Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Facebook and the Elections
I was trying to figure out what was Facebooks incentive in having an 'I voted' button...and it just dawned on me...I bet they are collecting the information running it against the political afiliation and selling it as live running exit polls...pretty smart, huh?
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Obama on Jerusalem
"WJD: How would a President Obama approach the question of Jerusalem?
DR: On Jerusalem, I have heard him be very consistent. He has said there are three elements to his approach: Jerusalem is Israel's capital, the city should never be divided again, and the final status should be resolved by negotiations."
NEED I SAY MORE???
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Political Vandelism
Just putting this out in case there are others with my problem. I am a supporting McCain/Palin supporter in this election and I am not ashamed to say it. Unfortunately, my neighborhood is predominantly made up of Obama supporters. This in itself is not a major problem. But when freedom of expression is stifled (yeah I know I'm going to hear from the opposition about Palin's book banning...) things have gone to far!
I would not even think of willing destroying someone else's property, but it seems that some over zealous Obama supporters do not share my ideals.
I have had my cars broken into, keyed, scratched and McCain signs ripped off. I have heard of fellow supporters in my neighborhood (btw, its considered a very good neighborhood) complain of similar issues. Signs torn down and stolen from yards, property vandalized. I wonder if anyone is keeping track of all the election related violence around the country? Is this phenomenen getting worse or is it just my imagination?
This is all very disturbing...What happened to respect for the Democratic (sic) process?
If you have a similar story (on either side of the political spectrum) please post it and let me know...
Monday, May 26, 2008
How Israeli fighter pilots threatened to blast Tony Blair’s jet out of sky - Times Online
How Israeli fighter pilots threatened to blast Tony Blair’s jet out of sky - Times Online
I guess next time two F-15s behind you ask you to ident, you should take them seriously...
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Classic Africa!
KAMPALA, Uganda (CNN) -- A fight between Ugandan and Libyan presidential guards sparked chaos during a ceremony attended by the heads of state from 11 African nations on Wednesday.
art.gadhafi.mosque.afp.gi.jpg
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni attend the opening of the mosque.
Click to view previous image
1 of 2
Click to view next image
Several of the guards to the visiting heads of state from Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Mali, Somalia, Sudan and Djibouti sustained serious injuries in the fight, which included punches, kicks and the drawing of guns.
No leaders were hurt in the melee, though several were knocked over. Several journalists also were caught up in the fracas and suffered injuries or lost their grips on cameras and recorders.
The incident occurred at the opening of a massive Gadhafi National Mosque in Kampala, a structure begun by the late Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in 1972 and completed with financing from Libya, according to African media reports.
Minutes after Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and his host, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, jointly unveiled a plaque to mark the event, the Libyan guards pushed away the guards of other delegations at the mosque's entrance.
The Ugandan guards -- who had traded hostilities with the predominantly-Arab Libyan guards at every joint event since Gadhafi's arrival in the country Sunday -- reacted with fury and fought back.
Museveni briefly lost his balance when a hefty Libyan guard pushed him to a wall. Another Libyan guard pushed Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who also lost his balance but was caught by his own guards.
The vice president of Tanzania was knocked over by fighting guards as he was taking his shoes off to enter the mosque.
Guards to the rest of the visiting presidents and prime ministers kept their respective leaders out of the fray, with some drawing their guns as the dignitaries looked on in disbelief. Some leaders -- notably those from Somalia, Burundi and Djibouti -- were visibly uneasy as guns were drawn on all sides.
By the time the fight was over more than six minutes later, about a dozen presidential guards were left bleeding from compound fractures and the Libyan and Ugandan protocol officials traded bitter accusations of disrespect and racism.
"What are your people up to? Do you want to kill our leader?" a Libyan protocol official said to his Ugandan counterpart.
The Ugandan official, who declined to be named, shouted back, "Why do think you're superior? What makes you think Uganda has any ill intention against Gadhafi?"
The Ugandan official said Museveni's guards were simply doing their job as security for the host country and had a right to respond when the Libyan guards pushed them back.
It has taken 36 years to complete the giant mosque on a hill in the heart of Kampala. It used to be a colonial fort named after British Capt. Frederick Lugard.
The mosque can accommodate as many as 17,000 people at one time, according to the engineers, who call it the largest mosque in sub-Saharan Africa.
Many Muslims interviewed said the mosque's opening evoked sweet memories of Amin, the deceased dictator.
"It is a great day and thanks be to Allah for the completion," said Salim Abdul Noor, 39. "This should remind us that while Amin is demonized as Africa's worst dictator, there are many things he did for this country that successive governments largely depend on, and much of the completed installations and structures like this beautiful mosque was Amin's dream, may Allah rest him in peace."
The Swedish vice president of the European Islamic Conference, Adly Abu Hajar, 57, said the mosque heals rifts in a religion introduced to Uganda in 1844 by Arab slave traders.
"I find this complex has brought unity among Muslims in Uganda. There have been so many factions, but this attraction has brought them together, identifying themselves with a common home."
The fight prompted a crisis meeting by Ugandan security authorities, after which invited diplomats from mainly the European missions in Uganda expressed dismay.
"It's disgrace. It shows there is something wrong yet unknown between the two parties," said the head of one European mission in Kampala, who declined to be named.
The police chief, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, and the head of the army, Gen. Aronda Nyakairima, declined to comment on the fight.
But Capt. Edison Kwesiga, the spokesman of the Ugandan Presidential Guard Brigade, confirmed their hostile relationship with the Libyans.
"It is our responsibility to ensure the safety of any visiting head of state. We have to do our job using any means. But our Libyan brothers always want us to fail. True, it's not the first time they come and act as you see," Kwesiga said.
art.gadhafi.mosque.afp.gi.jpg
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni attend the opening of the mosque.
Click to view previous image
1 of 2
Click to view next image
Several of the guards to the visiting heads of state from Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Mali, Somalia, Sudan and Djibouti sustained serious injuries in the fight, which included punches, kicks and the drawing of guns.
No leaders were hurt in the melee, though several were knocked over. Several journalists also were caught up in the fracas and suffered injuries or lost their grips on cameras and recorders.
The incident occurred at the opening of a massive Gadhafi National Mosque in Kampala, a structure begun by the late Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in 1972 and completed with financing from Libya, according to African media reports.
Minutes after Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and his host, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, jointly unveiled a plaque to mark the event, the Libyan guards pushed away the guards of other delegations at the mosque's entrance.
The Ugandan guards -- who had traded hostilities with the predominantly-Arab Libyan guards at every joint event since Gadhafi's arrival in the country Sunday -- reacted with fury and fought back.
Museveni briefly lost his balance when a hefty Libyan guard pushed him to a wall. Another Libyan guard pushed Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who also lost his balance but was caught by his own guards.
The vice president of Tanzania was knocked over by fighting guards as he was taking his shoes off to enter the mosque.
Guards to the rest of the visiting presidents and prime ministers kept their respective leaders out of the fray, with some drawing their guns as the dignitaries looked on in disbelief. Some leaders -- notably those from Somalia, Burundi and Djibouti -- were visibly uneasy as guns were drawn on all sides.
By the time the fight was over more than six minutes later, about a dozen presidential guards were left bleeding from compound fractures and the Libyan and Ugandan protocol officials traded bitter accusations of disrespect and racism.
"What are your people up to? Do you want to kill our leader?" a Libyan protocol official said to his Ugandan counterpart.
The Ugandan official, who declined to be named, shouted back, "Why do think you're superior? What makes you think Uganda has any ill intention against Gadhafi?"
The Ugandan official said Museveni's guards were simply doing their job as security for the host country and had a right to respond when the Libyan guards pushed them back.
It has taken 36 years to complete the giant mosque on a hill in the heart of Kampala. It used to be a colonial fort named after British Capt. Frederick Lugard.
The mosque can accommodate as many as 17,000 people at one time, according to the engineers, who call it the largest mosque in sub-Saharan Africa.
Many Muslims interviewed said the mosque's opening evoked sweet memories of Amin, the deceased dictator.
"It is a great day and thanks be to Allah for the completion," said Salim Abdul Noor, 39. "This should remind us that while Amin is demonized as Africa's worst dictator, there are many things he did for this country that successive governments largely depend on, and much of the completed installations and structures like this beautiful mosque was Amin's dream, may Allah rest him in peace."
The Swedish vice president of the European Islamic Conference, Adly Abu Hajar, 57, said the mosque heals rifts in a religion introduced to Uganda in 1844 by Arab slave traders.
"I find this complex has brought unity among Muslims in Uganda. There have been so many factions, but this attraction has brought them together, identifying themselves with a common home."
The fight prompted a crisis meeting by Ugandan security authorities, after which invited diplomats from mainly the European missions in Uganda expressed dismay.
"It's disgrace. It shows there is something wrong yet unknown between the two parties," said the head of one European mission in Kampala, who declined to be named.
The police chief, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, and the head of the army, Gen. Aronda Nyakairima, declined to comment on the fight.
But Capt. Edison Kwesiga, the spokesman of the Ugandan Presidential Guard Brigade, confirmed their hostile relationship with the Libyans.
"It is our responsibility to ensure the safety of any visiting head of state. We have to do our job using any means. But our Libyan brothers always want us to fail. True, it's not the first time they come and act as you see," Kwesiga said.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
"Outsourcing depression"
I was very depressed last night, so I called Lifeline.
Got a call center in Pakistan .
I told them I was suicidal.
They got all excited and asked if I could drive a truck.
Got a call center in Pakistan .
I told them I was suicidal.
They got all excited and asked if I could drive a truck.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Mossad: Iran Will Go Nuclear Within Three Years
(IsraelNN.com) Mossad head Meir Dagan informed the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Monday that Iran will achieve the ability to wage war with a nuclear weapon within three years.
In his report to the committee, Dagan warned that Iran remains the single most dangerous threat to the existence of the State of Israel, not only due to its nuclear capabilities, but also to its ability to influence regional enemies such as Hamas, Hizbullah and Syria.
Past security officials have said that Iran provides funds, training, equipment and weapons to Hizbullah, Hamas and Syria, as well as to the Islamic Jihad terrorist group, which receives Iranian support through Hizbullah.
In his report to the committee, Dagan warned that Iran remains the single most dangerous threat to the existence of the State of Israel, not only due to its nuclear capabilities, but also to its ability to influence regional enemies such as Hamas, Hizbullah and Syria.
Past security officials have said that Iran provides funds, training, equipment and weapons to Hizbullah, Hamas and Syria, as well as to the Islamic Jihad terrorist group, which receives Iranian support through Hizbullah.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
MK Eldad: Gaza Exodus is 'Voluntary Transfer'
MK Eldad: Gaza Exodus is 'Voluntary Transfer'
(IsraelNN.com) MK Aryeh Eldad (NU/NRP) said Wednesday that the crossing of hundreds of thousands of Arabs from Gaza to Egyptian Rafiah proves that a voluntary transfer of populations between territories is possible.
"The Israeli left continues to claim that there is no such thing as voluntary transfer, and simply ignores reality," Eldad said.
Another member of Eldad's party, MK Benny Elon, has proposed a plan for compensation and relocation of the "refugees" from Judea, Samaria and Gaza to Arab countries.
(IsraelNN.com) MK Aryeh Eldad (NU/NRP) said Wednesday that the crossing of hundreds of thousands of Arabs from Gaza to Egyptian Rafiah proves that a voluntary transfer of populations between territories is possible.
"The Israeli left continues to claim that there is no such thing as voluntary transfer, and simply ignores reality," Eldad said.
Another member of Eldad's party, MK Benny Elon, has proposed a plan for compensation and relocation of the "refugees" from Judea, Samaria and Gaza to Arab countries.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Who Wants to Be a Terrorist?
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/01/who-wants-to-be.html
Who Wants to Be a Terrorist?
By Sharon Weinberger January 14, 2008
Want to dress up in a salwar kameeze and eat kabobs? This gig could be for you. The miltiary is looking for a private contractor to help run a terrorism and counter-insurgency course. This is total immersion, so you'll need to "replicate the customs and culture that would take place in a terrorist training camp, to include training at a remote location and serving a Middle Eastern meal."
That's not all...
During the course students should be exposed to worldwide terrorist ideology specifically: Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan. In addition to operational planning exercises, Contractor should present lessons on: Islamic names and kunyas, radical Islam religions, selection and logistics of getting to a terrorist training camp, salat, and its role in the camps, roots of the global movement, inside al-Qaeda and their 11 year war, cell recruitment and internal security, evolution of Jihadists, targeted assassinations, historic attacks in the Middle-East, background behind the 2005 London bombings, Arab society and mindset, suicide bombings and attacks, and lessons learned from over 30 years of terrorism.
Students during the course are assigned to specific roles and stay in character throughout the week, acting out such activities, like "dealing with black-marketeers, customs within a camp (including salat), kidnapping, military council briefing, and other exercises."
Monday, January 14, 2008
Bush: US Should Have Bombed Auschwitz
Bush: US Should Have Bombed Auschwitz
Friday, January 11, 2008 By: Aron Heller
JERUSALEM (AP) — President Bush had tears in his eyes during an hour-long tour of Israel's Holocaust memorial Friday and told Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that the U.S. should have bombed Auschwitz to halt the killing, the memorial's chairman said.
Bush emerged from a tour of the Yad Vashem memorial calling it a "sobering reminder" that evil must be resisted, and praising victims for not losing their faith.
Wearing a yarmulke, Bush placed a red-white-and-blue wreath on a stone slab that covers ashes of Holocaust victims taken from six extermination camps. He also lit a torch memorializing the victims.
Bush was visibly moved as he toured the site, said Yad Vashem's chairman, Avner Shalev.
"Twice, I saw tears well up in his eyes," Shalev said.
At one point, Bush viewed aerial photos of the Auschwitz camp taken during the war by U.S. forces and called Rice over to discuss why the American government had decided against bombing the site, Shalev said.
The Allies had detailed reports about Auschwitz during the war from Polish partisans and escaped prisoners. But they chose not to bomb the camp, the rail lines leading to it, or any of the other Nazi death camps, preferring instead to focus all resources on the broader military effort, a decision that became the subject of intense controversy years later.
Between 1.1 million and 1.5 million people were killed at the camp.
"We should have bombed it," Bush said, according to Shalev.
In the memorial's visitors' book, the president wrote simply, "God bless Israel, George Bush."
The memorial was closed to the public and under heavy guard Friday, with armed soldiers standing on top of some of the site's monuments and a police helicopter and surveillance blimp hovering in the air overhead.
"I was most impressed that people in the face of horror and evil would not forsake their God. In the face of unspeakable crimes against humanity, brave souls — young and old — stood strong for what they believe," Bush said.
"I wish as many people as possible would come to this place. It is a sobering reminder that evil exists, and a call that when evil exists we must resist it," he said.
It was Bush's second visit to the Holocaust memorial, a regular stop on the visits of foreign dignitaries. His first was in 1998, as governor of Texas. The last U.S. president to visit was Bill Clinton in 1994.
Bush, making the most extensive Mideast trip of his presidency, was accompanied on his tour by a small party that included Rice and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
At the compound, overlooking a forest on Jerusalem's outskirts, Bush visited a memorial to the 1.5 million Jewish children killed in the Holocaust, featuring six candles reflected 1.5 million times in a hall of mirrors. At the site's Hall of Remembrance, he heard a cantor sing a Jewish prayer for the dead.
Shalev presented Bush with illustrations of the Bible drawn by the Jewish artist Carol Deutsch, who perished in the Holocaust.
Deutsch created the works while in hiding from the Nazis in Belgium. He was informed upon, and died in 1944 in the Buchenwald camp. After the war, his daughter Ingrid discovered that the Nazis had confiscated their furniture and valuables but had left behind a single item: a meticulously crafted wooden box adorned with a Star of David and a seven-branched menorah, containing a collection of 99 of the artist's illustrations of biblical scenes.
The originals are on display at Yad Vashem. The memorial recently decided to produce a special series of 500 replicas, the first of which was to be presented to Bush.
Debbie Deutsch-Berman, a Yad Vashem employee whose grandfather was Deutsch's brother, said she was proud that Bush would be given her relative's artwork.
"These are not just his paintings, they are his legacy, and the fact that they survived shows that as much as our enemies tried to destroy the ideas that these paintings embody, they failed," she said.
Later Friday, Bush was to wrap up his three-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories with a visit to Christian holy sites in Galilee before departing for Kuwait, the next stop on his Mideast tour.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
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