There is a long list of days and festivals that are observed among the Muslims nowadays, but each of these is the innovation of the Jews, Christians and polytheists; they have no basis in Islam. There are no festivals in Islam apart from Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr. Mothers day has a history ranging from...

The residents of Wootton Bassett are used to standing in sombre silence in a mark of respect as the coffins of the slain in Afghanistan pass through their streets. Today it was a procession of another sort – a rather noisier one – that commanded their respect as around 15,000 bikers rode through Wootton Bassett to signal their own mark of respect for British men and women fighting in Afghanisatan. The bikers are estimated to have raised £750,000 + for the forces ‘Fallen Heroes’ Fund...

Imedi TV broadcaster provokes panic with report claiming Russian attack in progressSwitching on their TV sets at 8pm on Saturday, Georgians were greeted with incredible news – Russia had invaded. The pro-government Imedi TV station reported that Russian tanks were once more trundling into Georgia. Not only that, but the country's pro-western leader Mikheil Saakashvili had been murdered, the station said.For the next half an hour there were scenes of absolute panic, as the mobile network collapsed, Georgians spilled on to the streets, and friends and relatives desperately tried to reach each other and seek out information. In fact, they needn't have bothered.The report, it turned out, was a hoax. The Kremlin hadn't invaded and Saakashvili, it emerged, was very much alive. Not since Orson...

Dead give away that it’s a slow news day when I start posting some of the music I’m listening to – this one is from the movie ‘London Dreams’...

I've just got back from seeing Alice in Wonderland and I'm now feeling rather depressed and am starting to despair for the future of the film industry.Let's get the positive aspects out of the way first. The cast is wonderful and the acting impressive. I particularly enjoyed the little comedic touches that Anne Hathaway brought to the potentially quite bland White Queen. The visual effects were also fantastic. Burton's imagination together with state of the art technology has given us a wonderful vision of how Wonderland should look.So what didn't I like? Well, firstly, I saw it in 3D. It's the first time I've seen a 3D film outside of an IMAX so I didn't really know what to expect. And it was all a bit disappointing. It was disappointing because the technology didn't really seem to be...

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I don't mean to be a part pooper, but am I the only one who's missed the point of last night's Event?After watching the official video it seems to have been a display of poorly disjointed lights, or a cavalcade of bangs and whizzes. All dependant on the proximity of population centres.Hope there was no poor wildcamper out there trying to have a solitary wander along Roman ways.But of course, with the disapproving attitude of the likes of Hadrians Wall Heritage Ltd & Hadrians Wall Path National Trail towards wildcamping in general, as previously noted, thats not likely to have been an issue now.Is it?"Are there enough campsites?At the moment it is difficult to rely upon campsites only, so many walkers use the camping barns and youth hostels for the occasional night. We do ask you,...

Ethiopian ambassador says the BBC World Service has endangered its credibility with claims that western aid money was diverted to buy weaponsThe row between Bob Geldof and the BBC escalated into a diplomatic dispute yesterday as the Ethiopian ambassador called for an apology from the World Service after it reported claims that aid money meant for famine victims had been spent on weapons.Peter Horrocks, director of the World Service, has said he fully supports the report, which featured one former Ethiopian rebel saying 95% of the money that flowed into famine-hit Tigray in 1985 was spent by the TPLF militia on guns.A second man claimed that the TPLF (Tigrayan People's Liberation Front, now the ruling party of prime minister Meles Zenawi) had made a fortune selling sand disguised as grain...

Madhatters recently carried the story of Spork, the wee sausage dog threatened with execution because he bit a vet – click here The good news is that a judge in Lafayette has put Spork on probation – if he’s a good boy for 6 months he will have his ‘dangerous dog’ status lifted and no longer face the risk of euthanasia. His owners are delighted. Spork is no doubt pleased too As for the vet – who cares what she thinks !!! Read more here . . ....

Fears over Muslims in prison, fears about Mosques, fears about… Jihad Jane, etc, etc. Ian McEwan, The Booker Prize winner, has said that criticising Islam is not racist, however, the credibility of such an argument would depend on the nature of the criticism particularly since he appears to ignore that the majority of terrorists...

Leaked adjudication largely clears government over campaign that some thought 'scary, inaccurate and too political'Read the full text of the ASA adjudicationThe advertising watchdog has mildly rebuked the government over the phrasing of a claim in two advertisements on the danger of climate change, while dismissing the rest of the complaints against the controversial television and newspaper campaign.The campaign, run by the Department of Environment and Climate Change last winter, brought in 939 complaints. Various groups said the adverts were political, too scary, and factually misleading.The vast majority of these complaints have now been dismissed by the authority.The Advertising Standards Authority's only criticism was that a claim that "flooding, heat waves and storms will become...

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The figures for bugs on train compartments all sound a little bit on the high side. Where did they come from?The figures were all very specific and very frightening. "Two thousand bugs taking a ride in every train compartment," said the Daily Mail. "Cockroaches cluster on trains," groaned the Telegraph. "Commuters share trains with 1,000 cockroaches, 200 bedbugs and 200 fleas," said the Evening Standard.These figures all sound a little bit on the high side. Where did they come from? "Staff at Rentokil sprayed insecticide throughout the carriages of a train and a bus and then counted the bodies of insects," said the Standard. It quoted a Rentokil spokesman: "The bus we studied was within the M25."But Transport for London says it has had no contact with Rentokil, and that no such study has...

The latest figures show that the sales of The Guardian have slipped again to their lowest in 16 years - see here for more. The Independent has crashed again too. I have two friends, one of whom was a very loyal Guardian reader and the other an occassional Independent reader, both of whom have stopped reading in the last few weeks. They haven't switched papers but have stopped reading and turned to online news and blogs. Both have done it when the rags switched to default election mode of Tory-bashing instead.I think that backing Labour at this election might not be commerically...

Winnie Mandela claims 'he let us down' story in Evening Standard was 'fictitious' but paper stands by storyNelson Mandela's ex-wife has denied criticising the former South African president in a newspaper interview over his decision to accept the Nobel peace prize.The Evening Standard ran an interview with Winnie Madikizela-Mandela on Monday in which she accused Mandela of having "let us down".She went on to condemn his decision to accept the 1993 Nobel peace prize alongside FW de Klerk, the president of South Africa in 1990 who took the decision to release Mandela.The remarks were noted in South Africa, where the country's governing party, the African National Congress, announced on Wednesday that its leaders would talk to Madikizela-Mandela when she returned to the country.The story...

Source of Daily Mail story refuses to divulge 'well-known social network' where he posed as girl of 14 and received sexual approaches from menFacebook has called on the ex-detective who posed as a 14-year-old girl online on a "well-known social network" and said he was approached by men making sexual suggestions within minutes to name the site he used.But Mark Williams-Thomas, whose experiences were described by the Daily Mail in a contentious story this week, declined to name the site today. He suggested that it would not be helpful to the site's users – and that it might damage its reputation or attract paedophiles to use it more extensively.A spokesperson for Facebook said that it was important to identify the site so that young users could be protected. "If you really want to...

Being sued for libel is not only ruinously expensive, writes Simon Singh, it takes over your whole life. Which is why this will be his last columnAlmost a year after writing my first column for this site, I would like to welcome you to my final article.At first I was able to deliver my monthly column on time, but my submissions have become increasingly delayed, and this is my first since November. The problem is that I have spent the past two years being sued for libel, which has taken up huge amounts of time. And now all my remaining spare time is being devoted to campaigning for libel reform.The crippling and prohibitive financial cost of defending a libel case is often highlighted, but the equally terrible cost in terms of time and stress is rarely mentioned.I recently discussed this...

It is impressive that the media is so cynical and hysteria so unremarkable that they can spin this as actually still terrifyingly dangerous with a straight face- Al-Qaida seen eyeing less complex attacks on US Now it appears that the group, which has prided itself on its ideological purism, seems to be eyeing a more pragmatic and perhaps more dangerous shift in tactics. The emerging message appears to be that big successes are great, but sometimes simply trying can be just as good. Exclusive- Al Qaeda calling you late at night and shouting Boo down the phone! Next Week- Totally None Existent Threat May Never Happen! What is our government doing to protect us from this!...

I raid my record collection and nab a post title from The Buzzcocks. Darius raids his and comes up with a Tears for Fears lyric. Tears for bleedin’ Fears? Yea Gods. I know whose CDs I’d like to listen to and they ain’t his…although any article that references Steve Marriott can’t be all bad. The Association of British Specialist Insurers has suggested that in the last few weeks members have inundated them, seeking advice on how to approach the development of a new product. A select group of clients are clamouring to buy what has been described as ’Humble Pie’ insurance, seeking to find solutions that will save face, stop them from eating their words, and shield them from having industrial portions of humble pie shoved down their throats come the end of the football...

A woman in New Zealand did nothing to dispel the image that women are poor drivers when she ran her husband over – twice. She was reversing her 4×4 and did not see him behind her. She also apparently didn’t feel the bump as she ran over him She then drove the vehicle forward – running over him again !!! The man was airlifted to hospital with back and head injuries. His wife was apparently distraught when she realised what she had done A police spokesperson said they were not treating the incident as suspicious Source . . ....

A survey - produced by yet another brand looking for free publicity in newspapers desperate for some space-filler - has ‘discovered’ that – apparently – men are much better at lying in junk surveys than women are. The results from the survey show that over 3% of men know what a vacuum cleaner looks like, and some claim to even know what that brush next to the toilet is there for. As a researcher who has investigated this sort of survey pointed out, however: This survey just goes to show just how good men are at telling blatant lies to any survey in the vain hope that it makes them look good. As anthropologists have pointed out, in the ancient days of opinion polls, back in the latter half of the 20th century, opinion polls were often carried out by women standing on the...

TV coverage restricted to single highlights show, with possible extras on red button, due to 'budget restrictions and time zone'The BBC has been criticised for scheduling just one hour of TV highlights of the Vancouver Winter Paralympics, despite dedicating 160 broadcast hours to the Winter Olympics on BBC2.Lewis Wiltshire, the editor of the BBC Sport website, said TV coverage was restricted because of "budget restrictions and the time zone factor".The Winter Paralympics, which start today in Vancouver and run until 21 March, follow the BBC's extensive coverage of the Winter Olympics which ran for 17 days from 12 to 28 February. The BBC published a detailed press release highlighting what it called its "most comprehensive coverage in Winter Olympic history".However, in a blogpost,...

NU’91 – the Union that represents nurses in Holland – is launching a campaign today with the slogan “I draw the line here”. The campaign aims to draw attention to the fact that offering “sexual services” to patients is NOT part of the standard service provided by nurses and carers. This action was initiated after a 24 yr old nurse refused to provide sexual services for a 42 yr old disabled man. The man then tried to have her dismissed because of her refusal to do so – arguing that providing sexual services should be part of his care at home Source . . . Hhmm, perhaps he should move to Britain – http://tinyurl.com/ycz84y7...

A tour of Yarl’s Wood- I was given a guided tour by Dawn Elaine, the Serco manager, who runs the centre. I saw no obvious signs of distress amongst residents. But then there were a lot of closed doors. Positive steps have been taken since Serco took over, including a new school. It’s a lovely airy chalet-style building away from the main block. The report mentions the recent abuse but not the ongoing hunger strike and does not talk to or report testimony from any of the victims of the abuse instead the reporter vaguely probes the manager who denies it and it is left there. If I was in the media relations department of either Serco or UKBA I would be livid, the BBC have just stolen my job, why employ people to bullshit for Yarl’s Wood when the BBC volunteers to do it? The...

On Sunday, Amber Sound FM will become the first community radio station to broadcast the Big Top 40. The chart is already available on too many commercial stations, and it can be heard in Derbyshire on Heart and Ram FM. The Big Top 40 is a commercial show. Listeners are encouraged to download songs from iTunes via the Big Top 40 website. It is not intended as a public service. It is on so many Visit seniorspeaks.blogspot.com to read the entire entry....

Television network denies claims that Until Nothing Remains depicts group as totalitarian and unethicalGermany's state broadcaster is locked in a row with the Church of Scientology which wants to block an upcoming feature film that depicts the controversial organisation as totalitarian and unethical.Bis Nichts Mehr Bleibt, or Until Nothing Remains, dramatises the account of a German family torn apart by its associations with Scientology. A young married couple joins the organisation but as the wife gets sucked ever more deeply into the group, her husband, who has donated much of his money to it, decides to leave. In the process he loses contact with his young daughter who, like his wife, is being educated by Scientology instructors.Scientology leaders have accused Germany's primary public...

I have been approached by a media person who is looking for sheddies to maybe do a pilot of some kind. photo credit: Nick Bramhall Do you use your shed to escape from the madness of the world around us? Do you shut the shed door and start to unwind… with space to think.. potter… maybe write, paint or draw? If so, would you be prepared to talk to someone who is doing a study on solitude? If so please let me know as soon as, or post a comment Related PostsAugust 25, 2009 -- Lack space in your home get a shed!...

Pekinese Souwester became the UK’s first all-nude presenter of a live-to-air TV history programme mostly by accident, when the flimsy summer dress she was wearing caught on an exposed halberd as she did a piece to camera from the newly restored armoury at the famous Milton Keynes medieval castle. As it was the hottest day of a unusually warm British summer – as the Met office had forecasted that it was going to be the coldest and wettest British summer on record,sales of barbeque equipment and sun cream had already reached record levels by this time – and as she was filming under hot TV lighting, Souwester had already forgone her underwear under the dress. With one eye on the ratings both her producer and director had both confirmed that this course of action was fine by them,...

Her husband promised to take her to see all the beautiful sights in China, but when he died she thought that dream had died with him. Her two sons though were determined to fulfil their father’s promise to their mum. Knowing she gets car sick – which would make the journey more difficult – they built a cart to transport her round the country. One son pushes, the other pulls, determined to make their 81 year old mum dream come true Read more here. . ....

Social networking site fears reputation permanently damaged by false claim that it let older men pressure teenage girls for sexFacebook has threatened to sue the Daily Mail for damages after the paper wrongly claimed in a piece published on Wednesday that 14-year-old girls who create a profile on the social networking site could be approached "within seconds" by older men who "wanted to perform a sex act" in front of them.The paper apologised in print today and online yesterday for the error, which the author of the piece, Mark Williams-Thomas, insisted had been introduced by editors at the paper despite being told it was wrong. In fact, Williams-Thomas – a retired policeman who now works as a criminologist – had been using another, unspecified social network.But the giant social...

Jewish Children at BirkenauThe Holocaust was a terrible crime against humanity – a testament of the evil that mankind is capable of. We owe it to all those who were executed in the Nazi concentration camps to teach future generations about the Holocaust so that those who died there are never forgotten. Telling a class of children at a Junior School that all those born in Jan, Feb, Mar are of inferior intelligence than their classmates born in other months, segregating these children from the others and telling them they are going to be adopted and won’t see their parents again is not the way to teach children about the Holocaust. Yet this is what happened to children at one school - Read more here – http://tinyurl.com/ylo984g Understandably, parents are upset about the...

Critics complain that it's unfair, but an all-women audience on Question Time will redress an imbalance in our political arenaThe BBC's decision to run with a women-only audience on tonight's Question Time should be commended for many reasons. The show will give ordinary women, whose all-important vote the parties have been falling over themselves to court, the chance to question if there's any policy substance behind their "female-friendly" spin.The Fawcett Society, which this week challenged all parties to answer the question "what about women?", is not yet convinced that there is. With the parties' leadership and key policymakers still overwhelmingly male and in a week when polls showed 49% of women don't feel politicians are listening to their views on the economy, this programme can...

Sahil Saeed, the little boy ‘kidnapped’ on a visit to Pakistan with his father has been found. Apparently, police have said members of his family were involved in his kidnap Concidentally, Sahil’s father returned to the UK yesterday despite police requests that he remain in Pakistan as a ‘witness’ Interesting to see if he returns !!! (There had been reports in the media that Sahil’s parents were not on the best of terms recently and that his father had taken the mother’s passport with him to Pakistan to prevent her following him and Sahid)...

On Tuesday evening I attended the UK book launch of Jaswant Singh’s biography of Jinnah, founder of Pakistan. The buzz around the book had been created by the reaction to it in India. One state banned it (no prizes for guessing who runs that state) and Jaswant Singh was expelled from the BJP as a result of writing it, despite being a former defence minister and a current MP. Mr. Singh’s crime? To have absolved Jinnah from some of the blame for partition and instead criticised Nehru and Vallabhai Patel. Not that this was a one-sided book, as the British, Jinnah, and Congress rightly all come in for plenty of criticism. Mr Singh bemoans the failure of all sides to step back from the detail and take in the bigger picture, which is fair to a certain extent, but fails to take into...

A bride-to-be, unhappy with her wedding dress, demanded a Detroit store alter it. When the Store Manager refused and tried to shoo the angry woman out of the shop, a mass brawl broke out when a bunch of relatives who had accompanied her started attacking the shop staff. By the time police arrived, over $12,000 worth of damage had been done to the shop’s goods and fittings P.S. I’m guessing the store is even less willing now to alter Bridezilla’s wedding dress !!!...

Macmillan Nurses do a fantastic job supporting cancer patients and their carers – as I know from personal experience. And the support doesn’t stop when the patient dies. The Macmillan nurse who helped look after Mrs D stressed several times that they were there for me too and to give them a call if I needed any help or support after her death. One nurse, though, has taken the commitment to comfort and console grieving relativesa bit too far. As a result, she has been dismissed from her job and her ‘badge’ as a McMillan nurse removed – after bedding three grieving husbands after their wife’s died. Her co-workers ere reportedly shocked by the news ‘ Sara was a very popular member of the team at the hospital’ said one. (yes, I rather imagine she was !!!) Read more here ....

Web giant takes on Microsoft with Google Apps Marketplace offering cloud-based applicationsGoogle has announced that it has opened the Google Apps Marketplace to developers. More than 50 companies wil be involved in the Apps Marketplace, which will offer business software such as a project management application, a tax and a payroll program, an electronic fax program, an e-signature service, and a design tool for Google Docs. The third-party cloud-based applications will be integrated within Google to work like native Google apps. It will charge developers 20% of the revenue from sales on the marketplace site, apart from a one-off fee of $100."The Google Apps Marketplace eliminates the worry about software updates, keeping track of different passwords and manual syncing and sharing of...

…Mexican. If you’re gonna hire Machete to kill the bad guy, you better make sure the bad guy isn’t you… Click here to view the embedded video. Just watched Robert Rodriguez’s $7,000 classic “El Mariachi” again the other night, don’t know how many times I’ve seen it, along with “Desperado“, “From Dusk Till Dawn” and “Once Upon A Time In Mexico“. Watching those last three of course has nothing to do with Salma being in then at all, her dancing on tables with snakes is irrelevant to my enjoyment. Rodriguez’s fake trailer for “Machete” (above) is a cracking piece of Mexploitation. Will the real thing match up, well with Danny Trejo, Cheech Marin and Robert DeNiro, it has a chance....

Former ITV boss to become executive chairman as troubled firm prepares last-ditch bid to raise £100m from investorsFormer ITV boss Charles Allen is taking control of EMI's music business, home to acts including Coldplay and Robbie Williams, after the surprise departure of chief executive Elio Leoni-Sceti.Leoni-Sceti will be leaving the troubled company at the end of March after just 18 months with the firm. His departure comes at a critical time for EMI, as the cash-strapped business puts the finishing touches to a new business plan which its private equity owners can present to investors.Allen, who joined EMI as a non-executive director in January 2009, will become executive chairman of the music company. EMI Music Publishing will continue to be run by chairman and chief executive Roger...

Danny Finkelstein has written an article today about the image of the Conservative party and about changes in public perception. As part of this he used Coca-Cola as an example, the curved Coca-Cola bottle is iconic, loved and is recognisable even when only a fragment can be viewed, this he says the Conservatives would do well to aspire to.My advice to Danny is to be very careful about what...