Vice President Biden arrives in Israel with Jill.

There is a lot going on.



Arrival at Ben Gurion International airport

Last update - 21:54 08/03/2010

Israel and U.S. launch indirect peace talks (click title to entry - thank you)

By Natasha Mozgavaya, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service

...The United States announced earlier Monday that Israel and the Palestinians have formally agreed to indirect peace negotiations brokered by its special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell.

Mitchell, who is visiting the region along with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, said in a statement that he was "pleased" the two sides had accepted the proposal that will see him shuttle between Israel and the Palestinian territories over the next several weeks.

"We've begun to discuss the structure and scope of these talks and I will return to the region next week to continue our discussions," Mitchell said. "As we've said many times, we hope that these will lead to direct negotiations as soon as possible.

In his statement, Mitchell appealed to the two sides to be careful and void any actions that might jeopardize the talks....

Israel to allow UN chief to visit Gaza Strip (click here)

Ban, EU foreign affairs chief Ashton will be able to visit Strip, which has been under Israeli blockade since 2007

Roni Sofer

Published:

03.08.10, 21:38 / Israel News

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided Monday to grant a request by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and European Union High Representative of Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton to enter the Gaza Strip. According to the ministry's statement, the two wish to "closely monitor" humanitarian efforts in the Strip.

Israel has denied senior officials' visits to Gaza in the past, claiming that such visits could strengthen the Hamas regime and legitimize it.

A spokesman for Ashton gave the news a cautious welcome. "As you know the high representative has expressed her wish to go to Gaza and has been in discussions with the Israeli authorities about facilitating this visit," the spokesman said in Strasbourg.

"It is true that the Israeli government has so far reacted positively to this request. We are continuing to work on the final program for the trip and are continuing to talk with the Israeli government in relation to this."...

PLO forms negotiations committee (click here)
Published yesterday (updated) 08/03/2010 (March 8, 2010) 21:37
Ramallah - Ma'an - The PLO has announced the creation of a Supreme National Committee on Monday to discuss developments in US-brokered proximity talks with Israel.

Fatah Central Committee member Jamal Muheisin said on Monday that the body would be formed under the auspices of Fatah, and would be comprised of leaders within the PLO and other national movements.

Although the movement is forming the new committee, it will be supported by the PLO at large, Muheisin told Palestine Radio. He added that Fatah was discussing the matter with other Palestinian factions....

Iran allows China to drill in the Gulf (click here)

By ADAM GONN | THE MEDIA LINE

Published: Mar 8, 2010 23:01 Updated: Mar 8, 2010 23:21

WASHINGTON: Iran and China have signed an agreement to allow China to set up an oil rig in the Gulf despite increasing international calls to enforce tougher sanctions against Iran.

In a deal worth $143 million between the Iranian North Drilling Company and China Petroleum Technology Development Corporation, the latter will be allowed to drill for oil in the Gulf, according to the official Iranian news agency Press TV.

"In recent months with the Chinese US bilateral problems, China is using Iran as a leverage against the US and not complying with the (United Nations) Security Council in applying sanctions against Iran," Mehrdad Khonsari, Senior Research Consultant, Center for Arab and Iranian Studies in London, told The Media Line.

"The story is that in the field of oil China has become a vital part of the Iranian oil sector," he added. "China has previously signed deals for oil exploration on land that was taken over by Japan who backed out over Western pressure."

According to Press TV, China has commitments of more than $80 billion in the country's energy sector, receiving more than 15 percent of its oil from Iran....

France seizes 35 Somali 'pirates' (click here)

Page last updated at 12:58 GMT, Monday, 8 March 2010

The French navy has captured 35 piracy suspects off Somalia's coast - hailing it as the most successful mission since EU operations began in 2008.

French officials said four mother ships and six smaller boats had been seized in four operations since last Friday.

EU forces used helicopters and fired warning shots to capture the pirates, France's defence ministry said.

The EU launched its anti-piracy mission in December 2008, but the pirates have since attacked ships in a wider area.

The EU's mission has focused on the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes which was being ravaged by pirates.

But recently, the attackers have struck hundreds of miles further south - near the Seychelles and even as far afield as Madagascar....

Rhode Island Democrats to Run for Kennedy's Seat

Five R.I. gubernatorial candidates back marriage for gays and lesbians (click here)
by Joe Siegel
EDGE New England Editor
Monday Mar 8, 2010
n an unprecedented show of support for marriage for same-sex couples, five Rhode Island gubernatorial candidates have pledged to sign a bill that would allow gay and lesbian couples to wed in the Ocean State.

A rally at the State House on Wednesday, March 3, featured former U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee, Attorney General Patrick Lynch, Treasurer Frank Caprio and Todd Giroux, who is openly gay. A representative for Moderate Party candidate Kenneth Block spoke on his behalf. And Republican John Robitaille opposes nuptials for gays and lesbians.

The event drew nearly 400 people, some of whom unfurled banners and carried signs in support of marriage....



William Lynch, the state Democratic Party chairman for the last 12 years and a candidate to succeed Patrick J. Kennedy, speaks with reporters at his law firm in Providence.

Newsmakers 1/31: William Lynch

Head of RI Democrats talks politics (click here for video)

Updated: Friday, 29 Jan 2010, 5:23 PM EST
Published : Friday, 29 Jan 2010, 5:22 PM EST

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - This week: State of the Democratic Party.

Democratic State Party Chairman William Lynch discusses the local and national landscape of the left.

His brother, gubernatorial candidate and Attorney General Patrick Lynch has been fielding questions about a campaign contribution to someone under investigation by the state police and Chairman Lynch analyzes the Democrats bruising loss in the Massachusetts Senate race.

Mayor David Cicilline

Update: Cicilline offers 3-point plan to rebuild police (click here)

2:57 PM Mon, Mar 08, 2010
Amanda Milkovits

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Flanked by high-ranking officers and Police Chief Dean M. Esserman, Mayor David N. Cicilline announced a series of actions that he wants the chief to take in the aftermath of the three officers in a state police drug investigation.

Cicilline said he has directed Esserman to:

* Institute random drug testing in the police department, effective immediately.

* Review assignment rotation policies within the narcotics division.

* Review the department's protocol for loaning officers to other agencies.

Sgt. Stephen Gonsalves, narcotics Detective Joseph Colanduono, and school resource officer Robert Hamlin were among six people charged Thursday in "Operation Deception," a months-long wiretap investigation that targeted a high-level drug operation.

The accused drug dealer is Hamlin's younger brother, Albert; state police also arrested Khalid Mason, a felon with a violent criminal record, and Jameson Hassett, who is the son of a police officer.

On Friday, three narcotics officers and one patrol officer were placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

The original version of this story was posted at 11:02 a.m.

OPERATION DECEPTION: Mayor Cicilline Connection (click here for video)

Bryan Monaghan

Story Created: Mar 5, 2010 at 12:11 AM EST

Story Updated: Mar 5, 2010 at 12:11 AM EST

ABC 6 News Reporter Mark Curtis has more on Rhode Island State Police's 'Operation Deception', including how the facts of the case hit hard for Providence Mayor David Cicilline, and those who work close to him.

Cicilline's police driver arrested in RI drug bust (click here for video)

Posted: Today at 2:15 pm EST
Last Updated: Today at 2:26 pm EST

PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- A drug arrest could turn into a political problem for Providence Mayor David Cicilline.

His former police driver was one of the officers arrested last week in the bust of a cocaine dealing ring.

People are now questioning Cicilline’s personal relationships as he runs to replace Rep. Patrick Kennedy in Congress.

Cicilline was already facing questions about his brother, who was recently released from federal prison.

The mayor says he has no plans to resign.

Massa wanted to close the Mexican Border when Swine Flu discovered. The guy is a little bizarre.

The Republican Right is finding profit in elevating Massa to saint status.

NOT !

One might half believe his rantings if he stated them BEFORE the ethics violation. He didn't. In a continuation of this 'harassing' behavior, now, he is trying to deflect HIS issue by bringing 'notice' to others. I hope his health improves after he doesn't have to deal with the stress of sincere leadership.

Ethics confirms probe of Massa (click here)

By Susan Crabtree - 03/04/10 06:45 PM ET

The House ethics committee confirmed it has launched a subcommittee to investigate allegations involving Rep. Eric Massa.

In a one-line statement, the panel on Thursday evening announced it is “investigating and gathering additional information concerning matters related to allegations” against Massa (D-N.Y.).

Massa, a cancer survivor, announced Wednesday afternoon that he would not seek reelection because he is once again battling the disease...

continued...

The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Wind Chime) is above freezing. Things happen when temperatures are above freezing.

Arctic: 8mn tonnes of methane seeping out annually

STAFF WRITER 16:37 HRS IST

London, Mar 6 (PTI) Methane, the second most common greenhouse gas from human activities after carbon dioxide, is bubbling out from the frozen Arctic much faster than expected and could stoke global warming, scientists have warned.

A study by researchers from the University of Fairbanks in Alaska showed that methane, trapped in the permafrost - soil at or below the freezing point of water for two or more years - over time and now 8 million tonnes of it is seeping out every year due to rising temperatures.

According to co-author of the study Natalia Shakhova, "Release of just a small fraction of the methane held in East Siberian Arctic Shelf sediments could trigger abrupt climate warming".

"Subsea permafrost is losing its ability to be an impermeable cap.

The permafrost of the East Siberian Arctic Shelf (an area of about 2 million kilometers squared) is more porous than previously thought. The ocean on top of it and the heat from the mantle below it warm it and make it perforated like Swiss cheese. This allows methane gas stored under it under pressure to burst into the atmosphere. The amount leaking from this locale is comparable to all the methane from the rest of the world's oceans put together. Methane is a greenhouse gas more than 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Image: Zina Deretsky, National Science Foundation



Scientists took sonar measurements to record clouds of methane bubbles rising from the seafloor. Photo: Igor Semiletov, University of Alaska

Local Time: 9:23 AM AKST (GMT -09)

Lat/Lon: 58.8° N 137.0° W

Elevation :: 33 feet

Temperature :: 34 Fahrenheit

Conditions :: Overcast

Windchill :: 21 Fahrenheit

Humidity :: 56%

Dew Point :: 19 Fahrenheit

Wind :: 24 mph out of the East Southeast

Wind gust :: 36 mph

Pressure :: 29.63 inches (Falling)

Visibility :: 9.0 miles

UV :: 0 out of 16

Scattered Clouds 3700 feet

Clouds :: Overcast 4000 feet

(Above Ground Level)

Sarah Palin talks to God and the Washington Post buys it.

Tablets, honey. It was tablets.




...The $150-a-ticket event largely attracted a different crowd. (click here) The parking lot featured more Lexuses and BMWs than minivans and Dodge Dakotas. The 1,200 cramped seats were filled with lawyers, lobbyists and politicians: former Alberta premier Ralph Klein, Conservative MPs Lee Richardson and Cabinet minister Stockwell Day and Alberta MLA Dave Rodney....

In case anyone missed the message by Rick O'Berry it read, Text Dolphin to 44144

The Camera cut to a different shot as soon as O'Berry held up his poster. It was fairly obvious the Academy didn't care about the passions of the folks on the stage, so much as the ? integrity ? of its award ceremony.

The score of awards to this film was made longer last night. That's all.

Tom Hanks is making a good Front Man for the corruption at the Academy.

I thought Slumdog Millionaire would turn the corner on the hideous tributes this institution plays to its 'patrons,' but, alas I believe it was the "Millionaire" in the title that did it.

It was 'nice' to have a woman recognized for winning an oscar, but, it was also very obvious the 'tone' of the Oscars last night. Did she have to sell her soul for a war picture?

The Academy must be running for office in Texas along with Perry, because, the pictures that won awards had conservative themes. For a moment when I started to hear the winners I thought I was at a Tea Bagger rally.

War, Country Music Loser becomes Sober and White woman meets Black Boy.

Right.

Such social conscience I can't stand, ya know?

When is the Academy AT LEAST going to recognize pure, unadulterated entertainment when it sees it?

I am not going to pay money to see The Hurt Locker, if I were I would have by now.

End.

"Morning Papers" - It's Origins

The Rooster

"Okeydoke"

The British Isles seem to have some very shadey characters.

The British military 'conveniently' lose grenades from British deployments in Belize. The British military vessels frequently avoid paying tarrifs by docking at unofficial docks to off load military supplies. The country authorities of Belize have no formal way of knowing what is coming into the country and where it is going.

While the sincere reality is that Belize City, bordered with Guatemala has experienced profound increases in violence facilitated by missing British weapons.

It seems all to clear to me that the country of Belize is being used as a port of entry to possible illegal arm sales to the drug cartels that have grown in precense in the region.

I believe there is a real possibility there are illegal arms sales to the drug cartels and their ferocity is receiving weapons from more than just across the USA border.

Why do I believe Lord Ashcroft has a hand in most of this?

It isn't as though he has something to hide afterall.

End.

I am not convinced the drug violence in Mexico is due to the USA alone.

Northern Mexico cops protest after ambush kills 3March 06, 2010 18:27 EST
MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) -- Police in northern Mexico say the want better weapons, equipment and life insurance as they continue to battle drug gangs.Officers in San Nicolas de los Garza, a suburb of Monterrey, protested outside police stations today just hours after three of their colleagues were shot to death in an ambush and a fourth was wounded.State police say the killings were apparently carried out by a drug gang.Officers say they lack high-powered weapons to match the firepower of drug gangs. But many members of municipal forces in the region have been accused of collusion with gangs.In June, the state prohibited municipal police from carrying personal cell phones, out of concerns they were using them to tip off traffickers about federal raids.And some municipal forces in the area have been stripped of their assault rifles, after incidents of local police confronting federal agents as they tried to arrest drug suspects.

Ashcroft confirms non-dom status

The ultimate source of the millions of pounds (click here) that Michael Ashcroft has poured into the Conservative party via a small company on the south coast of England remains as mysterious as ever tonight, despite a 15-month investigation by the Electoral Commission.
It is now accepted that the £5.1m donated to the Tories by Bearwood Corporate Services (BCS), a company controlled by Ashcroft, originated in Belize, the Caribbean tax haven that he called his home for many years before pledging to end his life as a tax exile a decade ago....

The Port of Belize protocols have been violated by the British

Feb 4, 2010
BATSUB and Port of Belize discuss unloading of British vessel
On Wednesday night we reported that the Port of Belize and the Port Authority were at odds. That’s because the Port Authority allowed the unloading of a cargo ship at Old Belize. The cargo was the property of British Forces Belize and remains in the Belize Harbour tonight awaiting unloading because the Port of Belize went to court and got an injunction to stop the cargo from being discharged. The Port Authority claimed the charges were too high at the commercial port. Tonight it appears that some resolution is in sight as discussions are now taking place between BATSUB and the Port of Belize.


Feb 3, 2010
…And Port of Belize’s Luke Espat says it’s not a new problem (click here)
Principal shareholder at the Port of Belize Limited, Luke Espat, says his private company has been going through similar challenges with government for years now.
Luke Espat, Principal Shareholder, Port of Belize Limited
“This has been a continuous headache between us and the Port Authority of them flagrantly breaking the law, flagrantly disrespecting the rights of the Port of Belize. We have the exclusive authority to offload and handle cargo....


Luke Espat,“Well that is an easy one, we have treaties with the Americans but they respect the law. The law is clear, the tariffs governs, the Port of Belize charges for its services.

Grenade explosion blasts the south side of Belize City

The New Year is eleven days old and there are no deaths by bloodshed as yet. But there was a grenade explosion that rocked the morning quiet, and while it did not cause any injuries, this sixth blast did send a clear message of war and terror on the city’s south side plagued by gang violence. It is also the seventh explosive device to be traced to a missing batch of twenty-four from the British Army Training Support Unit Belize in Ladyville. Only last week, Prime Minister Dean Barrow met with the gang leaders hoping to broker a truce, but the early morning blast may have shattered any hopes of calm. Today’s explosion has placed yet another mystery to solve in the hands of authorities. A News Five crew was at the scene immediately after the blast was heard and Marion Ali picked up that story....

“Such gross economic disparities have understandably exacerbated ethnic tensions

...The problem between Guatemala and Belize is more complicated than the border separating Iraq from Kuwait. Compared to each other, Guatemala is white, and Belize is black. Where decision making and history are concerned, the Guatemalan rulers and the Belizean upper classes are not “the same people” and do not have “the same aspirations.” This is because the Guatemalan oligarchy is neo-European and the Belizean top brass have different levels of African descent. Over the last twenty years or more, however, the oil companies which want to extract Belize’s oil revenues in the most peaceful and profitable manner, have sought in different ways to emphasize the similarities, the commonality of interests, between the long established ruling families and their friends in Guatemala, on the one hand, and the political/business elite which has emerged in Belize since independence in 1981, on the other....

Guatemala: Ex-President Arrested on U.S. Warrant (click here)

By ELISABETH MALKIN
Published: January 26, 2010

The authorities arrested former President Alfonso Portillo on Tuesday on an extradition warrant from the United States, ending his four days on the run. On Monday, federal prosecutors in New York unsealed an indictment charging that Mr. Portillo embezzled tens of millions of dollars during his presidency and laundered at least $6.5 million through American banks. Attorney General Amílcar Velásquez said Mr. Portillo was captured in the beach resort of Punta de Palma, near the border with Belize.

Exploiting Belize, its laws, its natural resources and its people

...Early this week,(click title to entry - thank you) PUP personality Vaughan Gill broke the news on the Vibes Radio morning show – news that Irish investors in BNE had gotten their first ‘significant and massive dividend’ and were ‘laughing all the way to the bank.’ The source was an article in the Irish based Belfast Telegraph, an article which claimed that some investors had received as much as US$750,000 as a return on their investment. The local media picked up the news, and as we go to press tonight, Belizeans are posing some very pertinent questions about this apparent ‘oil bonanza’ which has benefitted ‘hundreds’ of Irish investors but seems to have stopped far short of benefitting Belize and Belizeans....

SUSAN Morrice, a geologist, is part of a group of 70 Irish investors who stuck to their convictions that oil could be found in Belize. (click here)
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 11:53 AM

(Source: Belfast Telegraph)SUSAN Morrice, a geologist, is part of a group of 70 Irish investors who stuck to their convictions that oil could be found in Belize.
Major oil companies had already drilled 50 dry wells in the central American state but Morrice managed to locate oil with her first attempt at exploration back in 2005.

Morrice established Belize Natural Energy with the backing of her husband, the Colorado oil executive Alex Cranberg, and more than 70 small investors from Ireland.
The people who backed the company are not traditional investors. They supported the venture because they wanted to see the development of the country.
Morrice's company was quick to turn the oil discovery into cash by sending 40,000 barrels on a barge to a refinery in Houston. This netted Belize Natural Energy some $2million.
One of their stated aims was to use part of the proceeds from their oil venture to support and promote social development in Belize. The company also said revenues would be used improve health, education and the environment.
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