"“We have lent a huge amount of money to the U.S. Of course we are concerned about the safety of our assets. To be honest, I am definitely a little worried.” "


Chinese premier Wen Jiabao 12th March 2009


""We have a financial system that is run by private shareholders, managed by private institutions, and we'd like to do our best to preserve that system."


Timothy Geithner US Secretary of the Treasury, previously President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.1/3/2009

Saturday, September 08, 2007

Is US "Colony Collapse Disorder" due to the Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV) and a result of slackening import controls on honeybees ?


In October 2006, US beekeepers reported uexplained loses of honey bees in their hives. What has now become known as "Colony Collapse Disorder" (CCD) is manifest by a massive reduction of 30-90 % of bees simply disappearing (not found as corpses) but with live queens in residence, plentiful supplies of honey and immature bees present.

A recent survey of 13 states by the Apiary Inspectors of America showed that over a quarter of U.S. beekeepers have lost, on average, half of their bee colonies between September 2006 and March 2007.

Pollination by bees of major agricultural crops is essential - the US Agricukture Research Service say bees help produce US15Bn. of crops. In California, the almond crop alone uses 1.3 million colonies of bees, approximately one half of all honey bees in the United States. Post war there were some 5 MN. hives which has declined to 2.5 mn. before CCD took it's toll late last year.

CCD has added another yet another threat to the well being of the stocks in addition to varroa and tracheal mites, and has created major new stresses on honey bees.

A threat that has possibly been identified as a result of research reported in Science this week. ("A metagenomic survey of microbes in honey bee colony collapse disorder", ) Diana Cox-Foster of Pennsylvania State University in University Park and a large group of collaborators have been working on a "metagenomics" project — studying the collective genomes from groups of organisms — which involves sequencing all the microflora living inside bees guts, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi - using a technique developed by Roche subsidiary 454 Life Sciences - the Genome Sequencer™ system.

This seemed a direct way to identify an infective source as it had been previously found that intense radiation dosage on emptied hives removed the problem - hence the agent must be living - as distinct from chemical or radiation from mobile phones, microwave towers.

Preliminary results have identifed a virus which is associated with CCD, wich has been associated with bee diseases previously. This is the Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV) which was identified by Ilan Sela, a virologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel, who found it in sick colonies in Israel and sequenced the virus, in collaboration with a US partner, a few years ago.

This was in 2004 when there were the earliest reports of colony collapse disorder. It was also was the year U.S. beekeepers began importing bees from Australia - which had previously been banned by the Honeybee Act of 1922. Canada has allowed the importation of honey bee queens and package bees from Australia since 1973. In addition, the movement of honey bees from Canada into the United States has not been regulated or restricted since Canada first allowed entry of Australia honey bees.

A risk assessment prepared by the US Department of Agriculture in April 2000 at the request of Australian suppliers who wished to ship to the US concluded...


"Consequently, the inspection and certification program currently used by Australia for honey bee exports to other countries where AFB is endemic and under statutory control are adequate for shipments to the United States.

We found no evidence of adverse species, subspecies or strains of honey bees that would be of concern relative to the importation of honey bee germplasm from Australia. Likewise, we found no viruses or other disease organisms that posed significant risk to the import of germplasm.

We recommend that all queens and package bees exported from Australia to the United States be from apiaries inspected and certified by Australian regulatory officials ...etc.,"
However the association is only correlative so far, but Sela also found that some Israeli bees had integrated parts of the IAPV sequence into their own genomes, and that these bees seemed resistant to the virus. If IAPV is truly the culprit of US disappearances, then Lipkin suggests these naturally resistant bees could be used to start new hives.

Dr. W. Ian Lipkin, a Columbia University epidemiologist and co-author of the study said "At least we have a lead now we can begin to follow. We can use it as a marker and we can use it to investigate whether it does in fact cause disease".

Some expeerts remain sceptical that IAPV is the sole cause of CCD, they point out that parasitic mites, pesticides and poor nutrition all remain suspects, as does the stress of travel as hives are moved by truck to pastures new for their busy and essential role.

Jerry Hayes, chief of the apiary section of Florida's Agriculture Department says, "This may be a piece or a couple of pieces of the puzzle, but I certainly don't think it is the whole thing."

May Berenbaum, an entomologist at University of Illinois led a recent examination of the decline in honeybee and other pollinator populations across North America.
"The authors themselves recognize it's not a slam dunk, it's correlative. But it's certainly more than a smoking gun _ more like a smoking arsenal. It's very compelling."

In the UK there were reports of collapses spring - the national bee unit, a branch of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, is still trying to determine the level of the effects. So far Mike Brown, head of the national bee unit based in York, reported no signs of CCD in Britain. "There is no evidence in the UK right now of colony collapse disorder," he said in a statement. "The majority of inspectors said that they can put the current mortalities in honeybee populations around the UK down to varroa or varroasis."

In 2005 DEFRA imposed a 20% funding cut on the Honeybee Health Programme in 2005 reducing funding from £1.25 Mn to £1 Mn.

In Spain, thousands of colonies are said to have been lost, and up to 40% of Swiss bees are reported to have disappeared or died in the past year. Heavy losses have also been reported in Portugal, Italy and Greece.

To date ,the official view in the UK is that any reported collapses are the result of varroa, the parasitic mite which was introduced in 1992 into Devon , which has been held in check by the naturally occurring insecticide pyrethrum, but to which the varroa mite has been developing a resistance.

The picture shows a bee preserved in amber from 20-30 Mn years ago in the mid(ish) Cretaceous, when Dinosaurs probably grazed on orchids - this pollen is the first record found in the fossil record of orchids. This was found in Dominica.

The Credit crunch - Reality Kicks in as UK banks scrape in deposits

INFLATION REPORT PRESS CONFERENCE
Wednesday 8 August 2007 - Opening Remarks by the Governor of the bank of England

Sea bass is farmed off the coast of Greece and last week Mr Tesco was selling it raw, fllleted at £12.00 per Kg. This week ? ..er .... £16.75 per Kg.

Now Sea Bass fillets don't figure too highly on the Cost of Living Index but try kippers, a few weeks ago £1.20 a pair, now ...? £1.40 - and Mr Tesco will supply you then either raw (undyed) or seared with brown shit (E - 154 ) that no other country in the world will allow you to bemerde your food with.

Just another example from the daily experience as inflation / declining exchange value of money hits the pocket.... so a good time to the Bank of England Inflation report. The latest slim volume (3.5 Mb. pdf !) is was introduced by Lord Mervyn King on the 8th August. Wasn't he pleased with himself ?

"Inflation has fallen back quite sharply, from 3.1% in March to 2.4% in June, as household gas and electricity prices started to decline."

What caught the eye in his Press Release was however his bland remarks, just as the credit crunch was unsettling the banking parlours of Bishopsgate and beyond....


"In the past few weeks there have been falls in equity prices and credit spreads have widened, especially on riskier debt. We don’t know whether these tremors in financial markets signal a more disruptive movement to come, or constitute a gradual release of pressure on spreads that had built up over some time. So it’s impossible at this stage to udge how large and how persistent this tightening of credit conditions is likely to be.

The Committee will monitor carefully data on both the price and quantity of credit."

Well Lord King "The Committee will monitor carefully data on both the price and quantity of credit" in the same way others monitor the quaintly named 2nd Division of the Coca Cola League ( AKA 4th Division when sub prime mortgages hadn't hit the headlines and the Halifax or the Woolwich took six months to handle your application and don't waste their time if you are not married and don't work for the Council) to check on the progress of Rochdale.

Exhortations , either as they train beside us at the gym or from the terraces on Saturday afternoon will, it appears not deflect them from their suicidal early season traditional dive. Imprecations , sneers, offensive reamrks will be as effective as you murmering in the ears of the money jugglers of Mayfair with their hedge funds growing amok like unclipped yew or privet .

There are forces, deep ocean swells at work beyond our understanding or control which roll on regardless, uncontrolled and uncontrollable.

It took a shrewd American lady scribbler from Bloomberg to remind my Lord King with a sharp question ..


"Hello, Jennifer Ryan from Bloomberg News. I wondered if you could elaborate a bit on the extent to which the volatility in financial markets is complicating your forecasts. And also if you could discuss what kinds of concerns you have about the availability of credit going forward, both to businesses for investment purposes and to households?"

So Mervyn slaps the bitch down with some firmly worded clear observations that make it clear that they have 3 jobs to do ..

1 "The first is that monetary policy is set to meet the inflation target."

2."...interest rates are not a policy instrument for protecting unwise lenders from the consequences of their past decisions." ( Evidently not having read (or ignored)Walter Bagehot's views onthe topic in Lombard Street pub. 1862)

3." .....a central bank, obviously always monitors all the time and regularly whether or not there are risks to the stability of the financial system as a whole and whether there are any systemic risks posed by problems arising in particular institutions or markets."

Here we go again , monitoring something over which they have neither influence nor control, and there is even more of this bland wisdom of the elderly ... for Miss Ryan.

"we cannot be sure, no one can be sure at this stage whether what we're seeing so far foreshadows a more disruptive movement in financial markets or whether it's the sign of a gradual easing of pressure that allows credit spreads to return to more normal and sensible levels. That remains to be seen. I don't pretend to be able to know what will happen but we'll be ready to respond to it."

Ho.Ho.Ho. "I don't pretend to be able to know what will happen but we'll be ready to respond to it."

Well you only have to look at the LIBOR rate and it's not the BOE who are responding but the bankers and money jugglers who know only too well that these "asset backed securities" which we mysteriously call collateralised debt obligations (CDO's) do not represent any asset and are certainly not secure. As a result inter bank interest rates (LIBOR) have risen and therefore the rates offered to depositors - totally and completely regardless of the Bank rate (now at 5.75%) - ie : the rate offered by the lender of the last resort. Why because they know the deep, deep, doo doo they are all in and are reluctant to lend each other money - even overnight.

3 month LIBOR usually hovers 0.1- 0.125% above Base rate yesterday it was 6.89% or 1.14% over base rate.

Today you can walk in off the street and buy deposit bonds at 8.1 % (pic) and some fixed-rate savings accounts with building societies have now reached 6.86 %.p.a.

That means LOWER bank profits, HIGHER borrowing costs, INCREASED bad debts privately and commercially and .... well don't worry, Lord King and his chums..."will monitor carefully data on both the price and quantity of credit" ...

UPDATE SUNDAY 9/9/07

Reading the Sunday blats it is evident that the wannabe city slickers have still not caght on that the MEPC's decisions about the base lending rate has been overtaken by the actual real free market out there.The BOE is simply out of control, because it is not IN control *** see D Telegraph

Also pondering on Sir Mervyn Wanking's warning to the the delightful Miss Ryan from Bloomberg ...."...interest rates are not a policy instrument for protecting unwise lenders from the consequences of their past decisions." Here is the arch regulator who cannot grasp ther reason for regulation , firstly to provide order and and control over issuers of credit and secondly to protect the improvident and credulous (and those who's SAT's scores just amtch their show size) both from themselves , and those who would prey on them. Regulation is the reason , for example in health matters that we don't have men stood on street corners explaining how they extracted the oil from the snake themsleves and that it will cure gout, lumbago, cancer and nightmares.

It is interesting to compare and contrast the remarks of Martin Feldstein (President and Chief Executive Officer, National Bureau of Economic Research) this week when the Federal Reserve top brass repaired to Jackson Hole, Wyoming for their annual knees up to discuss, "Housing, Housing Finance, and Monetary Policy" All 11 pages of his review of the proceedings are recommended reading. The contributions by the Fed's top brass e.g Frederic S. Mishkin, Member ,Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System range from the banal ..."Developments in the housing market have a major effect on economic activity.".. Yah don't say !. to the self delusional ..."Fortunately, the overall financial system appears to be in good health, and the U.S. banking system is well positioned to withstand stressful market conditions."

"It is widely agreed that neither the Federal reserve nor the Government should bail out individual borrowers or lenders whose past mistakes have created losses .... to simply encourage more reckless behaviour in the future"

"Much of the credit market problem reflects more than a lack of liquidity : a lack of trust, an ability to value securities, and a concern about counterparty risks. The inability of credit markets to function adequately will weaken the economy over the coming months... even when the credit market crisis has passed the wider credit spreads and increased risk aversion will be a damper on future economic activity."

Feldstein of course does not run the Fed, and there is precious little evidence to date they are taking any notice of him, simply pumping liquidity into the market (inability of credit markets to function adequately ) and here in the UK Lord King and his chums..."will monitor carefully data on both the price and quantity of credit" ...and pump liquidty into the market (especially Barclays)

Daily Telegraph today "DeAnne Julius, a former member of the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee, told The Sunday Telegraph: "The Bank has a responsibility to allow the smooth functioning of the sterling money markets and it has a pretty clear framework for doing that. But it needs to apply that framework to achieve the objectives it is aiming at. The experience of the last couple of weeks does not look as if it [the Bank] has been very successful at that."

Although the markets have viewed King as reluctant to bail out irresponsible lenders, (se above - ."...interest rates are not a policy instrument for protecting unwise lenders from the consequences of their past decisions." ) the BoE has not ruled out further interventions. But senior bankers say King is unsure that pledging funds over a three-month duration would solve the liquidity crisis. He is said to share the view that the root of the liquidity problem lies in the commercial paper markets.

The resolution of the problem will bring pain to the people who indulged in past excesses. LIBOR rate have settled market rates 1.14% above base rate - they MUST pay it and the chips fall as they lie. If the system is not purged from this illusory credit, this money of the mind, everyone will suffer.

For the monent the shrewd OAP with his High Income Deposit account at the Skipton Building Society is the winner. Thrift wins.

If the BOE make credit available at preferential rates to the houses who punted these fraudulent parcels of credit , the senior offices should be taken out and strung from the lampposts in Threadneedel Street.

Gordy's Gaydar working overtime

Wainwright's crush on Brown
(Yahoo News Friday September 07, 2007 12:35 AM)

American singer Rufus Wainwright has an unlikely crush on prime minister Gordon Brown.

The gay pop star, 34, was impressed by Brown's warm nature when the pair recently met at a TV studio, and Wainwright admits he immediately took a fancy to the 56-year-old politician.

He says, "I think Gordon is really sexy. Most women I know feel the same.

"I met him briefly a few weeks ago when I did a Sunday morning show. He was very sweet. We talked for about two seconds and I invited him to watch one of my performances."

He doesn't appear so attractive to some visitors however.

The last picture Kate McCann took of Madeleine - Photoshopped forgery ?

Thursday 6 Sep 2007, Timed at True High Noon - THE GREAT “LAST PHOTO” FORGERY - is a fascinating, lengthy, detailed and plausible post on the Mirror forums by Anon which examines this "the last photograph taken of Madeleine". UPDATE 14th September 2007 - every link to this original story is now inoperative. Curious.



"The family of missing Madeleine McCann have released the last known photograph of their daughter before her abduction in the Algarve three weeks ago.

Laughing in the sunshine and dangling her feet in the swimming pool, a carefree Madeleine McCann poses for a happy family snap just hours before she was abducted. Seven hours after the photograph was taken by her mother Kate at 2.29pm on May 3, Madeleine had been snatched from her bed in the holiday resort of Praia da Luz in Portugal."
This photograph it is explained on the official blog

"Kate took the photo of Madeleine at 2.29pm on May 3 - Mrs McCann's camera clock is one hour out so the display reads 1.29pm. Less than eight hours later, before 10pm that night, Madeleine disappeared."

The post actually uses a larger version of this photograph whose copyright is AP/Mrs McCann, which the author calls the "Kataweb /Repubblica version: http://www.repubblica.it/2006/05/gallerie/esteri/bimba-rapita/afp104564692505151527_big.jpg

There are many cropped versions on the web and this appears to be the largest image used by on line media.

The poster identifies some curious anomolies of shadow positions, sizes, locations / timing / and apparent photoshopping which you can best deal with by reading the details provided.

The theory adduced for the alleged photographic palimpsest is to establish a time and place for the last sighting of Madeleine which the poster claims is fraudulent, by image anipulation...they claim to have told the Police.

It is commonly assumed that Madeleine was last seen on May 3rd after having been fed. It appears that there is no substantial proof of this - and if she disappeared before that time a longer time span would be available for anyone to dispose of anything they wanted.

No doubt, however as the days pass, the disappearance of Madeleine will be resolved with greater clarity.

TIMING UPDATE - The News of the World in their edition today Sunday 9th September 2007 report .."The last time Madeleine was seen alive was by staff at the Ocean Club creche at 6pm."

Which, if true means that all this is bollocks.

Friday, September 07, 2007

Clive Mitchell re-surfaces in McCann Mystery Tour in Portugal


Well Mystery Man Mitchell the tax payer's PR Man for the McCann Circus is back on the road in Pria da Luz.....


Bloomberg Portugal Police to Identify McCann Parents as Suspects, AP Says
By Camilla Hall and Robin Stringer

"Family friend Clarence Mitchell said the couple had been told they would both be named as suspects, AP said. The McCanns ``continue to deny absolutely they had anything to do'' with their daughter's disappearance, Mitchell said."

AP Quotes 7/9/07 HD News

"It's very intense but she's remaining strong and determined to prove that they had nothing to do with their daughter's disappearance and they are innocent victims of the crime." --
Clarence Mitchell, family friend to Kate and Gerry McCann who Portuguese police will formally name as suspects in the disappearance of their 4-year-old daughter.

York Dispatch - Parents now suspects

"The couple had been told they would both be named as suspects, family friend and former spokesman Clarence Mitchell said.

Mitchell said Kate McCann found the police questioning "grueling."(sic)

Who is Clarence Mitchell ?

Clarence is a UK Government employee, he is in charge of Press liason at Downing Street and has been at times "seconded" to the Foreign office and worked in conjunction with the UK Embassies in Lisbon - Vatican / Rome to arrange visit with the Pope etc.,

For all posts about the mysterious Mitchell go here

The Mccann's also have a PR person, Justine McGuinness whom they employ directly through their Limited Company which is funded by public donations.

Pic at top is of Clarence Mitchell with Kate Mccann in Germany at the moment when Sabina Muller of Hessian Radio ( Hessischen Rundfunk ) put the McCann publicity circus on the back foot on June 1oth when she asked: "How do you feel about the fact that more and more people seem to be pointing the finger at you, saying the way you behave is not the way people would normally behave when their child is abducted and they seem to imply that you might have something to do with it?''

Kate is carrying the ever present "cuddle cat" of Madeleine's which the Portuguese Press describe as a "peluche" - a teddy bear, on which cadaver dogs are claimed to have found traces of a corpse. It can be seen here to have collected a crucifix at some stage in the story.

It accompanied Kate to the Police Station yesterday (Thursday) - but when she left today (Friday) it was not in evidence...see frame grab from SKY news item below.

Fred Thompson President of the United States 2008-2012 - declares on Jay Leno


Subsequent to Fred strolling onto Leno and declaring here is Lord Patel's post on June 14th 2007 - Fred Thompson President of the United States 2008-2012, we post it again. (Pic above Dubya in Israel in November and December 1998 when he was accompanied on a tour by Ariel Sharon)

The United States Jerusalem Embassy Relocation Act of 1995, which passed both houses of Congress by huge one sided votes [Senate by a vote of 93 to 5, House of Representatives by a vote of 347 to 37],it calls on the US to move its Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognize the latter as the Israeli capital no later than May 31, 1999.

In a curiousand repeating Presidential habit Dubya, on June 1st, 2007 has for the 12th time (following on precedent by Bill Clinton ) suspended the required move. Needless to say Dubya promised to move the embassy if elected in 2000. The act specifically included this power to .... " suspend the [implementation] for a period of six months if he determines and reports to Congress in advance that such suspension is necessary to protect the national security interests of the United States."

Memorandum for the Secretary of State
Presidential Determination
No. 2007-21


SUBJECT: Suspension of Limitations Under the Jerusalem Embassy Act

Pursuant to the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including section 7(a) of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 (Public Law 104 45) (the "Act"), I hereby determine that it is necessary to protect the national security interests of the United States to suspend for a period of 6 months the limitations set forth in sections 3(b) and 7(b) of the Act. My Administration remains committed to beginning the process of moving our Embassy to Jerusalem.

You are hereby authorized and directed to transmit this determination to the Congress, accompanied by a report in accordance with section 7(a) of the Act, and to publish the determination in the Federal Register.

This suspension shall take effect after transmission of this determination and report to the Congress.

GEORGE W. BUSH

This topic will probably have been high on the agenda of Presidential hopeful Fred Thompson, (Offical campaign website I'm with Fred just put up - you saw it here first or heard about it on Hannity) star of the hit television series “Law & Order,” where he will meet Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni amonst many others.

The former actor, who has also served as a US senator for Tennessee, was one of the sponsors of the Jerusalem Embassy Act.He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and a Visiting Fellow with the American Enterprise Institute.Thompson also is the Chairman of the International Security Advisory Board(ISAB), a bipartisan advisory panel that reports to the Secretary of State and focuses on emerging strategic threats.(Members of ISAB)

His support for the Israeli war cause remains undimished over the years - in an Editorial on 30th May 207, in the National Review he argues ..."Israelis, however, have gone to incredible lengths to stop the war against them without harming Palestinian non-combatants. But make no mistake, Israel is at war. "

He goes on to say ... "If Iran develops nuclear weapons, the very existence of this tiny nation of Israel will be threatened. The Iranian regime has left little doubt that it intends to see Israel “wiped off the map.” Hamas is using the same language, not coincidentally, and has announced it will begin launching missiles into Israel from the West Bank too. "




Before you start scoffing this is a Survey US Poll of 3/6/07 in answer to the question "If the Republican Primary were today, would you vote for... Rudy Giuliani? John McCain? Mitt Romney? Fred Thompson? Newt Gingrich? Or some other Republican? "

You might also look at McLaughlin & Associates : June 5, 2007
Re: National Omnibus Poll – Republican Presidential Primary Results
­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­
Major Findings:

Since our last national poll conducted in April for Citizens United, there has been significant movement among likely Republican voters on the Presidential primary ballot. Fred Thompson’s support has risen five points from 13% to 18%, while Giuliani’s support has decreased by 4 points from 28% to 24%. Support for McCain (16%/17%), Romney (8%/7%) and Gingrich (6%/5%) remains consistent with the April results.

There is also a slew of blogs started up to support this intellectual Titan.

Alabama for Thompson
AlphaPatriot
Arizona for Thompson
Armed and Gregarious
Blogging Down the Rogue
California for Thompson
Colorado for Thompson
DeMediacratic Nation
Draft Fred Thompson
Draft Thompson '08
Floridians for Thompson
Fred 2008
Fred Thompson 4 President Blog
Fred Thompson at MySpace
Fred Thompson for President Watch
Fred08.com
Georgians for Fred Thompson
Illinois for Fred Thompson
Iowans for Fred Thompson
Iraq War Today
Lawyers for Thompson
Louisiana for Fred Thompson
Maine for Fred Thompson
Minnesotans for Thompson
New Hampshire for Fred Thompson
NewRepublicans.us
Not Ready for my Burqua
Ohio 4 Fred
Pennsylvania for Fred Thompson
Raw Data on Fred Thompson
Ray Robison
Sen. Bill Frist's VOLPAC Blog
Tenneseeans for Thompson
Texans for Thompson
TexasFred's
The Dread Pundit Bluto
The Ranando Report
Thompson Truckers
USA for Thompson
Vince Aut Morire
Virginians for Thompson
Washingtonians for Fred
We Want Fred Thompson
Word of Marvin

If you want to know why this 65 year old lawyer, part time actor is pulling in supporters and getting the red carpet treatment from the the Likudniks simply read his interview with Hannity.

"Israelis, however, have gone to incredible lengths to stop the war against them without harming Palestinian non-combatants."

Now that is an expression of his deep interest in the welfare of the Palestinians - observers of the extended bombing of the Lebanon, the daily rocket strikes and bombing in Gaza, the incarceration of elected representative members the state authorized assssinations.

Officially Fred hasn't declared yet but will apparently on July 4th, but it is of interest that has first port of call - just as an ex Governor of Texas did 8 years ago, was to visit the Wailing Wall.

Watch thus guy.

UPDATE read Jonah Goldberg in the Chicago Tribune today "Are we better off with Fred ?"
plus news of how the money is rolling in on his new Blog

UPDATE Saturday 8/9/07 WaPo updates with Fred on the Campaign trail.

How the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) manipulates "consultation" , ignores it, and proceeds how IVF industry wants

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) statement subsequent to their Meeting held at 2pm on Wednesday 5 September 2007 and the papaers and this statement can be read at their website..

They acknowledge that the licensing of human - animal hybrids and chimaera research has presented a particular challenge as this research is so novel in legal, scientific and ethical terms.

1.They established such research would legally fall within the HFEA's remit to license.

2. They then assessed whether such research would, in principle, be necessary and desirable in both scientific and ethical terms.

They claim this involved, " detailed and comprehensive consultation gathering evidence from scientists and the wider public about the issues raised by this research." An 11 page PDF document is available explaining what this involved. - "3.10 Some countries, including a number in Europe, have decided to prohibit all kinds of embryo research or, at least, the creation of embryos for research purposes." - In Australia "research involving the creation of all kinds of hybrid and chimera embryos, including cytoplasmic hybrid embryos, was banned following the tabling of a last-minute amendment during the parliamentary debates." In Canada the Assisted Human Reproduction Act 2004 came into force, .... the Act prohibits the creation of human chimera embryos for research "

810 people responded to the "consultation" 91% of which were individuals, the rest were organisations. All the details can be see in Appendix D HFEA 396 - i.e whilst public they are well hidden from public and the idle press.

They were asked ;

A. Do you approve Research using human embryos donated by IVF patients ?
Result : 70% against 30% for

B. Research using human embryos created specifically for research using donated egg and sperm ?

and

C. Research using cloned human embryos created specifically for research through cell nuclear replacement (CNR) received the same results - 75% against 25% for

D. No research using human embryos is acceptable - 65% agree 35% don't agree

On the most critical question.

Do you think that the HFEA should in future issue licences to allow research using chimera embryos?

Out of 810 individuals 500 voted against, 89 voted for, 38 not sure and 109 no response
Out of 74 organisations 33 voted against, 22 voted for, 7 not sure and 12 no response


The House of Commons Select Science and Technology Committee 5th report published on 28th March remarked inter alia ... "The Government received 535 responses, from a range of stakeholders and individuals. According to the Department of Health, the "overall tenor of responses to the consultation was opposed to the creation of hybrids and chimeras" However, as we have discussed previously, much of this opposition appears to stem from the belief that all research using human embryos should be prohibited and it is thus difficult to extrapolate from this information to give a clear representation of specific objection to the creation of human-animal chimera and hybrid embryos for research.

3. Having looked at all the evidence the Authority has decided that there is no fundamental reason to prevent cytoplasmic hybrid research.

4. They will now look at the details of the two specific research applications that were submitted earlier this year. We would hope to have a decision on both applications in November.

The HFEA simply represents the views of the IVF industry, It is packed with their parctioners and representatives - the Bishop of Oxford Harries is the sole representative of a church or religious body , and there is a sprinkling of the not very great and the good.

The results are totally unsurprising - the consultation is a nonsense - and it is derided and ignored. " much of this opposition appears to stem from the belief that all research using human embryos should be prohibited and it is thus difficult to extrapolate " - well it is perfectly possible to determine what people think about their views on Labour / Conservative / Liberal policies - why is a wider survey respectable public survey by an independent and third party body not undertaken ?

Simply, the result of any respectably run survey would be an overwhelming rejection of any further production of fertilised embryos, of any sort for experimentation .

Briefly HFEA asked ..

Do you think that the HFEA should in future issue licences to allow research using chimera embryos?

Out of 810 individuals 500 voted against, 89 voted for, 38 not sure and 109 no response
Out of 74 organisations 33 voted against, 22 voted for, 7 not sure and 12 no response

Not a difficult set of results to interpret , unwanted .... so ... they simply ignored the results.

That is Democracy ...apparently. ..."much of this opposition appears to stem from the belief that all research using human embryos should be prohibited " ....

Dammit Sir ! these people who object to this sort of thing are those sort of people who object to this sort of thing ... ignore them!!!!

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Tornado F-3 's scrambled from Leuchars to intercept the Rssian Bears



Would somebody identify all that smoky black discolouration on the base of the rudder of the Tornado - or is it just showing it's age ?

UPDATE 16/9/07

Anon tells us that an engineer is required to clean aircraft - Extraordinary, aren't mops and buckets of soapy water all that is required and little vigorous application ?

Assumed thedesignation is correctly F3 and corrected.

Jerry Bremer and disbanding / De-Baatification of the Iraqi Army May 2003 when the "Mission was Accomplished" Ho.Ho.Ho.


It appears that deflecting blame / responsibility for the disbanding the Iraqi Army De-Baatification ,the rising insurgency (whatever that means) was a popular sport even whilst Larry "Call me Jerry" Bremer III was swanning about in Saddam's Palace in 2003.

Pages 223/224 of his "My Year in Iraq" "Jerry" is having a friendly tete a tete with 4 Star General John Abizaid "The mad Arab" about November 7th 2003.

"Abizaid noted he was fed up that .. Walt Slocombe still opposed re-hiring Sunni field - grade Army oficers . "We need experienced Iraqi commanders who can lead troops. I'm sick of reading his opinion on the subject in newspapers."

Slocombe had been responding to reporter's questions .. questions had been raised by anononymous iniformed officers and Pentagon officials looking for someone to blame for the largely unprecedented insurgency we were now fighting.

I told Abizaid I agreed with Slocombe we needed to be very careful ....

"Listen" he said , "I've always told you that I opposed disbanding the Army, but I've never gone to the Press with my opinion."

Always ? Disbanding ? (Jerrys' emphasis)

"Way back in May, Walt Slocombe had consulted CENTCOM while we prepared CPA order No2 dissolving the old Iraqi Defense Ministry, Saddam's intelligence service and security forces. The order recognised the reality that the army had disbanded itself as Coalition forces swept into the country. We had co-ordinated the CPA decision - and had reviewed every word of the order with Paul Wolfowitz and Doug Feith before issuring the decree on May 23rd. Lt. Gnl. David McKiernan , Abizaid's commander on the ground , had been fully consulted too."

It seems impossible to find anyone who "Jerry" didn't discuss it with - certainly he must have included it in his nightly e-mails to his wife.... as well.

Dubya's biographer Mr Draper it appears, is talking through his bottom - or Dubya is lying . But Dubya wouldn't lie would he ? Would he ?

Shock &Awe - "the demobilization of the Iraqi military is a fait accompli - UK senior officials

"It has become conventional wisdom that the decision to disband Sadam Hussein 's army was a mistake, was contrary to American prewar planning and was a decision I made on my own. In fact the policy was carefully considered by top civilian and military members of the American government. And it was the right decision.

By the time Baghdad fell on April 9, the Iraqi Army had simply dissolved. "

Is how L.Paul "call me Jerry" Bremer IIIrd the booted and suited US pro consul sets off defending himself against the charges of unilaterally disbanding the Iraqi Army in the New York Times today.

Do you like that ? ..."the Iraqi Army had simply dissolved." .. oh no it didn 't Jerry, it had been smashed to pieces. Perhaps you remember Shock and Awe when missiles, ordnance, mortars bombs were providing the Western news media with the Mother of All Firework shows.
What do you think they were doing Jerry ? Bombing sand ?

A strategy known as "Shock and Awe", conceived at the National Defense University in Washington, in which a blitzkreig of 400 cruise missiles would fall on Iraq each day for two consecutive days. It would be more than twice the number of missiles launched during the entire 40 days of the 1991 GulfWar.

"There will not be a safe place in Baghdad," a Pentagon official told America's CBS News after a briefing on the plan. "The sheer size of this has never been seen before, never been contemplated before."

The first attack on Baghdad came from 320 Tomahawk cruise missiles fired by ships in the Gulf and the Red Sea, said Rear Admr. Matthew G. Moffit, commander of the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk battle group.

Ordnance crews worked steadily through the day attaching global positioning system and laser guidance kits to 500-pound, 1,000-pound and 2,000-pound HE bombs and moving the ordnance from the ship's 22 weapons magazine to holding bays.

Dozens of F-14 Tomcats and F/A-18 Hornet strike planes loaded with bombs roared off the Kitty Hawk's deck before nightfall Friday.

Ten US warships were involved in the attack, including four cruisers, four destroyers and two submarines, the admiral said.

Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said "several hundred military targets will be hit over the coming hours."

..... reported CBS

Jerry goes on to explain the CPA's national security adviser, Walter Slocombe, On May 13, en route to Baghdad, he briefed senior British officials in London who told him they recognized that “the demobilization of the Iraqi military is a fait accompli.” (Which is the standard understated British way of saying that they had been bombed to shit - they had been de-mobilised but not by handing in their pay books and letters of commissiion) His report the humourless and dumb Jerry adds, said “if some U.K. officers or officials think that we should try to rebuild or reassemble the old R.A. (Republican Army), they did not give any hint of it in our meetings, and in fact agreed with the need for vigorous de-Baathification, especially in the security sector.”

Walter was interviewed on PBS October 26th 2004 and he described himself as ..."My formal title was senior adviser for national security and defense, (he is a lawyer) and in effect, I had responsibility for, so to speak, the past, present and future of the Iraqi military, the Iraqi military's property and the factories that they ran, and to a limited degree, the intelligence system. ..."

He says ...." I've never seen the famous State Department 1,000-page analysis of what to do except insofar as it related to the military. I hadn't seen that. But as reported to me, it essentially was how should you deal with the intact military units, a problem which is irrelevant."

"I don't know to what degree there was a prediction of a Baathist-led, stay-behind, very narrowly based but quite professional terrorist resistance. People kind of blandly say that that was what they expected, and there may well be people who did. I don't know who they are."

You see Jerry " ...how should you deal with the intact military units, a problem which is irrelevant" ..irrelevant Jerry because they didn't exist. They were dead. Kaput. Corpses - that's what Shock and Awe does Jerry.

Of course we don't do body counts Jerry -

McCann - UK Forensic test results - Dogs scented cadaver on Kates clothes and bear (peluche) says Correio da Manha - Kate interviewed today (alone)

Reuters report today that Portuguese police have received partial results of forensic evidence analysed in Birmingham which was retreved from the Mccann's apartment and various vehicles a month ago. As a consequence Kate McCann the mother of missing 4 year old Madeleine McCann is to be interviewed on her own by police on Thursday, a "spokesman for the family " said.

Other reports say that Kate McCann will attend the police station in Portimao in the Algarve at 2pm, accompanied by her lawyer, Carlos Pinto de Abreu.

Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha reported today that the scent of a corpse was been found by specially-trained dogs on Kate McCann's clothes and on the "peluche" - the bear. - see front page.

PRÓXIMOS DIAS SÃO DECISIVOSA (The next days are decisive) chegada a Portimão dos resultados pode consolidar as convicções dos investigadores, que há mais de dois meses apontam para um cenário de morte da criança ainda dentro do apartamento da Praia da Luz. Os próximos dias serão decisivos.


"JULGO QUE A HIPÓTESE MAIS FIÁVEL É HOMICÍDIO": Moita Flores, criminalista"

"I Judge that the hypothesisis is more an accident than homicide CRiminal Attorney Moita Flores."

The police have videos of the cadaver dogs undertaking their searches for use as evidence.Apparently forensic examination has been dificult as clothes which have been examined had been washed.

A extracção de ADN no sangue, saliva e esperma são sempre as análises mais complicadas. E neste caso foram agravadas, no que diz respeito ao sangue detectado no apartamento e no jipe dos McCann, pelo facto de as amostras recolhidas estarem bastante contaminadas e terem sido lavadas, forçando os especialistas a “uma série de análises ainda mais sensíveis”, justificando-se assim um mês de espera pelos resultados.


(The extraction of DNA from blood, saliva and sperm is very complicated. In this case the samples were even more difficult to determine - in respect to the blood detected in the apartment and the McCann's jeep(?)(jipe) of the McCann's, for the fact of the collected samples to be sufficiently contaminated and to have been washed, made the work of the specialists to "a series of still more sensible analyses", justifying the dealy of one month in producing the results.)
A source "close to the family " said Gerry McCann was expected to be interviewed by police on Friday.

"I can confirm that we have received part of the results and the team is satisfied (with the results)," said Portuguese police spokesman Olegario de Sousa.

Lord Patel's post of August 12th "McCanns - Nemesis" continues to draw a massive global readership - especially from Press / TV organisations.

New Labour Flogging off the State Assets - Shareholder Executive hard at work ?

The announcement in December 2006 in the Times that The Ministry of Defence is being asked to examine the scope for privatising flogging off Government assets and a range of "other arm’s-length businesses ", makes the reasoning behind appointment of the new CEO at the Met Office yesterday clearer.

The Chancellor had announced in his December Pre-Budget Report, plans to flog off State Assets to the tune of £50BN to plug the looming and uncomfortable gaps in his income - reduced North Sea oil Taxes as production plunges £2-3 Bn. annually - fiucked up tax credits schemes £2Bn. - Carousel VAT fraud £4-5 Bn and the as yet unquantified costs of sorting out the Metronet collapse £XX Bn. ? writing off kit in Iraq, costs overruns in Afghanistan, extra MOD spending on equipment, building prisons etc., etc.,

The MoD’s UK Hydrographic Office, Defence Aviation Repair Agency (DARPA) and the defence engineering business, Abro, have along with the Met Office, been converted into so-called trading funds — arm’s-length businesses run on semi-commercial lines and expected to make a return on capital and contribute a dividend to the Exchequer.

All government departments are being ordered to come up with assets that could be sold. Those with trading fund status — the mapping body, the Ordnance Survey, is another — are considered closest to being ready for life in the private sector.

The Shareholder Executive (SE), the government body created in 2003 to exercise better stewardship of state assets, has already sold QinetiQ, the former MoD research arm, in a controversial flotation last year, raising £350 million.

It oversees a rag bag portfolio of 27 of the more (or less) commercial organisations including the Met Office, Channel 4, the Royal Mint, Royal Mail, the Forensic Science Service, the New Covent Garden Market Authority, and the Tote and amazingly Blackpool Airport, which together had a turnover last year of £20 billion. (full list here)

The Shareholder Executive? WTF?

The Shareholder Executive is a little known body that was created in September 2003 to "improve fundamentally the government's performance as a shareholder in government-owned businesses and to provide a source of corporate finance expertise within government."Ho.Ho.Ho.

Its specific objectives are to:

Ensure each business delivers sustained positive returns, and returns its cost of capital within the policy parameters set by Government;

1. Increase by £1 billion in the three years to 2007 the value of the core portfolio of businesses owned by Government, within a framework of clearly defined policy, customer and regulatory objectives;

2. To provide, corporate finance expertise across Government.

Chairman is Philip Remnant, a Senior Adviser in the European Investment Banking Department at Credit Suisse. He was previously a Vice Chairman of CSFB Europe and Head of the UK Investment Banking Department. From 2001-03, Philip was Director General of the UK Panel on Takeovers and Mergers on secondment from CSFB.

He is on secondent Credit Suisse to the Shareholder Executive for two years from 25 June 2007 and will work for the Shareholder Executive two days per week.

Acting Chief Executive is Stephen Lovegrove who used to be a partner at KPMG, he took over on June 27th 2007 from Martin Bryant who is leaving the DTI to spend time assisting his wife to recuperate after a serious accident.

The National Audit Office published a report on their performance in February this year

They concluded

.."This report finds that the Executive has improved the way in which Government acts as a shareholder. Taking this into account as well as its annual budget of £9.9 million and the value it has already brought to the taxpayer, for example through its role in the sale of Westinghouse, the National Audit Office concludes that the Shareholder Executive has provided value for money."

Elsewhere the Department of Health has struck a deal with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to transfer a portfolio of former NHS hospital sites to English Partnerships to use for affordable housing. The 96 sites are expected to generate up to £1bn in private sector investment by 2010. Guradian March 2006

Druzhba pipeline - Germany sees ( or ignores) reduced oil shipments from Mother Russia courtesy Vagit Alekperov and LUKoil - Conoco Phillips

Russian oil deliveries to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline fell 30% in August. Lukoil is mainly responsible for the deliberate reduction in supplies that had been pre-contracted. Supply shortfalls had begun in July on a small scale, before the abrupt August drop. The German government and affected companies kept this development under tight wraps until the Sueddeutsche Zeitung broke the story in its August 24 issue.

Germany imports some 22 Mn. tons of Russian oil annually (1.8 Mn. tons monthly) through the Druzhba pipeline. (See Lord Patel posts on Druzbha) Of these, Lukoil delivers approximately 6 Mn. tons annually (500,000 tons monthly), with Surgutneftegaz supplying much of the remainder.

The German refineries that had pre-contracted the supplies are in Schwedt and Leuna, which are connected to the Druzhba system’s German spur. These refineries’ shareholding owners are Shell Deutschland, BP/Ruhr Oel, Italy’s ENI Agip, and Total of France. The Schwedt refinery alone processes almost 11 Mn. tons annually (900,000 monthly), amounting to 10% of Germany’s total oil-processing capacity, and almost fully depending on the Druzhba pipeline.

There was a crashing silence when the story broke. Lukoil remained silent about the reasons behind supply cuts. According to one theory, Lukoil was seeking to squeeze an intermediary out of the Russo-German oil trade. That intermediary is Sergei Kishilov, head of the “German” company Sunimex, who is said to have fallen out with Lukoil’s chief Vagit Alekperov. (See Iran news story)Alekperov seemed to confirm this version by telling a Moscow news conference, “We do not need intermediaries. I do not understand why the presence of intermediaries suits German companies” (Interfax, August 30). Abrupt unexplained cuts in pre-contracted supplies to Germany would seem to be an unacceptable price for Lukoil to “understand” that issue.

There is no shortage of theories / conspiracies in German and Russian oil-trade circles ;
1) Lukoil’s cuts may seek to force up the price of supplies to Germany for the next contract period;

2) Deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline are less profitable since Belarus raised the transit fee by 30%, to US$3.6 per ton;

3) Russia’s state pipeline monopoly Transneft, operator of the Druzhba system on Russian territory, may have begun redirecting part of the flow from that pipeline toward Russian Baltic maritime export terminals;

4) Lukoil may be aiming to intimidate the German refineries’ owners into ceding share packages to it as a “guarantee” of steady supplies in the future; or

5) the Russian state itself is trying to demonstrate that supplies have become too tight to suffice for all customers and that only the politically favored ones can count on steady supplies from now on.

Whatever the merits of those theories (most of them not mutually exclusive), the most relevant fact remains that German refiners and commentators alike are (so far) reduced to guessing. The German government (on holiday at present) reacted with remarkable caution. Economy Minister Michael Glos (Christian-Democrat) meekly cited Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Energy as having said back in April that deliveries to Schwedt and Leuna are “guaranteed for the future”. An unnamed German government representative opined that short-term reductions are less important than the fact of long-term supplies being guaranteed. Thus, the government seemed to stop shy of questioning the value of such Russian “guarantees.”

The refiners’ reaction, particularly at Schwedt, has been equally subdued. At first they kept the story a secret during almost four weeks of supply cuts. Once the story had broken in late August, Schwedt acknowledged the cuts but claimed that they were a commercial secret. It announced that it was talking with Russian companies to find out the reasons (pointless at that stage) and that it was replacing the missing volumes by resorting to imports by tanker through the port of Rostock (a more expensive option, and introduces delays, port fees etc., ).

Germany (and specifically the Schwedt and Leuna refineries) had experienced oil supply shortfalls for 3 days in January of this year; and Schwedt’s desulphurization installations were badly damaged by that stoppage. At that time, Russia’s Transneft stopped all the deliveries to Europe through the Druzhba pipeline amid a dispute with the transit country Belarus over the terms of Russian oil deliveries to that country. Although that dispute was purely bilateral, a number of countries farther downstream were affected by the stoppage. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel described the stoppage as potentially “destroying confidence” in Russia’s reliability as an energy supplier.

Moreover, the January 2007 oil stoppage was regarded throughout Europe as a repeat performance of Russia’s January 2006 gas delivery shortfalls to certain European countries amid the gas dispute with Ukraine. LUKoil’s latest moves in Germany are partly reminiscent of (even if Germans now seem oblivious to) LUKoil’s halt in oil supplies to Lithuania in 1999-2001 when it tried to bankrupt and take over the Mazeikiai refinery and associated enterprises. Transneft emulated that behavior by halting all supplies to Lithuania through the relevant spur of the Druzhba system, as punishment for the privatization of Mazeikiai by a Polish company.

Yet, few in Germany -- and no one in the country’s government or energy industry -- are pulling those facts together for appropriate conclusions; at least not publicly. Meanwhile, Lukoil has promised to resume a regular supply schedule in September. Ho.Ho.Ho.

Germany is overly dependent on Russian-delivered oil. In 2006, Germany imported a total of 110 Mn. tons of crude oil, of which Russia supplied 36.9% while ex-Soviet-ruled countries supplied another 9.7% (mainly Kazakhstan and mainly via Russia). Thus, Germany depends on Russian production and transit for an estimated 45% of Germany’s oil imports (while OPEC countries supply 23.1% of Germany’s annual oil consumption at present). Given such imbalances, Russian authorities and companies apparently feel able to vex Germany at the receiving end.

(Interfax, August 24-31; Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Frankfurter Allgemeiene Zeitung, Maerkische Allgemeine, August 24–31; Der Spiegel, July 3)

Is China moving the market with Treasury Bond sell off and dumping sub prime CDO's ?????



The Daily Telegraph reports today that Data released by the New York Federal Reserve shows that foreign central banks have cut their stash of US Treasuries by $48bn since late July, with falls of $32bn in the last two weeks alone.The yield on the benchmark 10-year note declined to 4.47 % at 5:15 p.m. in New York, from 4.55 % yesterday.

A recent analyst report has pointed the finger at Beijing as the main suspect in the sudden bond flight this summer.

In a client note entitled "Has China started to dump US Treasuries?", David Powell, an economist at IDEAglobal in New York said the sales appear to coincide with early moves by Beijing to launch its new $300bn sovereign wealth fund.

The scheme is part of the government's plan to diversify it $1,340bn reserves from bonds (mostly in the US) to a broader portfolio of investments and a better yield.

See also Lord Patel's recent observations about the US$3 Bn. Blackstone investment by China and the sub-prime mortgage derivatives / CDO's sell off. "Did China trigger Market Meltdown ?" on Sunday August 19th 2007.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 173.71 points, or 1.29 percent, at 13,275.15. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 19.49 points, or 1.31 percent, at 1,469.93. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 27.94 points, or 1.06 percent, at 2,602.30.

Apple was down 4.3 percent at $137.88 after the company said it was cutting the price of its iPhone.

Earlier in the day, reports showed a plunge in pending U.S. home sales,The National Association of Realtors' index of signed purchase agreements dropped 12.2 % after gaining 5 % in June. Today's report showed pending resales dropped in all four regions. They fell 21% in the West, 13 % in the Midwest, 12 % in the Northeast and 6.6 % in the South.

Private sector employment showed slowest rise (38,000 )in four years and a surge in layoffs, especially in the financial services sector.

Charts all from the Federal Reserve Bank website today.

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

From the guys who brought you Murder, mayhem in the morning in Manhattan ... DIY Rambos ready to hit Ramstein

So the guys who brought this to new York ..... Mr & Mrs Al Quaeda



Have been out shopping in Germany to bring you bombs made with this...



At the trial of the 21/7 Bombers at Wooolwich on 24th January 2007 the jury heard evidence from a forensic scientist Claire McGavagan who studied the remains of 'bombs' which had failed to properly explode just two weeks after the 7/7 atrocities.

Before July 2005 her laboratory had never experienced hydrogen peroxide based explosives.

It (the bomb material) was not weighed, but Ms McGavagan estimated it would weigh several kilograms.

The jury was told that for safety reasons most of the materials recovered from the alleged attack were destroyed.

A remarkable feature of bombs that are alleged to have been constructed of TATP involving the use of Hydrogen Peroxide mixed with anything from Chappati flour to hair gel seems to be ..

1. Leading Forensic scientists had no experience before 7/7 of such devices.

2. It has never been established or even claimed by any forensic scientist that TATP has been used successfully in an improvised explosive device.

3. The devices made by the 21/7 "bombers" they claimed were not made to explode - and didn't.

4. The charges for causing explosions were dropped from the charge sheet for the 21/7 "bombers".

Yet Al Quaeda organisation which could hi-jack airplanes , demolish 3 towers in new York, bury two Boeing passenger jets and their crew and passengers so they could never be found etc., etc., go round making home made bombs ... when military explosives are readily available and were widely used over any years by IRA, Unionists, ETA, Red Brigade ( and Gladio).

Strangely , Germany has seen the attempt to bomb US military installations in the past, (21 years ago) including a night club used by service personnel.

German TV exposes CIA, Mossad links to 1986 Berlin disco bombing By a German correspondent on the World Socialist Website 27 August 1998

This article demonstrates that the German ZDF TV magazine Frontal exposed on August 25th 1998 evidence that some of the main suspects in the 1986 Berlin disco bombing, (pic) the stated reason for the lethal assault on Libya worked for American and Israeli intelligence. The State Prosecutor who was complicit in concealing the involvement of the CIA and Mossad was ...... Detlev Mehlis.... who has now (purely accidentally) revealed the authors and masterminds of the Hariri assassination.

...

The Frontal report arrives at the following conclusions:

1) The lead defendant presently on trial, Yasser Chraidi, is very possibly innocent, and is being used as a scapegoat by German and American intelligence services.

2) At least one of the defendants, Musbah Eter, has been working for the CIA over many years.

3) Some of the key suspects have not appeared in court, because they are being protected by Western intelligence services.

4) At least one of those, Mohammed Amairi, is an agent of Mossad, the Israeli secret service.On September 9, 1996, the very day the Berlin judge threatened to release Chraidi, Berlin public prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, Berlin police inspector Uwe Wilhelms and a Mr. Winterstein of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) met Musbah Eter in the Mediterranean island state of Malta.

Detlev Mehlis - of course the dodgy German prosecutor who investigated the Hariri murder - which remains unsolved but was the work of Mossad.

The last disco bombing gave Ronnie the chance to bomb our new found ally, Colonel Gadaffi in Libya.... will there be an Iranian / Syrian / Lebanese / Hizbollah / Hamas sub plot suficient to justify taking out Teheran this time round ?

RETURN SOON FOR THE NEXT GRIPPING EPISODE OF THIS FASCINATING YARN OF DERRING DO AMONGST THE TERRISTS

Meteorological Office appoint CEO with no experience of weather forecasting - service should improve

The Met Office have just announced that an outsider, and not a career meteorologist - John Hirst, has been appointed as the new Chief Executive. John was CEO of Premier Farnell from 1998-2005, and previously with ICI where he was CEO of the global Speciality Chemical Division during a period of high revenue growth, and undertook a series of successful acquisition and merger negotiations.

Sir Ian Andrews Second Permanent Under Secretary for Defence said “The Met Office under Mark Hutchinson’s leadership has seen exceptional success - "....importantly delivering outstanding forecast advice ahead of the recent flooding. "

Which considering the UK Met office issued their weather forecast for Summer 2007 on April 11th. which said ......

Precipitation

"Prospects for rainfall are uncertain. However, there are currently no indications of an increased risk of either a particularly dry or a particularly wet summer."

This forecast was "derived using global forecasting models and statistical methods." ... which doesn't seem like " outstanding forecast advice " in fact in this neck of the woods it is called piss poor. Apparently in June and July , large parts of the country experienced rainfall in excess of 4 times the average for the month - and the worst flooding since records began in the 18th Century.

MOD announce ordering 130 MWMIK air cooled 6 x 6 Supercats at £250,000 each for Afghanistan next year - AGAIN


Ministry Of Defence has announced again today that they have signed a £30 million contract with Plymouth-based DML Ltd, now owned by Babcock International Group plc for the supply of 130 badly needed MWMIK vehicles (Mobility Weapon Mounted Installation Kit) . (That's 1/4 Mn a throw)

These can carry 4 soldiers on an unprotected platform based on a 6x6 wheel drive design from Supacat Ltd from Honiton in Devon, with a claimed top speed of 80 mph. Universal Engineering Ltd will manufacture the chassis, Cummings the engine, and Allison the transmission.

The vehicle will be fitted with a range of firepower, including a .50 calibre machine gun , automatic grenade launchers and a general purpose machine gun.

Lord Drayson, Minister of State for Defence Equipment and Support, said (again) :

"These vehicles are well armed, swift, and agile. They will boost our capability with some serious firepower. MoD and the Treasury have worked hard to get these powerful vehicles to our troops in quick time, and they will start going out to theatre early next year."

This order was announced previously on Monday 25th June and discussed by Lord Patel here on June 30th.WMIK - Patrolling Afghanistan in a convertible

Perhaps announcing orders more than once might give the impression that they are ordering more essential kit ?

Metronet - CMT - Tube safety, PPP disaster and emergency services .. questions after Mile End still to be answered

Shortly after 09:00 hrs on 5th July 2007 a westbound Central Line train in the tunnel between Mile End and Bethnal Green hit a tarpaulin on the line. Five axles of the train derailed.

Over eight hundred passengers were evacuated from the train in the accident and the one following, (in temperatures up to 100 F). A small number of minor injuries and one more serious injuries resulted not from the accident but during the evacuation of the passengers along the tunnel - which took over two hours. Eleven peope attended hospital. The train, track and signalling equipment all suffered damage. See Daily Mail report

Brian Cooke, chairman of London TravelWatch, wrote to Metronet CEO Andrew Lezala accusing him of being in charge of "continued incompetence and failures" that could lead to "further safety-related incidents" and called for them to resign and "London would be better served by your terminating the contacts you have and allowing them to be re-let". See full text of letter here.

The maintenance and upgrading of London Underground is a responsibility of the now crisis-hit and bankrupt (from July 18th) Metronet consortium / PPP.

The RMT Union warned London Underground in October and November 2006, and in May this year that materials stored in a bolt-hole between Mile End and Bethnal Green were not secure which had resulted in several rported accidents where trains were striking obstructions on the track.

London Underground claimed they had investigated the warnings about the storage. But no safety reps were present during this. Metronet at the time offered London Underground assurances and this was accepted. The letter sent in May, Metronet promised it would "physically inspect all storage areas", saying any items too close to the tracks or not stored properly would be "removed or secured for future removal". (In January 2004 both Metronet Rail's companies, Metronet Rail BCV Ltd and Metronet Rail SSL Ltd, obtained ISO 9001:2000 certification for its Quality Management System. )

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said at the time, that it was the fourth incident in 18 months in the same area where private contractors were operating.

He said, “This union has raised concerns over the bad storage of equipment by contractors in this area and wrote to London Underground back in April demanding an investigation, yet nothing has been done.

George Galloway, Respect MP for Bethnal Green & Bow, said, “This incident should underscore to the government, the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the management of the emergency services that our transport system and fire and ambulance services require proper levels of staffing."

“There should be no more talk of running down staffing levels on the tube or of ‘reorganising’ fire services by cutting appliances—as the GLA did at Bethnal Green station, which was central to the emergency response. "

“It is also apparent that this incident is connected to the chaos wrought by the part-privatisation of the tube under Gordon Brown’s PPP scheme. "

“I join RMT general secretary Bob Crow in calling on Ken Livingstone to immediately bring the contracts to maintain and renew the tube’s infrastructure back in house.” george also raised an Early Day Motion (EDM 1862) which was signed by a total of 16 MPs and has been suspended. (presumably whilst the Rail Accident Investgation Branch investigate the accident)

"Don't say we didn't warn you" says Bob in Railnews in August (pic cick to enlarge) - Metronet's shareholders staked £350 Mn. which was dwarfed by public expenditure of £3.3 BILLION in the first 3 years (Some £7 billion is due to be spent over the first 7.5 years alone - on new trains, track, signalling and refurbished and modernised stations. ) - now the public purse is left with £2 Billion debt, racking up interest and have to fun d the administration at a cost of at least £30 Mn. a week.

Shareholders Atkins, Balfour Beatty, Bombardier, French State owned EDF Energy, and RWE Thames Water gave all the contracts to themselves, ( and were given £275 Mn. start up costs) waltzed off with £157 Mn. profits and now wait whilst someone else picks up the pieces. God knows what the lawyers who spent over £500Mn drawing up the PPP did to protect the public interest and ensure the "transfer of risk".

Well we do know - they simply ignored it.... however if you read the Transport for London notice issued about the Metronet Administration in the form of FAQ's youwill find two interesting and important details..

2. How is the Administration being funded?
Sufficient funds have been made available to enable the Administrators to ensure that Metronet continues to operate throughout the period of its administration. (Note : No mention whether it's from the Tooth Fairy or the tax-payer)

14. Does the Metronet Administration affect the arrangements for safety?
No, the Metronet Administration does not affect this. Metronet will continue to operate entirely as normal and all safety protocols and procedures will continue.

Certain individuals within Metronet are allocated specific roles as part of the safety management system. These individuals will continue to operate as normal to ensure safety standards are maintained as normal.

So, that's alright then.


Interesting FACTOID from Metronet Matters Issue 17 June 2007

London has always been difficult terrain for tunnellers,with so many buried rivers and the awkward nature of clay. It’s been made a lot more difficult by the rising water-table, caused by the closure of almost every borehole following the collapse of manufacturing. The consequences for the London Underground is that the pumps which keep the tunnels dry have to work longer and harder, and their monitoring becomes even more vital – if the pumps stopped at Victoria services on several lines could be lost.

(C) Very Seriously Disorganised Criminals 2002/3/4/5/6/7/8/9 - copy anything you wish