Caught In The Net

Hardline Muslim fundamentalism isn’t all bad!
While the rest of us have to suffer the televisual poo that is Big Brother, the Middle Eastern Broadcasting Center has pulled the plug on a Bahraini version called al-Rayes following a series of violent street protests.
“Several hundred Islamists chanting ‘Stop Sin Brother! No to indecency!’ protested in Bahrain on Friday against the show, which they deemed un-Islamic,” reads the report on www.realitytvworld.com. “The program had raised eyebrows despite efforts to take into account Muslim sensitivities. The house featured separate sleeping quarters for men and women, a prayer room and a separate women’s lounge, although there was also a mixed-sex communal area.”
There’s more good news with a shadowy Islamic group declaring a fatwa on everyone connected with the Arab version of Star Academy or, as it’s rightly been rechristened, Satan’s Academy.
“It’s part of a huge plot planned many years ago to strip away all virtue from the Arab youth,” they rant.
Meanwhile, the nice – and very fat – people at www.theimpulsivebuy.com have been trying to ascertain the most artery-hardening fast food product in the world…ever!
While the Burger King Enormous Omelet Sandwich does extremely well with its 730 calories and 47 grams of fat, it’s the Hardee’s Monster Thickburger and its 1,420 calories/107 grams of fat that steals the honours.
As fond as we are of hearing the new Jamiroquai single eight times a day, Caught In The Net denied itself the pleasure of listening to Ireland’s terrestrial broadcasters last week and tuned in to www.davidbyrne.com
While there was no sign of Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party or any of the other bands who deny being influenced by Talking Heads, we thoroughly enjoyed hearing the likes of Donovan, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Ms. Dynamite, Bjork, Julie London, Rufus Wainwright and Cornershop being played side by side for the first time in their lives.
Which just leaves time for quick visits to www.marcosilvestri.com/travel/Japan (fascinating if rather obsessive virtual tour); www.c-90.nm.ru (Russian cassette nostalgia); and www.shavedneck.com (punk rock flyer archive).