Obama’s Iran Promises: Security or Votes? � Commentary Magazine

Obama’s Iran Promises: Security or Votes? � Commentary Magazine: Given the problems a unilateral Israeli attack on Iran would entail, these assurances might be enough to dissuade the Netanyahu government from acting on its own. But given the contradictory signals the administration has been sending about the use of force on Iran and the differences between the two countries over intelligence on the threat that Lake reports, there is little reason for Jerusalem to be comforted by Obama’s promises. Israel’s leaders would be well advised to see this latest shift on Iran as intended more to convince American voters of the president’s good intentions than to make Tehran step back from the brink.

Obama’s pledges to Israel lack credibility for a number of reasons.

U.S., Israel Discuss Triggers for Bombing Iran’s Nuclear Infrastructure - The Daily Beast

U.S., Israel Discuss Triggers for Bombing Iran’s Nuclear Infrastructure - The Daily Beast: Matthew Kroenig, who served as special adviser on Iran to the Office of the Secretary of Defense between July 2010 and July 2011, offered some of the possible “red lines” for a military strike in a recent Foreign Affairs article he wrote. He argued that the U.S should attack Iran’s facilities if Iran expels international nuclear weapons inspectors, begins enriching its stockpiles of uranium to weapons-grade levels of 90 percent, or installs advanced centrifuges at its main uranium-enrichment facility in Qom.

Got To Get Jew Into My Life: Is Paul McCartney Converting For Nancy Shevell?: Gothamist

Got To Get Jew Into My Life: Is Paul McCartney Converting For Nancy Shevell?: Gothamist

While no one would confuse "McCartney" as a Hebrew name, Sir Paul does seem to have a thing for nice Jewish girls. His first wife, Linda, was a member of the tribe, and apparently Macca had talked about converting after marrying her, but "never got around to it." After a brief stint with shiksa Heather Mills, McCartney has once again fallen for a Jew, current MTA board member Nancy Shevell, whom he married last month. And this time, he's being a real mensch.

National Enquirer is reporting that Macca, who was baptized as a Roman Catholic but was "admittedly never very devout," promised Shevell that he'll convert to Judaism, as she takes religion rather seriously. The two reportedly spent the night before their wedding at Yom Kippur services, and McCartney apparently told his friends he'll be completing his conversion studies next year. Mazel tov, you crazy kids! Let's hope Shevell doesn't turn out to be a real Lady Meshugganah. Remember: All you need is l'chaim.

Guide for the Perplexed | FrontPage Magazine

Guide for the Perplexed | FrontPage Magazine: I have come to realize just how difficult it may be to decipher news about the Middle East, Islam, Israel, the Arab World, and all these powerful and explosive issues of our times for those who rely on such media stalwarts as The New York Times​, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the major television networks, cable news, etc. for their information. For example, how is a person to ascertain whether the slayer of a family is a terrorist or a militant or a gunman or an assailant or an activist or a freedom-fighter?

So, purely as a public service, I have organized the following glossary of the most pertinent terms and expressions, as typically used in the above-mentioned news sources. I hope, insha’allah, the reader will find it helpful to unravel the Gordian Knot of language that is today’s (and yesterday’s and tomorrow’s) Middle East!

IDF sets up Magic Wand Unit - Israel News, Ynetnews

IDF sets up Magic Wand Unit - Israel News, Ynetnews: The IDF is perparing to establish a new unit that will address missile threats on densely populated areas in central Israel.



After the deployment of the Iron Dome missile defense system, which has provided southern Israel with limited yet efficient protection from Qassam and Grad missiles, the defense establishment is forging ahead with developing the Magic Wand system, designed to thwart mid and long-rage missiles.

Personal info of 9 million Israelis stolen, available online

Personal info of 9 million Israelis stolen, available online: I think this incident just goes to show that no database can ever be 100 percent secure, but it must be extremely galling when your own country can't guarantee that the information it has stored on you will be kept safe and confidential - especially when that information wasn't volunteered but collected by default.

San Diego Reader | Hidden Pipeline, Secret Menace?

San Diego Reader | Hidden Pipeline, Secret Menace?: Some residents refer to it as the Sleeping Giant. An eight-inch-diameter Navy pipeline, carrying diesel and jet fuel from Point Loma to Miramar, lies beneath San Diego streets and canyons. Each year, 323 million gallons of fuel are pumped through the pipe at 800 pounds of pressure per square inch. The pipeline is 57 years old.

Missing Libya Missiles Find Their Way to Gaza Border - ABC News

Missing Libya Missiles Find Their Way to Gaza Border - ABC News: Some of the thousands of surface-to-air missiles that have gone missing since the collapse of the Gadhafi regime in Libya have now turned up just miles from the Israeli border.

Egypt: Planes patrol Sinai without Israel's consent - Israel News, Ynetnews

Egypt: Planes patrol Sinai without Israel's consent - Israel News, Ynetnews: Egypt's Air force chief dispatches warplanes to patrol border with Israel, despite peace treaty terms, MENA news agency reports; 'We do not need permission to increase our forces on our land,' General Reda Hafiz says

Computer virus hits US Predator and Reaper drone fleet

Computer virus hits US Predator and Reaper drone fleet: But despite their widespread use, the drone systems are known to have security flaws. Many Reapers and Predators don’t encrypt the video they transmit to American troops on the ground. In the summer of 2009, US forces discovered “days and days and hours and hours” of the drone footage on the laptops of Iraqi insurgents. A $26 piece of software allowed the militants to capture the video.

Israel to Assad: We Will Bomb Gaza, Whole of Lebanon if Tel Aviv Attacked - Naharnet

Israel to Assad: We Will Bomb Gaza, Whole of Lebanon if Tel Aviv Attacked - Naharnet: Israel has warned Syrian President Bashar Assad that should Tel Aviv be attacked, then it will retaliate by bombing the Gaza Strip and the whole of Lebanon

Gaza and Gas | FrontPage Magazine

Gaza and Gas | FrontPage Magazine: The Turkish-Israeli dispute over natural resources under the eastern Mediterranean’s seabed may soon enter a new and much more dangerous phase.

Last week, it appeared Turkey was going to make good on its threats to stop a joint Israeli-Greek Cypriot venture to explore for natural gas in Greek Cypriot waters and at the same time, militarily challenge Israel’s presence in the Eastern Mediterranean. But as the Texas-based Noble Energy company moved a rig from Israeli waters into position off of Greek Cyprus’ south-eastern coast to begin drilling, Turkish naval vessels and warplanes limited their actions to shadowing the transfer operation, keeping outside of Greek Cypriot waters and airspace. Turkey now appears resigned, at least for the moment, to halting the project through the offices of the United Nations (UN).

Showdown in Cyprus | FrontPage Magazine

Showdown in Cyprus | FrontPage Magazine: While world attention has been focused on a Turkish-Israeli military showdown over aid flotillas to Gaza, a possibly even more dangerous dispute is unfolding between Turkey and Israel-allied Cyprus. Tensions between the two countries are at their highest level in years, as the Greek Cypriot government in the divided island’s southern half went ahead with plans to have Texas-based Noble Energy start offshore exploration for natural gas in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Note to Erdogan: Nobody Likes the Turks � Commentary Magazine

Note to Erdogan: Nobody Likes the Turks � Commentary Magazine: In 1822, the Ottomans dispatched 40,000 Turkish troops to the Greek island of Chios with orders to kill all infants under three-years-old, all males over 12-years-old, and all females over 40-years-old, except those willing to convert to Islam. Some 20,000 Greeks were killed and the island was depopulated, eradicating a 2,000 year culture. Two years later, Ottoman soldiers burned the island of Kasos to the ground and killed 7,000 of its inhabitants. Eventually, Europeans navies dispatched by Britain and France, and a navy dispatched by Russia, intervened to stop the atrocities.

Greece: Wall to be built along Turkish b... JPost - International

Greece: Wall to be built along Turkish b... JPost - International: Minister says country can't take in anymore illegal immigrants; says barrier will be similar to wall built on US-Mexico border.

Swelling list of demands fuels Israel protests - FT.com

Swelling list of demands fuels Israel protests - FT.com: "Israel’s social protest movement started with a tent on Tel Aviv’s Rothschild Boulevard and a few voices demanding affordable housing. In less than a month it has grown into a national phenomenon – and perhaps the most serious challenge yet to the government of Benjamin Netanyahu.

Last Saturday, more than 250,000 Israelis took to the street to call for social reform. Tent cities have sprung up across the country, drawing in an ever-expanding cast of protesters – from students to pensioners, and Holocaust survivors to taxi drivers."

World's first 'printed' airplane takes to the skies | ZDNet

World's first 'printed' airplane takes to the skies | ZDNet: "The plane, called SULSA (Southampton University Laser Sintered Aircraft), was printed on an EOS EOSINT P730 nylon laser sintering machine, which fabricates plastic or metal objects, building up the item layer by layer.

Once all the components were printed, assembly took minutes, say the engineers. No fasteners were used and all equipment was attached using ’snap fit’ techniques so that the entire aircraft can be put together without tools."

The future of the black box flight recorder explored (Wired UK)

The future of the black box flight recorder explored (Wired UK): "The tragedy of Air France 447 might have been on the minds of executives from Bombardier, the Canadian aircraft manufacturer, when they announced in 2010 that their new CSeries narrow-body jets, scheduled to come to market in 2013, would be the first commercial airliners built with the capability to transmit telemetry data instead of merely recording it. The idea -- to stream black-box data in real time, either directly to a ground station or by satellite relay -- isn't new, even though there remains no consensus on whether to call it an uplink, which is conceptually accurate, or a downlink, which expresses the physical relationship of an aeroplane to the ground."

Sinai: From Buffer to Badlands | FrontPage Magazine

Sinai: From Buffer to Badlands | FrontPage Magazine: "arms shipments to the Strip have been surging…: everything that has been sent by the Iranians and their emissaries in recent years and was hidden by the Bedouins…has flowed freely into Gaza in the past five months. Meanwhile, new shipments arrived and were transferred to Hamas and Islamic Jihad without delay or a need to hide them."

Get a Free Snapshot of Your Car's Health - Popular Mechanics Reader Special - Popular Mechanics

Get a Free Snapshot of Your Car's Health - Popular Mechanics Reader Special - Popular Mechanics: "Are you wondering what part of your car will be the next to go south, and what it will cost to fix it? Or are you just curious why that pesky check engine light won't go off? At PM, we're bringing our readers a new and quick way to get a vehicle health snapshot, and know in advance what maintenance could be around the corner.

CarMD, the company that sells the inexpensive diagnostic tool by the same name, has amassed huge database of auto repair information. That info comes from two main sources: the hundreds of thousands of CarMD tools that customers have hooked up to the Internet looking for answers for why their 'check engine' light is on, and from thousands of professional mechanics CarMD keeps on retainer to provide those answers"

6 False Lessons Of The Space Shuttle - Atlantis Final Flight - Popular Mechanics

6 False Lessons Of The Space Shuttle - Atlantis Final Flight - Popular Mechanics: "The last space shuttle flight has now launched. And with Atlantis safely in orbit, many are reflecting on the legacy of the shuttle program, which lasted a little over three decades and for much of that time was at the center of America's human spaceflight program. While it was a magnificent technological achievement, and had many great accomplishments, it was a failure in the primary purpose for which it was built: to dramatically reduce the cost of access to space, and make such trips routine and safe. So as NASA heads into an uncertain future, many are drawing lessons from the shuttle experience to apply to policy going forward."

Barack Obama’s Top Ten Insults Against Israel | FrontPage Magazine

Barack Obama’s Top Ten Insults Against Israel | FrontPage Magazine

The Korean-Talmud Love Affair - - News - Israel National News

The Korean-Talmud Love Affair - - News - Israel National News: "Reports of the Talmud being a national classic in S. Korea have been floating around for years, but it’s now official: Students must study Talmud."

YouTube - ‪Latma presents: The Audacity of Dopes Band brings you "Guns, Guns, Guns!"‬‏

YouTube - ‪Latma presents: The Audacity of Dopes Band brings you "Guns, Guns, Guns!"‬‏

Greeks stop another Gaza-bound ship - Israel News, Ynetnews

Greeks stop another Gaza-bound ship - Israel News, Ynetnews: "Greek authorities have said that ships carrying activists destined for Gaza with aid for Palestinians were prohibited from leaving Greek ports."

U.S., EU Seek to Revive Mideast Peace Talks - WSJ.com

U.S., EU Seek to Revive Mideast Peace Talks - WSJ.com: "This intensified diplomatic activity is being driven by mounting concerns in Washington and Europe that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's push for a U.N. General Assembly vote on a state embodying the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem set for September could have far-reaching implications for Mideast stability. The Palestinians currently have the status of U.N. observers without voting rights but are hoping that a September vote would give them status as a sovereign member.

Such a vote would have only limited legal implications for the Palestinians, according to Western and Arab diplomats, and would likely pass by a wide margin. But there are concerns a yes vote could raise expectations among Palestinians, hopes that might quickly succumb to violent discontent among Arab groups if the actual creation of an independent state remains elusive."

State TV: Greek Socialists in power-sharing talks - Yahoo! News

State TV: Greek Socialists in power-sharing talks - Yahoo! News: "The protests in Athens and in the northern city of Thessaloniki, where another 20,000 people rallied peacefully, were part of a 24-hour general strike, the result of months of growing frustration over the country's slide."

White House Insider: Obama’s Rage Over Netanyahu Meeting: "What the F-ck was that?" | Newsflavor

White House Insider: Obama’s Rage Over Netanyahu Meeting: "What the F-ck was that?" | Newsflavor: "The essence of the president’s rage and embarrassment can best be summed up with him yelling out very loudly, “What the f-ck was that!?” That phrase was apparently repeated a number of times in the span of about five minutes, a time period in which Obama’s voice became “louder and louder” and culminating in Obama exclaiming, “Never again! Do you understand me? Never again!” Any response by Bill Daley back to the president, if given, was not overheard."

“Tsunami of September” | FrontPage Magazine

“Tsunami of September” | FrontPage Magazine

The Israeli Defense Minister is warning of the “tsunami of September” when the U.N. will vote on recognizing an independent Palestine. Spain will recognize a Palestinian state even before then. International pressure against Israel is ratcheting up, and at the same time, Fatah has buried the hatchet with Hamas and seeks to do the same with Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Dozens of countries support recognizing an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, including Russia, China, India, South Africa and the countries of the Arab League. Most of South America has already formally recognized a Palestinian state, and now Spain intends to join them before the September vote at the U.N. takes place. If a member of the U.N. Security Council blocks the recognition of a Palestinian state, there will be an international uproar. It is very possible that a stream of countries will follow in Spain’s footsteps and independently recognize a Palestinian state. This may encourage the Palestinians to unilaterally declare statehood, setting the stage for war.

Dispute Grows as Egyptian Gas Doesn’t Flow to Israel - NYTimes.com

In Israel, which depends on Egypt for 40 percent of its natural gas, the electric company has warned that customer rates could rise by 15 percent. Officials in the Israeli company that co-owns the gas line say the Egyptian government is afraid of popular opposition to Israel and the perception that Israel has had a sweetheart deal.

Dispute Grows as Egyptian Gas Doesn’t Flow to Israel - NYTimes.com

US: Hezbollah has more missiles than most states - Israel News, Ynetnews

US: Hezbollah has more missiles than most states - Israel News, Ynetnews: "Hezbollah is armed with more missiles and rockets than most states, according to outgoing US Defense Secretary Robert Gates. In a speech to the American Enterprise Institute, Gates warned against the Shiite group's arming methods and the possibility that it owns chemical and biological weapons, CNN reported Wednesday.

Egypt's anti-Israel turn | Philip Klein | Beltway Confidential | Washington Examiner

 

The current military-led Egyptian government is already shifting to a more anti-Israel posture, announcing today that it would permenantly reopen its border with Gaza. The move puts Israeli civilians at greater risk by undermining the blockade on Gaza and making it significantly easier for the terrorist group Hamas to import weapons.

During the Egyptian uprising, there was a big debate on the right about what a new government would mean. In the wake of today's news, it's time to reconsider the myth that neoconservatives are primarily concerned with Israeli interests. In the case of Egypt, they cheered on protesters who put a new government in place that is already aiding Hamas and threatening Israel's national security.

Egypt's anti-Israel turn | Philip Klein | Beltway Confidential | Washington Examiner

Stephens: An Anti-Israel President - WSJ.com

Stephens: An Anti-Israel President - WSJ.com: "What, then, would a pro-Israel president do? He would tell Palestinians that there is no right of return. He would make the reform of the Arab mindset toward Israel the centerpiece of his peace efforts. He would outline hard and specific consequences should Hamas join the government.

Such a vision could lay the groundwork for peace. What Mr. Obama offered is a formula for war, one that he will pursue in a second term. Assuming, of course, that he gets one."

What Netanyahu Did Today � Commentary Magazine

What Netanyahu Did Today � Commentary Magazine

Has there ever been a moment like the one Benjamin Netanyahu had today following his meeting with President Obama? I can’t think of one. When has a president ever made a joint appearance with the leader of an ally in the wake of a controversial policy proposal, only to have that ally push back against him publicly? Netanyahu’s powerful—and surprisingly graceful, considering the context—remarks can be read in full here. The only moment that even remotely compares wasn’t a diplomatic one; it was when Elie Wiesel, during the dustup over Ronald Reagan’s visit to the Bitburg cemetary in West Germany in 1985, was given a Medal of Freedom and with beautiful understatement said to the president, “This place is not your place.” We got a glimpse of the Bibi that so electrified the world in the late 1980s and early 1990s when he was serving as Israel’s chief spokesman in the English language in this stunning passage:

We’ve been around for almost 4,000 years. We have experienced struggle and suffering like no other people. We’ve gone through expulsions and pogroms and massacres and the murder of millions.

But I can say that even at the dearth of — even at the nadir of the valley of death, we never lost hope and we never lost our dream of re-establishing a sovereign state in our ancient homeland, the land of Israel. And now it falls on my shoulders as the prime minister of Israel at a time of extraordinary instability and uncertainty in the Middle East to work with you to fashion a peace that will ensure Israel’s security and will not jeopardize its survival.

I take this responsibility with pride but with great humility, because, as I told you in our conversation, we don’t have a lot of margin for error and because, Mr. President, history will not give the Jewish people another chance.

It was very nervy of Bibi, and certainly opens him up to the charge of being chutzpahdik with Israel’s greatest ally. But what exactly did he have to lose? He faces a hostile president, but one who governs a country overwhelmingly supportive of Israel. Could things get worse with Obama than they were last year? And could things get better for Netanyahu if Obama finds he is paying a price for being at odds with the American people on one of the few foreign policy issues they care about?

Power Line - Friends and enemies

Power Line - Friends and enemies Of the commentary I have been able to read on Obama's speech on the Middle East yesterday, I think Caroline Glick's is the shrewdest. From a close reading of the text of Obama's speech, Glick deduces Obama's prospective support of the emerging jihadist political forces in Egypt and Tunisia, and elsewhere as well.

He said Israel has to concede its right to defensible borders as a precondition for negotiations;

He didn't say he opposes the Palestinian demand for open immigration of millions of foreign Arabs into Israel;

He again ignored Bush's 2004 letter to Sharon opposing a return to the 1949 armistice lines, supporting the large settlements, defensible borders and opposing mass Arab immigration into Israel;

He said he was leaving Jerusalem out but actually brought it in by calling for an Israeli retreat to the 1949 lines;

He called for Israel to be cut in two when he called for the Palestinians state to be contiguous;

He called for Israel to withdraw from the Jordan Valley - without which it is powerless against invasion - by saying that the Palestinian State will have an international border with Jordan.

Drawing Three Conclusions from the Latest Mideast Violence - By Caroline Glick - The Corner - National Review Online

Drawing Three Conclusions from the Latest Mideast Violence - By Caroline Glick - The Corner - National Review Online

I think the violence that broke out this weekend on the Syria–Israel border is a clear indication that the revolutions in the Arab world are engendering more rather than less radicalism and instability in the region. I think they show that another Arab war against Israel is more likely now than at any time in the last 25 years, as Egypt, Syria and other countries reassess their options and come to the conclusion that war and other aggression against Israel serve their interests today in a way they didn’t in the past.

I think Israel’s response was weak and that Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who consistently fails to understand the nature of the gathering threats, should be fired.

And I think the Obama administration, which has thrown Israel under the bus in its efforts to appease the likes of the Muslim Brotherhood, Syria’s Assad, the Palestinians, and the nuclear-bomb-building Iranian ayatollahs, has contributed massively to the precarious destabilization of the region.

Athens Mulls Plans for New Currency: Greece Considers Exit from Euro Zone - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

Athens Mulls Plans for New Currency: Greece Considers Exit from Euro Zone - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International: "Greece's economic problems are massive, with protests against the government being held almost daily. Now Prime Minister George Papandreou apparently feels he has no other option: SPIEGEL ONLINE has obtained information from German government sources knowledgeable of the situation in Athens indicating that Papandreou's government is considering abandoning the euro and reintroducing its own currency."

NationalJournal.com - The Secret Team That Killed bin Laden - Monday, May 2, 2011

NationalJournal.com - The Secret Team That Killed bin Laden - Monday, May 2, 2011 From Ghazi Air Base in Pakistan, the modified MH-60 helicopters made their way to the garrison suburb of Abbottabad, about 70 miles from the center of Islamabad. Aboard were Navy SEALs, flown across the border from Afghanistan, along with tactical signals, intelligence collectors, and navigators using highly classified hyperspectral imagers.

After bursts of fire over 40 minutes, 22 people were killed or captured. One of the dead was Osama bin Laden, done in by a double tap -- boom, boom -- to the left side of his face. His body was aboard the choppers that made the trip back. One had experienced mechanical failure and was destroyed by U.S. forces, military and White House officials tell National Journal.

Meet Keratea: Greece's War Zone | zero hedge

Meet Keratea: Greece's War Zone | zero hedge

One of the more interesting "war zones" that most have never heard of is not in North Africe, nor in the Middle East, but in Greece. Meet Keratea, a small city of 15,000 people located close to Athens, where after over 100 days of struggle between authorities and the broder population, the riot police has officially decided to abdicate the city to its fate in what is the first popular mini-revolution in the developed world.

As unemployment rises and austerity bites ever harder, tempers seem to fray faster in Greece, with citizens of all stripes thumbing their noses at authority. Some refuse to pay increased highway tolls and public transport tickets. There has been a rise in politicians being heckled and even assaulted. Yesterday, in Thessalonika, scores of activists were arrested after violent clashes with police." Meet the new and improved face of austerity: now in a small town in Greece, which is about to default all over again, and soon in many other places in the increasingly more insolvent European periphery.

The PLO’s game plan revealed: Why the Hamas/Fatah agreement is a sham | NewsReal Blog

The PLO’s game plan revealed: Why the Hamas/Fatah agreement is a sham | NewsReal Blog

Fatah and Hamas hate each other and have no desire to cede their respective power. They will keep things together just long enough for September and their hoped-for international recognition. This is exactly what they have done in the past.

And here is how the PA is planning to incorporate Hamas while pretending that “Palestine” accepts Israel’s right to exist:

Tirawi dismissed concerns voiced over the possibility that a future Palestinian government with Hamas in it will refuse to negotiate with Israel, saying that the Palestinian government will have “no say” in such peace talks, since “the only body allowed to negotiate with Israel on behalf of the Palestinian people is the PLO.”

So this is the game:

The PLO is the party that negotiates with Israel, and the party that officially recognizes Israel.

The PA is only responsible for governing the Arabs in the territories, not with any foreign relations.

The PA, despite claims of being democratic, reports to the PLO.

The fake Hamas/Fatah reconciliation is meant to only address the PA, not the PLO. They won’t hold any elections until after September, if ever.

So the PLO will claim to still recognize Israel and be peaceful, as it will claim that from its perspective nothing has changed.

The instant that Palestine is declared a state that is recognized by the world, in part because of these assurances that it is a peaceful state that recognizes Israel, Hamas and Fatah (and all the other terrorist parties that decide to join the government) will immediately take over the PLO’s foreign affairs, as that is what nations do. The PLO’s foreign affairs role will be superseded by “Palestine.”

Who's fixing that airplane while you're getting groped? | Barbara Hollingsworth | Beltway Confidential | Washington Examiner

Every airline passenger knows the drill. Take off your jacket, shoes, watch and jewelry, cram your belongings into a plastic bin and stand in a long security line before meekly submitting to a naked scan or groping by latex-gloved agents of the Transportation Security Administration. Enduring such indignities, we’re repeatedly told, is the price we must pay for safety in the skies.

Yet there’s a very good chance that the mechanics who worked on the plane you’re just about to board weren’t patted down or fingerprinted. They might not have passed a background, drug or alcohol test. In fact, they might not even have a Federal Aviation Administration-approved license.

With the exception of American Airlines, which performs most of its fleet maintenance in the U.S., most of the major U.S.-based carriers outsource maintenance to places like China, El Salvador, Mexico, Chile and the Philippines, where security ranges from lax to nonexistent.  The danger of this widespread industry practice was highlighted in an April 6 report by the Transport Workers of America, Air Transport Division, which pointed out that  “At least one member of Al Qaeda was found working at a major maintenance facility in Singapore in 2003. The faulty procedures that allowed this lapse in security have not been addressed.”

 

Who's fixing that airplane while you're getting groped? | Barbara Hollingsworth | Beltway Confidential | Washington Examiner

The Ultimate Ally - By Michael Oren | Foreign Policy

The Ultimate Ally - By Michael Oren | Foreign Policy

Israel not only enhances America's defenses -- it also saves American lives. A kibbutz-based company in the Galilee has provided armor for more than 20,000 U.S. military vehicles. "Two days ago, my patrol was ambushed by insurgents using 7.62mm PKM Machineguns," David C. Cox, a platoon sergeant in Iraq, wrote the manufacturers. "None of the rounds penetrated the armor of the vehicle, including one that would have impacted with my head." Marine gunner Joshua Smith, whose Israeli-armored vehicle tripped an IED near Marja, Afghanistan, described how his unit "walked away smiling, laughing, and lived to fight another day." Military medical experts from both countries also meet annually to discuss advances in combat care. One such breakthrough was a coagulating bandage, the brainchild of a Jerusalem start-up company, a million of which have been supplied to U.S. forces (and even applied by a Tucson SWAT team medic to stanch the life-threatening head wound of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords).

Air France Flight 447 - Remus 6000 Autonomous Underwater Vehicles - Popular Mechanics

Air France Flight 447 - Remus 6000 Autonomous Underwater Vehicles - Popular Mechanics: "0 miles north of the plane's last known position." After Air France flight 447 disappeared off the Brazilian coast shortly after takeoff on the night of May 31, 2009, French aviation authorities were keen to find out what had gone wrong. To do that, they needed to find the wreckage, especially the plane's flight data recorders (black boxes). The only problem: The impact site was unknown.

To narrow the search, the Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile (BEA) called upon oceanographic experts from 11 institutes around the world to assess where the wreckage most likely lay, based on ocean currents and on the final position that the plane's navigation computer had automatically broadcast. Those experts produced a 750-square-mile search area about 50 miles north of the plane's last known position.

Read more: Air France Flight 447 - Remus 6000 Autonomous Underwater Vehicles - Popular Mechanics

Closing Velocity: HISTORIC: Israel's Iron Dome Missile Defense Intercepts Gaza Rockets

Closing Velocity: HISTORIC: Israel's Iron Dome Missile Defense Intercepts Gaza Rockets: "The Iron Dome missile defense system on Thursday successfully intercepted for the first time two rockets that were fired at the Israeli city of Ashkelon from the Gaza Strip.

Iron Dome's success Thursday marks the first time in world history short-range rockets were ever intercepted."

Israel’s Blessing | FrontPage Magazine

 

Despite the world of troubles facing Israel, a miraculous resource discovery has come to the land.

President Obama has dissed Israel, the UN is no friend, and the nations surrounded Israel are hostile. It took Moses 40 years to lead the Israelites out of Egypt to the only land in the Middle East without oil—long a source of wry humor. But Israel, at last, has been granted an almost miraculous blessing.

First, in 2009, Israel announced the discovery of a major natural gas field off its coast in the Tamar region. Then at the end of last December, an immense natural gas discovery was confirmed in the Eastern Mediterranean within Israel’s territorial waters. It has the potential for making Israel a major energy exporter over the next decade while providing the country with possibly 200 years of natural gas. This could negate Israel’s plans to buy natural gas from Russia.

Noble Energy, Inc., a Houston-based company, made the discovery. It said drilling tests in its Leviathon field confirmed it was the world’s largest offshore gas find in the past decade and “easily the largest exploration discovery in our history,” said Charles Davidson, CEO of Noble, which has a controlling interest in the field. Leviathon is nearly twice the size of the Tamar field, also off the coast, discovered by Noble and its partners in 2009. The Leviathon discovery confirmed geologic models of the basin and “validates it contains significant natural gas resources,” Noble said. Chairman Gideon Tadmor of a partner company, Delek Drilling, said the field is “the largest gas discovery in deep water in the past decade. The field covers about 125 square miles, a story in Bloomberg News reported. The field could yield as much as 21.1 trillion cubic feet of gas, an independent engineering firm calculated, Energy-pedia news reported March 29.

Israel’s Blessing | FrontPage Magazine

ElBaradei: We'll fight back if Israel attacks Gaza - Israel News, Ynetnews

ElBaradei: We'll fight back if Israel attacks Gaza - Israel News, Ynetnews: "Former International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei, who had previously announced his intetions to run for the presidency of Egypt, said Monday that “if Israel attacked Gaza we would declare war against the Zionist regime.'"

Fukushima on the Med? � Commentary Magazine

Fukushima on the Med? � Commentary Magazine: "No sooner had an earthquake and tsunami unleashed a series of events that led to disaster for a Japanese nuclear reactor than Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkey planned to erect nuclear power stations in an earthquake zone.

If a disaster occurred in Japan, if it is likely in Iran, why not have Turkey make the same mistake for a third time? “We are now counting the months, even weeks, before we start our project with Russia for the nuclear plant at Akkuyu [in Mersin, on the Mediterranean],” Erdogan told reporters last month."

U.N. Vote on Palestinian State Could Force Israel's Hand - NYTimes.com

 

JERUSALEM — With revolutionary fervor sweeping the Middle East, Israel is under mounting pressure to make a far-reaching offer to the Palestinians or face a United Nations vote welcoming the State of Palestine as a member whose territory includes all of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.

The Palestinian Authority has been steadily building support for such a resolution in September, a move that could place Israel into a diplomatic vise. Israel would be occupying land belonging to a fellow United Nations member, land it has controlled and settled for more than four decades and some of which it expects to keep in any two-state solution.

 

U.N. Vote on Palestinian State Could Force Israel's Hand - NYTimes.com

Israel, The Third Nation on the Moon? - Daniel Freedman - Freed Thinking - Forbes

Israel, The Third Nation on the Moon? - Daniel Freedman - Freed Thinking - Forbes: "If all goes according to plan, by December 2012 a team of three young Israeli scientists will have landed a tiny spacecraft on the moon, explored the lunar surface, and transmitted live video back to earth, thereby scooping up a $20 million prize (the Google Lunar X Prize), revolutionizing space exploration, and making the Jewish State the third nation (after the U.S. and Russia) to land a probe on the moon. And they’re doing it in their spare time."

Israeli military maps Hezbollah bunkers - The Washington Post

Israeli military maps Hezbollah bunkers - The Washington Post

Israel Defense Force video exposes Iranian arms shipment to Hamas disguised as humanitarian aid | Mark Tapscott | Beltway Confidential | Washington Examiner

Israel Defense Force video exposes Iranian arms shipment to Hamas disguised as humanitarian aid | Mark Tapscott | Beltway Confidential | Washington Examiner

Sky News: Take Obama's Peace Prize

Sky News: Take Obama's Peace Prize:

Bolivian President Evo Morales has called for US President Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize to be revoked following his decision to attack Libya.

'Two years ago we heard that President Barack Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize, but is he defending peace in the world now, or isn't he instead fomenting violence?' Morales told reporters, days after Obama ordered the bombing of Libya military targets as part of an UN-approved effort to protect civilians.

'How is it possible to give the Nobel Peace Prize to someone who has launched an invasion, a bombing? It's a violation, an assault, an aggression,' said Morales, one of Latin America's most left-leaning leaders and a vocal critic of the United States.

'Obama is the leader of group of thugs who led an assault and an invasion - and that has nothing to do with defending human rights,' he declared.

The Libyan Kinetic Military Action � Commentary Magazine

The Libyan Kinetic Military Action � Commentary Magazine:

Q But it’s not going to war, then?

MR. RHODES: "Well, again, I think what we are doing is enforcing a resolution that has a very clear set of goals, which is protecting the Libyan people, averting a humanitarian crisis, and setting up a no-fly zone. Obviously that involves kinetic military action, particularly on the front end."

Sleeping Controller Possibility Probed After U.S. Landings - Bloomberg

Sleeping Controller Possibility Probed After U.S. Landings - Bloomberg: U.S. investigators are examining whether two airline flights landed at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport today without tower guidance because the lone controller on duty was asleep.Pilots of the American plane aborted a first landing attempt when no one in the tower responded to calls and then landed without assistance, Knudson said. The United pilots landed the first time, and crews from both planes treated the airport the same as one that doesn’t ordinarily have controllers in early morning hours, he said.

Power Line - His Royal Highness Will Be Pleased to Welcome Your Support!

 

Questions about our military action in Libya, and in particular why President Obama did not seek Congressional support for it, are reverberating around the capital. Congressmen and Senators across the political spectrum are complaining about the administration's handling of the crisis. In particular, the fact that Obama sought the approval of the United Nations, but not Congress, has made many in the latter institution unhappy.

Power Line - His Royal Highness Will Be Pleased to Welcome Your Support!

Sarah Palin Meets With Prime Minister Netanyahu (Video) | The Gateway Pundit

 

In this handout image provided by the Israeli Government Press Office, Governor Sarah Palin and her husband Todd Palin meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu March 21, 2011 in Jerusalem, Israel.

Sarah Palin Meets With Prime Minister Netanyahu (Video) | The Gateway Pundit

Report: U.S. considering strategic outreach to Hezbollah - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

Report: U.S. considering strategic outreach to Hezbollah - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News: "The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama is considering reaching out to the political elements in Hezbollah, the Washington Post reported on Friday, stressing that the at this stage it was an intelligence effort, not a policymaking one."

Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Calls for Airstrikes on Israel « Commentary Magazine

 

After assuring both Libyans and Turks that Turkey was not involved in airstrikes on Libya, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç, of Turkey, said, “We wish that the United Nations had made such resolutions and countries had taken action in the face of incidents in Gaza, Palestine and the other regions.” While Namik Tan, Turkey’s ambassador to the United States, tries to assure Jewish groups that his government really isn’t anti-Semitic and anti-Israel, someone might want to ask him why his boss is calling for airstrikes on the Jewish state?

And perhaps Senators Levin and McCain on the Senate Armed Service Committee might finally want to ask some tough questions about why the United States plans to give Turkey the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter replete with its stealth technology?

Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Calls for Airstrikes on Israel « Commentary Magazine

YouTube - Marketplace, Tel Aviv

YouTube - Marketplace, Tel Aviv

RealClearScience - Putting Chernobyl in Perspective

RealClearScience - Putting Chernobyl in Perspective

In 2006, 20 years after the accident, a group of eight UN agencies, including the International Atomic Energy Agency and the World Health Organization, assessed the damage in a study incorporating the work of hundreds of scientists and health experts from around the world.

It turns out that two decades after the fact, the death toll had not reached the tens of thousands that were predicted. In fact, fewer than 50 deaths could be directly attributable to radiation from the disaster, almost all of them among rescue workers who had been exposed to massive amounts of radiation on the disaster site at the time of the fire and its immediate aftermath. In addition, nine children in the area died of thyroid cancer that is thought to have been caused by radioactive contamination, but even among the nearby population, there was neither evidence of decreased fertility nor of congenital malformations that could be attributed to radiation exposure.

Any loss of life, particularly among children, is tragic. But clearly the mass causalities that were almost universally predicted – not just by the newshounds, but by the many “experts” who commented at the time – have not materialized. “By and large,” the report concludes, “we have not found profound negative health impacts to the rest of the population in surrounding areas, nor have we found widespread contamination that would continue to pose a substantial threat to human health…”

It is worth putting even the UN’s low casualty figures in perspective. As the report notes, over 1,000 onsite reactor staff and emergency workers received heavy exposure to high levels of radiation on the first day of the accident, and some 200,000 workers were exposed in recovery operations from 1986-1987. But only 50 had died of cancer 20 years later.

RealClearScience - Putting Chernobyl in Perspective

RealClearScience - Putting Chernobyl in Perspective: "With the world gripped by fear that the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants may turn into “another Chernobyl,” perhaps it’s worth examining just how bad Chernobyl actually was.

There’s no doubt that the scale of the accident was unequalled, either before, or so far in Japan, since. The Soviet-style nuclear reactor had been built without a containment structure, and when the graphite moderator components caught fire, they spewed more than 400 times more radioactivity into the environment than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima."

Supersonic Cruise Missiles Coming to the Med � Theoptimisticconservative's Blog

Supersonic Cruise Missiles Coming to the Med � Theoptimisticconservative's Blog:

That’s certainly possible – in fact, likely – although at this point not independently confirmed. What is confirmed, however, is that Russia reasserted last week her determination to provide the P-800 Yakhont (SS-N-26) anti-ship cruise missile to Syria. Assuming the missile does come to Syria, it will mark the first deployment of any missile of this kind in a Mediterranean nation.

The Yakhont is a supersonic (up to 2.5 Mach) cruise missile, a variety in which Russia has paced the world. None of the NATO navies deploys a supersonic anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM). Russia and China have supersonic ASCMs in their active forces; Iran has the older SS-N-22 Sunburn, acquired in the last decade. (The Iranian frigate in the Med is not equipped with the Sunburn, however.) India tested a supersonic BrahMos missile, developed jointly with Russia, in March 2010.

Asia has thus seen much more active and urgent development of supersonic cruise missile technology than Europe or North America. The Yakhont is also a relatively long-range ASCM, capable of reaching targets up to 185 statute miles (300km) away using a high-altitude approach. With the stealthier low-altitude, sea-skimming approach, the Yakhont’s range is around 75 miles, or 120km. (In seafaring terms, the ranges are between 60 and 180 nautical miles.) In all cases, the Yakhont can be launched well beyond line of sight.

Power Line - The car from Atlas Shrugged motors

Power Line - The car from Atlas Shrugged motors:

Michaels briefly recaps the well-known consumer fraud in which GM has touted the Volt as an all-electric mass production vehicle on the supposed basis of which its sales receive a $7,500 taxpayer subsidy, which still renders it overpriced and unmarketable. Michaels notest that "sales are anemic: 326 in December, 321 in January, and 281 in February." There seems to be a trend here.

Michaels adds that GM has announced a production run of 100,000 in the first two years and asks what appears to be a rhetorical question: "Who is going to buy all these cars?"

But wait! Keep hope alive! There is a positive answer to the question. Jeffrey Immelt's GE will buy a boatload of those uneconomic GM cars. Here the case study opens onto the inevitable politcal angle:

Recently, President Obama selected General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt to chair his Economic Advisory Board. GE is awash in windmills waiting to be subsidized so they can provide unreliable, expensive power.

Consequently, and soon after his appointment, Immelt announced that GE will buy 50,000 Volts in the next two years, or half the total produced. Assuming the corporation qualifies for the same tax credit, we (you and me) just shelled out $375,000,000 to a company to buy cars that no one else wants so that GM will not tank and produce even more cars that no one wants. And this guy is the chair of Obama's Economic Advisory Board?

Israel vs. the “Axis of Terror” | FrontPage Magazine

 

Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich speculated that this incident was tied to last month’s passage of two Iranian warships through the Suez Canal for the first time since the Iranian Revolution of 1979.  The Victoria, which set sail from the Syrian port of Lattakai and then stopped in Mersin, Turkey, was bound for Alexandria, Egypt.  From there the weapons were to be transported to Gaza by land. The Jerusalem Post notes that Lattakai was the same port visited last month by the two Iranian warships.  Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Israel had been tracking the ship for days, and that the goal of this smuggling attempt “was to harm Israel’s security” and that his country would continue to pursue any challenge to that security “determinedly, and everywhere, to defend the country.”

Israel vs. the “Axis of Terror” | FrontPage Magazine

Anti-terror measures make toilets the most dangerous place on planes, unions say | Mail Online

 

New anti-terrorist measures have made toilets the most dangerous place on passenger planes, trade unions warned today.

From next week Air France will remove all oxygen cannisters from WCs on all A320 aircraft and three Airbus A340s because of fears that they can be turned into bombs.

Anti-terror measures make toilets the most dangerous place on planes, unions say | Mail Online

Nuclear Disaster in Japan - Reason Magazine

Could it happen here? Although earthquakes can and do occur all over the United States, the West Coast and Alaska are the most seismically active regions. The facilities whose physical locations most closely resemble that of the Fukushima plants are two nuclear generating plants built on the coast of California, the Diablo Canyon Power Plant and the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. The two reactors at the Diablo Canyon began operation in the mid-1980s and are built to withstand 7.5-magnitude earthquakes on the Richter scale. The reactors are located 85 feet above the coast. A recent analysis downgraded the most likely earthquake in the area to about half that. 

The two reactors at San Onofre began operations in 1968 and are built to withstand a magnitude 7.0 earthquake. Seismic analysis indicates that the largest likely earthquake near that facility would register a 6.5 magnitude. The San Onofre reactors are enclosed by a 30-foot high tsunami wall. It should be noted that nearby Newport Beach experienced a 12-meter tsunami surge (39 feet) in 1934. The Sendai surge may have been about 33 feet in height.

Nuclear Disaster in Japan - Reason Magazine

U.S.-trained forces arrested in brutal jihad murder of Jewish family in Israel - Jihad Watch

JERUSALEM – Two members of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' official security forces were arrested in conjunction with this past weekend's bloody massacre in which five family members were brutally stabbed to death inside their home in the Jewish village of Itamar, WND has learned.

U.S.-trained forces arrested in brutal jihad murder of Jewish family in Israel - Jihad Watch

Israel Seizes Syrian Ship Bringing Iranian Weapons To Gaza — Will Nukes Be Next? | NewsReal Blog

 

Early Tuesday morning (Israel Time), IDF fighters boarded the cargo ship Victoria at sea, then 200 miles out from Israel. The Victoria is a German-owned vessel, operated by a French company, and flying the Liberian flag. The commando unit executing this raid was Shayetet 13. This is the commando unit that was involved in the Mavi Marmara raid last year. That was the terrorist-carrying ship which created an international incident when it tried to run the Israeli blockade of Gaza. (AKA the Guerilla Floatilla).

Israel Seizes Syrian Ship Bringing Iranian Weapons To Gaza — Will Nukes Be Next? | NewsReal Blog

An Austrian MP Tells the Turkish Ambassador to Take a Hike | NewsReal Blog

 

Mr. Federal Minister, I want to make a request—and knowing that this debate will be followed closely at the Turkish Embassy, I will give it in the exact wording:

The federal minister for European and International Affairs is requested to declare the Turkish ambassador Kadri Ecvet Tezcan, ‘persona non grata’ and demand his immediate dismissal.  Gentlemen of the Turkish embassy, I am not gonna be as polite as my colleague van der Bellen, falling on my knees speaking of your “excellency.”  No, ‘gentlemen’ of the Turkish embassy—there are no ladies there… ‘Gentlemen’ of the Turkish embassy, members of Parliament, let me begin with a murder case.

An Austrian MP Tells the Turkish Ambassador to Take a Hike | NewsReal Blog

Fukushima Nuclear Accident – a simple and accurate explanation � BraveNewClimate

Fukushima Nuclear Accident – a simple and accurate explanation � BraveNewClimate: "I am writing this text (Mar 12) to give you some peace of mind regarding some of the troubles in Japan, that is the safety of Japan’s nuclear reactors. Up front, the situation is serious, but under control. And this text is long! But you will know more about nuclear power plants after reading it than all journalists on this planet put together."

I have been reading every news release on the incident since the earthquake. There has not been one single (!) report that was accurate and free of errors (and part of that problem is also a weakness in the Japanese crisis communication). By “not free of errors” I do not refer to tendentious anti-nuclear journalism – that is quite normal these days. By “not free of errors” I mean blatant errors regarding physics and natural law, as well as gross misinterpretation of facts, due to an obvious lack of fundamental and basic understanding of the way nuclear reactors are build and operated. I have read a 3 page report on CNN where every single paragraph contained an error.

Earth's day length shortened by Japan earthquake - CBS News

Earth's day length shortened by Japan earthquake - CBS News: "(Space.com)

The massive earthquake that struck northeast Japan Friday (March 11) has shortened the length Earth's day by a fraction and shifted how the planet's mass is distributed.

A new analysis of the 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Japan has found that the intense temblor has accelerated Earth's spin, shortening the length of the 24-hour day by 1.8 microseconds, according to geophysicist Richard Gross at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif."

Quake moved Japan coast 8 feet; shifted Earth's axis - CNN.com

Quake moved Japan coast 8 feet; shifted Earth's axis - CNN.com

The powerful earthquake that unleashed a devastating tsunami Friday appears to have moved the main island of Japan by 8 feet (2.4 meters) and shifted the Earth on its axis.

"At this point, we know that one GPS station moved (8 feet), and we have seen a map from GSI (Geospatial Information Authority) in Japan showing the pattern of shift over a large area is consistent with about that much shift of the land mass," said Kenneth Hudnut, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Reports from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Italy estimated the 8.9-magnitude quake shifted the planet on its axis by nearly 4 inches (10 centimeters).

Israel’s Defense Minister Must Go. Now. � Commentary Magazine

Israel’s Defense Minister Must Go. Now. � Commentary Magazine: "Yesterday Alana wrote that Israel’s government urgently needs to improve its public relations. That’s just become a lot more urgent, and the first step is obvious: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should fire his defense minister immediately.

In an interview in today’s Wall Street Journal, Ehud Barak announced that Israel might ask Washington for another $20 billion in aid due to the unrest now sweeping the region. As an Israeli, I’m cringing in shame."

Nyiragongo Crater: Journey to the Center of the World - The Big Picture - Boston.com

Nyiragongo Crater: Journey to the Center of the World - The Big Picture - Boston.com In June 2010, a team of scientists and intrepid explorers stepped onto the shore of the lava lake boiling in the depths of Nyiragongo Crater, in the heart of the Great Lakes region of Africa. The team had dreamed of this: walking on the shores of the world's largest lava lake. Members of the team had been dazzled since childhood by the images of the 1960 documentary "The Devil's Blast" by Haroun Tazieff, who was the first to reveal to the public the glowing red breakers crashing at the bottom of Nyiragongo crater. Photographer Olivier Grunewald was within a meter of the lake itself, giving us a unique glimpse of it's molten matter.

Air Force's X-37B Space Plane Launching on Secret Mission | Space Weapons & Military Space | X-37B Space Plane, Robotic Spaceships & Space Technology | Space.com

Air Force's X-37B Space Plane Launching on Secret Mission | Space Weapons & Military Space | X-37B Space Plane, Robotic Spaceships & Space Technology | Space.com: "The U.S. Air Force's secretive X-37B space plane is poised to launch on its second mission Friday (March 4), though what exactly it will be doing once it leaves the ground remains a mystery.

The robotic X-37B mini-shuttle is slated to lift off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Friday atop an Atlas 5 rocket, weather permitting. Its launch window opens at 3:39 p.m. EST (2039 GMT), according to the launch provider United Launch Alliance, which is overseeing the flight."

Portraits of the Peace Process in Its 92nd Year � Commentary Magazine

Portraits of the Peace Process in Its 92nd Year � Commentary Magazine: "We are now in the 92nd year of a peace process in which the Palestinians are the first people in history to be offered a state seven times, reject it seven times, and set preconditions for discussing an eighth offer."

Israeli Trophy Technology May Prove of Great Value to U.S. � Commentary Magazine

Israeli Trophy Technology May Prove of Great Value to U.S. � Commentary Magazine: "It’s not getting a lot of notice in the U.S., but it’s big news in Israel: an Israeli Merkava tank patrolling near the Gaza Strip yesterday was targeted by a Palestinian rocket — but the rocket was deflected by the tank’s active-protection system, known as Trophy. The Trophy system, manufactured by Israel’s Rafael Defense Systems, uses radar to detect a missile launch and automatically fires small projectiles to stop the incoming rocket."

There Are Shocking Images Coming Out of Greece | The Blaze

There Are Shocking Images Coming Out of Greece | The Blaze

Protesters have once again taken to the streets in Greece today. And once again, the marches have turned violent as rioters are hurling firebombs at police. And the Associated Press reports many of them are wielding communist flags.

During one firebomb attack, rioters hit a police officer directly, engulfing him in flames:

Two million Egyptians in Tahrir Square chant "To Jerusalem we are heading, martyrs in the millions" - Jihad Watch

Two million Egyptians in Tahrir Square chant "To Jerusalem we are heading, martyrs in the millions" - Jihad Watch: "Two million Egyptians in Tahrir Square chant 'To Jerusalem we are heading, martyrs in the millions'"

Sadat’s ‘Cold Peace’ Legacy Is at Increasing Risk � Commentary Magazine

Sadat’s ‘Cold Peace’ Legacy Is at Increasing Risk � Commentary Magazine: "All the secular forces in Cairo are asking for a review of or a break from the relations with both Israel and the United States. The protagonist of the revolts, Mohamed ElBaradei, has said that Israel is the biggest threat in the Middle East. “Israel has signed a peace treaty with Mubarak, not with Egypt,” said the Nobel Peace Prize winner. Leftist Karama Party leader Hamdeen Sabahi proclaims the end of the “American-Israeli domination over Egypt.” And the generals in power have just asked a former judge of the State Council, the so-called “moderate islamist” Tariq al-Bishri, to chair the committee that will reform the Egyptian constitution. Praising the founder of Hamas, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Mr. Bishri said that, against Israel, “all forms of resistance must be deployed, including violent resistance.”"

In sharp reversal, U.S. agrees to rebuke Israel in Security Council - By Colum Lynch | Turtle Bay

In sharp reversal, U.S. agrees to rebuke Israel in Security Council - By Colum Lynch | Turtle Bay: "The U.S. informed Arab governments Tuesday that it will support a U.N. Security Council statement reaffirming that the 15-nation body 'does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity,' a move aimed at avoiding the prospect of having to veto a stronger Palestinian resolution calling the settlements illegal."

The Ugly Side of Egyptian Political Culture � Commentary Magazine

The Ugly Side of Egyptian Political Culture � Commentary Magazine: "How would a secular, liberal political party seek to gain the affection of ordinary Egyptians in an election in which it would be forced to compete against Islamists? The obvious answer is that it would have to in some way pander to the animus against Israel and Jews that has become such an important part of Egyptian culture in the past 30 years. It is in this context that we must interpret the news that Ayman Nour, head of the avowedly liberal and secular Egyptian opposition party, has said that the 1978 Camp David Accords that paved the way for peace between Israel and Egypt are irrelevant and must be redrawn."

Key military, intelligence assets imperiled in Egypt - Washington Times

Key military, intelligence assets imperiled in Egypt - Washington Times: "U.S. military and intelligence agencies would lose vital air, land and sea assets if Egypt falls into the hands of radical Islamists, as Iran did in 1979, foreign policy analysts say.

The U.S. armed forces are entwined with Egypt's military more than with any other Arab country’s. But if Islamists seize Cairo, as the mullahs captured Tehran, this complex relationship unravels.

“Let me count the ways,” said Ken Allard, a retired Army colonel and military analyst. “They are our biggest strategic partner in the Middle East. At that point, you’ve lost your biggest Arab partner. Geostrategically, the mind boggles.”"

Palestinians shell western Negev with Grads, mortar attacks

Palestinians shell western Negev with Grads, mortar attacks: "Barrage of fire from Gaza hits southern Israel; rocket lands near building where wedding is taking place in Netivot; 4 treated for shock, vehicle damaged; Color Red rocket alert system fails to go off."

The relative calm in the South was shattered on Monday night when Palestinians in Gaza fired a barrage of powerful Grad rockets and mortar shells at the western Negev.

One Grad-type rocket fired from Gaza smashed into the town of Ofakim and a second rocket slammed into Netivot, not far from a building where a wedding celebration was taking place.

Red Color - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Red Color - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "The Red Color (Hebrew: צבע אדום‎, transl.: Tzeva Adom) is an early warning radar system installed by the Israel Defence Forces in several towns surrounding the Gaza Strip to warn civilians of imminent attack by rockets (usually Qassam rockets).[1]

The system currently operates in a number of southern Israeli cities within range of missiles fired from the Gaza Strip, including Ashkelon and Sderot. When the signature of a rocket launch is detected originating in Gaza, the system automatically activates the public broadcast warning system in nearby Israeli communities and military bases. A two-tone electronic audio alert (with a pattern of high, 2 second pause, high-low) is broadcast twice, followed by a recorded female voice [2] intoning the Hebrew words for Red Color ('Tzeva Adom').[3] The entire program is repeated until all rockets have impacted and no further launches are detected. In Sderot, it gives residents approximately 15 seconds' warning of an incoming missile.[3]"

Trustworthiness:

Vendor reliability:

Privacy:

Child safety:

Commentary � Blog Archive � The Slap Heard Round the World

Commentary � Blog Archive � The Slap Heard Round the World: "It is amazing that the political revolution now sweeping across the Middle East and North Africa was started by a 26-year-old unemployed Tunisian man who self-immolated.

On December 17, 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi, a university graduate whose fruits-and-vegetables market stand was confiscated by police because it had no permit, tried to yank back his apples. He was slapped in the face by a female municipal inspector and eventually beaten by her colleagues. His later appeals were ignored. Humiliated, he drenched himself in paint thinner and set himself on fire. He died on January 4."

Commentary � Blog Archive � Rep. Allan West Talking Sense on PLO Flag

Commentary � Blog Archive � Rep. Allan West Talking Sense on PLO Flag: "In a press release this morning, Rep. Allan West asked why the PLO is allowed to fly its flag above its Washington office but Taiwan is not.

“By allowing this flag to be flown, the United States is extending a diplomatic right that we refrain from offering to even our own allies, like Taiwan,” said West. “This action is a diplomatic slap in the face of our greatest of allies, Israel.”"

Commentary � Blog Archive � How the Guardian Helped Kill the Peace Process

Commentary � Blog Archive � How the Guardian Helped Kill the Peace Process: "The sanctimony of its articles since last weekend shows a contempt for the kinds of concessions that everyone knows are the necessary preconditions for a deal. Milne is flummoxed by the fact that the Palestinians would renounce the refugees’ claim to a right of return; his colleagues are fuming because Israeli settlements would be allowed to survive under Israeli sovereignty; the lead editorial on Sunday decried Hamas’s exclusion from negotiations; and they lament “the huge imbalance of power” between Israel and the Palestinians — something they wish would change in favor of the Palestinians so that it would be Israel, not the PA, that would have to concede."

The peace process may have been moribund, but surely, after this weekend’s leak, it is dead. The Guardian has just given it the coup de grace and is now busy taking credit for it.

Largest-Ever Rocket, With Secret Payload, Launched On West Coast « CBS Los Angeles-Video

 

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE (CBSLosAngeles/AP) — The largest rocket ever launched from the West Coast blasted off Thursday with a classified defense satellite on board.

The 235-foot-tall, 53-foot wide — about 1 and 1/2 times the size of the Statue of Liberty — Delta IV Heavy Launch Vehicle lifted off at 1:10 p.m. carrying a payload for the National Reconnaissance Office.

The booster rose into the sky over California’s central coast and arced over the Pacific Ocean, a spectacle visible over a wide area.

Largest-Ever Rocket, With Secret Payload, Launched On West Coast « CBS Los Angeles

Commentary » Blog Archive » The Fall of Beirut

 

Lebanon’s Druze leader Walid Jumblatt now says he “supports” Hezbollah and the ghastly regime in Syria that murdered his father and his friend Rafik Hariri. Hezbollah’s fan boys should not kid themselves here. Jumblatt is under duress and is only saying what he must to ensure his own survival and that of his people.

Saad Hariri remains defiant, but Michael Young — the best analyst of Lebanon’s internal politics — thinks he probably won’t return as prime minister. If that’s the case, Lebanon’s Cedar Revolution is well and truly cooked. Beirut is being cleverly reconquered by Damascus and Tehran, and is rejoining, against its will, the Iran-led Resistance Bloc.

Commentary » Blog Archive » The Fall of Beirut

Wikileaks: Iranian Rockets Can Reach Israel in 12 Minutes | The Gateway Pundit

Wikileaks: Iranian Rockets Can Reach Israel in 12 Minutes | The Gateway Pundit: "Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi told a U.S. Congressional delegation in November 2009 that the Islamic Republic has over 300 missiles that can reach the Jewish state in up to 12 minutes, according to the cables released on Sunday."

New law creates IRS paperwork for rental owners | Washington Examiner

New law creates IRS paperwork for rental owners | Washington Examiner: "According to the bill's proposed new rules on rental property, owners who pay $600 or more for a service such as plumbing, landscaping or painting, would be required to issue 1099 forms to the IRS and whoever provided the work.

'Under the provision, recipients of rental income from real estate generally are subject to the same information reporting requirements as taxpayers engaged in a trade or business,' the JCT reported.

The new rental reporting requirements would go into effect on Dec. 31 this year and would likely affect millions of property owners, say taxpayer advocates.

'You've got to be kidding me,' said Tom Schatz, president of the watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste, when told about the provision. 'Honestly, it's an outrageous burden for rental owners.'"

The higher penalties called for in the bill, which would apply not just to rental income transactions but any person who files a 1099 form, would take effect on Jan. 1, 2011.

Fines would double for each 1099 form someone fails to send to the IRS, increasing to $60 for individuals and $250 for small businesses.

The maximum fine the IRS could impose overall on small businesses for not sending in the information would double or triple, increasing to as much as $250,000.

Bolivians Protest Marxist Leader Morales – Torch Che Guevara Statue & Venezuelan Flag | The Gateway Pundit

Bolivians Protest Marxist Leader Morales – Torch Che Guevara Statue & Venezuelan Flag | The Gateway Pundit: "Some demanded the resignation of Morales, a close ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. It has been the most unpopular measure of Morales’ five-year presidency."