HOUSTON - A Johnson Space Center building was evacuated Friday after reports of a gunman inside, Houston police said. Police were called about 1:40 p.m. for building 44, which houses communications and tracking development laboratory, news reports said. Johnson Space Center security officers and Houston police, including a SWAT team, were dispatched to the scene. NASA spokesman James Hartsfield said the building was "one of the smaller" office buildings on the JSC campus, where Mission Control is based. He declined to speculate on how the person got a gun inside NASA security or his motives. The identity of the armed man is not yet known.
#1
This is a long article, with details as they happen. If you haven't read it, do so... I've read it twice.
Also, this from a commenter at HotAir.com yesterday (good info as you read this article)
And a photo of the building with that second story door
Enough speculation. I got an e-mail from a VT student tonight that answers a question I asked in another thread namely, why Cho did his killing on the second floor of Norris Hall instead of the first. Reader Geoff writes:
I have a couple classes in Norris and can answer why Cho stayed on the 2nd floor. Norris is located on a slight hill and is shaped like an L. If you make an L in your left hand using your index finger and thumb, you get a general layout of Norris. Your index finger sits on top of the hill and runs parallel to the hill. Your thumb runs perpendicular to and down the hill.
The two main entrances to Norris are at the tip of your index finger and the tip of your thumb. If Cho entered at the entrance that is at the tip of you index finger, he would be on the second floor without climbing any stairs.
If he entered at the entrance that is at the tip of your thumb, he would be on the true first floor, and would have had to climb up the stairs to reach the 2nd floor. Seeing that my classmates he killed were not on the 3rd or 1st floor, I assume he entered at the entrance at the tip of your index finger.
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/20/2007 7:04 Comments ||
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#3
"Willard! There are rats in the basement!"
Posted by: Mike ||
04/20/2007 7:57 Comments ||
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#4
INFRA-red footage showing a "superbreed" of giant flesh-eating house mice chewing into an albatross chick has been used as a stark warning of what awaits pest-infested Macquarie Island.
The evidence that normal house mice on Gough Island have evolved to become predators gives us very serious concern the same thing is happening on Macquarie Island, he said. More than 100,000 grazing rabbits and plagues of rats and mice are threatening endangered species on World Heritage-listed Macquarie Island, 1500km southeast of Tasmania.
Rabbits are devastating the island's indigenous fauna, causing landslips to crash into penguin rookeries and destroy albatross breeding sites. Exploding rat and mice numbers are also causing huge concern.
#11
Lest we fergit, DAWN.JPL.NASA > Asteroid 2004XP14, of UNCONFIRMED ESTIMATED SIZE 1/3 - 2/3rd of a mile, may hit Earth come Year 2012, espec iff caught in local gravity forces. Idd does hit, ALL HUMAN CIVILIZATION WILL GO BACK TO THE "STONE AGE". IOW, we don't need OWG -SWO/CWO to have a WORLD OF DARKNESS ala MIDDLE AGES OR WORSE [Lucianne/BBC [2005?]> A WORLD OF DARKNESS. The present = future world iff America nor AMER POWER is NOT AROUND.
D *** ng it, as a Madonna Fan these sound like dreams/visions of mine but where? I just know I've seen AEROSMITH and a Texas-sized asteroid somewhere before in my childhood. BACK TO THE FUTURE of the 1980's of the 21st ecntury of the 1960's.
(IRIN) - The Yemeni government is concerned that new swarms of locusts in the south of the country, and the billions of offspring they are likely to have, will have a devastating effect on crop harvests. According to the Desert Locusts Control Centre (DLCC) at the Ministry of Agriculture, over the past few days mature desert locusts have descended over 30 sq km in Thamoud, a desert area in the southern province of Hadhramout.
Darn. Shoot. Tusk, tusk. Real shame.
With a density of 30 locusts per square metre, there would be about 900 million locusts in these swarms. However, specialists say they pose no immediate threat to the area, but that, with each locust carrying between 300 and 500 eggs, the danger lies in the next generation. "We have entered into a critical stage, and the situation seems dangerous as the new locusts are now laying eggs that will hatch in three weeks," Abdu Farei al-Rumeih, General Director of the DLCC, told IRIN on Wednesday. "The new generation will destroy grazing fields and deprive beekeepers and herdsmen from what seems a good harvest," he added.
Al-Rumaih said nine teams consisting of 27 experts are monitoring the new swarms. The teams have yet to identify the direction from which the new swarms came.
Egypt?
But he is concerned about other swarms that have not been discovered.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Soviet sub museum, that is!
An old Soviet submarine now used as a floating museum sank and was completely submerged in the Providence River after being battered by a powerful noreaster earlier this week, The Associated Press reported on Wednesday.
All that could be seen of the Russian Sub Museum Wednesday was about two feet of its periscope, and workers said it could be months before its open again.
We got hit with a freak storm with astronomical high tides, ships engineer Damon Ise said. A tidal surge paired with direct and powerful easterly winds from the storm on Sunday and Monday pushed the sub up onto a shoal adjacent to where its anchored along the western bank of the river, Ise said. Then water began seeping into the inoperable sub, which is not watertight. The sub was listing to its left, or port, side Monday. Late Tuesday night, Ise said, the sub tipped further and sank.
Museum officials believe the sub is filled with water, though they dont think the instruments are damaged because they are water tight.
Ise said the sub, alternately designated as K-77 or Juliett 484, is the only submarine of its kind in the United States. For those of us who put a lot of time into this, its heartbreaking, he said.
K-77, launched in 1965 as part of the Soviet Northern Fleet, is about 282 feet long and 31 feet wide, and was diesel powered. The Juliett class was initially planned as a nuclear missile platform for strikes against the United States and carried four nuclear cruise missiles. Later, it began tracking U.S. aircraft carriers.
The sub was used in the 1990s as a restaurant and vodka bar in Helsinki, Finland, and later as a set for the Harrison Ford movie K-19: The Widowmaker before being acquired by the USS Saratoga Foundation, a private, nonprofit group. It opened as a museum in 2002 and has since had tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world. Its also a popular place for birthday parties and even hosted a wedding in 2005, volunteers at the museum said Wednesday.
Laurie Prete and her 14-year-old son Louis, of North Providence, have been volunteers at the museum for four years, and the two spent part of Wednesday in the subs ticket office with other workers peering out the window at the empty space where the sub once floated. Louis is a docent and leads tours of the sub, he said. He got so into history, World War II, everything, because of this sub, Laurie Prete said. I feel like I lost a family member.
A salvage company was working on a plan to bring the sub off the river floor and pump out the water, Ise said. The sub is insured, and he said that should pay the tab for the work. I assume its going to cost a huge amount of money, he said. This is going to be a huge salvage operation.
It was too early to know how long it might take to raise the sub and clean it out, but Ise said it took workers three months to get it ready for visitors before the museum opened in 2002. This time around, theyll be contending with what he termed a slime line left by the water.
Still, workers were taking the news with a sense of humor Wednesday.
Ise was calling it the Russian Sunken Sub Museum.
Riffing off the museums motto of Our museum can sink your museum, volunteer Ken Johnson came up with a new one: Our museum can sink. Your museum?
I'm so proud of them! The new president of Mauritania has taken oath of office to complete the country's historic smooth transfer of power from the military to a democratically elected civilian ruler.
Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, 69, is the first democratically elected leader since independence from France in 1960.
Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, 69, is the first democratically elected leader since independence from France in 1960.
Abdallahi was picked in landmark polls last month in the overwhelmingly Muslim northwest African state. At least seven heads of states and governments drawn from west African countries and representatives of the Arab states attended the investiture in the capital, Nouakchott, on Thursday.
Abdallahi is a 69-year-old former political prisoner and ex-government minister who won 52.85 per cent of the votes in a second round run-off against Ahmed Ould Daddah, a veteran opposition leader.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Is he for or against slavery? I think Mauritania is a place that still has it.
Army chiefs from Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda have agreed to jointly take military action against rebel groups that are destabilising the region. The four countries held a one day meeting and resolved to take joint military actions against all armed groups operating in the region, which it characterised as negative forces, especially Rwandan rebels still active in the DRC. The meeting agreed that the military operations against the negative forces are imperative to restore sustainable peace and security in the region, a statement by the four army chiefs, released late on Wednesday, said. The statement said that the DRC, with intelligence from the others, could intensify operations against rebels operating from its territory within the next few months. Rwanda and Uganda have in the past sent their troops into the DRC, saying that they were chasing rebel groups which had attacked their countries from Congolese territory. The DRC on the other hand has accused the two of invading its territory with the intention of looting its resources. The four countries agreed that such actions would no longer happen in the future. Instead, there would be collaboration and coordination in attacks against the armed groups.
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04/20/2007 00:00 ||
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No matter how many times Olusegun Obasanjo speaks of his plans to retire to his chicken farm after stepping down as president of Nigeria, millions still wonder whether he really means to relinquish power. Obasanjo is presiding over elections that mark the first handover of power from one civilian head of state to another in Nigeria since it became independent from Britain in 1960. But many Nigerians suspect the 70-year-old retired general intends to continue dominating the affairs of Africa's most populous nation and biggest oil exporter.
Obasanjo's allies tried last year to amend the Constitution to allow him to stand for a third term. When that failed, critics say the president adopted another strategy, to install a puppet in the form of Umaru Yar'Adua, the obscure governor of northern Katsina State. Both men deny this. Obasanjo also did all in his power to block a presidential bid by his estranged deputy, Vice-President Atiku Abubakar. But the Supreme Court this week said Abubakar's disqualification was illegal, allowing him to stand.
In the eyes of many in Nigeria and abroad, these manoeuvres have tarnished the reputation of a man once hailed as a democratic hero. Obasanjo first gained prominence during the 1967/1970 civil war over the Biafra region. As a young colonel in the federal army, he received the surrender of the secessionist Biafrans. After a coup in 1975, Obasanjo was number two in the military government of Murtala Mohammed and when Mohammed was assassinated the following year, he became head of state. He presided over elections in 1979 and handed over power to an elected president -- the first Nigerian army ruler to do so.
After a long period out of the limelight, Obasanjo was convicted of plotting to overthrow dictator Sani Abacha, on what were widely seen as trumped-up charges, and jailed in 1995. After Abacha's death in 1998, Obasanjo was released and was elected as civilian president in 1999.
His record since then has been mixed. He has restored Nigeria's status as a major African power after years of isolation under Abacha, sending peacekeepers into several war zones and being feted at international summits. He brought in a team of economic reformers whose budget discipline enabled Nigeria to build over $40-billion in foreign reserves and persuaded creditors to write off $18-billion debts.
He also launched a war on corruption, but critics say the crackdown was aimed mainly at his opponents. Despite unprecedented oil earnings, power blackouts and fuel shortages are common and standards in schools and hospitals are among the world's lowest. Obasanjo has also failed to curb ethnic, religious and regional tensions that have led to the deaths of an estimated 15 000 Nigerians under his watch. He will leave his successor with an unresolved crisis in the Niger Delta, where oil production has been severely disrupted by kidnappings and violence.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Looks like ya had a tough day on the grill there, Olly...
The military-backed caretaker government of Bangladesh has exiled Awami League President Hasina Wajed in yet another step toward purging the country of corrupt political leaders. The decision to bar Hasina from returning to the country, stating that her return might jeopardize law and order, stability, public security and economic life, came a day after it was announced that Bangladeshs last prime minister and Hasinas archrival Khaleda Zia, had been told to pack her bags and go into exile. Khaleda has complied.
The government has taken special security measures regarding Hasinas return to the country, a Home Ministry statement said. Hasina, who heads the main opposition Awami League, is on holiday in the United States and has vowed to return home on April 23. I will call everyone: Be ready, God willing I am returning home on April 23. I will return home no matter what happens to my fate, Hasina told BBC Bengali Service Radio from Washington DC. I will request the caretaker government that they do not put any bar on my return to the country. If they bar my return, they will be responsible for any consequences, she said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Week-old news but still worthy...
A senior Communist Party of China (CPC) disciplinary official has been sacked and expelled from the Party after being caught with a woman other than his wife in a Beijing hotel room, the Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday. Du Xiangcheng, deputy secretary of the Hunan Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC, was found in a compromising situation with a Russian woman. The incident happened in a five-star hotel in December while he was staying there on a business trip, sources said.
Oopski!
Classic honey trap.
It *would* be rather interesting to see if she was paid in rubles or yuan, would it not?
Du made a reputation for himself for his stance against corruption and led the investigation into Peng Jinyong, former secretary of the Changde City Committee for Discipline Inspection, in Hunan. Peng was alleged to have acquired more than 770,000 yuan through corruption in 2004. Du was quoted as saying, Cadres are only human and they have desires, so we should all be tested.
And tested shall he be:
The CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection has also ordered an investigation of his assets and finances.
#4
g: This is very common male behavior in the Chinese culture. I'll bet they've been trying to take him out for a while now.
Very true. I would say it's a routine part of East Asian culture for married men to frequent prostitutes and have mistresses (actually, multiple common-law wives, complete with children and alternate living arrangements) on the side. Monogamy is a Western import from the late 19th century. Locals pay lip service to it, but the custom is for men of means to have one legal wife and several concubines on the side.
#7
Du made a reputation for himself for his stance against corruption and led the investigation into Peng Jinyong, former secretary of the Changde City Committee for Discipline Inspection, in Hunan.
So, no one else thinks that Du was taken offline because of the heat he was causing for all the other corrupt officials? I've got to wonder if this was a setup. China's communist system is a playground for grafters and extortionists. People like Du are their mortal enemies. Do-gooders need not apply. This move certainly will put a chill on further corruption investigations.
#10
Zenster: You gotta wonder--did the Russians honeytrap him all by themselves, or did they have some local assistance. The enemy of my enemy, and all that.
Posted by: Mike ||
04/20/2007 15:49 Comments ||
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#11
"CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection," Do they get the little slips of paper to put in the pockets that say "Inspected by # 12?"
...but not lately.
Pyongyang, April 18 (KCNA) -- President Kim Il Sung has been presented 166,220 pieces of gifts, orders, medals and honorable titles and certificates by party, state and government heads, dignitaries, political parties and organizations in more than 170 countries and regions, international organizations, groups for the study of the Juche idea and overseas and south Koreans since the liberation of the country. Lovely parting gifts...Whadda we have for Mr. Il Sung, Johnny?
Of them are a latest bulletproof car from Stalin, leader of the former Soviet Union, in October Juche 39 (1950), an art work depicting the President in a military uniform from Vietnamese president Ho Chi Minh in October 1956 and a phonograph from Chinese premier Zhou Enlai in November 1958. Wow. Top shelf stuff. Although the Commiemobile from Uncle Joe was a nice touch. And Zhou did send him about a million Chinese earlier in the fifties. Probably figured all he rated after that was a record player...
The gifts also include a large craftwork "Native Home in Mangyongdae" made with ivory sent by the Central Committee of Communist Party of China on the occasion of the 65th birth anniversary of the President and various gifts from president of the State Council of Cuba Fidel Castro Ruz, Egyptian president Muhammad Hosni Mubarak, Great King of Cambodia Norodom Sihanouk, former president of the United States Jimmy Carter. ...who also sent along his autographed kneepads.
President Kim Il Sung received more than 77,580 pieces of gifts in 1982 alone, the year of his 70th birth anniversary. Oh, great. Another flower basket. How'd ya know?
More than 420 delegations from over 130 countries visited the DPRK on the occasion of his 80th birthday, carrying with them over 1,390 pieces of gifts, congratulatory banners and flower baskets to be presented to him. The flower shop's closed? Shit. Somebody get a sharpie and a roll of toilet paper...
Even after his demise, a beeswax statue of the benevolent Kim Il Sung was sent by the Chinese people and glass craftwork "Sun" and fur and leather craftworks "Sun" and "Red Sun" were sent respectively by the Swiss Committee for Supporting the Independent and Peaceful Reunification of Korea, the doctoral institute of National University of Callao of Peru and the general secretary of the World Peace Federation. Well, we know he's dead, but what the hell are we gonna do with a beeswax statue of Kim Il Sung?
The President was awarded top orders, medals and honorable titles from more than 70 countries and regions of the world and international organizations. Wow. Another "Fourth Greatest Commie Dictator" t-shirt. Ya shouldn't have...
This year, the chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Bangladesh, the Swiss Committee for Supporting the Independent and Peaceful Reunification of Korea and the Left Bloc of Austrian Trade Union Federation presented gifts and the Guidance Council of the Federation of Peace and Friendship Organizations of Mongolia awarded "Gold Star of Peace," the highest order of the council, to the President. Do they know he's dead? It was in all the papers....
#2
STRATEGYPAGE/CHINA NEWS > between 40% to under 70% of North Koreans whom fled over borders into China & Russia STILL MOSTLY UN-EMPLOYED. SPACEWAR > will take approxi one more month for NK to collect all $25.0Milyuhn from 51 accounts within Banco Delta Asia. IOW, SSSSHHHH MOUD HAS XTRA 30 DAYS.
#3
STRATEGYPAGE/CHINA NEWS > between 40% to under 70% of North Koreans whom fled over borders into China & Russia STILL MOSTLY UN-EMPLOYED.
Damn. Seems that Chinese have rather a creative approach to statistics. It says that there are between 1/3 to more than 2/3 NKors unemployed in China. That really narrows it down, duznit?
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that he would announce his partys nomination for upcoming presidential elections next week. I will announce it on the day when my party holds its parliamentary group meeting, Erdogan told reporters, adding that this would be either next Tuesday or Wednesday.
The ten-day period to register presidential candidates ends at midnight next Wednesday. Erdogan, a conservative with an Islamist political past, did not say whether he would run for the post himself, a prospect that has struck at the heart of this Muslim countrys secular identity.
The prime minister was speaking after an eight-hour meeting of the executive board of his Justice and Development Party (AKP), which gave him full authority to decide on who their presidential candidate should be.
The AKP gave him full authority to decide on their future candidate for the upcoming presidential elections. I should underline straight away that no candidate names were discussed, Edibe Sozen, the AKP deputy chairwoman told reporters here after the eight-hour meeting. The AKP executive board has given the chairman full authority to finalize the process and consultations with civic bodies will continue until the last day of registration of presidential candidates on April 2.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Romania's parliament have suspended Traian Basescu, the president, on charges of unconstitutional conduct, raising the prospect of new presidential elections. Thursday's move deepened political strife in the Balkan European Union newcomer, which analysts say may struggle to meet the bloc's requirements on structural reforms and prepare to absorb billions of euros in aid.
The suspension, passed in a vote of 322 deputies to 108, opens the way for a national referendum on his impeachment within 30 days although Basescu said this week he would resign if suspended. "Traian Basescu is a political project that failed. He is incapable of pushing the country forward, of uniting it," Mircea Geoana, head of the leftist opposition party PSD, told parliament during the debate.
Basescu has faced numerous accusations of abusing power from the ruling centrists as well as the leftist opposition in recent months as politicians across party lines jostle for influence following EU accession in January.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2007 00:00 ||
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France's presidential election on Sunday looks set to be a traditional contest between the main right and left parties as a bid by a centrist candidate to mount a challenge loses steam, a poll on Thursday showed. With three days to go before the first round of the election, the race appears to be between former interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Ségolène Royal as the challenge from centrist Francois Bayrou fades.
The survey from pollsters BVA, one of the last before the weekend, showed law-and-order hardliner Sarkozy on 29 points in the first round, ahead of Royal on 25, Bayrou on 15 and far-right veteran Jean-Marie Le Pen on 13. The other eight candidates, who stretch across the political spectrum, were well adrift.
Le Pen stunned France in 2002 by knocking then-Socialist candidate Lionel Jospin out of the race, before going on to be crushed by President Jacques Chirac in the run-off.
With up to 40% of voters yet to make up their mind or uncertain of their choice, the candidates are criss-crossing France to try to bolster their vote. The influential newspaper Le Monde urged the French on Thursday to set up a classic left-right second-round contest by voting for Royal or Sarkozy, saying they had the most coherent programmes and the strongest teams for eventual government. "It is important that in the second round, our 'old and dear country' can say clearly where it wants to go," it said in an editorial, without choosing between the two frontrunners.
Opinion-poll leader Sarkozy, whose high-octane personality has been vilified by opponents in recent days, launched an operation dubbed "72 hours to win" on Thursday, promising events right up to the eve of the election to win over the undecided. "This operation is important because lots of people have not yet chosen," he wrote on his internet blog. "Now is the time to whip up support and enthusiasm."
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04/20/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
WAFF.com/LUCIANNE/OTHER > FRANCE WRESTLES WITH ITS OWN DECLINE + FRENCH ELECTIONS: THE FRENCH LEFT MOVE TO THE RIGHT. France's Lefties disavow Stalin, but still honor and suppor MARX!?
US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michel Mullen (left) shakes hands with Indian Naval Chief Sureesh Mehta as he arrives to inspect a guard of honour in New Delhi on Wednesday
The US navy today expressed concern over the growing clout of the Chinese navy, and once again sought berthing and access facilities at Indian ports. A top American naval commander while expressing happiness over India's "very supportive" response to his concept of a "thousand ship navy" collaboration between seafaring nations said while "a rising and peaceful China is a good thing", there was "lack of transparency over its strategic intent.
Addressing the media here, Admiral Michael G. Mullen, US Chief of Naval Operations said, "China is shifting its focus from the ground to the navy and the air force. Clearly, we would like to better understand this. Where China is headed strategically is not clear (because) getting into a conflict situation is bad for all of us. At this point of time, there is some potential for conflict," Admiral Mullen added.
Admiral Mullen said the issue of berthing and access at Indian ports had figured in his discussions with the Indian Navy chief, Admiral Sureesh Mehta. The US had first made the proposal some three years ago and New Delhi is yet to officially respond to this. At present, US navy vessels are granted berthing and access facilities as the need arises.
Posted by: John Frum ||
04/20/2007 07:41 ||
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#1
two bright points in Asia,
1) The defense establishments of both India and the USA get it. Our mutual interests are strengthened and force multiplied together.
It's a natural given the current and future power struggle in Asia.
Our respective defense establishments seem light years ahead of our elected politicians.
2) Japan's willingness to carefully expand their role with us regarding China and Korea. Their growing role makes the bitter pill called NORK seem a little less bitter.
#2
Indian Officials Favor U.S. Concept of Thousand-Ship Navy
Officials here speculate that India would find it easier to participate in the U.S.-proposed thousand-ship navy than other more formal coalitions.
Adm. Michael Mullen, the U.S. Navys chief of naval operations, discussed the concept of a broad coalition of friendly navies on April 18 during his visit here following this years Exercise Malabar. Ships and troops of the Indian Navy and U.S. Pacific Command conducted the annual exercises April 6-11 off Japan.
The thousand-ship navy is an attractive concept for India because of its lack of formalities, a Defence Ministry official here said.
India is already working towards a formal maritime security arrangement with the United States, and participation in the thousand-ship navy could be part of that, the ministry official said.
However, it is not clear whether the maritime cooperation agreement would come in the form of India joining the Washington-sponsored Proliferation Security Initiative, Container Security Initiative Regional Maritime Security Initiative or the thousand-ship navy effort.
The Indian Navy would find it easier to participate in the thousand-ship navy concept as it has no commander, and as such the informal coalition would not be commandeered by the United States, an Indian Navy official said.
Posted by: John Frum ||
04/20/2007 16:22 Comments ||
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Officials here speculate that India would find it easier to participate in the U.S.-proposed thousand-ship navy than other more formal coalitions.
Adm. Michael Mullen, the U.S. Navys chief of naval operations, discussed the concept of a broad coalition of friendly navies on April 18 during his visit here following this years Exercise Malabar. Ships and troops of the Indian Navy and U.S. Pacific Command conducted the annual exercises April 6-11 off Japan.
The thousand-ship navy is an attractive concept for India because of its lack of formalities, a Defence Ministry official here said.
India is already working towards a formal maritime security arrangement with the United States, and participation in the thousand-ship navy could be part of that, the ministry official said.
However, it is not clear whether the maritime cooperation agreement would come in the form of India joining the Washington-sponsored Proliferation Security Initiative, Container Security Initiative Regional Maritime Security Initiative or the thousand-ship navy effort.
The Indian Navy would find it easier to participate in the thousand-ship navy concept as it has no commander, and as such the informal coalition would not be commandeered by the United States, an Indian Navy official said.
Posted by: John Frum ||
04/20/2007 07:36 ||
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#1
Sounds like an extension of the Proliferation Security Initiative with a twist but not quite a real alliance.
Locking in India as a US Ally is probably the biggest unreported geopolitical story in a while. It seems to be happening step by step and makes sense to me. They have pretty much the same enemies we do and, unlike some of our Nato allies, have yet to give up on the use of military force when their national interests are threatened.
I'm no naval expert but I'd have to think that combining the US Pacific Fleet with the emerging Indian Navy plus the Japanese Navy would be able to handle any anticipated scenario for Chinese aggression if it chose to do so.
Two persons including a woman were reportedly affected by dangerous emission from mobile phones here Thursday. According to details, one young man Abdul Khaliq was speaking by his cell phones separately here today. Khaliq said that while speaking his mobile phone set became hot and he immediately cautioned himself and removed the set from his ear. In the meanwhile there was a explosion which affected his ear.
A woman Mrs Gul Zeb was also brought to Civil Hospital. She told that she was speaking by Cell phone. Another call interrupted her call and there was an explosion. She fell unconscious and her family members removed her to civil hospital.
Dr Anwar examined them and said there was nothing. When contacted Director PTA Abdul Batin denied such incidents and told reporters that if there is such virus, it is scanned automatically by the system. All this is rumour and nothing.
#3
Virus Warnings: Quetta cellphones begin their reign of terror
Truthy: There's a Christian Conversion Virus on the loose in PAKISTAN. It's infects Internet providers first then attacks the individual Paki's cell phone software.
It was designed by the CIA and it targets cell phone users in Pak-land. Typically after 2 weeks of receiving and making phone calls the owner is struck by an irresistible urge to convert. To date Catholic conversions are up 62%.
Fresh Intel: Mossad copied the CIA cell phone viruses almost exactly. The most virulent is called the Hebrew Virus. It has just been detected on some of the big networks in Pakistan.
It works pretty much the same way except that any Muslime who gets a cell phone call from a network with the Hebrew Virus becomes infected with it immediately. In fact the Hebrew Virus loads automatically and just one week later the Paki owner haz an uncontrollable desire to get circumcised and become a Jew.
#5
I have it on good authority that some Paki cell phones with displays suddenly start showing funny pictures of Mo'. If you try to get rid of the picture, the cell phone heats up, emits a loud wail, blows up, and leaves a strong odor of butyric acid in the area, reminiscent of vomit.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/20/2007 11:13 Comments ||
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#6
Probably tied in somehow with those ToTo brand (I am not making this up) toilets that have been exploding / burning from defective wiring. Think i would rather have a warm ear than a warm rear.......
#8
Sorry, just got to thinking about offshore and outsourcing of so much manufacturing, they seemed like related topics. you never gat a call on your cell while you were on the loo?
The strike formations of the Army equipped with frontline T-90 main battle tanks, heavy artillery, helicopter gunships and infantry combat vehicles have commenced a 14-day wargame in the Thar desert, in which Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are also being used.
The wargames codenamed ASHWAMEDH are being held in a 130-km corridor between Suratgarh in Rajasthan and Bhatinda in Punjab and is the largest exercise to be conducted in the last two years.
An entire strike corp from Mathura has moved to the Rajasthan for the exercises which are being held deep inside Indian territory, almost about 200 km away from the international border.
"As per the protocol, Pakistan has been given advance notice of the exercises," a senior army officer said here. He said the exercises which would include participation of IAF as well as special forces would validate the new concepts of going in for deep thrusts.
Exercises would involve movement of tanks and Infantry combat vehicles over an area of 120 km. President A P J Abdul Kalam, who is the Supreme Commander of the armed forces, had been invited to witness the exercises.
"This is two-yearly exercises to be carried out in rotation by the different strike corps to validate their new fighting concepts and to test out new fighting and surveillance equipment inducted recently," the officer said.
Posted by: John Frum ||
04/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Link ||
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#1
I recommend Maharaja, the Indian recasting of the Britannia system.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
04/20/2007 0:24 Comments ||
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#2
An entire strike corp from Mathura
That would be "1 Corps" - each strike corps is comprised of an armored division and two infantry division, one artillery brigade, one air defense and one engineer brigade.
An Infantry Division has about 15,500 combat troops, with 8000 support elements (engineers, medical, etc). It consists of 3 to 5 Infantry Brigades, an Armoured Regiment and an Artillery Brigade.
An Armoured Division consists of 3 to 5 Armoured Brigades, one Mechanised Brigade and one Artillery Brigade. It has a strength of 300 to 400 main battle tanks and an equal number of other armoured vehicles.
Posted by: John Frum ||
04/20/2007 5:58 Comments ||
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#3
The Army currently has 3 'Strike' Corps + 10 'Holding' Corps in active service. The principal offensive formations of the Indian Army are the three Strike Corps - 1 Corps, 2 Corps & 21 Corps
The Army also has four RAPID (Reorganised Army Plains Infantry Division) formations each consisting of two infantry brigades, one mechanised brigade with brigade-sized mechanised assets, one artillery brigade, one recon & support battalion, one engineer regiment, one signals regiment and vastly improved surveillance with target acquisition equipment and dedicated aviation units.
ORBAT
Personnel
Army: 980,000 active troops.
Army Reserves: 300,000 first line troops (within five years of full time service)
500,000 second line troops (commitment until 50 years of age).
Territorial Army: 40,000 first line troops (160,000 second line troops).
Command Structure
Indian Army HQ: New Delhi
Operational Commands: Northern Command - HQ in Udhampur, Jammu & Kashmir.
Western Command - HQ in Chandimandir, Chandigarh.
South Western Command - HQ in Pathankot, Punjab.
Central Command - HQ in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
Eastern Command - HQ in Kolkota, West Bengal.
Southern Command - HQ in Pune, Maharashtra.
Functional Commands: Training Command (ARTRAC)
Formations
Corps: 13 Corps, consisting of 3 'Strike' Corps + 10 'Holding' Corps - including 1 Desert Corps.
Armour: 3 Armoured Divisions + 8 Independent Armoured Brigades = 63 Armoured Regiments;
13 T-55 Regiments
35 T-72M1 Regiments
14 Vijayanta Regiments
1 Arjun Mk.1 Regiment (Undergoing Trials)
*T-90S MBTs are currently being delivered to replace the older tanks.
Infantry: 4 RAPID, 10 Mountain Divisions, 18 Infantry Divisions + 7 Independent Infantry Brigades.
*Each RAPID (Reorganised Army Plains Infantry Division) has a Mech. Infantry Brigade.
*One Infantry Division is earmarked for mountain use - 3rd Division.
Artillery: Two artillery divisions (30 AD and 41 AD).
*Each division has at least one artillery brigade.
*Nearly 200 regiments of field artillery exist.
Air Defence: 50+ regiments - 35 'Flak' and 15 'Point Defence' regiments.
SAM: Two SA-6 Groups - 12+ regiments.
*Each 'Flak' regiment has four battalions - 64 guns.
*20 additional 'Flak' regiments held in reserve.
*New AD Groups - one per Strike Corps - being formed: One regiment each of ZRK-SD Kub (SA-6), OSA-AKM (SA-8b), and ZSU-23-4 Shilka or Tunguska-M1. SA-10 batteries are known to be in used in the vicinity of Bhaba Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Trombay.
Aviation: 14 Helicopter Units (HAL Chetak and HAL Cheetah) in anti-tank, liaison and observation duties.
Posted by: John Frum ||
04/20/2007 11:53 Comments ||
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#6
Meanwhile in Kashmir...
A group of masked Kashmiri men sit before their surrender at a garrison in Rampur, 84 km (53 miles) west of Srinagar April 20, 2007. A group of 24 Kashmiri separatist militants belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen and other militant groups handed over their arms before the authorities during the ceremony, Indian army spokesman said
A Kashmiri woman cries as she hugs her relative after he surrendered in a garrison in Rampur, 84 km (53 miles) west of Srinagar April 20, 2007. A group of 24 Kashmiri separatist militants belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen and Al-Badar militant organisations handed over their arms before the authorities during the ceremony
SRINAGAR: Twenty-four militants surrendered before the General Officer Commanding of 19 Infantry Division Major General Ramesh Halgali in Baramulla on Friday.
Defence spokesman Col. A.K. Mathur said emotional scenes were witnessed as the militants met their family members. Many of them had crossed over to the other side of Line of Control at an early age.
"All of them were forced to cross over to PoK six to eight years ago. They joined Jehad by compulsion due to circumstances and not by choice. But they have realised the futility of Jehad. Hundreds of lives have been ruined, families shattered and only darkness engulfs the horizon of PoK," the spokesman quoted the militants as saying.
Growing cynicism
They, according to Col. Mathur, unequivocally spoke of growing disillusionment amongst the Kashmir militants. "There is a widening rift between local and foreign militants. They were very forthright in admitting that they feel safe and free in India and want to expose Pakistan's false rhetoric in support of Kashmiris."
In a statement, he said: "They have also confirmed that terrorist infrastructure in PoK is intact and flourishing. Pakistan's involvement in abetting militancy in J&K in terms of moral, financial and material support from across the Line of Control remains undiminished."
The surrendered militants owed allegiance to the Hizb-ul Mujahideen, the Tehrik-e-Jehad, the Hizb-e-Islami, and the Kashmir Revolutionary Force.
In the recent past, 146 militants who surrendered in Baramula had gone back to their families across the Valley. "They are gainfully employed in family activities and professional ventures. There has not been a single incident so far, wherein a surrendered militant has reportedly participated in any form of anti-national activity. This provides credence towards their genuine belief of returning to India and thus lead a normal life," he said.
The statement claimed that inputs from the surrendered militants confirmed that the Hizb's supreme commander Syed Salahuddin is losing ground support.
"He [Salahuddin] reportedly visited the training camps in PoK to persuade the Hizb cadre against surrenders. However, the groundswell in favour of surrender movement compelled him to think on the lines of ceasefire," he said.
Posted by: John Frum ||
04/20/2007 17:32 Comments ||
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#7
An Indian policeman runs towards the scene of a gun battle between suspected militants and Indian police in Harwan on the outskirts of Srinagar in this April 19, 2007 picture. One residential house was stormed as the gun battle was still going on, police said
Posted by: John Frum ||
04/20/2007 17:43 Comments ||
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Witch doctors have soiled the image of Islam by prescribing harmful treatments in the guise of faith healing, according to
Muslim clerics and doctors have gathered in Abu Dhabi to affirm the healing powers of the Quran.
Muslim clerics and doctors who gathered in Abu Dhabi to affirm the healing powers of the Quran. Islam is not opposed to reason, science and modern technological developments, Ali Salem al-Kaabi, the head of Abu Dhabis Family Development Foundation said at a recent conference, which drew doctors and religious clerics from across the Muslim world. The conference aims to expose erroneous ideas, correct misunderstandings and raise awareness about the (dangers) of sorcery and charlatanism, said Kaabi, warning that charlatans seek to defraud the naive and superstitious.
"By the beard of the Profit (PTUI), how did this mirror come to be in my hand with a note telling me to look in it?" he forgot to add.
The conference followed several reports in the Belgian media about faith healing practices of some European Muslim communities which turned into tragedy, including the story of a Moroccan girl who died after drinking several litres (quarts) of water mixed with black cumin oil, which an exorcist had said would purge evil spirits.
Along with everything else inside her, to include her guts...
The herbal remedy predates Islam and has been administered in the Middle East since the time of the Egyptian pharaohs. The Prophet Mohammed (PTUI) is said to have declared that black cumin heals every disease except for death.
Faith healing, particularly in the area of mental health, is widespread in the Muslim world, even among people in wealthy Gulf states who can afford world-class medical treatment. In a bid to prevent future incidents, the conference proposed establishing institutes across the Muslim world that would train and certify doctors in both modern medicine and faith healing.
Delegates agreed that the Quran has healing powers, with some going so far as to claim that the holy book can cure AIDS and some forms of cancer.
All in the conference nodded sagely, thoughtfully stroking their beards.
Sheikh Jallul Hajimi, an official in the Algerian ministry of religious affairs, told AFP he had cured Europeans suffering from mental and sexual illnesses that psychologists and neurologists had failed to treat.
More than 400 people have converted to Islam after receiving Koranic medical treatments, added his colleague.
More than 400 people have converted to Islam after receiving Koranic medical treatments, added his colleague, Sheikh Abu Muslim Balhamr. Many Muslims believe the Koran can cure illness. The most common treatment consists of drinking water with pieces of paper bearing Quranic verses dissolved in it.
Prolly not as bad for your physical self as the black cumin oil, but incredibly corrosive for your soul.
In what he described as a blending of the longstanding practice with modern technology, Sharif Shukran, an Algerian biomedical engineer attending the conference, proposed transforming the sound of Koranic verses into electromagnetic waves and passing them through the water instead.
Don't laugh. In LA you could charge $25,000 a glass for this miracle. In Paris you could charge $250,000.
Sharif Shukran, an Algerian biomedical engineer, proposed transforming the sound of Koranic verses into electromagnetic waves and passing them through water.
The conference, the first of its kind, comes as part of a larger movement across the Muslim world aimed at harmonising Islam and modern medicine. In December 2006, a top Malaysian university published a report claiming that the postures used during Muslim prayers benefit the heart and spine, while increasing the capacity for memory and attention.
Promotes calluses on the forehead, too.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the study affirmed the power of prayer in a persons life, the New Straits Times reported in December. The study investigates the physiological interactions and effects of the salat (prayer) postures on the human body, Abdullah said. Since the majority of our population are Muslims, it is both of interest and importance that we not only understand the spiritual benefits of salat, but also its biological and medical effects. Abdullah, who champions a moderate form of Islam called Islam Hadhari, has been encouraging Muslims worldwide to give equal importance to education, science, technology and development alongside the spiritual aspects of the religion.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
04/20/2007 0:27 Comments ||
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#2
Now I know. I thought Islam was soiled by incredible ignorance on a massive scale, stupidity, hatred, and a system of promoting psycopathic murders to positions of leadership. Silly me.
#5
"Witch doctors have 'soiled the image of Islam'"
Not as much as their "prophet."
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/20/2007 0:44 Comments ||
Top||
#6
"Hey you, step away from that shyster charlatan with his black cumin oil. Your ailment requires a more scientific type treatment, not those silly moonbeams and fairy tales. Here, you can have this prescription filled down at the masjid. Take two bowls of Quran water now, one right before bed while facing East and call me in the morning."
#12
The conference followed several reports in the Belgian media about faith healing practices of some European Muslim communities which turned into tragedy, including the story of a Moroccan girl who died after drinking several litres (quarts) of water mixed with black cumin oil, which an exorcist had said would purge evil spirits.
The Prophet Mohammed is said to have declared that black cumin heals every disease except for death.
#17
...the story of a Moroccan girl who died after drinking several litres (quarts) of water mixed with black cumin oil, which an exorcist had said would purge evil spirits.
oh shiite no wonder the poor poor littun goil died dead, her wazn't 'sposed to DRINK black cumin oil!
NO, 'cause youse you caint drink cumin oil.. yourn 'sposed to SMOKE IT!
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
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
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.
(IRIN) - The Yemeni government is concerned that new swarms of locusts in the south of the country, and the billions of offspring they are likely to have, will have a devastating effect on crop harvests. According to the Desert Locusts Control Centre (DLCC) at the Ministry of Agriculture, over the past few days mature desert locusts have descended over 30 sq km in Thamoud, a desert area in the southern province of Hadhramout. 
The new president of Mauritania has taken oath of office to complete the country's historic smooth transfer of power from the military to a democratically elected civilian ruler. 
No matter how many times Olusegun Obasanjo speaks of his plans to retire to his chicken farm after stepping down as president of Nigeria, millions still wonder whether he really means to relinquish power. Obasanjo is presiding over elections that mark the first handover of power from one civilian head of state to another in Nigeria since it became independent from Britain in 1960. But many Nigerians suspect the 70-year-old retired general intends to continue dominating the affairs of Africa's most populous nation and biggest oil exporter.
The military-backed caretaker government of Bangladesh has exiled Awami League President Hasina Wajed in yet another step toward purging the country of corrupt political leaders. The decision to bar Hasina from returning to the country, stating that her return might jeopardize law and order, stability, public security and economic life, came a day after it was announced that Bangladeshs last prime minister and Hasinas archrival Khaleda Zia, had been told to pack her bags and go into exile. Khaleda has complied. 
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that he would announce his partys nomination for upcoming presidential elections next week. I will announce it on the day when my party holds its parliamentary group meeting, Erdogan told reporters, adding that this would be either next Tuesday or Wednesday.
The strike formations of the Army equipped with frontline T-90 main battle tanks, heavy artillery, helicopter gunships and infantry combat vehicles have commenced a 14-day wargame in the Thar desert, in which Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are also being used.
Witch doctors have soiled the image of Islam by prescribing harmful treatments in the guise of faith healing, according to 
Delegates agreed that the Quran has healing powers, with some going so far as to claim that the holy book can cure AIDS and some forms of cancer.
