Welcome to Planet SuSE, Seb. Looking forward to seeing my packages on your Open Carpet server once it's up and running

Well, just got past 2000 words, so I'm calling it a day.

Live 8: Hmmm, great that it's happening, and hopefully it will really raise awareness, but surely organising it for the same day as the Make Poverty History demonstration in Edinburgh is a bit daft...?

On a break from CTW104, I've built and uploaded the following: python-gnome, python-gtk, gnome-python-extras, gnome-blog. This provides the latest CVS version of gnome-blog (versioned 0.8.5), and fixes the panel applet. (If when you first install it, it doesn't work, try logging out of GNOME, and back in again)

Well, it didn't suck as much as the other two, I actually quite enjoyed it.

Had an email from Seb about my Beagle packages, and have no updated them to include WebServices support, and added a subpackage, beagle-epiphany that provides the Beagle Epiphany extension. This is in a seperate package, because it's really insecure, so this means you can easily choose not to install it.

Beagle 0.0.10 was released today, and I've uploaded packages for SuSE 9.3. I've also built packages of gsf-sharp, because I've compiled in support for that. I've also installed Rob's latest inotify-enabled kernel package, for added goodness.

Did some work on the rpmbuild --b* --with suse magic this morning - the previous version of my patch didn't include defining some of the [Build]Requires lines that need to be different on SuSE. Now, to my eyes, it looks right, but when I try to build it with dbus support, I get the following:

rpmbuild -bi --with suse --with dbus tomboy-test.spec
error: line 22: Unknown tag:  BuildRequires:  dbus-mono

Links to: tomboy.spec.in, tomboy-suse.patch. Both apply to this morning's HEAD. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I think it might have something to do with nesting test type statements, but I can't see why that should be a prob...

Finally going to see Revenge of the Sith tonight.

Spent most of Friday on the CTP Rural Day out in the countryside. I spent the lion's share of the day wearing a dust mask to protect myself against the pollen. It worked quite well, and the difference between having it on and off was quite marked.

A Public Service Announcement for users of Windows.

Bank Holiday tomorrow, and then I'll be attacking my BS103 and CTW104 essays for the rest of the week.

So, like I said last night, I was on 606 after the match. I've made MP3 and Ogg versions of my call - two of each make up the call as a whole:

• Ogg: Part One
• Ogg: Part Two
• MP3: Part One
• MP3: Part Two

When you walk through the storm
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid for the dark
At the end of the storm
is a golden sky
And the sweet silver sound of the lark

Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown

Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone!

The greatest night to be a scouser in 21 years! Thought we were dead and buried at half-time, but three goals in six minutes, inspired by Gerrard in the second half saved us. it was fate, it was destiny, but ultimately, it was passion and pride that won it. Champions of Europe for the fifth time, we get to keep the biggest trophy in world club football, let's just hope we get to defend the title that goes with it next year.

Oh, and for the first time, I got on FiveLive, on 606.

Have visited Lenton today as part of CTP, oh, a quick note on that, I won't be using my blog to do my diary for the programme after all, the nature of what it may contain, and issues of confidentiality will preclude that.

Anyway, been in Lenton doing the Discovery Day, this involves walking around asking people questions, observing the area, and generally trying to find out about the place (Lenton is an area in Nottingham) as part of this, I took over fifty photos, and so I've finally got around to setting up Original as my photo gallery, so here it is. Starting to convert my galleries over to it, and I was quite out of date (last I'd done was the Christmas Bash, because I'd been waiting till I got around to setting up Original). Have also added my photos from last week's Summer Bash. The old gallery is still available at the moment, but I'm changing the link in the nav-bar to the new version. At the moment, I'm just using the classic theme that comes supplied with Original until I update my CSS for the site to suit it.

Today was the college Quiet Day for this term, also forms the first day of CTP (although it really starts in earnest tomorrow). Myself, Liz, Rachel, Paul and Karen spent the day at a retreat house in Southwell, opposite the Minster. Key texts for me today were Matt 3 and Ps 139 - about being a child of God, and loved by Him (along with a word given to me a couple of years ago that I happened across in my little book that echoed the words of Matt 3).

Last night was the college Summer Social, and since tonight is Eurovision, we did our own Eurovision Song Contest, compered by myself and Jan, with assistance from Adrian, who gave out awards to those students departing from the college this summer. The Apostles (college house band) performed a few Eurovision songs, which were scored by the various 'nations' represented on the tables around the dancefloor. After that they did their regular set, before a DJ (Jo's brother) played us into the night.

Contextual Theology Programme starts on Monday, and part of that involves keeping a diary, which then gets submitted along with our report at the end of it, so I'll be using my blog for that purpose, as well as regular blogging.

Have added a Make Poverty History band to my site, and to Planet SuSE. We have an amazing opportunity right now in the UK to really make a difference. This year, the UK will hold both the presidency of the EU and the G8, and will host the G8 summit. In fifty years time, what will people remember about the first decade of this century? Will they remember our music, TV or movies? Or, will they remember how we acted with regards to the poor? They will remember if a generation protested against the injustice of poverty, and the crushing burden of debts imposed by the wealthy west. They will remember how the most powerful nation on earth bled a small middle-eastern country dry after illegally invading.

But we can make a difference!

Get a white band. This tells anyone you see that you support this world-altering campaign. Come to Edinburgh on July 2nd to show the G8 leaders that you care, along with the thousands upon thousands of others who will also be there.

Not in the UK? You can show your support too.

In Africa, a child dies as a result of poverty every three seconds, isn't it time we did something about it?

[Ref] Uploaded SuSE 9.3 packages (i586) of netapplet 1.0.7 and gnome-volume-manager 1.2.2.

[Ref] Thanks for the transcript Roger, I've enjoyed reading in the Guardian and Times today about Galloway's appearance before that Senate Committee, he's my #1 hero at the moment. There's really no need for me to comment on his performance, his own words sum it up perfectly well. All I will say is that it is undoubtably a good thing to have these things aired in Washington, I think patriotism is to be applauded generally, but not when it leads to a state of affairs like that that exists in the US where it is seen as unpatriotic to publically criticise the administration in a time of conflict. They committed a crime, and that should be clear, three cheers for George.

Just got back from Aspire, absolutely fantastic few days, and just great to be back at church again after so long.

Eep! 940 mails waiting for me...

Whisky tasting was a great time, a smallish bijou gathering, and we tasted three excellent single malts, and collectively ordered them by our preference, which turned out to match the order in price, which was reassuring. Big shout to The Wee Dram for supplying said whiskies.

Off to Watford tomorrow, can't wait to catch up with as many people as possible...

Uploading gaim-1.3.0.

AbiWord 2.3.0 packages pending - not happy with them.

AbiWord 2.3.0 is out, this is the first release of the development tree that will become the stable 2.4.0. It's currently building as abiword-beta, which will coexist with the current stable version. Note it should only be used for testing and bug reporting purposes, I'll announce when it's available - about to head off to college for the day.

Speaking of college, it's the whisky tasting tonight - rar!

• Been down in Taunton over the weekend for Amanda's Grandmother's funeral, which was yesterday.
• Then had informal worship evening at college last night which was just superb.
• Meeting this afternoon to arrange the Summer Bash, which is a week on Friday.
• Off down to Watford on Thursday for Aspire, will be back in Notts late on Sunday.

If you've not voted, and you're reading this before 22:00 on Thursday 5 May, get out and let your voice be heard now.

[Ref] Bomb blast at UK Consulate in New York. [Ref 2] Roger's not the only conspiracy theorist who's suspicions may have been raised by the date of this 'attack'. Possibly the most pathetic prank-like blast - two 'novelty' hand-grenades filled with gunpowder, and note the Al-Queda hallmark that no doubt we'll hear more about - this was a coordinated attack, two dud bombs in the same plant pot

Been at Paint-a-Pot tonight for Chris and Bernie's wedding anniversary - lots of fun was had by all.

As promised, here is my critique of the Iraq war in terms of classic Just War Theory. Principles of this theory give various conditions which must be met for a war to be considered just. The first of which is that the cause of the war must be just. In the case of the war in Iraq, this is a big question. Many people felt that the stated reasons, that Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction in contravention of UN resolutions was nothing more than a pretext. It was thought that the true reasons for the war were far more sinister, securing Iraq's oil fields, the second largest reserves in the world, finishing the job started by President Bush's father a decade previous; deposing Saddam Hussein, and as has already been noted, an imperialistic endeavour led by the United States, and the establishment of a pro-Western government at the heart of the Middle East. By this criterion, if the suspicions were true, the war was not just.

The next condition is that the war must be waged under, and therefore declared by a legitimate authority. In the case of the war in Iraq, this authority must be the United Nations as the arbiters and keepers of international law. As has already been discussed, the resolution legitimising military action against Iraq never made it to a vote, and the ambiguity of resolution 1441 makes it unclear, but unlikely if the war met this condition for being considered just. At the time of the war, the British Attorney General gave advice to the government stating that the war was legal under international law, however, there was been suggestion recently that that advice was actually provided by Downing Street (BBC News, 24 February 2005), casting doubt on whether that advice was accurate, and so also casting further doubt on whether the war could be considered just by this criterion.

Thirdly, the war must be waged with the right intention. 'Correcting a suffered wrong is considered a right intention, while material gain is not'. This is the condition that the war in Iraq fares best on, if the stated reasons were indeed accurate. Saddam Hussein's regime had demonstrated expansionist tendencies, not least by the invasion of Kuwait in 1990, and it had oppressed its own people, most notably the Kurds, upon whom it had previously used Mustard Gas in 1988 (Wikipedia, Mustard Gas (Yperite)). Wikipedia notes that a war that would otherwise have been considered just can be rendered unjust by virtue of a bad intention, but ironically, the war in Iraq seems to have the opposite situation, where it may otherwise have been legitimately have been considered unjust. However, it also notes 'right intention requires that democratic statesmen accept the decision of their nations' courts and electorates on the legitimacy and the justice of their action'. While there was no referendum on the war in the UK, public opinion certainly seemed to be against the war. If the old adage that for every person who writes a letter on an issue there are ten who agree is true, then for every person who in February takes to the streets of London to protest, there must be more than ten who agree, so perhaps even on this criterion, UK involvement could be considered unjust if the electorate was actually against it. Public opinion in the Unites States however, was more strongly in favour of the war, but by no means decisively so.

The fourth condition is that the war must be waged with a reasonable chance of success. Here, as with the previous condition, the war's legitimacy can be argued for, although perhaps only with hindsight. The message espoused before the commencement of military operations was that the Iraqi army posed a realistic threat, particularly the Republican Guard, but in the event of the war, they capitulated to the US-led forces more quickly than could ever have been anticipated. However, as has been seen since President Bush declared that military operations were over, the war won, in the case of Iraq, winning the peace has been a far greater problem than winning the war. The insurgency by Iraqi forces loyal to the regime, foreign Islamist fighters seeking a confrontation with American forces, and Iraqis resenting the continued occupation by the US-led forces suggests that inadequate preparation was made, and as the saying goes, 'he who fails to plan plans to fail'. Approaching the war in the way they did, the western forces did not have a reasonable chance of succeeding, and so it is hard to ascribe justness to the war based on this condition.

The next condition for a Just War is that the war must be waged in a way that is proportionate to the end of the war. If one of the reasons for invading Iraq was to alleviate the suffering and oppression of the Iraqi people, then this condition would include the need to ensure that any suffering the war would cause would not be greater than the suffering that would otherwise have ensued. Since the war began, civilian casualties have numbered between 21,447 and 24,324 as at 4 May 2005 (Iraq Body Count). This is a result of those killed inadvertently by western forces, those targeted based on faulty intelligence and those killed by insurgents. It is hard to conceive that even the Baathist regime could have killed anywhere near that number of Iraqi citizens in the same period, so by the measure of proportionality, the war in Iraq fails to meet the Just War criteria.

The final criterion for the Just War is that war must only be waged as the last resort. All other solutions, particularly diplomatic options, to right the wrong in question must have been pursued. As has been noted earlier, those at even the highest echelons of the United Nations' effort to enact a peaceful solution were of the opinion that that route had not been given sufficient time to run its course. The war in Iraq then apparently meets none of the criteria for a Just War, opening the question of whether it would have been right to protest against it or not.

Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea

The Reds go marching on on on. We had Liverpool and Chelsea (and Arsenal!) fans in our front room tonight, and what a night it has been. Watch out Istanbul, here we come! This year, it's fate.

Bad shoulder. Beth took a look at it (she was a physiotherapist before starting her training), reckons it's a spinal problem, so I'll be making a GP appointment soon.

New/updated packages: gnome-themes-extras, gtk-smooth-engine, ulb-themes. So, the usr local bin theme is back, and the gtk-smooth-engine package means that Smooth based themes with a GTK+ 1.2 version will work okay, which in turn is good news for the usr local bin theme. The gnome-themes-extras update is to fix a packaging bug that misnames the GTK+ 1.2 version - must send a patch to Uraeus for it.

Caz was up this weekend, was great to see her and catch up.

Saw H2G2 Friday night. Pretty good movie, and while Douglas Adams always said that all the different incarnations of the Guide flatly contradict each other, this took the cake. I laughed, but not as much as perhaps I should. Oh, and it would have been nice if Mos Def could actually act... Was good to see to TV version's Marvin and Arthur show up though.

Election day looms large on the horizon, if you have a postal vote, get it sent off soon to meet the deadline.