Smokers Should Not Be Forced Out of Hospitals
THE GUARDIAN: There should be more controlled smoking zones, argues Richard White

Smoking shelters have been reintroduced in some Bournemouth hospitals. Photograph: The Guardian
The government is proposing its next phase of tobacco control: plain packaging for cigarette packets. It is a controversial move, not least as it will be easier for criminal gangs to replicate packets to look authentic, prompting fears that illicit cigarette distribution levels may increase. Some campaigners would also like to see smoking outside pubs, restaurants and other public places banned.

This would be a step too far for tobacco control. Instead, there should be more controlled smoking zones. In September, the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch hospitals NHS foundation trust reintroduced smoking shelters for staff, patients and visitors, following a five-year ban. Staff and patients had been found smoking on the premises, including in the toilets, the oxygen store and even under the bedclothes.

Like other hospitals that have reversed blanket bans, the decision to permit designated smoking areas was not to encourage or promote smoking but to minimise the risk of illicit smoking on the premises. >>> Richard White | Tuesday, November 30, 2010

wikileaks.ch
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Wikileaks hat offenbar vorausgeahnt, dass ihre Internet-Adresse «wikileaks.org» früher oder später gesperrt werden könnte. Denn die jetzt bekanntgegebene «Schweizer» Ausweichadresse «wikileaks.ch» wurde bereits vor 6 Monaten registriert. Mittlerweile war jedoch auch sie zumindest zeitweise nicht erreichbar.



Zum Teil in Schwyzertüütsch (Schweizerdeutsch) übertragen.

WikiLeaks >>>

Pakistani Cleric Puts Bounty on Christian Woman's Head
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A hardline, pro-Taliban Pakistani Muslim cleric on Friday offered a reward for anyone who kills a Christian woman sentenced to death by a court on charges of insulting Islam.

The sentence against Asia Bibi has renewed debate about Pakistan's blasphemy law which critics say is used to persecute religious minorities, fan religious extremism and settle personal scores. Non-Muslim minorities account for roughly 4 per cent of Pakistan's 170 million population.

Maulana Yousef Qureshi, the imam of a major mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar, offered a £3,700 reward and warned the government against any move to abolish or change the blasphemy law.

"We will strongly resist any attempt to repeal laws which provide protection to the sanctity of Holy Prophet Mohammad," Qureshi told a rally of hardline Islamists."Any one who kills Asia will be given 500,000 rupees in reward from Masjid Mohabat Khan," he said referring to his mosque. >>> | Friday, December 03, 2010

HT: Vlad Tepes >>>

Lawyer: Wikileaks Is Under Attack
SKY NEWS: Mark Stephens, lawyer for the Wikileaks founder Juilan Assange, says the site in under concerted attack.

Liam Neeson Angers Narnia Fans by Suggesting Aslan Is Mohammed
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Liam Neeson has caused controversy by suggesting that Aslan, the Christlike character in C.S. Lewis’s Narnia books, could represent the prophet Mohammed or Buddha.

The actor who voices the lion in the film adaptations of the books has angered some fans of the stories, who claim he is distorting Lewis’s intentions to be “politically correct”.

Aslan the lion features in all seven Narnia books, guiding children away from evil and harm and encouraging them to do good.

Lewis was clear that the Aslan was based on Christ, and once wrote of the character: “He is an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question: “What might Christ become like if there really were a world like Narnia?”.” [sic] >>> Roya Nikkhah | Saturday, December 04, 2010

WikiLeaks: Britain Mocked by US over 'Special Relationship'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: US officials privately mocked Britain’s 'paranoia' over maintaining the 'special relationship', cables released by WikiLeaks suggest.

Richard LeBaron, the US deputy chief of mission, said the obsession with the alliance would “be humorous, if it were not so corrosive”.

He also reported to Washington that it would be “tempting” to take advantage of Britain’s attitude.

The documents show that senior Conservative policians met with members of President Barack Obama's administration before the election to promise a "much more pro-American" regime.

The Tories, including some who are now members of the Cabinet, promised to buy more US weapons and to "fight together" more closely in future.

The documents suggest a faint ridiculing of Britain's attitude to the US, with politicians described as "paranoid" about maintaining the "special relationship" with the US. >>> Andy Bloxham | Saturday, December 04, 2010


SKY NEWS: US Mocked UK Over 'Special Relationship': US officials mocked senior members of then opposition leader David Cameron's party who vowed to run a pro-US regime if they won this year's election, new leaked diplomatic cables have revealed. >>> Pete Norman, Sky News Online | Saturday, December 04, 2010

Svjatoslav Richter: Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor – Movement I: Moderato
Konzert für Klavier und Orchester c-moll op.18: 1. Satz: Moderato


Movement II: Adagio sostenuto / 2. Satz: Adagio sostenuto

Turkey Is Like Iran
YNET NEWS: Op-ed: Erdogan threatens regional stability with his thuggish, megalomaniac behavior

The WikiLeaks documents confirmed the great American and European anxiety over the dangerous regime in power in Turkey. At this time, there are two Middle Eastern entities already controlled by Muslim Brotherhood parties: Hamas in Gaza and Erdogan in Ankara. One should not be surprised to see the friendly ties between the Turkish regime and Hamas, Iran and Hezbollah: We are dealing with political Islam movements that use any means possible in order to take power and threaten others.

In the past, Turkey served as an important pro-Western anchor in the Middle East and played a stabilizing, responsible and constructive role. Today, it constitutes a threat and jeopardizes most Arab regimes, and also Israel, being a focal point of shocks and tensions. Erdogan is threatening regional stability with his thuggish, megalomaniac behavior and with his support for axis of evil elements.

The regimes in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian Authority and many others are greatly disturbed by the new, aggressive player that suddenly emerged against them. While everyone knows that Iran is an enemy, the current regime in Turkey still hides behind the glory of previous Turkish regimes which were friends of the West.

We better understand that we are dealing with a hostile regime that has no intention of giving up power in Turkey.

And now came Erdogan’s latest statement in Beirut, whereby “Turkey won’t remain silent” in case of a new war between Israel and Hamas or Hezbollah and made the threat substantive. From now own, according to its own declaration, Turkey is a potential military foe of Israel and may embark on war against us. >>> Guy Bechor | Thursday, December 02, 2010

YNET NEWS: Erdogan calls WikiLeaks docs 'gossip': Turkish prime minister visibly upset by leaked cables which claim he has eight Swiss bank accounts with private funds and surrounds himself with fawning advisors; says US must 'hold cable writers accountable for slander' >>> AFP | Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Eric Cantona: “Kill the (Criminal) Banks”

ARAB NEWS: Editorial: Wrong medicine – Cantona may be a brilliant footballer but he knows little about banks >>> | Friday, December 03, 2010

Obama's Surprise Trip to Afghanistan
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: President Barack Obama praised American troops for "important progress" against the Taliban, during an unannounced visit to Afghanistan. Video courtesy of Reuters


Notice Obama refers to the "holiday season". He can't seem to bring himself to refer to the Christmas season. Funny that!

Pentagon Backs Gay Ban Repeal
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Defense Secretary Robert Gates urges Senators to repeal a 17-year-old policy which allows gays to serve in the armed forces as long as they keep their sexual orientation private. Video courtesy of Reuters and photo courtesy of Associated Press.

Incredible! An Ad from a Less Enlightened Age!

Lockerbie Bomber’s Family ‘To Sue Over Prison Ordeal’
DAILY EXPRESS: THE family of the Lockerbie bomber is preparing a compensation claim against Britain for false imprisonment, Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi revealed last night.

He said the case against 58-year-old former secret serviceman Abdulbaset Ali Al-Megrahi had been fabricated by former Prime Minister Lady Thatcher and ex-US President Ronald Reagan.

Gaddafi even suggested that CIA agents were behind the atrocity – a theory already advanced in a controversial film and a number of books.

“These are the people who created this conspiracy,” he said. “The charges directed towards Libya were based on unfounded evidence in an attempt to weaken the Libyan Revolution and limit its resources and abilities.” >>> John Chapman

Headwinds Hamper Job Recovery
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Faced with higher payroll taxes and healthcare costs, employers are waiting to see a stronger economic recovery before adding new workers, according to Tig Gilliam, CEO of Adecco Group North America. He talks with Kelsey Hubbard about the health of the labor market and where we'll add jobs in 2011.

Cutting Off Jobless Benefits for Millions
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Congressional conservatives have cut off extended jobless benefits unless Bush-era tax cuts remain in place for people earning more than $200,000 a year. Video courtesy of Fox News.

Britain's Deep Freeze Continues
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: The United Kingdom was brought to its knees as heavy snow continued to fall across the nation. Train services, airports and rail links were disrupted, with no end in sight for frustrated commuters. Video courtesy of Sky News.

Deadly Fire Sweeps Through Israel
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: The worst brush fire in Israel's history has burned thousands of acres of land, forced villages to evacuate and killed dozens of people. Video courtesy of Reuters.

How Israel Screens for Terrorists
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: According to Israelis, the secret to their successful airport security is not labor-intensive checkpoints, but a screening system that is frowned upon in many other countries: ethnic profiling. WSJ's Martin Himel reports.


HT: Christine @ iBloga >>>

Bush Security Adviser: Wikileaks Will Damage U.S.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: In an interview with Jerry Seib, former U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley lashed out at Wikileaks for damaging U.S. diplomacy with its recent document dump. He also praised the Obama administration's handling of Iran and North Korea.

WikiLeaks Cables Claim First Scalp As German Minister's Aide Is Sacked
THE GUARDIAN: Helmut Metzner admitted acting as a mole for the US embassy during negotiations to form a government

WikiLeaks cables contained unflattering descriptions of the German foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, and Angela Merkel. Photograph:
The WikiLeaks revelations have claimed their first political scalp in Europe with the sacking of the German foreign minister's chief of staff, who acted as a mole for the Americans, keeping the US embassy in Berlin posted last year on the confidential negotiations to form Angela Merkel's new government.

Amid a mood of increasing anger in the German political class at the disparaging observations on the chancellor's cabinet from US officials, a liberal MP today demanded the withdrawal of the American ambassador in Berlin, Philip Murphy. >>> Ian Traynor, Europe editor | Friday, December 03, 2010