Obama’s all-hat-no-cattle diplomacy

If ever there were a case of someone who is good at the hat bit – talking big, gesticulating forcefully – but abysmal at the business of delivering, it is Barack Obama.

More work needed on breastfeeding awareness

My milk was no longer enough.

Al Qaida Finding Fertile Ground in Africa

“In Libya, for example, [we saw] the easy availability of weapons, which enabled groups like AQIM to strengthen themselves,” she says, adding that the current crisis in Mali represents “fertile ground for al-Qaida to reorganize and re-energize its campaign against the West.”

Taliban, Al-Qaeda Awaiting U.S. Afghanistan Exit

Imagine, he said, if Western leaders had announced in December 2009 that the surge would come to an end not according to a predetermined timetable but only when the Taliban had been defeated. Such steadfastness could have caused the Taliban to quickly collapse.

Now, of course, the U.S. is encouraging negotiations with the group it once sought to destroy.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Obama’s 2% Lie

“The best source for new oil is the world’s largest consumer economy: this country. We could go back to 10 million barrels if we had the permitting that would enable it to happen. We have the oil. There is more oil in this country that we’re not allowed to get at than oil we’re allowed to get at.”But much of the oil is off limits thanks to the policies of this President:

-The outer Continental shelf.

-The Arctic National Wildlife Reserve in Anwar.

-And Shale Oil where the United States has the largest deposits in the world estimated by the government to be over 2 trillion barrels.

Even when the production is not in this country, the President will do anything he can to stop it, like blocking the Keystone pipeline.

Also, what the President is refusing to acknowledge is the United States is in the middle of an oil boom thanks to new technology like deep-water drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

So the President needs to stop with the 2% lie.

The solutions are right in front of us, but this administration flatly refuses to explore them.

7 Foods You Should Never Eat

in some cases, the methods of today’s food producers are neither clean nor sustainable. The result is damage to our health, the environment, or both.

Hard-Working Teachers, Sabotaged When Student Test Scores Slip

The short answer is: Numbers lie.

And not only do they lie, but they are out of date,

HER Daily Dose – Are Wealthier People Less Ethical?

In a chicken or the egg conundrum, researchers wondered which came first – the wealth or the egotistical behavior. They weren’t certain of that but they were confident that wealthier people are more likely to skirt the law or make unethical decisions.

Iran says it will allow IAEA into military complex

IAEA chief Yukiya Amano on Monday told a news conference after a meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog in Vienna there were indications of unspecified “activities” at the Parchin facility. His remarks confirmed comments made by IAEA diplomats to Reuters last week when one said: “we have heard about possible sanitation” of the Parchin site that he called “very concerning,” suggesting Iran may be delaying access while it removed evidence of suspect activities. “We have some indication that activities are ongoing at the Parchin site. It makes us believe that going there sooner is better than later,”

Russian protesters fear Putin resorting to force

But Putin, a former KGB spy, will do his utmost to prevent what he regards as more radical protesters undermining his return to the Kremlin for a third term as president after four years as prime minister. Dissent will be dealt with forcefully. “We saw fear in the eyes of the dictator. We saw weakness. We saw a man who is unsure of himself,”

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

EU and Turkey: talks languish, trade booms

“The Europe that is afraid of speaking and arguing has nothing to give humanity,” Turkey’s Anadolu agency quoted Egeman Bagis, minister for EU affairs, as saying. “But the EU that we always emphasize being the most comprehensive peace project in the history of humanity has to be more courageous and liberal.”

Construction of Turkey’s First Nuclear Power Plant will Start in 2013

First concrete is planned for 2013 in Turkey’s first nuclear power plant to be constructed in the south of the country.

How the US Shale Boom Will Change the World

• Enough natural gas to meet US electricity demand for 575 years at current fuel demand for generation levels

• Enough natural gas to fuel homes heated by natural gas in the United States for 857 years

• More natural gas than Russia, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkmenistan combined.

Clinton: Arming Syria rebels could help Al-Qaeda

the Syrian strongman has “very, very strong friends, if you look at Russia, China and Iran, who are in there determined to keep Assad because he does their bidding, he buys their arms, he sells them oil.”

Report: Israel’s security situation worst in decades

The report portrays the United States as a former regional power broker now widely viewed as in decline. “In the Middle East, leaders have witnessed America’s retreat from Iraq and Afghanistan, its engagement (or appeasement, in Middle Eastern eyes) of US enemies Iran and Syria, and the desertion of friendly rulers,” it says. “This strengthens the general perception of a weak and confused American foreign policy.”

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

UN nuclear inspectors declare Iran mission a disappointment

The main stumbling block was Iran’s refusal to allow the IAEA team to visit a military site at Parchin, where the last agency report, issued in November, said there was a steel chamber which could have been used for testing explosives of a type performed in the development of a nuclear warhead… “It is disappointing that Iran did not accept our request to visit Parchin during the first or second meetings,” said the agency’s director general, Yukiya Amano. “We engaged in a constructive spirit, but no agreement was reached.”

The Physics Research Center and Iran’s Parallel Military Nuclear Program

Iran should explain to the IAEA why there appears to have been a parallel, organized nuclear program.

Iranian ‘Conference on Hollywoodism and Cinema’ Honors Prominent French Holocaust Deniers

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who, on February 2, 2012, claimed that the West and Zionism use Hollywood’s film industry as a means to maintain their world domination, delivered the opening speech for the event, in which he called for a new world order.

UN seeks permission to send humanitarian chief to Syria

At least 7,600 people have been killed in 11 months of protests against President Bashar al-Assad, according to Syrian rights groups, and the United Nations has highlighted worsening conditions for the civilian population.

Organizations participating in the campaign to delegitimize Israel

The objective is to challenge Israel and raise awareness of the so-called “right” of Palestinians and Muslims to Jerusalem and the “right of return” of the Palestinian refugees, and to promote the campaign to vilify and boycott Israel.

United Nations Compiles Syrian War Criminal List It Can’t Enforce

It’s sort of exciting that the United Nations has a secret list of Syrian officials that it may probe for war crimes in the International Criminal Court, but even they admit that the list (just like their resolution against Syrian violence) is worthless at the moment.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Iranian warships enter Mediterranean Sea

 the move would show “the might” of the Islamic republic to regional countries, AFP reported.

Seems more like they had their “ship” handed to them in a basket and were told to go home, according

to the picture.

Iranian envoy: Syria chaos to destabilize Middle East

.
137 members of the UN voted in favor of the resolution while 12 members including Iran, Russia and China voted against the measure.

Pope makes NY’s Timothy Dolan a cardinal

“May your mission in the Church and the world always be “in Christ” alone, responding to his logic and not that of the world, and may it be illumined by faith and animated by charity which comes to us from the glorious Cross of the Lord,”

Hmmm… The Vatican, “positioning” itself; What now?

Will 2012 be the Year of the African Despot, again?

The signs are ominous. While democracy appears to thrive in a few African countries – such as Liberia, South Africa, Ghana – irregularities, vote-rigging, and intimidation appear to be the rule in much of the continent…

Obama: ‘Big opportunity’ for U.S. economy

The president repeated his argument for eliminating tax breaks for companies for outsourcing jobs and called for tax breaks for manufacturers “who set up shop here at home.”

Dozens of victims settle tainted water suit

Individual members received different amounts, said lead plaintiff Wallace Brottem, 58 of Eustis, who suffered myelodysplastic syndrome, a condition similar to leukemia. He would not say how much his payout would be but said he doubted it would cover the $1 million-plus in medical bills he’s accumulated. His attorneys, he complained, were allowed to keep 44 percent of the settlement. Many of the employee-plaintiffs died while the suit was pending,

Egypt: SCAF With Mb and Liberals for Al-Arabi As President

“Al-Nour will not sign a blank cheque on any presidential candidate.. We must meet him, know about his platform and what he offers the country in the coming period, and he should represent all spectra of society,” Official spokesperson of Al-Nour Party, Nader Bakkar, said.

How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did

The store’s bulls-eye logo may now send a little shiver of fear down the closely-watched spines of some, though I can promise you that Target is not the only store doing this.

How Companies Learn Your Secrets

In other words, a precisely timed advertisement, sent to a recent divorcee or new homebuyer, can change someone’s shopping patterns for years.

Somali president: Al-shabab-Al-Qaeda will be purged from the country

Both groups (Al-shabab and Al-Qaeda) have officially announced last week their merger. Al-shabab has intensified the frequency of attacks and roadside blasts against government bases in Mogadishu since moving back from most of its military bases in the capital in August last year 2011.

ISI employed architect for Osama bin Laden compound: Report

“The ISI is thought to monitor both groups closely; how did the messages slip through the net?” he questioned.

Antony’s visit: India, Saudi Arabia seek stronger ties

This was the first time an Indian defence minister was visiting Saudi Arabia. The trip began on Monday. Antony was accompanied by a high-level delegation, including defence secretary Shashi Kant Sharma, Indian Army vice chief Lt Gen SK Singh and Indian Navy deputy chief Vice Admiral Satish Soni. During the meeting, they made an in-depth review of aspects of cooperation between the two countries and ways of enhancing bilateral ties, SPA reported.

A Year on, Morocco’s Democracy Movement Founders

“You can’t talk to people about parliamentary monarchy, they think the king is sacred, so you have to talk to them about unemployment and those stealing the wealth of the country,” he said, explaining that he and his friends in the movement now go to neighborhoods and have discussions to raise people’s consciousness.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Iran’s warning; Iran v the United States.(Iranian threats)

“Iran will not repeat its warning…the enemy’s carrier has been moved to the Sea of Oman because of our drill. I recommend and emphasise to the American carrier not to return to the Persian Gulf…we are not in the habit of warning more than once.”

Bombers target Israeli diplomats in Georgia, India

Tehran already has accused Israel of covert attacks on its nuclear program, including assassinations of top nuclear officials and scientists.

Views from China’s vice president

Forty years ago, leaders of our two countries, with extraordinary wisdom and vision of statesmen, reopened the long-closed door to China-U.S. exchanges. Since then, China-U.S. relations have forged ahead despite some twists and turns and made historic achievements, bringing huge benefits to both countries and peoples. 

Syria ‘emboldened by UN inaction’

“The failure of the Security Council to agree on firm collective action appears to have emboldened the Syrian government to plan an all out assault in an effort to crush resistance with overwhelming force.

“I am particularly appalled by the ongoing violence in Homs.”

Radical cleric Abu Qatada being freed from U.K. jail

Abu Qatada arrived in Britain in 1993 and was detained in 2002 under anti-terrorism laws that at the time allowed suspected terrorists to be jailed without charge. He has never been charged with a crime in Britain, although authorities have accused him of advising militants and raising money for terrorist attacks.

Although Abu Qatada was released in 2005 when the unpopular law was overturned, he was kept under surveillance and arrested again within months and held pending deportation to Jordan.

He has been convicted in absentia there of terrorist offenses related to two alleged bomb plots in 1999 and 2000, and would face a retrial there if deported from Britain.

Obama Budget Proves Unique With No Other Source for $3 Trillion

A February 2009 Labor Department document shows the Obama administration requesting $13.3 billion from Congress for fiscal 2010. What the three-page “funding highlights” proposal doesn’t say is that an additional $91.2 billion in spending was required by law for programs such as unemployment insurance.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

ISRAEL: The tribulations of being an Ethiopian Jew

“Ethiopian(s) [Jews in Israel] are an easy catch for manpower agencies,” Wyler said. “They are allowed to hire employees for up to a year without providing social security under Israeli law, so they fire them after 11 months, just to re-employ them again afterwards.” 

Uhh…we indiscriminately do this to people in America just for being employed…

Can Iran Be Contained?

Though Iran kills U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Iraq, as well as murders civilians and Iranian dissidents across Europe and Argentina, some still think of the regime as they would any other state.

FROM: The New Kosovo?

The arson at Labuniste followed the burning of a Macedonian flag and the raising of Albanian and Islamic banners in the neighboring town of Struga, allegedly in reaction to an incident of “mocking Islam”

JIZYA: MINNEAPOLIS USES TAXPAYER DOLLARS SO THAT MUSLIM BUSINESSES FOLLOW SHARIA LAW

The cost of interest is factored into the loan, so how can that be an interest-free loan? What rubbish.

Uhh…Yah! This would have been called “corruption” in the former United States of America. Here’s a thought. What if the powers that be actually “want” the U.S. population To become “Muslim”? Think about it. On the outside it would appear that a self-Perpetuating religion would feed the hungry, take care of the poor and impose an Imam enforced morality on the population in order to maintain national order. The prevailing administration would no longer be required to “dole out” subsistence or welfare to those in need, (for whatever reason the need exists) law and order would be maintained” by religion so there would be less of a need for tax-payor funded policing, and the fire department would become next to obsolete because, well, even if the “Non-Believers” pay the Jizya (racist, discriminatory) tax, the house would be left to burn to the ground because it just had to have been the will of A____. Also, our tax-payor funded education system would no longer be necessary because the current K – 12 “day care” would be replaced by “voucher” produced “religious” schools. Of course in order to not be blamed for letting this happen the government would take about a century to let this take place, at which time the population would conclude that the Islamification of the nation had grown “organically. (Gee whiz that’s a lot of “quotation marks”.) [Just a fictional, hypothetical scenario with the idea that a fiction writer could take the idea and write a ‘futuristic’ historical fiction novel.)

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Former Member of Russian Joint Chiefs of Staff Col.-Gen. Leonid Ivashov

“A strike against Syria or Iran is an indirect strike against Russia and its interests. Russia would lose important positions and allies in the Arab world. Therefore, by defending Syria, Russia is defending its own interests…  “In addition, Russia is thus defending the entire world from Fascism.

‘Al-Sharq Al-Awsat’ Editor Tariq Alhomayed

“Today the death toll in Syria has reached the extent that a hundred people can die in one day; this day was last Friday. Some 50 more die every day. Meanwhile, Russia still insists on defending al-Assad, and sectarian Iran defends the murderous regime. And then there is Turkey, where there is a lot of talk but little action!

Fool me twice

“nothing is agreed to until everything is agreed to.”

5 questions on Syria for the Obama administration

 what exactly is the Obama administration doing for the people of Syria, except talking?

2012: Iran’s Plan to Take Human Life and Israel’s Plan to Preserve It

The challenges facing Israel in 1981 pale in comparison to those it faces today in trying to stop another nuclear threat to its existence for, in Ahmadinejad, Israelis confront a madman just as committed to wreaking global death among mankind in fulfillment of his destiny as they are to preserving human life in fulfillment of theirs.

(Hmmm… And just when does history start?)

Be Sociable, Share!

•