Israel to host European weightlifting championship [since when is Israel part of Europe?]

Israel to host European weightlifting championship

Athletes run into obstacles traveling to Tel Aviv tournament as closed Israeli embassies don’t issue them visas

By YIFA YAAKOV

Israel to pay for 10 Plagues?

Israel to pay for 10 Plagues?   Egyptian journalist demands that his government sue Jewish state for heavenly punishments described in Exodus   By ARON DóNZIS

 

New find may bring Nazi-tainted art trove to $2b.

New find may bring Nazi-tainted art trove to $2b.

Additional 180 paintings discovered in Salzburg and at house near Austrian salt mines of the ‘Monuments Men’

By MICHAEL LEIDIG

Former PM Ehud Olmert convicted of taking bribes

Former PM Ehud Olmert convicted of taking bribes   Tel Aviv court also convicts 9 others, including Uri Lupolianski — Olmert’s successor as Jerusalem mayor — in Holyland case   By ELIE LESHEM

Related article: Peres on Olmert conviction: It’s a ‘sad day’ for Israel

Marriage Equality Round-Up 3/31/14

Welcome to the Gay Marriage Watch, co-sponsored by Purple Unions and Marriage Equality USA. Since 2008, we have provided this daily summary of the latest marriage equality news, with links to each of our posted articles. To see the whole blog, click here: http://www.purpleunions.com/blog

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Today's Stories To see today's individual stories, use the links below:
Marriage Equality Round-Up 3/31/14
Various
--Malta's civil unions bill likely to pass soon
--Mexico City's marriage equality sparks a Latin American revolution
--Ricky Gervais: "You can't take equality 'too far."
--Our Gay Wedding: The Musical tonight in the UK
--Gay wedding on Days of Our Lives
--Mozilla says "we support marriage equality"
--5 Year anniversary in IA
--NY rally at anti gay church
--OK/UT fight centers on kids
--WY Equality holds Laramie marriage equality panel
Details
Seriously?
Various
--Your Gayness Can Be Cured
--I'm Totally in Love With Putin's Anti Gayness
Details
Matt Baume's Marriage News Watch
AFER
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has good news and bad news marriage in Michigan. One Missouri lawmaker is taking a stand for equality.
Details
China: Gay Man Sues Government for Recognition of Marriage Equality Group
Towleroad.com
After China denied his application to register his group, Same-Sex Love Assistance Network, as an NGO, a gay man has decided to sue.
Details
Vietnam: 33.7% Support Marriage Equality
Gay Star News
There's a new poll out on Vietnamese support for marriage equality.
Details
USA: How The "Duck Dynasty" Stars' Homophobia Destroyed Their Brand
Queerty
Before December of 2013, Duck Dynasty was a network's dream: an inoffensive, semi-scripted reality program that received little attention outside of its core audience but still attracted millions of viewers.
Details
USA, Virginia: New Poll Says Marriage Equality Support at 50%
The Richmond Times Dispatch
A new poll shows that half of Virginians support marriage equality.
Details

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Upcoming Events Upcoming Marriage Equality Events (Full Events List/Add Your Own Event: http://www.purpleunions.com/mn/gay-marriage-events-list.html):

• Canada, ON, Toronto: Jun 25-Jun 27, ILGA World Conference 2014. Details
• Curacao, Willemstad: Apr 30-May 4, South Caribbean Pride 2014. Details
• Ireland, Dublin: Jun 15, Big Gay Sing, Bord Gais Energy Theatre. Details
• Mexico, Mexico City: Apr 26, NoH8 Photo Shoot, Reforma 222. Details
• USA, AR, Little Rock: Apr 17, Marriage Equality hearing in State Court. Details
• USA, CA, Los Angeles: Aug 21, Los Angeles Equality Awards Kickoff Party 2, Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, 6 PM. Details
• USA, CA, Los Angeles: Sep 15, Marriage Equality USA Gala and Awards. Details
• USA, CA, Los Angeles: Sep 20, Los Angeles Equality Awards , Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, 6 PM. Details
• USA, CA, Los Angeles: Sep 20, Los Angeles Equality Awards Kickoff Party, Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, 6 PM. Details
• USA, CA, Palm Springs: Aug 10, Palm Springs Equality Awards Kickoff Party, Rivieria Resort and Spa, 6 PM. Details
• USA, CA, Palm Springs: Sep 14, Palm Springs Equality Awards Kickoff Party 2, Rivieria Resort and Spa, 6 PM. Details
• USA, CA, Palm Springs: Oct 18, Palm Springs Equality Awards, Riviera Resort, 6 PM. Details
• USA, CA, San Diego: Mar 29, Transgender Overpass Light Brigade Action & Social, 7:30 PM. Details
• USA, CA, San Diego: Apr 6, San Diego Equality Awards Kickoff Party 2, W Hotel, 6-8 PM. Details
• USA, CA, San Diego: Apr 8, SAME Membership Meeting, 3620 30th Street, 6:30-8:30 PM. Details
• USA, CA, San Diego: May 3, San Diego Equality Awards, The Prado, Balboa Park, 6 PM. Details
• USA, CA, San Francisco: Mar 21-Apr 27, Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays, New Conservatory Theatre. Details
• USA, CA, San Francisco: Apr 12, San Francisco Equality Awards , Palace Hotel, 6 PM. Details
• USA, CA, San Francisco: May 2, Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays, Gallo Center for the Arts. Details
• USA, CA, San Francisco: May 3, Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays, Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno. Details
• USA, CA, San Francisco: May 9, Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays, Center for the Arts. Details
• USA, CA, San Francisco: May 28, Marriage Equality USA Gala and Awards, Chambers Eat + Drink, 6-8:30 PM. Details
• USA, CA, San Francisco: Jul 20, Join Team NOH8 at AIDS Walk San Francisco 2014, AIDS Walk in Golden Gate Park. Details
• USA, CO, Denver: Apr 4, Filings Due in OK Marriage Equality Case, U.S. Court of Appeals - 10th Circuit. Details
• USA, CO, Denver: Apr 10, Hearing in UT Marriage Equality Case, U.S. Court of Appeals - 10th Circuit. Details
• USA, CO, Denver: Apr 17, Hearing in OK Marriage Equality Case, U.S. Court of Appeals - 10th Circuit. Details
• USA, CO, Denver: Apr 27, Same Love Same Rights Gay/Lesbian Wedding Expo, The Curtis. Details
• USA, DC, Washington: Dec 4-Dec 7, LGBT Leaders 2014. Details
• USA, FL, Gainesville: May 3, 2013 Greate Gainesville Gala, TBA, 7 PM. Details
• USA, FL, Online: Apr 24, Equality Florida Tele-Tpwn Hall for Marriage Equality, 6:30 PM. Details
• USA, FL, St. Petersburg: May 3, 2013 Greater St. Petersburg Gala, TBA, 7 PM. Details
• USA, IL, Canton: May 17-May 19, "8" The Play Reading, Many Lights Stage Productions. Details
• USA, IL, Chicago: Apr 4, Equality IL First Friday Networking Social, Sidetrack, 6-8 PM. Details
• USA, KS, Topeka: Apr 11, NoH8 Photo Shoot, Equality House. Details
• USA, LA, New Orleans: Apr 5, NoH8 Photo Shoot, Ring of Honor. Details
• USA, MD, Rockville: May 4, Same Love Same Rights Gay/Lesbian Wedding Expo, Crowne Plaza Rockville. Details
• USA, ME, Portland: Apr 6, Same Love Same Rights Gay/Lesbian Wedding Expo, Italian Heritage Center. Details
• USA, NY, Albany: Apr 29, LGBT Equality & Justice Day, State Capitol Bldg, 9 AM-5 PM. Details
• USA, NY, New York: May 18, Join Team NOH8 at AIDS Walk New York 2014, AIDS Walk in Central Park. Details
• USA, NY, New York: May 19, Marriage Equality USA Gala and Awards. Details
• USA, OK, Tulsa: Apr 13, NoH8 Photo Shoot, Dennis R. Neill Equality Center. Details
• USA, OR, Portland: Apr 23, Marriage Equality Lawsuit Hearing, U.S. District Court . Details
• USA, OR, Portland: Jul 17, Oregonians Against Discrimination Business Leaders Luncheon, Oregon Convention Center. Details
• USA, OR, Portland: Oct 10, IGNITE!. Details
• USA, OR, Statewide: Jun 19, Bites for Rights. Details
• USA, PA, Philadelphia: May 1-May 4, Equality Forum 2014. Details
• USA, PA, Philadelphia: May 28, Marriage Equality Lwssuit Hearing. Details
• USA, RI, Providence: Aug 3, Same Love Same Rights Gay/Lesbian Wedding Expo, Providence Marriott Downtown. Details
• USA, VA, Richmond: Mar 28, Defendants' Marriage Equality Briefs Due, Fourth Circuit. Details
• USA, VA, Richmond: Apr 11, Plaintiffs' Marriage Equality Briefs Due, Fourth Circuit. Details
• USA, VA, Richmond: May 13, Marriage Equality Case Oral Arguments (tentative), Fourth Circuit. Details
• USA, WA, Seattle: May 8, Same Love Same Rights Gay/Lesbian Wedding Expo, Crowne Plaza Hotel Seattle. Details
• USA, WI, Madison: Aug 25, Marriage Equality Lawsuit Trial. Details

Know about a gay marriage-related event in your part of the world? Add it here: http://www.purpleunions.com/mn/gay-marriage-events-list.html

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Social Media Please tell your friends about Gay Marriage Watch and our social media pages, and let us know if there's anything we can do to improve the blog, or if you have any news to add from your part of the world!
We're also now on Facebook:
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You can find us on Google+ Too:
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We're doing daily updates on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc
And find us now on Pinterest too!:
http://pinterest.com/gayapolis/gay-marriage-watch/

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Thanks for reading Gay Marriage Watch!

THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY MARCH 31

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GAY WISDOM for Daily Living...

from White Crane

Exploring Gay Wisdom & Culture 

http://www.Gaywisdom.org

Share this with your friends...
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THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

MARCH 31

1492 – In yet another convulsion of Christian fervor, Queen Isabella of Castille orders her 150,000 Jewish subjects to convert to Christianity or face expulsion.

1809 – EDWARD FITZGERALD, English poet (d. 1883); An English writer, best known as the poet of the first and most famous English translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. FitzGerald's emotional life was extremely complex. He lived for his friends, almost all of whom were men, but he also had a series of extremely intimate friends (also male). The first was William Browne, who was sixteen when he met Fitzgerald. They were very close friends until Browne's marriage. Browne's early death was a major catastrophe for FitzGerald. In 1851 FitzGerald published a work called Euphranor: A Dialogue on Youth in memory of a friend who had died young. In it he recounts how, after the death of his beloved William Kenworthy Browne, he cruised the Suffolk docks “looking for some fellow to accost me and fill a very vacant place in my heart.” Whether he was in fact accosted, and whether his vacant place was filled, he does not say. But 15 years later, now famous as the translator of The Rubaiyat, FitzGerald returned to the docks and became part owner of a herring-lugger, Meum and Teum. The “You” of the “I and You” was a strapping young fisherman named Joseph Fletcher, whom he called “Posh.” Although FitzGerald wrote about being taken with Posh’s blue eyes and auburn hair, and although several letters addressed to “My Dear Poshy” have survived, there is no proof the virile Posh ever actually filled FitzGerald’s vacant place. For the sake of love, let us hope he did.

As FitzGerald grew older, he grew more and more disenchanted with Christianity and finally gave up attending church entirely. This drew the attention of the local pastor, who decided to pay a visit to this self-absenting member of his flock. The conversation was very short. FitzGerald told the pastor that his decision to absent himself from church services was the fruit of long and hard meditation. When the pastor protested, FitzGerald showed him to the door, and explained that no further visits would be necessary.

1872 – On this date the Russian choreographer SERGEI DIAGHILEV was born (d: 1929).  A Russian art critic, patron, ballet impresario and founder of the Ballets Russes from which many famous dancers and choreographers would later arise.

One cannot underestimate the influence of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes on the development of 20^th  century art. But the importance of his sexuality to Diaghelev's creative art is sometimes overlooked. Had he not been a gay man, had he not attracted to his cause the great gay writers of the day, the stream of 20^th century art may have flowed in an entirely different direction (some might say towards "Let's Make a Deal"). As Martin Green wrote in Children of the Sun, "He made the dancer Nijinsky first his lover and then his choreographer, slyly displacing Michel Fokine and inspiring Nijinsky to become the company's chief ballet-creator. Diaghilev's superb taste...was made manifest in this new Nijinksy, the choreographer, and in the ballets he created. These works of art were the children of Diaghilev's sexual passion. The same thing happened later with Leonide Massine and Serge Lifar...These men created ballets under the spell of Diaghilev's passion and he created through them."

1934 – RICHARD CHAMBERLAIN, American actor, born; an American actor of stage and screen who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show Dr. Kildare (1961-1966). Chamberlain resides in Hawaii, with his partner since the mid-1970s, agent-producer-director Martin Rabbett. Although it was generally known that Chamberlain was gay, having been outed by the French women's magazine Nous Deux in December 1989, it was not until 2003, at age 69, that he came out as such in his biography, Shattered Love , which describes how he felt obliged to hide his sexuality in order to have an acting career and detailed affairs with dancer Rudolph Nureyev and actor Anthony Perkins. Thanks for all the support, Dick.

1940 – BARNEY FRANK, U.S. Representative from Massachusetts, born; American politician and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Frank is a Democrat and has represented Massachusetts’s 4^th congressional district since 1981. Following the Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives in the 2006 midterm elections, Frank assumed the chairmanship of the House Financial Services Committee. He is a prominent figure in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party and has been outspoken on many civil rights issues including Gay Rights. In 1987, he spoke publicly about his homosexuality for the first time. He said in a 1996 interview: "I'm used to being in the minority. I'm a left-handed, gay Jew. I've never felt, automatically, a member of any majority."

In 1990, the House voted to reprimand Frank when it was revealed that Steve Gobie, a male escort whom Frank had befriended after hiring him through a personal ad, claimed to have conducted an escort service from Frank's apartment when he was not at home. Frank had dismissed Gobie earlier that year and reported the incident to the House Ethics Committee after learning of Gobie's activities. After an investigation, the House Ethics Committee found no evidence that Frank had known of or been involved in the alleged illegal activity. Regarding Gobie's more scandalous claims the report by the Ethics Committee concluded, "In numerous instances where an assertion made by Mr. Gobie (either publicly or during his Committee deposition) was investigated for accuracy, the assertion was contradicted by third-party sworn testimony or other evidence of Mr. Gobie himself."

The New York Times reported on July 20, 1990 that the House Ethics Committee recommended "that Representative Barney Frank receive a formal reprimand from the House for his relationship with a male prostitute." Attempts to expel or censure Frank, led by Republican member (ahem) Larry Craig (how rich is that?!) failed. Rather the House voted 408-18 to reprimand him. This condemnation was not reflected in Frank's district, where he won re-election in 1990 with 66 percent of the vote, and has won by larger margins ever since.

In 1995, then-Republican House Majority Leader Dick Armey referred to Frank as "Barney Fag" in a press interview. Armey apologized and said it was "a slip of the tongue". Frank did not accept the "slip of the tongue" excuse and responded, "I turned to my own expert, my mother, who reports that in 59 years of marriage, no one ever introduced her as Elsie Fag."

In 1998, he founded the National Stonewall Democrats, the national gay, Lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Democratic organization. In 2004 and again in 2006, a survey of Capitol Hill staffers published in Washingtonian magazine gave Frank the title of the "brainiest", "funniest", and "most eloquent" member of the House.

Frank is known for his witty, self-deprecating sense of humor. He once famously quipped that he was unable to complete his review of the Starr Report detailing President Bill Clinton’s relationship with Monica Lewinsky, complaining that it was "too much reading about heterosexual sex." Frank is also noted for his occasionally caustic remarks about Republicans. In a June 2007 New England Cable News interview, Frank said of Mitt Romney: "The real Romney is clearly an extraordinarily ambitious man with no perceivable political principle whatsoever. He is the most intellectually dishonest human being in the history of politics." Frank's blunt stance on outing certain gay Republicans has become well-publicized, dubbed "The Frank Rule"—that it is acceptable to out a closeted gay person, if that person uses their power or notoriety to hurt gay people. The issue became especially relevant during the Mark Foley page scandal of 2006, during which Frank clarified his position on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher: “I think there's a right to privacy. But the right to privacy should not be a right to hypocrisy. And people who want to demonize other people shouldn't then be able to go home and close the door and do it themselves.”

In November 2011 Frank announced that he would not run for reelection when his current term was up in 2013. In January of 2012 he announced his intention to marry his longtime partner, Jim Ready.

1957 - British Tory politician and Shadow Minister ALAN DUNCAN was born today. Born Alan James Carter Duncan, he is known as one of the most strident and ideological libertarians within the leading ranks of the Conservative Party.

Duncan was the first sitting Conservative MP voluntarily to acknowledge that he is gay; he did this in an interview with The Times on 29 July 2002, although he has said that this came as no surprise to friends.  Indeed, in an editorial published on the news of Duncan's coming out, The Daily Telegraph reported, "The news that Alan Duncan is gay will come as a surprise only to those who have never met him. The bantam Tory frontbencher can hardly be accused of having hidden his homosexuality." Duncan became the first member of either the Cabinet or the Shadow Cabinet to enter into a civil partnership when he was joined as civil partners with his partner James Dunseath in July 2008. Duncan has a committed following in the gay community and is active in speaking up for gay rights. He was responsible for formulating the Conservatives' policy response to the introduction of civil partnership legislation in 2004, which he considered his proudest achievement of the Parliament between 2001 and 2005. In 2007, Pink News named him the 15^th most powerful LGBT person in the UK.

1961 - American composer and pianist JAKE HEGGIE celebrates his birthday today. Born in West Palm Beach, Florida.  Heggie is the composer of the operas Dead Man Walking (2000), The End of the Affair (2004), At The Statue of Venus (2005), and To Hell and Back (2006). He is also the composer of more than 200 art songs as well as chamber and concert works. His operas and songs are championed internationally by singers who include Isabel Bayrakdarian, Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, Frederica von Stade, Audra McDonald, Patti LuPone, Joyce DiDonato, Jennifer Larmore, Bryn Terfel and many others. He also accompanies many of these artists in recitals.  His other works include Anna Madrigal Remembers (1999, lyrics: Armistead Maupin) and the recordings: My Native Land, The faces of Love (1999), Dead Man Walking  (2002)

1972 – Spanish filmmaker ALEJANDRO FERNANDO AMENÁBAR CANTOS was born in Santiago, Chile. In addition to writing and directing his own films, Amenábar has maintained a notable career as a composer of film scores, including the Goya Awards-nominated score for José Luis Cuerda's La lengua de las mariposas. Amenábar was awarded the Grand Prix of the Jury at the International Venice Film Festival in 2004 for Mar adentro ("The Sea Inside") starring Javier Bardem, and in February 2005 the same film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In February 2004, Amenábar came out to the Spanish gay magazine Shangay Express. In 2008 Amenábar shot an epic (an in this writer’s opinion, beautiful) film called Agora which he wrote with Mateo Gill. Set in Roman Egypt, the film is based on the life of philosopher and mathematician Hypatia of Alexandria. The editors highly recommend the film.

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Gay Wisdom for Daily Living from White Crane Institute

"With the increasing commodification of gay news, views, and culture by powerful corporate interests, having a strong independent voice in our community is all the more important. White Crane is one of the last brave standouts in this bland new world... a triumph over the looming mediocrity of the mainstream Gay world." - Mark Thompson

Exploring Gay Wisdom & Culture for over 20 Years!

www.gaywisdom.org

 

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Teacher Who Took Needy Student to ER and Paid the Bill Forced to Resign Over Her Good Deed

Teacher Who Took Needy Student to ER and Paid the Bill Forced to Resign Over Her Good Deed (Video)

by Dayle Lynne

I’ve had a lot of good teachers in my life, but there have been a few really great ones who will always stand out. They were the teachers who took the extra steps and showed just how much they cared about their students. At Red Bank High School in Tennessee, Jennifer Mitts was that kind […]

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Archaeologists race to secure ancient burial site of three Egyptian kings that will make the treasure of Tutankhamun's tomb look like a 'display in Woolworths'

Archaeologists race to secure ancient burial site of three Egyptian kings that will make the treasure of Tutankhamun's tomb look like a 'display in Woolworths'

British archaeologist John Romer, 72, believes he has discovered the site where three ancient Egyptian priest kings - Herihor, Piankh and Menkheperre - were buried in Luxor.

U.S. Agency Knew About G.M. Flaw but Did Not Act

U.S. Agency Knew About G.M. Flaw but Did Not Act

By MATTHEW L. WALD

A House subcommittee will open hearings on Tuesday looking into why federal investigators never realized there was a problem with certain G.M. ignition systems.

State Department Blacklists New Iranian Ambassador

State Department Blacklists New Iranian Ambassador

Posted: 30 Mar 2014 05:11 PM PDT

Hamid Aboutalebi, Iran’s UN ambassador-designate

For months, the State Department has stalled on approving the visa for the incoming Iranian ambassador to the UN, Hamid Aboutalebi.  In the meantime, the departing ambassador has long left New York and there is no chief delegate representing Iran (that nation announced Aboutalebi’s appointment last January).  Since State will make no substantive statement other than to say it uses due diligence before approving such visas, others are left to speculate.  Here is what the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran wrote:

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has learned that the reason for the months–long delay may be the diplomat’s possible role  in the 1979 seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran…
…In 1980 Aboutalebi, along with Abbas Abdi, a student instrumental in the US Embassy takeover, traveled to Algeria to invite representatives from several “liberation movements” to attend a meeting in Tehran. The invited groups included the Palestine National Liberation Movement (Fatah), Polisario, The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, The Front for the Liberation of Zimbabwe, Shias from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Lebanon’s Amal Movement.
…Aboutalelbi denied involvement in the U.S. embassy takeover. He was not in Tehran at the time, he was quoted as saying. He said his only reason for being at the occupied embassy later on was to serve as a translator.
“For the past 15 years, I have been an ambassador to many Western countries that are very close to the US, from Europe to Australia, and have always been dealing with the West,” Aboutalelbi said. “Even in 1994 when I traveled to the US as a member of our country’s delegation at the UN General Assembly…no questions ever come up.”
Aboutalebi added: “The fact is that at the time of the embassy takeover on November 4 [1979] I wasn’t even in Tehran to know about this or to participate in it or to be present, or for my name to be involved in this; I was in Ahvaz when I learned about what had happened.
“A while later, when I came to Tehran, one day Martyr [Rahman] Dademan sent me a message through another war commander by the name of Shahid Zaker, saying that they needed someone for French translation.  I accepted…
“For example, I was the translator at the press conference when they released female employees and African Americans on humanitarian basis.”

My guess is that the Obama administration, which is exquisitely sensitive to allowing the Israel Lobby any opening to attack its Iran policy, is scared stiff that Aipac will circulate photos of Aboutalebi in 1979 with his suspicious scruffy beard and link him to Iranian terrorism.  It would rather delay approving the visa in hopes Iran will get the message and approve someone who never stepped foot in the U.S. embassy in 1979.
Of course this is chicken-shit way to pursue foreign policy.  But it’s standard operating procedure for this administration, which never goes out of its way to stand for a principle when a lower common denominator is possible.
By the way, if we want to render treif foreign diplomats and leaders with unsavory pasts (not that Aboutalebi has one), perhaps Obama can explain all those visits from ex-terrorists Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir who actually had British and Arab blood on their hands (the King David Hotel bombing, Deir Yassin massacre, Count von Bernadotte assassination, etc).  It seems to me that our moral vision is quite selective.  When we need a former terrorist we’re more than happy to oblige a visit or a visa.  When we don’t, we let them hang in the wind for months, violating diplomatic protocol.  Shame.

CIA Offered Intelligence Enabling Israeli Assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabouh

CIA Offered Intelligence Enabling Israeli Assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabouh

Posted: 30 Mar 2014 11:11 PM PDT

Dubai police chief, Dahi Khalfan, duped by CIA into betraying Mahmoud al-Mabouh

An independent blogger in the United Arab Emirates writes (Hebrew) that the CIA provided critical intelligence about Mahmoud al-Mabouh enabling the Mossad to assassinate him in Dubai in 2010.    It did so since the victim was Hamas’ chief arms intermediary with Iran.  The inside information came from the territory’s police chief, Dhahi Khalfan, who passed it to the CIA without knowing it would be given to the Mossad.  As Iran is an enemy of the Gulf States, including UAE, Khalfan thought he was doing a favor to the American ally, who shared his country’s disdain for Iran.
Khalfan had not intended for the information to pass outside the realm of the CIA, but the agency double-crossed him.  Here is a translation from Arabic of the information concerning this incident:

“Dhahi became famous after the assassination of Hamas’ martyr, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, by elements of the Zionist Mossad in 2010…[He] personally provided the cover for the assassination, as he was commissioned by the CIA, five weeks before to investigate…Mabhouh.  Within three weeks he gave the CIA a complete file including account numbers used by Mabhouh, the details of his movements and activities in Dubai, and his places of residence. … Due to Dhahi’s extreme stupidity, he did not know he assisted in the assassination of Mabhouh, so he was surprised by [it].”

Without this critical CIA involvement, al-Mabouh could not have been murdered and the Mossad’s most embarrassing scandal in decades might’ve been averted.  Unfortunately, until now the CIA has not had to pay the piper for facilitating murder.  Nor has Barack Obama, president at the time of the murder.
It appears al-Mabouh became a victim of the covert war between Israel and the U.S. and Iran, which was raging at the time.  This was also the period in which the NSA was developing Stuxnet and Flame viruses to disrupt the Iranian nuclear program.  As a major Hamas arms merchant dealing with Iran, the CIA and Mossad wanted to do everything possible to tweak Iran (and Hamas).  That made al-Mabouh an inviting target.  But the Mossad’s hubris and Khalfan’s hurt pride at being duped by the CIA, turned the tables on the assassins and led to their exposure.  Perhaps now the CIA has learned a lesson and will honor commitments it makes to Arab security officials like Khalfan.
We should not be surprised by the CIA’s actions.  In the early 1960s, obsessed by the mania of ‘Communist subversion’ in the Third World, the CIA recruited a double agent within the ranks of the African National Congress.  On the day he was arrested by the South African police, they knew where Nelson Mandela was, when he would arrive there, what he was wearing, practically what he ate for breakfast.  The South Africans could not have done it without the help of our trusty CIA, ever on the watch for Communist subversion.  The U.S., though it allowed Mandela to enter the U.S. in the 1990s, did not finally remove him from the terror watch list until 2008.
The problem with intelligence agencies is that they’re responding to the crisis of yesterday without realizing the crisis of tomorrow is staring them in the face.  Instead of Communist subversion, the U.S. should’ve been trying to come to terms with liberation movements like the ANC sweeping the Third World.  Instead of murdering Hamas agents, the U.S. should be coming to terms with Palestinian nationalism (including Hamas) and its legitimate claims.
Though the Mossad does a fine job of creating mayhem wherever it operates, the CIA deserves credit where it’s due for facilitating it, as in this wretched case.

Karl Rove loses it after Fox guest calls Chris Christie report a ‘whitewash’

By David Edwards
Sunday, March 30, 2014 11:26 EDT

 

Republican strategist Karl Rove on Sunday accused a Fox News co-panelist of a personal “attack” after he called an internal investigation that cleared New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) for closing the busiest bridge in the world for political retribution a “whitewash.”
During a panel discussion on Fox News Sunday, Rove insisted that Christie was still a viable presidential candidate, and that the governor’s own internal investigation put him “back in the arena.”
The National Journal‘s Ron Fournier, however, was not convinced by the internal review, calling it a “whitewash report.”“We saw what happened with the IRS scandal with you have your own person investigate yourself, nobody believes it, it’s not credible,” he explained. “This was basically his attorney declaring his innocence, and the public trial is about to begin. And the public trial is going to be ugly.”
As host Chris Wallace tried to call on another panelist, Rove interrupted: “It’s a direct attack! I have a right to response!”
“How can it be a whitewash,” The Wall Street Journal’s Kimberly Strassel agreed.
“Because it’s done on his behalf,” Fournier said. “And it didn’t talk to half the people you have to talk to.”
Strassel argued that the law firm hired by Christie would not have whitewashed the report because “so many reputations” were at stake.
“That’s what attorneys do all the time,” Fournier insisted. “That is exactly what defense attorneys do when they defend clients.”
“I grant you that this does not exonerate him,” Rove remarked. “But I think you’re missing — this is part of a process. And now we have a third party that has looked at all this information and gushed it out!”
“It’s not a third party!” Fournier observed.
“Yes, it is a third party,” Rove shot back.
In conclusion, Wallace noted that Rove, Strassel and Fournier were the “least collegial panel I’ve ever seen.”

 

 

 

 

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/03/30/karl-rove-loses-it-after-fox-guest-calls-chris-christie-report-a-whitewash/

Ghana politician says Africa is under ‘satanic attack’ from gays

Ghana’s former deputy speaker of parliament has said that people advocating for the rights of LGBTI people in Africa are carrying out ‘satanic’ works and that if children are allowed to be raised by same-sex couples they will grow up to be ‘miscreants’

31 March 2014 | By Andrew Potts

Photo by Tonyr68uk

Ghanaian retired MP Mike Ocquaye has called calls for the protection of LGBTI people in Africa ‘satanic attacks’ and has claimed that Africa’s traditional family system is being threatened by the West.
The former Deputy Speaker of the Ghanaian Parliament claimed homosexuality was a foreign ‘abomination’ being pushed on Africa.
‘We consider this an abomination,’ Ocquaye told an anti-gay forum in Accra, according to GhanaWeb.
‘We don’t want a mustache man marrying another bearded man and it is the right of the children to call a man father and a woman mother. Children brought up in the other way will become what we call miscreants.’
‘The family is under satanic attack and we should take great care to protect it.
‘We Africans have certain values and our friends who want to remain our friends in the Western world must respect our values.’
Ocquaye claimed that British Prime Minister David Cameron had acknowledged that the family unit in Europe had been destroyed.
‘At least British recognizes it is in a serious crisis today because as they themselves say the family has broken down.’ Ocquaye said.
‘The family in Europe has broken down. Two years ago, the British Prime Minister himself made a public announcement of this.’
Ocquaye has previously claimed that African countries can resist gay rights by refusing to trade with the West because Africans import more goods than they export.

Despite new law, Ugandan cleric ministers to gays

Despite new law, Ugandan cleric ministers to gays - Yahoo News

[Anglican clergyman Christopher] Senyonjo's opposition to discrimination against gays has earned him the status of "an elder" in the eyes of the country's beleaguered gay community, said Pepe Julian Onziema, a prominent gay leader in Uganda who has known Senyonjo for many years. "Our relationship is one of giving support to each other. The backlash that we receive is equally the same," said Onziema, who added that Senyonjo has taken "a very courageous and brave stand."

Senyonjo said he lives off "gifts" from his children and friends after his pension was severed as "a kind of punishment" over his pro-gay activities.

"They (church leaders) cut off my pension," he said. "It is very difficult even for my family. But I know the truth and it has made me free."

Read the entire article: news.yahoo.com.
Also, for more information see the documentary being released on DVD in May 2014, God Loves Uganda, an examination on the role of American evangelicals in fostering anti-gay hatemongering in Uganda. View the trailer here.

http://www.religiousrightwatch.com/2014/03/despite-new-law-ugandan-cleric-ministers-to-gays-yahoo-news.html

Tea Party Patriot arrested for distributing child porn

On Tuesday, a member of the Tea Party Patriots was named during an investigation of child pornography. Brian Schwanke is being accused of sending and receiving hundreds of inappropriate images of children.
According to The Smoking Gun, Schwanke used the email account h*ornypastor@outlook.com to distribute these photos over the Internet.
Hwanke is very verbal on his Facebook account regarding Obama, and just last week went on a rant about Obama’s speech during Nelson Mandela’s funeral. His FB profile has now been deleted, but he previously announced that the U.S. “WAS founded on a CHRISTIAN foundation, and the progressive, atheist left is running us into the ground to create a Socialist country that will fall like all the others.”
Schwanke posed as a pastor for his h*ornypastor account saying “with my pool at my house I find lots of chances to ‘counsel’ the girls.”

 

http://www.greenvillegazette.com/tea-party-patriot-arrested-for-distributing-child-porn/?fb=6

Parents who starve children of love face jail

Exclusive: Parents who starve children of love face jail

Changes to the child neglect laws will make “emotional cruelty” a crime for the first time, alongside physical or sexual abuse

This Day Trivia - march 31

Events

2004 Air America Radio The liberal, left-wing radio network begins service. It would go off the air in 2010.

1993 Life imitates Art Actor Brandon Lee is killed while filming his death scene in the movie The Crow, when a prop gun accidentally fires a real bullet.

1980 Pres. Carter signs a bill deregulating the banking industry.

1968 Pres. Johnson announces he will not seek reelection.

1967 Jimi Hendrix The legendary musician lights his guitar on fire in concert for the first time, during a performance at London's Finsbury Park.

1966 Luna 10 The space probe is launched by the Soviet Union. It would become the first probe to enter the moon's orbit.

1958 Nuclear Weapons The Soviet Union announces it will suspend nuclear weapons testing.

1943 Oklahoma! The Rogers and Hammerstein musical opens in New York.

1933 The Civilian Conservation Corps is established, creating jobs through reforestation projects.

1923 First dance marathon The marathon begins in New York City's Audubon Ballroom. Alma Cummings won after six partners and 27 hours of continuous dancing.

1918 First U.S. Daylight savings time begins. This version of the law was later repealed.

1917 Virgin Islands The U.S. takes possession after purchasing them from Denmark of $25 million. They are the only place in the U.S. where traffic drives on the left.

1912 First person injured during an airplane attack, an Italian bomber shot by Arab ground forces.

1903 Heavier-than-air flight Richard Pearse, a New Zealand farmer, reportedly flies his monoplane craft several hundred feet and lands atop a 12-foot-high hedge - eight months before the Wright Brothers.

1889 Eiffel Tower The famous Paris landmark is opened to the public. At 984 ft. it was the tallest man-made structure in the world.

1870 First black to vote under the 15th Amendment Thomas Peterson-Mundy in a Perth Amboy, New Jersey special election for a city charter.

1854 Japan It first opens its ports to U.S. trade.

1840 10-hour work day Pres. Van Buren establishes the new work day for federal employees, with no reduction in pay.

Births

1971 Ewan McGregor Scottish actor. Film: Trainspotting (1996), Moulin Rouge! (2001), and the Star Wars movies as the young Obi-Wan Kenobi

1957 Mark McClure American actor. Film: The Superman movies (Jimmie Olsen) and the Back to the Future movies (Dave McFly).

1955 Angus Young Scottish-born rock guitarist with AC/DC.

1951 Ed Marinaro American actor, football player. TV: Hill Street Blues (Officer Joe Coffey).

1948 Rhea Perlman American Emmy-winning actress. TV: Cheers (Carla Tortelli).

1948 Albert Gore, Jr 45th U.S. Vice-President (1993-2001) and proponent for the fight against global warming.

1945 Gabe Kaplan American actor. TV: Welcome Back, Kotter (Mr. Kotter).

1943 Christopher Walken American Oscar-winning actor. Film: The Deer Hunter (1978, Oscar) and A View to a Kill (1985, Max Zorin).

1935 Richard Chamberlain American actor. TV: Dr. Kildare (title role) and star of numerous TV miniseries.

1935 Herb Alpert American musician, with the Tijuana Brass. He also co-founded A&M Records.

1934 Shirley Jones American Oscar-wining actress. Film: Elmer Gantry (1960, Oscar). TV: The Partridge Family (the mom). She was once married to Jack Cassidy, the father of David Cassidy who played Keith in The Partridge Family.

1929 Liz Claiborne d. 2007 Belgian-born American fashion designer. Her company, Liz Claiborne Inc., was the first company founded by a woman to make the Fortune 500 (1986).

1928 Gordie Howe (Gordon Howe), Canadian Hall of Fame hockey player, "Mr. Hockey." He is considered one of the all-time greatest players.

1927 William Daniels American Emmy-winning actor. TV: St. Elsewhere (Dr. Mark Craig) and Knight Rider (voice of Kitt).

1927 César Chávez d. 1993 Mexican-American labor leader, activist, founder of the National Farm Workers Association.

1924 Leo Buscaglia d. 1998 American educator, author, hugger.

1922 Richard Kiley American Emmy-winning actor. TV: The Thorn Birds (Emmy) and A Year in the Life (Emmy).

1915 Henry Morgan d. 1994 American caustic comedian, know for his trademark radio sign-on: "Good evening, anybody. Here's Morgan." TV: What's My Line and I've Got a Secret.

1878 Jack Johnson d. 1946 American boxer. He was the first black heavyweight champion (1908-15). He was the first person prosecuted under the Mann Act. He had encouraged Lucille Cameron, a white woman, to leave a brothel and they subsequently crossed state lines. Even though he married her, and took her away from a brothel, he was still prosecuted and sentenced to a year in prison.

1854 Sir Dugald Clerk d. 1932 (aka Clark), Scottish engineer. He built the first two-stroke engine (1878).

1811 Robert Wilhelm Bunsen d. 1899 German chemist. He invented the Bunsen burner and discovered the elements cesium and rubidium.

1732 Franz Haydn d. 1809 Austrian composer, "Father of the Symphony." He composed about 120 symphonies.

1675 Benedict XIV d. 1758 Italian religious leader, 247th Pope (1740-58).

1596 Rene Descartes d. 1650 French scientist, philosopher, "Father of Modern Philosophy." He is remembered for his famous proposition "I think, therefore I am."

1499 Pius IV d. 1565 Italian religious leader, 224th Pope (1559-65). He reopened the Council of Trent (1562).

Deaths

2005 Terri Schiavo b. 1963 American medical case. After suffering a cardiac arrest in 1990 that left her brain damaged, a major legal battle ensued over the right of her husband to have her feeding tube removed. It was eventually removed, resulting in her death 13 days later.

1998 Bella Abzug b. 1920 American politician and leader of the women's movement. She was the first Jewish woman elected to the U.S. Congress (House of Representatives, New York 1971-77).

1995 Selena b. 1971 (Selena Quintanilla Pérez), Mexican-American singer. She was murdered by the president of her fan club.

1993 Brandon Lee b. 1965 American actor, son of Bruce Lee. He was killed, while filming the movie The Crow (1994) when the gun being used accidentally fired a real bullet.

1986 O'Kelly Isley b. 1937 American Grammy-winning singer, with the Isley Brothers. Music: Twist and Shout (1962), This Old Heart of Mine (1966), and It's Your Thing (1970, Grammy).

1985 The Singing Nun b. 1933 (Jeanine Deckers), Belgian nun. Her song Dominique (1963) went to #1 on the U.S. charts.

1981 Enid Bagnold b. 1889 English novelist. Writings: National Velvet (1935) and The Chalk Garden (1956).

1980 Jesse Owens b. 1913 (James Cleveland Owens), American track star. He won four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics. At the 1935 Big Ten meet, he set three world records and tied a fourth - all within a span of 45 minutes. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1976).

1978 Charles Herbert Best b. 1899 Canadian scientist. While working as an undergraduate student, he assisted F.G. Banting in the discovery of insulin (1921). He also introduced the use of heparin to reduce blood clotting during heart surgery.

1956 Ralph De Palma b. 1882 Italian-born American Hall of Fame auto racer. With 2,557 wins out 2,889 races, he was the world's winningest race car driver.

1931 Knute Kenneth Rockne b. 1888 Norwegian-born American football coach. His effective use of the forward pass, while a player at Notre Dame, forever changed college football. His record as Notre Dame coach (1914-31) was 105 wins, 12 losses, and 5 ties.

1917 Emil von Behring b. 1854 German Nobel-winning physiologist, bacteriologist. He discovered tetanus and diphtheria vaccines (1890).

1913 John Pierpont Morgan b. 1837 American financier, co-founder of U.S. Steel (1901).

1911 Otto Ringling b. 1858 American circus operator, with Ringling Brothers Circus.

1903 Ebenezer Butterick b. 1826 American inventor. He and his wife Ellen invented tissue paper clothing patterns (1863).

1855 Charlotte Brontë b. 1816 English novelist. Writings: Jane Eyre (1847).

1850 John Caldwell Calhoun b. 1782 7th U.S. Vice-President (1824-32). After a disagreement with Pres. Jackson, he became the first U.S. Vice-President to resign. He then went on to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate.

1830 Johann Rudolf Wyss b. 1781 Swiss author. Writings: The Swiss Family Robinson (1813). He also wrote the Swiss national anthem.

1631 John Donne b. 1573 English poet. He is best remembered for the line "No man is an island…" from Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions (1624). Source: An Almanac of the Christian Church

1621 Philip III b. 1578 King of Spain (1598-1621). He was weak ruler who spent enormous sums on court festivities.