National Geographic denies politics influenced release of pro-Obama film before election | The Daily Caller

National Geographic denies politics influenced release of pro-Obama film before election | The Daily Caller: National Geographic Channel President Howard Owens denied Thursday that the network’s decision to air a pro-Obama video just two days before the November election was motivated in any way by political considerations.

“Harvey obviously doesn’t schedule our network,” Owens said, referring to The Weinstein Co. Co-chairman Harvey Weinstein, whose company is producing “Seal Team Six: The Raid on Osama bin Laden,” a thriller based on President Barack Obama’s decision to kill al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. “[We're] not political. We are opportunistic, from a programming perspective.”

Congress to probe security flaws for Libya diplomats | KTVQ.com | Q2 | Billings, Montana

Congress to probe security flaws for Libya diplomats | KTVQ.com | Q2 | Billings, Montana: Lt. Col. Wood has told CBS News and congressional investigators that his 16-member team and a six-member State Department elite force called a Mobile Security Deployment team left Libya in August, just one month before the Benghazi assault. Wood says that's despite the fact that US officials in Libya wanted security increased, not decreased.

Study: Omega-3 Supplements May Actually Affect Aging - Lindsay Abrams - The Atlantic

Study: Omega-3 Supplements May Actually Affect Aging - Lindsay Abrams - The Atlantic: CONCLUSION: Getting enough omega-3 fatty acid to change the balance of oils in your system may help preserve the length of your telomeres, with the potential to reduce the risk of age-related diseases.

Soldiers ordered not to shoot Taliban mine planters.... 'because it WAKES UP the locals' | Mail Online

Soldiers ordered not to shoot Taliban mine planters.... 'because it WAKES UP the locals' | Mail Online: Soldiers were ordered not to open fire on Taliban fighters planting mines in case they disturb local people, it has been claimed.

U.S. military chiefs ordered troops to exercise 'courageous constraint' and even warned them they could be charged with murder if they shot any Taliban without permission from above.

The claims were made by a former Royal Marine who spoke out following the inquest into the death of Sergeant Peter Rayner last week.

BH Interview: Dennis Prager Wants Carolla's 'Luck' to Rub Off on University Students

BH Interview: Dennis Prager Wants Carolla's 'Luck' to Rub Off on University Students: Carolla has been listening to Prager’s radio show for years, but the conservative talker wasn’t up on Carolla’s shtick until recently. When someone suggested Carolla appear on Prager’s radio show, the veteran talk show host admits he wasn’t sure what to expect.

“I was smitten immediately with both his remarkable wit and the speed of his mind and his values,” Prager says. The two quickly slipped into a performance groove, something to which those who see their joint act can attest. Their live act isn't what some may expect, brushing past their individual personas to reveal new, unexpected shadings.

The Dementia Plague - Technology Review

The Dementia Plague - Technology Review: The latest global demographic analysis, from a World Health Organization report issued earlier this year, paints the dimensions of that slow-motion catastrophe in quick strokes. An estimated 36 million people worldwide currently suffer from dementia; experts predict the number will double, to approximately 70 million, by 2030 and triple by 2050. (China, India, and Latin America in particular face daunting medico-economic crises.) Since the prevalence of the disease doubles with every five-year age increment after 65, projections for 2050 put the total global population at risk for dementia (people 65 or older) at two billion.

France's Hollande vows more security to allay Jewish fears | Reuters

France's Hollande vows more security to allay Jewish fears | Reuters: French President Francois Hollande pledged on Sunday to increase security around synagogues and introduce tougher anti-terrorism measures, a day after a series of police raids dismantled a radical Islamist network that targeted Jews.

Barak, Netanyahu 'agree on all Iran-related issues' - Israel News, Ynetnews

Barak, Netanyahu 'agree on all Iran-related issues' - Israel News, Ynetnews: After accusing defense minister of stoking feud with Obama, Netanyahu summons Barak to reprimand him over 'uncoordinated meeting' with Rahm Emanuel. After meeting, Barak says 'we see eye-to-eye on every aspect of Iranian threat and US ties'

Israel checking: Was drone headed to Dimona? - Israel News, Ynetnews

Israel checking: Was drone headed to Dimona? - Israel News, Ynetnews: The IDF is working to improve its aerial detection and interception capabilities in light of the changes in the Middle East and due to the fact that Israel's enemies have upgraded their military capabilities. The army is placing an emphasis on detecting drones, fearing that they may be used as a missile to target Israeli strategic sites.


"In the next war Syrian and Iranian drones will also be sent on 'suicide' missions," a senior Air Force official recently told Ynet.

IDF shoots down drone that penetrated deep into Israel | The Times of Israel

IDF shoots down drone that penetrated deep into Israel | The Times of Israel: The IDF shot down a foreign drone that had penetrated deep into Israeli airspace on Saturday afternoon, flying for half an hour before it was intercepted.

After an initial investigation, military officials said the unmanned aerial vehicle, which was taken down north of Beersheba, did not come from the Gaza Strip, leading the army to consider the possibility that it originated in Lebanon. Hezbollah has flown drones into Israeli airspace a few times in the past, though not for several years.

IDF Spokesperson Yoav Mordechai said that the Israeli Air Force was able to identify the unmanned aerial vehicle while it was flying over the Mediterranean, and that the IAF stayed close to the drone throughout its flight over Israel until the decision was made to shoot it down in the northern Negev desert.

Drink don't drive

Red Bull's Stratos Mission To Attempt World Record Skydive | Popular Science

Red Bull's Stratos Mission To Attempt World Record Skydive | Popular Science: But a few things are certain. For a short time inside his pressurized spacesuit, Baumgartner will be the fastest man alive. Thirty seconds after leaping from a small capsule, in fact, he'll exceed the speed of sound in the thin upper atmosphere by traveling 690 mph. And if he safely parachutes to the ground between 12 and 15 minutes later, he'll walk away with at least four new world records: the highest skydive, the longest free fall, the first to reach supersonic speeds in free fall, and the highest manned balloon ride.

Bypassing Israel, French capital endorses unprecedented agreement with 'East Jerusalem' | The Times of Israel

Bypassing Israel, French capital endorses unprecedented agreement with 'East Jerusalem' | The Times of Israel: France’s most populous administrative zone, encompassing the capital Paris, has signed a cooperation agreement with the Palestinian district of Jerusalem, a move organizers say is designed to send a “political message” of solidarity with the Palestinians and their aspirations for a future capital in the city.

The French region described the agreement as the “first of its kind.”

The decision is a blow to Israel’s claim that the eastern sector is part of its united capital. A spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry said east Jerusalem “does not exist” as a separate entity and that the French council was “living in a make-believe world.”

Min. Edelstein: Netanyahu, Fire Barak - Inside Israel - News - Israel National News

Min. Edelstein: Netanyahu, Fire Barak - Inside Israel - News - Israel National News: Minister of Public Information and Diaspora, Yuli Edelstein (Likud), called on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Thursday to fire Defense Minister Ehud Barak (Independence).

Following Ehud Barak's latest meetings in the United States, Edelstein told IDF Radio: "As early as three years ago, I warned that the Defense Minister's frequent trips to the U.S. usually ended badly for the state of Israel.

Exclusive: Former CIA Official: Obama 'October Surprise' Airstrike in Libya 'Would Be Criminal'

Exclusive: Former CIA Official: Obama 'October Surprise' Airstrike in Libya 'Would Be Criminal': Two days ago, the New York Times reported that the administration was preparing an operation inside Libya, including the possibility of drone strikes. Breitbart News reported yesterday that a senior Department of Defense official said that the administration was advance planning for a “substantial air package” that could include manned flights.

Union's Anti-Romney Ad Chock Full of Garbage

Union's Anti-Romney Ad Chock Full of Garbage: In an attempt to paint Mitt Romney as an uncaring extremist, many accusations have been hurled against him, but a new video put out by the AFSCME has taken this rhetorical technique to new extreme. The union literally accuses the Republican presidential candidate of not caring about garbageman in La Jolla, California because he has not given them Gatorade or hugged them.

Fetishizing Holocaust Tattoos � Commentary Magazine

Fetishizing Holocaust Tattoos � Commentary Magazine: For some grandchildren of survivors and others who care about the subject, that has led to a bizarre fad in which they have taken to having the numbers that the Nazis branded on the survivors tattooed on their own arms. As a New York Times feature published on Monday shows, this phenomenon has grown from isolated instances to what must considered a trend with large numbers of youths in Israel. While the motives behind this seem pure, one cannot help but wonder at anyone embracing a practice whose purpose was to dehumanize captive Jews. While survivors who lived long enough eventually saw that most considered those numbers to be a badge of honor rather than a mark of shame, the act of fetishizing this evidence of the Nazis’ crimes seems like something that says more about the current generation than it does about the experience of the survivors.

Egyptian-Iranian intelligence meeting prompts fears of a new Middle East terror axis | Washington Free Beacon

Egyptian-Iranian intelligence meeting prompts fears of a new Middle East terror axis | Washington Free Beacon: U.S. intelligence agencies recently monitored a secret meeting between Egypt’s intelligence chief and a senior Iranian spy that is raising new fears the Muslim Brotherhood government in Cairo could begin covertly supporting global terrorism.

China unveils new stealth jet photos during Panetta visit | Washington Free Beacon

China unveils new stealth jet photos during Panetta visit | Washington Free Beacon: China’s military for the second time in two years upstaged a visiting U.S. defense secretary by disclosing the first photographs of its second stealth jet under development.

Obama slandered America as racist using dishonest claims about the response to Hurricane Katrina | Power Line

Obama slandered America as racist using dishonest claims about the response to Hurricane Katrina | Power Line  
The Daily Caller has obtained and posted video of a 2007 speech by Barack Obama in Hampton, Virginia. Speaking to an audience of black ministers, and using a black dialect only marginally more authentic than Joe Biden’s, Obama claims that the U.S. government shortchanged Hurricane Katrina victims because of racism. As the Daily Caller says, “the effect is closer to an Al Sharpton rally than a conventional campaign event.”

France Kosher Store Bomb Explosion Injures 4

France Kosher Store Bomb Explosion Injures 4: PARIS — A small package bomb exploded inside a kosher grocery store in a Paris suburb Wednesday, wounding at least one person, according to an agency that tracks anti-Semitic attacks in France.

Ikea deleted women from Saudi version of catalogue - Yahoo! News

Ikea deleted women from Saudi version of catalogue - Yahoo! News: Ikea is being criticized for deleting images of women from the Saudi version of its furniture catalogue, a move the company says it regrets.

Comparing the Swedish and Saudi versions of the catalogue, free newspaper Metro on Monday showed that women had been airbrushed out of otherwise identical pictures showcasing the company's home furnishings.

Obama’s People Walk Out on Netanyahu, Stay for Ahmadinejad (VIDEO) | FrontPage Magazine

Obama’s People Walk Out on Netanyahu, Stay for Ahmadinejad (VIDEO) | FrontPage Magazine: Susan Rice, Obama’s UN Ambassador, skipped out on Netanyahu’s speech due to that whole awkward, “Iran Nukes” thing, which her boss doesn’t care to hear about either, but the UN delegation earlier had stayed for Ahmadinejad’s rantings.

World Leaders Speak at UN General Assembly | C-SPAN

World Leaders Speak at UN General Assembly | C-SPAN: Israeli P.M. Benjamin Netanyahu Address UN General Assembly (right-click to copy direct link)

Morsi Advisor: We’re Planning to Amend Camp David � Commentary Magazine

Morsi Advisor: We’re Planning to Amend Camp David � Commentary Magazine: The Egyptian government is looking to scrap parts of its peace treaty with Israel, according to an advisor to President Morsi, claiming a “strategic and security need.” As Jonathan noted yesterday, Morsi has let the Sinai disintegrate into lawlessness, paving the way for incidents like last week’s terrorist attack on Israel. Now Morsi advisors appear to be using the lack of security in the Sinai as a justification for amending the treaty:

Obama Refers to Israel Concern Over Iran as 'Noise' | The Weekly Standard

Obama Refers to Israel Concern Over Iran as 'Noise' | The Weekly Standard: In an interview to air tonight on CBS's 60 Minutes, President Barack Obama will refer to Israel's concern over Iran's march toward a nuclear program as "noise."

"When it comes to our national security decisions -- any pressure that I feel is simply to do what's right for the American people. And I am going to block out -- any noise that's out there," Obama says, according to AFP.

Israel stages largest snap exercise in years - Telegraph

Israel stages largest snap exercise in years - Telegraph: The Israeli army staged its largest snap exercise in recent years, deploying troops in the occupied Golan Heights as contingency planning for possible conflicts with Iran and Syria.

Iran on brink of nuclear bomb in six-seven months: Netanyahu | Reuters

Iran on brink of nuclear bomb in six-seven months: Netanyahu | Reuters: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Sunday that Iran was just six to seven months away from the brink of being able to build a nuclear bomb, adding urgency to his demand that President Barack Obama set a "red line" for Tehran in what could deepen the worst U.S.-Israeli rift in decades.

Armada of British naval power massing in the Gulf as Israel prepares an Iran strike - Telegraph

Armada of British naval power massing in the Gulf as Israel prepares an Iran strike - Telegraph: An armada of US and British naval power is massing in the Persian Gulf in the belief that Israel is considering a pre-emptive strike against Iran’s covert nuclear weapons program.

Presidential Polls, Israel, and Iran's Nuclear Ambition

Presidential Polls, Israel, and Iran's Nuclear Ambition: An article in the Israeli National News in early August suggested that the Israeli political and military leadership, in order to put Tehran’s experiments with atomic playthings out of business, is prepared to unleash a nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) against Iran sometime this fall by exploding a nuclear device high above the Iranian desert. Such a strike would send intense electromagnetic radiation over as much as 1,000 square miles, frying Iran’s electrical grid and bring its oil business, transportation, defense capabilities and most everything else that operates electronically to a grinding halt.

Obama's Jewish Problem

Obama's Jewish Problem: When Mitt Romney said in his speech at the Republican National Convention that, “Obama has thrown Israel under the bus,” Mitt obviously knew more than the rest of us. Within days of that speech, the picture of Obama's betrayal of Israel became clear. The story is shocking, as much for the betrayal of one of our strongest allies as for the timing

Democratic Party’s New Pro-Hamas Platform | FrontPage Magazine

Democratic Party’s New Pro-Hamas Platform | FrontPage Magazine: How bad would a second Obama term be for Israel? Really, really bad.

The campaign is generally not the time that crucial voting groups get thrown under the bus, but the Democratic Party’s new platform gives us a peek at what the next four years will be like if Israel’s best friend in the White House since Jimmy Carter gets another four years.

Palestinian Stimulus: Terrorists Get a Raise � Commentary Magazine

Palestinian Stimulus: Terrorists Get a Raise � Commentary Magazine: As of May 2011, the [Palestinian Authority] spent NIS 18 million ($4.5 million) per month on compensating Palestinian inmates in Israeli prisons and a further NIS 26 million ($6.5 million) on payments to families of suicide bombers. In all, such payments cost the PA some 6 percent of its overall budget, Israel’s Channel 2 news reported on Monday night, citing documentation signed by Fayyad.

A prisoner sentenced up to three years in prison now receives a base salary of NIS 1,400 per month, and for 3-5 years that rate increases to NIS 2,000, the report said. A NIS 300 bonus is added for a wife, and NIS 50 per child.

Israel: Coping with Its Gas Bonanza | Via Meadia

Israel: Coping with Its Gas Bonanza | Via Meadia
Experts are convinced that Tamar and Leviathan will not be the last big Israeli discoveries. They point to the US Geological Survey, which estimates that the subsea area that runs from Egypt all the way north to Turkey, also known as the Levantine Basin, contains more than 120 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Israeli waters account for some 40 per cent of the total. Should these estimates be confirmed through discoveries in the years ahead, Israel’s natural gas reserves would count among the 25 largest in the world, on a par with the proven reserves of Libya and ahead of those of India and The Netherlands. For decades a barren energy island, forced to import every drop of fuel, Israel today stands on the cusp of an economic revolution, fuelled by the vast riches that lie below its waters.

Report: Israeli PM Shouts at Obama's Ambassador - 'Time Has Run Out!'

Report: Israeli PM Shouts at Obama's Ambassador - 'Time Has Run Out!': Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly shouted "Time has run out!" at U.S. Ambassador Dan Shapiro, as the two met in Israel earlier this week and discussed the Obama administration's position on Iran.

The Israeli George Zimmerman and the Muslim Trayvon Martin | FrontPage Magazine

The Israeli George Zimmerman and the Muslim Trayvon Martin | FrontPage Magazine
Israel has its own No-Go Zones and in those territories, having an available firearm can mean the difference between life and death… as you are about to see in this video.

Netanyahu 'determined to attack Iran' before US elections, claims Israel's Channel 10 | The Times of Israel

Netanyahu 'determined to attack Iran' before US elections, claims Israel's Channel 10 | The Times of Israel: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is determined to attack Iran before the US elections,” Israel’s Channel 10 News claimed on Monday night, and Israel is now “closer than ever” to a strike designed to thwart Iran’s nuclear drive.

Is Bibi Bluffing on Iran Strike? � Commentary Magazine

Is Bibi Bluffing on Iran Strike? � Commentary Magazine: In Israel this week, people are lining up for gas masks, a new Homeland Defense has been set to work to deal with the task of readying the country for the possibility of attacks from Iran, Lebanon and Gaza, and pundits are working overtime trying to figure out whether the nation’s political leadership is serious about launching a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities sometime this fall.

'Netanyahu, Barak mulling fall strike on Iran' - Israel News, Ynetnews

'Netanyahu, Barak mulling fall strike on Iran' - Israel News, Ynetnews: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak advocate an attack of Iran's nuclear facilities in the upcoming fall, Yedioth Ahronoth's senior commentators Nahum Barnea and Shimon Shiffer reported Friday.

Screw U: The Next Bubble May Be Higher Education | San Diego Reader

Screw U: The Next Bubble May Be Higher Education | San Diego Reader: In economics, a bubble is something that trades at prices far beyond its intrinsic value. Fasten your seat belt: the next bubble may be higher education.

Israel on Alert as Syria Moves Chemical Weapons to Border Positions

Israel on Alert as Syria Moves Chemical Weapons to Border Positions: In no uncertain terms Israel made things clear: "The moment we see that the Syrians transfer chemical and biological weapons to Hezbollah, this is a red line for us and from our point of view it's a clear cause for war."

Growing U.S. Military Presence in the Gulf Leaves Obama with Fewer Options | Via Meadia

Growing U.S. Military Presence in the Gulf Leaves Obama with Fewer Options | Via Meadia: The sabre rattling in the Persian Gulf continues with the deployment of the USS Ponce. Up until recently, the vessel was simply an aging transport ship destined for the scrap heap, but it appears that the Navy has retrofitted the ship, turning it into a command and control station for a variety of missions designed to put pressure on the Iranian regime. The New York Times reports:

A Comprehensive Supply List for Economic Collapse

A Comprehensive Supply List for Economic Collapse: The article M.D. posted in last week’s Friday Miscellany on living conditions in Greece really hit home with me. I did a bit more research. There are food shortages. There are shortages of life-saving medications. There are concerns about the power grid. And if the electric grid goes down, clean water may not flow from the tap. In an economic collapse, debit cards may not work; cash will be king. Once awareness of the situation sets in, rioting, looting and violent crime will be the new norm.

If Europe collapses, the United States is sure to follow. This makes me nervous. And when I get nervous, I make lists. This is my best shot at formulating a comprehensive supply list for prepping. Sure, there are other lists on the Internet that claim to be comprehensive. And I have learned much from the lists that I have read. But I wanted to come up with my own list and present it to the Pack. And now for the 50 million dollar question: what have I missed?

Is Israel the Last Jewish Ghetto? | FrontPage Magazine

Is Israel the Last Jewish Ghetto? | FrontPage Magazine: By the end of 2012, all of Israel’s borders, over a thousand kilometers, will be protected by walls, fences and barriers.

Aim High: 10 of the World's Most Impressive Paper Planes | Wired Design | Wired.com

Aim High: 10 of the World's Most Impressive Paper Planes | Wired Design | Wired.com: Back in elementary school, paper planes were the class clown’s preferred weapon and the bane of teachers everywhere. A few of those fold-and-fly amateurs have taken their school-time shenanigans to the pro level, becoming aeronautical engineers and origami artists who create record-setting gliders. From the biggest to the trickiest to the most intricately designed, here are 10 of the most impressive paper planes on the planet.

Russia, China & Israel against Islamism? :: Daniel Pipes

Russia, China & Israel against Islamism? :: Daniel Pipes: Israel and China today signed historic cooperation agreements to build the Eilat railway and future projects, including the inland canal port north of Eilat. … The main project on the agenda is construction of a cargo rail line that will link Israel's Mediterranean ports in Ashdod and Haifa with the Eilat Port. There are also plans to extend the line to Jordan's Aqaba Port. … [Israeli sources indicate that the Chinese] consider the project to be important, as it fits in with China's global strategy to strengthen critical trade routes. … Tonight, the Israeli delegation will be guests at a special dinner given by the Chinese government. The food will be kosher lemehadrin.

Bolivia in turmoil with police on sixth day of strike and indigenous people preparing to march on the capital | Mail Online

Bolivia in turmoil with police on sixth day of strike and indigenous people preparing to march on the capital | Mail Online: Bolivia is in turmoil with hundreds of police now on the sixth day of a strike and 1,000 indigenous protesters preparing to march on the capital.

The government is struggling to reach a deal with the police and has portrayed the action as a budding 'coup d'etat'.

Uniformed officers today continued to demonstrate in front of the gates of the heavily-guarded palace, while public workers showed their support for president Evo Morales at a rally in a square on the outskirts of La Paz.

Mirror, mirror... everywhere! How the world's biggest salt flat turns into giant reflective surface | Mail Online

Mirror, mirror... everywhere! How the world's biggest salt flat turns into giant reflective surface | Mail Online: A spot of reflection is always good for the soul. And judging by these pictures, there's plenty of room for that.

For this is the world's largest natural mirror, created when a thin film of water gathers on a vast plain of salt deposits.

So magnificent is the dream-like sight that the salt pans in the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia have been dubbed 'heaven on earth'.

Photographer Takaki Watanabe captured a series of pictures of spellbound travellers as they took in natural wonder and played around with their reflections.

Soak Fish in Milk for Odor-Free Cooking

Soak Fish in Milk for Odor-Free Cooking: When you're buying fish, it's important to make sure your fish smells like the sea, and not, well, like fish. That's one indicator of freshness. However, after the fish has come home, gone into the fridge, or been frozen and thawed, even your freshly bought fish may start to take on a fishy smell. The solution is easy: A quick soak in a bowl of milk, and that fishy smell is all gone.

Is Turkey Going Rogue? :: Daniel Pipes

Is Turkey Going Rogue? :: Daniel Pipes: In a Middle East wracked by coups d'�tat and civil insurrections, the Republic of Turkey credibly offers itself as a model thanks to its impressive economic growth, democratic system, political control of the military, and secular order.

But, in reality, Turkey may be, along with Iran, the most dangerous state of the region.