STATE AND LOCAL "INCENTIVES" TO BUSINESS ARE JUST MORE STUPID SOCIALISM

Money doesn't grow on trees, but that hasn't stopped Dollar Tree Stores from generating forests of revenue. In 2006, sales at the retail chain, where every item costs a buck, were $4 billion. That's up 17 percent from the year before. The company now operates more than 3,200 stores around the country, as compared with just over 2,900 a year ago - an increase of more than one per weekday last year.

So this capitalist success story is an obvious candidate for a taxpayer subsidy, right? That's what Virginia thinks. On February 12, Democratic governor Tim Kaine announced his plan to award $200,000 in state money to Dollar Tree for an expansion of its corporate headquarters in Chesapeake. The cash comes out of something called the Governor's Opportunity Fund, which spends more than $15 million per year on companies that seek financial help. "We view it as a deal-closing fund," says Christie Miller of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, a state agency. "It's for attracting business to Virginia and keeping it here, too."

Giveaways to flourishing companies may not sound like a discount-store bargain for taxpayers, but they're standard operating procedure just about everywhere. Even local governments are getting in the act: The city of Chesapeake agreed to inject $200,000 of its own money into Dollar Tree's project. Around the country, this marriage of Big Government and Big Business carries a price tag of $50 billion each year, according to an estimate by Alan Peters and Peter Fisher of the University of Iowa. For the most part, however, these so-called business incentives "don't accomplish much of anything," says Peters.

That's not entirely true. They can accomplish quite a bit for politicians such as Kaine, who wasted no time in issuing a boastful press release about his Dollar Tree deal: "Governor Kaine Announces 100 New Jobs for Chesapeake." Yet these little exercises in industrial policy rarely drive economic growth. And sometimes they aren't so little: Last summer, then-governor George Pataki of New York, a Republican, approved a $1.2 billion package of grants and tax reductions for AMD to build a microchip factory in Saratoga County. The project is supposed to create 1,200 jobs, which works out to a price of $1 million apiece for New York taxpayers - a deal that might make even George Steinbrenner blush.

Perhaps these corporate-welfare schemes would be worth it if they created more jobs, helped depressed areas, or expanded a region's tax base. Evidence suggests that they don't accomplish any of these goals. "After decades of policy experimentation and literally hundreds of scholarly studies, none of these claims is clearly substantiated," wrote Peters and Fisher in their exhaustive analysis. "Indeed . . . there is a good chance that all of these claims are false."

This should come as no surprise. Politicians and bureaucrats in the grip of what Hayek called the "fatal conceit" - the notion that they can pick economic winners and losers better than the invisible hand of the market - have an exceedingly poor track record. The Mackinac Center, a think tank in Michigan, analyzed the performance of the Michigan Economic Growth Authority (MEGA), the state's most visible corporate-subsidy program. It found that among 127 deals whose employment promises were fully measurable through 2004, only 10 had met their projections. "MEGA is another in a long line of political programs disguised as economic ones," says Michael D. LaFaive, a co-author of the study. "They're great for giving politicians cover but do little to produce real job growth."

More here

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Which minorities should we favour?

Post lifted from Discriminations. See the original for links

ABC News reports today that new census figures "Add Fuel To Fiery Affirmative Action Debate; Critics of Diversity Programs Say the Latest Census Figures Justify Their Stance."

"As America becomes increasingly multi-ethnic and multiracial, it becomes more and more untenable for some people to get preferences on the basis of race or ethnicity," says [Roger] Clegg [president of the Center for Equal Opportunity]. "I think it makes it harder and harder to justify giving some groups special treatment because it becomes more difficult to pick and choose who deserves special treatment." ....

Ward Connerly, the California businessman leading the drive behind the ballot initiatives, says the new census figures show that America is no longer the place it was when affirmative action policies were put into place in 1961. "We are a nation of minorities now; the idea the government can prefer one group over another is insane," Connerly says. "Racial preferences are fundamentally unfair and marginalize the very people they're intended to benefit."

Naturally, those who support racial preferences disagree.

Gary Orfield, the co-director of the Civil Rights Project and a professor of education at UCLA, says the basic structure of discrimination and inequality against African-Americans and Latinos remains in place and has never been resolved.

Orfield and friends would "resolve" this problem by keeping affirmative action, which itself is a massive "structure of discrimination," in place forever, or at least until the ever-present playing field is leveled, which is the same thing.

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ELSEWHERE

Every now and again, I collect the more interesting pictures, graphics and cartoons I have recently put up on my various blogs and post them all together in a single file of pictures. Most of them are pretty entertaining. The latest is here (or here).

A couple more Obama lies spelt out here

Nonie Darwish: "In her native Egypt, she is the daughter of a hero, a soldier killed while fighting the hated Israelis. In America, she is a hero, a Muslim-born woman who stands up for the Jews and Israel, and speaks out against the oppression by Islam against her sex. Her website, the provocatively titled Arabs for Israel, promotes Muslim support for the Jewish state. These are controversial messages that have seen her banned from the campus of at least one Ivy League university. Her email inbox bulges with insults. "Sometimes they say things like 'Jihad is our pride' or 'You are a pig and an ape like the pigs and apes you defend'."

There is a new lot of postings by Chris Brand just up.

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, IMMIGRATION WATCH and EYE ON BRITAIN.

List of backup or "mirror" sites here or here -- for readers in China or for everyone when blogspot is "down" or failing to update. Email me here (Hotmail address). My Home Pages are here or here or here

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"Why should the German be interested in the liberation of the Jew, if the Jew is not interested in the liberation of the German?... We recognize in Judaism, therefore, a general anti-social element of the present time... In the final analysis, the emancipation of the Jews is the emancipation of mankind from Judaism.... Indeed, in North America, the practical domination of Judaism over the Christian world has achieved as its unambiguous and normal expression that the preaching of the Gospel itself and the Christian ministry have become articles of trade... Money is the jealous god of Israel, in face of which no other god may exist". Who said that? Hitler? No. It was Karl Marx. See also here and here.

The Big Lie of the late 20th century was that Nazism was Rightist. It was in fact typical of the Leftism of its day. It was only to the Right of Stalin's Communism. The very word "Nazi" is a German abbreviation for "National Socialist" (Nationalsozialistisch) and the full name of Hitler's political party (translated) was "The National Socialist German Workers' Party".

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THE FORCED WOLFOWITZ RESIGNATION

By Greg Sheridan

Paul Wolfowitz is a good man brought down by a shabby, politicised witch-hunt. The terms under which he was forced to deal with his partner when he joined the World Bank may well indicate that he was set up for a fall. Wolfowitz tried hard to avoid personnel issues surrounding his partner. He sought advice, and followed it. The spouses of other executives had been allowed to keep working at the bank but the hostility to Wolfowitz, which is a displaced enmity for US President George W.Bush, exacerbated by Wolfowitz's exotic name and reputation as an architect of the operation in Iraq, was present from day one.

I have known Wolfowitz for many years. He is one of the most intelligent and thoughtful men I know, the very opposite of the idiotic caricature of him as a Dr Strangelove super hawk. He was one of Washington's most committed proponents of engagement with Islam, and long before 9/11. He was a superb and popular ambassador to Indonesia, is deeply concerned with human rights and has supported many Asian dissidents.

He is formidable, if donnish, and an intensely hard worker. The last time I saw him was several months ago. His days started early but he was happy to talk policy at 9pm in his Washington office. Wolfowitz had his faults but he is a dedicated servant of humanity. He was disliked at the complacent and incompetent bureaucracy of the World Bank because he shook things up, insisting on a better vision for fighting poverty and corruption. His likely replacement is Bob Zoellick, a former US deputy secretary of state, who would be a fine World Bank president.

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Test Shows Conservatives More Mentally Complex Than Liberals

Post excerpted from Cheat-seeking Missiles

I'm not sure that this is what Jonathan Haidt, associate professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, set out to do, but his research into the basis of our morality has shown what is obvious to most of us: Liberals run on a pretty simple clock, whereas the clockwork of conservatives is far more advanced and complex. Did he really say that? You bet:

Haidt argues that human morality is a cultural construction built on top of - and constrained by - a small set of evolved psychological systems. He presents evidence that political liberals rely primarily on two of these systems, involving emotional sensitivities to harm and fairness. Conservatives, however, construct their moral understandings on those two systems plus three others, which involve emotional sensitivities to in-group boundaries, authority and spiritual purity.

Got that? Liberals are worried that the guppy doesn't get hurt and that everyone sings Kumbaya with perfectly balanced voice quality. Conservatives are all for not harming and being fair, but create a much more complex structure for their moral measurements.

Adding in-group boundaries basically means we conservatives are conformists and are more likely to find immorality in the wanton destruction of social mores than liberals, who tend to see such destruction as a moral attribute. Rage against the machine, fight the man. Authority means, of course, respect for authority. Liberals get no moral readings from that attribute, but it's big to conservatives.

Haidt's last point is interesting: the spiritual roots of moral decisions. I think he's wrong here because his survey focuses on religion, not on beliefs. Dennis Prager correctly states that there is more dogma in the Liberal faith system (environmentalism, human rights, tolerance) than in any established religion. If Haidt had designed his survey instrument differently, I believe "core belief systems" would have scored as high with the liberals as with the conservatives, if not higher.

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ELSEWHERE

Immigration is a hot topic at the moment with a new bill going through Congress. I will not be saying anything about it here. Why? Because I have a whole blog devoted to immigration matters -- and I am certainly following it there.

We see here clear proof that the Democrats do NOT support the troops

It seems that former ambassador John Bolton gave the BBC a bit of a shock.

More Leftist hypocrisy: "Associated Press writer Nancy Benac plays the "diversity" card with a piece tallying up how many women and minorities service in power positions for the various presidential candidates. The hit piece slamming Republicans for not promoting enough non-white people is titled "Democrats seek diversity in advisers:"... Perhaps Ms. Benac--journalistic concern troll for "diversity"--should start counting the racial and ethnic beans at her own organization. Take a look at the [all white] AP Board of Directors. Not unsurprisingly, it's "Do as we say, not as we do" with the liberal media elite."

Israel surges economically: "A bloody and costly war, the constant threat of terror attacks, a string of political scandals and a land almost devoid of natural resources. Only in Israel could this be the backdrop for the most impressive economic success story of the modern Middle East. Despite the war with Lebanon, 2006 was a golden year for the economy of the region's only liberal democracy. GDP grew by 5.1 per cent, competitiveness improved sharply and the stock market surged. Israel came fifteenth in the World Economic Forum's global competitive index, topping the list of Middle East states and up from 23rd place the previous year. Its nearest regional rival, the United Arab Emirates, came 32nd. In recent years, this small state has turned itself into a "world technology powerhouse", according to Augusto Lopez Claros, the WEF's chief economist. Much of the credit must go to Binyamin Netanyahu, who as Finance Minister in 2003 cut a deal with the Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, that gave him free rein to push through market reforms. Mr Netanyahu sold off state assets, liberalised Israel's monolithic banks and slashed its corporation taxes."

Mubarak knows Hamas: "Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has admitted what we have known for a long time, but which still seems to elude policymakers in Europe and Washington: Hamas will never make peace with Israel: "Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak expressed great concern over the increasing strength of Hamas in talks with senior diplomatic officials on Wednesday, declaring that the organization will never sign a peace agreement with Israel, Haaretz has learned. He said that the Egyptian government is at a loss regarding the future of the Gaza Strip. However, he also proclaimed that Egypt is making great efforts to end the Hamas government and support Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. "With Hamas no way," he reportedly said. Mubarak painted a dark picture of the situation with Hamas and said there was no chance for peace with the organization. "Hamas will never sign a peace agreement with Israel if it stays in power," the Egyptian president said"

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, IMMIGRATION WATCH and EYE ON BRITAIN.

List of backup or "mirror" sites here or here -- for readers in China or for everyone when blogspot is "down" or failing to update. Email me here (Hotmail address). My Home Pages are here or here or here

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"Why should the German be interested in the liberation of the Jew, if the Jew is not interested in the liberation of the German?... We recognize in Judaism, therefore, a general anti-social element of the present time... In the final analysis, the emancipation of the Jews is the emancipation of mankind from Judaism.... Indeed, in North America, the practical domination of Judaism over the Christian world has achieved as its unambiguous and normal expression that the preaching of the Gospel itself and the Christian ministry have become articles of trade... Money is the jealous god of Israel, in face of which no other god may exist". Who said that? Hitler? No. It was Karl Marx. See also here and here.

The Big Lie of the late 20th century was that Nazism was Rightist. It was in fact typical of the Leftism of its day. It was only to the Right of Stalin's Communism. The very word "Nazi" is a German abbreviation for "National Socialist" (Nationalsozialistisch) and the full name of Hitler's political party (translated) was "The National Socialist German Workers' Party".

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DISPLACEMENT

Post lifted from Dr. Sanity

Displacement is one of the primary psychological maneuvers that covers-up or disguises blatant self-deception and self-delusion. It is, for example, behind most of the more vicious attacks on President Bush for anything he does; and for anything he doesn't do. He is behind every evil like some modern-day Moriarity, a criminal and godlike genius who is simultaneously a moron and incompetent. We are not talking about a mere dislike of the President; nor is this simply "politics as usual". Rather, it is an unreasoning and implacable, visceral hatred of George W. Bush for the sin of existing. This hatred is so intense that it is stunning to any rational observer; and its manifestations have been justly made into a diagnosis of "Bush Derangement Syndrome". Clinically, the symptoms of this syndrome are as disabling and as dysfunctional as any other post-traumatic stress disorder.

Displacement is the separation of an emotion from its real object and its redirection toward someone or something that is less offensive or threatening in order to avoid having to deal directly with what is frightening or threatening. It is a very useful type of psychological denial which distorts and obscures reality.

You suspect that this type of denial is at work when an individual expresses an emotion toward someone or something (e.g., anger or fear) that is way out of proportion to the reality of the situation. Ordinary dislike is transformed into a visceral, implacable hatred; anxiety morphs into hysteria; and ordinary frustration at being thwarted in one's desires becomes rabid, impassioned rage.

The purpose of displacement is to avoid having to cope with an unpalatable reality in order to maintain a belief, a world view, or even one's sense of self. By using displacement, an individual is able to still experience his or her anger or fear; but since it is now directed at a less threatening target than the real one, the individual is able to feel better. Thus, the individual can delude themselves into thinking they are doing something about what threatens them, when in reality, they are blind to it ("fiddling while Rome burns" so to speak). Conveniently, the individual using displacement (or any other form of denial) does not have to take responsibility for the consequences of his/her emotion and can also externalize any blame or consequence on the object of their emotional displacement. They simultaneously feel safe AND virtuous, even though neither emotion is justified--at least, not for long.

From BDS, whose sufferers claim that Bush is more evil than Bin Laden (a bit of intellectual idiocy from the moral relativists of the left!); to the insane belief that a Christian theocracy is imminently going to be imposed on the U.S. by the BushHitler, when radical Islamic fanatics are actively trying to do exactly that; to the latest jaw-dropping assertions we should be diverting resources to combat global warming because it is far more of a national security threat than Islamofascist terrorism--these are examples of the wonderful world that you too can live in if you are willing to subscribe to a creative interpretation (i.e. denial) of reality.



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Jet noise can make you rich

Market Watch is reporting the following: "The Justice Department and the U.S. Navy have reached a settlement agreement with approximately 3,400 property owners in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, Va., regarding litigation relating to jet noise at a naval air base. Under the terms of the agreement, the participating plaintiffs agree to dismiss their claims and acknowledge that the settlement does not constitute an admission of liability by the United States.

"'We are pleased that the federal government and residents near the Naval Air Station Oceana and Naval Auxiliary Landing Field, Fentress have been able to reach an amicable resolution in this matter and avoid further litigation,' said Matthew J. McKeown, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. 'This resolution signals an end to six years of litigation and provides positive results for the citizens as well as the government.'

The base has been in place since 1943.... And now the tax payer takes it on the chin on the order of $34 million because of underhanded civic dealings and stupid homebuyers?

More here

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ELSEWHERE

An interesting tale of CNN deceit regarding hurricane Katrina here. There has been so much backtracking over what happened in NO during the immediate aftermath that I have kept a big media report from the time in its original hard copy. Below is a scanned-in picture from it:



Government "services" in Britain: "Ministers were accused of decimating Britain's network of post offices after it was confirmed yesterday that 2,500 will be forced to close. Almost a fifth of post offices will be shut by early 2009 under a timetable announced by Alistair Darling, the Trade and Industry Secretary. No decision has yet been taken on exactly where the cuts will fall, but the Post Office will begin drawing up plans within six to eight weeks. The Conservatives said that the announcement spelt the "near certain death of the village post office" and would leave vulnerable people, including pensioners, isolated. Campaign groups said that the closures would bring misery to rural communities and claimed that the Government's public consultation on the closures had been a sham."

Penalty for a Leftist crook: "Samuel R. Berger, the Clinton White House national security adviser who was caught taking highly classified documents from the National Archives, has agreed to forfeit his license to practice law. In a written statement issued by Larry Breuer, Mr. Berger's attorney, the former national security adviser said he pleaded guilty in the Justice Department investigation, accepted the penalties sought by the department and recognized that his law license would be affected. "I have decided to voluntarily relinquish my license," he said. "While I derived great satisfaction from years of practicing law, I have not done so for 15 years and do not envision returning to the profession. I am very sorry for what I did, and I deeply apologize." In giving up his license, Mr. Berger avoids being cross-examined by the Board on Bar Counsel, where he risked further disclosure of specific details of his theft."

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, IMMIGRATION WATCH and EYE ON BRITAIN.

List of backup or "mirror" sites here or here -- for readers in China or for everyone when blogspot is "down" or failing to update. Email me here (Hotmail address). My Home Pages are here or here or here

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"Why should the German be interested in the liberation of the Jew, if the Jew is not interested in the liberation of the German?... We recognize in Judaism, therefore, a general anti-social element of the present time... In the final analysis, the emancipation of the Jews is the emancipation of mankind from Judaism.... Indeed, in North America, the practical domination of Judaism over the Christian world has achieved as its unambiguous and normal expression that the preaching of the Gospel itself and the Christian ministry have become articles of trade... Money is the jealous god of Israel, in face of which no other god may exist". Who said that? Hitler? No. It was Karl Marx. See also here and here.

The Big Lie of the late 20th century was that Nazism was Rightist. It was in fact typical of the Leftism of its day. It was only to the Right of Stalin's Communism. The very word "Nazi" is a German abbreviation for "National Socialist" (Nationalsozialistisch) and the full name of Hitler's political party (translated) was "The National Socialist German Workers' Party".

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BBC can't take what they themselves dish out

The Beeb was doing a big report on scientology and the scientologists knew what bias they could expect from that. So they filmed the BBC team while the BBC was filming. They watched the watchers. Which of course meant that the Beeb could not do "creative" editing on what they filmed without being shown up as crooks. Filming the Beeb paid off. The Beeb could not bear being subject to scrutiny. The leader of the BBC team lost his cool:

"In the Scientologists' clip of the outburst, which it posted on the video-sharing website YouTube, Sweeney is heard screaming: "Now listen to me! You were not there at the beginning of the interview! You were not there! "You did not hear or record all the interview! Do you understand? "You are quoting the second half of the interview, not the first half. You cannot assert what you are saying!"

His shouting all but drowns out the Scientologist, who simply repeats over and over again: "Brainwashing is a crime against humanity."

On Sunday Sweeney said his behaviour had resulted in him having his "arse kicked" by the BBC. He said: "What I did was wrong and stupid and I am embarrassed about it. I let down the team and I let down the BBC. "It was my seventh day with the Scientologists and I snapped."

More here

I have no brief for the Church of Scientology but it is nice to see revealed the animus behind the anti-religious bias of the BBC.

Update:

The BBC reporter concerned had a previous history of abusing scientologists. No wonder they monitored him carefully! It tells you a lot about BBC bias, though -- a bit like sending Ulster's Rev. Ian Paisley to do a story about the Pope.

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Brookes News Update

Inflation targeting and boom-bust cycles: In order to maintain an inflation target the Fed loosens its monetary stance i.e. lowers the interest rate and pumps money into the economy. This in turn stimulates the demand for goods and services and lays the foundations for a recession
Why did The IPA Review mislead readers about Islamic economics and teachings?: The Institute of Public Affairs owes the public an apology. It published a grossly misleading article (Islam and the Free Market) in which it not only whitewashed Islamic teachings it also made the founder of modern economics a fourteenth century Muslim historian! Perhaps its time the IPA closed its doors - for good
Industry policy, tariffs and the value-added fallacy: The Labor Party's economic illiterates are proposing an industry policy that if implemented would lead to the Federal direction of industry. In plain English, this amounts to a call for central planning
Islamist-Left alliance a growing force: Just as the left aligned itself with Hitler and Stalin the modern left has forged a destructive and treasonous alliance with Jew-hating Islamofascist terrorists. This makes these leftist thugs guilty of high treason
Corruption and the `Clinton Wall' at the Justice Department Government: A biting expose of the corrupt Democrats in the Justice Department and how they abuse their power by waging a war of personal destruction against Republicans while allowing the likes of Sandy Berger to walk away free. One of these corrupt officials is Lee Radek, head of the Justice Departments' Public Integrity Unit. Informed readers will note the unintentional irony
The temper tantrum that could kill America: The Democrat Party leadership has dedicated itself to America's destruction, and they deserve to be prosecuted under RICO statutes as a criminal conspiracy to dismantle America's national security
President Bush to kill pro-"gay" bill?: The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees `equal protection under the law' for all citizens. Not according to the Democrats

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ELSEWHERE

FEMA Declares Itself Fixed: "The government has fixed most of the problems that undermined its response to Hurricane Katrina, even though an updated federal disaster plan is not completed, Federal Emergency Management Agency chief R. David Paulison told lawmakers Tuesday."

MSM's Entry Into Blogosphere Shows Its Leftward Tilt: "It's taken a while but I think it's safe to say that blogging has now become pretty universal within the MSM. Despite the howls of crusty old liberals like Bill Moyers, the web has fractured the political audience and the elite media are out for a piece of it. Big Media outlets like ABC, NBC, Time, CBS, and the New York Times are all blogging up a storm. Unfortunately for their claims of political objectivity, all the blogging has revealed what the center-right has said all along: the elite media in this country are skewed left in both demographics and content."

Some Episcopalians still respect Bible teachings: "In the biggest rift yet over gays, an entire diocese in the Anglican Church is to defect from the Episcopal Church of the US. The Anglo-Catholic diocese of Fort Worth, led by the respected traditionalist Bishop Jack Iker, said last night that it will seek "alternative primatial oversight" outside the liberal province that is at the heart of the Anglican dispute over homosexuality. Sources indicated that an African Primate was most likely to be approached. The decision will send shock waves through the Anglican Communion. Entire parishes have left the Episcopal Chuch to seek oversight from provinces such as Nigeria, but Fort Worth will be the first diocese to go. It is opposed to the ordination of women as well as to the consecration of homosexual bishops."

We must attack Iran before it gets the bomb: "A nuclear Iran would be as dangerous as "Hitler marching into the Rhineland" in 1936 and should be prevented by Western military strikes if necessary, according to a leading hawk who recently left the Bush administration. John Bolton, who still has close links to the Bush administration, told The Daily Telegraph that the European Union had to "get more serious" about Iran and recognise that its diplomatic attempts to halt Iran's enrichment programme had failed. Iran has "clearly mastered the enrichment technology now...they're not stopping, they're making progress and our time is limited", he said. Economic sanctions "with pain" had to be the next step, followed by attempting to overthrow the theocratic regime and, ultimately, military action to destroy nuclear sites."

West to blame for Arabs killing one-another!: ""The international community, Israel and Arab countries are to blame for the current inter-Palestinian fighting in the Gaza Strip for failing to lift an economic siege on the Palestinians, a senior Hamas official said Wednesday," according to the Jerusalem Post."

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, IMMIGRATION WATCH and EYE ON BRITAIN.

List of backup or "mirror" sites here or here -- for readers in China or for everyone when blogspot is "down" or failing to update. Email me here (Hotmail address). My Home Pages are here or here or here

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"Why should the German be interested in the liberation of the Jew, if the Jew is not interested in the liberation of the German?... We recognize in Judaism, therefore, a general anti-social element of the present time... In the final analysis, the emancipation of the Jews is the emancipation of mankind from Judaism.... Indeed, in North America, the practical domination of Judaism over the Christian world has achieved as its unambiguous and normal expression that the preaching of the Gospel itself and the Christian ministry have become articles of trade... Money is the jealous god of Israel, in face of which no other god may exist". Who said that? Hitler? No. It was Karl Marx. See also here and here.

The Big Lie of the late 20th century was that Nazism was Rightist. It was in fact typical of the Leftism of its day. It was only to the Right of Stalin's Communism. The very word "Nazi" is a German abbreviation for "National Socialist" (Nationalsozialistisch) and the full name of Hitler's political party (translated) was "The National Socialist German Workers' Party".

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NEWSWEAK DIAGNOSES GWB AS MENTALLY ILL

Leftists have been accusing conservatives of mental illness at least since 1950. Given the Leftist talent for projection, I think that tells you who the real mentally ill ones are. So the latest malicious diagnosis comes as no surprise at all. I have commented on a couple of such "diagnoses" of GWB previously (here and here). The Anchoress, News Busters, The American Thinker and others have taken the latest nonsense apart pretty comprehensively so all I want to do here is say a few words about the psychiatrist who was dragged into the article to give it some semblance of authority.

Kerry Sulkowicz, clinical professor of psychiatry at New York University Medical Center is the dude. He is a psychonanalyst -- a devoteee of the evidence-free theories of Sigmund Freud. Although Freud was a good observer and an innovative thinker, his theories have failed the only really important test -- the test of whether they work or not. At least since the 60s it has been known that the cure-rate among those who undergo Freudian psychotherapy is no different from placebo. Psychoanalytic theories DON'T WORK. And the reason why they don't work is not far to seek. They are all speculation-based, not evidence-based -- and the sort of speculation indulged in by Sulkowicz is a good example of that.

Almost any psychologist will confirm what I have said above and psychoanalysis now has little following outside New York. That a psychoanalyst is one of the few people in NYC who will listen to you is my speculation about why they remain popular there.

So Sulkowicz adds no authority whatever to the article. He is just speculating. That is his trade. Sounding good is the criterion for excellence in psychoanalysis -- very similar to the criterion for excellence in Leftist thinking. Evidence is turned to only when convenient.

Maybe I should do some speculative diagnoses too. If Leftists can speculate so can I. In my view, GWB's failings stem from the fact that he is a true Christian gentleman. He is too kind, too forgiving and too trusting -- and other people take advantage of that. I think that theory matches reality far better than the hate-crazed accusations that Leftists pour out at him.

Update:

In case it is not immediately obvious, I suppose I should mention a couple of really basic points about the Sulkowicz and Newsweek "diagnosis":

1). Psychiatrists are supposed to do an extensive personal interview with the person concerned before they offer a diagnosis. Absent that, the diagnosis is garbage.

2). Making a diagnosis public is ethically challenged, to put it mildly. That Sulkowicz took part in this exercise reveals him to be an unethical charlatan.

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EUROPE IS AGAIN FINDING RUSSIA A LOT LESS KINDLY THAN THE USA IS

When will they ever learn who their real friends are? Never, I guess -- or at least not for long

Germany is making a last-ditch attempt to rescue a European Union summit with Russia from disaster, amid increasing calls within the bloc for a rethink of policy towards Moscow. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German foreign minister, will fly to Moscow on Tuesday to try to prevent this Friday's summit from being dominated by disputes between Russia and former Soviet-bloc countries such as Poland, Lithuania and Estonia. "We are discussing an existing conflict situation between individual European Union member states and Russia and between the EU and Russia," he said.

The summit in Samara, Russia, would be "difficult", Mr Steinmeier said. He could not guarantee success for his meetings on Tuesday with Vladimir Putin, Russian president, and Sergei Lavrov, foreign minister. But he hoped to resolve at least one of the disputes. EU officials have in effect given up on achieving the bloc's central aim for the summit - of starting wide-ranging talks with Russia to deepen relations. Germany is anxious to show that the EU policy of seeking a "strategic partnership" with Russia can produce concrete results.

A series of disputes have erupted between Moscow and neighbours in the EU. These range from a Russian ban on Polish food products to a row over Estonia's decision to move a Soviet-era war memorial. Tensions have also risen in the wake of the US's proposal to install missile defence bases in Poland and the Czech Republic.

In another sign of dissension within the EU, Anna Fotyga, Polish foreign minister, said she was not happy with the preparations Germany was making for the summit, saying the EU needed to show more solidarity with new member states over Russia's energy policy. Separately, Lithuania has said it is unwilling for the negotiations to begin while Russia does not resume oil supplies to one of its power stations, which have been interrupted for 10 months.

The election of Nicolas Sarkozy in France is also likely to bolster the ranks of those wanting a tougher EU line with Russia. In Russia, Konstantin Kosachyov, the head of the Duma's international affairs committee, said the EU's failure to agree to start negotiations because of Poland's veto was a "significant drop in pace in the level of co-operation between Russia and the EU". He added: "Russia and the EU are moving forward with the speed of a cart and not of a high-speed train and this can only lead to regret."

Source

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Muslim Adam and Eve above

Prof. Brignell has put up a very good summary of Tony Blair's appalling legacy in Britain.

Canadian bureaucracy at work: "Every one of the RCMP's explosive-sniffer dogs were away on training the day baggage containing a bomb was loaded on to a doomed Air India flight in 1985 in Toronto, a federal inquiry was told Tuesday. RCMP dog handler Gary Carlson, who was stationed in Toronto, testified that he and his dog Thor were on an annual refresher course in Vancouver. The course also brought together all five other bomb-sniffer dog teams that the RCMP had stationed near airports across Canada, he said. Mountie drug dogs could not be used as backup because they were trained only to sniff out narcotics. Mr. Carlson said it is highly likely Thor would have found the bomb that blew up the Air India flight if the animal had been given the chance. The inquiry, headed by retired Supreme Court of Canada justice John Major, has heard previous testimony that the Air India flight out of Canada on June 22, 1985 was considered at high risk of an attack bu Sikh extremists. RCMP airport security protocols in place at the time would have required the use of a bomb-sniffer dog to help screen luggage".

Democrat divisions over cars. Dingell vs. Obama: "Not long after President Bush said he had ordered federal agencies to enact new regulations cutting gasoline consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions, Rep. John Dingell (D., Mich.) was in Detroit saying raising fuel-efficiency standards for U.S. cars and trucks was probably not the answer. Dingell, long a friend of the U.S. auto industry, told Detroit's Masonic Temple he doubted Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards were doing any good and that raising them would only punish auto makers.... He also criticized Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama of Illinois, who told the same Masonic Temple last week that the auto makers were the authors of their own miseries and also called for higher fuel standards. But Obama may be a closer friend of Detroit than he seems. Detroit Free Press columnist Mark Phelan last week pointed out that Obama drives a V8 Hemi-powered Chrysler 300C, which, in Phelan's words, "emits a whiff of hypocrisy along with its exhaust fumes."

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, IMMIGRATION WATCH and EYE ON BRITAIN.

List of backup or "mirror" sites here or here -- for readers in China or for everyone when blogspot is "down" or failing to update. Email me here (Hotmail address). My Home Pages are here or here or here

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"Why should the German be interested in the liberation of the Jew, if the Jew is not interested in the liberation of the German?... We recognize in Judaism, therefore, a general anti-social element of the present time... In the final analysis, the emancipation of the Jews is the emancipation of mankind from Judaism.... Indeed, in North America, the practical domination of Judaism over the Christian world has achieved as its unambiguous and normal expression that the preaching of the Gospel itself and the Christian ministry have become articles of trade... Money is the jealous god of Israel, in face of which no other god may exist". Who said that? Hitler? No. It was Karl Marx. See also here and here.

The Big Lie of the late 20th century was that Nazism was Rightist. It was in fact typical of the Leftism of its day. It was only to the Right of Stalin's Communism. The very word "Nazi" is a German abbreviation for "National Socialist" (Nationalsozialistisch) and the full name of Hitler's political party (translated) was "The National Socialist German Workers' Party".

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NYT ARROGANCE

Post lifted from SCA. See the original for links

Says Craig Smith of the New York Times of Nikolas Sarkozy:

Arrogant, brutal, an authoritarian demagogue, a "perfect Iago": the president-elect of France has been called a lot of unpleasant things in recent months and now has five years to prove his critics wrong.

Try this is on for size, Mr Smith: The New York Times has also earned the right to be referred to as brutal, authoritarian and a bastion of leftist demagoguery. In addition, the New York Times has proved it's preference for deceit when needed and deliberate disregard for the truth as a matter of course. Perhaps the New York Times can use the next five years to prove their critics wrong.

Mr Smith goes on to note that

Mr. Sarkozy's personal life has been less successful than his public one: in 1996, he divorced his first wife, with whom he has two sons, and married C,cilia Ciganer-Albeniz, with whom he had another son.

For years, Ms. Sarkozy acted as Mr. Sarkozy's closest aide, but she left him to have a very public affair with another man in 2005. The couple have since reconciled, but Ms. Sarkozy has been notably absent from her husband's presidential campaign, fueling rumors that he will inhabit Elysee Palace alone.

Has Mr Smith referred to Hillary Clinton's private life as `less than successful' than her political life? Has Mr Smith or anyone at the New York Times made note of the former President's absence from Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign trail? Is Bill Clinton's invisibility on the campaign trail meant to imply that if successful, the Senator will inhabit the White House by herself? Does appointing the former president as `Ambassador to the World really mean there are irreconcilable differences between Senator and former president? Or do those kind of inferences selectively applied by the New York Times?

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A NATION OF MOOCHERS

Government grew under Clinton, and grew even faster under his successor. Government is so big today that more than half the population gets a major part of its income from the state. So says a study by economist Gary Shilling. Shilling, a Springfield, N.J., consultant and forecaster, says the portion of Americans feeding substantially at the public trough stands at 52.6 percent. In 2000, it was 49.4. It seems unbelievable that in 1950, only 28.3 percent of Americans lived off the taxpayers. Shilling projects 60 percent by 2040.

One out of five Americans works for some level of government or for a firm that depends on taxpayer financing. One in five also draws Social Security or a federal pension. That number will grow as the baby boomers move on to Social Security, which, let's not forget, is a transfer program. Among other recipients of largess: Nine million are on food stamps, 2 million received housing subsidies, and 5 million go to school on the federal taxpayer. In Shilling's reckoning, dependents of recipients are also part of the group he calls "government beneficiaries."

Wasn't the welfare system reformed in 1996? On the surface, yes. Cash payments are available only for a limited time and recipients are expected to work eventually. Millions of women once on welfare have gone to work. But the idea that the taxpayer has gotten a break or that overall dependency has decreased is a myth. As the AP reported: "The welfare state is bigger than ever despite a decade of policies designed to wean poor people from public aid. The number of families receiving cash benefits from welfare has plummeted since the government imposed time limits on the payments a decade ago. But other programs for the poor -- including Medicaid, food stamps and disability benefits -- are bursting with new enrollees. The result ... is that nearly one in six persons rely on some form of public assistance, a larger share than at any time since the government started measuring two decades ago."

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Brookes News Update

US economy and China's currency - what gives?: It is still being said that manipulation of China's currency is undermining American manufacturing. Like so many things in economics this charge completely ignores the real forces at work
Australian economy: the recession it should have had, and its money supply: There was a time when economists would have looked at the money supply. Now they reach for the economic tealeaves otherwise known as the national accounts. Is that why our economists are so blase about the Australia's shrinking manufacturing base?
Remembering the Bay of Pigs: The Bay of Pigs 46 years ago but Cuban patriots still remember the courage and sacrifices of those who tried to rid their country of the cowardly and sadistic Dictator Fidel Castro
Why the Australian Democrats are not a respectable political party: The Australian Democrats are trapped in a downward spiral of politically suicidal decision-making
Israel has nothing to celebrate: Now Olmert is paving the way for more concessions to the Arab terrorists. It will create more demands from Arabs and more Jewish lives will be lost. Nothing will please the enemies of the Jewish people except our total extermination
The Democrats are worse than we thought: One of the few Democrats I know of who has consistently hoped for our troops to fail is Dennis Kucinich. The fact that Dennis Kucinich is now a Democratic trendsetter may just be the saddest thing ever

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Chris Brand has a new lot of posts up on his usual themes

China Hand has just put up a new post on whether Confucianism is a religion or not

Rubin on the origin of anti-market bias: "Our primitive ancestors lived in a world that was essentially static; there was little societal or technological change from one generation to the next. This meant that our ancestors lived in a world that was zero sum -- if a particular gain happened to one group of humans, it came at the expense of another. This is the world our minds evolved to understand. To this day, we often see the gain of some people and assume it has come at the expense of others."

The dubious pedigree of the EU idea: "Ten years ago I wrote a book the first chapter of which examined Nazi and fascist arguments in favour of a united Europe. I used this Nazi pro-Europeanism scurrilously to discredit the claim made by today's pro-Europeans that the European idea was born out of reaction against Hitler, and to show that hostility to national sovereignty has an anti-democratic pedigree. Most of the quotations dated from 1941, European propaganda having been emphasised when Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union. By 1942, a conference was organised in Berlin by leading Nazi party officials and industrialists entitled `European Economic Community'. Of course, the Nazis did not invent the idea of a united Europe. That dream has been around since the collapse of the Roman empire, gaining new attractiveness after the Reformation and after the first world war. But Nazi pro-Europeanism was very detailed, concentrating on many of the technical aspects which we associate with the EU today, especially the Europeanisation of industry and agriculture."

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, IMMIGRATION WATCH and EYE ON BRITAIN.

List of backup or "mirror" sites here or here -- for readers in China or for everyone when blogspot is "down" or failing to update. Email me here (Hotmail address). My Home Pages are here or here or here

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"Why should the German be interested in the liberation of the Jew, if the Jew is not interested in the liberation of the German?... We recognize in Judaism, therefore, a general anti-social element of the present time... In the final analysis, the emancipation of the Jews is the emancipation of mankind from Judaism.... Indeed, in North America, the practical domination of Judaism over the Christian world has achieved as its unambiguous and normal expression that the preaching of the Gospel itself and the Christian ministry have become articles of trade... Money is the jealous god of Israel, in face of which no other god may exist". Who said that? Hitler? No. It was Karl Marx. See also here and here.

The Big Lie of the late 20th century was that Nazism was Rightist. It was in fact typical of the Leftism of its day. It was only to the Right of Stalin's Communism. The very word "Nazi" is a German abbreviation for "National Socialist" (Nationalsozialistisch) and the full name of Hitler's political party (translated) was "The National Socialist German Workers' Party".

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Marxists and Islamists have a love-in in Toronto

Rather than focus on the evils of capitalism, the unlikely top billing of the opening night of the festival was devoted to a discussion about building unity between Muslims and the left; the keynote speaker was the controversial Islamic thinker Zafar Bangash, director of the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought, who is in the news these days because he is in the midst of a heated battle to open a mosque in Newmarket - not because he wants to see a dictatorship of the proletariat.Desperate for new brothers in arms, Marxism appears to be doing some serious social networking. If this weekend's series of workshops at the festival is any indication, Marxism has a disparate cadre these days: green activists, the anti-war movement, the transgendered, members of First Nations, traditional Islam.

Inclusiveness is the buzzword here, where the members of this hodge-podge gathering can be overheard calling each other brother and sister. Participants call this membership drive "building unity," a much-repeated mantra throughout the opening night. Self-proclaimed Marxist James Clark, who helped organize the event, said that while there are disparate groups in attendance, they can all still rally around a slogan like "Out of Afghanistan and into Kyoto."

More here

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I have put a couple of toty wee posts on my personal blog recently. "Toty wee" is a dismissive Scottish expression -- implying total insignificance. I enjoy Scottish expressions. I was brought up to think highly of Scotland and I still do. I greatly enjoyed my various trips to Scotland and would cheerfully live there except for the climate. Where I live in sub-tropical Brisbane has to be the dream climate. The nearest American analogue is San Diego. And San Diego has more admirals than any place outside Italy (The Italian navy has more admirals than ships). Navy men move about a lot so when an admiral decides where to retire he knows from experience that San Diego is the best.

France shows the way: "For Mr Sarkozy, who wants France to "work more to earn more", it will be straight down to business with the naming of his government on Thursday, to be headed by the socially sensitive senator Francois Fillon as prime minister. Economic and financial ministries are likely to be combined to avoid doubling up of treasury and finance staff. Symbolically, important ministries such as culture and agriculture are tipped to disappear, to be absorbed into more efficient super-ministries. In an interview with Le Monde, MrSarkozy said he was determined to change the country and ensure that only one in every two bureaucrats heading for retirement was replaced from this year."

Sarko's problem: "In my Languedoc village, Christian the local PC [computer] fixer has not hired anyone in 10 years because he says to do so he would have to take a pay cut. To hire anyone in France - who will work no more than 35 hours a week with generous vacations and who becomes immediately very difficult to sack - costs roughly 1,000 pounds a month. Before you have paid them a penny. In the next village over from me in England there is a fellow who does the same job as Christian and 10 years after starting a business in the same way, as a one-man band, has a fleet of vans running around the countryside staffed by eager geeks. The unavoidable question, Nicolas, is what are you going to do about this? I think I know. If you are to cut unemployment, you must stop taxing employers for creating jobs. It is, I think, that simple."

Signs of Intelligent Life in Europe: "Security officials from Europe's largest countries backed a plan Saturday to profile mosques on the continent and identify radical Islamic clerics who raise the threat of homegrown terrorism. The project, to be finished by the fall, will focus on the roles of imams, their training, their ability to speak in the local language and their sources of funding, EU Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Franco Frattini told a news conference after a meeting on terrorism. Italian Interior Minister Guiliano Amato said Europe had extensive experience with the "misuse of mosques, which instead of being places of worship are used for other ends." "This is bringing about a situation that involves all of our countries and involves the possibility of attacks and developing of networks that use one country to prepare an attack in another," Amato said."



Fighting terror with a Law Enforcement Model -- who knew we got stupid again?: "Here we are again with the FBI trying to fit a law enforcement model over a terror war. In New Jersey the FBI admits that they know of 4 other "accomplices" who were seen in the company of the 6 already arrested but that they don't have enough evidence to arrest them. Haven't we been here before? So then are we at war or are we engaged in a massive law enforcement operation against those Muslims who are doing their best to duplicate 9/11's death toll? Did we or did we not learn any lessons from the debacle of having Moussaoui in our hands with the evidence that would have allowed us to stop 9/11? Are we still trying to fit a law enforcement model of operation over a war? Remember we had Moussaoui's laptop computer in hand and that the evidence inside of that laptop would have given us enough to stop 9/11 but oops in a Law Enforcement model you are not allowed to look into that laptop"

Pittsburgh imam ousted over 'death' remarks: "Imam Fouad ElBayly has been asked to step down from his leadership roles at the Islamic Center of Johnstown, based on his comments published by the Tribune-Review. ElBayly, who came to the United States from his native Egypt in 1976, expressed his views on apostasy -- abandoning one's religious belief -- during an interview prior to Dutch feminist Ayaan Hirsi Ali's appearance April 17 at the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown. He indicated that in the eyes of the Islamic community, a sentence of death would be warranted for Hirsi Ali, a Somali refugee, women's rights advocate and atheist who has denounced the Islamic religion, criticized the practice around the world of female genital mutilation and spoken out against her Muslim upbringing. ElBayly, who tried to block Hirsi Ali's campus appearance, said her attacks on the Muslim faith were "poisonous." He did not threaten her, but explained that "all of her lies" warrant a death sentence. "The board and members of the Islamic Center of Johnstown were shocked and regret the comments made by Imam ElBayly regarding the visit of author Ms. Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The statements regarding the Islamic Center's reaction to her visit were incorrect, unfounded and not the views of its members," Dennis J. Stofko, the center's attorney, said in a letter to the Tribune-Review."

Jihadists smash mobile phones and cassettes, order tribesmen to grow beards: "Some 200 gun-toting Islamist militants smashed car cassette players and mobile phone cameras yesterday and ordered tribesmen in a Pakistani region to grow beards, part of a drive to impose Taliban-style values. The militants took up positions beside a road near Khar, the main town of Bajaur tribal region in northwestern Pakistan, and stopped and searched passing vehicles... A government official in Bajaur confirmed the incident but did not say whether authorities planned any action against the militants. Pakistan's lawless tribal belt, bordering Afghanistan, is known as a hotbed of support for the militants and critics say the government's influence there has weakened considerably since the authorities signed peace deals with the militants."

Israel to reward terrorism with more withdrawals: "The evacuation of Gaza was not Israel's last move, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said in an interview with the Egyptian weekly al-Ahram published Saturday morning. "I believe I represent most Israelis and I can confirm that Gaza is not the last move. We are convinced that in order to establish a Palestinian state we must withdraw from additional territories," the minister added.

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, IMMIGRATION WATCH and EYE ON BRITAIN.

List of backup or "mirror" sites here or here -- for readers in China or for everyone when blogspot is "down" or failing to update. Email me here (Hotmail address). My Home Pages are here or here or here

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"Why should the German be interested in the liberation of the Jew, if the Jew is not interested in the liberation of the German?... We recognize in Judaism, therefore, a general anti-social element of the present time... In the final analysis, the emancipation of the Jews is the emancipation of mankind from Judaism.... Indeed, in North America, the practical domination of Judaism over the Christian world has achieved as its unambiguous and normal expression that the preaching of the Gospel itself and the Christian ministry have become articles of trade... Money is the jealous god of Israel, in face of which no other god may exist". Who said that? Hitler? No. It was Karl Marx. See also here and here.

The Big Lie of the late 20th century was that Nazism was Rightist. It was in fact typical of the Leftism of its day. It was only to the Right of Stalin's Communism. The very word "Nazi" is a German abbreviation for "National Socialist" (Nationalsozialistisch) and the full name of Hitler's political party (translated) was "The National Socialist German Workers' Party".

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JEWS, JOOOOS and Hebrews

(JOOOOS is the way sane people mock antisemitic conspiracy theorists)

I do write rather a lot on this blog about Jews and Israel. Ever since Christianity erupted from it, that little sliver of land at the Eastern end of the Mediterranean has been a major source of controversy and contention. And all regular readers of this blog will be acutely aware that I am about as rock-solid a supporter of Israel as you can get.

I do nonetheless have the amusing distiction that I have often been accused of being both antisemitic and a Jew-lover. What that mainly tells you, of course, is how hysterical modern politics can get. Secondarily, however, it shows you that I am a true conservative -- determined to deal with the world in all its real complexity rather than resort to simple generalizations.

You can see why I have been the target of such contradictory accusations if you look at my big essay about Jews -- which I have revised a bit in recent times. It is a largeish essay so if you are in a hurry just read the last paragraph.

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Theodore Dalrymple has an article discussing Sayyid Qutb -- seen by many as the founder of Islamofascism. Dalrymple says that Qutb is only to a minor extent a religious writer and that his writing is mainly political and has much in common with Marx -- including being filled with hate.

A new Hitler/Stalin pact: "The roster of Islamist-left alliances quietly grows every day: Massachusetts Institute of Technology linguistics professor Noam Chomsky praises Hamas and denounces America on Hezbollah's Al-Manar television. London Mayor Ken Livingstone invites a leading Islamist, Sheikh Yosef Al-Qaradawi, who is known for supporting suicide attacks, to visit his city. Iranian President Ahmadinejad calls for a world without America even as he plays host to a Tehran peace conference attended by American Mennonites, Quakers, Episcopalians, Methodists, and leaders of the National Council of Churches.... It's the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact for our age. The Left, with its insistence on multiculturalism and the end of religion in public discourse, has begun to ally itself with the most xenophobic religion on the planet, one which insists on transcendence in temporal matters above all other law. Its leaders now praise the same groups that target and kill civilians, oppress the media, openly practice anti-Semitism, and routinely stone those who have the audacity to date without permission from their families. In the case of Noam Chomsky, this seems particularly egregious, but not terribly surprising. Chomsky can talk about Enlightenment ideals out of one side of his mouth, as he did in Imperial Ambitions, and then warmly support Hamas, which completely rejects those ideals of freedom, liberty, and individual conscience.... People like Chomsky love Hamas and Hezbollah not for their supposed "Enlightenment ideals," but for their hatred of America. That's the one thread that follows through all of these alliances"

The Soros pincer move on Israel: "George Soros is deeply hostile to current American support for Israel. He publicly criticizes AIPAC and is exploring opportunities to form an anti-AIPAC. He also plans to launch a European version of the Council of Foreign Relations. Now, it seems as if George Soros may be launching yet another effort to try to influence the course of policy regarding Israel..... CAP just launched an alternative news and opinion service dubbed: The Middle East Bulletin. Given the time constraints that many people labor under, and the cutback in news gathering and analysis that media outlets have had to endure, given the changing economics of the industry, news services such as these alerts are becoming increasingly relied upon. The bulletin will go out three times a week and will be delivered via the internet to media outlets, Congressmen, and decision-makers around the world. How does George Soros fit in this picture? The Center for American Progress receives funding from George Soros. The first "issue" of the Middle East News Bulletin itself gives credit for "the support and cooperation of Americans for Peace Now, Geneva Initiative Israel Policy Forum and the New Israel Fund." None of these organizations are supportive of AIPAC and have proudly taken positions contrary to those of AIPAC and its many supporters."

Bill Clinton on Israel's nuclear annihilation: "The next Ambassador at Large, should Mrs. Clinton become president, has gone on record in the belief that the main victims of a nuclear strike that destroys Israel would be Muslims, suffering from fallout. What a thoughtful guy!"

Nuke Mecca: "In the event of a nuclear terrorist strike on the United States, both Mecca AND Medina MUST suffer a nuclear strike in retaliation. It is the ONLY response that makes sense. Not only would it be necessary to nuke those cities, but it would ONLY be a sufficient response if the "dirtiest" nuclear device in the U.S. inventory were utilized in the strike. By "dirty" nuke, I mean a device that would make their two "holiest" sites completely uninhabitable (certain poison to human life) for the next 10,000 years. The nuclear contamination MUST be THAT severe. Okay. Now. WHY? Because it is the ONLY way to STOP the violence. The total, complete, and eternal destruction of their "holiest" sites would END Islam, once and for all. Islam is a system of "works". The fanatic element responsible for the violence is trying to perform "works" (on Allah's behalf) that will secure a guarantee of eternal reward (in paradise). One of their required works is that "at least once in their life" they must make a pilgrimage to their holy sites. If they can not make their pilgrimage, they can not complete the "works" required to secure their "salvation". By their own stupid rules, outlined their "holy" books, if Mecca and Medina were unapproachable, then ALL muslims all doomed to eternal damnation."

Dems Offer Reparations to Guam For JAPANESE War Crimes! "That's correct... Democrats are bringing legislation to the floor this week to pay Guam citizens for the crimes committed against them by members of the Imperial Japanese military forces during World War II!"

The farcical U.N. again: Zimbabwe, a country suffering from acute food shortages and rampant inflation, won approval to lead the important U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development despite protests from the U.S., European nations and human rights organizations. Africa nominated Francis Nhema, Zimbabwe's minister of environment and tourism, for the post, and the 53-member commission approved that recommendation Friday in a vote of 26-21 with three abstentions, said Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado, the commission's vice chair. The post rotates every year among regions of the world and it was Africa's turn to sit in the chair. "We're very disappointed in the election of Zimbabwe as chair," said the U.S. representative to the commission Dan Reifsnyder, deputy assistant secretary for environment and science at the State Department. "We really think it calls into question the credibility of this organization to have a representative from a country that has decimated its agriculture, that used to be the breadbasket of Africa and can't now feed itself"

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, IMMIGRATION WATCH and EYE ON BRITAIN.

List of backup or "mirror" sites here or here -- for readers in China or for everyone when blogspot is "down" or failing to update. Email me here (Hotmail address). My Home Pages are here or here or here

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"Why should the German be interested in the liberation of the Jew, if the Jew is not interested in the liberation of the German?... We recognize in Judaism, therefore, a general anti-social element of the present time... In the final analysis, the emancipation of the Jews is the emancipation of mankind from Judaism.... Indeed, in North America, the practical domination of Judaism over the Christian world has achieved as its unambiguous and normal expression that the preaching of the Gospel itself and the Christian ministry have become articles of trade... Money is the jealous god of Israel, in face of which no other god may exist". Who said that? Hitler? No. It was Karl Marx. See also here and here.

The Big Lie of the late 20th century was that Nazism was Rightist. It was in fact typical of the Leftism of its day. It was only to the Right of Stalin's Communism. The very word "Nazi" is a German abbreviation for "National Socialist" (Nationalsozialistisch) and the full name of Hitler's political party (translated) was "The National Socialist German Workers' Party".

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HEROISM IN IRAQ

Do the bloated toads in America's present Congress (e.g. Murtha and Kennedy) deserve the protection of men like this?

Late last year, Major James Gant and his men were returning home to Baghdad after weeks of fighting insurgents. Gant and his advisory team were riding in up-armored HMMWVs. These were not the HMMWVs of Jessica Lynch's era. These were mini-tanks on tires with bullet proof-glass, blast-proof armor plate and turret mounted machineguns. His men, Iraqi National Police, were riding in soft-skinned trucks.

Al-Qaeda had planned an elaborate running ambush in which they hoped to destroy the unit that had been their nemesis for more than a month. They had prepared three separate ambush sites along a four kilometer stretch of road. Gant and his commandos were forced to run a gauntlet of machinegun fire, mortar attacks and IEDs. The story of Gant's, fight that day is an amazing tale of heroism, filled with scenes you would expect to see on the silver screen. Gant repeatedly risked his life to save others. The insurgents had planted IEDs hoping that an explosion would force the embattled convoy to stop.

Gant ordered his driver to drive straight for the first IED. As they rolled within twenty feet, the device detonated. Miraculously, Gant's HMMWV was unscathed. Gant kept the column moving through a vicious gun battle. Another IED lie only five hundred yards ahead. Again, they went after the planted explosive and, again, a thunderous explosion failed to disable Gant's vehicle. Almost clear of the ambush, Gant noticed a third IED. He continued to push forward, bringing his convoy safely through the torrent of fire. Had Gant hesitated, good men would have died.

More here

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Yet more on media bias

Post lifted from Powerline . See the original for links

Yesterday, Scott wrote about the Appeal for Courage which was presented to Congress yesterday afternoon. You can read about the Appeal here. The Appeal was signed by more than 2,700 active duty servicemen and women. It says:

As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our mission in Iraq and halt any calls for retreat. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively oppose media efforts which embolden my enemy while demoralizing American support at home. The War in Iraq is a necessary and just effort to bring freedom to the Middle East and protect America from further attack.

The Appeal was received yesterday in Washington by Minority Leader John Boehner and Senator Lindsay Graham. Did you read about it in your local newspaper? I didn't. Nor did I read about it on CNN, which, as best I can tell, has made no mention of the pro-Iraq war, anti-surrender petition signed by thousands of soldiers. CNN did report on this, though: "Retired generals, Iraq veterans launch anti-war ads":

Three retired generals challenged a dozen members of Congress in a new ad campaign Wednesday, saying the politicians can't support President Bush's policies in Iraq and still expect to win re-election.

Other veterans promoted the campaign at a news conference in Manchester, the start of a six-state publicity tour targeting Sens. John Sununu of New Hampshire, Susan Collins of Maine, Norm Coleman of Minnesota and John Warner of Virginia, plus nine House members. All are Republicans.

This is almost like a laboratory experiment, isn't it? A handful of veterans (including three out of several thousand retired generals) oppose the war: News. Thousands of active duty personnel urge Congress to support the war effort: Not news. That pretty well sums up the journalistic standard that has been applied to the conflict in Iraq.

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Sure to be the fault of whites: "Caribbean nations, which most Americans perceive as sun-soaked paradises, are overwhelmed by the economic toll of the world's highest murder rates and need international help, according to a report released Thursday. A one-third reduction in the region's murder rate would more than double its per-capita economic growth, according to the study by the World Bank and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Caribbean nations have been battling drug-fueled crime by bolstering their police forces, but the report says crime rates are so bad that Caribbean governments need help from rich nations and multilateral institutions. "The report is a starting point of putting crime on the development agenda," said Caroline Anstey, the World Bank director for the Caribbean. The high crime rate not only is killing young people and adding to the cost of business, but it also keeps tourists in safe beach enclaves rather than having them spend more money exploring other parts of the Caribbean, Anstey said." [More detail here]

A Coulter excerpt: "With Nicolas Sarkozy's decisive victory as the new president of France, the French have produced their first pro-American ruler since Louis XVI. In celebration of France's spectacular return to Western civilization, I bought a Herve Leger dress on Monday, and we're having croissants for breakfast every day this week. This delicate French pastry, by the way, is in the shape of a crescent to commemorate the Crusaders' victory over Islam. Aren't the French just peachy? ... Only Spain remains a nation of women. As long as Spain exists, it will not outlive the shame of its gutless capitulation to terrorist bombings in 2004. It is worse than Sweden's neutrality toward Hitler. But France! Until this week, France seemed a less likely place to find someone who supports America than a meeting of Democrats. Apparently, even the French prefer Western civilization to clitorectomy-performing, car-burning savages. The Democratic Party is now officially the only organization on Earth that does not take the threat of Islamic fascism seriously. Between the Democrats and the media, America has gone from its usual position as the world's last hope to radical Islam's last hope."

More bungling British bureaucracy: "When Kay Rumble received her pension forecast from the Government, she knew that something was wrong. The 64-year-old from Berkshire had taken time out of her working life to bring up three children, but the Pension Service had failed to account for this in its calculations. "I argued about this," she said. "I can't tell you how many times I called them. Eventually they said that they had changed computers and one said that I was entitled to a bigger state pension and one said that I wasn't." In 1999 Mrs Rumble, an office manager, was told that she was likely to qualify for a basic pension of 25.23 pounds when she turned 60 in 2003. This was based on the expectation that she would, by 2003, have 15 years of national insurance contributions out of a possible 39. The forecast underestimated her pension by nearly half. After she pointed out the discrepancy, the Pension Service revised its figures. Once Mrs Rumble's Home Responsibilities Protection entitlement was included, her weekly pension increased to 45.12 pounds."

A wonderful memorial for a personal friend of mine: "It's over a year since Chris Tame, former Director of the Libertarian Alliance, died aged 56. Chris had built up and nurtured the libertarian movement in Britain over many years. Over the years Chris had accumulated several thousand books, many of which were about liberty and its issues, and which included many classic libertarian texts. Rather than let the collection be dissipated, Sean Gabb, current Director of the Libertarian Alliance, found a good home for them at the Economic University of Prague. He organized the transport of the books, no small operation, and some friends of Chris helped defray the cost. Chris Tame's library will thus continue to spread the message of liberty for years to come, making a wholly fitting memorial to Chris and the values he stood for."

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, IMMIGRATION WATCH and EYE ON BRITAIN.

List of backup or "mirror" sites here or here -- for readers in China or for everyone when blogspot is "down" or failing to update. Email me here (Hotmail address). My Home Pages are here or here or here

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"Why should the German be interested in the liberation of the Jew, if the Jew is not interested in the liberation of the German?... We recognize in Judaism, therefore, a general anti-social element of the present time... In the final analysis, the emancipation of the Jews is the emancipation of mankind from Judaism.... Indeed, in North America, the practical domination of Judaism over the Christian world has achieved as its unambiguous and normal expression that the preaching of the Gospel itself and the Christian ministry have become articles of trade... Money is the jealous god of Israel, in face of which no other god may exist". Who said that? Hitler? No. It was Karl Marx. See also here and here.

The Big Lie of the late 20th century was that Nazism was Rightist. It was in fact typical of the Leftism of its day. It was only to the Right of Stalin's Communism. The very word "Nazi" is a German abbreviation for "National Socialist" (Nationalsozialistisch) and the full name of Hitler's political party (translated) was "The National Socialist German Workers' Party".

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A LESSON FROM SARKO

In the campaign, Sarkozy argued that the French have to work longer hours and, in order to give them an incentive to do so, that they shouldn't pay taxes if they work overtime. He called for tax cuts to encourage investment so the private sector can create jobs. And critically, Sarkozy has said that the people must obey the law, that the creation of law and respect for the law is a central part of any civilized society.

Remember, this is a jarring message for a country that routinely accepts the burning of up to 15,000 cars a year by hooligans who, according to the elites, are simply "expressing their desire to disrupt society." It's jarring for a country that was very proud a few years back to have the first mandatory 35-hour work week in history. Yet an increasing majority of the French believes that without the kind of changes Sarkozy is calling for, France's stature will disappear in a wave of lawlessness and economic decay.

As for the opposition in the French election, much like the American Democratic Party, it is trapped by its commitment to big labor, big bureaucracy, high taxes and social values people don't believe in. Every time French voters seriously looked at Segolene Royal and the kind of politics she represents, she lost ground. She simply couldn't make the case that left-wing Socialist policies would work.

The result was a surprising and powerful upset by Sarkozy -- a victory by a center-right reformer, a member of the unpopular ruling party, who came to personify change. And here's where American Republicans really need to pay attention: In France, voting for change meant voting for the party in office, but not the personality in office. And voting to keep the old order meant voting for the opposition, not for the incumbent party.

If Republicans hope to win the presidency next year, they better find a candidate who is prepared to stand for very bold, very dramatic and very systematic change in Washington. Not only that, but they had better make the case that the left-wing Democrat likely to be nominated represents the failed status quo: the bureaucracies that are failing, the social policies that are failing, the high tax policies that are failing, and the weakness around the world that has failed so badly in protecting America.

Source

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It may seem perverse but the picture above all by itself tells me what a great nation America is -- in my view the greatest nation the world has ever seen. It grieves me greatly to see the extent to which it has at present falen into the hands of corrupt and venal Congressional cowards. You need to see where that picture came from. I hope others will see something of what I see in the picture above -- the inextinguishable pride for start. Perhaps because I have some small military background myself, it moves me deeply.

Historian Dan Mandel has an excellent put-down for those who try to distort what Winston Churchill stood for.

Outvoted by Hispanics?: "The 2008 election may see a vast number of new Hispanic voters streaming to the polls and voting Democrat, thanks to behind the scenes maneuvers by the Democrats' biggest sugar daddy of all. The outlines of the plan became clear yesterday when putting together stories in 2 of America's leading business publications. The Wall Street Journal ran a front-page story on May10th regarding Univision's campaign to spur millions of Hispanic residents to become U.S. citizens. Univision is, by far, the largest Spanish-language broadcasting network in America. The Journal article pointed out the momentous electoral consequences of this development: since Hispanics tend to vote Democratic an increasingly large number of them with a right to vote will favor the Democratic party in 2008. This is particularly so since so many Spanish-speaking residents are concentrated in states rich in electoral votes. This unprecedented effort on the part of Univision could very likely swing the Presidential election to the Democratic Party."

U.S. economy is surging: "Mark Crutsinger of the AP did not disappoint me by burying his lead at the very bottom of his latest report on federal tax revenues and spending: For April, revenue receipts totaled $383.64 billion while spending totaled $205.97 billion, leaving a surplus for the month of $177.7 billion. While Crutsinger pointed out that revenues are always up in April, he did not bother to compare this April's figure to last April's. On May 10, 2006, Crutsinger reported that revenues were $315.1 billion in April 2006. This April's revenues were $383.64 billion - an increase of 22%. How will liberals spin this? Bush isn't spending fast enough? It is unlikely that the budget will be balanced this year, but the deficit looks to be far smaller than the one the Congressional Budget Office projected just 2 years ago"

Gonzales deflects Democrats' criticism: "Attorney General Alberto Gonzales confidently deflected House Democrats' demands Thursday for details in the firings of U.S. attorneys, appearing ever more likely to survive accusations that the dismissals were politically motivated. Republican lawmakers rushed to Gonzales' defense as the attorney general denied anew that the firings last year were improper. The mostly muted five-hour hearing in front of the House Judiciary Committee was a sharp contrast to Gonzales' sometimes testy appearance three weeks ago when Senate Republicans questioned his competence to run the Justice Department.

United Nations looniness again: "Britain and other Western nations were fighting a rear-guard action last night to block Zimbabwe from heading an influential United Nations organisation responsible for development. Despite running one of the world's most disastrous economies, Francis Nheme, the Zimbabwean Environment Minister, is expected today to become chairman of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, the body that monitors the environment and development."

Support For Israel: "The two leading partisan pollsters, Republican-leaning Public Opinion Strategies and Democrat-leaning Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research conducted a survey (with link to questionnaire and results) of U.S. "opinion elite" attitude toward Israel. Opinion elite is loosely defined as college grad or post-graduate, all earning above $75,000, 99% saying they will vote in 2008,most regular readers of major newspapers, newsmagazines and TV news viewers. The result is comforting to its sponsor, the pro-Israel Israel Project. Support for Israel is at its highest since 2002, 63% very favorable toward Israel, an increase of 5%. 26% are very favorable toward the Palestinians, a decline from 31% in 2002. Focusing, when competing for support in "the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians" 65% support Israel but only 10% the Palestinians."

Hooray for feet and inches! "Meat, fish, fruit and vegetables can continue to be sold in pounds and ounces in Britain indefinitely, after a U-turn by the European Commission. The decision, disclosed in a letter made public last night, also means that fabrics, carpets and timber and other building materials can be sold in yards, feet or inches. Road signs can remain in miles per hour. The move delighted consumers and shopkeepers after a campaign by the Metric Martyrs that had been backed by the Conservative Party and the British Weights and Measures Association. The British Retail Consortium and other organisations representing butchers, fishmongers, greengrocers and market traders had also lobbied hard to save imperial measures.The campaigners scented victory after saving the crown on a pint glass this year. Their instincts were confirmed by Guenther Verheugen, the Industry Commissioner, who agreed that dual marking of goods in Britain in imperial and metric measures can continue indefinitely. Brussels has insisted previously that the traditional British weights and measures should disappear from labels and shop counters by 2009. Business lobbyists said that keeping pounds and ounces made it easier for British companies to sell to the United States"

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, IMMIGRATION WATCH and EYE ON BRITAIN.

List of backup or "mirror" sites here or here -- for readers in China or for everyone when blogspot is "down" or failing to update. Email me here (Hotmail address). My Home Pages are here or here or here

****************************

"Why should the German be interested in the liberation of the Jew, if the Jew is not interested in the liberation of the German?... We recognize in Judaism, therefore, a general anti-social element of the present time... In the final analysis, the emancipation of the Jews is the emancipation of mankind from Judaism.... Indeed, in North America, the practical domination of Judaism over the Christian world has achieved as its unambiguous and normal expression that the preaching of the Gospel itself and the Christian ministry have become articles of trade... Money is the jealous god of Israel, in face of which no other god may exist". Who said that? Hitler? No. It was Karl Marx. See also here and here.

The Big Lie of the late 20th century was that Nazism was Rightist. It was in fact typical of the Leftism of its day. It was only to the Right of Stalin's Communism. The very word "Nazi" is a German abbreviation for "National Socialist" (Nationalsozialistisch) and the full name of Hitler's political party (translated) was "The National Socialist German Workers' Party".

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