To my darling wife and son, Happy National Day!
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
More on Dispatches
One of the biggest things that can get confusing when discussing Islam is the failure to realise the common identity in the Islamic community is a religious one, not an ethnic one. Which is what made Monday's Dispatches program completely unsatisfactory.
A quite significant proportion of the program was devoted to Islamic attitudes to sexuality, and discovering that they held relatively conservative views on the area.
What was particularly idiotic and unsatisfactory about this is that the views expressed (no sex outside marriage and marriage is for heterosexuals), while not shared by society at large, would be shared within other groupings in British society who would also have religion at the core of group identity. Catholics for a start, but you'd probably get even more extreme opinions if you interviewed attendees at a large number of Evangelical Christian Churches as well. I was not surprised by the results, nor was I particularly bothered by them. My darling wife stated her agreement a number of times with the views on sexuality attributed to Muslims.
It also raises the question of why the liberal media is always so obsessed with religious groupings teaching on sexuality, but that's a different issue.
A quite significant proportion of the program was devoted to Islamic attitudes to sexuality, and discovering that they held relatively conservative views on the area.
What was particularly idiotic and unsatisfactory about this is that the views expressed (no sex outside marriage and marriage is for heterosexuals), while not shared by society at large, would be shared within other groupings in British society who would also have religion at the core of group identity. Catholics for a start, but you'd probably get even more extreme opinions if you interviewed attendees at a large number of Evangelical Christian Churches as well. I was not surprised by the results, nor was I particularly bothered by them. My darling wife stated her agreement a number of times with the views on sexuality attributed to Muslims.
It also raises the question of why the liberal media is always so obsessed with religious groupings teaching on sexuality, but that's a different issue.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Education Education Education!
Last night's Dispatches on Channel 4 was Jon Snow interviewing young Muslims to assess their views on modern Britain. At one point he interviews a group of young men who put forward the conspiracy theory that Princess Diana was murdered to prevent Britain having a Muslim King as the result of her liason with Dodi Al Fayed.
This is a sad reflection on the state of modern British education, which has clearly failed to teach these young men some basic facts on how succession and monarchy works, or the ability to apply knowledge and critical thinking. Or both.
Surely they don't need to be told that any child Diana had with Dodi Al Fayed had no claim to the throne. And I wasn't even educated in England.
This is a sad reflection on the state of modern British education, which has clearly failed to teach these young men some basic facts on how succession and monarchy works, or the ability to apply knowledge and critical thinking. Or both.
Surely they don't need to be told that any child Diana had with Dodi Al Fayed had no claim to the throne. And I wasn't even educated in England.
Monday, August 07, 2006
So apparently I'm Bartlett.....
Powerful. Intimidating. Trivia Nazi. President Bartlet is all of these and more. A super-nerd who's into chess, National Parks, and rambling off things in Latin, POTUS is the 'real thing.' Not being completely upfront with the American people may cause him re-election headaches, though...
:: Which West Wing character are you? ::
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Better late than never....
John Reid is quoted today as saying the country needs a debate about immigration and "We have to get away from this daft so-called politically correct notion that anybody who wants to talk about immigration is somehow a racist."
So was that why the Labour party spent the last election campaign criticising the Tories for saying the same thing?
So was that why the Labour party spent the last election campaign criticising the Tories for saying the same thing?
Friday, August 04, 2006
Proof that Symantec is the tool of the devil
I've always had my suspicions about anti virus and anti spy ware software, but here, finally, is proof that it is in fact the devil's work.
The BBC is reporting that their security suite is identifying a software package that vicars use for planning services as spyware.
The BBC is reporting that their security suite is identifying a software package that vicars use for planning services as spyware.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Update
I've not posted for a while, though oddly, I've had a lot to say.
Firstly the County Council by election result is available here but the short version is that Ann Naylor of the Tories won comfortably. I now have a vested interest in the result as the wife and I are moving to Ingatestone (hopefully) in the not too distant future.
Secondly, sadly the West Wing is no more. Janet Daley had an excellent article about it in the Telegraph on Monday which is well worth reading. I will admit I'll miss it, though I think my wife will be pleased thats one less thing I'm watching (though as a Big Brother addict....).
She's not the only one in the house watching BB though - I have also been watching this year. I've never really bothered with BB much before - I can name a handful of former housemates, Anna Nolan and Brian Dowling from the early series as being Irish and popular meant it was impossible to hide from them if you were living in Dublin. Jade Goody of course has made a career out of well.... being thick? And Makosi and Derek from the last series simply because the issue came up on Question Time when Derek was on (he is also mentioned in Alan Clark's diaries, though with a different spelling of his surname). I really, really, really hope that Nikki disappears back into obscurity - the idea that her tantrums could be an inspiration to young girls as to what to be when they grow up bothers me immensely.
Firstly the County Council by election result is available here but the short version is that Ann Naylor of the Tories won comfortably. I now have a vested interest in the result as the wife and I are moving to Ingatestone (hopefully) in the not too distant future.
Secondly, sadly the West Wing is no more. Janet Daley had an excellent article about it in the Telegraph on Monday which is well worth reading. I will admit I'll miss it, though I think my wife will be pleased thats one less thing I'm watching (though as a Big Brother addict....).
She's not the only one in the house watching BB though - I have also been watching this year. I've never really bothered with BB much before - I can name a handful of former housemates, Anna Nolan and Brian Dowling from the early series as being Irish and popular meant it was impossible to hide from them if you were living in Dublin. Jade Goody of course has made a career out of well.... being thick? And Makosi and Derek from the last series simply because the issue came up on Question Time when Derek was on (he is also mentioned in Alan Clark's diaries, though with a different spelling of his surname). I really, really, really hope that Nikki disappears back into obscurity - the idea that her tantrums could be an inspiration to young girls as to what to be when they grow up bothers me immensely.
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