Between this, the flesh-eating EATRs, and iRobot's autonomous weapon-wielding robots, I'm beginning to suspect that robot engineers aren't entirely on our side.

A monkey fitted with a hi-tech brain chip has learned to move a complex robotic arm using mind control. The animal can operate the robot with such dexterity that it can reach out to grab, and turn a handle. The mechanical arm has an arm, elbow, wrist and simple hand, which the monkey controls with the power of thought. Sky News was given exclusive access to the laboratory at Pittsburgh University in the United States... Neurobiologist Dr Andy Schwartz said: "What we're trying to do is go to a very dextrous hand - where the functionality is very similar to the human hand. If we could help stroke patients there would be a huge market for this kind of device."

You know how we always thought that our opposable thumbs seperate us from the monkeys? Turns out not so much, no:

References:
* Monkey Moves Robot Using Mind Control [Sky News]
* Upcoming Military Robot Could Feed on Dead Bodies [Fox News]
* Neat - Autonomous Robots With Weapons Strapped To Them [MR]

Previously:
* Neat - War Of The Worlds Style Tripod-Legged Robots... Wait, What? [Video]
* Neat - Now We're Teaching Robots To Climb Walls [Video]
* And Now, A Humanoid Robot That Transforms Into A Car [Video]

Hey, remember that time when public diplomacy advocates were lavished with attention - to say nothing of the institutional credibility of publication - to come up with student exchanges as a way to win global hearts and minds? And remember when conservatives said that this was a typically muddled project filled with so much State Department incompetence at so many levels that it was guaranteed to fail? Hmm:

They came from around the world hoping to spend a high school year immersed in the culture and joys of America. Instead, five young foreign exchange students found themselves caught in a nightmare of neglect, malnourishment and abandonment by those supposed to protect them.

Now those five -- natives of countries stretching from Norway to Tanzania to Colombia -- are back home telling friends of a different America than they expected. And their brief visit reverberates in America as a United States senator demands accountability and reform, a Pennsylvania district attorney seeks criminal charges and the U.S. State Department concedes it failed to protect kids coming to America.

"We at the Department of State recognize [because we] are responsible for this program we have to make sure we are aggressively overseeing this program and make sure children are well-suited," said State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley.

On the plus side, I'm sure that this will turn out to be merely a poor implementation of a fundamentally sound idea. The alternative - that these kinds of "small but powerful" initiatives are bureaucratically unworkable sketches scribbled down by academics and embraced by diplomats who need to justify their existence - is just so unnuanced (h/t: MR reader BDH).

References:
* Student Exchanges Build Relations Between Countries [America.gov]
* The Political Psychology of Student Exchanges
* Exchange students live American nightmare [CNN]

Previously:
* Samantha "We Should Invade Israel" Power Appointed To NSC
* Which Egyptian TV Station Should Get An Obama Post-Speech Interview?
* Aww... Clinton Appoints Super-Special Globetrotting "Representative To Muslim Communities"

I'm not sure what kind of personal rationalization Douglas Bloomfield is engaged in here - "I only carried water for an obvious anti-Israel partisan because I couldn't get over my personal distaste for the GOP base" - but as an empirical matter it's stupid and as a personal matter it's kind of pathetic.

During the election Bloomfield was at the forefront of smearing Jewish Obama opponents as narrow-minded bigots. He actually got pretty excised about it the whole thing, screeching with outrage about the "concerted hate campaign," that was "coming largely from the Jewish right."

Now in rhetorical theory we have a well-established account of what happens when someone gets self-righteously invested in something but later turns out to be spectacularly, demonstrably, obnoxiously wrong. They can either come to grips with whatever made them go awry or they could scapegoat some readily-identifiable and easily-demonized group. So while Bloomfield is being a lot less honest with himself than Marty Peretz - at least he's not also predictable!

The Republican Party has a Jewish problem. And a Hispanic problem. And an Asian problem. And a black problem. And a female problem... As the nation becomes more ethnically and racially diverse, the GOP is becoming more monochromatic - white, rural, Christian, conservative, male and angry. That's not the minority group it needs to take back the Congress or the White House...

For 20 years or so we've been hearing predictions by Jewish Republicans of a mass migration of Jewish voters from the Democratic party, but the GOP has never recovered from the damage done by George H.W. Bush's questioning the loyalty of American Jews and trying to block loan guarantees to Israel in 1991... I believe it is in the interest of the Jewish community - in both foreign and domestic policy - to be well represented in both parties, but so long as the Evangelicals and social conservatives set the Republican agenda, Jews will keep voting overwhelmingly Democratic.

Let's be very, very precise here: according to the very best social science we have American Jews vote Democratic simply because that's how they've always voted. It's a party ID issue. Jews aren't the only minority group where that happens. But - despite the thin pretexts they give themselves by reading echo-chamber Jewish media and listening to talks by liberal "expert speakers" - they're undeniably one of them.

That means that "so long as the Evangelicals and social conservatives set the Republican agenda," Jews will keep using that excuse to vote Democratic. If Evangelicals and social conservatives suddenly stop setting the Republican agenda, Jews will find some other excuse to vote Democratic.

As for American Jews being moved by issues revolving around loan guarantees - please. The Obama White House has been leaking for months that cutting Israeli aid is on the table. I don't remember a steep drop in Obama's Jewish support when he threatened to freeze $1 billion over settlements back in January.

Though I was glad to learn that the GOP has systemic dynamics that prevent it from attracting Jewish voters. During the election the pathologically dishonest hacks at outfits like the NJDC were insisting that Jews had been considering McCain, but that Sarah Palin had ruined it. So any wayward Democratic Jews who still felt uncomfortable about Obama could hang their hat on left's venomous Palin hatred. Smart!

References and previously after the jump...

Last night inside the Nokia Theatre: fashionable representatives of LA's glitterati, enjoying the ESPY awards. Outside the Theatre: determined members of LA's Persian community, insisting that Nokia answer for contributing to Iran's fascist panoptic regime. A quick reminder about the scope of the Finnish telecom giant's craven collaboration with Khamenei, Ahmadinejad, and their ilk:

In confronting the political turmoil that has consumed the country this past week, the Iranian government appears to be engaging in a practice often called deep packet inspection, which enables authorities to not only block communication but to monitor it to gather information about individuals, as well as alter it for disinformation purposes, according to these experts. The monitoring capability was provided, at least in part, by a joint venture of Siemens AG, the German conglomerate, and Nokia Corp., the Finnish cellphone company.

As guests waited at the crosswalk opposite the Nokia, protesters would ask them to put on a green ribbon in support of Iranian dissidents. Very few of our well-heeled moral betters donned the symbol - LA being something less than an epicenter for genuine pro-freedom sentiment - but those who did got loud cheers from the 50+ person crowd.

Meanwhile there were staffers tasked with organizing visuals, coordinating with the press, and even supplying everyone with water. The youngest attendee was a baby in a stroller getting tended to by siblings. The oldest was an elderly woman in a wheelchair holding up an anti-Ahmadinejad banner. This was a broad, well-organized community event.

I left out photos of the little kids because children at rallies are creepy. Much more seriously, I also had to exclude many of the middle-aged protesters because they still have family back in Iran. The final result is a gallery of 40 pictures filled mostly with college students, recent grads, and official event staff. Small versions of the first 20 photos are embedded above and below, and everything else is in the slideshow at the end. Click through on anything to get full 800px versions.

Relatedly, it's now confirmed science that Middle Eastern protest babes are not geographically confined to Central Asia and the Near East. Good Lord.

No worries though, because the foreign policy experts at FP are pretty sure that the root cause is police brutality. So as soon as the French cut down on that everything should go swimmingly:

As The Guardian says in the article, the riots are merely the latest clash in a long-running fight between urban minorities and the French police. Numerous reports in the last year have shown the police force using ethnic profiling and human rights violations against minorities, and racial problems are not just limited to law enforcement, either.

And yet it's weird, because these same communities also saw violent, anti-Semitic riots during Cast Lead. And that doesn't have anything to do with French racism. In Paris youths of indeterimate religion spent a solid week torching and flipping over cars. All of that has a much more global, ideological feel to it.

And when you add in how French doctors are issuing certificates of virginity to Muslim women and how Jewish men are being stabbed by radical Muslims - well, it almost seems like that ideology is religious in character.

References:
* Riots return to France [FP]
* Riots in France during anti-Israel protest [YNet]
* Surprise!... Pro-Hamas "Youths" Torch Cars After Paris Protest [Gateway Pundit]
* France: Doctors Issuing Certificates of Virginity to Muslim Women...... [Weasel Zippers]
* Man wearing Jewish symbol stabbed near Paris [JPost]

Previously:
* AP Identifies Root of Muslim Violence in France: Non-Muslims!
* European Muslims Doing Their Best To Cleanse France Of Jews
* Political Islam Kills Academic Freedom In France

As far as I know, British security assistance to the Palestinians - which began while Fatah was ramping up a suicide war and has been turned against the IDF by Palestinian soldiers - continues apace. Not so much for the weapons Israel used in its defensive operation against Hamas:

Britain has slapped a partial arms embargo on Israel, refusing to supply replacement parts and other equipment for Sa'ar 4.5 gunships because they participated in Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip earlier this year. Britain's Foreign Office informed Israel's embassy in London of the sanctions a few days ago. The embassy, in a classified telegram to the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, said the decision stemmed from heavy pressure by both members of Parliament and human rights organizations... The British said the embargo was imposed because these ships participated in Operation Cast Lead. In so doing, the British claimed, they violated the security agreements between Britain and Israel, which specify what uses may be made of British equipment.

I love the logic underlying this trick: "We'll sell you weapons but you can't use them against people who attack you."

It's the same logic that Obama uses when he demands that Israel take risks for peace - because who would dare threaten the territorial integrity of a nuclear-armed state - and then pressures Israel on its nuclear deterrent. It's not a particularly effective argument and it undermines Middle East stability by encouraging Arab intransigence. But at least it's also dishonest!

References:
* Britain Offers Security Assistance to Palestinian Authority [VOA]
* EXCLUSIVE-Palestinians to get basic flak jackets, ending row [Reuters]
* U.K. hits Israel with partial arms sanctions over Cast Lead [Ha'aretz]
* No Kidding: Obama To Pressure Israel On Its Nuclear Deterrent [MR]
* Abbas: Olmert Offered Us The West Bank And The Right Of Return, But It Wasn't Good Enough [MR]

Previously:
* Anti-Israel Partisans Set New Record For Decades-Old Trick Of Brazenly Rewriting History, Blaming Israel
* Britain Letting Distaste For Jewish State Get In the Way Of Not Having A Nuclear War In the Middle East
* Britain Down On UK-Israeli Ties, Pretty Psyched About Nuke-Building Terrorist Supporting Syrian Regime

As you can clearly see from the diagram above, we're pretty much hosed. It's been a good run folks. But now it's time to say goodbye:

A Maryland company under contract to the Pentagon is working on a steam-powered robot that would fuel itself by gobbling up whatever organic material it can find -- grass, wood, old furniture, even dead bodies. Robotic Technology Inc.'s Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot -- that's right, "EATR" -- "can find, ingest, and extract energy from biomass in the environment (and other organically-based energy sources), as well as use conventional and alternative fuels (such as gasoline, heavy fuel, kerosene, diesel, propane, coal, cooking oil, and solar) when suitable," reads the company's Web site. That "biomass" and "other organically-based energy sources" wouldn't necessarily be limited to plant material -- animal and human corpses contain plenty of energy, and they'd be plentiful in a war zone.

Little-known but absolutely true fact: to a robot, human flesh tastes exactly like yummy bacon. Seriously. I'm not joking about this.

References:
* Upcoming Military Robot Could Feed on Dead Bodies [Fox News]
* Robot Identifies Human Flesh As Bacon [Wired]

Previously:
* Japan Unveils Ultra Creepy, Probably Evil Baby Robot
* Military Developing Shrinking, Shape-Changing, Insectoid Micro-Spybots
* Neat - NASA Foolishly Equips Planet-Hopping Robot With Nuclear Power and Laser Beams

Apparently Obama's strategy of meddling with our allies and sucking up to our enemies is having negative consequences. How does that make any sense?

For six decades, [it's] been more or less certain in Japanese politics that the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) would run the show... [but] the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) poised to take power in next month's elections... And it's not clear that the Obama administration knows what's about to hit them... In the event of an LDP loss next month, the Obama administration will be forced to grapple in the near term with the DPJ's pledge to renegotiate the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA)... As part of these discussions, Japan will insist on renegotiating the way the two countries share the cost of the U.S. military presence in Japan.

The good news is that Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Kurt Campbell is one of Japan's most trusted friends in Washington... The bad news is that President Obama has pursued an Asia policy that in many ways seems divorced from the strategy pursued by the Clinton administration in which Dr. Campbell previously served -- a strategy he has described as an "allies-first" Asia policy... The Bush administration pursued a geopolitical project in Asia that, while building a stable and productive relationship with China, worked to shape Asia's strategic evolution by strengthening the alliance with Japan; expanding Japan's alliance roles and responsibilities to make that country a global security leader.

See? That's the thing about taking a petulant group of September 10 experts and distributing them throughout the diplomatic corps. At some point things are not going to be like the Clinton years, but these tools will blindly insist otherwise. And then they might be inclined to craft an "allies last" strategy and approach hardened ideological enemies with sweet nothings, development assistance, and appeasement. Cf. Iran.

At least Japan isn't a country with a history of becoming nationalistic during economic downturns in response to percieved geopolitical threats. If that was the case - and if we were entering such a downturn while they were worried about China and North Korea - we might have a recipe for North Pacific instability. How much would that suck?

References:
* The coming tsunami from Japan [FP Shadow Gov't]

Previously:
* Politico: Obama "Takes Tough Stance On Iran" By Urging Engagement
* Obama Continues Pattern Of Sophisticated Phone Calls With Post-Inauguration First Call To Holocaust Denier, Erstwhile Terrorist
* Dumbest Quote About International Diplomacy. Ever.

Well naturally. Israelis disagree with The One's grandiose plans for carving up their country so obviously the problem is that they haven't thought about it enough:

U.S. President Barack Obama met with 15 American Jewish leaders at the White House for the first time on Monday. The president and the Jewish officials huddled for talks aimed at clearing the air following allegations that his administration was taking a tough line with Israel over settlement activity. At the meeting, Obama told the leaders that he wants to help Israel overcome its demographic problem by reaching an agreement on a two-state solution, but that in order to do so, Israel would need "to engage in serious self-reflection."

That's the problem with Israel. No self-reflection. That's why the Israeli press is regularly lauded as the freest in the Middle East and one of the most diverse in the world. It's why the anti-settler left is a constant media fixture. And it's why the pro-peace Labor party is in the ruling coalition. Zero self-reflection.

Basic fact: since Obama took office the US has rolled back diplomatic and military ties with Israel and expanded diplomatic and military ties with the Palestinians. Anyone who implies otherwise is lying.

And anyone who voted for Obama on the basis of his ostensible sympathy for the plight of the besieged and rocket-weary Jewish State is an idiot.

References:
* Obama to U.S. Jewish leaders: Israel must engage in self-reflection [Ha'aretz]
* It's Official: Obama Policy Triggers "Most Tense Encounter" In Years Between US And Israel (Plus: Can You Guess MR's Blind Item?) [MR]
* Obama Bundles $200 Million Palestinian Aid Into Emergency Iraq/Afghanistan Supplemental [MR]
* Abbas: Olmert Offered Us The West Bank And The Right Of Return, But It Wasn't Good Enough [MR]
* US Gen. Arming And Training Palestinian Troops: You Know, They Might Attack Israel [MR]

Previously:
* Obama Complains: It's A Media-Fueled "Misperception" That I'm Trying To Detonate The US-Israel Relationship
* Obama Gearing Up To Present Ultimatum To Israel, Detonate US-Israel Alliance
* Awesome: Obama Now Wrecking Israel's Economy Too

In fairness, Aaron Klein insists that Ayman Abu Aita is only kind of a terrorist leader because he's been a good source for Klein's WND or something:

A "terrorist leader" interviewed in the just-released hit movie "Bruno" is fuming mad, telling WND the film mislabels him and that the movie's star, Sasha Baron Cohen, conducted the interview under false pretenses... Aita also slammed Baron Cohen as a "big liar" who "made up stories" when describing to CBS's David Letterman last week the way he met Aita at an undisclosed location. Aita said he is pursuing legal action against Baron Cohen. "[Baron Cohen] said this was a film going to help the Palestinian cause," Aita told WND. "When I heard (four days ago) what this film was about I really didn't believe it."... Aita, however, is not exactly a terrorist. At least not anymore.

I don't know. Aita was a leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, which has been designated a terrorist organization by Israel, the US, and the EU. He's been known to threaten that "one bullet will be enough" to instigate Palestinian mass violence. He helped run a Palestinian non-profit that Joseph Farah tagged for rationalizing terrorism and peddling anti-Semitic tropes. And I'm pretty sure he's the one in this story covering up the persecution of Palestinian Christians.

All of which is a roundabout way of saying, enjoy:

On top of everything else, Sasha Baron Cohen was born an Orthodox Jew and speaks fluent Hebrew. Can you imagine the sheer stones this must have taken?

References:
* 'Terrorist leader' threatens to sue 'Bruno' movie [WND]
* HLT elects a new Board of Directors [HLT]
* Anti-Israel humanitarian organization [Discover The Networks]
* Klein: Terrorists to descend on Jesus' birthplace. Muslim jihadists to congregate at site of rampant Christian persecution [Real Barack Obama]

Previously:
* Fatah Security Chief: "There Is No Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades Any More" Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades: "Yes There Is"
* Media Consensus Forming: Israeli West Bank Ops Violate Gaza Ceasefire (Plus: Palestinians Shot West Bank Israelis On Day 2)
* Oh, So The Al-Aqsa Terrorist Brigade Is Loyal To Abbas After All?

Well either Hindu fundamentalism doesn't exist or the left's "all fundamentalism is as bad as Islamic fundamentalism" nonsense is wrong. Hmm...

The advertisement shows a picture of Lakshmi, the Indian goddess of wealth, above one of the burgers, which are forbidden under Hindu religion. The 'Texican Whopper' is an affront to Hindu sensitivities in its own right - it includes an all-beef patty, a beef chilli-con-carne slice, egg-based Cajun mayonnaise, all forbidden by strict Hindus. Some devotees would even be offended by the inclusion of onions which they believe inflame passions. But it is the depiction of Lakshmi which has provoked widespread anger with its suggestion that a Hindu deity eats beef. The goddess and the burger were placed under a slogan claiming 'La merienda es sagrada' - the snack is sacred.

Remember when Playboy printed a cover of a sexy, half undressed Virgin Mary and global Catholic riots also failed to ensue? Good times.

References:
* Burger King apology to Hindus for advert [Telegraph]
* Hindutva [Wiki]
* Compare and Contrast Reactions - Playboy's Virgin Mary Cover Vs. Anonymous Burka-Clad Woman Showing A Small Part Of One Breast [MR]

Previously:
* The Significance Of the Pope's Visit To Turkey - Not That Much, Actually
* Amsterdam Commissioner Fears "Paris Style Riots" From Youths Of Indeterminate Religious Affiliation
* Islamic World Explodes Into Riots As Fatah Targets Hamas Mosques, Imams

Even if his explanation about how he's also pressuring the Palestinians wasn't vacuous - and it is - "American pressure on Israel" is just a sideshow. The administration's genuine broadsides against the Jewish State have been (a) Obama's reversal of past diplomatic guarantees and (b) Obama's insistence that progress on Middle East instability, including Iranian nuclearization, is linked to Israeli territorial concessions. Some might add, from the Cairo speech, (c) Obama's minimization of the Jewish right to Israel and (d) Obama's juxtaposition of the Holocaust and the Israeli "occupation," but I think those had more to do with cheap moral equivalence than active diplomatic animus.

None of those could possibly be misperceptions of opaque negotiations since they are policy formulations based on words that came out of Obama's mouth as far back as the campaign. Obama's implication that Israel is responsible for the length and breadth of Middle East instability became an explicit policy when Emanuel linked progress on Iran to progress on the peace process.

But hey, if Obama didn't really say that Israeli concessions "strengthen our hand... in dealing with a potential Iranian threat" or, in reference to natural growth in settlement blocs, he didn't really say "it is time for these settlements to stop" - if he didn't say those things then I guess I might be suffering under media misperceptions.

Just on principle though, it's worth pointing out that even his shtick on the "pressure" sideshow was so unpersuasive that Obama-worshiping liberal Jewish leaders "still disagreed:"

Several representatives from the 14 Jewish groups that participated described Obama as blaming the media for the "misperception" that Israel needs to do more than the Arabs at this stage, equating it with a "man bites dog" story when the US criticizes Israel as opposed to the Arab states... Ira Forman of the National Jewish Democratic Committee, said Obama stressed he fully appreciated how difficult the challenges were. "He must have said a dozen times, 'This is really hard.' This is not sitting around the campfire singing kumbaya," said Forman, who praised the president's grasp on the complexities of the region. But Anti-Defamation League Director Abraham Foxman said that, for his part, while he was impressed with Obama's response, he still disagreed... Obama also indicated that US Middle East envoy George Mitchell and Defense Minister Ehud Barak were close to reaching an agreement on the settlements after weeks of shuttling back and forth.

The logical question - "if Mitchell isn't disproportionately applying pressure to Israel why is he holed up in meetings with Israel" - was presumably never asked. I'd also like to know which part of the media misled Israeli Minister of Intelligence Dan Meridor into throwing up his hands in disgust at how the Obama administration was abrogating past diplomatic agreements:

Fascists:

A scary anecdote from Iran. A trusted colleague - who is married to an Iranian-American and would thus prefer to stay anonymous - has told me of a very disturbing episode that happened to her friend, another Iranian-American, as she was flying to Iran last week. On passing through the immigration control at the airport in Tehran, she was asked by the officers if she has a Facebook account. When she said "no", the officers pulled up a laptop and searched for her name on Facebook. They found her account and noted down the names of her Facebook friends... it means that the Iranian authorities are paying very close attention to what's going on Facebook and Twitter (which, in my opinion, also explains why they decided not to take those web-sites down entirely - they are useful tools of intelligence gathering).

They're also not above attacking overseas sites when those sites try to undermine that intelligence gathering.

The Iranians have a habit both of tracking online activity and of being hypersensitive to content. On the tech side, our toothless export regime - we can't even stop HP from selling them printers - has done little to prevent them from importing robust surveillance technology. Nokia confessed to selling them equipment that probably allows super-scary Deep Packet Inspection, though they insist that it's not that that complex (good to know!)

On the content side, the bastards simply lock you up when they find you. Half a year ago they arrested an Iranian peace activist blogger for being an Israeli spy. They promptly got him to "confess":

An Iranian blogger who visited Israel at least twice in the past three years, and who was twice interviewed... about his efforts to "humanize" Israel for Iranians and vice-versa, has reportedly been arrested in Teheran and admitted to spying for Israel. According to a report in Jahan News, which is close to Iran's intelligence community, quoted by the Middle East analyst Meir Javedanfar, the blogger, Hossein Derakhshan, returned to Iran about three weeks ago, having previously been based in Canada. "Prior to his return," Javedanfar writes on his middleeastanalyst.com Web site, Derakhshan had "started attacking [former Iranian president] Ayatollah [Hashemi] Rafsanjani in his blog. It is possible that he fell foul of a power struggle within Iran."

They're also not above disappearing the friends of dissidents. Maybe this is something Obama can talk to them about.

Although probably not, right? (h/t: MR reader KO)

References and previously after the jump...

At a time when print media is in crisis and young reporters are either J-School pedants or Obama worshipers or both, it's nice to see someone still adhering to gritty, in the trenches journalistic conventions. Last week, in the pages of the Washington Post, Michael Kinsley mocked source greasing thusly:

As a literary form, the source greaser is bound by strict conventions. The subject always puts in heroically long hours. He or she is uniquely influential and close to the president... On most days, the source-greasing chief rises before sunset, works out for three hours, reads 12 newspapers in five languages while riding his bike to work, and is at his desk by 4 a.m. A typical workday lasts until 9 or 10 in the evening, which means that he often doesn't get to sleep until several hours after he wakes up the next day. He wears three watches, set to different time zones. "You never know when you're going to be ordered off to Beijing," he said, adding sadly, "It hasn't happened yet. But when it does, I'm ready." Colleagues interpret the lack of travel as a sign of his importance. "The Man needs him nearby," said one, who asked not to be identified because "I'm just making this stuff up."

This morning, in the pages of the Washington Post, Michael Shear described the schedule of WH press secretary Robert Gibbs thusly:

"I think the mess hates all of us," said a frequent customer who is a senior adviser to President Obama. In a city where work can border on obsession, the Obama staffers stand out. They are not quite the walking dead, but their eyes are frequently ringed with the bags that accompany exhaustion. "This is a place, because of the stress, the schedule and the sheer hours, that just chews people up and spits them out," said press secretary Robert Gibbs, whose alarm clock is set to 4:30 a.m., though he ignores the early ring more often these days... Even the most hardy of Obama's staff members are beginning to recognize the toll that the pace is taking. "I felt like a heavyweight boxer lying on the mat," Gibbs said last week, describing his mood before leaving with the president for an eight-day trip across 10 time zones. Air Force One landed early yesterday at Andrews Air Force Base, carrying a presidential team that caught just a few hours of sleep each night in Russia, Italy and Ghana. All plan to return to work before sunrise today.

Sorry bloggers, but there are some things you can't learn except by doing your time in a newsroom. And just to be clear, this isn't any more unethical than anything journalists have done during previous administrations. It definitely has a hint of extra Obama-inspired puppy-love, but it's not spin a whole column out of Obama's fly move obnoxious.

References:
* The Indispensable Greaser [Kinsley / WaPo]
* In West Wing: Grueling Schedules, Bleary Eyes [Shear / WaPo]
* Obama's Fly Move [Dowd / NYT]

Previously:
* Farrakhan: Obama Is "A Herald Of The Messiah... A Savior" (Plus: Obama's Followers Attacking Conservatives, Fantasizing About Shooting Palin)
* Figures: Obama's List Of Pre-Screened Questioners Emerges One Day After Media Celebrations Of How Obama Doesn't Pre-Screen Questioners (Plus: It's Possible That The MSM Is Making Up Excuses For Their Obama Worship)
* Video: CNN's Aww Shucks "Top 10 Obama Faux Pas" Roundup Misses A Few Things

It's been a while since I did multiple end-of-the-day series posts in one week. I'd almost forgotten the joy of easy content:

At the San Diego Zoo the red panda is directly across the Giant Panda Research Station. I bring that up only so I can give you a link to their awesomely awesome Panda Cam.

References:
* The San Diego Zoo's Panda Cam [San Diego Zoo]

Previously:
* Sunday Cute - Wrestling Baby Pandas
* And Now, Two Adorable Pandas Playing In The Snow
* Sunday Cute - Panda-monium

Via MEMRI via Is Iran's Fist Still Clenched?

Parviz Davoudi, deputy to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, stated that Iran currently has over 12,000 centrifuges in operation, and that the Zionist regime has no answer to the Iranian Sajil-2 missile. Davoudi added that Iran has a presence in the West, in America and in Latin America, and that undermining its regime would destabilize the region and the entire world.

It's OK though, because a few months ago Gates said Iran was nowhere close to getting a bomb and Clinton expressed herself skeptical about Iranian nuclear strides:

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Thursday expressed skepticism about Iranian claims of new advances in its uranium enrichment program. But she said the claims underscore the need for Iran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency and return to negotiations on its nuclear program. The Iranian claims of major advances in its nuclear program came only a day after the Obama administration said it was ready to reverse previous U.S. policy and directly engage Iran over the issue. But in a talk with reporters, Clinton declined to call the Iranian statements a rebuff to the U.S. overture and also expressed some skepticism that Tehran has actually made enrichment gains.

Since there's no way they've made that much progress in the intervening months, they're probably just making this up.

References:
* Ahmadinejad's Deputy: We Have 12,000 Centrifuges in Operation [MEMRIBlog]
* Clenched With 12,000 Operating Centrifuges [Is Iran's Fist Still Clenched?]
* Gates: Iran 'not close' to nuclear weapon [YNet]
* Clinton Skeptical About Claimed Iranian Nuclear Strides [VOA News]

Previously:
* Purdue Nuclear Strategy Expert: Bomb Iran Now
* Gates: Israeli Attack On Iran's Nukes Will Cause Iran To Pursue Nukes, Detonate US-Israeli Relations
* Israeli Military Intel: Iran "Halfway" Toward Nuclear Weapon (Plus: Syria, Hezbollah, And Hamas All The Way Toward Every Other Kind Of Weapon)

I'd suggest exporting this technology to Saudi Arabia, but it would only be half as efficient because half their population still isn't allowed to drive. Anyway:

The bright sparks at the country's Technion Institute of Technology in Haifa have developed a road that generates power when vehicles pass over it. And they hope the technology will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. In a university car park, Haim Abramovich and his team run a heavy truck repeatedly over a special stretch of tarmac.

"The name of the game is harvesting," he told Sky News. "Harvesting means energy which is available but is going to waste. "So what I want to is to harvest part of that energy and make it useful. This is the name of the game and this is my dream." Making his dream come true are hundreds of rugged metallic crystals. When put under pressure they generate electricity.

So lined up in special pads buried under the tarmac, they create power. It is called 'piezo' electricity. It has been around a while, but never used like this before. One truck can generate 2,000 volts, but to create useful electricity you need a lot of amps too and that requires many pads over hundreds of metres and a high percentage of traffic, preferably moving quickly.

They'll get the high percentage of traffic, but that part about driving quickly is going to be a problem. Anyone ever been on Israel's Ayalon freeway? Suffice to say: a grumpy Israeli diplomat once suggested routing European mediators through the interchange to keep them occupied for a year or three (h/t: Anne)

References:
* Saudi Arabia's religious police undergoes change slowly [McClatchy]
* Israel's Bright Sparks Invent 'Electric' Road [Sky]

Previously:
* Saudi Arabia At Annapolis: Israel Has No Right To Exist (Plus: By A Strange Coincidence, Their Conditions For A Peace Deal Would Require Destruction Of Israel)
* Neat - Israeli Sand Art [Video]
* Neat - Israeli Nanobots To Revolutionize Medicine

Barack Obama, July 11, 2009:

[Obama] delivered a strong and at times even stern message in words that, had they come from any of his predecessors, might not have been receivedthe same way. Instead, it was cast by the White House as hard truths from a loving cousin who could say what no one else could. "No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves, or police can be bought off by drug traffickers," he said. "No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the top, or the head of the port authority is corrupt. No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery. That is not democracy, that is tyranny, and now is the time for it to end."

Pihl Kerpen, March 10, 2009:

Cap-and-trade is a way to impose a massive energy tax and pretend it's not a tax. It puts a cap on overall greenhouse gas emissions, and establishes a market for companies to buy and sell the permits. In Obama's version, the permits would all be auctioned off and the hundreds of billions of dollars would be used to fund higher government spending... An analysis... projected the economic impact of last year's bill by 2030: 3 to 4 million fewer jobs, $4,022 to $6,752 in lower annual disposable income per household, an annual hit to GDP of between $631 billion and $669 billion, and much higher energy prices -- 60 percent to 144 percent higher for gasoline and 77 percent to 129 percent higher for electricity.

In fairness to Obama, the administration's been very honest about how they're going to make energy prices skyrocket. So you can't really call this a contradiction (h/t: MR reader PS).

References:
* Obama Delivers Call for Change to a Rapt Africa [NYT]
* Cap-and-Trade = The Biggest Tax Increase In U.S. History [Kerpen]
* Rham Emanuel: You Know What The US Needs? Higher Energy Prices. [MR]

Previously:
* Obama In 2001: "Coalitions Of Power" Need To Be Formed To Redistribute Wealth, Warren Court Neglected "Economic Justice"
* Great News: Global Economy In Full Meltdown, Obama Transition Team Panicking
* Awesome: Obama Now Wrecking Israel's Economy Too

From the journalistic minds that brought you Palin farewell retard jokes, a week's worth of sneering, vaguely sexist Two Minute Hates:

Long before $150,000-gate, Sarah Palin seemed to love clothes. This week, in honor of her resignation as governor of Alaska, here's a look back at some of her most memorable style moments. What did we forget? Share below in comments and we'll try to add it. Back in October, Palin made waves with a scandal involving $150,000 spent by the RNC on designer duds for her and her family.

This is the same outlet that has an entire section turned over to the sublime beauty and elegance of Michelle Obama: "Michelle Obama Garden Harvesting Outfit!" "Michelle Obama's Paris Outfits: Which Did She Wear Best?" "Michelle Obama Wears Givenchy Belt, Tasseled Bracelet: Beltway Bombshell!"

So it's not that woman aren't allowed to look good. It's just that Sarah Palin has the nerve to be a conservative woman who looks good. So you can see how she kind of deserves the hate.

References:
* Rock bottom: HuffPo poster bids Palin farewell with retard jokes [Hot Air]
* Sarah Palin's Most Memorable Style Moments: A Slideshow Retrospective (PHOTOS) [Huffington Post]

Previously:
* Moronic Hollywood Nutjob: Palin Too Stupid To Understand The "Complicated Dialogue" In "W"
* CNN Spends Evening Searching For Democrat Who Can Explain Why Anti-Palin Smears Don't Reek Of Sexism. Fails. (Plus: Guess When "Shrill" Used To Be Sexist)
* AP Headline: "Palin Adds To Wardrobe Before Reno Campaign Stop"

Via Palestinian Media Watch, thoroughly charming:

It would be unfair to suggest that Hamas was only able to produce this filth because of the nearly one billion dollars that Obama has dumped into Gaza. They would have produced it even if the administration hadn't freed up their funds. But it's still nice of them to be so publicly appreciative.

Anyway, here's the background on the video:

In a special broadcast of the Hamas TV children's program "Tomorrow's Pioneers", the two young children of female suicide terrorist Reem Riyashi were invited to the TV studio to watch a video re-enactment of their mother's suicide bombing in 2004, which killed four Israelis. [Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), July 3, 2009]

"[Our guests are] the children of the Shahida [Martyr] Reem Riyashi."
(Children in Hamas studio are shown video reenactment of terrorist Reem Riyashi preparing for suicide bombing in front of daughter; singer asks in the daughter's name:)
"Mommy, what are you carrying in your arms instead of me?"
(Reem prepares bomb.)
"A toy or a present for me?"
(Mother hides bomb.)
"Comb back quickly, Mommy."
(Camera on children watching reenactment.)
"Instead of me you carried a bomb in your hands. Only now, I know what was more precious than us."
(Reenactment of encounter with Israeli soldiers and suicide bombing.)
(In the studio:) "These are the children of the Shahida [Martyr], the heroic Jihad fighter who sacrificed all that she had for her homeland. She cared less about her own flesh and blood, and for their sake, she sacrificed [herself] for Allah."
(Child host:) "We say to the occupier that we will continue in the footsteps of the Shahida [Martyr], the Jihad fighter Reem Riyashi, until we liberate our homeland from your hands, usurper."

After the jump, another Hamas TV children's clip recorded and translated by PMW. I'd describe it, but I don't want to give away the surprise: