Dissent in the US

Indymedia

Tom vocally exercised his free speech rights which included a tee shirt with a powerful message, prior to being forcefully removed from Chrysler Hall by security personnel.
Tidewater peace activist, Tom Palumbo, of Virginia Beach was given an admittance ticket to President Bush's recent speaking event at Chrysler Hall.

That's democracy for you:get a ticket and support your president!
Bloody great T-shirt!

Kashmiris claim responsibility

Reuters India

A previously unknown Kashmiri militant group claimed responsibility for Saturday's serial blasts in New Delhi, television reports said on Sunday.

We can only imagine the pain.
I hope this doesn't lead to a backlash against India's muslims(or anywhere else for that matter).There may well be muslims among the injured and dead.
Pakistan and India are moving forward. India is, despite it's faults, a relatively good example of religious cohabitation. The president is muslim. The PM is sikh, and India almost had an italian born PM. Let's hope this relative harmony isn't broken.
It's important to remember, that just as nationalist Hindus don't represent Indians, fundamentalist Christians don't represent all Christians, and Israel doesn't represent Jews,neither do islamic fundamentalists and dictatorships represent Muslims.

Where was the UN?

Open your mind's eye

Usoooooo!!!!!!!

You Are a Henna Gaijin!

You're not Japanese, but you wish you were! You can use chopsticks with your eyes closed, and you've memorized hundreds of Kanji. You even answer your phone "moshi moshi." While the number of anime videos you've seen is way higher than the number of dates you've been on, there's hope. Play the sexy, mysterous gaijin, and you'll have plenty of Japanese meat.

What's Your Japanese Subculture?

Mais bien sûr!

You Should Learn French

C'est super! You appreciate the finer things in life... wine, art, cheese, love affairs. You are definitely a Parisian at heart. You just need your tongue to catch up...

What Language Should You Learn?

How sick!

BBC

The editor of the programme, which goes out on the Talpa TV station, said it was a shame Tanja was leaving because she had been "good television".

Iran

I can't believe there is even a debate as to whether Iran should be attacked after it's president's remarks over Israel. Anybody with half a mind knows his remarks were just that:remarks. Iran is not going to attack Israel. That would be daft to put it mildly-just as it would be daft for North Korea to attack Japan.
Iraq was attacked 'pre-emptively'.If the same happens to Iran, Bush and co. will just prove themselves to be the crazed fanatics that they are. These people have acted, whereas Ahmadinejad merely uttered words. Words which had they been uttered with regard to any other country than Israel, would hardly had been noticed. After all, the Islamic Republic of Iran has always(as farback as I can remember)called the US 'big Satan', and Europe 'little Satan'. Where's the difference? When are people going to get it in to their heads that Israel does not represent Jews? Israel is a state like any other, albeit a state defined by a religion, similarly to most middle-eastern states.

Apologies, yer highness

BBC

9. Prince Charles may not live the most carbon-neutral of lifestyles, but he does drive a hybrid car.

BINGO!

Now, this is funny.

Conservative Liberalism

I've finally understood what it is about conservatives and limited government. It isn't that they are some kind of right-wing anarchists who want to do away with government. No, they love government-just in the right places. As song as government gives to them and their causes, they are fine with government. If government defends minorities, the oppressed, those without money and/or power,it's called the 'nanny state'. However, if it gives to powerful oil barons, if it spends money building oil refineries, if it comes to the defense of powerful political and economic lobbies, then government is doing it's job.
The 'I'm for personal responsibility, not for intrusive government' argument is used to oppose those who call upon governments to defend the poor, the power-less, the planet.

Heroes of the day

Joe Wilson

Patrick Fitzgerald

God on Tv

BBC
Do communists believe in god?

"For me he is a god," Maradona said of the veteran communist leader.

Hero-worshipping?

He has a tattoo of the Cuban leader's face on his leg.

I'm in tears!(honestly)

BBC

Then there's Eddie Izzard, recounting how he saw a London Underground guard checking an unattended bag by shaking it: "Oh, Captain Clever! Rattle it, if it doesn't go off it can't be a bomb!"

And the king of sarcasm, Basil Fawlty, when Mrs Richards complains about the view of Torquay: "What did you expect to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window? Sydney Opera House perhaps? The Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically...?"

Burger Bill

BBC

The bill's opponents included California Democrat Bob Filner, who said the fast-food industry marketed fatty food to children and should take responsibility.

Indeed. Do we accept marketing of alcoholic beverages and tobacco to children? I don't think the fast food industry needs defending. As for the 'loony' cases of suing fast-food restaurants for spilled coffee etc., these cases are often used and abused by the fast-food industry to deride those who sue them.

Meanwhile...

Nutrition information will now be written on the majority of McDonald's product packaging using an easy-to-understand icon and bar chart format.

This is a positive step, but far from enough. If we know fast-food is unhealthy, marketing it, particularly to children, should be banned as it is in several countries with cigarettes&alcohol...

We want right to be selfish polluting b***ards!

I wonder if the tobacco industry finances the 'pro-choice' brigade...
Forces.org

Vancouver smoking ban disappoints tourist

I have been reading the Forces page for several months now as I live in California and my husband and I are both smokers. I thank you for taking the fight for choice into Canada as I have been following Vancouver's fight to outlaw smoking in their restaurants. We have found, in the past, that Vancouver, B.C. was a nice place to visit and on two past cruises have spent an extra day. I must say however if they continue this anti choice policy we will not be visiting again.

I must say that getting stuck in Vancouver airport's International terminal was much like the story related by the gentleman who was in the Seattle airport.

We just got back from a cruise in Scandinavia and Russia and I must say that their approach to accommodation is refreshing. For the first time in a long time we did not feel as if we were plague infested rodents, as in the United States. I hope it stays that way although I fear getting there on a smoking flight will be much more difficult as time goes on.

I have just received word that next year British Airways will go non smoking on their SF to London flights which they said they would not as they already have a completely non-smoking flight and one that is both. I have come to understand that since American Airlines and BA are talking a companionship and American went the way of non choice this year it is probably in the best interest of this partnership for BA to do the same and was encouraged to do so.

Keep up the good work as your partner in the Bay Area is doing and continue to encourage smokers to speak up as those ambivalent smokers are our worst enemy.

I don't know why people cannot see that today it is cigarettes, tomorrow it will be whatever the antis choose it to be. It scares me to think that my grandchildren might be living in a "police state." And everyone will look at the situation and say "Gee, how did it get this way?"

Thank you for listening.

-- Sheila L. Johnson

Taiwan and bird flu

Forbes.com

'We will continue efforts seeking a patent authorization from the Swiss company Roche to mass manufacture Tamiflu but the trial production will go ahead to meet emergency needs,' said Li Jih-heng from the health department.

The taiwanese government has taken the right course of action here. Let's hope it gets support if it is attacked by the big drug pushers, Roche.

More to the point

BBC

Tony Blair has expressed "revulsion" at the Iranian president's assertion that he wanted Israel "wiped off the map".

Would he have been so 'revulsed' if, say, Dagestan had called for, hmmm, let me think, Northern Ossetia to be wiped off the map? How about if Israel had called for Iran to be wiped off the map-would his choice of words have been so strong?
Call me 'anti-semitic' if you so wish. Don't forget to add 'self-hating Jew'.

Mr Blair added: "Can you imagine a state like that with an attitude like that having a nuclear weapon?"

The US is and has been a far greater threat to the world than Iran ever was. We all know the US has nuclear weapons, but that is not what constitutes it's threat. It's threat is foreign intervention and support of state terrorism all over the globe. But of course, that's 'our' kind of terrorism. I feel revulsion at your cynicism, Mr Blair.

The Eco-Prince

Beeb

"We should be treating, I think, the whole issue of climate change and global warming with a far greater degree of priority than I think is happening now," he said.

Yes, how's about getting the Rolls converted to LPG, yer HIGH-ness?

Alcoholism

BBC

"We're disappointed, there's been these awful bouts of drinking which have gone on and he's had all these other sorts of social problems," he said.

Alcoholism should be treated as an illness. Obviously, only the sufferer can decide to get help, but it should not be treated as merely a matter of will-power, as that would be to deny the seriousness of the affliction.

Have to comment on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Like he would shout it out loud in front of reporters and diplomats if he really planned to 'wipe Israel off the map'. Yeah sure. I wonder if the Foreign Office found Mr Bush's talk of 'axis of evil' or 'crusade' "deeply disturbing and sickening".

What happens when the media fails to check it's sources

PR Watch via A Logical Voice

Media Matters for America, began raising questions about the story, which by then had been cited in publications ranging from the Christian Science Monitor to the Wall Street Journal.
(...)
"He's cooked this whole thing up," Dunkley said angrily.

Photo Competition

BBC

What predictable voting...

'Human Nature'

I have been moved to write a few deep thoughts of mine about the nature of Homo Sapiens.
Disclaimer:if anyone recognises themselves as having influenced this post, let no offense be taken!
Too often, one hears the phrase "It's human nature" or a variant of the "Humans will destroy the earth" kind. I'll be brief:it's a cop out. Either that or it's an attempt by those whom it best serves at 'brainwashing' the masses.
Personally, I don't buy the 'human nature' explanation. I am a human(or so it would seem). Yet, I do not view myself as one intent on destroying the MOTHERSHIP in order to satisfy my own greed. As far as I can remember, I have never picked up a weapon and lunged at my fellow human beings, and I certainly have never declared pre-emptive war on some guy/girl down the street 'cos he/she wouldn't play by my rules after I'd helped he/she beat up his/her neighbour.
What's more, I am a human being, and I am capable of rational thought. This means I am able to see the difference between what is right and what is wrong. I know that it is wrong for me to hate someone because they are of a different colour, religion, culture, birthplace or whatever. I know it is wrong to beat someone up because they don't live on my side of town. I know that ideally we would all live in harmony respecting each other's choices, tastes and opinions. In addition to that, I know many people who can see the difference between what is right and what is wrong. What I cannot understand is why among these people some continue to talk about 'human nature' being the root of all evil.
The war in Iraq was started by the US and UK governments with the help of big oil-not by the human race.
The Iran-Iraq war was a war between two sets of fanatical(in different ways)dictators-not by ordinary Iranians and Iraqis, and most definitely not by the human race.
Six million(give or take a few)jews were gassed by the Nazis, not by the german people, and not by the human race.
Need I go on ad vitam eternam?
I think the point I am trying to make is this: there are people who are responsible for atrocities and the destruction of our environment. We, the people are responsible for demonstrating our disaproval, and doing all we can to stop the pain, misery and environmental destruction going on around us, but we as humans are not responsible for the acts. There is much opposition to the evil powers that be, much of it in Britain and America.
It is all too easy and at the same time it is a magnificent gift to the elites to blame all the world's problems on 'human nature'.

Terrorist Profile

gizmonaut

Behavior. Does the individual act oddly, appear fearful, or use mannerisms that do not fit in? Examples include repeatedly circling an area on foot or in a car, pacing back and forth in front of a venue, glancing left and right while walking slowly, fidgeting with something under his or her clothes, exhibiting an unwillingness to make eye contact, mumbling (prayer), or repeatedly checking a watch or cell phone. [...]

I predict a few petty criminals are going to get shot. But they're expendible, right?

Update

BBC

All 117 passengers and crew of a commercial airliner which crashed on an internal flight in Nigeria on Saturday were killed, the government has said.

Beware of hasty news reporting...

It's a family affair

The Law and justice

Our aim is to build an inexpensive state - to do away with the waste of public money and corruption. As mayor of Warsaw, my brother has shown that public expenditure can be cut by several dozen percent.

Birmingham clashes

The Hindu

Riots erupted in the Lozells area of west Birmingham after members of the Afro-Caribbean and South Asian communities held a meeting Saturday over the alleged rape. The meeting was partially meant to calm tension in the community and encourage the 14-year-old girl _ reportedly an illegal immigrant _ to come forward.

Police State

Guardian
(with thanks to Colcam)

Under current laws the police are not only entitled to keep my fingerprints and DNA samples, but according to my solicitor, they are also entitled to hold on to what they gather during their investigation: notepads of arresting officers, photographs, interviewing tapes and any other documents they entered in the police national computer (PNC). So even though the police consider me innocent there will remain some mention (what exactly?) in the PNC and, if they fully share their information with Interpol, in other police databases around the world as well. Isn't a state that keeps files on innocent persons a police state? This erosion of our fundamental liberties should be of concern to us all. All men are suspect, but some men are more suspect than others (with apologies to George Orwell).

Half empty or half full?

The Optimists

About 50 people have survived a plane crash on a flight from Lagos to the Nigerian capital Abuja, officials say.

Another possibility had been evoked.

Meanwhile, the first lady has died.
No worries, he has a few in reserve...

Should Saddam Hussein be executed?

I am against the death penalty in any situation. That for me is the only reaon for opposing the execution of Saddam Hussein. It doesn't matter wheteher or not it would make him a martyr. To me, the death penalty is immoral. Full stop. That said, the real point is who is responsible for judging him. If Iraq is to be an independent country, then it is up to the iraqi courts to judge him and to decide whether or not he should be executed. Countries which oppose the death penalty should campaign and put pressure on Iraq to abolish the death penalty be it for Saddam Hussein or anyone else.

Police shootings(in french)

For those familiar with the language of Moliere(and Napoleon), click on the link above. No doubt I'll translate it in the near future(yes, I know I often say that, Scott!).

The height of arrogance

Officer.com

The head of London's police force said he considered resigning over the police shooting of a Brazilian electrician mistaken for a terror suspect, but insisted he had no plans to quit, according to comments released Sunday.

As I type, there seems to be nothing to add on the inquiry. What has happened to the officers. The only information I could find was one small sentence in a recen Independent article saying the officers were prosecuted pending the result of the investigation. Meanwhile a whistleblower was suspended. Is that also pending the result of an investigation? I doubt it.
If anyone has any further information, please let me know.

South Asia Earthquake Aftermath

Relief Web

Oxfam International has today said that the tent crisis is so severe that the world's Governments must make any reserves of winter tents that they have available now. There are no figures available for how many tents are sat in the warehouses of the world's armed forces but military experts believe the stockpiles could be significant

Invasion of these isles

Beeb

She said Lord Nelson's leadership qualities had helped lift "a very real threat of an invasion of Britain".

Isn't the Queen at least half german? Isn't she married to a Dane whose family took over the greek crown? Wasn't his family name changed from Battenberg to Mountbatten? Wasn't hers changed from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor? Wasn't her great-great-grandmother Victoria the last monarch of the House of Hannover?
At the time of Trafalgar, the King was George III,

the third British monarch of the House of Hanover, but the first to be born in Britain and use English as his first language.

So don't give me bollocks about being saved from foreign invasion!

The cutting edge

I'm with you Kanye...

Post Katrina Hip Hop

Watch this mothas!

Sensitive issues

I was told something yesterday which shocked me. It shocked me so, that I wanted to post immediately about it! However, I waited, thinking ‘sleep over it’. Well, I’ve slept over it, and I still feel angry, albeit much calmer…
“Sensitive issues leave no room for logical debate” she said. “Whaaaat?!?!?!” I screamed (inwardly).
The sensitive issue in question was prostitution. I had shown-with logical arguments-that prostitution having existed for ‘ever’ and it being unlikely to disappear, it is necessary to make it completely legal, thereby offering more protection to sex workers.
I accept that everyone does not necessarily agree with that opinion, but you need to put forward a logical (rational) argument if you want to prove that legalization is dangerous. All I got from my ‘opponent’ was arguments in the form of questions such as “in which profession-apart from boxing-are workers more at risk than in prostitution?”. Hmmm. What does that prove? I should not even have bothered answering such an illogical ‘argument’.
The worst is that I was accused of ignoring the facts- ie that prostitutes are routinely physically harmed. Exactly! By cops, pimps and clients mostly. If the law fully recognizes prostitutes, cops are much less likely to attack sex workers. In the Netherlands, prostitution is near-legal(similar to drugs), and pimping is prohibited. As for clients abusing prostitutes, it will be much easier to punish them if prostitution is legally recognized and organized.
That is how I logically put forward my argument. What do I get? There’s no room for logic regarding sensitive issues. God help the prostitutes!

Future PMs?

How David Cameron voted
Despite his apparently liberal stance on drugs, it would seem Mr cameron is a good old right-wing reactionary.

David Davis on death penalty

If somebody plans to carry out a series of murders ... then this is obviously an evil and pre-meditated attack and in that case, there could be a deterrent effect.

Liam Fox and racist jokes
Mr Fox was eager to join the chorus characterising an apparently purely political,albeit hypocritical, statement as antisemitic.
Antisemitism?

Ken Clarke and the tobacco industry

Murdoch date

yuk yuk yuk!

The Tory Leadership

What's your footprint?

You can test your ecological footprint here. I'm not sure it can be entirely trusted for accuracy, but nonetheless, it's food for thought.

Yasukuni

Again a japanese PM visits Yasukuni shrine where japanese war dead are enshrined, including war criminals. Again there are protests from abroad.
Let us not be fooled by the claims coming from certain Japanese such as Koizumi, that this is an issue of japanese culture and misunderstanding on the part of foreigners. The Japanese are perfectly intelligent enough to differentiate between those who gave their lives unwillingly and those who orchestrated crimes against humanity. They are also capable of separating religion and state.
Let us not be fooled either by the 'protests' emanating from the leaders of China and Korea. These states are hardly beacons of democracy, and it is obvious their 'protests' are merely political point-scoring, as is Lee Teng-Hui's so-called support of koizumi. The fact that Japan doesn't recognise Taiwan, just like the United States, should not make people forget that Japan, as the US is an important defence partner of Taiwan. Realpolitik at it's most cynical.

Nationalisms

Talking to Moustapha from the Chad is always thought provoking. I'll disagree with much of what he says, yet there's a lot of sense in his words. When he talks about homosexuality being wrong and how it's a crime in his home country, this disturbs me, but at the same time he has a very humanistic approach to life, even if he is a 'practicing' (in a sub-saharan kinda way) muslim.On this note, I find it interesting how he calls himself a religious believer with humanistic beliefs, while I would describe myself as a humanist who agrees with many christian(since that is my culture)beliefs.
What made me want to post about him, was when he said that too often people took religion(and here he was talking mainly about Islam, obviously)as a hereditary concept, while he believed one cannot be born a muslim.
What I wanted to know, in my western cliche manner, was if he described himself first and foremost as a muslim or as a Chadian or African. I felt there was no straightforward answer to this question. I would have expected him to say 'muslim', yet this was not so obvious to him.
As an African, his culture and nationality were at least as important as his faith, and he made comparisons between Chadians and other African nations such as Camerounians and Nigerians, saying his people showed more solidarity among one and other. On the question of a worldwide muslim nation, he was much more vague. I don't think he really felt as strong a bond with muslims from other cultures. Both him and the other 'Moussa' have quite strong anti-arab feelings(even if they have arab friends!).
Culture obviously has a strong role in determining the way people view and practice their religion.At the same time, Moustapha claimed there could be only one 'Islam'. Yet, Islam was brought to his people by the arab invaders. So whose 'Islam' is right? It's like the clash between european and african Christianity.
My question is, can organised religion and culture coexist? Is nationalism a substitute for religion, or do they go hand in hand?
To me, these two concepts contradict each other, and yet are routinely used and abused together by leaders in order to dupe the masses. My humanistic faith is universal, as is supposedly the Christian faith, and as such it cannot cohabit with nationalistic beliefs.

The Menezes shooting

BBC
Back in September, a woman was arrested for allegedly leaking information on the inquiry into the death of Jean Charles de Menezes. While the truth is being muzzled, the latest news of the possiblity of someone facing charges was in the Scotsman on October 8th. The Lifestyle Extra reports that

Mr de Menezes was shot after a senior Scotland Yard officer, Commander Cressida Dick, gave orders that he was not to be allowed to board the train.

Glorifying Terrorism

BBC

A proposed law banning the "glorifying" of terrorist acts has been revised, following criticism of the proposals.

People would have to "intend to incite" further acts of terror to be convicted, Home Secretary Charles Clarke has said

So does this mean it's ok to say "Suicide bombers are cool dudes" but not to say "I call on my brothers and sisters to go and kill infidels"? What if you say "We call on all our followers to refrain from using protection against sexually transmitted diseases"-could that be construed as 'incitement to mass murder'?

Urgent need of aid

Quake in Pakistan

The United Nations said there was a risk of cholera and pneumonia and Muzaffarabad's health director Khawaja Shabir said malaria and other diseases were already breaking out, with hospitals wrecked and many doctors dead.

Hurricane in Central America

The rains, which started gently last weekend and then turned torrential, caused a trail of death and destruction. In southern Mexico, an estimated 20 people were killed, 70 rivers overran their banks, 30 bridges fell and more than 150,000 people were left homeless. In El Salvador, an estimated 71 people died and about 65,000 were left homeless by the storm.

Food shortage in Malawi

The new money will be used to feed more than 100,000 people in some of the hardest hit districts, such as Nsanje and Phalombe in the south, and Mzimba and Chitipa in the north. It will also provide seed and fertilisers, so that people are able to plant next season’s crops.

Darfur crisis

"The worst humanitarian crisis in the world today" -- so relief agencies and news reports refer to the catastrophe still unfolding in the westernmost Sudanese province of Darfur. With the United Nations estimating that 50,000 people have been killed and 1 million displaced, the description is apt.

Other aid agencies are:
Oxfam
Médecins sans frontières
Islamic Relief

Katrina Rap

Rock 'n Roll Love

Radio One



That's Noel's head by the way.

Police beating

Thanks to Openyourmindseye

Racist or not, this is sickening.

Democracy and oil

SFGate

The House of Representatives descended into bedlam Friday as Republican leaders kept a five-minute vote open for more than 40 minutes -- and arm-twisted two of their members to switch their votes -- to pass a new energy bill.

(...)

In the final 15 minutes, three GOP votes shifted in favor of the energy bill under pressure from Republican leaders. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, who recently stepped down temporarily as majority leader after being indicted in Texas over a campaign finance issue, worked hard on the House floor to convince wavering GOP lawmakers. In the end, 13 moderate Republicans remained opposed.

No Democrats voted yes, although three initially favored it. They changed their minds after talking to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco and Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the second-ranking Democrat.

It seems to me undemocratic to 'arm twist' voters whichever party you belong to.

Republican leaders insisted that Friday's vote was not an abuse of power, and that five-minute votes often run long while party officials round up votes.

It's no longer a 'five-minute vote' when it lasts 'over 40 minutes'.

Delaying a vote does not violate House rules, but lawmakers from both parties have long denounced it as an unfair tactic.

Is it legal to delay a vote by the general public 'while party officials round up votes', say in the presidential elections?

"We use 21 million barrels of oil a day and only have the refinery capacity for 16 million on a good day," Barton said.

So rather than reducing the amount of oil we use, let's just increase it. Who cares what we'll do when there's none left!

The energy bill that passed the House of Representatives by a two-vote margin after a controversial extended vote would:
(...)
Encourage carpooling.

How's it gonna do that?

Here's what Star Telegram has to say on the matter:

Another point of contention: the bill's provision to promote conservation via carpooling instead of by raising the federal government's fuel-economy standards.

(...)

"I think it's a good thing we have tough environmental laws and a good thing we enforce them," Barton said. "But if you were to build a refinery overseas in certain countries, you don't have to do anything environmentally. I don't think that's fair."

So instead of leading by example, we stamp our feet like spoilt kids.


(...)

Meanwhile, the House Committee on Resources will consider the National Energy Supply Diversification and Disruption Prevention Act, a bill that would open up Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling and enable states to permit drilling that is currently prohibited on the Outer Continental Shelf.

It's like stealing your mum so you can get your next smack hit.

Dilbert

Justice

BBC

She says there was very little delay in issuing her claim in December 2004, after learning of Hoare's win and realising it was "worthwhile" suing him.

How can it be 'moral' to sue someone years after the facts, simply because it's become worthwile? Have we forgotten that there must be justice for victims as well as perpetrators? Otherwise, we should just impose mandatory life or even death sentences. I obviously do not advocate this, since I believe in rehabilitation and reintegration. Isn't that what society has come to believe over recent decades? If so, there has to be a point when a criminal is judged to have paid his debt to society and can be reintegratted within society.Of course, it is clear that even after 'paying their debts', former prisonners aren't really reintegrated since nothing in prison or outside is done to help their rehabilitation.

Anti-semitism (cont'd)

David Baddiel's Harold Nicolson quote ‘Although I loathe anti-Semitism,I do dislike Jews.’ got me thinking. If Jews are a nation like any other, on the same level as Australians for example, why is it less acceptable to express dislike for Jews than it is for a nation such as Australians? I can only think of one other case where a specific word has been invented to define criticism of a nation: 'anti-americanism'. To paraphrase Noam Chomsky, who's ever heard of 'anti-frenchism' or 'anti-italianism'?

I'd like to add that 'jewishness' is indeed a complicated concept, and I say this as someone who assumes his jewish heritage. However, 'contradictions' embodied in judaism shouldn't be used to apply diferent rules to jews than to other religious or ethnic groups.

Anti-zionism and anti-semitism

On Hard Talk Extra tonight, comedian David Baddiel and journalist Jonathan Freedland both said they believed it was anti-semitic to question the state of Israel-or could at least seem so. This is a very simplistic claim. It doesn't rest on any logical or rational argument, and this is particularly disapointing coming from a journalist such as Freedland.

One could describe being opposed to the state of Israel as being "anti-zionist". Yet, this would be to ignore the zionists who opposed the concept of a jewish state before it was created. Noam Chomsky has told how he was a zionist from a young age yet has always opposed a 'jewish state' as an utterly undemocratic state.

For Jonathan Freedland, it would be unfair to allow Australians to have a state and not Jews. There is one blatant difference between Jews and Australians. 'Jewishness' is an exclusive concept. It carries religious overtones. To be an Australian, you don't need to be a christian, or even indigenous...Do we think islamic states are democratic? Do we allow christianity to define 'our' nations-other than symbolically?

Even if 'anti-zionism' means being opposed to the state of Israel, how can this be construed as being anti-semitic? David Baddiel himself said Israelis to him weren't really jewish(with a little humour, I admit).Couldn't such a statement be seen as anti-semitic by Israelis, especially if they lack a jewish sense of humour, as he suggested?

For David Baddiel Anne Widdecombe's "something about the night" comment about Michael Howard was unconsciously anti-semitic. Personally, I didn't know, at the time, that Howard was jewish, and yet I understood what she meant-even if I don't necessarily agree with her. Are all untrustworthy people supposed to be Jews?

Nobel Peace Prize

NYT

The Norwegian Nobel Institute's prize committee said it hoped that the prize will strengthen the United Nations organization and refocus energy on nonproliferation in the wake of a failure to strengthen the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty at a United Nations conference earlier this year.

This must be the strongest indication that the Nobel peace prize is all about sending a message-a message that suits the agenda of a certain elite. When did the IAEA put pressure on the US, Israel or France (to name a select few) to halt their nuclear programmes?

On JC Menezes

A Logical Voice

The investigation into the shooting "will be carried out by the Met's own Directorate of Professional Standards", Sir Ian writes.

No independent inquiry, then?

Time and Space

BBC

"Empire raises many issues relating to time and space that are also explored in the Universal Experience exhibition."

There's an idea...

Global Leader

BBC

Perhaps the biggest surprise was the success of the American linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky, who came fourth. Another outspoken American, Michael Moore, was 15th.

Surprising, perhaps not. The irony is that Noam Chomsky doesn't believe in leadership-not political leadership anyway.

Death of a comedian

BBCAnd here's a quote from the funniest man in Britain:

Former Conservative prime minister John Major added: "Ronnie Barker will forever be remembered as one of the great comic actors."