Homemade peanut butter sweets

<p>I made these delicious sweets today.  So easy, just 4 ingredients. Peanut butter, icing sugar (powdered sugar), butter and then melted chocolate to cover the sweets.</p><p>All you have to do is mix the peanut butter with the icing sugar and then add melted butter. Roll the mix in to balls and then cover in chocolate. </p><p>Voila - little bites of heaven!</p><p>I should add that peanut butter and chocolate is not a common flavour combination here in Ireland. I have to travel to USA to get my fix!!!</p><p>* sorry for the out of sequence photos - the blogging app on my tablet causes this </p><div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7EwX5cPHKTIYAKgrwyXbq2yyI-MhgJmfvRmSaEVQ4NJbdzT1tQ8W0v4bHij_7WSe_hvBLnAuHppk9trHoEn1aMcf0bYSG6AYzPWWn4rqervGdI4tuQXuDZ-vliFKaKi8veTwJ7j3krihN/s1600/20130126_185125.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7EwX5cPHKTIYAKgrwyXbq2yyI-MhgJmfvRmSaEVQ4NJbdzT1tQ8W0v4bHij_7WSe_hvBLnAuHppk9trHoEn1aMcf0bYSG6AYzPWWn4rqervGdI4tuQXuDZ-vliFKaKi8veTwJ7j3krihN/s400/20130126_185125.jpg" /> </a> </div><div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEoUUQp8AVEA4FpQmdDZPjundroYBFtjeJ68cpQh44_eDoUgpEsk_HgzzVmS1Zb147LQCZQyd8heQB_fgsq7r75-rckKIFopJ5MymUrDtS9JC_LvvFx1wSlfI4akSIsLqaZ4tPrRHxtQnS/s1600/20130126_180723.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEoUUQp8AVEA4FpQmdDZPjundroYBFtjeJ68cpQh44_eDoUgpEsk_HgzzVmS1Zb147LQCZQyd8heQB_fgsq7r75-rckKIFopJ5MymUrDtS9JC_LvvFx1wSlfI4akSIsLqaZ4tPrRHxtQnS/s400/20130126_180723.jpg" /> </a> </div><div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQ50O2yhl3tHyvqa-xP5Y6T25ue6R8Y8d3p8fBhAc550psJO9oEA4I3oWcISH-6HBH-BI89t16JFebXxmDO73Iu3ZH-JcCDagmE5vTfDw16KousFNZMt-Epa0lt4Z0Ki48FftyzVnvXiA/s1600/20130126_194318.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQ50O2yhl3tHyvqa-xP5Y6T25ue6R8Y8d3p8fBhAc550psJO9oEA4I3oWcISH-6HBH-BI89t16JFebXxmDO73Iu3ZH-JcCDagmE5vTfDw16KousFNZMt-Epa0lt4Z0Ki48FftyzVnvXiA/s400/20130126_194318.jpg" /> </a> </div><div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQPxxQK_D3LQ4elDZLNmPMlBKVjkDnUi66Gw9aBMIinT12zn2BTJOD53ArtUFBNzxYGjAtMWh_IY6qSEKePA6pxx6UvKMmFcMcCQrtd4D22v6CnfUjHnsGtkRrF1EP01eRsf7xnTc6LUf/s1600/20130126_193342.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQPxxQK_D3LQ4elDZLNmPMlBKVjkDnUi66Gw9aBMIinT12zn2BTJOD53ArtUFBNzxYGjAtMWh_IY6qSEKePA6pxx6UvKMmFcMcCQrtd4D22v6CnfUjHnsGtkRrF1EP01eRsf7xnTc6LUf/s400/20130126_193342.jpg" /> </a> </div><div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUIUGmbtRt11Itt73xTHC0M3MUzkmsG6uNP0NsphknkghBkCj-UOgEZxXou5XES_qcLS8V0vf_QGLRqIfpiPksXu8M2QZ7T0zCYOMFysqhcxInGrGIdyNoGD4_QqDugGZn4jms29n2ci_L/s1600/20130126_171256.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUIUGmbtRt11Itt73xTHC0M3MUzkmsG6uNP0NsphknkghBkCj-UOgEZxXou5XES_qcLS8V0vf_QGLRqIfpiPksXu8M2QZ7T0zCYOMFysqhcxInGrGIdyNoGD4_QqDugGZn4jms29n2ci_L/s400/20130126_171256.jpg" /> </a> </div><div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDbm9nxzCIwwJ0Nb-qBid0P3ispHavVOkcPNurWsA1zUMG2g5YFqmB4lDVNlZCRWTXhCAkAv8aR1hv261GfdEHmrOPqEVaY0WyDLUkndvtQS_EA8nl515TxhZXaHxlgjZZTaBNtsoeHYf/s1600/20130126_180717.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDbm9nxzCIwwJ0Nb-qBid0P3ispHavVOkcPNurWsA1zUMG2g5YFqmB4lDVNlZCRWTXhCAkAv8aR1hv261GfdEHmrOPqEVaY0WyDLUkndvtQS_EA8nl515TxhZXaHxlgjZZTaBNtsoeHYf/s400/20130126_180717.jpg" /> </a> </div>

Homemade peanut butter sweets

I made these delicious sweets today.  So easy, just 4 ingredients. Peanut butter, icing sugar (powdered sugar), butter and then melted choco...

Read more »

Victoria Azarenka’s Timeout Jeered Round the World - NYTimes.com

MELBOURNE, Australia — When the world's top-ranked female tennis player was examined on the court and then granted a medical timeout Thursday during her semifinal match at the Australian Open, the howling commenced immediately. Skeptical fans at Rod Laver Arena and those watching on television worldwide were convinced that the player, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, was suffering from nothing more than an attack of nerves and perhaps faked an injury to collect herself after losing several crucial points.<br /><br><br /><br>After her 10-minute reprieve — six minutes of it off the court — Azarenka closed out a 6-1, 6-4 victory. A sport that in recent years has dealt with loudly grunting players and accusations of match fixing is now facing another vexation: determining what constitutes a real injury.<br /><br><br /><br>Azarenka's opponent, Sloane Stephens of the United States, called injury timeouts — legitimate or not — "the in thing," noting that Azarenka was one of many recent opponents to use a medical timeout. "It's trendy," Stephens said.<br /><br><br /><br>Others were more critical. "I thought it was a little unfair play," said David Nainkin, Stephens's coach. "I thought she bent the rules. I don't think she broke the rules, but she bent them, and I think those rules need to be looked at because I think there's a gray area there."<br /><br><br /><br>The TV analyst Patrick McEnroe called the timeout an "absolute travesty" in a post on his Twitter page. (McEnroe also heads the United States Tennis Association's player development program, which has supported Stephens.) "I mean, everybody's appalled by it," said Pam Shriver, an analyst and a former player.<br /><br><br /><br>The controversy arose when Azarenka, serving for the match against the 29th-seeded Stephens at 5-3 in the second set, failed to convert on five match points and was eventually broken. When she took her seat during the changeover, she wrapped a towel stuffed with ice around her neck and was examined by the primary health care provider for the women's tour, Victoria Simpson, and by a tournament doctor, Tim Wood. She then left the court for further treatment, leaving Stephens, in her first Grand Slam semifinal, waiting nearly 10 minutes for the next game.<br /><br><br /><br>Stephens, who had upset the tournament favorite, Serena Williams, in the quarterfinals, proceeded to lose her serve and the match. She did not blame Azarenka's timeout for her loss.<br /><br><br /><br>Azarenka did not mention an injury during her on-court interview after the match, but she did refer to a feeling of crisis at the 5-4 changeover. "I almost did the choke of the year," she said. "I just felt a little bit overwhelmed. I realized I'm one step away from the final, and nerves got into me, for sure." Azarenka added: "I love to play here and I just couldn't lose. That's why I was so upset."<br /><br><br /><br>Later, in a news conference, she said that she left the court for treatment of a rib injury and that she had not mentioned the injury in her on-court interview because she had misunderstood the question.<br /><br><br /><br>Shriver, who noted that Azarenka had also not mentioned the injury in an ESPN interview while coming off the court, was skeptical. "I think her response at the time was very honest and truthful, that she was stretching the rules," Shriver said. "That was my reaction coming off the interview, and so that's why I think all of us, many of us, jumped on it. Because we've seen the rule abused for years. I abused the rule when I played."<br /><br><br /><br>If Azarenka was not legitimately injured, was calling a medical timeout cheating? Playing at the edge of the rules? Good old win-at-any-cost strategy?<br /><br><br /><br>To Michael F. Bergeron, executive director of the National Youth Sports Health & Safety Institute, it is part of a disturbing trend extending to youth sports: emphasizing winning over sportsmanship and developing character.<br /><br><br /><br>"I'm not saying everyone does that, and I'd like to think there are still players who would never do it," Bergeron said. "It shows a lack of character, a lack of respect for her opponent and the game. You'd like to think sports would be developing those traits. But in the bigger picture, this emphasis on winning and losing over everything else is doing athletes a disservice. It's not making them better people. It's not making them better athletes."<br /><br><br /><br>Bergeron, a clinical and scientific consultant to the Women's Tennis Association, acknowledged that tennis was harder on athletes' bodies than ever before. But he suspected that Azarenka had used the timeout as a strategy to stop Stephens's momentum.<br /><br><br /><br>Other sports have had similar issues. In football, there have been debates over timeouts taken just before field goals. During a college game between Cincinnati and Duke this season, Cincinnati took a too-many-men-on-the-field penalty to negate a 53-yard field goal, leaving Duke Coach David Cutcliffe irate. And after an N.F.L. game last season in which the Giants appeared to fake injuries to slow the Rams' offense, Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll said the phenomenon was nothing new or alarming.<br /><br><br /><br>In tennis, though, the injury timeout is tricky because medical personnel have to treat all calls for treatment seriously, no matter when they happen. The Grand Slam rule book does include some restrictions: all medical timeouts must take place during a changeover or a set break except in the case of an "acute medical condition."<br /><br><br /><br>The Grand Slam supervisor Donna Kelso confirmed that Azarenka had been given two consecutive medical timeouts of three minutes each to be treated for two separate injuries: one to a rib and one to her left knee. Azarenka explained that she was having trouble breathing on court because of a rib problem that was causing her back to seize up.<br /><br><br /><br>"I had to unlock my rib, which was causing my back problem," she said. "The trainer said, 'We have to go off court to treat that.' I just didn't really want to take off my dress on the court."<br /><br><br /><br>Nainkin, Stephens's coach, said he had "never heard of two medical timeouts back to back."<br /><br><br /><br>"In all my years, that's a first," he said. "Two different injuries? I think it's unprofessional. Saying that, she did win the match and played a great game at 5-4, but tennis is a game of momentum and Sloane had the momentum, and obviously the little break definitely changed things."<br /><br><br /><br>Azarenka agreed that the timing of her timeout was unfortunate. "The timing, yeah, it was my bad," she said. "The game before that, when I lost my service game, it kept getting worse. I thought I would have to play through it and keep calm. But it just got worse. You know, I had to do it."<br /><br><br /><br>Several coaches and analysts expressed hope that the incident Thursday would lead to a re-examination of the medical timeout rule at Grand Slam events and on the WTA Tour. "I think if you can continue to play in any way, it's bad luck but you've got to wait until the person is finished serving," Shriver said.<br /><br><br /><br>But ultimately, the decision lies with the medical personnel on court. According to the Grand Slam rule book, if they determine that a player needs a medical timeout, their word is final.<br /><br><br /><br><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/25/sports/tennis/timeout-by-victoria-azarenka-in-match-with-sloane-stephens-at-australian-open-raises-questions.html?src=mv&ref=general&pagewanted=all&pagewanted=print">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/25/sports/tennis/timeout-by-victoria-azarenka-in-match-with-sloane-stephens-at-australian-open-raises-questions.html?src=mv&ref=general&pagewanted=all&pagewanted=print</a>

Victoria Azarenka’s Timeout Jeered Round the World - NYTimes.com

MELBOURNE, Australia — When the world's top-ranked female tennis player was examined on the court and then granted a medical timeout Thu...

Read more »

Successful and Schizophrenic - NYTimes.com

<base href="data:">Successful and Schizophrenic<div><br>By ELYN R. SAKS<br>LOS ANGELES<br><br>THIRTY years ago, I was given a diagnosis of schizophrenia. My prognosis was "grave": I would never live independently, hold a job, find a loving partner, get married. My home would be a board-and-care facility, my days spent watching TV in a day room with other people debilitated by mental illness. I would work at menial jobs when my symptoms were quiet. Following my last psychiatric hospitalization at the age of 28, I was encouraged by a doctor to work as a cashier making change. If I could handle that, I was told, we would reassess my ability to hold a more demanding position, perhaps even something full-time.<br><br>Then I made a decision. I would write the narrative of my life. Today I am a chaired professor at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. I have an adjunct appointment in the department of psychiatry at the medical school of the University of California, San Diego, and am on the faculty of the New Center for Psychoanalysis. The MacArthur Foundation gave me a genius grant.<br><br>Although I fought my diagnosis for many years, I came to accept that I have schizophrenia and will be in treatment the rest of my life. Indeed, excellent psychoanalytic treatment and medication have been critical to my success. What I refused to accept was my prognosis.<br><br>Conventional psychiatric thinking and its diagnostic categories say that people like me don't exist. Either I don't have schizophrenia (please tell that to the delusions crowding my mind), or I couldn't have accomplished what I have (please tell that to U.S.C.'s committee on faculty affairs). But I do, and I have. And I have undertaken research with colleagues at U.S.C. and U.C.L.A. to show that I am not alone. There are others with schizophrenia and such active symptoms as delusions and hallucinations who have significant academic and professional achievements.<br><br>Over the last few years, my colleagues, including Stephen Marder, Alison Hamilton and Amy Cohen, and I have gathered 20 research subjects with high-functioning schizophrenia in Los Angeles. They suffered from symptoms like mild delusions or hallucinatory behavior. Their average age was 40. Half were male, half female, and more than half were minorities. All had high school diplomas, and a majority either had or were working toward college or graduate degrees. They were graduate students, managers, technicians and professionals, including a doctor, lawyer, psychologist and chief executive of a nonprofit group.<br><br>At the same time, most were unmarried and childless, which is consistent with their diagnoses. (My colleagues and I intend to do another study on people with schizophrenia who are high-functioning in terms of their relationships. Marrying in my mid-40s — the best thing that ever happened to me — was against all odds, following almost 18 years of not dating.) More than three-quarters had been hospitalized between two and five times because of their illness, while three had never been admitted.<br><br>How had these people with schizophrenia managed to succeed in their studies and at such high-level jobs? We learned that, in addition to medication and therapy, all the participants had developed techniques to keep their schizophrenia at bay. For some, these techniques were cognitive. An educator with a master's degree said he had learned to face his hallucinations and ask, "What's the evidence for that? Or is it just a perception problem?" Another participant said, "I hear derogatory voices all the time. ... You just gotta blow them off."<br><br>Part of vigilance about symptoms was "identifying triggers" to "prevent a fuller blown experience of symptoms," said a participant who works as a coordinator at a nonprofit group. For instance, if being with people in close quarters for too long can set off symptoms, build in some alone time when you travel with friends.<br><br>Other techniques that our participants cited included controlling sensory inputs. For some, this meant keeping their living space simple (bare walls, no TV, only quiet music), while for others, it meant distracting music. "I'll listen to loud music if I don't want to hear things," said a participant who is a certified nurse's assistant. Still others mentioned exercise, a healthy diet, avoiding alcohol and getting enough sleep. A belief in God and prayer also played a role for some.<br><br>One of the most frequently mentioned techniques that helped our research participants manage their symptoms was work. "Work has been an important part of who I am," said an educator in our group. "When you become useful to an organization and feel respected in that organization, there's a certain value in belonging there." This person works on the weekends too because of "the distraction factor." In other words, by engaging in work, the crazy stuff often recedes to the sidelines.<br><br>Personally, I reach out to my doctors, friends and family whenever I start slipping, and I get great support from them. I eat comfort food (for me, cereal) and listen to quiet music. I minimize all stimulation. Usually these techniques, combined with more medication and therapy, will make the symptoms pass. But the work piece — using my mind — is my best defense. It keeps me focused, it keeps the demons at bay. My mind, I have come to say, is both my worst enemy and my best friend.<br><br>THAT is why it is so distressing when doctors tell their patients not to expect or pursue fulfilling careers. Far too often, the conventional psychiatric approach to mental illness is to see clusters of symptoms that characterize people. Accordingly, many psychiatrists hold the view that treating symptoms with medication is treating mental illness. But this fails to take into account individuals' strengths and capabilities, leading mental health professionals to underestimate what their patients can hope to achieve in the world.<br><br>It's not just schizophrenia: earlier this month, The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry posted a study showing that a small group of people who were given diagnoses of autism, a developmental disorder, later stopped exhibiting symptoms. They seemed to have recovered — though after years of behavioral therapy and treatment. A recent New York Times Magazine article described a new company that hires high-functioning adults with autism, taking advantage of their unusual memory skills and attention to detail.<br><br>I don't want to sound like a Pollyanna about schizophrenia; mental illness imposes real limitations, and it's important not to romanticize it. We can't all be Nobel laureates like John Nash of the movie "A Beautiful Mind." But the seeds of creative thinking may sometimes be found in mental illness, and people underestimate the power of the human brain to adapt and to create.<br><br>An approach that looks for individual strengths, in addition to considering symptoms, could help dispel the pessimism surrounding mental illness. Finding "the wellness within the illness," as one person with schizophrenia said, should be a therapeutic goal. Doctors should urge their patients to develop relationships and engage in meaningful work. They should encourage patients to find their own repertory of techniques to manage their symptoms and aim for a quality of life as they define it. And they should provide patients with the resources — therapy, medication and support — to make these things happen.<br><br>"Every person has a unique gift or unique self to bring to the world," said one of our study's participants. She expressed the reality that those of us who have schizophrenia and other mental illnesses want what everyone wants: in the words of Sigmund Freud, to work and to love.<br><br><i>A law professor at the University of Southern California and the author of the memoir "The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness."</i><br><br><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/opinion/sunday/schizophrenic-not-stupid.html?src=me&ref=general&pagewanted=print">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/opinion/sunday/schizophrenic-not-stupid.html?src=me&ref=general&pagewanted=print</a><br><br></div>

Successful and Schizophrenic - NYTimes.com

Successful and Schizophrenic By ELYN R. SAKS LOS ANGELES THIRTY years ago, I was given a diagnosis of schizophrenia. My prognosis was "...

Read more »

Lindsey Vonn: Tiger Woods and I Are "Just Friends"

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Lindsey Vonn on February 18, 2012 in Sochi, Russia." height="400" src="http://www.usmagazine.com/uploads/assets/articles/59620-lindsey-vonn-tiger-woods-and-i-are-just-friends/1359150581_lindsay-vonn-467.jpg" width="265" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="posted" style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="posted" style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="caption" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Lindsey Vonn on February 18, 2012 in Sochi, Russia.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span class="caption" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Credit: Vianney Thibaut/Agence Zoom/Getty Images</span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><br /><span class="posted" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">January 25, 2013 AT 5:30PM</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span class="byline " style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">By UsWeekly Staff </span></span></span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">From: </span><a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">http://www.usmagazine.com</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mum's the word for <strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Lindsey Vonn</strong> and <a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/tiger-woods" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Tiger Woods</strong></a>. As rumors swirl that the Olympic skier, 28, is in a serious relationship with the divorced golf pro, 37, both athletes are <a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/tiger-woods-lindsey-vonn-dating-2013251" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">staying tight-lipped on the subject</a> and refusing to discuss any personal matters whatsoever. But back in December, when European media first speculated that the two were an item, Vonn was a little more open about the nature of her relationship with Woods.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"We are just friends," she told the <a href="http://blogs.denverpost.com/sports/2012/12/01/vonn-quashes-tiger-woods-rumor/23859/" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Denver Post</em></a> after winning her second World Cup downhill at Lake Louise, Alberta. "My brother was the ski instructor for his kids this November in Vail. Guessing that's where it came from."</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Hollywood Life claims, however, that Vonn herself is teaching the golfer's two children (Sam, 5, and Charlie, 2) to master the slopes. They say the sports superstars have been dating since November and have spent time together in Antigua and Salzburg, Austria. So are they or aren't they?</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Lindsey is currently in the midst of the World Cup season in Europe," Vonn's rep told <a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Us Weekly</strong></a> in a statement. "Her focus is solely on competing and on defending her titles and thus she will not participate in any speculation surrounding her personal life at this time."</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In fact, the gold medalist only recently finalized her divorce from fellow skier <strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Thomas Vonn</strong>, whom she married in September 2007. Shortly after their November 2011 separation, however, she was <a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/lindsey-vonn-im-not-dating-tim-tebow-20111412" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">linked to another headline-making athlete</a>: New York Jets quarterback <strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Tim Tebow</strong> (then a Denver Bronco). The two were spotted hanging out together at the ESPYs and at various ski races. She also joined his family at one of his football games against the Chicago Bears.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Lindsey is just friends with the Tebow family. Anyone who is trying to suggest any more to their relationship is wrong," her rep told the <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">New York Post</em>'s <a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/vonn_won_sack_tebow_zJAT8nQvO7uyx0H3VkeySJ" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Page Six</a> at the time. Vonn herself added on Twitter: "Hearing a lot of crazy rumors but rest assured I am not dating Tim Tebow (or anyone else)."</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Tebow, 25, most recently romanced actress <a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/camilla-belle" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Camilla Belle</strong></a>, 26. The two dated for less than two months before going their separate ways late last year. Us Weekly <a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/tim-tebow-camilla-belle-break-up-19693112" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">broke the news of their sudden split</a> in December.</div><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><br /></span></div>

Lindsey Vonn Tiger Woods Lindsey Vonn: Tiger Woods and I Are "Just Friends"

Lindsey Vonn on February 18, 2012 in Sochi, Russia.   Credit: Vianney Thibaut/Agence Zoom/Getty Images January 25, 2013 AT 5:30PM   By UsWee...

Read more »

Citizens Bank Hit By Possible Cyber Attack

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="(Photo Credit: KDKA)" src="http://cbspittsburgh.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/citizens_bank.jpg?w=300" /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">From: <a href="http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/" style="text-align: center;">http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com</a></div></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2d2e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;">PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Add Citizens Bank to the list of financial institutions whose online banking websites are tough to access, Citizens officials confirmed on Friday.</span><br /><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #2c2d2e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Our website has experienced temporary disruptions due to an unusually high volume of Internet traffic, similar to disruptions that have impacted other U.S. banks, ” Sylvia Bronner, Citizens Bank spokesperson, said in a statement to KDKA money editor Jon Delano.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #2c2d2e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">This problem of getting online at Citizens Bank is very similar to one that plagued PNC Bank several weeks ago.<br /><br /><div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">There, a Middle Eastern group claimed they wanted to stop access online to banks because of their objections to alleged anti-Muslim videotapes on YouTube.</div><div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Citizens would not confirm that the al-Qassam Cyber Fighters had targeted them, too. But Carnegie Mellon University professor Michael Smith, an expert on cyber marketing, says the tactics are the same.</div><div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />It’s called DDOS or distributed denial of service.“They’re trying to pretend to be real consumers accessing the website, and if you send enough of those requests, the website doesn’t know which are the real consumers and which are the fake consumers, and the real consumers can’t get access,” said Smith.</div><div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“The distributed means there are multiple computers all sending requests to the same service. And the denial of service reflects the fact that the goal is to keep legitimate customers from being able to access the computer,” added Smith.</div><div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Smith says it’s easy for cyber terrorists to do, but can also be minimized by banks; and while customer information is not compromised, studies show, “If I can’t get access to a bank immediately, I’m going to go someplace else, or I could go someplace else, which is bad for business.”</div></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #2c2d2e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div></div></div></div>

Citizens Bank Cyber Attack Citizens Bank Hit By Possible Cyber Attack

From:  http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Add Citizens Bank to the list of financial institutions whose online banking websi...

Read more »

Coachella 2013 to Feature Phoenix, Skrillex and Wu Tang Clan Reunion

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><h3 class="byline" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px 0px 0.583em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 8px;">By Jim Fusilli From: <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/">http://blogs.wsj.com</a></h3><div class="mceTemp" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 10px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <dl class="wp-caption alignleft caption-alignleft " style="float: left; margin: 0px 27px 12px 8px; padding: 0px; width: 359px;"><dt class="wp-caption-dt" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-5" height="239" src="http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-WC972_skrill_E_20130125082050.jpg" style="border: none; margin: 8px 0px 0px;" width="359" /></dt><dd class="wp-caption-dd wp-cite-dd" style="color: #666666; font-size: 1em; line-height: normal; margin: 2px 0px; padding: 2px 0px 0px; text-align: right;">Getty Images</dd><dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="color: #333333; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 2px 0px 0px;">Skrillex performs on June 20, 2012 in New York City.</dd></dl></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; margin-right: 8px; padding: 0px;">Blur, the Stone Roses, Phoenix and Red Hot Chili Peppers will headline the annual three-day Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival to be held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, on consecutive weekends, April 12 through 14 and April 19 through 21.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; margin-right: 8px; padding: 0px;">The announcement of the bill, made late last night, thus ends rumors of appearances by David Bowie, Daft Punk, the Rolling Stones, the Smiths and the Who.  As it has in recent years, Coachella continues to veer away from boomer-era acts:  Lou Reed is the rare artist on the bill whose career began in the ‘60s.  Also, there are few hip-hop acts scheduled to appear, though the reunions of the Wu Tang Clan and Jurassic 5 promise to be highlights of the desert festival.   Electronic dance music acts include Benny Benassi, Wolfgang Gartner, Richie Hawtin, Infected Mushroom, Fedde Le Grand, Moby, Paul Oakenfold, Pretty Lights, Roni Size, and Skrillex and Boys Noize’s Dog Blood.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; margin-right: 8px; padding: 0px;">Coachella has long favored reuniting British bands, and this year the Stones Roses, who ended a 15-year hiatus in late ’11, and Blur, who haven’t released an album of new music in 10 years, will share the opening-night headliner slot.  The festival also will feature relatively rare appearances by Modest Mouse and Violent Femmes, and the reunion of Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tamborello’s the Postal Service.  Nick Cave will appear twice – on Friday nights with Grinderman and on Sundays with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – as will Jamie xx, who’ll perform with the xx and spin a DJ set.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; margin-right: 8px; padding: 0px;">General-admission tickets, priced beginning at $349, are on sale on Tuesday, January 29, at 10 a.m. PST.   To see the full lineup and for information on purchasing tickets, visit <a href="http://www.coachella.com/" style="color: #017fab; outline: none;">www.coachella.com</a>.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; margin-right: 8px; padding: 0px;"><em>Related: John Jurgensen previews the lineup for this year’s Coachella festival.</em></div></div><iframe frameborder="0" height="288" scrolling="no" src="http://live.wsj.com/public/page/embed-2B87A3D4_4B89_4766_B22B_EDB67998EF85.html" width="512"></iframe></div>

Phoenix Wu Tang Clan Coachella 2013 to Feature Phoenix, Skrillex and Wu Tang Clan Reunion

By Jim Fusilli From:  http://blogs.wsj.com Getty Images Skrillex performs on June 20, 2012 in New York City. Blur, the Stone Roses, Phoenix...

Read more »

New Strain of Norovirus Is Circulating In The U.S

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="color: #797777; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 11.366666793823242px;">By </span><a href="http://healthland.time.com/author/asifferlin/" rel="author" style="color: #1b5288; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 11.366666793823242px; text-decoration: none;" title="Posts by Alexandra Sifferlin">Alexandra Sifferlin</a> Form: <a href="http://healthland.time.com/">http://healthland.time.com</a><br /><br /><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="128541507" src="http://timewellness.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/128541507.jpg?w=360&h=240&crop=1" /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">Piggybacking off this year’s influenza epidemic, a new strain of the highly contagious norovirus has reached the U.S. from <a href="http://topics.time.com/australia/" style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Australia</a>.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"><span id="more-78793"></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6203a4.htm" style="color: black; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="reports">reports</a> in the <em>Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report</em> that the new norovirus strain, called GII.4 Sydney, is currently the leading cause of norovirus outbreaks in the U.S. and accounted for 58% of cases of the infection in December.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">Often confused with the stomach flu because of its contemporaneous circulation with influenza during winter months, norovirus causes 21 million cases of illness, often involving severe vomiting and diarrhea, 70,000 hospitalizations each year in the U.S., and 800 deaths. Where influenza is a respiratory illness, norovirus, which comes in five forms, favors the stomach and intestinal tract, causing inflammation of tissues that leads to <a href="http://topics.time.com/pain/" style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">pain</a>, nausea, and the diarrhea and vomiting. According to the CDC, about 51% of the cases in the U.S. were caused by person-to-person transmission, and 20% resulted from contaminated food. Most infections occur in places where large numbers of people are gathered, such as <a href="http://topics.time.com/schools/" style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">schools</a>, nursing homes and cruise ships, where the virus can pass easily from host to host.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><br /><iframe height="360" id="kaltura_player_1359195960" src="http://cdnapi.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/1_f55uht44/uiconf_id/3775332/st_cache/37583?referer=http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/powerful-norovirus-spreads-america-18318770&autoPlay=false&addThis.playerSize=392x221&freeWheel.siteSectionId=nws_offsite&closedCaptionActive=true&addThis.playerSize=640x360&closedCaptionsOverPlayer.fontsize=18" style="border: 0px solid #ffffff;" width="640">Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames.</iframe> <br /><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">The new strain of norovirus was first identified in March 2012 in Australia and has since sickened people on several continents. Historically, the GII strains have caused more severe illness than other versions of the virus, but officials at the CDC says it is too early in the season to determine if GII.4 Sydney is infecting people at higher rates than in previous years. The norovirus season runs from November through March and cases typically peak in January.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">“Although most of the time you recover after 24 or 48 hours, [norovirus] is a reason for people to come to the emergency room, and is even responsible for a small number of death each year. It’s not a completely innocuous virus and can certainly ruin a vacation,” says Dr. John Treanor, chief of the Infectious Diseases Division at the University of Rochester Medical Center.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">There are no treatments for norovirus, other than riding out the infection, but Treanor and a group of scientists are currently testing a vaccine developed by <span style="color: purple;"><a href="http://www.ligocyte.com/" style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals</a><span style="color: black;">. The shot contains a part of the norovirus’ outer layer, which they hope will generate a strong immune response in those who get immunized.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">A vaccine would be critical for preventing the disease from escalating in populations; because it spreads so quickly, norovirus infections are difficult to contain. “You really only have to be exposed to a couple of viral particles to get sick,” says Treanor. “This makes it very contagious because when you have norovirus, you are dispersing literally millions of particles. When it only takes one or two to make the next person sick, it translates into very high contagiousness.”</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">Fortunately, the same things you do to protect yourself from flu also work in holding off infection with norovirus. The CDC <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/preventing-infection.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="recommends">recommends</a> the following:</div><ul style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px;"><li><span style="line-height: 13px;">Wash your hands carefully with soap and water, especially after using the bathroom or changing diapers and before handling food.</span></li><li>Carefully wash produce and seafood before cooking and consuming them.</li><li>If you’re sick, wait 2-3 days after you recover before preparing food for anyone.</li><li>Immediately clean any infected or contaminated surfaces and wash laundry thoroughly.</li></ul><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /><br /></span><br /><div style="font-size: x-small; margin-top: 0; text-align: left;"></div></div>

HEALTH Strain of Norovirus New Strain of Norovirus Is Circulating In The U.S

By  Alexandra Sifferlin  Form:  http://healthland.time.com Piggybacking off this year’s influenza epidemic, a new strain of the highly conta...

Read more »

Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 01/26/2013

<ul class="diigo-linkroll"> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://eracism.flatclassroomproject.org/Press+release+13-1">eracism - Press release 13-1</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">""The use of Facebook by students around the world to communicate with one another does more harm than good."" This is our topic for the Eracism 2013 project. You may wonder - why did we limit it to Facebook - well, after much-- yes, --- debate-- on our end, every good debate topic should have compelling topics on both sides - we wanted to have compelling discussions around social media and keep with the original spirit of the 4 students who envisioned this project. They wanted to debate topics of importance to promote cultural understanding. If you want to sign up, this is linked to the 2013 press release that will tell you how to enter a team from middle up to high school (there are 2 brackets). We debate asynchronously in a method we call "simulated synchronous" until the finals, when we have a synchronous live debate in blackboard collaborate. </p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/eracism">eracism</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/eracism_resources">eracism_resources</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/eracismproject">eracismproject</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/debate">debate</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/facebook">facebook</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/social">social</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/media">media</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/connection">connection</a></p> </li> </ul><p class="diigo-ps">Posted from <a href='http://www.diigo.com'>Diigo</a>. The rest of my favorite links are <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher'>here</a>.</p>

Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 01/26/2013

eracism - Press release 13-1 ""The use of Facebook by students around the world to communi...

Read more »

Matt Said, Jay Said 777.777

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />Matt confabulates, Jay confabulates, You hang on every word.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ljUOBHbHhNRUgZelS0u6xUfRxI20D_2nMyEKbKVwTqPGqemnNUs_IWUv0wuOYgB_st3wkQhR3eRJVL_sLCz3nmquJscVG0mGpuDrBHPg0XSrKsojYDlyJ27f7qK_iqBBtH7T3GS8Qws/s1600/Lacey_Banghard_Boobs_Cleavage_Hot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ljUOBHbHhNRUgZelS0u6xUfRxI20D_2nMyEKbKVwTqPGqemnNUs_IWUv0wuOYgB_st3wkQhR3eRJVL_sLCz3nmquJscVG0mGpuDrBHPg0XSrKsojYDlyJ27f7qK_iqBBtH7T3GS8Qws/s400/Lacey_Banghard_Boobs_Cleavage_Hot.jpg" width="253" /></a></div>Matt: If the phone rings I have to take the call.<br />Jay: How can the phone ring if you’re on the phone?<br />Matt: It doesn’t “RING” but it beeps<br />Jay: So, if the phone beeps you need to take the call?<br />Matt: Yes.<br />Jay: What will the “beep” sound like?<br />Matt: Well, I can’t really describe it.<br />Jay: Then how will you know when it happens.<br />Matt: Cause it’s the only “BEEP” I’ll hear.<br />Jay: You sure?<br />Matt: Well, I’ve been dealing with phones for a long time so, yes.<br />Jay: If you say so.<br />Matt: Well, I do.<br />Jay: I guess those old fashioned phones work that way.<br />Matt: Yeah, I guess they do.<br />Jay: Can you personalize beeps for different people who call?<br />Matt: I’m pretty sure you can’t.<br />Jay: That’s too bad.<br />Matt: Yeah, I’m devastated.<br />Jay: I'm detecting some sarcasm there<br />Matt: I don't know why.<br /><br />Jay: So who will the caller be?<br />Matt: I can’t tell you?<br />Jay: Why not?<br />Matt: Well it may not work out.<br />Jay: What may not work out?<br />Matt: What I’m working on … Oh wait! It involves you!<br />Jay: I think you can probably tell me then.<br />Matt: Of course! I’m waiting on _____ to call.<br />Jay: Right! She’s calling about _________.<br />Matt: Hell yes!<br />Jay: If that works we can _________.<br />Matt: That would be so exciting!<br />Jay: I’m excited right now in fact.<br />Matt: You sick fuck.<br />Jay: What?<br />Matt: I don’t need to know about your excited state.<br />Jay: You dream about my excited state.<br />Matt: Maybe occasionally.<br />Jay: So when will we be able to tell everyone the big news?<br />Matt: It’s gonna be a while. Might take some time still.<br />Jay: We’ll tease them then.<br />Matt: That’s hot.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5aYCKwkCi88uvQBZisolysyRyj-Hg3_1_VUdOA1QsWUL_NEWWeQJ_pimNLzGPduwOQFqRNrrzSyADuhjFN8OMbJ8SomHcSVu5CD3Qtn1mW00BLZpMDaoxbihqoIR2fkJSGGZwbtLdcWA/s1600/Tiffani+Thiessen+Legs+Hot+Nude.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5aYCKwkCi88uvQBZisolysyRyj-Hg3_1_VUdOA1QsWUL_NEWWeQJ_pimNLzGPduwOQFqRNrrzSyADuhjFN8OMbJ8SomHcSVu5CD3Qtn1mW00BLZpMDaoxbihqoIR2fkJSGGZwbtLdcWA/s400/Tiffani+Thiessen+Legs+Hot+Nude.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>Matt: I followed the Pope on Twitter.<br />Jay: I tried to get him to ReTweet our <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2013/01/09/human-trafficking" target="_blank">Human Trafficking Awareness</a> show.<br />Matt: Did he do it?<br />Jay: No<br />Matt: Nazi bastard.<br />Jay: I guess he supports slavery and sex slaves and all that.<br />Matt: There’s no other conclusion to make.<br />Jay: Exactly!<br />Matt: So … This week’s show?<br />Jay: We need to do a positive show.<br />Matt: We’re very positive guys.<br />Jay: Damn right we are.<br />Matt: Well, we can talk about the positive side of the internet and social media.<br />Jay: Sweet!<br />Matt: All the good people we’ve met.<br />Jay: The funny people!<br />Matt: The talented people!<br />Jay: The HAWT peole!<br />Matt: Awww yeah!<br />Jay: We can also talk about internet friends being REAL friends<br />Matt: I hate people who claim internet people are fake.<br />Jay: Me too.<br />Matt: They’re scared of the internet.<br />Jay: They think it’s the Devil’s Playground.<br />Matt: Yes they do.<br />Jay: Okay I guess we’re …<br />Matt: BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!<br />Jay: Damn, there really was a beep.<br /><br />So, don’t forget to join us for “<a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2013/01/27/internet-love-and-friendship" target="_blank">Internet Love and Friendship</a>” on I’m With Stupid Saturday at 11 PM ET!!<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>

Matt Said, Jay Said 777.777

Matt confabulates, Jay confabulates, You hang on every word. Matt: If the phone rings I have to take the call. Jay: How can the phone ring i...

Read more »

End of a long week

<p>After a hard weeks work we have a tired dog on our hands!</p><p>Check out<a href="http://www.pichetrestaurant.ie/"> Le Pichet</a>, Ciaran went for lunch here today with the lads from his office. He taunted me by sending photos of scallops and steak to me while I was in work.</p><div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9Po-KB0ZbpKm2i4bCzvk0Ac5oMd_C38PLBaWzjTaUV6KRXTRNXyc50b3n0g1mQ7iM7tWQDrIR1y2yPnG4xJrufQqTuftxx-RHJghKbhyk7sOsu6yGWhx_k3O0TksDet7L6katyFGXUXt/s1600/20130125_222952.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9Po-KB0ZbpKm2i4bCzvk0Ac5oMd_C38PLBaWzjTaUV6KRXTRNXyc50b3n0g1mQ7iM7tWQDrIR1y2yPnG4xJrufQqTuftxx-RHJghKbhyk7sOsu6yGWhx_k3O0TksDet7L6katyFGXUXt/s400/20130125_222952.jpg" /> </a> </div>

End of a long week

After a hard weeks work we have a tired dog on our hands! Check out Le Pichet , Ciaran went for lunch here today with the lads from his off...

Read more »

THE BALKANS – ORGANIZED CRIME AND POLITICAL CORRUPTION PART 3

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true" DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99" LatentStyleCount="267"> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Normale Tabelle"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZg8IsBJ132t-dk3Xn2LyzAPgS1rsbDD3s-bEuGqAw97xXC5NyGGXyXfjXGcOoy2AXQ0YoZMbz4CkLie9n832_YYVt0ITukZNqi850RW_ykqjehfzJ640AsqAcY35WLirszeFOc91Z9cR1/s1600/balkans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZg8IsBJ132t-dk3Xn2LyzAPgS1rsbDD3s-bEuGqAw97xXC5NyGGXyXfjXGcOoy2AXQ0YoZMbz4CkLie9n832_YYVt0ITukZNqi850RW_ykqjehfzJ640AsqAcY35WLirszeFOc91Z9cR1/s320/balkans.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /><b><span style="mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"></span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ISLAMIC TERRORISM AND THE BALKANS: THE PERFECT TRAINING GROUND</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Adapted by Geopolitical Analysis and Monitoring from Ioannis Michaletos</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The emergence of radical – militant Islam during the 90’s is a very complicated issue that involves worldwide actors, social dynamics and a deep knowledge of the religious realm of the Islamic world. This article aims to present and inform for the events that shaped Islamic terrorism in the BALKANS. In this corner of EUROPE, the past 15 years, the roots of Islamic radicalism have deepened and it is of the outermost importance to comprehend this phenomenon, so as to be able to combat it.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – MUJAHEDIN GATE WAY TO EUROPE?</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The beginning of the YUGOSLAVIAN civil strife in 1991 presented an excellent chance for the Mujahedin to get into EUROPE via the ethno-cultural conflict between Christians and Muslims in BOSNIA. These religious mercenaries had proved their aptitude in war from the early 80’s when they fought the SOVIET Army in AFGHANISTAN, and managed to inflict great damages to it using WESTERN assistance.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The WEST at that period, along with its regional allies, promoted the creation of the so-called “Green Arch”. That meant the creation of strong Islamic pockets in areas of SOVIET influence, or in border countries that deemed important for the strategy of the WEST against the SOVIETS. Thus AFGHANISTAN, PAKISTAN, CAUCASUS, and in TURKEY (through the use of the TURKISH “Hezbollah”), became radicalized during the 80’s.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">WAR IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA WAS THE TRIAL TEST FOR RADICAL ISLAMIC GROUPS </span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">What the West could not comprehend and predict at that period, is the “Genie out of the bottle” effect. Once these radicals groups gained access to armaments and training, they became autonomous and sought to create their own agenda. Therefore the war in BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA was the trial test of their newly founded role.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUyt9HYsX-E8D4rv6eOwLTeeEwx7hv4poCGcGjTFj7pNv1GYoIx2VcOkKjIMcmxGGuhxeai1iQLiOKQDF3lrsw-E3xGPQdJ4hMF5-MlUZ7BEP5Y5rJKf7gLbdTcUWihxeCpjcIiAPJHdKl/s1600/628px-Zenica-Doboj_in_Federation_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUyt9HYsX-E8D4rv6eOwLTeeEwx7hv4poCGcGjTFj7pNv1GYoIx2VcOkKjIMcmxGGuhxeai1iQLiOKQDF3lrsw-E3xGPQdJ4hMF5-MlUZ7BEP5Y5rJKf7gLbdTcUWihxeCpjcIiAPJHdKl/s200/628px-Zenica-Doboj_in_Federation_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina.svg.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zenica-Doboj Region in FBIH</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In mid-1992 some 3000 -3500 Mujahedin were already present in the ranks of the BOSNIAN Army as volunteer forces. <b>They retained their operational autonomy and in essence became an army within an army. Most of their forces were under the command of General Shakib Mahmouljin and their area of operations was Zenica</b>. Soon the Mujahedin acquired the aura of the elite force within the BOSNIAN Muslim Army and were accounted for many atrocities against Christian population. There were instances where the guerillas didn’t hesitate in presenting publicly beheaded corpses with the heads of the victims in baskets, a tactic often used in the Ottoman period as a part of psychological warfare against the enemy.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">During the BOSNIAN war, the Al-Qaeda was beginning to emerge as a worldwide Islamic force that intended to strike the West with all means possible. One of the key elements in its success would be to get a hold of “safe havens” in EUROPE. The situation in BOSNIA was the opportunity wanted, and soon logistic bases were established within the BOSNIAN territory. Moreover a campaign of recruiting BOSNIAN Muslims to the Al –Qaeda cause, resulted in the creation of “Islamic pockets” in the middle of the BALKANS. By the end of 1995 and the subsequent Dayton treaty that ended the war; hundreds of Mujahedin fighters were permanent residents of the established BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA state, and acquired the citizenship of that country.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">THE SENSITIVE ISSUE OF THE KOSOVO STATUS IS ALSO INTERLINKED WITH THE PRESENCE OF TERRORISM</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The USA security agencies have revealed that two of the hijackers in 9/11 attacks, had toured the BALKANS and were trained in an Al-Qaeda camp in BOSNIA. In addition the explosives used in the 7/7 attacks in London came from the BALKANS, an event that portrays the tremendous lack of perspective that the West had when it tolerated the emergence of such networks.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The sensitive issue of the KOSOVO status is also interlinked with the presence of terrorism –Of an Islamic nature- and its ramifications are much more extended than conventionally thought. Moreover the impact of Islamic driven terrorism in the BALKANS is not only restrained in the region but has global consequences, thus it needs multiparty intelligence cooperation in order to be dealt with. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Worries about KOSOVO morphing into a safe haven for terrorists are not without merit. After all, radical Islamic elements aided some KOSOVARS–and earlier, BOSNIAKS (BOSNIAN Muslims)–in the ethno-religious warfare that led to the collapse of YUGOSLAVIA in the 1990s. For example, AUSTRALIAN al-Qaeda fighter David Hicks traveled to the BALKANS to join the notorious KOSOVO Liberation Army. Hicks completed military training at a KLA camp and later fought alongside the Taliban in AFGHANISTAN, where U.S. forces apprehended him.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">THE ALBANIAN NATIONALISM AND THE ISLAMIC TERRORISM</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMwtD08EGpq3dACZI1Lzr9tiC9Vx-sZ9qNkD7H4s4NF3Xh9sYctT-S4iPEEGuAZDWWnCAh44ZY3fDTQeX_mHAcSjPqiTAVURggMdYak1Fn6NJve-JTE0hFHlsOrwgfyltEqxQau6ps_C_i/s1600/Uck_Nla_logo.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMwtD08EGpq3dACZI1Lzr9tiC9Vx-sZ9qNkD7H4s4NF3Xh9sYctT-S4iPEEGuAZDWWnCAh44ZY3fDTQeX_mHAcSjPqiTAVURggMdYak1Fn6NJve-JTE0hFHlsOrwgfyltEqxQau6ps_C_i/s1600/Uck_Nla_logo.svg.png" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">As in the case of ALBANIA, the ALBANIAN Muslims (70% of the population) proved to be a magnet for the Islamists that sought to regain a foothold in EUROPE. The conditions by which ALBANIA was freed by the Communist regime in the early 90’s, revealed the existence of a backward isolated country with no interaction with the rest of the world. The transition from a central command structure to that of a free market; ensured the development of multiple societal forces within the much repressed Albanian society.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In early 1994 the infamous Osama Bin Laden, paid a visit to Tirana, presumably to oversight the networking of his activities there. He came back in 1998 to oversee Al-Qaeda training camps in the Northern part of ALBANIA, just across the borders with KOSOVO. The trainers –of Arabic origin mostly- were assigned to train the newly recruits of the <b>Usthria Climirtare e Kosoves</b> –U.C.K- units for the forthcoming guerilla warfare against the YUGOSLAV forces in KOSOVO.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The then ALBANIAN Director of the ALBANIAN secret service-SHIK-named Fatos Klosi admitted the training that took place in these camps and the existence of “Jihad warriors” from SUDAN, ALGERIA, SAUDI ARABIA and EGYPT that were responsible for the instruction of the UCK army. To this point it is important to add to the above, the existence of the ALBANIAN ARAB Islamic Bank, that was used for the financing of terrorist activities throughout the BALKANS. Various sources indicate the existence of Bin Laden’s backing in the bank’s capital, with the sum of 11 million USD. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">See: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The center for Peace in the Balkans (09/2001), “Bin Laden’s Balkan connections”. Website: <a href="http://www.balkanpeace.org/index.php?index=/content/analysis/a09.incl">http://www.balkanpeace.org/index.php?index=/content/analysis/a09.incl</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In 1997, the financial collapse of ALBANIA by an economic scandal that shook the country; resulted in social unrest throughout the country and brought about the collapse of the rule of law. An uncounted number of armaments were stolen during the period of the riots from the ALBANIAN’S Army caches, and the bulk of it ended in the hands of the UCK and its Islamist collaborators. <span style="color: blue;">(Comment by Geopolitical Analysis and Monitoring: Allegedly some of these arms are still hidden in the numerous UCK memorial sites that are located all over KOSOVO.)</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: blue;"> </span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Until early 1998 USA characterized UCK as a terrorist organization, due to its connection with well-known figures of the extremist elements of the Islamic world. Nevertheless, the AMERICAN policy changed its direction since it deemed the existence of Milosevic more threatening at that period than the Islamic movement. During the skirmishes and fights before the NATO intervention in March 1999, the YUGOSLAV Army managed to inflict great damages to the Mujahedin fighters that were combating along the UCK lines. In Urocevac the bulk of them were eliminated by the SERBIAN Army and was obliged to retreat back in their safe havens in Northern ALBANIA.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ISLAMIC CHARITABLE FUNDS (NGOS) ACROSS THE REGION ARE MUSHROOMING</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">After the end of the 1999 war, the Mujahedin networks regrouped and started to infiltrate the KOSOVO area in great numbers. That included the mushrooming of Islamic charitable funds across the region, the construction of Mosques and the radicalization of the local ALBANIAN population and the wider Muslim populations of ex-YUGOSLAVIA.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It is interesting to note that the ALBANIAN population in its majority cannot be conceived as a fundamentalist Islamic nation and the extremists are for the time being a forceful minority of that nation. The Islamic expansion in the BALKANS is coupled with the existence of the criminal syndicates that are all prevalent in the BALKAN Peninsula. Since the terrorist activities cannot be financed through the use of the legal free market economy, the use of narcotics and trafficking illegal trade has enabled the flourishing of the terrorist networks. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The “Hybrid” organizations as the merged terrorist and criminal are named, has created the necessary framework for the BALKANS to enter in one of the worst periods of their modern history. Leading criminologist Loretta Napoleoni has researched articulately the issue and offers illuminating approaches as to the extent of the infiltration of crime & terrorism in world economy.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">See:<span style="color: blue;"> <b>CRIME AND CORRUPTION AND THE POLITICAL SYSTEM</b></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">CRIME AND CORRUPTION ARE TWO OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST MULTINATIONAL INDUSTRIES</span></b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/09/crime-corruption-and-political-system.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/09/crime-corruption-and-political-system.html</a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">and</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: blue;"></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/09/crime-corruption-and-political-system_7.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/09/crime-corruption-and-political-system_7.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">APPROX. 1.5 TRILLION USD ARE THE REVENUE OF ORGANIZED CRIME WORLDWIDE</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Z-EGpsvK9jguXfCDL_AnvZZwkTc2WajocIVfFlzUI9fkMWfmS7ttQHvEWSWjNWLp-9XW8b371EB92bwsOCOIGPbdFDDgz4KK2xuwmDqYl31prVaXyNetrYOv0ebqIddyfEwfZrPzjc5d/s1600/cresseymodel.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Z-EGpsvK9jguXfCDL_AnvZZwkTc2WajocIVfFlzUI9fkMWfmS7ttQHvEWSWjNWLp-9XW8b371EB92bwsOCOIGPbdFDDgz4KK2xuwmDqYl31prVaXyNetrYOv0ebqIddyfEwfZrPzjc5d/s400/cresseymodel.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">A fair portion of that is being achieved by controlling the “BALKAN drugs route” a geographical area that encompasses KOSOVO, NORTHERN ALBANIA and Tetovo. Some Islamic terrorism networks have located some of their bases, along the way of some of the most lucrative “criminal areas” of EUROPE. Therefore they are able to increase revenues and thus finance its operations.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In spring 2001, the Mujahedin forces, once again, were brought to day-light by joining the National Liberation Army in its fight in Western FYROM (<b>F</b>ormer <b>Y</b>ugoslav <b>R</b>epublic of <b>M</b>acedonia). The NLA was a composition of various ALBANIAN fractions that along with the Islamic extremists sought to prepare the basis for the disintegration of FYROM. There is a large ALBANIAN minority in the country, which also happens to be located right in the centre of the “Balkan drug route”. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The Mujahedin formed the majority of the 113 brigade of NLA, and were accused of many atrocities against innocent civilians of Slavic descent.<br />On August 2001 the Ohrid accord was signed and the conflict ceased without any real gains by the Albanian side. A month later, the attack on the twin towers revealed to the world the spread and the power the terrorist organizations have amassed, thus the “War on terror” begun and to a great extent dismantled the world wide Islamic terrorist web.<br /><br /><span style="color: blue;"><b>BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA: A SAFE HAVEN FOR RADICAL ISLAMIST FRACTIONS? </b></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">NAWAF AL HAZMI, a SAUDI. He was a September 11th hijacker. He fought in BiH in 1995.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">KHALID AL-MIHDHAR, from YEMEN. He also was a September 11th hijacker. He also fought in BiH with the foreign mujahideen battalion in Bosnia in 1995</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">SHEIKH OMAR ABD-AL RAHMAN</span></b><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> (convicted of the 1993 attack on the WTC) was connected with the so-called humanitarian organization TWRA, which was a cover for terrorists. Then <span style="color: blue;">BOSNIAN president <b>ALIJA IZETBEGOVIC</b></span> made personal guarantees for TWRA’s general director and personal friend ELFATIH HASSANEIN, so he could open an account with <b>Die Erste Osterreich Bank in Vienna, Austria in 1993</b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">MOHAMMED HAYDAR ZAMMAR, who recruited MOHAMED ATTA into Al-Qaeda, had a terrorist base in BOSNIA. Zammar is also responsible for recruiting two of Atta’s lieutenants, RAMZI BINALSAHIB and SAID BAHAJI.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">OSAMA BIN LADEN received a BOSNIAN passport from the <b>Embassy in Vienna, Austria</b>. Many other Al-Qaeda members were issued BIH passports, which enabled them to continue their terrorist activities.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ABU AL-MA’ALI (ABDELKADER MOKHTARI), a senior Al-Qaeda operative, was stationed in BOSNIA until recently. Just a few years ago, US officials used to call him “Osama Bin Laden, Jr.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BENSAYAH BELKACEM was arrested in BOSNIA in October 2001. Numbers saved in his cell phone connected him with at least one top-rank associate of Bin Laden</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">THE “WHITE AL-QAEDA” IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Information available to experts on international terrorism (in 2005) indicate that BIH at that time allegedly was and maybe still is one of the most dangerous countries in EUROPE, as it represents a nursery for potential Islamic terrorists – the so called “white” or “EUROPEAN” Al-Qaeda. Money from Islamic countries that is laundered through “humanitarian” organizations finances the religious education of at least 100,000 young Bosnian Muslims. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">See: <span style="color: blue;"><b>ISLAMIC COMMUNITY</b>: <b>THE SCHOOLS ARE OURS</b></span>: <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/07/ethnic-rift-key-hindrance-to-bosnias.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/07/ethnic-rift-key-hindrance-to-bosnias.html </a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">and </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/07/bosnia-european-unions-stepchild.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/07/bosnia-european-unions-stepchild.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">  </span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In addition to such education, which follows the interpretations of Wahhabi Islam, there is another type of “training” in various officially registered camps throughout the BIH Federation. There, the young and carefully selected Wahhabis attend “additional courses” in marksmanship, explosives and martial arts. Organizations such as “Furqan,” the “Active Islamic Youth,” the “Muslim Youth Council” and others – differing only in name and primary donors, but otherwise interchangeable – teach young Muslims computer and Internet skills, so they could establish contacts with their coreligionists worldwide. Knowing all this, the former head of UN Mission in BOSNIA Jacques Paul Klein recently said that some 200 mujahid’din in BOSNIA did not represent a danger, because they can be easily controlled. Klein knew it would be a lot more difficult to stop the spread of young BOSNIAN Wahhabis throughout EUROPE, youths who consider Osama Bin Laden and the mujahid’din role models. Nowadays there is still a strong presence of a variety of extremist Islamic groups in BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA, under the pretext of charity funds and related philanthropic establishments. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">See 6 part article on Wahhbism in BIH at <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/07/wahhabism-in-bosnia-herzegovina.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/07/wahhabism-in-bosnia-herzegovina.html</a></span></span>

THE BALKANS – ORGANIZED CRIME AND POLITICAL CORRUPTION PART 3

ISLAMIC TERRORISM AND THE BALKANS: THE PERFECT TRAINING GROUND   Adapted by Geopolitical Analysis and Monitoring from Ioannis Michaletos Th...

Read more »