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Attempted (e-)Com.unications [in txt, with pics/ images] with [a] ‘Machine(8’ing) Politician[s]’, an ‘essayed’ example/eg ...
AN OPEN LETTER TO DAVID MILLIBAND M. P.
FROM SOUTH TYNESIDE STOP THE WAR COALITION.
Tuesday, 29/07/03
Dear David,
Following on from our exchanges in the Shields Gazette in March of this year regarding the then impending invasion of Iraq, would you now concede that:
many British people were tricked into supporting the Iraq war by a government of which you are a member?
you personally misled the people of South Tyneside on the issue of weapons of mass destruction [WMD]?
The government’s main justification for going to war was Iraq’s alleged possession of WMD - a position now discredited.
To date, the 1,400 strong inspection team of the Iraq Survey Group working in occupied territory under General Dayton has not found any significant evidence of such weapons.
Yet on 15 March 2003 you told the Gazette that there was ‘overwhelming evidence’ for such weapons. Would you now concede that you were mistaken - and retract that gross overstatement.
You were then quoted as saying: ‘A week ago in New York the Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix published a 170-page dossier that detailed Iraqi stockpiles of weapons of banned material that could be used for weapons of mass destruction. This includes athrax and nerve gas which has been missing since the1990 Gulf War.’ [Shields Gazette, 15/03/03]
Would you now concede that this was a distortion of Mr Blix’s careful and thoughtful report to the U.N., and would you further acknowledge that he has always maintained that ‘missing’ or ‘unaccounted for’ material is not the same thing as ‘ still existing’ material.
In our reply to your statement we said: ‘In June 2002 the Director of the International Atomic Energy Authority, Dr Mohamed El Baradei, wrote “There are no indications that Iraq has nuclear weapons-usable material or the practical capabilities to produce them.” Former U.N. weapons inspector Scott Ritter claims that most chemical-biological weapons were destroyed along with their production facilities during the 1990s. Ritter states that “liquid bulk anthrax, even under ideal storage conditions, germinates in three years, becoming useless.” So, if the hidden weapons exist, it may be their numbers would be small and most probably redundant. At present, we see no “overwhelming evidence”. [{Shields Gazette, 19/03/03]
Would you acknowledge that our statement was a more honest and accurate appraisal of the then available evidence than your own?
Did you ever really believe that Iraq had battlefield WMD ready to use at 45 minutes notice?- as your leader Tony Blair suggested to the House of Commons [24/09/02].
It always seemed to us inconceivable that US/UK ground forces would be sent in to face such weapons - as the slaughter would have been horrendous, even if allied forces would eventually win.
Would you now accept the fact that the style of the U.S-led assault with ground troops strongly suggests that war-planners knew all along that American and British troops would not be attacked by WMD?
Then there was the further discredited government claim of Iraq receiving uranium from Niger - which even our Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has now conceded was a load of ‘horlicks’.
Do you now agree that Britain was never under direct threat of a nuclear, chemical or biological attack by Iraq and that Saddam did not possess usable battlefield WMD?
Do you personally regret supporting an invasion that took place contrary to the normal conventions of international law, without the support of the UN, and without ‘overwhelming evidence’ of Saddam’s possession of WMD?
No one will mourn the end of a brutal and murderous regime of Saddam, and some are now suggesting that this can be used as the sole justification of the war.
Tony Blair himself has said that even if weapons are not found he is still convinced that it was right to invade Iraq.
What is your position? Do you agree with your leader’s implication that regardless of international law and regardless of accuracy of intelligence, the result justified the action?
Have you read recent policy statements by the right-wing American ‘think-tank’ The Project for a New American Century?
In a statement of principles first published in 1997 and signed by, among others, Dick Cheney, now U.S. Vice President, Donald Rumsfeld, now U.S. Defence Secretary and his deputy Paul Wolfowitz - this group calls on Americans to support an increase military spending and attempts to ‘rally support for American global leadership’.
Are you happy to be, in effect, a supporter of such a project? Is it in the best interests of Britain and the wider world?
Would you not now agree that the invasion of Iraq was an example of a new aggressive style of American imperialism - which your government is tamely supporting - and that the world is a much more dangerous place as a result?
We trust you will have the politeness to reply to this letter and with the honesty and integrity that the people of South Tyneside would expect from an elected representative.
Yours sincerely,
Philip Talbot [and others]
On behalf of the South Tyneside Stop The War Coalition
Just another photo opportunity?
[Copyright (that well known Labour Party supporting newspaper) The Daily Telegraph.]
David Miliband reading mail from constituents at the local Labour Party headquarters in Westoe Road, South Shields. His assistant Scot Duffy [an elected councillor seldom seen in the ward he was parachuted into in May] looks on ...
p.s. [For the record.]
On the evening of Sunday, 3rd August, South Tyneside Stop The War Coalition attempted to send a copy of this open letter to David Miliband via the 'electronic surgery' on his personal website [http://www.davidmiliband.org.uk/esurgery.htm].
Instead of a reply, the following error message appeared:
‘Error: Bad/No Recipient
There was no recipient or an invalid recipient specified in the data sent to FormMail. Please make sure you have filled in the recipient form field with an e-mail address that has been configured in @recipients. More information on filling in recipient form fields and variables can be found in the README file.
FormMail V1.92 © 1995 - 2002 Matt Wright
A Free Product of Matt's Script Archive, Inc.’
[http://www.davidmiliband.org.uk/formmail/formmail.cgi]
On Monday, 4th August, we sent a snail-mail person-to-person letter to the M.P. [David Miliband M.P., C/O The Labour Party, Ede House, 143 Westoe Road, South Shields, NE33 3PD] in an attempt to illustrate the apparent flaws in his system.
‘MILIBAND’S IN THE DOCK’ [A Shields Gazette Report]
South Shields MP David Miliband has been challenged to admit he was wrong to back the invasion of Iraq.
Members of South Tyneside's Stop The War Coalition, which advocated peaceful means to topple former dictator Saddam Hussein, have asked the education standards minister to admit he and his Government got it wrong when they said the tyrant was in possession of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
In an open letter, the group has asked Mr Miliband to concede that the majority of the British public were tricked into supporting the Iraq war, and that he had personally misled the people of South Tyneside on the issue of WMD.
To back up their claims the protesters point out that the 1,400-strong Iraq Survey Group inspection team has not yet found any significant evidence of such weapons.
The group claim that Mr Miliband's statement in the Gazette on March 15 that there was "overwhelming evidence" of such weapons was a gross overstatement.
The group also states that in June 2002 the Director of the International Atomic Energy Authority, Dr Mohamed El Baradei, wrote "There are no indications that Iraq has nuclear weapons-usable material or the practical capabilities to produce them."
Members of the group, based at Trinity House Social Centre in Laygate, also want Mr Miliband to state whether he still supports the statement made by Tony Blair in September that Iraq had battlefield WMD ready to use at 45 minutes' notice.
The group agrees that the removal from power of Saddam will benefit the Iraqi people, but claims the invasion breached international law.
It also claims the Prime Minister is trying to change the reason for going to war and wants Mr Miliband to make his feelings on the subject of whether the war was justified known to the people of South Shields.
Mr Miliband was unable to comment, as he is currently on holiday.
[Copyright Shields Gazette 07/08/2003 {Readers can judge for themselves how accurate a report this was of our open letter.}]
On Saturday, 9th August, after learning that David Miliband was on holiday, we sent a postcard of our own design to him with the following text:
South Shields
Saturday, 9 August [Nagasaki Day]
Dear David
Wish you were here weather is fine!
While you are on holiday, we have been busy circulating an open letter accusing you of misleading the people of South Tyneside over the issue of ‘weapons of mass destruction’. We have overwhelming evidence to back up our claim [Shields Gazette 15/03/03, 19/03/03, 07/08/03]. We trust that when you return to work you will find time in your schedule to reply to the accusation against you.
Yours sincerely
South Tyneside Stop The War Coalition.
The card carried the following stamp, which we designed to mark the launch of our pamphlet ‘Silence is Shame’.
A (e)Reply ...
Subject: Correspondence sent to David Miliband MP
From: REED, Hannah ["REEDHK@parliament.uk"]
To: "'s.t.stop.war.coal@btopenworld.com'" <s.t.stop.war.coal@btopenworld.com>
Date: Mon, 11 Aug 2003 10:28:17
Correspondence sent to David Miliband MP
Thank you for your letter and postcard expressing your concerns.
As you are aware, David Miliband MP is currently on holiday, your correspondence will be addressed on his return.
+
‘School-boy Howlers’
Matters of fact: in the Shields Gazette, Saturday, 16 August, David Miliband M.P. was reported as having responded to our open letter.
He is said to have produced an open letter of his own - but to date [Tuesday, 19 August] we have not received a copy.
More details of his response will follow - eventually. [The Gazette’s own ‘comprehensive’ electronic news service has been ‘curtailed’ - see update from Shields Gazette own website quoted below - 18 August.]
His reported response included the following statement attributed directly to his mouth: ‘Saddam was in power for over 40 years, ...’
Question for general review: as a matter of fact, how long was Saddam in power in Iraq?
More matters of fact: David Miliband M.P. is the British Government’s ‘schools standards’ minister. He has a first class honours degree in philosophy, politics and economics from Oxford University. He is a friend and ally of the British Prime Minister Tony Blair - and formerly part of the PM’s team of personal advisers inside 10 Downing Street - and one would assume that he has fairly high level access to the very latest ‘intelligence’ reports.
Question: should not the British people be entitled to expect from their ‘school standards’ minister - who has a high standard of tax-funded education himself, and a privileged access to up-to-date ‘intelligence’ - a better informed understanding of basic matters of historical fact?
In other words, should they not be entitled to expect that their ‘school standards’ minister has a better awareness of how long Saddam was actually in power in Iraq?
For the record, even an out-of-date CD ROM encyclopedia gives these facts of Saddam’s career up to 1979:
“Hussein, Saddam (1937- ), authoritarian president of Iraq since 1979 who has led his country into two devastating wars. Born to a poor farming family in Tikrīt, a town north of Baghdād, Hussein was raised by his widowed mother and other relatives. He moved to Baghdād in 1955 and became involved in politics, joining the opposition Baath Party, an Arab nationalist movement. Hussein rose quickly within the party and in 1959 helped organize an assassination attempt on 'Abd al-Karim Kassem, the military president of Iraq. Both Kassem and Hussein were injured in the gun battle, and Hussein fled to Cairo.
Hussein studied law in Cairo while continuing party-affiliated activities. He returned to Baghdād in 1963, married, and rose to the post of assistant secretary general of the Baath Party. The party remained in opposition to the government until 1968, when it seized power in a coup. Years of underground work gave Hussein a small core of like-minded friends, many related to him by blood or marriage and most from Tikrīt. After the coup, this clique established itself as a Revolutionary Command Council with absolute authority in the country. Hussein became vice chairman of the council in 1969. He worked closely with General Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, the council's chairman and president of Iraq.
Hussein took a leading role in addressing the country's major domestic problems. He negotiated an agreement in 1970 with separatist Kurdish leaders, giving them autonomy. The agreement later broke down, leading to brutal fighting between the regime and Kurdish groups. He also played a part in the nationalization of the oil industry, Iraq's major source of wealth. In 1973 oil prices skyrocketed, allowing the government to pursue an ambitious economic development program that included new schools, universities, hospitals, and factories.
In foreign affairs, Hussein at first helped Iraq play a leading role in the Middle East. In 1975 he negotiated a settlement with Iran that contained Iraqi concessions on border demarcation. In return, Iran agreed to stop supporting opposition Kurds in Iraq. Hussein also led Arab opposition to the 1979 Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel. President al-Bakr gradually withdrew from politics during the 1970s and formally retired in 1979. Hussein became chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council and president of the country.
"Hussein, Saddam," Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 99. © 1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
p.p.s. Why did David Miliband not simply admit his error of judgement over WMD?
From: http://www.southtynesidetoday.co.uk [Shields Gazette website]
“SYSTEM CHANGES
...
We regret that our comprehensive news and information services are curtailed. We are undertaking changes to the maintenance procedures of the site with the introduction of new systems and hope to provide an enhanced service in the near future.
18/08/2003
All rights reserved 2001 Johnston Press New Media.”
For The Record: ... an ‘open letter’ from David Miliband M.P.:
Letter to The Editor made freely available for immediate publication
Wednesday, 20 August, 2003
From: Philip Talbot, 1 Sheldon Road, South Shields, NE34 6ES
[On behalf of South Tyneside Stop the War Coalition]
To: John Szymanski, The Editor, Shields Gazette, Chapter Row, South Shields, NE33 1BL
Dear John
We read with interest your report [20/08/03] of David Miliband's reply to our open letter, which had accused him of misleading the people of South Tyneside over the issue of 'Weapons of Mass Destruction' [WMD].
We do not wish to get drawn into a prolonged and tedious ‘he said / we said’ row. The facts are clear. In his reply Mr Miliband avoided the central issue we raised:
He said explicitly in March that 'yes' there was 'overwhelming evidence' that Saddam possessed WMD.
There was not 'overwhelming evidence' of WMD - then or now.
Hence, either he made an error of judgement in March, or else he deliberately misrepresented the then available evidence.
Either way, the people of South Tyneside were 'misled' by one of their elected Parliamentary representatives [who also happens to be the British government’s ‘school’s standards’ minister, and a close ally of the Prime Minister].
He should now acknowledge his error.
Yours sincerely
Philip Talbot
Facts [02/09/03]
The above letter to the Gazette was neither published nor acknowledged.
The above letter contained an error - corrected in printed versions sent to the Gazette [namely the date given to the Gazette report -it should have read 16/08/03, not 20/08/03].
The Gazette has yet to correct David Miliband’s false statements about how long Saddam was in power.
More ...
On Friday, 17th September, South Tyneside Stop The War Coalition took the trouble to sent two further, personally named and addressed, hand-written notes to David Miliband [copy available, on request, from any interested parties]
So far, he has not taken the trouble to reply.
The ongoing ‘issue’ boils down to this really: why cannot David Miliband, and his ‘mentors’, admit their errors? what are they hiding [from]?
Footnote Questions for Wider Consideration [02/09/03]
Did David Miliband deliberately deceive the people of South Tyneside? Or does he lack basic evidence-understanding ability? [In other words: is he trying to con us? or ‘merely’conning himself?]
+++++
News Distortions, an attempted/essayed creative example, by Philip Talbot
Preliminary Sketches [31/08/03, 02/09/03]
On Thursday, 28 August 2003, many of the world’s mainstream media outlets - international, national, local - reported an apparent art theft from a Scottish castle.
Eg, Shields Gazette [28/08/03] headline: ‘Thieves steal Da Vinci masterpiece’
This headline was followed by an unattributed report - presumably compiled by the Press Association, a national news agency serving British local newspapers, and [supposedly] their readerships.
The report detailed an apparent theft of a ‘masterpiece by Leonardo Da Vinci’ which ‘could be worth anything between £25 million and £40 million’. The ‘masterpiece’ had been part of the ‘£400 million’ art collection of the Duke of Buccleuch at his home Drumlanrig Caslte in Dumfries and Galloway.
The article was accompanied by the following balck and white picture [copyrights ignored] said to represent a ‘Madonna with the Yarnwinder’:
Likely Stories? [31/08/03, 02/09/03]
The Duke of Buccleuch is claiming to have had a painting stolen from
his castle. It is said by some sources to be `worth' up to £50 million.
It is said to have been painted by `the hand of Leonardo'.
It is said to have been called the `Madonna with the Yarn Winder'.
The `offence' is said to have occurred at Drumlanrig Castle, in the English/Scottish borderlands.
So the story goes: two smartly dressed middle-aged men mingled with
a tour party visiting the castle … they over-powered a woman guide … unhooked the painting … walked off with it … and escaped in a
Volkswagon Golf GTI … police are still searching for the men ...
Some Facts [31/08/03, 02/09/03]
There are huge doubts about the authencity of the so-called 'Leonardo' painting known as the Madonna of the Yarn-winder, said to have been stolen from the the family of the Dukes of Buccleuch, Drumlanrig Castle.
These doubts have not been represented in mainstream media reports of the ‘theft’.
There are several versions of a 16th century oil painting known as Madonna with a Yarn-Winder.
NONE OF THESE PAINTINGS HAS BEEN WELL AUTHENTICATED AS HAVING BEEN PAINTED BY LEONARDO.
There may never even have been an original oil painting on this theme by Leonardo.
There is a red-chalk drawing apparently on this theme that is reasonably well authenticated to the hand of Leonardo – it is currently in the British Queen's / British Citizens' collection, presently thought held at Windsor.
ALL THE VARIOUS EXISTING OIL PAINTING VERSIONS SEEM TO BE COPIES of original Leonardo work.
Fra Pietro Nuvolaria was an envoy in Florence of Isabella d'Este. His remit early in 1501 was to procure pictures from Leonardo. He left a record of his activities in March and April of that year in a letter, which has survived. He mentions Leonardo's works as including work on the theme of Madonna with a Yarn Winder. There is extreme doubt as to whether this was a finished composition. Leonardo was in many respects essentially a conceptual artist. He seldom carried graphical work through all the stages of creation - to, eg, `finished' oil paintings. There is no chain of firm evidence to connect any of the presently existing Madonna with a Yarn Winder oil paintings directly to the hand of Leonardo. They are almost certainly either copies of a lost Leonardo original, or, more likely, work produced by others based on studies such as the drawing now in the Queen's / Citizens' collection.
The painting reportedly `stolen' from the Scottish castle is most likely NOT a Leonardo original.
Authenticity [31/08/03]
The picture below is a copy [copyrights ignored] of an authentic representation of the ‘hand of Leonardo’ - it is the red chalk study on the theme of Madonna, from the Queen’s / Citizens’ collection, Windsor.
Light Relief Study [31/08/03]
The image below is an obviously amateurish copy of original work by Leonardo.
Apparent Diversions [31/08/03, 02/09/03]
The images below appeared in The Observer, 11/11/01, along with this caption:
‘An artist’s impression of elusive Iraqi agent Muhammad al-Ani, top, and hijacker Mohamed Atta. New evidence about their meeting in Prague in April [2001] points to some level of Iraqi involvement in the 11 September [2001] atrocity.’
The November 2001 Observer report accompanying the above images began:
‘His friends call Abu Amin, ‘the father of honesty’. At 43 he is one of Iraq’s most highly decorated intelligence officers: a special forces veteran who organised killings behind Iranian lines during the first Gulf war, who then went on to a seniro post in the unit know as ‘M8’ - the department for ‘special operations’, such as sabotage, terrorism and murder. This is the man, Colonel Muhammed Kalil Ibrahim al-Ani, whom Mohamed Atta flew halfway across the world to meet in Prague last April, five months before piloting his hijacked aircraft into the World Trade Centre.’
Matters of fact: many of the details in the above quotation [presumably fed to The Observer by ‘intelligence sources’] are untrue. Specifically the meeting between Atta and the Iraqi agent, reported as if a certain matter of fact, almost certainly never happened - even the American FBI and CIA concluded that there was no credible evidence of it occurring [see Alphabet Soup - Q]
Further Light Relief Studies [31/08/03]
Below is an amateurish representation of a blend of two men, George Walker Bush and Tony Blair, who claimed to have special ‘intelligence’ of links between the terrorists reponsible for the 11 September [2001] atrocities and Iraq.
Awaiting Developments [31/08/03]
South Tyneside Stop The War Coalition believes that investigating the truth - and in the process bringing to the attention of the wider public how the truth is distorted by truth-corrupting individuals, groups and systematic processes - is an important aspect of anti-war campaigning.
With this general aim in mind, we are continuing to investigate the ‘case’ of the ‘theft’ Scottish castle of a painting doubtfully attributed to the ‘hand of Leonardo’.
On Friday, 29 August 2003, we contacted Dumfries and Galloway police [corporateservices@dumfriesandgalloway.pnn.police.uk] asking them why they are putting out misleading statements to the public about this painting - i.e. stating as if it were an undoubted fact that it was painted by Leonardo.
On the same date we also contacted the National Gallery [information@ng-london.org.uk] and the British Museum [information@thebritishmuseum.ac.uk] asking why their paid art history ‘experts’ had not gone public to express the doubts of the art history community on the authenticity of the so-calle ‘Drumlanrig Leonardo’.
So far, none of these tax-payer funded organizations has replied to our inquiries.
Developments [02/09/03]
Dumfries and Galloway Police, the British Museum, and the National Gallery have still not shown the politeness to reply to enquires from tax-payers who fund their activities.
We are writing to The Obsever to point out some of their errors.
We are NOT writing to the Shields Gazette to point out some of their errors - past experience having taught us that under the editorship of John Szymanski [‘a Londoner’ - as some of the Gazette’s more locally raised sub-editos seldom fail to point out when writing captions for photo opportunities he appears in] does not seem have the honesty to correct mistakes, nor the common courtesy to reply to correspondence sent to it.
Further Reading, [02/09/03]
George Vasari wrote the first biography of Leonardo in the mid-16th century. It contains the historical facts of Leonardo's work as known to near-contempories, but begins a practice of stretching Leonardo's life and work beyond the bounds of historical truth.
Few of Leonardo's own 'finished' art-works have survived.
His notebooks are mostly impersonal.
The 'real' Leonardo is difficult to fathom. Art historian and other interpreters have told stories to fill this 'void' - often revealing more about themselves than about their ostensible subject.
A. Richard Turner, Inventing Leonardo [first published 1992], is a good starting point for consideration of how the facts of the artist's life and work have been distorted into myth - and sometimes outright faleshood.
For further studies of Leonardo's studies on Madonna themes, a starting point might be: A. Chastel, Le Madonne di Leonardo [first published 1985]
For insights into the unlikely real world interconnexions between art history and 'intelligence' work, a starting place might be: A. Blunt, Artistic Theory in Italy, 1450-1600 [first published in 1940].
{Blunt was a Cambridge educated snob who was at one time 'keeper' of the Queen's / Citizens' art works. He was also a spy who betrayed his country to the Soviet Union. Blunt should not be mistaken for a 'true' communist - or a true art historian. He appears to have been more or less a nihilist with little genuine feeling for anything - who enjoyed role-playing 'games' as time-killing exercises. [Matter of factly, he was also piss poor in his artistic judgements - on the wall of his study there hung a painting he claimed to be an authentic Poussin: it was almost certainly a fake.]}
Re-touches, [02/09/03]
There are many versions of the Madonna with a Yarn-Winder, mentioned in the letter by Fra Pietro Novellara: in the Louvre, in Drumlanrig Castle , Scotland, [now reportedly somewhere else, of course], etc. None of them seems to be by Leonardo's own hand. Some scholars believe that they are copies of a lost work, but as Chastel points out, there may never have been an orignal. Leonardo might have drawn a composition of the Madonna with a Yarn-Winder [the red chalk drawing of a woman in the Windosr collection - No: 12514] and then left the execution of the theme to his followers. Fra Pietro also says that at this period, Leonardo sometimes added touches to the paintings of other people.
Surviving Correspondences, [02/09/03]
On 14 April 1501 Fra Pietro da Novellara wrote from Florence to Isabella d'Este at Mantua.
He said that he had been introduced to Leonardo and found him at work on a Madonna with child for Florimond Robertet, secretary to the King of France.
He describes a picture in some detail: a child has seized the lady's yarn-winder and is holding it as if it were a cross, gazing at it lovingly.
Fra Pietro suggests progress on this work might have been slow - and he is one of many to note how Leonardo turns of mind made it difficult for him to complete tasks in hand: 'mathematical experiments have distracted him so much from painting that he cannot suffer the brush'.
[Vasari: 'The truth, however, is surely that Leonardo's profound and discerning mind was so ambitious that this was itself an impediment; and the reaon he failed was because he endeavoured to add excellence to excellence and perfection to perfection. As Petrarch has said, the desire outran the performance.']
More Developments, [02/09/03]
South Tyneside Stop The War Coalition has now been contact by Dumfries and Galloway police.
We are pleased to note that they are helping us with our inquiries.
Full correspondence [including corporate disclaimers] given below:
From: Fiona.Prentice@DumfriesandGalloway.pnn.police.uk
To: Philip Talbot
{Sent: ? Received: about 11am BST}
On behalf of the Enquiry team, thank you for taking the time to contact us, your comments have been noted.
If you are not the intended recipient please advise us immediately and do not disclose, copy or distribute the contents to any person. Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary monitors and virus scans email, however it is your responsibility to carry out such virus or other checks as are appropriate to ensure that this message and any attachments do not affect your systems or data. This communication is intended for the person(s) or organisation named and may be sensitive in nature, legally privileged and protected in law. Opinion expressed may not be official policy and we do not accept responsibility for any changes to this message after it was originally sent.
-----Original Message-----
From: Philip Talbot > Sent: 29 August 2003 20:57> To: corporateservices@dumfriesandgalloway.pnn.police.uk > Subject: > > Dear Sir / Madam> Are you aware that your police force has been misleading the public for> the past few days?> One would expect better from investigators of the truth.> Your police spokespeople have been saying that a 'Leonardo' painting> entitled Madonna with a Yarn-Winder has been stolen from a castle in> Scotland.> This is extremely doubtful.> Have your officers checked art history sources carefully?> Truth and Illusion - does your force care about the difference any more?> Matters of fact:> * There are several versions of a 16th century oil painting > known as Madonna with a Yarn-Winder.> * NONE OF THESE PAINTINGS HAS BEEN WELL AUTHENTICATED AS HAVING BEEN> PAINTED BY LEONARDO.> * There may never even have been an original oil painting on > this theme by Leonardo.> * There is a red-chalk drawing apparently on this theme that is > reasonably well authenticated to the hand of Leonardo - it is > currently in the British Queen's / British Citizens' collection.> * All the various existing oil painting versions seem to be > copies of original Leonardo work> * Fra Pietro Nuvolaria was the envoy in Florence of Isabella > d'Este. His remit early in 1501 was to procure pictures from > Leonardo. He left a record of his activities in March and April of > that year in a letter, which has survived. He mentions Leonardo's > works as including Madonna with a Yarn Winder. There is extreme > doubt as to whether this was a finished composition. Leonardo was in > many respects essentially a conceptual artist. He seldom carried > graphical work through all the stages of creation - to, > eg, `finished' oil paintings. There is no chain of firm evidence to > connect any of the presently existing Madonna with a Yarn Winder oil > paintings directly to the hand of Leonardo. They are almost > certainly either copies of a lost Leonardo original, or, more likely, > work produced by others based on studies such as the drawing now in > the Queen's / Citizens' collection. The painting `stolen' from the > Scottish castle is most likely not a Leonardo original. > Best Wishes, Philip Talbot, 1Sheldon Road, South Shields. NE34 6ES.>
More Light Relief [03/09/03, 04/09/03, 05/09/03, 14/10/03]
Sexing up the dossier ... or ... a copy of a Madonna representation sharing love with a British sounding representative singer ... or ... Britney and Madge have a snog at last month’s MTV awards ...
More Further Developments [04/09/03, 05/09/03]
Dumfries and Galloway Police are still misleadingly stating as undoubted fact that a Leonardo painting was stolen from a Scottish castle.
Quotes from Dumfries and Galloway police Homepage:
‘Drumlanrig Castle Art Theft
Art theft from Drumlanrig Castle on 27 August 2003 - valuable painting by Leonardo da Vinci, Madonna with Yarnwinder, stolen. Police appeal for the help of the public.’
‘Community Promise
The aim of our Community Promise is to deliver the highest possible standards of policing reflecting our commitment to work with, care for and protect the community.’
Quotes from a D. and G. police press release:
‘Press Release 1399/2003
Issued: 1 September 2003
Officers working on the theft of the Da Vinci painting Madonna with the Yardwinder, from Drumlanrig Castle, Dumfriesshire, on Wednesday 27 August 2003 would like to hear of sightings of a black BMW saloon car .
The car was seen on the U457N, Carronbridge to Mitchellslacks Road, near Thornhill, on that Wednesday, between 09:30 and 11:30 hours.
This is a road which links, through a series of country roads, to the A701 Dumfries to Edinburgh road, in the Moffat area and the A76, Dumfries to Kilmarnock road. These roads, in their turn, link to the A74(M), Gretna to Glasgow motorway, in the Lockerbie area and the A75, Gretna to Stranraer road.
Enquiry officers would like to hear of any sightings of a black BMW which might relate to this mid morning sighting near Thornhill.
Contact should be made with the police at Dumfries on 01387 252112 or any police officer.’
More Copied Pictures [04/09/03]
Pictures and text were supplied to us by D. and G. police.
‘An e-fit reconstruction of a man who purchased the Volkswagen Golf gti motor car, registration number H596 VRP, from the registered owner around two weeks ago.’
 
‘Images taken from the Drumlanrig Castle CCTV system of two of the men involved in the theft of the painting. They can be seen making efforts to conceal their facial features.’
‘Leonardo da Vinci, Madonna with Yarnwinder’
More Public Disinformation [26/09/03]
From BBC web pages [copyrights ignored]:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/crime/crimewatch/appeals.shtml
Appeal 1. On Wednesday 27th August 2003, the famous painting 'Madonna With The Yarnwinder', by Leonardo Da Vinci was stolen from Drumlanrig Castle, Thornhill at approximately 11:00 a.m.
Two men entered the castle, with tickets. When in the 'Staircase Hall' room one of the men assaulted and overpowered the guide whilst the other man removed the painting from the wall. They exited the castle through a French window, where they joined by a third 'lookout' male. They ran to a getaway car which was waiting on the drive leading from the castle, occupied by a fourth male.
The car was then abandoned about two miles from the castle, in the grounds of Morton Hill Farm, Thornhill. The men were then thought to have driven away in a black BMW. The picture frame was later recovered in an access road leading from the castle (A76), approximately one mile from the castle.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/crime/support/counterfeitgoods.shtml
How can I protect myself from counterfeit goods?
From fake CDs, to fake perfume and jewellery, counterfeit goods are widely available across the UK.
Get the genuine originals and avoid the fakes with our simple buying tips.
Counterfeiting is a huge problem globally, with millions of counterfeit goods being produced and sold every year. It is estimated that up to 10% of perfumes and toiletries in the market place are fakes, along with 12% of toys and sports goods.
Counterfeit goods are deliberately produced to resemble well-known brands. Part of the reason for the increase in counterfeiting is availability of new technology. Modern computers, printers and scanners have all made producing fake logos and packaging much easier for criminals.
For many people, buying a counterfeit item can seem like a good way to purchase a designer item at a knockdown price. However, consumers often do not realise that part of the reason these goods are cheaper than the real thing is because they are badly made, and sometimes even dangerous. In the past, raids on counterfeit goods have found perfumes containing urine as a stabiliser and alcopops containing anti-freeze. Fake Tetley tea-bags have been also seized which contained metal filings, floor sweepings and mouse droppings.
Buying counterfeit goods can also have much greater consequences than people realise, and you could end up unwittingly giving money to organised crime and terrorist organisations; profits from some fake t-shirts have even been linked to the funding of the Al-Qaeda network. Counterfeiters also have a huge impact on legitimate businesses, which causes them to lose millions of pounds of revenue a year.
You are obviously far less at risk of buying counterfeit goods if you shop at well established retailers than from someone selling out of a suitcase in the high street. Remember that if you do decide to buy something from a street trader (pictured right), and later discover that the items are not what they appear to be, you will have no comeback as, unlike buying from a high street shop, you have no consumer protection.
If you are tempted to buy, some of the key items to be extra careful of include sportswear, designer label clothing, children's toys, perfume, cosmetics and champagne. You should also be wary when thinking about buying CDs and cassettes as these are often fakes, as are videotapes and DVDs.
Examine any items you are thinking of buying carefully. Poor quality labels and packaging on perfumes and cosmetics can often indicate that the items inside are not genuine. If you are unsure about a watch, handle the strap, fakes will often feel tinny when shaken. With counterfeit goods the logos and brand names are often poorly attached. Also be especially aware of any items which could become loose and choke or cut a child. Look for the BSI Kite and Lion quality marks which signify that the item has passed safety tests.
If you are buying CDs, DVDs and pre-recorded audio cassette tapes be wary of any with with poor quality inlay cards, no artist name on the cassette label or disc face and no outer cellophane wrapping. CDs that are not silver will be copies. Also look out for CDs, DVDs, and video cassettes without security holograms and photocopied labels.
Car parts are also frequently counterfeited, illegal and fake car parts circulating in the UK have been assessed as accounting for some 10% of the market. Authorities have seized fake suspension parts, brake pads and discs, and even steering linkages, all of which could cause a fatal crash if they failed.
With car parts it can be very difficult to spot a fake part. As counterfeiters can copy the design of genuine parts very closely, it is usually the materials used that differ. If you do have the opportunity to examine a part you should check it closely, looking for any holes and checking to see if the logo or packaging looks genuine.
By far the best way to avoid a potentially dangerous counterfeit car part is to make sure you buy from either a franchised dealer or a garage that is a member of a recognised body, such as the Retail Motor Industry Federation or the British Independent Motor Trade Association. It is also a good idea to check the local Trading Standards Office to make sure the company you are planning to buy from is listed.
Although good bargains can always be found it pays to be aware that if something seems too good to be true it probably is.
Useful Links
BBCi Watchdog - http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog
Information on consumer rights, and where you stand legally when you purchase goods or services.
Trading Standards Institute - http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk
Information on your rights as a consumer.
The Anti-Counterfeiting Group - http://www.a-cg.com/
Information on counterfeiting and links to other organisations.
More Almost Unbelievable Stories of Faking [14/10/03]
Reports in today’s newspapers [see e.g. British Daily Mail, page 2] suggest that U.S. army ‘spin doctors’ have been drafting fake ‘letters home’ from American troops serving in Iraq to paint a rosy picture of the situation in Iraq.
Dozens of letters supposedly written by individual soldiers serving in the Kirkuk area of northern Iraq were sent to local newspapers in the USA.
They purport to tell of how American forces have brought the war-torn country ‘back to normal’, and claim they have successfully restored electricity, water and sewage facilities..
According to the letters, people wave at passing US. troops, and children run up to them to shake their hands and say in broken English: ‘Thank you, mister’.
Suspicions were raised when it began to become apparent to American newspaper readers that the individual named soldier’s letters had near identical wording.
The father of one named ‘letter writer’, Private Nick Deaconson, of Beckley, West Virginia, is said to have read a letter with his son’s name attached and to have become suspicious because it was not in his son’s normal writing style.
The father phoned his son to ask about the letter. ‘What letter?’ the son reportedly replied.
The full scale of the apparent systematic fraud was discovered when two near identical letters arrived at the same newspaper, The Olympian, Snohomish, Washingston State.
The paper is part of the Gannet News organization, and Olympian staff started a search of other titles in the group and found several more near identical letters.
The national USA Today paper, also part of the group, then reported the story more widely.
Letters have also been spotted in local newspapers as far afield as Massachusetts, Florida, and California..
News organizations have now named Lieutenant Colonel Dominic Caraccilo, commanding officer of the U.S. Army’s 503rd Airborne, as the man responsible for dreaming up the letter writing campaign.
He claimed he wanted to spread ‘good news’ and that his instructions were that soliders should only sign the formula-letter supplied to them if they agreed with what it said.
It now appears some soldiers were ordered, or otherwise pressured, to sign - or that others were signing on their behalf.
It is also possible that some troops, knowing that the letters did not accurately represent what they were experiencing, found a way to expose a bad faith publicity stunt.
More Light Relief Studies [16.11.03]
Undercover cops search the underworld for lost Madonnas - and other dubious characters ...
+++++
Late News 2003 ...
It is never too late to attempt to build a better world ...
Even though seemingly made weak by time and events, people can remain strong in will to strive, to seek, to find better ways - and not to yield to the crass, essentially self-serving, war-mongers and their ilk.
Douglas going to war gave the sun to the flowers and the moon to those in love. Later he spoke simple truth eloquently: "War is bloody awful!" And then he apologized: "Excuse my language."
Douglas remembered and answered questions he had been asked: "Did I kill any Jerries? I always hoped to. But if you meet a man face-to-face, that's a different kettle of fish. The last order
I gave before I was wounded was: 'Fix bayonets everybody!' Then I got hit. So I never had to do it face-to-face. It's filthy!"
Albert was captured by the Chinese during the Korean War in the 1950s: "We just accepted things in those days. People ask me if the Chinese brain-washed me as a prisoner-of-war. I say I was brain-washed before I went. Korea has never left me. I had nightmares for 40 years. Then I gave a talk about the war. An army psychiatrist told me talking was the best thing I could do. I don't wake up at night now. But nobody who goes through war can throw it off."
Douglas fought on the Somme in 1916. A few years ago he said: "Before I went, I remember going down a lane and looking at the trees and wondering if I'd see them again. I wrote my will and said: 'I give the sun to the flowers and the moon to those in love.' War is bloody awful - excuse my language. We buried 300 Yanks in two nights after one attack. But death was death and that was that. After you've been over about an hour, everything is chaotic, completely and utterly out of this world. I saw a friend in the hospital with something over his legs and he said: 'Wotcher Doug', but I don't know what happened to him then. We'd been to school together. I missed my brother, like I miss my wife now. I look at his photo and I think I'm here and I'm 101, and he was killed when he was 21, and thousands more, too. It's so unjust."
Mike survived a 1940s bombing raid that killed his parents and younger brother, and which left his elder brother with serious head injuries. He said in 2003: "Paddy really suffered from that bombing. He never had much of a life really. He couldn't read or write. He used to have nightmares. He was always trying to talk about our mother, but it used to upset him. He never had a good standard of living because of his lack of education. He worked all his life but he couldn't have a good conversation. He couldn't even tell the time. He died last year of a tumour behind his eye where the bomb had scarred him. A lot of people used to say they hated the Germans, and I did for a long time. I wanted revenge. But you can't go through life hating people. It would be like a cancer eating away at me. I don't hate them now."
Christine's husband was killed in the Falkland's War in the 1980s: "I'm not a great believer in visiting graves. It's the memories of the person that you have within yourself that count. It was like having to regress before I could go forward again. I've never consciously thought I wouldn't marry again, but, inevitably, you compare. So far nobody has matched up. We were on the same wavelength. I was 25 when he was killed and I've changed quite a lot since then. Sometimes I
wonder what he'd be like now. The basic Dave would still be the same, I think. I wouldn't have needed anything else in my world if he'd been there."
What parts can remain one - resting as traces in eternity, even if leaving little visible posterity ...
Other ways are always possible ...
You can settle for a ‘world of crap’ ...
Or you can do your bit[s] [and pieces] to help to create a better [more peace-filled] world ...
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