A few days ago, I received an email from a person named "Angus" who informed me that my article "Racism not defence at the heart of Israeli politics" was causing "quite a stir" in the UK and that he would like some details about me as he was planning to write something in response. From the beginning it was pretty clear what "Angus'" agenda was, but I decided to give the benefit of the doubt, at least to begin with. The exchange that ensued has left us with a much better insight into the minds and methods of those vociferous defenders of Israel that are doing so much in British academic circles to ensure that the Israeli government continues to enjoy immunity for its human rights abuses in Occupied Palestine.
Read on, it's a real trip!
Society's Child
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Every year since 2002 the University and College Union (UCU), the largest trade union and professional association for academics working in further and higher education throughout the UK, has attempted to implement some form of boycott of Israeli academic institutions that have been shown to be complicit in the ongoing persecution of the Palestinian people. And each year, amid much acrimony and cries of "anti-semitism", boycotters meet with significant resistance from pro-Israeli members of British academia, and other institutions.
This year however, lowly Sott.net has inadvertently become involved in the melee.
One of the country's most controversial clerics was at the centre of a new controversy yesterday after saying that traditional teaching about the Crucifixion was "repulsive" and made God seem like a "psychopath".
The Dean of St Albans, the Very Rev Jeffrey John, used a Lent talk on BBC Radio 4 last night to attack the Christian theory of penal substitution, which argues that God sent Christ into the world to be punished for the sins of mankind.
The dean's comments in the run-up to Easter were met with outrage from leading evangelicals who said his comments verged on the heretical, even though he attempted to soften his message by adding extra lines on the eve of the broadcast.
Dr John, who was forced to stand down as Bishop of Reading in 2003 after it emerged he was homosexual, although no longer sexually active, said he had been taught that Jesus "took the rap" for our sins, but we got forgiven provided we said we believed in him."
The Dean of St Albans, the Very Rev Jeffrey John, used a Lent talk on BBC Radio 4 last night to attack the Christian theory of penal substitution, which argues that God sent Christ into the world to be punished for the sins of mankind.
The dean's comments in the run-up to Easter were met with outrage from leading evangelicals who said his comments verged on the heretical, even though he attempted to soften his message by adding extra lines on the eve of the broadcast.
Dr John, who was forced to stand down as Bishop of Reading in 2003 after it emerged he was homosexual, although no longer sexually active, said he had been taught that Jesus "took the rap" for our sins, but we got forgiven provided we said we believed in him."
Flood victims on Saturday pelted stones at Supaul administration officials. The victims, who have been virtually left without food, water and shelter, vented their anger at government employees, who went to assess how badly the floods hit the villagers.
Chennai: Fears of a serial 'psychopath' killer stalking the busy Vadapalani and Ashok Nagar areas following 'mysterious' deaths in the recent weeks, were heightened on Thursday after yet another death was reported from the nearby colony.
"Everybody was experimenting and taking it all the way. It opened up a negative force of energy that was almost demonic."
Frank Mazolla, editor of the film Performance
"There were a lot of weird people around. There was one guy who had a parrot called Captain Blood, and he was always scrawling real cryptic things on the inside walls of my house - Neil Young's too."
Joni Mitchell, describing the Laurel Canyon scene at the tail end of the 1960s
Frank Mazolla, editor of the film Performance
"There were a lot of weird people around. There was one guy who had a parrot called Captain Blood, and he was always scrawling real cryptic things on the inside walls of my house - Neil Young's too."
Joni Mitchell, describing the Laurel Canyon scene at the tail end of the 1960s
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| ©Unknown |
| Ricky Nelson |
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| ©Wales News Service |
| Mr Davies was also a Facebook "friend" with one of the recent Bridend victims |
A young man has been found hanged in Bridgend - the 23rd tragedy in the town in 20 months.
Rhys Davies, 23, lived in the same part of the town as three of the recent victims - all young men aged between 19 and 28.
Part-time DJ Rhys committed suicide just days before he was due to fly out to Benidorm with friends for a holiday.
He lived in Bettws, just streets away from the 21st suicide victim Neil Owen - who was also due to go on holiday just before he died.
Several newly launched initiatives in the U.S. and other countries aim to allow governments to mine our personal data at border crossings. Legislation in the U.S. and Australia would give governments great freedom to search - and in some cases seize - our personal electronic devices.
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| ©(AFP/File/Joel Robine) |
| Russian writer and dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn, pictured in 1993. |
Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the dissident Russian writer and Nobel laureate whose portrayals of Josef Stalins labour camps and political oppression helped undermine the Soviet grip on power, has died, his son said. He was 89.
GOIANIA - A Brazilian man accused of killing and dismembering a British teenager and stuffing her torso in a suitcase bragged to his brother in a text message that she was "in the bag," state police said Saturday.
Mohamed D'Ali Carvalho Santos, whom police and his lawyer said has confessed to killing 17-year-old Cara Marie Burke, sent the message to his brother Bruce Lee, who lives with their mother in London, said a police investigator who declined to be identified in line with departmental rules.
The message, written in English and accompanied by a smiling face symbol, read: "the bitch is in the bag," the investigator said. It was found in Santos' cell phone, which he used to photograph Burke's severed head after he allegedly placed it on top of her torso along with a bloody butcher knife, the investigator added.
Shortly after his arrest last Thursday, the 20-year-old Santos tried to bribe police to let him go, offering officers 70,000 reals (about US$45,000) which he said he would get from his mother, inspector Jorge Moreira da Silva told reporters.
The attempted bribery was recorded by police and broadcast Friday night on national television.
"The biggest reward we could receive is to see a psychopath like yourself behind bars," a police officer is heard saying on the audio recording.
Mohamed D'Ali Carvalho Santos, whom police and his lawyer said has confessed to killing 17-year-old Cara Marie Burke, sent the message to his brother Bruce Lee, who lives with their mother in London, said a police investigator who declined to be identified in line with departmental rules.
The message, written in English and accompanied by a smiling face symbol, read: "the bitch is in the bag," the investigator said. It was found in Santos' cell phone, which he used to photograph Burke's severed head after he allegedly placed it on top of her torso along with a bloody butcher knife, the investigator added.
Shortly after his arrest last Thursday, the 20-year-old Santos tried to bribe police to let him go, offering officers 70,000 reals (about US$45,000) which he said he would get from his mother, inspector Jorge Moreira da Silva told reporters.
The attempted bribery was recorded by police and broadcast Friday night on national television.
"The biggest reward we could receive is to see a psychopath like yourself behind bars," a police officer is heard saying on the audio recording.
Comment: Update: Within a few hours of posting the link to the mailing list, Ms. Delich responded: Mr. Hirsh at Engage and all of the other "left-wing" anti-boycott, pro-Israeli government defamation artists were surely aware of Ms. Delich's response, yet they chose to pursue their opportunistic and scurrilous manipulation of Ms. Delich's simple mistake in their efforts to perpetuate the Israeli government's continued persecution of the Palestinian people.
By their fruits you shall know them.