British censors need someone to hold their hands

Some are concerned that viewing pornographic content alone will increase the chances of being sexually aroused by the material.

Um, isn't that the point?

(source)

Posted by: Alice H at 01:10 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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There's the rub

Mark Steyn makes a good (and, sadly obvious) point about the Geert Wilders kerfuffle:

Anyway, Geert Wilders’s short film is basically a compilation video of footage from various recent Muslim terrorist atrocities — whoops, sorry, “anti-Islamic activities” — accompanied by the relevant chapter and verse from the Koran. Jacqui Smith banned the filmmaker on “public order” grounds — in other words, the government’s fear that Lord Ahmed meant what he said about a 10,000-strong mob besieging the Palace of Westminster. You might conceivably get the impression from Wilders’s movie that many Muslims are irrational and violent types it’s best to steer well clear of. But, if you didn’t, Jacqui Smith pretty much confirmed it: We can’t have chaps walking around saying Muslims are violent because they’ll go bananas and smash the place up.

Of course, Steyn just committed a HATE CRIME!!!1!!one1!!!eleventy! by pointing that out, so you should probably take what he says with a grain of salt.

Posted by: Sean M. at 09:58 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Big Brother is picking through your trash

In Formerly Great Britain, the Garbage Man and the Tax Man will be working together from now on:

Waste collection crews are being issued with devices featuring GPS technology that allow councils to store a history of information about individual rubbish collections, including whether householders are failing to recycle properly.

The system feeds binmen with up-to-the minute information about houses they are visiting.

It also provides local authorities with enough information to issue recycling advice or automated fines to residents who fail to obey bin rules.

Opposition MPs and campaigners say the technology will make it easy for the government to resurrect plans for the introduction of a £50 pay-as-you-throw tax on millions of families.

I hope to God that nobody else here in California reads British newspapers, or else this scheme will be in place in about a week and a half.

Obligatory video follows:

Posted by: Sean M. at 06:52 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Nice to see The Tennis Channel has more balls than Britain

(pun intended)

Dubai barred a female Israeli tennis player from entering the country to compete in a tournament due to security concerns.  As in concerns that she would be in danger, not that she's a threat.  The Tennis Channel's response?  Buh bye to televising the tournament.

Sure, there's some moral equivalency there, but it's nice to hear someone, anyone, calling this an easy decision.  The WTA is also threatening to yank the tournament off the calendar next year.  I don't necessarily blame them for not canceling the tournament, apparently the UAE dithered on the visa and everyone else is there.  Yes, I agree that it would be better to cancel and/or for other players to walk out.  I am trying to look at the glass half full parts of this.

See, this is how to respond to threats.  Punish the threatmakers, not the innocent person.  It's sad that this is so out of the norm as to be newsworthy. 

Posted by: alexthechick at 01:05 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Perseverance

When most people would have just given up, England's Tracey Bridges somehow found the will to keep going:

A mother from Willenhall downed so much vodka “most people would have died” from the alcohol levels before being arrested by police, a court heard.

Tracey Bridges, of Webster Road, consumed four-and-a-half litres of vodka but the 40-year-old was still conscious and swearing and shouting at officers as they arrested her in Wright Street, Bilston.

Good for her. Keep fighting the, er, good fight.

Posted by: Sean M. at 09:25 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Quickie update on Geert Wilders

Gates of Vienna is following Geert Wilders' attempt to fly into Heathrow.

(h/t a commenter at Jihad Watch)

Update: Wilders was detained at Heathrow and is being sent back to the Netherlands.

Posted by: Alice H at 12:04 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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It's only extremism if it's offensive to Muslims

Once again, hate speech isn't objectionable, but exposing that hate speech is offensive - so offensive that a citizen of a European Union country can be denied his right to travel freely throughout the EU. Geert Wilders has been banned from entering the UK, despite a direct invitation from the House of Lords to show his controversial anti-Islamofascism film Fitna at Parliament. Quite a bit of hoopla has been made about Wilders being anti-Islam and anti-Koran. While I find some of his statements extreme (for instance, his calls to ban the Koran and burqas from the Netherlands), I think Wilders does an excellent job in Fitna of pointing out the more noxious elements of Islamofascism, and calls for Muslims to tear out the pages of the Koran that contain verses advocating violence and terror.

The British Embassy claims that they are acting to "stop those who want to spread extremism, hatred and violent messages in our communities from coming to our country." The ban is stemming from threats of violence against Parliament if Fitna is shown. Those threats weren't made by Geert Wilders.

Geert Wilders is also facing prosecution in the Netherlands for comparing Islam to Nazism. Making that comparison is "so insulting for Muslims that it is in the public interest to prosecute". Hmmm...

I guess it's a really good thing for Muslims that we live in a country more tolerant of hate speech than the Netherlands.  I'm certain that if these sorts of demonstrations were held in the Netherlands instead of Denver, there would have been repercussions.  </sarc>

Posted by: Alice H at 02:37 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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Minister Balls

In the UK, Chlidren and Schools Minister Ed Balls (tee hee!) doesn't fear Islamofascism or socialism, but rather the return of "Far Right" policies.

My only response is to make fun of him for having "Balls" as a surname.

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 10:26 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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A little Thursday evening FAIL for you

Saw this at the Hostages,

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 06:34 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Global warming blah blah blah

Great Britain needs a bit of global climate whatever Al Gore is calling it this week, they can't even deal with less than a foot of snow.

This is a blizzard:

This is not a blizzard.

Posted by: Alice H at 11:35 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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