At last, a media source cites the fact that the screening was not performed by the TSA.  However, it would have been good to mention that it was done under the auspices of military police in the Netherlands.

Where did the explosives come from?

The man charged with igniting the device claims he obtained the explosives in Yemen, along with instruction on how to use it. He carried these onto a flight from Lagos, Nigeria, to Amsterdam, Netherlands where he transferred to Northwest Flight 253 to Detroit.

Was he on any security watch lists?

U.S. authorities say they were contacted by the man’s father ahead of the attack, but whether he was placed on any so-called No-Fly list maintained by the United States is unclear. Dutch officials say the passenger’s name appeared on a manifest supplied by the airline, which was passed to U.S. authorities, who cleared the flight to depart.

Were the proper security checks performed?

Yes, say Dutch authorities, who say he passed through normal procedures and that “security was well-performed.” He is known to have passed through a metal detector and his luggage was X-rayed. Extra attention is normally applied to passengers arriving from Nigeria because of concerns over fraud and smuggling. Nevertheless airports around the world have stepped up security procedures in the wake of the incident, increasing pat-downs and secondary searches.

So how did the explosives get through?

Dutch authorities are at pains to point out that if the passenger had powders concealed upon his person or secreted bottles of liquid somewhere else, they certainly would not have been picked up by the metal detector.

Is there any way of detecting these kind of explosives?

A preliminary FBI analysis indicates the device contained PETN, also known as Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate, a highly explosive chemical. Experts say this would have been picked up using a swab commonly used in secondary screening. A body scan, particularly the new 3D imaging scanners being trailed at some airports, would also have spotted something strapped to his body, even in the crotch area.

Why were there no U.S. air marshal security officers on the flight?

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told CNN federal air marshals are not posted on all flights. She said this was not due to budgetary constraints, but down to standard procedures, which see marshals posted randomly on certain routes.

Still not mention that the screening was done by Amsterdam authorities, not the TSA.

(CNN) — President Obama has ordered a review of security screening processes after Friday’s botched terror attack on a U.S. airliner, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Sunday.

Appearing on the ABC program “This Week” and the NBC program “Meet the Press,” Gibbs said Obama is receiving regular briefings by his national security staff on the incident in which a suspect allegedly tried to detonate an explosive device on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, making its final approach to Detroit, Michigan.

The suspect, 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, was on a broad watch list of 550,000 names since last month, Gibbs said.

That list does not automatically bring tighter screening of individuals, Gibbs said, and Obama has ordered a review of the procedures for determining which people on the list undergo more stringent checking.

Obama also called for “a review to … figure out why an individual with the chemical explosive he had on him could get on a plane in Amsterdam and fly into the United States,” Gibbs said on NBC.

“The president is very confident that this government is taking the steps that are necessary to take our fight to those who seek to do us harm,” Gibbs said on the ABC program.

Authorities on Sunday focused their investigation on how a lone traveler smuggled explosives aboard the Northwest Airlines flight and who might have helped him.

Abdulmutallab, who had a multiple entry visa to the United States, was charged Saturday in a federal criminal complaint.

London, England (CNN) — Counterterrorism officers are searching buildings in London in connection with the alleged terrorist attempt aboard a flight to Detroit, police said Saturday.

The officers were believed to be searching locations including an apartment block in central London, but a spokeswoman for the city’s Metropolitan Police would not say specifically where and what they are looking for, or how many officers are involved.

She also said the police are making several inquiries at the request of U.S. authorities.

The FBI was interviewing a Nigerian man who allegedly ignited a small explosive device Friday shortly before a Northwest flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands, landed in Detroit.

A U.S. government official identified the suspect as Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23. He was taken into custody and is being treated for second- and third-degree burns on his thighs, which he suffered after the device exploded, according to federal law enforcement and airline security sources.

The sources told CNN that Abdulmutallab flew into Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on a KLM flight from Lagos, Nigeria. A U.S. administration official said the suspect did not undergo secondary screening in Amsterdam, though Schiphol officials say all connecting passengers bound for the United States undergo secondary searches.

Schiphol officials said they boosted the secondary screening for U.S.-bound connecting passengers Saturday, doing body searches and bag checks instead of using the usual metal detectors and X-ray machines. The measures were being implemented at the request of U.S. authorities, a Schiphol spokesman said.

There was also increased security Saturday for U.S.-bound passengers in Britain, whether they were connecting through Britain or flying direct.

BAA, which operates several British airports including London’s Heathrow, said all passengers on U.S.-bound flights will now be subject to the secondary screening at the gate. The screening used to happen on a random basis.

There were no reported delays from Heathrow Saturday, but passengers boarding a U.S.-bound Virgin Atlantic aircraft were told there would be no in-flight electronic entertainment in the wake of the incident.

Britain’s Department for Transport said U.S. authorities requested the additional measures.

“Passengers traveling to the United States should expect their airline to carry out additional security checks prior to boarding,” BAA said. “To support this important process, which will take time, we would advise passengers to leave more time to check in and limit the amount of baggage being taken on board the aircraft. If in any doubt, please contact the relevant airline for further information.”

The British Department for Transport said it would assess the measures “as necessary” as the situation develops.

The incident in Detroit will now focus attention on the searching of connecting passengers, especially those going to the United States, CNN Correspondent Richard Quest said.

“Previously discretionary searches are now likely to be mandatory and, certainly in the near future, all U.S.-bound passengers should expect to be searched before boarding the aircraft,” he said.

– CNN’s Per Nyberg and Simon Hooper in London, England, and Richard Quest and Erin McLaughlin in Amsterdam, Netherlands, contributed to this report.

6th National Thalassemia Conference & Workshops
17th – 19th December 2009
Lahore

Day 1: Conference Inauguration – Pearl Continental Hotel, Lahore

Ceremony started with Tilawat-e-Quran at 4 pm, Mr. Hussain Jafri, Secretary General TFP Punjab Chapter gave Welcome Address, and Dr. Yasmeen Rashid Secretary General TFP gave introduction of TFP.
TFP was established in 2004, Thalassemia patients registered with TFP are 25000, 39 NGOs working with TFP till date.

Prevention program being designed and developed by the help of WHO.

More than 15 billion are being subjected for the prevention by Punjab Government.

Mr. Iqbal, TFP Exec. Comm. Member being called to let us know the feedback of a Thalassemic parent, Dr. Jovaria Manna, Chairperson, Medical Advisory Board briefed us about scientific sessions and workshops of the next two days.

Dr. Jovaria informed us about Uniform Protocol, book on iron chelation therapy guideline which she has edited and being distributed all over Pakistan.

Mr. Iqbal told us about his blood bank and Thalassemia center, which is in Karachi and working successfully.

Address by Guest of honor Prof. Majeed Chaudhry, Principal, FJMC & Prof. Humayun Maqsood, Principal, FMCMD.

Both of them appreciated TFP’s work and event and and promised to support conference by all means.

Lt. Gen (R) Moin-ud-din Haider, President TFP thanked all for attending, requested for moral and monetary support for TFP and societies, told us about government being concerned in Thalassemia issue these days and gave shields to the mentioned below patients on their achievements.

1) Ayesha Murtuza from Abbotabad – LLB
2) Laiba Mukhtar from Lahore – 3rd position in Inter & 1st in I.COM
3) Master Abdul Samad – 5th passed Hafiz-e-Quran
4) Mujtaba Shareef – Hafiz-e-Quran
5) Miss. Atiya Kamran from Karachi – Inter pass, married
6) Mr. Ejaz Haider from Karachi – Volunteer for Fatimid
7) Ameen Tipu – Earning, married & have two kids
Usman – Hafiz-e-Quran

- End of day 1 –

Day 2: Patient Safety Awareness Workshop in Collaboration with World Health Organization – Fatima Memorial College of Medicine & Dentistry, Lahore

Started at 9:30 am with Tilawat-e-Quran, Dr. Yasmeen Rashid gave briefing over the workshop objectives; workshop was conducted by WHO on their World Alliance Of Patient Safety.

She briefed about iron chelation, transfusion, screening, hepatitis, aids, etc.

She even requested the NGOs to care about screening, cleaning and hygiene.

Later on Mr. Hussain Jafri briefed us about World Alliance of Patient Safety program.

WHO launched this program in October 2004.

Programs started under World Alliance:
1) Patients for patient safety
2) Patient safety research
3) WHO patient safety campaigns
4) Education and training
5) Implementing change

You can read about IAPO – International Alliance of Patients Organization at their website: IAPO

After Mr. Hussain, Dr. Jovaria came on dice to give us guidance over Patients Safety, she told us a patient should be aware of everything, he should ask the nurse while getting transfuse about screening, blood bag details, make sure that blood belongs to him, patient should get vaccination done, she even advice to get splenotomy done by good doctor not by any general surgeon.

After Dr. Jovaria, Question and Answer session was conducted, followed by panel-list of three doctors, three society member and three patients.

I was given the chance to be among the three patients, was given chance to brief over my activities and Thalassemia.com.pk, which got appreciated by all the people attending.

- End of day 2 –

Day 3: Prevention & Treatment of Hepatitis B & C of Patients Receiving Multiple Blood Transfusions – Fatima Jinnah Medical College, Lahore

Day 3rd was a bit hard to manage, as there were two things going on side by side at the same timings, one side conference over Hepatitis, other side scientific sessions over exjade, prevention & genetic counseling.

Not much new was being told, but there was a session which I wanted to attend badly and I have made notes of it, sharing it with you

Management of Pregnancy in Thalassemia Major – Dr. Yasmeen Rashid:

Patient who want to start new family should work hard to get her ferritin as low as 500, and must maintain her hemoglobin at 10 – 11 gram.

Pre Pregnancy Counseling:
Iron chelation is discontinued for 9 months

Pre Pregnancy Evaluation:
Cardiac, Liver, Vessels, Pancreas, Viral Infection, Iron Status – all things should be monitored closely.

During Pregnancy:
1) Iron should be around 300 to 500 for better health of baby.
2) Hemoglobin should be maintained at 10 – 11 gram.
3) Low blood transfusion, small quantity every 10 to 15 days to give enough oxygen to the body.
4) Vital signs should be monitored during transfusion.
5) Discontinue iron chelation.
6) Continuous check on ferritin level.
7) Cardiac monitoring every 3 months.
Endocrine function, oral glucose test should be done
9) Last but not the least, Best doctors!

Effects on the fetus if anything is wrong:
1) Fetal Hypoxia
2) IUGR
3) Premature Labor
4) Fetal Demise

Delivery:
One should wait for normal delivery to happen, but as it takes lots of efforts/energy so the patient should be monitored closely for cardiac functions.

In case of IUGR or Fetal distress cesarean should be performed.

Iron Chelation should be started within the first week after delivery.

- End of day 3 –

Program Guide: Day 1 , Day 2 , Day 3 a , Day 3 b

Pictures: 6th National Thalassemia Conference & Workshops

Note: I have made notes of my interested topics only, but I have attended almost every session… If you want to know about anything kindly drop a comment I will try to respond as soon as possible… But to be frank there wasn’t much new knowledge to hear.

Source: HubCAPP (Hub of Commissioned Alcohol Projects & Policies)

Follow this link for fulltext

Date of publication: October, 2009

Publication type: Report

In a nutshell: This report examines the key outcomes and learning from 25 different Identification and Brief Advice (IBA) projects across England.  Some of the similar things that have been learnt include:

• An Alcohol Nurse Specialist can lead to an early discharge of patients, resulting in savings of bed days and reduced re-attendance to hospital and GPs
• Time for staff to attend training is essential
• Data reporting needs to be clear and simple from the beginning
• Learning from other successfully run IBA should be encouraged
• Significant impacts to the health and wellbeing of people receiving these services

Length of publication: 10 page Report

Acknowledgement: Alcohol Policy UK

some shots of the freezing crowd still enjoying this nightsession outside!

How serious is it to get paps test screening for the possibility of reducing cervical cancer? One of the best ways to prevent cervical cancer, can be seen on the HPV virus. There are several ways that pap tests. The most common way that doctors brush from the cell for a sample of your cervix. When the cells were placed on a glass slide and sent to the laboratory, where they were placed under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The cells are considered abnormal. Another type of test is to use a kind of liquid fluid test or exam, but the cell samples in the same way.

It is important to the abnormal cells in the pre-cancer conditions and prevent life-threatening cancer event capture. Many doctors will also seek additional HPV-DNA tests ordered, this is a good idea for those in the age of risk is usually between 35-55 years. Women under 30 years are cared for by their bodies and ultimately HPV infection will not be associated with cervical cancer.

I had the chance to attend an early screening of Sherlock Holmes tonight and was delighted by its flash, pizazz and style.. and that’s just the start of it. Robert Downey Jr. captivates and enthralls in what could be a critically acclaimed role, and this might be Jude Law’s best performance since… I can’t recall. Guy Ritchie does what he does best, and that is make fun movies– this time, he had the backdrop of 19th century London, and he recreates it in all its realism and.. bleakness. And I thought Rachel McAdams was completely miscast. She’s the Katie Holmes of this movie, no doubt about that.

Sherlock Holmes, as portrayed by Guy Ritchie, is fantastic. This is a movie that is smart, sharp, witty, without being crass or too predictable. I mean, Sherlock Holmes is, for lack of better words, bad ass. RDJ does a ridiculously good job since he’s a ridiculously talented actor (come on, anyone see Tropic Thunder? “I’m the dude, playing the dude, disguised as another dude!”) and his pairing with Jude Law is spot on. I would watch this movie just to see their antics and interaction.

However, as a mystery, it’s predictable: Sherlock solves the crime. Not too suspenseful there. But the way the movie gets there is nonstop fun. But as I said, go watch this movie for RDJ and Jude Law. And spoilers aside, this movie makes it perfect to be the first in a series of Sherlock Holmes movies starring these very talented actors. Rachel McAdams shouldn’t be returning, if I have any say in it. I mean, why not cast Kiera Knightly (Pirates of the Carribean), Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth), Kate Beckinsale (Serendipity), or even Scarlett Johansen (The Prestige)? At least they all have or tried a British accent.

Hit it, and take it all in. London’s calling, old boy.

As we’ve stressed several times throughout the course of this blog, here at Buildium we’re huge proponents of tenant screening. While some situations can’t be avoided and there’s always an exception to every rule, tenant screening is certainly one of the most sure-fire ways to guarantee that tenants with the most potential to be problematic never make it to move-in day. For basic information on tenant screening, we hope you’ll check out this previous blog post. And now we’d like to get into some of the more specific tenant-screening topics, including who should pay for tenant screening and what you should do with the information once you’ve received it.

A couple things to keep in mind first, though. When seeking out the appropriate tenant screening solution for your property management business, you want a system that is both robust (in other words, it will provide you with a complete picture of potential tenants’ credit and criminal records) and secure.

Who pays?
This is one of those questions that doesn’t have a single answer. Ultimately, it is up to you whether you or your tenant pays for the screening process. The simple answer is to have tenants pay because, obviously, costs for screenings can add up quickly. Keep in mind, however, that because competing property managers may not have tenants pay for screening, you risk losing potentially good tenants who are looking to save a few bucks during the application process.

If you do opt to bear the costs of tenant screening on your own, it stands to reason that you will want the most thorough option available, without sacrificing accurate information. In our business, we’ve talked with a lot of property managers and know that smaller landlords can have a difficult time keeping up with more expensive resources larger property management companies have access to. Which is why we’ve formed a partnership with one of the nation’s top credit reporting companies, TransUnion. Property managers can access TransUnion services directly through Buildium software, enter in quick identifying information (such as an applicant’s Social Security Number), and receive all the credit and criminal record information necessary to make an informed decision. Best of all, there are no hefty monthly fees to contend with. This system allows you to pay only for the records you access, avoiding set-up charges and other hidden fees.

What do I do with the information?
There is both a literal and more figurative answer to this question. First the literal, which may sound obvious but bears repeating, nonetheless. Remember that the information you receive throughout the course of a credit check is personal, confidential information. It’s extremely important to protect potential tenants’ information, even if you do not end up renting to them. Make sure any credit check information obtained is either carefully stored in a tenant’s secured file (accessible only on a must-have basis) or, if you do not rent to the tenant, destroyed. Some landlords pass credit check information directly off to the potential tenant in question so that he may decide what to do with this information, whether that be destroying it or keeping it in his own personal records.

On a more figurative level, once you obtain tenant screening information, you should carefully consider it and weight it against other factors. For example, a tenant who has a clean credit and criminal record but questionable references from previous landlords may not be your best bet. On the other hand, a potential tenant who turns up a report with a mark or two against him from a few years back but receives a glowing recommendation from his current landlord may be someone you want in your rental.

Credit and criminal reports should always be obtained before renting to any tenant (no matter how great a first impression they make), but it’s also always important to weigh information obtained with personal and professional recommendations. You want to not only make sure you rent to someone who can pay their rent … but also someone you enjoy having in your property.

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The Italics Film Series focuses on highly acclaimed films made from 1969-81, a period that marks the transition in Italian filmmaking from national to international co-production. Programmed to resonate with the exhibition Italics, the series explores paths of revolution and tensions with tradition across various contexts. Beginning with the metamorphosis of the family and continuing through evolving sociopolitical tensions, the series finally erupts into themes of newfound identity, language, and perspectives on the past.

Featuring rare 35mm prints, all screenings take place in the MCA Theater.

Tickets $8, MCA members $6
Buy Tickets Online
or call the MCA Box Office, 312.397.4010

Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man (La tragedia di un uomo ridicolo), 1981
Thursday, January 7, at 6 pm
Saturday, January 9, at 3 pm
Sunday, January 10, at 3 pm
Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci
Cinematography by Carlo Di Palma
In Italian with English subtitles, 116 minutes
The owner of a parmesan cheese factory faces bankruptcy when his son is kidnapped by terrorists demanding a ransom. But is the abduction a hoax to extort money for his son’s leftist friends? A tragicomedy based on a true event in Southern Italy, in which a father raised a ransom that he kept for himself.

The Decameron (Il Decameron), 1971
Saturday, January 9, at 1 pm
Sunday, January 10, at 1 pm
Directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini
Cinematography by Tonino Delli Colli
In Italian with English subtitles, 107 minutes
Adapted from Boccaccio’s classic novel, Pasolini satirizes church, state, and class structures with an eroticized vision of daily life in 14th-century Italy. Pasolini himself appears as a fresco painter and student of Giotto, wondering if perhaps “it’s enough to dream a masterpiece rather than paint it.”

Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto), 1970
Thursday, January 14, at 6 pm
Saturday, January 16, 3 pm
Sunday, January 17, at 3 pm
Directed by Elio Petri
Cinematography by Luigi Kuveiller
In Italian with English subtitles, 112 minutes
A fascist police inspector murders his mistress for the perverse pleasure of leading the crime’s investigation himself. A biting black satire and cinema politico classic. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1970.

Illustrious Corpses (Cadaveri Eccellenti), 1976
Saturday, January 16, at 1 pm
Sunday, January 17, at 1 pm
Directed by Francesco Rosi
Cinematography by Pasqualino De Santis
In Italian with English subtitles, 127 minutes
Cleverly named after the surrealist technique cadavre exquis, this elegant, atmospheric mystery draws elements from giallo, poliziottesco, and thriller genres. Adapted from Equal Danger, a novel about organized crime by Leonardo Sciascia.
This film print is of lower quality, and is being shown for its extreme rarity.

The Passenger (Professione: reporter), 1975
Thursday, January 21, at 6 pm
Saturday and Sunday, January 23 and 24, at 3 pm
Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
Cinematography by Luciano Tovoli
In English, 126 minutes
Jack Nicholson stars as a television journalist covering guerrilla activity in the Sahara Desert. Disenchanted with his life, he steals the identity of an Englishman who dies in a neighboring hotel room. Ending with a famed seven-minute shot, The Passenger is a disquieting exploration of self and alienation.
This is a restored, recently re-released film print that includes an additional 6.5 minutes of scenes previously cut from the US version.

The Inglorious Bastards (Quel maledetto treno blindato), 1978
Saturday, January 23, at 1 pm
Sunday, January 24, at 1 pm
Directed by Enzo G. Castellari
Cinematography by Giovanni Bergamini
In English, 99 minutes
Set in WWII, a group of American soldiers escape en route to military prison. On the way to Switzerland, they unwittingly volunteer to steal a Nazi V-2 rocket gyroscope. An English language “macaroni combat” war film.

Fellini’s Casanova (Il Casanova di Federico Fellini), 1976
Thursday, January 28, at 6 pm
Saturday and Sunday, January 30 and 31, at 3:30 pm
Directed by Federico Fellini
Cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno
In English, 164 minutes
Charged with heresy and possession of books on black magic, Giacomo Casanova escapes Venetian prison into exile. He wanders throughout Europe into a series of bizarre seductions. Fellini’s portrayal is haunting and solipsistic, with dazzling mise-en-scene.

The Damned (La caduta degli Dei), 1969
Saturday and Sunday, January 30 and 31, at 1 pm
Directed by Luchino Visconti
In English, 150 minutes
During the rise of Nazism, an industrialist family co-opts fascist values to horrific ends in this operatic allegory of human complicity with evil. Originally titled The Fall of the Gods, The Damned depicts the implosion of a country through a single family and is considered Visconti’s most controversial film.

Photos taken by Christine Baker.  Enjoy and stay tuned!

Source: Diagnostics Improvement

Follow this link for fulltext

Date of publication: November, 2009

Publication type: Best Practice

In a nutshell: By December 2010, all cervical screening services have to ensure that women receive their results within two weeks of the test being done.  This guide highlights how this can be achieved, with the findings from the pilot sites using Lean methodology.

Length of publication: 80 page guide

Source: GP Magazine

Follow this link for fulltext

Date of publication: October, 2009

Publication type: Interview

In a nutshell: Dr Anne Mackie, Director of Programmes for the UK National Screening Committee, explains that the Committee is developing practical tools for GPs to help them explain the implications of screening results to patients.

Length of Publication: Web Page

Acknowledgement: UK Screening Portal

Source: Health Knowledge

Follow this link for fulltext

Date of publication: December, 2009

Publication type: Resource

In a nutshell: This interactive module will help the new practitioner get up to date on the evaluation and delivery of screening and will enable the experienced practitioner to expand their knowledge and teaching methods.

Acknowledgement: UK Screening Portal

Source: UK Screening Portal

Follow this link for fulltext

Date of publication: November, 2009

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell: A consultation, on screening for oral cancer, by the UK National Screening Committee has begun.  The closing date is 18th February 2010.

Length of publication: Web Page

Some important notes: The consultation can be accessed by clicking here

Yea yea…I know I know….I pan everything….but this movie may be different.  I mean who wouldn’t wanna see a movie with a bunch of half naked blue people fighting tanks…..Its a Smurf Christmas all over again…..

As the world celebrates 150 years since Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species,” take a surprising journey back to Darwin’s Eden — the mysterious Galapagos Islands — and uncover its true secrets. http://www.themysteriousislands.com

Jeanene & I had the wonderful opportunity to view this documentary of an amazing journey to the Galapagos Islands.  The cinematography and photography showcased in this film was breathtaking.  Take a moment to head over to their website and pickup a copy of the DVD, this is one that won’t disappoint!

You may have missed…

TONY CONRAD & MARIE LOSIER IN PERSON
@ PLEASURE DOME
Friday, December 11, 8pm
Latvian House, 491 College St.
Toronto, CA
(More info at pdome.org)

… but check back for details about Tony’s upcoming screening at Squeaky Wheel early next year (scheduled for Thu, Feb. 25th 8:00pm)….

Exciting News!  “A Simple Conversation”, a short AFI Film that I worked on, will be premiering on Friday, December 18, 2009.  There will be 2 screening times, 7 PM and 8 PM, both at AFI in Los Angeles, CA.

 Check the flyer for more details!

“A Simple Conversation” Premiere Flyer

For several years now, Great Britain has been trying to deal with the growing radicalism in its Muslim population by bringing into government moderate Muslims who can advise the Crown as to the best ways to “reach out” and counter Salafist influence. Trouble is, the “moderates” they keep recruiting aren’t so moderate. Islamist Watch gives us two of the latest examples:

Not Jolly Good: Islamists in the UK Government

Is there any degree of radicalism that disqualifies someone from holding a sensitive government post in the UK? Probably. But it would be difficult to tell based on two recent stories.

First, Treasury official Azad Ali has begun advising the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on combating Islamic extremism. Apparently his suspension earlier this year for blog entries steeped in — you guessed it — Islamic extremism presented no barrier to his joining the “community involvement” panel chaired by the CPS anti-terror chief. In addition to naming radical imam Anwar al-Awlaki, the email pal of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan, as “one of my favorite speakers and scholars”…

And…

Second, there is Asim Hafeez, the new “head of intervention” at the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism of the Home Office, where he is charged with “divert[ing] fellow Muslims from the path of violence.” However, Hafeez has been described by a knowledgeable colleague as a “hardcore Salafi,” one who follows a puritanical form of Islam. According to Harry’s Place:

A number of Hafeez’s talks are available online which appear to not only back up [these] accusations but also to suggest that Hafeez might additionally be a hard-line Islamist who wishes to replace the British constitution with “the Quran and the Sunnah.”

Do read the whole thing.

This is only the latest example of how, through a blind devotion to unquestioning multiculturalism and political correctness, we tie one hand behind our backs in our fight with the jihadis. For fear of seeming intolerant or bigoted against all Muslims (and for fear of angering those on whom we depend for our crack oil), we don’t dare inquire into what the people we want to place in sensitive positions might really believe. We turn a blind eye to the very real ideology of violent jihad, Islamic supremacism, and antisemitism that runs throughout the Qur’an, the hadiths, the writings of later scholars to the present day – the core of Islam, not a radical heresy or misunderstanding. At times, as at Ft. Hood, this leads to fatal results.

Do I think there are no moderate Muslims? Far from it. There are plenty who reject the jihad imperative and just want to live quiet lives among their neighbors. But there is a disturbingly large fraction who have taken Islam’s aggressive message to heart and support both the cultural and the violent jihad, seeking Islam’s eventual victory over Western civilization. We do ourselves no favors -indeed, we harm our own cause and that of genuinely moderate Muslims – by refusing to face head-on the ideological and theological challenges posed by Salafist Islam.

Screening for Islamist sentiments should be a basic precaution, hurt feelings be damned.