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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4245584.stm

From the Telegraph, at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/09/16/nterr116.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/09/16/ixnewstop.html

But the difficulty will be deciding what constitutes glorification and there will be freedom of speech issues that Parliament will have to grapple with when the legislation is debated. According to Liberty, the human rights group, the Bill is so widely drawn that someone could be found guilty of encouraging terrorism - and jailed for up to seven years - even when he had no such intention of doing so.

There is also a curious cut-off period proposed in the Bill. Anyone glorifying an act of terrorism that took place longer than 20 years ago will only commit an offence if the Home Secretary deems that the event is covered by the law.

In other words, he may stipulate that glorifying the actions of Nelson Mandela in the 1950s is lawful but not of the Black September movement in the 1970s. Liberty said that this provision ''is so broad that the Home Secretary will take powers to determine which historical figures were terrorists and which freedom fighters".

From Ken Mcleod's excellent, erudite, blog - A quote from 'British sci-fi fan, Alison'

Lots of things about the US become easier to understand if you consider it as a very rich third world country... Not just now, but generally. Like enormously high and rising inequity (including reducing real-terms median income over the last 30 years!), lack of adequate healthcare, housing, education for the poor, and a belief that richer states have no responsibility to improve the living conditions of poorer ones, diversion of national wealth into warfare rather than welfare. That sort of thing.

Lots of examples at the moment; eg general notion that Texas helping out refugees from Louisiana is a 'stunningly generous offer' rather than you know, standard operating practice, or the proportion of US military strength being used to sort out Katrina cleanup (and you know, they could have been shipping in troops to safe nearby areas over the weekend), or just a general 'oh well, of course it's individuals' responsibility to look after themselves and their property', or the Red Cross explaining that it's their largest aid effort ever (because, you know, American Red Cross is the world).

Not to mention police and other rescue personnel actively looting (apparently this happened after 9/11 as well), something which I think we can safely say Would Not Happen Here.

Actually, you know, that's quite profound. I'm impressed.