Scotland

Edinburgh Blazes

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As one of the fools listening to Bill McHenry’s band last Saturday night at Henry’s Jazz Celler in Edinburgh, and although Bill McHenry deserves his title as the best sax player in New York City right now, the Edinburgh blaze was amazing. At about 10:30pm after piling out of Henry’s, you could actually see the sky alight in flames from the buildings on fire. A couple of hundred people stood outside and watched for hours and there where a lot of hugs and tears as well.

The bad news: the area has been sealed off as a possible crime scene. The Good News: An international relief fund to rebuild the eleven buildings will start next week. In addition the council has decided to retain the fronts of the buildings for rebuilding and it looks as though Old Town will rule yet again. I must say that overall it is a pretty horrific site, and today, what’s left of the buildings will be torn down. The fire trucks and police still have the area cordoned off, but shops and people are starting to open around the area again. I will truly miss the Bridge Jazz Bar, a favourite haunt for festival goers and residents alike, as it is completely destroyed.

Breakfast News

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The Klan is going to America’s Supreme Court to contest that cross burning isn’t illegal. In the spirit of free speech, this is true, it’s the ideology and hatred behind the desire to burn crosses at a political rally or on a black neighbour’s lawn that should be illegal.

Terrorists could get biological weapons from University research labs. Hell, they could get some pretty nasty stuff from most student kitchens.

Historic buildings face demolition after the fire in Edinburgh. Hopefully what goes up in their place will retain some of the character of the old town.

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Seeds–

Kess had filled two small canvas bags with fine gravel and settled his rifle on them. The wind had picked up, so he clicked the scope offset up two. Squeezing the front bag shifted the target back into view. The autogunner in the far guard tower could strafe the whole assembly area, and had become the first target. There was another tower by the gate, target two, and two guards walking the perimeter. They were closer and presented easier shots.

Lensman had made position and signalled that Kess was gun free. He centred the scope dot on the autogunner�s head, exhaled slowly and began applying pressure to the trigger. Before the last of his breath had gone, he bought the trigger home. The report seemed so loud up close, but there were trees to deaden the sound, and the river would cover it as well. He brought the scope back into line and counted. On the second count, the autogunner�s head disappeared in a haze and his body slumped away.

Kess had ever seen the effect of any bullet on a human body, let alone one of his monstrous one digit shells. He put the disgust aside, fed another round into the breech and brought the second guard tower into view. He clicked the gravity adjust back up a couple and centred on this guard�s chest. Another breath out and the shot was away. He didn�t wait to see the effects of this round, shifting quickly to the nearer of the guards.

Boss Tunage- Wonderstuff- If The Beatles Had Read Hunter… The Singles, Wonderstuff- Eight Legged Groove Machine (I know I listened to this a few days ago, but I have two copies, this is the remastered one with extra tunes, Kingmaker- Sleepwalking (listed on amazon, but as unavailable. Come on, someone re release this, please. I spent six months of last year visiting record shops from Southampton to Edinburgh, via Croydon, Soho, Manchester and Cardiff trying to find a copy. In the end someone had to copy it for me. Definitely an argument in here somewhere for the music biz to set up their own cheap [pennies per song] online database of out of circulation music. Rant over.)

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It’s nearly New Year. I’m going to be so glad to see the back of 2001. It had such promise early in the year, but that all gave way to disappointments, frustration and bad management.

I’m into the final straight of my 3 1/2 + years employment with The Gas, my absolute final day has been set as 15th February. Tthough the way things tend to work out, that’ll probably become some time in March. There are a few people I’ll miss, and one ex-manager who I’ll be glad to never see again (though someone with a mysterious resemblance to her will be popping up in The Eliza Effect- why make up idiot managers when you have such a rich source making your life hell.) It feels wierd, and a little scary, but it’s past time to move on.

List time (it is the end of the year, after all)-

Places I’ll gladly never visit again-

Southampton

Barnet

Solihull

Staines

Leicester

Places I’d happily return to under other circumstances-

Cardiff

Edinburgh

London

Undecided-

Croydon

Richmond

Kingston

Observations-

If someone wants you sacked for another person’s mistakes, you’re probably in the wrong company.

Never promise more than you can deliver, and bitch slap anyone who does it for you.

In this networked world, why did I have to drive over 10,000 miles in the last six months?

Resolution-

Happier, healthier, wiser.