A Leader By Any Name Go BOOM!

This photo released by the U.S. Military at a press conference in Baghdad, Iraq Thursday, June 15, 2006, purports to show Abu Ayyub al-Masri who is allegedly the man claiming to be the new al-Qaida in Iraq leader and apparently the same person as a man identified by the nom de guerre Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, according to the U.S. Military, who has claimed to have succeeded Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and vowed to avenge him in threatening web statements in recent days. Image Credit: AP Photo/U.S. Military

This is the guy the U.S. Military put a $50,000 bounty on after al-Zarqawi went BOOM.

There was some confusion about his name but that has all been cleared up now.

Excerpts from AP via Yahoo! News -

U.S. identifies al-Zarqawi's successor
AP - Thu Jun 15, 10:53 AM ET

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military said Thursday the man claiming to be the new al-Qaida in Iraq leader is Abu Ayyub al-Masri, an Egyptian with ties to Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri.

Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, said al-Masri apparently is the same person that al-Qaida in Iraq identified in a Web posting last week as its new leader — Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, a nom de guerre. Al-Muhajer claimed to have succeeded Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in a June 7 U.S. airstrike, and vowed to avenge him in threatening Web statements in recent days.

The military showed a picture of al-Masri wearing a traditional white Arab headdress at a Baghdad news conference. The Afghanistan-trained explosives expert is a key figure in the al-Qaida in Iraq network with responsibility for facilitating the movement of foreign fighters from Syria into Baghdad, Caldwell said.
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Corn "POPS" On Wall Street, With Confidence

A company looking to cash in on the groundswell interest in renewable energy resources brought about by high oil prices and the desire to become less dependent on Islamic resourced products might just offer up an IPO (initial public offering of stock in a company) and see where it goes.

Building new and converting old distilleries may become big business in the processing of corn and other organic matter into Ethanol.

We know that Wall Street is famous for hopping on to, and hyping the next big thing, only to see the rush turn to bust.

So here we go again, from "Dot-Com's" to "Pop-Con's"

This from the New York Post -

IPO HITS THE ETHANOL: VERASUN JUMPS 30%
By PAUL THARP

June 15, 2006 -- Ethanol has hit Wall Street in a wild ride that could create quick billions - or sudden wrecks.

VeraSun Energy Corp., the first big ethanol maker to go public, soared as much as 34 percent in its first day of trading yesterday, closing at $30, up $7, for a 30 percent gain.

The sale created a market value of $2.24 billion - nearly one thousand times higher than its meager first-quarter profits of $2.7 million for the South Dakota corn-mash refinery.

Analysts expect a flood of other stock offerings and debt deals to build the nation's new ethanol refinery system for meeting the huge demand of the pollution-lowering fuel.

Shares of some new ethanol outfits, however, have already hit big bumps, such as Colusa Biomass, whose 6-cent stock is down 94 percent this year, and Headwaters Inc., whose $24.25 stock is off 32 percent this year.

"Ethanol is very hot and could get hotter," said Daniel Welt of Standard & Poor's.

"But it's also very volatile and could be hurt if gasoline prices go down, or there's overbuilding of refineries or a loss of political will for ethanol."

The nation's corn belt is already dotted with more than 100 refineries distilling corn mash into grain alcohol, which is spiked with foul-tasting compounds to prevent if from being taxed as a drinkable liquor.

The booze version sells for upwards of $50 a gallon, compared to the few dollars a gallon it fetches as a fuel additive.

Welt expects heavy consolidation and a rush of private debt to build more refineries - basically giant moonshine stills - in order to meet the national mandate of 4 billion gallons this year, rising to 7.5 billion gallons by 2012.

Even an old Miller beer brewery outside Syracuse, N.Y, is being retrofitted into a refinery to cook upstate corn mash into ethanol.

One gallon of ethanol is blended with 10 gallons of gasoline for the clean-burning fuel.
Also fueling corn's gold rush is the government's 51-cent tax break to distillers for each gallon of ethanol they make.
Link Here>>

Knockout Mouse Ranching - Revisited

Of Mice, Money, Management & Miracles

The business of raising mice for medical research is not just an enterprise where a student researcher “finds” a rare mouse with a peculiar genetic characteristic anymore. It has become “ranching” on steroids where genetic outcomes can be created and delivered through a process called Knockout!

Monday, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced plans to expand the libraries of research knockout mice in the public sector. The goal of this effort was stated that, "In total, NIH anticipates that more than 300 existing mouse mutants will be deposited and made available to the research community over the next two years."

Excerpts from a press release from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) via EurkAlert -

California, Missouri Centers receive funding to expand access to mouse models of human disease
Public release date: 12-Jun-2006 -- Contact: Geoff Spencer - NIH/National Human Genome Research Institute

BETHESDA, Md. – As part of its ongoing effort to build a public, genome-wide library of "knockout" mouse models for the study of human disease, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) today awarded $800,000 to two public mouse repositories to acquire genetically engineered mouse lines not yet widely accessible to researchers.

In the two decades since recombinant DNA technology was first used to produce lines of mice in which specific genes have been disrupted, or "knocked out," such mice have proven to be one of the most powerful tools available to study the function of genes and to create animal models of human disease. Researchers have generated knockout mice to serve as useful models of human diseases such as cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders and even obesity.

"NIH is committed to making knockout mouse models more widely accessible to the biomedical research community," said National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) Director James Battey, M.D., Ph.D., who is chairman of the Trans-NIH Mouse Initiative. "Getting these valuable models into the hands of a wide range of researchers will serve to accelerate our efforts to develop new strategies for understanding and treating human disease."
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To facilitate sharing, the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) supports a network of public repositories that archive and distribute mouse strains. The network includes the Mutant Mouse Regional Resource Centers (MMRRC) at the University of California, Davis; the University of Missouri/Harlan facility in Columbia; the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; and the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine.

Depositing mice in centralized repositories ensures ready availability of lines at a reasonable cost, standardizes the animals' health status and guarantees long-term preservation of lines. However, more than 3,000 of the approximately 4,000 knockout mouse lines described in the scientific literature have not yet been placed in public repositories. To increase the availability of these mouse models, the NIH Knockout Mouse Project has initiated an effort to encourage more NIH-supported researchers to place their knockout mouse lines into public repositories.
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"We are very pleased that the NCRR's network of mouse repositories will be working together to carry out this effort. The network has an excellent track record of acquiring, maintaining and distributing mutant mouse lines. By leveraging existing infrastructure and resources, we will be able to make these mice available to researchers in a timely, cost-effective manner," said NCRR Acting Director Barbara M. Alving, M.D.

The Knockout Mouse Project is a trans-NIH initiative that aims to produce, in the next five years, a comprehensive resource of mouse mutants in which each of the approximately 20,000 genes in the mouse genome has been knocked out. The resource will greatly enhance the already considerable value of the mouse in the study of human health and disease.
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Yesterday, I was given a bit of perspective about Genomes and other natural phenomena while listening to Dennis Prager interview Francis Collins, the director of the US National Human Genome Research Institute.

In his book, "The Language of God", Francis Collins claims there is a rational basis for a creator and that scientific discoveries bring man “closer to God”.

Excerpts from the Sunday Times - Britain -

I’ve found God, says man who cracked the genome
By Steven Swinford - The Sunday Times - June 11, 2006

THE scientist who led the team that cracked the human genome is to publish a book explaining why he now believes in the existence of God and is convinced that miracles are real.
Francis Collins, the director of the US National Human Genome Research Institute, claims there is a rational basis for a creator and that scientific discoveries bring man “closer to God”.

His book, The Language of God, to be published in September, will reopen the age-old debate about the relationship between science and faith. “One of the great tragedies of our time is this impression that has been created that science and religion have to be at war,” said Collins, 56.

“I don’t see that as necessary at all and I think it is deeply disappointing that the shrill voices that occupy the extremes of this spectrum have dominated the stage for the past 20 years.”
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“When you have for the first time in front of you this 3.1 billion-letter instruction book that conveys all kinds of information and all kinds of mystery about humankind, you can’t survey that going through page after page without a sense of awe. I can’t help but look at those pages and have a vague sense that this is giving me a glimpse of God’s mind.”

Collins joins a line of scientists whose research deepened their belief in God. Isaac Newton, whose discovery of the laws of gravity reshaped our understanding of the universe, said: “This most beautiful system could only proceed from the dominion of an intelligent and powerful being.”
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“I see God’s hand at work through the mechanism of evolution. If God chose to create human beings in his image and decided that the mechanism of evolution was an elegant way to accomplish that goal, who are we to say that is not the way,” he says.

“Scientifically, the forces of evolution by natural selection have been profoundly affected for humankind by the changes in culture and environment and the expansion of the human species to 6 billion members. So what you see is pretty much what you get.”
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His epiphany came when he went hiking through the Cascade Mountains in Washington state. He said: “It was a beautiful afternoon and suddenly the remarkable beauty of creation around me was so overwhelming, I felt, ‘I cannot resist this another moment’.”

Collins believes that science cannot be used to refute the existence of God because it is confined to the “natural” world. In this light he believes miracles are a real possibility. “If one is willing to accept the existence of God or some supernatural force outside nature then it is not a logical problem to admit that, occasionally, a supernatural force might stage an invasion,” he says.
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I guess it can be said in accordance with the beliefs of Francis Collins, the director of the US National Human Genome Research Institute, the medical miracles derived from Knockout Mouse Ranching are just an extension of God's power and design.

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To ...

First there were Lawyers, then came Politicians, and then Used Car Salesmen/Lobbyists. Now we have a new species of Shark discovered off of the coast of South Carolina.

It was discovered through DNA analysis, that there exists two completely different species of scalloped hammerhead shark.

No additional information on the significance in the difference between the two species was offered.

Excerpts From AP via Yahoo! News -

S.C. scientists find new shark species
Associated Press - Mon Jun 12, 11:26 PM ET

COLUMBIA, S.C. - A new genetically distinct species of hammerhead shark, the ninth recognized species of hammerhead, has been discovered off the South Carolina coast, scientists say.

The new species appears to be rare and lives off the South Carolina coast. Classified under the genus sphyrna, will be called the "cryptic species" for the time being.

Joe Quattro, a biology professor at the University of South Carolina, worked with Jim Grady of the University of New Orleans and Trey Driggers of the National Marine Fisheries Service in making the find.

Quattro discovered the new species while studying along the coast with biologists from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

Quattro and his colleagues found that genes in the mitochondrial DNA — the DNA passed from mother sharks to their offspring — differed significantly among sharks that were classified as scalloped hammerhead sharks.
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"This cryptic shark was genetically distinct," said Quattro, whose research was published recently in the journal, Marine Biology.

Scalloped hammerheads are common along the coast and sharks of the cryptic species were found from Florida to North Carolina. The newborn cryptic sharks, however, were found mainly along the South Carolina coast.

"The apparent abundance of the cryptic species in coastal South Carolina could be a result of sampling, but it might also highlight the fact that the South Carolina bays are the more important nursery grounds for the cryptic species," Quattro said.
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Because they seem to have a narrow geographic distribution, the sharks may be at greater risk for extinction.

"If South Carolina's waters are the primary nursery grounds for the cryptic species and females gather here to reproduce, these areas should be conservation priorities," Quattro said.
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The big difference here is that we may protect the habitat of real sharks, but we would never consider making Washington a safe zone from sharks of the human kind.

Bankless Banking - The Dawn Of A New Age

There was a time that in order to prove you had "roots" and were a steady, contributing member of society ... you needed to establish a bank account. As a teenager, it was a right of passage and recognition that you had "arrived" as a near adult.

That bit of our overall culture is gone - for good! With the flood of undocumented aliens entering and being allowed to participate, virtually unfettered, in our capitalistic good fortune, how does the money handling side of our economy make it easier for these people to access goods and services?

The Answer: "Bankless Banking" through pre-paid cash cards.

This from the Progressive Grocer -

Mexican Grocers Association to Provide Discover Prepaid Cards in 120,000-plus Stores
Progressive Grocer Magazine - JUNE 12, 2006

-- BRADENTON, Fla. -- Morgan Beaumont, Inc., a technology solution provider to the stored-value and prepaid card market and owner of the SIRE Network, said on Friday it has signed an exclusive agreement with Competisys Corp. to provide prepaid cards from Discover Network to the Mexican American Grocers Association (MAGA) channel of more than 120,000 grocery stores.

As part of the agreement, all of the MAGA stores that participate will also become members of the SIRE Network. Additionally, Competisys has signed an exclusive agreement with Morgan Beaumont to offer SIRE Network services, stored-value cards, and other financial services via their self-service kiosks.

"An estimated one-third of U.S.-born Hispanic residents and more than half of all Mexican immigrants lack bank accounts," said William Prentice, c.e.o. of Competisys, in a statement. "This agreement will enable us to provide an important, underserved market with financial tools designed specifically for their purchasing and payment needs. By 2009, Hispanics will account for approximately 1 trillion dollars in total purchasing power nationwide. We are projecting that we will be servicing the financial needs of several million consumers in the next three to five years."

As part of these agreements, Morgan Beaumont will be providing a variety of prepaid cards from Discover Network, including gift, payroll, and general spending.

The first shipment of Discover Network prepaid cards under the agreement is expected to occur in August 2006.
Link Here>>

Discover (the dilution of) America through the Discover Network!

If only we could inculcate a sense of citizenship as easy as these cards give a sense of financial freedom. Unfortunately, we are dealing with a group of people who would rather swear allegiance to AZTLAN than "America"!

Strong Is As Strong Does

After the elimination of al-Zarqawi, Iraq has the chance to seize the initiative on the emotional and political war on terror within Iraq by standing up a proper democratic government.

In an opinion published in the New York Post, Nouri al-Maliki, prime minister of the new Republic of Iraq, affirms the commitment our effort has shown by standing strong on the type of efforts this young government needs to embrace on which to gain the confidence of the Iraqi people, the respect of its neighbors, and the support of democracies throughout the world.

Excerpts from the New York Post -

AN IRAQI STRATEGY FOR SAVING IRAQ
By NOURI AL-MALIKI - June 12, 2006 - BAGHDAD, IRAQ

THE completion of the national unity government Thursday in Iraq marks the starting point for repaying Iraqis' commitment to and thirst for democracy. We are at this juncture thanks to the bravery of the soldiers, police and citizens who have paid the highest price to give Iraq its freedom. Our national unity government will honor these sacrifices by pursuing an uncompromising agenda to deliver security and services to the Iraqi people and to combat rampant corruption.
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We will draw on the country's untapped workforce to kick-start extensive reconstruction, put into motion an initiative for genuine national reconciliation, and increase the intensity and efficacy of building the military and police.

We will embark on a national reconciliation initiative, to begin to heal the divisions and wounds brought on by Saddam Hussein's dictatorial rule and further widened by terrorism. This, along with genuine cooperation among all of Iraq's ethnic and religious groupings in this national unity government, will allow us to pursue the terrorists with maximum force.

We will launch an initiative to secure the capital and confront the ethnic cleansing that is taking place in many areas around it. We will meet head-on the armed gangs and terrorists who we believe constitute the main threat to security. Furthermore, we will develop and strengthen the country's intelligence services, which represent the best form of defense against terrorist bombings.
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This government will implement Law 91 to incorporate the militias into the national security services.
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We will also fight corruption from the top down. We will revamp and strengthen our anti-corruption watchdog, the Commission for Public Integrity, and initiate necessary political, economic and civil reforms. This will include gradual reductions in government subsidies, which impede Iraq's economic recovery and abet corruption, coupled with the establishment of a social security program for the least privileged.
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Finally, to achieve this vision, it is necessary that Iraq's neighbors not interfere in its internal matters. While some neighboring countries provided refuge for many Iraqis during the rule of the dictatorial Baathist regime, this does not give them a right to meddle in Iraq now or turn a blind eye to terrorists' operations.

Iraqis have elected a national unity government that will always put national interests ahead of sectarian or ethnic agendas. This government will support the judiciary in relentlessly pursuing the murderers and kidnappers who have blighted Iraqi society. With the help of the international community and regional partners, we will be able to defeat the terrorist groups in Iraq.

The scale of the task ahead is humbling. Iraqis have time and time again demonstrated their patience and perseverance in the face of many challenges. With our allies, we will also persevere to make Iraq a prosperous democracy in the heart of the Middle East.
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May we all become believers and supporters in the success of the new Iraq. Long live the vision and efforts of Nouri al-Maliki, prime minister of the Republic of Iraq.

USA Hope Glimmers At The 'Football' World Cup

By many reports, the USA soccer team is good enough to be considered among the top ten teams in terms of talent when they take to the field in Germany for their first match in the 2006 FIFA World Cup tournament.

The game matches the USA against the Czech Republic and will be broadcast June 12 at 18:00 CET - that would be Monday morning at 9:00 am - on ESPN2.

The jersey colors for the game will be -
USA: navy blue shirt, navy blue shorts, navy blue socks
Czech Republic: white shirt, white shorts, white socks

This posting will be updated with the results after the game on Monday.

Excerpts from FIFAworldcup.com -

US ambition poses threat to Czechs
by FIFAworldcup.com - June 7, 2006

On 12 June at 18:00 CET, the Czech Republic and the United States will meet up in Gelsenkirchen to kick off their FIFA World Cup (TM) campaigns. With both teams desperate to take points from their opening game in a difficult-looking Group E, tension levels at the FIFA World Cup Stadium Gelsenkirchen are bound to be high.
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The players

The Czechs will be keen to confirm their status as one of the finest attack-minded sides on the continent and build on the impressive form they showed in reaching the semi-finals at the UEFA European Championship in Portugal two years ago. With Pavel Nedved back from temporary international retirement, towering striker Jan Koller recovered from the knee injury that threatened his participation, and a raft of talent that includes recent Arsenal signing Tomas Rosicky, Milan Baros and Petr Cech, the Czechs will be keen to make their 'debut' at the FIFA World Cup a resounding success.

The USA, for their part, are hunting for a first-ever finals win on European soil and are keen to maintain a recent run of progress that culminated in their quarter-final appearance four years ago in Korea/Japan. Now, as then (when they defeated Portugal), they started against European heavyweights and the pundits gave them little hope of survival. Coach Bruce Arena has assembled a squad of strong campaigners led by the European trio of Claudio Reyna, DaMarcus Beasley and Brian McBride, LA-based playmaker Landon Donovan and the outstanding Bundesliga-based keeper Kasey Keller.

How they qualified

Whereas the Americans coasted through their North, Central American and Caribbean qualifying campaign - finishing in first place over arch-rivals Mexico for the first time in their history - the Czechs struggled a little bit. Finishing five points off the pace set by Netherlands in European qualifying Group 1, they were forced to sweat it out in the play-offs with Norway where, thanks to the return of Nedved, they pulled off a 2-0 aggregate win.

Previous meetings

The two sides have never met in a FIFA World Cup finals as this will be the Czech Republic's first foray following separation from Czechoslovakia. As one half of the old country, they hammered USA 5-1 in their opening game at Italia 90.

Tournament history

A lot of time has passed since then and given the USA's impressive development, Arena will be fancying his side's chances. After reaching the semi-finals with a largely foreign-born side at the first finals in Uruguay in 1930, the USA pulled off a shock by beating England in Brazil in 1950. For the next 40 years, they wallowed in the wilderness only returning to the finals in 1990. After hosting the event in 1994 and finishing with the worst record in 1998, the Americans - with a new professional league in the MLS, and a sudden and unprecedented interest in the world's game - have come on in leaps and bounds as their fairy tale run in 2002 attests.

The Czechs, on the other hand, are debutants in name alone. As Czechoslovakia they qualified for eight FIFA World Cups (TM) and even reached the Final on two occasions (1934 and 1962) - that is more Final games than England or France.

Key contest

The most crucial individual contests on the pitch will surely revolve around the playmaking battle between Donovan and Nedved. It will also be interesting to see whether veteran US centre-back Eddie Pope can handle the Czech attacking duo of Koller and Baros.

All will be revealed on 12 June.

The coaches

Now in his ninth year with the team, Arena is the longest-serving coach in US football history. Known as an outstanding man-manager, the often brusque boss is renowned for getting the best out of his boys. That will be a necessary component if the US are to hold out any hopes of proving their new credentials on European soil, especially up against Karel Bruckner - who is not known as 'The Magician' by accident.
Link Here>>

UPDATE, June 12,2006:

Hope dims as the USA team plays "flat" against the Czech Republic.

USA, 0 - Czech Republic, 3

The Warning From Mourning Iraqi Al-Qaida

It has taken a few days now, but the warnings of reprisal attacks are just now being issued.

Unlike the day after the F-16 attack and subsequent death of al-Zarqawi, when NBC reporter, Mike Boettcher, claimed that a car bombing in central Baghdad was the first of the "reaction bombings", this warning came from Iraqi Al-Qaida posted at an Islamic militant Web forum where the group has posted statements before.

I am sure that the MSM was just getting out in front of the story ... let's give 'em a pass, after all, al-Zarqawi was just your average "Freedom Fighter", right?

Excerpts from AP via Yahoo! News -

Al-Zarqawi death prompts attack warning
By LEE KEATH, Associated Press Writer - 15 minutes ago

CAIRO, Egypt - Al-Qaida in Iraq vowed Sunday to carry out "major attacks," insisting in a Web statement that it was still powerful after the death of leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

The statement did not name a successor to al-Zarqawi, who was killed by a U.S. airstrike Wednesday. But it said the group's leadership "renews its allegiance" to Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden "will see things that will bring joy to his heart," it said, vowing "to prepare major attacks that will shake the enemy like an earthquake and rattle them out of sleep."

The authenticity of the statement could not be independently confirmed. It was posted on an Islamic militant Web forum where the group has posted statements in the past.

The statement was issued in the name of al-Qaida in Iraq but was put out by the Mujahedeen Shura Council, an umbrella organization of five insurgent groups that al-Zarqawi helped create.
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The message left unknown the issue of who will succeed al-Zarqawi as the group's "emir," or leader.

Thursday's al-Qaida statement was signed by al-Zarqawi's deputy emir, Abu Abdul-Rahman al-Iraqi, and sympathizers quickly flooded Web forums with vows of allegiance to him.

But Sunday's message did not mention his name. There is confusion over whether he is still alive, after the U.S. military said a man named "Abdul-Rahman," whom it identified as al-Zarqawi's spiritual adviser, died in the airstrike alongside his leader.

The U.S. military has said the mostly likely successor is an Egyptian associate of al-Zarqawi named Abu Ayyub al-Masri, who has a $50,000 reward on his head.
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Hail Abu Ayyub al-Masri, may his rule and days be short in number!

What a slight though, a reward of $50,000 vs. $25,000,000 ... couldn't we just add a couple of more zeros for this ZERO? Oh, the shame of it all.

Soon, Abu Ayyub al-Masri go BOOM!

UPDATE June 12, 2006:

Excerpts from AP via Yahoo! News -

Militant chosen to succeed al-Zarqawi
By NADIA ABOU EL-MAGD, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 28 minutes ago

CAIRO, Egypt - Al-Qaida in Iraq said in a Web statement posted Monday that a militant named Abu Hamza al-Muhajer was the group's new leader.
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"Al-Qaida in Iraq's council has agreed on Sheik Abu Hamza al-Muhajer to be the successor for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in the leadership of the organization," said a statement signed by the group on an Islamic militant Web forum where it often posts messages.

It said al-Muhajer was "a beloved brother with jihadi (holy war) experience and a strong footing in knowledge."
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Okay then! Soon, Sheik Abu Hamza al-Muhajer go BOOM - too!

Newt? Why Not Newt For 2008!

Today, it is easy to become confused when one hears what politicions have to say when they discuss the issues that confront us all, "at the end of the day" ... both political parties sound the same.

With Newt Gingrich, this point is never moot. As Speaker of the House, Newt said what he ment and ment what he said - he got things done. In contrast, today our congress has trouble standing up for the current citizens that occupy our country over the millions of illegal aliens while they debate border security and whether to enforce current law ... or not.

Not with Newt.

Excerpts from the Washington Post -

Gingrich May Run in 2008 If No Front-Runner Emerges
By Juliet Eilperin - Washington Post Staff Writer - Saturday, June 10, 2006; Page A04

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) expects to run for president in 2008 if the contest for the Republican nomination still seems wide open late next year, he said yesterday.

In remarks that were critical of both parties' recent performance, Gingrich told a luncheon group of scholars and reporters at the Brookings Institution that he will make a decision in the fall of 2007 about running.

"If at that point there's still a vacuum . . . then we'll probably do something," Gingrich said, adding that his policy pronouncements have more weight if he is seen as a potential presidential candidate. "If you're interested in defining the idea context and the political context for the next generation of Americans, which I am, the most effective way to do that is to be seen as potentially available."
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Though he came to power as a fiery conservative, Gingrich has softened some of his partisanship since leaving office. He has criticized the current House leadership for cracking down on dissent, he appeared last year with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) to back changes in how medical data are shared, and he supports federal funding for alterative energy sources.
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"We have a choice between those who are failing to deliver and those who are unthinkable," he said, adding that he would put "even money" on the Democrats taking back the House this fall. "Neither party currently is where the country is."
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Although DeLay embraced the nickname "The Hammer" while serving as both majority whip and majority leader, Gingrich said he favors a more tolerant form of leadership.

"The Gingrich model of an idea-led, contentious majority . . . is a lot better than a model of 'The Hammer.' A hammer is a relatively dumb symbol," he said, adding that now that DeLay is gone, "the House will become healthier with every passing week. You'll see an emergence of an idea-led Republican majority. The question is whether they'll do it fast enough to save the majority."
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Ever since federal authorities raided Rep. William J. Jefferson's (D-La.) congressional office last month, Gingrich has criticized the Justice Department for overreaching, and he delivered another sharp rebuke yesterday.

"It is an example of the arrogance of this administration toward the legislative branch, and it's intolerable," he said. "If I was speaker, there would be no appropriations to the Justice Department until this is resolved."
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Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Is One Less Living Evil

This is a great "get" on a day that Iraq announces a fully formed Government as the final two cabinet positions are filled. The greening of Iraq begins today with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi "pushin' up daisies".

This morning, on "Imus In The Morning", Don was interviewing Mike Boettcher of NBC News from Baghdad about the Zarqawi air raid and he began to report of another bombing in the streets of central Baghdad where 13 people were killed. Mike stated that the reactions to the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi are already beginning to show with this most recent car bombing (an outrageous assertion).

Don Imus, no fan to the war effort in Iraq, immediately asked Mike Boettcher, "How do we know it's a reaction to that, Mike?" (that the attack on the 13 people was a reaction to the Zarqari death) and Mike stuttered and stated that he really did not know if the event was really connected. When pressed further by Don about the nature of original statement ... Mike's excuse was, "I had a little 'mixed-plus' (feed-back) in my ear". This, from an on-air professional who is comfortable to working with an earpiece in his ear.

Agenda driven media, our next airstrike target?

Excerpts from The Washington Times -

Zarqawi killed in air raid
ASSOCIATED PRESS - June 8, 2006 - 9:09 a.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Abu Musab Zarqawi, the al Qaeda leader in Iraq who waged a bloody campaign of suicide bombings and beheadings of hostages, has been killed in a precision airstrike, U.S. and Iraqi officials said today. It was a long-sought victory in the war in Iraq.

Zarqawi and seven aides, including spiritual adviser Sheik Abdul Rahman, were killed yesterday in a remote area 30 miles northeast of Baghdad in the volatile province of Diyala, just east of the provincial capital of Baqouba, officials said.

"Zarqawi was eliminated," Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said.
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The announcement about Zarqawi's death came six days after he issued an audiotape on the Internet, railing against Shiites in Iraq and saying militias were raping women and killing Sunnis. He urged the community to fight back.

The Jordanian-born terrorist was Iraq's most-wanted militant - as notorious as Osama bin Laden, to whom he swore allegiance in 2004. The United States put a $25 million bounty on his head, the same as bin Laden. Mr. Al-Maliki told al-Arabiya television the bounty would be honored, saying "we will meet our promise," without elaborating.
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Mr. Al-Maliki said yesterday's airstrike by U.S. forces was based on intelligence reports provided to Iraqi security forces by area residents.
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Baqouba has in recent weeks seen a spike in sectarian violence, including the discovery of 17 severed heads in fruit boxes. It also was near the site of a sectarian atrocity last week in which masked gunmen killed 21 Shiites, including a dozen students pulled from minibuses, after separating out four Sunni Arabs.

"Those who disrupt the course of life, like Zarqawi, will have a tragic end," Mr. al-Maliki said. He also warned those who would follow the militant's lead that "whenever there is a new Zarqawi, we will kill him."
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UPDATE - 6-9-2006, al-Zarqawi's Greatest Hits:

ZARQAWI'S FOOTPRINTS

Abu Musab Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, was killed Wednesday in a U.S. air strike at a safe house north of Baghdad. Here is a chronology of some attacks claimed by Zarqawi and his followers:

** Oct. 28, 2002: U.S. diplomat Laurence Foley is fatally shot in Amman, Jordan.

** Aug. 19, 2003: A truck bombing of the United Nations' headquarters in Baghdad kills 23.

** Aug. 29, 2003: More than 85 are killed in a car bombing in Najaf.

** March 2, 2004: At least 181 are killed in suicide bombings and mortar attacks at Shi'ite Muslim shrines in Karbala and Baghdad.

** May 11, 2004: American businessman Nicholas R. Berg is beheaded.

** May 18, 2004: Iraqi Governing Council President Abdel-Zahraa Othman is killed by a car bomb.

** Sept. 16, 2004: British engineer Kenneth Bigley and U.S. engineers Jack Hensley and Eugene "Jack" Armstrong are kidnapped in Baghdad. By Oct. 10, all three men are confirmed beheaded.

** Feb. 28, 2005: A suicide car bomber kills 125 in Hillah.

** Nov. 9, 2005: A triple suicide bombing at hotels in Amman, Jordan, kills 60.

** Feb. 22, 2006: One of Shi'ite Islam's holiest shrines, the Golden Mosque in Samarrah, is destroyed in a bombing, leading to more than 90 reprisal bombings on Sunni mosques.

Sources: Combined wire dispatches from The Washington Times

Going "Organic" May Require A College Degree

One would think that when one reads a label of classification on how a food product is produced that what you read says it all.

Take, for example, the word "ORGANIC" on the package of something you are interested in eating ... what does it really mean?

In order to understand what one is really getting with this classification on the package, one needs to have a degree in law, agriculture, biochemistry, animal husbandry, cattle ranching, and who knows what else and by the time one understands what they are buying ... you've lost your appetite!

Excerpts from U.S.News & World Report -

The Green Invasion
By Betsy Querna - U.S.News & World Report - 6/12/06

Grocery shoppers across America have been witnessing a subtle but revolutionary change on store shelves. Organic products are popping up in the cereal aisle, amid rows of canned goods, and beside bottles of salad dressing. Though organic food has been around for decades, it used to be found mainly in specialty stores like Whole Foods or confined to a tiny corner in the produce section.

Today, most grocery stores stock big organic brands like Earthbound Farm. Wal-Mart plans to double its organic offerings this summer in some stores, and grocers like SuperValu and Safeway recently unveiled organic house brands. Major food companies have grabbed up organic brands. General Mills, for example, owns the organic brands Cascadian Farm and Muir Glen. Some food producers are even rolling out organic versions of existing products. You can now fill your cart with Ragu organic pasta sauce, Snyder's organic pretzels, Orville Redenbacher's organic butter popcorn, and later this summer, organic Kraft macaroni and cheese. "With Wal-Mart in the game and Safeway and just about everyone else, organic is at a tipping point," says Samuel Fromartz, author of the new book Organic, Inc. "It's really gone mainstream."

Getting specific. With so many more choices, consumers may wonder what they're really getting when they buy this newfangled organic food. Though the organic label is often perceived as synonymous with healthful, virtuous, or just plain better, organic has a specific definition, set in 2000 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture after years of varying standards muddled its meaning. In a nutshell, organic produce cannot be grown with pesticides or most synthetic fertilizers, while animals must not be injected with antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic farms undergo a rigorous certification process and are inspected for compliance by an independent agent.

To earn the "100 percent organic" label under the USDA system, a food must contain only organically produced ingredients. Next in line is "organic," in which at least 95 percent of the ingredients must be organic. The other 5 percent must be an approved ingredient. Those are mostly preservatives, thickeners, or other things such as baking soda and spices. Here and with "100 percent organic" foods, consumers may also spot the USDA seal. Products that have at least 70 percent organic ingredients can sport the term "made with organic ingredients." Any less and the food gets no boasting rights beyond noting the organic elements in the list of ingredients. (In some cases, you will see a certifying agent seal. More details are at www.ams.usda.gov/nop.)
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What consumers should do, experts say, is carefully consider each organic purchase. There may be no reason to buy an organic version of a favorite food when its conventional counterpart is little or no different and most likely cheaper. On average, organic food costs 30 to 50 percent more than conventional food. Heinz's Classico pasta sauce usually sells for about $3; the organic version is a dollar more.
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While organic fruits and vegetables do usually have fewer pesticides than their conventional cousins, there is no consensus on how harmful those pesticides are to humans. Joseph Rosen, a professor of food science at Rutgers University who has been studying pesticides for more than 40 years, contends that the amount of pesticides on produce is too small to hurt and that the liver efficiently flushes them out. Other experts dispute that notion, and some shoppers don't want to take the risk.
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A 2003 Environmental Working Group study that looked at USDA pesticide data from more than 100,000 pieces of produce found that those with the most pesticides include strawberries, peaches, nectarines, bell peppers, and spinach. Because of the way they are grown or their heartiness, conventional broccoli, asparagus, mangos, and bananas are less likely to have pesticides.

Recently, several small studies have shown that organic fruits and vegetables might also have higher amounts of protective antioxidants. The thinking: Without pesticides, the plant must rely on its own defenses to shoo away bugs; one way it does this is to make more antioxidants. Still, it's only a hypothesis. "I wouldn't tell my mom or neighbor to go buy organic because it has more antioxidants," says Kathleen Merrigan, director of the agriculture, food, and environment program at Tufts University and an author of the USDA organic standards rule. "I would tell them to buy it because it has fewer pesticides."
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While health concerns motivate many buyers, others prefer organic milk for more humanitarian reasons. Many organic milk producers are small farmers, and their cows are often given more space to roam than cows at large dairies. In fact, major organic dairy producers such as Horizon have come under much criticism for their pasture size. On an Idaho farm that's taken the brunt, the cows "are very comfortable," says Kelly Shea, a Horizon vice president. "They have a nice life." Shea adds that the company is now converting more land to organic there so the cows can have more room and increase their grass consumption. The USDA is currently seeking comments on a rule that would nail down the amount of pasture required for these cows.

On conventional farms, animals are routinely given hormones and antibiotics, which could be passed on to your dinner plate. Though there is no scientific consensus about whether these substances cause health problems, shoppers who want to avoid them can look for other phrases on meat packages. "You are not necessarily going to see the organic label," says Keecha Harris, a national nutrition consultant for the Head Start program. "You are going to see how the animal is raised."
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These days, the biggest organic explosion is in the middle of the store, where the cereals, frozen foods, and processed packaged goods are sold. Experts urge shoppers to remember that the organic label means one thing and one thing only. So the corn in Orville Redenbacher's organic microwave popcorn comes from an organic farm; Heinz's organic ketchup uses organic tomato concentrate and organic sugar. Shoppers still need to flip over those jars and packages and scrutinize the nutrition facts, says Dawn Jackson Blatner, a registered dietitian with Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Organic food and regular food should be viewed with the same skepticism when it comes to calories and fat.
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In the end, nearly everyone--even the most ardent organic fans--recommends that a consumer's first goal be a nutritionally balanced diet. Then the organic decision comes into play. "What people should be doing is getting more fruits and vegetables regardless of whether they're conventional or organic," says Harris. "A cheese puff is a cheese puff is a cheese puff."
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Meanwhile, so I can take a break to figure this stuff out, I am going around the corner to In-N-Out to have a "Double-Double Animal Style" ... hold the fries!