News for today's 2018

Health and happiness - lacking both

10:01 AM Tukiyooo 0

I can't remember the last time I posted, but I know I didn't say much. I've been quiet because it seems like all I do is whine and complain about my life.<br /><br />I've continued to eat poorly and not exercise. The result is continuing weight gain. My last weigh in on Friday was 202 pounds. I feel and look like hell.<br /><br />Then there are the hives that are occurring more frequently. I had a hive breakout Thursday night, Friday morning and Friday  night, Saturday morning and Saturday night. No hives on Sunday. Then  this morning was the worst one yet, with big, red welts from my knees up to my breasts, and both arms.<br /><br />I went to the gym this morning when the hives started and were only a few splotches on my stomach. This whole hive thing started when I started slacking with my workouts and eating a lot of processed foods. My workout was good today, but the hives got worse during my my hour at the gym. By the time I was done with my workout I felt like my entire upper body was on fire, and I was an itchy mess.<br /><br />The hives also started exactly one week after I was made my sister's permanent guardian on February 28. This means I'm responsible for her for the rest of her life. She's 73 and in spite of having a major stroke, she's in perfect health. Even her blood pressure, without blood pressure medicine, is normal. She'll probably live several more years. I have mixed feelings about this. I love her to pieces, but I know she's not happy, trapped in a body that doesn't work on one side, and unable to communicate through speech or written word. Her life isn't easy.<br /><br />Strangely, when I take a shower the hives calm down and disappear in about thirty minutes. I thought maybe I was allergic to our laundry detergent. I switched to a no dye, no perfume, made for sensitive skin laundry detergent a few weeks ago. It hasn't made any difference.<br /><br />The funny thing about not having hives on Sunday is that I spent several hours with my sister. She was having a screaming, crying fit when I arrived because of an incident that happened at the home with another resident at lunch. An old man fell, couldn't get up, and the caregiver had to call the paramedics to help him. He wasn't hurt, and was resting in his room when I arrived.<br /><br />My sister was furious with the caregiver for not helping the old man when he was on the floor, but he weighs about 220, and is a big guy. He refused to try to help himself and he was wailing his arms, hitting anyone that came near him. Then my poor sister, paralyzed on one side, in a wheelchair, tried to help him, and another resident screamed at her to stop because she could get hurt. My sister was extremely upset about this incident. I arrived about an hour after it happened and my sister wanted to make sure I knew about it. I didn't get the information from my sister because she's impossible to understand, but I got it from another resident that tells me everything that goes on at the home.<br /><br />The caregiver came in and tried to calm my sister down, but it made it worse. My sister screamed at her, crying the whole time. This was very stressful, yet I didn't break out in hives. I never break out in hives when I'm with my sister.<br /><br />My sister finally calmed down and let me do her hair and makeup so we could go to the movies. We saw The Avengers in 3D, and it was really good. I think she like it. She always seems to enjoy going on outings. She put her one 3D glasses on and when I looked at her I realized they were on upside down, which was pretty funny.<br /><br />I still haven't seen my regular doctor about the hives, but I don't know what she can do for me anyway. The doctor I saw six weeks ago prescribed a heartburn medicine, Zantac, because he said it sometimes had the side effect of preventing hives. I've never had heartburn and it certainly didn't help the hive situation. After I gave the doctor a two-minute overview of my life, he was positive the hives were stress induced. He told me I needed to learn how to relax. I wish it was that easy to not worry about stuff and just take each day as it comes. Unfortunately, I haven't figured that out yet.<br /><br />I thought about taking an anti-anxiety drug, but after I read about the common side effects, there's no way in hell I'm taking that stuff. I'm not much for taking drugs anyway, and these anti-anxiety drugs sound downright scary. I know a few people that take anti-anxiety drugs, two of my nieces and a good friend, and although they seem relaxed about things and rarely get upset or worried, it's changed them in other, undesirable ways. I'm sure someone reading this will tell me they take anti-anxiety meds and they're fine, and I'm sure that's true for a lot of people. I'm just not willing to add another thing to my life the might cause me harm. I've done enough of that already. <br /><br />So, I need a plan. I need to lose weight, get healthy and hopefully, stop the hive outbreaks.  <br /><br />1. Cut out ALL processed foods, count calories.<br /><br />I didn't realize how easily I'd fallen into the processed food trap. SmartOnes, Lean Cuisines, when I'm trying to eat healthy. Then I eat junk when I just don't care what I eat (which is often!).  Portion control? That hasn't even been on my radar. <br /><br />2. Exercise<br /><br />I have to workout almost every day. I feel better, I eat better, I work harder at trying to keep my weight under control, and exercise is good for me, mentally and physically. I can't believe how easily I went from a minimum of five days a week to one or maybe two days a week of exercise. That's just insane. It's back to my routine of "exercise isn't optional, it's a requirement".<br /><br />3. Yoga<br /><br />I have nine more sessions of yoga left on my prepaid card. I went once and although I really liked it, it made me nauseous. It was that stupid "put your legs in the air and pretend your riding a bicycle. That exercise always make me want to throw up. Next time I'll just skip that one and relax instead. <br /><br />Well, I guess that's enough words for today. I'm making up for lost time. I'm taking the day off from work. I have some legal stuff to take care of for my sister. It's a gorgeous day and since my weekend was spent either working on paperwork for my sister (12 hours on Saturday, and 4 hours on Sunday) or time with my sister, I need a little me time. Perhaps a yoga class is in my future today.<br /><br />

Health and happiness - lacking both

I can't remember the last time I posted, but I know I didn't say much. I've been quiet because it seems like all I do is whine a...

IDF Israeli Defense Forces

6:53 AM Tukiyooo 0

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-sjHyVgYcH5CwHJq_Sh-kgFFSMOQctbWU7L10OWewAqDVGEswM3CYhwKYrjQyZWbgvmwYJRFBkES2tcMSE9LsWCSyRz3dwxVCufBgbjZzIjCiSW9fnc-HyvcLHaYX9hV7O8OCdCKr_AZ/s1600/0831_A94.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-sjHyVgYcH5CwHJq_Sh-kgFFSMOQctbWU7L10OWewAqDVGEswM3CYhwKYrjQyZWbgvmwYJRFBkES2tcMSE9LsWCSyRz3dwxVCufBgbjZzIjCiSW9fnc-HyvcLHaYX9hV7O8OCdCKr_AZ/s400/0831_A94.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">GOING UNDER</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">By David Eshel</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>LONG-RANGE, LARGELY CLANDESTINE AND MULTI-SERVICE MISSIONS</b></span></div><br />  <span style="font-size: large;">The ISRAELI military has established a “depth corps” force to coordinate and execute multi-disciplinary missions far from the country's borders. The primary task of the corps, says Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, chief of the general staff, will be to extend joint operations into strategic theaters. </span><br /><br />  <span style="font-size: large;">Modeled after the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command, creation of the depth corps force indicates ISRAEL'S military envisions that long-range, largely clandestine and multi-service missions will have a much higher priority than the conventional operations that have been the main focus of its activity for decades. It also suggests that ISRAEL expects future wars to be long, difficult and not winnable only by fighting along its own borders. </span><br /><br />  <span style="font-size: large;">The decision to establish the command stems from an assessment of the <b>strategic shifts</b> resulting from popular revolutions in the ARAB world and MIDDLE EAST, where moderate or predictable countries could become dominated by ISLAMIC and even jihadist elements, as well as from the threat posed by a nuclear IRAN. </span><br />  <span style="font-size: large;">Defense minister Ehud Barak and Gantz created the corps after recommendations from a team headed by Maj. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot. Eizenkot was tapped for the task last summer, after he completed his assignment as commander of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) <b>Northern Command</b>, which is responsible for the border with Lebanon and the Golan Heights. </span><br /><br />  <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYC-hlPi3E2zo1TxLwpJ7MO5b6lk0q4URUXG9tmBNYoeoZgtcTwX29PLoE7yhUXtEyqcb40giFcDoaOB_CGBIx2jVbc66EqVmqmixmLISs7AZZdNrRwvx6f-tzEF_f3Vfjx8mxgQOJm5p/s1600/Idf_logo4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYC-hlPi3E2zo1TxLwpJ7MO5b6lk0q4URUXG9tmBNYoeoZgtcTwX29PLoE7yhUXtEyqcb40giFcDoaOB_CGBIx2jVbc66EqVmqmixmLISs7AZZdNrRwvx6f-tzEF_f3Vfjx8mxgQOJm5p/s320/Idf_logo4.png" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">The new corps will be commanded by Maj. Gen. Shai Avital, 59, a former chief of the elite Sayeret Matkal commando force, veteran covert operations expert and close associate of Barak. Avital was recalled to active duty to head the corps, which is unusual. Gantz and Barak thought that the leader of such a command based on various special forces, each with their own capabilities and fighting traditions, would have to be a commander with the unique authority and experience to gain the confidence of subordinates during missions. </span><br />  <span style="font-size: large;">Predictably, some are calling the corps “the IRAN Command.” ISRAEL has a command for IRAN affairs—namely, the Mossad intelligence agency—which has been doing the heavy lifting in the campaign against the IRANIAN nuclear threat. If there is any unit within the IDF that deals with IRAN specifically, it is the ISRAELI air force (IAF), the service that will be called upon in the event of an attack on IRAN'S nuclear facilities. </span><br /><br />  <div style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>STRATEGIC SHIFTS IN THE REGION</b></span></div><br />  <span style="font-size: large;">Gantz instructed Eizenkot to assess recent developments and strategic shifts in the region to determine whether the IDF needed to make changes in its planning. In reviewing past assessments, Eizenkot's team, which comprised high-ranking officers and one senior Mossad official, discovered that the need for a deep-strike force had been identified as far back as 1982, when a decision was made to create a depth corps at the general staff level. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Implementation was delayed until 1986 as a result of the First LEBANON War, which took place in 1982. Maj. Gen. (ret.) Doron Rubin was named head of the unit, but fallout from the raid it orchestrated against a base in LEBANON of the Popular Front for the Liberation of PALESTINE-General Command in December 1988, code-named Operation Blue and Brown, shut down the command. During the operation, which took place in Nueimeh, four Golani Regiment soldiers were left behind and had to be rescued under fire by IAF Cobra helicopters. The soldiers, clutching the skids of the Cobras, were flown out to sea for pickup by Israeli navy boats. Rubin stepped down afterward and the special operations unit was absorbed into the <b>Northern Command</b>. </span><br /><br />  <span style="font-size: large;">The mission concept will be split into two categories. The corps will work primarily with special forces and at times oversee their covert operations, or operate directly, but covertly, against targets—for example, IRAN and its nuclear facilities—on the ground, should an air attack take place. The corps will have the authority to deploy special operations units when necessary, but under normal circumstances each unit's chain of command will remain unchanged. </span><br /><br />  <span style="font-size: large;">The rationale behind the unit is that long-range operations require extensive cooperation between different parts of the defense establishment. To effectively combat IRAN'S nuclear ambitions, arms smuggling to Hamas, Hezbollah and worldwide terror organizations, certain units must work together, such as military intelligence, the Mossad and others. Military branches need to join forces (especially the air force and navy), and commanders and their subordinates need to coordinate activities. The corps will oversee training and operations by special forces in an effort to enable each unit to retain its unique capabilities, while operating with better coordination and less competition with each other. </span><br /><br />  <div style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>DEPTH CORPS, A NEW CONCEPT FOR THE IDF</b></span></div><br />  <span style="font-size: large;">Units tapped for missions will be placed under the corps' control according to mission function, and perform pre-planned or ad-hoc operations during war and inter-war periods. The corps itself is subordinate to the IDF chief of staff. </span><br /><br />  <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFWORQhtELUEKh8bNRmStxZEoUh3i_Gt_cDaJg0m0RLFyyOEJWRd6JrFPlqyFkhX3SFuajIMtT8_6RiXozxIatKw_i-QT-_XxLTSXqHhqy1m4klejciUsSrFajU4_KEgEYmnUweNC1OBD/s1600/Traditional+clothing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFWORQhtELUEKh8bNRmStxZEoUh3i_Gt_cDaJg0m0RLFyyOEJWRd6JrFPlqyFkhX3SFuajIMtT8_6RiXozxIatKw_i-QT-_XxLTSXqHhqy1m4klejciUsSrFajU4_KEgEYmnUweNC1OBD/s320/Traditional+clothing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">If a mission requires taking control of a sector in an enemy's rear zone, the command could be assigned responsibility, for example, to secure an area where strategic weapons are being smuggled. </span><br />  <span style="font-size: large;">For the IDF, the depth corps is a new concept for special forces. “Until now, few operations were carried out by more than one special forces unit,” says Brig. Gen. (res.) Ilan Paz, former air force special forces commander. “The establishment of the new command will be justified only if it succeeds in achieving the synergy between the various units and becomes a force multiplier capable of implementing their special capabilities.” </span><br /><br />  <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: large;">Experts warn that this synergy will be difficult to achieve. Each IDF special operations unit has its own fighting tradition gained over decades of clandestine actions and has been almost entirely self-sufficient during missions. Sayeret Matkal, for one, arguably the most storied special forces ground unit, has conducted extremely complex and spectacular missions over the years, most of which are still classified. </span><br /><br />  <span style="font-size: large;">“At the end of the day,” says Brig. Gen. (ret.) Dov Sedaka, former commander of Sayeret Matkal, the command's success or failure will depend on the authority it displays over subordinate units, each with unique training and capabilities. “If it coordinates them wisely, taking account of their characteristics, it could become a tremendous force multiplier.” </span><br /><br />  <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: large;">While Israel's special forces have had spectacular successes, there has been a sense within the general staff since the Second LEBANON War in 2006 that the units could do more if they worked together more closely and there was better coordination between their respective branches. The corps could assist in mobilizing special forces for missions. More important, it will have the job of planning and leading operations in areas far beyond Israel's borders, operations that are connected to the covert war against terror organizations and thus indirectly against IRAN. These operations would be similar to those that have been ascribed to ISRAEL, such as alleged IAF strikes and special forces missions in SUDAN against terror networks. </span><br /><br />  <span style="font-size: large;">“What is happening today is that actions in the strategic depth area are largely the result of some momentary flash,” a senior officer who helped draft the recommendations told the newspaper Haaretz. “An officer goes to military intelligence with an idea, and they start working on an operation. The corps, headed by a major general, would consider the threats methodically and continuously, and we hope it will lead to solutions and results,” he said. </span><br />  <div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

IDF Israeli Defense Forces

GOING UNDER By David Eshel LONG-RANGE, LARGELY CLANDESTINE AND MULTI-SERVICE MISSIONS The ISRAELI military has established a “depth corps...

CHINA and ISRAEL, Enter the Dragon

7:03 AM Tukiyooo 0

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpvgCfeo-We_AcxkhYI_8pSlFE9IC-DvqUu6aiXTq4_6SSkXJJvKPCiiT_eiWC1ZlGSZBMM_neP0bybWUFgi7g8_VSvg1d5H0rADMTS1YowXIqnfPMUqut4eFsfLnA1waBEDcyFLtCObu/s1600/image10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpvgCfeo-We_AcxkhYI_8pSlFE9IC-DvqUu6aiXTq4_6SSkXJJvKPCiiT_eiWC1ZlGSZBMM_neP0bybWUFgi7g8_VSvg1d5H0rADMTS1YowXIqnfPMUqut4eFsfLnA1waBEDcyFLtCObu/s400/image10.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><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";"><br /><br /><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;"><b>DRAGON OF THE NEGEV</b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES-AR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-AR; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">By M K Bhadrakumar, via AsiaTimes </span><span lang="ES-AR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-AR; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFP6MU70IO2q31c7e2IZg9Pwyp2yKdqcBJsZ-OWcVsALkyPX5Cv50l9MGx_ENmkwlZdGuE7kxLfKZKUHk8waKvpiE9KJHEQtNqLe95x-ZgtIW7jMavtwWWcHYv9S7ll6Q7RJwiINSItjTm/s1600/israelmap.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/AVvXsEjFP6MU70IO2q31c7e2IZg9Pwyp2yKdqcBJsZ-OWcVsALkyPX5Cv50l9MGx_ENmkwlZdGuE7kxLfKZKUHk8waKvpiE9KJHEQtNqLe95x-ZgtIW7jMavtwWWcHYv9S7ll6Q7RJwiINSItjTm/s400/israelmap.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The soon to be built new CHINESE railway link snaking its way through the rocky and dusty mountains of the Negev desert, leading from the north of the resort city of Eilat in the GULF OF AQUABA towards the Mediterranean are clear indicators how strong CHINAS geopolitical interests have shifted towards the oil rich MIDDLE EAST by strengthening their ties with ISRAEL as part of a strategic partnership and when at the same time the USA are shifting their political priorities towards the SOUTH CHINA SEA and ASIA PACIFIC. The geopolitical implications of this shift in strategy are indeed profound.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br />Amid the cacophony of the war drums beating in the PERSIAN GULF and in the LEVANT, it almost went unnoticed that the exchange of greetings between Beijing and Tel Aviv in recent past marked the 20th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries and went far beyond <span> </span>the calls of mere protocol. <br /><br /><b style="color: red;">DIPLOMACY FOR ALL SEASONS</b> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br />ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country and CHINA make a "successful combination" and he could visualize a "dramatic expansion" of the ties. "I think we've barely scratched the surface of ISRAELI-CHINESE relations", he said at a celebration in Tel Aviv. <br /><br />In his message of greetings for the anniversary, President Hu Jintao said CHINA "attaches great importance to advancing SINO-ISRAELI ties and is ready to make joint efforts with ISRAEL". In turn, Premier Wen Jiabao noted that CHINA and ISRAEL have "huge potential and broad prospects for cooperation" and Beijing is "ready to continue to expand and deepen" the ties and raise them to "a new high". <br /><br />Speaking at the function in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu pointedly invited Beijing to work with ISRAEL to "address the challenges of securing MIDDLE EAST peace". And CHINA'S ambassador to ISRAEL Gao Yanping, who was present, responded: </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The further development of CHINA-ISRAEL relations is not only beneficial to both countries and the two peoples, but are also very much conducive to regional stability, world peace and global prosperity. <br /><br />Facing the ongoing transformation and adjustment in the region [read Arab Spring] and in the world, CHINA-ISRAEL relationship is now at a new historical point. We should continue to work together, grow together and succeed together in the years to come.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">These are heady, brave thoughts for a region where angels fear to tread. But the maturity of CHINA-ISRAEL ties today is such that even as Gao was speaking at Tel Aviv, her counterpart in the United Nations in New York, ambassador Li Baodong, was taking note of the "stalemate" in the Middle East peace process and reiterating CHINA'S strong support for a Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution, restoring the "lawful right" of Palestinian people. <br /><br />Li said, "CHINA supports the establishment of an independent Palestinian state that enjoys full sovereignty, with East Jerusalem as its capital and based on the 1967 border. CHINA supports Palestine's membership in the United Nations." Li went on to roundly condemn the ISRAELI government's recent decision giving approval for plans of expansion of new settlements. He said: </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">CHINA is always against ISRAEL'S establishment of Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory including East Jerusalem. We urge ISRAEL to cease the settlement construction immediately, by prudent in action and work actively in collaboration with the efforts of the international community to promote peace, and create conditions for the resumption of PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI peace negotiation.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Li seemed unperturbed by the warm sentiments being mutually expressed between the CHINESE and the ISRAELI leaderships the very same day that he spoke. <br /><br />CHINA'S MIDDLE EAST diplomacy is adroitly advancing three parallel tracks engaging IRAN, GCC states and ISRAEL. This may seem improbable against the backdrop of the rise of IRAN and the concomitant hostility it arouses in ISRAEL and the GCC states. But Beijing sees no contradiction here, and is striving to make the three tracks even complement each other. Conceivably, one day they well might. <br /><br />The great beauty is that all three Middle Eastern camps - IRAN, the GCC and ISRAEL - equally want the best of relationships with CHINA and are manifestly vying with each other for the dragon's prime time. This is going to pose an unsolvable riddle for other outside powers aspiring for influence in the region, be it the WEST or TURKEY and RUSSIA. <br /><br />Netanyahu said, "I appreciate CHINA'S need to ensure a regular supply of sources of energy in order to continue its impressive growth. I believe it is possible to replace IRANIAN oil." He still hopes to wean CHINA away from IRANIAN oil, although Beijing has no intentions to erode its economic relationship with IRAN. CHINA-IRAN trade is booming at US$45 billion - as compared to $8 billion CHINA-ISRAEL trade. <br /><br /><b style="color: red;">'JUNCTION BETWEEN CONTINENTS'</b> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br />Nonetheless, ISRAEL is making an offer out of the massive oil and gas reserves in the Levant Basin province in the eastern Mediterranean. The area, encompassing approximately 32,000 square miles, covers onshore and offshore territory including the Gaza Strip, ISRAEL, LEBANON, SYRIA and CYPRUS. The US Geological Survey estimated in 2010 that the area holds a mean of 1.7 billion barrels of recoverable oil and a mean of 122 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of recoverable gas. <br /><br />The earlier estimation was that these reserves would ensure Israel's energy security, but more recent assessment in the light of new findings of reserves is that they are far greater than required to meet ISRAEL'S needs. <br /><br />Huge infrastructure development is on the cards including liquefaction facilities to be set up on ISRAEL'S coast and transportation routes leading to viable markets for ISRAEL'S energy export. These alluring vistas of cooperation explain Netanyahu's confidence that ISRAEL'S bilateral trade with CHINA can be easily doubled in the very near future. (CHINA already figures as ISRAEL'S third important trading partner after the US and EUROPEAN UNION.) <br /><br />Israeli Transport Minister Yisrael Katz visited Beijing and he has been quoted recently as saying, "The professional capability of the CHINESE companies in the construction of railway systems and transportation networks is among the best in the world." <br /><br />The Israeli Transport Ministry has underscored that ISRAEL would prefer CHINESE state-owned companies to undertake the construction of a so-called "Med-Red" railway through the NEGEV DESERT'S ZIN VALLEY connecting ISRAEL'S MEDITERRANEAN and RED SEA coast cities of Haifa and Eilat. <br /><br />Swiftly following up on Katz's discussions in Beijing, CHINA began working on a joint proposal with ISRAEL for the Eilat link. CHINESE and ISRAELI companies may jointly execute the project and, conceivably, CHINA may invest in the project. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">RED SEA AND MEDITERRANEAN GAS TRANSFER LINK ENHANCES CHINA'S EXPORT TO SOUTHERN EUROPE AND THE BALKANS </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqfoVdD8f8vagBt-cOEnGJgG4_2VbZYvP3K2K6hYlJ7_3FL8daJOB9pVlHFhx4T-6V5GGt847V3r3TVUEkS43zDfE3CjSInONxNc9jW2e6Xq3D3Mc4y5HvnQ4tMzT093T2RH2zXyLbEkqU/s1600/Israel-China-Med-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqfoVdD8f8vagBt-cOEnGJgG4_2VbZYvP3K2K6hYlJ7_3FL8daJOB9pVlHFhx4T-6V5GGt847V3r3TVUEkS43zDfE3CjSInONxNc9jW2e6Xq3D3Mc4y5HvnQ4tMzT093T2RH2zXyLbEkqU/s320/Israel-China-Med-1.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now, the two biggest Israeli gas finds - Leviathan and Tamar - lie off 130 and 80 kilometers from the port city of Haifa. While Leviathan is estimated to hold reserves of 16 tcf of gas, Tamar's reserves amount to at least 8.4 tcf. (Recently, two more gas fields - Sarah and Mira - were discovered off the port city of Hadera further south of Haifa.) </span><br /><b>The proposed rail-cum-road links would facilitate transfer of liquefied natural gas from ISRAEL'S Mediterranean coast to the Red Sea coast from where they can be shipped across the Indian Ocean to CHINA. Again, the communication link would enhance the scope for CHINA'S exports to central and southern EUROPE and the BALKANS. <br /></b><br />The relationship between CHINA and ISRAEL has been complex. It has had its ups and downs. But the ISRAELI Foreign Ministry is justified in claiming in a statement last week that the two countries are presently "enjoying a flowering of relations in recent years". </span> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />Indeed, 2011 has been a good year. The commander of the Chinese navy Admiral Wu Shengli visited ISRAEL, which was followed by the visit by the chief of the People's Liberation Army general staff department General Chen Bingde. This was the first visit by a CHINESE military chief to ISRAEL. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />In between, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak visited CHINA, which was also the first of its kind. Later on the two countries concluded an economic cooperation agreement. To quote Netanyahu, "The bilateral ties are important to us; therefore, we are committed to expanding them quickly in a variety of fields. To this end, I have issued a sweeping directive to approve any invitation to visit CHINA." </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />Clearly, ISRAEL and CHINA are poised to enter a profound and highly strategic engagement. Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting that he intended to develop the proposed rail and road networks joining Eilat to northern ISRAEL as a "junction between continents". He went on to flag CHINA'S interest in the project. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Beijing would have already sized up the immense strategic potential of an audacious transportation route across the Negev bypassing Egypt's congested Suez Canal, which would connect Asia with Europe. It almost seems Washington has lost the plot. <br /></span> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></b></span></div>

CHINA and ISRAEL, Enter the Dragon

DRAGON OF THE NEGEV By M K Bhadrakumar, via AsiaTimes The soon to be built new CHINESE railway link snaking its way through the rocky and d...

HOW THE IRAN NUCLEAR STANDOFF LOOKS FROM A TURKISH POINT OF VIEW

8:34 AM Tukiyooo 0

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRQFdSuFZsyYZ4j4rKQwXzq5mYD5EMtT8n_b9B1sQpiPSB_ugFvTQmWFVXKYQWVR0q33VnrRRf6S7ckhd3YmO_tT-xNUNHC4krZgGlNt3VBKHDkjSyNt2eWCb2o1Z9o6XnwlcGSy8_Z9k/s1600/i_5EIlCj10YY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRQFdSuFZsyYZ4j4rKQwXzq5mYD5EMtT8n_b9B1sQpiPSB_ugFvTQmWFVXKYQWVR0q33VnrRRf6S7ckhd3YmO_tT-xNUNHC4krZgGlNt3VBKHDkjSyNt2eWCb2o1Z9o6XnwlcGSy8_Z9k/s400/i_5EIlCj10YY.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">MASTER IN DOUBLE EGGED SWORD POLITICS </span></b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>via Bloomberg</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>by Soli Ozel</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">For two neighbors who don’t trust each other and for centuries were engaged in fierce strategic and religious competition, it is remarkable that SUNNI TURKEY and SHIITE IRAN haven’t gone to war over their border since 1639. As TURKISH leaders walk a diplomatic tightrope over U.S.-led efforts to pressure IRAN into abandoning a suspected nuclear-weapons program, their overriding priority is to keep it that way. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Relations between the two former imperial powers became particularly strained after the 1979 IRANIAN Revolution, which pitted a radical theocratic model of government against the fiercely secular one that TURKEY embraced under Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. TURKS complained frequently of IRANIAN perfidy and subversive activities they alleged IRAN was pursuing inside TURKEY, including occasional support for the separatist KURDISTAN Workers’ Party, or PKK. And yet, TURKEY remained strictly neutral during the 1980-1988 IRAN IRAQ war and the two neighbors continued to cooperate when necessary. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">So when, in 2010, some commentators and legislators in Washington began accusing TURKEY of abandoning its North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies and “turning east” to join an ideologically driven “axis” with the Islamic Republic of IRAN, TURKS were dumbfounded. They saw the AMERICAN analysis as a facile, historical take on their positions vis-a-vis IRAN’S nuclear program, as well as on their efforts to build bridges with SYRIA and Hamas. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">DOUBLE TROUBLE </span></b></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/AVvXsEi7u_XzqwdZK0aHCq-IYjycLLq5OjXeCf7CRn-rxIv0jVJyTTjPH_6MDoXVi2v0j_Hfowt0tUWzkQsyRg0ED6PX7-eRC3qB-5bFPNAGN0xnLSDUHlf6CuSw-AqqY3WKRlnci7UUWlupSWDC/s1600/i3Hjh5JoMF3M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7u_XzqwdZK0aHCq-IYjycLLq5OjXeCf7CRn-rxIv0jVJyTTjPH_6MDoXVi2v0j_Hfowt0tUWzkQsyRg0ED6PX7-eRC3qB-5bFPNAGN0xnLSDUHlf6CuSw-AqqY3WKRlnci7UUWlupSWDC/s320/i3Hjh5JoMF3M.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Two events in quick succession triggered the debate in Washington. On May 31, 2010, ISRAELI commandos boarded a TURKISH ship as it sought to break through ISRAEL’S naval blockade of Gaza. In the fight that followed, eight TURKS and a TURKISH-AMERICAN were shot dead, triggering a bitter rupture in relations between AMERICA’S two closest allies in the region. Then, on June 9, TURKEY voted against the U.S. in the United Nations Security Council, on a resolution that imposed further sanctions against IRAN over its nuclear program. </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 Gaza flotilla incident though was not the real reason for the rift between TURKEY and ISRAEL. The true cause was and still is the gas findings in the Eastern Mediterranean sea and subsequent corporation between Cyprus, Israel and Greece, threatening Turkey’s ambitions of becoming a key energy player in the region. One should also not be deluded by so called deteriorating relations between TURKEY and ISRAEL, for on the economic front the two countries are anything but enemies. </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";">To some AMERICANS, TURKEY seemed to be picking IRAN’S side in its long-running struggle against the U.S. and ISRAEL. TURKS, for their part, also felt betrayed. It was TURKS, rather than ISRAELIS, after all, who died on board the Mavi Marmara aid ship. And TURKEY voted against sanctions in the Security Council, because TURKISH and BRAZILIAN diplomats had only a few weeks earlier succeeded -- in line with a letter from U.S. President - in persuading IRAN to accept a nuclear swap deal that was designed to help restart talks on the broader IRANIAN nuclear program. TURKS believed they had scored a breakthrough. Their allies didn’t agree. </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";">There followed a torrent of frenzied articles, in the U.S. and elsewhere, questioning TURKEY’S strategic loyalties. Observers, unhappy with TURKEY’S increasingly assertive and autonomous foreign policies, alleged that the country was turning its back on the West. Events seemed to bear out their long-held suspicion that TURKEY’S ruling Justice and Development Party, which has Islamist roots, remains ideologically committed to an anti-WESTERN agenda. </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";">That TURKISH Prime Minister Erdogan called IRANIAN President Ahmadinejad “a friend,” and dismissed worries about IRAN’S nuclear program as “hearsay,” provided material on which to build the case. But the approach betrays a stupefying lack of interest in analyzing the underlying rationale of TURKISH foreign policy on Iran, as well as a tendency to dismiss the national interests of regional powers. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">INCREASING TRADE </span></b></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";">Trade between the two neighbors rose to $16 billion in 2011 from $1 billion in 2000, most of it reflecting rising oil-and-gas imports by TURKEY. IRAN generally provides 30 percent of TURKEY’S oil supply and a third of its total natural-gas imports, saving <b>TURKEY from almost total dependence on Russia</b>. More than 70,000 TURKISH trucks go through IRAN to take goods to and from CENTRAL ASIAN republics each year. Both sides often cooperated in their fights against KURDISH separatists. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">With such interests at stake, TURKEY objected to the imposition of harsher sanctions against IRAN. To protect valuable commercial ties, TURKISH negotiators worked tirelessly to keep diplomatic options open. But to the discomfort of its Western allies, TURKEY also consistently raised the issue of ISRAEL’S undeclared nuclear arsenal, insisting that the debate over IRAN’S program should be conducted with a view to a nuclear-free MIDDLE EAST. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikh4L8MaJMaDjytQPCG2dY8HNtvtcUv0rj0VB0oTXTNTALMpxEMjugkIJlhzWCdt1c2SnTnI7M-nCeaik2TG1snbyafKkJRhWb1cmwBrNfYOg7BeihIQuXsHetqTjFbxZH8-3C_LqiZpu2/s1600/iLuBBR3UH61k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikh4L8MaJMaDjytQPCG2dY8HNtvtcUv0rj0VB0oTXTNTALMpxEMjugkIJlhzWCdt1c2SnTnI7M-nCeaik2TG1snbyafKkJRhWb1cmwBrNfYOg7BeihIQuXsHetqTjFbxZH8-3C_LqiZpu2/s320/iLuBBR3UH61k.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">TURKEY has no interest in having a nuclear-armed IRAN as its neighbor. It is cognizant that this would trigger a race to acquire nuclear weapons by IRAN’S foes in the Arab world. Nuclear arms, plus increasingly sophisticated missile systems, would also tilt the balance of power between two neighbors of similar size in favor of IRAN. </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";">Yet TURKEY has even less enthusiasm for war, waged by either ISRAEL or the U.S. It believes a diplomatic solution to the nuclear standoff can still be found, if the IRANIANS are given a return ticket to the international system and a normalization of relations with the U.S. On the other hand, the TURKISH authorities increasingly are worried about the fragmented nature of the IRANIAN regime and the growing clout of the Revolutionary Guard Corps. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The preference for a diplomatic solution to the IRAN nuclear dispute continues, even after a sharpening of the age- old competition between IRAN and TURKEY following the Arab revolts and the U.S. withdrawal from IRAQ. These developments have triggered a rapprochement with officials in Washington and have exposed talk of a “shift of axis” for the fallacy that it is. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">COMPETITION OVER IRAQ </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">U.S. withdrawal has allowed IRAN to firm its grip on IRAQ, and tensions between SUNNIS and SHIITES are rising. IRAN is a natural patron of IRAQ’S SHIITE majority, and despite efforts to stay above the sectarian fray, TURKEY is seen as siding with IRAQ’S SUNNI leaders. Partly as a consequence of this trend, relations between TURKEY and the SHIITE-dominated government in Baghdad have deteriorated considerably and TURKISH influence in non-KURDISH areas of IRAQ has declined. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">But the most important area of competition between the IRANIAN and TURKISH capitals is SYRIA. In the course of the last nine years, TURKEY made a substantial political investment in building relations with the SYRIAN regime -- partly with an eye to luring President Bashar al-Assad away from IRAN. SYRIA is a big prize in the regional contest for hegemony. That investment was incinerated, however, when Erdogan failed to persuade Assad to respond to protesters and open up SYRIA’S political system. </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";">Forced to choose, the TURKISH government sided with the mainly SUNNI SYRIAN opposition, whose largest organization, the SYRIAN National Council, has since set up its headquarters in Istanbul. A commander of the Free Syrian Army is among the refugees who live in camps in TURKEY. IRAN, by contrast, unequivocally supports the Assad regime, which comes predominantly from the Alawite sect, and has been harshly critical of TURKEY’S position. </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";">As they wrestle with each other in IRAQ and SYRIA, the TURKISH and IRANIAN foreign ministers shuttle back and forth between their capitals, declaring eternal friendship. In a similar pas de deux, TURKEY continues to play a role in attempting to mediate the nuclear impasse, while IRAN still appears to need its neighbor’s good offices in rekindling negotiations with WESTERN powers. As time goes by, that dance is getting harder to sustain. </span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

HOW THE IRAN NUCLEAR STANDOFF LOOKS FROM A TURKISH POINT OF VIEW

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CHINA and ISRAEL, Enter the Dragon

HOW THE IRAN NUCLEAR STANDOFF LOOKS FROM A TURKISH POINT OF VIEW

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