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Now tracking the new emerging South Africa Omicron Variant

Slightly Off topic - but interesting

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2ciewan View Drop Down
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    Posted: May 22 2006 at 4:21pm
Sky TV in the uk has just reported that number 10 downing street has refused media sources information under the freedom of information act.

The information requested was proof of a recent meeting between the prime minister and rupert murdoch.

This in itself seems pretty normal, but bearing in mind the fact that he pretty much owns the media in the uk, i get a bad feeling something is round the corner, this combined with the fact they will not even confirm the meeting?

Worth noteing to date there has still been NO coverage in any tv media of anything relating to bird flu, and an increase in the number of "feel good" stories.

I hope im being extra paranoid, but to be on the safe side im going to defcon2!!
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MAJDAD View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote MAJDAD Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 22 2006 at 5:08pm
Careful.  Defcon2  could be very expensive.  Make sure the birds are heating up before you flush the bombers.
Major Dad hopes you are all alive and well and looking out for each other
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2ciewan View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 2ciewan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 22 2006 at 6:57pm
lol quality
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote MAJDAD Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 22 2006 at 7:01pm
Just to be sure you know where I am coming from, my are at fail safe points and codes are in the computer waiting for the execute command.
Major Dad hopes you are all alive and well and looking out for each other
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 2ciewan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 22 2006 at 7:22pm
well thats sorted then, turn keys on my mark.........

or we could just have a nice game of chess?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote MAJDAD Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 22 2006 at 7:27pm
And thats  5 ... 4.... 3 ... 2....
/
/
Knight to kings bishop three
Major Dad hopes you are all alive and well and looking out for each other
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 23 2006 at 4:35am
You guys are scaring me! .... Doesn't take much to get the stomache in knots, these days!!!Confused -k
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 2ciewan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 23 2006 at 4:48am
No 10 refuses to release details of Blair's dealings with Murdoch

By Andrew Grice, Political Editor
Published: 23 May 2006
Downing Street has blocked a request under the Freedom of Information Act to reveal Tony Blair's contacts with the media magnate Rupert Murdoch.

Officials admitted there was a public interest in the Prime Minister's dealings with the News Corporation chairman and chief executive but said, on balance, that there was an overriding interest in keeping them secret so that Mr Blair could have "free and frank discussions" with people.

Critics, including some Labour MPs, have claimed that Mr Blair has given Mr Murdoch too much influence over government policy on issues such as cross-media ownership and Europe in an attempt to ensure that the mogul's newspapers, including The Sun and The Times, support the Labour Party.

A reader of The Independent, who tried to obtain details of "communications, correspondence and minutes" between Mr Blair, his advisers and Mr Murdoch since 1997, was first told that it would be too expensive to provide under the guidelines of the 2000 Act. When he narrowed down his request to cover a one-year period, he was told that the information would not be released anyway.

"I can confirm that the Prime Minister's Office holds information relevant to your request," Nikhil Rathi, a private secretary at Downing Street, told the reader. "We acknowledge that there are public interest factors in favour of disclosure of the information you have requested.

"However, on balance, we consider that the public interest factors in favour of non-disclosure outweigh those in favour of disclosure of the information you have requested."

The Number 10 official argued: "It is important for the effective conduct of public affairs that the Prime Minister is able to undertake free and frank discussions with a range of stakeholders. It is in the public interest that views are expressed as freely as possible."

In 1998, Mr Blair rang Romano Prodi, the Italian Prime Minister, to test political reaction to Mr Murdoch's takeover bid for the Mediaset broadcasting empire, owned by Silvio Berlusconi.

Pressure from Mr Murdoch is believed to have been a factor in Mr Blair promising a referendum on the proposed European Union constitution. It was scrapped after a "No" vote in the French and Dutch referendums killed off the constitution.

The man who requested the information has appealed against Number 10's ruling, which will fuel criticism of the way the Act is working. But Lord Falconer, the Constitutional Affairs Secretary, gave an upbeat assessment of its first year yesterday. He told a conference in Manchester that 87 per cent of the almost 40,000 requests for information received in 2005 were responded to within the time limit. "This is not good enough, obviously I want to see 100 per cent answered to time, but ... it does compare favourably with experience in many other countries," he said.

Free information?

* The Freedom of Information Act was passed in 2000 but did not take effect until January 2005

* According to figures published yesterday, 36,013 requests were made during 2005 - 19,710 to government departments and 16,303 to other public bodies

* Of the 29,271 requests about which information was held, it was released fully in 19,192 cases, withheld fully in 5,401 cases, and partially withheld in 3,762 cases. 916 are still pending

* Whitehall departments granted 60 per cent of requests in full.


an overriding interest ?

link
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MAJDAD View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote MAJDAD Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 23 2006 at 6:46am
2ciewan:  You may be on to something.  All of the Media outlets in the US are own by major industry and are not independent.  Murdock owns some in the US as well.  That the government leaders and media have been in bed for a while is well known and it is possible that the control of information will be critical.
 
ReadyMom:  What we are saying is that we are ready to button up with no notice.  Feel that it may be real close.
Major Dad hopes you are all alive and well and looking out for each other
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ravendawn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 23 2006 at 3:45pm
As i have stated before i am glad to be on this forum,the UK reporting of H5N1 is a joke .Bad politics will be the downfall of us all.Dead I hope the way this has been handled will alert people to the real shady world we live in.
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