Former minister Zahi Hawass compares Egypt's Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to pharaoh | World news | The Guardian

"In my opinion, Sisi is really Mentuhotep II," said Hawass. "You need to understand what happened 4,000 years ago to understand what is happening now."
In Hawass's view, the upheaval Egypt has experienced since 2011 mirrors the century of chaos that preceded Mentuhotep's accession to the Egyptian throne in 2046BC. Mentuhotep restored order to Egypt – much as Hawass argues Sisi is about to do today. "We need an elected officer – a strong man – to control the country. And in my opinion, Sisi is our only hope."

Read entire article:

Former minister Zahi Hawass compares Egypt's Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to pharaoh | World news | The Guardian

Why Saudi Arabia and the U.S. don’t see eye to eye in the Middle East | Ian Bremmer

Give credit to Vladimir Putin and his New York Times op-ed on Syria for sparking a new tactic for foreign leaders hoping to influence American public opinion. In recent weeks, Saudi Arabian political elites have followed Putin’s lead, using American outlets to express their distaste with the West’s foreign policy, particularly with regard to Syria and Iran. In comments to the Wall Street Journal, prominent Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal decried the United States for cutting a preliminary deal with Iran on its nuclear program without giving the Saudis a seat at the table, and for Washington’s unwillingness to oppose Assad in the wake of the atrocities he’s committed. Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Britain followed with an op-ed in the New York Times entitled “Saudi Arabia Will Go It Alone.” The Saudis are clearly upholding the vow made by intelligence chief Bandar bin Sultan back in October to undergo a “major shift” away from the United States.

In light of the recent actions of the Obama administration, many allies are also frustrated and confused, and even hedging their bets in reaction to the United States’ increasingly unpredictable foreign policy. But of all the disappointed countries, none is more so than Saudi Arabia — and with good reason. That’s because the two countries have shared interests historically — but not core values — and those interests have recently diverged.

http://blogs.reuters.com/ian-bremmer/2013/12/30/why-saudi-arabia-and-the-u-s-dont-see-eye-to-eye-in-the-middle-east/

Lobbyist Hired to Push Anti-Modi Resolution in Congress

 


The Indian American Muslim Council and the Coalition Against Genocide have hired a Washington, D.C. lobbying group to promote HR 417, a resolution that would deny a U.S. visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his alleged human rights violations.

Conversely, the Hindu American Foundation has launched an intensive campaign to oppose what it terms an “anti-India” measure, sponsored by Reps. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., and Joe Pitts, R-Penn. The legislation has amassed 22 supporters in the House. It must pass the House Judiciary Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee before coming to the full floor for a vote.

Introducing the bill in the House Nov. 18, Ellison and Pitts said India’s religious minorities have suffered numerous human rights violations, including massive riots in Gujarat in 2002, which reportedly killed 2,000 Muslims over three days. Human Rights Watch has labeled the violence a “pogrom” against Muslims.

The riots began after a train carrying Hindus on a pilgrimage was set on fire by a Muslim mob, which killed 59 Hindus.


Lobbyist Hired to Push Anti-Modi Resolution in Congress

Muslim Supremacist Groups Push Anti-India Resolution in Congress in the Cause of Jihad: Call Your Congressmen, Vote NO to HR 417 (anti-India) and 418 (anti-Myanmar) - Atlas Shrugs

Again Islamic supremacist groups and their leftist lapdogs are pushing pro-jihad legislation. Last week, I urged Atlas readers to call their Congressmen to vote NO on House Resolution 418, a Muslim resolution in support of the jihad in Burma (Myanmar). More on that here. I continue to urge defeat of this legislation.

Now Muslim Brotherhood Congressmam Hakim Muhammad (aka Keith Ellison) is trying to keep Indian Prime Ministerial candidate Chief Minister Narendra Modi out of the U.S. More Muslim supremacists trying to impose the vicious oppressive system of sharia here in America.

Muslim Supremacist Groups Push Anti-India Resolution in the Cause of Jihad: Call Your Congressmen, Vote NO to HR 417 (anti-India) and 418 (anti-Myanmar) - Atlas Shrugs

Egypt turns to business, civil society in Nile water dispute - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

(Isaiah 19)

Egypt turns to business, civil society in Nile water dispute - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

The world’s newest country is already on the brink of civil war. Here’s how it happened.

(Wars and rumors of war)

South Sudan

The world’s newest country is already on the brink of civil war. Here’s how it happened.

World Youth Chess Championships in UAE obliterate Israel, list Israeli players as from the nation "FIDE" (World Chess Federation) - Atlas Shrugs

 Robert Spencer has broken the story that in the UAE, the World Youth Chess Championships are listing Israeli players as from the country "FIDE" (World Chess Federation), and are using Islamized chess pieces (above). If the Jews win the tournament, there will be a worldwide terror alert! All free nations must go to Defcon 5 -- expect embassies to burn and millions to march and call for death to the Jews. The magic Islamic chess pieces will have lost their mojo -- Allah is not pleased. Allah may be akbar, but these chess pieces will have proved not to be.

World Youth Chess Championships in UAE obliterate Israel, list Israeli players as from the nation "FIDE" (World Chess Federation) - Atlas Shrugs

A Moment in Eternity | RZIM

 

In fact, as I write, I am in the largest Muslim country in the world, yet, everywhere there are Christmas decorations, the strains of Christmas carols in the malls and elevators, and the hotel staff wishing me a “Merry Christmas.”  It’s Christmas in Indonesia.  If you were in the UAE, Indonesia, even Syria, you would see the same thing and hear the same Christmas carols in the hotels and malls.  Ironically, on the news this very week is a story of a school in a town in Texas that sent a letter to parents of students informing them there was a ban on children wearing red or green for their “holiday party”; apparently, red and green “send the wrong message.”  This is incredible!  It actually took an action of the City Council to override this ludicrous prohibition.  Imagine such presumption!  It’s not enough to prohibit the message of Christmas; now it is forbidden even to wear the traditional colors associated with Christmas.  Undoubtedly, wearing red or green to school at Christmas violates the separation of church and state doctrine.  I’m surprised they have allowed traffic lights to function at Christmas.  Is the day far off when censors might wish to scan our brains as we enter a school in case we smuggle the “illicit” Christmas story past the main entrance?  Perhaps we’ll need two lines of detectors, one checking for weapons and the other for thoughts of Jesus’s birth.  This is the new America of tolerance, another vacuous word defined by relativists whose only absolutes are the denial of any other reality except their own.

I ponder, I wonder, I move from the emotions of strained credulity to recognizing that this is the logical outworking of atheism and the illusion of neutrality: when man becomes God, the body becomes the soul and time becomes eternity.  These are the challenges we face in our times.

A Moment in Eternity | RZIM

One World Religion: Pope Meets With Head of International Islamic Organization | Conservatives Against Tyranny

 (People forget Muslims practice taqiyya)

12/16/13. Pope Meets With Head of International Islamic Organization. Heather Clark, christiannews.net

The pope met with the head of an international Islamic organization on Friday, a meeting that was characterized as the first-ever for the group.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), sat down with Pope Francis at the Vatican in an effort to create dialogue between the Muslim and Roman Catholic worlds. A news release from OIC outlined that the presence of Muslims has increased in “historically Christian countries.”
“In this context, the discussions expressed the need for greater efforts to foster respect for religious pluralism and cultural diversity, and to counter the spread of bigotry and prejudices,” the group explained. “It was stressed that interreligious dialogue is a necessary condition for peace in the world, and as such it is a duty for adherents of all faith traditions.”
OIC also advised that Ihsanoglu discussed with the Pope “his vision regarding the need for a ‘historic reconciliation’ between Islam and Christianity based on the common Abrahamic roots and in order to support multiculturalism and harmonious societies.”
One World Religion: Pope Meets With Head of International Islamic Organization | Conservatives Against Tyranny

U.S. plan gives Jerusalem holy sites to Vatican

 

 EL AVIV – Secretary of State John Kerry quietly presented a U.S. plan for eastern Jerusalem that calls for an international administrative mandate to control holy sites in the area, according to informed Palestinian and Israeli diplomatic sources.

The exact composition of the international mandate is up for discussion, the sources said, but Kerry’s plan recommended a coalition that includes the Vatican, together with a group of Muslim countries such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

The international arrangement is being proposed as a temporary solution for about two to three years while security arrangements in Jerusalem between Israelis and Palestinians are finalized, said the sources.

Israel, the sources said, was not receptive to the particulars of Kerry’s plan, especially the concept of Turkish participation in Jerusalem. Kerry told the Israelis he would hold talks with the Kingdom of Jordan about its playing a leading role in the proposal in the place of Turkey, the sources added.
U.S. plan gives Jerusalem holy sites to Vatican

Report: Palestinians Reject Kerry Peace Plan | Washington Free Beacon

Secretary of State John Kerry’s Middle East peace plan appeared to unravel late last week after Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas rejected “most” of the key details, according to regional experts and media reports.

Kerry landed in Israel on Thursday for another round of talks between Palestinian and Israeli leaders as he pushes them to accept the parameters of a U.S.-backed security plan and interim agreement.
However, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reportedly rejected many key elements of the deal, claiming that it was too kind to Israel.
Report: Palestinians Reject Kerry Peace Plan | Washington Free Beacon

Kerry: Israeli-Palestinian peace deal still possible by April | JPost | Israel News

 

Kerry: Israeli-Palestinian peace deal still possible by April

By REUTERS

12/13/2013 16:12

US secretary of state meets with PM in J'lem to discuss advancing peace process; says Palestinian prisoner release set for Dec. 29.

Shrugging off gloomy predictions of failure, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday that Israelis and Palestinians remained committed to peace talks and were on course to wrap up a full deal by April.
 
READ MORE:

Kerry: Israeli-Palestinian peace deal still possible by April | JPost | Israel News

JPMorgan files patent for Bitcoin-style payment system - FT.com

JPMorgan Chase has filed a US patent application for a computerised payment system that resembles some aspects of Bitcoin, the controversial virtual currency.

Like Bitcoin, JPMorgan’s proposed system would allow people to make anonymous, electronic payments over the internet, without having to reveal their name or account numbers or pay a fee, according to the patent application. 

Read on:

JPMorgan files patent for Bitcoin-style payment system - FT.com

Gulf Nations Forge New Military Alliance

 
 by Jerry Robinson, 'Follow the Money'

Gulf Nations to Create Joint Military Command

• In recent years, the idea that Gulf countries should fully integrate with a European-style Union has been heavily promoted by the Saudis.
• Riyadh has called for an enhanced union with fellow Gulf Cooperation Council states Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which together account for 40 percent of the world’s oil reserves and a quarter of its natural gas.
• Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab neighbors wrapped up a summit meeting in Kuwait on Wednesday by agreeing to establish a joint military command, paving the way for tighter security coordination even as their regional rival Iran pursues outreach efforts in the wake of its interim nuclear deal.

Read on:

Gulf Nations Forge New Military Alliance

An Israeli Soldier to American Jews: Wake up! | Hen Mazzig | Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel

 (The march toward Armageddon)


This new form of bigotry against Israel has been called the “new anti-Semitism,” with “Israel” replacing “Jew” in traditional anti-Semitic imagery and canards, singling out and discriminating against the Jewish state, and denying the Jewish people alone the right to self-determination. The new anti-Semitism is packaged in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign (BDS), which claims to champion Palestinian rights though its real goal is to erode American support for Israel, discredit Jews who support Israel, and pave the way for eliminating the Jewish state. One of BDS’ central demands is the “complete right of return” for all the descendants of the original Palestinian refugees, subtle language that means the end of Israel as the Jewish homeland because it would turn Israel into a Palestinian-Arab majority state.
An Israeli Soldier to American Jews: Wake up! | Hen Mazzig | Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel

NROL-39 Logo Nothing Beyond Our Reach - Business Insider

 

US Spy Agency Boasts 'Nothing Is Beyond Our Reach' With New Logo

The National Reconnaissance Office launched a new satellite called NROL-39 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California late Thursday, but it's their mission logo that's getting much more interest.

The logo, featuring a massive octopus straddling the earth with its tentacles above the phrase "Nothing Is Beyond Our Reach" is probably not the best choice from a public-relations standpoint, in light of the many leaks about mass government surveillance from ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

 

NROL-39 Logo Nothing Beyond Our Reach - Business Insider

Nelson Mandela: Sinner or Saint?

 
(Some may object to this balanced article, but the proof of history will bear out the facts.  Check it for yourselves)

Without a doubt, Nelson Mandela was one of the towering figures of our times, a man who became a legend and cultural icon while still alive. Now that he is dead, his detractors are demonizing him while his followers are canonizing him.

Sen. Ted Cruz was quick to find this out after he issued a statement that Mandela would “live in history as an inspiration for defenders of liberty,” noting that “because of his epic fight against injustice, an entire nation is now free.” In response, some of Cruz’s followers wrote that Mandela was a “terrorist,” a “communist,” a “murderer” and more.

Who, then, was the real Nelson Mandela?

According to President Obama, “We have lost one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this earth.”

In the words of Bono, “Stubborn 'til the end for all the right reasons, it felt like he very nearly outstared his Maker. Today, finally, he blinked. And some of us cry, knowing our eyes were opened to so much because of him.”

According to U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, Mandela was “a hero of our time,” stating that “a great light has gone out in the world.”

But World Net Daily’s Joseph Farah urges us not to mourn for Mandela, writing, “He was a committed member of the South African Communist Party. He was a leader of the revolutionary African National Congress, which he helped to radicalize into an organization sworn to armed, violent attacks.”

And while he overthrew the evil system of apartheid, Farah says, “Mandela’s revolution brought about ... one in which anti-white racism is so strong today that a prominent genocide watchdog group has labeled the current situation a ‘precursor’ to the deliberate, systematic elimination of the race.”

In short, Farah argues, we have been sold a myth about Mandela (think Invictus), in support of which Farah quotes Sonia Hruska, “an early supporter of Mandela” who “worked in his administration.” Hruska states, “After about six years, I realized something serious is wrong; the communist elements are taking over; it’s not what we were promised.”


Nelson Mandela: Sinner or Saint?

Christmas in a Cold Prison - Kirk Cameron

 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer awoke December 25, 1943 on a hard wooden bed. It was the first of two Christmases he would spend sequestered in a Nazi prison.

This first Christmas would be celebrated in a lonely prison cell in a place called Tegel. He had been there for nine months, and he would be there for nine more until he was transferred to his final home, a Nazi concentration camp.

Christmas in a Cold Prison - Kirk Cameron

The ACLU sues to silence religions | New York Post

 
Maybe the American “Civil Liberties” Union should sue the pope. It certainly is the logic of the astounding case it just filed in federal court in Michigan against the US Conference of Catholic Bishops — for steering a Catholic hospital away from abortions.

Welcome to the next front in the war against religion. The target is members of the clergy themselves, for hewing to their religion. If the ACLU gets its way in Michigan, not only priests could be in legal jeopardy. Also rabbis, pastors and imams.

The case in Michigan is being brought by one Tamesha Means, whose pregnancy miscarried when in the second trimester. She’s now suing the bishops for negligence because a Catholic hospital failed to offer to send her to have an abortion.

The ACLU sues to silence religions | New York Post

Snow falling. In Australia. In summer. That is all | News.com.au

THURSDAY'S STORY
THIS is just the beginning. The really cold air and the really heavy snow is due later in the day, but snow is already falling today across the high country of New South Wales and Victoria.

And yes, it's December 5. The fifth day of summer. Your calendar is not wrong.

Snow is not a freak event in southern Australia in the warmer months. A small dusting usually appears on the higher parts of the Australian Alps at least once each summer.


Snow falling. In Australia. In summer. That is all | News.com.au