It has been one of the great mysteries of the literary world: the strange death of Edgar Allan Poe, perhaps the most famous American horror writer of all.
Since he died, raving insanely in a hospital bed, Poe's demise has been the subject of a multitude of theories, ranging from murder to mugging to alcoholism to political skulduggery to catching an infectious disease such as rabies. Now a leading American author, who has written a novel about Poe's death, believes that he has come up with convincing evidence that could at last solve the puzzle: brain cancer.
Matthew Pearl, author of The Poe Shadow, spent three years researching Poe, especially the circumstances of his death. He had hoped to uncover new evidence to solve a mystery that has perplexed experts for more than 150 years. He thinks he has unearthed proof that Poe had a terrible brain tumour, which could explain why he died so dramatically. 'It would explain his hallucinations and his mental state before he died,' Pearl told The Observer.
Ethiopian rebels Sunday claimed they had killed at least 140 government troops in an attack in the Ogaden region, where the army is carrying out a crackdown. The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) said in a statement that almost 1,000 of its fighters attacked Ethiopian troops near Wardheer early Saturday, killing more than 140 troops, with "many more wounded." Wardheer is about 650 kilometers (400 miles) southeast of Addis Ababa. "Thousands of rounds of ammunition and military hardware, including communications equipment, were captured by ONLF forces during the operation," it added.
The army officers were escorting Abay Tsehaye, a senior official in the Ethiopian ruling party, when they came under attack. "Abay Tsehaye and a few senior officers escaped by helicopter after all land routes out of the area were blocked by ONLF forces," it said.
It was impossible to confirm the claims. Journalists and aid workers are blocked from visiting the area, where the military is battling insurgents. The rebels said the attack was "a direct response" to the burning of a village, Caado, and "abuses" of people in the Wardheer area by Ethiopian troops, the ONFL said.
The army launched a crackdown on the region, which is about the same size as Britain and has a population of about 4 million, following an attack by the ONLF against a Chinese oil venture in April that left 77 people dead. The barren Ogaden region has long been extremely poor, but the discovery of gas and oil has brought new hopes of wealth as well as new causes of conflict.
It's long been "extremely poor" because it's mostly barren desert.
Ethiopia accuses archfoe Eritrea of supporting Ogaden separatists. The authorities in Asmara deny this.
"No, no! Certainly not!"
Formed in 1984, the ONLF is fighting for the independence of ethnic Somalis in Ogaden, whom they say have been marginalized by Addis Ababa.
It's fighting for "Greater Somalia," which means a piece of Ethiopia, a piece of Kenya, and a piece of Djibouti, in addition to all of Somalia. Al-Qaeda thinks it's a dandy area to do what they do best, though the actual ties between them and ONLF aren't known -- probably for a reason.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/22/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
LISBON - China must do more to remedy increasing trade imbalances with the European Union if it wants its relationship with the bloc to continue to grow, EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson said on Sunday. MandelsonÂ’s comments could signal the EU is preparing to take a tougher stance against the export powerhouse over its growing trade surplus and amid increasing calls from foreign investors for access into ChinaÂ’s robust market.
‘I am looking for China to do more to remedy the imbalances that exist,’ Mandelson told Reuters on the sidelines of the Euro-Mediterranean trade conference in Lisbon. ‘This relationship is already a large one and it is potentially a huge one,’ said Mandelson, adding that for it to continue to grow it was very important for China and the EU to ‘get it right’.
Asked whether his comments meant the EU was going to get tougher on China over trade, Mandelson replied: ‘It’s not a question of Europe taking a tougher stand.’
"No, no, certainly not!"
‘It’s a question of China exercising greater responsibility and being more conscientious in shouldering their fair share of the demands of this trading relationship.’
The EU has traditionally been softer on China than the United States which has launched more litigation against Beijing at the World Trade Organisation.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said earlier this week that he was ‘very concerned’ with Europe’s huge trade deficit with China.
Not concerned enough to do anything about it, but concerned nonetheless ...
ChinaÂ’s trade surplus with the EU reached 86 billion euros in the first seven months of 2007, up 25 percent from the same period of 2006.
‘We need each other. So both of us have to pull our weight in making sure this relationship is conducted on a better, more level playing field than is the case at the moment.’
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/22/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
October 22, 2007 -- ALBANY - Top Democrats fear that Gov. Spitzer's controversial plan to grant driver's licenses to illegal aliens has endangered their party's candidates across the state -- and even threatens the presidential prospects of Hillary Rodham Clinton, The Post has learned.
A half-dozen senior Democrats told The Post that Spitzer's licensing plan is producing what one called "a mass exodus" away from the party's candidates that may lead to unexpected losses in November's local elections.
They are also warning that growing voter unhappiness with Spitzer on the licensing and other issues - illustrated in several recent polls - could carry into next year and end the Democrats' hope of winning control of the GOP-dominated state Senate.
"The driver's-license issue is a killer for us in the suburbs," a senior party strategist said. "The Nassau County Legislature is in danger, and so are the big Buffalo races," said a prominent elected Democratic official, referring to election battles to retain slim, Democratic control in Nassau County and carry hotly fought contests for county executive and clerk in Erie County.
Another senior Democrat predicted that Sen. Clinton, who has repeatedly refused to say whether she backs Spitzer's plan, would soon be forced to reject it. "The immigrant license issue is one of the most politically dangerous in the nation, and Hillary will have to come out against it," the Democrat said.
And if she does, she could alienate Spitzer: though if he keeps stepping on his crank the way he has been since being elected, that might be a plus for the Hildebeast.
#1
Wouldn't it be funny if the dems got the boot from their base the same way the repubs did over illegal immigration? It would be great to see it become the new "third rail" of politics in the US...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/22/2007 14:50 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Spitzer is many things, but in all ways superior to Hitlery. I pray for a fight between them and their camps.
#3
Spitzer is many things, but in all ways superior to Hitlery.
That's been my perception as well. How odd to see Spitzer pushing such political vomit as driver's licenses for undocumented illegals. Much like the Muslims, the democrats just can't seem to miss an opportunity to slit each others' throats. More power to them, especially so wherever Hillary is concerned.
A lawsuit is being filed this afternoon against the Spitzer administration seeking to stop the implementation of a new policy permitting illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses.
Rensselaer County Clerk Frank Merola, one of 13 county clerks who have vowed not to implement the new policy when it takes effect Dec. 1, said he will sue Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer and Motor Vehicles Commissioner David Swarts today in State Supreme Court in Albany.
"I think it's a slam dunk for us," Merola said citing a section of law that says Social Security numbers be presented when obtaining a driver's license. The Spitzer administration has said the section does not prevent a license from being given out if an applicant has no Social Security number.
Merola said he also is seeking a preliminary injunction to stop the state from its current activities to implement the new law. He said the state is preparing to send out in the next week letters to 150,000 people who lost their licenses in the past because they provide an incorrect Social Security number.
Rep. Bobby Jindal coasted to a first-round victory in the state's gubernatorial primary late last night and made history as the nation's first governor-elect of Indian-American descent. At 36, the two-term Republican congressman also will be the country's youngest governor when he takes office in January. Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt, a fellow Republican, turns 37 next month.
Mr. Jindal and his 11 challengers were running to replace Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, a Democrat who decided in March not to run for re-election. She was widely criticized for her handling of the response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Mrs. Blanco had defeated Mr. Jindal in the 2003 runoff election.
At 11 p.m. local time last night, with 87 percent of the precincts reporting, Mr. Jindal had 588,002 votes (53 percent), enough to avoid a Nov. 17 runoff. His closest challenger, millionaire state Sen. Walter Boasso, a Democrat, had 196,104 votes (18 percent), followed by New Orleans businessman John Georges, an independent, with 156,962 (14 percent) and Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, a Democrat, with 141,346 votes (13 percent).
This article starring:
Bobby Jindal
Foster Campbell
John Georges
Kathleen Babineaux Blanco
Kathleen Blanco
Matt Blunt
Walter Boasso
Posted by: Fred ||
10/22/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[9 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
God speed Bobby Jindal. Bless you and good luck!
#3
If he can actually pull off changing the Louisiana political culture for the better, by the time 2016 rolls around he'll be the most compelling Republican presidential nominee in history. For the near term, he's going to need our best wishes, and some prayers probably wouldn't hurt either. The state's Dem machine is gravely wounded, but still dangerous, and there are a lot of officeholders, bureaucrats and general-purpose stooges whose oxen are about to get seriously gored. I would put absolutely nothing past those people, so for that reason the new Gov should get himself an efficient and very carefully vetted security detail.
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
10/22/2007 3:16 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Celebrations erupted in Bobby Jindal's ancestral Khanpura village on Sunday over his election as Governor of the US state of Louisiana with locals distributing sweets and performing 'bhangra'.
As news trickled in that the 36-year-old Oxford-educated Jindal has won the gubernatorial race, his family members started distributing sweets in the neighbourhood.
He said the entire Khanpura village, from where he said Bobby's father Amar Chand migrated to the US nearly four decades back, had erupted in joy on hearing the news.
Gulshan said since morning when television channels broke the news of Bobby's victory, villagers have been queuing up outside the various houses of the Jindal family in Khanpura, close to Malerkotla.
Jindal's cousin Tarseen Jindal, said his being elected Governor is a matter of pride for the entire nation.
"We are very proud of the fact that he has risen to this position from a very poor family. Hailing from such a small place he has made a big name for himself. The whole India is proud of this," he said.
Posted by: john frum ||
10/22/2007 6:26 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Ricky - I don't think Jindal can run for Prez. IIRC, he was born in India.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
10/22/2007 6:53 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Are you sure Bobby wasn't a tech service guy in India before coming here? I just know I have talked to him at one time or another about computer/network problems.
#9
Correct, Glenmore. Bobby is a natural-born U.S. citizen, and therefore eligible to run for president, should he ever want to. (He's probably a little busy right now, what with being a new governor and all.)
There's nothing "progressive" about being liberal.
And I expect that when the numbers are broken out, Jindal will have done much better among black voters than other Republicans in recent Louisiana history. Recall that in 2003, he did very well in New Orleans, but lost statewide because he lost the northern part of the state -- the white, Protestant areas where Republicans normally rack up large margins. The part of the state where Democrats famously ran ads that darkened his face.
Posted by: Mike ||
10/22/2007 8:05 Comments ||
Top||
#10
Congratulations, Governor! He seems a really bright articulate pleasant man. What the hell is he doing in LA. politics?
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/22/2007 8:10 Comments ||
Top||
#11
Thirty-six years old and Jindal has become the Governor of Louisiana? I think you're looking at a future GOP standard-bearer a few elections down the road.
The 'RATs failed last year in the Tennessee Senatorial race, when they selected a scion of the corrupt Ford family, but Jindal succeeded. Louisiana, a part of the deep South, has elected the son of Indian immigrants, to be their Governor. This is great news for the GOP, the South, and the nation at large.
#12
One would suppose that if we "hate" arabs and muslims then we'd feel similarly about Indians. Yet here we have an Indian-American voted to the Governorship in a red state.
I can only conclude that it's not anti-arab or anti-muslim, but anti-islamofacism
#13
Do you have to accept these Don Imus ads? Everytime I see one it scares the hell out of me.
Posted by: Captain Lewis ||
10/22/2007 10:02 Comments ||
Top||
#14
More in National Review on how Katrina may have affected the election:
The great irony of this election is precisely the racial question. Jindal's defeat created such buyer's remorse over Blanco that it evidently removed any racial questions from the minds of northern Louisiana white voters the second time around. Plus, Louisiana now has four years to get used to having a dark-skinned governor — a great chance to open the minds of anyone who has a problem with that.
I also suspect Blanco's post-election, post-Katrina performance may have had something to do with it.
Posted by: Mike ||
10/22/2007 10:35 Comments ||
Top||
#15
Glenmore and Mike - Thank you for pointing out Jindal was born in the USA. I stand corrected (happily).
I swear I read somewhere some time ago he was a mere toddler when he and his family immigrated legally to the USA from India. Could I have been duped by an article written by a MSM Democrat? It's possible...
Posted by: Mark Z ||
10/22/2007 13:02 Comments ||
Top||
#16
I don't care if he was born on the moon if he can see to it that I never see another picture of 140 submerged school buses.
#17
And, yet the NY Slimes carries on the "Deep South racist" meme. Get a load of this one!
He is a highly unusual politician, having become the nationÂ’s first Indian-American governor in a Southern state where race is inseparable from politics.
Sure, I'd agree that "race is inseperable from politics" in LA, but it's not the way the NY Times meant it. linky
Posted by: BA ||
10/22/2007 15:02 Comments ||
Top||
#18
140 submerged school buses
That the Mayor Ray Nagin Memorial Motor Pool you be dissin', you jive-ass honky Rantburger!
Posted by: DisasterPrep B. Hard ||
10/22/2007 15:16 Comments ||
Top||
#19
This is a very inspiring story.
Mr. Jindal is of Indian descent, but he is an American. Despite the race baiting and other negative actions by his opponents, he rose above that and got 53% of the votes, almost 3 TIMES more than his closest opponent. THAT is a statement by the voters.
The Dems, MSM and all the phlegm played the race bating card and lost. That is what they do. They use race and get in, then they cannot produce and get the job done.
I wish Governor-Elect Jindal the best and hope that he is successful. He has a huge job ahead of him, but I really hope that he can make a start for good government in Louisiana. He will need to appoint good people, because there is a lot of bad government that needs fixing, and it will not be changed without a fight. I hope that he will develop a bully pulpit and COMMUNICATE his plans and assessments to the public regularly and often. Communication is the key to having the public buy into changes.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/22/2007 17:01 Comments ||
Top||
#20
Well, well, well.
People CAN learn from their mistakes.
Good on ya, Bobby. Best of luck to you cleaning up that government.
#21
Good win for the GOP and another one for MADONNA - For me, 'tis indirectly also a good sign for OBAMA, HILLARY, and DEMS. D *** NG IT -THATS RIGHT, JINDAL, MADONNA DOES "INDIA" TOO.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/22/2007 22:16 Comments ||
Top||
#23
I said the official story is that Bobby Jindal was born in the US. I don't actually know if it is true, not having seen birth certificate or anything. (Even today I don't thing we really know whether Andrew Jackson was born in the US or on the way.)
Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani yesterday told an audience of more than 2,000 evangelicals that "you have absolutely nothing to fear from me" and urged them to look beyond the differences he has with them, including his support for abortion rights. "People of good conscience reach different conclusions about whether abortions should be legal in certain circumstances," Giuliani told the Values Voters Summit.
In defending his position, he took a thinly veiled shot at rival Mitt Romney, who once supported abortion rights but is running for president on a strict antiabortion platform. "Isn't it better for me to tell you what I really believe, instead of pretending to change all of my positions to fit the prevailing winds?" Giuliani said. "I believe trust is more important than 100 percent agreement."
While Giuliani did not name Romney, his statement follows an increasingly bitter feud between the two campaigns, with Giuliani's spokeswoman issuing a statement on Friday night that detailed Romney's former support for abortion rights and accusing the former Massachusetts governor of being a "candidate of convenience."
This article starring:
Mitt Romney
Rudy Giuliani
Posted by: Fred ||
10/22/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
I'm more fearful of an outright Marxist sitting in the White House.
NEW DELHI (Rooters) - The Indian government and its commie allies agreed on Monday to hold next month one last meeting over a nuclear deal with the United States, clearly indicating that New Delhi had backtracked on pushing the pact.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's coalition faced an informal end-October deadline to take the next steps needed to clinch the historic deal, seen as a symbol of the growing strategic ties between the once-estranged democracies. Although the two sides agreed to meet again on November 16 and finalize their report, the decision failed to inject hope over the fate of a controversial deal most analysts say is gasping for life due to stiff opposition from the left parties.
"The members ... expressed the hope that the issues ... would be addressed in an appropriate manner and the operationalization of the deal will take into account the committee's findings," a joint statement said.
A senior government minister on the panel, formed in August to resolve the bitter row that erupted after the commies rejected the pact, said the November 16 meeting would be the last. "The discussions are over. The next meeting will be to finalize the findings," he told reporters on condition of anonymity as he is not authorized to speak to the media.
The four main left parties that prop up Singh's coalition had threatened to end support if the deal was pursued.
The civilian nuclear cooperation deal aims to lift a three-decade ban on sales of U.S. nuclear fuel and reactors to India, imposed after it conducted a nuclear test in 1974, while staying out of non-proliferation agreements.
Singh has said he hopes to avoid elections over the deal and told President George W. Bush that there were "certain difficulties" in pursuing it. The commies say it hurts India's sovereignty and imposes American hegemony.
The disagreement has pushed Singh's government to the brink of collapse, sparked the prospect of snap elections and hurt sentiment on India's stock markets before the coalition blinked under pressure from other allies opposed to an early vote.
Ahead of Monday's meeting, communist leaders had said they would ask the government to end its ambiguity over the deal as Singh and ruling party officials had subsequently said they were still hopeful about clinching it.
Asked if their doubts had been cleared, Debabrata Biswas, a leader of the Forward Bloc, one of the smaller left parties, said government representatives had cited Singh's comments this month that the coalition would not be sacrificed for the deal. "That is virtually an assurance," he told Reuters. "The deal is certainly not going ahead until November 16."
India needs to conclude a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency, get approvals from the Nuclear Suppliers Group and a second backing from the U.S. Congress before the deal can come into force. Although it faces no formal deadline, Washington wants the pact -- considered highly lucrative for American firms -- clinched next year before the end of Bush's term to avoid its fate becoming uncertain under a new administration.
In the first round of talks between Pakistan PeopleÂ’s Party (PPP) and the government, a PPP delegation demanded on Saturday that the government conduct the elections within two months.
The meeting that took place in Islamabad was attended by Tariq Aziz, who represented President General Pervez Musharraf, and PPP leaders Makhdoom Amin Fahim and Rehman Malik. Tariq Aziz is a close aide of President Musharraf. Sources said the delegation had told the government that there would be no further talks if the government didnÂ’t accept the PPPÂ’s demands.
The delegation protested over the governmentÂ’s statement that it was unsure whether the attack on BhuttoÂ’s rally was a suicide bombing. The sources said that the PPP demanded that the assemblies be dissolved in October and that the general elections be held within 60 days instead of 90. To this, Aziz scheduled a second meeting for Sunday (October 21) evening because he wanted to discuss the PPP demands with the president.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/22/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
It's a start.
Authorities are considering emptying the massive U.N. headquarters building for at least three years to get a long-delayed renovation project back on track and on budget, according to people who have been briefed on the plan.
Member states' deliberations and security considerations have left the $1.8 billion renovation a year behind schedule, with every month adding roughly $10 million to the overall cost of the project.
Now the construction officials are considering emptying and rehabbing the 39-story Secretariat building on New York's East River all at once, abandoning a controversial plan to do the work in 10-floor sections of an otherwise occupied building.
Critics have long complained about the plan's risks, noting that the tower is 44 years old, riddled with asbestos and lacking a sprinkler system.
Posted by: Bobby ||
10/22/2007 12:30 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
#3
Nah - let 'em back in, then drive 'em all mad by floating rumors about hidden cameras and microphones...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/22/2007 13:15 Comments ||
Top||
#4
IIRC, Donald Trump has claimed that he could do the entire renovation project for under $400M and still make a nice profit on the deal, even using union labor. He told a Congressional subcommittee that the insane pricetag the UN was floating was due to "two possible reasons" wink, wink, nudge, nudge.
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
10/22/2007 13:47 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Ricky, I think I have an .mp3 of his testimony. What a hoot it was.
If they need to empty the building, fine: move the diplomats to Geneva 'for the interim' (Dar-es-Salaam would be better, but we need to trick them into going). Then a few months later there is an unfortunate 'work accident', involving the crossing of a red wire and a green wire, and the whole structure comes down.
By the time the UN gets the money and permissions for a new building they'll be so ensconed in Geneva it won't happen.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/22/2007 14:28 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Super! A repository for all the asbestos we're required to remove from all the US buildings.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
10/22/2007 14:32 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Does it matter whether it's empty or not? Nothing good comes out of it either way. Turn it into a parking lot for the New Yorkers.
#8
Then a few months later there is an unfortunate 'work accident', involving the crossing of a red wire and a green wire, and the whole structure comes down.
#11
What about a temporary long-term move to Dubai? They got buildings going up there like Jack the Bear. And look at the recreational opportunities that the UN deligates will have in Dubai:
I could go on and on, but the UN should seriously consider Dubai for their site.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/22/2007 17:13 Comments ||
Top||
#14
I think they should relocate the UN to Mogadishu. That way they can use their collected and infinite wit and wisdom to finally bring peace to that part of the globe. *sniff*
#15
As long as it's being done by U.S. contractors, I really don't care what it costs. In fact, the more the better. Every dollar that goes to the contractors is one less dollar for the U.N. to subvert our interests.
That way they can fight with the militants for the remaining under-age girls. With luck they will kill each other off and leave the girls alone for once.
#1
It gets worse. Storm's delivery mechanism changes regularly. It began as PDF spam, then morphed into e-cards and YouTube invites. It then started posting blog-comment spam, again trying to trick viewers into clicking infected links. Similarly, the Storm email changes all the time, with new, topical subject lines and text. And last month Storm began attacking anti-spam sites focused on identifying it.
hmmmmmmm
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/22/2007 7:43 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Sounds like all the email my mother's friends send.
Disconnect them from the web and we should be fine. ;)
#4
It's also developed some interesting ways of keeping researchers like Enright at bay. "If you're a researcher and you hit the pages hosting the malware too much... there is an automated process that automatically launches a denial of service [attack] against you," he said. This attack, which floods the victim's computer with a deluge of Internet traffic, knocked part of the UC San Diego network offline when it first struck.
Lately Storm has been responsible for a large quantity of "pump and dump" spam, which tries to temporarily boost the price of penny stocks. But one area that does not seem to be of interest to Storm's creators is identity theft. "Believe it or not, credit card numbers aren't worth that much money," Enright said. "It's much better to make money... via pump and dump."
#5
So, the sky is not falling??? Damn, someone better tell al gaurdian.
Well, at least, I got to post the computer melt pic, it never fails to crack me up.
#6
eCards were so 2002, I didn't open any of the emails...
So barkwards. I haven't used anything but PeeMail for years.
Posted by: Thomas Woof ||
10/22/2007 16:35 Comments ||
Top||
#7
"Microsoft says despite all of the media attention that Storm has garnered, the worm's ranks still pale in comparison to other families of malware, noting that the Renos family of malware has been removed from 668,362 distinct machines, while the Zlob family has been removed from 664,258 machines."
JERUSALEM (AP) - Evangelical Christians in the U.S. have helped convince dozens of Iranian Jews to move to Israel in recent months, offering cash incentives and claiming that Iran's tiny Jewish community is in grave danger. The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, a charity that funnels millions of dollars in evangelical donations to Israel every year, is promising $10,000 to every Iranian Jew who comes to Israel, said the group's director, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein.
The project is another example of the alliance between the Jewish state and evangelical American Christians, many of whom see the existence of Israel and the return of Jews to the Holy Land as a realization of biblical prophesy that will culminate with Christ's Second Coming.
But an Iran expert said the money would not be enough to draw Iranian Jews, who generally do not perceive themselves to be in great danger in the Islamic republic.
About 25,000 Jews are left in Iran—an overwhelmingly Muslim nation of 65 million—the remnants of a community with origins dating to biblical times. Most Iranian Jews left for Israel or the U.S. over the last 50 years.
Still, Iran's Jewish community is the largest in the Middle East outside Israel, and Iranian Jews have some legal protections. But Israel and Iran are staunch enemies and do not have diplomatic relations. Eckstein argued that calls by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for Israel's elimination, coupled with Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program, represent danger. "Is this not similar to the situation in Nazi Germany in the late '30s, where they (Jews) also felt they could weather the storm?" he asked. Instead, 6 million were killed in the Holocaust, which Ahmadinejad has called a "myth."
Eckstein said his group has helped bring 82 Jews to Israel from Iran since the project began this year, and hopes to bring 60 more by year's end.
The charity, based in Jerusalem and Chicago, has raised $1.4 million for the project, Eckstein said. The IFCJ initially offered $5,000 per immigrant, but doubled the amount when response was lower than expected, he said. Immigrants also receive government aid upon arriving in Israel.
One of the recent arrivals, a 31-year-old widow with three children, said she was not in danger in Iran but was concerned for her children's future. "At the end of the day, this is the place for the Jewish people," she said, referring to Israel. She is living in the southern port city of Ashdod. Though she claimed to have felt safe in her hometown of Isfahan, she asked that her name be withheld to protect family remaining in Iran.
The grant from the IFCJ was what enabled her to come to Israel, she said. Most Jews in Iran have heard about the grant through word-of- mouth and Israel Radio's broadcasts in Farsi, she said.
Iranian government officials would not comment on the new project.
Iran's Jewish community is technically protected by the Islamic Republic's constitution, and has one representative in a 290-seat parliament. In a speech at Columbia University in New York last month, the Iranian president insisted that Iranians "are friends of the Jewish people. There are many Jews in Iran living peacefully with security."
Nonetheless, the Jewish community has led an uneasy existence under Iran's Islamic government. In 2000, Iranian authorities arrested 10 Jews, convicted them of spying for Israel and sentenced them to prison terms ranging from four to 13 years. An appeals court later reduced their sentences under international pressure and eventually freed them.
"Generally, Jews are free to practice Judaism inside Iran," said Meir Javedanfar, an Israeli analyst whose family emigrated from Iran in the Iranian Jews, however, are increasingly concerned about the intensity of attacks on Israel by the Iranian press, which they view as bordering on anti-Semitism, he said.
Such attacks have not led to a mass exodus from Iran, because the majority of Iranians are hospitable to the Jews and most Jews in Iran are economically comfortable, Javedanfar said. However, he noted, "the level of concern has increased" because of Ahmadinejad's statements.
This is not the first time evangelical Christians have taken part in bringing people to Israel. Eckstein's charity also played a role in funding the immigration to Israel of 7,000 members of the Bnei Menashe, a group in India claiming descent from one of the Biblical "lost tribes" of the Jews. The charity's evangelical donors, who tend to have hardline political views, see encouraging Jewish immigration as a way of strengthening the country in the face of Arab threats.
The IFCJ is one of the most prominent examples of Israel's alliance with evangelical Christians, who have become among the country's most generous donors and most enthusiastic political supporters.
The ties have been welcomed by many Israelis but criticized by others. Some Israelis believe the country should not align itself with a group seen as an extreme element of American society, while others have charged that the evangelicals' goal is ultimately to convert Jews to Christianity, a charge the evangelicals deny.
Posted by: anonymous5089 ||
10/22/2007 04:21 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
Iran's police are to keep up their moral crackdown through the winter months, confronting couples whose behaviour in public is deemed to be inappropriate, officials said on Sunday. Iran in April launched what has proved to be its most severe moral crackdown in years, handing out warnings to thousands of people for dress deemed to be unIslamic and other outlawed behaviour.
In a sign of the seriousness of the drive, police are to continue the crackdown in winter, the Fars news agency reported, whereas in the past it has been restricted to the summer months when dress is skimpier.
Ahmad Roozbehani, the head of the moral security police, was quoted as saying by the agency that his forces would be targeting "inappropriate" behaviour by couples in public, be they married or not. "If someone is walking down the street with their legitimate partner, police will not ask for identification from them but if an obvious offence occurs or a report is received we will confront this.
"This also applies to the behaviour even of married couples. They should not have inappropriate behaviour and draw attention to themselves."
He did not give further details on the kind of behaviour proscribed but any kind of intimate cuddling between couples in public, let alone kissing, is a social taboo in Iran. Holding hands has become acceptable in the Islamic republic, so long as the partners are married. Theoretically, unmarried boys and girls should not hang out in public, although this is often flouted.
Roozbehani also said the police would continue to focus on clothing such as the long coats or mantos that women wear to cover their bodily contours in line with Islamic dress rules. "Using split mantos with open collars and inappropriate make-up are considered examples of that would be confronted," he said.
The police chief said that ski resorts in Iran -- which are often the scene of liberal behaviour and loose dress reviled by conservatives -- would also be targeted.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/22/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
There is a lot of work for the morality police in Iran since nearly all behavior is deemed immoral--except for suicide trips in the name of allan.
#3
The Leftards religion is a religion of spite and hate.They will dance with the devil to spite their enemy of the day.Not quite the stategic thinkers.
And I'll bet they all took the day off from their "jobs". Right?
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Dozens of protesters were arrested Monday for blocking the doors and streets outside congressional buildings near the U.S. Capitol, according to Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, spokeswoman for the U.S. Capitol police. She said nearly 60 were arrested on various charges, including unlawful assembly.
Video showed police handcuffing a female protester dressed in a black pullover emblazoned with "Blackwater" and the U.S. security contractor's paw print symbol. Oh, heavy symbolism. Maybe the feds can hire Blackwater to do congressional security? I'll bet that'd be fun... "Step back, a member of Blackwater is being arrested," one of the woman's fellow protesters shouted, while others chanted, "Arrest Bush." Maybe in Pretendland, honey. But in the real world, it's one of your freak friends being arrested.
Earlier, police had warned the protesters dressed in Blackwater gear, as well as others in military fatigues, not to block the doorway or they would be arrested. They sat on the steps pretending to hold weapons in their hands. Oh, let's play pretend. They should've got their heads cracked by cops holding real sticks not playing pretend...
More than 100 people were protesting both the war in Iraq and U.S. policy on global warming. Some were dressed as polar bears and danced on the sidewalk, while others shouted, "No war" and "No warming." Geez, dancing polar bears. Sorry I missed that.
Two protesters paraded through the streets outside the Capitol building, one wearing a large George W. Bush mask and a black-and-white prison outfit, while the other wore a Condoleezza Rice mask with an "Arrest Bush" T-shirt. If there's no Big Giant Puppets, they're really not making the effort, and I find it hard to take them seriously.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -- The dollar fell to a new all-time low against the euro Monday after a weekend meeting of the Group of Seven finance ministers ended without a clear statement about weakness in the U.S. currency.
The euro rose as high as $1.4348 in Asian trading, breaking a previous record of $1.4319, set on Friday, before settling back to $1.4280 in late morning trading in Europe. That was barely changed from the $1.4281 it bought in New York late Friday.
Concerns about the health of the U.S. economy have put pressure on the dollar for months, but whether the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates again soon is considered by traders a tossup. "Clearly any further speculation that we'll see another rate cut from the Fed as soon as next week would add" more pressure, said James Hughes, a market analyst CMC Markets in London.
The European Central Bank, in contrast, has left open the option of raising its own rates, but most analysts believe such a move will not come before December. Hughes said that, if the ECB does resume its rate increases, that could push the euro up to $1.45 -- the point at which most analysts think European exporters will start to feel the pinch of the weak dollar.
In other trading, the British pound drifted down slightly to $2.0444 on Monday from $2.0500 on Friday. The dollar hit a six-week low against the Japanese yen, falling to 113.72 from 144.80 yen.
Compare the government deficit as percentage of GDP with the Eurocurrencies and you'll understand what speculation means. Throw in unemployment and available critical natural resources, and you have to come to a conclusion that someone is starting to play games.
There are not enough hard assets in the entire US for foreigners to buy so the deficit can continue. It means a falling dollar, rising prices and lower standard of living until consumption matches production.
Posted by: ed ||
10/22/2007 11:10 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Can't happen when all the national income generating jobs are outsourced.
Also, look at the immigrants where you work... do they buy American?
#4
Let's see, American labor just cheaper. Considering American worker will perform for longer hours, take less holidays, are more adaptive to changes in the workplace, and in general rather than let envy make them angry [university humanities departments exempted] would rather work harder to attain similar compensation, where would you want to invest your money? Now you could play China, but the laws and endemic corruption is like playing Vegas or buying bonds in subprime housing loans. Its all risk management.
#6
This Congress and the President for years have been fiscally irresponsible. We cannot balance our budget, we finance deficits by issuing bonds. We have spent ourselves into the poorhouse.
Now we are in big debt and the value of our assets suck. No wonder that the dollar drops. Soros could help it along, but an irresponsible govt has got us into this real fiscally existential mess.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/22/2007 18:26 Comments ||
Top||
#1
Damn, I am about 50 years to late. Hormones have always been a problem. Controls don't seem to be present today. I think we have thrown out the baby, bathwater, and bathtub in the name of political correctness and social engineering. Oh, for the days of the Pledge of Allegiance and the Lord's Prayer.
#2
This item is the first in a series. Here's today's installment:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TEACHER_SEX_ABUSE_II?SITE=OKTUL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
LISBON - China must do more to remedy increasing trade imbalances with the European Union if it wants its relationship with the bloc to continue to grow, EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson said on Sunday. MandelsonÂ’s comments could signal the EU is preparing to take a tougher stance against the export powerhouse over its growing trade surplus and amid increasing calls from foreign investors for access into ChinaÂ’s robust market.
Rep. 
Republican presidential candidate 
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -- The dollar fell to a new all-time low against the euro Monday after a weekend meeting of the Group of Seven finance ministers ended without a clear statement about weakness in the U.S. currency.
