Indian Navy to keep watch on Chinese nuclear submarine movements

It is very hard to construct a secret base anymore. I am glad that the Chinese tried it, just to see them publicly exposed. I think it is also nice to see that India is so worried about this development. Maybe this will push them even closer to the US.

Indian Navy to keep watch on Chinese nuclear submarine movements: "Indian Navy would be keeping a close watch on the movement of Chinese nuclear submarines, which are operating out of a recently discovered underground base in the South China Sea, Chief of Naval staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta said Friday in Mumbai.

Admiral Mehta, however, felt that the Chinese nuclear submarine base has been known to India for some time and does not pose any significant threat.

'We had known about it for some time and moreover when it is a nuclear submarine, it does not matter if the base is 100 miles away or 200 miles,' he added, PTI reported here.

'Chinese are very keen to come in the Indian Ocean and there is no doubt that they wish to come there. They did not have the assets till now,' the Naval chief said.

Satellite images obtained by nuclear weapons watchdog Federation of American Scientists had led to the discovery of a Chinese naval base on the Hainan Island in south China Sea."

Iraq: Hawr Rajab Residents Speak About Life Under Al-Qaeda

This is a totally cool video about what life is like now versus life under the terrorists. This should be watched by everyone so that we can see all the improvements in life in Iraq.

The Jawa Report: Iraq: Hawr Rajab Residents Speak About Life Under Al-Qaeda

Information Warfare: Stealthy China Probes Alarmed India

China is conducting major probes of every country's cyber networks. When should Cyber Security be delegated to the diplomats and not to the security experts? If the Chinese shut down the world's networks, will the security experts or the politicians get the blame? I think I know.

Information Warfare: Stealthy China Probes Alarmed India: "Stealthy China Probes Alarmed India
May 10, 2008: Indian government and military Internet security officials have been comparing notes, and have raised the alarm about Internet based attacks, and suspicious activity, coming from China. Particularly worrying is the probing of India's Internet infrastructure. This is a sign that China is mapping the Indian Internet, a necessary prerequisite to taking it down in wartime, or tampering with it in peacetime.



Indian security experts are also alarmed by the Internet based attacks on Estonian business and government targets last year. Russia denied any responsibility, but the attacks did come from Russia, and they were successful. It's these 'undeclared war' attacks that are particularly worrying. It means a rather damaging Internet conflict could take place, as an undeclared war. As a result, there are proposals to shore up defenses, and develop some offensive capability.



The government has been reluctant to proceed, fearful of spoiling the improving relations with China. Moreover, much of the Internet mischief coming out of China is, by general acknowledgment, just criminals out to steal. But Internet security experts insist that, hidden among all the criminal operations, is military activity, that is setting India up to take a fall in any future Cyber War. For"

Lebanese PM opens door to surrender. Army grants two key Hizballah demands

Well, now Lebanon is an almost full partner with Iran and Syria. Before it was just a huge part of the country that was trying to be Persian butt-monkeys, now it is the whole region. Thank the Lord Iraq is not in the Persian Alliance.

DEBKAfile - Exclusive: Lebanese PM opens door to surrender. Army grants two key Hizballah demands: "Lebanese PM opens door to surrender. Army grants two key Hizballah demands

May 10, 2008, 11:23 PM (GMT+02:00)

After four days of fierce fighting in which at least 37 people died, the Lebanese army revoked two government measures in obedience to Hizballah demands: the Shiite group’s independent telecommunication network will not be shut down and the pro-Hizballah Brig. Gen Wafiq Shqeir would keep his job as Beirut international airport head of security.

In a broadcast speech, Saturday, May 10, the pro-Western prime minister Fouad Siniora asked the army to defuse the crisis after Hizballah seized control of western Beirut, besieged the government center and attacked pro-government Sunni centers across Lebanon. Government loyalists found no support from Sinora’s powerful backers, the United States, France or even Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The pro-Western government was therefore forced to back down.

This means its acceptance of Hizballah’s communication system in central, southern and eastern Lebanon and its direct link to Syrian and Iranian command centers in Damascus; and the Shiite group’s Beirut headquarters online communications link to its Revolutionary Guards bosses in Tehran.

DEBKAfile's military sources report: Triumphant, the Hizballah chief Hassan Hasrallah will be a more dangerous enemy than ever. The army rather than the government laid down the condition that Hizballah withdraw from the Sunni districts of Beirut and the rest of the country and remove its armed men from the streets.

Even so, a government minister remarked that the deal awaits approval by Hizballah leaders and the Iranian ambassador in Beirut. It is far from certain that the Shiite terrorists will give up the territory they gained in the last four days.

Also in question are the roadblocks on highways and the shutdown of Beirut air and sea ports."

Has Big Media Global Warming Bias Begun to Endanger the Public?

What a pack of Lies! Where is Al Gore to denounce the "record snowfall" distortions that seem to minimize his wonderful movie? Any Liberal can tell us that anything that does not fit the Global Warming Model is just Bush's spin machine.

On the other hand, people who read and think and utilize their brain can find a way to disprove the Gore-ical and the Church of Gaea. They would stop believing if they stopped smoking so much crack. Right Dude?

American Thinker Blog: Has Big Media Global Warming Bias Begun to Endanger the Public?: "When Maine officials tried to warn residents of the dangers of this winter's near-record snowpack, Big Media slanted the story, hampering efforts to warn folks of the danger. 'This winters [sic] near-record snowfall has created a flood potential that is above normal,' began a news advisory released by the Maine River Flow Advisor Commission on March 6th.

'Statewide water content readings from this week's snow survey are some of the highest since 1969, the 'snow season' of record, and in some locations higher than the record.' In case there was any doubt, the banner headline on the release reads: 'Spring Flood Potential Elevated Due to Near-Record Snowfall.'


However, the lead in the Associated Press story in the next day's edition of the major regional daily, the Boston Globe, downplayed the threat posed by the snowpack, referring to it as just 'above-average,' and shifting the emphasis to concern about an approaching storm.

'The National Weather Service says weekend rain could cause some flooding of streets and small streams.'"

Deal Reached on Truce in Sadr City

It is the NYT, so most of the story finds a way to blame the non-terrorists for the violence. Making the terrorists into innocents is the major goal of the Leftist Media.

Deal Reached on Truce in Sadr City - New York Times: "Shiite leaders in Parliament and leaders of the movement of the Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr agreed to a truce early Saturday that would end more than a month of bloody fighting in the vast, crowded Baghdad ghetto of Sadr City.

The hope is to stop the bloodshed there, which has claimed several hundred lives, wounded many more and forced residents to flee the embattled neighborhood. The fighting was a test of Iraq’s Shiite-led government against powerful Shiite militias, both here in Baghdad and in Basra, to the south.

The deal would allow both sides to stand down from what was becoming a messy and unpopular showdown in the months leading up to crucial provincial elections. It is not clear who won or how long the truce would last, but at least for now it would end the internecine warfare among Shiite factions.

The agreement would give the government some control over Sadr City, a largely lawless area, and give members of Mr. Sadr’s militia who were not actively involved in the fighting a guarantee that they would not be arrested.

Parliament members involved in the deal said the gunmen had four days to withdraw."

Cell Phone Spying: Is Your Life Being Monitored?

Holy Sheep Dip! I am going to keep my cell in my pocket with some tissues from now on. If you read the article, you will find many other scary things people can do with your phone from a remote location.

Cell Phone Spying: Is Your Life Being Monitored?: "Advanced eavesdropping

So you’ve figured out where someone is, but now you want to know what they’re actually doing. Turns out you can listen in, even if they aren’t talking on their phone.

Dozens of programs are available that’ll turn any cell phone into a high-tech, long-range listening device. And the scariest part? They run virtually undetectable to the average eye.

Take, for example, Flexispy. The service promises to let you “catch cheating wives or cheating husbands” and even “bug meeting rooms.” Its tools use a phone’s microphone to let you hear essentially any conversations within earshot. Once the program is installed, all you have to do is dial a number to tap into the phone’s mic and hear everything going on. The phone won’t even ring, and its owner will have no idea you are virtually there at his side."

Hezbollah Is Committing War Crimes in Beirut!

What could I possibly add to the comments of the GWPundit? Just make sure you look at the terrorists using civilians to escort them in case of attack.

Gateway Pundit: Hezbollah Is Committing War Crimes in Beirut!: "Evidently, war crimes are acceptable when performed by terrorist groups?
Anything goes when you're a terrorist.
And, you get the added advantage that the Western media will ignore it.
When you belong to an army- you are expected to follow certain international rules:

Geneva Conventions--
Convention (III) relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. Geneva, 12 August 1949.
Article 3 c) outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment

But, terrorist organizations get a free ride...
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists are humiliating captured government supporters and interviewing them on Hezbollah television Al Manar:"

Skills for Men - Things Men Should Be Able to Do - Esquire

This is a bit of fun for the day.

Skills for Men - Things Men Should Be Able to Do - Esquire: "10. Buy a suit.

Avoid bargains. Know your likes, your dislikes, and what you need it for (work, funerals, court). Squeeze the fabric -- if it bounces back with little or no sign of wrinkling, that means it's good, sturdy material. And tug the buttons gently. If they feel loose or wobbly, that means they're probably coming off sooner rather than later. The jacket's shoulder pads are supposed to square with your shoulders; if they droop off or leave dents in the cloth, the jacket's too big. The jacket sleeves should never meet the wrist any lower than the base of the thumb -- if they do, ask to go down a size. Always get fitted.

11. Swim three different strokes. Doggie paddle doesn't count.

12. Show respect without being a suck-up. Respect the following, in this order: age, experience, record, reputation. Don't mention any of it.

13. Throw a punch. Close enough, but not too close. Swing with your shoulders, not your arm. Long punches rarely land squarely. So forget the roundhouse. You don't have a haymaker. Follow through; don't pop and pull back. The length you give the punch should come in the form of extension after the point of contact. Just remember, the bones in your hand are small and easy to break. You're better off striking hard with the heel of your palm. Or you could"

Lebanese army chief defies government as Syria steps in to back Hizballah’s conquest of Beirut districts

So, Syria is moving in, the army is sitting on its hands and allowing it, and the world is standing by. What a mess. I can't blame anyone for failure to enter this mess, but the UN has forces there to force Hezb'allah to disarm. WHY AREN'T THEY DISARMED? Frackin' UN is as useful as ticks. They suck out our life blood and return diseases.

DEBKAfile - Exclusive: Lebanese army chief defies government as Syria steps in to back Hizballah’s conquest of Beirut districts: "Lebanese army chief defies government as Syria steps in to back Hizballah’s conquest of Beirut districts

May 9, 2008, 6:19 PM (GMT+02:00)

At least 11 people were killed Friday, May 9, Day 3 of fierce clashes between Hizballah and pro-government forces, the worst since the 1975-90 civil war. At noon, Syrian Social Nationalist Party’s units entered Beirut to support Hizballah’s advancing occupation of Sunni West Beirut districts.

DEBKAfile’s Middle East sources report that Thursday night, army chief Gen. Michel Suleiman refused to obey prime minister Fouad Siniora’s order to declare a state of emergency for the crisis created by Hizballah’s declaration of war against the government. The general warned that if the government enacted an emergency, he would order the troops to return to barracks.

The SSNP is a Greek Orthodox arm of Syrian military intelligence.

Hizballah and fellow Shiite Amal fighters were thus able to seize control of most of pr-government Sunni West Beirut in clashes that have spread to other parts of the Lebanon while the government was left unprotected.

The urban warfare shut down Lebano"

The Curse Of Combat Experience

The US continues to have the best and most professional military in the world, despite the best efforts of the Left. Uh-Rah!

Leadership: The Curse Of Combat Experience: "Thus the conventional warfare enthusiasts are left frustrated in their quest for some relief from all this Asymmetric Warfare stuff. Meanwhile, the combat experience and huge boost in training (even if for non-conventional warfare) has greatly increased the combat and leadership capabilities of the troops. This has benefits for conventional warfare. For example, a U.S. M-1 tank crew in Korea recently got a perfect score (very rare) in their main combat skills evaluation (Table 8 Gunnery.) Foreign military professionals don't see the U.S. Army as overspecialized in the wrong area. They see them as the most combat experienced force on the planet, and most capable for any kind of fight."

Use Of Mobile Phones By Women Forbidden In Islam

In Islam, women are the source of most evil, with infidels a close second. So, it is best to keep them in the house as slaves.

Urdu: "Pakistani Ulema: Use Of Mobile Phones By Women Forbidden In Islam

The ulema in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province have declared that use of mobile phones by women is haram, or forbidden in Islam. The Urdu-language newspaper Roznama Khabrain reported that the imam of Jama Masjid Hazrat Umar Farooq made the announcement during his Friday sermon.

Jama Masjid Hazrat Umar Farooq is situated in the Hashtnagri police district of Peshawar. According to the report, the Imam said the religious scholars of the province have agreed by consensus that women cannot use mobile phones. He also said that men are permitted to receive and make calls but mobile phones cannot be used for non-shari’a purposes.

Source: Roznama Khabrain, Pakistan, May 3, 2008"

PASTOR’S 13-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER GANG-RAPED

The Religion of Peace and Tolerance shows its love and understanding for others.

Compass Direct News: "Muslim villagers in Mymensingh district eager to rid the area of the Christian work of a local pastor have gang-raped his 13-year-old daughter, the girl's father said.

Pastor Motilal Das of United Bethany Church said that at around 3 a.m. on Friday (May 2) the villagers sexually assaulted his daughter, Elina Das, and left her unconscious in front of his house in an attempt to drive him and his Christian ministry out of Laksmipur village in Fulbaria sub-district, 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of the capital.

Local residents have long been angry with him for his ministry and evangelism, he said, and he has received death threats.

“I did not pay attention to any of the threats or hindrances – I continued evangelical and pastoral activities with prayer,” Das told Compass. “They targeted me to evict from this area to stop the Christian activities. When nothing stopped me, then they wanted to leave me scarred for life, so that I would be upset and not be able to show my face to the society for shame, and therefore I would leave the village.”

Das, who became the first Christian in the area in 1986 and has been key in an increase to more than 250 Christians and the emergence of 12 churches, said the brutal attack was pre-planned and calcu"

It's radioactive, and it's missing

Well, it looks like today is a day for bad news.

It's radioactive, and it's missing: "Britain's intelligence service MI5 has launched a high priority search for more than 1,000 pieces of missing radioactive medical equipment used in the treatment of cancers and other illnesses in British hospitals, says a report in Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

The loss was discovered after Britain's understaffed National Health Service hospitals made their quarterly inventory returns to the government Environmental Agency -- responsible for the safety of all medical radioactive materials.

In all, some 10,000 items -- mostly used in nuclear medicine -- were accounted for. Those passed their use-by date were destroyed at one of Britain's nuclear reactors."

Iraq Fact Check

The Wolf finds more good information. Go to the article and send it to your friends.

Wolf Howling: Iraq Fact Check: "There is a new resource out that perhaps our Dem duo ought to be checking. Think military expenditures for Iraq are what's breaking our bank? To the contrary, 'today’s U.S. defense budget accounts for just over four percent of the economy, less than the U.S. commitment at any point during the four decades of the Cold War. During the Truman and Eisenhower Administrations, the U.S. defense budget rose as high as 13 percent of the total economy. Even during the Reagan Administration, when the economy expanded significantly, the defense budget accounted for approximately six percent of GDP.' And that just one of the topics 'fact checked' in a recent document put out by the White House Office of Public Liason and posted at Iraq Status Report.

This from the White House Office of Public Liason:"

US says Qaeda chief in Iraq not captured

What a downer for the start of my blogging day. I wonder if this scared a bunch of lesser terrorists into heading home at least?

US says Qaeda chief in Iraq not captured - Yahoo! News: "The US military denied on Friday that Al-Qaeda in Iraq chief Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, who carries a US bounty of five million dollars, had been captured by security forces.

State television Al-Iraqiya reported on Thursday that a man calling himself as Muhajir was captured by Iraqi forces in the northern province of Nineveh.

US military spokeswoman Major Peggy Kageleiry said the detained individual was not Muhajir, whose real name according to the military is Abu Ayyub al-Masri.

'They did not catch Abu Hamza al-Muhajir. Somebody with same name but not connected with him. It is not him,' Kageleiry told AFP.

When asked if the military confirmed Muhajir was not in the custody of security forces, she said: 'I confirm that.'"

Hezbollah overruns west Beirut as Lebanon on brink

Iran is, in my humble opinion, starting a War over in Lebanon to distract from the War they are fomenting, and losing, in Iraq. Hunt down the Republican Guard and see what happens next.

Hezbollah overruns west Beirut as Lebanon on brink: "Beirut residents were fleeing for shelter elsewhere as tanks rolled through the streets and hundreds of riot police and troops patrolled the city, but did not get involved in the fighting.

Lebanon was largely cut off from the outside world, with the international airport and Beirut port shut and some roads to neighbouring Syria blockaded by burning tyres.

Arab nations led by regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia are pushing for a special session of foreign ministers to tackle the crisis and some Middle East states have begun trying to evacuating residents.

President Shimon Peres of Israel -- whose country fought a devastating war against Hezbollah in 2006 -- claimed the violence was fomented by Iran to further what he said was Tehran's goal to control all of the Middle East.

In Damascus, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad -- whose country is Iran's closest regional ally -- said the unrest was a purely 'internal affair.'

Witnesses reported fierce gunbattles in several parts of west Beirut as the Sunni neighourhoods considered bastions of Lebanon's ruling bloc fell to militants from Hezbollah and its ally Amal."

Train quarantined in Canada after passenger dies

Anyone know more?

Train quarantined in Canada after passenger dies: "Canadian authorities quarantined a Via Rail passenger train after one person died and several were seriously ill on Friday, local media said.

Police and ambulances rushed to the scene in the hamlet of Foleyet in northern Ontario to tend to those with flu-like symptoms and find out what was causing the illness, said public broadcaster CBC.

'They've got the train quarantined,' town official Deborah DesRochers told CBC. 'They're trying to isolate what it is.'

According to reports, as many as 10 people were ill with flu-like symptoms when the train crossing Canada with 260 passengers and 30 crew made its regular morning stop in Foleyet.

The illnesses appeared to be contained in two rail cars.

Via Rail and health officials were not immediately available to comment."

Maryland Woman Fined $310 for Killing Police Officer

This penalty is a crime. I wonder if she brags about killing the cop to her friends and family.

FOXNews.com - Maryland Woman Fined $310 for Killing Police Officer - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News: "The Howard County State's Attorney's Office says a driver who struck and killed a county police officer last year has paid her traffic fines.

Prosecutors say Stephanie Grissom of Columbia paid $310 in fines for speeding and negligent driving. She also received three points on her driving record.

In March, a county grand jury declined to indict Grissom on automobile manslaughter charges.

Police say Grissom was driving 71 mph in a 55-mph zone on Route 32 when she struck Officer Scott Wheeler. The officer was working a speed enforcement detail and had stepped into the road to flag Grissom down when he was struck."

Happy 60th birthday, Israel

Happy Birthday!

Happy 60th birthday, Israel: well done for surviving | The Spectator: "Israel is the only country whose creation was approved by the UN; yet it is the only country whose legitimacy is called into question. It is the only country which the world requires to compromise with its Palestinian Arab attackers and accede to their demands, even while they are firing rockets at its schools and houses and blowing up its citizens. It is the only country which continues to provide electricity and basic services to those attackers and routinely treats thousands of Palestinians in its own hospitals, even those who have Israeli blood on their hands. And yet it is the only country which, in the court of public opinion, is condemned for behaving ‘disproportionately’ when it uses targeted military means to defend itself, and is accused of causing the very ‘Nazi’ or ‘apartheid’ atrocities of which it itself is the victim.

At present, the situation looks particularly ominous. Israel is menaced on several fronts by Iran which, racing to develop a nuclear weapon, is threatening a new genocide of the Jews while denying the last one. In Lebanon Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Iranian-sponsored army Hezbollah, which is once again armed with thousands of rockets, says the next attack on Israel is not a matter of ‘if�"

Pakistan cleric asks Indian counterpart to withdraw ‘fatwa’ on cow slaughter

Naturally, when Islam is asked to respect another religion, Islamic scholars start to quote all the parts of their religion that explain why they can not. Why is Islam so afraid to allow growth in religion.

href="http://www.topnews.in/pakistan-cleric-asks-indian-counterpart-withdraw-fatwa-cow-slaughter-240203">Pakistan cleric asks Indian counterpart to withdraw ‘fatwa’ on cow slaughter | Top News: "An Islamic cleric in Pakistan has demanded that the ‘fatwa’ issued by the mufti of the Darul Uloom Deoband (in India’s Uttar Pradesh), which cautioned Indian Muslims to be wary of Hindus’ feelings while slaughtering cows, be withdrawn immediately.

He said that eating cow meat was legal according to the Shariat, and that such fatwas by Muslim clerics in India would “encourage Hindu beliefs”, and the next generations of the Muslims in India will be involved in Hindu beliefs.

A few days ago, the mufti of the Darul Uloom Deoband (DUD), Mufti Habibur Rehman, had said that Indian Muslims should take care when slaughtering the cow, which is considered sacred by Hindus. He also pointed out that the slaughter of the cow was prohibited under Indian law, and hence it was not correct to eat cow meat secretly.

In response, the head of Darul Ifta wa Al-Qazzath of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JD) Pakistan, Mufti Abdul Rehman Al Rehmani, said that the “fatwa” should be withdrawn immediately and justified. “The fatwa encourages Hindu beliefs,” the Daily Times quoted Al Rehmani as saying.

Al Rehmani claimed that Rehman’s “fatwa” was wrong because according to Islamic education the cow was a major cause of idolism and polytheism. “And if Mufti Habibur Rehman tells Indian Muslims to comply with Indian law, then the coming generations of Muslims in India will be involved in Hindu beliefs,” said Rehmani."

Who could know?

Ms Phillips is such a smart lady.

Thanks for finding yet more proof of the UN aid to terrorists. The UN is such a corrupt joke. Actually, it is too dangerous to be a joke. It is not very funny anymore.

The Spectator: "
Who could know?
Tuesday, 6th May 2008


The UN has long effectively behaved as a club of terror, excusing, ignoring or condoning acts of terrorism and tyranny while repeatedly singling out their principal state victim, Israel, for grotesque condemnation. The role of its relief agency UNWRA in supervising ‘refugee camps’ which are factories of terrorism has long been deeply compromised. Israel has repeatedly claimed that terrorists operate under the cover of UNWRA vehicles and facilities. The UN however has always strenuously denied any involvement whatsoever in such activities. Now however Reuters tells us that the headmaster of a UN school in Gaza, Awad al-Qiq who was killed last week in an Israeli air strike on a 'mechanic's workshop', taught by day and made rockets for Islamic Jihad by night. Wrapped in an Islamic Jihad flag, he was buried as a terrorist hero.

Who knew?

Not his family, not the slightest suspicion apparently, all a terrible shock. And not the UN, good gracious no, not a clue, natch.

Spokesman Christopher Gunness said UNRWA, which spelled its teacher's surname al-Geeg, was looking into the matter. ‘We have a zero-tolerance policy towards politics and militant activities in our schools. Obviously, we are not the thought police and we cannot police people's minds,’ he said.

Of course not! How could anyone expect the UN to know that one of its paid officials was — never mind the contents of his mind — actually making rockets and mortars on a regular basis for Hamas? For the UN, clearly, ‘zero tolerance’ of terrorism means zero scrutiny.

He added that staff were also regularly instructed not to engage in political or militant activities of any kind.

Yersss, Hamas must really be quaking in its boots. Doubtless such pieties will continue to put the minds of the American donors of UNWRA fully at rest. "

Hitmen assassinate a top Mexican policeman

Time for the US to help with direct police and military action yet?

Hitmen assassinate a top Mexican policeman | International | Reuters: "Hired hitmen, one wielding a pistol with a silencer, shot dead one of Mexico's top federal police officers at his home on Thursday, in a blow to President Felipe Calderon's fight against drug cartels.

Three gunmen waited for regional commissioner Edgar Millan at his house in the capital and shot him nine times as he came home early in the morning and opened the door, government officials said.

'They were hunting him,' a spokesman for the Security Ministry said.

Mexican media said the attackers, one of whom was caught by Millan's bodyguards, were professional killers hired by the powerful Sinaloa cartel, headed by Mexico's most wanted man, Joaquin 'Shorty' Guzman. The man arrested had two pistols, one with a silencer, and was wearing a latex glove."

Recession, recession, where's the recession?

Mr Elder knows how to make things easy to understand about the economy.

Recession, recession, where's the recession?: "'It's a recession,' said former President Harry Truman, 'when your neighbor loses his job; it's a depression when you lose yours.'

For people facing home foreclosure, job loss or the struggle of paying high gas prices, the definition of a recession seems immaterial and insignificant. True.

But during an election year, the media's constant use or expectation of 'recession' does matter. Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic Party's likely nominee, already considers the U.S. economy 'in a recession.'

So are we – at least as economists commonly define the term?

No – not even close.

A recent typical news wire story, however, goes like this: '(George W.) Bush's news conference … appeared to be a pre-emptive measure of sorts, as it came a day before the release of statistics on the nation's gross domestic product for January through March. The common definition of a recession is two consecutive quarters of declining GDP, and many expect Wednesday's report to provide the first official confirmation of a slide.'"

Al Qaeda Decapitated in Iraq

Yet more good news! I must not be reading the Main Stream News.

Al Qaeda Decapitated in Iraq: "May 7, 2008

Between mid-March and mid-April, al Qaeda suffered major losses in Iraq. American and Iraqi troops killed or captured 53 al Qaeda leaders. These include men in charge of entire cities (or portions of large cities like Mosul or Baghdad), as well as men in charge of various aspects of terror operations (making bombs, placing them or minding the bombers). Most important, nine of the ten most senior men involved, were captured, and interrogated. This led to locating more al Qaeda staff, and assets. Hundreds of weapons and explosives caches have been discovered this year, as a result of interrogating captured terrorists. The result has been a sharp fall in suicide bomber attacks, and the ones still carried out are against soft targets (civilians), including the recent funeral of two men earlier killed by terrorists. This was part of an al Qaeda campaign to force Sunni Arabs to switch sides again and support terrorism. But these attacks have the opposite effect, causing more hatred for al Qaeda.

All this is good news, meaning it's not reported. Face, any media outlet that puts out too much good news will go out of business. Bad news brings in the eyeballs and advertising revenue. Stories of desertion and desperation in Basra grab the headlines, while al Qaeda's travails are relegated to the back pages,"

Arabs Fed Up With Palestinians

More good news for the civilized world. More bad news for the Left.

I love all the good news lately!

Israel: Arabs Fed Up With Palestinians: "More Arab diplomats are privately telling the Palestinians (both Hamas and Fatah) that the Arab world is fed up with Palestinian squabbling, corruption and general inability to move forward. This is not expected to change anything, and avoids the fact that the Arab nations caused many of the Palestinians problems by not allowing Palestinians to migrate to other Arab nations after 1947 (the Palestinians could only stay as refugees). Israeli traditionalists see all this as an opportunity to take control of more land in the West Bank (which they see as part of 'Greater Israel') and East Jerusalem (traditionally the Arab side of town). The Palestinians insist on removing all Israelis from areas they have moved into since 1967 (when Israel conquered the West Bank). That is not likely to happen because the small religious parties in the Israeli parliament are crucial for forming a government."

Corporate Spies Killing The CIA

Intelligence: Corporate Spies Killing The CIA: "The CIA is having a growing problem with their analysts and spies being recruited away by corporations. One unpleasant, for government intelligence agencies, development of the last few decades has been the growing popularity of 'competitive intelligence' (corporate espionage.) It's a really big business, with most large (over a billion dollars of annual sales) corporations having separate intelligence operations. Spending on corporate intel work is over $5 billion a year, and is expected to more than double in the next four years.



The corporate recruiters have a pretty easy time of it, as they can offer higher pay, better working conditions and bonuses. The U.S. government is fighting back, at least on the bonus front. The big innovation is an old corporate one, 'performance-based compensation.' Government employee unions usually fight this sort of thing, because it makes too many union members look bad. But there is no union at the CIA, and most other intel agencies. So the Director of National Intelligence is implementing a number of new personnel practices, in order to make it more difficult for corporate intelligence operations to recruit government operatives."

Iraq: Sadr Stalls On Surrender

Sadr is hiding in Iran telling his thugs to die so that it looks like an assault on Islam. Unfortunately for him, it is Muslim on Muslim fighting with few non-Muslim casualties. I assume that the Muslims will win. It might also be safe to assume that the majority of Muslims understand that this is not about the infidels, but about the Persian influence in Arab lands.

Iraq: Sadr Stalls On Surrender: "Sadr Stalls On Surrender
May 7, 2008: With their Basra bases destroyed, the Mahdi Army is making a last stand in the eastern Baghdad Sadr City neighborhood. U.S. troops have erected concrete reinforced roadblocks around the Mahdi Army strongholds, and then work with Iraqi troops (who do most of the fighting) to clean out the Shia militiamen house by house. Thousands of civilians have been fleeing, once they see the roadblocks go up, for they know that the Mahdi fighters use civilians as human shields. In one well reported case, a Mahdi Army warlord set up his command post next to a hospital, believing this would make him immune from air attacks. He was wrong, even though the missile that destroyed his operation also blew out windows in the adjacent hospital. In the last six weeks, the Baghdad fighting has cost over 3,000 casualties. Over 90 percent of them are Iraqi, and most of those are Mahdi Army fighters (the rest are Iraqi army and police)."

Leadership: Looking For Warrior Chiefs

This is kind of a cool way to train a military. I can see the tribes starting to get behind this so that they have their own trainers.

Leadership: Looking For Warrior Chiefs: "After years of badgering by the United States, more NATO training teams are being made available, and this year, the majority of the twenty teams in Afghanistan are non-U.S. This has created another problem. Every nation providing training teams, tends to teach military techniques the trainers are most familiar with. So each Afghan unit gets taught how to do things a little differently. Turns out that this is not that much of a problem in Afghanistan, where there has never been a lot of uniformity in the army. In fact, the army currently being trained is the most professional and best trained one Afghanistan has ever had."

No More Kicking Doors Down?

I sound like a broken record! More good news for the Left to ignore. If I can find it so easily, why can't the Media? Them their poor misguided followers in the population might start to feel better about the World today.

No More Kicking Doors Down?: "The war has changed. No longer are Marines kicking in doors and battling insurgents with continuous gunfire. Instead, they are walking through the war-torn streets of Iraq, the same streets that just a few short years ago were the sights of horrendous warfare, where Marines are now continuously greeted by hoards of children, with their parents or guardians watching, smiling from a distance.

Now, with the future of their children at stake, the Iraqi people are taking their own 'stand' against al-Qaeda, giving the Marines tips on the locations of weapons, explosives caches or 'bad guys,' when they used to be scared to give such tips in fear of insurgents reprisal.

'The Iraqi people have so much fear that they won't be able to provide a good life for their children,' said Maj. Guillermo Rosales, commanding officer, Company F, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 1. 'The Marines are working with the (Iraqi Police), going out on patrols with them and the reaction from the people, seeing us work together like that, is overwhelming. They say that they feel more secure when we are in the area.'

This security felt by the people, given to them by the presence of Marines, has prompted the people to help locate enemy weapons 'hide outs' in the area and rid the area of insurgency."

Ex-911 operator accused of illegal database searches

This is all because of her religion! She is only trying to see if her or her 220+ friends and family are known to the terror establishment so that the others can carry out operations against the Infidel Government! What is so wrong with that?

Ex-911 operator accused of illegal database searches | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle: "A former city 911 operator faces multiple felony counts for illegally searching state driving records and state police databases that included the FBI's terrorist watch list, officials said Wednesday.

The fired employee, Nadire P. Zenelaj, 32, of Rochester insists she did nothing wrong and is being singled out because she is Muslim.

'I feel they targeted me because of my religion,' said Zenelaj, who worked at the 911 center for nearly six years. 'I have no criminal history. I have never gone against the law.'

Richard Vega, director of the city's Office of Public Integrity, said Zenelaj was 'running personal information on herself, on her family and on friends. I think it went beyond curiosity. ... We think she was accessing this information to pass it on to others.'

At least one of the 227 names that Zenelaj searched for was on the terrorist watch list, according to police. She was fired in December, arrested Tuesday and pleaded not guilty Wednesday to misdemeanor official misconduct and 232 felony counts of computer trespass — one for each allegedly illegal search."

LAW anti-tank rockets found in Palestinian Shufat camp in Jerusalem

These weapons are for Peace! Jimmy Carter says so! He would never lie about killing Jews. Would he?

DEBKAfile - LAW anti-tank rockets found in Palestinian Shufat camp in Jerusalem: "A joint Israeli military-border police raid of the northern Jerusalem Palestinian district, turned up a large secret weapons cache, Monday, May 5. Seven men were arrested on suspicion of engaging in terrorism and arm trafficking.

DEBKAfile’s military sources report this was Israel’s first large-scale counter-terror operation in the Jerusalem municipal area. Uncovered was a large stock of pistols, hand grenades, stun grenades, ammo and military equipment, as well as LAW anti-tank rockets.

They also note the raid was carried out just as visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was about to hold a trilateral meeting in Jerusalem with prime minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Its findings exposed the true state of security in the Israeli capital.

Rice is on her 15th visit to the region in two years in an effort to push Israel-Palestinian peace dialogue forward.

The house-to-house search was preceded by a curfew and encirclement of the targeted Shufat camp, most of whose 10,000 inhabitants have Israeli identity cards with benefits.

The Shufat camp fringes northern Jerusalem’s main transport hub: highways heading north and out to the Dead Sea and the road connections from the French Hill, Pisgat Zeev and Neve Yaacov suburbs to the city center."

Bolton: US air strikes on Iran would be major step towards Iraq victory

The Mustache is the Man! When he says something it is always hard to argue with. As usual, he is right that the Iranians need to be stopped before things get out of hand over there. Again.

Killing terrorists is not just a job, it is a better than chocolate.


DEBKAfile, Political Analysis, Espionage, Terrorism, Security: "Bolton: US air strikes on Iran would be major step towards Iraq victory

May 7, 2008, 12:13 AM (GMT+02:00)

Former American UN ambassador John Bolton said that while a hostile Iranian response harming US interests existed, the damaged inflicted by Tehran would be far higher if Washington took no action. He was quoted by the UK Telegraph as urging therefore that Washington order air strikes against the Revolutionary Guards Corps camps training Iraqi insurgents.

A US spokesman last week confirmed DEBKAfile’s earlier disclosure that the IRGC’s al Qods Brigades had drafted Hizballah personnel to support Iraq’s Shiite militias and train them at facilities in Iran."

Feds Easily Penetrated San Diego State University Drug Culture

Stupid pot heads don't think that cops care about college drugs? How do these morons get into college anyway? Start a crack down on potheads on every campus and see how fast our professors all complain about the lack of good "thinking material".

Feds Easily Penetrated San Diego State University Drug Culture: Top News Stories at Officer.com: "Danielle Patterson, a sophomore sorority member, said she was awake cramming for finals when agents raided an apartment behind her building, pounding on doors and marching boys down the block to the college arena, where they were questioned.

"I never thought something like that would happen here," she said. "To think they think drugs are such a big issue here, it's ridiculous."

Parents joined students at a campus rally Wednesday calling for more drug-abuse treatment instead of tougher enforcement.

"This heavy hand coming down is not going to change drug use on campus," said Gretchen Burns-Bergman, whose son is a month away from graduating. "There's not going to be a shortage of drugs on campus."

During the investigation, agents quickly worked their way to Fraternity Row, where the main target was Theta Chi. They discovered six of its members were operating a sophisticated drug business, with younger "apprentice" members accompanying older members to drug deals in order to learn how the business was run, authorities say.

The ringleader, a 19-year-old, brazenly sent out text messages advertising weekend blowout sales on cocaine, authorities say. Apart from that, however, the fraternity did little to attract attention. In fact, it was known for having a no-alcohol policy at its rundown gray house.

"Theta Chi did not have that reputation, nothing that would have led us to suspect they were the primary purveyors," said Lt. Lamine Secka of the campus police.

One informant told investigators the profits from drug sales were being plowed back into the fraternity's operating budget, according to prosecutors.

The university's fraternities and sororities have about 3,000 members, but they play an outsized role in campus life at the 34,000-student school.

A lawyer for one student arrested last week with about $15,000 worth of cocaine and marijuana did not immediately return a call. The names of the lawyers for some of other defendants could not immediately be learned."

Marines in combat with Taliban

ClipSyndicate Media Player


Marines slaughter bad guys on camera, what else do we need to know?

Abu Ayyub al Masri, al Qaeda in Iraq’s leader, reported captured in Mosul

More horrible news for the Leftists and Media. Just think of all the information that must have been captured with this terrorist scumbag! Soon dozens or hundreds of terrorists might be in jail or dead. Who will the Left be able to honor and support over there? Who will the Media call for reports of American Atrocities?

Abu Ayyub al Masri, al Qaeda in Iraq’s leader, reported captured in Mosul - The Long War Journal: "The Iraqi military claimed Abu Ayyub al Masri, al Qaeda in Iraq’s leader, has been captured in the northern city of Mosul in Ninewa province. The US military has not confirmed the report of al Masri’s capture. Al Masri's capture would provide a potential intelligence boon on al Qaeda's network in Iraq and its connections to the international organization.

Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammed al Askari said al Masri’s capture was “confirmed to him by the Iraqi commander of the province,” The Associated Press reported. The person believed to be al Masri has been transferred to US custody for identification, according to Askari. Al Masri’s capture was also announced on Iraqiya Television, the state-run TV network, AP reported.

The Iraqi government has a history of announcing the capture of senior al Qaeda leaders, only to have to retract the statements. The Iraqi government had made several claims of wounding, killing and capturing both al Masri and Abu Omar al Baghdadi, the fictitious leader of al Qaeda’s Islamic State of Iraq, several times during 2007. The reports turned out to be false or cases of mistaken identity."

Court denies Islamic divorce

Win one for the Western traditions! Good to see this guy finding that it is better to be in Pakistan to get a divorce than the US. If he wants to live here, it is time for him to learn to respect US laws. Then tell him to piss off if he does not like it.

Court denies Islamic divorce -- -- baltimoresun.com: "Saying 'I divorce thee' three times, as men in Muslim countries have been able to do for centuries when leaving their wives, is not enough if you're a resident of Maryland, the state's highest court ruled yesterday.

Yesterday, the Court of Appeals rejected a Pakistani man's argument that his invocation of the Islamic talaq, under which a marriage is dissolved simply by the husband's say-so, allowed him to part with his wife of more than 20 years and deny her a share of his $2 million estate.

The justices affirmed a lower court's decision overturning a divorce decree obtained in Pakistan by Irfan Aleem, a World Bank economist who moved from London to Maryland with his wife, Farah Aleem, in 1985.

Both of their children were born in the United States."

Jordanian Minister Ali Al-Faqir Vows to Conquer Spain and Rome

More news that the Media will bury out of fear of the Muslims. When will it be time to confront these people and send them back to the stone age they prefer to live in?

Clip Transcript: "Sheik Ali Al-Faqir: We must declare that Palestine, from the [Jordan] River to the [Mediterranean] Sea, is an Islamic land, and that Spain – Andalusia – is also the land of Islam. Islamic lands that were occupied by the enemies will once again become Islamic. Furthermore, we will reach beyond these countries, which are lost at one point. We proclaim that we will conquer Rome, like Constantinople was conquered once, and as it will be conquered again.

Interviewer: Allah willing.

Sheik Ali Al-Faqir: We will rule the world, as has been said by the Prophet Muhammad.

[...]

We will face a battlefront that is broader and stronger. Its beginnings were in Palestine, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and in Chechnya. What has begun will be completed. It will not stop.

[...]

The Zionist entity reached completion, and it is beginning to decline, until it will wane and come to its end. Similarly, America has occupied, thundered, and foamed with rage, and proclaimed, like Pharoah, 'I am your supreme God,' but it will come to its end, and they have begun to realize that their end is near. We have begun to read in American and European newspapers that 'our glory is on the wane, and there is nothing we can do about it.' This morning on Al-Jazeera TV, I saw American scientists and strategic theoreticians, wh"

How ‘nakba’ proves the fiction of a Palestinian Nation

I love history and it saddens me to see the way that history changes as people warp it to their political agenda. I pray that the honest version will someday be known to the Public and that the Media will help to disseminate it.

How ‘<I>nakba</I>’ proves the fiction of a Palestinian Nation: "Over the past few years, the term nakba (also spelled naqba) has become the favorite nonsense word of the Anti-Israel Lobby. Meaning 'catastrophe' in Arabic, it has been embraced by anti-Semites all over the planet to refer to Israel's creation, which supposedly imposed a 'catastrophe' upon the 'disenfranchised Palestinian Arabs.'

Of course, the real catastrophe that befell the Arabs in 1948-49 was that they failed in their attempt to annihilate Israel and exterminate its population, and for that they paid a price.

Meanwhile, nakba Nonsense has been spreading. Google finds over 85,000 web pages referring to Israel's creation as a 'nakba,' and a Yahoo search finds even more than that. The anti-Israel web magazine Counterpunch cannot mention Israel without using the term. Even Israel's leftist minister of education, Yuli Tamir, has ordered that the nakba be taught as part of the curriculum in Israeli schools, where Israel's schoolchildren can be taught to mourn their own country's existence."

Michael J. Totten: The Military Situation in Beirut

Totten Always has the best insight into the Middle East. His friends help alot with that. Go read him and his links. We all need better insight into what is happening on the street over there so that we don't make bad guesses and back the wrong side with the wrong force.

Michael J. Totten: The Military Situation in Beirut: "Fighting in Beirut has broken out between Hezbollah/Amal and Future Movement supporters. Here's a brief look at the military situation. For a political reading, see the post by Lee Smith below, and make sure to read the excellent quoted op-ed by Michael Young.

The tactics are reminiscent of the 1970s-80s war, with two essential differences: 1- the trigger is not the Palestinian guerrilla threat to the state, but Hezbollah's threat to Lebanon, and 2- the beginning fault line is to the west of the 1975 flash point.

The current areas of clashes is roughly along a crescent from Hamra and the vicinity of the Serail in the north down to Tariq el-Jdideh in the south, and the vicinity of Qoreitem (Hariri's residence) and Ain el-Tineh (Berri's residence) in the west to Ras el-Nabe' in the east."

Fighting rocks Beirut, five killed

At least we don't have any US troops there. THe UN has forces there to disarm the Party of Allah, so it is so I am glad that Hezb'allah can't use terrorism or armed violence to influence the political situation.

What? They have not done anything with their mandate? Who would have guessed?

Fighting rocks Beirut, five killed | International | Reuters: "Fierce clashes raged in Beirut on Thursday after the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah said the U.S.-supported Lebanese government had declared war by targeting its communications network.

Security sources said the fighting killed at least five people and wounded 12.

The street confrontations have aggravated the worst internal crisis since the 1975-90 civil war and exacerbated sectarian tension between Sunni Muslims loyal to the government and Shi'ites who support the opposition.

The U.N. Security Council called for 'calm and restraint', urging all sides to return to peaceful dialogue, while the White House urged Hezbollah to stop 'disruptive' acts.

Fighters from Hezbollah and the allied Amal group exchanged assault rifle fire and rocket-propelled grenades with pro-government gunmen in several areas of the capital in the worst domestic fighting since the civil war."

Genes Reveal Platypus Even Weirder Than Suspected

I always liked these little guys. Kind of cool to see who they are related to in the big world. Even if it is not anyone really expected.

FOXNews.com - Genes Reveal Platypus Even Weirder Than Suspected - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News: "To sort out the evolutionary relationships among platypuses and other animals, the team compared the genome of a female platypus nicknamed Glennie with those of humans, mice, dogs, opossums and chickens.

Chickens were included to represent egg-laying animals, such as extinct reptiles, that passed on much of their DNA to the platypus and other mammals in the course of evolution.

At roughly 2.2 billion base pairs, the platypus genome is about two-thirds the size of the human genome, the researchers found. It shares more than 80 percent of its genes with other mammals.

['This is our ticket back in time to when all mammals laid eggs while suckling their young on milk,' Oxford University's Chris Ponting, who was part of the study, told Agence France-Presse.]"

China orders nationwide fight against fatal virus

Another major outbreak of something disgusting. Really disgusting! Thank the Lord it is not very fatal.

Khaleej Times Online - China orders nationwide fight against fatal virus: "China ordered authorities across the nation on Saturday to fight hand, foot and mouth disease, after a rapidly spreading outbreak killed at least 23 children and infected nearly 4,000.

'Our doctors will leave hospitals to find potential patients rather than sitting in the hospitals to wait for them,' deputy health minister Liu Qian told state television in the worst-hit area, Fuyang city in the eastern province of Anhui.

The Ministry of Health said cases of the disease might increase in coming months, because June and July were the peak season for it. Cases in some Chinese provinces, as well as Taiwan and Singapore, are running above year-ago levels, it said.

It ordered health authorities across the country to report all cases within 24 hours. Officials would visit nurseries and primary schools to educate staff on hygiene and prevention steps, and Chinese scientists would step up research into the disease.

In Fuyang, 22 children have died from hand, foot and mouth disease and 3,321 have been infected, of which 978 were in hospital and 58 were critically ill or in serious condition, the ministry said."

Ex-Qaida sector shows safety gains

More bad news for the Leftists and other terror supporters. Great news for the Iraqis and their families. Those poor "useful idiots" will all have to fight hard to ignore more good news from Iraq.

Ex-Qaida sector shows safety gains | www.azstarnet.com ®: "Ex-Qaida sector shows safety gains
wire reports
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 05.03.2008

MADAIN, Iraq — Just a few months ago, two to three people a day were dying in the Madain district, once a stronghold of al-Qaida in Iraq.
Ammer Abdulrazaq Hamod never left the area, in the southeastern part of Baghdad province, but he was concerned about safety — especially for his three children. But now Madain residents are coming out of their homes. Children ride their bikes, and residents mingle downtown.
'My children, they live a normal life,' Hamod said. 'They are in the street, playing soccer games, going here and there.'
Residents credit the recent security gains to when U.S.-backed Iraqi forces entered the district in December and to the formation of an 'awakening council,' a U.S.-allied Sunni armed group that's charged with fighting al-Qaida in Iraq. Now all the area needs is better services, residents say: cleaner water, regular electricity, better-equipped hospitals and schools. And the recent signs of safety are meant to persuade the central government to provide just that.
'After only one month, terrorist attacks stopped,' said Hamod, a member of the council, which is mixed with Sunni and Shiite Muslims, rare among the awakening councils.
Iraqi politician Ahmad Chalabi, the head of"