written by Andrew

Biroul de Credit a înregistrat în cei patru ani de funcÅ£ionare circa două milioane de restanÅ£ieri, dintr-un total de 4,8 milioane de persoane care au luate credite ÅŸi se află în evidenÅ£a instituÅ£iei, a declarat, miercuri, directorul general al biroului, Åžerban Epure.

Biroul de Credit primeşte informaţii despre clienţi de la 28 de bănci, opt societăţi de credit de consum şi două companii de leasing.

"RestanÅ£ierii istorici ÅŸi actuali din baza de date a Biroului de Credit însumează circa două milioane de persoane", a afirmat Epure, la un seminar despre Biroul de Credit.

Ponderea restanÅ£elor active în volumul creditelor acordate este de 1,15% la momentul actual, potrivit datelor prezentate de directorul adjunct al direcÅ£iei Stabilitatea Financiară din cadrul băncii centrale, Cristian Bichi.

ReprezentanÅ£ii băncilor au menÅ£ionat că nu sunt de acord cu măsura impusă de legislaÅ£ie de a notifica clienÅ£ii care au înregistrat o restanţă la plată cu 15 zile înainte de a transmite informaÅ£ii despre ei la Biroul de Credit.

"Când au semnat un contract de credit, oamenii ÅŸi-au asumat niÅŸte obligaÅ£ii ÅŸi ca urmare nu trebuie să le amintesc mereu că au întârziat cu plata", a spus preÅŸedintele AsociaÅ£iei Române a Băncilor (ARB) ÅŸi al CEC Bank, Radu GraÅ£ian GheÅ£ea.

El a arătat că băncile notifică, prin telefon, e-mail sau SMS, clienÅ£ii restanÅ£ieri înainte de a trimite datele către Biroul de Credit, dar singura notificare acceptabilă, ÅŸi care poate fi demonstrată cu dovezi, este scrisoarea recomandată prin poÅŸtă.

"Banca va accepta să plătească costurile notificării din profitul propriu sau îÅŸi recuperează costurile de la clienÅ£i", a afirmat GheÅ£ea.

În ceea ce priveÅŸte reducerea perioadei în care clienÅ£ii restanÅ£i sunt în evidenÅ£a Biroului de Credit de la cinci ani la patru ani, GheÅ£ea a apreciat că populaÅ£ia nu este educată îndeajuns în acest moment.

"Sunt de acord ca într-o zi să fie o perioadă ÅŸi de un an, dar mai târziu, când populaÅ£ia va fi mai educată în acest sens", a mai spus GheÅ£ea.

Sursa: mediafax

written by Andrew

O ursoaică a rămas blocată, joi dimineaţă, aproximativ două ore, pe acoperişul unei gospodării din Braşov, după ce a fost tranchilizată de o echipă de la Serviciul de Gestionare a Animalelor (SGA), din cadrul Primăriei Braşov.

Ursoaica ÅŸi puiul ei au coborât joi, în jurul orei 6.30, pe strada Castelului, din zona aleii de sub Tâmpa.

"Am fost alertaÅ£i de localnicii care au văzut ursoaica ÅŸi puiul plimbându-se prin gospodării. Noi am încercat să o scoatem în stradă pentru ca apoi să o încadrăm pe aleea de sub Tâmpa ÅŸi să îi deschidem calea înapoi spre pădure", a declarat ÅŸeful SGA din Primăria BraÅŸov, Flavius Bărbulescu.

Bărbulescu spune că circulaÅ£ia pe strada Castelului, unde se afla ursoaica împreună cu puiul ei, a fost oprită aproape două ore, cât a durat intervenÅ£ia.

"A fost o intervenÅ£ie mai grea, pentru că ursoaica era cu un pui foarte mic. Puiul nu putea să se Å£ină după ea ÅŸi nici ea nu voia să meargă spre pădure fără pui. La numărul 100, a intrat în gospodărie ÅŸi s-a refugiat într-un pod. Atunci, am decis să o tranchilizăm", a spus reprezentantul SGA, Flavius Bărbulescu.

Imediat după ce a fost tranchlizată, ursoaica a reuşit să rupă geamul de la pod şi să iasă pe acoperiş.

"Ne-am miÅŸcat foarte repede pentru că exista riscul ca ursoaica, deja tranchilizată, să cadă de pe acoperiÅŸ. Am legat-o de labele din faţă cu chingi ÅŸi am tras-o înapoi în pod, tot pe geam", a explicat Flavius Bărbulescu, de la Serviciul de Gestionare a Animalelor din cadrul Primăriei BraÅŸov.

La intervenţia lui Cristine Lapis, care patronează fundaţia "Milioane de Prieteni", ursoaica şi puiul ei vor ajunge la rezervaţia de la Zărneşti.

"Doamna Lapis a obÅ£inut deja acordul de la ICAS ÅŸi de la vânători, iar mutarea va fi făcută în câteva ore", a declarat ÅŸeful SGA, Flavius Bărbulescu.

Sursa: mediafax

written by Andrew

Expunerea la substantele din gazele de esapament poate creste riscul de formare a cheagurilor sangvine potential letale, potrivit unui studiu realizat de cercetatorii americani, publicat in Archives of Internal Medicine si preluat de BBC.
Studii anterioare au sugerat ca expunerea la substantele formate in urma arderii carburantilor - impuritati in suspensie in aer - poate creste riscul de maladii cardiace si accident cerebral.
Cercetatorii de la Scoala de sanatate publica Harvard au mai descoperit ca aceste substante provoaca si formarea trombozei venoase profunda - cheaguri de sange in venele picoarelor - dupa ce au realizat un studiu la care au participat 2.000 de persoane. 900 din participantii la studiu, originari din Italia, au dezvoltat tromboza venoasa profunda.
Cercetatorii spun ca poluarea provoaca ingrosarea sangelui si predispune la formarea cheagurilor.
Cheagurile de sange formate in picioare pot ajunge in plamani, unde se opresc si pot provoca embolie pulmonara potential fatala.
Riscul de tromboza creste daca perioadele de imobilitate se maresc. In particular, pasagerii regulati ai zborurilor lungi sunt predispusi la aceasta boala, dar acelasi lucru se poate intampla in cazul persoanelor care petrec mult timp la birou, fara sa faca sport sau sa se plimbe.
Potrivit noului studiu, la o crestere cu 10 micrograme pe metru patrat de impuritati in suspensie in aer, riscul de a dezvolta tromboza venoasa creste cu 70%.
Regulamentele privind calitatea aerului respirat stipuleaza ca micile cantitati de impuritati in suspensie in aer nu trebuie sa depaseasca 50 de micrograme pe metru patrat.
"Data fiind importanta efectelor, cercetarile noastre introduc un nou factor comun de risc in dezvoltarea trombozei venoase profunde", a indicat profesorul Andrea Baccarelli, coordonator al studiului.
Acesta spune ca standardele privind calitatea aerului respirat ar trebui sa creasca si ca eforturile de reducere a impactului poluarii asupra sanatatii umane ar trebui sa se inteteasca.

Sursa: mediafax

written by Andrew

(Tribune Media Services) — Mick Fleming arrived by dugout canoe; Lucy Fleming on horseback a day later.

There were no roads to the overgrown farm in the Cayo district of Belize that the young couple hoped to run. Their land was a jungle — literally. "But there was something about the place," Fleming, who was raised in England, recalls more than 30 years later.

"I felt it," adds Lucy Fleming, originally from New Jersey. "This place always had a certain amount of magic. We were young and crazy — no money. We decided to be pioneers."

But ultimately, not in the way they expected. Though the Flemings started out living in a cabin without indoor plumbing, electricity or running water, raising vegetables — taking them by canoe to sell at local markets — the couple is now at the forefront of the burgeoning ecotourism movement in Belize. Chaa Creek, their 365-acre nature preserve in the Cayo District, is a model for sustainable tourism and new-style adventure family travel.

"People want the kids to experience the real deal," explains Lucy Fleming, past president of the Belize Tourism Industry Association. She raised her two kids and five foster children on the property. Guest accommodations include 24 thatched-roof cottages; kids stay free and those under 12 eat for half price.

So many adventurous families are finding their way to Belize — a small (less than 300,000 people), peaceful, English-speaking country that borders Mexico and Guatemala, where the U.S. dollar is accepted everywhere and the exchange rate is fixed — that the Flemings are launching a Mac Morpho Rainforest Adventure for kids and teens complete with horseback riding to ancient Mayan ruins on site, as well as offering guests the chance to learn how to make tortillas with nearby villagers — after canoeing down the Macal River — and planting corn and beans in the big organic garden.

As an added bonus, upon check-in, kids get a ready-to-be hatched Blue Morpho butterfly from the on-site Blue Morpho Butterfly Breeding Center. There is also a more modest tent camp where families can stay in screened platform tents with communal bathrooms. Parents can either join the activities or take a few hours on their own — maybe stealing away to the spectacular hilltop spa that’s run by the Flemings’ 30-year-old daughter, Bryony. The resort’s naturalists are especially attuned to kids. (Ready for a night hike to see snakes and other nocturnal creatures?)

But this place isn’t for everybody. There’s no air conditioning or TV, no phones in the casitas and Internet access only in the conference center. Be forewarned you might spot a lizard or a gecko in your cottage. A pool is just now being built. The food is tasty, but not gourmet fare.

That’s where Belizean hotelier Ian Lizarraga — himself the father of two young kids — and his Irish partners come in. A few miles from Chaa Creek and just outside the town of San Ignacio (69 miles from Belize City) they’ve opened the 15-room Ka’ana Boutique Resort. Set in tropical gardens, Ka’ana, which means "heavenly place" in the Mayan language, lets guests experience the jungle and the nearby Mayan ruins without giving up their creature comforts, Lizarraga explains.

There’s air conditioning, WiFi, plasma TVs, espresso makers, room service and an infinity pool that’s irresistible after a long, hot day touring along Belize’s bumpy backcountry roads. You’ll also find iPod docking stations, signature martinis, a wine cellar, and 25-year-old chef Manolo Castillo, already considered one of the best chefs in Belize, who whips up creative dishes with vegetables and herbs from the resort’s garden. (How about a papaya scrub in the spa, after a long day in the jungle?) And then there’s Ka’ana’s stellar guide, 24-year-old Wilbert Moh. Lizarraga welcomes families with open arms. (Check out the second room at half price deal this summer.)

Still, when families think of Belize, they think of the beach, of snorkeling and diving along the reef that stretches nearly the length of the country. (More about that in another column.) "But there’s so much more than that here," says guide Wilbert Moh, who is so enthusiastic about this region where he was raised that he should be working for the Belize Tourist Board. (Visit http://www.travelbelize.org/.)

Go caving — on a tube, on foot, or in a canoe. In some spots you’ll pass the remains of victims of Mayan human sacrifice, tour Mayan ruins or zip line above the jungle canopy, shop at the bustling Saturday market in nearby San Ignacio (I’ve never seen so many watermelons!) or swim in natural pools. You won’t have time for all the adventures. "My kids see Belize and its people and its activities as a HUGE adventure," says Lizarraga.

Families can easily divide their stay between the beach and inland. Chaa Creek, for example, offers a variety of such packages, arranging the transfers. "The whole idea of the jungle appealed to me," says Amy White, who was traveling from the Southeast with her daughter and, like us, split her stay between this area and the Inn at Robert’s Grove, which is located on the beach near the sleepy fishing village of Placencia.

Katrina Pratt, from California, who was traveling with her husband, 10-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son, reported that her kids loved exploring the Mayan ruins — clambering up and down the ancient limestone steps — as much as the beach. "We’re not the people who like to hang out and get a sunburn," she explains.

Sustainable tourism, meanwhile, has been the Flemings’ goal from the beginning, when young travelers found their way here by word of mouth, offering to help on the farm, and the Flemings built a second simple cabin to house them, feeding them alongside their kids. "We were eco before eco was a word," Mick Fleming laughs. Today, the huge organic garden produces much of the vegetables and fruits guests eat. (Have your kids ever seen pineapple grow?)

There are all kinds of birds in the area — nearly 300 species within five miles of Chaa Creek — and screeching howler monkeys. "It’s time to introduce the next generation to conservation," Mick Fleming says.

Honestly, I loved both places — and I don’t say that often. I especially loved what the region had to offer families. Lucy Fleming says family tourism has increased 100 fold at Chaa Creek in the last several years, even in summer — the traditional rainy season.

The best part, Mick Fleming promises, "The kids will do things they never get to do at home."

Parents too.

See you in the cave.

(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com, where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments.)

Copyright 2007 EILEEN OGINTZ, DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

written by Andrew

MOSCOW - An unmanned Russian cargo ship blasted off Thursday with supplies, equipment and gifts for the international space station, an official said.

Mission Control spokesman Valery Lyndin said the ship is carrying about 2.5 short tons of oxygen, water and food for the crew — U.S. astronaut Garrett Reisman and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Volkov and Oleg Kononenko.

Lyndin said Progress M-64 lifted off as scheduled early Thursday morning from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The ship is set to dock at the station Saturday.

Source: yahoo

written by Andrew

WASHINGTON - Put at risk by global warming, the polar bear is getting a life line as the government officially has declared it a threatened species in need of increased protection. But another round of legal battles surrounding the majestic animal may be just beginning.

The Interior Department put the bear under the protective umbrella of the Endangered Species Act on Wednesday, concluding what biologists have been saying for years: the bear is on the way to extinction because of the rapid disappearance of the Arctic sea ice upon which it depends.

Scientists predict sea ice melting will continue and even accelerate as a result of global warming.

"This in my judgment makes the polar bear a threatened species, one likely to become in danger of extinction in the foreseeable future," said Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, punctuating his point with an array of slides, charts and maps showing the changing ice flows of the Arctic.

But Kempthorne also said that he did not view the increased protection of the bear afforded by the Endangered Species Act as a back door to regulate greenhouse gases coming from power plants, automobiles and industrial sources.

"That would be a wholly inappropriate use of the ESA law," declared Kempthorne as he outlined a series of administrative and other actions he would take to protect anything like that from happening.

The restrictions, including one that would provide the bear no more protection from oil drilling in Arctic waters than it now has under another federal law, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, prompted environmentalists and some members of Congress to questions whether the bear will get any more protection at all.

"They’re trying to make this a threatened listing in name only with no change in today’s impacts and that’s not going to fly," said Jamie Rappaport Clark of Defenders of Wildlife and a former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Clinton administration.

Three environmental groups whose lawsuit forced the Interior Department to make a decision on the bear’s status, indicated they are preparing to go to court again to challenge some of the provisions Kempthorne outlined.

These measures amount to the bear not getting all the protections it in entitled to under the Endangered Species Act and won’t hold up in court, said Kassie Siegel of the Center for Biological Diversity.

Andrew Wetzler of the Natural Resources Defense Council said the Interior Department’s decision allows loopholes in the law "to allow the greatest threat to the polar bear — global warming pollution — to continue unabated."

Kempthorne acknowledged that the polar bear — 25,000 of them that roam the Arctic region from Russia and Alaska to Greenland — "poses a unique conservation challenge." It is the first time in the history of the Endangered Species Act that the law has been used to protect an animal whose nemesis is global warming.

"I want to make clear that this listing will not stop global climate change or prevent any sea ice from melting," said Kempthorne. "…The ESA is not the right tool to set U.S. climate policy."

Kempthorne sought to assure the business community that the bear’s protection would not keep someone from building a coal-burning power plant or drill for oil in Arctic waters.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce applauded the decision. "It will protect polar bears while also protecting American jobs and businesses," said Bill Kovacs, the Chamber’s vice president for environmental affairs.

But some business groups weren’t as impressed.

The ruling "will unleash a torrent of lawsuits" by environmentalists and "give them a powerful new legal sledgehammer" against businesses and agricultural operations especially in the West, warned Jim Sims, president of the Western Business Roundtable.

Reed Hopper, an attorney for the Pacific Legal Foundation, which frequently has challenged the Endangered Species Act in property rights disputes, said he plans to challenge the bear listing as well in court.

The polar bear "already is the most protected (animal) in the world and needs no additional protection," maintained Hopper. He noted the number of polar bears have more than doubled since the late 1960s from 12,000 to about 25,000 across the Arctic region from Alaska to Greenland.

Interior Department scientists in a series of reports last September that were heavily relied on by Kempthorne in his listing decision, concludes that continuing melting of sea ice will lead to a two-thirds decline in polar bears by mid-century, meaning the disappearance of at least 15,000 bears.

Source: yahoo

written by Andrew

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Programs teaching U.S. schoolchildren to abstain from sex have not cut teen pregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases or delayed the age at which sex begins, health groups told Congress on Wednesday.

The Bush administration, however, voiced continuing support for such programs during a hearing before a House of Representatives panel even as many Democrats called for cutting off federal money for so-called abstinence-only instruction.

"Vast sums of federal monies continue to be directed toward these programs. And, in fact, there is evidence to suggest that some of these programs are even harmful and have negative consequences by not providing adequate information for those teens who do become sexually active," Dr. Margaret Blythe of the American Academy of Pediatrics told the committee.

These programs, backed by many social conservatives who oppose the teaching of contraception methods to teenagers in schools, have received about $1.3 billion in federal funds since the late 1990s. Currently, 17 of the 50 U.S. states refuse to accept federal funds for such programs.

Experts from the American Public Health Association and U.S. Institute of Medicine testified that scientific studies have not found that abstinence-only teaching works to cut pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases or the age when sexual activity begins.

The American Psychological Association and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists also issued statements to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform criticizing the abstinence-only programs.

Comprehensive sex education programs should emphasize abstinence as the best way for a teenager to avoid pregnancy or a sexually transmitted disease (STD), Blythe said.

"Those adolescents who choose to abstain from sexual intercourse should obviously be encouraged and supported in their decisions by their families, peers and communities. But abstinence should not be the only strategy that is discussed," Blythe said.

HIGH STD RATES

Lawmakers cited government statistics showing that one in four U.S. teenage girls has a sexually transmitted disease and 30 percent of U.S. girls become pregnant before the age of 20.

Republicans said even if some abstinence-only programs do not work, others do, and it would be wrong to end the funding.

Rep. John Duncan, a Tennessee Republican, said that it seems "rather elitist" that people with academic degrees in health think they know better than parents what type of sex education is appropriate. "I don’t think it’s something we should abandon," he said of abstinence-only funding.

Charles Keckler of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the Bush administration believes abstinence education programs send the healthiest message.

Stan Weed, director of the Institute for Research and Evaluation, a Utah-based group that researches abstinence programs, disagreed with the other health experts, saying research cast doubt on the effectiveness of broader, comprehensive sex education programs.

Panel chairman Rep. Henry Waxman, a California Democrat, said, "We are showering funds on abstinence-only programs that don’t appear to work, while ignoring proven comprehensive sex education programs that can delay sex, protect teens from disease, and result in fewer teen pregnancies."

"Meanwhile, we have no dedicated source of federal funding specifically for comprehensive classroom sex education," Waxman added.

(Editing by Maggie Fox and Todd Eastham)

Source: yahoo

written by Andrew

GENEVA (AFP) - Early exposure to chemicals used in the making of products such as baby bottles or plastic food wraps may lead to obesity, according to new research presented Wednesday.

Three separate studies presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Geneva found that mice which were exposed during early development to chemicals used in products such as plastic food containers or even boat paint tended to become fat later in life.

The findings could change how obesity is viewed and dealt with, according to an expert on the subject.

Jerry Heindel from the United States National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences said: "If these findings are proven to be true in humans, then the focus must change from losing weight as adults to prevention of weight gain during development, through reducing the exposure to such substances."

In one study, female mice whose mothers were exposed to bisphenol A — commonly used in plastic good containers and bottles — were found to grow up into fat mice.

Food intake and activity levels were no different between the mice who became fat and those that did not, according to the study by Beverly Rubin from the US Tufts University.

Another study found that pregnant mice which were exposed to the chemical perfluorooctanoic acid — used as a greaseproofing agent in products such as microwave popcorn bags — had mice which were unusually small at birth but then became overweight as adults.

Suzanne Fenton from the US Environmental Protection Agency, who conducted the research, pointed out that the effect is only seen when low doses are applied.

This indicates that different doses may "trigger health problems in the body by various mechanisms or that the high doses cause more serious problems, and potentially mask the abnormal weight gain", she said.

A third study found that when pregnant mice were treated with doses of tributylin that is comparable to that found in humans, a genetic programme would be triggered in their offspring, causing them to become fat as adults.

Tributylin is a chemical used in plastic food wrap and as a fungicide.

"Developmental exposure is probably more serious than adult exposure because the data with other such exposures suggest that the pro-obesity reprogramming is irreversible, which means you will spend your life fighting weight gain," said Bruce Blumberg from the University of California at Irvine who conducted the research.

The World Health Organization has estimated that over 700 million people would be obese by 2015.

The European Conference on Obesity is meeting in Geneva from May 14-17.

Source: yahoo

written by Andrew

JERUSALEM - President Bush on Thursday criticized the deadly tactics of extremist groups like al-Qaida, Hezbollah and Hamas and said he looks toward the day when Muslims "recognize the emptiness of the terrorists’ vision and the injustice of their cause."

In a speech prepared for delivery to the Knesset, or parliament, Bush pledged that the United States has an unbreakable bond with Israel.

"Some people suggest that if the United States would just break ties with Israel, all our problems in the Middle East would go away" Bush said in his prepared address. "This is a tired argument that buys into the propaganda of our enemies, and America rejects it utterly. Israel’s population may be just over 7 million. But when you confront terror and evil, you are 307 million strong, because America stands with you."

Bush took special aim at Iran and said the United States stands with Israel in opposing moves by Tehran to obtain nuclear weapons.

"Permitting the world’s leading sponsor of terror to possess the world’s deadliest weapon would be an unforgivable betrayal of future generations," the president said. "For the sake of peace, the world must not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon."

Bush previously has set a goal of reaching an Israeli-Palestinian agreement before the end of his term. But with just eight months remaining in his presidency, Bush’s speech offered no suggestions on how to resolve the thorniest disputes over the borders of an eventual Palestinian state, the status of Jerusalem and its contested holy sites and the rights of Palestinians to return to land inside present-day Israel.

There was only one mention of the Palestinians in all of Bush’s prepared remarks and no timetable for achieving a Palestinian state. The only reference came in a passage envisioning the future of Israel 60 years from now.

"Israel will be celebrating its 120th anniversary as one of the world’s great democracies, a secure and flourishing homeland for the Jewish people," Bush said. "The Palestinian people will have the homeland they have long dreamed of and deserved a democratic state that is governed by law, respects human rights, and rejects terror.

"From Cairo and Riyadh to Baghdad and Beirut, people will live in free and independent societies, where a desire for peace is reinforced by ties of diplomacy, tourism, and trade. Iran and Syria will be peaceful nations, where today’s oppression is a distant memory and people are free to speak their minds and develop their talents. And al-Qaida, Hezbollah, and Hamas will be defeated, as Muslims across the region recognize the emptiness of the terrorists’ vision and the injustice of their cause."

The president also was meeting Thursday with international Mideast envoy Tony Blair for an update on progress for improving Palestinian civic institutions and economic conditions.

Here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Israel’s birth, Bush said that "the joy of independence was tempered by the outbreak of a battle, a struggle that has continued for six decades. Yet in spite of the violence, in defiance of the threats, Israel has built a thriving democracy in the heart of the Holy Land."

The effort to reach an accord this year seemed increasingly unlikely even before Bush’s trip. And fresh difficulties greeted him upon arrival, with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert weakened by a widening corruption probe, talk of possible new settlement activity in the West Bank and new bursts of violence, including a jarring rocket attack by Hamas on a crowded shopping center in southern Israel and a deadly Israeli military raid into the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Hamas.

"This struggle is waged with the technology of the 21st century, but at its core it is the ancient battle between good and evil," Bush said. "The killers claim the mantle of Islam, but they are not religious men. No one who prays to the God of Abraham could strap a suicide vest to an innocent child, or blow up guiltless guests at a Passover Seder, or fly planes into office buildings filled with unsuspecting workers."

Bush said that those who carry out such violent acts are serving only their own desire for power.

"They accept no God before themselves. And they reserve a special hatred for the most ardent defenders of liberty, including Americans and Israelis," Bush said. "That is why the founding charter of Hamas calls for the `elimination’ of Israel. That is why the followers of Hezbollah chant `Death to Israel, Death to America!’ That is why Osama bin Laden teaches that `the killing of Jews and Americans is one of the biggest duties.’ And that is why the president of Iran dreams of returning the Middle East to the Middle Ages and calls for Israel to be wiped off the map."

Before his scheduled speech to the Knesset, Bush toured Masada, the ancient fortress on a plateau in the desert overlooking the Dead Sea. It is said to be the place where Jewish rebels killed themselves and each other 2,000 years ago rather than fall into slavery under the Romans.

The dramatic story has played an important role in Israel’s national mythology. Remains were recognized as Jewish heroes by Israel’s government in 1969, complete with a state burial, and army units used to be sworn in on the mountaintop to cries of "Masada will not fall again." More recently, the suicide story has come into doubt and Israelis have become less comfortable in any case with glorifying mass suicide and identifying with religious fanatics.

Bush took a hair-raising cable car ride up the side of the cliff and past ruins of camps that the Romans used in their three-month siege of the Jewish fortress. Once atop the plateau, Bush and first lady Laura Bush, accompanied by Olmert, strolled through the rocky, sun-baked area. They viewed a 29-room storeroom complex, famous frescoes, a large bathhouse, synagogue and a Byzantine church. The Masada is the last stronghold of the Jews against the Romans. Its violent destruction brought about the end of the kingdom of Judea.

Source: yahoo

written by Andrew