Fun with our friends at the BBC

You know, there are some days that you can look at the news headlines and not get anything but depressed.  No amusement in stupidity that is just purposeful agendaism.  (Squiggly red line tells me I have just coined a new word!)  But here at the Martin World News family of posts, we say, you just haven't looked at the right newspage yet.  So pull up a chair, and...

Yep, news hot from the BBC!

ITEM ONE:  How to handle a mistake at your office

In Egypt, they take their news seriously.  A few nights ago, their news channel was to broadcast a recent interview of President Sisi (I don't believe that's supposed to be pronounced "sissy") by America's news bastion, PBS.  Unfortunately, somebody in editorial forgot to check their time-stamp and ran a year-old interview instead.  Shortly after someone in the newsroom exclaimed what passes in Arabic for "Holy S#!t!", the clip was taken down and they immediately went to a McPharoah's commercial.  Too late for the Chief of news of Egypt State Television;  He had no more finished a spit take on his Earl Gray back at home when he was informed -

"Mostafa Shehata confirmed he was fired.
But he told AFP news agency that it was "illogical" as other people had been involved in the transmission as well, putting it down to "fate". "


And ESTV agrees- and are looking to root out who was responsible.  But, Shehata- whose name is evidently Arabic for "scapegoat", is the captain who precedes the ship in sinking.  Can you imagine that happening in America?  Why that would be like if Brian Williams- er, wait, if Chris Matthews- er, wait- nah.  Just forget it.


ITEM TWO:  And you think we'll have it bad with Trump

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who gained the low income newsers' attention a week or so ago by calling Barack Obama an SOB and hurting his feelings, turned his loveable wrath on the European Union.  The EU is getting a bit nervous about having dealings with a man who is waging a wholesale campaign to eradicate "drug dealers" in his country.  With the death toll rising, they thought they would put a dignified word in his ear about being careful and respectable.  Now, the BBC was a bit too dignified and respectable to print EXACTLY what he said in response; however, one can always count on The Independent:

Speaking at the Sulong Pilipinas-Local Governance Dialogues in the southern city of Davao, the President said: "When I read the EU condemnation I told them f**k you.


"You are doing it in atonement for your sins. They are now strict because they have guilty feelings."


It seems that Duterte, which is apparently Tagalog for "potty-mouth", finds it hypocritical that former colonial powers, who "killed thousands" back in the day (which is true, BTW) should whine about him eliminating a couple thousand "criminals".

He may be right, for that matter.  However, there's a lot in HOW he says it.


ITEM THREE:  1,001 uses for roadkill # 678


Would you believe a purse?

Yes, a woman in New Zealand found a roadkill cat, put the remains in her freezer, then spent 300 hours turning "Tom" into a purse.  Claire Third then put the purse up for auction on TradeMe with an opening bid of NZ$1- and got 500 times that for it.  It fetched the equivalent of just under $400 USD.


Apparently, the social media comments (one requested, "How much to have myself made into a bag?  Probably around 50 years from now by estimate", to which she replied, "Free with proof of natural death") started to get to her, though, and she had a delightful way of expressing that:

She said she'd been "quite upset" by some of the comments, and had had to take the day off work.
"There are some really weird people out there, and I don't know what leather couches they've been sitting on."


So, apparently leather couches are a thing in New Zealand.  Who knew?


ITEM FOUR:  From the people who brought you Rio 2016

The newly minted mayor of Rome, the beautiful Ms. Virginia Raggi of the Five Star Movement, has just announced that Rome will not be pursuing it's bid for the 2024 Olympics.

Ms. Raggi is in an unenviable position.  First, you have her Five Star Movement.  Here's a description of mess #1:

The Five Star Movement does not define itself as left or right wing. Rather, it runs on an anti-establishment platform that has won support from across the political spectrum.

Direct democracy is a founding principle of the movement, with candidates and policies chosen through online voting. It also stands against the perceived corruption of established politicians, and only fields candidates with a clean criminal record. 

The movement is an ardent critic of the Euro and has promised to call a “consultative referendum” on the single currency should they get into power.


So basically we have Libertarians on dope here.  And Ms. Raggi was elected to Rome's highest post, which means she has inherited one of the great steaming piles in the civilized world, incapable of even picking up its trash without help from the Cosa Nostra.  Into a city which struggled to provide basic services the old way, you mix in:

Even prominent members of the movement have criticized Ms. Raggi’s close aides and chosen staff members as unfit to govern. Her lack of experience became more evident through the summer, during which questions were raised about her administrative skills as well as about transparency and honesty, two of the movement’s main selling points.

At the end of August, a snowball effect began after rumors about the large salary of Ms. Raggi’s chief of cabinet led to her resignation.

Soon after, another crucial member of Ms. Raggi’s cabinet, her budget adviser, quit, lamenting a “transparency deficit.” Then, in one day, top managers of Rome’s transportation and garbage agencies resigned, too, reinforcing a sense of administrative paralysis.


And to this, they wanted to add an Olympics.  And some are calling for her head because she nixed it.  And with Boston and Hamburg already having dropped out, that leaves Paris, Los Angeles, and Budapest remaining.  I would give Budapest the opening nod here, since they have the most negatives- a world-class immigration problem and a government ready to go all Donald Trump on them and the EU.  Paris is a walking security issue, and LA- well, they say the Big One can come at any moment.  Maybe someone should just invent an online Olympics, eh?


ITEM FIVE:  What?  You were expecting Hartman and Piscopo?

North Korean state TV usually has two types of programming- that which portrays leader Kim Jong Dung as something interesting, and that which bashes South Korea, the US of A, and whoever pissed them off the most this week.  But now, they have added a comedy show- relatively speaking.  Basically army soldiers doing skits about #s 1 and 2 above, it is called "The stage of optimism that Songun presented"- Songun being their military-first policy.  Hre's a clip of South Korea's President with Barack Obama:

Obama is the one with the bandage.  He has just fallen down in shock over the latest North Korean nuclear test.  Funny stuff.  And so realistic!