Happy Easter.
- Live broadcast info from Japan directly ! Here.
- Libya Live Blog - April 24. Here .(Al-Jazeera).
- Syria Live Blog - April 24. Here (Al-Jazeera).
- Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world low seismic activity in Japan today between 4.5 and 4.7! More info here.
- Japan - Latest official Situation Update No. 97.On 24.04.2011 at 13:07 GMT+2
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) expects to complete work to clean up radioactive debris at Japan's quake-hit Fukushima nuclear plant by July, the Japanese TV channel NHK reported on Sunday, referring to TEPCO. TEPCO has created a map of radiation levels as part of its removal of radioactive debris at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the TV channel said. According to TEPCO, highly radioactive debris is lying in some areas of the compound. Radioactivity of 900 millisieverts per hour was detected on a concrete fragment near the third reactor on Wednesday, the TV channel said. The company has said, however, that it hasn't decided yet on places and methods of disposing of removed debris. The 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent 15-meter tsunami on March 11 triggered a crisis at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which is being rated at the same level as the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Fukushima's operator has since been struggling to stop radioactive leaks from the plant's crippled reactors. Almost 80,000 people living within the evacuation zone were forced to flee their homes.Source : Here .
- Japan : For the most accurate info on the nuclear disaster go to : Paul Langley's Nuclear History Blog
- One Jewish worshipper killed, 5 wounded from Palestinian 'policemen' gunfire At Joseph's Tomb in Nablus.Group of 15 hit with gunfire from Palestinian security forces as they leave Joseph's Tomb prayer; Nablus governor says attack was a "security incident, not terror" since group entered city without prior coordination.One Israeli worshiper was killed and five were wounded in Nablus early Sunday morning after their vehicle was shot at by Palestinian security forces as they were exiting the city from prayer services held at Joseph's Tomb.According to Nablus Governor Jabril al Bahri, the shooting attack was a "security incident" and not a terror attack. Bahri said the group of Breslev hassidim raised suspicions since they entered the city without prior coordination with the proper authorities. At first shots were fired in the air as a warning and then at the vehicle, he said. Bahri said the incident was being investigated and refused to say if the shooters were Palestinian Authority police.According to initial investigations, the Israelis were traveling in the area without coordinating their visit to Joseph's Tomb and were reportedly shot at by Palestinian police.Three vehicles with 15 Breslev hasidim entered the city in the early morning hours for prayer services. On the way back, around 6 a.m. they encountered a surprise checkpoint and were met with a hail of gunfire from a Palestinian jeep. The fire continued even after the vehicles turned back in an attempt to escape. Two of the three vehicles were hit.The worshipers were able to evacuate themselves to the IDF Samaria district brigade base and the Har Bracha settlement which were near by and received initial emergency medical care.The death of a 30-year-old male was pronounced at the scene. A 20-year-old man was injured in serious condition, suffering of an abdominal wound. He was airlifted to Bellinson Hospital in Petah Tikva where he underwent surgery. A 17-year-old youth was evacuated by a Magen David Adom Yarkon crew in moderate condition, suffering a wound to his shoulder. Another youth was injured and evacuated for medical treatment after he was questioned by authorities. Another two were in light condition and were treated on scene.When asked about the possibility that Palestinian Police shot at the car, Gershon Mesika, head of the Samaria regional council, told Army Radio that Breslov hassids attempt to illegally enter Joseph's Tomb almost every month. He added that Palestinian Police are familiar with the regular occurrence, and would have no reason to shoot at visitors.In February, Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein (Likud) called on Defense Minister Ehud Barak to increase access to Joseph’s Tomb, located on the southern edge of Nablus, which has a waiting list of thousands of Jews wanting to make the pilgrimage.At present, access to the tomb is limited to one nightly trip a month.Hmmmm....."Apartheid" techniques?Read the full story here.
- HT:IsraelMatzav.An even more disturbing account of the Joseph's tomb murder.One of the Breslovers who was in the second car in the convoy and was lightly wounded told Ynet: "We arrived at the tomb like on many occasions in the past. Near the tomb we saw a spikes chain. One of the guys jumped out of the car and moved it aside."At this point a uniformed Palestinian police officer with a Kalashnikov in a jeep woke his colleagues up and they started firing into the air…I was in the front seat. We started driving fast in the direction of the tomb; we got out of the vehicles and kissed the tomb."When we got back to the vehicles the police shot at the vehicles, they were screaming 'Allahu Akbar'. It was crazy, they were shooting to kill. I screamed at the driver to drive out of there quickly. When we got to Har Bracha we attended to the wounded.".Read the full story here.
- HT:JosuahPundit.Jewish Holy Site Joseph's tomb again Desecrated By Palestinian ' Übermenschen'. This year, hundreds of Jewish worshipers who arrived at Joseph's Tomb were shocked to find the Holy Site severely vandalized – again.When the group of 500 worshipers entered the tomb, they found it had been defaced – the headstone smashed and swastikas sprayed on the walls, graffiti of a blood-dripping sword over a Star of David, and visible boot prints all over the tomb itself.As you may know, anything to do with the bottom of one's shoe - like a boot print - is a deadly insult in Arab culture. The prints are identical with the 'Palestinian' police standard issue boots.Read and SEE the full story here.
- Rightists threaten vengeance over Nablus shooting.(Ynet)Shortly prior to funeral of Ben-Yosef Livnat, killed in Joseph's Tomb shooting presumably by Palestinian policemen, settlers embark on price tag retaliation following Palestinian agitation.Shortly prior to the funeral of Nablus shooting victim Ben-Yosef Livnat, who was killed Sunday morning in a shooting at Joseph's Tomb, presumably by Palestinian policemen, settlers embarked on a price tag retaliation, stoning a Palestinian car. A Palestinian child was reportedly hurt. In retaliation to that, Palestinians stoned Israeli cars, injuring an Israeli youth. Two homes and two cars were reportedly set on fire in the village of Hawara, on the funeral procession route.Meanwhile, the Hawara-Yitzhar Junction in the West Bank was blocked after violent clashes broke out between mourners and Palestinian residents. Large numbers of IDF and police forces used tear gas in their attempts to disperse the rioters.Right wing elements have declared that the latest price tag activities were "only the beginning" and that the settlers intend to continue taking vengeance over the Sunday morning killing. Palestinian sources told Ynet that a group of masked men started throwing rocks at two locations: The first, dozens of meters from the Hawara junction and the other at the entrance to the village of Burin south of Hebron.Read the full story here.
- Syrian protesters 'cut down like weeds'.Every other journalist is trying to get into Syria, but on Saturday I was trying to get out. The government had made it perfectly clear: My visa was expiring and unless I left on April 23, I would "face the full force of the law".I had agreed the night before with my cameraman, Ben Mitchell, over a drink that neither of us wanted to discover what "full force of the law" meant. So the debate was really whether I should fly out from Damascus or drive to Amman, Jordan, and fly from there.The decision was made that he would fly out from Damascus, the Syrian capital, with the gear and I would drive to Amman. I had left my second passport there with a friend. One for Arab countries and the other for Israel. Welcome to 21st century diplomatic relations.I decided to wait until after noon prayers before setting out south to the border. If the roads were going to be blocked with various pieces of burning detritus, as they had the day before, I wanted to know first. It's about 125km from Damascus to the Jordanian border - a drive that should only take an hour or so, especially with the way Syrian drivers tend to step on the gas.I was in a really bad mood on this particular morning as I was by default being expelled from the country. I said very little to the driver as we set out, which is unusual for me. I've been grilled in the old school style of journalism: I can still hear the voice of one of my mentors saying "eyes and ears Mr Perry ... eyes and ears".The only two questions I asked my driver as we left Damascus were his name, and where he was from. "Abdel … from Daraa," he told me."Beautiful city," I responded.Read the full story here.
- Children being sexually Molested in Lybia?A disturbing report released by a British aid organization puts the spotlight on children being subjected to sexual assault during the conflict between pro and anti Muammar Qaddafi forces. Save the Children reported that it interviewed nearly 300 children, some as young as eight, in six relief camps in Benghazi and heard stories of rape and murder “committed within the last four weeks in Ras Lanuf, Ajdabyia and Misrata,” the organization said.Michael Mahrt, who conducted the survey, said children spoke of “soldiers” committing the crimes but could not ascertain which side they represented. Mr. Mahrt quoted one instance in which mothers who had fled the fighting reported on four or five teenage girls in Ajdabyia who were kidnapped and raped for four days. An eight-year-old girl was reportedly assaulted in front of her siblings, also in Ajdabyia. While the reports were unconfirmed, Mr. Mahrt said they “were consistent.”“The stories are similar that we get across these camps. I am completely confident that this happened,” he told Reuters.Children also reported watching their fathers being murdered and mothers being raped before being beaten themselves. Mr. Mahrt also said, “Some children were displaying signs of physical and emotional distress: being withdrawn, refusing to play and waking up crying in the night.”The charity has called on “the international community to ensure that all parties respect children's right to be protected from violence and abuse.”Save the Children has said it is increasing “its child protection work in Benghazi, training social workers to provide youngsters with psycho-social support.”Hmmmm......."children being subjected to sexual assault during the conflict between pro and anti Muammar Qaddafi forces."Read the full story here.
- Al-taqiyya a.k.a. The art of lying !Keith Ellison:'Turkey best example of how Islam, democracy can coexist’.Keith Ellison, the first Muslim member of the US Congress, has said Turkey is the most important country in the region and the best example of how Islam and democracy can coexist. Ellison, visiting Turkey upon the invitation of the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON), had talks with Turkish officials, including Finance Minister Ali Babacan, in Ankara. The congressman told Today’s Zaman in an interview that it is very important for Turkey to undertake humanitarian aid mission in this region, while praising Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s initiatives with respect to the unrest and chaos in the Mideast and North Africa. Ellison pointed to the historical link between the US and Turkey and said the ties will continue to grow closer in the future, too.Historical link?....... Is he talking WWI Galipolli when the Turks were Shooting at the Allies?Turkey is also the Number One violator of theHuman Rights and the country with more then 50 journalists in Jail or and awaiting a trial.Indeed "Democracy and human rights don't thrive in a Sharia environment"Just ask Terry jones. Read the full
fairytalestory here.
- I Told you over and over again "You will obey"!Obama: Gas Price Solution Lies in Renewable Energy Sources.President Barack Obama says one answer to high gasoline prices is to spend money developing renewable energy sources.“That’s the key to helping families at the pump and reducing our dependence on foreign oil” in the long term, he said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address.Obama raises the issue of rising fuel prices during almost every public appearance and says that he understands the strain higher fuel costs are putting on some family budgets.He announced Thursday during an event in Reno, Nev., that the Justice Department will begin looking for cases of fraud or manipulation in the oil markets, even though Attorney General Eric Holder suggested a variety of legal reasons may be behind the surging gas prices.As he has before, Obama said Saturday there is no “silver bullet” that will slash gas prices immediately. But he said there are things government can do to help make a difference in the long term. They also include boosting U.S. oil production, rooting out any illegal activity by traders and speculators and ending $4 billion in annual taxpayer subsidies to oil and gas companies.“Instead of subsidizing yesterday’s energy sources, we need to invest in tomorrow’s,” Obama said.Hmmmm....."Ending $4 billion in annual taxpayer subsidies to oil and gas companies.“That will lower prices for sure!I thought i saw a new energy source?Read the full story here.
- Obama Fundraising May Have Violated RICO.(IsraPundit).AFL-CIO Attorney: “It is legally impossible to conduct a nationwide raffle”by Bill Levinson.
We recently sent a complaint to the Federal Election Commission with regard to the “Dinner with Barack” fundraising promotions of 2007 and 2008. The Center for Competitive Politics quoted AFSCME (part of AFL-CIO) associate general counsel Jessica Robinson on the use of raffles to raise money for political campaigns.
Ms. Robinson says unequivocally that it is impossible to legally conduct a nationwide raffle and furthermore that doing so violates the Federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) statute. Racketeering includes systematic violations of any state’s gambling laws.. This means there is excellent cause to remove Barack Obama from office without an extensive foray into the Twilight Zone to find his birth certificate. If Obama for America broke the law by running an illegal Internet gambling operation, and Minnesota law enforcement is on record as saying that it did, that is cause for impeachment. Here is what Ms. Robinson has to say in her own words:
California (which does not permit the use of raffles for political fundraising) prohibits the use of the internet for raffle advertisements. Hawaii (and perhaps one other jurisdiction – Kansas, maybe?) strictly prohibits the use of lotteries for any purpose.
It is legally impossible to conduct a nationwide raffle, whether the funds are being used for political purposes or not. This, of course, is of great importance, because running an interstate gambling operation that does not comply with the laws in each state in which it is being conducted subjects you to both criminal and civil penalties under the Federal RICO statute.The trick that keeps you out jail is to offer an ‘alternative method of entry’ that does not require payment of consideration. The alternative method of entry was indeed implemented in mid-2008, but only after Minnesota law enforcement called the Obama campaign on the carpet.Doug Forsman, a special agent with Minnesota’s Department of Public Safety, had confirmed the illegality of the promotion.He gave the campaign two options, the newspaper said, to void the contest where such bans exist or to change the rules to allow people to participate without gambling any of their money.
Forsman confirmed Kendall Burman, staff counsel at Obama’s Chicago headquarters, informed him the “donation,” which had been a requirement earlier, would be made optional.Prior to this less than voluntary modification of “Dinner with Barack” and “Backstage with Barack,” the Obama campaign sent out numerous E-mails (i.e. used the Internet to promote a raffle) and posted Web pages and YouTube videos that contain explicitly the three elements of a lottery:
(1) Required payment of consideration, a donation of $5 or more.
(2) Element of chance
(3) A prize (expenses-paid trip to have dinner with Obama)
While writing on unrelated matters, the Associate General Counsel of AFSCME stated very explicitly that it is impossible to run an interstate raffle while remaining within the law, and that “running an interstate gambling operation that does not comply with the laws in each state in which it is being conducted subjects you to both criminal and civil penalties under the Federal RICO statute.” “Dinner with Barack” violated the laws of at least one state (Minnesota) as stated explicitly by that state’s law enforcement agency and almost certainly violated the laws of others as shown above. The word IMPEACH therefore comes immediately to mind; we cannot have one U.S. Code for small-time Internet gambling operators like Patrick Patte of Wilkes-Barre and another U.S. Code for the President of the United States.Hmmmm......Democracy or Dictatorship?Read the full story here.
- Obama regime expecting and preparing for a very large number of new 'inmates'?Government Orders Expedited Printing of 350,000 Detainee Handbooks.The US Government Printing Office – Chicago Procurement has posted a contract open for bidding for some 350,000 copies of the National Detainee Handbook.Per Jacket Number 735-412/413, the GPO requests 221,367 copies of the handbook in Spanish and 129,567 in English. The GPO requests expedited delivery of the prints, requesting a delivery date of April 29, 2011, less than two weeks from today.The original Jacket Number 735-412/413 is no longer available at the GPO web site, but a cached version can be accessed here.US Immigration and Customs Enforcement currently shows a ‘404 page not found error‘ for the page on ICE’s web site where the handbook was originally stored. You can view the National Detainee Handbook (Dated 2007) via Scribd.According to a 2008 detention standard guide from ICE, the handbook is to be provided to all individuals detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It is not clear whether the guidelines in the handbook apply just for immigration related detentions.According to ICE the purpose of the handbook is to provide detainees with an overview of the general rules, regulations, policies, and procedures that ICE is required while detaining someone:This Detention Standard requires that, upon admission, every detainee be provided comprehensive written orientation materials that describe such matters as the facility’s rules and sanctions, disciplinary system, mail and visiting procedures, grievance system, services, programs, and medical care, in English, Spanish, and other languages and that detainees acknowledge receipt of those materials.It applies to the following types of facilities housing DRO detainees:
Service Processing Centers (SPCs);
Contract Detention Facilities (CDFs); and
State or local government facilities used by DRO through Intergovernmental Service Agreements (IGSAs) to hold detainees for more than 72 hours.No information on why the Printing Office has requested expedient printing and delivery of the books has been made available.Hmmmm....My guess is as good as yours.Read the full story here.
- West Bank conference: possibility for a third Intifada in Sept.(YNet).Young Palestinians encouraged by events in Egypt, West Bank leader says.In the absence of a diplomatic breakthrough, a Palestinian uprising may break out in September, a popular leader in the West Bank predicted Saturday. Speaking at the 6th Annual Bil'in Conference on the Palestinian Popular Struggle, Mohammad Khatib said that while the Palestinian Authority does not wish to see an Intifada, some Palestinians are interested in an uprising against Israel. "I think the next months are the most critical," said Khatib, who is among the leaders of the anti-security fence campaign in the village of Bil'in. "If we see no significant developments, an Intifada will break out"."Our objective is to enlist international support for our struggle in Bil'in, and for the Palestinian struggle in general," Khatib said. "This is our way to engage in PR efforts and spread our story through the world." Despite a Facebook campaign calling for a new Intifada to be launched in May, Khatib estimated that if an uprising indeed breaks out it will likely get underway in September. Young Palestinians are the ones pulling in that direction, he said. "They see what happened in Egypt and this gives them a backwind, yet the Palestinian Authority is attempting to prevent it in all sorts of ways," he said. One approach is the PA's decisive, open objection to an Intifada, with Palestinian officials focusing on a diplomatic campaign. Last week, PA leader Mahmoud Abbas declared that the second Intifada was "disastrous" for the Palestinians and added that he will not tolerate a "third armed uprising." Speaking at the conference, Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti received great applause after declaring that "our situation will not change without a popular uprising." When asked to translate his words to English, Barghouti made clear he was referring to a non-violent uprising; however, the young Palestinians at the event apparently did not notice this nuance.Meanwhile, a Fatah source told Ynet that the group maintains full control of the West Bank, stressing that the situation there is different than in Egypt."A decision about an Intifada must be taken from above," he said, adding that such uprising will not happen should officials not order it. "Even if we assume that riots will start following the Facebook group's call, they will end in a day or two."However, some Palestinians believe that a third Intifada is the only option. Senior Islamic Jihad member in Gaza Khaled Batash responded to Abbas' comments by saying that only the Palestinian people will determine whether an uprising takes place. "He made a grave mistake and offered a promise he won't be able to deliver on," Batash said. "Only the Palestinian people will make the decision."Hmmm......"Que sera,sera?"Read the full story here.
- Iran's "Trojan" war.Islamic republic's Culture Ministry wants end to 'immoral, sexual and crude' advertisements. (Ynet).Iran's Ministry of Culture ordered pharmacies in the Islamic republic to remove "immoral, sexual and crude" advertisements for products such as condoms and erectile dysfunction medicine.Iran's Ministry of Culture ordered pharmacies in the Islamic republic to remove "immoral, sexual and crude" advertisements for products such as condoms and erectile dysfunction medicine. A letter sent earlier this week by a senior ministry official to the Health Ministry warned that pharmacies that will continue to display such ads will be shut down. Ali Raza Karimi, the advertising department director at Iran's Ministry of Culture, said that pharmacies often feature ads with sexual connotations. Karimi also charged that the way hair and beauty products are being advertized is immoral and illegal. The Culture Ministry official also slammed what he referred to as the "vulgar" packaging of some of the products in question. In an interview with Iranian news agency Fars, Karimi warned that the Health Ministry must address the phenomenon or else the matter will be handed over to the police and justice system. Iran's Culture Ministry is in charge of censoring books, films, music and advertisements, among other things. A letter sent earlier this week by a senior ministry official to the Health Ministry warned that pharmacies that will continue to display such ads will be shut down.Ali Raza Karimi, the advertising department director at Iran's Ministry of Culture, said that pharmacies often feature ads with sexual connotations. Karimi also charged that the way hair and beauty products are being advertized is immoral and illegal. A pharmacy manager in Tehran, who chose to remain anonymous, told the Radio Farda website that pharmacies do not display immoral advertisements, but rather, sell products that pertain to sex and intimate hygiene as part of the services they provide."We offer products such as contraceptives and medicine to boost the libido," he said. "The ads were produced in order to educate the customers, rather than to be hurtful." The Culture Ministry official also slammed what he referred to as the "vulgar" packaging of some of the products in question.In an interview with Iranian news agency Fars, Karimi warned that the Health Ministry must address the phenomenon or else the matter will be handed over to the police and justice system.Iran's Culture Ministry is in charge of censoring books, films, music and advertisements, among other things.Hmmmm......Are condoms ads Halal?Read the full story here.
- Saudi Arabia - Imam held for Blackmailing girl in to sex.(Emirates247).Saudi Arabia’s feared Islamic police arrested an Arab mosque Imam (chief) for trying to blackmail a school girl to force her to sleep with him, a newspaper in the Gulf kingdom reported on Saturday.Members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice seized the Imam, who also works as a driver of a school bus in the northern Saudi town of Qurayat, the Arabic language daily 'Al Riyadh' said.“They found obscene pictures in his mobile and text messages addressed to that girl threatening to publicise her photographs online unless she sleeps with him.The paper said the unnamed girl had informed the Commission about the Imam, who also threatened to send the pictures to her family.Source .
