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Tag Archive for: ISIS
Iraq Crisis Puts US on Same Side With Assad, Iran Quds Force
June 25, 2014 /17 Comments/in Foreign Policy, War /by Jim White
As I pointed out two weeks ago, US foreign and military policy is now so muddled that the primary response to any ongoing crisis is to choose a side to arm without thought to the inevitable blowback that will come from trying to pick winners and losers in otherwise internal affairs of far-flung countries. As the meltdown of the US-trained Iraqi military accelerates, we now see a situation whose supreme irony would be hilarious if only so many lives were not senselessly caught in the crossfire. Two developments of that sort stand out today.
First is the news that Syrian aircraft have carried out a strike against ISIS targets inside Iraq. Because Iraq has been pleading with the US to carry out attacks of this sort, it appears that early reports first assumed that US drones had been involved:
Syrian government aircraft bombed Sunni militant targets inside Iraq on Tuesday, further broadening the Middle Eastern crisis a day after Israeli warplanes and rockets struck targets inside Syria.
Iraqi state media initially reported that the attacks near Iraq's western border with Syria were carried out by U.S. drones, a claim that was quickly and forcefully denied by the Pentagon.
Think about that one for a minute. Last fall, the US was agonizing over how to find and arm only those groups fighting the Assad government in Syria that are "moderate" so that we didn't arm the then fledgling ISIS group. But now, inside Iraq, state media is initially unable to distinguish an action taken by Assad from one taken by the US. That is, Assad, whom we are fighting inside Syria, is on our side inside Iraq.
The second development is a pairing of US interests with one we have been fighting for a much longer time. The New York Times brings us the latest on Iranian assistance to Iraq in its struggle against ISIS. The initial part of the report seems routine:
Iran is flying surveillance drones over Iraq from an airfield in Baghdad and is secretly supplying Iraq with tons of military equipment, supplies and other assistance, American officials said. Tehran has also deployed an intelligence unit there to intercept communications, the officials said.
The secret Iranian programs are part of a broader effort by Tehran to gather intelligence and help Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki's government in its struggle against Sunni militants with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
But when the Times drills down to detail on how the assistance is being delivered, we get into more strange times:
Gen. Qassim Suleimani, the head of Iran's paramilitary Quds Force, has visited Iraq at least twice to help Iraqi military advisers plot strategy. And Iran has deployed about a dozen other Quds Force officers to advise Iraqi commanders, and help mobilize more than 2,000 Shiite militiamen from southern Iraq, American officials said.
Wait. Iran's IGRC, and especially its Quds Force, is supposed to be still absolutely opposed to the US and even drops comments trying to disrupt the P5+1 negotiations on Iran's nuclear program now and then. And yet, here they are, sending their head to Iraq to prop up al-Maliki as well as sending "about a dozen other Quds Force officers to advise Iraqi commanders". Hmm. Advisers. That sounds familiar. Returning to the Washington Post story cited above: Read more →
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.png 0 0 Jim White https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.png Jim White2014-06-25 11:08:022014-06-25 11:08:02Iraq Crisis Puts US on Same Side With Assad, Iran Quds Force
The Petraeus Failure Legacy in Iraq Grows
June 23, 2014 /4 Comments/in War /by Jim White
There are of course many people to blame for the war crime of US invasion of Iraq, but David Petraeus' role as the falsely constructed hero of Iraq who in reality was the author of some of its most profound failures stands out. Recall the heady days of the fall of 2007 when Washington was paralyzed by the Congressional hearings on Iraq. Washington had already forgotten Petraeus' false claims of training prowess in his September, 2004 Washington Post op-ed that launched his career in a political direction and helped Bush get re-elected. Instead, Petraeus was granted a mulligan on troop training and was promoted to head US troops in Iraq to preside over the surge so that his vaunted "new" COIN strategy could be implemented. Petraeus then of course was given credit for that COIN strategy being behind the decline in violence, even though we learned from Lt. Col. Daniel Davis and others that the drop in violence was more likely due to Iraqi Sunnis turning to the US because of the excessive brutality of al Qaeda in Iraq.
Sadly, with all the Washington circus atmosphere surrounding the hearings and the Move-On Betrayus ad, a key document prepared by the GAO (pdf) was all but ignored during the hearings. There were in fact 18 benchmarks for the Iraq war effort outlined in the legislation passed in January of 2007 authorizing the surge. The opening of the document provides the most telling one sentence summary of what the US hoped to achieve at the time:
The January 2007 U.S. strategy seeks to provide the Iraqi government with the time and space needed to help Iraqi society reconcile.
Although the vaunted Petreaus COIN strategy paid lip service to winning "hearts and minds", the sad reality is that the US spent zero effort on achieving any sort of social reconciliation in Iraq. The huge Sunni-Shia schism remained intact and was even further fed by the US' hand-picked Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki. On the list of benchmarks from the legislation, unlucky number 13 held the key:
Reducing the level of sectarian violence in Iraq and eliminating militia control of local security.
Needless to say, the GAO found that particular benchmark unmet in September, 2007 and it remains unmet today as Sunni extremist ISIS troops gain territory throughout Iraq while al-Maliki's Shia forces melt away. A tremendous window opened for reconciliation when the Sunni militias abandoned al Qaeda in Iraq and joined with the US, but these groups were given no standing by al-Maliki, who even continued to send his Shia-dominated military into Sunni regions, laying groundwork for local support once ISIS came into the picture.
But it is Petraeus' failure as the leading figure behind the training of Iraq's forces that stands out today. From the New York Times:
Recent assessments by Western officials and military experts indicate that about a quarter of Iraq's military forces are "combat ineffective," its air force is minuscule, morale among troops is low and its leadership suffers from widespread corruption.
As other nations consider whether to support military action in Iraq, their decision will hinge on the quality of Iraqi forces, which have proved far more ragged than expected given years of American training.
The Washington Post piles on with more bad news:
After tens of thousands of desertions, the Iraqi military is reeling from what one U.S. official described as "psychological collapse" in the face of the offensive from militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
The desperation has reached such a level that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is relying on volunteers, who are in some cases receiving as little as a week's military training, to protect his ever-shrinking orbit of control.
"Over time, what's occurred is that the Iraqi army has no ability to defend itself," said Rick Brennan, a Rand Corp. analyst and former adviser to U.S. forces in Iraq. "If we're unable to find ways to make a meaningful difference to the Iraqi army as they fight this, I think what we're looking at is the beginning of the disintegration of the state of Iraq."
In the end, all of the years and the billions of dollars spent on "training" Iraqi forces has given a force that is "combat ineffective', "far more ragged than expected" and melts away at the first sign of resistance. But wait. Any day now, we will see that those 300 "advisers" we are sending into Iraq will magically train a new force that will get it right this time. Who knows, maybe Petraeus will be given yet another chance to lead that training. What could go wrong?
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.png 0 0 Jim White https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.png Jim White2014-06-23 10:19:162014-06-23 10:19:16The Petraeus Failure Legacy in Iraq Grows
Dick Cheney's Interests: Not Ours
June 19, 2014 /12 Comments/in Climate Change /by emptywheel
In Salon today, I've joined the chorus of people objecting to PapaDick Cheney and his spawn Liz BabyDick's op-ed claiming of Obama that, "Rarely has a U.S. president been so wrong about so much at the expense of so many."
In addition to reviewing some of the so wrong things Cheney said 12 years ago to get us into Iraq, I look closely at two things few others have, both suggesting certain things about whose interests Cheney claims to represent.
First, while claiming to speak for America's interests in Iraq, he actually cites the leaders of Middle Eastern countries.
Clearly, his temper tantrum serves, in part, to distract from his own culpability.
But note who else's views Cheney cites? He claims he heard "a constant refrain in capitals from the Persian Gulf to Israel," complaining about Obama's actions. He describes a senior official in an Arab capital laying out ISIS' aspirations on a map. He portrays those same figures in the Middle East demanding, "Why is he abandoning your friends?" "Why is he doing deals with your enemies?"
And he does so even while he mocks the notion of actually doing something about climate change, a threat that (in the form of extreme weather events) more immediately threatens Americans today.
Even while Cheney parrots the interests of Middle Eastern leaders and conflates their interests with America's, he scoffs at Obama's (belated) efforts to address a far more immediate risk for America, climate change. "Iraq is at risk of falling to a radical Islamic terror group and Mr. Obama is talking climate change," Cheney complains.
ISIS may be overrunning Iraqi cities, but extreme weather events are endangering cities in the United States and across the world. Much of the American West is struggling with extreme drought. Cheney, however, would have the president ignore this threat and instead prioritize the concerns he heard from his friends in the Middle East.
ISIS' actions in Iraq are troubling — though it's not clear that the US can do anything to fix it, certainly not now.
But the US has real problems here at home that threaten American lives and well-being. We really need to spend time working on our own governance before we decide to re-govern another country on the other side of the world.
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.png 0 0 emptywheel https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.png emptywheel2014-06-19 08:30:072014-06-19 08:30:07Dick Cheney's Interests: Not Ours
Albright Drops Pretense of Neutrality, Goes All In With MEK Terrorists
May 29, 2014 /3 Comments/in emptywheel /by Jim White
I have long criticized David Albright for his behavior in helping those who have tried to fan the flames over the years for a war with Iran. His role usually consists of providing technical "analysis" that somehow always works to support the latest allegations from sources (most often identified as diplomats) who selectively feed information to either AP reporter George Jahn or Reuters reporter Fredrik Dahl. As the P5+1 group of countries and Iran have moved closer and closer to achieving a final deal on Iran's nuclear program, the Iran war hawks are growing more and more desperate. That desperation this week has resulted in David Albright dropping all pretense of being a neutral technical analyst and joining forces with the terrorist group MEK in slinging new, unsubstantiated allegations about Iran's nuclear program.
On Tuesday, Albright published a strange document (pdf) on Iran's nuclear program at his Institute for Science and International Security website. Also on Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal published an editorial that included a quote from Albright.
The reason I say that Albright's document at the ISIS website is strange is that the document is simply titled "Spin, Spin, Spin" and, after the author list (Andrea Stricker joins him in the byline), the document puts a very strange quotation right after the dateline:
"The bigger the lie…"
The "Spin, Spin, Spin" title could be excused as a clever pun if the article's topic were the centrifuges that Iran uses for enrichment of uranium. Instead, the topic is exploding bridge wire detonators. The title is a complete dismissal of everything that Iran has to say about the detonators, ascribing it to spin rather than fact. But then Albright and Stricker move beyond the mere spin accusation all the way to accusing Iran of lying–before they lay out a single bit evidence to support their allegation.
The document opens by attacking press coverage of Iran beginning to discuss EBW's with the IAEA:
Media reporting immediately following the release of the IAEA's safeguards report focused on Iran's willingness to discuss the exploding bridge wire (EBW) detonators. That is certainly good news, but did Iran resolve the IAEA's concern? The answer has to be no or probably not. This fact was only lightly covered in the media over the weekend. Some misinterpreted Iran's willingness to discuss the issue with making progress on it. One group at least even went so far as to declare that Iran had "halted nuclear activities in the areas of greatest proliferation concern and rolled back its program in other key areas." But if Iran continues to work on aspects of nuclear weapons, as the IAEA worries, then it is necessary to reserve judgment on that question.
After a while, the document moves on to the accusation that Iran is lying:
So, while it is significant that Iran has been willing to talk about this issue for the first time since 2008 when it unilaterally ended cooperation over the matter, the key consideration is whether Iran is actually addressing the IAEA's concerns. More plainly, is it telling the truth? The EBW issue must be taken in the context of the large amount of evidence collected by Western intelligence agencies and the IAEA over many years, detailed in the annex to the November 2011 safeguards report, indicating EBWs were part of a nuclear weapon design effort and military nuclear program. From that perspective, Iran has not answered this issue adequately and appears to have simply elevated the level of its effort to dissemble.
Ah, so Albright is basing the accusation of lying on the "evidence…detailed in the annex to the November 2011 safeguards report". Okay then. Never mind that the annex, based almost exclusively on the "laptop of death" has been pretty thoroughly debunked and seems likely to be a product of forgery. About seven and a half years ago, some dirty hippie figured out that the most likely source of this forgery was the MEK. One can only wonder how Albright has gone from being enough of a scientist to seeing the holes in the forgery to even be quoted by Gareth Porter in a 2010 debunking of the data to now throwing his entire weight (while apparently deciding to throw away his entire reputation) behind the allegations.
The full extent of Albright's loss of intellectual honesty becomes clear when we look at the Wall Street Journal editorial. At least the Journal is open about its latest round of accusations coming directly from the MEK: Read more →
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.png 0 0 Jim White https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.png Jim White2014-05-29 10:37:042014-05-29 10:37:04Albright Drops Pretense of Neutrality, Goes All In With MEK Terrorists
Latest Parchin Accusation: Centrifuges!
April 21, 2014 /2 Comments/in Foreign Policy /by Jim White
At long last, a conspiracy theory on Iran's Parchin site has surfaced that is too crazy to have come from David Albright and his merry band at the Institute for Science and International Security. Recall that Iran has played the ISIS folks expertly on Parchin, giving them a series of interesting things to look at in satellite images of the site. Iran's manipulations hit their high point when they covered a number of buildings in pink tarp, provoking an especially cute level of concern over just what those tarps might be hiding.
The folks at Debka.com, though, have put themselves firmly into the position of world leaders when it comes to Parchin conspiracy theories. You remember the Debka folks, they are the ones who initially claimed that Israel's Iron Dome had successfully shot down two incoming missiles when it turns out that the explosions that were heard were actually just Iron Dome misfiring in the absence of any incoming fire earlier this month.
Here is Debka's glorious new theory, which follows on their recounting of the recent news that Iran has actually moved faster than the initial schedule in the interim agreement with the P5+1 powers on removing its stock of 20% enriched uranium and that they will redesign the Arak reactor to produce less plutonium:
But only on the face of it: This scenario ignore Tehran's duplicity and conveniently passes over the sudden spurt in Iran's production of low, 5-percent grade enriched uranium and the covert smuggling of the surfeit to the Parchin military facility of near Tehran for its secret upgrade to 20 percent, a level which can be rapidly enriched to weapons grade.
So with one hand, Tehran has reduced its low-grade enriched uranium stocks, but with the other, has smuggled a sizable quantity of those stocks for further enrichment to a facility barred to nuclear watchdog inspectors.
DEBKAfile's intelligence sources reveal that 1,300 kilos of low-grade material has been transferred to Parchin and 1,630 advanced centrifuges have been installed there for rapid upgrade work.
Okay, then. Even though every single report from the IAEA has shown that every bit of uranium enriched by Iran has been accounted for and that none has been diverted (see this article from 2012 fear-mongering that grudgingly admits no diversion of material), Debka now wants us to believe that since Iran is removing its stock of 20% enriched uranium, it is doing so as a way to hide their diversion of over a ton of uranium that has been enriched to 5%. Oh, and at the same time, they have secretly installed 1630 centrifuges at Parchin.
But then the Debka conspiracy really starts to fall apart. It appears that they are only claiming that Iran will use these 1600 secret centrifuges to enrich the 5% uranium to 20%, rather than taking it to weapons grade of more than 90%. If we use the standard figures of approximately 25 kg of weapons grade uranium for one bomb and the numbers in this article (where one ton of natural uranium feed leads to up to 130 kg of 5% uranium and then 5.6 kg of weapons grade material), then 1300 kg of 5% uranium could be enough for two bombs.
It's a good thing Debka is only claiming that conversion from 5% to 20% enrichment would be carried out with these secret centrifuges at Parchin, because getting to weapons grade with so few centrifuges in any sort of reasonable time frame is problematic. If we consult this document from Albright's group, Figure 1A (on page 5 of the pdf), we see graphs for the amount of time needed to get to 25 kg of weapons grade uranium under scenarios of various numbers of centrifuges and various amounts of 20% enriched uranium. With Debka's new conspiracy, if they were positing breakout to weapons grade, then we need to start at zero 20% uranium available and look between the 1000 and 2000 centrifuge scenarios. For 1000 centrifuges, ISIS calculates just over 24 months to produce one bomb's worth of material, while for 2000 centrifuges, that time drops to 14 months. Interpolating for 1600 centrifuges would give us about 20 months of secret work with these 1600 secret centrifuges using 1300 kg of material secretly hidden from a previously perfect mass balance of Iran's enrichment work.
Iran has already responded to this wild claim by Debka: Read more →
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.png 0 0 Jim White https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.png Jim White2014-04-21 11:13:392014-04-21 11:13:39Latest Parchin Accusation: Centrifuges!
Not Content With Stoking Iran Tensions Through "Analysis", Albright Tries His Hand at Legislation
January 17, 2014 /7 Comments/in Foreign Policy, War /by Jim White
It's no secret that I am hardly a fan of David Albright and his Institute for Science and International Security. He often has been the "go to" authority when countries hostile to Iran have chosen to leak selectively groomed information to put Iran in the harshest possible light. The countries leak the information to a select few journalists and then Albright is called in to provide his "analysis" of how evil Iran is and how determined they are to produce nuclear weapons.
I also have been hammering hard on Robert Menendez's Senate bill that calls for increased sanctions on Iran. As Ali Gharib noted immediately, the bill spells out conditions for the final agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries that we know Iran will never agree to, so the bill guarantees that the new sanctions will eventually kick in, even if a final agreement is reached.
The New York Times is finally catching up to the points Gharib made almost exactly a month ago:
But where the legislation may have an effect, and why it so worries the White House, is that it lays down the contours of an acceptable final nuclear deal. Since administration officials insist that many of those conditions are unrealistic, it basically sets Mr. Obama up for failure.
/snip/
White House officials zeroed in on three of the conditions: first, that any deal would dismantle Iran's "illicit nuclear infrastructure"; second, that Iran "has not directly, or through a proxy, supported, financed, planned or otherwise carried out an act of terrorism against the United States"; and third, that Iran has not tested any but the shortest-range ballistic missiles.
"They're basically arguing for a zero enrichment capacity, with a complete dismantling of Iran's nuclear facilities," said Daryl G. Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association. "That's not attainable, and it's not necessary to prevent Iran from getting a weapon."
I was not at all prepared, though, for what the Times learned about how this abhorrent piece of legislation was crafted:
Proponents of the bill deny it would deprive Iran of the right to modest enrichment. They point to the qualifier "illicit" in the reference to nuclear facilities that must be dismantled, and they say the language on enrichment is intentionally vague to mollify both Republicans, who are reluctant to grant Iran the right to operate even a single centrifuge, and Democrats, who balked at signing on to a bill that would rule out all enrichment.
"There's no language that says a centrifuge is prohibited or allowed," said David Albright, an expert on Iran's nuclear program at the Institute for Science and International Security, who helped Republicans and Democrats draft some of the technical wording.
The ambiguity, he said, reflected the fact that the lawmakers who sponsored the bill are "doing it in a bipartisan way, but they have disagreements on what the end state should look like."
To craft one of the most important bills in US foreign policy in over a decade, Menendez and his cronies turned to an "analyst" who has a long history of producing precisely the analysis that war hawks want. And he even has the gall to brag about how the weasel words that he crafted have different meanings depending on who is reading the bill.
I really have to just stop right here and let commenters fill in the rest for me. My health and sanity won't let me think any further on the ramifications of David Albright writing legislation on US foreign policy toward Iran.
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.png 0 0 Jim White https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.png Jim White2014-01-17 08:57:222014-01-17 08:57:22Not Content With Stoking Iran Tensions Through "Analysis", Albright Tries His Hand at Legislation
P5+1 Meeting: Remarkable Change in Tone From Diplomats and Press
October 17, 2013 /1 Comment/in Foreign Policy /by Jim White
Laura Rozen chose a particularly appropriate title for her post yesterday on the P5+1 meeting just concluded in Geneva: "US and Iran Speak 'Same Language' in Nuclear Talks". Not only were the negotiations carried out in English for the first time, but all sides report that a new tone was present and that the pathway to substantial progress has been laid out:
Western and Iranian diplomats hailed a new pace, candor and mutual will to try to forge a process to resolve international concerns about Iran's nuclear program, but acknowledged they were at the beginning of a still complex and difficult negotiation whose success is not guaranteed.
"I have never had such intense, detailed, straight-forward, candid conversations with the Iran delegation before," the American official said. "The discussions took place in English…the pace of discussions was much better. It creates the ability to have a back and forth."
"Both sides are serious, both sides want to find common ground," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, speaking in English, told journalists at a press conference at the conclusion of talks here. "Iran is interested in resolving this issue."
A very important statement from Zarif at the press conference was picked up by CNN:
"We will be doing the negotiation in the negotiating room and not in the press," Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif told reporters after the talks concluded.
The decision to keep details of the negotiations secret (which is apparently endorsed by all sides in the negotiations since few details beyond Iran being willing to submit to the IAEA's Additional Protocol have emerged) is significant not just for the room it provides negotiators. Keeping the details secret also makes the path much harder for those on the outside who prefer a violent regime change in Iran rather than a negotiated path to peace.
I have remarked in many of my posts on the Iranian nuclear technology issue that "diplomats" in Vienna have a long history of leaking what they claim to be incriminating evidence against Iran to reporters there, primarily George Jahn of AP (look at the pretty cartoon!) and sometimes Fredrik Dahl of Reuters. Joby Warrick at the Washington Post often chimes in with information leaked from his sources who also seem to prefer a violent path. The intelligence is often embellished by David Albright and his Institute for Science and International Security. While there have been improvements lately by Jahn and Dahl in questioning the material leaked to them and providing alternative information available from other sources, much damage has been done to the diplomatic pathway by this process.
Remarkably, there is little to no pushback so far from this group to the progress made in Geneva. A story co-authored by Jahn late yesterday afternoon fits with most of the reporting on the meeting and his single quote from an unnamed source is innocuous:
A senior U.S. official said that while the six powers "got more today than we've ever gotten, there's a whole lot more that we need to get and probably more that Iran wants to get from us. … There's a lot of detail that needs to be unpacked." The official demanded anonymity as a condition for attendance at a background briefing.
Dahl also has no disruptive quotes in the several Reuters stories to which he contributed. Completing their shutout from the trio of their usual helpers, the hawks planted no inflammatory language in Joby Warrick's story in today's Washington Post. The David Albright pathway to propaganda also hasn't been activated, as the most recent post on his site at the time of this writing was dated October 3.
The dogs that aren't barking now are the most encouraging sign of all that there is widespread optimism that diplomacy has a real chance of succeeding.
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.png 0 0 Jim White https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.png Jim White2013-10-17 10:16:002013-10-17 10:16:48P5+1 Meeting: Remarkable Change in Tone From Diplomats and Press
MEK Makes Desperate New Iran Nuclear Accusation, Reuters Yawns
October 10, 2013 /5 Comments/in Foreign Policy, War /by Jim White
With the world anticipating real progress at the next round of P5+1 talks set to start next week in Geneva, the MEK is getting desperate. Because they appear to only want a violent regime change in Iran, talk of actual diplomacy is their worst nightmare. Today, Reuters reports on the latest wild accusation tossed out by the MEK using the "umbrella" organization of the National Council of Resistance of Iran:
An exiled Iranian opposition group said on Thursday it had information about what it said was a center for nuclear weaponisation research in Tehran that the government was moving to avoid detection ahead of negotiations with world powers.
Reuters clearly was unmoved by the accusation, as they immediately pointed out that NCRI is biased and politically motivated. However, even in pointing out the bias of NCRI, Reuters perpetuates a myth that has been disproven:
The dissident National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) exposed Iran's uranium enrichment facility at Natanz and a heavy water facility at Arak in 2002. But analysts say it has a chequered track record and a clear political agenda.
Uhm, yes. Having your major group spend decades on the list of terrorist organizations (before eventually buying their way off the list and registering as a lobbying group) would indeed qualify as "a chequered track record". But Reuters insists on repeating the falsehood that the NCRI and MEK were responsible for exposing the underground enrichment site at Natanz. That myth has been thoroughly debunked by Jeffrey Lewis:
The debate about whether Iran has constructed a clandestine centrifuge program drives me nuts.
You mean other than the one we already found?
And by we, I mean the United States—or at least its intelligence community. As I understand the sequence of events, the United States—knowing full well that Iran had a clandestine centrifuge program—watched Iran dig two MASSIVE HOLES near Natanz (see the big picture), then ratted the Iranians out to the IAEA. About the same time, someone leaked that information to an Iranian dissident group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which then released the second-hand dope in a press conference where they got the details wrong.
Lewis goes on to cite multiple independent sources to confirm that the intelligence community, not the NCRI, was responsible for discovering the Natanz facility. [It is also instructive to note the role ISIS played in the charade of promoting NCRI responsibility.]
Aside from that major error on attribution of the discovery of Natanz, Reuters was so unmoved by the newest ploy from NCRI that they didn't even rewrite today's article very much from the last wild NCRI accusation in July (the link here is to CBC carrying the Reuters story):
But analysts say it has a mixed track record and a clear political agenda.
But in that July story, Reuters went further in linking that accusation to a desire to derail diplomacy:
The latest allegation comes less than a month after the election of a relative moderate, Hassan Rouhani, as Iran's new president raised hopes for a resolution of the nuclear dispute with the West, and might be timed to discredit such optimism.
Yes, the MEK clearly sees diplomacy as the real enemy. That article also rehashed the abject failure of an accusation NCRI and MEK made in 2010:
In 2010, when the group said it had evidence of another new nuclear facility, west of the capital Tehran, U.S. officials said they had known about the site for years and had no reason to believe it was nuclear.
It would appear that NCRI and MEK need to step up their acts. They have reached a level of incompetence that is barely worthy of rewriting the standard dismissal that Reuters keeps on file.
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.png 0 0 Jim White https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.png Jim White2013-10-10 09:10:012013-10-10 09:10:01MEK Makes Desperate New Iran Nuclear Accusation, Reuters Yawns
Syrian Moderate Coalition Fractures — Is al Nusra the Next MEK?
September 26, 2013 /13 Comments/in Terrorism, War /by Jim White
The US grand strategy of arming moderate groups within Syria's opposition in the ongoing civil war (remember, we only arm folks so moderate that they eat enemies' hearts) took a huge blow yesterday, as several groups previously aligned with the moderates threw their support into a group including the Islamist group Jabhat al Nusra, which has affiliations with al Qaeda. With the moderate coalition in disarray, it occurred to me to wonder whether al Nusra will now undergo a reputation-scrubbing and a lobbying campaign similar to that applied to MEK, which has been removed from the official list of terrorist organizations and continues to support US politicians who are willing to sell their services to any group with enough funding. There is hope for the future, though, as a UN treaty that would take significant steps toward stemming the flow of conventional weapons is gathering steam and has now been signed by more than half of the members of the UN.
The Washington Post brings us the news of the fractured moderate coalition:
American hopes of winning more influence over Syria's fractious rebel movement faded Wednesday after 11 of the biggest armed factions repudiated the Western-backed opposition coalition and announced the formation of a new alliance dedicated to creating an Islamic state.
The al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra, designated a terrorist organization by the United States, is the lead signatory of the new group, which will further complicate fledgling U.S. efforts to provide lethal aid to "moderate" rebels fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The defecting groups are blaming the US for failing to come through with promised arms and for not bombing Assad after the August 21 chemical weapons attack:
Abu Hassan, a spokesman for the Tawheed Brigade in Aleppo, echoed those sentiments, citing rebel disappointment with the Obama administration's failure to go ahead with threatened airstrikes to punish Assad for using chemical weapons in the suburbs of Damascus last month, as well as its decision to strike a deal with Russia over ways to negotiate a solution.
"Jabhat al-Nusra is a Syrian military formation that fought the regime and played an active role in liberating many locations," he said. "So we don't care about the stand of those who don't care about our interests."
Toward the end of the New York Times story on this development, we see the al Nusra group being described as less radical than the new kid on the block, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS): Read more →
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.png 0 0 Jim White https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.png Jim White2013-09-26 09:06:162013-09-26 09:06:16Syrian Moderate Coalition Fractures — Is al Nusra the Next MEK?
Amid Reports of Near Agreement and IAEA, Iran Followup Meeting, Jahn Eats Crow
December 14, 2012 /1 Comment/in Intelligence, War /by Jim White
Despite the best efforts of those who want a military attack on Iran to paint Iran as hiding attempts to develop a nuclear weapon, cooler heads appear to be prevailing as yesterday's talks in Tehran produced reports of a likely agreement and a follow-up meeting between the IAEA and Iran in only a month. One of the most important signs of progress is that the AP's George Jahn, who has served as a conduit for many of the most flimsy charges against Iran even gave space at the end of his report today to provide an alternate viewpoint that calls most of his reporting for the past year into significant question.
From Reuters, Fred Dahl (who at times has dabbled in the same rumor-mongering as Jahn, but not as blatantly) reports on the progress made yesterday:
The U.N. atomic agency failed to gain access to a military site in talks with Iran this week but expects to reach a deal in January to resume a stalled nuclear probe, the chief U.N. inspector said after returning from Tehran on Friday.
Even though the International Atomic Energy Agency was not allowed to see the Parchin complex during Thursday's visit to the Iranian capital, IAEA team leader Herman Nackaerts said progress had been made in the meeting.
"We expect to finalize the structured approach and start implementing it then shortly after that," he said, referring to a framework agreement that would enable the IAEA to restart its investigation into suspected atomic bomb research in Iran.
"We had good meetings," Nackaerts added. "We were able to make progress."
It is not just the IAEA who characterized the meeting as productive. From PressTV, we also get positive news from the Iranian side of the meeting:
Earlier, Iran's Ambassador to the IAEA Ali-Asghar Soltanieh told Press TV that Tehran and the UN nuclear body agreed at the end of the one-day meeting to hold a next round of talks in January.
"This round of talks was constructive and good progress was made," Soltanieh added.
Adding to the possible momentum generated yesterday, both the Reuters article linked above and this Fars News piece from Iran report that a new round of the P5+1 talks also could be taking place soon.
But perhaps the most encouraging news of all comes from what appears in today's report from the AP's George Jahn, who has been at the center of controversy many times during the last year because of the way he publishes "leaked" material coming from countries that favor military action in Iran and who want to disrupt diplomatic negotiations. In today's story, he does recite some of his litany of charges against Iran and the claims that work at the Parchin military site may have been carried out to develop an explosive trigger device for a nuclear weapon. He also relates that David Albright emailed to AP a "series of commercial satellite photographs of the Parchin site" detailing activities at the site that Albright and Jahn have been hyping as aimed at "cleansing" the site of radioactive signatures of the trigger development work. Presumably, Albright had to email the photos to Jahn because Jahn is not able to find them on Albright's website where he posted them along with a "they're still at it" type of "analysis" earlier this week.
However, after giving space for more information from Albright, Jahn makes the remarkable move of providing an alternate viewpoint from an authoritative source [emphais added]:
But a former IAEA inspector questioned what the information shown on the satellite photos actually mean.
"This 'sanitization story' is an old wives' tale," said Robert Kelley, in an email Friday to the AP. "It is clear from examination of the satellite images that there is no concerted effort to disguise possible uranium contamination outside the building."
Kelley said the activities at Parchin reflected "a construction project, not a demolition effort," adding: "This is clearly not a sanitization."
Seeing his last year of work on behalf of war mongers dismissed as "an old wives' tale" and then including it in his report had to hurt Jahn. He is due a bit of respect for reporting it, even if he did hide it at the very end of his report.
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.png 0 0 Jim White https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.png Jim White2012-12-14 09:13:242012-12-14 09:22:51Amid Reports of Near Agreement and IAEA, Iran Followup Meeting, Jahn Eats Crow
Stewie's Assault Rifle: Comings and Goings in the Sedition Militia
BREAKING (WaPo's Stenography): Prosecutors Are Asking about Rudy Giuliani's Ties to Militias
Breathing Room: What Are You Streaming?
Leoghann on The Disappearing Willard Hotel and the Accused Seditionists' Other Interlocutors
greenbird on The Disappearing Willard Hotel and the Accused Seditionists' Other Interlocutors
bmaz@bmazRT @RubenGallego: Fire Kliff hire Eric3 hours ago18 January 2022
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Jim White@JimWhiteGNVRT @MavrocksGirl: #PEACE #MLKDay #JAMESGARNER pic.twitter.com/Zix0B0Dj7n5 hours ago18 January 2022
Jim White@JimWhiteGNVSitting here wondering if I still have the number for Mrs. @bmaz. I'm thinking if I text her to turn off the TV now… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…5 hours ago18 January 2022
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A few days ago we brought you Carolyn 's "spoiler free" live report from Wondercon! This time we have all the goodies for those not bothered by spoilers! Join use for a shot by shot description with commentary and some crazy theories from Wendy. We will also discuss some of the other news coming from the Wonder Con 2019 DC Universe panel.
So if you are looking for spoilers and general geeking out. You have come to the right place!
*Note that if you are disappointed we did not cover Blue Devil this week hold tight. Our super special deep dive into the history of Dan Cassidy will be available next week.


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Trespaderne – gmina w Hiszpanii, w prowincji Burgos, w Kastylii i León, o powierzchni 36,81 km². W 2011 roku gmina liczyła 1025 mieszkańców.

Przypisy

Gminy w Kastylii i León

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: clonezila reads bad sectors but I don't have any I am trying to clone my hard disk windows XP home edition , using clonezila live booting from USB.
I also checked the option * rescue , but still stops at 6.38% and after a short time clonezila crashes:

"can't read bad sectors.. , lost data".

I have checked my HDD  with a lot of software and windows chkdsk and other programs and I don't have any bad sectors.
Is there any solution or other parameter that I can use?
Is it possible that antivirus or other program locks my HDD and doesn't let me clone?

A: No, your antivirus or other programs aren't capable of doing anything if you boot from Clonezilla Live.
A complete chkdsk usually takes hours and it will only repair if you use the /R parameter. Did you do that? All those disk checkers are only worth it, if they are bootable or if you start them from a live CD. Out of windows they will never check the whole HDD and your bad sector might be somewhere where they cannot check.
It looks like your HDD simply is damaged (for real).
To force it to work you may use -icrc (ignore crc checking) parameter in Clonezilla, but I am not sure if that is a helpful option if he can't read the sector at all.
After crash you can only cancel and not continue?
This might also be helpful:
https://sourceforge.net/p/clonezilla/discussion/Help/thread/f8bc9fda/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Use this video to introduce (or re-introduce!) the Centre for Public Dialogue to your congregation. The video features staff and members of our support committee reading Psalm 33:1-5 and 20-22, as well as highlights from the past year.
This post links to a CRC News story about changes that were made in federal government of Canada thanks, in part, to the advocacy efforts of Canadian Christians.
The communal Advent practices of remembering, celebrating, mourning, and anticipating prompt me to consider how those themes have showed up over the last year in the work of racial justice and equity in Canada.
The Auditor General reports that 24% of Indigenous students graduate high school, as opposed to the national average of 90%. See how the Christian Reformed Centre for Public Dialogue is responding.
On November 2, 2018, faith groups across Canada -- including the Christian Reformed Church in North America -- united their voices in an appeal to the people of Myanmar to "seek justice and reconciliation."
In 2019, a brand new Youth Justice Initiative will be launched! Teens from across Canada will be encouraged to work with the deacons in their church as they identify an injustice in their community.
Apparently both this year and last, my niece has been teased by her classmates because of her beautiful skin tone.
The CRCNA wants to support the ecumenical ministry of Canadian congregations by offering small grants to be used for events, gatherings, community services and worship opportunities that bring together churches from a variety of backgrounds.
Do you quilt? Does your congregation have a quilting group? If so, we have a project that we'd love for you to take part in.
Recently, the Canadian Council of Churches (CCC) adopted a Principles of Peace document that you might find useful. The CCC is an ecumenical body that represents 25 denominations of Anglican, Evangelical, Free Church, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox, Protestant, and Catholic traditions, including the Christian Reformed Church in North America. Together the CCC represents more than 85% of the Christians in Canada.
What Have We Said as the CRC About Justice and Reconciliation With Indigenous Peoples?
We've made commitments throughout the years as a denomination to turn away from the sins of colonization and dehumanization and towards a better way of walking together, in respect of our treaties and Indigenous rights.
Looking for a way to celebrate the CRC's All Nation's Heritage Week? Why not sign up to be a host site for the 2nd Annual Racial Justice Film Week? We have suggested movies and a film kit for each one.
In 2016, Synod repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery and the concept of 'terra nullius' as heresies. What does this mean, why does it matter, and how can we live into this commitment to seek reconciled relationships built on respect between Indigenous peoples and other inhabitants of "Turtle Island"?
DMC's e-Quip blog features news, stories and events related to transformational ministries. For monthly compilations of our blog posts and other news updates, subscribe to our e-Quip newsletter!
Did you know that Classis Alberta North has a website and Facebook page? We also have a newsletter! Check out the latest edition (May 2018) for updates on things happening out west.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an annual ecumenical celebration. Here are a few tips to help you commemorate this occasion as an individual or with your congregation!
Here is the latest information from the Canadian Council of Christian Charities regarding the government's summer jobs program and possible litigation.
The U.S. and Canada have an interesting relationship. In my opinion, it often mimics a sibling rivalry.
This year, Aboriginal Ministry Sunday is on June 17th. This year we're celebrating 40 years of ministry at the CRC's Indigenous Christian Fellowship in Regina. Celebrate with us! We've provided a litany and bulletin insert or cover for your church's use.
This year, Aboriginal Ministry Sunday is on June 17th. This year we're celebrating 40 years of ministry at the CRC's Indigenous Christian Fellowship in Regina. Celebrate with us!
Canada 150: How Are You Celebrating?
"Canada 150" What's in a Number?


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Todays Though > News > Aaron Judge hits home run No. 60, one away from tying Roger Maris' American League record – Boston Herald
Aaron Judge hits home run No. 60, one away from tying Roger Maris' American League record – Boston Herald
posted on Sep. 21, 2022 at 5:19 am
He's one away.
Aaron Judge led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a 430-foot shot to left-center field for his 60th home run of the season. Judge tied Babe Ruth's 1927 record as the Yankees came back against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 9-8 walk-off victory at Yankee Stadium.
Judge is one shy of the American League record set by Roger Maris in 1961, with Maris' family in attendance at the Stadium to see him challenge his record.
With the shot off of Pirates' right-hander Will Crowe, Judge became just the sixth player in Major League history (ninth time) to hit at least 60 home runs in a single season, tying Babe Ruth's long-standing record of 60.
Only Maris, Barry Bonds (73 in 2001), Mark McGwire (70 in 1998 and 65 in 1999) and Sammy Sosa (64 in 2001 and 63 in 1999) have hit more home runs in a single season.
Judge has 14 games left in the season. The next five games are at home, giving Judge a chance to tie and break the home run record in Yankee Stadium. Eight of the last 14 games will be played in the Bronx.
After Tuesday night's game, Judge is slashing .316/ .393/ .585. He leads the majors with 60 homers and 128 RBI. The slugger is also in the conversation for the Triple Crown award. His .316 batting average leads the American League, which would award the All-Star the Triple Crown award if the season ended today. Minnesota Twins infielder Luis Arraez is second in the American League batting average standings, hitting .314.
Margaret Rood September 21, 2022
Border crisis hits the blue states
Chicago White Sox fall 5 games back in the AL Central after losing 10-7 in 11 innings to the Cleveland Guardians – Boston Herald

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


What are you on track to achieve by end of year?
What needs to change for you to crush your targets?
October sets the tone for Q4.
Crush October… and you'll crush Q4.
 What OBJECTIVES do I need to meet?
 What ACTIVITIES do I need to execute?


text:
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Tags Kaun banega crorepati
Tag: kaun banega crorepati
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Huntsman to Present at Upcoming Conferences
Download as PDF February 27, 2012 6:36pm EST
THE WOODLANDS, Texas, Feb. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Huntsman Corporation (NYSE: HUN) today announced that a member of management will present at the following conferences:
J.P. Morgan Global High Yield & Leveraged Finance Conference, February 28, 2012
Alembic Global Advisors Chemical Conference, March 1 and 2, 2012
Materials for each presentation will be available on the investor relations section of the company's website, www.huntsman.com.
Huntsman is a global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated chemicals. Our operating companies manufacture products for a variety of global industries, including chemicals, plastics, automotive, aviation, textiles, footwear, paints and coatings, construction, technology, agriculture, health care, detergent, personal care, furniture, appliances and packaging. Originally known for pioneering innovations in packaging and, later, for rapid and integrated growth in petrochemicals, Huntsman has approximately 12,000 employees and operates from multiple locations worldwide. The Company had 2011 revenues of over $11 billion. For more information about Huntsman, please visit the company's website at www.huntsman.com.
Statements in this release that are not historical are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management's current beliefs and expectations. The forward-looking statements in this release are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances and involve risks and uncertainties that may affect the company's operations, markets, products, services, prices and other factors as discussed in the Huntsman companies' filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Significant risks and uncertainties may relate to, but are not limited to, financial, economic, competitive, environmental, political, legal, regulatory and technological factors. The company assumes no obligation to provide revisions to any forward-looking statements should circumstances change, except as otherwise required by applicable laws.


Not only Göttingen itself is fortunate in its abundance of fine performance locations that provide an entrancing framework for the Göttingen International Handel Festival: for the 2019 season, we have again chosen magical venues in the surrounding area, too, locations that will give our concerts a very remarkable ambience. In the guided tours integrated into our programme, you can immerse yourself in the rich history of the region and learn much of interest about the historical venues, among them monasteries, castles and estates dating from past centuries – each and every one of them is worth a visit.
Here you can find directions to the Festival venues and information on public transport. We wish you an enjoyable visit to the Göttingen International Handel Festival!


David tells Saul (an any other person) not to fear, for he has the experience to be able to destroy Goliath. Likewise, Jesus tells us not to fear, because he is God, and he will destroy the devil.
What else can we learn about not letting our hearts be troubled?
1. Put your full faith in Christ.
2. Have faith in your salvation. Christ promises not only to have a prepared place for us in his Father's house, but he promises to take us there himself.
3. Have faith in the Christ of the Bible, the only way to God.
1. The Holy Spirit will keep our hearts focused on the scriptures and will keep our faith sure.
2. Christ gives us the peace that passes all understanding, even in the face of persecution.
3. Christ's peace is not the same as the world's peace. Christ's peace is everlasting. The world's is a false peace that is only temporary.
4. The Ruler of this world has no power over us, because he has no claim over Christ, and we are in Christ. Remember, Christ as David has defeated Goliath.


VAN NUYS, Calif., March 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Capstone Turbine Corporation (www.capstoneturbine.com) (Nasdaq:CPST), the world's leading clean technology manufacturer of microturbine energy systems, announced today a follow-on order for thirteen C65 microturbines to be deployed in western Russia. Electrosystems LLC, Capstone's distributor for the Northwest and Central Federal Districts of Russia, secured the substantial follow-on order.
In 2017, Electrosystems secured an initial eleven unit order for an industrial park in western Russia for a combined heat and power (CHP) application. As the industrial park grew, additional power capacity was needed. Due to the demonstrated reliability, rugged performance and low maintenance of the Capstone microturbines, the customer decided to expand their microturbine-based power plant.
"The Russian market represented almost $30 million in annual revenue for Capstone back in fiscal 2012 when the Russian government instituted regulations limiting the flaring of associated gas and Brent crude oil prices were above $100 per barrel," said Darren Jamison, President and Chief Executive Officer of Capstone. "This order is a good indicator that our efforts to reestablish the Russian market are beginning to pay dividends and should lead to continued year-over-year revenue growth," added Mr. Jamison.
The natural-gas fueled microturbines generate electricity and thermal energy for the industrial park with the higher priced and less reliable local utility providing back-up power to the microturbines. With the modular building block design of the microturbines, expanding the microturbine array is simple, saving the customer time and money.
The Russian and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) markets continue to recover from the financial crisis and the collapse of crude oil prices, which both began in 2014. Capstone's strategy to overcome this challenging period in this region was to expand its distribution network by adding new partners, like Electrosystems. Although both the ruble and the price per barrel have begun to recover, they are not at the same levels as before the collapse.


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There are currently 1 attached,retirement communitys for sale in Versante. The average price for Versante properties is $440,000which is 44% lower than all attached,retirement communitys within a 20 mile radius. The highest priced property in Versante is $440,000 while the lowest priced attached,retirement community is listed at $440,000. Most of the properties available in Versante are attached,retirement communitys while there are other property types as well. Compared to last month, the average price of real estate in the area has gone up 100%.


The 2012 CCAE National Conference will lift you out of your workday rut, change your overload blues to neon ideas, and connect you across advancement disciplines and geography. The Co-Chairs and Program Committee have been honing an experience that promises to be "not your mama's conference"!
The approach is integrative, at times provocative, always geared to expose new perspectives and explore genuine solutions. Wherever you work, at whatever level in any advancement area, we invite you to challenge your ideas, make new connections, and leave recharged for the changing world of advancement.
Capture the creative spirit that we need to 'spark' within advancement and offer insights into how to seize new opportunities.
Darwin may have coined the phrase, but advancement professionals have taken it to heart – survival of the fittest. In a world where change is the only constant, workloads are ever-mounting, and we're constantly being asked to do more with less, advancement professionals have to be nimble and ready to adapt. These sessions will dig deep into new thinking and ask the big questions – should we be rethinking our endowment strategy? Do our teams have the skills to be successful in a turbulent economic climate? How can we reshape our organizations to better serve all stakeholders?
As advancement professionals, we are depended on to 'deliver' every day. With higher expectations, limited resources and an ever-changing landscape, our success - and that of our institutions - depends on having the right tools and knowing how to use them.
Look to these sessions to provide you with the 'best of the best' in terms of more effective advancement tools and best practices from colleagues across the country. Explore innovative thinking and collaboration to improve results. Expect to come away with tangible resources to put to work in your shop right away.


Anti Gun Utopia: 26 Shot, 6 Dead in Gun Free Chicago in 8 HOURS!
If the anti gunners get their way, this type of violence might be heading to your town. For now, violence like this seems to be focused in the most anti gun cities in the US such as Chicago, New York and Washington DC, while cities with high rates of gun ownership continue to enjoy much lower violent crime rates.
According to the Chicago Tribune, 26 people were shot and 6 people killed, in separate instances, in about 12 hours between Saturday night and Sunday morning. The first shooting happened around 10:12pm last night according to the Tribune and the most recent reported shooting happened just after 4am.
The first homicide of the night was about 10:12 p.m. Saturday inside a club on 79th Street between Ellis and Ingleside avenues in the Grand Crossing neighborhood, where four men were shot, one fatally, after someone opened the door to the club and started shooting.
Chicago has arguably the strictest gun laws in the United States, rivaled only by New York City and Washington DC (those cities have also seen recent spats of increased violence). Chicago just recently was able to opt itself out of Illinois' new concealed carry law which means Chicago residents will still not be able to protect themselves outside of their homes.


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Eden Center's tastiest 7 Vietnamese dishes, including banh mi, roast duck and skewers
He opened a second location of Cha Oc Gia Huy in the Eden Center, the Falls Church shopping center that has long been a destination for anyone with a taste of Vietnamese food and culture. About two years ago, Pham personally set up shop inside the Saigon East building (6757 Wilson Blvd., No. 9; 703-988-1993), where he specializes in the street foods of Vietnam, with an emphasis on an escargot-pork sausage called cha oc.
During the coronavirus pandemic, Pham has placed tables outside his shop at Eden, lending his business the air of a street vendor forced to seek shelter in a hallway. The first time I met Pham in the hallway, he steered me to two of his signature dishes: bo la lot ($15 a pack), these pressed lengths of minced beef, shot through with garlic and oyster sauce, then wrapped in betel leaves. Pham cooks the little packages
Savor: Hill Center's Long Lunch Cooking Class
Hill Center's Long Lunch Cooking Class: Paella
For many years now, the Hill Center in the Old Naval Hospital has served as a go-to source for those looking to boost their culinary skills, starting at the most basic or remedial level, with the regularly presented "Kitchen 101: Introduction to Cooking Series."
However, the small team of experienced chefs and bakers the nonprofit organization relies on for its culinary programming also regularly whips up new and niche ideas intended for the more advanced home chef, particularly those who are culinary adventure-seekers.
As an example of classes designed with internationally inspired intermediate home cooks in mind, look no further than the four-part "Long Lunch" series that Chef Mark Haskell, a longtime Hill Center cooking teacher, will lead in February over Zoom.
Styled as a sample of global street food, one that "will take you on a tour of the back alleys


Milk rash is a common reaction in newborns and infants, in which small white pimple-like bumps appear on the baby's skin. Usually these rashes will clear up within a few weeks, provided you keep the affected area clean and dry, but a persistent rash may be a sign of milk allergy.
Milk rash is a red facial rash that is common among newborns and infants during the first few months of life. The condition is characterized by small, white pimple-like bumps on the face, shoulders and tops of arms. These bumps, or "milia," will usually appear on your baby's cheeks, nose and forehead, but may also spread to the arms, torso or genitalia.
The most commonly accepted cause of milk rash is a change in your baby's diet. Infants and small children have an immature digestive tract and immune system, and they may not be ready for the hasty introduction of some foods. Cow's milk, in particular, seems to be a primary cause of milk rash, although highly refined sugary foods may also be at fault.
In most cases, milk rash will disappear within a few weeks on its own, but it can help to keep the affected area clean and dry. If the rash persists, your baby could have a more serious condition, like an allergy to cow's milk or other new food. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of an allergic reaction could be wheezing, vomiting, hives and digestive problems.
While no universally accepted cure exists for milk rash, simply avoiding cow's milk may help the rash disappear. If you are breastfeeding, removing dairy products from your own diet may also help. When introducing new foods to your baby, start with just one food at a time and gauge the baby's reaction before moving on to another new diet addition. This should help narrow down any potential allergies your baby might have.
One homeopathic remedy is switching from cow's milk to goat's milk, as it does not contain the complex protein component casein. If you are bottle-feeding, you may consider switching to a soy-based formula. Hypoallergenic formulas are also widely available from several major baby formula manufacturers.
Can Milk Thistle Cause Skin Rashes?
Can Flax Oil Cause Rash?
How Can You Tell if Your Baby Is Allergic to Cow's Milk?


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Love Island's Camilla Thurlow Is Moving In With A Fellow Contestant
Perhaps the most intense love affair that has sprung up over the course of the last season of Love Island has been between the viewers and the show itself.
As such it'd be unreasonable of us to expect you to go from being inundated with news about the show on a daily basis to having to hack it cold turkey since the show's concluded, with not a whisper about the lives of 'The Supreme Hump Posse' (the cast) to get you through the day.
Well apparently two of the gang are moving in together and this is cause for both celebration, and an article. Camilla Thurlow revealed, in an interview with Metro, that she'll be looking to move to London to live, not with the lump of libidinous muscle known as 'Jamie from Essex', but with her BFF from the show Gabby.
'It's not that necessarily I live in that part of Scotland it was my base when I travelled,' she said, 'I am hoping to have a base with Gabby here in London, and then I'll work out of that, so have a base here.'
'I love Gabs, she was my rock – we'll be best friends for life.
This will no doubt come as distressing news to one-time love-bird, most-of-the-time creepy lovesick puppy Craig Lawson, who over the course of the show revealed his infatuation for Camilla in increasingly stalkerish ways.
Despite seeming like a man who still thinks its a socially acceptable form of flirting to 'poke' someone on Facebook, Craig strikes an oddly tragic figure. He has recently claimed that he'd like to continue his reality television career (though as the adage goes; 'a shag in a Majorcan villa does not a reality tv career make') by joining TOWIE.
Though it's since been reported that he may be dropping these plans to coincidentally move to London as well saying, "I'm thinking of moving into Camilla...CAMDEN! Shit, I meant Camden..."
Well, okay, maybe we made that last quote up...
Also Read: A Round-Up Of People's Thoughts On Craig's Creepy Lines To Camilla On Love Island
The Fallout To Maura And Curtis Hooking It Up
Camilla Thurlow Craig Lawson London Love Island


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