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Just weeks after assuming the role of Middle East envoy on behalf of the US, Russia, the UN and the EU, outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair is facing his first serious test. The Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC) in Herzelia, Israel, considered the “public face of Israeli intelligence,” has issued a scathing report (to read the report in pdf format click here) wherein it accused Britain of being a “major source of publishing and distribution of Hamas incitement.” As Britain’s former leader, Blair ultimately bears the responsibility for allowing the terrorist press to operate freely on his...

September is shaping up to be a major month for American foreign policy. President Bush, having quite responsibly (in my opinion) taken America into Iraq in 2003 to cope with what appeared to just about everyone to be a serious nuclear danger, quickly discovered that the danger was in fact nonexistent. He then spent four years trying futilely to cope with various foreign and domestic insurgencies in that badly sundered country, eventually wearing out the patience of the American people with stubborn appeals to "stay the course." He deserves high credit for refusing to cut and run, as some Democrats...

A new plan by the U.S. security coordinator in the territories, General Keith Dayton, calls for the deployment of five new Palestinian battalions throughout the West Bank. The plan, whose aim is to bolster Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, requires the approval of Israel if arms and equipment are to be transferred for the new force, political sources in Jerusalem said Wednesday. The plan, which is still in its early development, is likely to call for the staged creation of the force, with relatively small units undergoing the necessary training. Last week, the U.S. Congress authorized for the first time...

Nissan will introduce the Mixim, a three-seat, all electric, all-wheel drive concept vehicle at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The Mixim is powered by two Nissan Super Motors (earlier post), one for each axle. Nissan also used the Super Motor in the Pivo concept introduced in 2005. Lithium-ion batteries provide the power. In April, Nissan Motor, NEC Corporation, and NEC TOKIN Corporation, signed an agreement to establish a joint-venture company—Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC)—to develop and market lithium-ion batteries for wide-scale automotive application by 2009, including applications such as hybrids, plug-in hybrids, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and electric vehicles. (Earlier post.)...

Writing about that recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll on the number of books Americans read in the previous year, San Francisco Chronicle columnist Debra J. Sauders pounced on how AP reported the findings – specifically, that "liberals read more books than conservatives": The poll found that among people polled who read at least one book in the last year, liberals read nine books and conservatives read eight.When I called Michael Gross, associate vice president of Ipsos public affairs, to find out more about the Ipsos poll, he told me the one-book difference "is within the margin of error, it's not a...

NEW YORK, Aug 29 (OneWorld) - The White House is coming under increasing pressure from a number of Congressional leaders and rights watchdog groups to replace Attorney General Alberto Gonzales with someone who can restore faith in the U.S. justice system.The calls for the appointment of a "credible" attorney general come just a day after Gonzales tendered his resignation. Gonzales stepped down this weekend in the wake of increased criticism of his conduct of office by the Congress and rights advocacy groups. Gonzales, a close confidante of President George W. Bush, was accused of promoting the use of torture against...

 The American Psychological Association has become the latest professional medical group to undermine Homeland Security efforts on leftist grounds. The American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association have already barred their members from any role in interrogations at Guantanamo Bay. Some left-wing doctors even demand military doctors stop force-feeding detainees attempting to commit suicide. In spite of the fact that a doctor’s duty to protect a suicidal person against himself, it is more important that the suicidal Islamists be allowed to die in order to bring negative publicity on Guantanamo. The American Psychological Association (APA) convention in San Francisco,...

"I am not gay. I never have been gay," Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, announced at a press conference in Boise. He also apologized for "the cloud placed over Idaho," following his guilty plea to disorderly conduct after an encounter with a police officer in a Minneapolis airport men's bathroom on June 11. Cloud over Idaho? People of Idaho -- demand that this lout resign. When the story came out Monday, life had granted Craig one chance to redeem himself by resigning. That one act would have shown that, despite his personal demons, Craig knew when to put the Senate, his...

Monster beefs up security after breach Aug 29, 2007 Monster Worldwide Inc., a major online job-search site, said Wednesday it was beefing up its security measures following a significant data breach this month. Sal Iannuzzi, the company's chairman and chief executive, said the company was improving its surveillance of how the site is used as well as limiting the way data can be accessed. Iannuzzi declined to provide specific details about how the new security measures will work, saying he didn't want to make them vulnerable to potential hackers. While Iannuzzi said the company couldn't provide an absolute guarantee against...

It's rare to see a leading MSM light directly confronted over the liberal media's bias. But it happened in spades this morning as Tom DeLay (R-Tx.) called out Matt Lauer for the MSM's double-standard in handling Republican, versus Democrat, scandals. The "Today" co-anchor opened his interview of the former Republican congressman and Majority Leader with a laundry-list of GOP scandals. MATT LAUER: By all accounts these are some tough times for the Republican party. Last fall Democrats took control of both houses of congress, largely because of opposition to the war in Iraq. In 2006 the Republican party was also...

Prague (CNSNews.com) - Austria's defense minister raised eyebrows recently when he claimed that the proposed U.S. ballistic missile defense shield to be based in Eastern Europe is a provocation. The remark has generated considerable speculation here over vested economic interests and dependence on Russian supplies. Defense Minister Norbert Darabos' assessment of the plan, which calls for the deployment of a radar facility in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in Poland, echoes the position of Russia, which strongly opposes the BMD shield. Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg reacted to Darabos' remarks with scorn. Schwarzenberg noted that Austria has maintained a...

A native Texan spent the night in the Arlington Jail, missed her children's first day of school and feared being deported after authorities mistook her for an illegal immigrant. Alicia Rodriguez, an accountant and mother of three, has the same name and date of birth as a woman deported to Mexico three times. "I was told I was waiting for an [immigration] officer or Border Patrol officer to interview me and then move me to another location. It was very scary," the Mansfield woman said. Arlington and federal immigration officials say they made a mistake and apologized. "This is very...

US Steps Up Probe of EU Banks The Financial Times Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington The US justice department and other authorities have stepped up investigations into several large European banks for violating US sanctions against Iran, Libya, Cuba and Sudan. One person familiar with the probes said some banks had started to discuss settlements with the authorities and could agree to financial penalties by the end of the year. A number of the banks, whose names have not been disclosed, came under investigation by authorities, including the Treasury, when they alerted the government to potential violations after a landmark money...

Because he's resigning, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales won't have much chance to exercise his powers under the Protect America Act. The new law charges the attorney general with determining which international communications involving people in the U.S. will be subject to warrantless surveillance. Members of Congress were so distrustful of Gonzales that they insisted he share this authority with the director of national intelligence, Mike McConnell. But while McConnell, the apolitical expert, may enjoy a better reputation for honesty and independence than Gonzales, the longtime Bush crony, the two men seem to have similar instincts about privacy and executive power....

Could a member of the Bar elucidate on whether even if VaTech knew more of Cho, would FERPA (The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974) not have allowed them to act against him ahead of time. My head hurts just reading the legislation.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Hurricane Dean's rampage over Mexico's Caribbean coast last week unearthed three rusted 18th century cannons that had lain buried under a sandy beach for decades. Hurricane Dean is pictured over Mexico in this satellite image taken on August 22, 2007. Hurricane Dean's rampage over Mexico's Caribbean coast last week unearthed three rusted 18th century cannons that had lain buried under a sandy beach for decades. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Handout/Reuters) The cannons, around 1.80 meter (5.9 feet) long, were spotted poking through the sand on a beach near the arty resort of Tulum after Dean hit...

I made a 13 answer quiz online about the war. Follow the link to the other site. Just click the 'do the test' button, and you are on your way. Let me know what you think, and spread it around. I'm doing a case study on it.

“To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals.” So observed Benjamin Franklin centuries ago. But Franklin didn’t comment on whether food intake restriction worked by keeping people thin or by making them thin. Indeed, it’s become a mantra of the “size acceptance” groups that there’s no scientific evidence that losing weight increases longevity. And it’s been true – until now. Sure, a mass of published studies show that thinner is better in terms of overall health and longevity. This notwithstanding the occasional report, like Katherine Flegal’s in 2005,  that encouraged the notorious food and beverage industry front group, Center for Consumer...

International human rights organizations are so focused on finding ways to demonize Israel that they are almost completely ignoring the daily illegal use of Palestinian children in terrorist activities.

DURHAM -- Durham cabbie Moezeldin Ahmad Elmostafa is suing a department store chain and a security guard over a shoplifting charge that figured heavily in the now-ended Duke lacrosse case. As it turned out, Elmostafa beat the shoplifting rap and was known among lawyers as the "hero of the lacrosse case" for becoming a defense alibi witness and standing up to former District Attorney Mike Nifong and Nifong's then-investigator, Linwood Wilson. Nifong recently resigned and was stripped of his law license for misconduct in the lacrosse scandal. Wilson also lost his job. Elmostafa's lawsuit was drafted by lawyer Tom Loflin...