So much for the pundits blaming Jihadist movements responsible for the Oslo bombings. It seems terror by a blond, blue eyed Norwegian.

Anders Behring Breivik (born 13 February 1979) is suspected of being the perpetrator of the 2011 Norway attacks. On 22 July 2011, he approached a Labour Party youth camp, posing as a police officer. He then proceeded to open fire on the 13 to 25 year old youth present, reportedly killing at least 10. He has also been linked with the bomb blast that took place approximately two hours earlier, and is now in police custody.

Behring studied at the Oslo Commerce School, and is a self-described Conservative and Christian and as a Nationalist. He is also described as a one-time freemason. He owns the company Breivik Geofarm.

On 17 July, four days before the attack, he made the only post on his Twitter page: “One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100 000 who have only interests.”

From the Norwegian press VG,

VG has received confirmation from several independent sources that it was Anders Behring Breivik, who was arrested by armed police after the mass killings of Utøya Friday.

VG was also present when the emergency squad took action against the flat 32-year-old susceptible west of Oslo. Several foreign media have also named Breivik as the perpetrator.

Guest Post, courtesey “hmmmm”;

As dates go, February 17 is a fairly inauspicious one.

It was the day, in 1801 that saw Thomas Jefferson elected as President after a tie with Aaron Burr was resolved by the House of Representatives, 103 years later it saw the premiere of Madame Butterfly at La Scalia in Milan and in 1933 the Blaine Act ending prohibition was toasted far and wide.

In 1964, Gabonese president Leon M’ba (contrary to popular rumors, NOT the inspiration for the Grammy-nominated Hanson song of the (almost) same name) was toppled by a coup, the Volkswagen Beetle overtook the Model T Ford as the world’s best-selling car in 1972 and, in 2003, the Congestion Charge was introduced to a delighted London public.

But in 2008, on this nondescript day, as Michael Jordan celebrated his 45th birthday and the rest of the world rejoiced in Paris Hilton reaching her 27th, an event took place that I suspect, in years to come, may be seen as something of a turning point. The event to which I refer didn’t make it into Wikipedia’s list of events that happened that day, barely made it into the mainstream press and its significance has been downplayed by pretty much everybody who has been asked to comment on it.

It took place on Kish – a 91.5kmô€  island in the Persian Gulf which lies 19 miles from the coast of Iran . Contradiction in terms though it may seem, the island, part of HormozgÄn Province, is described by Wikipedia as:

“… a consumer’s paradise, with numerous malls, shopping centres, tourist attractions, and resort hotels…Kish Island was ranked among the world’s 10 most beautiful islands by The New York Times in 2010, and is the fourth most visited vacation destination in the Middle East after Dubai, U.A.E, and Sharm el-Sheikhâ€.

Who’da thunk it?

For the visitor, Kish boasts such delights as a 170-acre Dolphin Park & Butterfly Garden , an aquarium….. and, as of February 17, 2008, an International Oil Bourse.

Full must read report,

Hmmm Jul 23 2011

The Soap Opera continues. With ten days left, USA can not agree on the debt ceiling. This time Boehner left the meeting. Do not forget, we are talking about the most powerful country in the World….Reuters reports,

(Reuters) – House Speaker John Boehner broke off talks with President Barack Obama on Friday on a deficit-reduction deal to prevent a devastating default and said he would try to hammer out an agreement through the Senate.

In a dramatic turn of events with the deadline to raise the U.S. debt ceiling just 11 days away, a stern-faced Obama expressed chagrin at the Republican leader’s move, saying it was “hard to understand why Speaker Boehner would walk away from this kind of deal.”

Boehner, in a letter to fellow lawmakers, said he and Obama failed to reach agreement on a deficit reduction package and that the two “had different visions for our country.”

A deep divide over tax revenue was at the heart of the impasse.

With the August 2 deadline fast approaching for Congress to increase the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling, Boehner said he would begin talks with Senate leaders to “in an effort to find a path forward.” An aide said a deal needs to be set by Monday.