Fallujah in Pictures

Blog on Tommy

In 1999 there were perhaps 50 bloggers on the web; by next year according to Perseus Development Corporation consultancy, some ten million blogs will have been created. Not since the 17th century print explosion, which brought serial publication and pamphleteering to a genuinely mass market, has there been such an important shift in the way public opinion is created and shaped.
The US presidential election was the first in which blogs emerged as a force. On election night, more people logged on to the website of Matt Drudge, the godfather of bloggers, than turned to the New York Times website.
In Iran several anti government newspapershave been closed down but the Iranian blogosphere is booming with 6,000 separate blogs. Farsi is now the fourth most widely used language on web logs.
Extract from The Times 13 November.

William Shatner interprets Rocket Man

John Pilger on Fallujah

'Doing terrible things in an organised and systematic way rests on 'normalisation. There is usually a division of labour in doing and rationalising the unthinkable, with the direct brutalising and killing done by one set of individuals . . . others working on improving technology (a better crematory gas, a longer burning and more adhesive napalm, bomb fragments that penetrate flesh in hard-to-trace patterns). It is the function of the experts, and the mainstream media, to normalise the unthinkable for the general public.' More.

You won't see this in the media

"LOS ANGELES, November 9, 2004 - At 7:50 PM two armored tanks showed up at an anti-war protest in front of the federal building in Westwood. The tanks circled the block twice, the second time parking themselves in the street and directly in front of the area where most of the protesters were gathered. Enraged, some of the people attempted to block the tanks, but police quickly cleared the street. The people continued to protest the presence of the tanks, but about ten minutes the tanks drove off. It is unclear as to why the tanks were deployed to this location." Watch the video.

Jesusland

Some people don't like the South.

Bush re-elected

Last night's results were hardly a surprise -- but still a disappointment. Especially Bush's share of the vote (some from unexpected sources). He's not the first rogue President to get a second term. Time will tell the consequences of this result. Maybe he too will be found out before his Presidency runs its full term.

It looks like religion and fear played the most significant roles. Lucky for George W that Osama's latest video release was so well-timed.

Still, not everyone is despondent.

Kerry/Celtic double?

Here's hoping for a Celtic/Kerry double this evening. My prediction for the game is 2-1 Celtic. Not so sure about Kerry but things are looking better than they were. US voters are being encouraged to turn-out [NSFW]. I'm off to the game now.

Bohemian election

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