007 x 22: Quantum of Solace

I loved Daniel Craig's Bond, and now there's more to love:




Scheduled to open November 7.



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"Some on left" target McCain's war record

Some on left target McCain's war record

"A lot of people don't know ... that McCain made a propaganda video for the enemy while he was in captivity," wrote Americablog.com's John Aravosis. "Putting that bit of disloyalty aside, what exactly is McCain's military experience that prepares him for being commander in chief?"

"Getting shot down, tortured and then doing propaganda for the enemy is not command experience," Aravosis wrote in the blog post, titled "Honestly, besides being tortured, what did McCain do to excel in the military?"

HONESTLY, IS JOHN ARAVOSIS A PIECE OF EXCREMENT OR WHAT?

Yes he is.

But take a look at what Wesley Clark has to say:



How stupid is Wesley Clark?, asks Ed Morrissey:

In "the matter of national security policy making." Barack Obama hasn't ever done anything.
In the matter of gauging your "opponents", Obama wants to meet with them without preconditions despite having no national-security, military, or diplomatic experience.
Barack Obama hasn't been on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Barack Obama hasn't had any executive experience.
Barack Obama hasn't commanded anything, in wartime or not.
Barack Obama hasn't dealt with diplomats in any capacity at all.
Barack Obama hasn't ordered the bombs to fall, although to be fair, he has associated himself with someone who has — William Ayers.

Well, at least Aravosis and Clark aren't complaining about Obama's teeth.

Is this the "change" that everyone wants in Washington?

Good question.



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The abridged Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

I just got back in town after spending a delightful week in Florida with family and friends, hence, the abridged Carnival.

If you would like your posts included in next week's Carnival, please email me: faustaw2 "at" gmail "dot" com.

ARGENTINA
¿Arde Argentina?

BOLIVIA
Bolivia's Annual "Punch Your Neighbor In the Face" Festival


BRAZIL
Lula Abandons Radical Past, Ushering in Brazil Growth

Brazilian Secret 93 Million Don't Want to Talk About Is Racism

Biofuels in Brazil: Lean, green and not mean

CHILE
Presidente del Senado pide fin a los juicios a militares

COLOMBIA
McCain's visit to Colombia

CUBA
Anyone for cocktails? Outsiders bet that bigger changes are on their way

Babalu celebrates its 5 yr anniversary

ECUADOR
Presidente Correa cuestiona carta de Human Rights Fundation

Human Rights Foundation responds to President Correa's accusations and declares Guadalupe Llori a political prisoner of Ecuador's governmentHuman Rights Foundation responds to President Correa's accusations and declares Guadalupe Llori a political prisoner of Ecuador's government

MEXICO
Outrage: Our "friends" in Mexico release suspect in Border Patrol officer’s murder

NICARAGUA
Why Iran is building a $200 million dam in Nicaragua

Nicaragua: The Inherent Dangers of Being a Militant Mecca

Nicas take to the streets to protest Ortega and the Pacto

PERU
Spy chief defends Peru's Fujimori

VENEZUELA
Oil fuels war!

Chavez losing political support

Venezuelan military officers complain against Chavez

Immigration
Phoenix man killed at home by three Mexican militiamen in military gear, or maybe not

School Puts Mexican-Americans on the Road to Success

Special thanks to Eneas, Larwyn, Maggie, Maria, and Siggy



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Obama's upcoming Indian idol, scheduled to arrive on July 4: an idol for the idol

In addition to the cult of Obama, Obama himself has been carrying a charm of the Hindu god Hanuman, so Hanuman devotees will be sending him a statue of the revered Indian monkey God, Hanuman:

The group decided to order the idol after they read a magazine report saying that Mr Obama carried a good luck 'monkey king' charm.

Seems that the Indians are hoping for change, and a miracle or two,

"Obama stands for change. We are hoping that he will bring about change so that oil and food prices come down," he said.

The Times of India reports that

Obama's representative Carolyn Sauvage-Mar on Tuesday received a gold-plated two-feet-high idol which she will pass it on to the Obama after it is sanctified.

The idol is being presented to Obama as he is reported to be a Lord Hanuman devotee and carries with him a locket of the monkey god along with other good luck charms.

The idol will be kept at the temple for 11 more days (starting from June 24, the date of the news item) and then sent to US, which means the idol is due to arrive on July 4.

I wonder what the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities in the USA will have to say about this Obaman fondness for "good luck charms"...

(h/t Steve)



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The Pope doesn't wear Prada...

... says The Manolo, who found it at Times on Line:

According to Vatican sources the Pope's shoes are made by a cobbler from Novara called Adriano Stefanelli, who makes them from calf or kid for the winter and nappa leather for the summer. Papal shoe repairs are carried out by Antonio Arellano, a Peruvian shoemaker in the Borgo, the medieval quarter next to St Peter's. The article, on "Ratzinger's Liturgical Vestments", was written by Juan Manuel de Prada, the noted Spanish writer and author of The Tempest, who is not related to the fashion company. De Prada said that the image of the German-born Pope as concerned with "frivolity" was at odds with the truth, which was that he was a "simple and sober" man. Suggestions to the contrary were "stupid and banal".

And here I thought Shakespeare wrote The Tempest.

In one of life's coincidences, Novara is the town I was referring to when I wrote this post four years ago.
------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm still on vacation so instead of the WSj's 5 best books links, please buy Steve's cookbook:

------------------------------------------------------------------
Not Prada, and definitely not Papal, today's shoes, perfect for the beach:

Thank you Steve!

Last night we had the pleasure of having dinner with charming and hansome Steve Graham of Hog on Ice, author of the funniest and most delicious cookbook ever to hit the stands. Steve brought his delicious brownies, and my whole family loves them.

You've GOT to try his cheesecake: just take a look at the picture. Steve says,

Food is a lot like women. The most attractive women aren't the perfect ones. The most attractive women have a lot of good features, plus one or two things that make them look "possible." If a woman looks so great you know you have no shot, she tends to become invisible.

Buy the book!

UPDATE, Sunday 29 June
Welcome, Protein Wisdom readers. You're going to love Steve's excellent cookbook.



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The al-Dura case: Being a French journalist means never having to say you're sorry

Anne-Elisabeth Moutet, former deputy editor of Proche-Orient.info writes about the alDura trial and verdict:
L'Affaire Enderlin
Being a French journalist means never having to say you're sorry.

You might think Enderlin's professional standing would have been damaged by all this. You would be wrong. In less than a week, a petition was whipped up by his friends at Le Nouvel Observateur, France's premier left-wing newsweekly. The petition conceded no gray areas, no hint of doubt. It called Karsenty's vehemently argued but exhaustively documented stance a "seven-year hate-filled smear campaign" aimed at destroying Enderlin's "professional dignity." It flatly stated in the opening paragraph that Muhammad al-Dura was killed "by shots coming from the Israeli position." It expressed rank astonishment at a legal ruling "granting equal credibility to a journalist renowned for his rigorous work, and to willful deniers ignorant of the local realities and with no journalistic experience." It professed concern about a jurisprudence that would-shock! horror!-allow "anyone, in the name of good faith and of a supposed right to criticize and so-called freedom of speech, to smear with impunity the honor and the reputation of news professionals."

Read about the aftermath of the verdict.

Powerline:

Based on film footage provided by a Palestinian cameraman, Enderlin's report has become infamous among students of Arab propaganda both for its destructive effects and for its probable falsity. The al-Dura affair now bids to join the Dreyfus affair in the French hall of shame.

Indeed.

Prior posts on the al-Dura trial here.
Most recent podcast here
To donate to Second Draft, the mailing address is
Second Draft
P O Box 590591
Newton Center Mass 02459



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Nicaragua's Ortega, the FSLN, and terrorism

Daniel Ortega and his Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) the subjects of this Stratfor report:
Nicaragua: The Inherent Dangers of Being a Militant Mecca (h/t Siggy.)

However, the fall of the Soviet Union affected more than just economics. As the political landscape shifted in the late 1980s, places that had served as havens and training bases for Marxist militants, such as South Yemen and East Germany, became less welcoming. In 1990, both of those countries ceased to exist. This left a lot of fugitive Marxist militants looking for a place to go, and many of them relocated to Managua. What resulted was an influx of Marxist militants from European groups such as the Irish Republican Army, ETA and the Red Brigades, as well as Middle Eastern militants, such as representatives of the various Palestinian Marxist-oriented groups.

Some of the fugitives who moved to Managua were educated, skilled and surprisingly entrepreneurial. A couple from the Italian Red Brigades opened a popular Italian restaurant in downtown Managua, and members of the Basque group ETA opened an automobile repair garage in Managua's Santa Rosa neighborhood.

Go read every word.

Just last week the Washington Post was writing about Ortega and Nicaragua's Eroding Democracy. Daniel Ortega, like Hugo Chavez, has had himself elected to office in order to establish a dictatorship. He has named his wife co-president; he might be looking at a line of succession, considering how he went missing for several days earlier this month for reasons that were never made clear.

Things in Nicaragua are getting so bad that even Noam Chomsky is acussing Ortega of stifling dissent.

Noam Chomsky, Salman Rushdie, Bianca Jagger and other high-profile former sympathisers have joined a chorus of alarm at recent actions.

Back when he got elected

Ortega returned to power after swapping fatigues and Marxist rhetoric for white linen shirts and John Lennon peace songs. Venezuela's president, Hugo Chávez, has pledged subsidised oil to his socialist ally but Ortega's ratings have slumped to 21%, according to a recent poll, on the back of high inflation and enduring poverty.

Good-bye John Lennon, hello again, FSLN's buddies.



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Today at 11AM Eastern: Kevin McCullough

Today at 11AM Eastern, Kevin McCullough joins us. We'll be talking about politics, and this week's Supreme Court decisions on the death penalty and guns.

Chat's open at 10:45AM and the call-in number is 646 652-2639. Join us!

UN 'Human Rights Council' bans criticism of Islam

Israel Matzav:

The UN 'Human Rights Council' decided this week that it is forbidden to criticize Islam because "religious issues can be "very complex, very sensitive and very intense…This council is not prepared to discuss religious matters in depth, consequently we should not do it." From now on, only religious scholars would be permitted to broach 'religious matters' before the Council.

This means that any crimes committed by Islamists can not be addressed by the UN's HRC. The Organization of Islamic Countries is the largest voting block at the UN.

While we can not criticize Islam, it's OK to protest security measures on religious grounds:
And Now, Sniffer Dogs Are Offensive: Muslims travelling on trains from Brighton have objected to sniffer dogs being used to search them for drugs and bombs.



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SCOTUS says Americans have right to guns

Supreme Court says Americans have right to guns

LaShawn Barber will start bearing.

La Shawn also has the full text of the decision.

The Supreme Court's ruling on Thursday that a District of Columbia ban on handgun ownership is unconstitutional appears to be solidly in step with public opinion.

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Nicolas Sarkozy assassination scare: Mystery over suicide policeman

After meeting with Palestinian and Israeli leaders in his trip to Israel, a soldier shot himself dead during Sarkozy's airport departure ceremony on Tuesday.

UK Telegraph headline: Nicolas Sarkozy assassination scare: Mystery over suicide policeman

Here's a video report:


Another video, at the BBC.

Here's the Times on Line video clip

The policeman's family refutes claims that he killed himself

Police said that Mr Ghanan, 32, was from the northern Israeli town of Beit Dajan and was a member of the Druze community, a minority group whose religion includes an eclectic mix of beliefs rooted initially in Islam.

Naif Ghanan, Raed’s brother, said that police who informed the family of the death told them that the circumstances of the incident were still being investigated. "It is unthinkable that my brother took his own life. We believe this was an accident ' or even an incident in which my brother was accidentally shot by one of the security officials in the area," he said.

The family said that it had hired a lawyer to ensure there was a "complete and detailed" investigation and to gain access to security video footage from the airport.

I'll be following this story.



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"Isn't Brutally Raping an Eight-year-old More Cruel Than Lethal Injection?"

Eighth Amendment Question: Isn't Brutally Raping an Eight-year-old More Cruel Than Lethal Injection?, asks Andy McCarthy.

The answer, of course, is yes.

But the dishonesty of the judges is what shines through in this decision. As McCarthy points out,

Wouldn't it be refreshingly honest if activist justices just bluntly us: "We don't like the death penalty and we can stop it because there are five of us." Sure, it would be tyrannical, but at least it would be accurate, and not nearly as nauseating as what passes for reasoning in these cases.

I wonder if the same kind of perverse reasoning will apply one day and would not give the death penalty to someone who takes justice into their own hands and kills a child rapist rather than have the rapist go through the system and benefit from the Justices' "reasoning".



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Obama: Offshore drilling is "a gimmick"

While China, Cuba, Venezuela and Brazil do their outmost to drink our offshore milkshake, Obama's saying that offshore drilling is "a gimmick":

Obama, who wants to keep a moratorium on offshore drilling, will argue that McCain is offering a "gimmick" similar to the gas tax holiday proposal.
...
In Las Vegas this afternoon, Obama slammed McCain's energy proposals, arguing that they are "gimmicks" that may poll well but do not provide immediate relief. Obama said that he supports McCain's $300 million battery prize but that alone would not be enough.

In the same speech, Obama proposed a "stimulus package", "another round of rebate checks to the American people", and, the biggie:GREEN JOBS
Not gimmicks, no siree....

After all, green jobs may help bring down the price of arugula.

But hey, there's good news on energy policy coming from the Dems: Maxine Waters's spokeperson claims that she didn't really mean it when Waters talked about nationalizing the oil industry. As Betsy says,

At least we're still at the point that even someone like Waters has to pretend that she doesn't really want to socialize American industry.

One has to wonder what Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) has to say next. Here's what he was saying last week:

Link: sevenload.com

Meanwhile, the Brazilians oil exploration may mean that their recent discoveries may all be connected and form one big oil field. How's that for a gimmick, Obama?

While we wait for the senator to answer that question, let's ponder the No Zone again:

Chris Dodd: Tammany Hall's senior senator

Tammany Hall's senior senator

Dodd, whose Countrywide Mortgage deal was in the news, has been trying to laugh the story off (after all, he's a Democrat, so that sort of thing doesn't count, doesn't it?). But some from his party aren't as keen,

Perhaps the most biting commentary was written by Democrat David Kahane, a National Review Online columnist whose lasting impression of Sen. Dodd is "his shock of white hair, his vaguely New England-ish accent, his hazy demeanor and his utter lack of shame."

"I know you're as shocked as I am," Mr. Kahane told his readers, "to discover that Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Countrywide) has been identified as a 'Friend of Angelo,' amid charges that the Enron of subprime mortgages gave him a sweetheart deal. ... You're probably also stunned that Dodd — the chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, and the alleged other half of the Edward Moore Kennedy Memorial Waitress Sandwich — had to admit the other day, 'I don't know what interest rates are today.'"

Moreover, he wrote, "it will no doubt astonish you to learn that Dodd, who some say ran for the Democrat nomination for president this year before his campaign collapsed from terminal anti-charisma, along the way shook down — excuse me, 'collected millions of dollars in campaign contributions from' — various subprime lenders and other real-estate types whose activities he oversaw.

Go read the rest.



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Tuesday night tango: Robin and Kyla at Princeton

"You are here"

The family and I are in Miami visiting with family and friends, but here I am checking out Memeorandum when I came across Karl's post at Protein Wisdom on the Map of the Political Blogosphere.

Of course I check it out, and LOOK! http://faustasblog.com is it!

Now all I have to do is figure out how to take a screen shot, and post it.

Thanks, guys!

As neighbor (Princetonian and gallactic) Tiger Hawk, said,

Our influence is indeed vast, and we pledge to use our great power wisely.

Especially once the screen shot gets sorted out, of course.

The Baron took the screen shot:

Thank you Baron!

Don't miss today's podcast at 11AM. Jazz Shaw, Shane Burgess, Siggy and I will be talking about the sexual revolution, and Media Lizzy may also join in.

Chat's open at 10:45AM, and the call-in number is 646 652-2639. Join us!




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Someone Else's Alex

William Kristol in today's NYT:

I was having trouble putting my finder on just why until I came across a post by a mother of a soldier recently deployed in Iraq, at the Web site BlueStarChronicles.com.

Here's what the mother of an actual soldier has to say about the remarks of the mother of the prospective non-soldier in the ad:

"Does that mean that she wants other people's sons to keep the wolves at bay so that her son can live a life of complete narcissism? What is it she thinks happens in the world? ... Someone has to stand between our society and danger. If not my son, then who? If not little Alex then someone else will have to stand and deliver. Someone's son, somewhere."

Check out Blue Star Chronicles and make it a daily visit.

Prior post: "You can't have Alex!"



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The fourth Monday in June Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

Welcome to the Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean. If you would like your posts to be included, please email me: faustaw2 "at" gmail "dot" com.

The week's big stories: Chavez threatens to stop oil sales to EU, EU says he "misunderstood", and the US Treasury Department designated Venezuelan diplomat as a Hizbollah supporter (see links under Venezuela).

We discussed this and other Latin American topics with Monica Showalter of Investor's Business Daily in last Friday's podcast.

BLOG OF THE WEEK
Inside South America

LATIN AMERICA
LAC news for 17 June

ARGENTINA
La Plaza del Amor: The Kirchners

Argentina's farm dispute: Cristina's climbdown: Calling Congress back to life

Para ustedes que siempre quisieron...

BOLIVIA
Bolivian Tensions, Part 3

BRAZIL
Brazil's IPO Rush Hits Rough Patch

CHILE
A whale of a week ahead for Chile

COLOMBIA
Prince of Thieves

The unstoppable crop: A big rise in coca in Colombia

COSTA RICA
Travel: Costa Rica Vacation - Arenal Volcano!

CUBA
Another sad day for the plight of Cuba's political prisoners

What we didn't know about the Cuban Missile Crisis

ECUADOR
Sorry, Che, we blew it

La HRF Responde a Acusaciones del Presidente Correa y Declara a Guadalupe Llori como Prisionera Política del Gobierno del Ecuador

Bayly (in Spanish): Las dos viudas de [Raul] Reyes

Chavez wants to work with next US leader: We ask - WHAT AS? Montaner Declares Ecuador has No Compass

MEXICO
Deadly stampede at Mexico disco

A Wary Friendship: Amid bad temper and wounded pride, Mexico and the United States inch towards compromise on a plan to boost the fight against drug crime

Welcome for US aid for Mexico’s drug war

Travel: Ultimate Vacation Guide: Laguna Miramar - Mexico

NICARAGUA
Thwarting democracy in Nicaragua

Daniel Ortega Compara a los europeos con "moscas que se paran en la inmundicia" (compares Europeans to "flies that stand on filth").

PERU
Just a kid babe edition

Brrrr... Peru Declares Emergency -- Record Cold Kills 61 Children & 5,000 Alpacas

PUERTO RICO
The Incredible Shrinking Airlines
They're cutting back flights, routes, and services. How business travelers can be prepared for the upheaval.

TRINIDAD
Freakonomics, Crime and Trinidad and Tobago

VENEZUELA
Venezuela 'taking control' of mines

US designates two Hezbollah operatives in Venezuela as terrorists
Treasury Moves on Hezbollah in Venezuela
US Treasury Dept: Venezuelan diplomat helped Hizbollah

CHAVEZ WILL BE BROUGHT BEFORE THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT, THE HAGUE

A funny way to beat inflation: Hugo Chavez invites the private sector to help him build socialism

Hugo of Hezbollah

Venezuela Goes to the Dogs

Via American Sheepdogs blog, the town of Macon Georgia and a member of Americans for Peace salute Chavez

Chavez Guisonomics 101, part IV: Why did the Government stop the use of structured notes to buy a bank?

IMMIGRATION
Report: McCain calls for comprehensive immigration reform at private meeting with Hispanic Republicans? Update: In newspaper interview, too?

Border patrol seeks recruits in Salem: Career opportunities lure prospects in Northwest

ELECTION
Outraged Cuban Americans Protest Obama in Miami

ENTERTAINMENT
The perfect Cuba libre

Special thanks to Eneas, Larwyn, Maria, Monica and Siggy



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The end of Congo

My latest on the dog that made the news, and the law, at the Star Ledger's NJ Voices.

The real story, and Associated Press' story

The real story: Chavez is nationalizing the mining industry. Let's look at three headlines:

CNN correctly states Venezuela 'taking control' of mines".

The IHT couches the seizure of property by citing the environment minister: Environment minister says Venezuela is asserting national interest in mining sector. At least they have the delicacy of attributing the propaganda to a Venezuelan government official.

But leave it to Associated Press to put a real gloss on the pig's lipstick: Venezuela puts nation's interests first in mining. They don't need to attribute the propaganda to any environment minister; they can do a propaganda job on their own, thanks. Those are the folks that, if you quote them, will have you go through the toll booth.

Good luck on that, AP.

Related
AP's confused.



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Things I probably shouldn't be reading early on Sunday morning

Last night I went with some friends to see Mongol, which turned out to be excellent. "The untold story of Genghis Kahn", as the title tells us, is a Hollywood-type epic spoken entirely in Mongolian (or at least I assume it's Mongolian - it was some language I don't recognize at all) with English subtitles. It borrows at times from Lord of the Rings for the battle scenes, and from Kurasawa for the central character's development. Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano gives an extraordinary performance as the man who brought the thundering hordes to half the world. Asano has been compared to Toshiro Mifume, for good reason.

Please be warned that there's a lot of violence (as you can expect), and blood spurts wildly as if Sam Peckinpah himself had been doing the battle scene choreography.

Here's the trailer,


After the movie we had something to eat outdoors at Panera. It was a lovely summer night with an indigo blue sky, and lots of people were walking about. Unfortunately if I have dinner late in the evening I don't sleep well, so this morning I was totally awake by 6AM.

So I got up and checked Memeorandum, where the top story,
Inside a 9/11 Mastermind's Interrogation, tells us that the NYT has revealed the full name of the CIA man who managed to get Khalid Shaikh Mohammed to talk. Funny how the Times and other media were full of outrage when Valerie Plame, who used to drive into the CIA parking lot every morning with the top down of her Mercedes, was "outed", but they have no problem in outing anyone else employed by the CIA.

I agree with Macsmind,

The identity of CIA employee is classified, and although illegal under the Intelligence Identities Protections ACT, the CIA did ask that his name not be published. Therefore the Ny Times is in legal jeopardy for publishing his name.

The CIA should immidately ask the DOJ to look into it.

By the way, I wonder if these clowns who rallied in defense of Plame will speak up now?

More at Pirates' Cove

After that one needs something lighter, so of course I went to Denny's, who always has wonderful music, and came across (language probably NSFW) Mashuk-Akva Term spa story:

Hey honey, let's go to the spa and have a few enemas. What a vacation!

Denny managed to beat Charles to an enema.

I checked my email and found that Maria, who spent many years in Russia, had sent me pictures of toilet signs from around the world. I like this one:


This is the second day in a row that I have posted on scatological items. I blame the lack of sleep.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
The WSJ's Five Best Books on sailing, selected by Sir Robin Knox-Johnson, the first person to sail solo and nonstop around the world:




--------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's shoes: Coach Josie Signature Ballet Flat Shoes in black.



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Saturday night treat: Fats Domino, Ray Charles and Jerry Lee Lewis

Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis
Uploaded by Hanvak

Sweden's new law and the loss of freedom

Expat recently wrote asking that I post on Sweden's new wiretapping law, which Fjordman calls The Greatest Betrayal in History.

I wasn't able to post on it earlier, but Porretto has an excellent essay on Freedom under siege

At this time, every government on Earth claims the power to do as it pleases to anyone and anything within its sway, for any reason or none. Governments, including the 88,000 governments that operate within these United States, compel, forbid, and expropriate without regard for any assertion of rights; that's what "compelling government interest" means. Nowhere that a government claims jurisdiction are men truly free. But were you to ask a hundred recent high school graduates whether Americans are free, ninety-five or more would answer in the affirmative. Ask them why, and they would reply, "Because we get to vote!"

So much for the understanding of freedom.

Go read every word.



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The Olympic toilet question, answered

Betsy finds enough of a reason not to go to the Olympics: squat toilets:

"Most of the Chinese people are used to the squat toilet, but nowadays more and more people demand sit-down toilets," Yao said. "However, it will take some time for this transition."

This is what the toilet in the new bathroom looks like here at casa de Fausta:

Here's what a squat toilet looks like:


In my travels in Europe I encountered squat toilets and still recall the experience with great dislike. It was a thoroughly unpleasant experience.

The question is, how does one use a squat toilet?

Family travel explains how, and they include a diagram:


That said, always remember to bring your own baby wipes, toilet paper and hand sanitizer in your travels, even if you're not going to China for the Olympics.



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Yay! The blog is back!

UPDATE
After 24 hours during which none of my posts showed, things seem to be back to normal here.

But not to worry - first there's my article on Chavez's threat to cut off oil to the EU, which you can read at Newsvine. Then there's yesterday's podcast, where Monica Showalter reminded us that Hugo's threat seems to match Putin's similar threat, too.

Later today I'll have another article at NJ Voices.

On a personal note, I'm looking for a good recipe for Yorkshire pudding; if any of you would like to contribute, please add it in the comments section.

But enought about me (at least for now), let's do a quick roundup:
They say a picture's worth a thousand words, and Brian Faughnan's speaks volumes.

No Mas, Senator, says Cassandra, who's got the race card. Obama says Republicans will use race to stoke fear. It's the Republicans who can't keep themselves from calling attention to anyone's race, I tell you!




Then there's the seal of Obama. Macranger asks,

As I noted before the seal shows what appears to be an eagle in retreat with it’s back turned on the Flag. Couple this with Obama's desire to "Remake" and "Disarm" America and we have all the reason in the world to be alarmed and ask questions.

OBAMA STARTING TO CREEP ME OUT, for sure.

Bonus
Via Alcibiades, The Great Seal of Obamaland?

UPDATE
"Vero possumus"

Considering that most Americans don't speak Latin, and that possums are known for sleeping, having the word "possum" in there is ... unfortunate.

And then there's Dame Edna, who always refers to "possums", too.
Today's issue of Bus and Driver
Obamath: producing more oil won't produce more oil
More on the race card at Nice Deb and Baldilocks

Sunday 22 June
And . . . . Cassandra Blows the Lid Off Melanin-Gate!
Obama blinks on playing the race card
Here comes the race card.

Larwyn's been keeping up with things, and she's sent a truckload of links - here are a few:
The FHA time bomb

The Federal Housing Administration – the very agency the Bush Administration and Congress trumpet as the solution to the mortgage crisis – has announced that it suffered a $4.6 billion loss last year. This is one of the worst financial performances ever for the government's multibillion-dollar mortgage insurer.

Seriously folks, seeing how government does things, do you really want to turn over your health care to them?

Sen. Kent Conrad, (D-N.D.) is angry about negative publicity on his beach cottage, while Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) let his lender write the bailout bill.

UPDATE
In Mahmoud's World



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Speaking Democrat

Via David A. and Ed Morrissey, Thaddeus McCotter Speaking Democrat

Chavez threatens to stop oil sales to EU, EU says he "misunderstood"

Since Blogger seems to be having issues posting, you can find my latest article on Chavez at Newsvine

Welcome to Sderot

At Breath of the Beast, Welcome to Sderot:

Do you believe that it is about The Nakba or The Occupation or The Settlements? Do you allow yourself the fantasy that there is a way to stop the madness- a sacrifice big enough to satisfy this ravenous cult?

Then what did the innocent victims die for on 9/11- or Madrid- or London- the Darfur? This is part of the same grotesque lottery that has been going on for 1500 years. In spite of the sacrifice of the innocent victims of 9/11, it is all too easy for us to deny that we are hostages too, but those “zero beings” from the Islamist void will not be happy to delete only Israel. They have "selected" them for annihilation first but it is nothing personal, you understand, just a sacrifice to prove there is no value to human life. There is no value to anything that does not affirm the spiritual vacuum of Islamism. It is not because they worship Allah, nor is it is that they believe Mohammed was a prophet. It is that they believe that he was the only prophet, that they know the absolute truth and that it is their mission to ignore (and destroy) all evidence to the contrary. If you believe in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, they will not rest until they destroy you too.

Go read all of it.



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Today at 10AM Eastern: Monica Showalter of Investor's Business Daily

Monica Showalter of Investor's Business Daily joins us today at a special time, 10AM Eastern.

We'll talk about the US's dependence on foreign oil, Latin America and American politics, and how all these topics are related.

Chat's open by 9:45AM and the call-in number is 646 652-2639. Join us!

Silent movie: Freedom of speech

Via Irish Spy, Bound and gagged:

Thursday night tango

Yes, usually it's Tuesday night tango, but just because...

Sue Opec?

"Sue Opec", says Thomas Evans in today's NYT.

Oh, please.

Let's waste time in court instead of aggresively developing the reserves that we know already exist, building nuclear plants and developing oil shale? Should we push for a symbollic propaganda move (which will generate even more anti-American press), or focus on America becoming independent of foreign oil?

By the time any such lawsuit would make it to court, the American consumer will be purchasing oil pumped from ANWR. We're talking decades-long lawsuit here. And forget about collecting damages of any kind in the unlikely event the US wins.

Aggresively exploiting the reserves that we know already exist, building nuclear plants, developing oil shale, and exploring new reserves will do far more for America's security and independence from foreign oil, and it will destabilize Opec (and their terror-sponsoring dictatorships) more effectively than any lawsuit.

Never mind the question of whether OPEC is telling the truth about their reserves.

Sue Opec? No, thanks.

'nuff said.



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US Treasury Dept: Venezuelan diplomat helped Hizbollah

On June 11 I translated a report by Patricia Poleo that stated that Venezuelans of Arab ancestry are being recruited under the auspices of Tarek el Ayssami, Venezuela's vice-Minister of the Interior, for combat training in Hezbollah camps in South Lebanon.

Yesterday the US Treasury Department designated a Venezuelan diplomat as a Hezbollah supporter.

The Jerusalem Post (h/t Siggy) reports that Venezuelan diplomat Ghazi Nasr al Din, former Charge d' Affaires at the Venezuelan Embassy in Damascus and Director of Political Aspects at the Venezuelan Embassy in Lebanon, who is also president of a Caracas-based Shi'a Islamic Center, used his position to give financial assistance to Hezbollah.

Noticias 24 from Caracas (in Spanish) states that a source at the Venezuelan chancellory verified that Nasr al Din is a Venezuelan diplomat based in Damascus. The Venezuelan government refused to issue an official statement "for the time being".

The U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Nsr al Din and Fawzi Kan'an, along with two travel agencies owned and controlled by Kan'an, as terror supporters

Nasr al Din has counseled Hizballah donors on fundraising efforts and has provided donors with specific information on bank accounts where the donors' deposits would go directly to Hizballah.

Ghazi Nasr al Din has met with senior Hizballah officials in Lebanon to discuss operational issues, as well as facilitated the travel of Hizballah members to and from Venezuela. In late January 2006, Nasr al Din facilitated the travel of two Hizballah representatives to the Lebanese Parliament to Caracas to solicit donations for Hizballah and to announce the opening of a Hizballah-sponsored community center and office in Venezuela. The previous year, Nasr al Din arranged the travel of Hizballah members to attend a training course in Iran.

The Treasury Dept. statement lists 12 aliases for Nasr al Din, who was born on December 13, 1962 in Lebanon.

The Treasury Dept. identifies Fawzi Kan'an as a

a Venezuela-based Hizballah supporter and a significant provider of financial support to Hizballah. Kan'an has facilitated travel for Hizballah members and sent money raised in Venezuela to Hizballah officials in Lebanon.

Kan'an has met with senior Hizballah officials in Lebanon to discuss operational issues, including possible kidnappings and terrorist attacks. Further, Kan'an has also traveled with other Hizballah members to Iran for training.

The Treasury Department shows Kan'an as a naturalized Venezuelan citizen born in 1943. Kan'an owns and operates the Biblos Travel Agency, located in Caracas, which reportedly he uses to courier funds to Lebanon.

In Caracas, Noticias 24 reports that Kan'an denied the the U.S. accusations, said that his accounts in the US have not been frozen, and sstated that his Biblos and Hilal agencies closed a year ago. However, as you can read in the AP report, who interviewed Kan'an, he was at the "Hilal travel agency in Caracas, a street-level office with barred windows" itself.

The BBC, which also interviewed Kan'an in Caracas, also says he operates two travel agencies in Caracas.

The US assets of both Kan'an and Nasr al Din have been frozen.

William Davila, candidate for governor for Merida, Venezuela, brought a complaint to the Venezuela Attorney General's re: Hezbollah, which has remained ignored.

Why is this important:
As Efraim Karsh explained in his article, Islam's Imperial Dreams (via Siggy)

As the 14th-century historian and philosopher Abdel Rahman ibn Khaldun wrote, "In the Muslim community, the jihad is a religious duty because of the universalism of the Islamic mission and the obligation [to convert] everybody to Islam either by persuasion or by force."

The Venezuelan government is in bed with this scheme. As the Treasury Department stated,

"It is extremely troubling to see the Government of Venezuela employing and providing safe harbor to Hizballah facilitators and fundraisers. We will continue to expose the global nature of Hizballah's terrorist support network, and we call on responsible governments worldwide to disrupt and dismantle this activity," said Adam J. Szubin, Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Bill Roggio is also posting on the story. Noticias 24 has a background article (in Spanish) on Hezbollah in Latin America.



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Ignorant, not naive

Betsy links to Jennifer Rubin's post,

An advisor, Daniel Kurtzer, to Barack Obama says that Obama didn't realize what he was saying to AIPAC when he used the term "undivided" in reference to Jerusalem. According to Kurtzer, Obama had "a picture in his mind of Jerusalem before 1967 with barbed wires and minefields and demilitarized zones." Kurtzer says that only after the speech did Obama realize it was a "code word" to use the phrase, "but it does not indicate any kind of naivete about foreign affairs."

As Rubin says,

Once again, this suggests that there is too little adult supervision of a candidate unaccustomed to speaking on the world stage about issues in which there are lots of code words, indeed in which every word (e.g. "preconditons," "immediate withdrawal") has meaning to Americans' foes and friends."

Bashar Assad Understands What Obama The 'Never Mind' Candidate Doesn't

Syria's Assad says wants results from Israel talks:"This is not like drinking tea," Assad, in India on a four-day visit, said when asked if he would meet Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Paris.

"The meeting between me and the Israeli prime minister will be meaningless without the technocrats laying the foundation, without reaching the final stage."

And as the campaign develops, Poohbama rolls right along. Drew has a photo of Obama's foreign policy team.




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House Dems want to nationalize oil industry

I was wondering if the Dems would come up with a Pooh approach to energy, and Francis Porretto pointed out in the comments

Don't imagine for a minute that the Democrats don't grasp the importance of increasing our domestic oil supply. They do; that's why they're against it.

William E. Simon noted in his magnificent memoir A Time For Truth that those who love power also love scarcity, for scarcity confers power on whoever can get control of the supply of the scarce item. Democrats are eager for a genuine energy shortage to befall us, because it would allow them to institute rationing and government allocation of petrochemicals -- a complete stranglehold over the American economy.

The House Democrats are tripping over themselves to prove Porretto's point:

Link: sevenload.com

Allahpundit points out that

this makes two congressional Democrats on record within the past month as supporting an overtly socialist "solution" to gas prices. How many others agree with a plurality of their base but simply haven't spoken up yet?

Rest assured that the environmental concerns would vanish as soon as that happens. Mary Anastasia O'Grady said it best,

It comes down to this: Where government has the property right, restrictions on development tend to be low. But when the private sector is the owner, environmental concerns blossom.

Jay quotes Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY),

Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), member of the House Appropriations Committee and one of the most-ardent opponents of off-shore drilling, "We (the government) should own the refineries. Then we can control how much gets out into the market."

Listen to Porretto, folks.

UPDATE
Sister Toldjah outlines Pres. Bush's plan:

1. Increase access to the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
2. Tap into the extraordinary potential of oil shale.
3. Permit exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
4. Expand and enhance our refinery capacity.

Yes, I know, we should have been doing this six years ago.

Don't miss the Daily Blog Buzz.

Speaking of ANWR (via Sam)




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"You can't have Alex!"

MoveOn.org's emotional appeal: Don't draft my baby, John McCain!


Don Surber (via Larwyn) wanted to know,

But what about the lad?

What's his side of the story?

Well, here it is: Baby Alex speaks out.

Josh Schroeder (via Ed Morrissey) shares his thoughts,


Buy Josh a beer!

UPDATE, Thursday 19 June
Via Larwyn, Alex sings a tune.



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Bush asks Congress to clear way for offshore oil drilling

Thank you, Mr. President:

President Bush asked Congress Wednesday to permit drilling for oil in deep water off America's coasts to combat rising oil and gas prices.
...
Bush also renewed his demand that Congress allow drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR, clear the way for more refineries and encourage efforts to recover oil from shale in areas such as the Green River Basin of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming.

Bush said that the basin potentially contains more than three times as much recoverable oil as Saudi Arabia's proven reserves, and that the high price of oil makes it profitable to extract it.

At the Beeb

President George W Bush has called on Congress to end a 27-year ban on drilling for oil in US coastal waters, to reduce dependence on imports.

Look at the numbers:

Estimated reserves:
18bn barrels of recoverable oil
77 trillion cubic feet of natural gas

US annual energy usage:
7.6bn barrels of oil
21 trillion cubic feet of gas

As McCain said,

...speaking in Houston on Tuesday, Mr McCain called for the ban to be lifted to help counter US dependence on foreign oil.

"This was a troubling situation 35 years ago. It was an alarming situation 20 years ago. It is a dangerous situation today," he said.

"And starting in the term of the next president, we must take control over our own energy future and become once again the master of our fate."

We also need to increase refining capacity.

We'll see if Congress can ever get around to understanding the importance of energy to their future, or whether they'll dream of a Pooh approach.



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Dr Richard Landes translates the Al Dura decision

The Court of Appeals Decision: A Professional Translation into English As you can see from the details, the judge dismissed the case after she ripped Enderlin. Just one paragraph (emphasis added)

Given that, indeed, the testimony by Luc ROSENZWEIG, former chief editor of MONDE, established that after having met, in May 2004, some colleagues who shared with him their doubts about Charles ENDERLIN's commentary, and having thereafter himself shared these doubts with Denis JEAMBAR and Daniel LECONTE, on October 22, 2004, he viewed with them FRANCE 2's rushes and was surprised that, of the 27 minutes of Talal ABU RAHMA's rushes, more than 23 minutes of the scenes on film had nothing to do with the images broadcast by the station, including those of little Mohamed's death, and consisted of young Palestinians faking war scenes. The witness concluded his testimony at the hearing in the lower court by stating his conviction that "the theory that the scene [of the child's death] was faked was more probable than the version presented by FRANCE 2," while admitting that, as a journalist, journalistic "criteria did not allow him to go further than that."

and found,

ON THESE GROUNDS

The court

By judgment rendered after due hearing of the parties and after having deliberated according to the law;

In view of the interlocutory order of October 3, 2007;

Declares no objection to the pleadings submitted by Philippe KARSENTY;

Overturns the deferred judgment and dismisses the charges against Philippe KARSENTY;

Dismisses the demands of the civil parties.

Go read the entire translation. Dr Landes is going to comment on the text of the decision in the future, so I'll be posting updates.

Via Maria,
Jonathan Rosemblum writes, Pallywood: For once, the good guys win. The article summarizes the details of Enderlin's nefarious blood libel (emphasis added), one of the most harmful anti-Israel propaganda videos ever made:

Enderlin distributed the France 2 clip free of charge, and it was subsequently broadcast thousands of times. The image of the terrified boy cowering behind his father quickly assumed iconic status. It featured prominently in mass anti-Israel demonstrations in Europe, where it was juxtaposed to the image of the Jewish boy with his hands raised in the Warsaw ghetto.

To heighten its impact, Palestinian TV cropped into the France 2-clip pictures of an Israeli soldier firing. The image of "Muhammed al-Dura" beckoning other Palestinian children to join him as martyrs in paradise features prominently in the Palestinian death cult. His name was invoked by the Ramallah mob that disemboweled two Israeli reservists, in Osama bin Laden's 9/11 video, and in that of Daniel Pearl's beheading.

France2 has played the footage thousands of times over the years (and the footage is still played by the international media as if it were true) but to the best of my knowledge have not reported on the court decision in their newscasts. I watch the France2 newscasts almost daily.

The whole Enderlin footage was a lie:

From the general to the particular. The sole footage of "Muhammed al-Dura's death" was that of Palestinian cameraman Talul Abu-Rahmeh working for France 2. Abu-Rahmeh is a liar. On October 3, 2000, he testified under oath to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights that there had been 45 minutes of sustained Israeli fire directed at the man and boy. As an experienced war reporter, he could verify that they could have only been hit by Israeli fire. Abu-Rahmeh claimed to have filmed 27 minutes of the fusillade. Later he told German documentary filmmaker Esther Schapira that he had filmed six minutes.

We now know that the boy could have only been hit by Palestinian fire. The story of a 45-minute fusillade was on its face laughable: Had Israeli soldiers wanted to kill Palestinians, they had dozens of rioters immediately in front of the Israeli stockade from which to choose. Moreover, Abu-Rahmeh's entire footage of the man and boy consisted of 58 seconds comprised of six spliced scenes.

The rest of his 27 minutes of footage - only 18 minutes of which France2 produced when ordered to do so by the French appeals court - consists of obviously staged scenes, according to three veteran French journalists who viewed it. The "al-Dura" footage was shot in the same area that Abu-Rahmeh and other Palestinian cameramen spent the day shooting such staged scenes.

Abu-Rahmeh once declared, "I went into journalism to carry on the fight for my people," and was certainly not above employing his camera for a bit of deception. A Reuters clip from the day shows him filming another staged scene involving a Molotov cocktail. That scene was inexplicably omitted from the rushes produced in the French court.

Whether Charles Enderlin knew from the first that his voice-over was false is unclear. That he lies is certain. He drew for gullible journalists a false map of Netzarim Junction, which wrongly placed the Israeli position in a direct line of fire to the man and the boy. Worse yet, he repeatedly claimed that he had edited out the last three seconds of the "al-Dura" footage because the boy's death throes were too painful to watch.

Enderlin was ridiculed in the courtroom:

Enderlin drew twitters of laughter in the French courtroom when he offered that perhaps the crowd was anticipating the boy's death.

There were no such death throes. In those last three seconds, the boy lifts his head, peeks out from under his arm (with which he is shielding his eyes) prior to resuming a prone position -- albeit with his leg still held aloft. A nearby mob chants, "the boy is dead, the boy is dead," before he even lies prone the first time. Enderlin drew twitters of laughter in the French courtroom when he offered that perhaps the crowd was anticipating the boy's death.

What has the French media done? They're circling the wagons and claiming that Enderlin is a victim - along with the Palestinians - of the Jews.

The word perfidy doesn't begin to describe it.

Dr Landes and Yaacov Ben Moshe have been my podcast guests, most recently on May 20, the day before the final verdict. You can listen to the podcast here.



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