In the north east of Iran at the foot of Mount Sahand in Kandovan, the villagers live in cave homes carved out from the volcanic rock.
The age of some houses is more than 700 years.
More photos here
And here. A Video
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Amazing old village in Iran
In the north east of Iran at the foot of Mount Sahand in Kandovan, the villagers live in cave homes carved out from the volcanic rock.
The age of some houses is more than 700 years.
More photos here
And here. A Video
Gordon Brown pledges inquiry as Israel refuses to rule out Mossad plot in Dubai
International row deepens over use of fake UK passports as Israeli foreign minister fails to deny Mossad involvement
Gordon Brown today stepped into the growing international row over the alleged use of fake passports by the assassins of a Hamas leader in Dubai by promising a full investigation.
As demands were made for the Israeli ambassador to be summoned to the Foreign Office to answer allegations that the Mossad security service was behind the assassination, the prime minister told London's LBC radio station: "We are looking at this at this very moment. We have got to carry out a full investigation into this. The British passport is an important document that has got to be held with care.
Gordon Brown today stepped into the growing international row over the alleged use of fake passports by the assassins of a Hamas leader in Dubai by promising a full investigation.
As demands were made for the Israeli ambassador to be summoned to the Foreign Office to answer allegations that the Mossad security service was behind the assassination, the prime minister told London's LBC radio station: "We are looking at this at this very moment. We have got to carry out a full investigation into this. The British passport is an important document that has got to be held with care.
Things are hotting up: Dubai police call on Interpol to help arrest Mossad head -
"International pressure intensified against Israel's spy service as official "wanted" notices were released for the suspected team of Israeli secret agents accused of participating in the assassination. The faces of an 11-strong alleged hit squad appeared on the Interpol website this morning, 48 hours after authorities in the United Arab Emirates issued arrest warrants for the killing last month of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh."
The Guardian
The Guardian
France cancels Haiti's debt and acknowledges wounds of France's brutal colonisation
Haiti promised €230m as Nicolas Sarkozy visits former colony
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It's a bit late isn't it? Or it's never too late...Whatever!
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It's a bit late isn't it? Or it's never too late...Whatever!
His "Holiness" Pope Benedict XVI is on Facebook
"Sign up for Facebook to connect with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI."
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"Holiness"
How many holes does one need to have to be a pope?
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"Holiness"
How many holes does one need to have to be a pope?
Elton John: 'Jesus was gay'
"I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems. On the cross, he forgave the people who crucified him. Jesus wanted us to be loving and forgiving. I don't know what makes people so cruel. Try being a gay woman in the Middle East -- you're as good as dead."
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"Try being a gay woman in the Middle East"
What does this lune know about this? Why do those living caricatures say dumb things all the time? BTW, there's an association for gay rights (women included) in Lebanon.
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"Try being a gay woman in the Middle East"
What does this lune know about this? Why do those living caricatures say dumb things all the time? BTW, there's an association for gay rights (women included) in Lebanon.
Escape from Israel's Ultra-Orthodox:The High Price of Religious Defection
(Shimy Levy (left) and Mayan were both raised in ultra-Orthodox communities in Israel. When they made the hard choice to leave, they turned to Hillel - The Right To Choose, an organization that helps those leaving the Orthodox faith start a normal life.)
"The community of ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel is half a million strong and growing. They live in a parallel universe cut off from the modern world in tight-knit communities where everything revolves around religion. Only a few dare to abandon this life -- and the price for doing so is high.
When she left, she left everything behind -- even her name. She no longer wanted to be known as Sarah, the name her parents had given her. She'd felt imprisoned by that name for too long; it made her feel different and subject to laws that others imposed upon her. So, she started her new life with a new name, Mayan, the Hebrew word for "source."..........
....The "parallel universe" Mayan used to live in has around 550,000 inhabitants. It is the world of the Orthodox Jews in Israel, whose adherents live in tight-knit communities where everything revolves around religion. They radically shield themselves from modern life. Television is frowned upon, as is non-religious music, telephones and the Internet. News that is important to the community is disseminated via notices posted on walls. Boys and girls go to school, but their education is primarily focused on religion."
Spiegel Online
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The Keffiyeh is just a "fashion" statement, I presume.
Study: Young Americans less religious than their parents
A study released Wednesday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public life appears to bear that out. On the one hand, it finds that young Americans are significantly less religious than their parents and grandparents were when they were young. But the report also suggests that many of the beliefs and faith-based practices of 18- to 29-year-olds mirror those of their elders.
Nobel Economist J. Stiglitz on Obama’s Stimulus Plan, Debt, Climate Change, and “Freefall: America, Free Markets, and the Sinking of the World Economy
"As President Obama defends the success of his one-year-old $787 billion stimulus package, we speak to Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, who says the stimulus was both not big enough and too focused on tax cuts. Stiglitz is the author of the new book Freefall: America, Free Markets, and the Sinking of the World Economy, which analyzes the causes of the Great Recession of 2008 and calls for overcoming what he calls an “ersatz capitalism” that socializes losses but privatizes gains."
video
video
Mossad killing: Britain's explanation is riddled with inconsistencies. It's time to come clean
Robert Fisk, the Independent
"Collusion. That's what it's all about. The United Arab Emirates suspect – only suspect, mark you – that Europe's "security collaboration" with Israel has crossed a line into illegality, where British passports (and those of other other EU nations) can now be used to send Israeli agents into the Gulf to kill Israel's enemies. At 3.49pm yesterday afternoon (Beirut time, 1.49pm in London), my Lebanese phone rang. It was a source – impeccable, I know him, he spoke with the authority I know he has in Abu Dhabi – to say that "the British passports are real. They are hologram pictures with the biometric stamp. They are not forged or fake. The names were really there. If you can fake a hologram or biometric stamp, what does this mean?"
"Collusion. That's what it's all about. The United Arab Emirates suspect – only suspect, mark you – that Europe's "security collaboration" with Israel has crossed a line into illegality, where British passports (and those of other other EU nations) can now be used to send Israeli agents into the Gulf to kill Israel's enemies. At 3.49pm yesterday afternoon (Beirut time, 1.49pm in London), my Lebanese phone rang. It was a source – impeccable, I know him, he spoke with the authority I know he has in Abu Dhabi – to say that "the British passports are real. They are hologram pictures with the biometric stamp. They are not forged or fake. The names were really there. If you can fake a hologram or biometric stamp, what does this mean?"
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
“When there is no coverage, the first victim is the truth…”
Helena Cobban's 'Fair Policy, Fair Discussion'
"Those were the recent words of Norway’s foreign minister, Jonas Gahr Store, in response to disparaging Israeli media coverage of his country and its policies towards Israel. During Operation Cast Lead, Israel’s most recent assault on the Gaza Strip, to which Minister Store was referring, international media was denied access and the ability to disseminate independent information on an event of great importance. Minister Store’s evaluation of this predicament is correct. As demonstrated by the reactions to the Goldstone report, much of what took place in Gaza is still disputed between Israel, Gazans themselves, and the international community."
"Those were the recent words of Norway’s foreign minister, Jonas Gahr Store, in response to disparaging Israeli media coverage of his country and its policies towards Israel. During Operation Cast Lead, Israel’s most recent assault on the Gaza Strip, to which Minister Store was referring, international media was denied access and the ability to disseminate independent information on an event of great importance. Minister Store’s evaluation of this predicament is correct. As demonstrated by the reactions to the Goldstone report, much of what took place in Gaza is still disputed between Israel, Gazans themselves, and the international community."
As'ad Abu Khalil's "The Dangerous Man" Part 2 (The Return of The Dangerous Man) translated
""Return of the Dangerous Man: Expedition of History"
The story of the Dangerous Man is not over, and will never be. It is at the heart of the story of the history of Lebanon and the Arab East. That story might be fictitious, but fiction agrees with reality in more than one station. Then, what if the events and people are figments of imagination? Would that discount their true nature? Who knows? The characters of the novel might be of flesh and blood.
What to tell you about a man who emerged from the womb of his mother carrying a newspaper, what to say? What to tell you about a man who threw a stone at an Israeli patrol while he was still crawling on his hands and knees? A man who shouted revolutionary slogans before learning the alphabet and before uttering his first word in front of his parents? What to tell you about a man who drew a map of Palestine with chalk at the age of four? What to tell you about a man who never came across a Lebanese flag without uprooting the cedar out of it? What to tell you about a man who’d go to bed to the sound of a moaning flute whenever Israel kills an Arab? What to tell you about a man who was killed three times but did not die? Three times, believe me. What to tell you about a man who traced the footsteps of «Ayman» in the land of the south after he read Shawki Bzei’s poem about him? About a man who left meteors of revolution and rejection anywhere he went? About a man who tamed the history with his two arms? What do I say?"
The story of the Dangerous Man is not over, and will never be. It is at the heart of the story of the history of Lebanon and the Arab East. That story might be fictitious, but fiction agrees with reality in more than one station. Then, what if the events and people are figments of imagination? Would that discount their true nature? Who knows? The characters of the novel might be of flesh and blood.
What to tell you about a man who emerged from the womb of his mother carrying a newspaper, what to say? What to tell you about a man who threw a stone at an Israeli patrol while he was still crawling on his hands and knees? A man who shouted revolutionary slogans before learning the alphabet and before uttering his first word in front of his parents? What to tell you about a man who drew a map of Palestine with chalk at the age of four? What to tell you about a man who never came across a Lebanese flag without uprooting the cedar out of it? What to tell you about a man who’d go to bed to the sound of a moaning flute whenever Israel kills an Arab? What to tell you about a man who was killed three times but did not die? Three times, believe me. What to tell you about a man who traced the footsteps of «Ayman» in the land of the south after he read Shawki Bzei’s poem about him? About a man who left meteors of revolution and rejection anywhere he went? About a man who tamed the history with his two arms? What do I say?"
Arab Jews and Arab Jews redux from the Angry Arab
"Jews who migrated to Israel left property everywhere from North Africa to the Persian Gulf. Some research estimates that about $1 billion worth of personal and community assets were left behind by 850,000 Jews who forfeited all when they left their old countries for the new one. After Israel's establishment, the Jews' standing in many countries deteriorated and the choice for most was clear: offer or not, they were in no place to refuse." I am for the return and/or compensation of all Jews who either left or were made to leave Arab lands. Furthermore, those who were responsible for their mistreatment (Arab regimes AND Israel through its terrorist intelligence service which terrorized Arabs Jews, like in Iraq in Operation Babylon) should be held accountable. (thanks Sarah)
Followed by clarifications in a second post:
I posted on Arab Jews yesterday. Some people misunderstood what I was saying. Read it again and let me add these remarks: 1) I am opposed to any linking between the plight of Arab Jews and the Arab-Israeli conflict. I mean, that we need to hold Arab regimes accountable for the injustices that they have inflicted on citizens--Jews and non-Jews alike. I mean, Kurds have a strong case against the Iraqi Ba`thist state, just as the Syrians and Palestinians in Lebanon have a strong case against the Lebanese state. 2) To address this issue we need to address the criminal and terrorist role that Israel has played, whether in the Lavon Affair in Egypt or in the Operation Babylon in Iraq. We need to press cases against Israel when we deal with this issue, but we all know full well that Israel's years are numbered. In other words, there will be no Israel when we deal with this issue. 3) I was not talking numbers here. I do believe that Zionist organizations invoke wild numbers that exist only in the propaganda brochures of the Zionist entity. We will not allow Israeli state to dictate on this issue.
Followed by clarifications in a second post:
I posted on Arab Jews yesterday. Some people misunderstood what I was saying. Read it again and let me add these remarks: 1) I am opposed to any linking between the plight of Arab Jews and the Arab-Israeli conflict. I mean, that we need to hold Arab regimes accountable for the injustices that they have inflicted on citizens--Jews and non-Jews alike. I mean, Kurds have a strong case against the Iraqi Ba`thist state, just as the Syrians and Palestinians in Lebanon have a strong case against the Lebanese state. 2) To address this issue we need to address the criminal and terrorist role that Israel has played, whether in the Lavon Affair in Egypt or in the Operation Babylon in Iraq. We need to press cases against Israel when we deal with this issue, but we all know full well that Israel's years are numbered. In other words, there will be no Israel when we deal with this issue. 3) I was not talking numbers here. I do believe that Zionist organizations invoke wild numbers that exist only in the propaganda brochures of the Zionist entity. We will not allow Israeli state to dictate on this issue.
Interview with Tarif Khalidi: his new translation of the Qur’an
From the Angry Arab:
"Here are the questions I sent to Tarif, and his answers are below:
1) at what point you realized or felt that there is a need for a new
translation. Was it one bad translation of the Qur'an that bothered you?
2) how long did it take you?
3) What was more challenging? The Arabic or the English?
4) when you would deal with a particular verse that is subject to multiple interpretations (hammalu awjuh, as Ali bin Abi Talib described it), did you try to maintain the vagueness of the verse or did you settle on an interpretation?
5) Do you read the Qur'an differently now? Did you discover hidden meanings or new meanings?
6) Can you describe the mechanics of the translation? Like how did you do it: do you start with the Arabic text and then refer to standard interpretations and then deal with the translation?"
"Here are the questions I sent to Tarif, and his answers are below:
1) at what point you realized or felt that there is a need for a new
translation. Was it one bad translation of the Qur'an that bothered you?
2) how long did it take you?
3) What was more challenging? The Arabic or the English?
4) when you would deal with a particular verse that is subject to multiple interpretations (hammalu awjuh, as Ali bin Abi Talib described it), did you try to maintain the vagueness of the verse or did you settle on an interpretation?
5) Do you read the Qur'an differently now? Did you discover hidden meanings or new meanings?
6) Can you describe the mechanics of the translation? Like how did you do it: do you start with the Arabic text and then refer to standard interpretations and then deal with the translation?"
Kuwaiti newspaper fined over pro-Israel advert justifying Gaza onslaught
A Kuwaiti newspaper was fined 3,000 dinars (10,400 dollars) for printing a pro-Israeli advertisement justifying the Jewish state's war on Gaza, Al-Jarida newspaper reported on Monday.
The fine was slapped on Al-Watan Daily for allowing the printing of the advertisement in the International Herald Tribune, which it prints and distributes locally in the Gulf emirate.
The advertisement was sponsored by the US-based Jewish Anti-Defamation League (ADL) during the 22-day Israeli offensive on Gaza Strip that was launched on December 27, 2008.
The fine was slapped on Al-Watan Daily for allowing the printing of the advertisement in the International Herald Tribune, which it prints and distributes locally in the Gulf emirate.
The advertisement was sponsored by the US-based Jewish Anti-Defamation League (ADL) during the 22-day Israeli offensive on Gaza Strip that was launched on December 27, 2008.
Nasrallah: Nothing Will Be safe In Israel From Our Rockets... If You Bomb Us
"Just as we have infrastructure, there is infrastructure in occupied Palestine. We have one airport and they have airports, we have a few electricity stations and they have huge electricity stations, they have oil refineries and we have a few. The Israeli infrastructure is much more bigger than ours and therefore I tell them the following: If you strike martyr Rafiq Hariri’s international airport in Beirut, we’ll strike your Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. If you hit our ports, we will hit your ports. If you attack our refineries or factories, we’ll bomb your refineries and factories.
Today, on this occasion, I announce and accept this challenge. As people, army, and resistance, we are capable of protecting our country and we do not need anyone in this world to do this for us. This is how we face threats: with more threats, not with retreat, not with fear, but with steadfastness and threats. We have never sought war but we have the responsibility to defend our country and to stand firm on our land.”"
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And how do you think the headlines in the Israeli media looked like?
"Nasrallah threatens to attack Ben-Gurion Airport"
They dropped the "If you bomb us!
Israeli media in a nutshell.
Today, on this occasion, I announce and accept this challenge. As people, army, and resistance, we are capable of protecting our country and we do not need anyone in this world to do this for us. This is how we face threats: with more threats, not with retreat, not with fear, but with steadfastness and threats. We have never sought war but we have the responsibility to defend our country and to stand firm on our land.”"
-----------------------
And how do you think the headlines in the Israeli media looked like?
"Nasrallah threatens to attack Ben-Gurion Airport"
They dropped the "If you bomb us!
Israeli media in a nutshell.
The Angry Arab on Nassrallah's speech
Nasrallah speech
"I have been distracted from blogging: I have been watching a live transmission of Nasrallah's speech. It may be one of the most important in his career: more important than that famous speech in Bint Jubayl. He was responding to Israeli threats against Lebanon (I am sure that Western media will report it as "Nasrallah threatens Israel"), and gave detailed examples of responses to Israeli attacks on Lebanon, in terms of tit-for-tat. He gave the most detailed and rational analysis of the strategic weakness of the Israeli entity. The speech is addressed to the larger Arab/Muslim audiences, and also addressed to Israel."
"I have been distracted from blogging: I have been watching a live transmission of Nasrallah's speech. It may be one of the most important in his career: more important than that famous speech in Bint Jubayl. He was responding to Israeli threats against Lebanon (I am sure that Western media will report it as "Nasrallah threatens Israel"), and gave detailed examples of responses to Israeli attacks on Lebanon, in terms of tit-for-tat. He gave the most detailed and rational analysis of the strategic weakness of the Israeli entity. The speech is addressed to the larger Arab/Muslim audiences, and also addressed to Israel."
ABC: Taliban told US it would give up Osama
United States and Taliban officials met secretly in Frankfurt almost a year before the September 11 attacks to discuss terms for the Afghans to hand over Osama bin Laden, according to a German television documentary.
Britons had passport details stolen by ‘Mossad death squad’
British authorities are investigating how six British nationals apparently had their identities stolen by suspected Mossad agents on a mission to assassinate a Hamas leader in Dubai.....
....Mossad has used the forged and stolen passports of several friendly countries to carry out hits in the past, including a bungled assassination attempt on the Hamas leader, Sheikh Khaled Meshaal, in 1997, when forged Canadian passports were used.
In 2004, New Zealand suspended diplomatic relations with Israel after jailing two Israeli agents for possessing fake New Zealand passports. In 1987, Britain formally protested to Israel over the use of forged British passports, and received assurances it would not happen again.
....Mossad has used the forged and stolen passports of several friendly countries to carry out hits in the past, including a bungled assassination attempt on the Hamas leader, Sheikh Khaled Meshaal, in 1997, when forged Canadian passports were used.
In 2004, New Zealand suspended diplomatic relations with Israel after jailing two Israeli agents for possessing fake New Zealand passports. In 1987, Britain formally protested to Israel over the use of forged British passports, and received assurances it would not happen again.
Rocket strike that killed 12 Afghan civilians was not a "rogue missile" but hit its intended target, according to the British commander
Use of the missile system was initially suspended after it emerged that a number of victims in a house it hit were children. Commanders issued immediate apologies and renewed promises to try their utmost to avoid casualties among the population.
When the going ( to school ) is tough
As settler violence escalated, even children on their way to school in At’tuwani, Hebron hills, were not spared. Eventually, the Israeli Army agreed to provide an escort for children traveling from Taba to At’tuwani for their daily classes. Ironically, the same soldiers would invade the villages at night. One can only wonder whether the children think of the soldiers as protectors or agents of oppression.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Certain things never change
I came across this quote by M.Twain:
"It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly American criminal class except Congress."
Mark Twain 1835-1910
"It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly American criminal class except Congress."
Mark Twain 1835-1910
Divestment campaign gains traction at U of Arizona
Divestment is biting at the University of Arizona. Several articles about the campaign in the student newspaper. Here’s the lead:
"UA administrators are resisting a recommendation by UA students to terminate the university’s contract with the Motorola Corporation. Students say the company is complicit in human rights violations because of contracts they have with the Israeli government, which is militarily occupying Palestinian lands."
"UA administrators are resisting a recommendation by UA students to terminate the university’s contract with the Motorola Corporation. Students say the company is complicit in human rights violations because of contracts they have with the Israeli government, which is militarily occupying Palestinian lands."
A good question
Someone on Mondo's asked a good pertinent question:
How come Al Qa'idah never attacked Israel?
How come Al Qa'idah never attacked Israel?
Could U.S.-Israel Ties Crumble Over Iran?
The strategic relationship between Israel and the United States could collapse amid their dispute over Iran.
In three simulations conducted in Israel and the United States, relations between the two countries declined rapidly amid a dispute over a response to Iran's nuclear weapons program. The simulations envisioned a diplomatic crisis as Washington sought to stop Israel from attacking Iran.
"The United States was unwilling to use military force or support Israeli military action even after other measures failed," a report on the three simulations said. "U.S.-Israeli relations deteriorated dramatically."
The report by the Washington Institute, titled "Serious Play: War Games Explore Options on Iran," reviewed the war games conducted by three leading Western strategic institutes.
In three simulations conducted in Israel and the United States, relations between the two countries declined rapidly amid a dispute over a response to Iran's nuclear weapons program. The simulations envisioned a diplomatic crisis as Washington sought to stop Israel from attacking Iran.
"The United States was unwilling to use military force or support Israeli military action even after other measures failed," a report on the three simulations said. "U.S.-Israeli relations deteriorated dramatically."
The report by the Washington Institute, titled "Serious Play: War Games Explore Options on Iran," reviewed the war games conducted by three leading Western strategic institutes.
Story of a 12-year-old boy arrested for trying to visit his aunt’s house
Philip Weiss
"Did you hear that? Story of a 12 year old boy arrested for trying to visit his aunt’s house.
What are you doing about this? Story of a 12 year old boy arrested for trying to visit his aunt’s house.
Jewish readers, they’re doing this in your name, American readers they’re doing this with your money: Story of a 12 year old boy arrested for trying to visit his aunt’s house.
The great Amira Hass in Haaretz tells the story of a 12 year old boy arrested for trying to visit his aunt’s house in Palestine:"
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Amira's article in Haaretz:
A Palestinian arrest so ridiculous even the Israeli judges smiled
"Did you hear that? Story of a 12 year old boy arrested for trying to visit his aunt’s house.
What are you doing about this? Story of a 12 year old boy arrested for trying to visit his aunt’s house.
Jewish readers, they’re doing this in your name, American readers they’re doing this with your money: Story of a 12 year old boy arrested for trying to visit his aunt’s house.
The great Amira Hass in Haaretz tells the story of a 12 year old boy arrested for trying to visit his aunt’s house in Palestine:"
------------
Amira's article in Haaretz:
A Palestinian arrest so ridiculous even the Israeli judges smiled
Senator Ackerman: It's double standards! The US killed more civilians in Afganistan and Iraq than Israelis in the whole Gaza "incursion"
"I would contend that on any given month during the war in Iraq and the war in Afgahnistan and Pakistan, in one month probably more innocent civilians are killed by American troops - unintended consequences - than in the whole Gaza incursion."
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So why us? I meant, why them?
Immigrants to be taught how to queue
The art of queuing is to be made part of the citizenship test for immigrants, under plans unveiled by a senior minister today.
Libya suspends issuing visas to Europeans
TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya has stopped issuing entry visas to citizens of most European countries, officials said on Monday, in an apparent escalation of its diplomatic row with Switzerland.
The visa suspension emerged a day after a Libyan newspaper reported that the North African country would take "severe measures" in response to Switzerland drawing up a visa blacklist that included Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his family.
The visa suspension emerged a day after a Libyan newspaper reported that the North African country would take "severe measures" in response to Switzerland drawing up a visa blacklist that included Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his family.
Congressman says US should break Gaza blockade
"The United States should break Israel's blockade of Gaza and deliver badly needed supplies by sea, a U.S. congressman told Gaza students.
Rep. Brian Baird, a Democrat from Washington state, also urged President Barack Obama's Mideast envoy to visit the Hamas-ruled territory to get a firsthand look at the destruction caused by Israeli's military offensive last year.
Rep. Brian Baird, a Democrat from Washington state, also urged President Barack Obama's Mideast envoy to visit the Hamas-ruled territory to get a firsthand look at the destruction caused by Israeli's military offensive last year.
Monday, February 15, 2010
11 Europeans and probably Israeli suspected of assassination wanted in Dubai
Six Britons in 11-strong group which assassinated commander, say Dubai police
By Barbara Surk in Dubai
An 11-member hit squad, composed mostly of UK passport holders, was responsible for the killing of a leader of the Hamas armed wing in a Dubai hotel room last month, the country's police chief told reporters yesterday.
Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim showed a news conference surveillance video of the alleged assassination team arriving on separate flights to Dubai the day before Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was found dead by staff at the Bustan Rotana hotel, AP reported from Dubai. He said that six members of the team carried British passports, three – including a woman – Irish passports, one – the head of the team – a French passport, and one a German passport. He said photos and other information were being sent to Interpol.
Hamas has blamed Israel for the killing of Mr Mabhouh, who was responsible for the capture and killing of two Israeli soldiers in 1989 – slayings that shocked Israel and became part of the country's collective memory. More recently, Israel considered him a key figure in the procurement of Iranian weaponry for the Islamic group which rules the Gaza Strip. But the Israeli government has studiously avoided commenting on Mr Mabhouh's death.
By Barbara Surk in Dubai
An 11-member hit squad, composed mostly of UK passport holders, was responsible for the killing of a leader of the Hamas armed wing in a Dubai hotel room last month, the country's police chief told reporters yesterday.
Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim showed a news conference surveillance video of the alleged assassination team arriving on separate flights to Dubai the day before Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was found dead by staff at the Bustan Rotana hotel, AP reported from Dubai. He said that six members of the team carried British passports, three – including a woman – Irish passports, one – the head of the team – a French passport, and one a German passport. He said photos and other information were being sent to Interpol.
Hamas has blamed Israel for the killing of Mr Mabhouh, who was responsible for the capture and killing of two Israeli soldiers in 1989 – slayings that shocked Israel and became part of the country's collective memory. More recently, Israel considered him a key figure in the procurement of Iranian weaponry for the Islamic group which rules the Gaza Strip. But the Israeli government has studiously avoided commenting on Mr Mabhouh's death.
Peak Oil forecast for 2015.
A report out of Britain funded by Virgin Airlines owner Richard Branson and other British business leaders warns that peak oil is looming in 2015. The controversial idea that growing oil demand will soon outstrip more finds is capturing the attention of governments.
The Economic Elite Have Engineered an Extraordinary Coup, Threatening the Very Existence of the Middle Class
By David DeGraw
"The economic elite have robbed us all. The amount of suffering in the United States of America is literally a crime against humanity."
"The economic elite have robbed us all. The amount of suffering in the United States of America is literally a crime against humanity."
Limbaugh suggests World War II not as harmful to America as Obama
Right-wing host claims 'there is no war on right now,' even as Marines dodge snipers in Afghan city of Marjah
Limbaugh suggests World War II not as harmful to America as ObamaAccording to the U.S. government, 405,399 Americans died during the second world war, a conflict that claimed over 60 million lives all around the globe.
But that's nothing, apparently. According to right-wing talk show host Rush Limbaugh, the United States has already suffered a much more devastating blow at the hands of President Obama, just one year into his presidency.
(The Raw Story)
Limbaugh suggests World War II not as harmful to America as ObamaAccording to the U.S. government, 405,399 Americans died during the second world war, a conflict that claimed over 60 million lives all around the globe.
But that's nothing, apparently. According to right-wing talk show host Rush Limbaugh, the United States has already suffered a much more devastating blow at the hands of President Obama, just one year into his presidency.
(The Raw Story)
Dick Cheney Admits to Torture Conspiracy
If the U.S. had a functioning criminal justice system for the powerful, former Vice President Dick Cheney would have just convicted himself with his Sunday comments.
AlterNet
AlterNet
Dick Cheney Admits to Torture Conspiracy
If the U.S. had a functioning criminal justice system for the powerful, former Vice President Dick Cheney would have just convicted himself with his Sunday comments.
Alter net
Alter net
Texas Education Board Is Trying to Infuse Schoolbooks with Ultraconservative Ideology
"We are a Christian nation founded on Christian principles," says one board member. "The way I evaluate history textbooks is first I see how they cover Christianity and Israel."
Sickening kooks galore
"Sickening encounter with my fundie (Calvinist) brother-in-law this weekend who said that God is gracious simply by allowing my dead father to stay alive in hell."
Alan Dershowitz: Ethnic cleansing is a fifth-rate issue, akin to urban renewal.
In the article I just posted I found this "pearl" from Dershowitz that I deem worth highlighting and reposting. What's at work here is not mere disdain for humanity, it goes further to a denial of humanity:
"Alan Dershowitz and Melanie Phillips are two of the most prominent figures sent in to attack anyone who disagrees with the Israeli right. Dershowitz is a lawyer, Harvard professor and author of The Case For Israel. He sees ethnic cleansing as a trifling matter, writing: "Political solutions often require the movement of people, and such movement is not always voluntary ... It is a fifth-rate issue analogous in many respects to some massive urban renewal."
"Alan Dershowitz and Melanie Phillips are two of the most prominent figures sent in to attack anyone who disagrees with the Israeli right. Dershowitz is a lawyer, Harvard professor and author of The Case For Israel. He sees ethnic cleansing as a trifling matter, writing: "Political solutions often require the movement of people, and such movement is not always voluntary ... It is a fifth-rate issue analogous in many respects to some massive urban renewal."
Johann Hari: The loathsome smearing of Israel's critics
In the US and Britain, there is a campaign to smear anybody who tries to describe the plight of the Palestinian people. It is an attempt to intimidate and silence – and to a large degree, it works. There is nobody these self-appointed spokesmen for Israel will not attack as anti-Jewish: liberal Jews, rabbis, even Holocaust survivors.
The independent
(thanks vza)
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This smearing business has been going on a massive scale for 60 years if not more. As one example to cite, see how someone like BHL talks about Jimmy Carter and Walt & Mearsheimer..Loathsome indeed..
The independent
(thanks vza)
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This smearing business has been going on a massive scale for 60 years if not more. As one example to cite, see how someone like BHL talks about Jimmy Carter and Walt & Mearsheimer..Loathsome indeed..
The people's brakes on war
Historic protests couldn't stop the invasion of Iraq, but the legacy will be felt if conflict grows with Iran
Seven years ago today, it was hard to believe how many people were on the streets trying to prevent the Iraq war. There was anger and foreboding, but also a feeling of exhilaration. Surely a march this big would have some effect. As we know, it didn't.
Yet the numbers on that 15 February 2003 march, the biggest demonstration ever held in Britain (joined by more than 10 million people in over 60 countries in what became the largest worldwide demonstration in history), do matter. Because what they pointed to was something unique. For every regular protester, there were a vast number of people who'd never marched before.
So was the protest a failure? Given that we know now that Tony Blair had decided for war, any number of millions might not have deterred him. But the protesters have succeeded in making opposition to war a part of mainstream political debate. Not just in parliament, where the vote for war was won by only 12 MPs, but in the traditionally conservative press. The Daily Mail pointed to the anti-war demonstrators gathered for Blair's appearance before the Chilcot inquiry, and a poll showing that 80% of people polled thought Blair was lying, to state the country now shared the sentiments of the protesters.
Seven years ago today, it was hard to believe how many people were on the streets trying to prevent the Iraq war. There was anger and foreboding, but also a feeling of exhilaration. Surely a march this big would have some effect. As we know, it didn't.
Yet the numbers on that 15 February 2003 march, the biggest demonstration ever held in Britain (joined by more than 10 million people in over 60 countries in what became the largest worldwide demonstration in history), do matter. Because what they pointed to was something unique. For every regular protester, there were a vast number of people who'd never marched before.
So was the protest a failure? Given that we know now that Tony Blair had decided for war, any number of millions might not have deterred him. But the protesters have succeeded in making opposition to war a part of mainstream political debate. Not just in parliament, where the vote for war was won by only 12 MPs, but in the traditionally conservative press. The Daily Mail pointed to the anti-war demonstrators gathered for Blair's appearance before the Chilcot inquiry, and a poll showing that 80% of people polled thought Blair was lying, to state the country now shared the sentiments of the protesters.
Arik Diamant and David Zonsheine : As Israeli soldiers we hang our heads in shame over attack on Gaza's civilian population.
Talk to Hamas
"The Israeli media marked the one-year anniversary of Operation Cast Lead, the war on Gaza, almost as a celebration. The operation is recognised almost unanimously in Israel as a military triumph, a combat victory over one of Israel's deadliest enemies: Hamas.
As combat soldiers of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), we have serious doubts about this conclusion, primarily because hardly any combat against Hamas took place during the operation. As soon as the operation started, Hamas went underground.
Most casualties were inflicted on Palestinians by air strikes, artillery fire, and snipers from afar. Combat victory? Shooting fish in a barrel is more like it. Operation Cast Lead consisted essentially of bombing one of the most crowded places on earth, striking civilian targets such as homes, schools and mosques, and ultimately leaving a trail of more than 1,300 casualties, mostly civilians, over 300 of whom were children. As soldiers of the IDF reserves, we bow our heads in shame against this hideous attack on a civilian population."
Nato rockets kill 12 Afghan civilians
Off-target rockets in Nad Ali deal blow to hopes of minimising civilian casualties in largest western-led operation of war.
Americans stock up to be ready for end of the world
Recession and the constant threat of terrorist attacks have given new life to the ingrained survivalist instinct.
The Guardian
The Guardian
Bolivia to launch satellite into space
Impoverished South American country creates space agency to build and launch satellite with Chinese help
An unlikely newcomer is about to make the final frontier a little more crowded: Bolivia is to launch a satellite into space.
The impoverished South American country, famed more for llamas and Andean peaks than technology, has created a space agency to build and launch a satellite with Chinese help.
Named after Túpac Katari, an Aymara Indian leader who fought Spanish colonialists, the satellite is intended to improve communication in rural areas and boost indigenous pride.
Joe the Plumber is back (and he still can't stand McCain -- or Palin)
Joe the Plumber says he no longer likes Sarah Palin because she supports John McCain.
China: the world’s next great economic crash
Like Dubai at the beginning of last year, China is now reaching the peak of a bubble.
Has the global economy recovered? Forecasters say there will be an uptick this year of 2.4 percent, but they’re forgetting something. China could fail soon, and, if it does, the world’s most populous state will drag the rest of us down.
At this moment, a Chinese crisis seems like the last thing we should be worried about. After all, last year China overtook America as the planet’s largest car market and passed Germany as the biggest exporter.
On Thursday, Beijing announced that growth for the fourth quarter of 2009 was 10.7 percent and 8.7 percent for the entire year. Some analysts said the numbers were so strong that the country zoomed past Japan to become the world’s second-largest economy. Stock markets, property prices, you name it: Everything Chinese is soaring.
Has the global economy recovered? Forecasters say there will be an uptick this year of 2.4 percent, but they’re forgetting something. China could fail soon, and, if it does, the world’s most populous state will drag the rest of us down.
At this moment, a Chinese crisis seems like the last thing we should be worried about. After all, last year China overtook America as the planet’s largest car market and passed Germany as the biggest exporter.
On Thursday, Beijing announced that growth for the fourth quarter of 2009 was 10.7 percent and 8.7 percent for the entire year. Some analysts said the numbers were so strong that the country zoomed past Japan to become the world’s second-largest economy. Stock markets, property prices, you name it: Everything Chinese is soaring.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Beyonce revisited: "Single BDS Ladies" to protest Lev Leviev's involvement with illegal settlements
Palestine solidarity activists in New York turn Beyonce's "Single Ladies" into "Single BDS Ladies" to protest Lev Leviev's involvement with illegal settlements in occupied Palestine.
Menachim Begin's grandson: 'murderous blood flows in Israeli arteries'
Palestine, February 13, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - "Murderous blood flows in Israeli arteries," says the grandson of former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
Avindav Begin, who is also the son of the current Likud Knesset member Benny Begin, refuses to stand during the Israeli national anthem "Hatikva" and participates in protests against the Apartheid Wall. He does not see himself as a Jew or a Zionist and believes that his grandfather did not make real peace with Egypt. He also is not worried about being the target of rotten eggs after his inflammatory interview with Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot.
The newspaper said in a lengthy report: "(Avindav) Begin examines the psychological roots of the Jewish-Arab conflict in his new book 'End the Conflict,' which was published recently in both Hebrew and Arabic. He suggests a radical solution to spare all religious, national and ideological sectors, encouraging everyone to live together as human beings. Despite being brought up in a very nationalistic family, and perhaps for this reason, he did not agree with the theories of his father and grandfather.
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This is the grandson of one of the most murderous, messianic criminals in the short history of this conflict. One who INTRODUCED terrorism to the region.
In it's one sided story The Washington Post doesn't tell you East Jerusalem is occupied territory
In East Jerusalem, a defining battle over Palestinian ownership in Sheikh Jarrah
JERUSALEM -- The small Palestinian community in the Sheikh Jarrah area of East Jerusalem began as an experiment by the United Nations after Israel was created in 1948 -- an effort to keep 28 families out of refugee camps by providing them with homes of their own.
But the promised property titles were never delivered, and more than a half-century later, with the original dwellings expanded into multi-family, multi-generational compounds, the residents face eviction as a long legal battle nears its end in the Israeli courts.
(Thanks Legal)
JERUSALEM -- The small Palestinian community in the Sheikh Jarrah area of East Jerusalem began as an experiment by the United Nations after Israel was created in 1948 -- an effort to keep 28 families out of refugee camps by providing them with homes of their own.
But the promised property titles were never delivered, and more than a half-century later, with the original dwellings expanded into multi-family, multi-generational compounds, the residents face eviction as a long legal battle nears its end in the Israeli courts.
(Thanks Legal)
How markets attacked the Greek piñata
Wall Street loves a piñata party – singling out a company or country, making it the piñata, grabbing their sticks and banging it until it breaks. As in the child’s game, the piñata is left in shreds. Unlike the child’s game, in the Wall Street version the piñata is stuffed with money for the bankers to scoop up with both hands, instead of sweets. We see this game being played today, with Greece as the piñata.
Saudi call for boycott against men selling lingerie
They say it is a contradiction that in such a conservative, Islamic country, women have to give their underwear sizes to men they do not know.
Israel is waging a covert assassination campaign across the Middle East
They are also suspected of recent killings in Dubai, Damascus and Beirut. While Israel’s Mossad spy agency has been suspected of staging assassinations across the world since the 1970s, it does not officially acknowledge or admit its activities.
Ayalon's idea of a "peace" plan: Getting rid of Israeli Palestinians
"We are not chess pieces," said Tibi. "We did not arrive in this country on planes and we did not immigrate here. We do not want to expel anyone from the borders of this country, but if someone wants to expel us, I will say this: He who got here last leaves first. That way, there will be fewer fascists in Israel."
What will it take for more Jews to see that Israeli fascism is on the rise?
"Naomi Chazan, president of the New Israel Fund – currently attacked by the far right for daring to support human rights in Israel and Palestine – tells the Independent that the current climate in the Jewish state is highly dangerous (and yet where are the Diaspora Jews speaking out? You can count them on a few hands)"
A. Loewenstein
A. Loewenstein
The relationship between the Taliban and al-Qaeda is not clear
Antony Loewenstein
"Don’t believe everything you read in the corporate press:
"Evidence now available from various sources, including recently declassified U.S. State Department documents, shows that the Taliban regime led by Mullah Mohammad Omar imposed strict isolation on Osama bin Laden after 1998 to prevent him from carrying out any plots against the United States.
The evidence contradicts the claims by top officials of the Barack Obama administration that Mullah Omar was complicit in Osama bin Laden’s involvement in the al Qaeda plot to carry out the terrorist attacks in the United States on Sep. 11, 2001. It also bolsters the credibility of Taliban statements in recent months asserting that it has no interest in al Qaeda’s global jihadist aims."
"Don’t believe everything you read in the corporate press:
"Evidence now available from various sources, including recently declassified U.S. State Department documents, shows that the Taliban regime led by Mullah Mohammad Omar imposed strict isolation on Osama bin Laden after 1998 to prevent him from carrying out any plots against the United States.
The evidence contradicts the claims by top officials of the Barack Obama administration that Mullah Omar was complicit in Osama bin Laden’s involvement in the al Qaeda plot to carry out the terrorist attacks in the United States on Sep. 11, 2001. It also bolsters the credibility of Taliban statements in recent months asserting that it has no interest in al Qaeda’s global jihadist aims."
Finkelstein speaks hopefully about the global movement to pressure Israel
Norman Finkelstein’s new book on Gaza, This Time We Went Too Far: Truth and Consequences of the Gaza Invasion, is shortly released.
Here’s the promo video:
Here’s the promo video:
Saturday, February 13, 2010
My favorite for the top prize but it's only third.
Third prize-General News category ( World Press Photo Of The Year Awards). Settler thug throws wine at a Palestinian woman in Hebron.
World Press Photo Of The Year winner could not be about the flattening of Gaza.
It's here
So why am I not posting it? I don't know, maybe because I don't give a flying duck, that's why. I'm just wondering (not really) why this particular one was chosen when hundred others could have easily snatched the coveted trophy. In any case, have a look and see why a photo from/about Gaza, just an example, though breathtaking, could not have that honor.
So why am I not posting it? I don't know, maybe because I don't give a flying duck, that's why. I'm just wondering (not really) why this particular one was chosen when hundred others could have easily snatched the coveted trophy. In any case, have a look and see why a photo from/about Gaza, just an example, though breathtaking, could not have that honor.
The business of exporting Frenchness
"It is estimated France spends a whopping $1.4 billion each year promoting its culture and language abroad. The number has to be estimated because the effort comes through a jumble of programs cutting across various government ministries, officials say...
France has a quarter of a million students abroad, supported by its taxpayers, following the French national curriculum, most of whom are not citizens. That's just a small part of the country's cultural diplomacy."
France has a quarter of a million students abroad, supported by its taxpayers, following the French national curriculum, most of whom are not citizens. That's just a small part of the country's cultural diplomacy."
The torture memos show how illegal wars turn even the nicest people bad
The deceit, the slaughter, the atrocity, the abuse of human rights. Today, Hannah Arendt's banality of evil is everywhere
"How did we reach this pass? The answer has taxed philosophers from Socrates to Hannah Arendt. Even the nicest people go to the bad when caught up in ill-conceived, illegal or unjust wars. Socrates wrestled with the duty of obedience to a stupid state. Arendt noted how easily officials drift down the path of horror when they lose sight of the point where morality calls on them to say no. They sink, she said, into "the banality of evil"."
The Guardian
"How did we reach this pass? The answer has taxed philosophers from Socrates to Hannah Arendt. Even the nicest people go to the bad when caught up in ill-conceived, illegal or unjust wars. Socrates wrestled with the duty of obedience to a stupid state. Arendt noted how easily officials drift down the path of horror when they lose sight of the point where morality calls on them to say no. They sink, she said, into "the banality of evil"."
The Guardian
Iraq 'upholds' poll ban on two MPs
A panel of Iraqi judges has reportedly upheld the decision to bar two prominent Sunni members of parliament from contesting in general elections scheduled for March 7.
The endorsement of the ban against Saleh al-Mutlaq and Dhafir al-Ani, as election campaigning officially got under way on Friday, is likely to raise tensions between the Shia-led government and Sunni Iraqis, who claim they are being marginalised.
The endorsement of the ban against Saleh al-Mutlaq and Dhafir al-Ani, as election campaigning officially got under way on Friday, is likely to raise tensions between the Shia-led government and Sunni Iraqis, who claim they are being marginalised.
Iraq seeks return of $900 million paid for French jets
BAGHDAD, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Iraq is seeking the return of 651 million euros ($898 million) paid by Saddam Hussein's government for French Mirage fighters that were never delivered because of sanctions, a government spokesman said on Thursday.
Gaza war fallout sharpens Israeli political divide
An Israeli civil rights group is accused of aiding South African jurist Richard Goldstone's inquiry into the war last year, and there are calls for an investigation by parliament.
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Oooh, a "snitch". Bad, bad Israeli!
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Oooh, a "snitch". Bad, bad Israeli!
Friday, February 12, 2010
‘Times’ troika of Keller, Hoyt & Bronner were involved in earlier conflict-of-interest
In September 2007 The New York Times ran a large profile of diamond merchant Lev Leviev, written by former Israeli government spokesman Zev Chafets. The piece somehow completely failed to mention Leviev’s investments in building several settlements on the West Bank that are illegal under international law.
Disturbed by the puff-piece, Adalah NY, which has conducted a boycott against Leviev precisely because of this illegal-settlement activity, sent a courteous and informative letter to Times management urging the paper to cover Leviev’s activities "which the public deserves to know." It got no response.
Mondoweiss
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But the story doesn't end there. Check the article. Edifying!
Disturbed by the puff-piece, Adalah NY, which has conducted a boycott against Leviev precisely because of this illegal-settlement activity, sent a courteous and informative letter to Times management urging the paper to cover Leviev’s activities "which the public deserves to know." It got no response.
Mondoweiss
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But the story doesn't end there. Check the article. Edifying!
Bil'in reenacts Avatar
Protesters dressed as Na'vi characters from the movie Avatar march in the West Bank village of Bilin near Ramallah
The village of Bilin reenacted James Cameron's new film Avatar during todays weekly demonstration. Five Palestinian, Israeli and international activists were painted blue, with pointy ears and tales, resembling the Avatar characters. Like Palestinians, the Avatars fight imperialism, although the colonizers have different origins. The Avatars presence in Bilin today symbolizes the united resistance to imperialism of all kinds.
Todays non-violent demonstration was again met with excessive violence by the Israeli army. Sound bombs and tear gas were used, leaving four people directly injured by the canisters. The canisters were shot directly at the protesters, which is in violation with the IDFs firing regulations. Many other activists suffered from tear gas inhalation.
Bilin has reason to celebrate this week. Yesterday, preparations for the construction of the new Wall began, which returns 30 per cent of Bilins land to the village. Iyad Burnat, Head of the Bilin Popular Committee speaks of a victory: We feel relieved and feel the non-violent resistance is successful in its aim. Nevertheless, we will continue our struggle against the occupation as Bilin still has another 30 per cent of land that is confiscated by Israel.
Botulism with a cleavage..( Not Aldo Maccione, BHL)
This is the philosopher who during the onslaught on Gaza proclamed that "the IDF is the most moral army in the world. Which other army warns and gives time to evacuate before bombing?". Also the now famous "Gaza was not razed but shaken"
The following article is not new but it doesn't need to be.
"As for anti-Zionism—in the form of the denunciation of Israel as military aggressor, supposedly driving the region and the world toward certain conflagration—this warped delusion is now championed by one of America’s noblest and most decent citizens: former President Jimmy Carter, author of Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid (2006), a piece of abject propaganda assimilating Zionism to racism. It is to be found, too, among the many American intellectuals and pseudo-intellectuals who, following Noam Chomsky, campaign in the universities for a policy of “divestment”, compared to which European support for boycotting book fairs is a pathetic bit of light entertainment. Finally, we have the strange, dark and deranged best seller by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy (2007). This is a book so terrible that I am not sure it would have even found a French publisher, but it has sold well and won a certain respect in the United States."
And oh! Arabs are partly responsible for the Holocaust as well!
Robert Fisk: The truth is that Israel destroyed mosques and the Palestinians did not flee.
As'ad the grumpy Arab excuriates Robert Fisk for "praising" Ben-Gurion in this article but one shouldn't, as the French say (English too?), throw out the baby with the bath water:
"The truth is that Israel has destroyed many mosques, that the original Palestinian Arab victims of the 1947-8 war did not all flee, as Ben-Gurion suggested; many, like the doomed men and women of the Deir Yassin massacre, were murdered in their villages. The Israeli army, to some of us who have watched it in action, is a rabble, little different from the Arab armies of the Middle East. The numbers of civilian dead in the Gaza war were as much an outrage as the Sabra and Chatila massacre of 1982 when Israeli soldiers watched – quite literally – as the Lebanese militia they had sent into the refugee camps eviscerated the Palestinian civilians inside. Foreign journalists continue to prattle on about the supposed purity of Israel's soldiers."
Goldman Sachs suspected of foul play on "Robin Hood Tax" poll says The Guardian
Goldman Sachs, Goldman Sachs, clicking in the votes?
Public appears to take on role of Sheriff of Nottingham in 'Robin Hood' tax poll – but should foul play be suspected?
Public appears to take on role of Sheriff of Nottingham in 'Robin Hood' tax poll – but should foul play be suspected?
Bliar to work with Mitchell to renew Mideast talks
Middle East envoy Tony Blair will "intensify" his work with U.S. negotiator George Mitchell to broker peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday.
Israel upholds legality of Jews-only housing complex in Jaffa
"The Tel Aviv District Court rejected a petition this week against a decision to lease land in Jaffa's Ajami neighborhood for the exclusive use of members of the religious Zionist community....
....The petitioners said the decision was discriminatory, because it would exclude anyone other than members of the religious Zionist community from purchasing an apartment in the complex, which is situated in a neighborhood where a majority of the residents are Arab. This is especially unfair given the shortage of available housing in the neighborhood, they argued."
....The petitioners said the decision was discriminatory, because it would exclude anyone other than members of the religious Zionist community from purchasing an apartment in the complex, which is situated in a neighborhood where a majority of the residents are Arab. This is especially unfair given the shortage of available housing in the neighborhood, they argued."
Is Israeli society strong enough to face the future?
"At the base of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's worldview is profound anxiety over Israel's future and its fortitude in the face of the threats surrounding it. Netanyahu is afraid that if Israelis are pressed hard enough, they will simply get up and flee, especially if presented with the material temptations of American society and its satellites. He is preoccupied with finding ways to salvage Israel's Zionist, educated, established skeleton from its pending collapse under the dual pressures of the increasingly strong ultra-Orthodox and Arab populations from within, and the threat of annihilation by Iran and its allies from without."
Haaretz
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Colonialism is beyond it's use by date...
Haaretz
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Colonialism is beyond it's use by date...
Think tank: Israel faces global delegitimization campaign
Israel is facing a global campaign of delegitimization, according to a report by the Reut Institute, made available to the cabinet on Thursday. The Tel Aviv-based security and socioeconomic think tank called on ministers to treat the matter as a strategic threat.
The report cites anti-Israel demonstrations on campuses, protests when Israeli athletes compete abroad, moves in Europe to boycott Israeli products, and threats of arrest warrants for Israeli leaders visiting London.
Reut says the campaign is the work of a worldwide network of private individuals and organizations. They have no hierarchy or overall commander, but work together based on a joint ideology - portraying Israel as a pariah state and denying its right to exist.
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Barucha, start packing. We're going back home to Kiev.
The report cites anti-Israel demonstrations on campuses, protests when Israeli athletes compete abroad, moves in Europe to boycott Israeli products, and threats of arrest warrants for Israeli leaders visiting London.
Reut says the campaign is the work of a worldwide network of private individuals and organizations. They have no hierarchy or overall commander, but work together based on a joint ideology - portraying Israel as a pariah state and denying its right to exist.
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Barucha, start packing. We're going back home to Kiev.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
"Peaceful Palestinian resistance is paying off."
According to Antony Loewenstein, that is! ..Here:
He gives this example from Haaretz:
Work starts to reroute West Bank security fence(newspeak for separation wall) at Bil'in
Newly routed barrier will hand 700,000 square meters of agricultural land back to Palestinian village.
I have to admit that this is a step in the right direction. It certainly explains the crackdown on nonviolent protests and NGOs in an attempt to relieve the pressure and not concede any further..
He gives this example from Haaretz:
Work starts to reroute West Bank security fence(newspeak for separation wall) at Bil'in
Newly routed barrier will hand 700,000 square meters of agricultural land back to Palestinian village.
"Israel has begun work to reroute a section of its West Bank security barrier at Bil'in - two and a half years after the Supreme Court ordered the state to return land to Palestinian farmers, Army Radio reported on Thursday."
I have to admit that this is a step in the right direction. It certainly explains the crackdown on nonviolent protests and NGOs in an attempt to relieve the pressure and not concede any further..
I (mistakingly) thought Amos Oz should know better!
"...it is incomprehensible to say that we came to colonize the land. Colonization meant the robbery of the colonized country, while we returned to a devastated and forsaken land. We returned to bring to it thousand times more than one could have expected to extract from it. We left the 'fleshpots' of Europe to settle in the sands and to drain the swamps."
- Amos Oz
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But no! He peddles lies and myths like all his fellow citizens! Palestine was "devastated and forsaken land"! "Sands to settle" and swamps to drain"!!!
Look, I stopped believing in the possibility of living together with people who have so much "baggage" of filth and quackery!! Too much is too much!
- Amos Oz
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But no! He peddles lies and myths like all his fellow citizens! Palestine was "devastated and forsaken land"! "Sands to settle" and swamps to drain"!!!
Look, I stopped believing in the possibility of living together with people who have so much "baggage" of filth and quackery!! Too much is too much!
Not all Zionists are liars. There are exceptions. Like this former chief of Military Intelligence
"Because we took the land this gives us the image of being bad, of being aggressive. The Jews always considered that the land belonged to them, but in fact it belonged to the Arabs. I would go further: I would say the original source of this conflict lies with Israel, with the Jews – and you can quote me."
– Yehoshofat Harkabi, former Israeli Chief of Military Intelligence, in “Peace Won't be a Plane Ticket to Cairo"; International Armed Forces Journal, October 1973, p.30.
(via Noam Chomsky, Peace in the Middle East?: Reflections on justice and nationhood [1974], pp xv-xvi).
– Yehoshofat Harkabi, former Israeli Chief of Military Intelligence, in “Peace Won't be a Plane Ticket to Cairo"; International Armed Forces Journal, October 1973, p.30.
(via Noam Chomsky, Peace in the Middle East?: Reflections on justice and nationhood [1974], pp xv-xvi).
The IDF'S own message of love: "Death to the Arabs!"
Graffiti left by Israeli soldiers of the IDF's Givati Brigade in a Palestinian house they occupied during the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip, Dec 2008-Jan 2009. (YNet)
Paint them out of the picture
(Photo Simon Norfolk).
This painting on the Israeli side( Gilo colony) of the wall paints the scene WITHOUT the Arab town of Beit Jala seen in the background...More eloquent than any charter, I think..
"Death to the Arabs"
And when it’s all over,
my dear, dear reader,
on which benches will we have to sit,
those of us who shouted “Death to the Arabs!”
and those who claimed they “didn’t know”?
Aharon Shabtai--- Nostalgia (2002)
my dear, dear reader,
on which benches will we have to sit,
those of us who shouted “Death to the Arabs!”
and those who claimed they “didn’t know”?
Aharon Shabtai--- Nostalgia (2002)
L'affaire Bernard Henri Levy
" Mr Lévy, who in France goes simply by his initials BHL, has been doing the media rounds to promote his new work, On War in Philosophy. In his book, which has received lavish praise from some quarters, the open-shirted Mr Lévy lays into the philosopher Immanuel Kant as being unhinged and a "fake". To support his claims, he cites a certain Jean-Baptiste Botul, whom he describes as a post-War authority on Kant. But the chorus of approval turned to laughter after a journalist from Le Nouvel Observateur pointed out that Mr Botul does not exist: he is a fictional character created in by a contemporary satirical journalist, Frédéric Pagès. Alarm bells should have rung given that Mr Pagès, a journalist with Le Canard Enchaîneé, a satirical weekly, has penned one book under the Botul pseudonym entitled The Sex Life of Immanuel Kant. He has even given rise to a school of philosophical thought called Botulism – a play on words with the lethal disease – and has created a theory of "La Metaphysique du Mou" the Metaphysics of the Flabby. But Mr Lévy missed the joke, citing Mr Botul from a "series of lectures to the neo-Kantians of Paraguay" he supposedly gave after the war, in which he said that "their hero was an abstract fake, a pure spirit of pure appearance". Aude Lancelin, the Nouvel Obs journalist who spotted the blunder, said it was tantamount to "a nuclear gaffe that raises questions on the Lévy method"." (thanks Mirvat)
(The Angry Arab)
(The Angry Arab)
The Angry Arab on Eli Wiesel
"I never believe anything this man says. The BHL's scandal reminds one of the big fat lie that Norman Finkelstein caught Wiesel in, when the latter claimed that he had read Kant's Critique of Pure Reason in Yiddish, when no such translation existed at the time. Most importantly, I would sell half of my book collection if Wiesel can understand 10% of that book. So Wiesel appeared in court and in the media to say that his savings and his foundation's money were wiped out by Madoff. But yesterday, Wiesel had a full page ad in the NYT.
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My comment: BHL is Bernard Henry Levy the French " philosopher" who embarrassed himself lately quoting a philosopher who doesn't exist (Botul, a hoax) But that's a different story which I'll post later.
Another thing, maybe As'ad ignores that Wiesel has been paid $500.000 for a speech at a meeting with Hagee(See post below). Last, the ad in question is an effort to bury the Goldstone report. For this he asked a great number of Nobel prize winners to join him in that effort. It's a huge mafia out there.
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My comment: BHL is Bernard Henry Levy the French " philosopher" who embarrassed himself lately quoting a philosopher who doesn't exist (Botul, a hoax) But that's a different story which I'll post later.
Another thing, maybe As'ad ignores that Wiesel has been paid $500.000 for a speech at a meeting with Hagee(See post below). Last, the ad in question is an effort to bury the Goldstone report. For this he asked a great number of Nobel prize winners to join him in that effort. It's a huge mafia out there.
"I'd rather die of hunger than entertain the possibility of coaching Israel,"
Israeli football has been abuzz with rumors that Egypt's coach Hassan Shehata would soon switch camps to train the national side. Until Tuesday, that is, when Shehata put an end to speculation in the bluntest possible terms:
"I'd rather die of hunger than entertain the possibility of coaching Israel," he told Egyptian daily al-Masry al-Youm.
"I can understand Israel's jealousy of the Egyptian team and its successes," Shehata was quoted as saying. "But it would be impossible from my perspective to visit Israel or train its team, even if Israel were the only country in the world that wanted to hire me."
He continued: "How can these Zionists think that I would take on the task of coaching a side that includes murderers of children and pensioners? How could I work to help a team that represents a nation of occupiers?"
"I'd rather die of hunger than entertain the possibility of coaching Israel," he told Egyptian daily al-Masry al-Youm.
"I can understand Israel's jealousy of the Egyptian team and its successes," Shehata was quoted as saying. "But it would be impossible from my perspective to visit Israel or train its team, even if Israel were the only country in the world that wanted to hire me."
He continued: "How can these Zionists think that I would take on the task of coaching a side that includes murderers of children and pensioners? How could I work to help a team that represents a nation of occupiers?"
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Wiesel scored $500,000 for speech to congregation of Hagee, a Holocaust revisionist
For delivering a single speech to Hagee’s congregation, Wiesel received a check for $500,000 toward his foundation, according to Marita Styrsky, the wife of Christians United for Israel Eastern Regional Director Victor Styrsky (Christians United is Hagee’s lobbying arm). So Wiesel got his money and Hagee got a photo with a Nobel Prize-winning Holocaust survivor. Everybody went home happy.
Oxford students: Our protest of Ayalon was a massive success
The official report of Oxford University’s Palestine Society on last night’s demonstrations against the speech by Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon:
It's grovelling galore: Bachmann: God will ‘curse’ America if it opposes Israel
Michele Bachmann, the outspoken conservative House representative from Minnesota, says the United States will cease to exist if it "fails to stand" with Israel.
"I am convinced in my heart and in my mind that if the United States fails to stand with Israel, that is the end of the United States," Bachmann said at a meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition in Los Angeles on Feb. 6.
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"Can I get my check now?"
"I am convinced in my heart and in my mind that if the United States fails to stand with Israel, that is the end of the United States," Bachmann said at a meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition in Los Angeles on Feb. 6.
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"Can I get my check now?"
"Jews aren’t smarter (I lift my curse, and yours)"
Are Jews really smarter? Philip Weiss doesn't believe it anymore:
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Very interesting post and I love the comments!
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Very interesting post and I love the comments!
Building a Museum of "tolerance" on a historic Palestinian cemetry. That's Israel in one sentence!
Palestinian Families Appeal to UN Over Israeli Construction of “Museum of Tolerance” on Jerusalem’s Historic Mamilla Cemetery
Palestinian families have filed a petition with the United Nations over the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s plans to build a “Museum of Tolerance” over the historic Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem. Opponents of the project have long questioned how a monument to tolerance can be built on the remains of the graves of generations of Palestinian Muslims. We speak to Columbia University professor and author Rashid Khalidi, a petitioner whose ancestors were buried at the Mamilla Cemetery; and Michael Ratner of the Center for Constitutional Rights, which is representing the families in their petition.
(Democracy Now with Amy Goodman)
Palestinian families have filed a petition with the United Nations over the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s plans to build a “Museum of Tolerance” over the historic Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem. Opponents of the project have long questioned how a monument to tolerance can be built on the remains of the graves of generations of Palestinian Muslims. We speak to Columbia University professor and author Rashid Khalidi, a petitioner whose ancestors were buried at the Mamilla Cemetery; and Michael Ratner of the Center for Constitutional Rights, which is representing the families in their petition.
(Democracy Now with Amy Goodman)
Robert Fisk: Gaza's defiant tunnellers head deeper underground
They are threatened with drowning by the Egyptians and punitively taxed by Hamas. Our correspondent meets the Palestinian smugglers bringing oranges, car batteries and bottle tops to a territory under siege
Ethan Bronner's bias, conflict of interest confirmed by own shocking statements
By Ali Abunimah
"Controversial New York Times Jerusalem bureau chief Ethan Bronner spoke at Brandeis University last week. According to a report in the student newspaper, The Justice, he said some pretty shocking stuff. If there was any doubt about his lack of objectivity that should now be set aside.
Apparently, he blames Palestinians in Gaza for their own deaths:
Once allowed to enter Gaza, he [Bronner] said he gained the impression that Israel had had a mistaken assumption that once it instructed residents to leave their houses, only Palestinian fighters would remain. He stated that it turned out that many Gazans did not want to leave and did not expect the Israelis to be very violent, since many had lived with Israelis or worked in Israel, a miscalculation he suggested led to destruction of property and inadvertent injuries and deaths among civilians.
(via the Palestinian Pundit)
"Controversial New York Times Jerusalem bureau chief Ethan Bronner spoke at Brandeis University last week. According to a report in the student newspaper, The Justice, he said some pretty shocking stuff. If there was any doubt about his lack of objectivity that should now be set aside.
Apparently, he blames Palestinians in Gaza for their own deaths:
Once allowed to enter Gaza, he [Bronner] said he gained the impression that Israel had had a mistaken assumption that once it instructed residents to leave their houses, only Palestinian fighters would remain. He stated that it turned out that many Gazans did not want to leave and did not expect the Israelis to be very violent, since many had lived with Israelis or worked in Israel, a miscalculation he suggested led to destruction of property and inadvertent injuries and deaths among civilians.
(via the Palestinian Pundit)
Wall Street Fat Cats Revolt, Send Money to GOP
"In case it wasn’t made perfectly clear in recent months how the American political system actually operates on its uppermost levels, here we have an object lesson to consider: Upset by the notion that the Obama administration might be working on regulating the financial industry next, some of Wall Street’s bigwigs are now focusing their funding efforts on the GOP."
Tracing the Neural Circuitry of Humor
"Everyone’s going nuts for functional MRI in research circles these days, it seems. Why, a bunch of wacky neuroscientists from Dartmouth College have even used the technology to study what happens when we humans find something funny. Turns out that the ability to appreciate humor may be an “advanced” human trait, according to New Scientist magazine."
Palin Calls Global Warming Research ‘Snake Oil Science’
Sarah Palin appears to read from her hand during a discussion at Saturday’s Tea Party Convention in Nashville. During her speech at a logging conference in Redding, Calif., on Monday, Sarah Palin criticized California’s environmental regulations, pointed to her polar-bear-related lawsuit against the federal government, and compared certain global warming research to “snake oil science.”
And here is a close up of the script on the hand
America’s Confused Approach to Afghanistan
By William Pfaff
Richard Holbrooke’s comments on reconciliation with the Taliban in Afghanistan, made during the recent Munich Security Conference, echoed earlier remarks by U.N. officials and American military commanders in Kabul that suggest that diplomacy might be coming alive on the Afghan front. This could be true despite, or in coordination with, a new NATO offensive in southern Afghanistan.
Richard Holbrooke’s comments on reconciliation with the Taliban in Afghanistan, made during the recent Munich Security Conference, echoed earlier remarks by U.N. officials and American military commanders in Kabul that suggest that diplomacy might be coming alive on the Afghan front. This could be true despite, or in coordination with, a new NATO offensive in southern Afghanistan.
John Pilger: Why the Oscars are a Con
Why are so many films so bad? This year’s Oscar nominations are a parade of propaganda, stereotypes and downright dishonesty. The dominant theme is as old as Hollywood: America’s divine right to invade other societies, steal their history and occupy our memory. When will directors and writers behave like artists and not pimps for a world view devoted to control and destruction?
I grew up on the movie myth of the Wild West, which was harmless enough unless you happened to be a native American. The formula is unchanged. Self-regarding distortions present the nobility of the American colonial aggressor as a cover for massacre, from the Philippines to Iraq. I only fully understood the power of the con when I was sent to Vietnam as a war reporter. The Vietnamese were “gooks” and “Indians” whose industrial murder was preordained in John Wayne movies and sent back to Hollywood to glamourise or redeem.
I grew up on the movie myth of the Wild West, which was harmless enough unless you happened to be a native American. The formula is unchanged. Self-regarding distortions present the nobility of the American colonial aggressor as a cover for massacre, from the Philippines to Iraq. I only fully understood the power of the con when I was sent to Vietnam as a war reporter. The Vietnamese were “gooks” and “Indians” whose industrial murder was preordained in John Wayne movies and sent back to Hollywood to glamourise or redeem.
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