happy heartburn and an indigestible new year?

Above: bare shelves in chemists for indigestion tablets after massive annual 'C Day' (Consumers Day), food, drink and drugs binging festival. There was no sign of the expected 'credit crunch effect' as cocaine retailers report best C Binge Festival sales ever. This followed their hugely successful advertising program featuring Kate Moss as the 'face of Cartel'. Anti depression prescription drug sales were also up.

• The origins of 'C Day' go back to 'Christmas Day' which was an ancient holy festival of love and peace and family unity, long forgotten by the early 2000's.

con club

Above & below: Police are warning of an upsurge in an old fraud trick which has robbed millions of Britains over the years - it is known as the Con-servative Party; 'Conparty' for short.

Above: A typical Tory 'Con Club' premises blatantly advertises it's presence on a public highway used by children. Latest crime figures show 45% of Britains are currently 'at risk' of the Tory 'conparty' fraud scam. The only way to deal with this menace is a law and order crack down on liar's and thieves. Identity theft knows no bounds, but these psycho thieves must be the lowest of the low - they try to steal political souls using fraud.

shot in the head ... and a bhutto new year

Above & below: Spot the grassy knoll: Bhutto death announced on TV in a village shop window somewhere in Devon, England.

Above: Murder in the dark (of spin). First reports said she was killed by a 'suicide blast', then it appeared she was blown up and shot, finally the government said the 'assasin' was in fact a lever working the sun roof in Bhutto's car. If this is true the car makers may have to order a recall of that model. But now a top aid of Bhutto's who bathed her after her death says she was definitely shot in the head.

winter solstice webcasts for pagan christmas 2007

Happy Pagan Christmas 2007: Winter Solstice is 22 December, 06.08 UCT(GMT).

While Stonehenge (and Primrose Hill in London) are well known focus points for solstice celebrations, the Megalithic Passage Tomb, built in 3200 BC, at Newgrange, Eire, beats them all for megalithic presentation on the winter solstice.

The underground passage and chamber at Newgrange are illuminated by the winter solstice sunrise!

A shaft of sunlight shines through the roof box over the entrance, and penetrates the passage to light up the chamber.

The dramatic event lasts for 17 minutes at dawn from the 19th to the 23rd of December. This year the Newgrange Winter Solstice Illumination will be web cast live via Heritage Ireland.

• The fascinating and ever informative Remote Central has loads more information, plus news of a similar event in Maeshowe, the Orkneys, Scotland, which is also being streamed live.

• Between 1979 and 2005, half of all Christians stopped going to church on a Sunday.

americans launch weapons satellite

With the minimum of fanfare the U.S. Air Force launched yet another weapons satellite in a blast off from Cape Canaveral yesterday. It is part of a system of 24 death dealing satellite vultures they plan to have circling over every one's heads 24/7, ready to target anyone, anywhere.

Rest assured: they will be watching at huge cost, while below humanity starves, defaults on it's mortgages, and possibly rips itself to shreds.

The International Herald Tribute reports that the satellites will be obsolete in ten years. This could be so the 'Military Industrial Complex' can continue to prosper by putting up new, 'improved' satellites as their latest, most expensive, update of 'pay to kill' Armageddon.

But why not dream sometimes? Hopefully, in ten years the military satellites will no longer be needed, because war will be obsolete.

• The best use of cruise missiles would be to deliver sacks of rice to starving people.

hawkwind: acid for christmas

schmoo unexpectedly saw Hawkwind at the packed out Astroria last night. Arrived fully prepared to not be allowed in without a ticket, and got in. Thanks.

Hawkwind: There might not have been a single micodot of acid in the whole building - and it did not matter at all.

Hawkwind were psychedelic enough.

Hawkwind: Rave before Rave, A before E, Acid before Ecstasy, LSD head music.

Hawkwind keywords include: space, rock, psychedelic, Windsor, Stonehenge, free, festival, Notting Hill, squatters, benefit, gig, Pink, Fairies, Pretty, Things, Edgar, Broughton, Band, MC5, 1960's, 1970's, 1980's, 1990's, 20??

Hawkwind: The theme of their latest tour was Space Days.

schmoo supports the legalise LSD campaign.

schmoo supports the development of space lifts to enable immigration to Mars.

Above and below: Hawkwind Space Lab in London last night.

Albert Hofmann, the inventor of Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is over 100 years alive. His birthday is on 11 January.

Hawkwind: rock music.

Hawkwind: inside the space station.

Hawkwind: purple haze

• pictures taken on an old 1950's nokia 1.3 megapixel mobile phone camera because the nokia n73 packed in yet again (review), and is in digital hospital.

google hawkwind

northern rock is an iceberg

It is emerging that the £27 billion shelled out so far in the Northern Rock bailout is just the tip of the iceberg: the total amount is more likely to be £57 Billion or more.

It seems that Northern Rock liabilities are virtually limitless - as no one really knows what they are.

This is partly because underneath Northern Rock lies a labyrinth of interconnected front companies, code named 'Granite'.

Through this network they raised billions of pounds on the international markets in all manner of alchemic methods, in an attempt to turn lead into gold, by lending loads of expensive money to poor people.

Now the government has realised it has to back those liabilities as well, or risk mass evictions of homeowners all over Britain.

The Guardian: "If Granite defaults on bond repayments, there is a fear that holders of the mortgage-backed securities will be forced to seek draconian redress. In the worst case, bondholders might try to seek repayment of their investment through a forced redemption of the individual mortgages used as collateral for the securitisation issues. The problem is that no one fully understands where, in such a complex structure, the liability in the event of a default rests. Granite has undertaken 23 separate mortgage securitisation issues since 1999 raising almost £70bn. It had more than £40bn of securitisation notes outstanding at the end of December 2006."

• But there may still be hope: Gordon Brown, said today that escalation of the Northern Rock problem has been prevented. So far the government has been doing everything possible, but that does not seem to include avoiding massive exposure, for months or years to come.

• 27 million Americans are so broke they will have to use credit cards to borrow as the only way they can cover heating bills this winter.

Cameron admits accepting illegal donations

David Camercon's £2500 wind mill on top of his 'safe house' in the millionaires ghetto of Notting Hill is not working very well powering one light bulb.

But now survival of the species could be at stake after it emerged today that the Tory leader's own constituency party organisation has received illegal cash donations of thousands of pounds. Scientists are warning of rapid climate change for the Tories in the polls.

Meanwhile Gordon Brown is doing the right thing as usual by reforming the whole party funding system, reforms which have been blocked up to now - by the Tories.

on the run: all roads lead to roma

on the run: all trains lead to sellafield

brown drowning - schmoo to the rescue

•• A YouGov poll yesterday in The Sunday Times put Conservative support at 45 per cent, with Labour on 32 and the Liberal Democrats on 14. ••• Gordon Brown's personal rating has fallen from a favourable 48 per cent in August to 39 in September, to 30 in October, to minus 10 in November, and to minus 26 this month. •••• If the latest YouGov figures were to occur at a general election, the Conservatives would win 374 seats, Labour 227 and the Lib Dems 19. ••••• Suggestions are circulating within Labour that Brown could be gone after the next council elections in May 08, or maybe before to save seats (they said that about Blair too). •••••• Miliband obvious successor, but that could be a disadvantage.

TAXABLE SUNSHINE: IT just gets worse and worse for Gordon Brown, but schmoo to the rescue thinks the end is not neigh; the end is 2010. In the meantime anything can happen in the next half hour. Labour is in very choppy waters, but a lot of very good policies are being put into effect, and despite the dire effects of climate change, the captain is steering a steady course towards safer, friendlier media waters, hopefully to bask in taxable sunshine.

Polls? What polls? Why can't anyone see that Gordon Brown is doing the very best he can in difficult circumstances, just like he promised. He is sailing forward against the wind, despite serious damage to the rigging caused by several terrible storms in a row, and rotten ropes. One bad thing: although he should have checked the ropes, Brown has been trying to avoid responsibility. Instead of coming clean, Brown has been blaming the rot on the previous captain, the brilliant and controversial Tony Blair,. Much missed for his wit by big sections of the crew, Blair 'did the right thing' and took early retirement, leaving in a cloud of well earned cash from speaking engagements.

Brown Down: Potentially more damaging for Brown are the consequences of decisions for which he is 100% responsible. There is the tiresome (for Brown) story, dredged up by John Major who let Black Wednsday happen, about how Gordon Brown sold off Britain's gold reserves at the worst possible moment. Brown sold exactly when gold was at it's lowest price, causing a huge loss to the nation. Ever since the price of gold has spiraled ever upwards at an accelerating rate, in the direction of heaven. And then he sold one of the most important bits of Britain's defense industry to the Americans at a fraction of it's value.

Apart from his well known nail biting and nose picking afflictions, Brown may also be suffering from a rare but extreme form of 'Computer Compulsion': he routinely wastes hundreds of millions of pounds on control freak computer systems that don't work.

But worse of all: like the worst kind of credit card binger, Gordon Brown has tied the national kitty to very expensive loans for years to come in dodgy deals with loan sharks and 'House of Horrors' builders. His spendaholic 'PFI' deals mean that every new project costs more in interest payments than the most expensive store card on Oxford St; thats expensive. And so is getting all that cool stuff from iwantoneofthosenukes.com .

Add all the above to the 27 billion bail out for Northern Rock to stop a run on all the banks, the danger of which Gordon Brown may have been warned of a year ago. Add into the mix a quarter of British mortgage holders being considered 'high risk', and another quarter classed as 'sub-prime', which equals half. Then add over a trillion pounds personal debt, inflation, flooding, airport taxes, ever rising fuel & food prices ....... the damage is huge.

Choppy waters? Air Strip Britain is facing a gathering storm, that could turn into an epic, warpforce 10 hurricane at any moment.

The truth ignored by 45% of the country who now say they support the Tories, enough for a landslide election victory, is that Gordon Brown really is getting on with the job of doing the best he can for the country. Brown's problem is that trying to do your best is no excuse for failure, especially catastrophic failure.

The Brown Tragedy is that it increasingly looks like he is a good man trying his best, turning into a dead man walking. That's why schmoo supports Gordon Brown all the way - including when it is time to go.

• Labour Election Victory in Croydon: CroydonLife is reporting a surprise advance for Labour in a Croydon Council by election last week, when the Labour candidate Alison Butler not only held her seat, but also increased her majority. A good example of how YouGov polls may say one thing, but on the day YouVoters decide.

happy 75th birthday bbc world service

It is the BBC World Service's 75th birthday! Somehow, after escaping hordes of Spice Girls who were warping time and space in the venue next door, schmoo ended up at the more intimate 'Indigo' venue in the O2 'Dome' on Saturday night for the BBC World Services 75th Anniversary Concert. It is being broadcast as part of a special season of programmes and events called 'Free To Speak' which aims to explore all aspects of freedom of speech.

Some people may say the BBC World Service is imperialist propaganda, but here at the schmoo on the run 'safe house' we always pay our TV licence gladly, especially for the World Service which is an incredible 'free information' resource for millions of people all over the world.

Only managed to get the pictures below on a mobile. All the music was exceptional & schmoo fell in love with Katie Melua. Also on the line up; Squeeze (top quality uk pop), plus Daby Toure (Mauritanian & very, very good) and Yunasi (Kenyan/Sesube, winners of BBC's 'Next Big Thing'). All worth checking out.

Above: Toumast. This incredible band come from the Touareg nomadic tribes people of the saraha; the 'People of the Veil'. Mindwarpingly good. Imagin a reincarnation of Hendrix in Africa. They also work hard to try to raise awareness about their extraordinary people so check them out.

Above: Carbon/Silicon. Includes Mick Jones (The Clash, Big Audio Dynamite) and Tony James (Generation X, Sigue Sigue Sputnik). Classic london beat music, great live.

Above & Below: Katie Melua, the biggest selling UK female artist in the world. She recently sold over a million records in Germany alone, and now we know why. schmoo is in love; her voice is the sound of an enchanting spirit, she plays both electric and acoustic guitar very well and the piano, plus she is obviously highly intelligent, and has the beauty of an amazing woman goddess, which no pictures can ever hope to fully capture, especially this mobile. Her third album ‘Pictures’ was released in October 07.

schmoo would miss all the spice girls in the universe for one Katie Melua.

spice girls on the run

Above: Spice Girls posters - the Che Guevaras of 'Girl Power'.

By a strange twist of fate schmoo ended up last night in the same 'space time zone' as the Spice Girls, and 20,000 of their revolutionary feminist supporters. They were swarming all over the massive O2 Dome in London to see the intellectual force behind 'Girl Power' kick off their first UK tour for years, at a sell out concert.

When Spice Girl tickets went on sale they sold out in 38 seconds, after more than a million people tried to buy online. Three more dates in london were added (December 16 and 18 and January 2).

Above: Spice Girls Exclusive: There were so many Spice Girls at the O2 it was impossible to tell which ones were the originals, but does it really matter? They are all Spice Girls - and now the virus has mutated it's DNSpice and leaped the generation barrier.

By virtually all accounts the Spice Girls on stage were great and the audience loved every second. Seems they have new remixes for all their songs and the update works. Also, the amazing sound quality at the O2 Arena can't hurt.

Above: Spice Girls leaving the O2 after the concert which has had rave reviews - especially from the Spice Girls who talked to schmoo at the end.

• The Spice Girls are touring Britain as part of a world tour.

left, right and U turns @ bali conference

Above: An tree demonstrating itself at the climate change demo in London last weekend (and being ignored). But good news for trees: one of the most positive things to come out of the Bali Conference has been more co ordinated world action on preventing deforestation.

THE BBC are saying the US has done a 'U Turn' at Bali, and Hilary Benn, UK Environment Secretary says it is a 'historic break though', but it could just as easily be spun as a defeat and retreat by the European nations. They face neurotic often hysterical populations, fed by a clinically insane media, and were being forced into publicly advocating an extreme 'eco con' policy: fuel rationing, tax increases and the end to freedom of travel, especially for poor people.

Now the European governments will try to claim victory in defeat, Dunkirk style. They will attempt to strike a high moral and populist pose by doing their best to ensure, behind the scenes, that the the US government, Bush in particular, gets the main blame for blocking agreement on emission targets at the Bali talks.

Meanwhile they will continue to enjoy the economic and political benefits of following the more rational and practical US policy.

This is the only way western governments can see of preventing their hyper consuming, molly coddled populations of TV Ad victims turned into zombiefied failed credit card jugglers, or debt riddled & enslaved shopaholic drug/sugar addicts, from tearing the very fabric of civilisation apart, in an orgy of rioting, looting and endless civil war.

In fact the people of Europe have been saved by the Americans from being forced to give into the climate change hysteria campaign.

• Apparently the UN's top climate official Yvo de Boer burst in tears at the Bali Climate Change Conference after being accused by China of procedural irregularities.

• DAILY DISASTER IN INDIA: There are 1000 new cars going on the road in India - every day. Regardless of climate change, this is a daily disaster.

climate change

bali climate change con-ference: world saved from Gorists

Above: hysterical 'Eco Con' fear victims gathered outside American embassy in London last weekend demanding global rationing and massive tax increases.

THE latest news coming in from the Bali con-ference is that the world will be saved from a crazy Eco Con plan lead by the climate change profiteer Al Gore. 'Goebbels' Gore has personally made over £50 million from his activities as chief propagandist for the authoritarian 'Green Nazi' movement in Europe.

The 'Gorists' want to bring in massive taxes, rationing, and end freedom of travel, especially for poor people. Eco con extremists are also trying to use climate change hysteria to boost the nuclear power industry - with which Gore has close ties going back many years.

Expect more anti americanism (verging on racism), from the hysteria merchants, and paid for traitors like Gore, after the US government successfully blocks the Eco Con agenda at the Bali Climate Change Conference, which would have hit the poorest people in the world, while leaving the rich European nations continuing to enjoy the profits generated from the suffering of billions.

Above: Enviro-mental rubbish left after the climate change march in London last week end.

Above: the climate change march was at one end of Duke St; and this was Oxford St at the other end. Organisers, who regularly twist facts and figures to support their corrupt campaign claimed 10,000 people supported the march - a typically massive over estimate. When questioned about the low attendance they blamed 'climate change'; it rained and was a little cold (perfectly normal for December in Britain). In fact the 'Climate Change March' was completely swamped by a huge counter demo - 200,000+ christmas shoppers on Oxford Street who were not put off by the rain in the slightest.

Above: 'Eco Con' stall blown over by the wind - climate change to blame of course.

Above: Eco Con MP Michael Meacher spotted trying to slip away after giving a populist, but utterly ignorant and criminally irresponsible speech. He told the small crowd of about 300 naive eco 'do gooders' outside the US Embassy that they could stop climate change with windmills - and of course they cheered as they stood in the rain.

The truth the Eco Cons and their hysterical victims do not want to admit is that humanity can not stop climate change.

All humanity can do is prepare for the inevitable disasters to come. When is there going to be a conference about that - and the mass poisoning through toxic pollution? These are things we can do something about.

Above: A filthy, child killing, cancer causing SUV monster. Instead of wasting time chasing impossible targets at Bali, we should be concentrating on achievable goals like making these ridiculous cars socially unacceptable, along with plastic bags and slave labour.

• GORE BORE: In London on the same day as the Climate Change March, Al Gore did not attend. Instead he pocketed $200,000 for a half hour speech to the likes of Bob Geldof, Darryl Hannah and Jerry Hall who paid between $2000 and $100,000 to listen to the Green Goebbels. Apparently the speech was so boring that members of the audience started talking amongst themselves towards the end.

Above: 200,000+ Christmas shoppers on Oxford St swamp climate change march.

climate change

when protesting becomes 'cyber crime'

Six Dutch activists, protesting workers conditions in India, now face extradition and arrest without bail after a court in Bangalore, India decided to order their arrest for 'cyber crime'.

The alleged 'cyber criminals' were also accused of 'acts of racist and xenophobic nature' and 'criminal defamation' by the Indian jeans manufacturer Fibres and Fabrics International and its subsidiary Jeans Knit Pvt Ltd (FFI/JKPL).

The activists are from the Clean Clothes Campaign and the India Committee of the Netherlands. The director of their Netherlands based ISP, Antenna, is also included.

The case could have serious implications for posting anything on the web, with the Bangalore court using the 'Convention on Cyber Crime' to call for extradition from the Netherlands.

lost CDs: the search continues

Above: As police search rubbish tips and TNT Company headquarters, the missing Child Benefit disks could be in this van. Looks like someone has opened the doors a few times.

this labour mp needs help

Above: Marginal seat? A Labour MP in the House of Commons.

comedy: ratners moment for jonathan ross

Jonathan Ross making light of his reported £6 million annual salary by joking that he is "worth 1,000 BBC journalists" has caused out rage in some circles. But the sickest joke of all is that ... Jonathan Ross is right.

has the green party uk gone sane?

The Green Party UK has finally decided to vote 'yes' to having a proper leadership structure; ie a leadership that actually controls and directs the party structure, and is democratically accountable. The Greens haven't had that for a long time.

The change overthrows a 'non-hierarchical', but in practice oppressive, 'Animal Farm' style system for the Green Party UK. This was supported by the "some greens are more green than other greens" backers of the 'Empowerment' campaign; nice people, but hopelessly loony green.

The 'Empowerment' double think system which has dominated the UK Green Party for so long, actually resulted in a collection of permanent dictatorships. Certain groups and individuals dominated, while hiding behind supposedly 'leaderless' structures, often via so called democratic 'meetings', which were in fact controlled by an individual, or a small unaccountable clique. This is a system of control favoured by totalitarians through out history.

However, with 73% of Green Party members who voted calling decisively for change (turnout was 48.3% with just 3,605 ballot papers cast), perhaps the Green Party UK is not so full of masochistic, self fagulationist, hand wringing losers who want to be parked in the 'politically disabled' space for ever, as previously seemed the case.

In fact, if they can only get 3,605 voting members to take part in such an important vote, there do not seem to be very many Greens at all.

Though utter ineptitude alone, which is a form of corruption, often getting less votes than the BNP, the Green Party UK has been denying Britain a strong and authoritative environmental voice, and can therefore be called one of Britain's worst environmental disasters.

For years the Green Party UK has been held back by a marginalising 'self harming' problem which polluted everything, but hopefully a massive clean up of toxic ballshit will sort things out for future generations.

schmoo ponders: A 'leader' can be just another role in a team or structure, not always more important. In fact often more expendable.

The Gordon Brown Tragedy part 10: police to interview the Prime Minister?

Above: Gordon Brown looking sick as a dog. schmoo to the rescue.

Brown On the Run: The Brown Tragedy continues to entertain viewers with every new twist in the plot. After recent episodes it now looks increasingly likely that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will be interviewed by police from Scotland Yard about his relationship with David Abrahams, the man at the center of the 'Donations Gate' sleeze scandal. Brown has already been forced to admit: “I am sure I may have met him”.

David Abrahams on the other hand, when asked by the Daily Telegraph how familiar he was with the prime minister, replied, “You don’t remember how many times you’ve eaten porridge for breakfast.” This could either be an illusion to his closeness with Brown, sexual or otherwize, or to his fear of prison.

Facts: Until a few days ago David Abrahams was Labour's third largest donor after Lord Sainsbury and Mahmoud Khayami. He now faces the possibility of an unlimited fine, or up to a year in prison. Mr Abrahams has said in a public statement that top Labourites knew of the financial concealment; a source close to him says the figure is at least 10. Is that 10 people, or does he really mean Number 10?

Lobby Gate: Meanwhile it appears that Jon Mendelsohn, the man who Gordon Brown appointed to 'clean up' Labour party finances, was previously a joint founder with Neal Lawson and Ben Lucas of the lobbying firm LLM Communications at the center of the late 90's 'cash for access' scandal known as 'Lobbygate'. In June 1998, Observer reporter Greg Palast, posing as a businessman with ties to Enron, caught the firm trading 'access for a fee' deals giving direct access to top members of the government. Lawson was recorded stating that if Palast paid £5,000 to £20,000 per month; "We can go to anyone. We can go to Gordon Brown (then chancellor) if we have to".

schmoo to the rescue: here at the schmoontherun 'safehouse' we are worried about Gordon Brown. In the past we have not been very supportive, but now he is literally 'on the run' things are different, and schmoo wants to support Gordon Brown all the way. Despite his all too challenging human faults Gordon Brown is a good man, trying to do his best for the British people, especially the poorest 20%.

Perhaps, like an unrequited lover, Gordon Brown tries too hard, and should take more than a day off for Christmas.

Who are the people attacking Gordon Brown the most? The Right Wing Press, Socialist Worker, and the Tories, plus Tony Benn and a few other 'Liberal Spoilers' and 'Lost Lefties'. They do it because Gordon Brown threatens their vested interests, and marginal political fiefdoms, in favour of the people of Britain.

Under the Belt: Ever since the Tories walked out of cross party talks on party funding they have been running a 'black ops' project called 'Operation Under the Water' focused on Labour donations with the premeditated intent of smearing Brown with sleaze. Expect almost nothing about Tory Sleaze Donors like Lord Ashcroft. Nor has there been mention of Michael Brown a major donor to the Liberal Party (2.4 million); he was jailed in July 2006.

Ironically, considering most headlines imply 'Labour Sleaze', it has been the Labour Party that has lead the way on cleaning up party funding. There is absolutely no doubt that under Gordon Brown the process will continue. But after Brown's 'Mr Clean not Bean' retoric, his taking seven months to appoint a new chairman of the parliamentary standards watchdog does indeed 'begger belief'.

But, exactly as you may hear in the media, Gordon Brown's recent over all record of incompetence and negligence has been excellent:

• Phoney Election: Gordon Brown not to blame (mostly press hype encouraged by his own people), and he finally did the right thing to put off an unnecessary election which he should have done straight away.

• Northern Rock: Gordon Brown not to blame, and did the right thing to save every one's over drawn bank account, except the tax payers who have paid over £24 billion, after delaying action for 4 days allowing the avoidable spectacle of the first run on a British Bank for over 100 years.

• Missing Tax Office CD's: Gordon Brown not to blame for reorganising everything, and cutting 100's of staff, so a 23 year old junior clerk can down load and lose millions of personal details. Now the PM is up all night trying to do the right thing, including having police look through rubbish tips.

• Labour Party Donor Sleeze Scandal: No comment, due to possibly pending criminal proceedings.

• The looming economic crisis: No comment, due to pending economic crisis.

The unfolding Tragedy of Gordon Brown is that he is a great man, who risks being ruined by his great failings.

But the real tragedy for Britain could be Gordon Brown ending up being the best that we had, and then being replaced by something far, far, worse: David Cameron.