Blue In Green

Semantics

Also from the BBC, and one of the most startling updates yet (to me, at least): "A police station in Nottingham has been firebombed by a group of 30 to 40 men, according to Nottinghamshire Police. No injuries were reported."

Hearing about London residents coming together to help clean up, feed others, etc. It's good to hear that most still have a conscience.

From Chris Buckler of the BBC: "People are following us around with bags, asking where the riots are. There is no doubt that there is a great deal of opportunism going on here tonight in Manchester."

When something of this scale occurs, there isn't one single reason for it. Yes, something sparked it, but there are many layers to this, and it took years to accumulate.

Watching and hearing about a city I love, the grey lady being razed by those thinking in the moment. As someone who lives in a country that actively destroys history and culture, this saddens me.

It's also gone off in Birmingham and now Liverpool, too. England is burning. This is madness.

At least car bombs and petrol bombs have been kept out of all this...so far. To the point above, I think the Paris riots of a few years ago are a much more appropriate comparison.

Think I'll modify lyrics from a famous Blur song to reflect what my reduced budget has forced me to do as far as holidays go: Streets like a jungle, so call the police Following the herd...to the Keys on holiday! Wow. That actually makes sense on every level. I just Americanized "Girls And Boys". I feel dirty. :mellow:

From what I've heard, Celtic fans had singled Islam out to be a future star and had been paying attention to his progress for years. They must be gutted.

My prediction: Chelsea will finish anywhere from 1st to 20th in the PL this upcoming season.

Thierry Henry set up the goal. :champions:

Look at all the wonderful away trips in that group... But seriously, it would take an unprecedented collapse to screw this up.

I made the trip several years ago and it is amazing. I had been to large American cities before, but none of them had the character or history of London, and I'm glad I went. I highly recommend it. Here's a little advice for anyone going anywhere, really: slow down. It's okay if you don't visit every tourist trap because the moments you enjoy most may be somewhere off the beaten path.

No, democracy plays a part in the problem. Look up the term "gerrymandering", that process has produced many hard-line representatives on both sides. Those representatives were elected by angry voter bases to do A,B and C, even if it risks the long-term viability of the nation. Some Republicans signed a pledge to make drastic cuts to government without raising taxes in any way. One part of Congress is controlled by Democrats and other by Republicans. Instead of creeping closer to a consensus, as normal negotiations should, the leaders are actually moving away from middle ground in an effort to save political face. If anything passes through by the deadline, it will be an inadequate, short-term fix. The people are also at fault here, as the voting bases have swung toward extremist elements, especially on the right. Talking heads on media deliberately fan flames for viewership. Facts are commonly twisted in one way or the other depending on who is being pandered to. If the people are unable to tell right from wrong, how do you expect them to elect representatives that would? That is where democracy comes into the problem. Democracy is a very delicate system, its people must be educated and motivated. They have certainly become motivated in the last few years, but what of their education? As for the debt itself, it can only be payed off with a combination of spending cuts and taxes. I do think high earners should be taxed more and I think corporate loopholes and subsidies should be closed. I also think our military actions need to end. So many lives have been lost in frivolous pursuits like in Iraq...