victory. I cannot see that there really needs to be a conflict between Christianity and Islam and I think we should work harder to ensure that such conflicts as emerge do not take on this tone. In an increasingly secular society, Christianity and Islam are actually in the same business and should support one another.

Lepanto

The details and reasons for the battle of Lepanto are interesting. Setting aside the conflict between Christianity and Islam which I am sure is the main point of Alexander’s appeal, there were very good moral reasons to engage the Turkish commander who had broken his word. When the Venetians surrendered on Cyprus in 1750, and Nicosia was captured, the Ottoman commander, from Bosnia, Lara Kara Mustapha Pasha broke his word and first imprisoned and then tortured and executed Marco Antonio Bragadin, Astorre Baglioni, Alvise Martinengo and Gianantonia Querini. He had their heads hung around his own galley as he advanced towards Corfu where he lay waste to local villages.

Here is a picture of Lala Mustafa Pasha. His tomb is in the courtyard of one of Sinan’s mosques, the Ayub Mosque in Istanbul.

So far, the moral high ground, but this seems lost when we learn that in the Gulf of Patras, it is the Christian ships led by John of Austria who attack first. Odd, because they did not have the advantage and nor, incidentally was there a favourable wind. There was, however, a measured success with 210 Ottoman ships destroyed, though the Christian fleet also suffered significant losses. The commander of the Ottoman fleet, Uluç Ali at some point captured the Maltese flag and 6 galleys. He made it back to Constantinople with the flag which he gave to Sultan Selim II and was rewarded with the title kιlιç, becoming thereafter Kιlιç Ali Pasha.

A number of flags were taken from the Ottoman fleet and for many years hung in Catholic Churches around Italy.Next to the tomb of Pius V in Santa Maria Maggiore there was one flag which was returned to Istanbul as a gesture of friendship. We need more of these gestures, frankly, and less whipping up of stories involving silly uninformed children calling out names. More kindness and better education in other words!

While the ships were fairly easily replaced, the Ottoman navy struggled to make up the men to staff a new fleet. By 1574, they had, however, retaken the cities of Tunis and Fez, giving access to Morocco which led to the ascent of Suleyman the Magnificent. So much for history.

Now to the Miracle: Just before the fleet set sail, the Pope, Pius V presented the commander of the Christian fleet with an icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It was placed in the chapel on the admiral’s ship. At the moment when the Christian fleet attacked, the Pope was leading prayers of the rosary in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. The prayers continued throughout the day as the battle raged near Greece.

The Rosary

It is because of the battle of Lepanto and the perceived efficacy of the rosary that Pius V decreed the Rosary should be part of the Vatican Mass on every 7th October, to celebrate the Victory of Lepanto. His successor established the feast of the Most Holy Rosary in local Italian churches. The rosary was invoked again as the reason for the failure of the Ottomans to invade Vienna. That and the skill of John Sobieski, the King of Poland. In 1683, following the siege of Vienna, Pope Innocent XI consecrated Sept 12th to the Holy Name of Mary. The further defeat of the Ottomans by Prince Eugene on August 5th 1716,  the feast of Our Lady of the Snows, encouraged Pope Clement XI to extend the Feast of the Rosary to the whole Church.

Telling beads

There is more that unites Islam and Christianity than divides it.

Simply dealing with the Catholic traditions of the Virgin Mary and the Rosary reveals a few telling facts. Mary is mentioned 30 times in the Koran and described as “Virgin, ever Virgin.” The icon presented to Don John is named after a Spanish river, which in turn follows the Moorish name of Wolf river. the image is further complicated by a series of visions in Mexico and confusion by the Conquistadors between the unfamiliar Aztec “Te Quatlasupe” and the familiar “Guadalupe.” The traditional image shows the Madonna standing on a Crescent moon, the symbol of Islam. Our Lady appeared at Fatima in Portugal, a name that was taken from the Moors, and, indeed, is the name of the Prophet’s daughter. Of her, he said, “She has the highest place in heaven after the Virgin Mary.” Today, there are numerous Muslims who visit the shrine at Fatima. In Fatima, the virgin said, “I am the Lady of the Rosary.”

The use of prayer beads, however, is not specific to Catholicism. Indeed, the Catholic rosary of 59 beads dates from around 1520, so the Islamic rosary, the Tasbih, Misbaha or subha/ supha of 33 or 99 beads, which traditionally goes back to the time of the Prophet, certainly predates the Catholic Rosary. The name Supha comes from the arabic to announce, and the rosary beads announce the glory of God whose name is invoked either at the end of each chain or indeed with every bead. The prayers, though, are less formal.

However, the Orthodox prayer rope, κομποσκοίνι, from which we get the word “Komboloi”, is said to go back to the origins of Christian monasticism in the desert and to either St Pachomius or the founder of Monasticism himself, St Anthony. this is a rope of 100 knots and is today linked to the practice of the “Jesus Prayer”, a repetitive meditation made famous by perhaps by Gregory Palamas and certainly by Russian mystics in the 19th century.

In other words,  rosary-beads have a fairly universal significance. We should make use of that fact!

Here is the original article:

On Sunday morning, a group of young Muslim immigrants interrupted a Catholic procession in honor of the Virgin Mary with verbal insults, shouting, and threats as the group passed in front of the Islamic Cultural Center in Conselice, a small town in lower Romagna.

In predominantly Catholic Italy, the month of May is dedicated to the traditional processions carrying a statue or image of the Madonna, usually accompanied by the singing of hymns and praying of the rosary.

The Marian procession is a tradition in Conselice, and every year, the faithful gather at the Piazza Foresti and then proceed along a number of streets including the Via Dante Alighieri, which also passes in front of the Islamic Cultural Center. On Sunday, after the 9:30 a.m. Mass, a group of 100 faithful, including several small children preparing to receive their first Holy Communion, began the procession as usual.

Apparently understanding the procession to be a provocation, a group of Muslim youth from the Islamic Center began hurling verbal abuse and threats at the passing procession.

According to an eyewitness, “During the slow procession of the sacred image, some kids on the ground floor of the building of the headquarters of the Attadamun Islamic Cultural Center began shouting a kind of chorus like ‘Get out of here’ and ‘Go away from here.’”

The participants, especially the children, were reportedly stunned and confused; they halted the procession before regrouping and hurrying past the Center.

After receiving complaints from members of St. Martin’s parish, the mayor of Conselice, Paola Pula, met with representatives of the Attadamun Islamic Cultural Center on Tuesday morning.

Following the meeting, the Islamic Center prepared a formal letter of apology and delivered one copy to the mayor and another to the members of the parish.

In a statement, the mayor said that “the incident, even if it concerns the behavior of minors, is intolerable and must not be underestimated.” She also said the youth involved have been reprimanded by representatives of the center.

“We reaffirm our commitment to respect all sensibilities and religious affiliations,” she said. Breitbart May 13th “Islamic Youth Bullied, Insulted Christian Group in Northern Italy,” by Thomas D. Williams

“juststeve”, Canadian singer songwriter

juststeve cries, “ I am Taking You Home” on his new extended E.P. Recorded in sunny Athens Greece with Greek American Producer Manolis Vlachos. This project contains 6 acoustic rock songs as juststeve flirts with sounds of previous decades containing ballads to uplifting grooves.

“Seventeen years after my last recording project – I am recording a new set of original songs that mean a great deal to me; songs I have wanted to record for some time. The project with NumberNine Productions contains songs that were written between 1997 to 2013, which brings me to the present. I have returned to my first love: writing songs. I hope you enjoy them.”

Digital EP label: NumberNine Music.
YouTube album link:

© 2014 NumberNine Productions, Under Exclusive License to Cobalt Music Helladisc S.A.

More about juststeve

juststeve, ( born Nov. 12, 1966 in Canada ) studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto at the same time as conductor Stefanos Karabekos, Director of New Canadian Symponic Orchestra. In 1991, juststeve lept into the Greek music scene with a variety of projects- an alternative rock band, a Prime Time Television series and a Rock Opera with Pop diva Anna Vissi & Baritone John Modenos. The 1990’s Polygram artist later performed in Beatles’ tributes with the Colours Symphonic Orchestra, Volos Symphonic and Kamerata Orchestra.

More about juststeve on his personal web-site http://www.juststeve.eu

Today another remarkable slip of the tongue with reference to Nigel Farage. The journalist Norman Smith on live TV called Farage a C*** . Is it the most shocking word in English? (It’s probably middle english btw) It may have been an accident or he may just have given up and given in to something base. Interesting TV though.

Wheeler dealer

Almost as interesting as what he was describing- the gathering clans of back-biting folk eager to score a victory over a leader they feel has been mortally wounded. Patrick O’Flynn’s attack was remarkable- calling Farage “snarling, thin-skinned [and] aggressive” and ruling UKIP as an “absolute monarchy” with questionable aides. I cannot question any of that, of course. But does this leave room for Carswell to step into the breach? I fear not even though Stuart Wheeler, a Carswell backer, and substantial donor to the party has called for Farage to “step down”.

Resignations

Two of the questionable aides have gone: Raheem Kassam and Matt Richardson, but that still leaves plenty who I would regard as thugs and bullies. It also leaves his agent Martyn Heale, his agent and the chairman of South Thanet, who is alleged to have a NF background.

Mr Kassam ‘no longer works for Ukip’ we are told, though he believed he was on holiday and would continue to support the party “under the leadership of Mr Farage”

Of course, these are UKIP resignations, so barely worth the paper on which they are written, and I am sure if Farage survives, Kassam and Richardson will be back.

Godfrey Bloom again

The “C***” word has also been used elsewhere in connection to remarks made by Godfrey Bloom, who said that Farage was capable of “abusive behaviour” but I am not sure whether the “c” word was describing Mr Farage or Mr Carswell or indeed who used the word. The fact that the word was being bandied about like this probably explains whey it popped out on the news. O’Flynn briefed sky news:

‘The advisers he’s got around him have got an awful lot to account for, because this risks giving the perception of turning us into a personality cult where you have a leader resigning and then unresigning.’ This was exactly the issue over which I resigned. Or rather, I resigned over racism and then found myself under such attack that I had to talk also about the bullies in the party.

Prediction

If I have to predict what will happen, I imagine Farage will stay. First of all, there has been a huge effort, certainly by David Soutter, the head of Candidates who has enlisted emails of support from all the former and failed parliamentary candidates. (“Thus is the most important thing you can do today”, he says). But secondly, Farage says he is a man of his word; I assume the “word” is not that anglo-saxon or middle english word that began this blog. No, when it comes to Farage’s “word”, it is my opinion that that “word” is unlikely to be so vulgar but nor would it do with truth, or honour. Instead, I think that word is “power”, and he believes he still has access to it. Maybe he is right. We should never underestimate the ambition of this man nor indeed the brilliance of his oratory or the determination of his friends.