Wednesday, December 18, 2002
Update on the headless PM (see below): the judge ordered a re-trial because the jury couldn't reach a verdict. Fantastic!
Paul Kelleher claimed he "had a "lawful excuse" for damaging the £150,000 statue of the former prime minister. He had denied a charge of criminal damage saying the statue "represented the ills of the world's political system". "
:: Posted by pete @ Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, as part of Denmark's role as EU presidency for the second half of 2002, will be in Ottawa 19 December for the biannual Summit between the EU and Canada.
In connection with the visit, the Danish Prime Minister will have a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, where Danish-Canadian relations will be discussed. In this respect, the signing of a co-operation agreement on biotechnology is expected.
Rasmussen says:
“There is a close relationship between the EU and Canada, which is based on common values and visions regarding peace, free trade and democracy. We have a long history of international co-operation and bilateral trade. Canada is also an important partner in international organisations.”
Compare and contrast with the linked article from the Guardian earlier this week on the relationship between those close neighbours, the US and Canada. You may have read about the recent flap over an aide of Canadian PM Chreiten calling Bubya "a moron". She was wrong, of course. The Leader of the Free World is a complete moron.
A Canadian diplomat I met in Washington confirmed to me that the overriding Canadain nation charateristic "is not being American".
Tuesday, December 17, 2002
Meanwhile, the latest from the war against turrrurizem.
I blame Thatcher!
Hats off to (or, perhaps, heads up for) Paul Kelleher, a theatre producer from Isleworth, who is in court defending his handiwork (pictured above) - "an act of satirical humour", he claims. And, good luck to him.
I particularly liked the comment of the prosecuting barrister, John Hardy. It was an act that " might have earned the 'sneaking admiration' of some of the 12 jurors"
Friday, December 13, 2002
And, there's more good stuff here.
Local news. Don't you love it.
A hamster has been credited with saving a family and their neighbours during a flat fire - by falling into the toilet.
Wednesday, December 11, 2002
The scale of the Copenhagen European Council meeting on 12-13 December 2002
According to the Danish Presidency news service
People
In addition to the Heads of State or Government and the official delegations, who together will number almost 1,000 people, there will also be a number of other actors present at the Bella Center during the meeting days. These will include, among others, technicians, security personnel, police officers, interpreters, doctors, nurses, chefs and waiters. Altogether, around 6,000 people will be gathered in the Bella Center in connection with the Summit.
Media
More than 3,000 media representatives have obtained accreditation for the Summit. Around 80 TV channels and 27 radio channels from both Europe and the rest of the world will be represented. For the occasion, the Bella Center has set up 28 briefing rooms, where national delegations may brief their home press or a broader gathering of press representatives. A total of 2,250 workstations have been installed for the newspaper press, on top of which there will be 166 special radio and TV booths as well as 10 rooms set aside for the news agencies. On top of this, there will be 166 special radio and TV booths, as well as 10 rooms set aside for the use of news agencies.
Food
Each day, around 4,500 people will require meals, and in order to manage this aspect of the Summit, the Bella Center will be staffed by 80 chefs, 150 waiters, 50 dishwashing staff and 50 odd-job helpers. Each luncheon buffet alone to the delegates will consist of 3.5 tons of food. During the Summit, it is expected that around 45,000 cups of coffee and 45,000 soft drinks will be consumed. Altogether, more than 80,000 items of tableware will be used each day.
Meeting space
The total meeting space will be 55,000m2. More than 100 offices and 29 delegation offices have been built, several of which are the size of a small house. Approximately 10,000 chairs will be needed and around 27km of electricity cable will be fitted. Furthermore, 4,800 ISDN lines will be installed, with a capacity equivalent to allowing up to 48,000 ordinary users to work simultaneously.
Democracy (EU style) in action.
Looking to drive home to Joyzee tonight? Check out the Verrazano Bridge Cam.
A touch of snow in Joyzee.
This piccies from the Newark Star Ledger. Sorry tired to get the pic in my site, but it wouldn't work.