In supporting the Israeli bombing of Gaza while ignoring events older than last week, we risk squandering yet another precious opportunity to remedy the Palestinian human rights crisis. By Wajahat Ali, December 29, 2008 Nowhere to run
Moral relativism, political double talk, and a military juggernaut blind to its violence against an occupied people highlight the most recent, tragic conflagration in Israel and Palestine. In justifying Israel's most brutal and bloody salvo against Gaza in decades - which has so far killed nearly 400 Palestinians and wounded more than 1800 - Israel's UN ambassador stated that Israel was "rightfully defending itself from continued Hamas rocket attacks within her borders." Furthermore, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert forewarned that the offensive "is liable to continue for some time."

By affirming Israel's "right to self defense" and supporting Israel's contention that the onus is on Hamas to renew the truce, President Bush's waning administration highlighted its remarkably predictable political incompetence and tone-deaf moral vacancy by squandering yet another precious opportunity to remedy - at least rhetorically - the festering, radioactive sore that is the Palestinian human rights crisis in Gaza and the West Bank. Continuing to spin a broken record, his administration condones Israel's brazen and repeated violations of international law while simultaneously denying Palestinian human rights, at the precarious risk of destabilizing a hostile and volatile Middle East region.

It goes without saying that this sad reality fails to absolve the illegality of Palestinian violence directed against Israel and her civilians. Hamas' infractions of international law should be strongly condemned by both the United States and the international community, including Arab countries, many of which espouse reactionary, anti-Semitic rhetoric. But such actions do not justify an escalation into outright war - one in which civilian causalities are almost a certainty due to the density of Gaza - any more than the Israeli blockade of Gaza would justify suicide bombings against Israeli civilians. The answer to a festering conflict is to take steps towards resolution, not spiral the conflict into madness.

President-elect Obama conveniently remains silent on the current hostilities (for now) and has thus deferred to President Bush. Nonetheless, earlier this summer he endorsed Israel's right to defend itself against Qassam rockets by stating, "If someone were sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I would do anything to stop it." One wonders, however, if President elect Obama's principles of safety, dignity and self defense apply to Palestinians as well? If Obama and President Bush's daughters were forced to suspend their emergency hospital operations due to fuel shortages, beg for 300 essential medicines, drink contaminated water that causes malnutrition and anemia in children, eat bread made of animal feed, and renounce electricity because their main power plant was forced to shut down, what would they do?

That hypothesis tragically exists as a reality for Gaza residents, some of the poorest people on Earth, who have survived Israel's nearly two-month embargo and blockade that followed another two years of frequent and devastating closures. Chris Gunness, a spokesman for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), called the Gaza humanitarian crisis "disastrous" and said the agency has been unable to get needed medical supplies into Gaza for more than a year due to Israel's blockade of border crossings.

At AIPAC's annual conference last summer, in what devolved into an embarrassing competition of one-upmanship, both President-elect Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton pledged unyielding support for Israel. Obama promised he would "never compromise when it comes to Israel's security"; meanwhile, Clinton affirmed that "the United States stands with Israel now and forever."

In order to truly act upon his promise of "change," President-elect Obama needs to quickly revoke Israel's perennial carte blanche and "get out of international jail" Monopoly card for the sake of ensuring long-term American and Israeli security and eventually winning the "war on terror." It would bear reminding that the current US policy in Israel and Palestine is one of bin Laden's main justifications for his global, violent jihad against Americans and sadly remains a highly successful recruitment ploy for al-Qaeda amongst disenfranchised Muslims.

It warrants a mention that the brutality of Israel's policies towards Palestinians has transcended the bipolar framework of an "Arab vs. Jewish thing" and is now recognized internationally as a shameful example of human rights violations. After visiting Israel, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who opposed apartheid in South Africa, stated he saw "the humiliation of the Palestinians at checkpoints and roadblocks, suffering like us when young white police officers prevented us from moving about." He offered Israel would "never get true security and safety through oppressing another people." Commenting on Israel's policies in Gaza and West Bank, President Jimmy Carter controversially declared that it existed as "a system of apartheid, with two peoples occupying the same land but completely separated from each other, with Israelis totally dominant and suppressing violence by depriving Palestinians of their basic human rights."

The United States could publicly acknowledge the lopsided and oppressive relationship existing between the nation of Israel and its Palestinian refugees by refusing to implicitly or explicitly endorse and rationalize Israel's latest offensive incursion as simply a "defensive security measure." Yet, by continuing to vocally defend Israel as the only advocate and partner of peace while perpetually blaming Palestinians as the sole aggressor, the United States recklessly obfuscates the reality of an Israeli blitzkrieg that repeatedly bombards a beleaguered Palestinian refugee population with an inordinately superior and sophisticated military might.

This changed tone, which would reflect fairness and nuance, would also signal to the Muslim world that the US does not blindly and unconditionally endorse Israel's prejudicial treatment of Palestinian refugees, its building of illegal settlements on West Bank and Gaza lands, its illegal, extra judicial killings and kidnappings, and it's most recent gratuitous violence unleashed on Gaza civilians.

Finally, the loss of innocent Palestinian life in relation to Israeli life should not merely be treated as tragic, but necessary, "collateral damage." Both need to be afforded dignity and value as human beings, who are neither favored nor condemned for sake of advancing narrow-minded foreign policy initiatives and strengthening expedient political alliances.

It's been so long that I posted here at New PS3 Games because I'm quite busy in updating my other blog which is SEO Guides. Anyways, after a long vacation from posting here I found another interesting game. New PS3 Games proudly present to you the upcoming hard sci-fi first-person shooting game, Killzone 2. As what I said a while ago, Killzone 2 is an upcoming first-person shooting game that is currently in development by Guerrilla Games. It was divided into two campaign, one is for single-player campaign and the other one is multiplayer. In the single-player campaign, Guerrilla Games see to it that Killzone 2 provides the player with an immersive and cinematic gameplay experience. Killzone 2 has a features a cover system which they named "lean and peek". This allows the player to take cover behind an object, and then pop out to fire at enemies. While in the multiplayer gameplay, a player can choose a ****of character which is specialized for a specific role to better suit the player's needs in battle. A player can mix 2 abilities out of 16 abilities(badges) depending on the player's playing **** A maximum of 32 players can connect online and group into squads of up to four players. Killzone 2 also supports a clan system, which allows up to 64 players to build a clan and compete for "Valor Points", it is an in-game currency that clans can use to bet on tournaments.Killzone 2 will be release on February 2009.

YouTube censors haveremoved several videos showing footage of air strikes and other attacks on Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip which were posted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on its new YouTube channel.

One of those videos was reportedly a clip showing a group of suspected Hamas militants being blown up in an air strike as they loaded missiles onto a truck (see main image above).

"We are saddened that YouTube has taken down some of our exclusive footage showing the IDF's operational success in operation Cast Lead against Hamas extremists in the Gaza Strip," the IDF spokesman's office said.

"As the state of Israel again faces those who would see it destroyed, it is imperative that we in the IDF show the world the inhumanity directed against us and our efforts to stop it," it said.

There was no immediate response from YouTube to an inquiry from AFP about whether videos had been removed and, if so, the explanation for the move.

YouTube routinely removes videos which are judged to violate its Terms of Use policies.

The spokesman's office of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it created ots own channelon YouTube on Monday to "help us bring our message to the world."

The channel has over2000 subscribers and hosts 10 videos, some of which have been viewed more than 20,000 times.

The black-and-white videos include aerial footage of Israeli Air Force attacks on what are described as rocket launching sites, weapons storage facilities, a Hamas government complex and smuggling tunnels.

One video shows what is described as a Hamas patrol boat being destroyed by a rocket fired from an Israeli naval vessel.

Four days of intensive Israeli bombardment have killed several senior Hamas officials and reduced much of the Islamist movement's infrastructure in Gaza to rubble, but have failed to stop rocket fire into Israel.

Since the massive aerial attack was unleashed on Saturday, at least 373 Palestinians, including 39 children, have been killed and 1720 wounded, according to Gaza medics.

Palestinian militants have also fired more than 250 rockets and mortar shells, killing four people inside Israel and wounding around two dozen more.

AFP

On the mob info, I just grew up interested in it.


On Gambino's well lets say there a mess. Good news I guess would be John Gotti Jr. Coming out not guilty, and well the fbi gave up on prosecuting him. So hes done with court problems, but most likely(99.9%) sure done with all LCN work. His Uncle Peter Gotti(one ugly guy) is in prison, probually until he dies. Well to end it short, The Gotti's are done with there little Terade. Now The Alleged acting Boss of the family on(Peter Gotti's Behalve) is John"jackie Nose"D'Amico. Underboss would be Domenico"Italian Dom"Cefalu. Now Consigliere is to be Joseph"JoJo"Corozzo. But Also I would say a lot of people would also say Nicholas"Little Nick"Corozzo, holds a admin Position, Possibly even boss. The Gambino's although being hit with alot of problems, are still the second strongest family in the U.S. to many people. Now They had there share of big time rats to. One is Michael"Mikey Scars"DiLeonardo. He was a friend of Jr. Gotti and was made at the same ceremony as Jr. Gotti aswell. He became a good earner, and rose threw the ranks quickly. He was a captain, and one of the top ones, when he was not a rat. But he became a rat and was to testify, at Jr Gotti's trial. His info did little damage on the gambino's, but Ill bet he does damage to Alphonse"Little Allie Boy"Persico, Acting Boss of the Colombo family, and Son of Carmine"Jr"Persico, the offical Boss(Serving life in prison.)Mikey DiLeonardo was a message boy to persico, and did work with him. Now bacck to the gambinos, they did just lose Michael"Mikey Y"Yanotti, a soldier who did a lot of work. Yanotti was involved in a plot by gotti and another soldier to kill a radio talk show host, Sliwa. Well yanotti was suppose to be the killer, but Sliwa, would not die, and in his words "escaped out of the car." Yanotti, I believe got like 20-30 years.. somewhere in there.

Gambino's are the least of interest to most people.

of the NYC families the Bonanno's and Genovese's are what is really interesting. With Joseph Massino the "last reigning Godfather" of the 5 families, ratting his family out, and Vincent Basciano(acting boss) being caught with a suppose hit list, things were looking gloomy. Now the alledged acting Boss is Salvatore Montagna, a soldier from Basciano's old crew and owns some type of Iron Buisness. Sad that a guy went from soldier to acting boss. I guess none of the older higher ups wanted the position. but then Anthony Graziano gets out of Prison in 2012, my guess he might want it. Also forgot to mension that another acting Boss of the Bonanno's Michael Mancuso went from soldier to acting boss aswell. This guy is a creep. Tried to kill his wife, and left her on a park bench to die. She lived however. Bonnano's may have a acting boss, but the rest of the hierarchy I know of is in prison, or going soon. Graziano(Consigliere gets out in 2012) acting consig Anthony Ribito is in prison(dont know when hes getting out) underboss.. I have no clue who it could be.

Genovese's are my favorite Nyc family to look into. They control the west side with complete force. Also being the strongest,richest family in the U.S. is not bad either. They had a lot of acting bosses(after the chin died) go down in indictments. like Liborio Bellomo Matthew Iannello, Ernest Muscarella(I believe) and well a lot more. Now the new acting boss is Daniel Leo(according to the feds) now I dont know anything on this guy. I never heard of him. Im going to say Hes close to Liborio Bellomo(most likely when he gets out, will take back over) another guy I think who runs the family is Mario Gigante(Vincenzo"The Chin"Gigante's older brother) its a mystery though.

other thigs I listed is well chicago's family secret case, and the disapearance of a big time player there Anthony Zizzo is a big question to. did he turn, or was he rubbed out?

William D'Elia ran the Pittson-Scranton(Bufalino Family) family famously named after Russell Bufalino(one time boss, and also the man who took over after Joseph Barbara) joseph barbara is the man who held the Infamous Appalachin meeting. This family was one time strong and feared, but now the only made guy left supposebly is William D'Elia. If he turns, he could put a lot of people away.

Joseph Ligambi is the philly boss. he was acting boss for joey merlino, but now for a year or two now, hes been offical. Feds say they have him on lock down.If he goes, than leadership will most likley go back to merlino forsure, when he gets out.

ill post more later, and my bad for rambling on.

October 28, 2008 - Fallout 3 is a special videogame. It's an open-world role-playing game that delivers an experience unlike anything on the market right now. It's a gripping and expansive showcase of how much depth and excitement can be packed into one videogame, and it does justice to the Fallout franchise. This sequel is the first made by Bethesda, the developers responsible for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. You don't need to play any of their past games or any previous Fallout games to enjoy this one. It stands on its own as a memorable and well-crafted videogame.

The Fallout universe paints a picture of a dystopian future. It exists in what people on the cusp of the atomic revolution in the 1950s saw as the sci-fi world of tomorrow...if several thousand nuclear bombs were dropped on it. It's a quaint sci-fi view of a future filled with atomic cars, robot servants, and incredibly basic computer terminals. A nuclear war has taken away most of these technological comforts, providing the backdrop for a game with a dreary, desperate atmosphere filled with glib and dark humor. It's a world that is both fantastic and somehow believable. And it is one that's exciting to explore.

The lead designer of Konami's forthcoming Silent Hill: Homecoming has stated that the team is striving to ensure that the highly anticipated horror entry will maintain all core aspects of its predecessors.

The company was responding to growing fan concern that the fifth instalment in the popular horror franchise wouldn't match up to previous titles, driven predominantly by the fact Homecoming isn't being developed by Team Silent, with duties instead handed over to US-based firm, The Collective.

"The Silent Hill series is all about narrative, exploration and atmosphere; even though this has been developed outside of Japan with an entirely new team (with the notable exception of Akira Yamaoka), we are still creating a Silent Hill game," said Jason Allen, during an interview with SilentHill5.net

"Foremost in our design philosophy for this title has been a strong desire to maintain the trademark atmosphere of the game. If we were to change that part of the experience - in my mind - it would cease to be Silent Hill."

"For a lot of western horrors, the key components are gore, shock and brutality. Atmosphere in Silent Hill is much more about dread, loss of identity and a sense of the futility of struggle; it hits you in an entirely different manner and in some respects is much more frightening to behold. So in a roundabout way, yes, you can expect the same creepy atmosphere."

Silent Hill: Homecoming is scheduled for release on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 this September. In this latest instalment, players assume the role of Alex Shepherd; a soldier returning from an overseas tour of duty, only to discover that his father and brother have mysteriously vanished.

Shepherd eventually makes his way to the town of Silent Hill, where he must navigate the fog-bound streets and combat an assortment of vile creatures in an effort to uncover the mysterious circumstances surrounding his family's disappearance.

Stay tuned.

A recent SEC filing by Activision has revealed that the publisher is planning on releasing a new title in the Guitar Hero franchise based on legendary heavy metal group, Metallica.

Unearthed by Wedbush Morgan securities analyst, Edward Woo, the filing disclosed plans to release the upcoming music simulation title in Q1 2009.

"In fiscal 2009, we plan to publish Guitar Hero: On Tour for the NDS; Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Guitar Hero: Metallica, and Guitar Hero IV across multiple platforms," Activision stated in its report.

The publisher's fiscal year ends on March 31, 2009, indicating that the game will likely show up not long after the holiday release of Guitar Hero: World Tour.

Guitar Hero: Metallica will mark the second title in the series based solely on one group, the other being the forthcoming summer release of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, due out on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PC, Xbox 360 and Wii.

Stay tuned for more information on Guitar Hero: Metallica as it becomes available.

Guns N' Roses front man Axl Rose has suggested that he may be seeking legal action against publishing giant Activision, alleging the firm included his group's tracks in its popular Guitar Hero franchise without permission.

Rose, 46, stated in a message to fans that he has no qualms with former guitarist Slash appearing in the music simulation title, though claims the tracks 'Welcome to the Jungle' and 'Sweet Child 'O Mine' were featured in an "unauthorized" state.

"Slash being in Guitar Hero is fine, but no when Activision in using 'Jungle' unauthorized," said Rose. "I wasn't broadsided. I read about it as it moved along but Activision continually denied it right up to the release. That's some low life chicanery on all their parts."

"Yes, Slash was in Guns and on 'Jungle' and he has rights to perform it, but not to be represented in this context in association with Guns. And since they weren't granted the license, it'll take some sorting."

Guns N' Roses front man Axl Rose has suggested that he may be seeking legal action against publishing giant Activision, alleging the firm included his group's tracks in its popular Guitar Hero franchise without permission.

Rose, 46, stated in a message to fans that he has no qualms with former guitarist Slash appearing in the music simulation title, though claims the tracks 'Welcome to the Jungle' and 'Sweet Child 'O Mine' were featured in an "unauthorized" state.

"Slash being in Guitar Hero is fine, but no when Activision in using 'Jungle' unauthorized," said Rose. "I wasn't broadsided. I read about it as it moved along but Activision continually denied it right up to the release. That's some low life chicanery on all their parts."

"Yes, Slash was in Guns and on 'Jungle' and he has rights to perform it, but not to be represented in this context in association with Guns. And since they weren't granted the license, it'll take some sorting."

The virtual world of PlayStation Home is being monitored by the powers that be, who have taken measures to censor text chat so as to ensure users aren't offended by what it deems to be offensive language.

The list of objectionable words includes the likes of gay "lesbian" and "bisexual", as well as the likes of "Christ" and "Jew". Users can currently leave feedback to Sony who insists that it will adopt a zero tolerance policy and will take action against any bad behavior, including racist and sexist remarks, but some believe that Sony has gone over the top by banning such words.

Michael Marsh, an 18-year-old gamer from Norwalk, Conn is one such disgruntled user who believes that Sony is discriminating sections of society by banning such words. He tried to set up a gay/straight alliance club, but was prevented from doing so due to the censorship.

"By blocking a word like gay which is a preferred term by the gay community, you're encouraging it as a bad word," he told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Sony has reacted to the complaints by assuring users that it is listening to feedback from its community and that it will take into account and act upon any issues that are brought to its attention.

"The key message is it's a beta and it's evolving on a daily basis," said Sony Computer Entertainment America spokesman Patrick Seybold. "We've said early on that user behavior and feedback will shape where we go with Home."