Nick Cohen condemns Hamas, but ignores the besetting sins of Israel

While agreeing with Nick Cohen on many issues, I am always baffled by his pro-Israeli stance (“Sympathise with Israel, but not the blockade” Comment). He goes on about Ba’athists or Iran or Islamists, as if their existence justifies any action of Israel’s. He decries Hamas, but Israel caused Hamas’s rise to power by her refusal to reach any compromise with Fatah. Now, Hamas can conveniently be used as an excuse for crimes like Operation Cast Lead, when one of the world’s most heavily populated cities was mercilessly bombed. In his eyes, Muslims/Arabs are to blame for everything and Israel can do no wrong. It’s time to face the truth, Nick: the total oppression of the Palestinians, appropriation of their land, ceaseless building of illegal settle-ments and intimidation or murder of its opponents make Israel a rogue state.

James Dixon

Manchester

Lend an ear to rabbit wisdom

“There is never any way to be sure if your rabbit will be tender,” says Nigel Slater (Magazine). But there is, Nigel, if you start your relationship with your rabbit far enough back. May I quote from the memoir of my 1930s childhood that I am writing for my family? “Rabbits were plentiful in season and boys would sell them at the door for sixpence each. You looked at your rabbit’s ears. If the fur on them was still soft and downy, the rabbit would be tender enough to roast with sage and onion stuffing but, if the fur was bristly, you had best make your rabbit into a pie or stew it with dumplings.”

Betty Birch

London SW6

Play fair with sports figures

It is incorrect to suggest (“Olympic legacy in doubt as sports cash fails to attract women and minorities“, News) that Sport England’s investment has failed to get people playing sport. The number of youngsters taking part has risen substantially since 2005, while adult participation has increased by more than 700,000. With just over two years to go until the Games, we are focused on delivering a lasting, mass-participation sports legacy. This will be the jewel in the crown of this country’s golden decade of sport.

Jennie Price

Chief executive, Sport England

Copy Canada at your peril

Nick Clegg has claimed that his government can learn from the “progressive” experience of Canada, Sweden and the US with budget cutting. (“No return to savage cuts of the Thatcher years“, News). I can assure him, despite my being a long-time member of the Canadian Liberal party, that the Canadian experience is a very bad guide for Britain. In addition to damaging healthcare, the cuts imperilled higher education, increased child poverty, damaged our infrastructure and prolonged higher unemployment.

Harold Chorney, professor of political economy

Concordia University, Montreal

Making sense of Cumbria

There’s been an awful lot of half-baked analysis about Derrick Bird. The articles by Euan Ferguson and Henry Porter (“A tragic old coast that will forever be haunted by the words ‘what if‘”, Focus, and “In the midst of horror, be amazed at the goodness of the survivors“, News) are the reason why the Guardian and the Observer are better equipped to deal with important events than any other news medium; good writers have been allowed space to reflect and have the talent to communicate their thoughts remarkably well. You helped me make some sort of sense of these terrible events.

Chris Lilly

London E14

Hats off to Jessica and Kate

Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson can presumably defend themselves from Barbara Ellen’s attack (“Actresses should stand up against violence in films“), but let me suggest a reason for their appearances in The Killer Inside Me. When you’ve appeared in endless adolescent Hollywood films, any star wanting to demonstrate talent is going to leap at an intelligent film based on a well-regarded writer with a respected director and a fine cast. I am grateful that lending their names to a serious film presumably helped get the project financed and provides a welcome alternative to TV spin-offs and blockbusters.

William Reiss,

London SW19

Don’t swallow pro GM guff

Professor Colin Blakemore claims the Food Standards Agency is not biased in favour of GM food (“GM food deserves better than this witch-hunt“, Comment). Prof Blakemore shows exactly this bias in contrasting the “scientific assessment of the risks and potential benefits of GM” with what he claims are the “unsubstantiated horror stories about GM and uncritical praise for organic farming”. Only one major international scientific assessment of farming systems has been carried out and the conclusions, which supported agri-ecological farming, have been backed by 40 governments, including ours. Prof Blakemore and the FSA are the ones guilty of ideological and unsubstantiated support for GM and unscientific and unjustified opposition to organic farming.

Peter Melchett

Policy director, the Soil Association

Bristol

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]]> http://london-2012-olympics.net/News/israels-abuse-of-palestinians-makes-it-a-rogue-state-letters/feed/ 0 http://london-2012-olympics.net/News/london-2012-olympics-a-big-business-spectacle/ http://london-2012-olympics.net/News/london-2012-olympics-a-big-business-spectacle/#comments Fri, 11 Jun 2010 16:38:41 +0000 admin http://www.london-2012-olympics.net/2012-olympic-news/london-2012-olympics-a-big-business-spectacle/ IN 2012 the Olympics and Paralympics come to east London. On show will be the world’s elite sportsmen and women, flexing their muscles and straining their sinews in state-of-the-art stadia.

The supermarket chain is the first to sign as a Paralympics-only sponsor in the largest deal in the event’s history

Sainsbury’s has signed up as the first sole sponsor of the 2012 London Paralympics, in what the organising committee claims is the largest sponsorship of the event in its history.

Sainsbury’s, the first partner to sign as a Paralympics-only sponsor, undoubtedly spied a significant commercial opportunity after Channel 4 snatched the rights to broadcast the event in January and pledged 150 hours of TV coverage. The BBC, which runs no ad breaks, has broadcast previous Paralympics.

“This historic commitment to the Paralympic movement is the largest sponsorship ever of a Paralympic games,” said the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

Sainsbury’s said that between now and the start of the event it will use its 850-shop network across the UK to promote the Paralympics. The deal will also include stocking merchandise and a guarantee to run a major media campaign in 2012.

The deal will also include “limited branding” on the field of play at the Paralympics and Sainsbury’s will be one of only two partners, the other is as yet unnamed, to have a “presence” on athletes’ bibs.

Seven main sponsors are already tied to the London Olympics, which also gives them links to the Paralympic event.

“We are delighted to be the official sponsor of the 2012 London Paralympic games,” said Justin King, chief executive of Sainsbury’s. “The vision on which the Paralympic movement was founded complements Sainsbury’s commitment to promote a healthy, fitter lifestyle across all ages and abilities.”

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]]> http://london-2012-olympics.net/News/sainsburys-signs-up-as-2012-paralympics-sponsor/feed/ 0 http://london-2012-olympics.net/News/learning-from-the-recession/ http://london-2012-olympics.net/News/learning-from-the-recession/#comments Mon, 12 Apr 2010 04:54:53 +0000 admin http://www.london-2012-olympics.net/2012-olympic-news/learning-from-the-recession/ The recent recession has made it a tough time for most businesses, and the story is no different for these four female entrepreneurs. But how did they trade through it?