Whose prophet? The BBC respond

Further to this post, I note that the BBC have responded. In fact they responded on the 17th September but I managed to miss posting about it. My original complaint was quite short:

'The BBC yesterday and today have once again been regularly referring to 'the Prophet Muhammad', why?

Muhammad may well be "the Islamic prophet' he is not however the Christian prophet, the Jewish prophet, the Hindu prophet or indeed the prophet in the eyes of any other religion. Jesus is not referred to by the BBC as the Messiah or even the Christian Messiah so why do the BBC refer to 'the Prophet Muhammad'?'

This is the BBC's response:

'Dear Audience Member

Reference CAS-1678260-3SLYJ7

Thanks for contacting us about BBC News.

We understand you feel it’s inaccurate for the BBC to refer to Muhammad as a ‘prophet’.

This issue has been addressed at the following link which you may find of interest:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/newswatch/ukfs/hi/newsid_4760000/newsid_4762700/4762772.stm

Nevertheless we understand the strength of your comments and we'd like to assure you that we’ve registered your complaint on our audience log. This is a daily report of audience feedback that’s made available to many BBC staff, including members of the BBC Executive Board, channel controllers and other senior managers.

The audience logs are seen as important documents that can help shape decisions about future programming and content.

Thanks again for taking the time to contact us.

Kind Regards

Kevin Freeburn
BBC Complaints
www.bbc.co.uk/complaints

 NB This is sent from an outgoing account only which is not monitored. You cannot reply to this email address but if necessary please contact us via our webform quoting any case number we provided.'

Ah the pleasures of receiving a standard form brush-off, albeit with a link. Here's what I found at the link:

'As the publication of the Danish cartoons continues to reverberate around the world, NewsWatch - and our sister radio programme, Feedback - has received a number of complaints about the terminology used by the BBC to describe the story.
Several dozen people have been in touch to ask why the BBC is using the word prophet. "You do not apply titles of honour to other religious figures, so why do it for Muhammad?" wrote Samuel Green.
Bruce Grant said: "I am a Christian and I cannot find any reference to this prophet in my Bible."
Josef Serf commented: "Muhammad is not considered a prophet by 80% of humanity."
And in Patrick Hall 's view: "You're half way toward endorsing a religion."
In the interests of fairness, said some people, Jesus Christ should always be referred to as Our Lord, or the Son of God. On the other hand, some Muslim viewers objected when the word prophet was not used. So what is the BBC's rule on this?

It seems that there's no hard policy, but a recommendation that the phrase "the Prophet Muhammad" is used to avoid any confusion about which particular Muhammad is under discussion. The head of BBC Radio News, Stephen Mitchell, was asked whether a double standard was operating when he appeared on Feedback on Radio 4.
"No, it's not the case. I think the reason for the use of the term "the prophet" is simply for reasons of clarity. There are a lot of Muhammads we could be referring to in news stories and we're being quite specific about which one we are talking about", he said.
However, some people suggest use of the expression "the Islamic prophet Muhammad" might have avoided any unnecessary offence. Stephen Mitchell agreed that this might be more accurate but there's no policy on this.

He said: "It's an issue for different outlets on different platforms talking to different audiences. If any editor or programme-maker wishes to elaborate on the title, he or she is free to do so as long as we think of the audience first - which is what we need in order to convey the information, to make as much sense of the story as we can."'

Let's look at that key section:

'It seems that there's no hard policy, but a recommendation that the phrase "the Prophet Muhammad" is used to avoid any confusion about which particular Muhammad is under discussion.'

 What tosh, if we heard that there was an issue of Muslim anger because of cartoons of Muhammad, I think that we would understand that it was 'the Islamic Prophet Muhammad' and not Muhammad from the local Iranian restaurant.However is people really are that stupid that they need to be told that it is 'the prophet Muhammad' not just any Muhammad then surely adding the word Islamic would help these people to know whose prophet Muhammad is.

Let's look at the last sections of that article as well:

'However, some people suggest use of the expression "the Islamic prophet Muhammad" might have avoided any unnecessary offence. Stephen Mitchell agreed that this might be more accurate but there's no policy on this.

He said: "It's an issue for different outlets on different platforms talking to different audiences. If any editor or programme-maker wishes to elaborate on the title, he or she is free to do so as long as we think of the audience first - which is what we need in order to convey the information, to make as much sense of the story as we can."''

That is nonsensical, apparently using 'the Islamic prophet Muhammad' might be more accurate but the BBC don't have a policy on this. Why not? Surely the BBC are meant to be as accurate as possible. If the BBC do indeed 'think of the audience first' then surely giving more information is serving that audience better. As above, adding the word Islamic would surely help people 'make as much sense of the story' as possible.

My response to the BBC has been submitted:

'The link you provided me included this: 'It seems that there's no hard policy, but a recommendation that the phrase "the Prophet Muhammad" is used to avoid any confusion about which particular Muhammad is under discussion.' No, if we heard there was Muslim anger because of cartoons of Muhammad, I think we would understand it was 'the Islamic Prophet Muhammad' and not Muhammad from the local Iranian restaurant. If you think people really are so stupid that they need to be told it is 'the prophet Muhammad', not just any Muhammad, then surely adding the word Islamic would help these people to know whose prophet Muhammad is.

The last sections of that article were also illogical: '...some people suggest use of the expression "the Islamic prophet Muhammad" might have avoided any unnecessary offence. Stephen Mitchell agreed that this might be more accurate but there's no policy on this... "It's an issue for different outlets on different platforms talking to different audiences... as we think of the audience first - which is what we need in order to convey the information, to make as much sense of the story as we can."''

So using 'the Islamic prophet Muhammad' might be more accurate but the BBC don't have a policy on this. Surely the BBC are meant to be as accurate as possible. If the BBC do 'think of the audience first' then surely giving more information is serving that audience better. Thus adding the word Islamic would  help people 'make as much sense of the story' as possible'

 Apologies for the slightly poor English but it was hard to condense into the limited characters that the BBC allow. I await the BBC's response.

Say what?!

New Musical Express are reporting the slightly, ok very, surprising news that:

'Azealia Banks has claimed that Samantha Cameron is a big fan of her summer 2011 smash '212'. The rapper wrote on her Twitter feed last night that she had met the Prime Minister's wife, who told her she "loves" the track – which is possibly one of the most brilliantly explicit in chart history with lyrics focusing on cunnilingus, gang violence and homoeroticism. "Just met Samantha Cameron... She told me she loves 212...... *mind blown*," Banks wrote last night. She added: "Samantha Cameron is the Michelle Obama of Britain… This is actually crazy right now." The pair are thought to have met at London Fashion Week.'

You don't know the track? Here is is, with slight NSFW warning for 'language' Makes you wonder about Sam Cam doesn't it...?

It's Sparks time

This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us - introduced by Lauren Laverne

And a documentary 'Brothers In Arms' that I have only just discovered... Here's Sally James interviewing Sparks in 1974 from a freebie disk, with recipes... So young... and doesn't Sally James sound posh? And this is what would become Sparks from 1969 Urban Renewal Project - "Computer Girl" 1969 - computers?

Just saying...

'In September and October 2012 there are but three moonless nights each; the 15th, 16th and 17th of each month.

Unless the Israelis go tonight, it is unlikely they will go until next month on the 15th.

I'm just sayin''

Thanks to Shelley @ Theo Spark for the spot. Although in these days of high-tech is a moonless sky still that critical?

Is it all about the film?

Brian Lilley on Canada's Sun News.

Jeremy Bowen responds, as do I

Subsequent to this post from this morning I thought I should bring you up to date. I have complained to the BBC and await their response, bearing in mind Jeremy Bowen's previous record of having some accusations of bias against Israel being upheld by the BBC Trust I am looking to take this one all the way.

So the BBC's Middle East Editor did know that he was holding a Q&A on Rosh Hashonah, one of the holiest days in the Jewish calendar when most even moderately religious Jews will be in synagogue not online, but thought that was fine because 'it doesn't stop quite a few Jews using social media!'. Well that's OK, isn't it?

If you think that I am being over-sensitive and that the chosen date doesn't matter or is a coincidence then ask yourself if you think that Jeremy Bowen would have held a similar exercise during Ramadan?

The BBC's Jeremy Bowen in a biased nutshell

Is the BBC's Middle East editor somewhat stacking the deck by deciding to take questions live on Twitter on Rosh Hashonah one of the holiest days in the Jewish calendar? Rosh Hashonah is a day when all religious Jews and most not that religious Jews will be in synagogue and not looking at Twitter or the BBC website.

Either Jeremy Bowen doesn't know that today is Rosh Hashonah, being more concerned with Muslim/Arab affairs and religion than Jewish/Israeli matters, or this was a deliberate move to avoid receiving hard questions. Whatever the reason it is a fine example of the lack of sensitivity to Israel and Jews regularly shown by Jeremy Bowen and the BBC.

Remember this is the same Jeremy Bowen who the Editorial Standards Committee of the BBC Trust published a report into three complaints about in April 2009. The complaints included 24 allegations of breaching BBC guidelines on accuracy and impartiality of which three were fully or partially upheld.

If you think that I am being over-sensitive and that the chosen date doesn't matter or is a coincidence then ask yourself if you think that Jeremy Bowen would have held a similar exercise during Ramadan?

On Yom Kippur (the holiest day in the Jewish calendar) in 1973 the armies of Egypt & Syria with support from elsewhere attacked Israel, deliberately choosing the day when they hoped Israel's defences would be at their weakest. Is Jeremy Bowen simply following anti-Israel tradition?


UPDATE: I have posted the above as a question to Jeremy Bowen at the above mentioned link. I wonder if the BBC will use it or if Jeremy Bowen will explain his choice of day.

Shana Tova

Why are the liberal media and politicians in the West fixated on 'that film'?

'...the film has even less to do with anything than did the Danish cartoons or the schoolteacher’s teddy bear or any of the other innumerable grievances of Islam. The 400-strong assault force in Benghazi showed up with RPGs and mortars: That’s not a spontaneous movie protest; that’s an act of war, and better planned and executed than the dying superpower’s response to it.'

That was Mark Steyn in The National Review making more sense than the BBC, CNN, MSNBC or any of the other western news media who are way more interested in ensuring Barack Obama is re-elected than that the truth emerges about radical Islam's continuing war on 'the west.'

The Commentator - Westerners who fuel the Muslim world's grievance culture

http://m.thecommentator.com/article/1655/westerners_who_fuel_the_muslim_world_s_grievance_culture

The difference between Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism & Buddhism on one hand and Islam on the other

The Onion have a nicely satirical article with an image and then description underneath. The image you can imagine or visit The Onion to see, here's the text:

'WASHINGTON—Following the publication of the image above, in which the most cherished figures from multiple religious faiths were depicted engaging in a lascivious sex act of considerable depravity, no one was murdered, beaten, or had their lives threatened, sources reported Thursday. The image of the Hebrew prophet Moses high-fiving Jesus Christ as both are having their erect penises vigorously masturbated by Ganesha, all while the Hindu deity anally penetrates Buddha with his fist, reportedly went online at 6:45 p.m. EDT, after which not a single bomb threat was made against the organization responsible, nor did the person who created the cartoon go home fearing for his life in any way. Though some members of the Jewish, Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist faiths were reportedly offended by the image, sources confirmed that upon seeing it, they simply shook their heads, rolled their eyes, and continued on with their day.'

What is incredible is that this is true, I have shown The Onion's image to a Christian, a Hindu and myself (a Jew), I had no Buddhists to hand, and all were not happy with the concept but vaguely amused at the execution of the drawing. That would seem to be the difference between followers of these religions: the majority of Christians, Jews, Hindus and Buddhists (as well as Sikhs, Jains, Shinto etc. ) have a sense of proportion and can exercise self-restraint, too many Muslims don't and can't - or maybe are unwilling to do so when by behaving in the way that they do they can gain special privileges.

Oh by the way here's that image, what do you think?

In the meantime if you are not sure what religion to follow, here's a flowchart to help you choose

One of life's great mysteries finally solved for me - NSFW for a Rule 5 Friday Night

From the wonderful film - The Graduate

Lainie Miller Shows Her BoobTalents to Dustin Hoffman 

Ever since I first watched this film, aged about 12, and every time since (and I think I've watched The Graduate well over a dozen times), I've wondered how she did that with her tassels. Finally I've found the answer... Polestar's Tempest Rose has the answer



Meanwhile I note that Elvira (Mistress of the Dark) has also mastered the technique
There are more experts out there, here's Red Snapper Kittie Klaw And now some performances from other exponents of the art... Peekaboo Heidi Von Hottentot and Liberte' Belle - two (or four) for the price of one An unnamed exponent of the art Gal Friday and Peekaboo Pointe have a showdown Peekaboo Pointe by herself Tina Tassels first performance Now that's all getting a bit tame so Beau Rocks takes it up a notch or two with fire tassels I think that that's enough tassel twirling, I probably won't think of this again - well until I watch The Graduate again!

Headline news when the BBC thought the film-maker was an Israeli, less so now he probably wasn't.

When rumours emerged that the film-maker behind the film 'Innocence of Muslims' might be an Israeli Jew, the BBC were all over the story, headline news and the story appeared in the BBC's most popular (read) section. Now that the story has changed, the BBC have not apologised all they have done is add this pusillanimous sentence right near the end of this article:

'The exact origin of the movie and the internet clip, and the motivation behind its production, remains a mystery, but it appears not to be linked to an Israeli film-maker as was earlier widely reported, including by the BBC.'

The fact that the BBC, amongst other news media, publicised the news that the film-maker was an Israeli Jew and hence inflamed antisemitic sentiment amongst Islamists whose antisemitism is usually at fever-pitch anyway, is apparently excused by the above sentence. Well I don't think it is. At the very least the BBC could make the retraction as obvious as the original story but why bother as it's only Jews that might be attacked or killed as a result of the BBC's initial story and does the BBC really care about them?

The Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton) topless

It's rather odd today, just like the other week there are some royal photos available to see on the web, this time of a topless Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton) rather than a naked Prince Harry. Once again the photos are easily locatable to anyone armed with Google (other search engines are available), I wonder if this time a British newspaper will publish these photos 'in the public interest'.

I must admit that I somewhat more interested in seeing Kate Middleton's breasts than Prince Harry's pubes, well to be honest most breasts are more interesting than male pubes.

So should I publish the photos here? Somehow I don't think so.

Putting the numbers into perspective

More people are killed by Islamists each year than in all 350 years of the Spanish Inquisition combined. (source)	Islamic terrorists murder more people every day than the Ku Klux Klan has in the last 50 years. (source)
More civilians were killed by Muslim extremists in two hours on September 11th than in the 36 years of sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland. (source)	19 Muslim hijackers killed more innocents in two hours on September 11th than the number of American criminals executed in the last 65 years. (source)

Thanks to The religion of Peace website for the figures.

What connects these five people?

Cleo A. Noel Jr., in Sudan, 1973

Rodger P. Davies, in Cyprus, 1974

Francis E. Meloy Jr., in Lebanon, 1976

Adolph Dubs, in Afghanistan, 1979

Christopher Stevens, in Libya, 2012

The answer according to New English Review is as follows:
'Four of the five were killed either at the hands of frenzied Muslim mobs or, as in the case of Ambassador Cleo Noel, by the express order   from a Muslim Arab terrorist leader: the man who ordered Noel's murder was Yassir Arafat.

Davies was killed by a sniper during a demonstration outside the embassy by Greek Cypriots. Who that sniper was, and whether he was a Cypriot or possibly an Arab -- Cyprus is a known center for Arab intrigue, including plots against Israelis and Americans -- is not known to the public. If the State Department knows, or strongly suspects, it is not telling. Of course, the American government has still refused to release the record of Arafat's message to Khartoum giving the go-ahead for the killing of Cleo Noel.'

Hillel Neuer of UN Watch tells some truths to the United Nations's Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council

Alfred-Maurice de Zayas is a Cuban born American lawyer, writer and historian. His work has focused on the judicial protection of peoples and minorities and he has written and lectured lectured extensively on human rights, including the jurisprudence of the United Nations Human Rights Committee, the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, Guantanamo Bay and other areas including the rights of indigenous peoples. He is an advocate of "the right to homeland" as a universal human right. Mr de Zayas has been a very vocal critic of the Iraq War, indefinite detention in Guantanamo Bay and secret CIA prisons, of nuclear pollution and of extreme poverty. He has chastised the United States, Great Britain, and Germany for their lack of intellectual honesty and their lip service to human rights. Mr de Zayas is also a 'leading expert' in the field of human rights and international law, a peace activist, and since 2012 the United Nations Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order as appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. I think that from this short biography you get a flavour of Mr de Zayas's world view. The incredible Hilel Neuer of UN Watch tackled Mr de Zayas recently, here's the video. Do also enjoy the breattaking hypocrisy of the Cuban delegate. I have posted about Hillel Neuer before, do take a look here. However here are some more videos of Hillel Neuer in action, a very brave man indeed. UN Watch's Hillel Neuer addresses the UN Human Rights Council to decry its special agenda item and debate on Israel, at a time when the surrounding Middle East is aflame with massacres and rights abuses. Geneva, June 14, 2011. UN Watch's Hillel Neuer exposes the hypocrisy of the UN Human Rights Council, the body that created the Goldstone Report. The Council president, Amb. Luis Alfonso de Alba of Mexico, rejects the speech as "inadmissible" -- and bans it from ever being delivered again. Why the U.N. always votes against Israel (Explained by U.N. Watch's Hillel Neuer) A human rights group says members of the Iranian delegation disrupted its speech Thursday to the United Nations racism conference in Switzerland. U.N. Watch issued a statement contending that Iran twice interrupted the speech to call for points of order as the group's speaker addressed the plight of Ahmed Batebi, who had spoken to the conference earlier about being tortured by Iranian authorities. The statement said the Iranians twice called on the chair of the session "to instruct U.N. Watch to stick to the agenda item under discussion, which was 'objectives of the conference.'" The reported incident was the latest in a stormy conference for the Iranians, whose outspoken president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, blasted Israel in a speech this week, prompting many delegates to walk out. U.N. Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer was allowed to complete his address Thursday, in which he chided the conference for, as he put it, ignoring the testimony of Batebi and other activists and political prisoners from around the world. In a conference that promised to review countries' performance on racism, "why did the conference in fact fail to review a single country that perpetrates racism, discrimination and intolerance?" Neuer said in his remarks. George Orwell and the UN Human Rights Council. UN Watch testimony, UNHRC 20th Session, delivered by Hillel Neuer, July 3, 2012.

have you ever been to Hoxton?

Hoxton - where being a Dickhead is cool...

Is this still your Democratic Party or is Barack Hussein Obama's?

A possible explanation for Barack Obama's attitude to Israel and Jews will follow.

Bored at work? Quite sleepy?

So was WFAN's Mike Francesa when he was listening to Sweeny Murti drone on and on and on and on... so he dropped off to sleep!

Murders in Northern Ireland - A post for @OfficialMHick

@OfficialMHick has been tweeting away about the need for apologies and reconciliation in Northern Ireland but seems unable to see why apologies from former IRA leaders are needed as well as from the UK government and Loyalist paramilitary leaders.

'In relation to perpetration of killings, Republican paramilitaries account for almost 59 per cent of all deaths, Loyalist paramilitaries for almost 28 per cent, the British Army for 9 per cent, the RUC for almost 2 per cent and other groups each for less than 1 per cent. Republican paramilitaries have killed 74 per cent of all Protestants killed over 25 per cent of all Catholics, and almost 96 per cent of those who were classified as "Non Northern Ireland." Loyalist paramilitaries killed 19 per cent of all Protestants killed, almost 50 per cent of all Catholics and just 2 per cent of the "Non Northern Ireland" category.'

Source  is the very detailed 'Mapping Troubles-Related Deaths and Deprivation in Northern Ireland by Marie Therese Fay, Mike Morrissey and Marie Smyth - The Cost of the Troubles Study'

So whilst the British government setup an enquiry into Bloody Sunday and apologised for deaths caused by the  British Army, has Martin 'machinegun' McGuinness ever apologised for the killings that he authorised or maybe even took part in when second-in-command of the IRA in Derry? Has Martin 'machinegun' McGuinness ever apologised for the IRA murders that took place when he was allegedly the head of the IRA's Northern Command ? Has Martin McGuinness ever apologised for the IRA's 1987 Enniskillen bombing, which left 11 civilians dead?

Whose prophet?

The BBC yesterday and today have once again been regularly referring to 'the Prophet Muhammad', why?

Muhammad may well be "the Islamic prophet' he is not however the Christian prophet, the Jewish prophet, the Hindu prophet or indeed the prophet in the eyes of any other religion. Jesus is not referred to by the BBC as the Messiah or even the Christian Messiah so why do the BBC refer to 'the Prophet Muhammad'?

How long before the BBC start saying 'Peace Be Upon Him' or 'Inshallah' every time they mention 'the Prophet Muhammad'?

Free speech and religion

The liberal media, including the pro-Islamist BBC, tells me that the Muslim world is 'upset' and 'angered' by the showing of a US-made film which they say is insulting to the Prophet Muhammad. I say fine, be upset, be angry, protest by all means but do it peacefully and certainly don't kill members of the US diplomatic service, people who only recently aided Islamists in the overthrow of their dictator.

Turning to the upset caused by this film I have to ask why so many Islamists (not Muslims, Islamists) seem to have the emotional maturity of an eight year-old. Let's just say that yes a film was made that was critical and insulting of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, why do Islamists then lose control and go on a rampage? Do they not have the emotional maturity to say - a nasty film has been made by nasty people, I won't watch it, I'll make sure that my family don't watch it, I'll write a protest letter/email to the makers and backers of the film and if the film is going to be shown near me then I'll stage a peaceful protest to show my disapproval. That was the approach taken by Christians when Jerry Springer The Opera insulted Jesus Christ or when Piss Christ was shown or any of the other insulting 'entertainments' made about the Christian messiah was shown, exhibited or presented. Religious Christians generally have emotional self-control.

Christians are not the only religious people expected to turn the other cheek. Vile films about Jews and their supposed beliefs and practises are regularly made and even more regularly shown on television in Muslim countries. The blood-libel is regularly repeated, the Protocols of The Elders of Zion is presented as factual, calls for the destruction of Israel and the death of all Jews are frequently heard. Do Jews protest outside the embassies of Egypt, Iran and the rest? Do Jews burn the flags of these countries? No, they have the emotional maturity to say these are evil people, I will complain (not that anyone will listen) but nothing more. Religious Jews generally have emotional self-control.

In the UK I remember Sikh protests when the play Behzti (Dishonour) was shown, a play that depicted sex abuse and murder in a Sikh temple. These protests, I would say, crossed the line beyond the purely peaceful but nobody died or was seriously injured. The majority of the religious Sikhs had emotional self-control.

So why do Islamists and many religious Muslims have so little emotional self-control?

The flag that the Islamists hoisted at the American embassy in Cairo is the Islamist standard that states 'There is no God but Allah and Mohammad is his prophet'. That is part of the trouble, whilst Christians, Jews, Sikhs, Hindus and Buddhists, generally now let people of other faiths, or no faith, get on with their lives, Islamists need to proclaim and enforce their superiority. In most nominally Christian countries, Muslims are given every freedom to live and worship in peace. In Hindu countries Muslims, like followers of all religions, generally can live and worship in peace. In the only Jewish state (Israel) control of the holiest site in Judaism has been ceded to Islam and freedom of religious worship is ensured. In how many Islamic states can Christians and Hindus worship freely? In how many can Jews?

Barack Hussein Obama

Here's some news that you won't read on the BBC.

The Washington Times reports that:

'He’s back. And this time, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright threatens to engulf President Obama in a major scandal - one that could doom his re-election. Edward Klein in his recent biography of Mr. Obama, “The Amateur,” interviewed Mr. Wright about the president’s past. On tape and on the record, Mr. Wright claims that in 2008, the Obama campaign offered $150,000 to buy his silence. If this is true - and I stress if - Mr. Obama may have committed a crime, and if so, he should be prosecuted and sent to prison. Wrightgate could bring down the Obama presidency. ... In particular, Mr. Wright alleges that Dr. Eric Whitaker, a close Obama friend, sent an email proposing $150,000 to muzzle the pastor; Mr. Wright says he refused. (The Obama administration recently awarded a $6 million grant to the University of Chicago Medical Center’s Urban Health Initiative. Who runs the initiative? You guessed it: Dr. Whitaker.) Then, Mr. Wright claims, Mr. Obama personally visited him, urging the pastor to remain silent and do nothing that would cripple the Obama candidacy. According to Mr. Klein, Mr. Wright directly contradicts Mr. Obama’s narrative of having little contact with Trinity United Church. Instead, Mr. Wright alleges that he was Mr. Obama’s close spiritual and political adviser, someone who for more than 20 years shaped the future president’s worldview. In fact, the pastor claims that he was like “a second father” to Mr. Obama.'

Interesting but despite the claims that could bring down Obama I don't think it's the key claim in the Washington Times report. That would be this:

'Furthermore, Mr. Wright says Mr. Obama possessed an “Islamic background” and despite his conversion to Christianity has never abandoned his Muslim roots. In short, Mr. Wright appears to be confirming what I have argued for years: Mr. Obama is a cultural Muslim whose Christianity is deeply tied to black liberation theology - the belief that America and the West have an evil, imperialist civilization bent on oppressing the Third World.'

Interesting but where else can we see that claim? How about this piece from the Sean Hannity Radio Show, where author Ed Klein said Barack Obama’s former pastor helped Obama accept Christianity without having to renounce Islam. The Daily Caller reported:

'Klein also said Wright told him he “made it comfortable” for Obama to accept Christianity without having renounce his “Islamic background,” which Klein said he has on tape.'

Interesting but is that it? No, there's more: Klein spoke more on this in a separate interview with NewsMax:

'Klein says Obama originally sought out Wright to discuss community activism. "Quickly the conversations turned from picking up garbage on the street and getting streetlights put up on street corners to political matters and religious matters,” Klein says. “And the Rev. Wright turned into really a substitute father figure, who guided Obama in the two major areas of his life." The first area was Obama’s identity — just who was he? "Obama was steeped in Islam but knew nothing about Christianity," Klein says. Klein asked Wright if he converted Obama from being a Muslim into a Christian. “He said, I don’t know about that. but I can tell you that I made it easy for him to come to an understanding of who Jesus Christ is and not feel that he was turning his back on his Islamic friends and his Islamic traditions and his understanding of Islam,” Klein says. The second area was Obama’s political philosophy. Wright introduced Obama to Black Liberation theology.'

We'll return to the Black Liberation theology later, but let's look at the previous section again:

'Klein asked Wright if he converted Obama from being a Muslim into a Christian. “He said, I don’t know about that. but I can tell you that I made it easy for him to come to an understanding of who Jesus Christ is and not feel that he was turning his back on his Islamic friends and his Islamic traditions and his understanding of Islam,” Klein says.'

We know Barack Hussein Obama was born and raised a Muslim in Indonesia by his adoptive Indonesian Muslim stepfather. The Blaze has another interesting excerpt:

'Wright also made some intriguing claims about the Obama family and its purported lack of interest in attending church. Since assuming office, the president has consistently faced criticism over his infrequent church attendance. According to Wright, this is par for the course. “Church is not their thing. It was never their thing,” Wright says of Barack and Michelle Obama. “She was not the kind of black woman whose momma made her go to church, made her go to Sunday school…so the church was not an integral part of their lives before they got married — after they got married.” After Wright made these comments, Klein said, “But the church was an integral part of his politics…because he needed that base.” Wright agreed with this statement, at one point saying “correct.”'

You can see the video at The Blaze. So is Barack Obama a Christian or a Muslim? Or is he really a secular Marxist? Does this really matter? Is Barack Hussein Obama's Muslim background affecting his treatment of the only Jewish state in the world (Israel) surrounded by Muslim neighbours, many of which are dedicated to the destruction of Israel and the killing of its Jewish inhabitants? For some more on this matter take a look at this Fox News piece.

The one hundred and sixty-second weekly "No shit, Sherlock" award

This week's award goes to the US officials who we are told 'suspect that the strike on the Benghazi embassy was timed for 9/11 anniversary'.

"No shit, Sherlock"

All you need to know about Ed Miliband

Posing with a youth wearing a t-shirt bearing the slogan - 'Thatcher - A generation of Trade Unionists will dance on Thatcher's grave'. I thought Gordon Brown's moral compass was broken, well it looks as though Ed Miliband hasn't even got one.

This photo is not a new one, in fact I may have posted it before. The furore over the “Ding Dong Thatcher’s Gone” party packs for sale at the TUC conference this week reminded me of Ed Miliband's previous attitude to such sentiments.

End the unjust Jewish occupation of Arab Land

Jews make up 0.2% of the total world population.
Israel makes up 0.2% of surface area of the Arab world.

End the unjust Jewish occupation of Arab Land

Barack Obama - orator and thinker?

How many of those clips have you seen on the Barack Obama supporting BBC?

NYT: Gaza: Bulldozers Raze Part of

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/09/12/world/middleeast/gaza-bulldozers-raze-part-of-forgotten-neighborhood.xml

Where are the protests about Palestinian houses being destroyed? Where is the international condemnation? Where are the Rachel Corrie types? Where is the tear jerking BBC report?

Oh sorry the above only happens when Israel does anything to the Palestinians. When it's another Muslim country or the Palestinians themselves, it's just not newsworthy.

Barack Obama thinking on his feet in 2008

A great orator and thinker? I think not.

Such a good story the BBC have reported it FOUR times

Each report contains the essential 'VOTE OBAMA, even Republicans do' message, albeit in different forms. Here are all four:
'Despite being a registered voter of the rival Republican party, Mr Van Duzer said he would vote for the Democrat.

"I don't vote party line, I vote who I feel comfortable with, and I do feel extremely comfortable with him," the 46-year-old owner of the Big Apple Pizza in Fort Pierce said.'


'The pizza shop owner voted for Mr Obama four years ago and said he intended to do the same this year, despite being a registered Republican.'


'The pizza shop owner voted for Mr Obama four years ago and said he intended to do the same this year, despite being a registered Republican.'


'The pizza shop owner voted for Mr Obama four years ago and said he intended to do the same this year, despite being a registered Republican.'

So let's get this story straight. Barack Obama goes into a Pizza parlour that just happens to be owned  by a registered Republican who voted Obama in 2008 and will do so again in 2012. Barack Obama is coincidentally abandoned by his Secret Service security team, who usually never leave his side when he's out in public, such that the Pizza parlour owner can get Barack Obama in a bear hug and lift him up.  

Does anyone seriously believe that this was not a setup for the news reports?


I note that The Gateway Pundit is reporting that:

'What the media forgot to mention is that Scott Van Duzer reportedly visited the White House in June.
So the visit today to Scott’s business was not so random.

The TCPalm reported:

Local philanthropist Scott Van Duzer and his team of St. Lucie County Boys and Girls Club members braved temperatures in the upper 80s Tuesday, pedaling through Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce during the second day of their monthlong, 1,000-mile Washington D.C. bicycle trip to raise blood donation awareness.

... 

Van Duzer said his team is confirmed to meet with the U.S. Surgeon General on July 11 in Washington D.C. He added the deputy surgeon general will ride the last 50 miles with the team.
“Someone needs blood every two seconds. Forty-four thousand people have to donate every day to meet the need,” Van Duzer said.

The four youth riders hope word of the trip spreads to the White House.

“President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, we’re coming to see you,” said Ken Pruitt Unit member Cody Hatt, 14. “First Lady Michelle is big on health and if she sees we’re trying to promote awareness in our generation, she might get involved.”'

The BBC and other 'liberal' press are so fixated on ensuring Barack Obama gets a second term that journalism can go hang, when a good picture story comes along.

A most inciteful comment - not by me.

From a commenter on Biased-BBC.

'Pah says:

September 11, 2012 at 11:36 am

It never creases to amaze me at the facility of children for getting injured in ‘retaliatory strikes’. In every conflict there is there they are battered and bleeding after every ‘attack’.

 Unless of course the attack is made against someone the BBC likes/supports then we only ever see policemen, soldier or politicians dead in the street – assuming we see any bodies at all. But then they are oppressors, so who cares eh?

As an example; has anyone seen a news clip on the BBC from Syria where children have been injured by the insurgents? Every time the Syrian Army shells somewhere the moppets are the first to get it in the neck, yet when the Islamofascists fire back never a one is hurt.

It’s a miracle. Allah be praised.'

He's right, isn't he.

The power of the threat

Some people believe that the the BBC and other left-wing media are actively in cahoots with Islamists. This Telegraph report puts forward an alternative explanation, fear of violence.

'Channel 4 cancels Islam documentary screening after presenter threatened A screening of a controversial documentary on the history of Islam has been cancelled on security advice after its presenter was threatened. ... Historian Tom Holland's Channel 4 film Islam: The Untold Story sparked more than 1,000 complaints when it was broadcast. Holland was threatened online with a torrent of abusive messages on Twitter. A Channel 4 spokeswoman said: "Having taken security advice, we have reluctantly cancelled a planned screening of the programme Islam: The Untold Story. We remain extremely proud of the film which is still available to view on 4oD." '

Press freedom in the UK is now only possible if Islamists allow it. Happy with that?

The conspiracy theory believers are still about

Do watch the interview with Alan (not Allen) Sabrowsky, note that it's with Iran's Press TV and that Alan Sabrowsky is reported to have said that "Americans must understand that they did it. And if they do, Israel is gonna disappear. Israel will flat ass disappear from the face of this earth." As for the conspiracy theories about 9/11, do I really have to go through this again? For the reality of how the Twin Towers and Tower 7 were destroyed I suggest reading Popular Mechanics. The Tower 7 conspiracy theory debunking can be seen here. This link also might be of interest to conspiracy theory believers. Do also remember that 'Al-Qaeda has repeatedly claimed responsibility for the attacks, with chief deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri accusing Shia Iran and Hezbollah of denigrating Sunni successes in hurting America by intentionally starting rumors that Israel carried out the attacks' Maybe also have a read of this article as well.

What destroyed Western classical civilisation?

When I was taught classical history at school, I was told that the Roman Empire and Western civilisation was destroyed by the barbarian tribes of Germany and central Asia who, during the fourth and fifth centuries swarmed into the Empire and destroyed the political power of the Eternal City of Rome. The migrations of the Goths, Vandals, and Huns were responsible for reducing Europe to an economic and cultural wasteland, and initiating the long period of backwardness we call the 'Dark Ages'.

Dr Bill Warner has a different story to tell. This video is nearly 45 minutes long but do watch it all and wonder why this story is raely, if ever, told.

So why is this sort of exposition of the history of Islamic violence not referred to in our Western education system?

Anjem Choudary spreading peace and love as usual

“About 500 people in Britain become Muslim every day. “The Home Office say there are 1.5million Muslims but there were 1.5million ten years ago. Since then our brothers in Bethnal Green, Whitechapel and other places have had eight or nine children each. Eight children here, ten children, 15 children. There must be at least six million people. ... It may be by pure conversion that Britain will become an Islamic state. We may never need to conquer it from the outside.”

What a delight Anjem Choudary is... Thanks to The Sun for providingthe video and the transcription.

Boris Johnson just has 'it'

Boris's speech at the end of the Olympic victory parade yesterday. Brilliant - just funny and real, a good orator and great lines - "you produced such paroxysms of tears and joy on the sofas of Britain, that you probably not only inspired a generation but helped create one as well!"

However I must fact-check Boris. When he said that Team GB won more he was not correct. In fact the top country on that basis would be Grenada, followed by Jamaica and then the Bahamas. Team GB would finish 20th on that basis.


Now back to Boris, here he was four years ago when we wondered if London could stage the 2012 Olympics at all...

The one hundred and sixty first weekly "No shit, Sherlock" award

This week's award goes to the BBC for this piece of indisputable logic...
4G mobile technology could be up to 20 times faster, but only if you have a signal

"No shit, Sherlock"

I see that Barack Obama's mathematical skills are still somewhat deficient

In 2008 Barack Obama said he'd visited 57 states so far...

The BBC and other Obama supporting media barely noticed the mistake. Then it was the difference between 50 and 60.


Today I note that Barack Obama has problems with smaller numbers too, three and four...


And once again on the BBC... silence. Every George W. Bush misspeak was a headline story, every Sarah Palin odd turn of phrase was newsworthy. But when Barack Obama makes a mistake... not a word. The BBC's support for and indeed campaigning on behalf of Barack Obama is just plain wrong.

9/11 Lest we forget

Number of years since the attacks: 11

Number of Muslim hijackers: 19

Number of airplanes hijacked: 4

Number of intended targets: 4

Number of targets struck: 3 

Number of murder victims: 2,977

Estimated financial cost of the attacks: $3.3 trillion

Number of apologies from Saudi Arabia or Muslim organizations for the attacks: Zero


In 2009 I reported that Fox News and others were reporting the case of:

"Peter Gadiel (who) wants everyone to remember his son, James, who was killed during the September 11 terrorist attacks.

And he also wants people to remember how he died: "Murdered by Muslim terrorists."

For Gadiel, any tribute to his son would be woefully incomplete without those words.

"I think it's important, because I think there's a nationwide effort to suppress the identity of the people who were involved in the attacks," Gadiel told Fox News.

Eight years ago, 23-year-old James Gadiel worked for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 103rd floor of the World Trade Center. He died when a hijacked plane crashed into the North Tower.

For years, Gadiel's hometown of Kent, Conn., has wanted to honor the young man with a memorial plaque next to its town hall. But the tribute has hit a snag because James' father wants to include the phrase, "Murdered by Muslim terrorists," under his son's name.

For Peter Gadiel, it is a central fact of the Sept. 11 attacks that is often left out.

"It isn't just overlooked, it's suppressed," Gadiel said. "It's simply wrong to imply that people just died. The buildings didn't just collapse, they didn't just fall down — they were attacked by people with a specific identity, a specific purpose.""

So on the one side we have the father of a man who was killed by terrorists who killed in the name of Islam, those are incontrovertible facts. On the other side we have the usual 'liberals' for whom facts matter less than hurt feelings:

"Town officials call the phrase too controversial for a small town memorial, and they recently voted against erecting the plaque if Gadiel insists on the language.

"We perceive ourselves as a very warm, loving town," said Ruth Epstein, a Kent selectman and one of two town leaders to vote the plaque down. "To disparage any one ethnic group is just against everything that we stand for here."

Epstein noted that other Sept. 11 memorials, like the one at the Pentagon, don't mention Muslim terrorists, and she said she does not want to alienate any members of her small and close-knit community.

"We have at least one Muslim family living here with children and it — it would be just awful to have them see something like that," Epstein told Fox News."

What's 'controversial' about the phrase "Murdered by Muslim terrorists."? Could the local council explain which part of that phrase is not totally factual? Was James Gadiel murdered rather than dieing of natural causes or in an accident? Were the people who murdered him Muslims? Were the people who killed him committing an act of terrorism? I cannot see how the answers to all those three questions can be anything other than 'yes', in which case "Murdered by Muslim terrorists." is a factual statement. Stating how James Gadiel died is not 'disparaging' all Muslims, just the ones who decided to fly passenger planes into New York office buildings (and other locations) on the 11th September so as to kill as many people as possible and terrorise many, many more. The fact, if true, that the Pentagon memorial does not mention Muslims does not make that the right thing to do. It seems that the local Kent council care more about the potential hurt feelings of one local Muslim family than those of their local resident whose son was murdered.

I remember 9/11 as if it was yesterday. I was due to fly the following day to a business meeting and I, and the others who were to accompany me, watched the burning first tower of the World Trade Centre with horror and then experienced disbelief as the second plane hit the other tower. Later that day as I left for home I and others were passed by two bearded Muslims who were happily telling all passers by that this was a great day and that America had had it coming.

Yes I do remember 9/11 and yes it has affected my world view. Although I had been warning people of the possibility of large scale Islamic terrorist attacks for some time prior to 9/11, the reality was worse than I had imagined.

On the anniversary of 9/11 I wonder how MD Alam  is feeling...

Murray vs Djokovic

I was right!

Well done Andy Murray. I only watched the first set last night as needed a good night's sleep but that was exciting enough. Also the power those two guys put on the ball and the levels of fitness displayed.... Wow!

Murray vs Djokovic - Who will win?

It's a tight call but their record on hard courts runs thus:
Djokovic
Djokovic
Djokovic
Murray
Murray
Murray
Djokovic
Murray
Djokovic
Murray
Djokovic

So we are due a Murray victory...

 

But 'scientists know' - so how could this be?

The BBC report on the 'Wettest summer for 100 years'. How odd, only a few years ago The Guardian reported as fact that:

'Scientists know a lot about how events will unfold...which means that whatever we do, our climate destiny is fixed for the next few decades... Rainfall will decline in the summer and the increased deluges in winter will struggle to replenish thirsty reservoirs because much of the water will run off the baked ground.'

Scientists know... climate destiny is fixed... Rainfall will decline in the summer..." It's all rubbish folks; most of these scientists are not predicting based on science, they are designing science to fit the desired predictions.

Are you a teenager and do you watch too much porn?

Trucks - It's Just Porn Mum by orchardmusic

I think this pussy wants to be stroked

Doctor Who - the documentary - A little something to watch before tonight's Doctor Who

Watch and learn... The history of the first seven Doctors.

Israeli nude cinema - NSFW - Rule 5 Friday

Israel Cinema Nude - Israeli Collection by holoman1974


Here's some more of Dana Miller

Hot topless girl in T.V. show by spydude
Did I hear the magic word shadayim?

The lighter side of my blogging about Israel?

What's racist?

Satire? Sounds right on the nail. Tahnks to Theo Saprk for the spot.

How the US Democrat National Convention reacted to the motion to vote to reverse the party's position on Jerusalem (September 5, 2012).

Not really a two-thirds vote was it? For background read my earlier post

I like 'getting the shot' as much as anyone but this chap takes it too far

From a drifting rally event in Czech Republic, I believe.

Yes, I complained

Further to this post, I have complained to the BBC, not that I expect it will  do me much good.

The BBC update their report and use 'that map' again

Further to my previous post, the BBC have updated their report as below:

'Gaza Strip: Israeli strikes 'kill six militants'

At least six Palestinians have been killed in two Israeli strikes in Gaza against what Israel says were militants preparing rocket and bomb attacks.
Palestinians said three were killed by Israeli fire in the north of the strip on Thursday morning. Israel said they were planting a bomb near its fence.

Hours earlier, an air strike in central Gaza killed three militants who Israel said were set to fire rockets.

There has been a spate of rocket attacks and air strikes in recent days.

In the latest incident, Israel said it had fired at a "terrorist squad that was planting an explosive device". A Gaza health ministry official, Ashraf al-Qudra, said those killed were civilians, the AFP news agency reports.
It came hours after another strike which Israel said "targeted a terrorist squad... involved in previous rocket launches at communities located in southern Israel".

Witnesses said the air strike hit a car in which four people were travelling near the Bureij refugee camp.

Palestinian medical officials and witnesses confirmed that three militants had been killed in that attack.

A fourth man was critically injured, a health ministry spokesman told the BBC.

There has been an increase in cross-border rocket fire by Palestinian militants in recent days, though without causing casualties.

Israel says it holds the Hamas movement which runs Gaza responsible for all attacks emanating from Gaza, even if it is other militant groups carrying them out.'

My two favourite parts of that report, favourite as in typical of the BBC's anti-Israel agenda? First the wording  'There has been an increase in cross-border rocket fire by Palestinian militants in recent days, though without causing casualties.' As though the rocket firing can be discounted as nobody has been injured. The fact that the Jewish residents of Sderot have 15 seconds to flee into bomb shelters when the sirens sound, that Israel has built shelters and the iron-dome protection system to try and ensure that Israelis are not killed or injured by Hamas terrorist rockets is not deemed worthy of comment.

The second interesting aspect of that report is the map which looks rather similar to the one I complained about and got an apology from the BBC for (see here). This time the BBC have managed to show Egypt in a different colour from Israel and Gaza but not to identify Egypt by name. Also rather oddly Gaza and Israel are shown in the same colour, are the BBC incapable of having the usual three colours on their maps? This time the map does stray below the border between Israel & Gaza which is an improvement but again Egypt is not named. The intent is clearly to portray Gaza as dominated by Israel and to hide the fact that Egypt has a border with Gaza and thus any Israeli blockade can only be maintained with the cooperation (or even support) of Egypt.

I detest the BBC.

As predicted

Over recent weeks I have tweeted the BBC asking them why they have not reported the regular rocket attacks on Israel from Hamas and other terrorists operating from Gaza, I wondered if they were waiting for Israel's response. Today they reported as 'Breaking News' that:

'Gaza Strip: Israeli strikes 'kill six militants'

At least six Palestinians have been killed in two Israeli strikes in Gaza against what Israel says were militants preparing rocket and bomb attacks.

Palestinians said three were killed by Israeli fire in the north of the strip on Thursday morning. Israel said they were planting a bomb near its fence.

Hours earlier, an air strike in central Gaza killed three militants who Israel said were set to fire rockets.

There has been a spate of rocket attacks and air strikes in recent days.'

There you go, as predicted. The BBC are so anti-Israel that they slant their news reporting in a most disgustingly biased way and pay hundreds of thousands to keep secret the report that would reveal this to be true. I despise the BBC.

The one hundred and sixtieth weekly "No shit, Sherlock" award

This week's award goes to Jihad Watch for the headline - 'Victimization of Egypt's Christians Worse After Revolution' How surprising? In fact, as I am sure Jihad Watch would agree, "No shit, Sherlock".

Would Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz care to rethink her claim?

Yesterday Debbie Wasserman Schultz said this:

"I didn’t say he said that,” Wasserman Schultz insisted. “And unfortunately, that comment was reported by a conservative newspaper. It’s not surprising they would deliberately misquote me. What I always say is that unfortunately the Republicans have made Israel a political football, which is dangerous for Israel. And Ambassador Oren has said that we can’t ever suggest that there is any daylight between the two parties on Israel because there isn’t. And that that’s harmful to Israel. That’s what I said, and that is accurate."

Pretty conclusive? Here's the original interview, judge for yourself, from 0:27 is the key part...  



Thanks to The Washington Examiner for the details of this story.

40 years ago today, not that the BBC are interested

Munich memorial for 1972 Olympic attacks by reuters



Boris Johnson rembered and cared...

An odd fact - What links the 1972 Olympics Munich massacre to Mrs Slocombe's pussy?

'Are You Being Served? was first broadcast on 8 September 1972 on the BBC, in the form of a pilot for the series Comedy Playhouse. It only aired when it did because of free airtime created by the Munich massacre during the 1972 Summer Olympics.' Per Wikipedia.

Is Barack Obama's popularity fading?

First HotAir report that:

'Never mind ponying up $3 for a chance at “dinner with Barack.” How would you like a free bus ride to Bank of America Stadium to watch the president make his second nomination acceptance speech on Thursday? The Democratic National Committee would be only too happy to accommodate you. Make that eager to accommodate you. Check that: desperate to accommodate you. FOX News reports that college students and members of predominantly black churches from all across the Carolinas are being shuttled to Charlotte by the busload in the hopes of having enough warm bodies to fill the stadium’s 73,778 seats...'

Meanwhile The Washington Times reports the possibly symbolic news that:

' A torrential downpour that struck Charlotte on Saturday afternoon damaged the Mount Rushmore-style sand sculpture bust of President Obama — an ominous beginning to what many fear is a plagued convention. Workers were trying Saturday afternoon to reform the base of the sculpture, built from sand brought in from Myrtle Beach, S.C., pounding and smoothing out the sand that had washed off the facade of the waist-up rendering of the chief executive. The sand sculpture was protected from above, and Mr. Obama’s face didn’t see too much damage. But the storm was so strong that its heavy winds blew the rain sideways, pelting the president’s right side and leaving the sand pockmarked and completely erasing his right elbow.'

For any Jews still thinking of voting for Barack Obama

The Washington Free Beacon has some interesting information about how Barack Obama's Democratic party are abondong any pretence of supporting Israel.

1. Jerusalem:

'Jerusalem is unmentioned in the 2012 document, whereas the 2008 and 2004 Democratic Party platforms declared “Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel…It should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths.” The Obama administration’s refusal to recognize Jerusalem has been a point of significant controversy in recent months.' 

2. Palestinian refugees:

'On the issue of Palestinian refugees, the new document has removed language from the 2004 and 2008 platforms specifying that Palestinian “refugees” should be settled in a future Palestinian state, not in Israel.

The 2004 platform: “The creation of a Palestinian state should resolve the issue of Palestinian refugees by allowing them to settle there, rather than in Israel.”

The 2008 platform: The peace process “should resolve the issue of Palestinian refugees by allowing them to settle there, rather than in Israel.”

The 2012 platform contains no language on the matter.

Previously, Obama has incorporated the Palestinian positions on Jerusalem and borders into his administration’s policies. It appears that with his party’s new platform, he is also doing so with refugees.' 

 
3. Hamas:

'Gone as well is the language from 2008 on the terrorist group Hamas, which currently controls the Gaza Strip. That platform declared, “The United States and its Quartet partners should continue to isolate Hamas until it renounces terrorism, recognizes Israel’s right to exist, and abides by past agreements.”

The 2012 platform contains no mention of Hamas.' 

4. Israel's military edge:

'Previous platforms also contained promises to maintain Israel’s “qualitative military edge” in the region. The 2008 platform, for example, spoke of a “commitment which requires us to ensure that Israel retains a qualitative edge for its national security and its right to self-defense.” The 2012 platform mentions only that “[t]he administration has also worked to ensure Israel’s qualitative military edge in the region,” with no commitment to doing so in the future.'

If you're still not sure how Barack Hussein Obama and his team think of Israel and Jewish voters, maybe this will make it clear

Nude men can distract one's dog...

An Arkansas television station was interviewing an elderly Benton couple about a tree that fell into their house (hello, slow news day!), but that conversation got a lot more interesting when a naked man wandered out of the woods across from their house. "What is this out here we got?" resident John Manassel asked, pointing toward the street. What they got was an eyeful of Nathaniel Koba, who was holding his own, um, twig and berries with one hand as he shrugged and stood nonchalantly in the road. "I ought to go out there and start an ass-kicking contest," Manassel said. Fortunately for one of them, the cops arrived and arrested Koba for public intoxication and indecent exposure. Thanks to MSN News for the spot.

The Only Known Photo of Karl Marx and Barack Obama

If you don't understand the joke then you probably rely upon the BBC for your news coverage.

Thanks to HotAir for the spot.

Another result of the Arab Spring

Do you remember the BBC, and others, lauding the Arab spring and its bringing of democracy to swathes of the Middle East? Do you remember the BBC celebrating the victory of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt's elections?

It was obvious what the result of the Muslim Brotherhood coming to power in Egypt would be, a ramping up of the hatred of non-Muslims. The Copts, the Middle East's largest Christian denomination, are suffering and now I read that:

'For the first time in 2,000 years, there will be no Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur services at the Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue in Alexandria in 5773, reports Daniel Greenfield in “In The Point.”

This was the last active synagogue in Egypt. The Egyptian authorities’ excuse for the shut-down, effectively outlawing High Holiday services in the country, were “security” reasons.

Levana Zamir, head of the International Association of Egyptian Jews in Israel, said: “It seems this is really the end of Jewish life in Egypt. The authorities have found a way to take over the last Jewish bastion, since all the remaining synagogues are already archaeological and tourist sites. It is very sad.”

This is yet another example of the fact that Jewish life is becoming extinct in the Muslim world.'

I wonder if the BBC will report this piece of news from Egypt. If they do, will they find a way to blame it on Israel?

This is the truth of the matter, whilst the BBC and others on the fascist left of British politics and society decry Israel  as an 'apartheid state', they ignore the real apartheid states that surround it. In Israel there is freedom of religious worship for all religions. In Jerusalem itself, the capital of the Jewish state for millenia, Muslims worship at their mosques built on top of the ruins of the Jewish temples. Israel cedes control, of the holiest site in Judaism, to Islam and the reward is to be called an apartheid state. Meanwhile the last synagogue in Egypt is shutdown and not a word of protest is uttered, nor do the BBC even cover the story.

A "way of getting rid of Christians"

The religion of peace again. Even the BBC cannot avoid but report

'A Pakistani imam has been remanded in custody, accused by his deputy of planting pages of the Koran among burnt pages in the bag of a Christian girl held for blasphemy.

The girl was detained two weeks ago near the capital Islamabad after an angry mob demanded she be punished. Imam Khalid Chishti allegedly told a witness that this was a "way of getting rid of Christians", a prosecutor said.

The girl, named as Rimsha, is said to be about 14 and to have learning difficulties.'

Here's some background  from The Telegraph:

'Rimsha Misah has been held at a high-security prison for more than a fortnight after being arrested in a Christian enclave outside Islamabad. She is accused of burning pages of a religious text, a crime punishable with death.

Now her supporters say she could be freed as soon as Monday.

They say she has Down’s syndrome and is the victim of a long-running vendetta carried out by Muslims who want the Christian community to leave their homes.

They appeared to be vindicated on Sunday, when Hafiz Mohammed Khalid Chishti, imam of a nearby mosque was presented before court to be charged with desecrating a Koran by adding pages to charred rubbish collected from Rimsha.

He was detained in a raid late on Saturday night after worshippers at his mosque came forward to say he had been seen tampering with evidence

“He was arrested after his deputy Maulvi Zubair and two others told a magistrate he added pages from the Koran to the burnt pages brought to him by a witness,” said Munir Hussain Jaffri, a police investigator.

The details offer the chance for Pakistan to draw a line under a seemingly intractable saga that has exposed its violent religious divide.

At the same time, however, hardliners have warned of a conspiracy and question why it has taken so long for the new witness to come forward.

Rao Abdur Raheem, a lawyer for the man who made the original accusation, accused the authorities of interfering in the case.

“They are pressurising the complainants and witnesses to facilitate the bail of Rimsha,” he told the court.
Rimsha has so far been refused bail and is being held in the notorious Adiala jail.

A medical report last week said Rimsha appeared to be 14 years old, which would make her a minor, and had a mental age below her true age, and therefore eligible for bail but the court has yet to decide whether to accept the assessment.

Tahir Naveed Chaudhry, her defence lawyer, said the revelation would bolster efforts to free Rimsha at a bail hearing today(MON). He added that no-one had managed to explain how her accusers had managed to see inside the bag she was carrying and spot burned pages of Koranic verse.

“From the first moment we believed the accusation was false and fabricated,” he said.

“The imam himself has admitted trying to drive Christians away from the area.” Rimsha’s home neighbourhood has been the scene of a long-running religious dispute, with Muslims angered by noisy hymns sounding from a church.

Muslims say they have come under intense police pressure to withdraw the original blasphemy allegation, following an international outcry.

The Vatican, democracy movements and Western governments have all expressed concern about the case.

Human rights groups believe Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws are being abused to target religious minorities or settle personal scores.

The issue is hugely sensitive in Pakistan, where 97 percent of the 180 million population are Muslims, and allegations of insulting Islam or the Prophet Mohammed often prompt a furious public reaction.

Last year, two high-profile campaigners for reform of the law were assassinated and judges are fearful of appearing lenient.'

Pakistan is an Islamic state and one where the few Christians and Hindus left living there are increasingly at risk of persection and indeed death.

Asylum of the Daleks - the prequel

How did The Doctor end up where he as at the beginning of The Asylum of the Daleks


Is The Doctor maried? Not Riversong again... "Name the planet!" "Skaro" Skweeee

Officially - What is the best number? Big Bang's Sheldon explains why it is 73

A great number it is true but then 5,318,008 does spell "boobies" upside down.

Doctor Who - All of The Master's regenerations

Yesterday I posted a video of all of Doctor Who's regenerations, today it's the turn of The Master


For me Roger Delgado was The Master but I have to admit that John Simm did a really good job, just the right level of total insanity allied with true evil.

Posh Nosh - Episode 8

Comfort Food

José Luis has died and Simon is missing him, a lot! Why does the new tennis coach look a) so much like José Luisand b) so much like David Tennant.

What happens when The Doctor is away - Pond Life - Episodes 1 to 5

The Doctor is away, Amy & Rory are living their 'normal' lives; these are some of the intersections. How nice to have an Ood butler!

Doctor Who starts a new series today and the Daleks are back so here's a look at Daleks through the ages - Earth years 1963-2008

Thankfully missing the multi-colour abominations that followed soon after. Some great memories amongst these images, although i do think the daleks need a long rest as they have been used too often in recent years.

Doctor Who and a not very scary Dalek

Tonight there will be lots of scary Daleks, so here's one that was a bit crap!

Doctor Who starts a new series today so here are all the Doctor's regenerations

'All the Doctor's regenerations 1963 - 2010.
* All footage taken from the original episodes (along with original audio)

1. William Hartnell - Patrick Troughton: The Tenth Planet, Part 4 (1966)
* The First Doctor dies of old age / exhaustion due to the energy drain on the planet Mondas.

2. Patrick Troughton - Jon Pertwee: The War Games, Part 10 (1969)
* The Second Doctor is exiled to Earth by the Time Lords and is forced to regenerate.

3. Jon Pertwee - Tom Baker: Planet Of The Spiders, Part 6 (1974)
* The Third Doctor dies of radiation poisoning from the crystals of Metabelis Three.

4. Tom Baker - Peter Davison: Logopolis, Part 4 (1981)
* The Fourth Doctor falls from the Pharos Project radio telescope and merges with the Watcher.

5. Peter Davison - Colin Baker: The Caves Of Androzani, Part 4 (1984)
* The Fifth Doctor dies of spectrox toxaemia exposure on Androzani Minor.

6. Colin Baker - Sylvester McCoy: Time And The Rani, Part 1 (1987)
* The Sixth Doctor regenerates when the Rani shoots down the TARDIS.

7. Sylvester McCoy - Paul McGann: Doctor Who: The Movie (1996)
* The Seventh Doctor is shot by a gang member, then dies while being operated on in hospital.

8. Paul McGann - Christopher Eccleston: No official regeneration exists. (This video features a fanmade regeneration created by Mulett.)
* The Eighth Doctor's reason for regenerating is unknown.

9. Christopher Eccleston - David Tennant: The Parting Of The Ways (2005)
* The Ninth Doctor dies of cellular degeneration caused by absorbing the energies of the Time Vortex.

10. David Tennant - Matt Smith: The End Of Time, Part 2 (2010)
* The Tenth Doctor dies of radiation poisoning caused by the faulting power supply of the Immortality Gate.

TRIVIA:

* The Doctor can regenerate two more times for a total of 12 regenerations (and 13 incarnations of the Doctor) according to Doctor Who mythology.

* The Second Doctor was never seen to actually change into the Third, simply fading off into darkness at the end of 'The War Games' (1969) and then stumbling out of the TARDIS, already regenerated, at the start of 'Spearhead From Space' (1970). Both scenes are included in this video.

* Colin Baker declined to appear in his regeneration scene after being fired by the BBC, so the regeneration in 'Time And The Rani' (1987) features Sylvester McCoy in a blond wig regenerating into the Seventh Doctor.

* No official regeneration of Paul McGann into Christopher Eccleston exists. Nine years had passed between the 1996 TV movie & the 2005 series, and producer Russell T Davies felt that beginning the 2005 series with a regeneration would be too confusing for new viewers. (My thanks to Mulett for creating the McGann to Eccleston regeneration seen in this video.)

* In 'The Stolen Earth / Journey's End' (2008) the Tenth Doctor partially-regenerates after being shot by a Dalek, but aborts the regeneration by redirecting the energy to his severed hand. It has never been officially stated whether this used up a regeneration or not (See it in my video "Regeneration 2 - New Beginnings.")

* The BBC's Doctor Who FAQ suggests that now the Time Lords are gone, the Doctor may be able to circumvent the limit on regenerations; it says:
"Now that his people are gone, who knows? Time Lords used to have 13 lives."

* Intro/Outro Theme: Möbius by Floorten.
http://whomix.windbubbles.net/remix/41

* The music over the McGann - Eccleston regeneration is called 'The Doctor's Theme (Pappenheim Remix)' by Murray Gold.'

Many thanks to Brian Rimmer for that video and information. . Rimmer a nice Doctor Who to Red Dwarf link...

Doctor Who starts a new series today so here's the Doctor Who intros

What a walk down memory lane and it reminded me that the best sounding intros were the earliest and the best visuals were those that did not include a picture of the then current Doctor. Poor Sylvester McCoy had the worst music and video, although Paul McGann's filmic opening was also very poor. The new TV series' opening credits were a big improvement but the latest ones with the addition of lightning just annoys me. Maybe I don't like change?