Grateful Dead

Last week, the UN cultural organization Unesco put Timbuktu on its list of endangered world heritage sites, fearing damage following the coup which toppled the Malian government in March. Islamists regard shrines as idolatrous.However, some Muslims, especially Sufis, regard them as an accepted part of Muslim worship. Witnesses said Islamist fighters began attacking the shrines on Saturday morning, using shovels and pickaxes. "This is tragic news for us all," Unesco chairperson Alissandra Cummins said in a statement to the AFP news agency. "I appeal to all those engaged in the conflict in Timbuktu to exercise their responsibility." Timbuktu was a center of Islamic learning from the 13th to the 17th Centuries. 700,000 manuscripts survive in public libraries and private collections. Books on religion, law, literature and science. Letters between rulers, advisers and merchants on subjects as varied as taxation, commerce, marriage, divorce, adoption, and prostitution Ansar Dine spokesman Sanda Ould Boumama told the AFP news agency the shrines would be destroyed, "all of them, without exception". He went on: "God is unique. All of this is haram (forbidden in Islam). We are all Muslims. Unesco is what?" ***** UNESCO stands for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It is trying to identify and preserve world heritage sites that are under attack due to development, neglect, war and other and other assorted crises. They have done a wonderful job with limited resources. This reminds me of the Taliban around the turn of the millennium attacking the massive stone sculptures of the Buddhas at Bamiyan in Afghanistan. It marked the beginning of a bad period for the Taliban and this would seem to also mark the beginning of a bad period in Africa. It is like time going backward. Kali-uuuugaaa! Kali-uuuugaaa! (The whistle is screaming)

i guess.it started out strong but after the first then second goal it seemed the real heart had gone out of Germany. still attacking but apart from a coupe chances it never quite looked convincing. Podolski never made any impact; Reus should've started, Lahm should've scored. Schweinsteiger was kinda off this tournament too. he seems to promise so much but hasn't quite made a definitive mark. but he's getting there. even Löw looked resigned. but judging from their last few games, i was convinced that they'd take Italy to the cleaners. Balotelli looked like a different player though. finally. pity he's a complete cock but he's young i guess. looks like the Villa-Boas deal is on i'm afraid. hello middle of the league.

It was by far the best match of the knockout stages. The rest have been bore draws or totally unbalanced with one side adopting negative tactics. At least this was an entertaining fight with both sides adopting an attacking style and thinking they could win. Italy neutralised Germany skilfully and they should have had one or two more, but it was not one way traffic. Looking forward to the final. Interesting to see how Pirlo will deal with Spain's 8 midfielders and what kind of mood Balotelli is in. Maybe Spain will decide to start playing football too and actaully try to score a goal. Hope so. I really hope Spurs do not hire Villas Boas.

"bollocks" is the word i'm looking for this morning.looked like Germany never really turned up. a young team, sure, but pretty disappointing. Italy outclassed them. (is it just me or does Andrea Pirlo look distinctly more advanced in years than 33!!!!! 43 more like...). and yes, Spain are bordering on the irritating. it would be dandy if they produced copious goals but they're not. dare i say, shades of Arsenal there; looking for the perfect set up and graceful pass when they should just hoof the bloody thing into the net. still, must be odd for Italy to play a game without already knowing the final score. i'll no doubt watch the final anyway. you must be happy though Badger about Bale signing for another four years, eh? just need to sign a manager now....

Well I know it is sacrilege to say so, but I am finding all this tiki taka style of Spain boring. It's the equivalent of a band noodling on prettily without any tune and without any destination. Spain don't even bother having a striker now. They just try to pass the ball round and round and bore the oppostion into making a mistake so they can pass it into the net. And if anyone dare interrupt them by upsetting their pretty patterns they fall over clutching their heads. Good on the Portugese by going at them for a while and showing them up..shame they ran out of steam. I hope the Germans or Italians give them a good old fashioned kicking.

you been watching Euro 2012 TigerLilly? Badger?over freshly baked pizza, olives and artichoke antipasto, myself, mrs jonapi and a photographer friend of ours (who used to take pictures of Alonso and Xavi before they went to Barcelona he let drop), sat down with peach oolong tea at our sides to watch Spain and Portugal. and well, i think nonplussed was the general reaction. the usual dexterity and at times, quite breathtaking skill on display but after 120 minutes not a single goal to show for it. a rather limp penalty decider to end. quite what Renaldo was doing in not walking up to the spot i'm at a loss to explain. quite unbelievable. let's hope Germany put the Italians in their place so they can propel to the final and win the title. my money is on Joachim's boys.

The Supremes narrowly voted to uphold Obama's health care reform. Roberts was the swing vote. The law is constitutional based on the IRS being able to impose a tax. That was what the administration had argued before the court. Now we're all required to have health insurance or have the IRS impose penalties on us. It seems like it is a victory for the insurance companies. In fact it is shifting the burden of paying for health care from the few to the many. A lot of compensating loopholes that were odious in the extreme unilaterally imposed by the insurance companies over the years have now been closed. I don't know whether to cheer or cry...

Just a word of caution for anyone needing their hard drive replaced by Apple; they refuse to return the old one.Apparently it's standard industry practice but something smells funny here. Stamp your feet, jump up and down, scream blue murder, you ain't getting it. Even if you offer to buy it back from them, the answer is NO. I was recently mislead by a twenty-something with trousers around his balls, that it is "only for technical reasons...the engineers inspect them to find trends in malfunction and then it's destroyed". Well, maybe so, but it's not the full story. They just don't return them, end of. Apparently the piece isn't of any value, but no, you're still not having it. Apple will hold your hard drive hostage at an Apple Store, not because of cost or stock management, but simply because they do. The only way around it is to halt any repair work, take the old drive, have it wiped by an IT acquaintance (if you have one of course) and then hand it back to them, having even less value than it already had. I dare say they do destroy them diligently (er.....); i'm sure the back rooms of their premises are NOT fully stocked with millions of lost memories, rectangular, static and silent, patiently awaiting gleeful inspection by someone who's never kissed a girl, in the hope of uncovering fanatical plots, sexual deviancy, drug cartels or pictorial evidence of a drunken stag night involving satin sheets, naked flesh and a well-endowed German Shepherd. Well, fingers crossed anyway.

More hope and continuing thoughts and prayers to all those impacted by the wildfires in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. My son's natural resource classes in Pingree Park, CO have been suspended until the High Park fire is brought under containment. Mother nature just won't bring-in any cool Colorado rain to help out.

is not easy. Especially so because they are the first industrialized country to go through these extreme pangs because they created such an extensive social safety net. They try to wiggle here and there and are now just basically begging the Germans to give their small & midsized businesses a tax break. They are also hiring more government workers than they are downsizing. All of this means they are not meeting the requirements of the bailout. They are daring the Germans to pull the plug on them. Ireland, Portugal and Spain each have felt similar pain, with Italy right behind them. The difference there is the situation is not as dire and they are not as vociferous, though the Spanish are starting to bang pots and pans in daily street demonstrations. It could be us. Not now, but say in five years without meaningful moves to cut the budget and increase taxes and business-side stimulus. If inflation gets out of control and interest on the national debt goes to 1 trillion per year, 80% of us without jobs may be in the street banging pots and pans. Including the elderly, the handicapped and children, the most vulnerable.