World Terrorism : Weapons of Disruption Onging...

Whereas we have no masses, it certainly would be seriously challenging to deliver a "weapon of mass destruction" in the vast majority of geographical areas in the American West, as well as in many areas in the East and South. For instance, Montana is approximately the size of Germany, yet the population hovers only around a million (we have one representative in the House). There is no "metropolitan" area anywhere around, though Spokane is about three hundred miles away. Wyoming has more sheep than people. Utah has Salt Lake City and a few nearby populous areas. Nevada has two populated regional areas, Las Vegas and Reno. North and South Dakota have, well, a few folks here and there. Idaho folks are few and far between. I swear you can drive from San Antonio to El Paso without seeing a city policeman, because I've done it several times. Then there are Arizona, New Mexico, eastern California, inter alia. The point is we have a few population points, while the rest of the states are empty excepted for isolated small communities.Thus, out West we probably need to talk more about "weapons of disruption." (Some folks say "weapons of mass disruption," but we have no masses!)

You must ask yourself: What would I do if I were a terrorist (or a terrorism preparedness instructor) looking into the ramifications of launching a rural terrorism attack? Personally, I would concentrate on considering the consequences of disruption rather than mass destruction. Here are a few scenarios you might want consider when your local rural emergency management/response group gathers to discuss terrorism exercises.

1) Wildland Fire Incidents: Incendiary (mostly wildland) warfare has been used by military strategists for at least 2500 years, over a thousand years before the use of gunpowder. The western U.S. is disrupted, seriously disrupted, every year by wildland fires. Quite a few are started by humans, accidentally and purposefully. Starting dozens of major fires in a dozen western states could be a brilliant line of attack if militants wished to disrupt America. Thousands of security personnel could do nothing and the perpetrator/s would probably never be implicated, much less captured. Are you prepared?

2) Railroad Chemical Incidents: Many railroad main lines go through tunnels. A few strategically placed armor-piercing shells in a series of chlorine cars, along with appropriately staged derailments leaving the leaking cars in the tunnels, could shut down many main line routes in the West. Spin-off scenarios are numerous. Ready?

3) Flammable Liquid Incidents: Bridges are not easily brought down from below and approaches to bridge support structures are often highly visible and randomly monitored. However, on CNN we all have seen many tanker truck accidents involving burning hydrocarbons which have made bridge structures unusable. How hard would it be to have a few terrorists steal trucks and drive them (as opposed to hijacking planes and flying them) to strategic bridges over wide rivers or narrow gorges, ignite the gasoline (or diesel or crude), block the approaches with other incendiary or chemical releases, and make the structures extremely dangerous and impassible to highway traffic? Gotcha!

There are many variations of these themes. You probably have or can make up many more plausible, novel, and easily implemented rural-specific attack scenarios. Design exercises around them. If you want to stop terrorist events you must think like a terrorist and quit fighting last year's war!

Frederick J. (Fred) Cowie, Ph.D. E-mail: fredcowie@aol.com Phone: (24 hr cell) 406-431-3531 Website: fredcowie.com

according to BBC, there is some doubt on the snow being the cause, in the comments, it says that the snow had been cleaned off the roof and it is a new building......
granny

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1567232/posts

At Least 60 Killed in Poland Roof Collapse
Las Vegas Sun ^ | January 28, 2006 at 22:31:22 PST | KRZYSZTOF KOPACZASSOCIATED PRESS

Posted on 01/28/2006 11:34:24 PM MST by Ernest_at_the_Beach

KATOWICE, Poland (AP) -

The snow-covered roof of a convention hall in southern Poland collapsed Saturday with as many as 500 people inside for a racing pigeon exhibition, killing at least 60 people and injuring at least 141.

The death toll rose through the early hours of Sunday as rescue teams and dogs searched through the twisted ruin of metal in subfreezing temperatures. No survivors had been found for more than eight hours.

"Unfortunately we have more tragic information: 60 people have died," Andrzej Fiema, an official at the crisis management center organizing rescue, said on TVN24 television. "This is information from all rescue services, so, fire, police and medical services."

Katowice fire chief Kazimierz Krzowski said rescue efforts "in a way have come to an end, and we are bringing out corpses."

A priest outside the building's entrance prayed over the bodies of an adult and a child covered by a blanket and a tarp. In the hours following the collapse, witnesses said people beneath the wreckage were calling family or emergency services on their cell phones for help.

Franciszek Kowal escaped onto a terrace when he saw the roof starting to fall, then jumped about 15 feet to safety.

"People tried to break windows in order to get out," Kowal told The Associated Press. "People were hitting the panes with chairs, but the windows were unbreakable. One of the panes finally broke, and they started to get out by the window."

Krzysztof Mejer, a spokesman for the government of the Silesia region, said at least 33 people had died and 141 were injured.

Fire brigade chaplain Capt. Henryk Kuczob, a Roman Catholic priest, said he gave last rites to one of the injured, a 50-year-old man who later died.

"A second man was taken to the hospital," Kuczob said. "His 13-year-old daughter is dead, but he doesn't know that yet. He's in shock."

Crumpled birdcages were scattered inside the building near the entrance, and dozens of white and brown pigeons perched on the twisted rafters, their feathers fluffed against the cold.

The weight of snow likely caused the roof to cave in at about 5:30 p.m., less than two hours before the event was scheduled to close for the evening, Katowice fire brigade spokesman Jaroslaw Wojtasik said.

Hundreds of firefighters responded along with search-and-rescue teams with dogs and local miner rescue teams, Wojtasik said. Some 30 people gathered in a building next to the site awaiting news of their loved ones.

Even passers-by pitched in.

Zbigniew Chmurzynski said he was on his way back from the movies with his wife when they came upon the collapse. He said he raced home for his Labrador retriever, then headed back to the site.

"My dog found two unconscious people," he said. "I just hope they'll survive."

Temperatures dropped to 1 degree overnight.

Rescue workers pumped warm air into the ruin for those feared trapped inside, as crews dug into the wreckage with saws and other equipment, using flashlights and floodlights. The firefighters also used jacks to stabilize some of the building's beams as they attempted to get to those trapped.

Wojtasik estimated the effort could take another 40 hours.

An unidentified woman with bandages around her head, a bloodied chin and scrapes on her face told TVN24 from her hospital bed that she feared one of her friends was dead.

"I heard a snap like breaking matches as the roof fell on everybody. Then I heard an unbelievable scream, and then I tried to escape like everybody else," she said. "Something fell on me, I turned around, somebody stepped on me, but on my knees I was able to get out. I still don't know where some of my friends are and I haven't had any contact with them - most likely one of them is dead."

The "Pigeon 2006" fair was made up of more than 120 exhibitors, including groups from Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Ukraine and Poland, according to the fair's Web site. Mejer said foreigners were among the injured, including a German, a Belgian and a Czech citizen.

The Jan. 27-29 fair was expecting a total of some 55,000 guests, customers and visitors. A spokeswoman for the fair did not answer her phone.

Grzegorz Slyszyk, who said he was an attorney for building management, said the structure, built in 2000, could not have collapsed from the snow because excess snow was regularly cleared from the roof.

"The snow was last removed two weeks ago, and since then there hasn't been much snow," he said. "Definitely, it's too early to speculate on a cause."

Katowice, some 200 miles south of Warsaw in a mining region, has been hit with the same heavy snow this winter that has been plaguing much of eastern and central Europe.

On Friday, snow caused a town hall's roof to collapse in the southern Austrian town of Mariazell, though no injuries were reported.

On Jan. 2, the snow-covered roof of a skating rink collapsed, killing 15 people, including 12 children in the German Alpine spa town of Bad Reichenhall.

---

Associated Press Writer Monika Scislowska contributed to this report from Bialka Tatrzanska, Poland, and Ryan Lucas from Warsaw.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1567215/posts

Two arrested in British spy scandal: former security chief
AFP on Yahoo ^ | 1/28/06 | AFP

Posted on 01/28/2006 10:18:13 PM MST by NormsRevenge

MOSCOW (AFP) - Two spies in the pay of the British have been arrested, a former chief of Russia's FSB security services said in televised comments on the discovery of an alleged British spy operation in Moscow.

Britain's Foreign Office said Sunday it was investigating the reports.

"Two spies working for Britain were arrested," Nikolai Kovalev, now a lawmaker with the pro-Kremlin party United Russia, told the NTV channel on Saturday, without clarifying their nationality.

"Certainly, they are not silent, they are speaking," added Kovalev, who headed the secret services from 1996-1998.

His comments came as part of NTV's announcement of a program, scheduled to air on Sunday, which would reveal "more details on the greatest spy scandal since the Cold War."

A Foreign Office spokesman in London said: "We have not been notified of any arrests. It is not clear from reports that they are talking about British staff.

"We are asking the foreign ministry for information and we are contacting our staff."

The British embassy in Moscow told the Moscow Echo radio that it had no such information.

Russian media have been ceaselessly mulling the scandal since the affair erupted last Sunday on a special program by the state-owned Rossiya channel.

Russia's intelligence service last week accused four British diplomats of involvement in a spy ring in which agents allegedly passed secrets through a high-tech communications system hidden in a fake rock in a Moscow park.

Savory Corn Cobbler

12 T. Unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
1 Jalapeño, minced
4 Scallions, sliced
4 C. Fresh or Frozen Corn Kernels
1 C. Chicken broth
1-1/2 C. Heavy Cream
1 1/2 t. Kosher Salt
1/4 t.Black Pepper
2 C. Flour
1 T. baking powder
1 T. Minced fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried
1 C. Whole Milk

Heat oven to 375. In a skillet, over med heat, melt 2 Tab. butter.
Add the jalapeno and scallions. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the corn
and broth. Increase heat to Med. high and cook for 4 minutes. Turn
off heat, stir in the cream. 1 tsp. of salt and the pepper. Pour into a
buttered 9-by-13 inch baking dish. In a large bowl, combine the
flour, baking powder, and the remaining salt. Using 2 knives or your
fingertips, add the remaining butter, cut into small pieces. Mix until
it resembles crumbs. Stir in the thyme and milk. Drop heaping
spoonfuls of the batter on top of the corn mixture. Bake for about
50 minutes. Garnish with fresh thyme if desired.
(Real Simple magazine)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't know why, but this makes me want to add a couple eggs to it.

A sister in law would mix her vegetables into scrambled eggs to get them in the kids.

Scrambled eggs and vegetables, cheese and salsa, makes a good breakfast burrito.

LOL, I never lived down the fact that I took catering at the college and learned to add Liptons dry onion soup mix to mashed potatoes and decorate a meat loaf, using a pastry tube........LOL, some men will not eat meat loaf, that has "cake icing" on it.....yep, found out the hard way.

Also learned in catering, to stir fry Zuccini squash, with a little onions, add well beaten eggs.....scrambled eggs.

My mother would have loved the Zuc. and eggs, with refried beans, corn bread and ice tea.

Bill would sometimes fix Shepherds potatoes. fry the potatoes, a little onion, with them, then add the beaten eggs and scramble them.....another meal that calls for refried beans and corn bread. (or a flour tortilla and call it a burrito).

Guess who is hungry and can't think of what to eat....

The devil made me post this:
granny.......

~~~~~~~~~ Today's Recipe ~~~~~~~~

Time for dessert, I say! This pie calls for a packaged mix (which I'm
not usually fond of), but it looked too tempting to pass up. It
features a thick brownie crust, a filling of mocha pudding, and for
the crowning touch - a coffee-and-Kahlua whipped topping - which
all come together for a deceptively light treat! You can also make it
nonalcoholic if you wish. Enjoy!

Mocha Fudge Pie

1/3 cup hot water
4 teaspoons instant coffee granules, divided
1/2 (20.5-oz.) package low-fat fudge brownie mix (about 2 cups)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
2 large egg whites
Cooking spray
3/4 cup 1% low-fat milk
3 T Kahlua (coffee-flavored liqueur), divided
1 (3.9 oz) package chocolate instant pudding mix or 1 (1.4-oz.)
package sugar-free chocolate instant pudding mix
3 cups frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed and divided
Chocolate curls (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Combine hot water and 2 teaspoons coffee granules in a bowl.
Add brownie mix, 1 teaspoon vanilla and egg whites; stir until well-
blended. Pour mixture into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking
spray. Bake at 325 F for 22 minutes (brownie will be fudgy when
tested with a wooden pick). Cool completely on a wire rack.

Beat milk, 2 T Kahlua, 1 teaspoon coffee granules, 1 teaspoon
vanilla and pudding mix at medium speed of a mixer 30 seconds.
Gently fold in 1-1/2 cups whipped topping. Spoon pudding mixture
onto brownie crust; spread evenly.

Combine 1 teaspoon coffee granules and 1 T Kahlua in a bowl;
gently fold in 1-1/2 cups whipped topping. Spread whipped
topping mixture evenly over pudding mixture. Garnish with
chocolate curls, if desired. Serve immediately or store loosely
covered in refrigerator.

Makes 8 servings.

Nonalcoholic Version:

When making pudding mixture, substitute 2 T 1% low-fat milk for
Kahlua. In topping, omit Kahlua, and dissolve coffee granules in 1 T
water.

Per serving: 297 cal., 6.5 g fat (3 g sat. fat), 4.9 g protein, 51.6 g
carbo., 1.2 g fiber, 1 mg chol., 399 mg sodium.

Note: Store remaining brownie mix in a zip-top plastic bag in
refrigerator. Reserved brownie mix can be used for another pie or
to make a small pan of brownies.

To make brownies, combine 2 cups brownie mix, 1/4 cup water and
1 lightly beaten large egg white in a bowl. Stir just until combined.
Spread into an 8-inch square pan coated with cooking spray. Bake
at 350 F for 23 to 25 minutes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt: Further straining bilateral ties, Venezuelan authorities said
they were investigating several members of the armed forces who
allegedly passed secrets to the Pentagon through the US naval attache
in
Caracas.}

http://www.breitbart.com/news/na/060127191238.u0c8uxh2.html

Chavez taunts Bush, but Venezuela-US trade grows

Jan 27 2:12 PM US/Eastern

As Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez stepped up his attacks on "the US
empire" this week, new figures showed that trade between the two
countries has grown steadily, thanks largely to high oil prices.

Thousands of activists attending a six-day anti-globalization gathering
in Caracas joined the leftist leader in lambasting US President George
W. Bush and warning him to stay out of Venezuela's affairs.

Many, including US anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan, hailed Chavez, a
former paratrooper, for standing up to the United States -- the main
importer of Venezuelan oil.

Chavez was likely to turn up the volume of his attacks on Bush when he
addresses the participants to the World Social Forum Friday afternoon.

He appeared to set the tone during an event at the presidential palace
Thursday, when he claimed that Washington's "smelly hands reach
everywhere" and spread "dirty wars, defamation and lies" against
Venezuela.

On Monday, he had pledged to "bury the US empire," warning that
otherwise, it "will bury us and all the generations that are not yet
born."

Further straining bilateral ties, Venezuelan authorities said they were
investigating several members of the armed forces who allegedly passed
secrets to the Pentagon through the US naval attache in Caracas.

Chavez has accused Washington of backing a 2002 coup in which he was
ousted for 47 hours, and claims the United States is still scheming
against him.

Washington, in turn, accuses Chavez of destabilizing the region and
recently prevented Spain from selling to Venezuela military planes
containing US parts.

Ironically, trade between the two countries has grown steadily for the
past four years, and reached about 39 billion dollars in 2005, an
increase of 35 percent over the previous year, according to official
figures out this week.

Venezuela's exports to the United States were valued at 21 billion
dollars, largely as a result of high oil prices. The United States
imports 1.5 million barrels a day from Venezuela, almost half the South
American country's total output.

The commercial attache at the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, where
the figures were released, urged US and other companies to take
advantage of what he called a favorable investment climate in the South
American country.

"Those who do not invest now will be pushed out by other potential
investors interested in Venezuela," said Jose Sojo Reyes, who said
trade
between the two countries could rise a further 15 percent this year.

The statements contrasted with Chavez's fierce rhetoric against the
Bush
administration, which analysts say has boosted the Venezuelan leader's
popularity in Latin America, where recent polls show a rise in anti-US
sentiment.

At the same time, Chavez has been cautious to direct his attacks at the
administration, and not the American people. In a major public
relations
coup, his government recently provided cheap heating oil to needy
residents of the Bronx, New York, and other parts of the northeastern
United States.

"A lot of the anti-Americanism is show," said Peter Schechter, a
Washington-based political consultant who has worked extensively in
Latin America.

"He has found that using an anti-American language that resembles that
of (Cuban President Fidel) Castro, does him enormous good," said
Schechter.

But Caracas needs the US market and Washington needs Venezuela's oil.

"The two countries are locked in a situation of mutual dependence at an
economic level because of oil, while being locked in a massive clash, a
lot of rhetoric," said Michael Shifter, of the Inter-American Dialogue
think-tank.
enditem

{Excerpt: The London-based Al Hayat said the Salafists recruited
Moroccans to fight the United States in Iraq. The newspaper said many
of
the suicide bombers in Iraq were comprised of Moroccan nationals. Some
of the Moroccans came from North Africa and others were recruited in
Western Europe.}

Insurgency recruits trained by
Al Qaida at camp in Algeria

http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/06/front2453763.1652777777.html

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Friday, January 27, 2006

LONDON — Al Qaida's leading contractor has taken over training Sunni
insurgents recruited for the war against the U.S.-led coalition in
Iraq.

Islamic sources said the Salafist Brigade for Combat and Call has been
assigned responsibility for recruitment and training of thousands of
Muslims prepared to join the insurgency war in Iraq. The sources said
the Salafists have established camps in Algeria for training and
indoctrination.

"Algeria has become a new training grounds for Al Zarqawi while
training
has decreased in Syria," an Islamic source said.
The sources said President Bashar Assad ordered a crackdown on Al
Qaida-aligned training camps in Syria in mid-2005, Middle East Newsline
reported. They said Assad sought to reduce the insurgency signature in
Syria in wake of the United Nations Security Council investigation of
the assassination of Lebanese former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in
February 2005.

The London-based Al Hayat said the Salafists recruited Moroccans to
fight the United States in Iraq. The newspaper said many of the suicide
bombers in Iraq were comprised of Moroccan nationals. Some of the
Moroccans came from North Africa and others were recruited in Western
Europe.

Al Hayat said on Jan. 18 that the Moroccans were recruited by the
Islamic Combatant Group, an Al Qaida-aligned network active in European
Union states. The recruits were then sent for training to Salafist
camps
in Algeria.

Moroccan nationals were said to have been playing an increasing role in
Al Qaida-aligned operations in Iraq. At one point, Al Hayat said, Al
Qaida network chief Abu Mussib Al Zarqawi recommended that the Moroccan
insurgents select a leadership. But the Moroccans could not agree on
their leaders.

Al Hayat said the wives of Moroccan recruits have sought to join the Al
Qaida effort. The newspaper, based on testimony of captured Moroccans,
said the wives sought to carry attacks against European security
centers
or join other fighters in Iraq.
enditem

"There have been many Russian states and each one of them had its own
history, and not one of them followed another directly. Great
Novgorod, the Golden Horde, the Great Principality of Lithuania
(otherwise known as Lithuanian Rus) were all Russian states, and there
were many more. Moscow was no more the successor of Kiev than Vilna or
Kazan."

http://www.kommersant.com/page.asp?idr=520&id=643367

Why We Don't Like Ukraine

// Missing the empire is not just missing the territory, it's missing
the history
Arguments over the Empire
There is a new New Year's lark in Russia. In the last weeks of the old
year, it assails Ukraine over Cape Tuzla, which no one had ever heard
of before. We tried to make them observe falsified election results
and were sincerely nonplussed at their unwillingness to do so. We
nearly quintupled the price of natural gas for them. And you always
have to make up for it in the new year. The regularity of those
attacks and the broad public support they received rule out the
possibility that it was all just someone's incompetence or greed. The
causes lie deeper.
It seems that the Russian public, right up to its political elite, is
beginning to realize that Ukraine's statehood is an irreversible
reality. This is a painful process and it has certain characteristic
complexes associated with it, such as a separation complex and
infantile resentment. One of the reasons for this reaction is that the
imperial syndrome is rooted in the understanding of history that has
reigned supreme in our national consciousness for the last 200 years.

New Country, Old History

When Peter I turned the state he ruled upside down, he was convinced
that he was creating a completely new power. However, hi successors,
still in the 18th century, felt the need to prop up their legitimacy
with their ancient origin and they began to propagate the myth of the
single chain of historic succession that connected Kievan Rus with the
Moscow kingdom and the St. Petersburg empire. Karamzin's History of
the Russian State gave he Romanov pretensions canonicity. A quarter of
a millennium of history, from the fall of Kiev to the Standoff on the
Ugra, was written off as Tatar and Lithuanian-Polish occupation. Some
modern ideologues try to do approximately the same thing with the
Soviet period.

After October 1917, the Bolsheviks themselves tried to begin a "new
era" with a clean slate. But soon enough Stalin restored the
traditional historical mythology, setting the USSR on the timeline of
Russian history – from Kievan Rus to the Land of the Soviets. The
founding fathers of the Russian Federation do not even try to portray
themselves as founders of a new state. They prefer to play the role of
princes, kings, emperors and general secretaries all at the same time.
The result is that today Russian citizens are convinced that they are
the direct and sole bearers of a thousand-year-old tradition, a
powerful shoot surrounded on all sides by dried up branches.

Rights of Inheritance

There have been many Russian states and each one of them had its own
history, and not one of them followed another directly. Great
Novgorod, the Golden Horde, the Great Principality of Lithuania
(otherwise known as Lithuanian Rus) were all Russian states, and there
were many more. Moscow was no more the successor of Kiev than Vilna or
Kazan.

It is not quite as bad to speak of the Russian Empire as the successor
of the Kingdom of Moscovy. Here there was a dynastic and religious
unity. Between the Romanov empire and the USSR it is impossible to see
any connection. A state that changes its capital, symbols, borders,
state religion, political system and name becomes another state.

Of course, if some form of the state from the past s close to our
heart, we can declare ourselves its successor. At various stages of
history, various Russian states traced their genealogy to ancient
Rome, Byzantium, classical Greece, Germanic tribes and even, as we
recall from Soviet textbooks, Urartu.

There is nothing wrong with that. But it is a good idea to keep in
mind that our neighbors have rights of inheritance as well. They love
to recall the etymological meaning of "Ukraine" ("on the edge") in
Russia today. But the question of who is on the edge and who is in the
center of Rus is all and only a matter of where you are looking from.
About a year before the Orange Revolution, a Kiev taxi driver, an
ardent fan of Yushchenko, told me that he felt that he was more
Russian than people who live in the Urals.

The Burden of Conceit

Unfortunately, these are not abstract considerations. In the
consciousness of the modern Russian, Ukraine is increasingly taking
the place of Poland as the unfaithful brother, betraying its Slavic
origins for the West. We see what that perception has led to in
Russian-Polish relations. The past is not primogeniture passing to the
single lawful heir. It is a symbolic resource that everyone can use
when they need it. It cannot be monopolized, and attempts to do so can
be ruinous.

Fortunately for states and peoples, there is another way. Norway was
first a province of Denmark, and then of Sweden, and obtained its
independence only at the beginning of the 20th century. Relations
between the three states are simple and calm today, and their
geographical, cultural and linguistic ties are underpinned by a
multitude of successfully functioning institutions. And this is in
spite of the fact that Norway refused to join the EU and Sweden did
not join NATO. And the imperial past has not prevented Russia from
building adequate relations with Finland.

Looking at the history of national statehood as a chain of direct
succession uniting a mythic past with the present, we almost
unavoidably exaggerate our own place in it. The Kingdom of Muscovy was
enthralled with that conceit, seeing itself as the Third Rome and,
maybe to a slightly lesser extent, so was the Russian Empire and, in
hyperbolic proportions, the Soviet Union. The price for such ambitions
was huge every time.

by Andrey Zorin, Professor of Russian History, Oxford University

Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2006

From: MaryMarshall tropical.forestry@btinternet.com

Source: AFP via Yahoo News, 28 Jan 2006 [edited]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060128/hl_afp/healthflusaudi_060128195534;_ylt=AsHgRr9U1cMyuxt88l55DbuTvyIi;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

Saudi authorities have culled 37 falcons after discovering cases that have tested positive to the H5 [strain] of the avian flu [virus], the agriculture ministry said.

A ministry team inspecting falcons kept in a veterinary centre in Riyadh, which takes care of the birds that are usually used for hunting, discovered the cases, said a ministry statement carried by SPA official news agency. The ministry said 37 falcons, including the 5 cases "were killed and burned." [Map at

http://www.supertravelnet.com/maps/index.php?action=showmap&country=249_0_4&language=1

Laboratory tests were being conducted to establish if the cases test also positive for the N virus -- "the other component of the (bird flu) virus," it added.

Saudi Arabia had said in November [2005] that it was banning all bird imports from neighbouring countries amid heightened regional concerns about bird flu. That decision came a day after Kuwait announced a bird stricken with avian flu in the country carried the deadly H5N1 strain, in the first case of its kind in the Gulf region. Another bird was found to have the milder H5N2 strain.

-- ProMED-mail promed@promedmail.org

[The identity of the neuraminidase component of the virus and confirmation from a reference laboratory are expected.

If confirmed, and in the absence of disease in domestic poultry, the infection in falcons could have been the result of contacts (during hunting?) with (migratory?) wild birds.

An H9N2 avian influenza virus has been present for the past several years in various Middle-Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia. Though not an HPAI virus strain, losses at times have been considerable. - Mod.AS]

http://www.lebaneselobby.org/News__index/news%202006/01%2027%2006%20Netherlands%20Blocks%20Hizbullah's%20Manar%20TV,%20Saying%20it%20Spreads%20Hate.htm

Netherlands Blocks Hizbullah's Manar TV, Saying it Spreads Hate

January 28, 2006

The Dutch authorities have blocked the transmission of a satellite
television channel from Lebanon and another one from Iran, saying they
spread hate.
The transmission of Hizbullah's Al Manar TV station and Iranian Sahar
TV1 to
the Netherlands have been cut because they broadcast anti-semitic and
radical comments, Dutch justice ministry spokesman Arnoud Stijbis said
Thursday.

According to the ministry the measures have been taken as part of the
Netherlands campaign to combat terrorism. The Dutch government says the
channels encourage the radicalization of Muslims and glorify terrorist
attacks.

The ministry of justice is also closely monitoring two other satellite
television channels, Iranian Al Alam and Art Iqraa from Saudi Arabia,
which
might also broadcast anti-semitic and radical comments.

Despite the transmission block, the channels can still be watched on
the
internet and via satellites outside of Europe, Dutch media said.

Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner called for a European Union wide
solution
to the problem of such television channels. (AFP)

{Excerpt: Mr Caceres told the BBC he opposes US-backed efforts to
eradicate crops across the country....He said coca was an integral part
of Bolivia's indigenous culture and was the only means of survival for
many people.}

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4658880.stm

Last Updated: Saturday, 28 January 2006, 23:52 GMT

Coca grower in Bolivia drug post

Bolivia's new left-wing government has put a coca grower in charge of
the fight against drug trafficking.

Felipe Caceres was appointed deputy minister for social defence by
President Evo Morales - who was once a coca grower himself.

Mr Caceres is a former mayor of a town in the coca-growing region of
Chapare, and owns a small coca farm there.

Coca is used to make cocaine, but also has widespread ceremonial and
medical uses in Bolivia.

Mr Caceres told the BBC he opposes US-backed efforts to eradicate crops
across the country.

He said coca was an integral part of Bolivia's indigenous culture and
was the only means of survival for many people.

Many people in rural areas use the leaves in tea, or chew them to ward
off hunger and altitude sickness.

Mr Caceres said he was convinced he would help lead a successful fight
within President Morales' government to end drug-trafficking in
Bolivia.

"What we say is no to drugs, but yes to the coca leaf," he said, adding
he would not stop production on his own plantation.

President Morales, who was elected last month as the nation's first
indigenous leader, wants to increase the production of coca for use in
medicines, toothpaste and soft drinks.

He has promised to fight corruption, introduce a new tax on the
wealthy,
and renationalise energy companies.
enditem

Excellent info here, note that some states offer a solar greenhouse department: (be sure to check google groups)

http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=solar%20greenhouse%20designs

http://www.google.com/search?q=solar+greenhouse+building+plans&btnG=Search&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&client=googlet

http://www.google.com/search?q=solar+greenhouse++free+building+plans&btnG=Search&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&client=googlet

http://www.google.com/search?q=Making+money+in+a+solar+greenhouse++&btnG=Search&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&client=googlet

http://www.google.com/search?q=Making+a+profit+growing+in+a+solar+greenhouse++&btnG=Search&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&client=googlet

Greenhouses and other ideas:

http://www.google.com/search?q=solar+greenhouse++for+survival&btnG=Search&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&client=googlet

This has useable info, on a variety of subjects:

http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=making%20a%20profit%20with%20wild%20plants

Everyone needs to spend a couple days with these links, the link to Michael A. Weiner, he is Michael Savage of radio talk show host, he wrote about 20 books on the plants of the world, before he went to current events. (I am 99% sure it is Savage..LOL)

http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=native%20American%20plants%20for%20food%20and%20medicine

http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=How%20to%20make%20it%20yourself%20without%20a%20trip%20to%20the%20store

***This is a special search and for a reason, I had a client that wanted a dish garden for the coffee table and did not like what was for sale in the area, so they made their own.

And had orders for it.

They got the bright idea to see if they would sell, so they made up a few and went looking for a market.

It still makes me smile, as they had so many orders that they had to quit their jobs, I sold them 5 acres and they were hiring people the last time that I talked to them.

There market went about 200 miles and all in between.

The funny part was, that they bought the cheapes ceramic dishes, rather common plants by the flat, so they were cheap and stuck them in the dish, a little gravel and it was ready for the coffee table.

They had picked up several markets in places like Home Depot and of course flower shops buy them already made.

There is money to be made selling to flower shops, here all flowers and supplies are shipped in from Las Vegas, Phoenix and Los Angeles, by Greyhound bus and other carriers.

http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=making%20dish%20gardens

OK, now all of you can have spring fever........
Lots of tips here:

http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=handy%20hints%20for%20growing%20your%20own%20food

http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=make%20your%20own%20potting%20mix%20and%20garden%20supplies

Wonderful links:http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=container%20gardening

Edited:

Israel Rules Out Dealing With Hamas Gov't

January 29, 2006
By JOSEF FEDERMAN, Associated Press Writer

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060129/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians

JERUSALEM - Acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
ruled out contacts with a Hamas-led Palestinian
government until the Islamic group renounces violence,
and his defense minister threatened to "liquidate"
Hamas militants involved in attacks.

With the latest comments, Israel showed no signs of
backing down from the tough line it has taken since
Hamas won a landslide victory in Palestinian
legislative elections last week.

The group, which opposes the existence of Israel and
has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings,
is expected to lead the next Palestinian government,
hurting the chances for a peace deal. However, a
Hamas-backed Palestinian lawmaker said he believes the
group is flexible enough to reach an understanding
with Israel.

Also Sunday, about 7,000 Israeli security forces,
anticipating violent resistance, were training to
dismantle two small West Bank settler outposts later
this week, police said. Resistance is expected to be
fierce in Amona and among Israeli squatters who took
over an abandoned market in the Palestinian city of
Hebron.

The operation marks Israel's first evacuation of
Jewish settlers since its withdrawal from the Gaza
Strip and part of the West Bank in August.

Olmert, addressing the weekly meeting of his Cabinet,
said he has received widespread international support
for the Israeli position toward Hamas. Officials said
Olmert has been in touch with U.N. Secretary-General
Kofi Annan and leaders from France, Egypt and Jordan.

"We clarified that without a clear abandonment of the
path of terror, a recognition of Israel's right to
exist in security and peace ... Israel won't have any
contact with the Palestinians," Olmert said. "These
principles are accepted by the international
community. On this issue, I don't intend to make any
compromises."

Olmert has not decided whether to accept defense
officials' recommendation to stop transferring to the
Palestinian government the tens of millions of dollars
in taxes and customs it collects monthly from
Palestinians, fearing this could cause the
cash-strapped Palestinian Authority to collapse,
officials said.

Israel is slated to transfer the money Wednesday.

President Bush has said hundreds of millions of
dollars in U.S. aid will be cut to the cast-strapped
Palestinian government unless Hamas abolishes its
militant wing and stops calling for Israel's
destruction.

Later Sunday, Olmert consulted with his top security
advisers. Before the meeting, Defense Minister Shaul
Mofaz said Israel was prepared to resume its deadly
airstrikes on Hamas targets.

"Those who head terror organizations and continue to
engage in terror against the state of Israel will be
liquidated," told Channel 2 TV on Saturday night.
"Hamas knows better ... what Israel's powers and
capabilities are in fighting terror."

During five years of fighting with the Palestinians,
Israel killed dozens of Hamas militants in targeted
attacks, including the group's founder and spiritual
leader, Ahmed Yassin. Israel has not assassinated a
prominent Hamas member since a cease-fire declaration
in February 2005.

Mofaz said the coming weeks would be a "transition
period" for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, whose
Fatah Party was routed in last week's vote and who
must now find a way to work with the Islamic group.

Abbas in the past has called on Hamas to disarm, as
required in the U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan, but
never took action against the group.

Hamas' supreme leader, Khaled Mashaal, said Saturday
from Syria that the group would not disarm but
suggested it could fold the thousands of fighters in
its militant wing into a Palestinian army.

"We are ready to unify the weapons of Palestinian
factions, with Palestinian consensus, and form an army
like any independent state," he said.

Israeli leaders condemned the plan, demanding an end
to Hamas violence.

Hamas won 74 out of 132 seats in parliamentary
elections Wednesday to Fatah's 45. Abbas has asked
Hamas to form a new government, which would put the
group in charge of some Palestinian security forces.
Other branches of the security services are under
Abbas' control.

Officials with Fatah, which dominates the security
forces, so far have reacted coolly to suggestions that
it form a coalition with the Islamists.

Ziad Abu Amr, an independent lawmaker from Gaza
supported by Hamas, said Sunday he believes the gaps
between the sides can be bridged. He said Hamas'
charter calling for Israel's destruction was outdated,
and he suggested the group would accept most existing
agreements with Israel and allow Abbas to retain
control over key security forces.

"There is a possibility, and all of these things will
be easier if there is a national government in which
Fatah participates," he said.

Hamas leaders have issued mixed signals since the
election, leaving the door open to negotiations and
continuation of the "hudna," or cease-fire.

"We are not going to recognize Israel," Mahmoud Zahar,
a top Hamas lawmaker from the Gaza Strip, said in
comments published in London's The Sunday Telegraph.
"We can reach out to them with a long-term hudna."

Continued..

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