(Arabian region)
A 'power failure' Sunday affecting most of Kuwait forced a shutdown of the country's three oil refineries, which could take two or three days to restart, but the nation's energy minister said oil production would not be affected.
Facilities at Mina al-Ahmedi, Mina Abdullah and Shuaiba, run by the state-owned Kuwait National Petroleum Co., process about 930,000 barrels of oil per day.
Within a few hours, electricity had been restored at Mina Abdullah and work was under way toward restarting it, according to KNPC spokesman Mohammed al-Hajiri. "Because the shutdown was an emergency one, it will take two to three days to bring them back on line," al-Hajiri said.
The outage happened during maintenance work on a transformer, Saud Abu Zaid, the undersecretary of the energy ministry told Kuwait radio. Within about two hours, power was returning to parts of the capital and Abu Zaid said electricity should be fully restored by later Sunday.
Kuwait is a major oil producer, pumping about 2.5 million barrels a day, and Energy Minister Sheik Fahd Al Ahmed Al Sabah sought to assure always jittery oil markets.
"Oil production will not be affected by the outage," he was quoted as saying by the official Kuwaiti News Agency. ..mm
Police attributed only one traffic accident to the outage as backup generators kicked in, allowing most traffic lights to operate. The outage darkened computer screens throughout the capital, but began shortly before government workers were going home for the day and banks and other businesses were closing. Working hours end earlier in the afternoon for most during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/31/2004 3:19:52 PM ||
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How many independent sources of electricity are there in Kuwait?
A press source at the ruling General People's Congress (GPC) Party on Monday 25 Oct. denied that it had accused the Pentagon of pushing thousands of American-Arabs particularly of Yemeni origin troops to the war in Iraq. The source was so surprised at the news, which he described as absolutely "lacking credibility or ground," urging media to make sure, they report true and reliable information.
Earlier American news agency UPI had reported the GPC as accusing the Pentagon of pushing American-Arabs, especially Yemenis, to the hell of battles in Iraq. According to the agency report, Yemenis returning from Iraq were saying they were surprised to find thousands of American soldiers of Arab origin fighting in Iraq, who speak Arabic and with a Yemeni accent in particular. The news story quoted Mukhtar al-Sharaabi, a Yemeni student who had recently returned from Iraq, as saying he met two American marines of Yemeni origin who told him there were many soldiers of Arab origin who were fighting as part of the American occupation forces. The student quoted the two marines as saying the U.S. Defense Department uses American-Arab soldiers especially in areas where resistance against the occupation is fierce, such as Fallujah. The soldiers reportedly said they oppose the idea of confronting their Iraqi brothers, but have no choice but to follow orders.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2004 10:03:41 PM ||
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Well, everybody knows real Americans are incapable of speaking foreign languages! Actually, it sounds like the Arabic For Soldiers classes are paying off. Although perhaps they need to get some instructors with other accents ;-)
#3
We have an all-volunteer force. Nobody's there because they HAVE to be, they're there because they WANT to be. It's still possible to get out of the military early without a dishonorable discharge. I can see NO grounds for believing this story. Sounds like another rumor designed to stir up trouble both at home and abroad. Are you sure the Yemeni they quoted wasn't a member of the dummycritter national party?
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/31/2004 21:22 Comments ||
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Bahraini security forces dispersed dozens of protesters demanding the release of a human rights activist in Manama on Thursday night after arresting a number of protesters outside the capital, an AFP correspondent reported. The protesters converged on the Bahraini capital from two outlying areas in a convoy of cars to demand the release of Abdul Hadi Al Khawaja, vice-president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, who is being tried on charges of "inciting hatred against the regime." Police cut off roads after the convoy pulled up to a district close to the US embassy, forcing the demonstrators to get off their cars and continue their protest on the streets. Riot police were deployed and a helicopter buzzed overhead but the demonstrators dispersed after one and a half hours without force being used. Earlier, witnesses reported that a number of protesters in the convoy of cars heading into Manama from Hamad Town, to the south of the capital, were arrested. Thursday's demonstration was the latest in a series of protests.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/31/2004 11:44:50 PM ||
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Al-Qa'eda terrorists are planning attacks against British military bases, according to a classified intelligence document. The document, which is understood to have been produced jointly by MI5, Special Branch and military intelligence specialists, states that there is a "substantial" threat against military bases from international terrorist organisations. The report, entitled Security Update September 2004, adds that there is a "severe" threat - the second highest level - facing the Government Security Zone, which includes Horse Guards Parade, Wellington Barracks on Birdcage Walk, close to Buckingham Palace, and the Royal Guardrooms in Buckingham Palace itself.
The document, which has been distributed to all military garrisons in the United Kingdom and is marked "restricted", states: "Credible reporting continues to indicate that AQ [Al-Qa'eda] and associated terrorist groups, intend to attack Western targets globally. Targeting against UK and US interests, both at home and abroad, remains a priority for AQ . . . the UK remains a high priority for AQ planning for terrorist attacks and [AQ] will employ a variety of attack methods to breach physical security measures . . ." The document also warns service personnel that there is a "real" threat against identifiable servicemen and advises against the wearing of uniform in public "especially in the vicinity of home or while travelling on public transport". It adds that the risk to servicemen is even "more pertinent in London".
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/31/2004 3:50:23 AM ||
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"...[L]ast week, on September 9, a man of Arabic appearance was stopped on the footpath around Thorney Island by a member of the barrack guard. It had been reported to the guard that he had been asking questions at the civilian sailing club about access to the island. When questioned he gave his name and an address in West Sussex, which is being followed up. He was then shadowed until he left the island at which time Op Wideawake was called."
Well that shouldn't be happening. If the guard doesn't have the authorisation to detain those suspected of involvement in terrorist activities, the Police should have been called in. Possible cell scout turns up, gets challenged, gives a quite possibly false address, and is allowed to shuffle off into the evening?! Crazy! That man needed a thorough shakedown.
#2
I wrote an exercise scenario while I was stationed at RAF Alconbury that involved an attack by 40 Iranian militants using conventional and chemical weapons. It scared my boss so badly (depending on US/British response, casualties ranged from 30% to 85% of the military, and 40%-70% of civilians living on or near the base) he wouldn't let it be used, but a copy was given to the British base commander. I hope he did something about the problems I noted the "Iranians" exploiting. That was almost 20 years ago, but I'm sure that there are still problems at many British and dual-use bases.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/31/2004 21:50 Comments ||
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One of Britain's most prominent Islamic leaders has declared that British troops are a legitimate target for Iraqi militants. Dr Ahmad al-Rawi, an Iraqi-born British passport-holder who has lived in this country for three decades, is one of 93 Islamic international scholars who signed a "bayyan" (declaration) in August supporting uprisings against the "filth of occupation" by both Iraqis and Palestinians. The signatories included five Hamas leaders.
Defending the bayyan last week al-Rawi compared the coalition forces in Iraq with the Nazi invaders of France in 1940. He said: "If they (the British) attack, it's the right of the civilians to resist the British. Any people who are occupied, they have the right to resist. I prefer it to be peaceful, but if they choose to resist by other means it's their choice." Although he would prefer a peaceful overthrow of the occupation, al-Rawi said he could not condemn attacks on coalition forces that have been responsible for many of the deaths of 1,112 American and 69 British soldiers in Iraq. "My opinion on the occupation is that it is illegal. I couldn't call the resistance, even military resistance to the occupation, I couldn't consider it criminal." Al-Rawi, who lives in Loughborough, is the president of the Federation of Islamic Organisations in Europe (FIOE) which speaks for millions of Muslims belonging to 52 Islamic organisations in 28 countries.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Bulldog ||
10/31/2004 6:00:14 AM ||
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why hasn't anyone in Great Britain kicked the shit out of these islamic leaders yet. would be a good use for some of those soccer hooligans
#2
God knows.. I guess the shit will hit the fan when we get our first attack on British soil.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
10/31/2004 10:50 Comments ||
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No, not the first attack - the MSM will go into overdrive and dig up every 'moderate' Muslim they can find, there will be calls for 'restraint' and there will be large numbers of police in Muslim areas. It probably won't even kick off after the second attack. After that though, anything could happen.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
10/31/2004 11:19 Comments ||
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I've said it before and I'll say it again. The war against terrorism will only become effective when an instigator like Dr Ahmad al-Rawi becomes a "fair target" as well.
These scumbag inciters who proclaim jihad against the very nations they seek political asylum in need to catch a bullet. When enough of them are found floating or well perforated, maybe then their fellow Islamists will begin to rethink their drinks.
If not, rinse and repeat until there are no fellow Islamists ANYWHERE. These turds have overstayed their welcome in the civilized world. Let them go back and duke it out on their home turf with all the other psychotic mass murdering thugs they so adore. We've got to bunch up these maggots so a minimum of bootheel-grinding is required. These morons are so busy killing each other, they need only be brought into mutual proximity to bring about their all-too-timely demise.
#6
Well maybe not floating. Like that Catholic guy with ties to the Vatican bank was found. Kinda sunk with pockets full of heavy change. I doubt the guy can swim anyway.
#7
Doesn't Britain still have a colony or two where they can ship these nutjobs to and let them rot? Ascension is too useful, and St. Helena is too nice. Diego Garcia would be ok, except it's "in use" at the moment. Surely someone in the British Foreign Office could find an ideal spot - St. Paul's Rocks, or something.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/31/2004 21:55 Comments ||
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The United Nations nuclear watchdog will send a group of inspectors to South Korea this week to help it complete a report in November on Seoul's secret past nuclear experiments, a South Korean official said Sunday. Cho Chung-won, director-general at South Korea's Ministry of Science and Technology, said a five-member inspection team from the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency will make a six-day visit beginning Tuesday. "The third round of investigation will become the final probe before drawing up a report for the IAEA's board of governors on Nov. 25," Cho said, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.
Suspicions about South Korea's nuclear activities spiked after the country recently admitted conducting a plutonium-based nuclear experiment in 1982 and a uranium-enrichment experiment in 2000. South Korea has repeatedly said its experiments were part of scientific research, and has expressed hope that the case ends at the board of governors' meeting, and is not referred to the U.N. Security Council.
The revelations threatened to disrupt already troubled efforts to persuade communist North Korea to end its nuclear weapons program. North Korea has cited the revelations about South Korean nuclear activities as a major reason it is reluctant to join six-nation talks aimed at ending the communist North's nuclear weapons program.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/31/2004 12:46:56 AM ||
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surly they've got the wrong korea here, guess its easy for them to bollock the south while leaving the north to carry on, what a piss take eh.
Posted by: Shep UK ||
10/31/2004 4:58 Comments ||
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Yup. Wrong Korea Shep. I was going to say the UN never fails to amaze me but on second thought they are quite predictable.
#4
The UN only works against those countries, like South Korea, that follow the rules. Those that don't, like North Korea, tell them to bugger off and they do. Then they blame the US for the whole thing. What a malicious, mendacious, meretricious, salacious, pathetically incompetent group of self-promoting parasites! The UN bureaucracy should be expelled from the US as undesirable aliens and the UN building complex converted to public housing.
Prisoners practising militant-style Islam in New South Wales's jails are a target of new laws passed in the state.
Good move.
The state has adopted practices from the United States and Israel where similar problems are faced and has passed legislation to specifically monitor any inmate who potentially threatens national security. Justice Minister John Hatzistergos has denied newspaper reports of a security alert in the state's prisons because growing numbers of prisoners are converting to Islam. "We have this week passed a legislation which allows us to categorise any inmate who potentially threatens national security," Mr Hatzistergos said. "There is of course nothing wrong with inmates adopting a religion. The concerns do arise when that religion is adopted for more sinster purposes."
He says there is a problem with some of the most dangerous inmates practising extremism and a risk of terror organisations recruiting new members from prisons, but that the Government is being pro-active. "There is no evidence that we have at the moment that there's any particular plot or plan of a terrorist nature being put together in the state's correctional facilities," he said. "Nevertheless, the circumstances are such that as does require close monitoring and surveillance. It's significant in the sense that the inmates concerned are inmates who are considered among some of the more dangerous inmates we have. Their activities are particularly the subject of attention."
Prisoner support groups say tighter security in New South Wales prisons should apply to all dangerous inmates, not just those who have converted to Islam. Overseas evidence suggests that jails can be a recruiting ground for terrorist groups but Craig Baird, from the Prisoners' Aid Association, has warned officials not to jump to conclusions. "People convert to Islam for lots of different reasons and the vast majority of those who do that pose no threat," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2004 9:47:35 PM ||
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Find all the traitors and punish them islam style
October 30, 2004: Turkey has turned down another request, by the U.S. military, for greater access to bases in Turkey. The request was made in late September as a part of U.S. plans announced in August to realign its global forces deployment in Europe and Asia. The U.S. wanted to put at least two squadrons (around 48 F-16s) at Incirlik Air Base, currently serving as a hub for airlift operations to Afghanistan.
The Turkish military views the request as a potential infringement of the country's sovereignty. The U.S. had requested Turkey to permit the F-16s to conduct day and night low-altitude and supersonic flights and mid-air refueling during training exercises, activities that the Turkish air force is not allowed to do around the base. Earlier, Turkey had rejected a U.S. request for increased access to the Konya training range, saying that the U.S. has sought blanket approval for training exercises. Under a 1980 NATO agreement, the U.S. can bring in up to 48 aircraft to Incirlik for training purposes.Â
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
10/31/2004 9:38:19 AM ||
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The U.S. had requested Turkey to permit the F-16s to conduct day and night low-altitude and supersonic flights and mid-air refueling during training exercises, activities that the Turkish air force is not allowed to do around the base.
#2
I don't think that being in an alliance means that you have to give blanket approvals. Did the 1980 NATO agreement for "training" include day and night low-altitude and supersonic flights and mid-air refueling?
Posted by: Tom ||
10/31/2004 10:39 Comments ||
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"They may have a point here."
That's one way to look at it. Another way to look at it is that the Turks owe us, big time, after their betrayal in the runup to the Iraq invasion, and accepting a few minorly and perhaps even symbolically "unbalanced" requests may be a relatively cheap and painless way for them to demonstrate that some goodwill remains on their end.
#15
Regardless or not if they have a point, I think it's good that we finally put to bed this idea that the Turkish Military will somehow step in and keep the Islamist's in Turkey in line.
Turkey is not now, and for quite some time now has not been our friend. Those in military planning and government who continue to believe that somehow, some way, they will see the light are dreaming and need to wake up to the reality that Chirac and Erdogan are enemies and the Turkish Military aren't in control...or if they are, they aren't on our side.
Here's a saying for those of you who still want to believe...fooled me once, shame on you, fooled me twice...shame on me.
It doesn't matter how self-destructive Chirac or Erdogan's dreams of grandeur may be. They aren't our friends and they aren't going to become them. Deal with it.
#16
If the Turks want to cast their lot with the Phrench, then that's fine. What we need to do is to start treating the Phrench, and those that ally themselves with the Phrench, as hostile entities.
#18
Shipman and Tom are both right. If the Turkish Air Force can't perform those activities around its own air base, it's really not logical to expect they would give a foreign air force permission to do them either.
Posted by: Joe ||
10/31/2004 11:00 Comments ||
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Vandals scrawled swastikas and "SS" initials on 88 Jewish tombs in eastern France, an anti-Semitic attack that President Jacques Chirac on Saturday called "intolerable." The inscriptions were discovered Saturday in the Jewish cemetery in Brumath, 10 miles north of Strasbourg near the French-German border, authorities said. Chirac condemned "this intolerable act with the greatest firmness," his office said in a statement. The French leader also asked that the government "take all the measures necessary without delay to find, arrest and bring to justice the authors of this odious act." The government says the number of anti-Semitic acts appears to have rebounded this year, with 166 counted in the first nine months of 2004, compared with 127 for all of last year. In 2002, the Interior Ministry counted 195 such acts.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/31/2004 12:53:35 AM ||
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It sounds as though the Islamists & neo-Vichys are trying to make Arafat feel right at home.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/31/2004 1:11 Comments ||
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Clearly, it has not yet occurred to the self-acknowledged brilliant thinker Interior Minister Dominique de Villepain to post guards at Jewish cemetaries, or at least install monitored security cameras, so that the perpetrators might be caught. One begins to get the idea that the French government doesn't find antisemitic acts unacceptable.
#3
Mr. political stair climber, Dominique is brilliant in the art of appeasement, but he is seeking a higher position the Franco-German run European 'Superstate', when the time is appropriate.
His future ambition is that of France' 21st century version of Pierre Laval, a fellow Socialist & got also got along fabulously with the Germans.
The Nazi's goal is indentical to Iran's despotic mullahs. Why is it tht de Villepin seems to be drawn to those are determined to complete the Shoah.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/31/2004 1:28 Comments ||
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That particular cemetery has been attacked at least three times in the last 6 months.
The French police is already failing to deal with their millions of Moslems. That inimical country is going down the drain. Might take 50 years. Might take 10. We haven't seen the end of their perfidy yet.
+5 Good vocabulary utilization+5
-10 Incorrect tense. Should be has gone, not is going.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
10/31/2004 8:50 Comments ||
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One little wee sacking of Rome in 455 and now everything gets blamed on the Vandals. Its not like they were anywhere near the scene of the crime, but spend a two week frat party in the Eternal City and everyone blames you for every low ass punk depredation that happens in their neighborhood.
Posted by: Don ||
10/31/2004 9:24 Comments ||
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Correction to my earlier comment: It is the third time in the last six months that Jewish cemeteries have been desecrated in the Alsace region. (Not the one and same cemetery as I mistakenly reported.)
Mrs D, when something "has gone" down the drain I sure hope not to keep hearing about it in the news...
The man who lied to america during the Vietnam war (and encouraged the enemy) speaks - and spreads more bullshit. Hat tip - Drudge (link may not work for long so including in total.....)
Former CBSNEWS anchorman Walter Cronkite believes Bush adviser Karl Rove is possibly behind the new Bin Laden tape.
Cronkite made the startling comments late Friday during an interview on CNN.
Somewhat smiling, Cronkite said he is "inclined to think that Karl Rove, the political manager at the White House, who is a very clever man, he probably set up bin Laden to this thing."
Interviewer Larry King did not ask Cronkite to elaborate on the provocative election eve observation.
A new videotape message from terror mastermind Osama bin Laden was meant to help President Bush win re-election, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said Sunday. "It's obvious to me that bin Laden is trying to help George Bush, because George Bush is the best recruiter that al-Qaida has," Rendell told "Fox News Sunday. "George Bush is so disliked in the Arab world that we're creating terrorists every single day — more terrorists than we can even come close to killing," the Democrat said.
"You've got to be kidding, Ed," replied Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee, who chairs the Bush-Cheney campaign in Arkansas and appeared on "Fox News Sunday" with Rendell. "Seriously, I don't think anyone in America cares or knows who Osama bin Laden is for for president." The Bush campaign called Rendell's comments "disgusting." "For John Kerry's surrogates to suggest that Osama bin Laden supports President Bush's reelection is disgusting," Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt said in a statement. This just demonstrates once again that for John Kerry, the war on terror is about political opportunity, not victory."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2004 6:42:52 PM ||
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Never thought I'd say it, but guess that means I've got at least one thing in common with bin Loser.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/31/2004 20:16 Comments ||
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Embarassment is right: the sonofabitch is MY governor!
Posted by: Dave D. ||
10/31/2004 20:45 Comments ||
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This is so stupid. Why would OBL want Bush (who put Al-q pretty much on the ropes and OBL looking over own back all the time) over Kerry who would return us to pre-9/11 times and surrender to the terrorists?
And don't tell me Kerry wouldn't do it. He did it before with the North Vietmanese. Guy is a born traitor.
#7
Its a meme in the making. Media has decided Kerry is going to lose, and the reason is going to be Osama. Both morning news programs said this straight-faced here in Oz.
#8
I.S.L.A.M = International Society of Liars And Murderers
Posted by: Allah ||
10/31/2004 22:51 Comments ||
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Didn't Rendell get the memo from Cronkite that it was a joke?
Those of us in "flyover Pennsylvania" (I'm in NW PA) brought down Rendell's phone bank over blocking the military votes. Even my union member, Kerry supporting neighbor is PO'd at Rendell. Democrat or Republican you don't mess with Pennsylvania troops.
Rendell better hope for a Kerry Administration appointment because he's in for a hell of fight to get re-elected.
President Bush has opened a six-point lead over John Kerry in the first opinion poll to include sampling taken after the new Osama bin Laden videotape was broadcast on Friday night. The Newsweek poll published yesterday, only three days before the presidential election, put Mr Bush on 50 per cent and Mr Kerry on 44 per cent. A similar poll conducted a week earlier gave the president 48 per cent to his Democratic challenger's 46 per cent. If the trend is confirmed by other polls, Mr Bush may have his greatest enemy to thank for helping him secure another four years in the White House after the appearance of the video sparked a sharp final round of argument over which candidate can best defeat terrorism.
The president began another hectic day on the campaign trail yesterday with a conference call to his security and intelligence chiefs to discuss the content of the tape. He directed Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser, and the heads of the CIA, FBI and justice and homeland security departments to "make sure all action is being taken", a spokesman said. Intelligence analysts are studying the tape - in which al-Qaeda's chief mocked Mr Bush, threatened Americans and acknowledged responsibility for the atrocities of September 11 2001 for the first time - for any coded messages of further attacks. But officials said there were no initial plans to upgrade the current threat advisory from "yellow", or elevated, for most of the country.
Newsweek conducted a third and final evening of polling on Friday after details of the tape, first aired on the Arabic network al-Jazeera, were broadcast by American networks. The poll's findings appear to indicate that the president is benefiting during the last days of a bitter campaign from the focus on national security and the "war on terror". A Reuters/Zogby poll also released yesterday showed Mr Kerry with a wafer-thin 47-46 lead but that was conducted before the bin Laden tape was aired. Other recent polls have given the president a small lead nationally but the final result will be determined by the outcome in about 10 swing states.
Although senior aides insisted that the candidates would not allow the bin Laden tape to overshadow campaigning, Mr Bush and Mr Kerry took fresh swipes at each other over security as they criss-crossed battleground states in last-ditch get-out-the-vote campaigns. Buoyed by a rapturous rally appearance in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday night alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Terminator star who is now California's governor, Mr Bush contrasted his whatever-it-takes leadership with Mr Kerry's "cut-and-run" approach during a stop in Wisconsin. Mr Kerry, also campaigning in Wisconsin and Ohio, criticised the administration's failure to capture bin Laden in the Tora Bora mountains.
Posted by: tipper ||
10/31/2004 12:45:32 AM ||
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The Army extended a Halliburton Co. troop support contract over the objections of a top contracting officer, even contending - and then withdrawing - a claim that U.S. forces faced an emergency if the company didn't get the extra work. "I wrote directly on the document the weaknesses . . . so that all could clearly see," contracting official Bunnatine Greenhouse wrote a top general this month in questioning the extended troop support contract in the Balkans. Greenhouse has had problems with the $2 billion contract at least since January 2002, when she wrote, "There is little or no incentive for the contractor to reduce or keep cost down." The contracting officer has gone public with allegations of favoritism toward the company once headed by Vice President Dick Cheney.
Greenhouse complained, in writing, Oct. 5 to Lt. Gen. Carl Strock, commander of the Army Corps of Engineers, that the corps should not have halted plans to let companies compete for a successor Balkans contract. She is the corps' top contracting officer. Corps officials initially justified stopping the bidding by concluding that a "compelling emergency" would exist if Halliburton's work were to be interrupted. When Greenhouse challenged the justification and sought an explanation of the emergency, however, corps officials changed their reasoning. The new explanation was that Halliburton subsidiary KBR was the "one and only" company that could do the job. Greenhouse not only complained there was no explanation of what drove officials to cite an emergency, but, referring to the second justification, added: "It is not reasonable to believe that only one source responded to the solicitation."
The FBI has asked Greenhouse's lawyers for an interview with her. The bureau has launched a criminal investigation of Halliburton's no-bid work. Halliburton spokeswoman Wendy Hall said, "The issue mentioned about the Balkans was fully dealt with and resolved several years ago, and since then KBR has received high marks from the Army on our Balkans Support Contract."
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/31/2004 12:20:33 AM ||
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Bunnatine Greenhouse? Man, her folks must have been seriously stoned!
A top government counterterrorist official says the new videotape of Osama bin Laden appears to contain no specific threat but is aimed instead at showing al-Qaeda remains active and effective. John Brennan, director of the government's leading terror-threat analysis unit, the Terrorist Threat Integration Center, told reporters Saturday that bin Laden was likely attempting to "demonstrate that al-Qaeda, as an organization, is still effective, even though they have not, in fact, been able to do something here in the states." He said the admitted mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks was seeking to justify the continued existence of al-Qaida.
The Bush administration left the terror threat level unchanged, despite warning state and local officials that bin Laden's reemergence could portend a new terrorist attack. "We don't have to go to (code level) orange to take action in response either to these tapes or just general action to improve security around the country," Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said.
He urged Americans to go to the polls Election Day without undue concern. His words and appearance both seemed designed to convey a lack of alarm. Ridge's department and the FBI issued a memo late Friday to local and state officials, hours after a new videotape of bin Laden surfaced. "We remain concerned about al-Qaida's interest in attacking the American homeland, and we cannot discount the possibility that the video may be intended to promote violence or serve as a signal for an attack," it said.
While Ridge sought to convey reassurance, he also said the government would strengthen anti-terrorism measures. Government officials also were scrutinizing a tape aired Thursday by ABC News in which a shrouded man claiming to be an American member of al-Qaida promised attacks that will make U.S. streets "run red with blood." The speaker identified himself as "Azzam the American." Brennan said investigators were looking "very closely" to see if the two new terror tapes were linked.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/31/2004 3:51:32 AM ||
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Basically the tape encouraged US states to be Blue not Red. Similar to the 2 recorded messages I got from Bill Clinton today.
This was not properly reported for some reason.
Also, Binny seemed to be chaffing at the idea of being W's bitch and clearly has access to a bootleg DVD of Michael Moores latest.
President mullah Khatami said here Saturday that "Basij forces" known as "regime's chomaaqdaaraan" should emobody kind thoughts, good behavior, love, respect for freedom as well as the desire for progress. He referred to the Chomaadaaraan's commitment of being ever ready to defend die for the mullahs' regime, praising its unique role of encouraging the country's youth to voluntarily respond to the calls for battle against the enemies of Islam and regime. Readying the fully brainwashed legions of self detonating jihadic robot killers to destroy the infidels in the coming new year. The 'infidels' are going to mop up the mullahs!
Khatami further hailed the presence of Basij forces in all areas, and said he was proud to see Basijis playing very determining roles in national defense and development.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/31/2004 5:43:38 AM ||
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Ooohh....colorful Nazis. So much more tasteful than black trench coats and death's heads.
Mullah Rafsanjani said in Tehran on Friday that Iran will continue talks with Europe over its nuclear energy plans whenever necessary. Rafsanjani, in a sermon at Tehran Friday prayers, stressed that Iran's talks with the Europeans should be carried out in "an atmosphere of logic and reasoning".
Mullah recalled the remarks by the so-called supreme mullah leader of the Islamic revolution mullah seyyed Ali Khamenei on Iran's talks with European states in a meeting with a number of state officials. "[Khamenei] clearly stated that we agree with negotiations provided that they are based on reason and are carried out within the framework of international laws," he told bassijis and hezbullahis at Tehran University campus. "If they want to use threats against Iran, there is no point for negotiations," mullah added. You got that right Mr Dishrag on head.
"This is a clear policy of which all government officials, media and analysts are aware." The ongoing Iran-EU talks are not limited to the EU trio of France, Germany and Britain. He added that all 25 EU member states have presented Iran with their suggestions on the issue. "The US is apparently opposing Iran's ongoing talks with the Europeans ... However, the Europeans are more serious in the talks and have become closer to realities," he said. It's interesting that even snake like hardliners such as Rafsanjani have adopted leftist PC speak in using the term "closer to realities" in place of 'Euro petrol-appeasement'.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/31/2004 5:23:09 AM ||
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IRNA -- First Deputy Chief of Judiciary Ibrahim Raisi here Saturday termed the issue of `Human Rights` brought up by Western countries as a political weapon against Islamic states and the Third World. Addressing reporters in reaction to the new resolution issued by the European Parliament, he added that the national laws, which are based on Islamic principles, are the most comprehensive that can guarantee the human rights.
Speaking on the sidelines of a conference on Quran held by Tehran Province Justice Department at the judiciary training center, he said, "A resolution was issued by the European Parliament in the French city of Strasbourg on the human rights condition in Iran on Thursday. It criticized violation of human rights in Iran, particularly on political rights and freedom of expression." Saying that no international law gives the issue of human rights so much importance as the Islamic laws, he underlined that the problem is that the relevant laws are not explained to the world people properly.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2004 12:09:44 AM ||
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#2
I smell subtlety here. For example, if he quotes at length from the report before weakly criticizing it, he is essentially letting everybody know that the EU sees what Iran is doing as barbaric, without opening himself up to criticism.
#8
Don't forget that the cold blooded murder of an unarmed, defenseless 8-month pregnant woman and her three under ten year old daughters is permissable and encouraged under Islam (as long as they are Jews....).
IRNA -- President Mohammad Khatami said on Saturday that man has special needs at any given time which should be addressed by religion. Talking to reporters during a visit to the International Holy Qur`an Exhibition, President Khatami said that changes should be made in all the fields of Islamic sciences, including philosophy, jurisprudence and ethics, in tune with the spacio-temporal conditions.
That sort of talk'll get him a fatwah if he doesn't watch out...
President Khatami said that mosques and religious centers as well as the communities in charge of religious affairs should update themselves in line with the exigencies of the times and needs of the young generation. He said mosques, seminaries and ulema should change themselves in tune with realities and the modern world so that God`s irrevocable religion would continue addressing needs of the societies. He added that mosques would remain popular if be capable of addressing fresh needs of human beings, otherwise they would lose their popularity. He said that divine religion however would remain everlasting. Elsewhere, President Khatami welcomed establishment of Qur`an news agency, referring to it as an achievement of his government. He said that state-run organs would provide strong support for the news agency, since it would survive in light of support by different personalities and institutions. He added that a news agency offers vital service to the press and media and in fact, it is a medium for the media, press, radio, TV and people.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2004 12:06:15 AM ||
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FAMILIES of Black Watch troops posted to Iraq are being charged by the MoD for sending morale-boosting gifts to their loved ones.
When the Black Watch were on their first tour of duty in Iraq last year, Army bosses covered the cost for relatives to send parcels from home to cheer up our boys.
Now the penny-pinching MoD have stopped the service because, astonishingly, they claim we are no longer at war in Iraq. Yesterday, disgusted relatives of Black Watch troops condemned the decision as our boys spent their second day in Iraq's terrorist- infested Triangle of Death.
Families are being charged up to £10 a time to send packages from the UK. The blanket decision applies to all British troops sent to Iraq. Jim Buchanan, 57, from Arbroath, Angus, whose two sons are in the Black Watch, said: "The troops have already come under attack - so what's that if it's not a war zone?
"Things I send out there like letters, food, cigarettes and photos mean the world to them. "The Government has a cheek to ask us to pay for this when Ministers are enjoying an expenses bill of £78million."
Last week the Sunday Mirror revealed how British soldiers are being paid less during the war in Iraq than they get on routine manoeuvres in Europe.
EFL
The standoff between the interim Iraqi government and insurgents in the rebel city of Fallujah has entered its "final phase," Iraq's interim prime minister Iyad Allawi said Sunday, warning of imminent military action. The tough-talking prime minister laid out three conditions that would spare Fallujah a military showdown insisting that the government was not negotiating or bargaining with any party over its legitimate right to assert its authority in the flashpoint city. "We have entered the final phase to solve the Fallujah problem," Allawi told reporters in a grave tone. "If we cannot solve it peacefully, I have no choice but to take military action. I will do so with a heavy heart. " Avoid that phrase. LBJ wore it out.
Allawi said he met on Saturday night with religious and tribal leaders from the Sunni Muslim insurgency bastions of Fallujah and Ramadi, west of Baghdad, and from the northern city of Mosul. He said all wanted the government to assert its authority in these hotspots. "Terrorists have taken the people of Fallujah hostage and we are determined to eliminate this terror centre." The prime minister laid out three conditions that would spare Fallujah and other rebel cities military action as his government appeared determined to subdue the vicious insurgency ahead of January's elections. These include the exit of foreign fighters and insurgents, the handover of heavy- and medium-sized weapons and allowing the government to begin the process of reconstruction in these cities. "The people of Fallujah can hand over the foreign fighters and insurgents, kick them out or allow Iraqi forces to go in and do the job," said Allawi flanked by Kassim Daoud, his national security advisor.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
10/31/2004 7:01:23 PM ||
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A new generation of tank gun ammunition is proving very useful in Iraq and Israel. The new shells are better at killing infantry, and destroying bunkers and buildings. In the 1990s, new shells were developed for this, but in the last few years, 19,000 M830A1 multipurpose 120mm tank gun rounds were modified (to become M908 shells), to make them more lethal against bunkers, buildings and unarmored vehicles. In addition, there is the M1028, which is a 120mm shotgun shell (containing 1100 10mm tungsten balls, that can kill or wound at up to 700 meters), that began production in 2002. This shell, and the M908, are what American M-1 tanks use nearly all the time in Iraq. Israel pioneered both types of tank ammunition, and has been using their versions heavily in Palestinian areas during the last four years. These two shells make tanks much more useful in urban fighting. Hostile gunmen often take cover in buildings, or trees and crops. The M908 can knock down buildings, and the M1028 can clear out anyone sniping at you from lighter structures or vegetation. Ooo. That would leave a mark.
#1
It's funny how cannons have evolved and superficially devolved with time. From olde time smoothbore to rifled, to smoothbore. Now grapeshot's getting a second wind! What next - chain shot? Muzzle loading?! Heh.
#4
Excellent idea .com. Sort of a conventional neutron bomb. The smell would be so bad occupants of a building would exit with both hands over their noses. But it's probably a Geneva violation.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
10/31/2004 18:46 Comments ||
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containing 1100 10mm tungsten balls, that can kill or wound at up to 700 meters ...
Hell, a single M1028 round has more balls than the entire Arab street combined.
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) -- Unions declared the top oil multinational here, Royal Dutch/Shell, "an enemy of the Nigerian people" on Sunday and called a November 16th nationwide strike that they said would target oil exports in Africa's oil giant. Here we go again
The threats in the world's No. 7 oil exporter - (others say 6th, some even 5th) the source of one-fifth of U.S. oil imports - appeared likely to send new shocks through the global oil price market. Today's gas prices at the pump should be rising again shortly [if] the strike threat translates into tangible disruptions of Nigeria's much needed oil exports, Shell oil has ordered it's people to 'depart' to safer areas, like hop a plane a leave town.
Unions called the Nov. 16th strike after giving President Olusegun Obasanjo until Sunday to reverse September's 23 percent increase in fuel prices in Nigeria.
Union leaders singled out Royal Dutch/Shell Group, Nigeria's largest petroleum producer, which they accused of planning to try to block the strike in the courts.
Noteworthy: Emphasis is now on building Iraqi Army combat support units. Similarly, the creation of an Iraqi highway patrol (Broderick Crawford?), and an Adopt-A-Highway program that cleans trash and, oh yes, removes IEDs.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that he was prepared to open negotiations with a new Palestinian leadership after Yasser Arafat's depature, public radio reported. "If a new Palestinian leadership which is both serious and responsible emerges, it is possible that there can be a resumption on negotiations on the roadmap" peace plan, Sharon was quoted as saying at the weekly cabinet meeting. "I am not sure that that will happen," he added. High level Israeli-Palestinian talks have been frozen for more than a year and Israel has had no contact with Palestinian Authority leader Arafat since Sharon came to power in 2001.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2004 10:51:33 AM ||
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#1
"If a new Palestinian leadership which is both serious and responsible emerges, it is possible that there can be a resumption on negotiations on the roadmap"
OSAMA BIN LADEN is being given safe haven with the help of Pakistani officials, British security sources believe. Recent intelligence reports coming from remote tribal areas of Pakistan have indicated the Al-Qaeda leader is being given refuge by senior figures in the regional government. He is believed to be hiding along the mountainous 1,500 mile frontier between Pakistan and Afghanistan, where many people are hostile to America. A senior British source said the growing view in the British and American intelligence communities was that Bin Laden was in the area and receiving support. "It's the kind of help that suggests he is being protected or he has bought influence," said the source.
A videotape broadcast last Friday by Al-Jazeera confirmed that Bin Laden was in good health, despite reports that he was dying of kidney failure. His gestures also contradicted rumours that he had lost the use of an arm. He was dressed in a golden cloak and white turban at a lectern, in a pose similar to those adopted by the candidates in the US presidential debates. Magnus Ranstorp, a St Andrews University terrorism expert, said the tape could signal another attack: "There has often been a correlation between Bin Laden appearing and attacks being launched." The tape's main purpose would be to undermine America's sense of security and damage Bush. "What he's saying is less important than the fact he appears at all," Ranstorp said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/31/2004 3:49:25 AM ||
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#1
Pakland is certainly a possibilty but I wouldn't be suprised if he's in one of the Gulf States or even farther East like maybe Malaysia or Indonesia, And it wouldn't have to be with any governmental knowledge.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/31/2004 9:20 Comments ||
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#3
I've seen that hair in photos. She's wasting her money. On the other hand, the standard of beauty in her husband's part of the world is 100 kilos, which she appears to have achieved.
#4
If he wants to avoid a heart attack, Yasser had better hope the hospital proscribes all conjugal visits. Remember, Yasser, no heavy lifting. (As if that phrase has ever appeared in his job description.)
"As long as I'm here - and I'm not planning to leave any time soon - Arafat will not be buried in Jerusalem." So said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at today's Cabinet meeting. In response to a question by Justice Minister Yosef Lapid, Sharon then stated clearly that this applies only if Arafat does not die. Prime Minister Sharon also said that if Arafat ceases to be in control of the Palestinian Authority, "this might very well be a good opportunity to coordinate and negotiate with whatever leadership arises after him. Only if they change their policies, however, and prove it with facts on the ground, will there be room for us to change our policy. The test will be in actions, not declarations."
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/31/2004 6:27:42 AM ||
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#1
That seems to imply that they are willing to bury Arafat in Jerusalem if he is still alive? Uh, well, in the spirit of compromise, I guess.
#2
I vote for Eichman's disposal: the body was burned then when the ashes were brought to the sea and dispersed in a wind who was blowing away from Israel.
#3
surely there's a pig farm somewhere on the West Bank....
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/31/2004 9:26 Comments ||
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#4
A compromise: we give him to the pigs, then salughter the pigs, burn the corpses and disperse their ashes at sea when the wind is blowing towerd Egypt, his real country.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/31/2004 10:54 Comments ||
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Frank G.... I here there's a Pig Farm in Israel, they produce transplant material.... but I don't think your average Israeli would want a pig part that has incorporated the fish.
A lot of speculation on the health of Yassir Arafat:
One Palestinian source yesterday offered an explanation for the incongruous appearances: In a word, drugs.
He said Arafat sometimes works "beyond the point" of exhaustion.
I have to ask: working on what exactly? Fighting terrorists or Israel? lol
"Often in the past, the way his doctors dealt with that was to give him a big shot of cortisone, which gave him a lift for a day or so. But then, the day after, he would crash and look like hell." During the last few days in October of 2004 Arafat looked like he had been to Hell and was heading back quicky ..and he still might!
Israeli media have joined in the speculation, with one Hebrew print report suggesting his food may have been laced with poison in a failed assassination attempt.
Interesting. Probably not the last we'll hear on this. and even more interesting since this was posted on Thursday, October 9th, 2003
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/31/2004 6:12:10 AM ||
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#1
He doesn't have [insert painful wasting disease]. He was poisoned by the Jooooos.
Iraq these days is a land of queues. People line up to pass through checkpoints, to enter a school or hospital, and even to buy food. Some of the longest queues are formed by men, aged between 18and40 , who want to join the Iraq National Defense Force (INDF), the country's renascent army. Here and there one can even spot young women in the queues. Often tempted by wages of $40 a month, thousands have enrolled in the past eight months.
The recent series of massacres of which over 800 recruits to the new Iraqi Army and police have been victims, does not seem to have affected the length of the queues. Nor do fears that some of the new army's units may have been infiltrated by unrepentant Baathists undermined the resolve of the new leadership in Baghdad to build a new national military machine.
One of the first moves of L. Paul Bremer, the American diplomat who headed the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) at the time, was to disband the Iraqi Army. Within weeks it had become clear that Bremer had made a mistake by depriving some 1.5 million military personnel, and their families, of a livelihood. The disbanding of the army also meant that Iraq was left with no native force to defend its borders and secure its infrastructure. By last September plans were in place to create a new army. Its first division was to be operational with 12,000 men. But things went awry last October when 300 of the 700 men trained to form the new army's first battalion walked out in a dispute over pay. Hundreds of others quit after receiving death threats from insurgents opposed to the coalition. By the time the interim government assumed power at the end of June the coalition had managed to train only 3,500 men.
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Posted by: tipper ||
10/31/2004 1:02:15 AM ||
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We know what John Kerry thinks of Iraq. But what does Iraq think of him? Since he may soon be presiding over a war there, the question merits an answer. Yet, while the press has devoted page after page to the electoral preferences of the French, the opinions of those who count most overseas have received nary a mention.
Partly this derives from the simple fact that, as polls show, the overwhelming majority of Iraqis don't care who wins our election. Their concerns run closer to home--especially how to stay alive. There's an exception, however: the thousands of academics, lawyers, rights advocates and other educated elites leading the effort to create a new Iraq--nearly all of whom have hitched their fortunes to our own and nearly all of whom hope that President Bush wins.
Liberal Iraqis repeat the same question: Will the U.S. leave? These, after all, are the Iraqis building institutions, occupying key positions in ministries, and cooperating openly with the U.S. And they're the Iraqis with the most to lose in the event John Kerry makes good on his pledge to "bring the troops home where they belong."
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: tipper ||
10/31/2004 12:52:29 AM ||
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#1
Isn't there some way to register these Iraqis? How about in Franklin County, Ohio?
Eight years ago Yasser Arafat revealed that whenever he had a problem, he would go to see "Doctor Chirac" - because the French president was someone he felt he could call on in times of trouble. It was a nickname which at the time referred only to the political support Mr Chirac offered the Palestinian leader. But yesterday, "Doctor Chirac" was providing emergency medical assistance.
The plea for help which Mr Arafat's aides made to France reflects the close ties between Paris and the Palestinian leadership. The French government sent a jet to collect Mr Arafat from Amman. The state is believed to be paying for his medical bills at the military hospital outside Paris. On Thursday Mr Chirac sent Mr Arafat a letter wishing him "sincere best wishes for his recovery". Before being confined to his compound in Ramallah, Mr Arafat had spent much time in Paris, and was reported to have had a favourite suite at the Crillon, the capital's most prestigious hotel. Since they were advised to leave Ramallah, Mr Arafat's wife, Suha, and their nine-year-old daughter, Zahwa, have lived for a while in Paris. Mr Arafat was hoping to be reunited with his daughter for the first time in three years during his stay.
#4
sounds like the beginning of a beautifull love relationship between the 2 leaders
Nobody likes the french - (Ribbit...Ribbit)
As for the palestinians - Liars, thieves, murderers, war mongers, terrorists, inbred bastards.. Israel has the right to protect every single one of its citizens from these satanic barbarians who get their idea's from the Q'ueeran
The Palestinian leadership held its first meeting since the departure of the ailing Yasser Arafat, putting on a show of unity Saturday to dispel concerns about possible chaos and infighting in Arafat's absence. The meeting came as doctors in a French hospital continued to treat Arafat for a mysterious illness. Initial results from a battery of tests found no signs of leukemia, Palestinian officials said, but blood doctors were still probing the cause of the ailing Palestinian leader's dramatic deterioration in health.
He may not croak this time. But just showing his mortality pops the bubble. He'll never be quite as powerful as he was, and probably won't be anything close to it.
About 1,000 Palestinian students rallied Saturday at An-Najah University in the West Bank city of Nablus, many of them carrying Arafat's portrait. In Gaza City, about 400 students marched from the downtown Al Azhar University to Arafat's seafront offices, carrying placards bearing his picture and chanting, "God save our beloved President. Great God, save our old man." Arafat's deputy, Mahmoud Abbas, convened the weekly meeting of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Ramallah. It was one of the few sessions of the top PLO policy-making body held over past decades without Arafat presiding. Abbas, a former Palestinian prime minister who has feuded with Arafat in the past, declined to sit in Arafat's chair at the head of the conference table. Later, he addressed reporters alongside four other senior officials, in a message that the leadership is unified and that no one is trying to usurp Arafat's position. "We decided that all Palestinian leadership institutions will continue functioning in the framework of the Palestinian Authority, according to the Palestinian basic law," Abbas said. "This is President Arafat's desire."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2004 9:26:12 PM ||
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I suspect he will croak in the very near future - simply due to the overall mood of this.
I also bet that after 3 clumps of dirt hit is coffin that the show of "unity" will end.
Security officials have not ruled out the possibility of an operation to capture wanted fugitives holed up in the Mukata compound in Ramallah, even as Palestinian Authority officials prepare to take control while awaiting news on the fate of ailing PA Chairman Yasser Arafat. The officials would not say whether such an operation is in the making. It is not clear how many fugitives, described as responsible for killing or wounding scores of Israelis, remain inside the building, but the officials agreed that they continue to plot and orchestrate attacks. Ever since Arafat was confined to his Ramallah headquarters some two years ago, fugitives, including members of the PA security forces, sought refuge in the building with his blessing, successfully evading attempts to capture them. They took advantage of the fact that, due to the sensitivity of the situation, the army refrained from taking action. At the time, the security establishment estimated that up to 50 fugitives were inside the compound, but estimates today are of a far smaller number.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2004 10:13:09 PM ||
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If it weren't for the hefty intelligence payout from capturing these thugs, I'd say just level the place in one fell swoop. If Yasser makes it back home alive, it should be to a moonscape.
Initial results from a battery of tests on Yasser Arafat found no signs Saturday of leukemia, Palestinian officials said, but blood doctors were still probing the cause of the ailing Palestinian leader's dramatic deterioration in health. "Arafat does not have leukemia," Mohammed Rashid, a close Arafat aide, said Saturday night. "It's been ruled out." Results from additional tests to determine what was wrong were due Wednesday, he said.
Rashid, speaking to reporters at a Paris hotel where a contingent of Palestinian officials was staying, said Arafat was eating again Saturday and able to keep food down. The comments from Rashid, Arafat's financial adviser, were more definitive than those hours earlier from Leila Shahid, the Palestinian envoy to France. Shahid, speaking in several languages to reporters outside the Percy military training hospital southwest of Paris: "The doctors exclude, already from what he has done in terms of exams, any possibility of leukemia. I repeat: the doctors exclude for the time being any possibility of leukemia." In Arabic, Shahid said other tests also have "not shown any sign of other dangerous disease." But "there are other possibilities and we are still exploring," she added in English.
Earlier, a Palestinian official who spoke on condition of anonymity had said there was a strong possibility Arafat was suffering from the bone and blood cancer and that a team of French physicians specializing in the disorder examined the Palestinian leader for a second day Saturday. In an interview with Palestinian Satellite Channel television, Shahid said Arafat spent half the day undergoing medical treatment and spoke by phone to his young daughter, Zahwa, in Tunisia. "So far the test results are good," Shahid said. "The president is relaxing now, and he hopes he will return to take up his responsibilities soon."
I wonder if they'll make the diagnosis of Alzheimer's while he's there? In my non-professional but fairly informed opinion, he's shown lots of the signs of that. The lack of recognition of people he's known for years certainly fits, as do his occasional temper tantrums.
Other possibilities for Yasser: myelodysplastic syndrome, a pre-leukemia condition; lymphoma; gastric cancer with liver metastases (should have nailed that by now); pancreatic cancer (ditto); or another blood dyscrasia.
But wouldn't the liver cancer have turned him bright yellow? Or would that be still to come?
They turn yellow (jaundice) eventually but you can pack away a fair bit of tumor in the liver before that happens. Gastric or pancreatic cancer should have been diagnosed by now assuming competent docs and a decent CT scanner.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2004 9:34:56 PM ||
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#1
I like to think he's rotting away internally into a stinking, rancid green slime from all the vileness in him. But that's just me.
#5
Sure, fire away, or fire it to my e-mail. I'm not a radiologist but I can try.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/31/2004 1:15 Comments ||
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#6
Well, folks, based upon the care given Lady Di in gay olde Paree, I would not like to be in the same aquarium as the Arafish.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/31/2004 1:48 Comments ||
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#7
If you look closely at the most recent video of him wearing that zip-up, blue bunny suit while in Ramallah, he's got one of his underlings by the hand. He tries to bring the underling's hand up to his mouth to kiss it, but the underling won't let him do it. Very strange. Like the underling is afraid to get any arafish spittle on himself.
Methinks Arafat is toast and won't be returning to the holy land alive.
#8
That is supposed to be one of his Drs.,gb.Makes you wonder what the illness is if his Dr.is so afraid of contact.Maybe it is just disgust at being touched by such a vile creature.
#9
#8 That is supposed to be one of his Drs.,gb.Makes you wonder what the illness is if his Dr.is so afraid of contact.Maybe it is just disgust at being touched by such a vile creature.
AIDS maybe. Any one know if Ararat has a tendency towards boys?
#15
#14 So far, Arafat has been through 2 days of non stop medical testing by French doctors. Another 3 days of this and he may wish he were dead.
It doesn't take that long. 8 hours of tests for the possibility of appendicitis had me willing to do or say anything to get out of there. And never mind the original pain, it was a whole new world of hurt & misery from the tests. So I say, test away docs! Do many scans. Use many catheters. Arafat deserves every miserable minute.
The force behind the daily bombs, sniper shooting and mortars in Ramadi is one man, whose specter looms large over the capital city of al-Anbar province in Iraq. US Marines believe Mohammad Daham, whose picture plasters the walls of their bases, is the inspiration of Ramadi's insurgency. "He is the big fish," says Captain Sean Kuehl, an assistant intelligence officer with second battalion — fifth Marines, assigned to Ramadi, west of Baghdad.
Daham's picture, with a wanted sign emblazoned on it, reveals a man in his late 20s or early 30s, with a pudgy face, an awkward smile, rolls of fat on the neck, a thin beard and a beak-like nose. That the insurgency in Anbar's capital evolves around one man breaks the pattern with other rebel strongholds in Iraq. Fallujah, Ramadi's sister city 50 kilometres to the east, is the headquarters for suspected Al Qaeda operative Abu Mussab Zarqawi, veterans of Saddam Hussein's security services and religious hardliners like the Islamic Army of Iraq. Samarra, to the north of Baghdad, seized back by the Americans from rebels at the beginning of October, hosted at least four rebel factions, some with nominal ties to Fallujah or Zarqawi, others spurred on by criminal activities or tribal motivations. But Daham, while sharing traits with many rank and file anti-American fighters, is unique, in his kingpin status in Ramadi, considered with neighbouring Fallujah, the heart and soul of the resistance in Iraq.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2004 10:20:56 PM ||
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#1
Today should be almost over, over there. No big incidents. Tomorrow or Tuesday may yet have one, but overall, I am surprised that this resistance has not done something or rather a series of things to try to influence the election. I am beginning to doubt they are capable of of pulling off a spectacular attack at the time and place of their choosing.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
10/31/2004 8:55 Comments ||
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#2
with a pudgy face, an awkward smile, rolls of fat on the neck, a thin beard and a beak-like nose.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/31/2004 9:25 Comments ||
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#4
They ambushed a convoy and had better luck than we this time. Bless the folks who died, but I can't count it a major victory for them or a demonstration of their ability to change the election.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
10/31/2004 9:27 Comments ||
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#5
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/31/2004 14:15 Comments ||
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#6
I sure hope we're doing something about these exiles that are funding the insurgency, unfortunately it doesn't look like we are. A while ago I read an article, on the website of a Jordanian newpaper I believe, which interviewed a member of the former Iraqi security services, probably Mukhabarat, who said that before the war he was told by his superiors to sell his home and move to the outskirts of Baghdad and await further instructions. He was later told to go to the Jordanian capital where he was surprised to see all his former bosses and associates who were alive and well and were funding insurgency cells in Iraq with the money they have brough over to Jordan. This apparently was their plan all along. Its not clear if Saddam planned for this insurgency or if this is an alternative plan hatched up by other member of the regime. Being a fan of Stalin, Saddam probably thought he could inflict enough causalties on the U.S., by sending human waives of Fadayeen against American tanks and Bradleys, that the American public would force the government to withdraw like they did in Vietnam. That strategy was very ineffective but what we are seeing now, former exiles with lots of money funding cells and inflicting casualties on Americans and the new Iraqi forces, has a much larger chance of success. Its possible that this was Stage II of Saddam's plan all along but I think it was probably formulated by members of the Iraqi security services who knew that American conventional military might could not be stopped by Saddams initial plan and made alternative plans to eventually regain their status and wealth. Neither the fall of Baghdad nor the capture of Saddam led to the end of the insurgency since the exiles were still there in Syria and Jordan with enough financial resources to continue to fund the insurgency which has taken on an Islamic face.( Of course there are other elements of the insurgency like Zarqawi who are genuinely Islamic and are funded through Saudi charities and the like, and the insurgents also generate new funds through various criminal activities. )
We must not allow another repeat of Vietnam where the enemy was funded and equiped by China and the USSR and relatively safe in their North Vietnamese bases while they continually bled American and South Vietnamese forces. We must start monitor these former regime exiles and freeze their assets. We must also force the governments of Jordan and Syria to arrest these people and send them back to Iraq for interrogation. If there is any doubt about our willingness to ruthlessly track these people down it should be put to rest by sending Tomahawk cruise missiles to destroy in the middle of the night the mansions these former regime elements have in Damascus and elsewhere. Those that survive should be hunted down and assasinated, if we dont kill them we will at least force them to keep moving and hiding so that they will be unable to succesfully conspire against us.
Well that's my two cents anyways.
Posted by: AS ||
10/31/2004 16:46 Comments ||
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#7
Its about time we went after the Saudi's , they are the major sponsor of terrorism & islamic violence. They are the ones who send the evil satanic Q'uaran to our schools in an attempt to brainwash our kids. Everytime you put fuel in your car, you are supporting terrorism.
#8
Its about time we went after the Saudi's , they are the major sponsor of terrorism & islamic violence. They are the ones who send the evil satanic Q'uaran to our schools in an attempt to brainwash our kids. Everytime you put fuel in your car, you are supporting terrorism.
The Western Sahara independence movement reserves the right to take up arms against Morocco but for now seeks a peaceful solution to one of Africa's longest-running conflicts, the Polisario Front leader said yesterday. "If our right to self-determination cannot be achieved we have the right to take necessary action ... we are willing to die to defend our rights," Polisario Front President Mohamed Abdelaziz said in an interview at the movement's desert headquarters in southwest Algeria.
Morocco along with Mauritania invaded phosphate and fishing rich Western Sahara shortly after colonial power Spain pulled out in 1975, setting off an exodus of the Sahrawi indigenous people to neighboring Algeria. A war between the Polisario Front and Morocco followed until the United Nations brokered a cease-fire in 1991. Mauritania pulled out in 1979. Some 155,000 refugees live in camps near Tindouf, some 2,000 km south of Algiers. They are led by the Polisario Front, the self-proclaimed government in exile. The UN provides aid and monitors the desert area. After more than a decade of UN efforts to secure an agreement over a referendum the issue reached a dead-end last April following Morocco's rejection of the latest plan. The plan would give the territory semi-autonomy for four to five years. A referendum would then let residents pick independence, semi-autonomy or integration with Morocco. Morocco says the proposal put together by former UN envoy and former US Secretary of State James Baker does not respect its sovereignty and territorial integrity. "The UN credibility is at stake. They must ensure Morocco changes its position," Abdelaziz said.
So things have been droning on for the past dozen years — and that's just since the ceasefire. Damn. That UN is a real force to be reckoned with.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2004 9:57:17 PM ||
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Somalia's newly elected president, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, has asked the African Union (AU) for 20,000 peacekeepers to help secure the country, officials said on Saturday.
I'm sure they'll cough them right up...
... just as soon as they're done in Darfur.
The peacekeepers would also help disarm various militias, AU spokesman Adam Thiam said after a meeting between the president and AU chairman Alpha Oumar Konare.
And that'll work, too...
The comments came as European Union (EU) foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, held talks in Addis Ababa about helping rebuild the war-ravaged nation. Solana said the EU could help with physical reconstruction and also help to "put the administration into shape", although he declined to say how much it would contribute. Solana, who also met Sudanese-rebel leader John Garang and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi during his two-day trip to Addis Ababa, said the challenges were enormous. "It is not an easy job and that is why they need moral support and recognition," the EU chief said after a meeting with Yusuf. "The country has suffered a lot and it is time to reconstruct and reconcile the country. The stability of this part of the world is fundamental for Africa and in a globalised world, stability everywhere has repercussions for the rest of the world." Solana said that while security in Somalia should remain the task of Africans, the EU was willing to continue support and training in technical areas.
Good luck to them.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2004 10:07:43 PM ||
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#1
Good to see EUrope getting into the batters box on Somalia. From Ethopia. With the Sudanese. Look for Disney to announce a theme park next week.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
10/31/2004 7:04 Comments ||
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#2
I didn't know moral support was classed as 'technical'. I figured recognition was, considering it's being done from a distance...
NATO's top commander for Europe held talks Saturday with Afghanistan's incumbent President Hamid Karzai, two days after calling for a merger of the two multinational forces operating in the violence-hit central Asian state. General James Jones was joined by the head of the NATO-led peacekeepers in Afghanistan, General Jean Py, in meeting Karzai, who has just won a landslide victory in his country's first presidential election although the result has yet to be certified.
Somehow, I'm guessing it will be...
Jones hailed the October 9 ballot, which drew around 80 percent of registered voters and passed without feared violence. "We are happy to see positive changes in Afghanistan and to have witnessed the success of the elections," Jones said. "The Afghan people showed to the entire world how Afghanistan can be a democratic and peaceful country."
Assuming Karzai can continue avoiding assassination...
The UN-mandated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), currently made up of 9,000 multinational troops, helped secure the 5,000 polling stations. "The good conduct of the elections, the fight against narcotics, parliamentary elections and the expansion of NATO forces under ISAF command to the west of Afghanistan were discussed in the meeting," a statement from the presidential palace said. ISAF began early this year expanding beyond its original confines of Kabul, establishing teams in relatively quiet northern provinces. The force has been under heavy pressure for almost two years to deploy troops to the provinces, where insecurity is still rife due to warring local commanders and a Taleban-led insurgency.
Desite the mockery for being "the mayor of Kabul," Karzai's been doing one heck of a job bringing the warlords to heel.
Jones voiced his support on Thursday for a merger of the peacekeeping force with the 18,000-strong US-led military coalition, which is tasked with hunting Al Qaeda, Taleban and other extremists. "It's a good idea ... I think it's the right way ahead," Jones told a press conference at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's European military command in Mons, Belgium. The United States has pressed its allies to study a possible merger of ISAF and its own combat-oriented force. The proposal is opposed by France and Germany on the grounds that they oppose everything the US favors the two missions are different. But Jones said a merger would help "eliminate force redundancies". "As a general philosophy ... it's always better to integrate if you can," he said. The general expected ISAF's expansion to western Afghanistan "by the (northern) spring at the latest".
I think they're talking about what Kerry'd call an exit plan. An international force is needed, but I don't think the Taliban have much life left in them. They're pretty obviously a purely Pak phenomenon now, and with civil war brewing in South Waziristan they're not going to have too much time to devote to Afghanistan.
And of course if sKerry gets elected, he'll claim credit for "getting us out of Afghanistan", along with "jump-starting the economy" and a few others ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/31/2004 11:46:39 PM ||
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If Kerry gets elected, I think he may find the political equivalent of scorched earth. I, for one, could never vote for or support any Republican who in any way cooperates with John Kerry.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
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Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
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Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
One of Britain's most prominent Islamic leaders has declared that British troops are a legitimate target for Iraqi militants. Dr Ahmad al-Rawi, an Iraqi-born British passport-holder who has lived in this country for three decades, is one of 93 Islamic international scholars who signed a "bayyan" (declaration) in August supporting uprisings against the "filth of occupation" by both Iraqis and Palestinians. The signatories included five Hamas leaders. 
President mullah Khatami said here Saturday that "Basij forces" known as "regime's chomaaqdaaraan" should emobody kind thoughts, good behavior, love, respect for freedom as well as the desire for progress. He referred to the Chomaadaaraan's commitment of being ever ready to defend 
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that he was prepared to open negotiations with a new Palestinian leadership after Yasser Arafat's depature, public radio reported. "If a new Palestinian leadership which is both serious and responsible emerges, it is possible that there can be a resumption on negotiations on the roadmap" peace plan, Sharon was quoted as saying at the weekly cabinet meeting. "I am not sure that that will happen," he added. High level Israeli-Palestinian talks have been frozen for more than a year and Israel has had no contact with Palestinian Authority leader Arafat since Sharon came to power in 2001.
OSAMA BIN LADEN is being given safe haven with the help of Pakistani officials, British security sources believe. Recent intelligence reports coming from remote tribal areas of Pakistan have indicated the Al-Qaeda leader is being given refuge by senior figures in the regional government. He is believed to be hiding along the mountainous 1,500 mile frontier between Pakistan and Afghanistan, where many people are hostile to America. A senior British source said the growing view in the British and American intelligence communities was that Bin Laden was in the area and receiving support. "It's the kind of help that suggests he is being protected or he has bought influence," said the source.
