Inside the Asylum

In an about-face from his previous stance on the matter, Ahmadinejad said that there would be preconditions for any negotiations between his country and the United States.

I also offer a prediction. Here is how Ahmadinejad's "new" stance on Israeli-Palestinian negotions is being reported

The Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, says it will be "fine with us" if the Palestinians reach a two-state peace deal with Israel.

The prediction? There will be a clarification or new statement from Ahmadinejad that will make it crystal clear that he didn't really mean it as it is being reported. We saw it already with Fidel Castro's clarification on what Obama said concerning Raul Castro's comments on negotiations with USA. If Aljazeera ever runs a similar story, I may be more willing to concede that Ahmadinejad really believes these words, but as of right now, there's nothing of the sort to be seen on their website. Aljazeera's most recent story to mention the Iranian president is on the rise of right-wing extremism in Europe, and it concludes with this observation:

And when world leaders, such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's president, cast doubt on the Holocaust, as he did in Geneva this week, it suddenly becomes a whole lot easier for the far right to follow in his wake.

[Update] Perhaps this explains Ahmadinejad's new softly softly approach

Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair told Congress recently “Our current estimate is that the minimum time at which Iran could technically produce the amount of highly enriched uranium for a single weapon is 2010 to 2015.”

[Further update] Compare this AP story from Iranian journalist Nasser Karimi, filed in Tehran.

Washington has not sent Iran sufficient signals on whether the U.S. wants warmer relations and President Barack Obama's support for Israel during its offensive in Gaza was "a major mistake," Iran's president said in an interview broadcast Sunday.

The "fine with us" comment and any mention of a two state solution is absent from the story.

With the caveat that I (A) am not an American citizen and it's not my constitution, and (B) don't necessarily agree with each and every clause contained, I nevertheless found this quite amusing.

New Preamble to the Constitution "We the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior, and secure the blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt ridden, delusional, and other liberal bed-wetter's. We hold these truths to be self evident: that a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim they require a Bill of NON-Rights."
ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV, or any other form of wealth.. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything.
ARTICLE II: You do not have the right to never be offended.. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone -- not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc.; but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be.
ARTICLE III: You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful; do not expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy.
ARTICLE IV: You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes.
ARTICLE V: You do not have the right to free health care. That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we're just not interested in public health care.
ARTICLE VI: You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim, or kill someone, don't be surprised if the rest of us want to see you fry in the electric chair..
ARTICLE VII: You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob, cheat, or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don't be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won't have the right to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure.
ARTICLE VIII: You do not have the right to a job. All of us sure want you to have a job, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful. (AMEN!)
ARTICLE IX: You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to PURSUE happiness, which by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an over abundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights.
ARTICLE X: This is an English speaking country. We don't care where you are from, English is our language. Learn it or go back to wherever you came from! (Lastly....)
ARTICLE XI: You do not have the right to change our country's history or heritage. This country was founded on the belief in one true God. And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST is part of our heritage and history, and if you are uncomfortable with it, TOUGH!

Written by "Mad Mom"

Oh Vitamin D, how many are your wonders ... (mostly via vitamindcouncil.org with a few extras from other sources at the end)

Link Between Autism and Low Levels of Vitamin D
Vitamin D hope in prostate cancer
Absolutely essential for the proper function of the bones and central nervous system.
Vitamin D plays a critical role in enabling the immune system to successfully defeat viruses of all kinds.
Low levels linked to several indicators of allergy and asthma severity.
Vitamin D is well known to be an integral part of normal bone health and growth.
There is new information about problems that teenagers can suffer later in life if they don't get enough vitamin D now.
Compared to the 25% of teens with the highest levels of vitamin D in their blood, the 25% of teens with the lowest vitamin D levels had: *Fourfold greater risk of metabolic syndrome, a combination of risk factors for diabetes *2.54 times greater risk of high blood sugar *2.36 times greater risk of high blood pressure
It may also be partly responsible for the worse health of African-Americans: "We know the more skin pigment you have, the less efficient is your ability to make vitamin D in your skin. That's why most African-Americans in the United States are vitamin D deficient."