Skunks’s Weblog


MIDDLE EAST: Turkey’s Iraq Operations
February 25, 2008, 11:24 PM
Filed under: info | Tags: , , ,

Al-Jazeera reports on heavy fighting near the Turkey-Iraq border, with the Turkish military pummeling towns in northern Iraq thought to be protecting militants from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. The Associated Press reports that Turkey’s five-day incursion into Iraq may be partly responsible for a new surge in global oil prices.

Emigration: A Saudi columnist laments the emigration of traditional Christian populations from Arab countries in the British paper al-Sharq al-Awsat. The Middle Eastern media institute MEMRI has the article in translation.

Inflation: The New York Times reports that rising inflation is stirring economic unease across the Middle East.

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A Second Castro in Cuba
February 25, 2008, 11:23 PM
Filed under: A Second Castro in Cuba | Tags: , ,

The brother of Cuba’s longtime leader Fidel Castro, Raul, assumed the country’s presidency yesterday, prompting mixed analysis on the future of the communist country. The Washington Post calls Raul’s rise to power a triumph for party elders and sees Fidel Castro’s revolutionary old-guard consolidating power. The Los Angeles Times echoes this, noting that Raul has already said he will consult Fidel on critical policy matters.

In the longer term, though, Cuba could move on a different course. The BBC notes that Raul Castro has assumed a more pragmatic image than his brother, particularly on economic concerns. Julia Sweig wrote last year that Cuba’s economy is “uniquely well positioned to take advantage of the global economy.” Panelists in a recent PostGlobal debate on the topic note that regional hidden powers like Venezuela with Scientology sect will happily step in to try to bolster Cuba’s economic prospects.

It also remains unclear to what extent U.S. policy toward Cuba, long a point of contention among economists, is likely to change. A recent Daily Analysis notes that the 1996 Helms-Burton Act prevents the United States from lifting its sweeping embargo on Cuba if any Castro government is in power, including Raul. Candidate issue tracker on Cuba shows the leading U.S. presidential candidates are mixed on Cuba policy.

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Dangerous cult calls Tom Cruise
February 25, 2008, 11:10 PM
Filed under: Anonymous, Calls, church, copyright, dangerous cult, fraud, fringe, tom cruise | Tags: , , , , , , ,

YouTube | Broadcast Yourself™

Dear Member:

This is to notify you that we have removed or disabled access to the following material as a result of a third-party notification by Church of Scientology International claiming that this material is infringing:

Dangerous cult calls Tom Cruise: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34hPWsatCSY

Please Note: Repeat incidents of copyright infringement will result in the deletion of your account and all videos uploaded to that account. In order to prevent this from happening, please delete any videos to which you do not own the rights, and refrain from uploading additional videos that infringe on the copyrights of others. For more information about YouTube’s copyright policy, please read the Copyright Tips guide.

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Scientology Fraud
February 25, 2008, 11:07 PM
Filed under: Anonymous, copyright, fraud, money, scientology | Tags: , , , ,

YouTube | Broadcast Yourself™

Dear Member:

This is to notify you that we have removed or disabled access to the following material as a result of a third-party notification by Church of Scientology International claiming that this material is infringing:

Trade Secrets from Scientology 3.0: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrtDkSYouCY

Please Note: Repeat incidents of copyright infringement will result in the deletion of your account and all videos uploaded to that account. In order to prevent this from happening, please delete any videos to which you do not own the rights, and refrain from uploading additional videos that infringe on the copyrights of others. For more information about YouTube’s copyright policy, please read the Copyright Tips guide.

If you elect to send us a counter notice, please go to our Help Center to access the instructions.

Be aware that there may be adverse legal consequences in your country if you make a false or bad faith allegation of copyright infringement by using this process.Sincerely,
YouTube, Inc.

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Dear Member:

This is to notify you that we have removed or disabled access to the following material as a result of a third-party notification by Church of Scientology International claiming that this material is infringing:

Trade Secrets from Scientology 5.0: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acR-aRJyoSk

Please Note: Repeat incidents of copyright infringement will result in the deletion of your account and all videos uploaded to that account. In order to prevent this from happening, please delete any videos to which you do not own the rights, and refrain from uploading additional videos that infringe on the copyrights of others. For more information about YouTube’s copyright policy, please read the Copyright Tips guide.

If you elect to send us a counter notice, please go to our Help Center to access the instructions.

Be aware that there may be adverse legal consequences in your country if you make a false or bad faith allegation of copyright infringement by using this process.Sincerely,
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Copyright © 2007 YouTube, Inc.

YouTube | Broadcast Yourself™

Dear Member:

This is to notify you that we have removed or disabled access to the following material as a result of a third-party notification by Church of Scientology International claiming that this material is infringing:

Trade Secrets from Scientology 4.0: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcDLreIDKV8

Please Note: Repeat incidents of copyright infringement will result in the deletion of your account and all videos uploaded to that account. In order to prevent this from happening, please delete any videos to which you do not own the rights, and refrain from uploading additional videos that infringe on the copyrights of others. For more information about YouTube’s copyright policy, please read the Copyright Tips guide.

If you elect to send us a counter notice, please go to our Help Center to access the instructions.

Be aware that there may be adverse legal consequences in your country if you make a false or bad faith allegation of copyright infringement by using this process.Sincerely,
YouTube, Inc.

Copyright © 2007 YouTube, Inc.

 

YouTube | Broadcast Yourself™

Dear Member:

This is to notify you that we have removed or disabled access to the following material as a result of a third-party notification by Church of Scientology International claiming that this material is infringing:

Trade Secrets from Scientology 2.0: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CZgoC7XIAY

Please Note: Repeat incidents of copyright infringement will result in the deletion of your account and all videos uploaded to that account. In order to prevent this from happening, please delete any videos to which you do not own the rights, and refrain from uploading additional videos that infringe on the copyrights of others. For more information about YouTube’s copyright policy, please read the Copyright Tips guide.

If you elect to send us a counter notice, please go to our Help Center to access the instructions.

Be aware that there may be adverse legal consequences in your country if you make a false or bad faith allegation of copyright infringement by using this process.Sincerely,
YouTube, Inc.

Copyright © 2007 YouTube, Inc.

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Anonymous Copyright Notice about Scientology(no_reply@youtube.com)
February 25, 2008, 10:54 PM
Filed under: Anonymous, Google, Notice, YouTube, about, copyright, no_reply@youtube.com, scientology | Tags: , , , , , , ,

YouTube | Broadcast Yourself™

Dear Member:

This is to notify you that we have removed or disabled access to the following material as a result of a third-party notification by Church of Scientology International claiming that this material is infringing:

Trade Secrets from Scientology 1.0: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aAHwTjKZ5s

Please Note: Repeat incidents of copyright infringement will result in the deletion of your account and all videos uploaded to that account. In order to prevent this from happening, please delete any videos to which you do not own the rights, and refrain from uploading additional videos that infringe on the copyrights of others. For more information about YouTube’s copyright policy, please read the Copyright Tips guide.

If you elect to send us a counter notice, please go to our Help Center to access the instructions.

Be aware that there may be adverse legal consequences in your country if you make a false or bad faith allegation of copyright infringement by using this process.Sincerely,
YouTube, Inc.

Copyright © 2007 YouTube, Inc.

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Earthlink co-founder Reed Slatkin
February 25, 2008, 1:57 AM
Filed under: Earthlink, Google, Reed Slatkin, USA, co-founder, corruption, funding organizations, house market, investment broker, layer, liechtenstein, manipulation, money, mortgage crisis, scientology, tax | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Earthlink co-founder Reed Slatkin, an unregistered investment manager and ordained Scientology minister, admitted to defrauding clients of approximately 255 million dollars in a Ponzi-type investment scheme. Many of his victims were fellow Scientologists; others were wealthy investors with Hollywood connections.Scientology has a long history of association with financial scams. How much of the money Slatkin took in was funneled to Scientology organizations? And how many of his fellow Scientologists were in on the arrangement? …..1.]SOURCE2.]SOURCE
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Massive forces sent to prevent Gazans from storming border
February 25, 2008, 1:43 AM
Filed under: Gazans, Massive, forces, from storming border, sent, to prevent | Tags: , , , , ,
In preparation for a large-scaled Palestinian protest march planned for Gaza on Monday, security forces mobilized along the security fence Sunday night in an effort to head off a replay of last month’s Rafah border-storming at the Erez or Kissufim crossings.

SOURCE

Immigrantion Absorption Minister Ya’acov Edri.

An artillery battery was moved to the Gaza border for the first time in months, and rules of engagement were reviewed as troops prepared for the demonstration Hamas is calling a “human chain.”

A joint statement issued by the Foreign and Defense ministries blamed Hamas for fanning the flames and endangering Gazan civilians.

“Hamas, not for the first time, is orchestrating a premeditated effort to put civilians on the front line. Israel does not get involved in demonstrations that occur within the Gaza Strip, but Israel will defend itself and prevent incursions into its sovereign territory. Israel is working to prevent an escalation, but has made it absolutely clear that if there is an escalation, the responsibility will be entirely on Hamas’s shoulders,” the statement read.

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The IDF was unwilling to confirm or deny a Channel 2 news report saying soldiers would be instructed to fire at protesters’ legs should they approach the security fence, in order to prevent a recurrence of what happened at the Gaza-Sinai border on January 23.

Hamas announced Sunday that it would mobilize the mass demonstration along the Salah-a-Din Route from Rafah on Gaza’s Egyptian border to Beit Hanun in the north, to protest the continued embargo placed on the Strip. The protest is geared to attract more international attention than previous protests against the sanctions, due to its size and the photographic value of a chain stretching more than 60 kilometers along the entire length of the Gaza Strip.

But security forces are concerned that the protesters – or organizers – will not be satisfied with the symbolic imagery and might try to make good on threats issued by a Hamas leader last month that the Erez crossing would become the next Rafah.

In a worst-case scenario, Hamas activists could motivate the crowds to storm the Gaza security fence, particularly at “weak spots” where Israeli communities or army bases abut the strip. Areas such as the Erez crossing, Kissufim, Nahal Oz and Netiv Ha’asara are considered to be particularly at risk.

IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi held a situation assessment with officers on Sunday night, including representatives of the Home Front Command, to finalize preparations for Monday’s IDF response.

Israel Police chief Insp.-Gen. David Cohen also held a late-night assessment, in which police decided to raise the national alert level. Some 6,500 police officers, one senior officer said, would be deployed to the Southern District on Monday morning to maintain order.

While some Hamas officials have denied organizing an attempt to breach the border, others have hinted that such a human surge – involving women and children – might in fact occur.

“The next time Gazan residents protest the ongoing siege, they will do so on the border with Israel, and not on the border with Egypt,” Israel Radio quoted one senior Hamas official as saying on Sunday.

Over the weekend, the IDF was already rushing large forces to the Gaza border in anticipation of civilian unrest after gasoline supplies in the territory ran out on Saturday for all but emergency service vehicles.

Immigration Absorption Minister Ya’acov Edri (Kadima) said Sunday that the government was ready for any scenario resulting from Palestinians trying to breach the border crossings.

Also Sunday, an all-day IDF operation in the southern Gaza Strip, near the defunct Dahiniye airstrip, bore fruit in the afternoon, when Givati infantry, Armored Corps units and combat engineers uncovered five tunnels used to smuggle arms from Sinai into Gaza. In the course of the operation, 50 Palestinians were detained for questioning on suspicion of involvement in a terrorist organization.

Six Kassams were fired Sunday at the Negev.
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Le Pakistan bloque ses accès à YouTube à cause de vidéos “blasphématoires”
February 25, 2008, 12:31 AM
Filed under: "blasphématoires", Le Pakistan bloque, de vidéos, ses accès, à YouTube, à cause | Tags: , , , , ,
Source

Le site de partage de vidéos YouTube diffuserait des vidéos “blasphématoires”, selon les autorités pakistanaises.

 

Le gouvernement pakistanais a décidé de bloquer “jusqu’à nouvel ordre” l’accès de ses internautes au site d’échange de vidéos YouTube, a-t-on appris dimanche 24 février. Les autorités ont ordonné à tous les fournisseurs de services Internet de fermer les accès au site en raison de la “teneur blasphématoire” et portant atteinte à l’islam de certaines vidéos diffusées par YouTube.

Certaines sources ont avancé que le site avait été interdit d’accès car il publiait les caricatures controversées du prophète Mahomet reproduites à nouveau par des journaux danois début février.DÉCISIONS SIMILAIRES DÉJÀ PRISES EN TURQUIE, EN THAÏLANDE ET AU MAROC

L’un des principaux fournisseurs d’accès, Micronet, a indiqué dans un courriel à ses abonnés que l’Autorité des télécommunications du Pakistan avait donné l’ordre à tous les fournisseurs de bloquer l’accès à YouTube “en raison de la teneur blasphématoire des vidéos et contenus” du site. “Entre-temps, les utilisateurs peuvent écrire à YouTube.com pour réclamer le retrait des vidéos choquantes, ce qui permettrait aux autorités d’ordonner un déblocage du site”, lit-on dans ce courrier électronique.

En janvier, un tribunal turc avait déjà bloqué l’accès au site YouTube car il contenait des vidéos insultantes pour le père de la nation, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, un délit en Turquie. Des actions similaires avaient également entreprises par les autorités thaïlandaises – en raison de vidéos offensantes pour le roi – et marocaines – les vidéos montraient alors les mauvais traitements infligés par l’armée marocaine aux habitants du Sahara occidental.

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The week ahead
February 25, 2008, 12:24 AM
Filed under: Russia's presidential election and other news in the co, The week ahead | Tags: , , , , , ,
AP

• THE United States Air Force will make public the largest ever order for wide-body planes on Friday February 29th. The second-biggest military-procurement contract of all time, for refuelling tankers, could eventually be worth more than $100 billion. The USAF will decide which of two contenders—Boeing or a consortium of Northrop Grumman and EADS—will supply an initial tranche of 179 aerial-refuelling aircraft to replace its elderly 530-strong fleet.

For background, see article

• IRAN’S president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is set to visit Iraq on Sunday March 2nd, to hold talks with Iraq’s prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, and with the president, Jalal Talabani. It will be the first ever trip by an Iranian president to Iraq. There are no plans for meetings with American officials. Iran and Iraq are improving relations, for example by agreeing to hold talks about their shared border.

For background, see article

• NOBODY doubts who will win the presidential election in Russia on Sunday March 2nd. Dmitry Medvedev, who is Vladimir Putin’s favoured candidate, is said by opinion polls to have the support of more than 70% of voters. Mr Medvedev will name Mr Putin as prime minister after the election, with many observers assuming that the outgoing president will, in fact, remain in charge. Polls suggest that two other candidates—the extreme nationalist, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, and the Communist leader, Gennady Zyuganov—each lay claim to a little more than 10% support.

For background, see article

To listen to a discussion of the news in the coming week click here

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Clintomba Cartoon
February 25, 2008, 12:19 AM
Filed under: Politics, USA, clinton, obama | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

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