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| This thread has been locked, it will not receive new replies. |
| Locked on 04/02/2007 1:14:07 AM PDT by Admin Moderator, reason: |
Posted on 03/01/2007 8:28:33 PM PST by nwctwx
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"Woman Killed in Houston Office Fire Planned to Testify..."
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,262543,00.html
"failure to flush cleaning solution from at least one machine contaminated a batch of chocolate milk..."
Sorry to hear that Mama Dearest.
Seems to me there are more and more cases of people sickened by improper and inadequate sanitation procedures. Everything we buy must be carefully scrutinized as to who makes it (corporate and physical workforce), where the contents originate and what the contents actually are.
I agree.
I have had off-tasting sodas before that I suspected might have had left over cleaing fluid in it.
I don't order cold drinks anymore, unless it comes in a bottle or can -- unopened.
UPDATE:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=iran
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6508909.stm
Last Updated: Friday, 30 March 2007, 06:04 GMT 07:04 UK
"UN voices 'concern' on UK sailors"
"The captured sailors have been shown on Iranian television
Iranian TV footage"
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The UN Security Council has agreed a statement voicing "grave concern" at Iran's capture of 15 British sailors.
It also calls on Tehran to allow the UK consular access to the personnel.
The statement is a watered-down version as the UK wanted it to "deplore" Iran's detention of the Britons and call for their immediate release.
Iran, which the UK later said had sent a note to the British embassy, responded by saying it was not helpful to try to engage third parties.
The Foreign Office said of the note: "We can confirm that, as reported in the Iranian media, the Iranian government has sent a formal note to the British embassy.
"Such exchanges are always confidential so we cannot divulge any details but we are giving the message serious consideration and will soon respond formally to the Iranian government.""
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=china
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Note: The following post is a quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1808958/posts
The 'Genocide Olympics'
Wall Street Journal ^ | March 28, 2007 | Ronan Farrow and Mia Farrow
Posted on 03/29/2007 5:07:17 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
"One World, One Dream" is China's slogan for its 2008 Olympics. But there is one nightmare that China shouldn't be allowed to sweep under the rug. That nightmare is Darfur, where more than 400,000 people have been killed and more than two-and-a-half million driven from flaming villages by the Chinese-backed government of Sudan.
That so many corporate sponsors want the world to look away from that atrocity during the games is bad enough. But equally disappointing is the decision of artists like director Steven Spielberg -- who quietly visited China this month as he prepares to help stage the Olympic ceremonies -- to sanitize Beijing's image. Is Mr. Spielberg, who in 1994 founded the Shoah Foundation to record the testimony of survivors of the holocaust, aware that China is bankrolling Darfur's genocide?
China is pouring billions of dollars into Sudan. Beijing purchases an overwhelming majority of Sudan's annual oil exports and state-owned China National Petroleum Corp. -- an official partner of the upcoming Olympic Games -- owns the largest shares in each of Sudan's two major oil consortia. The Sudanese government uses as much as 80% of proceeds from those sales to fund its brutal Janjaweed proxy militia and purchase their instruments of destruction: bombers, assault helicopters, armored vehicles and small arms, most of them of Chinese manufacture. Airstrips constructed and operated by the Chinese have been used to launch bombing campaigns on villages. And China has used its veto power on the U.N. Security Council to repeatedly obstruct efforts by the U.S. and the U.K. to introduce peacekeepers to curtail the slaughter.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1808816/posts
Beijing Tunnel Collapses; 6 Trapped ~ Subway Tunnel under construction for the 2008 ..Olympics ..
Las Vegas Sun ^ | March 29, 2007 at 11:25:5 PDT | BEIJING (AP) -
Posted on 03/29/2007 11:31:11 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
BEIJING (AP) -
Rescuers are trying to reach six workers trapped underground after a subway construction site for the 2008 Beijing Olympics collapsed, but hopes for their survival are slim, the official Xinhua News Agency said Thursday.
The accident occurred Wednesday morning on the No. 10 line, which runs through the main Olympics compound in northwest Beijing, Xinhua said.
The collapsed section covers an area of about 215 square feet and is about 36 feet deep, it said.
Debris has been cleared away and rescuers were trying to reach the missing workers, but experts fear there is little chance they have survived, the report said without giving further details.
Calls to the city government, Communist Party office and the China Railway 12th Bureau Group Co. Ltd., the stated-owned construction company overseeing the work, rang unanswered Thursday.
The cause of the collapse is under investigation, Xinhua said.
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Note: The following post is a quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1809051/posts
Russia Eyes Stronger Partnership With China
cnsnews.com ^ | March 27, 2007 | Sergei Blagov
Posted on 03/29/2007 8:06:29 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
Russia has renewed its pledge to build its strategic partnership with China, in a thinly veiled attempt to oppose what Moscow views as American unilateralism.
President Vladimir Putin told visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao Monday that the positions of both countries on Iran and North Korea "either coincide or are similar."
In response, Hu, whose three-day state visit to Russia ends Wednesday, hailed what he described as "strategic cooperation between China and Russia, permanent members of the U.N. Security Council." The neighbors, who share a 2,700-mile border, signed a joint statement pledging to cooperate on a variety of issues.
In an apparent rebuff to Washington's Iranian policy, Hu and Putin said the issue of Tehran's nuclear ambitions "should be resolved exclusively through peaceful means and negotiations." (Similarly, the North Korean nuclear weapons issue should be resolved "through a peaceful, diplomatic way.")
"[We] believe that Iran ... has the right to explore peaceful nuclear energy while adhering to all its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty," the joint China-Russia declaration said.
Russia's Foreign Ministry reiterated in a statement Tuesday that Moscow believed the setting of ultimatums for Iranian compliance was doomed to fail.
At the same time, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists in Moscow that Russia expects Tehran to listen to signals by the international community and respond adequately to the latest Security Council resolution.
Moscow and Beijing also moved to cement their partnership with economic agreements, with companies from the two countries signing some 20 agreements totaling $4.3 billion. Russia and China vowed to boost cooperation in the oil, gas and power sectors.
Moscow has prioritized China's lucrative energy market in its energy policy, and has been building a $12 billion pipeline from East Siberia to the Pacific to pump supplies to China and Japan.
The China-bound pipelines for oil and gas are seen as a political expedient for the Kremlin, designed to send a message to European consumers that if they do not like Russia's sales terms, Russia can simply redirect its energy exports eastwards.
In 2006, Russia's trade with China reached some $30 billion or 15 percent up year-on-year. Moscow views high growth rates in Russia-China commerce as an important indicator of the state of bilateral partnership.
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=russia
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=tunnels
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=tunnel
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1809124/posts
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Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/070329sandiego.htm
March 29, 2007
Federal agents investigating two border tunnels found near Otay Mesa port
SAN DIEGO - Two unfinished cross-border tunnels were discovered yesterday morning near the Otay Mesa port of entry by agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Both tunnels originated in Mexico in an open area adjacent to the primary border fence. The passageways, located approximately 40 meters apart, were very primitively constructed. The tunnels, which were three feet wide and three feet high, were located approximately five feet beneath the earth's surface. The first tunnel, its Mexican entry point covered by plywood and dirt, extended about five feet into the United States. The second tunnel extended approximately two feet into the United States and was partially filled with water.
The ongoing investigation into the tunnels is being coordinated by the San Diego Tunnel Task force, composed of ICE, CBP Border Patrol, DEA and the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement. Law enforcement officials from Mexico are also assisting in the investigation.
"Quick action by the Task Force ensured that neither of these tunnels could be utilized," said Michael Carney, acting special agent in charge for the ICE Office of Investigations in San Diego. "If passages like these go undetected, they pose a potential threat to our nation's security. ICE is committed to working with its law enforcement partners to dismantle these tunnels and the criminal organizations behind them."
No arrests have yet been made in the case, but the investigation is ongoing.
-- ICE --
http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/070329baltimore.htm
March 29, 2007
"ICE arrests illegal aliens in Baltimore worksite enforcement operation
Employment services firm allegedly provided Baltimore businesses with illegal aliens"
BALTIMORE –
PRESS RELEASE SNIPPET: "The investigation, which is ongoing, began in 2006 when ICE received information regarding temporary employment agencies providing illegal aliens to work at companies operating in Baltimore. JIN was identified as a company suspected of providing undocumented aliens to work at the Port of Baltimore and other locations within the greater Baltimore area."
http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/states/newsrel/detroit032807.html
"Supplier of Internet Pharmacies Shut Down"
MAR 28 -- (Glasgow, KY)
http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/states/newsrel/nyc032807a.html
"Eleven Members Of Colombian Heroin Trafficking Organization Arrested Following Joint Investigation By U.S. And Colombia
Heroin Concealed in Shipments of Kidney Beans, Beach Bags, and Trailer Hitches"
MAR 28
Off Topic - Thought for the day Ahmadinejad: Be careful for what you wish for. You just might get it.
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ON THE NET...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=iran
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=ahmadinejad
http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html
http://www.jihadwatch.org/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=iran
http://www.memri.org/iran.html
http://www.memritv.org/Search.asp?ACT=S5&P1=148
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http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3383152,00.html
Iran denounces UN call for British sailors' release
Published: 03.30.07, 11:40 / Israel News
Iran criticized the United Nation Security Council announcement Thursday appealing to Tehran to release the 15 British sailors captured a week ago. "Unfortunately, the Security Council is being used once again to handle issues that are not under its jurisdiction," Iranian ambassador to the UN told IRNA news agency.
The Security Council refrained from condemning Iran for capturing the sailors, as demanded by Britain. Rather, it expressed "deep concern" over the affair. (AFP)
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http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=27629
"The Next War?"
By Kenneth R. Timmerman
FrontPageMagazine.com | March 30, 2007
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The capture by Iran of fifteen British sailors and marines while they were inspecting a trading dhow in international waters for smuggled goods could be the spark that ignites the next war.
Whether that happens or not will not depend on us, or on the Brits. It will depend on President Ahmadinejad, his backers in Tehran, and Iran’s Supreme Leader.
Clearly, Ahmadinejad and his supporters have been planning this sort of thing for some time.
One week before the kidnapping of the British hostages, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards weekly newspaper, Sobh-e Sadeq, published these incendiary remarks from Reza Fakr, a writer said to have close links to Ahmadinejad:
“We’ve got the ability to capture a nice bunch of blue-eyed blond-haired officers and feed them to our fighting cocks. Iran has enough people who can reach the heart of Europe and kidnap Americans and Israelis.”
At the time, the Revolutionary Guards were seeking to ”retaliate” for moves by multinational forces in Iraq to crackdown on Iranian intelligence networks in Iraq, including the capture of five Iranian intelligence operatives in Irbil on the night of Jan. 10-11, 2007.
But they had already exacted tit-for-tat retribution in the attack on Karbala on January 20, when what now appears to have been an Iranian snatch team posing as American security guards kidnapped five U.S. soldiers inside an Iraqi army base.
That attack went awry, and the Iranians slaughtered all five Americans instead of taking them hostage.
My sources in Iran tell me that the IRGC leadership realized it was going to be too hard to go after U.S. forces, given stepped up protection measures the Americans instituted after the Karbala incident. So they sought British targets as a substitute.
This hostage-taking was no accident. It didn’t just “happen.” It was part of a centrally-planned and organized strategy to step up tension with the West.”
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http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=27416
"Intelligence War in Iran"
By Kenneth R. Timmerman
FrontPageMagazine.com | March 19, 2007
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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article1530527.ece
From The Sunday Times
March 18, 2007
"Iran to hit back at US ‘kidnaps’"
Uzi Mahnaimi, Tel Aviv
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "In an article in Subhi Sadek, the Revolutionary Guard’s weekly paper, Reza Faker, a writer believed to have close links to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, warned that Iran would strike back.
“We’ve got the ability to capture a nice bunch of blue-eyed blond-haired officers and feed them to our fighting cocks,” he said. “Iran has enough people who can reach the heart of Europe and kidnap Americans and Israelis.”"
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http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=countries&Area=iran&ID=SP152707
Special Dispatch Series - No. 1527
March 30, 2007 No.1527
"The Arab Press Assesses the Likelihood of a U.S. Strike Against Iran"
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The Arab press has recently been focusing on the possibility of a U.S. attack on Iran, and has been publishing reports, investigations, and articles. Some of these have asserted the "certainty" of an attack, while others are reviews of attack plans and preliminary steps in advance of the coming conflict. However, some in the press reject the possibility of an attack and explain their reasons for doing so.
The following are examples of discussion of the subject in the Arab press:
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http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=countries&Area=iran&ID=IA33807
Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 338
March 30, 2007 No.338
"Russia's New Position on Iran's Nuclear Program Creates Iran-Russia Crisis"
By Y. Mansharof*
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http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=countries&Area=iran&ID=SP152307
Special Dispatch Series - No. 1523
March 29, 2007 No.1523
"Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei Threatens to 'Strike at Them with All Our Capabilities' If Iran Is Attacked"
SNIPPET: "The following are excerpts from a public address delivered by Iranian Leader, Ali Khamenei, which aired on Khorasan TV on March 21, 2007.
TO VIEW THIS CLIP: http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1409 "
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=spain
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=eta
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http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/03/29/europe/EU-GEN-Spain-ETA.php
"Police in northern Spain on alert over possible ETA attack, Basque minister says"
The Associated Press
Published: March 29, 2007
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "MADRID, Spain: Police in northern Spain were on maximum alert Thursday over a possible attack by the armed Basque separatist group ETA after police found explosives and arrested eight suspects in a raid, a Basque official said."
http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/hurricane_season/hurricane_season_2915.html
"Hurricane Season - Know Before You Go"
PERSECUTION.ORG
http://www.persecution.org
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http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2007/s07030180.htm
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
"Focus On NK Brutality
Christians Urged To Participate In North Korea Freedom Week "
From Open Doors USA
Jerry Dykstra, Media Relations Director
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "SANTA ANA, CA (ANS) -- North Korea is a deadly place for followers of Jesus Christ. As one North Korean said: "People who believe in Christ are shot and executed."
That’s why Open Doors USA, a member of the North Korea Freedom Coalition (NKFC), is participating – along with many other organization members – in North Korea Freedom Week (NKFW) April 22-29."
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1161.html
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today, Fri Mar 30 2007 03:58:07 GMT-0700.
Worldwide Caution
October 11, 2006
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=bakri
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=omarbakri
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http://hotair.com/archives/2007/03/29/video-talkin-jihad-with-omar-bakri-and-the-boys/
"Video: Talkin’ jihad with Omar Bakri and the boys"
posted at 9:58 am on March 29, 2007 by Allahpundit
(Note: Video (http://www.memritv.org ) included)
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http://www.memritv.org/Transcript.asp?P1=1414
3/20/2007 Clip No. 1414
"Islamic Scholars Debate the Meaning of Jihad"
That's interesting..........coincidence or?
It looks like the FD hasn't been able to go in yet to investigate.
Clearly, the increasing tensions with Iran since the capture of the British marines/sailors are reaching a critical junction. First off, it appears to be very clear that the more radical elements of Iran’s Islamic leadership have been planning this kind of operation for some time, monitoring and watching the inspection operations. The swiftness of the operation and the inability of the British elements to protect the boarding teams show that they knew their target and its weaknesses.
This also occurs after the congress passed spending bills that legislate a time table for withdrawal from Iraq. As has been typical in the Arab world, the sign of weakness is an opportunity to strike. Even this week, Arab ‘allies’ in the region have been very openly reluctant to even provide a ‘hint’ of support, preferring to tell us that our presence is ‘illegitimate’ (according to the Saudis).
On the other side of the coin is the determination to ‘surge’ our forces in the region to provide a breather for the Iraqi government to gain control over sectarian violence by removing outside instigators, among who the most serious are Iranian agents.
US capabilities in the region are currently at their highest level since the invasion of Iraq. There are two US carrier strike groups in the gulf. France has its carrier in the region supporting operations in Afghanistan. The Nimitz strike group is enroute to relieve the Stennis by the end of April, however both could stay in the region giving us 3 carrier strike groups. The Regan strike group is currently in the China Sea area, providing a fourth strike group if necessary.
Why all the firepower? It is for one of three reasons. 1) Preparation for a strike against Iran (offensive), 2) Defensive in the event Israel strikes Iran first or 3) A combination of offensive and defensive measures against Iran. Control of the sea is critical to global oil supplies, and Iran has made if very clear that they would do whatever it takes to shut down the Arabian Gulf. During the Iran/Iraq war, Iran tried to disrupt the flow of oil through mines and attacks against oil tankers. Strong actions by the US in protecting the flow of oil prevented a major catastrophe. Both Iran and the US have (and probably still are) reviewed the results of that period in the light of current technology and force capability. Should the shooting start between the US and Iran, control of the water will be critical not only for the supply of oil but to maintain the logistical needs of our ground forces in Iraq.
The other need for a higher concentration of firepower is the potential that Iran may launch a limited ground invasion either using its forces or the proxy forces of al Sadr or both, into the predominately shia regions of southern Iraq should we strike Iran. This region is currently under the control of British and other European forces. If Iran senses that the same timidness exists in the ground forces as the naval forces, such a strike becomes more probable. Such a limited assault would seize the Iraqi ports and oil facilities and cut off sea based logistic support to the coalition troops in Iraq. Additional air power and ground forces provided by the Marine assault groups also on the sea in the region, would be necessary to re-secure the area.
How will this all pan out? There is already RUMINT that a US strike is scheduled for the Easter timeframe. I wouldn’t give it too much credibility at the moment. A lot will depend upon the determination of the President and PM Blair as any strike would face stiff opposition both from Iran as well as from opponents here. Although Iranian response would be furious, it is doubtful that they will succeed in defeating our naval forces, though it is likely that we may lose some ships.
Wild Cards Although Iran is blustering big, the question is how far will they allow their response to any strike (by US or Israel) go? Any strikes against other Gulf countries could ignite a regional war. Any strike against Iraq would provide cause us to strike them even harder. Any global terror attacks would immediately be linked to Iran, due to the vast publicity of their claims of having ‘sleeper cells’ everywhere.
The other unknown is Israel. If Olmert’s handling of the conflict in S. Lebanon provides any clue, I’d be surprised to see an Israeli preemptive strike anytime soon. However, it is very likely that should Iran be hit, Hamas and Hezbollah will be unleashed from both Lebanon and Gaza with perhaps Syria getting into the mix.
What to be looking for Iran will continue to milk the hostage situation for all its PR worth to embarrass both Britain and the US. I would suspect that there would be a limited naval blockade on Iran should things draw out longer. Probably the import of gasoline would hit the Iranian economy the hardest. I suspect that Iran will try to find an opportunity to embarrass the US through the capture of ground forces near the Iraq/Iran border or through the capture or damage of a naval vessel. Both Iran and the US appear to be ready for a fight and only need a good excuse to get things started.
Thanks.
Correction, the Nimitz is scheduled to replace the Eisenhower, not the Stennis.
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