All-purpose news and politics thread: One Step Beyond!

[Iangould]

Under whose statistics though? Because the US's official stats have differed massively from groups like the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the NY Times has alleged that militants are judged as males of military age "unless there is explicit intelligence posthumously proving them innocent". (Article quotes a Pakistani Major General on low civilian casualties but what do the Pakistanis base their figures on?)

The second an "investigative journalist" accepts the word of former Pakistani dictator Pervez Musharref on anything I tend to discount what they have to say.

[heretic]

assad is hinting he may leave power.

I presume he has a villa prepped somewhere without an extradition treaty or an ICJ presence, because things have gone way to far for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to paper things over.

[Charles RB]

The second an "investigative journalist" accepts the word of former Pakistani dictator Pervez Musharref on anything I tend to discount what they have to say.

In that link, they're disputing what Musharref says about casualties in October 2006. (That still leaves the NY Times' claim on how insurgents & male civilians are counted)

[Charles RB]

Wikileaks claims it's releasing 2m "embarrassing" emails about Syria, which will allegedly discomfort all sides and show "how the West and Western companies say one thing and do another"

Assange's said "it is only through understanding this conflict that we can hope to resolve it" - who is this "we"? We, as in nations? We, the general public of countries that aren't Syria? He doesn't seem to mean the Syrians, who are the ones actually having the conflict.

assad is hinting he may leave power.

I wonder where he plans to go? (Though he is giving himself the wriggle room of doing it after elections)

[bringthenoise]

Wikileaks claims it's releasing 2m "embarrassing" emails about Syria, which will allegedly discomfort all sides and show "how the West and Western companies say one thing and do another"

Assange's said "it is only through understanding this conflict that we can hope to resolve it" - who is this "we"? We, as in nations? We, the general public of countries that aren't Syria? He doesn't seem to mean the Syrians, who are the ones actually having the conflict

I would assume the "we" means Assange. He certainly comes across as a man who thinks he knows what's best for everyone else.

[Vibranium]

or he wants people to know what goes on behind closed doors, and how those in power will exploit any situation to further their own goals

[bringthenoise]

or he wants people to know what goes on behind closed doors,

Oddly enough, I kinda value privacy. Some doors are closed for GOOD reasons.

and how those in power will exploit any situation to further their own goals

And that's a revelation... HOW exactly?

[Charles RB]

One of Syria's journalists has escaped to Turkey and says how "journalism" works there:

"We talk to people before we interview them," Mr Sleiba says, continuing to use the present tense about his work as a reporter for the channel.

"Syrian citizens don't know anything - they don't know what to say - so we tell them what to say on TV in order to get the best report that we can. As a journalist my success is in getting my report to the channel. I do the reporting and I present it to the citizens - to the nation.

"For example, we tell the interviewees to tell us that they support Bashar al-Assad and they will always support him. And they accept this and say whatever I tell them. We do this to please the authorities who watch us."

Mr Sleiba explains how instructions are issued to reporters.

"The Ba'ath party sometimes appoints a representative to give orders on its behalf. They generally contact us through an information office. The committee tells us to go and take pictures of this particular event, to take pictures of the martyrs, and so on."

[Charles RB]

And Wikileaks has just taken Associated Press off its Syrian emails list, while AP itself denies being a "collaborator" as Wikileaks' press release said.

[king mob]

On Question Time tonight there's the creepy former Home Secretary Alan Johnson, the fucking barking rent-a-gob Louise Mensch and John Lydon.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18720910

The last few times musicians have been on they've either been shite, or right wing nutters so this could be very interesting especially when a pair of cretins like Mensch and Johnson are on with him.

[Vibranium]

Oddly enough, I kinda value privacy. Some doors are closed for GOOD reasons.

as do I..but not when its governments and its cronies (who are supposed to be looking out for our best interests) looking to profit from bad situations

[Iangould]

]In that link, they're disputing what Musharref says about casualties in October 2006.[/I] (That still leaves the NY Times' claim on how insurgents & male civilians are counted)

They also quote him as a reliable source on events since he left office.

[Gryphon]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/...rticle4391456/

You can't make this stuff up: A Florida lifeguard was fired from his job earlier this week for trying to save the life of a drowning man.

The problem? The victim was located near a section of the beach outside the area the lifeguard was supposed to cover. The incident took place at Hallandale Beach in south Florida.




video

Video: Florida lifeguard fired for rescue outside zone

After the rescue, the lifeguard, Tomas Lopez, 21, filled out an incident report at the request of his boss and was then told he had lost his job.

The company, Orlando-based Jeff Ellis and Associates, told the Miami Herald that liability issues mean lifeguards aren't supposed to leave the designated area they are assigned to cover.

But on Monday, while Mr. Lopez was on duty, someone ran to his stand asking him to help save a drowning man.

By the time Mr. Lopez reached the man, who was swimming in an unprotected area far down the beach, several others had helped him out of the water. He appeared semi-conscious. Mr. Lopez and a nurse helped him until paramedics got to the scene.

Two other lifeguards employed by the company have quit their jobs to protest the firing of Mr. Lopez.

Szilard Janko, one of those who quit in protest, told the Herald "What was he supposed to do? Watch a man drown?"

[Iangould]

Yesterday I was reading how the defections from the Syrian military have left the Alawite officer corps and the elite military units largely unaffected.

This morning i wake up to this:

A pro-regime Syrian news website has confirmed that Republican Guards Brigadier General Manaf Tlass, a childhood friend of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has defected to Turkey, the first such move by a high-ranking military commander.

The Syria Steps website quoted a high-ranking Syrian security source saying that Tlass 'has run away to Turkey' after he discovered he was being monitored by Syrian intelligence.

'Tlass escaped after he knew that the Syrian intelligence has complete information on his outside contacts and his supervision of terrorist operations inside Syria,' the source said, adding that 'his escape has no impact' on the Syrian regime.

Tlass is a childhood friend of Assad and a member of his inner circle. He is a Sunni Muslim from the restive city of Rastan in the central province of Homs, a cradle of the Syrian uprising since 2011.

[Charles RB]

They also quote him as a reliable source on events since he left office.

The quote comes from a New Statesman interview where he's referring to a Wikileaks leaked cable, where Prime Minister Gilani allegedly told the US ambassador that the government would complain about drones and then ignore it. (the BIJ should have stated that in their article) They're not quoting him as a legit source on casualties

About that interview: Mushareff claims he's going to come back to Pakistan and run in elections again...

Musharraf thinks that politically he is in with a good chance. In October 2010, he launched a new party, the All Pakistan Muslim League, of which he is the president, and he plans to return to contest elections in Pakistan next year. He tells me that according to a recent, informal poll, conducted by a friend from Lahore, 91 per cent of respondents want him to be president and Imran Khan, the leader of Tehreek-e-Insaf (“Movement for Justice”), to be prime minister. “I strongly believe this is the feeling. Even my own supporters tell me Imran is the person who should be with us. I think we can turn the tables if we are together. If he is alone and if I am alone I don’t think we can turn the tables.”

I pass this on to Imran later. He laughs, and says: “And then did he wake up . . . ?”

Dear oh dear.