Three crew members of a North Korean ship who were wounded in fighting with pirates off the coast of Somalia and treated earlier by U.S. medics were admitted to a hospital in Aden, officials said Tuesday.
Yemeni Coast Guard officials in southern Yemen port city of Aden said the Coast Guard took the three North Korean sailors from their ship Monday evening to al-Naqib hospital for treatment.
U.S. sailors and medics boarded the North Korean-flagged vessel a week ago and treated the three Koreans and three pirates, who had gunshot wounds, after the sailors overpowered the pirates. U.S. military said a helicopter had flown from the destroyer USS James E. Williams to investigate a phoned-in tip of a hijacked ship and demanded by radio that the pirates give up their weapons as the crew of the Dai Hong Dan regained control of the vessel and detained all pirates.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
"three Koreans and three pirates, who had gunshot wounds"
No mention of hospital for pirates. I would hope that the pirates walked the plank.
#3
I don't think I have seen more than one or two instances during the Iraq war in which a Kuwaiti, as such, was killed or captured fighting against Americans in Iraq. I could be wrong, though.
But before we look at the violent manifestation of that threat in the UK, we need to remember where this comes from. The violence directed against us is the product of a much wider extremist ideology, whose basic tenets are inimical to the tolerance and liberty which form the basis of our democracy. So although the most visible manifestations of this problem are the attacks and attempted attacks we have suffered in recent years, the root of the problem is ideological.
And the more that this ideology spreads in our communities, the harder it will be to maintain the kind of society that the vast majority of us wish to live in.
And it is important that we recognise an uncomfortable truth: terrorist attacks we have seen against the UK are not simply random plots by disparate and fragmented groups. The majority of these attacks, successful or otherwise, have taken place because Al Qaida has a clear determination to mount terrorist attacks against the United Kingdom. It is the expression of a hostility towards the UK which existed long before September 11, 2001. It is evident in the wills and letters left behind by actual and would-be bombers. And it regularly forms part of Al Qaida's broadcast messages.
As a country, we are rightly concerned to protect children from exploitation in other areas. We need to do the same in relation to violent extremism. As I speak, terrorists are methodically and intentionally targeting young people and children in this country. They are radicalising, indoctrinating and grooming young, vulnerable people to carry out acts of terrorism. This year, we have seen individuals as young as 15 and 16 implicated in terrorist-related activity.
Over the last five years much of the command, control and inspiration for attack planning in the UK has derived from Al Qaida's remaining core leadership in the tribal areas of Pakistan - often using young British citizens to mount the actual attack. But worryingly, we have more recently seen similar processes emerging elsewhere.
Looking at the plots themselves, we now see different levels of sophistication. Yes, we have seen unsophisticated attempts to kill and injure, but we have also seen complex, logistically effective plots, which require a high degree of expertise and accurate targeting. We have to pay equal attention to both the crude and the complex. Because the primitive can be just as deadly as the sophisticated.
And the prognosis for the medium term? I do not think that this problem has yet reached its peak.
And here is an important point. We know that the strategic thinking of our enemies is long-term. But public discourse in the UK works to a much shorter timescale whether the electoral cycle or the media deadline. We cannot view this challenge in such timescales. If we only react tactically while our enemies plan strategically, we shall be hard put to win this. A key part of our strategy must be perseverance.
So the deeper we investigate, the more we know about the networks. And the more we know, the greater the likelihood that, when an attack or attempted attack does occur, my Service will have some information on at least one of the perpetrators. And in a sense this is a benefit. Why? First, because it means we can move more swiftly from intelligence to arrests. It means we can provide an informed assessment for the police, emergency services and Government, of the context of an attack, the likely depth of the conspiracy, and most importantly, the potential leads to follow to ensure that culprits can be arrested. And second, it demonstrates how the counter-terrorist net that the British intelligence community and our liaison partners have strung across the globe is working.
But we cannot know everything. There will be instances when individuals come to the notice of the Security Service or the police but then subsequently carry out acts of terrorism. This is inevitable. Every decision to investigate someone entails a decision not to investigate someone else. Knowing of somebody is not the same as knowing all about somebody. And it would be perverse for my Service to avoid knowing of somebody for fear of being held to blame if they later become involved in an attack. I think we should be very careful to bear this in mind when talking about so-called 'intelligence failures.'
#1
Are they Irish? Are they Vikings? Then it must be the Huns, correct? No! Well, give us a clue will ya. Who the hell are they? Are they Islamic fascists? What do you mean I can't say that. You're what? You're going to charge me with hateful speech?
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
11/07/2007 11:48 Comments ||
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#2
Lots of good analysis of what exists, but poor response. The best response is to expel anyone who preaches hate, to force all muslims to attend British schools, and to cut the multiculti crap that not only doesn't work, but effectively undermines Western civilization. Publicly hanging a few of the bas$$$$$ now and then would also help.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/07/2007 12:51 Comments ||
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#3
Here come da muzz, here come da muzz, disorder in London coz here come da muzz...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
11/07/2007 13:03 Comments ||
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#4
This crap ain't gonna end until a healthy dose of reverse immigration happens. The MME (Muslim Middle East) has been exporting its surplus population and undesirables for many decades. They need to be recongregated in their countries of origin so that all of them can experience the joy and utopic bliss that is the shari'a law adored so widely by Muslims.
Only when the vast majority of Muslims are being crushed beneath the boot heel of shari'a law will they begin to realize what an exceptionally bad choice of creeds they have made. So long as shari'a law is merely something happening to some nameless folks back in the good-old homeland, Muslims simply will not alter their views. Once they must confront on a daily basis the brutality and repression that shari'a epitomizes, maybe then they will begin killing their puritanical clerical elite.
Either we start offing Islam's clerical, academic and financial aristocracy or we give this world's expatriate Muslim population an opportunity to reunite with their homeland brethern for an intimate encounter session with the shari'a law that they continue to so fervently wish for. We must answer their prayers for them.
#5
"healthy dose of reverse immigration yada yada undesirables yada yada recongregated yada yada we start offing yada yada"
Thank you Mullah Zenster.
Oddly, the Muslims I know are all professional people with western educations. The majority are already U.S. citizens. One would probably qualify for political asylum. How you propose to do your sorting? You do have a PLAN for that, don't you?
#6
Oh, come on, darrell, they pretty much sort themselves. The "professional" ones you "know" don't have beards down to the waist, turbans and djebellahs. No they're probably well groomed and probably neatly attired. Again, they pretty much sort themselves...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
11/07/2007 14:34 Comments ||
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#7
That's my point: Mullah Zenster won't sort "this world's expatriate Muslim population" at all.
No sorting needed. That's the point, let them ALL enjoy the Shari'a goodness so many of them clamor for. Even the educated and U.S. citizens amongst them.
After all, don't most consider themselves Muslim first? Well then, let them be all the Muslim they can be.
#9
Darrell, are as professional as the Glasgow airport bombers ? Oh, you forgot those doctors who took an infidel oath to 'do no harm'.
There are no good muzzies, there are only those who have been ignoring their primary duty to jihad.
#10
fact is, if you deported a handful of ideologues, youd protect the rest from being influenced. For now MI5 is, wisely watching several thousand, as is the FBI, Im sure.
#11
Pretty easy to sort.
1. Are Christians and Jews apes and pigs?
2. Should sharia be the law of the land and the koran final arbiter?
3. Do you hate the infidels as the koran commands?
On second thought, no sorting is needed.
Posted by: ed ||
11/07/2007 16:33 Comments ||
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#12
No sorting needed. That's the point, let them ALL enjoy the Shari'a goodness so many of them clamor for.
Le bingo, Shirt. Muslims must learn to be very cafeful what they wish for.
Even the educated and U.S. citizens amongst them.
It would be nice if Liberahawk was right. I'm willing to start with just the non-naturalized immigrants. Should America's naturalized Muslim population indulge in some sort of terrorist atrocity or another, then they can have the choice of internment or deportation.
In reality, the "handful of ideologues" that really matter are several dozen of Islam's top clerical, academic and financial elite being sheltered overseas. Killing them would go a lot farther towards protecting "the rest from being influenced".
All these other nasty, icky and yukky not-nice measures might prove totally unnecessary if we had the courage to finally declare war on Islam's top brass. Either way, they must die. Be it by a sniper's bullet, a cruise missile or an ICBM is something that our own reluctance to act will most likely determine.
#13
fact is, if you deported a handful of ideologues, youd protect the rest from being influenced.
No, that would only prevent them from being influenced live. They'd still get to see the DVDs mailed in to the jv squad to be pounded into their heads of mush repeatedly.
The way to really protect the rest from being influenced is to make them Americans (or Brits, or Ozzies, or Canucks, or Kiwis) first and last. The subversive "ideology" they are being indoctrinated with should be attacked directly, daily and in public by government officials at all levels including and especially public schools. We should fight this ideology far more actively than we did communism because it is far more insidious and far more effective. Not for nothing has NBC turned its logo from the rainbow promised Noah to green.
It is time for an end to multi-culturalism. Get rid of dual citizenship. Get rid of whatever-American. If you want to be an American, then swear to absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which they have heretofore been a subject or citizen. And then accept them as Americans with the same rights as everybody else.
If they wear funny clothes, other children should mock their dress and give them directions to Pennsylvania Dutch country. If they mutilate their daughters, they should be tried for the perverts they are. If they beat their wives, put them in the slammer. If they want to live their lives in peace and let others do likewise, then let them alone.
I agree with Old Patriot. It is unbelievable how the problem can be so clearly understood and a plan of action be so etherial.
#14
Not for nothing has NBC turned its logo from the rainbow promised Noah to green.
Very interesting! I had not noticed that until you called it out. Of course, I rarely watch TeeVee, so I am not too surprised. But interesting none the less.
Am I imagining things, or does this Darrell fellow just show up, snipe at folks and then skedaddle?
#17
NBC changed their logo to green because of GW (Global Warming) as opposed to GWOT (Global War on Terror). But it is an interesting divide in America; when you think of something being Green do you think of enviro-nazis, islamo-nazis or vegan-azis?
#20
Actually, Shirt, I'm still around and I do comment on threads that Mullah Zenster doesn't as well. I just like to call him on it every time he goes genocidal or starts deporting citizens who are supposed to have the same constitutional rights he does. I've been here for years. You, however, seem to either have just arrived today or be hiding behind a new name.
#21
I've been here for years. You, however, seem to either have just arrived today or be hiding behind a new name.
Well Darrell, I've been stopping by off and on for years...myself. Never cared much about commenting, preferring to observe mostly. Never noticed you, and a quick check reveals you only started posting in 2005.
Or, maybe you're hiding behind a new name. I admit, after looking at the Google cache of your comments, there is a certain flavor that reminds one of a particular Rantburg poster from the past.
But I don't care to speculate without more research.
#23
LUCIANNE > MI5 - 4000 Islamists in Britain; + WAFF.com > WORLDPOLITICSREVIEW [10/30/2007]- ISLAMIST MOVEMENTS AND WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. WPR article - Osama + AQ very likely already possess enuff nucmats and expertise for making a nuke bomb espec "dirty bomb", but so far hasn't due to various factors, including (1) AQ desires to work on a more potent advanced bomb; (2)"first-strike"/surpise use of a bomb will harm AQ's large following in the Muslim world, i.e. endanger its "host" nation sponsors and hence affect its ability to locally-regionally support itself, and (3) deterrence, i.e US/anti-Islamist fear of AQ-specific nuke retaliation vv Terror. Probably also add AQ's desire to dominate any and all other Islamist groups or orgs = CONTROL THE ISLAMIST GLOBAL AGENDA AS AQ [article]IS A GLOBAL ISLAMIST ORG.
Amers should bear in mind that while Radical Islam + Islamic World are "weak", LOW-YIELD = MICRO/NANO-NUKE AND WMD DEVICES ARE WELL SUITED TO CHAOS-CENTRIC, MEDIA- AND PCORRECT AGENDAS OF ISLAMISTS AND TERRORISTS, etc. IT IS INSENSIBLE FOR ANYONE TO BELIEVE THAT RADICAL ISLAM WANTS ONLY COLD WAR-STYLE BIG MISSLES + BIG WARHEADS, but NOT man-portable or easily transportable small ones.
#25
"Darrell" is my real name, Shirt. If I may call you Shirt, Mr. Ruthless7415. And it was Fred and Ethyl Mertz, not Fred and Myrtle Mertz.
You can call me whatever you want Sparky. The nym is courtesy of Fred's random name generator, it amuses me. And I knew what NS meant, I just had better manners than to correct him. You, on the other hand...
#26
KOMMERSANT > RUSSIA, CHINA DISTRACT LONDON FRON FIGHTING TERRORISM. There has been NO DECREASE, since the end of the Cold War, IN THE NUMBER OF UNDECLARED RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS/
OPERATIVES OPERATING INSIDE THE UK, either via Russ Embassy andor associated organizations.
An emboldened Russia is making more moves in the Caucasus. Beware.
Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili has accused "Russian special services" of stirring up the civil unrest in the capital, Tbilisi.
Mr Saakashvili was speaking after riot police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse opposition demonstrators staging a sixth day of protests. The health minister said 250 people had been admitted to hospital.
Mr Saakashvili has rejected the protesters' accusations of corruption and says he will not quit. In a televised address, Mr Saakashvili said his country faced "a very serious threat of unrest". "High ranking officials in Russian special services are behind this," he said, adding that he had evidence.
The background is this: once Saakashvili's party won in 2003, the opposition, mostly pro-Russian, was too disorganized to do much about it. Russia helped them out and they're now united in a common front. Plus, Russia has been egging problems on in the breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which Georgia would like to reclaim. Now that Putin's about solidified his hold on his own parliament and has his feet on the Euros' natural gas pipelines, he's moving to fix his problems in the south.
He said several Russian diplomats would be expelled from Georgia for engaging in "espionage". Earlier he had recalled Georgia's ambassador to Moscow for "consultations".
Police used tear gas and water cannon after several thousand protesters tried to occupy Rustaveli Avenue - Tbilisi's main thoroughfare. The BBC's Matthew Collin in Tbilisi says the police action provoked chaos among the demonstrators, sending them running for cover.
Excellent!
The protesters had been regrouping after police forced them off the city's main street in front of parliament. The protesters say the police response demonstrates Mr Saakashvili's authoritarian tendencies.
Nary a word about Vlad's authoritarian tendencies.
The opposition said police had arrested two of its leaders and beaten several of its supporters during an earlier raid.
The authorities said they had to act to unblock the city's main thoroughfare and stop protesters from setting up a tent camp there. A government official said the rally could continue on the pavement.
Opposition supporters have been gathering outside parliament every day since Friday, when 50,000 people attended the largest street protest seen since the 2003 "Rose Revolution" that brought pro-Western Mr Saakashvili to power.
The protesters accuse him of corruption and of not doing enough to tackle poverty. They are calling for the president's resignation and want a fresh election.
Many of the protesters back the president's former ally, Irakli Okruashvili, who was arrested last month. Mr Okruashvili was detained shortly after he said Mr Saakashvili had plotted to kill a top businessman. He was later released on a multimillion-dollar bail and went to Germany. The government says Mr Okruashvili's accusations are "false and baseless".
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/07/2007 14:09 ||
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#1
"The protesters say the police response demonstrates Mr Saakashvili's authoritarian tendencies."
"Nary a word about Vlad's authoritarian tendencies. "
They hardly are mutually exclusive. IIUC some original Rose Revolution supporters are protesting saakashvili.
#2
See also KOMMERSANT > CHOOSING BETWEEN THE [Two]EVILS + INTERNAL TROOPS MASS IN DOWNTOWN TBILISI. Goergians may have to chose bwtn Saakash + another failed effort to democratize Georgia???
#1
When the Swiss arrest the Papal Guards, then I will consider them something more than hypocrites.
Posted by: ed ||
11/07/2007 20:36 Comments ||
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#2
Actually, there may be more to this than meets the eye. As you mentioned, the Swiss have long sent mercenaries to work in other countries, so they might be setting up a situation where their courts distinguish between security personnel and typical mercenaries.
The value of doing this is it creates a precedent for other European courts, many of whom would be far less friendly to the concept. If the Swiss find in this guy's favor, it may be to the benefit of security services around the world.
Like Blackwater, private security services are big business, and are vital to many of the things the Swiss hold dear, like banking and the diamond trade.
#1
Until the Israelis round them up and dump them in gas chambers and ovens, I ain't gonna buy that argument. All the argument is, is PC cover for blatant antisemitism.
So, in short Mr. German Bishop, please go drink bleach and make the world a better place.
#2
The International Herald Tribune provides additional information (LINK )
FWIW, I agree with the Israeli ambassador to Germany, Shimon Stein :
(excerpt) German-Jewish groups and the Israeli ambassador to Germany condemned their comments, which were reported in newspapers here, saying they were demagogic and "verging on anti-Semitism."
"If one uses terms like Warsaw ghetto or racism in connection with Israeli or Palestinian politics, then one has forgotten everything, or learned nothing," the Israeli ambassador to Germany, Shimon Stein, said in a statement.
Also note that the events reported in the IHT article occurred in the first week of March, 2007.
#3
Cause we all know how the Jeeeeewwwws went about blowing up German market places or pizza parlors filled with Aryan women and children, or firing rockets randomly into civilian areas outside their ghettos in the 30s. /sarcasm off
BFO for the Bishop. The Paleos have opted for a hate/death culture. Nothing is going to change it other than what the Carthaginians got in the end.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has begun his first official visit to the United States since coming to power. He is due to address a joint session of Congress and hold talks with US President George W Bush. Mr Sarkozy is also presenting the Legion of Honour, France's highest award, to several US citizens. The two presidents are expected to discuss the issue of Iran's nuclear ambitions, about which officials say they are in close agreement. Correspondents say the visit will help heal the divisions between the two countries that came to a head when France opposed the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
#4
IF GWB serves pork rinds, it won't be because he doesn't know the proper protocol. He looks awfully at ease in white tails when the occasion calls for it -- and should be, considering the roles his father, grandfather etc. played over the years. ;-)
#6
What lotp said. President Bush no doubt not only knows which fork to use, but which silver patterns and napkin folds are simply too gauche to let appear on the table. President Sakozy is the child of immigrants; he's far more likely to be ignorant of the picayune details of protocol.
#8
President Sakozy is the child of immigrants; he's far more likely to be ignorant of the picayune details of protocol.
President Sarkozy's full name is Sarkozy de Nazczy-Botha: his father was member of Hungary's nobility. I think he was even from the upper nobility. He left Sarkozy's mother (a Jew) quite soon but Sarkozy spent much time with his paternal grand-father.
#12
Pork rinds are declasse, JFM (imagine the appropriate accents, please. Not only don't I know how to make the computer do them -- and please don't anyone bother explaining, there are depths I do not plumb -- but as I never properly studied French, I get confused about which way they lean). Like anything the common people commonly eat, especially if eaten without utensils... unless added to the menu by a five star Michelin chef, in which case the cognoscenti can sneer at the peasants who eat the unrefined version.
Interesting about President Sarkozy's family. That does explain a great deal.
#16
Alas, the truth be told, California wines are number one.
A matter of taste, and therefor opinion, not fact, wxjames dear. There are lots of really nice wines being made all over the world, nowadays. And even more really horrid ones -- but then nobody has a monopoly on bad. ;-)
Wrongo. Not only have I eaten them all of my life but California's Hispanic population guarantees that they are sold at every convenience store and supermarket throughout the state. You folks just need a sensayumah.
Alas, the truth be told, California wines are number one.
And will remain so for quite some time. While the French still have some superb wine-making techniques, their production facilities are hopelessly antiquated and local labor laws make for prohibitive operating expenses.
California, on the other hand, has not only some of the world's oldest vinesremember, we shipped cuttings back to France after the phylloxera blightbut also the most advanced oeneological research and education facilities in the entire world. Few are the master vintiners who have not come to California for some sort of training.
Trust the French to complain that California's soil is "too rich" to produce truly fine whites. Arguably, the gravel and chalk terrior of France deliver austere conditions well-suited to production of incredible whites. Reds are another matter entirely and decades ago a California red was slipped into the final round of French competition only to take the gold.
Since then, it's been a downhill slide for French wines. California's growing conditions are nothing short of phenomenal and nearly the entire coastal region from Mexico to Oregon is being planted. Any of you seeking some truly magnificent wines should investigate Thomas Fogarty vinyards. Grown in the Santa Cruz mountain range above Silicon Valley, these world-class vintages are stunning in their quality. Despite being one of their least expensive wines at $17.00 a bottle, Fogarty's dry Alsatian-style Gewurztraminer consistently takes gold at the Orange County tastingAmerica's premier eventand double-gold at the San Fransisco wine competition. His more expensive redssome utilizing crushes from Napa Valleyare stupendous full-bodied monsters that will gracefully age for decades.
That said, Australia is poised to grab the entire lower tier of wine sales. Their Shiraz and Chardonnay varietals are superb examples of well-priced and highly drinkable wines. Nor does their skill stop at grape juice. I urge any of you to try Penfold's Club Tawny port. I've seen this priced at $10.00 and it represents outstanding value. Moreover, here in America, many other states are beginning to come into their own. Due to a shift in the jet stream, Oregon and Washington both experience less year-round rainfall making possible expanded grape production.
The one sad note regarding modern wine-making is summed up in one simple statistic. Over 90% of all wine bought is consumed within 48 hours of purchase. This consumption pattern has forced wine-makers to blend wines that can be enjoyed immediately. The dark side of this statistic is that practically nobody is cellaring their wines anymore. That is a huge pity. With a few years of extra aging, even the most pedestrian wines can assume amazing complexity and smoothness. I urge all of Rantburg's wine lovers to experiment with laying down a few bottles of medium priced red wine. I aged a Silver Oak Zinfandel for an extra 20 years and the results were breath-taking. Even a simple $6.00 Louis Martini cabernet stood tall after an extra three years. Get yourself one of those fancy schmancy electronically controlled wine cabinets and start rotating in a stock of heavy reds and strong whites. You'll be pleasantly surprised at the results down the road.
#20
Twenty years? I'm lucky if I can remember something for five, Zenster, or plan ahead for more than a few months. That said, I'll try your gewuerztraminer -- I love the Alsatian ones.
As I recall, Chile has pre-blight vines, too, and also shipped cuttings to France, after.
wxjames, agreed. Like so many of us, the French can be so provincial about an endeavor they are accustomed to dominate. Much like the British feel about cricket -- adorable darlings that they are. ;-)
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
11/07/2007 11:40 Comments ||
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#22
Zenster, judging from the quality of writing in that post, you either publish a wine letter or work in marketing in that industry. If not, do you have any recommendation on wine letters?
Its too damn easy to grow wine in California. Give me one example of California wine that can compete with a Pomerol or a Paulliac? And what Napa/Sonoma Chardonnay can compare to a Chassagne or Batard Montrechet? And don't tell me Screaming Eagle or one of those other untested cult wines.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
11/07/2007 12:00 Comments ||
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#25
So 20 yrs ago or so Mr Lotp and I stopped to tour a small winery south of Gilmore, up against the Santa Cruz mountains. French columbards were hard to find that year and I wanted some for a large family get together.
The winemaster - pretty well known at the time for small batches of high quality wines - had just the thing: a nice columbard-like white.
Made from Thompson seedless. Yeah - those green table grapes that kids munch on and that get turned into golden raisins. He called the wine Chutzpah - and sold out quickly every year he produced it. LOL
#26
OTOH my brother in law bought into Parducci very early. Made for very nice XMAS presents for a while plus his kids' college tuition was helped a long nicely from that investment.
#28
Very simple. There were two blind confrontations between the best of the best of the best of the best of the best of the best from both countries and both times the American wines came ahead. In the second one in fact they coped the five first places.
After that, the French press whined that these were critic-oriented wines (I presume that means: tuned for giving a strong first impression instead of real long term pleasure over a meal) while snobbish Americans still hold their noses over their own wines because they are not imported.
Now I confess I am completely unsensitive to wines. Give me a Laphroiag instead.
You will be most pleasantly surprised, trailing wife. Do not expect the usual German soda pop. This is a refreshingly crisp, slightly spicy white without any of the usual syrupy or cloying notes plus a really clean and well-balanced finish. It will compliment your Thanksgiving turkey to an absolute "T". Unlike all but the heaviest whites, this varietal has the body and character to go the distance in a full course meal. Please email me once you've had the chance to try it. At the Orange County tasting, this wine has taken gold in its class for three or four years in a row.
Chile has pre-blight vines
Chile is one of South America's and the Southern hemisphere's oldest producers. Like Italy, they have really cleaned up their production and labeling standards and can deliver some truly great values. Especially so with their reds.
Zenster, judging from the quality of writing in that post, you either publish a wine letter or work in marketing in that industry.
None of the above, KBK, but your kind words are much appreciated.
If not, do you have any recommendation on wine letters?
It's difficult to go wrong with The Wine Club's free monthly newsletter (PDF). Worth every penny you pay for it. They have California locations in Santa Ana, Santa Clara and San Francisco. What I like best about them is their tasting sessions. For something like $12.00 a head, you get to sample from nearly a dozen bottles, many of which are priced well over $20-$30 and some in the $50.00 range. They are poured by a knowledgable sales rep and refills are not a problem. It is where I tried the Penfold's port.
The Wine Club's prices tend to be a little high, but their quality level is extremely reliable. The monthly newsletter is well worth the read, even if you live out of state. Please let me know what you think.
#30
Give me one example of California wine that can compete with a Pomerol or a Paulliac? And what Napa/Sonoma Chardonnay can compare to a Chassagne or Batard Montrechet?
Fear not, JiB. That is specifically why I mentioned how "the French still have some superb wine-making techniques". Their extensive history of grape growing has enabled the French to sort out blending models and exotic varietals that can be outstanding. A Chateauneuf du Pape Rhone or a nice white Bordeaux remain some of my favorites. A fine example is Mumm's Cordon Rouge Champagne. Year after year, this warhorse of the bubblies maintains a consistent flavor profile despite any fluctuations in the various grape supplies that go into its making. This is standing testimony to an incredibly flexible blending profile that required a lot of skill to originate.
With that out of the way, I'd say a nice Cakebread Mayacamas zinfandel or Grgich Hills Napa Chardonnay will give the French a run, especially for their money. The dollar's slide against the Euro has only sharpened this distinction.
#31
The three things I want from the French: (1) An end to anti-everything. Lead, follow or get out of the way don't cry from the sidelines. I'd like to see some French leadership and I have high hopes Sarkozy will give it a go. (2) Reconquer the heart of Europe before it becomes Eurostan. This is in French interests. Do it before genocide becomes required to get it done. You figure out the details. (3) Take a leadership role in Syria. I don't care to see the French in Iraq, or Afganistan but Syria was there colony and they probably could arrange a coup to put another bastard in charge and defuse a lot of the issues in the region. Do it and you get to control Syria's future. Don't and the US and ISrael will eventually have to do it and France will have zero say.
#32
If you want some good inexpensive reds,teh Chileans have gotten their stuff together. Myself, I dont like white wine at all, I'd rather drink soda pop than that stuff. Red, especially Cabernet, and to a lesser extent Pino Noir and the ubiquitous Merlot, are my favorites. So what if I'm a philisitne. sue me for liking reds, even with traditionally "white wine" foods.
#34
AFAIK when I mentionned Ameerican wines beating the best French ones in a contest, the French were running with the likes of Mouton-Rotschild, Chateau Cheval Blanc and similar wines that you will never taste unless your name happens to be Bond, James Bond or Gates, Bill Gates.
#35
Thanks, Zenster, that's a great resource. I recollect sharing a subscription to the Wine Spectator years ago, now that I see the name mentioned in the Wine Club's newsletter.
I've got a bottle of '72 Ridge Zinfandel Essence tucked away, dating from when I lived in the Bay Area. I just haven't been able to bring myself to open it :-) It's probably over the hill by now, but otoh it's Essence, so maybe not?
#36
So what if I'm a philisitne. sue me for liking reds, even with traditionally "white wine" foods.
Absolutely not, 'Spook! A huge portion of the wine drinking community and professional retailers alike all agree that you drink what you like no matter what you're eating. Cabernet is and will remain the "king" of grapes. Its complexity and deep character make this varietal the primary candidate for long-aging wines. For Pinot Noir, I can only recommend David Bruce vineyards. They specialize in Pinot Noir and have a superb collection of various estates in their portfolio ranging from Carneros to the Santa Cruz mountains. As to Merlot, it is a slamming indictment of the yuppie "Pepsi Palate" thatwhat is typically a rather tepid blending wine used to round out the sharp edges of other more robust grapeshas become so popular as a separate varietal.
#37
I've got a bottle of '72 Ridge Zinfandel Essence tucked away, dating from when I lived in the Bay Area. I just haven't been able to bring myself to open it :-) It's probably over the hill by now
Yeah, I've got a 1974 Krug Cabernet that may be fading fast. However, the Silver Oak zin was supposedly past its prime and was totally smashing, so maybe there's hope.
Glad to see you like the Wine Club's newsletter. It's a very useful resource.
#41
Hey Zenster....have I got a Pinot for you - Siduri. Excellent quaff. Hand picked, small lots from the best appellations. I've always had a liking for William-Selyem but it's way overpriced now. And yes...the David Bruce is very good.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
11/07/2007 16:04 Comments ||
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#44
Have to second (third?) Zenster in his praise for American wines.
This defeating of European wines in blind tastings is not unique to Californai grown beverages. Several American fortified wines and vodkas from around the country have smoked European-made stuff in recent competitions. And a nonvintage champagne from Westport Mass. defeated a hundred or so nonvintage bubblies (including some of the most prestigious French champagnes) in a testing in France about five years ago.
When you couple the advances in technique with the exchange rate, it just makes sense to buy American.
Or homebrew like D.V. and myself if you're not in a mood for wine.
Posted by: no mo uro ||
11/07/2007 18:27 Comments ||
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#46
Being that I am chemically sensitive to the sulfur compounds added to preserve wine I have to view it all as whine and ask for some nice healthy cactus juice.
Being nobody is allergic to cactus juice, it has no added chemicals and its distilled so has no yeasts or other fungus it has to be the drink of the gods.
#47
One place the Euros still have is is good single malt Scotch, and also single malt Irish Whisky. Thank awd that its formthe isles, not form the continent. Can't imagine the wineries and breweries are going to do well once the muzzies run the continent. And poor Germany with all those great pork products and great beer, both items that the Muhammedeans wil lban.
#48
3dc, while it is impossible to eliminate sulpher dioxide entirelyit being a natural byproduct of the yeast during fermentationthere is a new generation of winemakers who add no extra sulphites. Here is a link to a good article about sulphites and also a line of organic wines. Depending upon your sensitivity, these may be below your reaction threshold.
RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD: Authorities stopped the sale of satellite dish antennae on Tuesday in a bid to prevent people from accessing private TV channels for the latest political developments concerning the state of emergency.
Police visited various markets in and around the twin cities and verbally ordered shopkeepers selling dish antennae to close down their shops or face stern action.
Price hike: The government has already pulled news channels and cable networks are only airing entertainment channels, a move that caused a sharp increase in the sale of dish antennae and digital receivers nationwide. The price of a dish antenna rose from Rs 5,500 to Rs 9,000 in Rawalpindi and from Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000 in Islamabad as a result.
In Rawalpindi, shopkeepers told Daily Times that police visited Imperial Market, Raja Bazaar, Iqbal Road, Commercial Market, Chotta Bazaar, Saddar and DAV College Road and told shopkeepers to close their stores immediately.
Plainclothesmen were deployed in and around the markets to keep an eye on the shops that dealt in dish antennae and accessories.
Muhammad Kareem, a shopkeeper in the electronics market on DAV College Road, said that the demand for dish antennae had risen tremendously after the state of emergency was imposed in the country and that he had sold more than 50 sets.
There are two main wholesale dealers of dish antennae in Rawalpindi Kamran Electronics and Antennaways - and they had to close their shops, Kaleem Ahmad, a shopkeeper, said.
In Islamabad, dish antenna shops in Aabpara, Blue Area, Super Market, Jinnah Super Market, F-10, G-8, G-9 and other markets were closed. However, the sale of dish antennae continues, as people are willing to pay extra to get them on the black market.
Posted by: john frum ||
11/07/2007 01:07 ||
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(PTI) In contradictory signals, Pakistan's top government lawyer today told the Supreme Court that the general elections would be held as scheduled while the President's Constitutional Adviser ruled out such a possibility. Attorney General Malik Qayyum also told the apex court that there was "no martial law in the country and the army has not taken over the affairs of the government".
Civilian governments were functioning at the centre and in the provinces, he said. However, this comes in contradiction to comments by Sharifuddin Pirzada, President Pervez Musharraf's Constitutional Adviser, who told 'The News' daily that there would be no general elections for at least one year. But, he said the emergency imposed by Musharraf on Saturday would soon be lifted. "The emergency imposed by the Army chief would soon be revoked. But, the Prime Minister and Parliament would get one-year extension in their terms," Pirzada was quoted as saying.
Qayyum, however, told the Supreme Court that the elections would be held as scheduled by mid-January after the national and provincial assemblies complete their tenure on November 15. His remarks came as the full Supreme Court presided over by Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar set aside an order passed by sacked judges on Saturday to annul the emergency rule.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2007 00:00 ||
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Either Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry or Professor Snape's grandaddy. We're not sure which.
In a telephone address to lawyers in Pakistans capital, the ousted chief justice of the Supreme Court urged them today to continue to defy the state of emergency imposed by the president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf. The lawyers should convey my message to the people to rise up and restore the Constitution, the chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, told dozens of lawyers on speakerphone at a meeting of the Islamabad Bar Association before his cellphone line was cut. I am under arrest now, but soon I will also join you in your struggle.
Today, the second day of protests, the police arrested 50 lawyers in the eastern city of Lahore and clashes broke out between hundreds of lawyers and Pakistani police officers in Multan, about 200 miles to the southwest. On Monday, in Lahore and other cities, thousands of lawyers protested, with many beaten by baton-wielding police officers and then thrown into police wagons. By the end of that day, about 2,000 people had been rounded up by the authorities, among them 500 to 700 lawyers, according to lawyers and political officials.
It was unclear how Chief Justice Chaudhry, who was fired on Saturday and is under house arrest, was able to gain access to a cellphone. He and other lawyers said they hoped to re-create the protest campaign they carried out this spring when the lawyers mounted big rallies in major cities after General Musharraf had removed Chief Justice Chaudhry from the Supreme Court bench. General Musharrafs popularity plummeted during the protests, and Mr. Chaudhry was reinstated after four months, invigorating the Supreme Court and the generals opponents.
This article starring:
Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
I swear that picture looks like Inspector Cluseau.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/07/2007 12:35 Comments ||
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The White House on Tuesday expressed broad support for freedom of expression and assembly in Pakistan but stopped well short of encouraging demonstrations against President Pervez Musharraf. I have not heard anyone in the administration actively encouraging anyone to do anything but return to civilian rule, spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters. To a question on whether the US backed the anti-Musharraf demonstrators, Perino said Let me put it this way: We certainly support the right to free speech, and freedom of expression and freedom to assemble.
But we're still timidly supporting only the freedoms the Paks had prior to Perv decided to try and be an actual dictator. The Pak press, as we've seen, is head and shoulders above that in any other Muslim country and quite a few non-Muslim countries. There's simply no equivalent of Daily Times, Jang, or Dawn in Egypt or Jordan, much less Soddy Arabia. The closest we get is al-Jizz, which is a political tool rather than a pure journalism.
The Paks also maintain a "democracy," in which they have elections and maintain a parliament, but it's pretty obvious it's a mechanism for keeping oligarchs in office, rather than a reflection of a free society.
We won't even discuss other pretty basic freedoms the Paks don't have and probably couldn't handle, starting with freedom of religion, through freedom from being arbitrarily beaten up by their police, looted by their public servants, and having their behavior controlled by wild-eyed holy men and roving bands of fascisti. Only when no one is above, beneath, or outside the law do societies work.
This article starring:
Dana Perino
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
What Pakistan, and any other Muslim "country", needs is free tranquilizers to all denizens. On second thought, strike out the "free" and make it obligatory.
#2
The White House on Tuesday expressed broad support for freedom of expression
I recommend you have the AG office call every college President, starting with the University of Delaware, and say the same thing. Then Columbia, then Duke, then....
1. Does Paki advance more toward democracy (which I agree, needs real rule of law) by going with Pervs way, or by going back to pre state of emergency ways, or even by moving beyond Perv altogether, and going back to civilian pols, oligarchs or not?
2. Even if an authoritarian path to freedom (a la Chile) is a better way given Paki's conditions, is it sustainable? Chile's military was VERY united, and knew exactly what it was about, and had strong support from 40% or more of the population. Perv has a divided military/ISI behind him, and very little popular support from what I can gather. And is in a much less favorable geopolitical situation.
3. We, in the US, are a great power. Can we acknowledge being reduced to reliance on one indispensable man, which seems to be what some admin statements of today reduce to? We must have options, no one figure can be indispensable. Thats ridiculous. Even if it means delaying the killing of AQ's number 5 leader for a year. What we;re getting from Perv, isnt worth the long term effects of being so tied to him, at the expense of relations with everyone else in Paki.
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Secretary General Fazlur Rehman said on Tuesday that holding free and fair elections is the only way out of the current political crisis.
Addressing a press conference here he said his party would take part in elections if held under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO).
He criticised the arrest of political leaders, workers, lawyers and journalists and demanded their immediate release.
The MMA leader said that no contact has been made with the government or President Pervez Musharraf after the imposition of emergency in the country.
He said that he was in contact with all political leaders and would try to unite them to struggle for democracy in the country.
In reply to a question, Fazlur Rehman said that all the political parties had agreed on a one-point agenda to form The All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM). But soon after every political party went their own way, undermining the movement.
He denied there were differences among MMA leaders, adding that nobody would be allowed to further block the alliance. Fazlur Rehman asserted that he always preferred moderation in the pursuit of political goals.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2007 00:00 ||
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President General Pervez Musharraf was to meet federal ministers and parliamentarians of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) and its coalition partners on Tuesday for consultations on the imposition of a state of emergency in the country and the promulgation of the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO). The president would consult the parliamentarians on whether the general elections should be delayed, a senior official said, adding that the president would also take them into confidence in case he had changed his mind about resigning as army chief and delaying the general elections.
Perv must be feeling pretty nervous right now, since this obviously isn't going the way he expected it to. He's probably got visions of Benazir's dangling dad to visit him in his sleep at night and Zia's exploding aircraft to think about during the day.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2007 00:00 ||
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For six decades, the Indian border has been the raison detre the very reason for existence-of the Pakistan army. Most formations, including its two Strike Corps, are aggressively positioned near the border to counter Indian forces.
So, when the Rawalpindi-based Pakistan GHQ started pulling out elite troops from the Indian frontier for the war against terror in Waziristan, Indian Intelligence agencies knew something had deeply gone wrong along Pakistans western flank.
Latest estimates, drawn up by Indian intelligence agencies through various inputs, show that Pakistani force levels along the Indian border have fallen to an all-time low. As many as 15 Infantry Brigades roughly accounting for 38,000 troops have been moved to Waziristan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) within the past year.
Five of these brigades reserve troops and units stringed together from various formations were sent in last month to fight the Taliban. Not only soldiers from the elite strike corps, trained to slice into India in the event of war, but also reserves with the GHQ in Rawalpindi were mobilized last month.
In New Delhi, the Cabinet Committee on Security, headed by the Prime Minister, was briefed recently by top Army officials that Pakistani troops were being pulled away and force levels across the border were at an all-time low.
Intelligence data shows that elements from the Mangla-based Army Reserve North (ARN) and Multan-based Army Reserve South (ARS), the two strike corps, have been dispatched to either Peshawar or Quetta for deployment along the troubled Afghan frontier.
Units from the Force Command Northern Area (FCNA) that controls PoK and forces from the dual-role XI Corps in Peshawar tasked with defending the Afghan border but with a secondary strike role against India in the event of war have also been moved to fight the Taliban.
The last time the Peshawar-based XI Corps moved from its position to Pakistans eastern border was in 2001-02 to counter the Indian Armys troop build-up during Operation Parakram. At that time, the Indian army had been counting on the time that would be needed to bring the Corps to the border from Peshawar.
With the Pak army now stretched along the north-west frontier, intelligence officials say that clearer and bigger voids are now opening up on its eastern border.
This kind of deployment has led to a clear operational void along Pakistans eastern border. All reserves, sectorial and strategic, including the Headquarters reserves have been committed, said an intelligence official.
In the past few months, and more prominently after the Lal Masjid episode, information gleaned by intelligence agencies suggests that the strain is starting to tell on the regular Pak army.
In October, written instructions were sent by GHQ to all formation commanders to determine the quantity of forces each unit could relieve for deployment along the Afghan border and even the hinterland. Sources say that an internal audit was carried out by all formations shortly afterwards and a classified list of extra troops was drawn up by GHQ.
This, military analysts warn, is leading to an abnormally high percentage of Pak troops on active duty a dangerous factor that has the potential to crack open the Pak army.
Indian intelligence data says that out of the 66 Infantry Brigades (about 1.65 lakh troops) in the Pak army, 33 brigades are currently on active duty. Of these, 18 brigades (45,000 troops) are deployed for counter-terror operations.
With half its troops committed to active duty, the army is finding it hard to rotate and relive formations. It is a major operational constraint. In the event of war, the whole army gets mobilized but in an ideal scenario, one-third of the troops should be on duty while the rest are in transit or in a peace area. In long term, it will get increasingly difficult to manage the men, an official said.
However, a broken up Pakistani army, armed with nuclear weapons, is the last thing India would like to see. A worst case scenario for Pakistan, drawn up by strategic affairs expert Stephen Cohen in an article on the Brookings Institution website on Monday, paints a worrisome picture.
One (of the two desperate scenarios) is that the army itself might lose its coherence. It is a multi-ethnic army, derived from the old British Indian army, and from time to time it, like its predecessor, has had ethnic-based mutinies (the most notable being the revolt of the Bengali elements of all three services in 1970). At present, about eighteen per cent of the Pakistan army are Pushtuns or of Pushtun-origin. There are reports of officers refusing to attack targets, and the astonishing case, still unexplained, of nearly 300 officers and jawans surrendering to the militants in Waziristan where they are still being held hostage, writes Cohen, explaining that the US is in for a tough ride as far as its Pakistan policy is concerned.
Posted by: john frum ||
11/07/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
elements from the Mangla-based Army Reserve North (ARN) and Multan-based Army Reserve South (ARS), the two strike corps, have been dispatched to either Peshawar or Quetta for deployment along the troubled Afghan frontier.
#2
Either to keep volunteers from entering to join the growing pro-sharia insurgency, or NATO troops from whacking Taliban facilities.
There are reports of officers refusing to attack targets, and the astonishing case, still unexplained, of nearly 300 officers and jawans surrendering to the militants in Waziristan where they are still being held hostage, writes Cohen, explaining that the US is in for a tough ride as far as its Pakistan policy is concerned.
It could be ethnic-based; the troops are in sympathy with the Wazoos. Also, is it paramilitary or regular army? I would think a left-leaning think tank like Brookings would provide answers, not political sound-bites.
#4
Why do they need this big, so called "elite" army to fight India? What are the chances that India would attack Pakistan? Zero, right? Why on earth would they? Far more likely that Pakistan would try something really stupid like trying to invade India. The same thing goes for Pakistan's nukes. Are they really afraid India will launch a nuclear attack against them? Nonsense. Absolute rubbish. India needs a deterrent against China and Pakistan. Pakistan needs no deterrent against anybody because nobody in their right mind would want to invade such a hell hole. And the US government gives them aid? My tax dollars go to this regime? Probably helped fund the nuclear program, at least indirectly. Probably indirectly funds the insurgency in Kashmir as well while the vaunted Pak army does nothing about the Taleban. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. What a mess.
#6
Ah, yes. I seem to recall the first Pak nuke was detonated on Bill Clinton's watch. Of course, I'm sure he had more pressing affairs to attend to at the time.
DESPITE billions of dollars in US military payments to Pakistan over the past six years, the paramilitary force leading the pursuit of al-Qaeda militants remains underfunded, poorly trained and overwhelmingly outgunned, US military and intelligence officials said.
The Pakistani President, Pervez Musharraf, cited the rising militant threat in declaring a state of emergency on Saturday and suspending the constitution. But rather than use US funding to bolster its counter-terrorism capabilities, Pakistan has spent the bulk of the more than $US7 billion ($7.6 billion) in military aid on heavy arms, aircraft and equipment that US officials said are far more suited for conventional warfare with India, its regional rival.
That's because the Paks have always felt more threatened by India than by the Pashtuns, local holy men, Talibunnies, and general assorted nuts in the northwest.
That has left fighters with the paramilitary force, known as the Frontier Corps, often equipped with little more than "sandals and bolt-action rifles", to face al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters equipped with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades. The arms imbalance has contributed to al-Qaeda's ability to regroup in the border region and reflects the competing priorities that were evident even before this weekend between two countries that are self-described allies in the "war on terrorism" but have sharply divergent national security interests.
Even if the Pak troops were willing to fight in the northwest, which isn't clear at all, putting them in a position where they're out-gunned means that all the fight is going to go out of them. This isn't an operation being mounted by professional soldiers.
US officials have urged Pakistan to move more aggressively against militants and bolster the capabilities of the Frontier Corps, a locally recruited force of about 40,000 formed under British rule and traditionally used to guard the border and curb smuggling.
Even front-line units with upgraded weapons are woefully unschooled in counterinsurgency tactics. Last week, Islamic militants captured dozens of fighters and paraded them before Western journalists, the latest in a series of embarrassing encounters.
Counterinsurgency work is hard -- ask our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's damned difficult to do well even when troops are properly trained and equipped. The Paks are neither, so it's no surprise that even their 'elite' troops can't do it.
Pakistan recently has indicated that it will enlarge the corps and expand its role in pursuing al-Qaeda. But, without access to aid, US officials said the new strategy amounts in some ways to starting from scratch more than six years after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Enlarging the Corps won't do any good at all given the lack of funding, equipment and leadership. That will just recruit more local boys to do something that they don't want to do in the first place. It'll mean some new, plush billets for officers, however, so all won't be lost.
"The view in Washington is that the Frontier Corps is the best way forward because they speak the language and understand the culture, terrain and local politics," said a Pentagon official. But transforming the corps into a force that can contend with militants in the tribal area "will take years to bring to fruition", he said.
The US Special Operations Command is exploring efforts to pay off tribal militias unaffiliated with the Pakistan Government and arm them to root out al-Qaeda and Taliban militants. "You can't buy them, but you can rent them," said a source.
Posted by: john frum ||
11/07/2007 00:00 ||
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October 31 2007: 0330 LT: Lagos, Nigeria. Three pirates armed with knives boarded a tanker drifting. They took hostage the duty A/B and O/S and tied them up. They threatened the O/S with knives on his throat and asked him to open the accommodation doors but the O/S did not have the key. Two of the pirates then went to the bridge and assaulted the 2nd Officer. The next watch keeper woke up and saw the movements on poop deck and raised the alarm. All crew mustered. Pirates escaped with ship's stores, property, crew personal belongings and cash. First aid administered to the O/S who received knife injuries. Port control informed.
October 30 2007: 2120 LT: 15 NM off fairway buoy, Bonny Town, Nigeria. Ten robbers armed with guns boarded a reefer vessel. Alarm raised and crew mustered. Robbers escaped. Attempt to contact Bonny signal station were futile
And from the Better Late Than Never Desk:
October 27 2007: 0142 LT: Santos outer roads anchorage, Brazil. Robbers armed with guns boarded a container ship and fired their guns at the approaching crew members. For safety crew members locked themselves in a safer place. Robbers opened 8 reefer containers and stole cargo contents and escaped. No one was injured
October 19 2007: Offshore Lagos: Nigeria. Robbers armed with knives boarded a tanker at anchor. They took as hostage one AB. They tied him up and warned him not to make any attempt to escape. They stole some ships store. Robbers then took the AB into the accommodation and searched for money. They then returned to stern, lowered ships store into the waiting boat and escaped.
Ambassador Munir Akram complained that Ban Ki-moon was meddling in Pakistan's affairs by saying the country should return to democratic rule.
Mr Ban relayed to reporters what he had told Mr Akram at their meeting on Tuesday. "I again expressed my deep concern and regret [at] what had happened in Pakistan. I also urged strongly that the Pakistani government should return to democratic rule and procedures as soon as possible," Mr Ban said. He called for the release of political leaders and lawyers detained during the crisis in Pakistan and for restrictions on the media to be removed.
The Pakistani mission to the UN said Mr Akram had explained to Mr Ban "the grave and multiple challenges which had compelled the government of Pakistan to declare the emergency". It said the emergency measures were "restricted" in scope. "Governance continues as close as possible to the constitution with the cabinet, assemblies, governors and other organs of the state functioning normally," the mission said in a statement. "Pakistan remains committed to restore normalcy, rule of law and democracy."
#1
Don't worry, Munir. The Korean weasle will be flying off to Bali pretty soon so they can discuss over vintage Champagne and caviar how all their long-distance airline flights just dumped another megaton of carbon into our atmosphere.
#2
Ban Ki-Moon knows first-hand that democracy doesn't come easy:
"South Korea's subsequent history is marked by alternating periods of democratic and autocratic rule. Civilian governments are conventionally numbered from the First Republic of Syngman Rhee to the contemporary Sixth Republic. The First Republic, arguably democratic at its inception, became increasingly autocratic until its collapse in 1960. The Second Republic was strongly democratic, but was overthrown in less than a year and replaced by an autocratic military regime. The Third, Fourth, and Fifth Republics were nominally democratic, but are widely regarded as the continuation of military rule. With the Sixth Republic, the country has gradually stabilized into a liberal democracy."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_South_Korea
BAGHDAD (Rooters) - A reduction in violence in Baghdad over the past few months represents a sustainable trend that will allow fewer U.S. troops to protect the Iraqi capital, a top American general said on Wednesday.
Major-General Joseph Fil, commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad, said al Qaeda in Iraq no longer had a foothold in any part of the city of 7 million people. The group is blamed for most big car bombings that have killed thousands.
Death squad killings in Baghdad were also down 80 percent from their peak while roadside bombings had fallen 70 percent, Fil told foreign reporters without giving specific timeframes.
"I think there is going to come a day when certainly we will need less coalition troops in Baghdad," Fil said.
Asked when that would be, he said: "Already we are at a point where we'll see that as the surge forces depart the city, we'll see a natural decline in numbers and I'm very comfortable where that comes to, with that gradual attrition of forces."
U.S. President George W. Bush sent an extra 30,000 troops to Iraq early this year in a last-ditch attempt to halt Iraq's slide into sectarian civil war and to give the country's feuding politicians "breathing space" to reconcile.
Most of the additional troops were deployed in and around Baghdad. Some of those units will leave the city over the coming months under a plan endorsed by Bush in September that will see U.S. troop levels in Iraq fall 20,000-30,000 by the middle of next year from around the current number of 170,000.
Fil said the drops in violence in Baghdad were sustainable.
"I do think it's sustainable and that's because first of all we're working with Iraqi forces now in really almost every corner of the city," he said.
"But I also will say Baghdad is a dangerous place and al Qaeda, although on the ropes, is not finished by any means and they will come back swinging if they are allowed to."
IRAQI FORCES IMPROVING
He said levels of violence were falling every month following a spike in June.
But while fewer coalition troops would be required, more Iraqi security forces would be needed to fill any gaps, he said.
He said the Iraqi security forces had become "much, much more effective", while volunteers who patrolled their own neighborhoods in coordination with the Iraqi security forces had had a positive impact.
Another factor behind improved security in Baghdad has been an order from Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr freezing the activities of his feared Mehdi Army militia. Fil said most of the Mehdi Army in Baghdad was honoring the order.
Fil rejected suggestions Baghdad had become totally segregated into Sunni and Shi'ite enclaves, a factor some cite as a reason for the reduction in sectarian violence.
"There are parts of the city certainly that are segregated, but there are many parts that are integrated and where Sunni, Shias and even Christians are getting along very well," he said.
Fil said one thing he had noticed was that ordinary Iraqis he met now no longer hounded him about security. He said their focus was on electricity, water and jobs.
(Editing by Samia Nakhoul)
#1
The General is also right in an odd way, beyond the military point of view. That is, once the Iraqis are completely in control of a neighborhood, even if there is violence, it won't "make the papers" because it is just an "Iraqi thing".
What are the odds that any attack in Baghdad will be of interest at all once the Americans leave? It will be like an attack in Thailand. That is, unless it is an attack against Americans.
So job #1 for the Iraqis, to keep the American military out of their hair, is to insure that the Americans are neither attacked, nor hear about any problems the Iraqis are working out among themselves.
BAGHDAD The students in Shala Miklas class were supposed to be learning about biology. Instead, they got a lesson in cooperation. That was what was on display when U.S. Soldiers and Iraqi National Police officers visited Miklas classroom at the Al-Andalus Girls School in Baghdads Sadr City neighborhood to view recently completed renovations at the school Oct. 31. It's important for the residents of this neighborhood to see that not shooting Americans results in tangible benefits. This isn't much, but at least it's something.
The renovations were part of a joint effort by the Ministry of Education, the local neighborhood councils, school officials, the Iraqi National Police and the 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, which operates in the Sadr City area of eastern Baghdad as part of the 82nd Airborne Divisions 2nd Brigade Combat Team.
The students got to see that partnership in action as the Soldiers and police officers, led by Iraqi Brig. Gen. Ali Ibrahim Daboun, commander of the 8th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi National Police Division, and Lt. Col. Dan Barnett, commander of the 1-2 SCR, went from classroom to classroom to talk with the children and hand out free backpacks. Gen. Ali is a great partner. We have a very strong relationship, said Barnett, a Willard, Ohio native.
That relationship has helped the National Police and the 1-2 SCR, whose home station is Vilseck, Germany, complete a project to improve nine schools in the Sadr City area.
At the Al-Andalus school, the renovations included a new roof, a new gate, repairs to cracks in the pavement and stairs, and a paint-job, said Glen Allen, Va., native Capt. Alex Carter, a civil affairs team chief who helped oversee the project. All told, contractors put $200,000 worth of work into fixing up the school, Carter said. Let's hope at least 10% of it actually went toward fixing instead of towards corruption.
The students in Miklas class showed their appreciation by giving Barnett a big Thank you! in English when he stopped by the classroom. We are very grateful, Mikla said. For the children, every little bit helps.
#2
Isn't launching a missile barrage across a national border like, you know, an act of war and stuff? I know we'd be right pissed if the Canadians engaged in such shenanigans. Maybe the Israelis have just gotten complacent.
Ma'an Islamic Jihad condemned rumors that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are working on a second extra-governmental peace agreement along the lines of the 2003 Geneva Accord on Tuesday. "Insistence on holding secret or public meetings with the Israelis is considered a bypass of the Palestinian rights, specifically in light of the escalating destruction and siege programs against all aspects of life," said Islamic Jihad leader Khalid Al-Batsh.
He added, "Attempts to reproduce the so-called Geneva Document despite present circumstances assures that those who stand behind the document are suspicious as the Palestinian people and their leadership, namely, late president Yasser Arafat had strongly rejected that document in the past." Al-Batsh called on the Palestinians shun such documents as "a vicious circle leading to nowhere."
The unofficial Geneva Accord was hammered out by Israeli and Palestinian negotiators, including left-wing Israeli leader Yossi Beilin and former Palestinian head negotiator Yasser Abed Rabbo.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic Jihad
Ma'an The Union of Palestinian Journalists on Tuesday condemned the raid on the home of union member Hisham Saqalla. In a statement the union accused what they called "Hamas executive militias" of carrying out the raid after a series of threats from the spokesperson of the deposed Palestinian prime minister, Isma'il Haniyeh. According to the statement, several members of the Palestinian Union of Journalists are being threatened and blackmailed on a daily basis by the Hamas-led government.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
I need to order a new sympathy meter, the current one is broken.
#3
YNETNEWS > PALESTINIANS CHOOSE [to live in]ISRAEL. Milyuhns and Zilyuhns of Pals, are rushing to obtain ISRAELI CITIZENSHIP amid fears of PA, etal. takeover of their areas.
Ma'an A senior Palestinian official told Agance France-Presse on Tuesday that the United States has decided that the international peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, will begin on November 26th.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reportedly informed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of the date of the meeting on Monday. Rice plans to return to the Middle East November 15th to help Palestinian and Israeli negotiators finalize a join document that will be the basis of negotiations at the Annapolis summit. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told reporters Tuesday that the peace conference would take place in the last week of November, but that invitations have not yet been sent. Olmert said that Syrian participation in the meeting "is the right thing."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Just remember, what goes around comes around, George & Condi.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad bragged that his country's nuclear program is "irreversible," in a nationally-televised speech on Wednesday. "Today, we've reached 3,000 centrifuges," he said - two months after announcing that his country had "more than 3,000 centrifuges working... with more being installed every week."
Israel's mini-cabinet convened Wednesday morning to discuss the upcoming report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and how to counter it. The IAEA report is expected to conclude that diplomatic activity is still the strategy of choice to fight Iran's nuclear plans. If the IAEA so concludes, the UN Security Council is expected to wait over four months before imposing further sanctions on Iran.
The eight members of the Israeli ministerial forum are attempting to formulate a campaign to convince the UN not to accept IAEA chief Mohammed El-Baradei's approach. Minister of Strategic Threats Avigdor Lieberman has said that Al-Baradei's approach "arouses many question marks regarding his intentions and whether he truly desires to deal with Iran's race for nuclear armament." Foreign Ministry Director-General Aharon Abramovitch was more blunt: "Instead of overseeing to ensure that Iran does not receive nuclear powers, he allows the Iranians to stall for time. Deep inside him, Al-Baradei identifies personally with the Iranians."
Lieberman says Israel has a variety of non-military options, "such as using the internet, which is widely used in Iran, to appeal directly to the Iranian public to convince their leaders to stop before it is too late."
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told Foreign Ministers from the European Union this week that tougher sanctions are necessary: "The way to stop Iran is via stronger and more significant sanctions, seeing as we have not been able to stop them via diplomatic contacts."
Iran's centrifuges are used to enrich uranium, which can then, after further processing, provide material for nuclear bombs. The IAEA confirmed in August that Iran had 12 cascades of 164 centrifuges, for a total of 1,968, running simultaneously to enrich uranium, in addition to hundreds more under construction or being tested. They are located at an underground nuclear facility at Natanz in central Iran.
Experts differ as to how close Iran actually is to full nuclear capabilities. Some Western experts say that 3,000 centrifuges operating at optimum conditions for a year could produce enough uranium for an atom bomb.
The U.S. has been pressuring other Western nations to impose a new round of sanctions against Iran. Ahmadinejad recently warned European countries not to do so. Just this week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel hinted that she would support tougher sanctions on Iran. Just days before she is to visit the U.S., Merkel told an audience in Berlin that she felt a moral duty to protect Israel and would stand firm in the face of Iran's nuclear ambitions and its threats to erase Israel.
Posted by: Paul ||
11/07/2007 10:19 Comments ||
Top||
#2
dinnerjacket: "irreversible"
aw jeeze..
Come on you sawed off runt & assbite A$$atollas.. We wait with baited Sardine breath you lowly carpet weevils.. Damn you bring IT forchristsakes.. the whole Enchilada of course the Persian Cornucopia of dire adjectives, warnings and horrid descriptors that await us before this thang is over With, over There!
/ yep if you got em i say mix em
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
11/07/2007 11:33 Comments ||
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#4
Minister of Strategic Threats Avigdor Lieberman
This is the big difference between the way Israel looks at Islam and the way we do. We call it Homeland Security. They emphasize exactly what it is - a fricking threat.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
11/07/2007 12:08 Comments ||
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#5
TOPIX/WAFF > WORLDPOLITICSREVIEW - INSPIRED BY IRAN, ARAB[= SUNNI] COUNTRIES PURSUE ATOMIC ENERGY, with Pert believeing that a few will also move on towards dev of nuclear arsenals; + SUNNI NATIONS FEAR MIDEAST NUCLEAR ARMS RACE.
*DEBKA > Israel's 2009 deadline for Iran dev a Bomb > Israel believes, after looking at both local and US-supplied INTEL espec 9/6, (1)that IRAN does have a weapons/bomb-centric PARALLEL PLUTONIUM MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT-ENRICHMENT PROGRAM IN TANGENT WID ITS URANIUM-BASED PROGS, and (2) DITTO FOR SYRIA - iff Syria had these before or on 9/6, then Iran's must be more advanced.
JPOST Posters > Collectively, argue Iran has been allegedly cheating on its nucprogs for approxi 18-20 years, and that SAUDI ARABIA, EGYPT, LIBYA, YEMEN, BAHRAIN, ALGIERS, and MOROCCO already have established nucprogs [only energy?], while JORDAN + TUNISIA have declared their intent to begin one. AND THEN THERE'S PAKISTAN + NORTH KOREA e.g. the stealthy/covert outsourcing or "franchising" of testing and other dev. Undoubtedly one or more "Moderate" or anti-Islamist Muslim nations will in LR desire to go beyond domestic energy purposes regardless of ties to the USA, West, or even pro-democracy.
IOW, US WEST + WORLD NEED GMD!
Lebanon's parliament speaker is expected to postpone for the third time a special session to elect a president, officials said on Tuesday, as the deadline to replace the current pro-Syrian head of state nears. "We are expecting the session to be postponed although we are keeping the door open for an election to take place November 12," said Antoine Nasrallah, a spokesman for candidate Michel Aoun, who heads the opposition Change and Reform bloc in parliament.
He was referring to next Monday's parliament session called by speaker Nabih Berri to replace Emile Lahoud, whose mandate expires November 24.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2007 00:00 ||
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The United Nations on Tuesday ordered Israel to stop its daily air violations of Lebanese airspace, Yasmina Bouzian, spokeswoman of the UN Interim Force in southern Lebanon said Tuesday. "We have protested to Israel this issue and we expect them to stop because it is a violation of UN resolution 1701 ... and will eventually increase the tension in the area," she said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Always good for a laugh when one reads that the UN 'ordered' this or that. Nobody takes orders from the UN seriously except the higher-end restaurants...
#5
I would reply, "As soon as their rockets stop violating our airspace and as soon as their terrorists that they are harboring stop violating our groundspace, we have a deal. Otherwise, if we find terrorists in your camps, we'll bomb your sorry asses too."
#9
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 was unanimously approved by the UNSC, the Lebanese cabinet, as well as the Israeli cabinet. Hezbollah hasnt disarmed, the abducted Israeli soldiers have yet to be released, and other continuous external hostilities are clear violations of the resolution. But that doesnt erase the fact that Israeli over flights are a violation of Lebanese sovereignty and therefore in violation of 1701 as well. Perhaps, if the UN denounced all violations with equal vigor their irrelevance quotient wouldnt peak as much but they are certainly justified in voicing their objections.
Former Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam accused Syrian President Bashar Assad of seeking to hamper Lebanese presidential elections to torpedo the international tribunal that would try suspects in the 2005 assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister Rafik Hariri and related crimes.
Khaddam said Assad's scheme was also designed to provoke internal civil strife and create a power vacuum. "The Lebanon crisis is not one among the Lebanese, neither it is due to disputes over the presidential candidate," Khaddam said in remarks published on Tuesday. "The major reason for the crisis comes from outside Lebanon, from the alliance between the Iranian and Syrian regimes. This alliance wants a president (for Lebanon) that would serve their strategies from one side and helps torpedo the international court."
He said Assad uses his allies as well as secret agents to hamper the Lebanese election.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2007 00:00 ||
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Syria has rejected the latest appeals from Israel to attend the US-sponsored Annapolis peace conference and will only go if the return of the Golan Heights is on the agenda, the country's deputy leader said in London on Tuesday.
Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Dardari said Syria will not budge in its insistence that its participation in the conference in Annapolis, Maryland, hinges on the opportunity to discuss the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War and later annexed.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday they wanted Syria to participate in the conference, but only on condition they set aside Syrian-Israeli issues.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday urged Syria to attend, saying the meeting could be a launching pad for new talks between the two foes.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2007 00:00 ||
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One day Assad's terrorist HQ of Damascus will be a pile of rubble. Assad & his cut-throats will only have themselves to blame -- and of course their fanatical jihadist pals in Tehran.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
11/07/2007 3:28 Comments ||
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#5
It's the geopolitic version of the standard Paleo game: PIJ and PLFP declare a hudna, then the nxt day Al Aksa Martyrs tries to boom a checkpoint.
Nothing gets a journalists attention like a subpoena. While authoritarian regimes silence critics by murdering or jailing them, journalists (and other critics) in the United States face gentler, but still effective, intimidation: libel lawsuits. Over the last few years, Islamists have tried silencing reporters, scholars, and citizens by suing them for defamation, often successfully. But recent legal cases in California, Massachusetts, and Minnesota suggest that the tactic may finally be backfiring, at least in the United States, if not in Britain, where libel laws overwhelmingly favor plaintiffs. The American lawsuits outcomespoorly covered by the mediarepresent victories for the free expression and public participation that the First Amendment guarantees.
In Minnesota, a third lawsuit didnt involve journalists or SLAPP statutes, but it did threaten citizens right to petition or warn the government on public safety issues. It also prompted Congress to protect people retroactively who report suspicious behavior. The defendants were anonymous citizens whose complaints about what they considered suspicious behavior by six Muslim imams on a flight in late 2006 led US Airways to remove the clerics from the plane. In a 2007 federal lawsuit claiming discrimination, the imams sued the airline, the Minneapolis airport, and several of the passengers who had complained.
But in August 2007, the flying imams dropped all claims against the passengers after Congress approved legislation to protect passengers from retaliatory lawsuits for reporting potentially terror-related activity. Under the measure, as in an anti-SLAPP law, if the plaintiffs cannot prove that a passenger lied in his complaint to the government, they can be held responsible for all court and legal fees. The imams saw the handwriting on the wall, said Representative Peter King, the New York Republican who promoted the bill. Gerry Nolting, a lawyer who represented a passenger, also without a fee, said that the imams might never have filed their suit if Minnesota had on its books an anti-SLAPP law like Californias.
Anti-SLAPP laws are a very powerful tool, agreed Roger Myers, an attorney who specializes in using the law to defend journalists in libel claims. There has been a fairly dramatic decline in the number of libel cases being filed here in California.
Last May, the Islamic Society of Boston dropped its suit against the Boston Herald, a local Fox news channel, journalist Steven Emerson, and 14 others. The Society had accused the defendants of libel and of infringing its civil rights by claiming that it had funded terrorist organizations, received money from Saudi Arabia, and bought land for a mosque below market value from the City of Boston.
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.
Three crew members of a North Korean ship who were wounded in fighting with pirates off the coast of Somalia and treated earlier by U.S. medics were admitted to a hospital in Aden, officials said Tuesday.
(PTI) In contradictory signals, Pakistan's top government lawyer today told the Supreme Court that the general elections would be held as scheduled while the President's Constitutional Adviser ruled out such a possibility. Attorney General Malik Qayyum also told the apex court that there was "no martial law in the country and the army has not taken over the affairs of the government".
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Secretary General Fazlur Rehman said on Tuesday that holding free and fair elections is the only way out of the current political crisis.
October 31 2007: 0330 LT: Lagos, Nigeria. Three pirates armed with knives boarded a tanker drifting. They took hostage the duty A/B and O/S and tied them up. They threatened the O/S with knives on his throat and asked him to open the accommodation doors but the O/S did not have the key. Two of the pirates then went to the bridge and assaulted the 2nd Officer. The next watch keeper woke up and saw the movements on poop deck and raised the alarm. All crew mustered. Pirates escaped with ship's stores, property, crew personal belongings and cash. First aid administered to the O/S who received knife injuries. Port control informed.
Ambassador Munir Akram complained that Ban Ki-moon was meddling in Pakistan's affairs by saying the country should return to democratic rule. 
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad bragged that his country's nuclear program is "irreversible," in a nationally-televised speech on Wednesday. "Today, we've reached 3,000 centrifuges," he said - two months after announcing that his country had "more than 3,000 centrifuges working... with more being installed every week."
Lebanon's parliament speaker is expected to postpone for the third time a special session to elect a president, officials said on Tuesday, as the deadline to replace the current pro-Syrian head of state nears. "We are expecting the session to be postponed although we are keeping the door open for an election to take place November 12," said Antoine Nasrallah, a spokesman for candidate Michel Aoun, who heads the opposition Change and Reform bloc in parliament.
Former Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam accused Syrian President Bashar Assad of seeking to hamper Lebanese presidential elections to torpedo the international tribunal that would try suspects in the 2005 assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister Rafik Hariri and related crimes.
