:
Sat Sept 23 -

CLOAK OF IMPUNITY -

Richard North posted something worth thinking about the other day; excerpt follows:

There seems to be something very sinister about the activities of AP and news agencies in general and my guess is that they have ceased to become agencies as such, and are now in the business of peddling influence...

It seems to me, therefore, that the agencies are no longer content with their passive role of reporting the news and are now seeking to make it-- setting the agenda. If that is the case, they are getting above their station and need putting back in their box.

I hope Richard North is wrong; but I fear he is right. If his hypothesis is sound, the prospect is worrisome, because no one voted for them and no one elected them. This makes them largely unaccountable to the public.

The appearance of this deeply malevolent story about George Allen's local political campaign in Virginia at the LA (California) Times, thousands of miles away at the other end of the country, seems to validate what Richard North postulated:

Quicksilver Image
in Senator's Mirror

:: By Faye Fiore ::
--LA Times --

...

:
Sat Sept 23 -

HOLIDAY NOTES -

First, Happy New Year for Rosh HaShonah, if you're inclined that way; or Mahbrouk for Ramadan, if that's your cup of tea.

A few items seemed to wizz by me over the last couple of days which I think important to note, so some of this has accumulated.

Every year lately I've looked for a comprehensive survey of the TV mini-series that are broadcast at this time of year across the Middle East, if only out of curiosity about the topics they focus on. They are called, incidentally, mosalsalat.

In a rather long but chatty article at Egypt Today, Sherif Awad's guide gives a rundown on what's being offered this year from kitch to topical.

While it may seem an odd addendum to some, it has long been my suspicion that the much-disputed "Qana Photo Saga" had a professional author/director behind it. Perhaps, he was from Al Manar TV itself or, perhaps, he even produced some of these mosalsalat TV series in years gone by. Of course, I'm just guessing... but what about the Mysterious Bridal Dress? And wasn't the Micky Mouse doll a symbol of the West enslaving the Ummah? No? OK, I could be wrong.

In any case, it popped up in the news again this past week when The Green Helmet Guy got his Warholian 15 minutes of international fame; a photo of him was displayed by Lebanese President Emile Lahoud before the UN. See Snapped Shot Blog here for details.

...

:
Fr Sept 22 -

NASRALLAH'S PHASE 2 -

Hassan Nasrallah appeared
at a rally in south Beirut today, his first public appearance since July 12th.

Hussein Rahhal, a Hezbollah spokesman, said Nasrallah would deliver a "landmark historic speech about his group's weapons" and outline "prospects for the next stage in Lebanon."

Hezbollah's hegemony marks their "victory" not over Israel, but over Lebanon. They don't control Israel; they control what's left of the former State of Lebanon.

:: Reuters/Al Jazeera TVNet ::

...

:
Th Sept 21 -

HEZBEE RALLY FRI - But
Leader still on mystery tour -

Hundreds of Hezbollah supporters
from across southern Lebanon
began marching toward Beirut on
Thursday for a Friday rally to
showcase the group's insistence
it won't disarm. Their leader,
Nasrallah, has been in hiding
since July 12, and it is not
known if he will attend.

:: AP/1010 WINS ::

...

:
Th Sept 21 -

RADIO REMOTE -

*The BBC has persuaded John Humphrys to venture abroad professionally for the first time in more than 25 years to host Today, the flagship Radio 4 morning programme, from Iraq. Slated for next month.*

:: UK Guardian ::
-- Via BBC Editors Blog --

...

:
Th Sept 21 -

NJ MOB'S
CADAVER PARTS -

British hospitals are in the center of a still-unfolding scandal involving an American Mafia corpse-snatching ring. The ring's corporate beard, BTS of New Jersey, was headed by Michael Mastromarino who is facing body harvesting charges.

:: This is London ::

...

:
Th Sept 21 -

POPE SWAP
FOR PAKISTAN?

Don't bet on it . . .

About 1,000 Muslim clerics and religious scholars meeting Thurs in Pakistan demanded the removal of the current Roman Catholic Pope for making what they called "insulting remarks" against Islam.

:: AP/SPI ::

...

:
Th Sept 21 -

Scanning the News . . .
FEM MEMES -

This is the kind of news you don't want to wake up to in the morning; nevertheless, there are a couple of crimes against women dominating current events so far today.

On a happier note, Elif Shafak, the female novelist who wrote The Bastard of Istanbul, has been acquitted of "insulting Turkishness."

The European Union has warned Turkey that putting writers and journalists on trial for their speech could hamper its efforts to join the bloc. [snip] Some 25 nationalist protesters were holding an EU flag adorned with a Nazi swastika in the middle and a slogan that read: "EU fascism."

Shafak is a U of Arizona asst prof.
=========================

About those crimes against women -
# On the national level, there is the gruesome "dragging death" in the Denver area.

The woman's mangled, naked body was discovered with her face so disfigured that she could not be immediately identified. An autopsy report... revealed that the victim was alive when a rope was placed around her neck and she was dragged behind a vehicle.

# On the local level, there's a BOLO out for a home invader who may be a serial rapist mostly in the northern Dade area.

=========================
Also notable: there's been another savage beating of a homeless man in a Ft Lauderdale park by four suspected juvenile boys.
...

:
We Sept 20 -

NB: BLOGGING NOTE -

Blogger will be down
for maintenance
tomorrow (Sep 21)
for 45 minutes
starting at 4pm (Pacific Time).

That's 7pm East Coast U.S.

...

:
We Sept 20 -

UK "NO-GO" AREA:
May be developing -

John Reid's first speech to British Muslims was today sensationally disrupted when an Islamic radical barged in and began shouting abuse at the Home Secretary.

"How dare you come here
to a Muslim area after you
have arrested Muslims?"

:: This is London ::

...

:
We Sept 20 -

CONEHEADS BOOK
INTO SCENIC TOUR -

Well, maybe . . .

The BBC NewsNight piece which I blogged about in two entries below has been transformed into an article which now appears on the BBC's website-- but it is a very selective presentation.

For example, the BBC is not telling its website readers that over half the Iraqi Jews currently live in Israel. Thus, the men in the videotape are quite possibly Iraqi Jews who speak the Iraqi dialect of Arabic fluently and are familiar with Iraqi culture.

Frankly, I'm not even sure the Iraqi government could legally keep such individuals out according to United Nations rules, though I'm not an expert in such international law. People are supposed to be free to leave their countries and return. And what if they are citizens of both countries? This could become quite complex. Best to ignore it. Or risk poking your toe into a scorpions' nest.

:: BBC ::

...

:
We Sept 20 -

FLAKE REPORTER
INVESTIGATES:
CANDIDATE'S ANCESTRY -

*At a campaign debate with Democratic challenger James Webb on Monday, a reporter asked Allen whether his mother's father... was Jewish.*

The reporter, Peggy Fox of WUSA (Channel 9), sounded like she was working for the Nazi SS. She should be fired immediately for gross misconduct.

This is supposed to be illegal
in the United States.

Like lots of Americans, George Allen is of mixed heritage and he is Christian; that should be the end of it.

:: George Allen story ::
-- By Michael D Shear --
-- WaPo RegReq'd --

...

:
We Sept 20 -

PRELUDE TO RAMADAN -

Islam’s holy fasting month of Ramadan is expected to start Saturday or Sunday in a Muslim world still seething over remarks by the pope and rocked by at least five major conflicts...

Top Dates this year:
the Nasrullah, Ahmadinejad,
and the Hugo Chavez.

:: AFP/KhaleejTimes ::

...

:
We Sept 20 -

OUR ENGLISH CUZNS -

SCION AT RISK -*Lieuwe van Gogh, thirteen-year-old son of filmmaker Theo van Gogh, who was murdered by Islamists, is finding his life in increasing danger in his native Netherlands, while the Dutch police do nothing.* DFH

POPE-A-THON - *How muslim cartoonists have responded to the Pope's remarks.* I.Dale

MORE PAPAL REACTION - Christopher Hitchins doesn't think the Pope has made a constructive contribution to the public discourse. Slate

...

:
We Sept 20 -

PAXMAN MEGILLAH II -
An Update -

I watched the program segment and thought it was irresponsible. I especially did not appreciate the extended navel-gazing and beard-pulling speculation about how the airport could be used to attack Iran, etc..

Never mind an Iraqi civil war--
maybe Paxman can start
World War III all by himself.

What could he be thinking?!

Very poor judgement!

:: BBC NewsNight ::

...

:
Tu Sept 19 -

PAXMAN'S
KURDISH MEGILLAH -

Could the BBC's Jeremy Paxman
singlehandedly start a civil war
in Iraq all by himself???

Sadly, it seems possible this week.

I think he is exhibiting very poor judgement in tonight's program segment about the Kurds; and I strongly disapprove of the inciteful practice of journalism. This topic is not newsworthy, but could cause an enormous amount of trouble for lots of people. Better judgement on second thought would skip it and ignore it.

Of course, it's a bit unfair to judge a segment without having actually watched it, but I wish it would just evaporate before broadcast.

A regrettable antic!

:: BBC NewsNight ::

...

:
Tu Sept 19 -

BOOK NETTING -

WaPo's Bob Thompson reviews
two new non-fiction books
with a foreign twist:

# Sarah Chayes, who grew up in Cambridge, Mass, and worked for NPR, has published a new book based on her experience working in Afghanistan where she eventually resigned from her radio job to help run Afghans for Civil Society. Her book is called: The Punishment of Virtue.

# John Brady Kiesling, a former diplomat and author of the newly published book Diplomacy Lessons, tells the story of his "failure to prevent a Florida con man from bilking the government of Romania out of $250,000;" among other things.

:: WaPo, RegRq'd ::

...

:
Tu Sept 19 -

A TALE OF TWO CITIES -

# Dexter Filkins describes the current conditions in Baghdad for NYTimes reporters to E&P's David Hirschman. Via Howie Kurtz at WaPo.

And in drastic contrast:

# The BBC in Kabul which has installed a giant wireless zone. John Williams describes how reporters are able to take advantage of this technology.

Go figure!
...

:
Tu Sept 19 -

NB: BLOGGING NOTES -

Blogging was interrupted today by an early thunderstorm. In a note on the Status site, Prashant tells us:

*Blogger will be down for maintenance [tomorrow] for 15 minutes starting at 4pm (Pacific Time).*

That's today, folks!
East Coast US time is 7pm.

Also, Hamid Nir appeared on the Coast to Coast AM radio show by phone. He reiterated that Adnan Shukrijumah is here within the U.S. already and up to no good; he said we should expect a new tape from OBL soon (like for Ramadan, maybe?); and predicted an uptick in military attacks on Allied Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan within this period.
...

:
S/Mon Sept 18 -

CATHOLICS BESIEGED -

*Prominent Islamic scholar Dr Yousef Qaradawi criticised Pope Benedict XVI for his remarks critical of Islam, saying that the Pope showed no respect [sic] for Muslims’ sanctities by such "unjustified" remarks.*

:: By Anwar Elshamy ::
-- GulfTimes Qatar --

========================
Just outside
Westminster Cathedral today...

:: UK Blogger :: attends church
========================

*Under Benedict, the key issue, in Vatican-speak, is not 'dialogue' but 'reciprocity'. Even before his election, there was a growing feeling among Catholic prelates that dialogue with Islam consisted largely of Catholic initiatives.*

:: John Hooper :: in Rome
-- UK Guardian/Observer --

...

:
Su Sept 17 -

BLACK FLAG RAISED
OVER THE POPE -

Pope Benedict's "remarks on Islam
have sparked violence and anger."

:: Pope vs Prophet ::
-- John Cornwell, UKTimes --

I don't think the demonstrated violence and anger are spontaneous. I believe they were orchestrated like Street Theater demonstrations which are put out on the street by leaders of activist groups. Originally, it seemed the "reaction" was conjured up to eclipse the forced public conversion to Islam at gunpoint of the two Fox reporters and the recent Al Qaeda videotape warning to Christians that they must convert, submit or die. In any case, I don't think this was a genuine reaction to the Pope's remarks, since a very large percentage of the Moslem world is illiterate. Rather, it appeared to be one of those knee-jerk triggers for the seemingly perpetual Moslem "streetrage" which is always roiling just under the surface and occasionally emerges.

Despite my suspicions, some of the threats which have emerged are worrisome. For example:

...last week Al-Qaeda-linked websites were indeed targeting the Vatican. One carries an image of the black flag of Islam flying over the apostolic palace, the Pope’s residence. A message posted by a senior Al-Qaeda figure said: "We are certain that the infidelity and tyranny of the Pope will only be stopped by a major attack."

The UK Times editorial wisely cautions against submitting to outside crackpots' censorship:

The Vatican has said he is very sorry his speech caused such offence to Muslims. That is fine but it should not go further than that. He should certainly not be pushed into withdrawing his remarks. As in the case of the Danish cartoons, Muslim zealots are trying to impose their restrictions of free expression on the West. Mindful as we should be of religious sensitivities, that cannot be allowed to happen.

In the end it is not possible mollify crackpots because they are prosecuting their own independent agendas, regardless of whatever the RC Pope may say, which they can merely use as a figleaf to redirect the rage of their own oppressed populations.
...

:
Su Sept 17 -

B ON B: PART 3 -

Just for the record, I think it is worth noting here that one of the most frustrating problems I have been having for the last few months is Technorati failing to record my links.

I post on a variety of topics, some of them are about current events and are linked to Mainstream Media sources. But even when I link to such sources and Technorati lists the article under discussion, they fail to include my blog. I have emailed them to complain about it but have gotten no satisfaction as a result. They DO list Spam Blogs for such articles. These are blogs that which are actually about Real Estate or some other commercial venture which use tricks to include links to popular buzzwords or links to legitimate articles in the News Media, but only to lure readers for their commercial venture.

This has been one of the most frustrating hassles I've had with blogging in the recent past. It's like I'm being blacklisted.

Would I ever blog again? "Never Say Never!" But I don't think it's very likely. Certainly not under the current circumstances which have considerably soured me on this activity.

Let's just say that I am currently undecided...
...

:
Su Sept 17 -

B ON B: PART 2 -
A Good Run -

I was a big fan of a magazine called Y.I.L., which I faithfully purchased on dead trees almost every month. In theory, competition is supposed to improve the contenders; but, in practice, what often happens here in the U.S. is that the second one which comes along completely crushes and destroys the first one which already exists. And that's what happened to YIL. It chief rival and competitor was Wired. Logic would suggest that I would turn to the surviving magazine, but that's just theory. In actual practice, I don't read Wired regularly on paper or even online. It just doesn't interest me in general. Once in while, when someone posts a link to a specific story, I may go over there and read it. Otherwise, it's outside my usual browsing circuit. I thought the other magazine was a hundred times better. It was nice while it lasted.

Today comes an announcement of the end of another publication: the online magazine called Carnival of the Vanities. It had a good run, too.

Carnival of the Vanities is closing for lack of interest.

The four year edition was the final test. If a heavily promoted, major landmark in the life of a historic, hugely influential blogospheric institution can’t get links or traffic - not to malign those who did come through for us, thanks! - and not even from many people with a stake, then there is no hope for it week to week.

:: Via James Joyner ::

* * * * * * * * * * * *
What happened to CoV? Well, for my part, I lost track of it. For a while, it didn't seem to have an anchor or home anywhere and it became complicated to try to find it. I liked it and contributed to it sometimes... until I lost it.

Who even knew that eventually it got its own constant address?

But, voila! Here it is:

:: C of V Homebase ::

Too bad it's probably too late.
...

:
Su Sept 17 -

BLOGGING ON BLOGGING -

I am currently considering the demise of this blog. I originally started it on an experimental basis; I didn't have any particular agenda, except maybe to improve my computer skills along the way.

But I did have a target readership number: I was aiming to achieve at least two dozen readers a day. I accomplished that and did even better than the target number for the most part. But then, when RSS was introduced, the numbers on my site meter began dropping. A second decrease occurred when I moved south.

Over the past several weeks my site meter has recorded only an average of a half-dozen to a dozen readers a day.

Composing and posting these entries is time-consuming. And, while I don't mind "sharing" these links which I accumulate as I surf around the Net with a couple of dozen readers a day, I feel that my time might be better spent elsewhere since practically nobody is reading this material.

I don't feel disappointed or depressed about it. The E.C. had had a good run.

We'll see what happens...
...