Fair and Balanced - Honest Reporting 2 - Apartheid

>

From Honest Reporting's story "Barghouti Is No Mandela", a critique of the Toronto Star's Middle East bureau chief Oakland Ross report of June 30 2007, from which is quoted:

Many say comparisons with Nelson Mandela are exaggerated, but the parallels do exist.
Like the hero of South Africa's long struggle against white rule, Barghouti joined an established liberation organization and soon began to inveigh against its older leaders' complacency and corruption.
Like Mandela, his initial political credibility arose from his involvement in street-level politics.
Like Mandela, Barghouti was soon captured by a more powerful enemy, charged and convicted of violent crimes and locked away.
Seized by Israeli forces in April 2002, he was convicted and sentenced two years later and has remained behind bars ever since.

"Reporters who compare Barghouti and Mandela may not appreciate the historical context in which this false comparison is made.

If Barghouti is another Mandela, then by implication, Israel is another apartheid South Africa. And if apartheid South Africa was an illegitimate regime that needed to be isolated and replaced, then logic dictates that Israel, too, is illegitimate and needs to be replaced."

Yes, indeed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HonestReporting goes on to say:
How You Can Make a Difference
Tell the Toronto Star that the Barghouti-Mandela comparison is false and dangerous. Point out that portraying a convicted murderer of civilians as a new Nelson Mandela is an affront not only to Barghouti’s victims, but also to liberal democratic values such as the right to life and the rule of law.
Send your letter to lettertoed@thestar.ca or via fax to 416-869-4322. To be considered for publication, letters must include sender’s name, address and phone number; street names and phone numbers will not be published.
Pointers for contacting the media: State your position clearly in your own words, remain rational and avoid being abusive, and contact us at action@honestreporting.ca to tell us you took action.

Fair and Balanced - Honest Reporting 2 - Apartheid

>

From Honest Reporting's story "Barghouti Is No Mandela", a critique of the Toronto Star's Middle East bureau chief Oakland Ross report of June 30 2007, from which is quoted:

Many say comparisons with Nelson Mandela are exaggerated, but the parallels do exist.
Like the hero of South Africa's long struggle against white rule, Barghouti joined an established liberation organization and soon began to inveigh against its older leaders' complacency and corruption.
Like Mandela, his initial political credibility arose from his involvement in street-level politics.
Like Mandela, Barghouti was soon captured by a more powerful enemy, charged and convicted of violent crimes and locked away.
Seized by Israeli forces in April 2002, he was convicted and sentenced two years later and has remained behind bars ever since.

"Reporters who compare Barghouti and Mandela may not appreciate the historical context in which this false comparison is made.

If Barghouti is another Mandela, then by implication, Israel is another apartheid South Africa. And if apartheid South Africa was an illegitimate regime that needed to be isolated and replaced, then logic dictates that Israel, too, is illegitimate and needs to be replaced."

Yes, indeed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HonestReporting goes on to say:
How You Can Make a Difference
Tell the Toronto Star that the Barghouti-Mandela comparison is false and dangerous. Point out that portraying a convicted murderer of civilians as a new Nelson Mandela is an affront not only to Barghouti’s victims, but also to liberal democratic values such as the right to life and the rule of law.
Send your letter to lettertoed@thestar.ca or via fax to 416-869-4322. To be considered for publication, letters must include sender’s name, address and phone number; street names and phone numbers will not be published.
Pointers for contacting the media: State your position clearly in your own words, remain rational and avoid being abusive, and contact us at action@honestreporting.ca to tell us you took action.

Fair and Balanced - Honest Reporting 1 - Refugees

I have just come across a Zionist apologist website which makes so many self-condemning Freudian slips that I think I should share some of them with you:
HonestReporting:"a fast-action website that monitors Mideast media bias and ensures that Israel receives fair worldwide press coverage", says:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On getting flooded with returning native wogs:
One such method [for destroying the Jewish state] is the so-called Palestinian "right of return", which would see Israel flooded with Palestinians ultimately leading to the end of Israel through demographic means. Those who advocate the Palestinian return to Israel know that Israel's Jewish character would not survive the influx of several million Palestinian refugees. [Nor, perhaps, should it]

In the next para, the Zionist shill writes:
While Dr. Karmi does say that Israel - as a "Jewish state" that necessitated the removal of the indigenous Arab population - should never have been created, she does not suggest that present-day Israelis must be removed. Instead, she argues that a single state, that is secular and democratic for all its citizens, offers much more hope for peace than a state based on Jewish exclusivity next to a truncated and utterly unviable proposed Palestinian state under Israel's vice-like control.

What, exactly, is the difference between the Jewish state and the "Jewish state"?

And then on to the killer quote:
As Sol Stern and Fred Siegel have written in the New York Sun:
The "one state" solution is a euphemism for the destruction of the Jewish state - a trope of the most extreme rejectionist elements within the Palestinian movement and their allies in Syria and Iran. Terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah want to create an Islamic Republic in place of Israel.

To which he adds the absolutely ineffable Alan Dershowitz :
The one-state solution proposal now being made by Palestinian lawyers and some anti-Israel academics is nothing more than a ploy. It is designed to destroy the Jewish state of Israel and to substitute another Islamic Arab state.
Those who advocate the single state solution would never do so with regard to India, the former Yugoslavia, or other previously united states which have now been divided on ethnic or religious grounds.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Who, in Josip Broz Tito's time, could have predicted the break-up of Yugoslavia? And who, in George W. Bush's time, would predict that the USA won't go the same way?
I'm just waiting quietly for Southern California to go Latino, Minnesota to go Scandinavian, New York (united with Florida) to take on the Israeli refugees, and Pennsylvania to go Dutch.
We've already seen the cleansing of New Orleans after Katrina.)

Fair and Balanced - Honest Reporting 1 - Refugees

I have just come across a Zionist apologist website which makes so many self-condemning Freudian slips that I think I should share some of them with you:
HonestReporting:"a fast-action website that monitors Mideast media bias and ensures that Israel receives fair worldwide press coverage", says:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On getting flooded with returning native wogs:
One such method [for destroying the Jewish state] is the so-called Palestinian "right of return", which would see Israel flooded with Palestinians ultimately leading to the end of Israel through demographic means. Those who advocate the Palestinian return to Israel know that Israel's Jewish character would not survive the influx of several million Palestinian refugees. [Nor, perhaps, should it]

In the next para, the Zionist shill writes:
While Dr. Karmi does say that Israel - as a "Jewish state" that necessitated the removal of the indigenous Arab population - should never have been created, she does not suggest that present-day Israelis must be removed. Instead, she argues that a single state, that is secular and democratic for all its citizens, offers much more hope for peace than a state based on Jewish exclusivity next to a truncated and utterly unviable proposed Palestinian state under Israel's vice-like control.

What, exactly, is the difference between the Jewish state and the "Jewish state"?

And then on to the killer quote:
As Sol Stern and Fred Siegel have written in the New York Sun:
The "one state" solution is a euphemism for the destruction of the Jewish state - a trope of the most extreme rejectionist elements within the Palestinian movement and their allies in Syria and Iran. Terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah want to create an Islamic Republic in place of Israel.

To which he adds the absolutely ineffable Alan Dershowitz :
The one-state solution proposal now being made by Palestinian lawyers and some anti-Israel academics is nothing more than a ploy. It is designed to destroy the Jewish state of Israel and to substitute another Islamic Arab state.
Those who advocate the single state solution would never do so with regard to India, the former Yugoslavia, or other previously united states which have now been divided on ethnic or religious grounds.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Who, in Josip Broz Tito's time, could have predicted the break-up of Yugoslavia? And who, in George W. Bush's time, would predict that the USA won't go the same way?
I'm just waiting quietly for Southern California to go Latino, Minnesota to go Scandinavian, New York (united with Florida) to take on the Israeli refugees, and Pennsylvania to go Dutch.
We've already seen the cleansing of New Orleans after Katrina.)

Asymmetrical War: Qassam Rockets vs 200 Nuclear Bombs

Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam was quite a lad. A Syrian Muslim Brotherhood member, he set out to fight the Italian invasion of Libya in 1911, but failed. He then turned, in 1921, against the French colony (sorry, Mandate) of Syria. After the French siege of Damascus, he fled to Haifa, and took his fight against the British and the Jewish Haganah in Palestine. He preached Jihad (holy war) and revolution against both the British and the Zionists, and organized and led the first Palestinian guerilla group.

• He was killed in action on 19 November 1935 in the first Palestinian guerilla action against British forces.
• His death triggered the Arab Revolt of 1936-39.

Hamas has named part of its organization after Qassam and in recent years developed the Qassam rocket.

• The Qassam rocket was first developed by Nidal Fat'hi Rabah Farahat
  On February 16, 2003, Farahat was working along with other militants around newly acquired parts of a drone when one of them, booby-trapped, exploded. The device killed Farahat and 5 other militants.
• Adnan al-Ghoul, called by the Israelis "Father of the Qassam" was a shadowy figure who lived in hiding and never spoke to the media.
• The Zionists tried to assassinate Adnan Al-Ghoul many (times). The first attempt when he was in the PA prison, the Zionists tried to poison his coffee. Another big attempt, which also failed, when he was coming back after launching the first Qassam Rocket. Belal ( his eldest son ) was martyred in this wicked attempt. A third attempt was when... Zionist bulldozers and tanks came to his house thinking that he was there ... His second son Mohammad and his nephew Emran were martyred in this failure attempt.
• On September 26, 2003 he reportedly attended a meeting with Mohammed Deif, Ismail Haniya, Hamas' (current) political leader, and the organisation's spiritual leader, Sheik Ahmed Yasin, when Israeli forces bombed the house where they gathered.
• Adnan Al-Ghoul was finally assassinated on October 22 2004, by an Israeli drone that fired 2 missiles at his car in the centre of Gaza city, woundng (as usual) a number of quite innocent passers-by.

• Qassams were first fired at Israeli civilian targets in October 2001.
• The first Qassam to land in Israeli territory was launched on February 10, 2002.
• The first time an Israeli city was hit was on March 5, 2002, when two rockets struck Sderot.
• Some rockets have hit as far as the edge of Ashkelon.
• The total number of Qassam rockets launched exceeded 1000 by June 9, 2006.

During the year 2006 alone, 1000+ rockets were launched.

The introduction of the Qassam rocket took Israeli politicians and military experts by surprise. Reactions have been mixed. The Israeli Ministry of Defense views the Qassams as "more a psychological than physical threat."

But the initial psychological effect of the rockets upon Israel has been significant. Prior to the Qassam, Palestinian militants lacked the means to conduct long range attacks.
The simple nature of the small rocket makes it exceedingly hard for Israeli officials to shut down its production. The IDF has noted that militants commonly hide a Qassam in a commercial truck, drive to a clearing near the Gaza border and launch the rocket. One Hamas website states that this takes only 15 minutes.

You can judge for yourself the potency of this piddling little weapon from List of Qassam rocket attacks - assembled solely from Israeli sources.

Qassam Rocket Specifications
	Qassam 1	Qassam 2	Qassam 3
Length (cm)	79	180	200+
Diameter (cm)	6	15	17
Weight (kg)	5.5	32	90
Explosives Payload (kg)	0.5	5-7	10
Maximum Range (km)	3	8-10	10

Sources: Wikipedia and Globalsecurity.org

Update: 31/10/07: From Honest Reporting:

GOOGLE EARTH USED TO FIRE MISSILES AT ISRAEL
In one of a series of short films for The Guardian, Clancy Chassay witnesses Palestinian terrorists launching Qassams from Gaza into Israel and finds that they are using Google Earth to prepare their attacks. Click on the image below to view this eye-opening video and take action through GIYUS by elevating this story on the Reddit website. Also send your feedback to Google Earth stating that this technology should not be allowed to assist terrorists.

Perhaps rather better satellite technology shouldn't be shared by the US with the Israelis, who also, continulayy, with total impunity, bomb their neighbours, Lebanon and Syria.

Asymmetrical War: Qassam Rockets vs 200 Nuclear Bombs

Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam was quite a lad. A Syrian Muslim Brotherhood member, he set out to fight the Italian invasion of Libya in 1911, but failed. He then turned, in 1921, against the French colony (sorry, Mandate) of Syria. After the French siege of Damascus, he fled to Haifa, and took his fight against the British and the Jewish Haganah in Palestine. He preached Jihad (holy war) and revolution against both the British and the Zionists, and organized and led the first Palestinian guerilla group.

• He was killed in action on 19 November 1935 in the first Palestinian guerilla action against British forces.
• His death triggered the Arab Revolt of 1936-39.

Hamas has named part of its organization after Qassam and in recent years developed the Qassam rocket.

• The Qassam rocket was first developed by Nidal Fat'hi Rabah Farahat
  On February 16, 2003, Farahat was working along with other militants around newly acquired parts of a drone when one of them, booby-trapped, exploded. The device killed Farahat and 5 other militants.
• Adnan al-Ghoul, called by the Israelis "Father of the Qassam" was a shadowy figure who lived in hiding and never spoke to the media.
• The Zionists tried to assassinate Adnan Al-Ghoul many (times). The first attempt when he was in the PA prison, the Zionists tried to poison his coffee. Another big attempt, which also failed, when he was coming back after launching the first Qassam Rocket. Belal ( his eldest son ) was martyred in this wicked attempt. A third attempt was when... Zionist bulldozers and tanks came to his house thinking that he was there ... His second son Mohammad and his nephew Emran were martyred in this failure attempt.
• On September 26, 2003 he reportedly attended a meeting with Mohammed Deif, Ismail Haniya, Hamas' (current) political leader, and the organisation's spiritual leader, Sheik Ahmed Yasin, when Israeli forces bombed the house where they gathered.
• Adnan Al-Ghoul was finally assassinated on October 22 2004, by an Israeli drone that fired 2 missiles at his car in the centre of Gaza city, woundng (as usual) a number of quite innocent passers-by.

• Qassams were first fired at Israeli civilian targets in October 2001.
• The first Qassam to land in Israeli territory was launched on February 10, 2002.
• The first time an Israeli city was hit was on March 5, 2002, when two rockets struck Sderot.
• Some rockets have hit as far as the edge of Ashkelon.
• The total number of Qassam rockets launched exceeded 1000 by June 9, 2006.

During the year 2006 alone, 1000+ rockets were launched.

The introduction of the Qassam rocket took Israeli politicians and military experts by surprise. Reactions have been mixed. The Israeli Ministry of Defense views the Qassams as "more a psychological than physical threat."

But the initial psychological effect of the rockets upon Israel has been significant. Prior to the Qassam, Palestinian militants lacked the means to conduct long range attacks.
The simple nature of the small rocket makes it exceedingly hard for Israeli officials to shut down its production. The IDF has noted that militants commonly hide a Qassam in a commercial truck, drive to a clearing near the Gaza border and launch the rocket. One Hamas website states that this takes only 15 minutes.

You can judge for yourself the potency of this piddling little weapon from List of Qassam rocket attacks - assembled solely from Israeli sources.

Qassam Rocket Specifications
	Qassam 1	Qassam 2	Qassam 3
Length (cm)	79	180	200+
Diameter (cm)	6	15	17
Weight (kg)	5.5	32	90
Explosives Payload (kg)	0.5	5-7	10
Maximum Range (km)	3	8-10	10

Sources: Wikipedia and Globalsecurity.org

Update: 31/10/07: From Honest Reporting:

GOOGLE EARTH USED TO FIRE MISSILES AT ISRAEL
In one of a series of short films for The Guardian, Clancy Chassay witnesses Palestinian terrorists launching Qassams from Gaza into Israel and finds that they are using Google Earth to prepare their attacks. Click on the image below to view this eye-opening video and take action through GIYUS by elevating this story on the Reddit website. Also send your feedback to Google Earth stating that this technology should not be allowed to assist terrorists.

Perhaps rather better satellite technology shouldn't be shared by the US with the Israelis, who also, continulayy, with total impunity, bomb their neighbours, Lebanon and Syria.

We keep saying people in Gaza are at rock bottom but they keep digging into the rock

Israel's decision to cut power in Gaza is illegal, says UN
By Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem (The Independent)
Published: 30 October 2007
The UN's top official in Gaza will tell British ministers today that Israel's cuts in fuel and power to the Palestinians violate international law, while the isolation of Hamas has strengthened extremism and started to drive non-affiliated moderates who can leave Gaza to do so.
"We keep saying people in Gaza are at rock bottom but they keep digging into the rock," Karen Koning- Abu Zayd, head of the UN refugee agency UNRWA.

We keep saying people in Gaza are at rock bottom but they keep digging into the rock

Israel's decision to cut power in Gaza is illegal, says UN
By Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem (The Independent)
Published: 30 October 2007
The UN's top official in Gaza will tell British ministers today that Israel's cuts in fuel and power to the Palestinians violate international law, while the isolation of Hamas has strengthened extremism and started to drive non-affiliated moderates who can leave Gaza to do so.
"We keep saying people in Gaza are at rock bottom but they keep digging into the rock," Karen Koning- Abu Zayd, head of the UN refugee agency UNRWA.

Sderot - Sacrifice a Few Immigrants for The Cause?

Let's get these deadly Palestinian rocket attacks into perspective.

Israel has a policy of establishing front-line, development towns where brave, courageous Israeli colonists can confront the 'Arab Peril'.
Sderot is one such.
It was set up as a front-line town, and it gets attacked, as it was planned to be. That's why Sderot's population is half recent Russian immigrant, and half Sephardi (Moroccan and Persian Jews). Not a brave Ashkenazi or Sabra in sight.

The Gaza Strip (not worth calling it anything more than a strip) is nothing more now than a refugee concentration camp where about half the Palestinians expelled from 'Israel' in 1948 ended up, in places like Jabalyah, Khan Yunis and Rafah refugee camps. There are 1.5 million people confined to 300sq km.

They are not allowed to leave Gaza, even for emergency medical care, or if they do, to return.

At least two generations of refugee peasant farmers, kicked off their land, have ended up in Gaza, with nothing much to do, no education, no jobs, and damned little hope.

But Sderot is useful as a subject for schmaltzy Israeli propaganda:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Israeli pull out from the Gaza Strip has intensified the feeling of vulnerability in Sderot, a development town just 2 miles from the Palestinian controlled area.
Kasaam missiles continue to rain down on the town and its environs. The Israel Defense Forces created an early warning system that detects the incoming missiles.
The piercing siren often adds to the anxiety and trauma of the citizens.
NATAL's community outreach unit, through a generous grant from the Jewish Agency and the Joint Distribution Committee, is training emergency teams and educational, health and mental health professionals throughout the town.
The training helps the helpers identify their clients who are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The outreach unit trainers teach the Sderot professionals how to build resilience among the population by exercises that help bolster the emotional and psychological resources that help in times of crisis. The trainers also assist the helpers in dealing with secondary traumatization that can develop from overexposure to traumatized clients. [Poor dears]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hilary Benn, son of old Wedgie, said this of the situations of Beit Hanoun and Sderot:
Victims of the failure of politics By Hilary Benn
Two conversations will remain with me as a result of my visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority. One was with the mayor of Sderot, who told me how his town had seen 3,500 rocket attacks and 16 deaths in the last six years. The other, after a short journey to Gaza, was in Beit Hanun, where I met the family that tragically lost 19 members when a shell came through the roof of their home. A mother showed me where her 8-year-old son died as he slept. A father showed me photographs of his two daughters who also had been killed.

Sderot and Beit Hanun are terrible examples of the grim front line of the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Two communities, both of which have suffered terribly, have been deeply affected, and are yearning for an end to the cycle of hopelessness.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hilary Benn, nice man as he may be, was entirely wrong - this was not a 'failure of politics' but a deliberate Israeli policy.

Just consider the position of the two towns - they are just 2km apart, separated by (you can see it here for yourself) the most effective people-killing wall/zone since the Berlin/East Germany one.

Take in a few details:

- The undeveloped Arab town of Beit Hanoun to the left, with its tiny peasant fields around.

Beit Hanoun (Arabic: بيت حانون) is a city on the north-east edge of the Gaza Strip with a population of 35,000. It is administered by the Palestinian Authority. It is located by the Hanoun stream, just 6 kilometers (4 mi) away from the Israeli town of Sderot. As opposed to nearby Gaza City, its population is almost entirely of Bedouin descent. More than 5,000 of its residents are part of the "Zaneen" tribe.
The area is notorious in being the source of the launching of many Qassam rockets attacks by Palestinian militants against Israel, over the security fence.
This town is also notable for the Beit Hanoun November 2006 incident where 19 Palestinians were killed by IDF shelling. According to Israeli authorities it was in response for its use as a base from which Palestinian militant groups have fired Qassam rockets into the northern Negev towns like Sderot, as well as the former Gush Katif settlements.
In December 2006, the UN appointed a fact-finding commission led by Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu to investigate the attack. However, Tutu and the other members were not granted permission to travel by Israel and the investigation was cancelled.
The Palestinian Authority alleges that prior to the November 2006 incident, at least 140 Palestinians were killed by Israeli Forces in Beit Hanoun from September 2000 to November 2006.

- The New Town of Sderot, paid for by contributions by (mostly) American Jews or the US Government.
The first inhabitants of Sderot arrived in 1951 to what was then known as the Gevim-Dorot transit camp. Most of these residents were Kurdish and Persian refugees who lived in tents and shacks before building permanent structures almost four years later in 1954. In the 1961 census, the percentage of North African immigrants, mostly from Morocco, was 87% in the town, whilst another 11% of the residents were immigrants from Kurdistan. In the 1950s, the city continued to absorb a large number of immigrants from Morocco and Romania, and was declared a local council in 1958.

In the 1990s Sderot again absorbed a large immigrant population from the former USSR, and doubled its population in this decade. In 1996 it was declared a city. According to CBS, in 2001 there were 9,500 males and 9,700 females (about half the population of its Palestinian twin, Beit Hanoun)
Sderot lies a kilometer from the Gaza Strip. Since the beginning of the al-Aqsa Intifada in October 2000, the city has been frequently attacked by Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants using homemade rockets known as "Qassam rockets". Although they are very inaccurate, these attacks have resulted in a number of deaths and injuries as well as significant damage to homes and property, psychological distress among the residents, and a net emigration from the city. The Israeli government has installed a "Red Dawn" alarm system in an attempt to alert Israelis to possible shellings, though there are doubts concerning its effectiveness. Thousands of Qassam rockets have been launched from the Gaza Strip since Israel's disengagement from Gaza in September 2005.

How would you feel if a bunch of Russian immigrants were dumped in a brand-new town just a mile across an uncrossable border within your own homeland, and given huge subsidies as 'Jewish' immigrants, while you were left to rot in a prison?

But the score is pretty even - 16 victims in Sderot, over 6 years, versus 19 in Beit Hanoun, with just one shell, beside the 140 Palestinians killed in Beit Hanoun over those same 6 years.

An eye for an eye? Now the Israelis are besieging the entire 1.5 million population of the Gaza Strip, with the compliance of the EU, Britain, the US (all the usual suspects).

Sderot - Sacrifice a Few Immigrants for The Cause?

Let's get these deadly Palestinian rocket attacks into perspective.

Israel has a policy of establishing front-line, development towns where brave, courageous Israeli colonists can confront the 'Arab Peril'.
Sderot is one such.
It was set up as a front-line town, and it gets attacked, as it was planned to be. That's why Sderot's population is half recent Russian immigrant, and half Sephardi (Moroccan and Persian Jews). Not a brave Ashkenazi or Sabra in sight.

The Gaza Strip (not worth calling it anything more than a strip) is nothing more now than a refugee concentration camp where about half the Palestinians expelled from 'Israel' in 1948 ended up, in places like Jabalyah, Khan Yunis and Rafah refugee camps. There are 1.5 million people confined to 300sq km.

They are not allowed to leave Gaza, even for emergency medical care, or if they do, to return.

At least two generations of refugee peasant farmers, kicked off their land, have ended up in Gaza, with nothing much to do, no education, no jobs, and damned little hope.

But Sderot is useful as a subject for schmaltzy Israeli propaganda:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Israeli pull out from the Gaza Strip has intensified the feeling of vulnerability in Sderot, a development town just 2 miles from the Palestinian controlled area.
Kasaam missiles continue to rain down on the town and its environs. The Israel Defense Forces created an early warning system that detects the incoming missiles.
The piercing siren often adds to the anxiety and trauma of the citizens.
NATAL's community outreach unit, through a generous grant from the Jewish Agency and the Joint Distribution Committee, is training emergency teams and educational, health and mental health professionals throughout the town.
The training helps the helpers identify their clients who are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The outreach unit trainers teach the Sderot professionals how to build resilience among the population by exercises that help bolster the emotional and psychological resources that help in times of crisis. The trainers also assist the helpers in dealing with secondary traumatization that can develop from overexposure to traumatized clients. [Poor dears]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hilary Benn, son of old Wedgie, said this of the situations of Beit Hanoun and Sderot:
Victims of the failure of politics By Hilary Benn
Two conversations will remain with me as a result of my visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority. One was with the mayor of Sderot, who told me how his town had seen 3,500 rocket attacks and 16 deaths in the last six years. The other, after a short journey to Gaza, was in Beit Hanun, where I met the family that tragically lost 19 members when a shell came through the roof of their home. A mother showed me where her 8-year-old son died as he slept. A father showed me photographs of his two daughters who also had been killed.

Sderot and Beit Hanun are terrible examples of the grim front line of the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Two communities, both of which have suffered terribly, have been deeply affected, and are yearning for an end to the cycle of hopelessness.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hilary Benn, nice man as he may be, was entirely wrong - this was not a 'failure of politics' but a deliberate Israeli policy.

Just consider the position of the two towns - they are just 2km apart, separated by (you can see it here for yourself) the most effective people-killing wall/zone since the Berlin/East Germany one.

Take in a few details:

- The undeveloped Arab town of Beit Hanoun to the left, with its tiny peasant fields around.

Beit Hanoun (Arabic: بيت حانون) is a city on the north-east edge of the Gaza Strip with a population of 35,000. It is administered by the Palestinian Authority. It is located by the Hanoun stream, just 6 kilometers (4 mi) away from the Israeli town of Sderot. As opposed to nearby Gaza City, its population is almost entirely of Bedouin descent. More than 5,000 of its residents are part of the "Zaneen" tribe.
The area is notorious in being the source of the launching of many Qassam rockets attacks by Palestinian militants against Israel, over the security fence.
This town is also notable for the Beit Hanoun November 2006 incident where 19 Palestinians were killed by IDF shelling. According to Israeli authorities it was in response for its use as a base from which Palestinian militant groups have fired Qassam rockets into the northern Negev towns like Sderot, as well as the former Gush Katif settlements.
In December 2006, the UN appointed a fact-finding commission led by Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu to investigate the attack. However, Tutu and the other members were not granted permission to travel by Israel and the investigation was cancelled.
The Palestinian Authority alleges that prior to the November 2006 incident, at least 140 Palestinians were killed by Israeli Forces in Beit Hanoun from September 2000 to November 2006.

- The New Town of Sderot, paid for by contributions by (mostly) American Jews or the US Government.
The first inhabitants of Sderot arrived in 1951 to what was then known as the Gevim-Dorot transit camp. Most of these residents were Kurdish and Persian refugees who lived in tents and shacks before building permanent structures almost four years later in 1954. In the 1961 census, the percentage of North African immigrants, mostly from Morocco, was 87% in the town, whilst another 11% of the residents were immigrants from Kurdistan. In the 1950s, the city continued to absorb a large number of immigrants from Morocco and Romania, and was declared a local council in 1958.

In the 1990s Sderot again absorbed a large immigrant population from the former USSR, and doubled its population in this decade. In 1996 it was declared a city. According to CBS, in 2001 there were 9,500 males and 9,700 females (about half the population of its Palestinian twin, Beit Hanoun)
Sderot lies a kilometer from the Gaza Strip. Since the beginning of the al-Aqsa Intifada in October 2000, the city has been frequently attacked by Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants using homemade rockets known as "Qassam rockets". Although they are very inaccurate, these attacks have resulted in a number of deaths and injuries as well as significant damage to homes and property, psychological distress among the residents, and a net emigration from the city. The Israeli government has installed a "Red Dawn" alarm system in an attempt to alert Israelis to possible shellings, though there are doubts concerning its effectiveness. Thousands of Qassam rockets have been launched from the Gaza Strip since Israel's disengagement from Gaza in September 2005.

How would you feel if a bunch of Russian immigrants were dumped in a brand-new town just a mile across an uncrossable border within your own homeland, and given huge subsidies as 'Jewish' immigrants, while you were left to rot in a prison?

But the score is pretty even - 16 victims in Sderot, over 6 years, versus 19 in Beit Hanoun, with just one shell, beside the 140 Palestinians killed in Beit Hanoun over those same 6 years.

An eye for an eye? Now the Israelis are besieging the entire 1.5 million population of the Gaza Strip, with the compliance of the EU, Britain, the US (all the usual suspects).

Someone in Israel Has a Heart (Caution: He's a Lawyer)

This is a straightforward news report - I have added only a few comments in red

Yahoo News by Charly Wegman
Mon Oct 29, 5:10 PM ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel's attorney general said Monday that planned punitive cuts in electricity supplies to the Gaza Strip can not go ahead before a full assessment of the possible humanitarian consequences.
Menahem Mazouz, who is also the government's legal adviser, said in a statement that "security chiefs must carry out supplementary examinations to take account of the humanitarian obligations before ordering electricity cuts."
A spokesman for Mazouz's office, Moshe Cohen, told AFP there was a need to "evaluate the risks that such measures could have on the civilian population."
Mazouz published his advice following close consultations with officials from the justice, defence and foreign ministries as well as the prime minister's office and the supreme court.
The supreme court has given the government until Friday to justify the economic sanctions it is seeking to impose on the Palestinian territory, following legal action taken by 10 human rights groups.
Israel on Sunday began reducing the amount of fuel it supplies to the beleaguered Hamas-run coastal strip, just weeks after it declared the territory a "hostile entity" in response to frequent but rarely lethal rocket attacks.
It has said it intends to impose electricity cuts within the next few days and earlier on Monday rejected criticism of its decision from the European Union, United Nations, and Russia.
"Israel is continuing to maintain the flow of humanitarian support for the Palestinian people in Gaza -- foodstuffs, medicine, and energy. We do not see the Palestinian people as our enemy," Mark Regev, a foreign ministry spokesman, told AFP. Bullshit - this wanker talks this crap "just weeks after it (Israel) declared the territory (Gaza Strip) a "hostile entity"
"What we are trying to do is find ways to protect our people from these daily attacks of deadly rockets against Israel," he added. "Our response is proportional and calculated to protect our civilians." Bullshit - compare the numbers of Israelis killed or injured in Sderot with the numbers of Palestinians killed or assassinated in Gaza
UN chief Ban Ki-moon called the "punitive measures" against the Gaza Strip "unacceptable" and urged the Jewish state to reconsider its actions.
Russia lodged a similar complaint, with the foreign ministry condemning the "isolation" of the Palestinian territory and insisting the measures would do little to combat extremism.
Earlier on Monday a top EU official expressed similar concerns.
"I have mentioned these concerns openly in all my discussions," External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner told a news conference following talks with top Israeli officials.
"There are indeed real, humanitarian concerns. We do not want the population to suffer," she said, adding that she understood the threat to the Jewish state posed by the frequent rocket attacks launched on southern Israel.
Regev rejected charges that the measures constitute collective punishment, insisting that Israel had the right to defend itself. Bullshit
"Ultimately the ongoing bombardment of the Israeli civilian population in the south -- a deliberate and ongoing policy to try to kill innocent civilians -- is a war crime," Regev said. Bullshit
"Israel is justified under international law in acting to protect our population. That is our obligation as a government." Bullshit

Mark Regev (Hebrew: מרק רגב‎) is the spokesman of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Prior to occupying his current post, he has served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Consulate General in Hong Kong, Spokesman at the Embassy in Beijing and at the Jordan Division at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Jerusalem, and as a professor of International Relations and Strategy at the Israel Defense Forces' Staff College.

Born in Australia....
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Nuff said.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
And it's not even news - read this:
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION REPORT BEIT HANOUN, GAZA STRIP Monday, 19 July 2004
Yes - that report is dated more than 3 years ago.

And this photo: "June 2003. UNRWA Operations Support Officer approaches an Israeli tank on the only remaining road between Erez and Gaza city in order to negotiate passage of an UNRWA convoy carrying UNRWA staff living in Beit Hanoun to their work places in Gaza City.

Someone in Israel Has a Heart (Caution: He's a Lawyer)

This is a straightforward news report - I have added only a few comments in red

Yahoo News by Charly Wegman
Mon Oct 29, 5:10 PM ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel's attorney general said Monday that planned punitive cuts in electricity supplies to the Gaza Strip can not go ahead before a full assessment of the possible humanitarian consequences.
Menahem Mazouz, who is also the government's legal adviser, said in a statement that "security chiefs must carry out supplementary examinations to take account of the humanitarian obligations before ordering electricity cuts."
A spokesman for Mazouz's office, Moshe Cohen, told AFP there was a need to "evaluate the risks that such measures could have on the civilian population."
Mazouz published his advice following close consultations with officials from the justice, defence and foreign ministries as well as the prime minister's office and the supreme court.
The supreme court has given the government until Friday to justify the economic sanctions it is seeking to impose on the Palestinian territory, following legal action taken by 10 human rights groups.
Israel on Sunday began reducing the amount of fuel it supplies to the beleaguered Hamas-run coastal strip, just weeks after it declared the territory a "hostile entity" in response to frequent but rarely lethal rocket attacks.
It has said it intends to impose electricity cuts within the next few days and earlier on Monday rejected criticism of its decision from the European Union, United Nations, and Russia.
"Israel is continuing to maintain the flow of humanitarian support for the Palestinian people in Gaza -- foodstuffs, medicine, and energy. We do not see the Palestinian people as our enemy," Mark Regev, a foreign ministry spokesman, told AFP. Bullshit - this wanker talks this crap "just weeks after it (Israel) declared the territory (Gaza Strip) a "hostile entity"
"What we are trying to do is find ways to protect our people from these daily attacks of deadly rockets against Israel," he added. "Our response is proportional and calculated to protect our civilians." Bullshit - compare the numbers of Israelis killed or injured in Sderot with the numbers of Palestinians killed or assassinated in Gaza
UN chief Ban Ki-moon called the "punitive measures" against the Gaza Strip "unacceptable" and urged the Jewish state to reconsider its actions.
Russia lodged a similar complaint, with the foreign ministry condemning the "isolation" of the Palestinian territory and insisting the measures would do little to combat extremism.
Earlier on Monday a top EU official expressed similar concerns.
"I have mentioned these concerns openly in all my discussions," External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner told a news conference following talks with top Israeli officials.
"There are indeed real, humanitarian concerns. We do not want the population to suffer," she said, adding that she understood the threat to the Jewish state posed by the frequent rocket attacks launched on southern Israel.
Regev rejected charges that the measures constitute collective punishment, insisting that Israel had the right to defend itself. Bullshit
"Ultimately the ongoing bombardment of the Israeli civilian population in the south -- a deliberate and ongoing policy to try to kill innocent civilians -- is a war crime," Regev said. Bullshit
"Israel is justified under international law in acting to protect our population. That is our obligation as a government." Bullshit

Mark Regev (Hebrew: מרק רגב‎) is the spokesman of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Prior to occupying his current post, he has served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Consulate General in Hong Kong, Spokesman at the Embassy in Beijing and at the Jordan Division at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Jerusalem, and as a professor of International Relations and Strategy at the Israel Defense Forces' Staff College.

Born in Australia....
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Nuff said.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
And it's not even news - read this:
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION REPORT BEIT HANOUN, GAZA STRIP Monday, 19 July 2004
Yes - that report is dated more than 3 years ago.

And this photo: "June 2003. UNRWA Operations Support Officer approaches an Israeli tank on the only remaining road between Erez and Gaza city in order to negotiate passage of an UNRWA convoy carrying UNRWA staff living in Beit Hanoun to their work places in Gaza City.

Did You Know?

… that non-Jewish Israelis can’t buy or lease land in Israel.

… that Palestinian license plates in Israel are color coded to distinguish Jews from non-Jews.

… that Jerusalem, both East and West, is considered by the entire world community, including the United States, to be occupied territory and NOT part of Israel.

… that Israel allots 85% of the water resources for Jews and the remaining 15% is divided among all Palestinians in the “territories”? For example in Hebron, 85% of the water is given to about 400 settlers, while 15% must be divided among Hebron’s 120,000 Palestinians.

… the United States awards Israel $5 billion in aid each year.

… that yearly US aid to Israel exceeds the aid the US grants to the whole African continent.

… that Israel is the only country in the Middle East that has nuclear weapons.

… that Israel is the only country in the Middle East that refuses to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and bars international inspections from its sites.

… that Israel currently occupies territories of two sovereign nations (Lebanon and Syria) in defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

… that Israel has for decades routinely sent assassins into other countries to kill its political enemies.

… that high-ranking military officers in the Israeli Occupation Forces have admitted publicly that unarmed prisoners of war were executed by the IOF.

… that Israel refuses to prosecute its soldiers who have acknowledged executing prisoners of war.

… that Israel routinely confiscates bank accounts, businesses and land, and refuses to pay compensation to those who suffer the confiscation.

… that Israel blew up an American diplomatic facility in Egypt and attacked a U.S. ship in international waters, killing 33 and wounding 177 American sailors.

… that the second most powerful lobby in the United States, according to a recent Fortune magazine survey of Washington insiders, is the Israeli AIPAC.

… that Israel stands in defiance of 69 United Nations Security Council Resolutions.

… that today’s Israel sits on the former sites of more than 400 now-vanished Palestinian villages, and that the Israeli’s re-named almost every physical site in the country to cover up the traces.

… that it was not until 1988 that Israelis were barred from running “Jews Only” job ads.

… that four prime ministers of Israel Begin, Shamir, Rabin, and Sharon, have taken part in either bomb attacks on civilians, massacres of civilians, or forced expulsions of civilians from their villages.

… that the Israeli Foreign Ministry pays two American public relations firms to promote Israel to Americans.

…that Israel’s government includes a party which advocates expelling all Palestinians from the occupied territories.

… that Israel’s settlement-building increased rapidly since Oslo.

… that settlement building under Barak doubled compared to settlement building under Netanyahu.

… that Israel once dedicated a postage stamp to a man who attacked a civilian bus and killed several people.

… that recently-declassified documents indicate that David Ben-Gurion in at least some instances approved of the expulsion of Palestinians in 1948.

We often hear of Ehud Barak’s generosity about an alleged return of 95% of the Palestinian Occupied Territories. When Palestinians refused, they were blamed for “missing an opportunity.” The Palestinians have already accepted Israel’s existence on 78% of what was Palestine. For those who use the argument of the Bible: God said to Abraham, “Unto thy seed, I will give thy land.” Abraham had two sons. Ismael - the Arab son, and Isaac - the Jewish son. So even if one wants to go to the Bible, the land would belong to both.

… that Palestinian Christians are considered the “living stones” of Christianity because they are the direct descendants of the disciples of Jesus Christ.

… that despite a ban on torture by Israel’s High Court of Justice, torture has continued by Shin Bet interrogators on Palestinian prisoners.

… that Palestinian refugees make up the largest portion of the refugee population in the world.

WELL, NOW YOU DO!

WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT!?
THE LEAST YOU CAN DO IS LET OTHERS KNOW
Quoted verbatim from: Sabbah Blog and DesertPeace

Did You Know?

… that non-Jewish Israelis can’t buy or lease land in Israel.

… that Palestinian license plates in Israel are color coded to distinguish Jews from non-Jews.

… that Jerusalem, both East and West, is considered by the entire world community, including the United States, to be occupied territory and NOT part of Israel.

… that Israel allots 85% of the water resources for Jews and the remaining 15% is divided among all Palestinians in the “territories”? For example in Hebron, 85% of the water is given to about 400 settlers, while 15% must be divided among Hebron’s 120,000 Palestinians.

… the United States awards Israel $5 billion in aid each year.

… that yearly US aid to Israel exceeds the aid the US grants to the whole African continent.

… that Israel is the only country in the Middle East that has nuclear weapons.

… that Israel is the only country in the Middle East that refuses to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and bars international inspections from its sites.

… that Israel currently occupies territories of two sovereign nations (Lebanon and Syria) in defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

… that Israel has for decades routinely sent assassins into other countries to kill its political enemies.

… that high-ranking military officers in the Israeli Occupation Forces have admitted publicly that unarmed prisoners of war were executed by the IOF.

… that Israel refuses to prosecute its soldiers who have acknowledged executing prisoners of war.

… that Israel routinely confiscates bank accounts, businesses and land, and refuses to pay compensation to those who suffer the confiscation.

… that Israel blew up an American diplomatic facility in Egypt and attacked a U.S. ship in international waters, killing 33 and wounding 177 American sailors.

… that the second most powerful lobby in the United States, according to a recent Fortune magazine survey of Washington insiders, is the Israeli AIPAC.

… that Israel stands in defiance of 69 United Nations Security Council Resolutions.

… that today’s Israel sits on the former sites of more than 400 now-vanished Palestinian villages, and that the Israeli’s re-named almost every physical site in the country to cover up the traces.

… that it was not until 1988 that Israelis were barred from running “Jews Only” job ads.

… that four prime ministers of Israel Begin, Shamir, Rabin, and Sharon, have taken part in either bomb attacks on civilians, massacres of civilians, or forced expulsions of civilians from their villages.

… that the Israeli Foreign Ministry pays two American public relations firms to promote Israel to Americans.

…that Israel’s government includes a party which advocates expelling all Palestinians from the occupied territories.

… that Israel’s settlement-building increased rapidly since Oslo.

… that settlement building under Barak doubled compared to settlement building under Netanyahu.

… that Israel once dedicated a postage stamp to a man who attacked a civilian bus and killed several people.

… that recently-declassified documents indicate that David Ben-Gurion in at least some instances approved of the expulsion of Palestinians in 1948.

We often hear of Ehud Barak’s generosity about an alleged return of 95% of the Palestinian Occupied Territories. When Palestinians refused, they were blamed for “missing an opportunity.” The Palestinians have already accepted Israel’s existence on 78% of what was Palestine. For those who use the argument of the Bible: God said to Abraham, “Unto thy seed, I will give thy land.” Abraham had two sons. Ismael - the Arab son, and Isaac - the Jewish son. So even if one wants to go to the Bible, the land would belong to both.

… that Palestinian Christians are considered the “living stones” of Christianity because they are the direct descendants of the disciples of Jesus Christ.

… that despite a ban on torture by Israel’s High Court of Justice, torture has continued by Shin Bet interrogators on Palestinian prisoners.

… that Palestinian refugees make up the largest portion of the refugee population in the world.

WELL, NOW YOU DO!

WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT!?
THE LEAST YOU CAN DO IS LET OTHERS KNOW
Quoted verbatim from: Sabbah Blog and DesertPeace

Dumb Yanks?

30% of Americans don't know when 9/11 happened. I wonder if they're the same 30% (of all Americans) who were dumb enough to vote for George Bush?

Sorry, the Blogger software doesn't do the embedding of videos that it is supposed to do. Please click on: ShoutFile and play or download the video there.

Dumb Yanks?

30% of Americans don't know when 9/11 happened. I wonder if they're the same 30% (of all Americans) who were dumb enough to vote for George Bush?

Sorry, the Blogger software doesn't do the embedding of videos that it is supposed to do. Please click on: ShoutFile and play or download the video there.

God Bless Democracy!

I've been wondering, over the past few days, why there's a noticeable lack of fish available in the market, and many shops have run out of supplies of Tanduay rum and Kulafu, that disgusting Chinese medical wine the locals drink when they want to get seriously plastered for next to no cost.
A baffling mystery, but now the reason is revealed.
Today is Election Day, for local barangay officials, and the voters, paid off by the candidates, don't need to work for a couple of days, so they're all sitting around, getting pissed.

Wonderful thing, democracy, isn't it?

Update: 31/10/07 - All Hallows Eve (of which more, later)
The elections are over, and several surprising candidates have made it.

Yok-Yok, of the Totong family, is now Barangay Kapitan of Purok 3 (my parish). The Totong, a close-knit family, would be, almost anywhere else in the world, the local gang/terror squad, but they are as honest and upstanding as anyone I've ever known.
Ansing runs my boat, Matugas helped me see off my irritating do-good neighbour who ran a highly-intrusive local kids' hip-hop dance group. (I don't know if you like hip-hop 'music' but if you do, you'll get as irritated as I was after 6-times-daily repetition of the same goddamned routine every single day for six months. And Yok-Yok is a natural fixer (of electrical goods as well as elections).

Jaime Rusillon, the late great Ex-Mayor of GL, is now Barangay Kapitan of Purok 4. You cannot help but admire a 65 year old man, who, after ruling the town with an iron and very constructive fist, for a quarter-century, suffered a devastating defeat, and then comes back, fighting up through the ranks. I'll be backing his comeback.

Brilliant PR by our Local Government

Did you know that the Carrera Habagat, the Philippines' "toughest adventure race, a four-day non-stop multi-event race, which includes disciplines such as kayaking, rappelling and special section tasks which incorporates mind and indigenous games into the race" finished with a final stage and an awards ceremony in General Luna last Friday, 26 October?

No? Nor did anyone else in the town, due to the total lack of public-relations awareness or ability of our newly-elected local government, although they did, on Friday morning, put up a promotional banner across the main road.

I won't rant any more; I'm sure you can see the irony of having a town whose only 'industries' are fishing and tourism run by such a bunch of incompetents.

Could you imagine any French town on the route ever ignoring the Tour de France completely?

You CAN Fool All of the People All of the Time...Or, At Least, You Can Try

Déja vue, all over again.

Remember George Bush's House Nigger at the UN in February 2003?
Good old Coe-Lin almost convinced everyone that the blatant lies being told about Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction were true.

Powell showed a satellite photograph of "35 ton trailer trucks carrying Chemical Weapons, at a known location in Iraq.

Of course, there was no actual evidence of anything remotely resembling Chemical Weapons, and no evidence that the photograph wasn't, in fact, taken in Kansas or Texas.

There is evidence (see the tree at bottom left), that someone has been doing wheelies. Ever heard of a Chemical Weapons Truck driver doing wheelies?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now they're at it again. The following two photos have appeared this week, on CNN, The Guradian, and The Washington Post

This is the supposed site of the Syrian/North Korean reactor, attacked by Israel on 6th Sept, 2007, in a very hush/hush mission from which their US-supplied fighter-bombers returned in a great hurry, after dropping a fuel tank, embarrassingly, in Turkish territory.


ABC News released, on October 19th 2007:
EXCLUSIVE: The Case for Israel's Strike on Syria
Israeli officials believed that a target their forces bombed inside Syria last month was a nuclear facility, because they had detailed photographs taken by a possible spy inside the complex, ABC News has learned.
The official described the pictures as showing a big cylindrical structure, with very thick walls all well-reinforced. The photos show rebar hanging out of the cement used to reinforce the structure, which was still under construction.
The official said the facility was a North Korean design in its construction, the technology present and the ability to put it all together."

Devilish Syrians - first of all they change the shape of the building from round to square, then they vanish it. Must be doing something suspicious!

The news pimps have been making great hay out of the fact that the heavily-bombed site was cleared up within 6 weeks. That, for a bunch of wogs, is incredible. It took the great USA 2 years to clear up the Twin Towers, and more than that for Katrina.

The Syrian 'Potential Nuclear Reactor' is certainly (round or square) of Korean design, as can be seen by comparing its amazingly close likeness to this photo of North Korea's notorious Yongbyon plant, by the same ISIS/DG group:

Note how closely the two square buildings resemble each other.

The authors of this codswallop (David Albright and Paul Brannan of the Institute for Science and International Security [sic]) actually publish some very fuzzy photos in their PDF report showing how the Syrian building somehow matches in size, metre for metre, the entire central complex at Yongbyon.

David Albright's done this before:
The bottom line with regard to ISIS and Hamza is this: Hamza is introduced to ISIS by Chalabi; Albright of ISIS takes him on. Hamza later lies to Senate committee and later continues to feed on the lies to the OSP at the Pentagon. Albright gets cold feet and by 1999/2000 starts back-pedalling to put as much distance between himself, Hamza and the Iraqi nuclear story as he can. Prior to 1999 ISIS and Albright were quite happy to perpetuate the myth of an Iraqi nuclear bomb – they knew it wasn’t going anywhere under the Clinton administration – just as they are trying to perpetuate the myth of an Iranian nuclear bomb today without any evidence whatsoever.
Albright and his ISIS organisation were wrong about the Iraqi bomb in the late 1990s and have no credibility. After the Gulf War Saddam was completely boxed up and could barely get a SCUD missile to fly in a straight line let alone have a nuclear program. Albright knew that. He knew that both as a weapons inspector and via his research work heading up ISIS later on yet still, up until 1998 at least, was perpetuating the myth of the Iraqi nuclear bomb. Just taking on Hamza in the first place tells the story in itself.
Iran has no plans for nuclear weapons and neither Russia nor China would be allowing Iran to become nuclear armed. This entire Iranian nuclear weapons beat-up is simply a US/Israeli propaganda story designed to prepare the world for an attack on yet another sovereign nation that they perceive are its enemy. Webdiarists might like to make judgements for themselves on this matter.

You CAN Fool All of the People All of the Time...Or, At Least, You Can Try

Déja vue, all over again.

Remember George Bush's House Nigger at the UN in February 2003?
Good old Coe-Lin almost convinced everyone that the blatant lies being told about Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction were true.

Powell showed a satellite photograph of "35 ton trailer trucks carrying Chemical Weapons, at a known location in Iraq.

Of course, there was no actual evidence of anything remotely resembling Chemical Weapons, and no evidence that the photograph wasn't, in fact, taken in Kansas or Texas.

There is evidence (see the tree at bottom left), that someone has been doing wheelies. Ever heard of a Chemical Weapons Truck driver doing wheelies?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now they're at it again. The following two photos have appeared this week, on CNN, The Guradian, and The Washington Post

This is the supposed site of the Syrian/North Korean reactor, attacked by Israel on 6th Sept, 2007, in a very hush/hush mission from which their US-supplied fighter-bombers returned in a great hurry, after dropping a fuel tank, embarrassingly, in Turkish territory.


ABC News released, on October 19th 2007:
EXCLUSIVE: The Case for Israel's Strike on Syria
Israeli officials believed that a target their forces bombed inside Syria last month was a nuclear facility, because they had detailed photographs taken by a possible spy inside the complex, ABC News has learned.
The official described the pictures as showing a big cylindrical structure, with very thick walls all well-reinforced. The photos show rebar hanging out of the cement used to reinforce the structure, which was still under construction.
The official said the facility was a North Korean design in its construction, the technology present and the ability to put it all together."

Devilish Syrians - first of all they change the shape of the building from round to square, then they vanish it. Must be doing something suspicious!

The news pimps have been making great hay out of the fact that the heavily-bombed site was cleared up within 6 weeks. That, for a bunch of wogs, is incredible. It took the great USA 2 years to clear up the Twin Towers, and more than that for Katrina.

The Syrian 'Potential Nuclear Reactor' is certainly (round or square) of Korean design, as can be seen by comparing its amazingly close likeness to this photo of North Korea's notorious Yongbyon plant, by the same ISIS/DG group:

Note how closely the two square buildings resemble each other.

The authors of this codswallop (David Albright and Paul Brannan of the Institute for Science and International Security [sic]) actually publish some very fuzzy photos in their PDF report showing how the Syrian building somehow matches in size, metre for metre, the entire central complex at Yongbyon.

David Albright's done this before:
The bottom line with regard to ISIS and Hamza is this: Hamza is introduced to ISIS by Chalabi; Albright of ISIS takes him on. Hamza later lies to Senate committee and later continues to feed on the lies to the OSP at the Pentagon. Albright gets cold feet and by 1999/2000 starts back-pedalling to put as much distance between himself, Hamza and the Iraqi nuclear story as he can. Prior to 1999 ISIS and Albright were quite happy to perpetuate the myth of an Iraqi nuclear bomb – they knew it wasn’t going anywhere under the Clinton administration – just as they are trying to perpetuate the myth of an Iranian nuclear bomb today without any evidence whatsoever.
Albright and his ISIS organisation were wrong about the Iraqi bomb in the late 1990s and have no credibility. After the Gulf War Saddam was completely boxed up and could barely get a SCUD missile to fly in a straight line let alone have a nuclear program. Albright knew that. He knew that both as a weapons inspector and via his research work heading up ISIS later on yet still, up until 1998 at least, was perpetuating the myth of the Iraqi nuclear bomb. Just taking on Hamza in the first place tells the story in itself.
Iran has no plans for nuclear weapons and neither Russia nor China would be allowing Iran to become nuclear armed. This entire Iranian nuclear weapons beat-up is simply a US/Israeli propaganda story designed to prepare the world for an attack on yet another sovereign nation that they perceive are its enemy. Webdiarists might like to make judgements for themselves on this matter.

GL's Public Park Killed

This spring, the local people voted in a surprise new Mayor, Felipe 'Ping' Espejon, ousting Jaime Rusillon, who had been the very strong mayor (or Mayor by proxy) for the previous twenty-five years.

I hoped this might lead to a new, more active local government. Dear old Jaime had done a remarkable amount of good for the town, but, frankly, he was getting a little old and tired (we are separated in age by little more than a fortnight, and God knows, I wouldn't want to try and keep this bunch in order).

There were signs of reforms; the local government workers started showing up for work, and you could even go to the Post Office in the municipal building and actually find the postmaster present and awake. Even the police showed some energy, and were awarded a brand-new police station, between the Municipal and the Boulevard.

And he began some consultations; but entirely in the wrong way, not consulting the people, but special interests. I imagine he got this from spending many years in America.

For instance, he allowed my odious neighbour, Andreas Mikoleiczik, of Patrick's resort, to invite him for a meeting, at the resort, of selected resort-owners (selected in the sense that only a small minority of them would go anywhere near Andreas).

The subject of 'The Boulevard' came up. Like all resort-owners anywhere, they would prefer to keep their punter/tourists, and their spending, within their control.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In April 2005, Jaime opened the 'Paseo de Cabuntog', a seaside boulevard with bayan kubos for families, benches, a seawall, etc., along the seafront from the market to the creek, with a new walkway across the creek to another cleared seafront area in front of the Mabua village.

It was a huge success; the first time that anyone had ever offered the townspeople, and purposely built, a public space for their own use.

Later, the town council rented spaces to small entrepreneurs along about 60m of the back of the area. Most of them built their own small cabins, and set up combo bar/karaoke/ Filipino 'fast food' joints.

The Boulevard (no-one called it the Paseo de Cabuntog) soon became the evening entertainment area of the town, with a constant stream of young and old townspeople coming to have fun.

Filipinos love karaoke, and most have an entirely mistaken idea that they are good singers. The resulting cacophony of bars competing on volume (with very poor tone control, feedback screeches, etc) was terribly and truly awful, but it was possible to consciously ignore it when passing by.

There were problems with drunks, fights, and so on, but that is quite normal, and the Boulevard is just on the doorstep of the new police station. (I never, ever saw a policeman in uniform patrolling the Boulevard in the evening; that was probably outside working hours, or during one of the many evening drinking parties we saw in the police station, from Lalay's just next door).

Lalay set up a restaurant/bar at the end, by the market, underneath the town's huge talisay tree, and this soon became a very popular foreigners' bar and food place. You could buy fresh fish from the market opposite, and Lalay would cook it for you, for a pittance, or you could have some of what Lalay had found for himself earlier in the day (prawns, fresh fish, crabs, etc).

Soon, visitors to resorts at Cloud 9, 4 miles away, were coming to Lalay's for their evenings. Many of those ripped off at Patrick's-On-The-Beach (nearer the town) also ate there.

Lalay's became an institution. The Old Farts Club (including me) of long-term GL foreign residents met there every evening.

Now it's gone. Lalay's and all those cacophonous karaoke bars (which I personally hated, but tried to accept because the townspeople loved them) have been cleared out.

The Boulevard now, at night, is a ghost town.

The crusading new mayor has not only destroyed the spirit of the major public space for the town, and alienated many of the townspeople, but he has pissed-off all the regular foreign residents as well.

And all for the sake of a 'crusade' that might have been influenced by a hypocritical 'Christian' phony like Andreas - it makes my blood boil.

Baking Oven

I love bread. I am just passionate about crispy crusted fresh French baguettes, bought hot from the oven, and taken home to eat, still warm and delicious, with great lumps of fresh salted butter (and Mama's marmalade for breakfast, cheese for lunch, and the remainder dunked in soup for supper).

Maybe I told you that I used to stay in Majorca for the summer months, trying to sell ethnic joolery to the tourists, so I had plenty of Mama's marmalade, wonderful local cheeses, and fresh baguettes every morning.

I miss that bread, so I've decided to try and make my own. Starting with the oven.

Ron-Ron and Totong have built what they know how to do, a construction of hollow blocks and a concrete platform, with a bit for the barbecue on the left.

On top of the concrete shelf to the right, we're going to build the kind of clay beehive oven used throughout most of Europe and Asia over the past 5000 years.

Next problem is how to actually make the oven. We don't have bricks at all here, let alone fire bricks, so we've had to make do.

R-R and T-T went off to the carabao wallow up the road, and dug up 10 sacks of clay. I've been looking up oven-making on the internet, so I'll be able to direct them to make it correctly. Then they'll just go ahead and make it in their own way, and it will, as always, work much better than if I had had any serious part in it.

It will be a clay/earth dome, with a flat floor, and a front door. We'll work things out as we go along. I just wish I still remembered the tribal wisdom of those 5,000 years of making ovens.

The best bread I ever ate, in my life, was in Dana, a small village in Jordan, just off the edge of the escarpment that leads down to the Wadi Araba, the section of the Great Rift Valley that leads from the Dead to the Red Sea.

At that time, the village hadn't been 'gentrified', as in this photo. Most of it was in ruins, because the inhabitants had moved up to the top of the escarpment to be nearer the modern world.

Since then, my old friend Anis Muasher has turned the whole valley into a wonderful national park. It was so left behind by the turbulent history going on all around it that it remained wild. In the 1980s, I'm told, a leopard was sighted there.

Otherwise, the villagers were still living the life their ancestors had, 2, 3, 4, or 5000 years ago. My son and I had fresh khubbes baked in an oven that had probably been in the house for a couple of millenia.

I want to make bread at least as good as that.