Spidey in my garden

If it were any bigger, it would need a horse!


Not even autumn yet and the little hunters are out in full force and fatter than I've ever seen them.








While the spiders are plentiful, I miss the birds. Could be my imagination but there seem to be less and less of them about. Especially the little guys like the house sparrow or the great tit... I've done everything I could to make my garden attractive to them but they don't come. Only the spiders come and settle down.

Jos

Ja wat kan je nog zeggen...
Shit. Wat is kanker toch een gore ziekte.

De grote showman is niet meer.

Veel te jong.

Look up to the sky !

Take some time this weekend to look up at the skies. There should be showers of falling stars - the Perseid meteor shower will be shaking it's tail at us again.

We need a bit of magic sometimes, eh.

American Congress just approved this:

The House handed President Bush a victory Saturday, voting to expand the government's abilities to eavesdrop without warrants on foreign suspects whose communications pass through the United States.

The 227-183 vote, which followed the Senate's approval Friday, sends the bill to Bush.

The administration said the law is needed to speed the government's ability to intercept phone calls, e-mails and other communications involving foreign nationals "reasonably believed to be outside the United States."

The bill updates the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA. It gives the government leeway to intercept, without warrants, communications between foreigners that are routed through equipment in the United States, provided that ''foreign intelligence information'' is at stake. Bush describes the effort as an anti-terrorist program, but the bill is not limited to terror suspects and could have wider applications, some lawmakers said.

If a U.S. resident becomes the chief target of surveillance, the government would have to get a warrant from the special FISA court.
Source

So, now, the American government can see the CONTENT of all foreign emails, listen to any phone conversation, as long as it goes via the USA... without any judicial approval or oversight. Without limitation. Without Europeans having any influence whatsoever (we don't get a bloody vote in their elections now do we) and no legal recourse, no protection whatsoever. American citizens have slightly more protection under this bill, at least with them they need a special warrant!

I guess this is the spreading democracy to the world thingie, huh?

You bet I don't like this!!!!

Nee, Jan.

Ik ben het hier niet mee eens.

De Tweede Kamerfracties van CDA en SP verwierpen vrijdag het voorstel van PvdA-senator Peter Rehwinkel om het verschil in strafmaat tussen majesteitsschennis en andere beledigingen op te heffen. Rehwinkel vraagt zich af waarom belediging van de koningin zoveel erger is.

De SP heeft eveneens begrip voor het verschil in strafmaat, omdat de koningin zich in verband met de ministeriële verantwoordelijkheid niet kan verdedigen. ‘Maar nog beter zou het zijn wanneer de koningin niet langer onderdeel uitmaakt van de regering. Dan zijn we van het hele probleem af’, aldus Kamerlid Ronald van Raak.

Steengoed!

Sommige van de cartoons hier.
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