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Netanyahu while in the UK and France, is threatened with possible recognition of a Palestinian State. A legal and political overview of what could result. A specter is haunting Israel. As the Palestinian Authority is threatening to declare statehood in September with UN recognition, Contrary to a widespread misconception, the UN did not establish the State of Israel. many Israelis seem to believe that the Apocalypse is near. What is approaching, however, is not a Big Bang but a Big Flop.

The public debate in Israel over the Palestinian plan to seek UN support for statehood in September is based on a fundamental misconception: the UN General Assembly cannot by itself establish or recognize a Palestinian state. It can admit new members to the UN only after they have been nominated first by the UN Security Council, where any of the five permanent members could veto the nomination.

WASHINGTON -President Barack Obama says the United States intends to formally recognize Southern Sudan as a sovereign, independent state in July. Obama made the announcement Monday in a statement congratulating the people of Southern Sudan for "a successful and inspiring" referendum. Election officials said Monday that more than 98 percent of ballots in the Jan. 9 vote were for independence. That means South Sudan will become the world's newest country in July. Obama said that after decades of conflict the image of millions of southern Sudanese voters deciding their own future was an inspiration to the world. He also said...

Lt. Col. Terry Cook, commander, 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, pins a U.S. Army Achievement Medal to the uniform of an Iraqi Emergency Services Unit Policeman, May 11. The IP were being rewarded for their hard work and dedication in Kirkuk City. Photo by Pfc. Justin Naylor, 1st Cavalry Division. KIRKUK — Partnership is the term used by U.S. military officials to describe the cooperative relationship between Iraqi Police (IP), Army and U.S. Soldiers following the Security Agreement signed between the two countries, January 1. This includes daily missions maintaining security in Kirkuk province, and it also means sharing...

Because of an continuing disability of my hands I will need to move to speech recognition software. I need a laptop that can handle the internet, the software, Word and a few other programs. Internet recommendations say 2 to 5 gig of working memory to use Dragon expediently. I am having a difficult time finding a 3 to 5 gig laptop that is affordable. One can add memory but is it accessble? Anybody been down this road recently. I would appreciate your input.

WASHINGTON, April 8, 2008 – Military children and their sacrifices took center stage here last night during a reception attended by Defense Department dignitaries. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates talks with 10-year-old Will Bacon, right front, his brother, Jake, 9, and their mother, Christine, during an Our Military Kids reception in Washington, D.C., to honor military children April 7, 2008. The boys' father, Missouri National Guard Maj. Matt Bacon, is currently deployed to Iraq. Photo by Samantha L. Quigley, Department of Defense  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “Our Military Kids,” a nonprofit organization that provides grants that keep...

FORT HUACHUCA — Landing on Omaha Beach 10 days after D-Day in 1944, Hans Spear found himself moving through France, Belgium, Holland and finally into Germany as Nazi forces fell back from areas they had conquered. Although Spear wore the uniform of an American soldier, he was considered an “enemy alien” by the U.S. government. His ability to speak German fluently was badly needed as Nazi functionaries and members of the German military were captured in the waning days of World War II. Spear’s capability to speak German like a native was easy — he was German born and raised...

While watching the CBC national news last Monday evening, I heard about Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia, and the next day I read the same news in the Whig-Standard. In addition, the CBC's Politics show broadcasted comments by a Parti Quebecois member of Quebec's National Assembly who was delighted about Kosovo's declaration of independence, and Montenegro's earlier declaration of independence, from Serbia. This Quebec politician suggested that these two events set precedents for the future separation of Quebec from Canada. It appears that people have a very short memory about the history of the former Yugoslavia. The independence...

Taiwan has submitted its first formal application to join the United Nations, a government spokesman has said.He said an application signed by President Chen Shui-bian had been delivered to the UN Secretary General. The Chinese foreign ministry immediately dismissed the move, saying it was "doomed to failure". Taiwan has long campaigned to join the UN but all such attempts have been blocked by China which regards the island as a breakaway province. The government in Taipei held the UN seat for China until 1971 when it was replaced by Beijing. This was the first time the country launched a...

(CBS) PHILADELPHIA The city of Philadelphia is planning to unveil three dozen street signs marking the ‘Gayborhood’ Wednesday. The 36 signs adorned with the internationally recognized symbol of a rainbow, also known as the ‘Freedom Flag,’ will be placed from Chestnut to Pine Streets between 11th and Broad Streets. During a brief ceremony at 13th and Locust Streets, the Philadelphia Gay Men’s chorus is expected to sing “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” as confetti canons cap off the celebration. Philadelphia will join four other cities, San Francisco, Chicago, Montreal and Toronto, who have dedicated permanent installations designating gay-friendly neighborhoods.

N. Korea seeks recognition as nuke power TOKYO, April 2 KYODO North Korea sought recognition as a nuclear-weapon state at a working-group meeting under the six-party talks on Pyongyang's nuclear programs as a condition of incapacitating its nuclear facilities, sources involved in the multilateral talks said Sunday. The meeting of the working group to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula was held in Beijing on March 17 and 18.

Abbas comments on Israel recognition http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?id=101062 Associated PressSunday, February 18, 2007 (Ramallah, West Bank): The world will have to deal with a new Hamas-Fatah coalition even if its platform falls short of international demands such as recognition of Israel, Mahmoud Abbas told a US envoy, according to an aide to the Palestinian president.

This short poem , written by a US Navy officer serving in Iraq, came in "over the transom" via email. I wanted to pass it along. Please do likewise !

WASHINGTON (June 15, 2006) -- Immeasurable heartache seared into Linda Lorenz as she experienced an act no parent wants to endure; burying an only child. Her son, Pfc. Hans J.R. Lorenz, died in 1966 as a result of an accident near Da Nang, Vietnam, making Linda one of the thousands of grieving parents who lost children during the Vietnam War. However, when the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in 1982, her son’s name wasn’t inscribed on the monument. For 20 years, she fought to have her son’s sacrifice recognized and was denied at every attempt. Her struggle ended happily when...

SIERRA VISTA — A hugely successful drive to help Cochise County’s foster children has received nationwide recognition. USA Weekend Magazine has chosen the Herald/Review and the Fort Huachuca Community Spouses’ Club as honorees in its Make A Difference Day Awards. It follows the amazing support given by our readers to an appeal for luggage for youngsters who often have to throw their belongings into a trash bag when they leave home. The campaign culminated in a one-day collection last October of more than 1,000 suitcases and travel bags — making a difference in the lives of more than 1,000 children....

Face recognition technology that could revolutionise security systems worldwide has been developed by computer scientists at Sheffield Hallam University. The new specialist software can produce an exact 3D image of a face within 40 milliseconds. Similar systems that have been trialled have proved unworkable because of the time it takes to construct a picture and an inaccurate result. The ground-breaking invention, by experts in the University’s Materials and Engineering Research Institute (MERI) was tested by Home Secretary Charles Clarke on a recent visit to Sheffield. It could be used for tighter security in airports, banks, and government buildings and ID...

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA M.I. library on fort garners nationwide recognitionBY BILL HESSHerald/Review FORT HUACHUCA — Normally one would not find popcorn, coffee and other snacks allowed in a library. But the relaxed atmosphere of the Military Intelligence Library on this Army post is the exception to the “no eating, be quiet” rules generally associated with a repository of books. The special collection geared to military intelligence, the Middle East and terrorism also is unique for another reason — it has been named the top small federal library and information center for 2005 by the Library of Congress. Mainly...

U.S. Army Capt. Joe Blanton, commander of Company D, 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, instructs a group of Iraqi soldiers during a class on improvised explosive devices in Tall Afar, Iraq, Nov. 29, 2005. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. James Wilt More Photos U.S. Paratroopers Teach IED Recognition The classes are being taught in an effort by the U.S. Army to protect the people of Iraq and members of the Iraqi army from improvised explosive devices. By U.S. Army Pfc. James Wilt 82nd Airborne Division TALL AFAR, Iraq, Dec. 12, 2005 — U.S. Army paratroopers...

If your name is Arnold Schwarzenegger, Cruz Bustamante or even Warren Beatty, California voters may not think much of you, but at least they know enough to have an opinion. But if you're Joe Dunn, Debra Bowen or Charles Poochigian, toiling away for years in the Legislature apparently has done little to record you in the minds of most, according to a new Field Poll. As the field shapes up for seven partisan statewide offices at stake in next year's elections, most hopefuls face a long path to reach voters' collective consciousness, and even longer to win their hearts and...

Catholic Church Withdraws Recognition of College That Plans to Honor Hillary Clinton To: National Desk Contact: Patrick Reilly, President, Cardinal Newman Society, 703-367-0333 MANASSAS, Va., April 29 /Christian Wire Service/ -- The Archdiocese of New York has determined that Marymount Manhattan College—which has been under protest by the Cardinal Newman Society for inviting pro-abortion Sen. Hillary Clinton to give its commencement address and receive an honorary degree on May 20—is no longer a Catholic institution. This is the fourth time since the late Pope John Paul II issued Ex Corde Ecclesiae, the apostolic constitution on Catholic universities, that a bishop...