Western Black Rhino declared extinct

Ron Paul really didn't do that well in the election... did he?

GENEVA (msnbc) The Western Black Rhino of Africa was declared officially extinct Thursday by a leading conservation group. The International Union for Conservation of Nature said that two other subspecies of rhinoceros were close to meeting the same fate. The Northern White Rhino of central Africa is now "possibly extinct" in the wild and the Javan Rhino "probably extinct" in Vietnam, after poachers killed the last animal there in 2010. A small but declining population survives on the Indonesian island of Java.

Livni expected to retire from politics

Mofaz celebrates victory in Petah Tikva (Photo: Yaron Brener)

here is a bet that she doesn't go quietly. She'll be in the public eye... she can't help it.

(ynetnews)Sources close to former Kadima leader estimate Livni will soon announce her retirement from politics after losing primaries to Shaul Mofaz.
"Tzipi, you belong with us," said Knesset Member Shaul Mofaz Tuesday night after winning the Kadima primaries. However, former Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi Livni does not intend to stay in the party for much longer.
  The Kadima election committee said Tuesday night that Mofaz had won 61.7% of the votes and Livni 37.2%.
Sources close to Livni estimated that the former party leader will soon announce her retirement from politics. "I'll see you sometime, somewhere," she told her supporters on Tuesday night after losing the vote.
"She realized it was over after she saw the results," a source close to Livni said. "She said she understood she had missed her calling."
Elected Kadima chairman Mofaz called on Livni to stay in the party and be part of its leadership, but it appears Livni is not even considering this option.
"If I'm not leading this thing, there's nothing to vote for," she was reported as saying. "I won't be there for the sake of being there."
Livni told reporters that she had called Mofaz and congratulated him on his victory. She refused to take any questions.

State Department regards Israel and Jerusalem as separate entities

You can't make this stuff up. Despite Monday's Supreme Court ruling, the US State Department is still trying to perpetuate the myth that Jerusalem is not part of Israel (Carl Hat Tip: Joe L) UPDATE: The State Department has altered an official communication to erase the fact that it had referred to Israel and Jerusalem as separate entities. The release now states: “Acting Under Secretary Kathleen Stephens Travels to Algiers, Doha, Amman, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv.” In a previous iteration of the release, the State Department separated Jerusalem from Israel.

An official State Department communication has labeled Jerusalem and Israel as separate entities.
In an official press release yesterday, the State Department announced that “Acting Under Secretary Kathleen Stephens Travels to Algeria, Qatar, Jordan, Jerusalem, and Israel.”
Keeping up with its longstanding policy, the State Department refuses to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s official capital—despite a U.S. law stating otherwise. Obama faced criticism on the issue last year, when it was revealed that the White House had scrubbed all references to Jerusalem being part of the Jewish state from a collection of photos on its website.
Obama has also been lambasted by pro-Israel leaders and some on Capitol Hill for capitulating to pressure from the State Department, which has long opposed U.S. law on the matter.

The State Department's position on Jerusalem is becoming more detached from reality by the day.

Is there any mechanism for Obama to undo the law that was passed to move recognition of Jerusalem, but is postponed?