MFS - The Other News

                          Morning Posting.

• HT:BigPeace.Homeland Security’s Muslim Advisor Mohamed Elibiary Spoke at Conference Honoring Ayatollah Khomeini.When Mohamed Elibiary was appointed earlier this year to the Department of Homeland Security’s newly-formed Countering Violent Extremism Working Group, it was done quietly and without fanfare. It’s hard to believe that this silence was accidental, considering Elibiary’s appearance at a conference honoring Ayatollah Khomeini, his attacks on prosecution of terrorist fundraisers, his active promotion of jihadist ideology godfather Sayyid Qutb, and the threat he made against a Dallas Morning News journalist who repeatedly exposed his extremist views.Perhaps the hardest thing for Elibiary to explain away is his sharing the podium with a rabid anti-American and anti-Jewish speaker who has publicly pledged his loyalty to the Iranian regime, but he has offered several fantastic explanations for appearing at the December 2004 conference honoring the life and works of the “Great Islamic Visionary” Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.Hmmmmm....."They don't trust me because of my middle name"?Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Synod: Christians and Islam demand religious freedom, to fight extremism.New strengths in mission emerge at the Synod for the Middle East: the scourge of extremism that suffocates Christians and Muslims, the need to recognize Christians as citizens with full rights in society, the right to the proclamation of the gospel.Muslims always say that Islam is tolerant. In a sense, the statement is true: Christians and Jews are tolerated and have for centuries lived alongside Muslims, in the Muslim empire. But Christians no longer want to be tolerated; they want to be fully fledged citizens, period!Thus, during the first week of the synod, the principle of religious freedom was developed. The desire to ask the States of the Middle East to acknowledge the principle of total religious freedom. This includes: the right to renounce a religion to adhere to a religion or to change religion; the right to be atheist and the equal treatment of religions in accordance with the UN Human Rights Charter.This does not mean the cancellation of religion, but giving it greater space so the religion does not come into conflict with other laws of the State. For example, if sharia goes against some state law, state law takes precedence. In the name of Sharia for example,you can not force anyone to fast during Ramadan, as is the case today in all countries of the Arabian peninsula (Saudi, Arabia, Yemen, Gulf countries) and also in Algeria, Morocco, etc.A summary of the week’s proceedings by an expert at the synodal assembly.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:IsraelMatzav.New Israeli weapons unveiled.The 4th annual Israel Defense Exhibition for the Army and Police (ISDEF) is taking place this week in Tel Aviv. Here are some of the new systems that are on display.Read and see the full story here.Click here for comments.

• President Obama is worse than King George III, the English king in power when Americans declared independence in 1776.Virginia’s fiery attorney general Ken Cuccinelli, who argued against the constitutionality of the health care law in federal court this week.Cuccinelli said Monday that at no other time in American history had a government forced citizens to purchase a product and gotten away with it, even the British King that sparked the American Revolution.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Video:Bill O'Reilly: "I'll Stand By What I Said All Day Long- Muslims Killed Us on 9-11".See the whole thing here.Click here for comments.

• Saudi prince found guilty of murdering his servant.A Saudi prince has been found guilty of murdering his servant at a hotel in central London.Bandar Abdulaziz, 32, was found beaten and strangled in the Landmark Hotel, Marylebone, on 15 February 2010.The Old Bailey was told the assault by Saud Abdulaziz bin Nasser al Saud had a "sexual element" and he had attacked Mr Abdulaziz many times before he died.The pair had just returned from a Valentine's Day night out when Al Saud launched the ferocious assault.Al Saud will be sentenced on Wednesday.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:UnDhimmi.Senior Turkish Minister Calls Christians ‘Kuffar’.As if there weren’t enough evidence already, a Senior Minister lets slip what Turkey’s ruling class really thinks of non-Muslims : Members of the Christian community in Turkey have called on State Minister Faruk Çelik to make an apology over his remarks which they said had insulted their religion. “The minister has scorned Christians just to suppress rightful demands of the Alevis in Turkey,” Yuhannas Aktas, head of the Syriac Culture Association in Midyat, who was referring to Çelik’s labelling of Christianity as the religion of the ‘gavur’ (‘kafir’), a word meaning “infidel” in Turkish, which is often regarded as a degrading expression by non-Muslims.Somewhat on the fence after seeing the substantial (and growing) evidence of systematic persecution and harassment of Christians in Turkey?Well now you can relax. Minister of Work and Social Security Çelik has just made it abundantly clear for you.Read and see the full Story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:BacktoBasics.Interview with Retired Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson on Obama, Clinton and National Security.They’re [the media] completely in the tank. I mean, they got him elected and they’re going to protect his Presidency completely.In an exclusive interview with Accuracy in Media, Retired Lt. Col. Robert “Buzz” Patterson says that President Obama is very “dangerous to our military, and to the national security of this nation.” He says that Obama’s refuses to “acknowledge the fact that we’re fighting a very extreme element of Islam.” And he cites the National Security Strategy Policy of the United States, which is President Obama’s national security policy, in which “he does not, one time, use the words jihad, Islam, Muslim, extremism, fundamentalism, terrorism—in fact, quite the opposite: He identifies the greatest national security threat to America being global warming.”Read the full madness story here.Click here for comments.

• After 65 years: Dutch couple becomes Righteous Among Nations.Nicolaas and Hendrikje Plantinga hid 10 Jews in their attic for two years during Holocaust. Thanks to an Israeli woman, contact made between couple's son and Yad Vashem, which grants them honor.NEVER AGAIN!Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Iran confirms planes being refused fuel in Europe.Islamic Republic's foreign ministry spokesman accuses some Western companies of 'adopting inappropriate policies,' vows to retaliate if situation continues.Iran confirmed on Tuesday that some companies were refusing to refuel its planes at European airports and said it would retaliate if the situation continued.Iran has played down the impact of international sanctions, which were tightened in June, and previously said news reports that Iranian airlines were having problems refueling abroad were part of a "psychological" war.    Hmmmm....gentlemen on January 2011 Iran becomes Chairman for the Opec....love the zeal ...but bad idea.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Fox News Insinuates, but Investor Shrugs It Off.Some critics of the proposed Islamic community center in Lower Manhattan, including commentators on Fox News, have linked the project to terrorism by seizing on a Saudi prince’s past financial backing of the imam at the center of the controversy.“I have been associated with this mosque in New York, but frankly speaking, I have nothing to do with it,” he said in an interview. “I’m not for putting that mosque there.”Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Gulf of Mexico fishermen fear the future.Six months after the largest maritime oil spill, Gulf of Mexico fishing communities fear for their very future while critics say response efforts have evaporated faster than the toxic crude."When you look at the fishing communities down here, they had 100 percent mortality on most of their oyster beds, so the community basically is out of business."BP pledged to honor claims and has set up a 20-billion-dollar compensation fund, but in Encalade's small fishing village of some 300 people he reckons one in five are still to receive payment.Hundreds of local fishing boats once employed by BP in its Vessels of Opportunity clean-up program now lie idle in the harbor, but Henderson said he was still astonished at the amount of oil out there on his regular flyovers."The oil was by and large dispersed but it didn't disappear, it's still on the ocean floor and it's still washing up every single day on our beaches, in our wetlands from Louisiana to Florida."This disaster is definitely still going on. Time will tell, time will make people realize. What I am fearful will happen is that there will be an impact on species, on fishery populations, that could be completely devastating."Louisiana's fishing industry has been valued at up to three billion dollars and the stricken state is the source of one third of the seafood consumed in the United States.Hmmmm......"I will not rest"?Perhaps try to campaign there MR President?Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• SURPRISE!Turkey says anti-missile should not single out Iran,Exactly what we said in previous postings would happen - happens!Turkey expressed some reservations on Monday about NATO's planned anti-missile system, saying it wanted more technical details and that it should not be presented as a defence against fellow Muslim state Iran. Read the full treason story here.Click here for comments.

• Chechen rebels attack Parliament and the Ministry of Agriculture in Grozny.This morning Chechen rebels launched an attack on Parliament buildings and the Ministry of Agriculture in Grozny, which has resulted in the death of all members of the commando. “The operation is over, all rebels have been killed” reported Interfax quoting a security forces source in Chechnya. According to the same Russian agency a meeting between the Russian Interior Minister who is in Grozny and the Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov is underway.The reconstruction of events is not yet clear. It appears that a suicide bomber blew himself up outside the Parliament, while two accomplices fired on soldiers guarding the building. The Chechen rebels then entered the parliament building in Grozny taking several people hostage. This was confirmed by an anonymous source in the regional Interior Ministry, adding that three guards were killed in the attack.The shooting continued for about an hour inside the building. "Regular police forces, officers in riot gear and a unit of the Parliament Security Service intervened," said a security source. The Ministry of Agriculture is under attack, according to Russian news agency Itar-Tass, quoting a source in the same department.An attempt was underway in Chechnya sought by President Ramzan Kadyrov – a close Kremlin ally - to impose “Chechen traditional Islam" on his country to reduce the strength of fundamentalist Islam.Read the full story here.More on the story here.Click here for comments.

• College Professor Calls for Israel's Destruction.The flags carried the logo of the terror group Hezbollah. The rhetoric was the kind you'd normally hear in Tehran or Gaza.Yet the scene occurred in Washington, D.C, just minutes from the White House."We must stand united to defeat, to destroy, to dismantle Israel--if possible by peaceful means," Kaukab Siddique said. "Perhaps, like Saladin, we will give them enough food and water to travel back to the lands from where they came to occupy other people."Siddique is an associate professor of English at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania.Siddique's recent statements in Washington:"The Koran says drive them out from where they drove you out," he declared. "There's no question of just dismantling the settlements. These settlements are only the tentacles of the devil that resides in Tel Aviv."Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• 3 Iranian soccer players risk jail over kiss.Soccer players in hot water after kissing female fan, Iranian website reports.Three Iranian soccer players are facing jail for kissing a woman fan in the Islamic state where physical contact between unrelated men and women is legally forbidden, an Iranian website reported on Monday.Since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005 with the backing of conservative clerics, tighter controls on "immoral behavior" have been imposed in Iran. Ahmadinejad was re-elected in a disputed vote last year, which the opposition says was rigged. Authorities deny the claim.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Saudi king urged to free “rebel” daughter.Furore erupts in Kingdom over jailing of woman for disobeying father.King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has been urged to personally intervene and release a local woman who has been accused of disobeying her father and thrown in prison, triggering widespread criticism of the law.“I just want to ask the Custodian of the Holy Shrines (King Abdullah)….where is your sword which you have vowed to use against oppression and corruption.”“This is the real problem…there is no clear law in Saudi Arabia…there are too many written rules and laws but the mechanism of their implementation remains afloat and without lawful umbrella,” he wrote in the paper.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• It’s Official: Obama Has Now Borrowed $3 Trillion.It's official: The Obama administration has now borrowed $3 trillion, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.It took from 1776, when the United States became an independent country, until 1990, the year after the Berlin Wall fell signaling victory in the Cold War, for the federal government to accumulate a total of $3 trillion in debt, according to the Treasury Department. It only took from Jan. 20, 2009, the day President Barack Obama was inaugurated, until Oct. 15, 2010, for the Obama administration to add $3 trillion to the federal debt.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Angelina Jolie wins back Bosnia film permit.Permission was withdrawn last week after the government said no screenplay had been attached to the application, as required by law.Jolie said in a written statement last week it would be a shame if "unfair pressure based on wrong information" prevented her crew from shooting her film."My hope is that people will hold judgment until they have seen the film," said added.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• The Unlikely Partnership Of Venezuela And Iran.Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is due to visit Tehran this week in the wake of visits to Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. While Chavez unveiled a host of new deals while in Moscow, in Tehran the best that awaits him is reconfirmation of agreements that he signed previously with Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad. That, of course, and a joint platform for launching yet another tirade against U.S. imperialism.Chavez and Ahmadinejad are likely to spend their three days together this week exchanging pleasantries and pretending that “strategic ties” between their two countries are strong and growing. In reality, though, the only ones certain of these ties are the two populist presidents themselves, leaders who have a talent for ignoring the real world.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Woman loses case to end father’s custody.A Saudi female doctor aged above 40 years has lost a plea to break away from her father on the grounds he is cruel and prevents her from getting married so he will not lose her salary, Sharq newspaper reported on Monday.The unidentified doctor had twice asked the court to end her father’s custody and allow her to live on her own because he beats her up, seizes her monthly salary and rejects any one who seeks to marry her, the paper said.The woman has been staying at a government protection centre for nearly five years as she is refusing to return to her house.Welcome to A.D. 620?Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:RossRightAngle.“A horrifying sign of hatred toward Christians…It never ends..” Bekasi Bigots AGAIN!Although the persecuted Christians of the Bekasi HKBP Church were promised a new site, it looks like the Islamist ignoramuses ‘have wasted no time in organizing a massive campaign to stop them building,” according to the Jakarta Globe yesterday. These Batak Christians have been both evicted and attacked by savages who won’t countenance religious liberty for non-Muslims in Bekasi.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Government set to handover Buyukada orphanage to Patriarchate of Constantinople.For the first time in the history of the Republic of Turkey, the state is set to return property seized after the Act of 1936 to religious foundation. News of the decision of the Directorate of Religious Foundations leaked by Haberturk, following a ruling by the Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.Diplomatic sources quoted by Haberturk comment on the news, saying that this decision, taken against its will by the Directorate of Religious Foundations, will open "a can of worms”, as it will bring to the fore the issue of the return of about 23 buildings of great value currently in its possession (with hundreds of others already sold to third parties) seized after the 1936 Law. That law banned religious foundations from owning property. It will also precipitate the debate on the legal status of all religious minorities. This is the perfect occasion, it is noted in the diplomatic circles, to show how sincere the new Turkish establishment intentions are after its undisputed triumph of the referendum on Sept. 12, that saw it win freedom to manoeuvre as it wants.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Wilders is dangerous, Muslims tell court.Muslims told judges trying anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders for hate speech Monday that he was dangerous, dividing a multicultural society that used to cohabit peacefully."Mr Wilders is a dangerous ideologist who has divided Dutch society," Naoual Abaida, a trainee lawyer with a native Dutch mother and Moroccan father, told the court."I am asking you to protect me as a Muslim and a Moroccan against Mr Wilders," she said, referring to his "Islam-bashing" and "insulting, polarising language".Read the full whining story here.Click here for comments.

• Al Qaeda reaches out armed with English and Net.Al-Qaeda has combined the global reach of both the English language and the Internet as cyber-terrorism tools to win over non-Arab sympathisers.Al-Qaeda's Yemen-based wing released the first edition of an online English-language magazine, Inspire, four months ago that included an article on how to build a bomb.Philip Seib, a professor at the University of Southern California and co-author of "Global Terrorism and New Media," believes the terror network has itself become a media organisation."It might be time to stop thinking of Al-Qaeda as the terrorist organisation that does media and more as the media organisation that does terror," Seib said.Hmmm....why does the term "Revolution Muslims"come to mind?Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Obama, MythBusters to Test 'Archimedes Death Ray' in Push to Promote Science.President Obama is either trying to reach a new audience or he's looking to build the Pentagon's next project on the cheap.The president is set to make a guest appearance next month on the Discovery Channel's "MythBusters," the show where a team of explosion-prone pyrophiles test urban legends. The Obama episode will focus on the so-called "Archimedes death ray."Anything for a vote Mr President?Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:TundraTabloids.Who's behind Viva Palestina Convoy.A new convoy of humanitarian aid is about to sail to Gaza. Viva Palestina convoy includes passengers that were on the Marmara flotilla organized by IHH whose members attacked IDF soldiers.The organizers of Viva Palestina know perfectly well that Israel will deliver any humanitarian aid via land. Yet, they sail on their way to Gaza to create a provocation.Giyus.org decided to dig in and check who's behind Viva Palestina.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• The ‘genocide’ thorn in US-Turkey relations.According to İdiz, “the general belief in Washington, and particularly in the U.S. Congress, is that Turkey negotiated the Zurich Protocols with Armenia in bad faith, not to actually move ahead in terms of Turkish-Armenian ties, but to prevent President Obama from using the ‘G word’ in his annual April 24 message earlier this year.”In light of this background, to claim that the Turkish government negotiated the protocols to prevent President Obama from using the “G word” is nonsense. Besides, the number of U.S. states that have passed resolutions supporting the Armenian allegations is over 40. To be honest, like many people in Turkey I personally am not really interested in whether the U.S. President uses the G word or not. Turks are indeed fed up with the way this genocide issue is being frequently used as an effective means of blackmailing the Turkish government.Having said that, I suggest to my American friends that they put pressure on Armenia to change its mindset. I will give an example in that regard. As a gesture to our Armenian citizens and Armenia, the Turkish government restored a historic church in Akdamar with a formal opening held in September. The religious ceremony was attended by Armenians from Armenia and their diaspora.Do you know why it was a disappointment or missed opportunity for Giragosian? Because, in his words, “the ceremony was held in a church with no cross.”Yeah and who's to blame for this?"I personally am not really interested in whether the U.S. President uses the G word or not."But the US should put pressure on Armenia to forget about it?Doesn't make sense to me!Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• UAE Official: We Foiled Canadian Attempts To Gain Security Council Seat.He said that there are two reasons behind his country's lobbying against Canada: first and certainly the most significant, is what the official characterized as the protectionist policies of Canada that have restricted the number of flights of the two main carriers—Dubai's Emirates Airlines and UAE's Etihad Airways ; and second is thatCanada does not support the Arab issues in the region, such as alleviating the Israeli embargo on Gaza.So when we said a week ago (11 Oct) on this blog "Pay back for refused landing rights "we hit the head of the nail!Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Netanyahu: Terrorists in Gaza Have Anti-Aircraft Missiles, Ben Gurion Airport May Be In Danger.Speaking at a Likud meeting, PM expresses concern over weapons in the Strip "that can take down an aircraft en route to Ben Gurion airport."Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• The Cream Puff Brigade: How a group of Islamist radicals became the laughing stock of the Taliban... because they missed their mothers.German intelligence sources have revealed a group of fanatical Islamist radicals became the laughing stock of the Taliban because they missed their mothers during a training camp.The nine would-be terrorists have been branded the 'Cream Puff Brigade' after they travelled from Germany in 2009 to the camp near Afghanistan.Instead they were laid low by diarrhoea, moaned about food, griped about their training and admitted pining for friends and family.They had been under surveillance for months because of their attendance at the Taiba mosque - spiritual home of the 9/11 attackers.In June and July this year, according to Spiegel, two of them were arrested in Pakistan, two more were killed in a recent drone attack.But all of them were, according to intelligence, useless at the art of waging Holy War.'When they left Hamburg, some of them had still been living at home with their parents in the rooms they'd grown up in. 'They fancied themselves fierce warriors, but they turned out to be major failures.''The only people left from the original group are the two women, both of whom are now pregnant,' said Spiegel.Read the ful story here.Click here for comments.

• Osama bin Laden living in luxury in northwest Pakistan, says senior Nato official.The Al Qaeda leader has not been scuttled away to a network of caves, but instead is living life as the world’s most wanted man in conventional surroundings.‘Nobody in Al Qaeda is living in a cave,’ said the official, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the intelligence matters involved.Finding them will be complicated by the size of the area they are in - it covers hundreds of square miles - the rugged terrain and the tribal warlords who run it.The official offered a grim view of the war in Afghanistan and said that there were up to one million disaffected young men on the border with Pakistan who would be prepared to fight coalition forces.‘Every year the insurgency can generate more and more manpower,’ he said, adding that despite a military presence in Afghanistan ‘we don't know what's going on’.Pakistan has repeatedly denied protecting members of the al Qaeda leadership.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:IsraelMatzav.European Union to profile passengers at airports?Due to an epidemic of false alarms, the European Union has asked the Technion in Haifa for help with airport security. And they're willing to pay for the help: $4.7 million over three years.The grant is aimed at developing both a dynamic and realistic model for behavior and decision-making during security threats in airports.Hmmm...something tells me if they implement this the lawyers will get a giant boost to their workload.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:BigPeace.CAIR Protests Detention of Imam.An imam with ties to mosques in Florida and Iowa has been arrested on immigration fraud charges. Ibrahim Dremali and his wife Safaa Rashad Eissa were arrested in Texas last week and will return to Iowa to face charges, the Iowa Independent reports.Dremali founded the Islamic Center of Boca Raton before becoming an imam in Des Moines. While in Florida, his mosque co-sponsored a rally in 2000 which featured Hizballah flags and chants of “with jihad we’ll claim our land. Zionist blood will wet the sand.”And there's more.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:BloggerBase.Here we go again.Just what is this imaginary International Law? Who legislates it and who enforces it? The United Nations lacks the ability, and suredly lacks the credibility, to enforce anything it "enacts". If you doubt that, how many islamic countries just accepted the decision in 1948 to "give" the Jews a homeland in the area of Palestine? How many have still refused to accept this. In the other hand, how many of these islamic nations, who have yet to live up to this "International Law", go to the UN to spew their hatred and vile rhetoric at the home of "International Law"?Read the full scandal story here.Click here for comments.

• Men ALLOWED to beat their wives and young children (as long as they don't leave any marks), rules UAE court.Husbands are allowed to beat their wives and children - as long as they don’t leave any physical marks, an Islamic court in the United Arab Emirates has ruled.The astonishing legal ruling gives all husbands and fathers in the ultra-rich Gulf state the 'right to discipline' female family members if they have first attempted reconciliation.The judgment was made by one of the UAE’s most senior judges, Chief Justic Falah al Hajeri, who made the ruling in the case of a man fined £85 for slapping his wife and kicking his daughter.While the ruling was greeted with anger by many Arab world commentators, others claimed it is a ‘real-life compromise’ between the competing demands of the petro-state’s highly Westernised population and its conservative Muslim heritage.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:American Thinker.It's Logical to Be 'Islamophobic'.From a utilitarian perspective, it's simple. The average person faces greater danger from radicalized Muslims than from other dangers that we also fear, such as sharks or lightning.So, peaceful Muslims, please accept our apologies in advance. Let us honestly say that when we may appear "Islamophobic," we think that we are actually just being "prudent." Over time, a relationship will develop between us, and trust will build. But this will take time, probably years.Further, expect us to draw back each time the radicals trigger a surprise attack in the West. We will back off some because people like Major Hasan bring the danger to our minds again.But if you're willing to take the time, I think you'll find that most Americans are, too. I know that I will. We are a kind and generous people who are worthy of your time.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• A Canadian line of Campbell's soups has activists stewing over Islamic connection.Andy Warhol found artistic inspiration in a can of Campbell's tomato soup. These days, some activists are finding sinister Muslim connections in the same can.Campbell Soup Co., the Camden, N.J., food giant, has been fighting a grass-roots boycott of its products after its Canadian subsidiary rolled out a line of soups certified as halal, meaning they're prepared according to Islamic dietary laws.Campbell Co. of Canada introduced the soups in a few Canadian markets in January, although American bloggers didn't catch up to the news until earlier this month.That's when the tempest in a tomato-soup can started.Faulkner said Campbell hasn't noticed any effect on its sales since the boycott began.•Our Halal-certified products have been chosen specifically to suit the flavour preferences of the Muslim community.The other customers just have to eat it,whether they like it or not?Hmmmm......"Blowing" to cool down the soup?Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:DirectorBlue.Looks Like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Crossed the Streams Again: Son of Subprime About to Administer the Coup de Grâce to the Economy.You may want to sit down before reading this one.Bad Chalupa points us to a gut-wrenching economic analysis by John Mauldin of Investors Insight. Read the whole thing, but the following digest version should serve as an adequate introduction.Read the full debacle here.Click here for comments.

• HT:BigPeace.Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander-in-Chief Moves to Disband VFW PAC Over Anti-Military Endorsments.Last week, the Veterans of Foreign War came under scrutiny because their lobbying arm, the VFW PAC, had endorsed a number of candidates without a track record of supporting the military over actual veterans and those who have demonstrated they would be advocates for veterans. Highlights incude Democrat Ron Klein, who is running against Republican challenger Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Allen West Florida 22nd Congressional District in Florida’s 22nd Congressional District and Senator Barbara Boxer over Carly Fiorina for Senate in California. As I pointed out at Blackfive, this is not the first year that the VFW endorsements have angered its membership. This time, when these endorsements were called into question, the VFW-PAC doubled down.Today we learn, in what is a victory for veterans and those who support them, the Veterans of Foreign Wars commander-in-chief has moved to disband the VFW PAC over these endorsements.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Stolen Holocaust art database launched.A new online database lets Holocaust survivors and their relatives search details of more than 20,000 artworks stolen from Jews during World War II.The database of works stolen from occupied France and Belgium between 1940 and 1944 includes Monet paintings.It is a joint project of the Conference of Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.Art collectors, galleries and museums can also make use of the free service.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• "The Kingdom of Dreams" a Disney-like Bollywood Theme Park Wows India.From a distance, India's Kingdom of Dreams theme park outside New Delhi looks and sounds like one of the amber-colored, sandstone palaces of Rajasthan.At the ticket booth, turban-clad musicians sit, horns blaring, beneath a life-sized stone elephant, and the middle-class patrons shuffle between great stone pillars before passing through a metal detector — just like the ones omnipresent at Delhi's new, posh shopping malls — that punctures the illusion.It's strangely unreal, and (actually) rather fun. But there's something disturbing, too, about the idea that an Indian street where everything works is such a popular fantasy — and charges about double the daily minimum wage for entry.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.