Peter in top Paddy shock

Yesterday Paddys Day.  Camera not working so here's last year’s picture. The jacket belonged to York artist the late Mike Maynard, and made me top Paddy.  You're meant to wear something green on Paddys day and I take this responsibility seriously but I'm afraid not many do.  At the Ballyporeen parade I took a sample of 20, of which only two had made a determined effort, four had made a half hearted effort, and the rest no effort.  It pains me to say that Eileen has to go in the half hearted category though I lack photographic evidence to support this condemnatory statement.

Went to 9.30 mass.  A pot of shamrock on the altar which the priest blessed. He sprinkled holy water on it and on the congregation. References to St Patrick bringing Christianity to the Irish and the 3 leaves being a symbol of the Holy Trinity.

Taking the biscuit

Thanks to Noggin for sending me this one about a banker, a Daily Mail reader and a benefit claimant sharing a plate of biscuits. There are 12 of them, the banker takes 11, and whispers to the Daily Mail reader: "Watch out for the benefit claimant, he wants your biscuit.”

26th Mar: TUC cuts demo will be massive

The TUC is organising a national demonstration on 26 March, in response to the government's programme of fast and deep public spending cuts. Message to my UK readers: "make it a big one!"

For TUC information and resources for the day, go to http://marchforthealternative.org.uk/ 

Japan and Libya

A still from a movie we've probably all seen several times in the past 48 hours.  Vast chunks of debris including whole houses surging over farmland. Here's what the New Scientist has to say.

So far as I can tell the tsunami didn’t affect the Philippines and Pacific Islands as severely as at first thought.  I hope my information is correct.  This will be a big disappointment for disaster capitalists who will have been licking their lips waiting to evict poor people from valuable coastal real estate. 

For the Japanese to be threatened tonight with accidental nuclear fallout is particularly poignant since they are the only people ever to have been subjected to this by deliberate intent. 

For the first time, the effects of an earthquake and tsunami in Japan have been felt in North Africa. Thousands will be in terror tonight of what Gaddafi will do to them emboldened by Libya being knocked off the front pages.