Monday, March 10, 2014
Friday, March 7, 2014
Watch Full Speech: Netanyahu doesn’t mince words at AIPAC
Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu did not mince words at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy meeting today. He began: “I bring you greetings from Jerusalem, the eternal and undivided capital of Israel, the Jewish state.”
The bulk of his speech was focused on Iran. As he described it: “I am here to draw a clear line . . . a line between life and death, right and wrong.” He spent a surprising amount of time on once again making the moral case for Israel – its democracy, its treatment of wounded Syrians, etc. – and the explication of the nature of the Iranian state. If the Obama administration is seeking to normalize relations with Iran, with the president claiming it will make rational decisions, Netanyahu strove to remind the crowd and more importantly those around the world that Iran is a unique state in its sponsorship of terrorism, its domestic repression and its desire to wipe Israel off the map.
He was most adamant about the terms of a final deal, perhaps a shift in emphasis from sanctions (tied up in the Senate) to the outcome of negotiations, which remains President Obama’s dilemma. The Israeli prime minister reiterated that “leaving Iran the capability to enrich uranium . . . [would] leave Iran as a nuclear threshold state.” And perhaps in an appeal to liberals, he warned that allowing Iran any enrichment would spell the end of nonproliferation. The “threshold” nuclear state in Netanyahu’s telling is the threshold of Israel’s destruction. Harkening back to the Holocaust, he intoned, “The Jewish people will never be brought to the brink of extinction again.”
Recognizing the pressure from the Obama administration, he dwelled at length on the peace process, reiterating, “I’m prepared to make an historic peace with our Palestinian neighbors.” And he gave a new rationale for Israel’s desire for a peace deal – the promise of improved and robust relations with Arab states. Hinting at the behind-the-scenes cooperation that already exists, Netanyahu said the promise of an “open” relationship with Arab states would lead to new cooperation and breakthroughs in energy, health and technology for the whole region. He was most pugnacious about a point one can imagine is taking center stage in the talks, a peacekeeping force to enforce the terms of a potential deal. He unequivocally ruled out an international force, saying the only ones who could be counted on were the members of the IDF.
What then followed were possibly the most extensive comments he has made in America about the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. He vowed that it would fail. Moreover, he declared, “They should be opposed because they are bad for peace and because BDS is just plain wrong.” He spared no words in labeling the effort to single out Israel rather than its human-rights violating neighbors for special treatment as “the latest chapter in the long and dark history of anti-Semitism.” With a shout-out to Scarlett Johansson, he urged, “The boycotters should be boycotted!”
The crowd was effusive, as if they finally got to express three days of frustration, anger and disappointment with the administration’s handling of Iran and the “peace process.” These people have not given up on Iran sanctions, nor are they inclined to make excuses for the administration any longer. In that regard, the policy conference was a success.
AIPAC may need to readjust its tactics to more open opposition with the administration and with public campaigns that rally the voters to its side. If not more partisan, it must become more electorally savvy. The insistence on bipartisanship can’t allow the organization to descend to the lowest common denominator, which in this administration is lower than they ever imagined. If Congress is not always receptive, and if the White House is deaf to its pleas, the American people are susceptible to its message. And ultimately in a democracy, the people do matter.
Monday, March 3, 2014
REUTERS: Meetup.com offline as it refuses to pay $300 ransom to hackers
(Reuters) - Social networking website Meetup.com is fighting a sustained battle against cyber attackers who are demanding only $300 to call off a campaign that has kept the site offline for much of the past four days.
The site, which enables strangers to meet for activities of shared interest such as sports and other hobbies, could not be accessed early Monday afternoon.
A Meetup blog said that the company was a victim of a distributed denial of service (DDOS) campaign, a type of attack that knocks websites offline by overwhelming them with incoming traffic. It said that no personal data, including credit card information, had been accessed.
Meetup's co-founder and CEO, Scott Heiferman, said on the company's blog that it was the first such attack in the site's 12-year history. He defended the move not to pay the paltry ransom.
"We made a decision not to negotiate with criminals," he said. "Payment could make us (and all well-meaning organizations like us) a target for further extortion demands as word spread in the criminal world."
He said the small amount was likely a trick and that the perpetrators of the sophisticated attacks would likely demand more, a point internet security analyst Kevin Johnson agreed with.
Meetup represents a soft target for online criminals, who often attempt to extort companies in return for calling off DDOS attacks, said Johnson, chief executive of cybersecurity consultancy Secure Ideas.
"It's very common for this sort of attack to start off with a small demand," Johnson said. "It's not like Meetup can write a check for a million dollars."
Heiferman's blog post said the site should be able to protect itself over time, even though it has struggled to stay online since the attacks began on Thursday morning. He said Meetup spent millions of dollars a year to secure its systems.
The Meetup site and related mobile apps have been intermittently unavailable since Thursday.
The privately-held, New York-based site counts eBay among its investors.Thursday, February 27, 2014
Now available: Boy Butter Minis, 2 oz travel safe & fun sized
New: Boy Butter Minis Travel safe and fun sized 2 oz EZ-Pump versions of Boy Butter and Boy Butter H20. For 10% discount on any order, use coupon code: MINI....expires March, 9th 2014
Monday, February 24, 2014
Boy Butter Clear TV ad debuts tonight on RuPaul's Drag Race Season 6
Tonight is the debut of my new Boy Butter Clear TV commercial airing tonight and every Monday night at 9 pm/ 8 central starting tonight Feb 24th over the next 3 months on the entire season of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 6 and it's companion show Untucked on LOGO channel in the US and OutTV in Canada in the following markets: NY, LA, and the entire nation of Canada: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pUA0vep6qk
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Video: Davis and White win first-ever U.S gold in Olympic ice dancing!
This was by far the best ice dancing routine I have ever seen. This video is from an earlier competition but they went on to have a perfect score of over 200 points in Olympic history and lifted the bar to it's highest with this routine that all others will be judged by it. Mazel tov to member of the tribe, Charlie White and his divine partner, Meryl Davis.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Gun Oil article writer says that Boy Butter product name is better.
A funny new article about Gun Oil, one of my personal lubricant competitors, and in it the author exclaimed it was the best product name ever - after Boy Butter and You'll Never Know it isn't Boy Butter. Click here to see the 2nd best named gay personal lubricant Valentine's Day ad for Gun OIl
Original Quote: "But Gun Oil lube — which might just be the best product name ever — after 'Boy Butter' and the inevitable 'I Can’t Believe It’s Not Boy Butter' – went in a very different direction this Valentine’s Day ad with gauzy, soft focus, wistful music, patriotic imagery – this spot’s ready to run on The Hallmark Channel. "
Isn't it awesome when things like that happen : )
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