NEW YEAR’S EVE 2006/7
PEACE NOT WAR & THE SYNERGY CENTRE host
A GATHERING FOR PROGRESSIVE PEOPLE
www.peace.fm
THE SYNERGY CENTRE: 220 Farmers Rd, London SE5
from Oval Tube: down Camberwell New Rd, turn left on Wyndham Rd.
www.thesynergycentre.org
December 28, 2006
December 20, 2006
Not Really a Suprise...
U.K. Court Rejects Islamic Cleric Abu Hamza Al-Masri's Appeal
By Megan Murphy
Nov. 28 (Bloomberg)
A U.K. appeals court refused to overturn Abu Hamza al-Masri's convictions for inciting murder and racial hatred, ruling that the Islamic cleric received a fair trial.
Al-Masri, 48, is serving a seven-year prison sentence for encouraging his followers to kill Jews and other non-Muslims in a series of sermons between 1997 and 2000. His lawyers claim the jury was swayed by the media's demonization of their client and by unrelated acts of terrorism, such as the 2005 bombings on London's public transport system.
The Court of Appeal today rejected those arguments, in a decision handed down by Lord Nicholas Phillips, the most senior judge in England and Wales.
``There is no reason to believe that the jury were not able to consider and resolve the relevant issues objectively and impartially,'' Phillips wrote in the judgment. The cleric's lawyer, Edward Fitzgerald QC, said he would seek permission to appeal to the House of Lords, Britain's highest court.
By Megan Murphy
Nov. 28 (Bloomberg)
A U.K. appeals court refused to overturn Abu Hamza al-Masri's convictions for inciting murder and racial hatred, ruling that the Islamic cleric received a fair trial.
Al-Masri, 48, is serving a seven-year prison sentence for encouraging his followers to kill Jews and other non-Muslims in a series of sermons between 1997 and 2000. His lawyers claim the jury was swayed by the media's demonization of their client and by unrelated acts of terrorism, such as the 2005 bombings on London's public transport system.
The Court of Appeal today rejected those arguments, in a decision handed down by Lord Nicholas Phillips, the most senior judge in England and Wales.
``There is no reason to believe that the jury were not able to consider and resolve the relevant issues objectively and impartially,'' Phillips wrote in the judgment. The cleric's lawyer, Edward Fitzgerald QC, said he would seek permission to appeal to the House of Lords, Britain's highest court.
December 07, 2006
MALUNG TV NEWS
I've had a lot of interesting comments on my youtube movies. I've only had to delete a couple of stupid ones, I'm not really fussed what people say and I answer as best I can. I've only had two films flagged so far. I was going to complain about one of them (Jihad) but I decided I don't give a fuck. This was the only time I saw Omar Bakri in action so I'm not really authoritative on the subject of Bakri.
Believe it when I see it...
via AHHHH HELLP!!!!!
Peter Horrocks, the "news" director of the BBC, has just proclaimed that
'The days of middle-of-the-road, balancing Left and Right, impartiality are dead. I believe we need to consider adopting what I like to think of as a much wider "radical impartiality" — the need to hear the widest range of views — all sides of the story.
also:
The wearing of the niqab has been hotly debated A veiled Muslim woman will deliver this year's alternative Christmas speech on Channel 4, the broadcaster has said. Khadija, a Zimbabwean-born British citizen who has been wearing the full veil - or niqab - for 10 years, has been given the slot. The message will reflect a year in which the wearing of religious clothing and symbols have "dominated the news agenda", said a Channel 4 spokesman.
Peter Horrocks, the "news" director of the BBC, has just proclaimed that
'The days of middle-of-the-road, balancing Left and Right, impartiality are dead. I believe we need to consider adopting what I like to think of as a much wider "radical impartiality" — the need to hear the widest range of views — all sides of the story.
also:
The wearing of the niqab has been hotly debated A veiled Muslim woman will deliver this year's alternative Christmas speech on Channel 4, the broadcaster has said. Khadija, a Zimbabwean-born British citizen who has been wearing the full veil - or niqab - for 10 years, has been given the slot. The message will reflect a year in which the wearing of religious clothing and symbols have "dominated the news agenda", said a Channel 4 spokesman.
THANK FUCK
A way out of the Iraq mess
=========================
As I write, the Iraq Study Group is unveiling its report and recommendations for a way out of the mess that's gripped Iraq since the United States, the UK and other international partners invaded and occupied the country.
Not every option has been tried but, critically, there are two broad fronts: it calls on the United States to launch an immediate diplomatic offensive across the region. Specifically, that should involve talking to Syria and Iran.
We await with interest how the President responds to that, as it would seem pretty hard for him to stomach.
Further, it makes the point that America's objectives in the Middle East and Gulf cannot be achieved without a comprehensive Arab-Israeli settlement. But does the USA, Israel's sponsor-in-chief, actually have the capacity to deliver on that?
Back in Iraq - as the civil wars (both civil and resistance to foreign occupation) continue, co-author James Baker and his team are clearly pointing to what the Americans would call a draw-down of forces to a largely training and containing role before they get up and leave for good: combat troops out by early 2008 is their proposal.
The stakes couldn't be higher. The situation in Iraq is "grave and deteriorating" says the Report, painting a picture of terrifying prospects should the slide continue: a collapse of Government in Iraq and a humanitarian catastrophe, intervention by neighbouring countries sparking a wider regional conflagration between Sunni and Shia Muslims, and a resurgent al-Qaeda.
Much for the newly-led Pentagon and incumbent-led White House to chew on - but are they solutions they can swallow and stomach?
We'll hear from Jon in Baghdad, and Lindsey Hilsum in Washington.
SNOWMAILS
=========================
As I write, the Iraq Study Group is unveiling its report and recommendations for a way out of the mess that's gripped Iraq since the United States, the UK and other international partners invaded and occupied the country.
Not every option has been tried but, critically, there are two broad fronts: it calls on the United States to launch an immediate diplomatic offensive across the region. Specifically, that should involve talking to Syria and Iran.
We await with interest how the President responds to that, as it would seem pretty hard for him to stomach.
Further, it makes the point that America's objectives in the Middle East and Gulf cannot be achieved without a comprehensive Arab-Israeli settlement. But does the USA, Israel's sponsor-in-chief, actually have the capacity to deliver on that?
Back in Iraq - as the civil wars (both civil and resistance to foreign occupation) continue, co-author James Baker and his team are clearly pointing to what the Americans would call a draw-down of forces to a largely training and containing role before they get up and leave for good: combat troops out by early 2008 is their proposal.
The stakes couldn't be higher. The situation in Iraq is "grave and deteriorating" says the Report, painting a picture of terrifying prospects should the slide continue: a collapse of Government in Iraq and a humanitarian catastrophe, intervention by neighbouring countries sparking a wider regional conflagration between Sunni and Shia Muslims, and a resurgent al-Qaeda.
Much for the newly-led Pentagon and incumbent-led White House to chew on - but are they solutions they can swallow and stomach?
We'll hear from Jon in Baghdad, and Lindsey Hilsum in Washington.
SNOWMAILS
December 05, 2006
AHHHH MUMMY!
Remember Stupid Questions? (see GOOD FUCKING QUESTION) Here is another amusing blog: God Help Britain. The owner seems to think we are facing Islamo-fascist takeover at any moment. I thought blogs like this were only in America.
December 04, 2006
November 30, 2006
Some people like to fuck...
Jaco is a pretty crazy place. It's over run by coke and prostitution. I didn't realise that prostitution is legal here until I booked my ticket. It's not something I particularly am interested in or condone. I think it's good that a woman who likes to fuk can make good money from it, and from what I've heard a number of these girls are just that... girls who really like to fuk, whoever, when ever. So for them i'm happy, but the fact that the tourists come (sorry for the pun) in their hoards, and take advantage of these girls whose best chance in life is to suck their horrible cocks..... I think is pretty disgusting.
Steve is our ex-Bass player in "The Impossible" which has been an uphill struggle, but is getting somewhere now. He's deserted us to surf in a crazy place over run by coke and prostitution. I'm half tempted to head over with the guitars...
Steve is our ex-Bass player in "The Impossible" which has been an uphill struggle, but is getting somewhere now. He's deserted us to surf in a crazy place over run by coke and prostitution. I'm half tempted to head over with the guitars...
Watch the report
Teams of specialist prison officers tried to restore order after a night of disturbances.
Fires were lit in Harmondsworth Immigration Detention Centre in west London, the Home Office called the incidents a "deliberate attempt at sabotage" by the detainees.
It comes hours after a damning report raised concerns about the use of force at the centre
Teams of specialist prison officers tried to restore order after a night of disturbances.
Fires were lit in Harmondsworth Immigration Detention Centre in west London, the Home Office called the incidents a "deliberate attempt at sabotage" by the detainees.
It comes hours after a damning report raised concerns about the use of force at the centre
November 27, 2006
Poppy legalization banned in Afghanistan
The committee of counter narcotics which was made by a group of parliament member rejected a part of the law on drugs that was legalizing poppy cultivation for research and medicines purposes.
Both officials of the narcotics ministry and committee rejected the legalization of growing poppy cultivation for healthy purposes in a meeting on Sunday. Mullah Taj Mohammad Mujahid, head of the parliamentary committee on narcotics, said to media, allowing growing of poppies for whatever purposes was against the country's constitution.
A few weeks ago, the Senlis Council also stopped to run there policy on narcotics. The Senlis council was working for licensing opium in Afghanistan but interior minister asked them to stop and close their office.
Abdul Khalil Shirzai, head of the law enforcement section of the ministry of counter narcotics, told, they were supporting decision of the lower house committee.
Both officials of the narcotics ministry and committee rejected the legalization of growing poppy cultivation for healthy purposes in a meeting on Sunday. Mullah Taj Mohammad Mujahid, head of the parliamentary committee on narcotics, said to media, allowing growing of poppies for whatever purposes was against the country's constitution.
A few weeks ago, the Senlis Council also stopped to run there policy on narcotics. The Senlis council was working for licensing opium in Afghanistan but interior minister asked them to stop and close their office.
Abdul Khalil Shirzai, head of the law enforcement section of the ministry of counter narcotics, told, they were supporting decision of the lower house committee.
November 26, 2006
You like! I like!
Just saw the Borat movie and am glad I saw it in the cinema. Fucking hilarious, everyone was pissing themselves. I always thought Borat was an even better character than Barren-Cohen's other alter ego Ali-G. I think the film is actually in a great tradition of Jewish comedy. His sidekick, the producer is fantastic as are all the great Americans he meets along the way. I wont spoil it for you, just to say that in the "insanest scenes" he's captured some amazing physical theatre, naked and clothed.
FISHBONE LIVE
My girlfriend brought out an old Fishbone CD called Give a Monkey a Brain... a little while back and was jealous that I had seen them on the tour of this album maybe fourteen years ago. I had a mini premonition that they would be playing live soon and sure enough, I spied an ad in Timeout, so we got some tickets and headed to the Islington Academy for the last date of their European tour.
We missed the support act and arrived as they took the stage. Fourteen years ago I saw them in the Kentishtown Forum which held maybe three thousand people. Here in front of 800 they were still fantastic and looked pretty much the same. Musically they have branched out into a bit of ragga and the singer now uses a theromin. Between songs they relaxed and wandered over to talk to each other, when they got going they were tight as fuck, having played almost every night for the last month from Spain to Bratislava. They played a few old classics and a lot of new stuff which was fantastic.
If ever you see Fishbone are playing near you, go see 'em you wont be dissapointed. I think the video below is from the late 80s. They played with the same warm heartedness and energy the other day.
We missed the support act and arrived as they took the stage. Fourteen years ago I saw them in the Kentishtown Forum which held maybe three thousand people. Here in front of 800 they were still fantastic and looked pretty much the same. Musically they have branched out into a bit of ragga and the singer now uses a theromin. Between songs they relaxed and wandered over to talk to each other, when they got going they were tight as fuck, having played almost every night for the last month from Spain to Bratislava. They played a few old classics and a lot of new stuff which was fantastic.
If ever you see Fishbone are playing near you, go see 'em you wont be dissapointed. I think the video below is from the late 80s. They played with the same warm heartedness and energy the other day.
November 25, 2006
Sharriah Law
Things feel really good. I thought that the producers of I Was There weren't getting back to me but I am still hopeful. I'd like to get a version of all this over that an ITV audience would understand. I've had some great contact with angry young Canadian weed smoking Muslims. Their initial anger about my Hashashin video mellows into a good conversation about young Islamists in Canada. I was able to apologise:
fair enough, sorry mate. I wasn't taking the piss out of arabs in general. You are the second angry young Muslim from Canada who has complained about this one. Are there many young Muslims in your part of Canada? I heard some places have shariah law.
Well yeah there is a lot of muslims in Toronto and to answer your second question its both yes and no, there are obvious laws in the muslim community but not outside of the community, we share the same community with people of other races and religions. well I'm glad we got this out of our systems and btw next time if your gonna joke about something like this try to write it on the description that this is a joke.
fair enough, sorry mate. I wasn't taking the piss out of arabs in general. You are the second angry young Muslim from Canada who has complained about this one. Are there many young Muslims in your part of Canada? I heard some places have shariah law.
Well yeah there is a lot of muslims in Toronto and to answer your second question its both yes and no, there are obvious laws in the muslim community but not outside of the community, we share the same community with people of other races and religions. well I'm glad we got this out of our systems and btw next time if your gonna joke about something like this try to write it on the description that this is a joke.
November 24, 2006
APARTHEID WALL REACHES WALES
On Thursday November 30 the Apartheid Wall currently fencing in the West Bank in the Middle East will be visible in Swansea. The Dylan Thomas Centre in Somerset Place will also be heavily guarded by Israeli soldiers and a checkpoint.
Film makers are turning to street theatre to promote 'Beyond the Middle East' an evening of films showing life for normal Palestinians under Israeli occupation. Israel is currently building an illegal wall across farms, gardens through Palestinian homes cutting off familes and friends.The wall has been slammed by the U.N as illegal witha strong request that the construction is reversed.
The evening is part of Swansea's annual festival of alternative film and video, Beyond TV. The festival is organised by the award winning charity Undercurrents and support by the Arts Council of Wales.
The films will include the recently released THE IRON WALL by Director Mohammed Alatar exploring how the Wall was first mentioned in 1923 and has shaped the focus for hardline Israelis ever since. Other films include films produced by the Balata Refugee Camp Media Collective and Sadaa, a Palestinian / Israeli video collective based in Jeruselem.
Isobel Griffin, a spokeswoman for 'Beyond the Middle East' said today
' Hopefully on the night the people of Swansea will get a sense of the oppression which Palestine people are facing every day. Having Israeli soldiers checking film goers bags, demanding identity cards and keeping people waiting in line lit by search lights. The films will shock many but will give an insight into the conflict which we don't see in the media'
Tickets for 'Beyond the Middle East' are available from 01792 463980
Notes to editors
For interviews please call 01792 455900.
www.undercurrents.org/beyondtv
Film makers are turning to street theatre to promote 'Beyond the Middle East' an evening of films showing life for normal Palestinians under Israeli occupation. Israel is currently building an illegal wall across farms, gardens through Palestinian homes cutting off familes and friends.The wall has been slammed by the U.N as illegal witha strong request that the construction is reversed.
The evening is part of Swansea's annual festival of alternative film and video, Beyond TV. The festival is organised by the award winning charity Undercurrents and support by the Arts Council of Wales.
The films will include the recently released THE IRON WALL by Director Mohammed Alatar exploring how the Wall was first mentioned in 1923 and has shaped the focus for hardline Israelis ever since. Other films include films produced by the Balata Refugee Camp Media Collective and Sadaa, a Palestinian / Israeli video collective based in Jeruselem.
Isobel Griffin, a spokeswoman for 'Beyond the Middle East' said today
' Hopefully on the night the people of Swansea will get a sense of the oppression which Palestine people are facing every day. Having Israeli soldiers checking film goers bags, demanding identity cards and keeping people waiting in line lit by search lights. The films will shock many but will give an insight into the conflict which we don't see in the media'
Tickets for 'Beyond the Middle East' are available from 01792 463980
Notes to editors
For interviews please call 01792 455900.
www.undercurrents.org/beyondtv
November 23, 2006
November 22, 2006
November 21, 2006
November 19, 2006
TERR-R RAP
via Realgem:
HIP-HOP and rap artists are teaching young Muslims the ideology of radical Islamism through songs about the war in Iraq, the oppression of Muslims and the creation of an Islamic state governed by Sharia, or religious law.
Intelligence agencies have identified music as a “tool for indoctrination”. The phenomenon began with an American group called Soldiers of Allah. The group has since disbanded but its music and lyrics remain popular on the internet. Other groups in Britain, France and the US have been identified as giving cause for concern. Many use the derogatory term “kufur” to describe non-Muslims.
Blakstone Website
HIP-HOP and rap artists are teaching young Muslims the ideology of radical Islamism through songs about the war in Iraq, the oppression of Muslims and the creation of an Islamic state governed by Sharia, or religious law.
Intelligence agencies have identified music as a “tool for indoctrination”. The phenomenon began with an American group called Soldiers of Allah. The group has since disbanded but its music and lyrics remain popular on the internet. Other groups in Britain, France and the US have been identified as giving cause for concern. Many use the derogatory term “kufur” to describe non-Muslims.
Blakstone Website
November 14, 2006
More Chosen Man
The "Ghettos of hate" need to be torn apart,Muslim and other ethnic minority communities need to be broken up and dispersed throughout the UK and encouraged to integrate into mainstream British society,multiculturalsm has been proved not to work,all it does is discourage integration and alienate both communities to each other!-You only have to go to Wembley,where the British residents are now a minority and Asians are now a majority to see the mistrust,frustration and hate!The government needs to act now before it's too late and more home grown suicide bombers are created through lack of understanding and frustration!
also
I'm suggesting a more responsible and thought out policy when the councils decide to house large groups of immigrants and not swamping areas of the country with the same ethnic groups but spreading them around the country to try and discourage seperatism and encourage integration and a feeling of belonging to Britain.For the areas that are already heavily populated with large groups of ethnic minorities I'm not really sure what can be done.I am not a Neo-Nazi,I support SOME,of the policies of the BNP,not all,I'm against Britain's involvement in both Iraq and Afganistan,as you've probably guesed from my previous articles,(as do the BNP),I'm against the dictatorship of the European Union and its attempts to take over control of all our lives and strip away our right of self rule(As are the BNP)And I'm in favour of proper,fair immigration and border control,which the BNP have been a lone voice for years and have taken a huge amounts of flack for in the press.Also they want to increase spending on defense which I'm also in favour of!-No other mainstream party seems interested on these points which is why they got my attention.However,I DO NOT support some of their more right wing views which are a bit too far to the right of "Ghengis Khan" even for me!
also
I'm suggesting a more responsible and thought out policy when the councils decide to house large groups of immigrants and not swamping areas of the country with the same ethnic groups but spreading them around the country to try and discourage seperatism and encourage integration and a feeling of belonging to Britain.For the areas that are already heavily populated with large groups of ethnic minorities I'm not really sure what can be done.I am not a Neo-Nazi,I support SOME,of the policies of the BNP,not all,I'm against Britain's involvement in both Iraq and Afganistan,as you've probably guesed from my previous articles,(as do the BNP),I'm against the dictatorship of the European Union and its attempts to take over control of all our lives and strip away our right of self rule(As are the BNP)And I'm in favour of proper,fair immigration and border control,which the BNP have been a lone voice for years and have taken a huge amounts of flack for in the press.Also they want to increase spending on defense which I'm also in favour of!-No other mainstream party seems interested on these points which is why they got my attention.However,I DO NOT support some of their more right wing views which are a bit too far to the right of "Ghengis Khan" even for me!
November 11, 2006
Fun-Da-Mental-Ism
I interviewed Fun-Da-mental for my film Day-X which I keep meaning to put on Youtube. I was well suprised by their new video which they actually managed to get banned!
In this day and age.
I wanted to embed it but its been disabled so here it is
One rule for one
Its a crazy world innit? Nick Griffin's previous trial coincided with Hamza's, this one coincides with:
The verdict clearing Nick Griffin on race hate charges stands in stark contrast to the case of a young Muslim man convicted the previous day on very similar charges. In both trials, the defendants were accused of using words or behaviour intended to stir up racial hatred.
The case of Griffin and of his British National Party colleague Mark Collett centred on speeches made to their supporters in a pub in Keighley, West Yorkshire.
In the speeches, they launched into tirades against Muslims and made slurs against the murdered black student Stephen Lawrence.
Griffin told the throng that Islam was a "wicked, vicious faith" and said that Muslims were turning Britain into a "multi-racial hell hole", while Collett called asylum seekers "cockroaches" and told the gathering, "Let's show these ethnics the door in 2004."
Both were cleared of using words or behaviour intended to stir up racial hatred.
The case of 23-year-old Mizanur Rahman had a quite different outcome.
At a rally outside the Danish embassy in London in February, Rahman had said soldiers should be brought back from Iraq in body bags and called for September 11-style terrorist attacks against Europe.
He carried placards with the slogans "annihilate those who insult Islam" and "behead those who insult Islam".
He was found guilty at the Old Bailey of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to stir racial hatred. During the trial, Rahman apologised, saying: "I didn't think about what I was saying." His lawyer compared his remarks to those made from soapboxes at Speaker's Corner.
By contrast, neither Griffin or Collett showed remorse for their words after their trial concluded. Griffin said he was simply "speaking the truth".
Lawyers for the two men successfully argued in court that since their comments were predominantly against Muslims, who were not a racial group, they could not be considered as inciting racial hatred. By contrast, Rahman was apparently found guilty on precisely the opposite conclusion: that the people "who insult Islam", presumably non-Muslims, could be considered a racial group.
I'm not sure anyone should be prosecuted for saying anything. Better out than in no?
The verdict clearing Nick Griffin on race hate charges stands in stark contrast to the case of a young Muslim man convicted the previous day on very similar charges. In both trials, the defendants were accused of using words or behaviour intended to stir up racial hatred.
The case of Griffin and of his British National Party colleague Mark Collett centred on speeches made to their supporters in a pub in Keighley, West Yorkshire.
In the speeches, they launched into tirades against Muslims and made slurs against the murdered black student Stephen Lawrence.
Griffin told the throng that Islam was a "wicked, vicious faith" and said that Muslims were turning Britain into a "multi-racial hell hole", while Collett called asylum seekers "cockroaches" and told the gathering, "Let's show these ethnics the door in 2004."
Both were cleared of using words or behaviour intended to stir up racial hatred.
The case of 23-year-old Mizanur Rahman had a quite different outcome.
At a rally outside the Danish embassy in London in February, Rahman had said soldiers should be brought back from Iraq in body bags and called for September 11-style terrorist attacks against Europe.
He carried placards with the slogans "annihilate those who insult Islam" and "behead those who insult Islam".
He was found guilty at the Old Bailey of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to stir racial hatred. During the trial, Rahman apologised, saying: "I didn't think about what I was saying." His lawyer compared his remarks to those made from soapboxes at Speaker's Corner.
By contrast, neither Griffin or Collett showed remorse for their words after their trial concluded. Griffin said he was simply "speaking the truth".
Lawyers for the two men successfully argued in court that since their comments were predominantly against Muslims, who were not a racial group, they could not be considered as inciting racial hatred. By contrast, Rahman was apparently found guilty on precisely the opposite conclusion: that the people "who insult Islam", presumably non-Muslims, could be considered a racial group.
I'm not sure anyone should be prosecuted for saying anything. Better out than in no?
Love Music Hate Islamophobia
After my time in Finsbury park I wasn't sure how paranoid an Islamic event like this would be about cameras so I met Ishmael from Mecca2Medina thru Mohammed from Blind Alphabetz to OK filming at the Love Music Hate Islamophobia event. He was flyering in Oxford circus and I was able to explain a bit of what I was about. I needn't have worried as there were a couple of people filming and it was just a normal university style debate with a mellow alchohol free gig in the bar. I've been quite bitterly against going to these "preach to the converted" style things for a long time, choosing instead to spend my time arguing with Republicans but I must admit I've enjoyed this one and I was suprised to find my usual cynical self encouraged by the comradeship of it all.
The people from I Was There have been calling most days wanting a Hamza story "brought up to date" so with this in mind I wrote down a question for Yvonne Ridley. Looking at it now, it was a bit confrontational but she answered it very well. I'm going to make sure I've got it on tape before I expound further. Rakim from Mecca2Medina was a very inspirational speaker too. A lot of questions didn't really get answered because they did the usual thing of taking questions 3 or 4 at a time and then going to the panel which naturally allows them to pick and choose from memory. This sort of thing gets quite heated when people are angry and want their questions answered sometimes but thankfully not this time.
The gig was OK, it got better as it went on but I had to go cos my girlfriend was stuck at Seven Sisters with no dosh so I missed Mecca to Medina. Overall I thought that although a small scene, there were plenty of characters who would go well on film. Popping out for a quick cigarette I met two enthusiastic young North Africans who were dead against it all.
"We wouldn't have come if we thought it was like this." they said.
They thought that in Islam if you were going to do "music" the words should be clearer and Men and Women should be segregated. They went down stairs for more though.
If I was Islamic I would have critisized them saying "But you are smoking!" but as I'm not, I don't care. I told them they were very opinionated, that it was good to set up contrasting sides in a film without antagonism and took their email addresses for future reference.
The wierdest thing that happened, I met the kiwi guy who used to frequent Finsbury park on occasion. It was such a long time ago that I can't remember if he made it into any of my edits but we recognised each other straight away. I'm not sure of the details but he told me he was arrested handing out flyers outside a London train station predicting bombings just weeks before 7/7. He wanted to check my stuff out before going on camera about all this but obviously I want to dig a bit deeper. He ended up with a 18 month suspended sentence.
A friend of mine said "If this was christians rapping you'd be dissing it wouldn't you?"
I can see his point in a way, but if Christians were in the situation Islamists find themselves here I'd like to think I'd be standing with them like this and I thought the vibe they put across was just perfect. I thinkIslamic rap could be a very important "cross cultural" thing just now.
More power to all of them.
One of the best things Yvonne Ridley said was how the Islamists are in the situation the Jews were in during the rise of fascism in Nazi Germany. How did that start? With demonizing cartoons. She's right, isn't she?
The people from I Was There have been calling most days wanting a Hamza story "brought up to date" so with this in mind I wrote down a question for Yvonne Ridley. Looking at it now, it was a bit confrontational but she answered it very well. I'm going to make sure I've got it on tape before I expound further. Rakim from Mecca2Medina was a very inspirational speaker too. A lot of questions didn't really get answered because they did the usual thing of taking questions 3 or 4 at a time and then going to the panel which naturally allows them to pick and choose from memory. This sort of thing gets quite heated when people are angry and want their questions answered sometimes but thankfully not this time.
The gig was OK, it got better as it went on but I had to go cos my girlfriend was stuck at Seven Sisters with no dosh so I missed Mecca to Medina. Overall I thought that although a small scene, there were plenty of characters who would go well on film. Popping out for a quick cigarette I met two enthusiastic young North Africans who were dead against it all.
"We wouldn't have come if we thought it was like this." they said.
They thought that in Islam if you were going to do "music" the words should be clearer and Men and Women should be segregated. They went down stairs for more though.
If I was Islamic I would have critisized them saying "But you are smoking!" but as I'm not, I don't care. I told them they were very opinionated, that it was good to set up contrasting sides in a film without antagonism and took their email addresses for future reference.
The wierdest thing that happened, I met the kiwi guy who used to frequent Finsbury park on occasion. It was such a long time ago that I can't remember if he made it into any of my edits but we recognised each other straight away. I'm not sure of the details but he told me he was arrested handing out flyers outside a London train station predicting bombings just weeks before 7/7. He wanted to check my stuff out before going on camera about all this but obviously I want to dig a bit deeper. He ended up with a 18 month suspended sentence.
A friend of mine said "If this was christians rapping you'd be dissing it wouldn't you?"
I can see his point in a way, but if Christians were in the situation Islamists find themselves here I'd like to think I'd be standing with them like this and I thought the vibe they put across was just perfect. I thinkIslamic rap could be a very important "cross cultural" thing just now.
More power to all of them.
One of the best things Yvonne Ridley said was how the Islamists are in the situation the Jews were in during the rise of fascism in Nazi Germany. How did that start? With demonizing cartoons. She's right, isn't she?
November 09, 2006
ISLAMIC BARNY
I've had a look at MPACUK on a number of occasions. I didn't realise they were behind this TV program. I'm very impressed.
November 08, 2006
AND HES OFF!!
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, unable to fulfill U.S. goals in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan during his tenure, will resign from President George W. Bush's Cabinet, a senior administration official said.
The official said former Central Intelligence Agency Director Robert M. Gates will replace Rumsfeld at the Pentagon. Gates was head of the U.S. spy agency under Bush's father, former President George H.W. Bush.
Rumsfeld, 74, oversaw the global fight against terrorism that followed the Sept. 11 attacks. A casualty of the American public's growing conviction that U.S. policy in Iraq is a dismal failure, Rumsfeld's stewardship of the war is likely to be his foremost legacy.
The official said former Central Intelligence Agency Director Robert M. Gates will replace Rumsfeld at the Pentagon. Gates was head of the U.S. spy agency under Bush's father, former President George H.W. Bush.
Rumsfeld, 74, oversaw the global fight against terrorism that followed the Sept. 11 attacks. A casualty of the American public's growing conviction that U.S. policy in Iraq is a dismal failure, Rumsfeld's stewardship of the war is likely to be his foremost legacy.
Dispatches: Tuesday 07 November 2006
The torture and slaughter of Iraqi civilians is reaching unprecedented heights with estimates of up to 655,000 dead.
Night after night death squads rampage through Iraq's main cities. In Baghdad, up to a hundred bodies a day are dumped on the streets. Often they've been tortured with electric drills. Yet those doing the killing have little to do with al Qaeda or Sunni insurgents. The majority of the killings are carried out by Shia death squads who want to turn Iraq into a Shia state aligned to Iran.
This shocking film investigates the links between the death squads and high-ranking Shia politicians. It reveals how the Shia militia that these politicians control have systematically infiltrated and taken over police units and even entire government ministeries. It investigates how these units are closely linked to the death squads, indeed they often are the death squads. And the killers act with impunity -- there's little investigation into their activities.
Night after night death squads rampage through Iraq's main cities. In Baghdad, up to a hundred bodies a day are dumped on the streets. Often they've been tortured with electric drills. Yet those doing the killing have little to do with al Qaeda or Sunni insurgents. The majority of the killings are carried out by Shia death squads who want to turn Iraq into a Shia state aligned to Iran.
This shocking film investigates the links between the death squads and high-ranking Shia politicians. It reveals how the Shia militia that these politicians control have systematically infiltrated and taken over police units and even entire government ministeries. It investigates how these units are closely linked to the death squads, indeed they often are the death squads. And the killers act with impunity -- there's little investigation into their activities.
Mixed Messages
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip: Signaling a change in tactics, Hamas' military wing on Wednesday called on Muslims around the world to attack American targets after a deadly Israeli tank strike in the Gaza Strip.
"America is offering political, financial and logistic cover for the Zionist occupation crimes, and it is responsible for the Beit Hanoun massacre. Therefore, the people and the nation all over the globe are required to teach the American enemy tough lessons," Hamas said in a statement sent to The Associated Press.
While critical of the U.S., Hamas has always focused its violent campaign of suicide bombings and rocket attacks against Israeli targets. Wednesday's threat signaled that the group is identifying with global Islamic extremist movements, such as al-Qaida.
Ghazi Hamad, spokesman for the Hamas-led Palestinian government, said the group had no intention of attacking American targets.
"Our battle is against the occupation on the Palestinian land. We have no interest to transfer the battle," he said, though he said America was indirectly responsible for Wednesday's bloodshed because of its support for Israel.
"America is offering political, financial and logistic cover for the Zionist occupation crimes, and it is responsible for the Beit Hanoun massacre. Therefore, the people and the nation all over the globe are required to teach the American enemy tough lessons," Hamas said in a statement sent to The Associated Press.
While critical of the U.S., Hamas has always focused its violent campaign of suicide bombings and rocket attacks against Israeli targets. Wednesday's threat signaled that the group is identifying with global Islamic extremist movements, such as al-Qaida.
Ghazi Hamad, spokesman for the Hamas-led Palestinian government, said the group had no intention of attacking American targets.
"Our battle is against the occupation on the Palestinian land. We have no interest to transfer the battle," he said, though he said America was indirectly responsible for Wednesday's bloodshed because of its support for Israel.
November 07, 2006
I was there. I was.
OK, so I'm going to the Love Music Hate Islamophobia gig at Westminster college Student Union to film Islamic rappers. Should be interesting.
I have been contacted a few times by the producers of I Was There (Endemol) who are keen to include some of my footage in their end of year summary.
did you catch a special event of 2006 on your mobile phone, camera or camcorder? Were you in the right place at the right time, to capture the news as it happened?
If so – here’s your chance to see it on ITV1 later in the year.
I'm not sure how they want to present this, but I told them I didn't think Mr. Hamza was much use in jail.
I have been contacted a few times by the producers of I Was There (Endemol) who are keen to include some of my footage in their end of year summary.
did you catch a special event of 2006 on your mobile phone, camera or camcorder? Were you in the right place at the right time, to capture the news as it happened?
If so – here’s your chance to see it on ITV1 later in the year.
I'm not sure how they want to present this, but I told them I didn't think Mr. Hamza was much use in jail.
Reasons to vote #4 & #5 from Michael Moore...
4. I'LL PUT YOU ON MY WEBSITE. That's right. You can appear on my home page and be seen by millions later today. All you need to do is bring a broom when you go to vote. The broom is our mascot today because we're going to sweep the crooks and the warmongers outta office. Take a picture of yourself holding a broom outside your polling place, e-mail it to me, and I'll put as many of you as I can up on the home page of my website. People all around the world will see you! Government files with your name on them will be initiated! What better way to celebrate this historic day?!
And the final reason to vote today...
5. 2,836 + 655,000. Each one of them, American and Iraqi, are no longer with us because of the decision by one man to start a war. Each one of them represented a precious, God-given life that no man had the right to take away. Each one of them had a mother and father, sisters, brothers, husbands, wives, friends and loved ones, little boys and little girls. It's mad, my friends, utterly mad, this senseless loss of human life.
So, do it for them. Call up whoever you know and tell them to meet you at the polls. And tell them to bring a broom, real or imaginary, with a big D on it. It's the only true American thing to do.
See ya at the victory party tonight!
Michael Moore
mmflint@aol.com
www.michaelmoore.com
Military Times editorial: ‘Rumsfeld must go’
Published in the Nov. 13 issue of Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times, on newsstands Monday, the editorial says it is time for the president “to face the hard bruising truth.”
“His strategy has failed, and his ability to lead is compromised. And although the blame for our failures in Iraq rests with the secretary, it will be the troops who bear its brunt,” the newspapers say.
Last week, someone leaked to The New York Times a Central Command briefing slide showing an assessment that the civil conflict in Iraq now borders on “critical” and has been sliding toward “chaos” for most of the past year. The strategy in Iraq has been to train an Iraqi army and police force that could gradually take over for U.S. troops in providing for the security of their new government and their nation.
But despite the best efforts of American trainers, the problem of molding a viciously sectarian population into anything resembling a force for national unity has become a losing proposition.
For two years, American sergeants, captains and majors training the Iraqis have told their bosses that Iraqi troops have no sense of national identity, are only in it for the money, don’t show up for duty and cannot sustain themselves.
Meanwhile, colonels and generals have asked their bosses for more troops. Service chiefs have asked for more money.
and from the forum:
As a Norwegian former professional soldier who served in the Kosova, may I say how good it is to see the US military institution finally exercising their professional sense? My Iraqi friends are totally speechless over the handling your staff has conducted down there. Donald Rumsfeld should have been fired after Fallujah by direct military demand, if not before, wich was where you decisevily lost the initative in the Iraq war and pissed of all the major clans. That was, I believe, a direct order from Rumsfeld and Cheney, to employ the iron hammer.
As a bachelor in history and a military man, let me presume to make one comment/suggestion that those who read it may spread around:1) Solve the Israeli/Palestinian conflict by slapping Israel a bit around the ears. The killing of unarmed women is despicable, and offends all muslims. 2) Bolster the UN, and give them operational brigade-level multinational force-capability with a European doctrine. Relinquish this US doctrine of nationalism and employ foreign soldiers into roman legions under UN command. And yes, this means that US war-criminals will be equal to all the rest. The war against islam is not a winnable war, but a surefire way to bring on the dogs of war on all of us.
“His strategy has failed, and his ability to lead is compromised. And although the blame for our failures in Iraq rests with the secretary, it will be the troops who bear its brunt,” the newspapers say.
Last week, someone leaked to The New York Times a Central Command briefing slide showing an assessment that the civil conflict in Iraq now borders on “critical” and has been sliding toward “chaos” for most of the past year. The strategy in Iraq has been to train an Iraqi army and police force that could gradually take over for U.S. troops in providing for the security of their new government and their nation.
But despite the best efforts of American trainers, the problem of molding a viciously sectarian population into anything resembling a force for national unity has become a losing proposition.
For two years, American sergeants, captains and majors training the Iraqis have told their bosses that Iraqi troops have no sense of national identity, are only in it for the money, don’t show up for duty and cannot sustain themselves.
Meanwhile, colonels and generals have asked their bosses for more troops. Service chiefs have asked for more money.
and from the forum:
As a Norwegian former professional soldier who served in the Kosova, may I say how good it is to see the US military institution finally exercising their professional sense? My Iraqi friends are totally speechless over the handling your staff has conducted down there. Donald Rumsfeld should have been fired after Fallujah by direct military demand, if not before, wich was where you decisevily lost the initative in the Iraq war and pissed of all the major clans. That was, I believe, a direct order from Rumsfeld and Cheney, to employ the iron hammer.
As a bachelor in history and a military man, let me presume to make one comment/suggestion that those who read it may spread around:1) Solve the Israeli/Palestinian conflict by slapping Israel a bit around the ears. The killing of unarmed women is despicable, and offends all muslims. 2) Bolster the UN, and give them operational brigade-level multinational force-capability with a European doctrine. Relinquish this US doctrine of nationalism and employ foreign soldiers into roman legions under UN command. And yes, this means that US war-criminals will be equal to all the rest. The war against islam is not a winnable war, but a surefire way to bring on the dogs of war on all of us.
If his comeback is confirmed, Ortega would join a growing number of left-leaning Latin American rulers.
"This is good for the people of Nicaragua and for the integration of Latin America," Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque told The Associated Press on Monday.
Ortega's supporters celebrated in the streets, with caravans of hundreds of cars filing into the capital, honking, waving party flags and blasting the Sandinista campaign song, set to the tune of John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance."
Many Nicaraguans worry Ortega's return to power will drive away the country's business leaders and elite, as did his first time in power in 1985.
"We're just trying to figure out which country to go to," said Karen Sandoval, a 27-year-old Coca-Cola marketer shopping with a friend at an upscale Managua mall. "This sets the country back 20 years."
But Herberto Jose Lopez, who earns about $235 a month selling CDs from a kiosk, said he voted for Ortega in hopes that he would help Nicaragua's poor.
"I've got a wife and kid and I'm lucky because I have a job, but most people will tell you the same thing: The current administration just governs for the guys in ties," said the 32-year-old Lopez.
"This is good for the people of Nicaragua and for the integration of Latin America," Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque told The Associated Press on Monday.
Ortega's supporters celebrated in the streets, with caravans of hundreds of cars filing into the capital, honking, waving party flags and blasting the Sandinista campaign song, set to the tune of John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance."
Many Nicaraguans worry Ortega's return to power will drive away the country's business leaders and elite, as did his first time in power in 1985.
"We're just trying to figure out which country to go to," said Karen Sandoval, a 27-year-old Coca-Cola marketer shopping with a friend at an upscale Managua mall. "This sets the country back 20 years."
But Herberto Jose Lopez, who earns about $235 a month selling CDs from a kiosk, said he voted for Ortega in hopes that he would help Nicaragua's poor.
"I've got a wife and kid and I'm lucky because I have a job, but most people will tell you the same thing: The current administration just governs for the guys in ties," said the 32-year-old Lopez.
November 06, 2006
Blind Alphabetz
Researching Islamic rap I met Mohammed Yahya from Blind Alphabetz over the weekend who was selling his CDs in Carnaby Street. We spoke over coffee in nearby Golden square where he told me he had reverted to Islam after a trip to Gambia where 95% of people are Muslims.
Having passed through religions as diverse as Christianity and Buddhism he was in a phase of Rastafarianism and had dreadlocks. He was impressed with the feeling of brotherhood amongst Muslims there and the way Islam covered all aspects of life, nature and the community. He cut off his dreads and took "Shahada" (became a Muslim) a week after his return and has been a Muslim for almost two years now.
In the wake of the 7/7 bombings he said he was stopped maybe 15 times by Police in the West End and at Train Stations, but didn't seem overly concerned about it.
"They just wanted to look in my bag. They didn't arrest me. I took to carrying Dawa information, leaflets about Islam to give them. I also carried information about Buddhism and Christianity as well sometimes." he laughed. "They said,"So what are you then?"
Outside London is a bit of a diferent story but here race relations are OK. People can see what the government are doing is wrong. We are part of a festival: Love music hate Islamophobia. Islamophobia is just the new racism. Some people, even rap fans will refuse to buy my CDs because I am a Muslim. Two weeks ago my wife (also a rapper, part of Poetic Pilgrimage) and I were egged. The egg bounced off me, off my wife's leg and only broke when it hit the pavement."
Apparently this was a "Drive by" egging.
Mohammed asked me about Abu Hamza, saying that he had met Mustapha (Hamza's rapping son) and spoken to Muslims who had a lighter view of him. I told him where Hamza's khudbahs were available online. Can I get done for recruitment now? I spoke of the dificulty of filming in Finsbury park and of maintaining a relationship with the Islamists there. I also said frankly that coming from a background I'd call "festival anarchism" I couldn't really connect to the atmosphere of deference around Hamza by Muslims and as a media spectacle.
"They are against music there?" asked Mohammed.
"As far as I know, yes." I said "One of the people I got on with the best put up a curtain when his wife came home and she went to another room. In his life pre-Islam he had been organising nightclubs and she had been a rapper."
"When you spoke on the phone about "Jihadi rap", that isn't how I would describe myself. I am into peace, Islam is a religion of peace. We are a positive influence on our community."
here is a link to a fatwah, or Islamic ruling about Music from Blind Alphabetz MySpace page.
November 05, 2006
THE HYPE...
Aki Nawaz from Fun-Da-Mental answers his critics thus:...It is an absolute fact that the division created between Muslims and non-Muslims stems from the lack of deep and meaningful debate. We have been here many times before and I have participated in many struggles outside the Muslim arena to know this becomes a root cause of frustration and action...I am not interested in competitive politics or in books such as the art of war. It is all manipulation and egoism. My concern is to create a chamber where people discuss issues with passion and then resolve. If this helps avoid another atrocity be it by the State or by any individual person then we all gain and enlighten ourselves. Maybe a great and gross naivety on my side but that is my root struggle however I know the branches and leaves are a washed with difficult arguments but something that is achievable.
The following quotes are fact and not fiction
"That sort of thing repeated on a daily basis made me understand how people can become suicide bombers. I think if I had to live in that situation - and I say that advisedly - I might just consider becoming one myself."
Liberal Democrat MP Jenny Tonge referring to life in the Israeli occupied territories.
Suicide bombers "felt they had no hope but to blow themselves up".
Cherie Blair 18 June, 2002.
I have not even said anything of the sort other than creatively and musically talk about bombers as a collective yet there is Politicians asking for me to be arrested.
Bobby Gillespie from Primal Scream recently penciled out poverty and replaced it with Israel in the slogan makepovertyhistory .Yet he is still entertained and respected by the music industry with no loss or resignation notices. If I had done the same can you imagine the fury?
I, for the moment, refuse to talk to the media because it is presenting me with its own sinister agenda and quoting me out of context as well as presenting the album as a few tracks to meet their sensational headlines.
I urge all people to watch V for Vendetta and then ask the press why they did not come down on this film in the same manner or ask for the director or scriptwriters to be arrested as would be the case with many other films, books, documentaries etc. written about the issues I have addressed in my music.Do not believe the hype...
November 03, 2006
HEADFUK
SYNTHETIC CIRCUS
The Guy Fawkes Ball
This Saturday 4 November
The annual and legendary fancy dress rave-up is back with a bang...
Expect live bands, loud sounds, djs, special livesets, circus performers and stageshow
A map to the venue will be going online on Saturday evening - the web address will be announced on the phonelines!
The Guy Fawkes Ball
This Saturday 4 November
The annual and legendary fancy dress rave-up is back with a bang...
Expect live bands, loud sounds, djs, special livesets, circus performers and stageshow
A map to the venue will be going online on Saturday evening - the web address will be announced on the phonelines!
November 02, 2006
SQUIRTWOMAN?
All people of religious persuasions are totally excused from clicking on this link. No seriously. You won't like it.
Squirtwoman?
translation via babelfish:
I must confess to them that possibly this one is the first time that can enjoy a film to me Squirting, which never attracted to me until now. Cytherea was too anglian for my pleasure. Jincha, very skinny and lacks a good apparatus of cagar like which it likes to Tococo. Nevertheless, Jada is a pretty woman, has one of the tonalities of black skin that it enchants to me and she is more explosive than a strike in the IUPI. That is to say, it promises to be a wood and for that reason I brotherly share with you trailer.
I would like to settle down and have kids with a girl like this no? She seems very nice.
Squirtwoman?
translation via babelfish:
I must confess to them that possibly this one is the first time that can enjoy a film to me Squirting, which never attracted to me until now. Cytherea was too anglian for my pleasure. Jincha, very skinny and lacks a good apparatus of cagar like which it likes to Tococo. Nevertheless, Jada is a pretty woman, has one of the tonalities of black skin that it enchants to me and she is more explosive than a strike in the IUPI. That is to say, it promises to be a wood and for that reason I brotherly share with you trailer.
I would like to settle down and have kids with a girl like this no? She seems very nice.
THANKS
I very rarely get any reaction to my films from Muslims so I was very pleased with this via Googlekvspoke to him at Uni last week he watched a few of your videos and actually liked them...his exact words were "I am suprised at how he just lets you form your own opinion, we Muslims dont get that kind of treatment very often"
I'm quite pleased with my experiments with Youtube so far. For some strange reason no one who comments seems to be able to spell but thats OK.
October 27, 2006
October 25, 2006
REAPING THE CYCLONE
by John Pilger
Brzezinski not long ago revealed that on July 3, 1979, unknown to the American public and Congress, President Jimmy Carter secretly authorised $500million to create an international terrorist movement that would spread Islamic fundamentalism in Central Asia and "destabilise" the Soviet Union.
The CIA called this Operation Cyclone and in the following years poured $4billion into setting up Islamic training schools in Pakistan (Taliban means "student").
Young zealots were sent to the CIA's spy training camp in Virginia, where future members of al-Qaeda were taught "sabotage skills" - terrorism.
Others were recruited at an Islamic school in Brooklyn, New York, within sight of the fated Twin Towers.
In Pakistan, they were directed by British MI6 officers and trained by the SAS.
Brzezinski not long ago revealed that on July 3, 1979, unknown to the American public and Congress, President Jimmy Carter secretly authorised $500million to create an international terrorist movement that would spread Islamic fundamentalism in Central Asia and "destabilise" the Soviet Union.
The CIA called this Operation Cyclone and in the following years poured $4billion into setting up Islamic training schools in Pakistan (Taliban means "student").
Young zealots were sent to the CIA's spy training camp in Virginia, where future members of al-Qaeda were taught "sabotage skills" - terrorism.
Others were recruited at an Islamic school in Brooklyn, New York, within sight of the fated Twin Towers.
In Pakistan, they were directed by British MI6 officers and trained by the SAS.
THE DOPE TAKES SIDES
Canadian troops fighting Taliban militants in Afghanistan have stumbled across an unexpected and potent enemy -- almost impenetrable forests of 10-feet-high marijuana plants. General Rick Hillier, chief of the Canadian defense staff, said on Thursday that Taliban fighters were using the forests as cover. In response, the crew of at least one armored car had camouflaged their vehicle with marijuana."The challenge is that marijuana plants absorb energy, heat very readily. It's very difficult to penetrate with thermal devices ... and as a result you really have to be careful that the Taliban don't dodge in and out of those marijuana forests," he said in a speech in Ottawa.
"We tried burning them with white phosphorous -- it didn't work. We tried burning them with diesel -- it didn't work. The plants are so full of water right now ... that we simply couldn't burn them," he said.
Even successful incineration had its drawbacks.
"A couple of brown plants on the edges of some of those (forests) did catch on fire. But a section of soldiers that was downwind from that had some ill effects and decided that was probably not the right course of action," Hillier said dryly.
October 24, 2006
Even More TV Gurus
Bill Hicks, still the TV guru of TV gurus. I was lucky enough to see him live in Birmingham UK. He wasn't that good, obviously tired from telling the same jokes over and over again but the audience were with him all the way. He stood up at a specific point in time and with this performance he caught the mood of a generation. Its such a shame he's not alive now. Watch the rest of this here
KILL YOUR TELEVISION
via The Chosen Man
“As bad a hatchet-job as I’ve seen in years. Cheap shots all over the place, no context, no reasonable explanation. Like the Daily Star in moving pictures,” he wrote. “If giving ITN detailed exposure to our people, lengthy briefing and open access results in this, then I dread to think how your editors and producers would look to exploit access to our people in theatres (of war), or our chiefs and ministers.” That e-mail omitted any specific details of perceived errors.
ITV quickly became aware of a second, internal e-mail from Mr Clark, a civil servant, to the MoD’s media operations staff, who are seconded from the military. The effect was to cease co-operation with ITV by withdrawing access to “embeds”, the much-sought placements for reporters which enable them to be “embedded” with battlefield forces. That e-mail begins with the words “To reiterate . . .” implying that there had already been such a policy in place.
also:
Read this. Well that's the best news I've heard since my piles cleared up!-Tony Blair take note this is your fault!-If we hadn't wound up these nutters by taking part in an illegal war in both Iraq and Afghanistan and if Blair had shown some moral courage and criticized Israel's disgraceful actions in Lebanon and told Bush to shove his head up his arse we wouldn't be having this problem now!
“As bad a hatchet-job as I’ve seen in years. Cheap shots all over the place, no context, no reasonable explanation. Like the Daily Star in moving pictures,” he wrote. “If giving ITN detailed exposure to our people, lengthy briefing and open access results in this, then I dread to think how your editors and producers would look to exploit access to our people in theatres (of war), or our chiefs and ministers.” That e-mail omitted any specific details of perceived errors.
ITV quickly became aware of a second, internal e-mail from Mr Clark, a civil servant, to the MoD’s media operations staff, who are seconded from the military. The effect was to cease co-operation with ITV by withdrawing access to “embeds”, the much-sought placements for reporters which enable them to be “embedded” with battlefield forces. That e-mail begins with the words “To reiterate . . .” implying that there had already been such a policy in place.
also:
Read this. Well that's the best news I've heard since my piles cleared up!-Tony Blair take note this is your fault!-If we hadn't wound up these nutters by taking part in an illegal war in both Iraq and Afghanistan and if Blair had shown some moral courage and criticized Israel's disgraceful actions in Lebanon and told Bush to shove his head up his arse we wouldn't be having this problem now!
BEHIND THE HEADLINES
Islam is thus, in the words of 38 of its most qualified living exponents, not merely “a religion of peace”, but more essentially a religion of love -- of love, from and for the one God we all worship; the one true Lord we know by His works, and who is Love in all His actions. For what is done in hatred cannot be done in God’s name, and will always be false religion.
Now take this in. In a moment of increasing worldwide violence and tension, Pope Benedict XVI issued a call, echoing his predecessor John-Paul II, for a real dialogue between religions at the highest level of reason. And authoritative spiritual leaders of the Islamic umma responded favourably to this, and declared, in a fine, noble, and open spirit: “Let the dialogue begin!” This is news of very great significance. It should have been the top headline in every newspaper in the world.
But our media -- West and East -- report this, when at all, as some kind of sidebar on the terror war; as if the Muslim leaders had merely accepted an “apology” from the Pope for having hurt some Muslims’ feelings.
This is why we have religions. Because journalism cannot tell us what we need to know.
Now take this in. In a moment of increasing worldwide violence and tension, Pope Benedict XVI issued a call, echoing his predecessor John-Paul II, for a real dialogue between religions at the highest level of reason. And authoritative spiritual leaders of the Islamic umma responded favourably to this, and declared, in a fine, noble, and open spirit: “Let the dialogue begin!” This is news of very great significance. It should have been the top headline in every newspaper in the world.
But our media -- West and East -- report this, when at all, as some kind of sidebar on the terror war; as if the Muslim leaders had merely accepted an “apology” from the Pope for having hurt some Muslims’ feelings.
This is why we have religions. Because journalism cannot tell us what we need to know.
POPPY NEWS
from Claudio Franco
Aside from the social damage it can cause, eradication programs also immediately ratchet up the market price of opium and farm-gate prices, which makes the cultivation of opium even more lucrative for farmers. This also causes a net transfer of income from opium growers to drug traffickers, who then profit from the increased value of their existing opium stocks at the expense of farmers.
Another consequence of forced eradication is the “balloon effect”; that is, the dispersion of drug crops to other regions. This phenomenon has been observed in Colombia and the surrounding Andean region and in the Golden Triangle. In Afghanistan, the balloon effect has been made easier by the destruction of irrigation networks and other infrastructure necessary for the cultivation of licit crops
Aside from the social damage it can cause, eradication programs also immediately ratchet up the market price of opium and farm-gate prices, which makes the cultivation of opium even more lucrative for farmers. This also causes a net transfer of income from opium growers to drug traffickers, who then profit from the increased value of their existing opium stocks at the expense of farmers.
Another consequence of forced eradication is the “balloon effect”; that is, the dispersion of drug crops to other regions. This phenomenon has been observed in Colombia and the surrounding Andean region and in the Golden Triangle. In Afghanistan, the balloon effect has been made easier by the destruction of irrigation networks and other infrastructure necessary for the cultivation of licit crops
October 23, 2006
OMAR vs KARZAI
In a lengthy message to Afghans for Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, Omar also urged NATO to withdraw its almost 20,000 troops and stop sacrificing soldiers for the United States, adding the nation still stood with him.
"With the grace of Allah, the fighting will be increased ... and it will be organised in the next few months," he said in a Pashto language message to media also posted on the Internet and signed "Leader of the Faithful in the Afghan Resistance".
"I am confident the fighting will be a surprise for many," said the one-eyed leader, with a $10 million (5.3 million pound) bounty on his head.
This has been the bloodiest year in Afghanistan since Omar's Islamist government was ousted by a U.S.-led invasion in 2001...
...Omar said President Hamid Karzai would face Islamic justice for cooperating with Washington.
"The Kabul puppet regime has failed to establish peace and stability as well as to control narcotics," he said, adding members of the government were involved in the opium trade.
Officials and analysts say the Taliban is partly funded by drug lords underwriting fighting and insecurity to keep the police and the law from their poppy fields and smuggling routes.
Afghanistan supplies about 90 percent of the world's opium, the raw material for heroin, and its crop is expected to jump about 60 percent this year.
Talking to reporters after Eid prayers at the presidential palace, Karzai did not comment on Omar's message, but called on Afghans not to be swayed by the Taliban.
"My message to those who are being used by strangers and killing their people and their children, destroying their homes, my message is to free themselves from the grip of menace," he said. "That menace has been destroying Afghanistan for years.
"I ask them to come to their country and free themselves from being used by others and work to build their country not to destroy it."
A weekend deadline by the kidnappers of an Italian photojournalist in the south for the handover by Italy of an Afghan convert to Christianity from Islam passed with no word from them.
"With the grace of Allah, the fighting will be increased ... and it will be organised in the next few months," he said in a Pashto language message to media also posted on the Internet and signed "Leader of the Faithful in the Afghan Resistance".
"I am confident the fighting will be a surprise for many," said the one-eyed leader, with a $10 million (5.3 million pound) bounty on his head.
This has been the bloodiest year in Afghanistan since Omar's Islamist government was ousted by a U.S.-led invasion in 2001...
...Omar said President Hamid Karzai would face Islamic justice for cooperating with Washington.
"The Kabul puppet regime has failed to establish peace and stability as well as to control narcotics," he said, adding members of the government were involved in the opium trade.
Officials and analysts say the Taliban is partly funded by drug lords underwriting fighting and insecurity to keep the police and the law from their poppy fields and smuggling routes.
Afghanistan supplies about 90 percent of the world's opium, the raw material for heroin, and its crop is expected to jump about 60 percent this year.
Talking to reporters after Eid prayers at the presidential palace, Karzai did not comment on Omar's message, but called on Afghans not to be swayed by the Taliban.
"My message to those who are being used by strangers and killing their people and their children, destroying their homes, my message is to free themselves from the grip of menace," he said. "That menace has been destroying Afghanistan for years.
"I ask them to come to their country and free themselves from being used by others and work to build their country not to destroy it."
A weekend deadline by the kidnappers of an Italian photojournalist in the south for the handover by Italy of an Afghan convert to Christianity from Islam passed with no word from them.
CATASTROPHUCK
Maj. Gen. Joseph Peterson is the U.S. commander in charge of police training in Iraq. Today, he gave a teleconference interview from Baghdad to reporters in the Pentagon. His report, in conjunction with other news, paints a grim picture of the Iraqi Police Service (IPS).
According to MG Peterson, about 4,000 officers have been killed and 8,000 injured since September 2004. That is, of course, enough to demoralize any police force, never mind one that is in the middle of what I will lovingly refer to as a "Catastrophuck" (with credit to Mr. Stewart for coining the phrase).
The news however, is worse. You may remember, that when Iraqi police stations were being attacked the police would simply run away - leaving all their gear for the militia. MG Peterson says that this is no longer happening; which is good news.
Well, it would be good news if that behavior hadn't been replaced by something even worse: active militia activity by the police. Yes, the reason they are no longer running away from the militia is because they ARE the militia.
also by Angry Veteran: Kurdistan
According to MG Peterson, about 4,000 officers have been killed and 8,000 injured since September 2004. That is, of course, enough to demoralize any police force, never mind one that is in the middle of what I will lovingly refer to as a "Catastrophuck" (with credit to Mr. Stewart for coining the phrase).
The news however, is worse. You may remember, that when Iraqi police stations were being attacked the police would simply run away - leaving all their gear for the militia. MG Peterson says that this is no longer happening; which is good news.
Well, it would be good news if that behavior hadn't been replaced by something even worse: active militia activity by the police. Yes, the reason they are no longer running away from the militia is because they ARE the militia.
also by Angry Veteran: Kurdistan
Government Sponsored Islam
So, you are young, Muslim and living in modern Britain. This probably means you are full of questions about life, politics, spirituality, etiquettes and prayers. And what about those to do with jihad, sex, integration and identity? Stem cells? Education?
You want answers but not from weird internet sites or dodgy ‘imams’. What you want is the real thing: answers from a credible and authoritative source deeply immersed in the traditions of the faith but engaged with the contemporary.
Projects like the Radical Middle Way – supported by government, but initiated and entirely directed by community-based organisations that have a long history of engaging with young Muslims – are challenging the kind of religion-inspired ideology which seeks to drive a wedge between people.
The message is simple: the radical way, the difficult path, is the path of rejecting the extremes of assimilation on one hand and terrorism on the other. The struggle for social justice is at the heart of Islam, but not at the expense of innocent lives. The rules of engagement of this struggle must be emblematic of classical Islam's high moral standards. Suicide-violence is rejected, because there are other ways – legitimate within the Islamic tradition – of resisting oppression.
You want answers but not from weird internet sites or dodgy ‘imams’. What you want is the real thing: answers from a credible and authoritative source deeply immersed in the traditions of the faith but engaged with the contemporary.
Projects like the Radical Middle Way – supported by government, but initiated and entirely directed by community-based organisations that have a long history of engaging with young Muslims – are challenging the kind of religion-inspired ideology which seeks to drive a wedge between people.
The message is simple: the radical way, the difficult path, is the path of rejecting the extremes of assimilation on one hand and terrorism on the other. The struggle for social justice is at the heart of Islam, but not at the expense of innocent lives. The rules of engagement of this struggle must be emblematic of classical Islam's high moral standards. Suicide-violence is rejected, because there are other ways – legitimate within the Islamic tradition – of resisting oppression.
OUT OF IDEAS
John Reid has issued a dire warning that the Government risks losing the "battle of ideas" with al-Qa'eda...
...He called for an urgent but controversial escalation in the propaganda war and said al-Qa'eda's so-called "single extremist narrative" was proving ever more attractive to young British Muslims...
...Ministers have told The Sunday Telegraph that 30 terror plots are being investigated and that 1,500 young Muslims — many more than previously estimated — are suspects.
A key government weapon in the struggle to win hearts and minds is the decision to fund covertly an Islamic website appealing for moderation. A classic of New Labour terminology, it is called the Radical Middle Way. Government documents disclose that the site is "run as a grassroots initiative by Muslim organisations". However, it has "most of its financial backing from the Foreign Office and Home Office". The site uses video and podcasts to spread an "alternative message" to young Muslims. Some content is available through the iTunes website with no indication that it is effectively an arm of Government....
...He called for an urgent but controversial escalation in the propaganda war and said al-Qa'eda's so-called "single extremist narrative" was proving ever more attractive to young British Muslims...
...Ministers have told The Sunday Telegraph that 30 terror plots are being investigated and that 1,500 young Muslims — many more than previously estimated — are suspects.
A key government weapon in the struggle to win hearts and minds is the decision to fund covertly an Islamic website appealing for moderation. A classic of New Labour terminology, it is called the Radical Middle Way. Government documents disclose that the site is "run as a grassroots initiative by Muslim organisations". However, it has "most of its financial backing from the Foreign Office and Home Office". The site uses video and podcasts to spread an "alternative message" to young Muslims. Some content is available through the iTunes website with no indication that it is effectively an arm of Government....
October 20, 2006
October 19, 2006
GURU TV
I've been watching this guy quite a bit on youtube, this is the best I have seen. This is proper Guru TV. Spectacular.
Sparkle Exits, Stage left applauds
I cannot think of any right leaning forumn where I was more welcome. thank you for allowing me to engage in good hearted debate with you.
ditto from me. I always felt respected and learned a lot from your blog. Good luck to you and bless you for doing the work that you do. My wife is and has been a caring geriatric nurse for 25 years and would echo what you say about the elderly not being visited by family.
Even tholugh you and I are often on opposite ends of an issue, selfishly I will miss your blog because it is the one that I most often directed my government students to read as a conservative voice of reason that had high standards for the treatment of people with differing views and to read about well researched conservative and liberal debates. Thank you for the blog I will miss it.
patricks | 10.18.06 - 4:12 pm | #
from way out on the left - from someone who disagrees with probably 99 per cent of what i've read here - thanks for your honesty and your decency. there's not a lot of it about. good luck and take care.
drago | 10.18.06 - 8:06 pm #
GERMAN BLOCKBUSTER REPORT
Valley of the Wolves, by the Turkish director Serdan Akar, shows crazed American GIs massacring innocent guests at a wedding party and scenes in which a Jewish surgeon removes organs from Iraqi prisoners in a style reminiscent of the Nazi death camp doctor Joseph Mengele.
Bavaria’s interior minister admitted last week that he had dispatched intelligence service agents to cinemas showing the film to “gauge” audience reaction and identify potential radicals.
Edmund Stoiber, the state’s conservative prime minister, has appealed to cinema operators to remove what he described as “this racist and anti-Western hate film” from their programmes.
The £6 million film, the most expensive Turkish production ever made, had already proved a box office hit in Turkey, where it first opened last month at a gala attended by the wife of the country’s prime minister.
The production went on general release in Germany a fortnight ago and has had full houses ever since. More than 130,000 people, most of them young Muslims, saw the film in the first five days of its opening. At a packed cinema in a largely Turkish immigrant district of Berlin last week, Valley of the Wolves was being watched almost exclusively by young Turkish men. They clapped furiously when the Turkish hero of the film was shown blowing up a building occupied by the United States military commander in northern Iraq.
In the closing sequence, the hero is shown plunging a dagger into the heart of a US commander called Sam, played by Billy Zane. The audience responded by standing up and chanting “Allah is great!”
Bavaria’s interior minister admitted last week that he had dispatched intelligence service agents to cinemas showing the film to “gauge” audience reaction and identify potential radicals.
Edmund Stoiber, the state’s conservative prime minister, has appealed to cinema operators to remove what he described as “this racist and anti-Western hate film” from their programmes.
The £6 million film, the most expensive Turkish production ever made, had already proved a box office hit in Turkey, where it first opened last month at a gala attended by the wife of the country’s prime minister.
The production went on general release in Germany a fortnight ago and has had full houses ever since. More than 130,000 people, most of them young Muslims, saw the film in the first five days of its opening. At a packed cinema in a largely Turkish immigrant district of Berlin last week, Valley of the Wolves was being watched almost exclusively by young Turkish men. They clapped furiously when the Turkish hero of the film was shown blowing up a building occupied by the United States military commander in northern Iraq.
In the closing sequence, the hero is shown plunging a dagger into the heart of a US commander called Sam, played by Billy Zane. The audience responded by standing up and chanting “Allah is great!”
October 18, 2006
Been very much enjoying David Blunketts revelations and of course other peoples revelations about him. I've always wondered how MPs make this journey from left to extreme right in their behaviour, listening to Blunkett tell it its all quite plausible.
My girlfriend took me to see Rosas at the Sadlers Wells. I hated it but its good to have a strong reaction I suppose. Lots of pretentious people dancing really pretentiously to annoying pretentious music. My girlfriend says it was
"a day in the life" and enjoyed the "interaction of sexual imagery" or something like that.
It was shite anyway.
October 15, 2006
October 13, 2006
October 12, 2006
SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL
Abu Hamza preaches against shopping your Muslim brothers to the Police, but in the same sentence speaks out unequivocally against terrorist acts in this country. If the first bit gets to the TV but the second doesn't have we as a nation been told a "half truth"?
Pre 7/7, if this was WIDELY PUBLICIZED would we have been safer?
This is about how the news from Finsbury Park was made. The journalist in the blue suit is Dan Rivers, then of ITN. Not sure who the guy in the brown jacket is. The tall guy in the long black coat is Vivian White from Panorama who seemed pretty cool to me.
I've often seen the concept of Malung TV News as my "Sympathy for the Devil" project. In this case "the Tabloid Devil" believes himself to be on the side of God. You might have noticed that I haven't put a lot of Hamza's words into my movies so far. To be honest I thought he was a bit boring and as you will see, I struggled to hold my camera still.
I've edited this as real time as possible. The whole concept of a "street protest mosque" was really fascinating me at the time and I was enjoying the high drama of it all. Of Hamza's posse who would speak to me, all gave the impression they thought only a nutter would bomb in this country. If they hadn't I'd have stopped filming. I scare very easily. ...
October 11, 2006
MADE IN SLAVERY
snowmails
Have you ever wondered, as I have, how it can ever be possible to buy brand new clothes in supermarkets for £3 for a pair of jeans? Or £4 for a shirt or less? Well one of the answers lies somewhere in darkest Bangladesh.
Channel 4 News has carried out an investigation over four months trying to track how garments get from Bangladesh's A to Britain's B. The B in this case is Tesco, who have an ethical policy of which they are proud.
Indeed they even audit the factories that supply them. But as we shall reveal tonight this is not the whole story.
We have secretly filmed inside four factories belonging to two established Tesco suppliers and have discovered child workers there making Tesco's own label 'Florence and Fred' clothing.
And what's more it turns out that Tesco did not even know that two of these four factories were manufacturing their clothes. They have therefore never visited these two factories and hence ethically audited them.
Both suppliers and Tesco have denied all the allegations and there is no suggestion that Tesco ever knew about any child workers. In fact, the supermarket said it abhors child labour and said it's at the front of industry efforts to stamp it out.
But this report raises serious questions about Tesco's ability to enforce the ethical standards it claims to hold.
Tesco are less than happy at our revelations. They have had lawyers crawling all over the allegations. But we shall be airing the film at seven and you can make up your own mind.
special report
Have you ever wondered, as I have, how it can ever be possible to buy brand new clothes in supermarkets for £3 for a pair of jeans? Or £4 for a shirt or less? Well one of the answers lies somewhere in darkest Bangladesh.
Channel 4 News has carried out an investigation over four months trying to track how garments get from Bangladesh's A to Britain's B. The B in this case is Tesco, who have an ethical policy of which they are proud.
Indeed they even audit the factories that supply them. But as we shall reveal tonight this is not the whole story.
We have secretly filmed inside four factories belonging to two established Tesco suppliers and have discovered child workers there making Tesco's own label 'Florence and Fred' clothing.
And what's more it turns out that Tesco did not even know that two of these four factories were manufacturing their clothes. They have therefore never visited these two factories and hence ethically audited them.
Both suppliers and Tesco have denied all the allegations and there is no suggestion that Tesco ever knew about any child workers. In fact, the supermarket said it abhors child labour and said it's at the front of industry efforts to stamp it out.
But this report raises serious questions about Tesco's ability to enforce the ethical standards it claims to hold.
Tesco are less than happy at our revelations. They have had lawyers crawling all over the allegations. But we shall be airing the film at seven and you can make up your own mind.
special report
October 09, 2006
CALLING ALL JIHADI RAPPERS
Whenever I have spoken to TV people about my project they have often mentioned a desire for film of what they call the "Jihadi Rap Scene" rumoured to exist in the Wembley area. You may remember the very profesionally made, if disturbing Dirty Kuffar. You're probably not suprised that I'm up for filming a bit of this so I went to Wembley at the weekend for a bit of a scout around.
On my way I passed this cheerful little news stand.
AnarchoAkbar has covered the issue very well including Mr. Straw's original article. When I see newspapers advertised in this way I usually try and confiscate the offending sheet if no one is looking.
In Wembley I found a huge South Indian community, with a large concentration of vegetarian restaurants. Looking through the door of one of them took me straight back to India so I had a quick Thali which I could hardly finish due to the shock of so much chilli for breakfast.
Round the corner I found a large mosque. I didn't go inside at first, instead I went to an Islamic bookshop next door where I asked a Muslim woman (who incidentally was wearing a veil) about "Islamic rap".
"Mecca to Medina" she told me were very popular and were from London but she didn't have any of their CDs in stock.
I walked back and forth outside the mosque for a bit, and finally got the courage to go inside.
"Do you know anything about an Islamic rap scene in this area?" I asked one of the kids.
He took me upstairs to meet the general secretary.
"How should I greet you? Sallam aleikum?" he asked.
"However you like mate. Wallekum Sallam." I answered.
Mohammad Hoda turned out to be a cheerful eccentric Indian Muslim from Bihar, sitting with a man he introduced as a professor of Sociology from Lucknow who had a proper Lucknow moustache. Within minutes I realised that both would look great on film.
General Secretary Hoda was proud of his Bihari roots, and said that he had looke through all the major religions and philosophies which sprang from this area before choosing Islam. He thought Islam was the original anti-capitalism. He said that communism in Russia had only lasted 80 years because it had no foundation. Islam was the real communism. If you have enough food for six, you share it with another five people. Many untouchables had become Muslims in India after sharing food with Muslims. I asked him what he thought of Jack Staws comments about veils, he said he agreed with Mr. Straw.
"I should see you, you should see me."
He had the article cut out in front of him.
I liked his endearing Indian attitude and he invited me to come back and film with him whenever I liked. He didn't know anything about a local rap scene though. On the way home I passed our old squat (in this film) which I was pleased to find the council had actually started renovating. Happy memories.
I went back to Wemley the next day. I've got to leave this a bit cryptic now, but I think I might have had a bit more luck...
On my way I passed this cheerful little news stand.
AnarchoAkbar has covered the issue very well including Mr. Straw's original article. When I see newspapers advertised in this way I usually try and confiscate the offending sheet if no one is looking.
In Wembley I found a huge South Indian community, with a large concentration of vegetarian restaurants. Looking through the door of one of them took me straight back to India so I had a quick Thali which I could hardly finish due to the shock of so much chilli for breakfast.
Round the corner I found a large mosque. I didn't go inside at first, instead I went to an Islamic bookshop next door where I asked a Muslim woman (who incidentally was wearing a veil) about "Islamic rap".
"Mecca to Medina" she told me were very popular and were from London but she didn't have any of their CDs in stock.
I walked back and forth outside the mosque for a bit, and finally got the courage to go inside.
"Do you know anything about an Islamic rap scene in this area?" I asked one of the kids.
He took me upstairs to meet the general secretary.
"How should I greet you? Sallam aleikum?" he asked.
"However you like mate. Wallekum Sallam." I answered.
Mohammad Hoda turned out to be a cheerful eccentric Indian Muslim from Bihar, sitting with a man he introduced as a professor of Sociology from Lucknow who had a proper Lucknow moustache. Within minutes I realised that both would look great on film.
General Secretary Hoda was proud of his Bihari roots, and said that he had looke through all the major religions and philosophies which sprang from this area before choosing Islam. He thought Islam was the original anti-capitalism. He said that communism in Russia had only lasted 80 years because it had no foundation. Islam was the real communism. If you have enough food for six, you share it with another five people. Many untouchables had become Muslims in India after sharing food with Muslims. I asked him what he thought of Jack Staws comments about veils, he said he agreed with Mr. Straw.
"I should see you, you should see me."
He had the article cut out in front of him.
I liked his endearing Indian attitude and he invited me to come back and film with him whenever I liked. He didn't know anything about a local rap scene though. On the way home I passed our old squat (in this film) which I was pleased to find the council had actually started renovating. Happy memories.
I went back to Wemley the next day. I've got to leave this a bit cryptic now, but I think I might have had a bit more luck...
Kit Kat
For years, whenever anyone has told me about any new invention I've always answered "Well thats great, but its hardly the dark chocolate Kit Kat is it?"
Now- it is finally here!
October 08, 2006
Politkovskaya
Hundreds of people have gathered in central Moscow to pay tribute to prominent journalist Anna Politkovskaya - a day after she was murdered.
They lit candles and laid flowers as they held posters describing the killing as politically-motivated.
The 48-year-old mother of two was known as a fierce critic of the Kremlin's actions in Chechnya.
Her death has been widely condemned in Russia and elsewhere. But there has been no word so far from the Kremlin.
The photographer gets quite annoyed and you realise that Politkovskaya is still young (she's 46). And still hopeful. The author picture on the back of her new book, Putin's Russia, is so self-consciously tragic, and its subject matter so bleak, that I ask her whether she thinks it might take generations for her country to become truly free.
"I wouldn't ever want to say it would take generations," she says. "I want to be able to live the life of a human being, where every individual is respected, in my lifetime."
They lit candles and laid flowers as they held posters describing the killing as politically-motivated.
The 48-year-old mother of two was known as a fierce critic of the Kremlin's actions in Chechnya.
Her death has been widely condemned in Russia and elsewhere. But there has been no word so far from the Kremlin.
The photographer gets quite annoyed and you realise that Politkovskaya is still young (she's 46). And still hopeful. The author picture on the back of her new book, Putin's Russia, is so self-consciously tragic, and its subject matter so bleak, that I ask her whether she thinks it might take generations for her country to become truly free.
"I wouldn't ever want to say it would take generations," she says. "I want to be able to live the life of a human being, where every individual is respected, in my lifetime."
October 05, 2006
October 04, 2006
October 03, 2006
via Yahoo News
Six months before the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in June, a senior al-Qaeda figure warned him in a letter that he risked removal as al-Qaeda's leader in Iraq if he continued to alienate Sunni tribal and religious leaders and rival insurgent groups.
also
Khan was sent to Guantanamo at the same time as alleged September 11 plotter Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
Khan has never been charged and has not officially been deemed an enemy combatant by the United States, according to the Center for Constitutional Rights, which is handling the defense for most of the detainees at Guantanamo.
"Majid Khan had nothing to do with 9/11. Any allegations should be made in open court, where he has the chance to defend himself against evidence obtained through torture," said CCR Executive Director Vincent Warren.
"We believe everyone deserves a trial. We are challenging secret CIA detentions, and we are challenging torture."
also
Khan was sent to Guantanamo at the same time as alleged September 11 plotter Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
Khan has never been charged and has not officially been deemed an enemy combatant by the United States, according to the Center for Constitutional Rights, which is handling the defense for most of the detainees at Guantanamo.
"Majid Khan had nothing to do with 9/11. Any allegations should be made in open court, where he has the chance to defend himself against evidence obtained through torture," said CCR Executive Director Vincent Warren.
"We believe everyone deserves a trial. We are challenging secret CIA detentions, and we are challenging torture."
October 02, 2006
THE CHOSEN MAN
Here you go, finally via 632C5R09OW8 a British Soldier blogging:
We need a serious debate about bringing back capital punishment,almost everyone I speak to is in faviour of it,excluding a few left wing,tree hugging hippies,it is the only real deterent for serious crime and does work!-Drug dealers,rapists,child molesters,murderers,traitors and terrorists all deserve death, not life at the taxpayers expense!-As soon as they commit any of these obscene crimes they forfeit the right to live!-And to the Do-gooder,nieve idiots who argue against capital punishment,saying that society has moved on from this barbaric act I say wind your neck in,take your head out of your arse and Wake up and start living in the real world!
We need a serious debate about bringing back capital punishment,almost everyone I speak to is in faviour of it,excluding a few left wing,tree hugging hippies,it is the only real deterent for serious crime and does work!-Drug dealers,rapists,child molesters,murderers,traitors and terrorists all deserve death, not life at the taxpayers expense!-As soon as they commit any of these obscene crimes they forfeit the right to live!-And to the Do-gooder,nieve idiots who argue against capital punishment,saying that society has moved on from this barbaric act I say wind your neck in,take your head out of your arse and Wake up and start living in the real world!
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