R.I.P. Sir Bobby Robson

Sir Bobby Robson, football hero, true grit old Brit and personification of the perfect English gentleman has died aged 76.



Right up until to just five days ago, terminally ill, Sir Bobby was still working hard to raise funds for his national Cancer appeal.

Today, the world is a poorer place without such a super man.

May Sir Bobby rest in perfect peace. Since this most marvelous man has most certainly earned it.

Look at a little of what's been written.

Robson, who was first diagnosed with cancer 18 years ago in 1991, fought a brave battle against the disease. He beat bowel cancer in 1992, a malignant melanoma in 1995 and a tumour in his right lung and a brain tumour, both in 2006.

In 2007 he vowed to "battle as I've always done" following the start of chemotherapy treatment after being diagnosed with cancer for the fifth time.

He made his final public appearance at a charity match at St James' Park on Sunday.

Read the rest of the relevant report right here

Fox fails again

The folks at Fox News, who have been telling us for almost a decade that Iraq is the central front of the War on Terror, can't even place the country on a map.

Note, though, that Fox isn't the only news outlet where ignorance reigns when it comes to the Middle East. Just before the 2004 election, while President Bush was busy eking out a narrow victory by riding a wave of fear and loathing of Muslims, Newsweek published a photo of Iranian tanks massing "at the border with Israel". The photo and caption served as a non-sequitur illustration of a story about Israel spying on the United States.

And people wonder how & why Americans gave a second term to the Worst President Ever.

(cross posted at appletree)

Israeli war crimes against Gazans : straight from the horses' mouths

Since we've already said it all, so many times before, this time we're staying schtum, and letting some IDF soldiers speak for themselves.

It had become increasingly evident during the beginning phases of the most recent Gaza War that the lives of ordinary Gazans had been unjustly taken or adversely affected. The systematic demolition of homes, the inappropriate usage of white phosphorus ammunition, the excessive application of violence have been called into question by various internal and external bodies and actors. As time progresses accurate, detailed, firsthand accounts concerning what truly occurred during the 22 day military campaign are surfacing.

One such attempt at exposing the events during the Gaza War was undertaken by the Israeli organization Breaking the Silence. This organization is comprised of veteran Israeli soldiers who compile testimonies from Israeli soldiers who have served or have been witness to operations in the Occupied Territories. These testimonies are then disseminated to an English and Hebrew speaking audience on their website, by print, though lectures, via other media outlets and through tours conducted in the West Bank city of Hebron.

Breaking the Silence released a 112 page document under the official codename for the Gaza war - Operation Cast Lead. This document contains testimonies from thirty Israeli soldiers who participated in the campaign. The revelations contained within corroborate many of the allegations of reprehensible wartime conduct and “[brings] into question the credibility of the official IDF versions”.

The interviews conducted explore the usage of white phosphorus, destruction of property unrelated to Israeli directives, the demolitions of homes, the use of Palestinians as human shields, the overall moral degradation of the IDF among other pertinent issue. As noted in the document, these testimonies directly challenge the IDF claim that any moral issues are not systemic, but rather concern the behavior of individual delinquent soldiers.

Read the rest of this revealing report right here.

**(Cross posted across at 'appletree')

Problems with Pope Benedict

Press reports are saying that former Hitler Youth Movement member and current pretender to the post of Jesus Christ's personal, infallible representative right here on earth, Pope Benedict the umpteenth (previously known as Joseph Alois Ratzinger), has taken a tumble and broken his wrist.



Sad to say, no mention's been made of the pompous, privileged, pampered, poxy, hypocritical, holier-than-thou-and-the-rest-of-us, high rolling, high flyer's neck.



Awful ain't it?

Read the rest of the report regarding religious reprobate, Ratzi the Nazi, right here.

*(Cross posted across at 'appletree')

Cherie Blair swine flu scare

Even though she makes us sick, we're certainly not nearly so sick as to suggest, for a single second, that Cherie Blair should succumb to such a shocking disease, we do have to wonder if she should be surprised -- at almost anything -- seeing as she insists on sleeping with such a swine.

Cherie 'has suspected swine flu'

*(Cross posted across at 'appletree')

UK cuts Israeli arms contracts : Is it the begining of a British embargo?

We suppose that the law of averages dictates that even governments as full of gobshites as Gordon Brown's is must eventually get something right ... at sometime or other ... and do the decent thing.

UK cuts Israel weapons contracts

The UK has revoked five export licences for equipment to the Israeli navy because of actions during Israel's Operation Cast Lead in Gaza this year.

The British Foreign office said the exports would now contravene its criteria for arms sales, but denied that it had imposed a partial embargo.

The UK says it does not sell weapons which might be used for internal repression or external aggression.

Israel says ...

Read the rest of this report right here.



*(Cross posted across at 'appletree')

Afghanistan : Fast increasing British soldiers' deaths and their crappy US reject military equipment

A further 15 British soldiers have lost their lives in just the last ten days in southern Afghanistan, whilst continuing Operation Panther's Claw, a major assault against the Taliban. At least, 15 is still the number as we sit safely here at home on this sunny Sunday afternoon, and type.

As if this isn't absolutely awful enough in itself, today we are told the astonishing truth by the 'Mail on Sunday' regarding Gordon's Brown's government's continuing fatal, effing fowl-ups.

We wonder what the hell Gordon Brown and his fat-cat & fraudster "honourable friends" want? To beat (once, Great), Britain's 'Bloody Hands' record still held by the traitorous turd Tony Blair?!

Read the revolting rest about our British Army's downright betrayal by it's own boss of bosses.

Read it and weep : and rage.

Then write.

Write to the Queen. Write to Prince Charles. Write to the Prime Minister. Write to your member of parliament. Write to the national newspapers. Write to your local papers. Write on blogs. And write on web sites and forums.

In fact, write where ever you damned well can write.

And when you write, write the same simple things.

Enough is enough. Bring our brave boys (and girls), back home. And, bring them home now. Before many more of them end up being bourne back in bloody, flag draped boxes.

After all, surely we Brits are, at the very least, just as sodding sensible as the Russians?




*(Cross posted across at 'appletree')

Been away for a bit, but now back

Been away for a wee while sampling some other beautiful bits of Britain.

Glad to report that our batteries are now recharged and that we're back in the blogging business.



Our thanks go to good buddy Gordo (that youngish Yank), over at 'appletree' for keeping an eye on things for us while we wandered.

What we've been up to in America

As you know, we Americans commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence today. Here's the sort of thing we did to celebrate: