Posted on 12/17/2006 4:03:30 PM PST by DAVEY CROCKETT
http://www.koat.com/news/10557736/detail.html
Chat Room Leads To Two Deaths
POSTED: 9:20 pm MST December 17, 2006
UPDATED: 10:18 pm MST December 17, 2006
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- A meeting in a chat room has led to a woman bound and strangled and two deaths in Albuquerque.
Several hours after they started, police still continue to work this strange case.
A case where two people are dead and likely no one will end up behind bars.
Medical examiners haul two bodies away from Blake's Cr. in southwest Albuquerque Sunday evening.
One man was shot to death and the other was a female was bound, and suffered from suffocation.
This is a bizarre case even for law enforcement veteran John Walsh.
"This is one I have not seen before," commented Walsh.
He said officers started on this case around 2 a.m. Sunday.
Walsh said, "A male and a female had gone on a chat line, the internet if you will, and agreed to meet at University and Menaul."
That's where the two agreed to meet on Blake in southwest Albuquerque and where she was going to perform a dance.
At that time, police said the man did not know that the girls boyfriend was in the vehicle as well.
A short time later, police said the man and woman who met online went inside a mobile home on Blake, police said the boyfriend hid in the car.
"About an hour later the boyfriend out in the car became concerned," said Walsh.
Police said he went to the mobile home to confront the other man.
Police said the man from the mobile home pulled a gun and the boyfriend who also had a gun fired in self defense killing the man. They said the boyfriend rushed inside to find his girlfriend dead.
"Strangled to death she was bound partially clothed and she was dead," said Walsh.
Police said the woman was bound with duct tape.
Due to the oddity of this case police are taking their time, they are not saying what type of agreements the two made online, in relation to that dance, why the boyfriend hid in the car or if the woman was sexually assaulted.
Police said early indicators point to the boyfriend acting in self defence. At this time he is not facing any charges.
Copyright 2006 by KOAT.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
I am giving up here, when you start seeing "Kitty Angels".
http://www.koat.com/slideshow/entertainment/10509164/detail.html?qs=;s=49;w=320
I started here, put a smile on my face, Christmas kitties,
maybe #9 or 32, as 32 has practiced on the toilet paper roll all year:
http://www.koat.com/slideshow/entertainment/10509164/detail.html
http://www.koat.com/news/10535860/detail.html
Santa Fe County Jail Prisoner Dies From Infection
POSTED: 1:37 pm MST December 14, 2006
SANTA FE, N.M. -- A Santa Fe County jail prisoner who escaped and was caught a month later has died more than four months after he hanged himself in the jail.
Attorneys for 33-year-old Aaron Michael Torraco said he died Tuesday from an infection at an Albuquerque treatment center where he'd been hospitalized.
Torraco walked out of the jail's front door on June 20. He'd been on his way to help a crew paint the jail's visiting area.
Click here to find out more!
He was nabbed in Albuquerque on July 22.
He hanged himself a day later in an administrative segregation cell, and had been in a vegetative state since then.
One of his attorneys, Tom Clark, said Torraco suffered a massive brain injury and never recovered from internal injuries.
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press.
Air Madrid's License Suspended Stranding Thousands
Privately-owned, low-cost Spanish carrier Air Madrid had its flying
license
suspended Saturday by Spain's Civil Aviation authority, just hours
following
the troubled carrier's announcement it was ceasing operations.
Some 120,000 people are stranded in Spain and abroad, according to
company
Secretary Pascual Perez Ocana, having flown only one leg of their
return
tickets. Spanish National Radio says that 300,000 people have flights
booked
with the two-year old airline.
Air Madrid has been unable to resolve problems causing repeated flight
delays according to the Spanish government. Additionally, the agency
overseeing aviation in the country says the airline has a number of
unresolved security issues. The airline's continuing problems have
devastated both the carrier's ticket sales and its credibility.
According to a Civil Aviation statement, "This decision has been taken
with
total independence of the absolutely irresponsible and unilateral
behavior
of the company."
The company's announced it was ceasing all flights on Friday, blaming
its
decision on the government. It didn't address whether it was going out
of
business or when it might resume flying.
In a statement Air Madrid said it was giving a list of ticket-holders
to the
Civil Aviation authority for it to "adopt whatever measures it might
deem
appropriate to compensate them for the damage its conduct has caused."
Air Madrid also said that ticket sales had fallen dramatically since a
development ministry statement last Tuesday threatened the suspension
following serious flight delays.
On Friday, Spain's Development Ministry said the government was
chartering
between four and six jumbo-sized planes to repatriate the neediest
stranded
passengers.
The government also said it would take legal action against the airline
and
claim back from Air Madrid $6.6 million in funding for the emergency
flights.
Air Madrid was founded in 2004 and has 1,270 employees. In addition to
Latin America, it had routes to London, Paris, Rome, Tel Aviv and the
Balearic
Islands in the Mediterranean.
FMI: www.airmadrid.com
aero-news.net
[unknown url, from newsletter]
Pilot in Okla. Crash Charged in 3 Deaths
JAY, Okla.(AP) -- A pilot who survived the crash of a small plane that
killed three passengers was arrested Sunday and charged with
manslaughter,
authorities said.
Brent Caldwell, 30, did not have a valid pilot's license and was under
the
influence of alcohol at the time of the Saturday evening crash, said
Trooper
Kera Philippi, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol spokeswoman. The level of
alcohol
in his blood was not immediately available.
The fixed-wing, single-engine Bellanca registered to Caldwell crashed
into
Grand Lake, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Witnesses said
they
saw the plane flying very low but heard no engine noise before it
struck the
water.
The pilot told police the plane lost power before it hit the water. The
plane was found in 10 to 12 feet of water, Philippi said.
The pilot stated he was flying to Tulsa, but his aircraft was traveling
eastbound away from Tulsa when it went down, Philippi said. Jay is
about 80
miles northeast of Tulsa.
Killed were Mariano Carlos, 15, and Eduardo Ortiz Robles, 20, and
Campos
Gonzalez, 33, the patrol said. They were pinned under water and were
pronounced dead at the scene.
Caldwell hospitalized with head and internal injuries, authorities
said. He
was being held Sunday in jail. Authorities said no bond was set for him
and
that he is scheduled to appear before a judge Monday. Jail records did
not
indicate whether he had an attorney.
Iran bloggers test regime's tolerance
Iran bloggers test regime's tolerance
Push boundaries of political dissent
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/12/18/iran_bloggers_test_regimes_tolerance?mode=PF
By James F. Smith and Anne Barnard, Globe Staff | December 18, 2006
TEHRAN -- By day, Alireza Samiei covers banking and insurance for an
industry
newspaper. By night, he writes a daring online blog about Iran's social
and
political ills.
In a recent blog entry, he described a scene he saw while talking to a
greengrocer about soaring prices: A young child was pleading, " 'Mommy,
I want
watermelon.' The woman, shy and sorrowful, singled out one broken,
small
watermelon from the spoiled fruit bin and told the grocer, 'Just this
one,
please.' She put 20 cents on the counter and hurried away."
Samiei, 27, is among the growing ranks of Iranian bloggers who are
relentlessly pushing the boundaries of free expression, making Farsi
one of
the 10 most popular languages for blogs. The bloggers are testing just
how
much political and social dissent the nation's rulers will tolerate on
the
Internet.
The authorities are pushing back. They have blocked access to thousands
of
websites in recent years that are deemed to threaten Iran's Islamic
revolution, including the BBC's Farsi-language site. A trial began this
month
against four bloggers on charges including propaganda against the
state. And
in October, the government barred high-speed Internet service in
private
homes.
Especially threatening, it appears, are sites that create online
communities
that might allow Iranians to assemble virtually. The government banned
the
hugely popular Orkut site, an online Iranian social club. The latest
casualty
this month: YouTube.com, the American site for sharing videos online.
Click on
it in Iran and the screen reports, "Access denied."
The Paris-based rights group Reporters Without Borders includes Iran on
its
list of 13 countries designated "enemies of the Internet." That
organization's
website is also blocked in Iran.
The organization said repression of bloggers has eased somewhat in
2006. But
in a report in November, the group said Internet filtering has
accelerated,
with two political sites, tik.ir and meydaan.com, closed down in recent
weeks.
Both had criticized the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
continued.........
Today in History:
December 18, 1958 - Niger
Republic Day
No information provided.
December 18, 1914 - Egypt
British Protectorate Declared
Britain declared a formal protectorate over Egypt that lasted until February 28, 1922, when Britain unilaterally declared Egypt independent in deference to growing nationalist sentiment.
Upcoming Significant Events:
December 19, (year unknown) - Philippines
Armed Forces Day
No information provided.
December 19, 1944 - Vietnam
Army Day
Celebrates the founding of the Vietnam People's Army (VPA).
December 20, 1989 - Panama
U.S. Intervenes in Panama
U.S. military forces intervened in Panama to protect the 35,000 Americans residing there and to install a democratically-elected government. Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega surrendered to U.S. forces on January 3, 1990 after having taken refuge in the papal nunciature.
December 20, 2003 - Nepal
Maoist attack kills three soldiers
Maoists using automatic machine guns and motorcycles attack an army vehicle that was transporting cash of the state-owned Rastryiya Banijya Bank. Three soldiers were killed and one wounded in the attack.
December 21, 1640 - Portugal
Independence Day
No information provided.
December 21, 1948 - Ireland
Proclamation of the Republic
No information provided.
December 21, 1948 - Nepal
Independence Day
No information provided.
December 21, 1973 - Israel
Geneva Peace Conference Opens
No information provided.
December 21, 1975 - Austria
Attack on OPEC Conference
Pro-Palestinian guerrillas attacked an OPEC conference in Vienna, killing three people, wounding seven, and taking eighty-one hostage. Forty-one Austrian hostages were released in Vienna, while the rest were taken to Algeria and released on December 23, 1975.
December 21, 1988 - United Kingdom, United States
Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103
Pan Am Flight 103, outbound from London for New York with 259 people aboard, was destroyed by a bomb on December 21, 1988 while over Lockerbie, Scotland. All aboard the aircraft were killed as were eleven persons on the ground at Lockerbie.
December 21, 1991 - Commonwealth of Independent States
Founding of CIS
Eleven of the twelve former republics of the Soviet Union met in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan on December 21, 1991 and founded the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), thereby abolishing the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Founding members were Armenia, Azerbaijan, Byelarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
December 22, 1920 - Burma
National Day
National Day of the Union of Burma commemorates a boycott launched against the Rangoon University Act of the British, which allowed only the rich and a handful of anglophiles to receive higher education. Considered to be the beginning of the National Education Movement.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/12/17/utaliban117.xml
Taliban's 'ideological mentor' warns Musharaff
By Isambard Wilkinson in Islamabad, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 2:36am GMT 18/12/2006
# In pictures: Preparing to ambush the Taliban
# Afghan army takes fight to Taliban's heartland
The cleric accused of being the “ideological mentor” of the Taliban has issued a blunt warning to Pakistan’s president that he risks further radicalising his country if he alienates its religious leaders.
Fazlur Rehman
Fazlur Rehman
Fazlur Rehman, the maulana, or senior Muslim cleric who leads Pakistan’s powerful alliance of Islamic parties, used a rare interview with The Daily Telegraph to respond to a recent plea issued by General Pervez Musharraf for Pakistanis not to vote for “hypocrites” and “extremists”.
“With his poisonous propaganda against the religious parties, General Musharaff is trying to widen the gap between the religious circles and the liberals in the country,” said the influential cleric.
The military ruler’s call to Pakistanis to support moderates followed demands from the West to bring more secular parties into a broad-based political agreement in elections loosely scheduled for the end of next year.
But the maulana reminded the general that he holds the key to Pakistan’s controversial policy of bringing peace to the Afghan-Pakistan border where American and Nato troops are battling an increasingly virulent insurgency.
Gen Musharraf recently extricated Pakistan’s army from an unpopular and costly military campaign by brokering a peace agreement with pro-Taliban militants in North Waziristan.
“We have been helping create agreements throughout the tribal areas and what do we get in return? Musharraf calls us dangerous,” said Maulana Rehman.
continued.........
http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=8669#comment-406416
12/17/2006
Did We Nearly Lose Texas In A Nuke Explosion?
Filed under:
* General
— Uncle Dave @ 5:00 am
Thar she blows!
OK, maybe that headline is a tad overblown given the size of Texas, but given most people have forgotten we have nukes sitting around the country it’s rather disconcerting that one could have accidentally blown up. Or that nuke bomb techs being overworked!
Mishap in dismantling nuclear warhead
A watchdog group charges a nuclear warhead nearly exploded in Texas when it was being dismantled at the government’s Pantex facility near Amarillo.
The Project on Government Oversight says it has been told by knowledgeable experts that the warhead nearly detonated in 2005 because an unsafe amount of pressure was applied while it was being disassembled, The Austin American-Statesman reports.
The U.S. Energy Department fined the plant’s operators $110,000 last month.
An investigator for Project on Government Oversight says the weapon involved was a W-56 warhead with 100 times the destructive power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
The watchdog group says the problem was caused in part by technicians at the plant being required to work up to 72 hours each week.
They released an anonymous letter, reportedly sent by Pantex employees, warning that long hours and efforts to increase output were causing dangerous conditions at the plant.
A spokesperson for the Energy Department declined to respond to safety complaints in the letter.
Well with folks working on things like that who needs terrorists!!
It does make one wake up and give thought to what other folks do for a job.
I have to ask, why do they have so many bombs to dismantle, that they have to work 72 hours a week?
Could it be all those "it was nothing" items we read about?
I also wonder how close to Amarillo that plant is? Why in the world don't they do that out in the desert?
Better yet why don't we dismantle them in the middle east somewhere?
Here's something else I found while looking for the population of Amarillo.
[Fars, is this going in the right direction? will it help to bring peace?]
Iran reformist regains influence
Iran's moderate former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has won election to Iran's powerful clerical body, the Assembly of Experts, results show.
With more than half the votes counted, Mr Rafsanjani, who was defeated in the 2005 presidential election, had a clear lead at the top of the list.
The election - and simultaneous local polls - was seen as a test of support for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Early results suggest liberals and moderates have regained some influence.
Official results have not yet been announced in either of the two elections.
Political revival
Displaying what correspondents describe as a new lease of political life, Mr Rafsanjani led the poll with 1.3 million votes as counting continued.
IRANIAN ELECTIONS
Iranians are voting in two sets of elections
Assembly of Experts poll: Powerful clerical body which supervises the Supreme Leader
Local council polls: More than 250,000 candidates for around 100,000 seats nationwide
46.5 million eligible voters
He is almost half a million votes ahead of the second placed candidate.
His main rival, Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi - seen as a political mentor to President Ahmadinejad - is trailing in sixth place, but with enough votes to retain a seat on the Assembly of Experts.
Mr Rafsanjani's strong performance has exceeded his supporters' expectations after his humiliating defeat in 2005, the BBC's Sadeq Saba in Tehran says.
The assembly of 86 theologians supervises the activities of Iran's supreme leader and chooses his successor when he dies.
Mr Rafsanjani's success was helped by an unexpectedly high turnout and by a new alliance between him and the reformists, our correspondent says.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/6188207.stm
Published: 2006/12/17 18:17:44 GMT
© BBC MMVI
Tight security for Muhammad opera
Airport-style scanners will be used to search people attending a production of a Mozart opera in Berlin featuring the severed head of the Prophet Muhammad.
Security has been tightened because of fears of a Muslim backlash against Deutsche Oper's version of Idomeneo.
Jesus, Buddha and Greek god Poseidon are also decapitated in the show.
But Islamic tradition bans images of Muhammad, and there were violent protests around the world when a Danish newspaper printed 12 cartoons of him.
The production, by director Hans Neuenfels, received its premiere three years ago, and it was his idea to include the controversial twist with the religious icons.
It gained little attention at the time, but the subsequent riots over the Danish depictions meant that Monday's performance has generated controversy.
Criticism
In September, Berlin's opera house scrapped the show on police advice. But this decision received a mixed response in the German capital.
While some Muslim leaders praised the move, Kenan Kolat, who leads the country's Turkish community, branded it as a step back to "the Middle Ages".
Chancellor Angela Merkel and Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble were also unhappy about the cancellation.
And Mr Neuenfels himself was critical of the revival of his production, insisting his staging was not altered.
The scene in question, where the king of Crete presents the severed heads, was a protest against "any form of organised religion, or its founders", he added.
Police spokesman Berhard Schodrowski told the Associated Press that officers would be positioned around the venue and were "ready for any eventuality".
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/6189571.stm
Published: 2006/12/18 11:25:45 GMT
© BBC MMVI
[Interesting, almost the only good suspect, The Chechen, has tested negative.........]
I will not be silenced, says Russia critic
By Steven Shukor
BBC London
Akhmed Zakayev listened intently as his friend Alexander Litvinenko read out the names in an alleged Russian hit-list of political dissidents.
Mr Zakayev, a Chechen separatist, had just picked up Mr Litvinenko in central London and was driving him home to Muswell Hill, north London, where they were neighbours.
Hours earlier, on 1 November, Mr Litvinenko had been handed documents by Italian investigator Mario Scaramella at the now infamous Itsu sushi restaurant in Piccadilly.
The documents, it has been alleged, revealed information about the assassination of journalist and Putin detractor Anna Politkovskaya in Moscow in October.
They contained a list of enemies of the Kremlin, allegedly targeted for elimination by Russian secret services. The list included the names of Mr Scaramella and Mr Litvinenko.
As the pair headed towards north London, Mr Litvinenko, a former member of the Russian secret services, FSB, told Mr Zakayev he too was on the list.
"I was not surprised," said Mr Zakayev, the foreign minister of the Chechen government in exile and a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin. "I know they are coming for me."
The most important thing for them is to shut me up but I won't be silenced
Akhmed Zakayev
After being dropped off, Mr Litvinenko fell ill later that night and was hospitalised two days later. He died on 23 November, apparently from polonium-210 poisoning.
Kremlin officials have consistently denied any government or secret service involvement in the murder.
I met Mr Zakayev at the Piccadilly offices of a public relations agency which is co-ordinating the media interest.
Our first handshake was a little tentative. I had not yet asked him if he had been tested for polonium, but it was one of my first questions.
"Yes," was the delayed answer relayed to me by my Russian interpreter.
"Negative?" I asked, trying to convince myself I already knew the answer? "Yes."
I relaxed, but still could not bring myself to drink from the glass of water offered to me by office staff.
Mr Zakayev's car was also found to have no traces of the substance. However the documents handled by Mr Litvinenko were contaminated.
Terrorist acts
Mr Zakayev, 47, a field commander in the first Chechen war, was granted political asylum in the UK in November 2003 after fighting off an extradition request from Russia.
Authorities there accuse him of helping to prepare the theatre seizure in Moscow in 2002 and of taking part in other terrorist acts between 1996 and 1999. He denies the charges.
"I am grateful to Great Britain for having offered me safe refuge," said Mr Zakayev, who is a key witness in the Metropolitan Police's investigation into Mr Litvinenko's death.
"If you can't live in your home, there is no better place than Great Britain. Sasha [Alexander Litvinenko] and I both believed that.
"Whenever we discussed our security, Sasha always said [the Russian authorities] would never dare touch us here on British soil."
While in Moscow the two operated on opposite sides of the Chechen conflict.
Mr Zakayev said Mr Litvinenko became disillusioned with his paymasters over what he felt was an unjust war.
They linked up in London under the patronage of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky. Their circle expanded to include an older generation of Russian exiles, such as Oleg Gordievsky and Vladimir Bukovsky.
'No fear'
Mr Zakayev is anticipating a fresh attempt by Moscow to have him extradited in exchange for Russian help in the investigation into Mr Litvinenko's death.
He said he was prepared to be questioned in London by Russian investigators who have opened their own inquiry.
Mr Zakayev claims the Kremlin wants to silence him and others like him who speak out against the regime.
"I don't have anything to be afraid of because I know they will try anything to eliminate me.
"A person becomes a dissident when he or she doesn't fear any more.
"The most important thing for them is to shut me up. If I do that they will have achieved their objective with Sasha's killing. But I won't be silenced."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/6175627.stm
Published: 2006/12/14 05:21:07 GMT
© BBC MMVI
Interesting several papers have the report on the fine, and there is a report for having a safe plant from the Gov.
http://www.google.com/search?q=BWXT-Managed+Nuclear+Facility&client=netscape-pp&rls=com.netscape:en-US
http://www.google.com/search?q=Energy+defense+nuclear+facility+accident&btnG=Search&hl=en&lr=&rls=com.netscape%3Aen-US
http://www.google.com/search?q=BWXT-Managed+Nuclear+Facility+accident&btnG=Search&hl=en&lr=&rls=com.netscape%3Aen-US
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&rls=com.netscape%3Aen-US&q=Nuclear+Facility+accident&btnG=Search
Getting into others:
http://www.google.com/search?q=nuclear-weapons+plant&client=netscape-pp&rls=com.netscape:en-US
Too many:
http://www.google.com/search?q=nuclear-weapons+plant+accident&btnG=Search&hl=en&lr=&rls=com.netscape%3Aen-US
http://www.google.com/search?q=nuclear-weapons+plant+theft&btnG=Search&hl=en&lr=&rls=com.netscape%3Aen-US
The nuclear plant, is about the only way to get the high grade materials, all at once.
Dr. Bill talked once about the fact that it was not all kept in one place, said there was 7 places and no one person knew of all 7 of them.
He said he did not, after all the years that he has worked designing nuclear weapons for the U.S.
Better yet why don't we dismantle them in the middle east somewhere? <<<
Excellent idea.
Have a good day at work.
If the fool is dumb enough to steal and sell on the internet, he deserves to go to jail.
http://www.aliciapatterson.org/APF0404/Wolf/Wolf.html
Locking The Barn Door?
Safeguarding Nuclear Facilities
Ron Wolf
Interesting article, there is even a military tank on the property, for shooting robbers.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1754528/posts?page=9
Cuba renews ties with old ally Russia
Miami Herald ^ | Dec. 16, 2006 | JAIME SUCHLICKI
Posted on 12/16/2006 12:36:01 PM PST by Tailgunner Joe
In his first major policy initiative since assuming power, Gen. Raúl Castro signed a far-reaching military-aid agreement with Russia. In September, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, visited Cuba and signed an economic-aid pact providing Castro with $350 million in credits to upgrade Cuba's armed forces, including the acquisition of Russian transportation equipment, air-navigation systems, industrial goods for the energy sector and financing of future Russian investments in Cuba, among other projects. Fradkov met with Raúl Castro in a climate described as ''cordial and friendly'' by the Cuban press.
This accord with the Russians rounds out Cuba's international alliances with key strategic countries. They include Venezuela, China and Iran. Whether the Russian deal was in the making prior to Fidel Castro's surgery or developed as a more recent initiative, it reaffirms Raúl's long-standing admiration and support for Soviet policies in the past and for Russian policies in the present.
Consolidating power
As a young man, Raúl traveled behind the iron curtain and became a member of Cuba's Communist Party. Throughout the duration of the Soviet-Cuban relationship (1960-1990), Fidel and Raúl remained steadfast friends and supporters of Soviet policies, particularly in Africa, where several hundred thousand Cuban soldiers aided in bringing pro-Soviet and pro-Cuban regimes to power in the African continent. Raúl seems fascinated by the Soviet military and displays photos and statues of Soviet generals in his office.
It was only natural then that Raúl would turn to his old allies and friends for support as he consolidates power in Cuba. The Russians can provide his military dictatorship, in addition to weapons, with credits to purchase other Russian products. If the relationship with Venezuela were to sour or Venezuela decreases its oil shipments to Cuba, the Russians could step in and help. Much of Cuba's nonmilitary equipment is Russian made and requires upgrading and replacement. Finally, Russian international positions, influence in the U.N. Security Council and increasing defiance of U.S. policies, fit Raúl's world view and interests.
What can the Russians expect from a renewed relationship with Cuba? For starters the Russians haven't given up on what they claim is Cuba's debt from the Soviet era, approximately $20 billion. In 1991 I participated in a conference on Cuban-Russian relations in Moscow, and the Russian side, both academic and government officials, insisted that the Cuban debt should be paid. My response then was that, even if Cuba had the means, it would not recognize or pay that debt. Castro would always claim that Cuba's sacrifices in support of Soviet policies throughout the world far surpassed Russian economic help to Cuba. The debt seems to have been off the official agenda during Frandkov's visit.
Challenge to U.S. interests
The Russians also may be interested in resuming and expanding Cold War era espionage cooperation. The Soviet Union built the Lourdes electronic eavesdropping facility near Havana and used it to spy on U.S. military and technological secrets. It was closed by the Soviets following U.S. pressure in the 1990s, but could be recreated. The Chinese have established a similar facility in Bejucal, Cuba, and the Russians may look with envious eyes at the Chinese capacity to tap into U.S. military and civilian technology. Cooperation between the KGB and Stasi-trained Cuban espionage services, one of the best in the world, could resume, if it ever stopped, with the Cubans providing special help to the Russians.
It is yet too early to tell how far Cuban-Russian cooperation will advance or if it will represent a challenge to U.S. interests and security. Yet the new military-aid agreement and the new spirit of Russian-Cuban cooperation may indicate a continuous Cuban militancy and opposition to U.S. policies and a willingness to restart a relationship with an old, albeit much weaker and somewhat different, ally.
~~~~~~
http://www.google.com/search?q=China+has+stations+bases+in+Cuba&client=netscape-pp&rls=com.netscape:en-US
http://www.amigospais-guaracabuya.org/oagmc156.php
INSIDE BEJUCAL AND LOURDES BASES IN CUBA: A REAL THREAT
Manuel Cereijo
May 2002
Since 1998, in spite that very little has been written about the Bejucal base in Cuba, Cuba's system of international communications surveillance is in full operation. Most of what has been written has been ignored by US and European authoritities. Bejucal is an electronic espionage base used by the Cuban military intelligence to intercept and process international communications passing via communications satellites.
Other parts of the same system intercept messages from the Internet, from undersea cables, from radio transmissions, from secret equipment installed inside embassies, or use orbiting satellites to monitor signals anywhere on the earth's surface.
The world's most secret electronic surveillance system has its main origin in the former Soviet Union Lourdes base in Cuba.. In a deeper sense, it results from the invention of radio and the fundamental nature of telecommunications. The creation of radio permitted governments and other communicators to pass messages to receivers over transcontinental distances. But there was a penalty - anyone else could listen in. Previously, written messages were physically secure (unless the courier carrying them was ambushed, or a spy compromised communications). The invention of radio thus created a new importance for cryptography, the art and science of making secret codes. It also led to the business of signals intelligence, now an industrial scale activity.
Dozens oof advanced nations use sigint as a key source of intelligence. Even smaller European nations such as Denmark, the Netherlands or Switzerland have recently constructed small, stations to obtain and process intelligence by eavesdropping on civil satellite communications.
All of them are smaller than Cuba's Bejucal, and none of them are so close to the United States.
Everything produced in the Bejucal sigint base is marked by hundreds of special codewords that "compartmentalize" knowledge of intercepted communications and the systems used to intercept them.
The scale and significance of the global surveillance system has been transformed since 1980. The arrival of low cost wideband international communications has created a wired world. But few people are aware that the first global wide area network (WAN) was not the internet, but the international network connecting sigint stations and processing centers.
By the early 1970s, the laborious process of scanning paper printouts for names or terms appearing on the "watch lists" had begun to be replaced by automated computer systems. These computers performed a task essentially similar to the search engines of the internet. Prompted with a word, phrase or combination of words, they will identify all messages containing the desired words or phrases.
Their job, now performed on a huge scale, is to match the "key words" or phrases of interest to intelligence agencies to the huge volume of international communications, to extract them and pass them to where they are wanted. During the 1980s, the NSA developed a "fast data finder" microprocessor that was optimally designed for this purpose. It was later commercially marketed, with claims that it "the most comprehensive character-string comparison functions of any text retrieval system in the world". A single unit could work with:
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