MFS - The Other News

                          Morning Posting.

• Egypt volatile situation - Al Jazeera English - Live Streams From Egypt ! Here .
• Egypt protests on Twitter!  here.
• Liveblog - Egypt's protests erupt. here.

• Al Qa'ida group calls for jihad in Egypt.AL-QA'IDA front group The Islamic State of Iraq has called on Egyptian protesters to wage jihad and push for the establishment of a government based on Islamic law. The statement, which appears to be the first reaction of any group affiliated with Al-Qa'ida to the ongoing protests in Egypt, was issued on jihadist forums on February 8, the US-based SITE monitoring service said.The message, addressed to the protesters, says that the "market of jihad" has opened in Egypt and "the doors of martyrdom have opened," and every able-bodied man must participate.The group urged Egyptians to ignore the "ignorant deceiving ways" of secularism, democracy, and "rotten pagan nationalism.""Your jihad," the message said, is in support of Islam, the weak and oppressed in Egypt, for "your people" in Gaza and Iraq, and "for every Muslim who was touched by the oppression of the tyrant of Egypt and his masters in Washington and Tel Aviv," read a translation of the text provided by the SITE Intelligence Group.Hmmmm....."Change".Read the full story here.

• World tallest man looking for other half. Sultan Kösen from Turkey’s Mardin province, who currently holds the Guinness World Record for tallest man in the world, said he would like to get married and start a family, speaking to journalists from his hospital bed on Wednesday. Kösen is being treated for acromegaly, a disorder caused by too much growth hormone in the body. Kösem said he wanted to get healthy first and then lead a normal life. He said he wanted to start a family but would need to find a job first to be able to provide for his family. “I need a job first and then I can get married and have children. Aren’t such things also my right?” he asked.“I have the biggest hands in the world. These hands have the capacity to do everything. My hands are 29 centimeters long. My feet are 40 centimeters long, my shoe size is 60.”He said he would like to marry someone preferably from the same culture, language and religion as himself.Kösen first contacted Medicana International Ankara Hospital on Dec. 16, and was admitted for long-term treatment three days later. The hospital has provided a special-sized bed for the 2.47-meter tall, 147 kilogram man and is covering his treatment expenses.Read the full story here.

• HT:PajamasMedia.Democracy or Jew-Hatred? More Evidence of Anti-Semitism at the Egypt Protests.There is massive evidence to be found in the Western media of anti-Semitism and “anti-Zionism” at the Egypt protests. But images in the flickr streams of amateur local photographers are even more shocking and unambiguous.In response to my PJM article documenting anti-Semitic imagery at the Egyptian protests, I’ve received several comments — both in public and in private — suggesting that, nevertheless, anti-Semitic and/or “anti-Zionist” sentiment among the protestors has played only a marginal role. The assurances to this effect are typically based on the first-hand accounts of Western observers or English-speaking participants with Western contacts. These accounts are supposed somehow to trump the clear pictorial evidence to the contrary.The appearance of anti-Semitic and/or “anti-Zionist” motifs in the photos and videos of the protests is, however, simply too widespread and systematic for such assurances to reassure. Such images are to be found in video and photographic material from virtually every major Western news organization present in Egypt. This fact is all the more significant when one considers that the reports published or broadcast by these very same news organizations have as a rule outright ignored any anti-Semitic or anti-Israeli sentiment among the protestors. Indeed, as will be seen below, even more outrageous images figure prominently in the flickr streams of amateur local photographers.Herewith further evidence.Read and see the full story here.

• Turkish PM warns Israel not to mess with a Muslim state.'Erdogan: Israel must not intervene in Egypt's matters'.Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that "Israel must under no circumstance interfere" in what is happening in Egypt, Turkish daily Huriyyet reported.Speaking to a group of reporters at the opening of a "friendship bridge" between Turkey and Syria, Erdogan said he had made this point to US President Barack Obama and Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, adding that they should intervene to stop Israel should it be "inclined to meddle in Egypt in a last-ditch effort to try and turn the tide against the anti-Mubarak demonstrators," Huriyyet reported.The Turkish paper analyzed Erdogan's statement, saying that it indicates that Israel and Greece "are likely to cozy up to each other in an effort to give the appearance that they are standing together against Turkey."Also on Tuesday, Egypt sent an official letter of protest to Turkey on Tuesday about Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's comments on the protests in Egypt.Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit wrote to his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu that Egypt reject's Erdogan's call for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to resign.The letter explained that Egypt sees these words as intervention in internal matters and incitement.Gheit also called on Turkey not to publish more statements that can harm the relations between the two countries.Read the full story here.

• WikiLeaks cables: Saudi Arabia cannot pump enough oil to keep a lid on prices.US diplomat convinced by Saudi expert that reserves of world's biggest oil exporter have been overstated by nearly 40%.The US fears that Saudi Arabia, the world's largest crude oil exporter, may not have enough reserves to prevent oil prices escalating, confidential cables from its embassy in Riyadh show.The cables, released by WikiLeaks, urge Washington to take seriously a warning from a senior Saudi government oil executive that the kingdom's crude oil reserves may have been overstated by as much as 300bn barrels – nearly 40%.The revelation comes as the oil price has soared in recent weeks to more than $100 a barrel on global demand and tensions in the Middle East. Many analysts expect that the Saudis and their Opec cartel partners would pump more oil if rising prices threatened to choke off demand.However, Sadad al-Husseini, a geologist and former head of exploration at the Saudi oil monopoly Aramco, met the US consul general in Riyadh in November 2007 and told the US diplomat that Aramco's 12.5m barrel-a-day capacity needed to keep a lid on prices could not be reached.According to the cables, which date between 2007-09, Husseini said Saudi Arabia might reach an output of 12m barrels a day in 10 years but before then – possibly as early as 2012 – global oil production would have hit its highest point. This crunch point is known as "peak oil".In the last two years, other senior energy analysts have backed Husseini. Fatih Birol, chief economist to the International Energy Agency, told the Guardian last year that conventional crude output could plateau in 2020, a development that was "not good news" for a world still heavily dependent on petroleum.Jeremy Leggett, convenor of the UK Industry Taskforce on Peak Oil and Energy Security, said: "We are asleep at the wheel here: choosing to ignore a threat to the global economy that is quite as bad as the credit crunch, quite possibly worse."Hmmmmm........We have heard about Peak oil before ,meanwhile it comes at a convenient time to push the electric car agenda?Read the full story here.More here and here .

• HT:Newsbusters.Chris Matthews Calls Palin 'A Cuckoo Clock' and Gingrich 'A Mortal Enemy to Our Civilization'.Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey said Monday that MSNBC's Chris Matthews "seems to be slipping out of touch with reality."On Tuesday, the "Hardball" host proved Armey's point by calling Sarah Palin "a cuckoo clock" and Newt Gingrich "a mortal enemy to our civilization" (video follows with transcript and commentary).Read and see the full story here.

• Marmara hits stage in anti-Israel play.'We are presenting Israel's inhuman actions against Palestinians,' says director of play on flotilla raid."Our goal is not to allow anyone to forget the Zionist raid on the Marmara and to remember the suffering of the Palestinian people, who are being tormented by Israeli actions," explained director Avşin Bedir.He added that in preparation for the play, he and the 22 actors watched footage from the Marmara raid as well as "torture videos from US and Israeli interrogations". Bedir added, "When the tape ended I was left alone in the classroom. No one could stand to watch the videos to the end."The director added that during the raid, he had rushed to the Israeli embassy in Istanbul. "I felt like my hands were tied while the army murdered innocent people. As part of the Muslim people, we are glad there were martyrs on board the Marmara, and we want to do our part," he said.Rafael Sadi, spokesman for the Organization of Turkish Immigrants in Israel, explained that the anti-Israeli trend in Turkey is proliferating."Not all Turks think this way, and many far from it, but unfortunately this is what the government displays out of political aims. Thus, a play which could have been marginal is receiving a lot of press. Many youths are exposed to this incitement and the de-legitimization of Israel gets worse," Sadi said.hmmmmm.......Indeed "The lights went out not only over Europe but over all civilised people"it's time for Israel to realise that Erdogan's hatred for Israel is only Matched by Ahmadinejad's hatred.Read the full story here.

• Oxford University students secretly served Muslim halal meat.Hundreds of students at Oxford University were fuming after learning they had been secretly served Muslim halal meat.Toff students were not warned their meals came from animals that were slaughtered by having their throats slit without being stunned.The killing method ordered by Islamic law has been condemned as ”barbarically cruel” by animal rights groups.But a Freedom of Information request revealed 17 colleges at Oxford University routinely served up meat from animals butchered using the halal method.Catering firm Field Fresh Farms, which supplies food to the colleges including posh St Catherine’s and Brasenose, confirmed the meat was halal prepared.Students expressed outrage their food had been halal prepared without their knowledge.A Brasenose undergraduate said: ”It’s absolutely outrageous. We eat our food on good faith the animal has not undergone undue suffering.”This is a huge deception, whatever your religious views people have a right to know where their food came from.”Muslims would expect to be informed if the food on offer was not halal, it is only right for non-Muslims to be treated with the same courtesy.”Another student told Cherwell: ”I don’t like the idea that we have been eating halal meat without knowing.”I don’t object to it on principle because it’s part of the Muslim religion and that’s fair enough, but we should have been told so that we could make an informed choice. ”Some people might not want to eat halal meat for ethical reasons, and they should be given the option not to.”Hmmm.......A not so "kosher" story?Read the full story here.

• "Life or Death in Iran's prisons".Imprisoned Protester Dies of Kidney Failure After Being Denied Treatment.After 1 year, 2 months and 26 days of imprisonment, another Green Movement supporter, Arash Arkan, has died of a kidney failure three days after he was hospitalized.According to Iran-Emrooz, Arash Arkan died at the Baghiyatollah hospital at around 2pm on January 29th after a deterioration of his health condition in prison. He was recently granted a prison leave after his kidney disease worsened in Evin, but was soon called back to prison depriving him from receiving the medical attention that he required. Soon after his return to prison, Arkan’s condition deteriorated and just three days prior to his death, he was taken to Baghiatallah hospital—associated with the Revolutionary Guards—where he passed away due to kidney failure.Arash Arkan was arrested on 4 November 2009 while helping a protester who was being chased by the police for having taken pictures from an opposition protests close to Vali-Asr Square in Tehran. According to Iran-Emrooz, Arkan, who had realised that a young protester was in danger of being arrested by Iranian security forces for the sole “crime” of filming the unrest using his mobile phone, quickly intervened and attempted to trip one of the security forces to allow for the protester to flee the scene. Although Arkan’s heroic act helped his fellow Iranian to run away, it wasn’t enough to to save himself from the batons of the police forces present at the scene.It is noteworthy that Arash Arkan’s lawyer was convinced that conducting interviews with foreign television stations and publicising the case would further complicate the situation and damage their case, which is why the plight of this particular prisoner was never reflected in both the Iranian as well as the international press.When Arash was freed from prison for a few days prior to the court’s decision, he was asked, “If you could go back in time, would you be prepared to help that youngster again?”“Without hesitation,” replied Arash Arkan.Hmmm....These are the real martirs PM Erdogan why don't you speak up now??Read the full story here.

• HT:Csmonitor.Are you smarter than a US diplomat? Take our Foreign Service Exam.Diplomats working for the US Foreign Service are responsible for carrying out the policy of the United States. In order to serve at one of the 265 US diplomatic missions around the world, applicants must pass a series of examinations. The tests consist of a job knowledge test, English language test, essays, oral exams, and a qualifications panel. Our 20 questions are modeled after the job knowledge portion of the Foreign Service Officer's test. The real examination consists of 60 questions and is administered over 40 minutes. Think you know enough to become a US diplomat? Take our quiz.Take the quiz here.

• Obama’s Claim That He Did Not Raise Taxes Is Rejected As ‘Blatantly False’ by Taxpayer Watchdog.President Obama’s assertion on Sunday that he “didn’t raise taxes once” is “blatantly false,” a taxpayer watchdog group says. Obama made the claim in his pre-Super Bowl interview with Fox News host Bill O’Reilly. According to Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), President Obama has signed into law at least two dozen tax increases. The first one – a federal tobacco tax hike – came just 16 days into his presidency. ATR says the $1 trillion health care overhaul alone added numerous taxes, including the individual mandate that requires most Americans to purchase health insurance or else pay a fine.The health care law also includes a tax on medical device manufacturers, as well as a higher tax on withdrawals from health savings accounts and a cap on flexible spending accounts. Other taxes in the health care law cited by ATR include a surtax on investment income, an excise tax on comprehensive health insurance plans, a hike the in the Medicare payroll tax and a tax on indoor tanning services. On Feb. 4, 2009, Obama signed a federal tobacco tax hike, raising the excise tax 62 cents per pack. Critics, including ATR, said that tax alone violated Obama’s campaign pledge not to raise taxes on couples earning less than $250,000 and on individuals earning less than $200,000. During Sunday’s interview, Bill O’Reilly asked Obama if he is “a man who wants to redistribute wealth,” as The Wall Street Journal has described him. The president denied it, again saying, “I didn't raise taxes once; I lowered taxes over the last two years.” “Over 90 percent of the dollar value of the tax cuts Obama signed into law are only temporary,” said ATR. “100 percent of the tax increases Obama signed into law are, however, permanent … Permanent changes to tax law signed by Obama amount to a net tax hike of $618.7 billion.”Hmmmmm.....What he says and what he does are two different things.....Anyone in need of snakeoil?Read the full story here.

• HT:JudicialWatch.Obamacare Defense Initiative Secretly Funded.A top Democratic adviser convicted in a major political scandal as a legislative aide will help lead a new initiative to defend President Obama’s highly unpopular healthcare overhaul. Despite her shady past, the consultant (Tanya Bjork) was hired by Obama to head his 2008 presidential campaign in Wisconsin. Now she’ll join forces with another one of the president’s top campaign strategists (Paul Tewes) to fend off Republican criticism of Obamacare through the 2012 elections. Although the president has filled many sound bites chastising special-interest money in politics, funding for the new group is being kept secret. It’s fair to assume however, that the payroll will be quite exorbitant considering the players involved in the new Obamacare defense initiative are high-profile Democratic “political consultants” who command big bucks for their work. Organizers assure they’ll operate independently of the White House and Democrats in Congress, though they acknowledge that they will “be in communication with them.” This may be difficult to swallow considering the cause and who’s running the momentous new enterprise, which is expected to be headquartered a stone’s throw from the Oval Office. The healthcare law defense initiative will be largely headed by Tewes, a key figure in Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign and the man credited with his shocking Iowa Caucus victory. In fact, Tewes is touted by his Washington D.C. consulting firm (New Partners) as the guy who launched “Obama’s historic campaign” by building the “largest grassroots organization in caucus history.”After working on Obama’s presidential campaign Wisconsin’s former governor, Democrat Jim Doyle, awarded Bjork with a six-figure job to lead the state’s federal lobbying effort. The move ignited fury among government watchdog groups that claimed corruption was still prevalent in state politics.Hmmm.....A Man Is Known By The Company He Keeps?Read the full story here.

• UAE strategic food stock is very low.Stockpile is enough only for 10 days compared to six-month international rate: FNC.The UAE’s strategic food stockpile is so low that it will last for only around ten days, far below the accepted international rate of six months to one year, the Federal National Council (FNC) has said.Concerns about the low food stockpile in the second largest Arab economy were the main topic of a debate by the FNC’s foreign affairs, planning and oil panel at its meeting on Tuesday, the Arabic language daily 'Emarat Al Youm' reported on Wednesday.“The country’s strategic food stockpile is sufficient for only 10 days…this poses a major threat in case of emergency or a crisis that could disrupt the UAE’s food imports,” the panel said.“The UAE currently does not have a food stockpile on par with accepted international norms, which stipulate that the stock should cover a period of six months to one year…the present supplies at all cooperative societies will last only for 10 days.”According to the panel, the UAE’s food consumption is growing by as fast as 12 per cent a year because of the high population growth. It noted that the country is still heavily reliant on farm imports despite efforts to achieve self sufficiency in some products, with such imports providing nearly 68 per cent of the country’s total food needs.The UAE is the largest food importer in the Arab region after Saudi Arabia, with its farm bill exceeding $eight billion in 2010.Read the full story here.

• HT:InvestigativeProject.CAIR's Self-Serving Third Jihad Complaint. The Council on American-Islamic Relations' protest that the documentary The Third Jihad smears Muslims reveals more about CAIR's desire to hide its record than any concern for the civil rights of Muslim Americans.Narrated by M. Zuhdi Jasser, a Muslim who challenges groups such as CAIR, The Third Jihad details how CAIR was created shortly after a secret 1993 meeting in Philadelphia involving members of the Muslim Brotherhood's Palestine Committee. Their goal was to lead opposition to the 1993 Oslo accords and generate support for Hamas, the terrorist organization that now runs the government in Gaza.Records of that October 1993 conference, which was tapped by federal law enforcement officials, detail how CAIR's founders Nihad Awad and Omar Ahmad were present as the group discussed the need to create a pro-Hamas advocacy group that would not be tied publicly to Hamas. Shukri Abu-Baker, then the president of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, a Hamas financial support arm, explained the idea. "We will form an organization for you to show the Americans that you are … [unintelligible]," he said. "It will be made up of some of our people, our beloved ones, and let's not hoist a large Islamic flag and let's not be barbaric-talking. We will remain a front so that if the thing happens, we will benefit from the new happenings instead of having all of our organizations classified and exposed."In testimony, FBI case agent Lara Burns said CAIR was created after the Philadelphia meeting and pointed to an exhibit which shows CAIR listed on a Palestine Committee agenda within weeks of its 1994 creation.The FBI cited that evidence in explaining why it cut off formal communication with the group. "Until we can resolve whether there continues to be a connection between CAIR or its executives and HAMAS," FBI Assistant Director Richard C. Powers wrote in April 2009, "the FBI does not view CAIR as an appropriate liaison partner."The Third Jihad also shows CAIR officials refusing to denounce Hamas or Hizballah as terrorist organizations and cites an internal Muslim Brotherhood document submitted in the federal trial of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development that shows how the Brotherhood wants to create a global Islamic state.CAIR officials, it seems, have never seen a documentary, article or planned congressional investigation of radical Islam they consider "unbiased." Nor, it seems, have they found any law enforcement investigation of radical Islam worthy of their support. All of which makes it quite troubling that the leaders of the police department in the city most victimized by radical Muslim terrorists would roll over so easily.Hmmmm......Congressman King has still loads of work ahead.Read the full story here.

• Gingrich "The Muslim Brotherhood is a mortal enemy of our civilization, they say so openly".Gingrich says Obama administration 'amateurish' on Egypt. Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich said he's "concerned" about the Obama administration's handling of the situation in Egypt and what he sees as a divide between the White House and diplomat Franks Wisner."I think the fact that they appointed a very able diplomat Frank Wisner and within two days were publicly contradicting him is you know so amateurish," Gingrich told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King. "I was with John Bolton (former ambassador to the United Nations) last night. He said it's inconceivable that they would be this clumsy and this out of sync. I mean just with themselves, forget the Arab world. They can't even get the White House and their special envoy to be on the same page."Gingrich also said he's worried that the United States might reach out to the Muslim Brotherhood, an opposition Islamist umbrella group in the country."I think this is absolute total misreading of history. The Muslim Brotherhood is a mortal enemy of our civilization, they say so openly," Gingrich said."Reagan did what he believed in when he thought it was right," Gingrich said. "I frankly try to study Reagan and (Margaret) Thatcher and (Abraham) Lincoln because I think they were the great truth tellers of modern politics, sometimes when telling the truth people in the establishment go nuts because it's not the truth they want to hear."Hmmm......There's nothing more dissturbing then the naked truth.Read the full story here.

• Main tribal groups say queen Rania spends while Jordanians suffer.Jordan tribes criticize queen's role in politics.Jordanian tribal figures have issued a petition urging King Abdullah to end his Palestinian wife's role in politics, in a new challenge to the monarch grappling with fallout from uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.Evoking comparisons with the wives of Tunisia's former strongman Zine al Abidine Ben Ali and Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, the signatories attacked Queen Rania's Palestinian origin and accused her of using state funds to promote her image abroad without concern for the hardship of ordinary Jordanians.The 36 figures are drawn from conservative East Bank tribes who form the backbone of the Hashemite monarchy's support -- as opposed to Jordanians of Palestinian, or West Bank, origin who are the majority of the country's seven million population."She is building power centers for her interest that go against what Jordanians and Hashemites have agreed on in governing and is a danger to the nation and the structure of the state and the political structure and the institution of the throne," the petition said."Disregard for the content of the statement will throw us into what happened in Tunis and Egypt and what will happen in other Arab countries," it added.Publicly attacking royal figures is taboo in Jordan under tough sedition or lese majeste rules that limit discussion of Jordan's royal family.But the signatories, drawn from within the ruling hierarchy's chief tribal groups such as the Bani Sakhr, Abadi, Shobaki and Manaseer, said their concern for the country and throne had prompted them to speak out.The signatories said the legitimacy of Jordan's Hashemite monarchy, which claims descent from Islam's Prophet Mohammad, depended on the consent of the East Bank tribes.Mindful of the status of the monarch, Faris al-Fayez, who helped draft the petition, told Reuters the statement emphasized that aside from the monarch there should be no "legal immunity for any corrupt person regardless of his title."The petition is the most sweeping personal attack on the 40-year-old queen since East Bank fans at high profile soccer match chanted slogans denigrating her Palestinian background and even urging the monarch to divorce her.Political analyst Labib Qamhawi said Rania's Palestinian background meant she was an easy target for critics seeking to portray her as non-Jordanian, even though she is not the first queen to hail from outside the East Bank. King Hussein -- Abdullah's father -- had four wives, none of them East Bankers.Hmmmm......."It's" Spreading faster and more contagious then the flu.Read the full story here.

• House seen blocking healthcare funds.The U.S. House of Representatives is likely to vote to block funding for President Barack Obama's signature healthcare overhaul when it takes up a budget plan next week, House Republican Leader Eric Cantor said on Tuesday."I expect to see one way or other the product coming out of the House to speak to that and to preclude any funding to be used for that," Cantor said at a news conference, referring to an effort to block implementation of the health-care law.House Republicans aim to pass a spending measure next week that would immediately cut at least $32 billion from the government's $3.7 trillion budget in an effort to trim budget deficits that could hit an estimated $1.5 trillion this year.A move by Republicans to block healthcare law funds will help set the stage for partisan battle over spending that some lawmakers fear could lead to a government shutdown.Hmmmmm......Und Der Führer ("the Leader") will say i don't care for your petty laws?Read the full story here.

• Michelle Obama defends Super Bowl menu: Healthy eating about "moderation".WASHINGTON--First Lady Michelle Obama, discussing healthy eating the day before the first anniversary of her "Let's Move" anti-obesity campaign, defended the White House Super Bowl menu which included bratwurst, kielbasa, cheeseburgers
 and deep dish pizza.The point is balance, not deprivation, Mrs. Obama said at Tuesday lunch with reporters who cover her East Wing. "I like to talk about my obsession with French fries because I don't want people to think that "Let's Move" is about complete, utter deprivation. It is about moderation and real life changes and ideas that really work for families, today's families too.It is not necessary or "realistic" to eat healthy food every day and Super Bowl Sunday is a day made for an exception, Mrs. Obama said."I don't even know what you'd have other than some hot dogs and some burgers for a Super Bowl party. That's what Super Bowl is, so the message has always been about balance."Hmmmmm.......It's OK for me ,but bad for you paupers?Read the full story here.



• GM Said to Pay Union Workers Bonuses of More Than $3,000.Feb. 8 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Co. may pay its 53,000 unionized hourly U.S. staff record profit-sharing checks of more than $3,000 per worker, two people familiar with the plan said.The company hasn’t determined a specific amount and may change its plans after completing accounting for 2010, said the people, who asked not to be named because the plans haven’t been publicly disclosed. GM’s previous highest payout was $1,775 in 1999, according to the Center for Automotive Research.Sharing the U.S. auto industry’s prosperity will be a focus of contract talks this year between the United Auto Workers and GM, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group LLC. UAW President Bob King has said he aims to recover some of the $7,000 to $30,000 in concessions each worker gave up since 2005 to help U.S. automakers survive the worst market in decades.“This is probably more than workers were eligible for so that they’ll feel good going into negotiations, which makes this a pre-signing bonus,” said Sean McAlinden, a former auto worker who’s now chief economist for the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “Lump-sum payments like this could make up 12 percent to 15 percent of compensation in the next contract.”Hmmmm......How about Sharing with those unemployed taxpayers who bailed your sorry ass out?Read the full scandal story here.

• HT:IsraelMatzav.UNESCO asked to declare terror attack site a World Heritage site. As part of its drive for 'statehood,' the 'Palestinian Authority' has asked UNESCO to declare Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity a World Heritage site. It would be the first World Heritage site in the 'Palestinian territories' (That's the Washington Post's and the AP's determination - I'm glad to see they admit that Rachel's tomb is not part of the 'Palestinian territories'. Yes I screen captured the page). The Palestinians say they asked UNESCO in January to place the Church of the Nativity on its list of the world's most important cultural sites.No sites under Palestinian control are on the list because Palestinians do not have a state recognized by the U.N.Palestinian officials say they hope the site's overwhelming cultural significance will sway member states to approve the request. A decision is expected in mid-2012.Tourism Minister Khouloud Daibes said Monday that the request is part of the Palestinian campaign to build their state.Explain why Christians accounted for upwards of 90 percent of Bethlehem for years until the Palestinian Authority took control of the city in 1995. Immediately Christians started fleeing the city. Now the population is about 20 to 25 percent Christian. Just what caused the vast majority of Bethlehem's Christians to flee right after the Palestinians took control?Hmmmm.....Yes please by all means elaborate?Is it perhaps something similar to Egypt's Christians their problems?read the full story here.

• IDF says enlisting hackers.Spokesman tells panel on internet 'as strategic weapon' army wants 120 'new media fighters'.IDF Spokesman Avi Benayahu said Tuesday that the army is currently in the process of enlisting "new media fighters".Benayahu told a panel on the subject of "the digital medium as strategic weapon" that the army was searching for "little hackers who were born and raised online". "We screen them with special care and train them to serve the state," the spokesman told the panel, which was part of the Herzliya Conference.He added that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was personally supporting the venture and that he had supplied a budget of NIS 6 million ($1.63 million) for the enlistment of 120 soldiers."This is about the democratization of information, and about the fact that you cannot stuff information down people's throats but you can make it more palatable."Read the full story here.

• Digging on Temple Mount 'to Erase Traces of Jewish Altar'.Muslim religious authorities are concluding a clandestine eight-month dig on the Temple Mount that is intended to erase traces of the Jewish Temple's Altar, Temple activists charge.The digs have been taking place under the Dome of the Chain, believed to have been built over 1300 years ago. For eight months, the dome - which has a diameter of 14 meters - has been surrounded by a metal fence and black cloth, which hide whatever activity has been going on there from outside inspection. The Muslim Waqf religious authority has claimed the activity is simply a refurbishing of the structure, but refuses adamantly to let Jews or tourists near.Jewish activists made various attempts to enter the Dome, but met with no success. In the end, the Our Temple Mount news outlet found an Arab who was willing to take photos inside the compound in return for a handsome fee (see below). The man said that it appears the Waqf has already completed its digs and is now covering the dig with dirt.Our Temple Mount notes that according to Jewish tradition, the place where the Dome of the Chain is located is the spot upon which the sacrificial Altar stood in Temple times. Temple activists said that the Muslim digs are intended to erase the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount.Read and see the full story here.

MFS - The Other News

                         Afternoon Posting.

• Moscow airport bomb: suicide bombers were part of squad trained in Pakistan.The two suicide bombers who carried out the Moscow attack were thought to be part of a suicide squad trained in Pakistan's al-Qaeda strongholds sent to the capital to target the city's transport system.Intelligence sources said that one of the squads was likely to have established a base, at a house in Moscow, where the suicide belts to be used in attacks were assembled. Russian security sources said yesterday that a male and female suicide bomber from the Black Widow brigades had carried out the bombing together. The attack had been closely supervised by three accomplices, who had watched from a distance and are now being sought by the authorities. A Russian security official said the bomb that ripped through Moscow's Domodedovo airport was carried by a woman who mingled in the crowd at arrivals. She then either set the bomb off herself or someone else detonated it using a remote-control device. An eyewitness said the woman had been dressed in black and had worn a veil, suggesting she may have been a 'Black Widow' suicide bomber from the North Caucasus region out to revenge the killing of her husband by Russian security forces. Read the full story here.

• Egypt Breaking News - Video : Police and protesters face-off near government TV offices in Cairo. CNN's Ben Wedeman reports.Here.

• HT:HIDF.26 January 1950 when India became a Republic.Some Photographs of India .To all the Nut Cases who want to see India divided..it is not going to happen.We have been on this earth from last 10,000 Years and will be there when the mankind leaves the world…Hinduism is called Sanathan Dharma..The Dharma or the path which was there when the mankind came on earth and will go then only when mankind will be wiped out of the world.Hmmmm.....60 Years ....almost a lifetime!Read and see the full story here.

• Color-coded terror warnings to be gone by April 27.WASHINGTON – Government officials say the colors in the nation's terror alert system will be gone by April 27.The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the pending announcement, say the Homeland Security Department will begin a 90-day phasing out of the system on Thursday.The Homeland Security Department plans to tell the public about a terror threat much like it has been doing for the past few years — through government announcements and the news media.The five-tiered color-coded terror warnings were created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and they quickly became the butt of late-night talk show jokes. The government hasn't made changes in the colored alert levels since 2006, but it has been reviewing its usefulness for more than a year.Hmmmm.....There's no longer a terror threat when you stop talking about it?Source .

• HT:IsraeliGirl.Joining together to combat hate and anti Semitism online.January 27th marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the largest Nazi death camp. Since 2005 it is also the International Holocaust Remembrance Day (IHRD), an annual day of commemoration to honor the victims of the Nazi era.The Nazis didn't have Internet access. There was no Facebook, no Twitter, no YouTube to help the Nazis deliver their hate message to the masses.The Nazis may be gone but their hate message remains alive and well. Anti Semitisim today hides behind anti Zionism. Those that spread this message of hate do a remarkable job spreading their wrath online. Social media sites such Facebook, Youtube and Twitter become vehicles in delivering messages of hate and incitement.This Holocaust remembrance day Giyus.org would like to launch a community initiative to combat hate online. Social media sites have pledged to remove online hate and terrorist groups but with anti Israel rhetoric and anti Semitism on the rise, their moderators have been unable to monitor the sheer number of messages.Read how you also can help to stop the spreading of this cancer!  Here.

• HT:Memri.In Advance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Iranian 'Adolf Hitler Research Society' Website Shows How Holocaust Photos Were 'Doctored' By the Jews, and Iranian Website Publishes Series by French Holocaust Denier.In advance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, on January 27, several Iranian websites published articles denying the Holocaust. The website of the Iranian "Adolf Hitler Research Society" recently posted an undated article titled "A Reassessment of the Holocaust," claiming that photos documenting the Holocaust were doctored and forged by the Jews. Also, on January 26, 2011, the Iranian semi-official news agency Mehr published the first in a series of articles by French Holocaust denier Robert Faurisson, titled "Holocaust: The Historic Fraud."Hmmmm......Just like Erdogan claims that the Armenian Genocide never happened,Ahmadinejad claims the Holocaust never happened,talk about compagnions in faith?Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Video - British Holocaust Denier David Irving: The Zionists Have Overplayed the Holocaust, and This Has Tarnished the Zionist Cause.Read and see the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Video:Holocaust Denial Discussed on Iranian TV: There Were No Gas Chambers; You Cannot Squeeze 2,000 Jews into 100 Square Meters.Hmmmm....Somehow i think Ahmadinejad is eager to do better?Read and see the full "Story" here.

• Pakistani Lawyer Calls for Enforcing Pakistan's Existing Blasphemy Laws Over Islamic Clerics' Hate Campaign Against Ahmadi Muslims, Says: 'Ignorant and Hypocritical Mullahs Have Made a Mockery of the Constitution, Law and Process in Pakistan'.'[It] Seems That Pakistan is Not an Islamic State or a Shi'a State or a Sunni State... Held Hostage By Our... Mullahs, Who Are Hell-Bent on Destroying the Rest of Us – And… Pakistan Itself""No sir, in Pakistan, the law does not protect the weak, helpless and marginalized. It persecutes them. Ignorant and hypocritical mullahs have made a mockery of the constitution, law and process in Pakistan. Justice Sardar Muhammad Iqbal, in his famous judgment in Kaikaus v. President of Pakistan PLD 1976 Lah 1608… described the petitioners as Kharijites [i.e. those who left Islam]. Thirty-four years later, it seems that Pakistan is not an Islamic state or a Shi'a state or a Sunni state. It is now a Kharijite state held hostage by our Kharijite mullahs who are hell bent on destroying the rest of us and, in the process, Pakistan itself."What depths will we not fall to? Could the contrast be any greater to our founding principles? At the height of the Pakistan Movement, [Pakistan's Founder Mohammad Ali] Jinnah refused to endorse a cover for Time magazine on its editor's request because it was derogatory and insulting 'to the Hindu Community.' Our nation state was built on positive values, not hatred for others. "Yet we now seem to call into question its very existence by our actions. Incidentally, questioning the creation of Pakistan is also punishable under Section 123-A of the PPC, though it has never stopped the… [ruling Pakistan People's Party of President Asif Zardari] from sharing power with the JUI-F [Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam of Maulana Fazlur Rehman], a party whose famous antecedent Maulana Mufti Mahmood, the posthumous godfather of the Taliban and bigoted forces, historically denounced the creation of Pakistan."Hmmmm....... Peter 2:1"there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord".Read the full story here.

• "Life Or Death in Iran's prisons".Report: Stop the Execution Machine !All prisoners sentenced to death in Iran are in serious danger of secretly being executed. Concerns are specifically raised after the secret executions of Jafar Kazemi and Mohammad Ali Haj Aghaie. Most authorities and human rights defenders in Iran like Shirin Ebadi who have condemned such large numbers of reckless executions have made comparisons to the extensive executions of the 1980′s [in Iran]. At the same time, distinguished lawyers are being chased away and are severely suppressed for accepting political and stoning case files and defending the rights of prisoners. The execution machine in Iran is determined to completely silence the families of prisoners and their supporters. The Iranian authorities even avoid properly announcing the executions.Roudabeh Akbari, Jafar Kazemi’s wife, in a phone call with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said that when she went to Evin prison on January 24th to visit her husband, she was told that he had already been hanged that morning. “They hanged my husband without notifying me or his lawyer. Yesterday morning in Evin, I was filling out the visitation form when they suddenly said, ‘He has been hanged already. Go home. We will call you if we decide to hand the body over to you. Go home and relax. It’s all over now.’ But it is unlikely that they will call us to pick up the body because in Mr. [Ali] Saremi’s case, they buried the body themselves. They will probably do the same to my husband’s body.”Ten days after the execution of a prisoner in Orumiyeh, the judicial security authorities still refuse to mention his name. Everyone spoke in a cloud of doubt about Hossein Khezri’s execution. Hossein’s lawyer, Ehsan Mojtavi, in an interview with Kurdish Perspective, stated that he could not say for certain that the person whose execution the Islamic Republic media announced on January 15th was his client Hossein Khezri. In the same interview, he added, “According to the rules and regulations and the situation of this specific case file, Hossein should still be living.” However, he also added that the existing evidence and the charges on his client show that Hossein Khezri has probably been executed. Ehsan Mojtavi pointed out that the lawyer should always be informed of his client’s exact date, time, and location of execution. “This is the first time in the last decade that a death sentence has been executed in such a manner,” he said.According to the statistics announced by the judicial and governmental organizations, in a period of 36 days, from December 20, 2010 to January 24, 2011, 103 prisoners were hanged in various parts of Iran. Moreover, there are reports of extensive executions in the prison in Birjand which have not been included in the above mentioned statistics because they have not yet been confirmed by official or reliable sources. In fact, there are most likely more unconfirmed executions around Iran, especially in the prisons Karoun and Sepidar in Ahvaz.Read the full story here.

• HT:TranslatingJihad.Fatwa: "Whoever Insults One of These Four Things, Whether in Jest or Sincerity, Has Become an Infidel and Must Be Killed".No, the four things are not the four Gospels, and the author of this fatwa is not a right-wing Evangelical minister. The four things, of course, are Allah, Muhammad, the Qur'an, and Islam, and this is yet another offering from the Religion of Peace and Tolerance (shocker!). The author of this fatwa, which comes from the Islamic Fatwa Council of Jerusalem, presided over by Shaykh Khalid Ghanayim, asserts that this is not only his opinion, but also the opinion of the Qur'an, the sunnah, and the consensus of Islamic scholars, and backs all of that up with references from each source. Stay tuned for more from me on this topic in the coming days, as I have quite a bit of material to translate in relation to this.Muhammad bin Sahnun said: "Scholars are in unanimous (agreement) that whoever insults and disparages the Prophet (peace be upon him) is an infidel. Continually upon him is the threat of the punishment of Allah. The ruling on him for the Muslim community is execution. Whoever doubts his infidelity and punishment is (himself) an infidel."Al-Khattabi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "I don't know any Muslim who differs on the duty to kill him," Hmmmm......."The Religion of Peace"?Read the full story here.

• Keith Ellison’s alma mater, UMinn, to launch Islamic sharia law program.MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (01/24/2011) —The University of Minnesota Law School’s Human Rights Center will launch its Islamic Law and Human Rights Program (IHRP) on Friday, Feb. 4. Opening ceremonies will be held from 3 to 4:40 p.m. in Room 25 of Mondale Hall, 229 19th Ave. S., Minneapolis.The new program will focus on current issues and debates surrounding human rights and Islamic law and will encourage and facilitate new approaches to research and real-world application. It will engage students through teaching, publications, fellowships, internships, applied research, field work, conferences and other special events on current human rights and Islamic law issue.Hmmmmm.....The new Ground Zero Imam "Apostates must be jailed"- Human Rights Charter Art 18. "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief" Case closed!NO TO SHARIA IN AMERICA !Read the full story here.

• Google Comes Under Fire for 'Secret' Relationship with NSA.Consumer Watchdog, an advocacy group largely focused in recent years on Google's privacy practices, has called on a congressional investigation into the Internet giant's "cozy" relationship with U.S. President Barack Obama's administration.In a letter sent Monday, Consumer Watchdog asked Representative Darrell Issa, the new chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, to investigate the relationship between Google and several government agencies.The group asked Issa to investigate contracts at several U.S. agencies for Google technology and services, the "secretive" relationship between Google and the U.S. National Security Agency, and the company's use of a U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration airfield in California.Federal agencies have also taken "insufficient" action in response to revelations last year that Google Street View cars were collecting data from open Wi-Fi connections they passed, Consumer Watchdog said in the letter."We believe Google has inappropriately benefited from close ties to the administration," the letter said. "Google is most consumers' gateway to the Internet. Nonetheless, it should not get special treatment and access because of a special relationship with the administration."The paper questions a decision by NASA allowing Google executives to use its Moffett Federal Airfield near Google headquarters. Although H211, a company controlled by Google top executives, pays NASA rent, they enjoy access to the airfield that other companies or groups don't have, Simpson said.The paper also questions Google contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense and other agencies, suggesting that, in some cases, Google contracts were fast-tracked. The paper also questions Google's relationship with the U.S. National Security Agency and calls for the company to be more open about what consumer information it shares with the spy agency."I understand the NSA is a super-secret spook organization," he said. "But given Google's very special situation where it possesses so much personal data about people, I think that there ought to be a little more openness about what precisely goes on between the two.Hmmmm.....Goebbels Google close up?Read the full story here.

• HT:RawStory.Justice Department seeks to have all web surfing tracked.WASHINGTON — The US Justice Department wants Internet service providers and cell phone companies to be required to hold on to records for longer to help with criminal prosecutions."Data retention is fundamental to the department's work in investigating and prosecuting almost every type of crime," US deputy assistant attorney general Jason Weinstein told a congressional subcommittee on Tuesday."Some records are kept for weeks or months; others are stored very briefly before being purged," Weinstein said in remarks prepared for delivery to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security.He said Internet records are often "the only available evidence that allows us to investigate who committed crimes on the Internet.Kate Dean, executive director of the Internet Service Provider Association, said broad mandatory data retention requirements would be "fraught with legal, technical and practical challenges."Dean said they would require "an entire industry to retain billions of discrete electronic records due to the possibility that a tiny percentage of them might contain evidence related to a crime.""We think that it is important to weigh that potential value against the impact on the millions of innocent Internet users' privacy," she said.Hmmmm.....This is already being done in most of Europe and the UK!Read the full story here.

• HT:DougRoss.Barack Obama's State of the Union speech in 90 seconds [Biff Spackle]. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, and Professor Piven:I'd like to welcome the new Tea-Baggers and pray for the recovery of Gabby Giffords, wounded in a tragic attack by right-wing conservatives and/or Sarah Palin.Look, it's no secret that I'm a Marxist. Look it up. Textbook definition. But I realize now, having withstood a massive repudiation in the midterm elections, that I'm going to have to pretend to be a centrist again. Let's all relive the glory days of my 2008 campaign when a snappy logo, a compliant media and an amorphous slogan -- Change! -- catapulted me to my first real job.America! Hopes! Dreams! Civility! Al Sharpton's shiny blue suit! Taco Bell's new crispy burrito with extra cheese! All of these things, plus an enormous, doddering federal bureaucracy, determine whether new jobs and industries take root in our country.Look at all the progress we've made in saving the economy from the worst crisis since the Great Plague:We passed a historic health care bill that no one read and fewer understand. Over at the EPA, we're using a leaf-blower to dispense new regulations and set industrial policy. We've issued oil drilling moratoriums. passed a financial reform bill that didn't address Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Took over the student loan business and two failed auto companies. Blew out a trillion-dollar stimulus package that kept the public sector union bosses in clover.It's steps like these that have kept unemployment well below 20 percent!Hmmmm....."Never in the field of human intellect has more bull been said"?Go and read the full "Story" here.

• HT:Persecution.org.Ethiopian Muslims Warn Christians to Convert, Leave City or Face Death.Washington, D.C. (January 25, 2011)–International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Christians in the Ethiopian city of Besheno are being harassed and physically abused after Muslims posted notices on the doors of Christian homes warning them to convert, leave the city or face death.Three Christian leaders were forced to flee the city and two Christians have been forced to convert to Islam. In the Muslim majority city, the entire evangelical Christian community consists of about 30 believers. Evangelist Kassa Awano remains in critical condition after Muslims attacked him on November 29, 2010. A few days after the attack, nearly 100 Muslims surrounded a vehicle carrying Christian leaders on their way to negotiate for peace with Muslim leaders. Two men, Tesema Hirego and Niggusie Denano, were seriously wounded, and the other leaders suffered minor injuries. On January 2, Muslims assaulted Temesgen Peteros with a knife after he testified about the attacks on these Christians in court.Christians in Besheno have been targeted by Muslims for many years. On May 21, 2004, Muslims murdered the 7 year-old daughter of Evangelist Tesfaye Hobe. Muslims continuously attack Christians for listening to Christian songs and watching Christian videos.We ask for our constitutional right [to freedom of religion] to be respected. We want this inhumane act to stop. We are unable to live in our own city due to the inhumane acts,one of the Christian leaders who fled the city told ICC.Read the full story here.

• Israel - Bill: Ban contact with firms working in Iran.At least 30 MKs on board with Economics Committee chairman's bill proposing to prohibit Israeli companies, citizens from maintaining contact with companies which trade in weapons, energy fields with Islamic Republic.Chairman of the Knesset's Economics Committee MK Carmel Shama (Likud) submitted a bill Monday banning Israeli organizations and private citizens from engaging in business contact with Iran or companies that trade with it, directly or indirectly, in the fields of weapons and energy. The bill, which will be presented to the Ministerial Committee on Legislative Affairs early next week, has already earned the support of 30 MKs from all Knesset factions.Shama explained the basis for the bill: "Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair called his country to 'take its head out of the sand' this week and prepare for a conflict with Iran. Our own Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted last week that the world's main concern is Iran. The US and Europe prohibit any contact with companies working in Iran, but strangely Israel, which supports boosting financial pressure on the Islamic Republic, has yet to legislate such a law." Punishment: 1 year in prison.According to the bill, any Israeli citizen or company owner found to be engaging in business contact with Iranian bodies will be sentenced to one year in prison and a NIS 5 million ($1.39 million) fine or three times the expected profit from the deal.Read the full story here.

• Poll: Christian marginalisation on the rise, say UK church-goers.The majority of church-goers in the UK feel that Christians are being increasingly marginalised in public life, a new survey has revealed.According to the poll, conducted by ComRes on behalf of Premier Christian Media, 81 per cent of church-goers think the marginalisation of Christians is happening more and more in the media and press.While 77 per cent thought it was growing in the public realm, two thirds said they believed it was increasing in the workplace.And more than half said it was on the rise in Government.Figures also revealed that more women than men on average thought that the marginalisation of Christians was increasing in British society.Peter Kerridge, Chief Executive of Premier Christian Media, said: “The majority of Christians, young and old, feel marginalisation is on the increase.”Mrs Bull said: “I do feel that Christianity is being marginalised in Britain. The same laws used against us have been used to shut down faith-based adoption agencies. “Much is said about ‘equality and diversity’ but it seems some people are more equal than others.”Last year a similar poll conducted by ComRes for Premier Christian Radio, revealed that three quarters of churchgoers believed the risk of anti-Christian persecution in the UK was greater than six years ago and 80 per cent expected it to get worse.And two thirds thought there was more negative discrimination against Christians than any other faith group in the nation.Mr Kerridge said at the time that something had to be done.“When three out of four Christians have reported an increased risk of discrimination in the UK over the last five years, the message is clear. We, as a country, need to do more to support Christians living out their faith”, he said.Hmmmmm.......side effect of "Outreach to Muslims"?Soon in your all American neighbourhood?Read the full story here.

• HT:IslamInEurope.Oslo: Family charged for marrying off 13 year old daughter."Every year you are my beloved," the man wrote his cousin in what police thinks is a wedding album. She was just 13.Now, four years later, the girl lives in a secret location in Norway. Police fear she might be abducted and killed is anybody in her family gets to her.Police think that the cousin (24), aunt (47), uncle (51), the girl's mother (39) and her father (40) are responsible for the most serious forced-marriage case in Norway ever - and have charged all five in a trial which begins in Oslo today.Because of the constant danger to her life, two police agents will follow every movement around the girl when she testifies today."I was told to repeat what the imam said, and did not understand the significance of what happened," the girl told VG about the day she got made-up for a party, and was then married to her older cousin.The cousin is charged with sexual relations with children under 14, death threats and abuse. During the police interrogation, the girl said that her cousin held a knife to her throat the first time he raped her. He does not admit guilt."The girl fears coming to court to testify. This is about her family. It's her identity, and she has a live which is now gone. Now she must tell the court what happened, and it's her family on trial," Simon Stende, the girl's lawyer, told VG.Police think the girl will probably be in danger for the rest of her life. Today she risks standing face to face with her family members when she will testify what happened in the years since she forced to marry as a 13 year old - and until she turned to the Child Welfare services last year and was moved to a secret location.The girl's uncle, who is said to be the main man behind the forced marriage, is still on the run, and is being hunted internationally through Kripos (National Criminal Investigation police)."For them it's about honor. Everything is about that. Since it was decided that I should marry him, I couldn't say anything against it," the girl told the police.Hmmmm.....Still think Sharia and Human Rights go together?THINK AGAIN !Read the full story here.

• US: Turkel report fine, but UN flotilla panel better.WASHINGTON – The US on Monday welcomed the release of the Turkel Commission report on the Turkish flotilla incident, but said the “primary forum” for examining the event was the international committee operating under the auspices of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.US State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said that Israel was capable of carrying out an “impartial and transparent” investigation despite Turkey’s criticism of the findings.In New York, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said investigators there had received a copy of the Israeli report."As you know, to help complete their important mandate it is essential for the (UN) panel to review material provided by both sides, Israel and Turkey," he said.The UN panel of experts investigating the flotilla incident is led by former New Zealand prime minister Geoffrey Palmer and includes both a Turkish and an Israeli representative. Israel's representative on the UN investigative panel is Joseph Ciechanover, who formerly served as bureau chief of the Foreign Ministry and as legal counsel for the Defense Ministry.Read the full story here.

• HT:WeaselZippers.Video - No Obama Birth Records In His State…Weasel Master (the man behind the scenes) makes a good point: “At this point, I’m wondering if this isn’t a well-orchestrated charade. Nothing adds up.”Hmmmmm......Transparency??Read the full story here.

• HT:IslamInEurope.Netherlands: Schools may impose headscarf code.The Equal Treatment Commission has ruled that schools have a say in the way in which students wear headscarves.The commission was responding to the case of the Gerrit Rietveld College in the city of Utrecht, where 50 students objected to a new dress code. This only allows Muslim girls to cover their heads as long as 90 percent of the face remains visible. Headgear which covers the chin or eyebrows, for example, is regarded as hindering communication between student and teacher.The commission has backed the college and says the question of communication is of sufficient importance. It also noted that the code applies to everyone. Hairstyles which cover the eyes are also banned.Read the full story here.

• CBO Says This Year's Budget Deficit to Hit a Record $1.5 Trillion. Washington (AP) - New budget estimates released Wednesday predict the government's deficit will hit almost $1.5 trillion this year, a new record.The daunting numbers mean that the government will have to borrow 40 cents for every dollar it spends.The new Congressional Budget Office estimates will add fuel to a raging debate over cutting spending and looming legislation that's required to allow the government to borrow more money as the national debt nears the $14.3 trillion cap set by law. Republicans controlling the House say there's no way they'll raise the limit without significant cuts in spending, starting with a government funding bill that will advance next month.The CBO analysis predicts the economy will grow by 3.1 percent this year, but that joblessness will remain above 9 percent this year. Dauntingly for President Obama, the nonpartisan agency estimates a nationwide unemployment rate of 8.2 percent on Election Day in 2012.As a share of the economy, tax revenues in 2011 are projected to reach their lowest levels since 1950. The CBO projects that tax revenues will be 14.8 percent of GDP in 2011, which would be 0.1 percentage point lower than in 2009.Read the full story here.

• HT:TundraTabloids.Sweden - Muslim received Ahcmed the Terrorist joke video clip from social secretary – denied financial compensation.The e-mail from the social worker with a link to a movie making fun of Islam. The man who received the e-mail is a Muslim and was very upset. But Borås city would not give him damages.The e-mail from the social worker provided a link to a YouTube clip of an American stand-up comedian and ventriloquist, inter alia, making jokes about Islam. The message was sent to eight different people with nothing but a link.The man also asked for a substantial damages from the city of Borås, citing that he felt humiliated at having received such an email from his social secretary.- It’s not about money, “says the man and explains that he wants the damages to have a deterrent effect.- If you drive through a red light is not enough to apologize, you may also fine as a deterrent so that you can not do it again.But Boras city has now rejected his request for damages.- The official who sent the e-mail has acted in a very inappropriate way, there’s no doubt about it. But I can not see that the violation is so serious that there is no basis for damages, “said Rosangela Hansen, town lawyer in the city of Borås.Read the full story here.

MFS - The Other News

                          Morning Posting.

• Obama's new battlefield? President defends abortion as a right... as lawmakers get set to roll those rights back.President Barack Obama has labelled abortion a 'right', setting the grounds for a new battle with lawmakers determined to roll those rights back. The President marked the 38th anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark decision on abortion by calling the procedure a constitutional right he's committed to protecting.But he spoke against a rising tide of anti-abortion activists who sense the time is right for a new push to rein in the broad access to abortions established by the 1973 Roe v Wade decision. Buoyed by huge election gains for their allies, anti-abortion activists in America head into their annual March for Life rallies on Monday sensing a prime opportunity in many states.Foes of abortion gained strength in Congress, among state governors and in many state legislatures, raising hopes among social conservatives for a broad surge of anti-abortion bills.Mr Obama's comments today squared him off against them. He called on Americans to recommit themselves to ensuring that 'our daughters have the same rights, the same freedoms, and the same opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams'. The President said the 1973 Roe v Wade decision that legalised abortion affirmed what he called a 'fundamental principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters'.Many others disagree.'We are seeing a cultural shift toward protecting life and rolling back the tide of unrestricted abortions,' said Charmaine Yoest, president of Americans United for Life.Majority Republicans introduced two bills Thursday to toughen restrictions on taxpayer funding of abortions. One is aimed specifically at Obama's health care law; the other would establish a permanent, government-wide ban on federal subsidies for most abortions.In addition, Republican Mike Pence has introduced a bill that would ban federal family-planning grants to any organization that performs abortions. It is aimed at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, a health care provider and advocate of reproductive rights.Last year that group, according to Mr Pence, received more than $363million in government grants and contracts while performing 324,008 abortions.Abortion-rights supporters are nonetheless dismayed by their foes' clout in the House, though these measures might fail to clear the Senate, and would likely face a presidential veto if they did advance.Hmmmmm.....Remember the "Dr Mengele" from Philadelphia?"Thou shalt not kill"Read the full story here.

• HT:TheEpochTimes.Chinese Pianist Plays Propaganda Tune at White House. US humiliated in eyes of Chinese by song used to inspire anti-Americanism.Lang Lang the pianist says he chose it. Chairman Hu Jintao recognized it as soon as he heard it. Patriotic Chinese Internet users were delighted as soon as they saw the videos online. Early morning TV viewers in China knew it would be played an hour or two beforehand. At the White House State dinner on Jan. 19, about six minutes into his set, Lang Lang began tapping out a famous anti-American propaganda melody from the Korean War: the theme song to the movie “Battle on Shangganling Mountain.” The film depicts a group of “People’s Volunteer Army” soldiers who are first hemmed in at Shanganling (or Triangle Hill) and then, when reinforcements arrive, take up their rifles and counterattack the U.S. military “jackals.”He then said, “I thought to play ‘My Motherland’ because I think playing the tune at the White House banquet can help us, as Chinese people, feel extremely proud of ourselves and express our feelings through the song. I think it’s especially good. Also, I like the tune in and of itself, every time I hear it I feel extremely moved.Another Chinese commenting on a forum responded to the Lang Lang performance by writing, “Defeat America, defeat Obama” (writing Obama’s name with the wrong first character, one meaning “sunken” or “dented.”)Others wrote comments like: “omg!”; “Didn’t they know?”; “Where was the U.S. foreign affairs?” and “Very good. My impression of Lang Lang has really changed"Hmmmm.....Message "Yu So Phukt"?Read the full story here.

• The Palestinian Islamic Army ,Al Qaeda-linked group attacked church in Egypt, authorities say.The Palestinian Islamic Army, which has links to al Qaeda, carried out the New Year's Day attack on a Christian church in Alexandria, Egypt, that left almost two dozen people dead, Interior Minister Habib al-Adly said Sunday.It was not immediately clear what evidence he had or whether anyone had been arrested.Egyptian authorities earlier this month released a sketch of a man they think is responsible for the attack."The man in the picture is unknown and authorities are trying to confirm his identity," Col. Alla Mahmoud of the Interior Ministry said at the time.The Interior Ministry used forensic technology to re-create the face of the suspected suicide bomber.
  Hmmmm......No.....Really:..Those Palestinians that the Obama administration likes so much?Read the full story here.

• New Obama plan is 'part stimulus,' Durbin says.Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Sunday called new proposed spending expected to be rolled out in President Obama's State of the Union address part of a stimulus."It's part of a stimulus. but we're sensitive to the deficit," Durbin said on "Fox News Sunday" when asked by host Chris Wallace about the president's expected plans to call for more spending for infrastructure, education, research in his State of the Union address Tuesday night to a joint session of Congress.Noting his support for the president's deficit commission recommendations, Durbin said Congress should be cautious about large spending cuts until the economy is showing sustained patterns of growth."They said be careful," he said citing the report. "Don't start the serious spending cuts, the deficit reduction, until were clearly out of the recession in 2013. We've got to make sure this economy is growing with more jobs, more business success."Durbin also noted that in addition to the initial $787 billion dollar stimulus already law, both parties joined to pass yet "another stimulus package" during the lame-duck session, when it approved the tax cut deal."That added to the deficit as well," Durbin noted.Hmmmm.....Makes you feel like cows staring at trains passing by ,never reaching their destination?Stimulus 1...2....3....Arrival Delayed untill further notice?Read the full story here.

• Obama to Push New Spending.President Barack Obama will call for new government spending on infrastructure, education and research in his State of the Union address Tuesday, sharpening his response to Republicans in Congress who are demanding deep budget cuts, people familiar with the speech said.Mr. Obama will argue that the U.S., even while trying to reduce its budget deficit, must make targeted investments to foster job growth and boost U.S. competitiveness in the world economy. The new spending could include initiatives aimed at building the renewable-energy sector—which received billions of dollars in stimulus funding—and rebuilding roads to improve transportation, people familiar with the matter said. Money to restructure the No Child Left Behind law's testing mandates and institute more competitive grants also could be included.While proposing new spending, Mr. Obama also will lay out significant budget cuts elsewhere, people familiar with the plans say, though they will likely fall short of what Republican lawmakers have requested.In arguing that U.S. competitiveness is at stake, Mr. Obama plans to use his nationally televised speech to try to frame the spending debate with Republicans that is expected to dominate Congress in the coming months. "We seek to do everything we can to spur hiring and ensure our nation can compete with anybody on the planet," Mr. Obama said Friday after touring a General Electric Co. plant in Schenectady, N.Y. He cited clean-energy manufacturing, infrastructure and education as keys to competitiveness.
  Hmmmmm....."Death of a Nation" the Obama story,soon in your local library in the history section?Read the full story here.

• Oil price to average $70-90 per barrel.$90 per barrel could prove too expensive for global recovery.Although crude oil prices have been hovering around $100 per barrel over the last few weeks, prices this year will average at only $70-$90 per barrel, energy analysts and economists, said.This means while the GCC is slated to see higher oil revenues, oil windfall is not expected to hit dramatic or double-digit levels compared to what it experienced during the boom times.“Despite recent upticks in oil price, world prices are projected to remain between $70 to $90 per barrel in the medium term, with Opec producers stepping up sales from their ample spare capacity to meet any additional demand not supplied by non-Opec producers,” World Bank said.Opec is not expected to allow prices to rise beyond this point for fear of inducing additional non-Opec supply or demand substitution, it said.Globally, there are no medium to longer run supply constraints (2020); and a long- term upper-range of $80 per barrel is consistent with the end-cost of developing additional oil capacity, notably from oil sands in Canada.According to the Centre for Global Energy Studies, $90 per barrel oil could prove too expensive for the global economy at this stage of the recovery, especially given the fragile nature of many governments’ balance sheets.EIA also forecasts average oil price would not exceed $100 this year. Instead, it expects the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil to average about $93 per barrel in 2011, $14 higher than the average price last year. For 2012, EIA expects WTI prices to continue to rise, with a forecast average price of $99 per barrel in the fourth quarter 2012.In 2010, the Opec basket averaged $77.45 per barrel up 26.8 per cent from the previous year. The Basket moved higher in January to reach $94.04 on 14 January.Read the full story here.

• Israeli inquiry: Flotilla raid was legal.Turkel Commission says deadly May 31 commando takeover of Turkish 'aid' vessel was 'legal pursuant to rules of international law,' soldiers opened fire in self-defense. On blockade: Israel not trying to starve Gazans. The nearly 300-page report released Sunday by the government-appointed Turkel Commission said the actions of the soldiers "were found to be legal pursuant to the rules of international law" and that they opened fire in self-defense. . The commission cleared the soldiers of any use of unnecessary violence, stating: "It is possible to determine that the IDF soldiers acted professionally and with great presence of mind in light of the extreme violence which they hadn't expected."This professionalism was evident in the fact that they continued to exchange their lethal weapons for the less lethal option and visa versa in order to give a response that was appropriate to the nature of the violence directed at them." According to the commission, the soldiers were the violence caught the soldiers by surprise when they boarded the Marmara. "The decision-makers didn't have any prior knowledge of the violent reception planned by the IHH members and their inability to identify the intentions of the IHH directly affected the planning and execution of the operation."The commission members found that incomplete intelligence gathering wasn't the only reason for the lack of preparation: "The possibility that an organized group, armed with lethal weapons was on board the Marmara and set to take active measures against attempts to board the ship wasn't taken into account."The IDF received a great deal of praise from the Turkel committee for placing senior officers on the scene – including the navy commander. "This increased the chain of command's awareness of the developments as they happened, which helped them reach decisions efficiently, at the right time as the incident developed."On the decision to use force, the committee members noted that: "The IHH members acted with violence towards the IDF soldiers on the Marmara by arming themselves with various types of weapons, including iron rods, knives, axes, clubs and metal objects."The weapons were capable of killing and severely injuring. In addition, the violent events were evident in the way the IHH organized the joint attack on the IDF soldiers. The IHH members used firearms against the soldiers during the incident."Hmmmm....The IHH organised the joint attack.Read the full story here.

• Erdogan dismisses Turkel report.Turkey 'appalled, dismayed' by flotilla probe while MK Zoabi furious over neglect to summon her.Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan MK slammed the results of the Turkel committee probe into the events of the May 31 IDF flotilla raid, saying it had "no value or credibility." MK Zoabi accused the Turkel committee of trying to whitewash the deaths of the nine Turkish activists who were killed during the raid, and said the committee had been used as "an open stage for propaganda" as it allowed military and state officials to speak uninterrupted and without objection. "This is an Israeli committee with very limited authority, which has totally ignored the sensitive issue that raised the need for an investigation, and that is the deaths of nine activists on board," she said."This report cannot clean up Israel's image as a serial violator of international law in the global arena," Zoabi added. "The Turkel report was written in order to undermine demands by Turkey and the UN for an international probe… the only way in which facts can be presented faithfully and honestly."Hmmmm......The reaction of Iran Turkey was to be expected anything different would have been world shocking news!Read the full story here.

• Domestic use of aerial drones by law enforcement likely to prompt privacy debate.AUSTIN - The suspect's house, just west of this city, sat on a hilltop at the end of a steep, exposed driveway. Agents with the Texas Department of Public Safety believed the man inside had a large stash of drugs and a cache of weapons, including high-caliber rifles.As dawn broke, a SWAT team waiting to execute a search warrant wanted a last-minute aerial sweep of the property, in part to check for unseen dangers. But there was a problem: The department's aircraft section feared that if it put up a helicopter, the suspect might try to shoot it down. So the Texas agents did what no state or local law enforcement agency had done before in a high-risk operation: They launched a drone. A bird-size device called a Wasp floated hundreds of feet into the sky and instantly beamed live video to agents on the ground. The SWAT team stormed the house and arrested the suspect. "The nice thing is it's covert," said Bill C. Nabors Jr., chief pilot with the Texas DPS, who in a recent interview described the 2009 operation for the first time publicly. "You don't hear it, and unless you know what you're looking for, you can't see it." For now, the use of drones for high-risk operations is exceedingly rare. The Federal Aviation Administration - which controls the national airspace - requires the few police departments with drones to seek emergency authorization if they want to deploy one in an actual operation. Because of concerns about safety, it only occasionally grants permission. But by 2013, the FAA expects to have formulated new rules that would allow police across the country to routinely fly lightweight, unarmed drones up to 400 feet above the ground - high enough for them to be largely invisible eyes in the sky. Such technology could allow police to record the activities of the public below with high-resolution, infrared and thermal-imaging cameras.Hmmmm.....Did i not have this story earlier in the week"The T-Hawk drone Coming to a City Near You?"Read the full story here.

• HT:TheWeeklyStandard.The Decline of the Justice Department. Former attorney general Michael Mukasey is not prone to hyperbole. He’s a former federal judge, a meticulous lawyer, and, as he proved in succeeding Alberto Gonzales, a skilled administrator who restored morale to a Justice Department demoralized by scandals (real or concocted). He is also obviously nonplussed by the performance of his successor, Attorney General Eric Holder. In a far-ranging interview, he candidly asserts that Holder’s conduct in several key respects has been “amazing.” That’s not meant as a compliment.Mukasey, who presided over the trial of the 1993 World Trade Center bombers, is as experienced as any American jurist when it comes to the war on terror. It is therefore significant that he finds Holder’s handling of national security matters worrisome. In August 2009, Holder authorized the reinvestigation of CIA operatives who had employed enhanced interrogation techniques on terrorist detainees. It had the feel of a witch hunt: Career prosecutors who investigated the interrogators under the previous administration had concluded there was no basis for a criminal prosecution. A year and a half later, the Holder reinvestigation is still dragging on. “I have to believe that the effect on people involved in national security is devastating,” says Mukasey, “in part because the cases were closed before.” Imagine the impact on a CIA operative who is told, “ ‘There is no basis for prosecution.’ And then someone shows up and says, ‘Not so fast.’ ”Mukasey, moreover, finds it “amazing” that Holder “conceded he didn’t read the [career] prosecutors’ memo” that recommended against prosecution. He remarks ruefully that “in a sense that is comforting” to CIA employees that there was not something troubling in the memo. But, of course, it is small consolation that the nation’s chief law enforcement officer doesn’t bother to read relevant documents before making a decision with long-term policy implications.It is ironic, in retrospect, that the Obama administration two years ago entered office vowing to respect the work of career attorneys at the DOJ, to avoid politicization, and to oversee the impartial administration of justice. The closest we have come to the impartial administration of justice in recent years was under Mukasey’s tenure, when he eliminated White House meddling and allowed career attorneys to perform their jobs. No wonder he is dismayed with his successor’s performance.Hmmmm.....One Obamination after another?Read the full story here.

• HT:BigPeace.Exploring Anti Israel Rhetoric, Radical Islamic Propaganda and Anti Semitism.Anti Semitism is on the rise fueled by growing anti Israel rhetoric. Just a few weeks ago, a former European Commissioner and a prominent Dutch politician, Frits Bolkestein, called on orthodox Jews to leave Holland because of “the anti-Semitism among Dutchmen of Moroccan descent, whose numbers keep growing”. Reading this statement propelled me to learn more about the state of Anti Semitism in Europe and its connection to the efforts to de legitimize Israel’s right to exist. I asked Professor Dina Porat, the founder and former head of the institute for the study of contemporary Anti Semitism and Racism in Tel Aviv University, for an interview to explore the connection between Anti Israel rhetoric, Radical Islamic propaganda and anti Semitism.Giyus.org: What is the current state of Anti Semitism in the world?Read the full story here.

• Tunisian students to form Hezbollah.A Tunisian group, consisted of young students, says it intends to form a Hezbollah-style political party to defend the rights of the people against any possible repression. The announcement comes days after a historic revolution ousted the country's former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Jamil Ben Alavi, a prominent student leader, says he was optimistic about the promotion of the Islamic values among the youth in the predominantly Muslim country. "The progressive example of Hezbollah in Lebanon can bring light and hope for the Tunisian people," Fars News Agency quoted Ben Alavi as saying. The comments come as thousands of Tunisians have publicly organized congregational prayers over the past days. Meanwhile, some Tunisian TV channels have resumed broadcasting the call for prayer. Ben Ali had pursued a strict anti-Islamic agenda during his rule over the North African country. "He (Ben Ali) was against broadcasting Adhan, holding Friday prayers in mosques during his rule," the Arabic language Al-Mofakirat Al-Islam website said in a report about religious freedom. In an attempt to imitate Western countries, Ben Ali imposed strict laws against the Islamic dress code. A vast majority of the country's population is Muslims and committed to Islamic values.Hmmmmm.....And another little Iran sees the daylight?What's next Turkey to show up to "mediate"?Read the full story here.

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• HT:TheDailyCaller.ACORN’s man takes over the Democratic Party’s war machine.A longtime ACORN operative is about to take over the reins of the Democratic National Committee as its executive director – just in time to begin initial preparations for President Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign.The activist in question is Patrick Gaspard. He currently holds the title of White House political affairs director, the same title Karl Rove held in President Bush’s administration.Gaspard comes from the same world of radical left-wing community organizing that shaped Barack Obama. Gaspard is well schooled in the brutal, street-smart organizing tactics taught by the late Saul Alinsky, author of Rules for Radicals. He’s the hatchet man Obama sent to New York over a year ago to strong-arm then-Gov. David Paterson into dropping his reelection campaign. As executive director running the DNC’s day-to-day operations Gaspard will oversee Organizing for America, a project of the DNC supposedly modeled on Alinskyite organizing principles. (Former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine will remain as general chairman of the DNC.)Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo to Haitian parents, very little is known about this Rasputin-like power behind the throne. Gaspard shuns publicity and is extremely reluctant to speak to the media on the record. Look him up on Nexis and you will find virtually nothing about this otherwise influential counselor to the leader of the free world.Gaspard came to the White House from ACORN’s favorite labor organization, Service Employees International Union. (SEIU Locals 100 and 880 were until recently official affiliates of ACORN.) He had been executive vice president for political and legislative affairs for SEIU Local 1199 United Healthcare Workers East, which claims to be the largest union local on the planet “representing more than 300,000 members and retirees in New York, Maryland, the District of Columbia and Massachusetts.”Gaspard was previously revealed to be political director for ACORN’s New York branch. Although the source of this information, ACORN founder Wade Rathke, has since feigned senility and claimed he was mistaken, other evidence points to Gaspard’s involvement with the nation’s most notorious activist group.In 2004, Gaspard was the National Field Director for America Coming Together.The group was primarily funded by Peter Lewis, George Soros, and labor unions, especially the Service Employees International Union, and was led by Steve Rosenthal, a former political director of the AFL-CIO.In the fall of 2004, ACT was featured in the Frontline Documentary, The Persuaders, which described ACT's use of narrowcasting.In the last three weeks before the 2004 presidential and congressional elections, ACT planned on funding over 12 million phone calls to targeted voters and having canvassers hand-deliver 11 million pieces of literature at targeted doorsteps. On Election Day, ACT had projected to have 45,000 paid canvassers in the battleground states and spent over $10 million on Election Day. It had 86 offices open every day, a staff of 4000 and a goal of reinforcing the army of 45,000 paid canvassers with 25,000 volunteers.The Federal Election Commission announced on August 29, 2007, that it had reached a settlement agreement with ACT for violations of various federal campaign finance laws during the 2004 US presidential campaign. ACT has agreed to pay $775,000 in fines. Hmmmm.....Unions....Acorn.....Chicago...Soros.Anyone still believing in fair elections in 2012?.....Any which way you can? Read the full story here.

• 30 days in a Dubai police cell, sharing a mattress with her Brazilian love rival.A British woman locked up in Dubai after being caught in bed with a banker was released last night – after spending 30 days sharing a filthy mattress in a cell with her Brazilian love rival.Amazingly, during their incarceration in a basement holding pen at a police station, Danielle Spencer and model Priscila Ferreira became firm friends.Ms Spencer, 31, had been spending the night with Toby Carroll when his girlfriend Ms Ferreira burst in and threatened them at knifepoint.Mr Carroll called police and all three were arrested – Ms Ferreira, 24, for criminal damage and Ms Spencer and Mr Carroll on suspicion of having sex outside of marriage, a crime in the Arab country.Ms Spencer said last night: ‘This is the best feeling, I am so happy to be out at last. I just want a big drink, a soak in a bath and a sleep in a proper bed. That will feel bliss.’She and Ms Ferreira spent a month sharing a bed in a cell with 70 other inmates in the notorious Bur Dubai police station. Ms Ferreira was still in jail last night because she could not find anyone to provide a passport for her surety. It was anticipated the model, who turns 25 today, will be released imminently.Last night, in an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, former pole-dancer Ms Spencer, from Hull, told how she and Ms Ferreira forged their unlikely friendship.She said: ‘We just had to become friends because it was such a terrible experience. All we had was each other for comfort and at night we would huddle together on our mattress, scared out of our lives. We were in a stinking room with murderers. I got to know Priscila well and like her. There are no hard feelings. I have forgiven her for what she did.‘We have both laughed at the irony of it – I locked myself in the bathroom to get away from her when she went crazy with the knife and now I realise that she is the safest person to be with here in prison.’ The Mail on Sunday had been with Ms Spencer as she negotiated her release. She said: ‘The authorities needed two passports – mine and one from someone resident in Dubai. We were frantically ringing around trying to find someone.’Earlier, while at Bur Dubai, she said: ‘It has been a nightmare. I did not even have sex with that guy. The conditions are terrible, so cramped, and they put tranquillisers in the food. I spend all day sitting on the floor, in the dark, underground. It’s so disgusting. ‘We can only have a bath once a week. There are insects everywhere. There are women in here with babies, poor little things. There are no windows, no fresh air. Some women here were arrested for trying to commit suicide.’Mr Carroll was bailed last Thursday. He and Ms Spencer may be charged with having sex outside marriage, which can carry a jail term. No charges have been filed against any of the three.Police inquiries are continuing and it is expected that the three will be called before a prosecutor in the next few weeks.Hmmm......Lets see how the "Love Story" ends?Read the full story here.