text:
Netanyahu Decides to Ask Obama to Free PollardIsrael will formally and publicly ask U.S. President Barack Obama to free Jonathan Pollard, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced Tuesday.
The appeal will represent a major step to rescue Pollard from a life term in prison for passing to Israel classified documents when he worked for the Pentagon. The usual punishment for the offense is up to four years in jail.
Prime Minister Netanyahu acted after appeals by Pollard's wife Esther and a string of events and reports the past few weeks that have weakened the American case for imposing a life sentence on Pollard. The Prime Minister's office stated that the decision to appeal to President Obama "was made following a series of talks and contacts… in recent months with senior U.S. administration officials."
One of those leading the free-Pollard movement is former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense Lawrence Korb, who revealed that he has spoken with President Obama and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at least six times. He recently has said that Pollard was not dealt with fairly.
BtB Feb. 4, 2007:
.... Pollard has been imprisoned for almost twenty years. Not on the other side of the world, but in America. Three hundred miles from where I sit right now.Pollard: I love my wife more than my enemies hate me
It's time I learned about him. And maybe it's time for you as well....
This should be interesting: Israel to ask Obama to Free PollardLabels: Jonathan Pollard» Pollard
The Sick Perverted Tradition Of Bacha BaziLabels: Afghanistan» Bacha Bazi» Gay Islam» Gay Issues» Halekon» pedophile» WikiLeaks
mmmmm.... boys. gotta love the boys.... mmmm... Afghan bare back Halekon ....nice and young.... all you have to do is have connections in the US military. oh yeah... so sweet. nothing like cunt... oh no... boy is for pleasure, cunt is for family.
In Aghanistan the selling of young boys for sexual purposes is a sign of prestige among Afghan men; however, the practice is so disgusting to American troops that some are refusing to work with Police and military officials who engage in the practice.via floppingaces.net
A Wikileaks Document Confirms The Ugly Truth
A document released by WikiLeaks described efforts by high-ranking Afghan officials to quash reports of police officers and other Afghans arrested for "purchasing a service from a child."
The leaked diplomatic cable quoted former Minister of the Interior Hanif Atmar's concern that publicity about the arrests, which involved the hiring of "dancing boys," would "endanger lives."
The author of the diplomatic cable fretted that the case would be "blown out of proportion, an outcome that would not be good for either the U.S. or Afghanistan."
The vast gulf between U.S. and Afghan attitudes about homosexuality and pedophilia has generated concern among U.S. advisers in Afghanistan since the American presence there began to expand.
In late 2009, U.S. and British forces ordered a study of Pashtun male sexuality. They were worried that homosexuality and pedophilia among Afghan security forces and tribes could create cultural misunderstanding with allied troops.
The Study Was Requested by 2nd Marine Expeditionary Btn with British Forces in Lashkar Gah
The study was carried out by the Defense Department's Human Terrain Teams and authored by team member Anna Maria Cardinalli, who stated the purpose was to learn how to advise service members to deal with Afghans who are displaying homosexual tendencies. Apparently the troops are confused and bewildered by this behavior, especially when our troops feel they are being propositioned by Afghans. The pedophilia practiced by Afghan soldiers and police tends to outrage American troops.
"I know Marines and soldiers who have refused to work with Afghan military or police," said one U.S. military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "It's not about homosexuality as much as it is about the young boys. Some of them like to show pictures on their cell phone — that should be illegal. Some of the Afghans have their own young boys they use for sexual purposes and we can't do anything about it."
An American military official who works closely with Afghan security forces called the discomfort among U.S. and British troops "the elephant in the closet that no one's talking about, but needs to."
Hadith Number 16245
Doing bizniss in the bad old Mohammedan fashion: Texas Company Helped Pimp Little Boys To Stoned Afghan Cops
The story details a Wikileaks released document from US diplomats confirming that American security contractor DynCorp, hired by the US Government at an annual cost of almost $2 Billion to train Afghan police officers, used some of that money to procure 8 – 15 year old boys as "gifts" for Afghan police officers who use them for anal sex. You can read thus full story here. via sheikyermami.com
Apparently DenCorp also uses some of their public funding to purchase drugs to get the same Afghan cops in a party mood.
For those that can't or won't click the link, bacha bazi is a pre-Islamic Afghan tradition that was banned by the Taliban. Bacha boys are eight- to 15-years-old. They put on make-up, tie bells to their feet and slip into scanty women's clothing, and then, to the whine of a harmonium and wailing vocals, they dance seductively to smoky roomfuls of leering older men.
After the show is over, their services are auctioned off to the highest bidder, who will sometimes purchase a boy outright. And by services, we mean anal sex: The State Department has called bacha bazi a "widespread, culturally accepted form of male rape." (While it may be culturally accepted, it violates both Sharia law and Afghan civil code.)
For Pashtuns in the South of Afghanistan, there is no shame in having a little boy lover; on the contrary, it is a matter of pride. Those who can afford the most attractive boy are the players in their world, the OG's of places like Kandahar and Khost. On the Frontline video, ridiculously macho warrior guys brag about their young boyfriends utterly without shame
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan—In his 29 years, Mohammed Daud has seen the faces of perhaps 200 women. A few dozen were family members. The rest were glimpses stolen when he should not have been looking and the women were caught without their face-shrouding burkas.
"How can you fall in love with a girl if you can't see her face?" he asks.
Daud is unmarried and has sex only with men and boys. But he does not consider himself homosexual, at least not in the Western sense. "I like boys, but I like girls better," he says. "It's just that we can't see the women to see if they are beautiful. But we can see the boys, and so we can tell which of them is beautiful."
Daud, a motorbike repairman who asked that only his two first names and not his family name be used, has a youthful face, a jaunty black mustache and a post-Taliban cleanshaven chin. As he talks, his knee bounces up and down, an involuntary sign of his embarrassment.
"These are hard questions you are asking," he says. "We don't usually talk about such things."
Though rarely acknowledged, the prevalence of sex between Afghan men is an open secret, one most observant visitors quickly surmise. Ironically, it is especially true here in Kandahar, which was the heartland of the puritanical Taliban movement.
It might seem odd to a Westerner that such a sexually repressive society is marked by heightened homosexual activity. But Justin Richardson, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, says such thinking is backward—it is precisely the extreme restrictions on sexual relations with women that lead to greater prevalence of the behavior.
"In some Muslim societies where the prohibition against premarital heterosexual intercourse is extremely high—higher than that against sex between men—you will find men having sex with other males not because they find them most attractive of all but because they find them most attractive of the limited options available to them," Richardson says.
In other words, sex between men can be seen as the flip side of the segregation of women. And perhaps because the ethnic Pushtuns who dominate Kandahar are the most religiously conservative of Afghanistan's major ethnic groups, they have, by most accounts, a higher incidence of homosexual relations.
Visitors might think they see the signs. For one thing, Afghan men tend to be more intimate with other men in public than is common in the West. They will kiss, hold hands and drape their arms around each other while drinking tea or talking.
Moreover, there is a strong streak of dandyism among Pushtun males. Many line their eyes with kohl, stain their fingernails with henna or walk about town in clumsy, high-heeled sandals.
The love by men for younger, beautiful males, who are called halekon, is even enshrined in Pushtun literature. A popular poem by Syed Abdul Khaliq Agha, who died last year, notes Kandahar's special reputation.
"Kandahar has beautiful halekon," the poem goes. "They have black eyes and white cheeks."
But a visitor who comments on such things is likely to be told they are not signs of homosexuality. Hugging doesn't mean sex, locals insist. Men who use kohl and henna are simply "uneducated."
Regardless, when asked directly, few deny that a significant percentage of men in this region have sex with men and boys. Just ask Mullah Mohammed Ibrahim, a local cleric.
"Ninety percent of men have the desire to commit this sin," the mullah says. "But most are right with God and exercise control. Only 20 to 50% of those who want to do this actually do it."
Following the mullah's math, this suggests that between 18% and 45% of men here engage in homosexual sex—significantly higher than the 3% to 7% of American men who, according to studies, identify themselves as homosexual.
That is a large number to defy the strict version of Islam practiced in these parts, which denounces sex between men as taboo. Muslims seeking council from religious elders on the topic will find them unsympathetic.
"Every person has a devil inside him," says Ibrahim. "If a person commits this sin, it is the work of the devil."
The Koran mandates "hard punishment" for offenders, the mullah explains. By tradition there are three penalties: being burned at the stake, pushed over the edge of a cliff or crushed by a toppled wall.
During its reign in Kandahar, the Taliban implemented the latter. In February 1998, it used a tank to push a brick wall on top of three men, two accused of sodomy and the third of homosexual rape. The first two died; the third spent a week in the hospital and, under the assumption that God had spared him, was sent to prison. He served six months and fled to Pakistan.
Apparently to discourage post-Taliban visitors, the owners of a nearby house have begun rebuilding on the site.
"A lot of foreigners came and started interviewing people," says Abdul Baser, a 24-year-old neighbor, who points out the trench where the men were crushed. "Since then they have rebuilt the wall."
But many accuse the Taliban of hypocrisy on the issue of homosexuality.
"The Taliban had halekon, but they kept it secret," says one anti-Taliban commander, who is rumored to keep two halekon. "They hid their halekon in their madrasas," or religious schools.
It's not only religious authorities who describe homosexual sex as common among the Pushtun.
Dr. Mohammed Nasem Zafar, a professor at Kandahar Medical College, estimates that about 50% of the city's male residents have sex with men or boys at some point in their lives. He says the prime age at which boys are attractive to men is from 12 to 16—before their beards grow in. The adolescents sometimes develop medical problems, which he sees in his practice, such as sexually transmitted diseases and sphincter incontinence. So far, the doctor said, AIDS does not seem to be a problem in Afghanistan, probably because the country is so isolated.
"Sometimes when the halekon grow up, the older men actually try to keep them in the family by marrying them off to their daughters," the doctor says.
via glapn.org
Also see a more recent story (2004) on gay Afghanistan on this site by American writer Michael Luongo who traveled to Afghanistan: Click Here
image via globalgayz.com
It is not hard to imagine American troops being uncomfortable with the prospect of working with perverts and rapists. Is it possible that the Administration has decided that placing American homosexuals in the ranks will make this cultural disconnect with Afghans and their pedophilia more acceptable.While the Afghan views the prepubescent boy as possessing physical beauty, such views are merely viewed as a perversion to the heterosexual American male. Surely an infusion of homosexuality within the ranks will soften the views of our troops in this area of pedophilia and make our men more sensitive and understanding to the sexual needs and perversions of the Afghan male.
via floppingaces.net
Netanyahu's patience with Abbas has 'run out', says WikiLeaks cable - HaaretzLabels: Abbas» Abu Mazen» Prime Minister Netanyahu
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's patience with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has "run out," a WikiLeaks cable leaked on Monday revealed.
In a "secret" December 2009 cable dispatched to Washington from the embassy in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu's senior policy aide Ron Dermer is also quoted as telling two U.S. senators that Israel has no partner to peace.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shakes hands with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, Jerusalem, September 15, 2010. Photo by: AP
Al-Qaeda's dirty bomb source?Labels: dirty bomb» Nuclear Proliferation» Syria» Yemen
Holy crap! No one is guarding the store! (Hat Tip: Elder of Ziyon).
¶1. (S) The lone security guard standing watch at Yemen's main radioactive materials storage facility was removed from his post on December 30, 2009, according toXXXXXXXXXXXX. XXXXXXXXXXXX. The only closed-circuit television security camera monitoring the facility broke six months ago and was never fixed, according to XXXXXXXXXXXX. The facility XXXXXXXXXXXX holds various radioactive materials, small amounts of which are used by local universities for agricultural research, by a Sana'a hospital, and by international oilfield services companies for well-logging equipment spread out across the country. "Very little now stands between the bad guys and Yemen's nuclear material," a worried XXXXXXXXXXXX told EconOff.Sounds like a perfect opportunity for al-Qaeda to pick up some material for dirty bombs.
¶2. (S) Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi told the Ambassador on January 7 that no radioactive material was currently stored in Sana'a and that all "radioactive waste" was shipped to Syria. XXXXXXXXXXXX
¶3. (S) The NAEC nuclear material storage facility normally contains IAEA Category I and II amounts of iridium and cobalt-60, including a lead-encased package of 13,500 curies (Ci) of cobalt-60 that was allegedly shipped to Yemen from India six months ago. XXXXXXXXXXXX told EconOff that XXXXXXXXXXXX the cobalt-60 was moved late on January 7 from the largely unsecured NAEC facility XXXXXXXXXXXX implored the U.S. to help convince the ROYG to remove all materials from the country until they can be better secured, or immediately improve security measures at the NAEC facility. XXXXXXXXXXXX
¶4. (S) Post will continue to push senior ROYG officials to increase security at all National Atomic Energy Commission facilities and provide us with a detailed accounting of all radioactive materials in the country. XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX.XXXXXXXXXXXX's concern over the safety and security of Yemen's modest nuclear material inventory, however, appears genuine. XXXXXXXXXXXX. . Post POC is EconOff Roland McKay, firstname.lastname@example.com. SECHE
What could go wrong?
GOT MILK?Labels: Schwarzenegger
Schwarzenegger wants a job with Obama because he drives a Hummer?
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told The Times on Friday that he hadn't had time to think about his next move. But he certainly sounded like someone with a job description in mind.
Gov.-elect Jerry Brown will be inaugurated in less than three weeks. Still, when Schwarzenegger was asked in a meeting with Times editors and editorial writers what he planned to do once his term ends, he initially said, "There's no rush.... It's not like I have something in my mind."
Then, asked if he would consider a post in the Obama administration, he said yes and began to riff on his credentials. "I'm a very big believer in environmental issues," said the governor, who considers legislation to combat global warming one of his major achievements in office. "I've traveled the world.... I'm very familiar with the world."
The governor went on to say that he would like to work on public policy issues in which he could have an impact "with my celebrity power, and also my knowledge and experience."
Once out of office, he said, he "has plans to go back to Washington with Secretary [George] Schultz and others" to push for a new approach to energy policy. He said the country needs to bring Democrats and Republicans together on energy policies that both sides can agree on in order to reduce dependence on foreign oil and become competitive, "rather than always talking about global warming, which turns some people off."
Schwarzenegger said he has credibility on that issue, and "people are very receptive when I talk about these things because I'm a Hummer driver … not a tree hugger."
Anyone need an energy czar?
-- David Lauter in Los Angeles
declassified files show Kissinger's abuse of the Jewish State for Egypt during the Yom Kippur warLabels: Henry Kissinger» Katz» Moshe Dayan» Six Day War» Soviets» Suez City» Yom Kippur War
In 1974 an outrageous Yom Kippur War rumor.Thirty-six years later,in 2010, the rumor was confirmed.
Kissinger was always a heartbreak for me learning about growing up. Such a smart guy... too bad he was a self hater. Sometimes I like things he says on T.V., but the elder Kissinger is obviously not the Kissinger of 1974 the year I was born. I'm sure he was more complicated then any of us understand, but there is no doubt in my mind that his Judaism did not come till after he was out of power. I had always hoped that as time went on that good stuff would be revealed about him and Nixon... and there is some things that shed a positive light on him, but his view of his own people is not one of those things.
David Isaac
Recently declassified White House transcripts (featured in an editorial in the Israeli daily Haaretz) show former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger blaming Israel for the problems in the region, accusing Israel of being "deliberately provocative" and attempting "to create maximum commotion in the Middle East. In the newly released documents Kissinger refers to the Golan Heights as "Syrian territory" and the Syrians as "my friends." He confides to an Algerian diplomat that "a (new Arab-Israeli) war wouldn't be so bad for us. … We could show (Israel) we are tough." Us? This strongly suggests Kissinger identified with the Arab side in the Arab-Israel conflict.
While these documents do not cover the period of the 1973 war (they cover the end of the Nixon administration and eighteen months of the subsequent Ford administration), they bear out Shmuel Katz's devastating assessment of Kissinger's role during the war as crucial in turning Israel's military victory into a bitter strategic defeat. Just a year after the Yom Kippur War, in his 1974 pamphlet, "The Crisis of Israel and the West" Katz described Kissinger's actions and their repercussions.
When Israel had recovered from her initial, nearly disastrous setback, the resourcefulness, and courage and qualitative superiority of her solders so succeeded that – in view of all the responsible military analysts – she was on the brink of achieving the greatest victory in her history. … [T]he Israel army had created an excellent bargaining position for whatever negotiations might ensue after the Cease Fire had been formalized in a resolution by the UN Security Council. It held firmly a wide salient deep into Egyptian territory proper with the road to Cairo open. The Egyptian Third Army, one of the two Egyptian forces that had crossed over the east bank of the Suez Canal, was encircled and its supplies completely cut off. …
But in two further decisive steps the U.S. Secretary of State dictated the conversion of Israel's advantageous position into a posture of defeat. He insisted on the unconditional lifting of the siege of the Third Army. Brief Israeli resistance (by the Minister of Defense in a telephone conversation) was brusquely rejected….By February 1974 Israel had by diplomatic negotiation lost the Yom Kippur War, and the aggressor had been awarded the beginnings of a retrospective victory in the Six Day War. The Egyptians moreover made no secret of their confidence that this was only the first step to Israel's being forced out of all of Sinai. The Egyptian President in particular repeatedly gave expression to this confidence, indicating without inhibition that this is what he had been promised by the U.S. Secretary of State whom he trusted absolutely in view of what he had already done for the Arab cause.
Twenty seven years later, in 2001, in a column "In Politics: No Friendships, Only Interests" Shmuel Katz returned to the theme of Kissinger's 1973 game plan, this time with Kissinger's own memoirs as evidence. Kissinger was determined, Katz wrote "on a diplomacy that would result in Egypt's moving over from the Soviet orbit to the American. The price, as became evident, was to be a sacrifice of Israel….That is why the Egyptians to this day celebrate what they claim was a military victory over Israel. That is why, in Israel, the Yom Kippur War is remembered and felt as a bitter defeat. The harm done to Israel was and remains incalculable, not least in that sense of having been defeated."
Moreover, Kissinger accomplished his goals through deception. As Katz details in "The Man with A Plan" (Oct. 23, 2003), with Israel facing a "dangerous shortage of materiel" Kissinger held up the arms shipments to Israel, claiming falsely it was Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger's doing. Kissinger then used Israel's predicament to pressure American Jewish leaders to abandon their efforts on behalf of Soviet Jewry in return for his support in expediting the delivery of the sorely needed materiel – arms and supplies which he was responsible for holding up in the first place.
Kissinger also hinted to Defense Minister Moshe Dayan of a Soviet atomic threat if Israel didn't comply with his demands. Katz says this was a bald-faced lie. The Soviets had made no such threat. Katz writes: "Dayan later realized that he had been hoodwinked, and indeed, on examination of Kissinger's blow-by-blow negotiations with the Russians, there is not a smidgen of a hint of an atomic threat by the Russians. In a public lecture in May 1974, Dayan declared:
'The Americans denied us the fruits of victory. It was an ultimatum. Had the US not pressed us, the Third Army and Suez City would have had to surrender. We would have captured 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers and Sadat would have had to admit it to his people. We might have held them only for a day and let them walk out without their arms, but it would have changed the whole Egyptian attitude about whether they won the war or not.'"
It is painful to think that someone who fled Nazi persecution as a young boy in 1938 should do so much damage to the Jewish State. Yet, a closer look shows that Kissinger has, at best, a tenuous connection with his Judaism. Rabbi Norman Lamm, former chancellor of Yeshiva University, spotted this early. In his article "Kissinger and the Jews" (Dec. 20, 1975), a devastating critique, he writes, "Dr. Kissinger is an illustration of how high an assimilated Jew can rise in the United States, and how low he can fall in the esteem of his fellow Jews."
Lamm referred to a recent visit by Henry Kissinger and his parents to Furth, their hometown in Bavaria which they escaped before the war. They had only kind words for their native city, "but nary a word about the Holocaust, not a word about the Nazis who drove them out of that city!" On top of this, Lamm reveals that Kissinger didn't want to visit Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial, during his first trip to Israel, and had to be "persuaded." He "accepted only when he was told that every other foreign minister visiting Israel had done so."
This hasn't stopped Kissinger from portraying himself as one with the Jewish community, accepting awards from the Anti-Defamation League and bestowing awards on behalf of Jewish organizations like the United Jewish Appeal.
Kissinger's guilt runs deep. Whether or not he feels it is another matter. Zionist writer William Mehlman offers a remarkable footnote involving Kissinger and Katz sometime after the Yom Kippur War. Kissinger got wind of a rumor – unfounded – that Shmuel had taken out a contract on his life (a fantasy Kissinger apparently believed based on the allegations about his role in delaying the resupply of munitions to Israel during the war).
"Shmuel, informed of what had transpired and anxious to put the rumor to rest, arranged a face-to-face meeting with Kissinger at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. 'From the moment I entered his suite until I left three minutes later,' Katz related to a small circle of friends in Tel Aviv, 'he did not stop shouting at me. He never gave me a chance to refute the rumor. In fact I never got a chance to say a word. Finally, I just turned around and walked out.'"
Mehlman writes, "Whatever debt Henry Kissinger may or may not have felt he owed his conscience, he must surely have learned by now that it wasn't Shmuel Katz who had come to collect."
Kissinger is 87. It doesn't look as if he will make amends in this world. Perhaps in the next.
This entry was posted on Friday, July 30th, 2010 at 1:37 am and is filed under Shmuel Katz.
Kissinger: Gassing Jews would not be a US problemLabels: Golda Mier» Henry Kissinger» Richard Nixon
New tapes show Kissinger and Nixon opposed helping Soviet Jews escape Communist repression because it did not affect "US interests."
Henry Kissinger is heard saying the genocide of Soviet Jews would not be an American problem on newly released tapes chronicling President Nixon's obsession with disparaging Jews and other minorities.
Kissinger's remarks come after a meeting between the two men and Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir on March 1 1973, in which Meir pleads for US pressure on the Soviet Union to release its Jews.via jpost.com
WikiLeaks: 'Syria would drop Iran for peace with Israel'Labels: Assad» Baidatz» Bomb Iran» Hamas» Hezballah» Hezbollah» Hezbullah» Hizballah» Hizbullah» Hizzbollah» Nuclear Proliferation» UNIFIL» Vershbow» WikiLeaks
I see this as backroom lies. Assad doesn't want Iran to know he is reaching his hand out... and at the same time he gives friendly signals to people like Pelosi
IDF intelligence official Baidatz: Assad would be willing to pull away from Teheran's orbit, according to State Dept. cable last year.
via jpost.comDuring the meeting, Baidatz said that according to Israeli intelligence assessments, if Syria were able to achieve peace with "security" and obtain greater US involvement, it would be willing to pull away from Iran's orbit.
also one could see that Assad was reacting to a few other factors. Hariri's murder? perhaps they were attempting to isolate themselves from responsibility.
also one could see that Assad was reacting to a few other factors. Hariri's murder? perhaps they were attempting to isolate themselves from responsibility.
According to the US cable, Baidatz said that if Syrian President Bashar Assad were forced to choose between peace with Israel and Iran and his "negative assets" – Hamas and Hizbullah – he would choose peace. Such a peace, Baidatz said, would be detrimental for Hizbullah, which relies heavily on Syrian support.
"It would be a gradual process before Hizbullah could completely wean itself from the Syrian support apparatus and that, ultimately, both Hizbullah's and Iran's flexibility would be significantly reduced," Baidatz said, according to the cable.
In the cable from 2009, Baidatz briefed Vershbow on Iran's nuclear program and said the Islamic Republic was one year away from obtaining a nuclear weapon and two-and-a-half years away from assembling a nuclear arsenal of three weapons. By 2012, Iran would be able to build one weapon within weeks and an arsenal within six months.
The cable, which was approved by Vershbow, included a comment next to Baidatz's remarks: "It is unclear if the Israelis firmly believe this or are using worst-case estimates to raise greater urgency from the United States."
Turning to Hizbullah, the Israeli officials warned Vershbow that the Shi'ite guerrilla group was working hand-in-hand with the Lebanese Armed Forces.
"The level of cooperation far exceeds what many assume is simply the day-to-day problem of corruption within the ranks," the cable summarized the Israeli side as saying.
"On the contrary, Israel believes that LAF/Hizbullah cooperation is a matter of national policy – any information shared with the United Nations Interim Force-Lebanon (UNIFIL) goes directly to Hizbullah by way of the Lebanese Armed Forces."
The meeting took place in the days before Syria transferred a cache of M600 long-range and accurate surface- to-surface missiles to Hizbullah.
Baidatz told Vershbow that Israel knew about the missile cache in Syria and believed that it was destined for Hizbullah.
"Under such a scenario, the looming question for Israeli policy-makers then becomes: 'To strike or not to strike?'" Baidatz was paraphrased as saying.
In the end, Israel did not attack the arms convoys to Lebanon, and Hizbullah is believed today to have hundreds of M600s, which have a range of 250 km. and can carry a half-ton warhead.
Bloomberg Splits With Peter King Over Muslim 'Radicalization' HearingsLabels: Bloomberg» Peter King
via dnainfo.comI am disappointed with Bloomberg.
WikiLeaks exposé: Israel tried to coordinate Gaza war with Abbas - HaaretzLabels: Abbas» Abu Mazen» Fatah» Hamas» Palestinian Authority» WikiLeaks
Ehud Barak, right, and Mahmoud Abbas speaking during the 23rd congress of the Socialist International in Greece, July 1, 2008. Photo by: APIsrael tried to coordinate the Gaza war with the Palestinian Authority, classified diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks said on Sunday, adding that both the PA and Egypt refused to take control of the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave.
If nothing else, Wikileaks has revealed that our perception of the Middle East, as formed by both the media and the Obama administration, is faulty.For one thing, we have discovered that, contrary to the Obama administration, resolving the Palestinian issue takes a back seat to Iran in the eyes of the Arab world.More recently, Wikileaks documents have indicated those in Lebanon who would help Israel against Iranian puppet Hezbollah.Now, today comes a document via Wikileaks revealing the degree to which Abbas was willing to work with Israel against Hamas:Ed Morrissey notes the possible consequences knowing how deeply Abbas cooperated with Israel, consequences that it is doubtful the perpetrators of Wikileaks think through:Certainly, Abbas' actions are rational and show him in a better light outside of the cauldron of the Israeli-Palestinian standoff, but it's not going to be popular on the West Bank by any stretch. It will undermine the PA at a time when the US wants to push hard on peace talks, and make it more difficult than ever to get concessions from Abbas. If the cable itself doesn't touch off new fighting between Hamas and the PA, a collapse of the peace talks may bring about a new round of intifada. This release goes beyond embarrassment; it will probably cost lives in a manner that might have otherwise been avoided.
In a June 2009 meeting between Defense Minister Ehud Barak and a U.S. congressional delegation, Barak claimed that the Israeli government "had consulted with Egypt and Fatah prior to Operation Cast Lead, asking if they were willing to assume control of Gaza once Israel defeated Hamas."The whistle-blowing website obtained some 250,000 diplomatic cables between the U.S. and its allies, which Washington had urged the site not to publish."Not surprisingly," Barak said in the meeting, Israel "received negative answers from both."While similar reports of such attempts to link the PA and Egypt to Israel's war with Hamas had already surfaced in the past, the cable released by WikiLeaks on Sunday represents the first documented proof of such a move.In the document, Barak also expressed his feeling that "the Palestinian Authority is weak and lacks self-confidence, and that Gen. Dayton's training helps bolster confidence."The meeting which the cable documents took place just days before U.S. President Barack Obama's Cairo speech, and a few weeks after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's first visit to the United States, a visit which revealed the deep differences between Obama and himself.The cable also refers to what Barak describes as the debate within the Israeli cabinet in regards to a "development of a response to President Obama's upcoming speech in Cairo."
Obama's diplomacy is hurting the people it is meant to help. Arrogance has repercussions.
Palestinian Media WatchLabels: Palestinian Media» Palestinian Media Watch (PMW)» YouTube
Palestinian Media Watch's YouTube account was restored last night, I was informed in an email from Itamar Marcus
email from Itamar Marcus, director of the essential site Palestinian Media Watch:
For years there have been PA backers trying to get You Tube to close down the PMW video account by complaining that we are involved in hate speech. Now they succeeded. They complained to the administrators about a farewell video of a suicide terrorist from a few years ago who boasted he would drink the blood of Jews. You Tube sent us notice that this video is "violation of terms" by promoting hate speech and closed our entire account. Most of the hundreds of videos on our web site are not running.PMW has been excellent at revealing the truth about incitement in the Palestinian Arab media, thoroughly documenting literally hundreds of examples of hate broadcasts and publication in recent years.
It is not easy to find a good email address for YouTube, but I think that the best way to contact them might be "email@example.com". You can also try some of their on-line contact information.
Please write to them and let them know how important this resource has been to you and asking that they should reinstate it. Pro-terrorist cyber-bullies should not be able to censor valuable educational resources like PMW.
Bangladeshi Harry Potter Star refuses to give evidence in court, her abusive family walk free.Labels: Afshan Azad» Harry Potter
(Manchester) The Brother and father of 22 years old Afshan Azad, who played Padma Patil in the Harry Potter films walked free from court on charges of Abuse,assault and conspiring to murder after the young film star refused to give evidence because she feared that in doing so, her life would be put at risk.Trouble for Afshan began when she stated seeing a man, well actually a Hindu man and for doing so her big brave brother decided to give her a good hiding, it was during one such assault that he woke up their father and demanded that he sort out his daughter.Because she was a slag. As he is a true Muslim 53 Abul Azad,instead of defending his younger daughter from the her much older and bigger brother, took his fat bastard of a sons side and told him he would kill his daughter as he didn't want them to get any blood on their hands. Get that a 53 year Muslim living in the Uk was willing to murder his 22 year old daughter because she was seeing somebody she liked.
However because she wouldn't take the stand both of these wankers walked free form court. No doubt they will now be suing for wrongful arrest and the stress of being in court.
Religion of peace, tolerance, and justice for women.
At Telegraph UK:
Harry Potter star was beaten, called a ''slag'' and threatened with death after she met a young man who was not a Muslim, a court heard today.
Victim Afshan Azad, 22, played Padma Patil, a classmate of the teenage wizard, in the blockbuster Hollywood films based on the children's books by JK Rowling.And at Manchester Evening News, "Brother found guilty of attack on Harry Potter star Afshan Azad over relationship with Hindu man."
She was assaulted and branded a ''prostitute'' after meeting a young Hindu man, a relationship which brought anger from her father, Abul Azad, 53, and brother, Ashraf, 28, Manchester Crown Court heard.
The frightened actress later fled through her bedroom window after threats were made to kill her.
But despite attempts to get her to come to court for the trial of her father and brother, Miss Azad would not attend voluntarily, the court was told.
Both men were charged with making threats to kill her and her brother was also charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm on his sister.
RELATED: It's
not the first time that Ms. Azad has been assaulted by her own family
McConnell Killed by Rogue VegetablesLabels: Food Safety Bill» Mitch McConnell» Whole Foods
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Sen. Mitch McConnell (RINO, Ky) was killed today when a rabble of angry vegetables swarmed him outside the Russell Senate Office Building.
Killer tomatoes ripped McConnell limb from limb and fed him to locally grown corn and cucumbers after McConnell turned traitor and helped Democrats pass the Food Safety Bill, outlawing the sale of locally grown vegetables and fruits at food stands.
Local farmers stood by as the vegetables raged, cheering and holding signs with slogans such as "An Ear of McConnell for an Ear of Corn" and "My Squash, Your Face."
"Last year, more people were killed by automobile accidents, heart attacks, lung cancer, and natural causes combined than by any one tomato," said one local farmer, adding that one turncoat senator is far more dangerous than the risk any homegrown vegetable poses to the average American.
When told the bill would ruin their chances for school field trips to local fruit stands, children visiting the Capital Building raided a Whole Foods market and pelted McConnell's remains with Brussel sprouts.
Said one particularly rotund pumpkin from Maryland who joined in the fray, in between bites from one of McConnell's arms, "This gives a whole new meaning to the saying, 'Eat Local.'"
Obama's Dog Quarantined in HawaiiLabels: Barack Obama» dog» Dogs
Must be a problem with his long-form birth certificate or something.
Even if you're the dog of the president of the United States, you still need to follow the rules. As the Obama family slowly trickles into Hawaii for the holidays (the first lady and first daughters jetted there over the weekend, but the president remains in Washington until Congress wraps up its business), the first dog, who is making his first trip to the island, is subject to the state's quarantine program.Nice to see the Obamas flying there separately in order to save taxpayer money. Oh wait...
The policy requires a veterinary exam upon landing, and the dog can be released on the same day if previous requirements and documentation have been fulfilled, including a fee, a microchip for identification, a rabies test and two rabies shots in the dog's lifetime (including one within 90 days).
Poll Reveals Frightening Popularity of Revolutionary IslamismLabels: al-Qaeda» Egypt» Hamas» Hezballah» Hezbollah» Hezbullah» Hizballah» Hizbullah» Hizzbollah» Islamists» Jordan» Lebanon» Palestinian Authority» Shi'i» Shia» Sunni» Turkey
There's a lot of interesting material in the Pew Foundation's latest poll of the Middle East, a survey that focuses on attitudes toward Islamism and revolutionary Islamist groups. The analysis that accompanies the poll, however, is not very good, so here is mine.
For example, in evaluating attitudes toward Hamas and Hizballah, Pew says that they receive "mixed ratings from Muslim publics [while] opinions of al-Qaida and its leader, Usama bin Ladin, are consistently negative…."
Really? Well, in Jordan, for example, 55 percent say they like Hizballah (against 43 percent negative) while 60 percent are favorable (compared to 34 percent negative) toward Hamas. Yet this is even more impressive than the figures indicate. Jordan is a staunchly Sunni country whose government opposes the ambitions of Iran and Syria. Hizballah is a Shia group which also is an agent of Iran and Syria. For a majority to praise that organization—conscious of strong government disapproval—is phenomenal.
The figures for Hamas can be more easily explained by the Palestinian connection. Yet the difference between the two in terms of public opinion isn't that great. And it also suggests that support for Fatah and the Palestinian Authority—Hamas's rival--must be very low in Jordan. Remember that the majority of Jordanians are also Palestinians.
Why do people support these groups? Obviously, one reason is that they fight Israel (a country with which Jordan is at peace) but sympathy for the revolutionary Islamist aspect of Hamas and Hizballah must be a huge factor here. Indeed, there is not necessarily any conflict between these two aspects. The Islamists are considered to be better fighters than the nationalists, while making war for the next generation is more attractive to those backing Hamas and Hizballah than is making peace. Finally, let's not forget that both of these groups are very anti-Western and anti-American.
But now let's look at al-Qaida. In Jordan, 34 percent are favorable toward that terrorist group while 62 percent are negative. That outcome, however, contrary to Pew's spin on the numbers, is not at all encouraging. Remember that al-Qaida carried out the September 11 attacks. Moreover, it has conducted terrorist attacks in neighboring Iraq and, most important of all, in Jordan itself. The fact that one-third of Jordanians—whose country is generally considered the most pro-Western in the Arab world--like al-Qaida is chilling indeed. Then, too, this preference cannot be attributed to anti-Israel sentiment.
So one-third of Jordan's people favor the most extremist terrorist group—despite the fact that it has murdered Jordanians—and roughly half or more like revolutionary Islamist organization that are clients of their own country's nominally biggest threats. What does that say about the hopes for moderation and stability?
Turning to Egypt, "only" 30 percent like Hizballah (66 percent don't like) 49 percent are favorable toward Hamas (48 percent are negative); and 20 percent smile (72 percent frown) at al-Qaida. This is more encouraging than the figures in Jordan. But remember that not only is Egypt solidly Sunni but the powerful Muslim Brotherhood, the leaders of Islamism in Egypt, don't like Hizballah because it is a Shia group. The Egyptian government has accused Hizballah of trying to foment terrorism in Egypt. The Egyptian government also views Hamas as a threat.
Roughly speaking, one-fifth of Egyptians applaud the most extreme Islamist terrorist group, while around one-third back revolutionary Islamists abroad. This doesn't tell us what proportion of Egyptians want an Islamist government at home, but it is an indicator.
And just remember that in two countries considered U.S. allies and receiving U.S. aid, one-third and one-fifth of the population, respectively, support the group that killed 3000 Americans on September 11. The Obama Administration's response is that this is the reason it has to follow certain policies: to win over those who are most antagonistic and to keep others from becoming more radical. The problem is that these policies don't achieve those goals. What determines these views are structural and communal issues within each country.
Here's an example. In Lebanon, attitudes divide along sectarian lines. While 94 percent of Shia Muslims support Hizballah (only 5 percent are negative), 84 percent of Sunnis are unfavorable (only 12 percent are positive) toward it. Christians are 87 percent negative (and only 10 percent positive). This shows why Hizballah cannot just take over Lebanon itself, but of course Lebanon is largely being taken over by Iranian-Syrian power plus their local collaborators, of which Hizballah is only one of the elements.
What are the Lebanese figures on al-Qaida? Only three percent positive and 94 percent negative! Why? Because the Christians and Sunnis don't want that kind of regime, while the Shias, who tend to support Hizballah's Islamism, knows that al-Qaida hates Shias.
Finally, here's a word on Turkey where public opinion is the opposite of that prevailing in Jordan. In Turkey, Only 5 percent like Hizballah (74 percent negative), just 9 percent like Hamas (67 percent unfavorable), and merely 4 percent are positive (74 percent are hostile) on al-Qaida. Yet the current Turkish Islamist regime is a big supporter of Hamas and Hizballah. Clearly, supporting revolutionary Islamist groups—either through Islamism or the fact they are fighting Israel—is simply not popular in Turkey. Hamas and Hizballah don't even do much better than al-Qaida.
So, Turkey's people are more moderate than its government, while Egypt and Jordan are more radical than theirs.
Let's look at two other indicators of attitudes: Islamism versus "modernizers" and attitudes toward Islamic punishments. The first point of interest in terms of the great ideological battle is that large proportions of people in these countries deny that such a struggle even exists! Only 20 percent in Jordan, 31 percent in Egypt, 53 percent in Lebanon, and 52 percent in Turkey acknowledge that there is a struggle.
Why is this? One can't definitively tell. I suspect that they may want to avoid taking sides since they live in countries where democracy doesn't really prevail and authorities punish dissenters. Or perhaps they think that the Islamists are more capable of conducting modernization or that the current regime is sufficiently Islamic.
Nevertheless, those who said that such a struggle does exist (remember this is between only 20 percent in Jordan to 53 percent in Lebanon of those asked) took the following sides:
Jordan, 48-38 modernizers; Egypt, 59-27 Islamists; Lebanon, 84-15 modernists; Turkey, 74-11 modernists.
Other than the horrifying figures in Turkey—which one day might be cited to explain an Islamist revolution there—the numbers in Jordan are pretty scary as well. Almost 40 percent favor an Islamist regime and they know that doesn't mean the current monarchy.
How to explain the other two countries? In Lebanon, Hizballah is seen as a champion of the Shia community. It is supported for "ethnic" reasons more than because people want an Islamic Republic. Of course, Sunnis have to take into account that if Lebanon were to become an Islamic Republic it would be a Shia one.
As for Turkey, while the ruling AKP government has a hard core of supporters at roughly 30 percent, even most of these people don't want an Islamist state, just a more Islamic-oriented one.
Finally there is the attitude toward Islamic punishments. Again, the outcome in Egypt and Jordan is very revealing. In Egypt, 82 percent want stoning for those who commit adultery; 77 percent would like to see whippings and hands cut off for robbery; and 84 percent favor the death penalty for any Muslim who changes his religion.
I would expect that these attitudes don't differ much from public opinion in Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan.
The figures for Jordan are roughly the same: 70 percent (stoning), 58 percent (whipping/amputation), 86 percent (death for converts).
Again, the numbers for Lebanon and Turkey are quite different:
Lebanon, 23 percent (stoning); 13 percent (whipping/amputation), 6 percent (death for converts)
Turkey, 16 percent (stoning); 13 percent (whipping/amputation), 5 percent (death for converts)
Yet Turkey and Lebanon are ruled by regimes which are in the Islamist camp, that is, they view themselves as close to the Iran-Syria-Hamas-Hizballah alliance.
What all of this analysis shows is that a future Islamist revolution in Egypt and Jordan is quite possible. So overwhelming is the support for this movement that there is nothing the West can do except ensure the current governments remain in power. As for Lebanon, there is a strong basis for resisting incorporation into the Iran-Syria empire, and in Turkey—where there are free elections—the current regime might well be overthrown.
Remember that Egypt, Jordan, and other Arab governments—notably Saudi Arabia—are so opposed to Iran not only because they hate that country's non-Arab, Shia, radical Islamist standpoint, but also since they fear its growing power will set off revolutions within their own countries.
The bottom line is that in all four of these countries the radical Islamist, side is winning. And the West is basically asleep in recognizing that threat.
This article was published on PajamasMedia. I have included the full text here with improvements for your convenience.http://www.gloria-center.org and of his blog, Rubin Reports, http://www.rubinreports.blogspot.com.
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YouTube gets it wrong on online hateLabels: Justice Louis Brandeis» memri» Mickey Mouse» Palestinian Media Watch (PMW)» Sacha Baron Cohen» YouTube
The closing of Palestinian Media Watch channel is one example of how the website's policies are inconsistent and only selectively enforced.
Justice Louis Brandeis of the US Supreme Court once said "Sunlight is the best disinfectant."
This is often used to justify "more speech" as the only solution to "hate speech."
In November, as parliamentarians and experts from over 40 countries gathered in Canada for the second meeting of the Interparliamentary Coalition for Combatting Anti-Semitism, there was a growing concern at rising anti-Semitism, and an increased acceptance that more than sunlight was needed in response.
At the gathering, I presented as part of an experts panel on hate speech online. One point I raised was the problem of YouTube videos that do not by themselves constitute hate, but which attract hateful comments.
An example I gave was a YouTube clip of Sacha Baron Cohen's song "Throw the Jew Down the Well."
The most popular comment on the video the morning I presented, as voted by YouTube viewers, read: "Lets [sic] genocide them by burning them! But this time, lets [sic] actually do it."
Should Sacha Baron Cohen or YouTube take this clip down if this is what it inspires? Should the comments be closed to viewers? The answer is unclear, but allowing this to continue is not a good thing and seeing how popular it is leaves me feeling very uncomfortable.
THERE IS also a clear problem with hate groups, such as "theytnazism" on YouTube.
I reported this to YouTube in February, and on November 22 – 10 months later – it was still active. The group includes a "list of people we hate and we want to kill." It was a short list of "1. Blacks, 2. Jews, 3. Indians."
I then included it in a set of slides for a conference on anti-Semitism run by the World Zionist Organisation in France earlier this month and suddenly the group was gone. I doubt that was a coincidence, especially as the rest of my collection of similar groups (reported at the same time) are still active. One of these, with giant swastikas in the background, declares it is God's will to murder all non-Aryans.
The problem is not that YouTube never steps in. The problem is they are liable to step in only when there is public exposure of content they wrongly ignored, or when political pressure is applied.
YouTube also seems to have started giving in to pressure to remove videos and channels that expose and educate against hate.
A few months ago, for example, efforts were made to shut down the YouTube presence of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). The institute provides the English-speaking world with insight into the Mideast media. Some of the exposure is not welcome by those who say one thing in English to a Western audience and another thing at home.
The MEMRI debacle seems to have been resolved, but YouTube is now going after Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) which fulfills a similar role, focused exclusively on the Palestinian media.
PMW monitors, translates and shares examples of incitement. It was PMW that exposed the use of a Mickey Mouse character inciting hate and violence on the Hamas TV children's show "The Pioneers of Tomorrow."
That story created shock waves around the world, leading to discussions in the Western mainstream media and at the UN of the link between incitement in the media and terrorism.
PMW's violation appears to be that it was posting "hate material."
There is no doubt that it was. However, like MEMRI, that material was not shared for the purpose of incitement, but to expose and counter the spread of hate. Some commentators have speculated that it is not the hate against Jews, Israelis and Americans – as shown in MEMRI and PMW videos – that is the problem, but rather the fact that the videos might cause a backlash against those promoting such hate.
Any argument that uses free speech to prevent the exposure of hate speech is inherently deeply flawed.
YouTube needs to get its act together.
What it has created is a haven for hate, devoid of sunlight. Its policy seems inconsistent, ineffective and only selectively enforced. It is working against community expectations and the public interest. Ignoring illegal content, while removing the very sunlight needed to expose those spreading hate, creates a volatile environment.
Social media is built on concepts of security and trust. When these start to go, opportunities for competitors are created. It may be too early to call this the beginning of the end for YouTube, but unless it gets its policies right, and properly enforces them, we may well see this megalith begin to slide downhill.
The writer is an expert in social media and online hate. He is director of the Community Internet Engagement Project and Co-Chair of the Online Anti-Semitism working group for the Global Forum to Combat Anti-Semitism.
Saudi King Abdullah may have plans to move the controversial Ground Zero mosque to the site of the now-shuttered St. Vincent's Medical Center - NYPOST.comLabels: NO to the Plan for mosque near World Trade Center» Saudi King Abdullah
|Remember the joke that we should move a Gay bar next door to the WTC Mosque?
This will be interesting!
I'm sure the people in the Village will just love this. Maybe the Saudi King can also give the Village Voice Gay Escorts a showcase!
Saudi King Abdullah (pictured) reportedly
wants to move the
Ground Zero mosque
to shuttered
St. Vincent's Hospital in the Village.
Saudi-linked lawyer.
be sure to Egg this guy on the street
via nypost.com good Muslims via screamingqueens.com
U.N. - India, South Africa, China and Saudi Arabia propose Internet NWO in wake of Wikileaks. BAD IDEA!Labels: China» ICANN» India» ISOC» Saudi Arabia» South Africa» United Nations» WikiLeaks» World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA)
In light of the Wikileaks disclosures, a group of countries, led by Brazil, is pushing for the United Nations to regulate the internet (Hat Tip: Instapundit).
At a meeting in New York on Wednesday, representatives from Brazil called for an international body made up of Government representatives that would attempt to create global standards for policing the internet - specifically in reaction to challenges such as WikiLeaks.What could go wrong?
The Brazilian delegate stressed, however, that this should not be seen as a call for a "takeover" of the internet.
India, South Africa, China and Saudi Arabia appeared to favour a new possible over-arching inter-government body.
The United Nations is considering whether to set up an inter-governmental working group to harmonise global efforts by policy makers to regulate the internet.
Establishment of such a group has the backing of several countries, spearheaded by Brazil.
At a meeting in New York on Wednesday, representatives from Brazil called for an international body made up of Government representatives that would attempt to create global standards for policing the internet - specifically in reaction to challenges such as WikiLeaks.
The Brazilian delegate stressed, however, that this should not be seen as a call for a "takeover" of the internet.
India, South Africa, China and Saudi Arabia appeared to favour a new possible over-arching inter-government body.
However, Australia, US, UK, Belgium and Canada and attending business and community representatives argued there were risks in forming yet another working group that might isolate itself from the industry, community users and the general public.
"My concern is that if we were to make a move to form a governmental-only body then that would send a very strong signal to civil society that their valuable contribution was not required or was not being looked for," an un-named Australian representative told the meeting.
Debate on the creation of a new inter-governmental body stemmed from a UN Economic and Social Council resolution 2010/2 of 19 July.
The resolution invited the UN Secretary-General "to convene open and inclusive consultations involving all Member States and all other stakeholders with a view to assisting the process towards enhanced cooperation in order to enable Governments on an equal footing to carry out their roles and responsibilities in respect of international public policy issues pertaining to the Internet but not of the day-to-day technical and operational matters that do not impact upon those issues."
Much debate concerned the meaning of "enhanced cooperation" and whether a new inter-governmental body was required. Participants also debated the roles of existing organisations - such as the Internet Governance Forum, ICANN and the ITU.
The IGF - an organisation that informs the UN but makes no decisions - is running close to the end of a five-year mandate, due to expire at the end of the year.
The likes of ISOC, ICANN and more recently the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) have recently expressed concerns [PDF] that a working panel to decide on the future of the IGF has been limited to representatives from member-states.
"Australia is a very strong supporter of the Internet Governance Forum," the unidentified Australian UN representative said at the New York meeting this week. "That is very much due to the multi-stake-holder approach of the IGF. It is an inclusive process."
Australia's Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy said that Australian Government welcomed the resolution of the Second Committee of the United Nation General Assembly (UNGA) to extend the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) for a further five years.
The DBCDE said it would like to see the organisation retain an open and participatory membership.
"Australia has always supported the participation of civil society and the private sector in the IGF and regards their participation as being integral to the IGF's success," a spokesman told iTnews.
via itnews.com.au
On the first full day of Julian Assange's release from imprisonment, we now learn that some members of the United Nations want to introduce some sort of worldwide Internet regulation. That's nice. But don't worry: this isn't a "takeover," or anything scary like that. It's simply to ensure that we never see something like Wikileaks ever again. A bit late for that, no?
All of this went down on Wednesday, with Brazil's UN delegation proposing "global standards" that would, in effect, regulate the Internet.
The proposal in the obtuse verbiage of the UN would:
convene open and inclusive consultations involving all Member States and all other stakeholders with a view to assisting the process towards enhanced cooperation in order to enable Governments on an equal footing to carry out their roles and responsibilities in respect of international public policy issues pertaining to the Internet but not of the day-to-day technical and operational matters that do not impact upon those issues.I seem to recall Brazil throwing up another Internet-related stink a few years ago vis-à-vis the .xxx top-level domain. A sort of, "We can't have a dot x x x because that will encourage the proliferation of pornography."
As if the Internet isn't already swarming with pornography.
via crunchgear.comencouraging cooperation between nations should be the job of the UN. this stuff about taking over is what scares me
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text:
Her recent absence from Society has been due to a number of majorly lovely projects, including the one above, with before and after pix on her blog. I was involved in some of the measurements and higher mathematics of the project (but not her use of Sphenic Numbers) using various steam-powered approximates to what we probably could have achieved in an instant with the right laser interferometric sextant or astrolabe or whatever. Suffice it to say that small errors in rise can lead to large errors in surface area, the basis of estimation in the decorative painting biz.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Lynne's latest
Posted by Erling Wold at 12:40 PM
Labels: beauty, lynne rutter
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subset: commoncrawl


text: Directions: Cook Beef with chili powder in skillet until browned. Pour off fat. Stir in soup, water tomatoes and beans. Heat to a boil, cover and cook over low heat 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in rice. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Top with cheese. Serve with tortilla chips. Serves 4.


text:
Sausage Roll - The Perfect Fusion of Pastry and Reformed meat
Reformed meat is defined as 'any product which has the appearance of a cut, slice or portion of meat, formed by ''tumbling'' chopped meat with or without the addition of finely comminuted meat, the soluble proteins of which bind the small pieces together'. So - you take a piece of meat, chop it up into very small bits, throw them all up into the air then put them all back together so that it looks like, er, a piece of meat. Well what's the point of that? Have we missed something here? And while we're asking questions, what does 'comminuted' mean? Help!
Here's a retro t-shirt that doesn't need reforming, it's fine as it is thank you very much. Oh and we've just looked up comminuted and it means 'reduced to small pieces or particles by pounding or abrading' - so at least that's cleared that up.


text:
Well, more like seen. This link was posted in a comment in the previous entry, but it was so awesome that it deserves its own entry.
Steve Perry was interviewed in GQ Magazine and you can read it here:
A special thank you and an extra large PIO to the person who provided the link.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Seen and Heard
Labels: GQ, interview, Steve Perry
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text:
Saturday, August 31, 2013
First Day Activities/Ideas
Friday, August 30, 2013
World Studies (Day 1-2)
World Studies:
Reading and Interpreting Maps (Chapter 1)
"A Map is a Kind of Picture"
"Map Symbols That Represent Natural Things"
Map Reading Activity (Interactive)
What is a topographic map?
What does it mean when the lines are close
What does it mean when the lines are far apart?
What are three important things to look for on a map?
Why are symbols used on maps?
Give two examples of symbols used on maps from the presentation.
What is the purpose of a legend?
What does the scale on a map show?
Now, practice using Atlases.
Now, practice using Atlases.
Name That Park (Interactive)
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