First Broadcast October 30, 2005: In this week’s edition of Shire Network News, the official podcast of Silent Running, Laurence Simon seems rather out of sorts over a statement from the Iranian President about relations with Israel. Terribly touchy those Hebrews, I find. The smallest threat to exterminate them with atomic weapons and they take so personally.Our Man in London Andrew Ian Dodge can't decide whether George Galloway should be hung, drawn and quartered in the Tower of London, or shipped off the the USA so "Old Sparky" can be fired up again. Decisions, decisions...

The feature interview this week is with the married couple who write “Gates of Vienna”, Baron Bodisesy and Dymphna, who talk about their work in uncovering the existence of a Jaamat Al-Fuqra training camp in rural Virginia.

Also mentioned in the podcast, USA Today reveals the identity of a Goa’uld symbiote at the highest echelons of the US government (the knee high leather boots should have been a bit of a giveaway), Sir Humphry’s has the technical analysis of the revealing photo, and Michelle Malkin tracks the blog response to the revalation of alien control of US foriegn policy (the fact that we actually counterattacked after 9/11 should have been a bit of a giveway), Roger L. Simon congratulates the President of Iran on his candour, and we cross live to New York for the ringing condemnations of Iran’s threat to destroy Israel from the assembled Arab ambassadors, a black blogger puts a black politician he doesn’t like in blackface minstrel makeup and then gets all bent out of shape when Andrew Sullivan calls him on it, Verdondent blog wonders why suddenly the whole mainstream media started using the headline “Grim Milestone” like they were Pavlov’s dogs or something, LGF undercover operative Zombie infiltrates the wild celebrations at Moonbat Central when the good news about the 2,000th US death in Iraq came though (he has some of the most incriminating photos you’ll ever see), although Greyhawk brings us a different perspective from one of the fallen.

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First Broadcast October 23, 2005: In this week’s edition of Shire Network News, the official podcast of Silent Running, Laurence Simon goes violently ape on New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin’s arse. Sorry, ass. The reason? Sports. What else is going to really get Americans worked up? A natural disaster? Oh please…Our Man in London continues to taunt us with tales of teenage totty among the Tories, and our feature interview is with blogger Tex, of Whacking Day, about how to use the F-bomb to maximum effect, and strategic use of photos of the dead Che Guevara to drive lefties crazy. Ok, even crazier than usual.

Also in the program, confusion to the French as we celebrate the battle of Trafalgar; how easy it is to contract a case of Conservative Obsessive Compulsive Disorder by reading NRO, Pro-Life Blogs and Info-Theory, all of which seem to believe that the Harriet Miers nomination to the US Supreme Court is the most important event since the cooling of the earth’s crust, assuming you aren’t one of those who believe the universe was created over a week only six thousand years ago or something; the Spectator gets medieveal on New Zealand’s arse; political blogs start calling the shots in the Ohio Senate race; how would Daily Kos fare if it were based in Tehran, where pissing off the mullahs by blogging can get you thirty lashes; “South Park” lampoons the media, who seem curiously reluctant to talk about their Hurricane Katrina performance now that the actual facts are emerging; and the Guardian get to keep using words like “militant”, “insurgent” and “activist” after one of their reporters gets handed back by kidnappers who realise he’s worth more to them alive than dead.

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First Broadcast October 15, 2005: In this week’s edition of Shire Network News, the official podcast of Silent Running, Laurence Simon talks about the non-story about how George Bush came to be quoted as saying G0d talks to him. The media’s unimpeachably solid source for this? The Palestinian political leadership! Riiiight.Our Man in London speculates about which loser has-been is going to be selected to lead the Tory Party to it's next inevitable crushing defeat, and our feature interview is with blogger Meryl Yourish, about her concerns that Israel is being held to a double standard, and that Jews are reliving the 1930s.

Also in the program, an alternative use for the BBC‘s news theme Lillibulero, the BBC try to show that Jews are just making it up about being in danger and Melanie Phillips probably wishes she hadn’t participated in the documentary, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder leaves office with characteristic charm and diplomacy, what the European papers are really saying about America in their own languages, the New Zealand media spazzes out over church members speaking to politicians, British playwright Harold Pinter wins this year’s Novel Prize for Anti-American Lunacy, a soldier involved in the alleged “staged chat” with the President hits back at the media for misrepresenting it, a lefty luvvie Australian playwright gets trapped on a cruise ship full of Kath and Kim clones and sees a metaphor for the destruction of the Lucky Country, while commenters on Tim Blair’s site point and laugh.

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First Broadcast October 01, 2005: In this week’s edition of Shire Network News, the official podcast of Silent Running, Laurence Simon imagines himself as a latter-day Francis Scott Key, inspired by…well, lets just say it aint a flag and let you find out.Our Man in London is joined by one of Our Men in New Zealand, David Farrar, who is apparently being stalked in London by Deborah Coddington. Well, it's Earl's Court, it's not as if she would run into anyone English, is it?

In Blog News, I’m off to Rarotonga for my holidays, and you’re not. Why? Oh, the desperate need to avoid the thought of my homeland struggling under three more years of (and this is a direct quote from a comments post), “arrogant rule by bed-wetting hand-wringing bearded cardigan-wearing lefties, supported on confidence and supply by a bunch of tree-hugging lice-picking fuckwits not long out of the trees”. Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Also mentioned are Randi (Everything is just like the Holocaust! Bush is Hitler! They’re using helicopter gunships on black people!) Rhodes, who Dave Pierre busted on his blog “Newsbusters” for comparing the way people were transported away from New Orleans on buses to the Holocaust. You remember how everyone got off at Auschwitz and received three squares, a cot and a $2,000 debit card, right? I predict some masterful juvenile scorn for Randi from Meryl Yourish, especially now she has a spiffing new look for her fine blog.

We have some words of confort for any American tourist who has ever been sneered at by a European, delivered by James Garner, from the Movie “The Americanization of Emily”, and the feature interview is with military blogger/podcaster Dave Green, of Reverse Retina Radio (“the most heavily armed podcast in the universe”).

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First Broadcast September 24, 2005: In this week’s edition of Shire Network News, the official podcast of Silent Running, Laurence Simon explains staying put in hurricane-threatened Houston was preferable to being stuck in the worlds biggest traffic jam with three angry cats and no food. Our Man in London provides us with the bstartling intelligence that it appears to be raining. Raining? In Britain? MI6 are reportedly working the angles on that right now.

In Blog News, the seige of Helengrad continues, still no word if last Saturday’s assault on the walls was successful, but it’s not looking good, NZ Pundit, David Farrar’s Kiwiblog, Sir Humphry’s , why Dennis Kucinich, Al Sharpton, Howard Dean and Wes Clark just can’t cut it in the crazy stakes with foirmer Australian opposition leader Mark Latham, Tim Blair, Cindy Sheehan, the Google empire targets blogs for their nefarious scheme to offer us free and useful services, the bastards, why Singaporean bloggers are staring down the barrel of sedition charges over comments about dogs, the correct way for Christian to apologise to Muslims according to the Anglican church, Melanie Phillips, and finally a little something for all the lovers out there…

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First broadcast September 12, 2005: In this week’s edition of Shire Network News, the official podcast of Silent Running, the inside story on the tragic demise if our original site, the awful fate of those responsible, and the heartwarming tale of our British pluck, Kiwi fix-it-with-a-bit-of-number-eight-fencing-wire resilience and good old Yankee can-do spirit which has seen us indulge in an orgy of useless finger-pointing recriminations.

No wait, I’m sorry, that would be the various layers of government in the United States arguing over who is responsible for what happened in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Silent Running is already back in business.

SR contributor Kiwi Bob, a former New Zealand emergency service official, talks about how the disaster relief operation seems to have gone in New Orleans, and discusses what might happen if a massive earthquake hits the New Zealand capital Wellington. Here’s a hint – you’re on your own.

We’ll hear from Craig Ranapia of NZ Pundit about how next week’s New Zealand election will play out – his only actual prediction being the safe assumption that on Sunday the 18th there will be many, many hangovers across the land. Blogs mentioned in the interview include Kiwiblog, Public Address, Sir Humphry’s and Frogblog.Laurence Simon pays a very personal tribute to a Houston landmark (mentioning Michelle Malkin's blog prominently), and finally Our Man in London takes us out with his band's new single, "Cry Freedom"..

SNN will be taking a break next week, but will be back again, in two weeks time. Complete with “Blog News”, I promise.

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First broadcast September 04, 2005: In this week’s edition of Shire Network News, the official podcast of Silent Running, it’s all Katrina, all the time, as we dump the lighthearted Blog News segment on the grounds of taste while people are dying in New Orleans. I don’t want to make jokes this week, and you don’t want to hear them.

Instead, we hear from uber-Katrina-blogger Brendan Loy, and get some international reaction from Canada’s own Damian Penny. Our Man in Londonbring his trans-Atlantic perspective to the story, and updates us on the latest from the British front in the war.

SNN will be taking a break next week, but will be back again, large as life and twice as ugly, on September 17th.

You can now subscribe to Shire Network News on Apple iTunes. Under “Genres”, select “Podcasts”, type the word “Shire” in the left-hand panel just above the message “Search all podcasts”, and click the magnifying glass icon. You should then be taken to a screen where you can subscribe to SNN.

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First broadcast August 28, 2005: In this week’s edition of Shire Network News, the official podcast of Silent Running, Our Man in London talks about the BBC Panorama program which accuses allegedly moderate Islamic spokesmen of extremism, and the latest from the life and death struggle against the most insidious force for evil in the world today – Chris Martin and Coldplay.

We talk to Israeli blogger Dave, from Israellycool, about how the orange side of Israeli society view the Gaza pullout, and we get the blue and white perspective from Jewish political activist and former IDF officer Ted Lapkin. Dave has his own podcast by the way, which I personally reccomend.

Also mentioned, fact-checking the New York Times (now there’s a full time occupation), Condoleeza Rice, the blog Jewish Current Isuues, Mariam Sobh and her amazing fake Ariel Sharon quotes, National Public Radio, Solomonia, Little Green Footballs, Genghis Khan versus a Unitarian prayer circle, Victor Davis Hanson versus Arianna Huffington’ the return to blogging of Australia’s own Magrot Kgnitson, her exceptionally relaxed policy on how much work you have to do to qualify for a four week break, why blogs are breaking the Egyptian government’s grip on information, 23 year old Cairo-based blogger Alaa Fattah, Big Pharoah, the reason why Jesse Jackson has that funky expression on his face courtesy of Meryl Yourish, and Harry’s Place.

And as always we bring you the Full of Crap Report from Laurence Simon.

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In this week’s edition of Shire Network News, the official podcast of Silent Running, documentary maker Steve Rosenbaum talks about his film on 9/11, “Seven Days in September”; Our Man in London talks about the reaction to the new light shed on the police shooting of an innocent man at a tube station; and controversial Australian historian Keith Widschuttle discusses the politicisation of history and how to resist it.

Also mentioned, Samizdata, Mark Steyn, Cindy Sheehan and “flaming Jewish arrows”, Sydney blogger Leigh Cartwright, the withdrawl from Gaza and why no one wants to be prime minister of Israel, Brazialian-Israeli on the spot in Gaza blogger Renatinha of Balagan fame, Meryl Yourish, and righteous penetint Scott Randolph has the scales fall from his eyes so he can see the light. [James Brown voice] I SAID, HAVE YOU SEEEEEEEN THE LIGHT! [/JAMES BROWNVOICE]

And as always we bring you the Full of Crap Report from Laurence Simon.

You can now subscribe to Shire Network News on Apple iTunes. Under “Genres”, select “Podcasts”, type the word “Shire” in the left-hand panel just above the message “Search all podcasts”, and click the magnifying glass icon. You should then be taken to a screen where you can subscribe to SNN.

If for some reason that doesn’t work, click on “Advanced” on the top of the screen and then select “Subscribe to Podcast” and enter this into the panel: http://tuatara.blogmatrix.com/index.xml

To listen to the podcast another way (which you don’t need an MP3 player for, you can listen to it right on your computer) go here and click on the link to the latest program.

I’m looking at better and more efficient ways of distributing this podcast by also using a new hosting service called Liberated Syndication, so an alternative is for you to get the podcast from here . Let me know if that works better for you, and if it does then I’ll switch to in permenantly.

Don’t forget to vote for this program at Podcast Alley, for all the good it does in the face of the unstoppable juggernaut of right wing funniness that is the IMAOPodcast. Curse you Frank J!

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Of note to modern day Shire Network News geeks: this show is the original source of the Blog News bumper clip! About 5 min in you can hear Tom pick it up and use it as we then did for all time.

In this week’s edition of Shire Network News, the official podcast of Silent Running, Our Man in London reports on a very British brouhaha over the former foriegn secretary’s funeral.

A “controversial” Australian historian (and when I say “controversial” I mean not a raving PC nutjob) Keith Widschuttle joins us to discuss the politicisation of history and how to resist it.

And the only New Zealand political party leader to also be an active blogger, Rodney Hide of the ACT Party previews his chances in the upcoming election.

And as always we bring you the Full of Crap Report from Laurence Simon.

Also mentioned, Sheikh Gazza, Lord of the Kyber, Little Green Footballs, MEMRI, an alert commenter at Tim Blair’s blog, Chinese attempts to pretend they don’t have suicide bombings there, Internet Haganah and Jawa Report call bullshit on that, the Vietnam veteran who isn’t, a new report on why the Left is crazy and a summation of the various attempts to discredit it, and New Zealand blogs rumoured to be (gasp!) ACT Party boosters – NZ Pundit and Sir Humphreys.

We also have a challenge – send in a series of completely true and yet taken together highly misleading, facts about yourself, strung together in such a way as to make your life sound a lot more interesting that it actually is. Listen to the podcast for a couple of good examples.

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