How many journalists does it take to change a light bulb?

The answer of course is: one. The problem is that journalists at the BBC are banned on elf&safety grounds from using their transferable skills in this context. They have to call in the experts to perform this dangerous task –and then it officially takes 5 BBC employees to change a lightbulb.

(source, HT: pcwatch)

The Economist on Human Rights

This week’s Economist has a leader worth reading on the proliferation of ‘human rights’:

“… few rights are truly universal, and letting them multiply weakens them. Food, jobs and housing are certainly necessities. But no useful purpose is served by calling them “rights”. When a government locks someone up without a fair trial, the victim, perpetrator and remedy are pretty clear. This clarity seldom applies to social and economic “rights”. It is hard enough to determine whether such a right has been infringed, let alone who should provide a remedy, or how. Who should be educated in which subjects for how long at what cost in taxpayers’ money is a political question best settled at the ballot box. So is how much to spend on what kind of health care.“

(Read the rest here)

There is also a related piece on the changing mandate of amnesty international in the same edition.

Wow! I agree with a feminist –on one thing at least

The case of the Islamist German judge mentioned earlier is by now causing a scandal in Germany. Der Spiegel has interviewed Alice Schwarzer, a renowned German feminist on the topic. When asked if an independent judge shouldn’t be allowed to seek inspiration from the Quran, Schwarzer replied with refreshing clarity:

“A judge who bases verdicts on the Quran is acting on the basis of Sharia, not on the basis of the German constitution. Such a judge should have no place in a German court. “ (Source)

She was also appalled by the fact that a Muslim background is often seen as a mitigating circumstance in honour killings. Her remarks are a pleasant change from the usual multiculturalist kowtowing to any outrage committed within a minority culture. I never quite understood why western feminists are so subdued when it comes to Islamism. If the Catholic Church had ever come anywhere near in terms of sexual suppression they would have been up in arms within minutes.

German judge applies Sharia in divorce case

A German judge has denied a request for an early divorce, pointing out that the Quran gives husbands the right to beat their wives. The request for a divorce prior to completing a one year separation period was denied to a woman of Moroccan descent since, in the judge’s opinion, the violence she suffered at the hands of her husband was normal by the standards of her native cultural environment. The judge has since been taken off the case and there are at least demands for disciplinary proceedings against her.

(Source 1, Source 2)

Quote of the Day

“What difference are you to any illetrate in the streets?” (source)

An Islamist activist requesting that Leeds University censor a lecture on Islamic anti-Semitism. Academia’s capital of censorship duly complied.

The White Elephant Keeps Growing

The projected cost for the Olympic Games keeps racing ahead of budget. This must be one of most pointless wastes of money ever –how can you possibly spend £9.35bn just to figure out who is good at running in circles or at throwing things?

Wouldn’t it be a good idea to hold the politicians in charge personally responsible for budget overruns? The taxpayers could authorise a given amount in a referendum. Anything spent in excess should then not be their responsibility but the personal debt of the minister and senior administrators in charge.

Germany’s Swastika Farce – Final Act

It looks like the case against a German retailer selling anti-fascist memorabilia has finally been dismissed as he has been given permission to use a crossed-out swastika in his specific context. Some good news at last, though German taxpayers should wonder why this nonsense dragged on for as long as it did.

Great comment from a telegraph reader

“Oh great, both main parties led by superheroes who think they can foretell the future and control the weather. When the ‘moderate’ politicians are as certifiably insane as this, it’s time to consider voting in the extremists, or not voting at all.”

(Source)

Let’s hope the extremists are UKIP, not the BNP.

Global Warming Hysteria: Gordon Brown calls for New World Order

It should come as no surprise that Germany’s mainstream press is greener and more pro-EU than at least the right wing of the UK’s MSM. This makes for some interesting comparisons:

The British press has today been busy commenting on the details of the green-totalitarian competition between Brown and Cameron. Germany’s ‘Der Spiegel’ highlights the EU’s role in all those and quotes Brown not only stating that UK citizens need his help so they know how to behave properly, but also that a new world order should be established under UN leadership and in the context of global warming.

The term ‘new world order’ used to be the preserve of conspiracy nuts. Even though, this is probably not so much an accidental revelation of a secret world government as part of an openly pursued strategy of big government types like Brown: the combined use of esoteric policy aims and of some form of multilateral infrastructure to circumvent the checks on political power that have been established in most nation states. Global warming is the ideal vehicle here: the debate is officially over and the conclusion is thus put beyond rational argument in a way that religious dogma once was. Moreover, the impact of measures taken or not taken today is linked to predictions of what may happen 100 years or so hence. Add an element of existential panic and violà: an all purpose argument for just about any form of government intrusion into peoples’ private lives.

Whatever your opinion on man made global warming: there is every reason to be highly sceptical about government measures justified by it. The apocalyptic meta-context is just to conveniently pro-interventionist not to be abused.

Sentenece against Kareem confirmed

The free Kareem campaign reports that the prison sentence against Kareem has been confirmed by the court of appeal, and that another civil suit is under way.