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World Terrorism: News, History and Research Of A Changing World #4.
National Review Online ^ | August 02, 2006 | Walid Phares on the Mideast

Posted on 08/07/2006 3:43:15 PM PDT by DAVEY CROCKETT

Tehran & Damascus Move to Lebanon Lebanon-born Walid Phares is a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Author of the recent book Future Jihad, he was also one of the architects of 2004’s United Nations resolution 1559, which called for the disarming of Hezbollah. NRO editor Kathryn Lopez recently talked to Phares about what’s going on in the Mideast, what happened to the Cedar Revolution, and this war we’re all in.

Kathryn Jean Lopez: What is “Future Jihad”? Are we seeing it in the Mideast now?

Walid Phares: “Future Jihad,” which has already begun, refers to a new and potent form of Islamic terrorism, characterized by a Khumeinist-Baathist axis. These are the two trees of jihadism, so to speak — the Salafism and Wahabism embodied in al Qaeda and the sort of jihadism led by Iran and also including Syria, Hezbollah, and their allies in Lebanon.

The alliance has not been in entire agreement as to strategy. The al Qaeda branch began its “Future Jihad” in the 1990s; its efforts culminated on 9/11 and have continued explosively since then. The international “Salafists” aimed at the U.S. in the past decade in order to strengthen their jihads on various battlefields (Chechnya, India, Sudan, Algeria, Indonesia, Palestine, etc.). “Weaken the resolve of America,” their ideologues said, “and the jihadists would overwhelm all the regional battlefields.”

As I argue in Future Jihad, bin Laden and his colleagues miscalculated on the timing of the massive attack against the U.S. in 2001. While they wounded America, they didn’t kill its will to fight (as was the case, for instance, in the Madrid 3/11 attacks). I have heard many jihadi cadres online, and have seen al Jazeera commentators on television, offering hints of criticism about the timing. They were blaming al Qaeda for shooting its imagined “silver bullet” before insuring a strategic follow up. But bin Laden and Zawahiri believe 9/11 served them well, and has put a global mobilization into motion. Perhaps it has, but the U.S. counter strategy in the Middle East, chaotic as the region currently appears, has unleashed counter jihadi forces. The jury is still out as to the time factor: when these forces will begin to weaken the jihadists depends on our perseverance and the public understanding of the whole conflict.

The other “tree” of jihadism, with its roots in Iran, withheld fire after 9/11. They were content to watch the Salafists fight it out with the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan and Iraq, not to mention within the West, as terror cells were hunted down. Ahmedinejad, Assad, and Nasrallah were analyzing how far the US would go, and how far the Sunnis and Salafis would go as well.

The fall of the Taliban and of the Baath in Iraq, however, changed Iran and Syria’s patient plans. The political changes in the neighborhood, regardless of their immediate instability, were strongly felt in Tehran and Damascus (but unfortunately not in the U.S., judging from the political debate here), and pushed the Khumeinists and the Syrian Baathists to enter the dance, but carefully. Assad opened his borders to the jihadists in an attempt to crumble the U.S. role in Iraq, while Iran articulated al Sadr’s ideology for Iraq’s Shiia majority.

A U.S.-led response came swiftly in 2004 with the voting of UNSCR 1559, smashing Syria’s role in Lebanon and forcing Assad to withdraw his troops by April 2005. In response, the “axis” prepared for a counter attack on the Lebanese battlefield by assassinating a number of the Cedar Revolution leaders, including MP Jebran Tueni. In short, the attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah and the kidnappings of soldiers were the tip of an offensive aimed at drawing attention away from Iran’s nuclear weapons programs and Syria’s assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri. Hezbollah was awaiting its moment for revenge against the Cedar Revolution too.

What we see now is 1) a Syro-Iranian sponsored offensive aimed at all democracies in the region and fought in Lebanon; 2) Israel’s counter offensive (which it seems to have prepared earlier); and 3) an attempt by Hezbollah to take over or crumble the Lebanese government.

Lopez: So…did the Cedar Revolution fail?

Phares: Actually, it would be more accurate to say that the Cedar Revolution was failed. The masses in Lebanon responded courageously in March 2005 by putting 1.5 million people on the streets of Beirut. They did it without “no-fly-zones,” expeditionary forces, or any weapons at all, for that matter, and against the power of three regimes, Iran, Syria, and pro-Syrian Lebanon, in addition to Hezbollah terror. The “revolution” was for a time astoundingly successful; since then it has been horribly failed, and first of all by Lebanon’s politicians themselves. One of their leaders, General Michel Aoun, shifted his allegiances to Syria and signed a document with Hezbollah. Other politicians from the “March 14 Movement” then stopped the demonstrations, leaving them with the support of God knows what. They failed in removing the pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud and brought back a pro-Syrian politician to serve as a speaker of the house, Nabih Berri. Meanwhile, even as they were elected by the faithful Cedar Revolution masses, they engaged in a round table dialogue with Hezbollah, a clear trap set by Hassan Nasrallah: “Let’s talk about the future,” he said — with the implication, of course, that they forget about the Cedar Revolution and the militia’s disarming. While political leaders sat for months, enjoying the photo ops with Hassan Nasrallah, he was preparing his counter offensive, which he unleashed just a few days before the Security Council would discuss the future of Iran’s nuclear programs.

The Lebanese government of Prime Minister Seniora also abandoned the Cedar Revolution. His cabinet neither disarmed Hezbollah nor called on the U.N. to help in implementing UNSCR 1559. This omission is baffling. The government was given so much support by the international community and, more importantly, overwhelming popular support inside Lebanon: 80 percent of the people were hoping the Cedar Revolution-backed government would be the one to resume the liberation of the country. Now Hezbollah has an upper hand and the government is on the defensive.

The U.S. and its allies can be accused of certain shortcomings as well. While the speeches by the U.S. president, congressional leaders from both parties, Tony Blair, and Jacques Chirac were right on target regarding Lebanon, and while the U.S. and its counterparts on the Security Council were diligent in their follow up on the Hariri assassination and on implementing UNSCR 1559, there was no policy or plan to support the popular movement in Lebanon. Incredibly, while billions were spent on the war of ideas in the region, Lebanese NGOs that wanted to resume the struggle of the Cedar Revolution and fighting alone for this purpose were not taken seriously at various levels. Policy planners thought they were dealing with the “Cedar Revolution” when they were meeting Lebanon’s government and Lebanese politicians. The difference between the high level speeches on Lebanon and the laissez-faire approach from lower levels is amazing. Simply put, there was no policy on supporting the Cedar Revolution against the three regimes opposing it and the $400 million received by Hezbollah from Iran.

The Cedar Revolution was basically betrayed by its own politicians and is now essentially without a head. Nevertheless, as long as the international support remains, the Revolution will find its way and will face the dangers. The one and a half million ordinary citizens who braved all the dangers didn’t change their minds about Hezbollah’s terror. The resistance and counter-attack was to be expected. Unfortunately, thus far Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah have outmaneuvered the West and are at the throats of the Cedar Revolution. The international community must revise its plans, and, if it is strongly backed by the U.S. and its allies, including France, the situation can be salvaged. The good seeds are still inside the country.

More at link...


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To: nw_arizona_granny
Iran has consistently stated that it only wants nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Bahull Shuhit!! Excuse me.
1,501 posted on 08/21/2006 9:42:22 PM PDT by phoenix0468 (http://www.mylocalforum.com -- Go Speak Your Mind.)
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To: All

The Confused Security Situation in Iraq: Some Less Publicized ...
Washington Institute for Near East Policy - Washington,DC,USA
... explosive devices. Former interior minister Jabr and Shiite
religious
leaders maintain that these attacks are being carried out by outsiders
who have stolen ...
http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2507

[An interesting website, good writers]


1,502 posted on 08/21/2006 9:45:03 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny (A good week for getting on your knees and doing a lot of heavy praying, to God!!!)
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To: LibertyRocks

Don't overdo it LibertyRocks.
Glad you are feeling better.


1,503 posted on 08/21/2006 10:28:56 PM PDT by Cindy
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To: All; DAVEY CROCKETT; LucyT; Calpernia
Subject: Re: Papers of Nikola Tesla

Think they in Belgrade:

http://www.tesla-museum.org/meni_en.htm

As per PBS site:

http://www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_mispapers.html

"One of the more controversial topics involving Nikola Tesla is what became of many of his technical and scientific papers after he died in 1943. Just before his death at the height of World War II, he claimed that he had perfected his so-called "death beam." So it was natural that the FBI and other U.S. Government agencies would be interested in any scientific ideas involving weaponry. Some were concerned that Tesla's papers might fall into the hands of the Axis powers or the Soviets.

The morning after the inventor's death, his nephew Sava Kosanovic´ hurried to his uncle's room at the Hotel New Yorker. He was an up-and-coming Yugoslav official with suspected connections to the communist party in his country. By the time he arrived, Tesla's body had already been removed, and Kosanovic´ suspected that someone had already gone through his uncle's effects. Technical papers were missing as well as a black notebook he knew Tesla kept—a notebook with several hundred pages, some of which were marked "Government."

P. E. Foxworth, assistant director of the New York FBI office, was called in to investigate. According to Foxworth, the government was "vitally interested" in preserving Tesla's papers. Two days after Tesla's death, representatives of the Office of Alien Property went to his room at the New Yorker Hotel and seized all his possessions.

Dr. John G. Trump, an electrical engineer with the National Defense Research Committee of the Office of Scientific Research and Development, was called in to analyze the Tesla papers in OAP custody. Following a three-day investigation, Dr. Trump concluded:

His [Tesla's] thoughts and efforts during at least the past 15 years were primarily of a speculative, philosophical, and somewhat promotional character often concerned with the production and wireless transmission of power; but did not include new, sound, workable principles or methods for realizing such results.

Just after World War II, there was a renewed interest in beam weapons. Copies of Tesla's papers on particle beam weaponry were sent to Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. An operation code-named "Project Nick" was heavily funded and placed under the command of Brigadier General L. C. Craigie to test the feasibility of Tesla's concept. Details of the experiments were never published, and the project was apparently discontinued. But something peculiar happened. The copies of Tesla's papers disappeared and nobody knows what happened to them.

In 1952, Tesla's remaining papers and possessions were released to Sava Kosanovic´ and returned to Belgrade, Yugoslavia where a museum was created in the inventor's honor. For many years, under Tito's communist regime, it was extremely difficult for Western journalists and scholars to gain access to the Tesla archive in Yugoslavia; even then they were allowed to see only selected papers."

Regards.

Michael Moses Exeter Books Orlando

http://exeterbooks.pbwiki.com

==================================================================== Johnson, Jennifer wrote:

> I have had a request for any "research papers, speeches, studies, presentations, notes or other personal documents once belonging to Nikola Tesla." The archives in the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of History and Heritage Resources does not have any records that meet this request, but I would like to point the researcher toward a more appropriate repository. If any one has a Tesla collection or know where his papers may be I would greatly appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction.

> Thank you for your assistance. > > Sincerely,

> Jennifer Johnson > Archivist > U.S. Department of Energy > Office of History and Heritage Resources, MA-75 > 19901 Germantown Road > Germantown, MD 20874 > Fax: 301-903-9673 > jennifer.johnson@hq.doe.gov

http://www.mbe.doe.gov/me70/history/index.htm

> A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List sponsored by the Society of American Archivists,

www.archivists.org.

For the terms of participation, please refer to

http://www.archivists.org/listservs/arch_listserv_terms.asp.

----- ------------ --------------- Subject: Re: Papers of Nikola Tesla

The Pikes Peak Library District in Colorado Springs, Colorado has papers of the International Tesla Society, and 2 other collections listed under "Tesla" - It doesn't appear any of these include his personal papers (except an autograph in one collection) but they may have more information on the location of other collections. Their URL is

http://www.ppld.org/SpecialCollections/ManuscriptCollections/admin/RecordListing.asp

------------------------ --------------- ------------- You're welcome to have the researcher to look in our International Catalog of Sources

http://www.aip.org/history/icos.htm

. A preliminary search indicates that collections of Tesla's papers are held at LC's manuscript division, Columbia University, and the Muzje Nikole Tesla in Belgrade.

Mark A. Matienzo

Assistant Archivist, Niels Bohr Library, Center for History of Physics

American Institute of Physics 1 Physics Ellipse College Park, MD 20740-3843 USA

------------------ --------------- -------------

1,504 posted on 08/22/2006 4:08:02 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny (A good week for getting on your knees and doing a lot of heavy praying, to God!!!)
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To: phoenix0468

Iran has consistently stated that it only wants nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Bahull Shuhit!! Excuse me.<<<<

Yes, and today we may find out the truth.

I often post the other side viewpoint, for the purpose of showing what they are saying, never with the thought of agreement with them.

I say this, as I do not know your name, and some reading this thread for the first time do not understand that it is meant as a collection of all the terrorists of the world, with the thought of exposing them, never of supporting them.

Do join in with us, post if you find something we may have missed, or that we should read.

I learned to cuss from a sailor many years ago, so am not allowed to use them here and have to go with___________
and ________, when I think of Iran and nuclear.

Stay safe and be happy.


1,505 posted on 08/22/2006 4:19:23 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny (A good week for getting on your knees and doing a lot of heavy praying, to God!!!)
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To: All; callmejoe; Donna Lee Nardo; milford421; Founding Father; DAVEY CROCKETT; LibertyRocks

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1687871/posts

Romanian oil rig comes under Iranian fire
Seattle PI ^ | 22.08.2006 | Alison Mutler


Posted on 08/22/2006 3:26:57 AM PDT by 12B


BUCHAREST, Romania -- A Romanian oil rig off the coast of Iran came under fire Tuesday from an Iranian military warship and was later occupied by Iranian troops, a company spokesman said.

The Iranians first fired into the air and then fired at the Orizont rig, said GSP spokesman Radu Petrescu. Half an hour later, troops from the ship boarded and occupied the rig and the company lost contact with the 26 crew members shortly afterward.

Petrescu said he had no information about any injuries or deaths. The Orizont rig has been moored near Kish island in the Persian Gulf since October 2005, he told the Associated Press.

GSP, also known as the Oil Services Group, is a private Romanian company established in 2004 which operates six offshore rigs that it bought from Romania's largest oil company, Petrom.

Two of its rigs are operating near the Iranian coast in the Persian Gulf as part of a deal signed between Petrom, GSP and Dubai-based Oriental Oil Co.

The Romanian company was in Iranian courts earlier this year over a dispute involving another one of its oil rigs, Fortuna, the financial weekly Saptamana Financiara has reported. It was unclear whether Tuesday's incident was related to legal issues.


1,506 posted on 08/22/2006 4:37:16 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny (A good week for getting on your knees and doing a lot of heavy praying, to God!!!)
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To: All

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1687852/posts

[there are also reports of pieces in Oregon and California]

NK Missile Warhead Found in Alaska (2003 article)
Korea Times ^ | 03-04-2003 | Ryu Jin


Posted on 08/22/2006 1:06:58 AM PDT by PghBaldy


The warhead of a long-range missile test-fired by North Korea was found in the U.S. state of Alaska, a report to the National Assembly revealed yesterday.

``According to a U.S. document, the last piece of a missile warhead fired by North Korea was found in Alaska,¡¯¡¯ former Japanese foreign minister Taro Nakayama was quoted as saying in the report. ``Washington, as well as Tokyo, has so far underrated Pyongyang¡¯s missile capabilities.¡¯¡¯


(Excerpt) Read more at times.hankooki.com ...


1,507 posted on 08/22/2006 4:42:00 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny (A good week for getting on your knees and doing a lot of heavy praying, to God!!!)
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To: All

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1687837/posts

Trafficking in Nuclear and Radiological Material in 2005 IAEA...
IAEA Report ^ | August 21 | Staff


Posted on 08/22/2006 12:15:37 AM PDT by PghBaldy


There were 103 confirmed incidents of illicit trafficking and other unauthorized activities involving nuclear and radioactive materials in 2005, newly released statistics from the Agency´s Illicit Trafficking Database (ITDB) show.

The ITDB covers a broad range of cases from illegal possession, attempted sale and smuggling, to unauthorized disposal of materials and discoveries lost radiological sources.

Eighteen of the confirmed incidents in 2005 involved nuclear materials; 76 involved radioactive material, mainly radioactive sources; two involved both nuclear and other radioactive materials, and seven involved radioactively contaminated materials.

Another 57 incidents from previous years were reported. They involved illicit trafficking and other unauthorized activities and had occurred earlier, mainly in 2004.

Two reported cases in 2005 involved small quantities of high-enriched uranium (HEU) which is a fissile material. In New Jersey, USA, a package containing 3.3 grams of HEU was reported lost. The second incident occurred in Fukui, Japan, when a neutron flux detector containing 0.017 grams was lost at a nuclear power plant.

"From the terrorism threat standpoint, these cases are of little concern but they show security vulnerabilities at facilities handling HEU," the latest report from the ITDB said. Indeed the majority of cases reported in 2005 showed no evidence of criminal activity.

The ITDB facilitates the exchange of authoritative information on incidents of trafficking in nuclear and radioactive materials. There are 91 countries that report to the IAEA´s database. See Story Resources for the full report, which covers the past 13 years.

The Past 13 Years: 1993 - 2005

Nuclear Materials During the thirteen year period, there were 16 confirmed incidents that involved trafficking in HEU and plutonium - which are fissile materials needed to make a nuclear weapon. A few of these incidents involved seizures of kilogram quantities of weapons-usable nuclear material, but most involved very small quantities.

View Chart: Incidents Involving HEU and Pu (1993-2005) [pdf] http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Features/RadSources/PDF/table1-2005.pdf

The majority of confirmed cases with nuclear materials involved low-grade nuclear materials, i.e. low enriched uranium (LEU) mostly in the form of reactor fuel pellets, and natural uranium, depleted uranium, and thorium. "Where information on motives is available, it indicates that profit seeking is the principal motive behind such events," the ITDB report said.

View Chart: Incidents Involving Radioactive Sources, by Type of Application (1993-2005) [PDF]

http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Features/RadSources/PDF/chart2-2005.pdf

Other Radioactive Materials During 1993-2005, just over 60 incidents involved high-risk "dangerous" radioactive sources, which present considerable radiological danger if used in a malicious act. "In the hands of terrorists or other criminals, some radioactive sources could be used for malicious purposes, e.g. in a radiological dispersal device (RDD) or ´dirty bomb´," the ITDB said. The overwhelming majority of incidents concerning "dangerous" sources were reported over the last six years. The majority of all incidents involved the radioisotope Caesium 137.

View Chart: Incidents Involving Radioactive Sources, by Type of Radioisotope (1993-2005) [pdf] http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Features/RadSources/PDF/chart3-2005.pdf

View Chart: Incidents Involving Radioactive Sources, by Type of Application (1993-2005) [pdf] http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Features/RadSources/PDF/chart4-2005.pdf

See Story Resources for more information.


1,508 posted on 08/22/2006 4:45:11 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny (A good week for getting on your knees and doing a lot of heavy praying, to God!!!)
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To: All

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1687826/posts

North Korean bank accounts in Asia under scrutiny
AFP ^ | August 22, 2006


Posted on 08/21/2006 11:25:21 PM PDT by jdm


TOKYO (AFP) - The United States is moving to freeze North Korean bank accounts which have proliferated in friendly countries in recent months, a prominent scholar said Monday, quoting a US-South Korean joint probe.

North Korea has boycotted talks on ending its nuclear weapons programme since November, angered by US financial sanctions on a Macau bank accused of money-laundering and counterfeiting for the cash-strapped communist regime.

Since then North Korea has opened at least 20 bank accounts elsewhere, 10 of them in Vietnam and the others in Russia and Mongolia, said Lee Young Hwa, an ethnic Korean scholar in Japan who said he obtained the report. Quoting from the probe carried out jointly by US and South Korean intelligence, Lee said the United States is asking countries to freeze the accounts.

US officials believe that "with diminished trade and foreign exchange revenue, North Korea will have no choice but to stop counterfeiting and money-laundering and to let this be verified," said Lee, an economics professor at Kansai University.

"Unless North Korea proves clearly that its assets are not illegal, banks won't be willing to transact with the country. If that happens, North Korea's trade will diminish as well as its foreign currency revenue," he told AFP.


1,509 posted on 08/22/2006 4:47:45 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny (A good week for getting on your knees and doing a lot of heavy praying, to God!!!)
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To: All; Founding Father

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1687815/posts

Great Muslim Adventure Day [Email]
email ^ | 8/21/06 | email


Posted on 08/21/2006 10:43:01 PM PDT by freedom44


Email:

Insha Allah, September 15, 2006, is the "Great Muslim Adventure Day" at Six Flags, NJ. The park will be open from 10 AM to 11 PM.

Come, join 15,000 Muslims for a day featuring Jummah prayers, quality ethnic Halal food, Islamic bazaar and much more! All this is, of course, in addition to the regular thrills Six Flags Great Adventure is known for, including what is claimed to be the largest safari outside Africa. In addition to the drive-thru safari, tiger and dolphin shows, there will be special shows for children! Special fireworks show is also arranged!

Special Discounted Ticket Price: $25 Save over 50% 100's of rides and shows Safari park included! Children aged 3 and under free!

PARK OPEN LATE TILL 11 PM

Diverse Ethnic Food (Middle Eastern, American & Pak/Indian)

Tickets Special Discounted Price: $25 Includes Drive-thru Safari, 100's of rides, Fireworks, Tiger shows, Dolphin shows & Much More!

Help us Publicize! Send this email to your friends & family

ICNA - New Jersey PO Box 1054, Piscataway, NJ 08854 1-877-363-ICNA * info@icnanj.org


1,510 posted on 08/22/2006 4:50:51 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny (A good week for getting on your knees and doing a lot of heavy praying, to God!!!)
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To: All; milford421; Velveeta

http://wjz.com/local/local_story_233151705.html

Aug 22, 2006 8:00 am US/Eastern
Explosion Engulfs 17 Baltimore Homes

(WJZ) BALTIMORE Fire investigators in Baltimore will try today to figure out what caused yesterday's huge fire that damaged 17 rowhouses.

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries and a civilian was taken to a hospital with minor burns.

The fire was reported about 3 p-m in the 300 block of East 20th Street. It spread quickly from a vacant home to two adjoining units. The fire eventually went to five alarms.

Baltimore Gas and Electric crews shut off the gas in the neighborhood.

It took about two hours for firefighters to control the blaze.

Neighbors said they smelled gas and heard an explosion near the house where the fire started. B-G-E officials say they're looking into that.

The city owns 12 of the 17 homes and plans to buy the whole block as part of a redevelopment project. Most of the homes were vacant.

(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)


1,511 posted on 08/22/2006 5:25:31 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny (A good week for getting on your knees and doing a lot of heavy praying, to God!!!)
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To: nw_arizona_granny
I think this would make a nice Freeper undercover event. Although one would need to ditch the hijab / burka and blend in with the men.

Anyone game?

BTW, in searching for some quick ideas of appropriate Muslim male clothing, I stumbled upon this fine example of Muslim female swimwear:

But...how can we really be certain that is not John F. Kerry under there? Remember:


1,512 posted on 08/22/2006 6:13:41 AM PDT by Donna Lee Nardo
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To: All; Founding Father; DAVEY CROCKETT

http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailnational.asp?fileid=20060822.H02&irec=1

Religious leaders will meet to seek 'common ethics'

Ary Hermawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Interfaith leaders are to begin a three-day national congress here Tuesday aimed at revitalizing the Pancasila state ideology as a common ethics amid concern over decreasing tolerance among religious communities.

Coordinating Minister for the People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie is slated to open the first Congress of Indonesian Religious Leaders at 8 p.m in the Acacia Hotel in Central Jakarta.

In attendance will be more than 200 leaders of six established religions in Indonesia: Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism.

Among the participants are representatives of Nahdlatul Ulama, Muhammadiyah, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI), the Indonesian Bishops Conference (KWI), the Indonesian Hindu Religious Council, the Council of Buddhist Communities and the Confucian Supreme Council of Indonesia.

"The Indonesian Mujahidin Council and Hizbut Tahrir will also take part," Zainudin Daulah, a deputy secretary of the congress committee, told The Jakarta Post on Monday. The two hardline groups are campaigning for an Islamic state in Indonesia.

However, Ahmadiyah, which the MUI has declared a heretical Islamic sect and which has subsequently been the target of attacks by Muslim radicals, was not invited to the meeting.

Former Muhammadiyah chairman Ahmad Syafii Maarif, priest Mudji Sutrisno and former religious affairs minister Tolchah Hasan are scheduled to deliver speeches at the gathering.

The congress is mainly aimed at promoting a pluralistic religious society and revitalizing the basic values of Pancasila as a common ethics. It is also expected to end with the formulation of a "joint action" by all religions to face global challenges.

KWI's Father Benny Susetyo said now is the time for all religions to cooperate in finding solutions to humanitarian problems, and unite in facing global challenges.

"We have to change our way of relating to people of other faiths. We have to alter the way we practice religion," he told the Post. "We should no longer be reactionary when dealing with problems arising from rapid social change. We have to be proactive."

Both Daulah and Benny said the congress would focus on how to build greater synergy among religions to face approaching challenges. They said it would avoid deep debates about "old issues" such as the controversial decree on houses of worship jointly issued by the Religious Affairs Ministry and the Home Affairs Ministry.

"We'll talk about it, but it will not be the main issue," Daulah said. "We have to look forward, not backward," Benny added.

The decree has been blamed as one of the causes of series of clashes between Muslims and Christians across the country.

In March, a group of some 200 self-styled Muslim vigilantes forced Christians to close their church in Bogor, West Java.

The mob claimed the church violated the decree, which requires a new place of worship to have a congregation of at least 90 people and to get approval from the local administration as well as 60 people of other faiths.

As many as 23 churches in West Java alone have been forcibly shut in the past two years because the buildings lacked permits, according to the PGI.

Benny also said the congress would not specifically discuss the sharia-inspired bylaws recently issued by several regional administrations. Such ordinances have sparked protests from moderate Muslims and minority groups, who say they undermine religious harmony in the country.

"We will fight for religious life which is based on humanity and justice," he said, explaining that the enactment of these bylaws was actually due to a lack of justice in practicing religion.


1,513 posted on 08/22/2006 6:20:21 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny (A good week for getting on your knees and doing a lot of heavy praying, to God!!!)
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To: All; Velveeta; milford421

http://www.bellevision.com/newshead.asp?nhid=3621



22 August 2006
BELLEVISION GLOBAL - NEWS HEADLINES


Bangalore airport closed after IAF aircraft crash-lands
Newindpress



BANGALORE: Bangalore Airport was closed for nearly two hours on Monday evening after an Indian Air Force (IAF) trainer aircraft Kiran Mark I crash-landed on the runway around 4.05 pm. No casualties were reported.

Sq Ldr Peri and Co-pilot Sq Ldr Santosh, both from the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) of the IAF were on a routine sortie when the mishap took place. Both of them escaped unhurt.

“The aircraft landed on its belly with under carriages on. No technical failure was reported either during the course flight or during landing,” sources said. The IAF has ordered an inquiry into the cause for the mishap.

A number of flights scheduled to leave and arrive at the airport on Monday evening were affected as airport authorities cleared the wreckage off the runway. Flights resumed later on Monday evening.


1,514 posted on 08/22/2006 6:28:32 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny (A good week for getting on your knees and doing a lot of heavy praying, to God!!!)
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To: All

Iran hands over reply to nuclear incentives offer


http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=BQUJXJ50HZP54CRBAE0CFEY?type=topNews&storyID=13258481



Iran hands over reply to nuclear incentives offer
Tue Aug 22, 2006 09:24 AM ET

By Edmund Blair

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran on Tuesday handed over its reply to an incentives package by world powers aimed at allaying Western fears that Tehran seeks to build atomic bombs, Iran's state-run Arabic-language Al-Alam television reported.

Ali Larijani, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, gave the response to foreign envoys representing the six co-sponsors of the package in Tehran.

Al-Alam gave no details of the reply which Iranian officials have already indicated is unlikely to address a key demand by the U.N. Security Council that it suspend uranium enrichment work by an August 31 deadline or face the threat of sanctions.

"I expect a very ambiguous answer," said one Western diplomat.

The world's fourth largest oil exporter insists it will not abandon what it calls its right to enrich uranium for use in nuclear power stations.

Refusing to suspend the work, which Iran says is aimed only at generating electricity but which the West sees as a disguised bid for atom bombs, would be tantamount to rejecting the package of incentives offered in return, Western diplomats say.

A rebuff would not yet trigger immediate action by the U.N. Security Council, which passed a resolution on July 31 giving Iran a month to halt enrichment or risk sanctions.

"We are not treating (Tuesday) as a deadline because it is not the Security Council deadline," one Western diplomat said. "If Iran flatly refuses to suspend enrichment, then there will, fairly soon, be more talks in the Security Council."

TWO-WAY ROAD

Security Council permanent members Britain, France, China, Russia and the United States plus Germany have offered Iran a range of economic, political and security incentives if it suspends atomic work that could be used to make nuclear bombs.

Iran has said its reply to the offer will be "multi-dimensional," suggesting no simple 'yes' or 'no'. Officials have also said Iran wants more talks to resolve the dispute.

"Confidence building is a two-way road, trust is always a two-way road," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said in response to questions after a lecture in Pretoria, South Africa.

"Based on negotiations, there is a possibility for a comprehensive solution to this matter," he said.

A "multi-dimensional" reply, say diplomats, could lay bare divisions in the Security Council where the United States, France and Britain back sanctions but Russia and China, the other two veto-wielding members and both key trade partners of Iran, oppose them.

"If they reject suspension, that's rejection of the package (for Western capitals)," said another Western diplomat. He added that Russia and China might take a different view.

"If they said suspension was negotiable, there would be pressure on (the six powers) to think about it."


1,515 posted on 08/22/2006 7:01:05 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny (A good week for getting on your knees and doing a lot of heavy praying, to God!!!)
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To: All; Velveeta; milford421


[
http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=13258122&src=rss/topNews

http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=13258122&src=r
ss/topNews

Russian airliner crashes in eastern Ukraine
Tue Aug 22, 2006 08:58 AM ET


KIEV (Reuters) - An airliner flying from southern Russia to the
country's
second city of St Petersburg crashed on Tuesday in flames in eastern
Ukraine, the Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry said.
The ministry said helicopters circling the site about 45 km (30 miles)
north
of the regional town of Donetsk saw the Tu-154 in flames. Russia's
Emergencies Ministry said 160 passengers and 10 crew were aboard the
aircraft belonging to Pulkovo Airlines.

[Yesterday the Market, today a plane? granny]


1,516 posted on 08/22/2006 7:06:52 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny (A good week for getting on your knees and doing a lot of heavy praying, to God!!!)
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To: Donna Lee Nardo

Can you hear me laughing?

Yes, I do remember the photo..............fool of a man.

If you search for japanese pants patterns, you will also have the arab simple tie pants.

Interesting finds:

http://www.google.com/search?q=free+pants+pattern+Japan&client=netscape-pp&rls=com.netscape:en-US

While you are in the mood to sew, try these........

http://www.google.com/search?q=free+cloth+doll+patterns&client=netscape-pp&rls=com.netscape:en-US


1,517 posted on 08/22/2006 7:12:21 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny (A good week for getting on your knees and doing a lot of heavy praying, to God!!!)
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To: Donna Lee Nardo; All; LibertyRocks; DAVEY CROCKETT

To go with my last post, still laughing:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=free%20cloth%20doll%20patterns&client=netscape-pp&rls=com.netscape:en-US&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wg

I see Angel wings: the dollmakers Journey website, should be your first stop, has many good free patterns, the top designers who sell there, donate free patterns.

I can no longer see to sew, but bet I could get the "free Pattern fever" again, and quickly....

That would serve Davey right, LOL, she has been gone too long and we can be led astray................

http://images.google.com/images?q=free%20cloth%20doll%20patterns&client=netscape-pp&rls=com.netscape:en-US&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=gi

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=free%20pants%20pattern%20Japan&client=netscape-pp&rls=com.netscape:en-US&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wg

Now, I am being evil, as I already tried to print all the free quilt patterns, I promise you, that you cannot do so.

Have been copying them for all my life, back to the days of tracing paper and carbon paper.

And then there is the history of the quilt designs, LOL and the fabric too, and oh so much more.

My father quilted, my mother dreamed of quilting, she dreamed up patterns, made a block or two and quit.

My father, installed a full size quilting frame to the ceiling, on pulley's, he would buy the batting, flannel for the backing and whatever was cheap for the top, no cutting, just the full cloth.

Each night, he would lower the frame and if we were old enough, we all took a few stitches in it and then back up it went, until the next time.

Five kids use a lot of quilts..........LOL

http://www.google.com/search?q=free+quilt+patterns&client=netscape-pp&rls=com.netscape:en-US

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=free%20quilt%20patterns&client=netscape-pp&rls=com.netscape:en-US&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wg

Dolls and quilts:

http://images.google.com/images?q=free%20quilt%20patterns&client=netscape-pp&rls=com.netscape:en-US&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

With this I will stop on the fun subjects, I have ordered on the internet from this company, found it was cheaper to pay the postage from Hawaii, than to buy local or at other internet sites.

Do check the sales and the $1.00 a yard fabric, do not look at all the wonderful Hawaian prints..............

http://www.gotfabric.com/

Ok, don't say that I did not warn you..........Laughing.....


1,518 posted on 08/22/2006 7:36:19 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny (A good week for getting on your knees and doing a lot of heavy praying, to God!!!)
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To: All

http://www.irishexaminer.com/breaking/story.asp?j=192834722&p=y9z8354z8&n=192835482


http://www.irishexaminer.com/breaking/story.asp?j=192834722&p=y9z8354z8&n=1
92835482


‘Two Irish Muslims arrested by British anti-terror police’

Two Dublin-based Muslims have reportedly been arrested in Wales as part
of
an anti-terrorist operation.

Reports in the tabloid media this morning say the couple, who are both
in
their 40s and have a home in west Dublin, were detained at Holyhead 10
days
ago.

The woman was reportedly carrying a laptop computer that contained
instructions on how to make bombs and how to conduct modern guerrilla
warfare.


This morning's reports say gardaí are extremely worried by the
development
and are taking it very seriously.

The police in north Wales have confirmed that they are holding two
people on
terrorism charges, but have refused to disclose any further details.


1,519 posted on 08/22/2006 7:46:40 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny (A good week for getting on your knees and doing a lot of heavy praying, to God!!!)
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To: All

The Upshot Of Terrorism
JERUSALEM, Aug. 21, 2006
_____

(National Review Online) This column was written by Gil Troy.
_____



Although psychological warfare is not a modern media phenomenon, the
spinning since Hezbollah ambushed a routine IDF patrol within Israeli
territory in mid-July has been dizzying. Israel's air force
demonstrated
surprising knowledge and deftness in leveling Hezbollah's strongholds
and
was far more surgical than NATO bombers in Kosovo, let alone Russian
forces
in Chechnya. Nevertheless, Israel has been chastised for a
"disproportionate
reaction" while simultaneously being mocked as ineffectual. Somehow,
when
Americans bomb targets for weeks they are "softening the enemy," yet
when
Israelis deploy airpower before their infantry enters, even Israeli
journalists bemoan Israel's failure. On the ground, Israel has defeated
Hezbollah repeatedly, yet any time Israeli soldiers fall or victory is
not
achieved instantly, reportorial naysayers declare Israel a paper tiger.
Four
decades of guerilla warfare from Algeria and Vietnam to Afghanistan and
Iraq
teach that terrorists using civilians as flak jackets cannot be
defeated on
the fly. Nevertheless, the media's immature and premature compulsion to
give
instant analysis leads to a perpetual scorekeeping that ignores the
chaotic,
zigzag nature of even the most successful of wars - let alone the fact
that
many wars are won and lost in the months of diplomacy and repositioning
which come after the last shot has been fired.

In the war's sickest twist, the tragic deaths of Lebanese civilians at
Qana
became Hezbollah's greatest victory. Israel's spokespeople appeared
grimfaced and apologetic; Hezbollah's spokesmen seemed gleefully eager
to
press their new propaganda advantage rather than actually mourning
their own
people's deaths. They even doubled their claims of the number of
civilians
that had actually been killed. Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora
picked
up some acting tips from his Hezbollah colleagues, tearfully reporting
to
the Arab League that 40 Lebanese had been killed in another strike,
only to
adjust the figure down to one shortly thereafter.

continued................

By Gil Troy
from the National Review Online.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/21/opinion/printable1915586.shtml


1,520 posted on 08/22/2006 7:51:41 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny (A good week for getting on your knees and doing a lot of heavy praying, to God!!!)
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