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Flytilla activists scrawl swastika at IsrFlytilla activists scrawl swastika at Israel airport Tuesday, April 17, 2012 | Ryan Jones The so-called "peace" activists who attempted to infiltrate Israel via Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday would likely identify with those of Israel's most emphatic critics who insist that despite their disdain for the Jewish state, they are not anti-Semitic. But more often than not, the behavior of these individuals betrays their true disposition. That is what happened on Monday, when it was discovered that at least one of the flytilla activists who was detained at Ben Gurion had scrawled a Nazi...

The International Solidarity Movement (ISM), made more famous by its activist’s confrontation with an IDF soldier, is known as a left-wing pacifist group, but its sole mission in backing “Palestine” is to defame Israel. Whether it qualifies as being “pacifist” depends on whether the definition includes backing the Hamas terrorist organization and Arab “resistance.” The activist from Denmark was one of approximately two dozen bicyclists stopped by the IDF at a checkpoint in the Jordan Valley on Saturday. During a two-hour confrontation, an IDF officer said he suffered wounds, including broken bones, at the hands of the activists who beat...

The ISM non-manufacturing index inched lower to 52.9% from 53.0% in September. The decrease was unexpected. Economists were looking the index to increase to 53.5%.

The Institute for Supply Management said its manufacturing gauge dropped to 50.8% last month – just slightly above a 2011 low - from 51.6% in September. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected the closely followed index to rise to 52.1%. Reading over 50% indicate more manufacturers are expanding instead of shrinking.

The Institute for Supply Management said its September services index decelerated slightly to 53.0% from 53.3% in August...

Manufacturing activity picked up a bit in September, according to a key survey released Monday that suggests a slow-growing economy that has nonetheless avoided falling into recession. The Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing index rose to 51.6% from 50.6% in August. Economists polled by MarketWatch had anticipated an unchanged reading.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The U.S. service sector expanded at a slightly faster pace in August, but growth was spotty and prices paid for raw materials shot up, according to a survey of senior executives. The Institute for Supply Management on Tuesday said its service index rose to 53.3% in August from 52.7% in July. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch expected the index to fall to 51.0%.

The Institute for Supply Management said its manufacturing index slowed to 50.6% from 50.9% in July, marking the worst reading since July 2009. The index extended its string of readings above 50%, which indicate expansion, to 25 months. However, economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a reading on average of 48.8% — and the 50.6% result was higher than every economist polled.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — U.S. manufacturing activity barely grew in July, according to a key index released Monday in a demonstration of an economy struggling to expand. The Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing gauge in July dropped 4.4 points to 50.9%, the worst reading since July 2009 and barely staying above the 50% no-change line. The index came in far below a MarketWatch-compiled economist poll of 54.3%. U.S. stocks slumped after the ISM report, with the Dow industrials DJIA recently down by 35 points.

HUGE MISS ON ISM: Manufacturing Index Collapses To 50.9 Joe Weisenthal Aug. 1, 2011, 9:55 AM The number: Huge miss. July ISM came in at just 50.9 vs. estimates of 54.5. It's also well below 55.3. The prices paid index plunged from 68 to 59.0. According to Bloomberg, it's the lowest since July 2009. Stocks are in the red. Bad news for the economy. Original post: Given the run of weak data, this will be a closely-watched one.. July ISM (a survey of manufacturing) is expected to come in at 54.5 vs. 55.3 last month. The "whisper" is probably lower....

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Activity at the nation’s manufacturing firms accelerated in June, according to a closely followed survey of top executives released Friday, data which eased fears about the health of the U.S. economy. The Institute for Supply Management manufacturing index rose to 55.3% in June higher than the 53.5% in May. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected the index to drop to 52.3%. Read economic calendar with forecasts of key indicators. Any reading over 50% indicates expansion

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Growth in the U.S. manufacturing sector receded in May, according to a closely followed index released Wednesday. The Institute for Supply Management said its manufacturing gauge fell to 53.5% in May from 60.4% in April, marking the third straight decline and the biggest one-month drop since 1984. It’s also the lowest reading in one year. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had forecast the index to drop to 57.1%. Three months ago the index peaked at a seven-year high of 61.4%.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks added to losses on Wednesday after the Institute for Supply Management's non-manufacturing index came in weaker than expected. [Snip] Wall St had been little changed as a fresh round of proposed acquisitions offset a report on the labor market that was also below consensus expectations.

Gold has surged to a new all time high today, breaking $1450. It's now back down slightly, to around $1448. Gold's surge kicked off today on the back of this morning's weak ISM Services number, which indicated a slowdown in growth in the sector. In particular, business activity in the ISM fell from a 66.9 to a 59.7. It's likely the market is reacting to this weakening in the U.S. economy by assuming there may be another round of quantitative easing to come, hence the spike in gold.

Dear President Botstein [Bard College], cc: Board of Trustees c/o Amie McEvoy and Department of Student Activities, and posted online We understand from http://clubs.bard.edu/ism/ that the International Solidarity Movement is using Bard College facilities and Bard College’s Web site. This organization may endanger the physical safety of your students should they take part in its activities abroad. Here is the executive summary, and independently verifiable details appear below. (1) The ISM’s willfully reckless activities have already cost the life of one college student, Rachel Corrie of Olympia WA (Evergreen College). The ISM stated in context with Ms. Corrie’s death that...

Craig and Cindy Corrie's quest for media attention and globe-trotting instead of justice for daughter Rachel"There's not a lot of money in revenge." --Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride...The death of Rachel Corrie has certainly given her parents the opportunity for worldwide travel to places like Argentina, as well as to Israel and many American cities where they are the center of media attention. If they sought genuine justice against those who were most directly responsible for their daughter's death, as any person of honor would do, these travel and media opportunities would dry up pretty quickly. The media has...

Regional Fed Surveys Suggest Imminent ISM Manufacturing Drop Calculated Risk Sep. 16, 2010, 4:44 PM Note: Usually I don't watch this very closely, but right I'm looking for signs of a slowdown in manufacturing. Eventually a watched pot does boil ... By request - now that the Empire State and Philly Fed manufacturing surveys for September have been released - here is an update to the graph I posted last month:For this graph I averaged the New York and Philly Fed surveys (dashed green, through September), and averaged five surveys including New York, Philly, Richmond, Dallas and Kansas City (blue,...

OAKLAND, Calif. – Hundreds of protesters condemning Israel's recent raid on an international flotilla bound for Gaza are picketing at the Port of Oakland, where an Israeli ship is due to arrive. The demonstrators gathered Sunday to prevent the incoming ship from being unloaded. The dock's day shift of longshoremen agreed to not cross the picket line. Meanwhile Sunday, Israel said it will immediately allow all goods into Gaza except weapons and items deemed to have a military use under its decision to ease its three-year-old blockade of the Palestinian territory. Israeli officials had decided last week to ease the...

Does the International Solidarity Movement's role in Rachel Corrie's training and supervision make it liable for her death?We are not an attorney and cannot give legal advice, but laws against manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide are fairly straightforward. If A acts in a manner that a reasonable person would know to pose a danger to B (e.g. driving while drunk, playing "chicken" with a motor vehicle, celebratory gunfire or other reckless behavior with a firearm), and such action results in B's death, then A is guilty of manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide. An employer who directs an employee to do...

A news release from the Corrie family after yesterday's court session in Haifa notes testimony that Rachel Corrie "arrived dead at the hospital." If she was already dead, why were doctors at An Najah Hospital "treating" her ? [Photos of Corrie at An Najar are posted on the blog] As I have reported before, ISM Media Coordinator in 2003, Michael Shaik stated definitively both to me and in other media:" An ambulance rushed her to A-Najar hospital where she died." So--let's get this straight. Your daughter repeatedly kneels in front of an Israeli military bulldozer on a demolition mission; she...