Monthly Archives: December 2008

IT ALL STARTED IN AMERICA

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I noticed the BBC had Nicola “Superwoman” Horlick on this morning, explaining why one of the hedge funds her company manages had assets worth $20.9 million invested with the alleged fraudulent hedge fund run by Bernard Madoff. Bramdean, whose shares crashed 23.75p to 42.75p on the news, said that the sums tied up with Mr Madoff represented 9.5 per cent of its assets. I was entertained by Horlick’s line that in the worst case scenario, if everything is lost on this fund, investors will be only down 4%. Happy days, eh? So why did the BBC have her on in the first place given its hatred of capitalism? I suggest that it is because Nicola merrily went on to divert attention from her own company’s pooor judgement in this investment by claiming that the crisis was caused by poor regulation in the States. This fits into the ongoing BBC/Brown narrative that everything bad starts on the other side of the Atlantic. If all else fails, as it look it has in the Madoff situation, just blame Bush!


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NO FRIEND OF ISRAEL

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You just know that when Jeremy Al Bowen is invited to update us all on the situation concerning Israel and the disputed Palestinian territories, well, those pesky Jews aren’t going to come out of it too well. And so it was that Jeremy embarked on the usual cliched mantra which all boiled down one thing; the lack of peace in the region is Israel’s fault, the Palestinians are innocent, especially the doves in Al Fatah.

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I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR

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Following on from the posts by Natalie and Laban, I was interested to listen to the item concerning on Today this morning concerning the British doctor Humayra Abedin, who has been freed from family captivity and the prospect of a forced marriage by a court in Dhaka. There seems to be a missing word and it begins with M…..?

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I’m looking for something.

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Can you guess what?

Israel buries Mumbai attack dead – “Six Jews died at the centre, which was one of several places targeted in the attacks that left 188 people dead.”

“She [Sandra Samuel, Moshe Holtzberg’s nanny] hid in a cupboard when the centre was attacked, but emerged to rescue the child after his parents were killed.”

“The Chabad centre was stormed on Wednesday evening by armed militants who seized hostages and fought a gun battle with Indian commandos.

Indian forces eventually regained control of the centre, killing several gunmen, but six of the hostages were found dead.”

Officials quit over India attacks (An earlier headline, preserved in the header, was “Troops battle to end Mumbai seige.) “Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, 29, had been killed alongside his wife, Rivka.”

Israel awaits Mumbai attack dead “The organisation confirmed that Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, 29, had been killed alongside his wife, Rivka. Their two-year-old son survived.”

Mumbai victims from all walks of life “Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, 29, and his wife Rivkah, 28, were among six Jews killed in the Mumbai attacks. They were found dead at the Jewish cultural centre, known as Nariman House, which was one of the gunmen’s key targets.”

Officials quit over India attacks (Has the header “Police declare Mumbai seige over”, and seems to be a later version of the second story listed.) “The organisation confirmed that Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, 29, had been killed alongside his wife, Rivka.”

Tense times for Mumbai’s Jews “Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife, Rivkah, were among the six people who died in the attack at Nariman House. “

As it happened: Mumbai attacks 27 Nov – contains references to the Holtzbergs being held hostage.

As it happened: Mumbai attacks – 28 Nov “A Brooklyn-based rabbi and his wife were killed in the siege on the Nariman House Jewish centre, the Chabad-Lubavitch movement confirms. Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg were “the beloved directors of Chabad-Lubavitch of Mumbai”, it says.”

Jewish centre seized in Mumbai – contains a reference to the status of Rabbi Holtzberg being unknown at that time.

(Emphasis added in all cases.)

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Today Programme – Stourton Out, Justin Webb In

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I’m sure others will have their say on this. Ed Stourton has been dropped from the Today programme to be replaced by North America correspondent and frequent star of this blog Justin Webb.

Isn’t Today anti-American enough ? Obviously not.

Mark Damazer said: “Justin has been an outstanding voice on Radio 4 News and Current Affairs output. His work in the United States has been one of the joys of the network.”

Discuss.

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General BBC-related comment thread!

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Please use this thread for comments about the BBC’s current programming and activities. This post will remain at or near the top of the blog – scroll down for new topic-specific posts. N.B. This is not an invitation for general off-topic comments, rants or chit-chat. Thoughtful comments are encouraged. Comments may also be moderated. Any suggestions for stories that you might like covered would be appreciated! It’s your space, use it wisely.

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YOU SAY INTERNAL, I SAY EXTERNAL

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Obviously the BBC has been irritated by German criticism of the Great Leader’s plans to bankrupt the UK, sorry, I mean lead us into sun-lit uplands. And so it runs this pathetic attempt by David Miliband and Mr Broon to imply that any German comment is purely for internal German consumption and has nothing to do with broader economic events. What sheer rubbish. The Germans have been quite clear that they view the Brown “plan” with contempt and have no intention of following it. This is a cardinal sin and the BBC helpfully spins Miliband’s drivel as if it had substance when it is in fact as empty as his head.

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DRIVING DOWN THE DREAM

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I was pleased to read that the proposed $14bn bail out of the Detroit 3 has been voted down thanks to the GOP Senators showing some backbone – just for once. Naturally, if you read this BBC report, the Republicans are positioned as the bad guys, refusing to play along with the kindly Democrats and the tamed White House, with the poor trade union guys cast as the innocents in this soap opera. In fact it is the UAW which has a central portion of blame to take for the demise of GM and co but you would never guess this from the way the BBC writes up the item. The concept of letting inefficient business swing in the breeze seems incomprehensible to the BBC and its acolytes but from where I stand the GOP is quite right NOT to bail out the auto-barons and their Union henchmen.


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