It is with deep regret that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the deaths of Corporal Sarah Bryant of the Intelligence Corps, Corporal Sean Robert Reeve of the Royal Signals, Lance Corporal Richard Larkin and Paul Stout in Afghanistan on Tuesday 17 June 2008.

And now he’s accused plotting to overthrow a (admittedly very minor) government?

I think they might have the wrong man.

It is with deep sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the deaths of Lance Corporal James Bateman and Private Jeff Doherty of 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regimenton Thursday 12 June 2008 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

This, however, makes me feel a bit better:

Credit

It is with deep regret that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the deaths of Private Nathan Cuthbertson, Private Daniel Gamble and Private Charles Murray of 2 PARA on Sunday 8 June 2008 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Private Gamble was 22. Ptes Cuthbertson and Murray were both 19 when they were murdered.

He gazed up at the enormous face. Forty years it had taken him to learn what kind of smile was hidden beneath the dark moustache. O cruel needless misunderstanding! O stubborn, self-willed exile from the loving beast. Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.

Yesterday, we said goodbye to Bentley Priory. And this piece of art is remarkable:

It is with deep sadness that the Ministry of Defence has confirmed the death of James Thompson in Afghanistan on 19 May 2008.

observe, to trade (on our terms) and occasionally fight the French & Germans.

It is with deep sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the death of Marine Dale Gostick, of 3 Troop Armoured Support Company, Royal Marines, in Afghanistan on Sunday 25 May 2008.

You’d have to go quite a way to find a nation (excepting the Islamic ones, natch) as misogynist and racist and fond of bestiality as Australia.

However, in Perth at least things might be changing*.

There’s a particular weasel (and that’s slightly unfair; some of my best friends are weasels) who happens to be the West Australian Opposition leader, and who is by all accounts a slimy bastard. As he won’t do the honourable thing with the pistol and a single round, or even step down, some scurrilous scallywags appear to have started a smear campaign. While the methods might be suspect, this sort of accusation is not new, and we can but hope it has the desired outcome.

Rough justice, outback style.

* Not much hope for Queensland of course. As the old joke has it,

They are of the Sydney Olympic Aquatic Centre and Floriade. The originals are at Flickr:

It is with deep sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm that Trooper Ratu Babakobau of the Household Cavalry Regiment was killed on Friday 2 May 2008, in Helmand, Afghanistan.

1.

2.

 ”Oops”

Went fishing today. Some more pics at the other place.

It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the death of Trooper Robert Pearson from the Queen’s Royal Lancers Regiment in Afghanistan yesterday, Monday 21 April 2008.

This week Sophie (8) has been bugging me to set up separate accounts for them. They want some privacy, and don’t want the other reading their email. Fair enough. So yesterday I created new users, moved their separate mail into the right places, set up their iTunes library in the ‘Shared’ account, blah blah. I let Sophie set herself a password, and this morning Rachel (11) asks me if she can change her password?

Of course.

“I want to change it to <object>,” she said.

She hasn’t got quite got the hang of this. “Don’t tell me your password! Don’t tell anyone your password.”

“But you’re my Dad,” she says, innocently.

“It’s all right,” I said, “I have ultimate power over that computer.”

One of these days I will teach them about secure passwords, password security, and the concept of root accounts. But not yet: Rachel asked how to make the change, and before I could move Sophie had nipped in, <clickety click>, and shown her.

I will watch her career with great interest.

It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the deaths of Senior Aircraftman Graham Livingstone of the Royal Air Force Regiment and Senior Aircraftman Gary Thompson of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment on Sunday 13 April 2008 in Afghanistan.

Sophie put her hand on her forehead and said,
“I predict 2012 will be in … London!”

Then,

“I’m a fortune-teller!” We all laughed, but corpsed completely when she followed up with,

“Naw, I googled it.”