MFS - The Other News

                          Morning Posting.

• HT:TheRightScope.Video: Allen West: It is my duty to defend Israel !Allen West, speaking before the Americans against Hate Pro-Israel Conference gave an amazing speech where he talked about the Islamist threat that both we and Israel face, and said that the time has come when we need to wake up to this threat and stand with Israel."We can sit around and we can talk about all the things with our economic situation. And we can fix our economic situation – we can get Americans back to work. That’s not an issue. But even once we recreate economic prosperity in this country – all the great technological advancements, all the biotech advancements, all the beauty that you see in Israel – if you can’t have safety, if you can’t identify your enemy, if you can’t stand up to that threat then it’s all for naught. If you’re held hostage within your own boundaries, it’s all for naught. …I tell you one simple thing. It’s my duty to stand up and defend Israel."Hmmm....Don't you just love this guy?Read and see the full story here.

• Russian Facebook investors have sparked U.S. concerns.The Russian Internet company that this week purchased a stake in Facebook was prominently mentioned last February in a U.S. intelligence report questioning whether Russian oligarchs, operating on behalf of the Kremlin, were gaining too much control of the Internet in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.Digital Sky Technologies, working with Goldman Sachs, has agreed to invest $50 million in Facebook. The investment gives the Moscow-based company a 2.38 percent stake in Facebook. DST Global, a related investment vehicle, also has an undisclosed stake of its own in Facebook. Unconfirmed reports quoted by Agence France Press put that added stake at 10 percent.The little noticed intelligence report last year by the Director of National Intelligence noted that DST, the most powerful Internet company in Russia, is the most prominent example of how Russian oligarchs close to the Kremlin have gained increasing control of the Russian Internet, particularly its social networking sites. Although the company is still owned by its founders, one of its largest shareholders is an oligarch that the DNI report said is close to Russian government officials.The report, entitled, “Kremlin Allies' Expanding Control of Runet (the Russian Internet) Provokes Only Limited Opposition” noted:"Over the last several years, pro-government oligarchs have accumulated significant stakes in the leading portals of the Russian Internet. Between them, they own the majority of the most popular Russian social networking sites and the majority of the most popular Russian Websites. While media outlets owned by government companies or allies have not yet shown signs of censorship, the leadership and owners of these Russian investment companies are close to the Kremlin and may be willing to cede their business interests to government priorities."But the report expressed concern that control of Internet content could be the ultimate goal.Hmmmm.....Does this mean that the US covernment should have more control of the US internet?Read the full story here.

• HT:WorldBulletin.Muslims in Greek Cyprus want back mosque area.Muslims in Greek Cypriot side established "Cypriot Supreme Council of Muslims", demanding the property around the Hala Sultan Tekke, which angers the Greek archbishop.The 20-member association takes back the property around Hala Sultan Tekke in Larnaca, which Greeks reportedly plan to build an entertainment center.According to Turkey's Anadolu news agency, citing "Greek Simerini newspaper", "the association's emblem carries "flags of the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman navy flag and a ship with Ottoman robe (kaftan)."President of the Association, Imam Sakip talked to Sigma TV and expressed uneasiness with the desicion that the Greek Cypriot administration allowed an entertainment center to be built 20 meters from Hala Sultan Tekke. He has accused the Greek Cypriot side of not showing respect for the Muslim places of worship.Imam Sakip said, "I would like to give this message to the Republic of Cyprus (Greek part) that you need to be an example of a European country," he said. In order to show this, Republic of Cyprus should hand over the keys of Hala Sultan Tekke and the property around it to the association," he said.On the other hand, the report says Greek Orthodox Church Archbishop Chrysostomos II reacted to the establishment of the "Cypriot Supreme Council of Muslims" and its demands, as well as the accusations that directed towards him on the bad condition of Muslim places of worship.Chrysostomos II claimed, if the members of the association to visit him, he will show them "how well the Muslim temples on the Greek Cypriot side and ready to be worshipped at any time." Archbishop also said "he will show them that the Christian monuments from 12th, 13th and 14th centuries has been destroyed one after the other in the North."Hmmmm......Love his answer to the new "Ottoman Empire".Read the full story here.

• EU 'Will Reject Iran Invitation' To Nuclear Sites.EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton says the European Union welcomes Iran's invitation to visit its nuclear facilities but that the task should be carried out by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).Ashton told the Reuters news agency that she had consulted with Russia and China before taking the decision that the invitation should be turned down. She was speaking in Budapest on the sidelines of a meeting with Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi.In Brussels, Ashton spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic confirmed the EU's stance on the issue.We believe that the inspectors of the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency, are best placed to view different nuclear facilities in Iran and the high representative [Catherine Ashton] has reaffirmed this position," Kocijancic said.Some Western diplomats see Iran's overture as an attempt to split the six powers involved in talks with Iran.Iran invited Russia and China but not the other four countries involved in the nuclear talks -- Britain, France, Germany, and the United States.Hmmmm....."divide et impera" doesn't seem to work this time?Read the full story here.

• HT:MEForum.Obama's Moment of Truth at the UN.President Obama has affirmed repeatedly that, under his leadership, America's bond with Israel is absolute, unshakeable, and rock solid. But the Israeli public is not convinced. A Jerusalem Post poll in March 2010 found that just 9 percent of Jewish Israelis think his administration is pro-Israel, against 48 percent who think it is pro-Palestinian. J Street's pollster, Jim Gerstein, looked for a different result, but even his survey found that 55 percent of Israelis do not believe that Obama supports Israel.Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also is not convinced that Obama is necessarily in Israel's camp. Abbas sees rich opportunities to drive a wedge between Israel and its "most reliable" partner, particularly on what the Arabs consider settlements in Jerusalem. Abbas witnessed, from Obama's first day, this administration's fixation on the most divisive and vexatious issue in the U.S.-Israel relationship. He sees that Obama does not regard the Jewish presence in the parts of Jerusalem that Jordan held before 1967 to be legitimate. (One wonders: Is Obama aware that more than half the Jews in Jerusalem live in this forbidden eastern half of the capital?)Few blame Abbas for exploiting the opening that Obama created. Obama very kindly pointed a finger to his own soft underbelly, and Abbas merely accepted the invitation to target the sweet spot the president so generously exposed. Abbas told Obama that he cannot have the peace talks the president so desperately craves until Obama imposes on Israel the freeze in Jerusalem that the president promised.Secretary of State Clinton admits that the Palestinian leader's demand for a settlement freeze as a precondition for talks is unprecedented. For 17 years, Abbas did negotiate with seven Israeli prime ministers without setting a precondition for a settlements freeze. But now he says a freeze is an absolute and non-negotiable requirement before talks even can begin. Abbas says, "At first, President Obama stated ... that Israel must stop all construction activities in the settlements. Could we demand less than that?" Subtly, and without any audible objection from Obama, Abbas has abandoned the Oslo policy of negotiating with Israel and reverted to the pre-Oslo strategy that it is America's job to impose a solution. Abbas remonstrated to Obama, "You said in the United Nations ... 'A Palestinian state is in the vital national security interest of the United States' ... This is a promise and a debt around your neck."This month, Abbas is taking his campaign to the UN Security Council, where the Palestinians are circulating a draft resolution that would declare Israeli "settlements" in Jerusalem to be "illegal." The draft demands a halt to all construction in the eastern half of Israel's capital city. It's openly a maneuver to hoist Obama on his own petard. "We drafted it using the same words that Secretary Clinton is using and so we don't see why the U.S. would veto it," Abbas said.Hmmmm....."They don't trust me because of my middle name" And about a Million other things?Read the full story here.

• Germany: Muslim girls forced to lead double lives.Young Muslim women are often forced to lead double lives in Europe. They have sex in public restrooms and stuff mobile phones in their bras to hide their secret existences from strict families. They are often forbidden from visiting gynecologists or receiving sex ed. In the worst cases, they undergo hymen reconstruction surgery, have late-term abortions or even commit suicide.Gülay has heard it from her mother so many times: An unmarried woman who has lost her virginity might as well be a whore.Gülay, 22, lives in Berlin's Neukölln, a district that is home to a high number of Muslim immigrants, and has little in common with the cliché of the "girl with the headscarf." She wears tight jeans, low-cut blouses and has long hair that she doesn't keep covered. She is self-confident and looks people in the eye. Gülay plans to begin a training program to work as an airport ground hostess next year. At first glance, she comes across as a poster child for successful integration.Nevertheless, she is adamantly opposed to seeing her name in print, just as she would never meet a journalist for an interview in one of the hookah bars in her neighborhood that are so popular among Arab and Turkish immigrants. She is worried that someone could overhear her talking about her family's strict morals, and about the rigid code of honor in her social environment that prevents girls from having sex before marriage and forbids them from having boyfriends.Gülay is thinking about how best to sum up her dilemma. She nervously stirs her tea before launching into a litany of complaints. "The boys can screw around as much as they want, but if a girl does it she can expect to be shot," she says. "That's just sick." She first had sex five years ago, and it completely changed her life. Since then, she has been deathly afraid of being branded by her family as a dishonorable girl -- or, worst yet, punished and cast out.Hmmmm....."Islam the Religion Of Peace".Read the full story here.HT:IslamInEurope.

• Obama threatens to veto healthcare repeal.President Obama officially drew a line in the sand Thursday evening, threatening to veto House Republicans' attempt to repeal Obama's landmark healthcare law.In a statement of administration policy released by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the administration said that repeal would "would explode the deficit, raise costs for the American people and businesses, deny an estimated 32 million people health insurance, and take us back to the days when insurers could deny, limit or drop coverage for any American.""Repealing the Affordable Care Act would not only increase deficits in the coming decade, but would also significantly worsen the long-term fiscal burdens on American businesses and families," OMB said.If the President were presented with H.R. 2, he would veto it," the statement said, emphasizing this with an underline.On Wednesday, outgoing White House press secretary Robert Gibbs dismissed the Republican efforts as "a bit of huff and puff."Hmmmmm......Tiranny or democracy?Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.In Response to Alexandria Bombing, Saudi Sheikh Issues Fatwa Banning Suicide Attacks.Saudi sheikh Saleh Al-Fawzan, member of Saudi Arabia's highest jurisprudential authority, the Senior Clerics Council, issued a fatwa condemning the New Year bombing at the church in Alexandria. In it, he called the perpetrators "Satan's warriors," stating that suicide operations are forbidden in Islam, and added that the bombing constitutes a breach of the dhimma contract, which grants protection to Christians living in Muslim lands. He lamented the fact that Islam is being associated with terrorism, which, he said, does not count as jihad but is merely a form of destructiveness.Source.

• Mystery of mass animal death epidemic deepens after 8,000 turtle doves fall dead in Italy with strange blue stain on their beaks.Thousands of dead turtle doves rained down on roofs and cars in an Italian town in the latest in a growing spate of mass animal deaths across the globe.Residents in Faenza described the birds falling to the ground like 'little Christmas balls' with strange blue stains on their beaks.Initial tests on up to 8,000 of the doves indicated that the blue stain could have been caused by poisoning or hypoxia.A witness told www.examiner.com: 'We have no idea why this happened all of a sudden.'The doves just started falling one-by-one then in groups of 10s and 20s.'Hypoxia, a lack of oxygen, is known to cause confusion and illness in animals. It is also a common precursor to altitude sickness.Experts said results from tests on the doves will not be available for at least a week.They said that cold weather could have caused the birds' deaths as the flock was swept into a high-altitude wind storm before falling to the earth.It comes after two million dead fish were found to have washed up on shores in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland.The alarming find is being blamed by authorities in Maryland on the stress caused by unusually cold water and overbreeding among spot fish.The incident is the latest mass animal death to hit the headlines in the last two weeks.These include:

1. 450 red-winged blackbirds, brown-headed cowbirds, grackles and starlings found littering a highway in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
2. 3,000 blackbirds on roofs and roads in the small town of Beebe, Arkansas .
3. Thousands of 'devil crabs' washed up along the Kent coast near Thanet.
4.  Thousands of drum fish washed along a 20-mile stretch of the Arkansas River.
5. Two million small fish in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland.
6. Thousands of dead fish found floating in warm Florida creek.
7.  Hundreds of snapper fish found dead in New Zealand.
8. Scores of American Coots found dead on Texas highway bridge.Read the story here.

• HT:NewsRealBlog.GOP House leadership acts fast on Black Panthers.Who said the new GOP majority in Congress wouldn’t act to restrain the Obama Administration?Less than 24 hours after the start of the 112th Congress, new Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) has put Eric Holder on notice a new sheriff is in town. Jennifer Rubin blogging at the Washington Post obtained a copy of a five page letter from Smith to Eric Holder about lawless abuses by the voting section of the Department of Justice (DOJ).This sudden development is a very uncomfortable turn for the wrongdoers inside the DOJ, including Deputy Assistant Attorney General Julie Fernandes, who Smith names in the letter, as well as Steven Rosenbaum, Loretta King and Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez. Chairman Smith didn’t even wait 24 hours to act. The speed of the opening salvo is bad news for Eric Holder.Julie Fernandes is the official who engaged in a variety of inappropriate abuse of her officeby closing down enforcement of federal laws which require states to maintain the integrity of their voter rolls. Fernandes does not believe the Justice Department should enforce federal laws requiring state to remove dead voters and ineligible felons. DOJ Attorney Christopher Coates toldthe Civil Rights Commission in sworn testimony that Fernandes was responsible for this policy. Coates testified that this lawless policy caused DOJ officials to spike upwards of 8 investigations he recommended into states with corrupted voter rolls.Smith wants answers about why Fernandes opposes enforcing Federal laws which preserve the integrity of American elections, and the Chairman deserves the thanks of the American people for acting so swiftly.What can Smith do about it? Lots.Read the full story here.

• New terror alert hits trains and airports amid fears of Mumbai-style attack in London.A fresh terror alert was issued yesterday amid fears of a Mumbai-style attack on airports and the London transport system.Insiders said security officials had raised the specific threat to the transport network – meaning an attack was ‘highly likely’.Transport police were ordered to cancel their leave so extra officers could be deployed across the Tube and busy airports, including Luton and Heathrow.Home Secretary Theresa May said the group behind the plot, the Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, already had operatives on the ground in the UK.Details of the latest alert emerged following the increase to the specific threat faced by the transport and aviation ‘sub sector’.MI5 and the Home Office publish the nationwide level terror threat, which is currently rated ‘severe’.But JTAC, the joint terrorism analysis centre based inside MI5, also compiles threat levels relating to individual elements of the UK’s infrastructure.Normally, these threat levels are classified. However, it last night emerged that – in relation to airports and the London transport system – the threat level had been raised to state that an attack is now considered highly likely.It points to intelligence being received about a specific threat. Whitehall sources said the rail travel alert related to London rather than stations nationwide.Hmmmm....Once we start living in a state of constant fear the terorists have won.Read the full story here.

• HT:defencetalk.China :We Will Nuke You First If We're Loosing!China shifting nuclear rules of engagement: report.The Chinese military would consider a pre-emptive nuclear strike if it had no other way to defend itself in a war against another nuclear-armed state, Kyodo News said Wednesday, citing Chinese documents.The policy, called "Lowering the threshold of nuclear threats" may indicate a shift from China's pledge not to first fire nuclear weapons under any circumstances, the report said.It may also fan concern in the United States, Japan and other regional powers, according to the Japanese news agency which obtained the internal documents.The Chinese military's strategic missile forces, the Second Artillery Corps, would "adjust" its policy if another nuclear state conducts air strikes against Chinese targets "with absolutely superior conventional weapons," the document says, according to Kyodo.China would first warn an adversary about a nuclear strike, but if the enemy attacks China with conventional forces, the Chinese military "must carefully consider" a pre-emptive nuclear strike, Kyodo said.The documents suggest that the Second Artillery Corps educate its personnel in worst-case scenarios, Kyodo said, adding that it is rare for information on China's nuclear policy to come to light.US military experts have argued since around 2007 that Beijing may have shown signs of altering its pledge of no first use of nuclear weapons, Kyodo said.Hmmmm.....Obama :"Lets get rid of Nuclear weapons"Sigh.Read the full story here.

• HT:SadhillNews.National Motto ‘Letter Of Correction’ Sent To President Obama From The Congress Of The United States.Members of Congress issued a letter of correction to President Obama regarding his inaccurate statement of the national motto and omissions of God in speeches when quoting from American historical documents that referenced the Creator.Dear Mr. President:We write today in response to a speech given on November 10, 2010, at the Universityof Indonesia in Jakarta, Indonesia, in which you stated “But I believe that the history of both Americaand Indonesia should give us hope. It is a story written into our national mottos. In the United States, our motto is E pluribus unum -- out of many one … our nations show that hundreds of millions who hold different beliefs can be united in freedom under one flag.”E pluribus unum is not our national motto. In 1956, Congress passed and President Eisenhower approved the law establishing ‘In God We Trust’ as the official national motto of the United States. This motto is also referenced in our national anthem and is engraved on our coins and currency.Additionally, during three separate events tlus fall, when quoting from the Declaration of Independence, you mentioned that we have inalienable rights, but consistently failed to mention the source of the rights. The Declaration of Independence definitively recognizes God, our Creator, as the source of our rights. Omitting the word ‘Creator’ once was a mistake; but twice establishes a pattern. In your speech in Indonesia, you mentioned being unified under one flag. The Pledge of Allegiance to our flag says that we are “one nation under God.” As President of the Uruted States, you are our representative to the rest of the world. By misrepresenting things as foundational as the Declaration of Independence and our national motto, you are not only doing a disservice to the people you represent you are casting aside an integral part of American society....Now Read and see the full letter here.

• HT:AmericanThinker.What Obama Thinks of America.Sometimes the best way to find out what a person thinks about you is to find out what he tells others. That's why the report on America's human rights record filed by the Obama administration with the U.N. is particularly interesting. It's more accurate to say that this first-ever report to the U.N. Human Rights Council was from the Obama administration rather than from the United States. Its main theme is what President Obama has done in his short two years, rather than what our great country has accomplished as a beacon of human rights over 234 years.What comes through is that President Obama's crew thinks America is congenitally discriminatory, and his administration is bravely soldiering into this morass against the unwashed masses to create an equal society.As the report states, "[w]ork remains to meet our goal of ensuring equality before the law for all." Which American laws or institutions enshrine discrimination? Not mentioned. No matter -- when you're convinced that Americans are bigots, there is no need to provide proof.The administration crows in the report about passing the incredibly divisive and unconstitutional health care act. It devotes a section to the bill, with glowing aspirations of how it will end the discrimination of a racist medical system. (Remember, these people see everything through the filter of race or identity politics -- even health care.) Yet religious freedom (in which the U.S. excels in contrast to other countries) gets a few measly paragraphs with boilerplate generalities. Whereas the health care bill earned details like how many Asian-American men suffer from stomach cancer, the examples of a defense of religious freedom were a Native American primary school student's right to wear his hair in a braid and a Muslim girl's right to wear a hijab.Maybe this administration is not keen on religious freedom. The issue is so old-school...yesterday's news...Christian. And it inconveniently conflicts with one of President Obama's priorities highlighted in the report, a priority that threatens religious freedom -- privileges for those who engage in homosexual, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender behavior. The Obama administration would answer that question in a manner different from how most Americans would. Their report states, "In each era of our history," there is "a group whose experience of discrimination illustrates the continuing debate of how we can build a more fair society. In this era, one such group is LGBT Americans." Did you get that? "In each era of our history" -- that is, America is historically and inherently bigoted. Makes you wonder why they'd want to live here.In the distorted view of the Obama administration, Americans' deep respect for the sanctity of marriage is categorized as "discrimination." In their view, clinging to traditional marriage -- the fundamental building block of society -- is evidence of America's breach of human rights. Deconstructing marriage to be "whatever feels good" is considered progress.President Obama is, as he said in his inaugural address, remaking America. Too bad his image of America -- and what he wants to turn us into -- is so prejudiced.Hmmm....And so Definitely unChristian.Read the full story here.

• HT:IMRA.The Zionist Organization of America Calls On Obama To Condemn Islamist Terror Attacks On Christians In Middle East & Africa.The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has called upon President Barack Obama to condemn by name the Islamist terrorists who carried out attacks in Egypt, Iraq, Palestinian-controlled areas and Nigeria that have occurred in recent weeks and months. The ZOA has argued that it is inadequate that President Obama merely expresses condolences for the victims while failing to condemn the perpetrators by name or to put public pressure on the relevant governments to ensure the protection of Christians and other minorities.ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “The ZOA shares the anguish and concern expressed by many, including President Obama, for the victims of these attacks, which deliberately targeted Christians. However, we believe it is simply inadequate for President Obama to condemn the attacks without identifying and condemning their perpetrators and their ideology. This is as delinquent as trying to combat the Soviet Union without mentioning communism.“We should be offering more than our condolences to the victims of Islamist terrorism – we should be condemning the perpetrators by name and the jihadist cause they espouse. Unfortunately, the Obama administration refuses to do this most of the time.President Obama generally refuses to speak about the Islamist enemy. Instead, he has spoken (in Ankara, Turkey, April 6, 2009) of “rolling back the violent ideologies that people of all faiths reject,” falsely suggesting that the terrorism is entirely unrelated to Islam, a suggestion he also repeated in his June 2009 Cairo speech.“In his 2009 presidential statements on the anniversaries of the 1983 killing of 242 U.S. servicemen in Lebanon by Hizballah or the 1979 seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran by the Iranian regime, to name two examples, President Obama failed to even mention the perpetrators of these acts. Terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, like that of Fort Hood sniper Nidal Hassan, are described as the acts of isolated extremists. Terms like Islamists and jihad are not even used.“The U.S. should also be pressuring the governments concerned to afford better protection to Christians and other minorities. This we have not been doing.Hmmmm....."They don't trust me because of my middle name"?Read the full story here.

• Republicans introduce bill to eliminate presidential 'czars'.A group of House Republicans introduced a bill on Wednesday to rein in the various "czars" in the Obama administration. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) and 28 other House Republicans introduced legislation to do away with the informal, paid advisers President Obama has employed over the past two years. The legislation, which was introduced in the last Congress but was not allowed to advance under Democratic control, would do away with the 39 czars Obama has employed during his administration. The bill defines a czar as "a head of any task force, council, policy office within the Executive Office of the President, or similar office established by or at the direction of the President" who is appointed to a position that would otherwise require Senate confirmation.Republicans had complained about the president's use of czars to help advance his agenda in Congress. In particular, the GOP had harped about the personal history of Van Jones, the president's czar for "green jobs," over past comments Jones had made about Fox News came to light. Jones eventually resigned.Hmmmm.....It's revolution time in America?Already 39 czars that many,who are these guys?Read the full story here.

• Hamas leader denies Nazi Holocaust.On 2nd anniversary of Israeli airstrike on UN school, Zahar says 'this lie has crumbled with the holocaust of Beit Hanun, the holocaust of Al-Fakhura and the other countless holocausts'. A senior Hamas leader on Thursday accused Israel of carrying out "countless holocausts" against the Palestinians while saying the Nazi genocide was a "lie."Mahmoud al-Zahar made the remarks during a memorial ceremony for 43 Palestinians who were killed at a UN school in the Jabaliya refugee camp during Israel's 22-day war on Gaza that began in December 2008."The lie according to which they were a victim of a holocaust and the (Jewish) people are a victim -- this lie has crumbled with the holocaust of Beit Hanun, the holocaust of Al-Fakhura and the other countless holocausts ... committed by the Zionist enemy," he said.Hmmmm...Accepting the Holocaust would also require to recognise the role of Arafats uncle the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Mohammad Amin al-Husayni with Nazi Germany?Read the full story here.

• US keeps ‘dual use' manufacturers in Turkey under close surveillance.The US has been closely monitoring 54 Turkish companies that produce materials which could potentially be used in Iran's nuclear program and the Turkish government has banned these companies from trading with Iran upon a request from the US administration, a reliable source who insisted on remaining anonymous has told Today's Zaman. US diplomatic cables published earlier by WikiLeaks made it clear that the operations of Turkish companies Durmazlar, Baykal and Ermaksan were being closely followed by the US. The three companies were listed among companies “whose loss or attack by terrorists” could have a “critical impact” on US security.Responding to questions by Today's Zaman on the issue, Trade and Industry Minister Nihat Ergün didn't want to go into details, but said: “We are not exporting products that are needed for Iran's nuclear program. Turkey has fulfilled the requirements of UN sanctions imposed on Iran so far. There is a list that lists which products are banned from being exported to Iran. Many of these products are those which can be used as part of Iran's nuclear program. Dual use technological equipment and aluminum are included in this list. The Turkish Foreign Trade Undersecretariat also has this list.”Noting that Turkey’s trade with Iran stood at around $1 billion in 2002, Tüzmen said this figure rose to $10 billion in 2010, complaining that the sanctions have cost Turkish companies nearly $1 billion.Durmazlar Machinery manufactures products for airlines and electronic industries. This company was a contractor for the Chalk River Laboratories in Canada. Chalk River is the world’s number one producer of isotopes. Another important point about Durmazlar is that it does business in Iran’s Strait of Hormuz.Hmmmm....Sanctions that "Bite" up from $ 2 Billion to $ 10 Billion?Read the full story here.

• HT:TheHill.Nearly 50 House Republicans offer bill to block EPA climate rules.Dozens of Republicans used the opening day of the new Congress on Wednesday to introduce legislation that would bar the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse-gas emissions.Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, sponsored the bill. The measure’s 46 co-sponsors are all Republicans except for Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.).Co-sponsors include Oversight and Government Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.). Absent from the list at the moment: Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.), who is weighing his approach to stifling greenhouse-gas rules he alleges will burden the economy.The bill would amend the Clean Air Act to declare that greenhouse gases are not subject to the law, according to a brief description in the Congressional Record. While GOP leadership’s specific legislative approach to attacking EPA remains to be seen, the quick introduction signals that blocking climate rules is plainly on the agenda for the new GOP majority.Hmmmm...Before passing such laws look at Europe what the "Green" legislators have done there and how much damage it has caused!And how quickly they were kicked out of government ,after imposing legislation that businesses couldn't even implement.Read the full story here.

• HT:TheRightTruth.The Barack Obama Presidency: When being unbelievable is the best defense.By Paul A. Ibbetson.As we step into a new year I take a moment to reflect on what has been attempted and what has been accomplished in the struggle to preserve traditional conservative values in this country. This is a struggle to which I have committed myself for the long haul. Through my radio program “Conscience of Kansas” I have had the opportunity to bring to the radio-listening public some of the country’s most renowned conservative minds. The topic they have all addressed in their own unique fashion is sections of Barack Obama’s life and his effect on the country in his position as President of the United States.In fact, Barack Obama’s life and presidency would be un-publishable as a work of fiction because in its totality, it lacks the realistic foundations that even the most fantastic works of fiction require. To put it plainly, the actions of Barack Obama are so historically over-the-top, so mindboggling in their destructive audacity, that on an average citizen’s case-by-case analysis alone they appear to be pure fiction. When the actions of this President are presented in a chronological series, most people suffer a mental overload and simply disengage from attempting to place so many unbelievable pieces of information under their mental “fact” category.Personally, if the American people fail to take hold of the reins of government, I fear the future of America will fall somewhere among the realities of Red Dawn (1984), Mad Max (1979) and Planet of the Apes (1968).Hmmmm......Actually i think it might be even worse.Read the full story here.

• Saudi Arabia to build world's largest gold factory.Riyadh, Jan 5 (IANS) Saudi Arabia, one of the top global oil exporters, is planning to build the world's largest gold factory by the end of 2011. The 22,000-square metre factory, located in the kingdom's Red Sea port city of Jeddah, will bring in between 500 to 800 jobs. 'The factory will become a reality by the end of this year,' Essam Al-Shrafi, chief executive officer of Taiba for Gold and Jewels company, told the Arab News daily. The company has 25 years' experience in gold sales, Xinhua reported, adding that Saudi Arabia is one of the top holders of gold reserves in the Middle East. The World Gold Council, a non-profit body that tracks gold holdings across the globe, recently said Saudi Arabia has doubled its gold reserves to 323 tonnes.Source.

• China to buy 6 billion euros of Spanish debt: report.Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang has said his country is willing to buy about 6 billion euros ($7.9 billion) of Spain's public debt, Spanish newspaper El Pais reported on Thursday, citing government sources.Li said at a meeting that China was willing to buy as much Spanish public debt as its Greek and Portuguese debt holdings combined, the sources told El Pais. They said that added up to about 6 billion euros in Spanish government bonds.The Spanish government declined to comment on the report.China has been increasing its holdings of European government debt, including that issued by Spain, vice commerce minister Gao Hucheng was quoted separately as saying on Thursday.In a statement on the commerce ministry's website, Gao also said that China was confident in Spanish and European financial markets and that it was also confident that they would be able to overcome Europe's debt crisis. Gao accompanied Li on his trip to Spain this week.On Thursday Li leaves Madrid, where he has been on a three-day visit, before traveling to the United Kingdom and Germany.The El Pais report echos remarks Li made earlier this week but it is the first to give a figure.El Pais could not confirm the 6 billion euro figure with Li, but spoke to Gao, who said that any transaction would be decided on by the date and size of any public debt issue.Li wrote in an editorial in El Pais on Monday that China has confidence in the Spanish financial market and will continue to buy Spanish public debt.Read the full story here.

• Turkey - New TV series criticized for depiction of sultan’s life, during the Ottoman empire.A new TV series about famous Ottoman Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, also known as Kanuni Sultan Süleyman (Süleyman the Lawmaker), has sparked severe criticism for the way that the series depicts the empire and the life of the sultan. Academic and historian Beyazıt Akman called the show “Muhteşem Yüzyıl” (Magnificent Century) a setback for a public that has only just begun to make peace with its history in recent years.“An episode begins with the sword and continues with slaves who are treated like animals and ends with naked cariye women [concubines] and has all the clichés of the ‘Barbarian Turks’ concept,” he told the Cihan news agency. Akman also emphasized that the sultan depicted in the series is in no way reflective of Kanuni Sultan Süleyman.Trailers for the series on the Show TV network, which were screened frequently by the channel for many weeks, also drew criticism with the repeated scenes of the sultan with harem women. The show’s premier on Wednesday evening resulted in many people calling on the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) to ban the series.“We talk about an empire that ruled across three continents for 600 years. It is not right to depict the Ottomans in this way,” Selma Aliye Kavaf, state minister for women and family, told reporters on Wednesday. In response to a reporter’s question about the harem scenes in the trailers, Kavaf said she had not seen the trailers but was concerned that domestic and foreign productions put too much emphasis on the harem in productions about the Ottoman Empire. “This approach to the harem is an orientalist point of view, whereas the Ottoman Empire was a much bigger structure,” she said.Show TV yesterday issued a media release arguing that the series has been criticized unfairly for its depiction of the Ottoman dynasty.
  Hmmmm...."Nothing is more disgusting then the "Naked" truth?Read the full story here.

• Saint John Paul: The miracle that paves the way for his beatification is approved and the Vatican makes plans for a million pilgrims.A crowd of more than one million people is expected to attend the Vatican beatification ceremony of Pope John Paul II later this year.Officials at the Vatican’s Congregation For the Causes of Saints approved a miracle said to have been performed by the late pontiff relating to a French nun's recovery from Parkinson’s disease.Sister Marie Simon-Pierre is said to have made an ‘unexplained recovery’, or miracle in the eyes of the Vatican board of doctors and theologians which classes it as sufficient for one of two miracles needed in order to be proclaimed a saint.Pope Benedict XVI is expected to sign the final paperwork confirming the miracle in February after a final meeting by senior Vatican cardinals and bishops later this month.It means the beatification ceremony will take place at the Vatican later this year with a number of dates already being pencilled in including the sixth anniversary of his death on April 2 and May 13, 30 years after he survived an assassination attempt in St Peter’s Square.However Gaeta Saverio, co-author of a book on Pope John Paul called Why He is a Saint, today said he expected it to take place in October 16, a Sunday which is preferred, 33 years after he was elected.Read the full story here.

• And now for something completely different!Romenia - Angry witches, forced to pay income tax, plan spells.Everyone curses the tax man, but Romanian witches angry about having to pay up for the first time are planning to use cat excrement and dead dogs to cast spells on the president and government.Also among Romania's newest taxpayers are fortune tellers -- but they probably should have seen it coming.Superstitions are no laughing matter in Romania -- the land of the medieval ruler who inspired the "Dracula" tale -- and have been part of its culture for centuries. President Traian Basescu and his aides have been known to wear purple on certain days, supposedly to ward off evil.Romanian witches from the east and west will head to the southern plains and the Danube River on Thursday to threaten the government with spells and spirits because of the tax law, which came into effect Jan. 1.A dozen witches will hurl the poisonous mandrake plant into the Danube to put a hex on government officials "so evil will befall them," said a witch named Alisia. She identified herself with one name -- customary among Romania's witches."This law is foolish. What is there to tax, when we hardly earn anything?" she said by telephone Wednesday. "The lawmakers don't look at themselves, at how much they make, their tricks; they steal and they come to us asking us to put spells on their enemies."The new law is part of the government's drive to collect more revenue and crack down on tax evasion in a country that is in recession.Sitting cross-legged in her villa in the lake resort of Mogosoaia, just north of Bucharest, she said Wednesday she planned to cast a spell using a particularly effective concoction of cat excrement and a dead dog, along with a chorus of witches."We do harm to those who harm us," she said. "They want to take the country out of this crisis using us? They should get us out of the crisis because they brought us into it.""My curses always work!" she cackled in a smoky voice. She sat next to her wood-burning stove, surrounded by potions, charms, holy water and ceramic pots.Not every witch is threatening fire and brimstone.Hmmmm....Oh dear i sure hope American Witches don't follow the example of their Romenian counterparts.Read the full curse story here.