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Sold, Soviet Secret City Skrunda-1

February 9, 2010 by Robert Bonnett

I believe that qualifies as alliteration. Regardless, Russian firm Aleksejevskoje-Serviss outbid other investors at an auction held on Friday to snap up the Latvian town of Skrunda-1 for over 1.5 million Ls (£1.86 million or $3.1 million). Built in the 1980s, it housed two important Soviet radar bases, which monitored the skies for signs of a NATO nuclear missile attack, and was home to more than 5,000 service personnel and their families.

Located close to the town of Skrunda whence it got its name (the suffix “1” having been added to assist in identifying the secret installation, as it wasn’t marked on maps), which is some hundred or so miles from the country’s capital, Riga, the 45 hectare site-cum-self-contained-city that is Skrunda-1 has nearly 70 buildings, housing 500 plus apartments, a school, shops, night clubs, etc. Following the demolition, over a decade ago, of the 19 storey, 60m high Hen House radar station (video) by American explosives experts, the ghost town’s remaining residents left.

As I believe Dame Judi Dench once said, “God, I miss the Cold War” . . . .

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1001 Inventions Versus A Generation Of Jihad

February 8, 2010 by Robert Bonnett

In light of the news today that the hopelessly optimistic chief constable of West Yorkshire Police, Sir Norman Bettison, believes the UK faces another twenty years of home-grown Islamic extremism, it’s refreshing to examine another aspect of Islam, which is exactly what the 1001 Inventions exhibition at London’s Science Museum is doing.

Although it’s true to say that some Muslim scientists of yesteryear held varying degrees of scepticism about their religion, it was nonetheless the case that Islam provided the driving force behind many scientific breakthroughs and discoveries. And not just those that benefited it, such as perfecting the use of astrolabes to aid in locating the qibla, so that Muslims could face towards Mecca when praying.

The show, which runs until April 25th and is free to enter, offers an insight into the achievements of the Islamic world during the millennium or so following Muhammad’s death. Whilst Europe dwindled in the Dark Ages, Muslim scientists, engineers and technologists were at the forefront of development, in many cases laying the foundations of modern medicine, architecture, optics, agriculture, wind power, hydraulics, astronomy, mathematics, cartography, chemistry, etc, etc, etc.

Hospitals, algebra, star names, our (though it’s not really) numbers system, and a vast array of the words we use every day all have their roots in the Islamic Golden Age. A Muslim, Fatima al-Fihri (a lady, no less), even founded the world’s first degree granting university, Morocco’s University of Al Karaouine in Fez – been there, easy place to get lost, thoroughly recommend a trip in a police van should the decent chaps from the local constabulary offer you one, can’t endorse the loos in the souk, mind, but I might be confusing them with the ones in Marrakech.

And yes, Islam granted women rights, albeit not entirely equal ones by modern Western standards, but rights nonetheless and long before Europeans or anyone else gave so much as a single thought to such things. . . .

http://www.1001inventions.com

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Jew Hating On The Increase

February 5, 2010 by Robert Bonnett

Or, as the BBC put it “Anti-Semitic attacks against Jews rise in the UK ”. Although against whom, other than Jews, anti-Semitic attacks could be made is anyone’s guess. Following its usual line of politically correct half-journalism the BBC fails to state that many of these assaults were carried out by militant Muslims, preferring instead to merely suggest so by referring to the Community Security Trust, which believes the 2008 Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas fuelled much of the increase.

2009 saw a record number of such racially motivated assaults, 55% more than during 2008. Most of the 924 cases consisted of verbal abuse, but 124 violent incidents were also reported as were 37 attacks against Jewish schoolchildren. Included were swastika graffiti, strips of bacon left wrapped around a synagogue door handle, and a Jewish girl being surrounded by 20 odd Asian (Asian?) youths chanting “Kill all Jews” and “Death to Jews” in Birmingham.

God, I hate this country at times . . . .

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Questioning The Negativity About Islam . . .

February 4, 2010 by Robert Bonnett

. . . as Sikhs get a gurdwara in Arabia. The temple, construction of which is behind schedule but nonetheless coming along, is due to open at the end of this year in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The royal rulers together with the council of Imams recently granted permission to build the 5000 seat gurdwara for the 50,000 or so Sikhs who live there.

As with the country’s attitude towards Christians, who, reports The Sikh Times (whence the title came), also have their own places of worship in Dubai, this is at least one example of “positive inter-religious interaction,” etc. Whether it helps counter the negative perception of Islam as lacking tolerance towards other faiths (and most other things), and the damage done to the religion by extremists – i.e. fuckwits – is another matter.

Fancy that, if you watch long enough you can even find out how many plates and glasses the kitchen facilities would allow staff to wash per hour . . .

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Confucius Say . . .

February 3, 2010 by Robert Bonnett

“No put my face on lottery ticket.”

But that’s just what China’s state lottery has done. Launched last week in Qufu, Shandong Province, where the famous philosopher lived some 2,500 years ago, the tickets cost 10 Yuan (£0.90 or $1.50) a piece. Not only does each coupon boast a *colour* picture of the ancient Chinese giant – he was reputedly rather tall – but they also include one of his sayings. The jackpot ticket will apparently read, “Of all rituals, harmony is the most valuable,” though I imagine the lucky holder would be more interested in the 300,000 Yuan (£27,500 or $44,000) prize.

The whole business has stoked up a bit of controversy, of course, but what would life be like without a little of that, eh? Critics disapprove of the tickets, which they argue challenge the teachings and spirit of Confucius. But the lottery, which offers the only legal form or gambling in China, hit back, claiming that the tickets promote a “healthy, wholesome life,” by informing the general public of their country’s ancient past. Like okaaayyyy . . . .

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