Search results for: simple plan

The Washington Post reports that the USAF has been overflying Iran with drones, apparently in an effort to reconnoitre Iranian air defences. Apparently the first flights took place in April, 2004, and an extended effort began in December. This surge in activity led to the operation’s becoming public after Iranian civilians repeatedly spotted mystery aircraft.…

A comment brings us news about the RAF Hercules that was destroyed on election day in Iraq. (Thanks – you know who you are.) Apparently it is now thought that it met its end at the hands of a Soviet-made SA-4 Ganef SAM, in some modified form. That would explain some things – the engagement…

So says Doug Farah in a new post over at his blog. Farah states that Kellogg, Brown and Root are still using the Bout system in Iraq despite public protestations that all the contracts were cancelled. Regular TYR readers will recall that this should come as no surprise: back when they first said the contracts…

Chris Lightfoot runs a detailed critique of the ID Cards Bill, and pulls up exactly what I did on Tuesday. That is, the Bill’s killer clauses that give the Government powers to force us to carry the cards (despite their denials), to force us to show them to use the NHS, public education and social…

I’m about to do the stereotype blogger “A funny thing happened at the supermarket” thing, so please bear with me. It’s the only one so far. Round our way, there’s a council-owned car park behind the Tesco, and the tickets are sold for fixed periods (1 hour, 2 hours, whatever). A custom has grown up…

Our friend Richard Chichakli, Texan accountant and business identity, would surely agree that some of his customers have been other than controversial. After all, in his capacity as president of San Air General Trading he would surely have been delighted to see some US$925,000 in two months come into the company. The source of these…

I’m not sure I really expressed myself accurately in the last post, so here goes again. I’m beginning to suspect that in the last few years our political systems have been polluted by the possibilities of the networked world. Not that “it’s all the fault of the media” – it’s the fault of politicians. It…

I recently commented on this blog entry concerning the Right’s fascination with vouchers – education vouchers, health vouchers – and some possible extensions. They seem to consider that all problems may be solved simply by invoking the magic of vouchers. A couple of things stand out: firstly, what’s the point of a voucher? The entire…

It’s been reported recently that a treaty has been signed by Israel and Turkey providing for the shipment of fresh water from Turkey to Israel, in huge ships, in return for military stores, especially Merkava tanks. LinkThis is just as depressing as it sounds, because it shows that one of the fashionable intellectual worries of…

An Anti-Labor Line in the Sand: LA Times “In plants and factories all over Iraq, workers are quickly organizing unions. They want better wages. They want shorter hours (workers at the refinery and elsewhere often work 11- and 13-hour shifts without additional pay). They want safety shoes, goggles, masks and other protective gear. Most of…