The Magazine Punch of Peasant Caricatures, particularly the starving Irish peasantry, originally from a time of keep them ignorant and illiterate and give them cartoons is closed. There are more than a few laughs about this one.
The old joke, "Punch is not as funny as it used to be - but then again it never was", drew little laughs as it folded.
Four years later the Egyptian businessman Mohamed al Fayed brought it back to life.
He funded new exposés on the likes of Peter Mandelson, the architect of New Labour, and the media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
But eventually it was costing £40,000 per issue to produce with subscriptions at only 6,000 and Mr Al Fayed closed the title again in 2002.
The magazine, which was a British institution, had carried articles by William Makepeace Thackeray and A. A. Milne as well as cartoons by the likes of Sir John Tenniel, the illustrator of "Alice in Wonderland". It had particularly insulting cartoons, during the Irish famine, which was a calculated engineered holocaust by the British Government, that reduced the Irish population from 9 million to 3 million in the space of 2 years. Modern revisionist historians and journalists, who are salaried by the British secret services, are still trying to re-write Irish history and erase this, among other facts from the records.
Then there are cartoons from the Republic !
The British formally protested publication of a caricature by Adolphe Willette in Le Courrier Français of April 17, 1898, which showed Queen Victoria walking with a bottle of rum in her hand (Figure 4). The British again protested in the aftermath of a special issue of Le Rire of November 23, 1899, designed by Willette, which bitterly attacked British imperialism ; for example, one drawing depicted a crucified Ireland asking, "Oh God, who I have long implored! Are you English?" (Figure 5) (16
FIGURE 5. Britain protested this November 23, 1899 issue of the French journal Le Rire, portraying a crucified Ireland.
One of the most famous diplomatic incidents in the history of caricature was provoked by an anti-British issue of L'Assiette au Beurre published on September 28, 1901, designed by jean Veber. Filled with bitter attacks on the use of concentration camps by the British during the Boer War, the most sensational caricature depicted "impudent Albion" in the form of a woman displaying her backside to the world, upon which could be seen the features of King Edward VII. King Edward personally complained about this drawing to French ambassador Paul Cambon, who wrote to his brother that the design was "scandalous,"
In Ireland we understand what the word (Shoah) Holocaust, (The Great Hunger) means. Believe me, we understand, its in our blood and our genes. Between 1845 - 1847 our population, was reduced from 9 million to 3 million by ethnic cleansing, by systematic, calculated, heartless, engineered famine. The revisionist historians have tried to re-write our history but this is fact. Our country too, lost 6 million people. It is so difficult, to forgive this, I am in tears about this but we must forgive and move on, for the future and for our children's sake.
As an Irish person, who is outraged by the systematic ethnic cleansing, being carried out currently in Gaza Concentration Camp, I have found the above, my most informative source, thus far, in trying to understand Israel and these war crimes. My only reservation, is the author's analysis of Leon Trotsky.
At this point, the only further addition I would make, is that we are in danger of allowing cerebral masturbation, to become a substitute for genuine human compassion and action, for the victims of the victims of genocidal war crimes. Currently monstrous war crimes are being committed by the US and Israel.
I personally believe our first action, must be a well organized, International Boycott of all countries currently guilty of war crimes. A simple majority of nations voting at the UN, should decide this matter immediately. In the meantime, I am currently boycotting all American and Israeli goods and services. I urge all intelligent people of goodwill, worldwide, including compassionate Americans and Jews to do the same.
I need help with organizing this, in an effective peaceful international way. We also need to find effective united ways, to deal with the considerable dis-information in the media, from very powerful agencies. This campaign to be effective and not fall foul, to black propaganda, must dis-associate itself entirely, from all violence, justified or not, to be effective.
Believe me, the propaganda and lies will come, so please, keep it peaceful, keep it
simple and stay united.
To stay United, I repeat, we must keep it simple, division and those who promote it,
is a friend of the enemy.
United we stand, Divided we fall.
BOYCOTT THE USA AND ISRAEL NOW !
We have powerful enemies and if you do not hear further from me, wherever you are, please continue this campaign, it will ultimately be successful. The word boycott originates in Ireland's struggle with British imperialism. If we stay united and persistent, it is the most effective weapon we have, internationally, to bring this perpetual violence to and end with justice. They will try to divide us, with propaganda, Above all else, keep it simple and stay United !.
Thousands flee Mother Nature's wrath
Human suffering on a roughly Biblical scale
by the Rockall disaster management bureau and Chris Wildman
Thousands of demoralised and wretched people are today streaming from centres of civilisation worldwide amid fears that Planet Earth has another Biblical-scale disaster up its sleeve with which to further castigate humanity.
One family's tale is typical: their belongings packed into the back of a Renault Megane, the Hardings have decided to quit their Basingstoke home in favour of a small holiday cottage in Cornwall. Speaking at a service station on the westbound M3, Frank Harding explained: "I can't take any more, to be honest. First New Orleans, then Central America, then Pakistan. There's a limit to how much on-the-spot disaster coverage the average human can bear."
Harding's wife Tania, an attractive 43-year-old brunette, sobbed: "We got to get away from here before a typhoon hits Malaysia and thirty thousand schoolchildren are buried in a catastrophic mudslide...." At this point she broke down completely as a news crew arrived with a satellite uplink to catch her suffering for a live TV audience of millions.
"Human suffering on an unimaginable scale..." began the news correspondent as the Hardings attempted to make good their escape.
On distant Rockall, meanwhile, the Fighting Dog and Pikey was packed to the gunwales last night with locals attempting to grab five minutes' respite from the relentless media onslaught of tragedy and despair.
"Don't mention the word 'Guatemala' for God's sake," whispered landlord Vince as he poured us a couple of pints of Olde Wifebeater. "Some bloke got his head kicked in in the bogs yesterday just because his name was Stan. People are at breaking point."
When quizzed as to a suitable subject of conversation, Vince offered: "The local paper ran a nice piece last Tuesday about a cat stuck up a tree. The fire brigade rescued it and delivered the poor thing safe and sound to its octogenarian war hero owner. It fair brings a tear to your eye, it really does."
In related news, the US was stung last week by accusations that their initial pledge of $100k to earthquake-ravaged Pakistan was somewhat less than generous given that country's $1m pledge to Katrina disaster relief, Chris Wildman reports. Accordingly, the US administration has rethought its offer and has upped its charitable donation to $10bn.
Vice-President Lon Cheney explained how the new figure had been reached: "It's really quite simple. We worked on the principle that since Pakistan is our next target in the War On Terror™ we will be saving about $20bn by not having to flatten the sh*it out of the place in an impressive Shock'n'Awe® depleted uranium display. Let's face it — there's fuc*k all left to bomb."
God enlists Wright & Obama in War on Terror
Titanic struggle for supremacy
by How Tenji on the road to perdition
George Bush is perhaps one of the most modest of world leaders. Where other heads of state behave as if they are God, George is content merely to speak with his creator. Alas, a direct line to the Almighty is not the exclusive preserve of American presidents and others have also been praying leaving our heavenly father in something of a dilemma.
God: Please kick Muslim assBush, in an address to the people of the USA, revealed for the first time the astonishing scope of the War on Terror™. What has hitherto been regarded as a bit of a scrap between a military super-power and some brown people with tea-towels on their heads, has now been revealed as only the earthly manifestation of a greater battle between supreme beings.
Following the attacks of 9/11 Franklin Graham, one of the President's religious advisors, gave this statement: "We're not attacking Islam but Islam has attacked us. The God of Islam is not the same God. He's not the son of God of the Christian or Judeo-Christian faith. It's a different God, and I believe Islam is a very evil and wicked religion."
The president revealed to a jubilant nation that whilst the US armed forces were kicking ass in Afghanistan and Iraq the Almighty was taking care of the inferior God of Islam; the self-styled Allah.
"The people of this great country prayed to the Almighty that he would, in his infinite mercy, kick some Muslim ass," said a prayerful president in a broadcast to the nation last night. He continued: "When the two towers collapsed I implorated our Heavenly Father and asked for his help. But he is a democratic god and he refused to act without a clear mandate. Only when a majority of those praying were asking for divine retribution did he visit his wrath upon our enemies."
The President went on to explain: "The Asian tsunami was a direct response to the attacks of 9/11. As sure as if it were a holy missile fired from a divine battleship that flood which killed 200,000 Muslims and other heathens was part of America's War on Terror™. Let us be in no doubt that the Lord sent this sign upon the very eve of the birthday of the Prince of Peace as a clear message to all mankind not to mess with Uncle Sam."
Warming to his subject, the President went on to explain that Hurricane Katrina and the devastation of New Orleans was the result of a Muslim counter-attack: "Compared to the power of Our Lord in his tsunamic judgement this attack upon the Christian USA was as nothing. But we must ask why He allowed this evil to befall us, His chosen nation? The answer, my fellow Americans, is that He was displeased with the immorality that was so widespread in that city. Like a latter-day Sodom He has allowed Allah to damage us as a warning."
Onlookers were visibly shaken by this news and spontaneously began praying for forgiveness, a strengthening of the US dollar and the continued rise of the Dow Jones. President Bush interrupted their worship to explain that he had personally spoken to the God of ages and together they had secretly planned a counter-attack.
"The Pakistan earthquake was his divine response to my prayers," said a pious and humble George Bush. "When our god smites, you stay smitten." He concluded to a chorus of cheers and cries of "Amen to that brother".
Senior US army assault chaplains are meeting to plan the USA's next step. Franklin Graham, an outspoken critic of pretty much everything, drew the line at adding nail bombs to parcels in the annual "Operation Christmas Child". He is said to have rejected the proposal on the grounds that although the Muslims and Hindus were clearly "Bound by Satan's power" they needed to be shown the mercy and compassion at the centre of Christian teaching. As a result, the US plans to link donation of all future aid to victims of natural disasters to a program of compulsory religious instruction to be organized by the Reverend Graham.
Religious leaders and meteorologists have been in prolonged discussions to try to establish whether hurricane Rita and recent tornadoes in the mid-west are of natural or super-natural origin. The recent cold snap in the UK is not thought to be suspicious.
Irish police were celebrating St. Patricks day, today after grilling and interrrogating BBC suspects, involved with Real IRA training exercise.
Gardai, the official name for the Irish police, arrested some BBC journalists over the weekend, who it is believed were part of a Real Irish Republican Army naval exercise. It is believed the BBC journalists may have participated in the paramilitary training exercise, in County Donegal in the Irish republic. There is speculation that the BBC journalists may have also have travelled to Rockall, an island off the coast of Donegal, as part of an elaborate naval republican miltary exercise.
The four along with seven other accused Real IRA volunteers, were arrested in Donegal, the northwestern county which borders the north eastern part of Ireland, or the six counties, still occupied by the British army in barracks there. The arrests are part of an investigation into paramilitary activity, the police said.
In a statement the police said, a further four BBC journalists had been arrested and detained under the Offences Against the State Act. The BBC public broadcaster admitted its journalists were among the 11 real IRA arrested. It is still not clear, whether they will be accused of IRA membership.
"The four journalists normally work on BBC current affairs programmes and it is beleved they had full editorial clearance from the BBC " the British corporation admitted on its news.bbc.co.uk website.
"A spokesperson said the police were fully aware that they were also BBC journalists," the BBC admitted. It is still not clear if they were in disguise.
The IRA campaign, in which more than 3,600 were killed in three decades, had subsided, after a power-sharing executive was installed last year. But police in the occupied 6 counties warned recently of stepped up operations by the Real IRA.
The four BBC journalists along with seven other IRA men arrested, are being questioned by the police in three separate police stations, in the border county of Donegal, beside the island of Rockall. The British also dispute ownership of this Irish island, where there are believed to be large deposits of gas. The BBC suspects were still being held on St Patrick's eve but were released on compassionate grounds for the Irish holiday. Several of the undercover Gardai, were observed today celebrating the arrests, in local bars.
Seven of the arrests were made on Saturday and a further four yesterday. Although the BBC released only limited details, it is admitted they were with the Real IRA, though it is not clear what exactly their status was. A statement from the BBC said: "They had full authorisation". The Real IRA were fully aware they also worked for the BBC.
Irish police said the arrests were part of "ongoing investigations into paramilitary activity".
BBC journalists are normally restricted by detailed guidelines, from involvement with or membership of military organisations, such as the Real IRA, though some date from heated controversies, arising from censorship of the IRA in the 70s.
The Real IRA in sporadic miltary activities since the split, with some members who went off and joined the PSNI, a british paramiltary police force. The IRA include a number of shootings which seriously wounded several paramiltary police officers.
A considerable number of Real IRA personnel have been jailed. The recent shootings of the british occupying para-police, suggest they have staged a recovery.
Last month increased measures such as vehicle checkpoints by the para-police, have made a reappearance in parts of the northern occupied six counties of Ireland. In a recent newspaper interview, the Real IRA announced it is forcing British troops back on to the streets out of their barracks, into public view as legitimate targets. A republican spokesperson said: "We believe the British soldiers will be brought back onto the streets, to bolster these new para-cops under the new name of the PSNI. This will shatter the facade, that the British presence has gone and normality reigns."
Police sources recently described the Real IRA as "extremely dangerous".
