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Defense Minister Ehud Barak 'Bombing facilities better than nuke-armed Tehran'.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak 'Bombing facilities better than nuke-armed Tehran'.(JPost).Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Wednesday – the same day Iran announced it had added 1,000 more centrifuges – that dealing with a nuclear-armed Iran would be much more deadly and costly than confronting Tehran before it goes nuclear. Barak, speaking to the graduating class of the National Defense College, said that Israel’s leaders were facing the most “complicated and complex” security challenges the country had ever faced.Barak touched on a recurrent theme in his comments – that the international community’s failure to stop the massacre in Syria should be a lesson to Israel about the world’s inability to enlist the “political will, unity of purpose and ability to act even when the reality necessitates it.” Saying that the Arab Spring had gradually turned into an Islamic summer, Barak said that at its moment of truth Israel could rely only on itself. The defense minister added that he was well aware of the difficulties and complexities involved in stopping Iran from obtaining nuclear arms. “But,” he said, “it is perfectly clear to me that dealing with this challenge when it matures, if it matures, will be inestimably more complex, inestimably more dangerous and inestimably more costly in human life and resources.” Barak’s words came the same day that Iran defiantly made clear that it was moving forward with its nuclear activities. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying Iran currently had “11,000 centrifuges active in enrichment facilities” in the country. If true, this would amount to an increase of 1,000 centrifuges in the past two months, since the International Atomic Energy Agency put the number of centrifuges spinning in Iran at 10,000 in a report it released in late May. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who has warned consistently in recent months that Iran was moving steadily forward with its nuclear program under the cover of talks with world powers, said in a recorded message aired at the National Defense College graduation ceremony that in a region surrounded by missiles the best defense was “the ability to attack.”Hmmmm....."Pour les vaincre, messieurs, il nous faut de l'audace, encore de l'audace, et toujours de l'audace et la Patrie sera sauvée!" ~ Danton. To defeat them, gentlemen, we need audacity, more audacity and always audacity and the Homeland will be saved!Read the full story here.

Video - Sinai jihadis filmed themselves blowing up the Egypt-Israel gas line.

Remember 'The war On Terror is Over'....Oh that's right Israel has no terrorist attacks that's why they're not included in Obama and Erdogan's club against terror.

Genetically Modified Apples Newest GMO Creation to be Pushed on North American Consumers.

Genetically Modified Apples Newest GMO Creation to be Pushed on North American Consumers.(AP).By Anthony Gucciardi.After setting sights on creating a heavily modified apple that ‘never browns’ and doing their very best to hide the fact that they are indeed genetically altered, a biotech corporation known as Okanagan Specialty Fruits is now pushing for their new genetically modified apples to hit the market.

The company recently submitted an application to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to launch their initiative to get the apples into your local grocery market and reap ‘improved industry sales’, but they made sure that the data was not available to the public.

Now, after providing virtually no information to the citizens of Canada and submitting only two pages of information on the product actually written by the company, Okanagan Specialty Fruits is now set on a United States release. On July 9th, the USDA posted the corporation’s request for approval on their website for the genetically modified ‘non-browning’ apples, giving the public 60 days to comment before ultimately making a decision.

The move has outraged many watchdog organizations, who have continued to highlight the fact that the initial submission to the Canadian government was ‘embarrassing’ in its utter lack of real information. Speaking on behalf of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, activist and biotech researcher Lucy Sharratt stated:

The CFIA should be deeply embarrassed for wasting Canadian’s time on a false invitation to comment on the GM apple… the CFIA public comment period was always a sham because it was based on no data but this farce is now completely exposed.

Genetically Modified Apples Opposed by 69% of Canadians

Unsurprisingly, Sharatt’s sentiments have been echoed by many Canadian citizens and activists. The crusade to bring genetically modified apples has been met with extreme activism from concerned citizens as documented by a number of new polls and surveys. Giving a powerful statistical concept of how citizens see the proposition of the modified apples, a consumer poll commissioned by apple grower associations based in British Columbia and Quebec revealed that 69% of Canadians simply do not want the genetically modified apple.

One reason that some citizens are concerned is the fact that biotechnology researchers have openly admitted that while only one gene is necessary to be altered to prevent browning in the apples, the change could likely affect a multitude of other genes in the process. And with unknown gene changes comes unknown consequences. In case you’re skeptical, even Monsanto’s top PhD researchers have openly stated to former Monsanto employee and whistleblower Kirk Azevedo that during the genetic modification process “other proteins that are being produced, not just the one we want, a byproduct of the genetic engineering process.”

Eventually leaving the company and coming out to expose their health-wrecking practices, Azevedo reports:

I saw what was really the fraud associated with genetic engineering. My impression, and I think most people’s impression with genetically engineered foods and crops and other things, is that it’s just like putting one gene in there and that one gene is expressed….But in reality, the process of genetic engineering changes the cell in such a way that it’s unknown what the effects are going to be.

There is still time to submit your comments to the USDA regarding the potential approval of genetically modified apples. The Alliance for Natural Health has established a simple form to do so.Read the full story here.

North Korea - Kim Jong-un Gets Married - North Korean TV.

North Korea - Kim Jong-un Gets Married - North Korean TV.(RN).North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has got married, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said on Wednesday quoting North Korean TV. North Korean TV has recently shown footage of Kim at several events with an unidentified young woman, sparking speculation of a romance. The media said the woman’s name was Ri Sol-ju. According to reports, Kim and his wife on Wednesday attended a ceremony to mark the completion of a recreational park on Pyongyang’s Rungna islet. Georgy Toloraya, director for Korean Programs at the Institute of Economics, said the news of the marriage clearly illustrated a shift towards transparency in the Communist state’s domestic policy. The two previous North Korean leaders rarely appeared in public with their wives. “It’s yet another illustration of the fact that Kim Jong-un’s administration policies have clearly taken a new direction: [toward] greater transparency, greater contact with the people, an attempt to limit the power of the military,” he said. He said that as the state media did not reveal any details of the ceremony, the wedding apparently took place some time ago. Another expert on North Korea, Konstantin Asmolov said that “no drastic changes have taken place in North Korea so far.” Asmolov, who is a senior researcher at the Center for Korean Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Far Eastern Studies, said the domestic policy shift rumors were just another example of “myths” that “journalists invented and then refuted.” “For some time North Korea was surrounded by certain myths and any information that didn’t fit was rejected. And now people are suddenly trying to ‘reinvent the wheel’ and link it all to the recent transition of power.”Hmmm......Welcome to the club of 'Yu-So-Phukt'?Read the full story here.

Video - Iranian Moral Police Shuts Down 87 Coffee Shops For Allowing UnIslamic/Immoral Behavior.

Video - Michael Coren goes full burka.

HT: InfidelBloggers.

Video - Congress grills DHS secretary Napolitano Over Major Security Breaches

Video - Congress grills DHS secretary Napolitano Over Major Security Breaches.(JW).For those who thought Napolitano’s delusional Mexican border assessment (“as secure as it has ever been”) was scary, consider these latest lapses from the presidential cabinet official charged with protecting the nation from terrorism. She had no idea that an Egyptian Islamic terrorist recently obtained a visa and met with top White House and State Department officials or that a Muslim member of her staff (Mohamed Elibiary) leaked classified information to a reporter.
At least that’s what she claimed during a recent Homeland Security Oversight hearing held by the House Judiciary Committee. Warning; the video of Napolitano’s testimony, posted on the official House website of the Texas congressman doing the grilling, is painful to watch. Not only does she get clobbered, Madam Secretary looks a bit like a deer in headlights, eyes beaming as she struggles to answer hard-hitting questions that shed a very disturbing light on her job performance.
Once you get over the anger of Napolitano’s incompetence, fear may set it since the country’s security essentially rides on her shoulders. Testifying before the committee, the former Arizona governor claimed to know nothing about the U.S. granting visas to Hani Nour Eldin, a member of Gamaa Islamiya, an Egyptian Islamic group that’s been officially designated a terrorist organization by her own government. One mainstream newspaper called it a “political fiasco” that should have raised a red flag and banned Eldin from entering the United States, let alone White House and State Department meetings.Read the full story here.

Shurat HaDin warns UK satellite services operator over Iran deals.

Shurat HaDin warns UK satellite services operator over Iran deals.(JPost).A Tel Aviv-based civil rights group warned on Wednesday that satellite operator Inmarsat could face criminal prosecution if it continues providing its technology to Iranian oil tankers.

  In a letter to Inmarsat, Shurat HaDin (Israel Law Center) said the company could risk civil as well as criminal proceedings in US courts if it did not stop supplying its guidance services to Iranian military vessels and tankers.

Shurat HaDin's director, and civil rights activist, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner said the warning letter came in the wake of recent US Treasury Department sanctions against Iranian vessels.The sanctions, imposed earlier this month, identify by name 58 National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) vessels. The US Treasury Department said that identifying the vessels would help companies and individuals comply with sanctions against Iran and undermine Iran's attempts to use NITC front companies to evade sanctions. Twenty-eight of the vessels named by the US Treasury Department appear on Inmarsat's shipping directory as being in receipt of the company's services. Ahead of EU oil sanctions, NITC 'reflagged' - registered in other countries - a large number of its vessels to mask their ownership, and so evade sanctions. Many of the ships listed on the US Treasury Department's list have been reflagged in countries including Tuvalu in the South Pacific. However, Shurat HaDin said that this does not affect their legal liability under US sanctions, because the ships are either under Iranian control or primarily dedicated to supporting Iran.In its letter to Inmarsat, Shurat HaDin say that providing aid to Iran is illegal. By materially supporting Iran's oil industry, Shurat HaDin allege, Inmarsat is facilitating the Iranian regime, including its nuclear program. "To the extent that Inmarsat's satellite support is utilized by Iran's military agencies, Inmarsat is a direct participator in Iran's terrorist activities and nuclear weapons program," the letter reads. Shurat HaDin cite a recent ruling by the US Supreme Court in the Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project case, which held that providing any support to a terrorist organization, even for supposed humanitarian purposes, was sufficient to impose criminal liability. "The analysis in Holder is no less accurate or binding when applied to the business activities of a sophisticated sovereign entity that orchestrates terrorist operations globally," Shurat HaDin argue in their letter to Inmarsat.Read the full story here.

Video - Canada - 14 year old boy in Burqa buys booze.

More here.

"Global Warming hits Sweden" - Many newborn reindeer calves have frozen to death.

"Global Warming hits Sweden" - Many newborn reindeer calves have frozen to death.(IAN).“With the unusually late, cold and rainy spring in the mountains, reindeer husbandry has been hit hard,” says this article from Swedish News Dagens Nyheter. “Many newborn calves have frozen to death, causing great economic losses for many reindeer owners.” “In the Wilhelmina southern village, around a third of reindeer calves froze to death. The snow is still there in some places in the mountains.” “The snow will not go away this summer unless we have a record hot August,” says Sami village chairman Tomas Nejne. “I have not been through this extremely late spring in living memory, so it’s probably more Sami villages affected,” says Jorgen Jonsson, chairman of the Swedish Sami’s Federation. Jonsson does not know how extensive reindeer calf death is because many reindeer owners have not been able to brand reindeer calves.Hmmm.....'Children just aren't going to know what snow is'.Read the full story here.

"The U.S. economy is doing fine" - Obama Hasn't Received His Daily Economic Briefing Since April 2011.

"The U.S. economy is doing fine" - Obama Hasn't Received His Daily Economic Briefing Since April 2011.(YWL).Something is missing. If you look at Barack Obama's calendar for 26th of April, 2011 you will see on his schedule at 10 AM "The President receives the Economic Daily Briefing," after that nothing. According to the daily schedule released by the White House, Barack Obama hasn't received his "daily" economic briefing for the past 15 months (The White House, Accessed 7/23/12).
Jay Carney was asked about it last June:

Q Just a quick follow-up. I feel like I missed this over the course of the last few months -- I might have been on vacation or something -- but when did the President stop doing the daily presidential economic daily briefing?

MR. CARNEY: I think it happens periodically --

Q But it used to be a daily thing with the PDB. I’m just curious when it stopped being a daily thing.

MR. CARNEY: I’ll have to go check. Again, it sort of happens occasionally, doesn’t happen all the time. And I think that was always the case, but I can check. I don’t have any scheduling changes to announce, but --

Perhaps that's why he hasn't met with his Jobs council in months, the President hasn't done his homework. The excuse his press secretary gives is the "the President has a lot on his plate."On the other hand I don't want to give the impression that Barack Obama has done nothing he's been very busy. Here is a list of some of his accomplishments.

• Politifact: "The RNC Said That Over The Last Six Months, Obama Has Golfed 10 Times And Held 106 Fundraisers Even As His Jobs Council Didn't Meet Once. The RNC's Tally Is On Target. We Rate This Statement True." (Politifact, "Did Barack Obama Hold 100-Plus Fundraisers While His Jobs Council Never Met?," Politifact , 7/19/12)

• Obama Has Attended 185 Fundraisers Since Announcing His Bid For Reelection. (CBS' Mark Knoller, Twitter Feed, 7/18/12; CBS' Mark Knoller,Twitter Feed, 7/19/12; CBS' Mark Knoller,Twitter Feed, 7/19/12; CBS' Mark Knoller, Twitter Feed, 7/23/12)

So what if the economy is going to hell in a hand basket. Who cares that this president isn't meeting with the his Jobs adviser or getting his daily economic briefing. This guy plays basketball with the stars. What else do could one want in a president?Read the full story here.

Assad chemical weapons plans blocked by Moscow, Russian warships entered the Mediterranean.

Assad chemical weapons plans blocked by Moscow, Russian warships entered the Mediterranean.(AA).Russia has formed an unlikely alliance with Washington after urging Syria on Tuesday to refrain from using chemical weapons as part of its violent crackdown on anti-regime protests across the country. Embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is reportedly considering unleashing chemical arsenal against the rebels, but his threat drew attention from Russia, Assad’s main international ally. In Moscow, the foreign ministry said it “would like to underline that Syria joined” a Geneva protocol on the non-use of such weapons and “presumes that the Syrian authorities will continue to rigorously abide by its assumed international obligations,” according to AFP news agency. There has been a barrage of warnings about Syria’s chemical arsenal this month, especially strident from the United States and Israel, but accompanied by firm but private advice from Russia, Assad’s main international ally, to put an end to speculation he might use it. Analysts and diplomats across the region and beyond do not doubt that the Assad government, recoiling from a devastating attack on its security establishment last week and struggling to contain rebel offensives across Syria, is capable of using agents such as Sarin gas if its survival is at stake. Yet some believe that the government’s unprecedented admission that it possesses a chemical stockpile - although in safe storage and only to be deployed against “external aggressors” - is an attempt to allay international alarm that might prompt outside intervention to secure the weapons. “They have a keen instinct for regime survival and this is an issue which didn’t play well for them, which would really bring serious consequences, not the type of stuff we have been seeing so far from the international community,” Salman al-Shaikh of the Brookings Doha center told Reuters.
“I think they wanted to move quickly to take us away from that, to reassure in many ways. “This regime is capable of anything, but in this case it felt there may well be consequences, that they are perhaps crossing some red lines.” But Russia took more than a day to formulate a response before issuing the carefully worded statement that demanded compliance with international treaties while not directly blaming Syria for making the threat.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, a Russian naval flotilla of warships destined for the Syrian port of Tartus has entered the Mediterranean, Russia’s defense ministry said Tuesday. “The Russian ships today passed the Strait of Gibraltar and entered the Mediterranean at 1200 GMT,” said a defense ministry spokesman, quoted by Itar-Tass agency. Led by the Admiral Chabanenko anti-submarine destroyer, the three landing craft left their home port of Severomorsk in the Arctic Circle earlier this month. They are due to be joined in the Mediterranean by the Russian patrol ship Yaroslav Mudry as well as an assistance vessel. The ships will perform “planned military maneuvers,” said the ministry. Earlier in the month a military source said the ships would be topping up on supplies of fuel, water and foodstuffs.Russia has denied that the deployment is linked to the escalating conflict in Syria.Read the full story here.

Video - Bolton: 'Nonsense! This is the most hostile President since the State of Israel was created'.

HT: IsraelMatzav.