08.01.07 -- Aria




Beverly Sills by Al Hirschfeld



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Wednesday, August 1, 2007

















Puzzle by David J. Kahn, edited by Will Shortz

















Today’s New York Times crossword puzzle is a wonderful homage, an ARIA (40D “Sempre libera” e.g.) to LYRIC (29D (With 39-Across, 21-/28-Across, for one) SOPRANO (39A See 29-Down) BEVERLY (21A With 28-Across, a late, great entertainer) SILLS (28A See 21-Across).

















Included are four roles Beverly Sills performed -- CLEOPATRA (17A 1966 Lincoln Center role for 21-/28-Across); VIOLETTA (11D “La Traviata” role for 21-/28-Across); LUCIA (48A 1970 Covent Garden title role for 21-/28-Across); and ROSALINDE (62A 1955 “Die Fledermaus” debut role for 21-/28-Across); along with BUBBLES (58A Childhood nickname of 21-/28-Across) and COSTUMES (38D Stage wear for 21-/28-Across); and, of course, ARIA.

















David J. Kahn has constructed a crossword puzzle that is a beautiful tribute to the memory of a great performer.

















Bravo!

















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For more on today's crossword read:


Linda G at Madness...Crossword and Otherwise














Beverly Sills Iris











The New York Times Crossword Puzzle solution above is by the author of this blog and does not guarantee accuracy. If you find errors or omissions, you are more than welcome to make note of same in the Comments section of this post -- any corrections found necessary will be executed promptly upon verification.











Puzzle available on the internet at







THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games











If you subscribe to home delivery of The New York Times you are eligible to access the daily crossword via The New York Times - Times Reader, without additional charge, as part of your home delivery subscription.

Careful: The FB-eye may be watching


Reading the wrong thing in public can get you in trouble
"The FBI is here,"Mom tells me over the phone. Immediately I can see my mom with her back to a couple of Matrix-like figures in black suits and opaque sunglasses, her hand covering the mouthpiece like Grace Kelly in Dial M for Murder. This must be a joke, I think. But it's not, because Mom isn't that funny.

"The who?" I say.

"Two FBI agents. They say you're not in trouble, they just want to talk. They want to come to the store."

I work in a small, independent bookstore, and since it's a slow Tuesday afternoon, I figure, "Sure." Someone I know must have gotten some government work, I think; hadn't my consultant friend spoken recently of getting rolled onto some government job? Background check, I think, interviewing acquaintances ... No big deal, right? Then, of course, I make a big deal about it in front of my co-workers. More...

Deborah Jeane Palfrey updates her web site


Known as the "D.C. Madam," Deborah Jeane Palfrey is the former owner of Pamela Martin and Associates, a Washington D.C. based business that functioned as a high-end adult fantasy firm. During it's 13 year tenure Ms. Palfrey's business offered legal sexual and erotic services across the spectrum of adult sexual behavior, and did so without incident during its 13 year tenure.

Federal prosecutors allege the business was a prostitution service, and a grand jury indicted her in February on federal racketeering charges. She adamantly disputes the government's charges; the women working for her were independent contractors who breached their contracts by engaging in illegal sex.

In an attempt to clear her name Ms. Palfrey has offered up 42 pounds of customer phone records to the public in an effort to illicit testimony on her behalf. These records contain names of many prominent D.C. personalities and even government officials.

Ms. Palfrey continues to fight to clear her name. Check back frequently for updates as more and more Washington D.C. clientele are revealed. More....
Related: Bush Gaygate and Whitehouse Bordello

Despicable: Abe Foxman slams only Muslim Congressman

MN Congressman Keith Ellison compared 9/11 to the burning of the Reichstag, Bush to Hitler. You can agree or disagree with the statement. You can think it’s uniquely insightful and courageous or completely idiotic. In the end, the free marketplace of democracy will decide what his supporters think.

But now it appears that Abe Foxman and the ADL have trademarked the use of any language pertaining to Hitler and the Holocaust. There is no denying the singular nature of the Holocaust’s impact on the Jewish people. But apparently, despite the fact that over 5 million non-Jews were also killed, the tragedy belongs not only to us Jews and us alone, but the the Anti-Defamation League.

It must be a funny coincidence- the ADL is going after the only Muslim on Congress. And what did he say, exactly? He didn’t even mention or allude to the Holocaust. As horrible as the Jewish experience was in the Shoah, there was a good deal more to Hitler’s evil crusade. Is everything pertaining to Hitler now out of bounds unless it receives Abe Foxman’s stamp of approval? More...

Don't miss this: The Birth Of ADL

Justice Department Tips Off Senator Stevens Before Searching His Home


The FBI and IRS's execution yesterday afternoon of a search warrant on the Alaska home of GOP Senator Ted Steven has been widely reported by now.

What's striking is this tidbit in today's WaPo:

Stevens said in a statement that his attorneys were advised of the impending search yesterday morning.
I spent nearly 9 years as a federal prosecutor. I'm not aware of a single instance when any prosecutor or agent told anyone outside the Justice Department that a search warrant was going to be executed later in the day. Telling outsiders -- especially lawyers for the person whose property will be searched -- defeats one of the principal purposes of a search warrant: SURPRISE to ensure the integrity of the evidence field.

If you're going to tell the target of the search in advance, then why not just serve a subpoena and trust in compliance? More...

America's Army set to storm arcades


In what many thought was a huge waste of taxpayer money, the U.S. Army in 2002 released its own video game called "America's Army". It was PC-exclusive at first and enabled gamers to get a taste of the Army lifestyle ... an extremely limited and action-packed taste, but a taste nonetheless.

Now, gamers will be able to get an even more limited (and, presumably, even more action-packed) look at the life of an American soldier at arcades around the U.S., thanks to a new arcade version of the game.

The idea behind the original was that the millions spent developing the game would drive better recruitment than, say, a 30-second prime-time TV commercial. After a few million downloads and rave reviews for the free game, the Army brass behind the idea were proven right when they met recruitment goals for 2003 and 2004 (with nearly 20 percent of new Army recruits saying they had played the game). Engadget
"Is our children learning (to kill)?" GWBush

Bush and Brown Project Unity at Talks

resident Bush and his new British counterpart, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, pledged today to continue their close trans-Atlantic relations that have been a crucial pillar of international support for Mr. Bush as he pushes an unpopular war in Iraq and a continuing campaign in Afghanistan.

Since Mr. Brown became prime minister in June, questions have been raised on both sides of the Atlantic about whether he would distance himself from Mr. Bush, whose closeness to Mr. Brown’s predecessor, Tony Blair, became a political liability at home. Today’s visit was being watched closely for evidence of any geopolitical space between the two heads of state. They showed none. NY Times

Bush considering secret military action in Turkey

A former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney is briefing lawmakers on Pentagon plans for secret military intervention in Turkey, Robert Novak reported Monday.

The Bush administration is considering covert military activity by U.S. Special Forces to help Turkish troops quash Kurdish guerilla fighters, who are believed to be using northern Iraq as safe-haven, according to the syndicated columnist.

Undersecretary of Defense Eric S. Edelman, a former Cheney aide, briefed lawmakers on Capitol Hill last week on the plans. The plans call for secret U.S. involvement to assist Turkish action against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Raw Story

Service to Bush Now Trumps Service to Country

Mao, Stalin, Hitler, Kim Jong Il and now Supreme Allied Commander of the World, George W. Bush, all proud propagators of personality cults. Can it be true in 21st

century America that our society has slipped into the depths of the type of almost comical dictatorship that we once reviled? Before we see the latest news lets just run down the dictator checklist to see how “The Decider” measures up:

1. Myth of the rustic manly background? Check! All dictators must fabricate a background that screams manliness and hardship that serves as a cover for cowardice and privilege. For Bush it is the myth of the cowboy. When not wearing boots, jeans and a cowboy hat he is seen tottering around bowlegged with a case of ILS (Inflated Lat Syndrome: characterized by puffing the chest out and bowing the arms out to appear muscular but instead looking ridiculous). Although his Waco “ranch” boasts no horses, due to his fear of large animals, it is still supports the cowboy myth and helps to deflect questions about dodging the draft and being an elitist from Maine. More...

Cheney Says He Is A ‘Unique Creature,’ Refuses To Say He Is Part Of Executive Branch

In June, House investigators revealed that Vice President Dick Cheney had exempted his office from an executive order order designed to safeguard classified national security information by claiming that the Office of the Vice President is not an “entity within the executive branch.”

After Congressional Democrats called his bluff by threatening to withhold funding from his office, the White House was forced to roll back their rhetoric, claiming “that the rationale had been the view of the vice president’s lawyers, not Cheney himself.”

But in an interview with CBS News’ Mark Knoller today, Cheney refused to say he was a member of the executive branch:

Mark Knoller: Are you part of the executive branch, sir? More at Think Progress

Sen. Rockefeller’s Memo To Cheney Preceded TIA Defunding By One Day

ah…the power of the blogosphere…we can do the work that the journalists in the MSM don’t do and come up with a timeline that cuts through the White House’s obfuscations:

The Next Hurrah:

Commenter joejoejoe sent me a superb timeline to show the chronology of Congress’ building opposition to the Total Information Awareness program as it relates to the NSA’s domestic wiretap program[..]

I’d like to pull out just a few salient dates and add four (in bold italics) to what joejoejoe did. I think the time line lends support for the argument that one of the problems–a big problem–with the domestic wiretap program is that it violated clear instructions from Congress. Crooks & Liars

07.31.07 -- Walks









"Jesus Walking on the Sea" -- Gustav Dore





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Tuesday, July 31, 2007







Puzzle by Allan E. Parrish, edited by Will Shortz







WALKS (29D Word following the last parts of the answers to the five starred clues) is the anchor entry for TRIPLESPACE (20A “Line formatting option); COOLCAT (40A *Hipster); SCHOOLBOARD (61A *Education overseers); HOLYCROSS (11D *College in Worcester, Mass.); and PATTYCAKE (33D *Kids’ game), resulting in space walks, catwalks, boardwalks, crosswalks, and cakewalks.”







This Tuesday crossword vibrates WITH (44A Accompanying) activity: SCRAM (8D “Get out!”); START (51AGet going); VEER (18A Zig or Zag); YAW (23A Go off course); TAUT (49A Lacking slack); LOOSE (54D Not tied down); and THROB (42D Pulsate) and the people to do it.








ALEC (15A Writer Waugh); RAHAL (9A 1986 Indy winner Bobby); MILNE (19A Pooh’s creator); AGNEW (27A Nixon’s 1968 running mate); VEEP (7D 27-Across, e.g., informally); NOEL (73A Coward of the stage); REECE (71A Model/volleyball Gabrielle); GARTH (1D Singer Brooks); BLAIR (3D Britain’s P.M. until 2007); ROMERO (9D Cesar who played the Joker); ICET (35D “Ricochet” co-star); OSCAR (53D Musician/wit Levant); LOEWE (13D Lerner’s musical partner); PABLO (57D Artist Picasso); SAMPRAS (4D Tennis star Pete); ALTE (70A Der ___ [Konrad Adenauer]); SHE (43A Cyndi Lauper’s “___ Bop”); ARI (10D “Exodus” hero); PIKE (46A Explorer Zebulon); CHE (37D Rebel Guevara); and many others including EDSEL (59D Collectible Ford product) (named for Edsel Ford) and ALERO (2D Last Oldsmobile to be made) (named for R. E. Olds).










Contrasts are tossed about with APLOMB (52D Self-assurance), including ORONO (16A Maine college town) forming a cross with HOLYCROSS; HORROR (24A Blockbuster aisle) on line with MIRACLE (25A Prerequisite for sainthood); LOGIC and OPTIC; VEEP and VEER; SHE and CHE; ELI and ELOI; ARGO and OGRE; ALA and ALLA; with CAV and CAVERN sharing their starting C’s; and OLYMPIC and CHAMP tied by their C’s.








In short, it’s a good thing an OTTOMAN (48D Living room piece) is included to rest one’s PAW (31D Pussy foot?) from the ROAR (30A Big top noise) of movement in this wonderful and fun-to-solve crossword!

















Man walks a dog -- Rock Painting, Madhya Pradesh
Prehistoric Rock Paintings of Bhimbetaka, India





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For today's cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.
























The New York Times Crossword Puzzle solution above is by the author of this blog and does not guarantee accuracy. If you find errors or omissions, you are more than welcome to make note of same in the Comments section of this post -- any corrections found necessary will be executed promptly upon verification.


























Puzzle available on the internet at







THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games





If you subscribe to home delivery of The New York Times you are eligible to access the daily crossword via The New York Times - Times Reader, without additional charge, as part of your home delivery subscription.











Britain's prime minister becomes patron of Zionist agency

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has agreed to become patron of the UK arm of the Jewish National Fund, whose funds have contributed to Israeli ethnic cleansing, the destruction of Palestinian villages and the expropriation of Palestinian land, and whose constitution requires it to promote and implement policies that discriminate against Israel's Arab population.

Gordon Brown has crossed a new threshold on the path to becoming a fully-fledged Zionist.

According to a report in the Jewish Chronicle, Gordon Brown has agreed to become a patron of the British arm of the Jewish National Fund (JNF UK) ?following an invitation from JNF UK President Gail Seal, who wrote conveying her good wishes the day after he took office?.More...

Christian Group Warns U.S. Against Pressuring Israel on Peace Deal

But Mideast talks are taking another form back in the United States. An unexpected voice from right field is warning U.S. negotiators not to be so quick to give away the farm, literally.

"I don't believe Israel should give up any piece of their land. I think they've given up too much of their land," said Michelle Stephens, one of 50 million Evangelicals who are said to be "waking up" to the idea that Israel's existence is integrally tied to their own religious outlook.

"And if'n we burn down the whole world, Jesus gonna come down, invite us all up to the BIG house!" More faschism...

Parents of Diana driver 'were told he wasn't drunk'

More on Princess Diana's Cover-ups
The parents of Henri Paul, the chauffeur driving Princess Diana on the night she died, have spoken for the first time about fresh claims over whether he had been drunk.

They said Lord Stevens, the former Metropolitan Police commissioner who investigated the 1997 Paris crash which killed Diana, Dodi Al Fayed and Mr Paul, had assured them he had not been drunk.

But a month later in his official report into the tragedy Lord Stevens said Mr Paul had been three times over the French drink-drive limit when his Mercedes crashed.

At a preliminary hearing of Diana's inquest in London on Friday, the Paul family's lawyer called for Lord Stevens to be asked to explain the "gross discrepancy".

There have been persistent reports since the crash that the accident was caused by Mr Paul's drunken driving at speed. His father Jean, 76, told how he and his 75-year-old wife Gisele had met with Lord Stevens. UK Daily Mail

Executive Order criminalizes humanitarian work

President Bush's recent Executive Order "Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq," effectively criminalizes humanitarian work in the war torn country, the ACLU warned today.

Not only does the order authorizes the Treasury Department to freeze and confiscate the assets of anyone determined "to have committed, or to pose a significant risk of committing" acts of violence with the "purpose or effect" of hindering the Iraqi government or reconstruction effort, it also authorizes the freezing of assets of anyone who provides "material support" to such a person or group, whether or not the person's support was knowing or intentional.

The civil rights group claimed that the vague wording of the Executive Order's terms created ambiguity about what kinds of donations and services could be considered to constitute material support, and its sweeping provisions posed risks for residents of the United States and for humanitarian work in Iraq. Press Esc
See also: Bush Executive Order:Criminalizes the Antiwar Movement

Russian dissident 'forcibly detained in mental hospital'

A Russian opposition activist has been forcibly detained in a psychiatric clinic near the Arctic city of Murmansk, the chess champion turned dissident Garry Kasparov said yesterday.

The move was revenge by the authorities for an article in which the activist, Larisa Arap, 48, criticised practices in children's mental health wards, Mr Kasparov said.

Ms Arap, a member of Mr Kasparov's United Civil Front, is being medicated against her will, he claimed.

Activists say this is not the first case of politically motivated, enforced admission to hospital in President Vladimir Putin's Russia, and have condemned the move as redolent of the Soviet era. Mr Kasparov said: "It could happen if you attack the interests of the local Gazprom, the local military base, the local medical mafia. Attacking the interests of local bureaucrats is a terrible risk, because they don't stop at anything to get their own back." London Independent

Beijing Residents Appeal Against Olympics Forced Relocations

As Beijing Olympics approaches, distraught residents appeal against forced relocations without compensation.

As of July 27, in the heart of the 2008 Olympics site, residents of Datun village, Chaoyang district, Beijing, have maintained a sitting appeal in front of Beijing Huahui Real Estate for twelve consecutive days. They are urging authorities to solve their problems and to respect their property rights and compensations after they were forcibly evicted to make way for the Olympics. Yet in 12 days not one communist cadre has come out to meet with them.

The appeal was triggered by the local regime's plan for a new construction of a golf course and apartments in Olympics Project. The construction has evicted nearly 1,000 families to make way.

Mr Xiao from Datun village told The Epoch Times the appeal has been running for 12 consecutive days. Everyone comes to this appeal voluntarily and on average, 300 to 400 people take part in the appeal everyday. At peak times, over 700 people participated in the appeal. Epoch Times

07.30.07 -- Crystal Ball





Monday, July 30, 2007




Puzzle by Elizabeth A. Long, edited by Will Shortz




ESP (33D Paranormal ability) is the central entry of this Monday puzzle and appropriately so --
Major League Baseball set an attendance record this weekend, and this puzzle has three inter-related entries concerning the sport:




LUCILLESBALL (20A Game equipment for an old sitcom star?)

SALLYSFIELD (35A Game location for an actress?) ----------

NEILSDIAMOND (52A Game site for a popular singer?)




I don’t think the New York Times crossword puzzle relates to current events on such short notice, so it must be ESP. Other baseball-related entries include FACT (6A Fiction’s opposite), which baseball fans love; EST (13D Inexact fig.), as in “ball-park figure”; SAFE (32D Ump’s call with outstretched arms); and ERA (55D Pitcher’s stat.).




Lucille Ball Baseball -- My Favorite Husband Episode 54 -- originally aired 9/16/49: “Baseball” Story: Liz is determined not to be left out of the baseball game at the Annual Bank Outing, so she persuades her neighbor Mr. Wood to teach her how to play the game.




Sally Field Baseball -- The South Atlantic League, or "Sally League," is a minor league baseball league which operates mostly in the southeastern United States.




Neil Diamond Baseball -- There was hope for a while that a song written by Neil Diamond “I’m A Believer”, a big hit for the Monkees in1966, would be a portent for the Mets in 2003.




The three long entries of “star” names with an added apostrophe and the letter S are joined by a little over a dozen other un-related entries: WESLEY (1D Actor Snipes of “Blade”); IMMUNO (2D Prefix with suppressive); VIACOM (Owner of MTV and BET); FIDELITY (6D Faithfulness); COMBAT (8D Hand-to-hand fighting); TREATY (9D 8-Down ender); LECTERN (22D Speaker’s spot); SPLURGE (29D Go all out); PRIORI (42D A _____[kind of reasoning]); CALLAS (43D Maria of the Met); FACEDOUT (37D Wasn’t turned inward); GROUSE (45D Bellyache); “ANNIE Song (John Denver #hit) (46D); MODEST (47D Not given to self-promotion); OLEATE (24A Organic salt); TYCOONS (30A Captains of industry); POWERPC (41A IBM/Apple product starting in the early ‘90s) -- all very GRAVEN (49A Carved, as an image).




YOM and GAM make a symmetrical appearance left and right; ADS and SELL; IKE and BIKE; RAGU and SNAFU; are a few of the some-how-related entries. ZANY (62A Like some Steve Martin humor), and AND (26D &) make rare appearances.




Oh, and VSIGN (50D Winston Churchill flashed it).




For today's cartoon, go to TheCrossword Puzzle Illustrated.





The New York Times Crossword Puzzle solution above is by the author of this blog and does not guarantee accuracy. If you find errors or omissions, you are more than welcome to make note of same in the Comments section of this post -- any corrections found necessary will be executed promptly upon verification.





Puzzle available on the internet at



THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games





If you subscribe to home delivery of The New York Times you are eligible to access the daily crossword via The New York Times - Times Reader, without additional charge, as part of your home delivery subscription.



Fatah and Israel / Allies, Inc.

Palestinian security personnel loyal to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas have put up dozens of roadblocks throughout Ramallah in recent days. Their orders: arrest Hamas activists.

The Preventive Security force in the West Bank, which stood at the forefront of the short campaign Yasser Arafat ordered against Islamist organizations in the mid-1990s, is back with a vengeance.

The outpouring of energy by the security organizations affiliated with Fatah is directly linked to concerns in the PA that Hamas is planning a series of terrorist attacks and assassinations against senior figures in the West Bank -- to complement its swift takeover of the Gaza Strip. In Israel, experts remain skeptical that any such attempt will be made. More...

Gangs Spreading In The Militarys

Evidence of gang culture and gang activity in the military is increasing so much an FBI report calls it "a threat to law enforcement and national security." The signs are chilling: Marines in gang attire on Parris Island; paratroopers flashing gang hand signs at a nightclub near Ft. Bragg; infantrymen showing-off gang tattoos at Ft. Hood.

Gang activity clues are appearing in Iraq and Afghanistan, too. Gang graffiti is sprayed on blast walls – even on Humvees. Kilroy – the doodle made famous by U.S. soldiers in World War II – is here, but so is the star emblem of the Gangster Disciples.

The rise in gang activity coincides with the increase in recruits with records. Since 2003, 125,000 recruits with criminal histories have been granted what are known as "moral waivers" for felonies including robbery and assault. CBS News
Anyone feel a draft?

Why the Pentagon's Gitmo Study is a Joke


On the one hand, the administration commissions its boys to come up with a report stating that
73 percent of the detainees were a "demonstrated threat," and
95 percent were a "potential threat," a
nd on the other hand the administration itself has released, or cleared for release,
75 percent of the detainees because they were "not or no longer a threat" (
and that's not counting the 201 detainees who were released before the tribunal process began). How are we supposed to take these clowns seriously? More...

Stranded Palestinian dies at Rafah as Abbas insists not to open terminal


Palestinian medical sources have announced that one of the stranded Palestinian citizens at Rafah terminal died Sunday after helplessly waiting for almost two months to be allowed into his hometown in the Gaza Strip.

PA chief Mahmoud Abbas was and still is insisting that the Rafah terminal, which is a Palestinian-Egyptian crossing point, must remain closed as a punishment to the 1.5 million Palestinian citizens in Gaza Strip in clear harmony with Israel’s policy against the Strip. More...

Abbas has become a Quisling against his own people, giving Israel precisely what it wants, no matter what happens to any of the people at the Rafah terminal or the people of Gaza in general.



The 'right' to discriminate

A new bill in the Knesset seeks to perpetuate discrimination against Israel's Arab citizens.

A fixture in the lives of all children who have ever attended Hebrew school is the blue Jewish National Fund (JNF) pushke (or charity box), into which parents and teachers encouraged us to throw our pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. They taught us to perform a mitzvah by giving tzedakah to support the building of the Jewish homeland. Thus, the Jewish National Fund was the Red Cross of Jewish life, a "mom and apple pie" charity doing nothing but good for our people.

How times change! Last week, the Israeli Knesset passed, on first reading, the Jewish National Fund bill which allows the JNF to refuse to lease land to Arab citizens. The JNF is a quasi-public charity established to raise funds to purchase land for Jewish settlement within Israel. In 1961, the Israeli government transferred 13% of Israeli land to the JNF. Included in this were one million dunams expropriated from Arab residents who fled Israel in 1948. Guardian Comment

U.S. erects more walls to isolate Baghdad quarters


U.S. troops have isolated certain quarters in the neighborhood of Dora with concrete slabs, blocking the passage of vehicles.

Residents now vent their fury on U.S. troops, accusing the military of turning their neighborhood into a big prison.

Doura is one of the most violent areas in Baghdad and repeated U.S. military forays have failed to pacify it.

Residents said at least three districts were now completely cut off, leading to shortages of food and vegetables.

Cars are not allowed to enter or leave these areas making it difficult for patients to visit hospitals and shop owners to replenish supplies.

"These measures have caused a lot of problems for us. We are under fire now from all sides. Mortars and bombs by rebels and terrorists continue falling over our heads while U.S. troops have turned our areas into a big prison," said Abu Saif. More...

Fox Attacks Bloggers

Fox News is out to smear the blogosphere with a slew of unsavory tactics, such as comparing liberal bloggers to the Klan and Nazi Germany. It has already met with some success, prompting JetBlue to pull its sponsorship from the YearlyKos convention.

No 10 is guilty... of lies and deceit

The police investigation into the "cash for honours" scandal, which lasted 16 months, cost the taxpayer more than £1 million and ended with no charges being brought, was unedifying for everyone involved.

None of those at the very centre of the drama, Tony Blair and his inner circle, has so far issued anything other than brief statements, and none has directly criticised the conduct of the detectives under the leadership of Assistant Commissioner John Yates.

Despite this silence, an insight into the true feelings of those who until recently occupied key positions at 10 Downing Street can be gained from the comments of people who were at one remove from events.

Sarah Helm, a journalist who is married to Jonathan Powell, Mr Blair's chief of staff, accused the police of "Gestapo tactics". Peter Mandelson, the closest of confidants to Mr Blair, made a more closely targeted accusation. "Those who undertook this investigation used the media to create a false impression of the then prime minister, and to undermine public trust in the government," he declared. He is effectively accusing Asst Comm Yates of abusing his position to smear Mr Blair and his administration. London Telegraph

Now the NYT is Selling Bloodbath as a Rationale to Stay in Iraq

There’s been no stage in the grim progress of the US onslaught on Iraq at which the New York Times hasn’t been shoving the whole ghastly enterprise along. First there were Judy Miller and Michael Gordon promoting the WMD rationale for attack. More recently there was Michael Gordon selling the surge.

Now it’s John Burns, pushing the notion that if the US withdraws there’ll a bloodbath of unimaginable proportions as the Iraqis slaughter each other. The administration is seizing eagerly on this, which is a bit like Dracula saying his castle is the best security guarantee against local peasant girls being attacked by vampires. Counterpunch

07.29.07 -- HELL



























Sunday, July 29, 2007
















TH-TH-TH-THAT'S ALL FOLKS!















Puzzle by Brendan Emmett Quigley, edited by Will Shortz
















Is it just me, or is this the most arduous and groan-inducing crossword puzzle of the year thusfar? I'm sure I'm wrong! It has to be me! Brendan Emmett Quigley, the constructor of the this Sunday odds and ends chore is one of my favorite crossword creators -- what happened?!











NOTONESCUPOFTEETH (23A Somebody else's soaking dentures?)


















CATHODEWRAITH (37A Ghost in a battery?)









ESCAPEKEITH (62A Avoid being captured by guitarist Richards?)









DOUBLEYOUTH (70A Baby twins?)









SEATTLESLEUTH (92A Sherlock at the Space Needle?)









BOTTOMOFTHEWEALTH (109A Billionaire's last dollar?)









THOROUGHBREADTH (43D Very detailed scope?)









HIGHWAYTOHEALTH (16D Good eating and clean living?)














Tongue-twisters, letter-plays: PINGPONG (1A Basis for the first commercially successful video); MAANDPA (9A Just folks?); PTER (42A Wing: Prefix) and PTUI (63D Spitting sound); POSSLQS (42 (D Some residents, by census classification) crossing IQUIT (69A Fed-up cry); NANANA (98A Repeated sounds in "Hey Jude"); AARP and AAHS; KHAYYAM (102A Poet Omar); ANGELOU (115A "Gather Together in My Name" writer); LOOP and SOON; ELY and ELIS; RAHAL (64A 1986 Indy 500 winner) and ARHAT (15D Nirvana attainer); THOTH (39D Egyptian god of wisdom) -- is TH-O-TH a lisp of S-O-S!








At the risk of sounding like a TEACHER (29A One who might stand in front of a map) who's one of those RANTERS (59D Highly opinionated sorts), I was UNAWED (94D Not impressed), SIGHED (45A Was wistful), ACHED (101D Suffered) and was SADDENED (119A Made blue) by this puzzle's DESCENT (118A Start of a trip in a bathysphere) to the BOTTOMOFTHEWEALTH (bottom of the well?)!




If "TH" were uniformly applied, there would be a key to the puzzle from it's title 'TH-TH-TH-THAT'S ALL FOLKS!"; but "tea" is "teeth", "rays" is "wraith", "keith" is "keys", "doubleyouth" is "w's", "sleuth" is "Slew", "wealth" is "well", "breadth" is "bred", and "health" is "hell" -- confusion to the NTH degree (117A).



Little-happenstance-fill is rampant -- RAI, CAD, GNC, AFT, NYE, ILE, HAM, GIG, YON, ELY, ISO, SSR, ATT, LEE, JEB, INS, TEC, OLE, MAD, PAY, ART, ATE, YON, CTRS, ITIS, BOCA, DEET, SASK, VITA, AONE, MTGS, LEIA, HRS, etc.


Postitive stuff that ELATES (60D Lifts up) -- MISSIS (48D Wife, colloquially) which will be MISSUS when convenient; MOOCOW (9D Farm animal, in kidspeak) and when an "S" is needed, this will be MOSCOW; AKILL (55D "A View to ____") crossing dead center with TRILL (67A Fluttering sound) -- CREAM (95A Drub); AMORE (58A Love, in Livorno); DELVE (70D Go [into]) and DEARTHS (46D Shortages) -- IMOUT, BEATSME, NOSIREE, this NOTER is ATANEND -- TH-TH-TH-THAT'S ALL FOLKS!






















Puzzle available on the internet at






























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Britain's prime minister becomes patron of Zionist agency

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has agreed to become patron of the UK arm of the Jewish National Fund, whose funds have contributed to Israeli ethnic cleansing, the destruction of Palestinian villages and the expropriation of Palestinian land, and whose constitution requires it to promote and implement policies that discriminate against Israel's Arab population.

Gordon Brown has crossed a new threshold on the path to becoming a fully-fledged Zionist.

According to a report in the Jewish Chronicle, Gordon Brown has agreed to become a patron of the British arm of the Jewish National Fund (JNF UK) ?following an invitation from JNF UK President Gail Seal, who wrote conveying her good wishes the day after he took office?.

In a letter to Gail Seal, Gordon Brown said that he was ?delighted to accept your offer to become a patron of JNF UK?. A spokesman for Brown confirmed that the British prime minister had ?agreed to become a patron of JNF UK?, and that he had done so ?in order to encourage their work to promote charitable projects for everyone who lives in Israel?.

In fact, far from being ?a charity? that benefits ?everyone who lives in Israel?, the JNF is a principal tool of Israel's discriminatory system of land administration. Founded in 1901 to help establish a Jews-only state in the Arab country of Palestine, the JNF?s constitution requires it to benefit Jews exclusively. It therefore promotes and implements policies that discriminate against the Arab population of Israel.

The JNF is also guilty of ethnic cleansing, the destruction of Palestinian villages and the expropriation of Palestinian land. According to PalestineRemembered.com, in its operation in Israel, the JNF has

'expropriated illegally most of the land of 372 Palestinian villages which had been ethnically cleansed by Zionist forces in 1948. The owners of this land are over half the UN-registered Palestinian refugees. The JNF had actively participated in the physical destruction of many villages, in evacuating these villages of their inhabitants and in military operations to conquer these villages. Today, the JNF controls over 2500 sq. km of Palestinian land which it leases to Jews only. It also planted 100 parks on Palestinian land.

In addition, the JNF has a long record of discrimination against Palestinian citizens of Israel as reported by the UN. The JNF also extends its operations by proxy or directly to the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank and Gaza. All this is in clear violation of international law and particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, which forbids the confiscation of property and settling the occupiers' citizens in occupied territories. Ethnic cleansing, expropriation of property and destruction of houses are war crimes. As well, use of tax-exempt donations in these activities violates the domestic law in many countries where JNF is domiciled.'


Since becoming prime minister at the end of June 2007, Gordon Brown has appointed several Israel apologists to key positions in the British government. He has also been at pain to stress his Christian Zionist credentials.

As patron of JNF UK, Gordon Brown will join a club that includes prominent British politicians and religious figures who, on the one hand, speak of the need for peace and justice in the Middle East while, on the other, promote and defend the racist Jews-only state of Israel. They include Tony Blair, Conservative leader David Cameron and Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, who is said to be a close friend of Brown.

Source: http://www.wakeupfromyourslumber.com/node/2722

Palestine zionist Movement (PzM)

The leader of the Palestine zionist Movement (PzM) is the former President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas. In recent history we have seen certain 'leaders' of the Palestinians not always act in the best interests of their nation, we have seen millions of dollars belonging to the people misappropriated. But never before have we seen a 'leadership' sell out that nation to the enemy as is happening today in the West Bank of the Occupied Territories.

The following two short articles taken from the site of the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) says it all.... The 'PzM' works like any other zionist movement, they even have a LOBBY working in their interests at the United Nations via the Fatah-led delegation there... read the following to see (must read as well.)

Licence to kill

The four men in traditional Arab garb didn't attract the attention of Ahmed Khalil, 27, when he drew near his farm not far from the town of Beit Hanun in northern Gaza. They looked like the vegetable merchants who usually come to buy produce in the early hours of the day. But as soon as they approached, two of them fired at his head with pistols equipped with silencers. He died immediately.

The four men, disguised as Palestinians, were members of the most recent death squad formed by the Israeli government in Gaza to eliminate Palestinian fighters. The four thought that Khalil was a member of the resistance movement on his way to carry out an operation against an Israeli target, Israeli military sources later said. The Southern Zone Command of the Israeli army said that the death squad was formed on instructions of the Israeli mini-cabinet, which urged the army chiefs of staff to take more aggressive action against the resistance in Gaza, so as to end the firing of local-made rockets at Israeli settlements. Al Ahram

07.28.07 -- LINKS


ROOTOUT (55A Expose and destroy) -- Illustration: Device to Root Out Evil (1997) by Dennis Oppenheim --
Galvanized structural steel, anodized perforated aluminum, transparent red Venetian glass, concrete foundations

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Saturday, July 28, 2007

Puzzle by Manny Nosowsky, edited by Will Shortz

Four seven-across/seven-down squares linked by a passage with the letter “O” as a radiant for the entries and for four black-square crosses boldly eliciting the symbol for Christianity, this dense crossword puzzle construction is a formidable achievement visually and in wordplay; however, it does not render itself any less or more than the standard end-of-the-week Saturday stumper, and yet, there is no question that it is a paragon of symmetry.



EOSIN (35A Red stain in a lab) -- Illustration: Histopathology of bladder shows eggs of Schistosoma haematobium surrounded by intense infiltrates of eosinophils

Across:

1 Claimed as one’s own; 8 Paper binder; 15. Sandlot game; 16. Draft pick; 17. Looking ragged; 18 Lined with trees; 19 Rock guitarist born David Evans; 20 Mike Brady of “The Brady Bunch,” e.g.; 21 Half a nursery-rhyme spider’s description: Var.; 22 Longtime “What’s My Line?” panelist; 23 Go jump in the lake!”; 25 Begin, as an enterprise; 26 1947 semi-documentary-style crime drama; 27 Aces; 29 Communist federation: Abbr.; 30; Common site of archaeological remains; 31 They mean nothing; 35 Red stain in a lab; 37 Dance in a pit; 41 Running wild; 43 “Its true!”; 45 Carrying on; 46 First name in electrical engineering; 47 Run-in; 49 Made happy; 50 Bigger and stronger; 51 Class struggles?; 52 Sanctions; 53; Pro performer; 54 Others; 55 Expose and destroy


ELGIN (25D The _____ Marbles) -- Illustration: Lapith fighting a Centaur; detail of a metope from the Parthenon at Athens; one of the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum

Down:

1 Guiness Book weather record category; 2 Former home of the N.F.L.’s Rams; 3 Cooling-off period; 4 Spoils; 5 Immobile in winter; 6 Not wait for an invitation; 7 Eye sore; 8 Bath and others; 9 Carnegie Mellon athletes; 10King of Belgium; 11 Races; 12 Pantries; 13 “_______ and Franklin,” 1976 biopic; 14 Makes flush; 24 Drum accompanying a pipe; 25 The _____ Marbles; 28 Island said to be the home of Homer’s tomb; 31 “Again?!”; 32 With no time to lose; 33 Celebrity chef; 34 Scoundrel; 35 Young members of a convocation' 36 Melville’s Ishmael, e.g.; 37 Comes through successfully; 38 Bristol Cream ingredient; 39 Guide feature? 40 Control tower equipment; 42 Purrer; 44 Links with; 48 Once, long ago; 49 Woodwind instrument: Abbr.

Puzzle available on the internet at







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