Thursday, May 5, 2011

Ranks of the Jobless Still Rising






Posted on May 5, 2011
Mr. Fish / Will Hope for Work
Recovery? What recovery? The number of Americans filing for new unemployment benefits rose to the highest number in eight months, a sign that nearly half a million people have lost their jobs since last summer —YL
Reuters:
While the surprise jump in initial claims for unemployment benefits was blamed on factors ranging from spring break layoffs to the introduction of an emergency benefits program, economists said it corroborated reports this week indicating a loss of momentum in job creation.
New claims for state jobless benefits rose 43,000 to 474,000, the highest since mid-August, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Economists had expected claims to fall.
One factor that likely helped push claims up and that could prove lingering were auto layoffs brought about by supply disruptions from Japan’s earthquake and tsunami.
A second report showed nonfarm productivity increased at a 1.6 percent annual rate in the first three months of the year, braking from a 2.9 percent pace in the fourth quarter.
“We do not think that the entire rise in claims over the last month can be explained by special factors alone,” said Harm Bandholz, chief U.S. economist at UniCredit Research in New York. “It seems instead as if the improvement in the labor market slowed a bit.”

Breaking News: Photos from the Bin Laden Compound


05-04-2011  •  Reuters 
Photographs acquired by Reuters and taken about an hour after the U.S. assault on Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad in Pakistan show three dead men lying in pools of blood, but no weapons.
The photos, taken by a Pakistani security official who entered the compound after the early morning raid on Monday, show two men dressed in traditional Pakistani garb and one in a t-shirt, with blood streaming from their ears, noses and mouths.
 
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Reported by Powell Gammill

N.J. court to allow Carl Lewis' name on primary ballots until case solved

 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — New Jersey's Supreme Court says it won't halt the printing of Democratic primary ballots as former Olympic star Carl Lewis tries to get permission to run for the state Senate.

The court announced Wednesday that it would not take emergency action on the Lewis case.
Also Wednesday, the nine-time Olympic gold medalist went before a federal appeals court to try to get on next month's ballot.

The state's Republican lieutenant governor — who also serves as secretary of state — declared last week that Lewis is not eligible to run because he hasn't been a resident for the past four years.

Lewis is going to different courts to argue that he meets the residency requirement and that the rule violates the Constitution.

Stupid Is As Stupid Does: Kill An Unarmed Osama, Then Interrogate His Wife


05-04-2011  •  EconomicPolicyJournal.com 
 
The Daily Mail reports: The wife [of bin Laden] is now said to be at the centre of a diplomatic custody battle because the US wants to interrogate her but has been rejected by Pakistan. Why would you kill an unarmed Osama and then battle over interrogating his wife? In time, this will look like a poorly thought out operation. The US just killed the guy who could provide the most information on Al Qaeda. As for interrogating the wife, the US just wants to shut her up--and they have to be really concerned about the 12 year old daughter. If the daughter gets into the hands of anti-US elements, she will be all over the web with her version of what went down--with real tears, not Hill & Knowlton orchestrated phony tears . A snatch & grab operation appears to be something that could have been pulled off. Obama's decision to takeout Osama will ultimately be viewed as a very poor decision and the burial at sea as absurd. This is not a long-term win for Obama. 
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Reported by Jack Gregson

Raid Materials Show bin Laden Still Had a Hand in Strategy

By Allan Lengel
 
WASHINGTON — Materials seized during the raid in Pakistan over the weekend may provide insights into  al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden — and then some.
USA Today reports that some materials seized during the Pakistan raid suggests bin Laden still had a hand in providing strategic guidance terrorists. The paper cited an unnamed government source.

“The official, who declined to be identified because the person is not authorized to speak publicly, said the material contained on about five computers, 100 remote electronic storage devices, such as flash drives, and 10 hard drives is one of the ‘most significant in the history of the war on terror’.”

The paper reported that an initial review of materials “has produced some potential threat information.”

The 1980s mujahideen, the Taliban and the shifting idea of jihad: This isn't Jihad




The 1980s mujahideen, the Taliban and the shifting idea of jihad It is not Jihad it is Islam hijacked just like we have with perverted Christianity on our side.

Letter written by Noman Benotman, a former commander in the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group who fought beside Osama against Russia! He wrote this 8 months ago but you have to read what a real lover of Islam feels about the betrayal and dishonor Bin Laden has brought to his people and Islam.

The terrorist who said no to Bin Laden:You have lost your way! You are messing around with the DNA of Islam itself. I was impressed when I saw this interview on TV. It is obvious this man was a key high level player before 9/11 and was in on the meeting running up to it. This discussion was about an open letter written by Noman Benotman, a former commander in the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) and a former associate of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri.

In al Qaeda strategy meetings in Kandahar in 2000, Benotman warned the al-Qaeda leadership of ‘total failure' to realize their aims and called on bin Laden and al-Zawahiri to abandon violence. As you know they did not and he is out for good reason. He was at the high level meeting running up to 9/11, the Davos or terrorism and said no to Osama you will be defeated, this is not about Islam this is not Jihad.

He comes out now and says no this must stop. We are not winning and I was right. We have betrayed Islam. We are killing the very people and cause we were supposed to be fighting for. Knowing our response to past attacks they thought our response would be 200 missiles or so, so they took the chance. Needless to say they did more damage and killed more people than they thought they would and this is just beginning unless the Islamists quit because we must fight for our lives.

Noman Benotman loves and respects Bin Laden but like Al Zawahiri Al Qaeda number two he does not think Bin Laden is very smart. However, he does not have to be. He got this so called Jihad going and has incited the Islamist rancor he intended. whether he's Dead or alive the battle on. For Islamists this has taken on a life of its own. If indeed Bin Laden is alive as we are led to believe, only he can stop this. In reality he is the greatest enemy of his people.

Bin Laden is solely responsible for all this war death and destruction. He's no frigging hero to Muslims. They should hunt him down themselves and end this! Noman considered himself a freedom fighter and he was. He fought alongside Bin Laden against the Russians but said these wars have nothing to do with Islam. It is purely political and it is time to lay down arms, 100% and end all this senseless violence.

We know this but Noman says Al Qaeda and now Islamists of all stripes offers meaning to those who have none and gives them a cause but has nothing to do with Islam or Jihad. This all boils down to communications and I agree but Islamists are not interested in communicating. They are interested in our destruction. violence is their communication.

Osama stop bring shame on Islam. Stop killing your own people. Stop bring death and destruction on them. You forsook Mullah Omar who invited you into Afghanistan to give you protection. Bin Laden used Afghanistan for his own personal war against the west, the US, and Israel. This is not Islam , this is not Jihad. Restore Muslim integrity, end this now!
An Open Letter to Osama bin Laden -- by Noman Benotman

* Osama Bin Laden is now dead, he has betrayed Islam and defamed and betrayed Muslims and their religion. His personal vendetta against the west will continue fueled by his death and fought by extremists who have nothing else to do. Fighting the west gives them a purpose. If it is to stop Islam must step up and police itself.

James Joiner
Gardner, Ma
http://anaverageamericanpatriot.blogspot.com

This "Dead Osama Bin Laden" Photo Is Floating Around [AND IT'S PROBABLY FAKE]

Courtesy of TPM:

Once President Obama announced that Osama bin Laden had been killed by U.S. forces on Sunday, it didn't take long for fake photographs of the terrorist leader's corpse to start circulating. Websites and newspapers fell for them. And so did, apparently, U.S. senators.

Three senators who claimed to have seen a photograph of bin Laden's post-mortem are now backtracking, or flat out admitting that they were duped.

One of the senators is a key decision-maker on national security issues. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), the vice chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, said earlier today that he had seen a photo of a slain bin Laden, describing it in some detail without casting any doubt on its authenticity. But sure enough, he now admits he saw a fake.

"I was shown a picture -- it looked like a picture of bin Laden," Chambliss told TPM. "It appeared to be accurate but it was not."

Chambliss said the photo was electronic and someone -- not a senator or government official -- had shown it to him, but he declined to elaborate.

Jesus, Saxby Chambliss is on the Senate Intelligence Committee, you would think he could tell when he was looking at a fake. Guess not.

You know this means that many of YOU are far more intelligent than some of our Senators, since you were all telling each other both yesterday and today that those photos were fake. 

Go ahead.  Give yourselves those pats on the back. You deserve it.

If you click here you an see how the image was faked.

And of course this is just another indication as to why it was a smart move for the White House to decide against releasing the REAL pictures of the dead Bin Laden. No telling what certain photoshop dabblers would have done with THOSE images.

Pakistani Military Investigates How Bin Laden Was Able to Hide in Plain View

By CARLOTTA GALL
NYT

ABBOTTABAD, Pakistan — The Pakistani military has taken charge of investigations into the circumstances that allowed Osama bin Laden to reside quietly in a three-story house on the edge of this town, officials here said. Military intelligence investigators returned to the house on Wednesday and spent most of the day working inside the compound, while the army and the police barred journalists and others from approaching the area.

The intelligence agencies have detained at least 11 people for questioning, including an immediate neighbor who once worked with the family and the construction manager who built the house, Pakistani news organizations reported.

They have also taken into custody the bodies of four people killed when an American Navy Seals team made an air assault on the house early Monday.

Three women and nine children found in the house after the raid are also in the custody of the intelligence services, Pakistani security officials said. At least two are related to Bin Laden, one security official said: a 12- or 13-year-old daughter and his wife, who was shot in the leg but has received hospital care and is out of danger. He spoke on the condition of anonymity in accordance with the rules of his agency.

(More here.)
posted by TM