48. Netanyahu Snubbed at White House

his issue exposes the presidential snubbing of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House, Obama's continued demands to cease construction in Jerusalem, the latest UN resolutions condemning Israel, Syria's plans for the Golan Heights, Obama's refusal to fly the American flag in Haiti, and the latest chapter in the rewriting of America.

OUR ISRAELI CONNECTION

Jerusalem Prayer Team reports
A blanket of silence regarding Israel has enveloped Washington following meetings at the White House between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Barack Obama. The two leaders met to discuss the deepening rift between their countries, but instead of the usual statements and public remarks that follow such meetings a “silence that speaks volumes” as one British paper called it has made it clear that the issues between America and Israel are far from resolved.

The President took several unusual steps to humiliate the Prime Minister. There was no state dinner, as is customary for visits at this level. There were no official photographs released of the meetings, and no statements were issued to the press. The President even left the Prime Minister behind while he went to dinner, part of what one member of Congress described as “a hazing in stages.” Things were so tense that members of the Israeli delegation feared to use the phones they were provided and insisted on meeting face to face-to-face to avoid eavesdropping.
 
President Obama demanded that Israel freeze all construction in Judea and Samaria. Prime Minister Netanyahu told him, “No we can't.” The US also demanded that all construction in East Jerusalem be stopped, and to that the Prime Minister said, “NO, we can't.” The president's advisors threatened the Prime Minister if he did not comply with the wishes of the president.

David Zauber reports
The UN Human Rights Council on Thursday approved a resolution calling for Israel to pay Palestinians reparations for loss and damages suffered during last year's Operation Cast Lead. The 47-nation council did not call for similar payments by Palestinians to Israelis. Another resolution called on Israel to stop building in the territories and uproot those communities now there was passed by 45 votes, with the EU supporting it and only the US opposing. 
 
Also on Wednesday, the UNHRC website posted a report issued by a Libyan NGO which accused Israeli soldiers of harvesting the organs of Palestinians killed during operations in the Territories. The report also accused Israel of engaging in “ethnic cleansing and massacres” against the Palestinians. “The most preposterous, ridiculous and horrendous of all lies can gain respectability at the UN,” responded Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor.
 
Syrian dictator Bashar Assad told Lebanese TV on Wednesday that he is still committed to seeking a peace agreement with Israel but that he has no confidence that the current Israeli leadership will give him what he demands in return. He added that he believes Israel will eventually have no choice but to give Syria control of the strategic Golan Heights which it conquered in the 1967 Six Day War, because Israel's conventional military superiority was losing relevance in the Middle East conflict.

IT’S NEWS TO ME

GrassTopsUSA reports
The many nations helping Haiti recover from the devastating earthquake that struck there have set up their own military compounds and fly their flags at the entrances. France's tricolor, Britain's Union Jack and even Croatia's coat of arms flap in the breeze. But the country whose contributions dwarf the rest of the world's – the United States – has no flag at its main installation near the Port-au-Prince airport. The lack of the Stars and Stripes does not sit well with some veterans and servicemembers who say the U.S. government should be proud to fly the flag in Haiti, given the amount of money and manpower the U.S. is donating to help the country recover from the Jan. 12 quake. The Obama administration says flying the flag could give Haiti the wrong idea. “We are not here as an occupation force, but as an international partner committed to supporting the government of Haiti on the road to recovery,” the U.S. government's Haiti Joint Information Center said in response to a query about the flag. The absence of the American flag bothers Navy veteran Arthur Herriford, national president of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. “It's very improper,” Herriford said. “Our military people always engage and function under the American colors – always have and always will.”
 
Vision to America reports
A state board of only 15 people will vote on whether to revise U.S. textbooks to omit references to Daniel Boone, Gen. George Patton, Nathan Hale, Columbus Day and Christmas. The Texas State Board of Education will also vote on a proposal to substitute the term “American” with “global citizen.” Mathew Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, is warning Americans to speak up before only eight people, with a majority vote, have a chance to literally rewrite American history.

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Italicizing foreign words 
  An unmistakably foreign word that occurs repeatedly in an article or a book may be italicized the first time it occurs, usually accompanied by a definition of its meaning and use, and set in standard type from then on.

What is the ratio of an igloo's circumference to its diameter? Eskimo P

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