Satellite games

Remember this?
Navy missile hits dying spy satellite, says Pentagon

The U.S. Navy succeeded in its effort to shoot down an inoperable spy satellite before it could crash to Earth and potentially release a cloud of toxic gas, the Department of Defense said Wednesday.

Well it appears the satellite was never any danger to earth, it seems the shootdown was necessary for another reason.

New Evidence Contradicts Official Explanation for U.S. Spy Satellite Shoot-Down

Newly released documents show that officials knew a satellite falling towards Earth posed no threat

When the Pentagon ordered a Navy ship to shoot down a crippled U.S. spy satellite last February, it claimed the operation was necessary to prevent a harmful fuel from being dispersed in the atmosphere. At the time, critics charged that the Bush administration was using the toxic fuel as an excuse to demonstrate missile-defense and antisatellite capabilities.

Now, there is new evidence that the critics were very likely right.

Astrophysicist Yousaf Butt obtained U.S. government documents showing that NASA's own analysis concluded that the satellite's fuel tank was expected to burn up completely during re-entry—even though NASA probably overestimated the tank's chances of survival. "Despite its optimistic oversimplifications, the released study indicates that the tank would certainly have demised high up in the atmosphere," Butt, a staff scientist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, writes in an article for the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.

Up to now, U.S. officials had refused to release any of the prelaunch analyses regarding the fuel tank, claiming they contained sensitive information.

But Butt says that the newly released documents clearly contradict the official explanation for the shoot-down, which was seen at the time as provocative and risky. The Bush administration had protested loudly when China conducted its own antisatellite weapons test by shooting down an aging weather satellite in January 2007. One major concern was the amount of space debris generated by the fragmented satellite.

Beyond the stated concern about the toxic fuel, U.S. officials also were probably trying to prevent any fragments of the highly classified National Reconnaissance Agency imagery satellite from falling into the hands of U.S. adversaries.

There were some additional inconsistencies surrounding government officials' accounts of the operation. In the days before the launch, several U.S. officials warned that bad weather could delay the mission.

But when U.S. News interviewed the captain of the guided-missile cruiser that fired the sophisticated Aegis missile into space, he was puzzled by those reports. "I'm not sure where all of the heavy weather reports came. It was never really heavy weather," Capt. R. M. Hendrickson said at the time.

BUT, and you knew one of those was coming, was it a handy dandy way to demonstrate that you could take out someone elses satellites????

Like say Russia , China etc.,

2 Good Interviews

First:
Steve Lendman interviews Francis Boyle, Global Research News Hour
MP3 Files: Hour 1
Francis Boyle is an international law and human rights expert and professor law at the University of Illinois. He also lectures and writes extensively and has authored many books, including "Palestine Palestinians and International Law" and "Biowarfare and Terrorism." Both books will be discussed on the program as well the implications of a possible naval blockade on Iran and the Caucasus crisis.

Second: Antiwar radio : Scott Horton Interviews Eric Margolis

Eric Margolis, foreign correspondent for Canada’s Sun National Media and author of War at the Top of the World, discusses the complicated politics of the Caucasus region, U.S. and Israeli arming and training of Georgian troops, the Ossetia fiasco, McCain’s foreign policy handler Randy Scheunemann and his relationship with the Saakashvili regime, the fight within the military industrial pentagon complex over whether to focus on imperial occupations or preparing for war with great powers, the dangerous foolishness of NATO expansion, the self-serving hypocrisy of America and Russia’s leaders, the ignored U.S. sponsored regime change in Somalia, McCain’s 3AM moment and emulation of the Kaiser, the rift between Pakistan and India over religion, Kashmir and Afghanistan, Dick Armitage’s threat to totally destroy Pakistan after 9/11 and the new great game in Central Asia.

MP3 here. (38:08)

To: Tim Mcleans Mom and Family regarding some tough questions

I am writing this as if addressing you personally, since it seemed to be the only way I could write this.
Before going on with this post I want to say Carol deDelley I am sorry for your loss.

When I read this article I could feel your pain, I could actually visualize you , a mother, saying the words "Don't say that" repeatedly, as if by not having to hear the words being spoken you could hope, for a moment, it was not true. But, also knowing it didn't matter if you listened or covered your ears, it wouldn't change the fact that your son was gone.
Myself, I do not know how you or the rest of the family could bear this?

I don't think anything I could write here will make you feel an happier or alleviate your pain.
But, you are right to ask questions, and to keep asking until you and your family feel satisfied that you've gotten what you need from the answers to have some semblance of peace.

What I want you to know is, your not alone in asking these questions. Myself and others here have posed many of the same questions.

So if you don't mind Mrs deDelley, I am going to quote your questions and sadly pile in with more.

In yesterdays news you voiced concerns regarding the manner in which the RCMP handled the "stand-off " with the attacker Vince Li.

I will quote from the article your questions:

deDelley said an RCMP officer told her that the estimated time between the escape of the Greyhound passengers and driver, and trapping the killer on the bus - with the man finally exiting through a window - was about three hours.

"Why didn't they do something in that three hours, rather than having my son locked in with this maniac who, there was no question, had done this? And (they) allowed him to defile my son's body in the way that he did? What was their game plan? Why did they wait for him to throw himself out a window or fall out of it?"

She said and I quote "But that time frame is not working for me"

Mrs deDelley, that time frame isn't working for alot of us.

I posed a number of questions in a previous post on August 6/08 titled: Questions about the greyhound incident.

Below is the first question asked on Aug 6/08

"First: the police response to the attack, why did they do nothing, not get on the bus, not shoot the attacker through the window, nothing? I don't understand that. Not that I am bloodthirsty or anything, I am not even a proponent of the death penalty. But, what I cannot wrap my head around is that no action was taken to subdue the attacker, until he had broken a window and lept out of the bus"

Sounds alot like your questions Mrs deDelley's ?

When Vince Li and Tim McLean were the only persons left on the bus, why did the RCMP not move to subdue Vince Li? Why did they allow him to desecrate that young mans body and stand by? There were options: tear gas, pepper spray, tasers, and last of all guns. We know that the RCMP has access to all these options. The RCMP has tasered , tear-gassed and pepper-sprayed with impunity in other instances, where the circumstances were less horrendous then this. Which makes this all the harder to understand.

The time line of the incident is questionable, particularly the 3 hour time window for the stand-off, as explained to Mrs deDelley by the rcmp officer.

"the estimated time between the escape of the Greyhound passengers and driver, and trapping the killer on the bus - with the man finally exiting through a window - was about three hours"

There seems to be two timelines, one put forth by the CBC:
(I'll come back to this one later.)
And one, that I'll put together here for you based on a number of different sources.

The first being a Globe and Mail news story
How a madman's blade cut Tim McLean's reunion short
JOE FRIESEN - Friday, August 01 -10:16 PM -Breaking News

"It was from Brandon, Man., some time before 8 p.m. that he sent the longest flurry of texts, she said. He planned to go see his father, collect his pet iguana from a friend and wanted to visit Ms. Storey later that night. After their relationship ended, he became like a brother to her, she said, and he was particularly devoted to her daughter, April. In his last message, Mr. McLean said his phone was dying and he was going to charge it when he got to Portage la Prairie.

Ten minutes later, his accused killer, 40-year-old Vincent Li, changed seats, making his way to the last row of the bus and sitting next to Mr. McLean. Witnesses said the younger man, barely 5 foot 5 and 125 pounds, had fallen asleep with his headphones on, his cheek resting against the window, while Zorro played on the bus's television screen."

Without warning, witnesses said, a man stood up and stabbed Mr. McLean several times in the throat and torso, sending passengers scrambling off the bus.

From the RCMP website:

Homicide on Greyhound Bus near Portage La Prairie, Manitoba
Statement by S/Sgt Steve Colwell, D Division
July 31, 2008
14:00 hrs
Winnipeg, Manitoba

1: Re: Homicide on Greyhound Bus near Portage La Prairie, Manitoba
• On the evening of July 30, 2008, at approximately 8:30 p.m. (local time), Portage La Prairie RCMP were advised that a male subject had been stabbed on a Greyhound bus traveling eastbound on Highway #1 (Trans Canada Highway) approximately 20 kms West of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.

This notification to the rcmp, corresponds with the time frame set out in the Globe and Mail article, see above. Tim Mclean sends a flurry of text messages before 8:00 p.m. Some ten minutes later Vince Li , changes seats, moving to sit next to Tim Mclean. Shortly thereafter Vince Li begins stabbing a dozing Tim Mclean. If one assumes the stabbing began within ten minutes of the seat change, that would line up pretty well with the call to the RCMP coming in, according to their own press release at approximately 8:30 p.m.
Continuing on with the press release:

• RCMP officers immediately attended the scene and secured the bus, which was parked on the side of the highway. At this time victim and the suspect were still inside the bus. The driver and the remainder of the passengers had safely exited the bus prior to police arrival.

Would this not have placed the RCMP on this scene within approx 20 minutes? Meaning they would have been at the bus at, if not before nine pm?? Assuming driving 80 kms an hour, a distance of 20 kms is an approx 15 minute drive and adding an additional 5 minutes of grace, let's call it? When they arrived on the scene, all the passengers and driver have safely exited the bus prior to their arrival. Back to the press release:

• Attending RCMP officers observed the suspect walking around the inside of the bus. When attempts to have the suspect exit the bus and surrender to police proved to be unsuccessful, additional resources, including the RCMP “D” Division Emergency Response Team (ERT) and a Negotiator Team were called in to assist.

• The highway was closed in both directions to ensure the safety of first responders, the other bus passengers and driver.

• At 1:28 a.m., the suspect, a 40 year old male, believed to be from out of province, broke a window and jumped out of the bus. He was immediately subdued and arrested without incident. He is currently in RCMP custody. His identity will not being released at this time.

Question: How could the rcmp inform Mrs deDelley that the time of 3 hours, from passengers and driver exiting the bus, to Vince Li jumping through the window, was the actual one, when it doesn't seem possible? From their own press release, they acknowledge that by time they arrived on the scene, the bus was clear of drivers and passengers. They were called at 8:30 p.m. , with an assumed drive length of approx 20 kms and approx drive time of , being generous, 30 minutes to drives 20 kms. If this is correct, that puts them on the scene at 9:00 p.m. and Vince Li jumping out of the bus at 1:28 a.m. This is not a 3 hour time window, by any stretch of the imagination, this is infact an almost 4 1/2 hour time window.

Remember the CBC timeline I mentioned? It has the stabbing taking place at approx 9:00 pm they acknowledge it is an estimate, and given the Globe & Mail story and the RCMP media release, it is likely the wrong time, but let's say, for the sake of the argument the stabbing took place a half an hour later, that would still have the RCMP at the scene at 9:30, with passengers and driver no longer on the bus, and would still leave the stand-off window at 4 hours . Still an hour longer then Tim McLeans mother was informed of.

Like I said Mrs deDelley, there are only more questions. None of this is going to give you peace of mind, but if it strengthens your resolve, knowing that you are not alone in asking these questions, that can be a good thing.

Tim Mcleans mom wants to know why???

Bus victim's mom demands answers from RCMP

'Why didn't they do something,' grieving mother wants to know

Carol deDelley remembers her initial reaction when she heard that a man had been savagely stabbed and beheaded on a Greyhound bus bound for Winnipeg.

Nearly 24 hours after the incident began on July 30, deDelley's former husband, Tim 'Bim' McLean reached her at home with the news. "Don't say that. Don't say that," deDelley kept repeating.

The news media camped outside McLean's Winnipeg home, and it was reporters - not the RCMP - that had broken the news to Tim's father.

Of course, shock sets in. "But then, at a point, you get angry and you start questioning. Well, why did this take so long? Why did it take so long to be notified?"
Later the RCMP would tell her that while Tim had ID, they needed to be sure it was him before contacting the family. They did that by matching him to his tattoos, which took time.
Now that she and her husband, Tim deDelley, have returned home from spreading some of her son's ashes in the peace and wild beauty of the Canadian Rockies, deDelley has questions about the way the RCMP handled the standoff with Tim's accused killer, Vince Li, on July 30.
Li is accused of the stabbing death, decapitation and - as deDelley later learned - the cannibalization of her son. The later indignity having happened as passengers, and apparently Mounties, looked on as if they were watching a horror movie instead of a crime in progress.
Her question to the Mounties from rural Manitoba who rushed to the scene just west of Portage la Prairie - and the emergency response team that helped surrounded the Greyhound bus - is "what took them so long?"
Why did they wait so long with the man trapped on the bus? Especially because the cannibalizing was a crime in progress.
deDelley said an RCMP officer told her that the estimated time between the escape of the Greyhound passengers and driver, and trapping the killer on the bus - with the man finally exiting through a window - was about three hours.
"Why didn't they do something in that three hours, rather than having my son locked in with this maniac who, there was no question, had done this? And (they) allowed him to defile my son's body in the way that he did? What was their game plan? Why did they wait for him to throw himself out a window or fall out of it?"

I am so glad to see the mother asking this question and I hope to god, she gets some answers.

I myself have asked this question, and others who have left responses here have asked this question. The media didn't see fit to ask that question, instead I recall the most irritating article from the National Post, about their being no "let's roll" moment on the bus! This editorial annoyed me to no end, along with numerous comments posted on line about the "cowardly passengers". I am of another mindset.

One interesting item from the article Tim McLeans mother believes the RCMP has, as quoted:

"They have a preservation of life policy, I believe."

Given the rcmp's past actions that is doubtful.

She has issues with the time line, well so do I.

First I have to gather my thoughts and blog with a cooler head.

Full Spectrum Dominance- The "new" cold war

Not to be confused with the old cold war, or the war on terror, the war on drugs, the war on poverty, or any other war we have previously been a part of, or had forced down out throats.


Good little video to watch:







Or you can read the transcript of the video clip here: Full Spectrum Dominance

Just one more item.... A perspective from Bruce Gagnon titled :Planning for the cold war and beyond.

Bruce is the coordinator of: Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space.



Now I know what my next 'must read' book is, the one that sits on my shelf, the book that is in the video

The Grand Chessboard :Zbigniew Brzezinski
Off I go, to get the book and begin reading it.

Medvedev speaks & What could happen next

Why I had to recognise Georgia’s breakaway regions

By Dmitry Medvedev

excerpt:

After the collapse of communism, Russia reconciled itself to the “loss” of 14 former Soviet republics, which became states in their own right, even though some 25m Russians were left stranded in countries no longer their own. Some of those nations were un­able to treat their own minorities with the respect they deserved. Georgia immediately stripped its “autonomous regions” of Abkhazia and South Ossetia of their autonomy.

Can you imagine what it was like for the Abkhaz people to have their university in Sukhumi closed down by the Tbilisi government on the grounds that they allegedly had no proper language or history or culture and so did not need a university? The newly independent Georgia inflicted a vicious war on its minority nations, displacing thousands of people and sowing seeds of discontent that could only grow. These were tinderboxes, right on Russia’s doorstep, which Russian peacekeepers strove to keep from igniting.

But the west, ignoring the delicacy of the situation, unwittingly (or wittingly) fed the hopes of the South Ossetians and Abkhazians for freedom. They clasped to their bosom a Georgian president, Mikheil Saakashvili, whose first move was to crush the autonomy of another region, Adjaria, and made no secret of his intention to squash the Ossetians and Abkhazians.

Read the entire article, which explains the Russian postion. It is good to be informed.

Q&A - What could happen next in Caucasus conflict

Will any other countries recognise the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia?

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev called for other countries to recognise the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, but there was no immediate sign of support. Moscow's closest ally Belarus is considered the most likely to follow. Analysts have mentioned Serbia, Venezuela, Cuba, Syria and Iran as countries that may respond positively.

How will the EU respond?

French President Nicolas Sarkozy had already called an emergency summit of European leaders for September 1. The EU had been divided between ardent critics of Russia from the new east European member states and countries like France and Germany that have been closer to Moscow in recent years. But with Paris and Berlin increasingly critical, the likelihood of the EU presenting a common position now looks much higher.

Given Europe's dependency on energy imports from Russia, the likelihood of a tough response, such as economic sanctions, seems remote, though the talks on a new partnership agreement are likely to halt.

There are other questions there of course as the article is three pages long, but, it does give one much food for thought?
The US through her proxy started this, Russia is clearing making the next move.
Where will it all go?

Russia recognizes the independant states of Ossetia and Abkhazia

Russia, the sleeping bear that has been awakened as the nonsense goes, has moved to formally recognize the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

It is being reported : Russia formally recognizes breakaway regions

MOSCOW - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced Tuesday he had signed a decree under which Russia formally recognises the rebel Georgian provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.

"I have signed decrees on the recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia," Medvedev said in a pre-recorded address broadcast on national television.

"Russia calls on other states to follow its example," said Medvedev, standing at a podium flanked by two Russian flags.

Abkhazia and Osettia had made it clear they intended to seek independence, and both looked to Russia to recognize their independence, and Russia cooperated with them, and that all comes as no surprise, given the long history between the two breakaway regions and Russia.

Meanwhile back in the US of A........The US is angry that Russia is even considering this move, what I can't understand is why?

This is something the US had done, not to long ago, with Kosovo.
Kosovo Is Recognized but Rebuked by Others

BERLIN — Kosovo won the recognition of the United States and its biggest Western European allies on Monday, while earning rebukes and rejections from Serbia, Russia and a disparate mix of states the world over who face their own separatist movements at home.

I wonder if Georgia was quick to recognize and legitimize this new nation on behalf of it's protectorate the US? If so, that was indeed a folly.
Even Canada blinked on this recognition, since it has it's own full fledged separatist movement, before predictably going along with the US.


An interesting analysis out of Germany:

The Caucasus conflict was brought about at least in part by the West's decision to recognize Kosovo's independence 6 months ago. Experts say this sparked a chain reaction in the region, which only Moscow can now halt.

UPDATED: Abkhazia celebrates!

Residents in Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia fired into the air, opened bottles of champagne and wept on Tuesday after Russia recognized it and a second breakaway region as independent.

In Sukhumi, Abkhazia's palm tree-lined capital on the Black Sea coast, office workers spilled into the streets moments after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in a statement he was recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

"We feel happy. We all have tears in our eyes. We feel pride for our people," said Aida Gubaz, a 38-year-old lawyer. "Everything we went through, now we are getting our reward," she told Reuters.

What will come of all this now?
What action can the west take in light of this? Clearly these people are elated.
If they block the independence aims of these two regions, what will come of Kosovo?
What is Canada's stand going to be on this, after the recognition of Kosovo?

Links to increased Cancer and the cholesterol drug Vytorin

Here is how this all came about, and read carefully.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it has informed health-care professionals that the agency was investigating a report from the so-called Simvastatin and Ezetimibe in Aortic Stenosis (SEAS) trial of a possible association between the use of Vytorin and an increased risk of a variety of cancers.

Vytorin is a combination drug made up of the compounds simvastatin and ezetimibe that's designed to reduce levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and cut the risk of cardiovascular problems. It works by decreasing the production of cholesterol by the liver and inhibiting the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine.

In a statement released Thursday afternoon, the FDA said it had obtained preliminary results from the SEAS trial. The trial tested whether lowering LDL-cholesterol with Vytorin would reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems in people with narrowing of the aorta, the body's largest artery. The five-year trial did not show a reduced cardiovascular risk.

read on......

But, a "larger percentage of patients treated with Vytorin were diagnosed with and died from all types of cancer combined, when compared to treatment with a placebo," the statement said.

Or as this article says

The American Food and Drug Administration issued a statement saying preliminary findings from a study has shown found the drug did not reduce cardiovascular problems as expected and a larger percentage of patients on the drug were diagnosed with and died from all types of cancer than those on the placebo during the five year study.

Let's get this straight, a group of people took the Vytorin and another group took a placebo. The group that took the Vytorin showed no reduction in cardiovascular risk. What they did show was an increase in all types of cancer, over the people taking the placebo.

However the FDA is still recommending that people continue taking their Vytorin.

I have questions.

Why would you continue paying for and taking a drug, this is not doing what it is supposed to do?

Why would you continue paying for and taking a drug, that is also increasing your risk of all cancers?

Any answers?

Vince Li -greyhound attacker enters psychiatric facility

I don't know how I missed this one, since I check the news everyday for updates on this story.
But I want to thank S for having it up on site at the new link to the right. nonameforadomain
Thanks S!

Accused killer enters psychiatric facility

What I am surprised at is the lack of news coverage on this move regarding Vince Li.

WINNIPEG - The man accused of beheading a fellow Greyhound bus passenger last month, and eating parts of the victim's body, has agreed to be represented by a lawyer, Canwest News Service has learned.

Vincent Li was also recently moved from a Manitoba jail to a locked psychiatric facility.

The developments come as Li continues to meet with medical officials for a court-ordered mental-health evaluation that will determine if he will stand trial for the July 29 killing of 22-year-old Tim McLean on a Greyhound bus.

Moved from a jail to a psychiatric hospital? Why? Governments have incarcerated plenty of mentally ill persons in jails. Is this for the purpose of the evaluation? Is this a common practice? Will Vince Li be medicated while at this facility? I would assume so. I also wondered if he was medicated while in jail? If he is being medicated, it may explain his inability to communicate. Though it could also impede his ability to communicate to his lawyer or communicate in the courtroom.

Defence lawyer Alan Libman confirmed Monday he expects to act on behalf of Li, who made it clear during his last court appearance that he didn't want any legal help.

On that day, another lawyer had tried to speak with Li, but told the judge his attempts had failed. Li continued to communicate only through grunts and shakes of his head, except to quickly say, "Please kill me," before a packed courtroom gallery.

Libman wouldn't comment on an specific dealings with Li, or what changed the situation. Libman said his employer, Legal Aid Manitoba, wasn't going to turn its back on Li after his initial rejection of help.

"Not in a situation like this," he said.

Libman said he hasn't spoken with Li's wife, Anna, and doesn't know if she has returned to Winnipeg to meet with her husband.

Is this unusual at his point in time?

Libman was asked if he planned to make a bail application for Li.

"Absolutely not," he said.

An issue in this case is expected to be whether Li can be found criminally responsible for McLean's slaying. If not, he would be moved to a mental-health facility for an indeterminate period of time.

Li was initially being held on 24-hour suicide watch at the Winnipeg Remand Centre.

But after his last court appearance - and the judge's order for an assessment - Li was moved to the PX3 unit at the Health Sciences Centre, which is Winnipeg's only secure forensic psychiatric ward.

If Li is found NOT criminally responsible for McLeans slaying will there even be a trial ?

Also a big THANK-YOU and hello to A IM!!!

Al M said...

Very good blog entry, so good its been posted to the international bus news group:

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/Bus_Emergency/

who linked to this Questions about the Greyhound Incident

Israel is concerned, so why did they involve themselves in Georgia?

I can't understand that.
I can't imagine they actually thought there would be no repercussion for their chosen actions?
Or did they believe there was going to be a different outcome?
I just don't know.


It seems the visit to Russia by the Syrian leader, and possible arms deals, does indeed have Israel concerned as Olmert is ready to go and visit Medvedev. As reported "Israel's Olmert to visit Russia soon " and also reported in Haaretz.

An interesting commentary on the Israel/ Syria/ Russia love triangle is available here:
Under Moscow's wing

some excerpts:

Israel's involvement with the Georgian military has been somewhat overlooked in light of more blatant US support, such as the airlift of some 2,000 Georgian troops from Iraq at the start of the conflict. However Misha Glenny spotted it, writing in the New Statesman that Prime Minister Putin warned President Shimon Peres to "pull out your trainers and weapons or we will escalate our co-operation with Syria and Iran" – after which Israel dutifully complied.

I am not so certain they did comply, that is highly debatable. I would speculate myself they did not, and now the result is more co-operation between Russia & Syria.

But, I find this interesting, and wonder is it true?

"Over the past few years defence analysts have kept a close eye on the Russian navy's activity at the Syrian port of Tartus. There are real fears that the Russians are keen to transform what was little more than a refuelling station into a fully-fledged Russian Mediterranean fleet naval base where they can relocate much of the Black Sea fleet currently held up in Sevastopol.

Satellite shots of Russian involvement in dredging the port to allow access to larger vessels provide more evidence to support this theory which would place an aggressive Russia right on the doorstep of Israel and in close proximity to the strategic Turkish port of Ceyhan, the terminus of a major new oil pipeline linked to the Azerbaijani port city of Baku – an incendiary combination with huge tactical ramifications."

Has Russia already been dredging the Tartus Port? The answer is yes, Russian & Greek companies are conducting a joint project to allow larger ships into the Tartus port, no satellite photos necessary, you can read it here.
SYRIAN PORTS

The European Investment Bank recently signed a loan agreement to finance the development and modernization of the Tartus port, and Russian and Greek companies are conducting a dredging project to enable larger ships to
anchor at both ports.

It seems as if the work was already going on, and is not just Russia's work alone.
If the expansion at the port didn't start out as an opportunity for Russia, which it doesn't appear to have, it has certainly turned into one.

Back to the James Denselow article:

This makes grim reading for the lame duck leaders, Bush and Olmert, neither of whom have the political capital of the Russian Putin-Medvedev alliance. Perhaps the only manoeuvre that can undermine an aggressive Syrian-Iranian-Russian alliance is the Israeli-Syrian peace talks, which are still ongoing. If they result in an unlikely peace treaty there is hope yet that this new and dangerous cold war will not emerge.

Russia,US, Israel , Syria, politics makes for strange bedfellows.

Taking a little more of an indepth look at the possible cooperative moves being made between Russia and Syria, and a look at Israel, are they regretting their participation in Georgia?

I don't know the answers of course, at best I can read and speculate, I think that is all anyone can do.

So let's see where this is all at, shall we?

Syria is talking to Russia, apparently at Russia's invitation, this much seems safe to say.

Through the media we see an aircraft carrier may be on the way, along with assorted accompaniments including " the Russian Navy’s biggest missile cruiser Moskva and at least four nuclear missile submarines."

Possibly Syria and Russia will make weapons deals and Syria may provide a base for Russian ships.


It has been previously reported that Israel supported Georgia in it's attack, this has been acknowledged by Israel, in there own, "we will stop supplying Georgia" then "no we won't stop supplying Georgia" stories in their own media.

Does Israel regret their participation, I don't know. Is it a cause for concern, it would seem so.

It is reported that Israel and Russia held their own talks, in advance of the Syrian leaders visit.

Mark Regev, a spokesman for Olmert, said the two leaders "spoke about what went on in the Caucasus and the Middle East peace process," including Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's planned visit this week to the Russian capital.

Obviously there are concerns.

This story raises those concerns " Israel Made a Mistake in Supplying Arms to Georgia - "Defence Sources"

Olmert stressed to Medvedev, who is staying at his summer residence in Sochi on the Black Sea, that the supply of advanced equipment by Russia would break the balance in the Middle East. For his part, Medvedev stressed the importance for Russia of Israel's agreement to take part in the Middle East peace conference that Russia is planning to hold in Moscow in November.

I would assume that "breaking the balance of power" really means that Israel would not hold the upper-hand, as it has for so long.

Prior to the outbreak of fighting in Georgia, Israel had been inclined to agree to the Russian request, but the war in the Caucasus has made the Israeli position more complicated - due to US pressure.

Israel caught between the US and Russia?

Another issue that came up in the conversation was Israel's arms supplies to Georgia: Olmert stressed to Medvedev that Israel has decided to suspend the supply of both offensive and defensive arms to Georgia.

In this connection, it should be noted that in recent days, defence sources in Israel have indicated to their Russian counterparts that "Israel made a mistake by supplying arms to Georgia since by doing so it could have given the Russians an excuse to sell the threatening missiles to Syria."

I guess they should have thought of that?

oh, and one more interesting angle on this entire mess:

They always forget Kaliningrad

Brain will be the battlefield of the future

Of course, this article speaks of the use of these technologies in warfare, but, how about coercive civilian uses???
Brain will be battlefield of future, warns US intelligence report

They found several areas in which progress could have a profound impact, including behaviour-altering drugs, (you will comply?) scanners that can interpret a person's state of mind and devices capable of boosting senses such as hearing and vision.

On the battlefield, bullets may be replaced with "pharmacological land mines" that release drugs to incapacitate soldiers on contact,(incapacitate protestors and activists) while scanners and other electronic devices could be developed to identify suspects from their brain activity and even disrupt their ability to tell lies when questioned, the report says.

Drugs could also be used to enhance the performance (better killers, on and off of the battlefield) of military personnel. There is already anecdotal evidence of troops using the narcolepsy drug modafinil, and ritalin, which is prescribed for attention deficit disorder, to boost their performance. Future drugs, developed to boost the cognitive faculties of people with dementia, are likely to be used in a similar way, the report adds.

re: the drugs to "enhance performace, clearly this ain't viagra, how would they test these, or have they already been testing these??

Russia sends aircraft carrier to Syria

Well, well, well..............
An interesting turn of invents, an upping of the ante it would seem?

Besides the claims today in the Israeli press that Syria fired a series of long-range missiles

Now this:

The Russian aircraft carrier “Admiral Kuznetsov” is ready to head from Murmansk towards the Mediterranean and the Syrian port of Tartus. The mission comes after Syrian President Bashar Assad said he is open for a Russian base in the area.



Open for a Russian base in the area? That's interesting.
I am wondering if Israel's involvement in Georgia is a factor in this decision?
Like move/countermove?

I am still left wondering what was the US thinking with the move in Georgia?
Looking to reignite the "cold war"?
Isn't their bogus "war on terror" enough for them?


Or as this writer queries, and I like it! "What were they smoking in the White House

Psychiatry: An industry of death

Here are the links to a documentary, I had a chance to see.

Before anyone points it out, I am already aware, it was done by an affiliate of the Scientologists.

Yes, I think that Scientology is odd, but then I think religion/cultism is odd, (IMO they are cut from the same cloth, as the saying goes)

With that all out of the way, I thought this documentary had some interesting info and made some valid points. I do firmly believe that there are mental illness's and many people suffer horrendously because of them, not just the person afflicted, but also there extended families.

But, you knew there was a but, I have my doubts over this rise in certain mental illnesses, especially those diagnosed in young children, particularly ADD, ADHD and the new one for children, Bi-polar. I wonder at an ulterior motivation

So check the documentary out and share a thought or two or more.

Psychiatry: An industry of death Pt1
Psychiatry: An industry of death Pt2
Psychiatry: An industry of death Pt3
Psychiatry: An industry of death Pt4
Psychiatry: An industry of death Pt5
Psychiatry: An industry of death Pt6
Psychiatry: An industry of death Pt7
Psychiatry: An industry of death Pt8
Psychiatry: An industry of death Pt9
Psychiatry: An industry of death Pt10
Psychiatry: An industry of death Pt11
Psychiatry: An industry of death Pt12

Scammer tries to profit from the death of Tim Mclean

In case you have missed this, a person posing as the sister of Tim Mclean, was trying to profit from his tragic death. You can read about it here.

I think this is a despicable act, but, on the other hand, it does not surprise me in the least.

As long as their is a perceived opportunity, their always will be people who will exploit that opportunity and attempt to capitalize on the good intentions of people, for their own nefarious gain.


As an aside, but worth mentioning, this is something politicians understand well.
Wondering how much exploitation of this situation, for politcal gain will be exploited in the upcoming election?

Global Pedophile ring busted, connections to US and Canada

I am now wondering if the Homeland Security contractor Peter North could be connected to this ring? I still wonder why the lack of media coverage in the US, especially if there is a connection?
I am speculating, of course, as there is no indication from the article posted yesterday that there is a connection, it is the timing of the arrest that makes me question the possibility.

(Maybe this answers nobody's question of how this man came to be arrested?)

As you read through, there was also an arrest warrant issued in Canada last week, which coincides with the arrest of the alleged perp in the US.

Some of the articles out of the UK , acknowlege that there will be arrests in the US. "Philip Thompson, 27, was one of the kingpins behind an organisation that reached 33 countries, including the UK, the US, Canada and Australia, Teesside Crown Court heard."

BTW: Philip Thompson MUST serve a minimum of 3 years and 9 months before being eligible for parole.



Global reach of paedophile mastermind Philip Thompson

A global investigation into internet child abuse has led to 50 arrests in Britain with dozens more expected, police said yesterday.

More than a third of the 360 suspects identified so far in an inquiry into an online paedophile forum live in Britain. Investigators believe that they will locate thousands more subscribers around the world.

The most recent arrest warrant in the inquiry, codenamed Operation Elm, was executed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Winnipeg last week.

Manitoba has been a busy place lately?
Alas, I can't find anything in the news regarding who was arrested in Winnipeg. And, will duly note the lack of media coverage out of Winnipeg area.

Apparently there are links to Australia also from Computerworld: Police bust group of alleged child porn downloaders

Six men from across Australia, accused of downloading images from a worldwide child pornography network, will soon face court.

Homeland Security contract employee arrested for child porn

Pedophiles, prostitutes, male and female & the Franklin cover-up
What is it with the DC area, and this type of disgusting activity?

Oh and I almost forgot, this arrest actually took place August 12th/08, that was six days ago, and, unless someone has better luck then me at googling or searching this, I could not find that any national mainstream news had picked this story up thus far.
Which I find curious.
Just the DC Examiner, Washington technology and I believe a Fox affiliate in the area.
Which got me thinking about something Nobody is writing about, blog link to the right.
So check it out!

WASHINGTON: The federal contract employee arrested in connection with the prolific distribution of child pornography late last week will remain behind bars without bail, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

Peter W. North was arrested after an FBI investigation concluded he was behind the dissemination of nearly 1,000 digital files containing child pornography during a six-month period. Agents also found in his Alexandria home 80 gigabytes — about 250 hours of video, or 25,000 pictures — of child pornography on an external hard drive, according to a sworn statement by FBI agent Chad J. Gallagher. The files were distributed online via peer-to-peer networks like LimeWire, which is more commonly used to share copyrighted songs and videos.

North appeared in the U.S. Eastern District Court in Alexandria on Tuesday afternoon, his lean body enveloped by a dark-green jumpsuit and his thin, straight hair parted down the center. He remained silent as his attorney, public defender Rachel Martin, waived his rights to a probable cause hearing.

(FYI: a probable cause hearing is the preliminary hearing that typically takes place after arraignment and before a serious crime goes to trial; the judge is presented with the basis of the prosecution's case and the defendant is afforded full right of cross-examination and the right to be represented by legal counsel. If the prosecution cannot make out a case of probable cause the court must dismiss the case against the accused.)


On Thursday, after searching his house, federal agents arrived at North’s office in Vienna where he worked as a contract employee for IBM “providing information technology services to the Department of Homeland Security.”

According to Gallagher’s affidavit, North verified an external drive containing child pornography would be found in his house.

After North waived his rights to the hearing Tuesday, Judge Theresa Carroll Buchanan ruled he should remain behind bars, given “the situation in North Carolina.”

U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman James Rybicki declined to comment on what Buchanan meant.

But according to the affidavit, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children identified videos of a young girl engaged in sexually explicit activities in North Carolina found on North’s hard drive as someone the center believed to have been moved across state lines.

The Canadian Conservatives and their dirty dealings book

Cry me a river, but who has been using their manual to create the very chaos they have been whining about? Oh yeah, the Canadian Conservatives.

Last year, the governing Conservatives prepared a secret handbook on how to disrupt parliamentary committees and create chaos. No mere pamphlet, the book ran to 200 pages.

(2oo pages of manipulative machinations)

It instructed committee chairmen to select blatantly biased witnesses and tutor them in advance. It gave the chairmen pointers on how to obstruct parliamentary business, to storm out of meetings if necessary.

(biased and coached witnesses, throw a hissy fit)

Team Harper never expected its opus to be made public. But the media got hold and the headlines poured forth - "Tories blasted for handbook on paralyzing Parliament" and the like.

Liberal Ralph Goodale noted how it was rather peculiar to see the government getting its knickers in a knot over a dysfunctional, chaotic Parliament when, in fact, "the government's deliberate plan is to cause a dysfunctional, chaotic Parliament."

We thought the Grits were bad, chimed in the New Democrat, Libby Davies. But these guys, she said, were taking the gutter stuff to a new level. "They've codified it."

The Prime Minister's Office had all the committee chairmen return their dirty-tricks texts.

( No doubt once returned , they then quickly redistributed them)

Given the Conservatives' red-handed embarrassment, it was expected that they might show a touch more temerity in the future.

Not these honchos. As was clear at the House of Commons ethics committee hearings this week on the so-called in-and-out scheme, their parliamentary chaos manual is alive and thriving. It's had yet another printing.

In committee, Conservative campaign director Doug Finley showed his version of contempt for the process, demanding that he, and only he, would dictate when he would testify. (channeling Karl Rove) He finally had to be forcibly removed from the hearing room. For their part, Conservative MPs ignored summonses to testify.

servants of the people???

please read in all it's ugly entirety, it is disgusting, I was seeing shades of the US Bush administration all through this and that is no surprise as PM Harper is occasionally knows as little Bush or Bush-lite.

Good ending though:

There are good reasons for an election this fall. Everybody's patience has been tried long enough. But this week's show of flim-flam should not be allowed to be the trigger. It was crybaby stuff. If the Harper boys don't get their own way, they stamp their feet and start bawling at bad treatment from others and make big-time threats - forgetting all the while what they had put down in their own playbook.

Media spin - Is ignorance really bliss?

I was rather surprised to see this headline, but on that rarest of occasion the truth does slip out, but do people think about it?

Russians losing propaganda war

Sadly it appears in the west they are since losing that aspect of the war.
It is all propaganda, all the time!
Or did you think it was actually news to inform an audience?

You see, Georgia did indeed start the war, and it was a brutal attack on the Ossetians and while they were at it, for good measure, Georgia killed some Russian peacekeepers.


As the article states:

"Yet the evidence from South Ossetia about that attack indicates that it was extensive and damaging."

Of course it was, it was intended to be.

"Human Rights Watch concluded after an on-the-ground inspection: "Witness accounts and the timing of the damage would point to Georgian fire accounting for much of the damage described [in Tskhinvali]."

It would seem that Georgia was going to deal with their separatist problem by causing maximum harm, in the hopes of causing enough fear, fear that would encourage that problem to go away.

In other words Georgia wanted to cause the Ossetians to flee, in terror, to save their lives!

But, to read the press out of the US and Canada, nothing of the sort went on.
No, Russia bad and Georgia is the 'littlest victim'

But look, here is a tiny bit of truth in an article otherwise filled with propaganda, buzz-words and rhetoric (which is always best ignored)

"A reluctant Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said Friday he signed a cease-fire agreement with Russia and declared in the presence of the chief U.S. diplomat that the West behaved in ways that invited the invasion."

That certainly didn't make the headlines!


While he was barely acknowleging responsibility for his folly, he took a swipe at the US.
Asking the rhetorical question, as he stood by Condoleeza Rice's side, Sakashaveeli said:

"Who invited the trouble here? Who invited this arrogance here? Who invited these innocent deaths here?"

Saakashvili then answered his own question: "Not only those people who perpetrate them are responsible, but also those people who failed to stop it."
Condoleeza Rice let that pass.
That bit of defiance didn't make headlines!

I have to ask myself , do people in the west even realize they are being played for fools?

That western leaders and media think so little of the voting/reading audience, that they are quite willing to mislead them with rhetoric, propaganda and buzz-words rather then give them the facts or balance.

I noticed the soundbites and buzzwords over and over, freedom, freedom-loving, democratic.
Are these words realistic in describing the Georgian leader or his rise to power???
Or what really happened between Georgia and Ossetia?

It certainly does not seem that those would be realistic words.
To attack a people in their beds, in an intentional manner to cause maximum damage in hope of ethnically cleansing a populace, is that not the act of a tyrant?? A despot??
Apparently that is the action of a democracy and a democratic leader, in the west anyway.
But, then it is one we have seen before. "Shock and awe"

What about all the so called color 'revolutions' ? Were they really 'people power' revolutions, and if so what people actually powered them? The US through NED involvement or the Soros foundation?

Should alleged NGO's and billionaires be messin' with the politics of other countries?

Which leads to even more questions, no?
Indeed it does and it should.
It should leave one questioning how democratic are the western democracies, who seem also to take their orders from big corporations and powerful people.

Code Name Artichoke (CIA Secret Experiments On Humans)

This one hour documentary has been shown in Germany and France on their main stream media.
Prior to mkultra, the CIA experiments on humans were done under the code name "Artichoke".

So many pieces to pull back, interesting name and metaphor.

This documentary is focused a little more on the death of Frank Olson, who was in the National Georgraphic documentary, posted previously here.

Frank Olson coincidentally was employed at Fort Dietrich, Maryland, the birthplace of the Anthrax used in the attacks after 9/11 (the attacks that were made to appear as if the were perpetrated by Arabs) and that have recently been in the news with the alleged 'suicide' of the suspect in the attacks, which conveniently allowed to Justice Dept to close the case.

But, digressing here .....Frank Olson, coincidentally, also was alleged to have committed suicide, though as it turned out, that was not the case.
It appears he was murdered, to ensure his silence.
Which leaves one wondering about the most recent coincidental and conveniently timed suicide?

Anyway here is the documentary in 5 parts, enjoy it along with the other one and make of it what you will, far be it from me to tell anyone what to think.

Code name Artichoke Part 1
Code name Artichoke Part 2
Code name Artichoke Part 3
Code name Artichoke Part 4
Code name Artichoke Part 5

at least in this one, they acknowledge the recruitment of nazis for the experiments

Using Georgia to Target Russia

Using Georgia to Target Russia
by Stephen Lendman

While the US turns up the heat, the media keeps it's audience blissfully unaware

The news as of late has been an interesting exercise in the use and abuse of Western media propaganda, granted the European press has been better, but from the US and Canada, here's the news in a nutshell "Russia Bad" and that is all you need to know.

No real background has been provided to the audience. The fact that South Ossetia and Abkhazia, have been autonomous for a long time now, and that Russian peacekeepers were there legitimately. No talk of pipeline politics and the previous US meddling in the region. Or what about the missiles the US wants to place in Russia's backyard?

You don't need facts, or balance, you just need to know "Russia Bad". Please continue being stupid and enjoy your ignorance.

Hey, even this fellow got it!

I am rather surprised, given Israel's covert involvement, but apparently Israel's press is willing to take a broader look at this situation

So what is the latest?

George Bush is talking tough and Condoleeza Rice is flying off to 'fix things' It seems things are going to get worse, alot worse. Hopefully I am mistaken.

It seems though that Mr Bush is going to send troops in, under the guise of 'humanitarian aid'
Bush orders U.S. military to help Georgian civilians

"President Bush said Wednesday he is dispatching U.S. military personnel to Georgia in a "vigorous and ongoing" mission to provide humanitarian aid to victims of the fighting between Russian and Georgian troops."

in other words.

"Bush's decision could require the deployment of U.S. military units to Georgia to support the aid deliveries. That might set the United States and Russia on a collision course"

In straight up words, the US is sending additional troops into Georgia, to shore up the Georgian army, and to engage the Russians.


If you want some real info, click on the tags, I have lots of posts here going back months on the situation in Georgia/ Ossetia/ Abkhazia and more.

Dave McGowan-Laurel Canyon

If you are following the Laurel Canyon series, the next part is up!
Admit it, you have been waiting for it...................... ok, I have been.

Inside The LC: The Strange but Mostly True Story of Laurel Canyon and the Birth of the Hippie Generation
Part IX

If you have missed this at all??? ....... Ah , where have you been? Read it all.

Programmed to Kill is referenced in the article, the first six chapters to that book are on the rightside of the blog, available to read. Seriously though, get the book!

National Geographic: CIA Secret Experiments & relevant interview

"The CIA launches a highly classified, top secret research program into the covert use of biological and chemical agents. In simulated attacks on enemy populations, entire cities in America are contaminated with bacteria, exposing millions of Americans to germ warfare. But the real focus of the research is on mastering the art of mind control. Psychiatrists at top academic institutions work under secret contract with the agency. Psychiatric patients, prisoners, even unwitting members of the public are exposed to a startling array of experiments designed to facilitate interrogations, induce amnesia and program in new behavior. Every psychological technique is explored, including hypnosis, electroshock therapy and lethal cocktails of drugs. What was the extent of these brainwashing experiments? How did the CIA become involved in such far-reaching and disturbing research?"

Though it sticks to the "official line" of the CIA ( we were not successful, though we destroyed every document) It is still a must see!

CIA Secret Experiments


A must listen interview, with the only attorney for Sirhan Sirhan

Lawrence Teeter

From what I read, when Lawrence Teeter died, it was reported his home was ransacked and his computers stolen.

A Chinese Pipeline that undercuts the Baku/Tiblisi/Ceyhan Pipeline

CENTRAL ASIA, WASHINGTON AND BEIJING ENERGY GEO-POLITICS

by F. William Engdahl
January 3, 2006

On December 15,(05) the state-owned China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) inaugurated an oil pipeline running from Kazakhstan to northwest China. That pipeline will undercut the geopolitical significance of the Washington-backed Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline which opened this past summer amid big fanfare and support from Washington. The geopolitical chess game for the control of the energy flows of Central Asia and overall of Eurasia from the Atlantic to the China Sea is sharply evident in the latest developments.

Making the Kazakh-China oil pipeline link even more politically interesting, from the standpoint of an emerging Eurasian move towards some form of greater energy independence from Washington, is the fact that China is reportedly considering asking Russian companies to help it fill the pipeline with oil, until Kazakh supply is sufficient. Initially, half the oil pumped through the new 200,000 barrel-a-day pipeline will come from Russia because of insufficient output from nearby Kazakh fields, Kazakhstan's Vice Energy Minister, Musabek Isayev, said November 30 in Beijing.

That means closer China-Kazakh-Russia energy cooperation--the nightmare scenario of Washington.

Simply put, the United States stands to lose major leverage over the entire strategic Eurasian region with the latest developments. The Kazakh developments also have more than a little to do with the fact that the Washington war drums are beating loudly against Iran.

HMMM????

Russia/Ossetia/Georgia Update: Russia will stop action

Tuesday August 12th/08

Russia's Medvedev halts military action in Georgia

Not so sure they are withdrawing troops at this time.
Wait and see is all we can do.

Monday August 11th/08
The gamble taken by the President of Georgia, is perhaps not turning out as he had hoped?
But then it is early days, or not?

At this time, it appears Russia in entering Georgia , through two fronts South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
click on the pic to enlarge



It is being reported that Georgia has taken the strategic town of Gori.

Georgia today claimed that Russian forces had overrun the strategic city of Gori as troops prepared to defend the capital Tbilisi from what one official called a "total onslaught".

Georgian soldiers fled Gori, 17 miles from the border with rebel South Ossetia, in panic and disarray, clinging to the sides of cars and vehicles as they sped out of town. A Georgian armoured personnel carrier was in flames on the street, a victim of an apparent sudden rout.

While the Georgian President, may have possibly faced danger in Gori, his "secret service" knew what needed to be done. (Unlike George Bush on 9/11, but then maybe he was never in any danger and they knew it)

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili was forced to take cover while in Gori


Good article here:
Putin calls Bush's bluff on Georgia

Vince Li -UPDATE August 14th/08

Well there were questions about Li's citizenship and it is being reported, that he is a Canadian and cannot be deported.

Li arrived in Canada on June 11, 2001, at the Vancouver International Airport as a permanent resident with a computer programming job already lined up. He was joined by his wife, Anna. He had no prior criminal record.

The couple lived in B.C. before eventually heading to Winnipeg where Li worked as a forklift operator. His wife worked at several Chinese restaurants.

According to sources, Li became a full-fledged citizen on Nov. 7, 2006. It was around this time he left his wife and moved to Edmonton, where he worked various jobs including in the automotive department at Wal-Mart and delivering newspapers and flyers.

As a citizen, Li is entitled to full immunity from deportation regardless of the outcome of his criminal case.

His mental health is expected to be the only issue as the case moves forward.

a bit of info on Permanent Residence status
So where was the job, with what business or company and why did he not hold it?

The Windingo made him do it?

Just ten days before the killings Li delivered papers which contained an extensive interview with an ethno historian on the Windingo phenomena.

The two-page feature talked about how, in the late 1800s and into the 20th century, Windigo "encounters" haunted communities across northern Alberta and resulted in dozens of gruesome deaths. Here is the feature from July 2oth

I am not getting the parallels.

There was only one case of someone ever being hung, who was possessed by the "windingo" and all the other deaths associated with this "phenomena" were attributed to the allegedly possessed persons being killed by others.

Interestingly, Swift Runner is the only documented case Carlson can find of someone killing others because he thought he was possessed by a Windigo.

All other deaths he can document were cases of "Windigo executions," where others have killed the person believed to be possessed. They were acts of self-preservation, attempts to protect their community.

This sounds like alot of baloney, in my opinion to bolster the insanity story, which as is reported is a foregone conclusion, despite the reporting of drugs being ingested on the bus? Di Vince Li ingest drugs and what drugs were they?


Thursday August 14th UPDATE:

why is the Edmonton Sun rehashing the Windigo story , AGAIN?
'I just need to know'

this time it is a different columnist, but it is essentially the same story.
MICHELLE THOMPSON
except with this notable difference:

"Police are now probing whether Vince Li - accused of killing, butchering and cannibalizing his Greyhound seat-mate - may have acted criminally after reading about a cannibalistic spirit in the newspapers he delivered

Hoping to clear his conscience, Carlson contacted RCMP, advising them of the potential link between the article and the Greyhound slaying. Officers working at the Portage la Prairie RCMP station were receptive to his concerns and told Carlson they would take his information seriously."

As I said on Monday, to bolster the insanity story.

The important questions, the woman on the bus? the drug useage? Still nothing on that.
Is this going to be the case made against him? Insanity, possessed by the windigo?

Georgia announces they have withdrawn from South Ossetia

Is it true, though? We'll wait and see.

A senior Georgian security official says his country's troops have withdrawn from the breakaway province of South Ossetia.

Alexander Lomaia said Sunday Georgia's troops have pulled back to new positions outside South Ossetia.

Russia's military has disputed the claim.

Earlier, Georgia's National Security Council head confirmed that Georgian forces have pulled back from Tskhinvali, South Ossetia's capital.

Russian and South Ossetian forces are reported to be in firm control there.

If it is indeed true, I suspected this would be the case.

An interesting twist to this is also the role of the Ukraine, who all of a sudden and despite an agreement they have in place, has said they may bar Russian ships from returning to their base in Crimea, despite the fact they have an agreement to do just that until 2017

"A 1997 agreement between Russia and Ukraine lets the Black Sea Fleet remain in Sevastopol through 2017,"

The reason for this decision is "the deployment of a Russian naval squadron to Georgia's Black sea coast has the potential of drawing Ukraine into the conflict."

Which I think is utter nonsense, if any action has the ability to pull the Ukraine into a conflict, it is this action the Ukraine is considering taking.
Now could this have been one of the other reasons for this hasty decision on Georgia's part?

BTW: the US is very active in the Ukraine also

Blackhawk helicopters to fly the Canada/US border

U.S. tightens security along Great Lakes border

The United States will unveil new border surveillance measures Friday in a move that has one New Democratic MP decrying what he sees as the "weaponization" of the Canada-U.S. frontier

The post will use 11 aircraft, including a Black Hawk helicopter, and five boats to patrol the Great Lakes waterways daily, said Eric Rembold, director of aviation operations at U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

"If we're going to continue to see weaponization that is used in conflicts like Afghanistan and Iraq put on the Canada-U.S. border, saying that it's required for safety and security, it really changes the nature of our relationship," he said.

we are going to learn to love our imprisonment right? In the US and Canada.

Of course I am referring to Fortress World.

Update : Ossetia, Georgia conflict.

Update South Ossetia: 1500 civilian casualties reported.

Rehash: Georgia attacks the break-away province, which the word "break-away" is western nonsense, Ossetia, has had it's own government since the early '90's.

Whatever the world thinks Ossetians don't care, they are their own people and country.
So Georgia attacks, why? It appears the US played the biggest hand in this, with Israel and others likely involved. Russia who is sort of the guardian country for Ossetia , since they have had peacekeepers there, for many many years now, and also more then 90 percent of South Ossetians have Russian passports, so it is obvious which way the relationship goes.

anyway, Georgia mostly had overtaken Ossetia, then Russia sent the tanks in and more.

Now Russia is bombing outside of the Ossetian borders, and Abkhazia are also helping in this fight, so it is one huge mess.

Russia says this isn't ending unless Georgia pulls back completely.

This has much to do with NATO encirclement of Russia, and lots to do with a pipeline.

Read this most excellent article here:

Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline - Article: God Save the Shah

good background info

All the war news anyone can stand.

With all the news on the horrific murder in Canada, I realize there is much going on elsewhere in the rest of the world, and this too, is important news.

One event that I have always watched has been the ongoing strife in Georgia, and her two break-away provinces Ossetia and Abkhazia. Things have definitely taken a turn for the worse there in recent days. Ossetia and Abkhazia have had defacto independence for nearly twenty years now, Georgia doesn't want, what it calls, it's territory broken up. Of course their are oil interests at stake here.

The fighting presented the most dangerous crisis in years in the Caucasus region, a key conduit for the flow of oil from the Caspian sea to world markets and an area where violent conflict has flared along the Russia’s outskirts for centuries, most recently in Chechnya.

It looks like Georgia has attacked Ossetia at this point in time, both by air and land.

" Georgian troops and warplanes pounded separatist forces around the capital of its breakaway South Ossetia region"

With Russia threatening retaliation for the attack, as Russian citizens were killed in the attack.


This coupled with the virtual OK, given by Condoleeza Rice, for an attack on Iran, by Israel.

Rice: US won't tell Israel yes or no

Makes a 3rd world war seem just on the horizon


Updated: Georgian army moves to retake South Ossetia
dramatic video available at story

Did Vince Li have a sponsor, who sponsored and other questions

So it seems, that for today anyway, it is relatively quiet on the news sites regarding the Greyhound attack. I will definitely post any news I come across as soon as I see it.

But someone did leave an interesting comment here. This was the first I had even thought of it, so it is good that many others are thinking about this situation, and making some good points to boot.

Here's what was left"

Anonymous said...

Great Site Penny! The Best!

When Li and his wife came over from China, they would of had to have someone sponsor them in order to get into Canada.

A sponsor is legally responsible for each person for ten years.

Li and his wife must of had some family over here to get them in.

I wonder who it was that sponsored them. Perhaps someone from the church if there was no family??????

August 6, 2008 8:28 PM

Has anyone seen anything reported with regards to this? I have not.
Did Vince Li or his wife have family here? Who sponsored them?
Where are the sponsors? Did they still have responsibility to either Vince Li or wife after 4 years? If they did, should they not have ensured that , if it is true that Li was having mental health issues as put forth by the anonymous friend, Li would see a doctor? I don't know anything about this kind of stuff at all, I'll admit it up front, but it is an interesting question.
I did find this sort of general info page on immigration to Canada
But, there is no specific time given to how long a sponsor is responsible for the person they have sponsored. In reading there I see that a security clearance is required, so one must assume that Li had clearance from China.

Reverend Phelps to picket McLeans Funeral?

Well it wouldn't quite be a media circus without the appearance of these insane people.
Or the threat of their appearance?

'God is punishing Canada'.

A fundamentalist church group from the U.S. has announced it plans to picket the funeral of Tim McLean Jr. in Winnipeg, declaring, "God is punishing Canada."

Led by pastor Fred Phelps, the Westboro Baptist Church from Kansas issued a release saying they would picket McLean's funeral this weekend.

The notorious Westboro hate mongers, are going to picket the funeral?
Talk about attention hounds and nothing else.
Hopefully they will not follow through.

UPDATED:

No one from the church of christian extemists showed up at the funeral.
I am happy for that family for that

McLean funeral not interrupted by U.S. protesters

The mysterious stacey, solved or not ?

I don't quite know what to say about this latest twist in the greyhound saga, and it is indeed a twist.

The mysterious "stacey" who it was reported was on the bus with Tim Mclean, in several news outlets and as the anonymous poster noted, indeed, texted his father and asked for permission for this person "Stacey" to stay at the house.

In the Globe& Mail archive for Friday August 1, which you can find here

Here is what was reported: "Mr. McLean had asked his father, in a text message sent Wednesday evening, if it would be all right if a girl named Stacey stayed with them once he arrived in Winnipeg."


Though later news stories have him texting his Dad and asking if he could stay the night, and the entire Stacey part is dropped. Hmm?

In my humble opinion, kids don't do that, they just go home, and assume it is ok to stay , because it always is. Then, they help themselves to all sorts of stuff in the house, LOL!


The latest news on this "stacey" is that she wasn't on the bus.
This news story indicates that the RCMP got a signed statement from a friend of the victims claiming he made it up and that is it? Oh and they have spoken to the girl?

Here

"Police have obtained a signed statement from the source of the rumour confirming it is pure speculation, and the RCMP's British Columbia major crimes unit has spoken to the girl."


As the anonymous poster said here, did they go to the source, check the facts???

Lets see , check for plane ticket, check to confirm purchase, check that the girl was indeed on the plane, talk to other passengers on the plane, talk to the carnival people etc., etc. If anyone else can think of more, great, but the article doesn't indicate that? The signed statement could have easily been coerced to close up this angle on the story.

Another thing....In the long recount, available here, made by Garnet Caton , he indicates that the killer was sitting with a woman, had a cigarette with her on the stop, and when they re-entered the bus, the killer sat with Tim Mclean, this is consistent with the story on the woman named "Stacey" that she was travelling with, but not sitting beside Tim Mclean.

I don't know what to make of this, it is indeed a head-scratcher.