The BBC not reporting the whole story again

The BBC report that:

'BA worker Rajib Karim convicted of terror charges

A British Airways computer expert who plotted to blow up a plane has been found guilty of terror charges.

Rajib Karim, 31, from Newcastle, used his job to access information for radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, Woolwich Crown Court heard.

He denied four charges, including sharing information of use to hate groups.

But after four days of deliberations, the jury found him guilty of all four charges.

Karim was committed to an "extreme jihadist cause" and determined to become a martyr, jurors were told.

The Bangladeshi national, who moved with his wife and son to Newcastle in 2006, had already admitted being involved in the production of a terrorist group's video.'

What the BBC manage not to report re this 'Bangladeshi national, who moved with his wife and son to Newcastle in 2006' is that (per The Mail):

'The zealot came to Britain in December 2006 with his British wife, Zijarin Raja, to seek cancer treatment on the NHS for his baby son, now five. It later transpired the boy did not have the disease and he has now recovered.'

So were Rajib Karim and his family were in the UK under false pretences, either way this is something the BBC seem not to want to consider.

Likewise the BBC tell us that

'After gaining a post-graduate job at BA in 2007, Karim held secret meetings with fellow Islamic extremists at Heathrow and, in 2009, began communicating with al-Awlaki from his home in Brunton Lane.'

The BBC seem not to report this (per The Mail):

'Karim had already begun to build a terror cell in Britain, recruiting a baggage handler from Heathrow Airport and a security guard, it was claimed.

Woolwich Crown Court heard that in the final encrypted email he sent to al-Awlaki before his arrest last February, Karim said he would speak to his brothers ‘to find out the ­possibilities of shipping a package to a U.S.-bound plane’.’

Similarly the BBC try to excuse Rajib Karim with this line:

'Karim, a privately-educated IT expert from Dhaka, became a supporter of the extremist organisation Jammat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) after being influenced by his younger brother Tehzeeb, the court heard. '

Oddly The Mail report this somewhat differently:

'Jonathan Laidlaw QC, prosecuting, said that from his arrival Karim was ‘entirely committed to an extreme Jihadist and religious cause’.

‘Karim believes that terrorism, including the murder of civilians, is permissible to establish, as he views it, a true Islamic state'

‘He believes that terrorism, including the murder of civilians, is permissible to establish, as he views it, a true Islamic state,’ Mr Laidlaw said. ‘Karim was anxious to carry out such an act and he was determined to seek martyrdom.’

... the court heard that when he first travelled from Bangladesh to the UK it was to see if the country ‘could be exploited for terrorist purposes’.

In one email, recovered by police, he said: ‘From the moment I entered this country my niyah (purpose) was to do something for the deen (faith), it was not to make a living here and start enjoying life.’

Why do the BBC downplay the activities of Islamic terrorists and their supporters?

What did John Galliano really say?

What John Galliano said to Geraldine Bloch and Philippe Virgitti, in La Perle Bar is in dispute. Ms Bloch told the French police that he called her a "dirty Jew face", however John Galliano has launched legal action against Ms Bloch and Mr Virgitti for defamation.

However The Sun have some video of a previous John Galliano tirade, here's part of The Sun's transcript:

'"I love Hitler... People like you would be dead. Your mothers, your forefathers, would all be f****** gassed... 

In vino veritas?

UPDATE:
And thanks to YouTube here's the video

I have a new musical hero - Diana Krall

'To protest the blockade of Gaza and in the aftermath of the Israeli assault on the vessel MV Mavi Marmara on 31 May 2010, many artists scheduled to perform in Israel in mid-2010 joined the ongoing boycott against these reported actions. Among them was Krall's husband, Elvis Costello. Krall, by contrast, performed in Ra'anana, Israel's outdoor amphitheater before a large and appreciative crowd on 4 August 2010.'

'Walk on By'

An interesting view on the future of the USA

It's Basically Over For Anglos makes for a long and fascianting read, here's a few extracts:

'The Houston Chronicle quotes a demographer, Steve Murdock, who notes looking at population projections for Texas, "It's basically over for Anglos." The story reports that two out of every three Texas children are non-Anglo (almost all Mexican origin) and that will become even more pronounced in the future. Murdock is a former U.S. Census Bureau Director and is currently the Director of the Hobby Center for the Study of Texas at Rice University. Murdock says that Texas is divided into two: an aging Anglo population and a young, almost entirely Mexican origin population. This sets up the mother of all spoils battles: spend on mostly Mexican kids, or aging Whites. The impact of this spoils battle could conceivably, if it spirals out of control, lead to a break-up of the US along racial lines, at worst.

...

Whites are defacto minorities in California, Arizona, Texas, and Nevada. In California, Hispanics outnumber Whites absolutely, while in Arizona, Texas, and Nevada about two thirds of children under 14 are Hispanic, and only about a third White. If one believes in unicorns, rainbows, and fairies (the Tinkerbell kind, not the San Francisco leather-bound kind) then this will be no problem. "Magic" will sprinkle pixie dust on Hispanic children, magically making them achieve the same educational levels, same low levels of criminal activity, same economic levels, as the White populations they are replacing. And everyone will dance around singing Kumbayah and holding hands in one giant post-racial party, happy to have conquered "Whiteness." This is the fantasy of the Puritan-Progressive elite, and post-Quakers, the cultural heirs to the New England Puritans and Pennsylvania Quakers. Who believe in a mish-mash of "elect and damned" and "be nice to others, they'll be nice to you." The latter sound advice when your neighbors are the Amish, not so sound when they are MS-13 or the Zetas.

...

Of course, violent secession is not set in stone. But neither is it an unlikely fantasy. Fleeing Whites who were in effect ethnically cleansed out of California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, and Florida are unlikely to be willing to transfer funds from wealthier White states such as Idaho, or South Dakota, to Texas and the rest of the "Mexico Norte" states. Money to be spent on the very people who ethnically cleansed them out of their homes in the first place. Nor is there any way to construct a "grand bargain" -- Hispanics (mostly all Mexicans) spending money to care for an aging White population in exchange for taxes spent to educate poor Mexicans and provide welfare. First, there will not be enough money to go around, the average income gap per household is about $16,000 of White vs. Hispanic in 2009 dollars according to the US Census Bureau. There has been no narrowing the gap over the last twenty years, instead it has only increased. And socially, Hispanics have had growing maladaptive behaviors to increase income: growing not decreasing levels of illegitimacy, growing not decreasing levels of drop out rates, growing not decreasing levels of Spanish only language skills. Meanwhile the burden of providing health, education, and welfare of a desperately poor population of illegal aliens and one only slightly less desperately poor (the children of illegal aliens and every descendant afterwards) increases exponentially.'

Interesting, scary and controversial.

The United Nations is a sick joke

'The Syrian Arab Republic praised the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya for its serious commitment to and interaction with the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms. It commended the country for its democratic regime based on promoting the people’s authority through the holding of public conferences, which enhanced development and respect for human rights, while respecting cultural and religions traditions.

...

Palestine commended the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya for the consultations held with civil society in the preparation of the national report, which demonstrated its commitment to the improved enjoyment of human rights. Palestine praised the country for the Great Green Document on Human Rights. It noted the establishment of the national independent institution entrusted with promoting and protecting human rights, which had many of the competencies set out in the Paris Principles. It also noted the interaction of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya with human rights mechanisms.

...

Saudi Arabia commended the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya’s achievements in its constitutional, legislative and institutional frameworks, which showed the importance that the country attached to human rights, and for the fact that international treaties took precedence over its national legislation. It noted that the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya had become party to many human rights conventions and had equipped itself with a number of institutions, national, governmental and non-governmental, tasked with promoting and protecting human rights.'

More countries verdicts on Libya's Human Rights record at UN Watch, who also inform us that:

'Despite having just voted to suspend Libya from its ranks, the UN Human Rights Council is about to adopt a lengthy report hailing Libya’s human rights record. The report, which is on the council website, is the outcome of a recent session that reviewed Libya’s human rights record. Although the “Universal Periodic Review” mechanism is described by council defenders as its saving grace, the vast majority of council members and observers falsely praised the Gaddafi regime for its alleged promotion of human rights. The regime’s reps also declared the same... though now they admit that the opposite is true. The report is on the council website and set to be adopted during the current March session. UN Watch calls on the council president to acknowledge that the session was a fraud, withdraw the report, and schedule a new session in which council members would tell the truth. Gaddaf’s victims deserve no less.

The United Nations and its Human Rights Council is a joke. The number of countries with little or no respect for human rights is growing and they comment approvingly on each other whilst reserving criticism for Western democracies especially the USA and of course Israel.

What is multiculturalism?

Andrew Klavan explains...


Thanks to Theo Spark for the spot

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

This week's winner is Boris Johnson for the title of this piece in The Telegraph -

'AV was a last gasp from Gordon Brown's bunker – and it's a gigantic fraud

We would be mad to adopt a system that is less fair than the one we already have'

AV a mad, bad idea - "No shit, Sherlock". However I believe that with the BBC behind the Yes campaign, AV will be in place for the general election after next unless a Conservative government lead by a leader with principles gets into power at the next general election. That requirement looks like it excludes David Cameron, so who should it be?

Buy a piece of Israel

'Buy a Piece of Israel!

Save the Galilee

“One who purchases 4 cubits (amot) in the Land of Israel is assured a portion in the World to Come” (Midrash Zuta on Megilat Ruth 4:5)

Because it’s Time to Take our Country Back!'

More details here but here's an extract:

'As a result of demographic and political trends in the past 25 years, Israel finds itself in the midst of a national crisis of hitherto unknown proportions: Jewish farmers and landowners are victimized by the illegal expropriation of their land through means of robbery, violence and intimidation by their Arab neighbors. Illegal grazing, planting and residential construction by Arabs have taken place over huge tracts of Jewish owned land that were liberated at the founding of the State of Israel in 1948. It would appear that the government of Israel has been unwilling or unable to enforce laws that would prevent such actions.

Feeling the pinch of Arab land grabbers, some Jewish farmers have felt compelled to sell their land to Arabs and it has also been reported that private investors from oil rich Arab Gulf states like Saudi Arabia are purchasing sizable land parcels in Israel.

This deepening morass has served as impetus for many rabbis in Israel to issue edicts prohibiting Jews from selling land to Arabs, as was recently reported by Arutz Sheva. Increasing frustrations among Jewish residents of the Galilee have prompted some to begin taking concrete action to preserve Jewish land ownership. One such person in Joel Busner, founder of the B’Ahavat Yisrael charitable organization and the founder of a new private venture called, “Buy A Piece of Israel”. '

The importance of box-ticking

Academic Mary Beard writing the 'Diary' in the current issue of The Spectator has had a realisation about the cult of the box-ticking culture on both sides of the Atlantic:

'There have been a number of initiation rituals. I have taken, and passed (with certificate), the National Gallery online course in ‘Security and Privacy Awareness’ (to get internet access). Basically it’s a load of multiple-choice questions, to which you give the right answer — while knowing that, in real life, you’ll probably carry on in your bad old ways. The ‘right’ answer for how to choose a computer password is, apparently, to pick a phrase such as ‘squeaky chair’, and then change a few letters… to make ‘Sq#!aky c>ai?’. Who the hell is going to do that? Your date of birth or children’s names are just so much easier. In the last year I have done an online BBC ‘compliance’ course and a News International ‘work station — health and safety’ course. I have passed both, with no noticeable impact on what I actually do. But I have been ‘trained’, and someone somewhere has ticked a box.'

The concept of regulation by box-ticking really annoys me as it serves mainly as a way of employing trainers and trying to enforce the current fetish for political correctness at all times.

Finally a good reason to move from Firefox to Chrome; grammar.

TechCrunch report the exciting news that:

'All is right with the world, as genius (and Googler!) Thomas Steiner has made this beautiful Chrome extension that corrects Twitter’s subject/object discrepancy on its “Who to Follow” feature. Grammar snobs (I KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND WHERE YOU COMMENT), rejoice!

In case anyone’s still confused about ”Who” vs. “Whom” usage, here’s a quick tip to differentiate courtesy of Shit You Should Know:

“To determine proper usage of who/whom, separate the who/whom clause and pose it as a question. If that question can be answered with “he”, use “who”; if it can be answered with “him”, use ‘whom’.”'

Two and a Half Men may have come to an end but...

Charlie Sheen may have blown his chances of another series of Two and a Half Men as he apparently in 24 hours 'challenged Two And A Half Men producer Chuck Lorre to a fight, had production on his sitcom halted as a result and claimed that a new series on rival channel HBO is already in the works.

His bizarre behaviour, including multiple rants in which he calls his now ex-boss a 'turd' and a 'contaminated little maggot' has now put his role in an upcoming film Major League 3 in jeopardy, according to the film's producer James G. Robinson.'

Pictures of his holiday companions hit the press, here's one with helpful tags for the participants...

That's Charlie Sheen with his estranged wife, a porn star and a nanny (although no children seem to be on the plane)

Thankfully so long as there is Comedy Central there will always be repeats and that meansCandy...

April Bowlby aka Candy

The most stupid Tweet ever? From Denis MacShane of course...

'...Good to see smug London arrogance dented. All London teams are basically Tory'

Denis MacShane showing the great analytical mind that he is renowned for.

More great 1980s music

Blancmange - 'Living on the Ceiling' - Now that's what I call music!

How and where to dispose of a baby?

Nature is odd

Mudskippers courtesy of BBC's Life series.

The BBC hiding Labour links to Saif Gaddafi

The BBC claim to report on 'Gaddafi's son Saif's ties to LSE and Britain' but being the BBC the links with Labour are downplayed. There is quite a lot about the links between Saif Gaddafi and the London School of Economics (LSE) but although the BBC report the words of Professor David Held two years ago: "I've come to know Saif as someone who looks to democracy, civil society and deep liberal values for the core of his inspiration.", oddly enough there is no mention of the close links between Professor David Held and Ed Miliband. Are the BBC unaware of these links or just trying to hide them from their viewers and readers? If they claim the former, then could I suggest they read my recent piece that explains the close links that they have not reported. I am more inclined to believe the latter explanation, especially as the BBC manage to mention Lord Desai in the piece without informing its readers that he has been active in the British Labour Party, becoming Chairman between 1986 and 1992 and was made a Labour life peer as Baron Desai in 1991. The BBC do manage to mention Peter Mandelson's past association with Saif Gaddafi but only near the end of the article and without using the words Labour Peer.

It seems that the BBC are actively hiding the links between the Libyan regime, in the person of Saif Gaddafi, and the Labour party's leader Ed Miliband. As I mused last week 'That's the BBC for you; facts are less important than ensuring the narrative is maintained and that Labour gets back into power as soon as possible. Is it possible to find anyone to support the BBC over this editorial decision?' I received no replies supportive of the BBC's editorial decision last week and I doubt that I will today.

Why NotaSheep will not do well in politics

The Spectator wonders 'Are right-wing politicians better looking?' - Not this one!

1983 v 2011

I found myself listening to part of the Radio 1 Top 40 show last Sunday and couldn't believe how crap the music was. So from 1983 here's Freur with 'Doot, doot' - Now that's what I call music.




Yes doesn't it sound like Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, especially the vocals?


By the way Freur is not actually the group's name, thet were originally caleed by this symbol...

Is North Korea next?

Asian News report that:

'The wave of protests that began in the Mideast appears to have reached even North Korea. For the first time in the history of the Stalinist regime, groups of ordinary citizens have protested in three cities demanding food and electricity, sources say. The event is exceptional and confirms the economic difficulties, especially concerning food supplies, people have to face under the Communist government.

According to South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper, citing a North Korean source, demonstrations broke out on 14 February, two days before Kim Jong-il’s birthday, in the cities of Jongju, Yongchon and Sonchon, not far from the border of China.

The State Security Department (the all-powerful agency under Kim Jong-il’s direct control) investigated the incident but failed to identify the people who started the commotion when they met with a wall of silence.

“When such an incident took place in the past, people used to report their neighbours to the security forces, but now they're covering for each other," the source said. '

Somehow I think that the North Korean regime will be even trickier to overthrow than Libya's but you never know... However this season of revolution might be a 1848 type moment; if so what will be the short-term outcome and the long-term implications?

One of the legacies of Gordon Brown's underfunding of the British Armed Forces

'British forces would struggle to mount even a small scale military intervention as the cupboard for resources was “threadbare”, senior officers have said. '

The Telegraph have more but it is a very depressing story of betrayal of our armed forces and how the very existence of the UK is potentially in peril; could we even defend ourselves against attack any more?

The labour Party want your fresh new ideas, as they have none of their own, so why not give them some?

Go on give them some new ideas.

Julian Assange is Mr. Humphries from "Are You Being Served"

There is a rather close resemblance between Julian Assange and Grace Brothers' very own Mr. Wilberforce Claybourne Humphries. However I think the resemblance may be just physical as Mr Humphries was a somewhat camp chap who I believed still lived with his mother, whilst Julian Assange would be in less trouble in Sweden if that were true of him (allegedly).

Many, many thanks to Boing Boing for the spot.


Here is the Are You Being Served theme song


I don't believe that Julian Assange has a theme song; unless it's 'Girls, girls, girls.

"the British Broadcasting Cuts Corporation" - If you know it then do something about it Dave!

Dear David Cameron,

Politics Home reports that:

'Tucked away in the Telegraph's City diary is a lovely item about David Cameron giving an interview to a BBC reporter on youth unemployment. It took place last week, before the Middle East trip, as the PM was outlining efforts to tackle the issue.

In a parting shot he said this was a "good news story" and the "BBCC" should treat it as such.

"'The BBCC?' the hack asked.

"'Yes, the British Broadcasting Cuts Corporation,' replied Dave."

It sounds perfectly plausible give the PM's private scepticism about the way the Beeb has reported the cuts.'

If you know that is the case then bloody well do something about the BBC's bias.  They are doing their best to destroy you and your government and to get Labour back into power as soon as possible. Why do you just take it and moan in private; do something about it before its too late. What's stopping you? Do you think they'll become even more anti-Tory; could they?

The whole story? Not on the BBC.

The BBC have hidden away on the US & Canada pages this story that 'Saudi held on Texas terror charge'. The BBC start the story thus:

'US authorities in Texas say a Saudi student sought to make a bomb and drew up a list of targets including former President George W Bush's house.

Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari was arrested on Wednesday and charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction.

The US said he had sought to purchase chemicals and other kit needed to construct a bomb to wage "Jihad".

Mr Aldawsari, 20, is due to appear in federal court on Friday. If convicted, he faces life in prison.

In a court filing, the US justice department said investigators were alerted to Mr Aldawsari on 1 February when a chemical supplier became suspicious of an order he made of toxic chemicals that can be used to make explosives.

Investigators said Mr Aldawsari appeared to have researched ways to conceal bombs in children's dolls and in backpacks.'

Take a read of the whole article and then wander over to scribd where you can read the affidavits. Here's a few extracts (the most damning in bold):

'"You who created mankind and who is knowledgeable of what is in the womb, grant me martyrdom for Your sake and make Jihad easy for me only in Your path, for you have no partner, and make me reside in heaven eternally forever, and shield me in your shadow on the day when there is no shadow but yours. My God, You are the one who responds to supplication" (p. 6).

*(From an email message with the title "How to make explosives")
"In the name of Allah The Beneficient, The Merciful. Nitro Yoria [Urea] explosive is more powerful than T.N.T." (p. 7)

*(From a document found in Aldawsari's email:
"The page contains a simplified lesson on how to booby-trap a vehicle with items that are readily available in every home. This lesson is directed especially to the brothers in America or Europe stating if anyone is able to execute one of those operations in one of the European countries that is participating in the fight against Muslims, this operation might lead to the withdrawal of that country The message further states that one operation in the land of infidels is equal to ten operations in the land of the Muslims. The writer states that therefore it's incumbent on Muslims to conquer infidels in their land (p. 8).


*(From Aldawsari)
"I excelled in my studies in high school in order to take advantage of an opportunity for a scholarship to America, offered by the Saululi [perjorative for Saudi royal family] government and its companies, so I applied with [Saudi industrial corporations], and with the Traitor of the Two Holy Places scholarship program and was accepted for all of them, thank God. I chose [a specific Saudi sponsoring corporation] for two reasons. First, [it] sends its students directly to America, .... contrary to [the other] which requires its students to study in the Land of the Two Holy Places for one year. Second, [the sponsoring corporation's] financial support is the largest, which will help tremendously in providing me with the support I need for Jihad, God willing. And now, after mastering the English language, learning how to build explosives, and continuous planning to target the infidel Americans, it is time for Jihad. I put my trust in God, for he is the best Master and Authority" (pp. 9-10).


*(from the investigating agent)
"On February 19 2011, Aldawsari conducted the following keyword searches in order: "party in dallas;" "can u take a backpack to nightclub;" "bakcpack" [sic]; "dallas night clubs" (p. 13).'

Why so coy BBC? Do you still not believe that Islamic jihadis are amongst us and want to kill as many of us as they can?

By your friends you shall judge them

Daily Caller reveals that:

'According to a column in the Feb. 24 edition of the Falls Church News-Press by Nicholas F. Benton, the editor-in-chief of the publication, the paper’s newest columnist Helen Thomas had a surprise waiting for her after an extraordinary interview she gave to HLN’s Joy Behar last week. That was flowers from Rosie O’Donnell, who had been on the record for defending Thomas in the past.

However, as Benton noted, at the time of the Thomas’s infamous remarks, there were very few willing to defend her other than O’Donnell and the 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter'

Jimmy Carter a truly nasty man who cheerfully supports some of the nastiest people and most evil regimes in the world.

Should Col. Allen West be a candidate for President?

He makes sense, speaks well and can work a crowd

 
He really understands what radical Islam is and demands. Listen to how the others on the panel cannot bring themselves  to say what Allen West will and he knows his history and enough about radical Islam and is not scared to explain it - this is the first piece of video I ever saw of Col. Allen West and I was very impressed


He understands what happened at Fort Hood was a jihadi attack


He knows that the Tea Party is not racist and why they are portrayed as such by the left-wing media. He is a patriot



He can hold his own in a media interview even one on the Obama supporting MSNBC


He wound up Keith Olbermann


He understands the threat from the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt


He's got President Obama figured


He understands what's happening in Libya and why runaway spending muct be stopped and he has all the usual teasing answers when the idea of running for President is put to him



Remember I told you about Col. Allen West in July 2010, here and first here.

Friday morning catch-up (part 2)

Even more Firefox tabs that need closing.

1) The Spectator thinks that David Cameron is heading towards a 'crunch with Europe':

'No contraceptive is 100 per cent effective: not even if it’s called Oliver Letwin. For that degree of assurance, you need the snip. That is to say: an end to Brussels diktats once and for all. Either out of the EU; or inside it, operating under the original 1975 free trade deal alone. That, I suspect, will be the end result. A crunch is coming. The only question is how long we have to wait.'

I wish I shared their hope but I have severe woriies about David Cameron's soundness on this as on many policies.


2) ABC News decided to look at Barack Obama's two year record on Egypt, a fact-checking exercise. There's a lot, here's one part:

'As ably covered by the Washington Post’s Fact Checker – and former State Department reporter – Glenn Kessler, the Obama administration was far more quiet on the need for Egypt to engage in serious political reform, at least publicly, than the Bush administration.

Perhaps more glaringly, while the Bush administration tried to directly fund civil society in Egypt – pro-democracy groups and the like – the Obama administration changed that policy and cut funding significantly, ending an effort to provide direct funding to democracy groups not “approved” by the Egyptian government, and reduced funding in the budget for programs to promote civil society groups.

As Kessler writes: Bush’s final budget “proposed spending $45 million on democracy and good-governance programs in Egypt, including more than $20 million on promoting civil society…But that nascent effort was largely shelved when the Obama administration took office. For fiscal year 2009, the administration immediately halved the money for democracy promotion in Egypt; the civil society funds were slashed 70 percent, to $7 million. Meanwhile, money that was to be given directly to civil society groups was eliminated and the administration agreed to once again fund only those institutions that had Mubarak's seal of approval.”'

3) The Israel Project printed some photos that we in the West are never normally shown - of Israelis injured by rockets fired at them from Gaza. Here's one of' Five-year-old Lior Ben Shimmel who was seriously wounded when a rocket directly hit her neighbor’s home, where she was playing Jan. 16, 2008'

4) The Liberal Media's hate figure, Sarah Palin, Tweeted:

'Media: ask “Will Obama Admin exert as much ‘constructive’ pressure on Iranian govt to change & allow freedom ~ as they just did for Egypt?”'

The BBC and US Media appeared not to notice or ask the perfectly sensible question.


5) Working Class Tory doesn't think that the UK is a shining example of multiculturalism working in the past:

'British history has not been a successful one - if you're looking to find harmonious relations between the countries of the British Isles. We haven't a history of multi-culturalism, we've a history of ethnic and religious war. To pretend otherwise would have very few points of contact with reality. '

He even explains why Enoch Powell felt he had to speak out about immigration, of course quoting enoch Powell immediately removes your right to be listened to (according to the British 'left') but I am not of the left:

'Many, many conservatives oppose multi-culturalism and mass immigration precisely because when you have (or in the case of immigration, import) lots of different, and competing, communities, they will inevitably clash. Enoch Powell was motivated to speak out on immigration because he saw the atrocities that took place during the partition of India and feared something similar could happen in this country. '

6) The centre for Security Policy thinks that Barack Obama keeps bad company:

'President Obama’s trusted circle has been, if anything, even more problematic. For example, Mr. Obama has consorted with people who are revolutionaries, communists, liberation theologians and Islamists. Some have even been appointed “czars” in his administration.

At the moment, though, we must be concerned not only with who Barack Obama considers his friends, but with those who deem him to be one of theirs: The record suggests he must be seen as a “Friend of Shariah.”

How else can we explain the seeming inconsistency between, on the one hand, the president’s indifference to demonstrations in Iran last year that were vastly larger and more sustained than those to date in Egypt, and, on the other, his insistence after a week’s worth of protests in the latter that there be nothing less than complete “regime change,” starting immediately?

The only obvious common denominator is that, in both cases, Mr. Obama is pursuing policies favored by those who adhere to the repressive, supremacist and virulently anti-American Islamic political-military-legal program its adherents call shariah. In Iran, shariah is already the law of the land, ruthlessly enforced by the Shiite theocrats of Tehran. In Egypt, the Mubarak regime’s failure faithfully to enforce shariah is one of the principal impetuses behind the Iranian mullahs’ Sunni wannabe counterparts, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB or, in Arabic, Ikhwan).'

7) Someone, and I forget who, has got very excited by a court decision on Council Tax.


8) The Mail reported that

'Axing speed cameras has caused road deaths to FALL

Road deaths dropped 14 per cent in three months while speed cameras were being axed or switched off.

Fatalities over a year fell 21 per cent to a record low, Department for Transport figures show.'

Why is anyone surprised? I have predicted this for a while.


9) Terry Smith thinks that ex-Labour Minister and friend of Gordon Brown, Baroness Shriti Vadera, doesn't really understand what inflation is:

'When the panel was asked about inflation Shriti Vadera replied:

‘If you strip out the inflation that is being driven by essentially emerging markets, the scramble for resources, whether its food, water and commodities, and any other type of one off event like VAT increases, that the underlying inflation levels are not yet at any point that we should be worrying about.’

To which I retorted: 'I find that if you strip out the bad stuff, things are always quite good!'. The idea that there is no inflation if you ignore the things where the price is going up has a rather obvious flaw.'

10) PC World magazine explained

'Get Internet Access When Your Government Shuts It Down
Does your government have an Internet kill-switch? Read our guide to Guerrilla Networking and be prepared for when the lines get cut.'

Friday morning catch-up

More Firefox tabs that need closing.

1) The Mail reports on the tolerance of Islam.

'Four men launched a horrific attack on a teacher in which they slashed his face and left him with a fractured skull because they did not approve of him teaching religion to Muslim girls.

Akmol Hussein, 26, Sheikh Rashid, 27, Azad Hussain, 25, and Simon Alam, 19, attacked Gary Smith with a Stanley knife, an iron rod and a block of cement.

Mr Smith, who is head of religious education at Central Foundation Girls' School in Bow, east London, also suffered a fractured skull.

The four now face a jail sentence.

Detectives made secret recordings of the gang's plot to attack Mr Smith prior to the brutal assault.

The covert audio probe captured the gang condemning Mr Smith for 'teaching other religions to our sisters', the court heard.'

Thank you Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Jack Straw etc.


2) The Telegraph reported that:

'More than three million foreign migrants joined the UK population under Labour’s open door on immigration, figures will confirm for the first time this week.

Britain experienced the largest influx since the Saxons during the 13 years of the last Government with migrants arriving in the UK at a rate of almost one a minute.

Enough foreign nationals to fill Birmingham three times over moved to the UK in a policy that critics have dubbed “Labour’s great betrayal”.

Up to another million are feared to be here illegally, while a million Britons left the country during the years of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

The true legacy of the last Government is exposed today in a comprehensive review by the think-tank Migrationwatch.

It has meant pressure on public services, roads, housing, schools and hospitals. '

Thank you Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Jack Straw etc. for your deliberate open door policy, your desire to 'rub the right's nose in diversity' and the seeming ambition to build a client state of immigrants, drive down wages, increase the profits of your big business donors and build a client state of benefit taking Britons; or does it just seem that way? Really?


3) Steve Herrmann the Editor, BBC News website, doesn't Tweet very often and doesn't reply to questions about his organisation's bias.


4) Autonomous Mid recorded the circulation of UK newspapers and then wondered why the BBC seemed to quote the tenth most read newspaper (fourth most read broadsheet) more than any other. Beeb Bias Craig - You wouldn't have some statistics that we could match with this would you?

5) Israel is a leading light in making drinking water - story here.


6) Span Ows found and blogged the secret formula for Coca Cola, the link where he found it is now down!


7) Fraser Nelson in The Spectator explains why the Antartic ice is not shrinking and why warmists say it is.


8) The Army Times reports on a fearsome new weapon - 'the Punisher' that I doubt any underfunded UK soldiers will ever get to use.


9) The Pew Forum reported that:

'The number of Muslims in Europe has grown from 29.6 million in 1990 to 44.1 million in 2010.34 Europe’s Muslim population is projected to exceed 58 million by 2030. Muslims today account for about 6% of Europe’s total population, up from 4.1% in 1990. By 2030, Muslims are expected to make up 8% of Europe’s population.

...

Western Europe, which includes France, Germany and the Netherlands, is expected to have the biggest numerical increase in the size of its Muslim population. The number of Muslims living in this part of Europe is projected to increase by 5.1 million, from 11.3 million in 2010 to 16.4 million in 2030. The Muslim share of Western Europe’s total population is expected to increase from 6.0% in 2010 to 8.6% in 2030.

The number of Muslims living in Northern Europe, which includes the United Kingdom, is expected to increase from 3.8 million in 2010 to 7.5 million in 2030. Muslims are expected to make up 7.0% of Northern Europe’s population, up from 3.8% in 2010.'

10) Not unconnected with 9), The Spectator reported that:

'Developments in the Middle East are beginning to affect Europe

...

The gale of change that is tearing-up Arab Street is beginning to affect internal European politics. Solidarity protests have been held in Paris and elsewhere in France, a consequence of its historical ties with Algeria. More worrying for European governments, there are reports of swathes of refugees from Tunisia arriving in Lampedusa, a small island off Sicily. Italian authorities have been overwhelmed by what they are terming an ‘invasion’, according to al-Jazeera. Further strain on migration services and border controls is likely to be an upshot of political unrest. There are other problems too. It appears that Hosni Mubarak has secreted vast assets in Britain and other European countries. The fate of our recent friend Mubarak and his estate, not to mention the many football-mad autocrats still in office, poses an awkward dilemma for the West, as it seeks a close relationship with whatever government emerges in Egypt. '

The BBC guilty of not fact checking a story?

The Guardian reports a case of the BBC falling for a story without checking it.

'BBC Radio 5 Live featured a fictitious story about Downing Street's new cat after being duped by independent film-maker Chris Atkins to coincide with the launch of website churnalism.com'

The Guardian  have the audio. One has to wonder how the BBC justify their claims to be a premier news gathering and reporting organisation when they fall for this sort of story. Maybe the chance to have a few digs at Tory cuts and lack of planning was just too tempting for the Labour loving BBC.

Imagine the BBC's reaction if...

Imagine the headlines on the BBC news website if links with Libya's rulers had been uncovered between not only John Major, Nigel Lawson & Ken Clarke but also David Cameron. I'm sensing a banner headline along the lines of 'Tory links to Libya's tyrant rulers' and iin depth articles from Michael Crick, Jeremy Bowen and comment from several of the Labour party front bench and Alastair Campbell.

However what has emerged today are links between senior Labour figures and the Libyan regime. Guido reminds us of the already known links between the Gaddafis and Tony Blair & Peter Mandelson (as well as Gordon Brown's government) but also reports this:

'Professor David Held is ghost-writing a big-ideas book for his Dartmouth Park neighbour Ed Miliband, he is also co-director of the London School of Economics’ Centre for the Study of Global Governance. The Centre took £300,000 off Saif Gaddafi. (as I reported a few days ago)

Held also oversaw Saif’s dodgy doctorate which is under great pressure to be revoked. Professor Held chairs the “Special Ralph Miliband Lecture” series and in November 2009 invited Ed to give one in front of his mother. Watch how Ed heaped praise on Held for all the work he has done for his family (the video is on Guido's site)

...

Six months later Held chaired another “Special Ralph Miliband” event, only this time with a slightly higher profile guest. The details have mysteriously been pulled from the LSE website, but Guido can confirm Held welcomed Saif as a “Representative of the Miliband program” with the sort of sycophantic introduction that only a large sum of money can buy:


Guido understands that Held was visiting Saif in Libya only just last week when things began to kick off. When you hear him trying to distance himself from it all in the Guardian, remember he was until last Friday enjoying the regimes hospitality.

Ed Miliband’s ideological lodestar is a professor funded by Gaddafi’s bloody money who says he is friends with Saif. Great judgement…'

So I turn to the BBC to see how they are reporting this story - Not a word. I look to see what their latest Libya headline is and it's this -

'Cameron in Libya response apology - Prime Minister David Cameron says he is "extremely sorry" for the delays in getting Britons out of Libya and "lessons will be learned".'

That's the BBC for you; facts are less important than ensuring the narrative is maintained and that Labour gets back into power as soon as possible. Is it possible to find anyone to support the BBC over this editorial decision?

Is the Apple iPad 2 just 6 days away?

This invite, emailed out today by Apple to invited tech reporters, would suggest that maybe Apple are set to announce the iPad 2.0 on March 2. Could be? Maybe I'll put off buying one until after that date...


Thanks to Boing Boing for the spot.

Sarah Brown rewriting history

From today's Mail who are serialising Gordon Brown's wife's diaries (Heaven only knows why) I spot this sentence:

'Gordon gives a soaring speech, and both Carla and Michelle nudge me to say how good it is. At one point, he mentions Omaha Beach and it sounds as though he has said Obama Beach — bound to be a comment or two on that.'

Leaving aside the fact that this speech of Gordon Brown's soared like a f***ing dodo, he didn't sound as if he said "Obama Beach", he said "Obama Beach". Here's the video, see what you think, it's at 0:17...

Yes "Obama" was in the speech very close to "Omaha", yes "Obama" and "Omaha" have only two letters different but for Sarah Brown to claim that 'it sounds as though he has said Obama Beach' is a straightforward misrepresentation of the facts. Gordon Brown might have meant to say Omaha, he might have read Obama from the next line but he did say "Obama" so why claim he didn't? Sarah Brown might even have managed to play for sympathy by blaming her husband's poor eyesight. Why do so many Labour party leaders, ministers, members and spouses think that they can rewrite history just like that and that people will believe them?

Col. Allen West speaking out again

Colonel Allen west the Republican Congressman for Florida takes on the Executive Director of the Center for American Islamic Relations (CAIR).

Colonel Allen West is becoming more and more impressive, I wonder how long before he decides that he needs a bigger stage?

And for CAIR, how about:
'Qur'an (5:51) - "O you who believe! do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people'

'And slay them (the infidels) wherever you catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out, for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter” 2:191

Fighting is prescribed for you, and you dislike it. But it is possible that you dislike a thing which is good for you, and that you love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knows, and you know not” 2:216

Cameron Diaz is 'Bad Teacher'

Caution quite a bit of swearing...

Teacher 1: "I love the way hsi eyes sparkle when he smiles"
Cameron Diaz "I want to sit on his face"

"hold my ballsack" - how many takes did that need before straight faces could be kept?

I might be tempted to go and see this film, it's a chick flick right?

"...Their models are based on false assumptions and more computer power will only produce misleading forecasts faster. The problem needs proper Physics and equations - which we research into, develop and apply - NOT bigger computers."

More at Weather Action where Piers Corbyn has been submitting evidence to the UK Parliament Transport select committee looking into December's snow crisis.

Thursday morning catch-up

More Firefox tabs that I need to clear up.

1) The Telegraph report that

'Plastic bags may not be as bad for the environment as previously assumed, and may in fact be better than their “eco friendly” alternatives, government research suggests.'

This would be interesting enough but what is fascinating is that

'The report was commissioned in 2005 and due to be published in 2007, but has still not been released. '

Why has this report not been published? It is almost as though the last Labour government were more concerned with positioning than the truth.


2) The Spectator reported that the rather spectacularly nasty Damian McBride 'has a new job – head of media at the Catholic overseas aid charity CAFOD. He will be doubtless be brilliantly effective at briefing against its enemies (in CAFOD's case, hunger and the devil).'
Actually with Damian McBride's track record it is Oxfam and Christian Aid that have the most to fear.


3) Climate Depot report that according to Time Magazine 'Greens move on from 'climate change' to organic food movement'. It is almost as though the watermelons (green on the outside red on the inside) just want control and the destruction of the West's standard of living and they don't care which cause they have to espouse in order to achieve their goals.


4) Norman Tebbit's headline 'Where is Cameron leading us? To a Big Society gay wedding in Westminster Abbey? ' struck me as typical of the man; controversial, very un-PC but with more than a germ of truth. Read the whole article and note that Norman Tebbit must be the most polite of bloggers, he really gets into a conversation with the people who comment on his blog.


5) The Indian Economic Times informs us that

'Gold demand is set to stay high this year as Indian and Chinese appetite for the metal sharpens, but fresh buying in developed markets of jewellery in particular will depend on economic outlook , the World Gold Council said. '

Indeed gold is moving back up this week, although that could be due to the instability in the Middle East and Arab North Africa.


6) David Horowitz manages to get a US student to admit her support for a genocidal terrorist organisation, Hamas, that is illegal in the USA; has any action been taken against this student? What a lovely person for saying yes to supporting Hamas and Hezb'allah even after David Horowitz explains what they want to do with all Jews. This student's attitude is not unusual in the USA and indeed the UK which is why the time for Jews to flee is not far off.



7) Apparently I may be a Tory chihuahau - ChIHUAHuas are Conservatives In their Heads, Ukip At Heart


8) The Mail reported the shock horror story that London's Labour lead Camden Council was indulging in a piece of petty policy showboating:

'Samantha Cameron was last night at the centre of a row over the closure of a flagship symbol of her husband’s ‘Big Society’ policy.

The axing of a community centre championed by Mrs Cameron has sparked an exchange of insults between Conservative Chairman Sayeeda Warsi and the Labour council leader who took the decision.

Ms Warsi claims Nasim Ali has pocketed almost £100,000 in expenses, allowances and perks since 2007 – money she says could have been used to help keep the centre open.

Mrs Cameron was filmed in the run-up to last year’s General Election serving curry at the Surma Centre in Camden, North London, praising it as a ‘perfect example’ of the Big Society in action.

But Mr Ali, Camden’s Labour leader, is now stopping the centre’s annual £125,000 funding, blaming a £100 million black hole left in the council’s finances by Chancellor George Osborne’s cutbacks.

Conservative Chairman Sayeeda Warsi says £100,000 claimed by Camden Council leader Nasim Ali in expenses and perks could have been used to help keep the centre open

Mr Ali was quoted by journalist Tom Foot, the great-nephew of former Labour leader Michael Foot, as telling members of the centre: ‘Samantha Cameron came and cooked here for votes. Where is she now? If you want to lobby, lobby Sam Cam.’'

9) The Telegraph reported on part of the legacy of Gordon Brown and his right-hand man Ed 'second choice' Balls:

'Young people starting work this year will pay taxes for the Government’s Private Finance Initiative until they are nearly 70, an investigation by The Daily Telegraph has found.'

The Labour party's use of PFI was a scandal and one that a decent investigative media would have crucified them for. As it was only Private Eye really took Labour to task over PFI; shame on the rest of them.


10) Steven Goddard at Real Science reports something that the Met Office and the BBC will not tell you: 'Global Temperatures Have Dropped 0.5C In The Last 12 Months'


More later...

Police related post of the day

Inspector Gadget has hit the nail on the head with this post entitled 'Diversity Training Day':

'In the absence these days of simple manners, which always used to prevent a decent person from being rude or nasty to someone simply because they are of a different race, we now have endless Diversity Training. I am booked on to the One Day Self-Awareness, Diversity, Learning and Skill Sharing Conference at a particularly grubby national hotel chain half way across the county.
...
The joining instructions instruct me to bring an item which is precious to me, something I think will start a discussion, something which sums up the way I feel about Diversity. I can’t take my own book, so I have decided to take a poster sized version of the photo below.

Here we have one of the Diversity team’s most favourite people in a celebratory victory handshake with one of the Diversity team’s least favourite people. When I am asked what it is that I feel is so precious, I will say the life of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. Do you think that will start a discussion?'

There is not much I can add to a post like that!

Is anything newsworthy happening in the Middle East?

You would have thought that there were quite a lot of newsworthy events happening  in the Middle East at the moment; in Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Syria etc. But not according to the UN News Centre's 'Middle East' page looks like this (split into two images, sorry):

Five latest developments news stories all relating to Israel or the Palestinian Territories. Of course the ones relating to Israel are negative and the one relating to the Palestinian Territories is a upbeat story.

The three 'related press briefings' are all negative re Israel as are three 'related press releases'.

Why the lack of coverage of any other Middle Eastern country than Israel? Is the United Nations institutionally anti-Semitic or just anti-Zionist?


Thanks to UN Watch for the spot.


By the way did you spot what the URL for the UN News 'Middle East' page is?
http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocusRel.asp?infocusID=70&Body=Palestin&Body1

Yes that's right the UN News's Middle East page has a URL that includes 'Palestin'; it's an obsession...

So who was right about Libya?

So who was right about Libya? Those on the left who thought the West could bring Libya back into the international fold as he had ideas that 'have common ground with some of new Labour's' or those on the right who knew he was mad, bad and dangerous to know?


For the former point of view here in the New Statesman in 2006 is Tony Blair's advisor Anthony Giddens who interestingly was also from 1997 to 2003 was director of the London School of Economics and a member of the Advisory Council of the Institute for Public Policy Research:

'Dressed in a brown-gold robe, he cuts an impressive figure. There are no guards or minders in view, and the occasion is a completely informal one. He is instantly recognisable and would be so to a great many people across the world, whatever their feelings about him might be. In a way, it is an extraordinary phenomenon. Libya is a tiny country in terms of population, with only 5.8 million people. Gaddafi's global prominence is altogether out of proportion to the size of the nation he leads. He is now 64, in power since 1969. Rumours abound that he is in failing health, but he looks robust.

You usually get about half an hour when meeting a political leader. My conversation with Gaddafi lasts for more than three. Gaddafi is relaxed and he clearly enjoys intellectual conversa tion. We sit close together and occasionally sip mint tea. He has a tiny notebook in front of him, into which he sometimes makes short scribbled entries. He is not a fidgety person but has a calm, articulate manner, and cracks the odd joke or two as we go along. The only other direct participant is a man who has just flown in from New York, apparently especially to do the translation.

Gaddafi speaks some English, and occasionally during the encounter makes comments to me directly. But, for most of the time, we converse through the translator. Gaddafi is interested in the debates and policies involved in social democracy in Europe, which is the reason he has invited me. He likes the term "third way", because his own political philosophy, developed in the late 1960s, was a version of this idea. It has been written up in the form of The Green Book, authored by Gaddafi, on display almost everywhere in Libya.

...

Our conversation is wide-ranging and "The Leader", as he is universally known in Libya, makes many intelligent and perceptive points. He continually reverts to the ideas of The Green Book, but makes it clear that he wants to adapt and update them. Over the past three or four years, Gaddafi has come in from the cold internationally. He has renounced his support for terrorism and Libya has paid compensation to the families of those killed in the Lockerbie attack. Libya has terminated its nuclear and chemical weapons programmes. In conjunction with Gaddafi's son Saif, a PhD student at the London School of Economics, the British Foreign Office played a large part in producing Libya's re-engagement with the wider world. UN sanctions, which had severely affected the economy, have been lifted, and Libya has been taken off the US list of states that support terrorism.

Gaddafi's "conversion" may have been driven partly by the wish to escape sanctions, but I get the strong sense that it is authentic and that there is a lot of motive power behind it. Saif Gaddafi is a driving force behind the rehabilitation and potential modernisation of Libya. Gaddafi Sr, however, is authorising these processes and retains a strong grip upon the country.Our conversation is wide-ranging and "The Leader", as he is universally known in Libya, makes many intelligent and perceptive points. He continually reverts to the ideas of The Green Book, but makes it clear that he wants to adapt and update them. Over the past three or four years, Gaddafi has come in from the cold internationally. He has renounced his support for terrorism and Libya has paid compensation to the families of those killed in the Lockerbie attack. Libya has terminated its nuclear and chemical weapons programmes. In conjunction with Gaddafi's son Saif, a PhD student at the London School of Economics, the British Foreign Office played a large part in producing Libya's re-engagement with the wider world. UN sanctions, which had severely affected the economy, have been lifted, and Libya has been taken off the US list of states that support terrorism.

Gaddafi's "conversion" may have been driven partly by the wish to escape sanctions, but I get the strong sense that it is authentic and that there is a lot of motive power behind it. Saif Gaddafi is a driving force behind the rehabilitation and potential modernisation of Libya. Gaddafi Sr, however, is authorising these processes and retains a strong grip upon the country.

...

I leave Gaddafi's tent to make the trip back to Tripoli enlivened and encouraged. Libya may be small, but it is a front-line nation in global terms because of its leader's decision to open up to the wider world after years of international isolation, and because of the abolition of its WMD programmes. The country is going in the opposite direction from Iran and North Korea and it is in virtually everyone's interest that this process be sustained. On the way back from the desert to Tripoli, I talk to some of the modernisers working to implement specific policy programmes. I am impressed both by their sophistication and their determination to reform.

...

Much will depend upon Gaddafi himself, as he sits ruminating upon the relevance of his political thinking to current times. He could play a crucial role in easing transition if he decides to support the modernisers. He does seem set on this course, but must use his influence to persuade the doubters - yet perhaps, first of all, he must fully persuade himself.'

There you have one of the left appreciating and trusting a man who is now denounced as a tyrant. Did Anthony Giddens not know in 2006 of the massacres carried out in the name of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya? Did Anthony Giddens not know of the assassination of Libyan dissidents living abroad in 1980? Did Anthony Giddens not know of the reports that Gaddafi was a major financier of the "Black September Movement" which killed Israeli athletes at the 1972 Berlin Olympics? Did Anthony Giddens not know that Gaddafi was accused by the United States of being responsible for direct control of the 1986 Berlin discotheque bombing that killed three people and wounded more than 200, of whom a substantial number were U.S. servicemen? Did Anthony Giddens not know that British WPC Yvonne Fletcher was shot by someone within the Libyan Embassy whilst she was policing an anti-Gaddafi demonstration outside the Libyan Embassy in London. Did Anthony Giddens not know of Gadaffi's arms shipments to the IRA, arms that were used to kill British soldiers, members of the RUC and British civilians? Did Anthony Giddens not know that Gaddafi was a funder of various Palestinian terrorist organisations? Did Anthony Giddens not know that Libya under Gaddafi had been rated for political rights and civil liberties as "7" meaning "Not Free".

Did Anthony Giddens really not know all of this or did he just not care when he went to Libya to meet a man with blood on his hands and hatred in his heart? Was he more interested in meeting a socialist with his own ideas about a Third Way than thinking about who he was dealing with?


By way of comparison, Ronald Regan saw Gaddafi for what he was, said as much and took action. Of course Ronald Regan was belittled for this, as he was for much else but then the left 'knew' he was a moron, an idiot, a fool...



So who was the fool?

Amy Pond!

Karen Gillan aka Amy Pond - hmmmmmmmm I think Katy Manning aka Jo Grant may have some stiff competition in the NotaSheep 'something for the fathers' category of The Doctor's companions...

Why are the British obsessed by owning their own home?

Why are the British obsessed by owning their own home? This is the tone of some recent BBC coverage of the property market. Leaving aside the fact that the BBC's obsession with programmes devoted to moving up the housing ladder prior to the crash, is this even true? I have heard 'experts' state that in Europe they are happy to rent, is that true?

Below is a graph showing 'Population by tenure status, 2009'

So the UK has a lower percentage of house purchasers (as opposed to renters) than:
Norway, Iceland, Luxembourg, Finland, Belgium, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Cyprus, Italy, Greece, Poland, Czech Republic, Malta, Estonia, Hungary, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Romania. In fact the only countries with a smaller owner-occupied sector are France, Austria, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands. I do not know why Germany is not on the chart at all, any ideas?

Putting the figures into perspective

The BBC report that:

'More than 50,000 NHS jobs will be lost because of government spending cuts, a new anti-cuts campaign group says.

Trades Union Congress-backed False Economy said its study showed that NHS trusts were planning to cut 53,000 staff over the next five years - more than double previous union estimates.'

Let's put that figure into perspective; even if we accept the 50,000 jobs figure, this is over four years, which means 12,500 a year. In 2009 official figures showed that the NHS employed 1,432,000 people which is a third more than when Labour came to power in 1997. Taking 12,500 a year off of the payroll means an annual staff reduction of 0.87%. I believe that the average natural wastage figure in the public sector is around 6% per annum. So the 'savage cuts' will account for less that 10% of the jobs lost by natural wastage.

The above assumes that the 50,000 jobs figure is correct but is it? I have my doubts and even if it is why should any of the jobs be front-line jobs, surely there are plenty of administrators and others of the Labour client state who can be eased out of non-productive work first. Surely these administrators will be only too happy to sacrifice their jobs for the greater good of the 'envy of the world' that is the NHS.

Nicholas Courtney aka Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart RIP

Nicholas Courtney aka Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, has died and I really am upset. As a child I always liked it when Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart was in a story-line, I am not sure why but I found him a very loyal and reassuring presence.


Oddly as Nicholas Courtney made his first appearance in Doctor Who as Space Security Agent Bret Vyon in The Daleks’ Master Plan (1964) opposite the First Doctor, William Hartnell, it means that Nicholas Courtney became the only actor to appear on screen with all of the first five Doctors, albeit only with four as the Brigadier. I believe he also appeared with some of the later Doctors (pre Ecclestone) but we don't talk about those Doctors here!

Nicholas Courtney RIP - I may watch some old Doctor Who tonight in your memory.

You racist!

Timothy Montague-Mason in the comments at Biased-BBC reports a rather good idea that someone posted on the Daily Mail website:

'It is my opinion that anyone calling another person a racist, must be able to prove that by his or her actions and statements, the accused is a racist as defined by law. The onus falls on the accuser to prove their claim and failure to do so when challenged will result in exactly the same penalty being fixed on them as if they themselves were a proven racist.

Thus anyone trying to close down a discussion on immigration by attempting to smear another who is doing no more than stating facts and figures or personal observations will result in possible imprisonment or unlimited fines imposed on the accuser!

Just think, with the racist smear denied them, the left might have to resort to reasoned discussion of the facts and will regain freedom of speech that is at present not quite denied but certainly censored.'

Works for me, any reasoned objections?

Christchurch, New Zealand just after the earthquake hit

Thanks to here for the image.

Does the LSE have a collective conscience?

We will see as Petition Buzz is hosting a petition that runs:
'The London School of Economics should donate Libyan money to charity
Opened on February 22, 2011 | Contact Petition Author

Last year, the London School of Economics (LSE) accepted a £1.5m donation from the murderous Gaddafi regime in Libya via the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation (GICDF), led by one of Colonel Gaddafi's sons, for the LSE Global Governance research centre.

Over the past week, the Libyan regime of Colonel Gaddafi, the longest-serving dictator in Africa, has been massacring civilians peacefully protesting in Tripoli, Benghazi, and other Libyan towns. We, the undersigned, are shocked at the knowledge that funds carrying the Gaddafi family name are being used to support research intended to strengthen civil society, and promote human rights and democracy. Though we applaud the move by the university to review the use of the funds as a "matter of urgency", this does not go far enough.

We assert that the LSE has only one option, if it is to retain its moral standing: to issue a statement immediately condemning the current repression in Libya and to reject the remainder of the donation.

Additionally, we the undersigned call for the £300,000 already received by the LSE to be donated to real humanitarian efforts (such as the Red Crescent societies or sponsoring a scholarship program for Libyan refugees and prisoners of conscience) in memory of all of the victims of the Gaddafi regime.'

What's the factor not being reported by the BBC? You can probably guess by now!

The BBC report that ''Action needed' on forced marriage says abused teenager'

The report is a long one by Tulip Mazumdar, Newsbeat presenter in Pakistan, and mostly concerns one 15-year-old victim who

'says she was tricked into going to Pakistan by her dad, but she managed to escape days before her wedding to a man twice her age.'

The report includes the information that:

'More than half of the cases dealt with last year by the government's forced marriage unit were related to Pakistan.'

The article also includes this line:

'The victim went to a predominantly Asian school but says she was never made aware of any help available to people like her.'

So is the problem an Asian problem or does it relate mainly to one group of Asians? I don't believe that forced marriage is an issue amongst the Japanese, Thai or Chinese communities but that is not what 'Asian' means to the BBC. Forced marriage is not a common problem amongst Britain's Hindu or Sikh communities although it does occur. So are we really looking at one community for the vast majority of cases? It seems likely as 'More than half of the cases... were related to (the Islamic Republic of) Pakistan (population 97% Muslim). The BBC's mentioning just of Pakistan might make people assume that the rest of the forced marriages were related to Indians (80% Hindu, 13% Muslim), however I wonder if Bangladesh (82% Muslim) might account for a larger number of cases than India.

Tulip Mazumdar like many at the BBC seem incapable of mentioning Islam in an unflattering light let alone criticising Islam; why?

A problem with maths?

Run What Ya Brung organise quarter mile timed runs at Santa Pod Raceway, a very worthwhile thing to do. However I am worried by this line in their promotional bumpf:

'After each run you'll receive a personal performance print-out showing your reaction times to the start lights, 60ft, 1/4 mile, 1/8 mile times and terminal speed.'

That order looks wrong to me as 1/8 mile must come before 1/4 mile. Oh well, so long as they keep the cars and drivers safe I suppose mathematics can go hang.

Couldn't happen a nicer guy

Former Labour MP, Jim Devine, has been formally declared bankrupt following a hearing at Livingston Sheriff Court. Jim Devine is also awaiting sentencing after being convicted of defrauding the taxpayer.

No comment I just thought we could all do with some cheering up.

Male or female

I came home from work this evening and put on the television to see some black youngsters chatting about this and that in Africa. Only after a few minutes did I realise that the thin but athletic looking boy was who was featuring heavily in the segment was in fact Caster Semenya. I am a big athletics fan so I watched the rest of the programme and it was intriguing; to me Caster Semenya looks very masculine and the initial reporting of the IAAF's tests showed her to be male but the programme was very heavily slanted in favour of the subject of the programme and so was joyous when she was cleared by the IAAF.

In August 2009 I blogged:

'It seems to me that there are girly girls and manly women and Kratochvílová was in the latter camp. As for Caster Semenya, time will tell although when I saw the last lap of the 800 metre final race live I did immediately notice that she was a very different physique to the other athletes...'

Having watched the programme for about 25 minutes I must say she sounds like a man, facially looks more masculine than feminine and physically looks different from most women. What's the truth? Who really knows.

"We don't want to blame any particular group for this" - Naivety of the most extreme kind?

The BBC report that:

'It is no bigger than a postcard but appears to spread a message of hatred and division in an area of east London that many residents pride for its diversity.

Reprinted and glued to dozens of lampposts and railings in the area, a flyer states: "Arise and warn. Gay free zone. Verily Allah is severe in punishment."

It has been discovered near to Shoreditch's gay pubs and outside a school in Whitechapel, both in Tower Hamlets, east London.

But a group of East End residents say they have had enough.

And rather than retaliating with anger, they are responding with messages of love.'

That seems fine, a group fighting back against homophobic messages of hatred with love. However the BBC also report about the group fighting back with 'messages of love':

'"The area is a multicultural, multi-sexuality place, where you can be who you are and believe in what you want.

...

Despite the quote on the stickers appearing to reference the religious Islamic text of the Koran, the group is keen not to point the finger of blame at any particular religious group.

"We don't want to blame any particular group for this," said Mr Blake.

"And if we did, we wouldn't want to tar everyone in a group with the same brush."'

It's a tricky one, isn't it. What religious group, known for its intolerance of homosexuality might put up a poster that includes the words "Verily Allah is severe in punishment."? Very, very tricky...

Are some people so brainwashed by political correctness that they dare not even blame the posters on a minority of Muslims or an extreme Islamist group? Are some people so scared of being called Islamophobic that they will deny the evidence right in front of them?

Not all Muslims are homophobic but it surely should not be unacceptable to say that some are and that in this instance it is rather likely that some are putting up these repellent posters.

Hello Peter, Hello.

Peter Mandelson seems to be keeping a low profile at the moment, I would have thought he would out and about defending the man that he has previously described as representing a new approach in Libyan politics, Saif Gaddafi. Why so quiet Peter?

While I am on the subject of leftists disowning former friends; has the London School of Economics said anything about their former student and the provider of a £1.5million gift from the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation? Why so shy, LSE?