Yellow Stars In The UK?

I recently pointed out the recent trend in the UK of boycotting Israel in support of 'Palestine' despite the fact that one is the regions only democracy, and the other is governed as a one party Islamic state.

This story of the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge getting caught up in the politics of boycott illustrates the issue nicely. The choir had been due to attend at St George's Cathedral in East Jerusalem, and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem after they had been invited to sing in both locations by the Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem.

But the London-based Palestine Solidarity Campaign wrote a letter, signed by just over 200 people (yes, as many as that), asking that the choir cancel its tour of Israel or risk, in their words, "appearing indifferent to Palestinian suffering". The spokeswoman for this tiny organisation Betty Hunter, says that the choirs tour, is "surprising and shocking" which she said "promotes Israel as a normal state rather than one which represses Palestinians".

In a right minded society that would have been the end of the matter, but then the one party and profoundly undemocratic Palestinian Authority joined in. According to the reports the PA asked the Bishop of Jerusalem to withdraw the invitation for the choir to sing in East Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and then 'banned' them from entering 'ene masse'.

This sort of 'pressure' by small, one issue (and usually blinkered) pressure groups would be easily resistible in normal society but when its in the general 'Anti-Israeli' atmosphere of the left-wing in the UK then its much harder for PC groups such as the Anglicans and Universities to resist them.

I might add as an another illustration of this growing (and shameful) trend, the decision of the UK government to use UK food labels to distinguish between goods from 'Palestinians in the occupied territories' and 'produce from Israeli settlements', is little more than an Anti-Semites and boycotters charter. Somewhat disingenuously the Labour government said that it was 'opposed to a boycott of Israeli goods', but that 'the settlements posed an obstacle to peace'.

The Future Of Anti-Semitic Labelling?

For shame ............ its sad that the left wing want to finish the job of the Nazis, and maybe we should just put a yellow star on the food labels?

The Drugs War - More Bad News

This graph produced by the UNODC shows some selected types of crimes

and the interesting thing is that while most of the crime types have stabilised or fallen, drug related crimes have doubled in the last decade. If ever proof was needed that illegal drugs cause the most misery in the world, then its surely this simple fact.

This blog doesn't have a magic solution but has noted the fact that the drug traffickers are winning (or at least not losing) the war, and this observation is supported by the same UN organisation reporting that huge amounts of heroin and cocaine were being traded by "terrorists and anti-government forces" to fund their operations and is transforming Africa into a major crime hub.

US Airliner Attack - UK Connections?

It being the holiday season I was laying low on my blogging, but the news that a Nigerian, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, has tried to blow himself up on a US airliner has forced me from my inertia.

Sadly he's not the first Muslim to attempt to blow up an airliner and he probably won't be the last, so its not that which drew my attention, no what interested me was the fact that the bomber appears to have been led down the path of 'radicalisation' while studying in the UK.

He was a well supported and regarded student at Imperial College London until 2008, but during or after that period, his father became sufficiently disturbed by his sons views, for him to allegedly report his son to the US authorities.

The bomber is reported as being denied a UK visa this summer when he attempted to claim student status again for one of our numerous 'bogus colleges' and that should surely have raised some alarm bells .....

I would suggest that the authorities should take a close look at the contacts he made and the mosques Mr Abdulmutallab attended while in the UK, as well as those abroad because it can't just be a coincidence that a well regarded student, should end up as a wannabe suicide bomber attempting to use the same chemical explosive method as Richard Reid the British 'shoe bomber' who attended the Finsbury Park mosque (run by Sheikh Abu Hamza).

Although the evidence suggests his radicalisation took place in Lome before he came to the UK, and later in the Yemen where he went to 'study', it seems unlikely that while in the UK he didn't come into contact with either extremist literature or Imans.

Broken Britain Vl - A Christmas Tale

It appears that Fagin's are back in the UK with this story of young children being dropped into the hatches of charity recycling banks, to steal second-hand clothing meant for the third world.

"They are putting a person into the hopper, usually a child, into a dark metal bank not knowing what's in there.... " Sue Ray the Oxfam spokeswoman said. She added that said the donations were "desperately needed" by shops and appealed for people to take bags directly into branches.

Is this a sign of increased poverty in the UK, or the work of 'gangs' from Albania / Roumania etc?

Who can tell, the story doesn't speculate, nor give more details.

So all I can say is that like the petrol stealing from farmhouses last year, its a new low in the UK.

The Next Y2K Bug?... 19th Jan 2038

I read somewhere recently that there is potentially another Y2K (Millennium) bug coming up.

The original problem was caused by the old fashioned data storage methods that meant that many older systems stored dates as two-digit numbers instead of the four digits needed to display years as four digits. e.g. 99 instead of 1999. This meant that when the year 2000 approached it would show as '00' (which could be 1900 or 2000) and humanity would end or so it was claimed.

So vast amounts of money were spent to prevent this catastrophe and many mainframe systems were upgraded (I was involved in this exercise) however this fixing didn't address the fact that many Unix systems (including the Linux Kernel), continue to count time as starting from midnight on 1 January 1970, which means other analogous situations can arise in the future.

For instance, the article stated that on January 19, 2038, at 3:14:08 am UTC (Coordinated Universal Time - based on International Atomic Time), the number of seconds since 1/1/1970 will be too great to be stored in the 32-bit number used by these older Unix systems. In other words instead of computers thinking it could be 1900 instead of 2000, the computers could think its 1970 again instead of 2038 and the world will end (again).

Fortunately the more modern Unix systems mostly use 64 bits to represent integers, so the problem is not likely to be major, but in some ways that means there may be more surprises than we would wish, simply because no one will investigate the possible impact. Old 'legacy' systems are usually disregarded simply because they will never be upgraded, and only one member of staff (who is due to retire soon) understands what they are doing.

So be warned ......... the 19/01/2038 bug is coming our way!

The Great (Underground) Wall Of Gaza

First there was the Chinese who had a Wall, then Hadrian built one, then the Germans had to have one and finally (or so we thought ) the Israelis had to have one.

Now however it appears that the Egyptians are building one as well, but with a difference, its wholly underground.

Yes, in order to stop smugglers arming the Hamas fighters in Gaza, the Egyptians (aided by the US ) have bulilt a wall thats 18meters 'high' but underground.

It's not expected to stop all smuggling (certainly not for weapons), but will certainly be a major deterrent against casual smuggling.

Amr Khaled - The Islamic Billy Graham

Some might think that I am unduly harsh on religions, especially Islam and the Anglicans, well I am as happy to point out any of the positives of religious belief as well, when I see them.

For instance, who in the West would have thought that in the Islamic world there are lots of Muslim "TV Evangelists"? I'll be honest and admit that if I had thought of it at all, I would have assumed that they would be stern hard-men (Khomeini style), calling for all Jews to be cleared from the Earth, and for the West to burn in hell.

Which just goes to show that you can be completely wrong. It appears that TV Evangelism is sweeping the Muslim world and is generally more 'liberal' (with a small 'l') than the Mosque based mullahs. The 'Billy Graham' of Muslim Evangelism is Amr Khaled, an Egyptian who naturally has had to leave his homeland because the local Mullahs don't approve i.e. his safety is at threat.

The secret of Mr Khaled's success is that he uses the local vernacular (as opposed to 'classical') Arabic, and appeals to the young directly by wearing casual suits and clothes, unlike traditional preachers. His success has spawned copycat local preachers, all of whom emphasise personal conduct and social responsibility as the hall marks of being a good Muslim, rather the ritualistic approach and recitations from the Koran in traditional preaching.

"It's a bit like the reform in Christianity in the Middle Ages. You move away from external authority to the individuals role in interpreting texts, in finding his or her way in life." says political scientist and writer Ezz El Din Shoukri.

As long as the message is peaceful, tolerant and modernising, then I for one applaud this trend .... although I doubt that it be them who influence the future of Islam.

You Tube Sensation "Panic Attack!"

Fede Alvarez's short film "Ataque de Panico!" (Panic Attack!) .....

 

Giant Robots Destroy Montevideo

...... featuring giant robots invading and destroying the capital of Uruguay, is a YouTube hit.

 

Britain Shows What Side Its On

If ever there was any evidence needed of which way the wind is blowing in the UK then surely it was the fact that a UK court issued an arrest warrant against the Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

Pro-Palestinian campaigners have attempted in the past to have Israeli officials arrested under the principle of universal jurisdiction which allows 'war criminals' to be arrested anywhere.

• October 2009: Former military chief Moshe Yaalon cancelled a UK visit because of the threat of arrest.
• October 2009: Filed attempt to raise warrant against Defence Minister Ehud Barak. Court ruled he had diplomatic immunity (strangely this reasoning apparently doesn't apply to Foreign Minister Livni?).
• September 2005: Arrest warrant issued for a former head of Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip Gen Doron Almog. He got warning before disembarking from an aircraft at Heathrow Airport, and he never left the plane and flew back to Israel.

Obviously the activities of Hamas or the PLO, or the Sudanese President don't count as criminals in the same sense.

Allegedly many Senior Israeli figures are warning of what they see as an increasing anti-Israeli (or Pro Islamic) bent in the British establishment.

This follows a similar decision earlier in the year when the UK government tried to block a Dutch MP entering the country because of his views on the dangers of radical Islam, which didn't match those of the UK government i.e. such as Lord Ahmed, a Labour Peer who was the main complainant.

Geert Wilders was eventually let in to the UK, but with much ill grace from the Government, and hounded by protesters who would surely have been arrested if they had been from a different background.

However there appears to be something of a trend developing despite a history of Pro Israeli support from British Politicians in the past, but according to Dr. Zvi Shtauber (Israeli ambassador in London 2001-2004) this support is changing.

Broken Britain Part V

As part of an occasional (and very depressing) feature of this blog, I post some story or other that seems to illustrate all that's gone wrong in the UK.

This latest post concerns a story that the BBC web site seems to have missed (odd considering that fact that their radio stations are leading with it). It concerns a kidnap victim, Mr Hussain, who managed to escape and with his brother capture one of his kidnappers Walid Salem (who has 50 past convictions), giving him something of a beating in the process. It is this beating that is at the heart of the issue, as the 'victim' is said to have been brain damaged by it.

Munir Hussain, chairman of the Asian Business Council, was praised by a judge for his “courage” in defending his wife and three children from an attack — but was then jailed for the violence of his response. One of his kidnappers was spared a jail sentence.

The judge told them: "It may be that some members of the public, or media commentators, will assert that the man Salem deserved what happened to him at the hands of you and the two others involved, and that you should not have been prosecuted and need not be punished.

If persons were permitted to take the law into their own hands and inflict their own instant and violent punishment on an apprehended offender rather than letting justice take its course, then the rule of law and our system of criminal justice, which are the hallmarks of a civilised society, would collapse.”

Regardless of whether Mr Hussain and his brother went too far or not in this instance, and I think 30 and 39 months far too long, I still think the judge has completely missed the point ....... a 'civilised society' is where the citizens are confident that the law works to protect them and their families. Where the police turn out and capture criminals, and the courts will administer a form of justice that is seen to be fair by the victims.

That has gone in the UK, and a 'civilised society' has collapsed under a 'liberal', criminal rights orientated law and order system, which offers a revolving door justice system, in which the system is as liable to prosecute the victim as the criminal.

The 'brain damaged' criminal is now in police custody again, after being charged on suspicion of credit card fraud.

The judge in this case Judge Reddihough should take a moment to consider whether the 'damage' Mr Salem is said to have suffered was anything like as bad as the defence suggested, if he was able to apparently continue his criminal career immediately after Mr Husain was convicted.

Mr Hussain and his brother have appealed.

Another Foot In Another Bishops Mouth

Once the Church of England (CoE) gets going, it can't stop sticking its collective foot in its mouth.

Rowan Williams

Last year Rowan Williams suggested that elements of Sharia Law should be incorporated into UK law, and got slated into an apology. Now the Reverand Stephen Venner, the Church of England’s new Bishop to the Forces to the armed forces has had to apologise over comments he made in the Daily Telegraph about how the Taliban could be admired for their "conviction to their faith".

The Tiger Is Still Red In Tooth And Claw

The Chinese have stopped playing nice since the Olympics and President Clinton's stupidly short sighted declaration that 'Human Rights' should not be allowed to interfere with relations with China.

This report from the BBC's correspondent details how far from moving slowly towards democracy as the liberal left like to suggest, China is in fact retrenching communist hegemony's over both law and the state.

The Chief Justice, is Mr Wang Shengjun is a party apparatchik who has never been to law school. The slow (and many hoped irreversible) court and legal reform reforms, that had established some concept of the rule of law and primacy of the state constitution, have been cancelled at a stroke, by Mr Shengjun telling China's judiciary to reject the concept of independent courts.

Instead they have been told that they should consider Communist Party interests first, then the people's interests, and finally after all else, constitutional law.

The effects on China have not necessarily been the supine acceptance of this situation that maybe the Chinese Communists expected, with a certain degree of mass resistance

• On the island of Xiamen protests to stop a chemical plant being built near their homes;
• In Shanghai it was the threat of a new railway line that caused the protests;
• In Guangdong, a protest against a planned waste incinerator.

And in each case it was the middle class, those newly rich, those who had apparently benefited from the party's rule, who were taking to the streets. With little or no faith in the courts, the protesters have little choice but to take direct action, if they dare.

Don't let anyone tell you that China is 'like us' (unless their a North Korean), because they are not.

Goal Of The Season?

Wigan Athletic’s Maynor Figueroa scored what will likely be the goal of the season during Wigan’s 2-2 draw away to Stoke City on Saturday.

For comparison, here are David Beckhams two long range 'specials'.

And the 'famous' one!

Life On Mars? I'm Betting Yes

The evidence continues to mount that there is still organic life on Mars.

Whilst not definitive, each piece of evidence points at the possibility but as a group its becomes even stronger.

Recently, I blogged on Methane on Mars coming from one of two sources:

1. The first is geochemistry.
2. The second is biology.

Well evidence suggests that biology is still a strong possibility, with the news that Meteors are not cause of the methane.

As the study co-author Mark Sephton says. "As Sherlock Holmes said, eliminate all other factors and the one that remains must be the truth. The list of possible sources of methane gas is getting smaller and excitingly, extraterrestrial life still remains an option".

How I hope to be alive when the first life on another planet is found, and yet another set of planets have been found this week.

Hell TV Has Arrived .... In Saudi Arabia

Still on things you can't make up.

Hell TV Has Arrived

Saudi TV channel 'Awtan TV' has decided that its female presenters cause too much deviant thought amongst the red-blooded males of Arabia by showing their faces, so .............

 

Religion For Oddities, Foreigners and Minorities

Sometimes you can't make this stuff up.

Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has accused the government of treating religious faith as "an eccentricity, practised by oddities, foreigners and minorities".

This from the head of a church, in which a sexual minority is allowed to overturn 2,000 yrs of Christian teachings in order to accomodate their preferences, and effectively expel the silent majority ....... how odd is that?

Church Falls Apart Over US Gay Bishop Vote

This weekend the Anglicans took another step towards the breakup of their communion with the appointment of yet another US lesbian Bishop. I have been following this process with some interest and a lot of laughter over the last few years, and yet even I am still surprised at the willingness of this organisation to rip itself apart, just because a sexual minority group insist on changing the Christians beliefs to justify their sexual inclinations.

I mean, why can't they simply open their own church with their own interpretation of the Bible, or isn't that the point? Is it really just an attempt to take over an established church organisation from the inside? ....... a church traditionalist clergyman, Rev Kendall Harmon of South Carolina, told Associated Press: "This decision represents an intransigent embrace of a pattern of life Christians throughout history and the world have rejected as against biblical teaching". In other words, only the US Episcopalians and UK Anglicans in the whole Jewish, Christian (and Muslim) world, chose to interpret the Torah/Bible in this manner.

I just can't help thinking that the 'tail is wagging the dog', and that the Anglicans are allowing these 'sexual terrorists' to emotionally blackmail them into handing over the church and its establishment.

What are they arguing about?

Well, a small but vociferous gay group within the Anglican Communion claim that the Bible doesn't really condemn homosexuality. That in fact the words of

• Leviticus 18:22 "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; it is an abomination" or a bit later in
• Leviticus 20:13 "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads".

don't really mean what they appear to clearly say.

Although as I am an atheist, and what a supernatural being called Jehovah (or Odin for that matter) is said to believe about sexuality is at best a moot point to me, apparently the Church 'Liberals' have argued that these, and other Bible / Torah apparent references to homosexuality are not the strict prohibitions against homosexuality that they appear to be, but are in fact apparently just to stop Jews sleeping with Canaanites (who I assume were all homosexuals - no wonder they disappeared).

Another bunch argue that in some convoluted argument, that what it really means is that the verses 'in no way prohibit, nor do they even speak, to loving, caring sexual relationships between people of the same gender' ............ really? I must be looking at the words in a strange way i.e. not squinting, and then ignoring every one of them.

So they are ordaining homosexual clergy, against the wishes of the majority of the Communion in Africa and elsewhere who strongly disapprove.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, a man who appears totally out of his depth on this issue, has said that the move raised "very serious questions" for both the Episcopal Church in the US, and the Anglican Communion as a whole...... Hmm, ah well, if the C of E wants to let itself be hijacked and destroyed, that's their business, but it is funny that PC has so tied their hands, that the majority have to leave the church in splits, with the minority left in charge.

Benito's Brain

Recently I posted on the whereabouts of the remains of Adolf Hitler, and the demise of Stalin. So my attention was immediately drawn when in one of those strange coincidences that we all encounter, a story surfaced this week that Benito Mussolini's brain and other physical remains had been stolen for sale on the Internet.

Benito's Brain Gone Missing ....

With the initial price requested for the material at 15,000 euros ($22,000; £13,000), the listing, on EBay, was said to include images of a wooden container and ampoule's of blood. EBay, said that the listing was removed within hours.

So there you are, Hitlers bits could be anywhere (probably lost), Stalin's embalmed and buried in a wall, and Mussolini's parts were offered up on EBay, and Hirohitos got a state funeral.

Foxy Knoxy Court Verdicts

A story that has generated much coverage in the UK and elsewhere, is that of the murder of Meredith Kercher, and the guilty verdicts handed down by the Italian courts to Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito, who each face over 25 yrs imprisonment.

No doubt there will be much coverage of this story, so my interest is not in the case itself, but rather in the US reaction to a justice system that isn't theirs. I have even heard an American suggest that Americans could only get justice in the US.

All very sad, especially when if you look at the facts, the US often treats foreigners harsher than locals (including demanding that a UK hacker who has aspergers syndrome be transported to the US, to face up to 60 yrs ... yes 60 yrs i.e. 3 times the sentence that the Italian's have handed out to a US murderess), or demanding that people who have committed no crime in their homeland be deported to, or arrested in, the US to face 'justice'. e.g. We allow gambling web sites in the UK, but the US has had the CEO's of these legal sites be arrested.

I accept that in many countries there are causes for concern over the 'state run' legal systems, but Italy is not some third world dictatorship (well apart from the Mafia), and is even in the slow process of trying to prosecute its erratic leader Berlusconi (who is trying once again to change the law to avoid this) - his latest scam is to change the statute limits on some crimes to just 2 yrs, which oddly enough stops anyone prosecuting him ...... shockingly this also implies that he has something to hide from a period as recent as 2 yrs ago!

Anyway, my point is that for the US commentators to suggest that Ms Knox and her well connected Italian boyfriend didn't get a 'fair trial' or 'justice', is plainly ignorant or purely arrogant, but in either case inexcusable. The Italian system has the same flaws and check guards as any other (including the US - remember OJ Simpson?) and the various appeals will no doubt be exhausted.

Update: 03/10/2011 - If ever proof was needed that courts work outside of the US, then the fact that the Italian appeal process has just found her and her boyfriend not guilty (because of doubts over the forensic evidence), is it. That is a controversial decision according to many, in the US as well as Italy (the black  boy takes the rap, as one Italian commentator said), but evidence enough that Italian courts are not third world, and it will now be interesting to see if Ms Knox will flee to the US, and then refuse to come back if the Italian prosecutors appeal against the verdict?

My guess that is that she will refuse to return, and then the question of her guilt will be forever in the same storyline as the OJ Simpson verdict. She will also become a millionairess from the TV / Media and Movie deals she makes.


Where's The Justice For Meredith?  

Sadly the true victims of all this will be Meredith Kercher, who lies in a cold grave, with only her family to grieve over her, and 'Justice', which seems to have failed her and her family.

Who in the US cries over the injustice for her?

PPS: A straw poll at work (where this was the first topic discussed after the news broke), suggests that 4 out 5 people (and it was only 5 people asked), thought that Knox had a hand in the murder. Now that might be UK bias, but these aren't 'anti-american' lefties, so is possibly indicitive of the general feelings in the UK. 

15 Minutes Of Fame - TV Idiocy

Sticking to the Muslim world and their conspiracy theories (by moving from East Pakistan aka Bangladesh, to Pakistan) ....

Conspiracies Are Everywhere ...........

....where a lot of debate is being generated by the media and bloggers demonising the elected government, trying to convince their audiences of global conspiracies against Pakistan, led by the arch enemies, India and the United States, or insisting that the recent spate of suicide bombers around the country is being orchestrated by 'foreigners' (aka the CIA, MI6 or Mossad), rather than local militants.

Nothing odd about this in itself, as the whole Islamic world believes all of this crap (and indeed many other non Muslim conspiracy groups vie for attention world wide), but sadly for a country that is falling apart, nonsense such as this detracts from the dire problems that are actually fuelling the Taliban's support inside that country - the crumbling economy, joblessness, the rising cost of living, massive crime issues, and the complete lack of investment in health and education, or even the long-running insurgency in Balochistan province (which could break Pakistan apart).

So, why this blindness? Well it appears that the problem lies in the sheer number of media outlets in Pakistan. All apparently competing for a large, but often illiterate audience, by adopting 'shock jock' tactics, of ever wilder claims ......... a sad indication of the possible future of TV when anyone can make a programme (just look at 'reality TV' to see the Western route to the same destination).

Mein Gott, Ich Bin Ein Bangladeshi !

Yes, in Bangladesh, "Mein Kampf", Adolf Hitler's incoherent musings about a master race etc etc, are a big seller with the street sellers of Dhaka according to this BBC story.

 

The writer tries to find out why, but in typical PC fashion can't actually bring himself to admit the real reason, although they do force out the little line "because many bought the book to give it away as an Eid present." 

North African Dynasties

A few weeks ago I posted a comment on the trend towards new heredity dynasties being created around the world.

The Men Who Would Be Kings

This occurs when the 'democracy' didn't take, and is most obvious in the Muslim world, but the ex-communist countries such as North Korea have espoused this idea as well.

Ethnic Cleansing In Vineyards

Still in South Africa, another, but little remarked upon, outbreak of ethnic cleansing happened again last week. The violence was sufficient to cause the UN to condemn the attacks against Zimbabweans seeking work in South African vineyards, which it says have driven 3,000 people from their homes.

We Are Used To Seeing Kill The Boer Slogans

Getting Ready For The World Cup

South Africa is continuing to prepare for the World Cup ..... by setting out plans for special courts to quickly deal with crime committed during the 2010 World Cup. In a belated admission of the levels of crime in SA, the ministry of justice have issued a statement that says that "The experience from previous host countries has shown the influx of foreign nationals in World Cups also potentially increases criminal activities"..... no shit sherlock!

Quite laughably, they hope that the survivors of a South African robbery will be in a condition to testify before they are air ambulanced home. I say laughably, because South African crimes are noteworthy for both their number and extreme violence. If you are left alive and undamaged after the robbery, count yourself as lucky.

The South African government hopes that this fast-track system, will enable visitors to give evidence while still in the country, and therefore act as a deterrent. In fact it may just act as a spur to leave no witnesses, have they thought of that?

Looks like the bullet proof vests may prove useful after all!

Update: Fairs fair, it passed off peacefully enough. The criminal gangs were largely kept away from the visiting football fans, and there were none of the predicted crime waves and killings. Well done South Africa.

Indian Holiday Brides

Women's rights activist Daljit Kaur has claimed that "There are 15,000 to 20,000 abandoned brides in India," where its apparently common for Asian men from the UK, Canada and the US to 'marry' desperate Indian women while 'on holiday', only to then abandon them in India when they go back to the West.

Abandoned Brides A Scandal

What was a particularly sad about this story was the fact that despite being outlawed since 1961, in many cases a dowry had been demanded by these 'Western Indians', which just adds insult to injury. Apparently a British Indian groom can command a dowry of up to £20,000 in the Punjab.

It would be nice to think that the British government would help track down and financially punish these cruel and avaricious men, but given the fact that they are not white men, it's just not PC to suggest that there is anything morally wrong in this behaviour, which can only be classed as 'cultural' and therefore beyond reproach.

In fact despite the evidence of abuse, the UK government treats the men as 'victims' with claims that the British government's 'Forced Marriages Unit' has been dealing with a rising number of forced marriage cases involving British men.

However Indian politicians such as Balwant Ramoowalia, of the Lok Bhalai party in Punjab, are not restrained by PC bullshit, and believe that both India and Britain should clamp down on this odious practice. He said: "If there is any misconduct, cheating or fraud, the husband should be sent back to India. There should be a provision that maintenance should be given to the girl till the case is final."

The World From AyeRan (Pronounced 'I Ran')

Any regime that believes in the supernatural for guidance eventually goes mad ........... the Mullahs of Iran are nothing if not brutal, so why is anyone surprised when claims are made that they have stolen the Nobel Peace Prize medal of Iranian human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi.

Shirin Ebadi Nobel Prize 2003 - Stolen By Mullahs

Ms Ebadi also told the Associated Press that her French Legion d'Honneur award, and a ring given by the German association of journalists were also taken. Mrs Ebadi is very wisely out of the country at the moment, or it may not have been just her money and medal that were stolen ....... reports suggest that her husband has been given a state sanctioned beating in lieu of his wife getting tortured to death.

Talking of Iranians fleeing persecution, brings me to this story about a Non-Muslim Iranian pleading for asylum in "European" Turkey ...... where it turns out that in another example of "European Norms", the Turks regularly refuse asylum to Iranians, often forcing them back over the border to almost certain arrest, torture and possible death.

This time it was Negar Azizmoradi, who is the leader of the Raelian movement in Iran, and who by chance was able to get enough publicity, that she couldn't just be quietly shipped back to a death camp in Iran. There is no denying that the Raelians are as nutty as they come, but are non violent and essentially harmless, however with their libertarian attitude to sex, and their belief that humans were created by extra-terrestrials (see scientologists with their belief in thetans, and Xenu), Raelians are inevitably risking harsh treatment by the Mullahs.

The crime of apostasy - rejecting religious faith i.e. essentially not being a Muslim - carries the death penalty there, and supporters of Negar Azizmoradi say that is what will happen to her if the Turkish government sends her back to Iran.

The fact that this is an 'issue' to the Turks proves once again that Islamic Turkey is not naturally "European" by temperament or inclination, and in fact has more in common with Iran than Sweden.

Has The Gadfather Got Religion?

This blogs favourite life time dictator and African "Big Man", Col Muammar Gaddafi aka "The Gadfather" was in Rome (again) with his female body guards for a UN food conference. He then asked for 500 'beautiful Italian girls' to be supplied for a gala evening. He also requested that they 'were aged between 18 and 35 years old, did not wear mini skirts or plunging necklines' - but high heels 'were OK'

The girls, a mixture of 'blondes, brunettes and black-haired beauties', were dressed in heels and three-quarter length coats in the Roman winter (like a British summer, but warmer) were taken to the Libyan Ambassador's residence in the city. Some were turned away after being told they were inappropriately dressed ... or they were too short.

Disgruntled Roman Party Girls Leaving The Party

So far the story is typical Gadaffi but, and I can hardly credit this bit, he then proceeded to try to convert them to Islam! Yes, according to many reports (so I have to believe it), he lectured the girls on the superiority of Islam and said they should all convert.

He also gave a talk on the Koran and gave all the girls a copy as a gift, as well as a signed version of his 1975 (when he wasn't so 'Islamic') Green Book on democracy and political philosophy.

Actually, now I think on it, this is typical "Gadfather" ....... keep on truckin Muammar

African Big Man Architecture

Remember the copy of the St Peters Basilica that African President (aka Life Dictator) Felix Houphouet-Boigny had built (at a cost of $300m) in the Ivory Coast capital of Yamousoukro?

Basilica of Our Lady of Peace Church

 

Actually the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace Church isn't a 'copy' of the St Peters, but is very similar and actually the worlds biggest Church ....

UN Irony? Egyptian Infamy

Proving once again that Muslims and the UN don't do irony, Egypt, the land of the imprisoned blogger and non bastion of free speech, has now got its own Internet domain name ......

Web Freedom

 

...... which was announced at a UN sponsored the OpenNet Initiative (ONI) during a session at the Internet Governance Forum held in Egypt.

Another Day, Another Stoning

Once again the Mullahs have shown the world what "Sharia" really means, with reports that a 20-year-old woman divorcee who was convicted of committing adultery in Somalia, has been stoned to death by Islamists in front of a crowd of about 200 people. We have to assume that the Koranic required 'four witnesses' were found (or is that only when a woman's raped?).

It is totally beyond me how any rational people can continue to defend this 'religion' ...... its backward looking and beyond the norms of the civilised world. Oh, the 'boyfriend'? He was given a public flogging, but wasn't killed. This is the fourth reported stoning in Somalia this year (and to be fair it has included a man, and the pregnant woman has been spared the stoning until after she gives birth).

We move ever closer to this being accepted as of equal cultural value to western liberal values.

Arabs Yearn To Get To West

On this blog we have discussed before the hypocrisy of Arabs chanting for the deaths of Americans and Britons, while at the same time queuing for visa's to get into Europe or America. They see no irony in claiming that Islam is perfect while trying to move to "Crusader lands" because there's more freedom, opportunity etc etc

Of course all might not have been too bad if they actually appreciated the freedoms, opportunities etc etc, and supported the pluralistic, tolerant democracies that granted them this chance to escape the Islamic world, but no, as soon as they get here and find that they actually have to start at the bottom and work, they start marching on the streets and chanting "Death to America, and Death to Britain" again.

Given long enough, they could easily turn Europe into the same state as the Islamic world, where people yearn for freedom and opportunity, but there will be nowhere free left.

In this video from Fort Lauderdale in the US, an 'american' Arab Girl shouts out "You need a Big Oven!" to a Jewish group ..... is this what we want for our streets?

Africans Demand Slavery Apology From Africans

Yes, for the first time since the first begging bowl was shook in western faces fifty years ago, the Africans are finally looking at each other and asking the question "What was your great grand daddy's role in slavery?"

African Muslims And Arabs Were The Main Slavers ...

The answer is of course very uncomfortable for those tribes where they were the slavers, or those where their own rulers sold them into slavery. It's one of those black myths, that it was only the whites who were the slavers, and that slavery was only carried out on blacks by non-blacks, or even that it never happened before it happened to them.

I have posted before on the fallacy of these beliefs, and the role that PC idiots have in propagating them. So its good to finally see Africans facing up to the reality of what really went on.

I will take this chance to point out again that "Whites enslaved other whites in Europe for centuries before the first black was brought to the Western hemisphere. Asians enslaved Europeans. Asians enslaved other Asians. Africans enslaved other Africans, and indeed even today in North Africa, blacks continue to enslave blacks".- Thomas Sowell, a black sociologist, author and columnist

Spider Man Arrested (Daily Bugle)

"Yesterday, the so called 'webbed wonder' (although we prefer masked menace ..... have you seen the damage his fights cause to our fine city?) was finally brought to justice this week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

He was apparently stocking up on spider venom when he was caught with at least 1,000 live spiders in his luggage, and faces up to a year in prison and a maximum fine of £1.4m ($2.3m). We trust that this will finally bring an end to his reign of mayhem in New York city. Byline: Jonah Jameson Daily Bugle New York"

Or so the story should have read in a more marvelous world.

For the real more mundane story, go here.

Turkeys Little Tricks

Turkey has long claimed to be "European" and that its demands to be admitted into the European Union would not be a risk to the values it represents.

An Accident Of History

However as this blog has often noted, the Turks rarely if ever meet the European norms in many areas, from freedom of conscience, speech or religion, to law and order. Today came the news that Omar al-Bashir the President of Sudan, and a man who has been indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC), is to visit Turkey, with no risk of arrest.

As discussed on an earlier post, many in "The Arab League" (yes them again) , are signatories to the ICC rules (but ignore it in all respects), and so are all the members of the EU, but oddly for a country that claims to be "European", Turkey isn't.

Just another little item on the growing list of Turkeys failure to get ready for "European Union" membership.

Care Bears Kashmiri Style

Good News story about animal numbers recovery in Kashmir.

Police in Indian administered Kashmir have reported that two Islamic militants were killed by a Black bear in a cave that they had chosen as a base to launch an attack from. Two other militants are believed to have escaped, but one of them is believed to be badly wounded, after the attack in Kulgam district, south of Srinagar.

Although they were armed to the teeth, the bear apparently got the jump on the terrorists and won ..... way to go bear!

Army Rapist Of Guinea

This report on the government sanctioned raping in the street of women pro-democracy protesters in Guinea, is possibly the most disturbing account of how close most African societies are to tribal barbarism. This despite a veneer of 50 yrs of 'independence' and self rule.

I won't attempt to paraphrase the women's accounts of the attacks, which are harrowing in the extreme, but sadly these sorts of event occur with depressing regularity in Sub Saharan Africa.

Western politicians barely remark on it.

Whats the Link?

Sad news from the US and Afghanistan this week where unarmed British and American soldiers were attacked by gunmen and large numbers were killed.

In the US an Army Major has opened fire on fellow soldiers at the Fort Hood military base in Texas, killing at least 13 people and injuring up to 30. The US major, Nidal Malik Hasan is US born and he was described in reports as a devout Muslim who attended prayers regularly.

In Afghanistan, five unarmed British soldiers who were training Afghan police were killed when one of policemen named as 'Gulbuddin' turned his guns on them, and then escaped. He is said by tribal sources to have links with the Taliban. He is believed to have escaped to them, where he has allegedly been welcomed.

If a religion says that you can get to paradise by killing non believers, even if they are unarmed, then these sorts of murders can happen anytime, and anywhere, whenever a follower of that religion feels like it and has opportunity ........

Imagine The Fuss If .....

A play in which Jesus is portrayed as a Transsexual women has caused a small group of Christians to stand outside and picket the Tron theatre in Glasgow. The play, which is part of the Glasgay! arts festival, a celebration of Scotland's gay, bi-sexual and transsexual culture (err, sounds great?).

It almost certainly would have passed by unnoticed by anyone (and very possibly with an audience of less than a couple of dozen), but no doubt the publicity will swell the attention it receives.

Somewhat disengenuously the Glasgay! producer Steven Thomson said that "This work is not intended to incite or offend anyone of any belief system. However, we respect your right to disagree with that opinion." and festival organisers described the protester placards as possibly inciting homophobia.

Somewhat more interestingly Pastor Jack Bell, of the Zion Baptist Church in Glasgow, who took part in the protest, said: "If this play had treated the prophet Mohammed in the same way there would have been a strong reaction from the Islamic community, but that just wouldn't happen."

As that very thought must have occurred to many of us, I got to wondering why the Muslim community, who occasionally pretend that as Jesus is a prophet of their religion, then their violent protests in the name of Islam are really defending Christians as well, weren't out supporting these Christian protesters.

They weren't of course, as their religion is centred solely on Mohmmed these days.

Of course the Muslims aren't alone in using violence to suppress 'Free Speech'. The Sikhs for example used violent protest to suppress a play about sex abuse and murder in a Sikh temple. Similarly the Mohmmed cartoon row was a very violent attempt to stop Western Freedom of Speech.

As Liberal Democrat MP Evan Harris, an honorary member of the National Secular Society said at the time of the Sikh protests "We shouldn't allow self-appointed religious representatives to restrict the freedom of speech."

Oddly, a play about Muslim girls being forced in to prostitution to serve in Mujra (courtesan) clubs, was held in the same theatre as the Sikh play was stopped in, with no Muslim protests ..... as our American friends like to say "Go figure".

One Rule For Us, One For The Others

This man is Amr Mussa (Moussa) the Secretary of the Arab League, who was giving a press conference in London after parliamentarians (presumably the Labour Ministers who set a policy of mass immigration as well as the smoking ban?) met with Arab Businessmen (aka heredity Arab Princes, spending the money they take from selling their countries oil), in order to beg for funds to prop up the UK.

But that's another story ...... my interest is that we have a smoking ban in public places, but it appears that only applies to me or you. Arab "Businessmen" are apparently allowed to just light and smoke without a Parliamentarian comment.

What a bunch of hypocrites our Members of Parliament are .....

UK Terrorism Fuelled By Mass Immigration

As if we aren't all too aware of this fact (although the PC brigade find it an inconvenient truth) there are huge links between the Pakistanis in Britain, and those in living in Pakistan and Afghanistan who are attacking British soldiers, as well as bombing Pakistan itself.

I have little sympathy for Pakistan who nurtured these barbarians to attack Hindu's, Infidels and 'Non Believers', and now found that they themselves are now the victims. But for the rest of their victims I am sorry, and a new US report has highlighted what a lifeline our welfare system offers Pakistan's Taliban (money, intelligence, recruits and R&R) by confirming once again that "a physical and ideological terrorism pipeline" exists between the two countries.

Not exactly a new conclusion as even Gordon "blinkers" Brown agreed with the idea last year.

The centre-right think tank The Heritage Foundation, argues that "Pakistan is central" to terrorist plots in Britain, and that more than a quarter of those convicted of terrorism in the UK trained or tried to train in Pakistan or Afghanistan. The data, the authors stated, shows that out of the 87 individuals convicted of terrorism in Britain, 21 had entered Britain illegally or under false pretences.

Our borders remain as open as ever and this is because a deliberate policy of forced 'multiculturalism' was practiced by the Labour Government, according to Andrew Neather, a former adviser to Tony Blair, Jack Straw and David Blunkett.

He said Labour's relaxation of controls was a deliberate plan to "open up the UK to mass migration", but that ministers were nervous and reluctant to discuss such a move publicly for fear it would alienate its "core working class vote"...... a bit late for that, as they are increasingly voting BNP now. What future social damage this will result in, no one knows, but its likely to involve violence at some stage.

Soft Sentences Deter No One

Neil Strachan, attempted to rape an 18-month-old boy, while 38-year-old James Rennie sexually assaulted a three-month-old..... they were both caught, tried, found guilty, and have been given what passes for a 'life' sentence in this PC ridden land.

By that I mean that these 'life' sentences, only equate to Strachan getting a minimum of 16 years in prison, while Rennie was ordered to serve at least 13 years. What is the point of that and why can't they be given a whole of life sentence? After all we gave up hanging in favour of whole life sentences ... or that's what we thought.

The poisoner Frederick Seddon being sentenced to death in 1912 ... only known UK death sentencing photo.

We have gone stark staring raving mad. These men are the scum of the scum, the lowest of the low, and any society would not worry about hanging them, but if not that, then certainly we should prevent them ever walking the streets again. Instead there is the possibility that, after some arsewipe of a psychiatrist has pronounced them 'cured', they will probably both be out again in less than 15 years.

In case you may be thinking that "everyone should be given a chance to change" ....well HIV positive Strachan, has already served a three-year prison sentence in 1997 for abusing a boy. While Rennie was the chief executive of LGBT Youth Scotland, an organisation which offers advice to young gay and lesbian people......

They both had their chances long ago.

Suicidal Puppy Love?

I was sent this picture, which just goes to illustrate that there is bravery, and then there's BRAVERY! 

Suicidal Puppy Love?

 

 

 

No further words needed really .... have a good week.

Pope Makes His Move On Church Of England

It just had to happen, after decades of drifting in to a creed less state, the Church Of England has been given a real jolt, by the sudden decision of the Pope to offer conservative Anglicans a safe theological haven within the Roman Catholic Church.

The offer is of a chance to join the Roman Catholic Church as full members, but hang on to many of their Anglican traditions and practices - and indeed preserve much of their "Anglican identity". Now, Anglicans have converted to Catholicism on a case by case basis for centuries, but now a special section of the Catholic church will mean essentially they can walk across (married or not) en masse.

It's predicted that between 600 and 1500 Anglican clergy will make the move, either immediately or in the next year or so.

As one of those likely to leave, Father Geoffrey Kirk said. "The Church of England is, in the view of many of us, ceasing to be the church of Jesus Christ and becoming the church of political correctness, not only the ordination of women to the priesthood and the episcopate - to which we object - but also in many attitudes to human sexuality from divorce and remarriage, to homosexuality."

So what does this all mean for my favourite shambolic religious establishment?

Well it could mean the end of the civil war inside the C of E, with either the conservative wing much weakened or disappearing completely. Good news you would have thought for the Protestant "reforming" wing of the C of E who will feel less pressure over issues they espouse, such as homosexual and women clerics (including Bishops and above), as well as interpretation of the theology.

But maybe not.

The Church of England has never been a wholly Protestant organisation (because of historical reasons over its formation) and traditionally has housed both a conservative 'catholic' and more radical 'protestant' wing. Until the last few decades, these two schools of faith balanced and centered the church, and led to a middle theological course being steered.

But recently the rudder has been seized by the feminists and others, and the C of E has set off in to uncharted theological waters. This latest move, is also likely to permanently break the historical ties with the Roman Catholic church, and leave the C of E a much more "Protestant" organisation.

It would be very easy for this new "Protestant" church to drift ever more in to the new theology of PC'ism and indeed become "the church of political correctness."

Whatever happens, its sure to be funny, and I for one will be watching the ensuing fun and games with undisguised glee.

No Appeal, Old Nazi

Ever since I blogged on the hunt for the last of the Nazi's and got an unusually interesting response, I have felt somewhat obliged to follow the fortunes of the men listed.

So I was interest to read in the national free newspaper (the Metro) that one of the men and number 9 on the most wanted list. Karoly (Charles) Zentai (Age 87) had given himself up to the Australian authorities

Zentai is alleged to have participated in manhunts, persecution, and murder of Jews in Budapest in 1944. Hungary has issued an international arrest warrant against him and has asked for his extradition from Australia.

World Cup 2010: Bullet Proof Footie Shirts

In preparation for the Football World Cup in South Africa ....

South African Township

..... teams are taking in to account the war zone levels of murder and mayhem that are a feature of that countries lifestyle.

Question Time, Is Grilling Time!

There has been much furore in the UK because a far right politician, Nick Griffin, was allowed on a TV show to 'air his opinions on tropical matters' as the show styles itself.

In fact the whole program was an attack on the right winger (who, lets not put to fine a point on it, is a 'holocaust denier' and Klu Klux Clan supporter, and therefore somewhat ridiculous), and completely skewed into just a personal attack on the leader of the BNP. This what was not the normal format of the show, and thus wasn't an ordinary edition of the show, which would have featured questions on the 'mail strike', the 'economy', or even god forbid, the fact that under pressure of mass immigration, the population of the UK is due to rise to 71 million!

And therein lies the rub, because as this blog has discussed already, its the Labour Party has presided over the complete collapse of immigration controls in the UK, and in particular, in the rise of Muslim and African immigration, which has caused mass disquiet in the UK, and led to the rise in BNP votes in 'traditional white working class' areas i.e. traditional labour voters.

Not once did any of the 'mainstream' politicians admit that this rise in BNP support came solely because they have all failed to restrict immigration, or even discuss the matter openly with the British public.

"Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" .... and the UK is set for social problems for decades as a result of the rise in immigrant numbers, and thus the anti immigration parties will continue to garner large measures of support from the electorate.

Ironically, the mass attacks on Griffin, are being led by a Kenyan born, South African educated left wing politician, and appear to have backfired and led to a rise in support for the anti-immigration stance of the BNP, according to news reports.

Roman Justice?

The arrest of an admitted child abuser is normally a reason to be be pleased that the judicial system works occasionally.

 

However when the admitted child abuser is one Roman Polanski ahh, then the high and mighty think it's disgraceful that one of theirs is being held in prison.

No Free Lunches In Cuba

Last year I commented on the slow but inevitable changes that face Cuba, one of the last of the 'communist' states, now that Fidel Castro is reaching the end. Like all these pseudo socialist states (Vietnam, China, Laos, and North Korea), Cuba has long been chasing the US dollar, in the Cubans case, via "Tourism", in which visitors must use Yankee dollars to pay for everything.

However, as I predicted, the collapse of the system (prompted by the economic collapse worldwide) of supports that gave the majority of Cubans free meals at state-run workplace canteens has been partially cancelled, with the whole system, whereby the state provides about 3.5 million free lunches a day, expected to be ended sometime this year.

Now, as has been found in other states where the state paid for absolute obedience with a certain amount of welfare, notably East Germany, once this support ceases, so does support for the system. However the Cubans have little choice as they are no longer being subsidised by the Soviet Empire.

Perhaps as telling, and maybe a lesson for the leftwings of theWest who are still wedded to State intervention and control, was what President Raul Castro said about subsidies which was that they "are ineffective or, even worse, make some feel that they don't need to work". Read the universal welfare benefit, system for 'subsidies' and you are hitting one of the reasons why, large swathes of our communities, prefer to never work rather than educate and work.