Memorial Day Weekend 2011

While so many Americans are busy enjoying the weather, grilling and barbequing or watching major sporting events, we should remember what Memorial Day is all about.

All gave some. Some gave all.

Remember those who fought in defense of the nation and those who made the supreme sacrifice. Words cannot fully explain what these men and women have left behind - both in terms of the loss to their family and friends, and what a grateful nation has gained from defending the freedoms that many still take for granted despite being born from the blood, sweat, and tears of these men and women.



Taken at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial 3/2005.


Iwo Jima Memorial at night. Taken March 2005.

I've posted a number of clips showing some of our nation's finest soldiers, sailors, and Marines doing precision maneuvers that they are best known for.



The US Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon



The US Navy Blue Angels



The US Air Force Thunderbirds



The US Army Silent Drill Team

So, while many of us sit back and enjoy the barbecues, the Indy 500, and other sporting events, take a few moments to remember all those who served and made it possible.



US Coast Guard Drill Team in Times Square 2011.

Trying To Salvage Peace Process Means Heading Off Palestinian Calls For Statehood at UN

President Barack Obama and Israel are facing a September deadline. They have to convince the Palestinians that declaring statehood at the United Nations in September would be a train wreck of the worst kind. Yet, the Palestinians are increasingly likely to make that declaration and throw what's left of the "peace process" under the bus. That assessment comes from former Middle East envoy George Mitchell:

"The United Nations does not have the authority to recognize states," Mitchell said. Recognition of a state, especially if passed by an overwhelming margin at the UN, would be "very harmful for Israel, for the United States, and not good for the peace process."

The United States has consistently expressed the opinion that bringing the issue of a Palestinian state to the UN is harmful to the peace process with Israel. Despite this, several countries, have already granted recognition to an independent Palestinian state of their own accord.

In a recent meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned against unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, saying "We do not think that unilateral steps are helpful."

The way the Middle East conflict is going to end, Mitchell said is "by an agreement in which the United States plays an active and substantive role but an agreement that will be owned by, be the property of, and be the result of negotiation by Israelis and Palestinians."

The envoy also spoke about the recent reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah, saying "obviously we hope that Abbas and the Fatah Party will win the election, not Hamas."

Mitchell should know better than most that the Palestinians will more than likely vote along the same lines as the last elections held - Hamas wins Gaza and parts of the West Bank, while Fatah wins elsewhere. Hamas would likely repeat its totals, and again throw the "peace process" into turmoil since Hamas refuses to accept Israel's very existence, which is a necessary condition for any talks between Israel and the Palestinians to be worth more than the paper they're printed upon.

While it's worth noting that other countries are backing the US on seeing that the peace process continue via direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians, no one should hold any parties just yet - Hamas and Fatah continue to reject Israel's existence and any talk of a 2-state solution can't occur until such time when Hamas and Fatah - the elected representatives of the Palestinian people, accept Israel's right to exist.

It seems that every other day Hamas or Fatah spokeshacks declare their intentions to seek liberation of all Palestine and seek Israel's demise. They aren't hiding their intentions, but the diplomats continue working under the illusion that there is a framework for peace to be found.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gets in on the act too, complaining that peace will not come from speeches and polls. That's rather rich considering that he botched not one but two wars with terror groups - the Hizbullah War and the Operation Cast Lead. Instead of fighting both to defeat Hizbullah and Hamas when they lobbed thousands of rockets, mortars, and missiles at Israel, he took half measures and limited Israel's military efforts to dislodge the terrorists from their refuges. Failing to disrupt the terror networks gave the terror groups renewed hope that they could defeat Israel in the long run.

It's worth noting that Prime Minister Netenyahu essentially agreed with President Obama's calls for peace and painful concessions, but only after the Palestinians accept Israel's right to exist. There are no such statements forthcoming from the Palestinians, who hold on to the belief that they can wait out Israel and plot Israel's demise all while forcing Israel into making still more concessions without any reciprocation.

Then, there's the issue of what exactly would happen if the Palestinians declared independence in September? Well, it would mean the end of the peace process as it currently exists, and would then position the territories of Gaza and West Bank into a different category under international law. Gaza would be sovereign territory - and if terrorists launched attacks from Gaza into Israel, it would be a clear act of war to which Israel could respond with force. The situation in the West Bank is more complicated considering that it is carved up into areas of responsibility - A, B, and C zones that give Palestinians and Israelis different levels of control and authority. Jerusalem has been annexed by Israel, but the Palestinians refuse to accept that - or Israel's borders, so it would set the stage for yet another war.

There's no word on whether Palestinian leaders would keep their fellow Palestinians bottled up in refugee camps as they've done throughout Gaza and the West Bank, but that's what they've done to date and there's no reason to believe that they'd end the refugee camps until Israel ceases to exist. That's the ultimate goal under Palestinian demands for a right of return.

Fears of Civil War Reignite as Violence Flares Up In Sudan

Despite the vote calling for a partition of Sudan into a North and South Sudan, violence has flared up along the presumed border areas and refugees are once again streaming towards safer locales. Northern Sudanese forces, backing strongman Omar al-Bashir seized oil-producing areas in Abyei, an area claimed by both the North and South.

About 80,000 people have fled since the north Sudanese armed forces seized oil-producing Abyei almost a week ago, a southern official said, doubling previous estimates of the displaced.

"I saw the attackers ... I saw their guns. They were even bombing from the sky," Bol said beneath the baking sun in Turalei, about 130 km (80 miles) away from Abyei town. "I made it here with four of my children, but two are missing."

Both Sudan's mostly Muslim north, and the south, where most follow Christian and traditional beliefs, claim Abyei -- a battleground in a north-south civil war that ended in 2005.

The north's move last week sparked an international outcry and raised fears a land-grab could return Sudan to full-blown conflict, which could have a devastating impact on the region by sending refugees back across borders and creating a failed state in the south.

The attack came at a highly sensitive time for Sudan, just seven weeks before south Sudan is due to secede as an independent country, taking its oil reserves with it.

Southerners voted for independence in a January referendum agreed under the 2005 peace deal that ended the last civil war.

Sharpe James Under Investigation For Misusing Campaign Funds

Sharpe James, the former mayor of Newark, New Jersey is under investigation once again. This time, it's for illegally using campaign funds to pay for his criminal defense team when he was convicted in 2008 on fraud and tax evasion charges. Such is the way of life for the Democrat who once was a Newark institution all to himself:

The new case, brought by the state’s Election Law Enforcement Commission, could force Mr. James and his onetime campaign treasurer, Cheryl Johnson, to repay the campaign money, pay $30,000 in penalties and reimburse the state for its costs in the case. The suit was filed on Wednesday in Superior Court here.

In 2006, Mr. James opted not to run for re-election after 20 years as mayor. But he had raised money for a possible campaign; the commission said his campaign account still had $744,201.07 as of last month.

In its suit, the commission said that in the months after Mr. James left office, Ms. Johnson called it twice to ask whether he was allowed to use that money to pay defense lawyers. The commission contends that after the second call, one of its officials advised Ms. Johnson that the campaign committee needed to seek a formal advisory opinion from the commission.

The suit says that neither the “defendants, nor any of their representatives, ever requested an advisory opinion.”

Calls to two of Mr. James’s lawyers on Thursday were not returned. A call to his home was not answered.

The commission publishes a compliance manual, which says that candidates and officeholders may pay lawyers with campaign contributions “when the need for legal representation arises directly from, and is related to, the campaign for public office or from the duties of holding public office,” but not when it is related to “personal or business affairs.”

The agency said five payments from Mr. James’s campaign account to his lawyers violated that rule.

It's not surprising that James would have broken this rule, just as surely as he broke numerous other rules during his time as Mayor of Newark. Despite the grinding poverty, he managed to hold on to a lavish lifestyle and helped out friends and confidants benefit from his corrupt methods.

James is now seeking to have that verdict overturned, claiming that a juror had not been truthful in pretrial questioning.

UPS Looking To Wring More Efficiency Out of Ubiquitous Brown Trucks

UPS is one of the world's largest delivery companies in the world and its transportation costs are significant. So, any move it can make to lower its energy costs is going to reap significant benefits for its bottom line. The company has recently called for it to use less energy and increase the efficiency of its delivery fleet.

To do so, it's going plastic.

Last year, UPS announced an ambitious goal: The company planned on increasing its package-delivery fleet fuel efficiency by 20% between a 2000 baseline and 2020. The obvious path to those goals is combination of hybrid electric vehicles and natural gas-powered trucks (both are technologies that the company is exploring). But UPS is also going for a more revolutionary solution: The shipping giant is testing plastic trucks that are supposedly both lighter and more fuel efficient than their sheet-aluminum counterparts.

According to UPS, the diesel trucks come with body panels made out of ABS plastic, which makes them 1,000 pounds lighter than standard trucks. This lightness--and the smaller engine it allows--makes the trucks 40% more fuel efficient, a feature that could save the company 84 million gallons of fuel each year if the technology becomes widespread.

Why isn't UPS ditching diesel altogether for more efficient alternatives? UPS does actually operate 1,900 alternative-fuel vehicles, but the company claims that their fuel systems aren't efficient enough for high-mileage routes. 

The cost savings will help deal with higher energy costs and improve the bottom line. Those kinds of moves are likely to be copied by other delivery companies, and that should help lead to a revolution in how energy costs are reduced. It may not lead to lower shipping costs, but it may prevent spikes in prices due to rising energy costs.

Some folks might wonder why we should make a big deal about a jump in mpg from 11 to 15 mpg (that's 40%). We get a much greater improvement when upgrading the worst performing vehicles and these vehicles put serious miles on annually. Every little bit helps - and in UPS's case, it's a whole lot of help.

Now, if long-haul shippers would only get on the bandwagon and implement more efficient designs for trucks and trailer rigs ahead of the EPA regs that are going into effect.

The savings adds up.

2011 Tornado Season Already One For the Record Books

While search crews continue looking for survivors from the deadly tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, the official death toll is 125 and 232 are still missing. It's the single deadliest tornado in decades, and it's left more than 900 injured.

This year has seen an unusually high number of tornadoes, with 1,168 as of May 22, compared to an average of about 671 by this time, according to Joshua Wurman, head of the Center for Severe Weather Research in Boulder, Colo.
The United States is on pace to break its record for deaths from tornadoes this season, the National Weather Service has said.

To put 2011 in historical perspective, the totals reflect a new record for most tornadoes in any month, when 875 occurred in April 2011. That smashed the previous April and monthly records by a wide margin in both cases - 267 and 542, respectively. The bulk of those April 2011 tornadoes occurred in two super-outbreaks.

It's also a reminder that while the tornado season continues through the Great Plains and traditional Tornado Alley, we're about to enter hurricane season, and the precautions that one should take to prepare for a tornado overlaps with the hurricane precautions, including setting aside a go-bag and setting aside key valuables and items in case of emergency.

Mets Ownership Sells Minority Stake

Who's the lucky ones who are buying a minority stake in the New York Mets sports operation? It would be David Einhorn, who is president of Greenlight Capital Inc., who's buying a $200 million stake in the team.

Now they have the headache of dealing with majority owners Jeff and Fred Wilpon who are continuing to deal with the fallout from the Madoff Ponzi scheme and their poorly chosen comments slamming players on the team (even if the comments are largely accurate).

Yemen's Saleh Sits Tight As Death Toll Mounts

Despite multiple efforts to cajole Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down and accept a transition to a new government, Yemen remains racked by violence between Saleh's loyalists and opposition groups demanding his removal. Saleh is hardening his position, and the death toll is swiftly rising:

Mr. Saleh's tougher position represents a prickly challenge for the international community's resolve to keep the fragile nation from civil war and support Arab democracy movements in the Middle East.

At least 35 people died Wednesday in ferocious battles between pro- and antigovernment forces, the third day of fighting since Mr. Saleh refused to sign a deal brokered by Arab diplomats and supported by Washington that offered him and his family immunity in return for leaving power.

In an interview with the Reuters news agency, Mr. Saleh, who has led Yemen throughout its modern history, struck a defiant tone, saying he would make "no concessions" to his political opponents and that he wouldn't capitulate to the use of force against him. "The truth of the matter that everyone should understand is that we do not take foreign orders," he said. The political stalemate and violence was "an internal matter."

The clashes that have transformed parts of San'a into an urban war zone this week represent one of the worst-case scenarios for U.S. policy makers. The battles pit pro-government security forces under the command of Mr. Saleh's relatives that previously have received U.S. training and weapons and heavily armed tribesmen who switched loyalties away from the leader to the opposition that demands an end to his 33-year rule.

Loyalists are fighting with tribal groups backing a rival tribal leader. Saleh shows no sign of leaving anytime soon, and Sa'ana residents are fleeing the capital in light of the increasing violence.

Serbian War Crimes Fugitive Ratko Mladic Arrested

Serbian authorities have finally tracked down and arrested Serbian General Ratko Mladic who has been on the run since 1995 over his culpability in the slaughter of 8,000 Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica:

Serbian authorites arrested Gen. Ratko Mladic, Europe's most wanted war crimes fugitive, the country's president said Thursday.

Mladic has been on the run since 1995 when the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, indicted him for genocide in the slaughter of some 8,000 Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica and other crimes committed by his troops during Bosnia's 1992-95 war.

"On behalf of the Republic of Serbia we announce that Ratko Mladic has been arrested," President Boris Tadic told reporters. He said the arrest was made by the Serbian Security Intelligence Agency.

Mladic will be extradited from Serbia to the U.N. war crimes tribunal, he said. He did not specify when, but said "an extradition process is under way."

Going White

If you've ever looked at the rooftops of buildings or residential homes, more often than not you're going to find dark roofing materials, whether it is tar flat roofs or dark asphalt shingles. The dark colors retain heat, making cooling costs higher than they would otherwise be in the summertime.

New York City is urging building owners to go ahead and paint their rooftops white, which should bring down cooling costs considerably.

Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri set out to change that Wednesday morning, as he and his staff coated the roof of the seven-story building in a reflective white sealant. The special paint is designed to bounce the sun’s rays and reduce energy costs.

“If enough people do it, we’ll actually make a big difference,” LiMandri said when he took a break from painting the 22,500-square-foot roof.
Buildings Commissioner Paints Rooftop White to Cut AC CostsA painted section of the roof dried in the sun Wednesday morning, overlooking the Frank Gehry-designed Beekman Tower. (DNAinfo/Julie Shapiro)

In neighborhoods with lots of tar roofs, such as lower Manhattan, Long Island City and Greenpoint, the reflective paint could even reduce the temperature down on the street, LiMandri said.

The sealant costs 30 to 40 cents per square foot, and it could cut air-conditioning costs in half for single-story houses with flat roofs. Two-story houses could see a 25 percent reduction in cooling costs. The sealant also protects roofs and helps them last longer.

One downside of the reflective paint is that it slightly increases a building's heating cost in the winter, compared to a standard black tar roof. But that increase in cost is easily offset by the savings on air conditioning in the summer, a DOB spokeswoman said.

The city hopes to have 1 million square feet of rooftops coated by this fall.

While the heating costs may rise, the cooling cost savings should more than offset the higher winter costs (and as is often the case, the rooftops are covered in snow for portions of the winter in any event. This is hardly the first time that this has been proposed, President Obama's Energy Secretary has backed the idea, and I made sure that when we replaced our own roof, we opted for the lightest color available to take advantage of lower energy costs during the summer.

It's a relatively low cost change if you have an existing roof, but doesn't add to the costs if you're putting on a new roof. Yet, the cost savings could be considerable over the life of the roof, and it is likely to make for a more comfortable building and local environment.

Jared Loughner Found Not Competent To Stand Trial In Assassination Attempt on Rep. Giffords

Jared Lee Loughner, who attempted to murder Rep. Gabrielle Giffords at a Tucson, Arizona political rally, but succeeded in murdering a federal judge and five others while injuring several others, was found to be not competent to stand trial:

Mental health experts have concluded that Jared Loughner - the man accused of fatally shooting six people in January and gravely wounding Rep. Gabrielle Giffords - is not competent to stand trial, CBS News reported Wednesday.

Loughner, 22, faces a competency hearing Wednesday before U.S. District Court Judge Larry Burns in Tucson. Burns must rule on whether Loughner is capable of understanding the charges against him and assisting in his defense.

CBS said it spoke with Justice Department sources who said Loughner "will almost certainly be declared mentally unfit for trial." The issue of Loughner's competence to stand trial is separate, as a legal matter, from any effort he and his defense attorneys may make to argue that he was insane at the time of the Jan. 8 shooting in a Safeway supermarket parking lot.

In court filings last week, prosecutors and defense attorneys said they did not plan to dispute the findings of a Bureau of Prisons psychologist and an independent psychiatrist who examined Loughner, who has been in custody since the shooting. The court papers suggested that the mental health experts agreed with each other about Loughner's mental state, but the documents did not specify their conclusion.

A Justice Department spokeswoman declined Thursday to comment on Loughner's competence.

As the report notes, the competence to stand trial is separate from any defense team arguments that he was insane at the time of the January 8 shooting. It has to do with whether Loughner is capable of understanding the charges against him and assisting in his defense.

Loughner faces 49 felony counts in connection with the January shooting spree, which wounded Giffords (D-AZ), and killed U.S. District Court Judge John Roll, Giffords aide Gabriel Zimmerman and four others.

NASA Officially Ends Spirit Mars Mission

The mission that landed the rovers Spirit and Opportunity on the Martian surface was only supposed to last 90 days. Yet, both rovers were sending back useful information for more than 6 years although Spirit has been out of contact with controlled since March of last year. NASA has finally ended efforts to contact the probe, ending a mission that has witnessed more than 127,000 images sent back, along with geological details on rock samples taken along the rover's path.

Of course, Spirit lived a long and fruitful life on the Red Planet, something like 25 times longer than it was supposed to. Designed for a three month mission that began in 2004, Spirit logged more than six years on the job. During that time it beamed back 127,000 raw images of the Martian surface, including 16 color, 360-degree panoramas. It also drilled into 15 rock targets and scoured 92 more, gathering invaluable data on the planet’s geology.

Spirit also had a traveler’s soul, crossing the Columbia Hills and putting 4.8 miles on the odometer while crossing the Gusev Crater alone--part of it while driving backwards when one of its wheels ceased functioning in 2006. Martian winter after harsh Martian winter, Spirit returned to the job.

Cause of death: NASA engineers will likely never know for sure, but while Spirit survived the Martian winter three times previously, the most recent was particularly harsh, offering very little solar energy with which to run its survival heaters. As such, any number of critical systems could have been damaged by the cold. Engineers held out hope that the spring thaw might reawaken Spirit, but with no word yet NASA must reorient its Mars communications resources to support the upcoming launch of NASA’s next-gen rover, Curiosity (aka the Mars Science Laboratory), later this year.

Spirit ended up operating more than 25 longer than originally planned. Opportunity continues operating well beyond its original parameters and had driven many times beyond what was originally anticipated.

The durability of these tough little rovers has paved the way for a new generation of Mars exploration vehicles that will hopefully answer more questions about the Martian environment.

Of course, for those who are still of the belief that there are little green men on Mars, this is the alternative explanation for what happened to Spirit:


or:


or:



You know that NASA has done well when the success of these rovers is such that we can recycle their likenesses for humorous videos.

Indictment Expected In Edwards Campaign Finance Violations Case

The loathsome John Edwards will get his comeuppance as prosecutors are expected to indict the former Democratic presidential candidate over the misuse of campaign funds to cover up an affair with his mistress, Rielle Hunter, all while his wife Elizabeth was suffering a relapse of cancer that ultimately took her life.

The U.S. Department of Justice has given the thumb's up for prosecution of the ex-presidential candidate for allegedly violating campaign law while attempting to cover up his affair with mistress and baby mama Rielle Hunter.

Sources close to the investigation told ABC News that the government is gearing up to indict the former North Carolina senator, though a plea deal could be reached to avoid a lengthy, expensive and highly publicized trial.

Edwards, 57, a former golden boy of the Democratic Party, has been the subject of a two-year investigation into whether his political donors gave more than $1 million to Hunter, his campaign videographer, to hide the affair as he pursued a bid for the Oval Office.

The cash was allegedly paid by two key Edwards donors, Rachel "Bunny" Mellon and the politician's finance chairman, Fred Baron, who died in 2008.

Baron admitted to funneling the cash shortly before his death, but insisted Edwards had no idea of the back-door deal to hide Hunter from the press.

Edwards will surely try to cop a deal with prosecutors to avoid further public humiliation.

Making a Joke of the "Peace Process"

The idiotic coverage of the President's speech earlier this week, and then blowing the context of the speech and the response by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netenyahu have done nothing to resurrect a moribund and defunct "peace process". Fact is that Israel has not had a partner in peace in the Palestinians, even dating back to the signing of Oslo.

The Palestinian Authority has not been the partner in peace Israel was looking for and Palestinians still refuse to accept a key condition to any deal - accepting a 2-state solution with Israel as a Jewish state. Hamas refuses to accept Israel's very existence, and they're part and parcel of the Palestinian Authority.

That's why President Obama's latest statements show the farce that the entire process has become.

US President Barack Obama said Wednesday that a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was "more urgent than ever." He said that he was "confident" that there could be a Jewish state with "safe and secure" borders alongside a Palestinian state where Palestinians can "determine their fate and future."

Speaking alongside UK Prime Minister David Cameron at a press conference after the two privately met, Obama said that the Palestinians must understand that "they have obligations as well."

The US president said that the conflict rests on four central points: territorial boundaries, Israeli security, the Palestinian refugee issue, and Jerusalem. He said that the last two issues were "extraordinarily emotional" and would require "wrenching concessions."

He stressed that talks were necessary and that without negotiations, there would be no peace. He said that a UN resolution calling for an independent Palestinian state, if passed, would not create a viable Palestine and, in the end, would not "serve the Palestinians."

Obama acknowledged, however, that Hamas was not a partner for negotiations until it renounced violence and recognized Israel. He said Israelis have a right to be worried by the reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah, given that Hamas does not recognize Israel and has not renounced violence.

The US president also thanked Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for expressing his position, and making recommendations on how to restart the peace process.

Both the UK prime minister and US president expressed unity in supporting Israeli security, as well as a sovereign Palestinian state, in a jointly penned op-ed on Tuesday.

He warns that Hamas is no partner in peace, and yet Israel has to work with the Palestinian Authority. What a way to mangle reality. We have to turn a blind eye to the fact that Hamas is involved in the PA and get Israel to the negotiating table with groups that refuse to recognize Israel's right to exist.

At the same time, the Palestinians keep making the same demands that they've been making for years - an unlimited right of return that would swamp Israel demographically with millions of Palestinian "refugees" most of whom have never actually lived in the area from which Israel was created or which it later captured from Jordan, Syria, or Egypt.

What exactly is so urgent about forcing a peace deal? It is to provide a legacy achievement for any President who works through a deal, but is it actually in the interests of Israel to cut a peace deal that undermines its security? With the Palestinians steadfastly incapable of adhering to the Oslo requirements - including accepting a 2-state solution, we now have Mahmoud Abbas claiming that he's going to the United Nations in the fall to declare Palestinian independence when Oslo requires a negotiated statehood.

Abbas claims Netenyahu's speech shows that Israel is the stumbling block to a deal, but the reality is that the Palestinians view Israel's existence as the stumbling block - not settlements, not right of return. Eliminate Israel and voila - peace.

You want a breakthrough on a peace deal - how about the Palestinians giving up the right of return. How about them actually eliminating all references to an eternal struggle to destroy Israel in their charters (Hamas charter, PLO charter, and incorporated into everyday affairs such as maps that show Israel as being wiped out).

That's the crux of the Palestinian position, and it is in its most extreme form with Hamas. But Fatah, the PLO, and other Palestinians adhere to that line.

New Jersey Supreme Court Rules Christie Has To Cough Up $500 Million For Education; Money State Doesn't Have

Welcome to the wonderful world where plain meaning of statements in the state constitution can be misconstrued to the point that they no longer reflect the plain meaning or fiscal reality.

Such is the case today where the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that New Jersey is not providing a "thorough and efficient" education to its students despite spending more per student that practically any other state in the country. The state has to come up with another $500 million.

In a widely anticipated decision, the New Jersey Supreme Court ordered the state to spend an additional $500 million on public education in poor districts next year.

The complex decision does not boost funding statewide, as education advocates had requested, and may avoid creating a gaping hole in a proposed budget of $29.4 billion. The 3-2 ruling, however, revealed sharp disagreements among the five justices who heard the case and issued a total of four opinions.

Justices could have ordered up to $1.7 billion in additional statewide education spending. Today's ruling gives Gov. Chris Christie and lawmakers some room to maneuver as they work to balance the state's budget by July 1.

Christie had argued that the state's current fiscal woes made it impossible to spend the full amount required by the funding formula approved by the court in 2009.

Still, the majority opinion written by Associate Justice Jaynee LaVecchia said Christie's cuts to education spending have been "consequential and significant" and must be rolled back. She also wrote that the state, which had promised to fully fund the formula, cannot back away from it when funding poor districts.

Consider that the special master for the case found that the state was spending more than neighboring states, was spending more per student, regardless of the cuts, and was still pushing to have cuts restored is quite troubling. Judge Peter Doyne's decision conflicted with his own findings, and that's formed the factual basis for this decision.

The Court ended up issuing four separate opinions in a split 3-2 decision, and we should be thankful that they didn't demand that the state find $1.7 billion in additional spending, which is what it could have demanded. Justices took to sniping at each other, with the majority claiming that the minority was looking to nullify decisions they didn't agree with. Of course, the majority itself was engaging in a bit of nullification when it misconstrues the plain meaning of "thorough and efficient".

For those who simply aren't up to speed on the situation, the State Constitution, Art. VIII Section IV, states:

The Legislature shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of free public schools for the instruction of all the children in the State between the ages of five and eighteen years.

Nowhere in Doyne's decision, and now the Supreme Court decision, is a way to actually pay for the education spending requirements. New Jersey has repeatedly failed to provide a thorough and efficient system of public education precisely because of the court's interventions with Abbott districts and the legislative and executive branch attempts to circumvent those restrictions that have redistributed billions of dollars with little effect or signs of improved educational performance in low-income districts.
The state spending more and more money hasn't translated into thorough and efficient education. Forcing the state to spend even more wont result in a thorough and efficient education system.

Education funding in New Jersey is hardly thorough or efficient - and that translates into a poor education experience for students. Throwing more money at the system wont make it any more thorough or efficient.

What the Court has done is override the will of the Legislature and Executive to determine an adequate funding level. This is what the New Jersey Supreme Court has done on a repeated basis - including its asinine Abbott rulings.

The Governor's office hasn't yet issued a statement about the decision, but you know it's going to be a doozy about how the Court has overridden the will of voters and taxpayers who will have to shoulder the burden.

No matter how many times New Jersey courts attempt to inflict its will on education funding formulas in New Jersey, the end result is not improved education for the students. Somewhere in all this, that message keeps getting lost. Money is not the problem nor the answer here. Demanding that state taxpayers kick in another $500 million isn't going to result in improved student performance - it certainly hasn't done so with the billions spent to date under the prior Court mandates.

Expect the usual suspects to demand that Christie enact or otherwise renew a millionaire's tax to fund the court's mandate, or find other taxes to hike to cover these costs.

Supermodels Behaving Badly

Estella Warren in better times.

Supermodel Estella Warren, who has appeared in movies like the remake of the Planet of the Apes, was arrested in Los Angeles on suspected DUI charges after the car she was driving struck three parked cars:

The crazy incident occurred Monday night just before midnight. Cops say Warren was driving in L.A. when she struck 3 parked cars in her Toyota Prius. Warren drove away but cops spotted her and placed her under arrest for driving under the influence, though not before she resisted and kicked an officer.


Warren was taken to the police station in handcuffs, and during the booking process she managed to get out of her handcuffs and then run out the back door! Warren was quickly recaptured.

Warren is being booked for felony escape. We're told she will also be booked for assault, hit and run and DUI.

However bad that was, her situation is now a whole lot worse since she attempted to escape by slipping out of her handcuffs and attempting to flee the station.

Bail is set at $100,000, which means that her stay in lockup will be quite short pending trial.Those charges are quite serious and she wont be so lucky to avoid at least some time in jail.

Hosni Mubarak To Stand Trial Over Protester Deaths

This is going to serve as a warning to other dictators and despots and autocrats who have ruled Middle Eastern and North African countries with an iron fist for decades on end without the slightest care about political, religious, or economic freedom.

Hosni Mubarak will stand trial over the deaths of protesters.

Egypt's ex-President Hosni Mubarak will stand trial on charges of conspiring in the deadly shootings of protesters during the uprising that ousted him, the prosector-general said Tuesday.

The 83-year-old leader, his two sons and a close business associate also have been charged with abusing their power to amass wealth, the prosecutor-general's office said in a statement. A trial date has not yet been set.

The referral to trial is a key demand of many Egyptians who have rallied to insist that Mubarak and his aides face justice.

Mubarak stepped down on Feb. 11 and transferred power to the military after an 18-day popular uprising. At least 846 protesters were killed, according to a government fact-finding mission.

Since Mubarak's regime fell to the inspired protests, other regimes have come under intense pressure to step down, including in Syria and Libya. In those cases, Bashar al Assad and Mumar Khadafi are using brutal force to quell the protests and the situation in Libya got to the point where NATO has intervened on behalf of the protests and opposition groups that have effectively seized control over large parts of the country. Assad maintains an iron grip in Syria although his regime continues using deadly force at every opportunity to remain in power.

The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 139

Testing is now underway on the WTC Memorial's south reflecting pool. The north pool had been tested several months back.

Also, workers are continuing to plant trees in the memorial grove, and that portion of the site is now filling in with a canopy of lush green - a serious departure from the glum look the site has had for years as construction was underway.

Site work on the museum continues, including cladding the above ground portion in steel and glass.

Rudy Readying Run For President?

Rudy Giuliani ran one of the worst presidential primary campaigns in history when he opted for a strategy to skip the early Iowa and New Hampshire races to focus on Florida. It was a strategy, that if it had worked, would have marginalized those early primaries but it was a spectacular failure.

He could never recover and despite focusing on Florida couldn't even win that state.

Despite that record in presidential primary elections, Rudy's planning on running in 2012.

Rudy Giuliani is "very close to saying he's going to run" in 2012, according to Rep. Peter King.
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"If he were to make the decision today, he would run," said King, a friend of Giuliani and supporter of his campaign in 2008.

King's comments came during a dinner with reporters in Washington Monday, and were reported by the Washington Examiner.

The former New York mayor has been contemplating a presidential run in 2012 for some time.

I doubt he's going to repeat the 2008 strategy, but he's still facing an uphill battle.

The GOP is a whole lot more conservative than it was four years ago and Rudy is far more centrist than the GOP party faithful are willing to accept these days. So, while Rudy would be more likely to pick off independents and moderates from President Obama in a head-to-head race, he's got to convince right wingers, Tea Party types, and social conservatives that his policy options are what the GOP wants or needs.

I just don't see that happening.

Details Emerging on Port Newark Stowaway Case

The New York Post is providing additional details about the discovery of a stowaway, Asem Haroon, living in Port Newark for the past two weeks who may have ties to the Iraqi insurgency. Apparently, he was recently detained in Colombia, but the circumstances aren't clear.

Evidence suggests he "came here in January in a container or the bow of [an Italian] ship," King said of the bust, first revealed in The Post. "What I find concerning is . . . that he was in a secure portion of the port, left that facility and then got out of the secure part of the facility and went to a building outside of the secure area."

There's also evidence he'd "been detained in Colombia fairly recently," King said, although it's unclear why. The United States has fought against Colombian drug thugs for years.

So far, there isn't much clear about Asem Haroon's story except that he was found in living in a supposedly secured facility - Port Newark - by Port Authority police. Rep. Peter King is demanding a top to bottom review of security, and it also worth noting that funds for securing American ports is wholly insufficient for the task of guarding against stowaways or uncovering smuggled contraband, including arms and materials for terrorists to use in attacks.

Haroon's arrest comes following revelations about intel gathered in the Osama bin Laden raid that suggested that al Qaeda was interested in carrying out mass casualty attacks by blowing up oil tankers, refineries, and Port Newark is situated close to both.

Haroon is in ICE custody.

Chrylser Refinancing Debt; Paying Off Federal Loans

Chrysler, the once moribund and bankrupt third wheel of American automakers, is about to repay its federal loan obligations. It isn't paying them off with cash, but rather through refinancing its existing obligations.

Currently, the federal loan is pegged at 12% interest, and the refinancing/reorganization of its debt would end up giving the company a 6% interest rate. It's in the company's interest to reduce its interest rates, and shedding the government loan is a big part of that cost savings.

However, make no doubt about this - Chrysler/Fiat is still in trouble and it isn't paying off the debt completely; it's simply eliminating the federal loan in favor of cheaper loans in the private market. The move will apparently save $300 million annually in interest payments.

Marchionne has said that Chrysler is eager to pay back its loans in part because of the governments' high interest rates of around 12 percent, which cost the company $1.2 billion last year.

To pay back the loans, Chrysler is issuing $3.2 billion in bonds and taking out $4.3 billion in bank loans. It also will use a $1.3 billion investment from Italian automaker Fiat SpA. In exchange, Fiat will increase its ownership stake in Chrysler to 46 percent.

Under that refinancing deal, Chrysler's interest rates will fall to around 6 percent. That will boost the bottom line at the company. It reported a $116 million profit — its first quarterly profit since its 2009 bankruptcy — in the first quarter.

The company still owes the U.S. government $2 billion. The government could get some of that back by selling its 8.6 percent stake in Chrysler.

The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 138

Work around Ground Zero continues, and while much of the attention is rightfully focused on the 9/11 Memorial and 1WTC, the second tower at Ground Zero is starting to get clad in glass. The glass is starting on the northeast corner:

Glass going up at 4WTC

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4WTC showing the basement levels and glass going up on the lower right corner.

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Jason Segal's Muppets Hits Screens With Trailer

It's a love story. It's about hopeless romantics.

It's starring the Muppets (HT: Mrs. Lawhawk)?



Jason Segal is hoping to reboot the franchise, and this looks like at least a credible attempt. The Muppets, now owned by Disney, have been making something of a comeback via YouTube, but this will be their first movie venture in a decade (Muppets in Space).

This is one of those YouTube videos that became viral - Bohemian Rhapsody style:

The DSK Watch Watch

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is currently living at 71 Broadway where he is under house arrest while awaiting trial in the alleged rape of a housemaid at the swanky Sofitel hotel in Midtown.

The scene out in front of the building is one where major new outlets have set up shop and police across the street are trying to keep the situation manageable.

Media outlets covering DSK at 71 Broadway

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Even with the falling rain, there's a notable crowd that has formed hoping to take pictures of the media outlets that have swarmed.

The Lower Manhattan address is just steps from Wall Street and Trinity Church.

UPDATE:
Bad news for Strauss-Kahn. A DNA match has been made for samples taken from the alleged victim's shirt.

Two people familiar with the investigation told the Associated Press on Monday evening that DNA tests on the housekeeper’s shirt matched that of Strauss-Kahn. His attorney, Benjamin Brafman, declined to comment. The NYPD also denied sharing any such information with French authorities.

Fred Wilpon Is a Schmuck

Fred Wilpon is once again making waves today (HT: anonymous emailer). Wilpon and his son Jeff have been under fire for his ongoing and close relationship to Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff, and the Mets organization may not have sufficient funds to pay the bills. The Wilpons have been looking to sell a minority stake in the team, but today Wilpon decided to take pot shots at some of his marquee players.

Specifically, he rips into Jose Reyes, David Wright, and Carlos Beltran.

On right fielder Carlos Beltran, Wilpon mentions Beltran's huge postseason with the Houston Astros in 2004 and says, referring to himself: "We had some schmuck in New York who paid him based on that one series. He's 65 to 70 percent of what he was."

That's right. Wilpon paid crazy money for a guy who has never lived up to that one playoff series. Wilpon is the schmuck who paid out that deal.

Then, Wilpon goes after David Wright, who is currently nursing a stress fracture in his back, claiming he's a nice player but not a superstar. If there's anyone on the team who doesn't deserve to be bashed, it's Wright. He's played hard from day one and is a class act. Kicking Wright while he's down is no way to act.

He then savages Jose Reyes over his upcoming contract talks, claiming that Reyes will seek Carl Crawford type money. Well, on that front Wilpon's probably right. Reyes doesn't deserve Crawford-type money (7 years, $140 million). Crawford probably doesn't deserve that kind of money and I'm no fan of those kinds of long term deals because the players all too frequently can't live up to the expectations of those deals and injuries can curtail production. In Reyes' case, he's had an injury prone career to date, and he always seems to be one or two at bats away from being back on the DL for another assorted injury.

UPDATE:
The quotes are from a much larger piece in The New Yorker.

Port Newark Security Breached By Stowaway With Ties To Iraq Insurgency?

The New York Post is reporting on an odd situation at Port Newark. Security at the Port discovered Asem Ellbahnsany Haroon, 26, living within the secure port facility. Haroon claimed that he had stowed aboard an Italian freighter, and made his way to the US and had been camped out in Port Newark for several days.

Authorities are now scrambling to figure out how Haroon managed to elude border checkpoints at the port -- and they are also nervously wondering whether he came here with others who have yet to be caught.

Haroon was arrested Jan. 31 after Port Authority cops found him hunkered down near the waterfront inside a warehouse that has remained unoccupied for about a year.

When Haroon was found, it appeared he had been squatting inside for several days and had set up a makeshift camp.

"When I first saw him, he was so weak," a law-enforcement source said.

"But he might be a terrorist and possibly be a threat because none of the answers he gave ever made any sense."

Haroon told investigators that he was an Iraqi citizen who had arrived at Port Newark two weeks earlier on an unspecified Italian freighter.

It turns out he's an Egyptian who was once denied a visa to enter the United States. Federal authorities told a judge that Haroon "had fought as an insurgent against the American forces in Fallujah."

His name doesn't appear on terror watch lists and wasn't known to be on the radar of any intel agencies. It's not clear how the federal authorities know that he fought US forces in Fallujah though it's possible that Haroon admits to such activities.

What this situation shows is that port security isn't nearly as tight as it could be, and Haroon's intentions are anything but clear. Thus far, there are no other news reports picking up the story.


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Port Newark is an expansive stretch along the New Jersey waterfront along the Newark Bay and is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The facility handles all manner of cargo, including vehicles, chemicals, and is the principal container handling facility for the New York harbor.

Rapture Passes; Camping Follower Out $140,000 With No Misgivings

Harold Camping had predicted that the Rapture would take place on Saturday, and as I (and billions of others) expected, nothing happened.

That's great news for us, but bad news for the folks who swallowed Camping's nonsensical interpretation of Christian doctrine that notes that the end times would come but that we would not know when this would happen.

One New York area follower, Robert Fitzpatrick, spent $140,000 - his entire life savings - to plaster billboards and advertising space warning the masses about the upcoming Judgment Day (which didn't happen).

So, how exactly does Fitzpatrick feel about this? Well, surprisingly, he is in good spirits all while warning that we're not quite off the hook:

"Just because it didn't happen, people should not think they're off the hook," Fitzpatrick said yesterday as he caught up on chores he had put off until tomorrow because he thought there wouldn't be one.

Fitzpatrick said he has no regrets about spending his life savings, about $140,000, on subway and commuter-rail ads touting what turned out to be a dud prediction for Judgment Day.

"I did what I had to do," said the retired MTA engineer. "I still have a pension. I'm going to be OK."

Camping is expected to issue a statement about his missed prediction (for a second time).

It should come as no surprise that Camping will likely claim he erred in calculating the date and that he'll be issuing a new prediction soon.

Reports Claim Mullah Omar Killed; Taliban Deny Reports

Less than a month after the US successfully carried out a raid to kill Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, there are multiple reports claiming that Mullah Omar, one of the top Taliban leaders whose regime sheltered bin Laden in Afghanistan may have been killed.

The Afghan Taliban forcefully denied reports Monday that their leader is dead, dismissing them as "claims and rumors" from the "Kabul stooge regime's intelligence directorate."

Mullah Mohammed Omar "is alive and well and is leading the Mujahideen in all aspects while living safely with reliance on Allah," spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

His statement came after suggestions that Omar might have been killed recently.

A spokesman for Afghanistan's intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security, said Monday that Omar has disappeared in the past five days.

Lutfullah Mashal said he "hopes" Omar is dead but cannot confirm it.

"So far, we cannot confirm the death or killing of Mullah Omar officially. But we can confirm that he has been disappeared from his hideout in Quetta, Baluchistan" in Pakistan, he said.

"Our sources and senior Taliban members confirm that they can't contact him," Mashal said, adding that Omar had been living in Quetta for 10 years.

Taliban sources vociferously deny the reports.

It is interesting that the Pakistani sources claim that Omar was living in Quetta for the past decade. That's within spitting distance of the border with Afghanistan and the border provinces.

Pakistani Security Forces Finally Clear Pakistani Air Station of Taliban Terrorists

It took nearly 16 hours, but Pakistani security forces have once again secured PNS Mehran. Taliban terrorists infiltrated the base and managed to damage or destroy two of the P-3 Orion maritime surveillance aircraft and caused other damage.

Ten members of Pakistan’s security forces were killed along with four guerrillas, Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters in Karachi. The “terrorists were 20-22 years of age and wore Western clothes with suicide jackets beneath them,” Malik said. They were armed with rocket launchers and grenades, he said.

Pakistani Taliban had pledged to attack government and military installations after U.S. forces killed al-Qaeda leader bin Laden in a raid in Abbottabad, 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Islamabad, on May 2. The American raid exacerbated tensions between the two countries, as the U.S. questioned whether Pakistani officials had protected bin Laden and Pakistan protested the violation of its territory.

The insurgents in Karachi damaged surveillance aircraft provided by the U.S. in the biggest strike against a leading Pakistani military installation since a raid on the army’s Rawalpindi headquarters in October 2009.

“This attack shows that the Taliban have sympathizers and insiders in the security establishment,” said Talat Masood, a retired army lieutenant general and security analyst in Islamabad. “It also shows that they have become more powerful and sophisticated in their planning and attacks.”
Americans, Chinese

Six Americans, working as trainers and technicians, and 11 Chinese nationals were inside the base at the time of the attack, Malik said today, adding all were rescued early on. Two militants may have escaped, he said, putting at six the total number of guerrillas who could have participated, far fewer than claimed by the Taliban.

“Fifteen of our fighters entered the naval air base and we don’t expect them to return,” Ehsanullah Ehsan, a spokesman for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, said earlier by telephone from an undisclosed location. “They are there to kill. Our issue with Pakistan is its secular policies and friendship with America.”

Last night’s strike began with several explosions at the Mehran naval base around 11 p.m., followed by gunfire. Malik said that militants entered from the back of the base by cutting through wire, before attacking like “movie stars.”
Surveillance Role

Trucks carrying soldiers entered the base soon after. Black smoke rose into the air and dozens of ambulances waited outside the base.

Two P-3C Orions, a maritime surveillance aircraft, were targeted and damaged in the attack, Haq said. The U.S. handed over the aircraft to the Pakistan navy in April 2010 and said it will give a total of eight by 2012, according to the U.S. Central Command website.

The Taliban may have hit the navy station for its role in helping conduct surveillance against movements by militant groups along Pakistan’s coast, said Bahukutumbi Raman, an Indian security analyst and retired counter-terrorism chief of India’s main intelligence agency.

Pakistan’s naval air unit, including the U.S.-supplied Orion aircraft, has been providing “air surveillance to prevent any sea-borne intrusions of al-Qaeda and to detect any terrorist plans for attacks on ships bringing supplies for the NATO forces in Afghanistan,” Raman wrote in an e-mailed analysis.

The security forces had to clear all the base structures. 13 soldiers were killed, 14 injured, and at least 8 Taliban terrorists were killed. There is the possibility that at least some of the Taliban attackers may have escaped and there are discrepancies between the numbers the Taliban claims to have been involved in the attacks and those being reported by Pakistani news reports. At least some of the terrorists wore suicide vests.

Developing: Terrorists Target Pakistani Naval Base; Multiple Casualties Reported

A group of terrorists managed to infiltrate a Pakistani naval base, PNS Mehran, and at least 12-15 people have been killed. The base is headquarters for the Pakistani Naval Air Arm.


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The raiding terrorists managed to get on the base and have destroyed aircraft, including a Pakistani P-3 Orion (which is used for naval surveillance).

They also blew up a PC3 Orion aircraft in one of the most brazen attacks in years.

Pakistani security personnel are still battling with the militants holed up at the Pakistan Air Force's Faisal airbase which also houses PNS Mehran, the naval air station, the country's interior minister Rehman Malik said.

"I can confirm that security forces have killed six of the attackers while the rest are holed up in one building of the air station and are fighting a losing battle," Malik told Aaj television channel.

Malik said heavy contingents of special naval and military commandoes and other security forces have been rushed to the base to control the situation.

Earlier, officials of the Citizens Police Liaison Committee confirmed that at least four naval personnel were killed. While other officials said six persons were injured, including a foreigner.

A Pakistan Navy spokesman, meanwhile, confirmed that two naval officers were injured in the attack.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani reportedly spoke to the heads of all three armed forces asking them to take immediate action to control the situation.

The terrorists, numbering between 12 and 15, targeted PNS Mehran where some Chinese engineers were reportedly engaged in work within the Faisal airbase, at about 10.40 pm, sources said.

The armed men lobbed several grenades and exchanged heavy fire with security forces. The firing died out at about 11.30 pm but erupted again at midnight.

The militants apparently entered the Naval base and hangers through the Pakistan Air Force museum, a source said.

While Pakistani security forces attempt to flush out the terrorists and secure the base, the attack is another blight on the Pakistani security forces and intel services record coming just weeks after the US raid successfully killed Osama bin Laden.



The attack highlights serious gaps in Pakistani security, and one has to wonder if the Pakistani nuclear facilities, which are spread throughout the country are under even greater threat than had been considered previously.

The Pakistanis had originally gotten three of the Orions, but one crashed a few years back. Now, the Pakistanis have one left for naval surveillance.

Inexcusable Omissions at Indian Point

Indian Point nuclear power plant sits 40 miles north of the heart of New York City, and supplies a significant portion of the region's power. Yet, the plant lacks basic fire safety and security systems according to documentation obtained by New York Attorney General Eric Scheiderman.

The aging plant 24 miles from the city is missing basic smoke-eating tools, even as it sits on an earthquake fault and has suffered two fires since 2007.

Such safety shortcuts, approved for years by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, face new scrutiny in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that crippled the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuke plant.

Indian Point's two active reactors are divided into 275 fire zones, of which 198 lack automatic fire suppression systems, according to records that plant owner Entergy gave the NRC in 2009.

That means 72% of the facility lacks things like sprinklers and automatic deluge water sprays.

One vulnerable hot spot is the spent-fuel pool at Indian Point 3, where radioactive and superheated fuel rods are kept cool. A spent-fuel pool triggered Japan's nuke accident.

Records also show:
There are no manual fire suppression systems such as hydrants or fire extinguishers in 111 fire zones - 40% of the plant.

Fire detection systems common to most major office buildings such as smoke, heat or flame detectors are unavailable in 173 zones - 63% of the plant.

The data is contained in a little-noticed March 28 petition from Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to the NRC alleging that most of the plant's 275 fire zones violate minimum federal fire safety regulations.

"Indian Point's ongoing failure to comply with federal fire safety requirements is both reckless and unacceptable," he told The News.

The NRC approved the current status of fire safety in the 1980s, but in 2006 it told Entergy to justify in writing why it should keep the exemptions.

These kinds of basic fire safety and suppression systems have been mandated for years, but Entergy and the prior operators managed to convince the NRC (the federal nuclear watchdog) to grant exemptions to these rules. In some instances, the company claims that fire suppression requirements aren't necessary for some areas because they are concrete and not capable of burning.

While those areas shouldn't be able to burn, there is always the potential for emergencies that aren't anticipated, and having fire suppression systems and alarms available to detect such emergencies is a good idea.

Here's hoping that the NRC requires that Entergy impose these necessary safety upgrades with all due haste. While the likelihood of a major earthquake is quite low in the region, the power plant has suffered from several fires in recent years and notification systems for the surrounding region have also been found to be inadequate. The plant's safety and security systems should be updated as part of the recertification process and the company should be forced to assume the costs without passing the costs on to rate payers.

As we saw with Fukushima in Japan, the ability to protect the spent fuel pools and other critical areas from overheating is a major concern and the plant should be upgraded in accordance with lessons learned from that nuclear disaster.

Hamas Rejects Israel (Again) and US Efforts to Broker a Peace Deal

What Hamas knows is that President Obama's statements demanding the Palestinians accept a Jewish state of Israel is antithetical to Hamas' very reason for existing - to destroy Israel and to refuse a 2-state solution.

The Islamic terror group that holds control over Gaza and holds sway as part of the Palestinian Authority, saw the speech quite differently than media outlets that saw the President's comments about the border as more important. That, as always, was never an issue.

The border between Israel and her neighbors would be determined through future negotiations as per Oslo, but without a partner in peace that recognizes Israel and a 2-state solution, all talk about borders is asinine and premature to say the least. The Palestinians continue to refuse to accept Israel's right to exist, and Hamas just says it clearer than most.

Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan said that in light of Obama’s new speech, the PA should reconsider its position toward the peace process and increase efforts to achieve national unity.

“Obama’s speech is a disaster to all those who have been bidding on US policies and positions,” Radwan said. “We reject such statements which prove that the Americans are completely biased in favor of occupation at the expense of Palestinian rights.”

The Hamas spokesman strongly condemned the Obama Administration for “supporting the security of the Zionists and ignoring Palestinian rights.”

Radwan said that it has become obvious now that the Obama Administration is not talking about the 1967 lines or a Palestinian state. “What they are doing now is deception,” he said in reference to Obama’s speech at the AIPAC conference.

Another Hamas spokesman on Sunday also commented on Obama's speech saying it will not force Hamas to recognize Israel.

Obama explicitly referenced the need for Hamas to adhere to the Quartet principles after it recently entered into a Palestinian national unity government, whose formation he called “an enormous obstacle to peace.”

“No country can be expected to negotiate with a terrorist organization sworn to its destruction,” Obama said to cheers from the more than 10,000 AIPAC activists filling the massive convention center hall. “We will continue to demand that Hamas accept the basic responsibilities of peace, including recognizing Israel’s right to exist and rejecting violence and adhering to all existing agreements."

In response, spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri was quoted as saying by Ma'an that, "The US administration will fail, just as all others have in the past, in forcing Hamas to recognize the occupation," and that Obama's speech showed the US was "not a friend to the people of the region."

The Hamas spokesman added that Obama's continued support of Israel signaled that the US was biased, and would "support the occupation at the expense of the freedom of the Palestinian people," Ma'an quoted him as saying.

Hamas isn't merely talking about the West Bank; it's talking about the very existence of Israel on territory that Hamas believes part of a Palestinian state - all of the former Mandate territory. There is no bargaining here, and any diplomatic efforts to paper over this is doomed to failure.

The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 137

With the 9/11 Memorial set to be open to the public coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, isn't it interesting that no where in the plans was there a provision for restrooms for the expected throngs to make their way through the site?

It seems like a rather large oversight for the $508 million project, which is expecting millions of people to visit once it opens on September 11 this year. City Hall admits to the mistake, and adds that there are currently no plans to bring porta-potties to the site. As it stands, the closest bathrooms in the area are at the discount department store Century21, across the 16-acre plaza on Cortlandt Street. "Every time they have something for 9/11, we expect a crowd at our bathrooms. When President Obama visited, we had extra staff at the bathrooms to accommodate the crowd. We know we're going to have to make adjustments when they open the memorial," a store manager told the Post.

Memorial foundation board member Julie Menin said it was imperative that the memorial be open to the 10 year anniversary, but did say that bathroom facilities will be provided in the museum when it opens a year later. We're curious to see if Jon Stewart, who is also on the memorial foundation board, has any take on the oversight. But the Post does it pretty well with this zinger: "Two large reflecting pools and cascading waterfalls on the site are intended to create a serene environment for quiet contemplation of the lives lost during the terror attacks. They may also be a frustrating reminder there's nowhere to relieve oneself."

The closest public restrooms are either in the Century 21 on Church Street or within the World Financial Center.

Restrooms will eventually be provided at the site for the 9/11 Museum, which is expected to open a year from now.

Yemen's Saleh On Verge Of Signing Off On Transition Deal; Diplomats Cornered

After twice backing out of a planned transition to a new government, Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh is expected to sign off on a deal that would lead to a new government and Saleh's loyalists aren't happy. They're trying to hold up the deal by blocking diplomatic traffic and surrounding the UAE embassy in an attempt to thwart a deal:

Armed Yemeni government loyalists trapped Arab and Western diplomats inside an embassy on Sunday to block the signing of a political accord that would unseat President Ali Abdullah Saleh, witnesses said.

Saleh, a political survivor who has twice backed out of signing at the last minute, is under strong diplomatic pressure to seal the Gulf-brokered deal to end three months of protests against his rule.

The deal, if Saleh signs, would within a month make him the third Arab leader ousted by popular street protests this year. But a diplomat, speaking hours after Saleh was due to have signed, said chances of a signing were now looking slim.

"The issue of the ruling party signing is being complicated, and chances of finishing the deal are getting weak," a Gulf diplomat told Reuters in the Yemeni capital.

The deal would give Saleh immunity from prosecution, ensuring a dignified exit after nearly 33 years at the helm of the Arabian Peninsula state, located on a shipping lane through which three million barrels of oil pass every day.

Hundreds of armed Saleh loyalists rallied against the deal on Sunday, blocking main roads and preventing a Gulf mediator from heading to the presidential palace in Sanaa,.

Later they surrounded the United Arab Emirates embassy, witnesses said.

"We reject signing the Gulf initiative and the coup against legitimacy," some pro-Saleh demonstrators shouted from their cars over loudspeakers while others piled up stone barricades to block traffic.

Assad's Butcher's Bill

Bashar al Assad continues murdering his fellow Syrians in a bid to quell ongoing protests against his brutal regime. Assad's butcher's bill is closing in on 1,000; it's at least 900 and rising with each passing day.

The Syrian Observatory Human Rights said late Saturday that 12 anti-government protesters were killed by security forces earlier in the day.

The National Organization for Human Rights in Syria, NOHR-S, said most of those killed Saturday were in the northern province of Idlib and the central region of Homs.

Violence erupted Saturday when thousands who participated in funeral processions left the graveyard after burying some of the 44 victims killed by government security forces on Friday, CNN reported.

"We were chanting and praying for the martyrs and they just sprayed us with their bullets. I saw seven to eight people on the ground bleeding and moaning. I ran as fast as I could as bullets flew past us toward the fields and hid among the olive trees until another mourner saw me and helped me walk to the main road," one activist told CNN.

Add to that the nearly 10,000 who have been detained by the regime in an effort to stop the ongoing protests.

Funeral processions for those previously killed are themselves turned into killing fields by Assad's security forces.

Syrian forces killed 12 people in a funeral procession for anti-government activists, raising the two-day civilian death toll to at least 62, activists said.

The mourners were killed yesterday during the burial ceremony in Homs of 11 people killed the day before by security forces in the central city, Mahmoud Merhi, head of the Arab Organization for Human Rights said. At least one man was also killed by government forces during overnight raids on neighborhoods in the Damascus suburb of Sebqa, he said in a telephone interview.