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Archive for category AFGHANISTAN
The War in Afghanistan Is a Fraud (and Now We Have Proof) Lee Camp
Posted by admin in AFGHANISTAN, CURRENT EVENTS, Decline of Empires, THE MAD DUDE, Trump, US FOREIGN POLICY & INTERNATIONAL LAW on January 19th, 2020
Editor's Note-Some bad language is used in this article but it illustrates the authors' depth of feelings.
The War in Afghanistan Is a Fraud (and Now We Have Proof)
Bombs have numbers. Humans have names. Our American military boasts skill and passion for using numbers to turn names into yet more numbers. But these numbers have grown so gargantuan and out of control that one struggles to comprehend them.
In just 10 months in 2018—the latest numbers made available—our military dropped 5,982 munitions on Afghanistan, turning many thinking, living and loving names into cold, lifeless numbers. Throughout the war, 43,000 Afghan civilians have been numbered. We, as Americans, essentially never even notice when it happens. Statistically speaking, it will happen again many times today, and no one in America will care. (At least not while the game is on.)
64,000 Afghan security forces have been numbered since 2001.
Our government has known for years that the war in Afghanistan is a jaw-dropping disaster on the level of "Cats": the movie. How do we know they knew? The Washington Post just published some impressive reporting, taking a step back from its lust for pro-war propaganda. (The last time it achieved such a feat was during the O.J. Simpson trial. The first one. The one with the glove.) The Post unearthed a trove of thousands of internal government documents that expose the catastrophic war. And it turns out there are Tinder dates between a young neo-Nazi and an old Jewish lady that have gone better than this war.
"[The document trove] reveals that senior US officials failed to tell the truth about the war in Afghanistan throughout the 18-year campaign, making rosy pronouncements they knew to be false and hiding unmistakable evidence the war had become unwinnable," the paper reported.
Let me translate The Washington Post's fancy-pants language: U.S. officials didn't "fail to tell the truth"; they fucking lied. The phrase "failed to tell the truth" oozes around the brain's neural pathways, strategically dodging the anger receptors. "Failed to tell the truth" sounds like veracity is a slippery fish U.S. officials just couldn't catch.
424 humanitarian aid workers have been numbered.
Let's take a moment to consider the motivations and goals of the war in Afghanistan. The U.S. ostensibly invaded the country to stop al-Qaida from attacking us in any way, namely by flying large planes into our buildings. We achieved this goal within the first couple of months. With al-Qaida essentially decimated, it seems logical that we should have left the country, reserving the right to return if any other big passenger aeroplanes came after us.
But we didn't leave. We never leave. Rule No. 1 of the American empire is "Never Truly Leave a Country After Invading." To explain our continued presence, we had to move the goal post. To what? We weren't sure. We're still not sure. Nearly 20 years later, if you ask a U.S. general or president (any of them) what the goal is in Afghanistan, they'll feed you a word salad so large it'll keep you regular for months. We now know that even during some of the earliest years of the war, the Pentagon and the Bush administration didn't know who the bad guys were. (Right now you're thinking it's rather juvenile and uninformed of me to refer to enemy forces as "bad guys," but, as you'll see in a moment, our government spoke about them in those terms. Side note: This is because murderous rampages by war criminals are always juvenile. Murder, by definition, is unevolved.)
According to the Post's Afghanistan Papers, an unnamed former adviser to an Army Special Forces team said, "They thought I was going to come to them with a map to show them where the good guys and bad guys live. It took several conversations—[a]t first, they just kept asking: 'But who are the bad guys, where are they?' "
Yet we Americans were instructed in the early years that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had everything under control. To imply otherwise was to make a mockery of tens of millions of yellow ribbons. But in reality, Rumsfeld, too, had a sizable bad-guy problem.
"I have no visibility into who the bad guys are," he said behind closed, locked, soundproof doors. Meanwhile, Rumsfeld publicly and boldly led the nation in a well-defined and decisive victory in the land of the Afghans.
In 2003, he said, during a press conference alongside Afghan President Hamid Karzai, "General Franks and I … have concluded that we're at a point where we have moved from major combat activity to a period of stability and stabilization and reconstruction and activities."
Yep, no more major combat—just 17 years of reconstruction (and activities). Most U.S.-backed "reconstruction" is done from the air, via bombs. Let that be a lesson to you, the rest of the world: You better not screw with us or we'll reconstruct you and your whole family!
67 journalists have been reconstructed during the war in Afghanistan.
Are two decades too long for an utter, unmitigated disaster? Maybe we can stretch it to three? We've been funding warlords and extremist jihadis and hoping they will play nice. Yet American presidents have continually told us we're making progress. "Douglas Lute, a three-star Army general who served as Afghanistan war czar during the Bush and Obama administrations, told government interviewers in 2015, 'What are we trying to do here? We didn't have the foggiest notion of what we were undertaking.' "
I imagine that quote particularly upsets many Americans because if there's one thing we're good at, it's having a foggy idea of what we're doing.
Vietnam: foggy idea.
Iraq: very strong foggy idea.
Libya: one hell of a foggy idea.
Unfettered capitalism: the foggiest idea.
To put it simply, we are the best at bad ideas. But these Afghanistan Papers unveil a pretty terrible picture. One we need to confront as a nation and not just sweep under the rug (and not just because the rug would have to be the size of the Pacific Rim).
Upon hearing these revelations, CNN's Wolf Blitzer did his best impersonation of someone who gives a shit. He said:
A bombshell series of investigative reports from The Washington Post exposing heartbreaking truths about the U.S. war in Afghanistan, which has claimed some 2,400 U.S. lives and cost nearly a trillion dollars. The Post says … officials routinely lied to the American people about the war. … This is truly a bombshell.
Yes, it's a bombshell—although much of the information in the Afghanistan Papers has been known for a decade or more. Back in 2012, I was doing poorly written standup comedy bits about how our government-funded both sides of the war in Afghanistan. This goes to show that the mainstream media has two priorities—one is to spout the U.S. government's talking points, and the other is to distract us all from the whitewashing of history.
They help Americans believe that we just found out about the failures in Afghanistan; that we just started McCarthyism, and it didn't happen before in the 1950s to horrific consequences; that we just now discovered the breathtaking environmental consequences of factory farming. (I'm kidding—corporate media will never report on that. You could have a CNN anchor tied up in a sack in Gitmo, and he would still refuse to admit factory animal farming is killing the planet at an aggressive pace.)
But Blitzer wasn't content pretending to be shocked that the Afghanistan War isn't going well, so he put his acting chops to the test by further postulating that there also might be flaws with the war in Iraq. He said, "I can only imagine and brace for a similar report about the long U.S. war in Iraq as well. I suspect that could be some horrifying news as far as that is concerned also."
That's right: As of last month, Blitzer thinks there might be some problems with the war(s) in Iraq. (Blitzer strikes me as the type of guy who wouldn't notice if you stole his pants off him in negative-10-degree weather.) Yes, Wolf, not only has there been similar mismanagement and mass war crimes committed in our invasion of Iraq, but you helped manufacture consent for that war as well. You are complicit in the deaths of millions of people who will never come back from the enumeration.
Throughout the past 20 years, the mainstream media reiterated the lies told by our various presidents. They beat those lies into our heads with impressive frequency. Lies like those told by President Obama, when, in 2012, he said on national television: "Over the last three years, the tide has turned. We broke the Taliban's momentum. We've built strong Afghan security forces. … Our troops will be coming home. … As our coalition agreed, by the end of 2014 the Afghans will be fully responsible for the security of their country."
I don't know about you, but I'm pretty thrilled for the war to be over in 2014—whenever 2014 may come.
3,800 contractors have died in Afghanistan for these lies.
The Afghanistan Papers show that not only has the 20-year war been wasteful of human life, it's also been wasteful of money. Of course, this is the point when you think, "The military— wasteful?! Well, paint my nipples and call me Phyllis Diller; that's the damnedest thing I ever did hear!"
Yes, this is hardly shocking, since $21 trillion has gone unaccounted for at the Pentagon over the past 20 years. That's two-thirds of the amount of money wrapped up in the entire stock market. Money has been flowing into Afghanistan so fast that officials aren't even able to waste it quick enough! (I wish that were a joke.)
From the Post's report, again: "One executive at USAID guessed that 90 per cent of what they spent was overkill: 'We lost objectivity. We were given money, told to spend it and we did, without reason.' … One contractor said he was expected to dole out $3 million daily for projects in a single Afghan district roughly the size of a US county."
The contractor said he couldn't conceive of how to spend $3 million a day for people living in mud huts. Well, I guess USAID should start handing out furniture built out of blocks of shrink-wrapped hundred-dollar notes. Maybe fill bean bag chairs with small bills. (If you aren't yet outraged enough, please keep in mind that, according to The New York Times, adjusting for today's dollars, it would take less than eight days of the Pentagon's stated budget to give the entire world clean water for a year, thereby saving millions of lives and turning the U.S. into the most beloved nation on earth.)
But rather than accept our corruption and war profiteering, our military placed the blame squarely on the Afghan people. Per The Washington Post, "The U.S. military also accused Afghan commanders of pocketing salaries—paid by U.S. taxpayers—for tens of thousands of 'ghost soldiers.' "
Although ghost soldiers sound like an incredible and tough-to-defeat resource, I think they meant the Afghan commanders claimed they had a certain number of soldiers, but most weren't real. So America can't fund the health care of our goddamn real soldiers who get home and wait in line for months to secure any semblance of care, but we can fund ghost soldiers half a world away?!
Donald Trump just cut food stamps to 700,000 people, impacting more than a million children, but we're funding fucking ghosts? Maybe we could start a campaign asking the ghost soldiers to donate some of their suppers to the starving kids of America.
Ghosts seem to be an ongoing difficulty for the U.S. In the same issue of The Washington Post containing the Afghanistan Papers, there was an unrelated article titled, "The U.S. Wasted Millions on Charter Schools" that said, "A report found that [during the Obama Administration] 537 'ghost schools' in America never opened but received more than $45.5 million in federal start-up funding."
We're funding ghost schools and ghost soldiers, and almost nobody in our government seems to give a shit! I guess you could say they give a ghost shit—it's not there.
Yet the problems in our forever war don't stop at the walking dead. The Post says, "The US has spent $9 billion to fight the problem [of opium] over the past 18 years, but Afghan farmers are cultivating more opium poppies than ever. Last year, Afghanistan was responsible for 82 per cent of global opium production."
But what The Washington Post doesn't tell you is that a lot of that opium was for use inside the U.S., to fuel our opioid epidemic.
An American becomes a number every 11 minutes from an opioid overdose.
So how does our government respond when revelations like the Afghanistan Papers come out? A few senators pause in the middle of their T-bone steaks and red wine to say, "This needs to be looked into, I daresay." But then a few days pass and they just give the Pentagon more money to sink into a black hole.
The spending bill just passed by Congress sends $738 billion to the Pentagon. And, as RootsAction stated, it contains "almost nothing to constrain the Trump administration's erratic and reckless foreign policy. It is a blank check for endless wars, fuel for the further militarization of U.S. foreign policy, and a gift to Donald Trump."
To put it mildly, asking the Democrats to stand up against endless war is like asking Anne Hathaway to bench-press a Chevy Tahoe. It's not going to happen, and she has no interest in even trying.
42,000 Taliban and insurgents have been numbered.
That may sound like a successful war to some, but keep in mind that the U.S. military likes to categorize anyone it kills "an insurgent." The Pentagon goes by the theory that if it kills you, then you're an insurgent—because if you weren't an insurgent, then why did it kill you? A great many of the 42,000 were truly innocent civilians.
If there's one thing we should learn from the Afghanistan Papers, which the mainstream corporate media have already ceased talking about, it's that ending these immoral, illegal, repulsive wars cannot be left to our breathtakingly incompetent and corrupt ruling elite, who have probably been lying to us about them for decades. So it's up to you and me to stop them.
Afghanistan Quagmire, US Opium Epidemic
US QUAGMIRE IN AFGHANISTAN: The US is Reviving Talks with the Afghan Taliban without Pre-conditions By Sajjad Shaukat
Posted by admin in Afghan Regugees, Afghanistan, AFGHANISTAN BASED RAW TRAINED TALIBAN ACTIONS, Afghanistan Hell, Afghanistan-Hell for Western Troops, Afghanistan-Land of Backstabbers, Foolish Wars of Foolish Nations, Taliban & Afghanistan War, US on October 14th, 2018
The US is Reviving Talks with the Afghan Taliban without Pre-conditions
Sajjad Shaukat
When first time the US decided talks with the Afghan Taliban in 2012, the same was conditional, as America had demanded that before any deal, violence against Afghan people must stop and the Taliban must cut ties to Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. She seeks to distinguish between Al-Qaeda-related fighters and Afghan insurgents—good and bad Taliban.
Afterwards, with the backing of the US, an office of the Taliban was opened in Qatar. After the Tokyo conference on Afghanistan, held in earlier July 2012, efforts to convince the Taliban for talks with the Kabul government had been expedited and Pakistan was requested to play an important task. In this regard, during the tripartite meeting in Kabul on July 19, 2012, the then British Prime Minister David Cameron and the former Afghan President Hamid Karzai met Pakistan's former Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and reiterated Islamabad's assistance for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan. They fully backed Pakistan to help arrange meetings between Afghan officials and Taliban representatives.
There were also reports that the US and the national security adviser to the Afghan President Karzai contacted the Taliban and had a secret dialogue with them. However, in a bid to win Taliban's support for reconciliation, President Karzai had called upon their leader Mullah Omer to take part in the elections. On the other side, the Taliban were willing to resume talks with America but had refused dialogue with Karzai whom they consider colonial puppet.
Earlier, the Qatar-based talks with America were suspended because the ex-US President Barack Obama did not release five Taliban detainees to participate in peace negotiations as a pre-condition by the Taliban.
However, America along with other Western countries was fully supporting Karzai-led regime to commence peace deal with the Afghan Taliban with the help of Pakistan. While on the other side, top officials of America, Afghanistan and India, including their media continued blame game against Pakistan by accusing its security agencies of cross-border terrorism in Afghanistan—and support to the Taliban. They set aside the fact that US-led NATO forces had failed in coping with the resistance of the Afghan Taliban who is fighting a war of liberation against the occupying forces. In fact, America and other NATO countries wanted to make Pakistan a scapegoat of their defeat in Afghanistan.
In fact, when any terror attack occurs in Afghanistan, America, India and puppet rulers of Afghanistan shift the blame game towards Pakistan. The US has also accused Iran and Russia of assisting the Taliban in Afghanistan. Particularly, the main purpose of Washington was not only to pacify their people and justify the unending war in Afghanistan but also to fulfil the secret strategic designs against Russia, China, Pakistan and Iran.
Notably, on May 31, 2017, a massive truck bombing of the Afghan capital's diplomatic section killed more than 150 people and injured hundreds of others, including foreigners. Taliban denied responsibility for the terror attack. But, Afghanistan's intelligence service accused the Haqqani network by saying that a Taliban-affiliated group in Pakistan, carried out the attack. Addressing the conference-the "Kabul Process on Peace and Security Cooperation", held in Kabul on June 6, 2017, which was attended by representatives from 26 countries and international organizations, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani criticized Pakistan for a lack of cooperation in promoting Afghan peace and alleged that Taliban insurgents are using sanctuaries on Pakistani soil to wage the insurgency in Afghanistan.
In the same speech, President Ghani offered peace talks to the Afghan Taliban by reiterating his preconditions such as recognition of the Afghan constitution, continuity of the reforms of educating and advancing the rights of women, and renunciation of violence and linkages with terrorist groups.
A Taliban spokesman rejected Ghani's offer of a peace dialogue by stating that it is another attempt to endorse and prolong the foreign occupation of Afghanistan.
In the recent past, when the US-led NATO forces failed in coping with the stiff resistance of the Afghan Taliban in wake of the continued attack on their installations and Afghan forces, they have decided to revive peace talks with the Taliban without pre-conditions.
At present, the Afghan situation is witnessing new trend as all sides favour dialogue option and agree that there is no military solution. Pakistan has long been insisting on dialogue as only viable option to end Afghan quagmire.
In this respect, the US State Department has recently appointed experienced statesman Ambassador Khalilzad as an adviser for Afghanistan. During the recent visit of Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to America, Zalmay Khalilzad has also held a meeting with him. Both the leaders expressed positivity about a dialogue based Afghan peace process.
Pakistan has assured the US of its full support for peace talks with the Afghan Taliban, as this was in line with the policy of the government and in the best interest of Islamabad. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was addressing a news conference after having talks with the US delegation which was led by the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
In this connection, the State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said on October 3, this year: "US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pressed Afghanistan's Taliban to come to the table to end the long-running war as he called on Pakistan to play a supportive role. Pompeo met in Washington with the foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, in the latest US outreach to the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, a longtime advocate of a negotiated settlement with insurgents. Pompeo appreciated Pakistan's support for political reconciliation in Afghanistan and for peace in the neighbourhood…The top US diplomat, who met PM Imran last month in Islamabad, "emphasised the important role Pakistan could play in bringing about a negotiated settlement in Afghanistan Pompeo "agreed that there was momentum to advance the Afghan peace process and that the Afghan Taliban should seize the opportunity for dialogue".
On the other hand, there are also reports that the Taliban have held talks with the Afghan Government in Saudi Arabia. Reported talks were related to a ceasefire during upcoming parliamentary elections in Afghanistan, to be held on October 20, this year. It is considered that the peaceful elections cannot be conducted in Afghanistan without the Taliban's cooperation. Taliban have refuted the talks. Saudi Arabia is seeking a role to replace Qatar where the Taliban hold a political office. Russia has also emphasized for an Afghan solution based on negotiations between all sides.
Again, it is notable that Islamabad has long been insisting on talks to end the Afghan crisis through dialogue. All the regional players including Russia, Iran and even China have also been favouring this approach. In these terms, the visit of the Foreign Minister Qureshi to the US has been a success in which he has assured the international community about Pakistan's pragmatic and positive support on all issues including that of Afghanistan. The visit has also resulted in melting the ice between Washington and Islamabad.
In this context, under the caption, "Study Finds Americans Feel U.S's Involvement Has 'Failed', Afghan-based website Tolonews said on October 7, 2018: "A Washington-based research centre Pew has found that most American's feel that the US's second longest war–Afghanistan, after 17 years has failed…On the 17th anniversary of the US's involvement in Afghanistan, 49% of Americans say their country has failed to win the war. The report is an eye-opener for those who have been supporting Trump's policy of increasing military pressure to win the war in Afghanistan. In fact, the policy has resulted in a huge spike in losses of both Afghan defence forces as well as in the civilian causalities. The reverses in battleground have forced Trump administration to pursue the option of dialogue with Taliban which was advocated since long by Pakistan….Pakistan has given clear stance in recent days declaring an Afghan-led dialogue as the only option to bring peace in the region. Pakistan has offered its fullest cooperation in pursuance of peace. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has strongly rejected the military option and advocated dialogue to end the Afghan quagmire. A new survey by Pew also supports Pakistan's stance for a durable solution. New development has once again indicated about positive Pakistani role" (Afghanistan Times and other news agencies also reported).
Reuters reported on October 8, 2018, "The Taliban directed Afghans to boycott upcoming parliamentary elections and demanded a complete withdrawal of foreign forces as the only solution to end the 17-year-old war as they ramped up attacks in strategic provinces. The statement from the hardline Islamic militant group coincided with the visit of top U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad {Rabidly anti-Pakistan}, who has been appointed to lead peace efforts with the Taliban. Khalilzad met President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul to discuss ways to hold Afghan-led peace talks with the Taliban…With less than two weeks to go before the long-delayed elections, the Taliban and Islamic State have stepped up attacks across the country…"Peace is a holy process, and the U.S. government and people are united with the Afghan government and people in this process," Khalilzad was quoted by Ghani's office in a statement as saying. Khalilzad is scheduled to visit Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar this week as he seeks to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table."
Nevertheless, in the recent past, after the visit of the US Secretary of State Pompeo to Islamabad and visit of Pakistan's Foreign Minister Qureshi to America, positive change has occurred between the strained relations of the US and Pakistan. Now, ties between the two countries are improving rapidly. Positive change in Pak-US relationship has resulted in positive change between Afghan-Pakistan ties. Therefore, Kabul has re-opened Pakistan consulate in Jalalabad.
These developments clearly show that now the US has realized that without Islamabad's help, she cannot achieve durable peace and stability in Afghanistan. Otherwise, the US-led NATO forces will remain entangled in that war-torn country. Hence, with the support of Pakistan, unlike the previous conditional dialogue, the US is reviving talks with the Afghan Taliban without pre-conditions.
Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is the author of the book: the US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations
Email: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com
Taliban directed Afghans, US Secretary of State Pompeo, Zalmay Khalilzad {Rabidly anti-Pakistan}
Afghanistan: The War That Shames America By Eric Margolis
Posted by admin in Afghan Regugees, AFGHANISTAN, Afghanistan, AFGHANISTAN BASED RAW TRAINED TALIBAN ACTIONS, Afghanistan Hell, Afghanistan-Hell for Western Troops, Afghanistan-Land of Backstabbers, Foolish Wars of Foolish Nations, Taliban & Afghanistan War, US on August 24th, 2018
Afghanistan: The War That Shames America
By Eric Margolis
After 17 bloody years, the longest war in US history continues without relent or purpose in Afghanistan.
There, a valiant, fiercely-independent people, the Pashtun (Pathan) mountain tribes, have battled the full might of the US Empire to a stalemate that has so far cost American taxpayers $4 trillion, and 2,371 dead and 20,320 wounded soldiers. No one knows how many Afghans have died. The number is kept secret.
Pashtun tribesmen in the Taliban alliance and their allies are fighting to oust all foreign troops from Afghanistan and evict the western-imposed and backed puppet regime in Kabul that pretends to be the nation's legitimate government. Withdraw foreign troops and the Kabul regime would last for only days.
The whole thing smells of the Vietnam War. Lessons so painfully learned by America in that conflict have been completely forgotten and the same mistakes repeated. The lies and happy talk from politicians, generals and media continue apace.
This week, Taliban forces occupied the important strategic city of Ghazni on the road from Peshawar to Kabul. It took three days and massive air attacks by US B-1 heavy bombers, Apache helicopter gunships, A-10 ground attack aircraft, and massed warplanes from US bases in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Qatar and the 5th US Fleet to finally drive back the Taliban assault. Taliban also overran key military targets in Kabul and the countryside, killing hundreds of government troops in a sort of Afghan Tet offensive.
Afghan regime police and army units put up feeble resistance or ran away. Parts of Ghazni were left in ruins. It was a huge embarrassment to the US imperial generals and their Afghan satraps who had claimed 'the corner in Afghanistan has finally been turned.'
Efforts by the Trump administration to bomb the Taliban into submission have clearly failed. US commanders fear using American ground troops in battle lest they suffer serious casualties. Meanwhile, the US is running low on bombs.
Roads are now so dangerous for the occupiers that most movement must be by air. Taliban is estimated to permanently control almost 50% of Afghanistan. That number would rise to 100% were it not for omnipresent US air power. Taliban rules the night.
Taliban are not and never were 'terrorists' as Washington's war propaganda falsely claimed. I was there at the creation of the movement – a group of Afghan religious students armed by Pakistan whose goal was to stop post-civil war banditry, the mass rape of women, and to fight the Afghan Communists. When the Taliban gained power, it eliminated 95% of the rampant Afghanistan opium-heroin trade. After the US invaded, allied to the old Afghan Communists and northern Tajik tribes, opium-heroin production soared to record levels. Today, US-occupied Afghanistan is the world's largest producer of opium, morphine and heroin.
US occupation authorities claim drug production is run by the Taliban. This is another big lie. The Afghan warlords who support the regime of President Ashraf Ghani entirely control the production and export of drugs. The army and secret police get a big cut. How else would trucks packed with drugs get across the border into Pakistan and Central Asia?
The United States has inadvertently become one of the world's leading drug dealers. This is one of the most shameful legacies of the Afghan War. But just one. Watching the world's greatest powerbomb and ravage little Afghanistan, a nation so poor that some of its people can't afford sandals, is a huge dishonour for Americans.
Even so, the Pashtun defeated the invading armies of Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Tamerlane, the Mogul Emperors and the mighty British Raj. The US looks to be next in the Graveyard of Empires.
Nobody in Washington can enunciate a good reason for continuing the colonial war in Afghanistan. One hears talk of minerals, women's rights and democracy as a pretext for keeping US forces in Afghanistan. All nonsense. A possible real reason is to deny influence over Afghanistan, though the Chinese are too smart to grab this poisoned cup. They have more than enough with their rebellious Uighur Muslims.
Interestingly, the so-called 'terrorist training camps' supposedly found in Afghanistan in 2001 were actually guerilla training camps run by Pakistani intelligence to train Kashmiri rebels and CIA-run camps for exiled Uighur fighters from China.
The canard that the US had to invade Afghanistan to get at Osama bin Laden, alleged author of the 9/11 attacks, is untrue. The attacks were made by Saudis and mounted from Hamburg and Madrid, not Afghanistan. I'm not even sure bin Laden was behind the attacks.
My late friend and journalist Arnaud de Borchgrave shared my doubts and insisted that the Taliban leader Mullah Omar offered to turn bin Laden over to a court in a Muslim nation to prove his guilt or innocence.
President George Bush, caught sleeping on guard duty and humiliated, had to find an easy target for revenge – and that was Afghanistan.
Eric S. Margolis is an award-winning, internationally syndicated columnist. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune the Los Angeles Times, Times of London, the Gulf Times, the Khaleej Times, Nation – Pakistan, Hurriyet, – Turkey, Sun-Times Malaysia and other news sites in Asia. ericmargolis.com
Pashtun (Pathan), Taliban assault, Taliban forces, US Empire
No Difference between A Pashtun or An Afghan By Sajjad Shaukat
Posted by aka in Afghan Regugees, AFGHANISTAN, AFGHANISTAN BASED RAW TRAINED TALIBAN ACTIONS, Afghanistan-Hell for Western Troops, Foolish Wars of Foolish Nations, Taliban & Afghanistan War, US on May 1st, 2018
No Difference between A Pashtun or An Afghan
By Sajjad Shaukat
US-led entities continue endless propaganda against Pakistan, as the latter is the only nuclear country in the Islamic World. Besides destabilizing Pakistan through terror-related attacks, these entities keeping alive propaganda campaign against the country to complete the Zionist-agenda.
For the purpose, they have launched a controversial and heated debate in Afghanistan whether the term 'Afghan' designate, a 'nationality or ethnic' group.
This controversy delayed the issue of national identity card for people of Afghanistan for years. Influential ethnic groups of Afghanistan which are currently heading the government do not look at the word 'Afghan', a nationality for people of Afghanistan, but an ethnic group.
On the other side, history provides ample evidence that the word Afghan has been interchangeably used for Pashtuns. The people who initially inhibited in the south-east of the Amu Darya in Afghanistan, to the west of the Indus River in Pakistan are Pushtuns. The Pashtuns or Afghans primarily speak Pashto language and follow Pashtunwali code of conduct. They are primarily found in Afghanistan and Pakistan and form the world's largest tribal society, today. Throughout the South Asian subcontinent, they are often referred to as Pathans.
Today, the Pashtun tribes with over 65 million people live in Pakistan, while approximately over 28 Million people in Afghanistan and another 1.5 million or more live in Iran. There are 1.8 million registered and unregistered Afghan refugees who are living in Pakistan, a majority of which are Pashtuns.
As regards Pakistani Pashtun, over 26 million live in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), 9 million in FATA, and around 7 million in Karachi alone, 9 million in Punjab, 3 million in Sindh and 6.5 million in Baluchistan. The figure does not include the Niazi tribe of Mianwali who are also Pathans, but fewer speak the Pashto language.
Undoubtedly, Pashtuns are very well knitted in Pakistani society and enjoy power positions in government, civil and military bureaucracy. They also enjoy vast connectivity due to inter-marriages with other ethnic groups. So, it is not difficult to grasp when Pashtun tribes suffer tyranny and ill-treatment in Afghanistan; a large number of Pashtuns and their friends are saddened all over Pakistan.
It regrettable that Pashtuns in FATA are suffering due to drone attacks and Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) which is an outdated and cruel system of collective punishment. Hence, for the first time, they have desired to move away from the concept of "illaqa-e-ghair" (Outsiders Land) and to completely integrate into Pakistani state, including its legal system.
However, the anti-Pakistan forces which always manipulate the relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan on the pretext of Pashtuns are extremely worried over the new development in the FATA and KPK.
It is the misfortune of the country that the current government of Pakistan is also showing apathetic and sluggish approach to the new development and is not meeting the demands of Pashtuns.
In fact, in Afghanistan, primarily Pashtuns are resisting American occupation and are, therefore, facing the wrath of the US-led NATO. Hence, in frustration, America and India which are in connivance with the Afghan National Unity Government (NUG) are behind this new move to differentiate between a Pashtun or an Afghan in order to malign Islamabad.
Besides, as part of the propaganda campaign, these hostile forces are using few politicians and political activists and social workers to slow down integration of FATA into mainstream Pakistan.
In this respect, the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), a noble student initiative which was launched in 2013 for the purpose of clearing landmines in Waziristan has been de-tracked. The movement rightfully protested the extra-judicial killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud by the police force in Karachi. A long march followed by a sit-in in Islamabad was organized by the movement and the same was supported by many patriotic citizens of Pakistan. Nevertheless, later, key personnel of PTM started making radical speeches against Pakistan Army and its security agencies in Baluchistan.
Apart from the Afghan top political leadership, few crooks of Awami National Party (ANP) and ultra-liberals are also misleading Pashtuns. As part of the propaganda, anti-Pakistan speeches of PTM workers are also attracting wide publicity by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), a United States funded organization. Another website Gandhara, and Mashaal Radio is found cultivating suspicion between Pakistan military and Pashtuns. The real aim behind these sinister designs is to create a rift between Pashtuns and Pakistan Army.
In this context, Saira Bano Orakzai, a proud Pashtun at Research Fellow at Harvard University in her recent article says that the time is ripe for the people of the tribal areas to make a clear choice; to struggle to restore rights and peace or to struggle against this country's institutions and ideology, only to get entangled in a perpetual conflict.
Notably, PTM instead of articulating and moving towards a solution for the problems of FATA has stretched its ideology to an unknown "La La land", and thus, it is derailing an already fragile reforms process for FATA's future.
These internal and external hostile elements do not want developments in FATA, which can result in progress of their people in various fields. These elements want to continue the past system of the colonial era at the cost of Pakistan.
It is a good sign that in the budget 2018-2019, the government has proposed Rs.24.5 billion for FATA. To bring FATA in the mainstream, a ten-year FATA development plan with a total outlay of Rs.100 billion has been approved. During 2018-19 Rs.10 billion are proposed to be provided.
But, it is the right hour that without further loss of time, the government of Pakistan should immediately merge FATA with KPK and implement FATA reforms.
Moreover, the alleged killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud by Rao Anwar be immediately resolved, because inquisitive forces are exploiting the situation.
Furthermore, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) must monitor and check the hostile propaganda against the unity and interests of Pashtun people on national and international media.
It is also crucial hour that Pashtuns should identify their enemies and friends. Pashtuns should not pay attention to the controversial debate which has taken origin from Afghanistan to differentiate between Pashtuns and Afghans, while they should know that there is no difference between A Pashtun or An Afghan.
Pashtun, Pathan, US Anti-Pakistan Propaganda
Future Expects Tougher Times for Afghanistan by Ishaal Zehra
Posted by Fayad in Afghan Regugees, AFGHANISTAN, AFGHANISTAN BASED RAW TRAINED TALIBAN ACTIONS, Afghanistan Hell, Afghanistan-Hell for Western Troops, Foolish Wars of Foolish Nations, Taliban & Afghanistan War, US on April 25th, 2018
Future Expects Tougher Times for Afghanistan
Ishaal Zehra
In the changing geopolitical scenario, President Trump's Afghanistan policy signifies tougher times for an already fallen regime.
The US urgency for an exit from this decades' old Afghan war is being felt by the policy thinkers and onlookers though there is no working timeline given by President Trump. Determining the cost and productiveness of the troops in Afghanistan, the businessman turned President of the United States is now interested in withdrawing those troops from this costly war. The uncertainty produced in the region thus has translated into a situation where the other regional actors are responding to the reservations by aligning their own interests.
For these countries, there is no uncertainty about the bottom line. The White House is looking for an exit with the shortest considerable timeline. This has also been confirmed by the departure of ex-trump advisor on Afghanistan, H.R. McMaster, and the appointment of Iran and North Korea focused, John Bolton as his successor.
The US military commanders are seen moving quickly to finish the job. The situation has become so obscure that the other powers in the region — the two influentials, China, Russia and neighbouring Iran, India, and Pakistan — have started recognizing their security options, threats and opportunities once the United States fully withdraws, while minutely weighing in the limitations of the Kabul government.
The US is building up the strength of Afghan units with a re-energized air campaign and new advisory units emplaced with Afghan army battalions while the administration pushes for talks with the Taliban in order to bring a negotiated end to the conflict. China has made it clear that it will support Afghan government-led efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict with the Taliban – an approach which is supported by the United States. It has also signed a defence agreement with Afghanistan to build a base in northern Afghanistan and set up a trilateral contact group with Afghanistan and Pakistan to combat terrorism.
Moscow, on the other hand, has heightened cooperation between Russia and Pakistan that is empirically visible. In February of this year, Moscow appointed an honorary consul in the city of Peshawar, Pakistan. Moreover, the addition of Russian language signage in the tribal belt and even around Islamabad also reflect upon the camaraderie both the countries are enjoying. Iran's concern about ISIS spillover beyond her boundaries can be seen as a reason behind its move to cement relation with Pakistan. In the past Iran and India have traditionally worked together at many visible times, however, as India has now moved closer to the United States and Israel, Iran has begun to take on a more adversarial tone vis-à-vis India. This became quite visible in 2017 when Iran rejected Trump's call for greater Indian engagement in Afghanistan and criticized Indian military actions in Kashmir.
Other small non-aligned countries like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan have joined Russia and China in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) thus putting their weight behind these big regional powers. Apparently, India seems to be the only odd man out in the aligning of interests in the region. It has a long and most of the time troubled relationship with both China and Pakistan having a history of hostile conflicts with both. Her relations with Iran have become more difficult in recent years as New Delhi deepened her relations with the United States. This new friendship with the US has actually dismissed the chances of allying with her long-gone love of the past, Russia also.
Russia is the dominant military partner for Central Asia while China takes the lead in economic activities. Owing to the changing US policies in Afghanistan, both the countries, for varied reasons, are concerned about the ability of the Afghan government to keep control of its territory and its capability to fully contain the radical elements without the support of US army. Besides, they also recognize the importance of the role Pakistan is playing in reigning in the militants. And this recognition has made them adopt a two-track policy: providing support for the Afghan government while trying to get Pakistan on board vis-a-vis the Taliban.
This is coming at a time when the United States has relegated Pakistan's role in the Afghan conflict culmination strategy and blocked the military assistance funds to Islamabad on the pretext of not doing more. The inability of the Afghan government to address the prevailing security situation is having a negative impact on her economic development consequently leading the major regional powers to look for other options to stabilize the region. Moreover, India will never put her boots on the ground because she is still been haunted by her failed experience with intervention in Sri Lanka in the 1980s. Also, given the uneasy relationship with Pakistan and Iran, the geography of the region precludes an easy way to do this and Indian army is neither trained to nor have the courage to go for a war in this terrain single-handedly.
Stakeholders in Afghanistan need to understand new ground realities. Any viable regional mechanism for taking on the Afghan cauldron cannot seem possible without having Pakistan on board. Especially at a time when both Pakistan and Afghanistan are on the course of redefining mutual relations. For a peaceful and economic exit plan, the US also cannot deny that Pakistan provides unmatchable logistic routes for the foreign forces engaged in the Afghan war. Routes through Pakistan are the shortest and cheapest and presently are the safest owing to the Pakistan army's resolve to ascertain peace in the country. Another exit option could be through aligning the SCO with US exit policy since all the major regional powers are available under this one umbrella. Interestingly, and quite contrary to the US beliefs, the members of the SCO also trust Pakistan of being the lone brave lion to handle this menace impeccably. A better understanding of regional sensitivities will help the US to better grasp the situation in Afghanistan if she really wants to end this decades-old deadly conflict.
Chaos. Anarchy. Taliban, CHINA, President Trump's Afghanistan policy, Russia


What's Phantom in Japan. Episode 1. Hosted by Dave Simon and The Green Phantom.
Dave Simon and The Green Phantom introduce the brand new show and discuss Phantom's wrestling career.
Simon and Phantom talk about New Japan Pro Wrestling's Sakura Genesis and Strong Style Evolved shows and previewed the upcoming Dontaku events.


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Sanofi agrees to sell Seprafilm to Baxter for $350 mln - source
PARIS — France's Sanofi has agreed to sell its Seprafilm unit, which makes specialist surgical products, to U.S.-based Baxter for $350 million, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday.
The French pharmaceutical group is conducting a broad strategy review under new chief executive Paul Hudson, who will give some initial pointers on which businesses he wants to focus on at an investor day on Dec. 10.
Sanofi took on Seprafilm, which is used to help manage bleeding in abdominal and pelvis operations, in 2011 as part of its purchase of Genzyme.
Baxter officials were not immediately available to comment. A spokesman for Sanofi declined to comment. (Reporting by Matthias Blamont; Writing by Sarah White; Editing by Richard Lough)
New craft breweries enliven North Vancouver APTN celebrates 20 years of representing Indigenous peoples

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Shane Schauer releases new single 'Then Your Love'
New single features popular vocalist Tasha Layton
ChristianSongwriting.com's current Songwriter of the Year Shane Schauer has released "Then Your Love," a new single featuring vocalist Tasha Layton. Layton is a BEC Recordings (Tooth & Nail) recording artist who formerly toured the world as a background vocalist with pop superstar Katy Perry. "Then Your Love," from Schauer's album titled "It's Not Over," is being serviced to Christian INSPO and Christian AC radio.
Schauer, a singer/songwriter and worship leader from Fayetteville, Arkansas, assembled a stellar team for the new single. He wrote the song with Ethan Hulse and Keith Everette Smith, who also served as producer. Hulse is a Grammy Award-winning songwriter with "Old Church Choir," "Stand in Your Love," "Known," and other popular songs to his credit. Smith, who has won multiple Grammy and Dove Awards, is a producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist and a member of TobyMac's Diverse City Band. Layton, the guest vocalist on the project, can currently be heard on Christian radio with her single, "Sound of Heaven."
A lyric video of "Then Your Love" can be seen below.
The son of a worship leader, Schauer has been involved with music ministry his entire life.
"I was probably playing drums on Sunday mornings before I could say a full sentence," he says, adding that he became a full time worship pastor at the age of 20.
Currently serving as a worship pastor at the Fayetteville campus of Cross Church, pastored by Dr. Nick Floyd, Schauer has made several partnerships throughout the years including the Southern Baptist Convention and Pastor's Conference, The Lift Tour, Super Summer camps, and the Experience Conference in Orlando, Florida.
A painful journey with infertility with his wife, Chelsea, led Schauer to write songs for his debut EP, "It's Not Over," an album about healing from anger, depression, anxiety and confusion.
"There were many Sundays where I was angry at the same God I was encouraging other people to worship," Schauer says.
The road to healing for the Schauers began when they opened their home to fostering, which led the couple to adopting the first children who were placed in their home, Liam and Bexley.
"My prayer is that my music, and the EP, will lead listeners into a place of confession, hope, and worship with the end-goal of breaking down walls and allowing God to invade every part of our lives," Schauer says. "It's my desire that believers experience Christ through worship in a fresh, authentic, and biblical way, and I hope that passion shows through every part of my life."
To learn more about Schauer, visit shaneschauer.com or follow Schauer on Instagram.
Source: Inov8 PR
©2019 Apostles That Rock. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


There once was a lovely duckling… Yes we know, we've changed the words of the famous song ever so slightly, but our adorable range of duck jewellery is anything but ugly! Choose from our carefully curated selection of delightful duck necklaces, sweet little duck earrings, rings and bracelets. All handmade in the UK at Jana Reinhardt HQ, by award-winning goldsmiths Jana and her partner Ross Cutting.
All our duck jewellery comes as standard in high-quality sterling silver, and is also available in both 22ct yellow gold and 18ct rose gold vermeil, so there's sure to be something to suit your skin tone and look. If solid gold is more your style, get in touch. All our pieces can be made in solid gold, in your choice of colour and carat, allowing us to create the ultimate golden goose for you, sure to be the stuff that fairytales are made of!
Our bestselling duck pendant necklace started out as part of our storybook inspired Sweet Dreams collection, alongside our beautifully rendered Mother Goose Necklace. Fans of our stylised fine jewellery went quackers (sorry, we couldn't resist!) for these beautiful birds, which have also proved a popular gift for children - just the thing for a special birthday or out of the ordinary christening present. Boring old christening bangles be gone.
If you're looking for duck jewellery, but prefer more petite pieces, you'll adore our dainty duck hook earrings and pretty duck ring. The tiny beaks and wings you'll find on these beautiful pieces are perfect examples of the level of attention to detail that Jana and Ross lavish on every piece of jewellery they create. Did you know these two have over 40 years experience in making and designing jewellery between them? High quality and excellent craftsmanship are a given when you buy from Jana Reinhardt.
If the sweet dreams collection of ducks and geese are just a little too cutesy for your tastes, have a gander at our unique goose bangle and stunning duck foot ring. These design originals are both real statement pieces, certain to add interest and charm, whatever you wear.
Want to make your little duck extra special? Why not take advantage of our engraving service? Depending on the space available we can add a secret message, motto, date or initials to your jewellery in a range of scripts. We can even replicate your own handwriting, for the truly personal touch. It's the ultimate way to personalise your jewellery in a wearable, discreet way, reminding you of something meaningful every time you wear it.


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Home » Sweden » Sweden Democrats » Afrophrobia problem: Unemployed "Afro-Swedish" woman celebrated by the mass media for trying to suppress Swedish freedom
Afrophrobia problem: Unemployed "Afro-Swedish" woman celebrated by the mass media for trying to suppress Swedish freedom
A photograph of Tess Asplund, 42, with fist raised against the shaven-headed leadership of the Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM) in Borlänge, central Sweden, on Sunday has gone viral in the country.
"It was an impulse. I was so angry, I just went out into the street," Asplund told the Guardian. "I was thinking: hell no, they can't march here! I had this adrenaline. No Nazi is going to march here, it's not okay."
Asplund's lone protest comes at a time when the far-right in Sweden is increasing its activities, according to Daniel Poohl of Expo, the anti-racist foundation in Stockholm, whose photographer David Lagerlöf captured the image.
The anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats party polls between 15% and 20% and holds the balance of power in parliament, while racist sentiments are fuelled by a fragmented landscape of internet hate sites. The avowedly antisemitic National Socialists of the NRM are the extreme wing of this spectrum, Poohl says.
... The NRM is known for targeting anti-racists, says Asplund. "I have friends who have been attacked by them and who have had to change their address. I have had calls at night from private numbers, screaming at me. It is hard to talk about the hate," she says.
"I feel ashamed that we have this problem. The police say it is a democratic country, so they can demonstrate. But these are Nazis! It is horrible." Asplund, who describes herself as Afro-Swedish, is unemployed, and active in the group Afrophobia Focus. Sweden was identified by the UN last year as having a particular problem with afrophobia, defined as hostility towards people with a background from sub-Saharan Africa.
It's not OK for Swedes to express their opinion about being turned into an ethnic minority. An unemployed Afro-Swedish Afrophobia expert denies you permission.
Labels: Sweden, Sweden Democrats
Yes, and Artists who actually contribute to the society and culture are censored and jailed while the artificial agency of globo-trotskyist proxies malinger, issue demands and commit heinous crimes.
http://www.eloccidental.es/index.php/internacional/europa/item/5684-fallece-un-nacionalista-frances-tras-ser-atacado-por-una-decena-de-antifascistas


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Laverda History
Laverda in the 50s
Monthly Meets
La Vera Vista
DVLA Dating
Change My Details
A Brief History of Laverda Motorcycles
Laverda History	|
Laverda in the 1990s
Click on thumbnails to enlarge
Moto Laverda rescue
Following the doomed attempt to resurrect the Laverda name as a co-operative, rumours of another rescue attempt began to circulate in 1990. An investment company Gruppo Zanini had become the new owner of Moto Laverda and they started to make plans for the future. Zanini subsequently signed a deal with the Japanese Shinken corporation. Shinken's plans were to not only market Laverdas in Japan, but also use the Laverda trademark on clothing and even sports cars…
650 developed
First priority for Moto Laverda was to further develop the 8 valve twin motor which was the most modern engine that they had. Originating from the 500, Montjuic and Formula models, it had been developed in the 80s for the Atlas off road model. The capacity had been increased to 600cc and vibration reduced by a balancer shaft.
Engineer Angelo Ferrari took that engine a step further. Amongst other things, he increased bore and stroke to 668cc, re-designed the cylinder head and introduced Weber Marelli fuel injection. The new Laverda was named the '650 IE', later to become the 650 Sport. The twin spar frame was designed by Dutch specialist Nico Bakker and other first class components were used such as WP suspension; Marchesini wheels; Brembo 4 pot brakes.
Laverda also had plans to build a small batch of replicas of the famous V6 1000, but the bike never materialised. Shortly after the factory delivered homologation 650s to various importers, the Zanini group itself went bankrupt and so once again uncertain times returned.
Breganze to Zanè
In 1994 there was new hope when Francesco Tognon bought the company, rented a factory in Zanè and slowly started up production. The fuel injected 650 Sport was launched in mid 1994, followed by the 650 Formula in 1995 which came in black with fully floating brakes, radial master cylinder and some carbon fibre components. Even if the engine lacked grunt, it turned out to be a good competitor for Ducati's 750 and 900 SS range and sales were promising.
For 1996 the 650 was restyled and named '668'. At the same time a naked streetfighter version – the Ghost – followed in an attempt to steal sales from Ducati's Monster. This was unsuccessful and was replaced in 1997 by the Ghost Strike.
750 introduction
In 1997, a water cooled half-faired 750S model was introduced, followed by the fully faired 750 Formula and bikini faired Strike in 1998. These benefitted performance by not only increasing horsepower (up to 92bhp in the case of the Formula) but also torque, where the 650/668 engines had been found lacking in the lower half of their rev range. In many aspects, the 750 was redesigned in order to improve the machine and also reduce production costs. The aluminium tank of the 650/668 range was replaced by a plastic item, the dash board was made of plastic too.
Once again, financial developments came to bear down on the company. Tognon had to find more money and succeeded in doing so several times but in the end he sold out all but 10% of his shareholding and the Spezzapria family took control of the company.
Deal blocked
Under the Spezzapria regime, the factory made big steps forward in quality, which particularly benefitted the very pretty final version of the Formula in Orange Silver and Orange Blue. But once again the business needed more capital to take the final step and become a serious contender in motorcycle production by launching a new 1000cc Super sports triple. They were very close to making a fantastic deal with George Soros' Quantum Fund but one of Laverda's bankers blocked it. This ended the Spezzapria family's involvement with Moto Laverda and the company was sold to Aprilia, who attracted the world's attention with another Bakker designed machine, the SFC 1000. This housed Aprilia's own 60 degree V twin engine, but was no more than a prototype.
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Frequently Asked Questions and Answers on the 2019 novel Coronavirus(Covid-19)
Q: What is 2019 novel coronavirus?
A: Also known as Covid-19, and formerly 2019 novel coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV, is a respiratory virus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in 2019. Learn about 2019 novel coronavirus.
Q: What is a novel coronavirus?
A novel coronavirus (CoV) is a new coronavirus that had not been previously identified. Coronaviruses – whose name reflects their crown-like shape – originate in animals (usually mammals or birds) and "jump" species, mutating to be able to infect humans.
Q: What is the source of 2019 novel coronavirus?
A: Public health officials are working hard to identify the source of the 2019-nCoV. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, some of which cause illness in humans, while others circulate among animals, including camels, cats and bats. Reports that many patients in the initial phase of the outbreak in Wuhan, China, had some link to a large seafood and animal market suggest a possible animal origin for the virus. The genetic tree of this virus is currently being analysed to identify its source. Two other types of coronavirus that affected humans – SARS, and MERS – originated from animals (civet cats and camels respectively).
Q: What are the symptoms of 2019 novel coronavirus and what complications can it cause?
A: Patients with 2019-nCoV have reported symptoms including mild to severe respiratory illness with high temperature, coughing and difficulty breathing. Read about 2019-nCoV symptoms.
Q: If I have a cough and a fever, is it likely to be the 2019-nCoV infection?
A: Coughing and fever are non-specific symptoms of any respiratory infection – for example, the seasonal flu — so these alone would not indicate that you've been exposed to 2019-nCoV. As most cases are currently occurring in China, travel history and exposure are important factors to consider —have you visited the area in the past 14 days or had close contact with someone who has been there and shows respiratory symptoms? If the answer to these questions is no, it is unlikely that your symptoms are due to the 2019-nCoV infection.
Q: How does the virus spread?
A: This virus probably originated from an animal source but now seems to be spreading from person to person. It's not yet clear how easily 2019-nCoV spreads from person to person. With MERS and SARS, person-to-person infection is thought to have happened mainly via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how influenza and other respiratory pathogens spread. For MERS and SARS, human contagion has generally occurred between close contacts.
Q: How can I help protect myself?
A: Visit the Center for Disease Control (CDC) 2019 Novel Coronavirus Prevention and Treatment page to learn about how to protect yourself from respiratory illnesses, like 2019-nCoV. Helpful advice can also be found on the World Health Organization's webpage . However, the most effective preventive measure is to wash your hands frequently or, when this is not possible, to use disinfectant hand gel. Please note: masks, whether surgical or fine particle, are not useful for someone without symptoms of a respiratory infection. On the other hand, if worn by a coughing, febrile person, masks can decrease the chance of their spreading germs.
Q: How can I ensure my children are safe in regard to nannys? Should I give them leave?
When it comes to children and family safety, we all have to evaluate and decide what is best under the circumstances. The recommendation on househelp leave is not mandatory since it is up to you ultimately, but can be considered to reduce risk of coronavirus when it starts to spread within the community, and since Kenya has announced cases.
It is informed by experience from West Africa during Ebola where expatriates risk of infection was found among other risks to be from contact with affected domestic workers living in the community.
You have to do weigh and judge what will work for you.
Q: What should I do if I had close contact with someone who has 2019-nCoV?
A: Information for people who have had close contact with a person confirmed to have, or being evaluated for, 2019-nCoV infection is available online.
Q: Is there a vaccine?
A: Currently, there is no vaccine available to protect against 2019-nCoV.
Q: How can 2019 novel coronavirus be treated?
A: There is no specific antiviral treatment recommended for 2019-nCoV infection. People infected with 2019-nCoV should receive supportive care to help relieve symptoms. Learn about 2019-nCoV Treatment.
Q: If I think I have the 2019-nCoV infection, what should I do?
A: If you have a fever (above 38o C) and a cough, and you have visited China in the past 14 days or had contact with someone that has and shows these symptoms, do not come to the office, limit your contact with other people and call the relevant medical advisor.
Call our 24/7 call center +254724255378;
Or email unon-jms-medicalevacuation@un.org
As further precaution, wear a surgical mask, always cough into your bent elbow and wash your hands frequently.
UN Department of Health Management and Occupational Safety and Health (DHMOSH)'s Novel Coronavirus (2019-NcoV)
Travel Health Information for UN Personnel
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers on the Novel Coronavirus
World Health Organization's Update on the situation
World Health Organization's infographics
Please contact unon-jms-medicalevacuation@un.org if you have additional questions.
In addition, please see below on Cigna and the corona virus infection:
Q: Is testing covered?
Yes, for initial diagnosis and further follow up if initial testing is positive
Q: Is quarantine covered?
- Quarantine for people without infection is not covered (for example people returning from a high-risk area who might be asked to stay home)
- Quarantine during diagnosis and treatment is covered as per medical necessity
- Quarantine could be
- In the hospital
- At home (with no or minimal symptoms)
Q: Do we have a list of providers treating covid-19
- Our in-Network providers should be able to advice our customers where to go but we do not have a specific list
- Countries (government and WHO) have identified specific referral providers
Q: Are evacuations covered?
-Yes. If the contract covers evacuations during an epidemic, then evacuation could be covered: the evacuation policies will be applied.
1. If diagnosis and treatment for COVID-19 is not available locally as per medical necessity and contract stipulations
2. For patients with mild COVID-19 who develop another serious illness for which care is not available locally as per medical necessity and contract stipulations
Q: Do we have a dedicated line regarding Covid-19?
No. Most decisions depend on local assessments, local availability and local regulations. Of course our Communications though : + 1 305 908 91 70 and : + 32 3 217 68 42 will be more than willing to assist whenever deemed necessary.
Finally, please visit our general website, www.cignahealthbenefits.com, where an orange banner has been placed. This provides more information on Corona through a flyer and FAQ.
For more on insurance FAQs such as Aetna or Blue Cross, please see here
Frequently Asked Questions for UN staff on Medical Insurance.pdf412.06 KB
C19 Antibody Test FAQs.pdf470.8 KB


The Machine Vision is part of the TECHWAY DNA. For 10+ years, our team has been building technological and commercial partnerships with Vision key accounts, such as Matrox Imaging or ISVI Corp for France distribution. Thanks to the implementation of simple or complex applications in multiple industries (glass, wood, paper, luxury, etc.), we have strengthened our know-how until the launch of an integrated vision processor boards range in September 2018.
TECHWAY wants to reinvent Machine Vision applications via FPGA technology by offering a products range that simplifies the FPGA adoption by vision integrators. We rely on the technology of tomorrow to evolve vision systems, making them more efficient.
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This video shows how normal maintenance message gets displayed and how NOT to fix the issue.
By diluting this discussion you are not doing any good to anybody.
I think he was being helpful by showing the white message that is SUPPOSED to appear before the red message of brake failure is flashed. Some people have ignored the white.
Also, resetting the internal counter is relighting a bomb's fuse in my opinion.
White warning does not appear before the red message, so no warning whatsoever and no brakes. As far as I found from a dealer there is no such thing as internal counter, nor I can see any logic in it.
So again, there is nothing good in trying to make people less concerned about this problem unless you are working for DB.
There is a "brake actuation" count. I have accessed in developer mode with my DAS system. My dealer told me the same thing.
mishar seem to be one of those "don't confuse me with the facts, I have my mind set already"
I have seen the counter on my own car and I read tons of topics about adequate warning for coming maintenance.
So don't confuse the unavoidable maintenance with those few actual failures that happen.
As I said, according to a dealer. So he doesn't know. Nothing new.
Now, looking at that tread. Those numbers are ridiculous, but if we assume that they added 2 zeros at the end for some weird reason mileages come to: 144,343 miles current and 498,347 miles limit with 1.2 brake hits per mile. Of course it can be more or less depending on many factors, but it should be somewhere there. I really doubt that any of guys that had pleasure of red warning had almost 500K miles. So no limit no white warning. Strait to the red warning and no braking.
Real facts are that I had bad experience with red warning and almost no brakes at all at approximately 128 K miles without any previous white warning.
Other guys reported similar experience.
I am trying to warn people about this. What are you doing?
Yes you are warning other owners, thanks. It is my understanding it is not the number of times the brake pedal is applied, but how many times the SBC pressurizes the calipers. This can happen under wet conditions as the system attempts to keep the rotors and pads dry, and ABS applications on slippery road surfaces. At least that is what I remember reading on the forum.
There is HUGE difference between warning and misleading.
We did some testings and the count does go with pedal pushes and the other count is for pump activation. This is how it show on my 2004 model, still no maintenance required.
I see the whole thread started on misunderstanding when failure was taken for maintenance request.
Your comments show the same misunderstanding and create chaos.
What dealer you use who doesn't know how to read DAS?
Tred srarter is about red warning and brake failure. You are creating confusion. I think you are doing it on purpose. Just why?
Canada isn't America. You are a lucky duck, i'm glad your 14 year old vehicle is getting warranty repairs still. No, i'm not being condescending either.
Thanks for that. I can confirm that my vehicle has never shown that message. I guess people are experiencing a different series of events that lead up to failure. I certainly have only gone from normal > fail > normal with nothing else.
This is correct, just FYI in case anyone wasn't convinced yet.
How can you be convinced about something you don't know?
When MB is not making the numbers public knowledge and even dealers don't have the info, the general experience is that it is pedal push with +- 600,000 number that triggers the maintenance requirement.
There is no count for calipers activation and the pump activation count goes in millions.
Guess is that pump activation count affects the maintenance schedule, but no solid confirmation.
There is no pump activation without calipers activation unless there is a hydraulic leak inside the system.
System is having hydraulic accumulator, so the pump works when accumulator pressure drops.
It might be related to caliper activation, or might be not.
Either way, there is no caliper activation count.
The right question is how you don't know that?
If it is not related to a caliper activation what is it related to? Just try to think before you answer.
You also may think about being childish. Are you 15 or so?
I like to say that i join the "red warning" club. I drove my 03' 400+ miles for the first time after just buying the car with 158k miles and it finally showed up. Im guessing there is no way of getting rid of that light unless we shell out $900 for a new pump?


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Holy cow, is Maui ever a fun place! We'd heard great things about it from family members and friends, but it doesn't quite compare to seeing it up close and personal. We took a boat ride to the Molokini volcanic crater just off Maui, which offered some fantastic snorkeling. One of us would watch the kids while the other played in the water, looking at coral and fish.
The pool had a big pirate ship in the middle – tailor made for Dougie! At every turn he was asking to go in the "pirate ship pool". We had to learn to avoid windows and walkways within line of sight of the pool – otherwise we never would have seen the rest of Maui.
Toward the end of our vacation, we took the long, winding drive to the top of Haleakala, the main volcano on Maui. Managed to cover over 10,000 feet of vertical drop along the way!
Of course, at 10,000 feet, the weather was a bit cooler than it was by the beach. We forgot sweaters for the kids, so Dougie managed to "acquire" Daddy's sweater. Fits like a glove! … a horribly, horribly oversized glove.
All in all, it was a fabulous vacation – Maui lived up to its very high expectations. And gave us enough warm memories to live through an Alberta winter!
After spending nine often-frigid months in Calgary, we decided that a warm weather getaway would be in order. We usually try to take a vacation around this time (coinciding with our anniversary), and this year we spent about 10 days in Hawaii – a few days in Honolulu, and a week in Maui. We figured it was a good blend of exotic (fun to visit) and familiar (easy to take care of the junior Sharaburas). Aloha! Kim had already been to Hawaii when she was growing up, so she was able to serve as a tour guide of sorts.
That a fine lookin' pineapple guitar player!
Dougie was very kind to loan Connie his old stroller!
One highlight of the trip was our visit to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Waikiki Beach. While we didn't stay there (that's well beyond our budget!), it has a special significance in the Sharabura family history – as the place where Grandma and Grandpa Sharabura first met back in 1960. We figured it would be an appropriate place to bring two of their grandchildren.
After a few whirlwind days on Oahu, we took off for our week in Maui.
It's like they were waiting to greet us.
The lake itself is beautiful. We were lucky to get on board early enough to get a window seat so we could get some nice pictures on the way out.
When we reached Spirit Island, we docked the boat and everyone got off to get some pictures.
On the way back, we stopped at Medicine Lake. This place isn't really that interesting in the summer except to know that a few months earlier, there was almost no water in this lake. By October, it will again be just a small stream.
As the day warmed up, we headed down to Maligne Canyon. It was beautiful though very crowded. We took a stroll down quite a ways to enjoy the view.
Connie had been wearing a hat but she removed it shortly into the trip. Someone found it and hung it on a pole near where we entered the canyon. We were very glad to get it back and really appreciated the kindness of whoever found it.
We still had a while to kill before dinner so we opted to head to Pyramid Mountain to have a look. There is a little island near the viewing area. It wasn't too crowded but there were enough people around to get someone to take our picture.
Before we headed back to town for dinner, we stopped to play a bit.
Our trip was complete. We'll definitely head back to Jasper again as there were a lot of things we didn't get time to do but this is by far one of my favourite vacations.
From hot springs to ice! Today, we headed out from Jasper down to the Columbia Icefields. Scott had been before several years ago but this was something I've been wanting to do since we moved here. They are only open in the summer though so our trip had to wait until now.
Here is Athabasca Glacier. It is the most accessible glacier in the Icefield. Though it appears huge, it is really just a small part of the icefield itself.
We bought our tickets and had a little wait until it was our turn. We had to take a bus out to the Snocoach waiting area where a coach would take us out onto the glacier.
Here is the road onto the glacier itself.
It was pretty cold and the kids were hungry so they were a bit off at this point.
Amazing what a few crackers can do.
As we go closer, they explained the "rules." They want you to stay in the marked area. They check that area daily for crevasses and know that it is safe for walking but anywhere outside of the marked area can be dangerous. People have died here so better to be safe! We would be given about 15 minutes to walk around on the glacier once we arrived. We were really lucky that all of these coaches left right after we got there so we had the entire area for just our bus group.
It was COLD! We knew it would be cold but this was really cold!!
Another guy on our bus offered to take our picture so we managed to get one with the whole family.
After lunch, we headed down to a different viewing area to see the toe of the glacier. It was interesting to see how much it had receded since Scott was here last time.
Poor Connie missed out on most of this action.
We made the long drive back to Jasper and called it a day.
We started our first full day in Jasper with a trip up Whistler's Mountain. They have a gondola that will take you most of the way so it wasn't too much of a hike though we did decide to head for the summit.
The mountain is pretty high so there was still snow on top when we got there. Dougie wasn't quite sure what to make of snow in July.
After a bit of snow inspection, we headed towards the summit.
Dougie thought the various inukshuks on the mountain were great – though we had to stop him from trying to knock them down.
Dougie had a little jeep with him that he was sure to stop and play with every chance he got.
As we got closer to the top, there was a lot more snow. Dougie, who now loves snow, wanted to play in it despite the fact that were were not properly dressed for it.
Tired and a bit wet, we grabbed a few pictures and started back down to the gondola.
Connie was very due for a nap at this point so we thought a drive may be in order to let her get a bit of sleep in the car. As we were heading out, we noticed this pizza sign. I'd buy pizza from these people just because of the sign.
We weren't too far out of Jasper when we got stuck in traffic. We were more than a little surprised by it. It was Canada day but we weren't going anywhere that should have had a lot of traffic. Turns out, we were in a goat jam.
A few little goats basically shut down the road out of town. Fortunately, a ranger came along and scared them all away from the road.
When we arrived at the hot springs, we were excited to see more goats.
A lady, who was clearly a local, explained that this is about as ugly as the goats get. They were shedding their winter fur and getting ready to get the nice bright white color that they always have in pictures. Regardless, seeing a big bunch of mountain goats was a thrill for us.
We hadn't brought our bathing suits with us so we didn't go into the hot springs but we did hike around to see the "source." You can stick your finger in here and see how hot the water is. They actually cool the water a bit here before they put it in the pools so it doesn't burn people. They also add some chemicals to reduce the sulphur smell. Unfortunately, those weren't added at this stage so this area was scented.
Connie tried to catch a few Zs while we were walking.
Dougie tried to burn off some energy pretending he was a dog.
From here, we headed back into town. It was a long day and we were all pretty tired.
With a long weekend coming up and lots of Alberta we still hadn't seen, we decided to take the opportunity to take a family road trip up to Jasper. It's a long drive but we made several stops along the way to break up the trip.
First stop, gas around the corner from the house. Don't the kids look thrilled?
He has some friends across the road in the woods too.
We got a bit carried away with the touristy stops. We were grabbing a few geocaches on the way and they tend to trend towards touristy. Here I am at the continental divide.
Connie and Daddy at Lake Moraine.
The whole family in front of the lake.
Lake Morraine is where the picture for the old Canadian $20 bill was taken. So, we posed in the same spot for our $20 picture.
From there we headed over to Lake Louise. I had always heard it was spectacular and it didn't disappoint.
As we got closer to the Columbia Icefields, we came across a small group of mountain sheep. I was excited enough by the sighting that I climbed a not insignificant hill by the side of the road to get a better picture.
It was a long drive, made longer by the fact that we kept stopping, but we had a great time and were so glad to finally arrive at the hotel.


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text:
Kanaans help Riley Hospital for Children on Giving Tuesday
Kanaans help Riley on Giving Tuesday
INDIANAPOLIS — Riley Hospital for Children helps thousands of sick children in the Hoosier state every year. That includes IndyCar driver Tony Kanaan's family.
Tony and his wife, Lauren, are helping Riley race toward a successful new fund.
It's May but the racing season remains on hold. On Tuesday, far more important things are happening raising money for the Riley Relief Fund. The Riley Relief Fund provides emergency assistance to Riley families during the coronavirus crisis.
DONATE | Riley Relief Fund
"I understand it's one less thing you guys want is to hear us ask for something but what Riley is doing right now, you have no idea how many families have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic," Tony said. "Parents who lost their jobs, they have their kids in the hospital and the Riley Fund is even helping them. Personally, I could be at the race track. We're not. I could have our show. We're not. So, we're going to raise some money."
Up early in the morning going until midnight.
"We just want to make sure Riley is on the radar of people who are willing to help and are willing to give," Lauren said. "For parents like us, having a reason to need Riley means you have a child compromised in some way. Regardless of how long you've been there, if you just got there today, you're life is upended for that reason alone already."
The Kanaans have been personally involved with Riley for a couple of years.
"Max came into the picture and needed it. I can't get tired of saying this, I never met a kid that actually asks to go to the hospital like he does," Tony said. "His care was so good, so great. He had to have surgery."
The Kanaans said they have partners that are going to match the donations.
"For us, it's a mission and I understand there are many other people that need many other things," Tony said. "The world is big. The population is huge so if we all do a little bit we'll be fine."


I can hear people's thoughts to this one. What? Scars? A reason to live? Yeah. They are. I've scars. Because of the way I dress most of them aren't visible. When I go to the beach there are some that I wouldn't be covering up (well, when I go to the beach in the summer). They're a part of me. Whether I like it or not. I can choose to give it meaning. Either positive, or negative.
I can let them define me or just be a part of my life. As is my height, hair colour, skin colour, eye colour. I went to the beach with some friends last year, I debated going into the water as it'd mean that some scars would be visible. I chose to go ahead and roll up my leggings. I made the choice then not to be ashamed of my life. Of my story. Of who I am. I went in the water. When I was debating about rolling down my leggings or keeping them up (which would dry faster) my friend told me to pull them down to avoid questions. Which besides for anything else meant that she'd recognized those scars for what they are.
My past does not define me. I define myself. Anything that I have done I can either use or abuse.
Scars. They are a part of my life. Hopefully a part of my past. Hopefully they'll remain a part of the story already read, and not a part of the story I'm currently writing by living my life. Scars. They tell a story. They tell my story. They tell others stories. Nothing more. Nothing less. There is a song I love by Mandisa. Scars.
What do they mean to you? What can they mean to you?
When I was looking at where to place my latest tattoo one area was on my arm, which has about 7 cigarette burns from 15 years ago. I wasn't thinking about covering them up, but when I realised it would cover them I decided I didn't want to. I remember making many of them still, so vividly. They weren't light burns, but really going through layers of skin, puss oozing out for weeks. All the while I kept them hidden. Even close friends now that I had at that time probably have no idea what the marks are. They don't define me. They don't make me. I'm not proud of them… but I don't hate them, and they are part of me, my story. I think of that sad, sad, sad, confused, lonely teenager. And I love her, and it makes me love me a little more.
First hugs. Second nicely written. I to.o have scars. Some I try to hide some I wear proudly. You are right they are a part of you. Thank you for writing this.


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text:
A multifaceted program causes lasting progress for the very poor: Evidence from six countries
Abhijit Banerjee1,2,3,4,
Esther Duflo1,2,3,4,
Nathanael Goldberg5,
Dean Karlan2,3,4,5,6,*,
Robert Osei7,
William Parienté4,8,
Jeremy Shapiro9,
Bram Thuysbaert5,10,
Christopher Udry2,3,4,6
1Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA.
2Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), Washington, DC, USA.
3National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), Cambridge, MA, USA.
4Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.
5Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), New Haven, CT, USA.
6Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
7University of Ghana–Legon, Accra, Ghana.
8Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES), Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium.
9Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
10Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
↵*Corresponding author. E-mail: dean.karlan{at}yale.edu
Vol. 348, Issue 6236, 1260799
Abhijit Banerjee
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA.Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), Washington, DC, USA.National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), Cambridge, MA, USA.Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Esther Duflo
Nathanael Goldberg
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), New Haven, CT, USA.
Dean Karlan
Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), Washington, DC, USA.National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), Cambridge, MA, USA.Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), New Haven, CT, USA.Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
For correspondence: dean.karlan@yale.edu
Robert Osei
University of Ghana–Legon, Accra, Ghana.
William Parienté
Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES), Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium.
Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
Bram Thuysbaert
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), New Haven, CT, USA.Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Christopher Udry
Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), Washington, DC, USA.National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), Cambridge, MA, USA.Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
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You are going to email the following A multifaceted program causes lasting progress for the very poor: Evidence from six countries
By Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, Nathanael Goldberg, Dean Karlan, Robert Osei, William Parienté, Jeremy Shapiro, Bram Thuysbaert, Christopher Udry
Science 15 May 2015
Helping people in Ethiopia, Ghana, Honduras, India, Pakistan, and Peru to become self-employed enables the very poor to become less poor.


Another great show that's too intelligently challenging for the dimwits who have the concentration span of a gnat! Metaphor and allegory are lost on this shallow thinking bunch!
This is a great show and the last couple of episodes have just increased my fascination with the plot line. I am constantly telling my friends about it and encouraging them to watch. Many have said that they intend to catch up via recordings and be ready for next season. PLEASE reconsider and give this show another chance.


Littelfuse is in the news again. The former protection system manufacturer is now more and more in the Power semiconductor manufacturing business. Last week it was about its acquisition of IXYS Corporation. Today, Littelfuse announced the release of their first Silicon Carbide based MOSFET.
This transistor is the first one born from the investments in Monolith Semiconductor (read here and here) that happened all along the last two years. This device is a 1200V and 25A MOSFET with an 80 mΩ On-Resistance. It's beautifully named LSIC1MO120E0080 and will be available in TO-247-3L. Samples orders can already be placed at Littelfuse sales offices.
As for any other SiC MOSFET, it's a major performance leap compared with Silicon, especially if it's to be used for high frequency of switching applications.