“Readers want what they’ve always wanted: a source they can trust. That has always been the role of great newspapers in the past. And that role will make newspapers great in the future.” -Rupert Murdoch       ...

The FreeGaza movement yesterday offered to help deliver aid to Gaza by sea, details posted here. No sooner had that come out than the IDF ramped up their aggression on Palestinian fishing boats taking them into custody and arresting human rights monitors. The message was simple and obvious- the Free Gaza movement have slipped by a few times, but if you threaten to significantly mitigate the blockade of Gaza we will attack. Then today tanks entered Gaza, Jewssansfrontieres observes Israel is ending the truce. The attacks on Gaza and siege have met some small resistance there has been sporadic rocket fire which in turn is used by Israel and it’s hapless yes men & women in our governments to justify their blockade and refusal to acknowledge the elected Hamas. However the battle as...

The Grauniad have done a clever thing regarding the BNP membership list, they have created an interactive map showing the density of BNP membership nationwide, see it here. Avoids personal persecution but does display the metastasising of the nazi retards. nb. I will not post links to the list or let comments include links, should any slip through they will be deleted when I find them. It is not impossible to find the list on the intertubes if you must, no one should be persecuted or molested because of their membership but asking people to justify their views and membership of a racist fascist organisation with ties to terrorists is perfectly legitimate. They should be challenged and debated openly. I am happy to rock my politics out in the open as should anyone. And if they are in a...

MEDIA Scare Stories: Sack The Fatty, pirates with bombs and death by wrinkles DAILY MAIL “Having a big brother ‘cuts your chances of children’” “Overweight women…are more likely to lose their jobs” Fat people work? “THE REAL THREAT: A FLOATING BOMB” – Michael Burleigh sees the oil tanker taken by pirates and fears that if one is stolen containing natural gas it might be used as a “giant floating bomb” Raise the Thames barrier! “A very middle-class RECESSION – One moment, you’re planning your next holiday. The next, you’re staring into the abyss. As thousands of white–collar professionals lose their jobs, three families reveal the shattering impact” “Can wrinkle jabs paralyse your face?” More scare stories to follow – unless we’re all...

One response to this post’s title is that quite a lot of people have irresponsibly open Facebook profiles that expose these kind of personal details for all to see on the open internet (or for anyone to access with only a few minutes effort). But what about involuntary disclosure?Let’s be clear: I’m no fan of the British National Party. It beggars belief that there’s a market for such narrow-mindedness. The party’s policies and its members’ views veer towards ideologies and mindsets that are exclusive, intolerant, with a heavy dose of historical revisionism - all serving to devalue humanity.But it’s a political party, and it’s not proscribed. And while I don’t like it, it’s perfectly legal to be a member. Though it does seems to be more embarrassing to be "outed" as a...

Former ITV political editor John Sergeant has quit Strictly Come Dancing.The popular contestant on the BBC1 entertainment show has pulled out following a storm over his continuing success, with judges such as Arlene Phillips questioning his commitment. He said today in a statement: "I am sorry to say I have decided to leave Strictly Come Dancing. It was always my intention to have fun on the show and I was hoping to stay in as long as possible. The trouble is that there is now a real danger that I might win the competition. Even for me that would be a joke too far. I would like to thank Kristina and all those viewers who have been rooting for me through the series."Phillips hit the headlines earlier this week after saying that if Sergeant won it would leave her feeling "desolate".She...

MADDIE WATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann, Kate McCann and Gerry McCann IRISH INDEPENDENT: “Live dangerously: it’s so much safer” We should stop fretting over potential disasters that are unlikely to happen, says a new book. Lisa Jewell reports A new book: Author Warwick Cairns enjoys an element of risk in his life and likes to skateboard and mountain bike. So you might expect that his book called How to Live Dangerously advocates taking up sky diving or swimming in shark cages. Warwick Cairns dictates his book while parasailing outside his local hospital. But this isn’t the case. In fact, his message is that there are plenty of everyday activities we should all be enjoying without worrying about risks to our safety… Cairns says...

BABY P Watch: Anorak’s at-a-glance look at Baby P in the news… THE SUN (front page): “Haunting portrait of baby P shows cuts and bruises” These are the: “FIRST SIGNS OF TORTURE” The torture and death of Baby P is not enough for the Sun which continues to search for more pictures of the child to broadcast and therewith show how much it cares for the “blue-eyed angel”. Here’s one of Baby P fresh out the womb, born on Wednesday March 1, 2006. He’s a healthy weight of 7lob 1oz. Here’s one of baby P is an Army-style fatigue jacket. He’s smiling. And here’s that front-page shot again, this time with arrows pointing at his “old bruise”, “new bruise” and “red marks”. Wannabe social workers should make notes. They should be shown the front-page picture and...

MPs have questioned BBC executives over the announcement that Jonathan Ross will return to broadcasting in January. By John...

Charlie Porter: His instinct for excess from which he has suffered in his professionally is now reflected in his...

(nb. I am not the Devil's Kitchen)So, Jon Gaunt has been sacked by TalkSport for calling a horrible little bigot "a Nazi". Apparently the station "received a number of complaints over the broadcast". They received a lot of e-mails of support for Gaunt, too, but they ignored them.As I made plain in my previous post, I don't listen to Jon Gaunt or, for that matter, TalkSport, but I wonder how many listeners to a show presented by a right-wing Sun columnist would really have objected to Mr Gaunt slipping into the vernacular when dealing with a man who would like it to be illegal for Britain's 13 million smokers to become foster parents.As was amply demonstrated during the ridiculous Ross/Brand furore - and before that, the Shilpa Shetty bollocks (remember her?) - complaints procedures are a...

That's enough frivolity for now, let's get back to matters of life and death!The Right To Choose and The Obligation to InterfereIt never made sense for suicide to be a crime (although it was before the 1960s); a person's body does not belong to anyone other than its inhabitant so ultimately, one is free to do whatever one likes with it.Meanwhile, a person who is dead cannot answer for their actions, and the main concern with someone who has survived an attempt on their life is to keep them safe and help them feel better – an objective somewhat undermined by criminal prosecution.But suicide is the only non-criminal activity I know of which we are allowed to use physical force to prevent. If you see someone about to jump off a bridge, you're allowed to tackle them, drag them away,...

Hossein Derakhshan is a major figure in Iranian blogging and is no stranger to controversy but I find this report in Haaretz to be absolutely bizarre- Hossein Derakhshan, the Iranian blogger who visited Israel in 2007, was recently arrested in Teheran upon his return from Canada. The Iranian blogger, who also holds Canadian citizenship, admitted to being involved in espionage for Israel, the Iranian news Website Jahan News reported Monday. Jahan News is affiliated with the Iranian intelligence community. The report, citing “credible sources”, revealed that Derakhshan’s confession included several “intricate” points. The site noted that Derakhshan attended various conventions in Israel, and quoted Haaretz and Jerusalem Post articles stating that Derakhshan is...

HEADLINE of the day: Stars Back New Child Abuse Campaign- Sky News Says Mr G. Glitter, spokesperson for the group… Spotter:...

The Free Gaza Movement today issued this open letter to all organizations delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Israel’s closure of its land borders with Gaza, and Egypt’s submission to Israeli pressure to close the Rafah border is a humanitarian disaster for 1.5 million Palestinians. The United Nations announced last Thursday that inside Gaza it had run out of the food essentials to supply 750,000 desperately needy citizens. “This has become a blockade against the United Nations itself,” a spokesman said. The Free Gaza Movement now has an inspection procedure in place in Cyprus to ensure the boat and contents comply with international regulations. In addition, we publish information about our passengers and cargo that ensures nothing and no one harmful is...

BOH writes: “This was pointed out to me by Dave  in the commetns section of the Gruaniad.” A Guardian reader writes: Dear Ms Featherstone, I think the people who should truly say sorry for such events are the opinion leaders of the Guardian. Please allow me to explain. Last week I visited (as a doctor) a family in a council estate. The mother was concerned about her 12 year old son. She was very pleased that her older son was now on incapacity and would therefore do well for himself in terms of money. There is nothing wrong with this older boy that makes him incapacitated, but that is another story. She also had a 14 year old daughter, who while I was there, constantly argued with her mother demanding money for cigarettes. The three children had three different fathers,...

The Status of Forces Agreement has yet to be passed by the Iraqi parliament, it is not a done deal. Translation of the SOFA by Raed Jarrar here. The corporate media are presenting it as a fait accompli and ignoring how much room it provides even if approved for the occupiers to change any ‘commitments’ also via Raed, very disappointingly this is what Obama/Biden say- The Status-of-Forces Agreement Obama and Biden believe it is vital that a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) be reached so our troops have the legal protections and immunities they need. Any SOFA should be subject to Congressional review to ensure it has bipartisan support here at home. Congressional approval is a good requirement, the first bit, well that amounts to- continuing license to kill....

NHS Doctor Admits To Terrorism, “If You Want to Be Technical About It”, by David Burge, Anorak Satire Correspondent AN NHS DOCTOR accused of car bombings in London and Glasgow has admitted in court that he is a terrorist according to English law. “Sure, I guess, if you insist on stereotyping anybody who blows up a few car bombs or drives a flaming Jeep into an airport as a quote-unquote ‘terrorist,’” said Bilal Abdulla, 29, sarcastically making air quote gestures with burnt stubby fingers as prosecutors read him the legal definition of terrorism. Clearly perturbed by the line of questioning, Abdulla complained that widespread media of his case unfairly overlooked his other accomplishments. “Do any of these newspaper stories ever mention how how I...

CAN it be time to bomb Australia, or at least blow up her naval ports and airstrips? Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon says a two-month Navy shutdown over Christmas has been ordered to give staff a rest as the Navy continues to grapple with staff shortages. The shutdown will involve all ships not on operational duties and some staff will be allowed to work from home. To the bathtub, me hearties. But the kettle on and when she boils, pipe me aboard, mother. Thar she blows! Australia is, of course, revered for more than just its flexi-time navy. There are the stolen generations, the aborigines who were taken from their families just because they were black. Very few cases of this apparent crime have been recorded, but, still it makes for good entertainment. And it gets more empathetic if the...

TO the New Guinea media awards, where “simmering tensions mixed with alcohol” create an “all-in brawl”. As the Australian reports, in sober tones: The fight came late in the proceedings, after speeches on the importance of media freedom and accurate reporting. Fighting too place between PNG’s Post-Courier newspaper, owned by News Limited, and staffers on from PNG’s National Broadcasting Corporation. The fight “marred what was generally considered a successful evening”. Says a source: “It is embarrassing. This stuff always happens at this end of year. Everything starts fine, but it all comes out with too much drink. It really is the silly season.” At least the fight will knock over news of the dead donkey, killer shark in your bath and spaghetti tree. To...

Why did no one mention that The Avengers and The New Avengers are being shown again on BBC Four at the moment?I have distant, but very happy, memories of watching The Avengers in black and white in the 1980s. Was it early evening on BBC Two?Memories of John Steed (played by Patrick Nacnee) wandering around psychedelically-decorated sets (you can do a lot with spinning black and white!) which looked like giant board games, with his bowler hat and dangerous umbrella , accompanied by the leather-clad Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman) or Emma Peel (Diana Rigg). Taking orders from “Mother”, and driving classic cars.If you’re in need of nostalgia, check out the programme times for the two related...

BABY P Watch: Anorak’s at-a-glance look at Baby P in the news… THE SUN: The image of Baby P’s face hangs like a blonde pall of hair over the Sun’s front page. “300,000 JOIN CAMPAIGN FOR JUSTICE.” The campaign is to see social workers and medical staff who failed to treat Baby P sacked. That’s what counts for justice. Amid the signatories are said to be “Haringey boss” Sharon Shoemsmith’s in-laws. The Sun shines its light on four social workers. The Telegraph says “Baby P was seen by 28 different social workers, doctors and police officers before he was tortured to death.” Why has the Sun not highlighted them, too? Martin Belham notes the “curious moral anomaly that people who worked on the case are free to be named, shamed and hounded by the press, whereas the...

The trial of three men allegedly involved in the murder of the campaigning Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya will be held in open court, a judge ruled yesterday. The unusual move, by the military court in Moscow, stunned Politkovskaya's family and lawyers, who had asked for the trial to be open to the public. Prosecutors wanted the case to be heard behind closed doors, and the ruling paves the way for details of the much-criticised investigation to be made public. The evidence in Russia's most high-profile journalistic killing will be laid out in a small, overcrowded Moscow courtroom. Three of the men accused of acting as accomplices in her murder appeared there yesterday, inside a cage. They include two brothers from Chechnya - Dzhabrail and Ibragim Makmudov - and a former police...

He's been called a "dancing pig" and a "ballroom chancer" whose moves are "like seeing your grandad give a turn every Saturday night", and so far John Sergeant has borne it all with irrepressible good humour and a clodhopping clack of his Cuban heels. But yesterday the former BBC political editor, whose baby elephant moves on Strictly Come Dancing have won the adoration of the public and the frustrated irritation of the show's judges, was hit with perhaps the cruellest insult of them all. Arlene Phillips, one of four judges on the programme, said that while his more talented peers spend hours working on their routines in the practice studio, Sergeant, 64, can be found "fooling around" - by reading the Guardian. "There is nothing correct about his performances," Phillips told BBC Breakfast...

Without being too self indulgent, I've not had any time to devote to Bignews Margate of recent and that may well remain the case for a while.I hope to get round to giving you a long winded bitch about something any day now, one area that particularly concerns me is Kent Councils mission creep by this I mean our local authority KCC involving itself in business by supplying things like temporary workers, taxi and bus services etc rather than leaving entrepreneurs to do it properly.One of my readers was kind enough to point out that one of their enterprises Kent TV ( which is funded by Kent Taxpayers) has made available its last minutes, an interesting read.Its probably best to read the document as KCC intended by clicking here if you cannot be bothered and who would blame you I've pasted...

Nick Park has said making the 30-minute A Matter of Loaf and Death felt felt like a 'homecoming' after the pressure of shooting Hollywood films. By Ben...

THE New York Post’s gossipy Page Six is a rich source of corrections. The correction: THE source who told us last week about Michelle Obama getting lobster and caviar delivered to her room at the Waldorf-Astoria must have been under the influence of a mind-altering drug. She was not even staying at the Waldorf. We regret the mistake, and our former source is going to regret it, too. Bread and water would be too good for such disinformation. Yes, the former source. Not us, guv’nor. But - oops! - too late. Craig Silverman has few more gems: “… it wasn’t Jam Master Jay the other night at Crobar. It was loud and dark and our intrepid reporter has trouble distinguishing among Grandmaster Flash, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Fab Five Freddy and Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Jam Master was murdered two years...

THE EXPRESS sees gypsies. While the Sun welcomes The Others with a Polish version of its paper, the Express has yet to equip its organ with this weeks lucky pin number, a guide to pick-pocketing and whatever else the marketing department assures us gypsies are fans of. Right now opportunities are being missed. The Express bring news that “FAMILIES MUST SELL LAND FOR GYPSY CAMPSITES”. The “land grab” is taking place on campsites, fields and – best of all – private gardens. The Daily Express is upset by “outrageous” goings on at Epping Forest Council, Essex. Residents have reacted with “fury”. One local appear to say that the field alongside his house is used for a few chickens, geese and a horse and putting people in needs of housing on is disgusting. “What about the...

"It would be nice to be asked," Mandelson told the BBC this morning. The business secretary said that he had "cheering … with a degree of envy" for John Sergeant.Mandelson even told an interviewer that on another occasion – "not this morning, because it's too serious but another day" – he would demonstrate his own dancing skills on television. Mmm. I'll believe that when I see it.Mandelson is often seen as the shadowy figure behind unexpected election victories. And there's been some bewilderment as to how the flat-footed Sergeant is managing to survive so long on the programme. But I presume that this is one campaign that Mandelson isn't actually masterminding.Peter MandelsonStrictly Come DancingLabourguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is...

BABY P Watch: Anorak’s at-a-glance look at Baby P in the news… THE SUN (front page): “SOCIAL WORKERS NEW SHAME” When a tortured and murdered baby isn’t shaming enough… “BABY P GRAN: I WARNED HARINGEY” Says she: “They didn’t want to know.” The last photo of blond, blue-eyed Baby P — taken days before he was found dead in his blood-spattered cot Blonde… On page 5, the Sun produces a petition. It’s already been written: “All blonde children with blue-eyes should be saved first and…” Or: “I believe that ALL the social workers involved in the case of baby P, including Sharon Shoesmith, Maria Ward, Sylvia Henry and Gillie Christou should be sacked and never allowed to work with vulnerable children again”. Meanwhile, Baby P’s mother is free to...