Ice Bergs

Well it's my 38th birthday today. I'm not much into birthdays and I'm certainly not much into getting older, but as birthdays go, this one's been pretty good so far. Last night we ventured out to a Japanese place that specialises in something I only know the Chinese word for. It was good.



I like it when the chefs do it all in front of the customers.



And I don't think I have ever seen such big ice cubes.



Actually I drank beer, so the ice cube thing was not a big issue foe me.

Yesterday we ventured out to watch Madagascar. I've read mixed reviews, but I liked it. I liked the penguins. It's not up there with Toy Story or Ice Age, but I thought it was worth a look. 7 out of 10. I'm trying to get a copy of Process with Bertrice Dalle. I heard it slammed by the critics and I have a feeling that it's one of those films that critics are just not smart enough to understand. I could be wrong of course.

This morning I opened presents from the parents (underwear, they didn't want to send anything heavy), my wife, a shirt (in addition to the Harry Potter of last week). I also got e-mail from my Aunt, and even my old boss in England. I think it's sinister that he remembers my birthday. I even got a bottle of red from Sumedha at work.

Yesterday I wrote a couple of quick paragraphs about the shooting of a completely innocent man by the British police. I was appalled to read the headline this morning, "Shoot-to-kill' policy to remain. The report goes on to say, "Police leaders say they will not abandon their 'shoot-to-kill' policy and warn more innocent people could be killed in the fight against terrorism." It strikes me that, even if there was a need for such a policy, this isn't the most diplomatic way to advertise it. It's not going to reassure people exactly is it? And it's not likely to please the Asian or Muslim communities in London who are already scared for their lives.

The thing that bothers me most about this policy is the thinking behind it. Apparently the reason that police officers should aim for the head is because a shot to the body may detonate explosives carried by a suicide bomber. I've never heard anything so stupid in my life. It rather depends how the charge is wired. If the bomber is carrying a hand grenade with the pin removed, shooting him in the head will certainly cause it to be detonated when he lets go. What's more, a hand grenade will also provide a few seconds delay to allow the crowds to gather round. If I was a suicide bomber I would certainly wire my bomb that way in case I was disabled.

The police have made an apology for the incident but are defending themsleves on the grounds that he ran when challenged. It would appear from today's reports however that the officers in pursuit were in plain clothes and he had jumped over the barrier. This lends weight to the theory that he had no idea that the people following him were police or that they thought he was a terrorist.