Iran Launches 14 Missiles!

Iran has hit back at claims that it digitally altered a photograph of one of their recent missile tests.

This image released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry shows a new test of 14 missiles firing in a different direction than last time.

The sheer number of missiles captured by a single photo has got defence analysts worried all over the globe.

A anonymous NATO spokesman said "this new photo shows us the dangerously high skill level of Iran's missile 'cloning' ability"

The Irish Famine Song "Defended"

Anti-censorship campaigners have stepped into the row over sectarian songs at football games.

A political storm erupted after Rangers Football Club fans chanted the ‘Famine Song’ during an Old Firm game last month.

The controversial song refers to the Great Potato Famine that killed over a million people in the 1840s and includes the lyrics “From Ireland they came. Brought us nothing but trouble and shame. Well the famine is over. Why don't they go home?”. Lyrics >>>

It sparked widespread outrage off the pitch and led to Irish diplomats making representations to the Scottish Government demanding they tackle the issue urgently.

Now however in the latest twist of the ongoing song saga, the Index on Censorship, one of the world’s leading repositories on free expression issues, has branded attempts to silence fans as a “dangerous” assault of free speech.

Irish-born Index spokesperson Padraig Reidy, said the matter should be handled by football clubs, not the Scottish state.

He said it was the Rangers fans’ right to insult the Irish over the Great Famine if they so wished: “Considering we all know that there have been nasty, offensive songs at Old Firm games for years, making it into a national issue seems absurd and dangerous. It’s trying to set a legal limit on speech that isn’t incitement to violence. Rangers and Celtic agreed themselves to sing what they want.

“It’s different to anti-discrimination laws, which are a very good thing, but seeking to outlaw any kind of insulting or offensive speech/songs does become very problematic, because someone will always take offence,” he said.

Mr Reidy said that while the song was undoubtedly offensive, behaviour at football matches should not be a state concern.

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland Sports Minister Gregory Campbell has written urging Celtic Football Club to do more on pro-IRA chants. with particular reference to Celtic’s visit to Fir Park at Motherwell and a recent pre-season friendly match at Southampton.

The East Londonderry MP, who turned down an invitation to Celtic Park, wrote to club chairman and ex Northern Ireland Secretary of State, John Reid, asking him to deal with the problem.

“It’s great to see the positive step that Rangers have taken to try and stamp out offensive songs and my letter to John Reid was an attempt to find out what Celtic has been doing to try and put an end to songs that support terrorist campaigns,” he told the Belfast Telegraph.

The Scottish Executive is working with Rangers and Celtic Football Clubs to lower sectarian tensions.

Story by the Belfast Telegraph >>

Irish Famine Song Lyrics >>

Tribute to the Harrier Jump Jet

The legendary Harrier Fighter Jet is being phased out. The Sea Harrier was withdrawn from service in 2006 and only the Royal Air Force continue to operate the aircraft with the Navy sharing these aircraft on the carriers within the Joint Force Harrier programme. All Harrier's are due to be replaced by the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter by 2014.

I have seen the Harrier at Airshows and I absolutely love it. The sustained deafening roar from the Rolls Royce Pegasus engine as the Harrier hovers in front of you is an experience you can never forget!

Of all the experiments in the 1960's which saw the US, Russia and the UK attempt to build a vertical take off aircraft, only the UK Harrier design succeeded by going into mass production and it is also the only foreign designed aircraft adopted by the US Military.

The British Harrier has been proven in combat during its initial baptism of fire in the Falklands War in 1982. Sea Harriers of the Royal Navy operated from the aircraft carriers HMS Invincible and HMS Hermes in their main role as fleet air defence whereas the Royal Air Force Harrier GR3 provided the main ground attack role.

The Falklands War remains the largest Air and Naval combat engagement between modern military forces since the end of World War II

During the war Sea Harrier squadrons successfully shot down 21 Argentinian aircraft in air-to-air combat with no air-to-air losses. The Argentine aircraft such as the French made Dassault Mirage III, Mirage V "Dagger" and the American A-4 Skyhawks although much faster than the subsonic Harrier, were still no match for the combination of the Harrier's maneuverability and the Sidewinder missile.

Due to the Argentinian use of the deadly French Exocet anti-ship missile, the irreplaceable Royal Navy carriers HMS Hermes and HMS Invincible were deliberately stationed far from the Falklands Islands forcing the Harriers to fight at a long range. The Argentinians also had to fight the British forces at the limit of their range from the Argentinian mainland since the runways on the Falklands were only suited to propeller driven aircraft. These circumstances in addition to the harsh environment on the South Atlantic made for a very unwelcome environment for all forces involved.

During the 1990's the Harrier also flew missions over Bosnia and Kosovo where one aircraft was shot down by a SAM fired by the Army of Republika Srpska.

The Royal Air Force Harrier GR7 and GR9 continue to operate in Iraq and Afghanistan in the in ground attack and close air support roles.

The amazing little Harrier Jump Jet is going to be replaced by the next generation stealth capable fighter the F-35 Lightning II but I for one hope that at least a few of the aircraft will be operationally preserved, I cannot Imagine a decent airshow without one.

Cheers to "the Harrier!"

You can download some Hi Res Wallpapers of the awesome Harrier Jet Here >>>

Air Force Flies PM Helen Clark to a Meeting

Helen Clark got the NZ Airforce to fly her out of Ohakea Air Base in a King Air B200 plane so she could get to a Greypower meeting in Invercargill, because she cannot get off the ground at Wellington due to weather.

Big deal! So what?!

Is she not the leader of this fine nation? are we really going to begrudge her this flight even though she uses Air NZ the rest of the time anyway?

She is the Prime Minister for Christ's sake!

National leaders all over the world have the perks of being able to travel in either chartered flights or even in their own aircraft and people are moaning that she abused her powers as Prime Minister!

I mean its not as if the RNZAF would have been doing much else anyway

Jesus, what a bunch of whingers!

Muzzerino

Iceland turns to Russia for Cash

Well, this is news! When was the last time you heard of a country asking Russia for money?

Prime Minister Geir Haarde of Iceland has asked Russia to give them £3bn Pounds! after the country's Western allies refused to help the collapsing banking system. Landsbanki, the 2nd largest bank in Iceland has been seized by the Icelandic government, 200,000 of Landsbanki customers are in the UK, who have money in an "Icesave" fund.

This unreal, it really looks like the world indeed is going down the financial gurgler, just as well I am skint, I have nothing to lose!

Here's to being Skint!

Do you Hate the Jews ?

Israelis ushered in the Jewish New Year on Monday with festive family dinners, and a prediction from their outgoing prime minister, Ehud Olmert, that Israel would have to return virtually all the land it captured in the 1967 Mideast War in exchange for peace with the Palestinians and Syria. -AP

I have jumped around on this issue for a while, one minute supporting the Palestinians and the next supporting the Israelis.

Who is right? and who is wrong?

I can understand both sides of the argument in Israel / Palestine.

Imagine being a Jew at the end of WWII, even though your people have been subject to massive genocide, for some reason your so called "liberators" of Russia and the Western Allies still don't really "like" you.

That would make anyone bitter I reckon.

Jews have always lived in Palestine from what I understand, but it was the influx at the end of WWII that began the problems of the current ongoing conflict, Palestinians are now the minority in their own land, something that people often worry about in Western countries, but the Palestinians themselves are living it for real every day.

Being surrounded by enemies, if I were a Jew, I would take up arms also. Where as a Jew would you be welcome? even today many people hate Jews and not only in the Muslim world.

If The West did not support the state of Israel with weapons and technology, then perhaps Israels neighbouring countries would have wiped them out in 1967, surely this would have caused as much of an outcry as the fact that Israel beat back those aggressors and claimed their land. Or would it? do we, in the west hate the jews?

Damned if they do, damned if they dont.

Surely the Palestinians can compromise though, but from what I have read, the Palestinians will stop short of nothing but absolute victory, an admirable stance to be sure but in reality, if a compromise is not sought by both sides, then I fear that MOSSAD, and the Israeli Defence Force will be kept busy for quite some time to come.

Muzzerino.

In Wir Ain Leid : A Blog Post in the Scots Language

So ah thought ad bettur write a blog fur yince in ma ain language / Leid an dialect, so here goes.

The spelling in the Scots Leid / Language is still much tae debate aboot so ah make nae apologies fur any o the spelling that ye might disagree wi.

Mah Ain Dialect wid said tae be that o the south o Edinburgh wir ah'm fae (Embra) incase yer wunderin. The map oan the right will tell ye roond aboot where this language is spoken.

Ah Grew up speakin whit ah thought wiz jus "slang" but its turns oot thit mah slang is mair o a dialect than jist some kindae Bastardized version o English. Maist o the time ah wid speak like this tae ma pals when ah wiz wee, but yed aywis git pulled up fur it in school! Mair than likely, ye wouldnae git away wi it when ye wur auld enough tae wurk. Ye could nivur get a joab if ye went intae an interview speakin like this, ken?

Ma Mither and Faither wid have both spokin a bit like this tae when they wur wee, coz they are also frae roon aboot the same place o each ither, that being Edinburgh (Embra)

Ah've bin bloggin for aboot 3 months noo and ahm still trying tae get tae grips wi it. Ah've blogged oan politics, wurld news and various ither hings, an so far ah've managed tae git a guid few hits fae you guid folks oot there on the web, so ta very much fur that.

Mair recently uh've bin bloggin aboot the US Elections, even tho ahm no a yank, ah still find it interestin. Ah've also bin bloggin a guid bit aboot the political situation goin on here in bonny NZ tae, coz oor elections are cumin up soon anaw.

Ah've also written aboot military issues such as thae daft Russians an their huge Warships. Aye, ah've goat a bit o a ship fetish yin could say.

Then yeh've goat the mair abstract subjects thit ah've blogged aboot, likesay the price o Brocolli and "how come were still waitin oan mair Freeview channels in NZ?".

Anither yin that stuck me wis the plight o the brave Gurkhas in Britian, ah hid tae write a few wurds oan that yin, fur its a right injustice!

Then ye've goat yer daft blog posts like the Aussies who blew up "hole in the wa" in Melbourne and then what aboot the blog oan the Kiwi Drivers eh? Ah thought that wiz a guid yin even if ah do say so masel, especially the bit aboot the roondaboots.

What aboot the moon? There wiz a guid few comments oan that yin, especially fae ma blogger pal "Ken", ah still dinnae ken, if Ken got it though. Ken what ah mean?
(Music Monkey will ken though, even through she's a Weegie)

By the way for those o you who dinnae ken, ah've goat two ither Blogs, yin oan Sci Fi and Yin oan Widescreen Wallpaper so away an take a wee look if ye can be bothured.

Well thats aboot it fae me on this, ma inagural "Scots Leid" post, ah hope ye wur able tae decipher it enough tae understand whit ahm sayin.

Bear in mind noo that "Scots" is an Auld language, its a derivative o Auld an Middle English. If yer interested in readin mair aboot the Scots Leid, take a wee look at the links below.

• Dicionar O the Scots Leid
• Scots Online - Pittin the Mither Tongue on the Wab!
• A Braw Airticle oan the Scots Leid @ Wikipedia
  

By Fur noo.