Dear Jimmy

Following this morning's piece about Jimmy Carter's report on his trip to Egypt, I thought that I would ask the former US President for an explanation, so I emailed him:

'A query regarding your report on your visit to Egypt

Nota Sheep	09:58 (2 minutes ago)
				to carterweb

Your report on your recent trip to Egypt (http://www.cartercenter.org/news/trip_reports/egypt-011712.html) included this section:

'Tuesday morning we received detailed analyses by experts on the election process and political affairs, and then had a thorough discussion with Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, head of the SCAF and acting as de facto president of Egypt.

I was received with a friendly welcome as I congratulated the military leaders for what seemed to be a successful election, and then asked a number of questions. It seemed that the SCAF had full confidence that there would be accommodation to their demands by the Muslim Brotherhood and their coalition partners as the new government is formed. Instead of the reported 12,000 mostly political prisoners being held for trials in military courts, the Field Marshal stated that there were no more than 3,000, all of whom were guilty of criminal acts and being tried in civilian courts. He stated that the widely promulgated videos showing military attacks on demonstrators and a woman "with the blue brassiere" were all falsified. He said the soldiers were actually helping the woman re-clothe herself with what was provocative attire. '

You don't seem to question that which the Field Marshall said to you. Perhaps you could spare less than a minute to look at this YouTube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vf_0p4a_GwI) of the girl in the blue bra and let me know whether you think the video was falsified or shows the woman being repeatedly beaten by Egyptian soldiers.

Your thoughts on this matter would be welcomed.

NotaSheep MaybeaGoat'

I wonder if I will get a reply and if it will be any more informative than a reply to a complaint to the BBC?

What is wrong with Jimmy Carter?

Watch the above video, it's fairly obvious what the members of the Egyptian army are doing to that poor girl isn't it? Not if your former US President Jimmy Carter it isn't.

The video's description runs thus:

'Egypt. beating of a veiled woman in Cairo helmeted officers charging toward a woman in Tahrir Square, drag her on the ground, beat her with clubs and kicking her in head stomp on her stomach and breast drag her by hair also kick and clubbed people in the head ripped off the top clothing grabbing by veil... One soldier even pulled her veil over her head stomps on her breasts, the overthrow of former dictator Hosni Mubarak was in February.'

Jimmy Carter, however, knows better:

'Tuesday morning we received detailed analyses by experts on the election process and political affairs, and then had a thorough discussion with Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, head of the SCAF and acting as de facto president of Egypt.

I was received with a friendly welcome as I congratulated the military leaders for what seemed to be a successful election, and then asked a number of questions. It seemed that the SCAF had full confidence that there would be accommodation to their demands by the Muslim Brotherhood and their coalition partners as the new government is formed. Instead of the reported 12,000 mostly political prisoners being held for trials in military courts, the Field Marshal stated that there were no more than 3,000, all of whom were guilty of criminal acts and being tried in civilian courts. He stated that the widely promulgated videos showing military attacks on demonstrators and a woman "with the blue brassiere" were all falsified. He said the soldiers were actually helping the woman re-clothe herself with what was provocative attire. '

No questioning of the Field Marshall's claims, no wondering at how his claims fit with the evidence? Just what I would expect from Jimmy Carter.


Thanks to Elder of Ziyon for the heads up.

Free speech?

I heard about the incident at Queen Mary's College London a few days ago but forgot to post about it. for those of you who have not heard, and if you rely on the BBC for your news then you won't have done, this is what happened.

'On the 16th of January 2012 at Queen Mary College London, National Secular Society member Ann Marie Waters was going to give a talk on Sharia law. But at the last moment it was cancelled. Why, you ask? You see, just before the talk started, a man (with a beard) walked to the front of the lecture theatre and filmed everybody inside with a camera. He then issued a warning to everybody he had filmed:

"Listen up all of you, I am recording this, I have your faces on film now, and I know where some of you live and if I hear that anything is said against the holy Prophet Muhammad, I will hunt you down."

He then left the room and started filming people outside in the corridor where he issued yet another threat. Threatening to hunt them down if anything was said about Muhammad, he added that he knew where they lived and would murder them and their families. He then left the building and sought safety in a group of thugs who were there to ensure that their religious bigot wasn't taken down by somebody without a fight.

In light of this, security told everybody in the room to remain there, while they debated what to do. A student union representative decided that as lives had been threatened, the talk could no longer go ahead, and the evening was cancelled.

Strike one for religious bigotry. The funny thing is the very same day the bBC and Guardian both posted articles about just how good life under Sharia law is, it seems they forgot to ask anybody who was threatened with murder from Queen Mary's College London.'

That's a talk on Sharia law prevented from happening because a Muslim threatens to murder anybody (and their families) who were present if Muhammad was mentioned. Not a word on the BBC who would be up in arms calling Islamophobia were an Islamic event disrupted by a Christian or Jew.

Oddly UCLU will be holding another couple of events at Queen Mary's College that I doubt will be similarly interrupted. The first is entitled "Did Jesus Die", here's the advert for the event:

'UCLU AMSA Presents
“Did Jesus Die” BBC documentary screening and Q&A with director
Wednesday 18th January 2012 at 6 pm – 8.30 pm

Location: Cruciform Lecture Theatre 2, Cruciform Building, Gower Street, University College London (UCL), London, WC1E 6JF (map)

“Did Jesus Die?” is a documentary produced by Richard Denton, ex-director in the BBC,presenting a theory of crucifixion that originated with Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (peace be upon him), founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. The documentary will be asking the question as to whether Jesus(peace be upon him) in fact survived the crucifixion and whether his being seen after the crucifixion was an example of survival rather than resurrection.

The documentary then examines the question as to where Jesus (peace be upon him) disappeared after the crucifixion, by investigating various claims that he travelled to the south of France and even England. Finally, the documentary raises the evidence that Jesus (peace be upon him) travelled to India, Tibet and Nepal before dying at an old age and being buried there in the Khan Yar quarter of Srinagar, Kashmir, India, where his tomb is said to reside.Following the film screening, a Q&A will be held with Richard Denton, director of “Did Jesus Die?” to answer any questions pertaining to his personal views on the theories covered in the screening, as well as his own experience of visiting the purported tomb of Jesus (peace be upon him). An additional guest to the Q&A will be Arif Khan, a representative of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association. Arif Khan runs the largest website about the purported tomb of Jesus (peace be upon him) (http://www.tombofjesus.com/).

It is hoped that this event will demonstrate a different aspect of Jesus’ beauty and success and a life of his, hitherto unknown.

COME AND BRING YOUR FRIENDS! ALL ARE ALWAYS WELCOME!

Peace,
UCLU AMSA President'

I wonder how many Christians would find that talk offensive but how they would have been greeted should they have complained to the University authorities or tried to disrupt the talk last night.


Next week there is another interesting talk:

'Islam and Terrorism
Thursday 26th January 2012 at 6 pm – 8.30 pm

Location: Bancroft 1.01.2 Lecture Theater, Francis Bancroft, Mile End,
Queen Mary University, E1 4NS (map)

Yet another year starts with increased sectarian violence and continued terrorist attacks. It is only natural for the public to assume that within the religion of Islam there must lie some justification for such horror.

QMUL AMSA are thus hosting an event to dispel any such thoughts: ‘Islam & Terrorism – Your Questions Answered’ will take place on Thursday 26th January here at QMUL. It will elucidate the true teachings of Islam on the subject of terrorism and apostasy, before answering common allegations against the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The speaker will then go on to explain the origins of ‘Islamic’ terrorism, before giving what AMSA feels is the cure to the cancer of extremism.

COME AND BRING YOUR FRIENDS! ALL ARE WELCOME!

Peace,

Queen Mary AMSA President
qmulamsa@gmail.com'

Your thoughts people?

The authentic voice of 'moderate' Palestinans

The next time that the BBC or The Guardian tell you that the Palestinian Authority are moderate and wish to work for a peaceful accommodation with Israel, remember this video...

PA Mufti calls for the killing of Jews quoting Islamic Hadith from Palestinian Media Watch on Vimeo.
That is the principal Palestinian Authority religious leader, the Mufti Muhammad Hussein, presenting the killing of Jews by Muslims as a religious Islamic goal. The location was an event celebrating the 47th anniversary of the founding of Fatah. Here Mufti Muhammad Hussein cited the Hadith (Islamic tradition attributed to Muhammad) saying that the Hour of Resurrection will not come until Muslims fight the Jews and kill them:

"The Hour [of Resurrection] will not come until you fight the Jews.
The Jew will hide behind stones or trees
Then the stones or trees will call:
'Oh Muslim, servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.'"

You will have seen that Hadith quotation on this blog before but then it is one that anti-Semitic Islamists do love to quote.

Before you dismiss this as just words for a domestic audience, remember that in July 2011 a Greenberg Quinlan Rosner poll found that 73% of Palestinians "believe" this Hadith. Maybe the years of the Palestinian Authority promoting the killing of Jews and Palestinian Authority religious leaders' citing this Hadith to justify it, may have contributed to the high acceptance of it in PA society.

In case you think that Mufti Muhammad Hussein is a lone voice, the moderator who introduced the Mufti at the Fatah event quoted another Islamic belief, that Jews are the descendants of apes and pigs:

"Our war with the descendants of the apes and pigs (i.e., Jews)
is a war of religion and faith."

In case you think that religion and politics are separate in the Palestinian Authority remember that the Mufti is appointed by the Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. The Mufti voiced this incitement to hatred and killing of Jews at an official Fatah celebration. For the avoidance of doubt, Mahmoud Abbas is also the Chairman of Fatah.


I did look to see if the BBC had managed to report the hate speech of Mufti Muhammad Hussein but could find no mention on the news website. I think a follow-up complaint to this one may be called for...

A must have app for your iPhone, BlackBerry or Android device

Headz Up - because you have better things to look at than what's in front of your face!

From Saturday Night Live season 37 episode 12.


Thanks to Israelly Cool for the spot.

Let's lighten the mood this Wednesday afternoon

Q: What's the difference between Muslim girls and Essex girls?
A: Essex girls get stoned before they commit ts adultery.

What's happened to Wikipedia today?

Try and Wikipedia something today and you'll be met with this statement:

'Imagine a World

Without Free Knowledge

For over a decade, we have spent millions of hours building the largest encyclopedia in human history. Right now, the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open Internet. For 24 hours, to raise awareness, we are blacking out Wikipedia. Learn more.'

Here's the full text of their statement:

'What exactly is Wikipedia doing?

Wikipedia is protesting against SOPA and PIPA by blacking out the English Wikipedia for 24 hours, beginning at midnight January 18, Eastern Time. Readers who come to English Wikipedia during the blackout will not be able to read the encyclopedia: instead, they will see messages intended to raise awareness about SOPA and PIPA, and encouraging them to share their views with their elected representatives, and via social media.

Why is this happening?

Nothing like this has ever happened before on the English Wikipedia. Wikipedians have chosen to black out the English Wikipedia for the first time ever, because we are concerned that SOPA and PIPA will severely inhibit people's access to online information. This is not a problem that will solely affect people in the United States: it will affect everyone around the world.

Why? SOPA and PIPA are badly drafted legislation that won't be effective in their main goal (to stop copyright infringement), and will cause serious damage to the free and open Internet. They put the burden on website owners to police user-contributed material and call for the unnecessary blocking of entire sites. Small sites won't have sufficient resources to defend themselves. Big media companies may seek to cut off funding sources for their foreign competitors, even if copyright isn't being infringed. Foreign sites will be blacklisted, which means they won't show up in major search engines. And, SOPA and PIPA build a framework for future restrictions and suppression.

Do you care about infringement?

Yes. Wikipedians spend thousands of hours every week working tirelessly in reviewing and preventing infringing content. Their talk pages show tremendous care about protecting copyright and sophisticated study on the many nuances of what constitutes infringement as opposed to legitimate speech. Wikipedia is based on a model of free licenses. Every Wikipedian is a rights owner, licensing their work under free licenses. Infringement harms our mission; free licenses do not work with infringement. Wikipedia has a mission of sharing knowledge around the world, and that is not possible when the knowledge is tainted with infringement. So, yes, Wikipedians care deeply about protecting the rights of others and ensuring against infringement.

But this does not meean Wikipedians are willing to trample on free expression like SOPA and PIPA. The proposed legislation seeks to take down sites entirely, because courts and others simply don't have time to worry about the nuances of copyright law and free expression. That is what is troubling. When the remedies are bludgeons, when entire sites are taken down, when everyone assumes that all content is infringing because some is, we lose something important. We lose the nuances of copyright about which our community cares, we lose our values based on protecting free speech, we lose what we represent. The Internet cannot turn into a world where free expression is ignored to accomodate overly simple solutions that gratify powerful rightowners who spend lots of money to promote the regulation of expression. There are better ways, like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, to find the right approach to legitimate copyright enforcement without trampling on free expression. SOPA and PIPA don't represent these values, and for that reason we ask you to oppose these bills.

Isn't SOPA dead? Wasn't the bill shelved, and didn't the White House declare that it won't sign anything that resembles the current bill?

No, neither SOPA nor PIPA are dead. On January 17th, SOPA's sponsor said the bill will be discussed in early February. There are signs PIPA may be debated on the Senate floor next week. Moreover, SOPA and PIPA are just indicators of a much broader problem. We are already seeing big media calling us names. In many jurisdictions around the world, we're seeing the development of legislation that prioritizes overly-broad copyright enforcement laws, laws promoted by power players, over the preservation of individual civil liberties. We want the Internet to be free and open, everywhere, for everyone.

Aren’t SOPA/PIPA as they stand not even really a threat to Wikipedia? Won't the DNS provisions be removed?

SOPA and PIPA are still alive, and they’re still a threat to the free and open web, which means they are a threat to Wikipedia. For example, in its current form, SOPA would require U.S. sites to take on the heavy burden of actively policing third-party links for infringing content. And even with the DNS provisions removed, the bill would give the U.S. government extraordinary, ambiguous, and loosely-defined powers to take control over content and information on the free web. Taking one bad provision out doesn't make the bills okay, and regardless, Internet experts agree they won't even be effective in their main goal: halting copyright infringement. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has published a really great post about some of the more dangerous SOPA and PIPA provisions.

What can users outside of the U.S. do to support this effort?

Readers who don't live in the United States can contact their local State Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or similar branch of government. Tell them that you oppose the draft U.S. SOPA and PIPA legislation, and all similar legislation. SOPA and PIPA will have a global effect - websites outside of the U.S. would be impacted by legislation that hurts the free and open web. And, other jurisdictions are grappling with similar issues, and may choose paths similar to SOPA and PIPA.

Is it still possible to access Wikipedia in any way?

The Wikipedia community, as part of their request to the Wikimedia Foundation to carry out this protest, asked us to ensure that we make English Wikipedia accessible in some way during an emergency. The English Wikipedia will be accessible on mobile devices and smart phones. You can also view Wikipedia normally by completely disabling JavaScript in your browser, as explained on this Technical FAQ page.

I keep hearing that this is a fight between Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Is that true?

No. Some people are characterizing it that way, probably in an effort to imply all the participants are motivated by commercial self-interest. But you can know it's not that simple, because Wikipedia has no financial self-interest here: we are not trying to monetize your eyeballs or sell you products. We are protesting to raise awareness about SOPA and PIPA solely because we think they will hurt the Internet, and your ability to access information. We are doing this for you.

In carrying out this protest, is Wikipedia abandoning neutrality?

We hope you continue to trust Wikipedia to be a neutral informational resource. We are staging this blackout because, although Wikipedia’s articles are neutral, its existence actually is not. For over a decade, Wikipedians have spent millions of hours building the largest encyclopedia in human history. Wikipedia's existence depends on a free, open and uncensored Internet. We are shutting Wikipedia down for you, our readers. We support your right to freedom of thought and freedom of expression. We think everyone should have access to educational material on a wide range of subjects, even if they can’t pay for it. We believe people should be able to share information without impediment. We believe that new proposed laws like SOPA and PIPA (and other similar laws under discussion inside and outside the United States) don’t advance the interests of the general public. That's why we're doing this.

What can I read to get more information?

Try these links:

• Blog post from Wikimedia Foundation Executive Director, Sue Gardner
• Official Wikimedia Foundation press release
• Statement from the community affirming blackout
• Electronic Frontier Foundation blog post on the problems with SOPA/PIPA
• Wikipedia's articles on SOPA and PIPA'

The sheer joy that is Anjem Choudary

I have blogged about Anjem Choudary previously but yesterday I was alerted to his Twitter account. What a lovely chap Anjem Choudary is...

Here is one of his Tweets to give you a flavour of the man , in his own words, and to show off his sunny disposition and live & let live attitude:

I am sure you know the tale of Salman Rushdie and the fatwa issued against him. Just in case you do not know who Theo van Gogh was, I will tell you. Theo van Gogh was the Dutch filmmaker who was violently murdered by an Islamist because he made a film that Islamists found offensive. Here's how he died and who killed him:

'At approximately 8:45 a.m. on November 2, 2004, an unknown assailant dressed in a traditional Moroccan “djelleba,” brutally attacked Theo outside of a city council building as he bicycled to work in central Amsterdam. The attacker shot Theo Van Gogh and stabbed him repeatedly in the chest, callously disregarding his victim’s pleas for mercy. Despite his life-threatening injuries, Theo was able to gain enough momentum to stumble to the other side of the street but by the time he made his way across, his attacker shot and stabbed him again. He then slit Theo’s throat with a butcher knife as onlookers gasped in sheer horror.

In a final assault against his victim the attacker lodged his knife, which had a letter attached to it, into Theo’s chest. The assassin then ran off through the neighborhood and into the nearby Oosterpark, where he and police exchanged gunfire. During the shootout, a motorcycle police officer and an eyewitness were seriously wounded.

Just as Theo’s murderer exited the other side of the park, the police caught up with him and shot him in the leg. He was immediately arrested and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of his wounds. The attacker was eventually identified as 26-year-old Mohammed Bouyeri, an Islamic extremist with dual Dutch and Moroccan nationalities who was believed to have links with other Islamic militant groups. Investigators revealed that Bouyeri’s motivation to kill was likely sparked by the movie Submission and further aggravated by his hate of the western world and those who refused to accept Islamic values. '

What does Anjem Choudary mean by the comment "Why don't they take a lesson from Theo Van Gogh & Salman Rushdie?" Is he suggesting that people who are not respectful enough of Islam deserve to die or live in fear of death forever?

I knew I'd seen that weird face before...

Ed Miliband is Ginger


Thanks to Ms Intervention for the spot.

Ed Miliband under pressure and wilting

Channel 4's Jon Snow takes Ed Miliband to pieces over what he is saying now andwhat he said 18 months ago...

Odd reporting by the BBC

The BBC have a news page devoted to 'Leveson Inquiry: The editors' views'. What is odd is that the views of Dominic Mohan of The Sun and others are quoted but not a word about the three editors from Trinity Mirrir: Richard Wallace, the editor of the Daily Mirror, Tina Weaver, the editor of the Sunday Mirror or Lloyd Embley, the editor of the People who all gave evidence yesterday. I wonder if the BBC will also be so coy about reporting the testimony of Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger when he has been up before the Inquiry? The BBC normally hang on every word of Mr Rushbridger and his newspaper, so it would be odd if they did not report.


UPDATE:
Some time yesterday the BBC finally updated the article to reflect the Trinity Mirror editors' apearances, maybe I overestimated the BBC's bias but underestimated the BBC's inneficiency.

The 'Growing use of Sharia by UK Muslims'

The BBC  have another puff piece on the 'Growing use of Sharia by UK Muslims'. The article tells us lots of useful and interesting facts about Sharia Law:

'An estimated 85 Sharia councils could be operating in Britain, according to a 2009 report by the think tank Civitas.

Several bodies like the Islamic Sharia Council have seen a large increase in their cases in the past five years.

''Our cases have easily more than tripled over the past three to five years," says Sheikh al-Haddad.

''On average, every month we can deal with anything from 200 to 300 cases. A few years ago it was just a small fraction of that.

''Muslims are becoming more aligned with their faith and more aware of what we are offering them,'' he explained.


...

Sharia has been operating in the UK, managed by locally-appointed councils, in parallel to the British legal system since 1982.

But the informal councils have no legal powers and they cannot impose any penalties.

They deal with civil cases alone, but many Muslims are choosing to voluntarily accept rulings made by the scholars.'

 Of course one of the main problems with allowing Sharia courts to operate in a civilised western democracy is that they are so discriminatory against women. The BBC is normally red-hot on discrimination against women and willing to fight against it but when it comes to Sharia law the protests are sotto voce. The above article does include these sentiments:

'The use of Sharia, or Islamic religious law, is growing in Britain, with thousands of Muslims using it to settle disputes each year, but women's groups and some others are objecting.'
...

Despite the growing demand for Sharia law in Britain, there is also increasing opposition by some groups who argue that the practice discriminates against women.

The Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation (IKWRO) is campaigning to bring an end to the practice.

''We have spoken to many women and all of them tell us the same story; Sharia law is not providing them with the justice they seek. The councils are dominated by men, who are making judgements in favour of men,'' said Diana Nammi.

...

''We think there shouldn't be any religious law practising in Britain - all Sharia bodies should be banned. That is the only way we can ensure equality of justice for all women," argues Diana Nammi.'

 Being the BBC there is no detail s to why Sharia law is so discriminatory against women. No mention that Sharia courts base their decisions on the Koran, the hadith (the sayings and actions of the Islamic prophet Mohammad) and upon Islamic jurisprudence. All of these elements agree that a woman’s testimony is worth half that of a man’s, that a woman can’t sign her own marriage contract, that men have a unilateral right to divorce whereas women have limited rights to divorce, that child custody goes to the father at a preset age and that girls get half of the inheritance that boys do.

Discrimination against women is one of the BBC's pet hates and something that they normally publicise and attack when they find it but in the case of Sharia law thye BBC are somewhat more coy. Here is a statement from the Islamic Sharia Council regarding women's testimony that the BBC have not, so far as I can see, ever published on their news website.  ‘If one forgets, the other can remind her.’ It’s the difference between a man and a woman’s brains.’ ‘A woman’s character is not so good for a case where testimony requires attention and concentration.’ And this also applies to divorce. ‘Women are governed by emotion; men by their minds so he will think twice before uttering talaq [divorce].’ It goes on to say it is not ‘derogatory’ but ‘the secret of women’s nature.’

 The BBC leave the subject of Sharia's discrimination against women after printing some claims but not providing the proof. The article finishes:
' But while a demand for Sharia continues in Britain, Sheikh Haitham al-Haddad says the practice cannot be banned.

"We are not forcing people to walk through our doors. They are voluntarily coming to us,'' he said.

''If you ban us, then British Muslims will find somewhere else to go.

''Many will go to Muslim countries abroad, where there will be no way to protect them.''

This argument goes uncontested and is not one that the BBC would agree with when associated with such matters as hunting with dogs.

The BBC's dhimmitude when it comes to Islam is more than noteworthy, it is worrying. The BBC has a huge impact on people's attitudes and views and to propagandise on behalf of one discriminatory religion is a dangerous game to play.

Dear Mr Cameron - a grumpy person writes

As spreading around the Internet...

'Dear Mr. Cameron,
 
Please find below our suggestion for fixing the UK 's economy.
 
Instead of giving billions of pounds to banks that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan.
 
You can call it the Patriotic Retirement Plan:
 
There are about 10 million people over 50 in the work force.
 
Pay them £1 million each severance for early retirement with the following stipulations:
 
1) They MUST retire.
Ten million job openings - unemployment fixed
 
2) They MUST buy a new British car.
Ten million cars ordered - Car Industry fixed
 
3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage -
Housing Crisis fixed
 
4) They MUST send their kids to school/college/university -
Crime rate fixed
 
5) They MUST buy £100 WORTH of alcohol/tobacco a week .....
And there's your money back in duty/tax etc
 
It can't get any easier than that!
 
P.S. If more money is needed, have all members of parliament pay back their falsely claimed expenses and second home allowances
 
If you think this would work, please forward to everyone you know.
 
Also………..
Let's put the pensioners in jail and the criminals in a nursing home.
 
This way the pensioners would have access to showers, hobbies and walks.
 
They'd receive unlimited free prescriptions, dental and medical treatment, wheel chairs etc and they'd receive money instead of paying it out.
 
They would have constant video monitoring, so they could be helped instantly, if they fell, or needed assistance.
 
Bedding would be washed twice a week, and all clothing would be ironed and returned to them.
 
A guard would check on them every 20 minutes and bring their meals and snacks to their cell.
 
They would have family visits in a suite built for that purpose.
 
They would have access to a library, weight room, spiritual counselling, pool and education.
 
Simple clothing, shoes, slippers, PJ's and legal aid would be free, on request.
 
Private, secure rooms for all, with an exercise outdoor yard, with gardens.
 
Each senior could have a PC a TV radio and daily phone calls.
 
There would be a board of directors to hear complaints, and the guards would have a code of conduct that would be strictly adhered to.
 
The criminals would get cold food, be left all alone and unsupervised. Lights off at 8pm, and showers once a week.  Live in a tiny room and pay £600.00 per week and have no hope of ever getting out.
 
Think about this (more points of contention):
 
COWS
Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that during the mad cow epidemic our government could track a single cow, born in Appleby almost three years ago, right to the stall where she slept in the county of Cumbria?
 
And, they even tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 125,000 illegal immigrants wandering around our country. Maybe we should give each of them a cow.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also;
Think about this ... If you don't want to forward this for fear of offending someone -- YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM! It is time for us grumpy old folk of Britain to speak up!    '

The one hundred and fifty sixth weekly "No shit, Sherlock" award

This week's award is presented to Moody's for the insightful comment that an increased ‘Haircut’ on Greek debt would hurt banks.

"No shit Sherlock

Nick Clegg on Israel - double standards?

"I have to tell you that the absence of progress towards peace, together with the almost weekly announcements of this tender or that planning permission for new building, has a real effect on how the world sees Israel."

But vowing to kill Jews has no effect on how world sees Hamas?

Hamas want peace with Israel; really?

As usual don't listen to what the BBC tell you are Hamas's positions, listen to what Hamas themselves say. The following are comments made by Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya on his visit to Tunisia in early January 2012. The comments were all recorded and broadcast on Al-Aqsa TV:

"I say to you now, in the capital of south Tunisia: We will never ever recognize Israel."

"The land of Palestine, oh brothers and sisters, is an Islamic, as decreed by the second caliph, Omar ibn Al-Khattab. We shall not relinquish the Islamic waqf on the land of Palestine, and Jerusalem shall not be divided into Western and Eastern Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a single united [city], and Palestine stretches from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River, and from Naqoura [Rosh Ha-Niqra] to Umm Al-Rashrash [Eilat] in the south."

So the next time you hear a Palestinian spokesman saying they want to live in peace with Israel or a BBC Middle East 'expert' explaining how Hamas and the PLO have changed and really do want peace with Israel, remember that it's all lies. Hamas and Fatah/PLO want to destroy Israel, they claim all of the land that Israel stands on and the return to 1967 borders is but the first step on the path to destroying Israel and killing all Jews.

Thanks to MEMRI for the transcript and the original video footage.

Islamic Egypt 451

A few weeks back I read about the burning of almost 200,000 books at the Institute of Egypt in Cairo, destroyed by a Muslim mob. A mob full of hatred for anything un-Islamic and something that brought to mind the Nazi book burnings of the 1930s.

I didn't see anything about this on the BBC, they being too caught up in furthering the narrative of the Arab Spring bringing democracy and liberty to the Arab populace. Today however I spotted this article on the BBC. The headline - 'Saving Egypt's precious fire-bombed books' and the article begins thus:

'Thousands of historical documents could be lost following a fire at the Institute of Egypt - which began during clashes in Tahrir Square last month - but an army of restoration workers is working day and night to save the country's written history.'

The BBC proud to rewrite history in order to protect Islamists and hide the truth from the world.

Does Ed Miliband have no shame?

Ed Miliband: the leader of the Labour party, a member of the last Labour government wants us to believe that he is against 'crony capitalism'.

It seems that I am not alone in thinking this somewhat brazenly amnesiac.

The Labour party is after all the party of Drayson, Powderject & vaccines, Benneton, Mills/Jowell, Ecclestone & Formula 1 smoking ad ban, Lakshmi Mittal & letters to the Romanian Government, 'Sir' Gulam Noon, Hinduja passports, the Union Modernisation Fund, “we must do something for Branson, Tony”, Paul Myners, Loans for Lordships, etc. etc. etc.

Against crony capitalism? How stupid does Ed Miliband think we are?

How much s**t do the BBC think they can throw at the Conservatives so as to expunge the memory of the Labour years?



Thanks to Alex Masterley and Guido Fawkes for some of the examples.

Diane Abbott at it again?

The Mail  believe so, with a story that begins thus:

'Ed Miliband faced new calls to rebuke Labour frontbencher Diane Abbott last night after she told a young, Tory-voting black graduate who asked her for work that she wasn’t doing the ‘black thing’ and should ‘go and work for a white  Conservative’ instead.'

Is Diane Abbot really a racist? I am not sure.
Does Diane Abbott often seem to have an unfortunate negative attitude to anyone not in her Labour tribe? Yes.
Should Diane Abbott  be made to attend a race sensitivity course? Now there's an idea...

Social realism meets popular music Sunday

Stooshe - 'Betty Woz Gone'
It's like Lily Allen to the n^th

How the EU bailout fund will 'work'

'It is a slow day in a little Greek village. The rain is beating down and the streets are deserted. Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit. On this particular day a rich German tourist is driving through the village, stops at the local hotel and lays a €100 note on the desk, telling the hotel owner he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one to spend the night. The owner gives him some keys and, as soon as the visitor has walked upstairs, the hotelier grabs the €100 note and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher.  The butcher takes the €100 note and runs down the street to repay his debt to the pig farmer. The pig farmer takes the €100 note and heads off to pay his bill at the supplier of feed and fuel. The guy at the Farmers’ Co-op takes the €100 note and runs to pay his drinks bill at the taverna. The publican slips the money along to the local prostitute drinking at the bar, who has also been facing hard times and has had to offer him “services” on credit. The hooker then rushes to the hotel and pays off her room bill to the hotel owner with the €100 note. The hotel proprietor then places the €100 note back on the counter so the rich traveller will not suspect anything. At that moment the traveller comes down the stairs, picks up the €100 note, states that the rooms are not satisfactory, pockets the money, and leaves town.

No one produced anything. No one earned anything. However, the whole village is now out of debt and looking to the future with a lot more optimism. And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is how the bailout package works.

MY REPLY:
XXXX I edited your bailout email a little to help make it more effective to clients, please see below.
It is a slow day in a little Greek village, planet earth.  The rain is beating down and the streets are deserted. Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit. On this particular day a rich German tourist is driving through the village, stops at the local hotel and lays a €100 note on the desk, telling the hotel owner he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one to spend the night. The owner thinks about maybe beating the tourist to death, but decides to give him some keys and, as soon as the visitor has walked upstairs, the hotelier grabs the €100 note and shoves it in his pocket.  He owes Piraeus Bank down the street €100,000 but has little intention of repaying it as his business has been contracting for several years.  That bank also has claims of €10,000 on a butcher’s business, €50,000 on a pig farmer, €75,000 to a supplier of feed and fuel, but in turn owes €100,000 to EFG Bank which itself has fractionally reserved claims on a pub owner and a prostitute who bought two homes on 105% LTV among many others.
At that moment the traveller comes down the stairs, states that the rooms are not satisfactory, and asks for his €100 note back.  The Greek innkeeper asks “what €100 note?”  The German threatens to call the police.  The innkeeper says “go ahead, ask for my brother who’s a Lieutenant down at the precinct, he’ll help you out.”  The German storms out back into the night, €100 poorer.  No one produced anything.  No one earned anything.  However, the whole village is still buried in debt and looking to the future with a lot more optimism at the thought that maybe the Germans really are that gullible.

And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is how the bailout package works.

Thanks to Zero Hedge via Wasps Nest for the spot.

Let's lighten the mood this Friday afternoon

A man goes to see his doctor:
"Doctor please help me I've got this problem...
My secretary just loves to give me blow jobs
Every morning when I get to work, I get a blow
job
She gives me a quick one before I leave for lunch
She even gives me a blow job before I leave work at the end of the day..."

"So what's the problem?" asks the doctor

The man replies:
"Well, you see my wife is sex-mad, I have to make love to her every morning when we wake up. Then at lunch time I have to nip home for a quickie and when I get home from work at the end of the day we have a two hour marathon love-making session before we go to sleep."

The doctor is bewildered "I still don't know what your problem is"

"Well doctor it's just that every time I masturbate - I get these dizzy spells!"

So the problem is Israel is it?

The BBC and others on the left of British politics delight in informing us that the problems of the Middle East are largely due to the presence of Israel on Palestinian land and that the Islamist regimes and terrorists that surround Israel have no gripe with Jews, but just with Israel.

Here's some video of part of the crowd at an Egyptian football match that might be of interest...

So at the BBC one person shouting racial abuse at one black footballer at an English football match is headline news but a large section of the crowd at an Egyptian football match calling for the death of all Jews (for that is what they are doing) is not even worth a mention on the Middle East news page?

The BBC's double standards sicken me, they jump on any comments made by the odd (often very odd) Israeli extremist and publicise them but steadfastly refuse to cover the many anti-Semitic comments made by a myriad of Arab politicians, preachers and the general public.

Double standards at the BBC

The BBC are happy to report that:

'Cameron embarking on first trip to Saudi Arabia

David Cameron is visiting Saudi Arabia, for the first time as prime minister.

Mr Cameron will meet King Abdullah and Crown Prince Nayif later on Friday in talks which No 10 hopes will "broaden and deepen" the UK-Saudi relationship.

Subjects likely to be raised include the global economy, energy security and counter-terrorism.

Saudi Arabia is the UK's largest trading partner in the Middle East with annual trade worth £15bn a year. It has £62bn invested in the UK economy.

The government sees strong relations with the Saudis as vital to advancing Britain's interests in the region.

The BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner says the trip is important for both Mr Cameron and his Saudi hosts.

He says Saudi Arabia has been rattled by both the overthrow of its longstanding ally, President Mubarak of Egypt, and the recent tensions with Iran.

He adds that both the UK and Saudi Arabia are hoping to forge a new strategic partnership in energy, business and security.

A Saudi official says the leaders will discuss sales of the latest technology and weaponry, and making Britain a major part of a massive Saudi military expansion.'

Imagine for a minute that rather than visiting Saudi Arabia, the Prime Minister was visiting Israel. What contextual information would the BBC see fit to provide? Jerusalem's status, 'illegal' settlements, etc. etc. etc. But as this is a visit to Saudi Arabia the BBC see fit to mention counter-terrorism without any contextual information about the number of Saudi citizens who have/are engaged in terrorism, the amount of money that flows from Saudi Arabia to support terrorism around the world, the Saudi Arabian funding of educational establishment in the West (including the UK) that spread the tenets of Wahhabiism. Nor do the BBC find space to mention the Saudi repression of women, the apartheid practised by the Saudis at Mecca or indeed the banning of non-Islamic religious objects from Saudi Arabia.

The BBC's hatred of Israel blinds them to the actual evils perpetrated by the regimes that neighbour Israel and the real dangers to us that they represent. If the BBC consider that I am wrong in what I say, then release the Balen report to show if there was anti-Israel bias found in the BBC.

As for David Cameron, I request that he takes a bible in his hand luggage and asks as many of his entourage as possible to do the same. The Saudi Arabian regime's intolerance for religions other than Islam must be confronted not excused, huge oil wealth does not give them a Get Out of Jail Free card.

Suzi Quatro - A Thursday night Rule 5 post

One of the nice things about the BBC's re-runs of Top of the Pops, currently on 1977, was seeing some old faces such as Suzi Quatro. I remember her much like the photo above and in 1977 that was enough for me.

However a few minutes on the Internet and I found some photos of Suzi Quatro that might have proved too much for me back in the 1970s...

Ah memories...

And here's Suzi Quatro in action singing 'Devil Gate Drive'

The Jews, always the Jews

Two items have struck me as worth reporting this week as an antidote to the lie that the cause of the rise in anti-Semitism is Israel (and its actions). The true cause of the rise in anti-Semitism is Islam's hatred of Jews, here's some examples:

1. Excerpts from a Friday sermon in Al-Bireh, the palestinian West Bank, which aired on Palestinian Authority TV on January 6, 2012.

'Preacher: "Oh servants of Allah, every evil and catastrophe on the land of Palestine – moreover, in the whole world – is caused by the Jews.

"They generate civil strife with their clandestine handiwork, their despicable texts, their bitter hearts, and their abominable intentions.

"Allah said: 'Whenever they kindle the fire of war, Allah extinguishes it, but they strive to do mischief on earth. Allah loves not those who do mischief.' This is the history of the Jews. '

2. Excerpts from footage of Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya's visit to Tunisia, which aired on Al-Aqsa TV and was posted on the Internet on January 5-10, 2012. Listen to the crowd:

'Crowd: "The people want the liberation of Palestine.

"The people want the liberation of Palestine."

Crowd member: "Killing the Jews…"

Crowd: "…is a duty."

Crowd member: "Killing the Jews…"

Crowd: "…is a duty."

Crowd member: "Driving out the Jews…"

Crowd: "…is a duty."

Crowd member: "Driving out the Jews…"

Crowd: "…is a duty."

Crowd member: "Crushing the Jews…"

Crowd: "…is a duty."

Crowd member: "Crushing the Jews…"

Crowd: "…is a duty." […] '

So do the preacher and the crowd hate Israel or Jews?

For more on this matter hust search my blog, there's plenty more examples of the Islamists hatred of Jews and their genoicidal intentios for all Jews.

Since when was Ken Loach the fount of all knowledge?

Yesterday I got fed up with hearing Ken Loach's views on the possible govenrnment plans to try and reduce taxpayers money going to non-popular films. Ken Loach was treated as some sort of expert and his political views were not mentioned once; why? Do the BBC no know Ken Loach's political views? Here's the second line of his Wikipedia entry:

'He is known for his naturalistic, social realist directing style and for his socialist beliefs, which are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as homelessness (Cathy Come Home) and labour rights (Riff-Raff).'

If that's not enough then let's look at the very long section of Ken Loach's Wikipedia entry devoted to 'Political Activities' (my emphasis):

 '... In a 2011 interview with the Guardian newspaper he said "It makes you angry, not on your own behalf, but on behalf of the people whose voices weren't allowed to be heard. When you had trade unions, ordinary people, rank and file, never been on television, never been interviewed, and they're not allowed to be heard, that's scandalous. And you see it over and over again. I mean, we heard very little from the kids in the riots. You hear some people being inarticulate in a hood, but very few people were actually allowed to speak".^[10] In the same interview his focus on working people's lives is explained thusly: "I think the underlying factors regarding the riots are plain for anyone with eyes to see … It seems to me any economic structure that could give young people a future has been destroyed. Traditionally young people would be drawn into the world of work, and into groups of adults who would send the boys for a lefthanded screwdriver, or a pot of elbow grease, and so they'd be sent up in that way, but they would also learn about responsibilities, and learn a trade, and be defined by their skills. Well, they destroyed that. Thatcher destroyed that. She consciously destroyed the workforces in places like the railways, for example, and the mines, and the steelworks … so that transition from adolescence to adulthood was destroyed, consciously, and knowingly." He argues that working people's struggles are inherently dramatic: "They live life very vividly, and the stakes are very high if you don't have a lot of money to cushion your life. Also, because they're the front line of what we came to call the class war. Either through being workers without work, or through being exploited where they were working. And I guess for a political reason, because we felt, and I still think, that if there is to be change, it will come from below. It won't come from people who have a lot to lose, it will come from people who will have everything to gain."^[11] This explains how Loach regards politics and drama as intertwined, rather than existing in separate spheres.
A member of the Labour Party from the early 1960s, Loach left in the mid-1990s.^[12] In November 2004, he was elected to the national council of the Respect Coalition^[12] He stood for election to the European Parliament on a Respect mandate. He supports the Socialist Resistance organisation. Also, he supports the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of the State of Israel, backed by many intellectuals in Palestinian civil society, including writers, filmmakers, students, trade unions and human rights groups. PACBI is in turn part of a wider global international movement: Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), that opposes actions by the Israeli State.^[13]
...Loach also joined "54 international figures in the literary and cultural fields" in signing a letter that stated, in part, "celebrating 'Israel at 60' is tantamount to dancing on Palestinian graves to the haunting tune of lingering dispossession and multi-faceted injustice". The letter was published in the International Herald Tribune on 8 May 2008."^[16]
Responding to a report, which he described as "a red herring", on the growth of antisemitism since the beginning of the Gaza War, he has said: "If there has been a rise I am not surprised. In fact, it is perfectly understandable because Israel feeds feelings of anti-Semitism." He added "no-one can condone violence".^[17]
... In an open letter to Ms Shalom Ezer, Ken Loach wrote "From the beginning, Israel and its supporters have attacked their critics as anti-semites or racists. It is a tactic to undermine rational debate. To be crystal clear: as a film maker you will receive a warm welcome in Edinburgh. You are not censored or rejected. The opposition was to the Festival’s taking money from the Israeli state".^[21]
...Loach, Laverty and O'Brien subsequently wrote that: "We feel duty bound to take advice from those living at the sharp end inside the occupied territories. We would also encourage other filmmakers and actors invited to festivals to check for Israeli state backing before attending, and if so, to respect the boycott. Israeli filmmakers are not the target. State involvement is. In the grand scale of things it is a tiny contribution to a growing movement, but the example of South Africa should give us heart".^[25]
Together with John Pilger and Jemima Khan, Ken Loach was among the six people in court willing to offer surety for Julian Assange when he was arrested in London on 7 December 2010.^[29] In a recent interview with ShortList

So we have hatred of Lady Thatcher, belief in social/political revolution coming from below, supporter of cultural and other boycotting of Israel (the only democracy in the Middle East), excuser of a rise in anti-Semitism and supporter of Julian Assange. It's mystifying why the BBC would treat Ken Loach as some sort of guru!

Any person who vehemently expressed deep respect for Lady Thatcher, strong support for Israel & opposition to Palestinian terrorism, opposition to the rise in anti-Semitism & blamed it on the rise of Islamism in the west and called for Julian Assange to face justice, would be labelled as 'right-wing' even if allowed to speak on the BBC.


I don't normally  copy sections wholesale from Wikipedia but I wanted to show that any BBC researcher with an interest in checking for, and identify political bias, in guests could have identified Ken Loach's position in minutes.

What's wrong with this country?

'One of the problems we have in this country is that too many adults believe in Santa Claus, and too many children don't.'
Lee Lauer

Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?

The one hundred and fifty fifth weekly "No shit, sherlock" award

This week's award goes to the Migration Advisory Committee, the government's official advisers on migration, for coming to the staggering conclusion that there is a link between immigration from outside the European Union and job losses among UK workers.
The MAC said there were 23 fewer UK jobs for every 100 migrants from outside the EU.

Immigration affects indigenous employment; "No shit, Sherlock"

Now why would they want closer links with Israel?

In recent days I have read that the leader of the new government (indeed country) of South Sudan has visited Israel and that the Nigerian government has sought help from Israel in how to tackle Boko Haram. What possible reason could there be for these two African countries to prioritise relations with Israel? 

Maybe South Sudan is interested in learning from Israel's long experience in dealing with hostile neighbouring Islamist countries yearning to kill its citizens and take its land. Maybe Nigeria is interested in learning from Israel's long experience in dealing with Islamic terrorists eager to kill its citizens in the name of Islam.


Maybe the folk-memory of the evil Arab slave trader also lingers in the minds of the Africans.


How the BBC must hate news stories like the above. Black Africans (good) linking with Israel (oh so bad) to fight Islamists (good). How the BBC's collective minds must hurt.

Why didn't I follow my own advice?

Yesterday morning I blogged about the problem with Twitter and then went right ahead and got involved with a Tweeting debate with a rather unpleasant individual who I eventually had to Twitter block .

It seems that there are still people in this country who believe that any argument can be ended (or started) with an accusation of 'racist'. For the avoidance of doubt I, NotaSheep , am not a racist and it is not racist to criticise a black person.

End of post, end of...

'Don't blame it on the sunshine, don't blame it on the moonlight, blame it on the boogie' or 'Twitter killed the blogging star'

I have come to a conclusion and that is that Twitter is too much of a distraction for me. I have only a limited amount for my NotaSheep activities and since I started taking Twitter more seriously, my time for blogging has been seriously reduced. Twitter is easy, I can do it on my smartphone, and can do it in short bursts, whereas blogging takes more concentration, more time and more careful thought.

The problem is that I am very busy at work at present  and that lends itself to me Tweeting as an when I can rather than blogging BUT as soon as this busy period passes, a week or so at most, it's back to blogging for me.

Tweeting should be an adjunct to my bloggin not the other way around.

Enough politics - Here's Hot Chocolate's version of John Lennon's 'Give Peace a Chance'

'Give Peace a Chance' reggae styleeeee - love it!
First time I have understood the lyrics, Errol Brown enunciates far better than John Lennon.

Something on your mind Ed?

Bob Holness of Blockbusters fame died yesterday, which was sad for someone of my "Give me a P please Bob" generation. Ed Miliband tried to join the zeitgeist and failed with the above Tweet.

What's the excuse?
A typo? You can't get much further away on a QWERTY keyboard than the letters o and a but maybe Ed's a seriously crap typist.
Or maybe Ed's a little preoccupied with Diane Abbott's racist comment...

Diane Abbott - with friends like Marc Wadsworth...

Marc Wadsworth defends Diane Abbott, I am sure she's grateful.

"Can a black person be racist, can a woman be sexist?"
Heaven help us all.

Diane Abbott

There has been so much written about Diane Abbott's 'racist' comment on Twitter and I am not going to change anyone's mind by giving my opinion on her Tweet.

However.... Diane Abbott's excuses got to me! First she claimed that "tweet taken out of context". Apart from the fact that the 'taken out of context' excuse is usually the last refuge of the scoundrel, it was not true in this case. Examine the history of the Tweet conversation and you will see that rather rather than concerning the interesting subject of the "nature of 19th century European colonialism", it was about race in the present day. Diane Abbott's final excuse was entirely predictable as it would always be accepted by the lazy "Bit much to get into 140 characters." The only slight problem with this excuse is that Diane Abbott had over 30 characters left in which she could have added some context or even just used the past tense.

Diane Abbott has form in this area, watch this video from June 2010...

Watch the video to end and then judge Diane Abbott.

Also Diane Abbott reportedly said staff at her local east London hospital who were "blonde, blue-eyed Finnish girls" and so were not suitable to be nurses because they had "never met a black person before".


Is Diane Abbott racist? Maybe not.
Was the statement, as made, racist? Yes.
Should Diane Abbott apologise? Yes, but so far the apology has been less than fulsome as she has tried to wriggle out of responsibility for what she Tweeted.
Should Diane Abbott pay for the comment by losing her job? What's sauce for Patrick Mercer and Carol Thatcher is sauce for Diane Abbott.

Thursday morning catchup

The usual story, too may tabs, not enough time...

1. CIFWatch report the story that The Guardian and BBC fail to tell:

'What the Guardian won’t report: LGBT thrives in Israel, while Arabs want homosexuality banned'

2. Israelly Cool presents another in the series of posts showing the truth about Gaza, this one is entitled 'A Taste of “Concentration Camp” Gaza: Al-Mathaf Hotel'and begins thus:

'Inspired by the Gaza mall photos, I have featured on this blog various facilities from Gaza, with the aim of providing readers with a glimpse into the real Gaza, which is anything but a concentration camp as some claim.

My point is not that there is no hardship in Gaza, but rather that the situation is a far cry from what is being presented by the palestinians, their supporters and the mainstream media.

Introducing Gaza’s Al-Mathaf Hotel.'

3. This Spectator article tries separate myth form reality with regard to David Cameron's 'veto'.

Accusations of spamming

A strange occurrence this afternoon on Twitter. I saw a Tweet that struck me as being a little odd

Now I had not heard of this Tweeter and indeed am not sure how I saw the Tweet from @forwardnotback but regardless of that that seemed a rather odd attitude to take so I Tweeted a query

My question was not welcomed...

Well a tad extreme, but if someone doesn't like being questioned I suppose they can block who they like.

I thought that would be that, but...

Now is that playing nice? Deleting and Blocking is fine but reporting for spam?

It gets worse...

So now I am being called 'nasty', a 'bully' & a racist and am being threatened with the long arm of the law - for asking a civil question.

What a peculiar state of affairs. I saw a Tweet that struck me as odd and so asked a question. Within hours I am being accused of being a bully and a racist, something that anyone who knows me knows is complete rubbish.

What a strange place the Twittersphere is at times.


As an aside, should I take seriously someone who doesn't know the difference between 'there' and 'their'?

Posted without comment

From The Mail's Ephraim Hardcastle column:

'While he’s now a stranger to the Commons, former PM Gordon Brown, with wife Sarah in tow, was a guest at the wedding of former Doctor Who star David Tennant to actress Georgia Moffett.

‘Gordon took to the dance floor, eager to strut his stuff to Abba’s Dancing Queen, and he’s a better mover than you might think,’ reports my source improbably.

It hardly bears thinking about.'

Wednesday morning catch-up

The usual story; too many open tabs and not enough time.

1. Christopher Booker explains why the BBC steadfastly avoided the facts about the wind farm scam in David Shukman's reports on energy policy for the BBC. Christopher Booker unveils the true lunacy of the Government's plans, plans idiotically pushed by Chris Huhne.

2. The Register report that coal power stations may be responsible for global cooling. When will scientists admit that even the most complex climate models can only approximate the Earth's true climate?


3. The Globe & Mail explain why gold coins are not an investment bubble.


4. The Standard reports the on the FSA report into the collapse of RBS and unlike the BBC actually reports what was said about the partial blame that was layable at the feet of Gordon Brown and Ed Balls.

The Labour Party/Guardian attack the BBC for being pro-Coalition

The Guardian reports with a straight face that:

'The Labour party has made a "serious complaint" to the BBC about a lack of political balance in its news coverage as it attempts to reinvigorate Ed Miliband's leadership and counter what it sees as widespread media bias in favour of the David Cameron-led coalition.'

I cannot believe that the Labour party or The Guardian truly believe this claim, surely even they are not that deluded. So my conclusion is that the Labour party, The Guardian and indeed the BBC have recognised that sites such as Biased BBC, and maybe even this one, are attracting more and more attention to their posts that prove the BBC pro-left bias. Their tactic to fight this idea is to attack from the opposite side, thus the BBC can claim, albeit falsely, that if they are being criticised from the right and the left then they must be being unbiased. This claim is both a logical fallacy and a lie but since when has either of those two mattered to the Labour party, The Guardian or indeed to BBC?

Blog announcement

Blogging will be on hiatus today; last day of Christmas/New Year holidays and chores can be put off no longer!

Tonight's Sherlock

Tonight's Sherlock was brilliant, Mrs NotaSheep and I sat and watched the whole episode with scarcely a word spoken. Riveting entertainment indeed. Benedict Cumberbatch was excellent and the whole episode felt classy and intelligent.

However there was one error that did take the gloss off slightly. Sherlock Holmes deduces that the flight must be a 747 as it has a seat K on it, as no other plane does. This is wrong; I know for a fact that the Boeing 777 has a 3-4-3 configuration and as it misses the seat I, that means a seat K next to the window on the right side of the plane. The Airbus A340-600 as flown by Lufthansa has a 2-4-2 configuration but that far right seat is also a K.

Picky? Maybe but how can I believe in the infallibility of Sherlock Holmes when he makes such an elementary mistake?

Predictions for 2012

Three UK political predictions for 2012:

1. Labour's continuing failure to improve in opinion polls will mean Ed Miliband will face increasing pressure on his leadership, however he will cling onto his position.

2. The Coalition will come under more pressure as real cuts are planned but will hold together despite more of Vince Cable's unhelpful comments and the increasing efforts of the BBC.

3. Nick Clegg will come under increasing pressure but will cling onto his leadership as there is no realistic alternative.


Three foreign political predictions for 2012:

1. Barack Obama's popularity will continue to wane but the US media & the BBC will rally around in the run-up to the Presidential elections.

2. Barack Obama will win the Presidential election thanks to media support and the way the Republican candidate is portrayed by that media.

3. The pressure on Israel from 'world opinion' will increase and the Palestinians will pull off further propaganda coups at the United Nations.


Three economic predictions for 2012:

1. In the UK unemployment will continue to rise and growth will continue to stagnate.

2. In the EuroZone the economic situation will worsen whilst Merkozy will continue to claim the solution is near.

3. Gold will increase in price to reach USD 2000 by the end of 2012


Five BBC related predictions for 2012:

1. The BBC will become ever more blatantly biased in favour of the Labour party, the Conservatives will finally realise how serious a problem this is but do nothing to address the problem

2. The BBC will increase its attempts to create splits in the Conservative/Lib Dem coalition government.

3. The BBC will continue to vilify Israel at every opportunity and revel in further attacks on Israel

4. The BBC will continue to favour Islam over any other religion

5. The BBC will continue to support Barack Obama and push his successes whilst minimising his setbacks


Seven Miscellaneous predictions for 2012:

1. An Islamic jihadist attack in 'the West' will succeed and hundreds will die but still 'the West' will not acknowledge the reality of the threat from Islamists

2. Iran will continue its move to become a nuclear power and the UN will take no significant action

3. The Man Made Climate Change religion adherents will become more vocal in their claims and will increase their hold on the western world's politics, despite the increasing evidence to the contrary

4. Andy Murray will not win the Wimbledon title

5. There will be an attempted terrorist attack on the 2012 Olympics but it will be thwarted

6. British medal success at the 2012 London Olympics will be less than expected, rowing excepted

7. NotaSheep will continue to blog

Only on the BBC could this story be deemed important news

The third lead story on the BBC's Middle East news page is that 'Chilean authorities arrest an Israeli tourist on suspicion of negligently causing a massive forest fire in the country's south.' This 'news' story is actually from the Latin America section of the BBC news website, but the BBC deem it so important a story that it features on the Middle East section as well. 

What possible reason could the BBC have for  promoting this story, other than wanting to portray Israel and Israelis in a negative light as often as possible?

Do believe the hype!

On Christmas DayI blogged about the atmosphere at Casa NotaSheep following our ingestion of the second and third most fart inducing vegetables (according to Sainsbury's). The Jerusalem artichokes were finally consumed last night, along with Savoy cabbage and parsnips - there were other items on the menu - the results have lived up to the hype... The Jerusalem artichoke is now banned from this house and will not be partaken of ever again!

Predicting 2011 - was I even close?

Last year I made some predictions for 2011, how did I do?

Eight UK political predictions for 2011:

1. Labour will make huge gains at the local elections in May, mostly at the expense of the Lib Dems.
Correct
2. Labour will use their gains to start to question the legitimacy of the Coalition to govern, the BBC will provide them with a platform
Correct
3. The Coalition will not last the whole year. The local election results will prove too much for many LibDems
Wrong
4. At least one LibDem MP will join Labour
Wrong
5. Following the Coalition split the Conservatives will govern as a minority government and will thus be blamed for all the economic woes of the country
Wrong on part one but correct on part two
6. The Conservative government will fall and at the subsequent general election Labour will be the largest single party. The resultant horse-trading will be very lengthy
Wrong
7. David Cameron will not survive as Conservative leader beyond the general election
Wrong
8. Nick Clegg will not survive as Lib Dem leader beyond the general election, he will be replaced by Simon Hughes
Wrong


Three/Four foreign political predictions for 2011:
1. Barack Obama's popularity will continue to wane but the US media will rally around
Correct
2. The Republicans in the US Congress will gather strength but Sarah Palin's increasing popularity will cause them problems with the media
Debatable
3. The Irish general election will result in a large increase in votes for Sinn Fein
Correct
4. The South of Sudan will vote in the 9 January referendum to secede from Sudan; the result will be bloody
Correct


Five economic predictions for 2011:
1. The UK economy will worsen: unemployment up, inflation up, growth negative, debt up
Correct: correct, may have topped, wrong, correct
2. The EuroZone economy will worsen: unemployment up, inflation up, growth negative, debt up
Correct: correct, variable, wrong, correct
3. The US economy will worsen: unemployment up, inflation up, growth negative, debt up
Mixed
4. The Pound, Euro and US Dollar will all weaken against the Swiss Franc, Japanese Yen and Chinese Yuan
Correct
5. Gold will increase in price to reach USD 2000 by the end of 2011
Wrong, gold did increase but only to $1800 and then fell back. I did not reckon on market manipulation.

Five BBC related predictions for 2011:
1. The BBC will become ever more blatantly biased in favour of the Labour party, the Conservatives will finally realise how serious a problem this is but do nothing to address the problem
Correct
2. The BBC will continue to push for the withdrawal of British armed forces from Afghanistan
Correct
3. The BBC will continue to vilify Israel at every opportunity and revel in further attacks on Israel
Correct
4. The BBC will continue to favour Islam over any other religion
Correct
5. The BBC will continue to support Barack Obama and push his successes whilst minimising his setbacks
Correct

10 Miscellaneous predictions for 2011:
1. An Islamic jihadist attack in 'the West' will succeed and hundreds will die but still 'the West' will not acknowledge the reality of the threat from Islam
Thankfully not correct
2. Iran will continue its move to become a nuclear power and the UN will take no significant action
Correct
3. The Man Made Climate Change religion adherents will become more vocal in their claims and will increase their hold on the western world's politics, despite the increasing evidence to the contrary
Correct
4. The Sun will reach Solar Max and some of the Earth's communication systems will be adversely affected
Thankfully wrong
5. The wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton is disrupted by malcontents
Wrong
6. Simon Cowell decides that he now has enough money, gives up his dreadful shows and retires; TV immediately gets more watchable (more of a hope than an expectation, this one)
Unfortunately wrong
7.
?
8. England will get to the final of the Rugby World Cup but lose there
Woefully wrong
9. Andy Murray will not win the Wimbledon title
Correct, but was there much doubt?
10. NotaSheep will continue to blog
Correct


Nostradamus I am not!
Predictions for this year later today or tomorrow...

The one hundred and fifty fourth weekly "No shit, Sherlock" award

This week's award is presented to Prof. Chava Muchnik of Tel Aviv University for the amazing discovery that teenagers who listen to too much music at too high a volume on their MP3 players are risking their hearing.

Wow, "no shit, Sherlock"