THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Laura Dekker, the 14-year-old Dutch girl whose bid to sail solo around the world was blocked by a court, has gone missing, leaving behind her boat, police said Sunday.

Dekker appears to have left her father's home on her own, Utrecht police spokesman Bernhard Jens told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. Her boat, Guppy, is still moored at its usual berth.

"We do not believe this is a crime," Jens said.

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Jerusalem mayor cuts health funds for Arab children

By Nir Hasson

Tags: Israel news, Nir Barkat

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat on Thursday rejected municipal recommendations and cut funding for a toddler health-care center in East Jerusalem, while approving aid to a similar center in a Jewish neighborhood.

The funds would have gone to opening a branch of the "Drop of Milk" (Tipat Halav) program, which provides prenatal and toddler health-care services in Silwan, an Arab neighborhood in East Jerusalem.

Last year, authorities from the Jerusalem municipal offices recommended to the mayor to open the aid center in Silwan, which would service around 100,000 residents.

Authorities also recommended opening a similar center in a Jewish neighborhood that is home to around 7,000 residents.

During discussions on the 2010 budget, Barkat decided to cut the aid that would open the center in Silwan while simultaneously approving the aid to open the same center in a Jewish neighborhood - a move that outraged residents of Silwan.

"I don't understand why there is a 'Drop of Milk' center in the mayor's neighborhood while there is none in ours?" asked Silwan resident Fakhri Abu Diab. "Why does he deserve one and we don't? Are my children different from his children?

"Soon, Hamas will open a 'Drop of Milk' center and we will go there," Abu Diab added.

Jerusalem city councilwoman Laura Wharton condemned the decision. "This decision is caused by discrimination against the Arab population and I hope that we will succeed to reverse it," Wharton said.

As opposed to most of Israel, the 'Drop of Milk' program in Jerusalem is under municipal authority.

Like other health services in Jerusalem, including toddler care, there is a wide gap in services provided to residents in East and West Jerusalem.

Other Jerusalem areas under public jurisdiction contain a total of 25 'Drop of Milk' centers, while East Jerusalem, with its 250,000 residents, is home to just four Drop of Milk centers.

Many residents of East Jerusalem have difficulty taking their children long distances in order to receive care. This results in many children not receiving vaccinations as well as a delay in services for sick children living in East Jerusalem.

In response, the Jerusalem municipality said that they are working to improve services provided to the residents of Silwan and they still intend to build a 'Drop of Milk' center in the Arab neighborhood in the future.

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Yesterday there was our winter meet-up at the christmas market at the castle Schönbrunn and it was the first time that it snowed... it was so damn cold... we also had 2 guests from Germany.


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New Year's Day is the biggest holiday every year in Japan (and many parts of Asia) so all of the Japanese brands will be having some kind of extended break. Innocent World's overseas sales will be closed from December 26th-January 4th (so restarting on Tuesday, January 5th), and I assume other brands will have similar schedules. December 25th is the last working day before the break and we'll only be able to respond to orders and questions if they are received before 12PM Japan time. You can still order items during the break but there won't be any response until we get back.

Also note, we'll try our best, but even if you submit an order early this week, sometimes we need to have the item sent from one of our store locations and we may not be able to ship it before the break. If you really need something immediately, send us a message in your order and I can let you know if it's possible or not ^^

O'Reilly Slams Ingraham: 'You Are A Blind Ideologue' And 'A Kool-Aid Drinker'

Washington (CNN) -- Thousands of American Indians would receive as much as $1,000 each if they accept a proposed $1.4 billion to settle a class-action lawsuit over government mismanagement of tribal lands.

The suit, filed in 1996, accused the U.S. Department of the Interior of failing to account for and provide revenue from a trust fund representing the value of Indian assets managed by the government.

As part of the settlement, the federal government would agree to establish a $2 billion program to buy small fractions of land to help sellers obtain value from ancestral property, which then would be held by tribal governments.

The missing funds at the center of the class-action case involve what are called Individual Indian Money accounts, which are supposed to represent the property of individual American Indians. The accounts are held by the United States as trustee.

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source: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/12/08/indian.land/