To grasp the severity of Lt. Gen. Michael D. Barberos $40-fertilizer-bomb problem, it helps to consider some much bigger numbers.
Barbero heads a U.S. military command, with an annual budget of about $2.8 billion, that was created to stem U.S. casualties from insurgent bombs. In just the past few months, he has shelled out $24 million for a new hand-held ground-penetrating radar, $33 million for mini-surveillance robots and $19 million for bomb-resistant underwear.
The insurgents weapon of choice in Afghanistan is at the other end of the price spectrum: a plastic jug filled with ammonium nitrate fertilizer. So far this year, these cheap, hard-to-detect bombs have wounded about 3,200 U.S. soldiers and Marines, up 22 percent from 2010, according to the Pentagon.
We are sweeping more and more of this stuff off the battlefield, Barbero said of the fertilizer bombs. But it just keeps coming, and it keeps growing.
I imagine that Pakistani producers don't have a very impressive profit margin, so could be easily convinced to add some additives provided by the US to neutralize any use of it for explosives. And then monitor the factory and company to see who calls to complain.
And it could also be taken to a higher level. If the fertilizer company doesn't want to play ball, arrange a purchaser who will not only buy the company, but increase production, to flood the market with cheap fertilizer.
If you have to go to that much trouble, you should add an encapsulated second additive to the fertilizer that is an herbicide specific to poppies.
A Muslim Brotherhood rally in Cairo's most prominent mosque Friday turned into a venomous anti-Israel protest, with attendants vowing to "one day kill all Jews."
Some 5,000 people joined the rally, called to promote the "battle against Jerusalem's Judaization." The event coincided with the anniversary of the United Nations' partition plan in 1947, which called for the establishment of a Jewish state. No wonder EU likes them so much
An Egyptian police officer, dubbed by protesters 'The Eye Hunter', is suspected of targeting demonstrators by shooting them in the eyes.
First Lieutenant Mahmoud Sobhi El Shinawi has been ordered by Egypt's general prosecutor to submit to questioning over the suspected shootings.
Video evidence recorded by protesters allegedly show that El Shinawi was involved in the attacks on at least five demonstrators, which have been posted on Facebook. A spokesperson for the country's general prosecutor told CNN: 'The Ministry of Interior is preoccupied by the latest events, but he will come in for questioning soon.'
And protesters, who call El Shinawi 'The Eye Hunter' want justice too and have sprayed graffiti spelling 'wanted' over images of his face, name and rank on Tahrir Square walls in Cairo. Protesters have also been handing out fliers in the square identifying him and offering a reward of 5,000 Egyptian pounds (£53) for information leading to El Shinawi.
El Shinawi is said to be a 'highly trained marksman', CNN was told by an Interior Ministry spokesman.
One victim, Ahmed Harrara, was blinded by being shot in both eyes in separate attacks 10 months apart. He was first shot on January 28 and then once again in his other eye last Sunday with a rubber bullet. He should count his blessings: the sniper was so good Ahmed only lost his eyes, and nothing behind them...
[An Nahar] The trial of deposed Libyan leader Moammar Qadaffy's son Seif al-Islam could be held in Libya under the auspices of the International Criminal Court ... where Milosevich died of old age before being convicted ... , its chief prosecutor said Friday.
"The prosecutor proposed as a third possibility that the ICC might, subject to judges' approval, conduct the trial against Seif al-Islam in Libya," Luis Moreno-Ocampo said in a document before the Hague-based court.
He also proposed two other options, namely Libya asking the ICC to decide whether a Libyan court could prosecute Seif, or Libyan courts trying Seif for other crimes, for which he is wanted in Libya, with the ICC prosecuting him on a separate charge of crimes against humanity.
The ICC's mandate says it can only prosecute those accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes if a state's national courts are unwilling or unable to investigate and prosecute them.
Moreno-Ocampo's report to ICC judges follows a visit to Tripoli this week to meet Libyan authorities for talks on jurisdiction in the case.
Moammar Qadaffy's one-time heir apparent, Seif, 39, was nabbed almost a week ago in Libya's southern Saharan region after three months on the run.
He and Qadaffy's former spymaster, Abdullah al-Senussi, 62, are wanted on ICC arrest warrants issued on June 27 for crimes against humanity when trying to put down the north African country's bloody revolt, sparked in February.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/26/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Maybe the ICC should look into putting on trial some of the European leaders for lying about their countries' economic figures?
For example the figures supplied by the Greeks were false.
#2
The Libyans would be well advised to calmly announce that they may only consider ICC involvement in their affairs once they become members of the ICC. Until then, involvement of the ICC would be "premature", as it has no jurisdiction or authority in Libya, or in Libyan jurisprudence.
Or, as the Canadians might say, "Take off, you hosers."
[An Nahar] Soddy Arabia's ruling al-Saud dynasty should give up power, a hardline senior Iranian holy man said Friday, warning that the fate of Egypt's toppled president Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... awaits King of the Arabians, Sheikh of the Burning Sands #65;bdullah ... Fifth out of 37 sons of King Abdulaziz to ascend to the throne. He is, after his half-brothers Bandar and Musa'id, the third eldest of the living sons of Abdul Aziz ibn Saud. Abdullah's mother is from the Rashid clan, longtime rivals of the Saud. He has 6 sons and 15 daughters and about $20 billion. His youngest son is just seven years old...
"You should give up power and leave it to the people. They will establish a people's government," Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati said in the weekly Moslem prayers at Tehran University.
"It is better for the al-Saud to awaken. The fate of the Egyptian pharaoh (Hosni Mubarak) and that of the (fallen) strongmen in Libya and Tunisia, ultimately, awaits the Saudi pharaoh (King Abdullah)... You should be careful," he said, as worshippers chanted "Death to al-Saud."
His remarks, broadcast on state radio, follow protests this week among the Shiite minority in Soddy Arabia's oil-rich east, resulting in four deaths since Sunday.
Shiite activists in Arab states of the Gulf are frequently accused of having links with their co-religionists in the Islamic republic.
On Wednesday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal accused Iran of interfering in neighboring Gulf states.
Tensions have heightened between Tehran and Riyadh following a U.S. allegations of an Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington, something Tehran has repeatedly denied.
Another point of contention between the two has been the Saudi military intervention in March in the Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdom of Bahrain to help its government quash pro-democracy protests led by the Shiite majority there.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/26/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
The Saudis will pay for any war between US/Israel and Iran.
To win the WOT we also need to help India beat the Pak army.
Posted by: Paul D ||
11/26/2011 8:12 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Not just the Pak Army. Pakistan needs to be redesigned from the ground up, with a lot fewer Pakistanis, in a manner of speaking. Here is an ethnographic map:
Pakistanis East of the Indus river are Punjabi and Sindhi. They are the more "orderly" Pakistanis, who should be the substance of the future Pakistan.
West of the Indus river are the troublemakers.
The best bet would be that Pakistani Baluchistan be split off and combined with Iranian Baluchistan into a new nation, with their income being the port at Gwadar, which is substantial as a major deep water port built by the Chinese, and a good amount of unexploited mineral wealth (that the Iranians currently use in support of their nuclear program, thus depriving them of that).
North of there, Pushtu Pakistan should become part of the new nation of (exclusively Pushtu) southern Afghanistan, with the rather orderly Chitrali people in northern Pakistan becoming part of the new nation of northern Afghanistan.
This would combine disorderly peoples in such a way as to make them more orderly, eliminating much smuggling by eliminating borders, thus making smuggling far less profitable, and it would also reduce Pakistan from an international threat to an ordinary nation, while not empowering the disruptive elements.
Not perfect, which would mean a lot of genocide, but not bad.
[Iran Press TV] The Unites Nation says millions of people in North Korea will need food aid in the upcoming year, warning about rising levels of malnutrition among young childre Yesterday it was "sea of fire," today it's "starving children."
"Nearly three million people will continue to require food assistance in 2012," AFP quoted a report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Program (WFP) as saying on Friday.
"Hospital staff told the assessment mission of a significant increase in malnutrition among young children," the Rome-based agencies said after a visit to the East Asian nation.
The report cited officials in a number of pediatric wards, who indicated a 100 percent increase in the number of cases admitted for malnutrition since April, in comparison with the same period in 2010.
The report estimated North Korea's harvest this year to be around 8.5 percent higher than 2010 but warned that domestic production and food imports were not sufficient to meet the needs.
"There remains an uncovered cereal deficit of 414,000 tons," it said.
FAO and WFP called on North Korea to turn to more mechanized and more efficient forms of farming in order to increase productivity, which remains way short of catching up with that of neighboring South.
Kisan Gunjal, an economist at FAO, said paddy yields at 4.3 tons per hectare in North Korea are about 60 percent of those in neighboring South Korea.
"This productivity gap represents a potential for the North to increase its farm output and eliminate chronic food shortages by adopting appropriate technology, inputs and measures," Gunjal said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/26/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
"This productivity gap represents a potential for the North to increase its farm output and eliminate chronic food shortages by adopting appropriate technology, inputs and measures," Gunjal said.
But enough about such folly. Let's talk about what's really important: The dire necessity for the Norks to have nukes, and how it will improve the lives of their people.
#2
The big problem the South Korean have is what to do with their spare rice. This is so high because the South Korean government, is subsiding it so much.
#7
Water Modem: The t-shirt design doesn't really need the caption, though I like the use of the recycle logo. I wonder if it could be artistically blended with the biohazard logo?
BTW, you can make Soylent Green by spraying some unflavored Ry-Krisps with green food coloring. As an added irony, they are made by Ralcorp, that was spun off by Ralston-Purina. So properly you can call them "People Chow".
Racism and demands for special treatment greet staff at Odense University Hospital
These are some of the wounded 15th November arrived in Denmark, which now make trouble at the hospital in Odense.
- How would a wounded Dane man feel about 'country' on a stranger hospital? I understand that these problems arise, says senior consultant Niels Dieter Rock from Odense University Hospital.
Oxygen cylinders and a lit cigarette is not the world's best presentation. But smoking is just one of the requirements that a group of wounded Libyans places during their stay at Odense University Hospital.
Since the wounded were flown to Denmark 15 November, the hospital's doctors and nurses also had to contend with racist remarks and demands for special treatment of the injured. According Ekatrabladet information will men for example have a female interpreter.
The problems were so severe that hospital management has asked the Libyan authorities to send people to the hospital to solve problems -- and it has helped.
- We have said that we would have someone to come and talk properly with them and explain how the terms are in Denmark, explains chief executive Niels Dieter Rock Extra Bladet.
He stresses, however, that he understands that the problems arose.
- When you are brought from a war zone and nestled in one of the defense aircraft and ends at a Danish hospital, where we have a completely different culture, so it may not surprise some that we have some problems.
#2
You have to wonder how much of this is arrogant Libyan, and how much is a reasonable rejection of Danish P.C. in their face.
P.C. people are always amazed and appalled when outsiders neither respect nor appreciate their contrived local rules. This has given me great glee in past.
#3
people are always amazed and appalled when outsiders neither respect nor appreciate their contrived local rules Now & then native Americans of different tribal backgrounds will start to argue among themselves about their taboos & customs. Hilarity does not ensue.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A group of students from the United Arab Emirates have demanded an apology from Charlotte Douglas airport security officials and an airline after they were removed from a Washington-bound flight and questioned.
Sorry. But your co-religiists are at war with us, and there are consequences. When you get home you might want to denounce the idiot jihadis who caused you such embarrassment.
According to a report from ABC News affiliate WJLA in Washington, D.C., several members of the group were removed from U.S. Airways flight 1768 from Charlotte to Washington and questioned by police. The process caused a nearly five-hour delay. According to flight data, the flight was supposed to take off at 4:35 p.m. Thursday, but did not make its way down the runway until 9:30 p.m.
U.S. Airways officials said a "security issue" led to several passengers -- namely the students from the UAE -- to be rescreened before the flight was cleared for flight.
Sorry, that's the captain's perogative. He doesn't have to take anyone he considers a threat to his crew and passengers.
However, several people in that group are demanding an apology from airport security and U.S. Airways, WJLA reports.
No doubt they will get an apology. Equally no doubt it will be a meaningless pro forma.
"We want an apology and an explanation to why they took us off the plane and then left us there," Yaqoob Al-Shamsi, one of the passengers removed from the flight, told WJLA. "We were emotionally hurt. We want them to tell people that they didn't do anything."
U.S. Airways officials only said a "security issue" was reported. They said they took all the bags off the flight, rescreened them, and put them back on. But they wouldn't comment on how they dealt with passengers.
Students, though, said security officers came on board their plane. "He told me, 'Get your bag and leave the plane now,'" Al-Dhaheri said. Other members of the group said authorities questioned them about the reason for their visit to the nation's capital as well as where they were from and whether they had military training and experience.
"They were questioned a lot," student Salem Al-Mansoori said. "I mean, 'What do you do every day, where do you go.'"
Al-Mansoori said he is training to be a pilot. Al-Dhaheri said he switched seats because he received a different boarding card. He also said that according to security officers, passengers reported they heard the group talking about airplanes and the military while on board. Sources said that's when some passengers reported them.
Three strikes and you're out, my dear. Sorry. Separately, a hearty "Well done!" to the captain, the security team, and the passengers who reported our high-spirited visitors.
#1
Oh holy heck. If they didn't screen the heck out of these guys, they would have been sorely remiss. And I bet once back in the plane, they were joined by several armed air marshals.
1) Traveling as a group.
2) Studying to be a pilot.
3) Talking about planes and military subjects.
4) Flying to Washington, D.C.
5) Native to a country with ongoing agitation and infiltration by Iran.
6) Freaking Muslims.
7) Switching seats.
If I had been on that flight, I would have demanded a different plane. FTS.
#5
In early February 1999, Clarke met with Al Maktoum, one of the UAE royals who was known to hunt with Bin Laden, in the UAE. Al Maktoum was a big supporter of the Taliban and al-Qaeda. And although people often forget, two of the 9-11 hijackers were citizens of the UAE and the vast majority of money supporting the attacks flowed through the UAE.
The 9/11 Commission Report has six references to the UAE, most of which can be found on page 138. One of these suggests that but for the cooperation of the UAE, we would have killed Bin Ladin two years in advance of September 11.
#6
They should apologize for creating such an inconvenience and their visas should be revoked to make an example out of them. I don't believe they were terrorists but I do believe they were playing games with the other passengers and the system and probably contacted Cair ahead of time.
[Dawn] Minister for Interior, Rehman Malik Pak politician, current Interior Minister under the Gilani administration. Malik is a former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) intelligence officer who rose to head the FIA during Benazir Bhutto's second tenure. He later joined the Pak Peoples Party and was chief security officer to Bhutto. Malik was tossed from his FIA job in 1998 after documenting the breath-taking corruption of the Sharif family. By unhappy coincidence Näwaz Shärif became PM at just that moment and Malik moved to London one step ahead of the button men. on Friday said Pakistain would not initiate a dialogue with local Taliban unless they lay down arms and give up terrorism.
A move of Taliban to end war voluntarily would be welcomed, Rehman Malik, along with United Kingdom's Home Secretary, Theresa May told media persons after visiting Police Lines Headquarters here.
He asked them to surrender by disarming themselves and refrain from playing into the hands of the enemy.
He said Pakistain had suffered billions of dollars losses in its war against terror and the international community should realize that this war was being fought to protect the world from the ravages of terrorism and to promote peace.
He said Pakistain and United Kingdom share a powerful interest in fighting the extremism and terrorism that threatens people in both countries as well as the whole world.
Replying to a question about activities of Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, he said, there is a democracy in Pakistain and courts are free to decide independently. Hafiz Saeed has been sprung by court, he added.
On a question about killing of former Afghanistan's Caped President, Prof Burhanuddin Rabbani ... the gentlemanly murdered legitimate president of Afghanistan... , Malik said he was a friend of Pakistain and his murder was sorrowful for both Pakistain and Afghanistan.
He said Prof Rabbani was making efforts for peace and it was Pakistain's responsibility to hunt down his killers, who had tried to disrupt the peace initiatives and damage Pak-Afghan ties.
The minister also mentioned the recent meetings of President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari ... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ... and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani ... Pakistain's erstwhile current prime minister, whose occasional feats of mental gymnastics can be awe-inspiring ... with Afghanistan's Caped PresidentHamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... in which it was decided that Pakistain would help the Afghan authorities in the investigation of his killing.
He said an Afghan delegation during its visit to Pakistain held meetings with Pakistain's law enforcement agencies' officials and has been assured cooperation with regard to find out killers of Prof. Rabbani.
Theresa May told media that UK recognises Pakistain's sacrifices in fighting terrorism and would stand with Pakistain to combat terrorism and extremism.
She also expressed sympathy with the families of those who have sacrificed their lives in the war against terrorism. Around 36,000 Paks including 3,500 coppers have laid down their lives in the war against terror.
Earlier, both leaders met with the families of victims of terrorism and acknowledged their sacrifices.
Upon their arrival at police lines headquarters, they were presented guard of honour and also laid floral wreath at Martyrs' monument.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/26/2011 00:00 ||
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#4
OTOH DEFENCE FORUM INDIA > IRAN'S NUCLEAR SHOWDOWN STILL SHORT OF WAR.
Again, Iran will prefer to stay on the strategic defensive AMAP ALAP, which in its mind means or infers that the burden is on the US + ISRAEL, etal. to attack it - NOT JUST TO STRIKE IRAN, BUT TO INVADE + OCCUPY IT.
IRAN EITHER GETS ITS NUKES, OR ELSE IRAN GETS INVADED.
[An Nahar] The U.N.'s human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions... chief is in contact with the Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... over its efforts to end the deadly crackdown on protests in Syria, a U.N. front man said Friday.
The League said Thursday it wants U.N. help in its showdown with Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad The Scourge of Hama... , and diplomats said the League may want a U.N. contribution to an international observer mission that Syria is refusing to let in.
U.N. Secretary General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... is "extremely concerned at the escalating crisis and mounting corpse count in Syria" and is ready to help the vaporous Arab League, said U.N. front man Martin Nesirky, without giving details of what the Arab body is asking for.
Nesirky told news hounds however that the office of U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay "is in contact with the secretariat of the League of Arab States" over the request.
Ban backs "the Arab League's proposal to send an observer mission to protect civilians in Syria and strongly urges the Syrian authorities to give their consent and full cooperation as demanded by the League."
On top of the Arab League request, the U.N. General Assembly's human rights committee passed a resolution this week calling on Ban to provide support to the Arab League.
"The Secretary-General is ready to provide the support needed in accordance with his functions and within the framework of the U.N.'s cooperation with the League of Arab States," said the front man.
Diplomats said it was likely the Arab League wanted U.N. experts involved in any international observer mission.
The U.N. Human Rights Council has already set up an investigation into the Syria crackdown, which the U.N. says has left at least 3,500 dead. The Syrian government has refused to give access to U.N. rights monitors but the investigation is to release a preliminary report on Monday.
The Arab League gave Syria until Friday to agree to let in an observer mission, but Assad's government has not responded. Arab League foreign ministers will now meet in Cairo Sunday to discuss possible sanctions.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/26/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Whew! An alliance sure to work. I can sleep well at nights now that the Mideast has been straightened out.
[An Nahar] Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Wally Jumblat ... Druze politician, head of the Progressive Socialist Party, who's been on every side in Leb at least four times. He'll sell you his friends for a dollar, but family comes higher because of shipping and handling... has described the situation in Leb and the crisis on the funding of the Special Tribunal for Leb as an "open bazaar over strange things."
When asked by As Safir daily to comment about the situation, Jumblat, who is currently in Brussels, said he prefers to stay away from Lebanese politics and its "absurdities."
"I don't want to disturb my visit (to Belgium) which I carried out to participate in a ceremony" in honor of European socialist Poul Rasmussen, "who has contributed to the support for the international tribunal and backed us when we were in the March 14 Those are the good guys, insofar as Leb has good guys... " forces, the PSP chief said.
Jumblat did not make any comment about reports that the ministers representing him in the cabinet would resign if the government failed to fund the STL.
Asked by al-Liwaa newspaper about the issue, an informed political source said that Jumblat along with Premier Najib Miqati have worked hard to make the government function.
"But there are always people who put sticks in its wheels," the source told al-Liwaa.
"If Leb doesn't fund the international tribunal and rejects to abide by international resolutions, it would be put in a confrontation with the international community," the source said. "That's why Jumblat is seeking to cooperate with the (Lebanese) officials to stir the country away from trouble."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/26/2011 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The March 8-led cabinet criticized the performance of Prime Minister Najib Miqati concerning certain issues saying it benefits the March 14 Those are the good guys, insofar as Leb has good guys... opposition movement, An Nahar newspaper reported on Friday.
Sources in the March 8 leadership told the daily that the majority is holding onto Miqati and trying to safeguard him from the opposition campaigns against him.
However, alcohol has never solved anybody's problems. But then, neither has milk... the sources said that the coalition rejects some policies adopted by the PM because at the end they will only benefit the March 14-led opposition.
"Miqati isn't carrying out the role that Leb should be playing at the Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... meeting," the sources noted.
They added that Miqati refuses to "tackle the issue of false witnesses, the criticism by the cabinet members of a number of officers in the Internal Security Forces, and the campaign against the army."
Former Free Patriotic Movement Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic... minister Mario Aoun told Voice of Leb radio (93.3) that his party isn't satisfied with the performance of the cabinet; however, he said the FPM "will not agree on transforming it into a caretaking cabinet."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/26/2011 00:00 ||
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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.
International Criminal Court
King of the Arabians, Sheikh of the Burning Sands #65;bdullah
North Korea
Asif Ali 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Walid 
Najib Miqati
