Ricin found in Austin Texas female dorm

Ricin Found in University of Texas Dorm ! is the headline in the University of Texas in Austin student newspaper Daily Texan.

The story is picked up with extra, excellent photos by local blogger Texas Rain Maker

Two female students from Moore-Hill dormitory were still being treated late Friday for Ricin exposure after coming into contact with the toxin Thursday afternoon, law enforcement and UT officials said.Students began evacuating the dorm shortly after 11 p.m. when University Residence Hall resident assistants began knocking door-to-door evacuating residents...

The toxin was first discovered around 2:30 p.m. Thursday when one of the students who received treatment discovered a white powder after opening a roll of quarters from a non-local bank to do laundry on the first floor, Spalding said. The quarters had been in her dorm room on the second floor for several months, Spalding said. The powder fell out on the student's hands, which she washed immediately before reporting the incident to the UT Police Department, Spalding said.

The substance was sent to Atlanta for testing (HQ of Centre for Disease Control ?).

A blog from a student living in the same block.Gateway Pundit has more of this tosh

"I guess you can say I was just weirded out," said Kelly Heinbaugh, a freshman kinesiology major. "It seemed out of place ... I figured I'd rather be safe than sorry."

Before you ask ....ki·ne·si·ol·o·gy Audio pronunciation of "kinesiology" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (k-ns-l-j, -z-)
n.
1. The study of the anatomy, physiology, and mechanics of body movement, especially in humans.
2. The application of the principles of kinesiology to the evaluation and treatment of muscular imbalance or derangement.

This sounds like a lot of bollocks, apparently "further" tests required. Now Rice could tell you about sleepovers at the Gubernatorial Mansion in Austin ... that WAS scary.

Recent blogs on same topic here

Samarra - specialist demolition - Minister says

Published: 2/24/2006 Agence French Press
The bombing of a revered Shiite shrine containin gthe tombs of Hazrat Imam Hasan Askari and Imam Ali Naqi and which sparked a wave of violence in Iraq was the work of specialists, Construction Minister Jassem Mohammed Jaafar said on Friday He gave details of the way the explosives had been placed saying that it must have taken at least 12 hours.

"According to initial reports, the bombing was technically well conceived and could only have been carried out by specialists," the minister told Iraqia state television.

Jaafar, who toured the devastated thousand-year-old shrine on Thursday a day after the bombing which brought down its golden dome, said "holes were dug into the mausoleum's four main pillars and packed with explosives."

"Then the charges were connected together and linked to another charge placed just under the dome. The wires were then linked to a detonator which was triggered at a distance," the minister added.

To drill into the pillars would have taken at least four hours per pillar, he also estimated.

Damage to the mausoleum, holding the tombs of the 10th and 11th Shiite Imams, was extensive.

"The dome was completely wrecked and collapsed on the tombs which were covered over by debris. The shrine's foundations were also affected as 40 percent of the power of the blast was directed inwards," he added.

"It's a historic site, a symbol of Iraqi culture and must be treated as such," he said, adding that he would call on Iraqi officials and on UNESCO to help rebuilt the golden mosque.

Jaafar said he survived a double bomb attack while returning from Samarra when blasts went off in front of his convoy and behind it.

AP has reported: "A Western official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, said discussions were under way to rebuild the shrine as quickly as possible because the shattered structure would serve as a "lasting provocation" until it was reconstructed. Italy announced Thursday it was offering to rebuild the dome to help battle "fanaticism."

Pic. The dome was being repaired after previous damage hence the scaffolding which can be seen in post bomb pics but is not mentioned in any mainstream stories.

Cormorant UAV for Navy - is it a bird is it a plane ?????

A submarine launched missile carrying unmanned plane ... step over Dick Tracy, Lockheed Martin famous for U-2 and Blackbird spy planes has a new plane that starts flight underwater - toys for the boys in blue now.

The Cormorant, is stealthy, jet-powered, and "could" be outfitted with either short-range weapons or surveillance equipment - it is (will be?) launched from, Trident missile tubes in some of the U.S. Navy’s gigantic Cold War–era Ohio-class submarines. The subs are redundant now ( The one's the US Navy have run by the Royal Navy don't even have targets - that's official) their now-vacant tubes could provide another unmanned option for spying on or destroying targets near the coast.

Lockheed's Skunk Works’s have designed a four-ton airplane (that's nearly two Hummer Cs's) with gull wings that hinge around its body to fit inside the missile tube. Made from titanium to resist corrosion, empty spaces are filled with plastic foam to resist crushing. The rest of the body is pressurized with inert gas. Inflatable seals keep the weapon-bay doors, engine inlet and exhaust covers watertight.

An arm-like docking “saddle” guides the craft out, sending the Cormorant floating to the surface. As the drone pops out of the water, the rocket boosters fire and the Cormorant takes off. After completing its mission, the plane flies to the rendezvous coordinates it receives from the sub and lands in the sea. The sub then launches a robotic underwater vehicle to fetch the floating drone.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is funding tests of some of the Cormorant’s unique systems, including a splashdown model and an underwater-recovery vehicle. The tests should be completed by September (200?), after which DARPA will decide whether it will fund a flying prototype.

For more pics to goggle at while you take time off from playing Thunder Zoom Armageddon Baby III go here Pic is Empty Williams famous Dick Tracy villain, maybe Condi caught him om in the White House washroom ?

Recent blogs on same topic here

Dubai Ports ... the lawyers and lobbyists smell money

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey filed suit in a New Jersey Superior Court Friday to try to block Dubai Ports World, a company under Government control from the United Arab Emirates, from taking control of several United States ports. The Port Authority also sent a letter Friday to P&O asserting that the British company has violated its lease, which the authority now considers to be terminated. Citing security concerns, the Port Authority claimed that DP World violated its lease by not getting consent for its pending acquisition of Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co. (P&O), a London based company. The lawsuit asks the court to halt DP World's acquisition of P&O, and the court set a hearing date for March 3…. The day the deal was arranged to be completed.

After their normal Monthly meeting On Thursday, Port Authority Chairman Anthony Coscia said the U.S. Treasury Department had not responded to the bistate agency's request for details about how the federal government determined it was safe to allow Dubai Ports World to buy the British company.

"We as owners of that facility should be made comfortable that whoever operates that facility is capable of it," Coscia said.

The state of New Jersey has filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against the Bush administration, claiming that the administration's approval of DP World's acquisition encroaches on the sovereignty of the states in violation of the 10th Amendment to the US Constitution. The governors of New York and Maryland have also threatened similar court actions against the takeover.

In addition, Miami-based stevedoring company Eller & Co. asked London's High Court Friday to block DP World from taking over P&O by withholding court approval of the $6.8 billion takeover. DP World has volunteered to postpone its takeover while the Bush administration tries to convince lawmakers to support DP World's acquisition. Several senators have threatened to introduce legislation to block the deal and Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) has said that administration's approval of the ports takeover was illegal ."Is there not one agency in this government that believes this takeover could affect the national security of the United States?" the Michigan Democrat asked at a Senate Armed Forces committee briefing. (see pic of Carl in Iraq)

Meanwhile, Dubai Ports World hired a team of lawyers to try to save the deal, including former US Sen. Bob Dole Dole, husband of Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., (who opposes the deal) said he won't lobby Congress and will limit his involvement to discussions with Bush administration officials and efforts to "help the American people understand the real facts." (Should make for interesting times at breakfast in the Dole household)

To try to clarify matters Deputy Secretary of Treasury Robert Kimmitt insisted to the Senate Armed Sefvices committee that no national security concerns had been raised during a three-month review by the multiagency panel and said that the Bush administration interprets the statute as allowing discretion to decide whether to conduct an extended review. Kimmitt also said that the panel's decision to ratify the deal allowing DP World to takeover operations would only be reconsidered if the there is evidence that DP World officers provided false, inaccurate or misleading information during the review process.

Carl Levin, (more on his website) raising his voice at the briefing, told Kimmitt, "If you want the law changed, come to Congress and change it, but don't ignore it."

Kimmitt responded: "We didn't ignore the law. Concerns were raised. They were resolved."

Committee Chairman John Warner (R-VA) said that he would ask US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to prepare a memorandum outlining the administration's interpretation of the law and Warner also cannily called for a separate review by the Senate's legal counsel.

Levin also questioned the UAE's past record on terrorism matters, saying the country backed the Taliban and allowed financial support for al-Qaida. He said the UAE has an "uneven history" as "one of only a handful of countries in the world to recognize the Taliban regime in Afghanistan." He added that millions of dollars in al-Qaida funds went through UAE financial institutions.

Levin at one point noted that a special commission that investigated the terror attacks against the United States on Sept. 11, 2000 concluded that "there's a persistent counterterrorism problem represented by the United Arab Emirates."

"Just raise your hand if anybody (at the witness table) talked to the 9-11 commission," commanded Levin. There was no response among the handful of administration representatives.

Former New Jersey governor, Republican Thomas H. Kean,who chaired the commission that examined the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, has spoken aginst the port deal, telling the Associated Press "it should never have happened."

"We're in a no-win situation," Kean said, referring to the United Arab Emirates. "There's no question that two of the 9/11 hijackers came from there and money was laundered through there."

Bush, talking to reporters at the conclusion of a Cabinet meeting earlier Thursday, said that "people don't need to worry about security."

Under secret conditions of the agreement with the administration, the Dubai company promised to cooperate with U.S. investigations as a condition of the $6.8 billion deal, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

Critics in Congress, before Thursday's hearing, noted London-based P & O which previously operated these ports, is a publicly traded company while Dubai Ports World is effectively controlled by the government there. Sens. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and Hilary Clinton have said they will introduce legislation to prohibit companies owned or controlled by foreign governments from running port operations in the United States.

In approving the purchase, the administration has not required Dubai Ports to keep copies of its business records on U.S. soil, and so, subject to orders by American courts. It also did not require the company to designate an American citizen to accommodate requests by the government.

Experienced legal experts claim such obligations are routinely attached to U.S. approvals of foreign sales in other industries.

One is left asking why, if the security of it’s ports was such a vital issue, some American capital wasn’t securing the realm…. Further disembowelling of the State. Unlike the rush into wind farms there aren’t sufficient tax credits in it.

No doubt about it , Dubya is slamming into a brick wall on this one.

.or as the Financial Times has it. "Big vision meets small minds".

Recent blogs on same topic here

Bhagdad - men in black at work

Healing Iraq has more tales of Bhagdad street fighting, despite major news stations reporting calm .. he has recordings of sounds of fighting with small arms here.

Fierce streetfighting at my doorstep for the last 3 hours. Rumor in the neighbourhood is that men in black are trying to enter the area.

In Khadhraa', a combined force of Interior ministry forces and men dressed in black are surrounding 2 mosques with several families inside, threatening to burn them down on the occupants. Baghdad TV (the Islamic party's channel) is updating on the situation through telephone calls from inside the mosque. The families are crying for outside assistance.

An armed group in 10 vehicles with no number plates entered the Al-Iskan Al-Sha'bi district in Dora, and attempted to enter mosque, but was turned back by the residents. Eyewitnesses claim that as many as 40 bodies and 5 burnt vehicles are still in the area. 3 attackers were also killed in Dora when they attempted to enter the Al-Kubaisi mosque.

Another group dressed in black in one Daewoo and two Opel vehicles passed the Interior ministry forces' checkpoint at Abu Dshir square, south of Dora, with no resistance and entered the Yassin mosque with explosives in tin containers. The keeper was killed and the mosque blown up.

A Shi'ite armed group carried Sheikh Ghazi Al-Zoba'i in a pickup truck around Sadr city, shouting that they have a Wahhabi terrorist with them, before he was lynched on the streets by the angry mob.

Recent blogs on same topic here

Disembowelled US - 3 more years of Dubya

The US December 2005 Trade Report tells you what you need to know. Imports of foreign goods and services ($177.2 billion) were 59% greater than exports ($111.5 billion).

Taking goods alone in the December trade gap, the disparity between imports ($149.6 billion) and exports ($79.0 billion) was even larger.

With imported goods 89% greater than goods exports, exports could grow at twice the rate of imports and still the deficit will be unchanged.

So it is unlikely that the USA can, or will, export its way out of its trade deficit.

The other problem is the disembowelling of America … the smokestacks are going … see Ford … see GM … Manufacturing capacity and jobs have inexorably moved offshore in the past 2 decades. Put simply, the USA cannot look to a an export led turnaround.

Steel, autos, textiles, the loss of the competitive dynamic in all but aerospace and the defence industries (and that is getting harder with Airbus and EU competition) makes it all but impossible for the US to recapture its once leading market share as an industrial powerhouse.

Add to this gloomy scene the equity extraction from residential property, in excess of $600 billion in 2005 alone.

Google bans Aussie SpaceWar.com.

Gerroa, Australia (SPX) Feb 24, 2006 - Google Inc. has banned SpaceWar.com, a news site covering military space. Reasons for the ban by Google are unclear. The company did not communicate with Space.TV Corp., the owner of SpaceWar.com, prior to its action, and Google representatives did not respond to requests for comment. Space.TV Corp is consulting with legal advisers in the United States and Australia, where production of the company's Web sites is conducted. We consider the ban a violation of the recently enacted US-Australia Free Trade Agreement, and a gross violation of freedom of speech. Please explain Mr Google Inc.

Click on the link above for the whole story. Space.War have been sending daily e-mails for along time, all of it is public domain, un commented stories - we are aware that with stories on UAV's, Unmanned Stealth boats, missile technology, Bruce Gagnon, No Nukes North a lot of interest from "official" sites is generated.

Are we seeing the start of the Pentagon's war on the web ?

King Coal

Associated British Ports have plans for a coal terminal in Hull, occupying about 40 acres costing £55-110 Million. Soaring gas and oil prices are driving up demand for imported coal. AB ports will soon open a £59.5m specialist coal-import terminal in Immingham, Humberside, with an annual capacity of 9.5m tonnes, backed by agreements with BHP Billiton, Drax, EDF, Scottish & Southern and International Power.

Meanwhile UK Coal (UKC LSE) on 14th December ( when the shares stood at 121p) claimed that they were now profitable and expect to report profits in 2006. This was at the time that WL Ross & Company LLC funds increased their ownership in UK Coal to 400,000 shares, or 3.3 per cent of the UK’s only sizeable coal producer. (and by now maybe even more) Since then Audley European and St James have disclosed a 3.25 % interest and this week Allianz AG 3.6%.

Today the shares inched up a further 1.5 p to 155 pence – remember the property assets are supposed to be worth 200p per share.

I said on December 12th ..

“UK Coal’s major shareholders , Phoenix, Morgan Stanley, Fidelity will no doubt be having interesting conversations with Mr Ross and his colleagues who are dedicated to “managing distressed securities funds.”

It is therefore interesting to see that more major market players have moved in… although as I further pointed out ..

“Mr Blair must have a grim smile on his face when he sees how vital decisions about the UK energy supply are made by financiers in New York rather than politicians in London.”

Despite Mrs Thatcher’s famed “dash for gas” , the slight benefit of gas over coal for the alleged worries over carbon dioxide emissions, coal is cheaper and is back in favour for electricity generation. The only competitor in the UK is nuclear power and that is 10 years off at best.

The stupidity of the White Paper on Energy is now exposed – as The Forth Coming UK Energy Deficit(FCUKED) said at the time. The security of our gas and oil supplies is hurting, to damp demand the Government has approved using price as a cap on demand.

The coal fired staions of course are ageing – there hasn’t been one built in the UK for 30 years, they pollute, but … they produce much needed electricity.

So we now have the prospect that we have sold, off, closed down , run down our natural assets and face an uncertain future importing all our energy.

It would have been impossible to organise a more spectacularly unsuccessful, costly and expensive policy for energy security and supply.

The good news is that UK Coal shares closed at 155p today … looks like a good buy to me. Buy some today whilst there is some light so you can see to sign the cheque.

Energy - Government sanctions rationing by price - let the poor suffer

The loss of the Rough Gas field storage facility for at least a month .. and possibly longer means beached supplies of gas are just about sufficient to meet current demand ... and NOT if the weather drops below freezing for a period of several days.

Faced with no capacity to increase supplies, we have the rapid announcement of 22% price rises which affect bills soon but affect consumer reponse IMMEDIATELY.

Are these monster rises (blamed on the sneaky, money grubbing, heartless, cold hearted "furriners") sanctioned / auhtorised / planned by the Government to arrest demand in the short term ... to conceal the massive failures of energy planning by the Joint Energy Security and Supply Working Group ? e.g Mirror Headlines on 23rd Feb WHY ARE ALL OUR BILLS GOING UP? THE REAL REASONS WE'RE BEING FLEECED THIS WINTER

The PM yesterday at his Press Conference evidenced some concern when he said "In Energy Policy by June we will have a plan on how to move forward and take the difficult decisions on Energy Policy for the coming years."

He was also asked by a well informed journo ..."... and a senior NATO General said that the security at Europe's energy installations is absolutely zero, for example at Zebrugge, which handles 11 per cent of the liquid natural gas. How worried are you about the physical security of energy supplies in Europe and do you think this is something that the European Union or the G8 ought to be taking more action on?"

The Prime Minister complacently responded .."I know for our own installations here we do have security measures in place. " .... so that's all right then.

... but that didn't stop Rough exploding ....

see what happens when gas lines explode here.

Is the Government using consumer prices as a last resort to damp down demand ? Here is a Government talking about ending fuel poverty and sitting back whilst energy prices soar ! Is this the price consumers and insdustry are now paying for inaction, drift and fudge since 1997?

Everything FCUKED forecast is happening.

Get Ready for Pearl Harbour Mk III

Iraq in turmoil

Blogsites that provide some insight into what is happening in Samarra / Iraq. The excellent Healing Iraq with detailed maps of attacks on mosques. Mark from Ireland with a round up of remarks from many sources and Asterism a london based blog with good contacts. Pic the Ishtar gate at Babylon

It's Thursday this must be Beirut

Condoleezza Rice told reporters as she flew into Beirut from Saudi Arabia on a surprise, but very brief visit yesterday the purpose of her visit was to support the Lebanese government.

"The sole purpose of the trip is to express support for the Lebanese people and the Lebanese government as they continue to try to recover fully their sovereignty,"

She later said after talks with Fuad Siniora, the Lebanese prime minister, that it was "time to reiterate and to affirm the firm support of the United States of America for the Lebanese people".

During her 4 hour visit she met officials and politicians who are trying to establish Lebanon's independence from Syria. Rice reiterated Washington's call for disarming anti-Israel Hizb Allah fighters in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1559, but indicated there was no deadline for the government to do so. "This is part of an evolutionary process that is going on in Lebanon and we have tried to be supportive of that process that the Lebanese themselves are carrying out," she said.

"But there is no doubt that 1559 is going to have to be implemented."

Rice held talks with Walid Jumblatt and Saad al-Hariri, son of the Rafik Hariri who was assassinated just over a year ago. She also met Maronite Christian cleric, Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir.

Rice, who initially said she would only speak on the phone with Nabih Berri, parliament speaker, a close ally to Damascus, later changed her plans and paid him a brief visit.

Busy lady , let's hope she packed enough clothes to cope with her jet set life. Mind you, the way the ordure is building up back in Washington, Dubya is going to be calling for some bathroom time ... now there's trouble in Manila .. better hop on a plane.

Emergency declared in Philippines

Emergency declared in Philippines by President Gloria Arroyo reports BBC ... BBC World Service had real time reports. P & O had re-directed Aurora cruise ship from Darwin to Hong Kong missing out Manila so they must have been alert to the rumours circulating this week of a plot against President Arroyo.

Philippine President Gloria Arroyo has declared an emergency after the army said it had foiled a coup plot involving security forces commanders.

Mrs Arroyo said she had given army and police extraordinary powers.

Security was tightened this week amid rumours of a coup timed to coincide with the anniversary of a 1986 revolt against President Ferdinand Marcos. CRowds had assembled to clebrate coup in Manila.

It goes without saying that the Bush administration will follow tradition, and pull out all the stops to maintain US control over its most precious Pacific foothold, including doing what is necessary to prevent a popular revolt in the Philippines that could threaten US interests.

Meanwhile Fighting on the island of Jolo intensified in February 2005 when between 4,000 and 5,000 Philippine troops clashed with around 800 Islamist militants from the Abu Sayyaf group, along with followers of Nur Misuari. Up to 12,000 people were thought to have fled the fighting.

One civilian was killed and more than two dozen people were wounded in a bomb attack outside a Philippine military base in the southern island of Jolo, where US and Filipino troops are currently conducting joint antiterrorism drill, officials said.

The attack late last Saturday targeted a karaoke bar just several meters away from the military base, where more than 100 US troops are encamped.

There were no reports of US casualties, said US military spokesman Lt. Col. Mark Zimmer. "All Americans are accounted for," he told the Zamboanga Journal.

US troops are restricted to the camp during the month long training, dubbed as Balikatan 2006.

Uzbek torture hits the big screen

The Road to Guantánamo director Michael Winterbottom's company Revolution has picked up the rights to Craig Murray's memoirs, Murder In Samarkand. Due for publication in June, the Foreign Office is threatening to sue for "breach of confidence or of Crown copyright," when the book comes out.

According to Winterbottom, Murray, who was fired in 2004 "after drawing attention to torture and human rights abuses in Uzbekistan," has written his story with a surprisingly light touch. Said the director, "The book is fantastic...[like] a very funny version of a Graham Greene novel." How Murray makes extraordinary rendition and torture funny remains to be seen, but it's not hard to understand why someone of Winterbottom's sensibilities (don't forget, this is the man who made A Cock and Bull Story) was drawn to the story.

Mancunian Steve Coogan who starred in A Cock and Bull Story is said to be lined up to play Murray, but Winterbottom admits that it could take a year just to get the film "set up." (Pic SC in 24 Hour Party People as the loathsome Tony Wilson).

This will set the nerves of the mandarinate on edge. Watch this space.

Pre - order your copy of Murder in Samarkand NOW

Azzun - Bulldozers destroy public park

The village of Azzun is located two kilometers to the east of the Green Line and is about 11 kilometers away from Qalqilia's southeastern side.

The Israeli army, using a bulldozer,protected by a force of Israeli soldiers,destroyed a public park, including a children's playground and swimming pool, on the grounds that it had been built without permission of the Israeli authorities in the occupied territory.

Construction work on the park (costing USD$120,000 of which USD£80,000 came from USAID) had begun in November last year and was almost completed, the mayor of Azzun, Ihssan Abdellatif, told AFP.
Anna-Maija Litvak,spokeswoman for USAID said "I can confirm that the park that was destroyed today was funded by USAID," told AFP on Wednesday.

No immediate reaction was available from the Israeli army which regularly demolishes buildings that it says have been constructed without authorisation.

The army also destroyed two other houses built "without permission" in two other villages in the Qalqilya area on Wednesday, according to Palestinian security sources.

If you want to read of the damage done to the village of Azzun over the years go to this site

1. In 1987, about 700 dunums of the village's land were expropriated and used by the Israeli authorities to build two settlements: Oranit settlement, located northwest of Azzun village and Sha'are Tikva settlement located northeast of the village.

2. The erection of the Israeli Segregation Wall has led to the plowing of more than 700 dunums of agricultural lands including 50 dunums were used for plastic houses in addition to 650 dunums cultivated with more than 2100 olive trees. Such trees were uprooted and later transported to Israel for replantation. Moreover, the establishment of the Wall led to the confiscation of a water well (called Abu Hijla well) with a capacity of 150,000 water cubes meter per month. Barbed wires surround the well from all directions and no one is allowed to approach it.

3. The iron gate which is considered the only access to and from Azzun village is opened on stages during the day. Residents of Azzun are only allowed to enter the village through the gate between 6 AM and 4 PM.

4. It has been the case that the Israeli soldiers would seal the gate for days in a row under the pretext of ''security'' which, in turn, would lead to the disruption of the educational process for children travelling to school.

Go here as well for more information and map (Stop the Wall)

The picture shows the only entrance to the village with Gurad tower, Iron gates etc.,

Winter drawers on

Centrica's offshore platform in the Rough field, is 20 miles (31km) off Withernsea on the E. Yorkshire coast exploded last week ... with potentially devastating, and costly consequences for the UK gas supply.

Go to Vital Trivia for an excellent detailed and worrying analysis ..

The closure of Rough has left the UK extremely vulnerable. After a few cold days we won’t be able to meet business as usual demand on anything colder than a mild February day and even that will require significant imports. The weather is expected to turn cold with some snowfall over the remainder of this week with continental Europe also feeling the cold we may have difficulty maintaining the high Interconnector flow rates we need.

As always the situation depends on the weather, as we move into March the chances are it will get warmer but this should not be counted on. The coldest week of the year could quite easily be the first week in March, with Rough offline demand could not be met during such a week.

Niall Trimble of the Energy Contract Company is quoted in an article by Neasa MacErlean the Guradian yesterday ...

This is potentially catastrophic. We are right up the creek if the weather stays cold for two or three weeks. It all depends on the weather." Bad weather for the remainder of this month or in March would probably mean rationing for large industrial users. If that included power generators, there could be domestic power cuts.

" .....we currently estimate that it is unlikely that Rough will be available for one month," Centrica's storage arm said in a statement.

How Israel steals land

In June 2002, the Government of Israel decided to erect a physical barrier to separate Israel and the West Bank in order to prevent the uncontrolled entry of Palestinians into Israel . In most areas, the barrier is comprised of an electronic fence with dirt paths, barbed-wire fences, and trenches on both sides, at an average width of 60 meters. In some areas, a wall six to eight meters high has been erected in place of the barrier system.

Go to the B’tselem Iraeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the occupied territories here for a report about the “security fence”.

If you wish to see a quick snapshots how the “security fence” steals Palestinian lands – see what aerial photos show has happened at Alfe Menashe Zufin and Modiin Illit. PDF warning !

This theft of land is of course contrary UN resolutions going back decades ... discussion of which is perpetually vetoed by the USA.

Kuwaiti mobile telcoms boom ...

Kuwait's Mobile Telecommunications Co. (MTC) in which the state has a 24% stake, announced a 55% rise in profits to USD$637 this week on revenues of USD$2Bn up from USD$1.1 last year. User numbers soared from 3.2 million to over 14 million in 19 countries.

During the year MTC acquired Dutch firm CelTel the leading cellular operator in Sub-Saharan Africa (operates in 13 countries)for USD$3.4 Bn. CelTel later bought a majority stake in Madagascar's Madacom one of Madagascar’s mobile telecom operators which services more than 200,000 customers. As of December 31, 2005, Celtel managed 8.81 million customers in the following countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Rep, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Niger, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, with Madagascar being acquired in December 2005.

MTC have also acquired Sudanese Mobitel taking on the Sudanese government’s remaining 61% stake for USD$1.4Bn
MTC Atheer , operating in Iraq (with 100% local Iraqi employees) had 1.07 million customers at the end of 2005, up from 244 = 339% increase with revenues rising from USD$65Mn to USD$ 123 Mn . MTC Atheer expects the mobile sector in Iraq to become one of the largest mobile markets in the Middle East in 2006. Saddam of course had banned the introduction of mobile phones.

Traded on the Kuwaiti Stock Exchange the The Company’s share price as at December 31, 2005 was 3,520 Fils, giving a Kuwait Stock Exchange market valuation for MTC of KD 3.86 billion (USD 13.2 billion). Shareholders equity stood at USD$4.1 Mn.
Mobile phones have not only had a major social impact they have made the investors in Mid East telecom IPO’s rich .A USD$1,000 investment since the listing date in Etihad Etisalat, Mobinil, Orascom Telecom and MTC would have generated US$14,500, US$12,000, US$11,500 and US$33,500, respectively.


Speaking at Egypt's ICT Cairo Conference in Cairo earlier this month where the company had applied for a third GSM license Mohamed Ibrahim, Chairman of Celtel International, said ,

“The communications market in both the Middle East and Africa is one of the fastest developing markets in the world, especially since penetration rates are still far from those in Europe. We believe that mobile telecommunications is essential in developing the economies of these countries, while providing better means of communication for rural areas. By combining both our experience in Africa with that of MTC’s experience in the Middle East, we are confident that we can provide a competitive service for Egypt.”

Recent blogs on same topic here

Disembowelling America Part 756

The United American Committee announces (in an e-mail I have just received) a protest rally on March 4th against the sale of our nation's ports to a United Arab Emirates government owned company.

The protest will be held in New York by the port at West 42nd St. & West Side Hwy (Rout 9A) in Manhattan on Tuesday March 4th 2006 at 12:00 Noon, with a protest on the West Coast as well on the same day at 11000 Wilshire in West Los Angeles also at 12:00 Noon.

“Would we have allowed the sale of our ports to a Japanese Imperial owned or German Nazi owned company during WWII?” remarks United American Committee founder Jesse Petrilla (see pic) “We have heard from our politicians, now it's time that we hear from the people of America...We need to send a clear message to our president that Republicans and Democrats alike agree that this sale goes greatly against the best interest of our nation and its people.”

The UAC feels that President Bush should reconsider his vow to veto any legislation that may pass through congress which would block the sale. The UAC stance is that President Bush needs to realize that neither Democrats or his Republican constituents want this sale to occur. The United Arab Emrates is a government which has been far from cooperative in the war on Islamic extremism according to the UAC. (As Condi is about to find out)

Xenophobes of the World Unite ! You have nothing to lose but your brains!!!

Wapo (Thursday) has more details of the sale agreement here
Recent blogs on same topic here

Rice in a pressure cooker

It is the lot of somebody trying to peddle something that no-one wants to buy is in for a hard time. Condi's sweep through the sandy, sunny Middle East hit the buffers again today when she visited sun drenched Saudi - the desert Kingdom to whom Democracy is a quaint Western concept.

Saudi Arabia will not deny aid to a Palestinian government led by Hamas, the Saudi foreign minister told the visiting US secretary of state. reports the BBC.

Prince Saud al-Faisal told Condoleezza Rice that aid to the Palestinians should be based on humanitarian needs.

"(Saudi Arabia) hopes that international aid for the Palestinian people should be linked only with the pressing humanitarian need of this people," he said.

Stopping aid for a sewerage system infrastructure, which is the sort of project the United States wants to be starved of funding, was effectively denying Palestinians humanitarian help, he added.

Senior U.S. officials traveling with Rice to lobby against Hamas were at a loss to cite any country that has pledged to the United States it will immediately end aid when the group takes over the government in the next few weeks.

"Different countries will have different modalities and how to deal with this. For the United States, Hamas is a terrorist organization. We cannot give funding to a terrorist organization," she said.

She is getting a terrible press as well .. the English language Lebanon Daily Star..
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=17&article_id=22328
U.S. hypocrisy hangs over Rice's Middle East trip

"How can America be committed to freedom and simultaneously remain quiet about Israel's continued illegal occupation of Palestinian territories? How can the U.S. promote human rights and at the same time allow the torture of Arab prisoners, many of whom have been held in Abu Ghraib [prison in Baghdad] and Guantánamo Bay for years without charge or trial? How can Washington support democracy while encouraging Arab states to sanction the democratically elected government of the Palestinian people? Contradictory policies such as these only play into the hands of extremists."

Independent London based al-Quds al-Arabi says ..

'This scandalous contradiction in American foreign policy is what makes the Bush administration hated so much in the Arab and Muslim world and makes many not believe the repeated American claims on democratic reforms and fighting corruption,' the paper opined. It said Rice`s tour was very important because it provides an opportunity for the U.S.-allied Arab regimes, especially Saudi Arabia and Egypt, 'to tell her enough stupid and destructive adventures and that what`s needed is some reason and dialogue because there`s high tension in the region that only needs a flint to make it explode.'

Saudi financed, London based al-Hayat commented that while there is a lot of attention on Iran`s nuclear program, Rice`s agenda during her visit to some Arab countries this week was to add pressure on Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.

The paper says it was strange that Washington claims to want to encourage democracy, but ignores the fact that Hamas won a democratic election and that the majority of Palestinian society is struggling against Israeli occupation.

'Rice is not coming to consult on what America can do to confront Hamas because (the visit) is preceded by a decision to halt financial assistance for Palestinian infrastructure projects,' it said, 'she is coming to encourage those she meets to imitate the American and Israeli position.'

Of course this is the lady who said Hamas' victory "came out of the blue" .... someone in her Department was not doing their job.