Liverpool Lew

Those two on the right look like Japanese, the way they are bowing so low.  Caligula appears very happy though.

Could they use these in the submarines?

Why stop with Russians?  There must be a few old Nazis still in Paraguay, get them over here for a reunion.

The higher a man rises, the greater the tendency of those around him to express respect for the position of office, but not always for the person in that position.  As a person becomes accustomed to high status, often the tendency is to become haughty and arrogant.  When this happens, people may continue to pay lip service, but they will gradually lose respect for the person and cease to admire him.  When this happens to a leader, he becomes unable to motivate people or to exert strong leadership.

However high the position, a leader must not lose a sense of humility.  Indeed, the higher he rises, the more vital it is that a leader retains humility.  A humble leader earns genuine respect in those he encounters, rather than demanding respect based on rank alone.  People are grateful for a lack of pomposity and appreciate courtesy from above.  A humble leader also listens to what people say, and so is able to gather information from many sources.

This is the message behind the Japanese proverb "The heaviest ears of rice bow the lowest".

KONOSUKE MATSUSHITA - Founder of Panasonic

"Enemies of the State".  What a very telling phrase.  Communists tend to refer to "enemies of the people", to partially disguise their real intent.  Only fascists are blatant and hard-nosed enough to unmask their words so.

Gen up on the Spanish Civil War and aftermath - some chilling parallels are already in place.

Dark days ahead.  Glad I'm only an occasional visitor ... and probably not again for some considerable time yet.

Oh dear! It's all starting to look a lot like ...

With just about everyone agreeing that in Thailand "It's all about the money, stupid", what I cannot understand is why isn't money being used to stir this up; a hefty reward from the government, let's say half of what they just spent on microphones - or maybe even what they 'saved' after they were rumbled - should loosen a few tongues on Koh Tao.

Throw in a new identity and a job in another part of Thailand and you might get a result.

At the same time, you have martial law, so just pass a regulation enforcing mandatory DNA tests without exception.

All this, of course, assumes that they want to catch the real culprits ...

Aha! It's all getting clearer now - it's The Duke of Edinburgh who has taken over Thailand!

Power corrupts ... and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

In the history of mankind, there has never been a military dictatorship that has done any long-term good for anyone but the junta members themselves. Not one.

He behaves more like Il Duce every day. Lemming like, Thailand moves towards the dark night of fascism if this wannabe dictator gets his way. The rich may think him a better option than Thaksin - but the rich who egged - on Hitler soon found out that the dog they fed bit them too.

The only chance is a better than expected poll at the election - it does not really matter who the votes are cast for so much as a good turn - out to show democracy is alive.

And you were no doubt a Derek Hatton supporter,,,,,,,, ey laar?

It matters not whether I did or did not support anyone. What matters is that I voted according to the law. I did not employ rent - a - mob to overthrow a legitimately elected government and replace it with a fascist Grand Council.

This is truly fascism in action. They cannot get elected, but they have harnessed the money of the super-rich to maintain rent-a-mob - it wouldn't be a surprise to see them kitted out in brown shirts or similar. They seek to close parliament, seemingly 'until further notice'. They want to have a 'Grand Council' to run the country in any way that they determine. They have Nuremburg-style rallies to ram home the same idealogy time and again, so that through repetition it becomes the norm. All they need now is a scapegoat community to 'blame' for everything - step forward Isaaners!