DSK did it? No Yes

Something happened in the hotel room between Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK) former head of the International Monetary Fund and the chamber maid Nafissatou Diallo.  There is no doubt of that.  DSK claims it was consensual.  Diallo claims it was attempted rape.  But yet DSK is allowed bail and may not even go to trial.  Diallo has been painted as an opportunist woman who has friends with low life criminals, she's not in American.  Whilst DSK is a rich powerful man, he commands the attention of heads of states, he walks on water.  Yet there is something you just can't help feel he is not revealing.  One reason perhaps is because DSK has not stood up with anger and denied it.  If he could not do this because of legal reasons, his lawyers should have done so.  Instead they went on the attack, discreditting Diallo.  Also you have to ask why would a chamber maid want to go about selling her self to customers of a highly esteemed hotel.  It would stand to reason if this was her normal behaviour she wouldn't be working there long.  It doesn't add up.

It all comes out in the wash.  Tristane Banon (a reporter) has also stated DSK tried to rape her.  This was in 2003 in Paris, where he acted like "a rutting chimpanzee" trying to rip her clothes off.  You can't wonder how the hell if this was the case didn't DSK come to trial over it. The reason could be because DSK had been having a fling with Banon's mother as well.  In fact a look on the news web and it is easy to find more allegations of DSKs exploits.  However, you have to judge things for yourself.  So I would ask anyone who had doubts about DSK to check out the videos of him.  These show a man with body language which tells a lot.  It tells of someone who has a guilty walk, an arrogant strut, and a quite deceptive face.  It is only when you see these images it hits home.  And the thought will occur along the lines of "this man is a liar, he did it."

Were it another woman with a less shady background than Diallo then it would likely be this case would not of fallen under they vulture like discredit of DSKs lawyers.  He may have admitted to some minor charge.  But here is a case of a powerful man who will not.  However, as time goes on, more instances of his behaviour will come into the public domain.  If the courts don't get to take judgement of DSK many others certainly will.

America and debt

At the moment the clock is ticking.  As American has not agreeded to holding another trillion dollars in debt.  The implications for the rest of the world are absolutely dire.  If they can not come to an agreement then they will default on all their previous loans.  It could as a consequence mean interest rates for the rest of europe with go up higher than a rocket.  Further from this it may mean, repossessions and homelessness for all those who would be sitting in comfort.  Job will ultimately go and we will then find everything becomes substantially more expensive. 

Now is a catastrophic time.

Murdock refuses responsibility

Watching a clip of Rupert Murdock give evidence at a government committee, I was flabbergasted when he refused to accept responsibility for what happened in his own company.  He blamed those people he trusted.  Here was a prime example of someone who should be made completely liable and held to account.  In an equally absurd and mind boggling display of madness shares in News Corp gained six percentage points after his interview.

The owner of a business is ultimately responsible for everything that happens in that business.  Murdock doesn't seem to understand this salient point.  It is the owner who sets the standards, makes themselves known, decides the policies and is the vanguard.  If such a person chooses not to be seen and when they do are only interested in the figures of profit how can they give any moral compass to their own company?  They simply can not.  Here is a man who has acted like all short viewing accountants.  He hasn't bothered to find out how those profits come about, what was happening behind the scenes or has he even cared about the content of the newspapers.  This is someone who hadn't heard of the Minnie Dowler case until the phone hacking scandle began to take form.  Then it didn't actually hit him straight away.  Murdock states he has not been more humbled in his life.  In reality what he is saying is he has not been more stupid or ignorant.  An example of this was seen when in a flippant comment to a reporter who asked him about what was going on he said he was keeping an eye on Rebbecca Brooks.  This was so as to assure Rebbecca he was giving her his full support.  Lets not forget, Mrs Brooks is a woman who had only got her post as editor of the NoW because of who she knew.  Not because she had a single journalistic or editorial qualification.  Only because she knows how to mingle in millionaire and billionaire circles.  I nearly wrote class.  When class has nothing to do with it.  Brookes getting her cushy job at the NoW was a prime example of upper societies nepotism.  They look after their own. 

Even more so is this evident in disbanding the entire NoW business and still keeping Brookes on as head of News International.  Murdock simply has a soft spot for Brookes.  It has taken a fiasco of her offering her resignation, Murdock refusing it and then Murdock sacking her.  Probably through some mutual consent because he will have another nice little earner job set up for her somewhere else.  Maybe not immediately.  But I'd put a pint on it.  After the whole episode has been swept under the carpet, Murdock will invite Brookes to a week in the Alps and make her another proposal she can not refuse.  After all he's a billionaire.  He could propose anything for me, at the right price of course.

Jumper trys suicide

This morning I heard a helicopter overhead.  It seemed pretty low.  At first I ignored it then as it got louder had another look.  It was descending and looked like it was going to land a few streets away.  I recognised its distinctive red colour and the logo on the side.  Sponsored by Virgin.  It's the air ambulance which is used in London in emergencies.  Over they years I've seen it maybe three or four times and it normally means someone is in a serious condition.

I ran out of the front door and took my camera.  I was hoping to video or photograph the copter on it's descent, because it would look really good seeing it land.  But I was too late.  So settled for some pictures of it stationary in a car park.  Some kids on bicycles asked why it was there, I said they had run out of petrol and were about to fill up at the station.  As I walked along I could see a some people and then emergency personnel.  They seemed to be gathered on a railway line.  There is a flyover next to this part of the line.  Another kid asked me "is he dead?" I'd only just got there and didn't know what the circumstances were.  But it was then obvious.  Someone had tried to commit suicide by jumping off the flyover onto the railway line.  There about fifty feet away was a stopped train.  It had stopped at the station and had not even started to move out.  Whoever had jumped had pretty much got poor timing and jumped before the train moved.  Hence a crowd of emergency personnel trying to keep him alive.  I say it was a bloke, because of the method of suicide.  Men are more successful at killing themselves except in this case.  I couldn't see a woman jumping off a bridge.  They would be a mess when they hit the ground and are more considerate.  No it was definitely a bloke.

So this would be suicide victim had now decided to stop the train service for the next hour or so as all trains would not be allowed up or down to London for the next hour or two.  The expense of the helicopter was no doubt equally phenomenal.  Then there was the police and two ambulances, a quick response one and a standard one there.  In all probably about twenty plus people involved, not to mention the closure of the train line and the impact of every person who wanted to go somewhere.  The cost I have no doubt had climbed into the tens of thousands of pounds. Now take into account the immediate emergency submission into hospital and life saving surgery the cost would escalate some more.  If he survives there would be a stay in hospital and then the use of any other life long services which would be required because no doubt this man would be crippled for the rest of his life.  The failed suicide victim now comes into needing life long support from the state again at an expense to the state for which he would unlikely to contribute back into.  The clear and cold reality is, resources taken for this one person could now have an impact on many other individuals.  NHS funds as we know are limited and resources tight.  Some other individual who would of been booked an operation today may find they are put back into the waiting line.  Other patients who may require expensive medication may find this medication is limited or not forthcoming because the funds have been depleted a little more.  Another individual who could be on a train and just had to be some place at a certain time in for a special event will miss it.  Something which can never be done again. 

So it is.  The failure of a suicide can cost society more than the success.

Death of a 16 year old

It is with sad news I hear of a 16 year old boy who has been stabbed by another boy and died.  This happened only a few miles from where I live.  Such a young life and now gone.  I wonder if this young lad had a girlfriend and whether he had felt the love of a first love.  I'm guessing the perpetrator has no understanding of how the weight of justice will now sit on his shoulders.  How for the next 10 years at least he will be in custody and not be given the chance to grow up with his friends.  Go to discos, get drunk and play football.  Or whether he was one of those misguided youngsters who was in a gang and thought defending his territory, street cred and stupid gang alliance was what mattered.  No doubt the full details will come out over the next few days.  Whatever those details are they will be depressive.  Society will ask for it's pound of flesh and he will learn about this very soon. 

I wonder if he is sitting in his police cell and crying, whether he has remorse, or if he is there sitting in silence not knowing or guessing the consequences of his action.