How the 2010 ended for some? While others welcomed 2011.

WISHING ALL READERS A VERY HAPPY 2011


Through different eras of handmade goods to mechanical, electronic and digital technology, festivities surrounding December 31 and January 1 are intensifying. Western Christians and converts in their colonies used to have local merriment, but Christian doctrines have unified all societies so people erroneously consider December 31 as devoid of religion. So happily everyone welcomes January 1 as their very own celebration.

While living in homogenous Europe enjoying December 31 celebrations, it never occurred to me to think deeply about St Sylvester’s Day. I must confess I’m part of this brainwash too. But experiencing New Year’s Eve among a billion people whose culture, language, religions are so varied, I thought, let me ponder over it. I apologise for disappointing my friends by becoming the observer not the actor this year, and not hosting the December 31 bash we all enjoy.

“One-world New Year brainwash” By Shombit Sengupta . To Christianity’s credit, their globalisation of New Year is the clear winner.

              

 

                          

 

     

Happy New Year, Infidel: Church bombing in Egypt kills 21

Jan 01, 2011 03:01 am | Marisol

Meet the new year, same as the old year. "Car bomb hits church in Egypt, 21 killed," by Yasmin Saleh and Marwa Awad for Reuters, January 1 (thanks to Zulu): CAIRO (Reuters) - A car bombing outside a church killed 21 people in Egypt's northern city of Alexandria as worshippers...read more

     

Sweden got Munir Awad freed from Somali jail -- he showed his gratitude by joining jihad plot against Danish newspaper

Dec 31, 2010 05:29 pm | Robert

Thanks a lot, kuffar. "Danish attack plot suspect in previous arrests," by Nina Larson for AFP, December 31 (thanks to David): STOCKHOLM -- One of five men held over a foiled plot to massacre staff at a Danish newspaper had twice been arrested abroad suspected of terror links, the foreign...read more

     

The New Conquistadors

Dec 31, 2010 04:47 pm | Roland Shirk

The massive, catastrophic problem that is the presence of tens of millions of Muslims in Europe is finally dawning on the other citizens of that continent. Fitfully and unevenly, they are stirring themselves to find that they have invited a dangerous enemy into their home, who has no intention of...read more

     

Women's rights steadily eroding in Iraq as Islamic supremacists gain power

Dec 31, 2010 04:46 pm | Robert

Sharia descends upon what had been a largely secular nation. Isn't it great that Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange made Oklahoma safe for Sharia? "2011 looks grim for progress on women's rights in Iraq," by Shashank Bengali and Sahar Issa for McClatchy Newspapers, December 31: BAGHDAD -- When Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri...read more

     

Anti-human rights riots in Pakistan during nationwide strike to uphold blasphemy law

Dec 31, 2010 03:31 pm | Robert

Markets were closed and roads deserted: people were staying inside, hoping the wrath of these Islamic supremacists wouldn't fall upon them. "Violence as Pakistan strikes over blasphemy law," by Hasan Mansoor for AFP, December 31 (thanks to Block Ness): KARACHI, Pakistan (AFP) - Violence flared Friday as police and protesters...read more

     

"The grave human tragedy of the Christians in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq, has worsened dramatically"

Dec 31, 2010 03:20 pm | Robert

A letter from David G. Littman, representative to the UN-Geneva for the World Union for Progressive Judaism, to the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay: WORLD UNION FOR PROGRESSIVE JUDAISM * * * * * THE MARTYRED CHRISTIANS OF IRAQ RENEWED APPEAL (2008, 2009, 2010)... for the New Year...read more

     

Canada: Man in Muslim woman's garb robs bank

Dec 31, 2010 10:54 am | Robert

You just never know Good thing Western officials are relaxing laws banning the wearing of masks in public, eh? The problem here is that the West is anxious to prove its tolerance and multiculturalism, and to change its own laws and practices in order to do so, but there was...read more

     

Islamic scholar: Jihadis are "tools in the hands of the Zionists, Israelis, Europeans, and Orientals, with the goal of damaging Islam"

Dec 31, 2010 10:13 am | Robert

Maybe Sheikh al-Awda was the source for Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregory III. In any case, it is disturbing to see this fantastical claim gaining increasing currency, although it isn't really surprising given three well-established tendencies: the inability of Islamic supremacists to acknowledge any responsibility for any wrongdoing, their fanatical...read more

     

Baghdad bomb attacks on Christians: "I think there is complicity by security forces helping insurgents to implement their attacks"

Dec 31, 2010 09:35 am | Robert

Jihadist sentiments among the Iraqi governing authorities? Naaah, couldn't be! More on this story. "Christians Are Casualties of 10 Baghdad Attacks," by John Leland and Omar Al-Jawoshy for the New York Times, December 30 (thanks to Sr. Soph BAGHDAD -- One week after an Islamic extremist group vowed to kill...read more

     

South American drug gangs funding jihad terrorists

Dec 31, 2010 09:27 am | Robert

Axis of evil. "South American drug gangs funding al-Qaeda terrorists," by Robin Yapp in the Telegraph, December 29 (thanks to Sr. Soph): South American drugs gangs are providing millions of pounds of funding for al-Qaeda terrorists by paying them to ensure the safe passage of cocaine across north Africa and...read more

     

That'll fix it: Father murders daughter in honor killing because she was going to become a jihad-martyrdom suicide bomber

Dec 31, 2010 09:24 am | Robert

I'll say it again: Syria recently scrapped a law limiting the length of sentences for honor killings, but "the new law says a man can still benefit from extenuating circumstances in crimes of passion or honour 'provided he serves a prison term of no less than two years in the... read more                                                                                                                      

Social media a formidable foe for mainstream English media?

                        

"It has been my considered view that December 6, 1992, would not have happened in the age of 24-hour news television. Through the forest of microphones and broadcast vans that would have swarmed the disputed site in Ayodhya, it would have been impossible for either the Uttar Pradesh government or the Centre to deny knowledge of what was happening on ground zero.” These were his assertion Oct 08^th 2010 in an article  “A half-way house” by Mr.Rajdeep Sardesai.

The man is at it once again.  “News we can use”   it would be fitting finale to 2010 by writing rejoinder to this bigoted soul. He has sinned beyond our wildest imagination. There is no better way to describe the author than in the word of Sigmund Freud. “Illusions commend themselves to us because they save us pain and allow us to enjoy pleasure instead. We must therefore accept it without complaint when they sometimes collide with a bit of reality against which they are dashed to pieces.”

Rajdeep Sardesai is singularly responsible for the vilest reportage about Mr. Narendra Modi for the past 8years. He has frozen the state of Gujarat in a time period from which the state is yet to emerge on CNNIBN. It would be most interesting to inspect the percentage of positive versus negative reporting on this channel for the period 2002 to 2010. No we would not be surprised at all it will only confirm what we know.

This editor in chief is guilty of manufacturing fake tweets to influence viewers, he is derelict in initiating action against his deputy who had the audacity to hurt the sentiments of millions of Indians with her irreverent tweet about Lord Ram being a “Divine Encroacher” or labeling all those who disagreed with her view point as “Internet Hindus” going to obnoxious extent to state that RSS was training people how to tweet in Nagpur and Jhandawalan.

At a news seminar in Ahmedabad two weeks ago, I was asked by a member of a rather irate audience: “Do you people in the media think you are god?” I hastened to emphasise my mortality, but realised that I had little chance. “At one level, the news consumer expects the media to solve the multiple problems of a nation: from banishing corruption, ending terrorism, to even clearing the garbage in the neighbourhood.”

Nothing could be further from truth than the assertions that Rajdeep Sardesai is making. The contempt for the viewer is all too obvious. This is precisely the mindset that we do not want and are opposing. Media personnel have built illusions around themselves; the discerning viewers saw through all this and switched off these channels long before Radia Tapes happened, confirmation of what we suspected is all that was needed for the public outrage to surface. 

Media has a role and that is to present the news as it unfolds sans editorial comments and slant in favour of a political party. Social media has made and is making their life difficult, people are extra vigilant, there are individuals who despite not wanting to watch this and another channel do so, to detect the lies and fabricated interactive feedback to further expose these manipulators and scamsters on the loose.  

China promotes and takes great pride in the growth of the Internet in the country, under its careful monitoring. But its over 450 million surfers mean something more than Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg choosing to vacation in Beijing and visiting its Web company Baidu; it also means an online image, a blog post, a message on one of its Twitter clones, can create chinks in China’s great firewall. “Comment is free.”

China is wary of netizens and social media, mainstream English media would do itself a great service not to challenge us. For we are the Watch Dogs, who will chase away the pet poodles and Lap Dogs from our amidst.

Let me conclude this with yet another quote from Sigmund Freud  “He that has eyes to see and ears to hear may convince himself that no mortal can keep a secret. If his lips are silent, he chatters with his fingertips; betrayal oozes out of him at every pore.”

Must read blog SandeepWeb:  New post on blog about Indian Liberals. || Classic the template for liberals after Rajdeep's tweet.

Latest update on the subject.

What he could see evolving though, was a new objectivity. Objectivity, he then pointed out, had always been an idea important for the news. For him it was once designed to deliver journalism that people can trust. But in the new media age transparency is what delivers trust. He stressed that news today still has to be accurate and fair, but it is as important for the readers, listeners and viewers to see how the news is produced, where the information comes from, and how it works. The emergence of news is as important, as the delivering of the news itself.Here's a read on that Journos can dig head in sand. .

I welcome a debate and discussion on this…As always, please keep your tone civil, your language polite…no sweeping generalisations please and no personal abuse.  Thank you.

How will pulling up socks help a corruption tainted political party?

Congress must pull up its socks.  By Mr.Pankaj Vohra, Hindustan Times 26/12/2010

This is the third article in close succession second in the month of December 2010. Why consternation of such high proportion? Mr. Vohra why have you by design thrown all caution to winds, despite the fact that Journalists and Media are wading through a very rough patch, credibility seriously dented in some case beyond redemption. You have faltered at the very outset P.M has no mandate from the people of this country to occupy the chair that he is in.

Needless to meander into political science discourse, you are fully aware how the Westminster form of Democracy functions. Laws and Conventions have an equal weightage. To obtain a mandate one must contest elections. Which is missing in the present case; appointment by High Command of Congress is not a substitute for popular mandate.

We fail to understand why is it that every journalist has to begin each article with the same preamble singing paeans of personal integrity and honesty of Dr.ManMohan Singh when facts on ground point towards the opposite direction. If bribe giver and taker are both equally guilty than those indulging in corruption and those permitting deserve to be treated on par.

“The Congress, on its part, seems to have run out of ideas. It has not been able to counter the BJP and Digvijaya Singh's strategic attempt to shift the focus of the debate from corruption to communalism versus secularism does not seem to have worked. In addition, the negative perception of the government has increased thanks to the spiralling onion prices.” This is a fact which even you had to acknowledge, Congress is in total disarray due to its own actions or lack of it.

“If the deadlock continues, it is going to damage the UPA even more. A remedy could be that the government, even at this late stage, should agree to a JPC probe, which covers the telecom policy after its formulation in the early 90s. The guidelines, which opened up the sector to private players, should be examined in a new light and every telecom minister in successive governments starting from PV Narasimha Rao's time should be probed.” The scope maybe enlarged, however, the point is will it mitigate the fact that under Congress and P.M Singh the Nation has suffered a loss of humungous proportions. Let us not digress or obfuscate the issue of revenue loss in 2G. If the probe is enlarged then the fallout for Congress will get more serious since in the last six plus years it has neither tried to recalibrate or plug the loopholes in the policy. Congress is in no position to point fingers at this late stage.

Some of the suggestion made by you are noteworthy and should be incorporated in the JPC. This is the only way forward; then there are the other scams also which need urgent treatment. Investigating agencies enjoy a reputation on par with the Journalists as of today lesser said the better it is.

“The Opposition has to concede that any kind of discussion on the issue can be held only in Parliament and the deadlock is serving only the purpose of not allowing an elected government to function by a party which faced rejection in 2009. The Congress, on its part, should pull up its socks and start behaving as a party in power instead of drawing attention to its possible involvement in all scams that have broken out since the beginning of the year.” This is a puerile argument, conversely it can be said Government is stifling the voice of the Opposition by it brute numerical strength. It would have been a better argument if a mutual give and take approach was adopted. Government of the day has the onus squarely on its shoulders to ensure smooth functioning of the parliament. Debates on 2G scam have been held and no concrete actions resulted from those debates. The compulsion of Opposition to have its say, that obstruction has to be resorted to as a last resort.

The party's plenary in Delhi will be known for its RSS/BJP bashing more than poor organisation and inability of its leadership to give out a clear message. It is time for course correction. Otherwise, the countdown for this government has begun more in the minds of the Congress party than with the opposition. This demand for JPC is not to bring down the government.

In conclusion a party which has been exposed as never before should be very bothered about covering itself up rather than just pulling up its socks.

Sample comments Posted on HT site in response to this article:

1. By Spectrum “very strange pankaj is advising congress instead of blasting them for the wrong doing. are there any honest journalists left, or honest journalists left are are not given the forum to their views. How long HT is going to give a rope to these paid journalists so called the fourth estate, which has become four twenty to the core. In spite of 100 per cent comments blasting the congress, HT obediently follow congress glory. Look at the articles of so called impartial journalists varghese vinod sharma vir sanghvi barkha dutt rajeeep sardesai all pen a song for congress praising them to the hilt. Be honest once in a blue moon. You will save many a soul and die peacefully at your old age. Be brave be honest and atleast remember the so called mahatma gandhi”

2.By Arun “I want to know whether the Congress agrees that a presumptous loss of Rs. 176,000 crores mentioned by the CAG is a figure prima facie acceptable to the PM ? If the answer is yes , the PM should agree for a JPC. If the answer is no , the PM should enlighten the nation of his views. There are many a Indians who will take the PM at face value given his past record and simplicity / honesty of persona. This will not resolve any issues but only serve to educate Indians what the highest Executive of the land thinks of the 2G scam. The PM , of course , has to ensure he is not guided by the Congress party but speaks HIS mind regardless of what the aggressive opposition thinks of his views.”

Latest article in Indian Express : 27/12/2010

However, India has been robbed of more than Rs 200,000 crore (Rs 2 lakh cr) through the various scams (2G scam, CWG scam, Adarsh scam and more) on his watch, yet he is mum on that, having refused to go beyond the cursory statement that the intelligence agencies are looking into the matter. Sleeping on the Job.P.M Singh looks to assure a robbed India he is clean. How does this help us?

The more the Congress party extols Dr Manmohan Singh as a man of integrity, the more they hang him out to dry. For in the bland finality of that characterisation, lies a story that speaks poorly of both the PM and the ruling party. Dr Singh & the rest of the iceberg By: Santosh Desai.

I welcome a debate and discussion on this…As always, please keep your tone civil, your language polite…no sweeping generalisations please and no personal abuse.  Thank you.