Major Intel Failures in recent times;

Nine Eleven

Beslan
Seven July
Eleven July
Mumbai Siege

While all spooks were getting laid dead-drunk as a door nail, innocent people were caught in the crossfire in a war with these extremist assholes with guns & bombs.

Seven-plus years and we have yet to take this war on terror to those that continue to terrorize innocents all across the globe.

Or like a wise old man at Notre Dame used to say 'It's all a relationship of convenience, Son. It's all about money and it's got nothing to do with convictions or for that matter who'd blink first'.

Maybe he's right.

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Now that markers have been put out, courtesy of this piece of recent news, let's see how the intel community and security agencies deal with it before such an act comes to pass.

If there's anything we should have learnt after 9/11, the year 2013 will hold the key for prevention.

Meanwhile, it's not a bad idea after all for taking this continuous war on terror into the backyards of all those that threaten us and our allies.

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I wonder what JFK meant when he uttered the following line during the Cuban Missile Crisis;

'The thing has begun. Why doesn't someone gets the word and jumps the gun'

Could it (if applied) offset the chance of a major terror attack?

Could it (if applied) provide the solution aka preemptive strike?

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After the get-rich quickie scams, it looks like those Afro scammers have come up with an ingenious idea, as evidenced in the following two images;



These landed in our fax this morning, and I kept wondering to myself, why the fug would the IRS want my banking details? They never did in the past, so why now?

I went back and took another look at this form at the IRS site and lo and behold and fuckin' presto, this link says it all!

Metaphorically speaking, I must have woken up with my head in the gutter this morning. So, I filled-in the blanks along with the banking information and sent it out.

Tough luck to you fuckers! Think twice if you think you can scam an American whose radar is as sharp as a razor.

Happy hacking.

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The moment of truth;

Best part of the interview is Dr. Paul's response to Wolf when asked who would he support in November?

Neither!

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Friends and co-workers always ask us 'Why is it so difficult to get a US visa?' or 'Why is there so much added security at your Consulates & Embassies?'

This CNN feed is the reason why?

Personally, I don't advocate a fortress atmosphere when it comes to our Consulates and Embassies but in this day and age, this rule justifies an added security measure to prevent innocent loss of lives.

If we don't, we'd end up with numerous Marine Barracks' scenarios courtesy of weirdos on the loose.

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While scanning articles online, I bumped into an interesting piece that appeared on Pravda today.

If I read right from what the Russians are saying about freezing all military cooperation with NATO, it sounds pretty much like;

All bets are off

And they're damn straight in saying so, thanks to Bush & Condi along with our ever growing list of neocon gangbangers.

Told you so!

Here's to the new world order.

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Having had the opportunity to sit back & relax, it somehow helped tone down my rhetoric against the recent events in Eastern Europe.

When this whole conflict exploded 'disproportionately', as humorously defined by Gary Brecher, over at The Exiled; a Mark Ames underground gonzo journal with a substantial readership (myself & Jemma included), I was constantly banging on the drums that it's a conflict we should win to push forward democracy.

But not any more.

First, this isn't a conflict where democracy is the question but rather an issue where satellite states from the former Warsaw Pact are seeking attention from the West.

Second, if I had any authority, I'd haul Saakashvilli's rear end into an International Court and have him prosecuted for war crimes and crimes against the human race.

Third, I'd commence an impeachment process against Bush & Rice for dragging the US into an unwanted conflict.

Meanwhile, two essays helped me see this whole conflict from a different angle:

Any one remotely interested can read them here and here.

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Almost everybody I know. Wait, make that almost everybody whose words I take seriously are of the opinion that the fucking morons in Georgia went trigger happy in Ossetia.

End result? Got their asses kicked big time by the humongous Russians on the other side.

And they fucking deserved it, the Georgians that is and by that I don't mean the common people of Georgia but Shashlik Saakasvilli and his gang. But things don't turn out the way one wants them to be, do they, and that's because Shashlik Saakasvilli is probably well-bunkered with a promise from the neocons that they've got his back.

But for how long, this one's going to last remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, the Poles have just signed a death warrant with the neocons and the stupid Ukrainians are next in tow.

But four months down the road, what's to come, now that sounds like fun. Maybe, these are signs of another upcoming Bolshevik revolution to keep these morons in check?

Or maybe this time the Russians will simply fire and forget and we can't do shit?

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Did Apple / Steve Jobs snub the UAE market, which in turn prompted the authorities here to write this defensive article about the iP 3G?

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I am not much into movies but now and especially after reading Jeffrey Tucker's article over at LRC, I'm inclined to rent and watch 'I am Legend'.

That, in spite of Jeffrey's spoiler in this label.

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So, now that the terror threat has been decimated, we can all head back to the malls, ice rink and have a whale of a time courtesy of the summer surprise.

Except that our kids are eager to get on a plane to see their grandma & grandpa, friends & families and spend the summer on the East Coast and the Midwest.

How lucky for them while we are stuck here for just over a month to experience the scorching heat with their catchy phrase 'be careful' ringing in our ears all the time.

And why the hell not, for we have got King Kong and The Hulk watching our backs.

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We are halfway through our second year in the Emirates and have yet to experience real wet weather although it did rain a bit the day President Bush was in town early this year.

And then it went away, and returned in teenie droplets and went away never to return again.

That was a good luck charm, echo our kids and joining them we say 'he ought to be here more often' to bring us respite from the utopian heat.

While the rest of the world soaks, the place is dry, damned, and doomed as hell.

Global warming, at its peak, in boomtown Utopia.

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Back in 2003, the comical Iraqi information minister Mohammad Saeed al-Sahhaf, debunked the presence of American troops in Iraq.

Will it be deja vu in 2008, considering this report?

What's interesting though is a city Police Chief debunking intel reports instead of the Federal Ministry of Interior.

It's amazing the way the system works here.

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The Mad wags the Dog

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It's strange that May Day or Labor Day is a normal working day here in the Emirates.

Ah well, this is not a democracy, they're not a member of ILO (maybe just for a namesake), nor do these people give a damn about labor issues.

So, that is why, Labor Day is a normal day here in the Emirates.

Whoever is lucky enough - Happy Labor Day to you guys.

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Richard Spencer over at Taki Mag has put forward some valid points on trolls and free speech.

The best line of this label is the following 'I’d advise those commenters I’ve banned to go exercise their First-Amendment rights over at Stormfront.'

Jemma tells me that in this day and age when we all advocate free speech, there also comes the burden when we have to practice to some extent self-censorship.

Her logic; to avoid putting one's own foot in their mouth and two refrain from taking the jackass route. Aren't both of these the one and same thing?

That apart, she's also not a big fan of Justice Felix Frankfurter and our Supreme Court's ridiculous ruling(s) at times.

I am, though.

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Global Research Psyops at its best, and all of it within a span of two days;

First, on March 29th, Israel sees a dwindling chance of a gangbang.

Two days later, March 31st, their initial threat assessment gone awry.

And now, we are back in helter-skelter mode, thanks to journalism at its best.

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A great way to get going, as this Holy Week progresses!

A second door was shut close this morning!

Must be a sign that all is not well in paradise!

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Lately, I’ve been experiencing a lot of hostility in Dubai coupled with a lot of spooky cloak and dagger stuff.

What is this?

An early sign of things going down in a hand basket or what?

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At the moment of this writing, one of our favorite blogs that Jemma and I are used to, now stands blocked by the UAE Telecom company 'Etisalat'.

Highly recommended, our association with this blog goes back to our days in the States when we were pondering our move to the United Arab Emirates.

The reasons for this block are still cloudy but one thing's for sure, it's not a good sign for a country that is aiming for the sky.

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Jemma and I have been out of the loop for a few days and there's already an economically influenced war talk, over at the Mises' blog.

I wonder, what's new at Lew's blog?

This is one of the reasons, I keep telling her that we need to be (actively) wired while we're on the move at our respective jobs.

Now, I'm really eager to know the batting score.

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Where are we headed before this year end?

There's an interesting synopsis, over at Lew Rockwell's blog.

Compared to some articles that eventually endorse, this one serves more so as an eye-opener, leaving the door open to do as 'I' please.

In other words, there's still time to make a difference but it all depends on our average Joe's & Jane's.

It all depends, which way they, we, and I will lean.

Does any one know of a time machine, where I can move forward, view, experience and then roll back to make a difference?

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Those cloak and dagger spooks at Global Research predict the opening of the Iranian Bourse on February 27th.

Does this mean, their gang bang theory will bear fruition?

Or is this another weirdo theory of theirs to keep the public on edge?

Time will tell.

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Who would have expected an organization such as Global Research to allow publication of such material?

And then, I'm asked 'why don't I take stuff that's posted on Global Research seriously?'.

What's that, seriously?

It's no joke when they say that Canadians are usually dumb but not this dumb to flaunt a resume online.

Why, oh Canada?

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An interesting article at the Ludwig von Mises Institute's forum prompted me to write this post.

It's appropriately titled The Recycling Myth.

It's nearing a year, since we have moved to the UAE but we have yet to see an active recycling program in this country.

Although, I've been told that the Government here is keen to have this program up and running in full swing.

So, what's keeping them from enforcing this program?

I believe, after the US, the only country that diligently follows the recycling program is New Zealand.

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It seems like Google's losing it!

In spite of being logged in, opening a new window CTRL + N can really be a moment of truth, thanks to Google's ever alert spyware buster.

Here's the proof:


An urgent message message to all the geeks at Google Labs.

Guys:

Not everyone based in the Arab world speaks, understands, and writes Arabic. So, would you please roll back the Arabic, as a default page and instead slap a language drop down on your home page. That way, people could select whatever language they prefer to log on instead of your wise-choice Arabic.

You guys ought to do this, like yesterday, because not everyone that blogs is a 100% geek like you!

Honestly,

50% Geek Blogger

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I've just experienced my first share of dumb & arrogant Shams behavior, courtesy of a restaurant in Deira.

At the offices of a business client, I was invited to stay back and have a quick brunch of zaatar, a herb coated Arabic bread. To our astonishment, the restaurant delivered a cheese coated bread, which was alright with my client (who had one) but I'm very specific about cheese due to food allergies. Having called the restaurant that they had made a mistake with our order, they had it picked up while we went back to work under the impression, we'd get the right order, second time around.

Guess what?

Wrong as in wrong can be.

After waiting 20 minutes for our replacement, we got floored with another surprise!

It was the same cheese bread but with zaatar sprinkled over it!

Is that dumb or is that dumb?

Or is that plain arrogance with a touch of dumb? I've heard pretty much about these guys but this one's way too much.

From all the Arabic joints that we've visited, the Lebanese take the cake for rendering excellent service with a smile. No wonder, they have a steady flow of customers and refill business while their neighbors wish it was them.

At the rate they're going, I doubt they ever will.

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Dubai Cares ties up with Microsoft to provide digital technology to the needy.

That's a first.

How's that possible, I wonder, without basic education?

Unless, Dubai Cares and Bill Gates intend to target specific students with a higher than normal IQ for their own benefits.

But then, it's no longer associated with Care but more so Exploitation.

Well, anything is possible in this competitive, survival of the fittest day and age.

I kinda dig this vision, but with an emboldened capped NOT.

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I think one has to travel outside the United States to truly understand how unpopular, Americans are, outside the US continent. Not that we've faced major problems. On the contrary, we've been welcomed to every place here in town.

A recent experience came in the form of criticism and mockery against President Bush when he recently visited the United Arab Emirates, as part of his Middle East tour. To add insult to injury, the city was practically shutdown, as a security measure.

As far as I can recall, it's a first for any Head of State's visit, anywhere!

I guess, people all over the world fail to understand that Bush is not America, nor America all Bush.

I believe there's a dire need of a field trip for the people of this region to see and experience this and many other facts for themselves.

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All tenancy agreements are to be ratified by RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Authority).

Does this mean, unscrupulous landlords and real estate agencies are about to be reined in?

Or is this another way of scamming the general public?

Or is this another way of generating income for the Dubai Government to compensate their loss in the ongoing stock market slide?

Or I'm just being negative about this whole thing.

Or whatever.

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The Gulf News reported on its front page today about the Saudis easing restrictions on women.

Well, it's about time these guys dragged themselves out of their cooped-up shells and see what the real world looks like.

Meanwhile, I ponder whether it's a fact or just a sham?

At the risk of not sounding too negative, I keep my fingers crossed and hope it's a fact.

Is that a first sign of victory on the horizon?

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Not at all an interesting day but alright for today.

Rumor has it that January 21st is the most depressing day of the year.

That could be the reason for the winter blues of this day.

Not exactly a great way to start this blog but what the heck, that's life.

And that's it, I guess, for today.

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