GazeboflossUK

Praying Muslims: Why Hasn't This Letter From Passenger On Flight 300 Been In The News? Monday, December 4, 2006 The following letter is from a woman who was a passenger on board the flight that removed the six Muslim men. I received it from a friend and reader. I have heard NOTHING about this letter. I did a google search and found only ONE other site that had published this letter... and only ONE article about it. Why haven't we heard anything about this letter? You will see that it was dated November 21. That's over 10 days ago!! When the MSM doesn't want you to know something, they can sure block it out. Let's make sure it gets some attention! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi Raye, I ran this through SNOPES and found nothing. FOX --------------------------------------- November 21, 2006 US Airways Airline To all news stations concerned: In reference to the removal of the six Muslim gentlemen from flight 300 at the Minneapolis –St. Paul airport last light, prior to the planes departure. I was a passenger on that flight, sitting in seat 5-E originally and later temporarily sitting in the front row of first class, while waiting for everyone to disembark the plane for a safety check. Having been on the plane, witnessed what transpired first hand and talked at great length with the first class steward regarding other facts, I am “ENRAGED” at the national AND local news reports I have seen this morning. The facts reported are incomplete and inaccurate. This event was immediately jumped on by their attorney, who told the American people on CNBC they need to get over 911, stop being paranoid about Muslums and he even threatened a huge law suit against US Airways for the discriminating and humiliating treatment of his clients. I am convinced this entire thing may have been done to intimidate not only US Airways, but all airlines and airports in order to get them to back off on their security efforts. This is only part of the real story. In defense of US Airways: They did a splendid job of handling the situation. No panic was created, we felt protected at all times. They did not make a knee jerk reaction as a result of one passenger passing them as note as reported by the media. Most importantly, the public needs to be told that there was a series of "many suspicious events”, which were observed by the crew and several passengers. The captain made his decision based on all of these events and not just one note. Their attorney is trying to turn this into a “right to pray in a public place issue” and it is not that at all. He is claiming they were removed from the plane for praying in public. And inferring it is wrong to discriminate against them for this. Claiming that we Americans don’t understand their religion and their need to pray everyday at specific times, he stated that WE need to be more tolerant of their religious beliefs. He (their attorney) made a statement trying to draw an analogy of the right to carry a bible or a rosary on a plane. This is nothing more than a smoke screen to make this a human rights issue and intimidate the airline industry. They were already claiming discrimination to Fox TV news when I got home from the airport. Something does not smell right here. This has all of the earmarks of a preplanned “set up” with their attorney all ready to go. I am sure their attorney has made a point of contacting all of you immediately, even last night, in order to get their slanted side of the story out first. Do not be fooled by this propaganda. You in the media have a moral responsibility to investigate all of the facts, not just statements you are fed by them. I would encourage you to interview the planes’ captain, the first class steward and the gate ticket taker to confirm the following facts. These are the correct facts: The airline employee taking tickets reported to the crew that she felt very uncomfortable with the men and so she engaged one of them in a conversation to feel him out. I assume he spoke English to her in their conversation. She stated she felt uncomfortable with them and she felt they were extreme fundamentalists. She needs to be interviewed by the news media for her side of the story. Several passengers observed the men praying and chanting near the gate prior to boarding. They were sitting apart from everyone else, behind the wall which stands behind the ticket counter at the gate. I was eating dinner while they were praying and chanting and did not observe this part, but spoke with a passenger, after we disembarked who has observed this. I seem to remember hearing something on the news after 911 about the terrorists praying at the airport prior to departing on 911. If this is true then there is a legitimate cause for concern and doing so created an inflammatory situation. If it is their custom to pray at a certain time each day at sunset, they know this in advance and easily could have taken the 7pm flight, two hours later, doing their prayers prior to arriving at the airport. One question is: were they intentionally trying to create fear in the passengers by praying loudly in public, hoping to get removed from the plane? I took a seat next to the men about 20 minutes prior to boarding. (I had been having dinner earlier and did not observe their prayers.) They spoke no English while seated next to me only Arabic, or what ever language they speak. One of the gentlemen acted very intense and nervous. He was on one phone call the entire time talking very fast while he paced back and forth in front of me. I said nothing to anyone about this, but was later told by first class passengers that this same conversation continued for at least another hour from his front row seat in first class. A man in the third row of first class told me he had a very uncomfortable feeling about this man. Their seating arrangement was very unusual and it raised a red flag to the crew. Only one of the 6 sat in first class, with the telephone, although they were all together. The rest sat in coach. The second one sat in the first row of coach in front of me; I think another mid way back in the plane and the rest in the very rear of the plane. They were there early enough to get seats together but chose to spread out. Another strange thing the crew noticed was the way they boarded. When they made the call for first class passengers the other 5 boarded as well. The one in first class, which had been on the telephone, did not stay seated in his first class seat, but walked back to the rear of the plane twice to talk to his friends, during the delay. One of the passengers sitting close to them in the rear of the plane overheard their conversation and became very nervous. I believe he may have been the one who sent the note up to the crew and captain. I was told later that there was mention of Allah and the word terrorists in their conversation. A woman passenger, who understood their language, indicated they were making slanderous remarks about the American people, thinking no one would know what they were saying. This raised concern also. The most suspicious thing, which has not yet been mentioned on the news, and needs to come out publicly, is the fact that the man in the first class front row asked for and was given a seat belt extender as did one of the men in the rear of the plane. This can be confirmed by the male steward serving first class on the flight. The strange and totally unexplainable thing about this request by them was the fact that neither of these men was fat enough to even need an extender strap for their seatbelt in the first place and the crew noticed that they not even put it on but placed them on the floor by their feet. Why ask for them and not use them, especially if you don’t even need one? I was a witness to the seat belt extender on the floor in first class, as the steward asked me to hand him so he could show it to the FBI and the Police. It was a totally detachable strap about 18" in length that could easily be used as a noose around a flight attendant or passenger’s neck to create a hostage situation on the plane. With one in the back of the plane and another in the front and their people positioned in between they were perfectly positioned to take control of the entire plane with out any weapons. The captain, crew, police and FBI all obviously also felt this was a real possibility when combined with the note passed to them by an obviously shaken man who had heard some of their conversation. Put all of this together along with the fact that the ticket agent at the gate was not comfortable and a couple of other passenger observations it added up to a situation of possible danger. Should the Airline, crew and captain be blamed for deciding to protect the safely of several hundred passengers after their lengthy deliberation of the facts? No, it was not just a note from a paranoid passenger as reported on television, but many things that just added up to a very uncomfortable feeling. The airline, police and FBI acted responsibly, professionally and in the interest of the majority of passengers. Any potential law suits from these people are totally unfounded and ludicrous. Doesn’t the fact that these men already had an attorney lined up to immediately alert the media seem like a “pre-set up deal” to get the airlines and security to back off and ease up on the high alert issue? Did they even tell their own attorney about the seat belt extenders sitting on the floor? Probably not. With all of their accusations on CNBC’s morning news about passenger paranoia put aside there is still no answer to a very simple question… What were they going to do with the seat belt extenders? Why did they have one in the front and one in the back of the plane and why were they sitting on the floor by their feet and not in use? I can only determine two possible scenarios: Either they were planning to use the seat belt extenders to subdue hostages and take over the plane and were caught by their suspicious activities… Or, it was done intentionally to induce suspicion and make a big public fuss to intimidate security at the airports. They claim we have discriminated against them and they were humiliated. They fail to accept the fact that what happened to them on flight 300 was a direct result of their own people’s hateful behavior on 911, while once more trying to put the blame for everything on the Americans. What about the human rights of the several hundred people sitting on flight 300? Most of the passengers were going home for the Thanksgiving holiday. Don’t we have the right to get home safely for Thanksgiving? Any psychologist will tell you they were simply trying to project the blame for this unfortunate event back at the airline in order to avoid any personal responsibility for their actions, or the actions of the 911 terrorists. Upon watching the 5 o’clock news tonight I heard more about this incident. Now they are reporting the men to be clerics. Last night at 1 pm they were calling themselves scholars who were attending a conference. It would be interesting what kind of a conference they had been attending. I question, from my close personal observations of them prior to boarding that they are either. I would also like to see this investigated also. I believe there is a real story here that the American public deserves. US Airlines has been caught off guard by these accusations and is being painted as the bad guy, stating they will make their own internal investigation. Why, all of a sudden now, are they made to look guilty by the media? Only the media can clear the air on the truth here. They need your help and support in this matter. Let’s not sweep this under the rug as yesterday’s news. I challenge the news media to investigate the real facts of these backgrounds, what had they been attending in Minneapolis as well as interview the crew and people involved bringing the real truth to the American public. They deserve the truth, for the future of their own safely. Please do not just let this matter drop. Thank you! Pauline Klemmer (telephone number and address removed for safety) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note from Rayelan: I found this article: Coming Face-to-Face With Islam December 01, 2006 01:00 PM EST Monday, November 20, 2006 was a gray, cloudy day in Minneapolis, the kind of day that people in the South picture as being typical of that time of year in Minnesota, and Pauline Klemmer was on her way home to Arizona after an all-too-brief visit with family and friends in Minneapolis – all those aunts, uncles, cousins, and high school classmates who hadn’t as yet moved on to warmer climates. Pauline’s U.S. Airways flight to Phoenix, Flight 300, was scheduled for departure at 5:15 PM. However, assuming that the airport would be crowded with Thanksgiving week travelers, she planned her arrival at the airport for 3:45 PM. This, she thought, would give her ample time to check her bags, get a seat assignment and boarding pass, and make her way through the long lines at the TSA airport security check. Arriving at the airport just ahead of Pauline were six bearded men, all of apparent Middle Eastern descent. They were returning to Arizona after attending a weekend conference of the North American Imams Federation (NAIF) at the Ramada Inn Mall of America in Minneapolis. http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/20645.html

Here's The Zookeeper's Boy CD Single in a ZIP :) http://www.sendspace.com/file/ssupc2 Tracklist 01. The Zookeeper's Boy (Radio Edit) 02. A Dark Design (Red Version) 03. Chinaberry Tree (Red Version) And Kathy.....I think you'll need WinRaR, sorry.....but here's the WinRaR (+Crack) I'm using if you want it - http://www.sendspace.com/file/tvot2c I did this last one in a ZIP if you haven't got it. Also, I'm going to be getting the DVD. Not sure where from yet but it should be easy enough here to get one.

I know this isn't the 'Other Bands Multimedia' thread but I've just ripped and upped the limited Why Are You Looking Grave? Collectors Edition Single. I just uploaded the Audio as the two Video's would have took a while longer. If anyone NEEDS them though, just ask. http://www.sendspace.com/file/kfqo8f Numbered Collectors Edition CD Single Tracklist 01. Why Are You Looking Grave? (Album Version feat. J Mascis) [4:02] 02. Why Are You Looking Grave? (Kissing Hoodie Mix) [2:47] 03. Why Are You Looking Grave? (Mogwai 'Miow' Mix) [6:28] 04. Why Are You Looking Grave? (Full Version of the Single Mix) [4:01] 05. Why Are You Looking Grave? (Sun Demo) [4:54] 06. Why Are You Looking Grave? (Kitchen Demo) [3:34] 07. Why Are You Looking Grave? (Live) [3:50] VIDEO FILES NOT INCLUDED IN THIS UPLOAD 08. Why Are You Looking Grave? (Video) .mov [2:55] 09. Why Are You Looking Grave? (Live Video) .mov [3:52]

I seriously think there's nothing we can do to stop alot of the changes. Although we'll be taxed due to them anyway...

The answer to the question would be - Yes. I do. Jools Holland in 1999 was the first time I saw them. Remember thinking Shiver was the best thing since sliced salami. Had heard them on Radio 1 before then though. Wow, I feel a litter older now. :(

This is true - I had already fathered 5 kids by the time I was 15. On a serious note...I can only say how games have effected me. I'd get a bit angry and sweaty sometimes but it never has played a part in any sort of problems I have had because well, I've been lucky to have none.

eeeek! What on earth could you possibly mean? :inquisitive: ;)

New 9/11 Pentagon video released, shows explosion and no plane 9/11 pentagon NEW 9/11 Pentagon Video released from hotel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4O4R0LWCQ4&eurl= Saturday, December 2 - The CNN Wire Hotel security video shows 9/11 Pentagon blast, but no plane WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A hotel security camera video released by the U.S. government showed the explosion that followed the crash of 'American Airlines Flight 77' into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, but the low-quality recording did not capture an image of the 757 jetliner. The video, recorded by a security camera at the Doubletree Hotel in Arlington, was released to public interest group Judicial Watch and others who filed a lawsuit seeking the tape and other videos from that day. CNN filed a Freedom of Information request for the video in February 2002, after the manager of the hotel disclosed its existence to CNN Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre and said it had been confiscated by the FBI. CNN's FOI request was denied because at the time the tape was considered evidence in the investigation of Zacarias Moussaoui, who has since been convicted. There was speculation that this video might show the 'American Airlines 757' jetliner before it crashed, but a close examination by CNN only revealed the subsequent explosion and no image of the jet. The only known record of the plane is on images from the Pentagon security camera, first broadcast by CNN in March of 2002, and officially released in their entirety May of this year. What I can't understand is what has this video got to do with the Moussaoui investigation. It, yet again, doesn't even show a plane and hardly shows anything actually. If a fucking plane hit just release the other 80+ tapes and let everyone see and stop hiding behind frigging "National Security". http://www.pentagonresearch.com/video.html

It's alright....bit windy....but clear skies for the moment. It's now Dark. But I live for the blackness.....:thinking:

Gareth... and you? :)

Programmed TV errmm....I wouldn't say a lot, no Do you believe in an God and an after-life?

No, no. I'm backing off from this stupid exchange. It's actaully an insult to my own intelligence to care about what you think.

Mrfool says "But this is nothing about my character but you're need for attention and to make every little thing seem HUGE...because in the end thats all a conspiracy theorist is, a person with a mental problem. A desperate need for attention so they make mountains out of molehills to feel better about minor existence. The people who make big scenes because their mommies daddies never payed them enough attention. People who realize they are meaningless in the grand scheme of things so they want to make noise to feel special." Seriously, you couldn't be more wrong.

Nah, kids get them too + Mercury is in most shots. Remember - "Mercury is good for you brain"........:(

No, no....you basically shrugged these off at the beginning, had a little joke to yourself about it........now you look like a fucking twat you feel the need to redeem your character by having a bit of a play around with the words "touture" and "abuse" and their 'meaning' when anyone with half a fucking brain cell can work out what I was getting at..... Sorry if I call 'Breaking chemical lights and pouring the phosphoric liquid on someone torture instead of abuse, fuck me. Or Sodomizing a detainee with a chemical light and perhaps a broom stick (WTF?) Or saying that a male MP guard having sex with a female detainee is wrong. Btw, you still end up looking like a pubescent, trouble making asshole.

Erm, here's a bunch of pictures from some gigs I've been to.. http://www.sendspace.com/file/9jxpx6 Just thought I throw them out there.

Mrfool says "Iran wants another attack. Sadly Lebanon is caught between a bunch of terrorist and Israel and they're paying the heavy price for Irans and extremist muslims hatred of other religions" - fucking hell, that's like the most obvious case of 'US horse shit in mouth' disease I seen for a while. Well, shit......You guys know nothing. As you've both just demonstrated. I do talk a bit but you both know nothing about how I see things actually because I generally don't want to hang about discussing the in-depths with you. all the time. You pick up the absolute crap that you both generally type right out of a big fat pile of horse shit. I'm sorry but it's true.

Yes, run out into the streets and dance. ;)

Haha....I'd seen those vids and I didn't realise who it was... Bit of a suprise. I did a shitty recording, but correct, acoustic only version of Only Superstition ages ago and posted it here....I even aint got it now though. Some people actually sang over the top of the track......which was quite funny.

Americans Surprised, Concerned that 90% of Flu Shots Contain Mercury - Health Officials' Aggressive Flu Shot Campaign May Disregard Safety, According to Survey of 9,000 Americans -74 % of Respondents Unaware Flu Shots Contain Mercury, 78 % Disagree with CDC About Vaccinating Pregnant Women and Children PR Newswire PORTLAND, Ore. -- As health officials step up their effort to vaccinate Americans against the flu, a new survey suggests serious concerns over the toxin mercury, an ingredient in over 90 percent of this season's flu shot supply. PutChildrenFirst.org, a parent-led organization advocating vaccine safety, commissioned a survey of over 9,000 Americans to learn their plans for getting flu shots, their knowledge of its ingredients, and who they hold responsible for making sure vaccines are safe. The survey revealed that the overwhelming majority of Americans were unaware that most flu shots contain mercury and that they would refuse a shot with mercury. "More than 75 percent of Americans feel a mercury-containing flu shot should not be given to a pregnant woman or a child, despite recommendations from medical authorities to do just that," said Lisa Handley, a founding parent of PutChildrenFirst.org. Her own son, Jamison, had an adverse reaction to a flu shot containing mercury in 2003. "I know firsthand how life-changing a flu shot with mercury can be, since our son began his regression into autism after his flu shot." In 1999, government agencies called for the removal of Thimerosal, the mercury-based preservative in most vaccines. Then, in 2001, the American Academy of Pediatrics stated that, "mercury in all of its forms is toxic to the fetus and children, and efforts should be made to reduce exposure to the extent possible to pregnant women and children as well as the general population." Despite these actions, 90 percent of this season's flu vaccines still contain Thimerosal, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are recommending the vaccine for pregnant women and children six months and older. These recommendations come on the heels of recent studies that reveal new findings about the neurological effects of mercury and question the effectiveness of flu shots. Mercury, the second most toxic element after plutonium, is estimated to be 500 to 1,000 times more toxic than lead. "A common myth is that Thimerosal is added to vaccines in 'trace' amounts," said Mike Wagnitz, who has over 20 years experience evaluating materials for mercury and is employed as a senior chemist with the University of Wisconsin. "The concentration of mercury in a multi-dose flu vaccine vial is 50,000 parts per billion. To put this in perspective, drinking water cannot exceed 2 parts per billion of mercury, and waste is considered hazardous if it has only 200 parts per billion. Is it really safe then to inject pregnant women, newborns, and infants with levels of mercury 250 times higher than what is legally classified as hazardous waste?" Agreeing that mercury has no place in vaccines, seven states have passed Thimerosal bans in recent years: California, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, New York, and Washington. California is the first to have implemented the ban for the current flu season, but Governor Schwarzenegger temporarily overturned the ban on November 2 after a shortage of mercury-free flu shots led to pressure from state medical groups. "Parents need to be informed about all aspects of their children's healthcare, including vaccines," said Deirdre Imus, President and founder of The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology at Hackensack University Medical Center and co-founder and co-director, with husband Don Imus, of The Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer. "It doesn't make common sense to inject Thimerosal, a known neurotoxin, into the bloodstream of our babies." This fall, two studies were published in leading medical journals admitting that limited data exists to support the effectiveness of flu shots. One study, in the Journal of the American Medical Association, noted that, "there is scant data on the efficacy and effectiveness of influenza vaccine in young children." "So, not only is the flu shot's effectiveness in doubt, there is plenty of evidence revealing the devastating effects of mercury," said J.B. Handley, Lisa's husband and a founder of PutChildrenFirst.org. "Our health authorities are not being forthcoming about mercury's presence in shots and its toxicity to the nervous system. Our children deserve better." "With everything we know about the dangers of mercury and the havoc it can wreak on young, developing brains, there is no excuse for any vaccine to contain mercury," said Lyn Redwood, RN, MSN, President of SafeMinds, a nonprofit committed to ending mercury-induced neurological disorders. "The survey reveals that Americans are overwhelmingly in the dark about what is in most flu shots. They do not want a known neurotoxin injected into their children, and they believe Congress and medical professionals must be more vigilant about keeping vaccines safe and mercury-free." Key findings from the poll, conducted October 27-30 by Zogby International, include: * 74 percent of respondents are unaware that most flu shots contain mercury. * After learning that mercury is an ingredient, 74 percent are less likely to get a flu shot and 86 percent of parents say they are less likely to get their child a flu shot. * 78 percent of respondents believe mercury should not be an ingredient in flu shots given to pregnant women and children. * 73 percent believe the government should warn pregnant women not to get a flu shot if it contains mercury. * More than 70 percent agree that Congress, doctors and medical groups (e.g., the American Academy of Pediatrics) should take responsibility for ensuring that vaccines do not contain mercury. * 80 percent of respondents and 82 percent of parents are willing to pay the $2.50 additional cost for a mercury-free flu shot.

What shit. How long are they going to get away screwing us? Most people will bend over and take it too.....which itself is disappointing.

:thumbsdown: Tell that to a few tortured and dead Iraqi's and their families... The lives of people in other countries are equal to those who die in ours......especially when our countries have waged an illegal war upon them. Anyway, I know your only trying to seem outrageous in your comments on purpose.....:thumbsdown:

I've been to see them a few times now. Always great. A good few years ago I thought they were a band only my brother and I had heard of......ha. Well they were actually, amongst all my friends anyway. And it's great when they don't want to like them.....just proves I like great music and they don't. haha. ;) I've heard them from the pre-Sony days and it's good to see them getting great reviews for their new stuff - great alternative rock. I love their discontinued first albums though - such a wide and diverse band in those days. From gritty guitar driven tracks to power pop with a cool twist. I don't really talk about them that much on hear but I'm a big fan. Very clever musicians. (PS: My avatar/post is just a timely coincidence)

Israelis: War In Summer 2007 Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff Haaratz Friday, December 1, 2006 1.The third Lebanon war There will be a war next summer. Only the sector has not been chosen yet. The atmosphere in the Israel Defense Forces in the past month has been very pessimistic. The latest rounds in the campaigns on both fronts, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, have left too many issues undecided, too many potential detonators that could cause a new conflagration. The army's conclusion from this is that a war in the new future is a reasonable possibility. As Amir Oren reported in Haaretz several weeks ago, the IDF's operative assumption is that during the coming summer months, a war will break out against Hezbollah and perhaps against Syria as well. At the same time, the IDF does not anticipate a long life for the cease-fire achieved last Saturday night with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. When the present tahdiya (lull) joins its predecessors that fell apart - the hudna (cease-fire) of summer 2003 (which lasted for a month and a half) and the tahdiya of winter 2005 (which was in its death throes for months until its final burial at the end of the disengagement) - there is a danger that the big bang will take place in Gaza. At its conclusion, like a self- fulfilling prophecy, IDF soldiers will return to the heart of Rafah for the first time in 13 years. Of the two worrisome scenarios, the IDF speaks more in public about a conflagration in Gaza, but is also genuinely worried about a war in the North, mainly in light of the army's dubious achievements in the previous round there. Deputy Chief of Staff Moshe Kaplinsky has recently spoken about a war in the North in the summer, in several closed military forums. The army is already undergoing an intensive process of preparation, which is based in part on lessons already learned from the second Lebanon war. The announcement this week of a renewal of reservist training at the Tze'elim training base is a signal to neighboring countries that the IDF is reinforcing and rehabilitating itself, but it was also meant for internal consumption: It broadcasts to the public and to the army that the process of post-war rehabilitation is being conducted with the requisite seriousness. Do all signs lead to war? One senior defense official says the answer to this question is no. He says that what we are dealing with is more a question of image than of substance. The extremist assessment of the good chances of a conflict in the North is designed to present the army with a target (and more important, with a target date). By summer preparations will be completed, and the IDF will brush itself off and restore the professional capability that it mistakenly thought it had when Israel so hastily went to war last summer. The process of rehabilitating the army's preparedness is combined with efforts by Chief of Staff Dan Halutz to present the investigation of the recent war (which is supposed to end in about two weeks) as his crowning achievement. In spite of his denials, Halutz is seriously considering resigning, but is looking for the proper context. The conclusion of the inquest, which Halutz describes as the most thorough and honest that the IDF has ever conducted, is likely to provide such a context. The chief of staff can say that he is leaving his successor with a clean desk and that after comprehensive rehabilitation, the army is once again on the right path. In view of the risk of war against Syria, chief of Military Intelligence Amos Yadlin is talking about Israel's obligation to examine the possibility of renewing peace negotiations with Damascus. In this, Yadlin is joining his predecessor, Major General Aharon Ze'evi Farkash. And like his own predecessor, Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is also reacting with displeasure to this talk, and wondering aloud whether the head of MI is not exceeding the bounds of his authority. Nevertheless, at least in the Lebanese arena, Olmert recently reexamined the possibility of compromising with the Siniora government on the question of the Shaba Farms (Har Dov). With or without any connection, a UN team has begun a project to map the area in order to decide on the size of the controversial region. The mapping work is being done at UN headquarters in New York, on the basis of maps and satellite photos. Olmert has been told that there is little chance that Syria would agree to an arrangement in which Israel would transfer this area to Lebanon. According to this assessment, Syrian President Bashar Assad is not enthusiastic about the possibility. When proposals for a remapping of the Syrian-Lebanese border were made to Assad, he replied that he would agree to that only if it began in the area of Tripoli in the north. In other words: as far as possible from the Shaba farms. 2. Palestinian freeze In the Palestinian arena, the sides are returning to square one at the end of this week. Although the firing of Qassams has lessened in recent days, the Hamas government of Ismail Haniyeh refuses to give up its place. Haniyeh has embarked on a visit to Arab countries that will last for about two weeks. Until his return, no practical negotiations are taking place between Fatah and Hamas over the establishment of the national unity government. At the beginning of the week, in the wake of the cease-fire, the Israeli side drew up complex, multi-stage scenarios regarding an overall deal that also involves the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit and the establishment of a new Palestinian government. However, as usual, the internal Palestinians arena is even more chaotic than Israel realizes. Apparently nothing has been decided yet in the Shalit affair. And the fate of the government of technocrats, which Haniyeh and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) have been discussing for months, is still unclear. In the office of the chairman they were angry this week, but not only at Hamas. Abbas vented his frustration at a meeting that he held with Haniyeh on Monday. The chairman told the prime minister that he would no longer discuss a national unity government with him. If you think you'll succeed in removing the siege on your government without my help, he told him - tfadal (be my guest). The frustration in Abbas' circle is directed to a great extent against the Egyptians, who went out of their way this week to flatter Khaled Meshal, head of the Hamas political bureau in Damascus. It began with a press conference convened by Meshal in the Cairo press club, continued with an interview he gave to Egyptian television, and ended with a visit by Haniyeh and his entourage in Cairo, the first stop on the prime minister's journey. One of Abbas' men mentioned in disappointment that Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman himself had promised the chairman that Egypt would not allow Haniyeh to travel abroad via the Rafah crossing for the purpose of raising money for the Hamas government. The price of Haniyeh's trip is clear to Abbas. Only last week two Hamas senior officials brought $25 million into the Gaza Strip in suitcases via the Rafah crossing. That is a huge sum in terms of the present Gazan economy, and not a single dollar of it will reach the coffers of the PA. The entire sum is earmarked for the Hamas charity apparatus and for the organization's military arm. At present, the return of Haniyeh's entourage from abroad means additional millions of dollars for Hamas, whereas Fatah is suffering from mounting budgetary distress. Abbas' people are afraid that if the Shalit deal is finally completed, only Hamas will benefit from it. The release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons will be attributed to the force of Hamas' arms, rather than to the conciliatory approach of Abbas - in spite of Olmert's promises to release the prisoners into his arms. Abbas' men made a last, almost desperate attempt this week to get things to work for their benefit. They secretly turned to the two splinter groups that helped Hamas to kidnap Shalit - the Popular Resistance Committees and Jish al-Islam (the Army of Islam) - and suggested that they hand the soldier over to the chairman. The chances of success for such a move are slight. As things look at the moment, Hamas is emerging strengthened from the cease-fire, and its position will continue to improve after the Shalit deal. The surprising support from Egypt will further solidify the position of Haniyeh and Meshal in the unity government contacts. Fatah is nevertheless likely to register one achievement from the completion of a prisoner-release deal - if senior Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti is among those freed. The release of Barghouti, who was sentenced in Israel to five cumulative life sentences, will ease the sting of the Hamas achievement and will restore Fatah's men in the field to public awareness. Israel has been discussing the possibility of his release for several years, in the hope of igniting a political move together with the Fatah leadership. A number of IDF generals have even expressed their support of this. On the other hand, the idea was sharply opposed by former Shin Bet security services chief Avi Dichter and his successor Yuval Diskin. This week someone in Jerusalem made sure to brief the political correspondents about Barghouti's substantial contribution, from his prison cell, to bringing about the cease-fire agreement. Dichter and Diskin have a convincing argument: Barghouti was involved in the murder of Israelis. The leading gang of the Fatah military wing in the West Bank gathered around him and were inspired by him in their operations at the start of the intifada. The courts were convinced by the materials collected by the Shin Bet and MI, and convicted Barghouti of acts of murder. On the other hand, Barghouti has been actively involved for years in steps to achieve a cessation of the fighting. Yet this time it was urgent for political bodies in Israel to give credit to the senior prisoner. Perhaps this can be seen as preparing the ground for his release in a future deal. While Olmert, in taking the dual steps of agreeing to the cease-fire and making the hopeful speech at the grave of David Ben-Gurion, created the appearance of a diplomatic process with the Palestinians, security elements are skeptical about the chances of survival of the agreement with the PA. Halutz hinted at that in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, when he said that the political leadership had "consulted partially" with the IDF about the agreement. The army and the Shin Bet see eye to eye concerning the processes taking place in the Gaza Strip. Hamas is building in Gaza a southern version of Hezbollah-land, and the cease-fire will enable it to increase its strength without interference, by carrying on with the arms-smuggling industry. The calm will collapse at the time most convenient for the enemy, not for Israel. For the present, in order to defend itself from claims that it caused the cease-fire to fail, the IDF is awaiting precise instructions from the political leadership. These have not been forthcoming, and the army has to guess the intentions of the politicians and, based on them, to determine its instructions for opening fire. 3. Ofra is expanding A Peace Now report about the settlements, which merited only limited coverage in the Israeli media, made considerable waves abroad. The New York Times thought that the revelations by Dror Etkes - the head of the organization's Settlements Watch program, who said that 40 percent of the settlement areas in the West Bank are located on private Palestinian land - was a front-page story. The detailed data gathered by Peace Now, which are backed by aerial photos and information about the legal status of each plot of land, indicate that no fewer than 130 settlements were built on private Palestinian property. Senior officials in the Israeli Civil Administration confirm the reliability of the data and the conclusion to be drawn from them: The most significant violation of the law in the territories is not related so much to the outposts, but rather to the large and well-established settlements, which in Israeli discourse are considered legitimate. (The Judea and Samaria Regional Council denies this, and claims that all the construction in the settlements is done on state land.) The settlement of Ofra, north of Ramallah, is a good example. Seen as the flagship of Gush Emunim (the original settlers' movement), this community sits on Palestinian land, according to the report. Not all of it, it's true. Only 93 percent. In light of this, the debate about last February's demolition of nine houses in its satellite outpost, Amona, seems somewhat marginal. Etkes' team obtained aerial photos that document the development of Ofra in four stages, from its establishment in 1969 until today. Almost all the construction has been carried out on land belonging to Palestinians from the neighboring villages. Peace Now relies on a databank similar to the one coordinated by deputy defense minister Brigadier General (res.) Baruch Spiegel, whose main principles were published in Haaretz about two months ago. The U.S. administration, which keeps close track of any information about the settlements, has since asked for clarifications from the defense establishment. But Big Brother's surveillance does not really affect what happens on the ground. On the contrary: The present days of the shaky Olmert government are good for the settlers. The tractors are once again working energetically on the hills of Samaria, while Defense Minister Amir Peretz continues to issue weekly notices about his intention of dealing soon and with utmost seriousness with the construction in the outposts.

I'm not sure about Steven Hawking. I've read alot of his work and most of his own Theories are unexplained. A good friend of mine also mentioned this to me too. He's undoubtabley extremely bright but he's very much unclear in many areas.