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!The Hidden War
Britain's military deployment in Afghanistan is built on a false prospectus and is being sustained by a noxious cocktail of spin, misinformation and concealment.
Our ill-equipped forces are facing the toughest combat conditions since the Falklands and only now, as battle-wearied troops are pulled back for rest and recuperation, are the true horrors of this hidden war beginning to emerge in a graphic series of their e-mails and digital pictures.
What is shameful is that government ministers have been straining every sinew to keep the true facts from the public.
this is the fucking Telegraph.
via the chosen man and via 632C5R09OW8
on dave's parts comments (cheers)
Our ill-equipped forces are facing the toughest combat conditions since the Falklands and only now, as battle-wearied troops are pulled back for rest and recuperation, are the true horrors of this hidden war beginning to emerge in a graphic series of their e-mails and digital pictures.
What is shameful is that government ministers have been straining every sinew to keep the true facts from the public.
this is the fucking Telegraph.
via the chosen man and via 632C5R09OW8
on dave's parts comments (cheers)
October 01, 2006
SKRUFFF
I finally bumped into jonty Skrufff last night, after being on his mailing list for a long while. The club wasn't so busy which was OK cos we got a chance to speak. I was expecting someone bigger and more "arrogant DJ" like for some reason. Probably cos of the Ministry of Sound conection, though I've never been there. Anyway, a really straight up guy, with a top mailout and a great sound.cheers Jonty.
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