Obama’s Jewish Problem

Obama and Netanyahu in public and in private

Israel ready to resume peace negotiations: Netanyahu
Caving.

EGYPT: Obama and, maybe, a mosque

MK Eldad: U.S. Selling Us Down the River
Exactly.

Obama Tells Netanyahu He Has an Iran Timetable

Obama's stance on two-state solution heartens EU
And sickens me.

For Obama, the road to Tehran leads through Jerusalem

When Barry Met Bibi - Mark Steyn

Saudis pushing Obama for new Mideast plan

Palestinians say were promised Jerusalem


Israel abuzz with Obama Plan rumors

Palestinians would have to give up the demand for their refugees' "right of return" to areas that are now part of Israel proper, and would instead have to settle for compensation or the option of moving to the West Bank or Gaza Strip.

The capital of the Palestinian state would be in East Jerusalem, which is currently under Israeli control. Most controversially, the plan includes a proposal that the Old City – with sites holy to the three major monotheistic religions – would become an international zone under the flag of the United Nations. Such an arrangement was proposed in the 1947 UN partition plan but was never implemented.

Oh No He Didn't!! - Gingi Edmonds

Oh yes, he did. Speak at Notre Dame, that is. And of course, we are talking about Mr. Obama, the self-proclaimed bringer of peace and unity (if by peace you mean tax-funded cervical scrapings, and by unity you mean a Nazi-esque socialist regime with no regard for the sanctity of human life).

Obama Accelerates Fuel-Economy Standards, Sets Carbon Limit

Obama Seeks Advice on Nuclear Weapons
Despite claiming he wants them all eliminated.

Will Obama and the Democrats Trigger Another Credit Crunch?
Yeah, and Republicans too.

Obama Says U.S. Economy Showing ‘Return to Normalcy’
Normal my arse :
Meltdown will leave vastly changed economy


Obama approves nuclear energy deal with UAE
Now that the beating tape has been forgotten...

Do You Want Your OTV? - Political Punch

It's perfectly fine, of course, for the White House to put out its own version of events -- but is it right to do so by preventing actual reporters from covering something? (Even something like a pickup basketball game).

Do Obama White House officials think their media coverage isn't flattering enough?

Is the goal to ultimately replace the pesky photographers who film what they want to and not what they're told to (not to mention the annoying reporters who ask uncomfortable questions about, say, detainee policy and bank bailouts)?

No, nothing at all creepy about this, move along...



Video: Border Patrol tasers pastor at traffic stop
Here's my take; guy was looking for trouble, so of course he found it. But that's always how it starts. According to the links, Border Patrol has the right to stop anyone within 100 miles of the border. And that's messed up.

Bill Clinton To Be Special Envoy To Haiti
That's too close. Can't we send him to some Asian hellhole instead?

GM Bondholder Says Deal Stinks

Goldman, Morgan Stanley Said to Apply for TARP Exit

William Ayers, Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. headline Mideast peace rally
If by "peace" you mean "final solution".

Pentagon: No plans to end don't ask-don't tell
Pre-emptive denial? Hmm...

Bibles Destroyed in Afghanistan... By U.S. Military
If that doesn't make your blood run cold, you haven't read enough history.


Hard Drive Missing From US National Archives

A hard drive containing personal information of White House staff and visitors during former U.S. President Bill Clinton's administration is missing from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, the agency said.

The hard drive, containing an "as yet unknown" amount of personal data, was discovered missing in April, the National Archives said in a statement. The hard drive contained copies of electronic storage tapes from the Executive Office of the President, the agency said.

Oh, dear, missing information on the Clinton administration? Say it ain't so! Have they checked Sandy Berger's pants?


Fed Sees Hopeful Signs but Downgrades `09 Forecast
As they have been doing at least once a month since the bubble burst.

American Thinker: Revolution
An excellent essay, but I think he overestimates the number of people willing to get involved in politics to counter the liberal agenda. And politics alone won't cut it: we would have to take back the schools, the news/entertainment industries, and the legal field as well. We didn't lose this country with BO's election; his election is a result of this country being lost. And it has been lost for generations.
And when a republic falls, it is replaced by a totalitarian state, whether it be a monarchy or empire or dictatorship.


Uncle Sam's 'F'-rated bonds


California Officials Prepare Budget Cuts After Voters Reject Ballot Measures
--Over and Out - Mark Steyn

Sheriff: La. 8th-grader planned school shooting

Reactor shutdown 'catastrophe' as medical isotopes dry up



Kassam hits storeroom in backyard of Sderot home

Iran says it tests missile, Israel within range
Clinton: Nuclear Iran would 'spark Mideast arms race'

UN Gaza inquiry 'to proceed despite Israel'
*retch*

Israelis warned of online spy threat

---

Iran urges media to trigger 'enthusiasm' for poll

UAE Pulls Out Of Gulf Monetary Union: Report
Hmm.

Saudi municipal polls put off for 2 years

Iran, Pakistan To Finalize Peace Pipeline Agreement Shortly

Iraq rejects $8 bln Kurdish Nabucco pipeline deal

Iraq, Egypt sign energy agreement

Report: Russia halts sale of MiG-31s to Syria

***

Russia's Young Pioneers sign up 3,000
The head of Russia's Communist Party congratulated about 3,000 Moscow kids who signed up for the Pioneer Movement Sunday in a ceremony at Lenin's mausoleum.

Russian adviser criticises Putin's elite
I'm still voting good-cop/bad-cop, but if I'm wrong, Medvedev and this guy and their friends will have an 'accident.'

Medvedev Creates History Commission
Medvedev has created a commission to counter what he says are attempts to rewrite history to Russia's disadvantage, something liberal historians called a return to Soviet-era controls.

Russian officials ordered to reveal annual incomes

Russia to Gays: Get Back into the Closet
Lefties are in for a shock when they get the totalitarianism they keep backing.

Russia pulls out of Georgia talks -agency report

Russia to extend $500 mln loan to Armenia for 15 years

Russia starts building world’s first floating nuclear power plant

Russian Government snaps up shipyard
The Komsomolsk-on-Amur-based plant, which builds nuclear submarines, found itself on the verge of bankruptcy and will be transferred to the United Shipbuilding Corporation, or USC, the government-controlled holding in which the state is consolidating the country’s shipbuilding industry, Putin said.

The coldest war: Russia and U.S. face off over Arctic resources

Russia, Norway discuss Arctic energy development

Gazprom to supply coal gasification technology to Vietnam

Gazprom Will Acquire SeverEnergia

China starts construction of oil pipeline to Russia

Russia's Gazprom to cut dividend sevenfold

Gazprom’s towering ambition for LNG

Russia, Italy, double pipeline plans

Russian gas pipeline to be built before EU's Nabucco project: minister

Moscow sees too much emphasis on Nabucco
Vlad is unhappy with a pipeline to bypass Russia? You don't say!

GDF Suez to join Nord Stream very soon

***

US businessman found dead in Armenia

Armenia To Build Nuclear Power Plant

Stinky ship stranded in Black Sea

Waterway is ‘bomb waiting to explode’

Georgian opposition pickets jail housing soldiers

Turkey slams brakes on opening border to Armenia

Azerbaijan Doubles Gas Price for Turkey

The Turks are coming!

***

It's a barracks for Obama, and the rest of G8, says Silvio Berlusconi

Spanish wind parks disconnected due to economic crisis

UK - Town halls hire citizen snoopers as young as SEVEN to spy on neighbours

The £50,000-a-year City worker 'fired for being a mother'

Lithuania set for energy rethink

German Authorities Warn of Rise of 'Anarchist' Neo-Nazis

New figures from Germany's domestic intelligence agency show that the number of far-right crimes in Germany increased by 16 percent in 2008. Officials warn of the rise of Black Bloc-style "anarchist" neo-Nazis who actively seek violence at demonstrations.

Far-left and far-right are the same. Apparently that's news to some people.


Sarkozy: Lucrative in Africa
A short visit to three African countries enables French companies to beat out Chinese competition and gain access to massive uranium mines - a victory for Sarkozy’s nuclear ambitions, a defeat for human rights.

Is the solution to the U.S. nuclear waste problem in France?


***

Old order should yield place to new

China Gold Reserves May Back Yuan Internationalization-Report

Brazil, China talks could moot ditching dollar

Crunch Moment for International Accounting

A new paradigm for IMF

***

Nigeria: Militants attacks cut gas supplies

Zimbabwe Law Society holds first protest free of police violence

Brazil wants African allies in seabed mining quest

‘Suicidaire’ Gunmen Stalk Diamond Diggers in Congo’s Mining Hub

Sudanese rebel chief surrenders to war crime court
But Bashir won't.

France asks Libya to ease Sudan Chad tension

UN should impose Somalia air, sea blockade: regional bloc

Australian navy prevents pirate attack off Yemen

Somali pirates embrace capture as route to Europe

German cargo ship released off Somali coast

***

Brazil Turns to China to Help Finance Oil Projects

Brazil merger to create major world poultry giant
Call for Super Chicken!

Police Find Severed Heads of 3 Men Near Mexico Highway

Anti-Semitic violence erupts in Buenos Aires

Peru oil pipeline halted on protests in Amazon

***

Pakistan Is Rapidly Adding Nuclear Arms, U.S. Says

Pakistan not using US funds to buy nuclear arms: US
Uh-huh.

Sats Show Pakistan Super-Sizing Its Nuclear Weapons Complex

Canada considering end to ban on military exports to Pakistan

PAKISTAN: Heat, disease, snakes hound IDPs in Jalala camp

Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan summit postponed

Karzai brother 'survives attack'

The Long Arm of Kazakhstan's President

***

Taiwan protest targets leader's pro-China policies

China releases last Tiananmen 'hooligan'
But what about their families?

Eastern China authorities downplay student protest

China on the rise once more across the East

China: Next Stop, Superpower? - John Bolton on Glenn Beck

Armed ship with nuclear fuel arrives in Japan: witness
You see that/ That's called ARMED. That's how you keep the pirates away.

---

GPS system 'close to breakdown'
Network of satellites could begin to fail as early as 2010

VeriChip shaves 3mm off human RFID chips

***

'Religious violence' a small part of the story

***

Kenya risks Marburg flare-up with Mt Elgon excavation

U.S. health officials troubled by new flu pattern

Vietnam - Cholera outbreak continues spreading north

Malacca declared free of meningitis (Update)


Plague of giant rats invade UK seaside resort town


Dust storm kills 1 in Gurgaon, triggers powercuts in Delhi

Elephants suffering in Mali drought
People too.

Western NSW farmers in limbo on drought support

Here's Looking @ Earth: The Devil's In The Diversions : Aral Sea


Price worries again threaten world food outlook

Grain markets flashing warning signs

Soy prices set to increase because of poor crops in South America


Man dies as record rains flood Queensland

Hail costs kiwifruit growers $10m


Philippines landslide kills 26

Landslide Kills Six In Northeastern Bangladesh


Mexico - Fires ravage Gulf state

***

Magnitude 4.7 - GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA, CALIFORNIA
Map Centered at 34°N, 118°W - Los Angeles
Los Angeles shaken (but not stirred) by mini earthquake
LA-area earthquake prompts fault concerns

Magnitude 4.1 - GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA, CALIFORNIA
Another earthquake felt in downtown Los Angeles
LB Building Evacuated Due to Quake Aftershock


Magnitude 4.6 - CENTRAL PERU

Magnitude 5.0 - SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
Three light quakes hit traumatized Yogyakarta

Magnitude 5.8 - NEAR THE COAST OF SOUTHERN PERU
Magnitude 4.9 - NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
Earthquakes Shake Southern Peru

Magnitude 3.0 - NEW YORK
Magnitude 2.1 - NEW YORK
Magnitude 1.6 - NEW YORK
Earthquakes not uncommon in Albany County
Magnitude 1.9 - NEW YORK

Magnitude 5.1 - SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS

Magnitude 5.0 - SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS

Magnitude 5.0 - SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE


Saudi Arabia evacuates 5 villages in volcano scare
Magnitude 4.9 - WESTERN SAUDI ARABIA
Magnitude 5.6 - WESTERN SAUDI ARABIA
Moderate earthquake rattles Al-Ais region

Magnitude 4.6 - WESTERN SAUDI ARABIA
Magnitude 4.6 - WESTERN SAUDI ARABIA
Two tremors hit Saudi volcano region, no injuries
Residents told to leave Al-Eis amid stronger tremors


Magnitude 5.1 - MID-INDIAN RIDGE

Watching volcanoes

Redoubt still likely to blow

4.0-degree magnitude quake hits Caracas

Earthquakes rock the south - NZ

Series of earthquakes rattle Kodiak Island over the weekend

Earthquake strikes just outside Jeffrey City Wyoming

Magnitude 4.9 - EASTERN KASHMIR

Magnitude 4.3 - PUERTO RICO REGION

Magnitude 5.2 - TONGA REGION

Magnitude 5.1 - MID-INDIAN RIDGE

Magnitude 5.2 - KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION

Magnitude 4.5 - ORURO, BOLIVIA

Magnitude 4.8 - CHAGOS ARCHIPELAGO REGION

Magnitude 3.0 - NEVADA

Magnitude 1.6 - SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI
Magnitude 2.2 - SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI

Indonesia : Over four dozen houses develop cracks in JK due to earthquake

World Watches for U.S. Shift on Mideast

As Israel’s leader heads to Washington, many wonder whether President Obama will chart a different course from his predecessors.

He's trying to divide the land and make friends with evil. How is that different from his predecessors?



Obama's Middle East peace quest

But the Obama administration says the end result must be a two-state solution, and by incorporating the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative into its own effort, it is also telling Israel that its reward would be peace.

Not just with the Palestinians, but with dozens of Arab and Muslim states across the world.

US to Israel: Tone down rhetoric on Iran

While the Obama administration is intent on spearheading an international campaign to prevent Teheran from building nuclear weapons and believes that a nuclear Iran would pose a threat to the stability of the Middle East, US officials - led by Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns - plan to offer Iranian leaders a new approach and a return to the international fold in exchange for freezing their nuclear program.

One official said, however, that while the administration's policy was a risk worth taking, it could fail and it might be necessary for the US and its allies to accept the fact of a nuclear Iran.

In either scenario, they said, both the US and Israel should refrain from any bellicose threats against the Islamic Republic, especially ahead of its presidential elections on June 12.

Netanyahu to focus on Iran with Obama, adviser says

"The way things are planned, the focus of Netanyahu's words will be the Iranian nuclear issue," Arad said.

"This is clear not only because this is an existential issue as far as the security of Israel is concerned, but because Iran is progressing all the time toward nuclear military capability."

Israel may be ready to back two-state solution

JERUSALEM (AP) — On the eve of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's crucial visit to Washington, his defense minister suggested Saturday the Israeli leader might be ready to endorse a Palestinian state when he meets President Barack Obama.

That would be a significant shift for Netanyahu, who has made clear in the past that he does not think the Palestinians are ready to rule themselves. But that position has put him at odds with long-standing U.S. policy that supports Palestinian statehood as the cornerstone of Mideast peace efforts.

Israeli defense minister predicts treaties

"I believe Netanyahu is ready for a process whose end is two states for two peoples," Barak said.

Barak also predicted that Israel and neighboring countries, including Syria, would negotiate treaties within three years and that the treaties would then take another five years to fully implement.

***

US alarmed at Eritrea 'arms link'

Madagascan president leaves for Libya

Detained Zimbabwe lawyer released on bail

Nigerian army frees hostages, destroys militant camp

Nine hostages freed, two others killed in Nigeria



Hong Kong: Police: Acid Attack Burns Crowd of 30, Injuring Infant

U.S. railroad official seeks Japan's help

Scramble For World Resources: Battle For Antarctica

***

Canada blames Russia for impasse over OSCE in Georgia

U.S. frustrated with Russia over Georgia monitors

Ex-officials of rebel Georgia area: leader corrupt

Georgia may remain without gas even in the presence of Nabucco


Azerbaijan to Increase the Price of Gas Exports to Turkey

Azerbaijani Officials Demolish Offshore Mosque

Russia ready to let down anti-terrorist bars on border with Azerbaijan


Turkey protest over alleged coup plot draws 30,000

Eight killed in clashes between PKK and security forces in Turkey

Turkish PM Erdogan meets Putin in Russia

***

US House okays $1bn for Pakistan

Pakistan in 'French nuclear deal'

Pakistani insurgent rocket hits Afghan mosque, five killed: police

Pakistan army closes in on key town

Bloody Urban Battles Could Lie Ahead in Pakistan

Pakistan govt.: More than 1,000 militants killed in NW offensive

Afghanistan to review NATO, US military presence
Hmm. Sounds like O may not have to cut-and-run -- they may kick us out.

Vote count begins in India's marathon polls

Sri Lanka battles Tiger remnants

***

Areva launches international recruitment drive

20,000 unionists rally in Prague against toppled govt

EU budget chief is favorite in Lithuanian vote

Lloyds Chairman Victor Blank Plans to Step Down by June 2010
May 18 (Bloomberg) -- Lloyds Banking Group Plc said Chairman Victor Blank plans to step down by June of next year, after the government-brokered purchase of HBOS Plc at the peak of the credit crisis led it to fall into state control.

***

Ex-president's knock at successor shakes Mexico

Suspected drug gang frees 59 from Mexico prison

Guatemala protests planned as UN group probes murder

Brazil's Lula meets Saudi king on historic visit

***

Arrests Over The Oranges In Iran
Sometimes, when I don't know whether to laugh or cry, I do both.

Iran predicts surge in oil prices

Saudi Arabia and Intel Plan R&D Center
And someone has discovered how to make a deadly biochip. Great!

Iran to mass produce long-range missiles

***

Libya given migrant patrol boats

Egypt opens Gaza border

Darfur rebels say Sudan army base seized

***

Police make arrests at University of Notre Dame

Boeing contract "messed up," Gates says


Obama to visit Ghana in July

Why? Dunno. But it sounds like his kinda place:

Called the Gold Coast, the area was first seen by Portuguese traders in 1470. They were followed by the English (1553), the Dutch (1595), and the Swedes (1640). British rule over the Gold Coast began in 1820, but it was not until after quelling the severe resistance of the Ashanti in 1901 that it was firmly established. British Togoland, formerly a colony of Germany, was incorporated into Ghana by referendum in 1956. Created as an independent country on March 6, 1957, Ghana, as the result of a plebiscite, became a republic on July 1, 1960.

Premier Kwame Nkrumah attempted to take leadership of the Pan-African Movement, holding the All-African People's Congress in his capital, Accra, in 1958 and organizing the Union of African States with Guinea and Mali in 1961. But he oriented his country toward the Soviet Union and China and built an autocratic rule over all aspects of Ghanaian life. In Feb. 1966, while Nkrumah was visiting Beijing and Hanoi, he was deposed by a military coup led by Gen. Emmanuel K. Kotoka.

***

RF Foreign Ministry: Russia has nothing against Nabucco Gas pipeline
HAHA!

Russian riot police arrest gay protesters

Medvedev says G8 should make rouble reserve currency

First comprehensive geological Arctic map published

***

Magnitude 5.9 - KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
Magnitude 5.0 - KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
Magnitude 5.2 - KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
Swarm of earthquakes hit Alaska's Kodiak Island

Magnitude 3.0 - VIRGINIA
Morning earthquake in Roanoke rattles the valley

Magnitude 3.3 - NORTHERN TEXAS
Minor Earthquake Hits Parts of North Texas
The middle of the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex, actually.

Magnitude 4.7 - GREECE
Bulgaria: Light Earthquakes Shake Greece

Magnitude 4.5 - OFF THE COAST OF CENTRAL AMERICA

Magnitude 4.7 - KOMANDORSKIYE OSTROVA, RUSSIA REGION

Magnitude 5.6 - TONGA

Magnitude 4.6 - HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN

Magnitude 5.2 - ATACAMA, CHILE

Magnitude 5.1 - SOLOMON ISLANDS

Magnitude 5.4 - NORTH OF SVALBARD

Magnitude 4.5 - WESTERN SAUDI ARABIA

Magnitude 5.0 - MOLUCCA SEA

Magnitude 3.1 - HAWAII REGION, HAWAII

Magnitude 3.9 - WYOMING

Quake Hits Southern Iran

***

6-ft. lizards threaten airport, food chain

Rain-swollen reservoir overflows dam in Brazil

Boom in tiny bedbugs is causing big trouble
They filed it under politics. HA!

Storm system that killed 3 marches east

Disaster risk increasing, says UN
God says so, too.

Saudi 'Killer Chip' Implant Would Track, Eliminate Undesirables
The basic model would consist of a tiny GPS transceiver placed in a capsule and inserted under a person's skin, so that authorities could track him easily.

Model B would have an extra function — a dose of cyanide to remotely kill the wearer without muss or fuss if authorities deemed he'd become a public threat.

The inventor said the chip could be used to track terrorists, criminals, fugitives, illegal immigrants, political dissidents, domestic servants and foreigners overstaying their visas.


Who's the maker? Beast Technologies? Aaaarrgh!


Tailored Web Ads? Not on My Computer
Deep packet inspection.


Severe Storms Kill 1 in Northeastern Missouri

Typhoid outbreak more serious than anticipated - NZ

WHO urges restraint on Tamiflu in swine flu cases

Swine flu: UK Government signs up for 90 million doses of vaccine



Magnitude 4.6 - NORTHERN COLOMBIA

Magnitude 5.3 - KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA

Quake risk adds to cost of Hagg Lake dam project - Oregon

Taiwanese researcher develops early warning gadget for earthquakes

Work continues on Isabella dam studies, evacuation plans | Bakersfield


Magnitude 5.4 - SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION

Magnitude 5.7 - TONGA

Magnitude 4.9 - DODECANESE ISLANDS, GREECE

Magnitude 5.2 - MOLUCCA SEA

Magnitude 5.0 - LOYALTY ISLANDS

Magnitude 3.0 earthquake strikes near Berkeley


Magnitude 4.5 - SICHUAN-GANSU BORDER REGION, CHINA

Magnitude 4.7 - SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION

Kodiak Island hit by 2 quakes
It's been more than that: Map Centered at 57°N, 152°W - Kodiak Island

Rumblings from Al-Ais volcanoes send villagers into state of panic

Pegasus moves trucks from de-icing to de-ashing - Redoubt

The Great Beyond: Deadly volcano threatens DRC


Magnitude 6.7 - KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
6.7 quake rocks islands off NZ

Globally:

Italy wants Netherlands and Spain in G8 summit

Armageddon averted? - finance
Not so much, I think.

Crisis shows need for new global bank charter: IMF
JEKYLL ISLAND, Georgia (Reuters) - Spillovers from the financial crisis warrant the creation of an international bank charter, a senior IMF official said on Wednesday.



Around the world, starting here in the US:


CA - State's system of governing by apocalypse

Social Security - Apocalypse When?

'Recession Apocalypse': Preparing for the End of the World

Apocalypse? Giddyup!


Retail sales drop unexpectedly in April

U.S. producer prices rebound in April on food prices
FOOD prices...

Canada urged to nationalize USS plant
Steel industry, being nationalized in Canada. Coming soon to America!

Bankers Told by Paulson to Accept U.S. Aid or Be ‘Vulnerable’

Chrysler Asks Leave to Cancel 789 Dealer Agreements

GM eliminating about 1,100 dealer franchises

Regulators urge Bank of America board overhaul: report
Power grab.

Prudential, Allstate, Four More Insurers to Get TARP Capital From Treasury
More power grab!

Obama administration to expand housing plan

Obama on Healthcare Reform: 'The Stars are Aligned'

Familiar Obama Phrase Being Groomed as a Slogan
New Foundation. I mentioned it a while back, and it keeps turning up.

Barack Obama holds 'poetry jam' at White House
There once was a man called Obama
Who was raised by his typical white grandmama
He tossed her under the bus
And it made so little fuss
He does it anytime now when there's drama.

Meh. I'm no poet. Still beats his underwater apes.


Pentagon warns city of military flyover for NORAD training mission
Somebody got the memo: No more secret military flights over U.S. cities without warning the locals. The Pentagon put out a notice Wednesday that the North American Aerospace Defense Command will conduct training missions over Washington, D.C., starting early Friday.

Jet fighters over Vancouver today part of 2010 training exercise
At least they were warned. Lots of jet flybys lately. I'm sure it's all perfectly innocent. The government would never lie to us, right?



U.S. Has Plan to Secure Pakistan Nukes if Country Falls to Taliban
American intelligence sources say the military's chief terrorist-hunting squad has units operating in Afghanistan on Pakistan's western border and is working on a secondary mission to secure foreign nuclear arsenals if the Taliban or Al Qaeda overwhelm Pakistan.
I feel safe now, don't you?


Pentagon official charged in China espionage case

Murtha Rival Says Congressman's Top Aide Threatened to Have Him Court-Martialed
Thugocracy.

Pentagon: Ky. weapons stockpile will be last to go
The Pentagon says a chemical weapons storage site in Kentucky will be the nation's lone stockpile to miss a 2017 deadline imposed by Congress for destroying the deadly munitions.

Hunt For I-680 Freeway Sniper Intensifies - San Francisco
FREMONT, Calif. -- The Highway Patrol said Wednesday it has new evidence connected to the 45 reported nighttime shootings that have occurred on Interstate 680 between Washington and Mission boulevards over the last two months. Thursday, May 14, 2009.


***

White House names dates for Mideast leader visits
"The president looks forward to welcoming key partners in the effort to achieve a comprehensive peace in the Middle East to the White House later this month," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs in a statement.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel will visit on May 18, President Mubarak of Egypt will visit on May 26, and president Abbas of the Palestinian Authority will visit on May 28.

"With each of them, the president will discuss ways the United States can strengthen and deepen our partnerships, as well as the steps all parties should take to help achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians and between Israel and the Arab states."


Obama ready to end game of pretence
Time to strongarm Israel into a treaty!

Obama warns Netanyahu: Don't surprise me with Iran strike
Threats!

Israel vows not to surprise U.S. with strike on Iran
Capitulation!



PA still seeks Israel's demise, US-trained army could attack Jewish state

Speaking with Lebanon's ANB Television last week, Palestinian Authority representative in Lebanon Abbas Zaki said he personally doesn't desire any kind of peace deal with Israel, but explained that establishing a state in Judea and Samaria with eastern Jerusalem as its capital will be a step toward Israel's destruction.
...
More worrying was US General Keith Dayton's apparent revelation this week that the Palestinian soldiers he is currently training could attack Israel in the near future.

Speaking at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Dayton said, "There is perhaps a two-year shelf life on being told that you're creating a state, when you're not."

Writing in the liberal magazine The Nation, investigative journalist Robert Dreyfuss noted, "To my ears, at least, his subtle warning is that if concrete progress isn't made toward a Palestinian state, the very troops Dayton is assembling could rebel."

That article in The Nation: US General Builds A Palestinian Army

First, the background. For the past three and a half years, Dayton has lived and worked in Jerusalem and across the West Bank, overseeing the creation of three Palestinian battalions of troops, hand-picked in the West Bank, trained at an academy in Jordan, and then deployed in the occupied territory.

The three 500-man battalions are intended to grow, to as many as ten battalions. Their mission, he said, is to "create a Palestinian state."
...
Now for the warning. Recognizing that by organizing and training thousands of Palestinian troops, professionally led, he is creating in effect a nationalist army, Dayton warned the 500 or so WINEP listeners that the troops can only be strung along for just so long. "With big expectations, come big risks," said Dayton. "There is perhaps a two-year shelf life on being told that you're creating a state, when you're not."

We are up shit creek, people.


Zechariah 12

1 This is the word of the LORD concerning Israel. The LORD, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the spirit of man within him, declares: 2 "I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. 3 On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.

This pope's just messed up. Sick.

Hitler Youth past is denied by Pope on trip hit by row over Holocaust

Pope Calls Security Wall 'Tragic', PA Gets Photo-Op it Wanted



Mubarak says Israeli FM still not welcome in Egypt

Israel hands over Lebanon cluster bomb maps: U.N.

Border Guard officer lightly wounded in Na'alin riots

IAF commander: Iron Dome system will be deployed in 2010
Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan also predicts David's Sling and Arrow 3 missile defense systems will be operational within four years.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu visits Jordan

Livni: Time is running out for peace process

Syria: Israeli government not a good peace partner
Amanda: Syria can piss off. Now if only Israel would say so.



US envoy Mitchell prepares landmark Syria visit: Al-Hurra

Syria denies country is route for al-Qaida
Syrian officials are denying a news report that al-Qaida has resumed sneaking fighters into Iraq through Syria.

Turkish president: Syria key to solving Middle East problems

Lebanon, Syria to boost 'anti-terrorism' cooperation


Spike in suicide attacks: Is Al Qaeda in Iraq coming back?

Al Qaeda calls for Islamic rule after Yemen violence


Analysis: Iran moves to explore offshore Caspian

Iranian soldiers, Kurds killed in battles


France eyes airplane, railway deals in Gulf-paper
France again! That's a nut I haven't cracked yet.

Uranium provides Jordan with spark for much-needed economic bonanza
When King Abdullah II opens the regional meeting of the World Economic Forum beside the Dead Sea today, he will make much of his small country’s extraordinary resilience.


Turkey keen to pass commercial reform before July-lawmaker

Conference on “Security and Cooperation in the South Caucasus” to be held in Armenia

Four Confirmed Dead In Armenia Factory Blast

Georgian Opposition Divided Over Tactics In Wake Of Inconclusive Meeting With President
Georgian Protesters Clash With Tbilisi Police, Injuring Leader

Georgia accuses Russia of backing attempted coup




Russia GAZ confirms interest in JV with Magna, Opel

Polish PGNiG reaches gas delivery deal with Gazprom

Novatek, Gazprom Look at 4 Year Deal

Gazprom to supply Asia

Gazprom/DESFA agreed on Greek part of South Stream

Russia to get Sakhalin royalties in gas - Mr Putin

Kazakhstan commits to Russian-led Europe gas link

Russia signs deals for its 'EU rival' pipeline

Energy conflicts could bring military clashes, Russian security strategy warns
NOOOOOOO!!!!! Say it ain't so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


'Era of cheap gas' over: Putin
MOSCOW — Gas exporting states on Tuesday finalised the creation of a new Qatar-based forum aimed at coordinating gas policy that consumer countries fear could become the gas equivalent of oil cartel OPEC.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned at the meeting of ministers from the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Moscow that the "era of cheap gas" was over and that consumers would face higher prices in the future.

"A new organisation has been born today.... The charter has been agreed. The headquarters will be in Qatar," Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko said after the meeting.



Smugglers build oil pipeline from Russia to Ukraine

Gorbachev: Europe misunderstands Russia
I'm just a boy whose intentions are good...

Russia offers to revive European arms-control deal

Russia says planned European security treaty not aimed at NATO

Russia to revamp Mongolian railway, eyes uranium

Russia Starts Review Of Putin-Era NGO Restrictions

Vladimir Putin signals return as president with court reform
The Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin, has been accused of plotting his return as president after the Kremlin announced plans to strip judges of the right to elect the head of the country's powerful constitutional court.

Russia's Putin says would be pleased to meet Obama
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin answered with a "Why not?" when asked on Wednesday if he would meet U.S. President Barack Obama during his planned visit to Russia this summer.



Taliban’s popularity rises after massacre of the Pashtuns

Pakistan gets control of drone attacks

Scuffles at northwest Pakistan refugee camp
Pakistan hospitals, camps are overwhelmed

AP source: US wants faster training in Pakistan



McChrystal Faces Raft of Issues as New Commander in Afghanistan
Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the former Special Operations chief who is President Obama's new choice to lead the war in Afghanistan, rose to military prominence because of his single-minded success in a narrow but critical mission: manhunting.

Man in the News - A General Steps From the Shadows
WASHINGTON — Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the ascetic who is set to become the new top American commander in Afghanistan, usually eats just one meal a day, in the evening, to avoid sluggishness.

Whoa. Dude even EATS like a predator.


India: Abducted railway officials rescued

Analysis: China arms may have secured Sri Lanka rout of Tigers
With Sri Lanka’s military claiming to be on the verge of at last crushing the Tamil Tigers, many are asking if that victory has come thanks only to a life-saving injection of Chinese weaponry.

Asia Watches As China's Navy Grows

US, China naval talks

China arrests returned Tiananmen student leader: family
BEIJING (Reuters) - A former student leader of China's 1989 pro-democracy movement has been arrested on fraud charges, his family said on Wednesday, weeks before the 20th anniversary of the June 4 crackdown on Tiananmen Square protests.

What is missing from China data? Shipbuilding.
Hmm.

US lawmakers target China currency policy

China's yuan 'set to usurp US dollar' as world's reserve currency
The Chinese yuan is preparing to overtake the US dollar as the world's reserve currency, economist Nouriel Roubini has warned.


S. Korea Files Claim to Seabed Between China and Japan

One dead in anti-Chinese riots in PNG - media




Gun battle in Nigeria oil swamps

Nigerian militants warn oil firms to evacuate staff

18 Filipinos, 4 Nigerians on ship seized off Nigeria


U.N.: 90 dead after Hutu attack in Congo

Zimbabwe rights lawyer arrested


Somalia insurgents vow fight to topple government

Somali pirate ships 'work as one'

U.S., Korean warships stop Somali pirate attack
South Korean and American warships stopped a suspected pirate attack on an Egyptian ship in the Gulf of Aden, capturing 17 suspected pirates, the U.S. Navy announced Thursday.

US blames Eritrea for violence in Somalia
And you know who's been meddling in Eritrea? Iran, that's who.

More than 100 die in Somalia clashes


South Sudan cattle raid crackdown
Oy. Pirates in Somalia, rustlers in Sudan... next thing you know there'll be ninjas in Ethiopia.

Sudan govt forces bomb near North Darfur-UN

Sudan: Kenyan Catholic Priest Survives Ambush By Bandits



Prehistoric fishing tackle found in Egypt

Egypt oil minister warns of oil price spike

Egypt, Italy strengthen bilateral ties

Egypt refusing to sign WMD treaties

Egypt finds huge Sinai munitions cache



Venezuela Seizes Oil Services Firms, Raises Risk To Output

Brazil slum residents torch cars after drug raid

Amazon Indians declare `insurgency' against Peru

Chile Open to Tunnel Proposal Giving Bolivia Access to Sea
“This government is open to all suggestions and ideas that signify progress for Latin American integration,” Chilean Foreign Minister Mariano Fernandez said Monday at a press conference confirming that the Chilean government is willing to study the proposal by a group of architects that would provide landlocked Bolivia with access to the sea through a tunnel to an artificial island in the Pacific Ocean.

Plan to Shift Military Spending Faces Skepticism
During budget hearings, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will face critics who say his plan would render America unprepared for traditional war.


Pentagon replacing top Afghanistan commander
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates dismissed the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan on Monday and picked a former special forces commander to oversee President Barack Obama's strategy against a growing Taliban insurgency.


US admiral is new NATO supreme commander
BRUSSELS (AFP) — NATO announced Tuesday that it had appointed US Admiral James Stavridis as its supreme military commander, following a request from the United States.

Stavridis will replace US General John Craddock as Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), said a statement from the Defence Planning Committee of the world's biggest military alliance.
...
Gates had recommended in March that Stavridis be named SACEUR; a post exclusively allocated to US officers and whose headquarters is in Mons, Belgium.

Craddock came under fire in February after telling commanders that he wanted troops in the NATO-led security force "to attack directly drug producers and facilities throughout Afghanistan."


Looking at some of his writings,
We're All in This Together - Stavridis
Productive Partnerships Make Region Stronger - Stavridis
he's a transnationalist hopeychanger. Of course.

***

Biden says unions are way to rebuild middle class
*headdesk*

Neighbors riot after officer kills man outside East Austin apartment complex

***

Was It a Sucker's Rally?

The Worst Case Scenario (Someone Has to Say It)
and
FOFOA: Worst Case Scenario (12" Remix)

The Sovereign Wealth Solution

White House steps up IMF funding

S&P sees Islamic finance market rebounding

Legal wrangles to test Islamic banking as boom fades

U.S. elected to U.N. rights council for first time
US, China, Cuba, Saudi Arabia elected to UN rights panel
Oh, lookie, we're right in there with all of BO's bestest buds!

***

Huge fire after Moscow gas pipeline blast

Putin tells firms to buy Russian ships,they object

Vladimir Putin questions Dmitry Medvedev's future
Good cop, bad cop, I'm tellin' ya.

Putin Hopes for Nuclear Deal in Japan

NATO war games hinder U.S.-Russia ties: Putin

Russia to link missile shield, arms talks

Russia StockpilingDiamons, Awaiting the Return of Demand
Russia quietly passed a milestone this year: surpassing De Beers as the world’s largest diamond producer.

Russian survivalists stock up for End of Days

Serbia, Russia to sign gas pipeline pact by May 16

Russia plays up its international role – especially in Mideast peace
It chaired a special meeting Monday of the Security Council that endorsed the idea of holding a Middle East peace conference in Moscow this year.

***

US soldier in custody after allegedly killing five fellow troops in Iraq
US files murder charges in Iraq soldier shooting
Something is off here, and I'm not sure what.

IRAQ Nineveh Plain: a ghetto for Iraqi Christians is an illusion

British man and woman held in Syria accused of being involved with Al Qaeda

Jordan king woos Syria in Mideast peace push

Syria, Jordan Comment On U.S. Mideast Plan

Abbas to meet Assad in Syria on Thursday

Report: China-Kuwait ink $9 bln oil refinery deal

Lebanon arrests 5 suspected of spying for Israel

Out of Jail: Saberi 'Happy to Be Free'

Report: Iran deploys missiles in Persian Gulf

Iranian mortar shells land in Turkey: security

Breakthrough in Nabucco pipeline
I'm not holding my breath.

***

Turkish PM leaves for Azerbaijan to allay concerns over Armenia ties

U.S. Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce - Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Meets with U.S. Secretary of State
Did you know there was any such thing as the US-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce? I sure didn't.

Gas pipeline blows up in Azerbaijan

Georgian president faces 4 fiercest opponents

***

Suspected Nazi guard Demjanjuk deported to Germany

Neo-Nazis attack concentration camp survivors during memorial service for 345,000 dead
Masked neo-Nazi thugs screamed 'Heil Hitler!' and 'This way for the gas!' at ten elderly Italian men and women, who returned to the site of the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria.

***

Britain, China announce stock market accord

China’s CIC Said to Have Named New Investment Heads
May 7 (Bloomberg) -- China Investment Corp., the sovereign wealth fund that bought stakes in Blackstone Group LP and Morgan Stanley, has appointed new managers at its investment divisions, said three people familiar with the decisions.

China’s Investment Surges 30.5%; Exports Decline

In China's quake zone, pain and anger
One year...

Thai protesters in biggest rally since crackdown
The red-shirts protesting. On the same weekend the new Star Trek movie came out. I suppose I shouldn't laugh, but...

***

Pakistan won't collapse: Zardari
Hope and Change will hold it together!

Pakistan's sharia cease-fire: I knew it wouldn't work, Zardari says
he sure knows a lot, doesn't he?

Pakistan 'most dangerous country in the world'
Taliban + nukes. What could go wrong?

Commando attack on Taliban stronghold leaves 800,000 homeless

20 killed in staged suicide bombings in Afghanistan

Apparent poison gas hospitalizes 84 Afghan girls

Fire in gas pipeline at Vastrapur, residents panic - Ahmedabad

Sri Lanka: More Civilians Caught in Cross Fire at Hospital

***

Congo soldiers rape pygmies for supernatural powers

Ghana - World Bank irrigation project abandoned at Kpando-Torkor ….as farmers demand explanation

Oil theft barge sunk in Nigeria

Two Zimbabwean journalists arrested

Government Seeks New Model for Zimbabwe Diamonds
2nd story today about diamonds...

Chad rebels say Sudan asked them to leave

Eritrea denies hosting Iranian forces

Spain to hand over Somali pirates to Kenya
Somali pirates free Greek-owned ship
FACTBOX-Ships held by Somali pirates

Libya reports prison suicide of top Qaeda man

***

Obama's Choice Shows Egypt's Role
Memo From Cairo - Egypt to Be Center Stage in Obama’s Address to Arabs

Yeah? Let's see him talk about stuff like this:

Small Bomb Explodes Near Revered Church in Egypt

***

Brain scanning may be used in security checks

RFID is finding a home in the data center

Real-time media is changing our world

Again with the Cyber War

***

Need a warm fuzzy? How about a big kitty?

Jaguar Swims Panama Canal, Then Takes Own Picture

Hee.

Washington presses Israel on peace talks

Benjamin Netanyahu pledges peace talks with Palestinians

J'lem 'not miffed' on Obama's June trip

UN backs King Abdullah's campaign to avert war

Syria, Jordan Comment On U.S. Mideast Plan


I will gather all nations
and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
There I will enter into judgment against them
concerning my inheritance, my people Israel,
for they scattered my people among the nations
and divided up my land.
--Joel 3:2


ALL. Means US, too.

---

Martin County brush fires closes Beeline Highway; no evacuations ordered

Brush fire spreads north of Brevard - FLORIDA

NV fire officials predict busy fire season

Wis. chemical plant fire chases people from homes

3 killed in Arkansas gas explosion

Cost of fighting Jesusita fire passes $13 million
JESUSITA!

***

River Jordan, the site of Jesus' baptism, a 'sewage pipe'

Another dry season / Water Authority: Winter rains 80-85% below annual average - Israel

Worst drought in decade deepens Somalia crisis: U.N.

Drought, Politics trouble farmers In California

South Florida now under extreme drought conditions

$429m for drought-hit farmers - Australia

***

River flooding continues to wreak havoc on rural Alaska

National Guard troops helping flood victims in WVa

Brazil boosts flood aid for 308K left homeless

***

Four dead from tornadoes in southern Missouri

Rare VT tornado leaves damage

National Weather Service confirms more tornados in East Tenn.

Madison County tornado was an F3 - Kentucky

***

Desert locust outbreaks in East Yemen

Food crisis hits 2 million in Ghana

Frogs Rescued From Deadly Fungus Ravaging Montserrat

***

Swine Flu Spreads to China, Kills Third U.S. Person

Swine flu spreads in world; Mexico opens schools

Swine Flu Is as Severe as Pandemic Virus in 1957, Study Shows

Suspected meningitis: Total hospitalised rises to 32 -Malaysia

***

Magnitude 6.1 - OFF THE COAST OF ECUADOR

Magnitude 5.1 - OFF THE COAST OF ECUADOR

Magnitude 5.1 - SOUTHWEST OF SUMATRA, INDONESIA

Magnitude 5.3 - EASTERN UZBEKISTAN

Magnitude 4.9 - SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE

Magnitude 4.5 - KAMCHATKA PENINSULA, RUSSIA

Magnitude 5.3 - POTOSI, BOLIVIA

Magnitude 6.1 - NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Magnitude 4.5 - EASTERN IRAN

Magnitude 5.3 - GUAM REGION

Magnitude 5.1 - TARAPACA, CHILE

Magnitude 4.5 - JUJUY, ARGENTINA

Magnitude 2.5 - GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA, CALIFORNIA

Magnitude 5.9 - MID-INDIAN RIDGE

Magnitude 5.4 - NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Magnitude 5.2 - BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA


Authorities expect new eruption of Galeras volcano

Mount Redoubt remains restless

Lake Tahoe region might be due for major earthquake

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!

I'm back.

Internet has been down for a week and I'm somewhat out of the loop.

I gather BO has his little muslim speech scheduled for Egypt and his plan for dividing Israel is pushing ahead at warp speed.

Just ducky, huh?