Quite surprised indeed that the BBC chose to longlist one of the few massively anti-Iraq war [Iraqi] blogs out there (compiled by some fanatic into a book) for their Samuel Johnson award: maybe some of you will have heard or visited Riverbend’s blog. For those who haven’t, imagine the unremitting gloom of an Eastender’s character transposed to Baghdad and cleaned up grammatically and you’ll have a fair idea. My guess would be she’s the wife or daughter (or both, more likely) of a Baathist, which would be about as good as the BBC’s (nb. she remains anonymous).
Or, if you want another tip about who she sounds like, imagine the constant drip drip drip of a John Simpson commentary and you’ll be close to the mark. Maybe, in fact, it is Simpson, given his penchant for Burqua-ing up from time to time. One never knows. (via ATW)
I remain deeply unconvinced about her/him. The writing just doesn’t ring right and she/he is ALWAYS negative and quotes all the usual leftie talking points; witness the so called Oscars she/he wrote up. Very doubtful.
I go to Iraq the Model and other blogs for inside news – I gave up on Riverbend months ago and can understand why the BBC love her/him – for a so called housewife in a place without electricity or Internet (as she/he is always complaining about), she/he seems to do very well with images and posts and they are ALWAYS anti coalition and anti the new Government.
Whilst we are on the subject of awards:
The so called Muslim News Awards for Excellence.
Jon Snow received the media award for his work “travelling extensively in the Muslim world, taking an in-depth look at events and developments”. (and for some reason always coming out with the anti American viewpoint…)
Other winners included the solicitor for radical cleric Abu Hamza, Muddassar Arani, who took the citizenship award. Lawyer Muddassar Arani, who also represents 21 July bombings suspect Ibrahim Muktar Said, is a human rights lawyer for the Muslim community.
She lectures in mosques and universities, and has distributed more than 500,000 leaflets entitled Know Your Rights, which give advice on dealing with interrogation by police or the security services.
(Good heavens! ???)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4851286.stm
Does anybody else here think that the BBC is unable to post any story without trying to get a dig in at the Yanks.
Story:
Venezuela hits BP with tax bill.
Good old Chavez hits the people that enable him to have a little spare cash in his pocket. The BBC actually reports on this business story quite well. However why did they have to add this at the end;
“At the weekend, Mr Chavez said that America was planning to invade Venezuela, an accusation Washington immediately dismissed.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4848518.stm
Cheap shot BBC, if you really wanted to report the news you would have added that the building in Birmingham in which the floor collapsed yesterday was actually being used as a mosque. In fact looking at the story from every angle the ‘M’ word was kind of missing. Strange how that contrasts with how you report on a so called mosque getting hit by the Yanks in Iraq.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4850108.stm
Well what do you know.
Going back to the Birmingham story, somebody has added this;
“West Midlands Fire Service spokesman Mark Taylor said it was thought the building was being used as a mosque or meeting room.”
What I find really strange is as somebody who spent some time following the story on the Beeb web site this is the first time I’ve noticed it. (In fact Beeb your video clip from yesterday morning went to great lengths to state it wasn’t a mosque)
So just when did the word mosque get added in?
I find BBC is the only western media capable of unbiased reporting. Mainstream media are full of cover up,distortion and manipulation that shape misleading public opinion.
Topo
Eh? Are you of this planet? Even the Beeb’s supporters agree that its stuffed to the rafters with lefties who push a leftie agenda.
Get real!
Nutcase Alert !
Take a look at his site.
🙂
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4850604.stm
“Violence during the protests has been blamed on various groups – far-right activists……………”
‘Far-right activists?’ Really?
“………………anarchists and sundry outsiders”
‘Sundry’ outsiders? 😉 Fantastic phrase! Do they teach that at journo school?
“But the apparent involvement of some youths from the immigrant suburbs of Paris………”
Ahhh!
http://no-pasaran.blogspot.com/2006/03/check-out-animals-with-their.html
“…………who carried out their own uprising last November – divides the current protesters.”
They carried out their own uprising? Oh, yes, they did…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/france/story/0,11882,1635043,00.html
I take it the Sundries are revolting!
What a refreshing change to see the BBC confounding all our expectations! An anti-American blog? How ORIGINAL! And how VERY unlike the BBC!
Er…it’s a bit harsh smearing the ‘fanatical’, ‘anti-American’ output of what one has to presume in the absence of any evidence to the contrary is a genuine Iraqi, particularly given the willingness of many here to bang on about how great things are from the comfort of an armchair in the home counties.
I’m quite prepared to challenge the anti-Americanism of the half arsed non thinking lefty crowd at work – less so the Iraqi who recently returned to Baghdad for a visit and could barely speak for two weeks afterwards.
Take the point about the BBC’s selection however which does seem political in the extreme.
So just when did the word mosque get added in?
Complain, and the BBC will say you are imagining things. Persist, and you’ll get a visit from the thought police who will strap you to a chair and force-feed you endless broadcasts of ‘From our own Propagandist’.
You’ll emerge thoroughly cured of your unfortunate tendency towards original thought.
I thought “sundries” was the category they use in your account when they’re trying to hide the fact that they’re overcharging you.
dave t,
What the BBC don’t realise is that as with Rathergate some blogger will trace ‘her’ and find out what she really is.
OT: with all the propaganda the BBC is doing over Bush’s ‘falling’ poll numbers (which have been on circa 40:60 for months) he should be on negative figure by now.
The BBCs Radio 4 Today, 8.05am interview with Archbishop Rowan Williams temporarily in God’s own country, conveniently complimenting The Independent’s hysterical cover story on Global warming:
“Bush fails to see writing on the wall!”
Did I actually hear the BBC journalist ask him how will God punish those who don’t do anything about Global warming?
The so called Muslim News Awards for Excellence.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4851286.stm
‘Other winners included the solicitor for radical cleric Abu Hamza, Muddassar Arani, who took the citizenship award.’
My Oxford Dictionary of English defines a radical as ‘a person who advocates thorough or complete political or social reform’.
Can’t find anything in the definition which mentions inciting deranged clowns to blow people’s arms and legs off though, so why do the BBC continue to call Hamza a radical.
Why did the BBC spend £23,000 of our taxes on a party in a posh restaurant. I suppose so the likes of me and other poor peasants could press our noses up at the window and marvel at the great and the good with their snouts in the trough of another freebie.
Unwitting racism – Racism so subtle that it can only be detected by a Gramscian.
My Oxford Dictionary of English defines a radical as ‘a person who advocates thorough or complete political or social reform’.
Exactly. And a ‘militant’ is somebody aggressively involved in a cause, not somebody who blows himself to bits in a crowd of women and children, killing as many of them as he can.
Look forward to the BBC stubbornly dumbing the language down even further as they continue to cuddle up to terrorists.
Soon they’ll be calling terrorists ‘scouts’ with the justification that scouts go into enemy territory.
Will one of the few remaining members of the Church of England please tell me what the Archbishop of Canterbury is for. If I paid any attention to him it would be in respect of his area of expertise or concern for his flock eg morality, theology etc plus perhaps condemnation of Christians being murdered or innocents being starved. Expressing convoluted pieties about gobal warming (sorry, climate change) is not just useless, it annoys the very people who he might wish to see convinced about what he understands as the causes of said phenomenon. Although interviewed by the BBC’s science correspondent (why? the guy’s a priest not a scientist), he wasn’t challenged on any of the scientific facts he was warbling about. Wait a minute. Of course he wasn’t, after all (according to Humphreys) there’s no non-lunatic disagreement anywhere concerning global warming and there’s no possible alternative explanation of the mechanics of the process: basically it’s all our (NW Europe + N America) fault: it must be, Kyoto restrictions don’t apply to India or China.
And a ‘militant’ is somebody aggressively involved in a cause, not somebody who blows himself to bits in a crowd of women and children, killing as many of them as he can.
Look forward to the BBC stubbornly dumbing the language down even further as they continue to cuddle up to terrorists.
Bryan
Whereas I agree that the whole “Militant” language, does remind us of Old Labour, and smacks of BBC obscurantism when depicting Islamic terrorists, we should not forget Erasmus and his influential “Enchiridion Militis Christiani”(The Handbook of the Militant Christian, 1503). It’s a term that is rather deeper than it appears, but I very much doubt PC BBC editors had this in mind. Who reads Erasmus nowadays?
I see the BBC is playing the Imperialistic intention game again.
UK’s foreign priorities unveiled
“Jack Straw has put the need for secure energy supplies and tackling illegal immigration at the heart of foreign policy goals for the next 10 years.”
Right at a stroke the BBC tries to imply that we are in Iraq (or possibly in the future in Iran) so as to safeguard our future thirst for hydrocarbons.
I won’t even bother about the Beebs stance on Illegal immigrants.
But back to the energy angle the Beeb has this to say;
“The UK now imports more gas than it exports, relying on supplies from the Gulf, Norway, Russia and Algeria.”
Sorry to inform you Aunty. But the Uk only imports 17% of its gas as of Dec 05.
Of that 17% of that 87% came from Norway. We get none from Russia, neither do we get any from the Gulf. Adding them to the equation sends the false message that our Gas supplies may be cut either by a Arab sensitive government in the Gulf or a tinpot dictator in Moscow.
Oh yes we exported more gas than we imported.
My figures are from the DTI
http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/inform/energy_trends/index.shtml
What a difference a court appearance makes.
The father of a British man the US wants to extradite on terrorism charges has said his son is “totally innocent” and the case against him “ridiculous”.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3546766.stm
A UK citizen wanted by the US on terror charges has announced he will stand as a candidate in the general election.
Babar Ahmad, 30, will fight the seat in Brent North, London, for the Peace and Progress Party, founded by campaigning actors Vanessa and Corin Redgrave.
His candidature was announced outside Bow Street Magistrates’ Court, where he is undergoing extradition proceedings.
Mr Ahmad, from south London, is accused of raising funds for terror in Chechnya and Afghanistan via the internet.
Mr Redgrave said his party was “immensely proud” to have Mr Ahmad as its candidate in Brent North.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/frontpage/4465683.stm
A judge has ruled that British terror suspect Babar Ahmad can be extradited to the United States.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4554829.stm
The battle to banish Babar Ahmad
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4441680.stm
Mr Ahmad, 31, a computer expert from Tooting, south London, is accused of running websites supporting terror and of urging Muslims to fight a holy war
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4441448.stm
AND NOW:
Babar, a 31-year-old college drop-out from the US, was to be the key prosecution witness in the trial.
He had already pleaded guilty to terrorist-related offences in New York. Now he was in London, about to give evidence against a group of men accused of plotting bomb attacks in Britain.
But tomorrow he would be back. And for many more days, as the panoply of defence lawyers prepared their cross-examination of the American “supergrass” so central to this English terrorist trial.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4839484.stm
As Tommy Cooper would say “Just like that”, Babar changed from being Corin Redgrave’s protégé and UK citizen to ‘American supergrass’.
The almost inconsequential thing about all of the BBC’s reporting on this
http://newssearch.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?scope=newsukfs&tab=news&q=babar&go.x=24&go.y=9
is that overnight the BBC have stopped referring to Babar as ‘Mr.’ Now as an ‘American Supergrass’ (how low can you go, an American of all things) ‘Mr. Babar is just plain old Babar.
Of course all of the defendants are given the courtesy of ‘Mr.’
Who, on earth, in the BBC is responsible for this volte-face. Time to name, shame and fire.
Nice one newkid, littlewonder the BBC is a laughing stock.
About the Muslim News Awards: A little bit that the Beeb report omitted “Other nominees for the 2006 award include London’s mayor, Ken LIvingstone, for building dialogue between the West and the Muslim world and raising awareness about issues affecting the Muslim community” http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/news/news.php?article=10834
That’s nice for all our Jewish contributors to know: not that our Ken is antisemitic, oh no, he’s just a wee bit more careless in his references to Jews than to Muslims (I wonder why. Clue: there are more Moslem than Jewish voters in London)
I forgot to mention that Babar is not a terrorist, he is a junior IT support officer.
And I’m not in IT. The above was me.
From the ‘Muslim News Awards for Excellence.’ story: “Cynthia Capey, a pensioner who has spent the last 50 years promoting understanding between Muslims, Christians and Jews in Suffolk” Suffolk? Suffolk! She must know both of them, then. That’d be Mr Patel who runs the paper shop in Bury and Manny Cohen the retired fishmonger in Southwold. I didn’t realise they’d met let alone had a misunderstanding.
Seriously, though, I wonder if the Beeboid who ‘wrote’ this has ever been to Suffolk (early closing Wednesday). “Promoting understanding between Muslims, Christians and Jews” wouldn’t have exactly been a daunting task in this part of the world over the last 50 years. Ergo another unquestioning publication of a press release intended to show the RoP in a good light.
Um bongo
“Will one of the few remaining members of the Church of England please tell me what the Archbishop of Canterbury is for?”
1.You are asking the wrong people.
2.You are 2000 years late.
The Roman Emporer Julian of the 4Th century did his best to stem the rise of the Galileans and the teachings of “the Nazarene”. He wrote “Against the Galileans”.
Julian borrowed from Porphyry. the council of Ephesus in 431 sentenced Porphyry’s books to be burned, but they overlooked Julian. Again in 529 Justinian decreed that all anti-Christian books be burned, and Julian was meant to be included.
Ironically Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria undertook to refute Julian thus preserving his arguments, so they are good for something!
“Will one of the few remaining members of the Church of England please tell me what the Archbishop of Canterbury is for.”
Haven’t a clue. After listening to his CO2 emissions on Today this morning, it certainly has nothing to do with God.
I’m afraid I may have to hang my head in shame. I cannot confirm that it is the same Babar that runs through my previous post even with the glaring difference of Babar Ahmed and Mohammed Babar. Therefore I am guilty of the same sloppy research that infects the BBC. Like Norman kember I will reflect on this moment.
Hugh Sykes does another hatchet job on Israeli settlements on World at One. Surprise, surprise.
will
http://library.flawlesslogic.com/julian_2.htm
Sarge uncensored
re Julian the Apostate – he wouldn’t have lasted long at the BBC then
OT
The BBC has manged to find the only Anti-War Pension Protestors, (and put it on front page of their website) in the entire of Google News.
I made a post here about it!
http://drunkenblogging.blogspot.com/2006/03/what-bbc-bias.html
Just a thought
Bruce Kent (“a man of ineffable silliness” – Oliver Kamm) is now getting more BBC airtime than I ever remember when CND was still a going concern, plus the frequent appearances of Tony Benn (“a man of ineffable silliness” – UK public c1980). Is this a sign that people are prepared to harken to the words of old men, thinking them wise? Or is it evidence of the leftward march of the BBC?
The “peace” movement never changes, and the BBC never stops covering up for them.
http://www.julianlewis.net/press_detail.php?id=67
Three die during Israeli voting
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4852574.stm
That was a bit careless, wasn’t it?
Oh wait, there may be more to the story, than the headline suggests….
Two Israelis have been killed in a blast thought to have been caused by a homemade rocket fired by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip.
Israeli medics said the two casualties were Bedouin Arab shepherds
Oops…. They missed the Joooooos and hit two Arabs.
But wait, there may be more.
In Gaza the Islamic Jihad militant group claimed responsibility for the Nahal Oz deaths – reportedly an adult and a child
In the eyes of these lunatics, is an Israeli child ever capable of being innocent? Even if he/she isn’t a Joooooo. I keep hearing this verse from the Koran on the BBC ‘If somebosy kills an innocent, it’s as if he’s killed the whole of humanity’? Does this apply in this case? I’m sure the BBC will clear that up later, when they have more details.
In other violence, as Israelis vote in a closely-watched general election, Israeli troops killed one Palestinian militant in a raid in the West Bank.
Samer Freihat, 24, was hit by an Israeli bullet after clashes broke out in the village of Yamun, near Jenin, Palestinian medics said.
Palestinian radio said he was shot several times and left to bleed for several hours before he died.
An Israeli army spokesman said troops had opened fire after seeing Freihat was armed, adding that he had been on a list of wanted militants.
How terrible of the Israelis. They are such a violent and evil race of people. Shooting an armed terrorist? Why didn’t they invite him over for a chat and a cup of tea. It’s not as if Palestinian terrorists are indiscriminate killers, is it? Oh wait…..
Exactly how do you know what Riverbend sounds like if you have not read the book? If you had you would know she is 26 (only 24 when the war started) she is not married and not a ba’athist. She did not support Saddam Hussein, but she also doens’t support the occupation of American soldiers in her home country. Before the occupation she had a job as did 50% of women in the country, now she has no job along with 65% of the country. Before the war she could walk or drive by herself, now she must be accompanied by a man(or men) just to go buy groceries. Before the war she chose to not wear a hijab as did many women, now if she doesn’t wear one she risks being abducted or raped by many including fundamentalists.
Riverbend does not hate Americans, but after seing raids and tanks in her own city she is very angry, and yes she does hate President Bush. Mr. Thomas it is easy for both you and I to say that we are for the war in Iraq because the war is being fought on their soil not ours. We aren’t worring about losing our jobs, when we will have electricity next and the shortage of water. I think if you read this book you would have a much different perspective.
Oh, and women in Iraq don’t wear burquas, they wear hijabs as a choice. Just as Christians wear a cross as a religious choice and freedom.
Bruce Kent? For a so called man of God he spent a heck of a lot of time doing the Devil’s work on behalf of the secular Soviet Union…..
“Will one of the few remaining members of the Church of England please tell me what the Archbishop of Canterbury is for.”
He is Tony Blair’s choice foisted on The Queen – he receives two names, she gets to see one.
Rowan Williams is unfit for the position he holds; Nazir-Ali would have been a far better choice; but the Church of England is yet another institution which has committed hara-kiri………………..the institutions have betrayed us……………Trahison des Clercs !
“Jack Straw has put the need for secure energy supplies and tackling illegal immigration at the heart of foreign policy goals for the next 10 years.”
Shocking ! Straw proposes gasification of asylum seekers to solve energy shortfall…………………oh dear, I was writing the BBC caption to this story
It is worth noting that the armed man killed by Israeli security forces is named whilst anyone killed by ‘Palestinian’ terrorist activities are unnamed. Why is that?
I expect the BBC will soon find an excuse to play us the stupid paean to a pro-Palestinian idiot who sat down if front of a bulldozer -Rachel Corrie, aka St Pancake.
http://arts.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1741197,00.html
Probably when they highlight the Rachel Corrie play’s opening in New York on Newsnight Review or the leftie arts prog that follows the Archers at 7.15pm. As if anyone but the loony and often anti-semitic left in the UK gives a damn.
OT –
What counting skills do the French police have that the Brit police don’t?
I only ask because on News 24 coverage of the Paris riots, police estimates of 870,000 people (870,000 – a curious sort of number) were breathlessly treated as sacred gospel.
Meanwhile, at your average Moonbat March, police estimates (‘15,000’) are ignored in favour of Head Moonbat estimates (‘210,000,000,000,000,000’).
I wonder whether the Isalmoloons would have let Kember’s fellow kidnappee James Loney survive several months if they had known this about him.
While he said he wanted to tell the story of his captivity and rescue, he first wants to slip into “an abyss of love” and get reacquainted with his partner, Dan Hunt, his family and community.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=8d2bbb06-80d4-4761-bc1c-3465c8342eac&k=97385
They have a DHYS on “Those French Riots” and employment law.
The Recommended posts look like they are heading for technical difficulties.
I see that Caspar Weinberger (a good friend to this country) has died. Any advance on nil for the chances of the BBC’s obit mob seeking “tributes” ?
(Sir) Caspar Weinberger
Will….in view of where he went…..there seems to be an “o” missing from his name