MFS - The Other News

                         Afternoon Posting.

• Deputy FM Ayalon : 'The state of Facebook' is more real than Palestine. Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon has compared recognition of a Palestinian state to using the "like" button on Facebook, writing in his personal blog last week that "the state of Facebook is more real than the state of Palestine." Referring to recent announcements by several Latin American countries that declared recognition a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, the deputy foreign minister opined that any such Palestinian state was as virtual one as the popular social network."Facebook is the 'like' state, and so is the Palestinian state recognized in Brasilia and Buenos Aires," said Ayalon. "Irresponsible governments are quick to 'like' the Palestinian state without actually checking out its profile: an authority without sovereignty, with no borders or territorial continuity, no economic ability or democratic culture."The Palestinian Authority has recently been seeking international recognition of a state at a time when talks on a long-term peace settlement with Israel are deadlocked. According to Ayalon, the Palestinian authority is looking for "virtual friends" in an effort to create "a virtual state." "The state of Facebook is more real that the Palestinian state which would be created unilaterally without negotiation with the elected government in Jerusalem," said Ayalon.Hmmmm.....Somehow i can't get rid of this gut feeling that all this was planned a long time ago,why else would they have already discussed who's going to deliver the UN peace troops to implement the peace plan?Read the full story here

• Schindler's list: The story behind the documents.Spielberg's film made Oskar Schindler famous, but left his widower bitter and frustrated. Now her heiress claims historical docs belong to her, demands Yad Vashem return them.It is one of the most talked about historical documents from the Holocaust. A nine-page list consisting of 1,098 names of Jews – 801 men and 297 women – who were all saved because of the famous Righteous Among the Nations honoree Oskar Schindler.Over the years this list became a symbol of courage during a very dark time for humanity, much acredited to the successful Hollywood film "Schindler's List" by director Steven Spielberg. Emilie was also recognized as Righteous Among the Nations, especially because of her initiative to save 100 Jews who were left to freeze to death in train cars near Schindler's factory towards the end of the war. In 1997 she wrote in A Memoir Where Light And Shadow Meet, with the help of Rosenberg, that neither she nor her husband were heroes, they just did what had to be done. After Oskar died, Emilie was declared to be his rightful heir by a German court. When Schindler's mistress passed away sometime during the end of the 1990s, her son and neighboors discovered an old suitcase in the attic of the house in Hildesheim filled with over 7,000 documents and pictures belonging to Oskar Shindler, including a rare copy of the famous list. it seems this story is far from over, and we might learn the legal fate of one of the most important documents of the 20th century very soon.Read the full story here.
  Schindler's List : Yerushalayim Shel Zahav .

• Faith and practice: The Christians who suffer for their faith at Christmas.As Christians the world over celebrate the miracle of the Jesus's birth, there are many for whom this season is a time of tension and uncertainty, while others languish in prisons around the world, from Iran to Vietnam, simply because they have chosen to follow their faith.Around 3,000 Christians are in prison in Eritrea, held without trial in appalling conditions, and suffering threats and beatings simply on account of their faith. In Iraq, where 52 people died in Our Lady of Salvation Catholic church in Baghdad when security forces attempted to free worshippers taken hostage by militants, some Christian communities have decided against Christmas celebrations, for fear of attacks by extremist groups.In Egypt, Christians gathering in church for Coptic Christmas Eve mass on 7 January will be acutely aware of the drive-by shooting after mass in Nag Hammadi just one year ago that claimed the lives of eight Christians and a Muslim security official, and which was the precursor to further attacks on Christian communities in the surrounding area.Christians in prison for their faith bear the weight of fear and uncertainty without the comfort of their community around them, and in some cases in solitary confinement, like Iranian Pastor Behrouz Sadegh-Khanjani. Initially arrested in January after being summoned to Shiraz to explain church activities, Pastor Khanjani was released on bail in March but rearrested on 16 June and sent to an infamous political prison, where he has spent much of his detention in solitary confinement. He has only had access to his lawyer once between his arrest and late November, while his health has deteriorated steadily due to the harsh and unsanitary conditions in the prison, where Christian prisoners are reportedly subjected to eight hours of interrogation a day, and some are kept in cramped conditions where they are unable to sleep.Pastor Khanjani is charged with apostasy – leaving Islam, blasphemy and contact with the enemy, and is facing a possible death sentence. Also facing a death sentence is Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, who was charged with apostasy on 13 October after questioning the Muslim monopoly on the religious instruction of children in Iran, which contravenes the Iranian constitution, under which a parent is permitted to raise children in their own faith. The written confirmation of the court's sentence – the death penalty – was delivered on 13 November. His appeal is pending.And then there's off course Asia Bibi.Hmmm....Still waiting for the self proclaimed Christian US President to react on the war on Christianity.Read the full story here.

• As Reports Swirl on Changes in Obama's Cabinet, Gibbs Says No Big Changes Coming.WASHINGTON -- Another disconnect between two White House spokesmen who are giving conflicting answers to coming changes in the Obama administration. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Sunday that Americans shouldn't look for any big changes in President Obama's Cabinet as the new year gets under way. But two days earlier, senior adviser David Axelrod said "significant changes" will be announced after the president returns from his vacation in Hawaii.Richardson said Friday that he twice briefed the administration since his return.Gibbs and Axelrod are also expected to shift roles. Axelrod is leaving the White House to gin up the president's re-election campaign, while Gibbs may move to another role within the executive office.Hmmmm....Back to Chicago and Rahm and the "Shorebank"sorry "Urban Partnership Bank" who will handle the re-election funds?Read the full story here.

• The Obamas make a Christmas visit to the troops ... and one Marine's son sticks his tongue out at the President.President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle took time from their Hawaii vacation to drop by a Marine Corps base on Saturday, where they greeted service men and women during Christmas dinner.One young fan in turn greeted the President by sticking his tongue out at the commander-in-chief while the two posed for his picture.The President was a little taken aback after the boy greeted him with the tongue stick out, but then they hugged it out.Obama, who has otherwise kept a low profile during the 11-day family holiday, visited the same base last year and the year before on Christmas Day.The President and First Lady shook hands, posed for pictures, admired babies and chatted with Marines and their families in the mess hall decked out in Christmas decorations for about 40 minutes.The President, dressed casually in a short-sleeved shirt and dark grey pants, made no formal remarks, instead greeting service members individually.Read the full story here.

• Iran to put 'Israeli spy' to death.Tehran's chief prosecutor says identity of alleged spy to be announced after approval of verdict by Supreme Court.Iran has imposed a death sentence on a man suspected of spying for Israel, local media reported on Sunday.The semiofficial Mehr news agency quoted Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi, Tehran's chief prosecutor, as saying, "The spy has been sentenced to death ... (His) identity will be announced after approval of the verdict" by Iran's Supreme Court. He did not say when that would be. Dowlatabadi said three more cases of espionage were under review by the Iranian judiciary. He did not elaborate. Israel had no immediate comment. Read the full story here.

• HT:IsraelMatzav.Great news: Obama administration giving out advice on how to survive a nuclear attack.For those of you who read the New York Times on Friday, it was right there. Right on the front page. The Obama administration is giving you advice how to survive a nuclear attack.Here's the key folks. The fact that the Obama administration is releasing this kind of information and is trying to disseminate it means that they think a nuclear attack on the United States is possible. And given that they plan to do nothing about Iran or about the Iranian proxy missiles in Venezuela, I suppose such an attack is possible. It's kind of like Israel with all the useless short-range anti-missile systems - instead of taking the offensive, the US is pretending it can sit back, wait to be attacked and fend off the attack.Hmmmm....Remember the latest test to take out a missile?It failed,that test was a repeat of a failed exercise in January.Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Hamas Interior Minister Fathi Hammad: The Americans and the Jews Are Abhorred Worldwide; The Americans Are Led by the Jews, "Outcasts Who Live Off Corruption and Plundering".Read and see the full story here.

• HT:Americanthinker.Hugo Chavez's New Power Grab.Like the canary in a mine shaft who dies at the first sign of toxic gasses, journalists are often the first creatures to suffer when a totalitarian dictator is ascending to power. There are few developed nations in the world that show the methodical approach to smothering free speech, but Venezuela's "great leader" is demonstrating the process in our very own hemisphere. Since other leftist heads of state are watching with dreamy eyes, it might be a good preventative measure if we all start paying attention to his techniques."The President is desperate to pass socialist laws and boost control over the media and internet," Borges said in an email statement. "He says he's giving more power to the people, but he's really exerting more power over the people." Several news sources report that Chávez did not specify what decrees he was considering but said they would cover rural and urban land, plus (and most ominously) the constitution. Adding to the climate of fear, he is using a familiar tactic: He is waiting until people are distracted by Christmas holiday festivities to announce his next moves."There are a series of laws that I want to decree on the 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th of December right in the middle of Christmas . . . and the New Year," he told Reuters. And so he did.Because the freedom-loving segments of Venezuela's population continue to speak out, anybody not otherwise distracted can now have a front-row seat to the unfolding cautionary tale of how dictators seize power and destroy lives during an era of expanding communication technology. Revisiting the advice of Shakespeare's Dick the butcher, Chávez is teaching the world that killing all the lawyers before beginning a reign of terror is not nearly as effective as suppressing all the journalists.Hmmmmm....Something Obama is planning now that he controls the Internet?Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri. IHH Director in Gaza: We Will Shed Our Blood, Sacrifice Our Souls, for Sake of Palestinians.The director of the IHH organization in Gaza, Muhammad Kaya, said at a group wedding in the city that, in addition to financial support, the members of his organization would continue to provide moral support to the Palestinians, including through a willingness to sacrifice their lives and shed their blood. He added that the sons born to the newlywed couples would liberate Jerusalem from the defilement of the Zionist occupation, and that a large number of Muslims on Palestinian soil would threaten the Zionist enemy. The ceremony was also attended by the head of the Islamic Jihad Charity Organizations Committee.Hmmm....Yup that sounds like a real "Humanitarian" charter to me.Source.

• German mayor slams ‘Cologne Wailing Wall’ exhibit.City partners in Tel Aviv and Bethlehem blast ‘anti-Semitic, anti-Israel presentation.Mayor of Cologne Jürgen Roters (Social Democratic) and its sister city partnerships, Cologne-Tel Aviv and Cologne-Bethlehem, issued a joint statement last week blasting the long-standing anti- Israel exhibit in his community’s bustling Cathedral Square pedestrian-only zone.According to the resolution, “The anti-Semitic and anti- Israel presentation of the socalled ‘Cologne Wailing Wall’ spreads hatred against humans and feeds anti-Israel resentments.”Roters and the Cologne authorities called on Walter Hermann, the organizer of the “Cologne Wailing Wall,” to “immediately remove the installation that shows contempt for humanity” and said the city of Cologne would no longer accept Hermann’s exhibit and approach.The resolution said that Hermann has displayed his hatefest against Israel since 2004.But at the same time, we are convinced that the cartoon was of a clearly anti-Semitic nature and that it incites hatred and violence.“The claim that one must distinguish between hatred of the Jewish people and hatred of the State of Israel is absolutely inappropriate and leaves a bad taste.It is unclear if the joint resolution will compel Hermann to pull the plug on his exhibit.Some say anti-Israeli sentiments are high in Cologne, and that this helps explains the civil society’s failure over the years to mount widespread protests against the “Cologne Wailing Wall.”Hmmmm....Anti - Jewish feelings are high world wide not only in Germany!Read the full story here.

• Thousands greet Turkish protest ship; chant 'death to Israel'.Pro-Palestinian activists gather at Istanbul port to greet ship raided by Israeli commandos on its way to Gaza in late May. Crowds wave Palestinian, Turkish flags; chant 'Allah is great'.Thousands of pro-Palestinian activists gathered at a port in Istanbul to welcome back a ship that was the scene of bloodshed during an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May. The ship, Mavi Marmara, returned to Istanbul Sunday after undergoing repairs at a Mediterranean port. Religious Islamic chants were heard, some of them identifying with Hamas. One of the event organizers spoke out and said: "We're returning the Marmara without nine shahids (martyrs)". He added: "I ask God to return Jerusalem to us and fight for the shahids." He also asked that God "take revenge on the killers" and called for "death to Israel," saying they will fight till their last breath until they take over Jerusalem.Meanwhile, another flotilla is on its way to the Gaza Strip, which is currently under a partial Israeli blockade. The Gaza-bound humanitarian aid convoy ‘Asia 1′ reached Lebanon on Saturday. According to reports aired on the Hezbollah network Al-Manar, the group visited Sidon. From there they continued on to Syria and Iran and are later expected to fly to Egypt and transfer the aid to Gaza from there.It is estimated that the convoy will be joined by Iranian parliament members. So far there are about 200 participants in the convoy, including representatives from Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, eight representatives from different organizations in Indonesia, and Muslim activists from Jordan.Hmmmmmm......"Iranian parliament members"let me guess some will have diplomatic immunity and can't be checked?Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Activist on New Gaza Flotilla: We Will Break Siege or Die Trying.The head of the Bahraini delegation on board the Gaza flotilla currently en route to Gaza, Muhammad Al-Shihabi, said to the Iranian Al-Alam website: "We are going to Gaza. Either the siege will be broken, or there will be martyrdom."Source.

• Lieberman 'won't accept Turkish lies'.Foreign minister calls Turkey's continuing demand for apology from Israel 'beyond rude'. 'Turkish government should apologize for supporting terror,' he says, reminding counterpart that Israel sent his country aid in 2007.Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman took aim at Turkey Sunday just hours after the Mavi Marmara ship, which led the flotilla to Gaza in May, was cheered into Istanbul with calls of "Death to Israel".Lieberman called Turkey's demand for an apology over the IDF raid on the Marmara, in which nine Turkish civilians died, "beyond rude".Regarding the apology Turkey demanded he said, "The one who needs to apologize is the Turkish government for supporting terror, the IHH, Hamas, and Hezbollah. There will be no apology, just the opposite, we are expecting one from Ankara." Lieberman also compared Turkey to Israel's arch-foe Iran. "You must understand that the changes within Turkey have nothing to do with Israel. It is an internal change within Turkey, just like the change of Khomeini had nothing to do with Israel but rather a change within Iran," he said."We need to prepare Plan B, and I can say that it exists on the shelf. We are making last-minute modifications, and will be ready to use Plan B at any moment," he said. "The WikiLeaks era has proven that classic diplomacy doesn't help – the best diplomacy is to say things as is." Hmmmm.....Finally....No Sharia bloodmoney.Read the full story here.

• High-ranking female religious official removed from office in Turkey.The entire staff of the Religious Affairs Foundation’s Women’s Activities Center has decided to collectively resign from their posts following the removal from office of the center’s head, Ayşe Sucu, daily Milliyet reported Sunday.Sucu, who is known for her liberal views about religion and women and for wearing a loose style of headscarf, reportedly told her close friends that she was surprised and hurt by the foundation’s decision to let her go.Foundation head Necati Akçeşme said in a statement that the change was the result of “new excitement and new understanding” in the foundation. The Religious Affairs Directorate is undergoing personnel changes under new head Mehmet Görmez, who has recently identified three new deputies and appointed four general managers."Sucu had previously said wearing a headscarf is not a religious obligation for Muslim women." , as researcher Bahriye Ucok observed in the 1980s and 90s before her assassination. The headscarf does not come from Islam, but from the patriarchal beliefs of men and the politics of control.
  Hmmmm....Anyone still doubting in what direction Turkey is heading?Before long Turkey will be governed by the future Ayatollah Erdogan!Get Turkey out of NATO!Read the full story here.

• Syrian Flotilla Ship to Set Sail for Gaza.Despite recent reports that markets in Gaza were full and that the area was undergoing an economic revitalization, a group of 150 international anarchists is insisting on sailing to Gaza. The ship is to leave from Syria on Sunday, and among the crew are several anarchists who participated in the May Gaza flotilla from Turkey. Israeli defense officials are taking precautions to ensure that the ship is unable to approach Gaza, and that it is turned back without incident.Hmmm...Next you might walk to Gaza with all these ships there?Read the full story here.

• World Food Program Closes Centers In NW Pakistan After Attack.The World Food Program has closed down its aid distribution centers in northwest Pakistan after a suicide attack that left at least 43 people dead.Shafiq Khan, a WFP official, said four relief centers in the lawless Bajur district, near the border with Afghanistan, have been shut on orders of the regional government following the December 25 attack in the main town of Khar.The attack was condemned today by Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai, who in a statement urged Pakistan to "spare no effort in eliminating" those behind the attack.Hmmmm.....First they're all meeting together in Turkey,then they're bombing the world food program?Read the full story here.More here.

• 'Saturday Mothers' hold 300th Istanbul vigil for missing relatives.Holding a picture of her grandmother Asiye tight in her hands Saturday in Istanbul’s central neighborhood of Galatasaray, Hevi, 11, pointed to her father across the crowd and said, “There, near Orhan Cingöz.”Hevi was actually pointing to a photograph of Cingöz, who went missing in 1995. Near Cingöz’s photograph was her father, Kadri Doğan, holding a picture of his brother Seyhan.Seyhan Doğan was just 13 in 1995, when he went missing after being detained in Dargeçit, in the southeastern province of Mardin. Cingöz went missing the same year.The Saturday Mothers demonstrated at noon Saturday, their usual time. This gathering, though, was their 300th meeting. Women wearing white veils, brothers with unshaven faces and fathers with white hair all came to the meeting point and showed their pictures.People who went missing in the 1915 Armenian relocation were represented in images next to photos of author Sabahattin Ali, the victim of an unsolved murder in 1948. A photograph of Cemil Kırbayır sat near that of Ali.Hmmmm....."Armenian Relocation" do they mean Armenian Genocide perhaps?Read the full story here.

• HT:IslaminEurope.Gothenburg: Coptic Church closed down on Christmas eve due to internet threats.Gothenburg: Coptic Church closed down due to internet threats.The Coptic Christian church in Agnesberg (Gothenburg) was closed down after receiving an internet threat. The threat was vague, but the Swedish security service was called in .There are about 400 Coptic families in Sweden, most living in the Stockholm area. The community in Gothenburg has about 200 members.On Christmas Eve the community's pastor, Father Shenouda, was visited by four police officers who said that there were calls on the internet for what the police called 'activities' against certain Christian churches in Europe.Father Shenouda contacted his community members and told them that Sunday's mass was canceled. The church is closed for up to two weeks, to enable the police to look for possible bombs. The Coptic Christmas Eve is on Jan. 6th, and they hope to be able to use the church by then.Police spokesperson Jan Strannegård did not want to say more about the threat or what security measure the police have taken in response. Strannegård didn't say whether the threat originated in Egypt.
  Hmmmm....Anyone still doubting that all of Christianity is being targetted?Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Khamenei's Security Advisor: Maintain the Spirit of Jihad against U.S., Israel.Yahya Rahim Safavi, security advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said that Iran's response to an attack on it would transcend the borders of the region, and called to maintain the spirit of jihad against the U.S. and Israel. He added that resistance of the kind sponsored by Iran could liberate Iraq and Afghanistan from the American occupation, if only the people of these countries emulated the actions of Hizbullah in Lebanon and Hamas in Palestine.Source.

• HT:TheOtherMcCain.How Narcissists Govern: Obama Bans Word ‘Triangulation’ at White House.Despite all his time studying the Clinton administration, Mr. Obama told his aides that he had no intention of following the precise path of Mr. Clinton, who after the Democratic midterm election defeats of 1994 ordered a clearing of the decks inside the White House, installed competing teams of advisers and employed a centrist policy of triangulation. In fact, several advisers confirmed, the word “triangulation” has been banned by Mr. Obama because he does not believe it accurately describes his approach.Obama’s correct. To accurately describe his approach would require three words: “One-term president.”Read and see the full story here.

• And now for something completely different.Stuffed! The 30,000-calorie Christmas feast eaten by the world's fattest mum in ONE two-hour sitting.A New Jersey woman who hopes to become the fattest woman in world got 30,000 calories closer to her 1,000lb goal with a festive feast that could have fed dozens of revelers.46-stone Donna Simpson, sitting in a reinforced metal chair, chowed down on the world's biggest Christmas dinner as she ate for two straight hours on Saturday. The single mum-of-two tucked into two 25lb turkeys, two maple-glazed hams, 15lbs of potatoes (10lbs roast, 5lbs mashed), five loaves of bread, five pounds of herb stuffing, four pints of gravy, four pints of cranberry dressing and an astonishing 20lbs of vegetables.Hmmmm....What no barrel of coke to wash it all down?Read the full story here.