... And Baby, Makes Terror

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... And Baby, Makes Terror

Crime is crime, no matter how it is applied ... but this should shake some people's view of what actions make-up a hate crime ... a different type of hate crime.

These people exploit the theft of supplies that babies need so they can support terror networks, networks that make up bombs that are eventually targeted at everyone - including babies!

There are many in politics (on the left) who believe that this terror war thing is just made up stuff. Terror war only exists because of our current executive administration. Ok!? ... Then just WHO are these guys!!

Excerpts from the Cleveland Plain Dealer -

Baby formula brings millions on black market
Theft rings raise concerns about connection to terrorism
Amanda Garrett and Mark Rollenhagen - Plain Dealer Reporters - Sunday, September 03, 2006

The Cleveland grocer rolled into Akron with $100,000 in cash and a mission.

Hasana Abdalla planned to buy a truckload of stolen baby formula, something he had done more than a dozen times before, a police report said.

But this was a setup.

Local and federal officials swooped in, seized Abdalla's money, impounded his red 2006 Mercedes and arrested him as part of a nationwide crackdown on the lucrative black-market trade in baby formula.

In all, court records indicate six men now face charges in Summit County, including Abdalla and Ramzi Shalash, an Akron convenience store owner who has relatives who have been convicted of dealing in stolen baby formula. Shalash's uncle and two cousins once sold $44 million of formula in just 15 months, according to federal court records and newspaper reports.

Much of the Akron case - including what Shalash and three others are charged with - is a mystery because only a portion of the Aug. 24 indictment is publicly available. It also charges Ahmed Ateyat, 39, of Hickory Hills, Ill., with attempting to receive stolen property.

Since 9/11, federal officials from North Carolina to Texas have broken apart theft rings dealing in massive quantities of baby formula and health and beauty products such as diabetes test strips and contact lens solution.

Most of the theft ringleaders arrested have been of Middle Eastern descent. Federal officials have repeatedly said they worry the black-market profits may be funding terror, but none of the 11 baby-formula cases reviewed by The Plain Dealer involved terror-related charges.

Before 9/11, many local police dismissed formula thefts as routine shoplifting - desperate people stealing to feed their children or drug addicts looking to make a fast buck.

But court documents in some of the cases reveal something else.

The Middle Eastern men running these organized crime schemes don't necessarily do the stealing.

They hire others to hijack tractor-trailers of baby formula. They also pay organized groups of shoplifters who blanket the country, picking up only what sells on the black market.

In houses, in warehouses, even in motel rooms, the groups stockpile the loot. A second team is then paid to "clean" the items, a tedious job, peeling off labels and security tags with a hair dryer and adhesive removers, according to government documents.

Other teams then relabel the items - sometimes with false expiration dates - and sell them by the case. Convenience stores in poor city neighborhoods often buy the stolen goods, but records show that major chains such as Wal-Mart and Target also unwittingly have purchased pallets of pilfered baby formula, razors and other items that were stolen from their own stores.

FBI Director Robert Mueller last year singled out Middle Eastern crime rings dealing in baby formula, telling the Senate Committee on Intelligence that the groups not only pose a potential health risk - selling expired baby formula - but also are a potential source of funding for terrorist groups abroad.

Some of the Middle Eastern men who run these black-market operations send money to the Palestinian territories, Jordan and Lebanon. Whether any of it has funded terror is unclear. Investigators say they lose the trail once the cash hits the Middle East.

FBI counterterrorism officials have told Congress they remain troubled because some sympathizers of groups like Hamas and Hezbollah have been involved in the black-market trade.
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Shalash - standing behind security glass at Gas and Save, his gas station and convenience store on West Exchange Street in Akron - suggested someone may have used his name to buy stolen formula.

"I've never been involved in anything like that," he said.

His store sells baby formula from behind the counter.

Shalash acknowledged that he is related to residents of Lexington, Ky., who have been convicted of dealing in stolen baby formula. Shalash, who once lived in Lexington, said he doesn't see them anymore, adding that he has lived in Akron 21 years and doesn't know anything about their business.
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Shalash's uncle - Mohammed "Big Man" Shalash - appears to have founded a baby formula empire years ago at a Lexington warehouse. After federal officials raided the business in the mid-1990s, the uncle fled to the Palestinian territories before being indicted on racketeering and conspiracy charges. His family said he later died there.

One of the Big Man's sons, convicted of racketeering, is a fugitive. He was sentenced to five years in prison but fled before his sentence began. Another is serving a four-year sentence for dealing in stolen goods.

Last year, two other members of the Shalash family were convicted in a baby-formula scheme. In that case, the FBI set up a sting operation, with an agent posing in 2004 as a professional thief who specialized in boosting tractor-trailers.

It appears a similar sting happened in Akron, but police will not discuss the investigation. They referred questions to a U.S. Department of Agriculture agent, who did not return calls.

Hasana Abdalla, the Cleveland grocer, was arrested about 1 p.m. Aug. 11 in a warehouse area near Interstate 76 in south Akron.

About 12 hours later, the Illinois man, Ahmed Ateyat, was arrested in the same area when, according to police, he showed up with $50,000 in cash and a Chevy cargo van.
Reference Here>>

Additional information about the increase in shoplifting and the Retailing Marketplace's security systems response at Symblogogy.

File Under: Shut-Up And Direct…Or Act…Or Voice Over

Rob Reiner’s next project due out September 15th – “Everyone’s Hero” – where “Meathead” takes on the challanging voice-over role of ... “Screwie” … you can't make this stuff up … haaa, haaa, haaa, hoooaa, wow, oh man! – Image Credit: Apple Trailers

File Under: Shut-Up And Direct … Or Act … Or Voice-Over

Rob Reiner, not content to just lick his wounds and lay low until the investigation into his potential gross misuse of public monies is over, feels the need to go out and pop-off on a couple of fronts over the last week or so.

First, he needed to have his opinion be known in a very public way about Mel Gibson and his personal troubles (noted in a post here at MAXINE, last week).

This week, it’s all about the United States and how we blew our chances to have other nations just fall in love with us - as if - this world politics thing is just like living a “high school” life.

This from Contact Music, United Kingdom -

REINER UPSET THAT US DIDN'T EMBRACE WORLD SUPPORT AFTER 9/11
Posted By contactmusic.com - 9/02/2006 10:11

Movie maker ROB REINER fears America missed a golden opportunity to repair generations of global animosity after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

With the fifth anniversary of the 2001 atrocities fast approaching, the WHEN HARRY MET SALLY director regrets US politicians didn't jump at the chance to boost America's image around the world. He explains, "It was a terrible tragedy that could've been a tremendous opportunity. And then it was horribly, horribly squandered.

"The French headlines read, 'We are all Americans.' There was never a time in this nation's history where we had the entire world behind us.

"It was a unique time where you had the last remaining super power on the planet with the entire world behind you. "(Now) we have the entire world hating us and not on our side at a time when things are really critical."
Reference Here>>

“Meathead” must like picking big targets to chew on … Last week, it’s Mel Gibson, arguably the world’s richest one movie director/producer with “The Passion Of The Christ” … Today, it’s “the last remaining super power on the planet”, as stated by Rob, himself … Tomorrow, what will it be, maybe he will take on the largest target that remains – HIS OWN EGO!?

The truth is Rob Reiner mistakes world empathy for “attitudes of being behind you”. What these other countries of the world are actually thinking to themselves is a little more like – I am sorry for your loss and I’m glad it wasn’t our country! ... now let us get back to competing in the world markets for goods and services.

I really think Rob "Meathead / First Five" Reiner just is doing what he can to keep his name in the news so that he can promote his up coming projects (the next one is to be released September 15th - its a "voice-over" job).

Taepodong-2 Missile Score: USA-2 / North Korea-0

An interceptor missile launched from the Ronald W. Reagan Missile Defense Site at Vandenberg Air Force Base yesterday, moves to its target. Image Credit: Associated Press

Taepodong-2 Missile Score: USA-2 / North Korea-0

Yesterday, the U.S. "officially" tested its ballistic missile defense system with resounding results.

Last July 4th, North Korea tested the viability of its missile program with less than stellar success. Some speculate that the USA had a hand in the failure of North Korea's Taepodong-2 that ended up "landing" into the ocean in the Sea Of Japan.

This from a dispatch issued July 5th, 2006 - CNN -

North Korea tested a long-range missile and several smaller missiles, U.S. sources told CNN. Graphic Credit: CNN

U.S. officials: North Korea tests long-range missile
Wednesday, July 5, 2006; Posted: 12:03 a.m. EDT (04:03 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- North Korea test-fired a long-range missile and five shorter-range rockets early Wednesday, but the closely watched long-range test failed within a minute, U.S. officials said.

The tests began shortly after 3:30 a.m. local time (2:30 p.m. Tuesday ET) and lasted for about five hours.

The Taepodong-2 missile, which some analysts believed capable of hitting the western United States, failed after about 40 seconds, U.S. officials said.

The U.N. Security Council planned to meet Wednesday morning to discuss North Korea's actions.

North Korean Foreign Ministry officials confirmed the tests Wednesday to reporters for two Japanese broadcasters, NHK and TV Tokyo.
U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley described the missile launches as "provocative behavior," but said they posted no immediate threat to the United States.

Washington dispatched Christopher Hill, its top negotiator in the six-party talks with the two Koreas, Japan, China and Russia, to consult with U.S. allies in Asia after the tests, Hadley said.

Hill has been the top U.S. negotiator in the six-party talks aimed at convincing North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program.

A statement from the White House said the United States "strongly condemns" the launches and North Korea's "unwillingness to heed calls for restraint from the international community."

"We are consulting with international partners on next steps," the statement said.
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Intelligence agencies around the region had been watching preparations for the long-range test, but the shorter-range missiles were launched from a different site. At least four of those missiles were variants of the Soviet-era Scud series, with ranges estimated from about 100 to over 600 miles.

The Taepodong-2 landed about 200 miles west of Japan in the Sea of Japan, a U.S. military source said.

A spokesman for South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said after a National Security Council meeting Wednesday that North Korea must take responsibility for events resulting from its firing of the missiles.
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"It's very difficult technology. They very clearly have not mastered it," he said. "Most estimates are they will not master it for another 10 years."
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And on Monday, North Korea's state-run media accused the United States of harassing it and vowed to respond to any pre-emptive attack "with a relentless annihilating strike and a nuclear war with a mighty nuclear deterrent." (Watch why North Korea is talking about annihilating the U.S. -- 2:04)

The White House has dismissed that threat as "hypothetical." (Full story)

But the U.S. Northern Command increased security measures at its Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station in Colorado Springs, Colo., a few weeks ago, a military official confirmed Tuesday.

The base is the seat of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, and some of its command-and-control operations might have been used if the United States attempted to use its ballistic missile interceptors -- which have a mixed record of success -- to shoot down a potential Taepodong-2 test.

Rick Lehner, a spokesman for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, told CNN that two interceptor missiles were activated at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in anticipation of the test and could have been fired by controllers at NORAD. Lehner said nine other interceptors were activated at Fort Greely, Alaska.
Reference Here>>

So now it is official that the USA can shoot down NK's Taepodong-2 missile.

For North Korea's part, they issued a statement claiming that the successful test carried out by the USA yesterday was a provacative "Act-Of War" ... to that, we at MAXINE say "Bring It On!"

Head of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency Air Force Lt Gen Henry Obering told a briefing this was about as close as "we can come to an end-to-end test of our long-range missile defense system." Image Credit: earthtimes.org

Excerpts from The Washington Times -

U.S. test missile hits a Korean bull's-eye
By Bill Gertz - THE WASHINGTON TIMES - September 2, 2006

The U.S. missile defense system yesterday shot down an incoming dummy warhead simulating the last-stage trajectory of a North Korean Taepodong-2 missile, a milestone that U.S. officials expect to counter critics of earlier tests.

It was the first time a dummy North Korean missile was intercepted, and the sixth successful intercept since 1999, said officials from the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency.

"What we did today is a huge step in terms of our systematic approach to continuing to field, continuing to deploy and continuing to develop a missile defense system for the United States, for our allies, our friends, our deployed forces around the world," said Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry Obering, director of the Missile Defense Agency.

He said there is "good chance" the system would be successful against a Taepodong-2 launched from North Korea.

Seven North Korean missiles launched July 4 included a long-range Taepodong-2 that failed less than a minute after launch.
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Pentagon officials said the warhead was destroyed in outer space above a point several hundred miles west of Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

The test began with a target missile fired from the Kodiak Launch Complex on Kodiak Island, Alaska, at 1:22 p.m. and its last stage was rammed by the high-speed interceptor launched from Vandenberg 17 minutes later. The interceptor used data gathered from an early warning radar located at Beale Air Force Base near Sacramento, Calif., and electronics that were used to track and identify the 4-foot-long warhead and guide it into a high-speed, midspace collision.

Both missiles were traveling at 15,000 to 18,000 mph, making the intercept a difficult technical challenge for what the Pentagon calls the Ground-based Midcourse Defense System. The system uses sensors in space, at sea and on the ground, along with communication links stretching from Japan to Colorado.

North Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland issued a statement, carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, saying the test "clearly shows that it is the U.S. which is increasing tensions on the Korean Peninsula and threatening war against our country." As a result, Pyongyang will boost its "self-defensive deterrent," a phrase North Korea often uses for its nuclear program.

Unlike earlier tests, the interceptor was not launched from nearby Fort Greely, Alaska. Its success is expected to counter critics who said the Missile Defense Agency had been using artificial conditions and equipment for its previous tests, instead of realistic weapons trajectories and operational conditions.

"This test validated the confidence that I've expressed in the past with the performance of the system." Gen. Obering told reporters.
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"We did intercept the re-entry vehicle, and we did use the operational radar data to provide the initial track for that intercept, and the kill vehicle performed its own discrimination and targeting of the kill vehicle," the general said.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld applauded the result, saying it will "increase confidence" in missile defense capability, but warned that the system is not perfected. [ed. yea ... right!]
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Asked when a realistic "end-to-end" test of the system could be held, Gen. Obering said: "Well, you know, I don't want to ask the North Koreans to launch against us. That would be a realistic end-to-end test. Short of that, this is about as good as it gets with respect to that."
Read All>>

You just havta' love this last statement from an obviously delighted carreer Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry Obering, director of the Missile Defense Agency - "This is about as good as it gets!"

Children's Tales Told With A Tragic Twist

Poster for Walt Disney's 1960 movie production of Pollyanna. Image Credit: RopeofSilicon.com

Children's Tales Told With A Tragic Twist - From the view of the Koran.

Talk about the re-writing of history ... how about classic children's stories as augmented through the lens of the Koran. That's right, (by some accounts) the fascist, life on earth and freedom hating, gender bigoted Islamic core values religious book and cultural cornerstone ... The Koran!

This is almost as bad as our own liberal-Democrats view and retelling of some of the chapters of our country's political past!

Where are the copyright lawyers when we need them?

This from the London Daily Telegraph via The Washington Times -

The classics get Islam twist
By Malcolm Moore - LONDON DAILY TELEGRAPH - September 1, 2006

ANTALYA, Turkey -- Pinocchio, Tom Sawyer and other characters have been converted to Islam in new versions of 100 classic stories in the Turkish school curriculum.

"Give me some bread, for Allah's sake," Pinocchio says to Geppetto, his maker, in a book stamped with the crest of the Ministry of Education. "Thanks be to Allah," the puppet says later.

In "The Three Musketeers," D'Artagnan is told that he cannot visit Aramis. The reason would make the author, Alexandre Dumas, turn in his grave. An old woman explains: "He is surrounded by men of religion. He converted to Islam after his illness."

Tom Sawyer may have shirked his homework, but he is more conscientious in learning his Islamic prayers. He is given a "special treat" for learning the Arabic words.

Pollyanna, seen by some as the embodiment of Christian forgiveness, says she believes in the end of the world as predicted in the Koran.

Heidi, the Swiss orphan girl in the tale by Johanna Spyri, is told that praying to Allah will help her to relax.

The clumsy insertions by Islamic publishing houses have raised debate in Turkey, which has been a strongly secular state since the 1920s.

Other books contain insults, slang and rude rhymes that mock the president and the prime minister.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's first Muslim prime minister, has called for swift action against the publishers.
Story Link>> (free subscription)

Rally Redux – More Of A GOOD Thing!

The protest march in downtown Los Angeles went from Broadway and Olympic to City Hall. Image Credit: Bob Chamberlin / LAT - Mar. 25, 2006

Rally Redux – More Of A GOOD Thing!

The last time all of the illegal immigrants hit the streets to protest the actions our country planned to take to reform the current state of immigration chaos, the Congress finally approved 370 miles of new border fence and 500 miles of road barriers.

Further, due to the "day without immigrants" protests back in May, citizens that were once ambivalent about masses of people wanting to set up shop in our country without permission, aligned themselves with the rest of the 70% of us who wanted to protect the sovereignty of our country.

This from The Washington Post -

More Immigration Demonstrations Planned
D.C. Rally to Draw From East Coast
By Karin Brulliard - Washington Post Staff Writer - Thursday, August 31, 2006; Page A12

After four months of relative quiet, immigration reform advocates are mobilizing a new round of protests in Washington and other cities to put pressure on a returning Congress and reinvigorate a Latino movement that awakened in massive demonstrations this spring.

The events will begin tomorrow in Chicago, where demonstrators plan to set out on a four-day march to the district offices of House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R) in Batavia, Ill., and will continue with one-day rallies throughout next week in Phoenix, Washington and Los Angeles.

In the Washington region, activists are distributing leaflets, and Spanish-language radio is buzzing about a Sept. 7 rally that organizers hope will be the biggest yet. Organizers say their goal is 1 million protesters from up and down the East Coast for a rally on the Mall and a march to the White House.

"We want to make sure that Congress and this administration get a very clear message that the immigrant community is still paying attention to what's happening in the immigration debate and that we know that it's election time," said Jaime Contreras, chairman of the National Capital Immigration Coalition, the rally's organizer.

Local organizers said they are improving on spring rallies that were hastily planned amid a spontaneous groundswell of activism. To avoid a backlash against foreign flags, they are directing all protesters to carry U.S. flags. They are starting the rally at 4 p.m. so student demonstrators, who frustrated school administrators by walking out earlier this year, can participate. And organizers have nearly tripled their budget for portable toilets.
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Some believe it could be risky. The spring protests roused supporters but also stirred fierce hostility, said Steven A. Camarota of the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors lower levels of immigration. That kind of intensity might make members of Congress, which is approaching midterm elections, even less likely to touch the immigration issue.

"They want to energize the community . . . to put the issue on the agenda and make it clear that look, it's not going away," Camarota said. "By doing all that, they may also hurt the prospect of the legislation passing."
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But organizers say the movement has not lost steam. Immigrants, they said, are enthusiastic about the coming protests, believing the demonstrations empower them and weaken support for an enforcement-only House proposal.
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Other observers are uncertain. Carlos Aragon, general manager of Radio Fiesta (1480 AM), a Woodbridge station that has been broadcasting information about the Sept. 7 rally, said the event is a hot topic among listeners -- but they now sound more cautious.

"Nothing happened in regard to immigration in Congress," Aragon said. "People are just not sure if it will help."

This week's Chicago march will be followed by protests Sept. 4 in Phoenix and Sept. 9 in Los Angeles.

Unlike previous rallies that drew people from the Washington region, the Sept. 7 event will include participants from along the East Coast. Organizers said at least 100 busloads of marchers will roll in.

To encourage local turnout, organizers are intensifying the strategies they used in the spring. They are playing radio promotional spots each hour on some Spanish-language stations. Volunteers are distributing fliers at churches, soccer fields, Metro stations and construction sites.

With the responsibility of having a demonstration for out-of-towners upon them, local leaders are striving to plan a smoother -- and savvier -- event.

On a recent night, organizer Edgar Rivera led a planning meeting at the Alexandria offices of Tenants and Workers United. He listed all that will be different about this march: After rallying, demonstrators will proceed to the White House for the first time, he said.

Organizers will dispatch Spanish-speaking volunteers to Metro stations to direct demonstrators, Rivera told those gathered. And more high-profile speakers will be included -- maybe Jesse L. Jackson and a Catholic cardinal, he said -- but fewer politicians.

"It's the community that should be out there," Rivera said.
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THAT community can show up and protest in the streets all that they want. They can claim the southwest United States is part of AZTLAN, and that they have the same rights as those of us who ARE citizens.

The rally redux will be more of a good thing for the community of United States citizens.

The community that citizens belong to will just keep the pressure up on our ELECTED OFFICALS to increase the fence (maybe we should change the fence to a wall) and the road barriers along with the increase of fines levied on businesses that hire the undocumented, illegal alien. Then, maybe, the members of THAT community might go home or work to become members of the community of United States citizens.

When Fascist-Terrorist Hatred Doesn't Add Up

Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has become a new cult figure for Islamic radicals in Lebanon and beyond. Image Credit: AFP

We all had heard claims of great victory and advancement on behalf of the leadership in southern Lebanon soon after the IDF agreed to pull its troops back to Israel. The UN felt that it had aided in saving both Lebanon and thereby, Hezbollah through the negotiated cease fire.

20/20 hindsight can be very sobering. Now, even the cult leader of Hezbollah is having thoughts of ... "Miscalculation!"

Opinion from the New York Post -

NASRALLAH'S BLUNDER
LEBANESE TURN ON HEZ CHIEF
By Amir Taheri, OpEd Contributor to the New York Post - August 29, 2006

WELL, what do you know: What was presented as a "Great Strategic Divine Victory" only a week ago is now beginning to look more like a costly blunder. And the man who is making the revisionist move is the same who made the original victory claim: Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, secretary-general of the Lebanese branch of Hezbollah.

Banners and flags declaring victory for Hezbollah have been put up in Beirut. Image Credit: AGENTUR FOCUS/DER SPIEGEL

In a TV interview in Beirut Sunday, Nasrallah admitted second thoughts about the wisdom of capturing the two Israeli soldiers, an incident that triggered the war: "The party leadership never expected a response on such an unprecedented scale and volume [by Israel]," he said. "Had we known that what we did would lead to this, we would certainly not have embarked upon it."

For a roundabout way of eating humble pie, this was not bad for a man whom Western media have portrayed as the latest Arab folk hero or even (as one U.S. weekly put it) a new Saladin.

Why did Nasrallah decide to change his unqualified claim of victory into an indirect admission of defeat?

Two reasons.

The first consists of facts on the ground: Hezbollah lost some 500 of its fighters, almost a quarter of its elite fighting force. Their families are now hounding Nasrallah to provide an explanation for "miscalculations" that led to their death.

Throughout southern Lebanon, once a stronghold of Hezbollah, pictures of the "martyrs" adorn many homes and shops, revealing the fact that many more Hezbollah fighters died than the 110 claimed by Nasrallah. What angers the families of the "martyrs" is that Hezbollah fighters had not been told that the sheik was starting a war to please his masters in Tehran, and that they should prepare for it.

The fighters found out there was a war only after the Israelis started raining fire on southern Lebanon. In fact, no one - apart from the sheik's Iranian contacts and a handful of Hezbollah security officials linked to Tehran and Damascus - knew that Nasrallah was provoking a war. Even the two Hezbollah ministers in the Lebanese government weren't consulted, nor the 12 Hezbollah members of the Lebanese National Assembly. The party's chief policymaking organ, the Shura (consultative assembly), hasn't held a full session since 2001.

The "new Saladin" has also lost most of his medium-range missiles without inflicting any serious damage on Israel. Almost all of Hezbollah's missile launching pads (often placed in mosques, schools and residential buildings) south of the Litani River have been dismantled.

Worse still, the Israelis captured an unknown number of Hezbollah fighters and political officers, including several local leaders in the Bekaa Valley, Khyam and Tyre.

The second reason why Nasrallah has had to backtrack on his victory claims is the failure of his propaganda machine to hoodwink the Lebanese. He is coming under growing criticism from every part of the political spectrum, including the Hezbollah itself.

Last week he hurriedly cancelled a series of victory marches planned for Beirut's Shiite suburbs after leading Shiite figures attacked the move as "unmerited and indecent." Instead, every village and every town is holding typical Shiite mourning ceremonies, known as tarhym (seeking mercy), for the dead.

Nasrallah has tried to rally his base by distributing vast sums of Iranian money through his network - by the end of last week, an estimated $12 million in crisp U.S. banknotes. But if Nasrallah had hoped to buy silence, if not acquiescence, he is being proved wrong. Some Lebanese Shiites are scandalized that they are treated by Iranian mullahs as mercenaries, and see Nasrallah's cash handouts as diyah (blood money) for their dead. And a dead man whose family receives a diyah cannot claim the status of "martyr" and enjoy its prerogatives in paradise.

Much of southern Lebanon has been rendered uninhabitable by Israeli bombings. Image Credit: AGENTUR FOCUS/DER SPIEGEL

As the scale of the destruction in the Shiite south becomes more clear, the pro-Hezbollah euphoria (much of it created by Western media and beamed back to Lebanon through satellite TV) is evaporating. Reality is beginning to reassert its rights.

And that could be good news for Lebanon as a nation. It is unlikely that Hezbollah will ever regain the position it has lost. The Lebanese from all sides of the political spectrum are united in their determination not to allow any armed group to continue acting as a state within the state.

The decent thing to do for Nasrallah would be to resign and allow his party to pick a new leader, distance itself from Iran and Syria, merge its militia into the Lebanese army and become part of the nation's political mainstream.

In last year's elections, Hezbollah ended up with 12 seats in the 128-seat National Assembly, thanks to a series of alliances with other Shiite groups as well as Christian and Druze parties. As the scale of Nasrallah's blunder becomes clearer, it is unlikely that Hezbollah would be able to forge such alliances in the future.

To be sure, Nasrallah remains a powerful man. He has hundreds of gunmen at his disposal plus a source of endless supplies of money and arms in Iran. He can still have his political opponents murdered inside and outside Lebanon either by his goons or by hit men from Damascus and Tehran. But his chances of seizing power through a coup de force or provoking a civil war are diminishing by the day.

Arab leaders never resign, even when they admit having made tragic mistakes. And Nasrallah is no exception. In reality, however, Lebanon has already moved into the post-Nasrallah era. And that is the only good news to come out of the mini-war he provoked.
Link Here>>

UPDATE:

Austin Bay at the On Point Discussions section of the Strategy Page continues a review of this topic.

Let The Marco Era Begin!

Marco Andretti (19 years-old) notches his first win in a major open-wheel auto racing series Sunday in Sonoma (a road course). Father, Michael, and grandfather, Mario, were there for a special family affair. Image Credit: IRL

Marco was well on his way to becomming "Rookie-Of-The-Year" in the IRL after narrowly winning the Indianapolis 500 in May ... but it sure helps to win a race outright, and he did it in fine fashion. Marco Andretti sipped sparkling cider Sunday to celebrate becoming the youngest winner of a major open-wheel race ... ever!

The 19-year-old gambled twice on fuel, then benefited from a caution late in the race to hold off Dario Franchitti by 0.66 seconds and win the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway.

Marco won in front of his father, Michael, the co-owner of Andretti Green Racing, and his famous grandfather, Mario, winner of the 1969 Indy 500.

"Being able to bounce things off the two best in the business definitely helps," Marco Andretti said.

Let the Marco era begin!
(ht: AP)

Excerpts from the IRL -

Andretti: Unprecedented victory
Castroneves takes 1-point lead over Hornish heading to season finale
By Dave Lewandowski - indycar.com - Sunday, August 27, 2006

SONOMA, Calif. – The Infineon Raceway staff scrambled to get a bottle of sparkling cider into Victory Circle when it appeared Marco Andretti would win the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma.

At 19 years, 5 months, 14 days, the IndyCar Series rookie became the youngest winner of a major worldwide open-wheel race. Hence the bubbly non-alcoholic beverage for the winner instead of the traditional champagne. Either way, it tasted sweet.

The 0.6557-of-a-second victory over Andretti Green Racing teammate Dario Franchitti was the culmination of a season of dedication and education and a lifetime of preparation for the third-generation Indy-style car racer.

Grandfather Mario Andretti, the 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner, and his father, Michael, an open-wheel racing champion, were at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to console the youngster after he was passed on the frontstretch by Sam Hornish Jr. and finished second in the 90th Indianapolis 500 three months ago.

This day, they began celebrating when the No. 26 NYSE Dallara/Honda/Firestone appeared exiting Turn 10 on the demanding 2.26-mile circuit. It carried over with an emotional reunion in a confetti-strewn Victory Circle.

"I couldn't be happier," Mario Andretti said after hugging and being hugged by almost everyone in Victory Circle. "This is a perfect day, and he had a perfect weekend. That's what a big 'W' does for you.

"He drove well beyond his age, but he has all year.”

As it turned out, the main subplot on a beautiful day in the Sonoma Valley was the championship race. With one race remaining, Helio Castroneves (441) takes a one-point lead over Marlboro Team Penske teammate Sam Hornish Jr. heading to the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 10. Reigning IndyCar Series champion Dan Wheldon has 422 points, while Dixon, his Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, is fourth at 420.

It's the closest 1-2 race since Castroneves and Dixon were tied through 15 of 16 races in 2003. Dixon went on to win the championship.
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Andretti took the lead for good on Lap 51 when Dixon duck into the pits for tires and fuel under a caution period. A problem changing the left-front tire caused a delay, and the pole sitter lost valuable track position. Andretti had one challenge – on a restart following a brief caution for a spin by Bryan Herta’s No. 7 XM Satellite Radio car in Turn 7 on Lap 72.

But Andretti, who happily accepted the caution to conserve fuel, was able to remain in front of Franchitti, who recorded his best finish of the season.

“The guys were brilliant in the pits,” said Andretti, who clinched the Bombardier Rookie of the Year award. “They had a plan in the beginning. You know, everything worked.

“I couldn't be happier because we fulfilled all the goals that we set at the beginning of the year. Rookie of the Year at Indy, the series. We got our win. Definitely it's the best feeling all year for sure.”
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'Meating' Mel Gibson (the promotion of Rob Reiner)

Babbling, (and busted) Beards - Rob Reiner, Mel Gibson - Image Credit: Associated Press

'Meating' Mel Gibson (the promotion of Rob Reiner)

Rob Reiner just can not help himself. When a man is down you just don't kick him ... or do you?

Yesterday, Rob "First 5" Reiner, who is down because of the blistering defeat his pre-school initiative, Proposition 82, received back in June, took off after Mel Gibson who is suffering a personal defeat of his own.

This from TV's NBC 10 (Philadelphia) -

Reiner: Gibson Phone Apologies For Rant Not Enough
Filmmaker Says Gibson Needs To Understand Anti-Semitism
POSTED: 10:32 am EDT August 25, 2006

LOS ANGELES -- Mel Gibson is making phone calls to Jews in the entertainment industry to apologize for his anti-Semitic tirade -- but filmmaker Rob Reiner said he doesn't think he's going far enough.

According to TMZ.com -- the celebrity news Web site that broke the story of the actor-filmmaker's rant after an arrest -- Gibson is calling industry Jews who he worked with in the past to make the apologies.

But Reiner, who is Jewish, said, "It goes a lot deeper than that."

Reiner, who hasn't worked with Gibson and hasn't gotten a call, said, "It's not a matter of just apologizing for some words you said. It's to really understand why it is you are anti-Semitic and where those feelings came from."

Reiner said Gibson "is going to have to do some major soul-searching on that one."

Gibson was arrested last month in Malibu, Calif., on suspicion of driving under the influence.

According to TMZ.com, the arresting officer, James Mee, said that Gibson launched into a barrage of anti-Semitic statements, saying such things as "F-----g Jews" and that "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world."

According to the report, Gibson then asked Mee, who happens to be Jewish, "Are you a Jew?"

Gibson initially issued an apology that did not reference the tirade. Five days after the arrest, he released a second apology seeking forgiveness from the Jewish community.

Read the full statement here.

The actor-filmmaker pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge last week and was sentenced to three years probation.

He volunteered to do public service announcements on the hazards of drinking and driving, and to immediately enter rehabilitation.
Link Here>>

But "Meathead" wasn't content with this statement, he went on to be interviewed by Associated Press where he decided to take on Mel Gibson at more of a professional level.

This from the Associated Press via The Jerusalem Post -

Rob Reiner: Gibson's 'Passion' was anti-Semitic
By ASSOCIATED PRESS - Aug. 26, 2006 4:21

Mel Gibson's apology for making drunken anti-Semitic remarks is not enough to redeem him, actor-producer Rob Reiner said.

The actor also must acknowledge that "his work reflects anti-Semitism," particularly the 2004 hit movie "The Passion of the Christ," Reiner told Associated Press Radio.

"When he comes to the understanding that he has done that, and can come out and say, you know, `My views have been reflected in my work and I feel bad that I've done that,' then that will be the beginning of some reconciliation for him," Reiner said.

Some critics attacked Gibson's movie as portraying Jews as evil. Supporters said the movie was merely being faithful to Gospel accounts of Jesus' arrest and crucifixion.
Link Here>>

But we all know that, now film-director, Rob has troubles of his own. There is still that little matter of the gross misuse of public monies from the commission he use to head up before Governor Arnold woke up and removed him when things were getting a little hot in Sacramento during the lead up to the June elections.

This from the San Diego Union-Tribune -

Reiner/First 5: Still 'under review'
Posted by Chris Reed San Diego Union - August 21, 2006 05:35 PM

I got an e-mail late Friday afternoon from Sacramento assistant DA Lana Wyatt regarding the Sacramento DA's investigation -- if it's really an actual investigation, not a cursory pretense of one -- into the First 5/Rob Reiner mess and the agency's use of $23 million to help promote Reiner's latest initiative. "The matter is still under review in this office," Wyatt wrote.

I hope the book is thrown at Reiner and his accomplices. It's pretty clear there was a seamless transition -- of consultants as well as talking points -- from the taxpayer-funded part of the preschool for all "educational campaign" to the political campaign for the preschool for all initiative.

But I'm not optimistic -- even though I'm told by people who know her that Sacramento DA Jan Scully is tough as nails and not scared to take on supposed good guy Reiner. Why? As a Sacramento insider told me, people see the issue as "dead/boring" because Reiner's initiative, Prop. 82, was rejected. How many news stories have been written about the long wait for Scully to finish her investigation? As far as Nexis can determine, not a single one. This bears out the "dead/boring" thesis.

The story that so inflamed the L.A. Times and the Sacramento Bee the first three months of this year has been forgotten. I find this inexplicable. This is a scandal involving the grotesque misuse of public money for political purposes -- and now the media don't care if it just fades away?

Boo, hiss. Bring me the head of Michael Stivic.
Link Here>>

I would like to think that when, and if, Rob Reiner is taken down for his handling of public monies for political purposes , that we won't be hearing from a sober Mel Gibson "Grinding Meathead" as ol' Director Rob is grinding Mel now.

Maybe this is more about publicity than disgust ... after all, doesn't Director Rob have a movie coming out soon? Do you think it will make as much as "The Passion of the Christ"?

OUCH!

UPDATE:

A connection has been found as to WHY Meathead would pop-off about ... anything ... at this particular timing (Mel Gibson just happens to be the biggest and most convenient target). Promotion and attention is the key - always "follow the money" when it concerns Rob Reiner.

It doesn't hurt the conspiracy that the film company is buying an operation that not only has Rob Reiner connected to its most valuable asset, but also has an Australian operation.

This from Animation Magazine -

Liberty Closes First Stage of IDT Buy
By: Ryan Ball - Friday, August 25, 2006

Liberty Media Corp. has officially taken control of all of the U.S. and certain international operations of IDT Corp.’s entertainment division during the initial stage of its acquisition plan. The move comes as IDT Ent. gears up for the release of its first theatrical CG feature, Everyone’s Hero, which arrives on the big screen on Sept. 15.

IDT's entertainment division will be combined with Liberty subsidiary Starz Entertainment Group and will be attributed to the Liberty Capital Group. The transition will be complete once the sale of the Canadian and Australian operations is complete, which is expected to happen in the next several weeks.
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Everyone’s Hero, previously known as Yankee Irving, is the story of a young boy who teams up with a talking baseball to return Babe Ruth’s stolen bat in order to save the World Series. Featuring a voice cast led by Rob Reiner, Whoopi Goldberg and William H. Macy, the movie was being directed by actor/director Christopher Reeve at the time of his death. Animation was produced at IDT Entertainment Animation's studio and distribution will be handled through IDT’s multi-picture deal with Twentieth Century Fox.
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"The Handle Turns"

E85 Exotic Blisters Biofuel Conceptions

The Lotus Exige 265E - the most powerful road version of the Lotus Exige ever - and it runs on environmentally friendly Bio Fuel! The 265 stands for the horsepower, while the E stands for the environmentally favourable E85 fuel. Image Credit: HSPN Global News

Not one week since General Motors sets three land speed records using E85 out at Bonneville salt flats, British automobile manufacturer, Lotus, announces the first exotic street roadster that will run on the cooler running, more powerful E85.

For General Motors part, this from Paddock Talk -

GM and Partners Set Three New Land Speed Records at Bonneville Salt Flats
Posted by: ASkyler on Aug 22, 2006 - 04:47 PM

GM Performance Division and its partners from So-Cal Speed Shop set three new land speed records with Ecotec-powered vehicles last week during the 58th Annual Speed Week event at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Wendover, Utah, including the first-ever Bonneville record using E85 ethanol. Ecotec-powered vehicles have now set eight records during the past four years with some form of GM involvement.

“The Ecotec is one of the most adaptable and durable four-cylinder engines in the marketplace, and it continues to prove its mettle on the hallowed Salt Flats,” said GM Performance Division executive Al Oppenheiser, whose team heads up GM’s efforts at Bonneville. “We even had one impartial member of the media call the engine ‘bulletproof’ last week, which is a testament to our powertrain organization.”

The team never looked back after setting two records on Aug. 13 in the G/FCC class (G Class/Unblown Fuel Competition Coupe) with the Bonneville Student Project Chevy Cobalt SS and the G/BFALT class (G Class/Blown Fuel Altered Coupe) with the Chevy So-Cal Cobalt SS during the first record return runs of the week.

Both cars were driven by GM Performance Division engineer Mark Dickens, and each vehicle upped its initial record in subsequent race runs throughout the week.

Running only on E85 ethanol, the Student Project Cobalt SS broke the previous 19-year-old record of 152.626 mph set by Doc Jeffries in 1987 with a speed of 156.073 mph, and then upped that record twice using E85 combined with nitrous oxide to its final mark of 172.680 mph in the G/FCC class (G Class/Unblown Fuel Competition Coupe).

The car either qualified or set a record in every E85 race run of the week, and was converted to run on the renewable fuel by three female engineering student interns – 19-year-old Heather Chemistruck from Virginia Tech University, 21-year-old Lauren Zimmer from Purdue University and 21-year-old Sandra Saldivar of New Mexico State University .

“The fuel classes at Bonneville are wide open, and that allows a person to run anything from nitro-methane to methanol to gasoline and whatever else is out there,” said Dickens. “We put E85 up against some of the absolute most extreme fuels available, and to be able to initially break the record using only E85 is quite an accomplishment.”
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The Lotus Exige 265E is probably the world’s quickest road-legal E85 bio-ethanol car. Not only is the engine important to the performance but also so is the aerodynamic package, which creates 41.2 kg (90.64 lbs) of downforce - 19.3 kg (42.46 lbs) at the front and 21.9 kg (48.18 lbs) at the rear - at 160 km/h (100 mph). This downforce ratio between front (47%) and rear (53%) is balanced and remains constant at the speeds of which the Exige 265E is capable. Image Credit: HSPN Global News

So, Lotus decided to announce its biofuel developments with one of the more nimble of its badged models, the Lotus Exige.

This from HSPN Networks -

Brittish, Racing and Very Green
By HSPN Global News covering Lotus - Published on 08/23/2006

The Lotus Exige 265E – the most powerful road version of the Lotus Exige ever – and it runs on environmentally friendly Bio Fuel! Lotus Engineering, the engineering consultancy division of Group Lotus Plc has developed a bio-ethanol E85 version of the Lotus Exige.

The research vehicle is a true Lotus (it weighs just 930 kg unladen) and is called the Lotus Exige 265E. 265 indicates the approximate horsepower and is consistent with the naming strategy of other one-off and limited run Lotus variants such as the Lotus Sport Exige 240R; the E indicates the environmentally favourable bio-ethanol E85 fuel (85% ethanol alcohol and 15% petrol / gasoline) that powers this extremely high performing sportscar.

Key to this performance is a slightly modified version of the 2ZZ VVTL-i supercharged and intercooled high revving 4-cylinder engine from the standard Lotus Exige S. This now gives an estimated set of performance figures that would thrash the majority of “Super-Unleaded” performance cars: 0-60 mph in 3.88 seconds, 0-100 mph in 9.2 seconds and a top speed of 158 mph! In fact, the Lotus Exige 265E is probably the world’s quickest road-legal E85 bio-ethanol car.

Key changes have been made to the fuel system, the engine calibration and the four fuel injectors mounted on the inlet manifold have been enlarged. Two additional fuel injectors have been fitted at the supercharger inlet to increase the amount of fuel being injected in to the engine under higher engine loads and to further cool the charge air prior to combustion.
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The beauty of ethanol is its ability to produce more power in the engine than with conventional petrol / gasoline fuel. The Lotus Exige 265E now produces 264 hp (197 kW, 268 PS) at 8000 rpm, and 184 lbft (249 Nm) of torque (at 5500 rpm), up by 46 hp (34 kW, 47 PS) or 21% and 25 lbft (34 Nm) or 16% over the standard petrol / gasoline Exige S. With the total weight of approximately 930 kg (unladen), the power to weight is approximately 283 hp / tonne (211 kW / tonne, 287 PS / tonne).

Ethanol has less stored energy per unit volume than gasoline so the fuel economy is less, however as E85 ethanol is 85% sourced from renewable bio matter, there is a net reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2).

Geraint Castleton-White, Head of Powertrain for Lotus Engineering explains the rationale behind the Lotus Exige 265E technical demonstrator: “We wanted to prove the point that green sportscars can also be very high performing sportscars. The fact that we have produced a research version of the Exige that is more powerful than the standard road car is a testament to the benefits of going green. We are also pleased that this vehicle demonstrates our engineering capabilities, our understanding of flex fuel vehicles and our knowledge of emerging fuel technologies. It also promotes bio-ethanol as a fuel of choice for the enthusiastic driver as well as the environmentally conscious driver.

Mike Kimberley, Chief Executive of Group Lotus explains the Lotus ‘Green Strategy’:

”Lotus Engineering is actively pursuing technologies that will improve the efficiency and environmentally friendliness of engines in the future. Carbon dioxide reduction is a priority, as is anything that can reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. We are one of the world leaders in powertrain engineering especially in the internal combustion sector and we are researching into all areas of alternative and conventional fuels to get greater efficiencies, power, performance and reduce net emissions and Bio Ethanol research is one area where we are expert. The problems that are facing the automotive industry at the moment are challenging, and these solutions fit with the Lotus culture and expertise.”

Mike Kimberley continues: “We have decided to develop a thorough understanding of the techniques and technologies of what alternative fuels can achieve, to produce vehicles that are both fun to drive and environmentally friendly. We are also working, globally, on hybrid and electric vehicles together with governments and universities and as an engineering organisation we have a duty and a desire to promote these ideas to a worldwide customer base.”
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The Lotus Exige 265E is purely a research vehicle for Lotus Engineering and Lotus does not intend to put the car into production or sell aftermarket kits for Lotus Cars.

The Lotus Exige 265E in more detail:

The Lotus philosophy is all about performance through light weight. The Exige 265E is built to the lightest specification possible without resorting to expensive and rare materials normally found in the rarefied environment of Formula One or Aerospace Industries where weight reduction is often considered more important than cost. The performance improvements of using bio ethanol have been made through increasing the power of the engine without increasing the weight of the engine and therefore the overall weight of the car.

The Engine

The heart of the Exige 265E is a Roots-type supercharger (with a sealed-for-life internal mechanism meaning that it does not require the use of the engine’s oil) and air to air intercooler attached to the tried and tested 4-cylinder, 1.8 litre 2ZZ-GE VVTL-i engine. Using a development of the supercharger and intercooler package from the Exige S, the Exige 265E has peak power of 264 hp (197 kW, 268 PS) at 8000 rpm, 184 lbft (249 Nm) of torque (at 5500 rpm) up by 46 hp (34 kW, 47 PS) or 21% and 25 lbft (34 Nm) or 16% over the standard gasoline Exige S. Maximum engine speed is 8000 rpm (8500 rpm transient for up to 2 seconds).

Ethanol produces more power in the engine than with conventional petrol / gasoline fuel. This is due, in part, to the additional oxygen atom attached to the ethanol alcohol molecule so helping the combustion process in the cylinder to burn more effectively, efficiently and with more power.

The roof scoop ensures that the air-to-air intercooler works as efficiently and effectively as possible in all climates and environments. All charge air ducting has been kept as short as possible with large diameter pipes making sure that the bends in these ducts are not too tight, to the benefit of throttle response and efficiency. The Roots-type Eaton M62 supercharger is run from the crankshaft, and has an integral bypass valve for part load operation.
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First Flight Of The New Champ Car A Success

Close-up of Roberto Moreno in the cockpit of the new Panoz DP01. Photo Credit: Dan R. Boyd, USA LAT Photographic


Roberto Moreno is a pretty lucky driver.

Once dubbed the "Super Sub" a couple of seasons back (when he was regularly substituted in CCWS team cars because of drivers needing relief due to injuries, contract problems, and etc.), Roberto is now the official Champ Car World Series test driver on the new Panoz DP01 car slated to be the chassis all the teams will be using starting next season.

Roberto Moreno pilots the DP01 in the first running test of the chassis. Photo Credit: Dan R. Boyd, USA LAT Photographic

This report from the CCWS website -

CHAMP CAR COMPLETES SUCCESSFUL FIRST WEEK OF TESTING ON NEW DP01 CHASSIS
CCWS - Friday, August 25, 2006

SEBRING, Fla. (August 25, 2006) - The week is just beginning for this year's Champ Cars in Montreal with first-round qualifying taking place at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on Friday, but 1,500 miles to the south, the week for next year's brand-new American-built Champ Car has just come to a close.

The new Panoz DP01 Champ Car wrapped up its first week of on-track testing today, completing a program that covered more than 600 miles in searing conditions at Sebring International Raceway. The test team, which included engineers from Champ Car, Cosworth, Pi Research and Elan Motorsports along with Hewland and Performance Friction Brakes, oversaw a rigorous program that had the new car on-track from Monday to Friday under 90-degree temperatures each day.

The car spent the week in the capable hands of two-time Champ Car racewinner Roberto Moreno, who piloted the new machine through every lap of the week despite not having been in a Champ Car since 2003.

"It was nice to be back in a Champ Car and nice to have that kind of power at your fingertips again," Moreno grinned. "I couldn't be happier with this car. The new aero package is really nice and I think it will be great for the guys once the teams get ahold of it. We are really sticking well in the mid-speed corners and the car is really balanced well aerodynamically and we haven't even thrown anything at it from a standpoint of trying to gain mechanical grip. I think that the team has done a great job with this car."

The tough Central Florida weather meant that the testing program had to be ramped up slowly as engineers took care not to overheat the car and its components. But the DP01 passed every test with flying colors and the aero tools worked as expected in cooling all of the vital systems on the new car.

"It was a tough week to test but we got a lot of work done and are very pleased with what we accomplished," said Champ Car Technical Director Scot Elkins. "We turned lap times that were competitive for the conditions and we are pleased with the amount of setup progress we have made. We are right on target with our development of the DP01 and are looking forward to the next phase of the program."

The DP01 will now travel to Champ Car Headquarters in Indianapolis where it will go through its first technical inspection before heading back to Sebring for a second round of testing September 5-7.

Language As A Key To Success & Acceptance

Solia Acencio, 23, left, and Saira Tenas, 22, right, both from Guatemala, make a fruit salad at Cuna del Sol restaurant yesterday. Image Credit: Allison Shelley - THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Imangine that!

A restaurant owner decides to have his employees enroll in English language and speaking classes, and the event is noted in a major Washington D.C. area publication.

Shouldn't this calculation and behavior be the norm? It was only back in May when we had people marching in the streets claiming that America was actually part of Aztlan, which was really part of Mexico, and should be returned, at least culturally, back to Mexico.

During the marches throughout the country, one read that many marchers gave as a reason to being in the streets - "We are marching to insist that we (non-citizens) have rights!"

I guess speaking English, and making money in America, is a little more important.

This from The Washington Times -

A few phrases in English put diners at ease
By Ayla Kremen - THE WASHINGTON TIMES - August 19, 2006

With a hint of nervousness showing on her face, Grace Gonzales, 27, approached the table.

"Can I get you something to drink?" she asked, scanning the table for looks of approval from her classmates, the other employees at Cuna del Sol, a Guatemalan restaurant in Manassas.

Jose Tenas, the owner of the restaurant, has enrolled seven members of his staff in English classes for the past week to help them better serve English-speaking customers.

"Learning English is very important because I like to give good service to my customers," he said. "I have a lot of American customers right now, and we need to learn how to serve them."

The class was designed by Stephanie Williams, the director of the Spanish and English Regional Language Academy and Training Center, to introduce restaurant employees to common English phrases to help them do everything from greeting customers to taking their checks.

"We have been focusing on the minimum language that the waitresses need to start interacting with their English-speaking customers," Miss Williams said yesterday. "The idea was to break down the [language] barrier and to make the customer feel comfortable."

Miss Williams said she was a waitress in college, so she also understands the everyday challenges faced by her students at Cuna del Sol.

She said her arrival to Prince William County about 16 years ago, when Hispanics also started coming, gives her insight into the challenges the influx of immigrants pose to this once-rural community. The Hispanic population in the county has more than doubled since 2000, according a recent census report.

Miss Williams' work helping Hispanics in the region includes jobs as a court interpreter and liaison during the notorious Lorena Bobbitt trial, she said.

In the class, the waitresses often participated in role-playing exercises, which Miss Williams included to make them feel more relaxed.

"They've gained confidence, and it's really their first time using English in some cases," she said. "One or two of them were kind of embarrassed and looked around and laughed, but I really think they're doing quite well."

After completing the course yesterday, the women agreed that they now feel more comfortable speaking English.

Yasmin Tenas, 21, said before the classes some of the waitresses who knew little English would hide in the back of the restaurant because they were too afraid to talk to customers.

"Now they have more confidence and have lost their shyness because they now know how to greet and work with" English speakers, she said.

Miss Williams said many people are unaware that Hispanic immigrants frequently come to the United States with little more than a sixth-grade education, which gives them limited language skills, even in their native Spanish.

"After taking this course, I've had more success as a waitress, and I feel encouraged to continue to learn [more] English," wrote a waitress in her course evaluation.

Miss Gonzales said she and some of the other waitresses will continue to take classes.

"Learning English will give us more opportunities," she said. "We can now go further and have another career if we want to."
Link Here>> (free subscription)

So, learning English gives more opportunities and people can go further to reaching ones dreams here in America ... unlike NOT being able to dream and achieve those dreams south of the border due to the lack of cultural and economic opportunity.