My apologies

to readers and fellow posters for my absence. I had a very busy period and then I was ill. I am afraid I am not up to posting or dealing with emails at the moment.

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124 Responses to My apologies

  1. PJF says:

    Get well soon, Natalie.
    .

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  2. Anonymous says:

    Rottweiler Puppy on BBC finding Brazil’s answer to Galloway to keep the pot fermenting.

    BBC and Marxists: Flogging A Dead … Um … Story

    http://rottweilerpuppy.blogspot.com/2005/07/bbc-and-marxists-flogging-dead-um.html

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  3. Miam says:

    USSNeverdock highlights the dangers of BBC bias & mentions biased-bbc:

    http://ussneverdock.blogspot.com/

       0 likes

  4. Pete_London says:

    Via LGF:

    Authorities Arrest Men With NYC Maps, Video

    Five Egyptians have been arrested in New Jersey with maps of the New York subway system

    http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=978963&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

    Islamic UN Members Disrupt Call to Condemn Suicide Bombing

    At a meeting of the UN Sub-Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, the International Humanist and Ethical Union tried to call for a condemnation of suicide bombing—but their presentation was disrupted by Islamic members of the Sub-Commission who objected to the speech as “an attack on Islam:”

    http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/007381.php

    For some reason the BBC, which lately has been intent on informing us of every dull, banal aspect muslims and their lives doesn’t seem to have anything up about either of these.

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  5. Susan says:

    Get well soon Natalie. I did wonder where you’d gotten to.

    Folks, where’s your manners? Please wish Natalie better health soon.

       0 likes

  6. richard says:

    natalie. good health! and get your strength back quickly.

       0 likes

  7. Pete_London says:

    Whoops I did meant to wish Natalie all the best (honest!) All the best and see you soon.

       0 likes

  8. john b says:

    Get well soon, Natalie.

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  9. anon says:

    In saying that Andrew’s been in cracking form in no way mitigates my wish that Natalie returns to the Tardis, I mean healthy bliss, as soon as possible.

       0 likes

  10. Basil W says:

    Am I the only one who finds Judy Swallow a Bush-hater? Last night she introduced a piece about Ukrainian politics by gratuitously jeering at Bush for promoting Ukrainian democracy. Then she read the piece which had absolutely nothing in it about Bush since it concerned only a personal spat between the President and the Prime Minister. Bush and the US were never mentioned so why does she need to whack Bush in the intro. I fear it is a nervous tic she has.
    BW

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  11. David Farrer says:

    Best wishes Natalie.

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  12. Otis says:

    Wishing you a speedy recovery Natalie.

    While I’m writing … O/T:

    On the 6o/c news, BBC1, a piece on how difficult the US Army is finding recruitment these days, with the situation in Iraq. Clip of Fallujah assualt, reporter saying how images of battle and news of casualties are putting off potential recruits.

    No mention of the role of the media, in delivering that (unbalanced) view of the war.

       1 likes

  13. will says:

    Or Otis, the recruits being put off by realising that failing to act like a social worker, or not carrying out a H&S evaluation whilst their life is threatened, could land them in the brig.

       1 likes

  14. will says:

    PS Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Natalie

       1 likes

  15. JohninLondon says:

    Best wishes, Natalie

       1 likes

  16. Allan@Aberdeen says:

    A quick recovery is needed as there’s so much to get after.

    The recent events with the head of HMG could be summarised as:
    Tony woke up in the middle of the night. Cherie told him that he was only having a bad dream and he should roll over and go back to sleep again.

    Doesn’t Cherie remind you of Hillary?

       1 likes

  17. dan says:

    Re Otis’s post on US military recruiting.
    Clive Myrie finished his piece by saying (ish) “there is talk of the draft. But you won’t hear it from President Bush.”
    So why mention it, Myrie, if you are only hearing it from your fellow bar room hacks?

       1 likes

  18. Susan says:

    Allan,

    Doesn’t Cherie remind you of Hillary?

    Superficially, yes. But Hillary’s much more ruthless than Cherie, I would bet. Just a hunch.

       1 likes

  19. Denise W says:

    Natalie, I hope you feel better soon. We miss you!

    Allan

    I think Cherie tries to be like Hillary.

    Susan

    I think Hillary is probably more ruthless also but Cherie might not be far behind her.

       1 likes

  20. Jim Miller says:

    Natalie – I hope that you get well soon.

    It isn’t practical to send flowers, so I will pass on this joke (which cheered up Meryl Yourish when she was ill):

    A Martian had been observing the United States for some time and had learned to read the language. He thought that he was beginning to understand American culture. He decided to test his knowledge by landing near a small town at night and interacting with some of the people there.

    He came into the town and the first thing he saw was a traffic light. The light turned green and flashed “Go”. The Martian went over to the light and gave it a hug. It turned red and flashed “Stop”. The Martian backed away and said, sadly, “American women are so fickle.”

    Cheers. (And feel free to make a British adaption of the joke — if by some chance you haven’t already.)

    Now back to saying a critical thing or two about Jonathan Glover of Kings College.

       1 likes

  21. Angie Schultz says:

    Sorry to hear you’ve been ill, Natalie. I’ve missed your blog. Hope you’re feeling better soon.

       1 likes

  22. Teddy Bear says:

    Natalie, I wish you as speedy a recovery as I wish the BBC their demise. This will make you superwoman.

       1 likes

  23. Fran says:

    Natalie

    Sorry to hear you’ve been poorly – rest up and come back soon.

       1 likes

  24. Wilkolo says:

    What are the chances of the BBC failing to report the extraordinary comments of Mohammad Naseem as reported in the Telegraph, FT and Guardian et al

    http://news.ft.com/cms/s/e63828c0-ff04-11d9-94b4-00000e2511c8.html

       1 likes

  25. Neil says:

    Headline news at the moment: “Nine more held by terror police”

    Shouldn’t this be anti-terrorist police?

       1 likes

  26. Bob Coates says:

    O/T ‘Muslim MP calls on Birmingham mosque chief to quit’. This cd be the 1st positive news in the current suicide terrorism yet. Even the BBC is covering it!

       1 likes

  27. DumbJon says:

    First up, best wishes for a full recovery to Natalie.

    Now, to biz: the Beeb’s up to it’s old tricks again:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/uk/4723339.stm

    The opening line says that ‘The number of attacks on Asians has risen significantly since the London bombings, police and Muslim groups say. ‘ – it’s only when you read on that you realise that not only is the only direct quote from Les Flicks an anodyne comment about reacting to crimes of violence, but that ‘Islamic Human Rights Commission chairman Massoud Shadjareh is monitoring the number attacks on Asian people not reported to the police’ – in other words, these ‘new’ attacks are specifically not supported by Police evidence.

    Apparenty, Al-BBC judged that ‘Extremists Islamic Groups Claim Rise In Islamophobic Attacks’ wouldn’t make such a good headline.

       1 likes

  28. Pete_London says:

    5 Live was a pleasure this morning. John O’Connor, ex Head of the Flying Squad put Victoria Derbyshire firmly in her box over muslims and their attitude to terrorism. She coughed and spluttered that prominent muslims have condemned the attacks. O’Connor retorted by telling her that we’ve heard nothing but weasel words, followed by a ‘but’ and condemnation of Bush and Blair as terrorists. Great stuff. We know now where the decent coppers have gone.

       1 likes

  29. Rob Read Reader says:

    while Al Beeb lines up the apologists, ABC News has the facts

    http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/LondonBlasts/story?id=979905

       1 likes

  30. Simon says:

    Anyone hear the ‘We are quite selective. We do tend to censor what we put on air’ quote from a BBC reporter at 10.14 last night (Wednesday 27th) on the Brian Hayes show on Radio 5? Last night’s show isn’t on Listen Again yet (12.30pm Thurs). Tuesday night’s show is still there.

       1 likes

  31. Miam says:

    Pete_London. John O’Connor was indeed a pleasure to listen to – a ‘decent’, articulate (ex)copper.

    DumbJohn – also from the “Hate crimes ‘rise after UK bombs'” article you linked to.

    “The police have gone to great lengths to stress those suspected of involvement in the bombings are not from any single ethnic group.”

    This has been attributed to the Police by the BBC but note that no exact quote is provided or referenced to any particular source.

    This is a stupid denial (on a par with Chairman Dr Mohammed Naseem of the Birmingham Central Mosque is wrong and blatantly untrue from all we know so far. The police may be mixing up & misunderstanding what “ethnicity” is. From Wikipaedia:

    “An ethnic group is a group of people who identify with one another, or are so identified by others, on the basis of a boundary that distinguishes them from other groups. This boundary may take any of a number of forms — racial, cultural, linguistic, economic, religious, political — and may be more or less porous.

    and

    “While ethnicity and race are related concepts, the concept of ethnicity is rooted in the idea of societal groups, marked especially by shared nationality, tribal afilliation, religious faith, shared language, or cultural and traditional origins and backgrounds, whereas race is rooted in the idea of biological classification of homo sapiens to subspecies according to morphological features such as skin color or facial characteristics.

    Did I miss something? Are the coppers are rounding up Christians, Sikh, Buddhists and Jews at the moment?

    A more accurate statement would be:

    “The police have gone to great lengths to stress those suspected of involvement in the bombings are not from any single racial group.”

    Not one race, but one religion. Islam.

       1 likes

  32. jester says:

    Subjet: L.A.R.K. Program

    A person wrote a letter to the White House complaining about the
    treatment of a captive taken during the Afghanistan war. Below is
    a copy of the response.

    The White House
    1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, D.C.

    Dear Concerned Citizen

    Thank you for your recent letter criticizing our treatment of the
    Taliban and Al Qaeda detainees currently held at Guantanamo Bay,
    Cuba.
    The administration takes these matters seriously, and your opinion
    was heard loud and clear here in Washington. You’ll be pleased to
    learn that, thanks to the concerns of citizens like you, we are creating
    the Terrorist Retraining Program, to be called the “Liberals Accept
    Responsibility for Killers” program, or LARK for short. In accordance
    with the guidelines of this new program, we have decided to place
    one terrorist under your personal care.
    Your detainee has been selected and scheduled for transportation to
    your residence next Monday. Ali Mohammed Ahmed bin Mahmud is to be
    cared for ursuant to the standards you personally demanded in your letter of admonishment. We will conduct weekly inspections to ensure that your standards of care for Ahmed are commensurate with those ou so strongly recommended in your letter.
    Although Ahmed is sociopathic and extremely violent, we hope that
    your sensitivity to what you described as his “attitudinal problem” will help him overcome this character flaw. Perhaps you are correct in describing these problems as mere cultural differences.
    Your adopted terrorist is extremely proficient in hand-to-hand combat
    and can extinguish human life with such simple items as a pencil or nail clippers. He is also expert at making a wide variety of xplosive
    devices from common household products, so you may wish to keep
    those items locked up, unless you feel that this might offend him.
    Ahmed will not wish to interact with your wife or daughters since
    he views females as a subhuman form of property. This is a particularly
    sensitive subject for him. He has been known to show violent tendencies
    around women who fail to comply ith the dress code that he considers
    appropriate, but I’m sure that over time they will come to enjoy the anonymity offered by the bhurka. just remind them that it is
    all part of respecting his culture and his religious beliefs.
    Thanks again for your letter. We truly appreciate it when folks
    like you inform us of the proper way to do our job. Take good care of
    Ahmed
    and good luck!
    Cordially,

    Don Rumsfeld

       1 likes

  33. Miam says:

    Dumjon – also from your link:

    “UK Islamic Human Rights Commission”??
    Are they serious? A contradiction in terms surely?

    “Muslim Safety Forum”
    They must be kidding! Gotta admire the marketing. The “we are the victims” mentality knows no bounds. Works on the Beeb though who are suckers for any ethnic group with a ‘hard done by’ storyline, and give plenty of airtime to their spokesmen.

    I’d suggest, based on deaths over the last few weeks as a result of the bombings that maybe we need a ‘Safety Forum’ for the rest of us poor plebs who happen not to be to be islamic nutters.

       1 likes

  34. Simon says:

    I’ve just posted

    ‘Anyone hear the ‘We are quite selective. We do tend to censor what we put on air’ quote from a BBC reporter at 10.14 last night (Wednesday 27th) on the Brian Hayes show on Radio 5? Last night’s show isn’t on Listen Again yet (12.30pm Thurs). Tuesday night’s show is still there.’

    The site says it is Tuesday night’s show on the Listen Again feature, but it is last Friday’s. I want to hear that quote again, as it was made in reference to reporting of a Mosque leaders words. I’ve phoned the BBC, but they haven’t rung back as promised.

       1 likes

  35. Simon says:

    The BBC did ring back.

    Check out the Listen Again feature for the Anita Anand show on Radio 5 from last night, hosted by Brian Hayes. 9 minutes 45 seconds in is the censorship quote.

       1 likes

  36. Rob says:

    “UK Islamic Human Rights Commission”??

    Are they serious? A contradiction in terms surely?

    Where do you start with this one? Appart from “Human Rights” being universal to all “Humans” not just “Islamic Humans”, there’s also the “UK” aspect.

    In addition to that, anybody basing their life on a book that calls for the death sentance for adultary (but only for women), really is missing the point of “Human Rights”.

    I think Mark Stein once pointed out the problems with this oxymoronic group.

       1 likes

  37. john b says:

    Rob – I assume you’re equally opposed to this group. Human rights apply to all humans, not just Christian humans – and anyone who bases their life on a book that calls for the death penalty for a woman who gets raped in a town really is missing the point of ‘human rights’.

       1 likes

  38. dan says:

    The Birmingham grand mufti –

    “He said that Muslims “all over the world have never heard of an organisation called al-Qa’eda”.”

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/07/28/nas28.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/07/28/ixnewstop.html

    Either he got that idea from the BBC, or visa versa.

    The rubbish that this man spouts shows the harm that the BBC et al do by mocking the “war on terror”.

    His attitude also shows how pleading the victim has always worked in the past. Laban Tall recently posted a submission to the inquiry into the Bradford riots. The submission by the former head of race relations at Bradford Council stated that the Muslim leaders were never contradicted when they attended meetings with council leaders. They were allowed to leave the meeting thinking their demands would be met, when the council actually considered them impractical.

       1 likes

  39. Rob says:

    John B

    “Rob – I assume you’re equally opposed to this group. Human rights apply to all humans, not just Christian humans – and anyone who bases their life on a book that calls for the death penalty for a woman who gets raped in a town really is missing the point of ‘human rights’.”

    I think you’ll find that “this group” is actually opposed to “Christian Persecution”. If you read my post, I’m actually speaking out against Human Rights abuses. Not for them.

    Whereas the “UK Islamic Human Rights Commission” only seems concerned when a Mulsim’s Human Right’s are being infringed.

    My point still stands. If you can find a “Christian Human Right’s Organisation” that only cares about the Right’s of Christians, then I’ll be happy to condemn it.

       1 likes

  40. Rob says:

    John B,

    I’ve had a deeper look at that website and on reflection I was mislead by their headline “serving the victims of Christian persecution”.

    I took this to mean “serving people persecuted by Christians”. However, they appear to be as one sided as the “UK Islamic Human Rights Commission”.

    So yes, I am equally opposed to those morons. Sorry for any confusion.

       1 likes

  41. max says:

    Get well Natalie, best wishes.

       1 likes

  42. john b says:

    Rob – that’s not a worldview I entirely understand (surely standing up for people persecuted for their beliefs is good, even if you only stand up for certain people, as long as you don’t campaign *against* the ones you don’t campaign for…?), but at least it’s consistent. Thanks for the reply.

       1 likes

  43. Rob says:

    Only believing in “Rights” for the people of the same colour/religion/gender/age/nationality/sexuality/culture as yourself is biggoted.

    “First they came for the communists,
    I did not speak out
    because I was not a communist.

    When they came for the social democrats,
    I did not speak out
    because I was not a social democrat.

    When they came for the trade unionists
    I did not speak out
    because I was not a trade unionist.

    When they came for the Jews
    I did not speak out
    because I was not a Jew;

    And when they came for me,
    there was no one left to speak out.”

    Either we all deserve protection from persecution or we don’t. That is why I am against the “selective” choices of these pathetic “Human Rights Groups”.

       1 likes

  44. Rob says:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4724521.stm

    Once interrogation starts, police must abide by strict rules, says Mr Powell, who has represented detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

    This country’s not one that believes in success through torture. If you beat people up, if you deprive them of sleep, or you give them very loud noise, these are the conditions of Guantanamo Bay,

    Has anybody seen the evidence of prisoner beatings at Guantanamo Bay? I seem to have missed it.

       1 likes

  45. Hazel says:

    Get well Natalie, and all good wishes.

    I thought the Birmingham Mosque grand mufti was quite off the wall with his remarks about Tony Blair etc. And why did he appear to be wearing a suit jacket with nothing underneath? A shirt would have been a good idea? I’ve never seen a man of any ethnicity wear a jacket like that.

    I wonder if ANYONE at the BBC feels at least a little responsibility for the monotonous way they only report misfortunes in Iraq, the implication being it’s all the fault of the US and UK. I think this forms a base of biased information upon which the hatred which the British terrorists are fed by their mullahs, can build, resulting in these bombings.

    I am so fed up with Ms Hawley’s glowering expression and gloom laden tone of voice. Please, can’t we just have a change? I’ve noticed they’ve prised Orla G. out of the American Colony hotel – she was in Syria, now she’s in Egypt.

    Hazel

       1 likes

  46. Anonymous says:

    OT:

    The bbc are having a terror news special. My Blair recently said that terror is terror and said very forably that terror is Israel is inexcusable. He said the time for appologists is over. How about asking the BBC about this? i.e. will muslims condemn suicide bombings in Isael, and will the media call terror “terror”. Be heard – ask this question here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/4718083.stm

    Blairs (fantastic) speach is here:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4716505.stm

    Click on video, click on full 80 min conference.

    If enough people ask similar questions, it should get aired.

       1 likes

  47. Hazel says:

    I’m back!

    I’m aghast, though I suppose I shouldn’t be. I’ve just listened to that clip from yesterday’s Radio Five live, where the man says “we do tend to censor the things we put on air.” Then goes on to say that as the mufti turned up and made his remarks live, they couldn’t stop him. Also says the local MP and someone else WERE trying to shut him up.

    Why can’t the licence payer hear the truth? We don’t need these things to be censored. Why is it ABC news in the States, and not a UK broadcaster, which shows viewers what a Piccadilly line train looks like when it’s been blown up? Why can’t we see this on the BBC? I’ve thought for a long time that all disasters are over-sanitised on TV. People can take reality much better than Auntie realises.

    Addendum to previous email – the American Hotel is in (East) Jerusalem and is where most journalists stay.

    Hazel

       1 likes

  48. dave t says:

    The British police asked ABC News on Tuesday to withhold a report showing images of what were said to be unexploded bombs found in a car used by the July 7 bombers and of the inside of a subway train mangled in the attacks, a network official said yesterday.
    The interior of the train between London’s King’s Cross and Russell Square Underground stations, in which 27 people were killed on July 7, was included in an ABC News report that showed previously unseen images.
    But on its “World News Tonight” program on Tuesday, ABC went ahead with the report, which said the attacks might have been part of a wider plot, said the official, Jon Banner, executive producer of “World News Tonight.” He said the account was cut from the program when it was broadcast later in Britain by the BBC.
    The Metropolitan Police sent an e-mail message yesterday that asked news organizations “in the strongest possible terms” not to replay the images “because they may prejudice both the ongoing investigation and any future prosecutions.” The police called the images “unauthorized.”
    Nevertheless, British broadcasters – including Sky News and the BBC – showed the pictures during the day, and they were distributed by Reuters.

    Later yesterday, a police spokeswoman, who spoke in return for anonymity under standard police procedures, said of some news organizations: “Obviously they made their own decision. We asked them to be responsible and they were not.” She added, “We still don’t want the pictures to be published for operational reasons.”

    Helping the enemy again – our dear unbiased media….

       1 likes

  49. marc says:

    Get well Natalie. 🙂

       1 likes

  50. lazystudent says:

    I found this on the BBC News website.
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4722225.stm

    I felt there was alack of balance to the articel, particularly in that it made more than one mention fo the military, and the assumption that the military would use beta-blockers to desnsitise soldiers to violence.

    Apparently that soldiers are far more likely, due to the nature of their job, to suffer from PTSD than most, and they might need some help forgetting bad memories, isn’t important to the BBC. What troubles them, and Dr Paul McHugh, Johns Hopkins University, is (highlited in quote box)

    “If soldiers did something that ended up with children getting killed, do you want to give them beta blockers so that they can do it again?”

    Because of course that’s what soldiers do isn’t it? Go around looking for kids to shoot. Not trying to do a difficult job for low pay in situations Dr Paul McHugh will never have to experience. Of course i’m sure the learned Doctor nows far better than us how anybody who joins the military ceases to be a human being, and instead becomes a ravenous baby-killer.

    I think perhaps Dr Paul McHugh is unaware of the fact that, of the Britsih forces in volved in the Falklands War, more have taken their own lives since the conflict, than those who died in it.

       0 likes