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Houston1099

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  1. I am thinking about how many ways I can say ... "I am Happy!" Blessed, Blest, Blissful, Blithe, Can't Complain, Captivated, Cheerful, Chipper, Chirpy, Content, Contented, Convivial, Delighted, Ecstatic, Elated, Exultant, Flying High, ***, Glad, Gleeful, Gratified, Intoxicated, Jolly, Joyful, Joyous, Jubilant, Laughing, Light, Lively, Looking Good, Merry, Mirthful, On Cloud Nine, Overjoyed, Peaceful, Peppy, Perky, Playful, Pleasant, Pleased, Sparkling, Sunny, Thrilled, Tickled, Tickled Pink, Up, Upbeat, and Walking On Air! BTW ... did I mention I am happy?
  2. Watch this video: Snuffy being released back into to wild ... how sad!
  3. In northern Iraqi city, al-Qaida gathers strength By SAMEER N. YACOUB and ADAM SCHRECK | Associated Press – 2 hrs 6 mins ago Email Share48 1 Print View PhotoAssociated Press - FILE - in this file photo taken on Jan. 16, 2012 Iraqi security forces inspect the scene of a car bomb attack outside the northern city of Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad, …more RELATED CONTENT View PhotoIn this photo taken on June 15, … View PhotoFILE - In this file photo taken … BAGHDAD (AP) — Al-Qaida's Iraq arm is gathering strength in the restive northern city of Mosul, ramping up its fundraising through gangland-style shakedowns and feeding off anti-government anger as it increasingly carries out attacks with impunity, according to residents and officials. It is a disturbing development for Iraq's third-largest city, one of the country's main gateways to Syria, as al-Qaida in Iraq makes a push to establish itself as a dominant player among the rebels fighting to topple the Syrian regime. The show of force comes as Mosul residents cast ballots in delayed local elections Thursday that have been marred by intimidation bymilitants. Al-Qaida's renewed muscle-flexing is evident in dollar terms too, with one Iraqi official estimating that militants are netting more than $1 million a month in the city through criminal business enterprises. Mosul and the surrounding countryside, from where al-Qaida was never really routed, have emerged as major flashpoints in a wave of bloodshed that has killed nearly 2,000 Iraqis since the start of April — the country's deadliest outbreak of violence in five years. Gunbattles have broken out between militants and security forces, and several candidates have been assassinated. Just since the start of last week, attackers in and around the city have unleashed a rapid-fire wave of five car bombs, tried to assassinate the provincial governor and killed another local politician and four other people in a suicide bombing. The violence increased as Thursday's elections approached in Ninevah and neighboring Anbar province. Iraqis elsewhere went to the polls in April, but the Baghdad government postponed voting in the two provinces, citing security concerns. Other Sunni militant groups, including Ansar al-Islam and the Army of the Men of the Naqshabandi Order, are also active in Ninevah. Mosul is the capital of the Sunni-dominated province. Al-Qaida's growing power is particularly worrying because it is thought to be behind the bulk of the bombings across Iraq and because it is trying to assert itself as a player in neighboring Syria's civil war. The head of al-Qaida's Iraq arm last week defied the terror network's central command by insisting that his unit would continue to lay claim to al-Qaida operations in Syria, too. "We're definitely concerned about it," said a U.S. diplomat about the deteriorating security situation in Mosul. The diplomat, who wasn't authorized to speak on the record, said al-Qaida's Iraq arm sees an opportunity to try to build support in the area and is "out blowing things up to show that the government can't protect and serve the people." Al-Qaida's growing strength in Mosul is painfully clear to businessman Safwan al-Moussili. Traders like him say they are once again facing demands from militants to pay protection money or face grave consequences. Merchants say that practice had largely disappeared by the time American troops left in December 2011. "They tell us: 'Pay this amount.' And if it's higher than before, they say something like: 'You recently went to China and you imported these materials and you made such and such profits,'" he said. "It seems they know everything about us." Small-scale shop owners, goldsmiths, supermarkets, gas stations and pharmacies are all being hit up for money these days. Al-Moussili and his fellow businessmen feel they have little choice but to pay up. About two months ago, he recalls, one businessman refused to pay, and insurgents planted a bomb inside his shop that killed the man. "That forced everybody to pay, because we don't see the security forces doing anything to end this situation," he said. A Mosul food wholesaler, who referred to himself only by the nickname Abu Younis out of concern for his security, said he and other traders resumed paying $200-a-month kickbacks to al-Qaida three months ago after finding threatening letters in the market hall where they operate. Al-Qaida focused its operations in historically conservative Mosul following setbacks in Anbar province in 2006. It soon became the only major Iraqi city with a significant al-Qaida presence. The U.S. urged Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to focus his resources on Mosul to wipe out al-Qaida and prevent the insurgents from reorganizing there. Instead, the government shifted resources at a key moment to crush al-Maliki's armed Shiite rivals in the southern city of Basra, which prevented a decisive defeat of al-Qaida. Over time, the militants, exploiting ethnic tensions in the Mosul area between Arabs and Kurds, were able to reinforce their position. Michael Knights, an analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who closely follows regional security issues, said al-Qaida in Iraq has long generated cash from businesses such as trucking and real estate, and through extortion of large firms such as mobile phone companies. "If they're extending their extortion back out to local traders, that indicates they've got better street control," he said. "It just shows they're able to operate in the urban neighborhoods and don't see a security force retaliation like they did two years ago. And they don't fear informants identifying them." Abdul-Rahim al-Shimmari, a member of the Ninevah provincial council, agreed that extortion is making a comeback. He blamed rising political and sectarian tensions fueled in part by the civil war in nearby Syria, where mostly Sunni rebels are trying to topple President Bashar Assad, whose Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shiite Islam. Al-Qaida is also enjoying increased sympathy in Mosul because of what al-Shimmari called the central government's "brutal and irresponsible" handling of Sunni protests that have raged for months against the Shiite-led administration in Baghdad. In March, security forces in Mosul opened fire on Sunni demonstrators demanding the release of a local tribal sheik who had been detained. At least one person was killed. Human Rights Watch recently urged Iraqi authorities to investigate allegations that federal police executed five people, including a 15-year-old boy, south of Mosul in early May. Residents discovered the bodies more than a week later in the same area where the five were last seen being led away by federal police, according to the rights group. Maj. Gen. Mahdi al-Gharawi, the federal police 3rd Division commander who was named in the rights group's report, called the allegations baseless. He said the five were no longer in police custody at the time of their deaths. He blamed al-Qaida for killing them in an effort to tarnish the image of the police. A lack of trust from the people, who fear both the militants and the security forces, is hindering authorities' fight against al-Qaida and other militants, according to Iraqi officials. "The problem is that nobody in Mosul will come forward and complain" about al-Qaida's increasing abuses, said a senior military intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss operational matters with reporters. He estimated that al-Qaida is able to pull in between $1 million to $1.5 million from Mosul alone each month — a considerable amount in Iraq. "We want to catch these people red-handed, but the local government is not cooperating with the security forces," he complained. ___ Associated Press writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed reporting. ___ http://news.yahoo.com/northern-iraqi-city-al-qaida-gathers-strength-062345092.html
  4. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/19/iraq-oil-idUSL5N0EV1BQ20130619?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologySector&rpc=43 UPDATE 1-Iraqi Kurds say new oil pipeline to Turkey to start soon Wed Jun 19, 2013 7:53am EDT * Pipeline capacity to increase to 1 mln bpd by 2015-Hawrami * Sales via federal pipeline depend on permanent solution * Natural gas exports to Turkey seen by 2016 By Julia Payne and Peg Mackey LONDON, June 19 (Reuters) - Iraqi Kurdistan will start a new oil pipeline toTurkey within months, its energy minister said, increasing the autonomous region's control over its resources in a dispute with Baghdad and raising its exports to world markets. In a move that will provoke Baghdad, the Kurdish regional government will complete the pipeline by the end of September with an initial capacity of 300,000 barrels per day (bpd), its energy minister, Ashti Hawrami, told a conference in London on Wednesday. Oil is at the heart of the dispute between the Arab-led central government and the ethnic Kurdish-run northern enclave over control of oilfields, territory and crude revenues shared between the two regions. Kurdistan has stopped exporting through the central government-controlled pipeline, which has stranded its oil output. It has been able to truck only small amounts to Turkey on road tankers. "Nowhere in the world does 1 million barrels per day remain stranded, so I'm confident that Kurdistan's exports via pipeline will be a reality very soon," Hawrami said. Kurdistan's oil production capacity is now at 300,000 bpd and is rising rapidly to 400,000 bpd by the end of this year, most of it destined for export, he added. Sales of Kurdish oil via the central government through Iraq's federal pipeline system also could resume but that will depend on a permanent resolution of the political and constitutional issues between Arbil and Baghdad, Hawrami said. No agreement has been reached so far between Iraq and Kurdistan on payments to oil companies working in the region, despite a meeting earlier in June between leaders on both sides. Hawrami stressed the benefits of having a direct pipeline. "The new export infrastructure will be a cost-effective and secure solution that will enable more of Iraq's oil and gas to reach the international market, which will allow all the citizens of Iraq to benefit from increased revenue," he said. With the further construction of new pumping stations, the pipeline would be able to export more than 1 million bpd by the end of 2015 and 2 million bpd by 2019, Hawrami said. Genel Energy said in February it expected to export oil by pipeline from its fields in Iraqi Kurdistan by 2014. Turkish sources said in April that the KRG was on track to finish the pipeline in the third quarter. Turkey has given the green light to the plan, under which Kurdish oil will enter the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline at the Fishkhabur pumping station near the Turkish border, from where it will flow directly to Turkey's southern port of Ceyhan for shipping to international markets, the sources said. The prime ministers of Iraq and the KRG met last week in Arbil, the Kurdish capital, and agreed to set up committees to focus on Iraq's oil and gas law and revenue-sharing legislation, but made little progress on substantive issues. "There was no discussion about oil payments ... Our dispute is constitutional, we are looking at the big picture," Hawrami said. The KRG will also seek to export natural gas to Turkey and elsewhere in Europe once domestic needs are met, Hawrami said. "By 2016, I believe, we will have first exports of gas for the Turkish grid," he said.
  5. http://news.yahoo.com/u-n-recommends-bringing-iraq-closer-ending-1990s-001840778.html U.N. recommends bringing Iraq closer to ending 1990s sanctionsReuters – 3 hrs ago Email Share10 Print View PhotoReuters/Reuters - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon waves as World Bank President Jim Yong Kim (top R) looks on upon their arrival in Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo's war-torn east, May 23, 2013. …more UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday recommended bringing Iraq one step closer to ending all U.N. sanctions imposed on Baghdad more than two decades ago after former leader Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait In 1990. Despite the toppling of Saddam in 2003 after a U.S.-led invasion, the United Nations has not fully lifted the sanctions. U.S.-led troops drove Iraq out of Kuwait in the 1991 Gulf War. If the U.N. Security Council accepts Ban's recommendation, it will be a significant political boost for Baghdad as it struggles to restore its international standing a decade after Saddam's ouster. Iraq is still subject to a U.N. arms embargo and asset freeze on individuals and entities linked to Saddam. Ban has recommended that the remaining humanitarian issue between Iraq and Kuwait - related to missing Kuwaiti people and property - be dealt with under Chapter 6 of the U.N. Charter, which urges countries to peacefully resolve any conflicts. The issue is currently dealt with under Chapter 7 of the charter, which allows the U.N. Security Council to authorize actions ranging from sanctions to military intervention. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has said that if the Security Council agrees to Ban's recommendation, Iraq's only outstanding Chapter 7 obligation would be to pay the remaining $11 billion it owes Kuwait in compensation, the Kuwait News Agency reported. Zebari said Iraq could clear this debt by 2015 if payments continued at the current pace, according to the agency. Kuwait for years had opposed removal of Iraq from Chapter 7 due to unresolved disputes over the border, missing persons, property and other issues. But those disputes have largely been resolved. "The governments of Iraq and Kuwait have demonstrated statesmanship and respect for each other's national interests, in reaching a mutually acceptable and beneficial arrangement," Ban said in the report to the Security Council. "Should the Security Council agree with my recommendation, Iraq will exit Chapter 7 with regard to this file and will be one step closer to restoring its international standing ... an objective long sought by the leadership of the country following the removal of the regime of Saddam Hussein," he said. Ban said the U.N. political mission in Iraq should be given responsibility for facilitating the search for missing Kuwaitis and third-country nationals, or their remains, and property, including the country's national archives. The Security Council is due to discuss the issue later this month. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)
  6. http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/iraq-excludes-kurds-from-ambitious-2014-oil-output-target.aspx?pageID=517&nID=49063&NewsCatID=348 ENERGY >Iraq excludes Kurds from ambitious 2014 oil output targetLONDON - Reuters Send to friend » Share on linkedin In this Dec. 13, 2009 file photo, Iraqi laborers work at the Rumaila oil refinery, near the city of Basra. AP photo Iraq aims to ramp up oil production by nearly 45 percent by the end of next year - without any input from its autonomous Kurdistan region - which suggests a lasting compromise in their long-running oil feud may be a way off. Baghdad's ambitious 4.5 million barrels per day (bpd) target specifically excludes output from the northern Kurdish region, senior Iraqi officials said, and relies on new oil pumped from southern oilfields and higher flows from ones already producing. Thamir Ghadhban, energy adviser to Iraq's prime minister, said Baghdad had lost confidence in Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) after it stopped exporting oil through the federal pipeline system. "The 4.5 million barrels a day is based on the development of the resources within the 15 governorates excluding Kurdistan because of this issue," Ghadhban, a former oil minister of Iraq, said at an energy conference in London on June 18. KRG says it is owed more than 4 trillion Iraqi dinars, or $3.5 billion, by Baghdad to cover the costs accumulated by oil companies operating there, while the central government rejects those contracts as illegal. The northern region used to ship crude through a pipeline network controlled by Baghdad, but exports via that channel stopped last December due to the payments row. "We are not going to start again and make the same mistakes," said Ashti Hawrami, natural resources minister of the KRG. He confirmed that Kurdish oil is excluded from the 4.5 million bpd target, part of Iraq's blueprint for long-term energy development - launched last week in Baghdad. Hawrami said the strategy document - first seen by him on June 18 - was "for the rest of Iraq, not northern Iraq". "I'm afraid we have never been consulted and we do not have any input into this document," he said. "It excludes the Kurdistan region's potential completely." The dispute between Baghdad and Kurdistan is part of wider disagreements over who controls the world's fifth-largest oil reserves. Iraq says it alone has the exclusive right to export oil and sign deals, but Kurdistan says the constitution allows it to agree contracts and ship oil independently of Baghdad. Iraqi deputy prime minister Rosh Nuri al-Shawish said talks last week in the Kurdistan regional capital Arbil between the prime ministers of Iraq and Kurdistan had resulted in the formation of a high-level committee to focus on the oil and gas law and revenue-sharing legislation. Triple production in 2017 Reaching the high output level of 4.5 million bpd by the end of 2014 will be a real stretch for OPEC's no. 2 producer, given myriad logistical and infrastructure bottlenecks and the disruption caused by the dispute between Baghdad and Arbil. After stagnating for decades due to wars and sanctions, Iraq's oil output and exports began to rise in earnest in 2010 after Baghdad secured service contracts with companies such as BP, Royal Dutch Shell, Eni and Exxon Mobil. Swift gains have raised Iraqi production by 600,000 bpd over two years to 3.15 million bpd. Iraq is due to reach 3.4 million bpd by the end of this year and export 2.9 million bpd - but that includes 250,000 bpd from Kurdistan. For its part, the northern region is producing just under 200,000 bpd and exporting about 65,000 bpd by truck through Turkey to world markets. It has secured exploration contracts with the likes of Exxon, Chevron and Total. Reaching Iraq's 2014 target will require the start-up of the giant Majnoon oilfield, operated by Shell, and West Qurna-2, run by Russia's Lukoil, along with Garraf and Badra - further north. Under a high-production scenario, production would reach 13.5 million bpd by 2017 and be maintained until 2023. A low-production scenario targets 6 million bpd by 2025. Baghdad is expected to enforce the medium-production scenario, where output reaches 9 million bpd by 2020. That will require renegotiating service contracts with foreign firms. Lukoil - at West Qurna-2 - and Italy's Eni - at Zubair - have already agreed to reduce production targets. Other companies, such as BP, Exxon and Shell are in similar talks. June/18/2013
  7. We all have our illnesses that we have to deal with in our lives, I have mine, and I am sure many of you do as well. Cancer, Heart Disease, Kidney Disease, Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, and Hypertension just to name a few. Unfortunately, these diseases do not discriminate, can effect anyone at any age, and can take any any of us at any time. I make sure I tell my loved ones "I love them' everyday because life is prescious ... and ... you just never know. God bless SWFG and his family ... Our prayers and thoughts are with them.
  8. VIENNA | Thu May 30, 2013 8:07am EDT May 30 (Reuters) - Baghdad and a group led by Italy's Eni have agreed to cut the planned output target at Iraq's Zubair oilfield to allow this southern giant to pump more for a longer period. Iraqi Oil Minister Abdul Kareem Luaibi said on Thursday Baghdad is lowering plateau production rates at core southern oilfields in line with a more realistic target of 9 million barrels per day (bpd), versus an original 12 million to be reached by 2017. "Eni agreed a new plateau for that field ... the new plateau for Zubair will be 850,000 barrels a day," said Luaibi ahead of a meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. The original target was 1.2 million bpd. Eni, U.S. Occidental Petroleum Corp and South Korea's KOGAS signed a 20-year deal with Iraq in 2010 to develop Zubair, now pumping around 270,000 bpd. The consortium is expecting to invest $18 billion in Zubair. Iraq has signed multi-billion dollar deals with international oil companies, including Royal Dutch Shell , Exxon and BP, to develop fields in the south, where most of its crude is produced. The country needs to boost output to strengthen its position as OPEC's second-biggest producer, but infrastructure bottlenecks and attacks on its northern export line have slowed growth. Its oilfields are now pumping 3.1 million bpd, said Luaibi, steady versus last month. New plateau levels are also being negotiated with BP at Rumaila and Exxon Mobil at West Qurna-1, said the oil minister. Luaibi also said output from the southern Majnoon oilfield, operated by Shell, would start initial output of some 100,000 bpd in the coming days. Flows are expected to reach 175,000 bpd by the end of the year. Further north, development of the Badra oilfield, near the border with Iran, faces delays afterSchlumberger stopped drilling due to tough conditions, said Luaibi. He expects the oilfield, operated by Russia's Gazprom Neft, the oil arm of Gazprom, to start up early next year. Last year Gazprom Neft also acquired interests in two blocks in Iraqi Kurdistan despite Baghdad's opposition to international oil firms developing fields in the autonomous region. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/30/opec-iraq-eni-idUSL5N0EB1Y420130530?type=companyNews&feedType=RSS&feedName=companyNews&rpc=43
  9. Francie! Awesome news and the prayers worked!
  10. Francie ... Somebody 'negged' you... I evened you out '+1'
  11. Thanks for evening me out jeep ... I saw that neg too & was wondering why it was there.
  12. 10 years after US invasion, Kurds look to the West A decade after US-led invasion, Kurds look to Turkey, the West, mull future without Iraq By Karin Laub, Associated Press | Associated Press – 5 hrs ago IRBIL, Iraq (AP) -- At an elite private school in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, children learn Turkish and English before Arabic. University students dream of jobs in Europe, not Baghdad. And a local entrepreneur says he doesn't like doing business elsewhere because areas outside Kurdish control are too unstable. In the decade since U.S.-led forces invaded Iraq, Kurds have trained their sights toward Turkey and the West, at the expense of ties with the still largely dysfunctional rest of the country. Aided by an oil-fueled economic boom, Kurds have consolidated their autonomy, increased their leverage against the central government in Baghdad and are pursuing an independent foreign policy often at odds with that of Iraq. Kurdish leaders say they want to remain part of Iraq for now, but increasingly acrimonious disputes with Baghdad over oil and territory might just push them toward separation. "This is not a holy marriage that has to remain together," Falah Bakir, the top foreign policy official in the Kurdistan Regional Government, said of the Kurdish region's link to Iraq. A direct oil export pipeline to Turkey, which officials here say could be built by next year, would lay the economic base for independence. For now, the Kurds can't survive without Baghdad; their region is eligible for 17 percent of the national budget of more than $100 billion, overwhelmingly funded by oil exports controlled by the central government. Since the war, the Kurds mostly benefited from being part of Iraq. At U.S. prodding, majority Shiites made major concessions in the 2005 constitution, recognizing Kurdish autonomy and allowing the Kurds to keep their own security force when other militias were dismantled. Shiites also accepted a Kurd as president of predominantly Arab Iraq. Still, for younger Kurds, who never experienced direct rule by Baghdad, cutting ties cannot come soon enough. More than half the region's 5.3 million people were born after 1991, when a Western-enforced no-fly zone made Kurdish self-rule possible for the first time by shielding the region against Saddam Hussein. In the preceding years, Saddam's forces had destroyed most Kurdish villages, killing tens of thousands and displacing many more. Students at Irbil's private Cihan University say they feel Kurdish, not Iraqi, and that Iraq's widespread corruption, sectarian violence and political deadlock are holding their region back. "I want to see an independent Kurdistan, and I don't want to be part of Iraq," said Bilend Azad, 20, an architectural engineering student walking with a group of friends along the landscaped campus. "Kurdistan is better than other parts of Iraq. If we stay with them, we will be bad like them, and we won't be free." Kurds are among the main beneficiaries of the March 20, 2003 U.S.-led invasion that ousted Saddam, and sympathy for America still runs strong here. Rebaz Zedbagi, a partner in the Senk Group, a road construction and real estate investment company with an annual turnover of $100 million, said his success would have been unthinkable without the war. The 28-year-old said he won't do business in the rest of Iraq, citing bureaucracy and frequent attacks by insurgents, but said opportunities in the relatively stable Kurdish region are boundless. "I believe Kurdistan is like a baby tiger," said Zedbagi, sipping a latte in a Western-style espresso bar in the Family Mall, Irbil's largest shopping center. "I believe it will be very powerful in the Middle East." The Kurdish region has undergone a dramatic transformation in the past decade. Its capital, Irbil, once had the ambiance of a large village. It has grown into a city of 1.3 million people, with the beginnings of a skyline, several five-star hotels and construction cranes dotting the horizon. The SUV-driving elites have moved into townhouses in new communities with grand names like "The English Village." Irbil's shiny glass-and-steel airport puts Baghdad's to shame. The number of cars registered in the province of Irbil — one of three in the Kurdish region — jumped from 4,000 in 2003 to half a million today and the number of hotels from a handful to 234, said provincial governor Nawzad Mawlood. Planning Minister Ali Sindi took pride in a sharp drop in illiteracy, poverty and unemployment in recent years. But the Kurds have a lot more work cut out for them. The region needs to spend more than $30 billion on highways, schools and other basic infrastructure in the next decade, Sindi said. A housing shortage and a high annual population growth rate of almost 4 percent have created demand for 70,000 new apartments a year. There's also a strong undercurrent of discontent, amid concerns about the concentration of power in the hands of a few. Opposition activists complain of official corruption, and the international group Human Rights Watch said security forces arbitrarily detained 50 journalists, activists and opposition figures in 2012. The region's parliament "is weak and cannot effectively question the (Kurdish) government," said Abdullah Mala-Nouri of the opposition Gorran party. Iraq's central government strongly opposes the Kurds' quest for full-blown independence. Iraqi leaders bristle at Kurdish efforts to forge an independent foreign policy, and the two sides disagree over control of disputed areas along their shared internal border. In November, Kurdish fighters and the Iraqi army were engaged in a military standoff, and tensions remain high. Oil is at the root of those disputes. Iraq sits atop the world's fourth largest reserves of conventional crude, or about 143 billion barrels, and oil revenues make up 95 percent of the state budget. Kurdish officials claim their region holds 45 billion barrels, though that figure cannot be confirmed independently. The central government claims sole decision-making rights over oil and demands that all exports go through state-run pipelines. The Kurds say they have the right to develop their own energy policy and accuse the government of stalling on negotiating a new deal on sharing oil revenues. The Kurds have also passed their own energy law and signed more than 50 deals with foreign oil companies, offering more generous terms than Baghdad. An oil company doing business in the region, Genel Energy, began shipping Kurdish oil by truck toTurkey in January. The planned direct export pipeline is of strategic importance, said Ali Balo, a senior Kurdish oil official. "Why are we building it? Because we always have problems with Baghdad." The project also highlights Turkey's growing involvement in the region, a marked change from just a few years ago when ties were strained over Ankara's battle against Kurdish insurgents seeking self-rule in Turkey. Mutual need forged the new relationship. Turkey, part of the region's Sunni Muslim camp, needs more oil to fuel its expanding economy. It prefers to buy from the Kurds rather than the Shiite-led government in Baghdad, seen as a member of the region's rival Iranian-influenced axis. The Kurds, also predominantly Sunni, need Turkey not just as a gateway for oil exports but also as a business partner. Almost half of nearly 1,900 foreign companies operating here are Turkish, government officials say. Seventy percent of Turkey's annual $15 billion Iraq trade is with the Kurdish region. In a sign of the times, Turkish and English are the languages of instruction at a top private school in Irbil. During music class at the Bilkent school, third-graders sitting cross-legged on a large carpet sang "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" in Turkish, followed by "London Bridge" in English. The 351 students start studying Kurdish, the native language of most, in third grade. Arabic is introduced last, in fourth grade. The curriculum reflects the priorities of the school's founder, a member of Iraq's ethnic Turkmen minority. But it also suits Kurdish parents who believe their children's future is tied to Turkey. Oddly, Turkish-Kurdish ties are flourishing at a time of continued cross-border violence. Turkish warplanes routinely strike bases of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, a Turkish rebel group operating from the Qandil mountains of Iraq's Kurdish region. The PKK launches raids into Turkey from its mountain hideouts. Both sides are simply keeping the two issues separate. Turkey has stopped linking improved ties with Irbil to resolving Turkey's conflict with the PKK, a fight which has claimed thousands of lives since 1984. The Kurds keep quiet about Turkish airstrikes on their territory. As problems with Baghdad fester, Kurdish officials say their region's departure from Iraq is inevitable. Many here dream of an independent Kurdistan, made up of parts of Syria, Turkey, Iran and Iraq, home to more than 25 million Kurds. "As a people, we deserve that," said Bakir, the foreign policy official. "We want to see that in our lifetime." But with key allies such as the U.S. and Turkey opposed to splitting up Iraq, the Kurds say they won't act with haste or force. Asked if the Kurdish region would declare independence once it can export oil directly, Bakir said: "We will cross that bridge when we get there. At this time, we are still committed to a democratic, federal, pluralistic Iraq." ___ Associated Press writer Mohammed Jambaz in Irbil contributed. http://news.yahoo.com/10-years-us-invasion-kurds-181607120.html
  13. HOUSTON WE HAVE A RATE!!!!! Wow! Y'all talkin' to ME???
  14. DSCA Notifies Congress of Backscatter X-Ray Sale to Iraq By Rich Smith | More Articles March 3, 2013 | Comments (0) On Thursday, America's Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced (link opens in PDF) that it has notified Congress of plans to make a "foreign military sale" to Iraq of multiple bomb and weapons detection systems, generally identified as "backscatter X-ray systems." Specifically, DSCA intends to sell Iraq: 90 M45 RAPISCAN Mobile Eagle High Energy Mobile System Vehicles manufactured by OSI Systems (NASDAQ: OSIS ) . 40 M60 RAPISCAN Mobile Eagle High Energy Mobile System Vehicles, also from OSI. 70 American Science and Engineering (NASDAQ: ASEI ) Z Backscatter Vans. In total, and including the cost of training and support services, spare parts, and related equipment, the 200 mobile X-ray vehicles are valued at $600 million. Justifying the sale, DSCA advised Congress: This being the case, DSCA explained that "this proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country." Furthermore, "the proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region," nor result in any "adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness." [T]his proposed sale ... will contribute to a stable, sovereign, and democratic Iraq. The purchase and use of these systems will [increase] Iraq's ability to defend critical infrastructure and reduce terror and insurgent activities. The Z Backscatter vans will be used to scan vehicle interiors and will provide the Government of Iraq a tool to restrict the ability of insurgent and terrorist groups to operate by detecting contraband movement through borders and checkpoints. Link: http://www.dsca.mil/PressReleases/36-b/2013/Iraq_12-60.pdf
  15. Iraq finance minister resigns amidst sectarian tensions Reuters | 10 hours ago 0 Iraqi protesters shout slogans during a demonstration in the city of Samarra on March 1, 2013 demanding the ousting of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Protests have been staged in Sunni-majority areas of Iraq in recent weeks, calling for the resignation of Prime Minister and decrying the alleged targeting of their community by the Shia community-led authorities. — AFP Photo RAMADI: Iraq’s finance minister told crowds of Sunni Muslim protesters on Friday he was resigning, after more than two months of demonstrations demanding an end to marginalisation of their minority sect. The country’s precarious sectarian balance has come under growing strain as Iraq Sunnis vent frustrations that have built up since the US-led invasion of 2003 overthrew Saddam Hussein and empowered the majority Shia community through the ballot box. “I came today in order to announce my resignation from this government in front of you,” Rafaie Al-Esawi, also a Sunni, told a crowd of protesters from a stage in Iraq’s western province of Anbar, on the border with Syria. The demonstrations in the country’s Sunni heartland are fuelling concerns the increasingly sectarian conflict in neighbouring Syria will push Iraq back towards the bloody Sunni-Shia strife of 2006-2007. It was Maliki’s arrest of Esawi’s bodyguards that ignited the protests in the first place last December. “More than 70 days of demonstrations and this government hasn’t fulfilled our people’s demands,” Esawi later told Reuters. “It doesn’t honour me to be part of a sectarian government. I decided to stay with my people.” Violence has intensified with the swell of Sunni opposition to Shia Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, whose power-sharing government has been all but paralysed since US troops withdrew in December 2011. Iraqi authorities said Esawi’s bodyguards had confessed to involvement in assassinations carried out in coordination with security men employed by Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, who fled into exile a year ago and was later sentenced to death in absentia for terrorism. Esawi was once a leader of armed Islamist group Hamas al-Iraq, which was active in Anbar. http://dawn.com/2013/03/01/iraq-finance-minister-resigns-amidst-sectarian-tensions/
  16. Economic NewsFinance Committee to answer 50 queries about the budget17/02/2013 04:12 Finance Committee member said Magda Tamimi said its has answered nearly 50 inquiries economically on the general budget for 2013. Tamimi In a statement to the Center Brief for the Iraqi Media Network added that inquiries answered by the Finance Committee on how the distribution of financial allocations to the provinces and deal with inflation and how to recycle money last year and follow-up rates of implementation and grades, noting that the committee had requested sabbatical from Council meetings to answer all economic questions on the budget, but the president did not agree. http://translate.goo...ews/view.13098/
  17. Francie ... The Healing Prayer ... just for YOU! Dear Lord of Mercy and Father of Comfort,You are the One I turn to for help in moments of weakness and times of need. I ask you to be with your servant, Franci, in this illness. Psalm 107:20 says that you send out your Word and heal. So then, please send your healing Word to your servant, Francie. In the name of Jesus, drive out all infirmity and sickness from her body. Dear Lord, I ask you to turn this weakness into strength, suffering into compassion, sorrow into joy, and pain into comfort for others. May your servant, Francie, trust in your goodness and hope in your faithfulness, even in the middle of this suffering. Let her be filled with patience and joy in your presence as she waits for your healing touch. Please restore your servant, Francie, to full health, dear Father. Remove all fear and doubt from her heart by the power of your Holy Spirit, and may you, Lord, be glorified through his life. As you heal and renew your servant, Lord, may he bless and praise you. All of this I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
  18. Economic News Effect: delay in the adoption of the budget will significantly affect the investment budget 12/02/2013 03:54 Parliamentary Finance Committee stressed that the delay in approving the budget for 2013 will significantly affect the investment budget and will not be allowed regardless of any money belonging to Dakhla, including resources. A member of the Committee MP Faleh Sari that law and the Ministry of Finance and the public debt situation processors and clear to the issue of delay in approving the budgets of the country for the operating budget and therefore will not affect delay approval by even delayed for a month next June while will be service projects and infrastructure are affected by the delay. http://translate.goo...ews/view.13098/
  19. SEAL who shot bin Laden speaks out By Dylan Stableford, Yahoo! News | The Lookout – 16 hrs ago The Situation Room of the White House on May 1, 2011. (Pete Souza/White House) The U.S. Navy SEAL who shot and killed Osama bin Laden is speaking out for the first time since the May 1, 2011, raid on the al-Qaida leader's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. In an interview with Esquire, the former SEAL—identified as "The Shooter" due to what the magazine described as "safety" reasons—said he's been largely abandoned by the U.S. government since leaving the military last fall. He told Esquire he decided to speak out to both correct the record of the bin Laden mission and to put a spotlight on how some of the U.S. military's highly trained and accomplished soldiers are treated by the government once they return to civilian life. Despite killing the world's most-wanted terrorist, he said, he was not given a pension, health care or protection for himself or his family. "[sEAL command] told me they could get me a job driving a beer truck in Milwaukee," he told Esquire. Plus, he said, "my health care for me and my family stopped. I asked if there was some transition from my Tricare to Blue Cross Blue Shield. They said no. You're out of the service, your coverage is over. Thanks for your 16 years. Go f--- yourself." The problem seems to be that "The Shooter" left the military well before the 20-year requirement for retirement benefits. (Esquire) According to the magazine, the government provides 180 days of transitional health care benefits, but the Shooter was ineligible because he did not agree to remain on active duty in a support role or become a "reservist." Instead, the magazine noted, he will "have to wait at least eight months to have his disability claims adjudicated." The SEAL also gave his account of the historic raid, including the moment he pulled the trigger and shot bin Laden. “In that second, I shot him, two times in the forehead," he told Esquire. "Bap! Bap! The second time as he’s going down. He crumpled onto the floor in front of his bed. He was dead. I watched him take his last breaths. And I remember as I watched him breathe out the last part of air, I thought: Is this the best thing I've ever done, or the worst thing I've ever done? "I'm not religious," he added. "But I always felt I was put on the earth to do something specific. After that mission, I knew what it was." He also recalled watching CNN's coverage of the first anniversary of bin Laden's death. "They were saying, 'So now we're taking viewer e-mails. Do you remember where you were when you found out Osama bin Laden was dead?' And I was thinking: Of course I remember. I was in his bedroom looking down at his body." In September 2012, fellow former SEAL Team 6 member Matt Bissonnette published a controversial book, "No Easy Day," under a pen name about the raid, drawing the ire of both his fellow SEALs and the Pentagon. A spokeswoman for Esquire told Yahoo News that the magazine did not pay the SEAL for the interview. http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/seal-shot-osama-bin-laden-speaks-143245195.html
  20. Pope Benedict stepping down, cites poor health By Philip Pullella | Reuters – 1 hr 43 mins Share View Photo Reuters/Reuters - Pope Benedict XVI waves during a mass conducted by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, for the 900th anniversary of the Order of the Knights of Malta at the St. Peter Basilica in Vatican February 9, …more VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict shocked the world on Monday by saying he no longer had the mental and physical strength to cope with his ministry, in an announcement that left his aides "incredulous" and will make him the first pontiff to step down since the Middle Ages. The German-born Pope, 85, hailed as a hero by conservative Roman Catholics and viewed with suspicion by liberals, told cardinals in Latin that his strength had deteriorated recently. He will step down on February 28 and the Vatican expects a new Pope to be chosen by the end of March. Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the Pope had not decided to resign because of "difficulties in the papacy" and the move had been a surprise, indicating that even his inner circle was unaware that he was about to quit. The Pope does not fear schism in the Church after his resignation, the spokesman said. The Pope's leadership of 1.2 billion Catholics has been beset by child sexual abuse crises that tarnished the Church, one address in which he upset Muslims and a scandal over the leaking of his private papers by his personal butler. The pope told the cardinals that in order to govern "...both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. "For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter." He also referred to "today's world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith." The last Pope to resign willingly was Celestine V in 1294 after reigning for only five months, his resignation was known as "the great refusal" and was condemned by the poet Dante in the "Divine Comedy". Gregory XII reluctantly abdicated in 1415 to end a dispute with a rival claimant to the papacy. "NO OUTSIDE PRESSURE," JUST ADVANCING AGE Before he was elected Pope, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was known by such critical epithets as "God's rottweiler" because of his stern stand on theological issues. But after several years into his new job Benedict showed that he not only did not bite but barely even barked. In recent months, the pope has looked increasingly frail in public, sometimes being helped to walk by those around him. Lombardi ruled out depression or uncertainty as being behind the resignation, saying the move was not due to any specific illness, just advancing age. The Pope had shown "great courage, determination" aware of the "great problems the church faces today", he said, adding the timing may have reflected the Pope's desire to avoid the exhausting rush of Easter engagements. There was no outside pressure and Benedict took his "personal decision" in the last few months, he added. Israel's Chief Rabbi praised Benedict's inter-faith outreach and wished him good health. The Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Anglican Church, said he had learned of the Pope's decision with a heavy heart but complete understanding. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the Pope's decision must be respected if he feels he is too weak to carry out his duties. British Prime Minister David Cameron said: "He will be missed as a spiritual leader to millions." The pontiff would step down from 2 p.m. ET on February 28, leaving the office vacant until a successor was chosen to Benedict who succeeded John Paul, one of history's most popular pontiffs, the spokesman said. Elected to the papacy on April 19, 2005 when he was 78 - 20 years older than John Paul was when he was elected - Benedict ruled over a slower-paced, more cerebral and less impulsive Vatican. MEEK DEMEANOUR, STEELY INTELLECT But while conservatives cheered him for trying to reaffirm traditional Catholic identity, his critics accused him of turning back the clock on reforms by nearly half a century and hurting dialogue with Muslims, Jews and other Christians. Under the German's meek demeanor lay a steely intellect ready to dissect theological works for their dogmatic purity and debate fiercely against dissenters. After appearing uncomfortable in the limelight at the start, he began feeling at home with his new job and showed that he intended to be Pope in his way. Despite great reverence for his charismatic, globe-trotting predecessor -- whom he put on the fast track to sainthood and whom he beatified in 2011 -- aides said he was determined not to change his quiet manner to imitate John Paul's style. A quiet, professorial type who relaxed by playing the piano, he managed to show the world the gentle side of the man who was the Vatican's chief doctrinal enforcer for nearly a quarter of a century. The first German pope for some 1,000 years and the second non-Italian in a row, he traveled regularly, making about four foreign trips a year, but never managed to draw the oceanic crowds of his predecessor. The child abuse scandals hounded most of his papacy. He ordered an official inquiry into abuse in Ireland, which led to the resignation of several bishops. STRING OF SCANDALS Scandal from a source much closer to home hit in 2012 when the pontiff's butler, responsible for dressing him and bringing him meals, was found to be the source of leaked documents alleging corruption in the Vatican's business dealings, causing an international furor. He confronted his own country's past when he visited the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz. Calling himself "a son of Germany", he prayed and asked why God was silent when 1.5 million victims, most of them Jews, died there during World War Two. Ratzinger served in the Hitler Youth during World War Two when membership was compulsory. He was never a member of the Nazi party and his family opposed Adolf Hitler's regime. But his trip to Germany also prompted the first major crisis of his pontificate. In a university lecture he quoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor as saying Islam had only brought evil to the world and that it was spread by the sword. After protests that included attacks on churches in the Middle East and the killing of a nun in Somalia, the Pope later said he regretted any misunderstanding the speech caused. In a move that was widely seen as conciliatory, in late 2006 he made a historic trip to predominantly Muslim Turkey and prayed in Istanbul's Blue Mosque with a Turkish Mufti. But months later, former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami met the Pope and said wounds between Christians and Muslims were still "very deep" as a result of the Regensburg speech. (Writing by Peter Millership; editing by Janet McBride and Ralph Boulton) http://news.yahoo.com/pope-resigns-saying-no-longer-strength-fulfill-ministry-112923467.html
  21. World's largest crocodile in captivity dies in Philippines, sending villagers to tears By The Associated Press | Associated Press – 9 hrs ago MANILA, Philippines - The world's largest saltwater crocodile in captivity died Sunday, sending villagers to tears in a backwater southern Philippine town that shot to international prominence and started to draw tourists, revenue and development because of the immense reptile. A veterinarian rushed to far-flung Bunawan town in Agusan del Sur province to check the 1-ton crocodile after it flipped over with a bloated stomach Sunday in its cage in an eco-tourism park. The reptile was declared dead a few hours later, Bunawan town Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde said. Guinness World Records proclaimed the giant, blamed for deadly attacks before it was captured in 2011, the largest saltwater crocodile in captivity last year, saying it measured 20.24 feet (6.17 metres). The reptile took the top spot from an Australian crocodile that measured more than 17 feet (5 metres) and weighed nearly a ton. Authorities will try to determine what caused the death of the reptile, which had become a star attraction of the marshy town of 37,000 people about 515 miles (830 kilometres) southeast of Manila, Elorde said. Experts estimate that the crocodile was more than 50 years old, according to Elorde. Veterinarian Alex Collantes said he and park personnel tried to revive the crocodile by immersing it in lukewarm water amid the unusually cold weather this month that may have affected the reptile's condition. But the crocodile died, sending its caretaker and some villagers that gathered at the park to tears, he said. "I'm really depressed," Elorde said by telephone from Bunawan. "I've come to love that crocodile. It had brought fame to our town and the Philippines." The crocodile's capture in September 2011 sparked celebrations in Bunawan, but it also fostered concerns that more giant crocodiles might lurk in a marshland and creek where villagers fish. The crocodile was captured with steel cable traps during a three-week hunt after a child was killed in 2009 and a fisherman went missing. Water buffalos have also been attacked by crocodiles in the area. About 100 people led by Elorde pulled the crocodile from a creek using a rope and then hoisted it by crane onto a truck. It was named "Lolong" after a government environmental officer who died from a heart attack after travelling to Bunawan to help capture the beast, Elorde said. Bunawan town officials built an eco-tourism park to house the crocodile, which had started to draw local and foreign tourists and bring revenue to the laid-back community. Philippine officials were planning to start constructing a 1.9-kilometre (1.18-mile) road to the park to accommodate the growing number of tourists, but it is unclear if the plan will now push through, Elorde said. He said he planned to have the crocodile preserved so Bunawan villagers can still marvel at it. "I'd like them to see the crocodile that broke a world record and put our town on the map," Elorde said. http://news.yahoo.co...-172202207.html
  22. Come to think of it ... it kinda looks like Okie's handwriting
  23. Dying Man Wants To Thank Those Who Shared His Life By Abigail Van Buren | Dear Abby – Sat, Feb 9, 2013 DEAR ABBY: I have enjoyed a good life. I have served my community. I have a wonderful wife, great children and good friends. However, it now appears that the disease that has been kept at bay has progressed, and soon my days will end. I have accepted my impending death as best one can, and let few people know of it. I would like to thank all the wonderful people who have been an important part of my life over the years, and I'm wondering how that might be accomplished. I do not want to make them sad or receive condolences. I simply want them to know they were an important part of my life for which I am truly grateful. I considered a party, but wondered if that might seem morbid. Letters seem too distant, and phone calls would be hard on me. While my death sentence is firm, and it will be soon, the exact date is impossible to know. Few of these people are aware that I am seriously ill, although I have been hospitalized many times. Can you give me some suggestions to show my appreciation? -- ON THE WAY OUT IN NEW JERSEY DEAR ON THE WAY OUT: While goodbyes can be sad, your farewell party need not be morbid -- particularly if you and your wife make it a celebration of life and let your guests know it in advance. If you're afraid that saying what's in your heart to each person individually will be emotionally draining, then deliver a speech or videotape one to be played at the event. While reading your letter, I am reminded of a friend, Judith, whom I lost several years ago. Judith had battled cancer for 12 years. After she had completed yet another round of chemo, some of her women friends gathered for a potluck luncheon at her place. The wine was poured and we all glanced at each other, worried that toasting "health" might seem inappropriate. Sensing the hesitation, Judy raised her glass and announced, "To life!" And that, my friend, is exactly what your party should be all about. http://news.yahoo.co...bGF0ZWQ-;_ylv=3
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