Harlan Ullman : The Voice of Reason

Harlan Ullman famous for his theories of Shock and Awe and enthusiastic customer of the louche and loose ladies of Madame Palfrey has contributed the UPI.com - Emerging Threats - Outside View: To the shores of Tripoli

Should al-Qaida decide that the oceans provide the means to turn ships into the equivalent of civilian airliners made into bombers on Sept. 11, 2001, one attack would be all that it might take to shut down a major port or impose huge damage. The prospect of a 300,000-deadweight-ton supertanker or container ship hurtling at 30 knots into a major port and then ramming into major structures such as New York City's Battery or the George Washington Bridge is a real nightmare scenario.

And if that ship were carrying 30,000 tons of liquid gas or another product that could be turned into an explosive, such as grain, the result could have the force of the nuclear weapons that demolished Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That would be an attack that surely would surpass Sept. 11 by any means of reckoning.

Now that really will give us all sleepless nights.

For more background on Mr Ullman's activities in Pakistan see post Saturday, December 20, 2008 Whoremonger Harlan Ullman brings more Shock 'n' Awe to Islamabad with Hilary Sinnott.

Tony Blair, Quartet Envoy, Faith healer, Ex PM, Ex Sedgfield MP promotes Durham hi-Tech company in Washington with Defence / Security interests

17/02/2009 UK Trade & Investment by COI News & PR North East. Press Release. COI ref 170693P Karen Bell, Tel: 0191 202 3603, EMAIL: karen.bell@coi.gsi.gov.uk

Kromek©, (http://www.kromek.com ) specialises in developing digital colour imaging for use in x-rays and scanners They have launched their new new liquid detection bottle scanner (with over 20 patents) at a a special events in Washington - where former Prime Minister Tony Blair™ provided the guest speech - he was of course MP for Sedgefield, County Durham here their factory is located. (Simultaneous launch in Dubai also)

“We’re not having a problem attracting the kind of staff we need, despite the perception of skills shortages in industry,” says founder professor Max Robinson - the firm employs some 30 people many with PHd's or equivalent - a tribute to the job finding skills of Sedgefield Job Centre

The company harnessed its new generation digital colour x-ray detectors to develop the new scanner that can identify and categorise liquids in bottles in less than 20 seconds, including liquid explosives, screening for alcohol and for dissolved narcotics in other liquids.This can be done without opening/ beaching the bottle / container or samping the liquid.

With Kromek’s © novel kit, it is possible to rotate a 3-dimensional X-ray image without moving the item being scanned, they claim they can identifydifferent materials, discriminating between different types of liquid.

John Holmes-Carrington, one of UK Trade & Investment's International Trade Advisers, said:

"As terrorism remains a very real threat, the safety and security of airline passengers is a key concern for those in the industry and Kromek has developed an innovative product that can be of real help.

"Its scanner also has more wide-reaching uses and as the inspection unit itself requires minimal operator training, it is something I'm sure will be of interest to clients around the world. (See launch story September 17th 2008) and also very good article here

Kromek © is a venture backed high technology company, which was spun-out in April 2003 as Durham Scientific Crystals from the Physics Department of the University of Durham where many Board Members were educated. Rebranded as Kromek in May 2008, it is pioneering digital colour imaging for x-rays and has brought ground-breaking innovation to materials technology and advanced 3D imaging that will literally change the way in which we see the world.They specialise in semiconductor materials within the Cadmium Telluride family.

From website - KROMEK © has raised an additional £1.45m from new investors and existing shareholders. This makes a total of over £3m raised by Kromek in the current round of funding. The Company now has a valuation of £48m. The company also secured a £250,000 R&D grant from the One NorthEast development agency in 2008.

The Board - * Prof Brian Tanner * Dr Arnab Basu (CEO) * Richard Morgan * Prof Max Robinson * Jerel Whittingham * Dr Andy Brinkman

Dr Arnab Basu, CEO, has a PhD in Physics from Durham University, specialising in semiconducting sensor materials. Dr Basu held senior management positions in his family business, which manufactured materials for the electronic industry. The business served over 250 customers in India, including Siemens, GEC and most of the major telecommunications and consumer electronics manufacturers. He has also worked for Elmwood Sensors Ltd, part of the Honeywell Group, in the UK where he was involved in commercial product development.

UPDATE :GMT 2300

This story and the placing of it by COI has absolutely nothing to do with the start of the trial of 8 men who are charged with ineptly plotting to use "home-made bombs" disguised as soft drinks to blow up transatlantic planes Woolwich Crown Court. Monday Feb 16th 2009

Terrorist attack "Highly likely" Home Secretary tells the Germans but not UK citizens .....

Der Speigel today interviewed expenses fiddler , kebab lover , non inhaling spliff smoker and Blair "Babe", waster of Police time Jacqui Smith.

SPIEGEL: Recently, Germany has been threatened with terrorist attacks in several video messages. How would you evaluate the general situation?

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith: Severe. We believe that an attack is highly likely and could happen at any time and without warning. On the other hand we see some success. In 2008, we had 50 people convicted in terror-related trials and this year there will not be a single day in the United Kingdom without a terrorist trial on the timetable.

US war on Pakistan - Rocket attacks surge. Paris - Expect the Unexpected

On Monday 16th December 2008 CBS report 2 missiles struck the village of Tabi Tolkhel (Tapi Tool ? )in the North Waziristan tribal region near Miramshah- said to be one of a surge of the CIA run U.S. missile attacks on militant targets in Pakistan's northwest border region.

Ajab Khan, a village resident saw the aftermath of the missile strike and saw two bodies brought out, and that three wounded people were taken away in a vehicle. Suspected Taliban militants surrounded the house afterward, Khan said - a common occurrence after such strikes. Three local intelligence officials confirmed the account, citing informants.

The BBC report the strike and say reassuringly "Drone attacks are believed to have been largely on-target, hitting Taleban and al-Qaeda hideouts in the north-western Waziristan tribal region. "

The al Qaeda-linked Haqqani family and Taliban warlord Hafiz Gul Bahadar operate in North Waziristan where 60% of the CIA UAV airstrikes have hit . The Haqqani Network is said to have a strong presence in Miramshah region of North Waziristan controling large parts of the tribal area and run a parallel administration with courts, recruiting centers, tax offices, and security forces.

The CIA website The Long War report that they have established multiple training camps ( al Qaeda operates 157 known training camps, ) and safe houses used by al Qaeda leaders and operatives, as well as by Taliban foot soldiers preparing to fight in Afghanistan.

This airstrike coincided with the visit of ex Presidential candidate U.S. Sen. John Kerry, the next Foreign Relations Committee chairman, who was in Pakistan on Tuesday, the latest in a string of U.S. officials to visit India and Pakistan since the attacks in India's commercial capital last month.

Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond ,69, Republican from Missouri (at 33 years of age, he was the youngest governor in the history of Missouri) also arrived in Islamabad on Monday for meetings with Pakistani officials. Bond is one of only a few federal elected officials with a child serving in uniform - his son Sam has served in the Marines in Iraq.

Brown blames Lashkar-e-Taiba for Mumbai attacks

India has blamed a Pakistan-based militant group called Lashkar-e-Taiba for last month's attacks in Mumbai. The U.S. has said Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has long been active in the Pakistani-Indian dispute over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, has forged links with al Qaeda.

Prime Minister Superman Gordon Brown was in New Delhi having a friendly chinwag with PM Manmohan Singh, and made clear to the prest that he had made it clear to Mr Singh he had no doubt the Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba was responsible for the co-ordinated attacks in Mumbai.

He said it was "time for action not words" from the Pakistani authorities in rooting out the threat of terror, which was spreading from there and neighbouring Afghanistan around the globe.

He also said 3/4 of UK terror attacks planned by MI5 have connections with Pakistan - the number of such plots ranges from 6 through, 12 - 15 -20 to 30 and have / have not increased 5 fold since April.

FCO advises UK nationals to leave Georgia,"while some air services are still available and borders are open"

We advised readers yesterdaY - Russia attacks the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and destroys port of Poti - is set on ethnically cleansing South Ossetia - Uncle Sam silently watches to keep an eye on the UK Embassy in Georgia website re travel advice to Georgia ..well our man in the FCO has just (10.05 BST) called us with this advice ''

"The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has changed its Travel Advice to Georgia. We now advise that if you have no urgent need to stay in Georgia, you should leave as soon as possible.

The relevant summary points now read:

We advise against non-essential travel to Georgia. If you or your family have no urgent need to remain in Georgia you should leave as soon as possible. It is wise to do so while some air services are still available and the border remains open. "

This is not yet on the Tbilisi Embassy website.. but they direct you to FCO site here with full advice on Georgian travel, just updated.