Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Sarah Palin: “America’s Enduring Strength”

Sarah Palin: "America's Enduring Strength" from Sarah Palin on Vimeo.


THE GUARDIAN: Sarah Palin Brands Media's Attacks Over Arizona Shooting as 'Blood Libel': Politician breaks silence on Giffords shooting and lambasts opponents with controversial choice of language >>> Matthew Weaver | Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Australia Floods: Thousands Flee Their Homes in Brisbane as Floodwaters Surge

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Thousands of Brisbane residents are rushing to empty their homes and evacuate to higher ground before the Brisbane River reaches a peak of 18ft on Thursday.


As the death toll from the devastating floods swamping Queensland rose to 12, with another 51 people missing, the state capital braced for widespread flooding across more than 50 suburbs.

In what Anna Bligh, the premier, called “the worst natural disaster in our history”, the most recent estimates suggest that 19,700 homes and 3,500 businesses will be hit by the rapidly rising water.

In preparation, residents of low-lying neighbourhoods were trying to protect their homes with sandbags and tarpaulins and remove their most precious possessions before the peak.

In some places water rose more than three feet in a matter of hours, catching many homeowners off-guard. >>> Bonnie Malkin, in Brisbane | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Australia floods: compelling sight of endless debris in Brisbane River – There are two compelling sights in flood-ravaged Queensland at the moment as the Brisbane River rages to its predicted devastating peak of 18 feet. >>> Jacquelin Magnay, Queensland | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

THE GUARDIAN: Brisbane floods leave city centre deserted as thousands flee: Officials warn that worst is yet to come / Death toll since weekend rises to 12 >>> Alison Rourke in Brisbane | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

ZEIT ONLINE: FLUT IN AUSTRALIEN: "Hier herrscht das totale Chaos" – Die Hochwasserlage in der australischen Millionenstadt hat sich deutlich verschärft. Verantwortliche rechnen mit einer Überflutung nicht gekannten Ausmaßes. >>> Zeit Online | Mittwoch, 12. Januar 2011

Related here, here, and here.
47 Frontline Al-Qaeda Commanders Identified by Saudi Arabia

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A group of 47 frontline al-Qaeda commanders, including a son-in-law of Osama bin Laden, have been identified in an Interpol alert on behalf of Saudi Arabia, in an unprecedented disclosure of Saudi citizens in key terrorist roles.

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A spokesman warned that the men were key figures in supplying arms and financing to terrorist outfits in Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Photo: The Daily Telegraph

The cross-border police agency said that all of the men named were based outside the oil rich kingdom but posed a potentially serious public threat at home and abroad because of their suspected involvement with the Islamic group. >>> Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Tuesday, January 12, 2011
Benjamin Netanyahu Says Palestinians 'Walking Away' from Peace

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday blamed the Palestinians for the stalled peace process, saying their refusal to negotiate showed they were not interested in peace.

"What is preventing the advent of peace, the advent of peace negotiations is that the Palestinians are doing everything in their power to avoid them," Mr Netanyahu told a meeting of foreign journalists in Jerusalem. "That is the simple truth." >>> | Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Mark Steel: We Owe It to Bankers to Feel Their Pain

THE INDEPENDENT: At last someone has dared to defend the oppressed people of the banking community. Bob Diamond, chief executive of Barclays, who himself has to suffer the trauma of an £8m bonus, said yesterday that the bankers' "period of remorse and apology should be over". And you feel his pain, because the first words to cross your mind when you see a banker are "remorseful and apologetic". Then you're left worrying, "Oh, how I wish the poor souls were slightly less burdened with remorse about their bonus, and didn't apologise with such agonising sincerity about putting it into their wife's name in a series of untraceable accounts based in uninhabitable islands off Ecuador."

But at last they've learnt to stand up for themselves, and Bob Diamond has emerged as their Martin Luther King. Soon the whole banking community will declare: "Say it out loud, I'm 27 million quid in the black and I'm proud." >>> Mark Steel | Wednesday, January 12, 2011
There’s Money in Dem Da Google Searches!

MAIL ONLINE: Google mogul Larry Page has joined the billionaire boat owner club by splashing out $45m on his own super yacht - but unlike many moguls, he bought his yacht used.

Page, 37, picked up the 193-ft boat 'Senses' which comes with a helipad, gym, multi-level sun decks, ten luxurious suites, a crew of 14 and interior design by famed French designer Philippe Starck. [Also here.]

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The 193-foot Senses first set sail in 1999. Photo: Mail Online


Page, who is worth an estimated $15billion, bought the boat from New Zealand brewing heir Sir Douglas Meyer [sic].

It was first launched onto the seas in 1999.

Meyer said Page took delivery on the mega-yacht shortly before the new year, and perhaps enjoyed the holidays on the high seas with his family.

Page married model Lucinda Southworth at Richard Branson's Necker Island in 2007, with whom he has a one-year-old son. A yacht to smile about: Billionaire Google founder buys 193-foot boat for $45million ... but he bought it second-hand >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Hillary Clinton Calls Yemeni Child Bride Her 'Hero'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described as "my hero" a young Yemeni girl who broke with tribal tradition to obtain a divorce two years ago, as she spoke at a town-hall meeting in Sanaa.

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Clinton speaks at a town-hall meeting in Sanaa. Photo: The Daily Telegraph

"I want to acknowledge one of my heroes, Nujood Ali, who is with us today," said Mrs Clinton. Ali was married off as a 10-year-old to a considerably older man and forced to drop out of school.

Ali took the stand in court, aided by her human rights lawyer Shada Nasser, and was granted a historic divorce.

"She was one of the many, many young girls in Yemen who wanted to continue her education," Mrs Clinton said. >>> | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Al Qaeda launched English-language online newspaper from Yemen >>>

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Brisbane Braces Itself for Worst Floods in More Than a Century

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Thousands of Brisbane residents have been forced to evacuate their homes as the city braces itself for its worst flooding in more than a century.


The devastating Queensland floods have claimed at least 10 lives in the last two days and left more than 70 people missing on Tuesday after a torrent raged through the streets of Toowoomba, west of Brisbane.

As the winding Brisbane River breached its banks in several places to engulf parks and footbridges and heavy rain continued to fall on the metropolitan area, the city's main roads and public transport system quickly became clogged as people rushed to get to higher ground.

The authorities called for calm amid reports of panic buying among Brisbane residents, and police asked for volunteers to help fill sandbags as the scale of the threat became clearer.

Early estimates suggested that more than 9,000 homes could be inundated when the Brisbane River peaks at 12ft on Thursday.

The destruction was already evident, with a steady stream of debris, including boats and whole pontoons, floating down the swollen Brisbane River. >>> Bonnie Malkin, Brisbane | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

HERALD SUN PHOTO GALLERY: To the photo gallery >>>
Riding the Wave of Islamophobia: The German Geert Wilders

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: A former member of Chancellor Merkel's Christian Democrats has formed a party to attract voters enthralled by Thilo Sarrazin and disappointed by Germany's existing parties. Berlin politician René Stadkewitz's new Freedom Party aims to leverage fear of Islam for political ends.

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René Stadtkewitz, founder and chairman of the Freedom Party, Germany's new right-wing populist movement. Stadtkewitz is a former member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and remains a member of the Berlin state parliament. Photograph: Spiegel Online International

The 52 men and women meeting in a conference room at the Hotel Maritim in Berlin's Tiergarten district were determined to remain undisturbed. No one else was privy to the location and time of the meeting, in a deliberate attempt to prevent protestors and journalists from showing up at the scene. The only outsider present was Daniel Pipes, an American author, critic of Islam and advisor to former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who happened to be in the city.

The Hotel Maritim is on Stauffenbergstrasse, near the Memorial to the German Resistance. It is an historic point of reference that the 52 attendees would likely have drawn encouragement from. Like would-be Hitler assassin Claus von Stauffenberg, after whom the street is named, they too hope to protect Germany against what they perceive to be pending disaster. The group drafted a set of bylaws and discussed a 77-page party platform, which includes such statements as: "We will do everything in our power to oppose the Islamization of our country."

They gave their party a grand name, a name worth fighting for: "Die Freiheit" (Freedom).

The 52 men and women chose as their party chairman an unprepossessing man with a short haircut and melancholy eyes, the 45-year-old manager of a company specializing in alarm systems and security technology and a member of the Berlin state parliament, René Stadtkewitz. >>> Jochen-Martin Gutsch | Thursday, January 06, 2011
Egypt Recalls Vatican Envoy Over Pope Remarks

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Egypt is recalling its Vatican envoy for consultations over remarks by Pope Benedict XVI on Coptic Christians seen as an "interference" in its affairs, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

The action follows "new statements from the Vatican concerning Egypt which are considered by Egypt as unacceptable interference in its internal affairs," the ministry spokesman said in an apparent reference to remarks concerning Copts.

The pontiff has expressed repeatedly his solidarity with the Copts and called on world leaders to protect them in the aftermath of a New Year's Day church bombing that killed 21 people as worshippers emerged from midnight mass in Alexandria.

A day after the attack on the Al-Qiddissin (The Saints) church, the pope appealed for the "concrete and constant engagement of leaders of nations," in what he termed a "difficult mission".

At his New Year's Day mass, Benedict underscored that "humanity cannot display resignation in the face of negative forces of selfishness and violence, it cannot get accustomed to conflicts which claim victims and endanger the future of people."

On Sunday Benedict again voiced solidarity with Egypt's Copts – two days after they marked their Christmas, celebrated on January 7.

"I salute the Coptic faithful present here to whom I renew my expression of closeness," the pope told thousands of people gathered in Saint Peter's Square. >>> | Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Anjem Choudary: A Message of Support for His “Brothers” in Belgium


Anjem Choudary's website >>>

The Realities of Christmas >>> Anjem Choudary | Sunday, December 19, 2011
Hillary Clinton en visite au Yémen sur fond de menace terroriste

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Hillary Clinton est arrivée mardi à Sanaa en provenance des Emirats arabes unis. Photo : Le Monde

LE MONDE: Premier de la diplomatie américaine à se rendre au Yémen depuis vingt ans, la secrétaire d'Etat Hillary Clinton est arrivée mardi 11 janvier à Sanaa pour une visite surprise au Yémen. Mme Clinton a déclaré avoir l'intention d'aller au-delà de la coopération militaire pour aborder une "stratégie globale" face aux problèmes économiques, sociaux et politiques du Yémen qui font le lit des extrémistes. >>> LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | Mardi 11 Janvier 2011
Un chrétien tué dans une fusillade en Egypte

LE MONDE: Un Egyptien de confession chrétienne a été tué et cinq autres personnes blessées par un inconnu qui a ouvert le feu mardi 11 janvier à bord d'un train près d'Assiout, au sud du Caire.

Le tireur est monté à bord d'un train à destination du Caire, dans la localité de Samalut, près d'Assiout, puis il a ouvert le feu sur des passagers. L'homme a été appréhendé et le mobile de son acte n'est pas encore connu, selon les services de sécurité, qui ont précisé que des musulmans et des chrétiens figurent parmi les blessés. … >>> LEMONDE.FR avec AFP, Reuters | Mardi 11 Janvier 2011
Sarkozy to Be Subject of 'Hugely Embarrassing' Film Charting Rise to Power and Second Divorce

Sarkozy is seen here in June 2007 with second wife Cecilia. The film depicts the newly-elected French President begging his then-wife to come support him at his victory party. Photograph: Mail Online

MAIL ONLINE: French President Nicolas Sarkozy is the subject of a 'hugely embarrassing' new film exploring why his previous wife left him on the day he was elected.

The move called The Conquest is the first ever movie about a French president to be released while they are still in office.

It portrays his rise to power in the five years before he was elected in 2007.

And French critics have said it also sheds light on one the greatest mysteries of his presidency - why Cecilia Sarkozy walked out on him on the night of the election.

The film pulls no punches as it opens with Sarkozy waking up alone at a hotel on the Champs-Elysees after celebrating his election victory.

He is then shown spending his first day as President searching in vain for the wife he married in 1996, a former top model and mother of his youngest son Louis, 13. >>> Ian Sparks | Tuesday, January 11, 2011
France Is Our Biggest Ally, Declares Obama: President's Blow to Special Relationship with Britain

MAIL ONLINE: Barack Obama has declared that France is America’s greatest ally, undermining Britain’s Special Relationship with the U.S.

The President risked offending British troops in Afghanistan by saying that French president Nicolas Sarkozy is a ‘stronger friend’ than David Cameron.

The remarks, during a White House appearance with Mr Sarkozy, will reinforce the widely-held view in British diplomatic circles that Mr Obama has less interest in the Special Relationship than any other recent American leader.

Mr Obama said: 'We don’t have a stronger friend and stronger ally than Nicolas Sarkozy, and the French people.'

The comments follow a pattern of coldness towards the UK. When Gordon Brown was prime minister, Mr Obama snubbed his requests for meetings in the U.S.

He also denounced Britain during his inauguration speech.

The UK has lost nearly 350 troops in the war against the Taliban – seven times as many as France.

And there are more than 10,000 British soldiers serving in Helmand province, compared with just 3,850 Frenchmen.Mr Obama's stance was swiftly condemned in Westminster. >>> Tim Shipman | Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Beheading in Germany: Respeck It!

WINDS OF JIHAD: Germans will have to become accustomed to this form of cultural enrichment. A 30-year old Kurd from Iraq was properly executed on Friday in the backyard of a baker’s shop in Kiel- Gaarden by a group of Lebanese Kurds. The victim had to kneel down before his torturers, before they slit his throat and cut his head off in cold blood. Read further and comment >>> Sheik Yer'mami | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

POLITICALLY INCORRECT: Kopfabschneiden in Kiel >>>

HT: Vlad Tepes >>>
Papst sieht Religionsfreiheit durch sexuelle Aufklärung bedroht

ZEIT ONLINE: Benedikt XVI. hat sich gegen Kurse über sexuelle Aufklärung und Lebenskunde gewandt. Hintergrund ist ein Streit mit der spanischen Regierung.

Papst Benedikt XVI. hat die Bildungspolitik Spaniens mit scharfen Worten kritisiert. "Angesichts des erneuten Angriffs auf die Religionsfreiheit von Familien in bestimmten europäischen Ländern, in denen die Teilnahme an Aufklärungskursen und Lebenskunde verlangt wird, kann ich nicht schweigen", sagte der Papst in seiner traditionellen Neujahrsansprache an Vatikan-Botschafter.

Er reagierte damit auf einen Streit des Vatikans mit der Regierung in Madrid. Diese will mit den Kursen liberale Werte fördern. Sie hatte daher vor drei Jahren einen Lebenskunde-Kurs eingeführt, in dem Themen wie Homosexualität, Scheidung und Abtreibung offen angesprochen werden. Tausende Eltern hatten den Kurs als "anti-christlich" bezeichnet. Weiter lessen und einen Kommentar schreiben >>> Reuters, AFP | Montag, 10. Januar 2011
The Former Marxist Guerrilla Who Became Brazil's First Woman President

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: She is a former Marxist guerrilla whose organisation once stole $2.5 million from the safe of the governor of São Paulo.

Dilma Rousseff
Dilma Rousseff, former Chief of Staff and presidential candidate for the ruling Workers Party. Photo: The Daily Telegraph

Locked up and tortured by the dictatorship which ran Brazil during the 1970s, she was once branded by a prosecutor as the "Joan of Arc of subversion".

Yet Dilma Rousseff has become Brazil's first woman president, entrusted with running the largest and fastest-growing economy in Latin America.

Her first election campaign had gathered the apparently unstoppable force of a steamroller and Ms Rousseff was never in any real doubt of victory.

It would seem like a miracle for a 62-year-old apparatchik who has never before been elected to any political post and who was unknown to most of Brazil's 192 million people a few months ago - until you look to see who is behind the wheel of the steamroller.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the most popular president in Brazilian history, is ineligible to run for a third four-year term, and has given Ms Rousseff, his former political adviser, his unflinching support. >>> Harriet Alexander, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Barclays Boss Bob Diamond Says Banks Should Be Allowed to Fail

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Bob Diamond, Barclays' chief executive, has told a committeee of MPs that badly-run banks should not be bailed out by taxpayers.


"It is not acceptable for taxpayers to bail out banks," Mr Diamond said during questioning by the Treasury Select Committee. He added that "badly managed" banks should be allowed to fail. >>> Louise Armitstead, and Amy Wilson | Tuesday, January 11, 2011
"Der moderne Islamismus ist eine radikale Ideologie"

WELT ONLINE: Ein Historiker kommt wegen abfälliger Rede über den Islam vor Gericht, während Islamisten in der Königlichen Bibliothek tagen. Etwas ist faul in Dänemark.

Der Publizist Lars Hedegaard hält mit seiner Meinung nicht hinterm Berg. “Der moderne Islamismus, wie er von den meisten dänischen Imamen repräsentiert wird, ist keine Religion, sondern eine politische Ideologie in der Tradition des Kommunismus und Nazismus.”

1942 in Horsens bei Aarhus geboren, hat er noch eine schwache Erinnerung an die Zeit unmittelbar nach dem Krieg, als den Dänen bewusst wurde, dass etwa 6000 dänische Freiwillige in der Waffen-SS auf deutscher Seite gekämpft hatten. Seine Eltern hatten für die “Kollaborateure” nur Verachtung übrig. Und die “neuen Kollaborateure”, sagt Hedegaard, das sind heute jene, die sich bei den Islamisten anbiedern, wie der Chefredakteur der Tageszeitung “Politiken”, Toeger Seidenfaden, der sich 2010 bei den Moslems in aller Welt für die Mohammed-Karikaturen entschuldigte, die 2005 im Konkurrenzblatt “Jyllands-Posten” erschienen waren.

Hedegaard hat Geschichte studiert, die gesammelten Werke von Marx und Engels im Original gelesen und war eine Weile in der Sozialistischen Arbeiterpartei aktiv. “Ich bin noch immer Marxist”, sagt er, zumindest was die “Anwendung der marxistischen Gesellschaftsanalyse” angeht. 2004 gründete er die “Gesellschaft für Pressefreiheit” als Gegenpol zum dänischen Pen, dem “Wachhund der politischen Korrektheit”. Die “Trykkefrihedsselskabet” hat inzwischen mehr als 1000 Mitglieder, dreimal so viele wie der Pen-Club.

Ein Jahr vorher, 2003, veröffentlichte Hedegaard mit zwei Co-Autoren das Buch “Im Hause des Krieges – Wie der Islam den Westen kolonialisiert” ("I krigens hus : islams kolonisering af Vesten"). 2009 erschien die Fortsetzung: “1400 Jahre Krieg – Die islamische Strategie”. "Frauen als Gebärmaschinen" >>> Autor: Henryk M. Broder | Dienstag, 11. Januar 2011