First!!!!
that sucks Omar
Omar, are you familiar with Michael Crichton? He is a popular American novelist but also a very smart scientist, and he said recently in a speech on global warming (his latest novel is "State of Fear" on that subject) that he never expects journalists to get anything right. He believes their main job is to distort or exaggerate events, just as cartoonists do (I can't remember his exact quote). I guess good stories about Iraq don't sell or fit the BBC template.
On a completely different subject, here is a story about "meth mouth" (dental news). I thought you would find it interesting. The New York Times had a big article about this condition last week too.
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/
0...0140819,00.html
Third!!!
Things like this can always be counted on from the MSM! They are not about the truth anymore, but about advancing theit own nerrow outlook on the world! If It does not fit their deffinition then it will not be heard!
Hasn't Mrs. Jarrar been living in Jordan over the past year or so?
OMAR, Omar, omar:
How long does it take to learn??
Do you have their e-mails AND your responses which you could publish on the blog?
Jim
Omar
Sorry man. Your facts just don't fit their template.
http://hammorabi.blogspot.com/
Publish the email of your BBC contact so we can all contact them and ask why..
Omar, your paranoid my friend.
I think 16 year old girls and expats living in the U.S. can clearly give a better perspective of what's going on in Iraq than an adult doctor actually living in Baghdad. C'mon!
DaveS
It is a link in the first sentence of his post.
Omar
Iraq the Model is getting around 4000 hits per day so this will get out to the people around the world who look to your site for real world Iraq information.
Thanks for sharing with the world how BBC dissed important information about life in Iraq.
BBC Lies just as the rest of the losers in the liberal society. They are just as bad as the rest of the evil that lurks in the real world, or at least encourages evil with their doom and gloom reports.
Omar
You are right on, my friend.
The reason that nobody trusts the media anymore is that more and more people have had experiences like you had. It's far too common. Each reporter thinks that it won't matter how they act since they are just one person...but they all do it.
I have had experiences like that with both liberal and conservative media. Its unbelievable how messed up a straightforward story can get.
The BBC = Baghdad Broadcasting Corporation during Gulf War 2. I'm a Brit, and even we hate them.
Dam Omar, that really blows the big one!
At first I thought I was going to be happy with your posting, but ended up being very dissapointed. Such is the case whenever the MSM get involved in Iraq.
On the bright side:
New Memo Suggests Oil-For-Food Link to Annan
i vote for you, publishing the whole thread of emails back and forth between them and you, here on the blog.
[ irregardless of the jury verdict yesterday]this is why people like michael jackson tape their own footage, with their own cameramen, of reporters like martin bashir who do interviews and follow them around when they produce a special. it's so that he can show the world the WHOLE event and put back in all the scenes and dialog that was edited out, to make a sensational piece slanted to fit the station's preconceived presentation.
and to think the brits get taxed for this! in order to have a tv, service, and this news source! dayum! i mean, at least in america, public television is paid for by voluntary contribution of viewers and philanthropists, and isn't compulsory. any tv can tune it in for free, whether you pay or not.
yeah, do it, Omar. post the thread of email correspondence with them.
pull down their prissy pants for the whole world to point at.
The BBC acctually helped me this spring. I sent in a photo to their "Your America" photo album. They wanted pictures from americans showing our america. I sent in a concert photo I took, and the artist saw in on the BBC. Now they are using my concert photos in a book by E.D Hill (Fox & Friends) and I get a free signed copy of the book. Also I get 2 free tickets to the concert next time that band comes to town, with a photographers press pass if I prefer.
The guy at the BBC was very helpfull in playing middle man in getting us together. I promissed him if I get anything out of it I would give him a commission. But I doubt he wants to fly to america for a free ticket to a Nugent concert.
Omar, welcome to the shady underbelly of the main stream media...the NY Times motto is "All the news that's fit to print" but it should really be, along with the BBC, "All the news (that jives with our views) that fits, we print." So much for good old objectivity when it comes to those coming out of journalism schools around the world...I guess "they" just know better than any of the rest of us poor souls who live out our daily lives in (as you intimate) relative anonymity and some days in just downright boredom..
Like the hen said in the cartoon movie Chicken Run, "Me life flashed before me eyes...and it was very boring..."
Here's to MANY MORE boring days in Baghdad for you...and great blessings in them!
Bruce - Seattle, WA, USA
http://www.haloscan.com/comments...7640662/
#263106
Thinker:
"Each reporter thinks that it won't matter how they act since they are just one person...but they all do it."
==============
Thinker:
Many reporters are just so arrogant - definitely a holier than thou approach with many of them...I did have one fairly positive experience when being quoted in an article in the Seattle Weekly - but that's an alternative newspaper anyhow...watch out for the MSM...
she was trying to 'change the world for the better', which is why she became a journalist.
Face it,youre just too cutting edge and high speed for the modern reporter.
-secret agent dentist-
Omar,
I had a bad experience with the BBC during the elections in January (before I started blogging).
They called me and asked me to contribute to a phone-in programme; but they prefered to hear from some Asians, some non-Iraqi Arabs, and an Iraqi expat who's brother spent the last two years in Abu Ghraib prison!
At the end of the programme, they apologised for not having enough time!
Typical!
Omar,
The BBC does lots of good things, but there is a comically bad thing here. The "One Day in Iraq" page is http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_de...raq/
default.stm
In the box titled "My Day in Iraq" are abbreviated quotes from about 8 participants. They appear to have been SORTED, from worst experiences first to best experiences last. At the top, a woman hairdresser says, "There is no electricity, no water, and the heat is killing us." At the end, a British soldier says, "The mornings here are beautiful with clear bright skies."
The European media is actually more biased than Al Jazeera when it comes to reporting on the Middle East.
Lots of good young people want to change the world by getting involved in media and reporting. But once they become involved in the business they quickly learn that in order to survive they first have to impress their boss. Thus when their good news or truthful stories are rejected and they are told what stories are acceptable (not in so many words) most of these reporters start playing the news game. A few refuse and turn to other occupations or smaller publishers. Mostly it is a cut throat business and those who do well aren't worth introducing to your friends.
Hello Omar,
Cumon, hnk is cute! And Faiza Jarrar does has lots of spirit(or is that attitude?). But you still have plenty of fans who eagerly await your postings, short or long.
When things do finally settle down, maybe you'll have enough material for a book.
You're probably too serious for MSN, anyways.
That is Ok Omar,
You don't need them! We know your blog is popular and you give us the truth in what goes on there.
People want excitement let them go to the movies!
BBC are about as rude as the trolls that hang out here tearing your loyal readers down! Nothing new just the unintelligent media!
Omar,
In all I counted 38 abbreviated interviews on "My Day in Iraq."
I don't think your interview could have been more boring then the guy that decided to stay home that day!
Actually your day sounded quite normal, pleasant and exactly what they were not looking for.
Wow, I was reading yesterdays posts and that Linkin guy is a real psycho, I think he thinks we are fighting a war against Islam. This is exactly what’s so scary about Islam ; radical teachings have far to much influence on young impressionable minds; does he really want to live in a religious theocracy? His passion and pride, (which was the sin of Moses), for his culture and people, makes him blind to what this war is truly about. This WAR is about taking power from a tyrant, and giving it to the people by means of forcefully imposing democracy, capitalism, and a constitutional government, (all the instruments of a free society). If he hates America, because we imposed unwanted freedom upon him, I could understand his psychopathic ranting. However, being he thinks this is a crusade, I feel he is dangerous. Islam as the philosophic structure of government, only has one outcome; Tyranny. Linkin, your perfect Islamic world doesn’t exist, has never existed, and will never exist, sorry.
Omar,
You don't need the BBC, if you help your country win.
By the way, I heard a great rant from Donald Rumsfeld on c-span radio today. It was at the close of a press briefing with Gen. Pace. Mr. Rumsfeld explained that what's happening in Iraq, with the elections, the constitutional negotiations and the decisions by all parties to talk to one another, is big. I haven't seen any part of it on TV, and I suspect the Post will have nothing on it, either. You're in good company.
An American,
Linkin's annoying and rude, but he has a point when he says that he is offended when people equate Islam with terrorism. It's true that the terrorists say they are following Islam, and the terrorists do say that we are at war to wipe them out. But, the terrorists are lying, and there are plenty of people who follow Islam who have spoken up on precisely this point.
Islam is not the problem. Certain evil people who are using their religion as an excuse to blow civilians up -- they're the problem.
If the Iraqis build a country, it will be an Islamic country, whether the Constitution is completely secular or not.
Linkin
You are not annoying. You are frightened of America. You lash out at America as a result.
You have to have your diapers changed to frequently when you think of America...
RG,
Your going to make him cry and then that will really be annoying!
Welcome to the 'real world' of "journalism" internationally (and otherwise)...Their ajenda for creating the news they want to present is very transparent to the world in general now. Sorry your time was wasted learning how they operate. Unfortunately it can make you cynical!
But then again who cares...carry on.
Omar - you are such a funny character, you really are - you complain to all that hear that the BBC won't publish you - and imply a certain censorship due to the "your news not fitting THEIR template" AND Yet you ban me from publishing my comments - I am no cruder than others - and the double
linkin
Answer this for me...
What is your religion, that you say you "do not practice here" (assuming you mean on this blog)?
RG,
Talk about potty mouth! 
The media only prints what they want to. Remember this is a owned blg by someone reporting what is going on in their world. Not putting up with your mouth!
So Omar - you are upset at being edited out of the BBC prog and think it is because of their propaganda bias - the funny bit is that this is what you did to me when you banned me y'day, no doubt because it does not fit your propaganda bias. Too funny!
Go figure?
Forgive Linkin.
No one likes a flunky. Everyone hates a flunky. Lashing out helps a flunky do another day.
Being a blowhard releases the stress a flunky feels about life.
Keeps the loser from intentionaly hurting himself.
OOOOOOh Now you did it RG,
good job!
See Omar,
This is what people at the media news want to here. Give the loser the spot light!
Linkin,
Did you get anything out of George Bush's innaugural speech, the one that had everyone aflutter? The one where people got all excited or upset because he said we are abandoning realpolitik? An awful lot of people thought he was referring to the uncomfortable compromises in our past history with a number of dictators, including Saddam Hussein. This has been a long-standing argument among people who were trying to steer our foreign policy at a time when our options were limited and mostly unpleasant.
Maybe, if we'd had more faith in ourselves, and in people from a different cultural background, we could have had a better result. But it took the election in Iraq, and that brave response of 8 M people who voted in the face of death threats to really turn things around.
"Hear" here at the blog I ment laughing too hard!
Oh - I already said that. Sorry.
Here is something interesting about America's dedication to human rights. I must admit I am so proud of how consistent they are. Such people one looks up to.
The one where people got all excited or upset because he said we are abandoning realpolitik? An awful lot of people thought he was referring to the uncomfortable compromises in our past history with a number of dictators, including Saddam Hussein.
Yea right - Bush abandoning real politiK, Please!! From the above link:
US and Russian officials have helped block a new demand for an international inquiry into the Uzbek Government's shooting of hundreds of protesters last month, with Washington saying it is worried about Uzbekistan cutting off its access to a military air base.
Linkin,
"Why did America put Saddam in power?"
US allies have M-16 rifles, M1 tanks and F-16 airplanes.
Saddam had AK-47 rifles T-72 tanks and Mig airplanes.
Hell fire and brimstone? You’re cursing...
Linkin can't answer those questions. He just can't. To much personal baggage to deal with if he has to try to answer those questions. Too frightening for Linkin.
The lashing out is his way of asking for help... and at the same time releasing the anxiety and fear...
"...but you know what? I don't care because I told the truth which they apparently don't like to hear and that's their problem now."Omar.
I like that.
This is wild.
Also, disappointing and not so surprising.
The media have their own little war to cover when using the bloggers and Middle Eastern people.
Dealing with such creatures will give you allergies.
Someone could make a good comment on that.
Like on the BBC, perhaps (?), this Jarrar family is regularly on air at CBC,the National or RDI.
They represent typical Iraqis to many Canadians, I think.
Omar your story could be the real story in another less real story.
The media people have to go back to school and relearn their trade.
They can then contibute in a more meaningful way through their reports.
Some journalists and writers are good at it. These are the ones to deal with.
Thx.
LINKIN, if you give a man a gun and years later he goes and kills someone, is it your fault?
Linkin,
Poppa and Momma slap you around too many times?
Hey, you are now one of the club! What club? The club of people who do not see hatred and failure in everything. You do not fill your hours with despair, rather, you do what you can to make things better. Not only for yourself, but others! Yes. You are an American Conservative!
I say "American Conservative" because in the USA, conservative is the opposite, somewhat, than it is in the rest of the world. American is an Idea. It is not a place. At least I am learning this.
What does it mean to be free? Who deserves to be free? Freedom is an idea, a dream, something we all desire. Why should it belong to just a few when so many, no-everyone, deserves to be free? We all are brothers and sisters. We just live in different countries (which we are proud of when it comes to competition in the sports!) lol.
I'm sorry they did this to you. They do it to us all the time. I am glad you are a strong man. Have a great day.
Linkin,
Had too many bad experiences with authority figures? You lookin brave and attacking authority figures hides that and makes the day easier doesn't it?
Yes, we are the masters of the universe.
Linkin is just another angry young man folks...
by the way LINKIN, I HAVE LOTS OF PERSIAN SHIA FRIENDS, who fled for their lives from IRAN.
If you would like to do an interview that will be published, come to Love America First and I will interview you.
Do not be thrown off by the name. I use that to offensively deal with the "Hate America First" crowd. It is my way of fighting back!
RPG,
What is your preposterous religion?
"The war on terror is one of those tests and the people in power are going to win because they rely on God in this test."-RPG
You're just a another dumbass crusader/loser.
"anonymous", that would be "john"...
Silly american,
You evidently like playing with your He-man doll..er, action figure(masters of the universe). You and Michael Jackson.
Oh great, we got a tyrant lovin pinko in the room.
an american.
anonymous is another regular moon bat here.
Fear also rules the day for anonymous. Refuses to even use an alias of any kind. Paranoiais anonymouses trademark.
Omar, maybe a typical day in Baghdad for you doesn't consider road blocks, checkpoints, aerial surveillance, home invasions, searches, random arrests,bombings, people being shot as anything more than what should be expected in Iraq when you're under occupation by over 150,000 troops!
How you stoically downplay this miserable human condition, when it manifests itself around you every day is truly beyond reasonable explanation.
No wonder the BBC didn't consider your account of a days activities in Baghdad to be credible! Lets hope the collaborating Wolf Brigade doesn't one day mistaken you for someone less credible or the occupiers for that matter, or have you already registered yourself as a "friendly citizen"!
Did you notice any vehicles carrying the bodies of 24 men, "victims of recent insurgent ambushes in the west of the country — were transported to a hospital in the capital."
And an American soldier was killed when a roadside bomb hit his convoy in southern Baghdad, the military said, adding that two other soldiers assigned to a Marine unit died in a similar attack Monday in Ramadi, 60 miles west of the capital.
How can such common everyday occurrences be so dramatically downplayed or over looked!
Just Wondering??
I bet it's LINKIN seeing if people are talking about him. I've seen it a thousand times, he lives in the ego and need confromation.
Johns to stupid to waste time and argue with.
john...
because Omar and Mohammed are stronger than you will ever hope to be...
Silly american,
You live in a fantasy world than not even a prepubescent child would admit to. Now that Saddam is in jail, he's the biggest tyrant going is your bully Bush, who managed to set up a concentration camp on US soil and routinely threatens countries he doesn't like with invasion. Maybe Bush wants to be the #1 world tyrant which is why he wants to knock off the others.
Ya, and the CIA smuggles crack, to control black people, i know John, good point.
Jesus,RG, you and an american have become symtomatic of the sort of night terrors you would expect after spending 24 hours in detox.
Have you not found Andreas site where you can spend your entire time spewing out mindless drivel with people that might in a delayed sort of way find you somehow to be bordering on entertainment.
Time to revist that Noahs Arc conundrum,I'm sure dcat will listen in a detached sort of way!
Noah’s Arch story was true in the since that there was a great flood. 7000 thousand years ago there was a land bridge between the black sea and Mediterranean ocean. When it broke it flooded all the oldest communities which emerged surrounding this mammoth fresh water lake. 7000 years is the date because all the shellfish etc, before this time was fresh water, and all the shellfish after this date, was salt. Researchers have found sophisticated structures using sonar, witch are located on the shores of the original coast. Through verbal tradition, the story of Noah had two completely separate lineages recorded, one in Mesopotamia, and the other in the Torah. This is interesting because if too separately distinct cultures held the same verbal tradition, perhaps this flood did destroy a large portion of early humanity. Poor JOHN FROM ORGAN, AN IMBECEL, WHO ARGUES WITH THE COMPLEXITY OF A CHILD. Weather the stories are allegorical of not doesn’t mean there is no GOD. Even more sadly it seem the wisdom of the story had been lost for years bouncing between JOHN FROM ORGANS, EARS.
Didn't mean to scare you john...
But that also is why you are here. America scares you. You too are here to lash out as a result...
Of course the BBC will quote Faiza, the mother of Raed, the most reflexively anti-americans in the ME. Her article is ridiculous--I wonder who's paying her, Saddam's wife?
She speaks of us at the "pampered elite." I would like that fathead to know that about 2,000 of the "pampered elite" gave their lives for her democracy.
Jeez, Omar! If your day was any more boring it would be my day.
Boring, uneventful days are prbably the norm for most Iraqis. That's a good sign of progress.
Hope you have many more boring days.
Her article is ridiculous--I wonder who's paying her, Saddam's wife?
Patricia your comment is ridiculous, fathead like in its content, perhaps representative of the head it came out of!
RG I would guess America would scare me more if I were Iraqi! Ignorance I generally find to border on appalling such as an americans desperate need for rehabilitation and some possible intervention on teaching self expression,spelling and being able to define your ideas representing a semblance or minor degree of rational discourse!
I hardly ever lash except when connfonted by a lunatic fringe. Time to take a second look at Iraq. The deaths continue unabetted. Over fifty today, fifty yesterday, fifty the day before. Bombings, murders, civilian arrests, ING's, Americans, yet Omar supposes to define his day as a mundane trip to the clinic, a trip out with friends to have tea, home early to Blog. Either he's in denial, as I'm sure you are, or he's under a censored script to never speak a negative word about the cesspool America has created in Iraq!
Yawn!
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz
How about BBC reporting, "US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has acknowledged that security in Iraq has not improved statistically since Saddam Hussein's fall in 2003."
Statiscally meaning as many or more people are dying now as there were two years ago. Or take today for example:
"On Tuesday, at least 22 people were killed in a suicide bombing in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk"
Theres no doubt there is a problem with the image of America as the liberator in Iraq. How can you liberate someone who you can't even protect: freedom and democracy in Iraq is becoming increasingly a tarnished and illusionary dream, the reality is:
"Police say most of the dead were civil servants lining up outside a government-owned bank to get their salaries or pensions."
More than 900 people, mostly Iraqis, have died in insurgent attacks across the country since the government of Prime Minister Ibrahim Jafaari took office six weeks ago.
Thats a yawner?? What happened in your city today, a couple of rapes, molestations, assaults. Any banks blown up, occupiers killed??
Just wondering!!
zzzzzZZZZZZzzzzz...
you are such a humanitarian, way to go.
Hear is my imatation of John:
Ah, someone was killed, It's America fault! Go smoke another joint hippie.
Let's inject some facts into the "America put Saddam in power" debate.
First, America did not put Saddam in power. He rose to power by his own means, gaining backing from a significant portion of the Ba'ath party after demonstrating an amazing lack of moral restraint on his own behavior. Whether this support was born of fear or admiration hardly matters.
Second, as Soldier's Dad pointed out, the US did not arm Saddam. His weapons were primarily Soviet in the Iran-Iraq war, and in the 1991 war, and Soviet/Russian made RPGs and AK-47s were his weapon of choice once the T-72s were destroyed. Saddam did not obtain any chemical weapons from the US.
The US did support Saddam against Iran. It also supported Iran against Iraq. Quite a scandal when it was revealed. The ugly head of realpolitik reared up, and an attempt to maintain a balance of power was made.
The US stopped short of removing Saddam in 1991 as a result of sensitivity (some might say oversensitivity) to the desires of the "world community" as embodied in the UN resolution calling for the Iraqi military's expulsion from Kuwait, and as a result of the perceived impact on "world opinion" of continuing to destroy the sitting duck Iraqi military on the highway to Baghdad. There may have been other reasons. A desire to see Saddam remain in power seems unlikely to have been one of them.
The US did allow Saddam the use of his helicopters within the borders of Iraq after the war, which was (in my opinion) a horrific mistake. It certainly made it easier for Saddam to put down the Shia uprising.
brilliant!
I really don't remember when I heard the last person accuse the MSM of having any integrity....They have their agenda's, which is exactly why I come to this blog for your perspectives Omar and Mohammed!
Uh John,
I agree that there are terrorist attacks in Iraq, and maybe even more that we don't hear about. But considering the size of the country and the number of people living there, the number of daily attacks are spread over a pretty dam big area. Isn't it possible that most Iraqis are not 'directly' affected most of the time by the terrorist attacks?
Omar, You are awesom!
Omar,
Don't worry about the BBC. They are typical of the MSM. If there isn't something dynamic or sensational about your interview, then they don't want to hear it. They can't stand for someone to have a normal life it seems! 
Isn't it possible that most Iraqis are not 'directly' affected most of the time by the terrorist attacks?
Not to John. Note the obvious comparison error he makes in his post:
"More than 900 people, mostly Iraqis, have died in insurgent attacks across the country since the government of Prime Minister Ibrahim Jafaari took office six weeks ago."
versus
"What happened in your city today...?"
There have been approximately 1,700 murders in the US over the last 6 weeks. Iraq being less populous by a factor of 8, you would expect the "insurgency" to affect about 4 times as many lives as murder does in the US.
Less than optimal? To be certain. A situation in which you would expect every Iraqi to live in constant fear, dodging bombs all day long? No.
If the murder rate of the city in which I live (without fear) were extrapolated to Iraq's 35,000,000 people, 12,000 would die each year. If these killings continue at the rate of the last 6 weeks in Iraq, 7,800 would die.
Perspective.
John is disengaged, he probably has been all his life! From reality!
Thanks for telling us about this Omar. The bias of the MSM is somtimes blatently obvious..
I've seen an MSNBC Correspondent upon the news of the capture of the terrorist that planned the hijack of the Achille Laurel in bagdad - first question to 'military expert' "So, do you think the US captured him to prove there are terrorists in Iraq?"
Not kidding, she actually said it.
Other times, media bias is unseen. Your example for instance. We would have never heard about it if not for your blog..
Sorry, my figures are in error. The population of Iraq is estimated at 25 million, not 35 million. The extrapolated murder rate would, therefore, be about 8200. No change in my conclusions is warranted.
You are making a difference in Iraq, with your words for the world too read and your work!
That is all that should matter to you! The rest of the world is backing you and your Country.
Omar,
Don't let it bother you. Just remember that journalists are looking for something that sells. "If it bleeds it leads."
Next time, give 'em a "story". A unique and interesting slice-of-life.
Yeah, they probably have a bias... just like every other news outlet. But if you give them something that'll "sell," they won't care so much how your perspective meshes with theirs.
Should you have lied? Well, my friend, free speech doesn't necessarily mean truth. Maybe a different day instead of June 7th would have fit the bill better.
Isn't this the second thread you have posted this in? Spam alert.
Newsflash: Gandhi was racially predjudiced against Blacks, and was opposed to the Allied forces going to war against Nazi Germany. He was a douche.
Anyways Omar that truly sucks.
To John-900 people in Six Weeks? I thought Iraq was supposed to be another Vietnam? The Commies were posting numbers like that every DAY in Vietnam, not over a six week spread!
The Insurgency has no chance as a viable political force in Iraq. They are a roving band of murderers.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/
latimest...ietheknotiniraq
Weddings of couples in Iraq's population of 24 million are booming due to anticipation of a prosperous future...
the san antonio spurs are no longer a viable basketball force in detroit..
the news business is primarily guys that like attention like a girl or girls that want attention like a guy. The only cool ones are drunks or ex SF. the rest ran home from school every day and played in the mirror.
screw the old commie media,make your own.
The headline reads:
Suicide Bombers Kill 28 in Northern Iraq
But it should say:
Suicide Bombers Kill Elderly Men and Women waiting to cash their pension checks
Omar,
This is nothing knew to your friends who roam through the links of your blog. We have known for a long time about the BBC. Maybe now, with the help of your post, others will come to see the light also. And with a small miracle some will lose their rose-colored glasses or defeatist attitude and perhaps realize what is really happening out in the real world and knock the spoon out of the hand who is feeding them. Only time will tell, but I won't hold my breath!
Omar, don't ever hesitate to ban any commenter you don't like, because you have the right my friend. Here read is the arguement which was said to some wacko at Sami's blog.
Louise said...
Hmmm. Only an indymedia reader would be dumb enough to believe that crap.
These are the same idiots who believe free speech means you can say whatever you want where ever you want and everyone has to listen to you.
Sorry pal, but you've misunderstood, at a very fundamental level, the meaning of free speech. Free speech does not guarantee you an audience or a place to publish your pathetic garbage where ever you may wish. You are, however, free to publish your own blog and see whether you can find an audience will to listen to what you have to say.
Sami has no obligation whatsoever to let you puke all over this one and his readers have not have to put up with smelling your vomit here, if they can't stand its stench. If Sami wants to keep his readers, you have to go.
That, my dear buffoon, is how freedom of speech works in a free market. So get over it.
11:55 PM
I recommend everybody go to Strategy Page today and read the story abou the Sunni Strategy. There's a link to the page on the right...under 'Links'.
haha omar the traitor deleted all my comments, that's cool but he will never shut me up.
by the way iraq population is not 35 or 25 million
25m estimate is from the 1980's, since then after the gulf war at least5 millions iraqis left , which bring it down to ~ 20m
26,074,906 (July 2005 est.):
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publicati...ok/geos/
iz.html
In any case, there's no getting away from the statistical fact that the average risk to Iraqis from the insurgency is about the same as the risk of homicide for people living in large urban areas in the US.
Linkin,
Why do you call Omar a traitor? He has spoken of nothing but trying to rebuild Iraq in a way that provides all law abiding citizens freedom from persecution or discrimination. How is that traitorous? Perhaps you want to go back to the days where the bathist rule, or let the mullahs run the county like they do in Iran.
As I see it, any other stance puts you both on the same team. The team to help Iraq heal and become strong again. If that is the case, why waste your time snipping at someone with the same goals?
Omar,
Interesting that the BBC would not use material from the author of a top Iraqi blog. Maybe they are unaware. I can't imagine anything being written about Iraq and blogs that didn't include you. Maybe they were afraid that it would anger their readers to include a pro-US blogger. They wouldn't want to appear biased, after all. (That would be ironic.)
Omar is a chicken : he better get a gun and go fighting for HIS country.
Even Tom Friedman looks desesperate today : the situation in Iraq is so bad, he foresees only one solution : double the number of american troops there (you can´t trust anyone else).
Iraqi Army : let me laugh !!!! According to US DOD, only 2.8% is fully operational ! And, we know 10%, 20% or 30% of the guys work in fact for the insurgents.
I disagree with Friedman : it´s a big mess, a quagmire. Send 150.000 soldiers there will make no difference. Better get the $%& out of there ASAP !
In march, 1.29 US soldier dies every day , in april 1.73, in may 2.84, in june 2.87
ENOUGH ! Basta !
"Free speech does not guarantee you an audience or a place to publish your pathetic garbage where ever you may wish"
Louise via Ahmad
Unfortunately it does almost guarantee one media attention.
The more outrageous the claims, the more press coverage one is guaranteed lately. And the more papers they sell, or viewers they attract by these outrageous claims, the more money they are guaranteed in advertising dollars.
If Omar would have ranted and raved about American occupation, if his day would contained bombings, loss of electricity or unlawful searches, I guarantee, the BBC would have predominately displayed his story up front.
"If it bleeds it leads," is an unfortunate fact of life. In urban areas we understand our newspapers are going to focus on the very worst that human behavior has to offer, in war zones, and especially in a story that advertises it is focusing on "One day in Iraq," it should widen it's focus to include the positives as well as the negatives. In a war, we need the bigger picture. We need not only a continual regurgitation of the negative but we need to know what is going right in order to develop a full understanding of what is going on in the country.
Our media considers themselves the watch dogs of the sitting government, which is all well and good, but that criticism has to be placed in the bigger context of world events. Our media is not a tool to be used against us but a way to get a fair and balanced picture and that understanding of their job is what they seem to be lacking.
By the way, Sean "everything is just ducky here in Iraq" Penn is now in Iran. First he came out on Saddam's side, now I have to wonder if he is going to be taking the mullah's side?
When I want the truth and up to date reporting I come to your site. Who needs the BBC anyway!You have your own loyal readers, keep up the excellent journalism; you are the best resource for Iraq news at this time and from the beginning..
"This is an illegal war. Besides my son and I are making good money on this oil for palaces deal..."
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/me...food/
index.html
Omar, maybe you mad the BBC people mad. Did you say something good about George Bush or Tony Blair? If you want to get in print, just bad mouth these two and say what idiots they are, and you will get on the front page.
You have this outfit figured out Omar, and don't feel too bad that you were not published. They more than likely would have twisted your words to mean what you didn't say.
You probably have guessed by now, that I am not a big fan of BBC News.
Omar
Sorry to hear of your experiences with our so-called public-service broadcaster. This mirrors an experience I had a couple of years ago when I put a great deal of effort into cooperating with the producer of a programme about blogs in Scotland (as did a number of other Scottish bloggers who were active then) only for them to use only the most bland and frankly pretty boring clips in the half-hour radio programme, broadcast across Scotland, that resulted - I think their whole objective was to belittle blogging, because they know that we bloggers represent a real threat to traditional media (print and broadcast) in their monopoly of news distribution and, equally important, interpetation and analysis.
To cap it all, just a couple of days ago we had the ridiculous spectacle of the first 33 minutes of a specailly extended (30 to 45 mins) 10pm television news on the main BBC channel (BBC1) being devoted to the breathless anticipation surrounding the imminent Jackson verdict in California, which carried on way beyond the reading out of the verdicts. All live coverage from California by a large team of British reporters reporting back to even larger teams of people specially in the studio to talk to them. Completely ridiculous, when there is REAL news to report - I could care less about a popstar in court 6,000 miles away. They'd rather cover this 'pap' than talk about real issues - for this we are legally obliged to pay, unless we get rid of every TV a household owns. Argh!!!
BBC
Bullshit Broadcasting Company
they rank right up there with Al Joke-era
Omar
mea culpa
- sorry for the double-posting
Omar and Mohammed
I understand compleatly your "anger" at BBC for not print your interview! They like most of the other MSM "news"
orginizations are unfortunately focused on what will sell!In Great Britten and other countries such as the USA.and Canada it is the financial bottom line (money) that they are after, not the truth!
They would rather dedicate time to such stories as the trial of Michael Jackson and his perversion then tell something good about what is hapening in your country!
That said, I try to comb the different news agencies throughout the world to get the latest stories about Iraq! With your permission, I am going to plug my home page where I have attempted to compile some of the latest news on Iraq.
Good morning to you all, I hope all is well where you are!
I hope you-all will forgive me, but I am going to ask that when you have time, go to my homepage, and there you will find the latest news out of Iraq!I would also apreciate it if you would leave comments on some of the links I have there!Your input is valued by me, and helps me know what you want to read.
Thomas of truth on Iraq
That sounds pretty typical. I had a similar experience with a German news crew. They spent a month doing interviews and shooting film and spent three whole days just filming the group I was working with. The crew was rude, inconsiderate, and totally ignored the safety rules we asked them to obey until I threatened to physically throw them out of the building. What they showed on TV ended up only being a five minute segment. I bet 98% of the material they gathered will never see the light of day. The only way I found out about the clip was through a friend of mine living in Germany.
It's obvious what your problem was, you didn't have any bad news for them. The BBC is a bunch of agenda driven, socialists. By reporting on what your experience was with them, you expose their true motive.
I bet you have more blog readers than they had viewers
Omar: Most of the feel good, everything's great, we wear shades 'cuz our future is so bright bullshit that is sported by many here...is just that...nonsense...it appears that your attempt to portray an 'everything is normal' day in Iraq wouldn't sell soap in Birmingham so they iced your comments...get over it!
The BBC are just totally biased against America, you should have known that. They are always publishing lies about our brave troops, Tony Blair should close them down. Nobody trusts them anyway. I watch FOX News all the time now. Omar, why haven't you been approached by unbiased media like Fox for an interview?
socialists,liberals,pro-terrorists,nazis they all WANT to feel shitty-makes'em feel 'realer'-
its their crack. So you get the govt to pay for your stupid tv show to show how horrible and wrong everything is and create an audience of goyos and drors that lap it up so they can feel so above it all cuz they know and we're all naive.
riiight.
hey assholes.tiday is a great day and its only going to get better for those that believe it. go hide in your euro welfare state of depression and leave the real livin' to ...we the living!!
My email in protest of the BBC's coverage has been sent. Thanks for the alert, Omar.
Omar,
The Post did not cover that great rant from Mr. Rumsfeld I mentioned above. But they did pick up on something else.
One way George Bush is following up on his innaugural address
The address
excerpt:
We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.
America's vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one.
Kudos to the 2nd Battalion 1st Brigade of the Iraqi army for finding and freeing the Australian hostage.
hey assholes.tiday is a great day and its only going to get better for those that believe it. go hide in your euro welfare state of depression and leave the real livin' to ...we the living!!...what bizarre sentence construction...back to the second grade for you my boy!
Omar,
I was one of the reporters that interviewed you for the BBC, and let me be clear about how we used your material for radio - at least the interview I conducted - and for the web because I also was involved in the online part of the Day in Iraq project.
We definitely used your interview on Radio 5 on a new hour-long programme devoted to looking at news and current affairs through the eyes of podcasters and bloggers. Your experience wasn't too pedestrian and wasn't left on the cutting floor. We did have to cut some of it just due to poor quality of the line, which was a shame. I fought to get as much on air as possible. But you yourself knew how poor the line was. I've sent you the audio as an MP3 file, please feel free to post it on your site if you have the ability to do that. Maybe, it can be Iraq The Model's first podcast?
As for the Day in Iraq online project and the quotes from bloggers. For the purposes of the project, we started our 'Day' at roughly sunrise in Iraq and carried on for 12 hours.
We limited ourselves to those blog posts during that 'day'. Unfortunately, you didn't post. Maybe, I should have e-mailed you and let you know what we were doing to encourage you to post. However, I didn't do that because I didn't feel it was my place to artificially intervene like that. I wanted bloggers to post or not to post that day because they wanted to post not because we the BBC wanted to get some posts. We wanted authenticity, not blog posts for the sake of blog posts.
Glad that you have a blog so that we can be clear about the motivations and our internal thinking. That's the great thing about this medium. Thanks.
all the best,
k
Kevin Anderson
BBC Radio 5 and the BBC News website
http://www.bbcnews.com
http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/pr...pallnight_blog/
Omar
The Boston radio station WRKO simucasts with the BBC in Leeds from time to time. Listeners from the US and Britain call in and complain about each other. The BBC Presenter is not allowed to voice her opinion on air like the American hosts. The American hosts sometimes have to surreptiously express her opinions so she won't get in trouble.
Perhaps the woman you spoke to had no control over the final product.
feelin' the heat!!
there's that old objectivity line popping up again...
the bebb has a rep, they know they have it. the also know they arent going todo a thing to go out of their way to change it.
the point of ANY sincere story on blogging would be that the blogs don't toe the massline of elitist news agancies, ESPECIALLY PUBLICALLY FUNDED ONES THAT ONLY TELL ONE SIDE!!
So we're sorry that we didn't actually think about how blogging works beforehand and just so happened to not let anyone know at the biggest and best non-mass line blog in Iraq that we were coming.
What utter bullshit.... puhleeeze!!
Youre going to lose your audience, your tax money budget and finally your jobs and it will be because your product does not sincerely serve its audience. Bitch about objectivity and neutrality and all the rest but its just so obvious to people outside your beebleworld that your propagandists.
The way to tell if someone is completely nuts is that when you try to point out the obvious, they turn it around to make YOU look like its all your fault. If you say something YOURE ruining the party.
That's EXACTLY what blogging does, why it was invented and why its thriving. So throw it back in the dentists' faces. But the bottomline is that YOU DIDN"T DO YOUR DAMNED JOB
AND YOU MISSED AN OPPORTUNITY TO TRUTHFULLY SERVE YOUR AUDIENCE!
At least one person from the BBC has the wavos to come clean about what happened! Thank you Mr. Anderson! I have book marked your web site! I may even share them with my readers at my homepage.
UAE paper: US troops Mass on Syrian Border
Anybody seen anything else on this or is this just "mass" hysteria
Bob,
"US Troops Mass on Syrian Border."
There were quite a few troops in Tall Afar not long ago. Who knows where they may have wandered off to.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050...nm/
india_206061
I apologize that this is really off-subject, but how can the above story happen in this day and age. That's a great city council they have there.
SD
Yeah, those troops are prone to "wander" you know ... I wouldn't want them wandering up on me if I had been up to no good.