...born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad.
Another “winner”: And the awards to the repellent and egregious just keep on coming. First, Kojo’s dad, bespoke dunderhead Kofi Annan scoops the coveted Olaf Palme award. Now, ailing despot Fidel Castro has won the august Amilcar Cabral prize.
The whosit whatsit prize, you say?
The Amilcar Cabral, apparently an award named for great hero in
Here’s how the award was announced on the Cuban site periodico.cu:
· The highest distinction of the government of Guinea Bissau, the Amilcar Cabral medal, was received by Esteban Lazo as representative of the Cuban president. It was delivered by the prime minister of Guinea Bissau, Mr. Aristides Gomes
By: Luis Luque Alvarez
Taken from www.juventudrebelde.co.cu
“It can be said that with few leaders have I developed such a deep friendship as the one there was between Amilcar and I,” said Cuban President Fidel Castro once, referring to African national hero Amilcar Cabral, “a thinker of great intellectual capacity, a creator and an especially humane person.”
These statements were made yesterday by the Cuban Communist Party Political Bureau member Esteban Lazo after receiving the Amilcar Cabral Medal on behalf of the Cuban leader. The award was delivered by Guinea Bissau’s Prime Minister, Mr. Aristides Gomes.
The medal granted to Fidel is the highest distinction given to outstanding personalities who have contributed to the establishment and strengthening of Guinea Bissau.
Lazo noted that this medal also pays homage to all Cubans who died in Guinea Bissau while fulfilling their internationalist duty. He noted that there are others who continue to render their services to that nation and region inspired by the lessons of the Commander in Chief, an advocate of “sharing what we have, not merely giving away what we don’t need.”
Gomes pointed out that Fidel Castro “will leave his mark not only on the history of
“We wish him,” he added, “a speedy recovery. We are sure that this is another battle he will win, with the certainty that he still has a lot to give to the noble cause of humanity.”…
Well, live and learn, as they say. Who knew that Cubans had died in Guinea Bissau while fulfilling their internationalist duty—which, I take it, had something to do with helping the G-Bs fight a war. (Right-o, says wiki.) And who knew the grateful Guinea Bissauians (Bissauers? Bissauniks?) knew how to shmear up a dictator so well; the smarm is so thick it’s a wonder how anybody attending the ceremony could even shake hands. And what gives with the hyphen between
Case in point: The country is currently underdoing a spot of turmoil, in which its now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t hyphen may well be implicated. (Contentious punctuation having been known to stir up more than few crisis throughout history.) From Reuters alertnet:
BISSAU, 30 January (IRIN) - The United Nations secretary-general's representative in Guinea-Bissau, Shola Omoregie, has negotiated an end to a 17-day crisis involving the government and prominent politician Carlos Gomes Junior who had sought refuge in the UN building in Bissau.
Gomes Junior, chairman of the former ruling African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and
Vieira was overthrown in 1999 and returned to power in elections in 2005.
Gomes Junior sought refuge at the UN following a series of violence incidents, including the
Sanha was a former leader in the junta that ruled from 1999 to 2000 after Vieira had been toppled. Gomes Junior alleged that Vieira was involved in Sanha's death and the government issued a warrant for his arrest.
After Sanha's died on 6 January fighting broke out in
Yikes. Sounds like it may be a good time to send in more Cubans.
What can happen when a Muslim behaves like a “mensch”: He puts himself at risk of being murdered by true believers who wish he’d knock it off. From Reuters via Der Spiegel Online:
Turkish author Orhan Pamuk, winner of the 2006 Nobel prize for literature, has cancelled a reading trip of
The Nobel Prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk has decided to cancel a trip to
The celebrated Turkish writer was due to receive an honorary doctorate at
Pamuk is believed to be concerned about travelling following the assassination of Hrant Dink on Jan. 19. Yasin Hayal, the alleged mastermind behind that murder, declared on his way into court on Jan. 24: "Tell Orhan Pamuk to wise up!" The nationalist is accused of initiating Dink's slaying, having admitted to police that he urged the underage Ogün Samast to carry out the killing and even provided him with the weapon.
The decision to cancel the tour will be another blow to
However, the case was dropped after the Turkish Minister of Justice said that a new legal code removed it from his jurisdiction. Official Turkish policy is to deny that there was any genocidal campaign against the Armenians, claiming that they died along with many ethnic Turks during the collapse of the
The author of Snow and My Name is Red had planned to travel to
Don’t stand so close to him: One of my favourite groups of the 1980s, the Police, is set to reunite for the Grammys, and I couldn’t be more pleased. I’ve always been a sucker for that killer combo of high-pitched Sting vocals married to a kick-ass reggae
Oh, he tried before to tell us
Of the loathing he has for us
In his heart.
So he’s written lots of letters
‘Cause that’s how he’s s’posed to do it
For a start.
Every little thing he does is tragic.
Every thing he do just turn us off.
Even though he claims that he is magic
All the infidels can’t help but scoff.
Does he have to tell the story
Of a thousand years or more
Since Mahdi’s gone?
Says he’s ending his occlusion
To announce there’s gonna be
Every little thing he does is tragic.
Every thing he do just turn us off.
Even though he claims that he is magic
All the infidels can’t help but scoff.
He’s resolved to blow us up
And so he’s building bombs.
For those phenomenons.
But it’s also doing nada
To derail his evil deeds.
A regime change in
Is what ev’rybody needs.
Every little thing he does is tragic.
Every thing he do just turn us off.
Even though he claims that he is magic
All the infidels can’t help but scoff…
Numbers game: Tiny minority of extremists update. From the Jerusalem Post:
It's time we open our eyes and confront reality. Ever since the
It's just a small fringe, a marginal few at best, they tell us, so don't worry about it all too much. One percent or three percent - who cares? Just sit back, enjoy your morning eggs and coffee and have a nice day.
But a look at the numbers tells a very different story. The extent of support for global jihad is frightening in its proportions, and the numbers are anything but insignificant.
Consider, for example, the following statistics regarding support for suicide bombings and other types of terror attacks.
In a poll conducted five months ago, and broadcast on
Now, one in four justifying terror may not be a majority, but it certainly isn't a "small fringe" either.
In other countries, the figures are no less unsettling. A survey published in December found that 44% of Nigerian Muslims believe suicide bombing attacks are "often" or "sometimes" acceptable. Only 28% said they were never justified.
According to the annual Pew Global Attitudes Survey, released in July 2006, "roughly one-in-seven Muslims in
STILL THINK only a "tiny minority" are in favor of violence? In
More than six out of 10 Palestinians also said they were in favor of firing Kassam rockets at Israeli towns and cities.
And lest you think that war fever lay behind the results, consider this: four additional polls published in September, nearly a month after the Lebanese conflict had ended, all found large majorities of Palestinians backing terror attacks against the Jewish state.
Indeed, in various countries around the world, support for Muslim fundamentalist terror groups appears to be widespread…
You don’t say. I thought they were all like those funny Muslims in
Don’t miss it: A chilling summary of the links between Nazism and Islamism, The Islamic Mein Kampf. The presentation shows how, once again, the world is averting its eyes and ignoring the obvious while the Jew-haters get set to launch a second genocide of the Jewish people—the final Final Solution.
If you can't lick 'em, join 'em: A Conservative politician in the
Of course, he probably won’t use the words “dhimmi” or “dhimmitude” in what sounds like a painfully self-abasing surrender speech. Then, he doesn’t really have to. From politics.co.uk:
William Hague will tonight call for British foreign policy to turn towards the Middle East, saying there must be a "concerted national effort" to engage with Muslim states.
The shadow foreign secretary will accuse the government of neglecting some Gulf countries, noting that Tony Blair's visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) before Christmas was his first in almost ten years in power.
He will also call for greater emphasis on forging links with countries in the Asia-Pacific region, saying: "Britain has not yet been sufficiently successful at promoting trade with China and India, and has sometimes lost out to other European nations as a result."
Mr Hague will blame the government's focus on events in Brussels and, in particular, in Washington, for its "slow" reaction to the changing balance of world power.
In a keynote speech to Chatham House this evening, the shadow foreign secretary will argue that events in Iran and Iraq, relations with Syria and the state of Israeli-Palestinian relations mean ministers should be "steeped in knowledge of Middle Eastern affairs".
"The potential dangers that lie ahead call for the maximum understanding of Middle Eastern societies as well as the firm anchoring of the friendships between countries of the Middle East and of the wider West," Mr Hague will say.
"While we are certainly engaged in a struggle against international terrorism, we are most certainly not engaged in a clash of civilisations."…
Perish the thought. No “clash of civilisations” here, folks. Just a bunch of disgruntled young “immigrants”, upset by “Islamophobia” and their lack of opportunity. And who take out their frustration by launching terror attacks so they can blow up a bunch of infidels for Allah.
Nope. Sleep tight, little Bits, ‘cause all's quiet on the civilizational front.
Smells like teen shahid spirit: The National Post has a piece about the scent-sation that’s sweeping the nation—the nation of
Last summer, during the war with
Haidar's desire for the perspiration of Hezbollah's black-turbaned leader may strike Westerners as a little odd (imagine, or perhaps don't, American women clamouring for the sweaty garments of Dick Cheney). But the odour of sanctity is a powerful draw; just as Catholics traditionally believed that the bodies of saints gave off the scent of roses, Shiites believe that the soil of
Muslim or Christian, man or woman, everybody wears perfume here in
I first smelled the Perfume of Resistance at the opposition sit-in that began occupying downtown
The Attar (literally, essence) of Resistance comes in jasmine, gardenia and tea rose (the latter, because it supposedly found favour with Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, is rumoured to be Nasrallah's personal pick). The slender vials are packaged in little laminated folders with excerpts from Nasrallah's speeches printed inside. On the front, Nasrallah waves a hortatory hand, with Lebanese and Hezbollah flags fluttering behind him, while a missile sinks an Israeli gunboat. On the back, there's a photo collage of lilies and rocket launchers. All this for $1? Who could resist?...
Who, indeed? Well, actually, I, for one. As an infidel not much given to the niceties of political correctness, and as a member of the religious group that the Prophet Mohammed turned into apes and pigs, I’m not too interested in smelling like Sheik sweat and tea roses; I’m pretty sure that the rose aroma, powerful though it may be, doesn’t go nearly far enough to mitigate the stink of Nasrallah B.O. I can, however, suggest a more fitting—and perhaps even more marketable—name for the product (although, at $1 a bottle, I’d say it’s the price point that’s making it fly off the shelves): Eau de Jihad.
Unreasonable demand: Somalia is struggling to keep the jihadists from retaking power, an effort that’s become all the more difficult since the EU and the U.S. are refusing to send the regime that ousted the Islamists any money until it agrees to hold “reconciliation talks” with its enemies. The jihadis. Tellingly this demand wasn’t required of Mahmoud Abbas before transferring $180 million to him so he could pay the salaries of his police force (and perhaps siphon some of it to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the Fatah militia that collaborated with Islamic Jihad the other day to bomb a bakery in Eilat). Which begs the questions: can one ever reconcile with jihadists, and why is this demand being made? From News 24:
Yusuf, who took up power in
Michel, the commissioner for development, said: "I am impressed by his decision to call a conference of reconciliation. It (the conference) could happen in two or three weeks."
Yusuf, who appeared alongside Michel after the meeting, declined to comment on the conference and cancelled a press briefing that he was scheduled to hold immediately afterwards.
'We agreed to work together'
His only comment after the Michel meeting was that "we fully understood each other and we agreed to work together".
The EU had made clear earlier this month that it was only prepared to contribute 15 million euros to an AU peacekeeping force due to be deployed to
Michel said Yusuf had met the EU's precondition by deciding to convene the reconciliation conference. He said: "In my opinion, all the conditions are fulfilled" for the EU to now release the funds for the AU force.
The interim administration, which was formed in 2004, had been confined to a provincial backwater until late last month after
'A very broad reconciliation'
The
Moderate Islamists? That’s a new one on me. We’ve heard of moderate Muslims (although so far, they seem to have made themselves scarce). We’ve heard of radical Muslims, a.k.a. Islamists, who are waging jihad in order to conquer the infidels and make Islam supreme. But “moderate Islamists”? Now, there’s a real head scratcher. What are they, exactly? Islamists who don't impose every last Draconian precept of sharia law? “Yes" to executing homosexuals by burying them chest deep in a pit and flinging large rocks at their heads; “no” to summarily killing all apostates?
It’s fair to say that the very concept of “moderate Islamists” is oxymoronic, along the lines of that classic oxymoron, jumbo shrimp.
Moronic, too.
Festival of flayed flesh: It’s one of my favourite Shia holidays—the day of the year when Shias commemorate the death of the guy they believe to be the Prophet’s rightful successor, and who was killed in battle way back when in Karbala fighting against those who believed another successor had the better claim (hence the unbreachable and inexorable split between Shias and Sunnis). And what better way to celebrate than by slicing, dicing and julienne-ing your epidemis, and then parading through the streets with blood coursing down your head and body?
Now that’s devotion.
And since the Shias and Sunnis have decided to re-enact that medieval battle by killing each other in modern-day
Which, come to think of it, could be the motto of the jihad.
Kofi’s prize: Kofi Annan, the most feckless Secretary-General in UN history, a man who presided over the most lucrative scam in history and who did his utmost to further the jihad against Israel and the West, has won an award for his stellar accomplishments.
Who on Earth would want to give the bespoke buffoon a prize? Why, the Swedes, of course. From AP:
The award will be presented at a ceremony in
The Palme memorial fund board, which selects the winners, cited Annan's courage and involvement during his U.N. leadership, saying he had "given proof of the utmost integrity" while also defending U.N. principles and international law when those were challenged.
"His fight for human rights, and his way of stressing that development is a necessary part of the work for security, has left indelible traces in the world o0rganization."…
True enough. But only the Swedes and those of a similarly delusional mindset would consider that to be a good thing.
I am reminded of a statement made upon Richard M. Nixon’s resignation—a statement that also applies to Kofi: Nothing so became his term in office as his leaving of it.
The benefits of bakery butchery: Who needs unity talks and Saudi-sponsored negotiations? All you have to do is send a shahid into a bakery and, presto, instant solidarity. From Reuters:
"We are very happy and we hope that this time, the ceasefire will last," said Yahya Zaki, a clothing store owner.
Some gunmen remained on the streets in the Gaza Strip and police deployment was limited, but no major violence was reported.
The truce took effect after Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas met an aide to President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah on Monday in a bid to stem a surge of fighting in which at least 30 Palestinians were killed...
The truce took effect after a human bomb self-detonated and offed some Jews for Allah.
Unity built and sustained solely by mass-murder: hardly the basis for viable nationhood.
Update: It looks like three dead Jews won’t be enough to keep them united. Quel surprise.
The IDF made him do it: The odious AP justifies the murder of Jews:
BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza Strip — The Palestinian who blew himself up in the Israeli resort of Eilat on Monday was unemployed, despondent over the death of his baby daughter and driven to avenge his best friend's killing by Israeli troops, relatives said.
Dozens of neighbors celebrated outside 20-year-old Mohammed Siksik's house after the fiery attack that killed him and three other people, waving his photo and praising him as a martyr. Inside, his mother greeted mourners with a smile.
"He told me: 'Meeting God is better for me than this whole world,'" said Rowayda Siksik, wearing a white veil.
She said her son told her only that he was going to carry out an operation inside
Siksik never found steady work, getting by with occasional jobs with his father, installing tiles. "You can't find work in this place," his mother said. Her son lost his 7-month-old daughter to a nerve disease, she said.
Sitting on the floor of her bare house, the mother said her son's best friend, Nader Amrein, was killed six months ago in an Israeli military operation in northern
As the brother of a top Islamic Jihad official, Siksik made an easy target for recruitment for the suicide attack.
Originally sympathetic to the more secular Fatah, Siksik's life changed after the death of his friend. "He became religious about six months ago," his mother said. "He joined Islamic Jihad."
Outside the house, Islamic Jihad and Fatah members argued heatedly over who would sponsor Siksik's funeral. The two groups claimed to have jointly planned the attack.
Secular, shmecular. A Jew-killer’s a Jew-killer, whether he’s killing because he’s an Arab “nationalist” or because he’s religious nutter. And the AP’s condoning such depravity helps ensure that it will continue.
Thanks for nada: Demonstrating yet again their complete inability to read and understand Palestinian intentions, the EU and the U.S. condemned the Eilat bombing—but for the entirely wrong reasons: the EU, because it’s a bid to “derail” the fragile “peace process”; the U.S., because, in failing to reign in terrorism, the Palestinians are undermining their heart’s desire, a state of their very own.
Dumbkopfs! Once and for all, there is no peace process, fragile, hardy or anything in between. There is only a resolve on the part of the Arabs/Persians to excise the Jewish “tumour.” And George, Condi—really, now. You actually expect Stinky Abbas to reign in the terrorists? It was his militia that co-sponsored the bakery blast, and the Palestinians are jubilant because, after weeks of murdelizing each other, they finally have something to celebrate; something to bring them together.
As for the aspirations of the Palestinian people—it should be Windex-clear by now that they have but one aspiration: they aspire to push the Jews into the sea. Barring that, they’ll settle for blowing them all up. Statehood is just something they pretend to want, to string along the Western suckers (like Bush and Olmert, who between them have just sent $180 million to the political arm of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade so it can conduct more “resistance” operations like the one yesterday).
Banki’s blather: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon says it’s finally time to do something to prevent
Oh, wait. Wrong initials. From People’s Daily Online:
The United Nations Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon said 2007 is a critical year for the world body's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) aimed at reducing poverty when he spoke Monday in Addis Ababa at the opening of the two-day summit of the African Union (AU).
"If we are to make the target date of 2015, we have to see concerted action in 2007 -- the mid-point in the work to reach the MDGs," Ban said when addressing the opening ceremony of the 8th AU Summit of heads of state.
Ban, who assumed his post as UN chief earlier this month, pledged to convene in the coming months a working group on
"We will aim to meet by March, to formulate an action plan supporting practical initiatives for accelerating progress in 2007 and 2008," Ban said…
Can’t hardly wait to read it. I’m sure it’ll be a model of UN progressiveness and practicality.
It looks like Banki (as I like to call him) has already mastered the subtleties of UN doublespeak, a skill that served his predecessor so well and that will undoubtedly come in handy in the days ahead.
My Unfair Loony: A song for kafiyah-wearing, Hezbollah-loving Mr. Bean doppelganger, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero (see post below):
The birdbrain in
Is easy to explain.
(I think he’s frightened.)
The birdbrain in
Is easy to explain.
(By George, he’s frightened.)
Now, once again,
The hate’s aflame
In
And why’s the hate germane?
It’s plain, it’s plain.
The birdbrain in
Is easy to explain.
(It’s quite Satanic.)
The birdbrain in
Sees fascists rise again.
(This time Islamic.)
Now once again,
There’s a campaign
In
And once again Jews are the bane
Of
Enough of that. Those castanets are giving me a headache.
Adios, Espana: Contemplating a visit to sunny
Ciempozeulos is a village near
The townhall will host the Day of the Palestinian Genocide instead, a hate-fest against
While the sensation of the day is Abbas’ visit to Spain—the Foreign Ministry is working heavily to make Madrid one of the capitals to host a Middle East conference plan—Zapatero’s position towards the Holocaust was known around one year ago, when Europe MP Vidal-Quadras explained in (sic) Interconomia Radio a dark, grim Spanish episode very revealing in terms of Spanish anti-Semisitm. To make a long story short, during a semi-official dinner, Zapatero said he quite understands the Nazis, since the Jews are a problem?
Hey, aren’t we always? And isn’t
I have to say, though, that