Iran accuses West of using lizards for nuclear spying

www.timesofisrael.com ^ | 02/13/2018 | By AFP and Michael Bachner

[Red Badger]

Adviser to Khamenei says aid collectors for Palestinians sought to deploy reptiles whose skin 'attracted atomic waves'

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The former chief-of-staff of Iran’s armed forces said Tuesday that Western spies had used lizards to “attract atomic waves” and spy on his country’s nuclear program.

It was the latest in a long line of incidents of Western countries, including Israel, being accused of deploying secret agents from the animal kingdom.

Hassan Firuzabadi, senior military adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was responding to questions from local media on the recent arrest of environmentalists.

He said he did not know the details of the cases, but that the West had often used tourists, scientists and environmentalists to spy on Iran.

“Several years ago, some individuals came to Iran to collect aid for Palestine… We were suspicious of the route they chose,” he told the reformist ILNA news agency.

“In their possessions were a variety of reptile desert species like lizards, chameleons… We found out that their skin attracts atomic waves and that they were nuclear spies who wanted to find out where inside the Islamic Republic of Iran we have uranium mines and where we are engaged in atomic activities,” he said.

Firuzabadi said Western spy agencies had “failed every time.”

His comments came after news that a leading Iranian-Canadian environmentalist, Kavous Seyed Emami, had committed suicide in prison after he was arrested along with other members of his wildlife NGO last month.

Several spying allegations involving various creatures have been leveled against Israel over the past years.

In January 2016, Lebanese residents captured a griffon vulture wearing an Israeli tracking device, but released it upon realizing that the transmitter strapped to the bird was intended for scientific research rather than espionage.

Several months earlier, Hamas claimed to have caught a dolphin wearing Israeli spying equipment.

Twice in recent years, Turkish media has highlighted allegations that birds tagged with Israeli university tracking devices were on espionage missions.

In 2012, an eagle with an Israeli tag in Sudan was captured and alleged to be as a Mossad spy.

Two years earlier, an Egyptian official said Israel-controlled sharks may have been involved in a number of attacks on tourists in the Red Sea.

[ArGee]

ignore this guy the best you can

I'm on to plan B as the CIO has made him personally responsible for the success of the project.

[Monkey Face]

Hoo-boy... *waiting*

How long is your contract for? (Don’t answer if I’m being nosy.)

[ArGee]

2 years. I won’t fail but navigating is going to be a pain.

[Monkey Face]

*groan*

Oh ArGee. I know you won’t fail because you have too much integrity. Not knowing all the obstacles that you’ll face, I’ll just keep you on my prayer list indefinitely, if that’s OK with you.

All I can say is, “Hang in there!”

[ArGee]

You mean like ...

[Monkey Face]

Exactly!! Do it! ;o]

[Silentgypsy]

It sounds like a weak matrix. Crap like that can't occur without subtle support of the corporate culture. You have a good grasp of the situation. I documented carefully, kept thorough and exhaustive anecdotal notes, folders of emails, etc., as well as tracking the execution of my job description, so that, when I was challenged/attacked, all concerned were gathered together and then smacked down with the truth. Heads of divisions tried to entrap me or discover errors, people complained about me to central headquarters, and none of it worked. The comical aspect of the whole situation is that I had refused a title and was on a self-directed work team. One of the head honchos had an outside entity do an evaluation of my team's work and cited 93% concurrence with their conclusions. My boss was an ethical powerhouse and the only one who could give me direct orders. (Also ruthless and would toss me onto the sacrificial altar if appropriate.)

You published a really good article years ago. (Bookmarked on old puter that crashed.) Your situation is different and you have much more experience than I do in that area so I'm confident that you continue to address it constructively and effectively. Offhand, I'd say those guys are threatened by you and successful sabotage is the only way to get rid of an annoyingly competent person who might discover who's doing what.

Please excuse lack of cohesion. I don't do self-discipline any more. Cheesecake for breakfast, anyone?

[Silentgypsy]

It sounds like a weak matrix. Crap like that can't occur without subtle support of the corporate culture. You have a good grasp of the situation. I documented carefully, kept thorough and exhaustive anecdotal notes, folders of emails, etc., as well as tracking the execution of my job description, so that, when I was challenged/attacked, all concerned were gathered together and then smacked down with the truth. Heads of divisions tried to entrap me or discover errors, people complained about me to central headquarters, and none of it worked. The comical aspect of the whole situation is that I had refused a title and was on a self-directed work team. One of the head honchos had an outside entity do an evaluation of my team's work and cited 93% concurrence with their conclusions. My boss was an ethical powerhouse and the only one who could give me direct orders. (Also ruthless and would toss me onto the sacrificial altar if appropriate.)

You published a really good article years ago. (Bookmarked on old puter that crashed.) Your situation is different and you have much more experience than I do in that area so I'm confident that you continue to address it constructively and effectively. Offhand, I'd say those guys are threatened by you and successful sabotage is the only way to get rid of an annoyingly competent person who might discover who's doing what.

Please excuse lack of cohesion. I don't do self-discipline any more. Cheesecake for breakfast, anyone?

[Silentgypsy]

It sounds like a weak matrix. Crap like that can't occur without subtle support of the corporate culture. You have a good grasp of the situation. I documented carefully, kept thorough and exhaustive anecdotal notes, folders of emails, etc., as well as tracking the execution of my job description, so that, when I was challenged/attacked, all concerned were gathered together and then smacked down with the truth. Heads of divisions tried to entrap me or discover errors, people complained about me to central headquarters, and none of it worked. The comical aspect of the whole situation is that I had refused a title and was on a self-directed work team. One of the head honchos had an outside entity do an evaluation of my team's work and cited 93% concurrence with their conclusions. My boss was an ethical powerhouse and the only one who could give me direct orders. (Also ruthless and would toss me onto the sacrificial altar if appropriate.)

You published a really good article years ago. (Bookmarked on old puter that crashed.) Your situation is different and you have much more experience than I do in that area so I'm confident that you continue to address it constructively and effectively. Offhand, I'd say those guys are threatened by you and successful sabotage is the only way to get rid of an annoyingly competent person who might discover who's doing what.

Please excuse lack of cohesion. I don't do self-discipline any more. Cheesecake for breakfast, anyone?

[Silentgypsy]

Oh, joy! Now it’s in his best interest to cooperate. Please excuse former post. That sort of nonsense hits my hot button.

[Silentgypsy]

New puter. Windows 10 update. Need an exorcist badly.

[ArGee]

I still haven’t figured out where the CIO is on all this, but his chief-of-staff did comment today that she’s appalled (well, not that word exactly but she is) that we don’t have certain basics on this program nailed down. She’s not trying to persecute anyone, just stop the madness. So I think it will clear up without too much ado.

Also, the guy to whom I actually report agrees with me. We met this morning and he was glad that in 4 weeks I’ve noted the same things he’s seen since the new guy took over. So I’ll document and we’ll be good.

Also, I asked Mr. Car Salesman what next steps he wants me to track. He can’t seem to figure it out. Watching his incompetence bubble up while I’m doing everything I can to make him successful might actually be fun.

[ArGee]

Windows 10 update. Need an exorcist badly.

Here you go.

[Silentgypsy]

Oh, thank you for letting me know. I knew you have command of the situation but I don't respond rationally when I hear of backstabbing. The less competent resort to all manner of unsavory behavior. One of my husband's former work associates stole my husband's textbooks including a compensation text inscribed by the author (his prof). Funny thing, though: when people do bad things to my husband, things don't turn out well for them. My husband never seeks revenge; he leaves it all up to God. I don't seek retribution either. Only neutralization so that I can do my job. Whatever happens after the fact is not my concern; they shouldn't have bothered me.

I truly believe that you are a very good person and I continue to pray for your happiness and comfort, and for that of your family.

[Silentgypsy]

Oh, my goodness, you are such a sweetie! Thank you so much! (I’m scared to do it right away. I have the Linus Foundation’s registration page open in another tab since earlier this afternoon but I’m too scared to complete it. Rather bizarre since there was a meth lab across the street from my house for a few years and I wasn’t scared of them. The Hand of God protected me.) Anyway, I’ll immerse myself in the introductory material and in the meanwhile do the thumb-drive thingy. What’s so scary is that I live in the middle of nowhere and I don’t know who the capable IT people are here. Well, I have to start sometime. Thanks, again.

[Silentgypsy]

Wow, you can try it before you install it—you are the gift that keeps on giving!

[NicknamedBob]

" Funny thing, though: when people do bad things to my husband, things don't turn out well for them. My husband never seeks revenge; he leaves it all up to God. I don't seek retribution either. Only neutralization so that I can do my job. Whatever happens after the fact is not my concern; they shouldn't have bothered me."

If I were in charge of the decisions, there'd be a lot more curmudgeons in Heaven, and probably more room for them too.

[Silentgypsy]

Prayers up that you get the music sorted easily and in a timely manner!

[Silentgypsy]

Rats! Linux.

[Tax-chick]

Thank you. I have a list. I just need to get the sheets out for DP and me, and then make a lyric sheet for the attendees at tomorrow’s Spanish Charismatic women’s retreat.