Gastronomic racism: Italy bans foreign food

The latest casualty in the xenophobic Italian crusade against 'internal threats' real and imagined is ethnic food. Kebabs, with their Middle Eastern associations, are particularly suspect.

The campaign against ethnic food has received backing from the government of the cosmetically enhanced billionaire with the fake perma-grin - Silvio "suntanned" Berlusconi.

The food offensive began in Lucca this week, where the council banned any new ethnic food outlets from opening. The campaign has spread to Lombardy and its capital Milan, where the xenophobes of the Northern League hold considerable sway. They claim they introduced the restrictions "to protect local specialties from the growing popularity of ethnic cuisines.”

The center-left opposition in Lucca has called the campaign 'culinary ethnic cleansing.' The newspaper La Stampa described it as ' a new Lombard crusade against the Saracens.'

The right's definition of ethnic food is both arbitrary and discriminatory. Lucca spokesperson, Massimo Di Grazia, said that French restaurants weren't an issue. He wasn't so sure about Sicilian cuisine though - might be some nefarious Arab-inspired ingredients creeping in there.

This growing Italian allergy to foreign foods shouldn't surprise. In Berlusconi's increasingly sinister Italy, Roma Gypsies have been fingerprinted and their camps attacked. Just this week immigrants were assaulted in cafes and shops in revenge attacks for the alleged rape of an Italian woman by Romanians.

Not long ago far-right mayor, now deputy-mayor of Treviso, Giancarlo Gentilini, talked about 'cleansing' Treviso of faggots. He also suggested that immigrants should be banned from park benches or preferably hunted: "we should dress them up as rabbits and go bang, bang, bang with a rifle." Gentilini's other phobia is dogs. He has an aversion to 'non-local dogs' and said: "we don't want foreign breeds here."

Accompanying cartoon "Living dangerously in Italy" here.

Living Dangerously in Italy

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Muntazer al-Zaidi: giant bronze shoe unveiled in Tikrit

Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit has a new art exhibit. A giant shoe has gone on public display to honor the Iraqi journalist who flung his shoes at George Bush.

The work is by Baghdad based artist, Laith al-Amari. He described the fibreglass and copper work as a homage to the pride of the Iraqi people.

The shoe monument also comes with a poem in honor of Muntazer al-Zaidi.

CIA chief in Algeria accused of rape by Muslim women

The US Justice Department is investigating allegations that the CIA station chief in Algeria raped at least two Muslim women who claim they were given spiked drinks. The two women involved reported the assaults independently of each other.

An affadavit for a search warrant names the suspect in the case as Andrew Warren, a 41 year old convert to Islam.

According to the affadavit, the first victim says she was raped in September 2007 at a party for US embassy staff held at Warren's residence. She claims Warren gave her a drink that made her nauseous. Warren suggested she stay the night. She woke the following morning lying on a bed completely nude. She said she realized sexual intercourse had taken place, but was unable to recall any details of the assault.

The second woman had a similar experience to relate. She was given a tour of Warren's home. She claims he made an apple martini "out of her sight." The drink made her feel faint. When she went to the washroom, she was able to see and hear but was unable to move.

She recalls being in Warren's bed. She asked him to stop and he made the statement 'nobody stays in my expensive sheets with clothes on.' She said that 'as she slipped in and out of consciousness she had images of Warren repeatedly penetrating her vagina with his penis.'

When the women made the accusations, Warren was interviewed by Diplomatic Security investigators. He claimed he had engaged in "consensual sexual intercourse" and admitted there were pictures of the women on his laptop.

A search of Warren's residence turned up Valium and Xanax - drugs sometimes used to facilitate sexual assaults. Videos were also found that appeared to have been secretly recorded. They show Warren engaging in sexual acts. One of the alleged victims appears on tape in "a semi-conscious state."

Both of the women have reportedly given sworn statements to federal prosecutors who are preparing a possible criminal case against Warren.

Israel: the threat of religious Zionism

The term "never again" is sometimes used in expressing the resolve that the Holocaust will never be allowed to occur again. Maybe it is time to broaden the frame of reference. The danger of a holocaust befalling a people in the Middle East relates more to the plight of the Palestinian people than it does to the Israelis who sit within their fortress of a country armed with nukes and surrounded by walls.

Many in the west tend to view Israel through the lens of collective guilt as a result of the tragedies that befell the Jews in World War 2. The days when Israel was a fledgling state are long over. Today it is in fact a Goliath in the Middle East, a recipient of American backing and armed to the teeth with high tech weaponry.

Over the years there has been the growth of a militant form of religious Zionism in Israel aided by backers in America. Religious Zionism has a racist undercurrent and encourages a mindset that hearkens back to the Biblical wars in the Old Testament as a way of justifying Israeli aggression against its neighbors. The publications given to Israeli soldiers by the IDF rabbinate prior to the recent Gaza operation reflect these sentiments as the newspaper Haaretz has pointed out. The rabbinate publications have been criticized by Israeli human rights groups such as Breaking the Silence and Yesh Din.

Israel supporters in the west justify Israeli aggression on "never again" grounds and because of the 'special relationship.' However the chances of Israelis becoming the victims is slim to zero. When Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai spoke of a holocaust he associated it with the possible fate of the Palestinian people:

"The more Qassam [rocket] fire intensifies and the rockets reach a longer range, they will bring upon themselves a bigger shoah [holocaust]."

It is often said that those who have been abused act out the abuse toward others. On a psychological level, there is evidence that elements within the Israeli political and military structure are acting out a dark side of the Israeli psyche by turning the Palestinians into victims - similar to the way in which European Jews were turned into victims a few short decades ago.

The language that comes from certain Rabbis devalues Palestinians, in much the way the Jews were devalued in the 30's. Not so long ago the former chief Sephardi rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu said the life of a thousand Arabs wasn't worth the life of one Jew. He also called for the carpet bombing of Gaza, irrespective of how many Palestinians were killed. Rabbi Shlomo Aviner also takes a hardline approach. Aviner's controversial opinions showed up in booklets that the army rabbinate gave to soldiers en route to Gaza.

The Israeli Cast Lead planners didn't balk at using high tech weaponry in response to the firing of wildly inaccurate homemade rockets. Less than 20 dead Israelis in 8 years of rocket firing is a far cry from thousands of dead and wounded Palestinians in what can only be described as a civilian massacre in Gaza.

The state of Israel as it is presently constituted poses a grave threat to our collective future. The recent Gaza outrage has caused many Americans to take a second look at what type of nation they are empowering. Gaza also prompted many American and Canadian Jews to draw a clear line between their faith and their heritage... and Zionism. In doing so a number have expressed deep reservations about the direction Israel is taking.

The identification of the state of Israel with Jewishness entails a leap that some Israelis themselves would question - not just progressive Israeli secularists, but also those Orthodox Jews who draw a line between their Jewish faith and the Zionist state.

Yakov M. Rabkin, a Professor of History at the University of Montreal, is the author of Threat Within: A Century of Jewish Opposition to Zionism. A passage from the book illustrates the impact of Zionism upon pure, Torah-based Judaism:

"Worse than the toll of suffering, exploitation, death, and desecration of the Torah, has been the inner rot that Zionism has injected into the Jewish soul. It has dug deep into the essence of being a Jew ... It has wreaked havoc among Jews both in Israel and America, by casting us in the role of Goliath-like oppressors. It has made cruelty and corruption the norm for its followers."

There are others in the Jewish community who take the view that Zionism is a betrayal of their religion. Neturie Karta takes the view that being Jewish does not by extension involve an endorsement of the state of Israel.

The threat that should concern all of us relates to Israeli ultra-nationalism, racism and institutionalized discrimination.

IDF rabbinate: extremist Zionist views and 'hate' leaflets

The Israeli army's chief rabbinate has a controversial approach when it comes to providing religious guidance for the troops.

The army rabbinate produced a booklet titled Go Fight My Fight: A Daily Study Table for the Soldier and Commander in a Time of War, especially for Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. This booklet was given to soldiers preparing to enter the Gaza Strip.

The military conduct advocated has little in common with rules of modern warfare that are in compliance with international law. Cruelty is lauded as a "good attribute." The Jewish sage Maimonides is quoted as saying that "one must not be enticed by the folly of the Gentiles who have mercy for the cruel (the enemy)".

Religious texts made available to Israeli soldiers draw on the teachings of an ultra-Zionist named Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, head of Ateret Cohanim seminary in Jerusalem. Aviner without any embarrassment, compares contemporary Palestinians with the Philistines of the Bible.

This is what he has to say on the subject:

"Is it possible to compare today's Palestinians to the Philistines of the past? And if so, is it possible to apply lessons today from the military tactics of Samson and David? A comparison is possible because the Philistines of the past were not natives and had invaded from a foreign land ... They invaded the Land of Israel, a land that did not belong to them and claimed political ownership over our country ... Today the problem is the same. The Palestinians claim they deserve a state here, when in reality there was never a Palestinian or Arab state within the borders of our country. Moreover, most of them are new and came here close to the time of the War of Independence."

A group of ex-Israeli soldiers who created an activist group named Breaking the Silence, claim that the army rabbinate has been encouraging Israeli soldiers to disregard international laws of war that protect civilians.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz points out that text made available to Israeli troops "steps blatantly into politics, sounds racist and can be interpreted as a call to challenge international law when it comes to dealing with enemy civilians."

In Daily Torah studies for the soldier and the commander in Operation Cast Lead there is the statement: "[There is] a biblical ban on surrendering a single millimeter of it [the Land of Israel] to gentiles, though all sorts of impure distortions and foolishness of autonomy, enclaves and other national weaknesses. We will not abandon it to the hands of another nation, not a finger, not a nail of it."

In addition to the official publications made available through the army rabbinate, extreme right-wing Israeli groups also managed to get leaflets and messages into IDF bases. One such flyer sings the praises of Baruch Goldstein, who massacred unarmed Palestinians in Hebron. It is attributed to a group affiliated with Rabbi Yitzhak Ginsburg.

The Israeli Human Rights Organization Yesh Din has called upon the government to remove Brigadier General Avichai Rontzki from his post as chief army rabbi.

Downturn sparks protests across Europe

The global economic meltdown has sparked a wave of unrest across Europe.

On Monday Iceland's coalition collapsed. This followed weeks of protests by Icelanders upset by rising unemployment and rising prices.

Demos took place in Latvia where the government pushed through wage and spending cuts. The government also passed tax increases.

Austerity measures in Lithuania brought protesters onto the streets. In the Spanish city of Zaragoza tens of thousands turned out to protest soaring unemployment.

In Greece students and farmers have also staged a series of protests.

Protesters clash with police at the Icelandic
parliament in Reykjavik



Icelandic protesters burn furniture




Protest in the Spanish city of Zaragoza



Riot cops and Spanish protester



Spanish protest in front of the Ministry of Industry.



Farmer's protests in Greece brought
parts of the country to a halt.



Farmers in Greece block highway.



Protesters clash with riot cops outside the
parliament building in Athens.



Mass rally in Riga.



Bulgarian protester.



Riot police in action.



Protest in Sofia, Bulgaria

Berlusconi rape joke sparks outrage

Italy's tycoon-premier, Silvio Berlusconi, sparked outrage Sunday when he suggested that Italian women were so beautiful they need military escorts to avoid being raped. The rape remarks followed Berlusconi's proposal to deploy 30,000 Italian troops in the streets in order to fight crime.

In a lame attempt to explain the rape comment, Berlusconi said that no matter how many soldiers were on-hand, it wasn't a guarantee against rape because Italian women are so beautiful the military presence alone couldn't guarantee their protection.

Giovanna Melandri of the opposition Democratic Party described Berlusconi's remarks as "profoundly offensive."

Berlusconi responded to the criticisms by digger a deeper hole. He said he was trying to 'compliment' Italian women and that Italians shouldn't forget a sense of "levity and good humor" where his comments are concerned.

Berlusconi has a late-adolescent need to draw attention to himself by cracking offensive jokes. The recent comments aren't anything new - he has a long history of gaffes. Not so long ago when he was on a visit to Russia he referred to Barack Obama as "suntanned" - a remark that was also widely condemned.

His joking caused a diplomatic row in 2005, when he indicated that he had used his "playboy tactics" on President Tarja Halonen of Finland to ensure her backing for Italy to host the European Food Safety Authority.

His comment... "I had to use all my playboy tactics, even if they have not been used for some time" ... prompted Helsinki to summon the Italian ambassador to explain the remarks.

At an EU ministers' summit in 2002, Berlusconi made a hand sign behind the head of the Spanish foreign minister, Josep Piqué, during an official photoshoot. The sign, known as the "corna," was meant to indicate that Piqué was a cuckold.

When he took on the presidency of the EU Council of Ministers in 2003, one of Berlusconi's chief detractors was German SPD Member, Martin Schulz. At one point the Italian PM responded to criticism from Schulz with:

"Mr Schulz, I know a movie producer in Italy who is making a movie about Nazi concentration camps. I suggest you play the role of a Kapo. You are perfect for the part!"

The perma-tanned, cosmetically enhanced billionaire s the real joke - it's just that nobody's laughing.

What's left to prove?

Christian groups attack Obama on LGBT rights

The Obama administration is coming under attack from conservative Christians who view its positions on abortion and LGBT rights as threatening.

A section on civil rights on the White House website that refers to the LGBT community, has been taken as evidence of what LifeSiteNews refers to as 'a radical homosexualist policy agenda.'

The American Family Association is one of the groups leading the charge: "This is only the beginning of Obama's plans to reshape society. His view is that unborn babies aren't worth protecting and that homosexuals deserve special rights."

Baptist News has a lengthy article on its site that focuses negative attention on positions taken by Obama:

President Obama campaigned as a social liberal, and -- if his website is any indication -- he intends to deliver on several controversial issues, from supporting same-sex civil unions and the repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act to overturning the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy to being a staunch supporter of abortion rights.

In CovenantNews.com under the title heading White House Website Now 'Sodomite Publication' we find the following vitriol penned by Jim Rudd, the editor of Covenant News:

Civil officials who approve of homosexuality, make the civil government a vile cesspool from which the abominations vomit out across the land. By displaying such a contempt for the administration of Justice by promoting this criminal behavior, "such civil officials are not only the source of the defilement, they are the criminals, and a hostile enemy authorizing the destruction of the society in which we live."

In contrast to the intolerance on display by these groups, the White House website entry titled 'Support for the LGBT Community' opens with a quote from Obama that calls for mutual respect and dignity - link here.

Tony Benn upstages BBC with Gaza appeal

The BBC decision not to air a Gaza appeal by the Disasters Emergency Committee on the grounds that doing so might compromise the corp's 'impartiality' is disappointing.

The DEC is non-political - an umbrella organization for 13 aid charities. In its appeal it said the devastation in Gaza was "so huge British aid agencies were compelled to act". DEC chief exec Brendan Gormley: "We are totally apolitical ... this appeal is a response to humanitarian principles. The BBC seems to be confusing impartiality with equal airtime."

The BBC decision has been roundly condemned by senior British politicians and ministers. Criticism has also come from within the BBC itself. A large demo outside the BBC building in London was staged to protest the decision.

Meanwhile broadcasters ITV and Channel 4 have broken ranks and have said they are going to go ahead and broadcast the DEC appeal.

During a recent BBC appearance veteran Brit politician, Tony Benn, ignored the Beeb ruling and launched an appeal anyway... video here.

Benn accused the BBC of "betrayal" of its service obligations. He also said:

"The destruction in Gaza, and the loss of the lives of over a thousand civilians and children, has shocked the world as Secretary General of the UN, Ban Ki Moon, made clear, when he saw the devastation for himself.

"The human suffering that the people of Gaza have experienced over the last few weeks has appalled people who have seen it for themselves on their television screens.

"To deny the help that the aid agencies and the UN need at this moment in time is incomprehensible and it follows the bias in BBC reporting of this crisis, which has been widely criticised."

If you would like to send a complaint to the BBC over their decision not to carry the DEC appeal, you can do so by linking here.

Gamu-Toys creates Obama action figure

Japanese creators have come up with a Barack Obama action figure. It was produced by Gamu-Toys - best known for anime and manga characters.

The pic that shows Obama lying down features a Japanese kotatsu. A katatsu is a table-heated blanket for use in winter. Obama has mikans (tangerines) on hand if he gets hungry and Super Famicom if he gets bored.

Japanese-style action figures tend to play up the super-hero side of their creations, often with an emphasis on martial arts.

Glenn Beck spin on Obama's second swearing-in

Glenn Beck does a lot of screwing up. He acts like a clown when he isn't on the soap box so it's not always clear when he's in hamming-it-up mode. It's kind of a moot point anyway because most of his commentary is off-the-wall.

The inauguration helped to highlight a few major cock ups - even by Beck standards.

He complained about the benediction given by civil rights leader Reverend Joseph Lowery. The benediction was a reminder to those assembled that America is still a country in which racism is alive and well. It was an appeal for tolerance couched in language even children could relate to.

Beck managed to read a poisonous message into Lowery's appeal - suggesting that the Reverend was painting all of America as racist. He even compared Lowery to Jeremiah Wright.

This wasn't just wrong, it was offensive. To the credit of Americans of many different political stripes, there was an effort to come together and show a united front during a historical inauguration for America's first African American president. Many around the world were impressed by the readiness of people from all walks of life to show respect for this historical first.

With his petty, negative commentary, Beck showed a lack of class.

When Obama retook the Oath-of-Office as a result of a minor slip-up first time around by Chief Justice John Roberts, there was no Bible involved. This set Beck off. He claimed that he had checked and announced "we (the US) have never had a president sworn into office without a Bible.”

This is simply a falsehood. Teddy Roosevelt didn't use a Bible in 1901; Lyndon Johnson is believed to have used a Catholic missal aboard Air Force One. John Quincy Adams used a constitutional law book.

In his haste to score a hit, Beck obviously doesn't mind skating around a few historical facts. Course he is part of the blond-and-unbalanced end of the media so we shouldn't really be surprised.

Roe versus Wade anniversary: Obama backs right-to-choose

Thursday marked the 36th anniversary of the US Supreme Court decision that led to the legalization of abortion.

Obama reaffirmed the vision behind the Roe decision when he said Thursday:

(Roe versus Wade) not only protects women's health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters.

The 1973 ruling overturned state laws against abortion. It held that a woman's right to an abortion was protected by the right to privacy under the American Constitution's 14th Amendment.

Read a more detailed report here from CNN.

Rush Limbaugh has four words for Obama...

Rush Limbaugh is obsessed with liberals. He sees them everywhere. He referred to Fox News as "liberal media" and thinks Republicans who wish Obama well have "caved in." If Fox is "liberal" then Limbaugh must be laundering brown shirts at home because right-of-Fox is a place few Americans want to go.

Unsurprisingly he views Obama as liberal-in-chief.

Limbaugh claims he was asked by a "major American print publication" to offer a 400-word statement laying out his "hope for the Obama presidency". He responded by saying all he needed was four words ...

What a jackass.

Story here.

John Stewart says Limbaugh's comments could be viewed as 'treasonous' - story here.

Israelis involved in Gaza operation could be arrested for war crimes

Since the ceasefire in Gaza, international human rights groups have been gathering evidence in the form of testimonials and photos with the intent of filing suits with both the International Court of Justice in the Hague and local European courts.

Israeli authorities have begun issuing travel advisories to IDF officers who were involved in the Gaza operation. According to YNet news, international arrest warrants may already have been issued.

YNet :

While the State (Israel) is likely to be able to thwart such attempts in The Hague, having suits of this nature filed with local European courts quashed is more complex: Many of the European courts have taken it upon themselves to hear cases of alleged war crimes perpetrated in other countries, even if they themselves have no affinity to the case.

Once a European court decides to hear such a case, it is within its right to issue bench warrants for the alleged criminals – in this case top politicians and military personnel...

Catholic priests in court over embezzlement scheme

Two Catholic priests have been accused of stealing $1 million from their parishioners. Church auditors believe the pair ripped-off the flock to the tune of around $8 million over a 20 year period, but because of restrictions written into the Statute of Limitations, the accused priests only have to answer charges on the lesser amount.

John Skehan and Francis Guinan 'served' at the St. Vincent Ferrer church in West Palm Beach, Florida. It is alleged they funneled donations into offshore accounts. The stolen cash was used to finance a business venture, gambling trips to Vegas, prostitutes, luxury homes, rare coin collections and what the cops describe as 'heavy drinking'.

In 1984 they set up a corporation named SHAG Inc. The name was an acronym made up of the partner's first names. The third player was a priest named Michael Hickey who managed to rack up five DUI convictions between 1979 and 1999.

The priests invested thousands of dollars in a failed mortgage-loan scheme. SHAG went out of operation in 2004.

A parishioner became suspicious and contacted the cops in 2005. When the church's books were opened up for investigation, Skehan and Guinan fled the country. They succeeded in evading the law until their return to the US in 2006.

This bizarre saga is like the script for a B movie. The deference accorded to Catholic priests and the inefficient checks-and-balances in many churches, enabled Skehan and Guinan to get away with their rip-off schemes for as long as they did.

No doubt while they were stealing money from the church, they were also presiding over mass, dispensing the sacrament, hearing confessions and shaking hands with parishioners at the door.

This is just one more example of the hypocrisy that is a distinguishing feature of a church that covered up sexual abuse by priests until the heat forced the Vatican to get serious about the issue.

Skehan who is now 81, could be looking at a 31 year sentence. He has managed to round up 20 character witnesses to plead his case, in hopes of a reduced sentence. No word if they are being rewarded for their exertions.

Guinan,66, is pleading innocent of the charges and claims the money had been given out as cash to church employees. Given the amounts involved, he must have needed a Wells Fargo truck to come and go from the manse.

Times Online has more detail on the case.

Priests steal millions from Florida church

William Ayers refused entry into Canda

Earlier this week the attention of Americans and Canadians was on the inauguration of Barack Obama. What might have slipped their attention was the decision by Canada Border Services Agency to prevent a former neighbor of Mr Obama's from entering our dominion.

William Ayers, sometimes described as 'a 60's radical' is an education professor at the University of Illinois. He had been scheduled to speak at the Centre for Urban Schooling at the University of Toronto's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.

Ayers was philosophical about the refusal to allow him entry: "The border guards reviewed some stuff and said I wasn't going to be allowed into Canada. ... If it were me, I would have let me in. I couldn't possibly be a threat to Canada."

The decision to bar Ayers seems odd, given that he has been back and forth to Canada on a number of occasions in the past for speaking engagements in Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver.

During the US presidential election Ayers was repeatedly attacked by Republican vice-presidential nominee, Sarah Palin. She characterized Obama's associations with Ayers as 'palling around with domestic terrorists'.

In the course of the campaign Palin had difficulty getting her facts straight at the best of times, and her version of William Ayers was no exception. In 1995 in Chicago, Ayers organized a meet-the-candidate coffee session in his home for Obama, who at the time was running for the state senate. The two men lived in the same neighborhood. They also worked on Chicago school reform and served on the same charity board together.

The 60's are long behind us and Ayers has shown himself to be a man with exceptional devotion to public service, noted for his work in educational reform. He has authored or edited more than a dozen books. In 1997 he was named Chicago Citizen of the Year and has advised Mayor Daley on school reform.

The decision to ban William Ayers from entering Canada is petty and embarrassing. Let's hope NDP Immigration critic, Olivia Chow, has some success when she asks Immigration Minister Jason Kenney to review the decision so that Professor Ayers can deliver his lecture.

Park Dae-sung aka 'Minerva' charged with 'harming public interest'

South Korean blogger Park Dae-sung went by the online name 'Minerva' - an appropriate choice as it turns out. The goddess Minerva governed wisdom and commerce. She is also reputed to have possessed oracular gifts - a talent Park Dae-sung also displayed.

Park Dae-sung aka Minerva had a knack for drawing in a large internet audience. At the height of his popularity it wasn't uncommon for a single blog post to attract as many as 100,000 readers. He came across as so well informed, some readers thought that perhaps he was an economics professor. As it turned out Minerva was an unemployed 31 year-old who acquired his business and financial skills primarily from surfing the web and reading books.

Minerva correctly predicted a slump in the nation's economy. He also predicted a slide in the value of Korean currency. A number of his predictions turned out to be correct. For example he predicted the collapse of Lehman Brothers a week before it occurred.

Problems arose when his statements began to impact the money market itself. In a posting dated December 29, he stated that the government had ordered financial institutions to stop buying dollars in an effort to bolster Korean currency. The post contributed to havoc on the local foreign exchange market, forcing South Korea's financial authority to come up with $2 billion to prop up the won - the national currency.

The government claims that some of Minerva's information was misleading or plain wrong. No doubt they also had an issue with the blogger's attacks on high profile players and his criticisms of the system.

The authorities tracked him down and charged him with 'spreading false information with the intent of harming public interest.'

Park Dae-sung claims he was simply trying to help people out. He said: "I wrote articles in an effort to help people who are alienated from government. Small merchants, individuals and laymen who have suffered from the financial crisis."

Park Dae-sung has been denied bail and is awaiting trial. He could be facing up to a five year sentence.

Obama being sworn in as 44th US president

Crowds gathering in the National Mall

Obama takes the Oath of Office.With him are the new First Lady,
Michelle Obama, their daughters Malia and Sasha,
and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts

Obama taking the oath of office from
Chief Justice John Roberts ...
to become the the 44th President of the US

Amnesty International accuses Israel of war crimes

Israel has been accused by Amnesty International of using white phosphorus munitions.

Donatella Rovera, Amnesty International researcher said: "Such extensive use of this weapon in Gaza's densely populated residential neighbourhoods is inherently indiscriminate. Its repeated use in this manner, despite evidence of its indiscriminate effects and its toll on civilians, is a war crime."

Amnesty has hard evidence to back up their claim. It sent Brit weapons expert, Chris Cobb-Smith, into Gaza when the ceasefire took effect. He found widespread evidence of the use of white phosphorus.

Guardian:

"We saw streets and alleyways littered with evidence of the use of white phosphorus, including still-burning wedges and the remnants of the shells and canisters fired by the Israeli army," he (Cobb-Smith) said in a statement yesterday.

"White phosphorus is a weapon intended to provide a smokescreen for troop movements on the battlefield. It is highly incendiary, air burst and its spread effect is such that it should never be used on civilian areas.

Obama inauguration online

These are some of the best links for viewing the inauguration online:

http://www.c-span.org/politics/c-span-inauguration-hub.aspx

http://www.cnn.com/video/fb/facebook.html?stream=stream1

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/08/national/inauguration09/main4707733.shtml

http://abcnews.go.com/


A good link for Spanish coverage:

http://noticias.terra.com/elecciones-2008/portada.htm

Writer Harry Nicolaides charged with 'insulting' Thai monarchy

Aussie writer Harry Nicolaides isn't exactly a best selling author. A novel he wrote three years ago titled Verisimilitude has sold seven copies. The reason we are even hearing about Nicolaides is because he included a brief passage in his novel that referred to an unnamed crown prince, and for that 'crime' he now sits in a Thai jail serving a three year sentence.

Fiction writers and journalists in Thailand who include critical commentary about the monarchy, could well be setting themselves up for consequences because the monarchy in Thailand is protected by some of the world's most stringent lèse majesté laws. Ignorance is no defense either. Nicolaides claimed he was unaware he was committing a crime - but was found guilty nonetheless.

The judge told the court: "He has written a book that slandered the king, the crown prince and Thailand and the monarchy."

In a different time Nicolaides' might have been treated more leniently, but in the current political climate, the authorities are on high alert watching for what they believe to be a rising tide of anti-monarchy sentiment.

Harry Nicolaides isn't the first westerner to fall foul of lèse majesté laws in Thailand.

New York based Committee to Protect Journalists has come to the defense of BBC journalist, Jonathan Head, who has been accused of slandering Thailand's 81 year old King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Complaints against Head were lodged by police Lt.Col. Wattanasak Mungkandee, who claims he is acting in a 'personal capacity'.

BBC has described the allegations as "completely unfounded".

Bob Dietz of the Committee to Protect Journalists said - "It is time for prosecutors and investigators in Thailand to immediately drop these outrageous and punitive charges against our colleague Jonathan Head ... Head's reporting has raised important questions about Thailand's deteriorating political situation and he should be allowed to report without fear of official reprisals."

King Bhumibol is protected by lèse majesté laws which can result in critics being jailed for three to fifteen years. These laws have been exploited for political purposes. Former premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his political opponent Sondhi Limthongkul both filed charges of lèse majesté against each other during the 2005–2006 political crisis. The Thai miltary coup of 2006 was provoked to some extent by Thaksin's alleged lèse majesté.

The repressive nature of these laws were also demonstrated by the YouTube ban in April, 2007. Thailand blocked access to YouTube because a clip allegedly insulted the monarchy.

Lèse majesté charges can be filed by anyone. A Swiss national named Oliver Jufer was sentenced to 19 years in jail for daubing black paint on a portrait on Bhumibol. It is claimed that Jufer was drunk at the time. He received a pardon a month after his conviction.

Other insults that could result in criminal complaints of lèse majesté include placing photos of any other person above the king on websites and refusing to stand when the Royal Anthem is being played in public venues.

Link here for Harry Nicolaides BBC video.

Cartoon - Thai priorities.

Thai priorities

Orthodox Jews harassed by Zionists

The extremism that has distinguished Zionist actions in the occupied territories and most recently with the brutal attack on Gaza, extends also to Zionist behavior elsewhere.

British police are providing protection to a number of pro-Palestinian Jews who have been targeted by Zionist fanatics in the UK.

Rabbi Aharon Cohen, an Orthodox Jew and a leading member of the anti-Zionist Neturei Karta movement, had an explosive device placed in his mail box - payback it seems for attending a Manchester demo to protest Israeli actions in Gaza.

Rabbi Elchenon Beck in company with six other rabbis attended a rally outside the Israeli Embassy on January 6 to express their solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza. On the way home from the rally they were set upon by assailants described by the rabbi as Zionists.

Rabbi Beck said they were forced to call the police, since one of their group was pushed to the ground and others threatened. He said "All the time they are trying to intimidate us, but we get used to it."

Vladimir Putin painting fetches top dollar at St Petersburg auction

A painting by Russian PM Vladimir Putin that looks a bit like something Marc Chagall might have whipped off after a bottle of vodka and a quick toke, went up for auction recently in his hometown of St Petersburg. It went for the equivalent of $1.37 million Cdn.

The painting is of snowfall seen through a window with four panes. The work was started by Putin but finished off by a professional artist. It is believed Putin is responsible for the outline of the window frame, so to call it "a Putin" might be pushing it a bit.

The painting is part of a charity auction drive to raise funds for children's hospitals.

Along with other well known Russians, Putin was asked to contribute a painting based on a letter of the cyrillic alphabet. Putin's letter is a U for the Russian word Uzor, meaning "pattern". The work is part of a series based on the theme of a story titled The Night Before Christmas by Russian writer Nikolai Gogol.

The BBC reports that "It has become the most expensive painting ever sold in Russia, selling for more than the fourth version of Kazimir Malevich's Black Square which was bought by the Hermitage museum in 2004 for $1 million."

You can link here for the BBC video.

The owner of the painting, Natalya Kurnikova, intends to show it in her gallery. She said: "The painting shows another aspect of a great personality."

Putin's domestic popularity is something that puzzles many in the west, but in the minds of a lot of Russians the PM is nothing less than a national superhero.

After recent photos that hit the web showing the great man posing in karate gear, fishing bare chested in the Siberian wilderness and shooting a rampaging tiger - we can only presume that this unexpected arty side reflects a kinder and gentler phase. The fact that he recently ripped into the Ukraine over the gas issue, doesn't quite play into the new persona but 'artist' can now be added to the list of Vlad-the-extraordinary's many and varied accomplishments.

Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu advocates carpet bombing Gazans

Former Sephardi chief rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu makes some Iranian mullahs seem moderate, even restrained. His plan to halt Palestinian rocket attacks has slipped off the radar with the world's attention on Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. However Eliyahu's 'solution' is worth revisiting if only to demonstrate that genocidal rhetoric doesn't only come from Iran.

In a letter to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Eliyahu cited "Jewish war ethics" (definitely not on file at the UN) - in calling for the carpet bombing of Gaza.

According to Eliyahu's antediluvian reasoning, passages from the Bible - notably Genesis 34 and Kings 9,14 - demonstrate that collective punishment is called for to punish the 'immoral actions' of individuals.

Since the citizens of Gaza didn't prevent the firing of rockets - in Eliyahu's mind they are therefore asking for it. The fact that the bulk of Gazan citizenry had no clue if and when a homemade rocket might have been deployed doesn't come into the verdict... everybody needs to die... kids too.

Eliyahu's other contention is that it is 'forbidden' to risk the lives of IDF soldiers in a ground operation. His son Shmuel Eliyahu, also a rabbi, explained that rather than a ground operation his father advocated carpet bombing the areas from which Qassams were launched - irrespective of the numbers of Palestinians killed.

Demonstrating the type of genocidal logic reminiscent of the mind of Heinrich Himmler, Eliyahu jr then added:

"If they don't stop after we kill 100, then we must kill a thousand. And if they do not stop after 1,000 then we must kill 10,000. If they still don't stop we must kill 100,000, even a million. Whatever it takes to make them stop."

Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu and son are lunatics who should be charged for advocating mass murder. But no doubt there is a good sized portion of the Israeli populace who think they make total sense.

Controversial statements aren't new for Eliyahu. During an anniversary service for an attack on a Jerusalem yeshiva he announced that the life of one yeshiva student is worth more than the lives of a thousand Arabs.

In the meantime copies of the former chief rabbi's letter should be forwarded to all parties in the US government who think it's a good idea to keep adding to Israel's ever-growing arsenal of high-tech weapons.

Bush's final approval rating : 22%

With a final approval rating of 22%, George Bush leaves office one of the most unpopular presidents in US history.

Seventy-three percent of Americans disapprove of the way he has handled his job over the last eight years.

You get some idea how poor Bush's poll numbers are when you consider that Clinton left office with 68% approval, Bush sr left with 54% and Jimmy Carter with 44%.

Even Harry Truman who previously had the lowest end-of-term approval with 32%, tops Bush by 10%.

The Crawford ranch must be looking pretty good.

Yonit Levy: Israeli anchor attacked for showing empathy for Gazans

Israeli news readers who comment on Operation Cast Lead better have cast iron expressions on their faces or some viewers will complain of treachery.

Anchor for Channel 2, Yonit Levy, has been accused of being "anti-Zionist", "weakening national morale" and "empathizing with the enemy" because in the course of interviews with Gazan Arabs she asked about civilian casualties and expressed concern for fellow humans.

One outraged viewer started an online petition to object to Levy's "empathy for the enemy". The viewer hoped to raise 10,000 signatures but quickly reached 30,000 plus. She has since disabled the signature option claiming it has gotten out-of-control.

Viewers also complained because at the end of a broadcast Ms Levy said: "It's hard to convince the world that the war is justified when we have one person dead and the Palestinian nation has 350 dead."

Other female Israeli newsreaders are also under suspicion of engaging in the "crime" of empathy - this would include Channel 10's Miki Haimovich and Oshrat Kotler. And horror of horrors - Dana Weiss of Channel 2 was spotted assuming facial expressions during interviews that connote sorrow or pain for those Gazans who are suffering.

This overreaction on the part of Israeli viewers sounds very much like guilt dressed up as patriotism. Hundreds of innocent Palestinian children have been butchered in an assault that has shocked and outraged the world.

During the Third Reich it was considered to be treachery to express humanitarian feelings for Jews. Any German newscaster insane enough to have expressed on-air empathy for Jews would assuredly have been arrested by the Gestapo and executed after a hasty hearing in front of Nazi Judge Roland Freisler.

Perhaps some Israelis would be happier if Ms Levy received similar treatment.

Sir Gerald Kaufman: Jewish MP compares Israelis in Gaza to Nazis

British MP, Sir Gerald Kaufman, who was raised as an orthodox Jew and a Zionist, today compared the Israeli actions in Gaza to the Nazis who forced his family to flee Poland:

My grandmother was ill in bed when the Nazis came to her home town .. a German soldier shot her dead in her bed.

My grandmother did not die to provide cover for Israeli soldiers murdering Palestinian grandmothers in Gaza.

The present Israeli government ruthlessly and cynically exploit the continuing guilt from gentiles over the slaughter of Jews in the Holocaust as justification for their murder of Palestinians.

Sir Gerald likened the Israeli claim that large numbers of Gaza victims are militants to the claims of the Nazis : "I suppose the Jews fighting for their lives in the Warsaw ghetto could have been dismissed as militants."

He is calling for an arms embargo on Israel : "It is time for our Government to make clear to the Israeli government that its conduct and policies are unacceptable and to impose a total arms ban on Israel."

Sir Gerald hasn't always been a critic of Israel. In his youth he was infatuated with Zionism. In a BBC documentary titled The End of the Affair, he describes how his early idealism gave way to eventual disillusionment. He has called Israel a "pariah" and its senior politicians "war criminals".

In April 2002, in response to Israel's military operation codenamed Defensive Shield, Sir Gerald had this to say:

It is time to remind Sharon that the star of David belongs to all Jews, not to his repulsive Government. His actions are staining the star of David with blood. The Jewish people, whose gifts to civilised discourse include Einstein and Epstein, Mendelssohn and Mahler, Sergei Eisenstein and Billy Wilder, are now symbolised throughout the world by the blustering bully Ariel Sharon, a war criminal implicated in the murder of Palestinians at the Sabra and Shatila camps and now involved in killing Palestinians once again.

Of the present Israeli leadership and their actions in Gaza, he said: "They are not simply war criminals, they are fools."

Link here for Sir Gerald's comments on YouTube.