Was really pleased to see that Maloney’s Law received a brief but nice mention on Scott Pack’s blog of 8 September (see full post for links) – for which I’m very grateful indeed. Heck, with my sales record, I need all the mentions I can get. I also rather like being described as “genre-busting” – I now have a vision of myself sporting a brace of pistols, a whip and a determined expression leaping into action as I clatter away on the keyboard. Hmm, that’s probably enough to make everyone run to the hills indeed …


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Every now and again (NOT very often) I find something, read something, hear something that just blows my mind. Something that feels right, like it could have been created just for me. Something that's so good it's like there's nothing to compare it to.


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Into the swing of the first day of term today, though it’s still a couple of weeks till Freshers’ Week. Am rushing around chasing up the final tweaks to our programme of talks and I'm also proof-reading for Britain. Ah, if only that were an Olympic sport, eh ... Not only that but the new brochures and mini-maps have turned up and they look great. Marketing have done a fabulous job. So, for a Monday, and a Monday when we have the first of our long line of 5.30pm end-of-day times (groan), it’s not been too bad. So far …


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The nicest thing that happened yesterday was seeing the final artwork from the illustrator who's been working on my story for Smokelong Quarterly.

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Saturday afternoon in a sunny Glasgow - now this is the September I was dreaming about. I took myself off to the West-end; the poor end, Partick and all its wonderfully cheap charity shops - after only two I was weighed down with bags. So lumbered that I had to find somewhere to relax with coffee; and here we are, well just me because I couldn't get hold of Herman, in a window with sharp shadows and bright sun making it all look very arty.


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When they're not growling at each other because one wants to build a tower and the other wants to knock it down, The Girl (4) and The Boy (21 months) are heartbreakingly nice to each other.

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Are your spirits hurried and your brain in need of comforting? Are you suffering from the effects of hard drinking? Do your parts need warming and invigorating? Look no further. Here’s an 18th-century panacea to combat all your woes...


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Any slush-pile reader or writing tutor knows that the truly bad writers are the ones who least know it. So I was interested to read this post on How Publishing Really Works, which led me to this paper, which describes a study of how the competence of a sample of students matched (or didn't) their own perception of how well they did at various tasks, and, separately, how they ranked themselves in general among their peers doing that task.

Like all the best studies of how humans work, it makes so much sense that one's tempted to sigh at the way the social sciences love to state the obvious. Only that wouldn't be fair because anyone involved in helping beginners in any craft needs to know this stuff.


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After yesterday's diatribe about the horrors of church, Lord H and I popped into St Mary's Shackleford for our monthly visitation. It wasn't too bad actually, though I really wouldn't want to commit to any more than that. And I certainly don't want to get involved. Still, the hymns were nice, especially the third one, and I had a nice chat afterwards to the heavily pregnant woman behind me - who seemed startlingly normal for a church-goer. Mind you, Lord H and I did rather get swamped into chit-chat (how I hate chit-chat!) at coffee with other people, whereas last time, no-one had spoken to us at all. Something in between the two states would be nice, and I really don't want to get introduced to anyone. There's no point as I don't remember anyone's names apart from my own, Lord H's - oh and the pregnant lady. I do remember her name. That said, full marks to the vicar for: (a) remembering from two months ago that we'd been decorating the bathroom; (b) being perceptive enough to realise that I will never be a woman who grouts; and (c) laughing with delight when I said we were more the whitewashed-sepulchres-over-a-seething-hotbed-of-sin type of Christians. Perhaps that's the sort he likes? In which case, I certainly don't blame him ...


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''Pashtun Blood Is Pakistani Blood, And, By God, It’s Not Cheap''



In two weeks, three hundred thousand Pakistanis have become displaced, refugees in their own homeland. In any other country, the entire nation would have been jolted. But in Pakistan, the civil society is oblivious. Our tribesmen feel their government and the military are working for the Americans in Afghanistan. This is a recipe for disaster. Supporting war on terror was one thing. Blocking infiltration is understandable. Not allowing sanctuaries or hideouts is also understandable. But to put the entire resources of Pakistan at the disposal of foreign powers, to create disharmony by dismantling the administrative structures in FATA, by deploying the military on checkpoints in the interior of the tribal area, by persistent and indiscriminate use of brute force, including indiscriminate bombing, by going back on agreements, by owning attacks, killing madressah children, launched by U.S., have all combined to create conditions for full blown insurgency. Let us be clear one thing: This is not our war. This is not Pakistan’s war.



By Mr Sajid Hussain PhD
Investigative Journalist
Thursday, September 04, 2008.


OverseasDesk::>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> .......................................

...................................................... As the bloody conflict rages on in the tribal areas, there is a disturbing lack of attention on the part of the government and a lack of concern as far as the political forces and civil society is concerned. Amidst such deepening chaos, bordering on anarchy, there are people who are calling for stiffer response, as if the enormous collateral damage is not enough to satisfy their view of 'use of force'. Any other civil society anywhere in the world would have been shaken by the events of three hundred thousand people being uprooted in a matter of two weeks.It must be understood clearly that the tribesmen feel alienated because the government is, in their view, pursuing a policy that has been designed to benefit the coalition forces in Afghanistan. Moreover, the induction of the army in the tribal areas, reinforced the fears in the minds of the people that Pakistan is a U.S. proxy and that the war in Afghanistan is being brought to Pakistan in fulfillment of an agenda. Coupled with this was the near demolition of administrative structures in the tribal areas. Both the tribesmen and the political agent having been sidelined, and aspirations of people disregarded, the seeds of conflict were sown which would soon sprout to spread destruction. That is what has happened. When the situation became out of control, people lost sight of the perspective, General Musharraf tried successfully to bring home the lesson to the people that there is a deep crisis that needs to be resolved by countering militancy and defeating terrorists. People's memory is short. No one was asking why this situation has arisen. Some of our commentators are now claiming that this is our war and not America's war. As far as the insurgency in the area is concerned, this is our responsibility. The writ of the government has to be enforced and any hurdles cleared. But they forget how we were led into this situation. Supporting war on terror was one thing. Blocking infiltration is understandable. Not allowing sanctuaries or hideouts is also understandable. But to put the entire resources of a country at the disposal of foreign powers, to create disharmony by dismantling the administrative structures in FATA, by deploying the military on checkpoints in the interior of the tribal area, by persistent and indiscriminate use of brute force, including indiscriminate bombing, by going back on agreements, by owning attacks, killing madressah children, launched by U.S., have all combined to create conditions for full blown insurgency. Is pushtoon blood not worth a moment's consideration on how to end this deadly cycle of violence? Let us be more humane. Let us give sound advice to the authorities. Let us not be swayed by the ugly logic that adequate force is the only appropriate response. If that were so, Afghanistan, seven and a half years after relentless use of force lethal weapons, should have become a safe haven for its war weary population. Are we going to be silent spectators to this gory drama of man killing man? Let the government come to grips with the realities on the ground, address the root cause, reappraise its policy of no hold barred support to the war on terror, restore institutions, strengthen the malaks and office of the political agent, isolate militants and usher a new era of peace and hope to the battered population of Swat, Bajaur, Mohmand and Waziristan.

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