EU rejects Israeli request to blacklist Hezbollah as terrorist group.

EU rejects Israeli request to blacklist Hezbollah as terrorist group.(AA).The European Union turned down a request Tuesday by Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to blacklist Hezbollah as a terrorist group after last week’s deadly bombing in Bulgaria. “There is no consensus for putting Hezbollah on the list of terrorist organizations,” said Cypriot Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency. Israel blames Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah for Wednesday’s suicide attack at the Black Sea airport of Burgas in which five Israelis and their Bulgarian driver died. But an EU decision would require the unanimous approval of all its 27 members. Sitting beside the Cypriot minister at a news conference held after annual EU-Israel talks, Lieberman said: “The time has come to put Hezbollah on the terrorist list of Europe.” “It would give the right signal to the international community and the Israeli people.”
But Kozakou-Marcoullis said Hezbollah was an organization comprising a party as well as an armed wing and was “active in Lebanese politics”. “Taking into account this and other aspects there is no consensus for putting Hezbollah on the list of terrorist organizations,” she said. The EU would consider this if there were tangible evidence of Hezbollah engaging in acts of terror, she added. Lieberman said Israel was continuing to compile evidence from the Bulgaria attack and would onpass proof to the EU.But in Israel, Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told AFP that “for years we have been providing Europe with information on Hezbollah’s direct involvement in terror attacks. “But certain states in the EU have clarified to us that because of political reasons, they prefer to not add Hezbollah to the list, despite them not disputing the evidence.”Hmmmm......Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. ~ Albert Einstein.Read the full story here.

Overnight Music Video - Little Peggy March - I will follow him

World wide Food price crisis feared as erratic weather wreaks havoc on crops.

World wide Food price crisis feared as erratic weather wreaks havoc on crops.(Guardian).Freak weather in some of the world's vital food producing regions is ravaging crops and threatening another global food crisis like the price shocks that unleashed social and political unrest in 2008 and 2010. As the US suffers the worst drought in more than 50 years, analysts are warning that rising food prices could hit the world's poorest countries, leading to shortages and social upheaval. The situation has sparked comparisons to 2008 when high food prices sparked a wave of riots in 30 countries across the world, from Haiti to Bangladesh. Researchers say rising food prices also helped trigger the Arab Spring in 2011. Nick Higgins, commodity analyst at Rabobank, said: "Food riots are a real risk at this point. Wheat prices aren't up at the level they got to in 2008 but they are still very high and that will have an effect on those who are least able to pay higher prices for food."
In America's agricultural heartland, searing heat and sparse rainfall have left farmers helpless as their corn and soy bean crops wither in dry fields. Earlier this month, the US department of agriculture (USDA) slashed forecasts for the corn crop by 12%. US agricultural secretary Tom Vilsack said: "I get on my knees every day, and I'm saying an extra prayer right now. If I had a rain prayer or a rain dance I could do, I would do it." As it is, current weather forecasts suggest the drought will continue and experts fear the USDA may have to cut its targets again in August.
Dan Basse, president of AgResources in Chicago, said the government's prediction would prove too optimistic if the drought continues. "We've been traipsing through the fields of southern Illinois, and it is worse than the government says."The US is crucial to global food markets as the world's largest exporter of corn, soy beans and wheat, so the impact of the drought will be felt across the globe. Corn prices have already shot up 40% since June to hit all-time highs, soy bean prices have jumped 30% to record levels, and wheat has surged 50%.

It is not just the US. Unseasonal weather, thought to be caused by climate change, is affecting farmers across the world. South America has been hit by a drought, which could damage the soy bean harvest, while UK wheat has been damaged by the rain. Flash flooding in Russia could also affect the wheat harvest. 

Traders are particularly concerned about the latter as Russia might limit exports if it is worried about wheat supplies at home, causing further price spikes. Shortages have been compounded by huge orders for corn and soy beans to make biofuels, in order to meet quotas in the US and Europe. Consumers will soon feel the effects of these spikes. A high price of wheat leads directly to higher prices in the shops, as it is the main ingredient for bread and other staples.
The link is less direct with other crops. Corn and soy beans are used to feed livestock, so rising prices will ultimately cause the price of meat to rise. In the short-term, however, they will have the reverse effect. As the cost of feed rises, farmers kill cattle at lighter weights to avoid having to feed them. That will briefly flood the market with meat, causing prices to fall, but subsequent shortages will causes prices to rise sharply.
Higgins at Rabobank said meat will then remain expensive for a long time. "It is very hard to rebuild cattle herds and these inflationary effects will be long and lingering." Rising food prices have a disproportionate effect on the poorest people in the world. Ruth Kelly, Oxfam's food policy adviser says people in the Western world spend around 15% of their income on food, but that rises to around 75% in developing countries, so any change in food prices has a dramatic impact on household budgets. Kelly says problems will be compounded by the previous two food price spikes in 2008 and 2011: "People are already in debt from previous spikes and suffering the consequences. When the first food crisis hit people were forced to sell off their assets, their cattle and jewellery, and take on debt to make ends meet. After multiple crises, people run out of savings and that can be quite disastrous. "People can find it much harder to cope when you have multiple shocks like this, without time to recover between them, rather than just a single shock."Hmmmm....Bad news for Obama's re-election team.Read the full story here.

Compare drought map to a week ago:

Iran's nuclear program has been Thunderstruck.

Iran's nuclear program has been Thunderstruck.HT: IsraelMatzav.There may be yet another worm that's hit Iran's nuclear agency. This one takes over computers and causes them to play the song Thunderstruck.

I am writing you to inform you that our nuclear program has once again been compromised and attacked by a new worm with exploits which have shut down our automation network at Natanz and another facility Fordo near Qom.


According to the email our cyber experts sent to our teams, they believe a hacker tool Metasploit was used. The hackers had access to our VPN. The automation network and Siemens hardware were attacked and shut down. I only know very little about these cyber issues as I am scientist not a computer expert.


There was also some music playing randomly on several of the workstations during the middle of the night with the volume maxed out. I believe it was playing 'Thunderstruck' by AC/DC.

I'm not sure what to think about this. We can't confirm any of the details. However, we can confirm that the researcher was sending and receiving emails from within the AEOI.

Mikko.Hmm............"THOR?"Read the full story here.

Israeli 'Know How': Recycled Cardboard Bicycles for $9.

Israeli 'Know How': Recycled Cardboard Bicycles for $9.(SL).They are made of recycled cardboard, can withstand water and humidity, cost nearly nothing – and might the concept of green vehicle. Izhar Gafni is a Kibbutz resident, who decided to prove to his fellow engineers that he could make a bicycle at nearly no cost.Izhar Gafni, originally from Kibbutz Bror Hayil in the Negev, took the most popular and widely sold vehicle in the community and decided to turn it into an entirely green private venture. Gafni’s bicycle redefines the idea of green transportation in every way, being environmentally friendly from early stages of production all the way through creation of the final product. The bicycles are made out of recycled and used cardboard. The primary use, like any bicycle, is to prevent pollution while encouraging physical activity and exercise.
In an interview with Newsgeek, Gafni said that the production cost for his recycled bicycles is around $9-12 each, and he estimates it could be sold to a consumer for $60 to 90, depending on what parts they choose to add.
“I really love bicycles, and when I worked in the United States I inquired in California to see if anyone has already thought of the concept of a cardboard bicycle. To my delight, I only discovered similar concepts based on bamboo. But when I started asking engineers about the possibility of producing a cardboard bicycle, I was sent away and told that the realization of my idea is impossible. One day I was watching a documentary about the production of the first jumbo jet – and an engineer on the team had said that when everyone tells him that what he is doing is impossible – it makes it even clearer to him that he is progressing in the right direction. That saying motivated me to experiment with different materials on cardboard, to find what produces the desired strength and durability.” Gafni, who decided to take this on as a personal project, conducted several experiments to see how he could make the recycled cardboard strong enough to carry a person weighing up to 140 kilograms. Finally, he created several prototypes that were fairly durable but too bulky. “My first prototypes looked like delivery boxes on wheels. They were hefty and it didn’t take much imagination to see that they were made of cardboard. When I met with investors it was difficult to explain my ultimate vision with the bikes, which led me to understand that I need to devote more time towards developing a more comfortable design, lighter and more impressive.” Judging based on the prototypes leaning on the wall during the interview with Gafni, it seems that his hard work paid off. The prototype in the room was impressive. It was hard to believe there was any relationship between that bicycle and cardboard. The bicycle is coated with a strong solid layer of brown and white material, making the finished product look like it is made of hard lightweight plastic.Read and see (Video)the full story here.

Police yet to trace Two Jewish girls vandalized holy Muslim books in Cave of Patriarchs.

Police yet to trace Two Jewish girls vandalized holy Muslim books in Cave of Patriarchs.(YNet).Two teenage girls caught on security cameras tearing Koran books inside the Cave of Patriarchs, have yet to be questioned by police who have failed to track them down, four months after the incident. The incident occured four months ago when the Cave of Patriarchs was open to Jewish worshippers. The girls entered the cenotaph of Isaac, which is used for Muslim prayers, took two Koran books from a nearby stand and proceeded to tear the pages. Later on, they hurled the books, which are sacred to Islam, at the wall.Midway through the desecration, they were noticed by an Israel Border Guard officer who did not intervene. Another officer who was at the scene approached the girls and stalled them. And yet, since the event the girls have not been summoned by the police for further investigation. The incident was captured on 24 hour security-cameras which monitor the site and a complaint has been filed with the police. However, the girls have yet to be located. Judea and Samaria District police say "The investigation is still ongoing in the Hebron sub-district. The security camera footage from the cave is part of an ongoing investigation. Therefore we cannot comment on it."Read the full story here.

Bulgarian detectives: Burgas bomber spent night before attack with woman.

Bulgarian detectives: Burgas bomber spent night before attack with woman.(YNet).The suicide bomber in last week's deadly attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria entered from neighboring Romania, spoke decent Russian and had a female companion, local media reported on Monday. Citing investigators probing last Wednesday's bombing of a bus at Burgas airport that killed five Israeli tourists and the driver, television channel bTV said that the attacker was in the city of Varna for at least a day before the bombing.While in Varna, which is further up the Black Sea coast from Burgas, he left behind "biological evidence" at a hotel, BTV said.The newspaper Troud meanwhile reported that police were looking for a woman believed to have been staying in the Varna hotel with the bomber, naming it as the three-star Hotel Perfekt. This woman is also believed to be linked to a possible second man whom police think may have been the bomber's accomplice, the newspaper said, also citing unnamed investigators. The daily also cited a taxi driver who said he drove the suicide bomber from Ravda and Pomorie, two small towns north of Burgas, the day before the attack, and that he spoke "decent Russian." Bulgarian authorities have declined to comment on the investigation, saying only that they believe the bomber was aged around 36, had a fake US driver's licence, was not Bulgarian and had been in the country "not less than four days."Read the full story here.

Egypt - Salafi cleric's Fatwa Bans Christian Priests from Public Transportation to Church.

Egypt - Salafi cleric's Fatwa Bans Christian Priests from Public Transportation to Church.By Raymond Ibrahim.Dr. Yassir al-Burhami, a prominent figure in Egypt's Salafi movement and vice president of the Salafi Call—the same sheikh who seeks to punish Muslim apostates, condemns Mother's Day, and advocates deceiving Israel—has just issued a fatwa, published in the "Voice of the Righteous Salaf," forbidding Muslim taxi-drivers and bus-drivers from transporting Coptic Christian priests to their churches, which he depicted as "more forbidden than taking someone to a liquor bar."
This analogy, of course, does not begin with Sheikh Burhami, but traces back to some of Islam's early giants, including Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn Qayyim, who agreed that "building churches is worse than building bars and brothels, for those [churches] symbolize infidelity, whereas these [bars and brothels] represent immorality.
The logic is simple: It is better to profess Islam and be immoral, than to profess Christianity—for the latter denies the veracity of Islam, and hence is much more abominable. In this context, the Muslim who transports a priest to his church where he will preach Christianity—a message that contradicts Islam—is a terrible crime.Read the full story here.

Michelle Obama to promote 'Let's Move' in London.

Michelle Obama to promote 'Let's Move' in London.(TheHill).First Lady Michelle Obama will hold an anti-obesity event for 1,000 children in London, where she'll be leading a U.S. Olympic delegation. On a conference call with reporters Monday, Obama said she was "beyond proud" to lead the presidential delegation to the Olympic opening ceremony. "It's truly a dream come true," she said. Obama will host a event for her "Let's Move!" anti-obesity initiative on Friday afternoon after meeting with U.S. athletes in the morning. The games' opening ceremony will also take place Friday. The afternoon event will take place at the U.S. ambassador's residence in London and involve 1,000 young people — a mix of U.K. natives and the children of American servicemembers based in Britain. The Olympics "serve as a powerful opportunity to send another message to the kids in this country about the importance of staying fit," Obama said. According to a White House memo, the afternoon will feature U.S. Olympians and famous athletes such as soccer star David Beckham. Obama will also meet with Samantha Cameron, the British Prime Minister's wife, during her time in London, as well as attend a reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth II. Read the full story here.

Chinese Authorities ban Uyghur public religious activities during the holy month of Ramadan.

Chinese Authorities ban Uyghur public religious activities during the holy month of Ramadan.(RFA).Chinese authorities in the troubled northwestern region of Xinjiang have imposed curbs on the public observance of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan among the region's Uyghur ethnic minority, an exile group said on Monday. The government, which earlier this month stepped up security around the sensitive anniversary of the 2009 ethnic violence between the Uyghurs and the Han Chinese that killed nearly 200 people, has banned any public religious activities by the region's Muslims, according to a spokesman for the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress. "They have set up Ramadan stability groups in every official department and organization, and they have to select people to serve on them," spokesman Dilxat Raxit said. "Officials from these departments have to go and stay in mosques, so as to carry out personal surveillance work in all localities." The Muslim holy month devoted to dawn-to-dusk fasting, prayers and good deeds culminates with the three-day holiday of Eid al-Fitr. Meanwhile, teachers and professors, members of the ruling Chinese Communist Party and other civil servants in Xinjiang are barred from fasting during this year's Ramadan, which began Thursday and ends on Aug. 18, according to Raxit. "They will be stationed in the mosques round-the-clock during Ramadan," he said. "They will carry out both technological surveillance and personal surveillance."Hmmmm........"Yes We Can?"Read the full story here.

All Americans will receive a Microchip implant in 2013 per Obamacare.

All Americans will receive a Microchip implant in 2013 per Obamacare.(SodaHead).There is an old adage that seeing is believing, the only alternative is to convince yourself that your lying eyes are wrong. Would you upon seeing something for yourself by way of documented proof believe your own eyes and accept it as the truth, even if it was hard for you to accept?

There will always be those who will remain in denial even though they know better, they will not accept it because they can not bring themselves to admit it to themselves. For those described here this will be a wasted effort.

The following are government documents as evidence of what has just been done to the American people under the guise of healthcare. You have a choice, be one of those who believe what they see, or, tell yourself that your lying eyes are wrong.

You are facing a difficult choice, a real and present choice, not a hypothetical or future choice. You are being forewarned and given an opportunity to choose where and how you will go. For medical services will you agree for yourself and your family to be chipped like a farm animal with a RFID? Better start making up your mind now.

Sec. 2521, P. 1000 – The govt. will establish a National Medical Device Registry. H.R. 3200 [Healthcare Bill], pages 1001-1008:

(g)(1) The Secretary shall establish a national medical device registry (in this subsection referred to as the ‘registry’) to facilitate analysis of postmarket safety and outcomes data on each device that— ‘‘(A) is or has been used in or on a patient; ‘‘(B) and is— ‘‘(I) a class III device; or ‘‘(ii) a class II device that is implantable, life-supporting, or life-sustaining.”

Page 104 defines data in paragraph 1

Section B National Medical Device Registry from H.R. 3200 [Healthcare Bill], pages 1001-1008:

http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/DeviceRegulationandGuidance...

Approved by the FDA, a class II implantable device is an “implantable radio frequency transponder system for patient identification and health information.” The purpose of a class II device is to collect data in medical patients such as “claims data, patient survey data, standardized analytic files that allow for the pooling and analysis of data from disparate data environments, electronic health records, and any other data deemed appropriate by the Secretary.”

Any other data deemed appropriate by the secretary, so is the sky is the limit?

Pages 1001-1008 “National Medical Device Registry” section.

Page 1006 “to be enacted within 36 months upon passage”

http://www.fda.gov/downloads/MedicalDevices/DeviceRegulationa...

http://waysandmeans.house.gov/media/pdf/111/AAHCA09001xml.pdf

What your future holds in store. You go to a doctor for medical services; you are informed that he must implant an RFID chip in your body. And that all of your medical history must be programmed into the chip, and if you refuse the RFID chip under law he will not be able to treat you. Sound like science fiction? It’s not; it’s in the healthcare bill. Looking at the other information links provided tells us its been an idea for a very long time.Read the full story here.

Iran says Olympians will compete against Israelis.

Iran says Olympians will compete against Israelis.(AA).In surprising move, Islamic Republic said it will allow its athletes to compete with Israeli counterparts during the London Games. Bahram Afsharzadeh, head of the Iranian Olympic Mission, said Monday that his country’s athletes will compete against Israelis at the London Games. Iran has been criticized in the past because some of its athletes withdrew from events against Israelis at the 2004 Athens Games and 2008 Beijing Games. Afsharzadeh said: “We will be truthful to sport.” Afsharzadeh also said that Iran would “respect” a minute of silence if it was held in the opening ceremony to remember the 11 Israelis murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympics. The IOC, though, has rebuffed Israel’s plea for the commemoration. Afsharzadeh spoke in the athletes’ village after signing the “truce wall,” an initiative calling on warring parties around the world to end hostilities during the games. The statement was made on the backdrop of concerns raised by some Arab states that the meets’ lottery may pit their athletes against Israeli competitors or worse – that their representatives will have to stand next to Israelis on the podium if they win a medal. Arab nations traditionally refuse to compete with Isreali athletes.Read the full story here.

U.S. religions professor: "Jesus was a Muslim", claims "Islam is a social justice movement".

                                                          Egyptian Christians



U.S. religions professor: "Jesus was a Muslim", claims "Islam is a social justice movement".(AA).Religions professor at the Luther College in Iowa, Robert F. Shedinger, has made a controversial claim in a new book, arguing that Jesus Christ was a Muslim. In the beginning of his book, to be released this year, Shedinger asked “Was Jesus a Muslim?" “I will answer with a very qualified yes,” he wrote. In the spring of 2001, Shedinger’s methodology of teaching Islam was questioned by one of his students who was brought up in a Muslim family, according to a report by Fox Nation. The student, a female, told her professor that the way he was conveying Islam to his students didn’t bare resemblance to the way she was taught about her own religion in her upbringing. Shedinger said in an interview that the questioning of his view on Islam motivated him to completely re-think his whole concept about the religion and the way he was applying it to his teaching. Shedinger, who is the head of the religious studies department at Luther College in Iowa, also argued that Islam is a better fit for Jesus since it is not a religion but a “social justice movement,” Fox reported. "I had to rethink what Islam is… I came to the conclusion that it was a social justice movement and I think that’s who Jesus was in the first century so I conclude Jesus is more like a Muslim," he said.

 Islam’s Prophet Mohammed is believed to have received revelations that were eventually cited in the Quran at around 622 AD; the date historians, Muslims and Christians believe the birth of Islam to be. Jesus is believed to have lived more than 600 years earlier.Shedinger’s book also addresses the relationship between Christians and Muslims and how they can “work together to promote social justice in the world.”Hmmmm......Karl Marx was right "Religion is the Opium of the people" excessive use will damage the brain.Read the full story here.

Shoebat exclusive: "Proof of Huma’s Ties to Muslim Brotherhood".

Shoebat exclusive: "Proof of Huma’s Ties to Muslim Brotherhood".(Shoebat).We have produced a 37-page report that unequivocally proves Hillary Clinton’s Deputy Chief of Staff and closest advisor – Huma Abedin – does in fact have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Republicans who defend her (John McCain, Scott Brown, Marco Rubio, and John Boehner) are on the wrong side of history and are putting their country at great risk by choosing the wrong side on an issue with very grave possibilities. Read the full report here.

Great Green Fleece: Air Force Spends $59 Per Gallon for Biofuel

Great Green Fleece: Air Force Spends $59 Per Gallon for Biofuel.(Heritage).The U.S. Air Force spent $59 per gallon on biofuels for a demonstration last month intended to show the promise of the alternative energy source. That’s more than double what the U.S. Navy spent as part of its so-called Great Green Fleet demonstration.
The total cost for the 11,000 gallons of synthetic jet fuel from Gevo Inc., a Colorado-based company, amounts to $639,000.
For its demonstration, Navy officials spent $12 million on 450,000 gallons of fuel, or approximately $26 a gallon. Combining the fuel with petroleum in a 50-50 mixture reduces the cost per gallon to around $15, more than four times the cost of petroleum alone. The company providing the Navy’s biofuel, Solazyme, was a recipient of stimulus grant funding.
The report from Reuters also indicated that among Gevo’s financial backers is Vinod Khosla, a venture capitalist whose firm owns 27 percent of the company. Reuters noted that Khosla has donated overwhelmingly to Democratic candidates in recent elections.
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus has repeatedly touted the benefits of expanding the Navy’s use of alternative fuel sources such as biofuels.
“It was worthwhile to show that biofuels can compete and can be used in every single thing that we do in the Navy. Everything before now has been a test. This shows that we can use biofuels and other alternative energies in an operational manner,” said Mabus in a conference call following the Naval exercise’s conclusion.
Mabus and other Defense Department officials have cited increases in petroleum prices as the reason for exploring biofuel integration, which drew criticism from Republican officials.
“You are not the secretary of energy, you are the secretary of the Navy,” said Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA). Forbes says he supports green energy, but facing budget priorities, finds the expenses inappropriate.Repeated attempts to clarify the assumptions made by Mabus and other Pentagon officials have not been forthcoming, even to members of Congress or the Congressional Research Service:

“One of Washington’s most influential naval analysts was equally flummoxed. “What is the Navy’s specific projection for how quickly prices for advanced biofuels will drop to levels competitive with those for petroleum-based fuels?” Ronald O’Rourke and his colleagues at the Congressional Research Service ask in a June 2012 report on military energy initiatives (.pdf). ”What studies did the Navy or DOD [Department of Defense] conduct to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of developing a domestic advanced biofuels industry?”
Apparently, no one at the Navy could be bothered to tell him the answer – if an answer existed, that is.”

Hmmmm.......Green re-election fund scam.Read the full story here.