MFS - The Other News

                         Afternoon Posting.

• Top economists: The second Great Depression has arrived.David Rosenberg, market guru, has officially declared that the US economy is in a state of depression, and he sees the economic superpowers woes worsening.Citing the period from 1929 to 1932 and the eerie similarities, Rosenberg said, "We may well be reliving history here. If you're keeping score, we have recorded four quarterly advances in real GDP, and the average is only 3 percent." The same happened during the early 1930s stock market rebound of 50 percent after the 1929 crash.If all that's not enough, Griffiths points out that the United States' shrinking M3 money supply now matches the average decline seen from 1929 to 1933.Despite the gloom and doom, it's best to remember that things could always be worse. How? Well, an asteroid could hit Earth tomorrow.Read the whole story here.

• Google Maps Misplaces Lincoln Memorial!A curious thing has been happening on Google Maps -- the Lincoln Memorial is being misplaced in favor of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, which is a good half a mile south of the more famous memorial.According to the Geographic Travels blog, this "misplacement" has been happening for about two days now. Typing "Lincoln Memorial" into the regular Google search bar brings up a number of listings related to the Lincoln Memorial, yet shows a map of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial.Is this a Google Maps glitch, or could this have anything to do with the fact that conservative radio and TV host Glenn Beck is holding a controversial "non-political" rally at the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday?"Change you can't believe in?Full story here.Google and the CIA invest in analytics firm.

• Beck talks faith in rally coinciding with anniversary of King's speech.But Lloyd Marcus, another black Republican, said he supported Beck's efforts."Go Beck," he said. "This is a fantastic rally and the people there don't give a hoot about race.At a preview event Friday night attended by more than 2,500 followers, Mr. Beck described the event as a revolution – “the beginning of the end of darkness.”"More here and here.Beck, Palin tell thousands to 'restore America'.

• Video:Saudi Arabians Torture Employees-'Hammer Nails' Into Sri Lankan Housemaid, her testimony here.

• FBI data: Hate crimes against Muslims rare!Numbers have declined over recent years, but above pre-Sept. 11 level.WASHINGTON-Hate crimes directed against Muslims remain relatively rare, notwithstanding the notoriety gained by incidents such as recent vandalism at the Madera Islamic Center. Jews, lesbians, gay men and Caucasians, among others, are all more frequently the target of hate crimes, FBI records show. Reported anti-Muslim crimes have declined over recent years, though they still exceed what occurred prior to the 9-11 terrorist attacks."We see hate crimes generally go in spurts, and are often in relation to international or domestic events," Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Friday.Full story here.

• Belgian cardinal offered to hush up sex case!BRUSSELS — Roman Catholic Cardinal Godfried Danneels of Belgium offered to keep a sexual molestation case against a bishop secret until the bishop retired, an official said Saturday.Full story here. 

• The fatwa that governs muslim soldiers fighting in iraq and afghanistan ... make that, the fatwa that governs american muslim soldiers, and points "the way". i came across an interesting little tidbit in imam feisel abdul rauf's book, "what's right with islam: a new vision for muslims and the west,"so he fired off a request for a legal ruling from islamic authority, in the person of sheik yusuf al-qaradawi, as to whether american muslim would be permitted under islam to fight against their co-religionists there. muhammad abdur al-rashid, and american army officer, is asking a qatari sheik whether islam will permit american troops to fight in a war as directed by their chain of command. do you understand that? an american army officer.in short, we rule that american muslims must fight in this situation, because it serves the greater long terms interests of islam that he do so, in this instance.Full story here.

• As many as 350-people in Brussels demonstrate against Iranian stoning.An estimated 350 people demonstrated this afternoon against the stoning of Iranian women Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani on the steps of the Brussels Palace of Justice.More than 60 Belgian organizations resist this and have campaigned in several cities.Worldwide there are now a total of 109 events held in 106 cities against the stoning.Full story here (Google translate).

• The Most Fiscally Irresponsible Government in U.S. History.Current federal budget trends are capable of destroying this country.There is an instinctive conclusion among the American public that President Obama's stimulus package has failed to create a sustained recovery. Unemployment has increased, not declined; consumers have retrenched; housing starts have crashed along with mortgage applications; and there is a fear that a double-dip recession may very well be in the pipeline. The public perception, reflected in Pew Research/National Journal polls, is that the measures to combat the Great Recession have mostly helped large banks and financial institutions, and that's a view common to Republicans (75 percent) and Democrats (73 percent).Only one third of either political leaning thinks government policies have done a great deal or a fair amount for the poor.Read the full story here.

• Turkey fumes over Iran VP's 'genocide' remark.FM Davutoglu demands explanation after Iranian Vice President Hamid Baghaei says mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Empire constituted 'genocide.' Mottaki: Iran's position was in line with Turkey's stance on the issue.Iranian Vice President Hamid Baghaei caused an uproar when he said the mass killings and deportation of Armenians during the waning days of the Ottoman Empire constituted “genocide.”“A hundred years ago the Ottoman Empire committed genocide against a certain number of Armenians,” he was quoted as saying by Iranian news agency IRNA.Full story here.

• Iran says probe on detained U.S. hikers to end soon.Investigations into spying allegations against three American hikers detained in Iran will be completed soon, Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi said in a news report on Saturday.Full story here.

• Bottles, stones and smoke bomb hurled during English Defence League demonstration in Bradford.Bottles, stones and a smoke bomb were thrown during demonstrations by supporters of the English Defence League and opponents from Unite Against Fascism in Bradford today.Police were forced to erect a temporary barricade around the city's Urban Gardens, where the EDL group has been meeting throughout the day.At present there is only one entrance open to the Gardens and protesters have to pass through metal detectors to gain entry.Full story here.

• One Muslim Nation’s Brave Support of Israel.Tiny Azerbaijan, a majority Muslim nation, has taken a risky stand by befriending Israel despite attempts by Iran and Russia to destabilize her.Why choose to shake the hand of the most despised country on earth? Who is this gutsy player and why has it taken such a risk to befriend the friendless?The bond between Israel and Azerbaijan is more than a sign of friendship. It is a sign of hope.This candle lit by two nations in a world battling darkness may well be the light that restores the sight of mankind.Full story here.

• Ladies Night With Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.Iranian regime. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spent some time with the ladies this week.They decided to take a group picture.Smile Ladies!Full story here.

• A Clarion Call to Ordinary Barbarians: It's Time to Fight.Or, if you prefer French: Aux armes, citoyens! Aux barricades!The battle for the GOP may not wait until after November. There's a real possibility we start having that fight right here and right now.The only thing necessary for the triumph of oligarchy is for good voters to do nothing. Let's stand together and fight—and let's be sure to fight together, for as Ben Franklin said, "We must all hang together, or most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." There are no other options.Full article here.

• CNN Paints Hezbollah as More ‘Tolerant’ Than GZM Protesters.If the MSM doesn’t understand why Fox News is cleaning their clocks, one big reason is that otherwise American viewers are confronted with two choices when it comes to cable news: watch MSNBC and be called racist, or watch CNN and be dubbed Islamophobic.But then, this isn’t the first time a CNN journalist has publicly insulted his viewers (or the lack thereof).The full story here.

• HT:AmericanThinker.Debt, Depression, Default. America is in Deep Trouble.Consumers are spending less. Small retailers are closing shop -- even cable television subscriptions are seeing a loss in revenue. Mike Shedlock of The Toledo Blade highlights America's economic woes with the following.Read the full story here.

• Homeland Security head praises Chicago city's security cameras.U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Thursday ranked Chicago’s Big Brother network of well over 10,000 public and private surveillance cameras as one of the nation’s most extensive and integrated — and Mayor Daley wants to make it even bigger. “Expansion of cameras citywide is one of the highest priorities that will help us here in the city of Chicago,” Daley said with Napolitano at his side.

• Vladimir Putin to drive 1,300 miles across Russia in Lada.Vladimir Putin has carefully crafted the image of a man of action over the past few years, being pictured bare-chested in various hunting shooting and fishing poses.He has been pictured fighting fires, shooting whales with a crossbow and piloting a fire fighting plane.His latest endeavour is a slight departure from his usual macho pursuits.The Russian Prime Minister is undertaking a 1,300-mile road trip across Russia's far east in a humble Lada.Compare to the American President.Full story here.

• U.S. lays out Mideast peace plan.A U.S. peace plan calls for Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a settlement in a year and actually implement it over 10 years, Yedioth Ahronoth said.A document drawn up by the U.S. administration calls for the two sides to hold frequent meetings with the aim of reaching an agreement on final "status issues" within a year, the newspaper said Friday.Read the rest here.

• Attack on Iran’s nuclear sites unlikely - Russian expert.A series of new military hardware tests by Iran, including missile units, has given cause for reconsidering the seemingly forgotten possibility of the republic’s conflict with the West. Among other things, experts from across the globe resumed arguing whether a US or Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities is likely to happen.

• HT:TheEndoftheAmericanDream.50 Random Questions.In the age of the Internet our attention spans have been reduced to approximately that of a squirrel, but sometimes it is good to sit back and think about the bigger picture. What does all of this change mean? Is it good? Is it bad? What kind of a future are we headed for?This article is going to answer none of those questions.Instead, I am going to share with you a whole bunch of questions that have been stewing around in my head.Hopefully they will stimulate your thinking as much as they have mine.The following are 50 random questions for you to think about this weekend...

• Cold empties Bolivian rivers of fish.Antarctic cold snap kills millions of aquatic animals in the Amazon.With high Andean peaks and a humid tropical forest, Bolivia is a country of ecological extremes. But during the Southern Hemisphere's recent winter, unusually low temperatures in part of the country's tropical region hit freshwater species hard, killing an estimated 6 million fish and thousands of alligators, turtles and river dolphins.Scientists who have visited the affected rivers say the event is the biggest ecological disaster Bolivia has known, and, as an example of a sudden climatic change wreaking havoc on wildlife, it is unprecedented in recorded history."In the rivers near Santa Cruz there's about 1,000 dead fish for every 100 metres of river."Read the whole thing here.

• Heirloom Diseases.You’ve probably heard of heirloom vegetables. You know, they’re the ones that have been preserved by passing seeds down from generation to generation. Heirloom varieties are generally at least 50 years old, but many are 100 years or older.While heirloom vegetables are actually benign–and frequently very tasty–it seems to me that we are currently witnessing an alarming wave of another type of heirloom: diseases.Full story here.

• 3 Iranian Jews killed in West Hollywood.Iranian Jewish community leaders says men found dead in apartment were not wealthy, had no criminal pasts. 'The only thing that sticks out is there was nothing significant about them,' he says.Full story here.

• Vigilante Bedbug Exterminators.Can the dreaded pests invading America be battled with supplies from your local hardware store? Brian Ries talks to amateur exterminators facing bedbugs with nothing but do-it-yourself attitude.Full story here.