Message

That infantile hacker has been at it again! Doesn’t his mother give him toys to play with? Perhaps a rattle would do the trick!

Wait for my pageviews to go down this evening. Do people like this know nothing except destruction? It is ironic that it is the anniversary of 9/11! Haven’t they got a creative bone in their bodies? – © Mark

Message to My Visitors and Followers. My Website Has Been Hacked – Yet Again!

I apologise for all gold print that appears. That is not my work, but a hacker’s. Whoever it is must be very playful, but also rather nasty.

One strange observation I have made is this: I have been hacked only twice even though I have blogged for twenty or so years. The hacks have been recent – since I changed this blog’s name and made it gay-friendly. (Please note, I said ‘gay-friendly’, not gay. This blog is about many things which have no relation to gay issues at all: international politics, Islam, cookery, music, fashion and much else besides.) But each time I have been hacked, I have put something up in Arabic script. Also, the timing: The hackings have taken place about half an hour after putting something up in Arabic. It was just the same the last time. It could be a coincidence, but somehow I doubt that it is.

It is probably the same person who keeps shaving off thousands from my pageviews with alarming frequency.

Run away and play little boy! Stop your childish games and try and grow up! By the way, if you are worried about your good deeds… rest assured, this is not one of them! Were I to be your father, I would scold you severely! – Mark

Message: Google, Blogger, It Appears, Is Homophobic!

I‘m thinking seriously of changing platforms. Even though I have been blogging on Google’s Blogger for twenty or so years; since I changed this blog’s focus, making it far more gay-friendly, I have become increasingly convinced that inexplicable things are happening in the background which do not correspond with the facts as I am able to garner them from other stat counter websites I am connected with.

For example, I have had an excellent connexion with a French website for many, many years. Its recording of my stats tells me a very different story from the stats that Google tells me. According to that website, my stats are going up; according to Google, my page views are going down! Go figure!

I have just had 4,000 page views shaved off my monthly total in the last half hour or so. A similar thing happened last night. This has nothing to do with any algorithm; it has everything to do with the human hand and possibly with homophobia. Of that I am convinced.

Just because a company is tech savvy, it doesn’t mean that its employees are enlightened! Some of Google’s employees appear not to be!

So, please do not be surprised if I inform you soon that I have a different web address. If I do get a new web address, you will be informed well in advance. Naturally, I do not want to lose anyone. Not even one of you! You are all very important to me. I consider you as part of my family.

Any changes will be published well in advance. Please look out for possible changes.

Warm wishes to all.
Mark

Message

It’s Saturday night; so, it’s the end of the week. I should therefore like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support. Naturally, I hope and trust that you are enjoying the subtle changes I am frequently making to this website. My aim is to please YOU.

This website brings me so much pleasure; being able to observe from the stats and data that so many of you are regular visitors to my blog brings me more pleasure than I can easily express in a few words. I suppose, in short, it is true to say that your continued support sustains me.

Because I have little knowledge of YOUR demographics, it is difficult for me to know exactly what you like or dislike. In many ways, I work ‘in the dark’. Somehow, I need to find a way of knowing exactly what pleases you; so, please bear with me on that. This is going to take time.

It is quite possible that some of my visitors are gay but are still in the closet. Those in the closet could be young or even quite old. Many older gays are still in the closet, fearful of coming out. Coming out is not an easy process and it takes courage.

Whether you are young or old, if you are still struggling to live your life authentically, and if you believe that I could help you in any way, then please do not hesitate to contact me. My email address is markalexander.librabunda@gmail.com . I am not an expert in coming out, but I have had a lot of experience in life; and I know what has worked for me. If you feel in any way that my experience can help you, then email me. There will be no charge.

Living in the closet is not living an authentic, honest life. Some people cannot come out because of their geographic location. There are, indeed, many places on earth where coming out would not be a wise option. It is better to live in the closet and be safe than to come out and put your life in danger! But where coming out is a safe option, then generally coming out is to be recommended, I believe, as long as you have reached an age in life in which your sexual orientation has stabilised.

Again, I thank you kindly for all your support. Further, I send each and every one of you the warmest of wishes. – Mark

Message

My posting has been slow today, because I have been getting help from Adobe.

Yesterday, I decided to subscribe to Adobe Stock to be able to offer you an extended choice of great photos and images. I hope you will enjoy them. It’s an archive of great photos and images, actually. I hope you will be pleased: I hope they will bring you much pleasure and delight.

It was a little complicated in the beginning, because the first image I downloaded had a watermark emblazoned right across it. I wanted the download to be without a watermark. Therefore, I had to get in contact with Adobe customer support to sort out the problem. It turns out that I had downloaded the image incorrectly. It has now been sorted: the watermark is gone. There were one or two other questions about my allowance of images per month, etc, as well. This is why I am behindhand with my posting today; I trust that you will understand.

I hope you enjoy the new experience.

Mark

Apology to My Followers

I have an apology to make to my followers. I nixed the follower feature a few days ago, because on my computer, you, my followers, no longer showed up on the front page. However, when I went to check stats and other things on the back pages a short while ago, I see that you are all still there and still following me. All 53 of you! I am truly sorry about this. It was not my intention to nix you. Not at all! But as I couldn’t see you on the front page, I thought you had deserted me. But you haven’t.

When I went to re-install the list, it tells me that I must do it, one follower at a time. But there are no instructions as to how to do this. So, folks, please bear with me. I am going to have to do a spot of research as to how I can achieve this. In the past, followers just showed up – I didn’t have to do anything. Clearly, Google has changed the system.

So, dear followers, all of you, please forgive me for this screw-up. I will correct it, but I am not sure how long it’s going to take me. I think I shall have to go onto a forum somewhere on the Net and see if I can get some help with it.

I’m sorry! I truly am.

Mark

A Message to You, My Esteemed Visitors and Followers: Would You Kindly Do Me a Small, but Great, Favour?

Since changing the format of this blog, the number of monthly page views has grown a lot. This pleases me greatly, of course; in fact, it delights me!

However, I have bigger plans still for this blog: I want to grow its loyal readership still more – I want to reach even more readers and potential loyal followers. And this is where I want to ask you to help me. Would you please email a link to this website to a friend, an acquaintance, or a family member? Or to several! Doing this would be a great help to me.

My aim for this website/blog is to show how normal the gay community is: I am trying to bring the gay community and the straight community together. This will help fight homophobia. Homophobia is a big problem in the world today. We need to do all we can to eliminate it.

Because it is my intention to fight the evil of homophobia, it is why I do not blog things related only to the gay community. Were I to do to that, I’d simply be ‘preaching to the choir’!

What I believe we need to do is show the world how normal being gay is. For example, by showing men kissing each day, and blogging about stories related to gay issues, thinking people will be able to conclude that gays are not so different after all: they have normal feelings, desires and interests just as everyone else has. That is one reason why I like to blog about diverse issues.

You, my visitors, mean a great deal to me. Many of you are regular and daily visitors from all over the world. Although I don’t know you, I feel that I do. I look out for you on my data each day, in order to see if my ‘friend’ has visited! That’s how much you mean to me!

So if you would kindly help me grow this community still more, I would be truly grateful. The more people that come to see how normal we all are, the sooner we will rid the world of this awful thing called homophobia!

This week, Google took away the possibility for people to sign up for a daily feed of what has been posted. I don’t know why they have done that, but all bloggers will be affected by this change. We can counter this, however, if you help me by sending a link, or a few, to your contacts.

By the way, I have received no emails from anyone yet, despite having so many visitors. Please don’t hesitate to email me if you feel so inclined; I’d love to hear from you; and I’d love to get feedback from you with any suggestions for improvements you may have.

Warm wishes to all!
Mark

A Message to You, My Followers and Esteemed Visitors

First of all I should like to thank you all kindly for all your support. Your support means the world to me. It is difficult to express in words what it means to me and how much pleasure it brings me each day. A big thank you to you all for it!

I trust that you are enjoying the blog’s content. I hope and trust that you like the changes I am making to it. My aim is to please you, my valued followers and visitors.

By now, I feel that sure you must be asking yourselves some questions about me, about who I am and where I stand on the political spectrum. I feel that the time has come to give you at least some idea about me and my place on the political spectrum. It is only fair that I do so.

Politically, I am rather moderate. I am neither right nor left. I am somewhere in the middle. Perhaps slightly to the right of centre, but only slightly so. I abhor extremism in all its forms, either in action or deed, and certainly in politics. (I have an aversion to showiness.) In fact, I rather dislike classifying myself as either right or left: I take each issue on its merit. So I can be more to the right on some issues and more to the left on others.

I believe in tolerance; and I believe in compassion for the less fortunate in society. However, I understand that business needs to be given the chance to grow and thrive. Without a successful commercial base, we are nothing and can do nothing to help the less fortunate.

As you are now well-aware, I am gay. But my lifestyle is anything but gay, actually. Humdrum would, perhaps, be a more accurate description! I lead a very quiet life in a relatively small town. I do not frequent bars, and I have never frequented gay bars, and nor have I have never ever engaged in cruising. My life is ‘normal’ in every sense of that word.

My interests are broad: I love international politics, languages, reading in various languages, cooking and cookery, fashion, beauty in all its forms, and refinement in all its forms, too. Good food and wines and spirits have always been a part of my existence; but only ever in moderation. I actually care for my health as best I can, but that doesn’t mean that I enjoy none of the pleasures this life has to offer. Further, I hope that the best years are yet and still ahead of me. The best is yet to come! I am still searching for my Eden.

I love France and all things French; and I love Switzerland and all things Swiss. (Naturally, I love other countries too.) Indeed, I spent four of the finest years of my life in Zürich. It is because of that time I spent there that I am as fluent as I am in German today. Switzerland is a fine country, as are its people. When I left Switzerland something of Switzerland remained in my heart. I think that God must have created Switzerland as beautiful as it is to remind us of Paradise. He must have wanted Switzerland to be a taster of what awaits us!

I think I have probably told you enough about myself for now. I shall probably say more later. But I think that suffices for the time being.

Again, please allow me to thank you so much for your loyalty and support. It means more to me than you will probably ever realise. – Mark

More Frustrations!

Yesterday, early evening, I decided to re-subscribe to Le Figaro. This time, I subscribed through Google, because it is cheaper that way. However, the newspaper won’t allow me full access. I have been trying to gain full access since yesterday evening, but I haven’t managed to crack the nut yet! It will soon be midday here and I am still trying! Does subscribing to a newspaper have to be this difficult? God! What a day! – Mark

Update: It is now 2:16pm here in the UK and I am still struggling to gain access to Le Figaro! I have lost count as to the number of emails for assistance I have sent. But they simply keep sending me a linkk to change my password. This is not a password problem per se. It is a much bigger problem than that. I am subscribed to a The New York Times and The Guardian and access to both was simple. A child could have gained access to those newspapers, after payment. To gain access to Le Figaro, you need a PhD! – Mark

Update 2: It is now 4:50pm and I still cannot gain full access to my account! They simply dont answer my pleas for assistance. The only thing I get are emails with links to change my password. And those don't work! I'm at a loss as to what I can do next. This is a poor show indeed. Perhaps I should have subscribed to Le Monde instead. – Mark

Update 3: It is now 8:35pm. More than 24 hours have passed and I have still been unable to gain full access to my account at Le Figaro! I have spent the last twenty-four-plus hours going 'round in circles! I can now give up for the evening because their offices are closed. It seems like I now have two options open to me: either I cancel my subscription altogether or I telephone their office(s) in Paris tomorrow. I find this whole thing totally and absolutely ridiculous! And very frustrating! – Mark

Update 4: Success! I've now gained full access to Le Figaro – at last! I had to call France and get help to crack the nut, but the nut has been cracked! A very nice and friendly young man helped me solve the problem. Apparently, some changes had to be made their end because there was some confusion about my data. I had been subscribed to the newspaper before, but as I subscribed this time through Google, the new details didn't correspond to the old data they had for me. These changes had to be made manually. The gentleman was able to make those changes for me. Even in the Internet age, sometimes a telephone call is the only way to solve a problem! One needs to speak to someone—a real person—who understands the problem and can make the necessary changes. If I hadn't made that call, I'd still be struggling to gain full access. But as we often say, 'All's well that ends well!' – Mark

A Puzzle Indeed!

Hello to you all!

The last couple of days have presented me with a very disappointing puzzle: despite an ever-increasing number of visitors from all over the world coming to this, my blog, my page views have been downgraded – twice! On Saturday and yesterday.

On Saturday at around 1pm UK time, my page views stood at precisely 68,000. That days they went up rapidly.

I went to bed late on Saturday, because I was blogging until late into the evening. Before retiring, I took one last look at my blog to make sure that everything was in order. When I glanced at the page views, to my horror, I found that the system had taken approximately 2,400 page views off the total! A downgrade indeed! I was horrified! I went to bed in great disappointment.

Yesterday, throughout the day, the numbers started to recover those page views that I had lost the night before. Not all, of course, but the tally was growing satisfactorily. So, I thought I’d overlook it and put it down to a glitch in the system. I didn’t email Google, because in my experience, you’re wasting your time: they never answer you! Sending an email to Google requesting help and support is like sending an email into a big black hole!

But the story doesn’t end there. Last night, I went to bed later still. Again, I had been at my computer blogging and looking for interesting material for the blog. Before going to bed, I checked my page views and again I was horrified: Google had shaved many thousands off my page view counter!

This is beyond my comprehension! How could my page views at lunchtime on Saturday stand at 68,000, climb quickly throughout the day on Saturday and climb quickly yesterday too, and I end up at the moment with 65,593 page views (as I write this)?

I must say this: Google has a cruel way of dealing with its users. Until now, I have made no money from this blog at all. But it brings me great joy. You folks bring me a lot of pleasure; indeed a very great deal of pleasure. On the back side, I see all the hits I get from all over the world. That is very satisfying. But when I see that Google is taking those numbers away from me, I find it soul-destroying.

I simply cannot explain this. It makes absolutely no sense to me. It is way beyond my ken. So, may I ask one of you who understands this better than I to do me a huge favour and email me to explain why and how this is happening? Naturally, I want to try and stop it happening in future if I can. Maybe I am doing something wrong. Or is something fishy going on at Google? I am rather suspicious of foul play.

My email address is markalexander.librabunda@gmail.com

With many thanks to you all in advance; and again, I want to thank you all for your continued support. The joy you bring me is immense.

Warm wishes,
Mark

A Big Thank You to You All!

You have probably already noticed that today we reached over sixty thousand page views this month. This, of course, delights me! And I owe it all to you, my esteemed visitors, followers and readers. You come here from all over the world: North America, Central America, South America, Europe, eastern Europe and Russia, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia (Indian subcontinent) and Asia and, of course, Australasia.

I can’t thank you enough for all your support.

I don’t really know who you all are; but yet I feel that I do! I so look forward each and every morning to checking my visits overnight. Naturally, I check them constantly throughout the day as well. Many of you are regulars; though naturally I have no idea who you really are; I know only the countries, towns and cities you reside in.

I changed the name of this blog only a short while ago. I also made it trilingual. I also changed the focus of its content. I have made it much more gay-friendly, but hopefully not to the exclusion of my straight supporters. All my visitors mean a lot to me – gay or straight. In fact, you mean more to me than you probably know or realize. I feel that you are part of my family.

When I changed the name of this blog, I also decided to make its content more varied: I have introduced some new features like the ‘gay kiss of the day’, and I have added more music, and a cookery feature, too. My aim is to make the blog rather like a magazine: I want there to be something of interest for a broad audience, not just a select few. Naturally, when one makes such changes, there will be a certain amount of trial and error involved. So if I err from time to time, please bear with me.

Again, thank you all so much for your continued support. Without your support, this blog wouldn’t even exist. I send you all my very warmest of wishes. – Mark

If you wish to do so, you may contact me at markalexander.librabunda@gmail.com – I would welcome your comments.

A Short Message to My Followers, Readers and Visitors

Fight hatred with kindness wherever and whenever possible: nothing is more disarming than kindness; love is more powerful still!

As a community, we need to strive for full acceptance. Tolerance is but a first step toward full acceptance. Ultimately, gays must be determined to settle for nothing less than total acceptance!

Arbitrary rules of behaviour stemming from centuries past are not an appropriate guide for life in the twenty-first century. Same-sex, same-gender attraction is not new and it is certainly not aberrant in a negative sense; it has existed since time immemorial and is commonplace even in the animal kingdom.

Although I am no longer religious, I am still spiritual; I believe in the existence of a Creator. And I am, indeed, we are, just as our Creator intended us to be. To argue otherwise is tantamount to saying that the Creator has erred.

Let no man ‘play God’ and demean your very existence. That person, too, is but one of God’s children; and God favours no-one above another, except, perhaps, based on behaviour and deeds. It is therefore the right of no man to withhold another man’s rights. We are all entitled, by birth, to a life of fulfilment, peace, and harmony. Let us go forward together on our mission. Let us break down barriers between the heterosexual and homosexual communities. We must show our very best side, attracting as little criticism as possible.

In recent years, it is noticeable that people have become far less tolerant of the lifestyles of others: many straight people are homophobic; many non-smokers are intolerant of smokers; many vegetarians and vegans are impatient of meat-eaters; many Orientals dislike the ways of the Occident, and the converse is often also true. And so it goes on! Without end!

This is no way to achieve harmony in this troubled world. So the only sensible maxim to live by is this: Live and let live. Or as is said in German: Leben und leben lassen! And in French, Vivre et laisser vivre ! It’s the only way forward for a peaceful and harmonious existence.

Look not for the differences between people; rather, look for the similarities. It will be a much better world to live in if we do, if we are guided by these principles. Long live peace! Es lebe Frieden! Vive la paix ! Remember: Love conquers all! !

All Rights Reserved

© Mark Alexander

A Message to My Followers, Visitors
I should like my followers and visitors to know that I am taking a holiday from full-time blogging in the coming weeks. Any blogs will be sporadic, for I shall be away from home for a while, too.

I trust that you will understand my need for some rest and recuperation. I shall be back with you thereafter. Best wishes, Mark

A Brief Comment Appeared Briefly
When this blog was set up many years ago, a person was given permission to write on it. Until today, he has never written anything on the blog. But some ten or so minutes ago, I noticed that he had written his opinion on DSK. I was rather shocked to see it there, for his opinion does not reflect my own. I am keeping an open mind on the matter. He, by contrast, appears to have made up his mind already.

I had forgotten that this person had permission to write here, and when I had remembered about it in the past, out of a courtesy to him, I allowed the name to stay there as a contributor for old times’ sake.

However, without intending to be discourteous to the man, I do not feel comfortable with others contributing to this site, especially when I have not read what has been written before it is published. There are legalities to consider. This is not America. We do not enjoy the First Amendment rights that our brothers in America do. Therefore, we as Brits have to be more circumspect.

I wish to be in full control of what is published on this website for this reason, and for other reasons also. I therefore must apologise to my readers for this interruption in the normal flow of posts. I must also apologise to the contributor for removing his post. I trust he will understand why I have done this.

As I am writing this now, I should like to add something else, something totally irrelevant to this matter. I should like to inform my visotors that I am unable to make up any new labels for each post I put up. This is because I have reached the maximum allowed. Therefore, when a new story breaks, I am unable to use new labels. If a suitable label is not in the bank of labels I have, I have to find a way around it. So if you think it is strange that I don’t make up a label for DSK, for example, this is why. I cannot.

This happened because when we started blogging, we were not told that there was a limit to the number of labels one could use. The limit was enforced a long time later. Had I known that a limit would be enforced at some point, I’d have been rather more sparing in my use of labels from the start. Alas, this wasn’t so.

So now, the only way I can free up space for new labels is by deleting unwanted old ones. I have spent many, many hours doing this, but I haven’t yet made a dent in them. Believe me, it is a laborious task.

Kind regards,

Mark

Gaddafi Sends Message to Barack Obama
YAHOO! NEWS UK: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has sent a message to US President Barack Obama, the White House has confirmed, as Nato claims his forces are using human shields for protection.

Colonel Gaddafi sent the message "following the withdrawal of America from the crusader colonial alliance against Libya", Libya's official news agency JANA said.

No further details were given by the state broadcaster about the message to Mr Obama. » | Sky News | Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Blogroll & List of Newspapers & Journals: A Message to My Visitors
Recently, because of a malfunction in the old Blogger template – my sidebar wouldn’t load correctly – I was forced to change over to the new Blogger template. I had been reluctant to change over before because I knew it would be time-intensive, and time is what we are all short of these days.

Anyway, change is what I had to embrace. In actual fact, I am very pleased with the new look of the website. I hope that you are too. However, the changeover has meant that very many links have dropped off. Many of these links will be to loyal websites which have linked back to this one for a long time. Naturally, I regretted this. But I fully intended to rectify the matter in due course. (For ‘in due course’ read ‘when I could figure out how’!)

Using the new template has been a somewhat steep learning curve for me. In these matters, I have been self-taught from the start.

I am pleased to report that I have got to grips with the new template now. So it’s only a question of time to place all the links back up on the sidebar. Unfortunately, there appears to be no way of doing this quickly. Each link has to be placed up there one-by-one.

With Christmas approaching, my time is going to be even tighter than it normally is; however, I shall endeavour to correct this matter as soon as possible. Please bear with me. This new website truly is a work in progress! It is at times like this that I wish I had five pairs of hands! Regards to all. Mark

Obama on Israel's Independence Day: Our Ties Will Only Strengthen
HAARETZ: The relationship between Israel and the U.S. "will only be strengthened in the months and years to come," U.S. President Barack Obama said in a special statement for Israel's 62nd Independence Day.

"Minutes after David Ben-Gurion declared Israel's independence, realizing the dream of a state for the Jewish people in their historic homeland, the United States became the first country to recognize Israel," Obama said.

"To this day, we continue to share a strong, unbreakable bond of friendship between our two nations, anchored by the United States' enduring commitment to Israel's security," Obama continued.

Obama also said his administration would continue to work toward a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"I look forward to continuing our efforts with Israel to achieve comprehensive peace and security in the region, including a two-state solution, and to working together to counter the forces that threaten Israel, the United States, and the world," he said.

"On this day, we once again honor the extraordinary achievements of the people of Israel, and their deep and abiding friendship with the American people. I offer my best wishes to President Peres, Prime Minister Netanyahu and the people of Israel as they celebrate this happy occasion." >>> Natasha Mozgovaya | Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Watch video of Hillary Clinton’s message to Israel here
Memo from Jerusalem: Mood Is Dark as Israel Marks 62nd Year as a Nation
THE NEW YORK TIMES: JERUSALEM — Every year, Israelis approach the joy of their Independence Day right after immersing themselves in a 24-hour period of grief for fallen soldiers. Before the fireworks burst across the skies Monday night to celebrate the country’s 62nd birthday, the airwaves filled with anguished stories of servicemen and -women killed, the Kaddish prayer of mourning and speeches placing the deeply personal losses of a small country into the sweep of Jewish history.

So there is nothing new or unusual about Israelis’ marking their collective accomplishments with sorrow and concern. It happens all the time, especially among those on the political left who are angry that Israel’s occupation of the Palestinians shows no sign of ending.

But there is something about the mood this year that feels darker than usual. It has a bipartisan quality to it. Both left and right are troubled, and both largely about the same things, especially the Iranian nuclear program combined with growing tensions with the Obama administration.

“There is a confluence of two very worrying events,” said Michael Freund, a rightist columnist for The Jerusalem Post in a telephone interview. “One is the Iranian threat, an existential threat. Add to that the fact that for the first time in recent memory there is a president in the White House who is not overly sensitive to the Jewish state and its interests. You put the two together and it will affect anyone’s mood, even an optimist like me.”

Haaretz, the newspaper that serves as the voice of the shrinking political left in this country, is in a truly depressed mood. Its editorial on Monday contended that Israel “is isolated globally and embroiled in a conflict with the superpower whose friendship and support are vital to its very existence.” >>> Ethan Bronner | Monday, April 19, 2010

62, Under a US cloud
THE JERUSALEM POST: A new and largely unexpected diplomatic danger casts a shadow on Israel's 62nd independence day.

Israel turns 62 on a high in many areas. Prudent fiscal policies spared our economy many of the ravages of the global crisis. Time, that ultimate healer, seems to be mitigating some societal rifts, whether they be religious-secular, Sephardi-Ashkenazi, or newcomer-veteran. An IDF bolstered by the successful tenure of chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi has improved day-to-day security as well as military preparedness.

Less encouragingly, a succession of demoralizing corruption scandals is rocking our nation, undermining faith in our public servants. Looking ahead, our internal cohesiveness is by no means assured. Arabs and haredim largely resist full integration, do not subscribe to the state’s Zionist ideals, and do not contribute sufficiently to the economy. Our dysfunctional electoral system, granting inordinate power to tiny parties, still goes unreformed.

As we today make the abrupt annual shift from mourning our fallen soldiers to celebrating the independence for which they gave their lives, however, internal challenges are complicated by a new and largely unexpected diplomatic danger: our blighted relations with the US.

Israel at 62, aware of the demographic threat to our democracy of retaining the entire West Bank, is consensually supportive of a Palestinian state, provided this historically unprecedented entity does not threaten us militarily, or require our withdrawal to the vulnerable pre-1967 borders, or flood us with refugees. To advance these vital terms, we need the US at our side.

Israel at 62 lives in the shadow of an Iranian regime that seeks our demise; that arms, trains, funds and inspires Hamas in Gaza and Hizbullah in Lebanon; and that is speeding serenely ahead toward nuclear weapons. Here, too, we look to America to marshal sufficient economic – and if all else fails, military – pressure to deter the mullahs from this path or force them from power.

And Israel at 62 suffers growing pariah status, singled out for demonization in diplomatic forums, in legal arenas and in the media – its historic legitimacy undermined, its defensive measures assailed, its very right to survive questioned. Iran is central to this assault, bolstered by the bizarre partnership of the radical Left and the fascist Right in much of Western Europe and beyond. Here, once more, we depend on the US’s upright moral compass and the fundamental ethics of its citizens to counterbalance the United Nations and other skewed forums. >>> JPost Editorial | Sunday, April 18, 2010

Barack Obama tente de rassurer le monde musulman
À l'occasion du Forum Islam-États-Unis ce week-end à Doha, Barack Obama a adressé un message vidéo pour défendre sa politique à l'égard du monde musulman. Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Le président a nommé un émissaire spécial auprès de l'OCI.

Huit mois après le discours du Caire, dans lequel il avait appelé à un «nouveau départ » dans les relations entre les États-Unis et le monde musulman, Barack Obama poursuit sa politique d'ouverture à un moment où les défis sont plus importants que jamais. Le président américain vient de nommer un émissaire à l'Organisation de la conférence islamique (OCI) et défendu son action dans une vidéo retransmise à l'ouverture du septième Forum mondial Islam-États-Unis ce week-end à Doha. La secrétaire d'État américaine, Hillary Clinton, devait y prononcer dimanche un discours avant de se rendre lundi en Arabie saoudite pour chercher des appuis sur le dossier iranien.

Dans son message, Barack Obama a pris soin des détails. Il commence par un «Salam Aleikoum» et précise que son émissaire à l'OCI, Rashad Hussain, avocat et l'un de ses proches collaborateurs à la Maison-Blanche, est un «Hafiz» du Coran, terme arabe désignant ceux qui ont appris par cœur le texte saint.

Depuis le discours du Caire, force est cependant de constater que le monde n'a guère changé. L'envoi de nouvelles troupes en Afghanistan et la menace de sanctions contre l'Iran sont mal perçus par une partie du monde musulman, qui y voit la poursuite de la politique de George Bush. Dans son message, Barack Obama a pris la mesure de ces inquiétudes. «Les États-Unis et les musulmans ont souvent été entraînés dans un cycle de méfiance et d'incompréhension qui peut mener au conflit plutôt qu'à la coopération», a-t-il reconnu, admettant que «beaucoup reste à faire». À propos de l'Afghanistan, parallèlement à une opération militaire d'envergure, le président a expliqué que les États-Unis essaient «d'établir des partenariats afin d'isoler les extrémistes violents». >>> Adèle Smith, à New York | Lundi 15 Février 2010

'Bin Laden' claims Christmas Day bomb plot
TIMES ONLINE: A new audio tape said to be from Osama Bin Laden that claims responsibility for the Christmas Day airline bombing attempt in Detroit has warned of further attacks against America.

The short recording purporting to be from the al-Qaeda leader, which was aired on Al Jazeera television, said: “The message delivered to you through the plane of the heroic warrior Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was a confirmation of the previous messages sent by the heroes of the September 11.”

On Christmas Day, Mr Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian national, allegedly attempted to blow up the Northwest Airlines flight he was sitting on as it approached Detroit Metro Airport. But the bomb he was said to have been hiding in his underwear failed to explode.

He told police shortly afterwards that he had been trained and instructed in the plot by al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen.

More than 60 messages have been broadcast by bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahri, al-Qaeda’s number two, and their allies since the September 11 attacks in 2001.

The tape was aired after MI5 raised the terrorist threat level in Britain from "substantial" to "severe" — meaning that counter-terrorism agencies believe that an attack is "highly likely".

It is believed that intelligence whispers from America that an al-Qaeda affiliated group is close to finalising another atrocity coupled with a conference on Yemen and Afghanistan in London this week led to the decision. >>> Adam Fresco | Sunday, January 24, 2010

Osama bin Laden Tape: Al-Qaeda Leader Claims Re[s]ponsibility for Detroit Terror Attack
THE TELEGRAPH: Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader, has released a new voice recording claiming responsibility for the Christmas Day attempt by underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner.

The latest recording emerges after British spy chiefs raised the UK threat state to "severe" amid fears that al-Qaeda was planning a fresh wave of attacks on western targets, including and a plot to hijack an Indian passenger jet and crash it into a British city and attacks using female suicide bombers.

In the audio recording, released by Qatar-based Al Jazeera television, a voice purported to be bin Laden, says: "The message sent to you with the attempt by the hero Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is a confirmation of our previous message conveyed by the heroes of September 11.

"If it was possible to carry our messages to you by words we wouldn't have carried them to you by planes," bin Laden added in a message he said was directed "from Osama to Obama".

David Miliband, the British Foreign Secretary, said the fact that bin Laden had apparently claimed responsibility for the Yemen-back Detroit plot demonstrates "the links that can exist between different terrorist groups". >>> Phil Sherwell, in New York and Sean Rayment, Security Correspondent | Sunday, January 24, 2010

Bin Laden Claims Plane Bombing Bid (باللغة العربية)


Neue Audiobotschaft: Bin Laden bekennt sich zu Detroit-Anschlag
WELT ONLINE: Al-Qaida-Chef Osama bin Laden übernimmt die Verantwortung für den vereitelten Anschlag auf ein US-Passagierflugzeug an Weihnachten. Das geht aus einer Tonbandaufnahme hervor, deren Stimme dem Chef des Terrornetzwerkes zugeordnet wird. In der Botschaft kündigt bin Laden neue Anschläge auf die USA an.

„Wenn es möglich wäre, unsere Botschaft an Euch in Worten zu überbringen, hätten wir sie nicht mit Flugzeugen überbracht.“ Derart lakonisch rechtfertigt Al-Qaida-Chef Osma Bin Laden in einer neuen Audiobotschaft sowohl erneut die Angriffe vom 11. September 2001 als auch den versuchten Sprengstoffanschlag auf eine US-Linienmaschine auf dem Flug nach Detroit am 25. Dezember.

Die Aufnahme sendete wie schon diverse andere Verlautbarungen des Terror-Paten der in Qatar ansässige arabische Nachrichtensender al-Dschasira. Das Zeichen, das der "nigerianische Held“ Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab übermittelt habe, bekräftige die Mission „der Attentäter vom 11. September“ und nachfolgender Terroristen, sagte der Anführer des Terrornetzwerks in der gut eine Minute dauernden Tonbandaufnahme an die Adresse der USA. Es war die erste Video-Nachricht Bin Ladens seit dem 29. September. >>> Von Dietrich Alexander | Sonntag, 24. Januar 2010

Welt Online Audio anhören: Osama bin Laden bekennt sich zu Anschlag >>>

Ben Laden menace Obama de nouveaux attentats
LE FIGARO: «Nos attaques contre vous continueront tant que votre soutien aux Israéliens se poursuivra et que la sécurité ne sera pas établie en Palestine», promet le chef d'al-Qaida, qui revendique l'attentat manqué contre le vol Amsterdam-Détroit.

Oussama Ben Laden se rappelle au souvenir des autorités américaines. Dans un message audio, diffusé dimanche matin par la chaîne al-Jazira (écoutez la bande), le chef d'al-Qaida a revendiqué l'attentat manqué contre le vol Amsterdam-Détroit. Cette déclaration confirme le rôle joué par son organisation dans cette tentative. Fin décembre, la branche du groupe terroriste dans la péninsule arabique avait déjà clamé la responsabilité de l'attaque.

«De la part d'Oussama à Obama: le message délivré par le héros Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab confirme les messages précédents délivrés par les héros du 11 septembre et ceux qui les ont suivis», lance Oussama Ben Laden. Et l'islamiste promet de ne pas s'arrêter là. «Nos attaques contre vous se poursuivront tant que votre soutien aux Israéliens se poursuivra», met-il en garde. «Les Etats-Unis ne connaîtront pas la sécurité avant qu'elle ne soit établie en Palestine». «Il est injuste que vous ayez une vie tranquille alors que nos frères à Gaza vivent dans les pires conditions». Ben Laden veut montrer qu'il tient toujours les rênes >>> C.J. (lefigaro.fr) avec AFP et AP | Dimanche 24 Janvier 2010

We Expect Better from Government Advisers Than Poppycock; But Poppycock Is What We’re Getting!
THE TELEGRAPH: Britain will remain a target for home-grown suicide bombers for years to come because Muslims have not fully integrated into society, a senior Government adviser has warned.

Iqbal Wahhab Photo: The Telegraph
Iqbal Wahhab, a prominent Muslim businessman, claimed that divisions between Islamic communities and the wider population will remain for another 100 years.

He blamed Labour for failing to tackle the problems of unemployment and deprivation among the communities, which he argues are key factors in leading young Muslims to turn to extremism.

Mr Wahhab, who chairs a Whitehall panel which advises ministers on race issues, expressed deep concern that Britain will suffer more attacks in the future as the terrorists become more sophisticated and more Muslims become radicalised.

His comments follow a recent report that said the UK is now believed to have the greatest number of Islamic extremists linked to al-Qaeda of any Western nation.

It has been claimed that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who attempted to detonate a bomb on an airliner over Detroit last month, was radicalised as a student in London.

Appointed last week to head the advisory board of Quilliam, a leading counter-extremist think tank, Mr Wahhab said that the Government had failed to make young Muslims included in mainstream society and so left them exposed to being groomed by radical Islamic groups.

"It will take around 100 years for the employment gap between ethnic minorities and white people in this country to be eradicated," he said.

"The Government has had a chance to fix it and hasn't. Terror threat will get worse, warns Government adviser >>> Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Saturday, January 23, 2010

Netanyahu to Obama: Stop Iran—Or I Will
The message from Israel's new prime minister is stark: if the Obama administration doesn't prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, Israel may be forced to attack.
An Atlantic exclusive

THE ATLANTIC: In an interview conducted shortly before he was sworn in today as prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu laid down a challenge for Barack Obama. The American president, he said, must stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons—and quickly—or an imperiled Israel may be forced to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities itself.

“The Obama presidency has two great missions: fixing the economy, and preventing Iran from gaining nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu told me. He said the Iranian nuclear challenge represents a “hinge of history” and added that “Western civilization” will have failed if Iran is allowed to develop nuclear weapons.

In unusually blunt language, Netanyahu said of the Iranian leadership, “You don’t want a messianic apocalyptic cult controlling atomic bombs. When the wide-eyed believer gets hold of the reins of power and the weapons of mass death, then the entire world should start worrying, and that is what is happening in Iran.”

History teaches Jews that threats against their collective existence should be taken seriously, and, if possible, preempted, he suggested. In recent years, the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has regularly called for Israel to be “wiped off the map,” and the supreme Iranian leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, this month called Israel a “cancerous tumor.” >>> By Jeffery Goldberg | Interview | Tuesday, March 31, 2009