When Pictures Paint a Thousand Words
What’s permissible in the States these days >>> Always On Watch | Friday, April 16, 2010
ATLAS SHRUGS: Update: Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer to Sue Miami-Dade Transport >>> | Friday, April 16, 2010

HT: Always On Watch

THE FREETHINKER: You can promote Islam on the side of US buses, but you can’t oppose it >>> Posted by Barry Duke | Saturday, April 17, 2010

Editorial: Catholic Church Must Confess Its Sins
THE DOMINION POST – OPINION: Former prime minister Helen Clark had a simple piece of advice for colleagues in difficulty: "If you're in a hole, stop digging." It is advice the Vatican would do well to heed.

Watching assorted cardinals and bishops attempt to dodge blame for the church's horrific record of child abuse is akin to watching fish flap about in the bottom of a boat. The more the prelates wriggle, the more deeply the hooks sink.

The Vatican has blamed the media and the permissive values of the 60s and 70s, it has compared offending rates within the church with rates in other institutions, it has preached the virtues of forgiveness and, just to demonstrate how completely it has lost touch with notions of right and wrong, it has attempted to draw distinctions between paedophilia (sexual relations with children) and ephebophilia (relations with mid-to-late adolescents).

Instead of recognising that it is getting deeper and deeper into a hole, it keeps digging. While the Pope apologises and urges Christians to repent for sins, senior church figures keep looking for scapegoats. >>> | Saturday, April 17, 2010

HT: Judah's Journal

Girl, 16, Banned from School for Wearing Hijab in Spain
THE TELEGRAPH: A 16-year-old schoolgirl has been banned from classes in Spain after refusing to remove her Islamic headscarf, re-igniting the national debate over the hijab.

Najwa Malha, who was born is Spain to Moroccan immigrants, has been excluded from classes at the state-run Camilo Jose Cela School in the Madrid suburb of Pozuelo after being told that her hijab was in violation of school dress code.

The decision has sparked debate in Spain where there are no clear guidelines over the wearing of Islamic headdress in state schools. >>> Fiona Govan in Madrid | Friday, April 16, 2010

How Israel Screens for Terrorists

Should Turkey Join the EU?
TELEGRAPH - DEBATE: Europeans are divided over Turkey's proposed membership of the EU. It is a largely Muslim nation, while the 27 other states are not. And while Turkey's huge economic potential is attractive, its human rights record falls well short of EU standards. Should this record bar it from joining the EU? Join the debate >>>

Israel Bans iPad Imports
THE TELEGRAPH: Israel has banned imports of Apple iPad, citing concerns the powerful gadget consumes too much capacity on wireless networks and could disrupt other devices.

Customs officials said they have already confiscated about 10 of the lightweight tablet computers since Israel announced the new regulations this week. The ban prevents anyone from bringing iPads into Israel until officials certify that they comply with local transmitter standards. >>> | Thursday, April 15, 2010

Hillary Clinton Tells Israel to Stop 'Settlement Activity' and Provoking Palestine
THE TELEGRAPH: Hillary Clinton has said Israel must stop 'settlement activity' and steer clear of comments that will provoke Palestinians.

The US Secretary of State urged "bold leadership" from all sides to resolve one of the world's most intractable disputes.

Speaking at a dinner attended by the ambassadors of Israel and several Arab states, Mrs Clinton urged Israel to "refrain from unilateral statements and actions" that could undermine peace.

"Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu has embraced the vision of the two-state solution," she said.

"But easing up on access and movement in the West Bank, in response to credible Palestinian security performance, is not sufficient to prove to the Palestinians that this embrace is sincere.

"We encourage Israel to continue building momentum toward a comprehensive peace by demonstrating respect for the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians, stopping settlement activity and addressing the humanitarian needs in Gaza." >>> Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Friday, April 16, 2010

SEC Charges Goldman Sachs with Fraud in Subprime Mortgage Meltdown
LOS ANGELES TIMES: The civil charges relate to Goldman Sachs' creation of collateralized debt obligations -- a complex, mortgage-backed security. 'The product was new and complex but the deception and conflicts are old and simple,' a Securities and Exchange Commission official says in a statement.

Reporting from New York
Goldman Sachs is being charged with fraud by federal regulators for its work in creating subprime mortgage bonds before the financial crisis.

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced on Friday morning that it was bringing civil charges against Goldman and one of the bank's vice presidents in Manhattan federal court. >>> Nathaniel Popper | Friday, April 16, 2010

THE GUARDIAN: Goldman Sachs charged with $1bn fraud over toxic sub-prime securities: Securities and exchange commission charges Goldman Sachs with conflict of interest in sub-prime mortgage asset sales >>> Andrew Clark | Friday, April 16, 2010

THE TELEGRAPH: Dow hit by Goldman fraud charges: The Dow Jones ended a six-day rally on Friday, hit by civil fraud charges against Goldman Sachs and investor disappointed over trading at Google. >>> AP | Friday, April 16, 2010

Präsident zu sein ist Nebenjob für Obama: Es bringt ihm einfach Trinkgeld ein. Der “Moonlighting” Präsident
WELT ONLINE: Finanziell gesehen, ist Barack Obama nur im Nebenjob US-Präsident. Denn das Präsidentengehalt von 374.460 Dollar macht nur einen Bruchteil seines Einkommens aus. Die nun vom Weißen Haus veröffentlichte Steuererklärung verrät, dass er mit seinen Bestseller-Büchern knapp 5,2 Millionen Dollar einnahm. Obamas verdienten 5,5 Millionen Dollar >>> dpa | Freitag, 16. April 2010

Verbunden / Related:

THE TELEGRAPH: Barack and Michelle Obama Double Income in 2009 to $5.5m >>> Toby Harnden in Washington | Thursday, April 15, 2010

Mordplan gegen Obama: Zehn Jahre Haft für Neonazi
DIE PRESSE: Ein 19-Jähriger US-Bürger ist zu zehn Jahren Haft verurteilt worden, weil er Barack Obama und Dutzende weitere Afro-Amerikaner ermorden wollte. Sein Mitangeklagter wartet noch auf sein Urteil. >>> Ag. | Freitag, 16. April 2010

Holocaust: British Bishop Fined 10,000 Euros for Partial Holocaust Denial
DEUTSCHE WELLE: Ultra-conservative bishop Richard Williamson has been fined 10,000 euros for denying aspects of the Holocaust in an interview for Swedish television. He made the comments while on German soil.

A court in the Bavarian city of Regensburg has fined a conservative British bishop 10,000 euros ($13,500) for partial Holocaust denial in a television interview.

Bishop Richard Williamson did not attend the hearing, and his lawyer said he was instructed not to by his ultra-conservative order, the Saint Pius X Society.

"Bishop Williamson would gladly have come," defense lawyer Matthias Lossmann told the court in Regensburg, "but the Saint Pius X Society suggested he did not. To be precise, they forbade him from coming."

While the maximum sentence for Holocaust denial - a criminal offence in Germany - is five years in prison, the court in Regensburg had said in the run-up to the trial that a fine would be the most likely outcome in the case of a guilty verdict.

The clergyman had already incurred a 12,000-euro fine for a 2008 Swedish television interview he gave from the Saint Pius X seminary near Regensburg. Because Williamson refused to pay this, the Regensburg court elected to open criminal proceedings against him.

In the interview he argued that only "200,000 to 300,000 Jews perished in Nazi concentration camps," and further argued that gas chambers had not been used as a method of mass-execution. The German issue >>> msh/dl/AP/AFP, Editor: Chuck Penfold | Friday, April 16, 2010

Likud: Our Path Has Won

Arabs Fighting for Israel

Obama Orders Hospital Visitation Rights
ADVOCATE.COM: President Barack Obama signed a memorandum Thursday requiring hospitals to allow gays and lesbians to have nonfamily visitors and allowing their partners medical power of attorney.

The memorandum orders the Department of Health and Human Services to prohibit discrimination in hospital visitation. The memo was posted on the White House website Thursday afternoon. Reads the memorandum: >>> Advocate.com Editors | Thursday, April 15, 2010

Morgan Stanley Fears German Exit from EMU
THE TELEGRAPH: Morgan Stanley has warned that the Greek debt crisis is setting off a chain of events that may prompt German withdrawal from the eurozone, with grim implications for investors caught off-guard.

"The backstop package for Greece and the ECB's climb-down on its collateral rules set a bad precedent for other euro area states and make it more likely that the euro area degenerates into a zone of fiscal profligacy, currency weakness, and higher inflationary pressures over time," said Joachim Fels, head of research, in a note to clients.

The US bank said a bail-out for Greece may be necessary to avoid a crisis for Europe's financial system, but warned that it also "sows the seeds for potentially even bigger problems further down the road".

Mr Fels said weak states cannot easily leave EMU because they would pay a stiff penalty in higher rates, would be stuck with euro debt contracts, and might need controls to stem capital flight. It is a different calculus for Germany, which would see lower rates and might view EMU exit as the only way to ensure monetary stability. >>> Ambrose Evans-Pritchard | Thursday, April 15, 2010

General Election 2010: Liberal Democrats Surge After Nick Clegg's TV Debate Performance
THE TELEGRAPH: The Liberal Democrats have overtaken Labour in a new poll after enjoying a 14 per cent surge on the back of Nick Clegg's performance in last night's TV election debate.



A unweighted poll of 4,000 people's voting intentions has dramatically propelled the Liberal Democrats into second place in the election campaign.

The poll by ITV/ComRes put Liberal Democrat support at 35 per cent, up 14 per cent. However it has not been adjusted to ensure it is representative of the electorate as a whole.

The Conservatives were at 36 per cent, down 3 per cent compared to before the head-to-head studio debate.

Labour was at 24 per cent, down 3 per cent, and others were at 5 per cent, down 8 per cent.

The poll increases the likelihood of a hung Parliament. >>> | Friday, April 16, 2010

Tweedledee Tweedledum Debate Ignores All Important Issues
BNP: Last night’s Tweedledee Tweedledum TV debate between the leaders of the three old-gang parties ignored every single issue vital to Britain’s future, including the EU, multi-culturalism and the erosion of British identity through mass immigration, said British National Party leader Nick Griffin.

Reacting to the debate, which drew only slightly more TV viewers than the BNP’s appearance on Question Time, Mr Griffin said all three participants went out of their way to avoid discussing any of the real issues.

“Although the very first question was on immigration, all the public were given was more meaningless platitudes about points-based systems and yet more immigration,” Mr Griffin said.

“No-one discussed the figures, which show that given current immigration levels and birth rates, British people are destined to become a minority in Britain within the next 50 years, and most likely within 30,” he said. >>> | Friday, April 16, 2010

Turquie: 12 ans pour une Française
LE FIGARO: Une mère de famille française de 42 ans a été définitivement condamnée aujourd'hui en Turquie à 12 ans et 6 mois de prison pour trafic de drogue, la cour de cassation d'Ankara ayant rejeté son pourvoi, a indiqué Laurent Bruneau, son avocat agenais. >>> AFP | Vendredi 16 Avril 2010

Terroristes «Made in USA» aussi dangereux qu'Al-Qaïda, selon le FBI
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: MENACES | Les terroristes agissant seuls ("loups solitaires") et ceux ayant grandi sur le sol américain font désormais peser sur les Etats-Unis une "menace aussi grande" qu'Al-Qaïda, affirme le patron du FBI Robert Mueller.

Le patron du FBI s'exprimait devant des parlementaires américains. "Al-Qaïda et ses branches cherchent toujours à nous frapper aux Etats-Unis", a déclaré M. Mueller, rappelant l'attentat manqué contre un avion américain le jour de Noël, revendiqué par le chef d'Al-Qaïda Oussama ben Laden, et des complots visant le métro de New York.

Mais les extrémistes ayant grandi aux Etats-Unis et "les loups solitaires sont une menace aussi grande", a ajouté le patron du FBI (police fédérale), qui s'exprimait devant la commission du Sénat chargée de la répartition des fonds fédéraux. >>> ATS/AFP | Vendredi 16 Avril 2010

Die Königskinder: Frederik & Mary