The conflict in Gaza will not begin a larger war.

Israel needs to begin to move its ground forces into Gaza to stabilize the situation so the bombs can stop falling. The bombing is indiscriminate and while Israel has incredible ability to target specific locations, the human shields to Hamas military targets are mounting.

Updated: 12:47, Sunday November 18, 2012

Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi (click here) said his government was in touch with both Israelis and Palestinians and there were indications they could "soon" reach a truce, but there were no guarantees.
"There are some indications that there could be a ceasefire soon," Morsi said at a joint news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday adding that there were still "no guarantees."
He said his country's government was in "vigorous" communications with both the Palestinians and Israel.
A senior Hamas official had earlier said his movement was reluctant to agree a truce because it doubted the terms of the ceasefire could be guaranteed.
The Palestinian Information Centre, a website close to Hamas and acts as a mouthpiece, reported that Meshaal demanded "international guarantees" in his meeting with Egypt's intelligence chief....

The USA has major ports in the region and Russia has a port in Syria. Nothing is going to ignite the region. To some extent Russia's military in Syria stabilizes those that would see Israel's actions as aggression that would take over the region. Both the USA and Russia serve to stabilize the region without escalation.

The fact of the matter is Gaza is densely populated and Hamas has no right to occupy it with military intent on a daily basis. The people of Gaza have to be elevated in importance over the anger of extremism. Hamas needs to disarm and realize their hatred and missiles to do keep their people safe.

Hostess Twinkie, the end of an era.

Homemade Twinkies Recipe

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup cake flour
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons milk, preferably whole
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
• Seven-Minute Filling, er, Frosting

Directions

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position.
• 2. To make your shiny, single-use Twinkie molds, start with a piece of aluminum foil, preferably heavy-duty, that’s approximately 14 inches long. It should be just a little longer than it is wide. Fold the foil in half lengthwise, then fold it in half again to create a rectangle that’s about 6 inches long and 7 inches wide. Repeat to make a dozen rectangles.
• 3. Place 1 sheet of folded foil on your work surface, with the long side facing you. Place a standard-size plastic or glass spice jar on its side in the center of the foil, the jar’s long side also facing you. Bring the long sides of the foil up around the jar. The foil won’t reach all the way around, and that’s okay. Fold the foil in around both top and bottom ends of the spice jar, nice and tight. You’ll end up with a sort of trough situation. (Cookbook author Todd Wilbur has a video of the process here; if you’re impatient, fast forward to 1:10, where the action starts.) Repeat until you have 12 foil Twinkie molds. Spritz the molds with an obscenely generous amount of nonstick spray or use your fingertips to coat the molds with vegetable oil. Place the Twinkie molds on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan.
• 4. Whisk the flours, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
• 5. Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan over low heat until the butter melts. Remove from the heat add the vanilla. Cover to keep warm.
• 6. Separate the eggs, placing the whites in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or, if using a hand mixer or whisk, a large mixing bowl) and reserving the yolks in another bowl. Beat the whites on high speed until foamy. Gradually add 6 tablespoons of the sugar and the cream of tartar and continue to beat until the whites reach soft, moist peaks.
• 7. Transfer the beaten egg whites to a large bowl and add the egg yolks to the standing mixer bowl—there’s no need to clean the bowl (or, if using a hand mixer or whisk, simply place the egg yolks in a separate large bowl). Beat the egg yolks with the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture is very thick and a pale lemon color, about 5 minutes. Add the beaten egg whites to the yolks, but do not mix.
• 8. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the egg whites and then mix everything on low speed for just 10 seconds (or, if using a hand mixer or whisk, until blended but not thoroughly combined). Remove the bowl from the mixer, make a well in one side of the batter, and pour the melted butter mixture into the bowl. Fold gently with a large rubber spatula until the batter shows no trace of flour and the whites and yolks are evenly mixed, about 8 strokes.
• 9. Immediately scrape the batter into the prepared molds, filling each with about 3/4 inch of batter. Bake until the cake tops are light brown and feel firm and spring back when touched, 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer the pan containing the molds to a wire rack and allow the cakes to cool in the molds.
• 10. Just before filling, remove each cake from the foil. Using the end of a chopstick, poke three holes in the bottom of each cake, just like in the bottom of real Twinkies. Wiggle the tip of the chopstick around quite a lot to make room for the filling. (Again, you can see this in action here, beginning at minute 3.)
• 11. Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fit with a small tip (about 1/4 inch across). Pipe the frosting into the holes you created in the bottom of the cakes. As you fill each cake, hold it in your hand and press your palm gently around it so you can feel the cake expand, taking care not to overfill and crack the cake.
• 12. Unlike real Twinkies, these won’t last indefinitely. They’re best served still slightly warm.

Seven-Minute Frosting Recipe

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 3 large egg whites
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

1. In the metal bowl of a standing mixer set over (but not touching) a saucepan of simmering water, combine the sugar, corn syrup, 3 tablespoons water, egg whites, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar has completely dissolved, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the mixture on high speed until glossy, thick, and billowing peaks form, about, well, you know, 7 minutes. (Although truth be told, sometimes it doesn’t take quite that long. When in doubt, just look at the picture above; that’s what you want.) Beat in the vanilla. Use immediately.

McConnell has no intention to do the right thing for the country.

McConnell stated outside the White House today, "I realize the country is not safe,..." (referring to the urgency of the fiscal needs of the country). 

Safe? Safe? The country is not safe from McConnell, that is what the country is not safe from.

5:48 PM, Nov 16, 2012
 WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (click here) certainly doesn’t sound combative when the name of Ashley Judd comes up.
“She’s great. Love her movies,” the Kentucky Republican said in an interview, smiling broadly.
That is all he’ll say about the actress and activist whom some Kentucky Democrats are hoping will run for Senate against him in 2014. Judd has not ruled out the idea.
But McConnell also has a warning for any Democrat wanting to take him on: He will try to tie “Barack Obama around their neck,” the senator said Thursday in an interview with The Courier-Journal at his U.S. Capitol office....

The needs of the country will be overshadowed by the Senate Minority Leader's agenda for his campaign. Currently, the only issue McConnell is running on are threats to oppress the Democrats if they try to challenge his Senate seat. That isn't really a pressing issue for the country, is it?

The only thing that will move McConnell from his obstructionist agenda is a candidate to oppose them sincerely willing to do the work of the country and not simply rest on his/her laurels watching the clock tick to the next Senate Filibuster. Mr. McConnell needs something to run on. I think the Democrats need to give it to him.

Between amusement rides and hero tributes our wounded veterans are simply not safe.

This combination of undated family photos provided by the Show of Support, Hunt for Heroes committee show, from left: Sgt. Maj. Gary Stouffer, 37; Sgt. Maj. Lawrence Boivin, 47; Army Sgt. Joshua Michael, 34, and Sgt. Maj. William Lubbers, 43, four veterans killed when a parade float they were riding on was struck by a freight train at a crossing Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012, in Midland, Texas. Photo: Courtesy Show Of Support / AP

They were run over by a train. No one checked to find out if there were trains expected along the parade route? It should never have been a surprise. What a nightmare.

Updated: November 16, 2012 6:19pm

JUAN CARLOS LLORCA, Associated Press

MIDLAND, Texas (AP) — Cheered on by a flag-waving crowd, a parade float filled with wounded veterans and their spouses was inching across a railroad track when the crossing gates began to lower and a freight train that seemed to come out of nowhere was suddenly bearing down on them, its horn blaring.

Some of those seated on the float jumped off in wide-eyed terror just moments before the train — traveling at more than 60 mph — crashed into the flatbed truck with a low whoosh and a thunderous crack.

Four veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan — including an Army sergeant who apparently sacrificed his life to save his wife — were killed Thursday afternoon and 16 people were injured in a scene of both tragedy and heroism....

It is time the US Navy build the next bulk head for yet another explosion off Louisiana.

Where are the inspectors? How did this happen yet again?

There needs to be a requirement for a stand-by bulk head for every well along the seacoast of the USA. It just needs to be. This is ridiculous and there are two missing. 

That is what happened at the Deepwater Horizon. The missing were searched for until it was hopeless to continue to search. I don't care if this is not an exploratory platform, to state the obvious of the parallels is nonsense.

Coast Guard: 4 injured, 2 missing after explosion on oil platform off coast of Louisiana (click here)

Updated at 11:03 AM today
NEW ORLEANS, LA (KTRK) -- At least four people have been injured in a fire at an oil drilling platform off the coast of Louisiana, and two workers are reported missing.

There was some sort of explosion at a Black Elk Energy Company oil and natural gas platform 20 nautical miles southeast of Grand Isle, LA. It is not clear if it is still burning.

Carlos Vega, a Coast Guard spokesperson, says four people on board were airlifted for medical treatment. A spokesperson for West Jefferson Medical Center said three patients are listed in critical condition and the fourth is being evaluated. More patients are expected as well.

Two others are missing, and may have gone overboard, but they have not been confirmed as dead at this time, Vega adds.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Jonathan Lally, a spokesman for the Coast Guard, says two helicopters, an airplane and small boats were sent to the area. He did not know if the fire caused by the explosion had been put out yet....

At some point the detractors of the President need to apologize.

Discussing the semantics of language with the public isn't an issue. The language used by the best of our government was correct and was to let the public know in the USA and throughout the international community they were taking care of business.

Terrorist Attack was inflammatory at a time when civilian populations were reacting to a video in the Middle East. It was completely obvious Secretary Clinton was knowledgeable of the circumstances in Benghazi. She was the first to say this was a planned attack. It is not about what the USA knew. Obviously, the USA knew what had occurred.

The dialogue of labeling it a terrorist attack would be unhelpful to what was occurring across the region and could cause increased danger to USA consulates.

9:29AM EST November 16. 2012

WASHINGTON — Former CIA director David Petraeus (click here) testified Friday to House lawmakers investigating the Sept.11 attack in Benghazi that killed four Americans, including ambassador Chris Stevens.

Susan Phelan, spokeswoman for the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters waiting outside the secure underground briefing room that Petraeus is due to testify before the Senate Intelligence later this morning....

Clarity of public discourse during an emergency when it involves the safety of our consulates is irrelevant. The Senate is not the Executive Branch and the House is not the Senate or the Executive Branch. They cannot impose their will on the freedom of speech of the Executive Branch when it is carrying out the business of the nation. 

Clarity of language is a political agenda and has absolutely nothing to do with the functioning of the Executive Branch. 

Those stating in defense of their own political agenda regarding Benghazi, minimally, owes the President, Secretary Clinton and Ambassador Rice an apology for imposing faux values to their actions

The politicization of the Benghazi deaths is "W"rong. 

End of discussion.

There is no legitimacy to Romney's statements to wealthy patrons. All his statements demoralize the American people.

Does everyone understand what 'demoralize' means? It means it takes the definition of the political discourse and uses 'authority statements' to achieve a change in that dialogue. Demoralizing a nation's dialogue about its circumstances only 'kicks the can down the road.'

Mr. Romney was stuck on his rhetoric and his wrongful economic values and simply continued them with his wealthy supports. I sincerely think he is going to start up his own Bain Group with a political intent. He may or may not change his 'end product' to reflect a kinder economic outcome to the Middle Class, but, the methodology will never change. He can't change it. It is a proven method which results in high income to its initial investors. Romney's past performance is example of that. His past performance proves he is a vulture capitalist and NOT a venture capitalist. 

As much as the Texas Governor Rick Perry was ridiculed in his dialogue about Mr. Romney, he was correct. Rick Perry leads projects with investors all the time in Texas. Whether one consents to those projects or not is not what this is about. Perry knows when an investment is about building a future or destroying it for the purpose of monetary exploitation. He is inarticulate about his knowledge, but, he was correct. Romney never built anything that didn't hurt the long term economic outcome of Americans.

Examples: The steel plant was drained of its value and those monies went directly into the pockets of investors that facilitated the purchase of the steel plant in the first place. Staples, Sports Authority were created out of remnants of American manufacturing. All the suppliers that went out of business to the sports marketing storefronts, the office marketing storefronts were replaced with cheaper alternatives from import sources. Then the store fronts were staffed with cheap labor. Big Box stores are known destroyers of the American economic 'strength.'

The fact of the matter is this. I did say FACT. The Republican policies of the past forty years have created a vast array of poverty in the USA.

We know for a fact, subsistence economic status of any American does not lead to growth. The larger the numbers of 'subsistence Americans' the less economic growth will occur. Why? Because Subsistence Americans purchase specific items with their income. They do not expand their purchases of new technology unless it extends the limited dollars available to them. 

A country will always have some degree of poverty because there is a populous of people unable (that was unable) to improve their circumstances, but, if that poverty grows an economic tragedy will occur and the economy will contract. It is why Wall Street consents and rewards the idea of an American having two, three or four jobs. No benefits, part time income from some jobs, but at least it expands the 'disposable' income to purchase their products / trends / gimmicks / faux economic values, etc. Call it what you want but Romney's Wall Street values is not about quality of life, it is about putting 'some money' into the hands of those that can provide profits to companies. 

The United States of America is demoralized of its Middle Class values. The destruction of the American Dream was the last frontier. The Bubble and Bust economy of the Republicans is the problem.

The future is about rebuilding sustainable jobs through new technology and returning benevolent values to the outcomes of our economy. Part of a sustainable economy is about returning 'moral content' to the goals of the people and not simply 'an income.' Moral content means people are hired into or builds an enterprise that will sustain the values of the society. 

The younger generations are correct in their values for what they want for their country. They have the most invested in the longevity of the economic outcome of the USA. They were born into the imploding economic strategies, witnessed its disastrous outcomes and knows, almost through instinct, what is best and what is not. The impoverishment of the youngest employable generation in the USA knows what happened to them and why. In the majority, their values are trustworthy to their own outcomes.

Always waiting for peace to take hold.

11/15/2012 23:28

...And oddly enough, (click here) like good lab rats, we did just that. We learned to drive with our car windows open so that we could hear sirens while on the open road. We taught our children how to fall asleep again once they were moved into the safe room in the middle of the night. We developed a whole slew of coping mechanisms that range from “dressing for missiles” – no heels or straight skirts allowed – to black humor, acknowledging the absurdity of living in this kind of situation. A child wakes up from a crash of thunder last winter screaming, “missiles,” and we get to make jokes about how children of the Negev are more familiar with the sound of falling Grad missiles than actual rain. We became old war heroes, exchanging stories of close calls from the missiles of 2009 versus those of 2010 and 11....

They haven't suffered enough yet?

The Israeli government decided that a unilateral disengagement of Gaza would bring about a long term peace.

Don't try and tell me this is simply more Israeli aggression. It isn't. This is the result of a failed attempt at peace for the same reason it was doomed from the beginning; there is no reliable Palestinian partner. There isn't today and there hasn't been for decades.

There is no Palestinian Authority that can stop the violence of their extremists.

The Unilateral Disengagement Plan - General Outline (click here) 18 Apr 2004

(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Office) 1. General Israel is committed to the peace process and aspires to reach an agreed resolution of the conflict on the basis of the principle of two states for two peoples, the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish people and a Palestinian state for the Palestinian people, as part of the implementation of President Bush's vision....

Palestine sovereign authority cannot control their extremists.

Smoke billowing from a building targeted by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on Thursday. (AFP)

23:58 15/11/2012

BEIRUT, November 15 (RIA Novosti) – The armed wing (click here) of Gaza-based radical Islamic Jihad group took responsibility on Thursday for firing a long-range rocket that landed in the southern suburb of Israeli capital, Tel Aviv.

"The Quds Brigades hit the occupied city of Tel Rabea [Tel Aviv] with a Fajr-5 rocket causing a large explosion to shake the city," the group said in a statement.

Islamic Jihad also threatened that Israel would experience "further surprises so long as the aggression against the Palestinian people continues.”

The Israeli military earlier said two rockets fired from the Gaza Strip reached Tel Aviv. One of them exploded in the suburb of Rishon Lezion and the other one – off the coast in the Mediterranean Sea....

No one is happy with Russia.

Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and other foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council discuss ways to end Syrian conflict with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Riyadh on Wednesday. (SPA)

ARAB NEWS

Friday 16 November 2012

...Lavrov (click here) met with Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and other foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Riyadh but failed to reach common ground on how to end the bloodshed that has claimed more than 38,000 lives in Syria.

Lavrov said that the atrocities committed in Syria were from all sides and must stop....

...The Syrian issue was not listed in the agenda of the meeting when the meeting was planned two months ago.

Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled Al-Khalifa requested a UN decision to stop atrocities in Syria and has stated that the division in the Security Council has exacerbated the Syrian conflict. Sheikh Khaled reiterated the stance of the GCC that Assad did not have any legitimacy to rule Syria.

Both the Russian and the Bahrain foreign ministers have condemned the escalation in Gaza where an Israeli airstrike killed Hamas military chief Ahmed Jaabari.

Lavrov arrived in Riyadh for talks with his Arab counterparts in the Gulf on Wednesday to try to narrow down differences on the conflict in Syria....

The international community is so upset with Russia over Syria there are reforms being considered, but, Russia states it will not give up the veto power of the five permanent members.

03:39 16/11/2012

NEW YORK, November 16 (RIA Novosti) - Russia (click here) is ready to consider any rational UN Security Council reform proposal, except those cancelling veto right for permanent members, Russia’s UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said on Friday.

The UN Security Council currently has 15 member states. Five of them - Russia, US, China, UK and France - are permanent members with powers to veto any council decision.

"Ideas that infringe on exclusive rights of permanent council members, such as the historically formed veto right, are inadmissible for us. It should be kept in mind that this mechanism is an important instrument that encourages Security Council members to search for balanced solutions,” the Russian envoy said during General Assembly debates on a Security Council reform.

“The issue of Security Council reform cannot be solved arithmetically, by taking this or that reform model to a vote to receive the required two thirds of from the General Assembly members,” he went on....

A change in direction for the unemployed generation.

By JUSTIN POPE AP Education Writer 
Published: 11/15/2012  6:13 AM 
Last Modified: 11/15/2012  6:13 AM

Modest good news (click here) for college students: An annual survey predicts employers will increase hiring of new 4-year college graduates about 5 percent in the coming year. Demand for graduates with associate's degrees is expected to increase more sharply — by about 30 percent compared to last year's survey— while MBA hiring appears headed for an unexpected decline.
The 42nd annual survey out Thursday from Michigan State University's College Employment Research Institute collects responses on hiring plans from more than 2,000 U.S. employers. It paints a mixed picture reflecting an improving economy but also uncertainty over whether Congress and the White House will carry the country off the fiscal cliff in January, potentially sending the economy back into recession.

The hiring numbers are certainly better than for students who graduated at the depths of the recession, but overall indicate less aggressive hiring than the last couple of years, which survey director Phil Gardner attributed to the political situation as well as weakness in sectors like defense. The survey was conducted before President Barack Obama won a second term....

I wonder if Romney filed any amended returns since he lost the election?

...Well, maybe not quite nothing. (click here) In 2010 -- the only year we have seen a full return from him -- Romney would have paid an effective tax rate of around 0.82 percent under the Ryan plan, rather than the 13.9 percent he actually did. How would someone with more than $21 million in taxable income pay so little? Well, the vast majority of Romney's income came from capital gains, interest, and dividends. And Ryan wants to eliminate all taxes on capital gains, interest and dividends....

This magazine is for real? It sounds as though he wants to form another Bain Capital. 

...Here are just a few of the stories (click here) slated to appear in the MITT’S MONTHLY inaugural issue:

-Staff writer Fred Barnes presents lengthy investigative look at the London Olympics: Compared to the successful Winter Olympiad of 2002, were this year’s games an unmitigated disaster, or merely a deep disappointment?

-Senior editor Eric Fehrnstrom—a veteran of influential journals like the Boston Herald—writes an essay on the new science of memory. Can a human simply forget something he’s heard repeated multiple times? You’ll be surprised by the answer!

-Contributing writer William Kristol takes a whimsical look at the history of vice-presidential nominations. It turns out that, until recently, running mates were selected based on the antiquated calculus of “helping the ticket” rather than via the modern approach of consulting the editors of small-circulation political journals. Who knew?...

There is concern about a fall in nearly 700 points on the DOW since the election. I don't understand why there is more risk today than before the election.

The bear to the left is from the artist below. perhaps an investment in her talent is in order for venture capitalists seeking to expand the economy. Okay?

L. NICHOLS WOODCARVING (click here)

...In the first meeting (click here) since delivering a third round of quantitative easing, this time open-ended, Bernanke & Co. upped the ante.  With the Fed currently buying currently buying securities for about $85 billion a month, as part of QE3 and Operation Twist, and the latter expiring at the end of the year, it was clear that to keep the current levels of policy accommodation something needed to change at the end of the year.

“Looking ahead, a number of participants indicated that additional asset purchases would likely be appropriate next year after the conclusion of the maturity extension program in order to achieve a substantial improvement in the labor market,” read the minutes released Wednesday, adding to fuel to the fire of those that had dubbed this latest round of asset purchases QE-infinity....

I think investors need to move past their own insecurities and stop blaming 'uncertainty.' Investing can be uncertain by its very definition.

Maybe Wall Street is scared of not being able to reach for easy cash flow when Operation Twist ends. I don't know.

Is anyone surprised the Euro Zone is entering a double dip recession? I mean really. They practice austerity. When the USA starts its austerity program on midnight of December 31 - January 1, 2013 it may cause an additional contraction of liquidity. It is what it is and there is no real uncertainty to know Wall Street needs to be more 'bearish.' Do I have to say this?

The gravy train for Wall Street can't go on forever. QE3 is about purchasing toxic assets and returning function to banks or whomever holds these assets. QE3 should have been QE1 and we probably would be out of danger by now. 

Oh, well. 

I mean what magic is suppose to happen here? When toxic asset purchase is tapped out and the Fed now owns all the nasty investments from the Bush Years, there won't be anymore infusion of liquidity. Right? So, what is the problem? Hooked on easy cash, adrenalin, sex, drugs or any combination there of? What's the problem already?

Where are the venture capitialists? That was not vulture capitalists because vulture capitalists will cause further problems with contraction. Right? 

IF WALL STREET would pay attention to the movement within the Obama Administration they would find a lot of places for venture capital and expanding the economy. One of the most promising areas is "Green Chemistry." I'll get into it this weekend, but, there are many, many opportunities within this administration's good work. Investors need to look for it. It is there. 

Wall Street has to go back to being Wall Street. The leadership in the world today is not going to pander to anyone. There are difficult choices to make and their focus is their people. Basically, Wall Street is seeking welfare over investment. No more. It is time for Wall Street to go back to being investors with vision rather than 'day traders.' 

Get over it. Wall Street has never been more dysfunctional and outside their own ability to manage their own assets. It is ridiculous.

A boat lift out of Gaza needs to be organized for citizens there.

Israel is not going to tolerate deaths of their citizens. This aggression by Hamas is completely unjustified and is in violation of Geneva Conventions. These are rockets fired into citizen areas and not attacks on military installations. 

This aggression by Hamas is not going to reduce any actions by Israel. Nor should it be.

It is completely obvious the Palestinian leaders have no control over Hamas. Hamas is acting as an authority in Gaza. Israel has every right to act to stop this unjustified killing of its citizens.

There needs to be an awareness of potential refugees from Gaza. Preparations need to be addressed. These attacks have to stop. How can any agreement occur with rockets being fired across the border?

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA | Thu Nov 15, 2012 5:59am EST
(Reuters) - A Hamas rocket killed three Israelis (click here) north of the Gaza Strip on Thursday, drawing first blood from Israel as the Palestinian death toll rose to 13 and the military showdown lurched closer to all-out war.

Israeli warplanes bombed targets in and around Gaza city, where tall buildings trembled and thick plumes of smoke and dust furled into the sky.

The Palestinian Islamist group claimed it had fired a one-tonne, Iranian-made Fajr 5 rocket at Tel Aviv in what would be a major escalation. But there was no reported impact in the Israeli metropolis 50 km (30 miles) north of the enclave.

Israel's sworn enemy Iran, which supports and arms Hamas, condemned the offensive begun by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as "organized terrorism"....

It is good to know the death of employees is followed up by criminal charges.

The day the oil stopped gushing from the Deepwater Horizon.

The courts are currently reviewing the agreement between BP and the USA government regarding damages and criminal charges.

 AP/ November 15, 2012, 4:07 AM

LONDONBritish oil company BP (click here) said Thursday it is in advanced discussion with U.S. agencies about settling criminal and other claims from the Gulf of Mexico well blowout two years ago.

In a statement, BP said "no final agreement has yet been reached" and that any such agreement would still be subject to court approvals.

BP said the proposed settlement would not include civil claims under the Clean Water Act and other legislation, pending private civil claims and state claims for economic loss.

The explosion and fire aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig on April 20, 2010, killed 11 workers and set off a spill that continued for 87 days, fouling large areas of the southern coast of the United States.

Any settlement is expected to dwarf the largest previous corporate criminal penalty assessed by the Department of Justice -- the $1.2 billion fine imposed on drug maker Prizer in 2009....

The President is correct. The GOP is attempting to ruin Ambassador Rice career.

...At his first news (click here) conference since winning re-election, the president said Rice has done “exemplary work” and accused GOP critics of trying to “besmirch” her reputation....

That is not obvious?

The Tampa Social Club was getting to be dangerous.c

For a couple of reasons.

To begin the idea there was a social gathering on a regular basis where the USA's top brass was considered friends in a collective idea is dangerous in its definition. They hold the security of the nation at the heart of their purpose and if there was a single way of bringing down the USA military brain trust; it would be in an unsecured room where sensitive military personnel were known to gather. That is not all of it.

Here again we enter into ethical issues. It is why the resignation of Mr. Petraeus was best. It put him back together with his family and that is vital to a man dedicated to decency and protecting the country he loves. He was estranged by the demands of his country from his basic values of family and the love of his wife. 

It would be within the character of Mr. Petraeus to reflect repeated deployments and time away from family that was the reality of his military. I have no doubt his actions in dedication was based in the purpose of living the life his military faced. He has a great deal of character. He found himself compromising his values and it is the fault of the nation and not the lack of character he has.

The nation has an indebtedness to him and his family. The idea a female journalist writing a thesis would be embedded with the then General without mentoring or security screening on a regular basis to keep them both safe from scandal and emotional distress is astounding. We put them together and they were left to their own ability to deal with their circumstances; both are still human beings. We compromised them. It doesn't change things, but, the nation has a responsibility for the damage to their lives. Reputations were destroyed and that is not a minor issue. 

I do believe the hub in Tampa facilitated dangers beyond that of the nation's security. Ms. Broadwell was outside that social circle. She didn't like it. 

We all know there are those that found Mr. Petraeus a sincere focus for politics; ie: Eisenhower. So, the fact there was a social group supporting that idea and even networking to achieve that goal, including removing scandal from within the group itself (sister without custody of child) before 'going public' with their political agenda was a very real threat to Ms. Broadwell. 

If Mr. Petraeus was to go forward with political ambitions it would be with his wife of many, many years. It would not be with Ms. Boardwell. The entire group was going to have problems beyond networking for political aspirations. The threats from Ms. Broadwell were real for real reasons. Ms. Broadwell was a mistress and she was being marginalized in defense of their goals.

I don't like the sound of any of it and the USA top brass should have recognized the dangers but they were blinded by their own power, ambition and skirt chasing. Talk about a toxic cocktail.

I am grateful to the FBI agent. He was more than correct to step in and expose the issues at hand. Well done. His motives can be shadowy, but, at the core of his actions and his persistence to expose the activities of these folks was more than correct. It is sometimes difficult to be 'completely clean' of intent when DISCOVERY results from a vibrant personal life. He is not at fault here. 

Oliver Stone's "Untold History of the United States" is another one of his best historical works.

Does Paul Ryan realize the campaign is over and he lost!

Ryan did nothing to help the Romney ticket. He wants to makes millions on the heels of Palin's example. His focus is illegitimate. The only reason the House still holds a majority is because of gerrymandering. It is an illegitimate majority. It is not illegal, but, in the true methodology of the GOP, the majority is illegitimate. 

Ryan needs to stop his open bigotry and join a skin head group. Even skin heads pay attention to Joe Biden! The campaign is over and let's face it the only reason he ran for Veep was to keep his House seat. None of his arithmetic adds up in his budget or otherwise and he needs to 'get over himself.'

Perhaps Ryan's best roll now is to split the Tea Party group into two factions and allow the House to actually work again.

The ONLY swing state Ryan won was North Carolina and that was on the coattails of the gubernatorial candidate. His attack on Medicare isn't going to work anymore. It was misguided, simplistic and inspired by his resident lobbyist.

Paul Ryan: Obama Win Given By 'Urban' Areas (click here)

Hm. Let's think about that for a minute.

Okay, time up.

The urban areas is where the SuperPacs concentrate their monies; ie: Santorums success in rural America. So, the methodology of the SuperPacs and Romney's "I approve this message" was to target high density population areas. 

Get it, yet?

Want another minute to think about it?

Okay then, Ryan isn't good at anything except rhetoric, so let me make this clear. If Ryan wants to live with his reality that they lost the election in urban areas, then the ad intensity in those areas FAILED! They voted for the other guy, Ryan, even though your money dump was all over them.

You lost, Ryan and if the urban areas rejected you it was because your message was a losing message, your focus a hostile one and an uneducated one. 

When is Speaker Boner going to look to real values rather than political rhetoric as a reason to actually lead the House?

The Real Housewives of Tampa

President Obama needs to accept recommendations from the Joint Chiefs of Staff regarding the social lives of their generals. Considering General Allen was seeking an assignment with NATO, a sensitive alliance considering Afghanistan and Pakistan, there needs to be conferencing with other nations within NATO regarding any concerns or complaints.

It may be General Allen allowed his social distractions too much attention. I hope the Joint Chiefs have some answers to this. I am confident General Dempsey has his opinions and whether or not Allen will stand up to scrutiny by Congress and Allies alike.

By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT and SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

Published: November 13, 2012

...The Kelleys were known for their lavish parties, with extravagant buffets, flowing Champagne, valet parking and cigars for guests from nearby MacDill Air Force Base, including David H. Petraeus and Gen. John R. Allen, who now commands troops in Afghanistan. “Tampa is the kind of community where, if you’re new to the community, you can carve out your own niche,” said Pam Iorio, the city’s former mayor, who recalls mingling with Mr. Petraeus and his wife, Holly, at the Kelleys’ home. “They decided to carve out a niche with the military.”...