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OT…Compare & contrast…
US population reaches 300 million
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6057004.stm
“Michael Replogle, of Environmental Defense, told the Associated Press news agency: “If the population grows in thriving existing communities, restoring the historic density of older communities, we can easily sustain that growth and create a more efficient economy without sacrificing the environment.”
German births decline to new low
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4793997.stm
“Economists say Europe’s population decline threatens to damage economic growth for decades.”
If the US= baad & EU=good to liberals, how come US is thriving and EU is dying, literally?
Mark Steyn as usual writes this the best:
Mark Steyn: It’s breeding obvious, mate
Australia and the US can avoid the bleak future awaiting dying old Europe
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20163817-7583,00.html
A snippet….
“Much of western civilization does not have any future. That’s to say, we’re not just speaking philosophically, but literally. In a very short time, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and other countries we regard as part of the western tradition will cease to exist in any meaningful sense. They don’t have a future because they’ve given up breeding. Spain’s population is halving with every generation: Two grown-ups have a total of one baby. So there are half as many children as parents. And a quarter as many grandchildren as grandparents. And an eighth as many great-grandchildren as great-grandparents. And, after that there’s no point extrapolating, because you’re over the falls and it’s too late to start paddling back. I received a flurry of letters from furious Spaniards when the government decided to replace the words “father” and “mother” on its birth certificates with the less orientationally offensive terms “Progenitor A” and “Progenitor B”. This was part of the bureaucratic spring-cleaning of traditional language that always accompanies the arrival in law of “gay marriage”. But, with historically low numbers of progeny, the designations of the respective progenitors seem of marginal concern. They’d be better off trying to encourage the average young Spaniard to wander into a Barcelona singles bar and see if anyone wants to come back to his pad to play Progenitor A and Progenitor B. (“Well, okay, but only if I can be Progenitor A…”)
Seventeen European nations are now at what demographers call “lowest-low” fertility • 1.3 births per woman, the point at which you’re so far down the death spiral you can’t pull out. In theory, those countries will find their population halving every 35 years or so. In practice, it will be quicker than that, as the savvier youngsters figure there’s no point sticking around a country that’s turned into an undertaker’s waiting room. So large parts of the western world are literally dying • and, in Europe, the successor population to those aging French and Dutch and Belgians is already in place. Perhaps the differences will be minimal. In France, the Catholic churches will become mosques….”
On the BBC Asian Network
Don’t Call Me Asian
http://www.bbc.co.uk/asiannetwork/documentaries/dontcallmeasian.shtml
09 Oct 06
“More and more people in the UK Asian communities are objecting to being called `Asian`. They want a more individual identity, based on background, culture or religion. We look at why the term `Asian` is becoming unfashionable for many – and how it can create tensions between different communities.”
Strange – that’s exactly what the BBC does (use the word ‘Asian’) when it wants to avoid using the word ‘Muslim’. No wonder non-muslims are hacked off at being included in the catch all term of ‘Asian’, as in ‘the suicide bomer, though to be asian….’
Ex-BBC man, Tim Butcher, at the Daily Hezbollahgraph, continues to display his BBC training.
Israel and Hamas were on the brink of war last night as a senior member of the Islamic movement hinted that it would stop observing a 20-month-old ceasefire in retaliation for the latest Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the career of Moshe Katsav, the president of Israel and moral figurehead of the Jewish state, hung in the balance last night as police recommended that he face rape charges for alleged sexual assaults on female members of his staff.
Nice (irrelevant)contrast. Is “moral figurehead” part of the president’s job description?
…Amos Gilad, a senior Israeli defence official, accused Hamas of smuggling weapons into Gaza to try to turn the small scrap of land crowded with 1.4 million Palestinians into a “second Lebanon”.
Did Gilad provide that description of Gaza?
…Hamas militants have so far responded at a relatively low level, firing home-made Qassam rockets from Gaza into Israel without any reports of injuries. While this is likely to provoke further Israeli military reaction, it would be far worse if Hamas returned to using suicide bombings.
No such attacks have taken place since the leadership agreed to observe the ceasefire negotiated in February last year.
So firing rockets doesn’t break the ceasefire.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/10/16/wmid16.xml
Read what Butcher overlooks at
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2006/10/cease-fire-is-as-cease-fire-does.html
Christ, I was getting worried until Steyn predicted our demise. Now I know we’ll be ok. What’s the latest ETA for the end of the Iraqi insurgency Mark?
Will writes:
“Ex-BBC man, Tim Butcher, at the Daily Hezbollahgraph, continues to display his BBC training.”
Glad I’m not alone in spotting this. Indeed, Butcher and other idiots (‘Sir’ John Whitmore being a prime offender) are why I stoped buying the Telegraph a few months ago.
Of course, unlike the BBC, at least I can refuse to pay for Leftist rubbish by stopping buying a newspaper.
Glad to know I’m not the only one to have stopped buying the Telegraph, GC – from having a principled, pro-Israel stand, they’re just following an opportunist line: perhaps they think it’ll get them more readers – I just call it appeasement.
Cheers
From OpenEurope’s press briefing today
http://www.openeurope.org.uk/media-centre/summary.aspx?id=184
Interviewed on the BBC’s PM programme yesterday in response to the Open Europe poll of 1,000 businesses, Peter Mandelson attacked Open Europe. He claimed “This was a poll designed by and conducted on behalf of the no to Europe campaign, very hardened anti-Europeans… designed by the no campaign even though it was technically carried out by ICM.”
He cited the findings of a poll for the pro-euro “Business for New Europe” group, chaired by his colleague Roland Rudd: “Interestingly it contradicts a YouGov poll of 50 Chief Executives… [which] showed 68% believed the single market has been good for British business. 70% said enlargement has been good for British business. 78% saw it as in their businesses’ interests to be in the EU, so I think if you go to those business leaders who in the main conduct in and through Europe you get a very different view to the impressions – and I quote impressions – found by this poll for the no to Europe campaign.”
Challenged later in the interview to name a single regulation the EU had repealed as part of its much-hyped “deregulation drive”, Mandelson was unable to give a single example.
Comment: It’s no surprise that the BBC allowed Peter Mandelson to repeatedly describe us as the “no to Europe campaign” without challenging him. It’s no surprise either that they then allowed him to cite the findings of a poll for his own “Business for New Europe” group as if it were from an independent polling agency. It was slightly surprising that he couldn’t name a single regulation which the EU repealed or wanted to repeal (so much for 1997-style instant rebuttal).
It’s ludicrous for Mandelson to compare our poll of 1,000 Chief Executives with his poll of 50 business people: when Mandelson talks about what “68% of business” thinks what he really means is just 34 people. In other words, his claim that “business leaders” overwhelmingly think the EU is doing a great job is based on a lead of just nine people. And yet this statistical nonsense goes totally unchallenged on the BBC…
PM (32 mins in)
“Daily Hezbollahgraph”
Amazing how so much of the UK press is supposed to be “in league with the enemy.” I guess The Telegraph can be confusing: I mean they hate the BBC but apparently are a mouthpiece for Hezbollah. Gee, life can be confusing.
Who are the mainstream media sources of preference for you lot these days? Judging by some of the quotes, it seems you miss the nuanced reasoning of Mark Steyn and have been forced to look to the balanced argument of Richard Littlejohn in that organ devoted to neutral, anti-sensationalist political comment, the Daily Mail.
DifferentAnon:
“Amazing how so much of the UK press is supposed to be “in league with the enemy.”
Goodness me DA. You keep popping up everywhere. No prizes for guesssing who pays your wages and what your current assignment is.
http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/archives/004810.html
BBC Garbage Picked up by Canadian Blog
Saw that piece by Tim Butcher as well. He tells the exact opposite of the truth here
“Hamas militants have so far responded at a relatively low level, firing home-made Qassam rockets from Gaza into Israel without any reports of injuries. While this is likely to provoke further Israeli military reaction, it would be far worse if Hamas returned to using suicide bombings.”
The Qassams aren’t a response to Israeli action at all. Israeli military action is a response to the hail of Qassams which has rained down on Israeli towns and villages from Gaza since the first day of the unconditional Israeli withdrawal.
Naturally Butcher doesn’t mention that. It’s clear that to him the daily firing of lethal weapons into a neighbouring country counts as a “ceasefire”.
BBC anti-Israeli bias is spewing its bile over previously untouched parts of the media. Which is a shame. I wonder whether the Butcher was working at the BBC during the time covered by the Balen report?
Let me guess. I’m supposed to be a beeboid minion sent over on a extra special top secret mission to infiltrate the super important Biased BBC blog and neutralise it before it strikes a mortal blow to the BBC.
You certainly don’t get any prizes for originality.
Top ‘Telegraph’ piece on p22 of Private Eye.
DA ……..Don’t believe you
OK, TPO, your reasoning and irrefutable evidence have made me realise I must come clean.
I’m not a casual commenter. I have to confess I’m really a beeboid minion sent over on a extra special top secret mission to infiltrate the super important Biased BBC blog and neutralise it before it strikes a mortal blow to the BBC.
Hmmm, DifferentAnon, would that be an alternative spelling of ‘Cockney’ by any chance?
Andrew, I’m afraid not. Rhyming slang only gets you so far.
DA
Clearly your ability to withstand interrogation is minimal.
Quick! Get over to EUReferendum and scroll down to the ‘piggybank’……
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2006/10/there-is-hope-for-us-yet.html
“Nice (irrelevant)contrast. Is “moral figurehead” part of the president’s job description?”
The Israeli President’s job is to manage the creation of government coalitions. He isn’t expected to be a moral exemplar.
It’s a classic political plum position.
I am a bit wary of the rape charges. If that is what had happened, then he would have immediatly been arrested, like a normal rapist.
Probably the state prosecutors office is on a fishing expedition.
“””Hamas militants have so far responded at a relatively low level, firing home-made Qassam rockets from Gaza into Israel without any reports of injuries. While this is likely to provoke further Israeli military reaction, it would be far worse if Hamas returned to using suicide bombings.””
If this isn’t textbook BBC bias, I don’t know what is.
1.) How many people have been injured/killed by Quassm rockets in the past. Does the BBC know? Does the BBC care?
2.) Is the firing of Rockets consistant with Hamas/Islamic Jihad having a “unilateral” cease fire?
2.5) Is it normal for political parties to launch attacks on on ther countires. Hot or not?
2.7) What about kidnapping citizens of other countires. Hot or not?
3.) “it would be far worse if Hamas returned to using suicide bombings.”
Such a patronizing statement, as if Israel must tolerate the misbehavior of brown people, as part of the white mans burden.
We look at why the term `Asian` is becoming unfashionable for many
Ritter | 17.10.06 – 3:07 pm |
to beeb(oid?) lurkers:
i challenge you to say why it became “fashionable” (with the bbc)in the first place
which other alleged lawbreakers in the uk do you refer to by their continental affiliation? i don’t recall reading “…of european appearance” or “…of african appearance” anywhere near as much (at all?) lately…
amimissingsomething, I’d imagine it is because there isn’t a generally accepted term for someone of Asian appearance. You have white and black, but there isn’t a neutral term for “appearances” or colours in between I’ve seen.
You have white and black, but there isn’t a neutral term for “appearances” or colours in between I’ve seen.
Brown.
Pounce, a brown skinned person, uses it all the time.
“Asian” makes me think of Japan, where the people are, so I’m told, of a yellowish hue.
What colour are native Latin Americans? Can you distinguish one from an “Asian”?
Isn’t basing it on skin colour rather racist?
“…there isn’t a generally accepted term for someone of Asian appearance.”
We already have one: wog. I find it generally acceptable.
The term “asian” encompases everything from the hindu kush, to the bottom of India, to the pacific coast of Japan and right down to those islands off the north of Australia. Since the BBC most often seems to use the term “asian” to refer to pakistani muslims, the ire of the rest of the “asian community” is quite understandable.
Or should we assume that the BBC, like the inimitable Harry Flashman, thinks all foreigners look alike?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/6059726.stm
Internet user admits ‘web-rage’
An internet user has been found guilty of what police said was Britain’s first “web-rage” attack.
Paul Gibbons, 47, tracked down John Jones using details obtained online after the pair exchanged insults in an internet chatroom, a court heard.
He travelled 70 miles to Mr Jones’ home in Clacton, Essex, and beat him up with a pickaxe handle in December 2005.
…
The pair met in an internet chatroom called Yahoo, Islam 10 as both had an interest in the Muslim faith, the Old Bailey was told.
“Tony Blair says full face veils are a mark of separation and makes some non-Muslims “feel uncomfortable”.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
He did not say non-muslims he said –
” ….and made some “outside the community feel uncomfortable”.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6058672.stm
Is this what we are to the BBC now “non-muslims”. I am not a “non-muslim” and I find the fact that the BBC should class anyone in these terms offensive, after all muslims are non-christian – but you never hear them use this do you?
Another welcome foreigner to our country
On Newsnight this evening, we have a world exclusive interview with a
former member of the Janjaweed who was involved in raids that massacred
thousands of civilians.
Our correspondent, Tim Whewell, visited him in Croydon where he now lives and is seeking political asylum.
In case anyone missed this on the last open thread, here’s a link from max to an interview with the veiled woman who has been suspended from the school since February.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/avdb/news/video/61000/bb/61429_16x9_bb.asx
I have a Yorkshire accent, and I am quite used to hearing ‘Asian’ kids speakingh in their own slang, but I found this womans diction to be almost impossible to follow.
Was everyone here at a loss to understand her replies?
Would you want her teaching your kids, with or without the veil?
As for the term ‘Asian’.
I always have to explain to American friends that the term ‘Asian’ in the UK does NOT refer to orientals.
My own local newspaper has occasional letters from Indians, asking that the local lawbreakers be described, not as ‘Asians’, but as Pakistani/Bangladeshis, or even (yes we know it’s not a race) Muslims, because the Indians are probably more law abiding than even the indigenous ‘whites’.
Further to my last post, I’ve clipped all the replies which the ‘teacher’ gave into one little mp3 to assist you, here….
[audio src="http://www.solpics.com/muslimteacher.mp3" /]
I left the last Q&A section complete, that’s the part where her tribunal claim will fall flat on it’s face, thanks to Peter Sissons
DifferentAnon
BBc bias is often lots of little things. For example this morning there was a report on “Today” about some political event in the US.
Reported along the lines of “… blah blah blah, another set-back for Bush, blah blah …”
So we had the reporter segueing between facts, then his own opinion, then back to facts.
And no, I don’t see a conspiracy. No – its called group-think. Where a set of values and beliefs becomes entrenched in a group, and other views or ideas are rubbished, shouted down or just ignored.
If you want an example – then when did you last see anthing praising the US or any of its actions ?
on 18 doughty street, consensus is that the bbc biased against muslims.
consensus is that the bbc biased against muslims.
I was astonished to hear indigenous English people from Dewsbury called “non-muslims” on BBC Radio 4 news at 6pm this evening! What the hell is happening! I find this more frightening that Orwellian Newspeak- a manner of descriptive language is emerging amongst some BBC journalists that goes well beyond what we might call “bias”
John:
If you know Dewsbury, you will realise that there is a Wahhabi Mosque there, and it NOT uncommon to see very many women dressed in the Burkah, not just the occasional one.
If you travel through the town on a Friday you might indeed even feel that you are in the minority, and hence be a non-Muslim.
DifferentAnon | 17.10.06 – 6:37 pm | #
so you don’t think it was deliberately chosen for what it does NOT convey?
jesus,
did anyone see newsnight with that wan*er enviromentalist which ended up his little skit with “I dont break the law , science dictates i break the law”
What? The BBC trying to avoid using the ‘M’ word, never!
newsnight tonight: darfur followed by “ethical man”
18 doughty street: 30 minute interview with Angus MacNeil – the SNP guy who kicked off the Cash for Peerages inquiry.
no prizes for guessing what i watched.
“on 18 doughty street, consensus is that the bbc biased against muslims.
DofF | 17.10.06 – 9:40 pm |”
actually it was a bit more complicated than that – they tore the Newsnight guy to pieces over their sensationalism – and why they didnt cover the BNP/weapons cache story.
Iain Dale asked a pertinent question – “you’ve got 3000 journalists – how come you didnt pick up on it?”
another question that was asked of the Newsnight rep was “when was the last time the BNP were on the BBC – why do the likes of Choudary/Al Mahjaroon get far more coverage?”
good points. had the Newsnight guy in a self-contradicting black hole of political correctness…
they didnt cover the BNP story as it was a non-story from the beginning, and we do not have squadrons of the BNP trying to blow up infidels.
I agree with the question as to why the al-majaroon has more coverage than the BNP, and think the media should dissociate with extremist muslim asscociations like the MCB and MAB.
however the problem wth doughty street is that they give far more time to left wing commentators than they sould like the coalitiion to stop the war representative and they definitely do not challenge them enough, they are trying to be far too nice.
Another little pearl not being cast before us “ignorant” swine by the “superior beings” at the Beeb –
———————————–
U.S. allies impede Guantanamo releases:
Tue Oct 17, 1:00 AM ET
Washington(Reuters)
Britain and other U.S. allies have demanded closure of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but have also blocked efforts to let some prisoners return home, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.
British officials recently rejected a U.S. offer to transfer 10 former British residents from Guantanamo to the United Kingdom, arguing that it would be too expensive to keep them under surveillance, the newspaper said, citing documents made public this month in London.
Britain has also staved off a legal challenge by the relatives of some prisoners who sued to require the British government to seek their release, The Washington Post said.
While all British citizens in Guantanamo were freed starting in 2004, Britain has balked at allowing former legal residents of the country to return, the newspaper said.
Germany and other European allies, which have spoken out against Guantanamo, also have balked at accepting prisoners from the facility, the Post said.
Human rights groups have condemned U.S. practices at Guantanamo, where detainees have been held indefinitely without charge.
Some 335 prisoners have been transferred out of Guantanamo since the prison camp’s creation in January 2002 and another 110 of the 440 still at the jail have been declared eligible for transfer or release, the Pentagon said.
The Pentagon has already freed all but a few European citizens from Guantanamo. However, U.S. officials have struggled to persuade Britain, Germany and other allies in Europe to accept prisoners who once had legal residency there, or who are effectively stateless, The Washington Post said.
————————————-
“they are trying to be far too nice.
DofF | 17.10.06 – 11:33 pm ”
maybe thats the point. maybe there’s just too much agression in today’s media. maybe its time to just calm things down and have a rational debate.
the bbc is unbiased, by their own reasoning because “everybody is critisizing them; “.
yeah:
-The right is not happy with them because they are too left.
-The centre left is not happy because they are ,erm, quite left actually.
-and the left: “well the bbc are OK you know. I watch them , and now and them they also say something I do not like.. Like 6 weeks ago there was somebody on the bbc who told he liked peanut and jelly sandwhciches , can you imagine ?bheuk”
They are trying to get it right I think by skiving a little more to the , well, a bit more to the left?
Poor underpaid lot.
Thought for Today
St John Bell of the Iona Community gives us his latest political diatribe, thinly disguised as religion. When not telling lies about Israel on Thought for Today, he turns his attention to the evil practise of cheap flights. This causes Global Warming you see, which is a prime issue of the “Environmental Gospel”, which is of far greater significance than tired “right wing” ideas like human sin and man’s relationship with his Creator.
Of course Bell wants to get rid of cheap flights, thus ensuring that the rich can still fly whilst the poor of this country are denied the opportunity to holiday in Ibiza. Thanks John, I’m sure Jesus would approve.
Why is St John Bell still on Thought for Today? Any ideas?
Just before Thought for Today, we had classic “Today” material, with the trouble in France with the banlieus being treated as an issue of police or Government heavy-handedness on poor, downtrodden north African immigrants. The shadow of evil “right wing” policies was also invoked in that same, tired old fashion.
Of course, this Beeboid view is a travesty of the truth. But why is the BBC determined to give us only one “editorial view” of this story?
Hey Andrew (from miles up). DifferentAnon is nowt to do with me – perhaps one of my esteemed colleagues as we’re all trained up to be uberliberal Eurofanatic diversity enthusiasts here in Cityland (I assume you can see the employer or something??). Hideous troll though I am most of my efforts at least strive to make a point.
The BBC “apparently” doesn’t like the Express.
A Daily Express poll found 98% in favour of banning the veil. The BBC’s review of papers decided that the Express wasn’t reliable:
http://littlebulldogs.blogspot.com/2006/10/bbc-apparently-doesnt-like-poll.html
Little Bulldogs
Go forth and read at the Guardian’s CiF site why the BBC is, in fact, full of right wingers and the editorial content is, in fact biased to the right:
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/dave_hill/2006/10/biased_bbc.html
You have to chuckle.