Cowabunga Dude!

-TURTLE POWER! -

Marking the screening of a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series, Israelis of all ages donned Turtle costumes to show their excitement. Donatello was the most popular choice for fancy dress goers, Leonardo was also a popular choice. One Hamas member was hailed for his Splinter the rat costume, but later authorities clarified that he wasn't in fancy dress - rather he just looked like a rat.

Shell Suits make a Comeback

Ahead of England's meeting with Israel on Saturday night and with knowledge that several Liverpudlians are set to land in Tel Aviv soon, Israel has been hit by a new Shell Suit craze.

The Main Stream Media's Libel Against Israel's Dig Next to Temple Mount Proved False, Coverage Practially Zero

One of the most dastardly crimes of late committed by the main-stream media is certainly the libel they propogated that the restoration work, preceeded by an archaelogical dig, was undermining the Al-Aqsa mosque built atop the Temple Mount. UNESCO have now issued a report syaing that the works have not caused any damage to the site and praised these works for their professional standards.

It was reported, of course, as another example of Israeli crimes against Palestinians and Muslims in general. Palestinian claims, based on nothing at all apart from a desire to cause trouble, were reported with equal weight as that of Israeli announcements about the purpose and content of the works. The BBC was, naturally, one of the prime exponents of this lie. For example...

"Palestinian leaders say the work threatens Islamic archaeological remains and see the work as a huge provocation. Muslim leaders around the world have demanded all work on the site is halted. Israel insists that the work poses no risk to the holy site."

What Muslim leaders, what is their authority and architectural qualifications? Why give two sentances for the Palestinian claim and a couple of words for Israel's response. The media reporting certainly encouraged and goaded the riots that took place in Jerusalem over this issue and once again shows the power of the media to stir-up a hornets nest when there's the possibilty of a nice juicy "Israel is a terrible country" story.

The whole issue was coverered fanatiaclly, every twist and turn being reported, frontpage news, headline stories, first items on TV news, the works. Looking on the BBC site there's at least eight seperate reports on the accusations. That is until the truth came out in the UNESCO report that it was all a pack of lies. Then the media basically just didn't report it which is just scandalous. Either that or they buried it, as the BBC did, on their website for instance, confining it to a simple link in a long list and also headlining it with the fact that UNESCO did call for the work to stop (because they said that enough work had been done for Israel's stated needs and to allow for international inspectors to come despite their own admission that the work has not caused damage).

To inflate such a lie and cause such problems, including actual riots in which people were injured, and then not to report that the story it pedalled was false is irresponsible, cowardly and reeks of prejudice and merely confirms the obvious; the mainstream media is out to smear Israel.

The BBC, Still Atrocious

Here is an interesting article from the New York Times on the new BBC Arabic television service scheduled to begin this Autumn.

"When a State Department representative referred to Syria as a dictatorship, his BBC interviewer immediately interrupted and reprimanded him".

More on the BBC here from Stephen Pollard

"I can barely watch reports by Matt Frei, the BBC's Washington Correspondent, without screaming at the TV. He's one of the worst examples of the 'opinionating masquerading as reporting' disease at the BBC, and his sneer when dealing with Republicans is barely masked."

The World Is Regressing

Once again, posts have been very few and far between apart from a couple of the Punctilious Penguin's amusing interludes which are much appreciated in these dark times.

I was just browsing through the news and blogs today and was so depressed about the state of the world I thought I'd spread the misery. I barely even know where to start.

Lets start with my alma mater, the University of Leeds. Now, this place wasn't exactly a pleasant place to be for a Jew and and a Zionist when I was there. The Islamic society was extremely active and anti-Israel and anti-American sentiment abounded in both the student population and amongst the faculty. Things are getting a lot worse. In December 2006, the Leeds University Student Union passed a motion stating that complaints about the Palestine Solidarity Movement by the Jewish Society should be ignored. Strike another blow for freedom of speech.

This week, German academic Dr. Matthias Köntzel, a political scientist who lectures on the anti-Semitism of Islamist groups, has had his three-day programme of lectures cancelled on "security grounds". Strike two for freedom of speech at Leeds University. The Islamic society had indeed contacted the Vice Chancellor to complain about Dr. Köntzel and hey presto the guy gets booted out. The sheer, spineless, appeasing, cowardice of this beggars belief.

Firstly, it's telling that as soon as there is something which Muslims object to there's a threat of violence to get their way and silence the dhimmi who dares express an opinion counter to Islam or which exposes the violent, racist nature behind these people.

Secondly, if there's a threat of violence STAND UP TO IT, bring in some more security officials and don't let freedom of speech be quashed by a bunch of fascists.

Who Says Jews are Expressive?