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Saudi Inflation = oil $100 BBL

Saudi Inflation Blamed on Falling Dollar

by Peter Kenyon

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Morning Edition, January 18, 2008 · In oil-rich Saudi Arabia the price of food is rising, and so is discontent. Ordinary residents of the monarchy are circulating text-messages urging a milk boycott. Inflation has some economists calling on Saudi Arabia to revalue its currency.

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Jeeze I wonder if this has anything to do with oil at $100 BBL?
Came back to bite them in the ASS.

Saudis say thank you to OPEC.

Gerald

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Possible Future, Paradigm Intel: WWIII

Possible Future: Paradigm Intel:

Very difficult year ahead. The final assault on Islamo Nazis.

As Iraq Military builds USA will draw down troops and send them to Afghan.
But the Talibans Stealth border, the Durand Line will continue to give the Taliban an advantage.
Pakti maybe in a make or break stage with the Taliban.
If Taliban does take Pakti then USA has an open field to attack Talibam in Pakti.

Al Qaeda gears up for an European offensive, possible dirty bombs.

And Iran must be attacked before they get Nukes.
UPDATE: 12.04.07 no attack:
An all out air strike to reduce Iran's Military to rubble, and kill leaders without taking out the civilian infrastructure
Qods and IRRG must be hit the hardest, reducing their capabilities.
Iran will attempt a futile effort to block Hormuz strait.
If Iran isn't hit hard enough they will attempt suicide dirty bombs, and provied al Qaeda with same.
EMP available if it turns bad.

Wild card China dumping Dollar.

USA Mexico border crisis continues to worsen, some state will call out National Guard.

Saudi Arabia bringing on world wide recession with high oil prices, tighten your belts its going to be a bumpy ride. ( $200 bbl )

Gerald
Scary but not un-manageable.
USA not quite ready.

USA's "Info WAR" arm still weak.

Outside risk, WWW shut down

Pakti Paranoia:
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Iran sanctions and $100 bbl oil.

Iran: Has the Rising Price of Oil Trumped Sanctions?

By Victor Comras

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And what effect has the current international sanctions and the additional US measures actually had on Iran. Well, it is clear that they have had some impact, but certainly not enough to deter Iran from its present course. Several European banks have pulled back, or put on hold further discussions concerning some major oil field, pipeline and other potential financial commitments.

Banks still doing biz in Iran.

Bank Sepah has had to close down its direct operations in Europe, and Bank Saderat and Bank Melli are cautiously redirecting their accounts away from European financial institutions. European boardrooms are also reflecting on the risks and likelihood of further EU sanctions measures, and as to whether they should really be concerned by threats of additional US regulatory activity. They are also concerned about their public relations in the United States, the growing impetus behind US disinvestment movements, and the threats of possible new US congressional action...................

The fact is that Iran’s oil export revenue surge has served to shore up Iran’s otherwise foundering economy, at least for the short term. Last February Iran officials expected oil revenues to surpass $50 billion, and this can probably be raised by some 20 to 30 percent a result of the spot market price increases. Either way, increased oil revenues have resulted in a government revenue surplus which can be used to substitute for the loss of foreign funding for current critical infrastructure projects. However, this increased oil revenue has not insulated Iran’s vulnerable commercial class from the potential impact of any new European trade restrictions that might be directed at them. And this commercial class, which is crucial to providing new job development and for moderating current high urban unemployment rates, could prove to be Iran’s Achilles Heel.

November 14, 2007 12:55 PM Link

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The sharp increase in oil prices is bringing havoc on 3rd world countries, and will lead to a world economic down turn if OPEC can't get oil prices down. And this world recession will cripple Iran.
The price of oil has doubled for many small countries, while they must have energy, they will cut budgets in other areas, leading to economic downturn.

In the USA there is high oil px, devaluation of Dollar ( if China dumps dollars in open market they will be shooting themselves in the foot as the $ will devalue as they dump them ie lower value ) ,Gold at $800, inflation indicator, sub-prime problem, and eventually 150,000 troops looking for jobs at wars end.

Gerald

French Oil TOTAL to Continue Operations in Burma

French Oil Giant TOTAL to Continue Operations in Burma

Total SA is one of the biggest foreign investors in Burma. Per Pravda, "A spokeswoman for Total told Dow Jones Newswires that Total had no intention of leaving because a "forced retreat" would open the way for competitors to take its place." (The French retreat from everything except the advance of democracy.)

Wiki: Although Total claims to maintain a "socially responsible investment" program, there has been recent controversy over its corporate involvement in Burma, despite recent European Union sanctions on new investment in the country due to its poor human rights record. Democratic activists have accused Total of propping up that country's brutal military junta...Total is currently involved in a joint venture with the military regime developing an offshore gas field in the Andaman Sea. The Burmese government in exile also criticises Total for allegedly funding rape, murder and genocide in Burma, as a result of hiring members of the military to guard their pipeline.

Total has been taken to court by six Burmese people who claimed they were used as forced labour in the preparation of Total's pipeline in Burma. Total paid the villages to drop the case in 2005. In 2005 a 14 year old girl was allegedly gang raped by sixteen members of the Burmese army employed by Total to guard their pipeline. Many activists feel Total has not taken adequate steps to bring those responsible to account.

Seawitch says: The courageous people of Burma are mostly employing peaceful tactics to gain their freedom from the military junta. They are being met with clubs, bullets, clubs, batons, tear gas and now the junta has taken away the most potent weapon the Burmese people have: the internet. She urges readers to contact the Chinese embassy.

MVRWC notes a new type of online protest:

How to participate:

1. Copy the following post to your blog, including this special number: 1081081081234ia

2. After a few days, you can search Google for the number 1081081081234ia to find all blogs that are participating in this protest and petition.

Text below the fold:

Read More "French Oil Giant TOTAL to Continue Operations in Burma"

The situation in Burma is increasingly dangerous. Hundreds of thousands of unarmed peaceful protesters, including monks and nuns, are risking their lives to march for democracy against an unpopular but well-armed military dictatorship that will stop at nothing to continue its repressive rule. While the generals in power and their families are literally dripping in gold and diamonds, the people of Burma are impoverished, deprived of basic human rights, cut off from the rest of the world, and increasingly under threat of violence.

This week the people of Burma have risen up collectively in the largest public demonstrations against the ruling Junta in decades. It’s an amazing show of bravery, decency, and democracy in action. But although these protests are peaceful, the military rulers are starting to crack down with violence. Already there have been at least several reported deaths, and hundreds of critical injuries from soldiers beating unarmed civilians to the point of death.

The actual fatalities and injuries are probably far worse, but the only news we have is coming from individuals who are sneaking reports past the authorities. Unfortunately it looks like a large-scale blood-bath may ensue — and the victims will be mostly women, children, the elderly and unarmed monks and nuns.

Contrary to what the Burmese, Chinese and Russian governments have stated, this is not merely a local internal political issue, it is an issue of global importance and it affects the global community. As concerned citizens, we cannot allow any government anywhere in the world to use its military to attack and kill peacefully demonstrating, unarmed citizens.

In this modern day and age violence against unarmed civilians is unacceptable and if it is allowed to happen, without serious consequences for the perpetrators, it creates a precedent for it to happen again somewhere else. If we want a more peaceful world, it is up to each of us to make a personal stand on these fundamental issues whenever they arise.

Please join me in calling on the Burmese government to negotiate peacefully with its citizens, and on China to intervene to prevent further violence. And please help to raise awareness of the developing situation in Burma so that hopefully we can avert a large-scale human disaster there.

From mypetjawa

Iran Qods, surge, with IED's

Night Watch: AAJAF - The day after Iraq Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki returns from Tehran, Iran assassinates two Shi'ite obstacles to Iran's influence in the country. Jasim Azawi, Al Jazeera's presenter of Inside Iraq accurately described it as a "targeted assassination" as the two officials' convoy was hit by 10 IED's (improvised explosive devices). The officials were based in Qadisiyah province in the south of the country. Of course al-Maliki was informed this was going to happen to not only remove two obstacles to Iran's influence in the country but to gradually destroy al-Maliki's administration, which means London-Washington have no government to work with and defend. [ALJAZEERA]

USA had meetings with Iran about Iraq's security and the harm Iranian IED's are doing, army says its 30% of USA's KIA, our estimate puts it closer to 40%.

Right after the meeting there was a surge in IED attacks.

Some General suggested bombing Iranian oil fields?
Maybe just some unknown explosions, like the train in N. Korea.

Gerald

Ops and Intel update

Major General Charles Dunlap, the provocative Air Force bigwig who recently mused about disbanding either the Army or the Marines -- and mocked the "boots-on-the-ground zealots" and "neo-Luddites" who "quot[e] counterinsurgency manuals from the horse cavalry era" -- is at it again.

In a new article for Defense News, he wonders aloud whether the next phase of the counterinsurgency in Iraq should be... bombing Iran's oil refineries, in retaliation for Tehran's support of Iraqi guerrillas.

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"Existing UUVs have the capability to detect mines but have to go back to the ship and download their information so the ship can see what the UUV sees," Scott says. Talisman just surfaces, sends out a radio signal and waits for a reply. "Talisman can also relay data to the ship by way of a buoy."

Phpntoaacam "Existing UUVs are mostly single-mission," Scott continues. "Talisman can do mine warfare; Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance; it can be configured for Electronic Warfare, for the littorals and for Anti-Submarine Warfare — with the proper sonar and torpedoes. You could put in a navigation system for river navigation."

Talisman looks like a sleek window- and wheel-less compact car — and in fact is built from the same materials as modern racecars. It has four little jets on the bottom and a weapons bay for carrying torpedoes, smaller UUVs or charges for destroying mines. The sleek construction of the current model is an improvement over the earliest Talisman prototype (pictured), which was blockier and heavier. Besides being slippier, Scott says Talisman has more horsepower than most UUVs and can make headway against a five-knot current.

http://blog.wired.com/defense/

http://tinyurl.com/3cdv36

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Pharming Attacks Through DNS Cache Poisoning

A month ago, a detailed assessment of a recently released vulnerability in BIND9 was conducted by Amit Klein to highlight the wide impact typical nameserver vulnerabilities have in general, and this one in particular. Now that an exploit is available as well, the possibility for large scale pharming attacks in an automated fashion, becomes fully realistic :

"A program has appeared on the Milw0rm exploit portal which is able to exploit the recently reported vulnerability in the BIND9 nameserver. Transaction IDs can be predicted or guessed relatively easily, so the cache of a vulnerable nameserver can be poisoned. Phishers can use cache poisoning for pharming attacks on users by manipulating the assignment of a server name to an IP address. Even if the user enters the name of his bank in the address line of his browser manually, he will still be taken to a counterfeit web page."

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SHENZHEN, China, Aug. 9 - At least 20,000 police surveillance cameras
> are being installed along streets here in southern China and will soon
> be guided by sophisticated computer software from an American-financed
> company to recognize automatically the faces of police suspects and
> detect unusual activity.
>
> Starting this month in a port neighborhood and then spreading across
> Shenxhen, a city of 12.4 million people, residency cards fitted with
> powerful computer chips programmed by the same company will be issued
> to most citizens.
>
> Data on the chip will include not just the citizen's name and address
> but also work history, educational background, religion, ethnicity,
> police record, medical insurance status and landlord's phone number.
> Even personal reproductive history will be included, for enforcement
> of China's controversial 'one child' policy. Plans are being studied
> to add credit histories, subway travel payments and small purchases
> charged to the card.
>
> Security experts describe China's plans as the world's largest effort
> to meld cutting-edge computer technology with police work to track the
> activities of a population and fight crime. But they say the
> technology can be used to violate civil rights.