Dwight Silverman blogged Microsoft quietly unveiled its Virtual Earth site on Saturday, with a formal announcement expected Monday. As Google did earlier by combining its Google Earth/Keyhole product with Google Maps, Virtual Earth overlays aerial and satellite photos onto street maps.
The site features an Active X plug-in that works with a computer's WiFi capabilities to pinpoint the user's location, which can be helpful if you're lost but have access to a wireless Internet connection. In a fit of politeness, the dialog that offers the Active X control allows you to click a "never again" box so you're not harassed again about it.
Early Sunday afternoon, the site was hammered and unreachable, probably thanks to a Slashdot link.
I wish I could test it, but I refuse to use Active X controls, because they are so dangerous (it is very easy to pass a virus in through Active X). Normally I use Firefox, which does not even support Active X, but I have my IE security set to disallow all Active X controls. Why does Microsoft insist on using this dangerous feature?
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Virtual Earth
HelpingTulsa
I indicated earlier why I was tied up Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and therefore why my blogging level dropped off so much. If you are interested in more details, see this report of my teaching a man from the STAR School, a charter elementary school just outside of the Navajo reservation near Flagstaff, Arizona, set up a Computer Refurbishing operation to benefit not only the students at STAR School, but also on-profit organizations in Flagstaff.
History Test
Please pause a moment, reflect back, and take the following multiple choice test. The events are actual events from history. They actually happened!
Do you remember?
1. 1968 Bobby Kennedy was shot and killed by
a. Superman
b. Jay Leno
c. Harry Potter
d. a Muslim male extremist between the ages of 17 and 40
2. In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred by
a. Olga Corbett
b. Sitting Bull
c. Arnold Schwarzenegger
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
3. In 1979, the US embassy in Iran was taken over by:
a. Lost Norwegians
b. Elvis
c. A tour bus full of 80-year-old women
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
4. During the 1980's a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon by:
a. John Dillinger
b. The King of Sweden
c. The Boy Scouts
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
5. In 1983, the US Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by:
a. A pizza delivery boy
b. Pee Wee Herman
c. Geraldo Rivera
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
6. In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked and a 70 year old American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard in his wheelchair by:
a. The Smurfs
b. Davy Jones
c. The Little Mermaid
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
7. In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens, and a US Navy diver trying to rescue passengers was murdered by:
a. Captain Kidd
b. Charles Lindberg
c. Mother Teresa
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
8. In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by:
a. Scooby Doo
b. The Tooth Fairy
c. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
9. In 1993 the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by:
a. Richard Simmons
b. Grandma Moses
c. Michael Jordan
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
10. In 1998, the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by:
a. Mr. Rogers
b. Hillary Clinton, to distract attention from Wild Bill's women problems
c. The World Wrestling Federation
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
11. On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked; two were used as missiles to take out the World Trade Centers and of the remaining two, one crashed into the US Pentagon and the other was diverted and crashed by the passengers. Thousands of people were killed by:
a. Bugs Bunny, Wiley E. Coyote, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd
b. The Supreme Court of Florida
c. Mr. Bean
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
12. In 2002 the United States fought a war in Afghanistan against:
a. Enron
b. The Lutheran Church
c. The NFL
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
13. In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by:
a. Bonnie and Clyde
b. Captain Kangaroo
c. Billy Graham
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
Nope, I really don't see a pattern here to justify profiling, do you? So, to ensure we Americans never offend anyone, particularly fanatics intent on killing us, airport security screeners will no longer be allowed to profile certain people. They must conduct random searches of 80-year-old women, little kids, airline pilots with proper identification, secret agents who are members of the President's security detail, 85-year old Congressmen with metal hips, and Medal of Honor winning and former Governor Joe Foss, but leave Muslim Males between the ages 17 and 40 alone lest they be guilty of profiling.
Let's send this to as many people as we can so that the Gloria Aldreds and other dunder-headed attorneys along with Federal Justices that want to thwart common sense, feel doubly ashamed of themselves -- if they have any such sense. As the writer of the award winning story "Forrest Gump" so aptly put it, "Stupid is as stupid does."
And guess who just bombed London?
Revolt of Privilege, Muslim Style
WaPo reports When you read reports that the Muslim terrorists who bombed the London Underground may have gotten together for a pre-attack whitewater rafting trip in Wales, you realize that this is a very particular enemy -- and one that is recognizable to students of history. This is the revolt of the privileged, Islamic version. They have risen so far, so fast in the dizzying culture of the West that they have become enraged, disoriented and vulnerable to manipulation. Their spiritual leader is a Saudi billionaire's son who grew up with big ideas and too much money. He created a new identity for himself as a jihad leader, carrying the banner of a pristine Islam from the days of the Prophet Muhammad. The zenith of his warped amalgam of ancient and modern was having holy warriors fly airplanes into skyscrapers. Reading some of the London bombers' biographies, you realize the depth of their cultural confusion: "Shahzad Tanweer, 23, came from one of Beeston's most respected families," wrote the London Independent about one of the July 7 bombers. And according to The Post, he had just received a red Mercedes from his dad.
They are definitely not from the oppressed, underclass. They are spoiled brats that have been deluded by "spiritual leaders" that distort their faith, and fooled into killing themselves anticipating a reward that I feel certain that God (Allah) will never give them. I only hope that he has a hotter part of Hell reserved for these false "spiritual leaders".
Special Summit Set On Charter for Iraq
WaPo reports Drafters of a new constitution have summoned leaders of Iraqi religious, ethnic and political blocs to an emergency national summit this week in an attempt to hash out the toughest, deadlocking issues in reshaping the country, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Tuesday. U.S. officials in Washington said the gathering will take place Thursday and Friday, if enough leaders -- particularly members of Iraq's Sunni Arab minority -- agree. Humam Hamoudi, chairman of the constitution-writing committee, has called for the forum, and U.S. officials said the aim is to bring in leaders from outside the committee, particularly Sunni Arabs. The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks. Sunni Arab delegates returned to the committee meetings Tuesday after a week-long boycott. But it remained clear that the major divisive issue was federalism, which Sunni participants charge would break up the country.... The attempt to draw new participants was intended to give additional impetus to the process, officials said. "There is a notion that they can get it done by August 15, so there is a big push to have big leaders involved so there is no posturing inside the constitutional committee to make life difficult," said a senior Iraqi official familiar with the talks. Leaders of "all groups and political parties and the groups which are represented in the National Assembly" should participate in the constitutional summit this week, said Kamran Qaradaghi, spokesman for Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. Talabani would likely be among the participants, Qaradaghi said.
I am happy that progress still seems to being made, even if by fits and starts, toward the writing of a constitution that all can accept.
Wednesday, July 27
This Day In History
- 1694 The Bank of England received a royal charter as a commercial institution.
- 1775 Benjamin Church began his service as the first Surgeon General of the Continental Army.
- 1789 Congress established the Department of Foreign Affairs, the forerunner of the State Department.
- 1861 Union Gen. George B. McClellan was put in command of the Army of the Potomac.
- 1866 After two failures, Cyrus W. Field succeeded in laying the first underwater telegraph cable between North America and Europe.
- 1909 Orville Wright (one of the famous Wright Brothers, along with Wilbur) set a record for the longest airplane flight. Orville was testing the Army's first airplane and kept it aloft for 1 hour, 12 minutes and 40 seconds over Fort Myer, Virginia. He was so tired from the experience that he crash-landed the plane. He and his passenger (name unknown) were OK.
- 1940 Bugs Bunny made his debut in the Warner Bros. animated cartoon ''A Wild Hare.''
- 1960 Vice President Richard Nixon was nominated for president at the Republican national convention in Chicago.
- 1967 In the wake of urban rioting, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed the Kerner Commission to assess the causes of the violence. The same day, black militant H. Rap Brown said violence was ''as American as cherry pie.''
- 1974 The House Judiciary Committee voted 27-11 to recommend President Richard Nixon's impeachment on a charge that he had personally engaged in a ''course of conduct'' designed to obstruct justice in the Watergate case.
- 1980 The deposed Shah of Iran died at a military hospital outside Cairo, Egypt, at age 60.
- 1992 Boston Celtics star Reggie Lewis died after collapsing on a Brandeis University basketball court during practice; he was 27.
- 1995 The Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C., by President Bill Clinton and South Korean President Kim Young-sam.
- 1996 A pipe bomb exploded at a public park during the Olympic games in Atlanta, killing one person and injuring more than 100.
- 2003 Comedian Bob Hope died in Toluca Lake, Calif., at age 100.
- 2003 Lance Armstrong wins a record-tying fifth straight title in the Tour de France.
- 1922 Norman Lear (Emmy Award-winning producer: All in the Family [1970-1971, 1971-1972, 1972-1973], Maude, Good Times, Sanford & Son, Powers that Be, The Nancy Walker Show, The Jeffersons, Hot L Baltimore, Fernwood 2-Night)
- 1948 Peggy Fleming (Olympic Hall of Famer: gold medalist: figure skater [1968]; Ice Follies, Holiday on Ice, ABC sports commentator; International Women’s Sports Hall of Famer)
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
A matter under review
New Statesman reported The day after it was revealed that the London bombers were British, the Guardian newspaper gave space on its opinion pages to one of its trainee journalists, a young Muslim called Dilpazier Aslam, to write about the background to the atrocity. [Note, the article on the web now shows his background, but it was added on July 23]
Describing himself as a "Yorkshire lad born and bred", Aslam said that second- and third-generation British Muslims were different from their elders, "much sassier" and more ready to "rock the boat". They were angry about British foreign policy, he wrote, and their anger would build up "till it can be contained no more". He included one line of measured condemnation: "I think what happened was a sad day and not the way to express your political anger."
This article, striking for its tone and because the writer had a highly relevant background, was reprinted in the Melbourne Age and Los Angeles Times. Aslam also wrote news articles about the events surrounding the bombings.
I assume Melbourne Age is a left wing paper, just like the Los Angeles Times.What readers of the Guardian were not told was that Aslam is a member of the extreme Islamist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir. Though it publicly dissociates itself from violence, Hizb ut-Tahrir is shunned by most British Muslims and banned from many mosques. As I have reported in the New Statesman, it manipulates people and can be seen as part of a conveyor belt towards violence - its literature was found, for example, in the home of Omar Sharif, the Derby man who volunteered for a suicide bombing mission in Israel. Hizb ut-Tahrir is banned in Germany.
My strongly held view is that members of such a group should not be allowed to write on this subject in the national press (just as the British National Party, which also claims to be non-violent, is very rarely given space), but if they do their connection should be made clear, preferably at the beginning of the article.
How had it come about that this Guardian journalist was reporting and commenting on such events without his background being made known to readers? When I raised this with the paper, it confirmed that Aslam was a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir but would only say the matter was "under review". I reported this in the Independent on Sunday (I am freelance) and the story separately, without my involvement, found its way on to internet blog sites.
The issues at stake are important, both ethically and in relation to the reputation of the Muslim community, but the questions remained unanswered. When I approached the Guardian again, it accused me of being "irresponsible in the extreme" and said it had complained to the editor of the Independent on Sunday.
Why was he being irresponsible in the extreme? He just reported something the Guardian did not disclose. Or did the left-wing Guardian not know of the author's background, and was it embarrased at having run the article?As for the key questions, it said only: "This is an internal matter which is currently under review and we have nothing further to add."
I hope the review is rigorous and that its results will be made public. And, for the record, I am not a member of any party or religious organisation.
I agree that papers should not print articles from people in extremists organizations, and if they do, it certainly should be clearly disclosed.
As indicated above, they did finally publish a clarification on July 23, after these letters on July 14 this and this and this, article by Aslam on July 14, this article by Aslam on July 15, this article on July 22 complaining about the coverage in the blogs, this article on July 22 indicating he had left the Guardian, this background on Hizb ut-Tahrir, this background on the Guardian and Dilpazier Aslam
David T blogged The dismissal of Dilpazier Aslam, the Hizb'ut Tahrir journalist, who was sacked by the Guardian after Scott Burgess' investigation uncovered his advocacy of extreme racist views on the website Khilafah.com, has been covered in yesterday's Times online, and the New Statesman. It appears that the story will shortly be reported in a forthcoming article in the French equivalent of the Guardian, Liberation. Meanwhile, the issue is being discussed by union members at the Guardian. They should consider how their newspaper came to be used as the mouthpiece for an extreme theocratic, racist and totalitarian political party. The possibilities which should be addressed, specifically, are as follows:
- Did the Guardian editor or editors who commissioned the various Aslam pieces know that Aslam was a member of Hizb'ut Tahrir?
- If so, did those editors appreciate the nature of Hizb?
- If they knew the nature of Hizb, why did they continue to commission him to write articles on issues which are central to the Hizb political programme, without requiring the disclosure to their readership of Aslam's membership of an extreme political party?
Tossups Draw Focus In Midterm Elections
WSJ reported Incumbent advantages are so widely recognized that it's sometimes easy to forget: A few House districts really are up for grabs in the 2006 midterm elections. This select group will draw an outsize share of campaign funds and media attention next year, because it will almost certainly produce whatever partisan shifts emerge in the chamber's narrow but stable Republican majority. The Democrats' long-shot hope for recapturing control rests on the chance -- slim but not out of the question -- that voters' rising discontent with Washington will expand this tiny circle of genuine competition.
But if we can show success in Iraq having another successful election, the dissatisfaction may turn into satisfaction which will lead to Republicans increasing their majority.
However, recent turmoil in the labor movement -- specifically yesterday's disaffiliation of two unions from the AFL-CIO -- may cloud the party's hopes of picking up some House seats.
With the Teamsters split off, maybe we can get them to support Republicans as they did once or twice before.
If the labor rift persists, it could undermine this reliable bloc of Democratic support, but for the moment, public disaffection with lawmakers seems to favor newcomers, not incumbents. "There is a chance that the dissatisfaction in the public will catch fire politically," says Larry Sabato, a University of Virginia professor and political analyst. If that happens, he adds, even some seemingly safe Republican lawmakers "will be shocked on election night. ... It is rare, but it is not so uncommon that we can dismiss it out of hand a year and half ahead of the election."
True, but I would not bet the farm on it either.
A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released this month shows why that could happen. The overall approval rating for Congress stood at a paltry 28%. By 46%-41%, Americans said it was time to give a new representative a chance rather than re-elect their incumbent member. The poll's margin of error was 3.1 percentage points. For now, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the 2006 election outcome as being in question in just 50 of 435 House districts. Democrats hold a slight edge in targets of opportunity, since 28 of those seats are now in Republican hands, compared with 22 in Democratic hands. These contests have a few factors in common. In the decennial reapportionment process, boundary lines in most House districts have been drawn to yield lopsided constituencies favoring one party or the other. Competitive seats include some of the more balanced exceptions; incumbents in 33 of them won in 2004 with 55% or less of the vote.
The article includes a graphic the average loss in the president's party in midterm elections since WWII is 24, and 12 in the last 5 elections, and the Dems need a switch of 15 to regain majority, and they show 8 of the hotest elections, 5 involving Democratic seats (1 retirement), and 3 involving Republican seats (2 retirements).
Muslim Groups Call on Colorado Congressman to Resign
Tampa Tribune reports Hispanic and Muslim groups called on Rep. Tom Tancredo to resign Monday, saying he has embarrassed Colorado by suggesting that Americans bomb Islamic holy sites if terrorists launch a nuclear attack on the United States. They also criticized the GOP congressman's staunch advocacy of tougher immigration controls.
Tancredo's statement about bombing Islamic holy sites was foolish, but so is a lot of the things many prominent Muslims say. And his ideas about tougher immigration controls have merit."Enough is enough. We're here to say 'Stop,'" Hispanic activist Manolo Gonzalez-Estay told a crowd of about 200 people at the state Capitol. Abdur-Rahim Ali, imam of the Northeast Denver Islamic Center, said Tancredo's statement that "you could take out" Islamic holy sites in a retaliatory attack was unacceptable. "What would happen if a prominent Muslim made that statement about Catholic holy places like the Vatican?" asked Ali.
How many Catholics have been flying planes into Muslim buildings? How many Catholics have blown themselves up just to kill a few innocent Muslims? How many Catholic Priests have you heard urging people to become terrorists, and/or praised earlier terrorist acts?
Danny Carlton blogged Poor Ali. I guess he never heard the thing about people who live in glass houses. “Prominent” Moslems say that kinda crap all the time. We pretty much expect it from them. We also expect other Moslems to say nothing against such hate-filled rhetoric, because that's almost always what happens. But Tancredo is being raked over the coals by more than just Moslems. A lot of people, me included, are criticizing him for his remarks. That's the big difference. I'm not reading news stories about Abdur-Rahim Ali criticizing his fellow Moslems for their words AND ACTIONS. I do read blogs, OpEds and news stories about Tancredo's remarks.
$41 Billion Cost Projected To Remove Illegal Entrants
WaPo reported A new study by a liberal Washington think tank puts the cost of forcibly removing most of the nation's estimated 10 million illegal immigrants at $41 billion a year, a sum that exceeds the annual budget of the Department of Homeland Security. The study, "Deporting the Undocumented: A Cost Assessment," scheduled for release today by the Center for American Progress, is billed by its authors as the first-ever estimate of costs associated with arresting, detaining, prosecuting and removing immigrants who have entered the United States illegally or overstayed their visas. The total cost would be $206 billion to $230 billion over five years, depending on how many of the immigrants leave voluntarily, according to the study. "There are some people who suggest that mass deportation is an option," said Rajeev K. Goyle, senior domestic policy analyst for the center and a co-author of the study. "To understand deportation policy response, we had to have a number."
And they made sure the number was so large that no one would press for that solution. But the number is very inflated. If we have an unforgable Social Security card, and make sure that nonresidents have id cards that clearly are different from cards held by citizens, and if we did not provide services to non residents, and cracked down on employers that hired undocumented people, we would accomplish the same goal, but at a much lower price tag. A guest worker program can allow for as many foreign workers as employers need, but their IDs should be such that they can be tracked to make sure they dont overstay their welcome.Advocates for tougher enforcement of immigration laws did not dispute the study's figures but disputed its assumptions about how enforcement would work. The study assumed that tougher enforcement would induce 10 percent to 20 percent of undocumented residents in the United States to leave voluntarily. But Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates stronger enforcement of immigration laws, argued that as many as half would leave voluntarily if the government were to aggressively seek them out and crack down on businesses that hire them illegally.
Mark Krikorian blogged There may be hope for the MSM yet. The Washington Post, at least, is getting better at accurately identifying liberal policy research, as seen in coverage today of two immigration reports. This story identifies the Center for American Progess in the first sentence as "a liberal Washington think tank" -- a few years ago it might have been "non-partisan," as laughably inappropriate as that would be in this case. Meanwhile, this story is about a medical journal article and actually identifies the authors as "active in the liberal Physicians for a National Health Program." Let a hundred flowers bloom, just so long as we know what color they are.
New Name for 'War on Terror'
NYT reported The Bush administration is retooling its slogan for the fight against Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups, pushing the idea that the long-term struggle is as much an ideological battle as a military mission, senior administration and military officials said Monday. In recent speeches and news conferences, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and the nation's senior military officer have spoken of "a global struggle against violent extremism" rather than "the global war on terror," which had been the catchphrase of choice. Administration officials say that phrase may have outlived its usefulness, because it focused attention solely, and incorrectly, on the military campaign. Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the National Press Club on Monday that he had "objected to the use of the term 'war on terrorism' before, because if you call it a war, then you think of people in uniform as being the solution." He said the threat instead should be defined as violent extremists, with the recognition that "terror is the method they use." Although the military is heavily engaged in the mission now, he said, future efforts require "all instruments of our national power, all instruments of the international communities' national power." The solution is "more diplomatic, more economic, more political than it is military," he concluded.
Good idea
Clinton Offered 40 Goats For Daughter
Sky News reported Former US president Bill Clinton has been offered 40 goats and 20 cows for his daughter by a love-struck African government official. Mr Clinton was offered the deal on a recent trip to Kenya. He was offered the animals as a traditional African way of getting a father to give away his daughter's hand in marriage. The dowry is a very generous one by the country's own standards.
I wonder what they would offerred if he suggested including Hillary in the deal.
Bombers on benefits
The Sun Online reported Two fugitive London bombers have been living in Britain on state benefits, it emerged last night. Somalian Yasin Hassan Omar, 24, received £23,000 in housing benefit over six years while living at a flat in Southgate, North London, which was raided yesterday. Flatmate Muktar Said-Ibrahim tried to bomb a bus.
Isn't this nice? The bombers were on the dole.
Pakistan claims al-Qaeda command destroyed
FT reported General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's military ruler, claims that the command and control system of al-Qaeda in his country has been destroyed, excluding any possibility that the terrorist network could have carried out this month's bombings in London and Egypt.
We appreciate the work that Musharraf has done, but I dont think he is right that their command has been completely destroyedIn comments that British officials will view with scepticism, Gen Musharraf said al-Qaeda's sanctuaries in the northern tribal region bordering Afghanistan had been destroyed and 700 fighters captured. However, Egyptian authorities on Monday said they were investigating possible Pakistani militant suspects in connection with the bombing early on Saturday at Egypt's Sharm el Sheikh resort. Meanwhile, in London British officials have expressed growing frustration with the Pakistani security service's inability to crack down on militants or keep a comprehensive register of madrassahs.
That is true. Until the madrassahs have been shut down, more AlQaeda types will continue to be createdThree of the four suicide bombers who killed 56 people in London on July 7 were Britons of Pakistani origin.
Journalism Kills
Telegraph reported According to his cousins back in Pakistan, Yorkshire lad Shehzad Tanweer decided to become a "holy warrior" because of "US abuse of Muslim prisoners in Guantanamo Bay". There is, of course, no "US abuse of Muslim prisoners in Guantanamo Bay".
I wonder if the Left Wing Media are proud of themselves.Newsweek's story about Korans being flushed down the toilet turned out to be a crock; minor examples of possible disrespect of the holy book are outweighed by multiple desecrations of their Korans by the detainees. One man was exposed to Christina Aguilera CDs played very loud in an attempt to break him, which I can't say I'd care for. Another had large chunks of Harry Potter read to him, but don't worry, it wasn't the new one. None the less, to avenge the brutal torture of having Harry Potter read to you by a woman, Shehzad Tanweer self-detonated on the Underground and killed seven people. Ted Kennedy, Newsweek and the British press might like to ponder that before they puff up the next shameful torture technique (insufficient selection of entrées?) into front page news. Loose lips sink Tube trips.
Tuesday, July 26
This Day In History
- 1775 Benjamin Franklin became postmaster-general.
- 1788 New York became the 11th state to ratify the Constitution.
- 1908 Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte issued an order creating an investigative agency that was a forerunner of the FBI.
- 1945 Winston Churchill resigned as Britain's prime minister after his Conservatives were soundly defeated by the Labor Party. Clement Attlee became the new prime minister.
- 1947 "The National Security Act of July 26, 1947" was passed into law. It established the National Security Council and provided for all armed forces in the U.S. to be under the control of the National Military Establishment. That office is now called the Department of Defense.
- 1948 President Harry S. Truman signed executive orders prohibiting discrimination in the U.S. armed forces and federal employment.
- 1948 Babe Ruth was seen by the public for the last time as he attended the New York City premiere of the the motion picture, "The Babe Ruth Story".
- 1952 Adlai E. Stevenson was nominated for president by the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
- 1952 Argentina's first lady, Eva Peron, died in Buenos Aires at age 33.
- 1952 King Farouk I of Egypt abdicated in the wake of a coup led by Gamal Abdel Nasser.
- 1953 Fidel Castro began a revolt against Fulgencio Batista with an unsuccessful attack on an army barracks in eastern Cuba.
- 1956 Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal.
- 1964 Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa and six others were convicted of fraud and conspiracy in the handling of a union pension fund.
- 1986 Kidnappers in Lebanon released the Rev. Lawrence Martin Jenco, an American hostage held for nearly 19 months.
- 1990 President George H.W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act.
- 1990 The House of Representatives reprimanded Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., for ethics violations.
- 1990 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that a young woman, later identified as Kimberly Bergalis, had been infected with the AIDS virus, apparently by her dentist.
- 2000 A federal judge approved a $1.25 billion settlement between Swiss banks and more than a half million plaintiffs who alleged the banks had hoarded money deposited by Holocaust victims.
- 1856 George Bernard Shaw (playwright: Pygmalion; died Nov 2, 1950)
- 1894 Aldous (Leonard) Huxley (philosopher, satirist, author: Brave New World, Crome Yellow, Point Counter Point; died Nov 22, 1963)
- 1906 Gracie (Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie) Allen (vaudeville, radio, TV, stage actress w/husband, George Burns: The Burns and Allen Show; College Swing, Honolulu, Two Girls and a Sailor, We’re Not Dressing; died Aug 27, 1964)
- 1922 Jason Robards Jr. (Obie Award-winning actor: The Ice Man Cometh; Academy Award-winning Supporting Actor: All the President’s Men [1976], Julia [1977], Long Day’s Journey into Night, A Boy and His Dog, The Adventures of Huck Finn, Philadelphia, All the President’s Men, Tora! Tora! Tora!, The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre; son of actor Jason Robards, Sr.; died Dec 26, 2000)
- 1964 Sandra Bullock (actress: Speed, Speed 2: Cruise Control, The Net, While You Were Sleeping, A Time to Kill, Hope Floats, Forces of Nature, Miss Congeniality, Fool Proof, Exactly 3:30, The Chambermaid)
Monday, July 25, 2005
White House May Sidestep Dems on Bolton
Yahoo! News reported Frustrated by Senate Democrats, the White House hinted Monday that President Bush may act soon to sidestep Congress and install embattled nominee John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations on a temporary basis. White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Bush has used his power for temporary appointments when "he has to get people in place that have waited far too long to get about doing their business." He said that "sometimes there's come a point" when Bush has decided he needs to act.... Bush could put Bolton on the job by exercising his authority to make a recess appointment, an avenue available to the president when Congress is in recess. Lawmakers are expected to leave Friday for a summer recess and not return until Sept. 7. Under the Constitution, the appointment would last until the end of the next session of Congress — no later than January 2007.
Good news. Why has it taken this long?
Imam warns Ottawa to back off Muslims
The Globe and Mail reports A controversial Toronto imam warned Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan at a closed-door meeting to stop "terrorizing" Canadian Muslims.
How many government people have blown themselves up, killing Canadian Muslims? Perhaps the Imam should choose a different word."If you try to cross the line I can't guarantee what is going to happen. Our young people, we can't control," Aly Hindy, the head of Scarborough's Salaheddin Islamic Centre, recalls telling the minister at the May meeting she held in Toronto with dozens of Muslim leaders. The meeting was part of an effort by Ms. McLellan to reach out to Canadian Muslims amid complaints that the RCMP and Canadian Security Intelligence Service are engaging in racial profiling. The minister and her officials have been meeting community leaders to explain they are not targeting Muslims generally, only individuals with possible terrorist links. By many accounts, the meetings have been positive and are contributing to a thaw in relations between Muslims and security agents, even if the exchange in May was a little heated. Mr. Hindy, who has long complained that CSIS is spying on him, his family and his mosque,
They should keep an eye on him, and what he says in the mosque.told Ms. McLellan that a young Muslim woman complained to him she was roughed up by Canadian spies while her husband was away at prayers. This allegation could spur reprisals because "our women are the most valuable thing to us"
Then why are they treated so badly under Shira law?and "for a Muslim, honour is more important than his life," Mr. Hindy said in a recent interview. He made the point to the minister.
Link Fiesta
Hooah Wife asked other bloggers to trackback to this post. I have been tied up for a couple of days (see this) and I am very disappointed to see that so far none of my fellow bloggers have done as she asked. I wish she would fix her template so that I do not have to scroll all the way to the bottom to see her posts, but at least I can do a trackback easily, unlike on EIMC.
Christians face jail for giving treats to children of Muslims
Times Online reported Three Indonesian housewives face up to five years in prison for allegedly trying to lure Muslim children into Christianity at a Sunday School “Happy Week”. Senior Christian figures claim that the prosecution is politically motivated and part of a campaign of persecution by Islamic fundamentalists against Indonesia’s Christian minority — about 8 per cent of the Muslim-majority population. The three women faced threats from a yelling mob of 150 fundamentalists during a court appearance in West Java last week. It is claimed that the women were teaching lessons in reading and writing to mixed classes of Christian and Muslim children,
What is wrong in teaching children to read and write? Are the fundamentalists afraid the Muslim children might actually read the Koran, and know they are lying about what it says?taking them on trips to parks and swimming pools, and rewarding them with treats such as pencils for memorising Christian prayers and Bible verses. Many of the alleged offences took place at a special Happy Week earlier this year, although the lessons began in 2003. A claim of “Christianisation” was made against the women by a chapter of the Indonesian Council of Muslim Clerics, which alleged that they enticed Muslim children to participate and that they had tried to convert the children to Christianity by giving them gifts.
The really big treat is that they would be guaranteed eternal life in Paradise just for accepting Christ as their Saviour, and they would not have to blow themselves, and fellow Muslims, up in a misguided attempt to get into Paradise
