There have been a number of good answers to my sovereign quiz. All are correct, but none are what I had in mind. I'll repeat the quiz here, and give the answer by the end of the day, if nobody has read my mind by then:

Which of the following monarchs is the odd one out and why? (Be careful.)

1. Queen Elizabeth I
2. Queen Anne
3. Queen Victoria
4. King George III
5. King Richard I*

*"Whenever he returned to England he always set out again immediately for the Mediterranean, and was therefore known as Richard Gare de Lyon." This has nothing to do with the quiz.

In considering all of the great Divas it would be most remiss of me to miss out the finest Diva ever produced by the UK. I speak, of course, of the wonderful, the unbelievable, the one and only Dame Hilda Bracket. She is heard in these four clips performing with her indefatigable accompanist Dr. Evadne Hinge.

See this wonderful performance, and this one, and one more, and this final one.

What’s not to love?

What a voice!

Greatness personified!

What more needs to be said?

Of course, as is the way of all great Divas as they age, Dame Hilda went slightly downhill and ended up in the Music Hall, but her essential greatness still shone through, and Dr. Evadne stayed with her – what else could she do?

Here she is, entertaining hoi polloi in her own inimitable style.

Ever the great lady!

BBC: One of the hijackers of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro has been set free, after spending more than two decades in jail in Italy.

Ibrahim Fatayer Abdelatif, 43, was one of a group of Palestinian militants who attacked the ship in 1985. A disabled US tourist was shot dead in the hijack.

The authorities have ordered Ibrahim, born in Lebanon, to leave Italy - but his lawyer says he has nowhere to go.

Analysts say Ibrahim is now in a state of legal limbo.

Although officially expelled, he cannot leave Italy until he finds another country willing to accept him.

He was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, but he does not have Lebanese citizenship.

His lawyer, Francesco Romeo, told the Associated Press that Lebanon had already refused him entry and Italy had refused a request for political asylum...

His tough luck for not being a member of Hezbollah. However, one would think Gaza would welcome him with open arms.

He was the youngest of the hijackers convicted of attacking the Achille Lauro in the Mediterranean on 7 October 1985.

They were members of the Palestinian Liberation Front, a splinter group of Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Liberation Organisation.

During a two-day standoff, the group demanded the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners.

One of the hijackers shot and killed US tourist Leon Klinghoffer - a 69-year-old who was in wheelchair - before throwing him overboard.

An Italian court jailed Ibrahim for 25 years for his part in the hijack. Three others also received lengthy jail terms.

The mastermind of the operation, Abu Abbas, was convicted in abstentia but never spent time in prison in Italy. He died in US custody after being captured in Iraq in 2004.

Former CEO of Hewlett-Packard Carly Fiorina is being considered for the Vice President's slot on the McCain ticket.  The conservative magazine Human Events said that having her as the vice presidential nominee could be "a significant step in the right direction."  Our readers may remember the speech she gave right after Sept 11, 2001 (on Sept. 26th) in which she extolled the virtues of diversity and the greatness of the Islamic Empire.

...We see the power of diversity in the wake of the events of September 11^th - the diversity of those who waited hours to give blood, the diversity of those who helped, the diversity reflected in the cultures and religions that took part in the memorial service at Yankee Stadium. Diversity in those who have donated their time to courageously look for survivors. The diversity of outpouring from virtually every nation on this planet. I bring all of this up not to be dramatic, but to say if this is the strength we can draw in time of collective crisis– what is the power we could harness in an effort of collective aspiration and hope? ...

I’ll end by telling a story.

There was once a civilization that was the greatest in the world.

It was able to create a continental super-state that stretched from ocean to ocean, and from northern climes to tropics and deserts. Within its dominion lived hundreds of millions of people, of different creeds and ethnic origins.

One of its languages became the universal language of much of the world, the bridge between the peoples of a hundred lands. Its armies were made up of people of many nationalities, and its military protection allowed a degree of peace and prosperity that had never been known. The reach of this civilization’s commerce extended from Latin America to China, and everywhere in between.

And this civilization was driven more than anything, by invention. Its architects designed buildings that defied gravity. Its mathematicians created the algebra and algorithms that would enable the building of computers, and the creation of encryption. Its doctors examined the human body, and found new cures for disease. Its astronomers looked into the heavens, named the stars, and paved the way for space travel and exploration.

Its writers created thousands of stories. Stories of courage, romance and magic. Its poets wrote of love, when others before them were too steeped in fear to think of such things.

When other nations were afraid of ideas, this civilization thrived on them, and kept them alive. When censors threatened to wipe out knowledge from past civilizations, this civilization kept the knowledge alive, and passed it on to others.

While modern Western civilization shares many of these traits, the civilization I’m talking about was the Islamic world from the year 800 to 1600, which included the Ottoman Empire and the courts of Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo, and enlightened rulers like Suleiman the Magnificent.

Although we are often unaware of our indebtedness to this other civilization, its gifts are very much a part of our heritage. The technology industry would not exist without the contributions of Arab mathematicians. Sufi poet-philosophers like Rumi challenged our notions of self and truth. Leaders like Suleiman contributed to our notions of tolerance and civic leadership.

And perhaps we can learn a lesson from his example: It was leadership based on meritocracy, not inheritance. It was leadership that harnessed the full capabilities of a very diverse population–that included Christianity, Islamic, and Jewish traditions.

This kind of enlightened leadership — leadership that nurtured culture, sustainability, diversity and courage — led to 800 years of invention and prosperity.

In dark and serious times like this, we must affirm our commitment to building societies and institutions that aspire to this kind of greatness. More than ever, we must focus on the importance of leadership– bold acts of leadership and decidedly personal acts of leadership....

Hers is the kind of "leadership" we can do without. Here is a letter written by Peter BetBasoo in response to this insulting piece of propaganda.

Hamlet tries - and fails - to resolve to kill Claudius:

Now might I do it pat, now he is praying;
And now I'll do't. And so he goes to heaven;
And so am I revenged.

Pat's response is not recorded.

Theodore Dalrymple has an elegant phrase for people who refuse to take responsibility for their actions: he says they claim to be "passive vectors of social forces". Such insights are to be expected from Dalrymple, but from a politician? In a surprising departure from his touchy-feely persona, Conservative leader David Cameron waxes Dalrymplian. From The Telegraph:

In a speech in the heart of a deprived area of Glasgow he said: "We as a society have been far too sensitive. In order to avoid injury to people's feelings, in order to avoid appearing judgemental, we have failed to say what needs to be said. We have seen a decades-long erosion of responsibility, of social virtue, of self-discipline, respect for others, deferring gratification instead of instant gratification.

"Instead we prefer moral neutrality, a refusal to make judgments about what is good and bad behaviour, right and wrong behaviour. Bad. Good. Right. Wrong. These are words that our political system and our public sector scarcely dare use any more."

[...]

"We talk about people being 'at risk of obesity' instead of talking about people who eat too much and take too little exercise. We talk about people being at risk of poverty, or social exclusion: it's as if these things - obesity, alcohol abuse, drug addiction - are purely external events like a plague or bad weather.

"Of course, circumstances - where you are born, your neighbourhood, your school, and the choices your parents make - have a huge impact. But social problems are often the consequence of the choices that people make."

Cameron, you have a brain. Use it on Islam.

Tennessee Congressional Candidate Vijay Kumar whom I profiled here is interviewed today at Frontpage:

FP: What has made you make an anti-Sharia platform the central tenet of your campaign?

Kumar: The main focus of my campaign is the War on Terror. What so many politicians do not seem to realize is that our struggle is against more than just “terror.” Terrorism is simply a method, not an end itself. Terrorism is just one tactic being used by Islamic extremists in their effort to force their way of life on the rest of the world. Ultimately, then, this is a struggle over whether the nations of this world will be ruled under Sharia law or not. As Omar Ahmad, founder of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said: “Islam isn’t in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant.”

FP: What are your thoughts about CAIR?

 

Kumar: CAIR is a direct manifestation of Mohammed’s Sunna and jihad. CAIR is actually just one part of Islam’s strategy to annihilate the Western culture. It is far more dangerous than any Mohammed Atta or any other jihadists.

Lies and deceit are CAIR’s stock-in-trade.  They claim to be akin to a “Muslim NAACP,” but everyone from the Department of Homeland Security, to FBI counterterrorism chiefs, to moderate American Muslims recognizes the extreme rhetoric that CAIR endorses. At least five of CAIR’s board members and employees have been linked to terrorism-related activities. They are fifth columnists, preying upon our values of tolerance and multiculturalism.

But CAIR is just one of an untold number of Islamic organizations in our government and university centers. People forget that Mohammed’s last words were to keep giving the money to kafir ambassadors and that is what Islam is doing in Washington, DC. Capitol Hill is awash in Saudi money and our dhimmi political types cannot get enough of it.

FP: What do you think it says about Islam that non-Muslims cannot enjoy the same freedoms in Muslim nations as Muslims enjoy in America and the West – and many countries around the world?

Kumar: This is proof of the legal inequalities that are built into Sharia law. Sharia is a set of laws designed to apply not just to Mulsims, but to non-Muslims as well. Everyone, believer and kafir alike, is supposed to live a life based upon Mohammed. However, kafirs – those who do not believe – are given distinctly different treatment than believers.

In America, we believe that all human beings are created equal, and that all human beings possess certain natural rights; our entire Constitution is just a logical extension of that one idea. To us, Muslims are humans just like everyone else, and therefore they should have the same legal rights as everyone else. Sharia law, on the other hand, is not based on logic or a belief in natural equality. It is based on religious customs, and part of its design is to elevate believers over non-believers.

Yet, we never bring up this inequality and lack of freedom under Muslim rule. We never point out Islam’s long history of destroying or oppressing other cultures. We never remember the suffering of non-Muslims in Muslim nations. We never teach that Turkey was once Christian, or that Islamic jihad has reduced Hindustani culture to half of what it once was. Muslim groups often like to point to Christians as aggressors, citing the Crusades of the Dark Ages, but the West remains silent about people being oppressed in the Middle East today, right now....

CNN (thanks to Alan): KABUL, Afghanistan -- An Afghan government official said Monday's suicide car bombing outside the Indian Embassy in Afghanistan has "the hallmarks of the Pakistani intelligence."

The official, who did not want to be named, said the investigation into the Kabul bombing that killed more than 40 people is still under way, but "all indications are" that Pakistan's intelligence service is behind the attack.

Humayun Hamidzada, a spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, would only say that the "sophistication of this attack and the kind of material that was used, the specific targeting ... has the hallmarks of a particular agency that has conducted similar attacks inside Afghanistan."

When asked about the accusations, Pakistan's government would not comment and referred CNN to Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammed Sadiq who was out of the country...

I marched with you in the streets of Chicago to meet our immigration challenge. I fought with you in the Senate for comprehensive immigration reform. And I will make it a top priority in my first year as President – not only because we have an obligation to secure our borders and get control of who comes in and out of our country. And not only because we have to crack down on employers who are abusing undocumented immigrants instead of hiring citizens. But because we have to finally bring undocumented immigrants out of the shadows. Yes, they broke the law. And they should have to pay a fine, and learn English, and go to the back of the line. That’s how we’ll put them on a pathway to citizenship. That’s how we’ll finally fix our broken immigration system and avoid creating a servant class in our midst.
--Barack Obama

Call me obtuse, why do we have to "bring them out of the shadows," and how is it they "go to the back of the line" by being legally jump-frogged over everyone who obeyed our laws to start with? How is rewarding this behavior going to stop the behavior and fix our "broken immigration system"? If we grant yet another amnesty, won't that just be an incentive for more Mexicans to cross the border illegally - just as happened last time?

McCain's position is exactly, depressingly, the same.

While the Koran must be handled with reverence, on pain of death, you can do all kinds of things to the Bible. God won't mind, because He is not mocked. You can read the Bible, study it, swear on it, swear at it, bash it, burn it and smuggle it. One thing that you should not be allowed to do - and transgressors should be almightily smote - is "queer" it. My objection is linguistic, rather than theological. "Queer" is not a verb, except as a synonym for "thwart". You can queer a pitch, but you shouldn't go queering anything else, not if you know what's good for you.

Anita Fast would disagree. She gave a presentation at a meeting of "Lutheran's Concerned", which describes itself as "a Christian ministry affirming God's love for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities since 1974." Presumably any sexual orientations and gender identities from before that date don't get a look in.

The title of Ms Fast's presentation is an abomination unto the Lord: Queering the Bible with a Hermeneutic of Foolishness. (It may be his-story, but it's her-meneutic.) Here's a taster:

In the next 10 minutes, I hope to lead you through some of the ways I believe that the Bible itself calls all of us to be queer – how, by queering the Bible, the Bible in turn queers us.

To do so I will begin by looking at some key New Testament scripture which supports what I call a "hermeneutics of foolishness" – an interpretive lens which looks to the places of scandal and degradation as sites of God's revelation and presence, and questions the ways human discourse define reality.

Having a hermeneutics of foolishness as the lens with which we view the world challenges us to live in the knowledge that the powers that govern the world are not definitive. Institutions such as marriage; liberal doctrines of the true/inner self; discourses about what a true woman, a true man, or a good citizen is; cultural definitions of what it means to be successful, free, or powerful, all fall under the critical eye of a hermeneutics of foolishness which is necessarily critical of all human knowledge claims (including and perhaps especially those made about God).

In the very conceptual apparatus of a point of view there are implicit power dynamics at work. Regardless of what our human perspective is, our categories of male and female are non-categories in God's eyes. 'Hetero-sexuality' is revealed as yet another power relation of the old creation from which we are freed – not to become 'homosexuals', but to live lives for God regardless of what sort of human relational configurations are 'in power' or 'acceptable' at the time.

If I end up in Hell, it will be full of people in black turtleneck sweaters, most of them French, twittering on about discourse, hegemony and hermeneutics. For eternity. Any readers who get to Heaven and look down upon my torment, please have mercy and drop me a simple word. "Thwart" will do nicely.

This report doesn't specify whether this man has been charged with first or second degree murder, but either way, he's looking at a long time behind bars. In America you can't kill your daughter and get away with it. That is, unless you're the father of the poor little Said sisters who presumably fled back to Egypt where they are more understanding of these things than they are in Dallas.

CNN: ATLANTA, Georgia -- A Pakistani man is charged with killing his 25-year-old daughter in Georgia because she wanted out of an arranged marriage, police said.

Somber and tearful, Chaudhry Rashid, 54, of Jonesboro, an Atlanta suburb, made his first court appearance Tuesday in connection with the death of Sandeela Kanwal.

He was advised through an Urdu interpreter of the murder charge, and of his legal rights. Court records indicate that a preliminary hearing has been scheduled for July 24.

He was arrested early Sunday, after his wife called police at about 2 a.m. She reported that she had been awakened by screaming but couldn't understand the language, a Clayton County police report said. She said she was afraid and left the house to call police.

Officers found Kanwal dead in an upstairs bedroom of the home, according to the police report.

Rashid's wife told authorities Kanwal recently had been married in Pakistan -- an arranged marriage, she said. The young woman's husband was living in Chicago, Illinois, police said, but Kanwal remained at her father's home and worked at a metro Atlanta Wal-Mart for a brief time.

"The victim was not interested in marrying, nor remaining married to her husband," the police report said, citing information authorities received from Rashid's wife. "This was causing a great deal of friction between the victim and her father," so much so that the two had not spoken in two months, the report said.

Police found Rashid sitting behind a vehicle in the driveway, and he seemed "distraught and possibly mournful," the report said. He told police, "My daughter is dead." But when asked how she died, Rashid did not answer -- "he just dropped his head."

Ligature marks were found on Kanwal's body and police found an iron and cord by the doorway of her bedroom, where she was found. A necklace was found downstairs next to what appeared to be a prayer table....

We may not be having the best summer ever but it is possible for summer to sometimes be too much of a good thing. Spare a thought for the South Koreans who are scorching in a heat-wave. See this article.

The entire country is suffering from scorching heat day and night due to the movement of a hot and humid air mass from the tropics to the Korean Peninsula. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the high temperature in most of the major cities in Korea on Monday topped 30 degrees Celsius. The high in Daegu was 36 degrees, in Gwangju 33.2 degrees, in Daejeon 31.2 degrees, and in Gangneung 32.3 degrees. The difference between the daytime high and nighttime low was just 2.7 degrees, 4 degrees lower than the previous year.

You can find the English language online version of The Chosun Ilbo here.

You can find the cities and provinces mentioned in the article using this map.