NASA and ESA Will Move A Small Moon By Slamming A Spacecraft Into It.

NASA and ESA Will Move A Small Moon By Slamming A Spacecraft Into It. HT: Popsci.

We've smashed into the moon, and bounced onto a comet, but a whole 17 years after Deep Impact and Armageddon debuted in 1998, we still haven't managed to change the course of an asteroid.

The mission is called AIDA (Asteroid Impact & Deflection Assessment) and involves two different spacecraft.

The first, ESA's Asteroid Impact Mission (AIM) will launch in 2020, and take two years to get to the asteroid Didymos. Once there, AIM will map Didymos and its small satellite, nicknamed "Didymoon."

Then AIM will move to a safe distance and deploy its own satellites to get an up-close-and-personal view of NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft slamming into Didymoon in 2022. It will be watching to see how DART changes Didymoon's orbit around Didymos. Hmmm......Ever seen someone playing pool for the first time? Read the full story here.

Ooooops - German researcher: "The End Might Actually Come on Christmas Eve."

Ooooops - German researcher: "The End Might Actually Come on Christmas Eve."(Spiegel).By Nina Weber. Open your presents early this year. Even though the world showed no signs of ending on Friday, the Mayan calendar is notoriously tricky. One German researcher says that Dec. 24th could be the big day. Then again, the Mayans were never particularly good at making predictions. "Two-thousand-twelve was a very interesting year for Mayan research," says Nikolai Grube of the University of Bonn, one of the leading experts on Mesoamerican advanced civilizations. But the interest had nothing to do with Dec. 21.
Among other things, at excavation sites in Xultun in Guatemala, researchers discovered the room of a scribe -- a particularly interesting find according to Grube. The walls of the room are covered with numbers and images. They are calendar calculations that confirm that the Mayans operated with numerous astronomical cycles, including those of Mars, Venus and Mercury. They also tried to predict solar and lunar eclipses. The Mayan's deep interest in astronomy has long been known, as has their use of planetary cycles in the so-called post-classical period -- the same era in which the famed 11th or 12th century Dresden Codex was created.
But the scribe's room in Xultan has now confirmed suspicions that such activity began much earlier. The writing on the wall originates from the year 814. But by then, the advanced civilization was already at the edge of the abyss. Strife between to major cities, and later among several smaller ones, had weakened the Mayans. It was, one might think, the perfect time to predict the end of the world. As it happens, however, they didn't. At least not for Dec. 21, 2012. 
The date is the end of the so-called baktun, comparable to the millennial change in our own calendar that was celebrated by people around the world on Dec. 31, 1999. A baktun is a unit of time in the ancient Maya Long Count Calendar. This existed in addition to a calendar based on the solar year, which includes 365 days, as well as a calendar of rituals that repeats itself every 260 days. In the long count calendar, time is divided into ever longer phases. A baktun represents 144,000 days, or around 394 years. The Mayan calendar began around 5,125 years ago. According to their mythology, that was the time when this world was created. But they also believed that other worlds had existed previously. Still, matching up our own, present-day calendar with that of the Mayans is not a precise exercise, and a deviation of a few days is conceivable. Grube says it is even plausible that the end of the 13th baktun might not be on Dec. 21 but instead on Dec. 24.Hmmmm.....Oooooops.Read the full story here.

We're Still here, but what's up with the Magnetic poles?

"For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:3.

Current Magnetic Field of Earth:

"Twelver" Ahmadinejad hails imminent arrival of ‘Ultimate Savior, Jesus Christ’.

The Apocalypse of Ahmadinejad: The Revelation of Iran's Nuclear Prophet 

"Twelver" Ahmadinejad hails imminent arrival of ‘Ultimate Savior, Jesus Christ’.(AA).Loathed in the West and weakened at home, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrapped up his annual address to the U.N. General Assembly on a theological note Wednesday, hailing the imminent arrival of an “Ultimate Savior.” “God Almighty has promised us a man of kindness,” the Iranian leader told world leaders and senior officials gathered in New York, at what was expected to be his last speech to the assembly as president of Iran. Ahmadinejad said the savior is “a man who loves people and loves absolute justice, a man who is a perfect human being and is named Imam al-Mahdi, a man who will come in the company of Jesus Christ and the righteous.”
As a Shiite Muslim, Ahmadinejad reveres Islam’s twelfth imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, who disappeared from the earth in the 10th century and is said to be due to return, accompanied by Jesus, to save mankind. The date of his return is not known, but Ahmadinejad indicated that he felt the arrival would come quickly, telling delegates: “Now we can sense the sweet scent and the soulful breeze of the spring, a spring that has just begun.”
Some critics of Iran’s Islamic regime have expressed concern that messianic Shiite beliefs might drive leaders like Ahmadinejad to seek an apocalyptic confrontation with those he sees as foes of God’s will on Earth. But at the United Nations he insisted the Mahdi’s return would bless all, not just “a specific race, ethnicity, nation or a region, a spring that will soon reach all the territories in Asia, Europe, Africa and the U.S.”
“The arrival of the Ultimate Savior, Jesus Christ and the Righteous will bring about an eternally bright future for mankind, not by force or waging wars but through thought-awakening and developing kindness in everyone. “Their arrival will breathe a new life in the cold and frozen body of the world. He will bless humanity with a spring that puts an end to our winter of ignorance, poverty and war with the tidings of a season of blooming. “Let us join hands and clear the way for his eventual arrival with empathy and cooperation, in harmony and unity. Let us march on this path to salvation for the thirsty souls of humanity to taste immortal joy and grace. “Long live this spring. Long live this spring. Again and again long live this spring,” he declared, to a smattering of applause from some dignitaries. The 56-year-old Ahmadinejad - who is struggling through his last year in office after nearly losing his job - has long relished any opportunity to promote his controversial views and to bat back criticism of them. “There’s a lot of ego that drives the blacksmith’s son from Iran to take on the might of American television,” said Iranian-American author Hooman Majd, who has met him several times. Since his election victory in 2005, the diminutive president has gone from obscurity to the most visible actor on the Iranian stage. He even survived a disputed re-election in 2009 that rocked the country to its core. Mocked by progressive Iranians and blamed for severe mismanagement, Ahmadinejad has still created a cult following among some people through his charm, simple lifestyle and populist beliefs. His fans glorify him as a humble servant who shuns the trappings of power. Ahmadinejad, so the story goes, took office refusing a salary and going to work with a packed lunch. But such modesty does not extend to his fiery character which lies at the heart of his quest for global recognition.Read the full story here.

Video - End Times Today Series Lesson 1: Mahdi vs. Antichrist.

HT: Shoebat. Read the full story here.

Overnight Music Video - Aerosmith - Armageddon I dont want to miss a thing.

Asteroid or glitch? Strange glowing rock believed to be in our solar system......heading for Earth?

Asteroid or glitch? Strange glowing rock believed to be in our solar system......heading for Earth?(DM).A user has found a ‘huge asteroid’ while scanning the virtual heavens using Googly Sky. Youtube user planetkrejci, who has investigated other anomalies on NASA pictures, claims the object – found using the Google website which transports the heavens to desktop computers and smartphones – is an asteroid which is heading towards Earth.
He says the asteroid – which, if real, has not been spotted by other scientists or astronomers – has only appeared recently on Google Sky, which receives updated images every few months. Announcing his find on YouTube, he says the black object, mottled with green spots, is so clear that it must be within the solar system. The user had been exploring the region a few months earlier, and had ‘bookmarked’ a spot just to the left of the asteroid – so he is certain the object was not there previously. One thing that planekrejci does not substantiate is his claim that the object is moving towards the Earth, as it is not apparent how this calculation could be obtained without more information than the image provides. However, if planetkrejci has found a new object, it will be quite an achievement for an earth-bound Internet user to discover a new object in our solar system before NASA or other observatories. The object is easy to find on Google Sky, by typing in the co-ordinates 5h 11m 33.74s -12 50′ 30.09″ – although conspiracy theorists might read something into the fact that the search function on Google Sky is currently down.Read and see the full story here.


 

Quake Expert: Something is Seriously Wrong, says 39 quakes within two days, planet could be cracking up

Quake Expert: Something is Seriously Wrong, says 39 quakes within two days, planet could be cracking up .(ZT).A leading earthquake scientist has warned that the planet could be cracking up after a series of massive quakes in just 48 hours. Expert Gheorghe Marmureanu – from Romania’s National Institute of Earth Physics – says 39 quakes had hit the globe within two days. The series started with two massive quakes in Indonesia measuring 8.6 and 8.2 on the Richter scale rapidly followed by three more only slightly smaller in Mexico within hours. “There is no doubt that something is seriously wrong. There have been too many strong earthquakes,” said Marmureanu. He added: “The quakes are a surprise that cannot be easily explained by current scientific knowledge. With the Indonesian quake for example, statistically, there should be one big earthquake in this part of Asia every 500 years. However, since 2004, there were already three quakes with a magnitude of over 8, which is not normal.Read the full story here.

MFS -The Other News - What the main papers don't say.

  Morning Posting.

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity situation Russia 5.2 !More info here.

• Hillary Siding with Muslim Brotherhood against... Republicans?(BN).By BenBarrack.Back in June, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took a question from someone in Jamaica about the situation in Libya; Muammar Gadhafi had not yet fallen. She used strong rhetoric in her defense of the Libyan (al-Qaeda) rebels. Here is a portion of her response: ...the bottom line is, whose side are you on? Are you on Qadhafi’s side or are you on the side of the aspirations of the Libyan people and the international coalition that has been created to support them? For the Obama Administration, the answer to that question is very easy.Then, just this past weekend, while in Tunisia, Hillary called out Russia and China over their support of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Via UK Telegraph: Speaking after a Friends of Syria conference, held in Tunisia, Mrs Clinton said that Russia and China must join international condemnation of President Assad's regime.In Libya, Hillary essentially sided with the Muslim Brotherhood. The al-Qaeda flag was placed atop the Benghazi Courthouse after Gadhafi's fall. In Syria, she's doing the same thing. In fact, Hamas can be added to the list as well; they formally came out in support of the rebels this past week.While speaking to that audience in Tunisia, in response to a question from the audience, Clinton came off as being far more partisan than her position is supposed to afford her.Via Fox News:Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suggested Sunday she may have been less than diplomatic when she told an audience in Tunisia to "not pay attention" to the rhetoric coming from the Republican presidential primary race. But she doesn't take back the gist of her comments.Perhaps it's time for someone to ask Hillary whose side she's on?Read the full story here.

• Good News: DHS Spending $11 Million Scouring Web for Criticism of Its Policies.(DR).The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been paying a defense contractor $11.4 million to monitor social media websites and other Internet communications to find criticisms of the department’s policies and actions.A government watchdog organization, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), obtained hundreds of documents from DHS through the Freedom of Information Act and found details of the arrangement with General Dynamics. The company was contracted to monitor the Web for “reports that reflect adversely on DHS,” including sub-agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Citizenship and Immigration Services, Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.In testimony submitted to the House Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, Ginger McCall, director of EPIC’s Open Government Project, stated that “the agency is monitoring constantly, under very broad search terms, and is not limiting that monitoring to events or activities related to natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or manmade disasters…. The DHS has no legal authority to engage in this monitoring.”McCall added: “This has a profound effect on free speech online if you feel like a government law enforcement agency—particularly the Department of Homeland Security, which is supposed to look for terrorists—is monitoring your criticism, your dissent, of the government.”Rest assured that our beloved, baritone DHS secretary -- and her ostensible boss, Eric "Fast 'n' Furious" Holder -- would never, ever use this kind of information to go after private citizens. They're just doing research.As far as you know.Hmmm.........“Withholding information is the essence of tyranny. Control of the flow of information is the tool of the dictatorship.” ~ Bruce Coville.Read the full story here.

• Robert Spencer: Will Obama Behead the Qur’an-Burners?(AS).Robert Spencer works out the logical questions arising from Obama's enforcement of Sharia law regarding the treatment of the quran in Afghanistan: Madness has overtaken Washington, and the world. Every day this past week has brought fresh reports of more people murdered in Afghanistan over the burning of some copies of the Qur’an at Bagram Airfield. In response, every day new apologies come from American officials. Barack Obama, Leon Panetta, the commander of NATO troops in Afghanistan, General John Allen, and others have all issued abject apologies to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the “noble people of Afghanistan,” and everyone else in sight.Even the most minor of officials are getting into the act: Peter Lavoy, acting assistant secretary of defense for Asia and Pacific security affairs, scraping the bottom of the barrel for a suitable object for his abject submission, apologized to Muslims in the Washington, D.C. area. Some have rightly skewered Obama and his cohorts for their cowardice and eagerness to appease the Afghan mobs, especially as the death toll steadily mounts. No one, however, has noted the most remarkable aspect of this entire episode: the United States Government has, no questions asked, eagerly embraced Islamic law (Sharia) regarding the treatment of the Qur’an, and assured the Afghans that it will be enforced.In his apology letter to Karzai, Obama said that the Qur’an-burning was “inadvertent,” but that nevertheless “we will take the appropriate steps to avoid any recurrence, including holding accountable those responsible.”If it was “inadvertent,” why does Obama intend to hold them accountable? Accidents will happen. If he is going to adopt Sharia to the extent that he thinks that anyone should be held accountable for this at all, is he going to adopt Sharia punishments for this “crime” as well? Will he have the U.S. soldiers whom he finds to be responsible for the Qur’an-burning beheaded?If not, why not?If burning the Qur’an is now a crime for Americans, and we are thus now subject to Islamic law, how much Sharia are we under? To what extent have we capitulated? Where does Obama draw the line, if anywhere?The jihad terrorists who struck America on 9/11 were doing so in order to weaken the U.S. to the extent that eventually our free society would surrender to the rule of Islamic law. And now it is happening – but as the OIC’s agenda of stifling every critical word about Islam also advances apace in the U.S., fewer and fewer people will know about it. How will they find out? The Left is complicit, and the Right is afraid to tell them.Has the conquest of a great nation ever been this easy?Hmmmm......"Dictatorship naturally arises out of democracy, and the most aggravated form of tyranny and slavery out of the most extreme liberty". ~ Plato.Read the full story here.

• Stratfor Email Leak Reveals Insider Views On Obama, Emanuel and Romney.(ZH).Earlier today, Wikileaks made its latest startling release on Twitter, telling the media world to standby for a ‘major announcement’. Alas, in keeping with the recent tradition from Wikileaks, the “release” was a dud and is merely the collected dump of all the emails previously hacked from Stratfor by Anonymous, as was noted here previously. Alas a quick perusal through the emails so far reveals absolutely nothing exciting, except for the communiques of a paid intelligence provider, which may at times have had a few delusions of grandure and a mistaken and rather overblown sense of self-importance (hardly unique). Yet one exchange that is rather interesting is the following email threadfrom 2009 which goes from discussing how the billionaires behind ACORN have lost all respect for Obama and Biden (“The billionaire (who also funds ACORN) is greatly disappointed over Obama’s “weakness and wimpyness” towards China… She believes Biden is weasel and Obama is a pussy… The liberal factions in DC think Obama is being a pussy.“), views on Rahm Emanuel (“I don’t disagree that Biden is a weasel. I think Emanuel is emasculating Obama by selling him on clever Clintonesque tactics”), views on how Obama may get back into the thick of things: (“Obama needs to get in a fight and do something really mean and unfair to the right.”), on Obama and the banks: (“he could also tell the banks to go screw themselves.”) and from there going to analyzing the GOP field: (“The GOP folks I talk to are pushing Jeb Bush. I think that is a mistake. Who else is out there?”) and culminating with the GOP frontrunning Mitt Romney – “Romney can’t make it. Mormons are viewed as Voo Doo.” Much more in the full email thread inside.From Wikileaks.Read and see the full story here.

• Actor Compares Pro-Navy SEAL Movie 'Act of Valor' to Hitler Propaganda Film.(Newsbusters). Star of TV’s Parenthood [NBC], Dax Shepard, compared the pro-U.S. military film that stars actual Navy SEALs, Act of Valor to Adolf Hitler’s Triumph of the Will. On his Twitter feed the one time Ashton Kutcher prank boy from Punk’d wrote: “Saw ‘Triumph of the Will’ tonight, oh wait, I mean ‘Act of Valor’ great action.” Apparently the reaction to Shepard’s obnoxious tweet, comparing this week’s #1 movie starring active duty Navy Seals to a Nazi propaganda movie was immediate, as he attempted to walk back his comments.Read the full story here.

• Iranian Enrichment Reports, Prophecies Suggest Timetable for Attack on Israel.(Bigpeace).Bill Clinton’s former CIA director Jim Woolsey weighs in on Iran with great detail about the nature of the regime and the beliefs of the factions there in. He also makes sense of uranium enrichment reports and their significance for interpreting the timing of a potential weapons capability. Jim makes sense of Iranian “prophecies” that call for the return of the twelfth imam who will lead the battles that will end the world. He explains that the Iranian regime believes it is time for an epic battle between Iran and the Jews, and their allies, resulting in the destruction of the Jewish people and a new Iranian world order. Jim compares this notion of future world events with the Nazi beliefs of the 1930s. The American government has not been candid with its citizens as to the extent of the Iranian nuclear program and the threat it poses to global security.You can hear Jim’s interview with Frank and all of today’s guests at Secure Freedom Radio , Here.

• More bad news: U.S. water bills to triple.(WE).First high gas prices, now water. A shocking new report about the nation's crumbling drinking water system says that Americans should expect their bills to double or triple to cover repairs just to keep their faucets pouring. That means adding up to $900 a year more for water, nearly equal the amount of the newly extended payroll tax cut.Fixing and expanding underground drinking water systems will cost over $1 trillion in the next 25 years and users will get socked with the bill, according to the American Water Works Association.As with most infrastructure investments, spending heavily now means less costs down the road. But with little appetite in the country for even trickling taxes now, a delayed and more expensive fix is almost guaranteed. The association figures that spending to fix leaky water systems will double from roughly $13 billion a year today to $30 billion annually by 2040.What kind of stress? Families can expect to pay at least $300-$550 more for water in taxes and fees just to keep their current systems operating. Add growth and improved systems, and that bill jumps to $900 for a family of three, said the report.Currently, Americans pay about $400 a month in water taxes and fees.Hmmmm.......Time to install that rainwater tank?Read the full story here.

• President Obama Kept Air Force One In The Air An Extra 30 Minutes To Watch A Knicks Game?(SAB).Reporters were perplexed, recently, when President Obama’s airplane took an extra 30 minutes to fly from Washington DC to Florida, where the President bashed Republicans over oil prices. What explained the delay? There’s apparently no official explanation, but that the plane finally landed just at half time in the Knicks game is, I’m sure, just a coincidence: President Obama flew to Florida this past week to explain high gas prices. According to the Washington Post, on his way to Florida this past Thursday, reporters were “perplexed” at the President’s 41 minute flight from Washington, DC to Orlando, Florida taking 1 hour and 15 minutes. The flight was in the air an extra 30 minutes, burning precious fossil fuels.It does not seem a coincidence that the President landed right at half time of an NBA basketball game between the star studded Miami Heat and New York Knicks. Some theorized that the President delayed his flight in the air to watch more of the basketball game.Read the full story here.

• Obama Camp Sending Creepy, Intimidating Email To Former Donors Who Have Failed to Donate to 2012 Campaign.(ND).It’s no secret that the Obama campaign is falling short of its fundraising goals this election season. Now, it looks like they’re getting desperate, using SEIU-like intimidation techniques to drive their fund-raising numbers up.Last night, a former Obama supporter forwarded BigGovernment an email sent out Sunday by the Obama campaign.It’s equal parts desperate and creepy: As you may have noticed, we’ve asked you for a donation a few times now.But according to our records, you haven’t yet made an online donation to this campaign at this email address. (If our records are wrong, I apologize and thank you!)The email goes on to ask for “feedback” on why the former supporter has failed to cough-up their hard-earned dollars for Obama’s reelection:I’m not writing to ask you for money again. I’m actually writing to ask your opinion about why you haven’t given, and what you think would inspire you or other Obama supporters like you to decide to take the leap and donate.There’s a good reason we’re asking for your feedback: The kind of organization we all decided to be a part of only works if people like you pitch in to build it.Read the full story here.

• Egypt president hopeful Sabahi says no gas to Israel if elected.(BM).CAIRO: If elected, Egypt presidential hopeful Hamdeen Sabahi says he will end all exports of natural gas to Israel.Speaking at a seminar at the National Center for Youth, Sabahi told the audience that he completely rejects the Camp David Treaty with Israel and said he “does not seek to be at war with Israel, as priorities as president would be fighting poverty and corruption,” but then added that he would “ban the export of Egyptian gas to Israel.”At the rally, Sabahi also said when he files his papers for candidacy, he would resign from his al-Karama Party, which he helped found.He said that he “is the candidate of the people,” and “will not run on behalf of any party or political movement.”Concerning the powers of the next president, Sabahi said, “we want greater powers for the People’s Assembly being able to restrict the powers of the president and shall have the powers and authority to object any decision by the president such as the US Congress,” pointing out that the current parliament “is the best parliament in the history of Egypt, but its level does not rise to the parliament of the revolution.”He stressed the need to support the Palestinians, stressing that he “will open all crossings to Gaza and will support the resistance against Israel.”He rejected the idea of a safe exit for the military junta from power, saying “it would rather be a just exit, which could be realized if we hold whoever committed mistakes accountable.”Read the full story here.

• Allah Tattoo photo puts Malaysia newspaper on defensive.(BM).SINGAPORE: The publishing of a photo that included an American singer tattooed with the Arabic word “Allah” has forced Malaysia’s the Star newspaper to apologize after anger fomented in the country.The photograph of singer Erykah Badu, who was scheduled to hold a concert in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, was published in Monday’s edition of the newspaper, but it led to a backlash among readers who were offended by the tattoo.“We deeply regret any offense caused to Muslims and sincerely apologize for the oversight,” the Star said.Tattoos in Islam are forbidden and the use of the Arabic word for God, “Allah,” is looked upon by many conservative Muslims as blasphemy.Civic groups in the predominantly Muslim south-east Asian country criticized the newspaper, noting that tattoos of Islamic religious scripture are considered an insult to Muslims.Mashitah Ibrahim, a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, said that while Americans and non-Muslims view tattoos as an art form, the name of Allah should not be used in that way.Human rights activist and blogger Mohamed Rishad in Kuala Lumpur told Bikyamasr.com that while the criticism is well-founded, the newspaper should not be blamed for what someone else is wearing or has on his or her body.“At the end of the day, the newspaper was publishing a photo of a musician, an American one at that, so while we can get angry, it is not fair to the newspaper to get the people’s anger,” he said.Read the full story here.

• What’s The Exchange Rate For Jerusalem Shekels To Tel Aviv Shekels?(CA).Later today my employees will drive to Jerusalem to sell goods to some Arabs (they’re not going to Salahadin St today because the situation is a little more tense than usual but they’ll exchange goods for cash somewhere else).When they get there they will receive payment in “New Israeli Shekels” - ₪ NIS. The same currency is used across the whole of Israel including by the Arabs under administrative control of Israel and the Palestinian Authorities. My customers today work in both Jerusalem and Ramallah.But according to the US IRS web site from December 31st 2011, perhaps I should be asking my Arab friends to pay a different rate? Apparently their Shekels aren’t worth the same as my Shekels in Tel Aviv!From the following web page: Treasury Reporting Rates of Exchange as of December 31, 2011 which is used by US citizens who need to report income earned overseas in US Dollars:We scroll down to find the rate for Israel and we get a bit of a surprise. Because, apparently, there is another place in the world that uses the New Israeli Shekel. A whole ‘nother country called “Jerusalem”. And this must be another country because it has a different rate from the one that covers the country called “Israel”.So, just to be sure of when this Shekel using country popped into existence I had a quick scan back. I look all the way back to 1982 but only found one country, with one exchange rate, using the Israeli Shekel. That country was Israel.But even as recently as December 31st 2010 there was only one country using the Shekel: So sometime last year either the IRS, or the IRS following the wishes of the State Department created a whole new country called “Jerusalem”, assigned it a whole new currency called the Shekel and decided to make up their own exchange rate.I better tell my Arab friends in Jerusalem.Read the full story here.

EMP Nightmare: How Iran or North Korea Could Destroy America with a Single Bomb

MFS - The Other News

                          Morning Posting.

• Live broadcast info from Japan directly ! Here.

• Libya Live Blog - April 08. Here .(Al-Jazeera).

• Middle East Live Blog here .(Al-Jazeera)

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity in Japan between 5.1 and 6.0 today. More info here.

• Latest official Situation Update No. 76.

Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update Log   here .

Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant.All reactors have been in cold shutdown since the 11 March earthquake.NISA has confirmed that two out of the three lines supplying off-site power to the site were lost following the 7 April earthquake. Off-site power continues to be supplied through the third line. Cooling of the spent fuel pool was temporarily lost, but has subsequently been restored.

• HT:The Blaze.Live Blog: Will the government shut down tonight? Read and see everything here.

• Breaking News: Officer shot dead and another is fighting for life after sailor opens fire as mayor visits nuclear sub HMS Astute.An officer was killed and another is fighting for his life after a shooting spree by a sailor on board the Royal Navy's flagship nuclear submarine.Police arrested an armed guard after the incident today which is said to have happened on the HMS Astute in Southampton docks as guards were changed over at midday.The shooting occurred as local dignitaries, including the city's mayor and city's chief executive were touring the £1.2 billion boat, which had docked on Wednesday after 46 days at sea.Four police cars, an unmarked police car and an ambulance have all been seen heading to Eastern Docks, where the gunman had opened fire with a 9mm pistol.Hampshire Police confirmed two-and-a-half hours after the incident that one person had been killed and another suffered life-threatening injuries.Reports also suggested the man arrested over the shooting is 'current service personnel', though police also refused to confirm or deny those claims as they liaised with officers at Southampton docks on Friday afternoon.A 50m exclusion zone around the submarine is patrolled by MoD police officers 24 hours a day.The submarine arrived on Wednesday, following 46 days at sea for the 98-strong crew, for a five day visit.A police spokesman said: 'Hampshire police were called by their Ministry of Defence colleagues at 12.12pm today and are currently liaising with them to establish the exact circumstances of the incident.'We can confirm that there has been one fatality and another person is in a life-threatening condition.'In both cases next-of-kin have not yet been notified, but officers are in the process of informing the families.'People should be reassured there is no risk to public safety.'Hampshire Constabulary and the MoD are keen to stress this incident is not terrorist related.Read the full story here , more here

• HT:HumanEvents.The Muslim Brotherhood in America: Deputy National Security Advisor McDonough Meets with Hamas Support Entity.It is being reported that on Sunday, March 6th, Denis McDonough, the Deputy National Security Advisor to the President of the United States attended the ADAMS Interfaith/Government Summit in Sterling, Virginia.The implications of this are frightening and shocking – and may be criminal.ADAMS (All Dulles Area Muslim Society) is led by its Executive Director, Mohammad Majid. Majid is also the President of the largest Muslim Brotherhood / Hamas support entity in North America – the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).A significant amount of evidence has been entered into federal terrorism trials revealing ISNA is not only the largest Muslim Brotherhood entity in North America, but is a cover and support organization for Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement). Hamas is designated as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization” (FTO) by the United States Government.

The remarks made by Deputy National Security Advisor McDonough on 3/6/11 at the ADAMS Center are on the White House website for all to read. His comments began with: “Thank you (Imam Majid), also, for being one of our nation’s leading voices for the values that make America so strong, especially religious freedom and tolerance. Whether it’s here at the ADAMS Center, or as President of the Islamic Society of North America, you’ve spoken with passion and eloquence, not only about your own Islamic faith, but for the need to build bridges of understanding and trust between faiths.”So, Mr. McDonough knows Mohammad Majid is the leader of ISNA.

His remarks further included: “Over the past two years, I—along with my White House colleagues—have benefited from the advice of many of your organizations through our Office of Public Engagement. Because, after all, your communities have the same concerns as all Americans—the economy, education, health care, the safety of our children and our country.”

Actually Mr. McDonough, the Muslim Brotherhood is only concerned with its objectives, which are the same as Al Qaeda’s – the re-establishment of the global Islamic State (Caliphate), under which Shariah (Islamic Law) is enforced. The HLF related rulings and all the evidence are available to the public via the Northern District of Texas’ own website, so the information is readily accessible.Again, we must ask the same tired question – why are those charged with our national security, violating their Constitutional oaths to do so and taking actions which appear to support our enemies?Hmmmm....Can we start impeachment now?Read the full story here.

• HT:CreepingSharia.UK: Muslims seek 100ft minaret on mosque overlooking Sandhurst military college.Building a mosque with 100ft minarets overlooking Sandhurst military college would cause needless and drastic changes to an historic town, it was claimed yesterday.A planning inquiry into the scheme was told the design would mean demolishing a former Victorian school and obliterate the view of a wood.The local Bengali Welfare Association wants to build the mosque with minarets, classrooms and a morgue on the site of the former school in Camberley, Surrey.But Ministry of Defence officials raised concerns that the minarets would overlook Sandhurst Royal Military Academy parade ground – used by every new officer recruit in the Army.Local historians and residents also argue that the town’s heritage should be protected.John Pugh-Smith, a barrister representing a local pressure group, claimed that the mosque’s features were not required by Islamic tradition.He said evidence from Dr Taj Hargey, chairman of the Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford and Imam of Oxford Islamic Congregation, will also show a sexist bias in the plans.The local Bengali Welfare Association wants to build the mosque with minarets, classrooms and a morgue“He will explain that neither the large dome nor the two minarets, features that would dominate the surrounding street scene, are required aspects of Islam.“Dr Hargey also draws attention to the fact that the proposed development would promote gender inequality by keeping women separate from the body of the prayer hall and only allocating approximately 15 per cent of the available space for their needs.“This manifest imbalance in space and facilities for women is in defiance of and not in conformity with Islam. It is also contrary to current UK government gender equality initiatives.”The inquiry is considering Surrey Heath Borough Council’s decision to reject the plans. Christopher Lockhart-Mummery QC, for the Bengali group, rejected claims that the mosque would pose a security risk or overlook the college.Read the full story here.

• Gates Explains Military Pay During Shutdown to Troops in Baghdad During What Is Likely his Last Visit to Iraq.Speaking to a group of 200 soldiers in Baghdad, Defense Secretary Gates drew Army cheers of “Hooah” from the crowd when he eased their concerns about the government shutdown and said “first of all, let me say you will be paid.” Gates’s comment came during a question and answer session when one of the soldiers about how the government shutdown might affect them. He then joked, “as a historian it always occurred to me the smart thing for government was always to pay the guys with guns first.”Turning serious he explained to them how if there is a government shutdown, days the troops in the field would get half a paycheck for this pay period, but get back pay in the future.“But in all seriousness, based on some stuff I read this morning, if the government shuts down starts on the 8th and goes for a week, you’d get a half a check. If it goes from the 15th to the 30th, you wouldn’t get a pay check on the 30th but you would be back paid for all of it. So that’s the deal and I’m, you know, frankly, I remember when I was your age I did a lot of living from pay check to pay check and so I hope this thing doesn’t happen.”

Later speaking to reporters Gates explained that if the shutdown goes through the 30th then they’d miss a paycheck. But he explained how a shutdown would affect their families at home more than it would those serving in the field.“Now they get paid in rear, obviously, so over time they won’t lose anything, but you all know as well as I do, a lot of these young troops live pretty much paycheck to paycheck. And I start to think about the inconvenience that its going to cause these kids and a lot of their families, even half a paycheck delayed can be a problem for them so I hope they work this whole thing out.”Gates also told the group of soldiers this would likely be his last trip to Iraq, another indicator that his timetable for stepping down from his post might be this summer.“I don’t know how many trips I’ve made to Iraq and this will probably be my last one. I just wanted to come and say thank you," Gates said, adding that “working with you all has been the greatest privilege and the greatest honor of my life.”Hmmmm.....Only difference it's Obama who choose not to pay them!During the last government shutdown, in 1995, troops continued to receive their paychecks.Read the full story here.

• HT:BigGovernment.Obama: I’ll Shut Down the Government and Suspend Military Pay.Rather than accept a few billion in budget cuts (read rounding error), President Obama has signaled his willingness to shut down the federal government. (Yah!) For those keeping score at home, any government shutdown that happens is on Obama’s plate. He is the President. All on him.The worst part of this whole debate is the Obama Administration’s decision to hold military pay hostage to the budget debate. For the last few decades, government shutdowns have been guided by an OMB directive issued during the Reagan Administration. Under this directive, military personnel would continue to receive the paychecks while politicians argued about the budget. The Clinton Administration, during the last government shutdown, kept the paychecks flowing.But, not Obama.The Obama Administration has overturned the old OMB directive and has decided to suspend military paychecks if there is a government shutdown. No reason to do it…but they have decided to. Reprehensible.Hmmmm....A 'Commander-in-chief' who despises his men&women?Read the full story here.

• Government Shutdown Disgrace: Soldiers Will Have To Rely On Charities For Food.The Obama Administration pushed hard to make sure that unemployment compensation was extended a few months back. But thus far they have resisted attempts to make sure that our soldiers get paid in the event of a government shutdown. As a result, charities are getting ready to make food and money for gas available for our soldiers and their families. Handouts for servicemembers doing their jobs? Disgraceful.The Marine Corps Times reports: “Military relief societies are poised to help service members and their families in the event of a government shutdown that interrupts military pay.Officials for the relief societies stress that they aren’t able to “backfill the entire payroll,” but they can help with quick loans for emergency necessities such as food and gasoline until pay resumes.The societies remind service members and families who are not near an installation — or who can’t get in touch with their installation’s relief society — to contact their local chapter of the American Red Cross, which has reciprocal agreements with all the military relief societies. The societies also have reciprocal agreements with each other, too, so that soldiers who are near a Navy base can seek help from the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, for example.”Hmmmm......Thank you 'Commander-in-Chief'?Read the full story here.

• HT:HotAir.Obama: I’ll veto funding for the troops.Consider this a trap well set and sprung. Frustrated that the Senate won’t pass any budget bill while the House continues to negotiate to the brink of a government shutdown, John Boehner proposed a one-week CR to keep government open for a week and to secure defense funding through the end of the year. A few minutes ago, the White House stated categorically that it would veto the one-week CR if it passes the Senate in an e-mail blast.Really? Will Obama really argue that he can’t abide a one-week CR so much that he’s willing to shut down the government and leave the troops without income for an indeterminate amount of time? This statement concedes that this bill takes the troops out of the line of fire in the budget debate. Kirsten Powers recognized the obvious, remarking on Twitter: “Can’t believe Obama fell for the “funding the troops” trick. He’ll have to change position on veto threat.”One source on the Hill thinks that Harry Reid has a weak hand on this, not for the least of reasons that a number of Democrats are already facing tough re-election campaigns in 2012. Do they want a shutdown fight over abortion? Not likely. Moreover, the source points out that the White House statement is nothing than a process argument. The White House doesn’t offer one specific substantive point in opposition to HR1363. This might be a big bluff, but the President may be looking for a way to rally his dispirited base.Meanwhile, there’s hope for those about to find themselves with lots of free time. Are you a federal worker anxious about government shutdowns? Feeling oddly ambitious lately, and perhaps slightly productive? Consult with your AFSCME or SEIU representative and see if DisplacetraTM is right for you! Laura Ingraham provides some government-shutdown comedy relief today in this mockutisement for relief from the notion that the days of whine and moroses may be ending after all.Read and see it all here.

• HT:AceofSpades.Story Correction: Clinton Did Pay Military in 1995 Shutdown, But...Corrected: This story was wrong as written. It's below, but here's the scoop.First, the Air Force Times did get this wrong, leading to the confusion, which got picked up by Mike Flynn.But like I said-- that story gets it wrong. Here's why the troops got paid on time in 1995.Read the full story here.

• HT:TheAmericanDream.Government Shutdown 2011? – 16 Things You Need To Know.Is it actually going to happen? Are we actually going to see "Government Shutdown 2011"? Will the streets of Washington D.C. soon be eerily quiet as hundreds of thousands of federal workers are temporarily sent home? Right now Barack Obama, Harry Reid and John Boehner all say that they want to reach a deal and avoid a government shutdown, but the deadline is coming up fast. The current spending bill that the government is operating under expires at the end of Friday. If the Republicans and the Democrats do not come to an agreement before then, the U.S. government will "shut down" at 12:01 AM Saturday morning. The Republicans have proposed a plan to extend government funding for one more week so that negotiations may continue, but the Democrats have rejected it. Obama has summoned Reid and Boehner to the White House tonight in an attempt to hash out a deal, but most observers are not particularly optimistic. Sadly, government debt is going to expand at a mind blowing pace this year no matter who wins this battle.

Both sides are attempting to play political hardball. During the 2010 campaign, the Republicans promised to cut $100 billion from the budget for 2011 and they know that Tea Party activists are going to hold them accountable. The Democrats control the Senate and the presidency and they probably figure that when push comes to shove that many of the new, inexperienced Republicans in the House can be intimidated into giving in.But in the end it really doesn't matter that much who wins this battle. The Republicans are proposing $61 billion in budget cuts which would cut the budget deficit for 2011 by only 3.8 percent. The Democrats are proposing $33 billion in budget cuts which would cut the budget deficit for 2011 by just 2.1 percent.Is that extra 1.7 percent really going to make a massive difference over the long run?Of course not.But right now Republicans and Democrats are both in the mood for a fight, so we really might actually see a government shutdown.If the government does shut down, it probably won't be for too long. The longest government shutdown of all time ended in early January 1996 and it lasted just 21 days.So exactly what would happen if there is a government shutdown in 2011? If it does actually happen, the following are 16 things you will need to know....Read the full story here.

• HT:DougRoss.In between soirees, President Obama vows to cut off funding for the troops even as top General says they could get sent to Libya.Is this the schedule of a man worried about anything?I have a busier damn schedule on the weekends -- and I'm a nobody!Oh, but the President did have time for another fancy dinner party last night with master race-baiter Al Sharpton.Is this a man worried about a government shutdown, or coming up with a budget, or even working on plans to reduce unemployment? Eh, that was a rhetorical question.As for the troops?The White House blasted the GOP's Continuing Resolution (CR) designed to fund the troops until the end of the fiscal year.The Administration strongly opposes House passage of H.R. 1363, making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2011, and for other purposes. As the President stated on April 5, 2011, if negotiations are making significant progress, the Administration would support a short-term, clean Continuing Resolution to allow for enactment of a final bill.In other words, for this president, the troops come last. They are just another political chit to be used to advance the radical Left's agenda.Oh, and one more bit of good news: "General: U.S. may consider troops in Libya."This was not the change you were promised, drones.Hmmmm....Sounds more like a dictator enjoying himself on the misery of others.Read the full 'story' here.

• The new Obama 2012 banner ads are here!See the full thing here.

• HT:JoelC.Rosenberg'sBlog.Dangerous momentum building for unilateral declaration of Palestinian state in September: Bible warns nations not to divide the land of Israel.On Tuesday, Israeli President Shimon Peres met with President Obama at the White House. Initial reports suggest they discuss the stalled peace process and how to proceed. I hope that behind closed doors Peres was very clear and direct with Obama about what a dangerous road the Palestinians are on. Indeed, Prime Minister Netanyahu has continually offered direct negotiations with the Palestinians, yet the Palestinians keep refusing to sit down and talk face to face. They claim Netanyahu isn’t serious about making peace or new concessions. Yet Netanyahu was the first Israeli leader ever to give land to Yasser Arafat when he gave away Hebron in 1997. I pray that Peres conveyed to the American President what Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said last month: “We are facing a diplomatic-political tsunami that the majority of the public is unaware of and that will peak in September. It is a very dangerous situation, one that requires action….Paralysis, rhetoric, inaction will deepen the isolation of Israel.” An isolated Israel is not likely to feel secure enough to make peace with the Palestinians. What’s more, when Israel’s enemies (like Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas) see Israel increasingly isolated, they are more likely to launch a new war.

Publicly, the Obama administration says it opposes the Palestinian plan to unilaterally declare. But there is growing concern among pro-Israel leaders in Washington that should the issue come before the U.N. Security Council, Obama might direct his U.N. ambassador to abstain rather than to veto such a resolution.Jesus Christ said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” (Matthew 5:9) Those who truly seek peace will encourage diplomacy, not rash, arrogant, unilateral actions on either side. Sadly, there are far too many leaders in the epicenter who do not seek true peace, and too many leaders around the world who are encouraging reckless behavior.

Bible prophecy makes it clear that the nations of the world will, in the last days, divide up the land of Israel. But the Scriptures are also crystal clear that the nations will face the judgment of Almighty God for doing so. “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them to the Valley of Jehoshaphat ["the Lord judges"]. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land.” (Joel 3:1-2).Let the nations be warned by the God of Israel: they are on a dangerous and disastrous road. I pray they will turn around before it is too late.Read the full story here.

• HT:Politico.GOP lawyer drafts Obama impeachment.A prominent libertarian constitutional lawyer and civil libertarian has drafted an article of impeachment against President Obama over his attack on Libya, throwing down a legal gauntlet that could be picked up by some Congressional RepublicansBruce Fein, a former Reagan administration official in the Department of Justice and chairman of American Freedom Agenda writes in his 15-page argument of Obama's course that "Barack Hussein Obama has mocked the rule of law, endangered the very existence of the Republic and the liberties of the people, and perpetrated an impeachable high crime and misdemeanor."Fein is a small-government conservative who worked on the impeachment of President Bill Clinton and also called for the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, and his work doesn't represent the Republican Party line. But it comes as some Republicans on the Hill, led by Senator Rand Paul, object vociferously to Obama's decision to strike targets in Libya without Congressional authorization."He's been more bold than any other president," said Fein, who said Obama has failed to secure congressional approval for his military action in a much more brazen way than previous administrations. "If he can wipe out the war powers authorization, why can't he wipe out Congress's authority to spend?" asked Fein. " If we're going to be a government of laws, and not descend into empire, this is Caesar crossing the Rubicon.".Fein said a number of Congressional offices have expressed interest in his proposal.Hmmmm....Finally an honest politician and patriot?Read the full story here.

• What unites and divides Turkey and Iran – on Israel.By Burak Bekdil.
  Karim Sadjadpour, an associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, recently recalled what an Arab Shiite friend of his reminded him: “Iran wants to fight America and Israel down to the last Palestinian, Lebanese and Iraqi.” In contrast, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Turkey, most probably, wants to fight America and Israel down to the last Palestinian, Lebanese, Iraqi and Iranian.Since the spectacular ascension to power in late 2002 of Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party, or AKP, secularist Turks have accused Turkey’s new elite of having a hidden agenda to turn Turkey into Iran. This column, however, has invariably argued that Iran would be the last role model for Turkey’s Islamist rulers. No, it was not only the unbridgeable sectarian difference; it was far more complex than that.True, Iranian petrodollars are used to finance Islamic radicals like Khaled Meshaal in Syria, Moktada al-Sadr in Iraq and Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon. True, the same petrodollars may have been used to finance less radical Turks through lucrative energy deals in Iran for the power center’s most beloved in Turkey.True, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Iran and Erdoğan’s Turkey may be sharing a lot not necessarily in terms of love but of hate – hatred for the damned infidels. It is also true that the two neighbors have enjoyed a war-less history since 1639, despite long periods of hostility, rivalry, deep hostility, near-war, almost-war and cold war. But their differences are by nature divided and often mutually exclusive despite their common unnamed foreign policy doctrine in favor of “neo-Third Worldism.”Erdoğan and his men, for the Shiite mullahs in Tehran, are too Western, too little Muslim, too Sunni and too shrewd (for a Turk); they are probably a modern-day Trojan Horse in the eyes of their Shiite neighbors. And Ahmadinejad’s Iran, for the Sunni mullahs in Ankara, is too Shiite, discreetly too hostile/rivaling, too ambitious and possibly too unreliable. As one AKP “foreign policy connoisseur” recently told me: “We know they are suspicious about us despite all the polish on the outset. And they know we know.” Sounds like a challenging chess game.And the confirmation for Ankara’s suspicion that Tehran is probably too unreliable did not come too late when Iran touched a raw Turkish nerve. The mullahs have permitted the screening of Rigran Khzmalyan’s “Armin Wegner – Genocide Photographer” film which Tehran will host on April 24, adding flavor to the political meaning. The film on the Armenian genocide may also be broadcast on one of Iranian TV channels, newspapers reported. So, the show has been not much different across the Turkish-Iranian border since 1639.And then fast forward to 2011, the fundamental – though not fundamental enough to block opportunist deals – differences between the makers and traders of fine Iranian carpets – Iranians and Turks – are still there: Muslim Turks want “smaller Israel,” whereas Muslim Iranians want “no Israel.”The trouble is that the mullahs think they are smarter than all evil foreign men. They may be right. But they should not underestimate the Sunni mullahs, be they in Ankara or in Pennsylvania.Read the full story here.

• HT:AstuteBloggers.Jihad slaughter in Brazil.A Muslim convert in Rio de Janeiro butchered at least 11 people.At least 11 people, mostly children, died Thursday and more that 15 were wounded when an armed man attacked a school in Realengo in the poor suburbs of Rio de Janeiro.According to a preliminary police report, the attacker - a 24- year-old former student at the school - was among the dead after shooting himself in the head. He attacked Tasso da Silveira school, where some 400 students ages 9-14 were in classes. [...]Beltrami described the letter as 'the words of a person who no longer believes in anything, full of sentences that made no sense and references to Islamic fundamentalism.'Beltrami said the attacker was friendly as he went into the school, chatting with administrators and teachers and asking for permission to address the children. When he reached the third floor of the building, the suspect entered one of the classrooms and started to shoot at students, killing nine girls and one boy.The attacker apparently committed suicide upon being chased by a police officer who had been called in by a student who managed to escape the building.Roselane de Oliveira, a sister of the attacker, told Rio de Janeiro radio station Band News that the young man 'was very strange.''He had no friends, and he spent all his time on the Internet,' she said.In recent months, she said, he appeared to have got closer to Islam.Police stressed, however, that there was no concrete evidence that the attack had either a religious or a political motive.Read the full story here.

• HT:BigPeace.Microsoft Reaches Out to the Muslim Brotherhood.Yesterday, Grover Norquist’s weekly Americans for Tax Reform conclave was the venue for an announcement by Suhail Khan that he was becoming director for external affairs for Microsoft. Khan’s transformation into a corporate lobbyist comes amidst rising concerns in conservative circles about his longstanding family and personal ties to the Muslim Brotherhood (MB or Ikhwan) in America and his positions in favor of such MB priorities as building the Ground Zero mosque, closing Guantanamo Bay, prohibiting “secret evidence,” repealing the Patriot Act, dissembling about shariah, etc.An interesting question is why Microsoft would recruit such an individual at this moment? Perhaps it is seeking to position itself for good relations with the Muslim Brotherhood as that shariah-adherent movement becomes ascendant in the Middle East. After all, an Egyptian executive of rival Google, Wael Ghonim was seen by some as the face of a hip, secular, democratic new order destined to emerge from the ashes of Mubarak’s autocracy. Ghonim, however, has been literally shunted aside by the increasingly emboldened Brothers: On February 18, 2011, he was physically precluded from getting on stage when the Ikhwan’s spiritual leader, Yusef al-Qaradawi led a crowd (estimated to have been over a million strong) that had been convened in the revolution’s famed Tahrir Square to welcome him home – a la Khomeini’s triumphal return to Iran in 1979 –in calls for the “conquest of the al-Aqsa mosque [in Jerusalem].”The good news is that Khan’s service as a lobbyist means an end to the pretense that he is a “conservative leader” – a vehicle for facilitating his influence operations within the movement. His “Inclusion Coalition” – which was revealed during a panel Khan convened on the margins of the 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference as a vehicle for promoting “inclusion” of such toxic and anti-conservative groups as Louis Farakhan’s Nation of Islam and La Raza inside the conservative tent – will hopefully disappear, too.Read the full story here.

• "The War on Christianity'.Seattle School Renames Easter Eggs “Spring Spheres”.A sophomore at a local private high school thinks an effort to make Easter politically correct is ridiculous.Jessica, 16, told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson Show that a week before spring break, the students commit to a week-long community service project. She decided to volunteer in a third grade class at a public school, which she would like to remain nameless.“At the end of the week I had an idea to fill little plastic eggs with treats and jelly beans and other candy, but I was kind of unsure how the teacher would feel about that,” Jessica said.She was concerned how the teacher might react to the eggs after of a meeting earlier in the week where she learned about “their abstract behavior rules.”“I went to the teacher to get her approval and she wanted to ask the administration to see if it was okay,” Jessica explained. “She said that I could do it as long as I called this treat ‘spring spheres.’ I couldn’t call them Easter eggs.”Hmmmm......Spring Spheres $$ for short?Read the full story here.

MFS - The Other News

                Morning  Posting.

• Live broadcast info from Japan directly ! Here.

• Libya Live Blog - April 06. Here .(Al-Jazeera)And  here (BBC).

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity in Japan between 4.7 and 4.9 today. More info here.

• Latest official Situation Update No. 76.On 06.04.2011 at 02:44 GMT+2.

Radioactive water has stopped leaking into the Pacific Ocean from Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, Jiji Press reported, citing the operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). TEPCO had on Tuesday injected sodium silicate, a chemical agent known as "water glass", to solidify soil near a cracked pit, from where large volumes of highly radioactive water had been seeping through and running into the sea. Run-off from the plant has measured more than 1,000 millisieverts and is believed to be the source of radioactive iodine-131 readings in ocean waters more than 4,000 times the legal limit. The pit, which has a 20-centimetre crack in its wall, is linked to the plant's reactor No. 2, one of those which had its cooling systems put out of action by the quake and tsunami of March 11, triggering the nuclear crisis. Several unsuccessful attempts had been made to try to plug pipes that run to the pit, using a polymer and even newspapers and sawdust, and an effort to seal the crack with cement had also failed to stop the leak.Source .

• Will Obama Administration Hold Military Paychecks During Government Shutdown?As readers of Big Government know, an impasse over a few billion dollars in proposed spending cuts threatens to shutdown the federal government. (And, by a few billion dollars I mean, rounding error.) As regular readers should also know, I’ve come to embrace a shutdown, rather than fear it.As this recent Congressional Research Service report explains, if the government were to shutdown, an OMB Directive issued in the 1980s (along with a handful of legal opinions) guide what parts of government continue to function and what parts must close down. Short story, all of the important functions of government, i.e national security, the military, air traffic control, border security, Social Security payments, etc., will continue to function. The parts that have to shut down…well, lets just say they are candidates for permanent cuts. I mean, if the country functions for several weeks without a few hundred thousand ‘non-essential’ employees, couldn’t we probably function without them forever? I’m not saying every one of these jobs should necessarily be eliminated…but it isn’t a good place to start?

Sensing the potential PR nightmare from this, it seems the Obama Administration may have decided to raise the stakes on a shutdown. According to draft guidance from the Pentagon, the Obama Administration will require military personnel to report to work…but, will hold their paychecks until the impasse is resolved. As Government Executive explained in a March 15th article:

Military personnel and exempt Defense Department civilian employees are required to continue working without pay during a government shutdown, according to guidance from the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

In a memo prepared earlier this month, Defense officials noted that service members and some civilian workers, including those involved in national security and the protection of life and property, still must report for duty but will not be paid until Congress appropriates funds to reimburse them for that period of service. All other employees will be furloughed, the memo stated.Military personnel are not subject to furlough.

This is new.During the last government shutdown, in 1995, troops continued to receive their paychecks. According to Federal Times:When the government was shut down in 1995, military personnel continued to report to work and were paid, but the planning guidance sent to the services and defense agencies says a shutdown this time will be different.

“All military personnel will continue in normal duty status regardless of their affiliation with exempt or non-exempt activities,” says the draft planning guidance that was prepared for the services and defense agencies. “Military personnel will serve without pay until such time as Congress makes appropriated funds available to compensate them for this period of service.”During the 1995 shutdown, the Clinton Administration followed the OMB guidance issued during the Reagan Administration. The Obama Administration, it seems, is tacking a different direction.

Let me be clear, the guidelines proposing to hold military paychecks are, according to the news reports, draft guidelines. It is possible the Obama Administration has abandoned these punitive guidelines. And, even if they implemented these guidelines, military personnel would most likely eventually receive their pay, once a budget agreement is reached. But, why even change the policy and subject our military to partisan political battles. The policy is certainly a change, but it doesn’t provide much hope.Hopefully, they will clear this up quickly.Hmmmm.....My guess :Yes Obama will withhold military paychecks even though he doesn't have to,but only because he hates the military and to set them up against the Republicans!Somehow i don't think the military love their current 'commander-in-chief'.Read the full story here.

• Harper protection 'bubble' becomes election issue.Prime Minister Stephen Harper is suddenly on the defensive for running a closed and "unCanadian" campaign after two university students were ejected from one of his rallies because they had posted a Facebook picture of themselves with Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff.The issue of how Harper is campaigning in a bubble, which has been brewing ever since the launch of the campaign, has now exploded and caused embarrassment to the Conservative leader.A spokesman for Harper apologized for the incident that occurred Sunday at a rally in London, Ont.At rallies Harper holds, local Conservative organizers sit at desks in front of the hall and have lists of names. People who attend are registered and have their name on the list. Conservatives have said that people can walk in off the street, but they must show identification to gain entry.That practice has now backfired for the Tories after what happened to Awish Aslam, a 19-year-old University of Western Ontario student.Aslam and a friend signed up for the rally in London on Sunday with the help of her friend's father, who is a Conservative.About 30 minutes after she arrived, she and her friend were approached by two officials and were asked to go outside the door, she told Postmedia News on Tuesday. Hmmm...28 March:"My name is Awish Aslam, I am a second year political science student at the University of Western Ontario. A friend and I had planned on seeing Ignatieff last Thursday, Harper onSunday, and Layton on Monday. Yesterday, while attending the Conservative rally inLondon, an RCMP officer approached us and told us he needed to speak to us while heescorted us out of the hall and into the back hallways where the staff typically work."Once there, she said one of the officials ripped the Conservative stickers that had been previously given to them from their clothing "and ripped them into pieces.""He said, 'You are no longer welcome here'," she said.Aslam and her friend were upset and wondered what had gone wrong. "He said, 'We know you have ties to the Liberal party through Facebook'."The Facebook photo of her standing next to Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff had been taken the previous week when she attended a Liberal rally in London.Another attendee, Ali Aref Hamadi, said he was asked by an organizer to leave the same rally because of an NDP bumper sticker on his vehicle.The whole story started rolling by a tweet by her brother SAAD : Saad Aslam - WLUSU Vice President University Affairs - OUSA Vice President Finance.Ontario Undergraduate Student Organisation An organisation who seem to have a very political agenda when you look at their twitter account! http://twitter.com/ousa .The organisation has close ties to Liberal premier McGuinty."(Wink,wink)At the Premier's request, OUSA will be providing further input on a number of proposals related to system design that arose during the private meeting.
  "The post-secondary sector and the Province as a whole are facing many challenges," added Moulton. "Students are committed to collaborating with the Premier, his staff and the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities to develop educated solutions that will build on the success of the government's historic Reaching Higher Plan."Hmmm.....Manipulation of the Immigrant voters?What if it would have been a teaparty member at an Obama event?I'm sure the teaparty member his genealogy tree would have been checked till the fifth generation before even attending the event ,but hey 'that is normal'?Read the full story here.

• Ouattara forces storm Gbagbo residence.Pro-Ouattara forces ordered not to kill Laurent Gbagbo, still in bunker after fierce assault on his presidential palace.Forces loyal to Cote d'Ivoire's internationally recognised leader Alassane Ouattara have stormed the residence where his rival and incumbent president is holed up, a spokesman has said."Yes they [Ouattara forces] are in the process of entering the residence to seize [Laurent] Gbagbo, they have not taken him yet, but they are in the process; they are in the building," Affousy Bamba told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday.Patrick Achi, another spokesman for Ouattara's parallel government, said troops had been ordered not to kill Gbagbo."Alassane Ouattara has given formal instructions that Gbagbo is to be kept alive because we want to bring him to justice," he said.The news came hours after Edouard Guillaud, the French armed forces chief, said on Wednesday Gbagbo's departure would come in "a matter of hours".Earlier, Gbagbo said it was not his "aim to die" fighting Ouattara forces and called for direct talks with his rival."I'm not a kamikaze. I love life. My voice is not the voice of a martyr, no, no, no, I'm not looking for death. It's not my aim to die," Gbagbo, speaking from his residence on Tuesday, told the French TV channel LCI."For peace to return to Ivory Coast, I and Ouattara, the two of us, have to talk," he added.Read and see the full story here.

• Peres: Obama wants real peace progress.Two presidents meet in Washington, discuss Middle East turmoil, Iran nuclear program and spy Jonathan Pollard. Obama says peaceful solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflic 'more urgent than ever'. Peres said after the meeting that Obama was very eager to renew a real peace process, not a show followed by a deadlock. "With the winds of change blowing through the Arab world, it's more urgent than ever that we try to seize the opportunity to create a peaceful solution between Palestinians and Israelis," Obama later told reporters.He warned that anti-democratic extremists could exploit the Israeli-Palestinian conflict unless it is resolved.Peres invited Obama to take part in the Facing Tomorrow Presidential Conference to be held in Jerusalem in June. It was stated that Obama replied he will check his schedule but that the tone of his words was positive. During the meeting, the president asked for F-35 jets as well as US aid in purchasing Iron Dome batteries and maintaining Israel's competitive edge. Peres later said that Obama told him he was against the attempts to de-legitimize the State of Israel and that he is in favor of reigniting direct talks with the Palestinians. Obama stressed he was willing to embark on a peace process as long as it wouldn't be a one-off occasion. Peres told reporters his raised the Iranian issue during his meeting with Obama. He said Iran symbolizes the corruption of universal moral values. Peres noted that the US president reiterated his commitment to Israel's security which is at the top of the American administration's priorities. Obama told reporters the two had an extensive discussion about unrest sweeping the Middle East and share a belief that it represents both a challenge and an opportunity. Obama said it's "more urgent than ever that we try to seize the opportunity to create a peaceful solution" between the Palestinians and Israelis. Hmmmm.....Pure lies to get the Jewish votes,perhaps kiss a few Rabbis at the Kotel ,once he gets re-elected wipe Israel of the map with the UN help.Read the full comedy story here.

• Obama accused of 'rewarding terrorism' after dropping financial sanctions on Libyan Lockerbie 'mastermind' Musa Kusa.The Obama administration has been accused of ‘rewarding terrorism’ after dropping financial sanctions against the former Libyan foreign minister who defected to Britain.Relatives of those who died in the Lockerbie bombing said that it ‘sent out totally the wrong message’ to unfreeze bank accounts belonging to Musa Kusa.He will also be allowed to conduct business dealings with Americans and U.S. companies to ensure that he has access to any funds he has built up for himself.The White House claimed the measure would encourage other Libyan officials to defect and share their knowledge of the regime.But the Lockerbie relatives said they were deeply distressed by the decision and that it went against the interests of justice.The move also comes after Washington was extremely harsh in its criticism of the British and Scottish governments for agreeing to free bomber Abdelbasset al-Megrahi.U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton went so far as to say that his ongoing survival is ‘an affront to the victims’ families’.Frank Duggan, president of Pan Am 103 inc, which represents the families of those who lost loved ones, said: ‘I’m flabbergasted. Unlocking the sanctions sends out totally the wrong message.’Brian Flynn, who lost his 21-year-old brother John Patrick in the Lockerbie bombing, added he and other relatives were alarmed by the decision.‘It’s all logical in the diplomatic game they need to play,’ he said.‘We all want to see Gadaffi brought down but at what cost to justice if you are rewarding somebody who has been accused of terrorist attacks?’Kusa, who defected to Britain last week, has been described by Libyan experts as ‘the left arm and the right arm of the regime, its bloodhound’.Hmmm....what's next for the Obama regime...Give Al-Qaida office space in the White House?Read the full story here.

• Bernard Lewis Sounds Alarm on Turkey, Iran.Turkey could be the next Iran. Turkey, once a bulwark against Islamic radicalism with its secular, pro-Western orientation, is changing. The Journal says that Lewis is alarmed by developments there. "In Turkey, the movement is getting more and more toward re-Islamization. The government has that as its intention—and it has been taking over, very skillfully, one part after another of Turkish society. The economy, the business community, the academic community, the media. And now they're taking over the judiciary, which in the past has been the stronghold of the republican regime."

Mutually Assured Destruction won't work with nuclear-armed mullahs. If Iran did get nuclear warheads, don't count on them never using such weapons for fear of an American or Israeli counter-strike. "During the Cold War, both the Soviet Union and the United States had nuclear weapons but both knew that the other was very unlikely to use them. Because of what was known at the time as MAD —mutually assured destruction. MAD meant that each side knew that if it used a nuclear weapon the other would retaliate and both sides would be devastated. And that's why the whole time during the Cold War, even at the worst times, there was not much danger of anyone using a nuclear weapon." Lewis thinks the imams in Iran "are religious fanatics with an apocalyptic mindset. In Islam, as in Christianity and Judaism, there is an end-of-times scenario—and they think it's beginning or has already begun. . . . mutually assured destruction is not a deterrent—it's an inducement."Hmmmmm....I could not agree more!Read the full story here.

• HT:Aina."Uncontrollable" Muslim Violence: The Latest Excuse.By Joseph Klein.Frontpage Magazine.On March 31, 2011, Pakistan’s United Nations ambassador, Abdullah Hussain Haroon, spoke to reporters at UN headquarters on behalf of the 56 member state Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ambassadorial Group, condemning the recent burning of a copy of the Koran by the pastors of a small Baptist Church in Gainesville, Florida. He highlighted the OIC’s "grave concern that the despicable act had severely hurt the feelings of 1.5 billion Muslims around the world” and warned reporters that it could lead to “incidents that are uncontrollable."

The very next day Ambassador Haroon’s warning turned into a tragic, self-fulfilling prophesy. A large mob of demonstrators in Afghanistan, angry at the Koran burning and apparently responding to calls for revenge by three mullahs who had addressed worshipers at Friday prayer in one of Afghanistan’s holiest mosques, stormed a United Nations compound in the northern region of the country and killed a number of innocent people, including at least seven UN staff members – two reportedly by beheading. It was one of the worst attacks on UN personnel in Afghanistan since the war there began in 2001. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told reporters, while in Nairobi, Kenya, that the attack was “outrageous and cowardly.”

Ambassador Haroon chose to turn up the heat on his Western audience and inflate the isolated act of a few extremists in one small church in Florida into a high profile global issue at the United Nations. He said that the international community needed to create the necessary conditions for ending such acts of bigotry and hatred. He also noted that the OIC had raised the Koran burning incident in Washington, D.C., and encouraged the United States Government to keep a close eye on such incidents "towards ensuring the exercise of restraint.” He added that “the present structure” of the OIC’s UN delegation has not yet proposed court action against the church or its pastors but said that could change.

Instead of doing the hard work of addressing his fellow Muslims in the Pakistan-Afghanistan region and urging them to remain calm and peaceful, Ambassador Haroon unwittingly helped to sow the seeds of the violent acts against UN personnel by perpetrating the myth of a unique causal link between the Koran burning and “uncontrollable” reactions in the Muslim world, as if there were no killings of Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, etc. by Muslims for other manufactured reasons for many years before this incident.

Islamists don’t need an excuse to murder those they consider to be ‘infidels’ or ‘non-believers.’ It is in the DNA of Islamic ideology. In fact, Muslims also kill each other, as part of their own sectarian battles. When asked by a UN correspondent about the uptick in Sunni-Shiite violence, Ambassador Haroon said simply that "this is a very important point that should be raised and discussed."

The burning of the Koran by a couple of small time pastors, while certainly a crude and reprehensible act, was not the ultimate cause of the killing by Islamists of UN staff in Afghanistan or Christians praying in a church in Pakistan. Responsible Muslims, such as presumably Ambassador Haroon himself, have failed to lead efforts to reform their own religion and to marginalize the clerics and other Islamists who use the Koran and other Islamic teachings to incite hatred and violence against ‘non-believers.’

I also asked him whether the OIC was prepared to call for the allowance of Christian and Jewish Bibles or the holy texts of other religions in all Muslim countries as well as the building of public places of worship for religions other than Islam, which are prohibited today in Saudi Arabia. And I asked him whether he was prepared to condemn the anti-blasphemy law in Pakistan, which includes a death penalty for criticizing Islam or the Prophet Muhammad – the law under which a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, has been sentenced to death and is currently languishing in jail.

Ambassador Haroon responded that he could only speak for the situation in Pakistan. He said “There are Gideon Bibles in most hotels in Pakistan. They are not burned.”Ambassador Haroon is either ignorant of Bible burnings in Pakistan or is lying. Muslim fundamentalists have burnt Bibles in Pakistan for years before the unfortunate Koran burning in Florida. For example, in 2008 Muslim fundamentalists burned a Bible and other sacred texts in a Pakistani church, leaving a letter threatening Christians that they will “burn in the fire of hell” if they do not convert to Islam.

As bad as religious minorities have fared in Pakistan, at least churches are permitted there. In Saudi Arabia, the headquarters of the Organization of Islamic Conference for which the Pakistani UN ambassador had purported to speak at the UN press conference, the Saudi government burns and desecrates hundreds of Bibles its security forces confiscate after raids on Christian expatriates worshiping privately or at border crossings. No comment was forthcoming from Ambassador Haroon, who limited himself to the situation in Pakistan in responding to my questions.

Ambassador Haroon noted that Pakistan’s anti- blasphemy law had been written originally by the British, only obliquely acknowledging that the death penalty had been added by Pakistan after it gained its independence. Two Pakistani government officials critical of the anti-blasphemy law and its death sentence – one of whom was a Christian – were murdered by Islamic fundamentalists. Ambassador Haroon said that his government was reviewing the anti-blasphemy law, including the death sentence imposed on Asia Bibi, the Christian woman who remains in jail. He said he would not “pre-judge the outcome of the ongoing discussions.”

Ambassador Haroon added that no one in Pakistan had yet received maximum punishment for blasphemy and, he said, many accused of blasphemy had been freed. The problem with his claim, according to Saroop Ijaz, a human rights attorney in Lahore, Pakistan, is that while no one has yet been executed by the government under Pakistan’s anti-blasphemy law, "at least 32 people have been killed while awaiting trial or after they have been acquitted of blasphemy charges." Islamic mob justice does not depend on the outcome of a government trial.Hmmm....“Violence does not build up the kingdom of God, the kingdom of humanity. On the contrary, it is a favorite instrument of the Antichrist, however idealistic its religious motivation may be,” Pope Benedict XVI . Read the full story here.

• Peter King on Holder Ripping Congress For Forcing 9/11 Plotters Into Military Tribunals: “Maybe Eric Holder Wants to Live in a Dictatorship, We Don’t”.The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee suggested that Attorney General Eric Holder should resign after criticizing Congress for interfering with the trial venues for the detainees at Guantánamo.Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) said Tuesday that Holder should resign if he’s so against trying the suspects before a military commission.“Maybe Eric Holder wants to live in a dictatorship, we don’t,” King said in an interview with Fox News. “If he feels so strongly about it [...] and this is such an issue of conscious for him, then Eric Holder should resign. If he feels this strongly he should resign on principle. It would do him good, it would certainly do us good. It would do the country good.”.Holder announced Monday the Justice Department would try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, and other suspects involved in the attacks before a military commission rather than in civilian court.During his announcement Holder blamed Congress for the reversal of Obama administration policy, saying the lawmakers weren’t as informed about the suspects as he is. Additionally, Holder said the policy reversal was a result of Congress blocking a transfer of Guantánamo Bay prisoners to a United States prison.Hmmmm.......Democracy versus dictatorship.Read the full story here.

• Bangladesh - When wives are set on fire for their dowry.At least 249 women were killed in 2010. Out of anger or vengeance, husbands throw kerosene on their wives and set them on fire. The problem is widespread despite the fact that Islamic law, which is in place in Bangladesh, requires would-be husbands to pay a price for their future wives.

Dhaka (AsiaNews) – At least 249 women were killed in 2010 for their dowry, this according to the Bangladesh Society for the Enforcement of Human Rights (BSEHR). Whether out of anger or for vengeance, husbands often beat their wives or set them on fire with kerosene, sometimes with the complicity of their families. In some cases, women are strangled and then hanged to simulate a suicide. The figures are incomplete though because many cases are not reported. In fact, if in 2007, there were 145 recorded cases, dropping to 114 in 2008 and 109 in 2009, the numbers last year showed a marked reversal. At the same time, the BSEHR also reported that last year at least 122 women were tortured.

Under the existing dowry system, a bride’s family must pay her future groom a sum of money. The practice first appeared some 50 years ago. Before that, would-be husbands had to pay instead a ‘bride price’ to the woman’s family in accordance with Islamic law. The change appears to be the result of an imbalance in the country’s demography, as there were more women than men of marriageable age at that time. For example in 1950, the population of women of marriageable age was 10 per cent more than that of eligible men; by 1975, the percentage had risen to 43.However, men do not necessarily demand a dowry before marriage; in some cases, they do it afterwards to assert their authority over their wives when the latter do not obey. Violence can ensue in a number of situations in a society where tradition places the husband in a position of superiority. Not all families are willing or financially capable of paying a dowry for their daughters, a situation that some husbands see as an insult that calls for vengeance.This kind of tragedy occurs in both big cities and small villages, among upper middle classes as well as the poor. A few months ago for instance, a university professor was killed over her dowry.

In 1980, a law banning dowries was adopted. Since then, it has been changed two or three times. Nevertheless, it is in not enforced, partly because of police negligence, partly because of threats from grooms’ families. The law itself is also very vague and provides little guidance for enforcement. This ends up penalising the weakest party, i.e. women.Even so, Bangladesh has signed the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, the 30-article United Nations treaty that defines discrimination against women and sets out ways to fight it. However, Bangladesh has not accepted Article 16, which requires measures to eliminate discrimination against women in matters relating to marriage and family, because it contradicts Islamic law. Religious institutions have a key role to play in all this. Unfortunately, it is well known that mosque leaders are not concerned by the practice even if it is contrary to the Qur‘an.There are some exceptions. Every year, a Muslim spiritual group organises a mass gathering that draws millions of people. During the event, hundreds of couples get married, publicly announcing their intention to renounce the dowry and wed in accordance to Islamic principles.This shows that at least one group is aware of the dire consequences of a problem too often ignored by most mosque leaders. More generally, conservative Muslims religious leaders have opposed changes to the law itself. Hmmm......."Welcome to A.D. 620?Read the full story here.

• RUSSIA - Moscow Patriarchate calls on the faithful to hang the crucifix in schools and offices. Moscow (AsiaNews) – Fresh controversy has broken out in Russia between the Orthodox Church and human rights organizations. The head of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for Relations between the Church and society, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, has appealed to the community of believers to be more courageous in showing their faith. "We should have no qualms about making the sign of the cross wherever we like, or hanging an image of the crucifix, where we live and work," the priest wrote in an article published in the April issue of the Orthodox journal Sovereign Rus'. The idea of the crucifix in the workplace or in schools has angered human rights activists. "The problem in our society is not the number of crucifixes on the walls, but immorality," Lev Ponomarev, a noted leader of a human rights movement, told Interfax. "Concern yourselves more with prayers and sermons - he continued, addressing Chaplin – and not with pushing for official displays of Orthodox attributes”. He stressed that in Russia, church and state are separate and attacked the Patriarchate’s interference in civil society. "I think that religious symbols have no place in public offices, schools or in institutions - added Ponomarev – for example, if they were hung in schools, what would the many Muslims say? Would they start asking to hang the crescent? And why is it needed? All this will only contribute to dividing society. " Ponomarev has, however, admitted that if some people work in offices that are considered Orthodox, nobody has the right to prevent them from hanging a cross. " Bolstered by the decision of the European Court of Human Rights that has found display of crucifixes in classrooms not in violation of human rights, Chaplin continues to launch high-impact hypothesis on a society that is still recovering from 70 years of state atheism. In the case against Italy raised by a citizen of Finnish origin Sole Lautsi, the Moscow Patriarchate has always openly supported Italy.Hmmm.....The Russian Church survived Communisme it will survive the other plagues also!Read the full story here. 

• Mystery scars on Obama's head prompt another question from conspiracy theorists - has the President had brain surgery?He has been plagued with questions and doubts concerning his background throughout his first term as president.Questions like - is Barack Obama actually American? Is he a Muslim? Is he actually an alien from another planet? - have frequently been asked.The next question circulating on the internet - has President Obama had brain surgery?Internet blog sites, conspiracy theorists and forums are awash with rumours as to what those mystery scars on the president's head are from. In pictures, Obama appears to have a long scar which goes up the side of his head and over his crown.Some conspiracy theorists claim they are scars that you would see on someone who has had brain surgery.But without medical records (along with his school records and birth certificate) no one seems to be able to provide an answer as to cause of the mystery scars.Ben Hart, a blogger for Escape the Tyranny said: 'Obama's almost done with his first term, and we still know almost nothing about the background of the President of the United States. 'Whatever happened to create that scar, it was clearly something serious. Was it a brain operation? Has it affected his thinking?'No one is allowed to see his birth certificate. He is just one big mystery man, which adds intrigue to what that huge scar is all about.He also said that surgery might explain why the President gets lost speaking without a Teleprompter, and posted a video of Obama struggling through a speech, repeating his words and getting lost mid-sentence.Added to that are the fact his medical records have also been sealed.A spokeswoman from the White House said they were not willing to comment on such claims, saying they were 'ridiculous'.Countless neurosurgeons said it is 'not their place' to comment on whether or not distinctive scars on the President's head are as a result of brain surgery.Others offered explanations such as a bad haircut or even a birthmark though many did agree that the scars are similar to those a produced after major brain surgery.Without medical records or an admission from the White House, the public may never know the answer to the question, along with the contents of his birth certificate.Hmmmm.....Conjoined twins ?So did we get stuck with the 'evil' one?Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Video : Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Warns the US and Its Allies Not to Intervene Militarily in the Region: "Iran and the Other Countries Will Strike You with an Iron Fist" and "Will Dig Graves for Your Soldiers"Read and see the full story here.

• HT:FreedomMessenger.Iran secretly buries mutilated bodies of five executed political prisoners in desert.This report has come to us from Iran. Some of it has been omitted to keep the identity of the sender secret.This report was received at 4 am on Monday March 21.[Pictured on the right: Confidential letter to the Prosecutor General by a Shobeiri and Ahmad Vahid announcing their agreement with the execution of five political prisoners charged with espionage for Israel. The above mentioned officials request that these executions be secretly carried out stating that because they include a Christian, Jewish and Baha’i, the execution should be organized in a way to prevent media attention and suggest that they be hanged in the New Year holidayese executions be secretly carried out stating that because they include a Christian, Jewish and Baha’i, the execution should be organized in a way to prevent media attention and suggest that they be hanged in the New Year holiday.]Five people were hanged on charges of espionage for Israel and acting against national security. Two of these people had cards with old pictures from the 80’s. They were a husband and wife. The woman did not have a left ear as if it was completely cut off in the past. Their tongues were also cut off halfway in a way that they were unable to speak. A woman and two other men were also executed but did not have pictures on their cards. Their bodies were full of wounds and bruises. They (security forces) had brought their dossiers with them and buried these five people in the desert region in the Qom road. Hmmmm.....That should give them an extra seat at the UN human rights commission for women?Read the full story here.

• HT:RightSideNews.Israel’s Samson Option.If, while watching the disturbing events in the Middle East, you are not focusing your attention on Israel – then you are looking in the wrong place.Once, a very long time ago, I heard someone refer to Israel as the “world’s canary in the coal mine.” That is as apt a description of modern Israel as I have ever heard.As I watch events in the Muslim countries surrounding Israel deteriorate it looks, for all the world, as if we are racing toward Armageddon. The great armies, just now dipping their toes into the deepening unrest in that region, are unaware that they are playing out a story line written thousands of years ago.Those of us who have read that storyline know how the story ends and, too, we are aware of the events leading up to the true “Mother of all Battles.”

For the first time in its history, America is on the wrong side.Our President with his loyalty to the world and not to the country that trusted him with the sacred duty to be leader of America and Commander-in-Chief of the mightiest military force in all of history has gone over to the “Dark Side.” He has turned his back on the one nation, which occupies the most important piece of real estate on the globe. He has made it clear he favors the countries, which consider themselves Israel ’s most ardent enemies.Israel knows they, now, stand alone. Just this past weekend, Israel deployed their homegrown antimissile defense system “Iron Dome.” Another anti-missile defense system, a shorter-range system as we understand it, is in the pipeline and scheduled for deployment soon. Israel is getting ready for the coming conflagration when all the Muslim anger, boiling in the crucible of that region, boils over and pours onto their tiny country.Without America standing wit Israel , Israel stands a better than 50-50 chance of being over run and wiped out as a country. The Israelis have planned for that. The pan is referred to as: “The Samson Option.”The “Samson Option” is Israel ’s strategy of massive nuclear retaliation against “enemies” should its existence as a Jewish state be jeopardized through military attack. The term was inspired by the Biblical figure Samson, who destroyed a Philistine temple, killing himself, and thousands of Philistine enemies. The Samson option is a strategy of last resort retaliation - even if it means Israel ’s own annihilation.It has been estimated by so-called experts that Israel has at least 400 thermo-nuclear weapons. They can be launched from land, sea, and air. This means that Israel has a second strike option -- even if much of the country is destroyed.Hmmmm......And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it….Zech. 12:3.Read the full story here.

• HT:SheikJermani.From Ivory Coast to Ethiopia: Muslims are Making Slaughter in the Land.Thousands of refugees from the Ivory Coast in Liberia are reporting that the the pro-Quattara Muslim rebels are killing people and raping women. They are killing “everyone and anyone.” There are even rumors of cannibalism.Warning extremely graphic images!Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Iraqi Christians Demand An Autonomous Region, Yazidi Minority Objects.Iraqi Christians population is around 400,000 to 600,000, down from a 2003 prewar level of 1.4 million.Iraqi MPs representing Christians are demanding the formation of an autonomous area in the country’s northern province of Mosul.Iraqi lawmakers welcomed their demands, and said that an autonomous Christian region should be based upon "new administrative grounds that could be supported by external parties hosting Christian refugees."Iraqi MPs representing their Christian constituency see the demand as reasonable, after the continuous marginalization of their community who have been caught between Shiite-Sunni crossfire since the U.S. toppled Iraqi president Saddam Hussein in 2003. However, representatives of other minorities, mainly the Yazidis, rejected the demands, saying that the Christian component is a minority in these regions and therefore not eligible to form an autonomous presence.Yazidis are Kurdish-speaking people whose religion traces back to the ancient Indo-Iranian roots with a mixture from the Islamic Sufi doctrine. Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Iranian, Turkish Artillery Shells Iraqi Kurdistan.Iranian artillery yesterday shelled for hours the border area of Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan Regional Government. There were no casualties, but no estimate was made of the material damage. A member of al-Iraqiya declared that Iran plans to fill the vacuum that will be created upon the departure of the U.S. military from Iraq at the end of the calendar year.Similarly, Turkish artillery shelled villages in the Kurdish province of Duhouk. The Turkish military has been shelling the area periodically because of suspicions that it harbors elements of the outlawed Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), which Turkey considers a terrorist organization.Hmmm...Turkey the so called 'NATO" ally working together with Iran.Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri."The Axes of Evil"becoming visible?Iranian, Turkish FMs: Withdraw Foreign Troops From Bahrain.Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu have called for the withdrawal of foreign [i.e. Saudi] troops from Bahrain, and for an immediate advancement of a peaceful solution to the crisis there. Sheikh Ali Salman, leader of the Bahraini opposition group Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, called on Saudi Arabia to withdraw its troops from the country, and called for a dialogue that would lead to the establishment of an elected government.Hmmmm.....Seems like the Saudi King has to deal with more then one 'snake'.Get Turkey out of NATO before they nuke us with our own weapons!Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Saudi Religious Police Undergo Training To Combat Black Magic.A total of 30 officials of Saudi Arabia's Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, i.e. the religious police,have been trained on how to deal with cases of black magic.The three-day training program was held in the Eastern Province city of Al-Ahsa, Arab News reported.The commission has achieved remarkable success in combating black magic in various parts of the country. It has set up nine specialized centers in the main cities to deal with black magicians.The majority of people arrested for practicing black magic in the Kingdom are Africans and Indonesians.Hmmm....Dealing with Djinies will be taught in the next semester?Read the full story here.