The BBC, Kossovo, and ranting

In an early morning story, this morning (i.e. around 5:30 a.m. Feb 17th), the BBC News channel aired a short report on Kossovo.

With serious and concerned faces, presenter, an EU official with the cushy job of doing nothing (or maybe, supervising... traffic? noting the weather? watching grass grow?) and an anchorwoman sur place informed us that there may be a problem in Kossovo. It took considerable air time and a trip over there for at least two persons (i.e. the one on the screen & the one behind the camera that recorded the scene) to tell us what we already know; those of us who do not, are not interested.

We got some not so touristy background views of couleur locale, however, the BBC correspondent quite appropriately dominated the screen most of the time; her image is arguably aesthetically superior to what was behind her.

All in all, the inanity of the presenter's story was only out shadowed by the vapidity of the correspondent's reporting.

This said, neither of the two can hold a candle to the officious official representing the EU (Mr. Pieter Feith). He was beyond description.

First of all, the aforementioned pair still have to work and worry about ratings.
Our officous official, having landed the cushy job, has a number of arguments that say he does not have to do, or be, or try to be, anything any more: EURO: 184.000 tax-free, + private insurance + pension plan, + support for kids' tuition, + travelling expenses, + business & extraordinary expenses... etc.

Am I envious? Yes I am!

Australians need help -- not from Greece, please!

While part of Australia is under water, another part is surpassing itself trying to survive fires... as well as looking for possible perpetrators.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Greece is recompensing setting trees and forests on fire.
Especially when it leads to real-estate development. Presently, homes built without planning permit and on grounds cleared by fire are receiving legalised status.

Greece is the country where burning down trees is the consecrated ticket to obtaining a home. Or the most profitable method to engage in real-estate development. It is slow in producing its yield, but it is dependable.

Yup. While Australia is in literal mayhem, Greece is presently and yet again legalising tree-burning of the '90s vintage. In other words, buildings of that era and before, erected on burned land, are now being legalised. The later millesimes have yet to reach the age of maturity, so fresher home dwellers & tree-burning societies have to be patient; their turn will come.
On a more financial note, it is cheaper to burn a few bushes, trees, forests, other peoples' land... and build and wait patiently for the thing to be legalised -- than purchase the legal equivalent.

The Greece paradigm affords an important lesson to the global community: burn to build.
(The greenery in the pic was added post-building.)

Hopefully Australia will not follow the Greek example. I don't think it will.


For now, however, for stricken and threatened Australians, any and all talk is useless. Let's all pray; and let those who can do more, do it.