Think back to when you were a child; did you ever try to get round your parents? My seven year old son, Elliot, took us by surprise yesterday. We had been out to the annual Christmas dinner and party held by my wife's employers. We had left the house at about 6.30pm, leaving Elliot with a woman who works as a teaching assistant in his school. Elliot was already in his pyjamas when she arrived, so we said he could just go to bed whenever he got tired. As we left them ready to share a pizza, little did my wife and I know what was in Elliot's mind. We got home after midnight to find Elliot still wide awake and full of energy. He later told us that he had been determined to stay awake until we got home from our night out, in spite of the fact that we had suggested an earlier bed time….! But it's not just small children who go against their parent's advice. As a teenager did you ever try to do something simply because your parents had told you not to do it? One of the main reasons teenagers give for taking up smoking is because their parents warned them against it. Clearly there is something within us that makes us rebel against authority instructions.
So, I was not surprised to discover that for 200 Euros, a bit of free software and five minutes of your time it's possible to clone the electronic passports which the USA have introduced as part of the "war against terrorism". The BBC has today revealed that these "high security" passports can easily be copied and, unlike copies of traditional passports are completely identical to the original. So much for the security of these much-trailed 21st Century passports. Put some authoritarian instruction in front of people and they will try to find a way out of it. Tell people they can't copy an electronic passport and they will do their best to do the exact opposite.
So what has this to do with online business? Well, earlier this evening I was at a local drinks party to celebrate Christmas. One of the children had a Nintendo DS with them to while Way their time while their parents chatted. One father told me that he had been trying to get one for Christmas but had found it difficult. The local shops he had tried had run out of stock. He tried several popular web sites, only to find they couldn't deliver before Christmas. Then he found one web site who had it in stock, but wanted him to register with them first before he could even attempt to order it, or check delivery schedules. So he tried to find other web sites that did not put up such barriers. Luckily he found a supplier and his family will be delighted next week when they unwrap the Nintendo DS.
What does this tell us? Web sites that make it difficult – such as the need for prior registration – are doing the same thing to us psychologically as the Government that announces the introduction of passports that can't be copied. They are presenting barriers to us – and we are psychologically primed to try and knock down such fences that stand in our way. Hence, if your web site presents any kind of barrier to your users, it will work against you – even if you think there is some kind of logic to it. What works best is a simple approach where your web site visitor has freedom to roam and do as they wish. If you don't do this, they will try to get round you, just like a small child or a rebellious teenager.


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text:
Плодосовхо́з — посёлок Волынщинского сельсовета Бековского района Пензенской области.

География
Посёлок расположен на юго-востоке Бековского района в 3 км от административного центра сельсовета — села Волынщино. Расстояние до районного центра пгт Беково — 4 км, до областного центра города Пензы — 150 км.

История
Посёлок основан в 60-х годах XX века как социально-производственная структура плодосовхоза «Беково». В 1968 году — в Волынщинском сельсовете Бековского района Пензенской области.

Население

В 2004 году — 231 хозяйство, 555 жителей; в 2007 году — 532 жителя. На 1 января 2011 года численность населения посёлка составила 498 человек.

Экономика
В посёлке располагаются предприятия агропромышленного комплекса:
 ООО А/Ф «Плодпром-Беково», занимающаяся выращиванием плодовых деревьев, сельскохозяйственных культур.
 Бековский филиал ОАО НТП «Сады Придонья» (г. Волгоград) — выращивание плодово-ягодных культур, использующихся в производстве детского питания и напитков.

Инфраструктура
В посёлке находятся дом культуры, библиотека, стадион, фельдшерско-акушерский пункт, магазин, почтовое отделение.

Посёлок Плодосовхоз газифицирован, имеется централизованное водоснабжение. Расстояние до автодороги регионального значения с асфальтовым покрытием направления Пенза — Беково — 700 м.

Улицы
 Вишнёвая;
 Липовая;
 Луговая;
 Молодёжная;
 Почтовая;
 Садовая 1-я;
 Садовая 2-я;
 Специалистов;
 Спортивная;
 Студенческая;
 Школьная.

Примечания

Ссылки

Населённые пункты Бековского района

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Tag: Trudeau
Trudeau comes in the United States with a last-minute warning for Democrats on the electric vehicle tax credit.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived in Washington D.C. today with a warning about measures that Democratic MPs are likely to pass through Congress. There is…
Trudeau's youngest minister Kamal Khera, says she'll draw on her pandemic experiences in cabinet
Kamal Khera says she's bringing her background as a nurse into her new position as a senior minister. Pandemic is difficult for everyone. However, considering…
@downlz Thank you for reaching out. My name is Pau from the EnvatoCustomerSuccess Team. I am more than happy to ans… https://t.co/s62uyuYq3m

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I have been overcharged by two vets for almost 3,000.00 dollars for one of our servicemen's dog that I am caring for. They kept sending me back and forth between the two of them, raising the charges of the bill higher and higher and they almost killed the poor dog. All the dog needed was insulin and to have it regulated. One of the two vet's would not even tell me what the total cost was and just kept saying he would work with me to keep it as low as possible and for me not to worry. Then he said the dog needed surgery, but By then I knew that the dog just needed insulin. It's been almost a year now and the dog is regulated on insulin daily and doing great! I'm still paying for the bogus vet fees and I have no where to turn to get any relief for the lies and false vet charges. I trusted these people to be honest. Sad to say, Our serviceman was unable to take his dog back when he returned from the war, so I am caring for him and still paying the vet bills.


Mistress Natasha does not like to use anything other than her spit to humiliate. She knows how disgusting it is for someone to swallow someone else's saliva. She understands how degrading it is and she does not care. That is why she loves doing it and out of all slave humiliation methods, that is the one that stands out for her. She even brushed her teeth and spit into his mouth.
Madame Marissa was horny and she wanted to be pounded good. But this guy was not equal to the task. She was pissed off that he wasted her time and did not satisfy her. She had to do something about it. She made him lick spit off the soles of her sneakers. She then made him do it afresh and follow her instructions and this time round she was satisfied.
Mistress Emily wanted to make her slave productive. She had always done it to her previous slaves and she wanted to do the same to her new slave. She went to where he slept everyday early in the morning and she trampled him and humiliated him with all manner of things such as spitting on his face and making him swallow her spit. She gave him no option of refusing.
Jamie Kate wanted to try slave humiliation. She had always resisted the urge to do it because she wanted to be fair to her slave since the slave had never given her a reason to. But today he did and she forgave him. Then it happened again and gave her the chance she had been waiting for. She spat on the soles of her sneakers and made the poor slave lick and swallow.
Mistress Denise was teaching this loser but he was dumb and did not understand what she taught him. She decided to make sure he would learn by hook and crook. She decided to use other means to make that happen. She came with a cane and she beat him up if she felt he was not serious. Then she added spitting into the punishment mix and that did the trick.
Mistress Natasha had paid heavily for a service this guy was offering. But he did not offer it to the required standard. She was disappointed and wanted to show him just how disappointed she was. She also wanted him to redo the work and at his own cost. So she forced him to open his mouth shirtless and kneeling down and she spit into his mouth and made him swallow it.
Lady Julia was breaking up with her boyfriend because of what he had done. But she did not want to let it go without showing her what she felt. She had him lie down and she forced him to drink her pee as well as swallow her spit. She was disgusted by him so she in turn decided to degrade him and make him feel what she felt when she heard what he had done.
Lady Nicole likes to humiliate. Nobody enjoys it better than she does. She likes to do it every way she can and this time round she decided to do it through using her cigarette as well as spit. She smoked and exhaled all that smoke onto the face of her slave. But she was not done. She also spit into his mouth after she had forced him to open his mouth.
Mistress Lucy wanted to humiliate her slave and she did it spectacularly. She made the slave undress then she tied him up cruelly. Just from the way she tied him up, she could tell that he was in a lot of pain. And he was. Then she squeezed his balls and he cried out. When he opened his mouth, she spit into it without caring what he felt and how degrading it was.


text:
WWW Version
The hyperlink to a bill draft that precedes a summary contains the most recent version (Introduced/GA/Enacted) of the bill. If the session has ended, the hyperlink contains the latest version of the bill at the time of sine die adjournment. Note that the summary pertains to the bill as introduced, which is often different from the most recent version.
Includes opposite chamber sponsors where requested by primary sponsors of substantially similar bills in both chambers and jointly approved by the Committee on Committees of both chambers. Opposite chamber sponsors are represented in italics.
HB 355 (BR 1594) - D. Ford, R. Rand, J. DeCesare, A. Koenig, L. Napier, D. Osborne, S. Westrom
AN ACT relating to real estate brokers.
Create a new section of KRS Chapter 324, relating to real estate brokers, to allow the Real Estate Commission to issue opinion letters on licensing issues at the request of a licensee; amend KRS 324.010 to define "grievance," "charge," "complaint," "order," "agreed order," "final order," "letter of concern," "crime of dishonesty," and "expired"; amend KRS 324.020 to permit the commission to issue a cease-and-desist order against those practicing real estate brokerage without a license; allow the commission to impose civil penalties and seek an injunction to stop the unlawful practice; declare that a cease-and-desist order does not constitute agency action subject to a hearing under KRS Chapter 13B; amend KRS 324.112 to remove the prohibition on sales associates managing a branch office outside a 50 mile radius from the main office; amend KRS 324.150 to delete complaint language that would be inconsistent with the new grievance procedure; amend KRS 324.151 to establish a system to allow any person to submit a grievance against a real estate commission licensee; create necessary elements of the grievance, methods of withdrawing a grievance, and steps of a grievance investigation by the commission; authorize the commission to resolve a grievance by issuing a complaint if it finds one or more violations, by finding no violation, or by issuing a letter of concern or a reprimand; set complaint procedures, including service of the complaint on the licensee, administrative hearings, and a final order by the commission; authorize the commission to promulgate administrative regulations to allow for informal disposition of any complaint; amend KRS 324.160 to permit the commission to limit or restrict the license of a licensee who has committed a violation; direct a licensee to disclose his or her interest in a property in writing on the property sales contract; allow discipline against a licensee who has been convicted of a misdemeanor involving a crime of dishonesty.
Feb 9-introduced in House
Feb 10-to Licensing & Occupations (H)
Legislature Home Page | Record Front Page


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CONGRATULATIONS! I am please to inform you that the IEEE Region 10 Bombay Section has been awarded US$250 for your GOLD QSIF Proposal. The review committee was all very impressed with your submission. I also want to inform you that your Section is the first to receive funding from the GOLD QSIF Program. As such, I am sure that your Section will receive some publicity to announce this first time event.
I wish you good luck in the implementation of your GOLD activities and offer you as much assistance as possible through our GOLD network. Ms. Mary Ann Hoffman will contact you and work out the funding details shortly. Again, congratulations on your award. I look forward to hearing about your success with GOLD.


AngryJoe Plays Warhammer: End Times Vermintide!
My first attempt at Warhammer: End Times - VERMINTIDE.
What happens when you take Left 4 Dead and swap the zombies out for rat men? Some good blood, guts, and loot.
Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide!


1/12/2018 · The human eye is among the simplest and enjoyable thing to draw on paper. Book 5 is about drawing realistic hair with the correct shades to make it seem real. Book 5 is about drawing realistic hair with the correct shades to make it seem real.... How to Draw Vulpix from Pokemon step by step, learn drawing by this tutorial for kids and adults.
How to Draw Vulpix from Pokemon step by step, learn drawing by this tutorial for kids and adults.
Learn How to Draw an Adorable Pikachu (Kawaii / Chibi) Easy Step by Step Drawing Tutorial for Kids & Beginners October 19, 2017 by admin Leave a Comment Today I'll show you how to draw a super cute Pikachu from Pokemon with simple to follow, step by step drawing instructions.
Rather than pages and pages on technique, it provides a 6 step breakdown of how to draw 50 different Pokemon. Just follow along, or trace the image. All the Pokemon are in clear black on a white page, so the lines are easy to follow.
1/12/2018 · The human eye is among the simplest and enjoyable thing to draw on paper. Book 5 is about drawing realistic hair with the correct shades to make it seem real. Book 5 is about drawing realistic hair with the correct shades to make it seem real.


Female Cast: March 23 & 24 at 2pm and March 29 & 30 at 8pm.
Park Players' plans to perform both Male and Female versions for one of Neil Simon's most popular works, The Odd Couple. The male version is set in the 1960's and the female version is set in the 1980's. Both about two very mismatched "best friends," who are forced to live together due to circumstance. One is a helpless slob, while the other is an uptight neat freak - a recipe for disaster!
Olive Madison: A successful television producer; she is intelligent and wisecracking, with a good sense of humor, and she's a complete slob; she has an encyclopedic understanding of sports.
Florence Unger: Very well-groomed, and neat; has just broken up with her husband; she takes herself very seriously, likes to clean, decorate, and cook; she is intelligent and warm-hearted, but has no sense of humor (at least about herself).
Mickey: A police officer, who is down-to-earth, plain-talking, and has a good understanding of people; she tries very hard to be in control of all situations.
Renee: Sylvie's best friend, can be very plain-spoken, especially when she points out Olive's failings as a hostess–and then Flo's; she is single and dating a doctor.
Vera: Very sweet, very nice, somewhat spacey, and, although quite smart, is often a step or two behind her friends; she's very funny, but doesn't realize it.
Manolo Costazuela: Handsome, very well-groomed, and Spanish with a Castilian accent; he is every woman's dream date and showers both Olive and Flo with attention; he must have good comic timing, as he gets very emotional; he is sensitive and appreciates Florence's sensitivity.
Jesus Costazuela: Manolo's younger brother; also very handsome, well-groomed, excellent posture, very romantic; he also gets very emotional and truly appreciates Florence.
Oscar Madison: a carefree, good-natured, divorced sportswriter who lives alone in a messy eight-room New York apartment. He is completely oblivious to dirt, clutter, and the overdue child-support payments about which his wife telephones weekly. He has his male cronies in for a weekly poker game with refreshments that invite food poisoning. Oscar's lifestyle is abruptly turned around when he takes in one of the members of the group, Felix Ungar, whose wife has thrown him out.
Felix Unger: a fussy man who knows that he is difficult to live with but cannot—or will not—make any concessions or compromises. His wife, unwilling to continue their marriage, asks him to leave the family despite his suicide threat, and he then moves in with Oscar. Made comical by his exaggerated behavior.
Speed: One of Oscar and Felix's poker buddies. Gruff and sarcastic, often picking on Vinnie and Murray.
Vinnie: One of Oscar and Felix's poker buddies. Vinnie is mild-mannered and henpecked, making him an easy target for Speed's verbal barbs.
Murray: A NYPD policeman, one of Oscar and Felix's poker buddies.
Gwendolyn Pigeon: Oscar and Felix's giggly upstairs neighbor, one of a pair of English sisters. She is a widow.
Cecily Pigeon:Oscar and Felix's giggly upstairs neighbor, one of a pair of English sisters. She is a divorcée.
Per Park Players' tradition, all roles are cast blind of race, gender, age, etc.
← Fundraising is easy, just smile!


text:
Tag Archive for: Gholam Shakuri
FBI's Shrink-for-Hire Undermines Their Case While Trying to Rebut Manic Defense
October 6, 2012 /5 Comments/in Scary Iran Plot /by emptywheel
When last we heard from Dr. Gregory Saathoff, he suggested doing and managed production of a thoroughly hackish report trying to argue that the anthrax case against Bruce Ivins was solid. (See also this post, and Jeff Kaye's post laying out what other hacks Saathoff recruited for it.) That report took all the FBI's theories about Ivin's alleged acts as a factual baseline–even the ones undermined by the National Academy of Science's scientific review–but then claimed it was not predisposed to support the FBI case.
All that suggests a certain desperation on the part of the FBI, which called on Saathoff to rebut Manssor Arbabsiar's defense argument that he was manic during the period when he was confessing to the Scary Iran Plot. Yet, in his attempt to do so, Saathoff reveals several new problems with the case against Arbabsiar.
Two things to lay out before I review how Saathoff's report makes the government case worse. First, here are some of the symptoms that both Saathoff and defense expert Psychiatrist Michael First used in diagnosing whether or not Arbabsiar was bipolar:
Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
Decreased need for sleep
More talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking
Flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing
Distractibility
Increase in goal-directed activity
Excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences
Now, in just one way, Saathoff's report does make the government's case stronger: an FBI Agent named Mustafa Shalabi (Shalabi was replaced as Arbabsiar's night guard by Damon Flores the following night for the remainder of his pre-presentment custody; Flores says he would cut off Arbabsiar when he talked about his crime) had a conversation with Arbabsiar in the middle of his third night in US custody. Among the other things Shalabi said Arbabsiar told him was,
He said that his cousin was a "big general", [who] was "senior" with decision-making powers. [He was] Approached by cousin to then give money to kill the Saudi Ambassador. As he was telling me this, he reflected back on the whole situation. As he told me the story, [as] he said that, he looked upset and [said that he] had been used by his cousin.
This is as clear as any statement in the complaints in this case that Arbabsiar's cousin, Abdul Reza Shahlai, did ask him to hire someone to kill Saudi Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir (though Arbabsiar's comment that he had been used may suggest far more). As with all the evidence in the complaint, it in no way supports that that's what the money transferred was about (elsewhere the report repeatedly cites Arbabsiar emphasizing no one got killed), but it does provide one more witness implicating Shahlai in a conspiracy to assassinate al-Jubeir. But note, even there,
Shalabi described this brief ten-minute period when Mr. Arbabsiar had chain-smoked several cigarettes and washed his shirt in the bathroom sink using the term "erratic" as defined by "deviating from what is ordinary or standard."
Shalabi insisted Arbabsiar wasn't crazy multiple times, but provided clear evidence that Arbabsiar was exhibiting sleeplessness, poor judgment, and grandiosity at the time he offered up a confession, just days after his capture.
The treatment of Shalabi's interview comes among abundant evidence that Arbabsiar was describing his shitty used car dealership as one of the best dealership in Corpus Christi and being "narcissistic" or a "braggart" (according to jail personnel) about other issues, dealing with insomnia until drugged to treat it, and fighting depression. Saathoff also dismisses Arbabsiar's practice of bringing lovers to his home as simple long-term "hypersexuality," not that of a manic. That is, there's plenty here that to my totally untrained eye sounds like could be symptoms of bipolar, and each Saathoff dismisses (I expect Jeff Kaye will bring a more professional analysis to this shortly). My favorite is the way Saathoff dismisses Arbabsiar gifting airline staffers with duty free fragrance and getting himself a tour of the cockpit.
Around 2004, while on a Lufthansa flight from Europe to Iran, Mr. Arbabsiar spoke with the flight attendant and suggested that he would like to buy her some cologne from the duty-free catalogue. "She was beautiful, and I told her I would do something for her." When she declined, Mr. Arbabsiar stated that he would also like to do something for the pilot and express his gratitude for their dedication in maintaining a safe flight during the increased flight security following September 11, 2001. He purchased duty-free cologne costing approximately $30 each for only the flight attendant and the pilot, who then both expressed their appreciation for what the pilot termed "the nice gesture." In fact the pilot, with 25 years of flight experience, personally escorted Mr. Arbabsiar from his economy seating to the cockpit, where he was allowed to sit in the co-pilot's seat for approximately five minutes as the pilot described and showed Mr. Arbabsiar the controls for operating the plane.
Note, Saathoff doesn't say he interviewed the pilot (and he doesn't cite how he learned the pilot had 25 years of experience). But he would have you believe that a man gifting his way into a cockpit after 9/11 is perfectly normal because once he got there he didn't do anything crazy.
Because coach class passengers manage to gift their way into cockpits during flights all the time.
I'm more interested, though, in two specific details that show Arbabsiar treated his interrogation as grandiose.
First, Saathoff doesn't find it at all grandiose that Arbabsiar believed his personal interrogator was President Obama's right-hand man.
Because the crime he is charged with involves the planned assassination of a Saudi official, he felt that it would have the attention of top U.S. leadership, including President Obama. In my interview with FBI Special Agent (SA) # 1, he affirmed that one of the agents told Mr. Arbabsiar that FBI SA # 1 knew the president. This impressed Mr. Arbabsiar, who would then ask the agent about the president's involvement following the case. Another FBI agent who questioned him, FBI SA # 2, stated to me that, "we portrayed [the other agent] as the president's right hand man. That impressed him. He wants to be important."
"He wants to be important" sure sounds like grandiose.
And then Saathoff dismisses Arbabsiar's references to starting World War III as a joke.
Mr. Arbabsiar made references to World War III (WWIII) that were sarcastic in nature, according to FBI SA# 1. Exasperated with his Iranian handlers and their directives to him to avoid sending emails, Mr. Arbabsiar would say, "If I start WWIII, I start WWIII." In fact, Mr. Arbabsiar indicated to the agents that he believed that the Iranian handlers were overcautious and was confident that even if sending incriminating emails from his address was wrong: "One mistake will not start WWIII."
One curious detail about this passage: Saathoff doesn't describe whether this was a reference to sent email before he was arrested or after. But there's no reference to email in the complaint, suggesting the FBI may have been trying to get Arbabsiar to exchange email with Gholam Shakuri while he was in custody. If so, that would suggest Arbabsiar "joked" about starting WWIII for the actions he was doing while in custody, not before.
In any case, this exhibits the same lack of caution Arbabsiar used when first talking about avoiding transferring large sums, but then transferring two almost $50,000 sums.
And note that elsewhere, Saathoff insists on contextualizing Arbabsiar's comments in the interrogation techniques the FBI Agents were using. Yet, having laid out Arbabsiar's seeming flouting of his handler's caution about email (and also money laundering, which Saathoff doesn't mention), Saathoff makes this claim.
In fact, Mr. Arbabsiar's ability to successfully and appropriately engage his Iranian contact during three phone conversations, using prearranged code words at times, on three separate days demonstrates an absence of mania in that he demonstrated the ability to interact appropriately in a novel situation. To conduct three separate phone calls and converse in code without arousing the suspicion of his Iranian contact required a significant amount of emotional and cognitive control.
Now, I'm not sure why Saathoff claims that Arbabsiar's calls didn't arouse his Iranian contact–Shakuri's–suspicion. In spite of FBI efforts, Arbabsiar never succeeded in getting Shakuri to transfer additional money (and therefore almost the only evidence against Shakuri the FBI has is Arbabsiar's confession), which suggests either the plot(s) weren't all that important to Shakuri or he was suspicious (though he may have been already, since he advised Arbabsier not to go to Mexico in the first place). Moreover, the FBI's claims about the codes never matched the actual syntax of the calls as quoted in the complaint (the FBI conflates "the building" and "the Chevrolet"–though I still suspect that suggests there was a drug deal that may have been a priority), so it's totally unclear Arbabsiar did get the codes right. That is, Saathoff's claim reflect a very flimsy reading of the complaint, which he cites among his sources.
And note one more detail about Saathoff's review. Among the other resources he relied on, he cites this:
Walsh, J. F. (2011, October 10). FBI post arrest statements made by Manssor Arbabsiar from September 29-October 10, 2011, pp. 558-633
James F. Walsh Jr is the FBI Agent who wrote the first of two complaints in this case. Saathoff may have interviewed Walsh, but he did, it's sekrit (he lists interviews with Special Agent 1 and 2, but not interviews with Walsh or Robert Woloszyn, the author of the other complaint; but it's almost certain that's just a dumb ruse to hide Walsh and Woloszyn's identities as Arbabsiar's interrogators).
But it seems that Saathoff has only referred to 75 pages out of at least 633 recording Arbabsiar's statements. If that's right, not only does Saathoff not deal with the bulk of First's evidence, Arbabsiar's speech (though it seems likely the references to Obama and WWIII were among the redacted citations First included), but he never looked at at least 88% of Arbabsiar's comments.
Now all these details just assess Saathoff's interpretations about people who think they're going to start WWIII. His report damns the government's claims that this was a consensual interview in some other ways, which I'll describe in a follow-up post.
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.png 0 0 emptywheel https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.png emptywheel2012-10-06 20:38:582012-10-06 22:42:13FBI's Shrink-for-Hire Undermines Their Case While Trying to Rebut Manic Defense
The Two Scary Iran Plot Complaints: A Comparison
November 25, 2011 /9 Comments/in Scary Iran Plot /by emptywheel
As I wrote on Wednesday, earlier this month, the government released Manssor Arbabsiar's original complaint in the Scary Iran Plot. As I showed, comparing the original with the amended complaint reveals that the government tried to hide the roles of Arbabsiar's brother and several western banks (possibly including Chase) in transferring the money for the plot.
A comparison of the two complaint shows a number of interesting things, which I'll detail below. But the two most striking details are the complete absence of any mention of Gholam Shakuri in the original complaint and the complaint's silence on the opium deal that formed part of Arbabsiar and Narc's discussions.
Remember what I've observed before: four of the five charges against Arbabsiar are conspiracy charges which couldn't be charged without evidence of another conspirator. Now, I expected to see a lot more implicating Shakuri in the second complaint. After all, along with getting a confession during the period when Arbabsiar purportedly waived his Miranda rights, they also got him to make 3 calls to Shakuri that, while they were are inconclusive about whether Shakuri knew of an assassination, make it clear he did know about the transfer of $100,000. But the original complaint doesn't even include the information at ¶33(d) in the amended complaint showing Shakuri delivering more funds to Arbabsiar (and therefore, not surprisingly, the earlier complaint does not include ¶3(c) claiming the earlier funding was one of the overt acts in this conspiracy). In fact, the only co-conspirator alleged in the first complaint is Arbabsiar's cousin, Abdul Reza Shahlai, described as CC-1. Now, I assume the government has a ton of intelligence-derived evidence in this case they don't want to show us. But in their original complaint, they show very little real evidence of a conspiracy. Which makes Arbabsiar's "cooperation" all the more striking, given that that cooperation forms the key evidence (at least that we've seen) for most of the charges against him.
The complaint's silence on the drug deal is just as interesting. I had speculated that they might have charged Arbabsiar on trafficking charges and used the threat of hard time to convince him to waive Miranda and flesh out the assassination plot. But obviously that's wrong; they didn't include the drug charges in the earlier complaint. So why would the government not charge the Quds Force on efforts to set up drug deals with Los Zetas? Two possibilities are, first, that longer term drug deals are the basis for Arbabsiar's relationship with Narc; revealing that would damage the story line that Arbabsiar just found Narc by accident. A closely related possibility is that the FBI and DEA had recruited Arbabsiar to set up these deals as a way to infiltrate Quds Force, in which case Arbabsiar would be granted immunity for such things. Or maybe they just wanted to keep the focus tightly on the flashy part of the plot?
In any case, here are the other differences, laid out by paragraph (unless specified, the numbering comes from the amended complaint, which has more paragraphs).
Intro and ¶14. Two different agents wrote these complaints. James F. Walsh Jr, who has been a Special Agent since just September 2004, wrote the original complaint (this article refers to an FBI Special Agent who was probably Houston-based in 2005). O. Robert Woloszyn, who has been a Special Agent since March 1999, wrote the second complaint. In spite of having two different ostensible authors, though, the language is almost exactly the same; for the most part Woloszyn just copied oevr Walsh's language. That's one thing that makes amendments so interesting.
¶1, •. The amended complaint describes the start date of the conspiracy "spring 2011," as compared to the "May 2011" date in the original complaint. That may reflect earlier conversations Arbabsiar had with Quds Force figures revealed in his confession.
¶3(a-c). As noted, the amended complaint replaces the origin of the money–probably a European bank–with "a foreign entity." And the amended complaint adds language about Arbabsiar's spending money being part of the over conspiracy.
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Confirmed: the Government Hid–and Is Still Hiding–Manssor Arbabsiar's First Docket
October 26, 2011 /10 Comments/in Informants, Intelligence, Scary Iran Plot, Terrorism /by emptywheel
I first raised questions of why the government had charged Manssor Arbabsiar–the Scary Iran Plotter–with an amended complaint almost two weeks ago. As I noted then, the obvious existence of an earlier sealed complaint might suggest the possibility that Arbabsiar was charged with something entirely different than the murder-for-hire charges he got charged with on October 11.
First (and this is what got me looking at the docket in the first place), the complaint is an amended complaint. That says there's a previous complaint. But that complaint is not in the docket. Not only is it not in the docket, but the docket starts with the arrest on September 29 (notice the docket lists his arrest twice, on both September 29 and October 11), but the numbering starts with the amended complaint (normally, even if there were a sealed original complaint, it would be incorporated within the numbering, such that the docket might start with the amended complaint but start with number 8 or something).
Two things might explain this. First, that there was an earlier unrelated complaint–say on drug charges, but the charges are tied closely enough to this op such that this counts as an amended complaint. Alternately, that Arbabsiar was charged with a bunch of things when he was arrested on September 29, but then, after at least 12 days of cooperation (during which he waived Miranda rights each day), he was charged with something else and the new complaint incorporated Ali Gholam Shakuri's involvement, based entirely on Arbabsiar's confession and Shakuri's coded conversations with Arbabsiar while the latter was in US custody. [emphasis original]
If Arbabsiar were originally charged with something different than he was charged with on October 11–for example, if he were charged with drug charges that might put him away for hard time–it might explain why he waived Miranda rights for 12 days in a row, when he had, on 5 different occasions in his past, hired lawyers to represent him when he got in legal trouble.
Well, this filing not only confirms that an earlier complaint exists–the earlier complaint is dated September 28–but it confirms my suspicion the complaint is in an different docket that is entirely sealed.
On September 28, 2011, Magistrate Judge James C. Francis IV authorized a complaint bearing docket number 11 Mag. 2534 ("Sealed Complaint"), charging the above-listed defendant. The Sealed Complaint is attached hereto as Exhibit A.
On October 11, 2011, Magistrate Judge Michael H. Dolinger authorized an Amended Complaint (11 Mag. 2617) charging the defendant and Gholam Shakuri ("Amended Complaint"). By order of the Honorable Loretta A. Preska, dated October 11, 2011, the Sealed Complaint was ordered to remain sealed. On October 11, 2011, the defendant was presented on only the Amended Complaint.
The Government respectfully requests that the Court enter a limited unsealing order permitting the Government to produce the Sealed Complaint in redacted form to defense counsel as part of the discovery process. The Sealed Complaint would otherwise remain sealed.
First, compare the docket numbers:
First Complaint: 11-mg-2534
Amended Complaint: 11-mg-2617
Criminal Indictment: 11-cr-897
These are three entirely different dockets.
A search for criminal magistrate docket 11-2534 returns nothing. Which means the docket–the entire docket–is and remains sealed.
This increases the likelihood that the first complaint charges entirely different charges–such as opium charges–than the amended complaint does.
Indeed, the language of this letter appears to suggest that only Arbabsiar was charged in the first complaint. Even if this earlier complaint pertained to murder-for-hire charges, this might make sense–as I have pointed out, most of the current charges are conspiracy charges that would involve at least two defendants. But the letter suggests–by stating only that "the defendant was presented on only the Amended Complaint"–that there may be charges unique to Arbabsiar, completely unrelated charges that hang over him still–that weren't charged because of his 12-day cooperation to implicate Shakuri.
And here's the kicker. The government isn't even telling Arbabsiar's defense counsel all of what was in that first complaint. They are asking that she receive the complaint in redacted form.
So not only are they hiding the original basis of his arrest from us–US citizens and the world community, to whom the government claimed this is an international incident. But they're hiding parts of this earlier complaint even from the public defender tasked to actually represent this guy.
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The Informant Racket and the Scary Iran Plot
October 25, 2011 /7 Comments/in Informants, Scary Iran Plot /by emptywheel
Jeralyn Merritt has been focusing closely on the DEA's use of informants of late. And as part of a discussion of how much the DEA informant in the Viktor Bout case, Carlos Sagastume, has made off his lucrative informant career ($8 million and counting, with much of that coming in the Monzer al Kassar case), she wondered whether Sagastume might be Narc, the informant in the Scary Iran Plot. [Update: Jeralyn now thinks Narc can't be Sagastume.]
A prior "catch" of informant Sagastume was Monzer al Kassar, (Indictment here.)who was convicted and sentenced to 30 years following a sting very much like the one used on Bout. Al-Kassar's conviction was upheld last month, and the Second Circuit ruled lies by the DEA to to those it is trying to trap in order to get jurisdiction in the U.S. are okay. The opinion is here. An interesting sidenote: one of the three judges affirming al-Kassar's conviction was District Court Judge Shira A. Scheindlin, sitting by designation. She is the trial judge in Viktor Bout's case.
As for why Sagastume has received $8 plus million for his informant work, I suspect it's likely that he's getting a percentage of property ordered forfeited. In cases of criminal forfeiture, like al-Kassar and Viktor Bout, the Government must get a conviction on the criminal charge in order to succeed on the forfeiture. So if Bout were to be acquitted, there would be no forfeiture. That gives the informant a personal stake in seeing Bout convicted.
One last note on Sagastume and Al Kassar. Al-Kassar sold weapons in a lot of countries over his 30 year career, including Iran. Was Sagastume involved in the recent sting involving the alleged plot to kill the Saudi Ambassador? While Sagastume is not the only informant the DEA used in al-Kassar, Bout and similar arms cases, he speaks Spanish, is experienced in the world of Mexican drug smuggling and could play the role of a Zeta as easily as a FARC operative, and could probably convincingly claim to have Iranian connections. It seems likely to me there must be a limited number of DEA informants with the savvy to bridge such disparate groups as the Zetas and Iranian secret forces. It's not like the DEA just calls Central Casting.
Mind you, Jeralyn is just speculating, but I find it interesting speculation for several reasons.
First, because Jeralyn points to the Circuit decision in the al Kasser case. It held that the US government could charge non-Americans in stings conducted entirely outside of the United States so long as the government had demonstrated a clear intent to hurt the US.
In an opinion on Wednesday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York affirmed the increasingly prevalent government tactic of using sting operations to trap arms and drug traffickers worldwide.
Kassar's attorneys argued on appeal that U.S. prosecutors were not allowed to charge non-U.S. citizens caught in a sting operation abroad. The appeals court conceded that Kassar "never came close to harming any U.S. person or property," but concluded that was "irrelevant for conspiracy offenses, which often result in no palpable harm." Instead, the court said the government had clearly established Kassar's intent to harm the U.S.
The circuit also found the government had not "manufactured" jurisdiction by creating the chance for Kassar to break the law.
"While it is true the DEA agents lied to the defendants, this does not make the nexus (to the U.S.) artificial or invalid."
Now, this decision is unnecessary to ensure the government could convict Manssor Arbabsiar. He's an American citizen (though the only overt act he committed in the US was a money transfer). But they're on shakier ground with Gholam Shakuri. At least given what the government has presented in the complaint, there's zero evidence that the Quds Force set out to assassinate Adel al-Jubeir in the US. I've noted that Narc invented all the most spectacular elements of the plot–including the civilian casualties, the dead Senators, and apparently the WMD. And while you might assume soliciting a North American cartel to carry out the kidnapping (or assassination) of a US-based Ambassador would imply an attack in the US, there is no evidence in the complaint that Arbabsiar's handlers specifically asked for that. None. But by charging this in NY, you can rely on the al Kasser decision, point to the fictional dead Senators, and worry less about including Shakuri in the sting.
None of that has to do with the possibility that Sagastume was the Narc in this case. But Jeralyn's comments about Sagastume's effectively working on spec does. As I noted, there was almost nothing new in the indictment presented on Thursday.
Except a forfeiture provision, calling for Arbabsiar and Shakuri to forfeit any property tied to a terrorist attack on the US.
That's still not a tie to Sagastume, necessarily. And given the money already transferred–just $100,000, as far as we know–that's chump change for someone like Sagastume, who has already made millions for his narc work. But who knows? Maybe there are big proceeds from the opium deal the government doesn't want to tell us about.
That still doesn't say anything interesting about Sagastume.
But the timing might.
I've been trying to figure out why the government decided to spring this sting on October 11. After all, it has had the most critical pieces of evidence since August 9. Narc first raised the possibility that Arbabsiar would have to fly to Mexico to guarantee payment on August 28. And yet the sting waddled along, as Shakuri's urgency increased, but with no resolution. And what dictated the timing after Arbabsiar was arrested on September 29? Why wait until October 11, four days after the last (mentioned) unsuccessful attempt to get Shakuri to send more money, before you announce the charges? And given that the government had had all this evidence for months, why had, according to Preet Bharara, "None of the people that have been mentioned by me and others [who investigated the case] [] gotten much sleep lately"?
If Sagastume were Narc, it might explain the government's (though not Shakuri's) urgency. The government announced the charges on October 11. On October 12, Viktor Bout's trial started. I can see how the Bout trial date would serve as an artificial endpoint to the Scary Iran Plot investigation. And if I'm reading the reports from the trial correctly, Sagastume testified on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week. Then the trial broke for the week, as opposed to on Thursday, which might be more normal. On Thursday, the fairly simple Indictment (one that might take just a few hours to present) came out. And yesterday and today, Sagastume's back on the witness stand in Bout's case. In other words, the Scary Iran Plot and the Bout trial coincide in ways that would make it very easy to manage the star Narc's testimony across both cases, in one tidy trip to the US before he goes off to whatever swank retirement the government has arranged for him.
Again, both Jeralyn and I are speculating, nothing more (though her comments about informants are worthwhile reading and applicable more generally). But it all would fit rather nicely. And if Sagastume stands to make millions–as he has from prior stings–it might add another layer of intrigue to the Scary Iran Plot.
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DOJ Offers No More Detail on Scary Iran Plot in Indictment
I had this naive hope that DOJ would use the opportunity of an indictment to fill in some of the holes in their case.
Like I said, naive hope.
The indictment appears to be the amended complaint, without the affidavit, with an arrest warrant for Gholam Shakuri.
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Scary Iran Plot: Follow the Money
October 17, 2011 /39 Comments/in emptywheel, Informants, Intelligence, Scary Iran Plot, Terrorism /by emptywheel
A number of people–from MadDog to the Administration–have claimed that the money trail in the Scary Iran Plot is what makes it credible.
I'd like to lay out what the Administration showed in the complaint–as opposed to in its predictable trail of anonymous leaks that the Administration apparently believes can replace actual evidence–regarding the money trail. I actually find their anonymous claims that the money trail shows more damning details to be more believable than some of the other things they've said about this. But the most solid evidence described in the complaint–as I described here–shows money being delivered with no explanation into the hands of a person, Individual #1, and from there being sent to the US. Yet Individual #1 doesn't even appear to be Quds Force and was neither charged in the complaint nor sanctioned by Treasury.
Money was exchanged, but for what?
Before I lay out what the money details show, though, let's lay out the many possible operations the money paid for. According to Manssor Arbabsiar's confession, his cousin Abdul Reza Shahlai told him to go get drug traffickers to kidnap the Saudi Ambassador. Arbabsiar's confession says it evolved into a capture or kill deal (though says it did so in conversations with Gholam Shakuri and Hamed Abdollahi, not Shahlai). The complaint also mentions plans of "attacking an embassy of Saudi Arabia" (Narc's account of the May 24 meeting with Arbabsiar), for "a number of violent missions" (Narc's account of purportedly unrecorded June-July meetings), "the murder of the Ambassador" (Narc's account of purportedly unrecorded June-July meetings), and targeting foreign government facilities located outside of the United States, associated with Saudi Arabia and with another country [reported to be Israel]" (footnote 6 describing what Narc reported from these earlier meetings). The quotes from July 14 are ambiguous whether they refer to kidnapping or assassination of al-Jubeir. The quotes from July 17 include clear reference to killing what is presumably (thought not specified as) al-Jubeir. And note what the complaint rather damningly doesn't mention, though Administration leakers admit?
The plotters also discussed a side deal between the Quds Force, part of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, and Los Zetas to funnel tons of opium from the Middle East to Mexico, the official said.
In other words, several things were being negotiated: the kidnapping and/or assassination of al-Jubeir, hits on embassies in Argentina, possibly some other horrible things, and drug deals. So we need to be careful to tie any payments to specific ops.
The use of two different codes in the taped conversations doesn't make tying payments to specific ops any easier–the complaint mentions "painting," or "doing" a building (September 2, 20, and October 4), which the FBI Agent interprets without stated confirmation in Arbabsiar's confession as the murder, as well as the "Chevrolet" (October 5 and 7), which Arbabsiar's confession says also referred to the murder (syntactically, though, the Chevrolet sounds like a drug deal, while the building seems more closely connected to the murder).
Finally, a conversation on September 12 seems to suggest (though the FBI Agent doesn't interpret it this way) that Arbabsiar had presented Narc several choices of operations, and the plotters just wanted them to pick one to carry out. After insisting the price would be "one point five," Arbabsiar told Narc, for example, that he could "prepare for those too [two] … but we need at least one of them" [ellipsis original]. He went on to say that if Narc did "at least one … I'll send the balance for you" [ellipsis original]. Particularly given the two different codes–building and Chevrolet–it seems possible there were still at least two different operations (both Arbabsiar and Shakuri offer up the building, not the Chevrolet, when they are not being coached as the operation they're most anxious about). At the very least, this means that two months after the two meetings supposedly finalizing the plan for the assassination, both the price and the objective remained unclear.
No quoted passage ties the $100,000, the $1.5 million, and the assassination
Those two meetings–which do tie money to an attack on the Saudis–took place on July 14 and July 17. Before those meetings even started, however, the $100,000 that was purportedly the down-payment for the al-Jubeir assassination had already been transferred to a middleman; Arbabsiar tells Narc that Individual #1 (who is not described in the same way the Quds officers are, and appears not to have been sanctioned with everyone else) got the "money at nine in the morning." The quoted passages definitely tie what appears to be the $1.5 million to doing something with Saudi Arabia. "Take the one point five for the Saudi Arabia." That might be doing something with the Saudi embassy, though later in the same conversation Arbabsiar does confirm Narc's question that "you just want the main guy." Given the number of plots they were discussing, that's not definitive that the $100,000 was tied to the al-Jubeir plot at all, nor is it definitive that the "one point five" was the agreed upon payment for assassinating–as opposed to kidnapping–al-Jubeir. There is no quote that ties all these things together; but assuming the FBI Agent's interpretation is not really wacko, it does seem this conversation ties the money to some kind of attack on al-Jubeir.
The July 17 conversation–which with the July 14 conversation, includes one of two discussions of bank account numbers for the transfer–makes the focus on assassination much more clear. Narc pretends his guys are in Washington (meaning there's no doubt the attack in discussion was al-Jubeir rather than the Saudi Embasy in Argentina). And–in the sole quotations in the entire complaint that make it clear Arbabsiar was talking about assassination–in response to Narc's cue, "I don't know what exactly your cousin wants me to do," Arbabsiar says his cousin "wants you to kill this guy" and goes on to say that if necessary, collateral damage of citizens is acceptable.
Consider how laughable this deal-making is. On July 14, Narc gives his price for the job. Then on July 17, he's still looking for clarification about what the task really is! Read more →
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What Is the Source of Gholam Shakuri's Urgency?
October 15, 2011 /7 Comments/in Informants, Intelligence, Scary Iran Plot, Terrorism /by emptywheel
I'm working on a big post that raises more questions about the government's interpretation of the Scary Iran Plot.
But for the moment I want to raise an issue that might provide a nugget of plausibility for the larger story. And that's Gholam Shakuri's urgency.
According to the complaint, Arbabsiar confessed that when he traveled back to Iran (I've taken this to be sometime after July 20, but as I explained here, it may have happened earlier) Shakuri told him the kidnap or kill operation had to happen quickly.
ARBABSIAR was asked to have [Narc] kidnap or kill the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United States, and told that it would need to be done fast.
Because the government has sealed evidence explaining on what terms Arbabsiar is cooperating, I find his confession to be suspect. But Shakuri does repeat that urgency in the recorded call on October 5 (though note I also find the government's interpretation of the "code" here suspect, both because it derives from Arbabsiar's confession and the syntax suggests the FBI Agent is reading a multiplicity of codes to all refer to the assassination).
[After discussing "the Chevrolet"] SHAKURI urged ARBABSIAR "[j]ust do it quickly, it's late, just buy it for me and bring it already."
I find the urgency interesting because of several events that would implicate Quds Force power, like the push to sell Bahrain weapons, the negotiations on leaving troops in Iraq and–most notably–the negotiation of a prisoner swap between Hamas and Israel on the very day the plot was announced. And remember, the US managed the timing of this, drawing out its denouement over two months after money got transferred and 12 days after Arbabsiar was arrested. I don't know what role Adel al-Jubeir had in this prisoner swap (Egypt is a key player), but the exchange certainly seems like it would serve Saudi goals of giving Palestine some relief while serving Israeli-dictated US goals of thwarting the PLO UN statehood bid, all while lessening Iranian influence with Hamas.
Frankly, that's all just based on the coincidence between the announcement of the plot and the prisoner swap.
But it seems that one key to understanding who really sponsored this plot–if there really was one–is understanding Shakuri's urgency.
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Ignatius: CIA Is Involved with the Iran Plot, So It Must Be True!
October 14, 2011 /45 Comments/in Informants, Intelligence, Scary Iran Plot /by emptywheel
In the face of near universal ridicule over the Iran plot, the Administration is now trying to shore up the case that this plot is "real." Many many media outlets are repeating one US official promising multiple sources corroborated the plot (forgetting, apparently, that one source reading a talking point saying he's got multiple sources is not the same as multiple sources describing credible evidence).
"Multiple" sources have corroborated the report about an alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States, a scheme the administration is alleging is tied to Iran's military, a U.S. official told CNN Thursday.
More interesting, the CIA's mouthpiece, David Ignatius, has been trotted out to reassure us that this is true because the CIA says it is.
But over months, officials at the White House and the Justice Department became convinced the plan was real. One big reason is that the CIA and other intelligence agencies gathered information corraborating the informant's juicy allegations — and showing that the plot had support from the top leadership of the elite Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, the covert-action arm of the Iranian government.
It was this intelligence collected in Iran — not tips from someone inside the Mexican drug mafia — that led the Treasury Department to impose sanctions Tuesday on four senior members of the Quds Force who allegedly were "connected" to a plot to murder the Saudi ambassador.
So after going to great lengths to scrub the complaint of any hint that the CIA or NSC was involved in this plot, pretending, for example, that we weren't tracking where Manssor Arbabsiar was when he traveled abroad, that we weren't wiretapping his conversations, and that we hadn't kept a close eye on a car salesman with serial legal troubles and ties to the Quds Force even before this plot, the government has now decided to admit that the CIA was instead central to the plot.
The same CIA that used the equally dubious laptop of death for years to claim Iran had a nukes program. The CIA that dealt Iranians doctored blueprints for nukes. And hell, while we're at it, the same CIA that overthrew the elected government of Iran to protect BP.
In short, David Ignatius wants to convince us we should believe this plot because the CIA, which has a long history of fabricating or using fabricated evidence to implicate Iran, says the plot is true.
They were better off when they were scrupulously hiding the CIA's centrality to this plot!
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How a Used Car Salesman's Alleged Kidnapping Plot Turned into an International Incident
Let me correct something the press has almost universally gotten wrong about the Manssor Arbabsiar plot. He was not originally sent to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador to the US in a spectacular bombing plot. According to the complaint, after Arbabsiar offered up his service to his cousin, Abdul Reza Shahlai, sometime in early spring, Shahlai asked him to find a drug cartel that would kidnap the Saudi Ambassador. Sometime between that point and July 17, the plot evolved into a kill or kidnap operation, and then a kill operation. But key details of how and when this happened rather curiously were not taped by the informant (whom I refer to as Narc). This raises the possibility that Narc suggested the most spectacular aspects of this plot, both the bombing attempt and the assassination, after he got approached to kidnap Saudi Ambassador Adel Al-Jubeir. In other words, it is possible that Narc and his government handlers turned this from a kidnapping attempt into a terrorist plot complete with C4, which makes it a WMD plot.
I've got a timeline below, but first, a few points. There's one section of the complaint that obscures the chronology of how the kidnapping plot turned into the assassination plot. Paragraphs 39 a-e describe what Arbabsiar said in his confession, but the events are dated only with the description, "upon his return to Iran." There's one period of time that, the complaint makes clear, Arbabsiar was in Iran, from July 20 through September 28; given the complaint's clear signal he was in Iran in this period and the wiring of the payment, I've put the events described in his confession in that period. However, Arbabsiar was "traveling internationally" during another period, from May 30 to June 23, when Arbabsiar likely was also in Iran, so the events (and therefore the decision to assassinate the Ambassador) may have come earlier. I actually think the most likely scenario is that the first part of paragraph 39a–describing him reporting he had "located a drug dealer"–happened in that earlier window, but the other events happened in the later window.
There's one other very critical issue about whether the assassination plot came from Narc or the Qods plotters. The complaint says clearly that the code name for the Ambassador assassination was "Chevrolet." But a number of the other conversations with Shakuri (and, indeed, the September 2 call between Arbabsiar and Narc) talk about a building. And the complaint (and some of the quoted comments below) make it clear they were also talking about other operations with Narc. And when Shakuri first talks to Arbabsiar after he's in FBI custody (remember, he believes Arbabsiar is with Los Zetas), he raises the building, not the Chevrolet, first. I actually suspect–given the discussion of "buying all of it"–that Chevrolet may actually refer to another plot, perhaps a drug deal (see Juan Cole's speculation this might be about drugs), whereas the building refers to the assassination attempt. But in any case, at the very least it says that if Chevrolet was, indeed, the code, then Shakuri was most interested in the building plot, not the Chevrolet plot when he first talked to Arbabsiar.
Early Spring 2011: According to Arbabsiar's confession, Shahlai approaches Arbabsiar and asked him to work with him. Arbabsiar offers up "that as a result of his business in both Mexico and the United States, he knew a number of people who traveled between the two countries, and some of those people, he believed, were narcotics traffickers. Shahlai responds, "that he wanted Arbabsiar to hire someone who could kidnap the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States and that Arbabsiar should find someone in the narcotics business, because people in that business are willing to undertake criminal activity in exchange for money."
After that meeting: According to Arbabsiar's confession, Shahlai provided thousands of dollars for expenses. This is, at least from the detail given in the plot, the last that Shahlai is involved personally in the plot.
May 24, 2011: In one-day trip to Mexico from Texas, Arbabsiar meets with DEA informant posing as a Los Zetas member (Narc). The meeting is allegedly not recorded. After the meeting, Narc told his handlers that Arbabsiar was interested in, "among other things, attacking an embassy of Saudi Arabia." According to Narc, Arbabsiar asked about his expertise, including on explosives. In response, Narc offered up that he was knowledgeable in C4.
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The use of a multi scale framework to model tumor growth could aid in drug delivery assessment.
Tumor recurrence predictions based on a fully coupled space–time multiscale framework for modeling tumor growth may soon be possible, according to researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
The team collaborated with colleagues at The University of Texas at Austin and the MD Anderson Cancer Center to create a novel algorithm that takes into account major biological events in the tissue and cells of the patient. In a paper published in Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, the researchers describe a framework that consists of a tissue scale model, a model of cellular activities, and a subcellular transduction signaling pathway model.
The researchers developed tissue models, cellular models, and subcellular models in this framework using partial differential equations for tissue growth. These formulas also were used for an agent-based model for cellular events. The team developed a model that employs ordinary differential equations for signaling transduction pathway as a network at subcellular scale.
The researchers hope that this approach can be adopted to help predict the morphologic instability and growth patterns of different cell phenotypes. The researchers also theorized that this model could be used to measure cell density in a tumor and aid in drug delivery assessment.


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Forex With Alpari: Dependability And Innovation In Trading
Traders are people who work on the Forex market, making an attempt to ascertain the path in which the value of a foreign money will go and make a trade for the acquisition or sale of that currency. As such, by shopping for a forex cheaper and selling it for extra, traders earn cash on the Forex market. Traders make their selections primarily based on the analysis of all components that may affect costs; permitting them to work out exactly through which course costs are shifting. You can also make a profit on the Forex market when the value of a currency drops as well as when it will increase. Moreover, traders could make trades on the Forex market from wherever on this planet; from London to Timbuktu.
If you're a Canadian resident who's relatively new to trading, you might wish to know that FOREX.com can offer you a broad vary of alternatives to think about as alternatives to forex. As said earlier on this articles, our Canadian clients are invited to think about buying and selling indices, stocks and commodities through CFDs.
It is important to remember when taking a look at forex that a stronger currency makes a country's exports costlier for other countries, while making imports cheaper. A weaker foreign money makes exports cheaper and imports more expensive, so international trade rates play a big half in determining the trading relationship between two countries.
This is a protracted-term strategy targeted on basic evaluation to find out when to purchase or sell. Place trading is one other method to buying and samuraiforextrading.com selling forex that includes a protracted-time period purchase and hold technique that speculates on the course of an asset value over a time frame, which may last months and even years.
Strong trending markets work best for carry trades because the technique involves a lengthier time horizon. Affirmation of the trend should be the first step previous to inserting the commerce (increased highs and better lows and vice versa) – discuss with Instance 1 above. There are two features to a carry commerce particularly, trade price threat and curiosity fee risk. Accordingly, one of the best time to open the positions is in the beginning of a pattern to capitalise totally on the exchange charge fluctuation. Relating to the curiosity fee element, this can stay the identical whatever the development because the trader will still obtain the curiosity charge differential if the primary named foreign money has the next interest rate against the second named forex e.g. AUD/JPY.
http://samuraiforextrading.com/


Becoming a first-time homebuyer is never as easy as you imagine it to be. In 2017, 37 percent of prospective purchasers were looking to buy their first home, so you'll have a lot of company out there on the housing market.
A particularly motivated buyer can snag a home within two weeks or less, which sounds great, but you have to be careful. You can't be so motivated that you skip some important steps. You may already know that a home inspection is important, but don't overlook the plumbing in that inspection. Here's why it's critical to check the plumbing before you commit.
But the plumbing is just as critical as the light fixtures. It's possible the plumbing was installed wrong when the house was built. Or it's possible that the plumbing was fine when the house was built 80 years ago, but now it needs some serious upgrades. If you don't know about these issues before closing, then you can't renegotiate the deal. Instead, it's far more likely you'll be stuck with the bill when the pipes finally go kaput a few months or years down the line.
There are certain things you can look for while touring a house. Pay attention to the base of the toilet in every bathroom, because even a small leak there can cause a major hassle. You should also ask how long the home's water heater has been in use, since the average water heater should work for about 10 years.
Be wary of any pushback from the homeowner. They should want you to take a close look at the house, not be afraid of what increased scrutiny might reveal. Many sellers will try to work something out if the inspection reveals some issue.
Let's say an inspection shows that the sewer line isn't in good shape. In fact, it's in such bad shape that your house's lines will need some serious sewer pipe lining. A seller who is willing to deal might have you get an estimate for the work, then subtract the price of that estimate from the home's cost.
Of course, not all sellers are willing to negotiate. Some will take a hard line stance and insist on selling the house as-is or not selling at all, at least not to you. By this point, you've no doubt invested a lot of energy and at least some money into this house. Depending on your housing market, home inspections can cost $500 or more. You may feel like if you walk away, you're flushing that money down the proverbial toilet.
But there are times when walking away makes more sense than dumping more money into a house with serious plumbing issues. Consider it a bullet dodged and a lesson learned. If you drop out of the sale and feel too worn out to immediately start looking for another house, then don't. Take a break and consider other options.
For example, building a home gives you more control over the entire process, so now might be a good time to research luxury home builders. Whatever you do, don't get upset with yourself for liking a home that turned out to have major problems. That's part of the process, and almost homebuyer runs into it at some point.


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Suspended sentence for owner of 'death trap' house
Man sentenced to 12-months
A man from Gloucester has been handed a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, for a string of dangerous fire safety failings at a house under his ownership.
Owner Mr Moynul Islam was also ordered to pay costs totalling nearly £3000.
After hearing evidence from Station Manager Graham Parker, the Fire Safety Enforcement Manager, Recorder G Bebb QC stated that the premises were a fire disaster waiting to happen, there were squalid living conditions and it was a death trap.
Mr Parker told the court that in his 23 years in the role, it was the most unsafe house he had ever seen.
There was a flagrant disregard of the law and had a fire happened there was a very high risk of death. It was so serious that only a custodial sentence was appropriate, heard the court.
In July 2016, an inspection of the premises was carried out, supported by Gloucester City Council.
Fire safety enforcement officers discovered that unauthorised sleeping accommodation for tenants had been provided on the ground, first and second floors.
A fire alarm system had not been provided and the structural fire precautions were insufficient to allow safe escape in the event of fire.
The fire safety breaches were so serious that death or serious injury would be likely in the event of fire. This resulted in the whole premises being banned from use.
Further inspections found that the 'notice' was being breached and tenants were still living on the premises.
The defendant pleaded guilty to the following matters:
Failure to comply with the prohibition notice.
No fire resistance between floors
Bedroom doors on the first floor were not fire-resisting.
Bedroom doors on the second floor were not fire-resisting.
A kitchen was situated within the first floor escape route.
Emergency lighting was not provided.
No fire alarm and smoke detectors were provided.
A fire risk assessment had not been completed.
No fire safety information provided to tenants
No fixed wiring electrical test
Failure to respond to a request for information
Obstructed fire exits
Cllr Nigel Moor, cabinet member for fire, planning and infrastructure, said: "Fire safety law is there to help keep people safe. We always prefer a supportive and co-operative approach to ensure owners comply but sometimes legal action is the only option left.
"This prosecution sends a strong message - we will not stand for owners failing to comply with fire safety laws."
Stewart Edgar, Chief Fire Officer at Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue said that he hoped this would act as a deterrent to all those who risk the lives of others by failing to comply with legislation which has been developed with peoples safety in mind.
"My firefighters and officers works extremely hard to prevent fires and other emergencies from occurring in the first place.
"Part of that prevention agenda is to ensure that those who are responsible for the safety and well being of others comply with the law and keep everyone safe."
Original sources
Gloucestershire Live
Gloucestershire County Council
Guidance Document Repeater Panels
Design and implementation of voice alarm systems


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Franz Xaver Wegele, à partir de 1881 von Wegele (né le  à Landsberg am Lech et mort le  à Wurtzbourg) est un historien bavarois et co-éditeur de l'Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB).

Biographie
Wegele étudie aux universités de Munich et de Heidelberg. En des temps politiquement turbulents, il peut se qualifier comme professeur en 1849 et obtient par la suite un poste d'enseignant en histoire à l'Université d'Iéna.

Deux ans plus tard, Wegele est nommé "Professeur d'Histoire". En 1857, il accepte un poste de professeur à l'Université de Wurtzbourg. L'année suivante, il est accepté comme membre de la  de Munich. Il y est impliqué de manière significative dans la publication de l'ADB pendant de nombreuses années. À partir de 1860, il est membre étranger de l'Académie bavaroise des sciences.

Travaux (sélection)
 en tant qu'auteur
 Karl August von Weimar. Weimar 1850.
 Dante Alighieris Leben und Werke. 3. Auflage. Jena 1879.
 Monumenta Eheracensia. Nördlingen 1863.
 Die Reformation der Universität Würzburg. Festrede zur Jahresfeier der Stiftung der Julius-Maximilians-Universität am 2. Januar 1863. Thein, Würzburg 1863.
 Zur Literatur und Kritik der fränkischen Nekrologien. Nördlingen 1864.
 Friedrich der Freidige, Markgraf von Meißen. Nördlingen 1870.
 Goethe als Historiker. Würzburg 1876.
 Graf Otto von Henneberg. Würzburg 1875.
 Geschichte der Universität Würzburg. Stahel, Würzburg 1882 (2 Bde.)
 Geschichte der deutschen Historiographie seit dem Auftreten des Humanismus. München 1885.

 en tant qu'éditeur
 Reinhardsbrunner Annalen (Thüringische Geschichtsquellen)
 : Chronicon ecclesiasticum Nicolai de Siegen O.S.B. Jena 1854–1855 (2 Bde.).

Bibliographie

 : Franz Xaver Wegele und die Gründung des Würzburger Historischen Seminars (1857). In: Peter Baumgart: Vierhundert Jahre Universität Würzburg. Verlag Degener, Neustadt/Aisch 1982, ISBN 3-7686-9062-8, S. 483–537.

Liens externes

Historien bavarois
Membre de l'Académie bavaroise des sciences
Naissance en octobre 1823
Naissance à Landsberg am Lech
Naissance dans le royaume de Bavière
Décès en octobre 1897
Décès à Wurtzbourg
Décès dans le royaume de Bavière
Décès à 73 ans


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Can celebrities and prime-time TV make Americans care about climate change?
Harrison Ford, Don Cheadle, Jessica Alba, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and more team up for "Years of Living Dangerously." Producer Dan Abbasi talks Hollywood flair and global warming.
Cheadle, Hayhoe, and Andrew Farley. Years of Living Dangerously
Climate + Climate & Energy
Years of Living DangerouslyCheadle, Hayhoe, and Andrew Farley.
April 13 is the television premiere of the much-anticipated Showtime series on climate change, Years of Living Dangerously. The show features a cast of notable celebrities, who set out with scientists, firefighters and policymakers to explore the front lines of climate change.
The show's first episode, already available online, features actor Don Cheadle traveling to Plainview, Texas, where he discusses climate change and drought with Texas Tech University climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe and her husband, an evangelical preacher. It also follows Harrison Ford as he travels to Indonesia to look at deforestation and climate change, and New York Times columnist Tom Friedman as he visits Syria to look at climate change and conflict. Matt Damon, Jessica Alba, and America Ferrera appear in later installments of the eight-part miniseries, which premieres at 10 p.m. on Sunday.
The team behind the film is equally impressive, with science advisers and executive producers that include James Cameron, the Hollywood director; Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former California governor; David Gelber and Joel Bach, former 60 Minutes producers; and Dan Abbasi, a cleantech investor whose career has taken him through jobs as an Environmental Protection Agency appointee during the Clinton administration, media strategist at Time Warner, and associate dean of Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
HuffPost sat down with Abbasi last week to discuss the series and why Years of Living Dangerously producers think Hollywood flair will change the discussion of climate change.
Q. You've spent time in government, business, academia, and media. What made you decide to make this your next project? Were you getting frustrated in trying to attack this issue from other directions?
A. Definitely, definitely. I think in some ways the environmental community is very hard on itself in saying, "We haven't solved this yet." This is massive. You're talking about a fundamental turnover of the entire industrial ecosystem of the world. So it is not something you do easily in a couple of decades. And the issue has really been on the big agenda since the 1980s. … In that sense, when you think about how far we've come, there's lots of progress. Even in the red states now there's polling showing a majority of Americans wanting action on climate change. So that's all to say, yeah, there is more progress than we've given ourselves credit for.
But yeah, I definitely have a frustration that the discourse has been too expert-driven, inside the Beltway, and that we need to give ordinary people a voice and empower them. We have to lead our leaders to do the right thing. The issue is too dangerous at this point to sit by and wait for the leaders. A lot of leaders have abdicated on this. A lot of them have been silent.
The bottom line is that it's going to take something that looks like a public movement. I have no belief that all of a sudden we'll have unanimity in the public. None of us is naïve about the idea that you put on a TV show and the whole world comes around, and that's really not the kind of show it is. But the hope is you'll break the inhibitions on talking about it, that people will engage more, that they'll start expressing themselves more, they'll use some of the tool kits we provide, and mostly that they'll put pressure on their elected officials to take concerted policy action.
Q. You also wrote a book about Americans and climate change that looked at how to "close the gap" between science and action. Do you think this series can start closing that gap?
A. Yes, I do, because I think emotion is a really big part of this. One of the big things we add to the equation here is emotion. There's been a lot of cerebral coverage of the issue. I think all of us who are immersed in the issue kind of have this protective layer on, that even we don't deal daily with the emotional consequence of it. If you did, you'd be all strung out all of the time. If you really understand how serious this is and how strong the inertia is toward this inevitably very tragic outcome for civilization, you have to kind of distance yourself from it.
I've been much more emotional about the issue, being involved in the show. When you look someone in the eye who's lost their family to the Sandy storm, a family that's in a dire situation or is relatively poor dealing with the aftermath of the storm, you just feel it in your gut. We need to listen to that emotion much more.
Q. As a viewer, I wanted to see more scientists and fewer celebrities. What do you think that having celebrities like Harrison Ford involved brings to the series?
A. This is a genre bender. We're blending together the storytelling arts with science, and I hope we've got that balance right so that we can have the broadest possible audience and have everybody engaged. But to your point, what does Harrison bring? He's charismatic. He is really intense — in person in our edit room and in the field. I think that intensity is appropriate for this kind of an issue.
I think he brings genuine, authentic indignation and emotion. And because he's Harrison Ford -– well, you can argue people like that can simulate it and act it, but in this case it's genuine. He's a pretty powerful presence in the show and I don't think most scientists, most scientists, can pull that off.
Q. How did you guys decide on which celebrities to include?
A. We wanted ones who have already done something on the environment in the past, or at least humanitarian issues. Don Cheadle is a U.N. goodwill ambassador. Harrison is vice chair of the board of Conservation International. Matt Damon runs Water.org. So these are people who have an established reputation for connecting to humanitarian issues. The next thing is that they're all just really, really intelligent. I think the best ones rise for a reason, and part of it is this fierce intelligence that they bring to the study, the craft of acting — understanding the characters and being able to mesmerize audiences by communicating that.
Q. The last major cinematic take on climate change was An Inconvenient Truth. What do you think series will do differently?
A. Well for one thing, former Vice President Al Gore went through one of the most polarizing elections in history in 2000. There was very strong sentiment about him in the South and other places. … I don't want to pick on Al Gore too much, but we're not tied to any particular individual. It's because it is an ensemble cast, and I think there is a better chance to reach bigger audiences. You have evangelical scientists like Katharine. You have Republican governors like Arnold Schwarzenegger. You've got Bob Inglis, the former South Carolina congressman who really lost his seat in part because he was tea-partied out for his stance on climate change.
I just think many people across the cultural, political, and ideological spectrum across America will find some voice and some path into the issue here that they might not when it's Al Gore up there giving what's still a remarkable film and remarkable accomplishment, a much-needed tutorial about the issue that was vivid and powerful. Nothing in this should take away from the significance of that event, but I do think we've gotten to the point where we need a more mainstream vehicle and one that's not tied to a political angle.
Q. In the climate denial circles, there is the popularity meme they have that, "Oh climate change is just a bunch of Hollywood liberals that care about that." So is there concern that this is going to be a series of Hollywood liberals?
A. There is. I must tell you we tried really hard both in terms of the subjects and the correspondents to reach across the political spectrum. In some cases we had less luck than we would have liked drawing people from all sides of the political spectrum, because it can be disqualifying in some of ways for people on the right to get involved in a project like this. So, we should acknowledge that there were efforts to broaden it even more than we did, and yet I think we succeed. Republicans have a proud tradition of environmentalism in the past, from Nixon in starting the EPA to George H.W. Bush and the Clean Air Act. I think we do want to both cover the politics, but in the end depoliticize the issue a little bit, which is a little bit of a paradox. You want to show that there are political fights out there, which there are, and you want to cover them because that's part of the issue in America.
Emotion also has a way of breaking down those ideological filters a little bit as you start connecting as a human being. My hope is that more people will connect as a human being to this, and we will do some good in terms of broadening this. There is nothing you can do besides put out your product and put out the show, talk about it, and hope that people watch and give it a chance.
This story was produced by The Huffington Post as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
These gorgeous sustainable travel mugs won't leach harmful chemicals
Holly Richmond Culture
Biden administration unveils roadmap for a greener, more equitable transportation sector
Joseph Winters


*** The Chemical Brothers, "Surrender," Astralwerks. Ever since the Chemical Brothers broke through in a big way with their 1997 album "Dig Your Own Hole," they've incurred the wrath of techno purists who felt the British duo had forsaken subtlety and depth in favor of big, dumb beats. Once hailed as innovators, they came to be regarded as lumbering giants, stamping out electronic music's potentially diverse outreach with the monolithic primacy of their big-beat approach.
Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands must have taken some of that criticism (much of it unwarranted) to heart, because their third studio album is less an invitation to hit the dance floor than a meditative exercise in head music. The beats are still there, but they don't announce themselves with "Dig's" brazen urgency. Instead, shimmering disco high-hats skim across the surface of percolating, synth-driven melodies, and bird-like twitters top mid-tempo electro-funk grooves. The album's hypnotic centerpiece, "The Sunshine Underground," begins life as a gentle, ambient riff, upon which the duo piles tribal beats, video game sound effects and swelling strings.
Curiously, the Chems' four stabs at conventional songs, with vocals from Mercury Rev's John Donahue and Oasis' Noel Gallagher, among others, are stilted and, well, conventional. They bog down what is an otherwise enchanting album.


In my first blog entry of this series, "Divorce in Virginia v. Divorce in Other States: Part I," I introduced you to the American Bar Association's article in its Family Law Quarterly, which provides a state-by-state comparison on the divorce and custody laws between states. I covered how Virginia compared to other states when courts calculate alimony or spousal support and child support.
In this blog, we'll discuss how Virginia compares to other states when establishing parental custody.
If you and your ex-spouse or ex-girlfriend/boyfriend cannot agree upon visitation and custody, you will have to request a judicial determination. In other words, a Virginia Circuit Court or Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court (JDR) judge will make custody and visitation determinations according to the best interests of the child or children.
The majority of states, with the exception of a few, including Maryland and Massachusetts, use statutory guidelines or factors to determine what type of visitation or custody arrangement would be in your minor child's best interests. In Virginia, Section 20-124.2 and Section 20-124.3 of the Virginia Code set forth the statutory factors courts used to establish the best interests of the child determination.
Frequently, there are cases when one parent states that his or her child prefers living with him/her than his/her mother/father. Do courts in Virginia consider the child's wishes? Virginia law allows courts to take a child's wishes into account, but generally, the older a child, the greater the chances that a judge will consider his or her preference.
In most other states, courts will consider a child's preference or wishes when making a custody or visitation determination. However, in a few states, courts will only consider a child's wishes at a certain age.
In Virginia, there is no statutory minimum age at which courts take a child's best wishes or preferences into account. Thus, courts may take a child's best wishes into account but only on a case-by-case basis.
In some states, including Tennessee and Texas, courts prefer joint custody and visitation arrangements. Thus, in these states, unless one parent can demonstrate that a joint custody and visitation arrangement is not in the best interests of the child, a court is likely to award joint visitation and custody. In my opinion, this is a great rule.
In Virginia, there is no statutory presumption in favor of joint custody. As such, a parent has to ask for joint physical or legal custody. In my experience, it's common for parents to share joint legal custody, but primary physical custody is awarded to only one parent, while the other can exercise visitation.
In the next few blogs, I plan to cover the differences in the divorce residency requirements in other states and the differences in property division awards during divorce compared to Virginia.
subject to change, please schedule an appointment with our office to further discuss your personal situation. This public information is neither intended to, nor will, create an attorney-client relationship.


text:
/* eslint-disable @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any */

/**
 * Fetch HTTP GET
 * @param path URI
 * @returns Response data
 * @throws Response
 */
export async function get (path: string): Promise<any> {
  const res = await fetch (`${window.location.origin}${path}`, {
    method: 'get',
    headers: {
      accept: 'application/json',
      'content-type': 'application/json',
    },
    credentials: 'same-origin',
  });
  if (res.ok) {
    const data = await res.json ();
    return data;
  }
  throw res;
}

/**
 * Fetch HTTP POST
 * @param path URI
 * @param body Data to pass in body
 * @returns Response data
 * @throws Response
 */
export async function post (path: string, body: Record<string, unknown>): Promise<any> {
  const res = await fetch (`${window.location.origin}${path}`, {
    method: 'post',
    headers: {
      accept: 'application/json',
      'content-type': 'application/json',
    },
    credentials: 'same-origin',
    body: JSON.stringify (body),
  });
  if (res.ok) {
    const data = await res.json ();
    return data;
  }
  throw res;
}

/**
 * Fetch HTTP DELETE
 * @param path URI
 * @returns Response data
 * @throws Response
 */
export async function remove (path: string): Promise<any> {
  const res = await fetch (`${window.location.origin}${path}`, {
    method: 'delete',
    headers: {
      accept: 'application/json',
      'content-type': 'application/json',
    },
    credentials: 'same-origin',
  });
  if (res.ok) {
    const data = await res.json ();
    return data;
  }
  throw res;
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


One of our expert designers will work with you through online video sessions to conceptualize and design your perfect diamond ring. They will walk you through our detailed design and production process and answer any questions you may have.
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