Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Pope Benedict XVI Reinstates Holocaust-Denying Bishop Richard Williamson
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Obama Discusses his Muslim Background in Al Arabiya Interview
(IsraelNN.com) President Barack Obama chose the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya Arabic satellite TV network for his first formal television interview as president. He cited his Muslim background and Muslim relatives and said that one of his main tasks was to communicate to Muslims "that the Americans are not your enemy."
Obama said the U.S. had made mistakes in the past but expressed hope "that the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, there's no reason why we can't restore that."
He condemned Iran's threats against Israel, its pursuit of nuclear weapons and support of terrorist organizations, but he added, "It is important for us to be willing to talk to Iran, to express very clearly where our differences are, but where there are potential avenues for progress."
Obama called for a new partnership with the Muslim world "based on mutual respect and mutual interest." He talked about growing up in Indonesia, the Muslim world's most populous nation, and noted that he has Muslim relatives.
Hamas likes Mitchell
In a surprising statement, Hamas group softened their stance against Obama Tuesday.
"In the last couple of days there have been a lot of statements [from Obama], some of them very positive, and choosing this George Mitchell as an envoy," said Ahmed Youssef, a senior Hamas official interviewed on the Al-Jazeera news network. "I think there are some positive things we have to count." Mitchell arrived in Egypt on Tuesday for a visit that will also include Israel, the PA, Jordan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
The interview centered on Israel and the PA, but Obama did not say what his approach to the dispute would be. He said he felt it was important to "get engaged right away" in the Middle East and had directed Mitchell to talk to "all the major parties involved."
The president reiterated the U.S. commitment to Israel as an ally and to its right to defend itself. He added: "I do believe that the moment is ripe for both sides to realize that the path that they are on is one that is not going to result in prosperity and security for their people," he said, and called for “a Palestinian state” that is contiguous with internal freedom of movement and can trade with neighboring countries.
Clinton supports Israel
The United States supports "Israel's right to self-defense," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a Washington news conference Tuesday.
"The rocket barrages which are getting closer and closer to populated areas [in Israel] cannot go unanswered," she said in her first news conference at the State Department.
(Source Israel National News)
Sunday, January 25, 2009
President Obama's Weekly Address
Pope Reinstates Holocaust-Denying Bishop
Williamson has reportedly made several statements denying the full extent of the Nazi Holocaust of European Jews, as the facts are accepted by mainstream historians and still-living victims. The Pontiff ignored Jewish leaders in rehabilitating Williams, who warned that the move would seriously harm Catholic-Jewish relations and create new reasons for anti-Semitism.
Commenting on Swedish television in Germany in November, and played back on Wednesday, Williams said the Nazis did not use gas chambers...
"I believe that the historical evidence ... is hugely against 6 million Jews having been deliberately gassed in gas chambers as a deliberate policy of Adolf Hitler. Between 200,000-300,000 perished in Nazi concentration camps, but not one of them by gassing in a gas chamber."
Rome's chief rabbi said Williamson's rehabilitation would open "a deep wound." And the umbrella group of French Jewish organizations, CRIF,called him
"A despicable liar whose only goal is to revive the centuries-old hate against Jews.".
Vatican officials declined Friday to comment on his remarks.
Williamson's remarks could get him into legal trouble in Germany. State prosecutors in Regensburg have opened a preliminary investigation about whether he broke German laws against Holocaust denial.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Paterson Picks Rep. Gillibrand for Clinton's Seat
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The appointment requires no further confirmation. Clinton was recently named U.S. secretary of state.
The announcement comes one day after Caroline Kennedy, daughter of President John F. Kennedy, abruptly withdrew from consideration. :President Barack Obama called Gillibrand to congratulate her and said in a statement that she has "the integrity, character and dedication to public service to help us achieve our greatest goals."
The 42-year-old Gillibrand has been one of the top contenders in Paterson's selection process, along with Kennedy and state Attorney
General Andrew Cuomo. The upstate congresswoman had served as
Cuomo's special counsel when he was housing secretary under President Clinton.
Gillibrand represents New York's 20th congressional district in eastern New York.
Paterson's appointment lasts until 2010, when a special election will be held to fill the final two years of Clinton's term.
Suspected US missile strikes kill 18 in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- Two suspected U.S missile attacks killed 18 people Friday in Pakistan just east of the Afghan border, security officials said, the first such strikes since the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
At least five victims were identified as foreign militants, an intelligence officer said.
The strikes, which hit two districts of the lawless region where al-Qaida militants are known to hide out, are the latest in a barrage of more than 30 since the middle of last year.
Pakistan's pro-U.S. leaders had expressed hope Obama would halt the attacks, which have reportedly killed several top al-Qaida operatives but triggered anger at the government by nationalist and Muslim critics.
Islamabad routinely protests the strikes in the northwest as a violation of the country's sovereignty, but most observers speculate that it has an unwritten agreement allowing them to take place, noting it would be highly damaging to be seen as colluding with Washington in attacks on its people.
The missiles are normally fired from spy planes believed to be launched from across the border in Afghanistan.
The first attack Friday took place in the village of Zharki in North Waziristan, when a single drone fired three missiles in the space of 10 minutes, the security officials said.
The missiles destroyed two buildings, killing 10 people, at least five of whom were foreign militants, the officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Hours later, a second missile struck a house in South Waziristan, killing eight people, the officials said, giving no more details.
The United States rarely acknowledges firing the missiles, but there is little doubt it is responsible.
Washington is pressing Pakistan to crack down on militants in the border, which it blames for rising attacks on Western troops in Afghanistan as well as violence within Pakistan.
Earlier Friday, a suicide attack and a roadside bomb killed two soldiers and three civilians in the Swat Valley, a one-time tourist destination close to the border region, officials said.
Pakistan has launched military offensives in parts of the northwest, but insurgents are making inroads Swat, blowing up schools, killing police and soldiers, and calling for the imposition of a hard-line interpretation of Islamic law.
Militancy in Swat is seen as especially dangerous for Pakistan because the valley lies away from the areas where al-Qaida and the Taliban have traditionally operated.
In an indication of the difficulties facing the government, more than 1,000 hard-liners demonstrated in the capital, saying there would only be peace in Swat and other frontier regions if the government severs its ties with the United States.
"The lawlessness cannot end until the end of the pro-America policy," one speaker told the crowd gathered close to the Parliament building in Islamabad.
(Source The A P)
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Hockers News asks you to help
You can call or write to the President:
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500Phone Numbers
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Fire at Mt. Sinai Hospital 7:45 Pm
FDNY is confirming a fire at Mt. Sinai hospital in Manhattan.
FDNY says the fire was in the mechanical room but there is heavy smoke throughout the building. There are no injuries reported.
All patients from the East Pavillion to the West Side of the building are being evacuated.
The fire has been put out.
Traffic reports say Madison Ave is shut down around the hospital.
(Source 880 News)
Caroline Kennedy Ends Senate Bid-Gov. David Paterson has said he is considering AG Andrew Cuomo for seat
Earlier this week, Gov. David Paterson acknowledged he was considering Attorney General Andrew Cuomo for appointment to the seat. The Times cited as its source a person told of her decision.
On Wednesday, the Times reported that she called Paterson to express concerns about the health of her uncle, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who was hospitalized Tuesday after a seizure during the inaugural luncheon. She said his health concerns were her top priority. A statement from Kennedy could come as early as Wednesday evening, the Times reported.
Recent polls showed New Yorkers narrowly favor Cuomo over Kennedy, the 51-year-old daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy. Cuomo is the son of former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo. Kennedy's emergence as a contender generated both buzz and controversy. She comes from a Democratic dynasty but has never held public office, and some Republicans and Democrats have criticized her lack of experience.
Paterson told CBS News at an interview during the inauguration of President Barack Obama that Cuomo "has outstanding qualities and is someone I am considering."
He also noted that he was considering lesser known candidates as well. Obama nominated Clinton to be his secretary of state, and she was confirmed Wednesday.
Paterson has been criticized by good-government groups for a secretive selection process that he defends as essential to making the best choice without regard to traditional campaigning. Paterson and Cuomo were also criticized for refusing to say whether Cuomo was interested in the Senate seat.
Paterson has said their conversations were confidential under attorney-client privilege, a legal view questioned by experts in recent interviews with The Associated Press. Cuomo said he would allow only Paterson to divulge those discussions because it was the governor's process.
Kennedy was an early front-runner when she took a short public tour upstate and sat for press interviews in December. But she faltered while answering some questions and was mocked nationwide for her frequent use of "you know" and "um."
"I was very impressed by her in our conversation. I found her to be very hardworking, very forthright. And she had some faux pas with the media when she first started, as have a number of people who have gone on to be outstanding in their service," Paterson said. "So I am weighing her ability and her acumen and what she might be able to do in New York, more than that, and also, in comparison with some rather stiff competition in New York."
(source NBC News )VP Biden Pokes Fun at Chief Justice Roberts Video
Before he administered an oath to senior White House staffers and their deputies today, the vice president had a little fun at the expense of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
The normally eloquent, quite brilliant John Roberts slightly botched the oath of office when administering it to President Obama yesterday, misplacing the word "faithfully" and causing some minor awkwardness on stage.
Today, after Mr. Obama praised his staffers as "an extraordinary collection of talent" who "inspire great confidence in me," the president asked his Number 2 if he wanted to administer the oath.
"For the senior staff," Mr. Obama said.
"For the senior staff?" Biden repeated. "Alright."
Biden tried to get a copy of the oath to read to the senior staffers.
"My memory is not as good as Justice Roberts," Biden explained, prompting some laughter and groans from the audience.
Senate Confirms Clinton as Next Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the next secretary of state Wednesday, after questions about her husband's foundation sidetracked her nomination for a day.
A number of senators said before the vote that Clinton, who traveled and met with foreign dignitaries around the world during her time as first lady, is uniquely qualified for the job.
They said foreign policy challenges such as the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the conflict in the Gaza Strip make her installation imperative for President Obama's administration.
"As a country and as a world, we need Hillary Clinton as secretary of state," Clinton's New York colleague, Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, said on the floor before the vote.
The Senate voted 94-2, with Sen. David Vitter, R-La., and Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., voting against.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. said the country needs an advocate on the world stage, and, "There's no better advocate than Hillary Clinton."
Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs said Clinton, as the new secretary of state, would attend the White House meeting on Iraq Wednesday afternoon.
Sen. John Kerry, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee which held Clinton's hearing, showed some disappointment that the Senate did not act on her nomination on Tuesday, the day Obama was sworn into office. Six other Cabinet appointees were confirmed on Inauguration Day.
"We were prepared to vote yesterday," Kerry said. "It's a day overdue."
Clinton's confirmation was delayed until Wednesday over the objections from one senator, Texas Republican John Cornyn. He had concerns about foreign donations made to former President Bill Clinton's foundation.
But Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said on the floor that he had talked to Cornyn and that Cornyn had no objections to a vote Wednesday. Cornyn spoke with Clinton Tuesday at the Capitol and said the former first lady agreed to more regular disclosure of her husband's foundation donations, provided the requirement does not only apply to the Clintons.
Before the vote, however, DeMint voiced further concern about foreign donations to Bill Clinton's foundation. DeMint said he wished Clinton well in her new post and defended her qualifications, but said he would vote against her confirmation.
He said he was also concerned about Clinton's pro-abortion beliefs and warned against using foreign assistance dollars to fund abortion.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
FBI Investigating At Scene Of N.J. Turnpike Closure
The driver was later stopped by state police. The driver was taken into custody and SkyFox over the scene showed the automobile was being searched.
State police said the FBI is currently investigating.
Traffic was backed up as a result of the closure between the Delaware Memorial Bridge (Interchange 1) and Route 73 in Mount Laurel (Interchange 4).
Motorists are being advised on the turnpike's Web site to seek an alternate route. The suggested route is Interstate 295.
updated 9:50 pm
Around 8:45 p.m., a local FBI spokesman said agents in Boston had received a tip about a person headed to Washington, D.C., and, based on that tip, the Joint Terrorism Task Force issued a bulletin for a vehicle headed south.
But investigation showed that information provided to the FBI by a person with "mental issues," the bureau spokesman said, and the man stopped by state police was found to have nothing suspicious.
The FBI has since given the all clear, and man in custody -- who officials said was, in fact, headed to Washington for job-related reasons -- was no longer being detained.
REMARKS OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA Inaugural Address Tuesday, January 20, 2009 Washington, D.C.
REMARKS OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
Inaugural Address
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Washington, D.C.
My fellow citizens:
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
“Let it be told to the future world…that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive…that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it].”
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
(Source: WCBSTV / NBC News)
Monday, January 19, 2009
Israel Withdraw Troops From Gaza Without Geting Gilad Shalit
Free Gilad Shalit From Gaza Before Israel Pulls Out Of Gaza Click On This To Go To Free The Soilders Web Site
Thursday, January 15, 2009
The New York City Mayor provides details on Flight 1549's Hudson River landing.VIDEO
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=6658291
Breaking !!!! US Airways Plane Crashes in New York City's Hudson River, Everyone Survives
A US Airways jet crashed Thursday in the Hudson River in New York City after a flock of birds allegedlly struck its engines, but everyone aboard survived, and the pliot is being hailed as a hero.(Video & Pictures)
Passengers were sent fleeing into the icy, 35 degree waters when the Airbus 320 went down shortly after takeoff near 48th Street in Manhattan.
Two of the jet's engines were hit by a flock of birds, according to government officials. The Federal Aviation Administration said everyone on board survived and was off the plane.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the pilot told him he walked the plane twice to make sure everyone was off the plane, before exiting the aircraft.
"We've had a 'Miracle on 34th Street' and now we have a miracle on the Hudson," said New York Gov. David Patterson.
The pilot's idenity hasn't been released, and is waiting to speak with the National Transporation Safety Board before talking to anyone about what happened, Bloomberg said.
But, government officials said two of the jet's engines were hit by a flock of birds.
"There were eyewitness reports the plane may have flown into a flock of birds," said FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown. "Right now we don't have any indication this was anything other than an accident."
An air traffic controllers union official said the pilot reported a "double bird strike" less than a minute after takeoff and was headed for an emergency landing in New Jersey when he ditched into the Hudson River.
National Air Traffic Controllers Union spokesman Doug Church says the plane reported the bird striked about 30 to 45 seconds after takeoff from New York's LaGuardia Airport and asked to return to the ground. As the controller began to turn the aircraft, the pilot radioed that he saw an airport below him and asked what it was.
Church said the controller in Westbury, N.Y., replied, "That's Teterboro." The pilot asked to land there. The last transmission between the pilot and controller was the controller's order to divert to Teterboro, N.J., for an emergency landing.
Doug Parker, chairman and chief executive officer of US Airways Group, would not speculate on what caused the incident, but said at a press conference that the company will fully cooperate with investigators.
Most of the passengers were held at the New York City ferry terminal at 42nd Street after the crash, though at least two were taken away on stretchers. The New York City Fire Department said 78 people were injured, but the extent of the injuries wasn't immediately known.
Flight 1549 had just taken off at 3:26 p.m. when it went down. The flight had 150 passengers and five crew — two pilots and three flight attendants —on board, and was heading to Charlotte, N.C., said Parker, who was leaving for New York.
The plane was submerged in the icy waters up to the windows but remained completely intact. Rescue crews opened the door and pulled passengers in yellow life vests from the plane. Several boats — including commuter ferries — surrounded the plane.
Many of the passengers were able to step off the plane and directly on a rescue boat or onto the wings of the plane, Bloomberg said.
A number of Bank of America Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co. employees were on board the flight.
Wells Fargo spokeswoman Mary Eshet said three employees of the San Francisco-based bank were on US Airways Flight 1549, and all are safe.
At Charlotte-based Bank of America, spokeswoman Nicole Nastacie said the nation's largest bank was confirming the whereabouts of its employees and working with authorities to gather more information.
An team of investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to arrive in New York City Thursday night, said Bloomberg, adding the plane was still floating and tied up at a lower Manhattan dock.
The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said terrorism wasn't suspected.
"There is no information at this time to indicate that this is a security-related incident," Homeland Security spokeswoman Laura Keehner said. "We continue to closely monitor the situation which at present is focused on search and rescue."
Witnesses said the plane's pilot appeared to guide the plane down.
Jan. 15: A US Airways plane went down in the Hudson River in New York City, but everyone survived.
Jan. 15: A US Airways plane went down in the Hudson River in New York City, but everyone survived.
"I see a commercial airliner coming down, looking like it's landing right in the water," said Bob Read, who saw it from his office at the television newsmagazine "Inside Edition." "This looked like a controlled descent."
"I saw what appeared to be a tail fin of a plane sticking out of the water," said Erica Schietinger, whose office windows at Chelsea Piers look out over the Hudson. "All the boats have sort of circled the area."
A team of US Airways employee volunteers are helping the passengers and crew who were affected, Parker said.
Those who believe they may have family members on board flight 1549 can call US Airways at 1-800-679-8215 within the United States.
( Source Fox News )
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
2 New Videos From The I D F
Video taken by IDF forces in the Gaza Strip, reveals that Hamas militants were using a mosque, traditionally a place of worship, as a weapons depot and an area of operation.
Night Strike on Hamas Terrorists 14 Jan. 2009
The Israel Defense Forces carries out a joint mission employing infantry, armor, and airpower against Hamas terrorists.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
I D F VIDEO Hamas Booby Trapped School and Zoo 11 Jan. 2009
Hamas wants a ceasefire that isn't really a ceasefire
Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said in a televised address from his hiding spot in Gaza on Monday that he is ready to consider any ceasefire proposal that forces Israel to halt its offensive, but permits Hamas to continue attacking Israel.
Most media focused on the fact that the address was the first indication that the Hamas leadership is ready to throw in the towel in the current round of fighting. Brushed aside was the fact that Haniyeh also insisted that any ceasefire must recognize Hamas' right to continue launching attacks against Israel.
"The intifada must continue because the occupation [sic] is continuing to kill," said the Hamas boss.
Haniyeh also indicated that he would only accept a ceasefire deal that gave the impression of a Hamas victory, and told the residents of Gaza that his group is "nearing victory over the Zionist war machine."
Hamas rejected an Egyptian-French ceasefire proposal last week because it called for the deployment of foreign troops in Gaza to ensure the terrorists did not start firing rockets at Israel again.
In related news, outgoing US President George W. Bush used his final press conference on Monday to reiterate that any Gaza ceasefire must begin with Hamas halting its rocket fire on southern Israel.
"I'm for a sustainable ceasefire. And a definition of a sustainable ceasefire is that Hamas stops firing rockets into Israel… The choice is Hamas' to make," stated the president.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Israel: Hamas has taken refuge in Gaza hospitals and schools
Israeli Public Security Minister Avi Dichter on Monday said that top tier Hamas commanders and many of their subordinates have taken refuge in hospitals and schools across Gaza City as Israeli forces advance on their traditional bases of operations.
Dichter said that Shifa Hospital, Gaza City's main medical center, has become the de facto Hamas headquarters.
"Shifa Hospital has long ago ceased to be just a hospital, just as the UN humanitarian and health services in Gaza long ago ceased to be just humanitarian services providing food and medical services," Dichter said in an interview with Army Radio.
UN and other schools were being similarly used by the terrorists.
Dichter said that for obvious reasons Israel will avoid targeting Shifa Hospital and other public places being misused by Hamas, but suggested that Israel is less than pleased with the international community for ignoring these blatant violations of the Geneva Conventions.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Chabad
A helmeted Rabbi Yossi Deren, co-director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Greenwich, Conn., helps New York Giants fan David Katz put on tefillin at a tailgating party in Roslyn, N.Y.
IDF confirms: Reservists now participating in Gaza operation
For the first time since Operation Cast Lead began over two weeks ago, the IDF on Sunday announced that reservists have been sent into the Gaza Strip to participate in the military effort.
The army refused to say whether the announcement was an indication that the third phase of the operation had begun.
Defense officials have said that the IDF is prepared for a third stage in which ground troops would push further into Gaza, but are waiting for approval from the government. The first phase consisted of aerial bombardment, and the second saw ground forces enter Gaza, seize open areas used to fire rockets and surround Gaza City.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity as military plans have not been made public, said the army also has a contingency plan for a fourth phase - the full reoccupation of Gaza and toppling of Hamas.
A limited number of reservists have been deployed as of Sunday, the army said. At the beginning of the operation, the cabinet gave the IDF approval to call up tens of thousands of reservists.
Earlier on Sunday, IAF planes attacked at least twenty smuggling tunnels along the Philadelphi Corridor, on Gaza's southern border with Egypt. The tunnels were being used to smuggle weaponry into Gaza, according to the IDF.
The IDF said that it would continue to expand operations against such tunnels along the Corridor. Also on Sunday, the IAF said that over the weekend Hamas operatives tried to shoot down an Israeli plane using an anti-aircraft missile. The army has said that Hamas possesses several shoulder-held ground-to-air missiles, and in air raids overnight Saturday, the IAF hit a Gaza mosque in which a number of them were stored. Meanwhile, in one of the fiercest ground battles since the start of Operation Cast Lead, IDF troops battled Palestinian gunmen in the Gaza City suburb of Sheikh Ajleen. Fighting in Sheikh Ajleen erupted before dawn and continued into the day as IDF infantrymen and tanks advanced toward Gaza City and its approximately 400,000 residents, Palestinian witnesses said. Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they ambushed the soldiers, leading to some of the heaviest fighting since Israel sent ground forces into the territory on January 3. Gunfire subsided in the early afternoon, with the IDF in control of buildings on the neighborhood's outskirts. At least 40 Palestinians had been killed across Gaza by Sunday afternoon, according to Gaza health officials. Many were noncombatants, they claimed, including four members of one family killed when a tank shell hit their home near Gaza City. There were no reports of IDF casualties. On Sunday, the IAF dropped additional leaflets urging Gaza residents to report the whereabouts of Hamas operatives, even providing a phone number to call. "You can call the numbers listed below to inform us about the locations of rocket launchers, warehouses, tunnels and terrorist groups operating in your area," the leaflet said in Arabic, promising "confidentiality guaranteed." On Saturday, leaflets were dropped on Gaza City warning residents of a wider offensive. "The IDF is not working against the people of Gaza but against Hamas and the terrorists only," the leaflets said. "Stay safe by following our orders." Since Saturday night, the IAF hit at least seven rocket cells, as well as the launcher used to fire the Grad-type rockets at Beersheba on Sunday morning. In searches in the northern Strip on Sunday the IDF found several weapon caches, one of them containing communication equipment. IDF armored corps destroyed homes believed to contain weapons, and in one case a tank crew opened fire at Hamas operatives planting a bomb. The IDF has repeatedly stated that Hamas fighters are wearing civilian clothes and endangering civilians by operating out of heavily populated residential areas. Overnight Saturday, IAF aircraft bombed over 60 Hamas targets in Gaza, including the home of Hamas military chief Ahmed Ja'abri. Ja'abri was not expected to have been at home at the time as he is believed to be in hiding, possibly under Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, in another bunker, or in an apartment building filled with civilians. Also in overnight air raids, the IAF hit a mosque in Rafah which served as a training camp and meeting place for Hamas operatives as well as an anti-aircraft missile warehouse, the army said. The air force also bombed nine tunnels along the Philadelphi Corridor and about ten other weapons storehouses throughout the Gaza Strip. An IDF official told Army Radio that soldiers reported killing over 40 Hamas gunmen during overnight operations, while troops themselves emerged unscathed.
(Pictures and Video) Over 10,000 people at the Israel Support Rally in NYC
Pictures taken by Hockers News Team.If you Want the pictures for your blog or site E-Mail me at Hockersnews@gmail.com
Hamas Rockets During Cease-Fire and From Schoolyard Jan 8 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Obama won't deal with Hamas, 'Post' told
The incoming Obama administration will not abandon President George Bush's doctrine of isolating Hamas, the Obama transition team's chief national security spokeswoman has told The Jerusalem Post.
The next US president will not break the policy of isolating Hamas, an Obama spokesperson told The Jerusalem Post.
Photo: AP
President-elect Barack Obama "has repeatedly stated that he believes that Hamas is a terrorist organization dedicated to Israel's destruction, and that we should not deal with them until they recognize Israel, renounce violence, and abide by past agreements," said Brooke Anderson in a statement to the Post.
Those conditions match the international Quartet's long-standing demands from Hamas, shared by Israel.
The Obama spokeswoman was responding to an article in Britain's Guardian newspaper on Friday.
The report asserted that three people with knowledge of discussions held in the Obama camp said that while the president-elect would not approve direct diplomatic negotiations with Hamas early on, his advisers were urging him to initiate low-level or clandestine approaches, in light of the growing belief in Washington that ostracizing the terror group is a counterproductive policy.
"The president-elect's repeated statements [about not dealing with Hamas] are accurate," Anderson said. "This unsourced story is not."
The US State Department designated Hamas a terrorist organization, and in 2006 Congress passed a law banning US financial aid to the group.
Storm in Italy after trade union urged boycott of Jewish businesses
ROME (EJP)---The Mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, said he would go on shopping at Jewish-owned stores in the city’s centre with leaders of the Italian Jewish community to denounce a proposed boycott of these stores by a small left wing trade union toprotest against Israel’s military operation in Gaza.
 Riccardo Pacifici, head of Rome's Jewish community, said he would sue the union under Italian anti-racism laws. |
''This is certainly no way to support the Palestinian cause nor help the residents of Gaza,'' the center-left politician said.
Italy's three main trade unions denounced the boycott proposal as "shameful" and suggested that Rome shopkeepers throw the Flaica handbills -- which they said listed streets dominated by Jewish shops under the slogan "sales dirtied by blood" -- in the trash.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Three soldiers wounded as IDF fights Hamas in Gaza Strip
Three soldiers wounded as IDF fights Hamas in Gaza Strip
Three IDF soldiers were wounded, one moderately and two lightly, as the IDF continued operations against Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip on Friday afternoon.
An IDF soldier sits atop an armored vehicle on the Gaza border on Friday.
Photo: AP
The soldiers were evacuated to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba.
The IDF continued to discover and destroy tunnels and weapon caches in the Gaza Strip, as infantry, armor, artillery and intelligence corps forces operated on the ground, and the IAF and Navy struck Hamas targets from a distance.
Paratroopers in the northern Gaza Strip discovered two tunnels and a laboratory used to manufacture explosives, while Givati soldiers discovered a tunnel used to store a wide variety of weapons, including RPG's, Israel Radio reported.
The radio station also reported that in an operation enabled by Shin-Bet intelligence, the IDF killed senior Hamas terrorists Tarek Abu Hamshab of Beit-Hanun and Muhammad Najar of Jabalya.
Since noon, the IAF had struck over 40 Hamas targets in the Strip. Among the targets were Hamas weapon caches, some of which were located in houses, four buildings serving Hamas and several rocket-launching squads.
In the early afternoon, two Palestinians were reportedly killed in IDF operations in northern Gaza.
The IDF resumed its operations due to a Grad attack on Ashdod, which occurred after a three-hour humanitarian truce between Israel and Hamas was supposed to have already begun.
Before noon, an intense IAF bombardment and a barrage of Hamas rockets indicated that there would be no rapid end to the fighting, despite the UN Security Council calling Thursday night for an "immediate" and "durable" cease-fire in Gaza.
Palestinians reported intense Gaza battles between IDF soldiers and Hamas gunmen Friday morning, after the IAF had hit some 50 targets in the Strip in overnight strikes.
On Friday morning, Assad el Jamala, a senior Hamas operative, was killed by IDF tank fire in the Zeitoun neighborhood, the IDF said Friday. El Jamala was involved in firing rockets, planting bombs and other terror activities, the army said.
In addition, one IAF air strike killed two Hamas terror operatives and another unidentified man, while another flattened a five-story building in northern Gaza, killing at least seven people, including an infant, Hamas security officials said.
Five IDF soldiers were wounded in overnight Gaza fighting. One was in moderate condition, and four were in light condition.
Also, over 20 rockets and mortar shells were fired at southern Israel on Friday morning, wounding one man in the Eshkol region.
In Israel on Friday morning, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni met to decide whether to heed the UN's cease-fire call. The Security Cabinet was due to meet later.
Osama Hamdan, a Hamas envoy to Lebanon, rejected the UNSC call for a cease-fire, telling the al-Arabiya satellite channel that the group "is not interested in it because it does not meet the demands of the movement."
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the UN failed to consider the interests of the Palestinian people. "This resolution doesn't mean that the war is over," he told the al-Jazeera satellite television network. "We call on the Palestinian fighters to mobilize and be ready to face the offensive, and we urge the Arab masses to carry on with their angry protests."
Hamas Response to UN: More Rocket Fire
sraeli jets and helicopters bombarded Gaza Friday and Hamas responded with a barrage of rockets on at least two cities as both sides defied a U.N. call for an immediate cease-fire.
One Israeli airstrike killed two Hamas militants and another unidentified man, while another flattened a five-story building in northern Gaza, killing at least seven people, including an infant, Hamas officials said. Israeli aircraft struck more than 30 targets before dawn, and there were constant explosions after first light.
By afternoon, 23 Palestinians had been killed, pushing the death toll to 777 in the two-week-old conflict, according to Gaza health officials who say at least half of those killed were civilians. Thirteen Israelis have also been killed.
The United Nations kept aid deliveries to Gaza on hold for a second day because of security concerns, but Palestinians who risked going to relief centers could still get food and medicine. Just over half the territory's population of 1.4 million rely on the U.N. for food.
