Talks over Iran's nuclear program stalled when Iran demanded that EU sanctions be cancelled. The sanctions are set to go in place June 1, and are the toughest ever handed down by Europe. A new set of talks are set for June 18-19 in Moscow.
This unsuccessful set of talks, in Baghdad took place between Iran and the P5+1. The P5 are the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: the US, France, Great Britain, Russia, and China. The +1 denotes the addition of Germany.
Iran vows to not halt any kind of nuclear production until the sanctions be cancelled. The other nations stated that sanctions would only be cancelled once Iran has proven it is halting production.
Many countries have accused Iran of working towards nuclear weapons. Whilst Iran says it is all for energy research. But Iran's own released statistics show that they are enriching uranium far beyond what is necessary for energy production.
Israel accuses Iran of holding the talks simply to stall for time so that nuclear weapons can be achieved. The delay of almost a full month before talks resume would give credence to such worries.
Solar Impulse took off on it's first transcontinental flight, Thursday morning. Accomplishing the mission would set it as the first solar powered aircraft to do so.
Andre Borschberg is flying the experimental solar powered airplane to Madrid, Spain. Bertrand Piccard will then fly for the second leg of the trip, to Rabat, Morocco.
Takeoff was delayed for two hours by fog in their home field of Payerne, Switzerland; showing the weakness of such a craft.
With a cruising speed of around forty-three miles per hour, the aircraft with a wingspan of just over 200 feet, hopes to reach Morocco Friday evening.
In 2010, the plane was flown for twenty-six hours straight, to show that it's 12,000 solar cells could absorb enough energy to last through the night.
The pilots hope to take a new and improved plane in an around the world flight, in 2014.
Shakil Afridi, a Pakistani doctor, has been sentenced to thirty-three years in prison by the Pakistani government. His crime? Aiding the US in locating Osama bin Laden.
"The doctor was never asked to spy on Pakistan. He was asked only to
help locate al Qaeda terrorists, who threaten Pakistan and the US,"
said a senior U.S. official with knowledge of counterterrorism
operations against al Qaeda in Pakistan. "He helped save Pakistani and
American lives. His activities weren't treasonous, they were heroic and
patriotic."
But Pakistan sees it differently. As tensions with the US increase, over drone strikes and other incidents, Pakistan is arresting various people who have helped the US in it's war on terror. Pakistani officials sentenced the doctor in a secret trial in the Khyber region.
The US State Department has been pressing for Dr. Afridi's release, since his arrest last year. They pledge to continue to do so until he is released.
On Tuesday primaries took place in Arkansas and Kentucky.
President Obama, running unopposed in Kentucky only managed to get 57.9% of the vote. Forty-two percent of Kentucky Democrats, who voted, listed themselves as uncommitted.
In Arkansas, he's not faring much better. Only fifty-nine percent have gone for Obama. Forty-one percent went for his opponent there, who promises to repeal Obamacare.
These states follow West Virginia's primary, of two weeks ago. In that state, a Texas inmate took forty-one percent of the vote away from Obama.
Tuesday's primaries were disappointing for Romney as well. Kentucky gave him sixty-seven percent, and Arkansas sixty-nine.
Both states saw many votes still going for Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, and Ron Paul; none of whom are actively campaigning.
MI5, in conjunction with police, have arrested seven people in Northern Ireland on various charges of terrorist activities.
All seven are charged with being members of the Real IRA, a splinter group, that is opposed to the peace treaty of 1998.
Charges include: intent to endanger life, conspiracy to commit murder, planned attempts to cause explosions, directing terrorism, and possession of a firearm.
The arrests come after a major investigation. Police and MI5 wanted to be sure they would attain convictions for everyone they arrested.
After the first attempt failed on Saturday, SpaceX's Falcon 9 successfully launched early Tuesday morning.
Falcon 9 carried the Dragon Capsule into space, which is set to dock with International Space Station, on Friday.
The docking of the Dragon Capsule, which is carrying supplies to astronauts aboard the station, will mark the first time a commercial vehicle will be used for such a mission.
SpaceX, and other companies will be replacing the now retired NASA space shuttles, with their own reusable space craft.
Reports show that SpaceX is able to get into space for a third the price of what it cost NASA, an extremely marked improvement.
NASA plans to devote all it's own resources to deep space exploration.
Since the time I wrote Obama and American Jews' movement from Left to Right in July 2011, there has been further disillusion of the Obama administration by not only the Jews but many Americans including many Catholics. Obama's policies are dividing our nation.
Senator Marco Rubio, in a speech in North Carolina on May 19, 2012, said (about mark 38:10 of video below) of President Obama "We have not seen such a divisive figure in modern American history as we have over the last three and a half years." Obama is dividing the nation and forcing, not only the Jews but all of America, to choose sides in his class warfare, his first step in creating a completely socialist nation with him as it's leader. Divide and conquer. Slowly the nation is waking up to what Obama is doing and the path he is leading us down.
Rubio's speech is worth watching in its entirety.
If you are time limited, watch from time stamp 37 minutes.
While there are, and will always be staunch leftist/liberal/Progressive/Democratic die hard Jews, there are those who are moving from the far left towards the right moving toward the center and even right of center.
According to Public Religion Research Institute poll Jewish support of Obama is down from 78% in 2008 to 62% currently. That's a 16% drop. Many are seeing the failed policies of the Obama administration destroy America and her economy. They see the direction President Obama is taking, towards a socialist society, is not working. In their disillusionment many Jews, like other Americans, are moving away from socialist ideas and even away from the lesser progressive ideas and toward more centrist and conservative viewpoint. Some are simply moving away from Obama.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan
Not only is Obama chasing away the Jews, but the Catholics as well. 12 federal lawsuits by 43 Catholic institutions across the country in response to Obama’s contraception mandate Cardinal Timothy Dolan is leading the fight and has stated that the mandate is contrary to the “deeply held and constitutionally-protected religious beliefs” of Catholic organizations. Dolan is prepared to take the fight all the way to the Supreme Court.
Never in my lifetime do I remember the federal government being sued on such a large scale.
President Obama's approval rating has been gradually declining according to Rasmussen Reports
Even many those who remain liberal/leftist/Democratic are becoming disillusioned with Obama and will not vote for him. Many will be voting for the GOP candidate, who is likely to be Romney. Other's will be writing in or voting for a myriad of others. Some will abstain from voting altogether.
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday, May 22, 2012 shows Romney gaining on President Obama with Obama earning 46% of the vote and Romney attracting 44% support. Four percent (4%) would vote for a third party candidate, while another six percent (6%) are undecided. The decline in Jewish and Catholic support will likely translate to fewer votes for Obama.
The Catholic vote was an important factor in his winning the 2008 election, losing it could mean the loss of some states, especially the swing states such as Florida. The Jewish vote could further help determine some of the swing states. It doesn't look good for the president that the states will swing his way.
Maryland's Court of Appeals has announced that it will allow for gay divorces.
"A valid out-of-state same-sex marriage
should be treated by Maryland courts as worthy of divorce, according to
the applicable statues, reported cases, and court rules of this state,"
the court concluded in a 21-page ruling.
This decision comes despite that the state does not yet allow for gay marriage.
In January 2013, Maryland's law allowing for gay marriage will come into effect, though in November it is up for a challenge which could see it become illegal.
The biggest change is that Maryland will now recognize gay marriages from other states, which it had not previously done.
