Signs of a London Spring

Daffodil flowers are pictured in front of London's Big Ben, as sign‘s of a beautiful spring.

When the Union Jack Flew Over Washington, DC

United States War on Britain

A 1793 elevation by James Hoban, the selected architect from the competition

What one see’s today as the White House was not the original White House, but the second; for the original was burned during the War of 1812, when the British troops set a about to burn the whole of Washington, DC.


While many notable building’s where set ablaze, including the first White House which was largely destroyed and inhabited at that time by former US President James Madison.

The actual burning of Washington took place in 24 August 1814, while the British met to occupy the city not burn it; but when they came under attack by partisans (resistance fighters) from a house at the corner of Maryland Avenue, Constitution Avenue, and Second Street NE, from here came about the burning of the city and the destruction of one newspaper for writing slanderous remarks towards a British Admiral.

This is also the first time the Union Jack flew or was raised above this city.

Reconstruction of the second White house would not begin until 1915 and while there were charred remains of the first White House; nevertheless, these charred remains where torn down to make way for the new building. The original building of the second White was not considered finished until 1864.

As to former President’s of the White house, in their history of the second White House in particular have been known to keep livestock within the building itself; such as chickens and cow’s, to an occasional pig. Also, in some of the room’s that even today is visited by dignities, former first ladies have hung their laundry to dry and at time’s, some of the floor’s where considered ankle deep in mud or covered in dirt; which some American historians have concluded, was either due to poor sanitary conditions or the inhabitants of the livestock.
This picture shows Calvin Coolidge, Mrs. Coolidge, and Senator Curtis in an open top car, on their way to the capitol. Mrs. Coolidge had a pet raccoon at the white house.

As to the alleged White House pets, especially dog’s or cat’s; not all the Presidents had such as these, but a variety of pet’s; including many horses, an alligator, Parrot, tiger’s, donkey, bobcat, hyena, bears, to many other varieties of wildlife and in particular former President Woodrow Wilson use to graze sheep on the White House lawn.

UK Terrorist on the Move

As Gaza aid caravan leaves England, 9 supporters seized by ‘anti-terror’ forces

15 February 2009
by IMEMC News

According to Israeli media, 9 British activists on their way to join a humanitarian aid caravan to Gaza were seized by British ‘anti-terror’ police, along with the aid in their vehicles and the vehicles themselves. Most of them were released without charge, and three are still being held.

The (alleged) aid caravan takes off from London (photo courtesy of vivapalestina.org)

The caravan they were trying to join left for Palestine from London Saturday morning, led by British Parliament Member George Galloway. The group calls itself ‘Lifeline for Gaza’, and consists of over a hundred vehicles, including a dozen ambulances, fire trucks, a boat, and a million tons of humanitarian aid. They are driving from Britain to Gaza via France, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, and plan to cross the Rafah border from Egypt into Gaza on March 2.

Three vehicles which were travelling from Blackburn, north of London, to join the caravan, were stopped by British ‘anti-terror’ police in a massive operation. But police did not say why they detained the activists, or what they were being charged with. Their vehicles had banners on them reading, "Stop Killing Children, Free Palestine" and "From Blackburn (U.K.) to Gaza."

The massive aid caravan was organized in just four weeks by a number of groups, including Viva Palestina, the Stop the War Coalition, the Respect Party, the Anglo-Arab Organization, several British trade unions and a large number of Muslim organizations.

As the caravan departed from Britain, MP Galloway said to the British Sky News, "There is an intifada sweeping Britain. It is a massive and peaceful movement in support of the beleaguered population of Gaza and Palestine. It is happening everywhere, but is especially strong in the north of England and especially among young Muslims. This convoy is material manifestation of it. In barely a month, it has metamorphosed from an aspiration I threw out at the 100,000-strong pro-Palestine demonstration on January 10 to more than 100 vehicles and nearly 300 people from across Britain. We will lead the biggest convoy of British vehicles across North Africa since Montgomery."

The participants in the caravan are all self-financed volunteers, and all of the vehicles they are driving, including trucks and ambulances, will be donated to the people of Gaza when they arrive on March 2.

---------------

by HRM Deborah

What is not mentioned in the above article, is that this particular group headed by British MP George Galloway sent ahead to pave the way a terrorist group which he is allegedly a member called the 'Global Intifada' assassination squad’s to murder anyone they felt was in there way of success.

One of the people that were marked for assassination was HRM Deborah of Palestine and it was brought to attention by others within the Palestine ministry that they where also on this target list, it was reported.

As it is well known, terrorism in any form, let alone murderer’s is not allowed in Palestine and all appropriate actions is being taken to insure the safety of the citizen’s of Palestine.

It is also in gratitude towards British ‘anti-terror’ police, for there efforts in this matter.

Nevertheless, these other alleged organization’s associated with these people; should also be investigated for terrorist activities.

A Joyful Christmas

Anglican Priest No "O Little Town of Bethlehem”

By HRM Deborah

Anglican priest named Reverend Stephen Coulter, vicar in Blandford Forum in Dorset, England resounded his opinion of life in modern Bethlehem due to the apparent high security to protect Christians, Jews and Muslims from being attacked; which is a bit ironic due to the Christmas story of over two thousands years ago.

During the war I will admit I did not on this instance think of logistics‘, which in actuality if one thinks about it is actually very profound.

In the time period that Jesus was born, the country was under occupation by the Romans and the tyrannical thumb of Herod the great, to further being a time of extreme hardships for the citizens of Palestine, let alone Bethlehem.

As the Christmas story unfolds, Joseph was to take his family to the city of his kinship Bethlehem for a census so that the Roman Army could have stronger control and had a count of how many people was actually citizens of the country; so this is how this particular family and many other's came to be in this city in number at all.

Then when the birth of this child came within Christian tradition a stable, which to my memory is in modern times termed a grotto; nevertheless, the child is born to very happy parents.

Then we have a visit by the three wise men of the East baring gifts termed to be of great value for the child and also a coming of Palestinian Shepherd’s from the fields; not Canaanite for even in this time they bore Allah”s (G-d‘s) curse. It would be just as easy in Jesus’ time to modern times, for these two set of people to enter Bethlehem and what is more profound they would have been safer from Herod, then the time they actually lived and furthermore; this goes with the Prophet Jesus because through Herod’s jealously, chances are he would have been more safe from harm, because the army that not only came to attack him, but murder all Jewish children from two years down with there mother’s wouldn’t have occurred; for the armies wouldn’t have entered the city, but have been held back by the military of Palestine.

So if one thinks of the instances of the two time period’s, in our more modern time’s with the security measures, all three religions have such a greater of opportunity of safety than what occurred when the birth of Prophet Jesus occurred.

As to the Anglican priest, in Prophet Jesus time especially he may had trouble’s being in Bethlehem due to the fact people such as himself did not exist yet and due to the fact someone from England in this time period would have been very interesting, to no disrespect a bit of an oddity to even see.

Nevertheless, the three wise men and the shepherd’s would have an easier time entering the city then Anglican priest Reverend Stephen Coulter with his not wishing people to sing this year "O Little Town of Bethlehem.”

All Christians should have a joyful Christmas without the politics of the time, for this is what should enter not.

Mazel Tov Peres for Receiving Honorary Doctorate From King's College

Mazel Tov and much happiness is in order for Peres: (PICTURED) London's Lord Mayor Alderman Ian Luder (2nd R) poses with Jewish President Shimon Peres (2nd L) as Peres receives an honorary doctorate from King's College, on 18 November 2008; in the city of London, England.
Jewish President Shimon Peres speaks at the Sheldonian Theatre of Balliol College, Oxford University's largest college, on 18 November 2008; in Oxford, England. The 1994 Nobel Peace Prize winner is in on three-day state visit in which he will be knighted and received an honorary degree from Kings College.

Pooh sketch makes $50,000

An oval pencil drawing of Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger, and Piglet, by E. H. Shepard, is seen in this undated handout photograph, received in London, on 4 November 2008.

4 November 2008

LONDON– An original drawing of A.A. Milne's popular children's characters Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger and Piglet fetched 31,200 pounds ($50,000) at auction on Tuesday.

The amount, which includes a 20 percent buyer's premium, comfortably beat pre-sale expectations of up to 20,000 pounds, not including the premium.

The oval pencil sketch by E.H. Shepard, one of children's literature's most famous illustrators, shows Pooh dipping his paw into a pot of honey while sitting at a table as Piglet and Tigger look on.

Auctioneer Bonhams said the successful telephone bidder was from Germany and bought the picture for his wife, a long-time Pooh fan.

On the same day, Sotheby's announced it was offering what it called the finest single collection of Shepard's original drawings for the Pooh books to be sold at auction.

The sale in London on December 17, which also includes a selection of rare Milne books, is expected to fetch 650-930,000 pounds.

The illustrations, from the collections of Stanley J. Seeger and Christopher Cone, are among the most recognizable, including "He went on tracking, and Piglet ... ran after him" depicting Pooh and Piglet turning to each other as they walk away.

It is expected to fetch 40-60,000 pounds.

Also on offer is "Bump, bump, bump - going up the stairs" featuring Christopher Robin dragging his bear by the leg up the stairs beside him. It is valued at 50-70,000 pounds.

Earlier in 2008, Sotheby's set a record for the work of an illustrator at auction when Beatrix Potter's watercolor illustration for the final scene of "The Rabbits' Christmas Party" sequence went under the hammer for 289,250 pounds.

The drawing on sale at Bonhams was a larger version of an illustration entitled "Tiggers don't like honey" which appeared in Milne's "The House at Pooh Corner," one of four books he wrote about the bear in the 1920s.

Other works by Shepard on sale at Bonhams included a first sketch for Kenneth Grahame's "Wind in the Willows," depicting Rat and Mole lounging with a picnic on the riverbank.

It appeared in the published book with the caption: "Now pitch in, old fellow! and the Mole was indeed very glad to obey" and fetched 7,440 pounds, including premium.

Commentary:
Even as old as I am, I am still an avid enjoyer of this silly old bear, known most famously as ‘Winnie the Pooh; because these stories always gave a sense of warm happiness and sometimes a little moral about life, dipped in honey here and there.

Nevertheless, items from this loveable bear being sold at auction for such a price, is actually not surprising. Stories like this about such a loveable old bear, still warms the heart; young or old.

I will even admit I have a copy of the original Pooh on my bedroom dresser, a little worn; but still wonderful. When Hurricane Katrina was coming, he was put in the car along with necessities. What he further reminded me of, is when I found him it was on a day I was going though a period of very great sadness; which every time I saw this Pooh bear I seemed to cheer-up, so one understands, this the time of my first husband's dying and becoming a Martyr.

Even to today, when I think or see that old Pooh bear on my bedroom dresser; I feel happiness, not sorrow. With a bit of an uplift, that gives a foreseeable smile of hope; that just happened to come at a very hard time for me and smiling thinking of honey, for my tea and bread.

If people wonder why I did not learn of Winnie the Pooh until I got older, was because I did not get to read the stories when I was younger like most children and had always wished too; which sometimes in my life, I have had to make-up for the wonderful thing’s people normally got to do, that I couldn’t.

Prince Charles on Global Tour

Prince Charles (C-front) walks along the red carpet followed by British Ambassador to Indonesia Martin Hatfull (R-behind) upon his arrival at Halim Perdanakusuma airport in Jakarta.

I just wished to send greetings and wish my cousin to have very happy, pleasant trip.

I first learned about Charles, when I was a young girl; from my grandmother and mother. I will admit, I have followed some of cousin Charles endeavors for many years; along with his dear family and have always wished many good things for my British cousins, to the fact that the Palestine royal family has always had a deep fondness for British royal family that dates back for centuries.- HRM Deborah

1 November 2008

Prince Charles arrived in Indonesia Saturday in a visit to promote the preservation of forests and encourage interfaith dialogue in the world's largest Muslim-majority nation.

The visit is the first time in nearly two decades the heir to the British throne has visited the Southeast Asian nation and comes on the back of trips to Japan and Brunei.

Charles is scheduled to visit rainforest conservation work on Sumatra island before travelling to Jakarta to meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

He will later travel to Yogyakarta on Java island to meet the city's hereditary Sultan Hamengkubuwono X.

Britain's Ambassador to Indonesia Martin Hatfull said Friday conservation of rain forests and interfaith dialogue were "very close to the Prince of Wales' heart."

"He is well known and well respected as an authority... on both these issues," Hatfull said.

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh's Tour Slovakia

British Queen Elizabeth II shakes hand with Sir Nicolas Winton, who saved more than 600 Czech and Slovak Jewish children from the Nazis during the WW II, before an official state dinner organised by Slovak President and First Lady, on 23 October 2008;in Bratislava, Slovakia. The Queen and the Duke are on a two day tour of Slovakia at the invitation of President Ivan Gasparovic.

It is so wonderful to see such warmth and happiness in my cousin these days, it also makes me so very happy too; for as the saying goes, ‘when one smiles, the whole world smiles.’

Nevertheless, I hope her and her husband are having a very pleasant state visit.

As to Sir Nicolas Winton presence, this is the first time I knew of your name and I do apologize, because a man that save 600 people from such a horrible situation should be commended and never forgotten.

As to President Slovak Ivan Gašparovič and his lovely wife Silvia inviting everyone, I wish to send warm greetings and much kindness for there thoughtfulness of organizing such and wonderful event.

Nevertheless, it should be said, that I have noticed lately such exceptional people doing such remarkable heart warming things that seem to make the world alot happier and much brighter; by each and ever turn of there kindness.

Of all the amazing things I notice these days, one thing that keeps coming to mind; from little seed’s planted here and there, great and beautiful fruit tree’s grow.

I wish everyone much happiness, always. - HRM Deborah

Iraq Leadership Holds off Accepting US-Iraq Pact

19 October 2008

Iraqis protest over US "occupation" (Video)

BAGHDAD – Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's ruling Shia coalition withheld support Sunday for the proposed security pact that would keep U.S. troops here for three more years, dealing a setback to American hopes of a speedy approval of the agreement.

The statement by the United Iraqi Alliance called for unspecified changes to the draft agreement, which parliament must ratify by the end of the year when the U.N. mandate expires.

The group's move comes a day after tens of thousands of demonstrators, mostly Shia's, took to the streets of Baghdad to show their opposition to the agreement.

The Shia alliance holds 85 of parliament's 275 seats and al-Maliki needs its solid support to win approval of the agreement by a strong majority.

The 30 lawmakers loyal to Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have already said they will vote against the agreement, and some Sunni lawmakers have spoken out against it too.

The alliance did not specify what it considered positive or negative, and Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari warned it would be difficult to reopen negotiations.

The agreement provides for American troops to leave Baghdad and other Iraqi cities by the end of June 2009.

It would also give Iraq limited authority to prosecute U.S. soldiers and contractors for crimes committed off post and off duty, limit U.S. authority to search homes and detain people and give allegedly Iraqis more say in the conduct of American military operations.

He also said some members wanted to know who would decide whether crimes committed by Americans met the standard for Iraqi trials.

Hassan al-Suneid, a lawmaker from al-Maliki's party, said members had reservations about portions "that don't comply with Iraq's sovereignty."

"We cannot talk today about rejection or acceptance in the absolute," al-Suneid told The Associated Press. "There are weak and strong points," including a timeline for the departure of American troops.

Some lawmakers complained the language in the draft was vague, especially those governing U.S. military operations and legal jurisdiction over American troops and contractors.

Although the alliance did not reject the accord outright, the review process within a coalition whose leaders negotiated the accord could well mean that parliament will not vote on the agreement until after the 4 November U.S. election.

Political consultations continued late Sunday between al-Maliki and the National Security Council, which includes the president, the vice presidents, the parliament speaker and leaders of major political factions. A government statement said the talks included the preparedness of the Iraqi security forces.

Iraqi politicians fear positions they take on the security pact will determine how they will fare at the ballot box in Iraq's next year elections, since many voters are anxious to see U.S. troops leave. Iraqi control of their own country is a burning issue in a nation that once saw itself as the beacon of pan-Arab nationalism.

The pact with the U.S. is expected to serve as a model for a separate agreement on the future of the 4,100 British troops in Iraq as well as the handful of other countries that remain in the coalition.

Al-Maliki said Sunday he would appoint a team soon to start discussions with Britain. He told The Times of London last week that British forces are no longer necessary to provide security.

Update:

The latest US media propaganda is the US- Iraq pack guarantees sovereignty to Iraq, when it has actually been reported that the document in question is a reminder of past agreement’s with the Native American’s where promises are made at the beginning of the document and nullified towards the end as to being extremely vague within the middle. To in actuality, no right’s to the Iraqi people or freedom for there country.

Google Fit for a Queen

Internet giant Google was given the royal seal of approval, when Queen Elizabeth 2 had a fit of the giggles during a tour of its London headquarters, recently.

It is a hope that the people at Goggle, as well as my cousin is doing very well and much laughter to overwhelming amounts of happiness for everyone; now and in the future.- HRM Deborah

English Autumn Mist

A breath-taking autumn mist clings to fields on the outskirts of London, England; on 17 October 2008.

One think about this mist, it reminds me of London’s centuries old reputation of “London Fog;” which brings about thoughts of novel mysteries and mannered custom’s, England has such a pleasant reputation for the daydreaming armchair traveler.

To further, have a delightful cup of tea and a pleasant relaxing day with good company or that good English mystery book, where is Miss Marple?

Britain withdraws terror detention law after defeat

13 October 2008

by Alice Ritchie

LONDON -The British government on Monday withdrew a plan to extend the time suspected violent extremists can be held without charge after the House of Lords voted against it.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said she would remove plans to extend the limit from 28 to 42 days from a proposed counter-terrorism bill, but could re-introduce the measure in a separate law at a later date.

Opponents of the proposal, including opposition lawmakers, civil liberties campaigners and some members of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labour Party, declared it a "humiliating retreat" and a victory for individual rights.

Earlier Monday, peers in the unelected upper chamber of parliament defeated the move by 309 votes to 118. In June, the 42-day measure scraped through the House of Commons by just nine votes after a rebellion by 36 Labour lawmakers.

Speaking to lawmakers afterwards, Smith said Britain faced a "severe" threat and accused opponents of being "prepared to ignore the terrorist threat for fear of taking tough but necessary decisions".

"My priority remains the protection of the British people. I do not believe, as some MPs clearly do, that it is enough simply to cross our fingers and hope for the best," the minister said.

"That is not good enough because when it comes to national security, there are certain risks I'm not prepared to take.

"I am not prepared to risk leaving the British people without the protections they need."

As a result, a new bill had been drawn up which could be put to parliament "if and when the need arises", she said. It would enable the chief prosecutor to apply to a judge to hold suspected extremists for a maximum of 42 days.

Opposition parties welcomed what they saw as a defeat for the government, and strongly rejected Smith's claims they were a soft touch.

"We on this side of the House are perfectly prepared to be firm on terrorism, to take resolute measures and, if necessary, pass difficult bills," said Dominic Grieve, home affairs spokesman for the main opposition Conservatives.

"But they have to be credible, they have to be based on evidence and they must not be put forward in a way that smacks of mere political posturing and gimmicks."

Chris Huhne, a lawmaker with the smaller opposition Liberal Democrats, said the government was in "humiliating retreat", adding: "These excessive powers were a dagger thrust to our hard-won liberties."

Rights groups also welcomed the decision. Shami Chakrabarti, director of campaign group Liberty that had lobbied hard against the plan, said: "Common decency says we don't lock people up for six weeks without charge."

The pre-charge detention time limit was increased from 14 to 28 days by Brown's predecessor Tony Blair in the wake of the July 2005 London suicide attacks which killed 56 people, including four bombers.

At that stage, Blair's government was defeated in a bid to introduce 90-day detention without charge and 28 days was a compromise measure.

Iran protests to Britain over release of terrorist

10 October 2008

London-Iran on Friday protested to Britain against release of a terrorist who was involved in the 1980 attack on the Iranian Embassy in London, saying that the release will affect relations between the two countries.

"Iran seriously calls on the British government to revise its decision to release this terrorist and reminds governments of their commitment to the war on terror," Iran's Embassy said in a statement.

The statement that the release of Fowzi Badavinejad, who was an accomplice in occupying the embassy and killing two diplomats in 1980, has created a deep concern for Iranians living in the United Kingdom.

Badavinejad is one of six hostage-takers who laid siege on Iran's Embassy in London in May 1980. The terrorists took 26 people hostage and wounded several others leading to the death of two diplomats.

"The release of this terrorist is a concern for the Iranian public opinion as it follows a recent terrorist attack on the Iranian Embassy in London," it said.

Earlier a British official told IRNA that it would not give refugee status to convicted terrorists and "Badavinejad instead is being given only temporary leave to remain in the UK for six months, when his status will be reviewed."

"Our aim is to deport people as quickly as possible but the law requires us to first obtain assurances that the person being returned will not face certain death. In the meantime a person would be put on extremely tight reporting restrictions," he said.

"The British government's decision to release Badavinejad will affect relations between the two countries."

Badavinejad was jailed for life in 1981. His trial was dramatically halted after a few days of starting when he suddenly changed his plea to guilty from charges of conspiracy to murder, false imprisonment, firearm possession and two accounts of manslaughter.

Early Morning Mist

An Early morning mist in the countryside near Bath in Somerset, United Kingdom; 9 October 2008.

This photograph is absolutely lovely, especially with the mist and the many vibrant fall colors.

UK announces £50b. 'radical' plan to stabilize banks

8 October 2008

London-The British government announced a 50 billion pounds (US$87.5 billion) plan on Wednesday to partly nationalize major banks, with taxpayers taking stakes in a bid to shore up a financial sector hard hit by the world financial crisis.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown billed it as a "radical" plan to stabilize banks so that they could resume normal lending and other operations, rather than trying to buy up bad assets as the United States is doing. The government also offered up to 200 billion pounds (US$350 billion) in short-term lending support.

"All these are investments being made by the government which will earn a proper return for the taxpayer," he told a news conference. "This support is on commercial terms. We expect to be rewarded for the support we provide."

A half hour before markets opened Wednesday, the Treasury said it would be investing up to 50 billion pounds in exchange for preference shares in eight of the county's largest banks and building societies: Abbey National PLC, Barclays PLC, HBOS PLC, HSBC Bank PLC, Lloyds TSB Bank PLC, Nationwide Building Society, Royal Bank of Scotland and Standard Chartered Bank.

The Treasury said government support would come with strings attached: "The government will need to take into account dividend policies and executive compensation practices and will require a full commitment to support lending to small businesses and home buyers."

The rescue plan comes a day after British banks' stock prices plummeted on investor fears that they wouldn't be able to survive the global financial turmoil without help from the government. On Tuesday, shares in the Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC, the country's third largest bank, plummeted by 39 percent, HBOS PLC fell 41.5 percent and Lloyds TSB Group PLC dropped 13 percent.

"This is not a time for conventional thinking or outdated dogma but for the fresh and innovative intervention that gets to the heart of the problem," Brown told a news conference.

"I think some people may have been expecting simply a capitalization scheme today but this is radical action across the system - the restructuring of banks under the conditions set down, a tough deal for everybody but the right deal for the British public, and it's accompanied by the security that long term funding and medium term funding can now be provided," Brown said.

Treasury chief Alistair Darling said the government was "absolutely not" seeking to take control of the banks.

"We are not talking about running the banks. The banks will are going to be run as commercial operations, albeit with government help in restructuring," he said at the news conference with Brown.

Britain had previously nationalized two mortgage lenders, Northern Rock and Bradford & Bingley. It hopes to return them to the private sector.

Darling also announced that the government would guarantee British savers' accounts in Icesave, the Internet operation of Iceland's Landsbanki which was nationalized on Tuesday. Icesave suspended its operations on Tuesday.

Brown said the government was taking legal action against Icelandic authorities to recover funds deposited in British branches of Icelandic banks, but details of the British guarantees on Icelandic accounts were not immediately spelled out.

The Treasury also said the Bank of England would be expanding its Special Liquidity Scheme to facilitate short-term borrowing and help to free up credit markets. Under the expansion, it will make at least 200 billion pounds (US$350 billion) worth of three month loans available to the country's banks.

The market largely welcomed the Treasury's move, and banks' share prices began stabilizing and recovering in early trading.

HBOS jumped 20 percent, although the Royal Bank of Scotland fell 10 percent.

"The markets are still getting to grips with the detail," said Keith Bowman, equity analyst Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers. "I hope to see some stabilization by the end of the day, but what we actually see is anybody's guess."

Even if it does engender confidence, the government's financial injection is limited, said Bowman, by the fact that the overall environment in which banks are operating on the global stage are negative. "The world economy is deteriorating and there's no doubt that regulation will increase for the banking sector."

Alex Potter, analyst at Collins Stewart, said the government had "procrastinated far too long," but he said the plan should help stabilize banks at the expense of dividends for shareholders.

"The government is insisting on tighter control of capital, dividends and executive pay. We feel that dividend payouts for the main four UK domestic banks will be severely impacted with the possibility of no cash payout until 2010 or later," Potter said.

But not everyone was happy.

"Without full nationalization the government is effectively nationalizing the banks losses and privatizing the profits so that taxpayers will now pay for this crisis caused by the greed of the bankers," said Labour lawmaker John McDonnell.

The rescue plan marks a sharp turn in the fortunes of Britain's proud banking sector, which until this week seemed to be more immune to the global financial crisis than America's beleaguered financial institutions.

Just three weeks ago, Barclays snapped up the US banking operations of Lehman Brothers, the collapsed Wall Street giant.

On Sept. 18, Lloyds TSB announced that it intended to take over HBOS in a government arranged commercial rescue of the country's biggest mortgage lender.

Royal Bank of Scotland led a consortium which last year swallowed Fortis Dutch bank ABN Amro Holding NV for 72 billion euros (US$98 billion).

Asian markets mixed after Australia's big rate cut

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, on 6 October 2008.

7 October 2008
By KELLY OLSEN

SEOUL-South Korea -European stocks posted modest gains Tuesday ahead of Wall Street's opening on hopes the world's leading central banks will cut interest rates soon, possibly in a coordinated manner to deal with the world financial crisis.

Those hopes, which were fueled by the Reserve Bank of Australia's overnight move to cut borrowing costs by a massive 1 percentage point to 6 percent, helped diminish the impact of another bad day for bank stocks.

Britain's Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC shed around 40 percent of its value at one stage amid ongoing liquidity and solvency concerns and reports that the government might seek a stake in British banks as a way to boost their balance sheets.

"There's some optimism in the markets in the hope of a global coordinated rate cut, and if it's going to be coordinated there's little reason to wait til Thursday," said Richard Hunter, head of UK equities at Hargreaves Lansdowne.

By afternoon in London, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was up 56.23 points, or 1.2 percent, at 4,645.42.

Higher oil prices helped BP PLC and Shell, two of the FTSE's biggest companies, post solid gains, which helped the overall index to recover ground. Oil prices rebounded more than $3 to near $91 in Europe after plunging to an 8-month low Monday on concerns a significant slowdown in global economic growth will undermine demand for crude.

But RBS topped the list of declining issues with a 25.6 percent drop. The bank's shares were down 20 percent on Monday.

In Germany, the DAX index was 2.37 points higher, while the CAC-40 in France, which lost nearly 10 percent of its overall value Monday, was up 1.5 percent.

The Australian central bank's cut was its biggest since 1992 and the scale of it was unexpected. Analysts were predicting a half-point cut, especially after the Australian dollar slumped by nearly 10 percent Monday.

RBA Gov. Glenn Stevens said the Australian central bank had judged that a large cut in the cash rate was needed after studying the outlook for global growth and its likely effect on Australia.

The move sent Sydney's S&P/ASX-200 index, which had opened 3.7 percent lower, up 1.7 percent and helped the Australian dollar push back up above 71.70 U.S. cents. Other markets, including the main indexes in South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan, rebounded after the bold move and market observers said the same could happen if other central banks follow suit.

"The move highlights how central banks' priorities are moving rapidly away from controlling inflation towards supporting growth and averting a deeper economic and financial crisis," said Alvin Pontoh, an analyst at London-based Capital Economics.

A trader takes a break as trading was halted on the main floor of the BM and F Bovespa stock exchange market in Sao Paulo, Brazil; on 6 October 2008.

"Central banks in the US and Europe — where the growth outlook is markedly worse than in Australia — will be left with little choice but to follow the RBA's lead in the days and weeks ahead," Pontoh said.

The Bank of England is now seen as almost certain to cut interest rates on Thursday, with the questions now being asked are whether it will reduce borrowing costs by half a point to 4.50 percent for the first time in seven years. There has been speculation the Bank of England might join the US Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank in a simultaneous cut.

RBS was not the only British banking stock in trouble amid news reports that the chief executives of Britain's largest banks met up with British Treasury chief Alistair Darling and Bank of England governor Mervyn King Monday night to discuss the possibility of the government providing funding, thought to be around 50 billion pounds in exchange for stakes in the banks.

Lloyds TSB PLC, which is in the process of taking over HBOS PLC, was down 7.8 percent, while Barclays PLC, which has denied it is asking for government funding, was 4.5 percent lower.

Confidence has also drained away in Iceland, which, according to the Prime Minister Geir H. Haarde is facing the prospect of bankruptcy after its banks went on the acquisition trail across the continent, accumulating massive debts in the process.

The government's latest response was to nationalize its second-largest bank Landsbanki under day-old legislation and fixed its currency exchange rate.

The moves came a day after trading in shares of major banks was suspended, the Icelandic krona lost a quarter of its value against the euro, and the government rushed through emergency legislation giving it new powers to deal with the financial meltdown.

Earlier, unlike its Australian counterpart, the Bank of Japan kept its interest rates unchanged at 0.5 percent, as expected.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index erased some of its early losses to close down 3 percent at 10,155.90 — still its lowest level in almost five years.

Russia's stock markets made early gains after trading opened several hours late Tuesday, a day after suffering steep plunges. The RTS exchange resumed normal trading at 1 p.m. (0900GMT) and was up 2.6 percent to 889.1 points as of 2 p.m (1000GMT). The MICEX, where most trading takes place, rose by 3 percent to 774.5 points. It opened at 1:15 p.m.

The euro was trading at US$1.3574 from US$1.3516 late Monday.

UK: Prince Charles to mark 60th with 2 parties

29 September 2008

LONDON — Not one, but two, royal affairs are in the works to celebrate the 60th birthday of the Prince of Wales.

Queen Elizabeth plans to host one party for her son, Prince Charles, at Buckingham Palace. A second, private, party is expected to be held at Prince Charles' estate, Highgrove, in Gloucestershire.

The Prince, the heir to the British throne, was born at Buckingham Palace on Nov. 14, 1948. The parties are expected to take place right around his birthday.

He is the oldest son of Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip.

British Diplomats to Hebron

A Jewish settler prays on the roof of a building in the city of Hebron, on 20 March 2007.

By HRM Deborah

It has been acknowledged that some foreign visitors, which come to mind, are the British diplomats that went to Hebron recently and a few who have visited Palestine have either been assaulted by a few settlers or those from Mahmoud Abbas’s terrorism organization.

While this is very unfortunate and I am not making light of this in any manner, from my understanding everything is being done to resolve these problems and should be understood this is unacceptable in Palestine.

While I am yet to understand why Jewish settler’s would do this, especially since they have a better situation now then they have had for over a hundred years; it is a hope, that one day they will understand that violence in any manner is not acceptable within any society or within religion.

Needless to say, not all Jewish settler‘s follow this type of behavior, but can be very helpful and nice.

Furthermore from past experiences, at this particular time these occurrences affects the scope of Palestine, including the Jewish sector.

Nevertheless, I deeply apologize that such as this, would happen to the British diplomats visiting within my country or anyone succumbed to this type of situation.

Brown's Question on Housing Expansion

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown addresses the Knesset, on 21 July 2008 in Jerusalem. Brown is on a two-day visit to the State of Palestine, his first since becoming Prime Minister.

In all due respect to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, it is my understanding there is a question of the new housing situation and it has always been my understanding prior to previous claims, especially when the war was going on, about settlement expansion.

In the case of these new housing projects this is not the case, but these new homes are for everyone in Palestine, regardless of there religion. To further clarify, for both Jewish and Arab Palestinians. To further explain, these housing projects will continue.

We are no longer at war with the Jewish people, I am very happy to say; furthermore, I will be first to say not withstanding the long history the Jewish people has had with Arab Palestinians, we are once again within the tight bonds of friendship.

Nevertheless, the Jewish people are also under the protection of The State of Palestine, so no more harm will ever come to them in the future; as what was such a horrendous situation, of the past.

Greetings to British Prime Minister Brown

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown gestures to global terrorist, Interpol fugitive Mahmoud Abbas during a joint press conference, on 20 July 2008 in Bethlehem, Palestine. This is the British Prime Minister's first visit to Palestine, since becoming Prime Minister with his wife Sarah (not shown).

by HRM Deborah

I wish to extend very warm greetings to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his nice wife Sarah; also to the British people and I am very happy a respected representative of Britain, is in my country.

Britain is one country; I have always had great fondness for and not just because, your monarchy and Palestine’s monarchy are related nor the relationship Palestine and Britain has had, since about Plantagenet period.

But I do hope, Queen Elizabeth 2 and her family is doing very well and I wish them, very much happiness.

Furthermore, the British people has a long history of some remarkable attributes, especially, when necessary to speaking there mind; which is my understanding, British Prime Minister Brown did, towards Mahmoud Abbas and his entourage of criminals.

Like so many of the lovely gentlemen before him, it was reported, that British Prime Minister Brown, not only asked Abbas to surrender; but covered all four corners of Abbas’s behavior, along with the rest of Abbas’s organization.

Nevertheless, I am happy to understand, the rest of British Prime Minister Brown and his wife Sarah’s visit seems to be more enjoyable; with such things, as listen to a prayer during a visit to the Church of Nativity, in Bethlehem, for example and in the Hall of Remembrance in the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, in Jerusalem.

It is also my wish, to say thank you to British Prime Minister Brown and his nice wife; for visiting my country and your overwhelming kindness not only to my country, but towards me, as it is my understanding.

Note:
For those who may not know, in Britain, my family is known as Edwards and LaCross, as well as in France.