Belfast Blogs.com

This really pissed me off. I heard on Radio 5's Drive programme in the car on the way home from work today that Prince Harry has been in Afghanistan, fighting on the front line, for 10 weeks. The media knew this and said nothing. Obviously this was necessary to protect Harry and the other soldiers working with him from becoming walking bullseyes for the Taliban. There were complaints about the media doing a deal with the government to keep this secret. The deal was they get fairly up-close and personal to Harry in exchange for not reporting it until after he's back home. I'm not one to praise the media very often, but the fact that the whole of the British media kept this secret, I think, demonstrates that they do actually have the ability to recognise that there are one or two things...

http://www.everythingulster.com/blogs/index.php/2008/02/04/no_more_death_no_more_farcVenezuelan president Hugo Chavez recently called for governments to recognise Colombian terrorists (and friends of the IRA) FARC to be recognised as "an army". Sound familiar? Today Colombians will take to the streets to march in protest against FARC following a call to action which began on Facebook. No Mas Secuestros / No More Kidnapping No Mas Mentiras / No More Lies No Mas Muerte / No More Death No Mas FARC / No More FARC I can only wish them...

The National Anthrax Association (NAA) has reacted furiously to suggestions that the ownership of the cattle-related disease should be subject to regulation. Following recent tragic events, in which the use of anthrax has resulted in the deaths of many people, there have been calls for the ownership of the carnage-causing illness to be limited. The chief spore of the NAA however, Ben Moses, has insisted that the demands are the result of lily livered liberal types, whose nannying will see us all back in communist Russia. “Having dangerous materials and being able to use them to defend myself is my constitutional right, ” he cried in his best Mount Sinai voice. “I’ll tell you the only way they’ll take my biological agents away from me. From my cold, dead...

http://www.everythingulster.com/blogs/index.php/everythingulster/2007/03/23/irish_america_it_must_seem_so_romanticGetting it so unbelievably wrong for decades... and still going strong According to a report in the Belfast Telegraph the Oirish-Americans of Boston who provided the guns and ammunition used in the slaughter of innocent Ulsterfolk seem to remain an ignorant bigoted old bunch; probably even more so than the people who actually live in Northern Ireland. I don't know if they buy the propaganda through laziness or sheer stupidity, but lets look at a few quotes from people the Tele says "never viewed unionists as the enemy." Joe Dillon, who promoted "the cause" for decades in the US, seems to hark back through rose-tinted glasses for the days of slaughter and mayhem, of civilians...

http://www.everythingulster.com/blogs/index.php/everythingulster/2007/02/11/is_ulster_the_most_backward_place_on_earth An admittedly rather simplistic (and/or misleading, depending on your viewpoint) University of Ulster study that denounced Northern Ireland as the “bigotry capital of the world” (reported at Slugger on Friday) and reminded me of some of the other rather neanderthal crap that comes out of people in Northern Ireland: from the minister who thinks Harry Potter is a dangerous “cult” to the supposed statesman who thinks the abduction and murder of a mother is “not a crime”. Let’s not also forget that Northern Ireland has a potential First Minister in Ian Paisely who thinks that “Line dancing is as sinful as any other type of...

Following on from my holiday conundrum as detailed below, I'm still looking for suggestions for somewhere I could go for my summer break next year.This Dutch geezer has kindly knocked together a little program that helps you work out what part of the globe you've already been too, so that you don't happen across the same place by mistake."Aw, crap! Not Courtown again!" You know the feeling.Judging from my map, Africa, Australia and South America are all hithertoo unexplored options, but then again, we've already discovered that the Brits have overrun them all already.So I'm open to suggestions. Where's the best part of the planet to go on holiday where you won't run into either English soccer louts or GAA-happy gobdaws?Where can I run to get away from pasty white people who go red in the...

President Bush in one of his “If we only knew now what we knew then” kinda speeches. Picks possibly the worst place in the world to talk about the failures of the Vietnam war! HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — U.S. President George W. Bush said Friday the United States’ unsuccessful war in Vietnam three decades ago offered lessons for the American-led struggle in Iraq. “We’ll succeed unless we quit,” Bush said shortly after arriving in this one-time war capital. Bush met here with Australian Prime Minister John Howard, one of America’s strongest allies in Iraq, Vietnam and other conflicts. The president said there were lessons to be learned from the divisive Vietnam war — the longest conflict in U.S. history — as the United States wages...

Watch this space President Bush is on message Sadamists are taking over the asylum and the Fourth Reich of the Apocalypse is bering down on the free world (if you can afford the subscription) so where is the liberal media in it’s rebuttal or backing of the march from war? Well here it is ABC’s “THE PATH TO 9/11″ which the ever fair and balanced Fox News refers to as: “the miniseries no one wanted to see”…”From the looks of it, the story is going to be about how stupid the government was: If only they’d listened to one man, all would have been right!” A few shot well placed advertisements for small cash loans (small cash? classy place) later: (the bold letters are some shitty attempt at Googlejuice by fox ) O’Neill left...

http://www.everythingulster.com/blogs/index.php/everythingulster/2006/08/10/traffic_chaos_in_the_skyFlights into and out of Belfast and Londonderry have been among those hit by delays and cancellations today due to a major security alert at Heathrow. In particular, flights to and from the London airports have been affected, and passengers are being made to check-in their hand-luggage (including ladies' handbags) which will be flown in the hold. The Washington Post reports that the crackdown is in response to a specific terrorist threat to blow up planes crossing the Atlantic from Britain to America and the BBC reports there were plans to commit "mass murder on an unimaginable scale", blowing up 9 trans-atlantic flights. Flight Information Belfast International Airport have an...

Flights into and out of Belfast and Londonderry have been among those hit by delays and cancellations today due to a major security alert at Heathrow. In particular, flights to and from the London airports have been affected, and passengers are being made to check-in their hand-luggage (including ladies' handbags) which will be flown in the hold. The Washington Post reports that the crackdown is in response to a specific terrorist threat to blow up planes crossing the Atlantic from Britain to America and the BBC reports there were plans to commit "mass murder on an unimaginable scale", blowing up 9 trans-atlantic flights. Flight Information Belfast International Airport have an announcement on their web site, as do Belfast City (George Best) Airport. City of Derry Airport don't have a...

I received an email recently from SpreadShirt (the crowd who power the Everything Ulster shop) warning their partners about the potential for copyright infringement issues arising out of the World Cup. Basically they sent a cease and disist communication to one Spreadshirt partner who, after being lucky enough to get a ticket to one of the matches, created himself a T-Shirt proclaiming WORLD CUP 2006 Iran-Angola I was there and put it in his shop in case anyone else lucky enough to get tickets wanted one too (as it turned out, nobody actually bought one). FIFA must have noticed this and responded with a Cease and Desist letter and a four-figure fine for using the phrase "World Cup 2006"! To add insult to injury, the other day on TV I saw an advert for an officially licenced World Cup...

An article in the Belfast Telegraph tells of The Blanket and its plans to publish the infamous Muslim Cartoons.  According to the Tele, Ulster Muslims are outraged. We linked to all the cartoons a few weeks ago, when the story was hot, so anyone who wants to get offended quicker can check out our post on the subject. Belfast Blogger - insulting you......

So when does freedom of expression cross the line and become offensive?  The Danish cartoons story has been mushrooming over the last few days, sadly leading to some deaths.  The fact that these particulary unfunny cartoons were published in a newspaper originally showed a lack of editoral judgement and a misunderstanding on the purpose of cartoons.  They should either make a point, or amuse.  The best cartoons do both, but these did neither.  Instead they tried to offend, and the point seemed to be how offensive they could become.  The decision of other newspaper editors throughout Europe was slightly more defensible in that the cartoons had become a news story and people, at this stage, should be able to see and make their minds up.  The fault goes back to the original...

Suddenly, oil has no friends.  When even a Texan ex-oil company owner turned president starts turning against it, you realise its getting a bad press. There’s an interesting article by Robert Newman, discussing how environmentally friendly policies and capitalism are mutually exclusive.  The capitalist way of opposing this would be to say “The market demands non-oil energy, therefore it will be provided.  The profit motive will find a way to meet the demand.”  I have a sneaking regard for Newman’s ideas though.  The kind of investment needed to replace the easy energy that comes from oil can only come from the resources that rich states can produce.  But there’s no guarantee that any discovery can be made.  Maybe this high energy blip will end with...

The brand “Democracy” is in crisis tonight, as its main sponsor, the USA, threatened to withdraw funding from its plans for worldwide expansion. The US leader, George W Bush, said “We thought democracy was a great idea.  Who doesn’t love a brand that lets you drink Coca-Cola, watch trashy Hollywood films and give contracts to ol’ Dickie’s Haliburton?” However a hitherto unknown, and potentially disasterous, side to the brand has reared its ugly head in recent days. “Apparently, ” said Mr Bush, “people can elect who they want to be leaders with this crap, even people we don’t like!” Mr Bush was referring to the recent democratic event in Palestine, where the Hamas political grouping won an overall majority...

Belfastblogger.com has smuggled a bug into MI5 headquarters, and can bring you this exclusive transcript from the heart of the British security establishment… 007:  Well Q, what have you got for me today old chap? Q:  Something a bit different today 007, we’ve got this high quality transmitter that allows you to just speak into it, and then it transmits the information to us.  Spiffing, eh? 007:  Excellent Q.  Where does it fit?  In the number 12 on my watch?  On my buttonhole? Q:  Well, er, not exactly.  Its in a rock. 007:  A what?! Q:  A rock.  Its cutting edge technology, 007.  We’ll sit the “rock” on a Moscow street, then you or whoever sidle up to it every so often and tell it what you know.  Very difficult to fake a rock, old...

There was outrage Tuesday after New Orleans Mayor Nagan said. “Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it’s destroyed and put stress on this country,” Mr Nagin said. “Surely he doesn’t approve of us being in Iraq under false pretences.” He also said that New Orleans must be a mostly black city again because “it’s the way God wants it to be”. “This city will be chocolate at the end of the day,” God does get mad but he does not get mad at Americans just evildoers. Things seem to have returned to normal operations in the U.S. as people were upset about New Orleans being a “Chocolate City” and “God is mad at America”, totally overlooking the legitimacy of...

There was a good piece over at Young Unionists by Kenny Donaldson which I felt the urge to reply to: Northern Ireland has hardly been a great bastion of democracy. I am not aware of there ever having been a truly democratic government here, Unionists have been making excuses since 1921 to prevent Catholics from having an equal say and this continues today. Times have changed and Britain has changed, England can not present itself as a spreader of democracy to the world while supporting an autocratic regime on its own territory. Peter Hain has the unfortunate task of trying to ensure that Unionism does not get caught on the wrong side of History. As long as Northern Ireland functions as economic ballast in the UK our representatives carry little weight. There was spying in Stormont but...

The Unighted States has blocked the use of American parts in a order of planes and boats for Venezuela to be made by Spain. More expensive European parts will be used instead in a deal that would create 1000 Spanish jobs. Earlier this week, Venezuela accused Washington of blocking the purchase of training jets from Brazil, because the planes contained protected US technology. Mr Chavez had said the 12 transport airplanes and 8 patrol boats for about 1.7 billion euros, or $2 billion supplied by EADS-Casa will be used to combat drug-trafficking on the Colombian border. Mr Chavez has condemned the US position as “horrific imperialism,” Reuters news agency reports. The US accuses Mr Chavez of harassing the opposition and spreading instability across South America....