Friday, August 11, 2006
LOCAL NEWS ROUNDUP 12
Yes, it's time to "get local" for a moment, with another review of the British local newspapers.
It even (of course) makes the locals. The Liverpool Echo, August 11:
Presumably, their geographical diversity within the country is also an indication of how they represent a "broad strata" of British society?
Aberdeen Evening Express, August 10, headline:
Careful. That's very judgmental. The article then opens:
So, thank goodness they get it in Aberdeen. . .
. . . even if all aren't so clearsighted everywhere.
Maidenhead Advertiser, August 3:
Some people just want everything their way. Look, they said they'd put up gates. They never said they'd shut them.
Bournemouth Daily Echo, August 9:
Agreed. I just see the funny side.
Another question: How can one see the changes one makes to how it is run . . . if one can't go inside?
Mid-Sussex Times, August 7:
It's amazing: firefighters regularly run INTO burning, collapsing buildings, in small towns and places most of us never hear about. And thank goodness they do.
Oldham Evening Chronicle, August 8:
Look, the guy is willing to run into a burning building. Let's not overreact.
Of course, however, bureaucracy being what it is, they will. And now it appears that the "scandal" is wider than initially thought. The Manchester Evening News, August 10:
Horrors!
The real question is: How high does this really all go . . . and who knew what, and when?
Great Yarmouth Advertiser, August 7:
Well, after yesterday, they may have to cycle, as it appears other Muslims standing up in the name of "the oppressed" have made flying rather problematic for some time to come. However, that's not the main issue. It's the first paragraph that really knocked me.
I thought, "Did the paper actually write that?" A simple bit of research -- Google -- tells us pretty quickly, not mostly. Nor most of the rest of the article, either. With some changes in style and editing, the facts cited come pretty much directly from the Muslim Aid site:
Or, to put it simply, although the article appears among "local news" in the Great Yarmouth Advertiser, it is basically a Muslim Aid press release. . .
. . . Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course.
Enfield Independent headline, August 2:
No, it's not about the war on terror at the airports and abroad . . . but more about terror right across the street:
A "no-go" area? Looks like Enfield police are "overstretched," too.
The Asian News, July 27:
They can't seem to take care of one guy. That's remarkable. For as we have seen, they had no trouble with an entire family.
Northampton Chronicle & Echo, August 10:
To be blunt: to most of us, the "Evil Attackers Stalking The World" can shove their "global vision" where the sun don't shine. We much prefer our "decadent societies", where we are actually living humans who worry about the likes of cygnets . . . and aren't brainwashed, zombified, self-detonators.
Edgeware and Mill Hill Times, August 10:
Of course, ummm, that's not to say there isn't also always room for personal, and therefore societal, improvements.
[Previous roundup is here.] ¶ by Robert, Friday, August 11, 2006
Yes, it's time to "get local" for a moment, with another review of the British local newspapers.
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It even (of course) makes the locals. The Liverpool Echo, August 11:
The Bank of England named and froze the assets of 19 of the 24 air terror suspects.
Acting under the instruction of Chancellor Gordon Brown and on the advice of the police and security services, the bank froze the assets of 19 of those arrested on Thursday in connection with an alleged plot to blow up passenger jets leaving UK airports for the US.
It acted under powers granted by the United Nations to tackle the financing of terrorism in the wake of the September 11 2001 attacks. The Bank's action means it is a crime to make their money available without a licence from the Treasury.
The oldest of the named suspects is 35 and the youngest 17. Thirteen of them are from east London - nine from Walthamstow, one from Chingford, one from Leyton, one from the Limehouse and Poplar area and one from Clapton.
Four are from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, and the other two are from Birmingham and Stoke Newington, north London...
Acting under the instruction of Chancellor Gordon Brown and on the advice of the police and security services, the bank froze the assets of 19 of those arrested on Thursday in connection with an alleged plot to blow up passenger jets leaving UK airports for the US.
It acted under powers granted by the United Nations to tackle the financing of terrorism in the wake of the September 11 2001 attacks. The Bank's action means it is a crime to make their money available without a licence from the Treasury.
The oldest of the named suspects is 35 and the youngest 17. Thirteen of them are from east London - nine from Walthamstow, one from Chingford, one from Leyton, one from the Limehouse and Poplar area and one from Clapton.
Four are from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, and the other two are from Birmingham and Stoke Newington, north London...
Presumably, their geographical diversity within the country is also an indication of how they represent a "broad strata" of British society?
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Aberdeen Evening Express, August 10, headline:
EVIL ATTACKERS STALK WORLD
Careful. That's very judgmental. The article then opens:
A String of terrorist incidents have shaken the world since the horrific 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centre in New York in 2001, masterminded by Muslim extremist organisation al Qaida...
So, thank goodness they get it in Aberdeen. . .
. . . even if all aren't so clearsighted everywhere.
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Maidenhead Advertiser, August 3:
SECURITY gates to keep boy-racers out of a Maidenhead car park late at night have been branded a ‘waste of time’ by the residents they were put up for.
Fed-up neighbours claimed they have been plagued for nine months by late-night drivers racing their cars around Stafferton Way car park, blaring music out on stereos. In an attempt to keep the noisy motorists out, Legal and General, which owns the retail park car park, built gates at the entrance. But frustrated Greenfields residents said it was a pointless move because the gates are not locked at the end of the day...
Fed-up neighbours claimed they have been plagued for nine months by late-night drivers racing their cars around Stafferton Way car park, blaring music out on stereos. In an attempt to keep the noisy motorists out, Legal and General, which owns the retail park car park, built gates at the entrance. But frustrated Greenfields residents said it was a pointless move because the gates are not locked at the end of the day...
Some people just want everything their way. Look, they said they'd put up gates. They never said they'd shut them.
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Bournemouth Daily Echo, August 9:
BARRED from their own pub - that's the fate of a group of villagers who claim the landlord took umbrage at their plot to buy the freehold.
Tenant landlord Peter Miller, of The Anchor at Shapwick, is said to have taken offence to the coup and, even though they're each about to own a share in the pub, has allegedly told some of the villagers they can no longer drink there.
Bernie Kuflik, chairman of the consortium buying the freehold, said: "It is a rather ridiculous situation - I do see the funny side in owning a pub that you're not allowed to drink in. But it is rather unprofessional...
..."Some villagers have started drinking elsewhere because they're not happy with the way the pub is run.
"Peter put the leasehold on the market in January without telling anyone. We didn't want the pub to be run by someone from outside the village so we decided to take some control. If we buy the pub we can make sure it's run as we want it to be."...
Tenant landlord Peter Miller, of The Anchor at Shapwick, is said to have taken offence to the coup and, even though they're each about to own a share in the pub, has allegedly told some of the villagers they can no longer drink there.
Bernie Kuflik, chairman of the consortium buying the freehold, said: "It is a rather ridiculous situation - I do see the funny side in owning a pub that you're not allowed to drink in. But it is rather unprofessional...
..."Some villagers have started drinking elsewhere because they're not happy with the way the pub is run.
"Peter put the leasehold on the market in January without telling anyone. We didn't want the pub to be run by someone from outside the village so we decided to take some control. If we buy the pub we can make sure it's run as we want it to be."...
Agreed. I just see the funny side.
Another question: How can one see the changes one makes to how it is run . . . if one can't go inside?
_____________________________
Mid-Sussex Times, August 7:
AN injured woman was dug out of rubble by firefighters as the roof caved in around them as fire ripped through a block of flats...
It's amazing: firefighters regularly run INTO burning, collapsing buildings, in small towns and places most of us never hear about. And thank goodness they do.
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Oldham Evening Chronicle, August 8:
A fireman filmed being spun in a tumble dryer while on duty has apologised for his reckless actions.
Andrew Bruce said today: “I am the person in the video and I’m very sorry. I am fully complying with the internal investigation and until it is finished I can’t comment further.”
Mr Bruce took part in the highly dangerous prank at Blackley station while on duty and was filmed by a colleague on a mobile phone...
Andrew Bruce said today: “I am the person in the video and I’m very sorry. I am fully complying with the internal investigation and until it is finished I can’t comment further.”
Mr Bruce took part in the highly dangerous prank at Blackley station while on duty and was filmed by a colleague on a mobile phone...
Look, the guy is willing to run into a burning building. Let's not overreact.
Of course, however, bureaucracy being what it is, they will. And now it appears that the "scandal" is wider than initially thought. The Manchester Evening News, August 10:
...Footage of the prank was sent to five members of the fire authority, and the fire service website...
Horrors!
The real question is: How high does this really all go . . . and who knew what, and when?
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Great Yarmouth Advertiser, August 7:
A STUDENT from Norwich is setting off on an arduous bike ride on Sunday, to raise money for oppressed people in Palestine.
Partly sponsored by UK charity Muslim Aid, Fares Hatoum will be joining two friends on the journey which will take them all the way to Jerusalem, if the situation in the region stabilises.
Fares, 22, who lives in Earlham Road when he is not studying at Cambridge University, will cycle from London to Dunkirk, through Belgium and into Germany, Luxembourg, France and over the Swiss Alps into Italy, where they will take a plane to Damascus.
From Damascus, the three cyclists will go to Jordan, cross into Israel, through the Sheikh Hussein's Bridge and from there they will circulate through Haifa and several cities and into Jerusalem, also visiting the West Bank.
Their ordeal is part of the Peace Cycle second London-Jerusalem 2,500 km bike ride. The first one took place in 2004 in which approximately 25 cyclists completed the journey, culminating with a meeting with Yasser Arafat in Palestine.
But the current volatile situation in the Middle East could result in the cyclists changing their route. If it gets any worse, they will go up to Rome and carry on into Spain, or another European route...
Partly sponsored by UK charity Muslim Aid, Fares Hatoum will be joining two friends on the journey which will take them all the way to Jerusalem, if the situation in the region stabilises.
Fares, 22, who lives in Earlham Road when he is not studying at Cambridge University, will cycle from London to Dunkirk, through Belgium and into Germany, Luxembourg, France and over the Swiss Alps into Italy, where they will take a plane to Damascus.
From Damascus, the three cyclists will go to Jordan, cross into Israel, through the Sheikh Hussein's Bridge and from there they will circulate through Haifa and several cities and into Jerusalem, also visiting the West Bank.
Their ordeal is part of the Peace Cycle second London-Jerusalem 2,500 km bike ride. The first one took place in 2004 in which approximately 25 cyclists completed the journey, culminating with a meeting with Yasser Arafat in Palestine.
But the current volatile situation in the Middle East could result in the cyclists changing their route. If it gets any worse, they will go up to Rome and carry on into Spain, or another European route...
Well, after yesterday, they may have to cycle, as it appears other Muslims standing up in the name of "the oppressed" have made flying rather problematic for some time to come. However, that's not the main issue. It's the first paragraph that really knocked me.
I thought, "Did the paper actually write that?" A simple bit of research -- Google -- tells us pretty quickly, not mostly. Nor most of the rest of the article, either. With some changes in style and editing, the facts cited come pretty much directly from the Muslim Aid site:
...Irshad Patel, Arif Delawara, and Fares Hatoum are taking part in an arduous fundraising cycle, to raise funds for the poor and oppressed in Palestine...
Or, to put it simply, although the article appears among "local news" in the Great Yarmouth Advertiser, it is basically a Muslim Aid press release. . .
. . . Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course.
_____________________________
Enfield Independent headline, August 2:
‘Do we have to be blown up before we see some action?’
No, it's not about the war on terror at the airports and abroad . . . but more about terror right across the street:
Residents of two blocks of flats in New Southgate are calling for their hell-hole' underground car park to be sealed off following a suspected arson attack on Sunday night.
Families were forced to flee from their homes in Dandford House and Mason House, in Ladderswood Way, at 11pm after a blaze broke out in the car park which has become a den for drug addicts and yobs torching cars. Residents were not allowed to return to their homes until the all-clear was given at 1.30am.
Police had already declared the car park a no-go' area, and now Enfield Council is being called on to block off the car park...
Families were forced to flee from their homes in Dandford House and Mason House, in Ladderswood Way, at 11pm after a blaze broke out in the car park which has become a den for drug addicts and yobs torching cars. Residents were not allowed to return to their homes until the all-clear was given at 1.30am.
Police had already declared the car park a no-go' area, and now Enfield Council is being called on to block off the car park...
A "no-go" area? Looks like Enfield police are "overstretched," too.
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The Asian News, July 27:
A ROCHDALE mother says she fears for her life because immigration officers have repeatedly failed to deport her abusive ex-husband who has been living in the UK illegally.
Twenty-seven-year-old Fatima Khan (name altered to protect her identity) has warned both police and the Home Office that she could end up dead because she did not support her ex-husband's bid to remain in the UK.
She said she has received threatening phone calls from her ex, has been stalked by him, her house windows have been smashed on many occasions and her daughter has been threatened with kidnap...
...Fatima married her husband, a first cousin, in Pakistan at the age of 17. It took her almost three-years to bring him over to Rochdale as the original application for a visa was rejected by the British High Commission in Islamabad. But she appealed and he was granted a year’s visa to remain in the UK.
Fatima would have had to apply for his indefinite leave to remain if she wanted her husband to become a permanent resident before the visa expired. But within the first few months of her ex-husband joining her in Rochdale, she realised he had only used her to come to the UK...
Twenty-seven-year-old Fatima Khan (name altered to protect her identity) has warned both police and the Home Office that she could end up dead because she did not support her ex-husband's bid to remain in the UK.
She said she has received threatening phone calls from her ex, has been stalked by him, her house windows have been smashed on many occasions and her daughter has been threatened with kidnap...
...Fatima married her husband, a first cousin, in Pakistan at the age of 17. It took her almost three-years to bring him over to Rochdale as the original application for a visa was rejected by the British High Commission in Islamabad. But she appealed and he was granted a year’s visa to remain in the UK.
Fatima would have had to apply for his indefinite leave to remain if she wanted her husband to become a permanent resident before the visa expired. But within the first few months of her ex-husband joining her in Rochdale, she realised he had only used her to come to the UK...
They can't seem to take care of one guy. That's remarkable. For as we have seen, they had no trouble with an entire family.
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Northampton Chronicle & Echo, August 10:
A REWARD has been posted for information about the mysterious disappearance of two swans, which has left six cygnets abandoned on a Northampton lake.
The cluster of young swans are believed to have been swimming alone around Thorplands Lake since Monday, after their mother went missing on Sunday.
The male of the family disappeared four weeks ago, leaving the youngsters without a father.
Bodies of neither of the birds have been seen in the area...
The cluster of young swans are believed to have been swimming alone around Thorplands Lake since Monday, after their mother went missing on Sunday.
The male of the family disappeared four weeks ago, leaving the youngsters without a father.
Bodies of neither of the birds have been seen in the area...
To be blunt: to most of us, the "Evil Attackers Stalking The World" can shove their "global vision" where the sun don't shine. We much prefer our "decadent societies", where we are actually living humans who worry about the likes of cygnets . . . and aren't brainwashed, zombified, self-detonators.
_____________________________
Edgeware and Mill Hill Times, August 10:
A 76-year-old Cricklewood man has become the oldest person in the borough to be given an antisocial behaviour order (Asbo) after he spat at other pensioners living at his care home, spouted racist and homophobic abuse, and banged dustbin lids until the early hours of the morning...
Of course, ummm, that's not to say there isn't also always room for personal, and therefore societal, improvements.
[Previous roundup is here.] ¶ by Robert, Friday, August 11, 2006
